9.9.9 "Truth or Fiction?"

"Truth or Fiction?"

Isaiah 3:1-5:30
2 Corinthians 11:1-15
Psalm 53:1-6
Proverbs 22:28-29

"No payment until 2010". "One low monthly payment". It all sounds so good. I'm sure these people are out for our best interest right? (actually INTEREST is right!) How do you know when something is a good deal or not?

Information is everywhere. Knowledge at our fingertips, "gurus" at every corner. When is something wrong? when is it right? It SOUNDS good...

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, "But I am frightened, fearing that in some way you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to our Lord, just as Eve was deceived by Satan in the Garden of Eden. You seem so gullible; you believe whatever anyone tells you even if he is preaching about another Jesus than the one we preach, or a different spirit than the Holy Spirit you received, or shows you a different way to be saved. You swallow it all."

As we walk in the Christian life & grow in maturity, we will be faced with information, challenges, principles and circumstances that are a bit gray to us. The answer isn't so obvious. We'll hear one side of the story and say, "you're right." then we'll hear the other side..."oh... you're right..." We begin to go through life in a "reactionary" state. It's like Paul says in Ephesians 4. We're like infants tossed back and forth by every wind of doctrine.

You're thinking, "What? I'm not going to sway in my doctrine!" You have to realize that false doctrine is not obvious. It's not in aisle 11 at Pick n Save. False doctrine many times is built on someone responding incorrectly to circumstance, and building a belief system on that. Look at the many ways people have justified divorce. It's not biblical. This happens in small ways. Look at law suits. People are waiting for a chance to sue someone. Is it biblical? How does it start? It starts when people rise up, "I have rights!!" Well, that's a good thing right? well... that often switches to "I deserve..." and that becomes the root of selfishness, and before you know it... you're a slave to false doctrine.

So how do you know?

It's all around us. Isaiah 5:20 says, "They say that what is right is wrong, and what is wrong is right; that black is white and white is black; bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter." Who do you believe, and what do you stand for?

The only way to know is to know the Word of God. Being "Empowered through Biblical Training" must be a priority in the life of every believer. Lack of bible study will stunt growth no matter what. There's no way around it. When you study scripture, The character and nature of God is revealed, and you are more equipped to respond to situations and circumstances based on the principles of the word and not on emotion or what the latest talk show host convinced us of.

It's too easy to know "about" God. We must KNOW him. That's what this is all about. When you know God, you know what does not line up with His nature. The false doctrine exposes itself in the light of knowing who God is.

We find God's nature in His word. It is so important that the word is where our belief system comes from. We need it to mature in Christ. Be Empowered Through Biblical Training today!




Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


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