“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

1 John 4:1

My weather app said the current temperature was 66 degrees. “How lovely!” I thought. I’ll go sit outside on the porch while I sip my morning cup of coffee and savor a brief taste of fall. 

I opened the door and was greeted by the same oppressive heat and humidity that I’ve felt for the past several weeks: there was not even a breeze rustling the leaves of the oak trees in the front yard, and the morning sun bore down with an intensity that said, “Yes, I will drain you today, and the next day, and the next.” In fact, summer’s hot fever is only going to intensify over the next few days; the long range forecast is showing highs approaching 100 degrees within a week.

How could I have been fooled? I looked at my weather app again, and I caught a fleeting glimpse of 66 degrees before it shifted to 75. Aha! I had been looking at the forecast of a chosen vacation spot where I will enjoy a few days of respite from work and responsibility, along with the brutal heat.

But I discovered the reality a little too late. I suppose I should have looked more closely before accepting the word from technology as the truth. It’s the same with so many things that we do, and the Bible is filled with commands to check beliefs over more closely before we make the decision to embrace them. We must spend ample time in prayer, reading and studying Scripture, before we dash off down the road to acceptance.

Don’t be fooled! God loves truth, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

And there are far worse things in this world seeking to trip us up than misreading a weather app.

Prayer: Father, help me to discern Your Truth in all things.