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Test for Truth - January 24

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 

Test for Truth

Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. 

 

Reflect 

How can we know if a spiritual teaching is true or false? 

 

Have you ever heard anyone say something like, “The Lord spoke to me and said_____.” Or maybe you’ve felt like God was leading you to do something but you had no idea if that feeling was from the Lord or from your own heart. How are you supposed to know if a message is truly from God? How are we supposed to discern truth from error or even outright lies? 

 

The apostle Paul answered this question for the Thessalonians. He told them to test every prophecy and hold fast to what is good. How do we know what is good and true? Test it against the Word of God! The NASB (1995) put it this way, “But examine everything carefully...”. Whenever you hear a truth claim, examine the Scriptures carefully to see if that claim lines up with Scripture. If it doesn’t, reject it. Let it go. It’s not from God. But if it does line up with God’s Word, cling to it, and fully embrace it.  

 

It’s important to understand what Paul means when he uses the word “prophecy.” Prophecy doesn’t mean the words of men but the word of God. The Old Testament prophets received the Word from the Lord that they would speak to the people and write down. This was the test to know if someone who claimed to speak for the Lord was a true prophet or not: “‘But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’—when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). God’s Word will always come to pass. If it doesn’t, it’s not God’s Word.  

 

In the New Testament, the apostles were sometimes given new revelation from God. The apostle John gave these rules for knowing if a spirit or a prophecy was actually from God: “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. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist...” (1 John 4:1-4).  

 

These days, we have the complete Scriptures. God has given us His perfect Word which is “...breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). If we want to know what is good, true, and from the Lord, we have the incredible privilege of having total access to the Word of God so that we can test the truthfulness of any spiritual claim. We are not going to receive new revelation from God. We have everything we need in Scripture.  

 

One of the best examples we have in the Bible of spiritual discernment is the Bereans: “...they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed…” (Acts 17:11-12). The Bereans didn’t despise, ignore, or immediately reject the new teaching Paul and Silas brought them. But they didn’t blindly accept it either. They searched the Scriptures. They tested it for truth against God’s Word. God will never contradict Himself and He will never ask any of us to do anything contrary to what He has commanded in Scripture. The Bereans discovered that what Paul and Silas were preaching, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, lined up with Old Testament prophecy. It checked out! And as a result, they accepted Jesus as the Messiah, their Savior.  

 

As believers, we have to develop spiritual discernment. There are false teachings, false ideas, and false moral claims being circulated in our culture at an incredible rate. Sadly, many in the church are succumbing to the lies because they are failing to test everything before embracing it as truth. If we want to develop spiritual discernment, we have to go back to the Bible. 

 

Respond  

Lord, Your Word is truth (John 17:17) and it’s a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105). Whenever I hear a truth claim, remind me of Your Word so that I can hold fast only to what is good and true. Amen. 

 

Reveal  

Do you know someone who is getting caught up in lies? Prayerfully and lovingly remind them of what God’s Word has to say to reveal the truth to them. 

4 Comments


Guest
Jan 24

Amen!!! Jesus the Truth, we thank for giving us the enLightenment of Your holy Word, the Truth, each day! Lord Jesus Christ, the Lover of our souls and perfect Teacher, we bless Your name today and every chance we get! You alone, O God, are worthy, wonderful, and true all the time, so with hearts filled with thanksgiving and praises, we exalt You! Hallelujah! All glory and power are Yours, LORD Jesus! HaKo'desh, as we surrender our hearts to You, we ask You to please fill, enLighten, and lead us for Your glory, will, and purpose today.

Lord Jesus, we thank You for sharing the Truth with us constantly; in Your indwelling Spirit, may we not only meekly (with full…

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Janette
Janette
2 days ago
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Guest
Jan 24

This! Amen!🔥🔥🔥 "One of the best examples we have in the Bible of spiritual discernment is the Bereans: “...they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed…” (Acts 17:11-12). The Bereans didn’t despise, ignore, or immediately reject the new teaching Paul and Silas brought them. But they didn’t blindly accept it either. They searched the Scriptures. They tested it for truth against God’s Word. God will never contradict Himself and He will never ask any of us to do anything contrary to what He has commanded in Scripture. The Bereans discovered that what Paul and Silas were preaching, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, lined up with…

Like
Janette
Janette
2 days ago
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❤️

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