Check it Out

“Come on, you’ll like it,” I told the hesitant horses. I had stopped my walk to pick the tall green grass that grew along the road and held it across the top of the fence. Three of the farmer’s six horses decided to walk across the field toward me. They stretched out their necks to sniff the grass and then took it from my outstretched hand. Aha, I now could rub their silky necks.

At other times, they had refused the grass and turned their heads away from me. I wondered why. Were there nettles in with the grass? Did they smell my hand lotion? Had the grass been sprayed with insect spray? Maybe they weren’t hungry or did they figure out my motive?

As Christians, we also need to be careful about what “food” we take to nourish our life. Some teaching is presented as from God, when it really is just someone’s idea. A few people deliberately try to deceive. Others are just repeating what they heard in the past and are themselves deceived. Lies can be interspersed with truth. Or may there is an ulterior motive.

Follow the horses’ wisdom and check out any teaching before believing it as truth. Test it by God’s Word. Listen to the “Spirit of Truth” that lives in you (Jon 14:17). If it doesn’t life up with God’s truth—turn away and go on with your life.

The Bible reveals the truth.

Dear friends do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. 1 John 4:1a (NIV)

Helen Hoover