THINK TOGETHER.
Are you easily tricked into doing things?
READ TOGETHER
Proverbs 8:5. O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.
The word simple in our verse is sometimes translated as naïve. Do you know what naïve means? It means that you are easily ticked or deceived. It means that you easily follow those who are doing wrong without realizing that they are doing wrong. A naïve person is too easily convinced of something. They are gullible. A naïve person hears lie and believes it is true. Has that ever happened to you?
Satan loves naïve people. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he loves to trick us into doubting God and then disobeying God.
What is the cure for being naïve and simple? Look at how the New Testament of book of Ephesians explains what we should do to not be a simple fool:
Ephesians 5:15-17. 15Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Did you know that when professionals need to learn how to spot a fake, like fake money or a fake piece of art, they don't look at a bunch of fakes. No, they study the real thing. Real money. Real art. They look at the real thing so much that anything else is easily spotted as a counterfeit.
The follower of Jesus must never be simple or naïve. We must look carefully at Jesus and his true life and love on the cross. We must look at how he lived until anything different is easily spotted. We must understand what God wants (his will) until anything that is not God's will jumps out at us as a fake. Then we can make the best use of our time to love and obey God. That's what Jesus helps us do each day as we learn to trust what he says more and more so that we can recognize when the Devil is trying to trick us by saying something different.
Because of Jesus even when the Devil tricks us we are still loved by God.
With Jesus we don't have to be naïve; we can have his good sense.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Make Ephesians 5:15 a family memory verse.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, help me to listen to you so that I won't be tricked by Satan's lies. Amen.
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