The Internet contains much useful information. It also contains much junk. Some days it seems that people are getting both smarter and more gullible. Conspiracy theories, myths, and lies are routinely accepted as fact and truth simple because someone we know emailed the story or shared it on Facebook. In the flood of information available to us now it is becoming increasingly difficult to sort out what is true and what is false.
It is especially difficult when someone who is an "authority" makes a declaration about something God "told" him or her. Like Israel with the prophets who declare "I had a dream! I had a dream!" it can be difficult for us not to simply accept the seemingly spiritual or mystical experiences of friends, family, or authorities. But they do not necessarily speak the truth by virtue of who they are or what they claim to have experienced.
Jeremiah gives a strong reminder of our source for truth: "Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:28). We have the Word of God, which speaks the truth about the world, who we are, and who God is. The Bible tells us not to believe every "spirit," because there are many false prophets in the world. Instead, we must search scripture prayerfully, with humility, and in community to find out if what we hear is truth.
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Sorry we have to use the Word Verification box. Just too much spam these days.
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