Watchout For WOLVES: Keys To Discerning Authentic Ministries & Evaluating Doctrinal Trends

Chapter 5 Keeping Ourselves Pure

After doing the last four chapters on the challenges of identifying false ministries, it is important that we not assume for a minute that we could not enter into deception ourselves and become one of those ministries. People who function as false ministries rarely know that they are actually false. Most people who function as false ministries are self-deceived and believe in themselves and what they are doing. That is why they can be so convincing. So how does one ensure that he or she stays true to God, to His word and to the call that God has on his or her life? How can I keep myself from deception in days of “strong delusion”? Jesus challenged people, who were in a position to speak into the lives of others concerning what they perceived to be their faults, to check themselves out first (Mt. 7:3-5). Paul encouraged the elders at Ephesus to examine or “take heed” to themselves as their first responsibility in leading others. People who purport to be leaders need to start with a little self-examination (Acts 20:28). Leaders must be willing to start by examining their own hearts. King David understood this as he prayed to God to help him in this endeavor (Ps. 139:23-24). Examining My Heart

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