So recently I had my first run down with a false prophet. I hadn't met any people like this before, so it was something new. It was pretty easy to see she was false, she had a blog and on that place she spoke freely about her beliefs about herself, and these beliefs were so clearly unorthodox and proud that almost anyone could see the problems.
I talked a bit with this person and told her everything I found problematic, but she didn't give in. She turned to the mods and found favor and I got some warnings and now she thinks Jesus loves her very much. But while Jesus loves everyone, in this case she's wrong. Heretical beliefs and self absorbed pride simply remain wrong, regardless of dreams you have, favors you receive from people in authority, and so on. I know that she is in a bad situation, not me.
If only people would understand this issue better. I know what I know because I've been through this myself, the devil wanted to turn me into a false prophet too and I couldn't see the forrest for the trees.
But on this forum here it's not easy to get that across right. The mods care about their rules and guidelines, and I can even understand them, CF is not a church or a congregation and many of its members are not even christian. It's something like a public place and people can say or believe what they want.
I can hear the devil laugh ... I know he often takes advantage of human rules and customs to use them for his benefit. Most people can't see the devil for who he is - a very fearful, pitiful being. How can they, he is full of lies and tricks, and he is pretty clever. A few times I have been able to see the devil for who he is, but that required that I "respected" him to an extent, like I would "respect" a rabid animal. I can't really harm the devil or get back at him, which is something I need to acknowledge. The only thing I can do is to continue in righteousness. It can be painful to see how the devil abuses people and how we can't do that much against it, but the longer I am a christian the more I am convinced that I can rely on God having a long breath. And He can handle false prophets too and bring them to salvation, He did it with me anyway and so He can do it with other people too.
Today I realized this and I remembered the way Jesus spoke to me when He was with me. He is humble and kind, doesn't shout, doesn't even rebuke. It is hard to make Him angry and even then the bible says God's anger lasts for but a moment, but His grace for a lifetime.
For a while I was really upset. I thought I needed to confront that person aggressively. But while that would maybe be ok in a real life setting, it is fruitless in the internet, I guess. Your "enemy" just leaves or even starts to intrigue against you, using rules and guidelines to their advantage, like the devil does it himself. And then you get more and more upset until you hate someone, and then you break God's law of love and sin. And I can't have that, I was always fond of the law of love and I need to respect it even when anger or hate seem justified. But in truth they never are ...
I will stay alert though and see if this person misleads others. Then I can still chime in and provide help for those people. I just find it's probably fruitless to make real fights over this. I would only get warning after warning and later infractions, I guess. Instead I think I must simply pray. I don't enjoy being angry and don't want to become someone who would learn to enjoy it.
Maybe I have even been able to give this person a few doubts about her "prophet status". It took me some years too until I realized that Jesus didn't want me to be a self proclaimed prophet. Again, God has a long breath and if He can't reach this person now He can do so later.
I talked a bit with this person and told her everything I found problematic, but she didn't give in. She turned to the mods and found favor and I got some warnings and now she thinks Jesus loves her very much. But while Jesus loves everyone, in this case she's wrong. Heretical beliefs and self absorbed pride simply remain wrong, regardless of dreams you have, favors you receive from people in authority, and so on. I know that she is in a bad situation, not me.
If only people would understand this issue better. I know what I know because I've been through this myself, the devil wanted to turn me into a false prophet too and I couldn't see the forrest for the trees.
But on this forum here it's not easy to get that across right. The mods care about their rules and guidelines, and I can even understand them, CF is not a church or a congregation and many of its members are not even christian. It's something like a public place and people can say or believe what they want.
I can hear the devil laugh ... I know he often takes advantage of human rules and customs to use them for his benefit. Most people can't see the devil for who he is - a very fearful, pitiful being. How can they, he is full of lies and tricks, and he is pretty clever. A few times I have been able to see the devil for who he is, but that required that I "respected" him to an extent, like I would "respect" a rabid animal. I can't really harm the devil or get back at him, which is something I need to acknowledge. The only thing I can do is to continue in righteousness. It can be painful to see how the devil abuses people and how we can't do that much against it, but the longer I am a christian the more I am convinced that I can rely on God having a long breath. And He can handle false prophets too and bring them to salvation, He did it with me anyway and so He can do it with other people too.
Today I realized this and I remembered the way Jesus spoke to me when He was with me. He is humble and kind, doesn't shout, doesn't even rebuke. It is hard to make Him angry and even then the bible says God's anger lasts for but a moment, but His grace for a lifetime.
For a while I was really upset. I thought I needed to confront that person aggressively. But while that would maybe be ok in a real life setting, it is fruitless in the internet, I guess. Your "enemy" just leaves or even starts to intrigue against you, using rules and guidelines to their advantage, like the devil does it himself. And then you get more and more upset until you hate someone, and then you break God's law of love and sin. And I can't have that, I was always fond of the law of love and I need to respect it even when anger or hate seem justified. But in truth they never are ...
I will stay alert though and see if this person misleads others. Then I can still chime in and provide help for those people. I just find it's probably fruitless to make real fights over this. I would only get warning after warning and later infractions, I guess. Instead I think I must simply pray. I don't enjoy being angry and don't want to become someone who would learn to enjoy it.
Maybe I have even been able to give this person a few doubts about her "prophet status". It took me some years too until I realized that Jesus didn't want me to be a self proclaimed prophet. Again, God has a long breath and if He can't reach this person now He can do so later.
