There are many deceivers in the world, some will claim to be your friends, pretend to believe what you believe, while remaining very vague in their explanations of their "religious" leanings. They coyly shake their head yes at everything you say, all the while never speaking truth from their own mouths. They talk, but what they say is meaningless.
The more you let them talk, the more things do not fit together or make sense, your discernment tells you something is wrong, but you just can't put your finger on it. Then you pray for further evidence that your sense about them is right, fearing that you may make a mistake and remove them as a friend, after all, perhaps you had not properly judged things you have seen and would damage the chances of spiritual growth in them.
Whenever I have sensed something wasn't right and prayed about it, not too much time had to pass before the Lord began to show me more. The person I suspected of lying was becoming more blatant in their statements and actions, so that there was no longer any question that they had been phony all along. Because they thought they were comfortable enough and had successfully made you dependent on their friendship, to reveal more, they began to expose themselves.
I have had such an experience in the past few months. Little by little the language became more crass, the manipulative ploys to control my thinking increased and when questioned, they piled up lie after lie in further attempts to cover up what they had already revealed.
This person was a Jehovahs Witness, pretending to be seeking my counsel, even using flattery to suck me in. The flattery was embarrassing and artificial. It was clear that manipulation was occurring. At first I ignored these things, thinking this person was just immature, but then came the attempts to control me through various devices, even condescension.
When it was clearly stated to me that she had discovered there was no such thing as a "Trinity", that it was a Catholic doctrine, and that she was studying with the Jehovahs Witness, I realized that my invitations for her to study with me were rejected months before learning all this, because she had been studying with them all along and was attempting to influence me eventually through their form of "friendship evangelism."
There are clues about a person's sincerity, one very important clue is the constant vagueness in their speech and another is their superficial agreement through nodding of head without verbal enthusiasm.
When asked to give a personal testimony about their salvation experience they have none to give. When asked if they read their Bibles they always have an excuse for not having time for it.
I am beginning to realize that the deception of the cults is becoming more cleaver, even learning evangelical jargon to look as though they are like us, when they don't understand the phrases they use.
They are among us, lying and deceiving, if we do not ask the Lord to show us, they will remain among us to influence weak believers and those who are seeking God but unsaved.
God says to have nothing to do with these people. They will keep us in a constant state of unrest, removing our peace and bringing turmoil and drama into our lives. They will dilute our testimony though our association with them.
Romans 16:17 "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."
When we have given them the gospel and they will not listen but persist in their lies, then we are to reject them, putting them out of our lives.
Titus 3:10-11 "10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; 11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself"
You will run across these people, you may not recognize their bent toward the cults right away, things begin very subtle, however as you pray and seek the Lord when inconsistencies come up, God will show you the meaning of what you see, so that you can take the necessary steps, either correcting a believer of wrong thinking or rejecting a deceiver. Pay no attention to flattery or overt friendliness, these are very effect tools the deceivers use to disarm us. Look to the fruits, the attitudes and the actions, when the Holy Spirit sends inklings of something amiss, go to prayer.
Matthew 24:4 "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you."
