John 6:43-45 WEB
Therefore Jesus answered them, “Don’t murmur among yourselves. [44] No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day. [45] It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who hears from the Father, and has learned, comes to me.
How can we know when the Father is teaching us something? In the above verse, Jesus says the Father will teach people directly. The problem is, how do we discern what is of the Father and what is our own selfish nature deceiving us? We all fall victim to our self-centeredness at times. And in that selfish state, we can interpret lust of the flesh as prompting of the Spirit.
How can we approach obedience when our flesh speaks so loudly? We have a helper, God’s word the Holy Bible. The Bible may not contain every truth, but every word in it is truth. When we feel prompted to a course of action, we can cross-reference the Word of God for direction. Having a knowledge of the Bible will protect us from following the flesh.
We can learn God’s directions, even when they come through the inner whisper of the Spirit. We have the Spirit and the Truth to direct us, and they will always agree. The Spirit of God will not tell us to do something that contradicts the Truth of the Bible. So our first line of defense against the deception of the flesh is to know the Word of God.
Lord Jesus, please help me press into reading and knowing your Word. Protect me Lord from the deception of the flesh. I want to follow you alone, please teach me how. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
Keys of Love 