Tande BondyeEgzanp

Stranger Danger

Many in the body of Christ have become increasingly vulnerable to the deceptions of the voice of the stranger. Listening to God’s voice becomes a real challenge due to competing, ungodly chatter. Tragically, they begin to doubt God’s character and the truth He teaches in His Word.

We see the origin of this problem starting with garden dweller, Eve.

And I wonder.
Why did Eve ever indulge in listening to the serpent’s sly shenanigans?
Why didn’t she recognize that this was the voice of the stranger?
I wonder. How well did Eve really know God, her Shepherd? She seemed so easily swayed by the enemy’s lies.
Why was Eve instantly gullible?

I believe that even though Eve knew truth, she wasn’t firmly grounded in truth. She knew what God “said” but never fully grasped Who He was—completely trustworthy and good. She didn’t understand He would never hold back any good thing from her.

Before eating the forbidden fruit, she was unaware of evil, unaware of lies, and unaware that she could be deceived into disobeying her Father.

But this is not true for us! We are not unaware! Praise God we have the Word of God as our truth guide, the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) as our Counselor, and Christ Jesus as our Savior and truthful Advocate!

Yet, like Eve, we too get sucked into listening to the stranger’s lies. Why?

One reason is, too often, we actually entertain the enemy’s lies through our own “entertainment.” TV, Internet, movies, books, and magazines, which are most often quite void of God’s voice, have overtaken our societies. Nevertheless, we’ll spend unspeakable hours with these godless, lying voices while our minds and hearts are diluted, polluted, and malnourished of the living, active, and inspired Word of God!

We need to know our Shepherd! We need to be nourished with His green pastures. We need to draw near to Him in order to follow His voice.

Don’t miss tomorrow’s last devotional reading, as we will conclude with helpful insights about “Getting to Know the Shepherd!”

Ask the Father: Am I listening to other voices that are not from or of You?

Today’s worship song recommendation: “My Heart Is Yours” Kristian Stanfill