Be wary of anyone who insists they have the market cornered on wisdom, and if perchance you desire some, the only means to attain it is through them exclusively. If the person, whoever they might be, places themselves as the middle man between you and the Word of God, and tries to convince you that only via their interpretation of the text and not your own diligent study and immersion in Scripture can you attain the wisdom you desire, at best, they have an ulterior motive and do not have your best interest at heart, spiritually speaking.
At worst, they
are attempting to appropriate the authority of Christ and present themselves as
an alternative messianic figure who must be obeyed, if not outright worshipped,
ceaselessly minimizing Jesus while magnifying themselves to the point of seeing
themselves on equal footing, if not superior to the Son of God Himself.
Delusion feeds on
itself. Hubris is self-perpetuating. If an individual has started on the path
of deception, they’re not going to get better, more balanced, or wiser, but
descend further into folly, becoming unhinged to the point of saying and doing
things contrary to the Word of God, the words of Christ, and dragging those who
would follow them further into the deep.
2 Peter 2:1-3, “But
there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false
teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying
the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many
will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be
blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a
long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not
slumber.”
Given that Jesus
Himself warned of false teachers and false prophets rising up and deceiving
many, the closer we get to the end of all things, the closer we get to His
return, the more relevant His warning becomes because it will be in these last
days that the enemy will go all out, doing his utmost to deceive, if possible
even the elect. These warnings are there for a reason. They are not to be dismissed,
ignored, or brushed off, nor are we to underestimate the power such individuals
will display, even to the point of performing great signs and wonders. They are
to be taken to heart, understood for what they are, so that when we see these
things occurring, we will not be shaken, nor made to stumble, as many will.
We know that many
will be deceived because that is the word Jesus used. It won’t be a handful, a
few, or some negligible number, but many. What is deception? In simple terms,
anything that attempts to replace the lordship, sovereignty, uniqueness, and indispensable
need for Christ. The Word tells us there is one way, one truth, and one life,
all encompassed in the person of Jesus, who was born of a virgin, lived a
sinless life, died on a cross hanging between two thieves, rose again on the
third day, and ascended to heaven forty days hence.
There is salvation
in none other than in Jesus, nor is there any other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved. Anyone attempting to add to or take away
from this principle, absolute, unequivocal truth, is sowing deception.
People love
playing at being the gatekeepers to wisdom. They love insinuating there are
alternatives to Jesus, or that something more than humbling ourselves, repenting
of our sins, being born again, denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and
following after Him is required. It makes them feel special, spiritually
superior, a cut above the rest, which feeds their insatiable pride. Sure, Jesus
is all great and good, but you need a little something extra, a little extra
spice, the secret to the secret sauce that only I have the recipe to, and if
you want the full experience, you have to do this other thing I’m about to
share with you in confidence.
Make sure that
what you believe is in harmony with the Word of God. If it isn’t, then no
matter how much you might want to believe it, no matter how good it makes you
feel, no matter how much you might want it to be true, it isn’t, and that’s
just a plain fact. The way I feel about the reality of something does not
change the reality of the thing. I may feel like I’m in my twenties, but the
reality is that I’m well past fifty, and no matter how hard I might try to talk
myself into believing I’m twenty, the creaking bones, achy joints, and wrinkly
skin say otherwise.
God does not
negotiate terms and conditions. Any man who insists they are exempt from the
guardrails the Bible sets forth is either lying to themselves or lying to you.
There are no backdoors into heaven; there are no secret passages that only a
select few are given to know, and if you follow after someone who claims as
much, they aren’t leading you to the promised land but to a place of sorrow,
grief, resentment, bitterness, and disillusionment.
It doesn’t matter
how often this scenario plays out; it seems as though we never learn our
lesson. Every time a wolf is proven a wolf, another steps up to fill the
vacuum, insisting that though they act as a wolf, growl as a wolf, consume and
devour as a wolf, they are not a wolf. And so, the way of truth is blasphemed
anew, and a fresh crop of souls gets shipwrecked, because they allowed themselves
to believe something that the Word did not confirm or agree with.
What does this
have to do with Job, you might ask? Job knew God, and God knew Job. He did not
allow external pressures to dictate his relationship with the Almighty, nor did
he allow himself to be swayed by his friends and family into abandoning his
integrity. If your relationship with God is anchored in truth, it will abide.
If the foundation of your spiritual house is built upon the Word of God, it
will weather the storm. Men might call you stunted, backward, antiquated, a relic
of a bygone era when people were satisfied with serving God, worshipping Him, knowing
Him, and being in fellowship with Him because they didn’t know any different.
I mean, people
were happy with the radio before television came along, content with AM FM
before satellite, shifting into gear and using the steering wheel before
autonomous driving, but now that these things exist, they’re more exciting and cutting-edge.
All of that may be true, but where we err is in equating the eternal God and
Creator of all that is with technological advancement, concluding that if one
has changed, the other must as well. God changes not, from age to age, and
generation to generation. There is no improving on God because there is no
improving on perfection. Likewise, there is nothing that can be added to a
genuine, sincere, and consistent relationship with Him that can make it more
satisfying.
Those who seek something other than knowing Him and being known by Him never knew Him to begin with, for had they known Him, they would have realized He is sufficient.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea, Jr.
Posted on 30 June 2026 | 11:44 am
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