Jesus told them, "Don't let anyone
mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah.' They
will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't
panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately.
Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will
be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the
first of the birth pains, with more to come. Then you will be arrested,
persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my
followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And
many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.” Matthew
24:4-11
Jesus doesn’t want us to be deceived—horn swaggled—jerked
around. He wants us to see the truth for what it is and not be led astray. Be
on guard. Think. Don’t let anyone fool you into believing some untruth. If
someone says something…judge it against scripture. Discern if God’s voice in
what you are being told.
What is the
message? Is it consistent with scripture?
What is the
outcome? Does it draw us away to towards the Lord?
Who gets the
glory? All the glory should go to God.
 |
| Charleston Gate |
Killing
people in churches didn’t seem to be something that happened here in the United
States, but there have been a couple of these types of persecution that have
occurred lately. One shooting over a year ago in Charleston, South Carolina hit home as my
grandson knew a boy who was there in that church, although he was not shot. Too
close for comfort. The shooting last week in Texas is heart breaking—even some
consider, preventable. If only… the shooter had been reported as a domestic
violence abuser he would not have been able to buy a gun, but would that have
stopped him? Are we safe in our churches? The church we attend has a guard at
the door each week—just to be sure we don’t have issues. Safety first. Guard
the door—to your church and to your heart. Don’t be deceived.
Prayer
~ Lord Jesus, You even taught in the Old Testament... "But be careful. Don't
let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the LORD and serve and
worship other gods." Deuteronomy 11:16. Open our eyes and our hearts to
hear Your word, Your teachings clearly, that we would not be deceived.
Daily
Bible Reading: Matthew 25
©
2017 Text and Photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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