THE PROCESS OF DECEPTION
Deception is a process that has several identifiable stages.
First, an idea is planted in our imaginations. Everybody has an imagination. It's a part of our thinking that we use for exploring "what if" possibilities and dreams. The imagination in and of itself is neutral. It is a mental ability that can be turned to bad or good. The person who uses his or her imagination for good can be a positive force for building up God's people and expanding the kingdom of God on earth. Such a person can envision highly innovative ways to spread the gospel and show the love of God to people who are desperately in need of His love. On the other hand, the person who allows his imagination to be used for evil can have an equally dangerous and damaging influence on others.
A key question we must ask ourselves about any new idea we have is, "Where does the implementation of this idea lead?" In other words, will implementation of the idea lead us and others to heaven, or will it lead us or others astray and cause us to be detoured away from heaven?
The first thing the devil does to deceive us is to plant an idea in our minds that has an appealing element to it. Usually our first impulse toward Satan's planted ideas is to reject them. If we do so, we can cut off Satan's efforts before we experience any negative backlash. Unfortunately, the devil's ideas always are wrapped in some element that has a certain amount of appeal to us.
He knows what we like and what we want in our fleshly desires, and he wraps up his temptation in something that appeals to us. He does this so we will at least entertain the idea a while. We may call it a "fantasy," "daydream," or "wish." We know it's wrong, but we assume that because we are only thinking about it there's no harm, no foul.r
The more we dwell on one of Satan's ideas, the more we are trapped by it. We sometimes say that certain things or ideas "capture" our imaginations. In fact, they do! The longer an idea is entertained in the imagination, the more likely we are to act on the idea.
*What does the Word of God say to you in the following verses? 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; Ephesians 4:26-27
1. Can you recall a negative experience that began with your imagining something that was not right for you in God's eyes?
2. What new insights do you have into your enemy's tactics and how to overcome him?
Second, we begin to identify with the idea that the devil has planted in our imagination. We start to put ourselves into the picture. We wonder, How would it feel to own that object...to be with that person...to go to that place... to participate in that activity...to be a part of that group?
The longer we identify with the idea, the more we desire to try out the idea. We begin to dwell on the idea and it occupies more and more of our mental energy. Increasingly, we associate ourselves with what we justify to be the beneficial and appealing aspects of the idea.
In the 1960's the counterculture movement spawned the saying, "If it feels good, do it. And if you haven't tried it, don't knock it." We as a nation began to accept the idea that unless we had personal experience with something, we had no right to criticize it or call it a sin. Many people still think that way.
What has happened, however, is that Satan has taken that philosophy and couched it in even more subtle terms. Now, we justify to ourselves that it is acceptable for us to "try out an idea in our minds"--that is, to identify with it in our thoughts. We don't have any real intention of engaging in the actual experience or behavior, primarily because we don't want to be caught in the act by others who might criticize us. We justify to ourselves, however, that it just might be beneficial for us to try out a particular idea in our minds o we can see how we "feel" about a behavior or relationship. We assume that if we never actually do in reality what we are doing in our minds, we remain righteous in God's eyes.
This faulty thinking has been around for at least two thousand years, and very likely since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Jesus pointed to the danger of identifying with sin and responding to it in the mind and heart. (Matthew 5:231-22,27-28)
Jesus taught that the way we feel on the inside is just as much a reality as the way we behave on the outside. Sinning "in our minds" is just as real as sinning before the whole world. When we begin to identify with Satan's ideas, we are already in highly dangerous territory.
*What does the Word of God say to you in the following verses? Proverbs 23:7; Matthew 9:4
*Can you recall a time in your life when you began to identify with an idea that you knew was wrong?