DOGS THAT TALK

Isaiah 8:17-20
17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him. 18 Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. 19 When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak
according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

Have you listened to a dog or a cat lately? People called "animal communicators" claim they can hear telepathically what animals are thinking. A newspaper article told about a woman who said that a three-legged dog confided in her, "I have a sore left shoulder, but it's not a big deal."

Call me a skeptic if you want, but I just don't buy it.

What bothers me more than people claiming to speak for animals is when a person claims to speak for God--and what he's saying doesn't jibe with the Word.

I'm not just talking about a person who claims an alien gave him a message from the Lord. We need to be careful even when we read a book from a Christian bookstore or watch Christian TV, listen to a pastor or teacher in our own churches, or read what's in Soul Journey. We need to check our own thoughts and words by what the Bible teaches.

My dad often reminded me to evaluate my own thinking and writing by asking, "Does the Bible really say that?" Can a statement be backed up by Scripture, or is a speaker or writer merely saying what he wants to say, and tacking on a verse to try to give it legitimacy?

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah accused God's people of dabbling with the occult, listening to mediums and spiritists (who apparently dished out what the people wanted to hear). He told them they should instead be listening to what God has said (Isaiah 8:19-20).

If we're not evaluating ideas by an objective standard, who's to say that what anyone is saying is right or wrong? After all, according to one dog owner who believes animals can talk telepathically, "We will never know for sure. In the end, you have to go with what's in your heart."

Here's another option: Why not go with what's in the Bible?
--Kurt De Haan

DESTINATION POINTS

* Where are people going these days for spiritual guidance, other than the Bible?
* How gullible am I? Do I check what I read or hear by looking to the Bible? Or do I tend to believe people because they seem to agree with my views?
* How careful am I to support my own statements about God with clear Bible teaching?

LINKS:
Can I Really Trust The Bible?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0402
How To Identify A Dangerous Religious Group
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q1101

bottom line: The Bible's standards still stand.

soul journey