Deuteronomy 13 - Discerning Truth

When it comes to the supernatural, there is a heightened sense of interest among the public in our times. There are tales of angels intervening in lives; tellings of near death and near death experiences where people have visited Heaven or spoken to Jesus; or a host of other miracles, hearings and supernatural answers to prayer. Fortune tellers claim to know future events and having access to horoscopes is a daily must for many.  

On the other side of the supernatural there is also great interest in demons, ghosts, zombies and gruesome characters from beyond that scare us out of our wits. 

When it comes to beings or information from beyond, God tells his people to be very discerning. In this chapter, God tells us that He may test our alliegiance to see if we will follow Him when presented with signs and wonders from one who would have us worship other gods. We are to hold the message presented up against the truth of scripture knowing that God's word is truth and our eyes, mind and heart can deceive us. 

The gods we are tempted to follow today are much more cunning than worshipping another religion. Even within Christian circles there are preachers in our neighborhoods and on TV who encourage us to follow our passions and don't speak out against sin. We live in a world filled with people who make gods out of their career, chase after entertainment, money, power or who hold their children higher in life than God himself. Our Gods are where we invest our time and interests. These gods rob  us of prayer, bible study and worship. Of the one true God. 

The measure of our worship and alliegiance to God is this:  obedience. Deut 13:4 says "it is the Lord your God you must follow and him you must revere. If we allow our time spent alone in study, prayer and worship to be usurped by the busyness of our routines, we may have another God operating in our lives. It has happened to so many men of God that their desires lead them away. 

In relationship to miracles, believers should not need a miracle to confirm their faith. They have the Holy Spirit living in them and they have experienced the greatest miracle of all; the salvation of one doomed to eternal judgment. What healing or wonder could compete with that?  We don't have to go to God asking for signs, but we do serve a God of the impossible. He can change hearts, heal AIDS, Cancer and Ebola, BUT if He chooses not to do a miracle, His ways are still best and we can still trust Him. 

We must redouble our efforts to remain close to God and to apply ourselves to knowing His word so that we can stand for truth and help others to know that God can be trusted. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him.