Don't be deceived/My two cents worth on Oprah

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpents's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough...


For such men are false prophets, deceitful workman, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. 2 Corinthians 11: 3-15




Ok... so I've read several sites recently and received several emails about Oprah, and I have to tell you that I am just plain mad. And at the same time I am sad. Sad that she is so deluded and that she is confusing so many people. I'm sure many of you have already seen this video:






Did you know that in addition to Oprah doing webcast classes on Eckhart Tolle's book A New Earth on her book club, that Marianne Williamson's A Course in Miracles is also being offered on her XM Satellite radio show? The only miracles I am interested in are the ones that Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Holy One, the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty God my maker performs. And the only new earth I am interested in is the one that God himself will create as He says in Isaiah 65:17 "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind."


Oprah has been deceived. And now she is deceiving and leading others astray. But before we are so quick to judge... let's not forget how easily we can be deceived too.


God's Word says that Satan himself masquerades as an Angel of Light. We sometimes have difficulty discerning between the true Light of the World and the fake light that Satan tries to trick us with. This is why it is so important to know the Truth. Not just part of the Truth... all of the Truth. Satan will take parts of the Word and twist them to suit his purposes and he wants you to do the same. Don't fall for his tricks. Know and be able to distinguish the voice of the Father from the voice of the accuser.


Colossians 2:6-8 says "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosphies, which depend on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."


The notes in the NIV Life Application Bible on these verses say: "Paul uses the illustration of our being rooted in Christ. Just as plants draw nourishment from the soil through their roots, so we draw our life-giving strength from Christ. The more we draw our strength from Him, the less we will be fooled by those who falsely claim to have life's answers. Paul writes against any philosophy of life based only on human ideas and experiences. Paul himself was a gifted philosopher, so he is not condemning philosophy. He is condemning teaching that credits humanity, not Christ, with being the answer to life's problems. That approach becomes a false religion. There are many man-made approaches to life's problems that totally disregard God. To resist heresy you must use your mind, keep your eyes on Christ and study God's Word."


It certainly seems to me that Eckhart Tolle and Marianne Williamson fall into the category of preaching false religions that credit humanity as the answer to life's problems. People who are not rooted in Christ will fall for their false claims.


In my Angela Thomas study this week she focuses on weak-willed women. The passage of scripture she highlights is 2 Timothy 3:1-9. It says: "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth - men of depraved minds, who as far as faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone."


As Angela Thomas says in her study... we can all be weak-willed women at times. We must stay in God's Word rooted in Him so we are not deceived. We as Christians should pray for ourselves to be strengthened in our faith and we should pray for those who are lost. We should not attack Oprah and Friends but pray for them.


I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men. 1 Timothy 2:1-6