DOMINION OVER DARTS OF DECEPTION (1)

“And with all unrighteous DECEPTION among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” – 2 Thessalonians 2:10

One of the most vital assets of Believers in Christ is the ability to exercise DOMINION over DARTS of DECEPTION: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous DECEPTION among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2The.2: 9-11). Deception is an act or statement intended to make someone believe something that is not true. One of Satan’s names is “Deceiver.” Deception is his nature and his primary weapon. The devil’s motive is to destroy, and his method is to deceive! He uses trickery, lies, and all manner of deceptive tactics to try to lure believers into his traps!

Believers must be properly armed against satanic deception. Today, we’ll consider two of the most important keys for overcoming the Darts of Deception, namely: Cultivating a love of the truth and developing godly discernment.

Our meditation text warns about an anti-Christ figure, a person walking in great supernatural power, with signs and wonders, but empowered by the demonic rather than by the Holy Spirit. Many will be deceived “because they did not receive the love of the truth” (v.10). Some people assume that the answer to escaping being deceived is to avoid the supernatural altogether. Such thinking is based too heavily on a fear of deception which does not protect us from deception. Love of the truth does. We must not throw out the supernatural altogether; we only need to see the true power of God and gifts of the Holy Spirit at work to swallow up the false, similar to how Aaron’s rod-turned-serpent swallowed up the rods of the Egyptian magicians (Exo.7:10-12).

Deception deals with “truth” versus “lies”; hence, we must first establish what “truth” is based on the standard of Scripture. Jesus describes Himself as the TRUTH, the way, and the life (Jh.14:6). Furthermore, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jh.8: 31-32). It is knowledge of God’s Word and our obedience to it that keeps us free from deception. If we chose to follow the Lord, truth will be revealed to us through our relationship with Him and His Word. To overcome deception, we must cultivate a LOVE for the TRUTH.

The second key for overcoming deception is to develop godly discernment. We must be able to judge between what is from the Lord and what is not; discern when there is a mixture of truth and lies; and recognize when the enemy is trying to work in subtle ways. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit – “discerning of spirits” – is critical to the body of Christ in these End-times (1Cor.12:10). This gift provides insight into the spiritual realm, and helps to expose the work of evil spirits. The Bible also refers to developing discernment over time: “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to DISCERN both good and evil” (Heb.5:14). As we cultivate this kind of discernment, Satan’s deception will not be able bring us down.

We must be grounded in the truth of Scripture, and must not be willing to compromise truth out of convenience or cultural pressures. We must abide in Christ – the Truth and be led by the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth (Jh.16:13). As we learn to know and love the truth, we will be able to recognize deception for what it is. As we stay close to our Shepherd, cultivate the love of the truth, and develop godly discernment, the enemy’s darts of deception will have no place in our lives!