Defeating Deception

ILLUSTRATION:  Tell a story about being disappointed by your expectations. In my story, I discussed a sad time in my childhood when an ice cream sundae looked nothing like the picture on the menu, bringing me to tears.

Have you ever gone to a fast food place and noticed the advertisements look nothing like the actual food item?

SHOW EXAMPLES (Consider bringing out real items as a prop.)

TENSION

Sometimes in life, our expectations don’t match our experiences.

We get deceived by our expectations and the lies surrounding us.

• Paul invites his readers to hop in a time machine and go back to the first story in the entire Bible — the Garden of Eden.

• The first two chapters of Genesis tell the story of humanity. It introduces two people, Adam and Eve, who were shameless, happy, and connected while frolicking around an evergreen garden.

• They were shameless even though they were unclothed.

• They were happy with each other and all God had given them.

• And they were deeply connected to both God and each other. There was no obstacle between them and God’s presence.

• They could walk with Him, talk with Him, and deeply connect with Him. For them, visiting God was as easy as walking to another room in your house.

• It’s within this garden that we find God’s intention for us. We were all created for unbridled contentment and connection, but something horrible happened. And it all started with some fruit and a sneaky snake.

• A snake shows up on a tree limb and invites Eve to partake in some of the forbidden fruit. This snake is Satan himself.

• The fallen angel.

• The father of lies.

• The master of deception.

• There was one regulation in original creation. God commanded, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

• It was Satan’s goal to deceive Eve — to make her question the word of God. He told her the fruit was good and there must have been some cosmic misunderstanding.

• Let’s talk about the elephant in the garden for a second.

• People often push back, “Why did God even give them an option to sin?” Simply put, it’s because God wants us to be free. Freedom doesn’t look like mind-control where people are puppets. In order for freedom to exist, there must be free will as well.

• Just like we cannot comprehend light without seeing the dark, freedom cannot exist without the option of rebellion. Unfortunately, they sinned and ate from the fruit of the other tree. At the instance of disobedience, sin became a barrier between their position and God’s intention.

• Humanity's downfall began with deception.

— TRANSITION —

The same is true for you. If you look back at any mistake or misstep, you will see that itstarted with some form of deception.

Ultimately, deception leads to destruction. When you look back at your life, you can see the pattern. It probably wasn’t a snake on a tree or a floating devil on your left shoulder. Rather, it was a little voice in the back of your head nudging you towards destruction.

You may have thought your way was better.

You may have thought it was harmless.

You may have assumed no one was going to find out.

Then, after your failure, reality sets in.

Maybe you felt shame.

Maybe you disappointed your parents.

Maybe you hurt someone you cared about.

Application

• The devil is a master of disguise and deception. Since the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden, Satan has been trying to lead God’s children astray with empty promises of something better.

• Satan says, “If you skip youth group, you’ll get ahead on homework.” In reality, you’ll miss out on a message God wants you to hear to instead lay in bed and scroll through Instagram.

• Satan says, “If you cheat in this pointless class, you’ll eliminate so much unnecessary stress.” In reality, you’ll compromise your morals and put your future at risk if you’re caught.

• The true deception is hidden in the fact that the devil’s proposed path is almost always easier than doing what is right.

• In order to defeat deception, you’ll need to choose what’s right over what’s easy.

• Next time you are tempted to take the easy way out, take a moment to think about what you’re actually sacrificing.

• Don’t give up something with long-term benefit for something with immediate but fleeting pleasure.

• Notice that in 2 Corinthians 11:3 Paul says that he is afraid that your minds may “be led astray.”

• Like so many issues of spiritual warfare, battles of deception are won or lost in your mind.

• To defeat deception, you must be able to control your thoughts

• When Satan is attacking your mind with deceit, combat those tricky traps with righteousness.

• If your mind is full of the good things of God, a little internal alarm will go off when you are tempted to choose what is easy over what is right.

• Then, you will recognize the internal battle you’re facing and withstand being led astray.

• If you find yourself sacrificing good things from God for empty promises of something better, start strengthening yourself for this battle in your mind.

• Read the Bible to fill your mind with the truth. Go to church to encourage your mind in Christian community. Hang out with good friends who will influence your mind with love.

Landing:

You can defeat deception by knowing and choosing what is right.

• This is spiritual warfare, so you need to be battle ready. You need to put on the full armor of God and leverage your sword — which is scripture.

• Here is a practical method for fighting deception — memorize the word of God.

• I get it, you probably hate memorizing things. However, this discipline will completely change your life.

• The Psalmist urges us to “hide God’s word in our hearts.”

• There is paramount power in memorizing scripture.

• Start by memorizing verses, then move into memorizing passages.

• These verses will give you help in times of need, comfort in times of stress, inspiration in times of discouragement, and motivation when you need a push.

TALK IT OUT 

Go through these questions with your circle. Be honest. Be open. Talk through the tough stuff.

What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Can you think of a time when you chose what was easy over what was right? How did it turn out?

When have you chosen to do what was right even though it was more challenging? What did you gain?

What temptations are often disguised as being fun or cool?

How can you prepare your mind to defeat deception? Commit to taking that step this week.

READ THESE PASSAGES IN ORDER EVERY DAY

1 Peter 5:6-7 

Deuteronomy 31:6 

Psalm 23

Matthew 6:25-34 

1 John 4:13-18

Hebrews 13:5-6

Psalm 34

Do the following with each passage: 

ASK– God to connect with you here. In prayer, start by slowing down and inviting God to be present. Begin with focus and openness to see what God has for you today.

READ– the selected section of Scripture slowly. Take note of the words and phrases that intrigue you, reading them a second time if necessary.

REFLECT– on what grabs you. How does this passage personally relate to your own life and experiences?

RESPOND– to the Scripture. Speak directly to God about what’s on your mind and heart. Look for ways to live out what you’ve uncovered.