Is it True?

“Our lives are the sum total of the large and seemingly small choices we make every day” Robert Jeffress

We make so many choices every day in fact one study says that we make over 200 choices about food every day. I am confident my number of choices about food is more than the average. With so many decisions to be made and some we make without even thinking about them, how can we make sure we are headed down the right path?

Ephesians 6: 11 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
The Greek word for "schemes" is Methodia where we get our word Method from. So we are told that the devil is methodically trying to get us off course. The main way he does this of course is by trying to get us to go away from God's plan and into a life that may lead to destruction.

Temptation is to entice to do evil with the promise of gain.
Satan knows that we will not fall for just any trick we need to know how it will benefit us. He used the same methods against Jesus in the desert when he tried to steer Jesus off course with deception and twisted truth. (Matthew 4)

No one is ever shown that in 20 years their sin will control them. Just one drink, just one look, just one smoke, what is the harm in that. And we have all been there and we all have survived the times when we have fallen victim to the lies. Ask the addict how they arrived at being an addict and I am sure you will hear how they started and thought they controlled the sin only to find out the sin controlled them.

James 1:13-15 13When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Dragged away sounds like you no longer have control. James was using a hunting term when the animal would be so drawn to the bait that it was as if he was being dragged or pulled toward it. When we continue to give into sin, the lure of sin will get to the point that it will pull us toward a bait. Just like the animals who thought they had a meal only to meet their death, we to are promised something more but only find destruction and death.

So what is the sure way of knowing we are not being led astray?

Philippians 4:8 8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Because Satan uses our mind the question we need to ask ourselves before we make any decisions is "if it is true." It is a question that if we could answer before every decision we make would keep us from making the bad decisions that would eventually lead us to a place we never intended to be.