BECOMING SUSCEPTIBLE TO DECEPTION

"Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, 'This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.' They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.'" Acts 8:9-11

Who or what was Simon? Some Bible scholars think he was simply a stage magician specializing in sleight of hand and illusions. Others think he called on powers from Satan. Regardless, he had certainly become popular with the people, so much so that the "all the people" ascribed "divine power" to him.

Have you ever been around someone who always tells you how wonderful they are? Simon was like that, "He boasted that he was someone great." We human beings were created with a God-sized hole in us -- the inner knowledge that there is a power (a creator) greater than ourselves. It's one of the reasons we are so susceptible to deception. Simon used this "hole" to deceive "all the people both high and low" -- so not just the desperate or the poor, and not the rich or foolish, but all of the people.

Our Scripture tells us, "They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic." We are like this as well. We look for someone who tells us they have all the answers; someone who appears to have "divine" power or appointment because they can do something uncommon. These people show up in our lives bragging and boasting about their secret knowledge and ability, and if we are not careful we can fall under their spell.

Scripture tells us there is but one man to follow and that is Jesus (Col 1:15-20 clearly defines the "supremacy of Christ"). The Bible warns us repeatedly against deception: false teaching, signs, doctrines and the like. We need to be constantly on guard against worshipping talent (athletes, film and music stars, etc.), rather than the source of that talent -- God. Is there any area of your life in which you find yourself led by someone (based on their talent, charisma, or ability) that might make you susceptible to doing something that is inconsistent with the will of God? Have you ever found yourself under someone's spell? What does it take or would it take to break free of such a person?

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