Deluded

“And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13

Deluded is a word that may be foreign to many. The dictionary says that the word means to mislead the mind or judgment of; deceive: His conceit deluded him into believing he was important. If you delude someone into thinking something you are making a fool of them. (Dictionary.com/Vocabulary.com)

Satan tried to delude Jesus when the Holy Spirit sent Him into the wilderness. Satan tried to entice Jesus into telling the stones to become bread and, a second time, to throw Himself off the pinnacle and God would send His angels to catch Him, also a third time, Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and said, “if you will fall down and worship me” I will give you all of this! But, each time, in spite of His hunger and fatigue, Jesus refused, depending instead, upon the Word of God. (Matthew 4:1-11) The Devil was defeated and left Him alone.

What more do we have to hear? There is only one way to live a peaceful, happy, and successful life filled with hope, that is, with Jesus and depending upon the word of God.

The following are some of the words that we may live by:

“…Be still and know that I am God…Do not worship any other God, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God…Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Psalm 46:10/Exodus 34:14/Matthew 4:17/Galatians 5:22-23

Lord, show me how to not be judgmental while still being true to Your word.

The great deluder has been around since he was thrown out of heaven for undermining God’s throne 4000 years ago. Don’t let him invade your spirit. The people of Massachusetts knew this, for in 1647 their government passed what is known as “The Deluder Act,” which required every township with 50 households to establish a common school. Children were required to attend and to study the Bible—it being understood that one of the chief projects of “The Ole Deluder” (Satan) was to keep people from a knowledge of Scripture” (The Christian Science Monitor, by Robert Marquad; Sept. 5, 1985). And Abraham Lincoln during his Presidency (March 4, 1861-April 15, 1865) made this statement: “Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him who has never forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust…our present difficulty.”

“Our present difficulty”—How about our present difficulties? Is the Bible still relevant? Is God still present? Is the Deluder still working to undermine God’s throne? Is prayer still a viable act to ward off evil? My answer? YES! YES! YES! & YES! And finally, are our children being faithfully schooled in the Word of God?

What is your answer to these questions?

Let us pray,

Lord, soften my heart so that it will be broken today over the same things that break Your heart. And when I feel Your pain put me to doing. In Jesus’ name. AMEN