Idolatry Leads to Deception

Something I have recently begun doing is reading through a One-Year Bible. Over the years, I have read many different reading plans, with my favorite being the chronological plan because it aids tremendously in helping the Bible make sense. I picked up this current One-Year Bible to have a guide each day to either start or end my day (I read it at either time). Each day's reading includes a passage from the Old Testament, a passage from the New Testament, a portion of a Psalm, and at least one Proverb. It never fails; every day, I pick up this Bible to read, and something jumps off the page! It always amazes me how God speaks to the exact things we are walking out when we submit ourselves to being in His Word consistently.

Because I started this Bible in October, the reading started deep in both the Old and New Testaments. The Old in Ezekiel and the New in the Epistles. I was reading in Ezekiel 14 the other day, and it was very sobering. I would like you to read Ezekiel 14:1-11 before I share what was stirring in my spirit.

Then some of the leaders of Israel visited me, and while they were sitting with me, this message came to me from the Lord: "Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their requests? Tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Israel have set up idols in their hearts and fallen into sin, and then they go to a prophet asking for a message. So I, the Lord, will give them the kind of answer their great idolatry deserves. I will do this to capture the minds and hearts of all my people who have turned from me to worship their detestable idols.'

"Therefore, tell the people of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent and turn away from your idols, and stop all your detestable sins. I, the Lord, will answer all those, both Israelites and foreigners, who reject me and set up idols in their hearts and so fall into sin, and who then come to a prophet asking for my advice. I will turn against such people and make a terrible example of them, eliminating them from among my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

"'And if a prophet is deceived into giving a message, it is because I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet. I will lift my fist against such prophets and cut them off from the community of Israel. False prophets and those who seek their guidance will all be punished for their sins. In this way, the people of Israel will learn not to stray from me, polluting themselves with sin. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!'" (NLT)

We are living in a time when many of us look to the prophets to guide us and reveal what God is saying, what He is doing, what we should be doing, and what is to come in the future. Listening to the voices of those God has called is not wrong. God has called prophets to be His mouthpieces in the ekklesia (church). We need the prophetic voices. They are vital to us in the era in which we are currently living. The problem is that many who call themselves prophets fall into the category of the Ezekiel 14 prophets. Because of the idolatry in the church and our hearts, God Himself has put lies in the prophets' mouths. There are those out there who speak from false and soulish revelation that is not from the Holy Spirit, but a reflection of idolatry. That is a scary thought. Because we can be listening to these prophecies and basing our decisions around what is being said, we can be putting our hope in the wrong things and outcomes that are not even the will of God. We ourselves could speak from soulish revelation if we have idolatry in our hearts. It is a sobering thought that should truly put the fear of God in us if we are serious about walking with Him.

What should we do?

The answer is to know how to hear God for yourself and let Him renew your mindsets.

Period.

If we know how to hear the voice of God for ourselves, what we hear from prophets —whether in our church services, online, or in our smaller gatherings — should align with what we are already hearing from the Lord. It may not be word-for-word or exact details, but if we know how to discern direction from God for ourselves, then our spirit will resonate when someone speaks the truth. This is how I gauge who to listen to, follow, and who not. It is how I determine what to read and apply to my life, and what to discard as not being for me.

And how do we learn to hear God's voice? We must know His character. To know His character, we must read His Word. If we do not read our Bibles, we can easily mistake our own voice or someone else's for God's, because it is what we want to hear, not what is true. Reading our Bibles in a relationship with the Holy Spirit also changes our souls and mindsets, so we speak more and more truth.

This is why I teach the Bible the way I do. We have filters, and we read through filters. It is essential to understand the Bible through the Hebrew eyes through which it was written. Not so we become Jewish and not Western Christians, but so we can understand things correctly. We are Western-thinking believers. This is the culture, day, and hour in which we were born. God chose us for this time (Acts 17:26). Nevertheless, we must acknowledge that our culture and beliefs can sometimes influence our understanding and perception of truth.

In 2026, I will be launching a brand-new Ancient Paths Discipleship online platform to help you grow in all these areas. I am very excited about what is ahead! Keep staying tuned for more information.

Today, get out your Bible and seek the Lord for yourselves. Be aware that some are not speaking from the Holy Spirit, but rather are tainted voices due to the idolatry in our hearts. We need to be aware that we can also do this if we are not consistently in the Word and allowing God to change us. We need to enable the idols to fall in our own hearts so that we can hear God clearly and be pure voices through which He can speak.

Blessings,

Brandee