We continue the next part of our paragraph: (Obstacles to virtue) Part 2.
This next part of the Obstacles to Virtue is very telling: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing." Christ tells us to sharpen our eyes and to look keenly at who we call prophets. Are they really prophets? Do they really speak the voice of God to us? Are they really anointed? We can find many who claim that they are prophets or prophetess. What measure of faith do we place in them? Do we blindly follow them simply because they say that they are prophets? Are they really able to tell of future events that will happen in our lives? Are they able to speak the voice of God into our lives and to give us his blessings? What can we use as a measure to determine who they really are?
Christ tells us that false prophets, different from true prophets, are inwardly like ravenous wolves, they will eat you alive. Wolves do not hunt alone. They hunt in packs. They surround their prey and attack with precision movement. If they are severely starved with hunger, they will attack game that is much larger than their usual prey. They will take additional risks because of their empty stomachs and their depraved craving for the prey that they are attacking. Is this the behavior of false prophets? What does a false prophet gain by his teachings?
First there is the need for a following. Those that will head the teachings of a prophet will be wooed by the seemingly magical predictions that they give. I sense someone out there who has problems in their neck. There is a person who has a problem with there eyes, they are having difficulty seeing. There is a person who has a back problem. There is an elderly lady who is watching today or listening who has sever arthritis. All these can be general statements thrown out to the general public. Out of the thousands of people listening there is bound to be someone with these types of issues. Being able to have a sense, out of mid air, of what is happening in a persons life and then to supposedly send the Holy Spirit to rid this person of their ailment is cause for question.
Secondly, there is the requirement for the transfer of money to bless the person. Buy this book, get this DVD, listen to this CD and you will be able to defeat your problem. You can get this promotion for only $25, and along with this promotion we will throw in the author's personal story of how he overcame his problems. You say, a person has to support himself. True! But a true "prophet" has the support of God almighty and does not need support. God supports him because he/she is doing God's will. So with each program there is the continuous need for more money and the sell of more products and more money and more DVDs and CDs and Books and Devotionals and the continuous collection plate for special projects, etc.
Christ tells us in this short statement to beware of these types of people. They are hungry wolves and will stop at nothing to satisfy their worldly passions. He is telling us this because he is warning us that these are obstacles to virtue. These will lead astray, away from the true light and into the darkness. They lead blindly, according to their own whims and fancies. They lead into dark alleys and dead ends. They lead according to their own passions. They lead for the kill.
If you are following a false prophet, ask yourself where are you going. Ask yourself have you found the true light of the world? Ask yourself have you encountered the Holy Spirit on your journey with this prophet? Ask yourself do you truly know Christ and has he come into your life? If you truly know him, how can you tell? What signs has he given you to let you know that he is in your life? What assignments has he directed you to do that let you know that you work for God and not yourself?
Obstacles to virtue. Virtue is needed in our lives. Virtue is essential to get us closer to God. Virtue cleanses us from the dirt of this world and prepares us to do the will of God. Will you be turned astray? Will you face an obstacle and not know that it is there? Will you encounter an obstacle and think that you have no defense against it? Be prepared.
Open your eyes. Take heed to what you hear and guard your hearing. For we run an obstacle course full of traps and tricks that would take us off the narrow path and put us on the road to destruction. Heed these words from Christ. Put them into your heart. Keep them close to your inner person. For these words will protect you. These words will comfort you. These words will direct you and keep you on the narrow road to life.
