BEWARE OF DECEIVERS
I
Memorise: All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness. 2nd Timothy 3:16
Read: 2nd Timothy 3:1-8, 3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times
shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more
than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and
lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of
the truth.
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these
also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
Bible in one year: Luke 9:21-10:42, Job 24:9-20
A deceiver is someone who
practices deceit as means of seducing, misleading, or giving false impressions
to people. A deceiver would try to impose a false idea that causes
bewilderment, helplessness, or confusion in people’s mind. Every act of
deception is a direct attack against the truth for the purpose of distorting
the original creative order and position of things by the Almighty God.
Deception is therefore the devil’s invention which has been carefully designed
to create doubts and questions about the credibility of God in the hearts of
men. This is the reason why deceit is condemned by God as an attempt to deny
His sovereignty and the revelation of Himself. After the devil’s successful
attack on Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:1-7, God repeatedly warned humanity about
the subtlety of Satan and his false prophets. Matthew 24:11 says;
“And
many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”
The whole of the Bible from
Genesis to Revelation is full of similar warnings about the deliberate plot of
devil to send his evil agents of deception in form of false prophets and
heretic teachers into the world, in order to deceive and mislead many. These
deadly agents of deception have perfected the means of attacking unsuspecting
individuals from two seemingly harmless fronts. One of their tactics is to
preach the gospel of the alternative. They claim to be serving the same God
through another saviour, and therefore present their religion as a better
alternative to Christianity that only has the appearance of the Christian
religion on the surface, but is full of heresy, ungodliness, and immorality in
actual practice. To this end 1st Timothy 4:1-2
“Now the
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter time some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies
in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;”
In the above passage, the Word of
God is making it very clear to us that the activities of these agents of
darkness will become very concentrated and effective in the latter days, such
that it will cause some believers to depart from the faith. This will happen
because those affected would commit the error of giving heed to seducing
spirits. They would be seduced through the preaching of other gospels, the
gospel of relativism, modernism and post-modernism, and through attractive
motivational messages. To counter the evil, we must turn to 2nd
Timothy 3:16. God has given us all scripture by His inspiration, to be
profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness,
dangerous heretic teachings are in the air, but anyone that abides in the Word
of God, can never be deceived. Be warned.
Prayer Point
Father, please don’t let me ever give heed to
seducing spirits in Jesus’ name.
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