5 steps to deception

In psychology, there's a term referred to as confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is when you believe a certain position or argument to be true (even when it’s not) so you interpret evidence in a way that supports your argument. Confirmation bias is a psychological term, in the bible it’s called surrounding yourself with people or information that  tells you what you want to hear.

Most people don’t find anything wrong with surrounding yourself with people who tell you what you want to hear but God does. 

He wants us to operate from truth and truth alone. God knows that if we seek only to confirm our positions in arguments without seeking other opinions, we open ourselves to deception.

There’s an interesting story in 2 chronicles 18. King Jehoshaphat of Judah and King Ahab of Israel decide to go to war against Syrians. But before they go King Jehoshaphat tells Ahab to inquire from the Lord about the outcome of the battle.

Ahab gathers about 400 prophets and asks them what the  Lord says. the prophets tell them that they will win the battle. Jehoshaphat does not believe them and asks Ahab whether there’s any other prophet from the Lord they can seek the word from, it happens that Ahab had left out one prophet, Micaiah.

“I hate Micaiah”, said King Ahab to King Jehoshaphat, “he never has anything good to tell me”

“A king shouldn't say that”, Jehoshaphat says.

Ahab sends for Micaiah. When he arrives, he repeats what the others have been saying after having been forewarned by a servant. Jehoshaphat calls his bluff and insists on the truth. Micaiah declares that Ahab would die in that battle.

Micaiah goes on to tell the kings what transpired in heaven that day. “Who will persuade King Ahab to go fight the Syrians so he can die in the battle”? 

The Lord had asked the host of heaven.Various proposals had been given by several spirits, among them is a spirit who said that he would be a lying spirit in the tongues of all the prophets, The Lord gave his permission  and the plan implemented.

Micaiah ends up in jail and King Ahab goes to battle. When an arrow shot by a soldier pierces him through a space in his  armor ,he bleeds to death and the word of God comes to pass.

Ahab was an evil king. He was probably one of the most evil kings in the history of Israel. He, together with his wife Jezebel  instituted the worship of Baal and idols contrary to the law of the Lord. They  killed any prophet of God who dared speak against them.

This paved way for deception to have its full effect in Ahab’s story.

How did Ahab get into this position of deception?

• Ahab wants to battle- Have you wanted something so bad but you are not sure that God wants you to have it?
• He wasn’t going to ask the Lords opinion. - So you don’t want to seek his word in prayer and the bible.
• Even though he allows the prophets to give the word, he leaves out the one prophet who would tell him the truth.-you go to your friends and other people but you don’t want to consult the bible or pray.
• These prophets are so deceived that they are sure that they are the ones filled with the Spirit of God. One of them even slaps Micaiah for daring to be contrary - everyone around you is in agreement with your plan; you get angry if anyone contradicts your opinion. At this juncture you start looking for the word that supports your plan in the bible. You are now fully deceived
• Even after the prophet says what will happen, Ahab doesn’t heed the word of the Lord, he goes to battle. You go ahead and do it, and the very thing that  the Lord wants to protect you from, happens.