Testing

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 NIV

As soon as I read this, two things, well rather three things, came to mind: fake clinics, forgiving abusers, and Oprah (we'll leave Oprah for another time; I'll address the other two). There was a bill introduced in our state's senate to allow taxpayer funding for pregnancy crisis centers who provide alternatives to abortion. My first thought is, my taxpayer money goes towards things I don't agree with and I'm not having a conniption fit over those things. My second thought is, why are they belittling alternatives to abortion? If I was a young girl, finding myself pregnant with no resources, wouldn't I want to know about all my choices, not just one? Oh wait - I have! And I was given choices. If you're trying to decide which house to buy, wouldn't you want choices and wouldn't you want to be able to have a place that provides all the options? Isn't that what all these websites are about, like Trivago, Zimbio, and others? Giving you all the options. Testing the spirits in this case would reveal that you're not being told everything and that abortion is the only alternative. And yes, I do know there are anti-abortion clinics out there who don't do it right either.

The other article I saw this morning was about how the forgiveness culture of evangelicals has allowed abusers to get off scott free and has hurt victims, calling it 'cheap grace'. Beware - this is definitely not of God. The author of the article is under the notion that if we forgive someone of their sins and offer them support that we are excusing their behavior. Pardon me, but I think not, and if Jesus was here he'd call them on their misguided attempts to pervert Christianity. We as Christians do not get to just go on our merry way because we're forgiven, and if someone is teaching you that then that is a spirit you need to test. True forgiveness comes with us owning up to what we did, making it right, and offering restitution (which may sometimes mean going to jail or losing a job).

Fake news is everywhere, even in churches and schools. We hear a lot of things. I see a news story and I test it to be sure it's somewhat accurate (most are not - shocking, I know). But with knowledge and wisdom I process the information to get the most clear understanding and not just a one-sided world view. This is testing the spirits. Not all devotionals speak truth. I may have unknowingly misguided you. None of us are exempt from providing pseudo information at times. Being truthful and honest about what you know and what you don't is what builds integrity with your words.

Test the spirits. Open your mind and let God's word be the ultimate news source.