Defenses Against Deception | Episode 6 | Discernment

Duane Sheriff Ministries - Messages

In the sixth episode of "Defenses Against Deception," Duane teaches the importance of guarding against deception, as God has provided multiple defenses against it. The New Testament repeated warnings about deceivers and being deceived, showing it is possible even for believers to fall into deception. The first defense God has given is His Word. If believers abide or continue in God's Word, Jesus said they are His disciples who will know the truth that brings freedom (John 8:31-32). By disciplining oneself in Scripture, one's discernment increases to recognize the fingerprints of the enemy versus the Holy Spirit.

The story of Eve being deceived by the serpent in Genesis 3 illustrates how deception operates. Satan's tactic was first to question God's Word, get Eve to dismiss it, and then outright contradict it, tempting her to disobey by doubting God's goodness and care. This shows how compromising God's Word opens the door to deception.

The Scripture of Jacob deceiving his father Isaac in Genesis 27 is also an example. A telltale sign of deception was the haste and pressure Jacob used—faith never operates under an anxious hurry. Another red flag was Jacob claiming "God blessed me" to justify his deceit, which is "dropping the God card" to wrongly use God to approve one's desired course.

Isaac was led astray by his feelings - the hands "felt" like Esau's, though they were goatskins. How often do people let their feelings trump God's clear truth and Word when he tries to guide them as Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life? They fail to realize that only obedience to God's Word, not rejecting it, leads to true wisdom.

Discernment comes through knowing God's Word combined with patience and walking by faith, not feelings or hastiness. Professing believers who end up embracing abominations and departing from the faith have been deceived by not applying these safeguards against the deception that God has provided in Scripture.