Believer Beware!

Verse of the day: Jude 1:20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Believer beware! The Word of God warns us that there will be false teachers who will infiltrate the church. This is why it is important that we not just read God's Word, but we must also properly study it. When the devil tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, he used (actually misused) Scripture. Jesus pushed back by quoting it in its correct, and proper, context. Jude speaks of false teachers, and how they are out to use God's Word for selfish gain. They teach falsely in order to gain glory for themselves, and their messages are empty, powerless, and fruitless. They preach to gain that which pleases the flesh, and gains them worldly treasure, rather than heavenly reward. They are compared to clouds that have no rain to offer, but instead are driven by the wind; like a tree whose fruit withers (useless fruit). We are to avoid them, and their evil influence. We are to prayerfully learn the truths found in God's Word. Even if we hear a solid, well interpreted message, we should be searching the Scriptures ourselves, even as the Bereans did when the Apostle Paul preached to them. Through the seeking of truth, led by the Spirit who indwells us and give us understanding of the Word, we are to grow closer to God, seeking the return of Jesus, and in love, correcting those who have strayed from truth because of these false teachers. The bottom line is that each of us will be accountable for our own faith. Therefore, we must be careful to properly, and diligently, dissect, and study, the Word of God, so that we are not led astray, and so we lead not others astray. The Word of God is never to be used for our own personal gain or glory. It is God's, and we have been entrusted with it, to lead others to Jesus, and glorify God, as we live it out obediently, and honestly.