Be Guiless! 

Text: Isaiah 53:9, 1 Peter 2:22

INTRODUCTION

Guile according to the Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary means …. a dishonest behaviour that can be used to deceive someone”. To be full of guile is to be cunning, deceitful and dishonest. God want us to be guiless in all our dealings with Him and our fellow man; children of God must be like Him, He is just and true, and does not deceive anyone; as a matter of fact, the devil is the deceiver and father of all deceivers. Christ came to set us free from the deception of the devil, so we are expected not to possess a deceitful behaviour. Many people today profess to be Christians but what is in their heart is different from their action. (Jeremiah17:9)

There are some people that embrace their neighbours, shake hands with them with smiles on their faces and laughter on their lips, but their hearts speak against the person(s), others may pretend to be with you and call you friend, but behind you they speak evil of you, and destroy  your personality, they are full of guile. Guile is Satan’s character that is not to be seen or heard among christians. Unfortunately, the church is ruled by some without the fear of God, with the ways and caprices of the devil. A man was due for promotion in his place of work; fortunately, his supervisor was his friend for decades, so people had begun to congratulate him; but his promotion was suspended, for a reason not known. It was later discovered that this supervisor whom has been his friend for over twenty years secretly spoke to the Chief Executive not to let him have the promotion. The supervisor had been a deceitful and dishonest man.

This lesson will be broken into three sections

1. An Israelite indeed… John 1:47

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said, “behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile”. When Philip introduced Christ to Nathanael, who is also known as Bartholomew, he decided to see Him. When he got to where Christ was, the expression of the Lord to him was wonderful, it startled him”…,an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile..”, meaning, he is without deceit, can the Lord look at you like Nathanael, and say a Christian  indeed in whom there’s no guile (deceit, lies, dishonesty, cunning)?.

Christians are expected to check their life style, dealings with others, and their utterances, whether they are in Christ. Are you a Christian without guile?

2) VICTIMS OF GUILE

The bible has the accounts of some people who lost their divine places because guile was found in them. Their selfish interest and pride made them victims of guile, and were duely punished for their dishonesty and deceit.

Onan-Judah’son Genesis 38:8-10

Onan was the second son of Judah, born of a Canaanite woman. Judah took a wife Tamar, for his first Son Es, but he was a wicked man, and God killed him. In order to keep his lineage from extinction, Judah asked Onah his second son to marry his brother’s wife, and raise children in his name. Onah deceitfully agreed, just to have a pleasurable relationship with her, but threw away the purpose of raising a seed for the family. So he had a different motive in his heart, completely different from his agreement with his father and his brother’s wife. Anytime he had sex with the woman he ejaculates on the ground. He was wicked, and God was not pleased with his wicked and deceitful act, so He killed him.

Christians, please check your motives why you are doing what you are doing right now, is it God’s will or you want to flatter people. You may have something else in your heart, and at the same time saying a different thing, or doing a different thing. You may act as someone going to heaven, but you’ve sold your soul to the devil; remember, the deceived and the deceiver will be thrown into the lake of fire. Repent from guile, it kills!

Gahazi – 2 kings 5:20-27

Gahazi was the servant of Elisha, when Naaman the Assyrian Army General came to seek help from the God of Israel. He got the healing he desired, but the process of salvation by grace was tempered with by Gahazi, Gahazi was a greedy, and dishonest servant of Elisha, whose greed triggered the unregenerated nature of deceit (guile) in him.

He wasn’t satisfied with the decision of his master not to take any gift from Naaman, so he decided to sneak out of his master’s physical presence (not  his spiritual presence, since Elisha spirit followed him to witness the outcome of his guile) to collect some gifts from Naaman, lieing  that his master had visitors. But he didn’t know that it was an effort to change the great plan of salvation from “the Grace of God” to “salvation by works” (Jimmy swaggart Expositors’ Bible)

The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto you and unto your seed for ever…” II Kings 5:27; Gahazi’s doom was trans generational, because the leprosy of Naaman came upon him and his seed (children) forever.

Gahazi choosed to deceive his master and his master’s guest, because he needed to acquire material things. Many people today turn white colour to black colour with their mouth because of what they want to acquire. Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:37 “let your yes be yes, and your No be No. …” Be honest, be truthful, stop being cunny. Gahazi ought to be the next prophet after Elisha, but he left his Master’s presence with leprosy; Are you a leper already?

iii)  Annanias and Sapphira

     Acts 5:1-10

There were a couple in the newly born Church after the Pentecost experience. The Revival was so great that people voluntarily sold their properties and brought the proceeds to the Apostle’s feet, for the common use of the Church, for they had all things in common.

Annias and his wife Sapphire saw the responses of the members of the Church, and decided to sell their piece of land, but they made up their mind to deceive the Apostle. Today many Christians are like this couple, they do things in the Church to get the attention of the Pastor, or the Leadership of the Church they belong.  Their hearts are far from what they display in Church, some live double standard lives, just to gain recognition in the Church. They are deceitful, not guiless, they are cunny and dishonest. Their lips speak guile, their motives are not pure, God is not pleased with such kind of people.

Annanias and Sapphira thought they can hide their ill motive from the Apostle, but failed to recognize that they were standing before God. The Spirit of God was checking their hearts, and they were found guilty of guile, and to purge the Church of such evil, the judgment of God fell on them instantly and they died in the Church. Annanias died first, because his wife came in late, in the space of three hours, she also died, like her husband. Fear came into the Church because of the instant judgment of God.

Are you living a deceitful life, guile does kill, repent from being deceitful, cunning and dishonest, and the Lord will have mercy on you and give you life. Many people tell lies as if it has no consequences, its consequences are grave. God desires truth from us, be truthful, forthright and trust worthy so that you can enjoy His goodness and mercies

3) Consequences of Guile Psalm 55:11;

“wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her street, deceit is Satan’s greatest weapon. His ambition is to make people believe that what is of God, isn’t, and that what is not of God, is”. (Jimny swaggart expositors Bible)

 But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour to kill him with guile; you shall take him from My Altar, that he may die, Exodus 21:14. The consequence of guile is death, and separation from the presence of God, God hate deception, it is Satan’s tool against the people of God. A Christian is not expected to be found with the property of the devil.

Conclusion

Psalms 32:2; 34:13, John 1:47, Revelation 14:5

When a man believes in Christ, and he is born again, his sins are forgiven and washed away. God expects him to continue in newness of life and walk with Him as dear son/daughter.

“Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputes not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile” Psalm 32:2. A guiless Christian is blessed. God expects honesty and faithfulness from His Children. A Christian must be truthful, and be without deceit in his spirit, so whosoever is without guile in his spirit is blessed; God is happy with him. Is there guile (deceit, dishonesty) in you? Examine yourself, our Lord Jesus Christ is GUILESS, we must be GUILESS.

Psalms 34:13 says keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile. The above quotation is a command. Are you a child of God? Then keep your tongue from evil; don’t allow your lip to speak deceit.  You can depend on the Holy Ghost to help you control your tongue and your lips. By strength can no man prevail, dependence on the Holy Ghost is a sure way of taming your tongue and lips from speaking guile.

It is possible to be guiless. Revelation 14:5 tells us about the redeemed of the Lord “And in their mouth was found no guile (no hypocrisy or deceit) it is the will of God for Christians to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, Matthew 5:48. So, to be guiless is the will of God, and it is very possible to attain when one’s faith and trust is absolute in Christ. Let the Lord testify of you like Andrew in John1:47. “ a Christian indeed, in whom is no Guile”.

            S/P ELOHO ENIWORE

      RECTOR, GATEWAY BIBLE                              COLLEGE