AVOIDING THE STRONG DELUSION: THE WAY THAT SEEMS RIGHT

Hebrews chapter 11




Today we are walking in: Avoiding the Strong Delusion--The Way That Seems Right








Gen 3:6

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, H7919 she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.




wise


Today we look to H7919 sakal--to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely, understand, prosper, to be prudent, be circumspect, to look at or upon, have insight, to give attention to, consider, ponder, be prudent, to have insight, have comprehension


The Torah testifies...............

Deu 32:29

O that they were wise, that they understood H7919 this, that they would consider their latter end!


The prophets proclaim..................

Dan 12:3

And they that be wise H7919 shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.





Dan 12:10

Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise H7919 shall understand.


The writings bear witness...........................

Psa 2:10

Be wise H7919 now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.


Psa 64:9

And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider H7919 of his doing.


Psa 94:8

Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? H7919


Pro 14:35

The king's favour is toward a wise H7919 servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.




Moses gives us a two indicators of walking by faith:


By faith he [Moses] forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible. (Hebrews 11:27)


We discussed the first indicator of faithfulness, now we will look at the second indicator of faithfulness that Moses gives us — forsaking Egypt!


The Worldly Wisdom of ‘Egypt’
In Scripture, ‘Egypt’ is a term that speaks of the spiritually dark wisdom of this world, and its false values, false practices, and false gods. This is what Moses forsook and abandoned!


If we desire to walk by faith with The Most High Elohim, then we will follow Moses’ example by forsaking the worldly wisdom of this world — forsaking the world’s false values, false practices, false religions, and false gods!


As we grow in our faith, we will encounter many things that would try to hinder our walk of faith with the heavenly Abba. One of the greatest hindrances to our faith is to feed upon Spiritual Mixtures. Spiritual Mixtures combine truth with counterfeit. Spiritual mixtures are the deceptive, worldly wisdom systems of ‘Egypt.’ Spiritual mixtures mix Truth from The Most High’s written WORD [the Bible], with the dark wisdom of this world.


Spiritual mixtures cause us to put our confidence in man-made twistings of The Most High’s Word. Spiritual mixtures cause us to trust in the false gods of false religious systems. This is the ‘spirit of Egypt’ (Isaiah 19:1-17). It brings about divisions in the Body of Messiah because it promotes and idolizes the dark wisdom of this world rather than honouring and respecting the pure Word of The Most High.


The frightening thing about spiritual mixtures is that they appear to be right:


There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).


This verse is given twice in Proverbs, and it should be a double warning for us!! The many pathways and practices of the so-called ‘wisdom’ of this world appear to be good, right, and wise. But in reality, they are deceptive pathways, and result in curses and death!


The apostle Paul expressed a clear warning regarding the nature of counterfeit, spiritual pathways:
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled [deceived] Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Hamachiach. (2 Corinthians 11:3)


This verse describes for us what these spiritual counterfeits do. These subtle, beguiling teachings from HaSatan corrupt us, and rob us of the simple truth of The Most High’s written Word! These spiritual mixtures contain the corrupt widsom of this world, and they lead downward to death. They are earthly, soulish (sensual), demonic (James 3:15).


HaSatan is capable of transforming himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), so his deceptions can allure anyone who desires spiritual insight. Have we ourselves become beguiled — captivated and deceived, and led away from the simplicity that is in Messiah? We should never underestimate the ability of Satan to duplicate religious truth or experience. We must avoid the notion that sincerity equates truth!!


It is crucial that we learn The Most High’s written Word for ourselves, because it is the source of authority and truth for all our beliefs and actions. When we know and obey The Most High’s Word, then we will know the truth, and thereby, we will not be led down into the destructive bondage of a ‘spiritual mixture!’ What may SEEM to be right, what may be popular; what “everyone-else-is-doing!” is often a ‘way’ that appeals to our carnal nature, appeals to our own soulish, human wisdom and desires.


What may ‘seem‘ to be right is appealing to many! The Scriptures confirm this: “Broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are which go into destruction in this way” (Matthew 7:13).


Counterfeit Wisdom


Many Born-again Thirsty Souls do not realize the dangers of embracing a spiritual mixture, and are therefore following other ‘gods.’


Instead of following the true, Almighty--The Most High, and His wisdom [The Most High’s written WORD], many are searching for eternal wisdom, but are looking in the wrong places! They are doing what seems to be right, what feels right to them. But they are falling prey to popular, counterfeit, spiritually dark wisdom —the wisdom of ‘Egypt’ — the wisdom of this world.


Sadly, many Thirsty Souls have not forsaken Egypt! They are feeding on one or more of the myriads of Spiritual Mixtures — the corrupted teachings of ‘worldly wisdom’ — the twisted thinking and false gods of religious systems.


Spiritual mixtures do two things: either they take away from, or they add to, the Scriptures. This is a direct and dangerous violation of the written Scriptures (see Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Revelation 22:18-19)


What does Abba have to say about spiritual mixtures?


Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21)


These verses are a very good description of spiritual mixtures —
mixing good with evil,
mixing light with darkness,
mixing sweet with bitter,
mixing a little bit of the false with the true.


What does The Most High say about those who accept and embrace such mixtures? — “Woe unto them!!” Woe to them because they have rejected the pure truth of The Most High’s written Word, leaning on their own human understanding, trusting in their own imaginations.


It is complete foolishness to insist that our own human wisdom and understanding is greater than The Most High’s pure Word.


Those who refuse the superior authority of The Most High’s Word place themselves in dangerous territory. To rely solely on human understanding and man’s twisted teachings of The Most High’s Word makes our ‘own’ human understanding into our own fabricated ‘god.’ Such thinking is idolatrous! How could any one of us, as mere human beings, say, “I know better than my Creator!”?