Jacob
2007-10-01 23:35:05 UTC
Sincerity of heart or good intentions cannot guarantee protection from
deception. God tells us to be alert, because the devil is out to get
us (1Pe.5:8). He tries, of course, to get us to sin. After we fall he
tries to lead us into condemnation, discouragement and hopelessness.
He also tries to deceive us into believing what is false, about God,
His ways, ourselves, others, etc. He is extremely good at this, being
possibly the cleverest of all created beings (Ez.28:12), and having
had thousands of years of experience. He is the father of lies (Jn.
8:44), and he tries to deceive us by mixing lies with truth. One of
the ways he deceives sincere Christians is through a false surrender.
Sincere people who want to be radical in obeying God, and especially
those who believe in being led by the Holy Spirit (Ro.8:14) become
susceptible to a special kind of deception. Such people have
surrendered their lives entirely to God. They have understood that God
wants them not to lean on their own understanding but to trust in the
Lord (Pr.3:5), and they have decided to deny themselves, carry the
cross and follow Jesus (Lk.9:23). The danger is when they translate
all this to mean that they give up their power to reason, evaluate and
choose, and allow themselves to be 'led'. Deceiving spirits will be
only too glad to lead such people astray.
If we surender ourselves in this way, we may begin to act upon
impulses, feelings, thoughts that come up suddenly, Bible verses that
flash into our mind out of nowhere, etc. We may think that if we don't
obey them immediately, we might lose the opportunity, or make God
angry with us. If our commonsense raises its head, we would quash it
by thinking that we must not lean on our own understanding. We may
also have a feeling that God is calling us in a special way which
others cannot understand, and think that we have to pay that price for
following Jesus. But if we start along this way we will ultimately
make fools of ourselves, ruin our testimony and lose out with God
also.
Our ability to reason and 'judge' is one of the good things God has
created us with. We are not to set that aside. A spiritual man is to
judge all things (1Co.2:15). He uses natural and spiritual abilities
together (v.13). Our reason is to be used properly, subject to the
overall authority of the Holy Spirit. Even when we listen to
'spiritual' preachers, we are to judge whether what they are saying is
from God (1Co.14:29;1Th.5:20,21). When verses come to our mind,
examine if they are appropriate for us.
Since we are accountable to God, God wants us to be in control of our
lives. We are to be subject to the word of God and the Holy Spirit,
but we are responsible for making the decisions. When we subject
ourselves to elders it must still be by our choice and not by being
forced.
Be especially careful when there is a pressure on us to act, and when
we are being tempted with thoughts of being someone special.
deception. God tells us to be alert, because the devil is out to get
us (1Pe.5:8). He tries, of course, to get us to sin. After we fall he
tries to lead us into condemnation, discouragement and hopelessness.
He also tries to deceive us into believing what is false, about God,
His ways, ourselves, others, etc. He is extremely good at this, being
possibly the cleverest of all created beings (Ez.28:12), and having
had thousands of years of experience. He is the father of lies (Jn.
8:44), and he tries to deceive us by mixing lies with truth. One of
the ways he deceives sincere Christians is through a false surrender.
Sincere people who want to be radical in obeying God, and especially
those who believe in being led by the Holy Spirit (Ro.8:14) become
susceptible to a special kind of deception. Such people have
surrendered their lives entirely to God. They have understood that God
wants them not to lean on their own understanding but to trust in the
Lord (Pr.3:5), and they have decided to deny themselves, carry the
cross and follow Jesus (Lk.9:23). The danger is when they translate
all this to mean that they give up their power to reason, evaluate and
choose, and allow themselves to be 'led'. Deceiving spirits will be
only too glad to lead such people astray.
If we surender ourselves in this way, we may begin to act upon
impulses, feelings, thoughts that come up suddenly, Bible verses that
flash into our mind out of nowhere, etc. We may think that if we don't
obey them immediately, we might lose the opportunity, or make God
angry with us. If our commonsense raises its head, we would quash it
by thinking that we must not lean on our own understanding. We may
also have a feeling that God is calling us in a special way which
others cannot understand, and think that we have to pay that price for
following Jesus. But if we start along this way we will ultimately
make fools of ourselves, ruin our testimony and lose out with God
also.
Our ability to reason and 'judge' is one of the good things God has
created us with. We are not to set that aside. A spiritual man is to
judge all things (1Co.2:15). He uses natural and spiritual abilities
together (v.13). Our reason is to be used properly, subject to the
overall authority of the Holy Spirit. Even when we listen to
'spiritual' preachers, we are to judge whether what they are saying is
from God (1Co.14:29;1Th.5:20,21). When verses come to our mind,
examine if they are appropriate for us.
Since we are accountable to God, God wants us to be in control of our
lives. We are to be subject to the word of God and the Holy Spirit,
but we are responsible for making the decisions. When we subject
ourselves to elders it must still be by our choice and not by being
forced.
Be especially careful when there is a pressure on us to act, and when
we are being tempted with thoughts of being someone special.