Open Heaven For Tuesday July 29th 2014

OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL

TUESDAY JULY 29

THEME: BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!

MEMORISE
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man
speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed:
and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but
by the Holy Ghost. 1 Corinthians 12:3

READ: John 14:26-27
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom
the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you
all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you.
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your
heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 12:9-13:43; Job
12:13-25

MESSAGE
To succeed on Earth and make it to heaven, we
should beware of false prophets. One of the ways to
identify false prophets is through their disposition to
the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:3, we
are told that no one speaking by the Spirit of God
says: “Jesus be cursed”, and that no one can say that
Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Spirit. False prophets
have a negative attitude to the Lordship of Christ. It is
true that false prophets are deceptive. Some are so
deceptive that they pretend to say and to do many
good things in the Name of Jesus. However, their
actions always portray Jesus in bad light and make
His Lordship inconsequential. The state of their heart
is described in Matthew 15:8 which says,
“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth,
and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is
far from me.”
You should beware of false prophets and false
teachers. There is no gain-saying the fact that the
heart of a false prophet is far from the Lord. One way
of recognising false prophets is through their fake
prophecies. Many false prophets portray Jesus as a
liar through their fake prophecies. Many predictions
of false prophets, which they make using the name of
the Lord do not come to pass. Consequently, people
lose interest in them and may even conclude that
Christianity is bogus. Another way to recognise a
false prophet is by their unscriptural behaviour.
Many false prophets are immoral. Some practice
polygamy instead of monogamy. Some have chains
of wives and concubines. Infidelity is rampant among
many while some drink alcoholic beverages. They
also enjoy dirty jokes and obscenity. Some false
prophets have so degenerated to the extent of
engaging in money rituals and other obnoxious
practices. All these attitudes draw people away from
the Lord and say, “Jesus be cursed”. Apart from the
foregoing, most false prophets are false teachers.
Matthew 7:16&20 say false prophets and false
teachers are known by their fruits. False teachers
disseminate false knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Invariably, they produce disciples whose lifestyles do
not glorify God. Most disciples of false teachers are
outright agents of the devil; many of them are
corrupt, immoral and pretentious. Beware of false
prophets!

ACTION POINT
Watch the fruits of a ministry before sowing your
time and God-given resources into it.