There’s a storm of confusion sweeping across our world!
It whispers through unhealed traumas, culture, and even social media ...subtle lies cloaked in half-truths.
This isn’t new, though. Paul saw it coming centuries ago and wrote about it in the book of 2 Thessalonians.
Let no man deceive you by any means… - 2 Thessalonians 2:3
We’re living in a time where delusion doesn't shout.....it seduces.
So, how does delusion take root?
It's not just believing something false... It’s a spiritual condition where truth is unwelcome and rejected!
…because they received not the love of the truth... - 2 Thessalonians 2:10
They had access to truth!
But they didn’t love it! They refused it.
And without love for the truth, the heart becomes open to delusion... spiritual darkness that looks like light. It grabs hold of a counterfeit that feels right but leads to ruin.
What does delusion look like?
(Note: this is not an exhaustive list. If I gave myself more time, I could probably write for hours on it.)
They start seeing conviction as judgment or “negativity.” And instead of recognizing it as a loving nudge from God, they take offense and shut down. Correction feels like condemnation because pride has dulled their ability to receive truth. They want affirmation, not transformation, so anything that challenges their comfort zone is labeled as “toxic” or “legalistic.”
Delusion prefers flattery over refinement.
Truth becomes edited. Only the “nice” parts of the Bible are accepted....verses about blessing, purpose, and favor are highlighted, and anything dealing with sin or holiness is ignored or explained away as “culturally irrelevant.”
Scripture is no longer a sword that pierces the heart....it becomes a mirror that flatters the ego. It ends up being a faith that inspires but doesn’t transform. It entertains but doesn’t sanctify. It leaves people comforted in their compromise, rather than called to repentance.
Feelings become the measuring stick for truth. If it doesn’t feel good, it must not be God. But Scripture warns us that
The heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9).
When emotions lead, truth becomes relative....and conviction is confused with personal attack. God’s truth doesn’t cater to comfort.....it pierces, purifies, and heals.....and in that order!
Don't be fooled because.....
what feels offensive at first may be the very word that saves your soul!
Sin is no longer seen as rebellion, but as identity, authenticity, or empowerment. It becomes a comforting blanket....not to cover shame, but to protect how one is perceived.
People begin to defend their sin, using it to shield their pride and preserve their platform. Instead of laying it at the feet of Jesus, they wrap themselves in it....calling it freedom while it slowly enslaves them. Conviction is labeled “toxic,” and repentance is replaced with self-affirmation.
Prophetic voices are silenced, mocked, or labeled as hateful or divisive.
Delusion loves to shout, “Don’t judge me!” while ignoring calls to repentance.
Even when confronted by truth, the heart remains stubborn, hard, and unbothered.
There’s a resistance to correction, and truth is seen as optional or inconvenient.
He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. - Proverbs 29:1
A deluded person won’t bow! They don’t pray for correction...they pray for confirmation. They come to God not with surrendered hearts, but with scripted expectations....hoping He’ll bless what they’ve already decided to do. Accountability feels like control, and pride is recast as boldness or “knowing your worth.”
They refuse the humility that leads to true transformation.
Delusion can wear a church mask. It can attend every church service, hear directly from God, experience His glory as it manifests to them personally and still refuse to submit to the Lordship of Jesus!
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work… - 2 Thessalonians 2:7
Paul warned that this spirit is already operating...and today it’s thriving. It creeps in through compromise, prideful self-help ideologies, and “Christian” influencers on social media who have a platform but no spiritual backbone.
We are witnessing a generation desensitized to sin and numbed by noise.
They won't spend time on their knees or in the Word of God, but they will spend endless hours scrolling social media and soaking up words from online preachers if they speak words that appeal to them.
God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie… - 2 Thessalonians 2:11
God sends strong delusion....not to those who never heard the truth, but to those who heard it and refused it!
It’s not that they couldn't believe ....it’s that they wouldn’t.
They chose the lie over truth, and so God gave them what they craved.
This is a terrifying spiritual reality!!
I think a lot of us naturally view deception and delusion as the same thing. But here's the thing: while they are closely related, they are not the same.
Deception is when you’re
misled by something false.
Delusion is when you’ve
rejected truth so persistently
that God allows you
to believe the lie.
You’re not just misled,
you’re convinced you’re right!
Deception happens to you.
Delusion is something you eventually agree to!
Delusion never announces itself. It doesn’t say, “I’m a lie.” It looks spiritual, feels emotional, and plays just enough truth to pass. I can't remember where I read it, but one author referred to it as "counterfeit wisdom - demonic insight masquerading as divine revelation."
But don’t lose hope! Because even in the midst of deep deception and strong delusion, God is still able to deliver!
He is a Redeemer of minds, restorer of truth, and breaker of chains! No heart is too far gone, no mind too clouded that the Holy Ghost cannot penetrate with light!
If there’s breath, there’s hope.
God can expose the lie, uproot the pride, and soften even the hardest heart!
But it starts with humility. It starts with repentance.
It starts with a cry of, “Lord, open my eyes and lead me back to truth.”So don’t stop praying! Don’t stop standing! Don’t stop contending for your loved ones! Don't you dare give up!
Truth may be rejected for a season but it is NEVER powerless!
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught… - 2 Thessalonians 2:15
In this generation, standing fast will make you look strange. It may make you stand alone. But you will never stand without God!
Refuse to water down the Word! Cling to what you’ve been taught! Dig your roots deep in the unchanging truth of Jesus Christ!
Remember......“stand fast…”
Even when it’s unpopular.
Even when you’re misunderstood.
Even when the lie sounds more appealing than the truth.
Because the God of truth still delivers!
And His light will always outshine the darkest delusion!
(I will more than likely be continuing this later on this week, because I have a LOT more to say. Stay tuned!)
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