The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan’s working, with all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders, and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved. For this reason, God sends them a strong delusion to that they will believe a lie, so that all will be condemned-those who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness.  2 Thessalonians 9-12 HCSB

Have you ever been deceived? Perhaps you have been betrayed by someone that you really trusted. It’s not a good feeling.  Not only do you find that something you truly believed in is a complete lie, you find that someone that you believed in is not trustworthy. Being deceived leaves me feeling like an idiot, telling myself I should have known better.

We have talked before about how we are living in the end times.  Wickedness is something we are all too familiar with in today’s world.  It’s all around us. Why is there so much wickedness in the world today?  Many people ask, “If God is a loving God, why does He allow bad things to happen?” Well, our scripture passage tells us that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. What’s worse is that the Bible tells us that for those who refuse to accept the truth and continue to practice wicked behavior, God will give them over to their evil, wicked desires (Romans 1:24-25).  In verse 11 of today’s scripture passage we are told that because they refuse to believe the truth and be saved, that God will send a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and be condemned.  At some point when people refuse to believe the truth about God, He will give them over to their evil, sinful desires. Wickedness does not come from God, but is allowed by God because we are given free will. We are allowed to choose to be deceived and believe the lies the devil tells us, or we can believe the truth.  The word of God is the truth.  Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  In John 8:31-32, Jesus told the Jews who had believed him, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  The devil will try to deceive you into believing many lies.  He will convince you that your sinful life is okay, that God will just overlook it.  He will try to convince you that you are a good person and that’s enough to get into heaven.  He will try to convince you that you don’t need to go to church.  He will try to convince you that you have plenty of time to decide.  He’s lying.

Bad things happen in the world because God gives us free will. He gives us a choice.  He wants us to choose to love Him, not be made to love Him. When we choose to believe the devil’s lies it can lead to wicked, evil behavior. We have a clear set of instructions in the Bible.  When we choose a life of lawlessness, and choose not to obey God’s commands, we can fall into wickedness.  People who fall into wickedness do evil things.

Now if you don’t accept Christ as your savior, then unfortunately you will continue to be deceived.  Now I don’t know about you but when I am deceived, I make poor choices. I always wish after a deception has been revealed that I could go back in time and make these choices over with the knowledge I now have, but life doesn’t work that way.  There is no rewind button on our lives, but we do have an eraser.  God will erase all our sin and remove it from us. I am a living testimony to that fact.  God can allow us to start over.

I beg you today to seek the truth.  Know the truth and be set free by it.  If you believe the devil’s lies, then you will remain in your bondage to sin.  If you continue to do this and God gives up on you, well that’s the worst case scenario.  If God finally gives you over to the evil desires of your heart, then you will be doomed to an eternity in hell.

If you are reading this and praising God because you have believed in Him and know the truth and have been set free, then I am happy for you.  Be sure to spread that word through words and deeds to as many people as you possibly can.

If you are reading this and you are not sure that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then you need to be sure.  Read the Bible and follow it’s instructions, pray, and most importantly seek a mentor to assist you.  Find a good Bible teaching church.  Attend worship services and Bible study.  Learn the truth before it’s too late.  The truth truly will set you free and let me tell you, that feels way better than being deceived.

Have a great day!