This is taken from the WT 2010, 9/1
Are We in Danger?
‘Is it not an exaggeration to say that all of us are in danger of being deceived with regard to our religious beliefs?’ you might ask. No, it is not. This is because Satan the Devil, whom Jesus called “the father of the lie,” is bent on deceiving and deluding all of us. (John 8:44) Satan is also described in the Bible as “the god of this system of things.” He has “blinded the minds” of millions of people throughout history. (2 Corinthians 4:4) Even now, he is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.”—Revelation 12:9.
Satan began deceiving mankind at the very start of human history. For example, he deceived Eve into believing that she was not subject to the laws of her Creator and that she could “be like God, knowing good and bad,” that is, deciding for herself what was good and what was bad. (Genesis 3:1-5) That was the first great deception, for even though humans were given the freedom to choose what they would do, they were not created with the ability to determine for themselves what is right and what is wrong. Only God himself, as Creator and Sovereign, has that right and authority. (Jeremiah 10:23; Revelation 4:11) What a delusion to believe that the right to choose between good and bad means the right to determine what is good and what is bad! Unfortunately, we imperfect humans easily fall into that trap.
Could It Happen to You?
Your cherished religious beliefs may have existed for centuries, perhaps having been passed down from generation to generation. That, however, does not necessarily mean that they are true. Why not? Well, the Bible record shows that soon after the death of Christ’s apostles, deceitful men arose in the Christian congregation and taught “twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (Acts 20:29, 30) They very skillfully misled people “with persuasive arguments” as well as “through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men.”—Colossians 2:4, 8.
Are things any different today? Not really, for the apostle Paul warned that things would get worse in “the last days,” the time in which we are now living. “Wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse,” he wrote, “misleading and being misled [or, “deluding others and deluding themselves,” Phillips].”—2 Timothy 3:1, 13.
It is therefore the course of wisdom to take seriously the warning given by the apostle Paul: “Consequently let him that thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12) Paul, of course, was speaking about one’s standing before God. In fact, to think that Satan could never deceive you is, in itself, a great delusion. Absolutely no one is immune to Satan’s “crafty acts.” (Ephesians 6:11, footnote) That is why the apostle expressed his fear regarding his fellow Christians that “somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by its cunning, [their] minds might be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ.”—2 Corinthians 11:3.
How Can You Guard Against Being Deceived?
So how can you guard against being deceived by Satan? How can you make sure that you “worship [God] with spirit and truth”? (John 4:24) Use what Jehovah God has given you. First of all, he has given you “intellectual capacity” so that you can distinguish truth from falsehood. (1 John 5:20) He has also made it possible for you to identify Satan’s designs. (2 Corinthians 2:11) In fact, he has given you everything you need to counteract Satan’s attempts to mislead you.—Proverbs 3:1-6; Ephesians 6:10-18.
Most important, God has provided you with an infallible means with which to protect yourself. What is that? The same one that the apostle Paul encouraged his companion Timothy to rely on when it came to matters of religious faith. After giving the warning about “wicked men and impostors,” the apostle Paul told Timothy to resist them by basing everything he believed on “the holy writings”—that is, on God’s holy Word, the Bible.—2 Timothy 3:15.
Of course, some may say that anyone who believes in God and accepts the Bible as His inspired Word is misguided. In reality, though, the misguided ones are those who stubbornly ignore all the evidence that proves the existence of a Creator and that the Bible is truly God’s inspired Word.—Romans 1:18-25; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
Rather than being deceived by what is “falsely called ‘knowledge,’” use God’s Word to establish the truth. (1 Timothy 6:20, 21) Be like the noble-minded men and women whom the apostle Paul preached to in Beroea. They “received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind.” Not only were they keenly believing what the apostle Paul taught them but they were also “carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so.”—Acts 17:11.
You have nothing to fear from examining your beliefs in this way. In fact, the Bible encourages you to “make sure of all things” before accepting them as true. (1 Thessalonians 5:21) Toward the end of the first century C.E., the apostle John urged his fellow Christians: “Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God.” (1 John 4:1) Yes, even though a certain religious teaching seems to be “inspired”—or to come from God—it is still the course of wisdom to examine the Scriptures to make sure before accepting it as true.—John 8:31, 32.