“"Do Not Be Deceived"”

Saturday, November 19, 2016

"Do Not Be Deceived"

Jarrod Jacobs

            God warned man many times in the Bible not to be deceived by certain things. For instance, He warned the Israelites not to let their heart be deceived by serving false gods (Deut. 11:16). Let us consider some other occasions when men were told not to be deceived.

            The apostle Paul told the Corinthians: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (I Cor. 6:9-10). In the same book, he also said, “Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals” (I Cor. 15:33). To the Galatians, Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

            Today, instead of saying, “Do not be deceived,” we might say, “Don’t fool yourself!” This is what God was saying -- don’t fool yourself, there are certain things that are true regardless of time and circumstances. Don’t fool yourself! You will reap what you sow. Your friends have an influence on you that can be dangerous. Sin will not be tolerated by God. Remember to not be guilty of worshipping false gods (idols). Yes, idolatry is alive and well today (Col. 3:5)!

            Don’t let anyone fool you; sin brings death (Rom. 6:23; Jas. 1:15).

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