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Does Your Idea Agree with the Bible?
By Rick Warren

“Anyone who wants to do [God’s] will can test this teaching and know whether it’s from God or whether I’m making it up.” (John 7:17 MSG)

Jesus said in John 7:17, “Anyone who wants to do [God’s] will can test this teaching and know whether it’s from God or whether I’m making it up” (MSG). God doesn’t like it when people put words in his mouth and say, “God told me to do this,” when he really didn’t. So how do you know when it’s God talking to you?

First, you have to ask if the idea agrees with the Bible.

God is consistent. He will never contradict what he’s already said in his Word. God will never tell you to violate a principle that’s in the Bible. He’ll never tell you to ignore what he’s already said. He’ll never tell you to deny what he’s already said.

Luke 21:33 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (NIV). That means if it’s true, it has always been true, and it always will be true. Because truth is not new! Truth has been around forever. If something was true 4,000 years ago, it was true 50 years ago, and it is still true today. God’s truth stands the test of time.

Trends change. Popular opinion changes. Even science changes. But the truth of God never changes, so God would never say something and then change his mind. When God says that you should only have sex with the person you’re committed to in marriage, then he’s not going to tell you go have sex with anybody you want to have sex with. God does not change his mind! That truth should encourage you, because you never have to wonder what God thinks about something that he has clearly stated in his Word.

You need to dig into God’s Word and memorize it so that when you get an idea or an impression, you can say, “That couldn’t be from God because the Bible says this.” If you don’t know the Bible, you’ll be fooled by all kinds of lies from Satan.

The more you know God’s Word, the better you will be able to discern when God is speaking to you.

Talk It Over

What is a truth from the Bible that you’ve tried to “adapt” to fit your circumstances?

How will you respond if you discover that your impression does not agree with the Bible?

What are some ways you can start to memorize and get to know God’s Word better?