Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
You ever listen to a person speak for twenty-minutes and realize he didn’t say anything of substance? All you ever heard were many adjectives and action verbs with emotional tempos thrown between the lines.
Politicians are notorious for such gimmicks. Advertisers are a very close second. And you can throw in a few religious ministers who use the same worldly techniques. In fact, one career assessment guide includes all three personalities in the same classified box. The same skill sets are needed to be effective in each of these three roles.
Yet the Bible warns us not to be deceived by such people who may say much with great form but maintain no substance in the pudding.
They tell you what you want to hear instead of what you need to know.
They cover their words with strong emotional content so your mind becomes clouded with explosive nerve endings rather than a calm, logical reasoning conclusion.
They seek out your trigger points and use words to explode them rather than outline the cause and effect of their position.
They blind you from the best solution to move you down a path where they may best benefit themselves.
They flip-flop on positions or as the Bible calls it – being double-minded. It all depends who is their audience.
They may even change the definition of a word for their personal agenda.
They hide behind smoke screens of illusion; like magicians they have you focus in one area while they manipulate another toward their personal ambition.
Unless one is grounded in long-term, eternal values which outlasts all fads and temporary demands, one may quickly fall prey to their cunning deception. This is one strong reason to study the Bible and its historical significance as it relates to human affairs.
The Word expounds on values and principles which lead to more favorable outcomes in living. When one knows the truth, one quickly recognizes the lies and deception of the enemy. But unless one is grounded in the Truth, one may quickly fall prey to the cunning deception of the Evil One.
In most cases, when you come to know a person’s heart, and when you spend enough time with them to recognize that they actually walk the talk, it will take time to separate the facts from the illusions. But reading your Bible and knowing Him who the book points to, is one of the best tools to help us separate the truth from deception, form from substance, and real value from artificial imitation.
Rooting For You in Christ!
Dr. Mike
Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:
* Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
* Great Business Emulates a Good God
* Be Radical…Follow Christ!
* Simply The Messenger
* Unequally Married
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