Living La Vida Dabawenya: Be on guard!

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Be on guard!

Have you been deceived before? What's the feeling of being a victim of deception?

Source: https://www.hamptonroadschurch.com/acts/2018/11/12/acts-2018-38-be-on-your-guard

People are frail and easily believed what they hear, see, and feel, without investigating if it's true or not. Living in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe), everything seems too fast and it's hard to handle. News can reach any part of the world in seconds. You can communicate with your loved ones anywhere in the world through your phone. Cars, cell phones, computers, clothes, and food can be made instantly.

However, in this fast-changing technology-driven world that we live in today, fast is not always good. News can spread like wildfire but it's not always true, but people believe it right away and even share it on their social media accounts without even verifying if it's fake news. Gadgets and food are manufactured easily and we don't know if these are quality products. Every day we are blinded and deceived by all things around us, but how can we prevent ourselves from all sorts of deception?

Do not be deceived. Be on Guard! How can we act against deception from worldly things? Just remember these three things (Pastor Peter Tan-Chi, CCF Sermon, February 26, 2023):

Check it out.
Consult God.
Commit to God's way.

First, you need to listen and read carefully between the lines and ask yourself if this is the truth. Investigate further if necessary. "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." (Acts 20:28). The scripture's message is clear that we need to find ways to watch ourselves and all the congregation. All of us need to guard ourselves against the deception of our enemies.

Second, when you are faced with a dilemma of whether to believe something or not, you need to always consult God and read the bible. We are surrounded by lies from Satan and without even knowing it we are already trapped and it's hard for us to get out of it. We need to counter these lies with the word of God from the scripture. The following are lies of satan and the biblical response of God from the scriptures.

Lastly, we need to commit to God's way. In order to live righteously in God's ways, we need to have a firm foundation of our beliefs. The most important keystone is to have a clear understanding of the theology of who God is. We should put to our minds, hearts, and soul the following truths about God because this will strengthen our faith as Christians.

GOD IS SOVEREIGN (Psalm 135:6)
GOD IS HOLY (1 Peter 1:16, Isaiah 57:15)
GOD IS GOOD (Psalm 34:8; 119:8)

GOD IS OMNISCIENT (Psalm 139:4)

GOD IS LOVE (1 John 4:8)

Be reminded of these things in order to counter the deception of the devil. Evil is devouring us every day and waiting to prey on us. We need to guard ourselves against all the lies of the enemy. All we need is to equip ourselves with the word of God from the bible. Read the scripture, meditate and reflect on it, pray, and apply the teachings of God in our lives.