The other day my daughter and son-in-law were driving on a road that winds through a mountain. Just as the road begins to curve uphill, there is a lot off to the right where people can park their cars while they spend a few hours hiking in the woods.

On this particular day, they saw something they had never seen before. A large tree had blown over onto a parked car in that lot and destroyed it. There were some hikers who would come back to a very unpleasant surprise.

Now, we know that that tree did not just topple over all of a sudden. There were many things that happened before that moment. Things that would weaken its roots. Things that would render it unhealthy and unable to withstand the pressures from outside itself. Things that would make it vulnerable to the wet, soft ground and the strong winds that would eventually come.

This is a great analogy for what’s been happening in churches, big and small. Churches found in the city and in the middle of nowhere and everywhere in between. Little by little, they have been invaded by false doctrine through the principles of mysticism, couched in terms that sound lovely and spiritual and, often, even biblical. Their roots of biblical faith have been eaten away until there are barely any left.

It’s been done so subtly and so gradually that most of us didn’t realize that the visible church, as a rule, was fatally wounded and ready to topple over until it was far too late. Many still don’t know and, to be frank, are really not interested in knowing. (I am not referring to the true Church, which is made up of God’s dear, redeemed children and comprises the remnant which can never be destroyed.)

Last week I shared my daughter’s post about Spiritual Formation and the danger it is to believers. Spiritual formation is simply one term for the mysticism (occultism) that has entered the church. It has also come in under terms like contemplative prayer, lectio divina, labyrinth, circles, dreams, visions, visualization, the “Presence”, meditation, the “silence”, and so many others.

It’s entered (and continues to enter) through books, movies, music, devotionals, sermons, and popular speakers. It can be a bit overwhelming now, although once we can see the paradigm, we realize that this has been going on for years and years. Honestly, I didn’t see it for a long, long time but once you see it you just can’t unsee it.

After the post was shared last week, a reader reached out to me about the Our Daily Bread devotional and her personal research into it (I’ll share more on that further down) and I wondered if it would be helpful to share just few ways I have seen this philosophy worm its way into our lives as believers. It’s so much more prevalent than any of us realize.

I am purposely keeping the following examples vague so as not to divulge any confidential information but I can assure you that these have all happened.

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A reader reached out to me shortly after the post and told me she had been reading Our Daily Bread when one of the devotions raised a red flag. (This is that little book that so many Christians use for their devotions each day.) She decided to do some research and what she found was shocking. The author of this particular devotional (Will Collier) is not only way deep into spiritual formation but his wife is clearly new age. She asked if I would do some research and I, too, was shocked at what I found to be expressed clearly on their own websites. Our Daily Bread is in almost every solid church in our area. These devotions are changing the way people believe and think, little by little.

I decided to do some more digging on this popular devotional. Just who are all these authors who are feeding us spiritual bread? Here is what else I found—

-An author who has written a biography about author, Brennan Manning. Manning is one of the first to bring spiritual formation into our modern day church through his book Ragamuffin Gospel. This author also extols Eugene Peterson’s “Message” Bible, which is a new age version of the Bible and to be avoided at all costs.

-One author is a Spiritual Director, associated with the Coracle and with the London Centre of Spiritual Direction. Both websites are chock full of spiritual formation and occultic quotes and resources.

-Another author attends a “social justice church” that welcomes women pastors.

There were other concerns, as well. I didn’t research each author and, to be honest, some of the authors seemed okay. However, I researched enough to know that the devotional is deeply compromised and I would not personally choose to read it. These folks are brilliant at making things sound biblical. It is only when you step back and evaluate it against all of scripture, in context, and through the lens of traditional Christianity (as it’s been defined for the past two thousand years) that you can see the deadly transformation they are bringing in.

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It was brought to our attention recently that a family we know has started attending a church we know little about. My husband decided to bring up their most recent live-streamed service. The sermon was on hearing God speak. It was poorly defended from scripture with one out-of-context passage and a very condescending attitude towards those who don’t believe God is still speaking (bless their sorry souls). Mysticism. Right there it was. If God isn’t speaking to you personally then you are a sorry soul. It’s experience that matters. The Word is important, but not as important as hearing from God personally. Yeah—make sure what you are hearing aligns with the Word but one has to wonder if this pastor honestly means this, since he is handling God’s Word so carelessly and clearly doesn’t care about hermeneutics at all.

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Recently, I read a fiction book by Elizabeth Musser, an author I’ve read before (but probably with less discerning eyes, as I wasn’t very aware at that point yet). In this particular book, the characters had visions from and encounters with “Jesus”. These encounters were not questioned in any way and it was assumed that Jesus was the speaker. At this point, I was tempted to put it down but decided to continue for the very purpose to see how bad it would be. And it did get worse. At one point, one of her main characters received “peace with God” through an encounter, rather than through the genuine Gospel of scripture. And, while scripture was used and quoted in the book, the entire Gospel message was sidelined through these encounters with “Jesus”. These were the catalysts that brought change. The Bible and what it says had nothing to do with what brought true and lasting change in this dangerous book.

Fiction is really dangerous. Whether it be through reading or film, it tends to open up a Pandora’s box of false teaching in a palatable way. It’s a brilliant scheme really and for two reasons—first, most people just let their guards down when they are reading or watching something that they know is “just a story” and, second, because even if we know it’s false, we are always impacted at some level by what we read and watch. We can deny this but it’s true, nonetheless. And when it is labeled “Christian” it is teaching lessons that will affect how we think about God and what we think about His Word.

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A church welcomes a special speaker who proceeds to lead the congregation in a visualization exercise in order to encourage them to get right with God. It is grossly unbiblical and purely occultic.

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A church announces they are going to be studying a book about prayer in a small group study. When the book is researched, it is found to be full of spiritual formation and, in fact, will clearly teach their congregation to turn away from scripture and to turn towards mysticism.

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These are just a few examples. I could give dozens and dozens of examples. I’m sure many of you could give examples, as well. It used to be subtle, but now it is not so subtle and it is literally everywhere.

So what to do? Here are a few suggestions…

First, there are a few things to look for as you seek to discern. Whether it be a sermon, a book, a show, or a song, what are they teaching you about Jesus? About sin? What emphasis are they placing on the Bible? What are they presenting as the way to be “close to God”? Is it through experience or is it through obedience to the Word? These are some questions that will help you discern.

Second, realize we aren’t changing the direction of the visible church overall. The ship has sailed. Most churches are fatally compromised and, while we can stand up in our particular church, do not expect any praise or glory if you do. Rather, expect to be ostracized, sidelined, and ignored. Ridicule and antagonism also might be part of the package. It’s just not an easy road to take and it mostly ends in disappointment and discouragement. It’s why this path is rarely chosen by any genuine believer. If you’ve experienced it, you realize you are spared a lot of heartache by keeping quiet. It’s a very sad state of affairs but this is where we find ourselves if we care about truth at all. If and when we choose to speak up, it’s so critically important that we do so with humility and love. Harshness and pride will make things so much worse.

Third, recognize that, while we can’t change the world, we can change our own lives and the lives of our families. We can be protecting our selves by, first, loving God and the truth He has given us in His Word more than we love anything else. And, in loving and knowing God’s Word, we can begin the process of eradicating compromised teachers and resources from our lives. We can be protecting our families by being careful of the resources we give to them and by the thought-provoking conversations we have with them.

Fourth, we can plant seeds. While it is true that most Christians just don’t want to hear the truth about how compromised Christianity is, there are some who do. Plant those seeds of truth as God gives you opportunity. Sprinkle those seeds in discussions about the Bible and about church. Toss them out during your family dinners and dinners out with friends. You never know what fruit they will bear. There will be a few who actually want to know. There will be a few who are thankful. It won’t be many, but there will be a few.

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I have been saying we are in the last days for many years now. I still firmly believe this, although we cannot know how long the last days will last. But one of the main reasons I believe we are in the last days is because of this right here. Mysticism has completely hijacked biblical Christianity and most are not even aware.

So how do we make sure we are a tree that stands tall and strong and won’t be vulnerable to the false doctrine that eats away at our spiritual roots? How do we be sure to stay healthy spiritually so that we can withstand this storm of mysticism that is blowing fiercely all around us?

There is only one way and that is to stay close to the Lord through His Word and prayer, praying specifically for discernment and protection in the midst of this false Christianity that has touched every area of the world and swirls wildly around all of us. Study, submit to, and obey the Bible. Love the Lord by obeying His commands.

There is no new-fangled, easier way to be close to God through our personal experience. God’s Word can never be sidelined in the life of a thriving and growing believer. It is timeless and it has never changed and it will never change. The Bible is God’s very Word given to us and it will always be the key to living a victorious Christian life—no matter how many popular authors and celebrity preachers tell you otherwise!

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
(Isaiah 40:8)

As many of you know, my oldest daughter writes at Anchor for the Soul (found on Facebook and Instagram). She’s been extremely busy with her young family but she did find some time to dig into the spiritual formation movement recently and find out just what it’s about. I want to share what she shared here on the blog (with her permission) since I know you aren’t all on social media and also because it is easier to print and to share with others who aren’t on social media from this platform.

I don’t feel like we Christians, as a whole, recognize the danger of spiritual formation and how it is changing the entire landscape of what has been known traditionally as “Christianity”. It’s been going on for years, but has taken on a life of its own in the last twenty or so years, carving and creating a new religion that uses the same terms we use and claims to worship the same God we worship, and read the same Bible we read and, yet, clearly—when evaluated, the two religions—biblical Christianity and Christianity formed by spiritual formation principles—are as different as day and night. And, in fact, one represents day and light and the other represents night and darkness.

I hope what is written below will help us all discern as this movement snakes its way into college classrooms, board rooms, and churches. I hope this will help us be aware of what’s going on and evaluate it according to scripture.

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Spiritual formation is currently taking the Christian world by storm. Nearly every Christian college and seminary is teaching it. It’s the topic of popular Christian books, articles, and podcasts. Churches are recommending it, small groups are studying it, and pastors are preaching about it. But what is spiritual formation? Is it something Christians should embrace, ignore, or oppose?

Richard Foster was one of the first to introduce the idea of spiritual formation to the evangelical world. He defined it as “a God-ordained process [of spiritual disciplines] that shapes our entire person so that we take on the character and being of Christ Himself.” Someone else defined it as “active participation with the Holy Spirit through spiritual practices that leads to our conformity to Christ.” Those definitions don’t seem too bad at first glance. But what are these spiritual disciplines and practices?

Biblical disciplines such as Bible study and prayer are framed as quaint and simplistic. In fact, most spiritual formation experts would tell you that these disciplines are forged from a “western worldview of the head” and can only lead you so far in your spiritual journey. If you want to go deeper— to connect with God, experience His presence, and become like Him— you need more. If you’re tired of living a boring, Christian life and have grown weary of the superficial modern church— you’re missing something. And what is this more you’re missing? Disciplines practiced by the spiritual masters of old.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐂𝐄

So-called desert fathers and mothers set up the first monastic communities in the Egyptian wilderness and lived as hermits during the third to sixth centuries. These men and women claimed to have encountered and experienced God on a deeper level and received direct revelation from Him. These are the very ones that spiritual formation experts (such as Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Bruce Demarest, and John Mark Comer) call the “spiritual masters” and from whom they draw their understanding of spiritual formation. Others who followed after these desert fathers and mothers include St. Francis of Assisi, St. John of the Cross, Brother Lawrence, Teresa of Avila, Henri Nouwen, Julian of Norwich, Francis De Sales, Thomas Keating, and Thomas Merton. A quick Google search will reveal that these individuals were all Catholic priests, monks, or nuns and every single one of them was a mystic seeking union with God through occult practices.

Many, if not all, of the classic spiritual disciplines within the spiritual formation movement are drawn from the writings of these individuals. They are quoted endlessly by proponents of spiritual formation. You will not find one book on the topic of spiritual formation that does not find itself unashamedly rooted in Catholic mysticism.

And herein lies the first problem— 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝?

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒

Each author or speaker on spiritual formation will most likely offer a unique list of spiritual disciplines. But here are a few of the most common:

silence & solitude— removing all noise and distractions so that you can simply sit in silence and be present with God
contemplative prayer & meditation— a practice involving clearing one’s mind so you can better connect with God and listen for His voice and guidance
lectio divina— reading a passage over and over, being drawn into God’s presence and experiencing Him through Scripture
fasting— abstaining from food, drink or other activities for a certain amount of time
confession— confessing your sins to someone
simplicity— living a life of simplicity
chastity— stepping away from sexual activity for a certain amount of time
generosity and service— giving of your time, money, and resources to bless and serve others
sabbath rest— choosing one day of the week to step away from work, chores, and distractions
community— cultivating a close-knit community around you
worship— worshipping God in song, actions, or words
justice— pursuing justice in the world around you
journaling— writing in a spiritual journal
observing the liturgical calendar— advent, lent, easter, and pentecost

Of course, they often include reading the Bible and prayer amongst these disciplines but one thing they make clear— they are not enough. They only reach the head while the rest of them reach the heart.

The beginning of this list reveals the second problem— 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦. These include silence, solitude, meditation, contemplative prayer, and lectio divina. They might couch them in Christian terminology but there can be no “Christian version” of occult practices.

God did not provide the supernatural encounters and visions experienced by the Catholic mystics through these practices. That was Satan. If spiritual formation gurus are practicing the same things and seeking the same experiences, they will be met with the same result— experiences that they attribute to God but are of the devil himself.

Some of these disciplines seem like good things. Is it good to be generous, take a day of rest, cultivate community, fast, worship, confess our sins, and serve? Yes. But do those things, in and of themselves, sanctify us and makes us like Christ? No. And this leads us to the third problem.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐘

They will tell you that the process of practicing spiritual disciplines is what makes us like Christ. They will tell you that spiritual formation is the way in which we are sanctified, transformed, abide, and set apart. It’s the way we take up our cross and follow Jesus. We become more like Christ not through the Word of God but through experiencing God, connecting with God, encountering Him, or “entering into the inner life of God” through spiritual practices.

But is this Biblical? Does Scripture teach any of these disciplines as a means of spiritual growth and progressive sanctification? Let’s find out what the Bible tells us about being transformed, sanctified, and made like Christ.

2 Thess. 2:13— by the power of the spirit through belief in the truth
John 17:17— through the Word of God
2 Timothy 3:16-17— through the Word of God
James 1:2— through suffering
Hebrews 4:12-16— through the Word of God and prayer
2 Peter 1:3— through knowledge of Christ
Ephesians 4:11-16— through the preaching of the Word
Romans 12:2— through the renewing of our minds in the Truth
Galatians 5:16— walking with the spirit, denying the flesh

The Bible is very clear. We are sanctified or made holy by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. Not just simply reading it but trusting it and obeying it. We pray for God to transform us and change us. We grow in faith through the Word preached and discipleship in the Word from other believers. We learn to love God and others not by experiencing or encountering God in some mystical way but through the knowledge of Him as revealed in His Word. So here’s the third problem— 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡.

So how can Christian authors be so assertive in recommending them?

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐁𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 “𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄”

Spiritual formation proponents have to give some sort of Biblical foundation for spiritual formation if it’s going to reach a Christian audience. So how do they do it? How have they convinced thousands of people that occult practices rooted in Catholicism are the God-ordained means of sanctification in the life of a believer?

First, they tell you that these practices were so integrated into the lives of the New Testament authors that they didn’t even need to write them down. They were already being practiced by the apostles and the early church and we should follow their example. But the Lord has given us all the teachings and practices He wants us to follow within His Word. There is no secret key to a deeper spiritual life found outside of it.

Secondly, they’ll tell you that Jesus practiced the spiritual disciplines and that we must follow His example. Jesus practiced solitude and silence when he went away by Himself to pray. He practiced simplicity by living a simple life. He practiced secrecy when he healed away from the crowds. He practiced community by surrounding Himself with the disciples. He practiced celebration, fasting, sabbath rest, and justice. To model our life after Jesus is to practice these things.

This is problematic on so many levels. First, they are inferring that Jesus was practicing some kind of mystical solitude or meditation when He went off alone to pray. That’s quite an assumption. And to take His lone actions and call it a “practice” or a “discipline” we need to follow— without one Scripture reference to back it up— is far-reaching at best. Jesus Christ had plenty to say and never once did He talk about a practice or discipline as described by the spiritual formation movement.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦— 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥.

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

Spiritual formation asks some important questions. Is there something deeper than the superficial Christianity we see today in the modern church? What does it really look like to be a disciple of Jesus? How do we change and become more like Christ? But they give all the wrong answers.

The true answer is Biblical faith. We read the Bible, we believe the Bible, and we obey the Bible. That’s true faith in a nutshell. God, in His grace, opens our eyes to the truth of the Gospel and His Word and we submit to it. The Holy Spirit changes us— little by little— and makes us like Christ through the Word. Of course, we won’t know all of the Bible at once. But we trust and obey what we do know and continue to do the same thing as we learn it more. Sometimes feelings are there and sometimes they’re not but we choose to trust it anyways. God’s Word is the key to genuine faith, true discipleship, and transformation into the image of Christ.

But in spiritual formation, God’s Word takes a back seat and experience reigns supreme. How do you know you have true faith? Experiencing God’s presence and encountering Him through these spiritual disciplines. How do you become a disciple and follower of Christ? By practicing His way of life. How do you become more like Jesus? Through a list of disciplines that somehow the Holy Spirit will use to supernaturally transform you into the image of Christ. Even if those disciplines are rooted in mysticism and are never mentioned in Scripture.

The danger is that unbiblical practices will give people a real spiritual experience, but not from God. God puts a boundary around the means by which we come to Him and grow in Him for our own protection. If we ignore the Biblical guidelines, there is no telling where we might end up. Deception is the guaranteed outcome. Spiritual formation is nothing more than mysticism wrapped up in Christian language.

What makes spiritual formation so tricky is that not only do they ask good questions but they often say good things- slowing down and removing distractions, cultivating community, confessing our sins to one another, being generous with our time and money, making time to pray and study. But they don’t present those things within a Biblical framework. They’re presented within a mystical framework.

I’ve really just scratched the surface of the dangers of this movement. They redefine sin, hell, atonement, the purpose of the Gospel, and Jesus Christ. They expertly couch new age, occult philosophies in Christian terminology. They’ve usurped the purpose of sanctification from becoming holy to simply becoming “a person of love”. The battle against sin, flesh, and the world in the life of a Christian is ignored. Perhaps I’ll touch on these things in another post. But for now, I hope you find this information helpful!

There is a story that was written a long time ago called The Hidden Hand.

In that story was a criminal named Black Donald. The story is full of interesting twists and turns but, suffice it to say, a few of Black Donald’s sidekicks ended up in jail. That is the setting.

The girl and her motherly chaperone went to the fair. There they found the revival tent of Reverend Grey. Reverend Grey was thin and frail and elderly. The chaperone was drawn to him from the start. Not in a romantic way but as to someone who was solid in the faith; as someone who spoke the truth with charisma. And spoke the truth of God’s Word he did.

The idea was put forth that he visit the town prisoners. They’d been there for several months now and they were as hardened as ever.

Reverend Grey was frightened and refused, at first. But, eventually, he worked up his courage and said he would go.

The day after he went, the prisoners escaped.

How do you think that happened?

It happened because the very “biblical”, self-effacing man called Reverend Grey was not a reverend at all but was, rather, Black Donald himself. He had starved himself until he looked just a shadow of himself and then he had carefully put a very convincing costume together, along with the right expressions and knowing the right words.

He did what he needed to do to reach his goal. And his goal was to get his friends out of prison. It worked just as he had hoped.

This is a story. Written in the dramatic, Victorian style, it is a bit far-fetched, at that (although a fun read, for sure!) But I cannot help but think of how many “Black Donalds” we have in our midst today.

People pretending to be something they are not. People with selfish goals of money and power (to name a couple) who will do anything to get them. There are other goals. Goals much more nefarious as there are those who are working to bring in the antichrist system and fully know what they are doing.

What is happening in Christianity today is a critical component of this deception. You cannot have a religion that is based on the Bible if you want to bring in the one world religion. You have to get people’s eyes off the Bible and on to their experiences (mysticism).

Satan, called the Angel of Light for a very good reason (2 Corinthians 11:14) has devised very subtle, very devious ways to work his way into our minds and uproot the biblical roots planted there by godly parents, pastors, and teachers from the past.

This is mostly done through very attractive, very “humble”, very “biblical-sounding” people. People very much like Reverend Grey, who come across sincere, self-effacing, and humble.

Our only hope—truly—our ONLY HOPE, is to compare everything to Scripture. Every. Thing. We cannot make a judgment about them based on their personality, their attitudes, their niceness, their charisma and way with words…and then simply choose to trust them.

As humans, we have a tendency to do that but it is so dangerous. Especially now. Instilling Mysticism in the minds of those who call themselves Christians is absolutely critical for Satan to succeed in bringing in what we read in scripture. We know many will be deceived in the last days. That time is now. We must pay attention.

Let me give you four recent examples from my own life of this deception and how it’s coming in from all directions—

First, I started reading a novel. It is by a “Christian” author whom I have read before. As I began to read, I noticed her penchant to add special revelation (God speaking, dreams, visions) in the lives of most of her characters. She is opening the door and her readers are walking through it. Contemplating this is moving the biblical reader from basing their faith on the Bible to just beginning to consider that perhaps there is more. Oh, she uses the Bible, too. The Bible is always around in these scenarios. But the most important thing is that Jesus Himself is talking to these people and this is more important than scripture.

Second, someone recently told me about a book they are reading for research purposes. It is a wildly popular book amidst the younger generation and the whole thing turns biblical Christianity upside down on its head. It completely turns “Christianity” into a form of Mysticism. One book. But not only this book. There have been many books doing this for the past twenty or so years. Books labeled “Christian” that are anything but. I caution you about reading anything that is on trend. There is generally a reason these books have made it to the bestseller list.

Third, there was recently a “Worship Night” on American Idol. I could probably write a whole post on this alone and I actually thought about it but I didn’t have the time to do the research that needed to be done for it. Suffice it to say, that at least three of the performers in that concert have been researched by myself in the past and they are not biblical in any way. They have wonderful voices and they may sing an occasional biblical song, but their lives are unholy and they embrace the world and its ways while claiming to follow Christ, something that we clearly cannot do, according to scripture. They remove people’s eyes from the Bible by living lives that give no heed to what it says whatsoever. And, yet, many Christians are declaring that we are having a REVIVAL. No, we are not. What we are having is an explosion of a false religion called by the name of Christianity that is moving people from the Bible into mysticism.

And, fourth, and finally, I think I’ve mentioned this before but there is this belief pervading the minds of so many now that we can’t really trust the Word of God. That we can decide how to interpret it. And the way I interpret it might be different than how you interpret it. Do you see how this, too, is instrumental in moving people from believing in the absolute Word of God to trusting in their own subjective thoughts about the Word of God?

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Oh, I personally find the “Christianity” of today terrifying on so many levels. It’s chaotic. It’s confusing. How do you even share the Gospel in the midst of such deception and falsehood?

But God…

It’s not up to us to convince people to see the truth. It’s not up to us to change their minds. We just need to keep living our lives and speaking the truth, planting seeds as we get opportunity.

And we need to pray. Pray that God would keep us from deception in the midst of this tsunami of deception that is all around us everywhere. We need to pray for wisdom and discernment as we navigate all of this. And we need to know our Bibles.

Our only hope to survive all of this is through humble prayer and studying the Bible with a heart willing to submit and obey what it says, through the help of the Holy Spirit.

I may sound like a broken record, but I believe that with my whole heart and it’s the main reason why I am still here on this blog writing today.

On our own, we will be vulnerable to deception. But with God and with His Word, we will be equipped to travel through this modern-day “Christianity” and see the lies for what they are.

Stay strong, my friends, and don’t get discouraged. We are not alone, for God has promised to walk with us through this challenging time of history. And, one of these days, Jesus will return for us just as He promised and the battle will be over forever. Oh, I hope that day comes soon!