Who are sheep?
Sheep represent the children of Yah, disciples of Yahushua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ). Yahushua is the Good Shepherd, He is the only true shepherd.
John 10:6 says, “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”
Pastors are stewards of the children of Yah. When David had someone watch the sheep while he had to do things, that did not make the person a shepherd. They simply became a steward who did the duty of shepherding. Pastors need to stop referring to their congregants as their sheep because they are also a part of the flock. When Messiah was talking to Peter in John 21:15-17, He said, “Feed my sheep,” not our sheep.
Who are wolves?
Wolves devour, or eat, sheep. Here wolves represent false leaders, teachers, prophets, and even lukewarm believers. In most cases when we see “wolves” mentioned in the Bible, it is never referring to the world or unbelievers. Wolves are always trying to fit in with the sheep.
We must be aware those who profess the name of our Messiah but look, or act, nothing like Him. Wolves are our modern-day Pharisees and Sadducees, which is not the character of “being too holy”, but rather those who deny the power of the Holy Ghost. They are prideful, unrepented, convoluted hypocrites, hearers and not doers of the Word. Anyone can be a wolf, not just leaders but even those “believers” with little to no influence.
What do wolves do?
Wolves twist the Word into eisegesis or narcigesis, always making the text about them, what they can get, or going to the text with an agenda and making it fit their ideas. They rarely preach the true message of the Gospel.
Wolves give false prophetic words to tickle ears or sooth feelings.
They always ask for money when giving a word. Yah’s prophets do not prophecy for money. We see that Baalam tried to do this in Numbers 22-24, he was named a practitioner of divination in Joshua 13:22, 2 Peter 2:15-16 says he loved the wages of wickedness, and Messiah warns against his teachings in Revelation 2:14.
The Word of Yah is free, we should never pay for anything dealing with His Word including deliverance, healing, etc. Wolves lead people astray, speaking the Word and never living it. They compromise and make excuses for sin.
Matthew 7:15-20 says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
What to expect?
Messiah is sending us out as sheep among wolves, meaning we will not look like majority of the people or leaders who profess Christianity and are in the spotlight.
Persecution comes from the world; but even more so from fellow “Christians” who desire to do the bare minimum. If we walk seriously with Yah following His every Word, we should expect to be hated by our fellow “brethren” who are really wolves in sheep’s clothing.
To protect ourselves we are required to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves.
How to be wise and harmless
We know that it is by a serpent that the whole world is deceived. Serpents are cunning, crafty, and manipulative. Our adversary is a serpent, he is smart. He watches, studies, and plans. He is quiet, always working in the background, and he puts in overtime to destroy the children of Yahuah.
Now, I am not saying we need to think like the devil or be like him. I am saying we should be intentional about all things. The scripture says to be as wise as a serpent, but as children of Yah I think we can be wiser as we walk in the wisdom of Yah which is given by His Spirit and Word.
Wisdom is knowledge guided by understanding and the beginning of knowledge is the fear of Yahuah (Prov. 1:7). Wisdom outside of Yah is useless, the wisdom of man is demonic (Jam. 3:15). Wisdom is a gift from the Holy Spirit given by Yah. Anyone who asks for it, He will give freely (Jam. 1:5).
To move in the wisdom Yahuah is expecting and requiring us to consists of:
- Discretion – “Moving in silence”, keeping things to yourself especially your conversation with Yah. Not everything He says to you should be shared or sometimes not even spoken out loud. Our enemy is the prince of the air (Eph. 2:2). Even plans and ideas should be kept for yourself. This can be hard to do especially with the temptation of social media in this age. Be leery of what you say or share, and even who you follow or watch on media outlets. Consider taking a break from it if Yah leads you.
- Studying – Wisdom only truly comes from the Word of Yah, and it is a necessity for the spiritual war at hand (2 Cor. 10:3). We must be intentional about studying and keeping the Word so we can fight against our enemy, the Word is our sword (Eph. 6:17). Studying also helps us get closer to Yah so that we can be intimate with Him, learn about Him, and better serve and love Him in spirit and in truth.
- Praying continuously – Prayer is the way we communicate with Yah. If we do not communicate with Him, we do not have a relationship with Him. When we communicate with Him and take time to listen to what He has to say, we become more familiar with His voice. Knowing His voice allows us to walk in wisdom because it builds our discernment and we are able to know the difference between good and evil.
Being as wise as a serpent, we should be aware and discerning, plan with an end in mind, be quick to listen and slow to respond, study to show ourselves approved, and study our opponent.
We are also told to be harmless as a dove. We can do so by staying holy and living a pure live. We should always be intentional about displaying the fruit of the spirit and putting aside the works of the flesh.
Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."
Be mindful of our behavior around others, especially unbelievers, and display a good witness. Treat all people in a kind manner, even as Yah reveals things, keeping them in our prayers. Be filled with love. Don’t be a stumbling block to others and stay away from things that are unlike Yah.
Closing
We know that we are the sheep of Yah and He is sending us among wolves, those who will try to deceive us a lead us astray. We should be diligent about our relationship with Yah and our conduct in daily life so that we may live wise and harmless being prepared for and shielded from those who seek to destroy us.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for preparing us with your word. Please equip us with the wisdom and softness we need to overcome the wolves that are among us. Please give us discernment that we may be able to know who is truly one of your sheep and who is not. Please help us to not fall for their tricks and schemes but to lean and trust on your Word alone. In Yahushua name we pray, amen.
Comments