Don’t Be Deceived

Prayer – Lord, help me decern when a false teacher is trying to deceive me. Open my eyes and show me Your truths that I would not be deceived. 

Storm clouds over the Columbia River
Richland, WA
Don't be fooled by clouds...or false teachers.

When these people (false teachers) eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord's love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots.  Jude 1:12

 

Meditate. Don’t be deceived.

 

Jude gave a warning about the dangers of false teachers. They may be fellowshipping with you—so be discerning and not deceived. Jesus Himself told His disciples and us not to be deceived.

For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time. Matthew 24:24-25

Be careful with whom you associate—and keep your relationship with the Lord strong—like a bridge with a sturdy foundation. That strong foundation in knowing God and His Word will give you strength to differentiate between those rightly or wrongly teaching God’s word. The false teachers can seem like wolves in sheep clothing. Jesus taught about this in His Sermon on the Mount.

Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. Matthew 7:15-20

Is the fruit, the lifestyle and instructions, that your favorite teachers are speaking reveal truth? Don’t be deceived.

 

Verses of Salvation ~ I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:9-11

 

© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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