By Mary Lindow through the Holy Spirit My heart aches and yes, even trembles a bit at the broad measure of deception that has had a huge increase in these difficult days. Spirits that imitate the voice of our Savior are cloaking themselves as Angels of light and also come masquerading as the Voice of the Holy Spirit in order to distract and lure believers away, slowly from sound convictions, godly warnings, and above all, THE still small Voice. The Bible tells us that deception; doctrines of demons, and false prophets will increase.  The Spirit  of God has spoken expressly that in the latter times some would depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. It feels as if those days are upon us and though we might try to withdraw or hide, we cannot escape them; we must overcome in the midst of them, for this is the will of God concerning us. Strange as it may seem, the danger today is greater for the passionate Christian than for the lukewarm and the self-satisfied.    “THE SEEKER AFTER GOD'S BEST THINGS IS EAGER TO HEAR ANYONE WHO OFFERS A WAY BY WHICH HE CAN OBTAIN THEM.” ~A.W. Tozer The type of person Mr. Tozer is speaking about, longs for some new experience, some superior view of truth, some operation of the Spirit that will raise him or her above the dead level of religious bumpiness they see all around them, and for this reason these people are ready to lean a concerned ear towards the “new and the amazing” in faith, first and foremost if it is presented by someone with an attractive personality and a reputation for “enhanced” saintliness. HOWEVER, our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of His sheep has not left His flock to the ruthlessness of the wolves. He has given us the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit and yes, the natural ability of common sense watching, and He expects us to apply ourselves to their help all the time.   "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good," said Paul. -I Thess. 5:21 "Beloved, believe not every spirit," wrote John, "but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" -I John 4:1 "Beware of false prophets," our Lord warned, "which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." -Matt. 7:15   A TIME FOR DIRECTIONAL ADJUSTMENT We are in much need of a directional adjustment as believers in the Body of Christ right now as the world turns itself upside down with malice, dictatorships, and political posturing. Weneed to be certain that nothing of the world and its behaviors are hidden in our own hearts.  We must hear that magnetic pulling voice of the Holy Spirit, and obey itwithout turning left or right. ”So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. “ -Deuteronomy 5:32   NOTHING THAT COMES FROM GOD WILL MINISTER TO OUR PRIDE OR SELF-CENTEREDNESS. N O T H I N G! If we are tempted to be conceited and to feel superior because we have had an incredible vision or a radical spiritual experience, or if we feel extraordinarily more well informed or gifted with educational pursuits and feel the need to inflict our “superior-ness” upon others, we should fall immediately to our knees and repent of the ugly and fleshly, self-serving thing! We have fallen and have been duped by the arrogant and self-deceived enemy of our souls, Lucifer. “For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.” - 1 John 2:16   LOOKING FOR CONTINUAL SAFETY AND HELP? When we walk in the way of surrender and tenderness with our ears tuned in towards the frequency of the ”still small voice of God”, we actually walk in a safe haven or overshadowing safety of the Presence of God. Training our spiritual ears to hear the voice of the Father creates and provides a lifetime “guara