Do Not Be Deceived

I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments.

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So, you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. Colossians 2:2-4,6-10

Have you ever been deceived by a false teaching? Maybe led down a path that seemed good, that appeared to be biblical? I know I have!  Early in my walk with Christ, my husband and I were introduced to a teacher who spoke of healings. Christian friends whom we have much respect for and who were leaders in our church, introduced us to this teacher. We were soaking in this teaching when our first son was born. We noticed some developmental delays that soon led us to an autism diagnosis. You can imagine the emotional rollercoaster we were on, especially since the teaching we were soaking in was telling us that he was not being “healed” because we lacked faith. We just were not doing it right. We lacked faith. WE were not enough.

Praise God, He did not leave us there. As we grew in our walk and began to study the word of God, He revealed that this was “Word of Faith” theology. This is where teachers twist scripture to support the occult belief that faith is a force, words are a container of the force, and through faith-filled words we can speak things into reality. It was a false gospel; it was false doctrine that made it about what “I” can do.

Isn’t it funny that we are often led astray by focusing on self? As if we were the God of creation that speaks things into existence. Just look at Eve. The crafty serpent said to Eve, YOU eat of it, YOUR eyes will be opened, and YOU will be like God… blah blah blah. We must test everything against the Word of God.

It is a regular prayer of mine for God to give me a discerning spirit as not to be deceived again. That is why when my friend Diane and I started having conversations about this new personality test called the enneagram, both of us had our spiritual antennae go up. Mostly because we saw it hitting the Church. The more we looked into it, the more concerned we became with how it was permeating the Church.

We decided to work together to get the word out on how this is not a tool that is edifying to the Church. Now would be a good time for you to pause and read Diane’s research on the history of the enneagram and how it’s actually from the occult and was received from demonic practices. Click here.

With the enneagram you take a test to determine what your number is. This number equals your “type”. Each type comes with a description telling you who you are and describing your personality. Evangelicals who favor the enneagram tend to not know or downplay its history. They consider it to be a personality typology like Meyers-Briggs which was based on the study of Psychology rather than the mystic automatic writing of the occult that the enneagram is derived from.

The enneagram symbol is a neutral geometric design and there is no inherent evil in the design; however, some authors are writing various paths to God into it and it’s this concept that is infiltrating segments of the church.

So, why should we be concerned about the use of the enneagram? I would say because it is being published as a tool for Christians, peppering scripture into it, making promises that it will bring you closer to God, help you with relationships, you will know yourself better, and help your marriages, you will grow as a Christian.

Why would we need an occultist manufactured test that points to self in order help with these things? It is God’s Word and the Holy Spirit that convict, teach, and correct man through God’s truth. (Reference Psalm 119, John 16:8, 2 Timothy 3:16)

The enneagram glorifies self and classifies our sins as our “false self”. The book of Romans clearly explains that we are all sinners. So, scoffing off our sins as a false reality can lead you to a false gospel. It’s shrouded in undertones that stir up pride. It stirs up your identity in a type rather than your identity being in Christ. Many of these authors are being published under Christian publishers like Thomas Nelson and Zondervan.

Beware, just because they are published by them does not mean they are in line with the word of God. As Diane pointed out, many of these authors sat under the teachings of Richard Rohr, who is a self-acknowledged perennialist – meaning he believes ALL religions leads back to a common theme some call “God” and holds views that are heretical to Christ and His deity. I share this because this is the man leading the charge of the enneagram hitting the Christian culture. Writing the first “Christian” guide and then you see his disciples are now publishing as well.

(See YouTube link below for more info)

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with hot iron.

Have NOTHING to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales, rather train yourself to be godly. 

Be diligent in these matters give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch our life and DOCTRINE closely. 1 Timothy 4:1-2,7,15-16

Ladies, you are more than a number. You are COMPLETE in Him Who is the head over all rule and authority. You are a child of God who has given us His scripture which is God-breathed and it’s useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

Do not quench the spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but TEST EVERYTHING; hold fast to what is good. ABSTAIN from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-24

So, what do we do if we have been deceived? God tells us that the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance. I urge you, if you have been enticed by the enneagram, do your own research while asking God for wisdom.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5

Ladies, hear our hearts. We are all in a process of sanctification. We may have times when we could be deceived. Rest in knowing that our God is faithful and we do not need a tool that’s shrouded in dark forces. Trust in Paul’s words when he said “be confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” That’s way better than being limited to a type.

Mary Bender

Learn more about the enneagram in Christian culture HERE.

Visit CANA (Christian Answers for the New Age) HERE.

Mary Bender and her husband Norman live in Greencastle, PA. They have three energetic boys, and one adorable little girl, just as energetic. Mary counts herself as being truly blessed to be saved by Christ, who equips her to be a stay at home mom. In addition to being a wife and mother, Mary uses her God-given gifts to serve on the board of directors for “The Connection.” It is Mary’s desire to serve and encourage women to have genuine faith while building a home and raising her children. Mary has a passion for the Word of God.

“I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

The document “A Short History of the Enneagram” written by…

Diane Haupt is mom to two beautiful daughters and serves on the Embrace Team, Prayer Team, Devo Team and Blog Team for The Connection. She is a fellow sinner saved by the grace of God. She is active in her church where she serves on the worship team and various smalls groups. She is passionate about teaching biblical truths and defending the faith!