discernment

Why Is There Such a Lack of Discernment?

I’ve been having a lot of conversations over the course of this past week about the lack of discernment that is exponentially growing among believers. The lack of interest in sticking to the scriptures is truly astounding, isn’t it?

It would seem that as long as the name of Jesus is used along with a few Bible verses, these TV shows and movies and books and teachers and preachers are given a golden pass to teach and promote whatever they want.

The other week I was in a church service where, as the music started, the congregation began singing the lyrics on the screen in front of them. But something didn’t seem quite right. I realized what it was when the pastor stood up and said “wait a minute”. The organist had accidentally started playing a different hymn and we were singing our lyrics to the wrong tune. We were making it work but it wasn’t right. These things happen (as a pianist, don’t I know it!!) and we all laughed as she began playing the hymn that was on the screen.

I have found myself wondering what would have happened if the pastor wouldn’t have stood up and said “wait, that’s not right.” I think we all would have just kept singing, getting more and more confused along the way.

This is such a great picture of what discernment should look like in a church. Church leaders, pastors, and teachers should be protecting their people from the wolves that are trying to make their way into the flock. They should stand up and say “Wait! That’s not biblical. That’s not the truth.” Instead, what we find in so many churches these days are few that are willing to speak up about false teaching and, in fact, many who are actually embracing these wolves and promoting them. It’s a sad, sad plight that is honestly hard to wrap one’s brain around.

But why this lack? Why are so few leaders willing to speak up? Why do people get so angry at them if they do speak up? What is going on? If we are honest, there are various reasons for this, but there is a big one that I want to mention here specifically.

I was having a conversation about this topic with my son yesterday and he said something like this: People just aren’t interested in God anymore.

I’ve been thinking about this and I think he is exactly right. They only want the nice things they read about a man named Jesus. They don’t have any interest in learning about God’s wrath and justice and His glory. They only want the nice stuff that makes their self-centered lives more pleasant. This is why a “Chosen” or “He Gets Us” Jesus has so much appeal. This is why so many of these false teachers gain such a following. They appeal to our flesh.

And this isn’t new. The Shack, Jesus Calling, and a plethora of other books and movies have laid the groundwork. Completely redefining our beliefs about God and Jesus, these books paved the way for where we find ourselves today. People are not getting their theology and understanding of God from scripture. They are turning to these bestsellers that are so close to the truth and yet so far away. Satan comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He looks so good and yet He is so evil.

False teachers assure us of God’s love, grace, and mercy while never mentioning our need to repent of sin or God’s wrath, judgment, and holiness. They mention only the positives and never the negatives. It’s a one-sided religion that is woefully lacking. And, no matter the different details these false teachers give for their particular brand of religion, a religion that blatantly ignores these things so clearly found in scripture is absolutely FALSE.

But did you know that we were told in scripture that there would come a time that this would happen? Paul writes in 2 Timothy–

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

These people who refuse to discern aren’t victims of false teaching. But, rather, false teaching is God’s judgment on them. This is an important distinction to make. If someone is unwilling to hold to the authority of God’s Word in their life because they just don’t like certain things it says; if they are unwilling to follow Truth because it is unpleasant and would rather believe the LIE that is so much more pleasant…well, then they will find no lack of people and philosophies to woo them away from both the Word and the Truth.

It keeps coming back to the same thing doesn’t it? I am sure you are weary of me saying it but it just cannot be said enough! The Bible is our only anchor in this storm of heresy and apostasy that is swirling about us at an ever-increasing rate. Read it, study it, know it. Studying it with a humble heart willing to submit and obey all it says; this, through God’s precious Holy Spirit, is that which will hold us fast. Oh, how thankful we must be for God’s Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit who teaches us through His Word. God knew a time like this would come and He has provided all we need to stand fast!


NOTE: If you are just now becoming aware of the need to discern in this Christian culture; if you are just becoming aware that Jesus is being misrepresented in the culture at large; if you are wondering about a book study or an author your church is using; then I’d like to tell you about a little book I just published called Learn to Discern. It’s a short, easy read that will get you started in learning to discern, according to scripture. You can find it here.

What Color is the Sky?

Back in the 80s, there was an artist who liked to write songs about hot topics of the culture. One of the songs he wrote was about values clarification. You may not know what this is but I guarantee it has affected every one of our lives.

Values clarification is determining what has value based on subjectivity (personal “truth”) rather than objectivity (absolute truth). So his song was about a boat in which there were four people but only three could stay in it if it was to stay afloat. Which person had the “least value” and what criteria should be used to determine this?

This push to teach students values clarification was, in my opinion, very instrumental in moving the entire culture from absolute truth to subjective truth. From “This is true because it is true” to “This is true because this is what I have decided is true”. And from “This is true for all” to “this is my personal truth”.

But truth, by its very nature, must be true or false. There is no “truth” for you and a different “truth” for me. The sky cannot be both blue and purple at the same time. But most people would not argue with someone who says the sky is purple. They are content to let someone believe this, even if they don’t agree with them. And, in fact, they believe that there can be a different answer than four to the equation 2+2. They may believe the answer is four but they do not care and, in fact, willingly accept that someone else’s “truth” may lead them to a different answer.

This attitude about absolute truth is leading many Christians right off the cliff into the morass of relativity when it comes to discernment. Instead of using the Bible to judge what is right and what is wrong (because for a believer, the Bible is our ultimate test for these things), they are using emotion and feeling and pragmatism (does it work) to determine these things. They are determining what is true subjectively rather than objectively.

Let me give you an example…

Last week, I posted something my daughter had written about “The Chosen” TV series (you can find that here). Inevitably the comments come (more for her at this juncture than for me, although I did get a couple). The general spirit of these comments is “God is using this, how can you judge something God is using?” or “This has helped me to read my Bible more, how could you say this is bad?”

These people are determining truth by their own subjective experience, rather than by scripture. They are saying something is good, simply because it helped them or is helping someone else (pragmatism).

I just have to add here that if we think God needs a show from Hollywood that attacks His divinity and adds to His Words to reach people, we have a very, very low view of our all-powerful God. I’d also recommend reading Deuteronomy 13 to be reminded of how God feels about anyone who would lead his people astray. He does not take this lightly (to say the least!!)

Another example are the many popular books that make people “feel good”. They feel loved and comforted and encouraged. A book can’t possibly be wrong if it makes me feel so good, could it?

But should our feelings be our criteria for determining what is right, according to scripture? Is this what gives something “value”?

As genuine believers, we must hold the scripture as our authority and we must use this to determine what is right and good.

I think I am probably “preaching to the choir” here, because at this point if you are still sticking around here reading this blog, you are probably already aware of the danger of this type of thinking. And so let’s spend a moment or two considering how we talk to those who profess to follow Christ and yet just can’t see this danger.

This is a conundrum, isn’t it? It is an attitude that has reached every church and even every Christian family at some level. And it feels impossible to open someone’s eyes to how they are determining truth because they believe in their hearts that they are right. And guess what? It IS impossible for us to open their eyes. But God can!

And that is our HOPE. God–and only God–can open the eyes of someone who is determining truth in the wrong way. And so we must pray diligently.

As we pray, we must do our best to set a good example in our own lives of determining truth by scripture instead of by feelings. And, if we are given opportunities to have conversations about this with other Christians, we just keep pointing people to the Word. This is all we can do.

What we must never do is get into online debates or family arguments about this. Discussions are good but quarrels are not. If the person you are trying to point to the Word to determine truth wants no part of it, it’s best to just stop talking.

This is a very, very difficult time in which to be a Christian. Us older people can remember a time when truth was...truth. But that is simply not the case any more. We see this in a myriad of ways in secular culture but it has also crept into the church under the guise of “love and unity”.

Letting false teaching run amok among believers can never be defined as LOVE. And any unity that is based on “you believe what you want and I’ll believe what I want” is not true UNITY. But, unless someone is getting their definitions for love and for unity from scripture, they will have a very different opinion than you about this. These beautiful words that have so much meaning in scripture have literally been re-defined.

Oh, that we may continue to look to scripture as our anchor and our litmus test. And, as God gives us opportunities, may we encourage other believers to do the same.


If you’d like to read more about how to discern truth from error as a believer, along with some ideas on how to share the truth with others, perhaps my new book Learn to Discern (According to Scripture) would be helpful. It is available at this link. This is just a short book that I hope will help those who desire some help in learning to discern. I hope it will be a blessing to those who read it.

How Our Enemy Works

Last night we decided to watch a movie. We settled on a golf story that was rated G. It seemed well produced with a few familiar actors. As it began I noticed a verse from Isaiah flash up on the screen. I was distracted and didn’t take the time to read what that verse was. (I’ll come back to that later.)

As we settled in to watch, we enjoyed the story of a young golfer who had lost his way. Quite unsuspectingly, we ended up at the spiritual crux of the film, which was about 60 minutes in to the 90 minute film.

It started off quite innocently enough. Turning to the young man, his older mentor asked him a very good question:

What do you want people to say about you when you’re gone? What will your epitaph be?

Thought-provoking, isn’t it? After a few moments more of conversation regarding this, the young man thanked his mentor for all his help…which led to the older gentleman going on to encourage the young golfer towards his version of god (no capital because it wasn’t God at all!)–

(queue moving music) And I quote: Don’t thank me. Thank Him (pointing upwards) because God is all around us…inside each of us. If you listen, there’s a still small voice of truth leading us….talking to us…and telling you that you can see God’s face. Feel His presence. Trust His love.

No sin. No wrath. No Savior. Just look within and there you will find God. What blasphemy!

Now, this movie, which gave the impression of being a Christian movie, complete with encouragement to read the Holy Bible and go to church, ended in a very enigmatic way. It pointed you to a website. I decided to go there, and while I found a reference or two to Jesus, I could find NO Gospel. The first thing I did find was a testimony regarding the attacks the “enemy” (Satan) had made on the film during its production.

Oh. My. Goodness. How clever of Satan, right? Attack a film that is ALL HIS to begin with to give the message validity in the eyes of Christians. That is how our enemy works.

That bit of advice that man gave his protege was not biblical. It was satanic. It was pure mysticism and completely against scripture. Jeremiah couldn’t put it any plainer in verse 9 of chapter 17–

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

When I want back to look at just what verse they had used at the beginning of that film, I saw that it was verse completely taken out of context to promote this wicked lie that was nestled into this G-rated film.

See how our enemy works? He produces these innocuous movies, using out of context verses, and gradually changes the belief system of those who don’t know their Bibles and what it really says.

Until most of those who would claim Christianity do believe those words that man said. After all, who doesn’t love a religion that tells you to look to yourself (while claiming it is God) for the answers?

This belief–the belief to FOLLOW OUR HEARTS–is the core of mysticism and occultism. This belief is what will lead the world into the coming one-world religion.

Along with this core belief comes a very innocuous “Jesus”. He is a kind and loving man who doesn’t care if you keep sinning or if you follow after that heart of yours. He just wants to support you in whatever you want to do.

A friend of mine put this so succinctly yesterday in a comment. I asked her if I could share her thoughts with you. (Thank you, Susie!)–

[Modern-Day Christianity] is so one sided where Jesus is loved as the caring, loving, gentle, “give me everything I want when I want it” person, to the neglect of obedient walking, sin confessing, holy living, fear and reverence of God….

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have both of those sides to them. We cannot have one without the other.

To put it bluntly, God gets to call the shots. He is God. We don’t get to reinvent a fluffy nice Jesus who gives all I want without me walking obediently to God’s Word, and avoiding or neglecting parts of scripture where God seems harsh. “Keep yourself in the love of God” means to keep the love of God in view always as you read scripture.

What we have today is a selfish lop-sided religion world-wide.

Amen! But you need to understand that this is not without purpose. To get a bunch of people claiming to be Christians but living for themselves; listening to themselves; obsessed with themselves is a BIG win for Satan. For these people believe they are saved. They use the right terms, they sing songs of praise to Jesus, and they have their devotions. Oh, how burdened I am for these people who are living for their own dreams, their own promotion, their own desires and yet believe they are saved.

Maybe that is you? Oh, if it is, may I call you from a self-centered life to a God-centered life? May I encourage you to read the actual Bible rather than a devotional that just makes you feel good? Learn what biblical Christianity is from the scripture. It is there alone that we learn to know God and begin to understand our sinful nature and just how lost and hopeless we are without Jesus.

In Sunday School this past Sunday our teacher said something very profound:

If [Christianity] doesn’t impact your life, it’s not real.

He was referring specifically to turning from sin and worldliness. If we aren’t actively trying to do this (albeit imperfectly!)…if we aren’t even conscious of the fact that we should be doing these things, we should be concerned. Have we been duped into believing the lies of the enemy?


I keep a pair of crocs by the front door where I leave the dogs out. Sometimes I need to go out to check on something or to encourage them to come inside. Lately, I’ve been finding one croc all over the place. Sometimes it is in the kitchen, other times the sun room. This morning I found one under a blanket in the family room.

Our lab, Dixie, likes to steal shoes. She doesn’t usually harm them but simply grabs one shoe and moves it for some reason. I find shoes at the most unexpected places.

True biblical Christians are like this. We will find them everywhere across this world. Sometimes in unexpected places. I’ve had the great privilege of getting to know some of you through this blog. I’ve heard the testimonies of some from missionaries or through YouTube. And, in other cases, I’ve read their biographies.

While there is a great tsunami of apostasy that has invaded evangelicalism, God still has His faithful remnant spread across the world. I pray that we all study to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15) and consistently examine our hearts (2 Corinthians 13:5) to be sure that we are part of that remnant. And that we work diligently to share the TRUE Gospel amidst the flood of false gospels that abound.

(And, one final thing in conclusion– be so careful what you watch. Do not watch even one movie, read one book, or listen to one podcast without intentional discernment. Satan knows full well that some Christians won’t watch, read or even listen to certain things and so he uses things that we assume to be free from worldly influences to share his message. Pay attention to the philosophies that are infused into innocuous packages.)

Always More to Learn

This morning when I came downstairs, my dogs started barking as soon as they glanced out the side windows by our front door. I saw a township truck with a man setting out a flag that said “road closed”. I waited until he had gone and then left the dogs out.

Both started barking madly and rushing towards the sign which sat across the road. I shouted for them to stop and both did hold their ground (thankfully) but they kept barking at the big orange sign.

I told them just how silly they were. That it was just a sign. But the big dog just kept giving nervous glances and fierce single barks at the sign throughout her entire time outside. It was comical, really.

But it was such a great picture of what I’ve been thinking about over the past week or so.

Last week, I took my oldest grandson to Chocolate World in Hershey, PA for his “grandma day” (“grandma day” is my golden opportunity to spend one-on-one time with each grandchild who lives locally. So fun!) We wanted to do something Christmas-y but I was limited by a later appointment and I couldn’t find anything local enough that was open on a Wednesday.

While we were there, we decided to watch the new movie “experience” they have. While we stood waiting, Hershey facts flashed up on the screen:

Did you know 25 million Reese’s cups are made every single day?

Did you know 200 tons of Twizzlers are made every day?

As I pondered these unknown facts, I thought about how many things in this life I do not know.

This goes for me spiritually, as well. Through the years, I have had friends who have challenged me on different things and according to scripture. Things I didn’t realize were offensive to God. And, in this, I was not unlike my dogs. We both did not know an important piece of information. While, for my dogs it was the knowledge that the sign did not present any danger at all; for me, it was the knowledge that what I was doing (or reading or watching) did present a real spiritual danger.

Because there are just always things we don’t know.

I am so very, very grateful that God uses His Word and brings people and situations into my life that constantly challenge my status quo Christian life.

This happened to me again recently. Someone asked me a question and it has really gotten me thinking again about something I’ve always done. Forever. But… when I run it through the grid of scripture, I have to admit that it is not something that pleases God. I never thought for even a second of my entire life that there was anything wrong with this particular thing (and yes, I am purposefully being vague). But that question my friend asked just keeps coming back to my mind. And when I consider scripture and what it says, I know that I have been wrong in this area. Even though it was in ignorance, it was still sin.

Isn’t it so kind of our heavenly Father to conform us, bit by little bit, into Christ’s image? His lovingkindness is such a blessing. We could never handle it if it was done all at once. The realization of what it means to live a pure and holy life before God would be completely overwhelming and discouraging if we were to fully understand all at once.

I am so thankful that God so gently and so kindly transforms us, as we are willing to yield what we thought we loved and desired to Him. As I think about the things I have been convicted about over the years, I realize that I don’t even miss them. I’ve written about many of these here on the blog through the years. Giving up some of these things was excruciatingly hard. I didn’t want to do it. And, yet, as I look back, I realize that God changed my heart so completely after my obedience (sometimes obedience that was quite reluctant and took years!) that I don’t even miss these things I thought I couldn’t live without.

And, so, I am going to, in faith, step out in obedience once again and turn from something I have really enjoyed but that God has so kindly shown me does not please Him. Trusting that once I choose to obey, it won’t even matter to me anymore.

I am thankful that we can always be learning and growing. That we aren’t stuck in some stagnant place without hope. Of course, as we learn and grow, we also learn that we are further from God’s standard of perfection than we ever realized (and just how much we need Jesus as our Savior!!!) and we grow in our knowledge of the depth our own sinfulness and in our understanding of the awesome goodness and amazing grace of God.

I know one thing, I certainly look forward to the day when sin will no longer reign in this mortal body and that all I will do and want to do forever and ever will be to praise and please God without any flesh getting in the way. What a glorious day that will be!

It’s Simple Really

This morning as I studied my Bible, I got to thinking about something I heard yesterday in a sermon. Basically the thought was that false doctrines and teachings arise out of our lusts (for sin and for the world). This struck me profoundly.

The Bible’s message is actually pretty easy to understand. Sure, there are a few areas that are hard and we can’t really “get”. But, generally, it’s actually pretty understandable. The Bible clearly shows that we are lost sinners without hope and that salvation comes by faith in Christ alone through grace alone. There are NO works we can do to merit favor with God. It also clearly shows the terrible eternal destiny of those who reject Christ. Our call, as genuine believers, to please God, to turn from sin and worldly lusts and passions, to deny ourselves, to die to self, to call out false teachers, to expect persecution and antagonism for following the truth, and to turn from man’s vain philosophies (such as so-called “science”)… all these things are very plainly expressed.

So what is the problem?

The problem is that we want to “feed our flesh”. Oh, that awful flesh. It gets us into so much trouble. The old man wars with our new man and we can so easily lay our weapons down and stop fighting (i.e. rationalize and excuse our sin and worldliness away) if we but take a few verses out of context here or twist a verse or two there. And that’s how false doctrine is born.

As those who want to sincerely follow Christ, we must pray and ask God to open our eyes where we may be blind. We must ask Him to help us to follow the truth no matter the cost. This is a frightening prayer, isn’t it? And, yet, to be caught up in deception has far, far worse consequences than knowing the truth.

I was studying 2 Timothy 2 this morning and verses 3 and 4 of that chapter give us some guidance on how following the truth is even possible–

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

So, according to Paul, here in this chapter, we are to–

Endure hardship.

Remember that we are a soldier and God is our Captain (which means we are in a war!)

Do not entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life.

And there you have it: Three critical ways in which we must follow God’s Word, if we are to keep from being deceived and confused.

This is so much harder to live out than it is to write. The costs of following after God and His Word are very real and can be very painful. They can cost you relationships, material gain, jobs and careers, your beloved church home, and any other number of things.

But we must remember that it is worth it. Oh, so worth it. I am reminded of Paul’s words in another epistle–

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11)

Paul tells us all is rubbish when compared to the treasure of knowing Christ. May we remember this as we travel in the confusing landscape that makes up modern day Christianity.

Following God is simple really. But it isn’t easy.

The Missing Earring

I was vacuuming the other day when I spotted something shiny on the carpet. I reached down to pick it up and realized it was a favorite earring. I have a rather bad habit of putting my earrings in the back corner of the fourth or fifth step so that I can grab them on my way upstairs. Up to this point, that had worked just fine.

That is…until Dixie came along. Our Labrador Retriever puppy gets into everything and I had grown a bit lazy with keeping the gate across the steps. I knew right away that she had found them.

But there was only one earring lying there. Where was the other one?

I briefly scanned the floor, the path to the steps, and the steps and then started to panic a bit. Had she eaten it? She must have eaten it!

I made the assumption that somehow (and for some unknown reason) she had eaten my earring. I started thinking about the size of it, trying to discern if we were going to be dealing with a pet emergency. I was also more than a little disappointed to lose a pair of earrings I actually cared about (there aren’t many that I would care about).

As I stood there, my husband came in the house and asked what was wrong. I cried out in dismay that Dixie had eaten one of my favorite earrings. He wisely cautioned me not to panic and to take some more time to look.

So I went back over the path from the steps to where I had found the earring. Nothing there. And then I stood at the steps and really looked at each one. The earring blended in with the carpet, which made it a bit harder to find. My eyes carefully searched each step. Reaching the bottom step, I finally saw the small piece of jewelry winking up at me.

How had I missed it the first time? I realized that it was because I was already assuming that Dixie ate it so I didn’t expect to find it.

I’ve been thinking about how this incident can teach us a variety of lessons regarding discerning the truth in a “Christian” culture filled with lies.

1. Laziness is dangerous. The whole problem with the earrings began because I couldn’t be bothered to shut the gate to the stairs. So many issues begin because we aren’t willing to do a little background work on that author that our best friend recommended or the Instagram account that our sister insists is just great. It’s just easier to go off someone’s recommendation, isn’t it? But we can’t do that anymore. We need to carefully make sure that this person recommended is someone that lines up with scripture. We can’t afford to be lazy.

2. Assumptions are rarely helpful. My assumption that the earring had been eaten kept me from seeing the truth: The earring was still on the steps. Only when I opened my mind to the possibility that I might find it, could my eyes see the actual truth of what really was. Oh, how similar this is to us in real life! Whether we assume someone is a biblical teacher or we assume someone is not a biblical teacher, we cannot fairly make an assessment until we compare something they have said, done, or written to scripture. We need to be open to the possibility that we are wrong in our assumption. It is critically important that God’s Word be our litmus test for ALL things. It is our only certain anchor in the midst of the religious chaos we find ourselves in.

3. We need to pay attention. I could have vacuumed that earring right up. Thankfully, my eye caught the little shiny object before I heard that familiar “clank clank” in the vacuum tube. But so often, in life, we don’t spot that lie before it’s too late. It’s so important that we become familiar with some of the common red flags that signal a false teacher OR a teacher that is moving away from solid biblical doctrine. (I wrote about some of these red flags we can be looking for in this post.)

4. We need to be teachable. When my husband encouraged me to keep looking for the earring, I could have just ignored him or even told him to “stop being so optimistic”, assuring him it was a lost cause. But, instead, in this instance (I don’t always respond like this!), I heard what he said and I followed his advice. I was so glad I did. I think so often when someone tells us something that goes against our assumptions or the thoughts already so firmly embedded in our minds, we just don’t want to hear what they have to say that might not agree with those assumptions and thoughts. BUT what if they are right? What if that person we so dearly love to follow is compromised? We have much so much to gain by at least checking into what they might be saying and so much to lose by not checking. It’s a win win situation. If they are biblical, we have lost nothing but a little time. If they aren’t biblical, we have saved ourselves from imbibing false teaching and straying off the narrow path.


I don’t know if this is helpful. I’ve noticed a real change in the “Christian” culture over the past few years. It seems to me that you are either someone who is already aware of what I wrote above or you are someone who doesn’t see the importance of what I wrote above and do not care. There just do not seem to be many in between anymore.

But, I know that God is still working on the hearts of His children, one by one. And so I hope that this will be an encouragement and blessing to someone out there today.

Can I Survive on Desserts?

What do you do for devotions? Do you have a book written by an author who shares a verse or two and then gives a bit of thought and application about that verse? Devotional books are quite popular and can be a big encouragement in our walk with the Lord.

But devotional books should not be considered our “time” with the Lord, for they are not really time spent in the Word. How do we know if the devotional book is solid if we aren’t reading and studying the actual Bible?

We really can’t. Let’s take a look at an example…

The most popular devotional ever, Jesus Calling, is filled with false teaching and error about Jesus. And, yet, this is what so many use as a devotional. I understand why. If we aren’t in the Word, doing the hard work of mining the treasure, then it looks pretty good. It’s filled with comforting words that we like. It is only when we actually study the life of Jesus that we can see that many things said about Jesus in that devotional are in direct opposition to who Jesus actually is.

That’s just one example. But there are many others.

Devotionals are easy to get down. They are like dessert. Full of “yummy” encouragement and sugared words, they build us up. A good devotional also convicts and challenges us. But they are, after every consideration, only dessert.

And just like we would never be able to survive–or at least survive with good health– if we only ate things filled with sugar and fat so, too, we cannot be in good spiritual health if we don’t fill ourselves with the meat of the Word.

Of course, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that a big component of this is time and laziness. Devotionals are easy. They are a quick way for us to check off “quiet time” on our long to-do list. Most of us don’t really desire to do the hard work of digging into God’s Word. And some of us probably don’t really know how and have just never bothered to learn.

The interesting and rewarding thing is this: When we commit to studying the actual Bible and go about doing it despite our feelings of apathy or inadequacy, we will be filled with more and more desire to know God and His Word. As they so often do in all aspects of life, feelings tend to follow along after the choices we make in our minds. As a good friend once told me–feelings should never be the engine of our choices but always the caboose. With our mind, we make the choice to study God’s Word faithfully and then the feelings will come, just like a caboose follows the train.

At any rate, I just wanted to take a few moments this morning and encourage you to eat your spiritual meat and veggies before getting to the dessert. While dessert certainly makes life sweeter, it will not sustain us for the long haul. May we view our devotionals as an “extra” and not the main course of our time spent with God.

Who is the Real Troubler?

I have been reading I Kings 18 and I just had to send out a second post to you all this week because it is just so interesting. And so very relevant to our own culture today.

In case you are unfamiliar with this book of the Bible, this particular passage in I Kings is about Elijah. In chapter 17, Elijah had pronounced to Ahab (wicked King of Israel) that God would judge Israel by allowing a three year drought—“there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” (I Kings 17:1).

We are especially dry here where I live right now and so thinking through this took on new meaning. I can’t even imagine three whole years without rain!

In chapter 18, Elijah returns to Ahab three years later to pronounce that it would now rain. But this was not just a simple pronouncement. If you will remember, this is where Elijah calls all of the prophets of Baal to Mount Carmel to a showdown. Whose God would answer by fire? (I Kings 18:24).

But let’s take a look at a few things of note in this chapter. There are quite a few lessons for all of us who seek to follow God whole-heartedly.

First, let’s take a look at a man by the name of Obadiah. He was over the King’s household but he “feared the Lord greatly” (I Kings 18:3) In fact, so much so that, when Jezebel sought to destroy all of the prophets of the Lord, he hid a hundred of them in a cave and took care of them.

So here was a man who was in a high place of influence and he used it for the good of God’s people. Not all are called to be teachers or preachers or influencers. Some are called to protect and to help and to support. Wherever we are, we must determine what our role is in God’s Kingdom. But we all do have one. God may have put you in a place of great influence, where you can really help and encourage those who are on the front lines. We should never neglect nor downplay this very important role in God’s family.

Second, we have this interesting exchange between Ahab and Elijah at the end of that three years—

Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.
(I Kings 18:17-18)

Ahab accuses Elijah of being the “troubler of Israel” but who is the real troubler here? Elijah says it to him straight: Ahab is! He has followed Baal and forsaken God and has brought judgment to Israel.

Oh, how often this happens still today! Particularly in churches. A person stands up for the truth of God’s Word against false teaching and they are demonized and ridiculed. They are called divisive and a “troublemaker”. Normally, they end up pushed out of the church. This has happened over and over again. I’d rather guess it has happened to some of you reading this right now.

It can be discouraging, can’t it? But we must remember that just because someone calls us the “troubler” does not necessarily make it true. Now…we can do things all wrong when we stand for truth and we certainly must be on guard to constantly and intentionally be checking our heart attitudes and our demeanor when we speak up in defense of God and His Word. But speaking up—even if we do it with the right attitude and in the kindest of ways—will often bring censure and anger. The truth of God’s Word is not something that most people love. Often, sadly, this includes even believers.

So don’t be discouraged if you’ve been called a “troubler” in your church or family or workplace. We need to check our attitudes, pray for grace and love, and then speak up against false doctrine and worldliness, when given opportunity. Just as we know God has commanded us to do.

Third, in I Kings 18, verse 21, Elijah accused the people of “limping between two opinions”. However, you can’t waffle between God and pagan worship. You can’t serve God and Satan at the same time. That’s what most in Israel were trying to do.

And I think that often happens in this culture, as well. Only we have more sophisticated, modern names for the things we worship than “Baal”. But, when it all comes down to it, it is the same thing.

When we choose to allow our child to play sports on a Sunday morning instead of go to church, we are dividing our allegiance. When we choose to watch a show or movie filled with wickedness, it’s probably time we just call it what it is: An act of allegiance to the devil. When we live and breathe work or education or even our families, they have become an idol that is in just as much competition with God as Baal ever was.

These idols in our lives sneak in. We don’t set out to worship anything else besides God. But, before we know it, our entire lives are wrapped up in something other than God. We must always be on guard against divided allegiance in our souls.


So those are just a few of the lessons God has for us in I Kings 18. There are more but I do not want to make this too long. I hope this has encouraged you this morning. I know it was very encouraging—and challenging, as well— for me to consider these things.

As we read on in chapter 18, we realize anew that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and that He, and He alone, is the ONE, TRUE GOD. May we keep this in our minds always as we seek to live for Him every single day.

Should We “Eat the Meat and Spit Out the Bones”?

A few years ago I heard a pastor say to his congregation that, as believers, we need not reject a teacher simply because he is false in one area. We can “eat the meat and spit out the bones” is the phrase used to describe such an approach.

In theory, it sounds nice, doesn’t it? I’d like to share with you today a recent (and rather embarrassing) example from my own life as to why I do not follow this approach myself personally. And I encourage you not to, either.

Last week, I wrote about a book of prayer that I had picked up by an author I thought I could trust (you can find that post here). In that post, I mentioned that something seemed off and that I gave it to my brother (the pastor) for review. A few days ago, he sent me a text and mentioned some of the serious theological errors in the book, along with screenshots of the marked pages.

I was thoroughly ashamed of myself. Why didn’t I spot those? They were so blatantly obvious now that he had pointed them out. But I can tell you why I didn’t spot them. It was because I was so enamored by the amazing “answered prayers” and the experiences of the author. While my eyes were drawn towards these fascinating accounts, the other parts that go completely against the Bible found a back road into my brain.

And, while I had no idea this author was compromised, I will not choose to read any other theological offering he may have now that I do know. Why is this? Why would I choose to avoid him if he clearly showed himself unbiblical in just the area of prayer?

Well, let me give you four simple reasons why I’ve come to the conclusion that “eating the meat and spitting out the bones” is not for me–

First, God demands 100% purity. While balance is important in most areas of life, it is never called for when it comes to discernment. While we will never be able to be perfectly pure here on this earth (which is the reason we need Christ), we should be striving for it. We should desire to make our lives as pure as possible as we seek to live for Christ. This includes everything we “feed” to our minds.

If I know a teacher is false, it is my responsibility to walk away from this teacher. Paul says we are to mark and avoid them and John says we aren’t to allow them into our homes or even greet them (Romans 16:17; 2 John 7-11). That is pretty strong language, isn’t it? Instead, many would tell us to dig for the gems that can be found among the dung heap. But the Bible makes it clear: If we know a teacher is false, we should run (not walk) to the nearest exit!

Second, I just don’t know my Bible well enough. The “eating the meat, spit out the bones” approach has a pretty important presupposition that cannot be ignored. It presupposes that I know my Bible well enough to spot any and all false teaching. But here’s the problem: I just don’t. The incident with the book on prayer was just a confirmation of what I already knew to be true. And although I have spent many hours studying the Bible, I do not consider myself even close to where I would need to be to approach any book with an “eat the meat, spit out the bones” mentality. I just don’t know enough. I don’t think I ever will, no matter how much I study.

Third, my flesh is drawn towards the wrong things. My “human nature” draws me towards those lovely experiences and supernatural signs that give goose bumps and wow me. I didn’t think it was but then I read that book and I realized how susceptible I am (and I even know to be looking for these things so how pathetic is that?) It made me realize once again the power that is in experience. This is why mysticism is so very attractive today. It is why churches and individuals are leaving the Bible and objective truth by the droves and chasing after it. It makes so much sense. It is also why we must guard our hearts and protect our minds from anything that would lead us a wrong direction. I am not so much better or stronger than the one who has traded in the Bible to be wooed and wowed by experiences, now am I?

Fourth, it’s a waste of time. Let’s just say that I believed I did know my Bible well enough and I wasn’t prone to fall for accounts of “experiences”, does that make it wise to choose this approach? I don’t think so and here’s why: Why would I waste my time? There are so many great books and preachers out there who aren’t compromised. Why would I bother to waste my time and energy on ones that I know are compromised? It just doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. Paul tells us twice to “redeem” our time (Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5). This means we should think carefully about how we spend our time. Is a book that we know to contain falsehood a wise way to redeem our time? I have decided that, for me personally, it is not.


So this is why I choose not to “eat the meat and spit out the bones”. But before I close I do want to answer a question that may be in your mind as you read this:

What about disagreement on “secondary” (non-Gospel) issues?

I’m obviously not going to agree 100% with any author. So how do we handle this?

While I don’t actually believe there are “secondary” issues when it comes to interpreting scripture (there is one RIGHT interpretation), there are issues and areas on which disagreement would not keep me from reading a book written by them. For instance, most of the Puritans were wrong in their eschatology (the study of the last days) but I have learned much in reading works written by them regarding living the Christian life. I would not, however, read a book that they wrote about the subject of eschatology, as it would not be biblical.

Another principle I have regarding this specific question is to avoid any work that would direct its reader towards mysticism (which ultimately renders the Word of God irrelevant to one’s relationship with God). There has been a horrible abuse of the Holy Spirit, in which it is taught and practiced that His work in our lives is divorced from Scripture. This is not a biblical concept whatsoever. This is an absolute deal breaker for me. I will not read or listen to anyone who would lead me in this direction.

And one final principle I personally follow is to avoid anyone that I know to be compromised in how they live their lives and in their associations– even if I agree with what they say or write. This hypocrisy — to preach one thing but to live another– is also a deal breaker for me. And so I generally refuse to read or to promote anyone who I know to be compromised in this way.

I know that many of you will not agree with me on this but I thought there might be a few of you out there who might find these thoughts helpful as you navigate the mine field of “Christian” material available to us these days. This is my own personal approach and it is what I have chosen to do in order to protect myself as best I can against false teaching.

But, that being said, as I recently learned, it can sometimes slip in even through an old book written almost a hundred years ago. We can never let our guards down. We must test all spirits (I John 4:1) and we must test all things (I Thessalonians 5:21). We cannot let ourselves be distracted by the exciting or the unusual or the fascinating. But, instead, we must hold firmly to the truth of scripture at all times. To lose our grasp on that is to lose our grasp on the anchor that keeps us moored safely to our God. And that’s where we want (and need) to be at all times.

What Determines What You Believe About God?

A month or two ago, I picked up a short book by a favorite author on the subject of prayer. As I read, my mind became a bit confused. This did not quite match what I had always believed the Bible taught me about God. My mind mulled this over for awhile and reflected on it. I knew the Bible was right. So that was a non-issue. But it was quite disconcerting that this author, who clearly had a strong walk with the Lord, would end up at such a mystical place.

When I visited with my brother and his wife this past weekend, I took him a copy of this specific book to read. He turned it over in his hand and opened it to look at the table of contents. As we discussed it, he said this profound statement:

You cannot let a book determine your theology.

Read that again–

You cannot let a book determine your theology.

Theology simply means “what we believe about God”. And many people today are letting books written by fallible men and women determine their theology. But it is not just books. Christians are letting science determine what they believe about God. They are letting music, movies, and tv shows determine what they believe about God. They are letting their own experiences or the experiences of friends and family members determine what they believe about God.

Let’s look at a few examples–

–For the past several decades, books have been coming out that have completely changed how people think about God. Books like The Shack, Experiencing God, Jesus Calling, and a plethora of others have slowly eroded what Christians believe about God. Instead of comparing them against the Bible, they are reading them instead of the Bible.

But they are so engaging and they say really nice things that we like.

–For quite a while now, we have dealt with an influx of “Bible shows” from Hollywood. It started with “Passion of the Christ”, produced by a Catholic, and then it was the Bible series produced by a self-proclaimed new ager, and then it was The Chosen, produced by Mormons. When one compares what these movies and shows are teaching those who watch them to what scripture actually says, we can see that they are completely and utterly compromised. And, yet, people keep watching them. Christians keep watching them. And not only watch them but proclaim them as right and good. Their reasoning is often that it may draw people towards God and the Word. But is this right and good? Of course not. While God can use these things, He certainly doesn’t need them. He can have a rock talk to a person if He wants.

(Not to get too deep here but notice that this is where faulty Armininian theology affects the choices of believers. If we believe that the responsibility for someone’s salvation lies at our feet rather than at God’s then we must do all we can to save someone or they might not be saved. But God’s Word teaches that we must instead realize that we are simply planting seeds and it is the Holy Spirit that moves and works in the heart. God never needs fatally compromised entertainment to accomplish His purposes.)

And I firmly believe that these shows are doing far more harm in wrecking the theology of believers than they are doing any good in bringing people into God’s Kingdom. For how could they be doing much good, when they aren’t even teaching the truth about that Kingdom?

But this show or movie might be doing some good.

–For the past hundred or more years, a theory called “Evolution” has taken hold of the scientific world like it is based on proven and definite premises. But it’s simply not. Pretending it is science (when it simply cannot be, due to the fact that it cannot be observed), academia has put forth this theory as gospel truth. Christians, concerned about appearing nonintellectual, then took this theory and tried to marry it with the Bible. What resulted was a mishmash of ridiculousness that can clearly be proven false by any humble person that studies the Bible at all.

But they are intimidating and seem so knowledgeable.

–A friend tells you that God told them something very specific. Or perhaps they had a dream or a vision that came true. These kinds of things can throw us if we aren’t grounded in the Word. We don’t want to discount them and yet we cannot change our theology based on them. The thing that always comes to mind when I am told something that is puzzling like this is to remember that Satan comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), seeking whom he can devour and destroy (I Peter 5:8). We know that he will allow a few to be saved in order to lead the many down the mystical path towards the coming antichrist system. What this means is that these experiences cannot be the basis for which we validate our faith. Our faith must be grounded in the Word alone.

But their testimonies seem so genuine.


These four examples all have one thing in common and that is that they take our eyes off of God and put them on sinful humans. We turn to humans for our answers rather than to God’s Holy Word that He has given us for just such a purpose. It is there that we find out Who God is. It is there that we find out how He works.

I know that there are those of you out there that won’t agree with me on this. So let me just share one more overarching principle that all biblical Christians must keep in mind as we travel in this world–

Satan has one goal in mind and that is that all of humankind worship him. And, as we can see in scripture, he has laid out a very specific plan in order for this to happen in the final days of this age. But these things can’t happen in a vacuum and he’s been working on his plan very obviously since the beginning of time. One of the main things he must do is move “Christianity” into the realm of mysticism.

Mysticism can be defined simply as allowing truth to be determined by our subjective experiences rather than by objective facts.

As soon as Satan can remove a professing Christian’s eyes from the Word of God, he has them right where he wants them. Even a true believer is rendered ineffective when they put aside the Bible in favor of other books, speakers, and experiences.

And so we must continue to judge all things by God’s Word. We must be as the Bereans were in Acts, when Paul came to town–

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11)

Instead of judging the Bible by what we hear subjectively, we must judge what we hear subjectively by what we read in the Bible.

Do you see how we’ve gotten this all backwards in this current Christian culture? But, we as an individual, can choose this very day to do the right thing. We can determine that we will test all things that we experience, learn, or hear against God’s holy, inerrant, inspired, and infallible Word.

We can stand, without apology, on the Bible and know that, no matter what ridicule, condescension, or antagonism comes our way from the world (and often the “church”) because of this, that we are standing on the Truth. In the end, the Bible will be proven true, as it has so many times in the past already.

So today, let’s remember that it must be the Bible that determines what we believe about God. For it is only there that we will end up with the right answers!

The grass withers, the flower fades, 

But the word of our God stands forever. 

(Isaiah 40:8)
Scroll to Top