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“The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” Psalm 119:160 (ESV)

It appeared to be the perfect deal for a real need.  My tennis shoes were past due to retirement.  Working out every day, the soles on the bottom had really gotten worn.  So for my birthday – treat to me – I decided to purchase a new pair.  It was an extremely cold, snowy and windy day, so I opted to purchase online (which I rarely do).

Social media conveniently displayed the shoes I needed so I clicked on the link to the site.  Surprisingly, the company was offering huge savings because they were overloaded with inventory.  The deal was simply too good to be true, yet my compulsive decision landed three pairs in a variety of colors into my cart.  What savings!

Well, the great deal was a real scam.  When I got my order confirmation email (thankful I checked that), the payment had been made to a utility company.  I immediately called and canceled my card since the scammer now had my name, address, card number, expiration date and three-digit code.

Long story short, this site looked just like the “real website.”  However, it was far from being the site.  The mimic was a replica of everything you would have known about the real deal.  Reminded me that there are so many things today that appear to be the real deal but are far from the truth.  Experiencing many variations of the perceived truth leaves us not trusting anything – not a good place to land.

Lesson learned – I needed to dive deeper into the source.  Perhaps then I would have avoided this mistake.  Same is true in life – we must dive deeper into the perceived truths surrounding us – we simply can’t trust what we see on the surface.  Discerning truth is crucial as we make decisions, speak into the lives of others and arm ourselves against the attacks of the enemy.  And in case you haven’t noticed, the devil is great at mixing truth with lies to create confusion.

Love the way God’s Word remains true, strong and steady. We never need to question it.  And the more we know His Word, the better we are at discerning crucial truths.  Saturating our minds with God’s truth gives us an advantage over the lies which sound and look good but are poor mimics of the real deal. We can’t go wrong when we measure truth against the Word of God.  So, the next time something sounds too good to be true, let’s plan to dive deep, get the facts, weigh the evidence and with God’s help safeguard our minds from the devil’s scam.

“Father, Your Spirit leads and guides us to truth.  Help us protect our minds from influences that could lead us far from Your truth.  Help us to combat the enemy’s lies with Your words and become passionate pursuers of Your truth.

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life