A Victim of Deception

Have you ever been deceived? It’s certainly not a pleasant feeling to finally realize it. It can make you angry and make you feel violated. Depending on the situation, it can make you want to retaliate… but don’t.

Maybe you’re not sure you’ve been deceived. Deception is misleading someone or deliberately causing them to accept what is false instead of true. This may be a result of lies, omissions, and/or concealing or distorting the truth, which causes a false impression.  

Can you imagine the entire population of a country being deceived? Believe me, it has happened. The realization of being lied to one’s whole life was staggering for some friends of ours. Even in America, people are being deceived and manipulated for various reasons, including controlling people’s thoughts and behaviors. This is a form of bondage.

Deception is a dangerous precursor to sin. Unfortunately, many do not realize they are being deceived or have been deceived because they are already deceived. All they can do is hope to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of their sins and hope to escape its consequences.

Deception, as related to the temptation to sin, can come from several sources.

• Satan and his demons – through temptations to sin
• Others – through temptations which cause you to sin
• Ourselves – our own fleshly, sinful desires
• Culture – culture has eliminated certain moral absolutes defined by Elohim (God) – it says sin is not really sin. This is complete deception.

Deception was, is, and will be.

It was in the beginning – in the garden of Eden.

• Genesis 3:13 – Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” How did the serpent (Satan) do this? He questioned Elohim’s command – Did Elohim actually say…? Then he implied Elohim was a liar – You will not surely die. Adam and Eve did not die physically, but their spirits died; that’s why our spirits need to be born again (See Genesis 3:1-6; John 3:3-7)

Sin deceives us; we often desire what is forbidden because we are deceived into thinking it is no big deal.

• Romans 7:11-12 – For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. ¹² So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

After Yeshua’s (Jesus’) return, deception will be on hold for 1000 years, then it will once again be permitted for a short time before the final judgment.

• Revelation 20:7-8 – Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.

Deception can lead to curses, so choose blessing.

• Genesis 3:14 – The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this (deceived Eve), cursed are you… The serpent wasn’t the only one affected by a curse following this incident. The woman would experience pain during childbirth, and the ground was cursed as well. This would require hard work for people to eat. You may not realize it, but deception was sown by the serpent (Satan) at this time, and the curse of sin and death began to be reaped.
• Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? ¹⁰ “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” The Lord searches our soul — our hearts and minds — where our spiritual battlefield exists. It is where either good or bad treasure resides (Matthew 12:35). Don’t be deceived and lured by your own desires (James 1:14-16). Remember, God wants to bless His people, but He can’t do that when deception leads to a lifestyle of sin. 
• Galatians 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption (death), but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (See Romans 6:22-23; Deuteronomy 30:19-20) The principle of sowing and reaping did not change since the Garden of Eden. In fact, Moses instructed the people to choose between life and death, blessing and curses. That choice still stands for us today, as it also did even in Paul’s day.

Beware of the deception of others; instead, encourage righteousness.

• Proverbs 1:11-18 – If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason;¹² like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; ¹³ we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; ¹⁴ throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”—¹⁵ my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths,¹⁶ for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.¹⁷ For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird,¹⁸ but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. (See also Proverbs 12:20) The deceptive possibility of gaining wealth at the expense of others is not worth the risk when harming other people is involved. Sometimes people, for whatever reason, are so desperate for dishonest gain that they are willing to do anything to get it. This is deception at work!
• Psalm 32:2 – Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. Remember the principle of sowing and reaping!
• Hebrews 3:13 – But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Be careful because deceit can harden our hearts! We don’t want to have a heart of stone. We want one that can be molded and shaped by the Lord.

Deception not only leads us into sin, but it also affects our thoughts. We must take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Messiah (2 Corinthians 10:5). If we have sinned, we must repent and forgive those who have deceived us. We must renounce anger, bitterness, and any desire for vengeance. If we are not sure if we have been deceived, we can ask God to reveal the truth to us. We should also ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into truth and to set us free from any bondage caused by deception and sin.

We also must be on guard to avoid deception in areas of our worth and significance. Elohim loves us; He does not want the enemy to take advantage of us and attack us in this manner.  This is one way deception can distract us and keep us from our God-given destinies.

As you guard against deception, read and study the Bible regularly, so you can overcome deception with truth. (John 8:31-32).