Don't Stray!

Don't listen to those who will cause you to stray away from true doctrine!  They do not speak from a heart full of love, nor with a clean conscience, and not with a sincere faith.  That's what these verses are telling us.

Idle, useless words cause us to wander away from the path of righteousness.  Idle words come from self-righteous people who try to manipulate and persuade you to believe in them rather than believe in what the Bible has to say.  They love to hear themselves talk...they love to be seen in public...they want to fleece (deceive) the people to promote their causes.

We see these kinds of "sheep in wolves clothing" everywhere!  TV commercials, scams on the internet, and--yes--even in pulpits!  So how do we know when we're being fooled...how can we tell truth from error?

1st you have to know what is true!  So many so-called believers of the gospel simply rely on and trust in whomsoever is talking!  TV evangelists and the like may--or may not be--telling the whole truth!  You don't KNOW them; you're not personally acquainted with them; you don't have any kind of a relationship with them.  They're just an IMAGE on the TV screen!  Some are genuine, but some are idle talkers (or should I say IDOL talkers).

The sheep know the voice of their shepherd!  We must learn to know the voice of our Shepherd, Jesus Christ!  We must become intimately acquainted with Him; we must not stray from The Way that He is leading us.  We must walk with Him every day.

No matter if I were in a crowd of hundreds of people, if my father spoke--or even coughed--I would recognize his voice.  Why?  Because I "lived" with him; I was his child;  he called me by name.

How CLOSE of a RELATIONSHIP do you have with The Father and His Son?  Have you strayed or wandered away?  Have you gotten off the path and fallen away?  Have "wolves in sheep's clothing" deceived you into following another lifestyle?  Have you taken a "crooked path" instead of staying on the "straight and narrow" path?  

Every day we have the opportunity to FOLLOW Him or be tempted and LED ASTRAY.  Choose this day to go the right way!  

CROOKED PATHS are led by thieves that come to ROB, STEAL, KILL, and DESTROY!  But the True Shepherd has come to lead you through the valleys of death to a more abundant life.  Which way will you go today?  Whom will you follow?  You're at the CROSSroad...make your choice!  [Psalm 23: John 10:10]