Deuteronomy 13:1-2
“If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;”
Paul asked the Galatians in Galatians 3:1, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth…” Paul knew that these Christians were led away from the Gospel of Christ by the influences that God showed us in the verse above. God said, “If there arise among you…” There are always influences that are trying to get you to leave the truths of God’s Word. The questions we must ask is who are these influences and how do they influence us?
First, you can see that religious leaders can lead us away from the truth. God talks about “a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams.” These are religious leaders. Just because someone who has been a respected religious leader for a long time tells you to do something contrary to the Word of God does not mean you should follow them. Everything a religious leader tells you to do should be backed up from God’s Word. The Devil used this influence because we trust them.
Second, family and close friends can lead us away from the truth. In verse 6 God warns us about our family and close friends leading us away from what we know the Word of God teaches. This area is dangerous because of our love for these people. You may love someone, but you cannot allow your love for someone to blind your knowledge of doctrinal error. I have watched many people compromise because their family or friend have led them astray by using their love to sway them.
Third, the crowd can lead us away from God’s Word. In verse 12, God talks about a whole city going astray. Just because someone is growing does not mean they are doing right. Many people will compromise because they see the crowds in a place and assume they must be doing something right. You must always be careful not to follow the crowds; rather, always follow Christ.
We have learned who influences us, but how do they influence us. First, they will try to influence you secretly. Verse 6 shows that they will come in secret to try and turn you. Secondly, if that doesn’t work, then they will try to use the pressure of the populace to influence you. The whole city went astray in verse 12. When everyone starts doing wrong, it will be hard to stand, but you must not let the populace sway you from what you know God’s Word teaches. Thirdly, they will try to use intellect to influence you to compromise. Colossians 2:8 says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” You will find that many will flaunt their education to show their position is right. Just because a person is educated doesn’t make them right. God’s Word was written to the common man. God made sure that you didn’t have to have an education to understand what is right and wrong. Don’t let the influence of education influence you into compromise.
Friend, you will fight these areas your whole life. You’ve seen who can influence you and how they try to influence you, so beware that they don’t use these influences against you to turn you from God’s Word. Let God’s Word always be your determining factor of what you should do. When you hear something you’ve not heard before, you would be wise to not jump on the bandwagon when everyone else is until you confirm that God’s Word condones such movement. Get a tough skin and always be ready to say “No” to the influences that will try to pull you away from what is right.