Developing Discernment

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Jesus said: “Many false prophets shall appear and deceive many people.” (Matthew 24:11) How can we recognize and avoid false prophets? Their lives will lack the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) They won’t have these qualities:

* Love — False prophets are unwilling to love their enemies or even to love people who disagree with them. (Matthew 5:44)

* Joy — False prophets rarely radiate the joy of the Lord. (Nehemiah 8:10)

* Peace — False prophets promote hostility rather than peace. (James 1:19-20)

* Patience — False prophets are impatience with people who disagree with them. (Colossians 3:13-15)

* Kindness — False prophets are often unkind. (Ephesians 4:32)

* Goodness — False prophets see goodness and innocence as weakness. (Galatians 6:10)

* Faithfulness — False prophets are unfaithful to the writings of the earliest Christians in the Gospels and the Epistles. (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

* Gentleness — False prophets are pushy and arrogant. (Philippians 4:5)

* Self-control — False prophets are often given over to and controlled by unhealthy attitudes, emotions, and desires. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)