Thanks for sharing this rich devotion @karen4. You mention several important characteristics of false prophets. Just wanted to share how I have seen these play out in the past.
- Self-promotion and deceit: Self-promotion and deceit seem to go hand in hand. Self-promotion may appear as exuding confidence in meeting a real need. Deceit may take the form of name dropping of famous preachers or hiding controversial beliefs and weaknesses in the initial stages of connection.
- Foretelleing of future events and teaching of new doctrines: They may add new rules that go beyond what’s written in the bible and develop new teaching on hard to understand topics such as eschatology, that many Christians struggle to refute. The signs of a false prophet often draw attention to self rather than God.
- Fruits of righteousness: It can be difficult to discern the fruits because we may not have enough access to their lives. Lack of love and humility are probably the best indicators of a false prophet.
Amen to your prayer! Thank you.