‍

“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”‍ ‍

Acts 20:29

When I was a kid, my uncle had a dog that was half-wolf as a pet. His name was Apollo.

‍Apollo was a beautiful, white creature, with baby blue eyes and a sweet demeanor.

He was sweet, loveable, and an animal of size, even as a “pup.”

‍His paws were the size of a man’s hand.

And his enthusiasm?

‍Well, that was the level of a young child, filled with caffeine and sugar.

‍ So, how that translated were numerous situations of him bounding up to me, knocking me down, whenever we visited my uncle’s place. It kept happening.

Kinda like that.

I was only eleven. I was a kid.

And, if Apollo stood on his hind legs, he was taller than me. About a foot taller.

‍How do I know this?

Because his sweet, loveable enthusiasm came at me at two hundred miles an hour, charging the car door. I couldn’t even get out of the car, and I saw his enormous front paws leaning on the window.

He couldn’t wait to get at me.

Was I his playmate?

‍I don’t believe he meant any harm towards me.

‍Apollo was-uh- not the sharpest tool in the shed.

‍Dumb as a bag of hammers, more accurate.

‍Again, I don’t believe he meant any harm.

And that had me thinking about cluelessness, motives, and wolves.

Scripture has stuff to say about them, mainly about how they are the deadly enemy to the sheep.

‍Us.

‍Followers of The Good Shepherd, Yahshua.

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”‍ ‍

Matthew 10:16

It’s not a comforting thought, us being the helpless, and, let’s face it, the stupid sheep, at the mercy of strong, cunning wolves that can tear us apart.

But what is equally, if not more disturbing?

‍What if we become a wolf, attacking the sheep?

‍What if we are the ones causing harm?

‍Yeah.

Are you shifting uncomfortable in your seat right now?

‍I am.

Because you and I have that capability.

We can be predators.

‍It doesn’t take much to turn into that creature, to “turn against” the flock.

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

1 Timothy 6:10

‍It’s not always about money, but, yeah, money can be the root of a lot of the less-than-noble reasons why we behave like a wolf, especially amongst the innocent, the sheep.

Greed is about more than money.

“He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.”‍ ‍

Proverbs 15:27

‍It has to do with coveting. Something has captured our hearts and our attention.

‍What is that?

It is about motives. And none of us get past His assessment of them.

“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by Elohim.”‍ ‍

Proverbs 16:2

‍We need to think of ourselves accurately.

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith Elohim has distributed to each of you.”‍ ‍

Romans 12:3

‍Again, you and I are capable of being “wolf-like.”

You and I are capable of being… a “false prophet?”

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Matthew 7:15

‍Gulp. A-hem. (And the sound of nervous fidgeting).

‍Yeah, it can really go there for us.

No one likes to think we are villains in the story.

‍Especially, if we are people of faith, wanting to seek, love, and serve “The Master,” Yahshua.

But The Most High knows our hearts; He tries them…

“I, Elohim, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

Jeremiah 17:10

That means, then, that it can be a slippery slope, from Shepherd to wolf.

‍It can be subtle. Quiet. These wicked hearts or ours can beat quietly.

Unnoticed. Undetected.

Except by Him. He sees. He knows.

Therefore, we can harm the sheep.

And our Shepherd takes that seriously.

“…‘I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down…I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.’”
Ezekiel 34:15-16

We may have bounded with enthusiasm, like the Half-wolf dog, Apollo, getting in there, excited about what we are doing.

And then, our hearts start thinking, feeling, and wanting things.

And maybe, these things are harmful to the sheep. Maybe they put the flock at risk.

So, if we are not turning into a full-on wolf predator, tearing apart the wooly creatures, then, atthe very least, we are a hired hand.

Which harms the sheep as well…

“He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”

John 10:12

It causes harm because we don’t possess love and concern for the sheep. Things like greed supersede it.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”‍ ‍

Philippians 2:3-4

‍Interests.

What are we interested in?

‍Self-interest?

‍Self-ambition.

‍Again, we are all capable of experiencing those things.

‍And, like Apollo, we are not smart enough to recognize behavior. We are clueless.

‍We may not intend to “knock someone over.”

‍But we do.

‍An uncomfortable caution.

‍Do we heed it?

‍Prayer can help us, in the cautionary heeding.

‍Let’s pray, right now.

‍ ‍

ABBA-

‍ ‍

I come to You, in The Name of Your Son, My Savior, Yahshua.

‍ ‍

You know my heart right now.

‍ ‍

You know what’s going on within it.

‍ ‍

You know my motives.

‍ ‍

Forgive me for my sins.

‍ ‍

You know how predatory I am in my behaviors and intentions.

‍ ‍

I don’t want to be a predator, a villain, someone who causes harm.

‍ ‍

You know what has captured my heart.

‍ ‍

Help me. You know how to reach me.

‍ ‍

Come find me.

‍ ‍

I invite you to search my heart. Help me with it.

‍ ‍

Help me to operate from it in ways that do not harm, kill, and destroy.

‍ ‍

Thank You for hearing my prayer, and for answering it with Your Help now.

‍ ‍

Help me. Guide me.

‍ ‍

Thank You.

‍ ‍

I receive it all, in The Name of Yahshua,

‍ ‍

Amen.

‍

Half-Wolf

“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”‍ ‍

Acts 20:29

When I was a kid, my uncle had a dog that was half-wolf as a pet. His name was Apollo.

‍Apollo was a beautiful, white creature, with baby blue eyes and a sweet demeanor.

He was sweet, loveable, and an animal of size, even as a “pup.”

‍His paws were the size of a man’s hand.

And his enthusiasm?

‍Well, that was the level of a young child, filled with caffeine and sugar.

‍ So, how that translated were numerous situations of him bounding up to me, knocking me down, whenever we visited my uncle’s place. It kept happening.

Kinda like that.

I was only eleven. I was a kid.

And, if Apollo stood on his hind legs, he was taller than me. About a foot taller.

‍How do I know this?

Because his sweet, loveable enthusiasm came at me at two hundred miles an hour, charging the car door. I couldn’t even get out of the car, and I saw his enormous front paws leaning on the window.

He couldn’t wait to get at me.

Was I his playmate?

‍I don’t believe he meant any harm towards me.

‍Apollo was-uh- not the sharpest tool in the shed.

‍Dumb as a bag of hammers, more accurate.

‍Again, I don’t believe he meant any harm.

And that had me thinking about cluelessness, motives, and wolves.

Scripture has stuff to say about them, mainly about how they are the deadly enemy to the sheep.

‍Us.

‍Followers of The Good Shepherd, Yahshua.

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”‍ ‍

Matthew 10:16

It’s not a comforting thought, us being the helpless, and, let’s face it, the stupid sheep, at the mercy of strong, cunning wolves that can tear us apart.

But what is equally, if not more disturbing?

‍What if we become a wolf, attacking the sheep?

‍What if we are the ones causing harm?

‍Yeah.

Are you shifting uncomfortable in your seat right now?

‍I am.

Because you and I have that capability.

We can be predators.

‍It doesn’t take much to turn into that creature, to “turn against” the flock.

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

1 Timothy 6:10

‍It’s not always about money, but, yeah, money can be the root of a lot of the less-than-noble reasons why we behave like a wolf, especially amongst the innocent, the sheep.

Greed is about more than money.

“He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will live.”‍ ‍

Proverbs 15:27

‍It has to do with coveting. Something has captured our hearts and our attention.

‍What is that?

It is about motives. And none of us get past His assessment of them.

“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by Elohim.”‍ ‍

Proverbs 16:2

‍We need to think of ourselves accurately.

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith Elohim has distributed to each of you.”‍ ‍

Romans 12:3

‍Again, you and I are capable of being “wolf-like.”

You and I are capable of being… a “false prophet?”

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Matthew 7:15

‍Gulp. A-hem. (And the sound of nervous fidgeting).

‍Yeah, it can really go there for us.

No one likes to think we are villains in the story.

‍Especially, if we are people of faith, wanting to seek, love, and serve “The Master,” Yahshua.

But The Most High knows our hearts; He tries them…

“I, Elohim, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

Jeremiah 17:10

That means, then, that it can be a slippery slope, from Shepherd to wolf.

‍It can be subtle. Quiet. These wicked hearts or ours can beat quietly.

Unnoticed. Undetected.

Except by Him. He sees. He knows.

Therefore, we can harm the sheep.

And our Shepherd takes that seriously.

“…‘I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down…I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.’” Ezekiel 34:15-16

We may have bounded with enthusiasm, like the Half-wolf dog, Apollo, getting in there, excited about what we are doing.

And then, our hearts start thinking, feeling, and wanting things.

And maybe, these things are harmful to the sheep. Maybe they put the flock at risk.

So, if we are not turning into a full-on wolf predator, tearing apart the wooly creatures, then, atthe very least, we are a hired hand.

Which harms the sheep as well…

“He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.”

John 10:12

It causes harm because we don’t possess love and concern for the sheep. Things like greed supersede it.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”‍ ‍

Philippians 2:3-4

‍Interests.

“…‘I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down…I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.’”
Ezekiel 34:15-16