Isaiah 55:8 English Standard Version (ESV) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

When we wake up in the morning and our thoughts turn to scripture, our understanding of scripture, relevant meanings for our lives, how do we know if those are our thoughts or His thoughts?

The safe thing to do is not assume anything. Open up the bible and validate those thoughts. The wonderful thing about the bible is that all the answers are written in the bible. The bible answers all of our questions, answers all of our doubts and in doing so expands our understanding and helps us believe.

If these are our thoughts, how do they match up with the Word of God? Since God spoke to us through the prophets and now through His Son Jesus Christ, His Word is the only valid way to make sure our thoughts have not drifted off into vanity. Think of vanity as flights of fantasy when it comes to thinking Godly thoughts. His Word is the only safeguard against allowing our thoughts to drift away from sound spiritual theology.

When we go to the internet and listen to different preachers expound about those things which are on his mind, how do we know if he speaks the truth or is speaking his version of flights of fantasy? The only way is to know the Word of God and judge his words against what the bible teaches us.

When a man says “Thus saith the Lord” the next words out of his mouth better be scripture. God has said everything He needs to say about every aspect of our life in Christ. All our spiritual needs are satisfied in the sufficiency of Christ. We need clarity of understanding, not a new message.

“Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God,”

This is the Word of God without context. Alone it only holds such meaning as the human mind can muster by reason and experience. We might play with the meaning out of context in order to argue with an unbeliever. How the meaning when used in that manner would be heard by the unbeliever without context and fall on deaf ears.

Deuteronomy 1:31-33 English Standard Version (ESV)

³¹ and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ ³² Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, ³³ who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.

In context the unbeliever is reminded that they have in fact seen God move in their life and refused to acknowledge that it was God. Spite in this case is an arrogant disregard of grace. Grace like the manna in the wilderness needs to be gathered or it will fade away like the manna. Eventually grace ignored with arrogant disregard will stop falling.

We might ask rightfully what that has to do with us today.

2 Corinthians 4:15 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁵ For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

How will the lost know the grace of God if we do not extend it to them? Grace is given to be shared. Receiving grace and holding it dear to ourselves does not glorify God.