Some people believe and follow anything people tell them. We call them simple. Scammers easily take them in. Others will examine the information before they believe and follow it. They are called prudent.
In Scripture, the simple person is gullible, devoid of understanding, easily tempted, foolish, and unmindful of danger. Yet they can be reached with God’s Word, understand, and be corrected.
The simpleton, however, is the person who believes they can trust everyone and believe everything but learns the hard way they cannot trust everyone because some people lie.
The prudent person carefully investigates whether the information they receive is factual. They will not chance that the data is correct but will check to ensure it is before committing to follow it.
Unfortunately, many Christians are simpletons. They believe everything they hear from a preacher or teacher and end up out of God’s will.
Even preachers are known for lying. They say what people want to hear, draw large crowds, and receive large amounts of money.
A prudent Christian carefully examines what is preached and searches the Scriptures to see if what someone teaches aligns with God’s Word.
Don’t be a simple Christian or a blind follower of the blind. Be a prudent Christian and make sure God’s Word guides your steps.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and pexels.)
James H. Cagle has been preaching and getting the Word out since 1982. He has pastored for twelve years. He now writes for twelve newspapers weekly. He has published three books and is working on several others. James spent four years in the Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 1980 as a sergeant. He grew up in Bemiss, Georgia, and graduated from Lowndes High in 1975. He currently resides in Nashville, Georgia.