Jude 1:12 (NLT)

‘When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots.’

Without wanting to sound alarmist, God is clearly warning of the danger of getting too close to some types of people, people who may pretend to belong to Christ but really are there to destroy you. He says they can shipwreck my faith. They can destroy what God has invested in me through the years. They don’t care about me; they come as shepherds but only care about what they can gain from me. Like clouds without rain, they have nothing to input into my life. They look good like they have something for me but the truth are that, they are really very empty themselves. Dead is the final description used for them. They have nothing: no fruits, no roots.

Yet these people are with us and around us. They speak the right languages and know how to win our hearts, but they are dangerous reefs. Many innocent brothers have fallen for their deception, but I will not allow myself the liberty to be careless. I will scrutinize every relationship. I will ask the deeper questions that people fear to ask. I want to know what is the profit or purpose of having a relationship with a new friend. I must sense the spirit of the person and understand what he believes, even before I open my heart to him. We are spirit beings and we can sense each other. This perception is a critical need in walking with other believers in these last days.

‘Lord, heighten my sensitivities, for these dead men are walking around us and within the Church and I need to discern them and identify them, and guard my heart against them and teach others to reject what they stand for. And hopefully, help them come to the truth of the gospel.’