Deception

But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed

I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.

Jonah 2:9 

 

When our daughter Karalee was tiny, we met my husband for a lunch date.

Outside his workplace in the car, we waited for his grand arrival.

Since he was active duty in the U.S. Air Force, he proudly sported his military camouflage uniform. Karalee couldn’t wait for her daddy to walk out.

The problem was … she was looking to identify him by his uniform.

I couldn’t help but get tickled and even a tiny bit embarrassed because
every man who came out wearing a uniform was
her daddy!

A man would walk out of the building, and she’d shout, “Daddy!” Not “daddy.”

The next man would walk out, and again she would shout, “Daddy!” Not “daddy.”

Only one of those men walking out was her daddy,

but she was so easily, unintentionally deceived.

 

Notice in this verse Jonah adds, “Salvation comes from the Lord.”

God spoke hugely to me on this aspect. I suddenly realized:

We often look to idols to save us.

Like Eve, we are deceived.

We exchange God’s salvation for hopes of an idol’s salvation.

The sad part is an idol can never save; only God can save.

We elevate things or people to a position only God deserves and look to those things to somehow save us.

In turn, we place our faith and trust in them.

 

            God certainly gained my attention through this,

and maybe He gained yours, as well.

Is there anything you unintentionally place above God for salvation?

Is there something you are clinging too tightly in your hand?

 

There are many possibilities–family, relationships, desire to be married, money, higher education, new job, success, affirmation, weight loss, physical healing;

the list is endless.

Remember, these things are not bad.

They are all good things; but never look to them for salvation.

Remove them from your heart’s pedestal;

keep them in proper perspective.
Hold them loosely.

 

An idol is really Satan’s lie.

We unintentionally step on that spiral down

when we buy into the lie that anything other than God can save.

We soon realize we’ve been robbed by Satan. Deceived.

But make no mistake–Satan is intentional.

Never forget there is only one Savior.  

 

And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth;

for I am God, and there is no other.

Isaiah 45:21-22

 

Do not be deceived.

Turn to God; He promises to grant strength and comfort. He will save.

He will change us from the inside out and give us

a glimpse of what it is like to know

 true love, loyalty, and faithfulness.

Put Him above all else, and we will be miraculously transformed.

Let us take ourselves and our problems out of our own mental spotlight.

Let’s hop right out of the equation.

Let us give God His deserving place–first place. 

 

 

Paraphrased excerpt taken from: A Gift Worth Keeping: It Goes with my Décor!
By Shelli Littleton

Copyright 2013