Be Aware

DEVOTION 2 PETER BE AWARE 2 Peter 2:13-16 13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed — an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey — a beast without speech — who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness. NIV More continuation of the past statement regarding these false prophets and teacher, with an even clearer picture of what these people are like is recorded for our insight. It would seem it does not require a whole lot of discernment to pick these people out from the real and true followers of Christ. Yet I find it so difficult to understand how so many supposed Christians are deceived by these people. Why are their churches jammed full, their auditoriums packed to capacity with all the big multi-media screens and televisions cameras recording their every expression, their every word as if they are some god. All the while they have become experts at fleecing the flock, extorting as much money as possible from each of their followers. Phrases like, “Trust God, he will provide for you”, while they depend on you to provide for them, certainly shows their true colors. They quote that those who serve the church are due double honor, especially those who teach and preach, but they say nothing about what kind of lives they live, as some have been catch doing. We who know God and love him and desire to live in a manner which pleases him should be extremely careful not to be dragged into believing and of their empty words. We need hear the voice of the Spirit instead of their voices. Sure they include some of the truth of God, just enough to make it sound right, but if we listen with a discerning ear, a discerning spirit as powered by the Spirit, we will hear the heresy in their words. The warning to us here is to stay clear of them, keep our distant, for they will not escape the harm which is in store for them. The warning here is for us not to be unstable which are the ones who they seduce. These unstable do not have a full understanding of the truth of God; they are simply not grounded in the Word of God. How has this happened? Has the true church, the real body of Christ failed in bringing them along in the right path? Perhaps they were never a part of the true body of Christ. Perhaps these who have been seduced were unbelievers from the beginning and were seduced into thinking they are believers. But it does not appear this warning is to them, but to us. This encourages us to make sure we are stable and secure in the truth of God so we can know these people for who they are. The truth of God has not deception, not one word. So once again be aware.