If the blind leads the blind, both will fall in a ditch.

Matthew 15:14, NKJV

If I am going to follow someone, I want to have confidence that they know where they are going. I don’t want to end up getting lost, or worse, by following someone who is only guessing about the route we need to take. This is bad enough when we are talking about following someone to a physical location, but it is much worse when we are talking about someone leading us in spiritual matters.

Let’s face it: Bible teachers and preachers are easy to find. Just do a google search to see how easy it is to compile a list of dozens of names of those who profess to be Bible teachers. How do you know if they are teaching sound doctrine? How do you know if they are striving to correctly expound the Biblical text, or if they are giving erroneous teaching based on faulty interpretation of Scripture? We cannot be too careful in selecting Bible teachers and preachers to listen to for instruction and inspiration.

So, how are we to know which ones to follow and which ones that will lead us into that spiritual ditch? Allow me to share a few suggestions that you might try in order to be as careful as possible.

First of all, as simple as it may sound, make sure that the things they are teaching are in alignment with the teachings of Scripture. Read carefully the following passage from the book of Acts:

These [the Bereans] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

Acts 17:11, NKJV

They received the word with readiness. They were eager listeners, hungry for the teachings of God’s Word. They gave themselves to the instruction being offered through Bible teachers and preachers. They listened with the intent of following the teachings being offered. But please note: they did not indiscriminately accept everything that was being taught. They searched the Scriptures for themselves to make sure those teaching were not contradicting the clear teachings of Scripture.

I cannot overemphasize the importance of this concept. We need to listen carefully, searching the Scriptures ourselves, not to find fault, but to validate. We need to be like the Bereans. If what they were being taught was in alignment with what the Bible says, then they were to accept it and assimilate its truth. But if what they were teaching did not align with the Bible, then they were to reject it.

This is crucial for us in this present day. The Bible’s teachings are being contradicted, re-explained, re-invented. We are being told that some of those beliefs and practices that are taught clearly in Scripture are out-dated, antiquated, and should be discarded, or, at least, reinterpreted. They would have us believe that the Bible should be understood culturally, rather than the culture being subjected to the teachings of the Bible.

Second, we should not give ourselves over solely to the teachings of others, but we should study the Bible for ourselves. It is not nearly enough to listen to a sermon a week and think we are getting all the spiritual nourishment we need. We need to be searching the Scriptures daily, seeking guidance from God as He speaks to us through His word. The Bible is a living word, breathing the life of God into us as we study and pray over that Word.

Third, I suggest that we actively seek God as we study His Word. Pray as you read His Word, sincerely seeking His insight and instruction. He speaks with that still, small voice as we take time to listen. We should discipline ourselves to not be in a hurry when we are spending time with God. Allow Him time to speak with us from His Word, and then converse with Him through the vehicle of prayer. Our devotional time should be a dialogue, not a monologue. Ask His Spirit to lead us into all truth, as He promised He would.

Three simple suggestions that I feel would radically transform our study of His Word. Listen to those who are teaching the sincere truth of the Bible. Search the Scriptures to validate their teachings. Don’t depend solely on others, but spend time with God personally, devotionally, with the intent of learning and applying truth. And pray over the Word we have read, responding to God out of the overflow of what we have heard Him say.

Don’t allow yourself to fall into a ditch because you are following a false teacher. I heard someone say years ago: “The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it.” But I’ve come to see the fallacy in that statement. I feel it would be better stated: “The Bible says it, that settles it, whether I believe it or not.” God’s word does not change. What He said through the pen of Moses thousands of years ago is still the same word.

Don’t fall into the ditch of false teachers who are spewing their false teachings! Be a modern day Berean.

Until next time:

Blessings!