August 9
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BLINDED EYES AND HARDENED HEARTS
37 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?” 39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, 40 “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM.” 41 These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. 42 Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.
– John 12:37-43
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In this account, the Jewish leaders still continued in their unbelief despite Jesus’ many signs and wonders. The writer, John quotes Isaiah’s prophecy in the book of Isaiah chapter 6. He was referring to the reason why these Jewish leaders reject Jesus’ deity. They have been blinded to see the revelations that the Lord had been doing because their hearts are hardened.
Isaiah vision is a revelation from the Lord. God spoke to the prophet and explained to him that these people kept on listening but do not perceive. They kept on looking but do not understand. The people are insensitive: their ears are dull and their eyes are dim. The Lord is warning the people through Isaiah that their inability to see and understand was because of their unbelief. This was exactly what was being fulfilled in this story about the Pharisees who kept on rejecting truth and not believing that Jesus is the Son of God. This was what exactly Isaiah was prophesying a long time ago before Jesus was even born.
It is so sad to watch unbelievers who reject the truth that Jesus is God. So many unbelievers are going to miss out on the promises that God gave to all those who believe that Christ is the Son of God, sent to us so we can all be free from sin. Unbelief leads to many other sins such as pride, rebellion, arrogance, wavering, doubt and many other. Blindness and hardened heart surely close the door to one’s salvation. The Pharisees continued to have unbelief because they were hanging on to human approval and losing their place in the synagogues. They weren’t concerned about God’s approval.
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REFLECTION
• Why do unbelievers become blind to truth?
Tag Archives: Christian devotional
SONS OF LIGHT ILMA’S VLOG
August 8
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SONS OF LIGHT
27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose, I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. 31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. 34 The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”– John 12:27-36
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In this account, Jesus thinks aloud to the crowd. He exhibits his humanity when He claims that he is troubled because He exactly knows what is about to happen to Him. Yet, part of His deity knows that it is the reason why He came here on earth in the first place. When He uttered “Father, glorify your name”, he was directly speaking to God the Father and a voice from heaven spoke back saying “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” It was only Jesus who clearly heard what God said. The crowd only heard thunder. Once again, Jesus tells them that it was for them that God spoke. Jesus foreshadows what was going to happen to Him, how He will die soon. In verse 31, he declares victory over the ruler of the world. His purpose for coming down on earth was to defeat Satan and to bring back all men to His Father. The people were unable to understand all things Jesus was saying. Jesus calls Himself the Light in this conversation with them. He warns them that the Light is still among them. He advises them to enjoy His presence while He is still alive and believe in Him so that they may become sons of Light. In other words, if you believe in Jesus, you get a part of His light and become light for Him.
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REFLECTION
• How can we continue to shine for Jesus? How is faith important for one to be called sons of Light?
HOSANNA TO THE KING OF ISRAEL ILMA’S VLOG
August 6
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HOSANNA TO THE KING OF ISRAEL
12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.” 14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15 “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.” 16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him. 17 So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. 18 For this reason also the people went and met Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.”– John 12:12-19
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In this story, we witness the crowd praising Jesus for raising Lazarus back to life and welcomed Him as he was coming in to Jerusalem. Jesus was sitting on a young donkey, which fulfills what was written in Scriptures. The disciples didn’t realize that it was a fulfilled prophecy until later. When they were shouting Hosanna, they eventually remembered. Those who witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus from the tomb, continued to witness to Jesus. They have never seen anything like it.
Meanwhile, when all were busy to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem and they were all honoring His coming in, the Pharisees were at the height of their envy. They fear losing their power and control over the popularity and following that resulted from Jesus bringing to life the dead. They needed to put a stop to it or they will be in trouble.
What interesting reactions we get from varied people here. Many believed only because they witnessed the miracles that Jesus did. They focused on the works but not really on the person of Jesus, who is God as well. We often do this when we get attracted to the works of people who serve God or get into the details of other things. We fail to focus on God and His truth and get distracted by other stuff. We fail to recognize that evil can lurk behind miracles. There will be people who will feel insecure and threatened when they are exposed with the evil things they do.
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REFLECTION
• How can people flip-flop from belief and unbelief despite signs and wonders?
MARY ANOINTS JESUS WITH COSTLY PERFUME ILMA’S VLOG
August 5
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MARY ANOINTS JESUS WITH COSTLY PERFUME
Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” 6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. 7 Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.” 9 The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. – John 12:1-11
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Lazarus was resurrected from death in this account. It was six days after Passover and Jesus passed by his friends’ house in Bethany. We see on some occasions in the bible that Jesus frequented the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. It establishes how close He was with these people. While having supper with Jesus and the disciples, Mary got her most expensive perfume and began to anoint Jesus’ feet with it and used her hair to wipe His feet with. It must have been very costly to use pure nard because it made Judas Iscariot cringed at the thought that he could have profited from the value of that perfume. It really shows his character. He wasn’t there for Jesus but to use Jesus so he can benefit personally from the funds. In verse 6, we see the true color of Judas, he was a thief who embezzled money from the funds of the group. Mary’s act of using the best perfume to anoint Jesus feet is exactly the opposite of Judas’ greed. She had to honor the Lord with all she has because He was her master.
How easily can we forget that everything we have comes from the Lord? Some people forget that Jesus must come first in all that we have and all that we do.
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REFLECTION
• Why did Mary anoint Jesus’ feet?
• What was the significance of such anointing?
JESUS’ POWER OVER DEATH ILMA’S VLOG
August 3
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JESUS’ POWER OVER DEATH
38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” 44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” 45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.
– John 11:38-46
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This part of John’s gospel tells us the miracle of all miracles that Jesus did for the glory of His Father. He brought life to the dead. It took four days before Jesus came to Bethany when He heard of the death of his beloved friend, Lazarus. Why did it take Him that long? Because the longer his friend is dead, the greater the opportunity to witness the power of God in him who have been long dead. In verse 42, Jesus proclaims in His prayer to God that He already knows God hears Him all the time, but for the sake of those who are witnessing this work He was doing, it will be better in order for their unbelief to turn to belief. In those days, they wrap their dead in wrappings and anoint them with oil. They didn’t have a way to preserve them long enough to remove the stench from the decay. Can you imagine how it must have smelled with four days of decaying dead body?
When Jesus commanded Lazarus to rise up, everyone was probably expecting the smell that they will be confronted with. I don’t think he stunk as much as they think He would. I am sure, as soon as Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out, He also dealt with the stench of the smell coming from his dead body. Death was overpowered and even the smell that goes with death was removed. This miracle clearly illustrates the power of Jesus when He gives life to the dead: whether it is in the spirit or in the physical realm.
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REFLECTION
• What were you resurrected from when you made Jesus your Lord and Master?
JESUS DEEPLY MOVED ILMA’S VLOG
August 2
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JESUS DEEPLY MOVED
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”
– John 11:30-37
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In the story of Lazarus’ death, there were so many questions going through the minds of those who were mourning with Mary and Martha. They knew that Jesus was a close friend of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Jesus was a constant visitor in their house. The people couldn’t understand how Jesus, who have done so many miracles couldn’t have done it for those who are closest to Him. Why did Jesus allow this beloved friend to die? What was riveting in this part of the story is how Jesus was deeply moved in His spirit. It was interesting how he could feel what they were feeling: the grief over the death of their beloved Lazarus. Once again, we see the human side of Jesus. He was grieving over the death of His beloved friend, but He wasn’t overcome by earthly grief. He had godly sorrow because He also knew that it was an occasion for Him to bring God the glory. He was going to use the death of His beloved friend to proclaim God’s name.
How often to we feel compassion for others? Compassion alludes to kindness and sympathy, but there is something deeper, something even more profoundly powerful, in its meaning. The origin of the word helps us grasp the true breadth and significance of compassion. In Latin, ‘compati’ means “suffer with.” Compassion means someone else’s heartbreak becomes your heartbreak. Another’s suffering becomes your suffering. True compassion changes the way we live. It brings about the love that Jesus sampled to us when he was still on earth.
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REFLECTION
• Are you a compassionate person? How can one cultivate a compassionate heart?
JOHN 11 LAZARUS’ DEATH ILMA’S VLOG
July 31
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LAZARUS’ DEATH
Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” 4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” 12 The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. 14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” 16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.” – John 11:1-16
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In previous accounts, we know that Jesus, Lazarus, Mary and Martha were very close friends.In verse 5 it shows how Jesus loved these sisters especially their brother Lazarus. In this story, we hear of Lazarus’ getting ill but Jesus had to continue his journey to Judea. The disciples were scared for Jesus because the Jews wanted to stone Him, and yet Jesus reminded them to walk in the day so they don’t stumble.
Jesus declares his deity again as He told them about Lazarus falling asleep which was a figure of speech to tell them he is dead. Then He declared that it was good that He wasn’t there so He could actually use his beloved friend’s death to bring forth life so that they may believe that He is the Son of God.
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REFLECTION
• How can Jesus postpone going to see Lazarus to heal him while he was still alive and continue to do God’s work in Judea?
MANY BELIEVED JESUS BECAUSE OF HIS WORKS ILMA’S VLOG
July 30
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MANY BELIEVED JESUS BECAUSE OF HIS WORKS
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I SAID, YOU ARE GODS’? 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” 39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. 41 Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.” 42 Many believed in Him there. – John 10:31-42
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After Jesus told the Jewish leaders that He and the Father are one, they went berserk and tried to stone Him. As they were going to hit him, Jesus asked what they were stoning Him for. During those times, the law allowed them to stone anyone who commits a crime or defies a law, but they had to have someone testify and have at least two witnesses. Jesus always answered them directly and exposed their unbelief each time they repeatedly ask. They didn’t really want to hear an answer. They were asking Him to catch Jesus in the act of breaking a law. He declared in verse 38, since He is from the Father, He was doing His Father’s works. How many times have they chased Jesus and yet, Jesus was able to elude their grasp? Their narrow and limited minds couldn’t fathom how Jesus was a man and yet says he is God. When Jesus went back to Jordan, many people believed Him because they saw all the signs and wonders He did. What an irony it was that those who actually claim they know the law and Scriptures, didn’t believe what had been prophesied about the Christ. John’s disciples weren’t probably as educated as the Jewish leaders, yet they believed because of the testimony that John had prophesied to them about the Christ who was to be their Messiah.
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REFLECTION
• How can a legalistic mind make you miss truth that is being revealed?
THE FATHER AND THE SON ARE ONE ILMA’S VLOG
July 29
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THE FATHER AND THE SON ARE ONE
22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. 24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26 But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” – John 10:22-30
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In this account, the Jews kept asking Jesus if He was the Christ. They said that they can no longer wait for His answer. It is interesting that in previous accounts, Jesus has already told them many times about His deity, but they wanted to hear Jesus outrightly declare that He is the Christ. The signs and wonders that Jesus showed them wasn’t sufficient enough for them to believe. Jesus explains to them on verse 26 the reason why despite all the things they have seen and heard Him say, they still continue to reject what He was telling them. It is because they do not belong to His flock. They cannot hear His voice simply because they were not chosen to be part of His kingdom. They do not belong to Him, so they don’t know Him nor recognize where He is from or hear His voice.
In this part of John’s gospel, Jesus repeats His claim that He and the Father are one. What Isn’t Jesus so direct with His answers to their queries?
2 Corinthians 4:4 explains the reason why they couldn’t hear or understand Jesus. it says in this verse that Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. Jesus has repeatedly revealed Himself to them, but they still couldn’t comprehend spiritual things that Jesus was revealing. They are so blinded by their unbelief because they have allowed Satan to rule their minds and hearts. This is what happens when people try to figure things what has already been revealed right before their very eyes. They miss it.
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REFLECTION
• How do we give Satan ammunition to blind us when we disbelieve Jesus?
• What happens when you constantly live in unbelief?
THE GOOD SHEPHERD LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP ILMA’S VLOG
July 28
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THE GOOD SHEPHERD LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE SHEEP
11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” 19 A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” 21 Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?” – John 10:11-21
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Jesus continues to reveal His deity to the Jews in this account. He uses the shepherd and the sheep as an example to clearly define the relationship of the Good Shepherd to his sheep. He declares how the Good Shepherd is very different from those hired hands who do not care about their flock for they don’t own them. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His flock. He describes those counterfeit shepherds who only care for their own welfare and not for the sheep. Isn’t this so true with our leaders and pastors in this day and age? Many are not true shepherds but are only after their own agendas. They do not lay down their lives to give God the glory. They do it for their own increase. They give glory to themselves but not to God.
It is sad to watch many false teachers, pastors and leaders who lead their flock astray and preach a different gospel other than what Scriptures say. They are only after their own selfish ambitions.
Jesus is concerned with those sheep who belongs to Him who are being misled by these counterfeits and false leaders. He wants them back to His fold.
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REFLECTION
• How do you know if you are being misled by false prophets, teachers or pastors?
• What is your responsibility as a Christian when you know you are being misled?