Several years ago I had a conversation with a friend who works for the FBI. I’m not sure how we got on the topic, but he was telling me about counterfeiting. He explained that before an expert is considered competent at spotting counterfeit money he or she will spend hundreds of hours studying authentic currency. To spot a counterfeit you must have an eye for the real thing. American cash has multiple signs of authenticity that are hard to duplicate. Holographic imagery and watermarks are especially difficult to imitate. Still, counterfeiters often produce deceiving imitations that fool unsuspecting people. It takes a trained pair of eyes to spot a counterfeit.
As Christians, we too, come face to face with counterfeits. Satan is the great imitator (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). He has false Christians (Matthew 13:38, John 8:44), a false gospel (Galatians 1:6-9), a false righteousness (Romans 9:30-10:4), and one day will present to the world a false Christ (2 Thessalonians 2).
Counterfeits are serious, but they are nothing new. In the Old Testament, false prophets habitually led the nation of Israel astray. Elijah had to contend with the prophets of Baal as they promoted pagan religion. The Jewish false prophets inflicted the most damage because they claimed to speak for Jehovah God. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel exposed this counterfeit ministry, but the people of Israel listened to the false prophets just the same.
Why did the people fall for that?
The message they preached was popular, easy, and comfortable. It was a message the people wanted to hear. But it wasn’t true and the people were led in the wrong direction. Sadly, there are just as many spiritual counterfeits today as ever.
As modern day believers, how do we keep from being deceived?
How can we spot a counterfeit?
I’m not suggesting that any of us adopt an attitude of paranoia or panic, but we need to be aware. While there’s no easy formula to keep from being deceived, there are at least 3 things that will protect us from deception.
- Know Jesus and His teachings. Jesus is the pinnacle of all truth and authenticity. In Him there is no darkness or false thing (1 John 1:5). Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father expect through me.” Anything or anyone who teaches a message that is contrary to Christ and His teachings should be regarded as false and rejected.
- Know the Scriptures. Spiritual deceivers are known for twisting God’s Word and teaching passages out of context. (2 Peter 2:3). Christ followers must be dependent on the Scriptures and understand how to apply them. The Psalmist describes the Bible in Psalm 119:105 this way: ”Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” If a teaching is contrary to Scripture it is false.
- Pray for Spiritual Discernment. When Paul writes about how to effectively deal with spiritual warfare he says, “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18). There’s no doubt that spiritual deception is a fierce form of spiritual warfare and we should treat it as such. It is wise to ask for spiritual discernment.
Experts in counterfeiting spend countless hours examining authentic money until they can easily spot a fake. As Christ followers, we want to know Jesus so well we can easily identify anything that doesn’t line up with who He is. We want to know our Bibles so well we can spot false teaching. Let’s walk in truth, with the Source of all truth.
That’s how we’ll be able to spot a counterfeit.
One Response
That was so good! And different! I like learning new ways to see God! Thanks Susie xo, Lisa