Satan and this world have mastered counterfeits of everything God has designed. This is the very reason Jesus warned us that these last days will be marked with deception. It’s not enough to know right from wrong, but we must be able to discern right from almost right.
Jesus tells us to “Share our sins one with another that we may pray for one another and be healed” (James 5:16). But Evil has twisted this teaching into gossiping about one another’s problems and calling it “Godly conversation” because they claim that “Now that they know, they can pray for that person.” Gossip is a counterfeit intimacy and God sees through it.
Jesus teaches us to “Not be friends with the world” (James 4:4), as He knows that “Bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). But the Evil one has convinced churches to fashion their churches after worldly gatherings in order to draw larger crowds. Some street evangelists now claim if you drink at the bar with the lost you can reach them easier, as they can relate to you. And the young lady who claims her boyfriend showed her the “love of Jesus” by letting her live with him is deceived. We have been conned into thinking that being a friend to the sinner is the same as participating in their sin, it’s not. We need to show them a New Way. This counterfeit intimacy is evil as sin is never dealt with.
Jesus told us to “Repent of our sins and to go and sin no more.” But modern Christianity is teaching that God loves you so much He looks past your sin to your heart. The sin doesn’t matter - you do. This is contrary to the Word of God. We can’t come to God and still keep our sin as it will destroy us. “The wages of sin is still death” (Romans 6:23), even if we convince ourselves otherwise.
May we hunger for the things of God with such pure hearts that we refuse compromise, counterfeits and open deceptions. This is what is meant by the need for us to “Deny ourselves” and “Take up our cross daily and follow Him.” It’s entirely on His terms. No counterfeit intimacy will satisfy. May we honor Him and live in His ways.
(Devotional by Cheryl Hall-Laos)
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