THE DAYS OF GREAT DECEPTION

~ SOME OF MY THOUGHTS REGARDING DECEPTION.  I HAVE ALSO INCLUDED SOME EXCERPTS FROM JESSE PENN-LEWIS' BOOK CALLED, WAR ON THE SAINTS. ~

In these days of great deception, there is something very important that I wish to address and that is, the wiles of the enemies of our souls.  I believe that part of our stand against these foul spirits involves seeking the Lord for purified hearts and motives.  Certainly, we desire purified hearts for our Lord and we know that He is purifying us by His wonderful grace and continued faithful workings. Also, by having  purified hearts we are free from giving ground to Satan and his emissaries.  Day by day, as we die to self, more and more of the elements of self are laid down which means that more and more of the Life of Christ is being formed in us.  Where the enemies see impurities of our hearts, they are free to work to deceive and to lead astray.  But let not the mature believer think he/she is off the hook!  No, indeed!  Even a more mature believer, one who’s heart and love and life is set on Christ, can be deceived.  If anyone thinks they cannot be deceived~~they are already deceived.  Remember, the fallen angels are still out to kill, steal and destroy, each one of us, even though, positionally, they were defeated when Christ gave Himself as our sacrifice on the cross.

Be on guard, children of the Lord.  We are still at war each new day.  There’s never a time we cannot be off guard. We must take our stand against these fowls of the air, for they are ever ready with all of their new deceptions, i.e., new to us.  At the same time we can ask the Lord to guide us and give us His discernment as we pray to Him and as we take our stand against every foul trick of the devil so we can recognize them.

Ask the Holy Spirit, where you might be deceived, where you need His light and illumination to help you come increasingly out of darkness.  Nests of deception are ever present among so-called Christians, even those who are broadcasting and posting comments and writings on their site or on www.YouTube.com. Watch out for those who call themselves pastors, evangelists, prophets, teachers, leaders, etc. for they are especially to be discerned. How we desperately need God’s wisdom each new day.  And those among so-called “Christians” and “friends”,  beware and be much more aware.  Go deeper into the Lord for fresh discoveries of where the enemies are hiding out, for where they are swirling about with all their lies and counterfeiting tricks IN the Body of Christ.  We have Christians thinking it’s all right to enjoy rock, heavy metal, hip-hop music under the banner of “Christian” names.  We have Christians who think it’s ok to be a homosexual or lesbian, bisexual or transgender and also to watch pornography on their computers as well as on videos.  We have lots of ‘strange fire’ as the bible calls it, just doing whatever in the name of the Lord, but apart from His Life.  Leviticus 10:1–And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.  How about gnosticism~~the churches are loaded with these teachers which are surely a deception leading the sheep astray!  We have ecumenism, big time, which is to Satan’s glee as he watches all the sheep following the Mother of Harlots right back into the Roman Catholic Church through leaders and conferences and beliefs straight from hell!  ECT, Evangelicals and Catholics Together being just one of the many detours that the majority of people take today off the straight and narrow road.  Then there’s always the Jesuits and the Illuminati and the false brethren who have INFILTRATED ALL the denominations.

And of course, we have Another Jesus, Another Gospel and Another Spirit presented to us from the lukewarm congregations, whether they be called denominations, non-denominational, independent, sects or by any other name!  2 Corinthians 11:4–For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.  And let’s not forget the New Age doctrines that have crept into the churches with their labyrinths and their contemplative teachings.  How about the Jewish Roots movements and their teachings of discovering your Jewish roots and joining in with the ways that were to be your schoolmaster until we have come to Jesus...it is all of the Old Covenant.  It’s one thing to know what the holy days represent but quite another to celebrate them and be stuck there.  We are in the New Covenant now and our substance IS Christ.  For sure, when Isaiah said, "All we like sheep have gone astray", he was 100% accurate!  Isa. 53:6.  And one of the greatest deceptions of all is to think we are all ok, just doing fine!  No wonder Jesus said that He would vomit those out of His mouth who were lukewarm and thought they were doing just fine!  Revelation 3:16–"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."  When we see a woman dressed in a Burka, covered from head to toe, we might feel sorry for her and all her beliefs and restrictions that hold her in bondage, but I tell you that in a crowd of people, at least we know what the woman with the Burka stands for and what she believes.

Then we have lots of cowdarice and a lack of spine and gut, consequently there are many who are not confronted with the truth.  And how about unforgiveness~there’s ground given to the enemy for sure.  We must keep our forgiveness up-to-date.
Being ever so thankful for each new discovery of their evil workings only increases your deep love for Our Great, Living, Loving, Merciful God. It is important to ask the Holy Spirit to help us to recognize their workings and to expose them so we can refuse them.  This takes humility as we look to the Lord, knowing that our dependency is truly on Him. Also, we must be wearing the armor of Light, as well as the whole armor of God, 24/7 along w/ being open to the Lord 24/7. We all need to continue to develop our active stand of faith against the enemies' wiles.  Please examine your lives, the past as well as the present to see if there is any place where the enemy has tricked you.  It could be a matter of unforgiveness~~is your forgiveness up-to-date?  It could be a matter of a so-called Christian friend who is deceiving you.  We are to notice the enemies’ workings and rebuke them and resist them.  We are also to confront others with the truth.  Yes, we fight against the invisible spirits, but we are also to speak the truth to others about the problem or the sin that we see as Paul tells us in Ephes. 4:25.

The subtle tricks of Satan are more subtle in these last days.  Unless we are rooted and grounded in Christ, we can be led astray with wonders and signs or workings that seem to be divine, certainly they are supernatural.  We do not have to accept anything supernatural until we know what the source of it is.  Is the teaching or manifestation something that Jesus taught or did?  Is the teaching or manifestation something that the apostles taught or did?  If not, then it could very well be a counterfeit.

FOR MORE HELP IN THIS AREA, PLEASE SEE WAR ON THE SAINTS BY JESSE-PENN-LEWIS.  The FOLLOWING CHARTS WERE TAKEN FROM HER BOOK AND IT CAN BE READ ONLINE AT:  http://www.apostasynow.com/wots/Contents.html

THE WORD “DECEIVED” THE DESCRIPTION OF EVERY UNREGENERATE MAN
The word “deceived” is, according to the Scripture, the description of every unregenerate human being, without distinction of persons, race, culture, or sex. “We also were . . . deceived” (Titus 3: 3), said Paul the Apostle, although in his “deceived” condition he was a religious man, walking according to the righteousness of the law, blameless
(Phil. 3: 6).  Every unregenerate man first of all is deceived by his own deceitful heart
(Jer. 17: 9; Isa. 44: 20), and deceived by sin (Heb. 3: 13); the god of this world adding the “blinding of the mind” lest the light of the gospel of Christ should dispel the darkness (2 Cor. 4: 4). And the deception of the evil one does not end when the regenerating life of God reaches the man, for the blinding of the mind is only removed just so far as the deceptive lies of Satan are dislodged by the light of truth.

Even though the heart is renewed, and the will has turned to God, yet the deeply ingrained disposition to self-deception, and the presence, in some measure, of the blinding power of the deceiver on the mind, betrays itself in many forms, as the following statements from Scripture show :–
The man is deceived if he is a hearer, and not a doer of the Word of God (Jas. 1: 22). He is deceived when he thinks himself to be “something” when he is nothing (Gal. 6: 3). He is deceived when he thinks himself to be wise with the wisdom of this world. (1 Cor. 3: 18). He is deceived by seeming to be religious, when an unbridled tongue reveals his true condition.  (Jas. 1: 26). He is deceived, if he thinks he will sow, and not reap what he sows (Gal. 6: 7). He is deceived, if he thinks the unrighteous will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6: 9). He is deceived , if he thinks that contact with sin will not have its effect upon him. (1 Cor. 15: 33).




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~FOR YOUR MEDITATION~
Matthew 5:8–Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
John 10:10–The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
1 Peter 1:2–Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Deuteronomy 11:16–Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
Colossians 3:15–And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Luke 11:36–If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.
Ephesians 5:13–But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
1 Timothy 1:18–This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them might war a good warfare;
2 Timothy 2:3-4–Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Luke 8:5–A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5–For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Gal. 6–Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Ephesians 6:10-18–Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For 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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.    ~ 6/29/11