As a preschooler, I was taught the idea of "Stranger Danger." The idea is a warning that all strangers can potentially be dangerous. Even though my educators had good intentions, the idea that all strangers are hazardous is false. Rather than assuming all people are bad, a better way to instruct is to show how to be alert and awake towards goodness. It's a way that leads to our following Wonderfully Weird Command, "Beware of False Prophets."
There are over 7 billion souls globally; more likely than not, you will meet a stranger. Some will be true; others false. How a person determines the two will decide the fate of your life, good or bad. How do you recognize and choose who is good and evil?
Jesus in Matthew 7:15-16 says, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits (KJV)." In the Christian experience, God made it simple to recognize good and bad people. God's True people are clothed with behaviors that reflect Jesus's habits resting on God's design in how He made them. Their thoughts and feelings reflect the desires of God by drawing others in with healthy emotions that serve others to get closer to God. Good people are healthy both inside and out. Their beliefs, character, and moods reflect the Fruit of God. They know how to relate, connect, and inspire others, just as Jesus did during his earthly ministry. You'll know these people by their fruit, God's Fruit, that is—Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self-control (Gal 5:22-23).
On the other hand, sometimes, the wolves in sheep's clothing are hard to spot. Their thoughts are selfish on the inside, making them unidentifiable to innocent people on the outside. These wolves pretend to be like Jesus when appropriate and wear the costumes of good behavior to fool the naive and careless believer. Their bad thinking habits like guilt, shame, and worry feed their thoughts, and their emotions reflect hatred, stinginess, and anger, especially to those who are strangers to their conniving practices. Jesus said, "You'll know them by their fruits." Priorities give them away every time. God's people cannot be careless in recognizing these predators and must learn how to discern between people's good and bad fruit.
Today, I encourage God's people to be alert via learning the Wonderfully Weird Command "Beware of False Prophets." Doing so will allow God's Fruit to be the indicator of who is good or bad. It will also get you out of the preschool mentality to keep you awake and growing in the faith with all the other Commands of Jesus. It's only thinking and behaving like Jesus based on how God made you that will keep you alert to God's Goodness both in word and deed. Rather than feeling all strangers are dangerous, why not allow God's way to inform you to show how life is good, not sometimes, but all the time.
With love,