Disguised as an angel
Have you ever had the misfortune of running into someone who was not at all what they seemed to be at first? Initially, they came across as virtuous but it soon dawned on you that the individual displayed serpentine traits, often while others were unable to see through the façade. What does one do if such a situation arises? What has it to do with balance, boundaries and discernment and why is deceitfulness so dangerous? Well, Danielle’s predicament can provide some insight.
Feelings of uneasiness
Danielle watched as Grayson exited his car, cutting a dashing figure as he swaggered towards the office, coffee in hand. As a new partner at their firm, she had much respect for his legendary achievements and renowned gumption, but she just could not shrug off her uneasiness around him: something deep inside warned her not to trust him.
She watched as he entered the building. She had walked in with him the day before and seen how he sauntered past colleagues exuding that quiet confidence that other men envied and others seemed keen to emulate. He was a huge hit with the other partners at the firm, in fact, he seemed to have won much admiration – in their eyes, he was the firm’s saving grace.
Industry colleagues considered him brilliant and he possessed a self-assuredness that grated on some, but few would deny his ability to find and bedazzle clients of high stature and status. He knew how to make money and had a mini-army of experts at his disposal to do just that. That day as usual, he was immaculately dressed, his suit jacket fitting him perfectly highlighting his muscular physique. Female colleagues experienced him as stand-offish but she understood when more than one seemed to swoon as he strolled by, the scent of musk diffusing the air.
Heard it through the grapevine
Danielle had heard rumblings through the grapevine: she was a skilled networker and well connected in the industry, and had been warned not to trust him – underscoring what she had already suspected from the time she had met him. Rumour on the street was that he had left a trail of distressed and disgruntled colleagues in his wake at the last firm he worked at, although, nobody would say anything about him publically. People seemed to fear him and all she could get from them was that his work spoke volumes.
Danielle had put in the hard yards to get to where she was, had really invested in gaining knowledge and was highly respected in the field. One day, in a bit of bind on a difficult case, she had genuinely sought Grayson’s opinion and hoped to have a really robust discussion expecting well-thought-out rebuttals and sound arguments, so she was truly vexed when instead she was met with a barrage of ad hominem insults. Something about him just did not sit well with her and now she ended up doubting his credentials too. Normally good at reading people, Danielle hit a blank with Grayson – his manner was extremely contrived and controlled: cold sometimes. Few knew exactly what made him tick. What was clear was that something about him just wasn’t kosher.
Danielle kept her dealings with him to a bare minimum, which was so unlike her. Her usual forthright, kind and honest self abhorred evading anyone – so that upset her a bit. She worked hard at being the best Christian she could be – avoiding people and not facing fear was not something she aspired to at all. But she felt she had no choice in the matter; she deemed it necessary for peace of mind.
A silver lining
She had learnt to get comfortable with sharing her emotions, yet, her guard would always go up when she was around him. But there was a silver lining, she was blessed to have a fellow believer at the office and they often got together to pray. Abigail was Grayson personal assistant, and would jokingly tell others in the office he was the devil incarnate. People used to roll their eyes and laugh out loud in the beginning, but with time, she was given understanding gestures.
She had heard that he had developed the reputation of being as hard as nails at the negotiating table, great for the firm but as for his team, their reward for painstaking work seemed to be denigration. Danielle had heard a now former employee mention that he was ruthless, rude and one prone to inserting hurtful comments into conversation specifically aimed at reducing one to tears or to cutting people down to size. Only Grayson was allowed to shine.
Unhappy Abby
Not one to get down easily, Abigail’s infectious laugh and heart for people had often made people’s day, perfect for the role she occupied. Sunny and not one to complain, the old Abigail was nowhere to be found, instead being replaced by one who was becoming glummer by the day. She had confided in Danielle that she was experiencing Grayson as downright cruel sometimes as he had a propensity to ask her to do things at the last minute and seemed to derive immense enjoyment from delaying her departure from work or insisting she do things that meant missing events with her family or going to church gatherings.
She had already requested a transfer to another department; the only snag was that the money would not be the same. Grayson was aware that Abigail and Danielle prayed together. As Grayson’s tenure progressed, it became clear that Abigail was bearing the brunt of his brusque communication style as many preferred to take a wide berth. She said it wasn’t that he was overtly rude, more that he made stinging remarks, as only a skilled orator could, and hapless victims only realised and felt the sting once he had long-since left the room. Oh, and he lied a lot, did not take responsibility and she was often left to pick up the pieces and find a way to cover for him. This distressed Abigail because her walk with God was being tainted by dishonesty.
Increasingly, people mentioned that they no longer wanted to work with the firm – one instance that really upset Danielle was losing a valued client who had recognised Grayson, calling him Tony actually. He beat a hasty retreat and told her only one thing: “Grayson is a dangerous man”. When she finally struck up enough courage to ask Grayson what he thought, he let out such a devilish laugh, it momentarily shocked her. Then he took the wind out of her sails further when he said the comment reminded him of his brother-in-law who said the same thing about him. He would not be drawn further, but the villainous look in his eyes was pure evil and she let out an involuntary shiver. All of a sudden work, a place that she loved, became abhorrent, while warning bells were going off in her head.
Her uneasiness grew. She had noticed how expertly he controlled his emotions, but had zero about laughing in someone’s face or gossiping about them. He seemed hell-bent on finding out personal information about staff; intent on discovering the sordid or salacious details about their personal lives. She was sure he had something on the IT guy. Always rather happy-go-lucky, Jeremy had retreated into his shell since Grayson had arrived and was now a personal lackey, who often met with Grayson behind closed doors. Abigail had become increasingly suspicious as more security access points were installed at the entrance to Grayson’s office. Nobody seemed to know why and Jeremy seemed to be getting more agitated by the day eventually tendering his resignation but not before confiding that he had worked with Grayson before.
Living in a parallel universe
Nobody else remarked about anything untoward – Abigail and Danielle thought that were operating in a parallel universe. In a way, Danielle would have been able to get through work just fine, she knew how to avoid him – it was already down to an art, no what scared her was that Grayson had also become a new member of the church she and Abigail attended.
She had to grin and bear things at church – somehow the three of them were thrown together in small group too. His wife was delightful when she met her and, oddly, they had clicked, but she seemed distant. Grayson seemed eager to help others and he often volunteered to pray for people. He was immediately esteemed by church leadership and welcomed by ministry staff, although strangely, average-Joe Christians did not seem as eager to hang out.
Abigail and Danielle were both considering attending another church – they literally felt as though a sacred space had been infiltrated. Their peace was being shredded and Abigail sometimes wondered if he got a perverse kick out of knowing it and seeing how far he could push it. The entire time he interacted with them at church, he had an almost sick smile plastered on his face. If you did not know him, you would think that he was the nicest man on the planet. It was how he managed to bamboozle so many around him. His intellect, in some ways, was cunningly superior and he knew how mere mortals reacted and had a plan to counter-attack anything to the contrary, it seemed.
Raising the alarm
Danielle and Abigail, both of sensitive disposition and Danielle especially intuitive, knew that something had to be done. It appeared that most Christians in prominent positions in the church did not see anything untoward either. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing and they knew it. They had tried to tell the leader of their small group, also the worship leader when that did not work out, but both had blown off their concerns.
They understood that feelings, concerns and gut reactions could not be used as evidence – both were hesitant to tell people too much about their jobs due to the confidentiality required – but they thought that the leaders would at least consider the matter and pray about it. Their pleas somehow fell on deaf ears. They ended up feeling like second-rate, emotional females when the church had just gained such a wonderful, esteemed, fantastically wealthy and influential new convert. Who knew …?
The #Bible has so much to tell us about deceptive individuals. As I mentioned, Eve was cunningly tricked by a creature described as crafty and lost her place in the Garden of Eden. If she had known the outcome, I guarantee you she would have fled. 2 Corinthians 11:3 – New International Version – puts it this way:
3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
I need to differentiate from our obvious sinfulness and highlight that some, the servants of #darkness I will call them, know exactly what their agenda is but choose to masquerade as the exact opposite. The Bible has patently issued a clarion call against falsehood, lies and hatred, and all who pervert the #truth of God and have malevolent intentions towards those intent on doing what is right. There are #spiritual forces in opposition to this. Read Jesus’s words about the devil in John 8:44:
44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
The fruit
People who follow the devil also pursue a course of lies, deceit and #falsehood. Not even the church is safe, I am sad to say as Matthew 7:15-16 highlights the characteristics of false prophets.
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles?
Clearly, a disconnect exists between how those in darkness choose to portray themselves versus how they actually behave. The only clue in the end is the fruit that they produce. What do I mean by that? Fruit refers to the outcomes of the choices made, the behaviour, character, etc. If you have someone who habitually lies, the fruit can be alienation from others as trust has been eroded; it could lead to theft and a myriad of other sets of bad behaviour inconsistent with telling the truth. And the devil is known as a liar, he has been telling lies since the beginning as the Bible has revealed and I mentioned earlier. Does that adequately explain why the devil is so scary? Let us read 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 where Paul, the apostle, illuminates Satan’s #deception:
12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
2 Corinthians 11:12-15
The reason the devil is so dangerous is that, upon encountering him and his deceptive falsehoods, we very well could believe that he is good and has our best interests at heart. So convincing is he, he has led a large number astray. Ironically, the greatest deceiver the world has ever known would like you to see him as an #angel of light. Of goodness, as a champion for the truth, everything that seems good when he is anything but.
That is his modus operandi and having perfected his crafty method over the centuries, he knows exactly how to deceive you and me. But we need to heed the warning in the preceding passage, where the great Apostle Paul warns us not to be taken in by people – not to take people at face value. He warns us to look at and make sure that people in effect walk the talk if you will. It is why we should heed the call of the Bible and check everything. The Spirit will never reveal anything contrary to the Word of God.
In John 14:6, Jesus tells us that he is the way, the truth and the life. Satan has already been shown to be the one to trip people up and stop them from walking on the right path, we have ascertained that he is, in fact, a trickster of a liar and his ploy with Eve led straight to spiritual death. He is diametrically opposed to the qualities of the Living God and those specifically attributed to Jesus.
Appeasing and pleasing the people
But why are we so easily fooled by people purporting to be what they are not? What about them makes them so believable? Why are their lies so appealing? This Easter, I was reading the account of the crucifixion of Christ. Time and time again, I was struck by the role of the religious leaders and how #people-pleasing they were. So much was done either to appease or please the people. Everything was done for people to see. Jesus himself had this to say about them: Matthew 23:1-6, aptly titled, A Warning Against Hypocrisy,
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honour at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
In the biblical account of Jesus’ last days, the following is mentioned with regard to the hearts of men plotting to kill Jesus. These were supposed to be God-fearing men who were literally so blood-thirsty, they could not do enough to get Jesus killed. The disconnect between who they portrayed to be and what was actually in their hearts is so stark. I will share Matthew 26:3-4, which further elucidates:
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.
As you can hear, they were scheming. A preacher once said, the Lord has plans, the devil has schemes. Seems highly apt for this scenario. The scheme is to do things in secret – secretly arrest Jesus and have him killed. What kind of God-fearing men try to do things secretly with the death of an innocent person in mind? Then in the same chapter, we read verse 47:
47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
This verse clearly reveals who is responsible for sending a large crowd with swords and clubs. They themselves were not there but it is certainly clear who had initiated this. Holy and revered men of the cloth you may say. In verse 59, they attempt to find false evidence. Clearly not on the side of the truth here either. Let me read it to you:
59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.
Then in chapter 27:1-2:
Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
That phrase early in the morning rang a bell and I would like to refer to Mark 1:35 to describe Jesus’ pursuits at the time of the day. Let us read:
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Diametrically opposed, a dichotomy if there ever was one – Jesus prayed while the chief priests and elders were baying for blood very early in the morning. In a way, this summed things up. As you can see, hearts are exposed. The fruit of what is in the heart and mind is clear for all to see. Later on in the same chapter, it is clear that they have made further decisions in opposition to Jesus. I read:
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
Verses 38-41 conclude the chapter as follows:
37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is Jesus, the king of the Jews. 38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.
Matthew 27:38-41
The woes
Until the very end, these men mocked Jesus. Yet, in Matthew 23, Jesus tells of the woes applicable to them. I have selected just a few of the seven woes in order to highlight their hypocrisy; I read verses 23-28:
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Matthew 23:23-28
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
An innocent man died on account of men who were skilled at skulduggery and trickery. Plumbing the depths of deceitfulness, they managed to ensure that the truth, the way and life was nailed to a cross. These men cared more about how others saw them than what was actually in their own hearts, so deceived and blinded were they to the sinfulness of their own individual hearts. Yes, I can pass scathing judgement on them, but if I must confess, I see myself in them.
I, too, am a people-pleaser constantly being tempted to disown Jesus in some way or other. I may give in to what people think when I should stand up for my faith or share the Gospel with someone who seems to oppose what I have to say. Sometimes, I just feel afraid to answer some questions that people have about the Bible because either I feel out of my depth to answer it, have no clue or know that a conflict will arise. What do I sometimes do? Keep quiet more like it.
Balance, boundaries and discernment converge
That is where boundaries, #balanced approach and discernment all converge. One needs to know the Scriptures to be able to take a stand for the truth. At every turn, the devil is willing and able to fabricate a lie for you to fall for or set a trap for you to walk into. Often, he will use people who seem like they are upstanding and outstanding citizens. The trick is to check the fruit of their lives. Are they honest, loving, caring? Do they love the poor? Do they love God; are they consistently serving in the workplace? It is so easy to look at outward appearance only or worse, see the money and worldly success as a sign to trust what they tell us without any semblance of integrity or faith.
The devil will deceive us with fear – he will make us feel foolish for pursuing the truth. We may gather around us people who find it quite easy to encourage us yet refuse to confront us in where we are going wrong. It may even feel good to us – but in the long run it will actually harm us, this situation where people do not call us higher or find it easy to tolerate sin in our lives. It could lull us into believing that we are fine and we may find ourselves very comfortable in our Christian walk, yet far from the Lord in other ways.
Perhaps you, too, will find yourself compromising on your time boundaries like Abigail did because you are controlled by someone who is cunning and conniving – standing up is near impossible. Perhaps, you will be tempted to just agree and evade like Danielle, again, #boundaries are crossed and something feels off. There is always a price to be paid when the devil gets his way and you find yourself feeling less somehow.
Often, the devil’s wiles are aimed at separating and isolating us from the people we love the most – ask Judas, who betrayed Jesus for some money. The devil had made money seem so wonderful to him. It wasn’t long before he realised it was worthless in the face of all that had transpired. Peter betrayed Jesus three times because it felt unsafe to reveal his identity and the devil made it seem easy for him to lie instead.
Let us not fall for that – let us seek out the heart of the matter and look at the heart of man as first importance. Beware that Satan also comes in the guise of goodness, only God is good as Jesus once said. Do not be fooled, you are dealing with a deadly being who #lies as his native language. Without Jesus’ Words and constantly reading of his Word, we are toast in every sense of the word.
Oh how I see myself. Sadly, God has revealed to me where I am also guilty of not quite calling others higher. Also, why is it so easy to half-confess something, to feel like I obeyed, well sort of? How many times have I been dishonest because it would seem rude to be honest with someone and I preferred to be nice or keep the peace? Or just kept quiet when I should have spoken? How many times have I kicked myself for not taking the requisite action? I have some decisions to make and some Bible verses obey – now is not the time for inertia or inaction.
Next time, we will delve deeper into the contrast of #light and dark in the spiritual realm. The realities of what it means to follow Christ versus the opposite choice and we unpack the characteristics of the leaders of the respective packs. Hopefully, it will encourage me to stand up for the light and help me in this fight to repel darkness. I hope you will find the time to join me for that.
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