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- Written by: Don Goulding
Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheepʼs clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. (Matthew 7:15)
Yellow-eyed wolves shadow the flock, looking for a weak target. Converging on their prey, they make a show of curling their lips and growling. This is a ploy of distraction. The actual killer creeps behind, pounces on the haunches, and pulls the sheep down.
A dear friend of ours, Ann, became a follower of Christ in the sunset years of her life. As her days drew to a close, a faith wolf circled. This predator was a sweet, gray-haired grandmother who practiced the blackest of treacheries. She tried to drag our sister Ann into heresy. Jesus was painted as only one of many friendly spirits they could call upon. With candles, crystals, and chants she invoked her guides.
Faith wolves stalk those with a weak knowledge of Christ. While the majority of the pack calls for flat-out atheism, the real killer sneaks up behind with false teachings about Jesus. The devils behind these lies know that missing faith and misappliedfaith have the same result—eternal separation from God.
Ann learned that having faith is not enough. It must be an informed faith, based on the real Jesus made known in the Christian Bible. Ann rejected the sorceress, told her never to return, and wrote an evangelistic sermon that was preached at her own funeral.
Prayer: Mighty Shepherd, protect me as I dedicate myself to knowing you.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)
I was sick. Sin festered in my condemnation. Tumors grew on the inflamed organ and threatened my entire being. The second death was near—eternal horrors spent separated from my Creator.
Jesus volunteered to perform a radical surgery—a condemnectomy. I accepted. He took out my organ of guilt and tossed it on the rubbish heap. I no longer have the nasty condemnation that held every mistake deep inside me. It was removed with one skillful incision.
Now when I sin, it passes through. There is no place for it to stick as an eternal part of my being. Past and future mistakes no longer threaten me. I don’t even have an organ of guilt, a place where the devil could point and make accusations.
I still sin, all too often. Thanks to my condemnectomy, I don’t have to brood over it. Rather, living according to love, I confess and try again.
I tell all who will listen about my operation. I explain where they can have their condemnation removed, and how the surgeon will pay the bills. It’s an elective procedure that I beg everybody to undergo, because a radical condemnectomy is the only remedy for the second death.
Prayer: Blessed Jesus, thank you for removing every accusation.
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- Written by: Don Goulding
Then he said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old.” (Matthew 13:52)
The house was shaped like a wedge of pie, with the far end fanning out wider than the narrow entrance. There were practical chairs, tidy library shelves, and huddles of people chatting. I selected a few books to read by the fire. They were plain educational works, but brilliantly true. Conversing with the occupants made for earnest dialogue, but I noticed a door at the rear.
The exit led to a much larger room. The wedge shaped arrangement continued from where the widest rear wall of the previous room left off. It was breathtaking. The books contained new discoveries together with facts from the previous room. Discussions buzzed with excitement. As stimulating as this room was, there was yet another door.
The next room was of the same expanding shape, and so majestic the others fell out of memory. The people were both wonderful and humble.
Such has been my adventure learning about the kingdom of heaven. I began simply, but the beauty soon outpaced my grasp. At each level, the Bible, along with godly books and conversations helped me grapple with the splendor around me. Now God calls me even deeper in. His rooms are as glorious in their expansion as they are unending in their number.
Prayer: Wondrous God, I thrill at what I have yet to learn about your kingdom.