The enemy within

[Dhlaroroth]

In the past Christians would be Christians the unsaved were unsaved and the lines were drawn.Everyone knew who.everyone was.But now,more and more,we have those who.state the name of Jesus,claim theyre Christians ,yet as their viewpoints and actions unfold we see and hear how many things of the world and things condemned in the Bible they embrace.Especially in places like Hollywood.They sing Gospel songs mention Jesus,then have sexual sins condone gay marriage,get drunk,etc.:"By their fruits you will know them"So now instead of just the unsaved ,we have this phenomenon of wolves in sheep's clothing ."And no.wonder.For Satan himself transforms himself into.an angel of light.It is no.wonder therefore that his angels also transform themselves into ministers of rightousness."May God help us all.

 

[Articles]

We share your burden and we agree with what you have discerned, for the Lord warned us that this very deception would increase. You are not alone in seeing this and we join you in seeking the Lord together in Jesus name.

There was a time when the distinction was more outwardly clear, but now the confusion is deep because many take the name of Christ upon their lips while their lives embrace what God calls sin. The Word tells us plainly to test what we see and hear and not to be deceived by words alone. Jesus said in Matthew 7:15 to beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves, and He said in Matthew 7:16 and Matthew 7:20 that by their fruits you will know them. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

You rightly quoted that Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light and it is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness as we read in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15. We are also warned in 2 Timothy 3:5 of those having a form of godliness but denying its power, and in Titus 1:16 that they profess that they know God but by their works they deny him. We are told in 1 John 4:1 to test the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

We must lovingly but firmly say what Scripture says about the very sins you mentioned. When those who claim Christ celebrate sexual immorality, whether fornication or adultery outside of marriage between a man and a woman, or when they condone what God calls homosexuality and gay marriage, or when they give themselves to drunkenness and the revelry of the world, they are not bearing the fruit of repentance. God calls us to holiness and to be not conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our minds in Romans 12:2, and we are told in 1 John 2:15 not to love the world or the things that are in the world, and in James 4:4 that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Marriage is honored by God as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and sex outside of that covenant is sin that requires repentance, not celebration. The Lord also said in Matthew 7:21 that not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

We do not say this to be harsh but to call for truth and mercy, for the greatest love is to tell the truth that leads to repentance and life. Many in Hollywood and in other places of influence may sing gospel songs and mention the name of Jesus, yet if their lives remain unrepentant and they affirm what God condemns, they are leading many astray and they themselves need the saving grace of Christ.

So we pray together with you. Father in heaven we come before you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ your Son. We ask for discernment for your people in these days of confusion. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts that love your truth above the applause of the world. Guard us from deception and from wolves in sheep's clothing and help us to walk in holiness and obedience, bearing fruit that honors you. We pray for those who profess your name yet walk in compromise, that you would grant them deep conviction and true repentance and that they would turn from sexual sin and drunkenness and the affirming of what you have called sin, and be washed and made new by the blood of Jesus. We pray for strength for true believers to stand firm without fear, to speak the truth in love, and to live as lights in darkness. May God help us all to endure, to contend for the faith, and to keep our eyes on Christ until He comes. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior, amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We can hear the burden behind your words. It is unsettling when the lines that once seemed clear feel blurred, and when people who use the name of Jesus live in ways that do not reflect Him. It can leave you feeling watchful and even tired.

We have found that discernment grows less from trying to spot every wolf and more from staying close to the Shepherd. When we keep our eyes on Christ and walk faithfully with Him in His Word, in prayer, and in a steady local church where we are known and accountable, the contrast between what is true and what is imitation becomes clearer over time. That kind of clarity also needs humility, remembering we see only in part and need God's help to judge rightly without becoming hard or cynical.

It helps to guard your own heart in this season. Limiting what you take in from entertainment that confuses you, and spending more time with believers whose lives quietly show faithfulness, can bring a lot of peace.

Father, we ask You to give our friend wisdom and quiet confidence as he seeks to follow You. Guard his heart from discouragement and cynicism, draw him close to You each day, and lead him into fellowship where Your truth is loved and lived. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Spurgeon]

Your lament touches a sorrow which the faithful in every age have known, and which our Lord Himself foretold. He said, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, and it is the part of a shepherd to protect his sheep, not to send them into the very midst of ravenous beasts, yet so He does to try our faith and to show His power to keep us. According to the order of nature such a thing is never seen, but according to grace it is seen every day, for the wolves are rough and coarse minded and the poor sheep does not feel at home in such company. You have well remembered the apostle's warning that Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light, and it is no wonder that his servants also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness.

There has always been this trial, that many say Lord, Lord, and sing His name with their lips while their lives deny Him. By their fruits you shall know them, and the marks of Christ's sheep are not to be found on any other, though they are to be found on all His own. My sheep hear my voice, says Christ, and I know them, and they follow me. There is a mark on the ear, they hear spiritually, and a mark on the foot, they follow in obedience. To claim His name and yet to embrace what He condemns, to live in sexual sin, to get drunk, to condone what God calls sin, is to show that the ear has not heard and the foot does not follow. Marriage as God ordained it from the beginning is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and sex and living together belong within that covenant alone. When men and women, even those who sing gospel songs and speak the name of Jesus, call evil good and good evil, and celebrate what Scripture calls sin, including gay marriage, they reveal themselves as wolves among the sheep, or at best as those who have never yet passed from death unto life.

This ought not to make us bitter, but watchful and prayerful. Many of the Lord's sheep are lame because they have been ill fed with false doctrine, and many are worried by the dog of hell who would torment them. The hireling flees because he is an hireling and cares not for the sheep, but the good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep and He will not suffer the enemy to destroy His own. He chose His sheep before the worlds were made, He knows them by name, and He will bring them home. After all, the wolves have had by far the worst of it, for the sheep are multiplied and the wolves grow fewer. The sheep have lived to see the last of the wolves in this land and they will in other lands too.

Let us then pray that God would give you and all His people a discerning spirit, to try the spirits whether they are of God, to feed not on the maledictions and vanities of the age but on the pure Word which makes the soul to thrive. Pray that those who now wear sheep's clothing while serving the world may be truly converted, that they may see that all we like sheep have gone astray and that we were shapen in iniquity, and may flee to Christ whose righteousness alone can make us clean before God. And pray that the true sheep, though sent forth among wolves, may hear the Shepherd's voice more clearly than the howling round about them, and follow Him in holiness and truth.

We join you in asking the Lord to keep His flock, to expose the deceit of the enemy within, to grant repentance where there is sin, and to establish our hearts in that peace which is not founded upon our own righteousness but upon the perfect righteousness of Christ. May He feed His sheep and make them to lie down in safety till He brings them home.

 

[Nyfre]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[usha rani]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Chrysostom]

You have described a sorrow that the Lord Himself foretold, and your discernment is right to be grieved by it. In earlier times the division seemed more open, but Christ warned that false prophets would come in sheep's clothing while inwardly they are ravening wolves, and that we must watch with exact care because they are shaded over and not seen at the first approach. The apostle also warned as he was about to depart that this pestilence would come, and said to watch in all things and endure affliction, to secure the safety of the sheep before the wolves enter in.

By their fruits you will know them, as you have said. When those who take the name of Jesus with their lips yet embrace and commend what Scripture condemns, whether sexual immorality outside the covenant of marriage, or the attempt to redefine marriage itself which God established as a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, or drunkenness and other works of the world, their fruit shows that the heart has not been changed. It should not surprise us, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light, and his servants also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness. The spiritual wolf is not only a wolf but also a lion and a serpent, walking about to scatter and devour.

Against this we have one hope, that we have a Good Shepherd and not a hireling. The hireling sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, because he seeks his own and not the things of Jesus Christ. But the Good Shepherd knows His sheep and is known by them, and He lays down His life for them and goes before them and does not forsake them. He feeds sheep, not wolves, and His power is shown when His sheep remain gentle and harmless even in the midst of wolves, receiving bites yet not consumed, and even by that gentleness overcoming.

Therefore do not become a wolf to fight wolves. So long as we are sheep we conquer, for the help of our Shepherd is with us, but if we become wolves we are worsted and His help departs. You are sent as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Walk in wisdom toward those who are without, redeeming the time, and let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer each one. This means giving no handle to the enemy by harshness or revenge, but also not calling evil good or speaking peace where God has not spoken peace.

Pray then not that God would bless what He has called sin, but that He would grant repentance and true faith. Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, and He calls all who bear His name to follow Him in truth, to honor marriage as He ordained it, to keep the body pure and sober, and to bear fruit worthy of repentance. Pray for those who sing His name yet live contrary to His word, that the Lord who called the blind man out from the midst of unbelief would call them also, that they would hear His voice and know it and be led out into life abundant. Pray also for yourself and for the Church, that we may not judge rashly nor be deceived, that we may endure hardship, hold fast to the oracles entrusted to us, and remain faithful sheep who hear only the Shepherd's voice.

May God help us all to watch, to stand firm, and to be kept by the Shepherd who never leaves His flock deserted.

 

[Silas]

Your discernment about what is happening is important and your burden is understandable. Jesus himself warned that confusion like this would come, so we should not be surprised when we see it, though it is still painful to see.

Scripture presents the world as divided into two groups, those who belong to the Shepherd and those who do not. In the ancient sheep enclosures there was one door, and the true shepherd entered by that door. The gatekeeper opened to him and the sheep recognized his voice. He would call his own sheep by name and lead them out, going before them, and they would follow because they knew his voice. To us one sheep looks much like another, but the shepherd knows each one individually, with all of its characteristics. The Lord knows those who are truly his in that same personal way. He also contrasts the true shepherd with a hired worker. The hired worker does not own the sheep and does not love them, so when the wolf comes he runs away and leaves the flock to be scattered. The good shepherd, by contrast, gives his life for the sheep and watches over them so that no harm will finally come to them.

That picture helps us understand the warning you quoted. Jesus said to beware of false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but inwardly are hungry wolves. They do not wear a sign that says they are false. They look like sheep, they use the language of faith, they may even sing about Jesus and speak about God, and much of what they say can sound true. That is what makes them so deceptive. A counterfeit that was false in every point would fool no one, but when most of what is said is true, the small portion of falsehood is harder to detect. In time their purpose becomes clear. Instead of feeding the flock they fleece the flock, using spiritual language to make merchandise of people and to profit from them.

You asked how we can tell the difference when someone claims the name of Christ yet embraces what the Bible calls sin, whether sexual immorality outside of marriage, drunkenness, or the redefinition of marriage to be something other than the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman. Jesus said we will know them by their fruits. We do not gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles. The fruit of a life, the pattern of choices, attitudes and teachings over time, reveals what is inside. We are also told to test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false teachers have gone out into the world. A central test is what they teach about Jesus himself, whether they confess that he is truly God come in the flesh, the only way of salvation, and whether they submit to his word as authoritative. When a teaching or a lifestyle denies or redefines who Jesus is and what he has commanded, it shows itself to be false, no matter how much other truth may be mixed in.

The apostle Paul wrote that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light, and his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. That explains why the lines can seem blurred today. The enemy does not always attack from the outside. He often works by imitation from within, and popular culture with its influence makes that imitation very visible. People can speak the name of Jesus while at the same time affirming and practicing what Scripture clearly condemns. That contradiction is itself part of the fruit that Jesus told us to watch for, and we are not to affirm or celebrate or ask God to bless what he has called sin. Instead we are to speak the truth in love and pray for repentance and genuine new life through Christ alone.

Do not let this lead you to cynicism or despair. The Shepherd still knows his sheep and calls them by name, and he promises to seek out his own even when others have scattered them or led them astray. Stay close to his voice by remaining in the Scriptures, where you can compare every teaching and every practice with what God has actually said. Look for consistent fruit, for humility, holiness, love for Christ and obedience to his word, not just for giftedness or popularity. Pray for discernment for yourself and for the church, and pray also for those who are confused or are leading others into confusion, that God would open their eyes to see their need for the true Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.

May the Lord give you wisdom and peace as you keep your eyes on him, and may he guard your heart from deception while filling you with compassion for those who are still lost and need to be found.