lies

Breaking News!

/ Mark Brady / 1 Comment
Image generated via AI.

I have started seeing fantastic news on Facebook lately. It usually starts with, “BREAKING NEWS from Branson, MO.” This gets my attention. Sometimes, my heart will even start racing. The first one I read talked about a couple living in a remote attic space above the local Walmart. The article went on to explain how they survived there for two years without being detected. It shared how they obtained their food and other necessary supplies. They were finally caught by an HVAC technician who entered the space to work on one of the air units. I believed it.

Now, though, I’m beginning to not believe any of the articles that start like that, because the last one I saw said that McDonald’s is now offering funeral services. “McFuneral’s.”

Sadly, in today’s world, you can’t believe everything you hear, read, or see. With the invention of A.I., just about any image can be created and made to look real. In the old days, newspapers verified their stories to protect their reputation. They wanted people to know that what they printed could be trusted.

The Bible warns us in Matthew 24:23 that some will say, “Here is the Messiah!” or, “There he is!” That we are not to believe and chase after such rumors. Worse, some may be yelling with excitement in their voice, that the Bible says this or that, like “BREAKING NEWS!” You might hear this and have your heart start racing.

So how do we discern the truth? Easy. By knowing the truth for ourselves! It is critical, more now than ever, to know what the word of God says. In the past, some churches proclaimed that the Bible was too difficult to understand, so leave it to those who have been trained. But with the modern language translations we have available, even free, there is no excuse.

Someone, perhaps even a friend, may proclaim, “The word of God says this.” Your brain can work fast, and you can say, “No, actually, it doesn’t.” If you didn’t know for yourself, you could easily be misled. That is one of the main reasons I show the scriptures in these posts, or at least give the reference.

Be wise. Be cautious and be suspicious of anyone who tries to tell you what the Bible says. I used to have a friend who, when we talked, always challenged me to list my sources when I mentioned something. It was a little obnoxious, but in reality, wise. He wanted to know if he could trust what I said.

Be careful, friends. Study God’s word and show thyself approved. 2 Timothy 2:15.

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

The Greatest Con Artist

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment
Image by Leandro De Carvalho from Pixabay

con art·ist
noun
a person who cheats or tricks others by persuading them to believe something that is not true

I have been conned more than once in my lifetime. Afterward, when I realized it, I felt so stupid for being so gullible. The problem is I want to think the best of people. I also thought that no one who cared about me would take advantage of me.

I once heard that the more details the person gives you, the bigger the lie. There was one person who would tell me a story, and I purposely wouldn’t respond. It’s like they got nervous and would begin to add details to their lie. I don’t think they ever figured out how I always seemed to know when they were lying to me.

But a con artist is a little different. It’s as if they have practiced their craft until they have perfected it. Like they have learned what words work and which ones don’t. They also seem to paint in some sad portions so that you will feel sorry for them. Another trick of a good con artist is they will insert a time element into what they are asking you for. Like, “I have to have the money tomorrow, or I could be arrested under false pretenses!”

No matter how sophisticated their work is, it is still based on a lie or a series of lies. I think some con artists get so good they begin to believe their cons are true. The greatest con artist is Satan, and yes, I think he believes what he says is true. He will tell you anything to get you to do wrong, sin. He will even tell you partial truths if it serves him. He hopes that his lie will keep you from God or pull you away from God. He likes to use guilt, too.

Genesis 3: 1-6 (NIV)

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

If something someone or the devil says to you doesn’t sound or feel right, then it probably isn’t. If you walk away and say, “I need more time to think about it or to check it out, it will most likely frustrate the con artist! They might even get mad. I mean, what if Eve had said to Satan, “Well, the next time God is talking to us in the cool of the day, I will ask him about what you have said.”? If she had done that, perhaps we would all still be living in a garden the way God first intended.

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady  All Rights Reserved

You Could be a Winner!

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment
Photo by: Engin Akyurt

$100.00 to the first 50 people that “like” and “comment” on this post to show my appreciation to my readers!*

Do I have your attention? Did you think, even for a moment, this could be an easy way to get $100? Scams are everywhere lately. Most of the ones I get come as text messages requiring me to click on a link and render my payment method to fix my account. I got one this past week that said my October payment for a subscription couldn’t be processed. My heart leaped for a moment, and I almost clicked on the link.

Many scams are written with fear built-in or hope to hit it rich without working hard for it. They remind me of how satan talks to us. He will tell us perhaps a half-truth but not the whole truth. He will dangle something we desperately want in front of us and make it seem so easy to obtain. Like he said to Eve in the Garden of Eden, Then he lied to her by saying, “You will not surely die.” (Gen. 3:4) He even tried to tempt Jesus.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Mat. 4:1-11 (NIV)

The devil tried three separate times and ways to get Jesus to stumble. Some say he tempted him in the big three: the pride of life, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes. It’s important to note how Jesus overcame satan;

  1. Jesus knew the word of God.
  2. Jesus did not respond with his knowledge and reasoning but quoted scripture. Doing so is so powerful!
  3. Jesus resisted the devil, and he fled. (James 4:7)

Whether it’s a scam or the devil’s temptation, do not act out of fear or as a quick way to alleviate a desperate desire or need. Think about it, and check to see if it aligns with God’s word. That will require you to know what is written in the Bible, which will require you to read it. Remember this:

If it’s too good to be true, it usually is!

The tester wants you to pass. The tempter wants you to fail!

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 (MEV)

*(This was only an example of this post meant to get your attention, and no money will actually be paid out. Sorry, but I do appreciate everyone who reads this post.)

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.