15 Prayers Until Christmas

Beginning today, I will be posting a daily prayer - right up to Christmas. These will be short excerpts from longer prayers I have written. And as such, they will be fairly easy to memorize. No "begging prayers" here. These are affirmative prayers. Hopefully they will be a blessing and a source of inspiration to you. Here's the first one...

LOVE & LIGHT

"O God, You are Love and You are Light.

So I know everything shall be all right.

Your power through me is flowing.
So darkness away from me is going.
Amen."

Roll Out The Transformers!

The time is now to bring the real transformers online in your life. The mission - should you choose to accept it - is to activate and release the greatest transformative force on earth. You might be surprised at how simple and straightforward is the mechanism for doing so. The first step is to open your Bible. 

» Romans 12:2 (emphasis mine) 
2 And be not conformed to this world: but BE YE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 
       
The Super Scriptures are the real transformers. Once applied, they connect us to the transforming power of the living God. First and foremost, they introduce us to the game-changing grace of The Ultimate Transformer. They give us access to His miracle ministry. They teach us He is ''the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever'' (Hebrews 13:8). They give us the hope of Heaven in the sweet by-and-by, and the hope of victory in the bitter present. 
       
Furthermore, the Super Scriptures will transform any area of life subjected to their divine dynamism. They can obliterate mountains and crumble walls. They can uproot hopelessness and plant hope in its place. They can give wisdom for the issues of daily life. They can transform ashes into beauty, mourning into joy and depression into praise (see Isaiah 61:3). They can turn darkness into light, cursing into blessing and death into life. They can extract possibility from impossibility. No problem remains the same under the transforming force of the Super Scriptures! 
       
Transformation is the inevitable product of ''the renewing of your mind.'' A transformed mind leads to a transformed life. A renewal of thinking manifests itself in a renewal of living. The mind is renewed - transformed - by consistent exposure to the Word of God. This inner transformation then actualizes as outer transformation, in the action-packed saga of earthly existence. 

Think of each and every Super Scripture as a transformer. The metallic noise of robotic transformation pales in comparison to the super sound of turning Bible pages!

The Greatest Transformer to Visit Earth

THE ULTIMATE TRANSFORMER

     
Let's cross the biblical bridge into the glorious terrain of the New Testament - a land flowing with amazing grace. Here we make the greatest discovery of all. Jesus Christ is the ultimate Transformer! This eternity-deciding truth becomes abundantly clear as we follow the action-packed saga of His epic life and ministry. 
       
At a wedding feast, He transforms water into wine (John 2:1-11). In a ''desert place,'' He transforms a small meal into an abundant feast for five thousand hungry souls (Matthew 14:13-21). Later, near the sea of Galilee, He performs a similar transformation to feed the need of four thousand people (15:29-38). During a tempestuous voyage through the raging sea, He stands tall and transforms the threatening turbulence into a great calm (Mark 4:35-41). Consequently, the collective fear of the disciples is transformed into exclamatory wonder (Matthew 8:27). 
       
For those bereft of vision, He transformed the darkness of blindness into the light of sight. For the deaf and dumb, He transformed silence into sound. For those crippled by disability, He transformed the immobility of lameness into the freedom of autonomous movement. For those stricken with leprosy, He transformed loathsome uncleanness into the pink of health. Thus cleansed, these societal outcasts were granted a new lease on life. 
       
It's no stretch to state that, wherever the Master went, supernatural transformation followed soon after. Darkness turned into light. Deception gave way to enlightenment. Defeat was displaced and replaced by victory. Disbelief changed into belief, doubt into faith. Disease was transmuted into wholeness. Disability became ability, debility became strength. Despair was supplanted by hope. Doom was overcome by destiny. Demons went out and deliverance came in. Even death was altered by the Prince of Life. 
       
Who possessed greater awareness of Christ's transformative touch than the devil himself? This explains why, during the spiritual confrontation in the wilderness, we see The Tempter attempting to persuade the Lord to misuse this awesome power. ''...If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made [transformed into] bread.'' (Matthew 4:3) But Jesus didn't come to our world to transmogrify inanimate objects - even though doing so would have met His physical need for sustenance. Au contraire! He was manifested to transform human lives. 
       
A life touched by the Master's hand is forever changed. It was true when He walked upon the earth, and it is true today. Consider this: the word conversion - commonly used to describe the Christian experience - is also a synonym for transformation. Truly they cannot be separated. 
       
Jesus is the supreme difference in the human life. He is the difference between spiritual light or spiritual darkness. He is the difference between the dawn of hope or the midnight of despair. He is the difference between weeping with sorrow or leaping with joy. He is the difference between Heaven or Hell - both the literal ones in the next life and their temporal versions in this life. He is the difference between life or death, blessing or cursing. What's the difference? He is the difference. What difference does He make? All the difference. 
       
Who else can transform a demon-ravaged maniac into a right-minded member of society? Who else can replace a dozen years of sickness with a new life of vibrant health? Who else can undo nearly two decades of debilitating infirmity with a single command? Who else can liberate a guilty sinner from the condemnation of the self-righteous and that of her own conscience? Search the world over and you will find not one. But Heaven's Transformer did these things. 

''This same Jesus'' made a world-changing and history-shaping Christian missionary out of a murderous, anti-Christian zealot. Perhaps you know his work - he authored the majority of the New Testament. History knows him as Paul the Apostle. Make no mistake about it: what Jesus Christ touches is surely and miraculously transformed. 
       
When the Lord walked upon the earth, He was a transformer in every sense of the word. He brought transformation into the hearts and lives of others. At the same time, He underwent supernatural metamorphosis Himself. 
       
Firstly, when He laid aside His heavenly glory, a transformation had to transpire. Philippians 2:7 tells us that He ''took upon him THE FORM of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.'' To use the language of this chapter, we can state He was transformed into a human man in order to save the human race. (Note the word form in the aforementioned Super Scripture.) The King of glory assumed the physical form of an earthly servant. The Creator of men was ''made'' - transformed - in the likeness of men (see Colossians 1:16-17). 
       
Next, let's hike to the peak of a gloriously glowing mountain - the scene of our Lord's incredible ''transfiguration'' in front of the disciples. The geographical identity of this summit has been lost to history. But the mind-boggling details of the supernatural event which takes place here are well documented in the Super Scriptures. No less than three of the four Gospel writers record it - namely, Matthew, Mark and Luke. Each one contributes a particular facet to the account. 
       
Three of the disciples are up here on this mountain with Jesus - Peter, James and John. Far removed from the needy multitudes below, it is an ideal place to pray and connect with God, free from distractions. In fact, Luke tells us, this is the very purpose behind the Lord bringing this trio of disciples up here - ''to pray'' (9:28). What exactly does He pray? The Bible doesn't give us that information. But something incredible, inconceivable and incomparable begins to happen during the Son's conversation with the Father. As He prays, a literal and physical transformation is initiated. 
       
Something is happening to the holy face of Christ. At a later date, this face will be covered with blood on the way to the Cross. But right now, in this moment and on this mountain, the face of Christianity is undergoing a miraculous and glorious change. Luke records the appearance of the Master's ''countenance'' is transformed (9:29). There is something conspicuously different about His face. Matthew contributes the supplemental detail that ''his face did shine as the sun'' (17:2). Imagine it! The sun is so bright that the human eye cannot look directly into its radiant light without suffering damage. And this is the same level of luminous magnificence emanating from the face of Grace! 
       
There's more. The widened eyes of the disciples observe an additional change. There is something happening to Jesus' clothing. What say you, Matthew? "...his raiment was white as the light.'' (17:2) Mark, what do you have to say on this point? ''And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.'' (9:3) Now we toss it to you, Luke. ''...his raiment was white and glistering.'' (9:29) The tranquil terrain has become a temple of transformation. The privileged disciples, blessed beyond measure to witness this transcendent event, are transfixed.
       
Wait, there's more to this miracle. Suddenly Moses and Elijah - two Old Testament patriarchs, long gone from earthly life - appear with Jesus, talking with the One they prophesied about. A supernatural cloud descends on the mountain, out of which a mighty voice speaks. It's the voice of the Father, testifying to His beloved Son. What power could have effected such a glorious transformation? Luke gives us a clue: ''Who appeared in glory...they saw his glory...'' (9:31-32) To God be the glory; it was His glory that manifested this miraculous metamorphosis of our Super Savior.
       
The grandiose goings-on upon the mountain, as weighty and sacred as they are, will not be the last transformation of our Lord in this earthly realm. Neither will it be the grandest. 

The empty tomb of the Resurrection, within which our faith is eternally established, testifies to the ultimate transformation. 

If the crucified body of Christ remains in that grave, any other instance of transformation will be temporal and shallow indeed. Hallelujah, He doesn't stay in there! The glory of God invades the tomb housing His beloved Son, dispelling the darkness of death. This is Heaven's exclamation mark on the greatest story ever told. The empty tomb offers hope and healing to the empty heart. 
       
Consider this: physical transformation was needed for the Resurrection. Jesus could no longer ''use'' the same body which hung upon the Cross. The damage sustained had been too much. The crown of thorns had punctured His head. The Roman nails had pierced and ripped His extremities. His back had been lashed and lacerated. The hairs of His beard had been ruthlessly pulled out (see Isaiah 50:6). The flesh-rending tip of a spear had been thrust into His side. The same body which was enveloped in glory on the Mount of Transfiguration was now covered in blood, sweat and the derisive spit of His executioners. The prophet Isaiah, peering into the future and describing the promised Messiah's condition of suffering, employed such words as stricken, smitten, afflicted, wounded, bruised, oppressed, slaughter, travail, cut off (53:3-12). He would need to exit the tomb with a different body than entered it. Transformation was required. 
       
To manifest a butterfly, does God discard the caterpillar and start over? Of course not. The fluttering butterfly is the same creature who once crawled upon the leaves - only now he has attained a renewed, advanced form. Likewise, ''this same Jesus'' Who was laid in the tomb walked out of that tomb. He didn't discard His battered, bruised and crucified body. Instead, He is risen with a glorified, transformed body. (You can only transform what already exists.) To this point, He retained the scars of the Crucifixion, while also able to bypass closed doors, suddenly appearing as if from thin air (see John 20:19-20,26-27). I encourage you, dear reader, to study the fifteenth chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. It will bless you with glorious insight into this wondrous subject. "...There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15:44) 
       
The resurrected body of Jesus could do some ''super'' things on this earth. The Bible tells us that He appeared to the grief-stricken disciples in multiple forms. 

» Mark 16:12 (emphasis mine) 
12 After that he appeared IN ANOTHER FORM unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 
       
This explains why we see, on multiple occasions, those who were the closest to Him during His ministry, failing to recognize Him during post-resurrection encounters. Mary Magdalene stands face-to-face with the risen Redeemer, yet mistakes Him as a gardener (John 20:14-18). A pair of disciples walk and talk with Him, in close proximity, but nonetheless think He is a random stranger (Luke 24:13-31). On another occasion, when Jesus instantly ''materializes'' in the middle of the room, the sheltered flock fear He is a spirit. Clearly they don't recognize Him (Luke 24:36-37). If the miraculous Master had only one form - the form with which His inner circle were familiar during former times - then assuredly this misidentification wouldn't have occurred. 
       
Ponder the fantastic properties of this transformed body. Jesus could eat food with His disciples, yet also vanish into thin air. He could be physically handled, yet also pass through closed doors. He could walk and talk; His body had ''flesh and bones''; and He still bore the marks of the Crucifixion. But He could also, as previously highlighted, change (transform) into multiple forms while manifesting Himself to His followers. He is the ultimate Transformer! 
       
After the days of manifestation were complete, He ascended back to Heaven, taking His exalted seat at the glorious right hand of the Father. And we have been promised that ''this same Jesus...shall so come in like manner'' as He departed (Acts 1:11). When at last that blessed day dawns, we will experience a glorified transformation in like manner as our Super Savior. It won't take very long, either. ''...we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.'' (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) 
       
Oh happy day! 

The (Spiritual) Transformers: Ancient Origins

''Transformers...more than meets the eye!'' 

   
Oh the joy these words produced in my young heart, growing up in the 1980's, captivated by the animated exploits of shape-shifting robots from another world. Like many of my juvenescent counterparts, the unquestioned leader of the benevolent bots - Optimus Prime - was my unquestioned hero. The toy model of Optimus which I received as a Christmas gift - capable of "transforming" like the cartoon character - remains one of my most cherished childhood memories. 
       
Rolling into popular culture during the Reagan administration, the Transformers are a species of sentient robots from the fictional world of Cybertron. The "good guys" are known as the Autobots, while the autonomous antagonists are the Decepticons, led by the malevolent Megatron. The concept underwent a ''transformative'' resurgence, beginning in 2007, with live-action movies. Now ensconced on the proverbial big screen, the robo-aliens have become larger than life, at least in terms of entertainment value. 
       
The Transformers are so named because of their fantastic ability to transform from robotic form into vehicles, weapons, machines and even animals. Think of metamorphosis on steroids. They are "more than meets the eye" because what you see isn't necessarily what you get. In the Transformer universe, the common object you are looking at might in fact be a "robot in disguise." 

TRANSFORMERS ACTUALLY EXIST 

       
The Transformers of commercial renown were forged within the fantastical factory of the human imagination. The "fi" in sci-fi stands for fiction, and these metallic super beings are precisely that - fiction. They are not real. Having served as Captain Obvious, now I will share some incredibly exciting news. We inhabit a universe where spiritual transformers exist - far more powerful than any conceived by the finite mind of earthly man - and they are more real than any physical object we can perceive through our five senses. I know this is an incredible claim. But it is one supported by the eternal pillars of biblical teaching. 

ANCIENT THREAD OF TRANSFORMATION

     
It doesn't take very long to detect traces of the matter-morphing effect of God's intervening hand in earthly affairs. We need only to look at the miracles archived in the Old Testament to begin seeing it. 
       
In Genesis, Lot's wife is transformed from a body of flesh to a pillar of salt (19:26). In Exodus, an inanimate object transforms into a living creature. The rod of Aaron becomes a serpent in Pharaoh's presence (7:10). Granted, the Egyptian magicians duplicate this incredible feat. But the superiority of God's holy power is emphatically demonstrated when ''Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.'' (verse 12) Later, the first of the ten divine plagues involved the waters of Egypt transforming into blood (7:17-25). Still in Exodus, we see the Red Sea transformed into dry ground for the Israelites, then back again to drown the pursuing Egyptians (14:21-31). We see the bitter waters of Marah transformed into sweet, drinkable hydration; it's here we are introduced to ''the LORD that healeth thee'' (15:23-26). And we see a rock miraculously transformed into a source of water (17:1-7). 
       
Arriving at the book of Numbers, we find Aaron's rod impossibly transforming into a blossoming almond plant (17:8). Again we witness a hard rock transformed to a thirst-quenching fountain, serving up water ''abundantly'' for the Israelites and their animals (20:11). In the adventuresome book of Joshua, we observe the flowing water of the river Jordan transformed into dry ground in the holy presence of the Ark of the Covenant (3:14-17). And, in a sense, the storied wall of Jericho undergoes a type of transformation, turning into a pile of rubble at the ''super shout'' of God's people (6:1-27). 
       
Our next stop is the fortified town of Zorah, birthplace of the herculean Samson - a genuine superhuman who would become intimately familiar with God's transforming power. The strong man of biblical renown receives his legendary strength, not from physical muscle, but from a supernatural source. It is only when ''the Spirit of the LORD [comes] mightily upon him'' that he is transformed into a man of uncommon physical power (see Judges 14:6). Conversely, he reverts back to the weakness of a normal human, unable to shake himself into the strength of his glory days, when he loses his anointing. 
       
Next we visit the land of the idolatrous Philistines in which the holy Ark of the Covenant has arrived. We enter the temple of their false god - Dagon - which plays host to the legendary Ark. We witness the manufactured image of the Philistine deity (a ''fish-god,'' history tells us) transformed into a mere stump of its former self in the presence of the true God. ''And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.'' (1 Samuel 5:4) 
       
In a place called Zarephath, a widow's meager meal is miraculously transformed into a year-long feast (1 Kings 17:8-16). Again we find ourselves on the banks of the Jordan river. And again we behold the waters transformed to dry ground - this time by Elijah and Elisha, respectively; both times the anointed mantle of Elijah is the medium of transformation (2 Kings 2:8,13-14). To Jericho we return, not to view the crumbling of a wall this time, but the curing of water. The city's polluted spring is transformed back to nature's nectar via the ministry of Elisha (verses 19-22). 
       
Further on, we are treated to even more wonders of transformation. A dry valley becomes a water-filled one (3:16-20). This water becomes blood-red; at least it appears to do so through a fortuitous optical illusion (verses 22-25). A needy widow's lone pot of oil becomes a virtual pot of gold, turning poverty into provision (4:1-7). A poisonous pot of food becomes a harmless and nourishing meal (verses 38-41). Twenty loaves of bread miraculously become sufficient to feed one hundred hungry stomachs (verses 42-44). And an axe head of iron somehow becomes buoyant, floating rather than sinking (6:1-7). 

Transformation is the inevitable product of divine intervention in earthly affairs. 

TO BE CONTINUED...

Transformers: God's Idea

Transformation is a divine concept. 

The power to transform flows from the hand of our Creator. If you doubt this, simply step outside and behold the graceful flight of the butterfly. This miracle of nature once existed upon earth as a grounded caterpillar. Now it flutters through the air - freed from the flightless form of its past - with beautiful wings of a new life, all thanks to the transformative process of metamorphosis. The next time you look upon a caterpillar, consider that there is more than meets your eyes at that moment. The little guy is actually a butterfly in disguise, albeit a future one. The gradual nature of the transformation makes it no less amazing! 

     
While you are outdoors, you catch a glimpse of a golden glimmer on a nearby leaf. You walk toward the foliage to get a closer look. There you discover one of God's most beautifully amazing creatures. The Golden Tortoise Beetle has the incredible ability to transform its color from gold to red when mating or when threatened. This gilded wonder even looks like a miniature Transformer due to its metallic semblance. 

       

Photo Credit: Ilona Loser

Once back indoors, you close your eyes and embark on an imaginary expedition to the Ecuadorian rain forest. If your powers of visualization are sufficiently developed, you might envisage the breathtaking diversity of plant and animal life surrounding you. No doubt you will catch a glimpse of a frog or two hopping across the field of your mental vision. There is one amphibious inhabitant of this place, however, which is unlikely to make a cameo in this imagined scene - owing to its rare, incredible and almost unbelievable morphing ability. But it is really there nonetheless. 
       
There, living among the rain-soaked foliage of the dense environment, is the cryptic critter known as The Mutable Rain Frog, a miracle of nature only discovered in the fairly recent past. (The word mutable means changeable, an apt description for this species.) In an incredibly brief span of time, this ''super frog'' can alter its very own skin, transforming the texture from spiny to smooth in a matter of minutes. It holds the distinction of being the first known vertebrate able to transform its shape in such a brief period of time. Here we have an actual transformer! How cool is that? 

Photo Credit: Katherine Krynak

This is God's handiwork. But our exploration is not yet completed..
       
The falling rain in the forest triggers thoughts of water, leading to thoughts of lakes and oceans. Suddenly, faster than any ''real'' conveyance of the material world, your imagination has transported you to the deck of a research vessel, surveying the liquid landscape of a great body of water. Slipping into your scuba diving gear, you plunge into the mysterious underworld of the sea. You are on a quest to find traces of God's transformative touch in the deep. You will not be disappointed. 
       
As you navigate through the aqua terrain, you spot what appears to be a rock with eyes resting on the sea bed. ''That can't be,'' you reason to yourself. Suddenly the true nature of the sandy-colored object is revealed. It's a Cuttlefish, magically transforming back to its original form, darting in front of you. At least it seems like magic. This marine ''magician'' can actually alter pigments in its skin, thus altering the way light is reflected. The amazing result? The Cuttlefish is then enabled to effectively become one with its surroundings. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have found yet another one of God's natural transformers! 

     
Farther on you see a round object floating and bobbing in God's great pool. The sighting instantly reminds you of a beach ball. But those are found on beaches - on land. As this ''ball'' rotates you realize it's no artificial toy. It's not artificial at all. On the contrary, you have swam upon the incredible, inflatable creature known as The Pufferfish. This puffy phenomenon can, through the process of inflating its tummy with either water or air, rapidly double its normal size, effectively becoming a living ball. This amazing transformation is triggered whenever ''Puff the Magic Fish'' encounters a threat. It truly is a wondrous sight to behold. 

      

The deeper you go, the more unbelievable are the discoveries. This is the reality of walking with God, and it also holds true for exploring His watery underworld. 

There is The Sea Cucumber - the only life form on earth with the ability to turn itself into a liquid and back into a solid. (Can you imagine what it would be like if humans possessed this capability?) 

Photo Credit: Leonard Low from Australia

There is The Mimic Octopus - the tentacled transformer able to mimic its background environment, as well as more than a dozen other species. 

Photo Credit: Steve Childs

Then there is the death-defying creature popularly known as The Immortal Jellyfish. This alien-like occupant of the ocean can, at least theoretically, live forever by returning to the starting point of its life cycle. It's the nearest thing to immortality yet discovered in our mortal world. 

Photo Credit: Bachware

Yes it's true...

TRANSFORMERS REALLY EXIST!

© Matt Decker

The Original Bumblebee

The major motion picture "Bumblebee" is set to open in theatres later this month. FULL DISCLOSURE: I was a crazy huge TRANSFORMERS fan growing up in the eighties. Optimus Prime was my hero. But I really liked Bumblebee as well. Stay with me, this excursion down Memory Lane has a purpose..

There is a life form that's cooler than a transforming yellow car from another world. And that's the ORIGINAL bumblebee --

Small wings, no lift?

Shortchanged, what gift?

Odds against me?

I can't win?

What's within me?

How and when

Will I get off the ground

And buzz around?

No more bound

Up, not down

Look at me 

What do you see?

An earthly impossibility?

The reality of a bumblebee

But you need

To take into account

That your beliefs about me

Don't really count

I know who I am

And what I can achieve

The thing you can't see

Is what hides within me

Keep on doubting

Keep on assuming

I'll keep on buzzing

I'll keep on zooming

So I am fuzzy

But fast are my wings

They may be little

But don't forget about my sting

You say I can't fly

But somehow I do it

You say I might die

But I won't listen to it

You say I shouldn't try

But there's nothing to it

I am a bumblebee

Yes it's true

The big question is --

What are you?

© Matt Decker

DEVILTRON: The Ultimate Villain (How to Defeat Him)

THE SPIRITUAL DECEPTICONS 

''Autobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of The Decepticons!'' 

     
So goes the classic Transformers theme song - music to my young ears back in the day. Led by the maleficent Megatron, The Decepticons are the ''bad guys'' in the superbot saga. These vehicular villains are the sworn enemies of the benevolent Autobots. Possessing red eyes, they are as menacing as they look. However, they have the ability to assume many forms, disguising their true identities and intentions. These transformations include aircraft, ground-based vehicles, weapons and even small objects. 

If the name of these rogue robots strike a familiar chord, there's a good reason for it. They get their title from the well-known (and spiritually-important) noun deception. What you see isn't necessarily what you get. There is truly more than meets the eye - and this applies to more than the good forces. I think you know where I'm going with this... 

» 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (emphasis mine) 
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, TRANSFORMING themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is TRANSFORMED into an angel of light. 
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be TRANSFORMED as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 
       
It's worthy of note that the word transform plays a key role in each of the Super Scriptures cited above. The Apostle Paul is writing about the dark side of transformation. There are nefarious ''transformers'' at work in our universe, our world, our earthly realm - analogous to The Decepticons who menace fictional cosmic territory. But unlike their imaginatively invented counterparts, these treacherous transformers are very real and very active. The mission: to deceive as many souls as possible. Deception is the goal. 
       
''...deceitful workers...''  Deceitful is a synonym for deceptive. Deceit is another word for deception. Contextually, Paul is warning the Corinthian believers about human deceivers who were masquerading as apostles of Christ. These imposters were slipping in among the congregation, pretending to be ''ministers of righteousness'' when, in fact, they were wolves in disguise (see Matthew 7:15). 

They looked the part. They dressed the part. They said the right things. They uttered all the spiritual-sounding words and phrases. But there was, unfortunately, more there than met the eye. If a body looked closely enough, he could almost perceive the tell-tale insignia of The Decepticons affixed to these pseudo-preachers with their ''ravening'' agenda. 
       
''...false apostles...''  Paul, serving as a genuine apostle, could authoritatively expose these counterfeits. They took on the form of the true in order to deceive and divide. They took advantage of the human tendency to focus on the surface of things, neglecting to discern the inner truth of a matter (or person). 

Alas! We see this same pattern in our present day. Even Spirit-filled Christians are vulnerable to this if not properly equipped with the truth of the Super Scriptures. 

Sometimes a sheep is a sheep. But sometimes a ''sheep'' is actually a wolf who has transformed himself into an innocent-looking sheep. The only way to discern the difference is to learn the Holy Word and to be led by the Holy Spirit. 
       
Decepticons are imbued with life via a mythical cube known as ''The AllSpark,'' making sentient beings out of cold metal. No Decepticon poses any threat without this cosmic source of life. Similarly, the real deceivers are the evil spirits who employ human agents to work deception and consequent destruction. These ''spiritual decepticons,'' hiding in the shadows of the unseen realm, are the ''spark'' behind the deception of which we have been warned. 

» Ephesians 6:12 
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness [wicked spirits] in high places. 
       
There is more to ''flesh and blood'' than meets the eye. There is more to ''false apostles'' and ''deceitful workers'' than meets the eye. Look to the spiritual source of the seemingly human conflict. The darkness of this world does not originate from this world. There are ''rulers'' behind the darkness, and these unseen potentates are demonic in origin. The human wickedness we see around us arises from the spiritual wickedness above us - in high (heavenly) places, in the space surrounding our planet. Wicked bodies are ''vehicles'' for wicked spirits. These are the true spiritual decepticons. 
       
Paul writes to Timothy that, in the latter times of the prophetic calendar, there will be some who will depart from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1). This sad prediction doesn't arise from the great apostle's own sanctified mind. On the contrary, it is spoken ''expressly'' by the Holy Spirit. The cause of this backsliding and apostasy? The deserters give heed to ''seducing spirits'' and ''doctrines of devils.'' 

Seduction doesn't work if it is announced as such; it must be disguised as (transformed into) the truth. And who would willingly and knowingly listen to a sermon preached by an actual demon? The deception is sown by smiling, hand-shaking, self-proclaimed ''ministers of righteousness,'' and it is presented as the shining truth. Beware of the spiritual decepticons! 
       
Let us now pivot back to our foundational scripture passage. Sandwiched between two verses concerning foes of flesh, the Bible digs down to the root of the problem in verse 14: 

» 2 Corinthians 11:14 
14 And no marvel; for [because] Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
       
To paraphrase, Paul tells the Corinthian flock, ''You shouldn't be surprised at the transformation of these imposters and counterfeits into ministers of righteousness. After all, they are merely mimicking their master - Satan. They are following the lead of their leader, the original and ultimate Deceiver, who transforms himself into an angel of light.'' 

What could be more heavenly than an angel of light? This illustrates the sophistication and diabolical strategy of the devil's devices, which Paul had already written about earlier in the epistle (2:11). 
       
Actually, it can be accurately stated that the Prince of Darkness transforms himself back into an angel of light. That is, after all, precisely his former identity as Lucifer before his epic expulsion from Heaven (Isaiah 14:12-15). He is not a novice in spiritual warfare. He has been at this for a very long time. He is the spiritual version of Megatron - lethal leader of The Decepticons. He hates the Super Scriptures, but he knows them inside and out. And he will use every opportunity to twist them for his deceptive and diabolic purposes. 

» John 8:44
44 ...the devil...was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 
       
The only way to expose and overcome the lies of ''Deviltron'' is to arm yourself with the Super Scriptures. The dark shadows of deception are scattered by the glorious illumination of God's Word. The spiritual decepticons are unable to withstand the energy-blast of eternal Truth, for it is powered by God Himself! 

(This post is excerpted from my booklet THE REAL TRANSFORMERS. The booklet is excerpted from my full-length book SUPER SCRIPTURES ON EARTH.)

© Matt Decker