October 6 - Deceived.

Galatians 6:7
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
 
To be deceived one must be mislead to go astray and commit sin. Who deceives? Does God deceive us? The Lord? The Holy Spirit? Absolutely not.
 
Deception starts with the deceiver. The devil uses people, possessions, and pride to deceive us. We must resist the deceiver and not be ignorant of his devices.
 
Deceived By Alcohol.
Proverbs 20:1
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”
 
Many focus on the first part of the verse and dwell on the Truth of it, while leaving out the Truth of the latter part. We learn from this verse that wine and strong drink can deceive people. In order to partake of wine or strong drink, you must be deceived. A person who is deceived by the devil in partaking of wine or strong drink may have their reasons why they feel it is okay for a Christian to do so; however, the Bible tells us that they are not wise.
 
Deceived By Pride.
Galatians 6:3
“For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”
 
To be deceived by someone or something else is one thing, but many times we forget how often we deceive ourselves. Pride is followed by shame and destruction. God hates pride, so shouldn’t we?
 
The Fate of the Deceiver.
Revelation 20:10
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
 
How encouraging it is to remember the fate that awaits the deceiver. After all is said and done, he will be cast into the place that was created for him, the lake of fire. Yet it is sobering to think of the many that will choose to reject Christ and His payment for the debt that they owe and spend eternity with the deceiver.
 
Resist the deceiver today.
 
 
Bible Reading:
Isaiah 51-52  |  John 3  |  Psalm 68
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