At one point in my college career I was unknowingly exposed to the beginnings of a cult. The speaker taught at a weekend retreat that I attended and throughout the time, scripture was used. It seemed biblical. It made sense. But I was never comfortable the entire time. I remember praying that the Lord would allow me to remember what was true, and if anything was false, that He would erase it from my memory. I can honestly say that I remember almost nothing from that time.
The enemy is a master at distorting and twisting meaning, quietly planting doubts, and slowly leading believers away from the truth until all seems gray and one wonders how you fell so far away without noticing. It is imperative for every believer to have a thorough understanding of the word, and of His character, to understand how to walk with the Holy Spirit, and to consistently fellowship with other godly believers in order to both recognize and counter deception and half-truths.
knowing the truth
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”
There is a logical progression of deception that we are exposed to in falling away from the Lord. Genesis 3, the story of the fall, clearly outlines this tactic. Satan began with questioning God’s words-did God really say…? It is innocent, just a clarifying question even. And yet, the wording plants a seed of doubt, there is an implication of withholding, a negative connotation within the question posed. And if entertained, one takes a baby-step away from the Lord.
“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.
With the planting of doubt, Satan then becomes bolder. He directly denies the words of the Lord. He twists God’s intended meaning. And if listened to, another step away from the Lord is taken.
“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
His final tactic quickly follows denying God’s words. He questions the Lord’s goodness, His character, His love for you. Eve listened. Rebellion followed.
When Christ was tempted, He answered every attack with scripture. He knew the Word and He believed it, He clung to it. He also knew His God. Our first defense in recognizing and avoiding deception and half-truths is to know the Truth. When we know him as our Wonderful Counselor, our Provider, our Great Physician, our Father who loves us, we cannot doubt His goodness to us, even in pain. When we know His promises, of life, of freedom from sin, forgiveness, power to live, we can choose to believe His words over the lies we hear.
the Holy Spirit
But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
The Holy Spirit has many roles and many names. One of His roles is to reveal truth. He gives insight and discernment into scripture. He opens our eyes and gives us understanding. And while no one should lead their life according to feelings which come and go, I have no doubt that it was the Spirit who made me so uncomfortable when exposed to false teachings. We must cultivate a habit of walking closely with the Lord and being sensitive to his Spirit in order to discern truth from the slightest deceptions.
fellowship
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
We were not made to walk this life alone. In fellowship we can challenge and spur one another on to Christ. We can grow by hearing what other’s are learning in their own walks. We can hold one another accountable to walking uprightly. We can pray for one another. Another aspect of fellowship is the ability to question, to be honest, to seek godly counsel. When I struggle with an issue, or a lesson, and I am unsure what the truth is, I seek wise counsel. I go to friends and family who I know are walking with the Lord, and I seek their advice, I search out their insight and I question the source of their advice. Anything that is from the Lord will not contradict His word or His nature. In seeking out others’ godly knowledge we can know Him more intimately and we can gain understanding of what is truth and what is not. We can spur one another on to Him and prevent each other from quietly slipping away. In these ways, we can learn to recognize deception and half-truths and cling instead to the Lord.
action point
Challenge: Do you have an accountability partner? This is someone in your life that you can be completely real with, in all struggles, with every thought or fear or doubt, with dreams and hopes. It is a person you meet with regularly to share what you are learning spiritually, what you are struggling with, to challenge and pray for each other-to hold one another accountable. If you do not have this person in your life, spend some time praying and asking the Lord to provide this for you, and spend some time brainstorming various people you could challenge to meet with you. If you already have this person, spend some time this week setting a specific goal to work towards together-whether it is scripture memory, study of a particular book together, or a character study on the Lord. Challenge each other to know Him intimately and to take active steps in that direction.