This week’s message is sent out to you so you will not be hurt or
injured. This message is sent to you in a spirit of love and protection.
Christians must beware. In too many places, in too many
circumstances, Christians are devoured by the wolves prowling around in
the faith, and in the world. As Christians, we find it natural to be
sheep or sheep-like. Yet, we must be vigilant. Last week we spoke about
how careful we must be not to be judgmental. This week we speak about
how we must beware of the wolves amongst us. Being vigilant requires
judgment from us. Oh, how difficult is this faith, yet how rewarding it
is to be a child of God.
Matthew 7:15:15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you
in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their
fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes,
or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but
a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a
bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good
fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you
will recognize them. (NIV)
The wolf in sheep’s clothing represents himself or herself as
standing for one thing but ends up standing for another. In your daily
walk, you need to beware of persons who gossip. Beware of persons who,
(A) either want to know everything about everyone else’s business, or
(B) who actually do know everything about everyone else’s business.
Beware of those persons whose spirits are not meek and mild, persons who
easily reject advice, persons who rebel against leadership of any kind,
and persons who come into the group overly eager to help.
Beware of persons who are suspicious of others, who are weak willed,
and/or who will easily compromise their positions on issues. Beware of
persons who whine, complain, and who make excuses. Beware of persons who
ask you to do things that are not Godly or that are questionable. Beware
of persons who believe they have been ordained by God to give others a
message. These people can easily be false prophets. Beware of persons
who believe God has worked in them to interact with others. Beware of
persons who especially like to tell and remind others they have been
anointed by God. If a person has really been anointed by God, then the
person will not feel the need to tell others. The anointing by our
Savior produces in every heart a great feeling of humility.
Matthew 7:20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (NIV)
Remember, the focus of the wolf is entirely upon itself. The wolf’s
message or speech is often interlaced with things about himself or
herself, not upon Christ and being Christ-like. If the wolf pays
attention to you, it is only to manipulate, control, and maneuver you to
benefit the wolf’s ends. So good are these wolves at hiding who they
are that Christ gives advice on how to tell who is a wolf and who is
not. In Matthew (above), we find Christ telling us to watch the fruit
produced. The wolf will say one thing and do another. The wolf will fake
being meek and mild but will in reality be plotting to get you.
It is only the shrewd and wise who can tell the wolf from the real
sheep. In most cases, the sheep do not see the wolf, and because the
sheep do not recognize the wolf, the sheep do not care. So depraved is
modern society that in nearly every country people are called or
regarded as "sheeple." In most parts of the world today, there
is no more outrage about immorality. There is no more outrage about sin.
There is no more collective conscience which prods the conscience of a
nation. Instead of a collective conscience, the populace makes excuses
for crudeness, lewdness, and unacceptable behavior. What a great place
for a wolf to come into the flock and devour the sheep.
They wolf can hide in the skin only so long. Eventually the wolf will
howl. The wolf, by its nature, is a wolf. Eventually the wolf will
reveal itself by the howling or the fruit the wolf produces. When you
deal with human beings, you must be discerning so you can identify the
wolf. If you will watch, you will see the wolf does not eat what the
sheep eat. A wolf is a meat eater. Sheep eat or graze on grass or
vegetable matter. A sheep is a slow moving creature while the wolf can
run with speed and agility. Although you can compare the physical
attributes of wolves and sheep, looking at the physical differences
between them does not really help you discern between the wolves and
sheep in our faith. In our faith, you can discern the wolves from the
sheep by the fruit they produce.
Every person produces fruit. People produce an end result or fruit in
every aspect of their lives. A parent produces an end result or fruit in
the child. The employee produces an end result or fruit on the job. The
member produces an end result in the group. The citizen produces an end
result or fruit in the country in which the person lives. The consumer
produces an end result in the marketplace. Every second you breathe the
breathe of life you produce a fruit of some kind. The hermit who lives
alone in an isolated place, who spends hours every day praying, may
produce a greater spiritual fruit than the most famous ministers on
earth.
The word of God in Galatians speaks to you and is a guide for you to
discern between the wolves and sheep in your world. Not only are these
words a help in your discernment, these words are a help in showing you
the kind of person you are supposed to be. These words show you the kind
of spirit you are to carry inside of yourself.
Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up
in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored
up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
(NIV)
Matthew 10:16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore
be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. (NIV)
With these two verses planted in your heart and mind you can be more
discerning. When you interact with people, whether they are Christians
or not, there are questions you must ask yourself to discern whether
these people are of the wolf variety or the sheep variety.
Here are some questions to ask yourself about the leaders in your
daily walk, in your faith walk, in your nation, and in your world. The
sheep attribute is indicated by (S) and the wolf attribute indicated by
a (W) to help you in your discernment.
Is the person a person of love (S) or anger, bitterness, or hate (W)?
Does the person show love in attitude (S) or hatred and anger in
attitude (W)?
Is the person alive in spirit (S) or dead in spirit (W)?
Does the person seem dead inside of himself or herself when no one is
watching (W) or is the person just tired from being a servant (S)?
Is there joy in the person (S) or is there a smile without the joy
(W)?
Do you see joyous actions or hear joyous words (W)?
Is there praise in the speech of the person (S) or condemnation (W)?
Is there hateful gossip in the person’s speech (W) or an expression
of genuine concern and compassion for others (S)?
Does the person indicate to you that they humbly walk in another’s
shoes (S) or does the person just speak about how they serve others (W)?
Is there a peace about the person regardless of the circumstances
they are in (S) or is there always an inward or outward turmoil in the
person’s life (W)?
Is there a disagreeable nature and a war mentality within the soul of
this person (W)?
Is the person patient (S) or does the person have to have what they
want as soon as they want it (W)?
Is the person kind (S) or is there an underlying cruelty and
crudeness about them? (W)
When the person laughs, do they laugh at things because they are
crazy and out of place (S), or do they laugh at the misfortune of others
(W)?
Does the person want to become an immediate leader in a group they
are in without any regard for who is in the group (W), or is the person
willing to be a servant in the group and serve others (S)?
Does the person want to be noticed (W) or is the person willing to be
unnoticed (S)?
Is the person willing to attract attention to himself or herself by
behaving in certain ways (W)?
Does the person live to do good things for others with no thought of
reward (S) or does the person live to do good things for others to be
rewarded for doing good things for others (W)?
Does the person talk about the good things they do for others (W) or
does the person keep quiet about their service (S)?
Does the does the person live to do things only for themselves to
feed their own interest (W), or does the person live to do things for
others with no thought of reward?
Is the person faithful to God (S) or does the person fall from the
faith easily (W)?
Has the person been able to stand the tests of faith and remain
faithful despite hardship (S) or is the person infected with doubt and
cynicism because of hardship (W)?
Is the person suspicious of others only to protect their own position
(W) or is the person suspicious of others to protect others (S)?
In the person, is there a gentleness or gentle nature (S)?
Is the person self-controlled (S) or is the person controlled by
forces outside of themselves (W)?
Is the person self-controlled (S) or is the person’s life
controlled by alcohol, drugs, mental factors of various kinds, or by
emotional forces (W)?
So good are the wolves among you that any person can be deceived.
Satan is at work in the lives of both believers and non-believers. A
believer who is not vigilant in their spiritual life can become an
instrument of Satan or a wolf without realizing it. This is why we must
always pray that God will keep us persons of love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
May Christ Jesus bless you and keep you in His grace and love.
