Pastor Alex Adegboye
When you see a green tree it means it should be fruitful, so was the fig tree Jesus saw in the book of Mark 11:11-24 on His way from Bethany.
Mark 11:13 “And seeing a fig-tree with leaves afar off, He went to it, if perhaps He might find anything on it. And when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves,…”.
The fig tree was greenish and had fresh blooming leaves without fruits on it. The greenness of the tree was appealing but deceitful, this angered Jesus and the He cursed it. This shows that deception runs very contrary to God. Deception is a monster, curse it! Every act of deception breeds fear. FEAR means False-Evidence-Appearing-Real. There is nothing God can do without FAITH, in like manner, there’s nothing Satan can do without FEAR.
Deception is anything or anyone that seeks to mislead somebody. It is anything that makes crooked the right way. The bible calls deception the wiles of the devil, Eph 6:11 “…that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”.
Anything that hides the truth or reveals part of the truth is deception John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it”.
Deception is a very powerful tool in the hand of the devil, and a major battle in the Christian faith. When you fight the fight of faith, you must learn to overcome deception. We live in an age of deceivers; the bible describes it as deceiving to be deceived, 2 Tim 3:13 “But evil men and seducers will go forward to worse, deceiving and being deceived”. Understanding deception will help you curse it; 2 Cor 2:11 “To keep Satan from getting the advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his wiles and intentions” (Amplified Version).
THREE CATEGORIES OF DECEPTION
- People Deceiving People – there are people who lay wait to deceive other people; even in business, people deceive on another. Laban deceived Jacob (Gen 29:20-25).
- Self Deception – some people deceive themselves and this is common in many lives, (I Cor 3:18). The bible says God cannot be deceived. You can play people and even yourself, but you cannot play God (Jam 1:22).
- Satanic Deception – Satan can deceive people; in fact, this is what he is best at. This is the danger of deception: the devil will make people comfortable amid deception unknowingly until they perish, 1 Tim 2:14, Gen 3:14, 2 Cor 11:3, John 13:2.
Many of the things you do wrong came as a result of deception. Deception is the mother of every sin. Deception starts from your mental level, but as a Christian, an alert will be sent into your spirit that it is a lie. The bible says men shall be deceived into doing what they like and do the most.
2Ti 3:1-4 “Know this also, that in the last days grievous times will be at hand. For men will be self-lovers, money-lovers, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unyielding, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good, traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God”.
2Ti 4:1-3 “Therefore I solemnly witness before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to judge the living and the dead according to His appearance and His kingdom, preach the Word, be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For a time will be when they will not endure sound doctrine, but they will heap up teachers to themselves according to their own lusts, tickling the ear”.
TOOLS OF DECEPTION
- Words: this is the most powerful tool of deception, Pro 24:28, Rom 16:18.
- Gifts, Pro 31:30, Eccl 7:7.
- Kiss, Matt 26:48.
- Wine, Pro 20:1.
- Provocative dressing.
WHO CAN BE DECEIVED?
- Anyone can be deceived, Matt 24:24.
- Deceivers can be deceived, 2 Tim 3:13.
- If you like short-cuts you can be deceived, 2 Tim 4:3-4.
- If you are an unstable person you can be deceived, 2 Pet 2:14.
- If you are a simpleton, Pro 1:22, Pro 14:15.
HOW DO OVERCOME DECEPTION?
- Put on God’s amour, Eph 6:11.
- So sober, be vigilant, 1 Pet 5:8.
- Be informed, Pro 24:5-6, James 4:13-15.
- Be humble enough to say I have been deceived, 2 Cor 11:14.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Anything spoken by anyone that cannot be seen in the scriptures amounts to deception, curse it!
