Suckered. That's what I was—plain, outright, suckered. If it wasn’t bad enough knowing I’d fallen for this deception, it was worse knowing that I’d done my research.
We’d lost our sweet dog a year earlier, and I finally came to the point where I was ready to open my heart to a new puppy. I’d done my due diligence, researching as best I could, but these scammers had managed to disguise their ruse very well. I made my deposit on the puppy, and then it started. The cost of a flight. Wait, this was a local breeder. The puppy was held at the airport in California waiting for a ticket. CALIFORNIA! That’s not local.
I’d been scammed. I immediately picked up the phone and called the police. Within minutes, they were running checks, but the snakes had slithered into hiding. The culprits are sly, and they’ve found loopholes to hide. They lie in wait, hoping to bring us into sin and failure. Despite my best efforts to research, I was still deceived.
God gave Adam and Eve specific instructions not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. For a time they obeyed, but then the snake slithered in and deceived Eve. Satan convinced her God was lying. “You won’t die.” And Eve fell for it. Sin entered the world through the door she opened, and Satan chalked up a win.
Deception comes in many forms. Sometimes we see it coming, and at other times it blindsides us. There are times we fall into deception and times we succumb and make a choice to give in to earthly desires. Mankind’s weakness was proven in the garden, but we do have the ability to be strong. We only have to call on the name of the Lord, who is our strong tower. God asks for our obedience, but He understands our frailty.
Despite our failure to obey, the Father stands ready and willing to bring us into Him. To love us as no other can. And to forgive us. His love and forgiveness don’t negate consequences, but God is faithful to His children. His love supersedes all.
Strengthen your bond with the Father, and follow in His footsteps. Don’t be deceived, and be on guard for the evil one's attempts to fool you. You can trust in the Father’s promises. He will never deceive you.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and Inspiredimages.)
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Cindy K. Sproles is a best-selling, award-winning author. She is a speaker and a conference teacher who teaches nationwide. Cindy is the cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries, www.christiandevotions.us, and www.inspireafire.com. She serves as a writing mentor with WRAMS (Writing Write Author Mentoring Service) and is the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com.