I have had the opportunity to visit New York City a few times. If you are ever in the city and you venture close to Chinatown, you will soon be confronted with a number of people trying to get your attention. They will try to attract you by showing off items they have for sale - watches, purses, jewelry, sunglasses, perfume - all sorts of items. What will surprise you, though, is their pricing - only in these venues are you able to purchase a Louis Vuitton purse, A Rolex watch, Ray Ban sunglasses, and some Chanel No. 5, all for about the price of dinner.
Sounds like a great deal, right? Its all good, unless you actually think you are purchasing a Louis Vuitton purse, A Rolex watch, Ray Ban sunglasses, and some Chanel No. 5. In reality, what you are getting is a genuine imitation, a fraud, a hoax, a rip-off, and a hustle.
I have realized that for almost everything genuine in life, there is a counterfeit.
Spiritually speaking, Christians are often faced with this dilemma when it comes to doctrine and teaching. For just as there is sound doctrine to be taught and understood from scripture, there are a number of counterfeits that seek to make their way into the church.
So, to stay on track, we need discernment. Now discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. The ability to think with discernment is synonymous with a capacity to think biblically.
It is the ability to see issues clearly. We desperately need to cultivate this spiritual skill that will enable us to know right from wrong. We must be prepared to distinguish light from darkness, truth from error, righteousness from unrighteousness, and purity from defilement.
In Ephesians 4:13-14, Paul says, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”
Paul is saying here that it is God’s desire that we grow to a place of spiritual maturity. We grow spiritually to a place where we have a strong grasp of the scripture and biblical doctrine. It’s then that we will not be carried about by every wind of doctrine.
I have always loved an obscure verse of scripture found in Acts 17:11. It says, 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.”
Notice what this verse says… They examined the Scriptures. It was worth it to them to work hard, and to investigate what the Word of God said, and how Paul’s teaching matched up with it.
They also examined the Scriptures every day to find out what it said. It wasn’t a one time, quick look. They made it a point of diligent, extended study.
This is how we gain discernment. This is how we avoid being deceived by false teachers, false prophets, and false doctrine. We can easily be led astray if we are not rooted and grounded upon the truth of God’s Word.
Today’s Challenge: I hope you will join me in praying a prayer found in Psalm 119:125. It says, “I am your servant; give me discernment.” Let’s ask God to help us see, know, understand, and apply the truth of his Word. And let’s ask him to guard our hearts from deception.
