Deceivers and counterfeits

[TLHKAJ]

If you were going to deceive someone, what would be your strategy? How would you go about pulling the wool over someone's eyes to believe something that isn't true without them detecting it is a lie?

I was pondering this a few days ago in relation to false prophets. I have had a lot of experience around people who claim to be prophets. They are very convincing. And they often present themselves as someone with great humility and godly indignation, while subtly drawing attention to how "godly" they are. They most often speak things that are true. Even satan quoted scripture when he tempted Jesus. Just because someone speaks things that sound religious, pious, and virtuous does not mean they themselves are being genuine. A deceiver doesn't usually go about speaking outright and obvious untruths. They will present truths mixed with subtle twistings in order to deceive or portray themselves as something they are not, or to portray God's Word to say something it isn't saying.

Counterfeits are hard to detect because they are so close to the original. It takes a very trained eye to detect a counterfeit dollar bill, for example. And it requires spiritual discernment and a love for the truth to detect a wolf in sheep's clothing. We must be intimately familiar with the Word of God and hearing His voice if we want to avoid deception.

This is just a ramble at this point, but I needed someplace to put my thoughts.

 

[Matthias]

IF I wanted to deceive people I would restrict what they were reading to what I was writing, or to writings which I had control over, and discourage them from looking to anyone else for guidance and instruction. I would wrap it in love.

 

[Matthias]

IF I wanted to deceive people I would play on gullibility. I would “pull a rabbit out of my hat,” shout “Hallelujah! Praise God!“ and I would have “plants” in the audience. Then I would offer the audience a way to “support and be a part of the work, of the Lord’s work.”

 

[Pearl]

If you were going to deceive someone, what would be your strategy? How would you go about pulling the wool over someone's eyes to believe something that isn't true without them detecting it is a lie?

To answer this I would say that your target would be those who are weak and vulnerable, those who are needy and ready to accept the slightest thing that gives them hope - like my cousin who when she was young was approached and befriended by JWs with their lies and false gospel. People who have never heard the true gospel will accept the lies they are told and then they are hooked and find it hard to escape because they have become slaves held by fear.

Counterfeits are hard to detect because they are so close to the original. It takes a very trained eye to detect a counterfeit dollar bill, for example.

I've heard that bank tellers are trained to spot counterfeit notes by continually handling the real thing, so that if they do ever come across a bad one they can tell immediately.

And it requires spiritual discernment and a love for the truth to detect a wolf in sheep's clothing.

My pastor friend Bob, always says that you can distinguish between the two by their footprints, however good the disguise a sheep's footprint will always look different from a wolf's. And as Christians we are given the gift of discernment. We do not have to take everything at face value. If something seems 'off ' then it usually will be.

 

[Matthias]

IF I wanted to deceive people I would have a target in mind. I would go after the lonely, the bored, the ignorant and the desperate. I would ”give the people what they’re looking for. Tell them what they want to hear. Show them what they want to see.”

 

[TLHKAJ]

IF I wanted to deceive people I would restrict what they were reading to what I was writing, or to writings which I had control over, and discourage them from looking to anyone else for guidance and instruction. I would wrap it in love.

In my experience, the truly crafty deceivers actually use the Bible ....a lot. But they subtly and even slightly out a spin in the meaning on a few select verses so that it's not obvious that there is any twist at all .... it's so close to the truth, it's not easy to spot (unless you have a good connection with the Truth/Jesus).

 

[Matthias]

In my experience, the truly crafty deceivers actually use the Bible ....a lot. But they subtly and even slightly out a spin in the meaning on a few select verses so that it's not obvious that there is any twist at all .... it's so close to the truth, it's not easy to spot (unless you have a good connection with the Truth/Jesus).

I was watching television one day when a person who called himself “a prophet of the airways” prefaced his prophecy by quoting Habakkuk 1:5 to his viewers. He did it to set the stage. What followed was a vague but plausible prophecy. The studio audience burst spontaneous display of ecstasy.

The prophet stood still, not moving a muscle, saying nothing at all. A voice from somewhere unseen shouted above the din of the crowd ”Look! Look! Look!”

As the crowd quieted, the prophet exhaled loudly, moving his head from side to side, then announced, “Do you know what I did? Did you see it? Did you feel it?

The Holy Ghost is grieved. I felt it and when I did, He froze me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t see. He spoke to me. He told me there are people here today, gathered with us in our feast, watching me, who are not mine.

I breathed the Holy Ghost on those who are deaf, so will hear!; on the blind, so they will see! ; on the unbelieving so they will believe!”

The crowd exploded again in ecstasy.

The prophet said some other things but nothing more in regard to the prophecy. I don’t even recall now what the prophecy was but, whatever it was, I remember that it didn’t come to pass.

 

[Nancy]

If you were going to deceive someone, what would be your strategy? How would you go about pulling the wool over someone's eyes to believe something that isn't true without them detecting it is a lie?

I was pondering this a few days ago in relation to false prophets. I have had a lot of experience around people who claim to be prophets. They are very convincing. And they often present themselves as someone with great humility and godly indignation, while subtly drawing attention to how "godly" they are. They most often speak things that are true. Even satan quoted scripture when he tempted Jesus. Just because someone speaks things that sound religious, pious, and virtuous does not mean they themselves are being genuine. A deceiver doesn't usually go about speaking outright and obvious untruths. They will present truths mixed with subtle twistings in order to deceive or portray themselves as something they are not, or to portray God's Word to say something it isn't saying.

Counterfeits are hard to detect because they are so close to the original. It takes a very trained eye to detect a counterfeit dollar bill, for example. And it requires spiritual discernment and a love for the truth to detect a wolf in sheep's clothing. We must be intimately familiar with the Word of God and hearing His voice if we want to avoid deception.

This is just a ramble at this point, but I needed someplace to put my thoughts.

If I wanted to deceive people, I would just look back when I was deep into the worldly things and go from there.
I sometimes think I am being deceiving when talking to my brothers and sisters as, I will not speak certain things with all of them...my family lives WAY too much by emotions...but we are there to remind ourselves :)

Yes, "intimately familiar with the Word of God" THIS will bring discernment! Amen...good post sissy!

 

[L.A.M.B.]

So very many are deceived these days.
Satan uses every form of trickery mixed with truth he can.
His objective is to steal souls and promote himself to be greater than God.
The thing I see getting most ppl today is FALSE LOVE.
It is worse than prosperity teachers .
Oh God is love and he loves you deeply, he loves you like you are, love love love.
Which of course is partly true but not all true.
Buildings today are loving ppl right into the lake of fire.

 

[Nancy]

So very many are deceived these days.
Satan uses every form of trickery mixed with truth he can.
His objective is to steal souls and promote himself to be greater than God.
The thing I see getting most ppl today is FALSE LOVE.
It is worse than prosperity teachers .
Oh God is love and he loves you deeply, he loves you like you are, love love love.
Which of course is partly true but not all true.
Buildings today are loving ppl right into the lake of fire.

Agreed. And you see how fast their "love" cools if you do not believe as they do...all will be included except for biblical Christians (IMO) So much for their "inclusiveness".
We have "pop church" now, kinda like pop music where false doctrine has become very commonplace and accepted more and more. Yeah, just sprinkle a bit of truth in there and yer good to go! No need to read those pesky bibles, we got you! Sad, sad, sad.

 

[marks]

Appeal to their pride, and if that doesn't work, appeal to their envy.

Much love!

 

[ShineTheLight]

I've done the stuff about snuffing out wolves in sheep clothing and those who work deceit on other forums. Confronting them is not an easy experience. I learned to hope and pray that there would be those would would repent among them.

 

[Behold]

If you were going to deceive someone, what would be your strategy? How would you go about pulling the wool over someone's eyes to believe something that isn't true without them detecting it is a lie?

I was pondering this a few days ago in relation to false prophets. I have had a lot of experience around people who claim to be prophets. They are very convincing. And they often present themselves as someone with great humility and godly indignation, while subtly drawing attention to how "godly" they are. They most often speak things that are true. Even satan quoted scripture when he tempted Jesus. Just because someone speaks things that sound religious, pious, and virtuous does not mean they themselves are being genuine. A deceiver doesn't usually go about speaking outright and obvious untruths. They will present truths mixed with subtle twistings in order to deceive or portray themselves as something they are not, or to portray God's Word to say something it isn't saying.

Counterfeits are hard to detect because they are so close to the original. It takes a very trained eye to detect a counterfeit dollar bill, for example. And it requires spiritual discernment and a love for the truth to detect a wolf in sheep's clothing. We must be intimately familiar with the Word of God and hearing His voice if we want to avoid deception.

This is just a ramble at this point, but I needed someplace to put my thoughts.

Think of like this.. Reader.

What would be the Devil's #1 desire, regarding a born again Christian?

Here is his issue.
He has LOST your soul.. He has no way to take you to hell, once you are born again.
So, what is left?

A.) Destroy your Faith, which will destroy your discipleship, and then you are useless to God, for Life.

How does He do that?
He will send people to you, whom He has mastered and deceived who will try to convince you that you can lose your salvation, OR, you have to try to keep yourself saved.

See that plan?
= That plan is to BREAK YOUR FAITH in Christ., as once you are become that person, he has won.
Now....Its very simple to recognize it, when you understand the Devil's plan for you, if you are born again.
And once you understand this plan, you will then be able to DISCERN everyone whom the Devil is using on a Forum and in a Pulpit and in a Vatican.