The Importance of Knowing the Word of God for Yourself.
Knowing the word of God is CRUCIAL for believers. False teachers abound these days, even from the ones you would least expect it. You must know the word for yourself. Read it to know God. Not just word for word but in context of when it was written in history. Don’t ever rely on someone else’s interpretation as solid truth but use discernment and let Holy Spirit teach you.
There are so many voices out there telling you their opinion on what they believe but sometimes never why they believe it. It is almost like a another version of someone else’s opinion that they formed for their self. This is why it is important to study the scriptures.
I am not saying that you should never listen to anyone in the church body as in the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit works through believers to teach, prophesy, and so on. There are excellent prophets of God, teachers, evangelists, and pastors in the body.
Even then, test all spirits.
The Word of God and Deception
The goal of this post, is for you to use discernment with those who you look up to in your life, including websites such as this one. Spiritual fathers and mothers or just influential people who you hold in high regard are only human. They are not God.
People will fail and they can fail you. God will not. His word is truth and life.
Don’t fall into deception by agreeing with unsound doctrine but be set free by reading the word for yourself and let Holy Spirit be your teacher. I can testify to this deception and it happens on the daily.
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
When it comes to listening to man, we need to pay attention to what 1 John is saying. Test the spirits. Are they speaking truth, half truth, or personal opinion?
This is crucial to a believer’s life. You must have Holy Spirit to have discernment in this area.
Read the word so you know the word.
Here are a few more verses of 1 John 4 below.
Related Post: Understanding Holy Spirit Through Scripture
This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God.
1 John 4:2
But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
1 John 4:3
But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
1 John 4:4
Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us.
1 John 4:5-6
That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
Those who belong to God will know His voice. Be careful of messages that satisfy your flesh. They are not of God. Be in the word so that you will not fall into deception and for the lies of the enemy. Do this not only for yourself, but for your family as well.
There are so many teachings and teachers out there who teach false and contrary messages to the word of God. The church itself as it stands today is a man’s idea of “church” with its rules, regulations, memberships and business. None of which are biblically sound to the new testament church. Another topic for another day.
My hope, is that this has stirred you up to get in the word for yourself, to see what the bible actually has to say on certain topics.
To the born again, He is with you and He will teach you, you only need to ask.
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