FALSE TEACHERS | DAILY DEVOTION
“In the same way, these people – who claim authority from their dreams – live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings.” – Jude 8
In today's daily devotion, we see Jude continuing to describe the false teachers – who presented themselves as pastors, evangelists, and teachers in the church – so that Christians can identify their false teaching by way of their unholy behavior so as not to be fooled by their misrepresentation of Jesus Christ.
Jude identifies these false teachers as those who claim authority from their dreams – this is a type of fantasy faith that holds no truth or reality. Today we would identify them as fantasizers – living in their mind filled with error and evil, creating in their mind, their own way of living which includes sexual perversion. It’s a fantasy world mixed with demonic spirit, not reality filled with the Spirit of Truth. There is no Holy Spirit present. There is no Jesus Christ or God the Father. This fantasy world is mixed with demonic spirit that persuades people, hence the alarm in Jude to warn.
These false teachers appear to seek to be the author and finisher of people’s faith, not Jesus. They refuse to submit their minds unto Jesus and His word. They refuse to take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ – 2 Corinthians 10:5. They defy authority in the church ordained by God, authority appointed by the Holy Spirit. These false teachers are not men appointed by church leaders. Church leaders, filled with the Holy Spirit test the spirits to see whether the spirit within the individual comes from God – 1 John 4:1 and they appoint people to a position in the church based on their holy behavior. Based on their godliness, not their God type desires. These false teachers’ behavior is notably unholy and immoral thus the spirit within them is not the Holy Spirit but demonic.
See, the Holy Spirit is God and like God, the Holy Spirit is unchanging. The Holy Spirit always points to Jesus Christ. Thus, God’s movement in the Christian church throughout history is holy, entirely lined up with the word of God declared. Any deviation from holiness and truth indicates the persuasion of false teaching and demonic spirit – showing the glory of the Lord to have left that church entity. Pastors are appointed to guard the church entrusted to them, and that includes guarding the teaching of God’s word as it directly impacts the movement in the church – it impacts belief, thus behavior. Thus, Jude warns.
Jude also states these false teachers scoffed at supernatural beings. Their ridicule displayed their lack of understanding of the power God granted supernatural beings, including the angels that left God’s appointed place of authority. This shows that in their quest for power they lacked understanding of God and His distribution of power.
If Christians took a step back today and observed humanity in general – they would see the same behavior found in those who covet power. Those who covet power often ridicule or mock those who hold power, which is telling of their pride and lack of understanding.
False teachers today, abound and show to have weak psyche, while wanting a lot of power over people. One way to identify them as a false teacher is the way they seek to control you. They use willpower. Christian leadership does not seek to control people and what they own, there is never a need for a power play. False teachers always enact power plays and are weak psychologically and it’s witnessed in their immoral living. The lack of morality indicates mental weakness, as their mind has no control over their behavior, which indicates they do not have the mind of Christ. They are a slave to sin. They also repeatedly show that they do not recognize their actions as sin and thus, they do not repent. This hypocrisy is telling, they seek to perfect deceit by persuading emotions toward grace rather than appealing to logic and submission to God’s ordained way of Christian living that requires repentance and turning toward God and truth and righteousness. They often refuse to admit what they did. They desire people to be ok with their evil actions, and encourage people to commit those sins also – often not able to sin alone, thus, they then seek to make perversion a social norm.
Sometimes today, we see false teachers justifying the destruction on mankind, to then force people to seek Jesus – by way of their created method of suffering. Their God type desires show to want control over people’s suffering, which is sadism and they desire to control how their victim handles the suffering, which is a form of narcissism, they then seek to feast off of what the victim heard God say regarding their suffering, which is more like a parasite sucking the life out of the victim keeping them from experiencing healing and thus they desire to have control over their victim’s relationship with Jesus Christ, which is a God type desire lacking respect, love and obedience to the Lord.
It’s pure evil.
It is demonic and not to be found in the church, no less in pastoral ministry or amongst Christian teachers.
False teachers seek to get in between people and Jesus Christ. It’s no longer a personal relationship with Jesus – it’s a controlled relationship, leaving many confused as they inherently know, this is not the way of Jesus Christ. The victim feels enslaved and constantly observed – never experiencing privacy or respect of what they own.
False teachers hold no resilience, no psychological strength amidst adversity. They cannot be rejected. They have to have their way. They use willpower to obtain what they desire. They cannot be told no. They think they have mental strength, because they have successfully manipulated people in the past, however that does not reveal them to have mental strength – simply stupidity, as many are only manipulated for a moment. Strength is what is lasting. Proverbs 12:19 NLT states, “Truth stands the test of time, lies are soon exposed.” Strength is found in truth. The moment those manipulated come across truth, they get very angry with those who sought to fool them. And that anger results in different actions, depending on what comes to the victim’s mind. Moreover, false teachers speak around subjects, never addressing truth, and they like Satan persuade people with lies mixed with some truth.
We Christians know there is stricter judgment for teachers –James 3:1, as teaching enlightens people in regard to how they can live out their faith. Teaching thus, holds power to influence people in specific directions. Satan desires this power to persuade people in his desired direction, and thus we see false ideologies and false teachers emerge. The truth is ideology can be persuasive as there is spirit behind it.
Some ideologies hold strict regulations in order to keep control over people, persuading people to believe that is their need – while other ideologies are in the extreme opposite lacking morality, encouraging pleasure, love for self, and sexual immorality. The extreme nature of ideologies show a desire for power, while not holding everlasting power.
One beautiful truth about Jesus Christ, as the perfect Lamb who was slain once for all time for the sins of His people and His rising from the dead three days later – He is perfectly balanced filled with truth and grace, justice and love, holy, righteous, pure, and forgiveness. He will remain in control regardless of our decisions in our everyday lives. He doesn’t have to force us to do anything. He invites us to live a holy, righteous life for our own well-being and our eternal safety in the arms of Jesus.
This is the way to peace – through Jesus Christ.
The destructive nature of false teaching is on humanity and their well-being. Everyone with God type desires, while not submitted unto Him in humility, tend to try to figure out the best strategy to control people while not knowing what the outcome will be like 15 years down the line, with their created ideology. Controlling behaviors always end in destruction on mankind and communities – people hurt all of the time by others, violated, increase in hate crimes, no love, no respect, no rest, enslaved and oppressed by tyrants, kept from blessings – it’s hell on earth on repeat.
Only Jesus, sees the future as He is the Beginning and the End. Only Jesus is perfect Love, and He says “Follow Me.” He says, “Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, let Me teach you, for I am humble at heart and you will find rest for your souls” – Matthew 11:28.
The scary truth regarding false teaching is the demonic spirit persuasion behind it. It doesn’t announce itself as a demonic teaching. But it always counters loving God and loving people. False teaching holds both psychological abuse and spiritual abuse components. People experience the negative effects of the false teaching on their life – they are mistreated and violated, but then they are manipulated to believe that is how they are to be treated. False teaching continuously mistreats people in efforts to control people. There is no freedom to make your own decisions, there is no love, there is no respect. There is no repentance of sin, there is no change in behavior. People are manipulated to believe this is as good as it’s going to get. There is no peace. It’s either constant work to obtain the unobtainable or constant mistreatment or encouragement to sin and hurt others which leaves one wracked with guilt and shame.
Another beautiful truth about Jesus Christ is He is Wisdom incarnate – He is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him – John 14:6. As Wisdom, He holds common sense, success, insight, and strength – Proverbs 8:14.
Thus, one step to take when false teaching seeks to persuade you is to bring in common sense and logic – the word of God. False teaching wants you to settle for less than God has for you. False teachers often prey on women desiring to lead them. Common sense says, “I am not your wife,” to the person who seeks authority over. Common sense recognizes their desire to simply domineer and control one’s spiritual life and livelihood. It’s a horrible life under these people.
The truth is God wants you loved, not mistreated. You are to be respected, not controlled. You are never to be violated or stolen from. You have been given a brain to use— a mind filled with intellect – and a heart that holds various interests and desires that God completely understands and loves because He created your heart – Psalm 33:15. You are created by God, called by God – and He simply enjoys a relationship with you. You are God’s joy. Jesus satisfied the law held against mankind and invites us to recognize we need to repent of our sins, accept His forgiveness and receive Him as Lord and Savior to find rest for our souls and to experience the abundant life He provides.
Will you pray with me?
Abba, thank You for warning us of false teachers who seek to persuade us away from a life of abundance found in Jesus Christ – there is always some type of destruction involved with false teachers and You seek to protect us from it and we thank You and praise You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
