Have you ever relied on the advice of someone you know for a hard decision you had to make? Just to realize their not smarter than a 5th grader? I know I have. Don’t get me wrong, I believe God will send people into our lives for certain reasons, however the bible makes it clear that Gods ways are “…higher than your ways” and His thoughts “…higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9 NKJV). Even though we may gain insight and advice from someone we know we can trust, we still shall take our thoughts and decisions to God, because they don’t understand God’s ways or thoughts.

This thought came to me while reading Matthew 7 which hits on some major topics regarding prayer, doing whats right, identifying a true/false prophet by their fruits, being a true disciple and building on a solid foundation. So the mindset that came into play is how often man relies on mans own thoughts and opinions. And this stuck out to me so much because in verse 13-14, and I’m sure you heard it, says “You can enter God’s kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.” (NLT).

So then it came to my mind that there’s a lot of people we cannot trust. There’s many people, even if they think their intentions are good, or that we may perceive them to be good may actually lead us down the wrong road. However, many people keep seeking out man’s advice more than God’s.

In today’s time we can easily see what Paul meant when he was telling Timothy that there will be a time when people will not listen to “sound doctrine” but will instead seek out teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. (2 Timothy 4:4 NKJV).

That verse alone tells us that there will be leaders who do not hold onto a firm foundation of what scripture says but in order to remain a leader they are willing to twist the scripture in order to gain the respect of their congregation. If you watch Netflix, you may have come across the movie “Come Sunday,” which is about a Tulsa, OK Bishop named Carlton Pearson, who believes God told him that no one has to be saved, because they are already saved and that there is no hell anyways. This alone, is a huge contradiction to what the Old and New testament has to say. If there is no hell, then what exactly did Jesus save us from?

The worst part about this, is that there are many who believe this none-sense. Carlton was even interviewed on the Today show acting as if he’s the victim.

Point being said with this, is that whether your a spiritual leader in some sense or a regular church goer, there’s an important foundation that you need to establish for yourself to where you’re not solely relying on someone else’s word. Even with what I say I challenge you to read the scriptures for yourself.

Going back to Matthew 7:24-27 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on a solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse, because it is built on rock. But anyone who hears my teachings and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” (NLT).

When Bishop Pearson started claiming that he was told by God that everyone is already saved and that there is no hell, church building, the house for his congregation fell. He lost everything. He lost his church, friends and even his house. He lost it all. However, he’s played it off as if he’s a victim. And those who believe him don’t know any better, because they also have a sandy foundation.

I don’t know exactly what goes through a person’s mind to think that they are right and that everything that’s mentioned and inspired by God in the Bible is wrong, other than the devil has been at work. I imagine the ego a person can get when they have many followers and money. But beware of people who believe they have a bigger voice than God.

Verses 15-20 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don’t pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles. A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced” (NLT).

I’ve learned the hard way a few times not to easily trust others, sad but true. During college my sophomore year I was trying to join a discipleship group lead by a third year student. I looked up to this guy and looked forward to learning a lot from him and getting to know some of the other guys. However, one way or another I discovered he intentionally told me that his group was full, but the truth was he didn’t want me to join. The next year he went on his internship and fell into serious temptation that severed his reputation and ended his role as a student.

I started to feel like a saint after seeing his short comings. I pondered, what would make a man that seemed so content in his relationship with God, to give it all up for pleasure. There’s a crack in his foundation. He disliked fellow brothers and desired things that we’re against God’s will. However I was convinced he was on the right track until his sin was shown in the light. Point being here, it’s best to have your eyes set more on God than any man here on earth, no matter how much you may trust them… they are human and have short comings in their actions and thoughts.