Definition: the action of deceiving someone, a thing that deceives

Deceive: cause someone to believe something that is not true, typically in order to gain some personal advantage.

It is easy to spot the deception taking place in the world, but what about the deception flowing out of the church, and ministries?

1 Timothy 4:1 4 But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons,

Note: It says turn away, so this is talking about people who once followed the Word of God.

Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and they will provide great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones).

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 13 For such men are counterfeit apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 So it is no great surprise if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, but their end will correspond with their deeds.

This is why we have to understand deception and be on guard against it.

Characteristics of Deceptive Ministries/Individuals (They may display one or more of the following):

Self-Serving: They are self-serving and look to themselves, their church, or their ministry, and not the cross and Jesus. They point to themselves and elevate themselves and not Jesus.

Lack of Fruit: It does not bear the fruit of the Spirit.

Matthew 12:33 33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is recognized and judged by its fruit.

If it is not bearing the fruit of the Spirit, there is an issue, and we should look closer or avoid it all together.

Pride: It will be full of pride and/or manipulation. It relies heavily on the emotions and feelings of others and does not have its roots in the Word of God. They may even try to use the Word of God to control and manipulate their followers.

False Doctrine: Their teaching often does not line up with the Word of God. They distort or completely change the Word to fit their own agenda. They may not include any mention of sin in any of their messages and they may actually do the opposite and embrace sin. They may embrace it, refuse to confront it, and tell people they are fine staying in their sin. We are called to love the sinner and not the sin. We can do both. I am not talking about condemning people, but I am talking about the need for presenting the full truth of the gospel in a way that causes them to want to change and be more like Jesus.

Proverbs 8:13 “The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.

Love over Obedience: Love is emphasized over obedience in the messages. Yes, we must emphasize love but not at the cost of obedience. Jesus Christ was obedient to the Father so how much more must we walk in obedience. Love is a side and characteristic of God, but that is only one part. He also holds us accountable for our actions and disciplines us.

John 14:15 “If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments.

Revelation 3:19 Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will].

Hebrews 12:5-8 5 and you have forgotten the divine word of encouragement which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not make light of the discipline of the Lord,
And do not lose heart and give up when you are corrected by Him; 6 For the Lord disciplines and corrects those whom He loves, And He punishes every son whom He receives and welcomes [to His heart].”7 You must submit to [correction for the purpose of] discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 Now if you are exempt from correction and without discipline, in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate children and not sons [at all].

Legalism: The message is full of legalism which is man-made rules. These rules have nothing to do with living for God and getting to heaven. They are more about control and manipulation.

2 Timothy 3:13 But evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Hyper Grace: This message basically says that anything goes because the grace of God will catch you. However, grace is not a license to sin, it is a safety net to catch us when we fall.

The term hyper-grace has been used to describe a new wave of teaching that emphasizes the grace of God to the exclusion of other vital teachings such as repentance and confession of sin. Hyper-grace teachers maintain that all sin, past, present, and future, has already been forgiven, so there is no need for a believer to ever confess it. Hyper-grace teaching says that, when God looks at us, He sees only a holy and righteous people. The conclusion of hyper-grace teaching is that we are not bound by Jesus’ teaching, even as we are not under the Law; that believers are not responsible for their sin; and that anyone who disagrees is a pharisaical legalist. In short, hyper-grace teachers “pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality”

Jude 4 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed [just as if they were sneaking in by a side door]. They are ungodly persons whose condemnation was predicted long ago, for they distort the grace of our God into decadence and immoral freedom [viewing it as an opportunity to do whatever they want], and deny and disown our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Progressive Christianity: This is from a church in Tennessee. They are a Progressive Christian Church. This is what is on their webpage: The Bible isn’t: The Word of God, An Answer/Rule Book, or Infallible. They say it is: A Product of Community, A Library of Test, A Human Response to God.

False Prophet: The False Prophet claims to speak fresh and new revelation from God.

Jeremiah 14:14-15 14 Then the Lord said to me, “The [counterfeit] prophets are prophesying lies in My Name. I have neither sent them nor authorized them nor spoken to them. They are prophesying to you made-up visions [pretending to call forth responses from handmade gods], a worthless divination and the deceit of their own mind. 15 Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the [false] prophets who are prophesying in My Name, although I did not send them—yet they keep saying, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’: by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end and be consumed.

When people give prophecy, the words are originating from one of three places (or a mixture of them): God, demons, or themselves. They may not even know where they message is coming from. But if they are adding in themselves or messages from the enemy, they are not speaking the messages of God. There are also prophets who are in it for the wrong reasons, and they know they are not being guided by God. They lie using the name of God and are not sent or commanded by God because God does not speak to them. They prophesy a false vision, a false prediction, and false dreams. They may use divination as a source of power to predict the future or speak about a person’s life.

Matthew 24:11 Many false prophets will appear and mislead many.

Motivational Speaker Preacher: This one mostly speaks the wisdom of the world and is a master of flattery. He is charismatic, very contemporary and is a good speaker. His teachings lack sound Biblical doctrine. Instead, he compensates his lack of sound doctrine through speaking catchy but unbiblical phrases, humanistic philosophies, worldly wisdom, and deceptive stories to project the appearance of knowledge and originality to his listeners. He may give sermons on living your best life, becoming a better version of yourself, building your self worth, learning to trust yourself, and building your confidence. The messages are very self-centered and never talk about surrender to Jesus. Instead, they are all about self. He pulls a lot of his material from psychology, humanism, and new age philosophies. He sticks to only popular subjects and ones that will not offend anyone. He hardly preaches on sin and he does not teach humility. His subtly encourages pride in self and focus on self.

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ.

2 Timothy 4:3 says: For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

False Signs and Wonders and Prophetic Words: The ministry will operate in counterfeit tongues, miracles, signs, and wonders, that are not from God. Just because it looks like the Holy Spirit it does not mean it is. This type of minster loves to perform, and the pulpit is their stage, or in front of a camera is their stage. He will only perform the miracles if he has an audience. God is not involved with the false miracles instead magic, and sorcery are used and sometimes the participant go along with the act either because they are part of it or because they get caught up in their feeling and emotions.

Exodus 7:11-23 11 Then Pharaoh called for the wise men [skilled in magic and omens] and the sorcerers [skilled in witchcraft], and they also, these magicians (soothsayer-priests) of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts and enchantments. 12 For every man threw down his staff and they turned into serpents; but Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

Jeremiah 23:16 16 Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Do not listen to the words of the [false] prophets who prophesy to you. They are teaching you worthless things and are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own mind and imagination And not [truth] from the mouth of the Lord.

Matthew 24:24 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and they will provide great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones).

Acts 8:9-11 9 Now there was a man named Simon, who previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. 10 They all paid [a great deal of] attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God!” 11 They were paying attention to him because for a long time he had mystified and dazzled them with his magic.

How to Guard Against Deception:
Holy Spirt: We must understand what a real, true move of the Holy Spirt looks like.

A true move of the Holy Spirit will call people to repentance and will always point back to Jesus. Repentance is a change of heart, mind, and direction. For it to be true repentance it must have all three. It will have zero room for pride and the main focus will be to reach the lost.

Matthew 3:2 Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

John 16:13-14 13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future]. 14 He will glorify and honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you.

Respect for the Word of God: It will not change the Word of God or put its own spin on the meaning. The full Bible is taught, and it will not glorify, excuse, or ignore sin issues.

John 12:48 Whoever rejects Me and refuses to accept My teachings, has one who judges him; the very word that I spoke will judge and condemn him on the last day.

John 14:23 Jesus answered, “If anyone [really] loves Me, he will keep My word (teaching); and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him.

It is not exclusive; all people are welcomed and loved. It is not just open to a certain type of person or an elite group.

Word of God: We must measure everything and test everything (ministries, prophecy, preachers, teachers) with the Word of God. There is only one truth and that is His Word. Our thoughts, feelings, and emotions will lie to us, but His Word will never lie, that is why we must always look to His Word for truth. We must spend time in His Word so when we are faced with a lie, we will know the truth.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 3 But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. 2 For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, 3 [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.

We must not have an outward form of godliness but refuse to live His Word. We must also know His Word and live it.

False Prophesy: Sometimes we can find ourselves following prophets more than we follow God. We hang on their every word but fail to go to the truth which is the Word of God. We seek ministries and run after them to give us a Word from God when we really should be going to God ourselves and asking Him what He wants to say to us. They are human and can get it wrong, sometimes on purpose and sometimes out of error. That is why we must test their words to make sure they are really coming from God. I have known several times a ‘prophetic” word was used to manipulate others into doing something the speaker wanted. That is why we must always make sure the message is actually from God. Their messages can come from the following (or a mixture of the following): God, the enemy, and/or themselves. Their words can contain a mixture and they do not even know it.

Acts 16:16-17 16 It happened that as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination [that is, a demonic spirit claiming to foretell the future and discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners a good profit by fortune-telling. 17 She followed after Paul and us and kept screaming and shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”

We must not come into agreement with the message of the word spoken to us until we test it.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 19 Do not quench [subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit. 20 Do not scorn or reject gifts of prophecy or prophecies [spoken revelations—words of instruction or exhortation or warning]. 21 But test all things carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. Hold firmly to that which is good.

1 John 4:1 4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world.

Ways to test the prophet word:

Does it edify, encourage, and draw you closer to the Lord?

1 Corinthians 14:3 But [on the other hand] the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification [to promote their spiritual growth] and [speaks words of] encouragement [to uphold and advise them concerning the matters of God] and [speaks words of] consolation [to compassionately comfort them].

This could include a message to do something to come back to the Lord, but it will not beat the person up or be full manipulation or control.

Does it line up with scripture? God will never give a word that contradicts His written Word.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 17 so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Does it glorify Jesus?

John 16:13-1413 But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future]. 14 He will glorify and honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you.

Does it produce good fruit?

Romans 14:17 17 for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking [what one likes], but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Notice righteousness comes first and then peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Did it come true? (Caution, even if it did you must still make sure it lines up in all of the other ways.)

Does it encourage obedience to God?

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 “If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder which he spoke (foretold) to you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us follow after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve and worship them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and all your soul [your entire being]. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and you shall fear [and worship] Him [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect], and you shall keep His commandments and you shall listen to His voice, and you shall serve Him, and cling to Him. 5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to draw you away from the way in which the Lord your God has commanded you to walk. So you shall remove the evil from among you.

Does it release bondages or create them?

2 Corinthians 3:17 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom].

Bondage, confusion, and fear are not products of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:15 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “Abba! Father!”

1 Corinthians 14:33 33 for God [who is the source of their prophesying] is not a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and order. As [is the practice] in all the churches of the saints (God’s people),

2 Timothy 1:7 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].

I have recently heard many prophetic words that have been covered and delivered with fear.

Does it bring forth life?

2 Corinthians 3:6 6 He has qualified us [making us sufficient] as ministers of a new covenant [of salvation through Christ], not of the letter [of a written code] but of the Spirit; for the letter [of the Law] kills [by revealing sin and demanding obedience], but the Spirit gives life.

Does your spirit bear witness (discernment)?

1 John 2:27 27 As for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, [a]you must remain in Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him].

What to do when you are given a prophetic word:

Ask Yourself: Does it line up with the Word of God? Is this confirmation? What does God say? How does it make you feel/discernment?

If it lines up and God is using it for confirmation accept it.

If it does not line up discard it.

If you are not sure, file it away, pray on it and ask God to confirm it.

Antichrist Spirit: Know the tactics of the enemy specifically the antichrist spirit. Get int the Word to find out how it operates and what it looks like. Understand just because something looks like it is from God does not mean it is, we must test everything! Be diligent.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 9 The coming of the [Antichrist, the lawless] one is through the activity of Satan, [attended] with great power [all kinds of counterfeit miracles] and [deceptive] signs and false wonders [all of them lies], 10 and by unlimited seduction to evil and with all the deception of wickedness for those who are perishing, because they did not welcome the love of the truth [of the gospel] so as to be saved [they were spiritually blind, and rejected the truth that would have saved them].

Stay in the Word.

Stay in prayer asking God to show you any deception.

Do not let in any amount of falsehood. If it has one sentence of lies throw it all out: music, sermons, books, ministries.

Guard against pride.

Love the truth and hate lies and sin (not people).

Guard against self-righteousness: Our righteousness comes from Jesus and not our own works or self. We cannot obtain righteousness by walking in the law, we obtain it through Jesus only. However, we are required to look more like Him. Self-Righteousness is self-centered, has distain for others, compares itself to others, and creates a personalized set of rules (legalism).

Romans 10:1-4 10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for Israel is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a certain enthusiasm for God, but not in accordance with [correct and vital] knowledge [about Him and His purposes]. 3 For not knowing about God’s righteousness [which is based on faith], and seeking to establish their own [righteousness based on works], they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law [it leads to Him and its purpose is fulfilled in Him], for [granting] righteousness to everyone who believes [in Him as Savior].

Humility: We must walk in humility.

1 Peter 5:5-6 5 Likewise, you younger men [of lesser rank and experience], be subject to your elders [seek their counsel]; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [tie on the servant’s apron], for God is opposed to the proud [the disdainful, the presumptuous, and He defeats them], but He gives grace to the humble. 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time,

Fear of the Lord: We should have reverence, awe, and respect towards God. Many times, we forget this side of God and our walk with Him. We are often only taught the side of Him as a Friend and Father, but we must also walk in the full understanding of Who He is.

Psalm 34:11-14 11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you to fear the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience]. 12 Who is the man who desires life
And loves many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

Acts 9:31 31 So the church throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace [without persecution], being built up [in wisdom, virtue, and faith]; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort and encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it continued to grow [in numbers].

Psalm 19:9; Job 28:28; Proverbs 8:13; Proverbs 9:10-11; Proverbs 14: 26-27; Proverbs 19:23; 1 Peter 1:17-19

Surrender: We must surrender completely to the Lord and understand everything good in us comes from Him, all we are flows from Him. Our ability and understanding are from Him.

2 Corinthians 12:9 but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 4 And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom [using clever rhetoric], but [they were delivered] in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit [operating through me] and of [His] power [stirring the minds of the listeners and persuading them], 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom and rhetoric of men, but on the power of God.

The World: Avoid conforming to the world and world ideologies, we must hate the world (not people) because we are at odds with it.

John 15:18-19 18 “If the world hates you [and it does], know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love [you as] its own and would treat you with affection. But you are not of the world [you no longer belong to it], but I have chosen you out of the world. And because of this the world hates you.

Eternal: Focus on the eternal, we are just passing through and this is not our home. We must always keep our eyes on Him and in all situations.

Shine Your Light: Be the light to and the world.

Philippians 2:15-16 15 so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness], 16 holding out and offering to everyone the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to rejoice greatly because I did not run [my race] in vain nor labor without result.

Speak God’s truth and do not let fear stop you.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests] and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].

1 Thessalonians 5:21 But test all things carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. Hold firmly to that which is good.

Blessings,

Nichole Henson, Fullness of Joy Ministry