Baseball Hall of Fame member, Lewis R. “Hack” Wilson once said of the great Negro League pitcher Satchel Paige’s pitches, “It starts out like a baseball and when it gets to the plate, it looks like a marble.” You see, the pitcher’s job is to fool the batter and get him to chase pitches to strike him out. The pitcher will throw different pitches, changing the ball’s location and speed as it approaches the batter to deceive the batter into thinking he is seeing something worth swinging at. A swing and a miss: STRIKE!
This is the time of the year when everyone is “swinging for the fence” wanting to hit a homerun when it comes to gift giving and making certain people in their life very happy. In that frame of mind many folks have their guard down, not thinking clearly, and venerable to the schemes of thieves who don’t care about your happiness. The wise saying, “If it seems too good to be true – it probably is,” if heeded, will save one a lot of grief.
And don’t fall for the official sounding
telephone calls involving money from you. Renewing your vehicle warranty is one
thing, but when it comes to threats or ridiculous situations that can be
readily resolved with money, be careful, and investigate first before acting.
When someone calls to tell you one of your children or grandchildren is in jail
or has had an accident somewhere and they need money right away – don’t fall
for it – investigate first! Never go to purchase a “gift card” then give the
number on the card to anyone for any reason. I received a call the other day
informing me that a shipment coming across the border was being held because
illegal contraband was found during inspection, and I needed to dial “1” to
quickly resolve the matter. What? I received another call from my “financial
institution” insisting I resolve my outstanding $900.00 owed to Amazon for the
new iPhone I ordered. I don’t think so. And nobody from the government,
utilities companies, or financial companies (credit cards, mortgage, vehicle)
will ever call you demanding immediate payments through bitcoin or gift card
exchange. Save your money.
[John 8:44] Caveat
emptor (Let the buyer beware). If we must be alert to scams, how much more
do we need to watch out for the one, “…who deceives the whole world;”
(Revelation 12:9). Jesus labels him, “…a liar and the father of lies”
(John 8:44). “Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1
Corinthians 6:9). Anyone who thinks these are not sins is deceived. “Do
not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits” (1
Corinthians 15:33). Anyone who thinks he will not be influenced is deceived. “Do
not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he
will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will out of the flesh reap
corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting
life” (Galatians 6:7-8). Anyone who imagines that his sinful behavior will
have no consequences is deceived. “But each one is tempted when he is drawn
away by his own desires and is enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it
gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death. Do
not be deceived, my beloved brethren. (James 1:14-16). Anyone who does
not see where sin ultimately leads is deceived. “…exhort one another daily,
while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness
of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). Eve let Satan talk her into sinning. Have we never
fallen into the same trap? How easy is it to convince ourselves that it’s OK
under the circumstances, that no one will find out, that an exception will be
made in my case, etc. So, we’ve been warned – repeatedly. If we still let
ourselves be duped by the Devil, who can we blame but ourselves? The Devil didn’t
make me do it.
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