Accepting That You Can Be Deceived
"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." — 1 Corinthians 10:12
A Costly Mistake
Shortly after a major spiritual victory, a believer thought the Lord had told her to do two things within a couple of days. Neither concerned matters that could be checked against Scripture — they were everyday decisions.
She went ahead, believing the instructions had come from God.
As a result, she and her partner nearly lost their lives, and there were long-term disastrous consequences.
She was devastated. She went to the Lord and spent a great deal of time on her knees weeping:
"Lord, You have got to give me some foolproof way of hearing Your directions. I must be able to always know instantly and clearly whether I am hearing Your voice or my enemy's. I simply cannot be vulnerable in this way."
The Answer That Shocked Her
"Then you cannot serve Me."
"Why not?"
"Because as long as you are in your sinful human condition you are going to be vulnerable to attack. What you have to do is trust that I will honor the intentions of your heart to serve Me. There will be some times when I will permit you to be deceived and permit you to make mistakes and fall down. But I will always be there to pick you up, and you will always learn a valuable lesson from the experience. I always have a purpose in everything I do. You will not always know what that purpose is, for I AM GOD."
What She Realized
She saw that she had effectively told God she was willing to go out and fight a real war — provided He made the enemy fire blanks instead of live rounds.
That is not available.
Which left her a genuine choice: accept being vulnerable and rely completely on the Lord, or ask Him to stop speaking to her altogether.
The thought of no longer hearing from Him was unbearable. Her relationship with the Lord was her very life and meant more to her than anything else.
So she asked instead that He would teach her quickly what she needed to learn so that she would not be easily deceived.
What She Learned
Pray daily asking the Lord to reveal deceptions to you. You will never be clever enough to identify them yourself. You simply have to trust Him to show you.
Walk daily in faith that He will honor the intentions of your heart. It is your heart's desire to serve Him, and He will honor that — including when you get something wrong.
Be far more sensitive to the check in your spirit. Never be impulsive. If there is any doubt at all, or anything less than complete peace, wait.
Work in unity with others, as the earlier lesson set out. It is much harder to deceive two or three than one.
Point to Ponder
"I will permit you to be deceived sometimes. And I will always be there to pick you up." Both halves are the promise.
Verse to Remember
"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." — 1 Corinthians 10:12
Question to Consider
Am I refusing to listen for God's voice because I am demanding a guarantee He has not offered?
Today's Practice
Settle the choice she had to settle.
Write out the two options plainly and choose between them:
Option one: Refuse to listen, on the grounds that I might be deceived. Safe from error. Also deaf.
Option two: Accept that I am vulnerable, listen carefully, test everything against Scripture, wait for peace, work in unity — and trust God to honor the intentions of my heart and pick me up when I fall.
Choose out loud.
Then build the daily habit:
"Father, I am not clever enough to see through my enemy's deceptions. Reveal them to me. I trust You to honor the intention of my heart to serve You, and I trust You to pick me up when I get it wrong."
And where you have already made a costly mistake in this area, forgive yourself. He said He would pick you up and that you would learn something valuable. Both were promised.
Prayer
Father, I have wanted a guarantee before I would listen to You. I have wanted certainty that I could never be fooled, and You have told me plainly that this is not available.
I would rather be vulnerable and hear You than be safe and deaf. That is my choice and I am making it today.
So teach me. Give me sensitivity to the check in my spirit. Take away my impulsiveness. Give me people to walk in unity with. And every day, reveal to me the deceptions I could never spot on my own.
Honor the intention of my heart. You know I want to serve You, even when I get it badly wrong.
And where I have already fallen through a mistake I made in good faith — pick me up, as You promised, and teach me what You intended me to learn from it.
You are God. You always have a purpose, and I will not always know what it is. That is enough. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
She wanted God to make the enemy fire blanks. That was never on offer.