ISAIAH 55:9 - "Deception"

"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal". (2 Corinthians 4:18) If you look up the meaning of the word 'deception, you will see that it is an active force; in other words, it is something that is not dealt with once and then it is done with. However, it is also considered to be a noun, which means that it is a fixed object; person, place or thing. Why is this important to know? Because, one of the 'Arts of War' is to know your enemy, and how your enemy works. If you have been following my blog for a while, about 3 weeks ago I touched on the Letter to the Church of Thyatira in Revelations 2. When covering that letter I mentioned that it had a lot in common with the Letter to Pergamos, but that there were very distinctive differences; it is time to address this last letter. While both of these letters address idols, Thyatira was dealing with idols pertaining to the flesh, and the lust thereof; but Pergamos deals with idols of the mind; and it comes with judgement that is more current. What the heck does that mean??? Well if you asked that question, and I hope you did; it means that if there is any form of mental disorder which is manifested in a Believer, it is because of the current judgement. If you want to know what I am talking about, a good example would be to look at the life of Nebuchadnezzar, and see what happened to him after he realized who God was, and then lifted up himself later in his life; he went crazy for a season. In Revelation 2:16, Jesus puts forth His judgement in dealing with those idols that are lifted up against Him: "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the Sword of My mouth." This is why it is so vitally important that we stay in the Word of God; but we must also do more than that, we must also remain under the leading, influence and direction of God's Holy Spirit. Which brings me to something that I feel is critically important; and many there will be that do not like it, but so be it. It is the subject of drugs. That's right; mind altering drugs. They are called mind altering for a reason; because they alter your mind. We are called to be renewing our minds, not altering them; and drugs alter our minds. Within the definition of the word 'deception' are words like: act of misleading or deceiving; an unscrupulous scheme; fraud; imposition; deceit. Now then, the word for drug use in the Bible is 'Pharmakeia', and was used to reference a drug use that is both curative and medicinal, but it also includes poisonous drugs also. The word means the occult, sorcery, witchcraft, illicit pharmaceuticals, trance, magical incantation with drugs. Why is this so critical? Because the use of such things will distort our reality; in other words, it will cause our minds to lose tract of what is real; and when we are dealing with spiritual things, it is very vital that we know what is real; or to be more specific: What is Truth. Is this a big deal within the church? You bet your life it is! From the least to the greatest saint within the body of Believers, this has spun way out of control. Before I became a Christian, I considered myself to be a godly man; unfortunately, I was serving the wrong god. I did not know that of course, at least I did not believe it to be so; but none the less, I would read my Bible every day, prayed, and even witnessed to friends. In fact, my favorite thing to do, was to invite my friends over, give them free hits of acid, and then read Revelations to them. Sounds pretty strange, doesn't it? Even after I was saved, I still had not realized fully where I had been; until one day I read a Crusader Comic that described in vivid detail the effects of drug use and the relationship that it had with the occult. Which made me reflect back to some of my experiences and attractions that drugs had caused in and to my life. For example: One day I needed a new wallet, so I went to my nearest 'head shop', where I knew that they had a really cool assortment of wallets. They had wallets with leafs, Zig Zag dude, mushrooms, etc; but the one I choose had a wizard engraved upon it; why was that? Why did I choose that wallet? Sorcery, of course! After coming to this realization, I searched out other Crusader Comics that were floating around the jail facility, and found another that dealt with Rock 'n' Roll. Then I discovered that most of my favorite bands were also associated with the occult in one way or another; all of which were confessing a belief that lead to none other than Satan himself. It was crystal clear to me that drugs were of the devil. In fact, for a long time, and even sometimes today, if I hear any of those old tunes, I can begin to feel an effect, one which I would call: 'The Rape of My Soul'; and when I do, I need to pray: "Lord keep it out !!". This is real my Brothers and Sisters! The world will want to conform us from the image of God, to that of ungodliness; and we are told to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, daily, (that means every day, for those of you that are stuck in Shasta Lake). Please, Please listen: Deception is an active force, and while we are to be renewing our minds on a daily basis, we want to be sure, absolutely sure, that we know what is controlling our minds; because the enemy is subtle, (that means sneaky with a twist, because he is also persistent). Because, and this is critically important: The spiritual realm is far more powerful than that which we see; so if you think that the world is wanting to conform us; well, you do the math... Now, remember our servant, the one facing the cliff with the dark valley behind him; if that were you: How sharp would you want your mind to be as you hear that lion roaring behind you? I do believe that this is a critical issue within the churches today; one that must be dealt with quickly and must be taken seriously; Why? Because our Brothers and Sisters are dropping like flies!!! "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1 & 2)