I bet you’ve heard the phrase “not all that glitters is gold” many times. But what does it really mean? Indeed, if you think of it deep and long enough, you’ll realize that not all that glitters is gold. This maxim relates to so many aspects of life, including the source of wealth.

We know that all good and perfect gifts come from above. But it’s important for us to also know that the devil is always on the move, trying to figure out ways to duplicate the doings of God.

The devil can give you convenience. The devil can give you comfort. The devil can give you wealth and riches. The devil can give you knowledge. But whatever the devil gives, last only for a short while.

Convenience, comfort, wealth, riches, knowledge and so many more are the things we know to be the blessings of God. But the question is this: do these things always come from God? I will take NO for the answer because the devil doesn’t give blessings. What the devil gives is deceit in the form of blessing.

The Schemes of the Enemy

Let’s consider the Teaching of the Bible according to John 8:44. The Bible calls the devil a murderer and the father of lies. Can the father of lies give blessings? Again, I take NO for the answer. Whatever looks like a blessing that the devil gives you is not permanent!

All the gifts of the devil are temporary and the price to pay for any of them is always devastating. We often mistake the deception of the devil for the blessing of God because we are so self-centered and full of anxieties, and also because we are concerned about the cares of this world.

Now, stop thinking that the devil doesn’t know the truth. The devil is against the truth but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know the truth. The devil knows it is written in God’s Word that we should cast all our cares on God, for He cares for us.

The devil also knows it is written in God’s Word that God shall supply our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. So the devil always tries to make deceptive provisions for us, making them look like they are blessings from God. If you fall for the deception of the devil, he ensnares you and eventually destroys you.

The Importance of Waiting on God

God’s Word tells us in Philippians 4:6 that we should not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we should make our requests known to God.

God knows that until the devil and his host are finally destroyed, the devil will always set traps for us. So God always provides an escape route for us whenever the devil tries to get us entangled. Unfortunately, many people are ignoring the counsel of God and chasing after the deceptions of the devil.

It is often said, ‘’there’s no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.’’ On the contrary, a lot of people are not willing to take the stairs anymore. People want a fast breakthrough, fast success, fast this, fast that. Folks don’t want to take the stairs anymore.

And because the devil knows that people are eager to take the shortcut, he always presents fake blessings, making them look like they are real blessings. Not everything that looks like a blessing is actually a blessing! Not all that looks

like opportunities are opportunities!

As a matter of fact, some open doors are the doors to destruction! Some of the things that present themselves as opportunities are nothing but death traps! Not all that glitters is gold!

Be Always on Guard

Today, the display of spiritual gifts is everywhere. Everywhere you turn today, you hear prophecies, you see miracles taking place and you listen to energizing sermons. But the question is this: are these things really from God, or they are the fabrications of the devil?

The world today is more competitive than it has ever been. Everybody wants to be like somebody or even more than somebody. People try as hard as possible to make sure other people don’t reach their level in life. Everybody wants to be the best of the best. This competitiveness gives the devil an easy ride in deceiving us on a daily basis.

The works of the devil are to steal, kill and destroy. Therefore, he cannot give you anything without taking it back. As a matter of fact, the devil gives with one hand and takes back with the other. And when he’s taking back that which he has given you, he takes more than what he gave you.

Waiting on God is always the best thing to do. A lot of people say, ‘’God is slow but sure.’’ God is not slow! God does not exist within Time. He is outside of Time. He is eternal. But He created us and placed us within time. So when He’s dealing with us, He operates according to time. So, God is not slow; He’s the God of time.

How to Determine the Deception or Fake Blessings of the Devil

We cannot detect that we’re being deceived by the enemy. It’s important to be spiritually sensitive by asking God for spiritual wisdom and discernment. Here’s what you can do to determine if the blessing or opportunity that’s coming your way is of God or the enemy.

1. Be prayerful. Being prayerful means you make it a way of life to always talk to The Father; to seek His face and ask Him for direction, wisdom, and guidance. This means you don’t do anything before praying, you do everything after praying. When you cultivate a prayerful life, you wait to have the approval of God before taking any decision.

• Be faithful. Being faithful means you live your life, trusting in the will and purpose of God for your life. When your faith is solely in God, you trust in his Word and feed on it. Remember, the devil is more afraid of you because of the quantity of the Word of God in you than he is because of how prayerful you are.
• Be patient. Being patient is to rid yourself of anxiety. God is never unsatisfied when we draw out great plans, dreams, visions, or goals for ourselves. He even encourages us in his Word to visualize the beautiful future we want for our families and ourselves.

What will make God unsatisfied about the great plans, dreams, visions, or goals you draw out for yourself is when you fuel them with anxiety. God wants us to trust Him and wait on Him. He wants us to trust in His promises, for He has never and will never fail on His promise. Remember, the patient in spirit is greater than the proud in spirit.

• Be content. Being content does not mean you are complacent. When you are complacent, you deliberately choose to remain stagnant and you lack the vision to move forward. But when you are content, you are satisfied with what you have but still have the vision to make more progress and do better. And progress and betterment are achieved positively; anything other than that is not progress or betterment.
• Don’t be lazy. Laziness is a major reason why most people fall prey to the devil’s deception and rush for his fake blessings. God’s Word assures us that God will bless the works of our hands. God’s Word doesn’t say God will bless our empty hands. God deposited in every one of us the abilities, skills, talents, and gifts we need to succeed in this world.

So it is up to us to discover our God-given abilities, skills, talents, and gifts, as well as our purpose in life. When you cultivate the hobbit of putting your hands to work, you reduce the chance of being negatively opportunistic, which is why most people fall prey to the devil’s deception.

• Don’t be greedy. Being greedy means you are materialistic and unnecessarily unsatisfied with what you have, even if you have more than enough. Know this: He

who is greedy for gain troubles his own house but he who hates bribes will live. (Proverbs 15:27)

It’s time for us to be more sensitive to the devices of the deceiver. It’s time for us to ask God more and more for direction. It’s time for us to ask God for grace to know what is coming from Him and what is coming from the devil so that we do not fall into the snare of the devil.

Don’t allow the cares of this world to make you lose out on God’s plan and purpose for your life.

Don’t allow peer pressure to cause you to embrace the devil’s deception.

Don’t allow your needs and wants to cause you to become less prayerful, faithless, impatient, and discontented.

Don’t allow laziness or greed to cause you to not fulfill your purpose in life.

The choice is yours! But I’m encouraging you to make the right choice: a choice that pleases God! Always remember, Truth is the greatest religion!

Want to know more about how to determine if the glittering things in your life are actually gold? Book an appointment with Billy Gomez and discover your life’s purpose and establish a path towards the success that God specially designed for you. You can also get FREE lessons, bonus content, and notifications of Billy’s upcoming courses right here!