It will come as no surprise to all of you that I believe one of Satan's principle actions in this world is to deceive. He began with himself in Heaven and continued this work on Earth starting in the Garden with Adam and Eve and continuing to our present day. From the example of the Garden we see some of Satan's deceiving methods. First, in Genesis 3:1 Satan questions God's Word. In verse 4 Satan blatantly calls God a liar. Now, most Christians have no problem recognizing Satan when he is working like this. If Satan tempts you by saying God has changed His mind on the whole adultery thing, most of us have grown enough spiritually to tell Satan where he can go. We also understand
that Satan deceives non-believers into thinking they have lots of time to get saved. He tells them lies like: "people will give you a hard time", "you'll have to give up too much", or "Christianity doesn't have the answers you've been searching for". Let's face it, we understand Satan's game plan pretty well. Or do we?

I believe that most churches today are being deceived into thinking they are doing the will of God when in fact Satan couldn't be more pleased at their lack of progress. What do I base this on? Ask yourself this question. When was the last time the very real presence of God showed up in a service that you were attending? To answer that question I believe you have to know what that presence is supposed to be like. Exodus 40:33-35 gives us a great example. After Moses had done exactly what God had asked him to do it says, "the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle". The results were that even Moses could not enter the tabernacle because God's glory was so real in that place. The whole nation gathered to the Tabernacle and worshipped the God that had taken up residence there.

Because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, the very Spirit of God now can take up residence in the very being of every Christian. On Sunday we bring together these temples filled with the very real Spirit of God and what happens? Is the presence of God so thick that people come from all over our communities to experience God's Glory? Probably not. The key to the Exodus 40 passage is Moses did everything God had commanded him to and then His Glory came. You might ask, "So what specifically am I supposed to do so I start seeing the real Glory of God in my church?" How am I supposed to know? Only God knows the specifics for your situation. Why don't you ask Him? Seriously, the principle thing that all of us need to be praying for is how we can daily obey the will of God. I was taught how to do good pastorly things to be a good pastor. As long as I continue to try to do good things to be a good pastor I keep Satan happy. We have to make the shift from being a good pastor to being God's pastor or a shift from being a good Christian to being God's Christian. All the good that I do in my own knowledge and strength will leave me tired and frustrated because God may not be in it. All the good I do because I've spent the time with God to find out what He wanted of me will leave me fulfilled and useful in the eyes of God.

I close in a Jeff Foxworthyesque like conclusion. If you are satisfied with what you have experienced of God's presence in your church then you might be deceived. If you believe your church must be following God's will because a half dozen people got saved last year then you may be deceived. If you think your education and experience is what you have to lean on to lead in your church then you are deceived. Satan has been deceiving us into being satisfied with what we have while God is begging us to cry out to Him for more. Pray that God's glory shakes your church from its foundation so people can come face to face with a real God that not only meets needs, heals bodies and hearts but completely changes lives. Stop being deceived!