I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:3

The Lord Jesus said that the devil has been a liar and a murderer from the beginning. He was already known for his subtlety back in the Garden of Eden when he first deceived Eve, and he’s had six thousand years of practice since then. He can be very convincing, telling us what we know is wrong, but want to hear anyway. He knows that “we are tempted when we are lured and enticed by our own desires,” and he takes advantage of that.

A sincere and pure devotion to Christ will keep us safe from his lies, so of course that’s exactly where he’s going to hit us.

An insincere devotion to Christ would be where I “kind of” want to follow Jesus - but not really. I don’t want to accept the cross, or deny myself in order to follow Jesus. An impure devotion to Christ would mean I’m still clinging to my favorite sins, trying to convince myself and others that somehow it’s okay.

Don’t listen to the devil’s lies. Don’t play with the devil’s toys. Be sincere and pure in your devotion to Christ.

Lord, I’m living in a dangerous time. By Your Holy Spirit keep my devotion to You sincere and pure. Deliver me from the devil’s lies and deceit. Keep me on track, for real! Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles