Trusting God with today
- @2023 Charles F. Stanley

JULY 3

Test with Scripture

The people of Berea . . . searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.
ACTS 17:11 NLT

Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “Don’t believe everything you read.” It’s good, commonsense advice. It’s always wise to treat the information you receive with caution and verify facts before you repeat them. This is especially true regarding spiritual matters, which is why 1 John 4:1 warns, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” Ask the Lord to help you discern whether what you’ve heard is from Him, and He will show you if it aligns with the whole counsel of Scripture.

That’s what the people of Berea did when they heard Paul’s message about Christ. As Jews, they knew the prophecies concerning the Messiah, so when Paul insisted that Jesus was the Deliverer that God had promised, they went back to the source—Scripture. Because of this, the Berean Jews were considered “noble-minded,” and “many of them believed” in Christ as their Savior (Acts 17:11–12).

So whenever you hear a sermon or Bible lesson, make it a personal habit to test the principles against the infallible Word of God. Not only will you avoid error, but you’ll learn a lot along the way.

Jesus, may Your Word be the standard by which I judge all other voices. Amen.