Last night I didn't sleep well- I tossed and turned about some things I currently have on my plate. Things that really don't belong to me. Things that looked good on everyone's plate, but that not's really what I like to eat. But when you're hungry, you're more willing to try out some one else's cooking. And the adage remains the same-- "you can't eat everybody's food". Sometimes its not what's on the plate, or the person that prepared it, but where the food came from. Who sourced this food? Is it farm to table? Is it from your location market chain? Is it from the neighborhood discount convenient store? Or is it from the gas station? All of these scenarios make a big difference.
See when you're waiting on a meal that your Father has prepared, you know not to snack before it, because it will ruin your ability to experience all the flavors prepared for you within you dinner. It will only semi- satisfy or satiate your appetite. But the meal, on the other hand, that he has prepared for you is a feast on which you will eat on for days. I often wonder why and what could be so tempting that we would be willing to forgo the promise of something so much more fulfilling, and customized to our likes and dislikes, just for the sake of temporary satisfaction. I have come to the conclusion that it is the lack of awareness, that we have a real enemy who is shrewd and cunning, who's primary role is to deceive. This he does quite well, and if we are not in an defensive mindset, then the offense will take ground that we were intended to occupy.
What is it that you have been settling for, as a substitute or placeholder for the real thing? Where have you accepted a counterfeit, that has not place or real value in your life? Would you accept silk roses as if they were fresh roses, even if someone told you they were fresh? Why would you believe a lie as truth when you are smart enough, can discern well enough, and spiritually minded enough to know the difference. Well daughter, I would say apply the very same understanding to your natural life. This is why the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil", so that you can be ready and understand that he's coming for you. This mindfulness is the crisis management approach needed to stand in defense and not fall victim to his strategies.
So what do you do if you have already been beguiled? Identify the source of the issue and create a plan to uproot it. In some cases this may be easier said than done. In the case that you are involved in a relationship that was built on this unknown truth, you have to pray and trust God to give you insight and strategy for how to either win them over to Christ or walk away, if absolutely necessary. I'm not giving anyone permission to leave their spouse, that decision is between you and God. I am saying that if you know that you have settled into something that is not of God, and you have the ability to drop it, then do so. Whether that be a friendship, a business relationship, or an acquittance. Take a moment to reflect, and ask God to show you the areas of your life that you have attracted and accepted the counterfeit version of the thing He has designed for you. Let's get back to the original.