“Be Not Deceived”

Galatians 6:6-10

6) Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

8) For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

9) And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

10) As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Prologue

T

his ministry has been founded upon revelation of the truth of the Word of God. From its inception, the doctrine espoused to us has been viewed as "radical," even amongst those of like faith."

Part of the difficulty the Lord has had in winning "converts" to the true "last days ministry" has been that we have held to the tenet that the Lord does, indeed, expect "perfection" of us. The resistance that we have encountered has been based upon great and deadly misunderstanding.

You see, Man's concept of "perfection" is based upon an expectation of flawlessness. The true meaning of perfection is that of sinlessness. Apart from salvation and its accompanying holiness, righteousness and all that pertains unto it, there is no such thing as perfection. This is because apart from salvation, Man is "married" to his flesh and therefore, he is incapable of manifesting perfection.

Message

In that we are admonished to "be not deceived," just exactly who do we think is the most likely to deceive us? The Lord's message is really to us about us. Since we can never get away from ourselves, we must be much more "on guard" concerning ourselves than anyone else.

Believe it or not, we are not as "trustworthy" concerning ourselves as we would like to believe. One of our greatest problems is that we become convinced that we can trust ourselves when we can trust no one else. This, then, leaves us vulnerable" to ourselves and allows the devil a perfect "vessel of deception." How horrifying that that "vessel" eats us alive from the inside!

For far too many, from time immemorial, Man has proven that once he begins to "get" (things, fame, fortune), he begins to be convinced that God is no longer needed in his life. The Word of God would have us to know that anything we regard as being sufficient other than God is deceptive—and if that "object" is oneself; then we are "self-deceived."

No matter what we would like to be able to depend upon or believe outside of the Lord, the fact remains that the things of God work exactly as He has decreed that they will. No stipulations that we might set; no prayers that we might pray; no demands that we might make will change any outcome that has already been set. It is within neither our "rights" nor our power to "dictate" to the Lord how His program will be "run."

Verse 6 of our text, today, is written with the knowledge that it is the anointing that teaches us all things and that these things are truth. Whether a word the Lord utters ever makes sense to us, His words are true. Whether we ever come to believe Him to see the manifestation, His words are true.

Not believing the Lord is on the order of one waiting on an important message all of one's life and realizing when it finally comes that it is in French—a language that you do not know. This means, then, that you would not be able to receive it.

In the same way, God's "messages" come through the Spirit. Therefore, if you do not speak the "language" called "spiritual," you will not "get" (be able to receive) His message.

Whether one lives "spiritually" or "by faith," it is one and the same. No matter what one calls it, living by God's direction means just that—you are not involved in any way. When we think of how depraved the natural life is, it is amazing that we would ever think of living any "new life" in the same way. With all of its disappointments, hardships, sorrows and heartaches, it should be obvious that its only benefit would be that it affords us the opportunity to be saved.

The only hope that the "natural man" has is the hope of salvation, which enlightens him that his present state is not where he has to remain as long as he is willing to learn.

The state of being human is highly overrated. Because of where the devil would have us to remain (unenlightened as to salvation), we come to believe that all manner of behavior is acceptable. No matter how the rest of creation (including the saints) is conducting itself, we cannot afford to deceive ourselves into believing that "revenge" is acceptable. We need never attempt to defend ourselves, for we are a people who must accept that all that is allowed to come to us does so to get our attention. The "lesson" that must be accepted in all things is that our "pattern of behavior" must be Jesus.

We have all read that "...God is not mocked"—and have all ascribed to it our own understanding. The fact is that God will never be mocked, for all that He says is true and will always prove to be true.

The Lord also will never be mocked by those who say that they are "of' Him, yet conduct themselves as those outside of Him. This means that one who operates in the flesh will never "get away" with it, for no matter the "title" of one who does; no matter the "degrees" attached to his name; no matter how long one has been "in the fold," operating in the flesh is not of God. One who proclaims to be "of Him" and conducts himself as if it (flesh) is, is one whose deception is on its way to being "sealed." n