A Bible study poster featuring Simon Brown studying the Scriptures, exploring the serious questions surrounding Christian deception, denominational divisions, and the importance of testing every belief against God's Word to discover the One True God and the true Christ.
HOW DOES A FALSE GOD AND A FALSE CHRIST HEAR AND SAVE?
A Biblical Examination of Christian Deception, the One True God and the One True Christ
THE DEVIL DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD
The Bible gives us an extraordinary warning in Revelation 12:9:
“And the great dragon was thrown out, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, deceiving the whole inhabited world.”
Think carefully about those words: “DECEIVING THE WHOLE INHABITED WORLD.”
Does Christianity somehow stand completely outside this warning? Can Christians also be deceived?
Jesus gives us a very serious warning in Matthew 24:24:
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”
Notice those words: “EVEN THE ELECT.”
Therefore, no Christian should ever simply assume: “I am a Christian, therefore I cannot possibly be deceived.”
Jesus Himself warned us about religious deception. In fact, His warning tells us that deception can become so powerful that even those who consider themselves God's people must remain watchful.
This is why every Christian—including me—should continually examine what we believe against the Word of God.
CHRISTIANITY TODAY IS ENORMOUSLY DIVIDED
Look at Christianity throughout the world today.
There are tens of thousands of Christian denominations and rites when counted globally. We should be fair about what this statistic means: it does not mean that there are tens of thousands of completely different theological systems, because many denominations are divided geographically, organizationally or administratively.
Nevertheless, the central fact remains undeniable: Christianity is enormously divided.
Christian churches and denominations disagree about some of the most important questions imaginable:
Who is God? Who is Jesus Christ? What is the Holy Spirit? What is salvation? What happens when we die? What is hell? What is baptism? What is the Gospel? Did Jesus personally exist before His birth? Did Jesus create the universe? Is Jesus Almighty God? Is Jesus Michael the archangel? Is God one person or three persons? Is the Father the Son?
These teachings cannot all be correct where they directly contradict one another.
If one denomination says God is three persons and another says God is not three persons, both statements cannot be true in the same sense.
If one group says Jesus is Almighty God and another says Jesus is not Almighty God, both cannot be correct.
If one group says Jesus existed before His birth as Michael the archangel while another rejects this completely, both cannot be correct.
So we must seriously ask:
COULD THE ENEMY HAVE SUCCEEDED IN BRINGING ENORMOUS DECEPTION AND CONFUSION EVEN INTO CHRISTIANITY?
Could Revelation 12:9 apply much more widely than many Christians would like to believe?
If Satan is described as “deceiving the whole inhabited world,” surely Christians should not automatically assume that they are completely immune from deception.
THREE VERY DIFFERENT CHRISTIAN TEACHINGS
Consider just three well-known Christian traditions.
Traditional Trinitarian Christianity teaches that there is one God existing as three distinct persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Oneness Pentecostalism rejects the traditional three-person Trinity and understands the Father, Son and Holy Spirit differently, generally identifying them as manifestations of the one God rather than three distinct divine persons.
Jehovah's Witnesses reject the Trinity and distinguish Jesus from Almighty God, but teach that Jesus existed before His human life as Michael the archangel.
These teachings cannot all be correct where they contradict one another.
This demonstrates something extremely important:
SINCERITY DOES NOT GUARANTEE TRUTH.
There can be sincere, loving and devoted people within completely different denominations who nevertheless hold contradictory beliefs.
A person can sincerely believe something with all their heart and still be mistaken.
Therefore, our final authority cannot simply be:
“My church teaches it.”
“My pastor told me.”
“My parents believed it.”
“My denomination has always taught it.”
“Millions of Christians believe it.”
“This is what Christians have believed for centuries.”
Our question must always be:
WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD ACTUALLY TEACH?
ONLY ONE CONTRADICTORY TEACHING CAN BE TRUE
This is something we cannot escape simply by saying that every denomination is Christian.
Where two teachings directly contradict each other, they cannot both be true.
Of course, different denominations can agree about many things. They may all contain sincere believers, and they may share many biblical teachings.
But if they teach contradictory things concerning the identity of God and Christ, those contradictory teachings cannot all represent the one truth.
This raises a very serious question:
IS THERE REALLY ONE TRUE FAITH?
The New Testament speaks of “one faith” (Ephesians 4:5), and Jesus prayed that His followers would be one.
Yet today Christianity is divided into countless organizations, traditions and theological systems.
Surely this should make us humble rather than confident.
Instead of automatically assuming, “My denomination must be right,” perhaps every one of us should ask:
“Could I have been deceived?”
That is a question I have had to ask myself.
I KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE DECEIVED
I am not writing this article as somebody looking down upon Trinitarians or Christians belonging to other denominations.
I was deceived myself.
For approximately TEN YEARS I believed in the Trinity.
I sincerely believed it was true.
I did not wake up every morning thinking I was following a false doctrine. I believed I was following biblical Christianity.
But when I was eventually shown biblical evidence challenging the Trinity, something happened very quickly.
My eyes were opened to questions and Scriptures that I had never properly considered.
Instead of simply asking, “What does the Trinity teach?” I began asking a much more important question:
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE ITSELF ACTUALLY SAY?
Once I began examining the evidence in that way, I became convinced that the Trinity was not what Jesus and His apostles taught.
However, not everything changed immediately.
Other beliefs took considerably longer for me to reconsider.
For example, it took me several years of further study before I became convinced that Jesus did not personally exist as a pre-human divine or angelic being before His miraculous conception and birth.
This taught me something extremely important:
IT CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT TO ADMIT, “I WAS WRONG.”
COULD PRIDE KEEP CHRISTIANS DECEIVED?
Sometimes we have believed something for ten, twenty, thirty, forty or even fifty years.
Our family believes it. Our friends believe it. Our church believes it. Our pastor preaches it. Our favourite theologians defend it. Perhaps generations of our family have believed it.
Eventually those beliefs can become part of our identity.
Then somebody presents biblical evidence against them.
What happens?
Unfortunately, sometimes instead of opening the Bible and carefully examining the evidence, the immediate response is:
“HERETIC!”
But calling somebody a heretic does not prove that their biblical argument is wrong.
This raises another uncomfortable question:
COULD PRIDE PREVENT CHRISTIANS FROM ADMITTING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN DECEIVED?
Nobody enjoys saying: “I was wrong.”
It can be even harder for a pastor, preacher or Bible teacher to say: “I have taught thousands of people something that I now believe was incorrect.”
But surely truth must matter more than our pride, reputation, denomination or previous teaching.
If Scripture proves me wrong tomorrow, then I must change.
SCRIPTURE MUST NOT CHANGE TO ACCOMMODATE ME.
Our attitude should be:
If I am wrong, show me from Scripture.
If you are wrong, allow Scripture to show you.
If we are both wrong, may God correct us both.
We should never be afraid of biblical evidence.
Truth has nothing to fear from investigation.
DO NOT SIMPLY BELIEVE ME
And I want to make something very clear before continuing this study.
I am not asking anyone simply to believe Simon Brown.
TEST WHAT I SAY.
Search the Scriptures.
Check the context.
Compare translations.
Examine the original Hebrew and Greek where necessary.
Test your pastor.
Test your denomination.
Test your favourite theologian.
Test my research.
And most importantly:
TEST YOUR OWN BELIEFS.
Because I know from personal experience that it is entirely possible to sincerely believe something for years and later become convinced from Scripture that you were wrong.
That realization should not produce pride.
It should produce humility.
And it should make every one of us determined to discover:
WHO IS THE ONE TRUE GOD?
AND WHO IS THE TRUE CHRIST WHOM HE SENT?
A dramatic Bible study image showing an open Bible, a path leading towards a cross at sunrise, ancient manuscripts, and symbols representing the search for truth. The image represents the importance of examining Scripture carefully to discover the One True God and the true faith taught by Jesus Christ.
WHAT IS THE ONE TRUE FAITH?
With so many Christian denominations, traditions and conflicting teachings, we must ask a very important question:
WHAT DOES THE ONE TRUE FAITH ACTUALLY BELIEVE?
Jesus did not tell His followers to search for the most popular religion. He did not say to follow the largest denomination or simply follow the traditions passed down through history. Instead, Jesus continually pointed people back to God, His Father, and the truth of God's Word.
The starting point must be where Jesus Himself began — with the greatest commandment.
THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT EVER GIVEN
A teacher asked Jesus:
“Which commandment is the first of all?”
Jesus answered:
“The first is, ‘Hear, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.’”
— Mark 12:29
Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy 6:4:
“Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God. Yahweh is one.”
This was not a minor theological statement.
Jesus identified this as the FIRST and greatest commandment.
Therefore, before we ask:
“Which denomination should I belong to?”
“Which tradition should I follow?”
“Which theologian should I trust?”
Perhaps the first question should be:
DO I BELIEVE AND OBEY THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT THAT JESUS HIMSELF TAUGHT?
Who is the God Jesus worshipped?
Who is the God Jesus prayed to?
Who is the God who sent Jesus?
Who is the God who raised Jesus from the dead?
These questions are not optional.
They go to the very heart of biblical faith.
THE ONE TRUE GOD OF JESUS
Jesus made one of the clearest statements about God when He prayed:
“Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
— John 17:3
Notice carefully what Jesus said.
He did not say:
“That they may know three persons who together are the only true God.”
Jesus said:
“YOU, THE ONLY TRUE GOD”
and:
“JESUS CHRIST, WHOM YOU HAVE SENT.”
Jesus distinguishes between the only true God and the one sent by that God.
This was not an insignificant statement.
Jesus connected eternal life with knowing the Father and knowing Himself as the Christ whom the Father sent.
WHO DID JESUS CALL HIS GOD?
Throughout Scripture we repeatedly see Jesus praying to God, giving thanks to God, submitting to God, and teaching that God sent Him.
Jesus said:
“I am going away to the Father.”
— John 16:28
After His resurrection Jesus said:
“I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
— John 20:17
These statements force us to ask:
If Jesus Himself has a God, who is that God?
If Jesus was sent by God, who sent Him?
If Jesus prayed to God, who was He praying to?
These are questions every serious Bible student should examine.
WHO IS THE CREATOR?
Another major question concerns creation.
The Bible repeatedly identifies God alone as the Creator.
Isaiah 44:24 says:
“I am Yahweh, who makes all things; who alone stretches out the heavens; who spreads out the earth by myself.”
The prophet Isaiah presents Yahweh as the One Creator.
Psalm 33:6 says:
“By Yahweh's word the heavens were made; all their army by the breath of his mouth.”
The consistent message throughout the Hebrew Scriptures is that God alone is the Creator.
Yet traditional Christianity teaches that Jesus personally existed before His birth and participated in creation.
This raises an important question:
DID JESUS TEACH THAT HE PERSONALLY CREATED THE UNIVERSE?
OR DID JESUS IDENTIFY HIS FATHER AS GOD AND HIMSELF AS THE MESSIAH SENT BY GOD?
These questions deserve careful examination from Scripture, not simply acceptance because of later theological traditions.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EXAMINING EVERY TEACHING
The Bereans were praised because they did not simply accept what they were told.
Acts 17:11 says:
“Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”
Notice what they did.
They listened.
But then they searched the Scriptures.
They tested the teaching.
They compared it with God's Word.
This is exactly the attitude every Christian should have.
We should never fear examining our beliefs.
If something is true, it will stand up to investigation.
Truth has nothing to fear from honest examination.
A powerful Bible study image exploring the difficult question of unanswered prayer. This article examines why Christians sometimes pray for healing, blessings and guidance yet continue to experience suffering, while exploring biblical teachings about faith, obedience, trials and trusting God.
WHY DO SO MANY CHRISTIANS PRAY AND NOT RECEIVE?
Now we come to another difficult and important question.
Millions of Christians pray every day.
They pray for healing.
They pray for food.
They pray for employment.
They pray for protection.
They pray for their children.
They pray for cancer to disappear.
They pray for dying relatives.
They pray for deliverance from suffering and poverty.
There are Christians throughout the world living in terrible conditions who pray continually for their daily needs.
There have also been well-known Christian teachers who prayed and believed God would heal them from serious illnesses such as cancer, yet they eventually died from those diseases.
How do we understand this when we compare it with some of Jesus' strongest teachings about prayer?
Jesus said:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
— Matthew 7:7
And:
“For everyone asking receives; and the one seeking finds; and to the one knocking, it will be opened.”
— Matthew 7:8
Jesus continued:
“Therefore if you, being evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those asking Him!”
— Matthew 7:11
These are powerful promises.
So why do people sometimes ask and apparently not receive?
DOES EVERY UNANSWERED PRAYER MEAN SOMEONE HAS FALSE FAITH?
Absolutely not.
This is extremely important.
We must never look at somebody suffering from cancer, poverty or tragedy and automatically conclude:
“God did not answer them because their faith must be false.”
Scripture does not give us the authority to make such judgments.
The Bible contains many examples of faithful servants of God who suffered greatly.
Job suffered.
The prophets suffered.
The apostles suffered.
Even Jesus Himself suffered.
Therefore, suffering alone does not prove that somebody has been rejected by God.
REMEMBER JOB — A FAITHFUL MAN WHO SUFFERED
The story of Job is one of the greatest examples in Scripture showing that suffering does not always mean punishment.
The Bible describes Job as:
“blameless and upright, and one who feared God and turned away from evil.”
— Job 1:1
Yet look at what happened to him.
Job lost his possessions.
He lost his wealth.
He lost his children.
He lost his health.
His body became covered with painful sores.
Even his own wife said:
“Curse God, and die.”
— Job 2:9
Yet Job continued to hold onto his faith in God.
JOB DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY HE WAS SUFFERING
This is one of the greatest lessons from the book of Job.
Job could see his suffering.
But he could not see the complete picture.
He did not understand everything that God was allowing.
Sometimes we find ourselves in the same situation.
We ask:
“Why, God?”
“Why have You allowed this?”
“Why have You not healed me?”
“Why has my prayer not been answered?”
And sometimes the answer is:
WE SIMPLY DO NOT KNOW.
Our inability to understand God's purpose does not mean God has no purpose.
God sees what we cannot see.
GOD SOMETIMES TESTS OUR FAITH
The Bible repeatedly teaches that God allows His people to experience trials and difficulties that test and strengthen their faith.
James wrote:
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”
— James 1:2–3
Peter also wrote about the testing of faith:
“So that the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Peter 1:7
Therefore, trials are not always evidence that God has abandoned us.
Sometimes trials are the very process through which God strengthens our faith.
LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO JOB IN THE END
Job remained faithful through extraordinary suffering.
He questioned.
He struggled.
He did not understand everything.
But he continued trusting God.
And eventually Scripture tells us:
“Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning.”
— Job 42:12
The suffering was not the end of Job's story.
God blessed him again.
This teaches us a powerful lesson:
A TRIAL MAY BE PART OF OUR STORY, BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THE FINAL CHAPTER.
OUR ULTIMATE REWARD MAY NOT ALWAYS COME IN THIS LIFE
Many Christians expect that God will always answer prayer by immediately removing every problem.
But Scripture shows something different.
Faithful believers can still suffer.
Faithful believers can still become sick.
Faithful believers can still experience poverty.
Faithful believers can still die.
The greatest hope of Christianity is not simply a comfortable life now.
Our greatest hope is:
RESURRECTION.
ETERNAL LIFE.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
Even if God does not remove every trial during this present life, He has promised something far greater to those who remain faithful to Him.
SOMETIMES GOD'S ANSWER IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE EXPECT
The Apostle Paul gives us another important example.
Paul prayed concerning his “thorn in the flesh.”
He asked God three times for it to be removed.
But God did not answer in the way Paul wanted.
Instead, God said:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9
Paul asked.
God heard.
But God's answer was different from Paul's request.
This teaches us something very important:
AN UNANSWERED PRAYER FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE DOES NOT MEAN AN UNHEARD PRAYER FROM GOD'S PERSPECTIVE.
EVEN JESUS PRAYED, “NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS”
The greatest example is Jesus Himself.
Before His crucifixion Jesus prayed:
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
— Luke 22:42
Jesus asked His Father.
But He completely trusted His Father's will.
This should also be our attitude.
We should pray.
We should ask.
We should seek.
We should knock.
But ultimately we must be willing to say:
“NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS, BE DONE.”
TRUST GOD WHEN YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND
One of the hardest lessons of faith is trusting God when we cannot understand what He is doing.
Proverbs 3:5–6 says:
“Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don't lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Sometimes we only see today.
God sees the beginning and the end.
Sometimes we only see the suffering.
God sees the purpose.
Therefore, when we cannot understand, we should not move away from God.
We should draw nearer.
Pray.
Seek.
Trust.
Endure.
And remember Job.
Because Job teaches us:
THE TEST IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY.
A powerful Bible study image showing the contrast between sin separating people from God and repentance restoring a relationship with Him. The image represents prayer, forgiveness, obedience, and the biblical warning that unrepentant sin can become a barrier between humanity and God.
BUT THERE IS ANOTHER REASON PRAYERS MAY NOT BE ANSWERED — SIN
We have established an extremely important truth:
Suffering does not automatically mean that somebody has been rejected by God.
Job proves this.
Jesus proves this.
The apostles prove this.
Faithful servants of God can experience terrible trials.
However, Scripture also teaches another important truth:
We cannot deliberately continue living in sin while expecting God to bless everything we ask.
John writes:
“No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him.”
— 1 John 3:6
These are extremely serious words.
John is not saying that a genuine Christian will never stumble or commit another sin.
Earlier John wrote:
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
— 1 John 1:8
And:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins.”
— 1 John 1:9
The difference is between a person who falls into sin, repents and seeks God's forgiveness, and a person who deliberately continues practising sin without repentance.
SIN CAN AFFECT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
The Bible gives warnings that sin can become a barrier between us and God.
Psalm 66:18 says:
“If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn't have listened.”
Isaiah 59:1–2 says:
“Behold, Yahweh's hand is not shortened, that it can't save; nor his ear dull, that it can't hear. But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
Notice something important.
The problem was not that God was unable to hear.
God was not powerless.
The problem was that sin had damaged the relationship.
Therefore, when our prayers appear unanswered, one question we should honestly ask is:
IS THERE SOMETHING IN MY LIFE THAT I KNOW GOD WANTS ME TO CHANGE?
JESUS CONNECTED PRAYER WITH REMAINING IN HIM
Jesus gave another important teaching about prayer.
He said:
“If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.”
— John 15:7
Notice the condition:
“IF YOU REMAIN IN ME.”
We cannot simply take:
“Ask whatever you desire”
while ignoring:
“If you remain in me.”
Prayer is not a way of demanding blessings from God while refusing to obey Him.
A true relationship with God involves:
Faith.
Trust.
Repentance.
Obedience.
Love.
And a desire to follow His will.
JOHN CONNECTS ANSWERED PRAYER WITH OBEDIENCE
1 John 3:22 says:
“Whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.”
This is a powerful statement.
John connects receiving from God with keeping His commandments and doing what pleases Him.
Therefore prayer cannot be separated from the way we live.
God is not looking only at our words.
He is looking at our hearts and our obedience.
THIS BRINGS US BACK TO THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT
This brings us back to the words of Jesus in Mark 12:29:
“The first is, ‘Hear, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.’”
If obedience matters to God, then surely we must take seriously the commandment Jesus identified as the greatest.
Again, this does not mean we can judge every individual person and say:
“Your prayer was not answered because you believe differently from me.”
Only God knows every person's heart.
But it does mean every Christian should ask:
AM I WORSHIPPING THE GOD JESUS TAUGHT?
AM I FOLLOWING THE CHRIST JESUS REVEALED?
AM I OBEYING THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD?
WHAT ABOUT CHRISTIANS LIVING IN TERRIBLE POVERTY?
Another difficult question is why so many Christians around the world live in terrible poverty despite praying faithfully.
Many Christians pray for food.
They pray for shelter.
They pray for medicine.
They pray for their families.
How do we understand this?
Jesus said:
“Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
— Matthew 6:32
And:
“Seek first God's Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.”
— Matthew 6:33
However, we must be careful not to turn these teachings into a promise that every Christian will become wealthy or live without suffering.
Jesus Himself lived a life of sacrifice.
The apostles suffered greatly.
The early Christians experienced persecution.
The Bible does not teach that faith guarantees a life without hardship.
There is also another important point:
Sometimes God provides through His people.
If one Christian has abundance while another Christian is suffering, perhaps the question should not only be:
“Why has God not provided?”
Perhaps we should also ask:
“WHY HAVE GOD'S PEOPLE NOT PROVIDED FOR ONE ANOTHER?”
MIRACLES ALONE CANNOT IDENTIFY THE TRUE FAITH
Another important point is that experiences alone cannot prove that a belief is true.
People from different religions and different Christian groups report:
Healings.
Miracles.
Answered prayers.
Visions.
Dreams.
Blessings.
But contradictory teachings cannot all be true simply because people have powerful experiences.
Jesus warned that deception could even involve signs and wonders.
Therefore:
EXPERIENCE CANNOT BE OUR FINAL TEST OF TRUTH.
The Word of God must test everything.
Scripture must test our experiences.
Scripture must test our teachers.
Scripture must test our beliefs.
SO WHY ARE SOME PRAYERS NOT ANSWERED?
After examining these Scriptures, I believe there is not one simple explanation for every unanswered prayer.
I believe Scripture shows several possible factors.
Only God knows the complete reason in each individual situation.
But I believe we should seriously consider these possibilities:
ARE WE FOLLOWING THE TRUE CHRIST?
Jesus said:
“No one comes to the Father except through me.”
— John 14:6
Jesus is the way to the Father.
But Jesus also warned about false Christs.
Therefore, knowing the true Christ is extremely important.
If someone is following a false understanding of Christ, how can that false Christ truly lead them to the Father?
This is why Jesus warned us to examine carefully who He truly is.
IS SIN AFFECTING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?
Scripture teaches that deliberate and unrepentant sin can separate people from God.
We should regularly examine ourselves.
Are we asking God for blessings while refusing to obey Him?
Are we holding onto sins that we know we should leave behind?
Do we truly repent when we fail?
IS GOD TESTING OUR FAITH?
As Job shows, suffering does not always mean punishment.
Sometimes God allows trials to strengthen us.
Sometimes faith grows strongest during the hardest moments.
The question is not only:
“Why is this happening to me?”
But also:
“What is God teaching me through this?”
DOES GOD REWARD THOSE WHO REMAIN FAITHFUL?
Job lost almost everything.
But because he remained faithful, God blessed him in the end.
The same principle applies to Christians today.
Our ultimate reward may not always come in this present life.
But God has promised resurrection and eternal life to those who remain faithful.
The trial is not the end of the story.
GOD REALLY DOES ANSWER PRAYER
After discussing suffering, trials and unanswered prayers, I want to make something very clear:
I BELIEVE GOD ANSWERS PRAYER.
I believe God hears.
I believe God provides.
I believe God guides.
I believe God forgives.
I believe God blesses.
I can personally testify that I have experienced what I believe to be God's answers, provision and favour many times in my own life.
I have also noticed something personally.
When I knowingly go against what I believe God requires of me, things can begin going wrong.
But when I recognise my sin, genuinely repent, turn back towards God and seek to obey Him, I have experienced what I believe to be God's favour and blessings returning.
This is my personal testimony.
I cannot make my personal experiences a rule for every other person.
Only God knows every situation.
But it has taught me something important:
I DO NOT WANT GOD'S BLESSINGS WITHOUT OBEDIENCE TO GOD.
I want to know Him.
I want to obey Him.
And when I fail, I want to repent and return to Him.
THE FINAL QUESTION
With so much division within Christianity, contradictory teachings and different understandings of God and Christ, every Christian should take Jesus' warnings seriously.
Jesus warned about:
FALSE CHRISTS.
FALSE PROPHETS.
DECEPTION.
Jesus said:
“Many are called, but few are chosen.”
— Matthew 22:14
And perhaps one of His most frightening warnings was that many would call Him:
“Lord, Lord”
and speak of the things they had done in His name.
Yet Jesus would say:
“I NEVER KNEW YOU.”
Those words should humble every one of us.
They certainly humble me.
I know what it is like to sincerely believe something and later become convinced that I had been mistaken.
Therefore, I am not asking anyone simply to believe me.
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES FOR YOURSELF.
Test your denomination.
Test your church.
Test your pastor.
Test your favourite teachers.
Test my research.
And most importantly:
TEST YOUR OWN BELIEFS.
DO NOT ALLOW PRIDE TO STOP YOU FROM FOLLOWING TRUTH
Do not reject biblical evidence simply because someone calls it heresy.
Do not follow a teaching simply because millions believe it.
Do not follow tradition above Scripture.
Truth is more important than reputation.
Truth is more important than pride.
Truth is more important than our previous beliefs.
JESUS SAID:
“The first is, ‘Hear, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.’”
— Mark 12:29
And Jesus prayed:
“Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
— John 17:3
That leaves every one of us with the most important questions we could ever ask:
DO I TRULY KNOW THE ONE TRUE GOD?
DO I TRULY KNOW HIS SON, THE TRUE CHRIST?
AM I OBEYING THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT?
AM I WILLING TO REPENT WHEN I AM WRONG?
Because when everything else is removed — our denominations, traditions, opinions and human teachings — what ultimately matters is knowing the One True God and knowing Jesus Christ whom He sent.
Ask.
Seek.
Knock.
Search the Scriptures.
Remain faithful through trials.
Repent when you fall.
And trust God even when you cannot understand what He is doing.
“Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
— John 17:3
A powerful Christian study image showing a person walking towards a cross with an open Bible, representing the journey of seeking biblical truth. The image highlights the importance of searching Scripture, remaining faithful through trials, repentance, prayer and trusting God while seeking the One True God and Jesus Christ.
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