After Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they took his robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in blood.  Then they presented the robe to their father and said, “We found this.  Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe” (Gen 37:32).

IMPORTANT:  Notice what they didn’t say–a direct lie or a direct truth.

They merely asked their father to examine the robe.  And this…is deception defined.

Deceiving is leading people to believe something that isn’t true without telling them the truth or a lie.

When Satan deceived Eve in the garden, he did not lie and he did not tell the truth, he merely asked a question:  “Did God really say…” (Gen 3:1).  Eve drew her own conclusions.

When walking in deceit, the one bringing deceit tries to justify their actions.  Because technically they didn’t lie.  But it doesn’t work that way.  When you lead people and point them in a direction other than the truth, you are walking in deception.  And lies.  And working just like satan, the ultimate deceiver.

It’s something we need be careful of as this is how satan works with us.  And it’s something we need to be careful of that we don’t think just because we’re not “directly lying” that we’re not lying.  And we need to be careful of because there is not sin out there that isn’t “justified” by some form of deception or another.

Perhaps that is why it’s more important than ever to stay rooted in His Word, and rooted in each other.