Believers Beware: False Prophets and Teachers are in the World
“Be careful of false prophets. They come to you looking gentle like sheep, but they are really dangerous like wolves. You will know these people by what they do. Grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds. In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. In the same way, you will know these false prophets by what they do.” - Matthew 7:15-20, NCV
We need to be prepared when we encounter false prophets in the world. False prophets are people who disguise themselves as one of God’s chosen people. These people are not from God but are from the evil one. They will try to deceive us by telling lies, doing false miracles, signs, and wonders (Matthew 24:24). They will also distort the truth of God to lure us away from God (Acts 20:29-30). They will say, act, and do things that are against God’s word just to get what they want. They do not care who they hurt. They may act or look nice like a sheep but really are mean and dangerous like a wolf. That is why God is warning us about them, so we can be prepared to recognize them when we encounter them.
We can recognize false prophets by checking what they teach, say, and do against what the Bible teaches us. If what they say sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Double check their claims and actions with Bible passages, get trusted biblical council, and pray to God to reveal the truth to you. Never stop studying the Bible because God’s word is a powerful tool against false teachers. God does not lie or want to deceive us, but the evil ones do because they have been doing it from the beginning. We have God’s Spirit in us to help us to also know if the false prophets are really from God or from Satan (1 John 4:4).
We must remember if we belong to God, we will be able to recognize false prophets because God’s Spirit is in us. The Holy Spirit is greater than the devil, who is in the world and is trying to trick us. The false prophets belong to the world so what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. But those who know God will not listen to the false prophets but will only listen to people sent by God. Those who are not from God will not listen to God’s people. That is how we truly know the Spirit is from God or if the spirit is not (1 John 4:1-6).
Prayer of the day:
Dear heavenly Father,
You have warned us in Your word about false prophets. They are in the world trying to trick us into thinking they are from You but are not. They will use false miracles, signs, or wonders to deceive anyone they can. Please help us to recognize them so we won’t fall prey to them. They are like dangerous wolves that will hurt us to get what they want. They are mean and do not care who they hurt. Please be with us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!
