Imposters

9/4/2024

Written By: Margie Davis

A few weeks ago, my Facebook page got hacked. And when I say hacked, it was completely taken over by someone posing as me. They appeared to be selling some great merchandise at very low prices. The hacker hijacked my account in the middle of the night and by the time I saw the notification from FB that my email address had been deleted and a new one added, it was too late. A few people sadly fell prey to this imposter and sent money to them.

The hacker said I was cleaning out my Dad’s house and selling his things because he had to go to a nursing home. My Dad passed away in 2012. There were also several grammar mistakes in the post that I wouldn’t have allowed. But even those who know me very well weren’t entirely sure if it was me or not!

To say I felt violated by this hack is an understatement. I see the evidence of the lack of morals in this world all the time so I shouldn’t have been so shocked, but I was!

I can’t help but see the parallels in this story to our spiritual life. Scripture warns us of imposters. Those who masquerade as light when there is actually no light in them at all. But, gosh they look good! Almost too good to be true…

Jesus warned us not to believe the counterfeit signs and wonders we see! In II Thessalonians 2 he warns us that those who are deceived by all the evil will perish. 2:10-11 says “They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”

Just like my fake Facebook, it can be hard to discern the truth sometimes, can’t it? I was just discussing this with a friend a few weeks ago. She said something that just truly resounded with me. We were talking about the information we have in our hands and before our faces ALL the time. Our phones, which are literally a handheld computer with access to the entire world and it’s beliefs and opinions, are just a glance away. And she said “we weren’t made to take in that much information!” And while it is true that our brains have the capacity to learn far beyond our imaginations, it’s coming at us too fast! With all that information going in, our minds become a thick jungle that we are trying to navigate through! In the jungle, there are good plants and poison plants. They look so much alike! There are animals that are good for food and some that will make you sick if you eat them. And in the jungle, a path could lead you to a water source or to the edge of a cliff. It’s a treacherous place! And that’s what our world has become in so many ways.

As Christians, how do we navigate a world like this? There is ONE truth and ONE source of direction. And his name is Jesus. He doesn’t make us guess how to please Him. His Word gives us very good instruction. If we are confused about what He expects of us then we either don’t know Him, don’t read His Word or we want to translate His instruction to satisfy our own selfish desires. II Timothy 4:3 sounds like it is describing current culture! “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

When we try to learn truth from FB, Instagram, X, or National News, we are in essence “gathering around us a great number of teachers.” Why? Because eventually we will find a group that will tell us it’s ok to give in to whatever sin we are most tempted by. And you may even be getting information that seems like it COULD be true! It has a resemblance to the Jesus you have in your mind. (‘He made me this way; He just wants me to be happy, etc.)

If we skip down to verse 5 in that same chapter, we are given this instruction. “But you, keep your head in all situations.” WE are the “but you” in this sentence.”

These devotions we send out every Wednesday are meant to encourage and MOTIVATE us. As we approach the most tumultuous election I can personally ever remember, I want to encourage you to let Jesus lead you beside the quiet waters and hear only His voice. Come out of the “jungle” and lay down in the “green pastures” daily for the next few weeks. Unplug as much as you can and just find the peace in knowing that God cannot be imitated. He won’t lie to you and He won’t ever try to fool you. You have the truth. All you have to do is keep your head!