By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
In one of my favorite childhood games, the leader (affectionately known as Simon) directed his followers through a list of rapid-fire instructions, such as… clap your hands, stand on one foot, jump up and down, or lie on the floor. If the command was prefaced with “Simon says,” the action was supposed to be imitated. But anytime Simon left out the preface “Simon Says,” the command was supposed to be ignored. The winner was the one who listened carefully and discerned which commands to follow or ignore.
I’ve recently become more aware of the fact that I need to be very discerning when following what others say. We live in a technological age where there is a plethora of information at our fingertips. It seems that anyone with a microphone, camera, or platform is an instant subject matter expert.
But are they?
Let’s say you and your family are watching a nature program and your daughter asks, “Mom, what’s the difference between mammals and reptiles?” Now, back in the day, we had to go to the bookshelf of encyclopedias to get our answer. But today, all you need to do is tap the link provided on your cell phone and start reading. “Well honey, it says here, mammals have hair all over their bodies, have live births, and produce milk for their young, while reptiles have scales and lay eggs.” Satisfied, your family continues watching the nature program. That is until the narrator starts talking about the platypus, a mammal that lays eggs. Your daughter looks at you with questioning eyes. Once again, you pick up your phone and follow the next rabbit trail of information.
The Internet is filled “Simons” who would like nothing better than to have us follow their every post, video, or hashtag. But what if these so-called leaders are only providing partial information on the subject? What if they are only expressing their opinion on the matter? What if what they’re saying can’t be backed up with truth. Is there any way we can protect ourselves from being deceived?
The answer is YES!
- Put on the full armor of God
- “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:14-17 NIV).
- Pray
- “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Ephesians 6:18 NIV).
- Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and discernment
- “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7 NIV).
- Test everything through the lens of biblical truth
- “Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 NIV).
- Ask yourself if the leader’s character is in alignment with the character of Jesus
- In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:5-7 NIV).
- Be self-controlled and alert
- “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV).
- Trust and obey the Holy Spirit’s prompting
- “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV).
Be very careful who you follow, dear friends, and always listen to the Lord’s voice above the others.
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16 NIV).
“So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:6 NIV).
“Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:20 NIV).
