Welcome back. Great is His faithfulness.
Matthew 10:16
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless[a]as doves.
Jesus is instructing his disciples (This is for us as well) to be WISE AS SERPENTS this was to make sure they would not be unnecessarily wounded, and that they would take all advantage in the spread of the gospel. Our Lord also instructs them to be HARMLESS AS DOVES so that they should not retaliate against those who do them wrong, meaning they (and we) should be blameless in their (our) witness of the gospel.
"Before sending the disciples out on their own, Jesus equipped them with His authority, a bunch of practical instructions, and a few animal similes."
"The sheep-among wolves comparison was a good review." (The Chosen 40 Days with Jesus Devotional Book 3, page 84).
Matthew 7:15-20
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
You will know them by their fruits. False teachers and false prophets can easily deceive others, especially those who put on a show of virtue or religion are seen as more dangerous than those who are just plain evil outright. Stay cautious around those who are outwardly virtuous.
Prayer Focus from the Devotional - See my video for the rest of the Devotional and discussion over the moving forward questions.
When you are sent out as sheep among wolves, pray that God would empower you be as shrewd as a snake and as innocent as a dove, i.e., careful, gentle, and smart because of course, those are all good things. But also ask for wisdom and discernment to avoid the lies of the evil one, and for courage and boldness to speak the truth of the gospel to those who are in desperate need of healing.
My closing message was about having an understanding heart with those who disagree with us. I also talked about how our faith in Christ is not naive. Please see my video for the full message.
Numbers 6:24-26
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord [a]lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’
In Christ love Jared W Campbell
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