Don’t Buy The Lie

Eloquent speech is not fitting for a fool;even less are lies fitting for a ruler.

Proverbs 17:7

This proverb tells us that we don’t always get what we expect. We do not expect a fool to speak with eloquence. We expect to be able to tell immediately that someone is speaking foolishness because it will sound stupid. It would immediately sound wrong. But that’s just not the way it is. Remember, Satan is the king of smoke and mirrors. He could be called “Slick Satan.” In Genesis 3 he masked his intentions when he spoke with Eve. His words sounded both logical and appealing. He insinuated that God was withholding something good from her—something that she needed and that she really wanted. Satan made it seem that God is stingy. Eve listened and acted on this lie. But God was withholding the fruit from the tree only because it would bring her pain. Eve was a foolish woman.

As wise, godly women, we must be discerning. Don’t believe every dressed-up lie you hear on a talk show or in a book, no matter how eloquently it’s presented.

We must be Bereans. According to the book of Acts, the Bereans took what they heard and then searched the Scriptures to see if it lined up with God’s Word. Sometimes a foolish lie merely takes a nugget of truth and twists it into a dangerous deception. The better we know the truth, the less likely we will be tricked into falling for the fancy fake.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

If you are reading this right now and there is someone—maybe at the office, at the gym, or on the Internet—who is giving you a line, tempting you to do something you know is wrong, wake up! If you are lonely as a single or in an unhappy marriage, you are especially vulnerable. Three days ago a woman came to me sobbing. She is having an affair with a man at work, and her heart is now torn. She knows it will only bring devastation to her four kids and destroy their home.

Please, I want to beg you, call out to God right now and ask him to guard your heart. If you have already fallen, call out to him in repentance. He is the God of grace and truth.

One Year Bible Reading

1 Kings 14:1–15:24; Acts 10:1-23; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 17:7-8