Counterfeits

"The whole point of what we're urging is simply love-love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God."---I Timothy 1:5 (Message)




"Real happiness is cheap enough, but oh how dearly we pay for its counterfeit."---Hosea Ballou




Counterfeit: made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged; pretended; unreal; a copy; a close likeness; portrait; impostor; to resemble; to simulate; to make a pretense of; to carry on a deception; dissemble; made in imitation of what is genuine with the intent to defraud; simulated.




Synonyms: actor, affected, assumed, bent, false, fishy, framed, hoax, HOLLYWOOD (wow), imitation, misleading, mock, not kosher, phony, pretentious, pseudo, QUEER (another wow), reproduction, sham, soft shell, suppositious, two-faced, wrong







O-K, now. If you were really paying attention to the definitions of the word "counterfeit", you could actually get some big revelations without having to read the rest of this devotional. (So for all of the overly-critical and impatient readers, use a little wisdom and understanding [Proverbs 3:13] and you can get back to work!) For those of you who don't mind going a little deeper...here we go.




One of my favorite throwback shows, other than "Little House on the Prairie" and the "Cosby Show" (oh, and "Family Ties" and "I Dream of Jeannie"), is the original "90210". Looking at it now, it's amazing how corny the dialogue was and how crazy most of the fashion appeared to be, but it reminds me so much of my high school and college years---the good parts.




Anyway, there was one particular episode that I checked out recently that really spoke to me. Two women were in love with one guy (I hope you catch that "certain friend of mine") and one of the girls said to the other, "Do you still love him?"




The other replied, "Yes."




"But you broke up with him," the first girl said. "Love is supposed to make people happy, Kelly. Are you happy?"




Kelly shook her head (horizontally).




Love IS supposed to make people happy. Yet, although God is love (I John 4:16) and we are made in his image (Genesis 1:26-27), so many of us seem to be anything but (what's up with that?). On some levels, it would make sense. If you are made of a certain thing, but you are divided between it and something else (Galatians 5:16-17), that would mean you only have a portion, right? But "some" of something, especially something as vital as what makes you "you" is not enough. I liken it to someone who is starving. When you are just hungry, that's one thing, but when you are famished, you find yourself desperate for food, and people do very strange things when they are desperate...whether it's for a meal---or for love. (Two things that are definitely needed in order to survive.)




Of course, the Bible tells us that God withholds no good thing from us (when we act right---Psalm 84:11). This would include leading us to the path of provision (Matthew 6:30-31) and how to find the love that we so desire---the love that we are created to have:




"Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God's child and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could have life through him."---I John 4:7-9 (NCV)




Now, let's take a moment and really reflect on that bolded statement. Whoever does not love...whoever does not have a "profoundly tender and passionate affection for one another"...whoever does not have "an affectionate concern for the well-being of others"...whoever does not have "the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God"...does not know God. And then, there's of course what Paul says about love:




"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures. Love never ends."---I Corinthians 13:4-8 (NCV)

Interesting, ain't it? Paul said that love never ends and yet Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that to everything, there is a time and a season; that there is indeed a time to love and a time to hate. (Ecclesiastes 3:8) What gives?




First let me remind us all that God is timeless. He has no end and since he is love, that would mean that love, GODLY LOVE, does not either. This would also lead me to believe that if we really know (to perceive or understand as fact or truth; to apprehend clearly and with certainty) God---and since he has no end, that would be a never-ending process---then what he calls us to love (him and one another) would have no end as well. It's not conditional. It's not seasonal. It's not based on circumstance. God loves because that's what God is. We were created to mirror that; to love simply because we are love.




So, what are we called to hate? When is it an appropriate time to show such an "opposite of what we are" emotion? I believe it's when we encounter a counterfeit. How can I be certain? Because God is love and he took the time to show us the things that he hates:




"The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates."---Psalm 11:5 (NKJV)




"These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren."---Proverbs 6:16-19 (NKJV)




"For the Lord God of Israel says that He hates divorce, 'For it covers one's garment with violence (damage through distortion or unwarranted alteration),' says the Lord of hosts. 'Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.'"--- Malachi 2:16 (NKJV)




(Side note: Those of you in a jacked up marriage right now, check out why God hates divorce. It's more about what it does to you than anything else.)




Do you see how many times "violence" is mentioned on his hate list? Did you check out the definition of "violence" in the side note to the married folks? God hates anything that damages us through distortion or an unwarranted altercation. In other words, anything that keeps us from being a mirror reflection of his image, his image of love, he hates because it takes us away from who/what we are called to be: love.




Now, let me stop right here for a moment as well. Now, more than ever, I see why God does not want us to be yoked (something that couples or binds together; a bond or tie) with non-believers. It took me a really long time to get it, but I do now---2 Corinthians 6:14. The Bible tells us that whoever does not love does not know God. The flip of that would be, if you do not love, you do not know God, right? I Peter 1:7-9 tell us that it's only through faith, through BELIEVING in something that we can't see (GOD), that we will receive the end of our faith...that we will get salvation; not just in heaven, but here on earth as well.




Salvation: deliverance from the power and penalty of sin; redemption; the state of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.; reservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil.




Faith is the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) Without faith, it's impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6) Without pleasing God, it's hard, close to impossible, to really connect with him. Sure, he will love us always (Jeremiah 31:3), with or without the connection he so desires, but through the power of Christ, he wants us to yoke ourselves to him. (Matthew 11:25-30) We can experience love in a way that we've never imagined (Ephesians 3:20) when we go beyond knowing about him, to yoking ourselves to him.




Now catch what God told us to do with non-believers. He doesn't say not to love them...not to be affectionate, patient, kind. He does not tell us to be rude or selfish. We are made in the image of God and some people are only going to see God through us. But what he was clear on was not coupling, binding, bonding or tying ourselves up to people who do not believe (to have confidence or faith in the truth of), not just in God, but his message. Why? Because people who do not believe in God do not really know him and not knowing him means they don't love in the way they were created to. When you don't love right, you cover people in violence...you distort them (wow!). Not yoking to non-believers is God's way of protecting you...not just romantically, but personally, professionally, religiously and otherwise. (Whew...amazing how that all comes full circle!)




Which explains why he has such an issue with deception...with counterfeits...with false things that appear true for the purpose of yoking us to them. The whole point of deceit is to lure you into something that "looks good", but ain't...something seems real, but is not...something that appears really close to genuine, but is actually fake. Now, the Word provides some pretty clear cut insights on what God considers to be deception/counterfeit:




"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."---Mark 13:22 (NKJV)




"This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward."---2 John 1:6-8 (NKJV)

(Side note: You did catch that "an" and not "the" was used for antichrist, right? That would lead me to believe there is more than one...umm, OK.)

"For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple."---Romans 6:18 (NKJV)

"And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good."---Romans 7:10-12 (NKJV)

"For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain."---Titus 1:7-11 (NKJV)

(Side note: Seducer is a synonym for deceiver. To "seduce" is to "to lead or draw away, as from principles, faith, or allegiance; to lead away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct." )

"I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allowthat womanJezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduceMy servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent."---Revelation 2:19-21 (NKJV)

"And the huge dragon was cast down and out--that age-old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, he who is the seducer (deceiver) of all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth, and his angels were flung out along with him."---Revelation 12:9 (AMP)

What does all of this show us?

False christs and prophets are counterfeits of the real Christ and true prophets (Matthew 23:34-35, Mark 6:4).

People who speak against Christ returning in the flesh are counterfeits.

Those who do not serve the Lord and seduce with flattery are counterfeits. (You caught that the operative word was not "know" the Lord, but SERVE him, right?)

Anything that woos us away from God's commandments (ALL OF THEM) are counterfeits.

Idle talkers are counterfeits.

The Jezebel spirit is a counterfeit.

THE DEVIL IS A COUNTERFEIT.

Most of this, most of you probably already know, but what I really wanted you to catch are the mediums used to deceive and seduce us. One of my favorite quotes right now is "Rationalize is rational-lies". According to the synonyms for counterfeit, Hollywood is "unreal"; acting (please take that in context of being something you are not in life more so than on stage) is "a close likeness"; homosexuality is "to simulate"; being two-faced comes with "the intent to defraud". However, even with all of this revelation, I wanted to share one other way that we can get caught up in counterfeit; one that I think is far more subtle and also far more damaging:

"For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed."---Jeremiah 29:8 (NKJV)




Hmm...mmm.




No wonder David prayed, "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart." (Proverbs 26:2) No wonder we are instructed, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded", (James 4:8) and to "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." No wonder believers are assured that "...God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) and that we should "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)




Yes, there are many things that can deceive us that our outside of us, but we also have the power to deceive...mislead...frame...hoax...mock...sham ourselves! When God told us not to put any gods before him (Exodus 20:3), that includes our wishes and desires. Yes, a part of the reason is because he is a jealous God, but just like human (flesh) love is the counterfeit of godly (spirit) love, human jealously is the counterfeit of godly jealousy. (2 Corinthians 11:2-3) When it comes to God, the context of jealousy is "inclined to or troubled by suspicions or fears of rivalry, unfaithfulness, etc., as in love or aims". Of course he is troubled when we are unfaithful to him (when someone is unfaithful to us, aren't we the exact same way?!?), but through my own prayer life and experience, I am realizing that a big part of his jealousy is that HE KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS TO GIVE ME; that his plans are good (Jeremiah 29:11), that what he has in mind is everlasting (Ecclesiastes 3:11), that my mind cannot even begin to conjure up how amazing it is (I Corinthians 2:9) and that by pleasing him, I can gain access---to REAL blessings, promises and benefits. (Psalm 37:4) HE KNOWS WHAT GODLY LOVE GIVES ME ACCESS TO...and what counterfeits are trying to keep me away from (John 10:10). When I put the fake before the real, it hurts him.




Perhaps that's why we were advised to mind our own business, huh? (I Thessalonians 4:11) I know as I am learning to pull back, to discern better, to not accept any and every opportunity that comes my way, to define (and redefine) the true meaning of family/friendship/loyalty/commitment...as I am consciously working to establish a real "yoking" with my creator, I see that the externals of life have far less of an affect on me than they used to. I also am seeing that my biggest god has actually been myself (John 8:32) and why following my heart before my God (Jeremiah 17:9) is crazy...manic...cryptic...counterfeit. One of the most deceptive messages in the world, especially in Hollywood, is that a person should "follow their heart". Don't know what to do professionally? Follow your heart. Should you leave a marriage or stay? Follow your heart. Oh, but what does the Word say? Well, Jeremiah 17:9 says that the heart is deceitful above all things and DESPERATELY WICKED, and Proverbs 17:20 tells us that a deceitful heart finds NO GOOD.




Again, when you are desperate you tend to do some pretty strange things.




And again, while God tells us that he withholds no good thing, Proverbs states that a deceitful heart; a heart that is "serving to mislead or insnare; trickish; fraudulent; cheating; insincere" finds NO GOOD. Because we are made of both flesh and spirit, all of us (I John 1:10) have some level of deceit in our hearts, so when we choose to go where it leads, it may appear that it---whatever "it is---is the real thing at first, but that is what deceit is supposed to do. When you get there though, you find nothing good. What a high price of time, emotion, energy to pay...all for nothing. It's like buying an "as is" car with no warranty that looks good on the outside, but ain't worth a dime once you take it off of the lot. Yeah, that's it...the Enemy is like a shady car salesman, and when you try and "return" what he sold you (sin always comes with a price-Romans 6:23), he's like, "It was fine when it left here...too bad. You deal with it."




No wonder David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Proverbs 51:10) Just like you take a bath everyday (prayerfully, anyway), you should also spiritually cleanse your heart every day. Not one24-hour period goes by without the "dirt" of the world AND our own thoughts coming upon us. When you don't wash your body, over time, at the very least there is a stench...at the very most there is infection. A lack of poor spiritual hygiene brings about similar results. Some of us are being led away by counterfeits at this very moment, not because we are non-believers, not because we don't know the Word, but because we don't make it a point to cleanse our hearts---the very thing that is out to deceive us---on a regular basis. When we do, David tells us that as a direct result, God protects us (Psalm 62:8) from the very things that try to deceive us; from the counterfeits that want to lead us to...nothing good.




This week, ask God to reveal to you (James 1:5) what (and who) has been counterfeit in your life. From personal experience, don't be surprised if the first (or only) name he brings to mind, through the power of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), is you. Take it from me, you really can be the only actor in your own drama without any other cast members. (Why do you think we are called to cast down our imaginations?---2 Corinthians 10:5)

Then ask God to keep in the forefront of your mind that you were made in his image and so anything (person, place,thing or idea) that reflects something other than who he is (you might want to go to www.biblegateway.com and search "God is") or entices you to put it before him,while it may look similar to a good thing, it's actually there to mislead you, to take you away from what is good.

I'm with Tracey (the "90210" chick who brought that revelation to Kelly about love). Do you know how many times I have fallen for counterfeit love---in all forms---believing that because I was following my heart, if I was miserable, confused, resentful, lonely, hurting, it must be what love is? GOD IS LOVE...where does it say he is any of these things? The truth is that the pain doesn't coming from loving (that resolve is also a form of deception); the pain comes from either giving it to people who don't understand what godly love is or accepting it from people who offer up a counterfeit version of it.

The first is a form ministry (service) and WHEN YOU ARE CALLED TO IT, there is nothing to be afraid of because you know that God will bless you in the midst of it (I Peter 3:14). Therefore, it's not really pain you are experiencing so much as discomfort because you know that people are settling, but at the same time, you know not to carry the burden of ministry all alone...to let God deal with the responses you receive by trying to share God's gift with someone who doesn't understand their value in Christ---yet(I Peter 5:7) The second is a result of disobedience...it's the reality check that takes place when we realize that God is true to his word and that it does not return to him void (Isaiah 55:11); when he told us to not connect/yoke ourselves with non-believers, HE MEANT IT. (This means yoking yourself with people who do not believe in God or in you, the image of God.)

Recently, I read an interesting book review on how evangelicals are taking the joy out of sex. Shoot, let me tell it, a lot of us church folks are taking the joy out of life, period. (Ecclesiastes 2:26) I think one of the biggest things that I have allowed the Enemy to deceive me with is the belief that the sign of a true follower of Christ is someone who is brooding all of the time. How could that be true when Christ said he came to bring me life...not just life, but ABUNDANT LIFE? (John 10:10) The TRUTH is that I am usually brooding, not over what God has done, but the counterfeits I have fallen for.

Whew! Now that Christ has set me free with that revelation (John 8:36), I'm gonna start focusing on living LIFE instead of resurrecting death. That's what's true...that's what's good... and according to the Word, that's what's real.

©Shellie R. Warren/2008