The discomfort in my stomach grew the instant I clicked on the link. The website looked exactly like it belonged to the United States Postal Service, so I entered my credit card info to pay a small reshipment fee. Discomfort turned to fear as my phone immediately erupted with text messages and a phone call from the credit card fraud department. Turns out, I was scammed. Luckily, the credit card company had my back, and I was not responsible for the $3,200 charge the scammer attempted. A couple of weeks and a reissued card later, life is again as it had been but with one big difference: I'm less of a fool.

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This episode got me thinking about trust. How do you know what to trust? How do you know what not to trust? In this digital life, it's vital to discern the answers to these two questions. I've always considered myself extremely cautious in situations such as this. What did I miss?

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The electronically linked world in which we live can easily lead us astray. That link I clicked seemed so legit. That Facebook story you just read must be true. That innocent looking device you hold in your hand makes you extremely vulnerable to deception. Would it be too scary to stress to you that deception is of the devil? You, my friend, are a target, and the gun pointed at you, is in your pocket.

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The Bible describes Satan as “the father of lies” (John 8:44). He's a ravening wolf who hides himself in sheep's clothing (Matt. 7:15). He prowls like a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Deception is emphasized as Satan's primary weapon in “The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis. In its purist form, the ultimate deception is that deception itself doesn't exist. Deception even prevailed in the most idyllic of communities:

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“'You will not certainly die,' the serpent said to the woman” (Gen. 3:4).

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If Adam and Eve can be deceived, what chance do you and I have? How do we know what we can trust?

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The answer, it turns out, is quite simple:

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Always go to the source.

With the increasing flood of electronic flotsam fighting for your fixation, how do you know what's true? How do you know what you can trust?

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Always go to the source.

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Imagine if I didn't click on that link but instead navigated myself directly to the USPS website. That would have saved me two weeks of stress.

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But that's small potatoes. We're talking an issue of Biblical proportions here – your life, for eternity.

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Imagine that, before plucking the fruit, Eve first grabbed Adam, and they both went to God to confirm what God had actually said. How many weeks of stress would that have saved humankind?

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Yes, you can be easily deceived, but that doesn't mean you should never trust. You don't need to live in fear.

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Always go to the source.

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When it comes to your life for eternity, that source is Jesus Christ.

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What does going to the source look like? Here's some ideas you can employ: Be discerning. Draw your own conclusions. Study the Bible. Learn more about who Jesus was, and is, and is to come. Pray. Go to church. Have a discussion about the last sermon. Spend time with God before spending time with that deceiving electronic targeting device. Ask Him what's true and what's not. But most importantly…

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Know your identity through Christ Jesus. Jesus defines who you are. Not anyone or anything else.

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Solomon put it so well, it bears repeating:

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

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Live in the light of this truth, not in the darkness in which that deceiving device wants so desperately to entrap you.

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I was a fool; I clicked on that link. Now, I am wiser. Think of that device in your pocket in the same way. Use it as a tool to draw yourself closer to God. In your hands, that should be its singular purpose. Anything else is deception. Anything else draws Satan closer to you. So, the next time you find yourself confused between what is truth and what is deception, remember…

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Always go to the source.

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“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

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“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa 41:10).

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Amen, come Lord Jesus.