Has God ever deceived you?
this is a startling idea to most of us but after reading the scriptures and reflecting on personal experience, I can assure you it happens far too often in the life of most Christians.
How can a Christian be deceived?
The answer is by our own deceitful and wicked heart, which God will allow us to follow if we depart from His Pure and Holy Word.
We may be led away by greed, fear, respect of men (such as pastors, preachers, and name-brand ministries), and other human agency. It happens every day. In 2Chronicles 18-22 we read of God sending a lying spirit to deceive the leader of God's people, King Jehosophat who made alliance with King Ahab.
19 And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner.
20 Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith?
21 And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the Lord said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so.
22 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee.
Why would God do that? He will so to test, prove, and purge us.
Deceived in church?
The next example is right out of God's temple in the Old Testament, this one from Ezekiel should give us pause to consider our ways:
14:3 Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them? 4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Every man of the house of Israel that taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I Jehovah will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols; 5 that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
The Lord was speaking to the spiritual leadership of His people.
If there was a book written "Were You Ever Deceived?", I could fill in a few chapters:
-I was deceived by prominent national ministries in regard to the Y2K not-a-disaster.
-I was deceived by the twisting of scripture in regard to manmade "holiness" doctrines and legalisms.
-I was deceived into respecting the leadership of men even when it departed from the Word in the name of "covering", "obey them that have the rule...", and "submission".
-I was deceived into accepting women in spiritual authority.
-I was deceived into following many church-growth programs as an act of supporting our church.
-I was deceived by the desire for material gain.
-I was deceived by our "doctinal statement".
-I was deceived into thinking there was a "Pre-Trib rapture".
-I was deceived by the scripture itself when I looked at it through eyes veiled by religion.
-I was deceived by having "respect of persons" who "beguiled" me with "enticing words".
-I was deceived by my pastors, prophets, and others in regard to tithing and other matters.
And the Lord even sent plenty of false witnesses, false brethren, confirmations, and even a prophet or two to confirm every one of those deceptions: "Every man of the house of Israel that taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I Jehovah will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols;"
Here are a few specific verses that teach us to trust the Lord more than we do the preachers:
Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Matthew 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. (Jesus referring to the religious leadership of his day)
Mat 7:14 ...strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Isaiah 56:11 ...they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
"Let God be true and every man a liar" -to the church at Rome.
Maybe this is what Paul meant when he wrote: 2 Corinthians 11:26 ... in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, ...in perils among false brethren;
There are many more things God has had to correct and is purging, but this I can tell you for certain. EVERY TIME I have turned my face to the Lord and sought HIM for the truth in regard to any of these issues, God has shown His light of truth and revealed Himself.
Why were we so easily deceived so many times?
There are three significant reasons:
1. Because we trusted in the Words of men more than the Word of God.
When men whom we loved and respected spoke to us and lived things that were error, unscriptural, and had no foundation in scripture, we believed them. We failed to abide in and "prove all things" by scripture.
As part of a denomination that claimed to be "apostolic" we took on legalisms and pharisaical practices that had no support from the new Testament Covenant Christ gave us.
As we transitioned into a non denominational assembly, we were conditioned to accept many unscriptural practices in the name of "seeker sensitivity" and we became heavily influenced by apostate ministries with the appearance of success. (we now believe our own leaders were infected with spirits imparted to them from the Pensacola "Revival". The fruit that came later was strife, financial corruption, and even death).
2. And because of the very corruption within our fallen nature.
Greed, fear, pride, lust of the eyes, respect of persons, ego, desire to please men, and following after Old Testament laws and legalisms. All or any of these may become an idol or stumblingblock within our heart. Obadiah 1:3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock..
Mark 7:20 And he said, That which proceedeth out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,
22 covetings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness:
23 all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
3. There are trials and snares God desires us to overcome in order to inherit His kingdom. In Revelation 2,3, and 22 God's children are told over and over "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna" . We are to overcome our own sin nature, and the apostate, Nicolaitane error-filled church world. Enter the phrase "he that overcometh..." in the Bible search and you will get 9 verses in the NAS:
www.htmlbible.com/cgi-bin/search/search.pl
Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, -not in church, -not in the men who claim to speak for God, and -not in me. In every case and every deception I have ever swallowed, it was because of accepting the words of man rather than the sure Word of God.
See the "NOT in Scripture List" and decide for yourself....
The amazing thing was that as long as we "performed" in a *satisfactory manner to our church leadership, we received the assurance that we were "OK" Christians. It was only after we left the idolatry of church that God has been able to lead us into more Light of the Word. The Lord says "My sheep hear my voice...." and we answer "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want"."
*this meant faithful attendance, tithing, and supporting various activities of the group.
