2 Corinthians 11:3 NKJV
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. It is amazing to me how many translations add the word “devotion” to Christ in this verse when the reality is this verse is warning us not to be led astray from the devotion of Christ to us. The word “devotion” is not found in any early manuscripts. The Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, is admonishing us to remember that the Christian life “is Christ,” and we can’t allow the enemy to deceive our thinking to turn back towards ourselves to try with all sincerity to be for Christ in any situation what only Christ can be to and in us. The Christian life is all about the “simplicity” of it being about Jesus devotedly being faithful to live His life by grace in us one step at a time. Jesus is “THE WAY” in every situation because He is “THE TRUTH” in every situation because He is the Christian life. In other words, whatever you might be facing, the truth about how to deal with it is not the anxious, selfish, or angry thoughts the enemy is speaking into your mind. The truth – the way of dealing with that temptation, person, or circumstance – is simply the victory and adequacy of Christ Himself. What does Jesus think about that person or that situation? I can promise you that Jesus’s thoughts are always thoughts of love and overcoming. Don’t let the enemy complicate things in your head. Don’t let the enemy bend you back toward yourself. The simple solution to everything and every relationship is Christ – the Christ who is for you and in you.