He was charismatic, bold in his speeches, and was capable of casting vision like nobody's business. He was also the devil in sheep's clothing. Like the snake in the Garden of Eden, he fed people delicious apples at a time when they were hungry following Germany's economic and social collapse following World War I. With every apple, the lies got bigger, and with every bite the deception grew deeper, until the German people were willing to either participate in, or turn a blind eye to the murder of 11 million people.
Laying down some big lies like assuring everyone that the "relocation" of the Jewish people was for their safety, and so many little lies that the majority of the German population, who were not Nazi's, became numb to the atrocities around them. The entire world paid the price.
Winston Churchill was not deceived and knew evil when he saw it. A lone voice at times, screaming truth from the mountaintops until he got the support he needed to stand up to the lies and stomp the snake with his heel.
"Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted. These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths. They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil. Their actions are crooked, and their ways are wrong." (Proverbs 2:12-15)
Hitler's lies and deceiving propaganda led to the murder of millions and sparked the death of millions more as the world shredded itself in World War II.
There are deceivers all around you. People who can be so charismatic and convincing that they actually begin to believe their own words, dragging the minds and hearts of others away from the truth. Typically, these snakes aren't strangers, but people close to us that we are inclined to trust. That is how it works: draw you close, feed you an apple when you are hungry, cast a vision, and then set the hook.
Every lure has a hook, especially in the hands of men with twisted words.
That is where wisdom and courage come in. Wisdom to filter out the impurities and leave you something worth drinking. Wisdom that comes from testing what you hear through trusted counsel and God's word, BEFORE you believe it. And the courage to stand up and take action. To say, not today, satan, even if you seem to be the only one in the room saying it. This is where we need to be like Churchill and stand for the truth.
In a twist only God could engineer, it was the lies of the religious leaders that led to the murder of Jesus and with it, nailed sin and deception to the cross, erasing its power over anyone who chooses to believe it. That is wisdom and courage wrapped up together.
Be careful who you take an apple from. There are plenty of snakes out there posing as friends. Their fruit may look shiny, but ...
