How Are We Deceived?

How do we recognize and resist the deception of Satan?

In the imperfect state this world is in right now, exists a number of unpleasant experiences we have to go through in life sooner or later. Some of them are perpetuated by the trials that were meant to make us strong, and some of them are attacks the Father of Lies is bombarding us with. The adversary doesn’t want us to find the right path, so he does his best to deceive us, to make us confused and lead us into the darkness.

How do we know we are being deceived? It is not easy because even the Devil can tell the truth. The thing is, he only tells us half-truths.

Let’s take the example of the serpent and Eve in the garden of Eden, when he is asking her to partake of the fruit. He tells Eve regarding the fruit that, ”God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3: 5), which was a truth; but then he also said “ye shall not surely die” which was a lie. He did not want Eve to know the entire truth; he only said that when you partake of the fruit, your eyes will indeed be opened and you will gain knowledge.

There was a death that occurred due to the nature of transgression — the spiritual death which was the separation from the presence of our Father in Heaven, and also physical death which meant they were in a state where the body made of flesh and blood would cease to function and exist

The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ ensures us that salvation from these deaths is possible if we draw near unto Him. The adversary tries to make us not believe that there is hope because he wants us to be miserable like him. He is in a state of misery that is irreversible. We can only save ourselves through recognizing these traps that he lays out for us with these half-truths by doing our own part, by praying and reading and continuing to go to church to learn more about the word of God and His works, that we may continue to be partakers of His Heavenly gifts.