How many times did I hear the warning, “Don’t believe everything you hear.” What good advice from my father. He was simply repeating a verse from the book of Proverbs … “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going” (Proverbs 14:15).
I want to pass along the same warning my father gave me, and his Heavenly Father gave him … be very careful whose advice you listen to. I can remember a few cars I have purchased over my life time that I was told were “great” cars, only to have them leave me standing along the side of the road. I can remember a few promises of following a plan and becoming rich very quickly. I’m happy I have not followed them down that path of making them rich with my money.
One of the scariest things to me when I think about what you will face in the future is that the people who are dishonest, the people who are not really what they appear to be, will present themselves to you as good and upright, and you will believe them. Be careful NOT to become the “simple” person described in this verse. How do you keep from being a “simple” person? There is only one key that I know of; that key is to saturate your heart, mind and soul with the Word of God. All the words of wisdom that you will need to live right and make wise choices rest in the Word of God.
You are going to hear advice from literally thousands of people in your life. Every day you will be bombarded with the opinions, philosophies and counsel of others. How will you know what to trust and what to ignore? The answer is simple, powerful and sure … the Word of God. Now realize, you cannot learn what is in the Word of God simply by owning a copy of it any more than being able to learn Spanish by owning a book on how to learn Spanish. Open your Bible daily, begging God to speak to you through it, and then obey what God touches your heart with. I am confident that if you will saturate your heart with the truths of the Word of God that you will stand strong and not fall prey to the deceivers of your time. If you do not make the Word of God your guide, you will be in danger of being the “simple” person described here in Proverbs 14. As I close today, let me pass along some good fatherly advice. Don’t believe everything you hear … test it against the truths in the Word of God.