Do You Know How To Determine if Something is From God or Man?

Do you know how to determine if something is from God or man? Sometimes it is very hard to tell the difference. This is why it is important to know God’s Word. To know where you are in your very own personal relationship with God? To know what your intentions are. To know what God will do in your behalf when you truly allow Him His place in your life. To know that you are walking in accordance with His will. In today’s time it is absolutely crucial. The Bible says a fool ignores God’s wisdom and instead prefers to follow the crowd. Who would rather believe and prove something that is not true. Did you know that when you accept a lie as truth you have been deceived? Knowledge just gives you the facts. Wisdom tells you how to apply the facts within their proper context. Wisdom helps you to have discipline and develop healthy boundaries. Knowing the Truth of God’s Word will help you to navigate through this world’s plethora of folly. We must sincerely pray and ask God to “Give us today our daily bread.” It is very important to seek God’s direction daily. It is equally important to be willing to relinquish your own direction when He shows you this is indeed the case. God has promised that He will direct our paths when we earnestly seek Him. God is a Spirit of Light. His Word will truly be a “Lamp unto your feet and a Light unto your path.”

God’s Word is full of wisdom. The book of Proverbs is considered the book of wisdom in the Old Testament. The book of James is considered as the book of wisdom in the New Testament. Proverbs is one of the most down to earth books there is. It tells you how to gain wisdom, discipline and become prudent. It gives you advice on how to raise your family. It warns against the dangers of debt. It talks about the dangers of drinking. How important it is to eat properly; it even tells you who not to eat with. It speaks quite often against immorality. It shuns evil, lying, slander, entrapment and deception. It even talks about visiting your neighbor too much. It also warns against joining cliques, gangs or cults. It also describes the plethora of benefits that are available to you when you apply the Word of God to your life. These are just a few of the many topics of discussion. It also tells you that fools live independently from God. The dominant theme in Proverbs is to encourage one to seek wisdom. Not just any old wisdom but Godly Wisdom. It actually says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Do you know when something is of God or man?”

Fearing the Lord is a crucial prerequisite in obtaining His wisdom. Just ask yourself do you really fear God? Or do you seek to please others? How would you feel if He were to pass judgment today? God tells us to seek His wisdom as though you were looking for a hidden treasure. “Then you will understand the fear of the Lord.” Did you know that understanding comes from God? If you truly fear the Lord there are some things that you will just not do or say. He actually tells us that, “discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.” God also tells us to shun evil. To shun means to turn away from. Some people will do whatever it takes to get their way. They will also enlist others to help them. But is your way the Lord’s way? This is why it is so very important to ask yourself is God pleased with what you have said or done? Then to “be still and know.” A Godly conscious surrenders to God’s way. Your desire is then to sincerely repent. If you are truly a person of faith you know that God’s power is always accessible. God will never direct you to do anything that goes against His principles. God is also a just God. In His time He will surely vindicate you. The wonderful thing about God is that He alone is Sovereign. Do you know when something is of God or man?

There is a lot of discontentment and unhappiness in the world. Many times people have short term memory, they do not want to remember what they have said or done. Or they have selective memory and want to remember only what they want to remember. They often choose to do something that goes against God’s will for them in order to satisfy a desire they have. Their conscious becomes seared. Or they just prefer to blame someone else for their unhappiness. Although you know that they were unhappy long before you even came on the scene. When things do not turn out the way they want. They often do not want to take responsibility for what they have done or admit honestly what has really happened. It is hard for them to go through the consequences. In many cases this leads to depression. When you have swept so much hurt under the rug life becomes dusted with hurt. This unresolved hurt often causes them to project that hurt somewhere. Rather than simply apologize or admit they were wrong. They choose to live in denial. To instead fragment what has really happened in order to appear right. Denial is unhealthy it causes you to suppress the truth.

The enemy wants you to believe lies because they keep you in bondage to sin. Sin is anything that separates you from God. The enemy is satan he is such a deceiver he wants you to seek the approval of man over God. Lies hinder your emotional and spiritual growth. God is a Spirit of Truth! Know that God is the only one that truly loves anyone unconditionally. God tells us in II Thessalonians; “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth to be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed truth but have delighted in wickedness.” God knows everything that has transpired. He knows why, when, how, who and what will be. This is why it is so important to really know where you are in your personal relationship with Him. This is also why God tells us to guard our hearts and shun evil. Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have. God’s weapon are not carnal. This is why He says “pray without ceasing.” Prayer is not always audible. Nor is it always in silence. God is just. One thousand years to us is but one day to Him. In His time “He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.” God can and will take care of you in any and all situations. It is in situations that look impossible HE GETS THE GLORY! This is why it is so very important to seek God’s direction. James says if you lack wisdom? Ask God.

You can not properly renew your mind apart from God. You can not have true emotional and spiritual health without God. Inner peace comes from doing things God’s way. James tells us that whenever you are tempted it is not of God. God never tempts us to do anything? Always know it is the witness of God that matters most! He sees and knows everything! When you look through the spiritual lenses of God’s Word things always look differently. Do you really want to experience the peace of God? Have you really committed to God’s way? Or do you seek to justify your own way? “God is an ever present help in times of trouble.” His Light will dispel any darkness. He can and will use any one and anything as an instrument if He so desires. You must know that God specializes in the impossible. It is in God’s eyes what always matters most! “My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me. No one who practice deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord.” Can you tell if something is of God or of man?

You must know in your heart of hearts that God is the ultimate Father. His Word tells us that “He will be a Father to the fatherless.” It tells us that “sound judgment and discernment will preserve you.” This does not mean that unfavorable things will not happen. Preserve means to conserve, safeguard or protect. Studying God’s Word daily is just as important as eating. God’s Word is food for your soul. Yet, most important we must learn to actually apply His Word to our lives daily. That’s wisdom! God is so good! I am so glad to be a child and friend of God. Hallelujah! I Peter tells us, “Dear friends do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal or even as a meddler. However if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed. But praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the out come be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will be become of the ungodly and the sinner? So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”

Read “Contending For The Faith“.