One Way Out!
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.
(Proverbs 16:2 - KJV)
The above verse tells us something very significant in regards to a subject that is found in the New Testament. Contained within this verse is the trap of the subject about deception.
If you were to ask 10,000 people if they were deceived you would probably get 10,000 no answers because you don't know when you are deceived. In our own eyes our ways are clean, right, logical, and warranted no matter how wrong we may be.
In the New Testament we can read quite a bit about deception. In fact, we find that during the time we live in deception will run rampant through the world and many will deceive and be deceived. What is interesting is that when we read this very few will realize that they will have opportunity to be deceived. We typically think of this in the realm of it being someone else because "I'm not deceived, I understand perfectly."
The title of this article is "One Way Out" because there is only one way out of deception. That is what makes this spiritual force so powerful. Not only is there only one way out, when you are deceived you are not prone to taking the one way.
Every once in awhile you will hear about an "intervention" where a family basically kidnaps their own child who has been sucked into some type of cult. During the intervention they will go through what is called a deprogramming process. This deprogramming is where they will try to change the thinking process of the child who is fighting against the "wicked" parents who don't know what they are doing. This deceived child fights with everything they have in order to hang on to their beliefs that they think is clean or right.
It's a hard process because when you have come to the place where you have accepted a lie to be truth it is hard to break the lies hold on your thinking process. There is a biblical way to get out of deception and it falls into a subject that many oppose. It is called submission. Look at the following scripture:
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
(1 Corinthians 1:21 - KJV)
The Word of God declares in this verse that salvation comes to those who believe what is preached. Let's pause for a second because we use these words a little different than their original meanings. When we hear the word preaching we think about Sunday service where the preacher stands up and preaches. However, this word actually means to proclaim something. This is why in casual conversation we will say, "Stop preaching at me!" When Paul wrote this he didn't limit this statement to standing behind a pulpit with the title of Pastor.
In addition, when we hear the word "save" we typically think of salvation. In other words we think in terms of missing hell and going to heaven. However, this word means to save, deliver, and heal. If you are sick in your body you need to be saved from the sickness just as if you are facing bankruptcy you need financial salvation.
The final part of this analysis is with the phrase, "them that believe." The believing process is when we surrender our ideas and accept the ideas that are being presented to us.
When we are deceived we will only find deliverance when someone proclaims the truth to us and we surrender our ideas and accept what is being said as truth. This is one the greatest benefits of being part of a good church with a godly Pastor. If you have a Pastor who will preach the truth no matter how you respond then you have someone in your life that will keep you out of deception. Non Christians may have a mentor or a coach in their life who would carry the same responsibility.
There are many who think that they can have church with their family at home. Many Pastor's have the attitude that all authority stops with them. Many traveling ministers have no one who speaks into their life and will stay home when they don't have a Sunday booked. There's a growing number of people who think they can stay home and watch Christian TV and that's all they need. Many churches are broadcasting by the internet and you can actually become of member of that church while you are hundreds of miles away.
The problem with all of these scenarios is that it gives us the opportunity to pick and choose what we want to hear. If there is sin in your life you will not voluntarily sit and listen to a sermon or a person that is confronting your sin. However, when you give someone permission to speak into your life, yet you don't want to hear what they have to say, most often you will stay with them and allow them to confront you.
Your only way to stay free of deception is to submit yourself to the Word of God and another person. Someone who knows you and is not afraid to look you in the face and tell you that you are going to mess your life up if you keep doing what you are doing.
Don't be deceived by thinking you can't be deceived. Deception is a spiritual force that your natural thinking abilities have no power against. Protect yourself by finding a good church with a godly leader who is willing to tell you the truth. Give them permission to speak into your life and you will find that when you submit yourself to a person who is anointed of God you will live a protected life.
