Discerning False Prophets

Indeed, we live in an age of cunning voices. And what I mean by this is that many people claim to have the truth, but much of what they are saying does not agree with the Truth as it is in Jesus Christ. Thus, they are false teachers working under the influence of deceiving spirits who are on a quest to draw us away from “the Way, the Truth, and the Life”—Jesus Christ.

Jesus warned us of such people when He had said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” (Mat 7:15 NKJV) In other words, Jesus’ point here is that these false prophets would appear to be good, but in essence, they are filled with lies and deceit, and are therefore very dangerous!

So what can we do to safeguard ourselves from these blind guides and deceiving spirits? How do we identify who they are?

The Bible says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (1Jn 1:6-10)

Notice how John speaks of practicing the truth and confession of sin. The idea here is that when we become acquainted with the truth we will likewise recognize our need for Jesus Christ, as it is only through Him that we can be saved. Thus, we will acknowledge our dependence on Him by confessing our sins to Him.

Yet, it doesn’t stop there…

We will also allow His righteousness to so envelope our lives that we will no longer walk in darkness, but will walk in the light as He is in the light. Meaning, we will strive to be like Him in character.

Those who speak in the name of God but deny that we are to live by and uphold the teachings of Jesus Christ in this way, are not speaking according to the Spirit of God, and can’t be trusted to teach us what God would have us to know about Him and His will for us.

But are we left in the dark when it comes to knowing what it means to walk with Christ?

No.

You see, we can be sure to find the truth as it is in Jesus Christ by reading the Holy Scriptures. For, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Ti 3:16-17) So it is evident then, that what God would have us to know about Him and His will for us in terms of what we should believe and how we should behave, can be found in the Bible…

Therefore, the Holy Scriptures are to be used as a measure to test the spirits, and thus identify if they are speaking according to, and living by the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. For, if they are not speaking according to God’s word, then we should not listen to them. And if they are not walking in Jesus’ steps, then we should not follow them.

Of course, we wouldn’t know the difference without knowing the Holy Scriptures, as these false teachers are wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing. Meaning, they are very influential, but in an evil way. So it is vital for us to spend time in the Word each day, applying its teachings to our lives, and using it as a means to test the spirits. By doing this we will know who they are, as by walking in the light as Jesus is in the light, all things that are contrary to the truth will become visible to us…