Stranger Danger
remember, follow only who you trust…
“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ' John 10:1-5
as children we are taught to be careful who we speak with. to watch out for strangers, people that weren’t introduced by mommy or daddy, are not our relatives, etc. at least i hope all parents do. what can be difficult is that you can’t always be there when they’re out on their own. we can only hope that they listened and learned when you were teaching them this lesson.
unfortunately many kids get tricked, enticed by kind words, candy, gifts, whatever it is because they lacked the attention, disregarded what they know they should do, acting out, or whatever the reason is. in the past i have been easily sidetracked, some might say manipulated by the devil, but that would be a copout as i knew what i was doing was bad. i heard the lies - you deserve that, is it really that bad, who will know or find out, pretty sure no one will get hurt.
the problem is that this does not only apply to children. young adults, even grown, mature people fall for the same thing. it’s when we desire (pleasure, money, power, fame, whatever) that we feel only the world can make you fulfilled that the “stranger’s voice” grabs your attention the most. sad part is that they are temporary and offer no true satisfaction, though it may be fun for a short time. in either case, this has real, life-changing consequences when it happens.
yes, all the b.s. that we talked ourselves into when we should have simply walked away, change our focus to something positive/good, to pray and ask God for help, to worship and keep our eyes on Jesus, call one of our brothers to help walk you through those ‘dark’ times.
these verses are a reminder for us to pay attention only to the voices and words of those that matter the most - God, our Heavenly Father; Jesus, our Lord & Savior; The Holy Spirit, our constant companion and guide! as shared - like sheep that knows its shepherd’s voice, as He goes ahead of us, leading the way, we are to follow diligently.
Father God, thank you for speaking into my life, our lives. please continue to teach us to hear the voice of your Son, Jesus, The Good Shepherd, and for us to follow Him all the days of my life, our lives. i humbly ask in His majestic name i pray, amen!