2018.06.20
1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
I want you to look at two words in this scripture, the first one, NT:4337- HEED
prosecho (pros-ekh’-o); from NT:4314 and NT:2192; (figuratively) to hold the mind (NT:3563 implied) towards, i.e. pay attention to, be cautious about, apply oneself to, adhere to: KJV – (give) attend (-ance, -ance at, -ance to, unto), beware, be given to, give (take) heed (to unto); have regard. The second is the word, NT:4108- SEDUCING – planos (plan’-os); of uncertain affinity; roving (as a tramp), i.e. (by implication) an impostor or misleader; KJV – deceiver, seducing.
This scripture is telling us that people will pay attention to or entertain the thoughts and actions that seducing and deceiving spirits will bring to their minds. They will do that because these spirits will do right and act right to a point, and there will be a lot of truth in what they are saying, but there will be words and actions that the Spirit of God will not bear witness to. Why is it when a post is made that deals with spirits and powers and the cunning (subtle) forces of hell, that people seem to get all self-righteous and sanctimonious and try to ‘put on airs’, for the lack of a better phrase? Why do some get the idea or the attitude that there is an implication that they have done something wrong and that this word is a chastisement and not a warning? Why would some say, “Well he’s not talking to me?” This isn’t a chastisement. It’s a warning that the enemy isn’t asleep and that new light has been shone on his tactics and devices. The Spirit of the Lord is striving to bring in wisdom and understanding to help us recognize how these spirits operate. The Lord wants us to grow to maturity and become seasoned warriors in the battle against the crafty schemes of Satan. So let’s don’t be offended and feel criticized, but instead, why not let the Spirit of God talk to us and teach us? If, right now, you’re thinking, “There’s no way this could happen to me.” Guess what? You’re exactly the one that I’m addressing and trying to warn. News Flash! Paul wasn’t writing to sinners when he wrote this. This letter was addressed to Timothy and most likely for the Church at Ephesus, and to believers that he was around.
We ought to be thankful that the Lord cares enough about us and that he has someone who is willing to sound an alarm, and blow a trumpet in Zion (Church) to awaken us concerning the wiles (schemes) of the devil that Paul warned us about in Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (trickery) of the devil. Satan has absolutely no power at all over a believer unless he can get that believer to open a door in the mind. Once that door to the mind is opened, he can attack with thoughts that will allow deception to enter in. Rom 7:18-23 For I know that in me that is, in my flesh (carnal mind) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin (nature) that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil (carnal mind) is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin (carnal mind) which is in my members. We should have a thankful heart and allow the Spirit of the Lord to teach us about religious spirits instead of putting up a guard with spiritual pride.
The sole purpose of these types of spirits is to get you off track. You need to beware: many people have made the assumption that they are immune to these types of attacks from the enemy because they’ve been serving God long enough that they will immediately recognize a wrong, unclean, or a religious spirit. How many times have I warned people that the devil isn’t going to jump out in front of you dressed in a red suit with a tail and two horns, holding a pitchfork in his hand and shout at you and say, “Boo!! I’m the devil and I’ve come to deceive you!”? But he’s going to come to you as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, appearing to be a righteous individual and a person of great spiritual strength and leadership. In Jesus’ own words he warned people, Matt 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. The very essence of a religious spirit is that it looks right, and it talks right, and seems to be right in its actions, but the bottom line is that the function and purpose of this type of spirit is to lead you into error and cause you get off track in your relationship with the Lord.
2 Cor 11:12-15 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
You can start out very right and very real for the Lord, and you can walk in all sincerity and truth, but somewhere along the way, if you became slack in your prayer and dedication to the Lord, you will begin to give over a little bit at a time to deceiving religious spirits and not even realize it. Gradually you will wind up on the wrong track and off course from where God wants you. It’s possible that you will never understand what has happened because, in your eyes, all of your actions and words will seem right. You will confess with your mouth that you love God and you will do all the right things, for the most part. You’ll attend church and you may even participate in services and honor God in your giving, but when it changes from doing it out of love for the Lord and it becomes more duty and obligation than a desire to please the Lord, then something has changed in your spirit. You’re going through all the motions but the growth and bringing forth of the fruit of the Spirit of Christ isn’t there. Somewhere the enemy persuaded you to break your relationship with the Lord and he has convinced you that everything is okay and the Lord is fine with what you are doing.
2 Cor 11: But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ
Eve didn’t do what she did to displease the Lord. She did what she did thinking that her actions would bring her closer to the Lord and into a greater relationship with God. This is how a seducing spirit operates. The enemy persuaded her with very smooth, convincing talk and actions (subtlety) that, although she was going to break God’s commandments and go against what she had been told not to do, everything was going to be alright and that God knew that in her heart that she wanted to please him. He also persuaded her that this action was for her good and that this would improve her relationship with God. A seducing religious spirit will get you to break the principle of God’s Word and convince you that, although you’re doing wrong, it’s going to be alright and that God understands exactly what’s in your heart. Yes, the Lord does understand what is in your heart, but do you understand what’s in your heart? Jer. 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Many years ago the Lord gave me an example to demonstrate to the people. I stood in front of our church and pointed my feet straight at the front door. As I walked toward the front door, I could see with each step, that I was going to reach the mark I started out for. Then the Lord had me demonstrate it again, only this time, as I stood in the front of the church and pointed my feet toward the front door, the Lord had me move my feet approximately one inch to the right. As I started walking, I could see with each step that I was getting further and further off track and that I was going to miss the mark I started out for by a very wide margin. The Lord was showing me that getting off track just a little bit and not correcting your course can cause you great harm and loss in your relationship with the Lord, he gave me this scripture. Rev 2:2-5 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, (off course) and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. If you look at these scriptures you will see all the things that were being done right and the Lord was commending them for it and he was very pleased with their actions, but doing so many things right and not dealing with the thing or things that are wrong can cause you to ship wreck. This is why the Lord said, “Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee.” We all do things right and we are very sincere in our walk and relationship with the Lord, but we can’t continue to ignore what we know isn’t right and we can’t allow things to keep being done outside of God’s order. When we do this we are getting further and further off track or off-course concerning God’s will and direction. This is the purpose and function of religious spirits. This is why most people do not discern what they are dealing with. A counterfeit spirit (seducing spirit) isn’t something that can be easily recognized, but it imitates the real and stays as close to the real as it can get. There are many deceitful and hurtful spirits that have been turned loose in the earth today. Many religious spirits are masquerading as the real thing.
2 Tim 3:1-4 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
We need to understand that Paul was once again speaking these things to the believer and not the sinner. All of these examples are spoken concerning different types of religious spirits that would attack the minds of the believers and war against the soul in the last days. The perilous (difficult or dangerous) times (seasons) shall come. These are the days in which we live and all of these forces and seducing spirits have been turned loose on God’s people. I have people tell me, “I’ve never fought the powers and forces before that I am fighting now,” and I tell them, “The fullness of God and the dominion of the Kingdom has never been revealed to the Church before, and the time of possessing the Kingdom is at the door. The Devil isn’t going to stand back and let you possess all power against him, he’s going to fight.” The trouble is that people will fight an enemy that is recognized, but when it comes to being attacked by an unfamiliar enemy, many either won’t fight or don’t know how to fight. A seducing spirit can attack you in a way that you won’t even know that you are under attack. When you don’t know that you’re under attack, then your spiritual defenses aren’t on the alert. When you don’t see what’s happening because it resembles the working of the Spirit of God then you are basically defenseless. This is why the Lord is sending out a warning at this time. He wants you aware of what the enemy is doing. We don’t need to reach the place that we are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Many people today are confessing a relationship with God in one form or another. The only trouble is, many of the things they are confessing may contain a form of godliness and looks good on the outside but it denies the power of deliverance that brings forth the true witness of the Resurrected Christ. When there isn’t any witness of the Resurrected Christ present in your everyday life, then there isn’t any testimony. The enemy will always be present to hinder you from growing into a place that the Christ will be revealed in your daily life. This is most deceptive when a religious spirit is present because it reveals outward actions, which look good, and it testifies from an outward observation that you are very religious, but it denies the inward growth of the nature of Christ. People aren’t looking for another person that states verbally their Christianity, but they are looking for someone who bears the fruit of the indwelling nature and attributes of Christ in their everyday life.
Please examine this writing very carefully; I feel this is a warning to many, and an alert to the fact that the enemy has set his sights on you to attack you with religious, seducing spirits. There are many that can rebuff attacks of evil and wickedness, and this is because you have trained your senses to recognize them, but 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
The enemy can disguise himself as a roaring lion, which is what Jesus is; he is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and while Satan mimics him, he is also seeking through the guise of a religious spirit to find a way to devour you. I pray this article is much help to you in your walk with the Lord and it gives you new insight concerning how seducing and religious spirits operate. This is why you need to be careful and to keep your relationship with God on track. It’s so easy to get off track just a little bit. Without the Lord issuing a COURSE CORRECTION we will get further and further off track every day, This is why people who do not hold to their faith and stay on course concerning God’s Word and right teaching will eventually shipwreck. Many people will come to this point in their relationship and walk with God. They will do it unintentionally, but they will follow a religious and deceiving spirit which will steer them just far enough off course for them to find themselves in dangerous waters that they cannot maneuver; or, even worse, waters that they definitely don’t know how to navigate in. This is simply because a lying spirit has persuaded them that they are right in what they’re doing. To avoid this, be sure that what you’re being taught and who is teachings it is in alignment according to God’s Word and not the doctrines of men. Do not allow anything or anyone to cause you to err from the Word of God or make excuses why they aren’t lining up with the Word and the leadership of his Spirit, because the Spirit and the Word agree and bear witness one to the other. 1 John 4:1-6 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
