Day 1 – BEWARE OF PEOPLE WHO LIE

Read 1 John 4:1. Who should you beware of?
Prophet: (n) a person who speaks for an authority
The Bible says you should be careful who you listen to. In fact, it says you should put everything you hear to the test. The Bible uses the word “spirit” but it’s not talking about ghosts. It’s talking about all things Satan uses to promote his lies. People are one way Satan spreads his lies. They might not even know what they are saying is a lie. False prophets often say they know God but what they teach about God is not true.  Their message might sound good but God knows if you put it to the test, it will fail. It can be confusing to know who God’s messenger really is, but if you are reading His Word, you will know what is not true! Have you ever heard anyone teach a message that was wrong? How did you know it was wrong?

Day 2 – BEWARE OF THINGS THAT ONLY SOUND GOOD

Read Matthew 7:15
How does the Bible describe false teaching and false prophets?
God uses the example of a sheep and wolf to help you recognize teaching about God that is not true. It is easy to recognize a lie when the person does not claim to say it’s coming from God. The truth is there are people who know who God is but don’t believe the right thing about Him. There are many reasons why. They might not like what God has to say in the Bible and twist what it says. A false prophet might come up with something completely random and use God’s name to try to make it believable. Most of the time false prophets preach things that benefit them or those around them. That sounds like a good deal but they are only thinking about what feels good, what makes them famous, liked by others or is cool right now. This is why God compares them to looking like a sheep. A sheep is a peaceful and innocent creature. What a false prophet says might look good, but it’s a disguise. They are really wolves who prey upon you and can destroy you. They are not thinking of your future, your identity, or what is best for you forever.

Day 3 – BEWARE OF SILLY ARGUMENTS

Read 2 Timothy 2:23
What should you avoid? Why should you avoid foolish arguments?
God wants you to spend your time fighting for the things that matter and beware of the things that don’t. He knows that if you get in arguments with others for silly things, it can hurt your relationship with them. Satan will be happy if you hurt your relationship with someone because you might lose the opportunity to encourage each other to grow in your walk with Jesus, or you might lose the opportunity to share Christ with that person. Think about how silly some arguments are. We argue over things like getting something first, who is right or wrong about sports trivia, who gets more time playing video games and so many other things that don’t matter. Does it really matter if you go first? Does it really matter if your brother was given ten extra minutes playing video game or if you’re right about how many assists the basketball player got in a game? What matters to God is everything about Him and His people. Before you argue remind yourself the person who you are arguing with is more important than the argument.
Have you argued about anything silly lately? Write about it.
The good news is that God has the power to restore any relationship. If you had a silly argument this week, go say you are sorry and ask for that person’s forgiveness.

DID YOU KNOW

You might lie sometimes and have people believe you. You may never be found out while you live on earth. But God knows the truth. It may seem that there is no punishment for these false teachers on earth. They seem to get everything they want. Trust that God knows their lie and He knows the right punishment in the right time….even if you don’t get to see it happen.

Day 4 – BEWARE OF TWISTED TRUTH

Read 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
What does Satan disguise himself as? What do his followers disguise himself as too?
You read about this yesterday but it’s good to hear this message again. Lies don’t always look or sound evil. They sound and look good. The scary thing is if you listen to a lie long enough you will believe it is really true. Not only will you believe it’s true, you will make everything around you support it. Let’s pretend you knocked over some grape juice and ruined your mom’s new white rug. When your mom asked, you said your baby sister did it. To prove yourself, you switched out your cup for your sister’s Sippy cup. You also told your mom you were outside when it happened and showed her the dirt on your shoes that was really there from yesterday. Do you see how you twisted what is really true to fit your story? That is what Satan and false teachers do. They tell a lie and twist the truth about everything around them to support what they said. You must beware of lies and to do this you have to rely on God and His Word! Think about a time that you told a lie and twisted things to support your lie. Did anyone believe you?

Day 5 – BEWARE OF BELIEVERS WHO ARE DISRUPTIVE

Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6
Who are you supposed to beware of? Why?
Idle: (adj) not active
Disruptive (adj) causing separation: causing fights or quarrels
God wants you to be caring and love all people. He wants you to beware of people that can pull you away from Him. God tells you to share Jesus with people who don’t know Him. He also asks you to encourage people and set an example for believers who are not strong in their faith. It is confusing when He says beware of believers who are idle and disruptive. Aren’t you supposed to encourage them? Yes, of course! But God doesn’t want you to spend most of your time with them. God knows you can start to become like the people you hang out with. A believer who is idle is a person who is not active in their faith. They have God in their heart but they ignore what He says. If someone is ignoring God, then they are choosing their own way… which is sin. You know sin is disruptive and God has asked you to beware of it. Encourage those people or invite them to church. If you have a strong group of friends, you can invite them to come hang out with you. Why is this different than hanging out with them alone? Your good friends can help you stand strong and that person will be influenced by you and your friends.
Do you know a friend who believes in Jesus but ignores what He says?
How can you encourage that friend? Are you spending too much time with that friend alone? Do you have a good group of friends that encourage you?