Snapshots
Biblical Truth
OF
Conned Again
BIBLE REFERENCES:
Genesis 3:13 (NIV) “Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’”
Luke 21:8 (NIV) “He replied: ‘Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. “
Galatians 6:7, 8 (NIV) “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
2 Timothy 3:12, 13 (NIV) “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
APPLICATION:
My hunch is that you are a lot like me when it comes to being deceived. You hate being conned by some smooth talking salesman.
I can still remember back to the 60’s when I was fresh out of engineering school. In the mail came this tape recording about investing in some cheap desert real estate that was about to “explode” on the market. I remember listening intently to the tape; the violins were playing softly in the background while a smooth talking sales person explained to me why this offer was too good to pass up. It was a chance of a life time! I couldn’t wait to dial the number and set up an appointment.
On the appointed day, a salesman showed up at my front door with his brief case filled with facts, figures, charts and maps (all in color, of course) describing the “Promised Land”. He even showed me a picture of a high speed mono-rail that would connect the Los Angeles International Airport with Las Vegas. It would cross right over the land, creating an economic boon to the local economy. The value of the land was sure to sky rocket out of sight!
I am an engineer, I know numbers and I can do the math! No doubt about it, I would be getting rich in no time flat! I took the bait - hook, line and sinker.
Well, that was over 45 years ago. Today, there is no mono-rail. There is no booming city nearby. In fact, there are no paved roads within sight of the property! Nothing but sand, sage brush and a few snakes and jack rabbits claiming the land.
How is it that we can be conned so easily? The magic buttons these con artists push are usually fear, sympathy and down right greed (the desire to get something for nothing!). Over time we can usually recover from these con schemes. However, there is another part of our life (our spiritual part) where it is harder to recover from deception. This deception will affect where we will spend our eternity. Don’t be conned! Know what the Bible says and do it.
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A PRAYER:
“God, forgive me for being so easily deceived. Sometimes sympathy, fear and greed get in the way of my faith walk. Give me the strength, wisdom and insight to follow your lead.”
SNAPSHOT:
