I have always had a desire to know God. I often pondered His character, His power, and His ways. I was in awe of the amazing things He had done in Biblical times, and I had a great desire to see Him work in my life that same way. I still have that desire today, though now it is more of an expectation.

However, when I was first learning about God I found it to be very confusing. I struggled to grasp the answers I so eagerly desired. Not due to a lack of instruction, but due to an overabundance of it. One pastor would say one thing; another pastor would say something else. This person believed this, that person believed the opposite. Opposing beliefs were plentiful to say the least. After so much confusion and contradiction, I decided to go to the source, God Himself. And as far as I am concerned, it was one of the most significant decisions I ever made.

There are thousands of voices in this world vying for our attention every day. Many things are pulling us one way or another. Satan is always attempting to get us off track by constantly throwing lies at us. But each one of us must be vigilant to "correctly handle the word of truth."

2 Timothy 2:15 - Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Without God's direction, His Word can be interpreted in many ways. One thing Satan loves to do is present the scriptures in a skewed way as to make them a lie. If we aren't careful, The Bible can say anything we want it to. If you can dream it up, you can probably prove it by maligning scripture. For instance, through scripture I can prove that when people shout and trumpets are blown at the same time, walls will crumble and fall.

Joshua 6:20 - When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.

I can prove that tornados are an un-harnessed means of transportation.

2 Kings 2:11 - As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

I can even prove that a mixture of dirt and saliva can cure blindness.

John 9:6-7 - Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam." So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

I could easily use these passages to build my belief system defying others to prove me wrong. And sadly I have seen many people do just that; believing in their own reasoning of what scripture says.

These are, of course, absurd examples for the sake of my point; they are unreasonable according to our thinking. But what about that which doesn't go against our sense of reason? What about the things that are not as easy to discern? For example, Satan came to tempt Eve.

Genesis 3:4 - "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.

But God had already told them what to do.

Genesis 2:17 - but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Eve reasoned that it was ok, and decided to eat from the tree of knowledge anyway. And so did Adam. Again, Satan came to tempt Jesus.

Matthew 4:6 - "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

But Jesus knew that Satan was maligning scripture. He was applying the truth to a situation in a way to make it a lie, and Jesus rejected it.

Matthew 4:7 - Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

What about that which doesn't go against our sense of reason? How many scriptures has Satan maligned for us? These examples are still easy for us to discern because we already know the right answers. Let's look at some present-day issues, such as the death penalty. Some Christians believe there shouldn't be a death penalty because the age of grace has come. Others believe we still live in a lawless world, and the death penalty is necessary. The rapture; which is right, pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, post-tribulation, or something else? Is God three parts, or is He one? Should people be submerged three times or just once when being baptized? Are the gifts of the Spirit still in operation today? Did Elijah die? Does he still have to return to earth? Or was he really John the Baptist, like Jesus said? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why doesn't God answer some prayers? No doubt most of you have some sort of held belief concerning these subjects, but I'm sure you can see the need for discernment.

Our own sense of reasoning is no way to judge truth. Just because something makes sense to our natural minds doesn't mean it's from God. Regrettably, it is much too easy to accept what seems reasonable rather than pressing to find the truth. Too many people have fallen into this trap, Christians included.

People's reasoning is partially to blame for division within the Body of Christ. In any given set of opposing views at least one if not all sides have not properly discerned God's truth or received His understanding. Human reasoning is why we have cults, and thousands of other religions worshipping false gods around the world. They have been allured by a lie, and reasoned it to be the truth. Atheists don't believe there is a God at all because of their own sense of reasoning. For them it isn't logical for God to exist.

So how can anyone know what is the truth and what isn't? First, we need to understand that it is the Holy Spirit's job to teach us and guide us into all truth.

John 16:13 - But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

God has given some people the job of teaching His Word. But everyone should weigh what is being said, asking God if what he or she is teaching is the truth. Unfortunately there are many false teachers and many false teachings in the world.

2 Peter 2:1 - But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves.

Jude 1:4 - For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

Some false teachers are obvious, some not so obvious. Some teach false doctrine maliciously, for their own gain. Still others teach false doctrine innocently, believing that what they say is the truth. But the deciding factor should always be what God says.

Second, we need to take time to seek God for His revelation of what is true and what is false. This is very important, yet we tend to be lax in this area. But you must understand; if you receive a lie from the enemy, that lie touches every aspect of your life as well as the lives of those around you. It negatively affects who you think God is, it affects your thinking of what life with God is like, and it will ultimately lead you away from God and His Will. Some people struggle their whole life because they've believed the lies of the enemy. God says, "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." (Hosea 4:6) God's revelation of His Word is essential for living in the freedoms He has for us.

We must be careful not to formulate a belief system based on what we feel is logical. And we must be very careful not to formulate a belief system around what we want to believe. This requires us to be disciplined and sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We live in a world that focuses on fulfilling its desires above all else. It's our fleshly nature to try and change the "rules" in an attempt to obtain what we desire. But those who build their own truth to live by are playing right into the hands of the enemy.

God is a God who knows and understands everything. His knowledge is immeasurable. He knows all that has happened, all that is happening, and all that will happen in the future. So the way He thinks and the logic He uses is far beyond our own.

Isaiah 55:8-9 - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We can see in The Bible, God often does things that are totally illogical according to our thinking. Man's logic would never reduce Gideon's army to a mere 300 men in order to defeat a much larger Midianite army. But that is exactly what God did, and won. (Judges 7) So applying our logic to God's Word can often be a big mistake. We need God-given understanding.

I'm not saying that everything reasonable must be wrong. That just isn't so. What I am saying is, we must be wise in how we judge truth. We absolutely without question need God-given understanding. And when God's revelation comes, we must be willing to let go of our old mindsets allowing God change our thinking.

Isaiah 55:6-7 - Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

I would hope the desire of every Christian would be to renew their minds according to God's truth; to ask God for understanding of His Word, and lay hold of that truth making it their own. In God's truth, there is true freedom.

And third, you cannot discern the truth if you cannot hear God speak. Nor can you hear God speak if you don't spend time with Him.

It is on this point I would like to caution you. Inability to discern God's voice is the beginning of misinterpreting scripture. If you don't have a lot of experience discerning God's voice, then you need to move very carefully and cautiously when asking God to reveal the meaning of Biblical passages to you. Don't make huge changes in your beliefs without being sure you are hearing from God. And on the other side of the coin, if you can't discern God's voice very well, don't be discouraged. Don't be a person who doesn't even try. We all have to start at the beginning.

You will often hear me say, everything concerning God is founded on an intimate relationship with Him. The answer to every question, every desire, and every need you will ever have starts with an intimate relationship with God. And to develop a relationship with God, there are three things we need to do.

• Read His Word - The Bible is filled with wisdom and direction from God, but you can't receive it if you don't read it. God often speaks to us through His Word.

• Pray - You have to talk to God, and in turn listen for Him to speak. Prayer is nothing more than communicating with God. You can't get to know anyone intimately without speaking to him or her directly, and doing so often. God wants you to share everything that is on your heart; all of your questions, concerns, worries, and fears.

• Praise and Worship - This is more than just singing songs in church. It is an expression of what is in your heart for God. It's like sending Him a love letter. Praise and worship can be expressed in many different forms, but what counts is where your heart is when you worship. Also, we should all worship corporately with a body of believers, as well as privately.

As you become more intimate with God, you will be able to more easily discern God's voice.

Again, I want to be clear, I'm not dismissing wise and Godly council and its merits. The Bible says we should seek wise and Godly council when we need instruction. What I do want to drive home is, your relationship with God is in your hands. God is the ultimate authority and has all truth. So if you have a habit of going to people for answers rather than God, I'm sorry to say, you're setting yourself up for disaster. Not only are you potentially opening yourself up to heresies, but you are also neglecting God. Also know, there is no one who can give you understanding like God can. In a moment, God can give you understanding that may take you years to find by other means.

We are all held personally responsible for what we do with God's word. So it only makes sense to ask God for understanding. Be diligent in earnestly seeking God's revelation of His Word. If you have never hashed out your beliefs with God, seeking His revelation on what is right and what is wrong, then I would encourage you to do so. If you have based most of your beliefs on what others have taught you without going to God for guidance, then you may want to start spending more time with God.

I know there are some who are reading this who agree with what I am saying, and I am very glad for that. But I want you to know; this message is for you too. Even if you feel you have properly sought God for His revelation, I hope you feel challenged to reexamine yourselves and how you weigh the things of God. Our own reasoning can creep in even when we are earnestly seeking God. Ask God to reveal anything that is not of Him. And if you take anything away from this at all, I hope it is a sense of being utterly needful of God's revelation of His Word to you.

As is the case with everything I write or say, don't take my word for it. I am not asking anyone to believe what I say simply because I say it. Always ask God for yourself. And if you earnestly seek Him for understanding, He will give it to you.

Proverbs 4:7 - Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.



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