WOLVES IN THE FOLD

There is a great deal of noise in our day, like a sea of dissonance, a relentless wind that whips at us daily. Many claim to be right. Many demand our attention, our outrage, our holy offense, and our consent.

For the believer, these are times that call us to sobriety of mind and a careful, circumspect walk. Throughout Scripture from the prophets of old like Jeremiah to the apostles we are repeatedly warned to guard our hearts, to be watchful, and to remain wary of false teachers and wolves who arise among God’s people.

When we think of deception entering the Church, we often imagine it arriving in forms we already disagree with. But this is not always how deception works. What we fail to consider is that our enemy, the old serpent, the smooth-tongued father of lies is well practiced in deceit. He has had ages to refine his distortions. He far exceeds us in cunning, treachery, and the twisting of truth. His work does not arrive clothed in pitchforks or obvious evil, but disguised as light, wrapped in ideas we find agreeable, morally upright, and even righteous sounding.

Wolves and false prophets speak words that tickle the ear. They promise blessing if we follow them and favor if we take up their causes. They invoke the name of Christ, say the right things, and appeal to our sense of morality and to what we feel God would be about.

The wolf takes truth, subtly mixes in the leaven of the snake, and kneads it with just enough salt to produce something that resembles the things of God. Yet upon closer inspection, it is twisted, counterfeit and filled with death and rot.

God is not mocked. He sees this clearly and calls us, as His people, to be like the Bereans. The Bereans heard truth proclaimed, yet they did not receive it simply because it was preached. They searched the Scriptures diligently to verify whether what Paul and Silas taught was indeed true. They practiced wisdom. They exercised discernment. And today, discernment has grown dangerously thin in the wilds of social media.

Our enemy understands the condition of fallen human nature all too well. Carelessness and easy trust in men cause us to stumble, drawing us into deep error and often deeper sin.

In the endless stream of information we consume, this essential work of the Spirit is frequently neglected. News travels fast, and we are quick to justify or accuse based on headlines and narratives fed to us.

We are prone to accepting the words of self-appointed heralds as gospel, neglecting the careful work of testing truth because we are already convinced we are right.

Yet wisdom cries aloud in the streets, offering understanding and discernment to those willing to carry it responsibly, Proverbs 1:20–29. Fallen human nature, however, especially when it feels justified often refuses to listen.

This is not the wisdom God calls us to. His wisdom is not careless; it is slow. Slow because it requires careful vetting, thoughtful consideration, and prayerful engagement. Slowness teaches us to discern rightly and guards us from knee-jerk reactions and unquestioning allegiance.

Jesus Himself warned us of false teachers:

“You will know them by their fruits… every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit… Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.” - Matthew 7:15–20

Scripture teaches us that truth can be discerned by fruit, because what resides within a teacher will eventually reveal itself through their words and actions. Wisdom and discernment are not for judgment, but for guarding our hearts and protecting those entrusted to us. Wisdom is careful about whom it allows to shape the soul.

Do not be quick to accept things at face value. Discernment grows from an attentive ear to the Spirit and a deep anchoring in His Word. Study the fruit of both the doctrine and those who proclaim it. Look beyond the noise to the quiet places others avoid.

Listen carefully. Watch their posture.

Do they receive counsel with humility, or insist they are always right?

Are their words restrained, or driven by unchecked emotion?

How do they speak to the weak and to those who disagree with them?

Are their words seasoned with compassion and empathy or marked by anger, strife, and condemnation?

Do they speak life, or do they breathe threat?

Do they court grace or outrage, humility or pride?

Do they handle Scripture with care and full context, or do they avoid the hard words in favor of what is easy and sweet?

The spread of falsehood through wolves is subtle, growing like a slow disease. It begins with truth, and little by little leaven is mixed in until the whole is corrupted. Because it is agreeable at first, we become desensitized. We lose the taste and smell of truth itself. Left unchecked, truth becomes distorted, and distortion is then passed on as acceptable, even righteous.

Make no mistake, your enemy seeks your harm. He seeks your destruction. He will use anything, even what appears righteous to twist your allegiance and fracture your love for truth. And he does this well. Therefore, we must be vigilant.

Be like the Bereans.

Test the spirits.

All of them.

Be humble enough to receive truth, and contrite enough to admit error when you are wrong. For the enemy knows his time is short, and if he cannot turn you from God, he will attempt to wound, divide, and sow strife among God’s children.

So look to mend where others have broken.

Heal where others have wounded.

And be vigilant like the Bereans of scripture, noble and righteous in their ways.

The time is short and your work lays in front of you. Do it well and uncompromised.