By:        Godwin Eyiangho

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INTRODUCTION

There are three powerful devices that Satan uses to make man go against God especially Christians to drag them from the truth.

These are seduction, deception and persecution and they have negative influence on Christians which has made some to fall away.

Today, in our admonition, we are looking at one of them – deception – to guide against the negative influence of these devices of the devil.

Deception is

• the act of making someone to believe something that is not true
• the act of deceiving someone,
• the act or statement intended to make people believe something that is not true [Merriam-Webster Dictionary] 

The Greek word, ἀπάτη (apátē) refers to deceit, deceitfulness, beguile, to make false impression whether by appearance, significance or influence [Matthew 13:22, Mark 14:19, Hebrews 3:13].

From the definition, it is clear that deception is an instrument the devil uses to make us believe what is wrong to be right leading to heresy or teaching and practicing wrong things or doctrines.

It is the easiest, fastest and effective weapon that Satan is using to cause man to sin everywhere in the world.

YOU CAN BE DECEIVED TO BELIEVE A LIE AND BE LOST PERPETUALLY

Satan deceived Eve and by extension Adam to believe a lie and sinned against God.

Jacob believed a lie that Joseph was dead until the famine that took him to Egypt and the old prophet lied to the young prophet. The man of God [young prophet] from Judah did all that God commanded but believed an old prophet’s life and was consumed by a lion on his way back to Judah [1 Kings 13:1-24].

YOU CAN BE DECEIVED BY MIRACLES

Seeking immediate or miraculous solutions to various problems has led many away from the truth being deceived by miraculous dramatization or performance.

However, the New Testament teaches that Satan will deceived many with miracles in so much that some Christians will be deceived too [Matthew 24:24; Revelations 16:14].

YOU CAN BE DECEIVED BY HUMAN TRADITIONS

Any African Christian who sees nothing wrong in his native traditions and Christianity has already been deceived by the devil.

This is because most aspects of African traditions have relevance to ancestors, gods and superstitious beliefs that are contrary to God’s word.

Any human tradition that goes against the word of God, must be avoided by Christians and rather they must practise the Christians’ traditions -teachings and practices handed down to us by Christ and the apostles [Matthew 15:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:15]. 

YOU CAN BE DECEIVED BY PROBLEMS OF LIFE

Satan has been deceiving some who are rich or poor not to believe in or worship God but with some severe challenges of life, he has taken some away from the faith which ought not to be.

No matter the degree of our problems, we must always hold on to God.

Acts 14:22 (KJV) Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Satan always want to use problems of life to drag us out of the way of God but we must not allow him [James 4:7].

CONCLUSION

We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices and having known some of them, let us be wise and courageous walking continually with God to the end of time [2 Corinthians 2:11; Matthew 24:13; Revelation 2:10; Galatians 6:7,8].

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