The world is filled with need, yet economic systems often allow power and wealth to concentrate in the hands of a few at the expense of many—this stands in contrast to the message of the Scriptures.

 

​Each time I read the news, I see a barrage of events, some related to violence, but many related to poverty. Injustice permeates our world, yet as believers we often turn a blind eye to the suffering of others for “more important” work like praying, preaching, and teaching. While these are essential in our walk with the Father, the Messiah and the prophets, it is not all that we are supposed to do.

 

Our faith should motivate us to do good works and to make a positive impact in the world. At the same time, we should also nurture our relationship with the Father, through prayer, worship, and study of his word. These two aspects of our faith are interconnected and mutually reinforcing, and we cannot prioritise one over the other, and we cannot just practice only one.
 

The prophet Amos emphasised the importance of social justice and righteousness in the eyes of the Father. He condemned the exploitation of the poor and the weak, and called for fair treatment and mercy towards them. Our belief is hollow when we don’t love and serve others in our own lives or we do not develop a relationship with him. The parable of the good Samaritan carried this message to us. The Messiah used the story of the good Samaritan to challenge the religious leaders of his time, who were more concerned with their ritual purity and status than with helping a fellow human being in need. The Samaritan, who was despised by the Jews, showed compassion and practical love to the wounded man, even at his own expense.

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Our Father has called believers not only into relationship with Him and the Messiah, but also into relationship with others. Yet how many believers—and indeed entire denominations—practice one without the other, or neglect both entirely? How often are the vulnerable exploited, and how often do churches operate as businesses, overlooking the Messiah’s teachings and passing by those in need? If you are in an existing denomination, how do you spread the word of the Father? How do you help others in need? What happens if you question the teaching?

Many are led to believe that salvation rests solely on grace, without fully understanding the call to obedience and works. In this, we face a powerful adversary—one who works through systems, institutions, and even religious structures to lead people into false understanding.

Some may recall "The Sting". It was a 1973 film set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional con artists (Paul Newman and Robert Redford - the con artists) who set out to cheat a mob boss (Robert Shaw - the victim) of money. The story was inspired by real-life con that was documented by David Maurer in his 1940 book “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man”. The con artists deceive the victim by creating circumstances that is close enough to the truth to appear convincing, while ultimately being false. The victim is not confronted with obvious lies, but with carefully crafted distortions. Con artists are able to exert control over victims by limiting the information that the victim has access to. This is how cons operate.

 

Information is limited or re-framed, emotions are manipulated, and urgency is created. Con artists often use tactics that may include false teaching, falsified facts, selective quotes and interpretations, misinterpretations, flattery, business pressure, social pressure, media pressure and misinformation to create a sense of accuracy and urgency. These "tools" can be used to build a convincing—but incomplete—picture of truth. Once a victim accepts that version, what they have learned subconsciously begins to filter everything else a victim hears.

While human laws aim to protect against deception in business, the Father’s Laws are given to guard against spiritual deception. Yet many do not fully follow them, and justice in such matters is not always seen in this life. Instead, it is reserved for final judgment.

To guard against this, believers must pray, study Scripture with an open and discerning mind, and be willing to re-examine what they have been taught. Discernment requires testing all things against the Word, not relying solely on culture, doctrine or tradition.

The danger of a con is often realised too late. Spiritually, the consequences are far greater than a business con. A victim may believe they are walking in Truth, while being subtly diverted from it. In this sense, the world can resemble a grand deception—where systems, teachings, and influences obscure the Father’s salvation plan. The greatest danger is not obvious deception, but a convincing imitation of truth.

 

The challenge, then, is clear: to seek truth diligently, to live it faithfully, and to ensure that belief is grounded not in assumption or tradition, but in the fullness of Scripture. The warning given in Matthew 7:21–23 is sobering: not all who claim allegiance will enter the Kingdom, but only those who do the will of the Father.

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How much like the "Sting" is the world we live in, where churches and denominations con people into believing they are "saved", when they may not be, and they do not live the "set-apart" lifestyle set out in the Torah and the Messiahs teaching. Remember the words of the Messiah in Matthew 7:21

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Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens. 22 “Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ 23 “And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’

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Our enemy works to deceive the world through economics, education, media, and even religious doctrine—presenting ideas that appear credible but subtly replace or obscure the truth. The intent is to create an environment where the Father seems unnecessary, or where the Scriptures are dismissed as implausible based on what we have been taught. The danger is that a person may not recognise this deception until it is too late, having unknowingly accepted what is false in place of what is true.

For those who read these pages, the response is clear: if you are part of a church or follow a particular doctrine, be willing to speak up and ask meaningful questions. Study the Scriptures with prayer, humility, and an open mind. Test what you are taught, examine it carefully, and seek understanding for yourself. It is better to face challenge or exclusion for pursuing truth than to stand unprepared when it matters most..

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Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the being. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both being and body in Ghenna.

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In many cases, we are misled—by teachers, pastors, media voices, writers, and even governments. “Because someone told me so” will not stand as a justification when you are called to give an account of your life. You must be confident that what you believe, think, say, and pray is grounded in truth and in spirit. If something does not seem right, turn to the Scriptures yourself and seek understanding through prayer. Be cautious about who you rely on for guidance, especially where someone may personally gain—such as financial contributions or influence.

Following a doctrine that is not supported by Scripture carries serious risk. It echoes the account of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10, where actions outside what was commanded led to severe consequences. At the same time, denominations and church structures can exert strong pressure to conform—sometimes at the cost of relationships, community, or acceptance. This can make seeking truth difficult, but not impossible.

The assurance is that the Set-Apart Spirit will guide those who genuinely seek the Father with sincerity, humility, and honesty. Truth requires both courage and willingness to stand apart when necessary.

The difference between the physical and spiritual reality is profound. Without spiritual awareness through the Messiah, a person may be unaware of their own blindness. A useful analogy is the film The Matrix, where people live within a constructed reality, unaware of what is truly real. In a similar way, those whose understanding is obscured may not perceive the truth that surrounds them. Does that not sound like our world?

As Paul the Apostle writes in 2 Corinthians, there is a form of blindness that affects perception of truth—reminding us of the importance of seeking clarity, discernment, and understanding beyond what is immediately seen or taught.

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2 Corinthians 4:2 but have renounced the secret ways of shame, not walking in craftiness nor falsifying the Word of Elohim, but by the manifestation of the truth recommending ourselves to every human conscience, in the sight of Elohim. 3 And indeed, if our Good News has been veiled, it has been veiled in those who are perishing,4 in whom the mighty one of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so that the enlightening of the Good News of the esteem of Messiah, who is the likeness of Elohim, does not shine on them.
 

​Our enemy seeks to deceive and obscure the Father’s plan of Salvation by distorting both the world and the Scriptures, drawing attention away from what truly matters. The consequence is profound—people can be led away from truth without realising it, and the loss is not temporary, but eternal.

Scripture itself provides clear examples of this kind of misdirection. When the Israelites approached the Promised Land, they sent spies who returned with fearful reports of giants. Instead of holding fast to the promises of the Father—who had already delivered them through extraordinary acts—they placed their trust in those reports. In doing so, they shifted their focus from truth to fear, the result was forty years of wandering. The issue was not the challenge before them, but the source of information they chose to believe when faced with conflicting information.

This pattern continues. Distraction, confusion, and competing interpretations can pull people away from a clear understanding of Scripture. Across economic, educational, and political systems, there can be strong influences that discourage deeper examination of the Father’s salvation plan. The wide range of doctrines—often presenting conflicting interpretations of the same text—can further complicate this, with some adding layers that are not grounded in Scripture, while others reduce it to something superficial.

In that environment, belief can become selective—choosing what aligns with personal preference rather than seeking what is true. This is where discernment becomes essential. The challenge is not simply identifying what is false, but consistently returning to Scripture itself as the reference point.

The consistent thread through these examples is the importance of where trust is placed. Whether in the wilderness account or in present-day belief systems, outcomes are shaped by the willingness to test what is heard and to align understanding with what is written.

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Take, for example, the incorporation of traditions such as e-a-s-t-e-r and c-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s into many denominations, as well as other pagan, magic and witchcraft sourced practices. It is often taught that the Sabbath no longer needs to be kept and that the Feasts have been set aside. However, Messiah presents a different picture, he did not come to abolish the Law, he came to fulfill the parts of the Law that we observe as the Spring Feasts, the Autumn Feasts are yet to be fulfilled:

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets.e I did not come to destroy but to complete.18 “For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one yod or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done.19 “Whoever, then, breaks one of the least of these commands, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the reign of the heavens; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the reign of the heavens.
 

The Sabbath then remains the Sabbath—observed by the Messiah, who taught that it was made for mankind. Likewise, the Feasts are not portrayed as abolished; rather, they continue to hold significance. As indicated in Zechariah 14, the Feast of Tabernacles is described as continuing even in the age to come, reinforcing its enduring place within the Father’s plan.

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Zechariah 14:16 And it shall be that all who are left from all the nations which came up against Jerusalem, shall go up from year to year to bow themselves to the Sovereign, Yahuah of hosts, and to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot. 17 And it shall be, that if anyone of the clans of the earth does not come up to Jerusalem to bow himself to the Sovereign, Yahuah of hosts, on them there is to be no rain. 18 And if the clan of Egypt does not come up and enter in, then there is no rain. On them is the plague with which Yahuah plagues the nations who do not come up to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot. 19 This is the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to celebrate the Festival of Sukkot.

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The “sting” in this case is when you pass from this world without establishing a relationship with the Father through the Messiah. In the book of John we are reminded that we must build a relationship with the Messiah:

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John 14:6 Yahusha said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me......... 21 “He who possesses My commands and guards them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and manifest Myself to him.”

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This is a warning: do not become a victim of deception. There is one Father, one Messiah, and one Set-Apart Spirit. There is one body of Scripture and one truth, and it contains many warnings. Do not allow yourself to be led away from that truth—seek to align your life with it, and pursue clarity of understanding while you have the opportunity.

 

Feel free to write to us, we are here to help you.​​

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Web page last updated 2 May 2026