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

Spiritual Warfare
A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
'God Watches Over and Rescues His People'
"But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of..."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'The Earth Trembles' (Ps. 104:24,)
"O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. ... The earth trembles at his glance; the mountains smoke at his..."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'I Come to You, God' (He. 12:22-29)
"Dear Father, I come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the city of the living God. I join with the thousands upon thousands of angels in..."
A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'Holy Moments, Ordinary Bread'
"Dear Beloved, The fellowship of My disciples as they gather around a table for a meal is a precious and holy time. This meal can be a common meal or...."

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