Tuesday, March 14, 2023

The NIV translation of this verse says, “Watch out that no one deceives you.” Jesus warned His disciples that in the last days, many would come in His name, claiming to be the Messiah, and that they would deceive many. His disciples had asked about the future and the events or signs that would announce His return and the end of the world. Jesus used the moment to warn them to be on their guard against religious deception and false interpretations of natural catastrophes. Like the first disciples, we shouldn’t be worried about rumors of the exact date of the second coming of the Lord. Instead, we should be concerned about living God’s way, so we are found ready when He comes. Any event, whether it be a pandemic or a war, can be interpreted in religious quarters as a sign of the imminent end of the world. Those rumors can destabilize the faith of new believers. We have to focus on preaching the message of salvation through faith in the risen Christ and pray for spiritual discernment to guard against any kind of deception.

Haggai helped me grow spiritually and become more focused on preaching about repentance and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.