by Pastor Mark Cowart
In the last days, there will be an increase of revelation knowledge flowing to the Body of Christ and also an increase in deception. Will you be among those receiving the light or among those in the darkness of deception?
The scriptures instruct us to guard our hearts with twice the diligence we would protect anything else (Proverbs 4:23). What does this mean in the battle against deception? Just as you are careful about what food you ingest while traveling so as not to become ill, you must be aware of what you take in through your senses and allow to come into your heart.
When you begin to believe a lie, that is when trouble starts. What you think is light can be darkness, Jesus warned (Matthew 6:23). One common misconception that can lead you astray is that the Holy Spirit would give you “new” insight that contradicts the Bible. Once you believe this, you are fair game for the enemy of your soul to send deception, sounding very much like truth, to govern your thoughts and actions.
The Art of War, an ancient military strategy textbook, states that all warfare is deception. To gain the advantage, one side must convince the other that something is true which is not. Satan’s greatest tool against you, and the only way that he can take you out, is to deceive you—to rob you of the truth and entangle you in a lie.
What can you do so that you are not deceived? You must be discerning with regard to the teachings you receive, the seeds that you take in. You must abide in Him (and He in you) through time and meditation in the unchanging Word of God. In these last days, this is ever more critical.
What gives the powers of darkness access to deceive? Vulnerability can be measured by the lack of sincere commitment to the Lord. How much of your time is occupied by His presence and His companionship? We must make the quality decision to spend time focused on God and His Word.
Being with Him is to prepare us for “every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Are you following through in your walk with the Lord to carry out your assignments? When we are not in the Word, we are not receiving the life of that Word; we are not receiving teaching, reproof, correction, or instruction in righteousness to keep us on the right path, on the narrow way Christ opened to us.
Has a false gospel of accommodation (which requires no sacrifice, no commitment, no death to self) crept into the church and robbed many of the solid truth we must have to find our way through these times? As we see lawlessness, perversion, and child abuse paraded before us as normal, we see evidence that a false gospel has indeed begun to permeate the thoughts of many. Compromise to gain numbers is the slippery slope that has brought much of the church to this place. Each one of us is responsible to take back this ground.
Only the uncompromising Word can keep us in the light and protect us from rampant deception.
REFLECT
1) Have you felt uneasy while hearing concepts defended that did not line up with what you know of God’s Word?
2) Are you realizing the need to allocate more of your day to fellowshipping with the Lord in His Word?
3) Make a list of additional times when you could plan to read or listen to Scripture throughout your day (as you drive or take a walk).
PRAYER PROMPTS
1) Pray to have increased discernment regarding those by whom you are being taught the Word of God.
2) Pray for anointing on leaders to bring the full gospel, holding back nothing.
3) Ask that the Holy Spirit would clearly reveal to you any areas where seeds of lies have taken root in your heart and help you deal with them.
4) Declare your commitment to actively arm yourself against future deception.
DIVE DEEPER
– Luke 11:34-35
– Proverbs 4:23
– II Corinthians 11:14
– John 15:1-6
– Galatians 1:6-8
– Titus 1:16
– II Timothy 3:16
– Romans 8:14
– Psalm 119:130
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