The world and the deceiver of this world have been hard at work misleading each of us and the church down a wide road. The word deceive means to lead astray, to cause to accept as true what is false. We see this happening everywhere, from television ads, to our government, to the news, and to the church. God warns us over and over in His Word to watch for deception.
John 17:17-18 (NLT) says, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.” We must teach the Word of God, all of the Word of God, by the Spirit of God that leads us into all truth. There have always been false prophets and they “prophesied” only what the king and the people wanted to hear, but not the truth of God and in doing so, they were misleading the people. If people are taught lies long enough, they begin to believe what they are being taught or told is truth. Satan wants to mislead you in order to lead you down the road of destruction by misleading, twisting, and changing the Word of God.
Mark 13:21-23 (MSG) says, “If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and bewitching performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. So watch out. I’ve given you fair warning.”
Matthew 7:13-14 (MSG) says, “Enter through the narrow gate. The gate is wide and the road is wide that leads to hell, and many people enter through that gate. But the gate is small and the road is narrow that leads to true life. Only a few people find that road.” We need to watch out, to be alert, to be awake. We need to be in the Word of God daily so we KNOW the true word of God, not taking someone else’s word for what God’s Word says. There is only one Good News, and it’s not up for being changed or comprised.
