Today, you have logged onto your computer internet and ventured into the World Wide Web. That being the case, you obviously know a little something about cyberspace. There, in that vast metropolis of strangers, lurks the malicious practice of phishing.

If you’re not familiar with that term, phishing is the deceitful practice of cyber criminals, whereby the culprit hijacks your webpage with a pretty convincing look-alike page of their own. The purpose of this deception is to trick you into providing sensitive information that they can steal, such as passwords and credit card information. Once obtained, the cyber criminal can use this information to steal your identity.

Jesus told his disciples that they would be fishers of men, but there were phishers following in their footsteps also. Of course, there were no credit cards or internet in the first century, but there certainly were evil men who tried to rob every gullible believer of their identity in Christ.

Take the Galatians, for example. Paul exhorted, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth…” He also warned the Roman believers against faith phishers (Romans 16:17-18); as did Jesus himself, on many occasions.

Dear reader, may we exert the same diligence as the Bereans, who “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day…” (Acts 17:11). By so doing, we will safeguard our faith, never falling into a web of deception, nor becoming ensnared by those who have gone phishing.