Either the Word of God is going to be our rule for faith or practice or it is not. We cannot say we believe the Bible and then turn around deny what it says. Either the Word of God is true or it is not. People cannot have it both ways.
The Word of God is perfectly clear as to what is currently going on both in the world and within Christianity. All we must do is allow the Word of God to speak for itself and quit making it say what we want it to say. Hear Ye the Word of the Lord:
“Now the Spirit expressly (specifically) says that in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.”
1 Timothy 4:1,2 NKJV
The whole discussion which came up yesterday concerning the subject of homosexuality is a perfect example of what these verses are talking about. When a person knows what the Word of God says but decides to walk away from all they know to be true; they have given heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
The devil has his version of the Bible, and I am not talking about the Satanic Bible. In the devil’s version of the Bible, the prevailing theme is tolerance and the prevailing subject is self. In the devil’s version, personal liberty and satisfaction is the reason for living; and every effort is made to water down sections of the true Word of God that contradict this.
Since the true Word of God exposes the devil’s version as a lie; the devil must work to discredit that which is true and replace it with his own doctrine. Working through and in many of the modern versions of the Bible, he has done just this. Many of the versions written in modern language have removed the strict call to holiness and replaced it with a general call to “live right”. Many modern versions simply do away with sin and the consequence of it. These are the devil’s versions of the Bible.
When sin is belittled or done away with entirely, there remains to compelling reason to not sin. With the check and balance system God put in place removed, nothing remains to cause the conscience to object to behavior which is wrong, selfish or hurtful to others. The devil’s version of the Bible cleverly removes all moral constraints and thus opens the door for any and all ungodly behavior.
The only way the devil can persuade someone who knows what the true Word of God says about a subject to throw it away and believe the devil’s version is by way of deceiving spirits. Our world is full of deceiving spirits who spew forth their propaganda via television, magazines, newspapers and the internet. Everywhere a person goes and every form of communication is filled with deceiving spirits promoting that which is the lie as being true.
When a person yields to these lies and begins considering them, they quickly start the slide to spiritual oblivion. The only defense is to NEVER under any circumstances consider the lie to be anything other than what it is—a lie. If Eve would have never considered what the serpent was telling her in the Garden, perhaps the horrible calamity could have been avoided. The first step down is ALWAYS when a person considers what is in the devil’s version of the Bible to possibly be true.
Deceiving spirits know the person and their weakness. They study a person and take very good notes of their behavior and where they are vulnerable. They then subtly insert “moles” into that person’s inner circle of friends to start dropping hints that perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if such and such was done, because after all, God is full of mercy and we live in grace. Once a person considers the lie, they open the door to greater and greater deceiving spirits to enter and slowly but surely persuade him that not only is the sin allowable, but there will be no consequence.
Once the lie (the bait) is taken and accepted, then the devil orchestrates circumstances to present the person with the opportunity to do what had been suggested. The more the person does that which is wrong, the more their conscience becomes seared with a hot iron. In time, they get to the point where they simply believe the lie is true and the truth is the lie. At that point, the devil sits back and says; “Gotcha”.
The time has come for those of us who believe the Bible is the truth, and not the devil’s version, to stand up and let our voices be heard. Of course we will be scorned and ridiculed and called intolerant and many other things. Of course we will be hated and despised and accused of non-Christian behavior. We will suffer the same fate as all who have come before us who dared to stand up for and on what the Word of God says.
Unless God has some champions who are willing to pay the price associated with boldly declaring what His Word says, the devil’s version will keep growing and expanding and ensnaring more and more captives. Perhaps we all need to read again what the Lord Jesus said awaits those who are His true disciples as the end approaches in Matthew 24. Perhaps we all need to read again what Jesus said in relation to being hated, rejected and dishonored for being His disciple.
Those who want to turn Christianity into a popularity contest have ruined it. Those only interested in making church nothing more than a dog and pony show have turned it into the devil’s three ring circus. Those who are afraid to speak the truth out of fear of offending someone have turned so called Christianity into a politically correct batch of spiritual gutless wonders. Yes, the bottom line to the devil’s version is to turn everything around and make those trying to do what is right look like villains and those doing nothing right look like geniuses. Take a stand, brothers and sisters, somebody better, before it is too late.
