One of the Greatest Gifts To Seek From God

There are a lot of things that carry a “Christianity” flag that gets a carte blanche pass.     Observation, since there were prophets, there was a warning about false prophets.   Jesus and the Apostles warned us.  

I remember when a dear sainted lady counseled this man almost thirty years ago in her kitchen, “In the last days of all the gifts you should seek, discernment will be needed.”   

There are some people who say, Lord, Lord with great volume, however, The Spirit inside warns.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”  1 John 4:1

Listen to the wise words of this Proverb, 

“The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.”   Proverbs 14:15

This has been an issue of importance since there has been good and evil.

“For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.   For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.”  Jeremiah 29:9&10

People will be wide open and welcoming to everyone who will tell them what they want to hear, but adopt a critical mind toward those who challenge and speak words that should bring change and course corrections.

This generation, young and old need to recognize a key quality we must have is to have some discernment.

We must not buy into the values of this generation that only condemn those things that would call into question people who seem sincere.

You can’t judge a man by the level of sincerity they portray.

Ravi Zacharias demonstrated this in spades.  He seemed so sincere.   He was quite persuasive.  And yet, for all his words, we learn that he was a worker of great iniquity.

“…the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”  Hebrews 5:14

My prayer is in this age of confusion, deception, and the desire to remove every distinction and division that truth brings.

Dear God, baptize this generation, the elders, and the young to see the need to recognize what the doctrines of doubt, demons, and deception sound like.

Listen to Jesus, 

“20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  Matthew 7

We must be sure that while we discern everyone else, that we start with the person in the mirror.   

Let’s not be so externally focused that we miss the greatest source of deception in our lives.    That source would be our own carnal nature that seeks to justify our personal iniquity and give ourselves a pass to be wholly submitted and obedient to Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior expect from us.