THE SNARE OF DECEPTION

  THE SNARE OF DECEPTION 

" For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear..." 2 Timothy 4:3  

"Do they not go astray who devise evil and wander from the way of righteousness? But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good." Proverbs 14:22 AMP

-WHAT CAN WE DO?

-HELPS AND ADMONITIONS

-OPEN DOORS TO DECEPTION

-WARNING SIGNS

-THOSE DECEPTIONS FROM WITHOUT

-WILL WE RECOGNIZE HIM WHEN HE COMES, WHAT IF GOD IS DOING SOMETHING, HOW DO WE KNOW?

-RIGHT, WRONG, CAREFUL

-ARE SIGNS AND WONDERS ALWAYS PROOF?

-COUNTERFEITS TO THE WALK OF FAITH

WHAT CAN WE DO?

 Deception has always been and will continue to be a concern until Jesus returns. Although it is extremely serious, we must never be driven by fear, but rather by faith in the keeping power of God our Savior. Our focus and faith must remain completely on Him. "Now to Him Who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty dominion and power, both now and ever, AMEN!                    Jude 24-25 God our Heavenly Father has fully equipped us with everything we need to succeed in this journey of faith. "Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. According as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that called us to glory and virtue." 2 Peter 1:2-3 Only let us not be arrogant and presumptuous. "Therefore, let him that thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall." 1 Corinthians 10:12 Nevertheless, let us look at some important considerations.

THE FIRM FOUNDATION

 Dear friends, first and foremost, it is imperative that we build our lives on the firm foundation, which is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Solid Rock. "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."         1 Corinthians 3:11 The deity of Christ, His virgin birth, His holy life, His death, burial,  resurrection, and His return..., are non-negotiables. 

Some things that help us keep a stable walk with Jesus:

- Believe the Bible at face value in its entirety whether it is hard to grasp or not: Resolve this, that the Bible is the WORD OF GOD. It is only from the Bible that we get the most certain knowledge of God and His will. All that mankind needs to know regarding Him, His will, His ways, His purpose, has been recorded there. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken away from it. Every revelation, teaching, or prophetic utterance must line up with the Scriptures, and conform to the character and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. When combating the Devil, Jesus said, "It is written..."  Matthew 4:4,7,10. You may run across people, even preachers who will say that what the Bible says at face value is not what it really means. Please beware! Remember how the Devil tempted Eve, "Has God said...?" Then the devil went on to blatantly refute God's warning saying, "... you surely shall not die." Genesis 3:1,4 and he is still using the same tactics today!

- There are things in the Bible that may be hard to accept and may even go against the grain of your upbringing, values, sense of justice, and your reason or the assumptions and conclusions of others. Shelve it, believe God's Word over your own understanding and values ("Let God be true and every man a liar..." Romans 3:4), and leave it with Him knowing that His understanding and wisdom are infinite, and His judgments are perfect. He can never do wrong or be unjust. Never oppose the Word of God, and be leery of how people may interpret it. Remember, many of our cultural, social, and even personal values can be diametrically opposed to God's. "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'" Isaiah 55:8-9 Because of this, there are many things we might not get, at least initially. So leave hard to understand and hard to reconcile passages with the Lord. Someday you may get a revelation. But be assured, there are things we may never clearly understand. (One aspect of the Bible that some stumble over is the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The revelations of the Old Testament are veiled to us until we turn to Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:14-16. Indeed, they are complementary, not contrary.

HELPS AND ADMONITIONS

-“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23. DECEPTION IS PRIMARILY AND ISSUE OF HEART "...because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they might be damned who believed not the truth, had pleasure in unrighteousness."  2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 The motives or our heart will determine our vulnerability to deception.

- DON'T TRUST YOUR HEART AND CONSTANTLY CHECK YOUR MOTIVES "He that trusts in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walks wisely, he shall be delivered." Proverbs 28:26, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? 'I the Lord, search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." Isaiah 17:9-10 We must constantly monitor what is going on in our hearts and minds. Where are our affections, values, and interests focused? "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind (affections)  on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3 During our daily cares and duties of life we are constantly being bombarded with things that are relentlessly challenging our obedience and faith in Christ. So be diligent in your personal mental and heart housekeeping. No, we don't run and hide, but neither do we allow just anything, no matter how appealing or seemingly harmless, to wander into our hearts and grab our thinking and our affections. Stay alert and be on your guard! You are in a war.  If you are entertaining an interest that may have no recourse against it in the Scriptures as far as you can see, still determine where Christ fits in? Keep everything in its proper place.

- ABIDE IN THE FEAR OF GOD AND THE LOVE OF CHRIST - "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil." Proverbs 6:6 "But you, beloved, building up yourselves on you most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 20-21  The fear of the Lord will help keep us humble, teachable, and out of trouble.  A healthy fear of the Lord is gained through knowing the Scriptures of the Bible, learning His ways, His Commands, and His judgments. The Love of Christ will help clarify our discernment and our judgments. "...that your love may about more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best, and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11 The love of God is maintained by a daily walk with Jesus by obeying His Word and communing with Him. "...he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him." 1 John 4:16 Is there a better place to be?

-BEING FAITHFUL - "Because you have kept the work of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Revelation 3:10, "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight. And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes..." Luke 12:35-36 There is something to be said about being faithful that we may not find so appealing at times, but God our Heavenly Father holds faithfulness in high regard. When Moses was forty days on Mount Sinai, Joshua waited faithfully for Him while the rest of Israel lost patience, made an idol, and forsook the Lord. Joshua and Caleb were faithful to the commands of God through Moses and were the only men from the original army to make it into the Promised Land. They were not dissuaded by the doubts and fears of the others. God held the sons of Jonadab (Jeremiah 35:12-19) in high honor with a promise of continual service to Him because they stayed faithful to obey their father's strict and seemingly unreasonable commands. As we abide faithful to the Lord and His heavenward calling, His grace keeps us safely in His care.

Let us look at some of the very pertinent issues that expose us or make us susceptible to deception.

  OPEN DOORS TO DECEPTION

Those from within:

 - Pride - “Pride comes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 "...God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and we will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..." James 4:6-8 This relentless adversary, which dwells within our innermost being, must constantly be kept in check. It always has to be right, the most important, and have its own way. It readily shows its ugly head when we are opposed, reproved, or corrected in some way. May the Lord ever help us be humble, teachable, and correctable. Appropriately submitting to authority is a good safeguard, and specifically, adhering to the Scriptures. Correction is constantly needed in our lives to help keep us on course, very similar to a ship tacking in the wind. In order to stay on our heading we must constantly make little corrections. We correct ourselves when we are aware, and the Lord corrects as we faithfully yield to Him. He sometimes uses those around us, and authorities.  Pride makes us resistant to instruction, discipline, and correction. "Therefore let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall." 1 Corinthians 10:12

- DISCONTENTMENT -  A DECEPTION, OR AN AWAKENING - "And Jesus said to them, 'I am the Bread of life. He that comes to Me shall never hunger, and he that believes in Me shall never thirst.'" John 6:35 Discontentment may have a valid place in our lives, what we must determine is WHY we are feeling discontented. Have we been drifting, or are we being deceived? Let's look at discontentment a little closer.

- HAVE YOU COME TO JESUS? DO YOU BELIEVE IN HIM?

1- If we are discontented with our 'religion', maybe there is a valid reason. Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life! In Him is complete satisfaction. That is the difference between Jesus and serving religion. Have you surrendered your life to Jesus? "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:20 You see, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ results in the most intimate relationship, and not religion. When someone's life would not line up to that of a disciple of Jesus, the senior pastor who mentored me would say, "Check the birth certificate."  Jesus said, "You must be born again." John 3:7 We cannot be something we are not. 

2 - If discontentment is a result of personal spiritual dryness, then we must take inventory of OURSELVES. Our faith, our walk with the Lord, is our responsibility and no one else's. If we find our self discontent with our walk with Jesus, it is not on His part! We reap what we sow. If we sow a little, expect a small harvest. He gave us a simple command to love Him with all our heart, and with all of our soul, and with all of our mind, and with all of our strength. And the other part is to love our neighbor as our self. Mark 12:29-31 This is a full and rich life, both within our deepest innermost being and without. Nothing is left out. Where are your focus and efforts?

3 - "Many therefore of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, 'This is a hard saying, who can hear it?  In our walk with Jesus, He will reveal things to us that He wants us to accept, change, do, or not do. If at some point we refuse, that is the point where we will stop growing. Expect dryness, dissatisfaction, and even guilt. This is not the glorious life Jesus has purchased for us on the cross. If He wants us to do something, no matter how hard it seems, you can be sure He will amply supply you the grace to see it through, and joy and praise will be at the other end. A danger that can happen is that you may still want to hold on to your faith in Jesus (which is good), however, you will likely seek out and find a Jesus, or a fellowship that will allow you to hold on to the idol that the Lord wants to free you from (anything that gets between us and the Lord is an idol). We then become deceived and are subject to error. You will likely find yourself in contention with other Christians, and find reading the Bible a condemning exercise.

 Dear friends, this is a caution coming from the other direction. There is also the possibility that you may have believed either by your own assumption or by a voice outside (another teaching) that the Lord wanted you to do something yet you just couldn't wrap your heart and mind around it ("For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.") and now you feel condemned and a failure. If God is wanting you to do something, everything is already there for you. If the devil is deceitfully prompting you, then it will be a huge stumbling block ending in guilt, shame, discouragement, and assumed failure. Talk to your pastor and talk to Jesus about it. Jesus' yoke is easy and his burden is light Matthew 11:30

4 - If our discontentment is a result of our church life-  There are a few points to consider here. Our walk with Jesus is not to be centered around our church life, rather our church life is to be the outflow of our walk with Jesus. From this point, Christian community goes hand-in-hand with our walk with Jesus. In fact, we cannot separate the two. When we get saved, we are birthed into the body of Christ. We are family, joined by the same faith, having the same Spirit of Christ in our hearts, and God is our Heavenly Father. We go to church for fellowship, inspiration, encouragement, extra instruction, and to worship our Lord with other believers because the Bible tells us so, "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as we see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25. If we find our church life dry and unfulfilling we must examine why. Do we go filled up already, or do we go empty? If we go empty and expect others to fill us up, that is a concern. Now there are times when we can sure use a boost from the house of God, and that is as it should be, but you had better be looking to Jesus and not people because people will let you down, and it is really from Him only that we get refreshing; howbeit,  His refreshing often comes through other people. Truly, there are times when the church meetings lack the anointing and power ("For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in Power." 1 Corinthians 4:20) and there can be a multitude of reasons for that. So seek the Lord and ask Him what is it that He expects you to do about it, then do it, and keep doing it until He redirects you. We are not there just for our own benefit, but for the glory of God, and for the love of His people. The danger here is that from this point of discontentment, many saints end up joining cults, groups driven by people who promise you "MORE OF THE LORD" but it usually ends up in slavery of some kind. It is true that many of our Churches get bogged down in traditions and lifeless repetitions. I have seen it where there is a constant movement of people going from one church fellowship to another. Initially, it looks like church growth, but in reality, God's people are hungry and looking for a more living expression of the Spirit of Christ and His power, and that is as it should be. This should be a concern for the church leadership to take notice. There are times when we have to just ride it out to the best of our ability, but ever seeking the Lord for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit. When Jesus is lifted up and glorified, there is life, healing, and SALVATIONS! I have been going to church since I was a child, and I have seen all kinds of situations. Through it all, I have learned to daily dig deeply for my own walk with Jesus, be faithful in whatever situation I find myself in, and PRAY. We need to be filled with His Holy Spirit, and stay filled, and never let the love of Christ grow cold in our hearts, or that is when we leave ourselves to become a target for deception.

- UNHEALED WOUNDS AND OFFENCES - "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." Hebrews 12:15 

  Natural wounds and hurts that are not properly tended to can become infected, so it is with emotional and spiritual wounds and offenses. They can cause our hearts to become hardened and become an open door for bitterness, resentment, anger, and worse, to set in. While under these influences, if we are not seeking help and healing from Jesus, we can become extremely vulnerable and easy targets to the deceptive influences of the devil who will gladly feed our armory with all the bitter ammo we need to stay in that condition. Many people fall into this snare and close the door to Jesus Christ because of hurts and offenses caused by Christians, and thus fall back into the clutches of the world. If we hold on to our wounds and offences they could lead to our destruction. Instead of running from Jesus, we need to turn to Him for our healing and salvation lest they succeed in taking us out. If we become irreconcilable, we will end up in deception. Dear Lord Jesus, help us be ever so careful in how we treat others, and be ever ready to humble ourselves so as to help reconcile those who are hurt and offended. "But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother 'Raca.' shall be in danger of the council, but whosoever shall say, 'YOU FOOL.' shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has aught against you, leave there your gift before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Matthew 5:22-24 Dear friends, God is stressing the absolute importance and responsibility of us helping keep our brother or our neighbor from stumbling and grievously sinning before God Almighty. The offense might be theirs, but their welfare is our concern! That is the love of Christ.

- The Deceitfulness of Sin - "But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13 (again notice our collective responsibility to help hold one another up) Toying with sin is an open door for deception, both self-deception and or the deception of others. Sin has its appeal, but its end is death. "But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death." James 1:14-15

WARNING SIGNS

-  Being ashamed of Jesus Christ and the cross: “For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when He shall come in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26, Galatians 6:14 

  Temptations to be embarrassed in public because of our insecure nature is a common reaction to uncomfortable circumstances, but that is not the focused concern here. Why are we embarrassed? If it is because we are still in love with the world, and Jesus and the cross seems like foolishness, then we are in danger. Listening to those who say, "There is another way." or, "Jesus isn't the Only Way." or, "You are taking that too seriously." feeds that. Demas, one of Paul's co-workers seemed to have this problem. "For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world... 2 Timothy 4:10 

-Avoiding fellowship with other Christians: “But if we walk in the light and He is in the light, then we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

 Unhindered faith in Jesus will automatically produce a desire in us to search out and be with other believers in Christ. If disobedience or rebellion are in our hearts we will not likely seek out fellowship with our brothers in Christ, which is a clear indication that we are off course and a sheep outside the fold = we become an easy target.

 - When we start to defend questionable behavior we are moving headlong into deception. May we never be careless in toying with what we may think is a harmless distraction, a "LITTLE SIN" if there is such a thing, whatever it may be: dishonesty, getting drunk or stoned, pornography, greed, godless passions...  Dear friends, is it worth the risk, the danger, the consequences. When we yield to sinful, godless practices (activities that Jesus is not invited to be a part of, or would not be a part of), we become blind and forget the admonitions of the Scriptures. "...do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?" James 4:4  Without realizing it, we can find ourselves in the wrong camp, and possibly eventually, a concentration camp - the kind you don't realize that you are in until you try and get out.  On a further note, even if we are not personally partaking in any of these activities, yet if we support those who do, we are deceived thinking that we are showing them love and compassion. Instead, we have made ourselves their enemies by not praying for their deliverance and or warning them. We are encouraging them to their own destruction and are thus as deceived as they are. We are then in fact serving their master who is intent on their destruction.                             

-  If what the Bible calls sin does not disturb us (“...lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:13), we have become compromised and are vulnerable to deception. The Bible says that we are to "abhor that which is evil, and to cleave to that which is good." Romans 12:9 The more we are exposed to a sin, the less dangerous or repulsive it becomes to us, and we are in greater danger of endorsing or embracing it. 

- Not Loving Your Brother - "He that loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and knows not where he goes, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."     1 John 2:10-11 This is straightforward and clear. If we are not walking in love toward our brothers in Christ, we are BLIND, AND ARE WALKING IN ERROR! If there is offense, clean it up. If there is unforgiveness, forgive, and love as Jesus loves us. But don't allow a closed heart to rule our faith, our love, our destiny!!! Not all reconciliation is possible, or best, but love is always possible. In all these things, because God requires it of us, HE WILL HELP US. Please receive His loving grace, forgive, and love one another.

-  CRUSADING - "And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, will you that we command fire to come down from Heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?' But He turned and rebuked them, and said, 'You know not what spirit you are of. For the Son of man  is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.'" Luke 9:54-56. Anytime we are attacking people or things, we are NOT moving in the Spirit of Christ and serving in the Kingdom of God. In Christ we confront IF HE SO DIRECTS, but attacking has an aggressive and violent spirit behind it, which is not the Lord. "But speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ." Ephesians 4:15. "The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."  2 Timothy 2:24-26 

  It is necessary to address this issue a little more clearly. As followers of Jesus, we likely become zealous for righteousness, "Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6  What we must be careful about is where and how we focus our zeal. We easily become crusaders for what we think is right, and the devil is anxious to employ us. Take the Crusades for example. Do you see how believers were drawn into that quest? No doubt many were forced into it, but still, it was supposedly in the name of God, but NOT according to the teachings of Christ. Let us look at another crusade, one which we can also easily fall into "rallying to the defense of the supposed 'OPPRESSED!'  Now rallying to the defense of the oppressed is the heart of God our Heavenly Father and the purpose of Christ, but we must be ever so careful how we engage, and be certain of the actual issue(s). In the book of, Judges 19-21, a most terrible situation occurred comparable to the situation of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19,  where a Levite was traveling from Bethlehem with his wife (who was unfaithful to him) and his servant to his home in Mount Ephriam. They stopped to spend the night in Gibeah, a town of Benjamin. An old man took them into his place so they would not have to spend the night in the city square. That evening the men of Gibeah came to the old man's house because they wanted to rape the Levite. The Levite threw his wife out to them and they abused her all night and she laid lifeless at the door in the morning. The Levite divided her into twelve pieces and sent them to the twelve tribes to notify them of the corruption in Gibeah. Israel assembled together to confront the men of Gibeah to execute judgment against them. Instead, the tribe of Benjamin rallied together against all the other tribes to defend the men of Gibeah as if the men of Gibeah were being unjustly treated. It became a horrible bloodbath and the tribe of Benjamin was almost completely wiped out. Dear brothers and sisters, over time we Christians have been drawn into battles and the defense of things that are diametrically opposed to the Word of God and the Cause of Christ, all the while thinking we are doing right and even doing God a service. We must be ever so careful of who and what influences we are under lest we find ourselves working against the very God we claim to serve. We have the Bible in which we have the full knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ, and we have His Holy Spirit. May we be ever so careful to walk in the fear of God and the Love of Christ to avoid being seduced into the affairs of the world, of mankind, and the devil, by using the righteous fire Christ birthed in us to serve their causes. Ignorantly, we can be fighting God just as Gamaliel warned the Sanhedrin Acts 5:39. If we see any of our attitudes, beliefs, or behavior that oppose God's commands, or that do not reflect the character and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ and do not demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit "...love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control." Galatians 5:22-23, we know that we are off course and a target for deception.

- NOT RESOLVING DOUBTS - "Take heed, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the Living God." Hebrews 3:12 Doubts and fears we struggle with all our life, but we must resolve this, that we will stand on the Word of God and faith in Jesus Christ no matter what, and trust Him with your eternal soul. Toying with doubts is a dangerous game to play. The devil is waiting at the door. So settle it and believe God no matter what. "It is written...?"

THOSE DECEPTIONS FROM WITHOUT  "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing of whom you have learned them." 2 Timothy 3:13-14

 As we draw nearer to the end times the deceptions of the satanic forces will increase and intensify. "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold I (Jesus) have told you before." Matthew 24:24-25

TOLERATING EXPOSURE "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causes to err from the words of knowledge." Proverbs 19: 27 KJV 

 - Be leery of exposing ourselves to things that defy, mock, and oppose the Bible and its Holy and Moral teachings.  "To the law and to the testimony ( the Old and the New Testament): if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light(dawn) in them." Isaiah 8:20. Often we absorb ourselves (without even realizing it) with entertainment, education, media, books etc... that fill our minds with behavior and values that sometimes fully contradict the Word of God and the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear friends, we must be ever so diligent to filter out of our minds and hearts that which is not according to the Word of God lest it grow into a belief or even an ungodly pursuit. If we stay well-fed by: reading the Scriptures, listening to sound teaching, and being faithful in fellowship with other Christians, we will easily be able to recognize what is contrary to the Word of God and should have no difficulty avoiding being seduced. STUDENTS BE CAREFUL!!! Stay close to Jesus and the Word of God, and solid Christian fellowship, and do not allow anyone to turn you away from your faith in Christ and believing the Bible! 

  What if the findings of Science appear to contradict the teachings of the Scriptures? Don't worry, the Bible will always prove true in the end when all the knowledge is complete. First of all, settle it. The Scriptures are the Word of God and are true regardless of whatever is put forward. There are a few possibilities: either our understanding of the Scriptures is presumptuous, and or the Scientific data is incomplete and or incorrectly interpreted. Remember Science, unlike God's Creation, is evolving as we attain to new abilities and new knowledge and understanding. So don't let it scare you into doubt or especially unbelief. The unbelief driven by the proud presumptions or arrogant assumptions of aggressive atheism is contrary to Science in its purest form. Albert Einstein said, "I want to know God's thoughts, the rest are details."

-Be Careful of Your Associations - "Bad company corrupts good character."                   1 Corinthians 15:33 Those we associate with and who are our comrades influence us far more than we may assume, and if we are not careful, our values, Christ-centered perspectives, and ultimately our life's course can give way to the values and ideals of  others. "Be not unevenly yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion has light with darkness?        2 Corinthians 6:14. Absolutely, we love people earnestly, especially our friends, but be aware of where they are coming from and where they are heading from God's perspective. We are to influence them for Christ, and not the other way around.

- PREDATORS - 

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits... Matthew 7:15-16  - Be on your guard against those who flash prominent credentials but oppose the Bible/the Word of God. Never be impressed or intimidated by the opinions, conclusions, glamor, prestige, and persons of men, especially if they oppose or defy the Bible, for they too will face the judgment of Christ, no matter how right and intelligent they sound!  They may be impressive speakers, have a good knowledge of the Bible, and even walk in the supernatural, even the gifts of the Spirit. "Many will say unto Me (Jesus) in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name have cast out devils, and in Your name done many wonderful works?' And then I will profess unto them, 'I never knew you. Depart from Me you that work iniquity.'" Matthew 7:22-23 Again, we look at the fruit of their works and lives. Jesus' description of "wolves in sheep's clothing" gives us a clear picture of the issue we face. There are people who may sound nice, act nice, look nice, but are actually enemies of our souls. He said that as we watch what they produce in their life, we will be able to identify the warning signs. They typically prey on our weaknesses: our hurts, doubts, fears, pride, greed and lusts, and our discontentments... They are flatters, they avoid authorities, and they draw people unto themselves. They are fault-finders and attack churches. They make enticing promises of amazing revelations and greater liberties. They appeal to whatever we feel is lacking in our lives, or our walk with Jesus (which is on us, not on Him). Anyone who draws us away from complete trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone and the work He has done for us on the cross, or who refutes the teachings of the Bible is not of God. Jesus addresses this in the Gospels. In the epistles of the apostles especially in 2 Thessalonians 2, 2 Timothy 3, 2 Peter 2&3, and Jude this is addressed even further.

WILL WE RECOGNIZE HIM WHEN HE COMES, WHAT IF GOD IS DOING SOMETHING, HOW DO WE KNOW?

  While examining the topic of deception, I thought it necessary to add a couple of points concerning what we can fall into while on the quest of being in the will of God and Biblically sound. The Lord tries our hearts and He allows the devil to throw curves at us to try and get us to swing. If he threw curves at Jesus, and at the apostle Paul who was zealous for the Pharaisee's version of Judaism to the point of persecuting the Church, do we think we are any less vulnerable?

 Hearing about the "TORONTO BLESSING" in 1994-5, and that God was visiting Canada again, I decided to swing by and see what was going on while on my way to see my parents and family in Quebec. I was confident that because of my devotion and consecration to Jesus, my intense diligence with the Bible, my constant involvement in the Gospel work, and being filled with the Holy Spirit, that it would be trivial for me to determine if this was of God or not (please pardon my vial arrogance). Initially, at the at this former Vineyard church, I was impressed with the presence of the Lord; however as things moved on, strange and what I thought to be ridiculous behavior, threw me for a loop. I walked out angry and disillusioned. But, because of my immediate financial situation I couldn't get out of Toronto at that time. Annoyed, frustrated, and angry even with the Lord, I asked Him what I should do. I felt strongly in my heart that He wanted me to go back and give it another chance. Well, not having any other option I returned. That night in the evening service God met me wonderfully. The testimonies of the wonderful works of God and the conversions were glorious and refreshing. Then Pastor John Arnot gave a beautiful message that challenged my heart. By the end, I had one of the best encounters of the Lord I ever had. Also, I got an answer about something that puzzled me in the Scriptures by seeing it taking place before me. What I find concerning, and almost scary, is how confident and self-assured we can be by highly regarding our personal faith and standing with God, and how easily we can miss Him, thinking all along we have the corner on Him and His ways. To think, I nearly went away believing the worst and missing out on the revelations and blessings He had in store for me. In keeping with this thought, I have presented this next observation.

- BLINDED BY STANDING - All Israel awaited the Messiah in Jesus' day, and few were waiting more intently than the Scribes, Pharisees, and the Sadducees. We are all familiar with their reception of Jesus. So what went wrong? I particularly want to address the situation with the Sadducees. The Sadducees were the priests. Unlike the Pharisees, who apparently were not specifically descendants of the tribe of Levi, Paul, a Pharisee, was of the tribe of Benjamin. Only those who were direct descendants of the tribe of Levi, particularly the Kohathies, and specifically the descendants of Aaron, were allowed into the priesthood. Those we call the Sadducees were descendants of Zadok the priest, a branch of Aaron's descendants. They gained a special standing before the Lord during the days of the backslidings of Judah because they remained faithful to the Lord. "But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to me to minister unto Me, and they shall stand before Me to offer unto Me the fat and the blood, said the Lord God." Ezekiel 44:15 

 The sons of Zadok maintained that status throughout all the tribulations of the Jewish people until the day of Jesus, upholding the faith and the traditions. It seems that when the revelation of God wanes we tend to drift into one of two directions, complacency or rigid religion."Where there is no revelation the people cast off restraint (careless living), but blessed is he who keeps the law." Proverbs 29:18 "...by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight...." Romans 3:20, "Why, because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law..." Romans 9:32

  During this time they began to drift from the revelation of faith into a solely natural worldview of religion. Indeed they still believed in God and followed the laws of God, but lost the revelation of the Scriptures which enables us to perceive the spiritual and eternal aspects of God, His heart, and our hope. "And when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council,'Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; for the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question'...For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both." Acts 23:6,8 Do you see how far off they drifted from the Spirit of God and the revelations of the Scriptures? Now both the Pharisees and the Sadducees were blinded by their arrogance regarding the knowledge of the Scriptures, which blinded them to the heart of the Scriptures which is Christ the awaited Messiah, even though they were in their minds waiting for Him. "But his people (the common people) who know not the law are cursed." John 7:49. So who was actually cursed? Jesus pointed out to the leaders, "Truly, I say to you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you believed him not, but the publicans and the harlots believed him..." Matthew 21:31-32  This is a huge concern for us today. Some of us critically look at the religious leaders of the day and are confident that we would not be as blind and deceived as they were, but are we, and would we be? For sure, if we love Jesus, we would not treat our brothers the way they persecuted the Church, but would we oppose brothers who have come in the name of the Lord, but do not do things the way we believe they should? Obviously, this does not include blasphemous, ungodly, or immoral instruction and behavior. Remember how Jesus addressed the Scribes and the Pharisees regarding their confidence that had they been in the days of the prophets they would have not persecuted them Matthew 23:29:32.

 Throughout the New Testament there are instructions that we must take seriously. 

- RIGHT, WRONG, and CAREFUL 

   - "...know those that labor among you..." 1 Thessalonians 5:12 Although this may translate more accurately "Acknowledge," we must be aware of the people who come to minister to us in the name of the Lord. Now we must be careful because they challenged Jesus with this "...there came to Him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and they said to Him, 'By what authority do You these things, and who gave You this authority to do these things?'" Mark 11:27-33 By the way, they did know Jesus' background and upbringing, "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Juda? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things? Matthew 13:55-56, "Others said, 'This is the Christ.' But some said, 'Shall Christ come out of Galilee?'" John 7:41 KJV & NAS. In their eyes, Jesus was authoritatively taking all these liberties without coming through the "Proper Channels" who were supposedly them, who were the God-given overseers of His people. Jesus did acknowledge that they sat in Moses' seat Matthew 23:1-3 and in fact, He did answer their question by basically saying that He was operating under the same authority as John the Baptist, whom they also would not recognize even though they could not refute the fruit of his ministry. Jesus clarified what they were not getting by saying, "For I say to you, from now on  you shall not see Me until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" Matthew 23:39  How willing are we to say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."? The challenge for all of us is being able to recognize and acknowledge who God is sending, and who He is not sending. Understandably, leaders do not tend to recognize those who come to minister to the people unless they come through their ranks = right, wrong, and careful.

-Right, because they have the God-given responsibility to watch over God's flock, and protect us from deceivers.

-Wrong, because God does not need to use us, nor our approval when He sends someone, nor does He need to do things the way we think He should. Jesus' twelve apostles did not come through the ranks of the Sanhedrin, although Paul sort of did - interesting! (Paul's in-depth knowledge of the Scriptures, when revealed in Christ, enabled him to, from the Scriptures, unveil God's glorious plan of salvation that was concealed in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. How cool is that!). Certainly, God will never do anything that contradicts His Word, but He may do something that we do not see or clearly understand in His Word. Without realizing it, we are sometimes in the way of what He wants to do, all the while thinking we are doing exactly according to His will. Because of this, it is sometimes necessary for Him to move outside our ranks, and without our approval. Imagine that. The new Church did not realize that He also wanted to bring the Gentiles into His Kingdom. That was a radical revelation to the Jewish Christians. He used Peter by catching him off guard, and Peter still faced opposition from within their ranks Acts 11:1-3.

-Right  - There should be credibility in those who are leading, guiding, and influencing His people. There should always be accountability. People who do not recognize authority tend to be an authority unto themselves, and only Jesus has that role. Those who act in such a way will lead people unto themselves and not to Christ.

-Wrong, because the leaders were also being corrected by God (after Jesus resurrection many priests got saved Acts 6;7). They were not rightly dividing the Word of God that they were using. Furthermore, He was ushering in the New Covenant and sending the Messiah Whom they acknowledged from the Scriptures that He was coming; however, they had been so blinded by their traditions and twisted focus of the Scriptures that they could not recognize Him when He came.

- Careful: Certainly none of us, either as individuals or as a Church fellowship or organization, has the corner on the Word of God. We as individuals, and each fellowship, must diligently hold on to the truths of the Bible that the Lord has revealed to us, but be carefully open to change, adjust, or embrace what He needs to teach, or reveal, or pass on to us without compromising the truth of the Scriptures. This is where we must walk in the holy fear of the Lord, be wise, and be led by the Holy Spirit in accordance with the doctrines of the Scriptures. Oh how we must be HUMBLE, TEACHABLE, AND CORRECTABLE, and yet STEADFAST.

 As for knowing those who labor among us, Jesus said that we would know them by their fruits.  Even though Jesus' doctrines were revolutionary to those of the Jewish people of His day, being the Messanger of the New Covenant, He only continually pointed them to God His Heavenly Father, and flawlessly referred to and kept the integrity of the Scriptures. Today, because we are in the New Covenant, we have the Spirit of Christ, and we have the full recordings of the New Covenant penned, we have a better understanding of what to expect than they did. Still, the church has not yet come to "the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man unto man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things, Who is the Head, even Christ... Ephesians 4:13-15 In other words, He has more work to do in us as His Church to bring us to that place of perfection as the Bride of Christ until He returns. Therefore we must be ever so careful about how we perceive, what we criticize, or how we judge. Our pride and arrogance might cause us to fight and oppose the very thing we have been waiting on God for because it isn't wrapped the way we thought it should be. May the Lord be gracious.

 -RIGHT, WRONG, AND CAREFUL -So the leadership of the Church has the responsibility to monitor everyone who comes to the flock of God to minister. They should have a lifestyle above reproach and sound doctrine (1 Timothy 3). Where the problems have arisen is that the Church over the centuries has been guilty of persecuting those who had revelations from the Scriptures that did not match the traditions, understanding, and knowledge of the dominant church organization at the time.

 Typically, what we call and recognize as revivals or reformations, has a history of being persecuted, particularly by the most former move of God. Now, what does not help is the human error that causes stumbling blocks to those scrutinizing. Some extreme, eccentric, or even unbiblical behavior demonstrated by some of the participants can smear the credibility of the work God is doing. Furthermore, there are those who ride the wave of a move of God to take advantage of the opportunity to fill their own agendas. This is where humility, wisdom, and the fear of the Lord is required to sort out what is of God, what is of man, and what is of the devil. The fruit is what we inspect. Are people getting genuinely saved/converted to Jesus Christ? Is Jesus alone being glorified glorified in the lives of the adherents? Is the Bible the blueprint of the work, or is it mixed with something else? Do we see the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in the end product?

ARE SIGNS AND WONDERS ALWAYS ALWAYS PROOF? 

The miraculous, signs and wonders should always be expected by believers in the Kingdom of God, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; in My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink and deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (all these are demonstrated by the church in the book of Acts) Mark 16:17-18. These are some of the effects of the Spirit of Christ in us. "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but the same God which works all in all.  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophesy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues..." 1 Corinthians 12:4-10 

 Indeed this should be a part of Christian living, BUT SIGNS AND WONDERS IN THEMSELVES ARE NOT NECESSARILY AN INDICATION THAT IT IS FROM THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST! "For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matthew 24:24, "Even him (antichrist) whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders." 2 Thessalonians 2:9. Everything that the HOLY SPIRIT does POINTS TO AND GLORIFIES JESUS CHRIST "Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and he will show you things to come. He shall GLORIFY ME (JESUS)..." John 16:13-14 Anything or anyone who steers us away from wholehearted devotion to Christ Jesus is the voice of the devil. Dear friends, we can expect signs and wonders as we serve Jesus, but we follow Jesus by faith and love according to the Bible, and not by following the supernatural.

COUNTERFEITS TO THE WALK OF FAITH

 Contrary to our walk of faith in Jesus, there are two side roads that can lead us to destruction; what we call legalism, and lawlessness. Another Jesus is preached, and another spirit is influencing, 2 Corinthians 11:4.

 -Legalism -   "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Galatians 5:1 Legalism is a subtle deception and the counterfeit to the salvation and the righteousness we obtain by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. If someone comes in and says that to be saved you not only need to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but you also have to DO such and such, and or NOT do such and such a thing Acts 15:1 they are setting a snare for you. They may even use the Scriptures to justify their claims, but all the while making your salvation dependent on your works, as if the cross of Christ was not sufficient to cleanse us from our sins and make us acceptable to God. Holy and godly living is the fruit of our faith, but not our faith! We are never to trust in our own righteousness. "...all our righteousness are as filthy rags..." Isaiah 64:6

- Lawlessness is what some preach and practice, giving license to sinful activities. "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness (lawlessness, wantonness, immorality." AMP), and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." Jude 1:4  AMP, Read 2 Peter 2. Jesus has brought amazing liberty through the grace and righteousness He has gained for us through the cross. That grace was never meant to break the commandments of God. Lawlessness is the devil's counterfeit for God's grace. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a  peculiar  people, zealous of good works." Titus 2:11-14 

IN CONCLUSION - Deception is and has always been a huge concern of the church, and we must be ever on our guard. The greatest defense is to abide in the love of Christ and trust in His saving grace. He will take care of the rest.