Based on Zechariah 10 (New King James Version)
“Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone. For the idols speak delusion; the diviners envision lies, and tell false dreams; they comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; they are in trouble because there is no shepherd. ‘My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the goatherds. For the Lord of hosts will visit His flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as His royal horse in the battle. From him comes the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together. They shall be like mighty men, who tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle. They shall fight because the Lord is with them, and the riders on horses shall be put to shame. ‘I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, because I have mercy on them. They shall be as though I had not cast them aside; for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them. Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as if with wine. Yes, their children shall see it and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the Lord. I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will redeem them; and they shall increase as they once increased. ‘I will sow them among the peoples, and they shall remember Me in far countries; they shall live, together with their children, and they shall return. I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, until no more room is found for them. He shall pass through the sea with affliction, and strike the waves of the sea: All the depths of the River shall dry up. Then the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt shall depart. ‘So I will strengthen them in the Lord, and they shall walk up and down in His name,’ says the Lord.”
Today, more than ever, God's people suffer from poor instruction, because erroneous things are taught as if they were truth. And this should not surprise us because the Word warned us that this would happen even more in the end times. This is what the Word says: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 2 Timothy 4:3-4. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith.” 2 Timothy 3:1-8. This is what we are experiencing today within many of our churches, and unfortunately, with many so-called servants and leaders. We must be very careful, and we must study what we are told, and not just accept it as truth because someone in a certain position is teaching it. We must not take things for granted.
So, what can we do? How can we protect ourselves from such things, from learning lies or wrong things? By the grace of God, today we have two things that are paramount. The first is that when we are redeemed by God through Christ, by faith we receive the Holy Spirit into our lives. God has given us the Counselor through salvation so that He can guide us, so that we can learn His truth directly. It is written: “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” John 16:13. We as Christians do not need human intermediaries. It is good to have someone to guide us in learning the Word of God, and there are still God-fearing people, like this ministry who try our best not to compromise God's truth (you will notice that we always base messages on the Word). But what we should rely on most is our own relationship with God through continual prayer and by dedicating ourselves to studying the Word daily and seeing whether what we are taught or preached is true or not.
Someone might say, "I don't know enough,” or, “I don't have the knowledge necessary to distinguish." It is written: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5. And it also says: “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:9-13. God's good, perfect, and pleasing will is that we ask for His guidance and wisdom continually, so He will undoubtedly answer.
And the second thing is that we must seek all our answers in the Word of God, the Holy Bible. All teaching, preaching, doctrine, etc., must be compared to what God says in the Scriptures. This is what the Scriptures themselves say: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17. There is no other source more direct from God than His Word, from Genesis to Revelation. This is why many fail in their faith or stray, because they don't take the time to seek the Truth for themselves, to compare and verify whether what they are told is true. This is what the Word says: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Hosea 4:6. We have the greatest privilege today of having the Word of God at our fingertips. In ancient times, such as during the time of Hosea, almost no one could have their own copy of the Scriptures. The Word was in the care of the priests and scribes. And yet, God said that His people were destroyed because they rejected His Word. If God judged His people that way, how much more responsibility do we have now?
The best part is that our relationship with the Lord is personal, and we can fully depend on Him. If we have good instructors of the Word, that is good. But if we don't have trustworthy people, it doesn't matter, because we have more than we need available to us. And we must keep in mind that all of us, without exception, will give an account before God for everything we do. So, do you maintain your own relationship with Christ daily? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel!