Don’t fall for Satan’s scams!

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:32 New Living Translation

It happens to millions of people every year. People who should be wiser, more cautious, ‘old enough to know better.’ But still they’re scammed.

• they purchase the “Kiwi and Kale Miracle Diet” book for $14.95 (plus shipping and handling) and a month later are the same weight, have a pale, slightly green tint and are embarrassed enough to throw the book away. Scammed and ashamed.
• their ‘bank’ contacts them asking for verification of their private information. After sharing their Social Security number and other pertinent facts …find their savings account emptied. Scammed and ashamed.
• the ‘Miracle Chamois’ bought at the fair promises to absorb gallons of liquid but when gotten home simply pushes water around the counter. Its aversion to anything wet makes it worthless even as a rag. Scammed and ashamed.

On the spiritual side Satan attempts to scam us daily. His scams are called temptations. He promises what he can’t deliver. He spray paints over rust and sells as new. The allure of what is offered hides eventual pain and acute embarrassment.

• ‘Free sex’ turns out to be extremely costly.
• Accumulating more and more stuff doesn’t satisfy as promised.
• Denying truth doesn’t set us free but leaves us painfully vulnerable to all spiritual scams.
• Living only for ourself quickly spins into loneliness and purposelessness.

It isn’t shameful to be presented with a scam … only if you fall for it.

One of the reasons I appreciate God’s Word is that it is full of ‘anti-scamming’ information. It has clearly written instructions like: honor your father and mother, do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not lie. Not only are the guidelines presented, but the Bible is filled with examples of people who got scammed and others who lived more wisely.

When the Apostle Peter was confronted with the religious scammers he responded, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29 KJV That’s a great help in escaping the lure of the scammers.

This week remember … Jesus Himself was surrounded by scams … shortcuts to fame and glory. Satan literally promised him the world if He would surrender himself to lies. But because Jesus knows the allure of scams but also their destructiveness, He offers to help us.

“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of

the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly

to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy,

and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

Hebrews 4:15,16 New Living Translation

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