Does Your Idea Agree with the Bible?

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Can You Hear Me Now?

Does Your Idea Agree with the Bible? By Rick Warren — Mar 10, 2015 “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. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> 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? Our Gift: Son of God Study Kit What would happen if you applied the lessons from events in Jesus’ life—temptation, suffering, death, resurrection—to your own? Receive the Son of God Study Kit with your donation. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren Can You Hear Me Now? teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: God Wants To Talk To You Message 2: How God Talks To You Message 3: How To Get Guidance From God Message 4: How To Recognize God's Voice PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe