SUBTLE DECEPTIONA very subtle deception is at work among the Children of God, and anyone who has walked with God for any length of time knows there is an enemy out to destroy their faith. Scripture tells us it is impossible to please God without faith, therefore it should not be a surprise to any Christian that we have to protect our faith. The problem is that our enemy is so cunning and subtle that many times we go about our lives never realizing that our faith is his target. Satan is the great deceiver, and I hate to say it but he is very good at what he does. John 8:44 says.
When anyone speaks a lie, they are using deception to influence another person or to blind them from seeing the truth. This is what Satan is doing in the lives of many Christians today concerning there walk with God. John 10:10 tells us exactly what Satan wants to do in the life of the Believer. Scripture says.
We all know that the thief is Satan the great deceiver, and the sooner we realize he has come to lie to us, steal from us, and kill us if he can, the sooner we will take charge of our life and defeat him. The greatest deception he has is to get you to look for the problem in some other area of your life. He doesn’t want you to know he is behind your defeat. That is the greatest deception of all. I don’t know of anyone that would willingly lie down and let the devil steal, destroy or kill them. However, the sad reality is Christians are doing just that, being deceived! Satan is stealing their victory, destroying their peace, and killing many prematurely. You may not be aware of it, but if your prayers are not being answered you may be under attack by the great deceiver, Satan. One of the tricks Satan will use is to keep you from getting your prayers answered is to keep you from forgiving someone who has hurt you in one way or another. Satan knows that you must forgive if you expect to receive from God. You cannot get your prayers answered if you do not forgive. Jesus, Himself made this clear in Mark ll:24-25, and we must take to heart everything that Jesus said. He was not just filling up the pages of the Bible. He gives a key to answered prayer. In the Living Bible Mark ll:24-25 says,
Jesus begins by saying, “LISTEN TO ME” He wants to get your attention because He was telling you something very important. BEFORE YOU ASK FOR ANYTHING, FIRST FORGIVE. If you want success in your prayer life we must do what Jesus said in this Mark ll:25, forgive, get everything out of your heart by forgiving any and all who have wronged you and ask the Father to forgive you any sin you may have committed. Take inventory of your own heart. It is very easy to just hide those wounds from the world but God sees them and it will keep your prayers from being answered if you allow them to take root in your heart. You may have been hurt as a child, or abused in some way, and it is hidden deep in a secret place in your heart that no one knows about. Regardless of what may have happened to you in the past, I encourage you to release it to God, because it is only hurting you. Once you realize that holding something against another doesn’t hurt that person, it only hurts and hinders you, it is much easier to let it go. You may have to forgive by faith, if so then do it. Forgiveness is a deliberate act of choice. Christians look everywhere for the problem of unanswered prayer when most of the time it is within their own heart. Forgive and keep the door open to the Throne Room. Remember, nothing is worth missing the blessings of God. I John 3:21-23 (KJV) says,
We know that to forgive is pleasing in His sight, Jesus told us that. Therefore, as the Word of God becomes light to us we must walk in that light and not allow sin to abide in our heart, then we can approach God and talk things over with Him and have our petitions granted. We all must remember that there will come a time when we are tempted not to forgive a person that has wounded us. I want you to know temptation is not a sin, the sin is when we allow it to settle down in our spirits and stay there, because the longer it stays, the more likely we will act on that temptation. Never allow any sin to abide long enough for it to take root, release it to God as soon as you are aware of it, because it will become a stronghold of bitterness if you don’t uproot it. Remember the subtle deception from Satan is designed to defeat you. Satan is not your friend and he is not doing good things for you. He is God’s enemy and every Believer’s enemy. You see, Satan can’t get to God so he attacks God’s children. His purpose is to defeat you in any area he can. He wants to destroy your faith, testimony and your life if you let him. God wants to answer your prayers, to bless you and lift you up. He wants you to be happy and full with joy. God is on your side, He doesn’t desire any of His children to have a need in any area of their life. He wants to answer your prayers, but you must keep the avenue open and free of sin. Never think that God doesn’t care about you or your problems. He cared so much He sent Jesus to set us free from the power of darkness. If this is Good News to you and you want to know what God had done for you, read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus was the love of God manifest in the flesh. He said “I only do what I see my Father do.” In other words, He was doing the will of God in the earth. As you read the Four Gospels you will never see Jesus turn anyone away, make anyone sick, refuse to meet the need of the one who approached Him, and He never turns anyone away today who comes to him in faith
Everyone must learn to have confidence in their prayers, because God doesn’t love one more than another. He wants you, personally to come to him. Don’t always seek another to do your praying. It’s alright to have someone pray for you, but the time may come when you are alone and it will be just you and God, and you need to know He will answer YOUR prayer, so don’t allow Satan to tell you different. I would like to encourage you to establish a personal relationship with your Heavenly Father. Spend time in prayer, praise and worship. Study His Word, and find out what He has provided for you, it may amaze you. Don’t just know about Him, KNOW HIM personally, it is well worth your time.
from this Subtle Deception page to Home
|
