Conversations With the King and Study Guide

There are a multitude of reasons that individuals give for choosing not to believe in God.  Many of these choices are linked to the vastness of imitations in our world. Pretentiousness and deceptions of every kind has created levels of suspicion and questioning of the authenticity of hair, nails, jewelry, foods, marriages, businesses and even our relationship with Christ.  Indeed the request for proof of authenticity does speak volumes.

As the world has its share of counterfeits, so does the house of God.  Members of the body of Jesus Christ are not always immune to sly boots, a snake in the grass, or the wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Regretfully, false leadership has misled many individuals and calculated behaviors intended to thwart the plan of God.  To the amazement of many, Christians, like the unsaved, can misjudge character.  How is this so?  Many of God’s children resist the counsel of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  He gives us signs and warnings, but they are not always acknowledged and obeyed.  Instead many people choose to believe what is superficial, shallow, plastic and insincere. Existing among us is a preferred and seemingly popular reliance on behaviors that appear harmless, yet are deceitful, “...For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart”, I Samuel 16:7.

The Lord tells us “For although they hold a form of piety, they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it; their conduct belies the genuiness of their profession.  Avoid all such people, turn away from them.  Wicked men and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and leading astray others and being deceived and led astray themselves”, II Timothy 3:5-7,13.  He thus advises believers of the Lord Jesus Christ not to put faith in every spirit, but to test spirits to discover whether they proceed from God because many false prophets have gone forth into the world, I John 4:1-6.  In failing to listen to and obey the voice of God, fractions of God's people are beguiled by the father of deception.

Indeed there are grounds for suspicion and doubt, for perpetrators and great pretenders have left horrific scars on the saved as well as the unsaved.  Confusion and divisiveness are a result of their destructive works as well as preaching and teaching that negates God’s plan of salvation.

The effects of insincere pious acts are considerable, for they prevent many individuals from recognizing and worshipping the Truth.  Form and fashion are leading deceptive devices used by the devil to delude mankind.   His strategies and choice of conduits are multiple.  Through them he capitalizes on behaviors such as:

◊Church attendance and church membership,

◊Self righteousness,

◊Good samaritanism and philanthropy,

◊Busyness in church and community organizations,

◊Frequent use of religious jargon,

◊Religious paraphernalia,

◊Scripture quoting and

◊Dress codes induced by a culture or subculture.

Now all of these reactions should work to glorify God and identify a child of God, but the father of lies, Satan, has perverted many things relative to God’s plan. The spirit of perversion has attacked God’s plan for marriage, family, sex, and friendships. Even faith in God has been twisted and misapplied.