The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell false dreams, they give comfort in vain. Therefore, the people wander like sheep, oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
In the movie The Parent Trap, the one with Dennis Quaid and Lindsay Lohan, there is a funny scene. Dennis Quaid and the girls go on their annual country hike and stay a night or two in the forest, and the dad brings his new fiancée along to bond with the girls. The girls don’t like her at all, and they play one of many tricks that is so funny we still replicate it today around the house. They tell her to hit two sticks together right before bedtime to ward off mountain lions and predators. It’s a super funny scene. She looks so silly hitting the sticks together that you have to laugh.
The Lord downloads a recipe for why we seem to wander off and away from Him. Verse 2 tells us that idols speak deceitfully. Now, we don’t see many statues telling us lies, but we do seem to put our trust in the stars, horoscopes, or palm readers. The common person may even just go through life shooting from the hip, putting their trust in good old luck. It goes on to say that diviners see visions that lie. We don’t normally consult witches and spirits to direct us, but what about anything that is not of God? Satan uses anything he can to deceive us, including the Bible; just ask Eve. Satan seemed to twist one thing God said, and there you go.
Next, it says that they tell false dreams. If we listen to the news, we often hear differing perspectives and interpretations of events. Just take COVID, for example. I don’t have time to outline all of the conflicting messages and changing guidance that were shared across the airwaves. The truth is, many of us placed our trust in voices that ultimately left us feeling confused and uncertain. As a result, people sought comfort and reassurance in things that did not always provide lasting peace or clear direction.
The same can be true in many areas of life. We can be tempted to place our confidence in political leaders, media outlets, experts, or popular opinion instead of first seeking God’s wisdom. When we look to human voices above God’s voice, we can find ourselves wandering like sheep without a shepherd, feeling anxious, confused, and oppressed.
It’s not all bleak to think about, because there is light at the end of the tunnel. John 10:27 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” It is time for followers of Christ to start following Jesus’ voice. What is that voice? It is the Bible. The very voice of the Lord speaks through Scripture. This is how you can break free from the false, deceitful lies that the world throws at you.
Simply put, what does God say about it? For starters, the Bible says that if we know the voice of the Lord and follow it, we will be led into perfect peace, not the peace that the world gives, but the kind that comes from heaven. Today, sit back and take inventory of who and what you listen to. The Bible says to test everything against the Word of the Lord. Do you know what it says? It is time to start.
Prayer: Father, I am guilty of not checking things against Your Word. I am guilty of not using it to guide my heart and mind in the situations I go through. I pray today that I would use the Word of God as a weapon against the wiles of Satan and against the twisted lies he tries to make me believe. I will stand on Your Word and boldly proclaim its promises. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let It Go 
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