AVOIDING SPIRITUAL DECEPTION




A sad story of a young prophet who was deceived by an older prophet is written in 1 Kings Chapter 13. After God used this young prophet mightily, confirming His word with a sign, he met this old fellow. He fell foolishly for him when the old fellow said that God told him something contrary to what God had earlier spoken to the young prophet. He was deceived and this led to his death and termination of his ministry.

From the story in 1 Kings 13, the following lessons can be learnt:

  1. All men are fallible.
  2. Anybody can be deceived irrespective of their spiritual gifting or anointing.
  3. The devil will tempt you in your weakness. The young prophet was hungry thus, he was tempted to eat.
  4. You will be deceived by what or who you have high regard for. The young prophet must have thought within himself,” the old prophet is older in ministry than me and so, he’s closer to knowing God’s heart”. Thus, he was deceived.
  5. A supposedly matured Christian with greater anointing or more years in ministry can deceive an upcoming Christian.
  6. We should depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit and God’s word rather than the leading of men, Pastors, Prophets or Seerers.
  7. Like the young prophet, deception can cost you your life or something valuable like your salvation, time, relationship or resources.
  8. It is worth noting that the old prophet later gave a “genuine prophecy” after the younger prophet was deceived. Implying that the man that leads you to deception might later get it right after you have died and have lost out.

This is a pointer that anybody can be deceived irrespective of your gifting and anointing. Anybody can fall into spiritual heresy, spiritual deception, misinterpretation of scriptures and misapplication of God’s word. Anybody can fall victim of following “another Jesus” and “a different gospel” 2 Corinthians 11:4.

Are you living in spiritual deception unknowingly? Has God, through the Holy Spirit been prompting you over an issue that is contrary to God’s word or God’s standard? On most occasions, the questions you are avoiding to answer or confront are link for you to get your freedom from the deception you are living in unknowingly. What are the questions you are avoiding to answer? What are they things you need clarity about? What are some anti-Christ or anti-scriptural practices that gets your mind wondering if this is the right way? These are pointers that God wants you to have help out of any deception.

To believe that you can’t be deceived is already an indication that you are already living in deception. If Jesus Christ could warn His disciples, the first Fathers of faith, to always be on the lookout against deception, it implies that nobody is inoculated from being a victim of deception.

To a starving man, anything that is served to him will be accepted as far as he is satisfied. A thirsty man will drink any liquid that is given to him without first taking out time to examine it, just as Sisera was given milk instead of water by Jael, when he was thirsty (Judges 4:19-21). In your quest for God and the truth, beware that no man serves you contaminated food or polluted water.

People gradually move from one level of deception to a greater one; it’s not overnight but takes time! It takes one error to lead to another error. It starts from the little foxes which is targeted at spoiling our vines. David moved from simply sleeping with Bathsheba to committing murder. One sin leads to another. One wrong belief or conviction leads to the belief in many wrong things.

Just like Eve, there is first a seduction before deception. Seduction draws you away from the way and the Word of God to the negative. You are seduced in what you have soft spot for; that is, the little idolatry (longing or desire) that is already in your heart.

The Holy Spirit is given to us to guide us into all truth. Simply following His promptings and the guidance of the written Word of God; instead of the idolatry in our heart (that is, what we crave for or what we want to hear) will lead us into the light of God’s truth.

It is your fault if you are deceived! Yes, the devil has a part to play in making you to fall into deception, but the bulk of the blame falls on you because the devil only uses what you have soft spot for (that is the idolatry in your heart) to deceive you. For instance, an individual who has strong desire to be rich will fall for the devil’s temptation to become rich quickly. So is a man who craves for power, he will be seduced to getting that power at the cost of by-passing God’s standard.

How to set yourself free from spiritual deception
  1. Put your desires and cravings in check always; bring it under the searchlight of God’s word.
  2. Have strong desire to know the truth of God’s word.
  3. Always cry to God in prayer to help you stay in the truth.
  4. Never hesitate to seek for answers to the questions of your heart.
  5. Remove sentiment, don’t be a man or Church pleaser.
  6. Scrutinize everything with the nature and character of God’s love.
  7. Follow the leading and promptings of the Holy Spirit.
  8. Avoid anything that is mystical or anything mysticism.
  9. Pray for the gift of discernment.
  10. Work in holiness and humility.
  11. Stand your ground in obeying God’s word.

Finally, "test (prove, examine, scrutinize, cross-examine) every spirit (every person who preaches, teaches or prophesies), but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).



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