1 Timothy 4:1 – Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons

The fact that these people depart, or fall away, from the faith does not mean that they were ever actually saved, but rather that they only had verbally professed to be Christians. They knew about the Lord Jesus Christ and had been told that He was the Savior. They professed for a time to follow Him, but then they renounced their belief from the faith and walked away. Paul is warning that there will be heretical teachers who will mislead a great many people. There will be a departure from the faith. This matter of apostasy has been in the church for a very long time, and it will not be new at the end of the age by any means. It has grown, and it will continue to grow. When the church of Christ is raptured, there will be left behind a totally apostate organized church. What is it exactly that draws them away? The teachings of demons, which are false doctrines taught by those whose views are initiated and instigated by demons. Spiritual error is seldom due to innocent mistakes. It is more often due to the conscious strategies of God’s spiritual enemies.

Challenge:

How vital it is to ensure that the information you are ingesting is of sound biblical content. There are many biblical teachings and sound reading materials that are available to you, these will help you grow in your relationship with God and protect you from walking down the wrong path. All believers make mistakes, it is how you respond to those mistakes that shows your faith and trust in the Lord. Your challenge this week is to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His will and direction for your day and for your needs. Be on the lookout for confirmations that God will bring your way. I remember the story from a friend who had lost something very valuable to them. They were heartbroken because this item was a gift from their precious friend. A week later, the Lord led my friend to the very spot that the item was lost, and He said to them, “right where you are standing, you will find what you lost.” Well, you may have already guessed it, my friend found the gift right at their feet. Quite frankly, the greatest gift in that story is that God cares about the things that you cherish in your life. Perhaps, you have to make a major decision for your family this week. Maybe you are praying about changing positions at your current workplace or moving to a totally different company. You need to be sure you are making the right choices. Who you seek to help you make these choices will make all the difference in the world. The Lord knows what you need before you ask Him, so go ahead and ask Him anyway. God bless you.