KNOWING TRUTH FROM FALSEHOOD

"But you (those in the Christian church) are not like that, for the Holy Spirit has come upon you and all of you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and falsehood. And who is the great liar? The one who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Such people are anti-christs for they have denied the Father and the Son. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father either. But anyone who confesses the Son has the Father also." 1 John 2:20-23

As we walk our Christian journey, there isn’t any shortage of material available pertaining to our chosen religion. Every day, Christianity is discussed, professed and even attacked in a variety of forums not only here in the United States but around the world. There’s no lack of spiritual guidance or interpretation available to us but the question is…how do we know that what is being said is actually true? Unfortunately, the Lord’s name and Holy Word is used every day in ways that are deceptive and false. Too many people use the Bible to manipulate and mislead others for their own cause at the expense of edifying and building them up. These people operate counter to the will of God but appear in every way to represent Him properly. Make no mistake about this…the Lord will never be present within anyone who is knowingly misrepresenting His word and way to deceive others. Such action is pure sin which the Lord will not have any part in. And since these actions are void of Christ, they becomes actions of those John labels as anti-christs…those who are operating counter to Christ’s teaching, commands, and will.

So how can you recognize an anti-christ from an anointed disciple of Christ who is operating by way of the Spirit, not his/her personal motives. How can you avoid being misled? You must engage in any or all of three spiritual disciplines to ensure you can recognize Christian truth from anti-christ falsehood.

First, you must pray. Ask the Father to validate what you have heard and He will either confirm or deny truth. Keep in mind that communication is the lifeblood of relationship. Without communication, there is no relationship. So unless you seek to communicate with the Father, you will not have much of a relationship with Him. Always seek His guidance and direction in prayer. He will reply.

Second, always stay open to the workings of the Holy Spirit in your life. The same Spirit that convicts you when any thought, word, or deed is contrary to God’s expectations will also warn you when someone is trying to deceive you. The world would call this intuition…Christians know it’s far more than just a feeling.

Finally, we need to be studying our bibles every single day. We need to know the word so well that we can know immediately when someone misrepresents it. If you’re relying on someone else to tell you everything you need to know about the bible, then you are setting yourself up to be led astray. As you open your bible every day, pray for the Lord to open your heart and mind to understanding and then allow the Holy Spirit to instruct you and lead you to the truth.

Use these three disciplines every day and you will easily pick out the disciples of Christ from the anti-christs. Know and trust this…Satan knows the bible and he may know it better than you. Don’t allow him to gain the upper hand. Draw near to God’s word and His presence and He will draw near to you and lead you in truth. And you can trust in this.

In Christ,

Mark

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