Unfortunately many people think that anything spiritual must be good or safe. But according to the Bible, we do not live in a spiritually safe (or even neutral) environment. The main danger is not demon possession, but rather spiritual deception. That’s why Jesus warns in scripture about spiritual deception. There are three forms of spiritual deception that can ruin our life unless we discern and avoid them:

1. WE CAN TRUST THE OPINION OF THE MAJORITY ON SPIRITUAL MATTERS.
Read Matthew 7:13-14. The first form of spiritual deception against which Jesus warns us is sheepism which is the tendency to uncritically follow the herd we’re a part of. People tend to arrive at their spiritual beliefs not so much by careful examination and deliberate choice as by osmosis from those around them. There is a subtle, but very strong pressure to conform to the majority ethos. While this is no big deal in some areas (musical tastes, etc.), Jesus says there is great danger in doing this with spiritual belief. The reason being is that those who are truly on the right path are usually in the minority and moving against the herd.

2. WHOEVER CLAIMS TO BE JESUS’ SPOKESPERSON IS PROBABLY TRUSTWORTHY.
Read Matthew 7:15. “False prophets” refer to counterfeit Christian leaders. These are people who, like wolves disguised as sheep, pose as followers of/spokespersons for Jesus but are actually deceivers who lead people astray. In fact, they are usually self-deceived (read Matthew 7:21-23). They call Jesus “Lord,” they preach in his name and from his Word, some of them even perform miraculous deeds by what they claim is His power. Yet they do not belong to Jesus, and destroy His work. Jesus predicted that the entire time between His two comings would be characterized by a steady stream of false prophets (Matt. 24:11) and this prediction is being fulfilled.

3. UNDERSTANDING AND AGREEING WITH JESUS’ TEACHING IS SUFFICIENT.
Read Mathew 7:24-27. This warning is for people who have avoided the first two deceptions. He says you can choose the narrow way of the Bible and Jesus, you can discern and reject the false prophets and still wind up in complete spiritual ruin. How? By thinking that understanding and agreeing with His words is sufficient. In other words, you can have the truth but be deceived about how you need to respond to that truth.

Erick Bouwmeester
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