Eight Ways the Devil Deceives

Deception Number One

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves James 1:22 

According to the Scripture, we are deceived if we are hearers of the word of God, but do not practice what we hear. 

Matt 3:2 Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Luke 13:3 and 5 Repent ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

You have heard it-but have you done what it tells you to do? Do you still love the world, sin, pleasure, and ungodly friends? If you are following Him, you will not practice the things just named.  (1Jhn. 2:15; Ro. 12:1; Matt 22:36-38; Heb 10:35)

Part of being a doer of the Word, is giving to the work of the Lord...

On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. 1 Cor 16:2 NKJV

Yes that is talking about MONEY! If you do not enjoy giving to the work of the Lord you are deceived. It is a privilege to give, but it is also a command. The Bible says, Honor the Lord with the first Fruits of all thine increase. Take out what is the Lord’s before you touch the other, for after all, it all belongs to Him. He has only entrusted it to us. 

The moment Zacchaeus was saved, he said, behold, Lord the half of my goods I give to the poor; and I have not taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. Luke 19:8 KJV

The minute the Lord got into the heart of Zacchaeus, He was invited into his pocket books well. On the other hand the rich young ruler (Luke 18:23) Have you been taking the Lord’s Supper in deception? Remember—the devil does not care how often you attend church or how much you read your bible; he does not care how much Scripture you memorize-just so long as you are not doing what the Word tells you to do!

Deception Number Two

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us. I am not so bad—I live the very best I know how. All the harm I do is to myself. I do not harm my fellow man and I try to treat others as I would like to be treated. 1 John 1:8 NKJV

Isaiah 64: 6 We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags.

Ro 3:10 There is none righteous, no not one.

Ro 3:23 for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

2 Cor 1:30, 3 (KJV)

A true Christian “Saint” does not want to sin, but we are still in the flesh, we are still sinful creatures.

Eccl 7:20 There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not

1 John 2:1 An Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous

2 Cor 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall (under your own power)

Think over these verses: Ja 4:17;Prov 24:9;Ro 14:23; 1 John 3:17

Deception Number Three

If the devil cannot damn you one way, he does not give up; he tries another approach. The third avenue through which he seeks to damn is Pride. (Gal 6:3)

We have outlawed the alter as well as the mourner’s bench, and substituted the card-signing method. Church membership is not worth two cents unless the cleansing blood has been applied to the heart. I had rather hear an uneducated man preach Christ in broken English than to hear a degreed, silver-tongued orator crucify Jesus with damnable hearsay. If we are saved, Jesus is our example.

Deception Number Four

In the record which gives us the history of the devil, we are told that he had perfect wisdom; in fact he was perfect in all his ways, when he was created. He became a devil because he was so wise and presumptuous that he decided to overthrow God and take God’s throne for himself; and the devil has not changed since that day. (1 Cor 3:18) 

Let no man deceive himself. Paul said, “…when it pleased God.”  Gal 1:15, 16. 2 Cor 1:27:29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. Jude 16; Prov. 1:7; Prov 11:30; Dan 12:3

Deception Number Five

2 Corth 11:23-31 Paul’s afflictions are listed as being the result of mobs, being shipwrecked and perils and persecutions of all kinds by men instead of being the work of the devil in bodily diseases..

Deception Number Six

God is NOT Glorified by Sickness. Some preachers contend that God gets glory from sickness and even death and they give as proof the case of Lazarus of whom it was said, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be gloried thereby. John 11:4. They contend that many souls have been saved through sick Christians. People are not saved through sickness but through faith and repentance to God through Christ (Eph 2:8,9) Sickness might have caused some to run to God just like other calamities that have come to people.

Deception Number Seven

God is not responsible for the conditions of the fall. That He actually appoints and calls men to suffer and even determines their suffering and the extent to which they must suffer. This theory ignores all the satanic opposition and the conditions caused by the willful rebellion of man and the fall.

Deception Number Eight

Christians are deceived by Satan. Saints, sooner or later we are going to have to wake up to such deceptions of the devil and why not do it now once and forever? Throw off such yokes o bondage and slanderous teaching against God and His truth.

God wants every child of God and even sinners to rebel against sin, sickness, pain, want, and poverty in life. These circumstances are not the will and plan of God for man. Remember God doesn't test, He trains, He motivates, He anoints with power. He answers His with good things.

God let no man deceive himself. Paul said, “…when it pleased God.”  Gal 1:15, 16. 2 Cor 1:27:29 That no flesh should glory in the His presence.

In Him,

Pastor James P. Norman