2 Corinthians 11:3-4
But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
I've been watching my trail cameras a lit this time of the year. I live seeing what bucks are out there living in the properties we hunt. Where we live we can feed the deer, and to be honest, it's the best way to get a pretty clear inventory of the bucks you have in the area.
Those same bucks, and many does, get used to the "bait" that's put out and soon they become comfortable with it. While everyone has a different opinion on putting out "bait", it's a way to draw the deer in to an area.
Linda and I have had occasion to be in Las Vegas for several work related conferences over the years. The city has drawn in many outdoor related conferences that were attended. I have always been impressed with the architecture, the fountains, displays and the lights.
For many years I said, "everyone should see Las Vegas justonce to see all this". Our last trip I saw beyond all of the grandiose display and saw that it is nothing more than a "bait", a way to entice people in to the trap that is "THE STRIP" of Vegas. Behind that façade WAS sexual debauchery galore, gambling abuse and hidden sin. I say WAS with tongue in cheek.... A few years ago we again attended a conference and we saw that the issues that we saw as somewhat hidden was now, "in your face".
We've all seen the cartoon of Satan depicted as a little red figure with a pointed tail, horns and holding and pitch fork. In reality Satan does not come this way to us. In fact in verse 14 we see that he comes quite differently.
14"..."for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness."
We have to realize that there are many people masquerading as angels of light amongst us. We need to test the spirits to see how they stand up against God's word. If they teach anything that does not line up perfectly with Christ's Gospel, then it is false teaching and being used by Satan to deceive others.
1 John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
Satan is a crafty creature that will do anything to pull people down into permanent damnation. He wants to see Christ's work fail. He wants our testimony and ministry destroyed. Even though he shows himself as an, "angel of light".... He is really a "prince of darkness".
We must realize that the fact that people may have a "religious title", this doesn't mean that they know Christ and teach the true Gospel. Its like Las Vegas, behind all of amazing bright and seemingly beautiful architecture, is an extremely dark and sinful world. In the same way, false teachers can and will be appealing... however, they will lead us away from the freedom we have in Christ and into a trap of bondage, set by Satan himself.
TEST THE SPIRITS against the Gospel, don't be fooled by a false beauty.
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