Do not scoff at those who prophesy, but test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it. – 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (TLB)
If you’re on Facebook or any other social media, you would have seen a lot of fake news and posts that have a lot of misinformation. Most people post or share these items without a second thought. They adhered to the adage “if it is on Facebook then it must be true,” or “my friend wouldn’t post anything that wasn’t true.” One of the most common reasons why they share it is the “just in case it is true” excuse.
The problem is that they don’t bother checking the source to find out it is true or not. Whether it is because of laziness, time issues or something else, people automatically accept what they see and read as the truth. A lack of knowledge also plays a large part in getting things that are untrue accepted as truth. People also forget that if it is too good to be true then it probably is.
For a lot of these posts a quick search online easily exposes them as untrue. Taking the time and learning the truth would save a lot of people from embarrassment but for whatever reason they keep on doing it. They are deceived into thinking that it doesn’t matter or there is no harm in posting these untruths when there is. Discernment is something most people need to learn to help distinguish the truth from lies.
The same applies to the things of God. People tend to believe what they are told by others if it sounds biblically true i.e. if it sounds like something that would be in the Bible then it must be true. Satan uses this trick to deceive many people because he knows most people won’t check their Bibles to make sure it is true. A lot of people make assumptions based on their own interpretations of what they think is in the Bible and sometimes it wrong. All they end up doing is to continue to spread falsehoods about God.
The Bible tells us to test everything to make sure it is true. Testing includes studying and reading the Bible. It also includes praying to God. As Christians we need to make sure that prophecies, teachings, facts, and anything else that is related to God lines up with what is said in the Bible. We can’t be lazy and use excuses to justify why we put things out there without checking them first.
The more time we take into checking out the source, the less time we will use to clean up the mess. You may not see the results of your posting an untruth on social media but there will somebody out there who will be affected by it. If we don’t check our source – the Bible, then we also run the possibility that it will damage and maybe even ruin the chances of someone making it to an eternity with God.
We have a responsibility as Christians to make sure that we spread the truth about God and to remember to check our source.
Originally published November 2018