You said—God told you—WHAT? Show me that in the Word because He wouldn’t say anything like that; God would never contradict Himself.
Be ready to defend the Word.
God speaks primarily through His Word; therefore, we can’t spiritually afford to be lackadaisical when it comes to learning and studying what thus saith the Lord; but recognize the value and power of the scriptures, especially during the times we live in now.
Be aware of false teachings.
Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons (1 Timothy 4:1 NLT).
One of the reasons God’s Word is depicted as a sword is its ability to cut through layers of deceit, exposing the Truth of any matter we might face. We must be dogmatic and aggressive when learning the scriptures in depth. It’s not enough to be able to recite them; we must meditate and internalize, where they become a part of us, where we fall in love with God’s words, making us inseparable.
When the devil came to tempt Jesus when He was in the wilderness for forty days, Jesus responded: It is written. We must do likewise and wield the Word to back the enemy off. But to do that effectively, we must know the Word.
In many cases, the Word is an untapped reservoir of supernatural power.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).
We must be stewards of the scriptures and able to identify when they are spoken in error, out of context for manipulation, or even when it’s innocently misinterpreted from a lack of knowledge.
The enemy is all about confusion. He wants us to think the Bible is too hard to understand and doubt our ability to interpret it correctly without a degree or certificate in theology from a prestigious institution.
But think about it; it wouldn’t make sense for God not to want His children to understand His written voice. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is inside us, ready to explain and clarify where needed.
If the Bible is too challenging to understand, ask the Spirit to lead you to a translation you can study and comprehend—or listen to.
Then when something doesn’t sound biblical, or when you get a prick in your spirit, be ready to say:
Could you show me that in the Word?
© 2023
See you next time on Paulette Talks Faith.