Deception is very subtle. It mimics or patterns itself after things that appear to be truthful or factual. It disguises itself as one thing while secretly promoting something else. It causes us to view reality in a manner that is out of sync with real life. We unknowingly (or sometimes knowingly) juxtapose our altered sense of what’s real onto other people and even onto our faith. This is where the word of God comes in.
But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.- 1 Thessalonians 5:21
We must test everything by the word of God. Attempting to listen to God without spending time in His word to understand His character is a huge mistake. Evil spirits exist and they are all too eager to speak to us masquerading themselves as the “voice of God.” This is how deception works. It preys on those who of us who really want to hear God’s word but have not yet made the commitment to studying His word or spending quality time with Him. People like that set themselves up to fall victim to deception.
When Jesus was in the wilderness and the devil came to tempt him, his response began the same way: it is written. He didn’t entertain the devil. He didn’t mull over what the devil had to say. He simply countered every offer or challenge with what the word of God said about the situation. He did not debate with the adversary. He did not cower because the devil challenged him. Christians need to respond the same way.
We must compare every thought, emotion or prompting that comes to us with the word of God. It is our measuring stick. It tells us which things are out of whack and which things are noble or true. Please keep in mind, not every thought, prompting or feeling that comes to us is from God. The enemy does have a voice. The enemy is out to rob, kill or destroy us. The enemy is looking to deceive us. The only way to know for sure is to test what you hear or feel—prove its position using the word of God as a standard.
Also, keep in mind that just because something seems logical does not mean it is from God. Logic is defined as a sensible argument or thought often influenced by emotion or whim. In short, logical things make sense to us. They are things we can wrap our minds around and embrace. Jainists embrace the concept of heaven. Just because we can embrace a concept does not mean the concept is God sanctioned. Test the thought or concept by the word of God.
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