Our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ clearly outlined in His word the events that will precede His second advent. One of the key indicators of our Lord’s imminent return is spiritual deception and Jesus warns us that “…many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matt.24:5)

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Today we are faced with a constant barrage of spurious inducements, it is therefore vital that the saints are not deceived or taken in by the wiles of the enemy (Ephesians 6:10-11). We must use all of the resources that God has given us to combat the devil’s dastardly schemes and follow the leading of the Holy Ghost (Rom.8:1-2).

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Banking scams, ransomware, phishing emails, malware and AI are just some of devious schemes that can come to deceive us in our world today. Just one click of a link in an email can transport us into a world of deception and falsehood.

The world is full of scams, deceptive practices using subterfuge and wicked practices which are designed to trap us. These schemes make false look true and the disingenuous appear to be genuine.

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One of most impactful forms of satanic deception is against the doctrinal belief of the church (II Tim.4:3). The Apostolic doctrine which we espouse and uphold is under serious attack, but Jesus said “…the gates of hell shall not prevail…” (Matt.16:18) against His church. It is important that the believer is aware of the deceptive schemes / wiles of the devil and that we are not hoodwinked by the enemy when it comes to what we believe about Jesus Christ.

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Erroneous doctrinal belief systems have diverted some seasoned Christians into error because they failed to abide in the truth. To avoid deception, it is vital that the believer’s life is anchored in the truth of God’s word (John14:6).

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My prayer is that the believer will be discerning and motivated to use the tools and weapons that God has given the church and thereby be alert all forms of deception.

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Bishop Lance Dinnall​