Questioning Truth

By Paul Chappell

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

Genesis 3:1, 4–5

A man who was taking flying lessons related this story: "On one occasion, my instructor used an unusual but effective method to teach me a key lesson. At the time he was flying the aircraft and he had it banked to the left. He then told me to close my eyes and to focus on my physical feelings….Then he said this, 'I want you concentrate on those feelings and tell me when you feel the plane is no longer turning but is now flying straight and level.'

"With my eyes still closed, I concentrated and, sure enough, I could feel the plane level out. My instructor told me to open my eyes and, to my complete surprise, we were still banked to the left but even more so! What was he trying to teach me? Always trust your instruments, not your feelings."

One of the tactics that Satan uses to lead people astray is to encourage them to begin questioning the truth of the Word of God. His plan is simple: if your faith in the Bible weakens, you are far more vulnerable to temptation. He tells us to rely on our feelings of truth rather than trusting in God’s declared truth.

We may not understand everything in the Scriptures, but we can fully and completely rely on the inerrant, unfailing, eternal Word of God. It is settled forever in Heaven (Psalm 119:89), and it is a completely reliable and trustworthy guide to life.

We must beware of allowing anything—be it a person or a philosophy or our own mind—to cause us to question the truth of God’s Word. Our feelings will deceive us, but God’s truth will never lead us astray.

Today's Rooted Principle:

When we question Scripture, we increase our vulnerability; when we obey it, we increase our success.