Good morning,
Living in America is getting more interesting every day. If you have been watching news programs or if you are reading the news on the internet or in the newspapers, I am sure you are having to deal with a whole new world of what it means to write or tell the truth about what is going on in any given area of life. As usual they have come up with the term “Fake News” to throw around when talking about what is going on in any given setting. I was grumbling to myself about this new challenge when the Lord reminded me of something that has been a part of my church life since I was a little kid. In those days our church leaders were talking about the Modernists as people who had stopped believing the Bible and were giving people lies instead of the truth. It took me some years before I discovered that the people in my group were doing the same thing, only with a different set of Bible truths. Much later I discovered another group of people who didn’t even try to discover what the Bible was saying because it was too confusing. Those parts of the Bible were left out of their thinking as though they were lies to avoid. These days we have a whole new set of movements that are telling their followers “truths” that fly in the face of clearly presented truths that they avoid.
Jeremiah lived in the same kind of culture when he was speaking to the people of Judah. When God gave him a message to give, he also added to the message, Give them my entire message; include every word.(Jer.26:2) At another place he told him, Let these false prophets tell their dreams, but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word.(Jer.23:28) It is easy for us to forget that our Enemy is not just working with his followers with his clever lies. I think he works the hardest with those who have God’s Word to get them to tell lies and believe lies so that the people around them will live in confusion instead of confidence. In this same conversation with Jeremiah the Lord says, "I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from me.(v.30) A lot of what we call “Fake News” these days is exactly what we find many teachers, preachers and leaders doing in order to stay current and successful. Again the Lord said, I am against these smooth-tongued prophets who say, 'This prophecy is from the LORD!’(v.31) Finally the Lord says, I am against these false prophets. Their imaginary dreams are flagrant lies that lead my people into sin.(v32) I think that any of us who are in positions of leadership and are teaching God’s family need to ask the Lord to help us to see, as he sees, our own ministries and help us to not get trapped into giving what is actually spiritual “Fake News” to the people we are called to lead. Are we guilty of reading and teaching God’s word by talking about the “good stuff” but ignoring the warnings and challenges that go with it? Dear Lord, please help us to be like Jeremiah and include and proclaim your every word.
Jeremiah 26: 2 "This is what the LORD says: Stand in the courtyard in front of the Temple of the LORD, and make an announcement to the people who have come there to worship from all over Judah. Give them my entire message; include every word.
Roy Wisner
