The Theory, Art, & Practice of Deception

[Stumpmaster]

Start it, start it!

It's healthy for Christians to know how the enemy operates.

And … sometimes useful.

Esther tricked Haman resulting in him being hanged on his own gallows and Jael tricked Sisera and hammered a tent peg into his temple while he slept. The enemy never fights fair, does God always expect His beloved to?

Are not we to be harmless as doves AND cunning as snakes?
Matthew 10:16

This is right, GEN2REV.

There are times when we need to be shrewd as stewards of God's resources. Being committed to serving God means defending against the wiles of Satan by advancing against his strongholds with weapons that are not carnal, not motivated by fleshly desires for wealth, fame, or glory, but to take back what they enemy has stolen.

Four Relevant References:

2Co 2:10-11 Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, (11) lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

2Co 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. (14) And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. (15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

Eph 4:14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

 

[GEN2REV]

Paul's thorn in his side were false teachers and Judaizers. "Thorn in the side" is a Hebrew idiom like our "pain in the neck." Paul did not have problems with evil spirits! What are you even thinking? That's ridiculous! 1 John 5:18! False teachers are messengers of satan teaching doctrines of demons.

I'm sorry that you are so fooled, but most Christians are clueless in this regard. Brainwashed to believe the devil hardly exists and never touches Christians. Clearly you haven't read Job.

1 John 5:18 "...he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him NOT WITHOUT GOD'S PERMISSION."

It is shameful for a Christian to believe the devil has absolutely no place in their life and never touches them. And spreading this Falsehood makes YOU the very False Teacher you speak of.

Judges 2:
… you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? 3 Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’ ” 4 So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.
[/QUOTE]The inhabitants of Canaan were demon-worshipers. And there's even more to it than that but for the sake of staying on topic we will leave it at that for now.

Their gods were demon-gods. The thorns and the snare were demons.

The people lifted up their voices and wept because they were to be perpetually pestered by demons NOT because they would be annoyed with false teachers.

YOUR version is ridiculous! Yet, in your defense, this is the common nonsense that parades as Christian Doctrine in the mainstream today.

TURN IT OFF, turn it all off and get OUT of the churches and into God's Word and pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit.

"My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge."
Hosea 4:6

 

[farouk]

Paul's thorn in his side were false teachers and Judaizers. "Thorn in the side" is a Hebrew idiom like our "pain in the neck." Paul did not have problems with evil spirits! What are you even thinking? That's ridiculous! 1 John 5:18! False teachers are messengers of satan teaching doctrines of demons.

Judges 2:
Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. 2 And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? 3 Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’ ” 4 So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.

5 Then they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the Lord. 6 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.

@1stCenturyLady What a contrast between wholesome, sound doctrine and false doctrine!

Deuteronomy 32.2:

"My doctrine shall drop as the rain,

My speech shall distil as the dew,

As the small rain upon the tender herb,

And as the showers upon the grass:"


Philippians 4.8:

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

 

[GaryAnderson]

Well, let’s make a list.
I’d say Politicians are at the top of deception list.
Followed by lawyers.

 

[Mantis]

The way the enemy operates.

The closer you get to The Almighty, the more acute your awareness becomes of whatever spirits are allowed to test you. They are very, very cunning. They are not only supernatural in their knowledge and comprehension, but they have been around for thousands of years.

You can begin to observe subtle strategies in the way they tempt and mess with you. They observe you very closely to learn how to better trip you up at given times. You may have a tendency to muster all your perseverance and faith until you see light at the end of the tunnel and then drop your guard. They will hit you with unexpected trials and tribulations right when you think you've reached the finish line and you discover it's not really over yet.

They tempt you all the time, in myriad ways and if you stumble, you are attacked. God will not let you fall utterly, but He allows all of this for your betterment.

Look closely at the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Notice what the Bible tells us the devil did when He finally left Jesus.

Luke 4:13 "And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him FOR A SEASON." Some versions even say "until a more opportune time."

They always come back. Often when we least expect.

Not believing in demons and their ability to interact with Christians is a luxury not afforded to those dedicated to following Christ. They are a daily reality. That is why it is so important to purify/sanctify ourselves as much as possible. That's also what fasting is about.

Sobriety, purity and daily ingestion of God's Word is the only path to sanity if you are truly seeking God.

Thanks for typing that all out. You said it very well and I couldn’t agree more. They study, they attack.

 

[farouk]

Well, let’s make a list.
I’d say Politicians are at the top of deception list.
Followed by lawyers.

@GaryAnderson Try being married to a lawyer...

I think it's sometimes about how a profession is used, rather than inherently...at least, as far as lawyers are concerned...

 

[marks]

I'm sorry that you are so fooled, but most Christians are clueless in this regard. Brainwashed to believe the devil hardly exists and never touches Christians. Clearly you haven't read Job.

Actually, if there is a Biblical answer to what Paul's thorn was, this is it.

And it has nothing to do with brainwashing. I mean really!



And it has nothing to do with whether or not there are demons messing with us.

And then there are those who blame every twitch of the flesh on the devil. That doesn't do either. We do better to have a proper understanding.

I don't discount any of it, but I think I have far more trouble with my flesh than with the demons and fallen angels.

Much love!

 

[marks]

Paul's thorn in his side were false teachers and Judaizers. "Thorn in the side" is a Hebrew idiom like our "pain in the neck." Paul did not have problems with evil spirits! What are you even thinking? That's ridiculous! 1 John 5:18! False teachers are messengers of satan teaching doctrines of demons.

Judges 2:
Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you. 2 And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? 3 Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’ ” 4 So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.

5 Then they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the Lord. 6 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.

If there is an answer in the Bible, that's it!

Much love!

 

[DPMartin]

Start it, start it!

It's healthy for Christians to know how the enemy operates.

And … sometimes useful.

Esther tricked Haman resulting in him being hanged on his own gallows and Jael tricked Sisera and hammered a tent peg into his temple while he slept. The enemy never fights fair, does God always expect His beloved to?

Are not we to be harmless as doves AND cunning as snakes?
Matthew 10:16

if your expectations are "fairness" in the world according to your own judgment of what is fair, you can forget that. but in the case of the OT the rules of engagement of God's people and the world were different then they are now. though straight up war in Israel's case of survival, is justified. in Paul's day there was a time to run, as in his escape out a window when being pursued and then a time to submit himself to the eventuality he had in Rome.

 

[1stCenturyLady]

I'm sorry that you are so fooled, but most Christians are clueless in this regard. Brainwashed to believe the devil hardly exists and never touches Christians. Clearly you haven't read Job.

1 John 5:18 "...he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him NOT WITHOUT GOD'S PERMISSION."

It is shameful for a Christian to believe the devil has absolutely no place in their life and never touches them. And spreading this Falsehood makes YOU the very False Teacher you speak of.

Judges 2:
… you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? 3 Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’ ” 4 So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.
The inhabitants of Canaan were demon-worshipers. And there's even more to it than that but for the sake of staying on topic we will leave it at that for now.

Their gods were demon-gods. The thorns and the snare were demons.

The people lifted up their voices and wept because they were to be perpetually pestered by demons NOT because they would be annoyed with false teachers.

YOUR version is ridiculous! Yet, in your defense, this is the common nonsense that parades as Christian Doctrine in the mainstream today.

TURN IT OFF, turn it all off and get OUT of the churches and into God's Word and pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit.

"My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge."
Hosea 4:6

I apologize for my sarcasm.

1 John 5:18
18 We have known that every one who hath been begotten of God doth not sin, but he who was begotten of God doth keep himself, and the evil one doth not touch him;

Here is another Hebrew idiom:
Mark 16:18a
18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them

 

[Enoch111]

I’d say Politicians are at the top of deception list.

You could add public health officials and the medical establishment. Never in the history of the world have medical professionals done as much damage as during the past 18 months. Fortunately there are still some ethical doctors who have opposed all the deception, but have suffered for it.

 

[Stumpmaster]

Well, let’s make a list.
I’d say Politicians are at the top of deception list.
Followed by lawyers.

I like lists.
Add Scientists.
Science is rife with deception as this easy-to-read book by A.K. Dewdney details.



Also add Psychologists. (Much debate had about whether Psychology is a science.)

Quote: Deception in psychological research – a necessary evil? | The Psychologist (bps.org.uk)
The use of deceptive procedures seemed to grow exponentially from that point forward, yet Milgram’s project, perhaps more than any other, aroused concerns about the ethicality of using deception to satisfy research objectives and to a great extent gave impetus to the development of internal standards regulating the use of deception within the discipline of psychology (Benjamin & Simpson, 2009).

* * * * * * *​

Perhaps because of the central attention it received, the obedience research arguably provided a tipping point for critics of deception. It was widely claimed that:

- Milgram had subjected participants to extreme levels of stress and guilt as a result of their believing that they had harmed innocent victims, and that he should have terminated the experiment at the first indications of discomfort on the part of the participants;

- his deceptive scenario served to increase the suspicions of future research participants about investigators and the research process, thereby exhausting the pool of naive participants; and

- his approach reduced the public’s trust in psychological research and harmed the image of the discipline, thereby jeopardising community and financial support for the research enterprise as well as public trust in expert authorities.

These points reflect the moral, methodological, and disciplinary criticisms, respectively, that are typically levelled against the use of research deception.

 

[Wynona]

The way the enemy operates.

The closer you get to The Almighty, the more acute your awareness becomes of whatever spirits are allowed to test you. They are very, very cunning. They are not only supernatural in their knowledge and comprehension, but they have been around for thousands of years.

You can begin to observe subtle strategies in the way they tempt and mess with you. They observe you very closely to learn how to better trip you up at given times. You may have a tendency to muster all your perseverance and faith until you see light at the end of the tunnel and then drop your guard. They will hit you with unexpected trials and tribulations right when you think you've reached the finish line and you discover it's not really over yet.

They tempt you all the time, in myriad ways and if you stumble, you are attacked. God will not let you fall utterly, but He allows all of this for your betterment.

Look closely at the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Notice what the Bible tells us the devil did when He finally left Jesus.

Luke 4:13 "And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him FOR A SEASON." Some versions even say "until a more opportune time."

They always come back. Often when we least expect.

Not believing in demons and their ability to interact with Christians is a luxury not afforded to those dedicated to following Christ. They are a daily reality. That is why it is so important to purify/sanctify ourselves as much as possible. That's also what fasting is about.

Sobriety, purity and daily ingestion of God's Word is the only path to sanity if you are truly seeking God.

What an excellent post!

 

[GEN2REV]

What an excellent post!

All Glory to God.