The great dragon was cast out, that serpent of
old, called the Devil or Satan, who deceives the whole world (Revelations 12:9)
In addition, the devil Does not
stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he
speaks from his own resources because he is a liar and the father of it. (John 8:44)
One of the ways in which the devil lies is
through misrepresentation for the Bible tells us that Satan transforms
himself into an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
It also warns us that
Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he
may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
The devil also lies by
using the Cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. (Ephesians 4:14)
We
can see an example of this from the Gibeonites who Worked craftily and
carried old sacks and old wineskins which were torn and mended. They wore old
and patched sandals on their feet and put on old garments. The bread they
carried for their provisions was also dry and moldy. They then went to Joshua
and said, "Make a covenant with us because we have come from a far
country" (Joshua 9:4-6) because
God had told the Israelites to destroy the people who were living in their
Promised Land. (Joshua 9:24)
In addition to lying with their props, the
Gibeonites also lied with their words for they said, "We took this
bread from our houses on the day we left to come to you while it was still hot.
But now look, it is dry and moldy. These wineskins were filled when they were
new. But now look, they are torn. These garments we are wearing and our sandal
have become old because of the very long journey we have taken. (Joshua
9:12-13)
These people who were pretending
to have come from a distant land were actually from nearby city because After
the Israelites had made a covenant with them, they heard that the Gibeonites
were their neighbors who lived near them. (Joshua 9:16)
How to Deal with Deception
If you are being attacked with this device of deception do
the following:
Pray
Pray for Guidance
Pray and ask God to guide you for the Israelites were fooled
by the Gibeonites because they Did not
ask counsel of the Lord. (Joshua
9:14)
Therefore, Do not lean on your own understanding. Instead, in all your
ways acknowledge God and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Instead of relying just
on your own understanding, always rely on God’s insight before you make
decisions. To do this, pray and ask God to guide you even if you consider
yourself a specialist of the issue you are dealing with because the Gibeonites fooled
the Israelites even though the Israelites were supposed to be experts of long
distance travel because they had spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness.
They should therefore have known better than anyone else how long distance
travelers would look and behave.
Pray for the Holy Spirit
Pray and ask God to fill
you with His Holy Spirit so that you can discern the devil in your daily
dealings regardless of whether he camouflages himself as an angel of light or
struts about like a lion.
Confess the Word of God
The sword of the
spirit is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17) and confessing Bible verses like
the following can help you win your battle against this device of deception
since The tongue has the power of life
and death. (Proverbs 18:21)
Direct my steps with
Your Word, O God. (Psalm 119:133)
No weapon formed
against me shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17)
To learn all the 18 Devices
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