The Right Kind of Confidentနမူနာ

Have you ever been tricked by a phone call or text or email, or by someone you met online, only to find out later that you had been scammed? I was once taken in by an email from Apple that appeared real but turned out to be fake. I had to spend hours online with Visa in the middle of our vacation to reverse the charges the swindler had racked up on my account. Perhaps you’ve never fallen for a financial scam. But I know you’ve fallen for a spiritual one. We all have. Satan is the master con artist. As the Bible explains in John 8:44, “[The devil] does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies” (CSB). Satan is a pathological liar. He’s the biggest fraudster, swindler, scammer, and victimizer of all. He’s a thief who comes only to steal and to kill and destroy. He is more highly skilled at duplicity, cajolery, manipulation, and persuasion than any con artist that has ever lived. And he’s constantly trying to leverage our fears and insecurities to sell us a bill of goods. . . . Satan is God’s archenemy. He loathes God. And he is eager to have us join him in his cosmic rebellion. As was the case with Eve, Satan is especially interested in encouraging our self-reliance and self-determination. When we buy in to his scheme, we place more confidence in our competence and know-how—or in our own appearances, likability, money, possessions, friends, or abilities—than we place in the One who gives us these things. Does Satan want you to be confident? You bet he does. As long as you are confident in anything and everything except God. Prayer Lord, please help me to discern Satan’s lies, and please give me strength to stand firm against him. Please help me to reject the insecurities he tries to bring me, and help me to be confident only in you.