Wise or Lies?
“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
In a world where anyone can have a voice and be seen and heard throughout all the nations, it is pertinent that believers know what they believe and trust the sources they learn it from. In James 3, the bible says that teachers will be held to stricter judgement. Directly after this verse, James speaks of the dangers of the tongue and how quickly it can spread lies. Notice how quickly he jumped from teachers being under strict judgement to the tongue being a dangerous device. One false teacher or leader can derail a whole body of believers with a single lie.
“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers; because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” James 3:1-6
As the spark of a flame can catch a whole forest on fire, one lie can destroy a person’s total belief system. Believers are being swayed every day by false teachers that look like they know it all yet have no idea what God’s word really means.
Social media has become a “catch all” for salespeople, speakers, and anyone that just wants an audience to see or hear them. We live in a lonely world where the only social interaction people desire is the interaction they can have from behind a screen.
Behind a screen, whether it is a computer, tablet, or phone, social media, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, or whatever else I may choose, I can be anything. I can be who I am as a wife and proud mother of two boys. I can be a Christian that teaches His Word and prays for those in need. But if I wanted to, I could be anything or anyone else.
Behind a screen, I could be a complete stranger portraying a wife and mother. It’s scary to think about but behind a screen, I could be a predator seeking out a “babysitter” for my precious children with other intentions in mind. A screen is basically a representation of a wall between two worlds. What you see on one side could be masked as something completely opposite on the other side. The screen is just the division between the two.
As a middle school teacher, I see students every day with thousands of followers and friends that hide behind screens. Are they real? Or do they just look real? How can you trust that they are who they say they are? A verified account doesn’t prove anything.
It’s crazy to think that technology has made us so blind that we trust the unseen world behind the screens of the internet yet deny the truths of the unseen God when He is directly in front of us at all times.
Our God does not hide behind screens, yet our enemy does.
Any time someone asks me a question about the bible or misquotes scripture, I always ask them where they heard it from. It always amazes me when they confidently quote YouTube or someone they’ve seen on social media.
When it comes to religion, beware of false teachers that hide behind screens. Anyone can say they are a preacher or sent from God to share His word, but how do you know they are trustworthy?
The bible clearly warns us that times will get worse and believers will be swayed more and more by evil desires. 2 Timothy 3:5 says it best when it says people will be “always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of truth.”
Imagine how much information is inputted in your mind in just one hour. How about one day? How much information is put into your brain that doesn’t line up with the word of God?
If your mind had a filter, how filthy would it be?
It’s time we clean our filters and start verifying the information we see and hear. I’m reminded of a song we sang at my church when I was little:
“Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father above is looking down with love, oh be careful little eyes what you see.”
Oh be careful little ears what you hear, be careful little ears what you hear, for the Father above is looking down with love, oh be careful little ears what you hear.”
The other courses include, be careful little tongue what you say, be careful little hands what you do, be careful little feet where you go, be careful little heart whom you trust, and be careful little mind what you think…
When you start questioning your beliefs because someone on the internet said it wasn’t true or had a video that made it look like the history channel showing “evidence” against it, you have to remember the day and time you are living in and immediately pray for wisdom and search His word, not anyone else’s, for the Truth.
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.”2 Timothy 3:1-5
“loaded down with sins, swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of truth”
You are in a battle and the devil will use every device he can to gain control of your mind and start a spark that can ignite a raging fire of lies.
Beware of false teaching and ask questions when you have them, but be careful who you ask. Check your sources by studying God’s word, praying for wisdom, and seeking leaders in your church.
One trustworthy website I will recommend to my students is: GotQuestions.org
It’s an easy to search website with reliable sources, short videos, and scripture based answers.
Praying for guidance and wisdom!
May God bless you and show you His grace every day!