Matthew 24:4 | TPT (4) Jesus answered, “At that time deception will run rampant. So beware that you are not fooled!
Deception is not just one of the ways that the enemy can bring the effects of the curse into your life. It is the only way.
Main Point – If Satan cannot deceive you, he cannot defeat you.
Deception – to convince someone that something is true and valid when it is actually untrue and invalid.
The Danger of the Second Word
Satan does not have to go through much effort to deceive someone who is not even born again because their minds are already darkened. (2 Cor. 4:4) There is no light or revelation in them because God’s Spirit does not live in them.
But how does he work in the life of a believer that is hearing the Word of God? How does he endeavor to affect the decisions that a believer is making who is consistently exposed to the truth of the Word of God?
Ephesians 4:17-18 | TPT (17) So with the wisdom given to me from the Lord I say: You should not live like the unbelievers around you who walk in their empty delusions. (18) Their corrupted logic has been clouded because their hearts are so far from God—their blinded understanding and deep-seated moral darkness keeps them from the true knowledge of God.
When someone is hearing the Word of God, the only way that Satan can have any influence on the decisions of that person is to bring a second word.
This second word in a way that is deceptive or subtle enough to get you to buy in and believe the second word over the first Word from God.
In the Beginning…
God brought the first Word to Adam and Eve:
Genesis 2:15-17 | NLT (15) The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. (16) But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden (17) –except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
Genesis 3:1-6 | NLT (1) The serpent was the shrewdest (KJV “cunning” – characterized by wiliness and trickery) of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (2) “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. (3) “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'” (4) “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. (5) “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” (6) The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
Satan manages to bring a second word that is subtle and cunning to produce the deception to Adam and Eve.
There are some earmarks that will be consistent with the second word when the enemy brings it to you:
- The second word always begins with a question.
Genesis 3:1 | NLT (1) The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
To the extent that you truly know what God has said, you are vulnerable to the question marks that the second word will bring to you.
Eve misquoted what God said because it was a little fuzzy in Eve’s mind as she really was not sure what God had said (reflection on Adam).
Genesis 3:2-3 | NLT (2) “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. (3) “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'”
- With the second word, there will always be a direct contradiction.
Genesis 3:4 | NLT (4) “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.
Along with the contradiction, it very often will be accompanied by a direct shot at the character of God.
Genesis 3:5 | NLT (5) “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
- The second word always appeals to the flesh.
Genesis 3:6 | NLT (6) The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
The second word will always cost you dearly in life.
When Adam and Eve gave in to the second word that Satan gave them, it cost them everything.
Most likely Satan is not going to come to you through a serpent. You are probably too smart for that and would not give in to that. He can and will use people to bring you a second word and it might even come from people that you esteem or respect. But just because you respect someone does not always mean they are right. They are human too, as we all are.
What is the defense against the second word?
- Know beyond any shadow of doubt what the written Word of God has said for yourself. You must be grounded in the Word of God.
- God never deals in second words. He always has the best idea the first time.
- God always comes to you with a conviction and a knowing in your heart.
Romans 8:16 | ERV (16) And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children.
- Confess and believe in your heart that you know, hear, and follow the voice of your Shepherd.
John 10:3-4 | TPT (3) …And the sheep recognize the voice of the true Shepherd, for he calls his own by name and leads them out, for they belong to him. (4) And when he has brought out all his sheep, he walks ahead of them and they will follow him, for they are familiar with his voice.