Beware (6)

Dearly Beloved, I trust this finds you well and bubbling in the Lord. Matthew 7v15 (AMPC) which says “Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves.” Today, we conclude our consideration of the Lord’s caution to us about false prophets. We will look again at how do you know a false prophet. We re-iterate scripture from 1 John 4v1-3 (NLT) which says “Dear friends, 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. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.”

 

Furthermore, Matthew 7v15-20 (ESV) lets us that you will know these false prophets by the fruits that they produce. It says “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”  In all, prophecies are good and inspired by the Holy Spirit and should not be spurned. However, you need to always prove all prophecies to ensure they truly are from the Lord as there are many false prophets out there.

 

Prayer

Father, we thank You for how You instruct us and caution us. We thank You for the prophetic ministry and prophetic words that You send to us. We pray though that we will be alert and take heed about false prophets, that we will not be deceived but be guided always by Your Word and Your Spirit in Jesus name, amen.