December 28
Family caregiving can feel like walking on uneven ground. Each day we make decisions for the care of our loved one, carry varied responsibilities, and battle exhaustion that seeps in like a morning fog. We stumble through our daily lives, wondering where we are going and what will happen next. Jude’s words speak directly to the fragile place we find ourselves when we feel lost and are susceptible to letting false teachings worm their way into our Christian walk.
It is with sadness that I see a great many professing Christians allow unbiblical ideas entry into their faith when they are providing care or grieving their loved ones. In a mixture of not being well versed in the Word, and wanting to find small comforts in hard times, people are allowing these false teachings—often New Age practices—to be added to their lives.
In conversation with other caregivers I have have heard them admit to praying to angels, talking to a deceased loved one, or looking for signs in nature or numbers. They wanted to add energy healings for their loved ones or use a medium to gain special knowledge about what to do next. These things are expressly forbidden in the Bible!
Instead, ask God for wisdom and discernment because he will not hold back in giving these gifts to you. Read your Bible every day. Find community with fellow believers that will encourage you to walk faithfully according to God’s commands.
It is also vitally important to keep learning about God all your life. Move on from milk to solid food, deepening your knowledge of your Father in heaven. Keep yourselves in his love, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, until the Lord Jesus Christ comes again. And be merciful to your friends who have stumbled into these other practices, but let them know, with love, that they are not walking with the Lord.
Prayer for today:
Heavenly Father, help me to persevere in my faith by the power of the Holy Spirit and guide me away from practices that you have forbidden. Cleanse my heart and renew my mind so that I can discern what is good and acceptable and perfect in your eyes. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
