“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:13 (ESV)
None of us would willingly allow ourselves to be led astray, or be deceived! So, the power and nature of deception is its disguise. In The Last Battle by CS Lewis, a donkey named Puzzle gets clothed in a lion skin and deceives most of Narnia into thinking he is the real Aslan. This deception ultimately led to the fall or end of Narnia as they knew it. His disguise wasn’t even that good, but it worked because the inhabitants of Narnia didn’t have a strong understanding of what the true Aslan was like! Such is the nature of deception, without a strong knowledge of the truth, falsehood can easily creep in! Much of the church is susceptible to such deception. We lack a knowledge of our God and what His word actually says!
We’re told that even Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). The word masquerade means to disguise, to change the figure of, to transform. In other words, our enemy is a master of disguise! Jesus warned us multiple of times to be aware of being deceived in the last days (Matthew 24). We told that people will seek teachers who tickle their ears and they will turn away from the truth (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Obviously, these are false teachers disguised as true ones proclaiming that they are preaching the full counsel of God (Matthew 7:15)! Btw, they do not wear name tags that say false teacher, nor is there a sign out in front of their church that reads false teaching inside! We need discernment to see through their disguise (1 John 4:1)!
Cry out for the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13) to lead you into all truth. Ask Him to show you any and every place you are being deceived. Ask Him to reveal any place that you are seeking teachers who will tickle your ears. Ask Him to reveal any place where Satan is masquerading in your life or church. Ask God to expose false teachers and any false teachings in your church and in the churches across our city. Cry out for God to release a new level of discernment in His church, starting with you!
