Matthew 22:16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.” NIV

Who is speaking here? The Pharisees. What are they doing? Trying to trap Jesus. Notice how they begin with respect, teacher; the Pharisees call Him teacher. So often the enemy will come at you first by putting you at easy, coming to you as if they are a friend.

Then they try to puff Him up with flattering words like integrity and truth. Both are true but the heart behind those comments is anything but sincere. The words sound nice but the hearts of those men were cloaked to disguise their intent.

Then comes the inadvertent lie. They state what they believe to be true but is so far from truth that only Jesus Himself might see it for the lie it is in truth. “You pay no attention” is the lie. It is subtle but it is there. The serpent in the garden was subtle, now these men are exposed for who they truly serve.

Psalm 44:21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Jesus knows full and well what was going on in the hearts of men. He is not deceived, nor does He want us to be deceived. It is His desire that we see the truth for what it is and a lie likewise. Truth mixed with error is the way of the enemy. It is a mixed bag.

So often we do not listen with our spiritual ears because we are busy thinking about what to say next. We wait for the opportunity to speak rather than listen. The enemy counts on it because he knows we are impatient.

Proverbs 1:5a A wise man will hear