Deception
Deceiving and Being Deceived (Part 2)
Last week, we took an introductory look at deception, both as the deceiver and as the deceived. This week we continue that study, beginning with a look at the linguistics involved, examining the concept of truth and how that is viewed by the current-generation Western world as opposed to that of the Ancient Near East…
Read MoreDeceiving and Being Deceived (Part 1)
I write frequently about deception, being deceived, and biblical warnings against it.1 Deception is so nefarious because, by definition, we don’t know when it has happened to us. It is more than a “white lie,” or even a bold-faced, brazen lie. Those are realities too. But a non-truth can be so effectively presented, so well planned,…
Read MoreWhen the Wolf Says, “God Lied”
It is a rarity for me to call out a single person’s gross error on my blog. I cringe writing blog posts like this one. I’m far more interested in building up and encouraging by passing along teaching that exhorts and equips. Today, however, that is not the case. There are things that happen, so…
Read More“The Spirit Expressly Says…”
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.– 1 Timothy 4:1, ESV I am intrigued by the adverbial modifier ῥητῶς in this verse – “expressly.” It would have seemed sufficient to say, “The Sprit says …” but Paul…
Read MoreTest the Spirits. Yes, Seriously. Test Them.
I talk and write often about our battle being not against flesh and blood. Our battle is not against the person standing in front of us, or against the antagonist “shouting” at us through the computer monitor. We battle against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. We are physical participants in a…
Read MoreWhat is a Spiritual Man or Woman (Part 2)
Last week, we took a dive into defining what it means to be a spiritual man or woman. This week we continue that examination. You will recall that we looked at three classifications, or categories of persons: 1) The Spiritual – This is the Christ-follower who has the mind of Christ, discerns all things, but who…
Read MoreRed is the New Green
I was reading Psalm 43 this morning. It is a brief, five-verse psalm, and in the middle, verse three says this: “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!” (Psalm 43:3 – ESV) As I pondered that, I began thinking about…
Read MoreLearning to Love the Rain
I write fairly often about Mr. Bear, my cat. More accurately, he is my wife’s cat, but he’s such a cool cat that I claim him. He teaches me a lot, so much so that I’m contemplating writing a book titled, “Lessons I Learned From My Cat,” or something along that line. Mr. Bear was…
Read MoreArrogant Ignorance
The Dunning-Kruger effect, so named after David Dunning and Justin Kruger of Cornell University, describes a mentality wherein someone rates their knowledge or skill as being well beyond what it actually is. Think of it as the self-assessment that drives men and women completely lacking in musical skill to audition for American Idol, and then…
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