God's Holy Fire: 'Danger! Danger!'

Monday, February 23, 2026

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
— 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NIV

Key Thought

Can we recognize when someone is teaching the truth or is teaching what is false about Jesus? Do we have the knowledge and spiritual discernment to recognize when someone is teaching error about the Holy Spirit? Paul is challenging the Corinthians - and us as well - not to be so gullible as to accept perversions of truth. Some of these false teachings sound nice, but underneath we find distortions of the nature of Jesus and the work of God's Holy Spirit. So let's ask God to use the Holy Spirit in our lives to tune our hearts to know the truth about both Jesus and the Spirit. Let's go back and read John 14-16 and let God's word remind us that the Holy Spirit is to help us in the quest to honor God's truth!

Today's Prayer

O Father, I want to honor you in every way that is possible. I don't want to be lured away by what is false and against your will. I want my heart to be open to your truth. I want to accept and act on the changes your word and the Holy Spirit are working to bring about in me so that your character and compassion come to life in my daily behaviors. Please open my heart to know your truth. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

5 Related Resources by Heartlight

Don't Let Your Mind Be Led Away
Devo: Spiritual Warfare
"But I am afraid that your minds will be led away from your true and pure following of Christ just as Eve was tricked by the snake with his evil ways."
Pure and Simple
Article by Tom Norvell
How pure is your faith? We must return to the pure and simple faith of trusting in Christ.
Divine Jealousy
Devo: Praying with Paul
"Dear Father, to whom our pure devotion is due, Thank you for the divine jealousy that Christ feels for us, his church. How wonderful to know that we...."
Clutter
Article by Larry Davies
What am I supposed to do with all this mess? Larry Davies shares with us his struggle with a cluttered office and how it's been embarrassingly displayed on the Internet.
See All 5 Related Resources about 2 Corinthians 11:3-4

Illustration

Illustration of 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NIV —

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Monday, February 23, 2026

A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'Heart Surgery'
"Dear Disciple, I've been sharing some reasons that the Scriptures, including the teaching of the apostles and others in the New Testament, are..."
Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'Guiding You to Eternity' (Ps. 73:23-24)
"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'God Opened the Door for Breaking Down Barriers!'
"So [Peter and Cornelius] talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled. Peter told them, "You know it is against our laws for..."
What Jesus Did!
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
'The Gift of Teaching' (Jn. 7:53-8:2)
"Then the meeting [of the Jewish leaders] broke up, and everybody went home. Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he....."

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

More God's Holy Fire

Translations