No false teaching

Then I said: “Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ ” And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name although I did not send them, and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not come upon this land’: By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and sword, with none to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. For I will pour out their evil upon them. (Jeremiah 14:13–16)

I’ve already realized that the power of positive thinking is over-rated. However, it does not seem to motivate false prophets. I know a few of them and they are self-appointed rather than divinely called. One in particular seems driven by personal pride. Others have their own ideologies or visions, perhaps driven by the Liar whose goal is to prevent truth from changing lives. Most of them form their belief systems on fragments of Scripture rather than the whole context. 

They might be ‘nice’ people, not coming across as raving lunatics. They may also be very sincere and believable, but when it comes to spiritual truth or speaking for God, the only way to know that they are not what they claim is to know the Word of God.

The NT says we are in a battle for truth, and since lies come from the devil, it is his schemes that are designed to deceive. To counter that, we need the whole armor of God as we wrestle against his rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers — the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. The whole armor of God means knowing what is true and standing firm in it, including declaring it boldly. (Ephesians 6:10–20)

Spotting false teachers is not difficult for those who know the Word of God well. Not only that, God will eventually deal with them. It might be harsh judgment, yet if those who are caught in lies and try to teach them to others realize their error and repent, He will forgive and restore them:

Therefore thus says the Lord: “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the Lord. I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.” (Jeremiah 15:19–21)

Those who fit this category can be Christians already, just misled. Galatians 6 tells us to restore them. Conviction and correction are not the same as condemnation. We are in this battle together against falsehood, not against each other.

Jesus, grant me discernment and the ability to spot false teaching and loving ways to correct it. Also keep me from listening to lies and spot any false ideas I might have. I want You to be glorified, not spoken about in any sort of error.