The problem with being deceived is you don’t know that you are. Jesus warned His disciples to “Take heed that no one deceives you.” (Matthew 24:4) He was prophesying about the times of tribulation “when false prophets will rise up and deceive many… lawlessness will abound, [and] the love of many will grow cold. But he would endures will be saved.” (vv. 11-13) What will happen to those that do not endure under the tribulation, deception and lawlessness of our day? They will not be saved. Whatever that means, it must mean something.
For me and my house, and the fellowships I serve, it means that we must be prepared with the peace that passes all understanding, and a love for the truth that empowers us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. It is the responsibility of all Christian teachers, parents and leaders to prepare their students, children and followers to endure in these days of tribulation, deception and lawlessness. For those of you that cannot see the spiritual danger of our time, and for those that have chosen to ignore it, I pray that the Lord would give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; for you are already under the deception of the evil one.
I wonder if any of us can honestly say that we are not captive in some respect. Are we so naive?
From our childhood, the enemy has used every opportunity to established strongholds of deception in the recesses of our minds. These strongholds affect the way we receive and respond to information every moment of our lives. The Bible tells us that we are to be transformed, by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Much of the renewing effort involves the tearing down of strongholds. It is with the heart that man believes, but the mind can be used by the enemy to prevent our hearts from hearing the truth. I offer a portion of my testimony as an example.
At the age of 12, I asked the Lord to come into my heart, to be my Savior; and He did. Not knowing the necessity of making Him Lord, I failed to submit to His complete control of my life. Fearing what might happen if I did, Satan proceeded to build (and reinforce) a number of strongholds in my mind. In particularly, he used a religion class during my freshman year in college to establish a stronghold of deception regarding the exclusivity of Christ as the way to salvation. I just could not understand how a loving (i.e., saving) God could be so cruel to those that sought another way. Oh, the ignorance of youth. As you can imagine, such a stronghold allowed me to reign over my life, and submit to other masters as I saw fit. Some would say I was lost; others, backslidden. The amazing thing is that He never stopped being my Savior; nor waiting for me to make Him Lord.
In His providence and grace, He made sure a certain book found its way into my hands. It was Josh McDowell’s More Than a Carpenter; the year was 1985. For those that don’t know, the thesis of the book is that Jesus had to be a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. It was nothing like the emotional sermons that most are caught by; but a logical argument on the validity of Jesus Christ’s claims – a book of reason for the Age of Reason. And it was a massive assault on a stronghold that had deceived me for years. Within days of finishing the book, I took the next step in my salvation journey: I repented of my reign, and turned it over to Him. The keys of my kingdom now belonged to Him; and He used them to tear down many other strongholds. The truth has set me free.
So why is this so all fired important? Why is it worth you reading such a long blog entry? Well, I believe many in the church today are plagued by strongholds – even the stronghold of thinking strongholds do no exist. I pray that my testimony will help you see that, like any war in the physical realm, strongholds are strategic in the enemy’s fight against you. The only solution is a force that will destroy them, freeing us from their deception. That force is the truth that comes from the very One who is the way, truth and life.
In closing, I want to warn you about the stronghold of religiosity; for it is deceiving many in the American church. Simply stated, the deception of religiosity encourages people to pursue and depend on man-made doctrines, instead of an intimate relationship and dependence on the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It keeps man on the throne, and vehemently opposes any truth to the contrary. It is particularly difficult to destroy the stronghold of religiosity because it is carefully camouflaged by Scripture. A good example is the deception that has been established on both sides of the baptism debate. Tragically, the true effectualness of baptism (God’s work in it) has been lost to both sides, for many decades.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of an unquenchable hunger and thirst for the truth. If it does not exist, it must be developed – and continually encouraged. Isn’t it interesting that the hungry and thirsty are blessed, not the satisfied (Matthew 5:6)?
Praying for your hunger and thirst,
Rob
5 comments
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April 11, 2008 at 9:35 am
Mom
Dear Rob,
This is a very thought-provoking writing. I thought and prayed about my stronghold (the negative one from the enemy) and am convinced what it is! I have a lot of work (and the Lord) to overcome it, but I’m also convinced that I can with His help! Thanks,
Love, Mom
April 16, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Dawn
Rob,
I am 34 years old and I have decided to change my thoughts forever.I will think ,dream, eat ,sleep, happiness and no matter what.I am ready to be Gods best.
Thank you
December 2, 2008 at 11:19 am
Dan
I got a bunch of em guys. I started seeing a counselor recently and weve uncovered some lies in my mind. They all go back to things that happened to me at a real age. But heres the crazy thing. Even though I recognize these lies I cant shake the effects of them. Its like they poke back into my mind at different times. But I kind of know theyre not true but I cant seem to change my mind! What do you do about this?? Ive been speaking to a pastor the past few weeks now as a counselor. He tells me that I should start reading through the Psalms and that God will reveal answers to me through there… Ughhh.. I dont feel like God has ever spoken to me so its discouraging for him to tell me that ultimately God will give me the answers. Any advice??? Im running out of steam here guys
December 3, 2008 at 1:28 pm
inlight
Dan,
First, I want to encourage you that the Lord is your Deliverer, and He is sovereign. He may be trying to work something out in you – and it may take longer than you desire – but He will complete His work if you stick with Him.
The truth is the greatest weapon against strongholds, so your counselor is not off base in sending you to the Word of God. Psalm 34 and 37 are two of my favorites for understanding the promises God has for me. Keep in mind that you must do, or be, what the Word says for it to benefit you.
I strongly suggest that you read Ephesians – it will speak to you regarding who you are in the Lord and the power that is available to battle against satan and his forces. If you have been born again and Jesus Christ is your Lord (you off the throne of your heart and He on it), then you can use the truth as a weapon against the enemy. Ephesians is particularly useful in this regard. There are two prayers that you should pray for yourself (Eph. 1:15-23 and Eph. 3:14-21).
If I knew the lies you were trying to shake, I could better direct you to the truths that are most powerful in your situation. If you have a topical index, search for the verses that are the opposite of the lies. Lastly (for now), read the book “Wild at Heart”, by John Eldredge. The Lord used it to set me free from some pain in my life, and I’ve seen Him do the same for at least four other men.
Your servant in Christ,
Rob
September 10, 2009 at 9:36 am
sandrar
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.