Beware of False Teachers

"Dear friends, 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." ~1 John 4:1

Before continuing on with the W.A.I.T. series, I wanted to briefly touch upon something that has been weighing on my heart recently. We are living in a world where everybody is striving for attention and wants to be known for the next great revolution, whether it be thinking, economic movements, or avenging the wrongs of a military extremist in Africa. No matter what it is, somebody is always striving to   capture our minds and attention in an almost spellbinding manner.
What we need to be careful of, though, is when this starts to happen within the Christian faith. New ideas and concepts are promoted to try and get us to think of things differently, which isn't always bad, until these new ideas lead us astray. For some reason, it seems like few in the church are willing to use discernment to weed out the false teachers that we are warned about. Why is it that we are more apt to fervently research the background of the CEO of Invisible Children, yet we aren't willing to research those who teach us the Bible, whether it's a pastor, teacher, or author?
Quite honestly, this lack of diving into the Word on our own could deeply impact someones faith and future. By believing somebody simply because they used a piece of Scripture that might be one of your favorites could possibly lead some believers astray. Not everybody who speaks about the Gospel knows what they're trying to preach. Some are simply spewing out their own beliefs and trying to back it up with the Gospel, while others try to claim that only certain passages in the Bible apply to them, much like the Jefferson Bible. We need to remember that we can't pick and choose what to believe from the Bible. We must be obedient to the entire text, not just portions.
To guard ourselves, what we all need to do is to open our Bibles after every sermon or while reading a book to double check and make sure that the Scripture was not taken out of context. We must also make sure that what was taught does not contradict other pieces of Scripture, or neglect them all together. I hope that whoever reads my blog will take out their Bibles and read the verses that I utilize in order to grasp their full meaning and understand what God is trying to convey, instead of trusting what I am typing because my opinion is not truth. God's Word is truth.
Too often people will gravitate towards certain teachings because it's what they want to hear. This is exactly what Paul was talking about in his second letter to Timothy. Within 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul writes, "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." Try not to be one of these souls who only focuses on the teachings that they want to hear. Instead, search out the complete truth of the Gospel, even if it is difficult to stomach or understand. Don't believe everything that you hear or read from somebody who claims to be schooled in the Gospel. Very often, the true Gospel message can become twisted when half-truths are infused with Scriptures. Beware of the contradictions and use the discernment that God blessed you with in order that you do not stray from His truth.