Voortgekomen uit een gesprek met broeders en zusters! Een zuster deelde een stukje over wat ze gelezen had uit een YouVersion Bible reading plan.
Elaborate Deception
The enemy of our soul has constructed an elaborate deception that makes our present enslavement feel lavish and our freedom like a sacrifice. It’s difficult to set someone free when they don’t yet realize they’re enslaved. First, the veil over their reality must be peeled back so they can be shown the truth.
That’s the same challenge that Christians face today. We live a world where our beliefs feel dated and empty. The world around us blinds our eyes so that we can’t see how short our time is. *We’re building elaborate castles on the deck of a sinking ship, standing back and admiring accomplishments that will soon be pulled under the icy cold swells of time.*
You may not feel like a slave. You might find the Bible difficult to decipher and religion hard to swallow. But there’s something inside that has you reading this. You may have never felt comfortable in a church, but you just can’t let go of the idea that there’s a force greater than yourself out there somewhere that’s directing all of this.Thump.
Thump. Thump.
Your heart’s beating in your chest. You feel it, but you don’t see it. That’s where you are with God right now. You feel something, but you have no context to interpret it.
When Jesus taught in the synagogue of his boyhood home, he was handed a scroll of Isaiah’s prophecies. He read a passage about setting captives free and binding up broken hearts. When he had finished reading it, he said, “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” Essentially, he was telling everyone that he had come to set people free.
His mission hasn’t changed today. If there’s a nagging thought in the back of your mind or a restless feeling deep in your gut, keep reading. My hope is that your eyes will be opened to the true reality around you, and that you’ll see Jesus for who he really is… your Savior.
Prayer
God, I want to see you in a new way. Give me wisdom to see past the deception to my true state. Regardless of my previous experience with religion and faith, I want to know the real you.