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.

Guard my mouth

The prophet Jeremiah was hated during his years of ministry. He had one servant that stuck by him and one man who pulled him out of a pit. Everyone else tried to shut him up or kill him.

Few Christians in North America can relate to Jeremiah. Our lives are seldom in danger and even if we are disliked, the laws in our land protect us from the physical harm of persecution.

Yet I understand and identify with Jeremiah. No one has thrown me down a well or ripped up my words, but I’ve felt the same confusion and fear as this one who has been called the “weeping” prophet. I’ve had a small taste of rejection because of my faith or my expression of it. I’ve also wondered if God had abandoned me when everyone else seemed to have turned their backs.

God reminded Jeremiah of his initial commission to his prophetic ministry. He’d told him in the beginning that no one would listen, that he would be rejected. When circumstances became difficult, Jeremiah faltered and God spoke.

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)

Even as a man of God, Jeremiah could turn away, stop declaring truth from God and be a victim of his enemies. To avoid that, he needed to stay close to God and allow the Lord to continually refresh and restore Him. This is one reason for having daily devotions. I need daily power to stand before God. Without His Word to me, I’m side-tracked at the least and overcome at the worst.

Jeremiah also needed to say precious truth, not utter worthless words. God wanted to use his mouth, but he had to cooperate. Paul wrote the same command in the New Testament. 

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

if I want to be a mouthpiece for God, then I must watch my mouth. Worthless chatter is just as contrary to His speech as coarse talk and filthy language. When I open my mouth, He wants me to say things that build the faith of others in a suitable way. Grace, amazingly, is imparted through words. The unconditional love of God can be conveyed by how I talk. If I want God to use me, then idle speech must give way to precious words.

Some people don’t like to hear spiritual truth. Sometimes God wants me to say it in gentleness and use words that are gentle. On other occasions, I must speak firmly and perhaps become that fortified wall that others resist. Fear can keep me from doing this, but God told Jeremiah that He would deliver him from those who fought against him. Jeremiah suffered but God protected him. I can claim the same promise . . . as long as my words are precious and not worthless.

Of course my life and ministry are not even close to that of Jeremiah or any other of God’s prophets. I teach a Sunday class. Almost all who attend it are on the same page in their desire to serve God. Seldom does anyone come in with a personal agenda and a mean-spirited desire to prevail over me or spiritual truth. However, when that happens, I have God’s promises. He tells me to stand before Him and utter words of value. He will take care of those who do not like what I am doing.

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Father, I’m always amazed at Your power to protect those who are bold and stand for You. The prophets of the Old Testament and the faithful disciples of the New Testament (and beyond) have met opposition, yet You deliver all from the hand of evil and ruthless people. This deliverance can be literal in this life, or it could mean removal from their presence into Your eternal realm. Either way, no enemy or person who hates truth can prevail over Your people when we stay close to You and do what You tell us to do. No one can separate us from Your love. Thank You for this reminder to watch what I say — and for Your promise to continually save and deliver me.