ESOCS Devotional 7 August 2025 – Don’t Be Deceived
MEMORY VERSE: “And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceived you.” Mark 13:5
TEXT: MARK 13:1–13
Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”
2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”
5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.
9 “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who [e]endures to the end shall be saved.
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The season of trial many times have the tendency to make people drift from the known and established truth. When people are faced with trying times, they tend to easily sway in the opposite direction, possibly looking for a survival haven. But we must understand that abandoning one’s faith in God on the ground of temptation and trial is counter–productive in life.
Jesus, in expanding His teachings to His disciples when they asked Him questions, admonished them never to yield themselves to any form of deception nor deceptive teachings and doctrines that will be propagated, even in the midst of temptation and troubles that will be noticed in the world.
Truth be told, believers, we have seen wars, we have heard of rumours of wars, we have seen nations rise against nations, we have experienced famine and hardships in the land, we have experienced several persecution while holding to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, in the midst of all these, we have also heard of several strange teachings coming from the Church pulpit, all manner of strange doctrines have found their way into the Christian faith, subtly deceiving man and leading them away from the faith.
The message today therefore is to strengthen the instruction of Jesus Christ that we be not deceived. Yes! Let us never allow what our eyes are seeing deceive us; let us not fall for the deceptive antics of the devil and his agents. Let our faith in God be unmovable, unshakable, and unquenchable. They will come with all manner of enticing words but please, do not be deceived. Life may choke us with diverse challenges, putting us under a very high pressure, but be resolved to remain strong in faith. Mark 13:13 says, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
CHALLENGES
- Never get carried away with the strange teachings and doctrines by false teachers and prophets.
- Search the scriptures to verify every teaching for yourself.
- Do not allow the tribulations and troubles of the times to make you drift away from God.
PRAYER POINT
- Father, thank you for the assurance of our salvation at the end of the tunnel; grant us the grace never to drift from our faith in you all the days of our lives, in Jesus name. Amen.
FURTHER READING: Habakkuk 2:12-20; 3:1-13: Mark 13:14-37
ESOCS Devotional 7 August 2025
