Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: sheep

Disguised As Harmless

Trust

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

The New Living Translation says it this way: “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.”

“Disguised as harmless” is a good description of what we see today. There are voices all around us that claim to speak God’s truth. But watch out, most of them are fake, false, and phonies.

Pay close attention to the voices you are listening to. Most importantly make sure you discern the voice of God. You can easily discern the voice of God when it aligns with the truth of the Scriptures.

God’s truth and word does not change and will not change. What He said 6000 years ago is still true today.

Sadly, there are bad people disguised as good people that claim to speak the truth. They tell you how to believe, what to do, what to say, how to vote, how to spend money, how to parent, etc… These voices sound good and look good but they are vicious wolves. Their intent is to devour.

Jesus warns us to make sure every voice we hear is supported with the authority of God’s Word. Does their message agree with the rest of the Bible? Does it point people closer to Jesus? That is why it is important to know what the Bible says to study it.

You have a responsibility to choose wisely who you listen to.

Pray

Lord, help me to discern who speaks in Your name. Let me speak truth and wisdom into others. Protect me and my sheep.

What Sort Of Man Is This

Faith

What Sort of Man Is This

And the men (disciples) marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8:27‬

A Marvelous Man

Jesus calmed the wind and waves and the disciples were in complete astonishment.  They had just witnessed a miracle. They went from fearful to fascination in matter of seconds.  The disciples thought they were going to drown but instead they saw God in action.  It’s like the fans in the stands that are praying for a miracle and then their favorite team suddenly wins in the last seconds and they are stuck in disbelief.  Why are we in disbelief when God does something so amazing?  Especially when we are praying for it.

This same event is paralleled in Mark 4:35-41.  The disciples woke Jesus and said, “do you not care that we are perishing?”  I wonder how many times we think in our minds that God does not care about what we are facing?  Believe me, He cares!  He cares about the big stuff and he cares about the small stuff.  How awful it is for a child of God to think He doesn’t care for His own.

The disciples realized at that very moment that they were in the presence of God.  God was in the boat.  Now they know Jesus is God.  This truth was revealed to them and they knew they were following the true Messiah.  How awesome to know that the One who has power over nature is living inside our life and will do supernatural wonders that will make us marvel.  If you believe in God’s love and power you can weather any storm that comes your way.

Read Psalm 107:23-31 and be marveled.

Prayer

Pray Psalm 107:30 and “thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”