No Smoke - No Mirrors

Magicians and Illusionists have turned misdirection and distraction into an art form. Over the years, many would flock to their shows eager to see the latest trick. For some, they were eager to figure it all out and perhaps try it themselves. Who could have thought that deception would become entertainment? Even if we move beyond the world of illusion and focus on the lives we experience every day, that is something that is still on the rise. Deception. Literally, before I began typing this, I was activating a scam blocker on my cell because I’m tired of all the ‘Scam Likely’ calls flooding my voicemail box. 

This got me thinking about how life, at times, is not as simple as activating a scam blocker. Or is it? Instead of software, we have to take on that role. We have to become the ones that are more discerning than we previously were about the deceivers. This is something that is increasingly critical in our day-to-day living. It’s not just scam calls we have to be on the lookout for. The ability to figure out how to spam and scam becomes increasingly savvy each day. As technology evolves, so do the tricks and the fraud. Authenticity becomes more of a challenge to identify. Our lives are not to be lived in fear, however. Such is our spiritual experience as well.

The deceiver is always busy. No days off. This just means that we need to be busy too. As believers, we have to work harder to keep our focus on God and his ways. In so doing, we are afforded the opportunity to learn more and to see God in new ways in our lives. Simply put, the more we learn of God, the easier it becomes to identify the things that are not of him. Many grow accustomed to the smoke and mirrors of a magician’s trick and are able to more swiftly identify the “magic”. We have to develop the same skillset with identifying tricks of the adversary. Now is not a time to be hoodwinked. Stay vigilant.

Stay Sunny!

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