“But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve.”
I read yesterday that bank tellers are trained not with counterfeit bills, but with real money to be able to discern a fraud. They become so familiar with the sight and feeling of the real thing that they instantly recognize what is false. That’s exactly why Christians need to be so familiar with God’s Word that they can instantly recognize a demon or a false prophet, no matter if they dress themselves up as God’s servants.
I’m both intrigued and repulsed when I watch real-life stories on television about people who used their guise as a minister to swindle people out of their life savings, or in the case of the BTK Killer, as a church leader while committing horrendous crimes. I ask myself, “How did those people not know that person was bad?” I’m sure that the more vulnerable the person and the fuzzier their doctrine, the more likely they are unaware of the truth. But then I ask myself a scarier question, “Is there anyone I know who may be a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing within a church context?”
Jesus warned his followers many times about demons, false prophets, and wolves in sheep’s clothing. He also taught them many times that he is the way, the truth, the life; the light of the world; the fulfillment of all the prophecies; and the good shepherd. He wanted his disciples to become so familiar with the one true God that they would instantly recognize what was false.
Have you ever recognized a false prophet or a false church servant? Perhaps you didn’t recognize them at first and you got hurt by someone like that. I’m sorry if you’ve suffered that way, and I hope you’re willing to give other true Christians the chance to minister to you again. And I hope you are willing to learn what is true and what is false. I’ve found that my ability to discern a false doctrine or teaching or servant has grown directly in proportion to the time I’ve spent in study of God’s Word. It takes effort to really dig in to the truth of God’s Word, but nothing else has changed my life for the better more.
How can you take action to grow in your discernment between the one true God and the enemy?
Copyright 2009
Showing posts with label discernment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discernment. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Psalm 37:30-31
“The godly offer good counsel; they know what is right from wrong. They fill their hearts with God’s law, so they will never slip from his path.”
We moms constantly teach our children right from wrong. Just yesterday, I had to teach that hitting is not okay, biting certainly isn’t okay, speaking disrespectfully to Mom is wrong, and not obeying the first time is wrong too. Every night when I pray with my children, we ask God forgiveness for the things we did in disobedience to God or to Mom or Dad, and also for the things we did to each other that were unloving. All the sins I can think of in our daily lives fall into those two categories. That’s why Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and minds, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).
How was I able to recall those verses from Matthew just upon writing these words? Well, as every parochial school student knows, this was one of a plethora of memory verses that I had to practice and recite to the teacher—and the verses are still with me years later. I also spent a year studying the book of Matthew in Bible Study Fellowship. In these ways I’ve filled my heart with God’s law, and it is the basis for all the instruction I give my children in teaching them the difference between right and wrong.
It takes effort to study the Bible, memorize scripture, and apply it to our busy lives. But if we Christians don’t make it a priority, it’s not long before our lives veer off track from God’s plan. This week I read about a certain denomination that is reconsidering its ban on ordaining homosexuals to the ministry. Scripture is crystal-clear on this matter; because people have not filled their hearts with God’s law (homosexuality is sin), they are slipping from his path. That’s why it’s essential that we connect ourselves to a church where the Bible is upheld as inerrant, infallible, authoritative, and relevant to today’s culture.
Will you commit yourself to filling your own heart with God’s law so you will not slip from his path, and to teach your children or family to do the same? How can you make God’s Word a scheduled priority this week?
Copyright 2009
We moms constantly teach our children right from wrong. Just yesterday, I had to teach that hitting is not okay, biting certainly isn’t okay, speaking disrespectfully to Mom is wrong, and not obeying the first time is wrong too. Every night when I pray with my children, we ask God forgiveness for the things we did in disobedience to God or to Mom or Dad, and also for the things we did to each other that were unloving. All the sins I can think of in our daily lives fall into those two categories. That’s why Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and minds, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).
How was I able to recall those verses from Matthew just upon writing these words? Well, as every parochial school student knows, this was one of a plethora of memory verses that I had to practice and recite to the teacher—and the verses are still with me years later. I also spent a year studying the book of Matthew in Bible Study Fellowship. In these ways I’ve filled my heart with God’s law, and it is the basis for all the instruction I give my children in teaching them the difference between right and wrong.
It takes effort to study the Bible, memorize scripture, and apply it to our busy lives. But if we Christians don’t make it a priority, it’s not long before our lives veer off track from God’s plan. This week I read about a certain denomination that is reconsidering its ban on ordaining homosexuals to the ministry. Scripture is crystal-clear on this matter; because people have not filled their hearts with God’s law (homosexuality is sin), they are slipping from his path. That’s why it’s essential that we connect ourselves to a church where the Bible is upheld as inerrant, infallible, authoritative, and relevant to today’s culture.
Will you commit yourself to filling your own heart with God’s law so you will not slip from his path, and to teach your children or family to do the same? How can you make God’s Word a scheduled priority this week?
Copyright 2009
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