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:
- All
men are fallible.
- Anybody
can be deceived irrespective of their spiritual gifting or anointing.
- The
devil will tempt you in your weakness. The young prophet was hungry thus,
he was tempted to eat.
- 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.
- A
supposedly matured Christian with greater anointing or more years in
ministry can deceive an upcoming Christian.
- We
should depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit and God’s word rather than
the leading of men, Pastors, Prophets or Seerers.
- Like
the young prophet, deception can cost you your life or something valuable
like your salvation, time, relationship or resources.
- 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
- Put
your desires and cravings in check always; bring it under the searchlight
of God’s word.
- Have
strong desire to know the truth of God’s word.
- Always
cry to God in prayer to help you stay in the truth.
- Never
hesitate to seek for answers to the questions of your heart.
- Remove
sentiment, don’t be a man or Church pleaser.
- Scrutinize
everything with the nature and character of God’s love.
- Follow
the leading and promptings of the Holy Spirit.
- Avoid
anything that is mystical or anything mysticism.
- Pray
for the gift of discernment.
- Work
in holiness and humility.
- 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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