Tag: Bible

Christian

Why Do Christians Listen to False Teachers?

Cindy Dawson

3 minutes

False teaching usually comes from the mouth of a gifted communicator, often someone engaging and entertaining. Their message will make you feel good, so you keep coming back for more. Don’t be surprised if they are selling lots of books and DVDs. They’re making a fortune off of it, and so is the publisher. The Bible warns us.

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NIV

I look back on the days when I followed the false teaching, Word of Faith. I was sincere. I was devoted. I was on fire for Christ! But, I wasn’t mature. I wish someone would have said, “Before you latch on to this teaching, study your Bible instead of the books written by the Word of Faith teachers.”

Eventually, I was able to discern the errors, because I was a student of the Bible. But my involvement in Word of Faith almost shipwrecked my faith. It’s devastating to realize you have been deceived. I blamed God for allowing it. It caused me to question everything I knew about God.

But God brought me through, and now I speak up against the dangers false teachers pose to the Body of Christ. So ask yourself, “Am I a mature Christian or do I lack discernment?”

How can you know? Ask God with a sincere heart. Love the Truth more than your own opinion. Be disciplined enough to read and study your Bible daily.

A mature Christian is someone who has walked with the Lord over the years, and by knowing and obeying God’s Word, they have learned to discern truth from error. To know God’s Word, we must study God’s Word.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing to be an immature Christian. After all, how could a new Christian be mature? They couldn’t. They have to learn and grow in Christ. Unfortunately, not everyone grows and matures. Evidence of this can be seen by the large numbers of Christians who unknowingly follow false teaching. Consider the following Scripture:

 “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” Ephesians 4:11-14 NIV (emphasis mine)

I know the damage false teaching will eventually bring about in the lives of those who are ensnared in it. It’s not okay.

“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5: 12-14 NIV (emphasis mine)

Beware of the false teaching from the Word of Faith, New age, and New Apostolic Reformation which is infiltrating the Church today. Your best protection is the Belt of Truth (God’s Word). The following links provide more information.

New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)

New Age

Word of Faith

How Can I Recognize a False Teacher?

In His Love, Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” Genesis 17:7 (emphasis mine)

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, Christians and Jews

The Bible: An Obligation or a Gift?

Cindy Dawson

1-Minute Devotion for Tuesday, 9/15/26

Do you feel obligated to read your Bible? New Christians may need to discipline themselves to study their Bible, at least for a while. If you do that, you will begin to understand its value. You will understand that the Bible is a gift from God. Why?

God’s Word will guide you into all Truth.

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17

God’s Word will protect you from the devil’s schemes.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes … Take the … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:11 &17

Studying the Bible will enable you to hear the Holy Spirit reminding you of what God has said in His Word.

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” John 16:13

God’s Word will encourage you and give you hope.

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

Ultimately, you will begin to treasure God’s Word for what it is: not an obligation, but a gift from God!

Feel free to add to this list! God bless you!

In His Love, Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, … “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you…” Genesis 17:7 (emphasis mine)

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, Christians and Jews

What Is the Spirit Saying?

Cindy Dawson

Monday’s Meditation for 9/14/26

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” 1 Timothy 4:1 NIV

You don’t become discerning by going to church, or listening to YouTube preachers, or by reading books about the Bible. These things can be good, but they are vulnerable.

To understand what is happening in our world today, we must be students of the Bible because if we aren’t, we will be at great risk of being deceived by our enemy, Satan, and his demons. Everything we hear or read must pass the litmus test of God’s Word. That’s how you become discerning. It’s the only way.

In His Love, Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, … “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you…” Genesis 17:7 (emphasis mine)

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

How Do I Know If That’s True?

Cindy Dawson

Why do people believe a lie?

Many times, people believe a lie when that lie is something they want to be true. Sometimes people believe a lie because they have heard it so many times. In fact, a study at Villanova University proved just that. If a person hears something often enough, they will start to believe it’s true.

Is there any way to know what is really true and what is not? There is! God’s Word is true. The longer you study it, the more you will realize how true and relevant it is today!

One of the best things you can do to protect yourself is to commit to a “Read the Bible in a Year” chronological reading plan. The reason I recommend it so highly is that you will be exposed to “the whole counsel of God’s Word” and begin to see God’s Word as the complete story of Christ.

At the very least, read the New Testament cover to cover at least once a year (although twice a year would be better). But remember that the Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy saying,

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV

Paul is talking about the Old Testament! It must not be neglected because it has much to teach us! Some preachers have said the Old Testament is not relevant today, but that is clearly a contradiction of 2 Timothy 3:16.

Many preachers claim God wants you to be wealthy and rich. That’s called the “Prosperity Gospel” and it’s very popular. (Possibly one of those things people believe because they want it to be true.) But the Bible says something different.

“These are the things you are to teach and insist on. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” 1 Timothy 6:2-5 NIV

Errant teaching thrives when specific verses are taken out of context, as in the two examples above. We can pray for discernment, but we must still check what is preached against the Word of God.

Let’s take Harriet as an example. Harriet goes to church on Sunday, has a devotional at home (usually a passage from Psalms, and reads random verses for encouragement. She even attends a Ladies’ Bible Study in which they study the latest best-selling book of a well-known Christian author. For the most part, Harriet gives well-known Christian personalities a lot of respect and she trusts their teaching. She has attended church her whole adult life.

Here’s the question I have for you: Is Harriet a mature Christian woman? Is she safe from false teaching? She thinks she is. But is she? Is she developing discernment? Take another look at Harriet’s habits. She depends almost entirely on Bible teachers to guide her beliefs. She has never read the whole Bible, not even the entire New Testament. Is she well-equipped to recognize false teaching or is she vulnerable? You decide.

In his book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, Tim Challies compares spiritual discernment with identifying counterfeit currency.

Challies writes, “We can best know what is wrong by first knowing what is right. Experts on counterfeit currency know this as well. They train others first to know the traits of genuine currency… Experts in counterfeit money study every aspect of their currency including how it feels and every detail of its appearance and color. Only after they do this are they shown counterfeit currency. And guess what? They know immediately what is not real!”

In the same way, the better we know the Bible the easier it will be to discern truth from error.

“I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:16 NIV (emphasis mine)

Learn more about discernment in the following articles:

 How To Be a Discerning Christian

Why Do Christians Listen to False Teachers?

The Skill of Discernment

In His Love, Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” Genesis 17:7 (emphasis mine)

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

The Skill of Discernment

Cindy Dawson

I call discernment a “skill” because, like any other skill, it can be developed and improved. This is how you develop discernment: READ AND STUDY THE BIBLE. Understand the Bible as a whole. Read all of it. Don’t pick and choose the verses you like that support your beliefs.

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11 NIV Read full chapter

Spiritual discernment is good for more than just making monumental decisions according to God’s will. It is an essential, day-to-day activity that allows thoughtful Christians to separate the truth of God from error and to distinguish right from wrong in all kinds of settings and situations. It is also a skill – something that any person can develop and improve…”

Tim Challies, Canadian Blogger and Author

As I researched the topic of discernment this week, I found many instances where someone had already said what I wanted to express, and it seemed prudent to quote that person, rather than saying it in my own words. It just couldn’t be improved upon. So you will find several quotes in this post. I hope they will give you something to think about.

Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”

Charles Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892)

That’s an interesting quote. Especially when we consider today’s movement to be more ecumenical and to embrace unity in the Church. Yes, God wants us to be in unity, but not at the expense of good theology, and certainly not at the expense of staying true to the Word of God.

You see, almost right sounds really good. It sounds so close to the truth that it can be easy to mistake it for the truth. It might even come packaged with Bible verses and sincere sermons/speeches from the pulpit. It tickles ears because it sounds Christian. And when it comes from a person in authority, such as a pastor or professor, it’s not questioned because, “Hey, he studies the Bible a lot more than I do.”

Jason Foster, Christian Journalist

“For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires…” 2 Timothy 4:3 NASB Read full chapter

The Bible teaches that there are many false gospels out there. They aren’t always obvious because many of them are, yes, almost right.

Jason Foster, Christian Journalist

The first step to developing your discernment is to love the Truth, to love God’s Word, and hold it dear. We can’t have discernment if we don’t study the Bible.

 “And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may [a]display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment],10 So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble].” Philippians 1:9-10 AMPC

Spiritual discernment is the great need of our day. Jesus Himself warns us:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23 ESV

Many books have been written that claim to teach new insights into God’s Word. Some of them are Best-Sellers. Some are written by people with a huge following. But none of that makes them true. Only when the teaching clearly aligns with God’s Word is it true. The need for discernment is paramount. Make sure you are developing yours by being a student of the Bible. Only then can you discern what is false and what is true.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Give me understanding according to Your Word. Teach me Your ways. Create in me a pure heart that I may follow you in truth.

For more, see:

Psalm 119

100 Bible Verses About False Teachers

Christians Must Be Discerning by Jason Foster

In His Love, Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” Genesis 17:7 (emphasis mine)

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Don’t Kick Against the Goads

Cindy Dawson

2-Minute Bible Study for Monday, 8/10/26

Jesus said that. Do you know what it means?

The Apostle Paul testified,

“About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions.  We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 

‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’” Acts 26:13-14 NIV Read full chapter

The NLT says it like this:

‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’

That helps, but I needed more to understand. Then I found this:

“An ox goad was a stick with a pointed piece of iron on its tip used to prod the oxen when plowing. The farmer would prick the animal to steer it in the right direction. Sometimes the animal would rebel by kicking out at the prick, and this would result in the prick being driven even further into its flesh. In essence, the more an ox rebelled, the more it suffered.” (Gotquestions.org)

Ah! Now I understand! If Saul continued to resist and fight against the Gospel, he was only hurting himself. Paul’s rebellion against God was a losing battle. His actions were as senseless as an ox kicking “against the goads.”

In His Love, Cindy

“God treated Jesus as if He had lived my life, that I may be treated as if I had lived His life.” Harvey Stalker

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

Photo by jone lam on Unsplash

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

God’s Word: My Personal Testimony

Cindy Dawson

For Sunday, 8/9/26

More and more each day, I sense that God is speaking to me as I read His Word. I have known this to be true in my intellect for many years (decades). The Bible is God’s Word. But something has changed, and I’m not sure how to describe it. Imagine the difference between getting a letter from someone you love and actually being with that person and hearing their words in person. That’s what it is like. That is my testimony.

You may be wondering why I would share this with you. I share it because I want to encourage you to read your Bible every day. Even if it is not something you really want to do, do it as an act of discipline. The more you read God’s Word, the more precious it will become to you. Read Psalm 119 HERE.

These are some of my favorite verses from Psalm 119, written by King David, whom God called “a man after my own heart”

“I delight in your decrees;
    I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:16

“Open my eyes that I may see
    wonderful things in your law.” v. 18

“Your statutes are my delight;
    they are my counselors.” v.24

“The law from your mouth is more precious to me
    than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.” v.72

“Your word, Lord, is eternal;
    it stands firm in the heavens.” v.89

And I have many more!

I know what you’re thinking. But you DO have time, and I can prove it. If you get up 20 minutes earlier each morning to read your Bible, you can read it cover to cover (OT and NT) in one year. I tried it nine years ago, and I have done it every year since. It has become my favorite time of the day!

Ask the Lord to give you a love and hunger for His Word. The reward will be amazing!

In His Love, Cindy

“God treated Jesus as if He had lived my life, that I may be treated as if I had lived His life.” Harvey Stalker

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian

Choose to Trust the One Who Loves You

Cindy Dawson

1-Minute Devotion for Friday, 7/24/26

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NIV

“So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NIV

“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”
― George Muller

“George Mueller was a Christian evangelist and director of the Orphanage at Ashley Downs in Bristol, England during the 1800s. He is best remembered for his complete trust in God’s provision, never soliciting the community for financial donations nor accepting any government support. With this unique dependence on unsolicited gifts, his institution is estimated to have received and disbursed over £113 million in today’s money by the time of Mueller’s death.” CompellingTruth.org

Note: That would be over $151,453,900!

In His Love, Cindy

“God treated Jesus as if He had lived my life, that I may be treated as if I had lived His life.” Harvey Stalker

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”

Psalm 122:6 NASB

Photo by wisconsinpictures on Unsplash

RealChristianWomen.blog

Christian, Encouragement

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Cindy Dawson

Devotion for Monday, 7/13/26

This post from Alan Kearns at Devotional Treasure impacted me in a powerful way.

“One may mourn over the loss of a loved one or of possessions, one can also mourn over sin, and the results of it in life…”  Alan Kearns

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn – Repost

In His Love, Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”

Psalm 122:6 NASB

Photo by Dima Kapralov on Unsplash

RealChristianWomen.blog

Bible and Scripture, Christian

Transform Your Morning

Cindy Dawson

1-Minute Devotion for Sunday, 7/12/26

The first thing I do every morning is to read and study my Bible. (Well, after I feed and walk Henry, my Yorkie. As you know, he is very bossy.)

When we get back, he gets in his dog bed and sleeps for a couple of hours. And I open my Bible.

This is my favorite time of the day. Do you know why? It’s because the Bible speaks to me every day, and so it becomes more dear to me every time I read it.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV (emphasis mine)

No other book in the world can do that, only the Bible. The word translated as “alive” is the Greek word zao. It is the same word Jesus used when He said,

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 NIV (emphasis mine)

Scripture is life-giving, not merely instructive, because the Bible is God speaking to you and me.

In His Love, Cindy

To learn more about Jesus, read Who Is Jesus? A message for the Skeptic

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.”

Psalm 122:6 NASB

RealChristianWomen.blog