Know and Be On Guard Against

“²¹And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.²²For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.” – Mark 13:21-23 (ESV)

Have I not been taught? I have been given knowledge from God in His Word. The knowledge has been taught by many I have trusted in the faith throughout my life. Therefore I know what is right and the correct approach to those things that are of God and that are God. Do I know all, NO, but I know where I should go should there be something that questions what I do know.

All too much in this world, we have been presented with information that is contrary to what we know and at that point it is up to us to accept the deference to what we know or use it to learn more while holding to what we do know. Take the idea of the earth being flat or round. We have been taught that the earth is round. We have seen the pictures from space, read the scientific information, and have accepted it as knowledge. When someone declares that the earth is flat, we may push back a bit yet investigate for ourselves to find proof of the concept before accepting it.

This same process should be used in our faith and with what we know about God. We have been taught and we have read the proof in God’s Word. When someone speaks or brings something contrary to what we know, we should be guarding against it and go to God’s Word to investigate and find the proof that the other person is correct before changing what we know. It is up to us to guard against the false teachings until they can be proven to be truth, and the only place to find the truth is in God’s Word.

When someone brings something to you, what is your approach to the belief it may or may not be truth? Are you accepting of that which is contrary to what you know without investigating for yourself? What if we held to what we know and guarded against that which is contrary until we can find the truth in God’s Word?