Deception
DECEPTION
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take
heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall
deceive many.
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and
shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were
possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matt 24:4,5,11,24)
What is deception?
Deception is to believe that something is right when it is
wrong. Proverbs 14:12. The Greek word for deception means ' to
wander, to be led away, astray, to loose sight, path and
consequently perish.
Guidelines
· Hold unequivocally to the authority and sufficiency of the
Word of God. II Peter 1:20,21
· Concerned not only about big sins and mistakes but also much
more of the subtle forms of deception, which need checking in
our lives. II Timothy 4:10; Colossians 4:14; Philemon 24. Demas
may have reasoned with his mind and his rational thinking took
him away from the all-important perfect will of God.
· Deception begins all too often by our internal desire for the
"wide and pleasant road", forsaking the way of the cross. We
then say "no" to God and "yes" to self.
Danger signs
i. Over eagerness: Spiritual pride which says " if God tells me
to do something I am going to do it , others can not tell me
only what God tells me I will do" Galatians 2:2
ii. Deeper life syndrome: Seeking to place oneself spiritually
in a place where God has not placed him. True revelation leads
unto reality and mere knowledge to vanity! Seeking to place
oneself spiritually when he has not given himself to the
workings of God and to obedience of His Word.
iii. Emotional fixation: A person who learns that someone else
had a dramatic form of guidance and is not satisfied until he
receives such an experience also.
iv. Spiritual simpleton: Thinking that God will take care of
everything since he is sincere to God.
v. Lone rangers: Having seen the conflicts in the Church world,
they ride by themselves saying, " I do not need anyone, I do not
read books except for the Bible, I do not receive instructions
from any man for the anointing will teach me, God has to speak
to me directly"
Guidance is a skill that needs to be learned. It cannot be
received automatically. It consists to developing a hearing ear
and a responsive heart. Hebrews 5:14
Guidance for hearing God
· Any voice that brings compulsions and demands an action
IMMEDIATELY should be checked. E.g. Inner urges such as "do not
consult anyone, do it now, others would not understand it" etc
THERE CAN BE AN URGENCY OF THE SPIRIT BUT NEVER A COMPULSION.
· When the Spirit of God comes and speaks something, He will
come again and speak and confirm it. There will bea recurring
leading in the matter.
· When we fail to obey after repeated reminders, the Holy Spirit
gently retreats grieved and quenched. He will never force
Himself and violate our will.
· The enemy can quote scriptures and misuse it. The Lord Jesus
in His temptation could counter such subtle moves of the enemy
because He was acquainted with the voice of the Father.
Precaution and protection
i. Be on the alert when any guidance involves a decision where a
personal advantage is involved such as a position, a monetary
benefit or someother gain.
ii. Never discard the plain teaching of the scriptures in order
to follow some leading, guidance or prophecy, no matter how
strongly you feel it is from the Lord. It is a service unto God
independent of God's mind that took King Saul away from God.
iii. Do not fail to question and refuse a voice, leading or
impression, which comes in an urgent and demanding attitude.
iv. Do not presume to interpret and add all the details to the
first leading or direction received from the Lord. Guidance
involves details, training. Guidance requires day by day faith
and dependence to run ahead.
v. Get related to your leaders who love and care for you. Submit
your leadings openly and sincerely to them.