Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

Do you believe everything you hear? Or do you check it out?

At the end of every episode of Reading Rainbow, Levar Burton would say, “…But, you don’t have to take my word for it.” The kids would then give book recommendations on a common topic. Each viewer was encouraged not to believe everything you hear, but to choose a book they trusted and read for yourself.

Do you believe everything you hear in the religious world? Why? We should not just take someone’s word for it; we need to seek out the truth for ourselves! We must not rely just on the words of others; we need to seek out the truth for ourselves and go to the authority. Solomon wrote, “The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps (Proverbs 14:15).”

Discovering the real truth will help us take the proper steps. Jeremiah wrote, “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23).” No, man does not know how to direct his own steps; he must let the LORD direct them (Proverbs 16:9).

Do not believe everything you hear. Whatever we read, hear on the radio, see on TV, or learn in Bible class or in worship, let us seek the truth from God’s Word (John 17:17) for ourselves. Let us be like the Bereans, who “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so (Acts 17:11).”

Once you hear the truth and check it out, will you believe and act on it?

Salvation:  Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully