ANGEL OF LIGHT

Atropa belladonna, better known as deadly nightshade, looks harmless, but this 4 foot stunner with its shinny blackberries and pretty flowers hides a deadly secret. For anyone unfamiliar with the plants more malevolent characteristics...beware. Her berries are sweet and go down easily, but ingesting just two to four berries can kill a child and a handful will take down a grown man. This is not your backyard garden variety species, in this case, "looks are definitely deceiving."

 

Deception, has many faces. By definition it is the act of encouraging people to believe information that is not true. Lying is the most common form of deception and it has the power to undermine and crush truth that is the bedrock of life. Every day the news bombards us with headlines that run counter to reality. Because of deception our politicans can no longer be trusted to protect our freedom. The scientific community has forcibly taken the place of God, bowing to the demon gods of mutilation, depriving our children of normalcy. The media lies and manipulates the truth speaking with forked tongues, exalting everything that is vile and pushing an agenda of depravity. The entertainment industry follows the sinful woke culture with no regard for the souls of the children they are leading astray. And the worst form of deadly deception is coming from our churches with false leaders who preach a gospel of sexual perversion.

The Bible warns believers about false prophets. "For a time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching. Instead, to suite their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear, they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn instead to myths.( 2 Timothy 4:3-4)NIV

These words were written to believers -Christians like you and me - who stop paying attention to the evil the world is dishing out, and start to embrace these sinful ideologies as truth. Many Christians are turning off and shutting down, thinking the Gospel has been defeated.  THIS NOTION IS DECEPTION! The truth is if we are not totally invested in the Bible, the only true word of God, we will end up drinking the worlds poison. We can't protect ourselves and our loved ones if we don't know truth. Satan disguises  himself as an angel of light in order to trick us into following him down the path of destruction. (2Corinthians 11:14)  Like the deadly nightshade plant, deception looks good on the outside but once you eat it, the toxic nature of deception will quietly poison your soul until you are spiritually dead and headed toward eternal damnation. 

 

If you have fallen for Satan's lies...repent... get out of the deadly trap while there is still time. Jesus is coming back. SUIT UP! PRAY UP! LOOK UP! STAND UP!

 

 

Credits:

Beware the deadly nightshade-the beautiful plant that can kill you
 by, William DeLong | Edited by John Kuroski

Published September 14,2021| Updated October 7,2021

https://allthatsinteresting.com

Scripture verses NIV

THE OLD IS GONE

What I love most about the New Year is the idea that we have a free pass to try again. It's like Father Time has given us a fresh canvas and we can decide to give our resolutions another go. Maybe you failed to meet your goals last year, or you're one of the lucky ones who surpassed your own expectations, but the bottom line when the ball drops on the eve of a new year is the old is gone and the new is here.

During the month of January we get to ask ourselves,  "What type of person do I really want to be?" 

 Each one of us have areas of our personalities we want to improve on. Sometimes we reach a new year and are still carrying the same old issues from the previous year. It's easy to get discouraged when we try to overhaul ourselves all at one time instead of picking one thing and spending our time renewing our minds. All lasting change begins with a clean mental focus.

Keep your thoughts positive, especially when you miss the mark because that is the language of faith. You only become a failure if you quit and give up your fight to replace the old habit with the new you. 

 The Bible puts it this way..."Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone ; a new life has begun." (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT) This promise from God doesn't happen overnight. Little tweeks in our weaknesses' will lead to giant victories over time. Each day we should come into God's presence and confess our shortcomings ..."When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us and purify us from our wickedness."(1John 1:9) Confession keeps our thoughts free of condemnation.

Change is challenging, invigorating, exciting, and doable because the Lord Jesus Christ is on our side, cheering us on to victory. The next time you look at your canvas expect to see a new masterpiece in progress. 

Happy New Year!