Read the Word

A bag of sugar, a ream of paper, a tube of toothpaste – well, they may not be what you think they are: you may discover your bag of sugar is 4 pounds instead of 5, your ream of paper 400 sheets instead of 500, your tube of toothpaste 4.6 ounces instead of 6.  Sneaky? How about deceptive!  This is an excellent illustration how Satan works in our lives! We – and I’m first in line – are often easily devoured by his sneaky deception: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). Clearly, God doesn’t want Believers to be deceived then devoured so we are to be alert, watchful, attentive and cautious. When I picked up that new tube of toothpaste this morning, something didn’t feel and seem quite right about it; when I compared it to the empty tube – aha!  Similarly, if we never read-study-meditate on The Truth given to us in God’s Word, we are easily deceived and devoured and none the wiser!  Because I was familiar-acquainted with a bag of sugar, a ream of paper, a tube of toothpaste, I was able-equipped to know the differences. Don’t you see how vitally important it is to know The Truth as graciously given to us through Jesus and Scripture! As my friend and mentor, DeeDee taught me: “if you don’t know the Truth, you’ll never recognize a lie.”  Well, there’s nothing to be done about the missing ounces of toothpaste, but we have full confidence we can know the Truth by putting His Truth before us and in us by faithfully reading God’s Word. The Holy Spirit uses that Truth to make us effectively alert, watchful, attentive and cautious accordingly.  Avoid being deceived and devoured by Satan’s lies … equip yourself – read The Word!