So, I got a computer virus this morning... or so I thought. I logged in to myspace.com and was instantly given a box that said "There's a big chance your computer might be infected..." I was skeptical, as most credible antivirus programs don't say things like "big chance", so I closed it and was taken to another screen that looked an awful lot like the real thing. It was a virus scan page that said I had 362 Trojan viruses in my C drive and another 63 in my D drive. It had dates and the option to remove them... and I FREAKED OUT!! I called Keith but he didn't answer. After wondering what to do, I finally got my head on straight and decided to look into this a bit closer. Then I noticed a few things:
*There were misspellings throughout the page
*The page ran rampant with bad grammar (kinda like my blog, haha!)
*There was a notification at the bottom telling me I didn't have antivirus software- and that I should "download now" from their site... but I do have antivirus software- hmmm.
*The icons they used looked just a bit off- close, but no cigar.
*Some of the dates used were from almost 2 yrs ago, but we've scanned and cleaned our computer several times since then.
So I tried to look at the page the way I knew Keith would, and then did what I knew he would do: I ran our antivirus software. Yep, the whole "big chance" of infection was just a scam to get me to click on some buttons and download their worms.
As I was running the scan, I thought, "OOOh- that's JUST how the devil does it, too! So sneaky, so sneaky." When the devil is tempting me it is very rarely a "hey, do this bad thing and you'll have fun" prompt. It's usually something so sneaky that I don't even realize it's a lie. For instance, how many times have I been plagued with fear, thinking it was God warning me about something terrible that was about to happen? The Bible says "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1John 4:18). God doesn't send fear and terrifying thoughts of my family careening off a bridge into the Arkansas River into my head. The enemy does that.
But so often it's in such a sneaky way. Sometimes I even think, "This is the right thing to do" and it FEELS so right... but it's not. Or sometimes (like this morning) I'm so shocked about the whole thing that I lose my wits and can't discern fact from fiction. Sometimes I just need to take a step back and look at things through God's eyes. That's why I have to be on my guard. That's why I have to be in the Word (God help me, because some days I'm SO LAZY!) That's why I have to train myself to know the difference between what is real and what is a counterfeit truth crafted by Satan to trick me into sin.
I've heard before that FBI agents who deal with counterfeit money don't study the counterfeits. They only study the real thing. They know every inch of a dollar bill and can tell simply by holding it if it's a fake. That's how I want to be about God's truth. I want to be so familiar with God and His Word that I can tell instantly if a thought, a situation, a prompt, etc. is from God or not.
May God give us all a revelation of His truth today, and may we pass that on to our children! I leave you with some of God's truth:
"When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared." ~Proverbs 3:24-26
"like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear." ~ 1Peter 3:6
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." ~1Peter 5:8
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 8:37-39
