Do Not Be Deceived.

“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3, NASB)

I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make it to the far end of the sprawling expanse. The massive concrete slabs with extensive gaps between them were obstacle enough. Impossible to jump from one to the other. No one in their right mind would try that.

My goal—make it to the trees before dinner.

You can see them, can’t you? In the photo, just on the other side of that fence. You may have to enlarge the image a bit, but they are there.

The trees weren’t that far away. Standing tall, they mocked me. “Come on! You can do it.” All I had to do was manage getting from here to there. Once to the fence, I would be able to walk a short distance and continue my journey across town.

Maybe the best option would be to hug the tall metal wall on the left. Problem was, there were no places to put my hands. The wall—Teflon slick. I couldn’t reach the top of the wall to keep me steady. I would have to press my back against it and shuffle along the concrete’s edge, careful not to fall along the way.

The path was treacherous, but worth saving the time. Maybe worth risking my life.

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Maybe you have life goals that feel like my goal to reach the trees. A job promotion. Status among your peers. A certain power or prestige that comes with accomplishment. Could be any of those, or something bigger. You may even desire the biggest house anyone in your family has ever had. Not so you could brag, but wouldn’t it be great if your house was the one the family came to for Christmas? A goal not just for you—for the family. At times, we may even think our lives depend on these goals.

In our Scripture, Paul warned the early Christians about being deceived by Satan. Satan deceived Eve. He deceived early Christians. He will deceive you and me. He wants us to take our focus off of our sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Satan, through the world’s teachings, places promotions, status, power, prestige, and big houses in our direct line of sight. Daring us to want something for us more than we want Jesus.

Don’t fall for false teachings. Your eternal life depends on it. Jesus alone is worthy of our focus.

Now, I hope we are still friends after I tell you this.

That photo at the top of the post? Those aren’t trees at the far end of an expansive structure. That is not a huge metal wall to the left. Those are not large concrete slabs spanning a chasm you wouldn’t want to fall into.

I took the picture peering over the edge of a parking deck. The greenery at the bottom is comprised of grass covered by a fairly thin metal grate. The distance from the metal (parking deck façade at the top of the photo) to the concrete (parking deck structure on the bottom) is roughly eight to ten inches.

I told the story to show how easily we are deceived. Watch for it from Satan. Be prepared for him. Stay focused on Jesus alone. You can do it with His help.

If my ruse worked, please tell me we’re still friends. If you weren’t deceived, good for you!

Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.