When Good Ideas Hide Dangerous Lies

“Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

Genesis 3:4-6 

 

PONDER THIS

Some of the lies of the world are covered up with good ideas and good terminology that push us away from God. One of those lies appeals to the desire of potential for self-development. That is, keep going in life until you get it right. This sounds good and it is well-meaning, but when we try to develop on our own strength, we will always fail. It is only through surrender to Jesus Christ through repentance that we really change.

Another subtle lie is hidden in self-discernment. Satan spoke and said, “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil . . .” He enticed Adam and Eve by telling them they would be able to discern things apart from God. He enticed them by making them believe God was holding them back. When we prioritize a religious experience, we feel like we can do the things of God without Him and His Word. So many people have a mystical experience, and they say, “I touched God,” but they didn’t touch God. We experience God not by our own self-development or based on our self-discernment of an experience, but by surrendering to Jesus, by holding tight to the Word, and by being changed by the Holy Spirit.

How have you tried to develop in your own strength? What does it look like to look to God for your development?

How have you tried to practice discernment on your own? What does it look like to look to God to direct your discernment?

PRACTICE THIS

Confess to God how you have tried to grow and discern on your own and ask Him to mold you to grow in dependence on Him and His Word.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Practicing Discernment

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.”

2 PETER 2:1

 

PONDER THIS

When you are listening to a pastor, a Bible teacher, or even another Christian, you need to ask: Is the primary teaching source the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Paul said, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). That is the basis. That is what the Bible is all about: the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament says somebody is coming; the New Testament says somebody has come; the Book of Revelation says somebody is coming again; and that person is the Lord Jesus. He is the hero of the Bible.

The Bible has one theme: salvation. There is one hero: Jesus. There is one villain: the devil. When you listen, practice discernment. Ask, “Is this proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ or making much of Man? And is it the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith, or is it some other gospel that relies on Man’s initiative and strength?” The teaching we receive is serious, and we must be discerning. The popular church is not necessarily a church focused on Christ. A pastor with great charisma does not always equate to faithful teaching. This is vital because it influences eternal destinies.

Who are the people you are most influenced by right now? How do you practice discernment when listening to them?

What danger is there in neglecting discernment when listening to the teaching of others?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray and ask God for wisdom and discernment as you go throughout this day and week.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Captain of Camouflage

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”

MATTHEW 7:15-17

 

PONDER THIS

Satan is the captain of camouflage. He is the master of deceit. Again and again, the Bible warns us of false prophets.

Some say the Bible is not true, the Bible is a bundle of blunders, or the Bible is a book of lies. But even in their attempts to dismiss the Bible, they do not point out falsehood—they authenticate the Bible. If there were no false prophets, the Bible would not be true. The Bible says they’re coming and to beware. These things confirm and authenticate our faith.

There are many today trudging to churches, but they do not hear salvation by Jesus’ blood preached. But many will not call those who neglect this teaching false prophets. I don’t care how great of a speaker he is. I don’t care how many good works he does in the neighborhood. If the Gospel of Jesus is not the center of all things, it is false teaching. People can be fooled by a nice building, but God knows the sincere places of worship, the places that seek Him over a name for themselves or the desires of their hearts.

What are some ways to discern if the teaching you hear is true or false?

What are some things that distract us from seeking discernment?

PRACTICE THIS

Write down some of the reasons you are part of your church. Consider whether those reasons point to Christ.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Do You Follow Blindly?

“… there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you th what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”

GALATIANS 1:7B-9

 

PONDER THIS

When we are listening to Christian leaders, we need to give them the subject test. In other words, we need to ask ourselves these questions: Is the primary source of their teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What is the subject of their teaching? What is their motivation? Do they want to talk to us about what they call kingdom truth, or is it the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? And are they teaching the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith or is it “salvation” by the law?

The Old Testament says somebody is coming; the New Testament says somebody has come; the Book of Revelation says somebody is coming again; and that person is the Lord Jesus. He is the hero of the Bible. The Bible has one theme: salvation; one hero: Jesus; and one villain: the devil. The Apostle Paul said, “If any man preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (v. 9). That literally means, “Let him be damned.” You might say that’s harsh, but it’s not harsh if Paul says to somebody, “You can’t teach something that’s going to lead people to Hell.” We’re not dealing with the preference of the color of the walls or whether you want more salt on the potatoes; we’re talking about the eternal destiny of people.

Why is it important to have a process of discernment when we are listening to ministers or leaders who are calling themselves Christians?

When have you practiced discernment and looked for the Gospel in the message someone was giving?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray for the Church, that Christians all around the world would grow in their ability to discern between truth and lies.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How Can You Teach Children to Discern Truth?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James 3:13–18

 

PONDER THIS

If a dog has a nasty bone in his mouth and you try to take it away from him, you might get bitten. But if you put a steak on the ground and the dog sees the steak, he’ll drop the bone to get the steak. That dog discerns. He looks: Here’s the bone, there’s the steak. There’s a discernment. He thinks, “That is better than this.” Then there’s a choice. He says, “I want the steak. I choose the steak.” Then he refuses the bone.

You’re going to have to spend some time with your children helping them understand what the values of life are. I would not trade anything for fellowship with God. The ability to have a godly family is valuable and precious. Don’t let them sacrifice these things. Lead them to Christ. Help them to see through Satan’s lies. All of their sin struggles are based on a lie. The lie is that this is somehow good, tantalizing, titillating, that it will somehow satisfy. It is all a lie. Satan is a liar. Show your children the One who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Who has taught you the most about discernment? How has that impacted you?

How do you seek to communicate the value of Christ to those around you?

PRACTICE THIS

Share with another person how precious and valuable Jesus is to you.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

How Do You Discern Truth?

PRAY OVER THIS

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.”

1 John 3:4-9

 

PONDER THIS

Once I’m saved, I have a new dynamic: God’s life is in me. I have a new desire: I want to be like Him because He’s in me, and I'm in Him and abiding in Him. I also have a new deterrent. It says here in this verse, “And he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” This is a present continuous sense. If the God of the Bible lives in you, you cannot habitually live in sin—you just can’t do it. If Jesus Christ is in you, you cannot go on carelessly, thoughtlessly, continuously, practicing a lifestyle of sin. The Holy Spirit of God in you will tear you up. You will be under conviction, and the Holy Spirit of God will live in you, work in you, and dwell in you. He is delivering you, not only from the penalty of sin and the power of Satan, but from the principle of self. You are born again. You have received a new nature, and with that new nature, you have a new dynamic, a new desire, and a new deterrent. You’re living for Jesus.

When have you been convicted by the Holy Spirit?

What is the difference between conviction and guilt? Why is it important to know this?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray and confess your sins, acknowledging the areas of conviction in your life.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Words for the Wind

“Do you think that you can reprove words, when the speech of a despairing man is wind?” (Job 6:26)

In grief and pain and despair, people often say things they otherwise would not say. They paint reality with darker strokes than they will paint it tomorrow, when the sun comes up. They sing in minor keys, and talk as though that is the only music. They see clouds only, and speak as if there were no sky.

They say, “Where is God?” Or: “There is no use to go on.” Or: “Nothing makes any sense.” Or: “There’s no hope for me.” Or: “If God were good, this couldn’t have happened.”

What shall we do with these words?

Job says that we do not need to reprove them. These words are wind, or literally “for the wind.” They will be quickly blown away. There will come a turn in circumstances, and the despairing person will waken from the dark night, and regret hasty words.

Therefore, the point is, let us not spend our time and energy reproving such words. They will be blown away of themselves on the wind. One need not clip the leaves in autumn. It is a wasted effort. They will soon blow off of themselves.

Oh, how quickly we are given to defending God, or sometimes the truth, from words that are only for the wind. If we had discernment, we could tell the difference between the words with roots and the words blowing in the wind.

There are words with roots in deep error and deep evil. But not all grey words get their color from a black heart. Some are colored mainly by the pain, the despair. What you hear is not the deepest thing within. There is something real and dark within where they come from. But it is temporary — like a passing infection — real, painful, but not the true person.

So, let us learn to discern whether the words spoken against us, or against God, or against the truth, are merely for the wind — spoken not from the soul, but from the sore. If they are for the wind, let us wait in silence and not reprove. Restoring the soul, not reproving the sore, is the aim of our love.

John Piper 

The Key to Spiritual Maturity

Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

Now, this is amazing. Don’t miss it. It could save you years of wasted living.

What this verse is saying is that if you want to become mature and understand and appreciate the more solid teachings of the word, then the rich, nutritional, precious milk of God’s gospel promises must transform your moral senses — your spiritual mind — so that you can discern between good and evil.

Or, let me put it another way. Getting ready to feast on all God’s word is not first an intellectual challenge; it is first a moral challenge. If you want to eat the solid food of the word, you must exercise your spiritual senses so as to develop a mind that discerns between good and evil. This is a moral challenge, not just intellectual.

The startling truth is that, if you stumble over understanding Melchizedek in Genesis and Hebrews, it may be because you watch questionable TV programs. If you stumble over the doctrine of election, it may be because you still use some shady business practices. If you stumble over the God-centered work of Christ on the cross, it may be because you love money and spend too much and give too little.

The pathway to maturity and to solid biblical food is not first becoming an intelligent person, but becoming an obedient person. What you do with alcohol and sex and money and leisure and food and computers, and the way you treat other people, has more to do with your capacity for solid food than where you go to school or what books you read.

This is so important because in our highly technological society we are prone to think that education — especially intellectual education — is the key to maturity. There are many Ph.D.’s who choke in their spiritual immaturity on the things of God. And there are many less-educated saints who are deeply mature and can feed with pleasure and profit on the deepest things of God’s word.

John Piper