Proverbs 13:7 One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
There are people pretending to be something they are not in order to steal what is not theirs. Prov. 13:7a One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing. This is a problem that military veterans have come across as they are catching people who have never served in the military pretending to be soldiers.
These people dress in full uniform, pretending and scamming for the benefits allowed to veterans, or stealing the admiration and respect due to those who have truly served their country. To me, this is low when it comes to scamming. It runs alongside of ripping off the elderly.
Interestingly, Satan has been doing the same thing and deceiving many into thinking he is worthy of the people’s admiration and respect. He is always trying to steal God’s glory and followers. The devil scams through deception, saying he has some good things that will fulfill our lives. Satan has been scamming throughout history, pretending to be an angel of light. 2 Cor. 11:14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
Is it any wonder people are doing the same thing? They are acting out, just like the one who had been influencing them; the devil. Jesus said the devil is a destroyer and a liar. The Lord says the devil has always been that way from the beginning. John 8:44 You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars.
Is it any wonder people are doing the same thing? They are acting out, just like the one who had been influencing them; the devil. Jesus said the devil is a destroyer and a liar. The Lord says the devil has always been that way from the beginning. John 8:44 You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars.
There is also disappointment when we find out athletes have been stripped of their medals because they pretended to be competing on an even level. We often find out they are chemically enhanced to perform beyond their ability. They accept the glory and medal in a ceremony of valor, only to be stripped of the medal of distinction later on when they are found out, through tests, that they were cheating. The acid test of life showed the world they did not have any valor in their character.
It is interesting that the apostle Paul compares us to who we are in Christ as soldiers in the Lord’s army. We have been recruited by Jesus Christ into the kingdom of God and our attention should be on the affairs of the kingdom. 2 Tim. 2:4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the recruiter. Our valor is found at the cross of Jesus Christ and in His blood only. 2 Tim. 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
We do not have to seek or take the valor of any other soldier in the body of Christ because we have all been given our assignments in the Lord. Some are chosen to do great things and others are chosen to hold down the fort, so to speak, but nonetheless we are all chosen in Christ. 2 Tim. 2:20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.
We have been posted here on earth, in the body of Christ, to be a hand extended in welcoming those who will become believers in Christ. We are the body and no one is without use or influence. 1 Cor 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.
We do not have to pretend to be Christians; we just have to be one who loves and obeys the Lord. God will call out our valor, as He did with Gideon. Judges 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. Gideon did not feel so great a person, but God saw the potential in him as He saw it in you when He saved you. Don’t let the enemy of our soul steal our God-given valor that was paid for in full by Jesus on the cross. Be valiant men and women of God. Amen.
We do not have to seek or take the valor of any other soldier in the body of Christ because we have all been given our assignments in the Lord. Some are chosen to do great things and others are chosen to hold down the fort, so to speak, but nonetheless we are all chosen in Christ. 2 Tim. 2:20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use.
We have been posted here on earth, in the body of Christ, to be a hand extended in welcoming those who will become believers in Christ. We are the body and no one is without use or influence. 1 Cor 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.
We do not have to pretend to be Christians; we just have to be one who loves and obeys the Lord. God will call out our valor, as He did with Gideon. Judges 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. Gideon did not feel so great a person, but God saw the potential in him as He saw it in you when He saved you. Don’t let the enemy of our soul steal our God-given valor that was paid for in full by Jesus on the cross. Be valiant men and women of God. Amen.
Thanks for your wise words…