"I have written about deception and how many people, including pastors, claim that it is possible to be deceived without realizing it. However, there is no mention of this in the scripture. Therefore, Jesus warns us to be cautious of deception and to avoid believing lies. This provides us with the context of how we can be deceived. In simpler terms, God instructs us to rely on His word for truth instead of relying on worldly understanding."
"I fear that many people do not believe in the power of words. This is mentioned in the Book of James and several other scriptures. The 14-minute video clip above explains how words are used to deceive people, perfectly illustrating these verses. Sometimes during a conversation, we should listen instead of speaking. It is in these moments when we may be unknowingly led to a different perspective of an idea."
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.
But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
These verses illustrate how our speech can influence others, even if we don't realize it. When we have a conversation, it is usually because we want to express a point of view about a particular topic or individual. We need to recognize the power of our words when we engage in conversations with others. Conversation is a tool to influence others to our viewpoint, and as such, we must be mindful of what we say. God advises us to guard our hearts and watch what we say, for we will be held accountable for every word that comes out of our mouths. Words should only be spoken when they serve a purpose; otherwise, it is best to stay silent.
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Now knowing this you can see that Satan who knows much more than we do, will use people to manipulate us into believing all types of false narratives.
In today's society, false teachings are rampant and it's easy to be misled. We must adopt a Berean attitude to every aspect of our lives, even in a church setting, by knowing God's word and discerning the truth from lies.
In God's words, He warns: "Be careful not to be deceived. Many will come and claim to be Christ.” God is telling us what we need to do so that we are not deceived by any whims of doctrines that may come to claim that they have the truth. So, before I move forward, I want to provide you with the meaning of these words again.
Here’s the meaning of these words:
de·ceit
/dəˈsēt/
noun
1. the action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth.” a web of deceit"
de·cep·tion
/dəˈsepSH(ə)n/
noun
1. the action of deceiving someone." obtaining property by deception"
• a thing that deceives. “a range of elaborate deceptions"
As you can read here in these meanings your deception is a sleight of hand from shifty people that cannot be trusted. They use words to shift you from one way to another.
We can enhance our comprehension of how Jesus utilized them by analyzing the definitions of specific words. It's widely acknowledged that God speaks to us through His word, and we must convey His message. We can rest assured that His message will always achieve its intended outcome and never be ineffective.
It's essential to approach conversations with an open mind and without preconceived notions to avoid failure and deception. When we engage in a dialogue, we should be well-prepared for the task at hand. In other words, as 1 Peter stated, we must always be ready to defend the truth and speak of the hope that lies within us.
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
And then Timothy says this
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
We must always be prepared to speak of the hope that is within us so that the ones questioning can be led to the truth.
This is crucial to remain steadfast in faith, avoiding deception from those who hate God's truth. when we are grounded in all truth, we can then see the wolves for who they are.
In 2 Timothy, God instructs us to be ready to rebuke, reprove, and exhort anything that is being presented to us. We must be prepared to challenge any argument that goes against the truth and ensure that we expose it for what it stands for.
"I'm going to end this topic here. I believe I have provided enough information for those who visit my site to further research on their own. Jesus didn't send us a helper to deceive us, but rather, He sent the Holy Spirit to protect us from deception. Because of the Holy Spirit, we cannot be deceived. The ones who are against God are the ones that will continue to be deceived."
"I hope these blogs help you understand that Jesus never spoke of us being deceived or even getting deceived. Instead, he urged us to be watchful and aware. In my opinion, those who are deceived are the ones who are not saved. These are the people who are indecisive and trying to live on both sides. But God tells us that we can't serve two masters, for we will love one and hate the other.”’
Jude 1:1-25 - NASB
1. Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: 2. May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. 3. Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. 4. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 5. Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. 6. And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, 7. just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. 8. Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. 9. But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10. But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. 11. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 12. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; 13. wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever. 14. It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15. to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” 16. These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage. 17. But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18. that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19. These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. 20. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21. keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23. save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. 24. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25. to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
In this chapter, Jude intended to talk about the shared salvation of the church, but he found it necessary to address the deteriorating condition of the church. He spoke about the individuals who were spreading a different gospel than the one that was given to them. Paul also wrote about this in his books, Galatians 1 and 2 Corinthians 11. Scripture refers to those as wolves in sheep's clothing. If you truly understand this, it should be clear that they are not pastors nor saved.
"I cannot understand how someone can claim that hundreds of people have been saved or come to salvation at a service that does not align with God's teachings. It is only through the gospel that one can be saved, and our role is to plant the seed. God will then draw people to Himself, and they will be saved. Therefore, without a true gospel, only those who are genuinely seeking God will be saved by His grace. However, they will recognize the lack of godliness in such a service and leave. Amen!”
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
"There is much more that can be said on this topic, but I'll end it here and encourage you to study it for yourself. If I'm mistaken, please let me know so I can make corrections. However, scripture is clear that Jesus warns us that the deception is so strong that it could even deceive the elect. But God has given us the Holy Spirit for such a purpose. Jesus told us the purpose of the Holy Spirit; He will guide us into all truth and bring to remembrance the things we have learned so we are equipped to discern good from evil. The one within me is greater than anything before us."
So as always, I hope this finds you and pleases you, and to all who pass through my site I hope God blesses you and this message is helpful.
God Bless Peace & Shalom
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