Navigating A World Of Deception

The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. — John 10:3b-5

There isn't a Christian man I have talked to lately who does not think we desperately need better leadership in the world today. Not one. As we survey the landscape, we know our leaders are misleading us. The cultural narratives we are being told to comply with are mostly untruths built on logical fallacies. It's intentional deception is what it is. It happens everywhere — in the courts, government, media, non-profits, education, social media, Chat GPT, and I guess in the FBI, and of course, in the church.  It's invading every arena of our lives. And I think most of us feel sad, disappointed, discouraged, and confused about this.

But you need to know all this was happening in the time of Jesus. And that's what makes this parable so good. We are told that when we are let down and led astray by bad leadership, there is a better leader. We have the best spiritual leader. One who can be trusted. His name is Jesus. He calls, leads, brings, and directs those who are willing to hear his voice. And his voice is personal. His voice is individual. His voice can be heard and heeded. All we have to do is listen to him.

Note this, Jesus is the leader. He is the only shepherd. He is the only voice. And I know you might think of me as a spiritual leader, but I am not. I am merely a follower like you. I might be leading you, but I am only leading you into a following. It's the same following I am doing. And I follow only one voice, and it's Jesus. And you need to follow the same voice.

So test the voices you hear. Don't just mindlessly listen. Listen with discernment. And if they aren't following Jesus, then don't follow them.

ASK THIS:

  1. In what ways have you personally experienced the consequences of following misleading or untruthful voices in your life? How has this realization impacted your perspective on the importance of discerning the voice of Jesus as the ultimate leader?
  2. Reflect on a time when you felt unsure about a decision or direction in your life. How did you seek to hear the voice of Jesus in that situation? What steps can you take to further develop your ability to recognize and follow His voice amidst the noise and deception of the world?

DO THIS: Learn to listen to Jesus voice and follow him.

PRAY THIS: God, help us discern your voice amidst the misleading leaders and narratives around us. Guide us to follow only you, the trustworthy Shepherd. Amen.

PLAY THIS: Shepherd.

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6 thoughts on “Navigating A World Of Deception

  1. Tom Myles says:

    Thanks Vince for replying to me. You are doing a great job leading men in the right direction.
    I started a Men’s Ministry in one of these two churches. I asked a few men to come out and help me sign up people for our community gardens which I was volunteering to manage. We have a online forum to communicate with church members similar to Facebook. One of the young women immediately said online that you shouldn’t be gender specific when communicating to parishioners. The Pastor agreed immediately that you shouldn’t be gender specific. Even though I told them both I was trying to get a few men to get involved in volunteering it was not okay. I told the minister I disagreed and we were leaving. They also only wanted communion once per year because that was part of their rhythm? My wife said let’s run. Have a great week and thanks for your stance on Christ. It is so refreshing. Tommy

  2. Tom Waller says:

    Vince you are so very well informed of what’s really happening in the world. Keep highlighting the truth brother.

  3. Tom Myles says:

    Dear Vince
    Thanks for your message. We have had to leave two churches lately that started out great then quickly went in the wrong direction. One went completely woke adapting all the woke terminology and correcting anyone who didn’t follow it. The second one incorporated Indigenous spirituality methodology into our services like giving blankets and peace beads. Sacred feathers on the walls of the church. They were referring to Mother Earth all the time. Blending indigenous traditions with Christian beliefs. We ran from both churches and went back to our bible based church . Praise God!! Tommy

    • Vince Miller says:

      Hey Tom! Thanks for reaching out. Wow, it sounds like you’ve had some wild experiences with those two churches. Starting off great and then going all “woke” or blending indigenous spirituality with Christianity? That’s definitely not what you signed up for, right? Good thing you didn’t stick around and ran back to your good ol’ Bible-based church. Praise God for guiding you back to where you feel at home! If there’s anything else you wanna chat about, just let me know. Live all in, Tommy

  4. Ted Bichsel says:

    Thanks Vince. This teaching is a real wake up call for sure. There is truth here on so many levels. Certainly the key is personally being grounded in the Word and a day to day moment by moment walk with Jesus. Very sobering and true. Thanks

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