How teaching spirits teach, we find described by Paul, for he says they speak lies in hypocrisy, that is, speak lies as if they were truth. And the effect of their working is said to "cauterize" (Greek) the conscience, i.e., if a believer accepts the teachings of evil spirits as Divine, because they come to him "supernaturally," and he obeys, and follows those "teachings," "conscience" is unused, so that it practically becomes dulled and passive - or seared - and a man does things under the influence of supernatural "revelation" which an actively awakened "conscience" would keenly rebuke and condemn. Such believers "give heed" to these spirits, by
(1) listening to them, and then by
(2) obeying them;
for they are deceived by accepting wrong thoughts about God's presence, and about Divine love, and unknowingly give themselves up to the power of lying spirits. Working in the line of "teaching," deceiving spirits will insert their "lies" spoken in hypocrisy, into "holiness" teaching, and deceive believers about sin, themselves, and all other truths connected with the spiritual life.
Scripture is generally used as the basis of these teachings, and is skilfully woven together like a spider's web, so that they are caught in the snare. Single texts are wrenched from their context, and their place in the perspective of truth; sentences are taken from their correlative sentences, or texts are aptly picked out from over a wide field, and so netted together as to appear to give a full revelation of the mind of God; but the intervening passages, giving historical setting, actions and circumstances connected with the speaking of the words, and other elements which give light on each separate text, are skilfully dropped out.
A wide net is thus made for the unwary, or the untaught in the principles of Scripture exegesis, and many a life is side-tracked, and troubled by this false using of the Word of God. Because the experience of ordinary Christians in regard to the devil is limited to knowing him as a tempter, or as an accuser, they have no conception of the depths of his wickedness, and of the wickedness of evil spirits, and are under the impression that they will not quote Scripture, whereas they will quote the whole Book if they can but deceive one soul.
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