Cut by a Mandolin

my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
Hosea 4:6a NIV

A Message from Anointed Messenger

A mandolin is a kitchen utensil used for slicing food, usually vegetables and fruit. No, this message isn't about a horrific kitchen accident; it's about people getting taken advantage of by a mandolin hustler for lack of knowledge.

I was in the grocery store when it was announced that customers who gathered in a particular area could receive a free gift. The catch was in order to receive the tiny free spiral garnishing tool we had to watch a presentation about a mandolin. I watched the salesman engage the audience, and demonstrate the mandolin's features. I listened to his words, skillfully designed to make the crowd believe they had to have his product. What I found most interesting and disturbing is the salesman didn't lead the crowd to believe his product was the best mandolin slicer, he led them to believe it was the only mandolin slicer on the market.

The salesman talked about mandolin kitchen slicers as if they were a new invention, and he had the only one. He told the people the next place they'd see his patented mandolin was on TV. He talked about other kitchen tools like cheese graters and knives, but never other mandolins. His sales pitch seemed predicated upon his audience being unaware of the wide number of mandolins already available. His utensil was decent, made of sturdy plastic and with a good blade, but it was just another plastic mandolin.

Fortunately I am very familiar with mandolins. I know there are stainless steel ones, and mandolins with various blades and features. I know what the price range is, and that you can get a plastic one for $20 at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I found one I'm happy with at Big Lots for only $10.

 

My $10 mandolin

When it was time to close the deal the salesman said his mandolin was worth $80, but today only it was $40. Several people in the crowd rushed to get the mandolin. People paid $40 for the plastic mandolin due to ignorance. I wanted to tell them that there are other mandolins out there, and to do a little research and find the one best for them. If I hadn't been blessed to have had some previous exposure and done some research I probably would have also rushed to buy the tool.

This was a reminder that people perish for lack of knowledge. Our intelligence does us no good if we do not have knowledge. I thought about how the devil, or the enemy, or whatever you call the forces against us, comes at us with deceptive sales pitches. He omits important information. He tries to make us believe he is the only source of what we want, and hides the fact that there is a better source available.

I am reminded of Jesus in the wilderness, and how satan made a sales pitch for fame, and power. [Matthew 4:8-10] This he said to the Savior of the universe, who had all power and authority. If Jesus did not know who He was and what He had, he might have succumbed to temptation.

Likewise when the enemy comes to us with lies it's important that we know the Truth. The lies can seem very plausible, and be based on the "reality" that we see. But we walk by faith and not by sight and it is the truth that will set us free. How can we respond with the Word that we do not know? When the devil tells me I am going to fail I tell him that everything I touch prospers.

There are many succumbing to temptation because they do not know God has something better for them. There are people falling away from the Lord because they do not know that in the world we will have trouble. There are too many getting duped by other religions and carried away by new age philosophies due to ignorance about their own faith/doctrine.

God's Beloved, let us pray for wisdom, for God gives it generously to all who ask.

For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:6 NIV

If you don’t have all the wisdom needed for this journey, then all you have to do is ask God for it; and God will grant all that you need. He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking.
James 1:5 The Voice

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Dear Heavenly Father,
I am thankful that I know You, and You know all things. Teach me everything I need to know. Help me study Your Word, which is more than a light to my path, but also a weapon against the enemy's lies. Do not let me fall prey to the enemy's schemes. Do not let me fall into temptation for lack of knowledge. I ask You for wisdom, knowing You will give it to me, because You give wisdom generously to all who ask.