Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Matthew 7:15-20
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Have you ever found yourself following someone who on the surface appeared to know what they were talking about when it came to matter of the Lord, only to find out afterwards that you had been deceived?
It happens now. It happened in the days of Jesus too.
For as Jesus begins to finish up His great Sermon on the Mount, we find Him issuing a warning to His listeners saying, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.”
The order is clear.
“Watch out for false prophets.”
Who was a prophet? It was someone who claimed to speak with the voice of the Lord. When a prophet spoke, he was typically telling his audience about what the Lord wanted them to hear.
So what would happen if someone only claimed to speak for the Lord but instead had other motives for wanting to get people thinking, feeling or acting a certain way? They would no longer be a true prophet but rather a false one.
So how do we expose someone who is a false prophet from one who legitimately speaks for the Lord? How do we get to see that their fruit is rotten to the core?
Well, there are two primary actions every believer should take to validate any teaching they receive. When I teach, I instruct my students to check everything before that teaching to take root…everything that they receive from others as well as everything they receive from me.
The first form of validation is through reading God’s word for yourself.
How can you possibly know if a person is speaking truth about God’s word unless you are spending time every day seeking understanding yourself? The more you know about what God says through the scriptures, the easier you can debunk falsities when they are suggested. Unfortunately, we have become a society that doesn’t like to think for ourselves or even check to see if what we’re being fed is true. And so we are easily influenced by the media or politicians or religious fanatics who would form their own belief system and seek to exploit people to join their cult. Believe this…God will never deceive you or leave you astray…and He would never speak through someone else to do it either.
The second form of validation is prayer.
When you come into the presence of the Lord and seek His guidance and wisdom, ask Him whether the teaching you have received is true or false. If it’s false, He will let you know. Conversely, if it is true, He will again let you know and even further instruct you. That’s just one of the benefits of having a healthy relationship with the One who is over all things.
The common thread that is found between scripture and prayer is the Holy Spirit…the Wonderful Counselor we have who always seeks to point our human compass toward righteousness. The Lord speaks to us through the His Spirit…warning us when wrong is near…assuring us when we’re in the midst of truth.
Seek the Spirit always…whether when checking scripture or praying for revelation and He will deliver…removing the sheep’s clothing from the wolves and exposing them for who they truly are.
What an awesome assurance this is!
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
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