I’ve Been Duped

I was incredulous! There’s no way Mrs. Lois Evans would start following me on Twitter. No way. Tony Evans wife? Priscilla Schreier’s mom? No way! Ok, Girl, breathe and investigate this…

(Background on the business side of writing—One of the tasks writers must do is build a “Tribe,” a group of people who love us and what we write. These are the people who’ll be pumped when our books (or Bible studies) are published and will pre-order one for themselves and everyone they know…right?? 😉 So when a new person follows our blog or social media sites, we have every reason to rejoice and give thanks. But those who subscribe to our blog are our people, our team. They’re the ones who’ll help promote us, our blog, and our book to everyone they know. They’re the first layer in our network.They share our links on their own feeds and do all they can to help us build a solid reader base. So the potential of someone as amazing as Mrs. Evans following me at this stage made me skeptical.)

…I went to her website and clicked the Twitter icon. The site looked the same so I scrolled through it and compared it to the one I was followed by—SAME SITE! Is this for reals? I called my MIL and told her the story. I was afraid to hope. I was expecting a voice of reason, but she hopped on the train and we fast-tracked it to Happy Town! I couldn’t believe the sites were the same! And yet…there was that nagging feeling that wouldn’t go away…

So I did more digging. It made no sense why this influential woman southern woman would notice a nobody northern girl like me. So I compared the sites side-by-side. They looked the same, but they weren’t identical. One was a near-perfect copy of the original, but it was a fraud. And her real site is @MrsLoisEvans the imposter is @mrsloisevans.

I wouldn’t have seen the subtle difference if I hadn’t looked at the sites closely side-by-side. But when I did, I was PO’ed! I was duped—by a VERY good impersonator. I was embarrassed and then deeply saddened because I followed them as a test. I got a sweet initial message followed by a request for my full name…ummm—no.

Then God spoke to my heart—That’s also how Satan works. He counterfeits everything I do to damage your faith and keep others from following Me. You’ve asked for a discerning heart, and you followed those instincts before damage could be done. Baby, you will know when something is from my hand.

I realized I dropped my guard and allowed myself to be deceived. I gave Satan an opportunity to wreak havoc in my life because I was focused on my growing Tribe rather than the crouching lion waiting to devour me. He disguised himself as an angel of light but was a hideous deceiver. Once I recognized my sin, I confessed and received my Saviors forgiveness.

See, when we submit wholeheartedly to Jesus we can resist Satan and make him run away—with his tail between his legs. I then clung to Jesus’s words: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (Jn 10:10). He’s got my back. This is His project, I am just the vessel. He will take care of the details as long as I remain faithful to His call on my life.

Imposters are getting better at covering their tracks. And even though Satan will soon be crushed under our feet. he’s currently on the prowl because he knows his time is short. So stay alert! Suit up! Put on your Armor! Stand Firm! And remember the Spirit living in you is greater than Satan could every hope or dream to be.

I’m thankful for what this experience taught me. I’m trusting my Savior to grow my Tribe— people who love me and my writing. Thank you for being one of them.

Blessings.