The Genuine Article"For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock."— Acts 20:29
The story is told of an inspector who worked for the counterfeit department of Scotland Yard. His job was to detect the false currency from the real. When asked if he spent a lot of time handling and examining counterfeit money, he said no. He spent so much time handling the real thing that he could immediately detect the counterfeit.
The best way to detect what is false is to know what is true. And I believe that if you have a good working knowledge of the Bible, then you will be able to detect the false rather quickly, because you are so familiar with the genuine article.
I have found that people who are into false teaching don't seem to go out into the culture and win people to their convictions, because they are so weird. Instead, they come into strong, growing churches and infiltrate their ranks, saying things like, "Hey, do you want to get into the real deep things of God? Do you want to really get into heavy-duty truth? Then come over to this little meeting we are having." They go about their deception in a clandestine, secretive way.
The apostle Paul warned about false teachers who would creep into the church: "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves" (Acts 20:29-30).
We need to be equipped. We need to be prepared. We need to know the truth, because when we are conversant with the Word of God, we will recognize when something weird comes along. We will be aware that it does not jive with Scripture.
So be a student of the Word of God.
[ Pastor Greg Laurie ]
Offer Praise Continually
Today's Scripture:
"Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name"
(Hebrews 13:15, NLT).
Today's Word:
Praise is a powerful weapon. Many times in the Old Testament when God's people would go into battle, they would send the worshipers out first. That's because praise precedes the victory. When you live a life that offers Him continual praise, you are setting yourself up to see continual victory.
Praise is more than just singing songs in church on Sunday. In fact, praise isn't even about singing songs. Praise is a heart attitude. Praise in your heart will prompt singing, but it can also manifest in many different ways. You can give Him praise in your words, your actions, and the way you live your daily life. Every time you obey His Word, when you continually follow His commands—even when it's uncomfortable, even when we don't feel like it, even when we are tired - that's offering a sacrifice of praise to Him.
As you go throughout your day, take time to acknowledge Him. Remember to put Him first and continually offer Him praise. As your praise goes up, His blessings come down. His peace comes down. His joy, His strength, and His victory will overtake every area of your life!
Prayer for Today:
Father in heaven, today I choose to offer You continual praise. I choose to follow Your Word so that You may be glorified through me. Let everything within me honor and glorify You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
[ Joel Osteen Ministries ]




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