lambs on the lam

Mar

27

by tom felten
Posted under bible study, christian living, daily devotional, faith, God's Word, hell,Holy Spirit, Jesus, leadership, obedience, The Church
(one comment)

Matthew 7:13-20 Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions (v.20).

Read Deuteronomy 13:1-4 to read God’s instructions for how to avoid false prophets and to follow Him alone.

How can you spot a wolf in sheep’s clothing? What will you do to make sure the people who are spiritually influencing you are true believers in Jesus?

Last year, two convicts broke out of a maximum-security prison in Argentina, only to find that they could be easily spotted in the spacious sheep pastures surrounding the penitentiary. So what to do? The duo sneaked into a local ranch and stole some wooly hides that included sheep heads. The fake lambs remained on the lam by hiding among the thousands of sheep grazing around them. While still searching for the duo, one police officer deadpanned, “They can’t pull the wool over our eyes forever.” Groan.

As He concluded His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned His followers to beware of “false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves” (Matthew 7:15). He wanted them to go through the “narrow gate” (Jesus Himself) and not head down the “highway to hell” (choosing not to believe in and follow Him, Matthew 7:13).

You might have kind, winsome friends and teachers in your life who appear to be as harmless as lambs. But watch and listen closely—are they actually denying the true teachings of Jesus and the authority of His Word?

Jesus told us to look at the “fruit” of each person who is influencing us spiritually (Matthew 7:15-19). He said, “Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions” (Matthew 7:20). One of Jesus’ close friends, the apostle John, had this to say about watching out for wolves in sheep clothing: “Do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God” (1 John 4:1).

Who’s influencing you these days? Are they pointing you to the true Shepherd and the narrow gate, or are they leading you down the highway to hell?

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Samuel 17:1-31