What seems inspirational may not necessarily be “inspired.”

Through the trials I’ve encountered in life, God has helped me to understand that I 💯need His help to discern what is actually “good” and “right.” For my opinions of what seems helpful could be misleading and possibly, short-sighted.

For example, if you or I wanted to place a “floating shelf” upon a wall at home, we would not eyeball where we place the fasteners. That would be following our own understanding of what is level, not seeking what truly is.

Making sure the shelf is level is a real safety concern, and therefore we grab the essential tools to ensure it’s stable and secure…level…on the wall.

The same goes for our thoughts and experiences. How do we know what is inspiring us is just us doing what we think is right?

“Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.” —C.H. Spurgeon

Like with placing the shelf on the wall, we need a straightedge to guava if our thoughts and experiences are truly “level.” For if we are honest, we can all agree that we have been personally convinced of perceived helpfulness as truth…later suffering the heartbreak of that “shelf” falling down.

Elisabeth Elliot puts it this way:

“The Word of God is like a straight edge, which shows up our own crookedness. We can’t really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with the straight edge of Scripture.”

To know if something is actually inspired, I/we need to go to the 66 books compiled over 1,600 years, written by 40+ people in three different languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic), on three different continents, (1) which has one consistent thread throughout- the faithful plan of God to save His people.

We need God’s word (the Bible). Remember, the same Holy Spirit who helped the writers of the Bible (2 Peter 1:20-22) will never contradict Himself. He is our straightedge on what is inspired…versus what is merely inspirational.

Voddie Baucham’s “Why you can the Bible:” https://tinyurl.com/5n8z2d5c