I believe that in recent days we are experiencing tremors… signs that the end is drawing near. What are these tremors? Here’s a few… COVID, the slaughtering of innocent lives in Israel on October 7, 2023, the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the killing of thousands of Christians in Nigeria, and the election of a Muslim mayor in NYC. And another tremor that is often not seen, is GREAT DECEPTION. Jesus said that deception would abound in the end days (Matthew 24:5). I’m not sure we quite understand the depth of deception in the world today… deception that has seeped into the church. In fact, it’s walked right in the front door. And many believers are falling hook, line, and sinker.
One of the ways Satan deceives is by disguising himself as an angel of light. Don’t underestimate him… he knows truth. So, to get Christians into his trap he comes with an element of truth, but he twists it and distorts it. It looks good on the outside, but inside it’s full of death. Now is NOT the time for Christians to be asleep. Now is NOT the time for believers to be apathetic. Satan is stronger than he has ever been and VERY crafty. He’s getting bolder and more convincing. With that said, let me suggest four things that we need in this time of great deception:
Discernment! Discernment is the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong, truth and lies. Romans 12:2 tells us that the “transformation of our minds” will give us discernment. Our mind is the first place Satan goes… he whispers lies. So, we need to transform our minds with truth. Truth always prevails. Truth will cast out those lies.
Wisdom! Many Christians have a lot of knowledge, but they lack wisdom. Solomon spoke of wisdom in Proverbs. He said in Proverbs 19:20: “Listen to advice and accept instruction, so you may gain wisdom.” Wisdom goes a long way. Wisdom comes from accepting instruction from God’s Word and being willing to change accordingly. James says that if you lack wisdom, just ask for it (James 1:5).
Strong foundation! Jesus gave a fabulous parable about the sand vs. the bedrock (Matthew 7:24-27). He called those who build on the sand foolish. He said that our lives must be built on the bedrock because if it’s not, it will fall when storms come. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3 that the strongest foundation is Jesus. We must be careful to keep Jesus at the foundation of our lives.
Deep roots! Jesus gave a parable of the Sower and the Seed in Matthw 13:1-23. In this parable, the seed is the Word of God. And he talks about 4 different kinds of soil, showing that fertile soil is the soil that allows the seed to go deep. Therefore, we need to make sure our hearts receive God’s Word with joy. We must have DEEP roots because the deeper the roots, the harder it will be for our lives to be uprooted.
These things are vital in the day we’re living. Let me encourage you to seek all these things so that you will not be led away by the great disguiser.