Discernment. Do you need some?
Put your hand up if you think you could do with a little better at being more discerning.
Let’s start with a passage in the Bible from Paul.
Romans 16:8
“For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people”.
How do we know when something isn’t right? When people become our friends or we listen to a good argument….how do we know where we stand with it all?
What about old friends trying to get you to come back into their social networks or people who are antichrist wanting to bring you back into a trap?
In the last month I’ve had a couple of experiences like this. It’s a very tricky position to be in because we want to be loving and caring to all people as Christians.
I was doing ministry a few months ago in a very secular place. I ended up helping some people but overall it wasn’t a safe place for my faith to grow and flourish. And it wasn’t long that I started to feel the attacks. So I ended up leaving there and now I’m doing another form of ministry by writing these blogs online.
However yesterday I bumped into an old acquaintance of mine whom seems to have changed his life, got married and had kids but was still spiritually without God in his life. We ended up having a chat and he started reminding me of my old life and that being a good person is all that matters. He started trying to convince me that it doesn’t matter what God's name is because we all believe the same thing. Very gentle in his approach and very soothing…
But honestly as I listened to him it was like an open grave excreting the smell of death through his words.
My point is the devil doesn’t want to let people go. He will try to bring you back to places where you can be easily attacked and try to get you to waver in your faith.
Unless we know our Bibles we are like sheep to be slaughtered. Unless we can stand firm in the word of God the devil will use broken vessels to try and take our peace and knowledge of the truth.
If we know the truth it will set us free and we can use it to defend ourselves and the decisions we make. All of our thoughts and decisions come from the mind so we must fill up our minds with God's Word and its principles and truth.
We are not called to keep away from all those who reject Christ because God wants them saved however there will come times certain people will come at you. It’s in these times we are to be very wise and like Paul says keep away from them.
"I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them."
Romans 16:17 Chris Dobson
Put your hand up if you think you could do with a little better at being more discerning.
Let’s start with a passage in the Bible from Paul.
Romans 16:8
“For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people”.
How do we know when something isn’t right? When people become our friends or we listen to a good argument….how do we know where we stand with it all?
What about old friends trying to get you to come back into their social networks or people who are antichrist wanting to bring you back into a trap?
In the last month I’ve had a couple of experiences like this. It’s a very tricky position to be in because we want to be loving and caring to all people as Christians.
I was doing ministry a few months ago in a very secular place. I ended up helping some people but overall it wasn’t a safe place for my faith to grow and flourish. And it wasn’t long that I started to feel the attacks. So I ended up leaving there and now I’m doing another form of ministry by writing these blogs online.
However yesterday I bumped into an old acquaintance of mine whom seems to have changed his life, got married and had kids but was still spiritually without God in his life. We ended up having a chat and he started reminding me of my old life and that being a good person is all that matters. He started trying to convince me that it doesn’t matter what God's name is because we all believe the same thing. Very gentle in his approach and very soothing…
But honestly as I listened to him it was like an open grave excreting the smell of death through his words.
My point is the devil doesn’t want to let people go. He will try to bring you back to places where you can be easily attacked and try to get you to waver in your faith.
Unless we know our Bibles we are like sheep to be slaughtered. Unless we can stand firm in the word of God the devil will use broken vessels to try and take our peace and knowledge of the truth.
If we know the truth it will set us free and we can use it to defend ourselves and the decisions we make. All of our thoughts and decisions come from the mind so we must fill up our minds with God's Word and its principles and truth.
We are not called to keep away from all those who reject Christ because God wants them saved however there will come times certain people will come at you. It’s in these times we are to be very wise and like Paul says keep away from them.
"I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them."
Romans 16:17 Chris Dobson
