Tag Archives: false prophets

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Listen Carefully

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And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you the more [besides] will be given to you who hear. – Mark 4:24

The Bible says that in the latter days many false prophets will rise up and tell people what their itching ears want to hear. People will search for one teacher after another who will tell them something pleasing and gratifying. To suit their own desires, they will turn away from hearing the Truth and will wander off into listening to myths and man-made fiction (see 2 Timothy 4:3–4). They will turn to methods that may be called “spiritual,” but are not safe in God’s Kingdom. They are “spiritual,” but they come from the wrong spirit!

Never before have we seen such an influx of psychics vying for a ready ear. Television shows feature mediums who claim to communicate with people who have died. These people are actually communicating with familiar spirits who tell half-truths about the past and lies about the future. This is strictly forbidden in Scripture (see Leviticus 19:31). God says He will set His face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists (see Leviticus 20: 6–7), yet Christians still read horoscopes and consult psychics—then wonder why they live in confusion and don’t have peace.

We must realize that it is wrong to seek guidance for our lives through anything other than God Himself. In fact, our seeking guidance through other sources offends Him. No one who does so will have the peaceful, joy-filled, blessed life God intended.

If you have been involved in activity of this kind, I urge you to thoroughly repent; ask God to forgive you; and turn away completely from such practices. God alone has all the answers you need, so go to Him and let Him give you the guidance and encouragement you need.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – Effects of sound doctrine

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“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matthew 24:24

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-10

What effect does election have on our actions? If this doctrine be fully received and known, it breathes with all gratitude to God, an earnest desire to show forth his praise. It leads to all kinds of holy activity, and a hearty endeavour for the service of God. We are told continually by philosophic writers, that the idea of necessity—the idea that anything is fixed or decreed—tends at once to damp activity. Never was there a grosser misrepresentation. Look abroad, everything that has been great in the spirit of the age has had a Necessitarian at the bottom of it. When Mohammed preached predestination, he took a necessitarian view. Did that doctrine of predestination make his followers idle? Did it not make them dash into the battle, declaring they must die when the appointed time came, and while they lived they must fight, and earnestly defend their faith? Or to take an instance from the history of our own country. Did the Calvinism of Oliver Cromwell make his Ironsides idle? Did they not keep their powder dry? They believed that they were chosen men of God, and were they not men of valour? Did this doctrine mar their energy? So in every good enterprise our churches are never behind. Are we backward in missionary enterprise? Are we slow to send forth men of God to preach in foreign lands? Are we deficient in our efforts? Are we the people who would preach to a select few?—who would erect buildings for worship that the poor scarcely dare to enter? Are we the people who would keep our religious services for a privileged circle? The fact is, the most zealous, the most earnest, and the most successful of men, have been those who have held this truth.

For meditation: The doctrine of election is not supposed to turn us in upon ourselves, but to send us out to others (John 15:16; Acts 9:15).

Sermon no. 324

6 April (Preached 22 April 1860)

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Dressed To Deceive

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Our Daily Bread

2 Peter 2:1-3,12-19

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. —Matthew 7:15

Hiking in the mountains of Utah, Coty Creighton spotted a goat that didn’t look like the rest of the herd. A closer look revealed that the unusual animal was actually a man dressed as a goat. When authorities contacted the man, he described his costume as a painter’s suit covered in fleece, and he said he was testing his disguise for a hunting trip.

The hunter’s deception reminds me of Jesus’ words: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matt. 7:15). False teachers do not bear the fruit of God’s Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). Rather, they “walk according to the flesh . . . and despise authority” (2 Peter 2:10). They are bold, egotistical, and given to greed (vv.10,14). Ruled by their own desires, they exploit people by using “deceptive words” (v.3). The Bible says these wayward spiritual leaders are headed for destruction and will take many unsuspecting and undiscerning people with them (vv.1-2).

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, rather than pursuing personal gain, laid down His life for His sheep. God does not want anyone to be misled by false teaching. He wants us to be aware of those who deceive, and follow Him instead—the true Shepherd of our souls. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

At the name of Jesus

Every knee shall bow,

Every tongue confess Him,

King of glory now. —Noel

Substitutes abound, but there is only one Christ.

Bible in a year: Deuteronomy 8-10; Mark 11:19-33

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – How to Spot a Wolf

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“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.” —Matthew 7:15

An inspector who worked for London’s Scotland Yard had the job of detecting false currency from the true. Someone commented to him that he must spend a lot of time looking at counterfeit money.

“Oh, no,” he answered. “I just spend all day working with real money. Then, when I come across a counterfeit bill, I know immediately.”

The apostle Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church, “I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. Watch out!” (Acts 20:29–31).

That is why it is important to declare the whole counsel of God. There is false teaching, and there are false teachers who lead people astray. The tricky thing about false teaching is that it is not 100 percent false. Maybe it is 20 percent false. Maybe most of it is good and 20 percent is false. Yet that small part that is weird or odd could be spiritually destructive. So if I see a false teaching, I will try to identify it and then teach what the Bible says.

I believe that the best thing I can do is to help people become as conversant with the Bible as possible. The more time we spend in the Bible, the more likely we will recognize that something isn’t accurate when it comes along.

Of course, we could spend the rest of our lives researching every aberrant teaching or cult out there. But I would suggest that we instead spend our time absorbing the Word of God. Then we will be like that inspector in Scotland Yard and recognize when something false surfaces because we know what is true.

 

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Listen Carefully

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Joyce meyer

Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. (Mark 4:24)

The Bible says that in the latter days many false prophets will rise up and tell people what their itching ears want to hear. People will search for anyone who will tell them something pleasing and gratifying. To suit their own desires, they will turn away from hearing the truth and will wander off into listening to myths and man-made fiction (see 2 Timothy 4:3–4). They will turn to methods that may be called “spiritual,” but are not safe in God’s Kingdom. They are “spiritual,” but they come from the wrong spirit!

Never before have we seen such an influx of psychics vying for a ready ear. Television shows feature mediums who claim to communicate with people who have died. These people are actually communicating with familiar spirits who tell half-truths about the past and lies about the future. This is strictly forbidden in Scripture (see Leviticus 19:31). God says He will set His face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists (see Leviticus 20:6–7), yet Christians still read horoscopes and consult psychics—then wonder why they live in confusion and don’t have peace.

We must realize that it is wrong to seek guidance for our lives through anything other than God Himself. If you have been involved in activity of this kind, I urge you to thoroughly repent; ask God to forgive you; and turn away completely from such practices. God alone has all the answers you need.

God’s word for you today: Don’t play with matches; they only lead to fire.

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Charles Stanley – Hearing When God Calls

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1 Kings 19:11-13

Do you think of the Lord as a power or a person? Witnessing His mighty power is certainly important if we are to trust God’s ability to achieve His will. But unless we have a personal connection with the heavenly Father, we could lose sight of why He concerns Himself with us at all.

In today’s passage, we find the prophet Elijah struggling with those two aspects of his relationship with the Lord. Just one chapter earlier, he had experienced the triumph of God’s awesome power in a showdown with hundreds of false prophets (18:17-40). Immediately after that, however, Elijah feared for his life and fled. The prophet intellectually knew that the Sovereign of the universe was more than capable of protecting him. But fear for his life had driven a wedge between his understanding of God’s power and his awareness of God’s personal interest and intimacy. The result was that Elijah ran away.

He came to Mount Horeb, where he waited for God to pass by. Then, three powerful forces of nature came upon that spot in quick succession. Yet the prophet knew God was not in those dramatic occurrences. After the wind, earthquake, and fire had passed, Elijah heard a faint, gentle blowing. He recognized immediately that it was God and thereby discovered his Lord in a new and intimate way, right in the midst of that light breeze.

Are you intently listening for the quiet voice of God? Or do often you find yourself distracted by the dramatic forces pulling at you and clamoring for attention? Ask your heavenly Father to subdue the noise so you can learn to detect His soft, life-changing whisper.