Is it true or does it just ‘sound good’?
Proverbs 14:15 “The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.”
The simple believe anything.
Have you ever heard someone say “…..And, if you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you!” That’s a phrase that’s been used over and over to point out someone’s gullible nature or to bring to attention that someone is perpetrating an obvious ‘con’. Yet, back in the early 1900’s, a man named George Parker actually convinced people he had the rights to sell the Brooklyn Bridge...and he did it over and over, convincing and conning money from so many people. These people lost their money and their pride and Mr. Parker got rich...and was arrested, many times, yet he continued to deceive people.
How could people be so gullible? It may seem obvious to us that this man’s scheme was a con, but he was so convincing that others didn’t ask questions, they just easily followed his story. They didn’t investigate, they simply followed along….and they paid the price.
Do we fall victim to spiritual cons? Do we allow ‘good stories’ and ‘promises of generous blessing’ to tickle our ears? Are we following a ‘Pied Piper’ who sounds good, yet lacks spiritual depth and Biblical truth?
Spiritual gullibility is a thing. Friends, there are believers who fall for anything that sounds good. It ‘tickles their ears’ but dulls their spiritual sensibilities. They find the Truth uncomfortable because it calls out their sin. Instead, they seek out teaching that soothes their conscience, satisfies their need for ‘importance’ or ‘recognition’ and gives them opportunity to ‘prove’ their spirituality through giving and works.
Satan is a deceiver and he is also a user of Scripture. He knows the Bible, friends, and he will use whatever schemes needed to pull us away from following Christ and aligning our beliefs with Scripture. He will convince us to compromise; he will lure us with temptations. He knows our weaknesses and leans on them with the most deceptive tactics. 1 Peter 5:8 says “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” He prowls...he lurks and conceals himself to convince us to let our defenses down.
But Christ is stronger; He’s already won the battle! We are called to stand firm and abide in Him. Colossians 3:2-3 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” We are hidden with Christ in God. That’s a picture of spiritual protection and belonging that can shield us from falling prey to Satan’s schemes. But we have to abide. John 15: 4, 7-8 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Then, we are called to know His Word, so that we can avoid sin, identify deception and run from temptation. Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Our alert and sober mind is only possible when we listen to and learn God’s word, memorizing it in our hearts and minds.
When we pursue Christ and remain in Him we gain wisdom and knowledge through His word. And by doing so, we infuse our hearts and minds with spiritual insight and discretion. Christ equips us to stand firm. Eph. 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.”
Today, let’s pray for God's protection over our sons and daughters. Let’s ask God to:
Help them to have great spiritual discernment.
Pray that their spirit is uneasy with unsound teaching and deceptive leadership and that they would run from it.
That they would love God’s Truth and commit to memorizing it and studying it.
And, finally, pray that the Lord would help them grow in wisdom and knowledge.
Pray without ceasing.
Schoenburg, D. P. E. (2018). The Brooklyn Bridge - "If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell to you". NYC Walks. https://nycwalks.com/blog/the-brooklyn-bridge-if-you-believe-that-i-have-a-bridge-in-brooklyn-to-sell-to-you/.