"Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth." Ephesians 4:14
Pacers are those people in a race whose job it is to lead others across the finish line in the time they advertise they can. Whether that be to a 3 hour marathon finish or a 5 hour one, each pacer (before being considered) has to show that they can reach their time goal consistently and, therefore, lead others to do the same. However, even with that knowledge, blindly trusting someone just because they claim they can help you can be a huge mistake as several runners at the Santa Rosa Marathon discovered Sunday. Racers, who were running in the 3.03 pace group, were led off course after the pacer took a wrong turn and so logged an extra 0.9 mile... quite possibly affecting their chances of qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
While being led astray in a race can have disastrous consequences, they are nothing compared to what might happen by blindly following someone who claims to know the Bible but preaches or teaches doctrine opposite to what the Word says. It's no wonder then that in Ephesians 4, Paul urges us to be mature in our faith and knowledge so we "won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching" or "influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth." So how do avoid that deception? By knowing the Truth and knowing it so well, better even than our favorite running route, that we will instantly recognize when somethings "just not right".
Watchman Nee said it this way, "Should the believer neglect the teaching of the Bible, failing to watch and pray even though trusting his pure motive to keep him from deception, he will be deceived."
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us your Word that we might study it and learn it that we might not be led astray by false teachers or false doctrines. Help us to embrace your truth and then to stand firm in it when others would tell us to go another direction. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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