2Corinthians 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
One of the difficulties cult members find themselves in is admitting their errors of belief. Those caught up in a cult’s hype and frenzy cannot see where they are going, because they do not know where they are. After all, the crafty and smarmy leaders they are following rarely know where they are going. Prov. 6:12 A vile person, a wicked man, is the one who walks with a perverse mouth, 13 who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who points with his fingers; 14 Who with perversity in his heart, continually devises evil, who spreads contentions. The cult followers who have lost their will to not pick up their cross and follow Jesus find themselves nailed to a cult leader who dazzles them with religious rhetoric and promises of eternal bliss, but soon find themselves lost in a world of confused hurt. Without fail, the cult leaders inevitably show themselves to be the evil pawns of deception that they are, and end up taking their devotees down with them.
The things we are nailed to will eventually have a face and will show themselves to be of God, the devil, or yourself. Once the illumination of conviction is made clear, we come face to face with our pain. If our pain is the result of submitting to God and repentance, then the face of our pain will be a merciful Lord who loves us. If the pain of our life is an onslaught of demonic activity that we have accepted because of our chosen belief, then the face of our pain is Satan, the evil one. This is why cult members find it so hard to face the truth of their actions. I believe that deep down inside their hearts, there is a knowing that they are sinking into perdition, but the ego of man is a deceptive advisor and will lead a soul into deeper dark waters. Is there an opportunity for these cult members to repent? Yes, and amen, there is, but they have to want to come to the Lord in full capitulation of heart to submit to the work of the cross and the lordship of Jesus Christ. Phil. 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The danger that attaches itself to those who have fallen into cultic beliefs is how hard they fall when they realize they have been profoundly deceived. The emotional wreckage is devastating and often feels like there is no possible repentance available to them. There is a feeling of utter failure, and a belief that there may be no room for them in God’s kingdom. These thoughts become a siren song in the minds of those trying to escape the cult’s grasp. This self-condemnation is not from God; it is from the prince of darkness, and the father of lies, who once had them captive in the cult, and is now trying to destroy them with madness. The only cleansing that is available to these captured souls of poor judgment is a full washing in the blood of Jesus. Nothing else can fix a fallen man’s inner being, mind, and spirit but the salvific work of the Lord. Will the journey back to a righteousness consciousness be easy? To answer that, it will be a case-by-case dependence on the degree of repentance that took place in their heart. Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes toward heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!“
All modern cult members of the different cultic sects that are active in North America are falling for the same faces that the people of old sacrificed their firstborns to. The worship of Baal, Asherah, and Isis has not stopped. Although the names are different, the devils remain the same. These evil spirits are showing up amongst the White Christian Nationalists, White Supremacists, and all the secular heathenists, who are actively demonstrating the same old iniquitous behaviours. 1Tim. 4:1 Now 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. There truly is nothing new under the sun. Evil spirits provoking evil people to sin and blaspheme God is the story throughout history. As churches shut down and pastors leave their calling, affiliations, and in some cases, their faith, the void they are creating is being filled with teachers and influencers of devils.
Phil. 3:19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. Those who do not believe in anything but their own thoughts might accuse me of being a religious fanatic or a conspiracist. My soul is indeed anchored in the finished work of the cross of Jesus Christ, but I refuse to open my mind to the doctrines of devils. How can we not see humanity’s need to quench the spiritual void in their hearts? Throughout this lost world, the hunger for identity and affirmation of existence is being acted out in a tantrum of social misbehaviour. Prov. 29:18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. I suppose we could blame all the evil activity on the more than normal amounts of sunspots taking place on the sun, or the overactivity of electromagnetic fields, but this does not answer the question of desperation within the people to be known and seen by the Creator. All these feelings of pain are seeking a face that can heal them. God is the face of reason and fulfilment.
The mandate and responsibility for the Christians who have not drunk from the cup of laced Kool-Aid will have to have compassion for the injured and maimed souls who finally tear themselves away from the cults and want to come home. When these wounded and crushed survivors finally admit and repent of the deception they have been living in, when they ask to be forgiven, we will need to nurture them with the loving hand of God and not the “I told you so” accusations of critics. Sometimes being right is overrated and can cause our egos to rise above the forgiving love of our Heavenly Father. We need to remember that the Shepard of Grace has been out looking for these lost sheep the whole time they were in the cult. Therefore, we can only meet them with the same grace Christ has given to all and begin to learn how to pray together again. Luke 15:20 And having risen up, he went to his father. And he still being far distant, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and having run, fell upon his neck and kissed him.
Every pain has a face, and whatever the pain is, it must be faced through the eyes and healing ability of God if we are going to be healed of what caused the pain in the first place. If we do not put our faith in the Lord’s resurrection power to wash our hearts and thoughts with His cleansing blood, then, as the Apostle Paul states, all of this is in vain. 1Cor. 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. The good news is that we are made whole and forgiven in Christ. This freedom can only be found in the Lord, as He is the author and finisher of our faith. Therefore, let Him write your holy story and know that His face is leading you through His perfect will.
Norm,
My mom quotes me that exact scripture often. 🫶 Proverbs and Psalms are my top 2 right now.
So true . Thank u for your writing.✍️
Appreciate you and all u do .
Bless you 🙌🙌🙌
Norm,
Wow! Such beautiful writing ✍️
I was just thinking this week about how the Devil can come in as an Angel of light in a lot of areas in our lives. Holy Spirit confirmation!
He wants to derail our focus and our connection to the father daily. Sometimes what looks like a good deal or a good opportunity could be a derailment to our peace.
I pray we all show compassion and love to all who have and are deceived. Let’s all be reminded daily and take to heart God’s grace for all of God’s children. Thank you, God, for your endless love for us all.
Amen 🙏
Thank you, Katya
We can often choose what looks good and end up missing the blessing God has for us.
The enemy of our hearts works nonstop to wreck our trust in God.
We need to stay within the wisdon and instruction of Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Norm, Yes 🙌 love proverbs . I would say psalm & proverbs are a constant right now. Awesome scripture my mom quotes me this always🫶
Appreciate you. 🙏