Our journey through warnings now takes us to warnings in the Epistles. We’ll start with I John 4:1. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” I don’t believe we’ve ever lived in a day when this warning is more needed because deception is rampant on so many fronts, whether the spirits are tempting people to legalism or to political correctness and liberal theology.

Sadly these spirits are often spreading their deceptions in universities and seminaries where our young people and future ministers are being trained. Someone dear to me was sometimes deceived because he was impressed by people with more education than he had. Having a lot of letters after one’s name does not insure that a person is wise and well-trained in the things of God.  Remember Simeon in Luke 2, described only as “righteous and devout,” who immediately recognized Jesus as the Messiah, while the “learned” Pharisees and the teachers of the law plotted to kill Him.

The last warning I want to touch on is I Peter 5:8. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Again, I think we’ve never lived in a time when we need this warning more than we need it now. I believe Satan knows his time is short, and he’s working harder than ever. As I mentioned before, one of his shiniest weapons is deception. I read once that if we love anyone or anything more than we love the truth, we will be deceived. I agree.

 Our main weapon against Satan and deception is the truth. It’s included in Ephesians six in the full armor of God as “the belt of truth.” I’m told that in Roman armor, the belt held together the armor above and below the waist, so if the belt was missing, the other armor would not stay in place. I believe the same is true of the armor of God—if the belt of truth is missing, the other pieces of armor will not be effective.

In II Corinthians 10:4, we’re told, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Here again, truth is the most powerful weapon we have to demolish strongholds, arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. Truth is what helps us take captive every thought in obedience to Christ.

In the days in which we live, how desperately we need to be warned about Satan’s attacks and how desperately we need to pray for God’s truth to be our foundation.

Father, thank you that your Word is filled with warnings. Give us ears to hear the voice of your Spirit to properly apply the Word of Truth. Shield us from deception regardless of how educated the deceiver may be. Amen.