Over the years I have been called gullible. My husband, family and close friends have had a good laugh from time to time witnessing episodes of me being gullible. This word may sound cute or adorable to some, but honestly the word gullible is not a good word, especially not in the times we live in today. Gullible means to be easily deceived, over-trusting or easily taken in. These times are not safe to be gullible. I have determined to pray over this earnestly, asking our heavenly Father to help me not be deceived nor taken in by error.
Memorize Scripture
We are at the very border of the promised land. We are living in a time wherein the events in the world are clearly telling us that things are quickly coming to an end. This article is not intended to tell you exactly when Jesus will come, but it is intended to wake us up and put us on our knees, praying earnestly that we will not be gullible. The first thing that came to me recently during my reading and prayer time was that I needed to memorize scripture. So, I decided to be purposeful about memorizing scripture. Why? Because the word of God is powerful and full of truth. It is fully inspired by the Spirit of God.
I need to have this truth ready in my mind. When the evil one plants a thought in my mind that is a lie, I will have scripture ready to use as a weapon. The Holy Spirit helps us by bringing the word back to our memory when it is needed to comfort, guide, protect, or in this case KEEP us in truth. Do you believe the bible is true? Our “God is not a man, that He would lie” (Numbers 23:19 NASB). I believe that scripture is the ultimate truth, and I want to keep this truth in the front of my mind. I am working on this by memorizing one new scripture a week, meditating on it and praying for a greater understanding of its meaning. What a beautiful gift the Lord has given us!
Purposeful Prayer Time
I next worked on being purposeful about my prayer time. I am not suggesting being a clock watcher, but I am saying go to your closet with plenty of time to connect with God. I believe this connection in prayer, reading the bible and serving others will help keep us emptied of self and Jesus living in us. I want to be emptied of self. Self is another way to be deceived. Self (the heart) is wicked and “deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV). Jesus must do this for us. We cannot do this ourselves. It is a process of submitting our will in exchange for His will. It is a full submission of our lives — time, money, desires, thoughts, ambitions, attitudes — to His will.
I would like to say that I am ready. Peter thought he was ready to follow Jesus to prison or even death, but he failed. He did not know his weaknesses. He did not know how much he cared about what other people thought of him. What will I do when a group of people, maybe everyone around me, believes that the natural disasters are because I do not worship on Sunday like everyone else? What will I do when the allies of the evil one perform false miracles and display their power to prove they are right (2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:11-14)? Angels will be appearing to them, also performing miracles on their behalf, giving them what appears to be direct messages from God. Do I have what it takes to stand alone on the word of God no matter who likes me or approves of me? This is a difficult question to ask yourself. I want people to like me, most people want to receive approval from others. We are conditioned to want to fit in and belong to the group.
I am working on this, friend. I have been praying and praying. I ask the Lord to strengthen my faith in the word. I want to be standing on the promises in the bible. I want to be ready for my lion’s den experience, my fiery furnace. I do not have this ability or strength in me. Not by power, nor by strength “but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6 ESV). I am submitting self to the work Jesus is doing in me and through me. I am trusting in the One who can save me. I am trusting in the promises written in the Word.
We are promised that Jesus will come again. We are promised that holy angels will protect us. We are promised that if everyone else around us leaves, Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We are promised to be guided in the truth by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). We are promised that those who come to Him will in “no wise be cast out” (John 6:37 KJV). Jesus will return for His faithful ones. Will you be ready? Will you be faithful?
Call to Action
Let us pray to the Lord to help us not be gullible and fall easily for the deceits that are coming. Let us pray to be awake, praying earnestly, serving the Lord and being filled with His spirit. Friends, let us cultivate readiness. What are you doing to be ready?
