Do you ever get that feeling inside you when you know something is not quite right? You might be thinking of that feeling you get when you eat to much at the all you can eat buffet and you say, “something tells me I’m going to pay for that later”. I am thinking more of when something you believe or trust in is challenged and you say, “something tells me that I shouldn’t believe that”. So, what do you do when you have that feeling? You typically compare what you are hearing with what you know, trust, or have experienced. You might also consider the source of the information you are hearing, “oh, that’s just __________, you can’t trust anything they say”.
As we live a life surrendered to God, we are faced with many voices that attempt to influence what we think, believe and trust. Satan might be the source of teaching that is false, and the deception used to lure people away from the truth of the gospel, but he can utilize many, whose hearts are deceived, to spread his lies. 1 John 4:1-6 gives us guidance and hope as we face these spiritual attacks. Verse 1 tells us to test what we hear, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” When I think of a test that finds the facts I think of when I test the water in our pool. I use a strip that has four tabs on it and all it needs is just a small sample of the water to react and reveal the condition of the water. If it has too much or not enough chlorine(which is the foundation of what keeps the water clean), if the PH is to high or low, if the water is hard or soft, and how much alkalinity it has. All that from just a small sample of water, not the 18,000 gallons of water it holds.
We must run a test many times per day on all that influences our lives and the foundation of that test is if the source of that information confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (v.2b). This is foundational because their information needs to come from the truth of scripture and not some man made, pride driven, self-focused beliefs that will lead you away from total surrender to God. Their message is so appealing and sounds so similar to biblical teaching that many in the world will listen. They are not speaking truth, “they are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.” (v.5)
So, how do we know if someone’s message is one based on the truth of the gospel? First, from past experiences you might know right away that their information is not based on a faith in Christ and the authority of his word. Second, you just might not trust this person based on prior interaction or the integrity of their character. Third, you know the truth. Verse 4 says, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” The question becomes, how well do you know the truth of scripture? How well do you know the character and nature of God? Do you know him well enough that when you are presented with something that is not from him that you would know the difference?
When you live each day with this foundation of faith, trust, and truth that voice inside that causes you to say, “Something tells me”, is the Holy Spirit of God. The second half of verse 6 says, “By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error”, when someone listens to faithful teaching and words that are founded on the word of God. The more you know His Word, believe His Word, and live His Word, that voice will become louder and louder.
Who or what are you listening to? How have you tested what you are hearing?
Have you confessed in your heart that Jesus has come in the flesh from God to defeat death and the grave so that we might have a relationship with Him? If not, will you surrender to him today?
No comments:
Post a Comment