Day 4 of 21: Be Ye Not Deceived

Be Ye Not Deceived

⁷ Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. ⁸ For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. ⁹ And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:7-10)

Sin has reared its ugly head this week in unfathomable ways. I have seen those who claim the name of Christ mar the name of other Believers in a quest to crush their very character. In a quest to gain that which they think is owed to them, that which is believed to be their right. In the midst of this filth I have come face to face with the sobering thought that the Church is a sick and powerless body.  Those that claim the name of Christ seek not after those Truths that are revealed through Scripture, but after those things that feed their flesh and satisfy their need to be right, to be heard, to be appeased.

In the name of Christ we seek our own agendas and believe that He stands behind these agendas because we utter a prayer or plea for help. Not ever realizing that we give up our rights and no longer call ourselves our own the minute we decide to follow after Christ. The name Christian holds the connotation of one who follows after Christ, essentially a Christ follower. And yet, in this following we have been deceived. We follow after emotions, rather than the Scriptures. We follow after our rights, rather than giving up those rights for the sake of souls. We follow after our own agendas and attach the name of Christ to it believing that He will honor them because we do them in His Name. In reality, Christ has called us to give up everything for the sake of the Gospel. To give up our rights, and our desires, the following after our flesh, and the pursuit of those things that make us comfortable, in order that we might be crucified with Him. In order that we come to a place where we can truly proclaim that it is No longer I who live , but Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20) 


Be ye not deceived!  That is, in regard to your character, and your hope for eternity. This phrase, in the Greek, implies that there is an acute danger that one could be deceived in reference to his character. The sources of the danger is the corruption of one's own heart, from the lies propagated by false teachers and false beliefs. We must be careful Church, that we take God's Word for God's Word. We must be careful to take instruction and to adhere to what it is calling us to do. We must be careful that we never assume that we have a right to anything. We must take heed so that our very words and actions do not deceive others around us and cause others to stumble and to sin.

God is not mocked, Brethren! He will not be derided or scorned or deceived. He knows the intentions of the heart and character of every man, especially of those who claim His name. He knows those things done in darkness and conceived in the heart. He knows these things and He will judge accordingly. What a heavy cross we bear when we attach the name of Christ to our agendas. When we pursue our own flesh and parade our filth to the world in the name of Jesus.

This world is a tremendously dark place. And it has brought great heaviness to my heart as I have seen this darkness blind the eyes of the Church. How can I continue to pray for revival and salvation for this dead world when the body of Christ is just as dead? How can I offer to this world a refuge when the body of Christ can only offer the stench of the dead man we continue to carry on our own backs? How can I continue to  do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith, when the household of faith has lost its way? 

My heart is heavy with sorrow for the body of Christ today. It is heavy with the pain that I, for far too long, was a dead man walking, and yet proclaiming the name of Christ in the pursuit of my own desires. And the thought of this very truth, that I wronged the name of Christ and misrepresented Him for so may years brings such sorrow and agony, knowing that I have probably caused the stumbling of countless Believers and furthermore, the loss of many souls because I pursued my own rights and my own desires, rather than those of Christ. 

Sin has reared its ugly head this week, and I have seen the wickedness of man's heart. And yet, in the midst of this ugliness I have seen the goodness of the Lord. I have seen His grace and His mercy. I have seen His willingness to commune with us, despite the fact that we are prone to wonder, prone to leave the very God that we proclaim to love. The more that I witness the sin of man, the more I witness the goodness of God. 

This is my plea today, Body of Christ. My plea for those of you who have truly chosen to be Christ-Followers despite the pain of crucifying the flesh. Not only in word, but in deed. Despite the difficulty we endure in learning to be Christ-like in a body that desires to serve its own desires....
Do not grow weary in doing good. Press on. Press in. Be encouraged. The closer you draw to God, the more painful thriving in this world becomes. Stand up for righteousness, purely for righteousness sake, even if you stand alone! Do good to all Believers, even those who choose to mock His name, because the Scripture calls us to that.  Stay above reproach, far from sin, and draw close to God. In due time, you will reap a plentiful harvest. A harvest of mens' souls, a harvest of blessing, a harvest that will pay 10-fold, if only you remain faithful. Be blessed Believer, as He is blessed by you.

.:La Chula:.