Inspirational: The Wiles of the Devil in an Age of Deception

By: Linda Kirby/WGON 4.20.26

Ephesians 6:11 — “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

We quote this verse often. We know it by heart. But most of us stop at “put on the whole armour of God” and never slow down long enough to consider the next phrase:

“the wiles of the devil.”

What are wiles?

According to Merriam‑Webster, a wile is “a trick or stratagem intended to ensnare or deceive.”

In other words: a calculated deception.

How many times have we read this verse without truly absorbing that warning?

A New World of Deception

Most of us grew up in a time when you could trust your eyes and ears.

If you saw it, it was real.

If you heard it, it was genuine.

But today, that world is gone.

We now have:

• hit songs sung by people who don’t exist

• videos of actors who were never born

• phone calls that sound exactly like someone you know

• images and voices created out of thin air

This is AI, and it is changing the world faster than people can process.

Technology has always arrived suddenly — the telephone, the TV, the computer, the smartphone. But AI is different. It is more deceptive than all previous technologies combined because it can imitate reality itself.

Jesus Warned Us About This Age

Matthew 24:3–4

The disciples asked Jesus for the signs of His coming and the end of the age.

His very first words were:

“Take heed that no man deceive you.”

Jesus knew that the last days would be marked by deception unlike anything the world had ever seen.

And yet many believers still do not take that warning seriously.

They are not Bereans.

They don’t test what they see.

They don’t verify what they hear.

They simply let themselves be deceived.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 repeats the same warning:

“Let no man deceive you.”

That word “let” matters.

It means allow.

If we do not check things, if we do not test the spirits, if we do not compare everything to Scripture, then we allow deception to take root.

And with AI, the deception is more convincing than ever.

A Sign of How Close We Are

AI is not the Antichrist.

But it is preparing the world for a level of deception that Scripture says will come.

We know the Antichrist will one day perform something so astonishing that the whole world will be fooled.

But the church will be gone by then.

That is why we plant seeds now.

Because when the tribulation begins…

When the great deception unfolds…

When the world is told to take the mark…

Some unbeliever may remember this very warning.

The seed planted today may sprout tomorrow.

They may run to Jesus.

They may refuse the mark.

They may lose their lives for His name —

but they will gain eternity.

Why This Matters Right Now

We are watching the world shift at a speed that feels prophetic.

People are overwhelmed.

They don’t know what’s real anymore.

They don’t know who to trust.

This is the perfect moment for the church to speak clearly:

Be a Berean.

Test everything.

Do not let anyone deceive you.

Jesus told us this would happen — and He told us how to stand.

The armour of God was not given for peaceful days.

It was given for this generation.

And the time to plant seeds is now.

1 Corinthians 3:6 — the process

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”

This shows the sequence: plant → water → God brings the harvest.

Galatians 6:9 — the encouragement

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

This strengthens the believer: keep sowing, don’t quit, the harvest will come.

2 Timothy 4:2 — the urgency

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season…”

 The time to plant seeds is now, whether the moment feels convenient or not.