The other day I was listening to the Bible on CD and heard the story in I Kings 13:1-20. In summary, a man of God (a prophet) denounced Jeroboam because he had built an altar to worship idols. Once the prophet had finished what God had told him to do, Jeroboam asked the prophet to stay and eat. The prophet told Jeroboam that God told him not to “eat or drink in that place.” So the prophet left. When an old prophet in the city heard about the prophet who left, the old prophet rode after him. When the old prophet found the man of God, he asked him again to come and eat with him and his family. The man of God again said no. The old prophet made up a lie and said that an “angel” told him to bring the man of God back. Not knowing the old prophet was lying the man of God decided to go back with the old prophet. In the end, the man of God was punished for disobeying the command of the Lord.
God being wise and good never leads us wrong. He may not give us all of the details at that moment. Many times we don’t understand, but it is us in our humanness compared to His greatness that the message gets messed up.
Today, God speaks to us with His word and other godly influences. However, the only way you will know that their council or encouragement is from God is that it aligns with what God has already said in His Word. There are no more add chapters to the Bible. That is why it takes a discerning heart to know when the Lord has indeed spoken to you. I am sure you have heard people say to you “The Lord told me to tell you this today” I do not want to sound like a cynic about people who say that, but we must sharpen our minds with the word of God to discern His truth for our lives.
In situations in our lives, we do not have the whole story. The only thing we do have is our instructions from the Lord on what He wants us to do. Sometimes, God gives us clear instructions to do a certain thing. Many times the enemy will come in and tell you the script has changed when it hasn’t. The man of God received his instructions directly from the Lord, and the old prophet received the opposite instructions from an angel of the Lord. A lot of times, the enemy can deceive us when we are not alert to his tactics. “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8).
It is so important to take time every day to feed off of the word of God. We should be studying, memorizing and meditating on His commandments and instructions. It will be the only thing that will help you to combat the lies the devil will try to get you to believe.
