Deception and Division

Division is a tool that is used quiet well by the enemy. The enemy comes to divide God’s Children and there is not an area or aspect of life that is off limits to him and this is true regardless of your gender, race and/or ethnicity, what denomination you belong to, or how long you’ve been in the faith. All that Satan cares about is stealing away God’s Children from eternity with God Almighty.

In case you may have forgotten, it’s been this way for a long while and we read about it in the book of Genesis. After being tossed out of Heaven for rebellion, Satan took on a different form and tempted Adam and Eve. He did well and was able to deceive them into doing something that they were told not to. Just imagine being told not to do one thing and all the things that could have been done, Satan tempted the duo into eating from a specific tree.

This is a story that we have read and/or been told time and time again. It literally is as old as time itself so if an individual thinks that they are somehow above being deceived by the enemy; they are literally naïve because Satan is good at what he does. For men, one of our biggest weaknesses is women particularly those that are easy on the eyes and these eyes are not just used to get out of parking tickets. There have been different times when I did things I normally wouldn’t for a pretty face.

My point with this is the enemy uses our weaknesses against us and these weaknesses can do much more than just cost money but can divide us in many different ways. Generally, when we want to do something we justify our behavior somehow even if we know the behavior is wrong. If you say you have never done this, I’m proud of you but chances are, you’re deceiving yourself. One experience that I am familiar with is doing something that I knew was wrong and this caused division among myself—between my desire/want and my value system.

It goes back to the simple principle that we cannot walk with the Devil and not expect to get burned. If you play with fire then you will get burned, eventually, but it may not always be in the ways you expect. Some of the biggest wounds that I have had are emotional one and these are typically the hardest to heal. When we engage in behavior with other people that we know have less than reputable character, we cannot blame anyone else for the outcome. Of course it’s easier to place the blame at Satan’s feet and he enjoys this blame but scripture tells us that “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

One of the prime examples in our country is the divorce rate. It’s amazing that more than half of all marriages end in a divorce but it’s not surprising. Far too long too many people in the United States have given up on their values in the chase for the perfect family even if it’s with the wrong individual. This is an area that I have had many discussions with Lashon Bush, founder of the Give Your Witness ministry, and have gained a better understanding of just how deep this issue is as military members have a tremendously high divorce rate of nearly seventy percent which is not something I knew beforehand.

It’s not always easy to pick the right partner but this is where we must rely on our faith in God and communicate with Him regularly. Our relationship with Christ cannot be an in and out affair like so many marriages that we see. This article is not one to scold everyone else as I am guilty of this myself as I have been with the wrong partner for all the wrong reasons and even knowing the relationship was wrong, I continued on with it for, you guessed it, all the wrong reasons and this is what happens when division is a part of the equation: “But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house [divided] against a house falleth” (Luke 11:17).

Marriage is difficult as people are all different so a relationship will not work properly between just any two people. No, there is no such thing as a perfect person or relationship but we do have to be aware of the situation in which we are in: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). We are to be aware of whom we are around because it’s significant that we know what we are getting into and this is something that I have learned the hard way but not doing so caused much division not just in the relationship but other parts of my life.

Think outside of marriage. For example, 2020 and all the different events and situations that took place. We saw firsthand at how divided Americans were (and still are) in regards to the coronavirus situation. Government officials put in laws and restrictions that only applied to the American people but for those within the government and their families, they did not apply. When it came to the science and how doctors and so called experts implemented their recommendations, there was no consensus. Literally, nothing that surrounded the event made any sense and those who called for Americans to follow the science could not put forward any science to explain why they wanted We The People to be isolated.

During the pandemic that was put together by a certain few, the American people experienced situations that we are not used to. It’s one thing to experience government hypocrisy because this is what we have come to expect from those in Washington, D.C. but it’s something entirely different to experience and witness firsthand your individual freedoms and rights be taken away. For those who have studied Revelation, this was expected eventually but it’s hard to watch what went on and what is still happening and see so many succumbing to the blatant lies put forth. When the government that is in place to represent you says do not go to church but go out and get drunk, go to Wal-Mart, and the strip club all in the same day then you know something foul is at hand.

2 Corinthians 11:13 is clear: “For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.” There are many, many Christians who see beyond the smoke and mirror of what was taking place but unfortunately, far too many were okay with being in the dark: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). When we are unable to see through the lies and deception of what is happening then we fall victim to the enemy and his many agendas which is why scripture clearly explains him as the author of confusion: “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

One experience that I am familiar with is doing something that I knew was wrong and this caused division among myself—between my desire/want and my value system.”