How can God deceive a prophet, pastor or Christian and still hold him/her accountable for his/her actions? How can we reconcile God's sovereign control over all things with the personal choices and decisions for which we will be called to account? The bible tells us that all things are under God's sovereignity. That the rain falls on the just and unjust alike is part of God's sovereign plan (Matt 5:45).

We have seen instances in the  bible where God gave permission and direction to a false prophet or a man of God to give false prophecies/messages/teachings that led people stray.
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Ezekiel 14:9
'And if a prophet is deceived into giving a message, it is because I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet. I will lift my fist against such prophets and cut them off from the community of Israel.

The above fact may lead a believer to think, why? What is God playing at?

SIN

One thing we have to realise is that God is in no way responsible for our sin. It is our responsibility because it comes from our own sinful desires. In giving deceitful messages to false prophet/preachers, God is simply giving them and their hearers exactly what they wanted.

2 Thess 2:11
So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.


There are various instances in the bilbe in which God permits evil in order to carry out his good purpose.

Exodus 9:20
But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and just as the Lord had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.

2 Chronicles 18:22
"So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of your prophets. For the Lord has pronounced  your doom"

This is why it is crucial for a Christian to be Holy Spirit filled and led at all times. It is the working Spirit of the Lord that can give us the ability and desire to be restrained from sin, if not our nature will choose lies instead of the truth. This is what is going on in the so called churches whereby people worship pastors and prophets. In essence what they are doing is worshipping the CREATION instead of the CREATOR. God who gave us freewill, is simply giving permission to enact ones heart's sinful desire - ROMAN 1:18-25.

So, what can a Christian believer do?

The remarkable fact is not that God allows some sinners to persist in their chosen delusions, but will also give the sinners the opportunity to change for the better. It is by the grace of God that a sinner is saved, because in Christ, God changes our natures, and gives us the desire to do good for the Glory of God.

Therefore what does God do?

Ezekiel 36:25-26
"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations." - (Amen and Halleluyah to that)

God will bring us into his presence. We would become a new, transformed person. God will sprinkle us with clean water to cleanse us from all of the impurities that had defiled our spirit, mind and soul. The sprinkling of water which is a very common routine in some churches symbolizes a fresh start, with our old sins washed away. Our renewal will not merely be an outward cleansing. NO!. The heart and spirit which are the sources of the thoughts and will that underlie action will be cleanse. We will have a heart that will be ready to serve the Lord. The spirit of rebellion will be replaced by the spirit of obedience - Amen.

CONCLUSION

Ephesians 2:10

"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago"

What are those good things?

Galatian 5:22-23

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithful, gentleness, and self- control. There is no law against these things."

God Bless