Knowing I

Luke 21:³³ [TLB] “And though all heaven and earth shall pass away, yet my words remain forever true.”

Over the next few days, we are going to learn six plus one ways of testing a message and recognizing God’s voice. This is not some clever way of getting you to solve a math problem. It is six plus one because the first six ways are indispensable. Every Word from God must pass the first six tests. If it fails even one out of the six, throw it out or keep it in the cooler. The seventh is also very crucial but again it is not. You can authenticate with just the first six. So let us just say the seventh is an added advantage.

Test #1: Does this agree with the Bible? Luke 21:³³ [NIV] “Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will never pass away.” Why will God’s Word never pass away? It is because God will never invalidate His Word. If God says you should wait till marriage to have sex, He is not going to change His mind. In fact, some people’s reason for cohabiting is because of bills. Does it agree with the Bible? God wants you to check. It is so important that you align with the Bible.

Whatever decision you want to make, whatever voice you think you can hear, the question is, does it align with God’s Word? Paul says in Gal.1:⁸, “Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed” [emphasis added]. God will not contradict His Word and the vast majority of God’s will is in God’s Word. If I am going to estimate, I would say maybe seventy or eighty percent of God’s will for your life is already in the Bible [in God’s Word]. So the easiest way for God to talk to you is to recall a verse of the Bible in your mind.

Test #2: Does my church family confirm this? The people I do life together with, do they confirm this? The Christian life is a family life; the Christian life involves being a part of God’s family.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I pray that these tests I am learning, will become corner stone filters in my walk with God, in Jesus Name. Amen!