"Experiences"

"... thy word is truth." John 17:17b

It's the job of the enemy to deceive us. He does it primarily through the word of God by twisting it, by adding to it, by taking away from it, or by stealing it from us. This is one of his main strategies. It was the first one we saw him use in the Garden of Eden. He deceived Eve by putting the word of God in question and making her doubt what God said. This morning I want to take a moment to caution you about something that many are doing and we all have a tendency to do- it's another area that we can be deceived in concerning the word of God.

We must guard against making the word of God line up with our experiences. Our experiences must line up with the word of God. For example, the tendency has been to think that because you are being blessed then you must be right with God. This is not always true. The Lord sends rain on the just and the unjust. His mercies fall upon saint and sinner alike. Remember Zacchaeus- "And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was." (Luke 19:2,3a) Zacchaeus was a rich man, but he was a thief and in need of a savior. If he did what most do today, he would have taken his experience (the fact that he was wealthy) and made God's word line up with it (I must be right with God because He blesses the righteous.) The word of God did not line up with his experience. The word of God called him a thief who needed to turn from his wicked ways so that he might inherit true, eternal riches. On the flip side, just because you are experiencing financial problems, hardships and trials doesn't mean that you aren't right with God.

Don't make the word of God line up with what you are experiencing. See if what you are experiencing- especially when it's good- lines up with the word of God. The enemy will use your "good" experiences to try to trick you into believing that all is well when it might not be. Always make the word of God your source. Always refer back to it. Always compare the blessings against it. Always line your experiences up with it.

Have a great day. Line your experiences up with the word of God.