The Answer is Yes. It is often both a truth and a trick. Our enemy the devil, loves to take a truth and then twist it so that we fall for it. This is a trick. This becomes a snare for us when we believe the twisted truth and act on it. The very first Truth and trick happened in the Garden of Eden. We are given the story in Gen.3 .. We are all familiar with the story. What we tend to forget is that that same scenario is being played out over and over in our times and in each of our lives.
I will highlight some of these tricks as they have appeared and continue to appear in my life. Satan is the master deceiver. His delight is in deceiving and then permanently enslaving those he has tricked. Deceit has an element of truth in it and scripture is often quoted. However it is not the Whole truth and nothing but the truth. This truth is usually brought through someone or a source we have some confidence in. Sometimes I twist the truth myself in order to justify my actions.
And how does the enslavement happen.? Sometimes it is physical through drugs, addictions, culture, pride, trauma, law, guilt, my relational maturity level, or perhaps I have built my whole life style around the trick …. Satan will pretty much use anything that he knows I am susceptible to and that he can use as a trap for me.
In this trick or truth #6 we examine the common statement and way of living: “I must always look out for #1 or I won’t get anywhere in life.” It is true that scripture tells us that in order to love properly, I need to be able to love myself well. Matt.22:39 However, this statement is a typical infant and child maturity level statement. As an infant I see myself as the center of the universe and everyone swirls around me. But, as I mature I will soon learn that I am not number 1 and the center of my world. Satan loves to keep me thinking that I am #1 because he knows that life will not go well for me if I attempt to live from that perspective. I will even pray from that perspective of life being all about me. Then, he has an inroad for me to loose faith because things aren’t going “my way”.
So, Who is number 1? And what is the proper order? Where do I fit? Well…. I am a created human being. I did not bring myself into this world. My Creator desires to have relationship with me. He will always be number ONE! Especially if I want to have a good life on this planet. My parents brought me into this world and without them taking care of me I would not have survived my infancy. They will always be number Two in my life. I show up as number Three and will share that spot with my siblings. When I marry I share my position in the family line with my spouse and together we take over position number Two in our new family. Our children are number Three.
Here, we might ask if my family position means I have more or less value? Note: Position does not equal value. It does mean authority as long as I have matured. Children do not have authority over their parents. It is tough trying to live with a 40 year old child who should be an adult but, by now, has slipped to number Four. God always has all Authority and is always NUMBER ONE!