“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves…” Matt 7:15

The youngest of four brothers and the son of a Mom whose antics and seam-busting humor are off-the-charts, we always came up with the craziest costumes for Halloween. Anything was fair game. One of the classic outfits was our rendition of Porky Pig, where we brandished my dad’s one-piece insulated underware and stuffed as many pillows into the arms, legs, and belly as possible,—gorged to the point of almost being immobile—complete with a decorated hanger for a curly tale. Neck down, we resembled Baymax more than Porky.

There are certain times and places where it’s appropriate to wear a costume: Halloween, Mardi Gras, Themed or Frat Parties, or certain kinds of Balls or Carnivals. Church is not one of them. And yet, it’s freakishly common to meet a sheep, or even a shepherd, who is in fact a cleverly disguised wolf. 

Scripture is replete with charlatan types. These masqueraders are “spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you…enticing unstable souls” (2 Pet 2). Paul warned of imposters and preachers who peddled the Word for profit. In Jesus’ letters to the seven churches in Revelation He warns of hucksters, even of a “Jezebel” in the church who used her influence to “seduce My servants to commit sexual sins” (Rev 2:20).  

Prophets of old spoke of corrupt and self-seeking “shepherds” who “slaughter the sheep and feel no guilt; those who sell them [and] say ‘Blessed by the Lord, for I am rich’” (Zech 11:4). A similar and lengthy indictment is the main theme in Ezekiel 34. Eerily, the conditions described are ancient, and yet portend an Apocalyptic scenario being played before our very eyes. Jesus of course called for extreme caution in his discourse on the End Times, opening with this unnerving warning: “At that time deception will run rampant. So beware that you are not fooled!” (Mt 24:4 TPT) 

Satan is conniving, dastardly, and relentless. He is singularly focused, directing the legions of darkness he commands towards our destruction. Rev 12:15’s imagery is shiver-inducing: “the dragon spewed from his mouth a raging river of water to sweep [us] away with the flood” (TPT). So what are we to do? 

Jesus said “Beware!”, “Take heed!” The admonition is really twofold. On the one hand, we are to be vigilant, continuously watchful, on guard. That’s walking through the forest at dusk and hearing a growl kind of alertness. That’s DEFCON 2, not simply under threat, but combat-ready, as though war could break out at any moment kind of preparedness.  

The second aspect is discerning. It’s skillful perception—clear-eyed, Spirit imbued discretion and enhanced detection capabilities all rolled into one. It’s the ability to tell right from wrong, truth from falsehood, to make wise decisions followed by decisive action. It’s Riding Hood deftly spotting Granny’s big teeth and straightaway bolting for the door. 

Natural, physical realities are often a reflection of spiritual realities. As God  has raised up secular leaders to uproot graft and unbridled corruption along with those who have committed these things, it is a sign and summons to the Church to expose and purge all manner of perversion being practiced in our ranks. DOGE has even given us a leg up. Among the NGOs that have facilitated illegal immigration (with its gangs and criminals, drugs and trafficking), those who have profited most are Catholic Charities and numerous “Evangelical” non-profits*. Like Ezekiel or Peter, pretenders and scammers must be called out.

A culture of cover-up and lack of accountability, of playing and scheming the system has been laid bear for all to see. Light is shining in dark places. Truth is suddenly in vogue again, where even things that happened decades ago (eg. JFK) are being made public. Masks are being ripped off. These are all things God loves; these are all actions that invite and attract His blessings. 

It is as though a strong angel announced: Wolf season is now open! And yet, the call to increased vigilance and discernment must also be tempered with humility and patience. We must not go out guns blazing. A good hunter knows this is a deadly sport. Once you pull the trigger, it’s over. To take this exhortation and start finding fault with your pastor or a spiritual leader (as I have witnessed others do) is downright dangerous. “Beware” is not the same as “Be vindictive” or in extremes, “Be jury, judge, and executioner”. Wolves wander among the sheep and the shepherds. Shooting the wrong thing is simply not an option. I would not want to be responsible for wounding innocents.

As prowling, ravenous wolves increase among the flock of God, may He grant each one of us the vigilance and discernment to recognize and expose them, then the courage and authority to unmask and defang them as the Good Shepherd has so wonderfully empowered us to do.

* This “windfall” for the Catholics has enabled them to pay back the $5 billion dollar price tag incurred from its sexual abuse cases. You can’t make this up!

“The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give.” Is 62:2

She had never known any true Christians. Steeped in the leftest stronghold of academia and surrounded by fog emanating from the temple halls where the incantations of professor-priests indoctrinate our youth, this university President was unversed in church jargon. But having observed her soon-to-be-baptized grown son, her description of his transformation tattooed my brain.“It’s like he has had an identity transplant”. What an awesome way to express being “born again”, 21st century style!

When our newest Supreme Court justice refused to answer the question who is a woman, it could no longer be denied: we are a culture in crisis. As the contagion of young people identifying as transgender has spread like a California wildfire in the last decade, we have to acknowledge: we are at war. This battle is not fought with guns and tanks, bombers or battleships. It is not raging in the seas, the trenches, or the skies above our cities. The minefields are in TikTok and Snapchat. It is not limbs that are at risk; people are losing their minds. Our young are not taken to prison camps, they are made captives by the lies of dark, perverse forces. The nemesis all too often is the one in the mirror.

The problem of and search for identity is one of the most elusive and critical quagmires of our generation. It’s pandemic-like in its reach, and cancer-like in its affect upon the soul. Thank God for Dr. Jesus! He comes with surgical precision to heal every form of identity disease known to man. Or like a transplant, he removes the old defective one replacing it with a new.

In Gideon’s day, the Israelites had been oppressed and demoralized for so long that they retreated to dens and caves to live in. They believed the lie that the land God gave to them by covenant was now their enemy’s. They cringed in fear knowing the Midianites could swoop down at any minute to steal the harvest for which they labored by sweat and exhaustion. We can hardly imagine the surprise when the Angel of the Lord called trembling Gideon a “mighty man of valor” (Jud 6:12). God’s word rewired his DNA. Trepidation was removed like a tumor, and now Gideon’s name is associated with undaunted courage.

Jacob was a supplanter even before he left his mother’s womb. The meaning of his name in Hebrew was confirmed by all manner of conniving and trickery throughout his formative years. It seemed irredeemable…until he had an all-night encounter with the living God and was given a new name. From that fateful night onward, “Israel” lived like a man “ruled by God”.

Knowing how God sees us, grasping who we are in His eyes, is simply a game changer. When twelve tribal leaders were sent to spy out the Promised Land, ten returned despondent, convinced “we were like grasshoppers in our own sight” (Num 13:33). The other two, Joshua and Caleb, saw no such image in their mirrors. How we think about ourselves matters, borne out by the fact that these two who said we’ll eat them up like they are our bread (14:9). They did too, witnessing for themselves victory over their enemies—even the giants—whereas the ten died still weak in their own eyes.

One day, God appeared to Moses. After forty years of tending sheep, playing a role to deliver his nation from the bondage of slavery had become a distant fantasy. Moses responds to God with the age-old question: “Who am I that I should go?” (Exo 3:11) God actually answers this question by pointing to Himself, as if to say, When you really know Who I am, you’ll know who you are too. This aged and disillusioned shepherd miraculously transformed into a mighty, Sea-parting deliverer.

Even Jesus needed heavenly affirmation. Before stepping into His destiny as Messiah, God spoke these momentous words over him: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mat 3:17). These words fortified him to go toe-to-toe with the Devil who mercilessly tempted him for the next forty days. If Jesus needed to know he was a beloved son of a Loving Father, how much more do we!

Much more than a quick fix or ear-tingling, well polished quote–nothing like a gold star on your homework, or an aspirin to suppress your headache–these are earth shattering, identity-altering promises and encounters. As hordes array and mortars scream past us, as we are seemingly outnumbered and outgunned by End-time threats and villains, our greatest weapon is our true identities as sons and daughters, as warriors and overcomers, those made to be kings and priests (Rev 1:6), sent by the Commander-in-Chief and always being led in triumph by our Savior, our Father, and our King.