Have you ever been fooled?
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Instead of a real diamond, perhaps you’re seeing a cubic zirconia stone.
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Instead of a real hamburger, perhaps you’ve been served a veggie burger.
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Instead of a real friend, perhaps you’ve just made a passing acquaintance.
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While Kelly was preparing to grill tonight, Joshlyn and I were visiting him and sitting in his “man cave.” Kelly has a cigar store Indian that we call “Chief” and he stands beside the television, straight as an arrow, guarding the man cave. Joshlyn sat in Kelly’s lap, just being her normal, happy self.
Joshlyn – Her Normal, Happy Self
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She waved her right hand…at Chief. When Chief didn’t return the gesture, she raised both hands and waved at him. She even said, “Hey!” Still Chief did not respond. Finally, in a last-ditch effort to get his attention, she stretched out her arms to Chief, doing the little hand movements that mean, “I want you to pick me up.”
Kelly, Chief, and our friend Mary Beth Bedsole
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We all know that Chief didn’t respond to Joshlyn and that he’s never going to respond to her, but Joshlyn hasn’t learned the difference between what’s 100% real and what’s 100% fake quite yet. She was fooled.
Have you ever been fooled by the world?
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Psalm 53:1-2 (NIV)
At www.wiki.answers.com, it’s estimated that the word “fool” is used about sixty-six times in the KJV of the Bible. The reason there are so many references to fools and foolishness is because it’s an easy trap for us. The prince of this world delights in making us his fools. He eats it up when society questions God’s existence. Corruptness and vileness are the devil’s tools in making fools of us in this world. As Christians, it’s our job to leave the foolishness of the world behind. It’s hard because the devil uses enticing elements to deceive us and make us believe things that are simply not true.
One day, when Joshlyn is older, she will understand that Chief is just a statue and that he can never interact with her, no matter how many times she holds our her arms to him. But there will be many other ways that she may be fooled. I am praying that what Kelly and I, as her grandfather and grandmother, teach her about the one, true God — who is not made by human hands, but Who is omnipotent and omnipresent and omniscient, will help her defeat the devil’s entrapments.
100% Fake
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Personally, the most foolish thing the devil’s ever made me believe is that I can do it all on my own because I know what’s best for me. It took me forty years, off and on, to leave that foolish notion behind and FROG (Fully Rely On God). Today, I’ve chosen “You Are God Alone” because it speaks to all the reasons we have to fully rely on our Heavenly Father so that we are less likely to be fooled.
When have you been “fooled?” Please share some bit of foolishness with which the devil’s reeled you in hook, line, and sinker. And don’t worry — whatever it is, you aren’t alone. We’ve all been there.
“You Are God Alone” (Phillips, Craig, and Dean)
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Loved by the King 