Good morning. It’s Tuesday, September 29th!

🥳 Congratulations on starting today with God, and thank you for letting us be a part of it.

— 1 Kings 13:18

In 1 Kings 13, God sent a man from Judah to Bethel with a message for King Jeroboam.

After delivering the message, the king invited him home to eat and offered him a gift. The man refused because God had given him specific instructions:

“You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.” (1 Kings 13:9)

So he left.

Later, an old prophet from Bethel heard what had happened and went looking for him. He found the man sitting under a tree and invited him home to eat.

The man said no.

In fact, he repeated almost exactly what God had told him. He knew the command. He understood the command. And just a few verses earlier, he had obeyed it even when a king tried to convince him otherwise.

Then the old prophet said something that changed everything:

“I too am a prophet, as you are.”

He claimed an angel had spoken to him and said, “Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.”

Then the Bible immediately tells the reader what the man of God didn’t know:

“But he was lying to him.” (1 Kings 13:18)

That detail is what makes this story so important.

The lie sounded like it came from God.

The old prophet didn’t tell him to forget about God or openly disobey Him. He claimed that an angel had delivered a new message from God that changed the instructions.

And the man believed him.

That’s also what makes the contrast earlier in the chapter so interesting. The man wouldn’t change his mind for a king offering him food and a gift. But he did change his mind for another prophet claiming to have a message from God.

He trusted the messenger instead of comparing the message with what God had already told him.

So he went back, ate and drank, and disobeyed the command God had given him. Afterward, he left the house, and a lion killed him on the road.

The warning for us is pretty simple.

Be careful when someone claims to speak for God.

A message doesn’t become true because someone says, “God told me.” It doesn’t become true because the person saying it is a pastor, teacher, prophet, or someone we trust.

The man in this story already knew what God had said.

He didn’t need someone else to tell him that God had changed His mind.

And neither should we let someone’s claim about God overrule what God has already made clear in His Word.

When you’re not sure how to pray, A.C.T.S. gives you a simple path to follow: Adore, Confess, Thank, and Ask.

Adoration: Lord, You are true and trustworthy.

Confession: Forgive us for putting other voices above Your Word.

Thanksgiving: Thank You for giving us Your Word to guide us.

Supplication: Help us trust Your Word above all else.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

“Praise You” by LIN D & Terrain

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See you tomorrow,

Zach | Start With God