My brother, my sister, unless you make the Bible your treasure, you will never reach the goals God has set for you and you might also be deceived. You see, the Bible often warns us to be careful because Satan and his servants can deceive us by appearing to be attractive, good and moral. Yes, many unsuspecting people follow smooth-talking, Bible-quoting ‘actors’ who alienate their faith and leading them into the practice of immorality (idolatry, lack of spiritual life, etc.). Don’t be fooled by external appearances! Your impression alone is not an accurate indicator of who is or is not a true follower of Christ, that is why the Word of God has to be central to your life.
Yes, so many good believers are deceived nowadays, because of their eyes. The issue here is that because the world promotes luxury and material possessions as standards for a successful earthly life, many people think that the bigger the church is, the greater the church hall is and when the pastor drives the latest car… it means the Spirit of God is at work in that church. Really? Today know that material possessions are meaningless before God and they certainly are not an indicator of success. The Bible is clear: the success God gives comes from your knowledge and meditation and practice of the Word: “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8). My friend, anointed water or anointed oil will never give you success… Besides, remember that Jesus had to send His disciple to borrow a donkey to enter Jerusalem before the cross, because He owned none (Matthew 21:2-3)! So, do not be deceived by what your eyes show you and by your desires. Also, know that God will judge all who speak on His behalf with closer scrutiny than those who sit under their teachings (James 3:1). As for you, no excuse will help you to justify why you were deceived because the Word of God is now available in all forms and through many tools (phones, books, the Internet, etc…)
The Bible teaches us that we are to check the preaching we hear in the light of the Word. How can we do that? Check that the preaching or teachings you receive are confirmed by the Word of God from A to Z (Acts 17:11), check that the preacher or teacher affirms and proclaims Jesus Christ is God who came into the world as man to save people from their sins (1 John 4:1-3); check that the teacher’s lifestyle is consistent with biblical morally (Matthew 12:33-37).
My friend, make it a habit to always go back into your Bible to check, read what you have heard the preacher teach! Don’t just swallow like a baby… That is how you will avoid being deceived by any teaching. For, deception does not bring life, it only leads to hell! So, beware. The Bible says, the anti-Christ spirit is already among us and it is so well disguised that this spirit sounds like Christ (1 John 4:3)… but this spirit is not Christ and only Christ leads to eternal life! Beware, even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). So what is not written in the Word is not of God and will never bring you success or peace… instead it will bring you troubles in this world and with the Lord. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.