Monday Meditation #8 - Deception

I will admit right now, I didn't get through all of the lessons last week. I had one left when I went to the women's meeting on Friday morning. But that didn't stop me from going. I squashed the perfectionist in me and went anyway, knowing I would be blessed by the fellowship of so many godly women (there are around 15 who have committed to attend weekly).

And I was right. Each of these women has a story behind her face and some have years of studying the scriptures to share with me. I am so grateful that we found Random Baptist Church in time for me to join this study.

Our first week of study focused on "laying the foundation" of Truth. We have to recognize that truth must be absolute. The world doesn't work right when we all have individual truths. In fact, that is an oxymoron. Demoss writes,

"A fatal flaw that is embraced by our culture is to spurn the notion of absolute truth and so leave every issue in life open for negotiation."

I was reminded through reading various passages that Satan tries to put us against one another (John 8:44), to cover up the light around us and draw us into his darkness (2 Corinthians 4:4), he tries to disguise himself in beautiful things to deceive us (2 Corinthians 11:14), and that Satan will take anyone and is always looking for his next victim (1 Peter 5:8).

We are all in bondage to sin, even if we don't know it. That is how deceptive Satan's lies are. But the truth counters the lies of Satan. God speaks the truth and is reliable (Psalm 33.4). God desires us to have integrity and helps us acquire it (Psalm 51.6). The Truth can release us from sinful behavior (John 8.32).

There is hope for escaping Satan's lies. When we invite Jesus to live in our hearts and rule over our lives, he gives us the Holy Spirit to help us battle Satan (John 14.15-17, 16.13). We are not expected to be a lone warrior. We should make sure we are daily reading the scriptures and that we are spending time with other people who desire the same things.

This coming week, we will read chapter 2 in Lies Women Believe and complete the same chapter in the companion guide, if you have it. I strongly recommend you get yourself a copy. It is really helping me see the biblical basis for what Demoss shares.

"Describe some lies that are widely accepted as truth by our society. In what way do these lie influence people's choices and in what ways are thy destructive to people's lives?" (pg 21) Leave a comment sharing your thoughts, or a link to your own blog post answering this question.

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