By Lamont H. Fuchs, Ed.D.
Scripture references: Psalms 1:1-2, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, Romans 12:2, Matthew 4:1-11, Phillipians 4:8, Romans 8:5-8, Romans 8:39-39
If you had ever ridden with me in my old 2005 pickup, you might have seen my engine light glowing on my dash. It’s been like that for about five years now. It makes my wife nervous, and it used to bug me, too. I’ve tried fixing it and taken it to several mechanics; they all have prescribed fixes. I’ve tried those remedies that only cost a few bucks. A few recommendations would have cost a lot of money, and I’ve not done those. You see, the pickup starts and runs fine with the light on.
There may be a real fix, but it doesn’t matter because I know it’s not a big deal. I figured out I could get by. I ignore the lie; I don’t get excited about it or change my driving habits.
The Intel that the sensor and indicator give me is faulty. False intel in life, if believed, can have costly, if not fatal, results. The idea is that sometimes we make bad decisions based on faulty intel. Many times that intel comes directly from the lies of Satan.
False Swatting has become a significant problem across the US. You can Google what it is and find several incidents at schools, businesses, and private homes. An infamous event happened on Dec 28, 2017, in Wichita, Kansas. A local police officer (sniper) shot Andrew Finch to death after being mistakenly Swatted by an online gamer playing Call of Duty. The unidentified gamer got into an argument with another online gamer and decided to play a prank. He submitted a 911 call and mistakenly gave the wrong address resulting in a SWAT team response. Andrew Finch answered the door and was told to put his hands up. When he unexpectantly dropped one hand to his waist, he was immediately shot by the sniper officer. He was DOA at the hospital.
The original Intel was false, and the result was permanent. Andrew Finch, a father who had young children, was murdered.
In many ways, we all live with false information that pervades our daily lives. Some of it is the news we receive from media of all types. Some of it is gossip we hear from friends or family. As Christians, we should be diligent in keeping ourselves from falling into these lies and deceptions. Our walk should be in Spirit and truth, but it is much more complicated than just saying so.
Consider how many people do terrible things based on false information. Suicide, murder, abortion, divorce, fights, division, you can name several negative results based on people taking action based on false information.
Critical thinking requires us to fight the indicator light. Those lights on your car’s dashboard have been called ‘idiot lights’ by mechanics for years because they know the truth. Indicator lights don’t tell you the whole story. You must dig deeper. You have to see all the angles and not jump to conclusions. You cannot let prejudice or even previous experiences tell you what is right or wrong. You have to weigh the evidence and search for the truth. If you don’t know the difference between true and false, you can’t make a good decision, and you may as well hope for good luck. Do not put your faith into a warning light regardless of how long it burns.
Peter A. Facione, an identified leader in the use of Critical Thinking, said in 2011, “Critical thinking is skeptical without being cynical. It is open-minded without being wishy-washy. It is analytical without being nitpicky. Critical thinking can be decisive without being stubborn, evaluative without being judgmental, and forceful without being opinionated.”
All of this advice about indicators transfer directly to everyday living. Christians, especially, need to be critical thinkers, too. We must know where our truth comes from and never doubt it. Satan is the liar of all liars, and he will invade every thought process you have to skew the truth and give you the false indicator he wants you to react to. Do not accept the lies. The truth is that you are a child of God, and when you know that, you can brush off all those lies above.
The cartoon that shows the devil sitting on one shoulder and an angel sitting on the other shoulder whispering in the ears of the decision-maker comes to mind. Satan can’t control your mind, but he can influence the way you think.
If you are wary that you might be lied to and you begin to accept the lie because the idiot light continues to blink, then it’s time to reintroduce yourself to the only book of how to live on earth by God, the author of life.
That devil sitting on your shoulder screaming in your ear, “Loser, Worthless, Unloved, Hated,” is lying to you. They come from the father of lies, the great accuser and master of false indicators. So shed that junk and believe what God says. Ask Him for help. Use His Word to combat the fiery arrows being shot at you. Read Matthew 4:1-11 and do what Jesus did when Satan tried to sway Jesus into sin.
And never forget that God is on your side. You have become a child of God, and as such, who can be against you if God is for you? The battle has been won; stay on the right side.
