It’s Monday, July 28, 2025. It never fails. Just as the sandwiches are unwrapped, they arrive—uninvited and relentless. Flies. A perfectly good picnic becomes a battlefield of swats and interrupted conversations. It happens in perfectly good churches too. False prophets. You don’t notice them right away. It takes time—but soon, they’re taking over. How do you get rid of them? Can you? Read on …
Today's Reading:
Isaiah 53,54,55,56; 2 Peter 2
Scripture
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies… Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them, the way of truth will be maligned. In their greed, they will exploit you with false words…”. (2 Peter 2:1–3)
Observation
Like pesky flies—you never see them come in. Maybe the door was left ajar, or a window cracked just enough. But suddenly, there they are—buzzing around your fruit salad, landing squarely on the one piece of cantaloupe you had your eye on.
I’ve been in homes—particularly in some third-world nations—where flies on the food are common. The hosts don’t even flinch. They talk. They smile. They eat around the insects.
But me? I lose my appetite. I leave hungry—not rude, just disturbed.
Application
False teachers are like those flies. They slip in quietly. They sound smooth, but their words carry something invisibly rancid. Like flies at a banquet, if left unchecked, they can make others lose their appetite for truth. People come hungry but leave empty. The hosts tolerated what should have been swatted.
In any healthy church, there must be both an open door PLUS a vigilant eye. As we welcome the searching, we must also gently escort out the misleading. And if I’m not paying attention, the genuine seekers may leave—not because of the message, but because the flies were never dealt with.
Prayer
Father, Give me discernment—not just to open doors, but to notice the flies. Help me tend Your house with both grace and courage. Let me protect the table of truth, so that hungry hearts are fed, not driven away. May I always love enough to welcome, and be wise enough to guard. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
-Wayne Cordeiro
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