On Wednesday, my son Kedar read an article that shared an interesting bit of news. Though the journalistic report was from a reputable source, the claims made in the piece pertaining to a specific issue seemed strange. No one had ever heard such a thing, but so many unusual things have been happening lately, Kedar and others accepted it as truth.

The next day, there was a knock on my door. It was Kedar standing there with a smirk on his face. “You know that story I told you about?” he asked. “Well, it was an April Fool’s joke,” he said, laughing and added, “I knew that sounded weird!”

Apparently the writer of the story tricked a lot of readers, though some of them suspected something was fishy.  Odd as it was, many suspended disbelief and trusted the author of the article despite their reluctance to believe he was telling the truth.

Though Kedar chuckled about it, he learned a serious lesson: be careful what you believe, and don’t be so easily swayed by what someone says.

That April Fool’s joke made me think about the Gibeonites in Joshua 9 and how they deceived Israel. At that time, the Lord gave Israel numerous victories over their enemies, causing their reputation to grow and making Israel’s foes fear for their safety. To save themselves from destruction, the Gibeonites concocted a scheme. They presented themselves to Israel in worn out clothes and sandals, pretending to be travelers and allies from far away. They even packed moldy bread in tattered sacks as evidence of their (make believe) lengthy journey.

Israel bought the act the Gibeonites put on, entered into an alliance with their enemies and spared their lives. Though this wasn’t exactly an April Fool’s joke, the Gibeonites were able to make a fool of God’s chosen people, because the Israelites failed to seek God before accepting the Gibeonites’ story as truth.  

Had Joshua, the leader of Israel at that time, obeyed God’s law by consulting God first, things would have been different. Numbers 27:21 clearly states, “When direction from the LORD is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urim—one of the sacred lots cast before the LORD—to determine his will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do.”

According to Exodus 28:30, the Urim and Thummim were in the breastplates of priestly garments. The priests were the ones who sought God on behalf of His people. Had Joshua simply taken a moment to commune with the Lord through the priests, God would have spoken and revealed the true identities of the ones seeking refuge.

Seeking God for answers was critical in the Old Testament, and the same is true today. Prayer is your built-in lie detector. When you pray and wait for God to answer, God will expose the enemy and his lies.

The subtle lies of Satan are: you won’t make it; you’re destined to repeat the mistakes and failures of your past; you aren’t enough; you can’t live holy; God didn’t really make you that promise; your faith is not working; you will fail; you may as well give up; you will always be in lack; you will never be healed; you will be stuck where you are forever.

And the list goes on.

What lies has Satan been telling you? What things has he said that have discouraged you? What deceptive seeds has he tried to implant into your heart to gain access to the places that should be off limits to him? For somebody reading, the enemy has been lying to you and worrying you and making you anxious. He’s been discouraging you and making you feel like God’s good plan for your life won’t unfold. But you have been praying and seeking God’s face, and today’s devotion is God’s response to you. He’s exposing the devil for the liar that he is and assuring you that every promise of God will come to pass!

To avoid buying into Satan’s lies, continue seeking God in prayer daily, and wait for Him to answer you. Delay does not mean denial. In the meantime, submit your thought life to the Lord. Ask Him to help you reject everything that does not align with His word. The more you seek Him, the more you will see through the devil’s schemes to pull you off track.

Friend, Satan is a deceiver, and the truth is not in him. When he lies, he speaks his native tongue (John 8:44). The truth is found in the word of God which calls you more than a conqueror, blessed, favored and anointed. Today, make a decision to seek God even more, and trust His word above all else. When you do that, Satan will be exposed and neutralized, and God will have His way in your life.

Today, I’m stirring Proverbs 3:6 NLT into your cup of inspiration, which says, “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

As you drink down the contents of your cup, make a fresh commitment to be extra diligent about inviting God into all your decisions. When you do that, you can’t help but succeed in the things He has called you to, and you will undoubtedly lead an abundantly blessed life.

Now, let’s pray.

God, thank You for reminding me that consulting You leads to blessings, favor and safety. In times when I am faced with tough challenges and decisions, please help me remember to seek You first, because then and only then can You can lead me down the path of breakthrough, victory and destiny. In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.

As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!