Today's Devotional

April 26, 2002

Subject:  A Good Water Filter

1 John 4:1 - "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." 

 A friend sent me an e-mail that had a nice little poem concerning the world trade center disaster.  It was about a woman having a conversation with her son whose dad had been killed in the world trade center.  Well in the poem, the little boy says that he had a vision and God told him that He needed more angels so that's why He took the boy's dad.  Now the poem sounded nice and sweet, but for believers, it should've set off bells and whistles.  Do we become angels when we die?  The bible says no.  However, without discernment, we think its simply harmless chatter and we pass that kind of stuff on.  When I brought this matter to the attention of my friend, he immediately saw the error and felt compelled to put out a message to everyone that received the e-mail telling them that it had wrong information in it.  That's someone who understands the significance of a discerning spirit.  

Most likely, at home or work, you receive some type of spam (not the meat, I mean unsolicited e-mail).  Some of it might be a poem from a friend or it could be an advertisement to buy something over the internet.  We need a filter to sift through that "junk" mail to ensure that we're not allowing it to take root in our minds.   That's why scripture exhorts us to be "in" the world but not "of" the world.  Remember, Satan will come masquerading as an angel of light.  All of those fluffy, nice little poems that sound good but run counter to God's word are demonic in origin and must be rejected.

So first we have to know God's word and then we have to use it as a filter.  Today, I challenge you to screen everything that you see and hear and then screen what you think.  Your screen or filter should be God's word.  If you want pure water to pour out of your lives, you need a good water filter.  God's word is that.  

Carlen