One of the most pervasive effects of total depravity is gullibility. Even today, in the most highly educated society in history, people remain amazingly gullible. Deceitful swindlers take in thousands with phony investment schemes, fake charities, bogus “get rich quick” schemes, and a myriad of other scams. They ensnare their victims through a variety of means, including ads, telemarketing, and the latest high-tech twist, spam e-mail. But far more dangerous than the petty plots of human tricksters are the deadly schemes of Satan. The former cost people their money; the latter cost them their eternal souls. Satan’s deceptions succeed because people are born into this world easily deceivable and highly temptable. The answer is the infallible word of God and leadership of the Holy Spirit.