mind and makes people who are affected to believe in the lies it presents. It is a spirit that wages war quietly causing those affected unaware of menacing things going on in their lives.
This spirit consumes every part of the lives of those affected and eradicates the peace of God. It is a spirit that is difficult to detect and eliminate. It attacks the lives of committed and uncommitted Christians.
In the Bible, there is a story about a lying spirit going to deceive the so-called prophets of God. (1 Kings 22:22) In this passage, the Lord granted this Spirit permission to entice the Prophets of God! Questions that come to mind are:
- What kind of prophets were these prophets of God?
- What kind of lifestyle were they living?
As Christians, we need to examine our ways diligently, not giving leeway for demonic spirits to enter our lives. We need to live holy lives just as God instructed us in Leviticus 20:26: “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.” (NIV)
Some of the steps we need to take to live a holy life are:
- We need to commit all our ways to God.
- We have to walk on the Holy path of God.
- We must not serve two masters. We cannot serve God and anything else.
- We have to keep the right company.
- We have to lead a Godly lifestyle.
- We have to be prayerful and read our Bible at all times.
How do committed Christians get exposed to this spirit?
- As Christians, we need to research the churches we go to, to avoid falling into the wrong hands.
- Searching for answers to personal trials without praying to God first but going from one prophet to another.
- Sinning by leaving the boundaries God has set for you can lead to ending up in the hands of the enemy.
Signs of Spiritual Deception:
- People that are affected are stuck in one spot. They tend to have a lack of progression in their lives and are consumed by the lies the enemy tells them.
- It makes those affected to have trust issues and to be suspicious of people around them.
- They might have health issues.
- They are very secretive.
- Getting close to people is an issue.
- They are always fasting and engaged in constant spiritual warfare.
- They may have a selective number of people on their minds that they think are their enemies.
- They can turn out to be loners.
- They can be attending church regularly but find it difficult to be committed.
Ways to be delivered from the Spirit of Deception:
Getting released from this spirit can be a long journey. Relatives and friends who are believers should pray for them at all times that their eyes will open to detect the lies of the enemy. Realising what is going on at their end, is a breakthrough on its own.
Steps to be taken for deliverance:
- The realisation of being deceived is the first step towards deliverance for the person affected.
- Have a renewed and prepared mind. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, given God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is true and proper worship. Do not conform, to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of the mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12: 1-2) NIV
- Confess your sins and pray to God to send the right person you need to talk to for counselling.
- Go to the right place to get deliverance, just in case you need to.
- Do not rush things.
- Once the peace of God enters your mind, you are free.
Jesus said And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Jn 8:32 NKJV
Jesus did not say you will know the truth and it might set you free but that it will make you free. The truth of God is His word, and it sets us free in multiple ways, including healing and delivering us. If we don't read the word, we cannot be made free by it. One of the truths we must first now is that no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit (Jn 3:5).
Once we are made free from sin, we become servants of righteousness (Rom 6:18) and bear fruit that represents our holiness and everlasting life (Rom 6:22).
Paul warns us to stand fast in the freedom Christ made us free in, and do not get tangled up with a yoke of bondage to sin or religion (Gal 5:1). But those bound by any religious spirit are bound to the activity and belief of that spirit. Paul said, For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. – Rom 8:2
We have to have the Holy Spirit to get free and live free. We have to have Him to stand firm in the freedom we received from Jesus. We have freedom from the penalty of sin and grace to stop sinning. We have freedom from oppression, pain, sickness, and disease, and the grace to walk through these things when they attack us. We have the freedom to receive a new identity and toss the old one away. We are set free from the curse of the law but not from the holy standard of it. All of these liberties are by choice and not by manipulation or force.
Jesus said, 16"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever– 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. - John 14:16-18 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. -Jhn 16:7
While the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Truth, the antichrist is a spirit of deception. For us to understand who, what, and where an antichrist spirit is in operation, one must first understand and know the Holy Spirit. Only God's Spirit can lead us into all truths concerning all things. "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own [authority], but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. - Jhn 16:13
The Holy Spirit is what makes everything we do as followers of Christ possible; without Him we can do nothing. The Holy Spirit is described as an intercessor, consoler, advocate, and comforter. He has come alongside us to help us in times of need.
We have to start with the basics of Christianity, or we will not understand the depth of it. One must first believe in the entirety of the Bible as the word of God and not just as fables or a history book that does not apply to you today.
For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. - Heb 4:12 and All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. - 2Ti 3:16-17 NIV
Once you have this truth in your heart and you believe it, then you can comprehend who the Holy Spirit is and how not to be deceived. It is through the Holy Spirit that we can keep God's commands. We can do as Jesus commanded and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is also the Spirit that can lead us into the wilderness and desert places of life and yet sustain us as we are tested there.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and He speaks to and through His people (Mat 10:20). But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. - Mar 13:11 NLT
Some very valuable points to make about the Holy Spirit are:
The Father gives him as a gift (Lk 11:13)
We have fellowship with and through the Spirit (2 Cor 13:14)
We are sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:16)
He communicates joy to the saints (Rom 14:17, Gal 5:22, 1Th 1:6)
The Spirit of God edifies the Church (Act 9:31)
He testifies to Christ (Jn 15:26)
He imparts the love of God (Rom 5:3-5)
He imparts hope (Rom 15:13, Gal 5:5)
He teaches the saints (Jn 14:26)
These are just a few of the works of God through His Spirit that lives in the children of God who believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the One who created all things and He lives in us, this means the power of God lives in us. If the people of God could get a thorough understanding of this one truth the world could be flipped upside down!
One more valuable fact to bring forth is that the Holy Spirit represents a cleansing and purifying agent because He is the fire of God.
Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and [one] sat upon each of them. - Act 2:3
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. - Mat 3:11
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He [is] like a refiner's fire And like launderers' soap. - Mal 3:2
For our God [is] a consuming fire. - Heb 12:29
The opposite of all these truths are the lies of the spirit of deception, the antichrist, the devil. The Bible tells us that every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the [spirit] of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. ~ 1Jo 4:3
Look at the following verses to give you a clear understanding of the antichrist deceiving spirit is.
18Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but [they went out] that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. ~ 1 John 2:18-19
Jesus said, "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ~ Mat 24:24
The Antichrist denies Jesus Christ, the Father, and the Son and he is a liar.
Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. ~ 1 John 2:22
Any spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is an antichrist, and they are already here.
But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. ~ 1 John 4:3 NLT
The Antichrist is a deceiver and if possible, will deceive even the elect.
For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ [as] coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. ~ 2 John 1:7
The deceiving spirits rule this world in many areas including beliefs and lifestyles that go against the biblical teachings of God. These beliefs may include homosexuality and other forms of sexual sin, abortion, universalism, gender confusion, pope worship, and idolatry. Various types of religious systems are built on an antichrist spirit including Luciferisim, Satanism, Wiccan, witchcraft, and sorcery, to mention only a few.
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. ~ 2 Peter 2:1 NIV
The Antichrist spirit brings religious mindsets into the flock. He offers the "coexist" and "all-inclusive" false doctrines that much of the Church has fallen prey. An antichrist spirit will come in with false prophets and false teachings, so we must be diligent in testing the spirits. The secular humanism agenda causes division and strife in the body of Christ. Ideologies such as same-sex marriage, gender dysphoria, "Christian tattoos," and abortion are all part of the plan to divide the people of God and cause cultural divides as well. The devil's schemes can be effective because many believers do not read their Bibles because they do not believe it is relevant for today.
Let's pray,
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to live in us and teach, guide, comfort, and lead us in all truths. Thank You for leaders in the body of Christ that are not afraid to speak truth from Your word and allow the Holy Spirit to flow in their services and meetings. Help me today to learn to walk by the Spirit so that I will not fulfill the lust of my flesh. Make Your voice known to me Lord that I might bring You pleasure all the days of my life. In Jesus name, Amen
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