Using discernment when going deeper with God...

 Chapter Fifty-two:

Going deeper with God seems to be a very popular thing these days.  People flock to hear speakers who have new insights or ideas on how to develop a better, closer relationship with God.  If one goes into a book store that sells religious material you will see shelves of books written by various authors on how to develop a deeper relationship with  God.  Granted, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to have a closer relationship with God.  In fact, Scripture tells us we are to grow daily in our walk with God.  However, we need to use wisdom, discretion and discernment as to what we are incorporating into our walk in order to help us grow.

Some people spend quite a bit of time looking into what foods they are putting into their bodies.  There is a valid concern over steroids being used to make animals bigger, and antibiotics being used to keep them healthier as they make their way to market.  Many of us spend time reading the ingredients listed on the label of a food item so we know what we are ingesting.  If we go to such lengths to protect our physical bodies, why do we not put as much, or not more, effort into being careful of those who are feeding our Spirit?

Instead of spending time with the Bible and in prayer, we find it much easier to go to church and hear a sermon and expect to get closer to God through someone's words.  And we make sure to buy the latest books written by Christian authors in order to learn more about God and new techniques or methods of reaching God that are unknown to us.  Unfortunately these new methods that are being presented to believers are simply old methods that are being taken from other religions and have been "Christianized" so that believers will accept them and begin using them.

Because you read a few books or hear some lectures which sound very much in agreement with the Bible, you should not automatically assume anything about the author or the speaker's beliefs about Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit.  Some authors/speakers who have started out on solid Biblical ground have gotten off track in their walk with God by incorporating parts of other religions, particularly Eastern meditation techniques (i.e. contemplative prayer, spiritual formation) and the belief that there are many ways to God.  You will not know this unless you take the time to investigate everything they write, read all comments that they make and discover how they, themselves, live out their lives. 

Since most of us do not have the time or ability to follow everything one has said or written, we need to pray for discernment if we are going to allow someone's beliefs/teachings to become part of our walk with God. You should not allow a person to impart anything into your walk with God until you have prayed for discernment beforehand. If you ask God to give you wisdom and discernment, be prepared because He may reveal to you someone you are following who has gotten away from true Biblical teachings.  It may come as a shock to you when you discover this, but remember that God is showing it to you for your protection and as a warning to walk away from it.    A few good books or a few good speeches does not automatically mean that you can trust a person and  follow their teachings blindly. To accept all that one says simply because they have voiced some truth you agree with can lead to your downfall.

As you grow in the Lord, it is absolutely essential that you know Scripture.  That way when you hear something or read something your spirit will be much more sensitized to wrong teachings.  You need to be able to compare what you are being told with the Bible.  Truth will never, ever contradict Scripture!

Unfortunately, some Christians are into the deeper things of God just to appear more spiritual, more knowledgeable. Some who say they have the answer to a deeper walk with God will be exposed as the charlatans that they are when their lives and the errors they teach about Scripture are fully brought to light.  Either they have become deceived themselves and do not know it, or they are purposely promoting falsehoods under the name of Christianity.  If it is the former, then we need to pray for them.  If it is the latter, then we need to pray that they are exposed for promoting the lies and deception that they are.

If you pray for discernment and truly have a heart to follow only God's truth, He will protect you and show you when you need to walk away from something.  I had an experience like this when I was a young believer.  I attended a retreat for a few days that was to help a person grow in their walk with God. I knew a little about the lecturer, and from the interactions I had with him in the past he appeared to be a safe person to learn from.  However, a few hours into the first workshop the Holy Spirit started to prompt me that something was just not right about what he was saying.  I began to feel very uneasy about what he was saying, even though it did not sound blatantly heretical or unscriptural. The atmosphere in the room just did not feel quite right.  As I sat there and thought about it, I was very confused about what to do.  Something felt wrong, but I could not tell what it was, exactly.

As a young believer, I did not feel I was in the place to judge this man and what he was saying because I was taught to respect those who were more advanced in their walk with God.  But, the Holy Spirit continued to prompt me that something was wrong, and the uneasiness I felt within me continued to grow.  I felt that I needed to leave the retreat right away and go back home.  I finally decided to leave and went back home, not truly understanding what was wrong. As soon as I left, I felt much better.  I was confused, but spiritually I felt more at ease. Sometime later I found out that this man was involved in practices that were based on Eastern mysticism.  So, even though I did not know why I was to leave, my obedience to the warning of the Holy Spirit saved me from being exposed to erroneous teachings.  The Holy Spirit will warn you if you ask Him to keep you safe. 

What we fail to understand is that we can never truly get deeper with God through another person's insights or experiences.  There is no secret to going deeper with God.  God did not wait until these last few years to suddenly impart some special knowledge or teachings to our generation that He had kept hidden from past generations.  And anyone who thinks such a thing is prideful.  God is no respecter of persons, meaning that He does not regard any one person as being more important than another.  So why would He decide to reveal ways to get closer to Him to us in this generation, yet have kept them hidden from past generations?  The answer is simply because He is not.  God has always made all things clear to all generations.  As Scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes 1:9, "...there is no new thing under the sun".  

The key to a deeper walk is very simple.  It is not for a select few and it certainly is not some new revelation or discovery.  Trends come and go...it was true for the Church in years past, and it is true today. The key to a deeper walk is in allowing God to become more in your life as you become less. We need to want and know God for Himself.  As A. W. Tozer reminds us, "No short cut exists for a deeper spiritual life.  The man who would know God must give time to Him." 
 
William Gurnall said, "If only Christians who complain about their weak faith would turn their murmuring into an investigation of why it is so weak! It is because faith has missed its meals from the Word....But now that you have gradually stopped coming to God in His Word, there is a sad change. It is not easy for you to trust Him; and you have little authority over your unbelief!...We fail to experience glorious victories in prayer because we do not allow faith to pray very often....None are in more danger of losing their faith than those men who are content with what they have" 

 It is in Jesus Himself that we will find what we have been looking for. As we surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our lives more, we will find that our walk with God becomes deeper. Spend time in prayer and in the Scriptures and as you do ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and He will help you grow.  The Holy Spirit is the most trustworthy, reliable source of going deeper with God that you can find!

One word of caution is needed here.  Given our finite human capacity for understanding the vast things of God, we have got to realize and accept that we can never know all that we would like.  Scripture tells us in First Corinthians 13:12, "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."  We need to trust that God will teach us all that we need to know and that there are just some things we will not get to know or fully understand in this lifetime.