Week 4: day 4
WHITE LIE: THE ART OF DECEPTION

Genesis 3:4-5
From the beginning, the devil has worked deception not by telling outright lies but presenting the truth in a skewed way.
I call him the whisperer because i realized he is also a coward that enjoys coming in common forms to speak words that gives imbalance.

The whisperer is out to steal, kill and destroy- these are his motives. Actually, with a discerning spirit, he is pretty plain, even his ways are quite predictable.

Why am I talking about him? Because as I said previously, the kingdom of God doesn't say we should be naive. 2Corinthians 2:11.

And no! God is not locking out the devil. He is a tool in God's hands being used in the events of the maturing of the saints. (I know some will disagree but let's get back to the topic).

Let's look at the test of Christ in the wilderness:

Matthew 4:1-3
Next, Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: "Since you are God's Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread."

When Jesus was in a state of hunger, the devil saw that as an avenue to work: he said to prove your identity, overcome your present need.

Sounds basic right? But was this in alignment with what God was saying at the moment? And why prove what you already know?

The moment you start trying to prove yourself to the world, doing as you can; not as you should, then you are listening to the whisperer.

The Word God speaks to you will be countered by the devil. It is your trust in what God said not what you see that reveals your strength. He will test your identity based on results.

Matthew 4:4
Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: "It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."

In other words, my evidence is in what God says not what is fact. My life is not measured by how much i have but by my intimacy with God.

Matthew 4:5-6 For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City and said, "Since you are God's Son, jump." The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: "He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone."

The next test was testing his identity based on God's promises and Jesus quickly diffuse this too knowing you don't test God's promises to see if it is true, you just trust that it is true.

Lastly, Matthew 4:8-9
For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth's kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, "They're yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they're yours."

Does this sound familiar? It seems to get things done fast in a place, say like lagos, you have to either be mad or 'street smart'. The devil speaks to us using our surroundings to divert us from doing as God wills.

You see how easy it is to make it by collecting bribes, cutting corners, using blue eyes, telling half truths or even being proud and you start to think, let me pursue this if not, i will lag behind.

IT IS A LIE!

Matthew 4:10
Jesus' refusal was curt: "Beat it, Satan!" He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."

Is it easy? Well, It wasn't promised to be. His Grace however is sufficient in our weakness.

One of the common ways of the whisperer is to present you with facts but our victory is in knowing the Truth: His Truth.

I pray that you make a decision to live your life in responsive obedience to God no matter what, in Jesus name, Amen.

Rain in a bucket ; Devotion with Toyosi.