How much out there in the world do we take someone’s word for it to be correct, right, and true? I know that it is a forgone conclusion that what we read in one area is thought to be correct. In fact it is not always true and there are a lot of things going on out there that are fake and there simply to influence you one way or another. I often say, tongue in cheek, that if you see it on the internet, then it must be true. Haha.
“21but test everything; hold fast what is good.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (ESV)
Dig deeper into all things. Whatever is heard, ask questions to find out more and the validity of that which is heard. Too often I have found myself on the wrong end of something because I listened to someone and accepted what I was told and then later found out that to be incorrect and I then had to completely backtrack and redo everything. This not only cost me frustrations, but time and credibility with others as I should have done my homework to ensure that my teachings or relaying of information was correct and not going to cause any additional challenges for the hearers.
I have learned to “trust but verify” in situations. I listen to what others tell me and then verify it to be correct (at least as much as I can find) and therefor I am in a better position to speak from a place of knowledge and truth than if I just accept and then find out it to be not fully truthful. I had a leader once that would come by and touch everything that I had done, not to ensure that it was done correctly, but so that he could speak with truth when asked if it had been done and say “yes, I saw it myself”. He trusted that I had indeed done the work, but verified the validity and truth so that he could speak to it truthfully himself.
I have to remember that what I hear or see, may only be there for the optics of something and in reality may not be true at all. I see too often the visuals of what is being presented, yet in the background everything is a complete mess and simply being masked to hide the mess. I liken it to throwing everything into the closet when visitors come to the house, to give the appearance of a well kept home, when in fact when you pull back the curtain, the mountain of stuff will fall on top of everything.
Test everything for its validity. “Trust but verify” everything. Ask the LORD for discernment in all situations to ensure that we are finding the truth.
What is there in your life that you have just accepted as true? Have you been fooled before? What if you were to “trust but verify” and test everything to ensure that you are indeed working with the facts of things and not just the optics?
Trevor's Thoughts 