Humanness…

1 John 4:¹ [LB] “Don’t believe everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from God; test it first to see if it really is!”

God has made it your duty and my duty to test the voices we hear first. Why? It is because even the most well meaning person can be wrong. The best of men is still a man, and men are not flawless; so it is our responsibility to test. Jesus asked a question, “Who do men say that I am?” Peter said, “You are the Christ the Son of the Living God”. And Jesus said, “flesh and blood did not reveal that to you”. In other words, this broadcast did not come from yourself, this broadcast did not come from the devil; you received this broadcast from my Father in heaven.

A few minutes later in that same conversation, Jesus was talking about how He would die. Peter must have been feeling like the most spiritual person in the group; I mean Jesus just confirmed that he could hear God. And Peter said to Jesus, “No, you are not going to die”. Jesus discerned the first broadcast to be God but discerned the second broadcast to be satan and said, “get thee behind me satan”. Jesus did not say, “Stop talking like that Peter”. He said, “get thee behind me satan because you do not savor the things of God”.

Same person, same vessel, and the same good intentions; but good intentions do not authenticate a prophecy. The fact that you have good intentions does not mean your message is from God. The fact that somebody has been accurate before, does not mean they are accurate now. And this truth is very humbling because the truth is that   human beings can make mistakes. So when I see people that are representing God but are arrogant, I am baffled. I am baffled because it does not make sense. You can be in error; so humble yourself to stay with God and to seek His face, consistently dependent on Him.

This is why I always say keep in mind that you will make mistakes when it comes to hearing God. But stay with God and His voice will get clearer and clearer. The more you spend time with Him, the more you will be able to recognize His voice amidst many.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I declare that I am Your sheep and You are my Lord, therefore I shall know Your voice and I shall not follow the voice of another, in Jesus Name. Amen!