Have you been Deceived? Whose Fault was it?

What Now?

“And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:3

The LORD says that all who are not “valiant for the truth” of God “know not me.” Read it again.

It’s time to run from the wolves who incubated you into a lukewarm hell bound spiritual state. You swore those devils were men of God and preached the Word and yet you never heard them preach in God’s anointing on fearing God, on hell, on repentance, divine judgment, on the crucified life – the cross, on knowing God and bearing good fruit, on the essential of personal holiness, on the holiness of the LORD, on the virgin birth and the divinity of the only begotten Son of God, and what He says concerning being ready for His return, etc. You were satisfied with having your ears tickled.

Instead of diligently, daily seeking the LORD for yourself in His Word, you abrogated that place to a mere man and your must repent now for not seeking the face of the LORD, for knowing Him for yourself – as He commanded you to do.

You must first begin with your own true, sincere repentance before the LORD – because it was 100% your own fault.

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4

Today is your day to make all things right with the LORD. He loves you and He’s waiting….. “Coming unto me” saith the LORD (Matthew 11:28-30).

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

Genuine DISCIPLES of Jesus are in God’s Word for themselves daily and so they NEVER get upset when some popular “Christian” fraud is exposed – because they never trusted in that wolf in the first place! No, they seek God for themselves in His Word daily – as all believers are instructed to do! (2 Timothy 2:15) It’s only those who have pushed the LORD away and therefore become dependent upon mere sinful men who get all up in arms when the beguiler they thought was a true Bible teacher is exposed.

In correctly assessing our being misled in the past, we must take personal responsibility for what happened and not put undue blame on the enemy’s emissaries whom he used to ensnared our souls. In truth, we were deceived due to our own lack of personally seeking the face of our LORD and not diligently studying His Words (1 Chronicles 16:11; 2 Timothy 2:15).

Walking with the LORD requires obeying Him by engaging in regular fellowship with others who are His children also. Loving Jesus includes loving His beloved people and that involves gathering with them to seek His holy face together (John 13:24-25; 1 John 4:7-8; 5:1). Getting in His Word, fellowshipping, eating together, having communion, and praying together are what the earliest believers did and God was greatly glorified (Acts 2:42-47). His divine favor was upon them.

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Acts 2:42-47

Our LORD Jesus is greatly glorified when we gather together, even if just two of His people (Matthew 17:29). The LORD loves when His people get together to praise Him, to worship Him, to study and relish His Word, to pray to the Father, and to eat together in fellowship (Psalms 133:1-3; Acts 2:42-47). Such gathering is especially needeful in this late hour.

“But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” Hebrews 3:13-15

If we don’t deliberately experience rich fellowship with Christ and His beloved people on and ongoing and regular basis, we will be hardened in heart and fall away. Beware and “Take heed to yourselves…” (Luke 21:34-36)

Each and every true follower of Jesus Christ, is responsible to obey Him in fellowshipping often with His beloved people and in loving them. Using the excuse that most leaders who pose as Christ’s representatives to justify not gathering with other Christians, is not wise. The person who uses false prophets as an excuse to stay out of fellowship with other Christians, will fall away and be lost.

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25  

If we’ve been deceived and hurt by a false teacher, we should not allow this to be our own downfall. In fact, if we are honest, we must admit that we ourselves were beguiled only because we did not discern correctly. So, we should take part of the responsibility upon ourselves.

Nowhere did the LORD instruct us to unduly follow a man anyway. We must have our own relationship with Christ and cease depending upon some man who comes on TV or stands up behind a pulpit in a building on Sunday mornings. We must grow us into Christ and depend only upon Him as we worship Him daily in spirit and in truth with those of like faith and like mind.

Any Christian who has average discernment insight, recognizes that there are “many false prophets”who have gone out among us, infiltrating that which claims to be representing Christ (Matthew 7:15; 1 John 4:1). This does not eliminate the need though for the life-giving fellowship Jesus ordains us to experience with Him and with His body. We must never use any excuse to neglect celebrating Jesus Christ together with other fellow believers.

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Acts 2:42

Getting Better not Bitter

The obvious fact is that most leaders in the modern church world are not being obedient to Jesus Christ by following the biblical model for leadership and fellowship. Yet, the true disciple must experience regular fellowship as prescribed in the New Testament Scriptures, dwelling together with other disciples in the richness of God’s Word (Colossians 3:16).

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

Learning to walk with the LORD daily requires that one cease depending on a Sunday morning program. That’s what some rightfully call “churchianity.” Listen, Jesus didn’t die to make His disciples good little church members, but rather to daily die to self, take up their cross, and follow Him in becoming fishers of men (Matthew 4:19; Luke 9:23-24, etc.).

Those of us who have been misled by a false teacher and false teachings must personally bear the responsibility for being deceived and not turn away from God Himself or be hardened in heart due to being beguiled for a season. We should repent and confess our own sins of not more diligently following Jesus as our supreme LORD and Savior which is what led to our hearts and minds being deceived.

The true wise-virgin disciple of Jesus who will endure to the end, keeping his vessel filled with the oil of God’s presence, must not be discouraged due to the epidemic of wolves in the modern church world, He must remain in vital union and fellowship with Jesus and His true Bride, though they be few (Luke 12:32. The need to fellowship with other true disciples of Jesus is extremely important, especially in this late hour as we look for Christ’s soon return for His Bride. So, the fact that there are wolves who have overtaken most pulpits in the modern church world, does not negate the need for each and every born again believer to experience authentic New Testament fellowship, staying in the Word, fellowshipping with, praising, and praying with other Christians. No pulpit or “church building” is needed and never was.

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25  

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