Hi Everyone,
Today I pondered something very perplexing. In John 6:70, Jesus says, "Did I not choose you 12? Yet, one is a devil." I thought about this as I was reading Luke 22, where Satan entered Judas for betrayal. Then I remembered the verses about how the Lord allows the tares to grow up with the wheat; making the wheat stronger.
Yet, what really hit hard is the requirement for discernment in these last days. I asked myself, how come the disciples did not recognize Judas as different? Maybe it was because Jesus chose him and they assumed the choosing was quite enough to qualify him. Judas was with them, but I suspect he was on the fringes; always with something contrary to say that probably made sense in the natural. Like the woman who poured out the oil on Jesus and Judas says, isn’t this kind of a waste? But curious enough; the only one who discerned was Christ Himself.
Fast forward, I recognize through the Word that wisdom and discernment comes from God through the Holy Spirit. There will always be a Judas among us! But would I discern or just pal around because he is "one of us." Would I recognize the slow erosion of the Gospel? Would I recognize the subtle compromise or the addition/subtraction to the Word? Would I be able to discern the darkness of the logical and see the attack to the spiritual? Eleven men did not!
Think about that! Once again I realized spending time in the Word heightens recognition and causes a dividing rightly of Truth versus a lie. The big antichrist will come but the little are in our midst, subtly trolling around looking for inroads and gaps in the wall. I asked the Lord for eyes to see and for ears to hear and for a spirit of discernment not just for what Jesus is saying to the church but also for what Satan is attempting to "rename" and erode, most likely right in the midst of the church. Just wow, this landed deep.
Much Love,
Cari