We all know people who consider themselves to be Expert Detectives. And given that some do seem to have built in radars that pick up out-of-place things or verbal inconsistences, they may be seeing things that the rest of us are missing. These self-proclaimed super-sleuths are not hard to miss. They are the ones who often exclaim, “I told you there was something wrong with that person.” In fact, you and I have probably said this ourselves.
However, sometimes lies and deceptions come too close to home for us to see them for what they are. There are those who are skilled at breaking down natural defenses. These are people we warm to quickly and trust immediately as new and firm friends. It is not until the damage is done that we are caused to acknowledge our gullibility.
But sometimes we don’t see it and may never see it. Some Christians go to their graves blaming anyone but the guilty. Tragically, a church can easily harbour a wolf in sheep’s clothing because the signs are either ignored or hidden. Of course, the longer its left, the sooner the devil moves in, and the Holy Spirit moves out.
Although some carnage will not be appropriately attributed until judgement, we can usually spot a troublemaker if we use the spiritual insight available to us. Just as a tree is known by its fruit, so are we. The godly leave a legacy of goodness, while the ungodly leave a trail of destruction. It is as simple as that!
“The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed (1 Timothy 5:24-25).
John Staiger