We live in a world of deception and untruths. There was a time when a man was as good as his word. Two people would agree, shake hands, and it was as good as done. Today, we need attorneys, meetings, and clarifications on every single little point, so that we won’t get taken down the primrose path and get stuck holding an empty bag. People live today in very tight quarters, and we are so afraid to come out, we are so afraid of getting taken. This is the world we live in today.

It’s OK to lie, as long as you get what you want in the end. We cheat on our spouses, taxes; lie to our bosses and business partners. Banks lie and cheat their customers and governments make laws to legalize their thievery, so they can vacation in one of their four homes that they own. Congressman and the President’s cabinet members forget to pay their taxes and they get a slap on the wrist, while you and I go to jail.

The point I’m making, is that it is an accepted practice to lie and cheat, in our society today, were as your grandfather and great grandfather would be rolling in their graves, if they could see the world as it is now.

I have a friend that works in a bank and they have to go through extensive training to teach them how to spot a counterfeit bill. The biggest part of the training is to know all the marks and identifying traits of a real bill first. You see, when you know what the real one looks like, you won’t fall for the counterfeit.

The same truth applies to our walk with the Lord, Jesus Christ. Many people have met Jesus, but not a lot of people know who He is. These are the ones that will fall quickly to those that are false teachers of Christianity. Those that believe only parts of the bible, those that say Jesus was just another prophet. These are deceptions and deception is just another word for not telling the truth or lying.

Have you ever heard the story of how to boil a frog alive? You put him in a pot of water and every hour, you turn the temperature up one degree. The water will gradually get hotter and hotter, but the frog will never notice because it is such a slow increase. The frog will adapt to the heat at first, but by the time he realizes it’s getting really hot, it will be to late, and their will be frog legs for dinner that night.

So it is with the deception and untruths of false teachers of Christianity. They tweak a little bit here and there, and to those who don’t know the real thing, they will be lead down the wrong road. After all, “there are lots of people there, and many of my friends are going that way also”.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:11; “And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.”

Can you tell when someone has erred from the truth of the scripture? Do you know what you believe? Can you give an answer to those who would argue with you, that the Bible is not the very Word of God? If you can’t, then perhaps you need to take another long look at your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said in John 17:3; “And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

Do you know Jesus Christ? You see, many people have met Him, but not many know Him. You will only know who He is by taking into your heart and mind the very living word of God, the bible.

John 1:1; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”.

Genesis 1:3; “And God said, ”Let there be light; and there was light”.

I am known by the words that I speak. In my mind are the thoughts formed from the feelings and emotions that make me who I am, and those are expressed to you through the words that I speak to you. Right now, you are reading my words, and if you were standing right here in front of me, you would be hearing my words, but it is by my words that you know who I am. It is the same with God.

Hebrews 1:1-2; “God, who at many times and in many ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds...”

He looked down at this pile of muck and sin that we live in, He loved us and came here to die on the cross and save us from the penalty of our sin, but He also wanted us to know who He is. He wants a relationship with you and me. He wants to communicate Himself to you. He did that through Jesus Christ, the living Word, and through the Bible, the written Word of God. Jesus Christ has put God on display to the whole world.

John 1:18; “No one has seen God at any time; the Only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”

Hebrews 4:12 “For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.

There is the true, and there is the false. Can you tell the difference? This battle between truth and lies has been going on since the dawn of time.

Go all the way back to the book of Genesis and you will find Satan questioning God’s Word to Eve. He was telling Eve, that you can’t believe what God says. He doesn’t have your best interests at heart. He’s not giving it to you straight.

Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Listen to what Jesus says about the devil to the religious leaders back in those days. John 8:44; “You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.”

My friends, he is still doing that today. There has always been a war on the truth of God’s Word and who God is. Satan does not want you or me to know God. The longer he can keep you out of the truth, the better he has at taking you and me down.

1Peter 5:8; “Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Have you met Jesus Christ? Are you one of His children? Then get to know Him by taking the time, every day, to get into His word. Make a quiet time where you can read God’s Word and talk with Him. Tell Him what’s on your heart. Open yourself to Him. Discover what the true looks like, and you won’t fall for the false.

He’s waiting to hear from you.

Matthew 11:28-30; “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Brian Gosur