REVISED
There is a lot to say about deception, but this article will be more of an alert about the seriousness of deception. The consequences of deception and finding out that you were deceived are most painful. I believe the most pain deception comes from a family member, friend and/or a spiritual leader. Of course, many others get away with practicing deception therefore we will not cover all the possibilities.
One definition of deception is the action of deceiving someone.
I am sure you have your own word for deception. As you can see, deception is not nice it is one of the tools of our enemy the Devil.
People let the Devil use them to be tools of deception and much more when not sold out to living lives of holiness. You may have heard the stories of people asking the question did they stay up all night plotting that trick. You do wonder how some people are so smooth with their gimmicks. If you have not encountered that behavior more than likely, you will soon.
I believe the most damaging practice of deception comes from a spiritual leader who takes advantage of people by fulfilling this scripture:
Mark 13:5 - 6 (KJV) 5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: 6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Ephesians 5:6 (KJV) 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
I believe we all must test the spirit (persons) by the word of God, although there are many versions of the Bible it is wise to use the King James Version as a benchmark since the translators went from the Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic to King James first before other versions were written. If what the spiritual leader does or says, does not line up with the Word of God – the Holy Bible I believe you have an obligation to reject what they are telling you.
Be careful when you discover a spiritual leader in error. Be sure you follow the prescription in scripture how to deal with the situation. The key is that each person I believe must obey this scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. The pain of deceptive practices by a spiritual leader hurt, but once you understand what has happened you need to confront the issue with wisdom and then forgive the leader and then listen to the Holy Spirit for your next move.
The scripture says in Proverbs 17:17 (KJV) 17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. I take this scripture to mean that a true friend tells you the truth no matter what and that a brother or sister can be your worst pain (enemy) in life. I know this to be true from personal experience, but the Lord has blessed me to forgive my brother and love him according to Matthew 5:44 (KJV) 44 But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; When your brother or sister uses deceptive tactics, they become your enemy. Family can be one of the greatest challenges in life.
The pain derived from a friend who deceives you can astound you and cause you not to trust anyone or anything. That is why it is important to learn to test your friendships and prune the trip periodically. Friendships are few and when the Lord blesses you to have one or two it truly is a blessing. Deception in friendship can happen in so many ways but one of the most common is when you think you know someone and one day, they began to talk with you and tell you the true about their life.
I believe we must all take time to allow friendships to develop and ground ourselves with truth about our family. Love is one of the key elements in friendship and family relations. As I close, this article I want you to be sure you start to pay more attention what is being said to you by others and what you are saying.
I will close with this scripture 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (KJV) 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; It is incumbent on each of us to know the truth about our family, friends and spiritual leaders so that if we hear or encounter a truth we did not know we will be able to handle it.
Are you a deceiver or are you being deceived?