Discretion and wisdom

https://odb.org/2024/08/07/the-voice-we-can-trust

Proverbs 2:11 (NKJV): Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you…

With advancements in technology and communications, the world, in a way, is at our fingertips. At the click of a button, we can find out about virtually anything or be transported into another city or culture. The Google search engine made learning so accessible when just twenty to thirty years back, we needed to buy books to learn about things. With YouTube, we can learn much more about the world around us. I especially find unboxing videos, particularly useful when setting up stuff like when I bought a battery-operated grass cutter recently or when I got myself a Karcher water jet 2 years ago. Now, with Open AI’s ChatGPT, AI can even shape our line of thought and way of thinking.

Some of us who want to reach out to others for the Lord find that YouTube makes hearing the Gospel possible for many closed communities if they have Internet access. Thus, we could broadcast to the world our own thoughts, messages, and teachings as well as our church’s worship services, including evangelistic sermons. The reach for the Gospel has never been that wide and far before.

Consequently, the Internet being a neutral platform is a double-edged sword. While we may have access to the yet unreached, the devil also has access to us. Besides confusing us with the myriad of messages out there, he could also lead us astray through wild exotic teachings. Although there could be people seeking fame and fortune for selfish reasons, many sincere and genuine people could still be manipulated by the enemy to lead us away from God. Anyone is at liberty to teach or offer a point of view since the Internet is only a platform. There is no accreditation required.

That is why when we surf and follow the teachings of various people on YouTube or the Internet generally, we need to exercise discretion and wisdom. It’s best that we equip ourselves first from credible sources with basic knowledge before we embark on more difficult and subjective topics. For example, perhaps we should buy a good book on Christian apologetics before attempting to learn from the web more controversial subjects like the age of the earth?

We have the Holy Spirit with us. Pray and ask for discernment and wisdom as we seek to better ourselves in the knowledge of God and the mysteries of His Kingdom. Always go back to the Bible and its commentaries. While the LORD may give us and the teachers out there “revelational” insights into the spiritual realm, everything must be grounded in our tenets of faith and the Scriptures.