The Danger of Listening to the Wrong Sources and Voices

"And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." --- 2 Peter 1:19--21 (ESV)

In our post-COVID-19 society, the sufficiency and supremacy of the Word of God are fundamental truths that our Christian communities do not always fully embrace. Instead, Christians get drawn into marginalizing and, in some cases, neglecting the truth of God's Word completely.

One reason for this is the increasing popularity of influential personalities on social media, who often channel subjective rhetoric aimed at making people feel better about themselves while marginalizing the need for objective truth, which can actually empower substantive change. Some of it also comes from celebrity pastors and authors who subtly manipulate and even misuse the Scriptures, leading people further away from the truth. This is certainly nothing new. Even Paul warned Timothy to be aware of this reality within the early church:

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. But as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." --- 2 Timothy 4:3-5 (ESV)

However, these kinds of people and their influence are not the primary reason people are being led astray; rather, they are a symptom of a deeper issue. Pauls refers to it as having "itching ears." The idea here is that people, under the influence of the flesh, have an itch that Scripture cannot scratch. They want something different, more palatable and pleasing to their fleshly desires.

We all have a natural inclination to listen to and embrace what appeals to our flesh. However, giving legitimacy to these ideas can cause us to develop a resistance to more objective truths, such as the Bible. This is not a prohibition against reading and listening to secular thinkers and authors. Instead, it is a prohibition against listening with "itching ears" for something that isn't grounded in solid biblical truth. We cannot avoid the hard truths that may make us feel uncomfortable. They are necessary for our growth. Seeking wisdom outside the Word to appease our emotions and make us feel better leads us down a path of self-deception.

I, for one, enjoy listening to and reading a wide range of books and podcasts by various popular thinkers and social media influencers. But I always do so with a critical eye to the deceptive manipulations of the truth. One of the ways we know that God's Word is rooted in our heart is when we immediately recognize when someone, whether a Christian or a non-Christian, says something that sounds remarkably close to biblical truth or surprisingly contrary to it.

Biblical truth, ingrained in our hearts, provides us with the discernment to recognize biblical truth in the advice of secular thinkers. It also enables us to expose and root out secular ideologies masquerading as truth within popular Christian thinkers. You don't stay safe by avoiding darkness. Instead, you prepare to engage it by arming yourself with a flashlight.

God's Word is the only way we distinguish genuine, authentic truth from its many counterfeits. The bottom line is that we must be vigilant in guarding our minds by practicing the habit of reading and studying God's Word.

"My son, be attentive to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; Turn your foot away from evil." --- Proverbs 4:20-27 (ESV)