In my summer of solitude, I’ve been reflecting on how naive it is to blindly believe that you were born into truth. Many people are born into atheist families and are taught that religious people are crazy, and many people are born into religion. They are taught to believe in a particular theology or way of life, and many are born into confusion and don’t know what to believe. Many people are even born into truth and are deceived into leaving it. Regardless of what you may be born into, there is one truth.
Hundreds of religions, big and small in followers, have different beliefs, values, and teachings. But there is one way to the Father. And it’s through Jesus Christ. Not the idols of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, religion, money, ego, relationships, technology, careers, or entertainment- but through Jesus Christ. And yet, millions of people have been deceived into believing in these false means of finding fulfillment and being saved.
How? Because even Adam and Eve, who saw and heard God in the Garden, were deceived. And even the disciples, who walked with and watched Jesus perform miracles for years, were deceived. How, then, can we believe that we have not been deceived? These are the questions I’ve been wrestling with, and I’m sure you can see why. So, in my summer of solitude, I have sought the Son, and this is what has been revealed to me.
Firstly, we must recognize that being near God does not remove our ability to be deceived. Jesus was tempted, and the devil tried to deceive Him, even though he is literally God in the flesh. And if you think the devil will try to tempt Jesus, but you’re not even worth trying to tempt, you would be sorely mistaken. In 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV), the Bible says:
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Notice how it says be sober minded (meaning use your brain), because that’s where the enemy will attack and attempt to deceive you.
Secondly, we must pay attention when the enemy brings confusion and chaos to distract us from what is true. The truth is that there is one God and one way to heaven, faith in Jesus and repentance. Still, to keep us away, the devil created all of these false idols for us to turn to instead of Jesus Christ so that he may devour us. Our purpose is to worship the Lord, so he tried to distract us with idols to worship instead. People spend their whole lives working to earn salvation, working to deserve love from people, working to keep their minds busy- why? Because they have been deceived into chasing idols meant to distract us from finding the truth.
Lastly, to avoid being deceived by the enemy, you must search for the truth yourself. If every human that has ever existed and will ever exist has fallen into temptation and sin, how can you trust what they say? Those who lean on the Lord can be considered trustworthy, but even they stumble and are often incorrect. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV), “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
In my summer of solitude, I have secluded myself from old friends, I have secluded myself from the media, and I have secluded myself from false idols. And in doing so, I’ve realized that questioning everything presented to you is wise. Only one perfect being can reveal truth: the Lord God. Seek Him and you will find Him, ask Him your questions wholeheartedly, and He will answer you in His perfect timing. I hope that what I’ve learned and written here will be helpful to you, and I pray that you’ll remember these things as you go. God bless you!
(Matthew 7:7-8, NIV) “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
By Aubree Nelson
