“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.”- 1 John 4:1 (NLT)
I have an early childhood memory of spending time with my parents picking blueberries in the woods of Paradise, Michigan. When I found a berry, I would hold it up to my mom and dad, asking, “Is this a blueberry?” I’m sure after a while, they were tired of me repeatedly asking that question, but I wanted to be sure I was picking the right one.
As a young Christian, I would ask the pastor for a copy of his sermon after each church service. I was truthful with him, telling him that I needed to be sure that what I had heard that day was the same as what God’s Word teaches. He was very gracious and didn’t take it personally. I think he even respected me for it. At home, I took the sermon and looked up all the scriptures to make sure what he was teaching was from God’s Word.
When you think of the importance of our faith and doing what it takes to have eternal life, isn’t it a good idea to check things out? I Thessalonians 5:20-22 (NIV) says, “Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.”
It’s easy to pick a church and a pastor, but all churches are not created equal. When the Lord started His church, there were no denominations. He established His one church in Acts 2 and called for that one church to preach one message and never to be divided.
Many of our churches are teaching differently than what is in the Holy Bible. They may be subtle differences, but we are not to listen to man’s word but to God’s Word. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” – Psalms 118:8 (ESV). We are responsible for our own salvation. Make sure you are relying on God’s Truth.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, Your Word is truth. Help us differentiate Your Word from man’s. Teach us to be discerning in what is heard and taught. Show us the importance of studying Your Word so that we can easily understand through scripture what we need to do to have eternal life. – In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Written by: Laurie Davis
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Amen! Thank you for your inspirational messages.
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