Painting by Brandi Ramirez

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’ ”Genesis 3:1

Recently, I read for truth to be the TRUTH, it has to be 100% the truth without anything added or taken away. “ I swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”  Sound familiar? But, it’s what appears to be truth that is the bait that tries to lead even the elect astray. 

“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24 NIV

But thanks be to God our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, it is not possible for those belonging to Him, to be completely led astray, why? Because He looks after those souls sealed by His Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. And anything not of Him, He purges, and scourges, until His children are perfectly clean. He throws out the bath water, not the baby. Psalm 51

So what was Satan’s bait from the very beginning; speaking what God has said, but to add or subtract from it, just enough, to corrupt it with an enticement so desirable, it distracts, blurs vision, from what can actually be seen. 

The measuring stick, the true test that determines deception from truth is nothing more nor less than the absolute Truth- Word of God. 1 John 4:1

“Your word is a lamp to my feet. And a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 NASB

 God has given us all the examples and warnings and testimony that we will ever need. He has looked after His Word, for it is to us, in this present time, at the culmination of the age, whereby, there is a great deception, and only God’s, pure, and untainted Word has the power to separate the wheat from the chaff.  1 Corinthians 10:11

So what are we really listening to?
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17

God has looked after His Word and it is through the Holy Spirit’s discernment whereby, we receive the revelation of Truth. There are many who say they are testifying of the truth. But truth can be what you are attracted to, what you want to hear, rather than what God wants to say to you. 

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:3

There is a spirit going out today, taking many forms, to counterfeit God’s voice. God is exposing this spirit to His children of faith. So to be sure, first go to the “Word of Truth” to know what God has to say, then you can discern whether or not the teaching, the preaching, the podcasts, the books you are reading really represent God’s Truth.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27 NKJV

But how are we to know what we are hearing is really the voice of our God, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? We have to get familiar with His voice, by reading the Word for ourselves.
John 14:6

Let us, come away with our beloved; reading His Word, hearing His Voice, listening to Truth, the whole Truth, nothing but the Truth.

 “Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:37