The Devil Knows the Word! | How to Discern Your Thoughts & Know God
The Devil knows the Word, but do you know God? Learn how to discern your thoughts, test advice, recognize deception, and strengthen your faith through Scripture.
AGAPE REFLECTIONS
Agape Reflections
8/23/20266 min read
Why Knowing Scripture Is Not Enough—We Must Know the God Behind It
Why Knowing Scripture Is Not Enough—We Must Know the God Behind It
But here is something we need to understand:
Not every thought deserves to be believed, and not every piece of advice deserves to be followed.
Our minds can sometimes become our own worst enemy. We can replay conversations, assume people's intentions, convince ourselves of things that are not true, and allow fear, insecurity, anger, or pride to influence our decisions.
That is why we have to learn to ask:
“Where did this thought come from?”
And perhaps even more importantly:
“Does this thought agree with the Character and Word of God?”
The Devil Knows The Word
One of the clearest examples of this is found in Matthew 4:1-11.
After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, Satan came to tempt Him. Notice something important: Satan did not simply approach Jesus with an obviously ridiculous argument.
He used Scripture.
In Matthew 4:5-6, Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and essentially challenged Him by quoting Scripture about God's protection.
Think about that.
The Devil knew the Word.
He knew enough Scripture to quote it to Jesus.
But knowing Scripture did not make Satan righteous. He was attempting to use God's Word to accomplish a wrong purpose.
Jesus responded by correctly applying Scripture, saying, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Matthew 4:7, KJV)
The same temptation is recorded in Luke 4:1-13, and Mark 1:12-13 also records Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness.
This teaches us something extremely important:
Just because someone uses Scripture does not mean their message is from God.
And just because a thought sounds spiritual does not automatically make it godly.
Genesis 3: The First Deception
We see something similar in Genesis 3:1-6.
The serpent approached Eve and began questioning what God had actually said.
He didn't begin by saying, “Forget God.”
Instead, he introduced doubt.
“Yea, hath God said...?”
That question opened the door to deception.
The serpent twisted God's command, presented an alternative interpretation, and convinced Eve to look at what God had forbidden as something desirable.
Genesis 3:6 tells us that Eve saw that the fruit was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
The problem wasn't simply the fruit.
The problem was that Eve allowed a deceptive voice to challenge what God had already told her.
This is still something we need to be careful about today.
Not Every Thought Is Your Truth
Sometimes we can become so familiar with our own thoughts that we automatically assume they must be true.
But a thought can be familiar and still be wrong.
You might think:
“God doesn't really care about me.”
“I'll never change.”
“They don't love me.”
“Everybody is against me.”
“I have to get revenge.”
“I already know what they meant.”
“I don't need to forgive them.”
“I should listen to this person because they sound like they know the Bible.”
But stop for a moment.
Where did that thought come from?
Was it based on God's Word?
Was it based on truth?
Was it based on fear?
Was it based on something someone told you?
Was it based on a past experience?
Was it based on an assumption?
Or could it be the result of something you have repeatedly allowed into your mind?
This is why we have to be careful about what we read, what we watch, what we listen to, and especially who we allow to speak into our lives.
Be Careful Who You Receive Advice From
Everybody giving you advice does not necessarily have your best interest at heart.
And everybody who quotes a Bible verse does not necessarily understand God's Heart.
Someone can give you advice that sounds wise but encourages bitterness.
Someone can quote Scripture while encouraging pride.
Someone can tell you that you are “protecting your peace” when you are actually refusing to forgive.
Someone can tell you that you are “setting boundaries” when you are actually being driven by resentment.
Someone can tell you to “follow your heart” when Scripture repeatedly teaches us to be careful with our hearts.
This is why discernment matters.
You don't just need people who know verses. You need people who understand God's Character.
Get To Know God
One of the best ways to become better at recognizing what is not from God is to spend time getting to know God.
Read His Word.
Study it.
Pray.
Ask questions.
Pay attention to His Character.
Learn what He loves.
Learn what He hates.
Learn how Jesus treated people.
Learn what Scripture actually says—not just what somebody told you it says.
The more familiar you become with God's voice, character, and truth, the easier it becomes to recognize things that contradict Him.
Think about it this way:
If you spend years getting to know someone you love, you begin to recognize their voice.
You recognize their mannerisms.
You recognize when something doesn't sound like them.
Our relationship with God should work the same way.
The goal isn't simply to know the Bible. The goal is to know the God who gave us His Word.
Test What You Hear
Scripture gives us a reason to examine what we hear rather than blindly accepting it.
1 John 4:1 says:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.”
That means we should examine things.
Test them.
Compare them with God's Word.
Don't accept something simply because it sounds good.
Don't accept something simply because it makes you feel good.
And don't accept something simply because someone attached a Bible verse to it.
Even our own thoughts should be examined.
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
That's powerful.
It means we don't have to allow every thought to take control of our minds.
We can stop.
We can examine it.
We can challenge it.
And we can surrender it to Christ.
The Question We Should Be Asking
The question isn't simply:
“Is this thought mine?”
The better question is:
“Is this thought true?”
And then:
“Does it agree with God's Word and God's character?”
Because sometimes our greatest battles don't begin with what is happening around us.
They begin with what we allow to happen inside our minds.
A thought can become a belief.
A belief can become a decision.
A decision can become a habit.
And a habit can eventually shape our lives.
That's why we cannot afford to be careless about what we allow into our minds.
Know The Word. Know God. Practice Discernment.
The Devil knowing Scripture should remind us of something important:
Bible verses are not magic words.
We need more than the ability to quote Scripture.
We need understanding.
We need wisdom.
We need discernment.
And most importantly, we need a relationship with God.
Jesus knew the Word, but He also knew exactly what the Father had called Him to do. He did not allow Satan to manipulate Scripture into something contrary to God's will.
So when a thought enters your mind, don't automatically accept it.
When someone gives you advice, don't automatically follow it.
When you read something online, don't automatically believe it.
And when somebody quotes Scripture, don't stop at the verse.
Study it. Pray about it. Examine it.
Ask God for wisdom.
Ask Him to reveal what is true.
Ask Him to help you recognize deception.
And ask yourself:
“Does this sound like God?”
Because sometimes the greatest spiritual protection we can have isn't simply knowing more verses.
It's knowing God so well that we can recognize when something doesn't sound like Him.
A Final Reflection
Today, take a moment and examine your thoughts.
What have you been telling yourself lately?
Who have you been listening to?
What have you been reading?
What advice have you been accepting?
And most importantly:
Where are these thoughts leading you?
Toward God?
Toward truth?
Toward forgiveness?
Toward love?
Toward wisdom?
Or toward fear, anger, pride, confusion, and destruction?
Don't be afraid to question your thoughts.
Don't be afraid to question the advice you receive.
And don't be afraid to go back to God's Word for yourself.
Know the Word. Know God's character. Test what you hear. And guard your mind.
Because not every voice deserves your attention—and not every thought deserves your agreement.
Agape Reflection:
Before you believe the thought, examine the source. Before you follow the advice, examine the fruit. Before you accept the message, compare it with God's Word.