Recognizing Deceit

I have heard it said that the best way to recognize a counterfeit is to study the real thing.

Take, for example, a dollar bill. In order to know if a dollar bill is counterfeit you should study a real dollar bill. And when I say study, I don’t mean just look at it a couple of times or have someone else tell you what it looks like. I mean you, personally, have to study the dollar bill. Know the ins and outs of it, the details of it. It would take you a lot of time.

Then, once you are very familiar with it, if you see a counterfeit you will be able to recognize it because you know very clearly what a real dollar bill looks like.

The same concept applies to the Word of God. We need to know the real thing.

We need to know what the Bible says to be able to spot any counterfeit information we hear or read or see.

It is important to be able to spot anything that leads us away from the truth of God’s Word and the truth of who God is.

Just like studying the dollar bill, it has to be a personal study and a personal knowledge of the Word of God. It is going to take time. We cannot just look at it a few times here and there, or only have someone else tell us what it says, or be somewhat familiar with it. We need to personally know what it says so that when deceitful words or thoughts come our way, we can recognize them as lies and move toward truth.

Thinking about this leads me to ask myself some questions:

• How well do I know the Word of God?
• Am I familiar with what the Word of God says?
• How prepared am I to spot a counterfeit?
• What is one small step today I can make in order to know the Word of God better?

For some, it may be choosing to spend a few extra minutes a day reading the Bible. For others, it may mean committing some Scripture to memory. I don’t know what it looks like for you, but I do know that we all need to commit to knowing the real thing so that we are able to identify anything deceitful that comes our way.

There is no question that deceit is out there. It is in the books we read, the social media we look at, and the podcasts we listen to. It is everywhere.

The question is, am I able to recognize the deceit because I know the real thing? 

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Join us as we study God’s Word using the Armor of God study!

Grab your journal today and dive in!

Mary Leslie Racine

Mary Leslie loves a good book, a nap, going for a walk, and, most importantly, God and His Word. She is a mom to three kids and has been married to her husband, Heath, for 13 years. She is passionate about encouraging women to be in God’s Word and to build their life on His truth. She loves spending time with her friends and enjoys a good day out on the lake.