THE SCAM
«But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light» (2 Corinthians 11:14, NLT).
Today I fell for an Internet scam. I usually recognize fraudulent emails a mile away: However, today’s experience was completely different. I received an email from my church pastor, from his official email address and with my name on the heading. He had called me a few days before, so I was not surprised when he got in touch with me. In his message he asked me to buy him a few gift cards (those that come with a code in the back) to give them to a sick person he was going to visit. He told me he was in a meeting and that it would not end in time to buy them. So I went to the supermarket, in the middle of a suffocating hot day, to buy the gift cards.
The only thing that struck me was that he had asked me to buy so many. However, I wrote him an email to verify it had not been a mistake on his part when typing the amount. Seconds later, I received a second email confirming everything, so I bought the gift cards and returned home. l thought it would be easier to send him pictures with the PIN codes and receipts on WhatsApp (instead of by email, like he had asked). That was when the pastor and I found out someone had hacked his account. The pastor called me and kindly offered to cover the costs. However, once the crisis was solved, I stopped to think about the hacker’s cleverness: he stole a pastor’s identity knowing it would be harder to detect his deceit that way.
Satan constantly uses that technique to draw us away from God. He did it with Christ in the desert and does so with us every time he whispers «righteous» lies. «You can’t pray now, after what you have just done.» It sounds righteous, right? But it is a scam that robs us of God’s mercy and makes us depend on our own efforts. «Before going ahead, wait until everything is perfectly planned out and there are no risks.» It sounds organized, right? But it is a scam that makes us postpone obeying indefinitely.
A friend received the same email from the hacker, but ignored it; she thought it was not something the pastor would do. I want to learn to recognize God’s voice and character to such an extent that I will also be able to say, «That doesn’t sound like the Shepherd.»
Lord, I want to be so used to Your voice, so that when the enemy tries to scam me, I will be able to say,
«That doesn’t sound like the Shepherd. «
#WomensDevotional
#RadioJovenAdventista
#MeditacionesDiarias
Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate.