Pastor Ellen's Daily Devo -- Avoiding Deception
Posted on March 23, 2010 with 0 comments
Revelation 13:3 "One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast."
Magicians can pull rabbits out of hats and do amazing tricks. I am always fascinated by how they can saw bodies in half and put them back together! I never see their slight-of-hand maneuvers, and so I am completely gullible (but deep down I know it's really fake!).
Jesus wants us to know that this beast is pulling off a great deception. Not only is he mocking Jesus' death on the cross as a parody, but he also is using it to draw the whole world astray. Just like the deceptive magicians we watch at shows, this evil beast is mimicking Jesus' death and resurrection and convincing others it is the real deal (Talk about narrow gates and wide gates -- this is definitely a wide gate leading to disaster!)!
As followers of Jesus, we need to be aware of others who may seem sincere and caring but have ulterior motives (like this resurrected beast!). We have one and only one Savior that is our Jesus. So we need to rely on His power to help us discern truth from deception. There will be false prophets and alluring messages from Satan to take the easy path and the wide gates of life. There will be those who encourage us to put Jesus and His cross aside because following Him is not the way to success, happiness, and good times (well, they are the temporary and selfish desires anyway!). Our lives are not designed to be one huge vacation, indulging in pleasures for ourselves just for the moment. We are shaped and molded to be His family, created to experience His love and His grace. We long to share that with others. And we are made to spread His love and grace in a world that desperately needs to hear the truth. So let's not be deceived by those who strive for their own personal successes and pleasures and goals (That's the wide gate, full of tricky magicians with their deceptive moves!). Instead, let's follow Jesus who beckons us to that narrow gate, where real love and absolute truth surround us completely. We will find that His ways are more deeply satisfying and fulfilling, and the ways of the false beast will not fool us down that wide gate now or ever.
Dear Jesus, I sometimes get drawn to magicians and wonder just how they do their tricks. Help me to remember that their deception is just like Satan's false ways. Teach me to see the truth in your Word and spread it to others before they go through that wide gate. In your name, Amen.
Magicians can pull rabbits out of hats and do amazing tricks. I am always fascinated by how they can saw bodies in half and put them back together! I never see their slight-of-hand maneuvers, and so I am completely gullible (but deep down I know it's really fake!).
Jesus wants us to know that this beast is pulling off a great deception. Not only is he mocking Jesus' death on the cross as a parody, but he also is using it to draw the whole world astray. Just like the deceptive magicians we watch at shows, this evil beast is mimicking Jesus' death and resurrection and convincing others it is the real deal (Talk about narrow gates and wide gates -- this is definitely a wide gate leading to disaster!)!
As followers of Jesus, we need to be aware of others who may seem sincere and caring but have ulterior motives (like this resurrected beast!). We have one and only one Savior that is our Jesus. So we need to rely on His power to help us discern truth from deception. There will be false prophets and alluring messages from Satan to take the easy path and the wide gates of life. There will be those who encourage us to put Jesus and His cross aside because following Him is not the way to success, happiness, and good times (well, they are the temporary and selfish desires anyway!). Our lives are not designed to be one huge vacation, indulging in pleasures for ourselves just for the moment. We are shaped and molded to be His family, created to experience His love and His grace. We long to share that with others. And we are made to spread His love and grace in a world that desperately needs to hear the truth. So let's not be deceived by those who strive for their own personal successes and pleasures and goals (That's the wide gate, full of tricky magicians with their deceptive moves!). Instead, let's follow Jesus who beckons us to that narrow gate, where real love and absolute truth surround us completely. We will find that His ways are more deeply satisfying and fulfilling, and the ways of the false beast will not fool us down that wide gate now or ever.
Dear Jesus, I sometimes get drawn to magicians and wonder just how they do their tricks. Help me to remember that their deception is just like Satan's false ways. Teach me to see the truth in your Word and spread it to others before they go through that wide gate. In your name, Amen.