The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:1 that “the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.” The most frightening aspect of this End Times Falling Away is that those who are falling away do not know it! Could you be one of them? Could you be part of this group of individuals who has given yourself over – without knowing it – to deceptive spirits and teaching that come from demons? Here are 5 characteristics of those who are part of the End Times Falling Away along with 5 Biblical principles to safeguard yourself from falling away:
1- You are in danger of falling away if you have no consistent prayer life:
Jesus Himself had a prayer life where He would daily get alone with the Father…and yet multitudes of Believers today think it legalistic when they’re encouraged to take time alone with the Lord. Without a daily, consistent prayer life where you pour your heart out to the Lord and where He pours His heart out to you, it will not be long before you find yourself in a spiritual wasteland. Apart from prayer, we’re powerless. Those who pray never stray and those who stray never prayer. Learn to pray.
Safeguard:
Choose a time each day to get alone with God. Start off with 60 minutes of alone time with the Lord. Turn off your phone, lock your doors and sit in the Presence of God. Prayer is not a list of things you want; it’s a relationship with the Lord. If you’re unsure of “how” to pray, simply say, “Lord, I don’t know what to say… so I’m going to sit here for the next 1 hour in silence and allow You to speak to my heart”.
2- You are in danger of falling away if you are not in the Word:
Believers today talk much about “hearing from God” yet ask them to quote the Written Word and they can’t. They want to “hear God’s Voice” yet they won’t study God’s Voice: The Bible. Yes, they’ll read it… but they won’t study it and digest it. There’s a huge difference between reading something and studying something. The Word of God must be our standard; if we don’t know the doctrines of the Word of God, we’re sitting sucks for all sorts of false teachings. The reason that false prophets can preach hyper grace, the prosperity gospel, etc, is due to them banking on the fact that you won’t rightly divide the Word of God.
Safeguard:
Many Christians today attack doctrine as though it’s a bad thing. Don’t be one them! Doctrine is essential if we’re to know God, His ways and His works. Take time each and every single day to study doctrine. Purchase some doctrinal materials and get started! Meditate on the Word of God and memorize it’s passages. Know the doctrine of the Trinity, the Atonement, Pnematology, etc.
3- You are in danger of falling away if you are not in fellowship:
Those who attend church once a week and and no more are what I like to call “institutional Christians”; they get their one hour in and then go home. These types of individuals are candidates of great deception. Then you have once solid and sold out Christians who decided that fellowship wasn’t for them anymore so they stopped attending church, events, outings, prayer meetings, etc. You’re in deception and are showing signs of falling away when you treat Christ’s Body with such dishonor. If you cannot be in a church among God’s People or if you hop from place to place, you’re in danger of falling away.
Safeguard:
Seek the Lord on where to attend church and not where to attend church alone; but also what church is your family… because church is a spiritual family! Once He speaks to your heart, get in and hook up! Stay under submission to the authority of your shepherds and serve the brothers and sisters of that fellowship. If you do so, you’ll be under spiritual protection. If you don’t engage in the life of the church, you’re in self deception.
4- You are in danger of falling away if you harbor unforgiveness:
In Matthew 24:10-12, Jesus says, “And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold”. If you walk in unforgiveness and refuse to love your brothers and sisters and humble yourself, the Lord Jesus Himself tells you that you’ve turned away from Him and as a result you’re now open to false prophets. All of a sudden you’ll begin to promote false prophets and false doctrines, not understanding that you’re now walking in self deception. Those who refuse to forgive will find themselves in churches and in ministries and supporting people and teachings that they would never have supported if they had walked in forgiveness. Those who refuse to forgive are the children of false prophets.
Safeguard:
People are going to do things and say things that will give you an opportunity to become offended. When something takes place that gives you the opportunity to walk in division, reject the spirit of offense and unforgiveness immediately! Instead, choose by God’s Grace to forgive. Forgiveness is not determined by our emotional state; it’s determined by a deliberate decision to trust God – regardless of how I feel! – to forgive the one who’s attacked me or hurt me.
5- You are in danger of falling away if you practice sin:
Those who dabble in deliberate sin are in danger of falling away. Many who love to practice sin also love the message of hyper grace as it makes them feel secure in their delusion. One evidence that an individual is self deceived is in statements such as “God knows my struggle” while shacking up and fornicating. While it’s true we can have struggles with desires, it’s a lie to say that we must give in to these struggles. In other words, if you’re practicing sin and listening to messengers and messages that tell you that “you’ll always sin”, you’re in danger of falling away. Without holiness – Holy Spirit Empowered Holiness! – you will not see the Lord.
Safeguard:
Stay away from any teaching that tells you that you’ll always sin; remove yourself from any teaching and teacher who says you’re still righteous while practicing sin. Sin is a violation of God’s commands and His commandments still stand today. Sin promises what only God can provide! It’s still a sin to view pornography; it’s still a sin to lie, slander and gossip. Seek God to remove your sinful desires and while you’re seeking Him, do not engage in what your desires want you to engage in.
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Brothers and sisters, there are many false prophets among us who believe and teach that regardless of how we live our lives, we’re “under grace”. This is a lie and many who are in danger of falling away have bought into this lie. You’re called by God to walk in victory, freedom and in the true grace of God. If you will apply the above 5 safeguards to your life, you will never fall away and never be deceived!
