Fairy tales remind us things are not always as they appear. Beneath the beast is truly a prince. And the delicious apple offered by an old lady is actually a poison apple given by the evil queen. We too must wisely discern the characters and events of our life lest evil masquerading as light deceives us as well.
Scripture is clear that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, while his servants pretend to be servants of righteousness. In short, this fairy tale is real life. And what appears as good might in reality be evil just masquerading as goodness.
For instance, this might be the person who pretends to be our friend only to take advantage of us later. Or the charismatic leader who is more concerned about his own image regardless of the harm it brings to others. Or the seemingly well meaning organization that’s slowly poisoning our minds and turning our hearts away from God.
Whatever it looks like, evil rarely presents itself in a distasteful or otherwise unattractive light. Evil works best through deception. And this means it generally presents itself as something that looks good.
As such, wisdom calls for us to discern true goodness not merely based on appearances, but rather on the fruit being produced.
How often have we been deceived by the sweet sounding words of others and have ultimately eaten the poison apple? Are we even now under such a spell? What will it take to wake us up?
Certainly, part of our work is even admitting to the possibility of the Matrix – that things are not really as they seem. Often it’s our own pride and fear that keeps the illusion going. But poison is still poison regardless of how good it might taste initially.
In the end, don’t be fooled by merely what seems good. Test the spirits as evil often masquerades as light.
