“Now the Spirit expressly says, that in later times some will depart from the faith, by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1).

We have to guard our minds, against deception and seduction, by reinforcing our thoughts with the word of God. The battle against us begins in our minds and our thoughts determine our lives (Proverbs 23:7).

Not everything is as it seems, on the surface and we cannot take everyone or everything at face value. Yes, we need to be accepting, loving and forgiving, but the reality is that some people are masters of deception, manipulation and control. We need the ability to discern, in order to protect ourselves. ‘Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God’ (1 John 4:1).

Either we operate through the work of the Holy Spirit, or there is another spirit operating through us. It is having the spirit of discernment, that will help us to determine what spirit is operating through others.

We learn through scripture, that even the devil knows how to masquerade as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). This is how he managed to deceive Eve in the garden, with his tongue of deception, and Eve’s mistake was to stop and listen. What is certain is that there are some people who do not deserve our time and having conversations with them is unlikely to produce anything good.

It can be hard at times, when the person with the spirit of deception, is a Manager or someone with authority over us. Pray for the spirit of boldness, to address the spirit of deception. Ask God to dethrone persons in positions of power and authority, who use their positions to deceive and manipulate others. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).

A.P.-Y.

Published by Anneta Pinto-Young

I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession. Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm. I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing. I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.

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