Last week the Good Morning Girls studied 1 John 4:1-6;
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." (NASB)
There is all kinds of advice out there. It comes in the form of friendly conversation, magazines by the check out counter at the grocery store, books, blogs, etc, etc. As a new parent, the sheer amount of advice you receive from parents, friends, parenting books and magazines, and even total strangers is mind boggling. And it is amazing (and completely confusing) how so much of it is contradictory! Co-sleeping is dangerous. Co-sleeping is good for bonding. Breastfeeding is the healthiest option. Formula helps babies sleep better and gain weight. Cry-it-out helps babies learn to self-soothe and get a good nights rest. Cry-it-out is cruel. And it goes on and on and on. And the plethora of advice is not just limited to parenting issues... there is also plenty of advice available on how to have a good marriage, a good sex life, a hot body, etc, etc.
One thing I need to be careful about is discerning what is godly advice from that which is not. A lot of things seem to make sense and don't seem to be contradictory to Christian values at first glance, but when the philosophy behind the advice is examined, it isn't necessarily godly. I think that is exactly what these verses are talking about. Satan is the father of lies and he is crafty. He knows we won't take the bait if it looks like pure evil, but if something seems innocent enough even though it would give the tempter a foothold into our hearts and minds, then that is how he tries to get us. So I need to guard my heart and my mind by testing the advice that comes my way. Does the advice (and the philosophy behind it) align with Scripture? Is the giver of the advice a Christ-follower?
My prayer this week has been for wisdom to discern godly advice and to have the courage to act on that wisdom.
PS- A big thanks to all my wonderful friends and family that have provided so much good advice to me over the years, Christian and non-Christian, I value you all and have learned so much from each and every one of you! Thank you for caring.
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