"Sorcerer's Strategy"

EPISODE 135

Detect the Devil’s Deception

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If you've ever seen a street magician perform their amazing tricks, you might be left wondering, "How'd they do that?" With a few simple tactics, these illusions seem to exceed the bounds of what's possible — though they're always accomplished with natural means.

In Acts 13, we find a magician on the island of Crete who used some deceptive devices to stand against the Lord, but Paul had a "trick" up his sleeve too.

Misdirection

"But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy ..." (Acts 13:8-10).

This malcontent magician was trying to take people's focus off of faith. He was well-versed in the art of deception, so it's no surprise. But Paul calls him on the carpet and accuses him of being Satan's son and full of lies.

But it's a tactic we still face today. The devil wants to change our focus — off of Christ — to anything else. We're encouraged not to pray, read our Bible, spend time with godly friends, or share our faith. And with our eyes off the Lord, we're just asking to fall victim to the world's lies.

Manipulation

"... will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?" (Acts 13:10).

Paul then tells him how he's taking the Lord's straight paths and perverting them into crooked ones. Satan has been manipulating humanity into disobedience this way since the beginning — back to his words with Adam & Eve (2 Cor. 11:3).

But don't we see that today with those who replace evil with good and good with evil (Isa. 5:20)? Our society specializes in normalizing sin and demonizing righteousness. But if we can acknowledge that they're manipulating us, at least we have a chance to recognize it and resist!

No Optical Illusion

"And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand" (Acts 13:11).

His punishment seems a bit ironic. He wasn't willing to see God's power, so God took away his ability to see anything! Plus, he removed the most fundamental sense a magician uses in their illusions — sight.

Those today who want to turn us from the faith are just as blind as he became. They're not visionaries. They're visionless. And if we follow them, don't be surprised when you wind up in a ditch along with them (Matt. 15:14)!

So let's be careful of the devil's deception today, and make sure we see his tactics as clearly as Paul did!