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Test the Voices · In the Stillness Podcast

• 0:00
  Hey, you guys, it's friendly. Welcome back to In the
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  Stillness. I just got back from a trip and
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  so First off, I missed you guys, I missed recording, and I hope
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  that you've been doing great. Feeling super grounded in the
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  word and just good going into a new week.
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  It's also the last week of April, which is insane.
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  It's flown by, at least in my opinion, and I think that this
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  is a really good moment to reset our focus, especially with what
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  we're talking about today because we're going to be
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  starting chapter 4 of First John.
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  And I think it's something that we're honestly constantly
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  navigating, whether we realize it or not.
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  So let's go ahead and dive into the Scripture.
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  It's going to be First John chapter 4 verses one to three
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  delightfully loved friends. Don't trust every spirit, but
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  carefully examine what they say to determine if they are of God.
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  Because many false prophets have mingled into the world, here's
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  the test for those with the genuine Spirit of God.
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  They will confess Jesus as the Christ who has come in the
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  flesh. Everyone who does not
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  acknowledge that Jesus is from God has the spirit of
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  Antichrist, which you heard was coming and is already active in
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  the world. OK, I love these verses because
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  John is not just warning us, he's actually giving us
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  practical how to advice for how to navigate this in real time.
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  And the first thing is super clear, do not believe everything
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  that you hear. Beware of false quote UN quote
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  truth and teachings because not every single person who claims
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  authority is anointed. God appoints specific people as
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  leaders and pastors and teachers, but not all leaders
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  are ones who are relationally rooted in Christ.
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  So with that, what do we do? Well, John tells us, test it.
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  Test prophecy, test words from the Lord that you receive from
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  other people. God absolutely can and wants to
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  use other voices to speak into your life, but you still have to
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  use discernment because the one thing that is always 100%
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  accurate is the word of God. So if you want to hear from God,
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  it is so important to go read your Bible to consume the verses
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  on the pages. And so when you do hear
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  something, I think it's good to ask a few questions.
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  First of all, does this align with the Bible, what the Word
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  says? 2 For the person that you're
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  hearing it from, what does their circle look like?
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  Are they committed to the church, to a body of believers?
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  3 What does their lifestyle reveal about their heart or
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  their motivations? What are their pursuits?
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  What are their priorities and what is their fruit?
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  Because good fruit is evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in
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  someone's heart. It shows whether a person is
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  actually letting the Lord lead or if they're possibly quenching
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  the Spirit and ignoring His work in their heart.
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  And I think that this goes beyond just pastors and teachers
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  because yes, John is talking about that here, but I think
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  that this can also apply to friendships and relationships
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  because we should be evaluating what someone truly believes by
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  the evidence of their life. And that turns back on us too.
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  So let me just give you all a question.
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  What does your life communicate about what you believe?
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  If someone took a magnifying glass and studied your life for
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  a week, they looked at your speech, your thoughts, your
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  interactions with other people, the way you treat others, what
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  would they conclude? Because First Timothy 412 calls
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  us to be set apart as believers, and that looks like being
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  sanctified by our speech, by our conduct, by our faith, love and
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  purity. Now here's a very critical point
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  and kind of the point of this passage is the incarnation.
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  What do they and what do you believe about Jesus Christ?
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  That he is fully God and fully man.
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  That he is the Son of God who came in the flesh, died and was
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  raised again to fulfill prophecy of Scripture and is coming back
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  not for the first time, but the second time.
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  That is not a small detail. That is the core central message
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  of our faith, and it's also where a lot of false teaching
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  starts to drift, especially in other religions.
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  So just remember, not everything is from God.
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  That includes things you hear and even things that you believe
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  about yourself. Scripture shows us that people
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  can be used by the enemy to deceive if they belong to Him.
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  And we live in the world as believers, but we're not of the
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  world. So meaning we will encounter
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  distorted ideas, worldly things, but our job is to not let those
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  things shape our hearts. We have to determine to refuse
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  the wayward path to stay pursuing the narrow straight. 1.
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  So when you're unsure, come back to this filter.
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  Does the Bible affirm it? Do I see genuine fruit in this
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  speaker's life? And are they submitted to the
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  Spirit not just out of convenience or comfort, but in
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  full surrender? Because at the end of the day,
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  credibility is built from consistent, daily communion with
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  God. Let me repeat that.
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  Credibility is built from consistent daily communion with
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  God because you cannot fake it. When someone truly walks with
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  the Lord, it shows they carry His presence in a way that is
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  undeniable. So if you want to be an
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  impactful ambassador for Christ, spend time with Him.
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  Meet the Lord in the quiet place, and not just two minutes
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  in the morning or when you have a moment at the end of the
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  night, but throughout your day. Ask the Lord Holy Spirit, what
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  do you want me to hear today? What do you want me to know?
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  How do you want to use me? Right where I am, where my feet
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  are planted. That could be in a library, at a
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  lunch room, in the gym, in a coffee shop, in your own home
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  with roommates or family. Y'all.
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  This is where real discernment is built.
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  So just a few take away reflection questions.
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  Sit with these. Am I filtering what I hear
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  through God's word or am I just receiving it?
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  Who or what voices am I giving authority to in my life right
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  now? And what kind of fruit do I
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  actually see in the people that I'm listening to?
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  And then turn it inward because we can't just look at other
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  people, we have to look at our own hearts.
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  What does my daily life communicate about what I truly
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  believe? Do I really understand who Jesus
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  is at the core, central part of my faith?
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  So let's go ahead and closeout in prayer.
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  Dear Father, thank you for your truth.
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  Thank you that it never changes and you never change.
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  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
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  And so we cling to that. I pray for discernment in a
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  world full of competing loud voices.
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  I pray that you would help us to not just believe everything that
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  we hear, but to evaluate and analyze it against your Word.
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  Father, would you shape our lives so that it points to you
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  in our speech, in our conduct, in our faith, in our love and
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  our purity? Filter our thoughts, God, make
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  our thoughts obedient to Christ. Cleanse our hearts.
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  I pray that we would draw into a deeper and daily communion
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  relationship with you so that we can recognize your voice clearly
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  and so that we can walk in the truth.
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  May we be children of the light, children of the day, in purity
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  and righteousness and holiness. We love you Jesus, we thank you,
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  thank you God, in your name we pray.
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  Amen. OK guys, well that's today's
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  podcast episode. So fun getting speed back on the
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  podcast and record and I'm just praying for you guys.
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  The all of a wonderful start to your week, a great Monday and I
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  will see y'all on the next one.