LIVING IN AN ERA OF LIES AND DECEPTION

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

LIVING IN AN ERA OF LIES AND DECEPTION
JESUS SAID:
"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your
father you want to do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there
is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie he speaks from his
own resources, FOR HE IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF
IT. But because I TELL THE TRUTH YOU DO NOT BELIEVE
ME" [John 8:44].5

"The devil, who DECEIVED THEM, was cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false
prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night
forever and ever" [Revelation 20:10].

Saint Paul said, "O FULL OF ALL DECEIT AND ALL FRAUD,
you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will
you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
[Acts 13:10].

"Let NO ONE DECEIVE YOU WITH EMPTY WORDS, for
because of these things the wrath of God comes upon
the sons of disobedience" [Ephesians 5:6].

"Let all invisible phantoms of the air depart from us,
and let no demons of darkness be hidden in the water
nor, we beseech Thee, O Lord, SUFFER TO DESCEND,
WITH HIM WHOM WE NOW BAPTIZE, ANY EVIL SPIRIT
WHICH BRINGETH DEFECTIVE REASON, AND
CONFUSION OF THOUGHT" [Mysterion of Holy Baptism]

Abba (Father) Antonios the Great said: "The time is coming
when people will be seized by manias and will behave like
madmen. And if they see anyone acting reasonably, they will
rise up against him saying, ‘You are insane.’ And they will
have accurately said this to him, for he will not be like them."

Satan is the great deceiver because he is the greatest concealer, the mightiest perverter of truth, the ultimate misleader, and the most convincing fraud and liar. Satan’s goal is two pronged. He wishes to convince us that God is neither all- powerful nor all- loving, and that he, Satan, seems to be something he really is not. More and more people are beginning to feel and see evil around us and the influence of the Devil in the world and upon unaware people of all walks of life.

It is, however, important that we attempt to uncover the Devil like we might uncover a viper hiding under a rock. Much has been written about evil and the evil one by the Holy Fathers of the Church and in the Holy Scripture which reveal his wicked machinations, snares, deceptions, and temptations. Satan is very real and very cunning. We must always be alert and know that he is our greatest enemy. We must also remember to maintain and keep our eyes on our Savior Jesus Christ and to never underestimate the devil and find us sleeping and unprepared. His ultimate goal is to do everything possible to keep all of us from the Kingdom of God. Satan has many faces and different forms and never sleeps or rests. He is a master of disguise and deception.

Our Holy Orthodox Christian Church encourages all the faithful to pray a prayer to our guardian Angel to guide and protect us through our daily life. There are morning and evening prayers and of course the Lord’s Prayer in which there is a petition in it against the devil that says, "lead us into temptation and deliver us from the evil one." Our greatest weapon against the evil one is making the sign of the Cross not only during prayer and worship but throughout the day and night.

Satan has no control over us other than to tempt, deceive, trick, lie, and set snares so that we may fall and sin against God. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ defeated Satan and removed all his power to control humanity and to either threaten or to force us to commit evil or to obey him. Our excuse for committing evil cannot be "the devil made me do it." However, the Holy Apostle Peter warns us: "Be sober, be watchful. Your Adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour" [1 Peter 5:8]. Indeed, he truly prowls around us with his demons and seeks to convince and influence us and deceive us even within the Church. We must remember that he is not a "roaring lion" he is ‘like a roaring lion’ he is only pretending to be something that he is not just to frighten people. We must not be afraid of him no matter what he does. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" [James 4:7].

The evil one attempts always to enter into our minds and thoughts and to discourage us into giving up our fidelity to Christ and to our spiritual struggle. There are many Christians who have listened to his lies and have surrendered to him and, of course, soon after we see the painful results from their dreadful decision. It is inconceivable that a Christian would ever consider betraying the Lord Christ and allow themselves to be deceived by the devil. We know for a fact how Satan plays out his deception according to the faith and life of those he is hunting. He uses their weaknesses, passions,. against them. All who stand for good must wage a constant battle with the forces of evil. For the demons still have power in the world as we read in Ephesians 6:12: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" UNTIL, CHRIST COMES AGAIN IN GLORY. This is clearly acknowledged in the prayers at the conclusion of Orthodox Baptism. Christians fight back with God’s arms, that is, His Uncreated energy, given to us and actively used by us. The Christian has "put on" at Baptism all the qualities as armor. What are they? Saint Paul says, "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking thy shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" [Ephesians 6:1417]. These qualities and weapons must be used or exercised in the conflict of growth; NO STRUGGLE, NO THEOSIS (DEIFICATION).

Human history reveals the existence of evil in the world through wars, apostasy, deception, distortion of truth, mind manipulation, indoctrination, atheism, hedonism,perversion, immorality, hatred, rivalry, greed, power struggles, injustice, efforts to dominate the world and/or as they call it today, "the new world order." Countless innocent people have been killed unnecessarily over the centuries because of power hungry dictators, tyrants, emperors, kings, chancellors, prime ministers, globalists, etc. over thousands of years. People of faith have no other option other than to obey the Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Creator of the world, Having discernment the people of God must not allow themselves to be deceived by the devil. Non-believers are easily duped by the lies and deceptions of the evil one because they do not have the truth in them. They do not have the grace of the Holy Spirit and the ability to know right from wrong or good from evil. Therefore, these non-believers can be manipulated and indoctrinated so much so as to become his stooges and instruments of wickedness.

"The evil angels (demons) oppose and counteract the Holy Will of God, working against the salvation of men, leading them into sin, yet without impelling or forcing man, who is rational and endowed with free will: "that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" [Ephesians 6:11]. Thus, Satan BECOMES AN ENEMY OF THE GOOD WILL AND ACTIONS OF GOD, THE ENEMY OF THE HUMAN GENERATION AND, GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE PERSONAL CARRIER AND LEADER OF EVIL INTO THE WORLD. Hence, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, THAT HE MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL" [1 John 3:8] (Dogmatic Theology of the Orthodox Church)

"Finally, my brethren, Saint Paul says, "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His Might" [Ephesians6:10]. [Resources: the Holy Scripture, Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, Father Timothy Evangelinidis of Orthodox Research Institute]

____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George