“A crucial part to every army is the intelligence branch. Intel gathers up information about the enemy so they can be equipped and prepared. In Ephesians 6: 11-12 Paul gives us information about the devil’s schemes. Which is cunning, craftiness and deception. Just like a wild animal stalks his prey, then springs in surprise, so does Satan attack with stealth and deception.”
Gregory Brown “Spiritual Warfare” Article here
Liar! Who me? Thanks, Mom.
Most of my life has involved deception, whether me being deceived or my actions deceiving others. My mother was the master at manipulating people. Some would call this “charm”. For someone who was not a deep thinker, I was in awe of how she could spin words like webs into getting people doing things the way she wanted.
This is the same method used in fortune-telling. I was a palm reader, self taught through books and lots of people watching. I was also a portrait artist, so every face I saw was meticulously studied and often put on to paper. It was my goal to be an expert on people, and like my mother, bend them to my will.
Like taking candy from a baby
It was surprisingly easy. My intense study of people led me to a very startling conclusion. People actually LIKE being lied to! Especially if it makes them feel good or if they agree with what you are saying. Hitler discovered this, too. He's quoted as saying, “If you tell a lie loud and often enough, people will believe it as truth.”
Another thing I learned is that people tell you way more with their body language than with their words. This is a skill I picked up as a small child, living with a father with a bad temper. You knew by a contortion or flicker of a gaze whether it was safe to enter a room, or keep out of sight.
Satan also uses this to his advantage. My kids once asked me if Satan can read minds.
My reply? “He doesn’t have to, he has body language, which reveals your thoughts as if you spoke them out loud.”
Come and see
I will often show a Christian, who doubts he can be deceived, by giving him one of my Palm readings. Before I begin, I will actually tell them what I’m going to do.
"I will get 50% of what I say completely wrong, and 50% right. But you will only remember what I got right and be completely amazed about how much I know about you.”
(They are now told the truth of how they will get duped and should be on guard).
I begin the reading with general statements, much like a horoscope, that can apply to anyone. I then wait to see how they react.
If negatively,(the eyes will narrow and harden) then I back off and go to another general statement until their eyes widen and lighten up.
I watch to see if they lean foreword, if their pupils dilate, or if they almost smile and take the conversation in the direction of positive signals.
Pretty soon, I have them giving me little “corrections” verbally and I’ve got their life story spelled out for me.
They always end with “How did you know that? Nobody knows that about me!”
To which I smile and say, “You just told me.”
"That ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan" Rev 20:2
This is how Satan gets most of his information from us. Being aware of a person’s body language reveal one's thoughts like a book.
True, there have been some times when I was able to “scry”, or take hold of a person’s well-worn object, and reveal a memory that only happened in private, of which no one knew about, but that wasn’t the norm.
And often, we are being watched daily by demons. They are the BEST people watchers, by the way. They can tell others what we saw, just like you or I could. It doesn't matter whether you think it’s private or not, because you can’t see them.
Caught you looking!
Recently, I was watching a movie that had a grown man trying to deceive a girl. I was surprised to see the outcome was not successful, because the girl was tuned in on the deceiver’s body language.
She was told to find the Queen of hearts on the table, and if she was successful, he would give her the information she was seeking.
He laid the cards on the table, mixed them up, and told her to find the card. She reached over and took a card from his pocket. It was the right card!
Her friends asked her how she knew it was there. “I didn’t", she said, "I just saw him looking at his pocket every time he mentioned the Queen of hearts.”
Matthew 10:16 says “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
The take away
If words don’t match with body actions, chances are, you are being deceived. Believe the person’s actions over their words.
So, how can you keep from getting deceived?
Prayer.
If I’m confused if somebody is lying to me or not, I will close my eyes and ask 'The Father of Truth' to show me the truth from the lies and to make it obvious to me. God who is faithful will do just that. (That is, if you REALLY want to know the truth and not hang on to a lie that you WANT to be true. Feelings can be deceptive, as well).
The most effective weapon against the deception is prayer, using scripture and--on your knees.
Only then can you see the truth and fight the good fight.
If you like Maggie's blog and have been encouraged by it, please contact her and let her know. I am trying to encourage her to write. She has lots to say. Lots of stories. Lots of wisdom.
Demons study us in order to manipulate us. That should send a shiver down our spine. Can't say I have ever heard much talk about demons in churches and certainly NOT their strategies. Great article, Maggie! You have a PhD in spiritual warfare - from both sides of the battle!
ReplyDelete