War of Deception

“they harassed you with their schemes by which they deceived you…”
Numbers 25:18 [Interlinear]

In the book of Numbers, all of the nations fear Israel because their story is filled with miracles and their God makes them invincible. The armies of the nations cannot stop the advance of the children of Yahweh. Therefore, the enemy nations change their tactics. They begin a war of deception.

The word “harass” in Hebrew literally means to cramp. When you harass someone, you restrict them and then tighten those restrictions. It’s like leading someone down a hallway that continually gets tighter until they are completely bound and stuck. Another version says “they were attacking you with their deception.” The enemy uses deception as an attack on freedom, taking the children of God captive. At first the deception seems to be a wide path of false freedom that is actually a pursuit of selfish and carnal desires. As soon as someone steps into the hall, the tempter draws that person further and further in until they are bound as captive slaves.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17). Freedom is the atmosphere of the Spirit of the Lord. The true sign of the Spirit’s presence is freedom. It’s not loud gifts or pretty fruit, for both of these can be counterfeited for a time. It’s not in the message and teaching, for the devil and demonic can preach. It’s not in great influence or in social services, for even those can be narrowing walls.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The spirit of this world will cramp you into bondage through deception. Holy Spirit will increase you into liberty through heavenly truth. Know the truth and the truth will set you free (John 8:32).

There is a very real war of deception being waged upon every person on the earth. The devil desires to bring the Ekklesia into captivity in order to limit our ability to govern as Kingdom agents and bring the liberty of the Spirit to the nations through Jesus Christ. What are the narrowing hallways he is attempting to use in your life? Pride? Past? Pleasure? Popularity? Is he using the religion and tradition of man? Fear of people?

The only way to be free of bondage is to live a life saturated in the Spirit of the Lord. Jesus said, “The Spirit will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). Truth is the antidote and vaccine to deception. The Spirit of the Lord is the Spirit of Truth.

Jesus also taught His disciples that if they believed in Him, they would do His word and they would drink from Him and Holy Spirit would overflow from them (John 7:37-39). How do we win against the war of deception? We continually eat His Word and drink His Spirit. Stay soaked in His Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Seeking His face!
Matt