Deception

     The enemies primary weapon is the use of deception. Some may view deception as merely a lie, but it can be so much more. If the devil only lied, his own actions would betray his evil motivations. No, deception is best defined as something less than the truth. It is a departure from clearly defined black and white to a fuzzy picture in some shade of grey. This is troublesome because we operate in this grey spectrum. With the exception of Jesus, no person has lived a life as pure as snow. Furthermore, no human has lived a life as black as tar. The enemy operates were we live our lives.
     Maybe the most troublesome is that the enemy isn't calling us into complete darkness. He simply wants us to be one shade darker, to move ourselves one step further away from the light of God. I say "ourselves" on purpose, because the devil can only make recommendations, albeit deceptive ones. It is "us" that makes the move. The serpant did not force the fruit into Eve's mouth, he just gave her the idea.
     Unfortunately, this deception can finds its way into the Christian fold. What better method to deceive believers than by making an entire denomination one shade darker? I bring this up because the evil one has primary and secondary objectives. If he cannot budge you from your faith, he will try to minimize the impact of your ministry. He can do this by making your beliefs look stuffy and unloving to non-believers. He would like it more if you took his recommendation and actually made your beliefs stuffy and unloving. Or, barring that, he would even be okay with a congregation that talked a good talk, but was a hollow as a log.
     So what is a believer to do? The most important thing to do is open your Bible. Only there will you find the truth, and this truth isn't found in continuity of story telling. It is a message given to people by God, written through the lens of each authors experience and painted for us in the splendor of understanding that only a believer can fully comprehend. Once we acknowledge the truth as God intended it, only then will we see the devils deception in its disgusting glory. Yes, you can find salvation without the Bible, but only there will you be given the tools to live a life to the glory of God.