Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1
In this age of social media, everywhere you turn you can find something that you think will make your life better and make you happier. If I only had__________, I would be happy. Satan is the great deceiver and he works hard to distract us from God. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have to work too hard because we are easily distracted. Once we get distracted and lured away, we are captive.
The Intimidation, Deceit, and Bondage of Idols
Every false god is built upon a lie that sounds really good at the time. A false god will lure us with false promises and false rescue, and once we are in, intimidation keeps us hostage. They will cast doubt on the word of God that promises that He will protect and take care of us regardless of our circumstances. Be careful of anything or anyone that promises deliverance or help from your troubles. God does send people into our lives sometimes to help us but in desperation we can easily be hoodwinked by the appearance of what seems right – maybe because we want it to be right. If it is not from God, it will be eventually become evident when aspects of the situation go against what the Bible tells us is right in God’s eyes. This kind of false rescue only leads to more bondage.
God set the Israelites free from the bondage of Egypt, so they could worship and serve Him. But instead they turned to false gods and ended up right back in bondage. In the same way, God has delivered you and me from the bondage of our sin, set us free and given us new life in Christ. He doesn’t want us to run right back to it, but sadly we often do just that. We allow them to take over our hearts and hold power over us. In the garden of Eden, the serpent deceived Eve into believing that the fruit would provide everything she was looking for – and more. He made her believe that it would meet her physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual needs. In reality, the fruit gave her none of those things and actually left her with everything she would didn’t want for her life.
This is how Satan works. He uses lies and deceit to reel us in and hold us in bondage. He may use some true statements, but they never lead to truth. Knowing the real truth of God can help us identify the lies Satan lays before us and protect and equip us to stand firm against his antics. We must beware of being delivered from the bondage of one false god only to be led into captivity by another when we fail to maintain our focus on the One True God and His design and desire for our lives. Abiding in Christ, reading His word, praying, learning, and surrounding ourselves with other Christians in fellowship and support will ground us in His truth. Only when we know the real truth can we recognize the lies as they come our way.
Scripture to Claim:
…while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it. 2 Timothy 3:13-14
