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"...The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
I Timothy 3:15
The Deceived Christian
If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll agree you are nowhere near what you ought to be in Christ. Don’t you want to be a better Christian than you are right now? Sure. Without realizing it, your personal adversary, the devil, is directing your life. His subtle wisdom, his ingenious devices, make it easy for him to manipulate you. An outsider maneuvers you in such a way you neither suspect if or notice it.
Everything you do and say appears to be your own idea, but it isn’t.
If you think no one is that clever, you’re mistaken. Satan is. He can get you to waste one day after another. He can cause you to forget Jesus hours upon end. He can make you misbehave and think you’re not so bad. He can plant evil thoughts in your mind and you’ll think you’re clean in God’s sight.
He can cause you to be idle and think you’re making progress in Christ. That’s why I say no Christian is a match for him. The average Christian doesn’t dream that his life is being led by Satan. He doesn’t suspect the power that is exercised over him. He may laugh at poor Eve, but he is no better off!
Most Christians can look back a year to see little, or no change. They are still the same persons. Their personalities are no sweeter, the dedication of their talents is stabilized, their pocket books just as tight and their occupation with the world is as solidly fixed. There’s no increase in surrender, devotion or service. They go year after, year, without much change.
Do Christians want this? No. Yet it happens. Why? If you haven’t begun to suspect a mighty adversary is dedicated to keep you from living for Christ, you will when you see how he works! That’s next, for, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8)