Are you watching, and therefore, following the duck or the decoy? I know the sound of this may be more of interest to duck hunters, but I believe the LORD is speaking a warning in this hour to all Believers.
If you’re not a hunter, however, you might be wondering what exactly is a decoy? A decoy is someone or something used to lure or lead another into a trap; it is someone or something used to draw attention away from another or another thing. A decoy is especially an artificial bird used to attract live birds within shot. It looks like the real thing, but it is not. As related to our spiritual life, I like to say that a decoy is a dead duck made of worldly junk. For instance, a decoy duck is made of plastic or rubber and usually elaborately painted in such a way that when put into a pond of water, even real ducks flying over will be attracted to it and fly down to it. But it’s not real, it’s dead—and more dangerously, it’s a lure and trap to draw real ducks within shooting distance.
Satan plants decoys in our lives to lure or lead us into a trap to get us off course in life—to draw us away from the real thing—the truth. He always uses a little truth as bait. In fact, the bait seems so real that it’s difficult to tell the difference, so many take the bait.
These decoys can be in a number of areas in our lives. For instance, we can be lured away from the truth about Jesus Christ, His finished work, and His Word, especially if we’re not in His Word. We can become convinced that Jesus is not really Who He says He is or that the Word of God is not what it says it is. Most Believers would never admit to this, but the way they live their lives are glaringly opposite. Unfortunately, many Christians wouldn’t know the Word of God if it jumped up and slapped them in the face! So they are easily lured away into a trap of deception. One can be lured away by relationships—to wrong relationships. This is a very common and destructive trap. Once a Believer is in a serious relationship (by choice) where they are unequally (bonded) yoked, it is very difficult for them to get out of the trap. It’s not difficult for God to help them; but the truth is, they don’t want help–they are trapped in their emotional bondages being led by their feeling instead of being fastened to the truth in Christ Jesus. Being lured into wrong relationships can be a life-affecting, destructive decision. One can be lured into various addictions where they find themselves trapped in a prison of chains. In this day and age, we are no longer just talking about drug, alcohol, nicotine and sexual additions; the ranges of media additions are incredible, not to mention they are time-stealers and identity and destiny killers. Decoys can be planted in career choices and even in ministry, and the list of decoys goes on and on. These decoys are so elaborately painted that they look like the real thing.
Being in ministry, I witness Believers following decoys all the time. Many are lured into traps that become very difficult to get out of. Some of these traps are of the deepest deceptions specifically set for one’s detriment and to destroy one’s destiny. Other traps are simply to get one off course, more of a diversion that gets them going in the wrong direction and once on this path, the devil can just sit back and watch. However, confusion and discouragement tends to set in when one is off course in life. Most of the time, these cannot figure out why God is not working in their life or better yet, why God let this happen. The worst case scenario is when one actually believes that God is guiding them when it is satan! When it gets to this point, it can be extremely serious.
The apostle Paul talks about an End Times scenario in 2 Timothy 3 that could be related perfectly to this subject: “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
“6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. . .
“12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, . . .” (Verses 2-9; 12-14 NIV).
Don’t take satan’s bait! It is a lure, a trap!
Believers need truth, wisdom and revelation in this hour. That comes only from Holy Spirit. (See John 16:13; Ephesians 1:17-19; James 1:5)
Without Holy Spirit being active in our life, we will fall for the false every time, becoming convinced of the lies the devil tells us instead of being convinced of the truth of God’s Word. The enemy will enforce the false in such a way that he will plant human decoys all around us. These human decoys, like Jannes and Jambres, will oppose the truth, and will tell floundering, weak-willed and gullible Believers what their itching ears want to hear. These decoys will spread and deepen deception, support sin and unrighteous beliefs and behavior with convincing perspectives and opinions.
The Holy Spirit is our spiritual life-line in this hour. He is our help, guidance, direction, counselor and more. But here’s the thing: If we want the Holy Spirit to present Himself to us in these ways—then we must OBEY Him. You know the old phrase: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink!” This applies to us in respect to the activity of Holy Spirit in our lives.
So, how do we know if we’re watching or being lured by a decoy? A decoy will never produce—because it’s not real, it’s deception, it cannot possibly produce good fruit, power, strength, true identity, etc. Oh, it may look as if everything is going great guns at first, but the problem is you’ll have to wait around, wasting even more time to see if it’s going to produce. In this wait, one becomes even more entrenched in the deception. But wait as we may, we will find out that it was a dead duck made of worldly junk.
However, when Holy Spirit is active in our life, He will guide us into all truth, give us discernment, wisdom and revelation—IF we will let Him and then have the godly courage to follow Him.
We are in a serious season of time that calls for us to follow the Real Thing and not a decoy.
My beautiful daughter-in-law, Brooke, received a 6-word phrase from the LORD recently: Time is Short—Do What Matters. I suggest you read more about this word, which is posted on this website.
Walk in the truth and be blessed beyond measure!
Debra Jack, Senior Leader