The Discerning Believer

To those who have not ears to hear or eyes to see, the following might seem petty and even trite. I assure you I am not trying to pick at specks or magnify something irrelevant for the sake of making a point. What I am hoping to do is warn the household of faith early enough so when they see what I am about to say coming to pass, they will guard their hearts and steer away from those who would do them harm.

As history has a way of confirming, the closer we get to the tipping point in our civilization, the closer we get to the fulfillment of the prophetic, more and more individuals will jump on the bandwagon seeing as they have no choice. With each passing day you will hear of more and more learned men within Christendom who have had a change of heart, and where once they taught prosperity, and blessing, and an easy ride to the other side, they have redressed and are now teaching doctrines closer to Biblical truth.

They are not doing this because their position on any given topic has changed, but because the reality we are all living reveals their current beliefs and teachings for the lies and heresies they are.

If it’s snowing outside, and I am standing on the street corner screaming at the top of my lungs that ‘summer is upon us,’ then people won’t have to dig too deep to see I’m off my rocker.

My hope and my prayer for those of you who read what I write, or listen to what I preach is that you be discerning believers.

I have never claimed, nor will I ever claim to have a monopoly on truth, nor will you ever hear me say that there is no other place where you will find the word of God being preached than in my sermons. Just when we think we alone are left to speak the truth, God shows us the futility of our own vanity by telling us there are seven thousand others who have not bowed, who have not compromised, and who have not defiled themselves.

By the same token, those who have been aware of our ministry for some time, realize we’ve spoken the truth when the truth was not popular, and warned of things to come when even brothers and sisters in Christ were calling us fools and madmen. Those called to speak truth cannot do so only when it’s convenient, easy, or popular. When one is called to speak truth, and preach the whole counsel of God, they do so even at the risk of being mocked, hated, ridiculed, and ostracized.

There has never been a time in human history when discernment was more of a commodity and necessity. I come to this conclusion not on my own, but because of what the Word of God tells us concerning the times and seasons we are living in. The perilous times of which the Bible warns have come, and with them the false prophets, teachers, and christs the Scriptures also warn us of.

Be discerning enough to know when someone has truly had a change of heart, and when they are just going wherever the wind blows, and saying whatever they think will garner them the biggest audience.

Above all else, whomever the individual happens to be, whether someone you highly respect in the field of theology, or myself, make sure you search the Scriptures to see if what they are saying and what the Bible says are in harmony with each other.

Nobody gets a pass. This should be the first rule when it comes to teaching, doctrine, prophecy, theology, pneumatology, or eschatology. Everyone goes through the filter, everyone gets tested, and everyone’s words must be proven out by Scripture.

Knowing that the enemy will attempt to deceive, if possible, even the elect, we must be vigilant, on guard, and committed to standing on the Word, regardless of how appealing a certain doctrine might be to our flesh.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.