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Deception is the act of hiding the truth, especially to get an advantage of someone or something. Deception can also be referred to as an act big or small, cruel or kind of encouraging people to believe information that is not true. Lying is a common form of deception, stating something known to be untrue with the intent to deceive.

2 Corinthians 11:3 says “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

These days there are a lot of fake news and conspiracy theories out in the world. And there are all kinds of people that believe a lot of weird ideas that get spread on the net. Some are harmless, just people with active imaginations, but some can be very harmful. We never know what those with false motives are after. Maybe to steal your identity so they could get access to your financial assets, or just to build a larger number of followers so they could gain influence. So, we have to be careful. Just because some people say they are Christian doesn’t mean that they really are – who they say they are. And it doesn’t tell us what their real motives are.

Apostle Paul actually wrote this passage to encourage the Corinthians to grow in the knowledge of Christ and not the deception going around the world till today. 2 Corinthians 11:5-6 – “I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.” The fact that you are not a pastor does not mean you can’t study the Bible and get full knowledge of God therein. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us that we should study and show God that we understand the truth and not deception from anyone. This verse refers to knowing God's word and being able to point out false teachings and philosophies.

Christianity does not leave anyone in the hand of ignorance. Learning is a great tool for life and as a Christian, studying God’s word is the way to save at least one soul. When I was a young boy, I heard a lot of preachers talking about saving the soul and today I can say categorically that their messages have really blessed me.

There is nothing to profit from when we give ourselves to deception. Adam and Eve can explain better if you ask them. Their story is just like someone moving out of light into darkness because all they have been enjoying were taken away from them completely. It is my prayer that you and I will not fall from grace to grass in Jesus’ name.

Basically, Satan is an imitator. He copies what God does and tries to convince us that his offer is better than God’s own. How does he do this? Here he offers counterfeit apostles, workers who think they serve God, but who are really servants of Satan. Therefore, we need to check the motives of all who are supposed to be servants of God and see if they are centered on Jesus and the Gospel.

The best advice against a counterfeit Jesus is; to spend time getting to know the real Jesus and his word, because when you know the real Jesus, you can more easily spot the imposter. The apostle John encouraged us to do this very thing. He said, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1. If we try to gain our salvation by our own human strength, rather than relying solely on Christ we will fail. We need to realize that we are nothing without Jesus and God’s grace. We are weak, but God is strong. All scam artists prey on people’s greed, but the antidote to deception is to have a pure and sincere devotion to Christ and we can do that when we delight in the word of God. We don’t have to chase after things because God gives us what we need. Jesus and salvation are the free gifts of God. How wonderful Jesus is the free gift of God.

In conclusion, as a child of God, avoid deceivers by all means. Likewise do not deceive anyone and most importantly your God. Remember what the book of Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”.