Are you easily deceived?

How do you know a lie from the truth?  When talking about Scripture, it is very clear.  The Lord made it plain for us to understand His truth by giving us the Bible.  That is the standard by which all other "truths" are to be measured.

So that is the lowdown when it comes to what's what regarding truth and Truth.

However, I'd like to focus on our thought lives.  Really, do you have to go there? you may be asking.  Hold on. It gets good!

It's been said that we have up to 70,000 thoughts a day.  That is a lot of thoughts!  

How many are worthwhile?  (crickets)

Are you a "positive" thinker?  Maybe you are, but are you dealing in Reality - the light of God's revealed truth through His Word - or just "being good?"

When you belong to Christ, you have an enemy.  It is the devil and for now, at least, he is alive and out to stir up as much trouble and evil as possible - both in the world and in the hearts, minds, and lives of the Redeemed.

To call him a scoundrel is much too tame.  Every evil thought you've ever had, every evil work you've ever seen, either firsthand or in the news - they are all the devil's handiwork.  He is behind each and every one.

The Lord is good.  He is pure Light,  In Him there is no darkness at all.

And now, as born again Christians, with His Holy Spirit living in us, we carry with us His goodness!  Wow!  We stand a chance in this life!

Letting His goodness move from our hearts to our minds, now that's a lifelong process.  It's work, plain and simple.  Why?  Because we're still in this flesh and it will always be at odds with our Spirit.

So what's a girl to do?

Ask!  Ask our all-knowing Father, when a random thought pops into our little ol' heads - Lord, is this from you?

Jesus never, no never accuses or condemns another.  He may point out when we are in the presence of a wolf in sheep's clothing, but He does that to protect and warn us, not to condemn the wolf.  That comes later.  On Judgment Day.  He will sort out who's who then.

Anyway, take, for example, an unkind thought that floats into your mind about another believer.  Never from God, folks.  Throw that thought out!  Don't let it keep turning over and over in your mind.  

First off, is it even true?  Remember, the devil is the accuser of the brethren.  So he is constantly casting aspersions on our brothers and sisters in Christ, as if they were the enemy instead of him!  He's a deflector, the creep!

You can feel it.  You can feel when someone is thinking bad thoughts around you.  Where did they come from?  I have felt this from total strangers in the Body of Christ.  They don't know me at all, yet they are judging me.  Where are those evil thoughts in their mind coming from?  The accuser!

They are out-and-out lies!  Yet there are those who bank on those thoughts as if they were actually true.  Therein lies the deception.

I've been on the other end ot that deal.  A thought pops into my mind about a sister in Christ, but it is negative.  If I don't nip it in the bud, it becomes a deception, where darkness dwells in my mind.  How easily are we deceived in this way?  

We must be committed to bringing those thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, or we're doomed to failure.  Bring it into His light and ask the Lord to reveal His truth about the person.  

And Jesus wants us free!  He died for this - for our freedom.  And to live in freedom means freedom in our thought life.  Not bogged down by the lies of the enemy.

Cry out for discernment!  God knows exactly what is going on!

I am firmly convinced that if the Body of Christ were truly living out this kind of life - full of genuine, Christlike love toward one another - people would be swarming to come to Christ!  They would want what we have!  This is what the Lord had in mind when He chose us - to be separate from the world in how we love and treat one another - to stand out so blatantly from the world's ways that His love would be seen in us by the way we treat one another.  

Is this happening?  Not as well and as much as it should!  

It is up to us individually to live this out.  Whether or not we see it in those around us, we are called to love.  We are called to bear one another's burdens and to lift each other up in prayer.  We are also called to call each other out when we get off track - this too, is love.  But only with a loving heart, as we know we are all made of the same stuff and prone to the same pitfalls.  The Lord, again, will show us when to do what, if we are seeking Him, listening to Him, and willing to obey!

My prayer for you is that you would immediately know when you are being lied to, so that you can get out of that mindset ASAP!  Be determined to walk in love.  Be determined to overcome.  Be trusting enough of the Lord to expose the lies the devil is casting about you as He reveals Himself to and through you to others.  

They will know we are Christians by our love.  Some of you may remember that old-time folk song.  May it be true of us.  Above all, love one another.  For love covers a multitude of sins.

Lord Jesus, we need Your discernment, wisdom, and love to combat the lies of the enemy he throws at us on any given day.  Help us walk in Your light and love always. Help us to dwell on whatever is pure and lovely.  For we are called to love.  We are called to freedom.  Thank You that both of these are possible by Your power, grace, and love in us! In Jesus' Name.  Amen.