Deuteronomy 13:1-3 (NIV) If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.

We live in an age where we are overloaded with messages, teachings and sermons through the internet and through social media. Anyone can create a podcast or a YouTube channel and spout away, being able to reach many people. You also have people who have been around for many years promoting false teachings who now have access to much larger audiences. That’s why now as never before, we must be very selective of who we listen to.

The problem of false pastors, teachers and prophets has been around as long as God has had a message to deliver to people. One of the very first messages from God to His created beings was, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die (Genesis 2:17).” We know what happened to that message when it was repeated back to Adam and Eve in a twisted and false way by the serpent (Satan) in the Garden of Eden. We are still paying the price for that false message. It is serious business to know when someone is speaking the Word of God as it was written and intended and when they are not. Many people have been deceived and continue to be deceived by false teachers who twist the Word to suit their own agendas.

In the passage of scripture above, God is warning His people that even if a prophet performs a sign or a wonder and then speaks falsely or entices people to serve other gods, they should not listen to that prophet. In today’s culture, the false pastors, teacher and prophets don’t have to perform any signs at all for gullible believers to swallow their false teaching hook, line and sinker. Many people think that just because someone gets on the internet and is teaching, that they must be legitimate. They believe things without checking them out in scripture. But this is so serious that the Lord says in the passage of scripture above that whether you listen or not listen will prove if you love Him with all your heart and soul. When people tell you to do things that God hates and tell you that God said it, you have a responsibility to know the truth so that you can reject whatever is not coming from God’s Word. You must be careful. Be very careful about who you listen to. Remember that false prophets mix their lies with some truth to try and confuse people. Pray for discernment and get to know your Word so that you can immediately reject anything that is not coming from our God and from His Word. That will prove your love and devotion to our one and only God.

Pastor Joey Vazquez