Tag Archives: deception

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Real War

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2 Corinthians 10:3-5

The enemy’s primary strategy against the believer is deception. We learn from 2 Corinthians 11:14 that Satan often “disguises himself as an angel of light.” In fact, Jesus called him “the father of lies” (John 8:44). Thus, our best weapon is the truth, which sets us free from deception’s bondage (v. 32).

It is hard to avoid deception when you are not aware of the adversary’s schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). One of his oldest deceptions, which goes back to Adam and Eve, is the temptation to doubt what the Lord has said. To do so means to doubt God’s heart and character, which is similar to a soldier on the front line setting down his weapon as the enemy approaches—mistrusting God sets you up to be knocked down repeatedly by the evil one. If you listen to this voice of doubt, you give Satan a foothold. That will weaken you so that he can gear up to bring about further destruction.

Another scheme of the devil is to distract the believer. A distraction is anything that drags you away from what is most important at the moment and makes you so busy that you lose focus. Satan doesn’t use just blatantly sinful or superficial things to divert us from abiding in Christ—he will even use good things to subtly build up a wall of “noise” around you so that you gradually stop listening to God’s voice.

Ask the Lord to reveal any area in your life where you may be susceptible to deception. He will give you power to claim the truth and walk in freedom.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Light of Truth

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Psalm 119:97-106

A thinking person doesn’t drift through life, making decisions according to what looks or feels best. Acting on the basis of feelings will place a person at the mercy of Satan, who uses “spin,” deception, and half-truths to trap victims in the bondage of sin. But wise men and women—those who seek truth to guide them through life—can avoid the snare of poor choices and negative consequences.

The only perfectly dependable source of truth is Scripture. Living by biblical principles protects believers from the Enemy’s deceptions. He may try to deceive with outright contradictions to the truth, but those are easy to detect. The greater danger is the lie that contains an element of fact, which makes it both persuasive and difficult to refute.

Since such half-truths flow freely today, it’s vital that Christians be able to discern between truth and Satan’s twisted version of reality. If we make a decision based on an error in our thinking, we are likely to step out of the Lord’s will and into pain or embarrassment. But God has made provision for our weaknesses. He’s given us His Word and His Spirit so we can fill our minds with truth and live out His principles through divine power.

Living without biblical truth is like walking in the woods at night. The darkness is so complete that we repeatedly trip. But when we use the Scriptures as a guide—“a lamp for [our] feet”—we can see deception lying across our path like a fallen log (Ps. 119:105 NIV). We can also see our way around it so that our testimony is not harmed by stumbling.