His Glory Blog

Walking with Jesus is more than just salvation through belief. It is a lifelong journey of growth, development, and maturity that results in deeper relationship with God, and a larger portion of your heart belonging to Him. Through deeper relationship with Jesus, you begin to not only learn His nature but also to develop that nature yourself. Walking with Jesus comes with so many rewards, many of which we hear about (peace, joy, kindness) but also some we don’t realize until it is part of who we are in Christ (discernment, understanding, holiness). As faith becomes part of who the believer is they begin to see a clearer division that exists in the world between the Christian Faith and the fallen world. The struggles at this part of the walk begin with understanding that becoming holy (set apart) in the image of Jesus makes you a contradiction to the world around you which is controlled by satan and his followers. The ways of the world become uncomfortable, and Christians begin to grieve as Jesus also grieved when He walked the earth. Take comfort that you are following your Savior, and your heart is starting to conform to His.

This maturity and discernment put a believer in a unique place to understand at a much deeper level what things are of God and what is not. As new believers we are called into community where pastors and elders can help us navigate the struggle as we mature, much like a parent helps a child learn and prepare for independence. The process of spiritual maturity and walking closely with God is important for reasons very obvious to most believers, but there is an ability that is overlooked but of great importance, as the time of Jesus’ return comes closer. That ability is to discern what is of God, and what is of the deceiver and/or man. For this explanation we can lump the deceit of the devil and the fallenness of man into a large group that defies God and lives in opposition of truth, so much so that they both attack God, His design, and His chosen with power derived from pride, believing that their way is better. That opposition may be in direct defiance of God or may just be the belief that earthly comforts and happiness are the pinnacle of human existence. Believers understand that there is so much more to being alive when they are made alive in Christ. There is no argument that there is a big difference between attacks and deceit from satan and the ignorance of human selfishness and greed. But there is no argument that they are both in direct defiance of what God’s initial design was and what God current desire for His creation is.

               God cast satan out of Heaven for his prideful defiance of The Father and his jealousy that humans had such a high standing in the eyes of God. His creation was so dear to him that the devil rebelled and the pride that caused him to place himself over mankind is the same pride that allows him to continually try and compete with what God has foretold will happen in the Bible. The devil continually fights the Creator of the world blinded by his pride without which he would understand he is destined to lose and be cast into the pit as told in Revelation. Since being cast out the deceiver has continually caused trouble for God’s creation. From the initial fall in the Garden of Eden, to the temptation of Christ, and attempts even now to turn God’s creation from the relationship the Father desires. For all of the faults of the deceiver he is clever in his attempts to hinder God. The maturity in our walk with The Lord makes seeing through the clever tricks of the devil easier as we understand who our Father is and what the plan the devil is attacking looks like. The less a believer understands The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit the easier it is for the devil to pervert that understand and lead believers away from light and into darkness. This is one of an infinite number of reasons God desires relationship with His chosen, so that He has the heart and ear of His children so that they will not be deceived by lies and perversion.

Part of the clever aspect of the deceiver is that he does not always attack the church and believers in obvious ways. He comes alongside Godly things and perverts them to the degree that the believer is blinded from the truth and becomes lost in either ignorance or worldly fallenness. There are many examples that we see every day that we take for granted but are major examples of these attempts to derail mankind from finding God.

Perversion of Christian History

There are many people that will make attempts to deceive believers by creating doubt about the validity of Christian beliefs. They use human fallibility: influencing the written word of God, written translation errors, selectively removing books of the Bible, and travesties carried out in the supposed name of God to try and muddy holy waters. They will cast doubt about the divinity of Jesus or that He even existed. Yet there is more evidence (extant manuscripts) for Jesus than there is Julius Ceasar, Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, and Cleopatra combined, though their existence is never up for debate. When faced with the divinity and power of Jesus the conviction of fallen human spirits and the wickedness of satan combine to cast doubt any way possible. They look for contradictions in the Bible in search of any fallibility that can be used to create even a small doubt in a believer. That is why we are called into close relationship with God, so that the Holy Spirit can reveal the truth of God, His Character and His Word. The truth of God is made clear through the Spirit not the fallen intellect of scholars.

Protestant Sect Inclusiveness

We also see different Christian organizations that feel they need to focus needlessly on individual pieces of God’s Word as though any one part holds weight over another. The Word as a whole calls us to one body in Christ but we see denominations trying to create exclusivity through individual practices that miss the wholeness of relationship with Jesus. Symbolism and religious practice become more important than God. Whether we look at: confession to a priest who has no more power than a Spirit filled believer, paying financial penance to the church for forgiveness of sin, acting as though a Pope is anything more than a priest in a special robe, attending certain church services without fail, having to be baptized to go to Heaven, requiring that women not wear makeup or cut their hair, or being forced to serve in the Church. If these actions lead a believer to closer relationship with God they are not bad in and of themselves. Being a requirement is a perversion of God’s desire. Always remember: Religion is man trying to earn God, Jesus is God chasing after man.

Shallow Christianity

Human nature is self-serving and will do just enough, in most cases, to accomplish what is desired. Most Christians stop short of understanding the fullness found in relationship with and submission to God in Jesus. The deceiver doesn’t have to do much more than prey on that tendency and convince new believers or shallow swimming believers that they have done enough to check the box of being Christian. We can look to the parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23) to see how that plays out through the words of our Lord himself. Believers must guard their hearts and the easiest way to do that is to give their whole heart to God and let Him change and protect it from the deceit that pulls them away from what Faith has in store for them.

Islam

The history of Islam is laced with contradictions that seem to clearly point at human selfishness, greed and impatience that an all-powerful god would not have to possess. We find a Quran that tells of a religion that tried to become a triune religion with Judaism and Christianity by aligning itself with their history in an attempt the corrupt followers of those faiths. This is where we see the deceiver trying to pull away people who did not have deep rooted beliefs. When the initial triune religion efforts failed, we see the foundation of the religion go from peace to the demand to attack anyone who did not agree. We see the founder turn to political influence and eventual institution of laws (Shariah Law) that required conversion to Islam.  The original command was for Muslims to have one wife but then allowed for four when the leaders lust made him change his mind (one of those being 9 yrs old). The Quaran is full of changes such as these at the tune 78% being corrected at some point. They even have a name for it called abrogation since “Allah” changed his mind on how the world should work.  There are many references that point to Allah being the same as the Baal of the Old Testament. This topic is the reason for many books so it can not be exhausted here but one final fallibility. The Quaran tells Muslims to believe the Bible but then to turn back to the Quran as an additional guide. If that’s the case the big contradiction is that the Bible says that it is the complete Word of God and shall not be added to, thus saying that the Quran is not authentic. Meaning the Quran says the Quran is not true. A wild yet large example of a false prophet and/or the devil trying to attach itself to the true God for credibility in its deception.

2 Peter 2:1-3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Mormonism

Mormonism is a modern-day version of Islam. They did not trace the historical connection back to The Old Testament but instead used modern Christianity as its jumping off to make changes by a false prophet. Both made a new book to add onto existing scripture as if the Creator of the earth somehow needed to correct Himself. Both founders disappeared into the wilderness and had a premonition that correction was needed. I imagine the words of the deceiver filling the minds of crooked men giving them a false sense of power outside of the True God. They are responsible for turning many away from God, slightly through alignment and then in far reaching ways though community and isolation. The sad part of witnessing Mormonism firsthand is the fact that followers still believe they are Christian and that Heaven is the end of the journey for their lost souls. It shows how slight variations in the minds of people with no personal relationship with God can lead to such radical ideas.

Matthew 24:24 ²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

Cults

Cults represent a human that plays the role of God to people who are lost in search of the true Creator.  God places a longing on each of our hearts that is meant to drive us to completion in Him through Jesus. Many people fill that void with idols and this is the most extreme case of that perversion. People form groups that isolate them from society and God. They make the leader a godhead and treat them as they are called to treat Jesus in terms of reverence. When these cults fail, we always see the leader taking advantage of the followers in ways that suit human desire (stature, finances, sexually, etc). The power-hungry leader is still a fallen human and cannot handle a deified position only meant for God himself and end is destruction for the cult and all of its members.

Spirituality

Spirituality is an example of the longing God puts in each of us being filled by what the practitioner wants to make them satisfied, but never to the extent that God offers in Jesus. The multitude of rituals, idols, and ideas that exist show how each person looks for the ideology that suits them best and runs for fulfillment. This pursuit allows the deceiver to enter into the customized ritualism and turn the spirit cold toward the Truth. Demonic forces and show small “wonders” that keep the lost soul attached to the fallen ideas and convinced that they have found truth. Opening up a spirit that is longing for God to anything but Jesus is an invitation for something to fill that void. The devil and his demons are waiting for that chance. The actions of the demons don’t have to be evil at that point. They can seem innocent to the lost but are detrimental to the eternal salvation of that soul and a short-sided place holder in a heart God desired for Himself.

Psychics

The desperation of people to hold onto the things that have fallen away leads them into another deceit from satan. The devil uses human vessels to convince people that they can be introduced to the spiritual realm. The instruments of the devil can give false witness to the vessel with facts they have witnessed to make it seem like spirits are communicating with us. These deceptions can be used to prey on the desperation of the lost and convince them that they can circumvent God. The only spirit we are meant to take comfort in is The Holy Spirit of God. His Spirit offers His truth and the comfort people seek in the paranormal. We are told as believers to test the spirits and see if they are from God. Anything not of God is to be discarded so that we are not left short of His Glory and the relationship we are called to with Him. We are not meant to see the other side of the veil until The Father calls His children home. His understanding is bigger than ours and we are called to believe that His ways are better than ours.

1 John 4:1-6 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. ⁴ Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.