In today's world one has to be very careful when buying something. Sometimes you aren't quite sure what you are getting unless you read the small print, open the box, or take it for a test drive. As they say, "never judge a book by its cover." Even when we watch a commercial or a movie, it's hard to know what is real and what is not. What they are able to do with computer generated scenes is amazing. If you didn't know better, you would swear aliens disintegrated the US capitol and other countries, tornadoes destroyed Los Angeles or all kinds of giant monsters really exist, including dinosaurs in the twenty-first century. Hollywood makes deception an art form for entertainment and profit. There are also magicians who demonstrate incredible illusions. And then, there are the bad guys who deceive in order to take advantage of or hurt others for their own selfish benefit.
Much of life has become an illusion that many prefer to live in. They often try to put on the appearance of something other than what they really are, trying to give the impression they are better, happier, sexier, more powerful or more successful than others. It has become challenging to determine what is genuine and what is not.
Webster — illusion: 1. the act of deceiving 2. something that objectively existing in such a way as to cause a misinterpretation of its actual naturePeople who live without God in their life are living an illusion. Pretending they are in control of their lives and destinies. They believe they don't need God, or if there even is a God. And if there is a God, he may or may not help people, because that is just the way they see him.
Because of the fall of mankind, our hearts were harden towards God and so was our way of thinking. Mans tendency has always been to satisfy his own wants rather than the will of God. Therefore, God allowed us to believe a lie in hopes that we would eventually see our need for a savior. Some have, but many more have not. To think that all is well without God is an illusion and a deception of the enemy that keeps our minds veiled from the truth, like a magician's black cloak. Satan is the master of deceptions and illusions. Everything he says is a lie. (John 8:44)
Sad to say, many Christian think the same way, that just because they go to church and occasionally read their Bible they are OK with God. Others even try to give the impression that they are better than others because of their religious believes or activities. We have all fallen short of the Glory of God (Roman 3:23). That Gift and Glory is Jesus Christ. (John 3:16 and Romans 6:23).
Jesus Christ was the only one who walked on earth who was not deceived by the lies of satan (Is.53:9) The more closely we follow His example, of doing only what He sees the Father doing and saying only what He hears the Father saying, then we also will be less deceived ourselves. And people will want to hear and listen to what we say because we walk in God's love and authority just as Jesus did.
