Disguised




The amber glow of the rising sun started penetrating the tiny windows in some of the prison cells. It was a beautiful morning to gather together and worship God on that particular Sunday. The throng of prison-issued, orange uniformed men, of different races, of different ages came and filled those benches neatly arranged for the fellowship.


The bolder ones shared what their faith meant, professing their powerful testimonies. Then, came singing. Some raised their hands into the air and completely released their adoration of the One Who forgave them of their heinous crimes. Tears freely flowed as they wept with a sincere gratitude for the newfound hope their broken hearts accepted from Jesus Christ.


The leader of the prison ministry stepped into the front, grabbed everyone’s attention and requested to bow their heads and confess their sins to God and lift up whatever petitions they wanted to say or even just to simply offer their thanks to God. Whatever they did that week up to that day leading to that worship, anything that was not pleasing to God must be confessed.


One by one, the heads slowly bowed low, eyes were shut closed, some pairs of hands were folded together; still, others felt compelled to bend and get down on their knees. With a silent whisper, confessions and petitions slowly lifted up into the air, towards the heavenly abode of the living God.


There were two of them sitting on the far corner of the last line of these benches. They were huddled close together and in whispers, softly spoke. Not to converse with God. But to each other. A negotiation started.


In a quiet hush-hush conversation, the previously incarcerated inmate was trying to lure the newly-arrived inmate to steal food from others for himself. He couldn’t afford to buy anything from the jail’s commissary. He had no money or funds from his account.


Unfortunately, there was no choice left for the new inmate. If he complied, protection would be given to him from those who loved to intimidate and impose power over the weak ones. If he didn’t obey, it would be an uglier outcome: “his safety jeopardized, even his own life might cost him.”


Their negotiation was drowned by the utterances of other’s prayers. It was carefully going on despite the surveillance of the prison guards. The cameras would not detect anything as they would not pick up a sound.


It was sad that the longer incarcerated inmate was taking advantage of that special fellowship for God to mask his own, evil agenda. The beautiful sunlight penetrated the cells, but not all of the parts of the prison get that benefit...There is still areas of darkness...And it is a very dark place to be.


The Bible warns us that Satan, too is that way. He is capable of appearing like he is an angel of light. Not everything or anyone who looks beautiful or good means that they are doing things for God. The apostle Paul said:


2 Corinthians 11:12-15 - “And I’m not changing my position on this. I’d die before taking your money. I’m giving nobody grounds for lumping me in with those money-grubbing “preachers,” vaunting themselves as someone special. They’re a sorry bunch - pseudo-apostles, lying preachers, crooked workers - posing as Christ’s agents but sham to the core. And no wonder! Satan does it all the time, dressing up as a beautiful angel of light. So it shouldn’t surprise us when his servants masquerade as servants of God. But they’re not getting by with anything. They’ll pay for it in the end.” [The Message].


Just as that time when Paul warned the Corinthians to be careful not to assume that every preacher or evangelist who was well-known or who demanded a large honor and recognition was superior at teaching God’s Word, still applies for all of us, believers, today…


“My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.” - 1 John 4:1 [The Message]


“Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ - the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person - comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought!” - 1 John 4:2-3 [The Message]


As you worship the Lord this Sunday, may I ask you if the leader of your church gives all the glory back to Jesus or does he glorify himself? In everything we come across with...i.e...books, shows we watch in the theater/tv, video games, any other form of entertainment....is it the Lord Jesus glorified?

Satan doesn’t come like a roaring lion sometimes. He likes to slither like a snake just as how he did it in the garden of Eden. He comes in a very subtle way at times, so quiet that it’s hard for us to perceive that kind of attack… Let’s put on the Armor of God and ask the Lord for discernment in everything that we do…God bless.

Please visit Spiritual Sundays for other encouraging posts. Thanks to sisters Charlotte and Ginger for hosting this special place.

29 comments:

  1. It is good to be watchful. May the Lord continue to bless His people with wisdom and discernment ! And let not His people be too complacent and let their guards down !

    ~Silver

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  2. Satan is very subtle. We too inspect the things in our home from time to time, just so there is no opening for him.

    Have a great Friday; I think of you often!
    Love,
    Mary

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  3. Great post Rosel! We all need to be reminded to test ALL THINGS and keep our minds alert and our hearts obedient to the LORD and HIS ways! Asking these questions of all things! Satan is so very subtle and it is obvious today in so many things they our voice (the church) has been quiet too long. I pray we can wake up, set boundaries and close the doors to the things that do not GLORIFY our Father or HIS kindgdom!

    love you Rosel!

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  4. Rosel,

    I was tagged today to send out a prayer chain, so I am tagging you to to see if you wanted to include some people who need prayer in your life.

    Please visit my Blog for more details and click on Luvin This life on my page to read her Prayer chain request!

    Great Post today also!

    Hope you join in on the prayers!

    Steve

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  5. Rosel, this post reminds me to be so very grateful for the promised Holy spirit that lives in each of us, guiding us and leading us into truth. Without the living God inside of each believer, we would be powerless to the enemies lies. But, thank you Jesus, that He who lives in me is greater then he who is in the world!

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  6. Perfectly reflecting some stuff I've been thinking and dealing with lately. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Amen, such a powerfully truth filled post my friend. Thank you for posting this, love and appreciate you.

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  8. Thank you. I know this already, but I always need reminding

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  9. I am sorry you had a bad night at work sweet sis, praying extra hard for you. I love you.

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  10. Thank you for posting this thought provoking post! I will not forget the mental image of that poor new prisoner being backed into a corner and not knowing what to do. If only he had found Jesus he would not be in the situation he finds himself in now.
    Have a good week.

    Blessings,
    Jean

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  11. Life is tough! We need to constantly be on guard but we also need to put our faith in God and move forward with hope knowing that He will never leave us or forsake us regardless of how Satan may bombard and tempt us. Have a great weekend.

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  12. Your interesting description of what went on at that meeting certainly illustrated the fact very well that Satan comes in many different forms. Your prison work provides many examples of the way God works in different people's lives. Thank you so much for sharing your insight with us each week.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

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  13. Excellent post, Rosel! The enemy is indeed very subtle and more than ever, we need the Spirit of God dwelling within us to test and know which spirits are from Him and which are not. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful Sunday.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  14. I think it's wonderful that they have a service for these men. I agree with you that it's a shame that some have to think and do evil things during a time of worship.
    Thank-you for sharing this story.
    Ginger

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  15. wow! this is a really good post, very observant, very discerning. thanks! and thanks for adding me to your blog roll. =)

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  16. So true! I tell my granddaughter that evil doesn't ugly, it looks pretty, because he devil dresses up like an angel, like we do on Halloween...she seems to understand in those terms, that kids are something else underneath the costume. So is our enemy, coming as an angel of light...we have to be so discerning, an constantly asking the Lord to shine His revealing light into the dark corners of our hearts.

    Great post...thanks so much.

    Mary

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  17. Thanks for sharing this insightful post! We, Christ's followers, need to be more like the Bereans...comparing everything to the Scripture. If we are so familiar with God's Word/the Truth, we will be able to detect lies immediately. There are many false teachers out there. A book I recommend is Christianity in Crisis 21st Century by Hank Hanegraaff.

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  18. I read your post hoping to see the "end" of the prisoner story, but of course, it wasn't there. That was a vivid attention grabber. Although Satan is alive and well, God is the victor, and I'm glad that I'm on God's side.

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  19. HI Sis,
    I was going to drop by earlier but had the grandbabies so now that they are back home, I can have a chance to do my blogging rounds (smile) I truly enjoy reading your journey , I miss the prison Ministry, I remember I was singing a song I wrote called " Jesus Really Cares" and just a simple song brought tears to some of the toughest men. I guess when the Holy Spirit touches a soul whether through a song or God's words the spirit has his way and there is no controlling the tears and touching of the spirit. Thank you for b lessing me with your words of encouragement, I do look forward to your visits. You are a blessings Sistah!!!

    Hugz Lorie

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  20. HIS sheep hear HIS voice. Thank God for that truth and assurance and being led by the Holy Spirit.

    Wonderful post.
    Susan

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  21. Thank you Rosel,
    A great message today to remind us of how satan would LOVE to steal our joy snd turn our hearts away from our Father - at EVERY turn! We must keep our eyes open to his ploys and be ever watchful for we are the greatest prize to him - if he gets a Christian to listen to him for a second - he can snub his nose at the Lord.
    Oh Lord, keep me ever watchful for the devils subtle attack on my life. Help me to help others see those attacks as well!
    Even in the house of the Lord we are attacked! Sundays seem to be the days when me and my hubby have the most disagreements -even on our way to church! May we always see those attacks for what they are - vain attempts to draw us away from the message that the Lord wants us to hear that day!
    ((Hugs))
    Kymber

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  22. Thank you for sharing! A constant reminder to be on guard because our enemy is like a roaring lion ready to devour.
    Have a blessed week.
    Regina
    Still sharing my old post here
    http://regina-myfavorite.blogspot.com/2009/02/weather-change.html

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  23. My husband and I were just discussing this verse today...It is something we always need to remember.!

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  24. this is so true RCube, I try to teach my girls to listen to their gut because sometimes something sounds so good, looks good but may not be. It took me a long time to get this. Stay safe. Sarah

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  25. Rosel I am fixed! I tried for days cleaning out cookies, changing internet connections...I had some sort of spy stuff on my computer that was stopping me from entering other blogs...I am free to explore the web again! Yeah.

    I agree with you post. Satan is sly and comes in to destroy us...we need to stand firm in truth. Thanks for this post.

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  26. “Their god is their belly, but, they look like sheep; how is that? How is it that they look like sheep? By their flattering, smooth speech that in an age of tolerance makes you think they are men most full of love.

    They will never contradict, they will never create a scandal, they will never be offensive, they will never speak forth things to anger men. They have the smooth tongue of a serpent, and they flatter men, and they give carnal men exactly what they want.

    Let me tell you something about false teachers, you think so many times that people fall prey to false teachers, and that, in a sense, can be true, at times. But, I think the dominant theme in Scripture is just the opposite. False teachers are God’s judgment on people who don’t want God…but, in the name of religion, plan on getting everything their carnal heart desires.

    That’s why a Joel Osteen is raised up; those people who sit under him are not victims of him, he is the judgment of God upon them…because they want exactly what he wants, and it’s not God!”

    Paul Washer

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  27. Once again you and I are on the same page with our blog posts. I too have been thinking of the psiritual warfare and Satans many disguises...and the need for ys to recognize him!

    Your experiences are so different from anything I ever faced...so interesting!

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  28. I love all of your posts Rosel. That picture says 1000 words. Very creepy, but unfortunately true. Satan does disguise himself. May we all have discernment.

    Your prison stories are always so interesting.

    Bless you friend,
    Beth

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  29. He does try to deceive us and make us think that his ways are truth. Too bad that we do not know enough of the real Truth to recognize them as lies. I believe with all of my heart that is why it is so important that we continue to seek Truth and ask God to reveal Himself to us more and more everyday. So we can truly KNOW Truth and recognize the lies! Great post Rosel!

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"Faith is taking the first step even if you don't see the whole staircase..."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

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