Deception

Leviticus 19:11b “Do not deceive one another.”
Deception is a “loaded” word that doesn’t stir up any warm, fuzzy feelings. In fact, it does the complete opposite causing people to mistrust each other, feel betrayed and it breeds division. The word deceive means to trick, mislead, delude, double deal etc and it propagates beliefs that are not true, or not the whole truth.

Deception is extremely difficult to detect unless the individual tells a blatant or obvious lie. As Neil T Anderson writes in Freedom to Christ: “If I tempt you, you know. If I accuse you, you know it. But if I deceive you, by definition you don’t know it. Deception is satan’s primary strategy” to bring Christians down and cause division.

Deception violates relational rules and is considered to be a negative violation of expectations. Most people expect their spouse, friend, church leaders or people they are in relationship with to be truthful. However, this is not always the case. When an individual discovers they have been deceived by a friend, the dynamics of the friendship/relationship change or when you know that someone is deliberately deceiving people, it’s pretty difficult to befriend that individual. Deception breeds deception. Deceivers manipulate information to depart from the truth. The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 2:3 that “....they will exploit you with deceptive words.” If a person thinks they have gotten away with being deceptive, it becomes a case of “why not continue?” They feel they can outwit you, outsmart you, outtalk you, be convincing and sadly, can be seen to be pretty clever people.

Because we don’t know when we are being deceived, our tendency is to “believe” the information we hear............ unless we are intuitive and insightful, know the person that is being spoken about or want to know otherwise. Deception usually comes in the form of lies, exaggeration, equivocations, concealments or understatements. When reading about deception, I was quite shocked to find out that “on one given day, it is likely that most human beings will either deceive or be deceived by another person.” Does this mean that deception is simply a part of everyday life, acceptable and that we should live with it? No! Not quite! Like everything else, Jesus is our perfect example.
2 Timothy 3:12 – 13 “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

Why do people do it when it causes so much mistrust, hurt and feelings of betrayal? Why do Christians deceive others? Is it because we want to be viewed in a certain way? Is it because we are trying to cover up a wrong that we may have done hence trying to get the attention off ourselves and onto someone else? Is it because we want to have our own way with others or the fact that we are not having our own way with others? Is it because we want to be the centre of attention and loved by everyone? Is it because we feel threatened by someone else? Is this a means of climbing the ladder of social recognition by discrediting others? Whatever the case may be, deceiving people is not right. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart of man is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” We may be able to fool man but we cannot fool God!
Deception places a significant cognitive load on the deceiver because he or she needs to recall previous statements so that his or her story remains consistent and believable.

Ephesians 5:6 - 7 “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore, do not be partners with them.”
Romans 16: 17 – 18 “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.”

Pointers to help us.....
1 Peter 2:1 “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.”
1. The saying “honesty is the best policy” is definitely the way to go, no matter how difficult it is.
2. Learn to be secure in who you are in Christ.
3. Have friends who will be honest and correct you privately when you are being deceptive.
4. Don’t believe everything you hear especially if it is negative. If in doubt, ask and get to the bottom of things.
5. Avoid gossip and slander. Let your words be seasoned with salt.

May God help us in our walk with Him!