Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."¹

Certainly I believe that God does lead, direct, and communicate with us today. However, unless the word received is directly from the Bible or in direct harmony with biblical principles, it needs to be rejected. Remember that God never goes against his own Wordâ€"ever.

If we use "God-talk-bible-babble" as a means of getting our own wayâ€"God-talk such as: "The Lord told me it is to be such and such a way," or "God told me you are to be my wife/husband," etc., etc.; or when we quote a Bible passage out of context (which is really a pretext), or when we blame God for our problems or for things that go wrong when it is entirely our own fault, or quote the Bible as a means of avoiding our own or another's reality, it is meaningless bible-babble. Which, of course, is a part of religiosity!

Bible-babble may sound impressive if we don't know what God's Word teaches. More often than not it is a defense against facing our fears and insecurities and as a means of avoiding personal responsibility. It is often a form of denial, which is always a self-deceptive and dangerous path to follow. If there is one thing I believe God wants us to be, it is to be real, to be honest, and to stop using bible-babble. God always desires truth.²

One of the major problems with denial is that when we are in it, we deny that we are.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please deliver me from the sin of denial and using bible-babble and God-talk when I am using it as a means of avoiding reality. Help me to be real always in all ways and at all times. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 1 John 4:1 (NIV).
2. See Psalm 51:6.

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