Home Tags Posts tagged with "deception"
Tag:

deception

Articles

Deception And Lies: Satan And His Sneaky Tactics

by John Mathai
written by John Mathai

Satan is called the deceiver and father of lies. He can appear as the angel of light and trap you into a form of godliness. We were born as spirit beings and therefore there is a longing in each of us to connect with God. However, we are not aware that this spiritual search can take us into dark areas. Satan is also called the “god of this world”. Deception, lies and false truth are his strategies to fool the masses. We can easily fall into his trap when we seek spiritual answers. This is why there are so many ways to God. This is a lie of the devil. He will try and question everything that is the truth.

Satan And His Tricks

In the garden of Eden, he tried to question whether God actually says that the fruit was forbidden. He sows doubt in our minds and compromises the truth. To Satan, there is no such thing as absolute truth and therefore truth can be manipulated. However, the God of the Bible proclaims absolute truth. His truth is not compromised. We need to know the God of absolute truth otherwise we will also be deceived like Adam and Eve. God has given us His written Word which we believe is the absolute truth. We can challenge every lie of the devil if we know His truth. That is why it is so important to study scripture and know what truly comes from God. Then you can stand against the lies of Satan.

Final Words

Jesus came to reveal the truth by stating that He is the Truth. When we receive Him who is the Truth than we live in the Truth. Every other way is a deception and a lie. The world will not accept this and will reject it by calling it divisive and heretical. We need to choose. Jesus never compromised on the truth. He came as the Truth to reveal the Truth so that those who believe in Him can have eternal life. This was life before sin entered the human race. Now you too can have eternal life as you reject the lies and receive the Truth, JESUS.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
Faith

Focus on Jesus, Not on the Shoes

by Jared Laskey
written by Jared Laskey

Christians were gearing up for the Holy Week. Churches that have reopened have breathed a sigh of relief. Many were carefully planning events for kids, and outreaches to share the gospel. Numerous churches were being cleaned as guests were being invited. And Christian social media was full of posts about…Shoes?

What went wrong? As Passover was starting Christians were posting about a pair of expensive, albeit, blatantly satanic shoes. They were focused on the pentagram displayed on the shoe, and that drops of human blood were in the limited edition shoes. And they were revolted that it was going to be 666 pairs of shoes. Which is a ‘bad’ number poorly misinterpreted by popular and more recent end times views.

#Canceled

May I ask you this: Did you post it and add your voice to the outrage? As cancel culture may be coming towards your views, did your behavior toward these shoes display the same spirit and attitude in wanting to cancel the shoes? I mean, what do you expect from a world you’re not preaching the love of Jesus to?

Now that I have your attention…when was the last time you prayed for those spiritually lost and wayward music stars, or prophesy destiny and decree the life giving power of Jesus over them? Have you reached out to them or people they attract, sharing God’s love?

Duped by Marketing Ploy

Christians were unfortunately duped in a marketing strategy that distracted them and is distracting them this Holy Week. Instead of posting on the love of Jesus and His victory for the world by His shed blood on the cross, people tried to dissect the name of the brand on the shoes. Pictures of believers waving palms for Sunday services were posted from my friends overseas, with invitations of ways to hear the gospel. But here in the United States, many Christian’s posts focused on the wrong blood during Passover weekend. 

Many of those posts lacked a call to prayer or call to decree over the designer(s). Instead, every share online helped generate more demand for the shoes, driving the price higher. And Christians were distracted as they fell into the manipulative hands of the marketers and helped generate more views of a demonic music video. Helping sear those images into millions of people’s minds…The enemy and the world is laughing. I’ll be honest that I didn’t want to write this article, but we’ve been duped. 

Focus on Jesus, Not on the Shoes

In no way am I condoning the shoes and their blatant message. But my wonderful Christian friends, what happened to our wisdom or discernment? Did you not pause and think before posting and sharing about the shoes that the timing of it was perfect to distract you from the purpose of Passover and Holy Week? During Holy Week Christians are calling for the cancellation of shoes while the lost world calls for the cancellation of Christ. And Christ was set aside by Christians posting about shoes.

This is Jesus’ week, around the world. We need to reach people with His love. We will be disgusted, appalled and shocked by many more things. But what the world needs is God’s love through you. And the viral posts shared by millions of Christians this week was a marketing ploy (free advertising). And distraction from the main thing the world needs right now. By posting about it, perhaps it stole your joy accomplished by design. My encouragement to you is to turn your heart and mind to gaze again on Jesus. Setting all distractions aside with a new commitment to reach people in His love. 

Jared Laskey, M.Div., M.A. in Christian ministry, is the founder of Fireborn Ministries and host of the Adventures in the Spirit podcast. He lives to see Jesus awaken this generation to the power of the Holy Spirit. Jared loves teaching people how to hear God. He has recently published the Spirit-Empowered Journal, available on Amazon, and e-courses Entry Level Prophecy, The Last Days, The Baptism with the Holy Spirit and more on charismacourses.com. His testimony of how God supernaturally healed him of PTSD is in Joan Hunter’s book, Miracles for Veterans. 

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
Articles

When the Devil Accuses God It Is Not The Truth

by Jennifer LeClaire
written by Jennifer LeClaire

Satan is sometimes called the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10), but I’ve discovered he’s also an accuser of almighty God. Satan will do anything he can to drive a wedge between you and your loving Creator. He points a finger at God and accuses God when tragedy—or even just circumstances you don’t like—strikes. He suggests God doesn’t care about your problems. He blames God for not healing your sick loved one.

These accusations come as subtle suggestions—whispers to your soul that intend to make you bitter toward God because you feel disappointed, disillusioned, or deceived. Nothing is ever God’s fault, but the devil can surely introduce doubt, ask a well-timed question, or arrange circumstantial evidence to set God up.

Don’t fall for it. Satan is trying to get you to turn your back on the One who can help you through the disappointment, disillusionment, and deception. And if you are holding a grudge against God, He is ready to deliver you from the gall of bitterness. He’s not mad at you, even though you’ve been mad at Him. Here are some examples in Scripture of how the devil accuses God.

Satan Accuses God But God Does Not Lie

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1)

This accusation against God immediately led to the fall of man. Eve told the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’

 “Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (vv. 2-5)

The devil accused God of lying to Adam and of withholding something good to oppress His creation. When God arrived on the scene and asked Adam what he had done, Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent. But it all started with the serpent accusing God. The rest is human history. Mankind has lived in corrupted, sinful flesh ever since—because Eve believed a lie about God.

The Devil Accuses God: Curse God and Die!

“Curse God and die!” That’s what Job’s wife told him when he was going through an especially painful trial where he lost both his children and his property. His wife, probably struck with grief and seemingly blaming God for not protecting the children, lashed out at Job and God in one sentence: “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9).

Job didn’t fall for it: “He said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?’” (v. 10). In all this, the Bible says, Job did not sin with his lips. That’s a noteworthy verse because one of the first things we do when bad things happen is to sin with our lips. One of the next things we do is look for someone to blame. The devil is right there to accuse God.

Are You Angry With God?

Although God never does anything wrong and never needs forgiving, we can sometimes feel like God has betrayed our trust. We stood on His Word, believed with all our hearts, and still didn’t see good come to pass. That can leave us resentful, bitter, and unforgiving.

So, what are you supposed to do? Well, what would you do if you were mad at your spouse or a family member? Hopefully, you’ll get it out in the open. I can tell you this: He would much prefer you talk to Him about it than shut Him out. If you communicate with God, even if you are angry, He can reach you, help you, and heal you.

Ultimately, we need to repent for buying into the devil’s lies and accusations against God. But that repentance won’t come at a heart level until we’ve wrestled with God through the feelings of disappointment, disillusionment, and deception. So, if you are mad at God, be honest with Him. It’s not like He doesn’t already know it. Give Him your anger, and He will turn that anger into peace and a greater revelation of His sovereignty if you will let Him. Amen.

 

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
Articles

Disagree And Separate: What Makes It Turn Absolutely Hateful?

by Jennifer LeClaire
written by Jennifer LeClaire

John the beloved—also known as the apostle of love—offers some convicting words in his epistles. While John’s Gospel demonstrates the living, breathing God of love made flesh in the person of Jesus, his epistles speak our need to manifest that love one to another—and connects this love tightly to our relationship to Christ, deception and even salvation. As humans, this is not always easy. We often disagree and separate and instead of acting in love we act in hate.

In 1 John 2:9-11, he shares, “Whoever says he is in the light but hates his brother is in darkness even until now. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and in him, there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

Hateful Words Should Not Mark Separations

John, the apostle of love, spoke some strong words that should spur us all to reevaluate our love walk, especially in the face of separations. In this season, I’m seeing hatred rise up in the midst of believers—even in ministry. The very ones who should be modeling the way of love are crucifying each other on social media, in green rooms, and in their own minds. I don’t see this level of hatred between ministers in the Bible. Two examples come to mind:

GettyImages-hateful-argument

 

We Can Disagree And Still Love One Another

Paul and Barnabas had a strong disagreement and went their separate ways. But these two men of God didn’t try to tear one another’s ministries down. In fact, Paul later told the church at Corinth Barnabas’ ministry was worthy of support (see 1 Cor. 9:6). Paul later told the church at Colossae to welcome John Mark if he showed up in their midst (see Col. 4:10). And Paul even requested John Mark’s presence in his second letter to Timothy, though Bible scholars say this was likely a decade later after Mark matured (2 Tim. 4:11).

Likewise, when Abraham and Lot separated, they didn’t try to destroy one another’s reputations with secret statements and not-so-secret phone calls casting aspersions of wrongdoing on innocent hands. No, Abraham actually went to war to rescue Lot from danger (see Gen. 14) and later interceded for his life when God set out to destroy Sodom (see Gen. 18:22-19:29). This is true love.

Walking in Love During Disagreement

In the Paul-Barnabas/Abraham-Lot incidents, we have scriptural precedent for people of God agreeing to disagree without strife and even commending each other’s work in the Lord publicly. But whether it’s leaving a church, divorcing a spouse, quitting a job or cutting ties with a once-best-friend, so often Christians choose, rather, to launch social media smear campaigns and vicious lies about a person’s character and motives.

Why can’t modern-day believers disagree about issues and go their separate ways without the passive-aggressive Facebook Live videos and subliminal status updates? James offers some insight:

“Where do wars and fights among you come from? Do they not come from your lusts that war in your body? You lust and do not have, so you kill. You desire to have and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have, because you do not ask. You ask, and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your passions.” (James 4:1-3, MEV)

Disagree And Separate: Final Words

Beloved, strife is an abomination to God (see Prov. 6:16-19). Strife affects the anointing and the flow of the Holy Ghost (see Ps. 133:1-3). Strife grieves the Holy Spirit (see Eph. 4:30). Strife destroys relationships (see Prov. 17:9). Strife is rooted in anger (see Prov. 29:22), hatred (see Prov. 10:12), pride (see Prov. 13:10) and a quarrelsome, self-seeking spirit (see Gal. 5:14-18; Luke 22:24-27).

Ministers, let’s be an example to the body of Christ about how to behave in separations. Saints, let’s walk in love even when we can’t walk in agreement. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God (see Mark 5:9).

 

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
apostacy
Faith

Apostasy In The End Times

by Jordan Wells
written by Jordan Wells

Many are shocked in recent weeks as two previously known Christian leaders declared apostasy, that they would no longer be practicing the Christian faith. For many, this was a great shock, and disappointment as it was for me. I really began to pray into this and received revelation on this subject from The Father.

In the subject of bible prophecy, there are many signs concerning the second coming of the Lord. Those that have usually heard any teaching on the subject, which in our generation is a rare occurrence being that most leaders refuse to prepare the people for the end times, have focused on signs such as wars and rumors Of wars! However, there are signs that are even more evident in the study of end-time events.

The devastation of apostasy

Over the years as I have studied intensely the subject of the end times. One of the greatest signs of the second coming is found in several verses below that I want you to look at:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 (KJV) “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first.”

Another verse that I want you to look at is found in Matthew 24:3-4,  “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.”

 I believe based on all my years of studying Bible prophecy, one of the greatest signs that we see, is that of apostasy or deception.

The Bible predicts a global revival of God’s Glory. While at the same time warning that many would be deceived and would leave or defect from the faith. Jesus in Matthew 24 is about to give the disciples his end-time theology concerning what he called The End Of The Age, and the first sign that he gives us is to not be deceived!  This means that as we approach the end of the age, there will be an increase in global deception. Many false prophets are prophesied in scripture to arise and deceive many. We know that there will be, according to the scriptures, doctrines of demons that will increase in the last days.

Keep your mind strong

1 Timothy 4:1 NKJV tells us, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons”

I believe there have been a few times in church history where we have seen an increase in heresy and false teaching. Doctrine are being preached that have removed hell, and core tenants of the Christian faith. We also see that in 2 Thessalonians 2 that as we approach the second coming many would fall away from the original faith that they had once believed.  Many are being led astray in these days according to the scriptures and veering toward apostasy.

As God’s people, we should not be overtaken by these things because the scripture warns us that these things would happen.

Again, my purpose in writing this article is to encourage the body of Christ. I believe the second coming is still the blessed hope of the church. Based on the signs of deception all around us, we are drawing closer to the second coming of Jesus Christ! The Bible warns us that some would fall from the faith, so do not be discouraged we are drawing closer to the return of our savior.

In the midst of the falling away of many, I believe we will see even more of those that once were giants possibly fall from the faith. Though we are promised a great end-time outpouring of God’s Glory, we are also promised an increase of darkness as well. Nations are truly being touched by the power of God. In the midst of great deception, God’s people must hold onto the truth of God’s word and his presence must become the very air we breathe.

The church walking in God’s Glory is the only way we will be able to walk in victory in these times.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
Articles

10 Scriptures to Combat a Dangerous Spiritual Warfare Deception

by Jennifer LeClaire
written by Jennifer LeClaire

Some time ago, I pointed out a deadly deception in the prophetic movement. I sounded the alarm in hopes of stemming the tide of this erroneous theology, but I see it rising more rapidly now than ever. Its proponents are defending it vehemently and rebuking those who disagree. I’m grieved.

Let’s be clear: If you ignore the devil, the warfare doesn’t stop. If you focus solely on Jesus, it does not make you immune from warfare. That violates Scripture on multiple levels. I talk more about this in my book, Waging Prophetic Warfare: Effective Prayer Strategies to Defeat the Enemy.

Yes, we should absolutely be more God-focused than demon-focused. However, if Paul the apostle—a man with deep intimacy with God who received two-thirds of the Bible through direct revelation and prayed in tongues more than anyone—wrestled principalities and powers, who are we to think ignoring this reality will stop demonic attacks?

We Don’t Have to War?

The “we don’t have to war” doctrine rising in this hour is dangerous at best. Indeed, I believe it’s one of the devil’s greatest deceptions to convince you to lay your weapons down. Make no mistake, there is no ceasefire in the spirit. You cannot lay your weapons down and think for a moment the devil will not see it as an opportune time to go in for the kill.

JOIN JENNIFER ON FACEBOOK FOR SPIRITUAL COMMENTARY AND ENCOURAGEMENT. CLICK HERE.

Yes, Christ has all authority. He spoiled the principalities and powers and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Col. 2:15). But we still have to take authority over the devil. The apostles Paul, Peter and James all spoke of the need for spiritual warfare. Were they hyper-focused on the devil? Hardly.

Beloved, don’t fall for this dangerous “we don’t have to war” theology. Consider these 10 scriptural truths that will set you free from the heresy that’s spreading like a fast-growth cancer across the body. Mind you, these aren’t the only proofs against this false doctrine.

The demonic hierarchy: Paul told us succinctly that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12) Why does Paul paint such a descriptive picture and offer a hierarchy of demonic forces we have to wrestle if we didn’t have a role to play in spiritual warfare?

The weapons of our warfare: Paul also mentions the weapons of our warfare, which are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds (2 Cor. 10:4). Why would we need weapons if we weren’t in a spiritual war against a spiritual enemy?

Be a good soldier: Paul tells his spiritual son Timothy to be a good soldier (2 Tim. 2:3) and to war a good warfare (1 Tim. 1:18). Why would he give that advice if Timothy wasn’t in a war with an unseen enemy?

Beware the devil’s snare: Paul also told us not to give place to the devil (Eph. 4:27) and warned about the snare of the devil (1 Tim. 3:7; 2 Tim. 2:26). Why would he offer these admonitions if they weren’t warranted? The enemy is real and he wants to rob your miracle from you. You are indeed in a war.

Resisting the wicked one: Then, we have James, who told us to submit ourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7).

Remember the roaring lion: Peter, who warned us to be sober and vigilant, because “our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8-9, KJV). Peter told us to resist him, standing firm in the faith.

Fight the good fight: Paul also told us to fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12).

Don’t Leave Your Doors Unlocked

Should we ignore all these warnings and instructions? God forbid.

All of these Scriptures suggest that the devil is still wreaking havoc on the earth. Havoc on the earth—sickness, disease, murders, immorality and the like—is not God’s will. Jesus spoiled the principalities and powers. But the word “spoiled” doesn’t mean neutered and made powerless. Jesus plundered the kingdom of darkness. The kingdom of darkness and all the principalities and powers that call it home, lost authority over the born-again believer. But we still have to enforce the kingdom rule of law on Earth.

To say that Jesus spoiling the principalities and powers means those principalities and powers cannot attempt to stand in the way of our miracle is like saying a thief can’t break into your house because there’s a law against it. The devil doesn’t follow the rules. He’s been a sinner from the beginning (1 John 3:8). Amen.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail
Articles

Discernment, Deception And One Prayer We Should All Say

by Jennifer LeClaire
written by Jennifer LeClaire

As I travel the nation teaching spiritual warfare principles, one truth becomes painfully clear: the Body of Christ, at large, lacks discernment.

The reality is many have simply not been activated or trained to discern spirits. Yet discernment is a vital gift in this hour as false prophets, false teachers and even false christs are rising around the world with smooth sayings, rhymes and riddles.

Discerning of spirits is one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. It is the Holy Spirit-inspired ability to distinguish between the operations of the Holy Spirit, a demon spirit or the human spirit. Discerning of spirits is especially helpful in prophecy, when we need to test the spirits to see if they are God (1 John 4:1). It’s also vital in spiritual warfare so that we accurately determine what we’re battling instead of just beating the air through guessing games (1 Cor. 9:26).

Do we all have discernment?

Although the Holy Spirit distributes His gifts as He wills—and some people clearly operate in the gift of discerning of spirits at a high level—I believe all Christians should desire to grow in discernment. With apostasy rising and the Great Falling Away underway, we need to lean into Holy Ghost discernment now more than ever.

If the Holy Spirit lives on the inside of you—and if you are saved He does—you have access to the discernment as a partaker of Christ’s divine nature. All believers can tap into all things pertaining to life and Godliness, including Holy Ghost discernment. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would lead us and guide us into all truth (John 16:13).

Beyond the supernatural gift of discerning of spirits, even unbelievers can walk in some measure of discernment—how much more a child of God who is filled with the Holy Ghost and prays in tongues? At its most basic level, discerning simply means to show insight and understanding. Some have a discerning eye for art. Others have a discerning palate for food. We need to develop a discerning spirit that safeguards us from deception in this hour.

Discerning God’s Spirit

With that said, I’ve discerned two troubling ditches in the Church. In one ditch you have those who always see a devil behind every doorknob. They see devils where there are no devils and make false accusations bases on soulish imaginations and presumption. Presumption in the Bible usually leads to death—and presumption kills discernment.

In the other ditch are those who cannot discern any spirits in their midst, even the Spirit of God. Oh, I forgot those who believe evil spirits talking to them are God and think God speaking to them is an evil spirit. Those in this ditch don’t rightly discern Jesus. We see this in Matthew 14. Jesus commanded His disciples to get into a boat and go ahead of Him to the other side.

“During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It is a spirit.’ And they cried out in fear” (Matt. 14:25-26). Some translations say, “it is a ghost.” Later, we see two disciples going to a village called Emmaus. Jesus showed up on the scene and started walking with them, but they didn’t discern it was the risen Christ (Luke 24).

How do we develop discernment?

Even if you don’t operate in the gift of discerning of spirits, you can still develop discernment. The Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). So if you stay in the Word, your discernment will grow.

We can also practice discernment, asking those more experienced or mature to judge our discerning. The writer of Hebrews said, “Everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby. But solid food belongs to those who are mature, for those who through practice have powers of discernment that are trained to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:13-14).

Walking in love will help you keep a discerning heart. In his epistle to the Philippians, Paul prayed that their love would abound more and more, with all knowledge and discernment, so that they could approve what is excellent (Philippians 1:9-10). When we walk in love, we are walking close to God and we will grow in discernment. This should be a prayer we all pray for ourselves and those we run with.

The Bible warns over and over and over again not to be deceived. In fact, the Bible commands us not to be deceived. Jesus prophesied false prophets and false christs would rise and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect (Matthew 24:24). It’s possible for any of us to be deceived but if we ask God for discernment, if we stay prayerful, if we walk in love, if we are students of the Word and if we practice discernment, we can be among the truth bearers in our generation who help set the captives free.

Join Jennifer on Facebook for spiritual commentary and encouragement. Click here.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestTelegramEmail

GET YOUR DAILY
DEVOTIONAL