Dear Children…Don’t Let Anyone Lead You Astray
“Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
Have you ever been deceived? It’s an awful realization, isn’t it? When you believe and trust in someone or something, only to realize that what you believed to be true, thought you understood and wholeheartedly supported is not what it seemed. It can throw you for a loop. And watching someone go through it can be equally as difficult…especially when that other person doesn’t recognize the deception.
Deception is a slippery slope that pulls people further and further from the Truth and into false hope, misdirected loyalty, and often, victimization. Deception leads to loss of resources, relationships, and hope. It’s a ploy of the enemy to convince people to believe a lie, isolate them from one another and keep them from following Christ.
But how do you recognize deception? How can you spot a ‘fake’? Those who are trained to spot fake money and art look for certain characteristics and inconsistencies. But in order to do so, they have to have intricate knowledge of the original before they are able to spot a fake. Our sons and daughters need to have strong knowledge of Scripture and a consistent, growing relationship with the Lord in order to protect themselves from deception. Inch-deep knowledge and casual practice of spiritual disciplines leave us vulnerable to being led astray by teachers whose teaching “sounds similar” but whose doctrine weaves in error and deception.
The enemy will try to convince us that what we’re following is “okay” or “not really as bad as we might think”, or even label it as “my truth” so others cannot tell us it’s wrong. If he can do that, then he is accomplishing his goal of deception and disruption. Lord have mercy! Our sons and daughters need to be on guard!!
1 John 3:7-8 says, “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
So, how do we recognize and avoid deception? How do we remain faithful? We need to pray that our sons and daughters will:
Recognize God’s Truth:
Colossians 1:9-14 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Be able to identify falsehood
Jude 1:17-19 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”
2 John 2:7, 9-11 “I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.
Avoid evil:
Proverbs 16:17 “The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their ways preserve their lives.”
I John 1:6 “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.”
Fellowship with other believers who walk in the Truth:
Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
Listen to the Holy Spirit Who lives in us- He will help us recognize those who walk with Christ in genuine fellowship vs. those who are ‘posers’.
1 John 4:6 “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.”
Strive to maintain a testimony that gives evidence of Christ in us- our life should speak truth and give evidence of Christ to others
3 John 1:3 “ It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.”
Today, let’s pray these scriptures over our sons and daughters. But let’s also pray for the Body of Believers. Satan is strong, yes, but the God that lives in us is stronger and He holds the victory!! Let’s pray He will surround us with His mighty protection and keep us walking faithfully.
Pray without ceasing.
It Matters Who You Follow
Matthew 24:23-27 “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time. “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
Once upon a time, two teens were leaving the house to drive to school. They’d recently moved to a different house but were going to finish at the school they attended through the year. Neither was very good at directions, so when they pulled out of the driveway and saw a school bus, they thought they were golden! “We’ll just follow the bus!” they thought. “Because the bus always goes to school, right?”
They wound their way along, past farm fields, houses and barns, neither was worried that they didn’t really know where they were. They were following the bus and that would lead them to school; they were certain. Imagine their dismay when they pulled into the school lot and it wasn’t their school at all! They’d followed a bus for a different school district. It ‘looked’ the same, but it wasn’t going to the same destination. They were fooled into believing it would because, at first glance, it was just like their school bus. They didn’t check for evidence, they just followed.
Who you follow matters. What you pay attention to makes a difference.
Far too often, there are things that ‘look’ like they’re Biblical, or they sound “Christian” enough that we don’t ask questions or dig deeper. We follow because we hear or see enough to make us comfortable. Yet, we might find ourselves following after something that isn’t really Biblical and that’s the goal of the Enemy. Jesus said in Matthew 24, that as the end of days neared, there would be great deception and if possible, even the elect would be deceived.
As parents, we need to pray seriously, specifically and continuously for our sons and daughters that as the days grow darker, they would follow Jesus without wavering. We need to pray that they would have discretion in who and what they choose to listen to and follow. We need to pray that they would spot deception. Pray that they would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit speaking and moving in their lives so that they will heed His warning when they encounter deception. Pray that they would be uneasy and alert to the present danger and wiles of the devil.
It matters who they follow and we need to stand in the gap in prayer as they navigate this life and the spiritual dangers around them. Just because they’re adults doesn’t mean they’re ‘golden’, it’s all the more reason to double-down on prayer for their spiritual growth and protection. This week, make a list of those things you want to pray over. Maybe put those items on an index card and carry it with you. Pray daily. Pray often. Pray using scripture and pray without ceasing.
Beware of Undercover Operatives
2 Peter 2:1-2 “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.”
Undercover operatives are something we’ve all heard about. Most countries have them. Movies are made about them. Little is known of how they operate, but one thing is sure, they are unassuming and often befriend others in the process of trying to gain intelligence or spread information…or, more likely, disinformation. They infiltrate in unassuming ways and their goal is to seek intelligence or do damage without being detected, and if they are? The damage likely has already been done. Isn’t that much like what Peter describes in 2 Peter 2? These false prophets secretly introduce destructive heresies. They try to be unassuming, engaging, even genuine, but that’s all part of the deception.
Friends, false prophets are all over today. But are we even aware? They look like believers, they sound like believers (at first) but soon, if you listen carefully enough, you will begin to detect things that are ‘off’, teachings that don’t quite line up with scripture, doctrine that is skewed, theology that is blasphemous. But here’s the thing, they are so skilled at what they do. They lure so many who are not alert to the dangers and who defend them because they’re ‘so nice’, ‘so genuine’, ‘so profound’. These deceivers are educated people who know Scripture, but misuse it. They omit some things and add others so their message sounds vaguely different, but close enough to deceive the unaware. They are skilled speakers who charm their listeners and often have them beguiled before they ever realize they’re in trouble. Their aim is not to bring glory to God, but to themselves. Look, scripture tells us that if it were possible, even the elect would be deceived (Matt. 24:24). That’s not possible, but that is how deceptive and skilled these false prophets are and will be.
Peter tells us that many will follow these profane teachers. Look around. We see it today. How alert are we? Do we really look into Scripture to see if what we are being taught is correct, or do we blindly trust? Are we sensitive to the Holy Spirit in our hearts who will give us that uneasy discomfort when we listen to someone who is not aligned with God’s word or do we downplay His stirrings? Do we follow the ‘popular’ preacher because he’s the new ‘big thing’ or do we have caution to really learn whether his message is his own, or God’s?
There are undercover operatives among us….and they don’t work for our Savior. Their goal is to deceive and pull people away from the Lord, draw seekers to the darkness and destroy those oblivious to the danger and deception. We need to pray that our sons and daughters are alert and sober-minded. Pray that they have deep, spiritual discretion to identify false teachers and the message they bring.
“Heavenly Father, I pray that You would put a hedge of protection around (name) today. Guard their ears from false teachers. Guard their heart from deception. Keep their eyes on the truth of Scripture and give them wisdom and discretion to compare all they see and hear with the truth in your Word. Let them be a Berean, one of those who Paul commended for checking scripture to see if his message aligned (Acts 17). Lord, it seems Your day is coming quickly. May we all be found faithful, not being led astray by pretty messages and exciting leaders, but holding fast to the Word of God. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Pray without ceasing.
Is it true or does it just ‘sound good’?
Proverbs 14:15 “The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.”
The simple believe anything.
Have you ever heard someone say “…..And, if you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you!” That’s a phrase that’s been used over and over to point out someone’s gullible nature or to bring to attention that someone is perpetrating an obvious ‘con’. Yet, back in the early 1900’s, a man named George Parker actually convinced people he had the rights to sell the Brooklyn Bridge...and he did it over and over, convincing and conning money from so many people. These people lost their money and their pride and Mr. Parker got rich...and was arrested, many times, yet he continued to deceive people.
How could people be so gullible? It may seem obvious to us that this man’s scheme was a con, but he was so convincing that others didn’t ask questions, they just easily followed his story. They didn’t investigate, they simply followed along….and they paid the price.
Do we fall victim to spiritual cons? Do we allow ‘good stories’ and ‘promises of generous blessing’ to tickle our ears? Are we following a ‘Pied Piper’ who sounds good, yet lacks spiritual depth and Biblical truth?
Spiritual gullibility is a thing. Friends, there are believers who fall for anything that sounds good. It ‘tickles their ears’ but dulls their spiritual sensibilities. They find the Truth uncomfortable because it calls out their sin. Instead, they seek out teaching that soothes their conscience, satisfies their need for ‘importance’ or ‘recognition’ and gives them opportunity to ‘prove’ their spirituality through giving and works.
Satan is a deceiver and he is also a user of Scripture. He knows the Bible, friends, and he will use whatever schemes needed to pull us away from following Christ and aligning our beliefs with Scripture. He will convince us to compromise; he will lure us with temptations. He knows our weaknesses and leans on them with the most deceptive tactics. 1 Peter 5:8 says “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” He prowls...he lurks and conceals himself to convince us to let our defenses down.
But Christ is stronger; He’s already won the battle! We are called to stand firm and abide in Him. Colossians 3:2-3 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” We are hidden with Christ in God. That’s a picture of spiritual protection and belonging that can shield us from falling prey to Satan’s schemes. But we have to abide. John 15: 4, 7-8 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Then, we are called to know His Word, so that we can avoid sin, identify deception and run from temptation. Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Our alert and sober mind is only possible when we listen to and learn God’s word, memorizing it in our hearts and minds.
When we pursue Christ and remain in Him we gain wisdom and knowledge through His word. And by doing so, we infuse our hearts and minds with spiritual insight and discretion. Christ equips us to stand firm. Eph. 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.”
Today, let’s pray for God's protection over our sons and daughters. Let’s ask God to:
Help them to have great spiritual discernment.
Pray that their spirit is uneasy with unsound teaching and deceptive leadership and that they would run from it.
That they would love God’s Truth and commit to memorizing it and studying it.
And, finally, pray that the Lord would help them grow in wisdom and knowledge.
Pray without ceasing.
Schoenburg, D. P. E. (2018). The Brooklyn Bridge - "If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell to you". NYC Walks. https://nycwalks.com/blog/the-brooklyn-bridge-if-you-believe-that-i-have-a-bridge-in-brooklyn-to-sell-to-you/.