James 1:16—Do not be deceived

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. James 1:16

I once read that Abraham Lincoln said, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” According to James, the responsibility to see to it that you’re not deceived belongs to you and to you alone.

Eve told the Lord, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (see Genesis 3:13), obviously blaming the devil for tricking her and causing her to sin. However, God did not buy into her assertion that she was clear of blame. He held her accountable despite the fact that she had been deceived; you can read about her consequences in Genesis 3.

God is a bottom line God, and the bottom line is this: Each one of us is accountable for what we believe and don’t believe. If you hear twisted, distorted information or teaching, you are responsible to discern truth from error. You don’t have to fend for yourself in this, however; the Holy Spirit continually prompts and directs you into all the truth (see John 16:13), and the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart (see Hebrews 4:12). Judge everything—even the “good stuff” you hear—by the Word. On top of all that, Jesus said this: “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life” (see John 8:12). When you pursue Jesus with all your heart, He leads you away from the darkness of error and into the light of His truth.

Because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and Jesus Himself, you are armed and dangerous to the deceptions that abound. When you put first things first, you more clearly see through the lies intended to deceive you.

Several years ago I was counting the offering at church and noticed a twenty dollar bill that seemed odd. It was the right shape, size, color, and had the correct design and mug shot of Andrew Jackson. But something just wasn’t right. I felt the bill, scrutinized it, smelled it, and put it up to the light. And then I knew—I was holding a counterfeit! We called in an associate pastor, and he called in one of the local police officers on security duty for the church, and sure enough—we had received a counterfeit twenty dollar bill. When the officer asked me how I knew it was a fake, I smiled and said, “I’m very familiar with the real!”

What does it take to spot a counterfeit in the spiritual realm? Just be very familiar with the real—the Word of God, the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and maintaining an authentic relationship with the Light of the world, Jesus Christ!

Two big truths about God

When James wrote, do not be deceived, however, he sandwiched this warning between two great big truths about God. This indicates that we must maintain a particularly high truth quotient in reference to what we believe about the Father.

Belief #1: God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He ever tempt you. Do not be deceived. When you are tempted, it is due to your own lust. You can’t pin it on God; you can’t even pin it on the devil and say God let him do it. As long as you are blaming temptation on God—or on God letting the devil tempt you so He can test you—you will never overcome.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:17)

Belief #2:

Hold fast to these truths about the Father:

• God gives good and perfect gifts.

• God is the Father of lights.

• With God there is no variation or shifting shadow.

When you major on these truths about the Father and the way He operates, deception will have difficulty finding a foothold in your heart.

More to come next week on James 1:17 and those big thoughts about God.

Don’t be deceived!

Dorothy

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32)