Know God's Word When You Hear It

1 Kings 13:18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. The prophet from Judah had just delivered a message to Jeroboam concerning the kingdom. Jeroboam entreated him to come home with him to eat and to receive a gift. The prophet refused, because God had specifically told him not to stay and eat or drink, but to return in a different way than the way he came. As he journeyed back, another prophet met him and asked him to come home and eat with him. The prophet even lied, telling him that God told him that he could do it. Instead of obeying the Word of the Lord which He knew, the prophet from Judah listened to a word from someone else that contradicted what God had said. Because of his disobedience, the prophet of God was killed by a lion on his way back home. We must be careful not let the words and wisdom of man override the Word of God in our heart. Any word that is given in prophecy, teaching or preaching must be in harmony with God's Word. It doesn't matter how charismatic, how powerful, or even how anointed it might seem. God's Word is the last word for your life. I believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit still operate today, but they never operate outside of the authority of the Word of God. The Spirit brings the Word back to our memory, and uses what we have read in the past to teach us in the present. The more you digest God's Word, the more the Spirit of God will speak to you and through you. It's interesting that the prophet was attacked by a lion, because the Bible describes the devil as a lion also (1Peter 5:8). We are most vulnerable to his attacks when we disobey, neglect or disregard His Word for our life. Don't fall prey to wolves in sheep's clothing. Know God's Word for yourself.