Sermon Central
-
Beware Of Spiritual Malware
Contributed by Thilini Perera on Jan 17, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: WORD OF GOD CONSTANTLY WARNS US TO BE ON OUR GUARD AGAINST THE MALICIOUS INTRUDER WHO COMES TO US IN VARIOUS DISGUISES TO STEAL, KILL AND DESTROY OUR LIVES, FAMILIES, CHURCHES BY INSTALLING MALWARE IN OUR HEARTS.
MALWARE IS MALICIOUS SOFTWARE DESIGNED TO STEAL, DAMAGE & DESTROY INFORMATION AND IT POSES A GREAT THREAT TO INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS OF OUR DAY. MALWARE IS EXPERTLY CRAFTED & CAMOPHLAGED FOR HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT UNDETECTED FOR LONGER PERIODS. ORGANIZATIONS, BANKS, COMPANIES CONSTANTLY TRAIN AND RAISE AWARENESS OF THEIR EMPLOYEES FOR SAFE GUARDING AND TIGHTENING INFORMATION SECURITY. BUT TODAY THE FOCUS OF THIS ARTICLE IS NOT, MALICIOUS SOFTWARE (MALWARE) BUT RATHER ON “SPIRITUAL MALWARE.”
WORD OF GOD CONSTANTLY WARNS US TO BE ON OUR GUARD AGAINST THE MALICIOUS INTRUDER WHO COMES TO US IN VARIOUS DISGUISES TO STEAL, KILL AND DESTROY OUR LIVES, FAMILIES, CHURCHES BY INSTALLING MALWARE IN OUR HEARTS. THIS SCHEME OF DECEPTION RUNS THROUGHOUT THE STORY OF THE BIBLE, ALL THE WAY FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION. AGE TO AGE TRUE SERVANTS OF GOD DISCERNED AND COSTANTLY PREACHED, TAUGHT , WROTE AND WARNED PEOPLE OF GOD OF SUCH DECEPTION. LET’S DIVE IN.
01. PAUL FIGHTS REDIRECTION MALWARE
Paul warns Timothy of a particular time when multitudes of people make a choice (out of their free will) to abandon the Truth and passionately chase Myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 says,
“For THE TIME will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine (Biblical teachings). Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the TRUTH and turn aside to MYTHS.”
Let’s dig into the Scripture and find out the meaning of the words TRUTH and MYTH. The Greek meanings of the words are as below.
MYTH
3454 MÝTHOS – A FALSE ACCOUNT, POSING TO BE THE TRUTH; A FABRICATION WHICH REPLACES WHAT IS ACTUALLY TRUE.
TRUTH
225 AL?THEIA – IN ANCIENT GREEK CULTURE, (AL?THEIA) WAS SYNONYMOUS FOR “REALITY” AS THE OPPOSITE OF ILLUSION, I.E. FACT.
As you can see the danger of MYTH (A false account, a fabricated story) is that it disguises itself as the TRUTH and pose as the TRUTH. MYTH is a malicious redirect masterfully designed and installed by the enemy to divert people away from the TRUTH. WHY IS THE ENEMY SO COMMITTED FROM THE BEGINNING TO DRIVE PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE TRUTH BY INSTALLING MYTHS? How do we fight these malicious redirects, Myths? InfoSec world provides us with a good solution, that is “TO VIEW THE SOURCE.”
Let’s go to the SOURCE, scripture and try to understand the concreate meaning of TRUTH from a Hebraic perspective to understand it’s significance and implications, so that ultimately we will be able to discern TRUTH from MYTHs.
THE TRUTH | THE WHOLE TRUTH | NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
FIRST PICTURE OF TRUTH | EMET | ?????
TRUTH, EMET contains the first, middle and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet indicating that truth involves all things from beginning to the end. Truth is knowing the whole story from the beginning to the end, if we consider only a part of a story we end up giving a wrong judgement.
TRUTH IS THE WHOLE STORY
THE ENEMY IS DEDICATED TO HIDE THE WHOLE STORY OF THE BIBLE FROM THE PEOPLE OF GOD, BY DIVERTING OUR ATTENTION TO FEW CATCHY VERSES, IDEAS AND CHARACTERS FROM THE BIBLE. WHEN WE BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END, WE BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE THE TRUTH AND NO MYTH OR FALSE TEACHINGS CAN PENETRATE US ANYMORE.
2ND PICTURE OF TRUTH | EMET | ?????
????? | EMET – TRUTH
? STANDS FOR GOD
??? | MET – DEATH
Every Hebrew word has a pictographic meaning. In these letters that make up TRUTH the first letter aleph (?) stands for God. When we dissect the truth and remove God from the truth, we end up with another word MET (???) that means DEATH. When we try to remove God from the picture we end up with death.
TRUTH MINUS GOD EQUALS TO DEATH
THE ENEMY IS DEDICATED TO REMOVE GOD FROM THE PICTURE SO THAT WE END UP WITH DEATH. ISN’T THIS WHAT HAPPENED WHEN ADAM & EVE DECIDED TO RULE THE WORLD IN THEIR OWN TERMS REMOVING GOD FROM THE PICTURE? THE RESULT WAS AND IS DEATH.
3RD PICTURE OF TRUTH | EMET | ?????
It is also an image of strong arms, probably the arms of a father supporting the helpless infant. So truth is not some Psychological or philosophical exercise or idea, but it is a firm relationship with the person of TRUTH. The truth is the relationship that upholds us, that sustains us. Truth is what sustains and uphold the whole creation.
TRUTH IS A RELATIONSHIP
THE WHOLE UNIVERSE AND HUMANITY MALFUNCTIONS WITHOUT THE TRUTH. THERE’S NO EXISTANCE FOR THE MAN KIND SEPARATED FROM THE PERSON OF TRUTH, THAT IS JESUS CHRIST.
