Be on your guard against false teaching!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
(Matthew 16:6 (NIV))

The Pharisees and the Sadducees were the two different schools of thought about the interpretation of the scriptures. It is interesting that neither group had been able to interpret the scriptures the way that they should. They had introduced different teachings that had their origins from man and these teachings had spread through the temple and the nation like yeast through bread.

Jesus warned his disciples to watch out for these teachings and to not allow them to enter into their lives again. It is so easy to replace God’s Word with human interpretation of it. Humanity has been taking God’s Word and twisting it for their own reasons for as long as history has been recorded. The sad part is that we can all fall prey to this. Even those who proclaim to desire to know God’s Word are susceptible to twisting it for their own selfish desires. Take a long look at your life in faith. Has there ever been a person or group of people that you know who have twisted God’s Word? Now comes the hardest question of all. Have you been guilty of this yourself?

I hate to say this, but I would venture to say that all of us have done that at one point or another. We are sinful and selfish in nature. Even though we claim grace through the blood of Jesus, we are not instantly perfect. We are, however, instantly forgiven. We are being made perfect.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
(2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV))

Even as we are being transformed into His likeness, we can also stumble and fail because of false teaching. We must be on our guard and test what we hear and see against God’s Word. We must not allow anything to make us falter in our course. We must not fall for the false teachings of today’s Pharisees and Sadducees.

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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So be on your guard!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

“When you see `the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong–let the reader understand–then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now–and never to be equaled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. At that time if anyone says to you, `Look, here is the Christ!’ or, `Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect–if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
(Mark 13:14-23 (NIV))

Do you know what to look for? Do you know the signs?

I don’t profess to know, for no one knows the day or the hour, but many people strongly believe that the season is very ripe for God’s plans to unfold.

I know that we all have limited life experiences and that there are not too many people left who can remember the events of World War II. I do know that what we are facing today seems to be just as ominous, if not more so, than the things that have been faced by previous generations. Never before in the history of the world has there been a group of people who are willing to kill the whole world because they do not believe as they do. To be honest with you, the reports of children being beheaded are horrendous. Who would be so evil that they would do such a thing?

We are told to be on the lookout for the abomination that causes desolation. We are told to flea when we see this. Do you know what to look for?

Sadly, I have read reports, and you should pray for discernment about these and anything that you hear, that state that Israel is being cut off. No mail service or bank transfers from many countries, including the US, and weapons shipments to Israel are being cut off as well.

The evilness in the world is trying to isolate Israel. It is also trying to turn believers in Jesus into a thing of the past. Whole cities are being told to convert to Islam, leave or die.

There are things going on in this world that without a faith in Jesus, I would be terrified and rightly so, but I know who wins! I know that Jesus will return. I know that what we face here on this earth will probably get a lot worse before the church is removed. I also know that it will literally be hell on earth after the church is removed.

I know that many people do not like to think about end-time prophesies because they either don’t understand them or they are scared of the events. I have a question for you. Do you live in a home with smoke detectors? You take the precautions necessary to avoid a scary situation in your home. You should be willing to take the precautions necessary to avoid a scary situation in your life.

We live in a time when things are unfolding rapidly, so be on your guard!

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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