Jesus answered, “Watch out that no one deceives you.”
Matthew 24:4
Why do we need to watch out that no one deceives us? Because we are in a battle, and our enemy uses every opportunity to trick us so that we give in to temptation.
Our enemy is the devil, and he uses the world and our fleshly nature to accomplish his goals for every believer.
Deceit is one of his favorite weapons, and he is very good at it.
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The Example of Eve
Deception has been around since the Garden of Eden. The serpent deceived Eve into thinking God was purposely hiding something from them.
He convinced Eve that God told them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because He didn’t want them to have this knowledge.
He said, “You will not surely die! For God knows that the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
It’s easy to see how she could have avoided Satan’s trap because we know the whole story. But Eve didn’t. The serpent was Satan, a liar and the father of lies (Jn 8:44).
Deceit isn’t as easy to detect when it’s happening right before our eyes. We don’t always recognize the signs or what is going on.
We think we are safe because we go to church and say we love Jesus. We believe it’s not happening to us because we are praying and serving the Lord.
But in reality, we aren’t always paying attention.
The Example of Joshua
Joshua thought he was safe. He led the Israelites in two victories against Jericho and Ai. Both cities were defeated and utterly destroyed.
When the people of Gibeon heard about this, they devised a plan to trick Joshua. They shared their idea with some other cities and together sent some men to Joshua.
These men claimed to be from a distant land and wanted Joshua to make a treaty with them. When Joshua asked them who they were and where they were from, this is what they said:
Our servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; make a treaty with us.”‘ This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey. (Josh.9:9-13)
The men of Israel examined their provisions and were satisfied with what they said, so Joshua made a treaty with them. But he didn’t inquire of the Lord.
Later, they learned that these men lived nearby and had been tricked. How were Joshua and the men of Israel deceived?
Three things come to mind:
- Everything they said about God was true, but some of what they said were lies. Sometimes, deceit comes in such a way that we don’t recognize it because it’s mixed with truth.
- Notice how these men came singing God’s praises. When someone is praising God, we may let our guard down or make assumptions about their sincerity.
- When asked who they were and where they came from, the men said, “Your servants” because the truth would have ruined the plan. If we aren’t paying attention, we may not notice the things that aren’t said.
The Bible tells us we need to be discerning. That means we need to inquire of the Lord, the very thing Joshua didn’t do.
Discernment also reminds me of the Bereans, who received the message with great eagerness and searched the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true (Acts 17:11).
Why We Get Deceived
Deception happens when:
- We believe the lies we are told
- Our pride blinds us to the truth
- We only hear what we want to hear
- We think we can live for the Lord and the world
No one likes being deceived, but the fact is, we are all susceptible.
Knowing it can happen at any time hopefully will cause us to examine more closely what we hear and remember to ask the Lord for discernment and wisdom. There is only truth and lies. God wants you to know the truth.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
Psalm 119:160 All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
Psalm 25:5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Stay in the Word
I recently read No Middle Ground by Paul Benware. He talks about Christians who think they can live a little bit for the Lord and a little bit for the world. He says the Scriptures do not allow for that, and when we try to do both, we usually end up on the side of the world, the flesh and the devil.
Benware says the enemy within is our flesh (Gal 5:16-21) and is “the alien nature within us that energetically pushes us toward evil.” And the flesh, which is “energized by the culture and by the Evil One, is very strong.”
When we were saved, we received eternal life, and the Holy Spirit came to dwell inside us. But the flesh didn’t disappear nor lose its power.
Instead, we entered a battle between the flesh and the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit in us is more powerful, and we can resist the flesh. Benware says, “Probably, it is here that many believers feel they can dabble a little with the flesh and still walk in the Spirit.”
However, “there is no middle ground in the conflict between the Spirit and the flesh.” And when you think there is some middle ground, you are deceived.
Benware concludes, “It is the Word of God that gives victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. Believers cannot absent themselves from the Scriptures and have any hope of spiritual success.”
Final Thoughts
When Jesus warned his followers to watch out so that no one deceived them, He was referring to false teachers who would say they were the Messiah.
Many things had to happen before Christ would return, and He didn’t want his followers to be alarmed.
False teachers are certainly one of the ways believers can be deceived. But our enemy, the devil, has many tricks up his sleeve. He also uses the lure of the world and our own fleshly desires to deceive us.
However, if we pray for discernment and His leading, He will give it to us. And if we stay in His Word, we can have victory over the world, our flesh, and the devil.
Walking in the Spirit will keep us from being deceived.
It won’t be easy, but it is possible because the Holy Spirit living inside us is more powerful than anything that comes against us.
Store Your Treasures in Heaven explores the biblical warning in Matthew 24:4 about being vigilant against deception. It highlights examples from the Bible, such as Eve and Joshua, to illustrate how easily one can be misled by mixing truth with lies. The article emphasizes the importance of staying grounded in Scripture and seeking God’s guidance to develop discernment, avoid deception, and walk in the Spirit.