What Are You Following…The Wizard or the Word?
Most of us are all familiar with the movie, The Wizard of Oz, where in a dream, Dorothy travels a yellow brick road in search of a way home, after a tornado lands her in a far-away land. Along the way she makes a few friends and convinces them to come with her and that maybe the great wizard of Oz can help them too. They skip along the path and when they finally get to the land of Oz, they are disappointed to find that the great wizard is nothing more than a fake, just a man hiding behind a twisting curtain, who eventually offers some helpful advice for Dorothy’s friends but has no idea how to help Dorothy get home to Kansas. Glenda the good witch appears and tells Dorothy she’s had the knowledge of how to get home inside her the whole time, she just had to discover it for herself.
How many times in our lives do we travel down paths in search of answers, only to be disappointed in the end? We get lured by promises of signs and wonders, only to find out the promise keeper is nothing more than a fake, just a man hiding behind a twisted version of the bible. The Word of God tells us to beware of false prophets. In 2 Cor. 11:13-15 it says “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.” 1 John 4:1 says to test the spirits, meaning you should always take what you’ve heard and make sure the bible backs it up. Do not be fooled…the men and women who do it are very GOOD at what they do, that’s why they are able to draw many into their world. But anyone who preaches anything other than that which can be completely authenticated by God’s word is working for Satan. I know that’s harsh, but remember, Satan is not the cartoon image of a pitchfork and long, red tail…he comes disguised as a sheep, but is underneath a ravenous wolf.
Be mindful of who is teaching you. Do your own research by reading the Word for yourself. Ask God for wisdom and the ability to discern bible-based preaching from that which teaches what we want to hear, not what we need to know. It can be difficult to turn around and travel a different path, but sometimes it’s the only way to get back on track. When He created us, God implanted in us the knowledge of how to get Home, but He left it up to us to discover it for ourselves.