Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared.   1 Timothy 4:1 HCSB

Now more than ever, it is important that we do not allow ourselves to be deceived. There are several Bible verses where we are warned to not be deceived (1 Corinthians 6:9, 1Corinthians 15:33, Galatians 6:7).

If you like to attend church on Sunday morning in order to pat yourself on the back and feel good that you gave God a couple hours of your time and think that this is good enough, you are deceiving yourself. If you are telling yourself that God will overlook your sin, you are deceiving yourself. If you are telling yourself that you are just too busy to spend time with God and He will understand this, you are deceiving yourself. If you are telling yourself that you can get right with God later, you may be deceiving yourself. I know all about deceiving yourself, I did it for years. I flitted around thinking that I could just do things my way and God would understand. I told myself that he would look the other way when I sinned. I told myself that He would be content with my half-hearted church attendance. He warns us in Matthew 7:21-23 that many who attend church and believe that their works will get them into heaven are deceiving themselves.

My friend, we are living in a day and age where there are many out there trying to deceive us. There are many people out there calling themselves preachers or evangelists that are deceiving you into believing things like if you help them get a new jet, God will bless you. It’s preposterous what some of these people would have you to believe. It can get very confusing if you are not grounded in God’s word. If you are not close to God through prayer and Bible study, you can be easily deceived. There are many evil spirits out there trying to deceive us and lure us away from God and His teachings. They try to deceive us into thinking that we don’t really need to trust in God or obey His commands. Don’t allow them to deceive you. They are headed to hell and they are trying to bring you with them.

We need to be focused on God. We need to allow God to deal with these evil spirits, that’s above our pay grade. But we need to suit up in the armor that He provides so that we can stand firm against them while He fights this battle. We need to stand up for God. We need to be mindful of our words and our actions. We can do so by taking our thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) before they become words that we will regret (Matthew 12:36).

We are living in a time when evil is being called good and good is being called evil (Isaiah 5:20). So be careful. Don’t expect Satan to show up looking like what you would see in a horror movie. We are told in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that he will appear as an angel of light. If he didn’t look good, he wouldn’t be enticing. Satan makes sin look good, but it only drags us down and keeps us in bondage. He makes himself look like a delicious hot fudge sundae, but beware, once you bite into it you may find it’s filled with castor oil.

You may be reading this and wonder how to avoid being deceived with so many deceiving spirits out there. Well, I’m glad you asked. As with all things in life, the Bible gives good instructions. We are told in 1John 4:1 not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to see if they are from God. Romans 16:17-18 tells us to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught. Does what they say and do line up with God’s word. You won’t know this unless you study your bible. Check to see if they are serving themselves or Christ. We can discern the truth when we stay in God’s word and obey Him. We are told in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 that wicked deception is for those perishing because they refused to love the truth and be saved so God will send a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, He tells us this in John 14:6. We must draw near to Him (James 4:8). We must love Him wholeheartedly and be obedient to Him. We must spend time daily in His word and in prayer. This is the only way we can avoid being deceived by evil spirits.

I’ve read the last chapter in the Book and I know how it ends, we win. The great dragon (Satan) is thrown to earth and his angels are thrown down with him (Revelation 12:9). No good can come from being deceived by his lies. Pray to God to give you wisdom and discernment in these trying times.

Have a great day!