It seems relatively easy (and almost popular these days) for some people to deceive others, even those closest to them. At times deception is done in the name of “protecting” a person. Sometimes it’s used as a tactic to help a company or a person get a bigger and better deal, to secure or preserve a political seat, or for myriad other reasons. Why bring out in the open what might stir up issues you don’t want to discuss? With deception, you can limit what information is released and maintain your sense of control. Having less people to explain yourself to might also streamline things, giving you a faster track to achieving your goals. Perhaps a little deception will get you some gratitude, recognition, commission, or reward. 

But who’s the one really being deceived? 

The Bible says that all things that are hidden will be revealed. It also clearly states that we will reap what we sow.  

Sow deception and, rest assured, one day you will reap deception. Sow deception and, no matter how smooth or shrewd or “well-intentioned” you may be, one day you will reap what you sowed. Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” 

Deception is never a work of God. It is the tool of God’s enemy, the devil. When we deceive others, we partner with Satan in his scheme to bring division and destruction. 

Deception, in the end, always has a high cost. As surely as day leads to night, deception leads to broken trust and broken hearts, neither of which can be easily restored apart from a divine work of God. 

Deception destroys the very foundations of relationships. To go on with a relationship after a betrayal requires having to literally start over with the fundamentals. Deception bankrupts relationships by emptying the “bank account” of positive “deposits” made over the years. In business, one act of deception can destroy decades of hard and fruitful work by scores of good people who built a solid partnership. 

Deception also destroys reputations. Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” Besides causing resentment, bitterness, and temptation to retaliate, deception ushers in lost loyalty, lost respect for your authority, and lost confidence in your integrity and sincerity. It converts your once trusted name to a question mark, at best. 

Let’s face it, even people like the accused master swindler Bernie Madoff probably did not become a crook all at once. Like the proverbial frog in the kettle, he most likely deceived people a little bit here, a little bit there, until pretty soon it became natural. 

We tell kids these days, “Just say no to drugs.” Perhaps we need to also teach them, “Just say no to deception.”