How To Spot A Hidden Wolf pt1

On April 14,1970, The crew of the Apollo 13 experienced a major technical fault in their electrical system. While radioing back to mission headquarters in Houston Texas, Astronaut John Swigert said to Base: “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Decades later, in the 1995 film “Apollo 13” the tag line was changed to the now infamous: “Houston, we have a problem.”

Since the Apollo 13 movie has come out, many times in western culture we use the tag line anytime there is a problem of any sort. In Acts 20, towards the end of a very heart felt goodbye to the Elders of the Ephesian church, Paul gives a “Church, we have a problem” kind of statement. The problem is found in Acts 20:29-30 which says:

Acts 20:29-30 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

Paul refers to these false prophets as wolves, echoing Jesus, who referred to them as “wolves in sheep’s clothing” in Matt 7:15. Here, Paul says that they will come in from outside, AND from among those who are considered to be Elders/Pastors! these men who teach perverse things, desire to draw the flock away from God as well! There are many men and women out there who are presenting themselves as pastors, evangelists, teachers, and healers etc. who are actually wolves in sheep’s clothing.

So how do we spot these wolves…if they are so subtle that they are disguising themselves as sheep? Peter wrote his 2nd epistle to believers to elevate the importance and preeminence of God’s Word, as well as to warn them to beware of false teachers. at the end of this epistle, Peter tells us how we can remain steadfast and discerning so that we are not deceived by these grievous wolves. Let’s take a look at 2Peter 15b-18a which says:

2 Peter 3:15-18 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As Peter reminds us, those who are unlearned in God’s Word, will end up twisting scripture…which is only to our own harm, and to harm of others. Therefore Peter reminds us to be on guard so that we are not led away by the error of those who twist scripture, so that we don’t fall from steadfastness. So how does Peter say that we are to not be led astray? Verse 18 tells us that we are to: GROW in the GRACE and KNOWLEDGE of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! And how do we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ? by spending much time studying Him in God’s Word. Without this we are setting ourselves up for deception.

So how do we spot these hidden wolves? 2 Peter 2 gives us some clear characteristics of false teachers to look for as we grow in discernment. It’s important to remember that most false teachers will not visibly have all of these characteristics, nor will they always be obvious. Here are just 9 out of the many Characteristics listed in 2Peter 2:

1. They teach destructive heresies

2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

2. They follow their feelings, not Truth

2 Peter 2:2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;

3. They are Greedy

2 Peter 2:3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

4. They Despise Authority

2 Peter 2:10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties,

<>Many times, a warning sign of such men is that while on one hand they LOVE to be the one in authority, and lord it over their followers.

5. They indulge their wicked desires

2Pete 2:10

6. They have a flippancy about spiritual things

2 Peter 2:10

7. They follow after money

2 Peter 2:15 forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

8. They are arrogant

2 Peter 2:18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error,

9. They emphasize freedom (Christian Liberty)

2 Peter 2:19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

<>Many times false teachers will emphasize “Christian Liberty” as a license to do whatever. However, Romans 14 and 1 Cor 8-10 make it crystal clear that Christian Liberty is all about what we give up for the sake of the gospel going forth rather than what we are allowed to indulge in.

This list is certainly not exhaustive of the qualities found of these false teachers here in 2Peter 2, much less the rest of scripture. That’s why in the next post we will take a look at a few more characteristics of these wolves. You might be surprised to see how some of those qualities we have discussed or will discuss have subtly made their way into the teachings of some prominent “Christian Pastors, Teachers and Televangelists. You won’t want to miss it! in the meantime, Open up God’s Word and grow in the grace AND knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ so that we wont fall from steadfastness!

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A Plea For Discernment

In the last post I shared a personal experience which highlighted to me the need for discernment in the life of a believer. While scripture shows us that discernment is indeed vital, sadly so many in the church today don’t have it. Even worse, there are some who don’t even believe that it is important! If you are one who doesn’t believe discernment to be all that important, I implore you to keep reading. Today I’d like to take a look at four principles in scripture which show us why a believer cannot successfully live the Christian life without this thing called discernment.

1. We WILL be deceived without it

There is no question about it. It’s not a matter of if we will or will not be deceived without discernment, it is an absolute guarantee. Why? Because there are those out there who are make it their mission to deceive believers! A few passages that attest to this are as follows :

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

<>Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light, just as he did when he disguised himself as the serpent and deceived Eve

<>The workers of Satan actually disguise themselves as men and women of God!

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

<>Many false prophets have already gone out into the world! we MUST learn how to recognize them!

Romans 16:18 For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

<>These men use appealing tactics to deceive such as smooth talk and flattery.

2. We WILL be taken captive without it

The danger of lacking discernment doesn’t end with being deceived. Once we are deceived by Satan or his ministers (disguised as false prophets), we will then move on to be taken captive.

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

<>If we are not growing in discernment, we will be taken captive by the philosophies of this world…which is exactly what is being taught by the false apostles mentioned in 2 Cor 11:13-15

3. We WILL NOT be able to discern good and evil without it

Philippians 1:9-10 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;

<>In this passage Paul is seen as constantly praying, among other things that the believers would grow more and more in their discernment. He explains that those who grow in their discernment will be able to prove that which is excellent.

<>The reverse of that would also prove true: if we are not growing in discernment, we will end up approving that witch is evil!

4. We WILL NOT grow to spiritual maturity without it

Hebrews 5:13-14 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

<>This passage could not be clearer! if we do not grow in our discernment, we have no way to grow to maturity. Not much more needs to be said here.

While these passages are not the only scripture regarding the need for discernment, they provide a good framework for understanding why it is so important in the life of the believer. To sum it up, if we develop discernment, we will be less likely to be deceived by false teachers, less likely to be taken captive by worldly philosophies, be able to perceive that which is good (i.e discern good and evil), and therefore, we will be able to grow to maturity.

Ok, so we can see that discernment is important, and that both Satan and his false teachers are out there trying to deceive the hearts of the simple. But how exactly can we tell if someone is actually a false teacher? Let’s take a further look at that in the next post.

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Could A Beautiful Angel Be Dangerous?

A few months ago I purchased and download several albums and songs to compile into a playlist of hymns and other worship music. As I was looking up different songs and albums on Itunes, I came across a beautiful rendition of “nearer my God to thee” by an acapella men’s group. As I proceeded to listen to the clips off of their album, I saw other familiar songs such as “I need Thee every hour” “Be still my soul” and Come thou fount”. After listening to the preview clips, it didn’t take long for me to decide to download their whole album for the playlist.

Over the next few weeks, as I listened to the playlist of over 200 songs, I heard a song by the same men’s acapella group that I had never heard before. The song was to the tune of “Scotland the Brave” and had lyrics that seemed to very much elevate Christ. The song contained lines such as “Great is His glory and endless His Priesthood” and “Blessed to open the last dispensation, Kings will extol him and nations revere” and “his blood pleads unto heaven while earth lauds his name”.

Upon hearing this beautiful seemingly Christ-centered song, I began to enjoy it more and more as it would rotate onto the playlist. However, after a while I noticed a line of the song which made me say “hmmmmm…” The line sounded like it said “mingling with gods He can plan for His brethren” My though was “maybe I’m hearing it wrong, it probably says God (singular) and I just sounds like they are putting an S on the end, and I’m hearing them wrong.” And so I shrugged it off.

Not long after however, another line stood out to me “Earth must atone for the blood of that man” upon hearing this line, I said to myself “now wait a minute! According to God’s Word, the blood of that man (the God-man) atoned for the sins earth…the earth need not atone for his blood.” It was at this point that I decided that I needed to look up the lyrics.

After confirming that I was indeed hearing these lines correctly, I decided to research the history of the song. I was NOT prepared for what I found.

The following was discovered on several websites (including Mormon websites). In the early 1800s the writer of the song entitled “Praise to the man”, William W. Phelps was one of the early followers of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon religion. At one point there was a rift between Smith and Phelps, at which point Phelps left the Mormon church. Phelps ended up having a hand in bringing Smith to trial in Illinois. As the years went on, Phelps experienced a change of heart, which prompted him to seek forgiveness from Smith. The reaction of Smith to this “repentance” by Phelps was to welcome him back into the Mormon church with open arms.

Phelps was so grateful for this grace shown him by Smith that when Smith died, Phelps wanted to write a song in honor of him. Therefore he wrote the song “Praise to the man”.

Wait a minute?!?!? You mean that song wasn’t written about Christ…but about Smith?!?!?….yep! It is amazing that this song which at face value seems to be elevating Christ, is actually talking about Joseph Smith! The fact that Phelps attributes so many noncommunicable roles and attributes of Christ to Joseph Smith moves well beyond the realm of heresy, into straight up blasphemy!

But at a glance it sounded pretty good! Yes, and that’s the danger. 2 Cor 11:14 says: “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

Satan doesn’t always parade himself around in a way which we believers will immediately recognize him. No, rather as the verse indicates, desires to do his very best to deceive each and every one of us!

So this leads me to ask a question: is discernment important? I believe the answer to that question is quite obvious. Therefore in the next post I would like to take a look at what scripture says about discernment: why it is important, and how we can develop it. Stay tuned!

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But I Don’t Understand Her!

Today I  have the privilege of guest posting on abiblicalmarriage .com. Go Check it out! click here!

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Are You Married to a Difficult Man?

Today I have the privilege of guest posting on abiblicalmarriage.com. Go one over and check it out! you can read the post by clicking here!

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A Mother Worth Emulating

While I wrote this post last mothers day, the same rings true today. Please take the time and read. This mother’s day, as in many of the past, hundreds of millions of people will crowd in the pews of hundreds of thousands of churches around the world. Sermons will be preached on the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31, or perhaps character portraits of various mothers in the Bible such as Hannah; Naomi; Elizabeth, Mary and more. Carnations will be given to them, choirs will sing in honor of them and children will give Sunday School crafts made for them. But then the hype will die down and we will go about our daily lives. But outside of the Bible, who can we look to for an incredible example of a godly mother? I can think of no better place to look than my mom: Priscilla May Cartwright. Just like Hannah in 1Samuel 1-2, for many years my mother was unable to have children. Just like Hannah, my mother had a strong desire to have children, and it was very difficult to accept the fact that this might never be a reality in her life. After many years of no children (when my mother was 37 years old), just like in the case of Hannah, God opened up her womb and she conceived myself and my twin sister. But you know what? Just like Hannah, when my mom did give birth, she did not consider us to be HER children, but rather she recognized that we were entrusted to her and my Father…for them to raise us in the ways of the Lord. While my sister and I were still very young infants, my parents dedicated us publically at the local church which they were a part of, as a testament to their church of their God-ordained role as stewards of us. As we grew up, my parents (while not perfect) did their best to raise us up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. While many other parents focused on the externals…rules rules rules…my parents focused on something much deeper…shepherding our hearts. They were not trying to make “perfect little angels”, instead they were trying to cultivate within us hearts that were dedicated to following God. Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” By God’s grace I am a living example of this verse…as it is because of many years of sacrifice and training that my parents have helped to lay a spiritual foundation, upon which the rest of my life is being built. One of the hardest things for many mothers is to let go of the reigns of their children when they are adults. Transitioning from the role of parental authority to an advising fellow adult is an incredibly hard transfer. This is because the only role that a parent has known in the lives of their children is that of authority for 2 decades. Many parents still try to baby their young adult children (not encourage them to take up responsibility), and therefore stifle their children’s ability to function as responsible adults. Other parents have unfulfilled hopes and dreams which they never able to accomplish in their own lives. “I could never have been a Doctor so my daughter will!” “I never was able to be a Pastor so I will make sure my son does!” Therefore, they try to live vicariously through their children, pushing them to pursue the career that they were never able to…and in many ways try to control every aspect of their lives well into their 20s, 30s and beyond. However this was never the case with my mother. She has always done an excellent job in lovingly pushing me to take up the responsibility of adulthood. At 27 years old I have been functioning independently in the post college adult world, and I have been thriving largely as a result to her loving encouragement to functions as not just an independent adult…but a God-dependant one. Many mothers go through extremely difficult trials…trials that bring about much grief and pain into the lives of those affected by them. One such trial came upon my mother 6 years ago, when my father (her husband of over 30years) died suddenly of a heart attack. I have watched many many times as others have had similar tragedies play out in their lives. sadly, so many people respond to these trials with poor responses such as: bitterness; a complaining spirit; a “God owes me” mentality and much more. So many people use their tragedy to excuse these sinful ways of handling grief. However, my mother has used this tragedy in her life as an opportunity to grow closer to Christ and to become more like him. Instead of growing bitter, she became a shining example of what it means to trust God’s sovereignty, and she continues to have an extremely positive attitude about life, even in the midst of incredible loss. She has been an incredible example and encouragement to me as to how to respond to tragedy and how comfort others with the same comfort that God gave to her. You want to know what it means to be a godly mom? Well you can look to my mom as an example of which you can emulate…because she is a woman whose life is submitted to God and is patterned after his Word. Proverbs 31:12-31 “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.” <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Has Priscilla Cartwright touched your life? Please leave a comment on this post sharing what she means to you! And don’t forget to like the striving for wisdom facebook fanpage so you can keep updated with all of the latest posts!

 

Happy New Year!!

 

A Biblical Marriage

Guess What? I have the opportunity to guest post on a brand new blog that just launched this week called A Biblical Marriage!

Yes, there quite a few Christian blogs out there about marriage, but have you ever noticed… most of them are written by women for women. While there is nothing wrong with that in itself, we who are a part of www.abiblicalmarriage.com believe that it is important that there are also blogs out there by BOTH men and women, written to BOTH men and women.

This is what sets ABM apart and I am excited to be a part of this new project! Check them out at www.abiblicalmarriage.com and don’t forget to like them on Facebook by clicking here!

 

A Journey Home

You may have noticed that over the past few days my Posts have been a little more few and far between. This is because I have the wonderful opportunity to visit my home country, The Bahamas not just once, but possibly twice in a two week time period!

I am on the first trip right now, visiting my home town of Nassau on the island of New Providence as well as Marsh Harbor, Abaco (where I am right now, planning to fly back to Nassau in a few hours) visiting some of my family here. The main purpose of this trip is to bring down with me a very special young lady and her mother so that they can see where I have grown up and meet some of my Bahamian family. We have had a wonderful time going to the beach as well as just hanging out with family.

Yeah…I wish we were taking a Caravan on floats!!

The next trip will be with a few of my students who want to build flight time by flying down to the Bahamas. On this next trip, we will fly a single engine Cessna 172 down to Florida, then across the pond to Nassau. Then from Nassau to one of the Exuma cays then on to Cat Island, then on to Abaco, Grand Bahamas island, and back to the USA.

Stay tuned! Because after completing the series on remembering my father, I plan to post a picture filled log of the trip with my students as we embark on our island hopping adventure!

 

A Mother Worth Emulating

This mother’s day, as in many of the past, hundreds of millions of people will crowd in the pews of hundreds of thousands of churches around the world. Sermons will be preached on the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31, or perhaps character portraits of various mothers in the Bible such as Hannah; Naomi; Elizabeth, Mary and more. Carnations will be given to them, choirs will sing in honor of them and children will give Sunday School crafts made for them. But then the hype will die down and we will go about our daily lives. But outside of the Bible, who can we look to for an incredible example of a godly mother? I can think of no better place to look than my mom: Priscilla May Cartwright.

Just like Hannah in 1Samuel 1-2, for many years my mother was unable to have children. Just like Hannah, my mother had a strong desire to have children, and it was very difficult to accept the fact that this might never be a reality in her life. After many years of no children (when my mother was 37 years old), just like in the case of Hannah, God opened up her womb and she conceived myself and my twin sister. But you know what? Just like Hannah, when my mom did give birth, she did not consider us to be HER children, but rather she recognized that we were entrusted to her and my Father…for them to raise us in the ways of the Lord. While my sister and I were still very young infants, my parents dedicated us publically at the local church which they were a part of, as a testament to their church of their God-ordained role as stewards of us.

As we grew up, my parents (while not perfect) did their best to raise us up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. While many other parents focused on the externals…rules rules rules…my parents focused on something much deeper…shepherding our hearts. They were not trying to make “perfect little angels”, instead they were trying to cultivate within us hearts that were dedicated to following God. Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” By God’s grace I am a living example of this verse…as it is because of many years of sacrifice and training that my parents have helped to lay a spiritual foundation, upon which the rest of my life is being built.

One of the hardest things for many mothers is to let go of the reigns of their children when they are adults. Transitioning from the role of parental authority to an advising fellow adult is an incredibly hard transfer. This is because the only role that a parent has known in the lives of their children is that of authority for 2 decades. Many parents still try to baby their young adult children (not encourage them to take up responsibility), and therefore stifle their children’s ability to function as responsible adults. Other parents have unfulfilled hopes and dreams which they never able to accomplish in their own lives. “I could never have been a Doctor so my daughter will!” “I never was able to be a Pastor so I will make sure my son does!” Therefore, they try to live vicariously through their children, pushing them to pursue the career that they were never able to…and in many ways try to control every aspect of their lives well into their 20s, 30s and beyond. However this was never the case with my mother. She has always done an excellent job in lovingly pushing me to take up the responsibility of adulthood. At 26 years old I have been functioning independently in the post college adult world, and I have been thriving largely as a result to her loving encouragement to functions as not just an independent adult…but a God-dependant one.

Many mothers go through extremely difficult trials…trials that bring about much grief and pain into the lives of those affected by them. One such trial came upon my mother 6 years ago, when my father (her husband of over 30years) died suddenly of a heart attack. I have watched many many times as others have had similar tragedies play out in their lives. sadly, so many people respond to these trials with poor responses such as: bitterness; a complaining spirit; a “God owes me” mentality and much more. So many people use their tragedy to excuse these sinful ways of handling grief. However, my mother has used this tragedy in her life as an opportunity to grow closer to Christ and to become more like him. Instead of growing bitter, she became a shining example of what it means to trust God’s sovereignty, and she continues to have an extremely positive attitude about life, even in the midst of incredible loss. She has been an incredible example and encouragement to me as to how to respond to tragedy and how comfort others with the same comfort that God gave to her.

You want to know what it means to be a godly mom? Well you can look to my mom as an example of which you can emulate…because she is a woman whose life is submitted to God and is patterned after his Word.

Proverbs 31:12-31 “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”

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Has Priscilla Cartwright touched your life? Please leave a comment on this post sharing what she means to you!

 

And don’t forget to like the striving for wisdom facebook fanpage so you can keep updated with all of the latest posts!