Stand True to Christ

“But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬
In our time we are facing an onslaught of religious teachers that identify themselves as "Christian". We must be very careful not to allow ourselves to be sucked into the vacuum of religious hype that preys on those who are vulnerable and unsettled in the Word of God!  One of Satan's primary strategies of attack is presenting himself in false teaching. Satan goes to church regularly and even holds the pulpit in some churches. Let me be bold and take this one step further. Satan not only occupies pulpits, he also sits on governing boards of many churches.  “These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11:13-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬ His strategy has brought deception to great heights in our day. Falsehood is so well established and truth is so obscure that we must search for it in the Word of God, with all our heart, in order to regain the ground lost.  I'm not saying that there is a demon under every rock, but I am saying that we need to match all teachings against the Word of God! My word can be wrong and your word can be wrong. God's Word is never wrong!! Proper, exegetical study of the scriptures is necessary for knowledge of the truth. Truth is not relative. Truth is absolute. I don't know about you, but I get wore out with so many opinions of things. Opinions are only empty and worthless unless they are based solidly in  biblical interpretation. Correct interpretation comes from proper study of the text and context of every passage. Few people in Christian faith know their Bible as well as they should. The enemy exploits this weakness by inserting false teachings in such charismatic and entertaining ways that many are caught up in the sensationalism of it all. There is something profoundly wrong here. The teaching is often superficial and not biblically substantial.  “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood —over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.” ‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭20:28-30‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Paul warned the people of Ephesus about this very thing. Every generation of believers  must contend against apostasy. We, too are dealing with this same thing in our time. What has happened to biblical preaching, Holy Spirit conviction, and clear understanding of genuine Christian faith? There are so many flavors of faith in our time that it's mesmerizing to navigate through all the rhetoric. We need clarity of the truth.  Prayer for today:  Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, help me to discern, by the Holy Spirit, truth from error. May I know, with certainty, that I am standing solidly on Your Word and that I am truly born again! Shut out the voices of darkness that are trying so hard to capture my attention. Help me hear only Your voice. May I stand true to Christ and Christ alone!