by Dennis Gladden, By Green Pastures, ©2026
(Jul. 8, 2026) — Our son has wildlife in his yard.
You do, too.
Different from his but menacing, just the same.
Jonathan moved to Alaska last year, nearly 30 miles northeast of Anchorage, for work. He lives on a mountainside overlooking a river valley.
On any given day, a bear or moose may meander into his yard. Most times they move on, but occasionally they hunker down. One day, a bull moose sojourned for 11 hours or so, just drifting around his yard and the bordering woods.
You feel pinned in when a mammoth moose loiters nearby, especially when you have two English Cream Golden retrievers that need to go out occasionally.
Certain wildlife will do that—intimidate.
They may seem tame—our son sent pictures in which the moose looked docile enough. My wife and I said it would be tempting to go out and stroke his snout, like you would a cow or horse in a pasture.
But a bull moose can be cranky.
They have a reputation.
Keep your distance and holster your bear spray (yes, bear spray can deter a moose).
Beasts invade the green pastures.
Now, about your wild animals and mine.
The 23rd Psalm compares God’s people to sheep that He leads into green pastures and beside still waters.
What serenity!
Beware. Wildlife finds its way there, too.
In the pastures that inspired him to write the psalm, David killed a bear and a lion (1 Samuel 17:36).
Jesus talked about wolves among the sheep.
Savage wolves, said Paul.
Peter labeled them brute beasts.
They were describing false prophets and false teachers.
These are the wildlife in your yard.
- Jesus: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15)
- Paul: I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. (Acts 20:30).
- Peter: Prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you… These, like natural brute beasts … speak evil of the things they do not understand. (2 Peter 1:21–2:1, 2:12).
This is not a New Testament or church phenomenon. Moses warned that liars would infiltrate Israel.
The prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. (Deuteronomy 18:20).
And, of course, the falsest of the false appeared as a serpent in Eden and deceived Eve.
Read the rest here.