Prowling Wolves

When I awoke this morning the Lord revealed an image to me. It was a warning about spiritual wolves that enter innocent lives and faith gatherings with the intent to tear apart hope, trust, and faith with the teeth of deception.

In the image, I saw a lone wolf hiding behind a line of parked cars on a city street. He was watching people as they passed. He was assessing the vulnerability of his next target. The wolf then went on the move in a trot roaming freely through the streets of the city undetected. It was like he was invisible to those who were not aware. I was struck by how blind the citizens had become to his presence. Wolves have always been on the prowl. Many believers have not developed a spiritual sense of situational awareness and therefore have become easy prey to false doctrines and unhealthy images of God.

In our current spiritual climate, warnings are not popular. Only the foolish and naïve live a life without warnings. In Paul’s eloquent final message to the Ephesian elders, he warned them saying, ^“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert”  (Acts 20:28-31).

You cannot safeguard your life against a spiritual wolf by gaining more knowledge or by attending more church meetings. Both are valuable, but not as weapons against the attack of a wolf. The only way to truly safeguard your spiritual life against these attacks is to deepen your intimacy with Jesus.  The Passion Translation reveals this so clearly, “But the wonderful anointing you have received from God is so much greater than their deception and now lives in you. There’s no need for anyone to keep teaching you. His anointing teaches you all that you need to know. For it will lead you into truth, not a counterfeit. So, just as the anointing has taught you, remain in him” (I John 2:27). The phrase, “remain in him” can also be translated, “remain in it (the anointing)”.

Assess your spiritual life. No matter how mature you think you are or what you have accomplished in the name of God, your maturity and your accomplishments are not safeguards against a spiritual wolf, whether that wolfing presence is a person or a theological error. 

Yes, every believer is in Christ, yet Scripture tells us we need to have our minds renewed to be able to see the world around us through the eyes of Jesus. The mind translates and interprets what our eyes see. The anointing of Jesus upon our lives gives us discerning sight to see the prowling wolf. Unfortunately for some, the anointing has been limited to ministry potential. It is so much more. An increased awareness of our anointing comes when we press deeper into our intimacy with Jesus. 

Intimacy is our only true source of protection especially when so much of the world around us can seem confusing and out of focus. In that confusion and lack of focus, we can become easy prey to a wolf if we do not choose to live each day in the anointing. Deepen your intimacy with Jesus and no wolfing presence will have its way with you. Intimacy is your safe place.