When I was a kid, I remember thinking: “Wouldn’t it be great if I could get an answer to any question I had at any time I wanted?” Oh, and if I could do this without asking my parents to drive me to the library, that would be great.
I had this thought a few times, actually, back when I was in elementary school. This would have been the early 1980s, when I was in the 5th and 6th grades. Little did I know. There were people working on such a technology. And it would come roaring into our lives a decade later.
Our family bought our first computer when I was in high school. But there was no Internet. I accessed the Internet (such as it was) for the first time in a student computer lab at George Mason University. (Anyone else remember student computer labs?) And then Jane and I got access to the Internet in the mid-1990s a couple of years into our marriage. The rest is history.
Our age has been called the Information Age.
And it’s great. We now, via our phones (not to mention our laptop or desktop computers), can access more information at any moment than previous generations could access in a lifetime!
The only problem is…
We can access false information too.
Not to mention other stuff. But that’s for another article. For now, we’ll stick with information.
We are bombarded with information — some accurate, some not so accurate, and almost all of it incomplete. We think we know more than what we do. In truth, our brains are being expected to process more information — and filter that information more quickly — than any previous generation.
Because of this, many people have (as a coping mechanism — due to stress, a lack of education, being too busy, just being overwhelmed, etc.) become what Solomon warned against in this verse…
“The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.”
Proverbs 14:15, KJV
In Bible times, you had to intentionally seek out knowledge. Today, we’re bombarded with information that we then have to filter and process effectively in order for it to be properly stored (retained) as knowledge. We’re not keeping up. And we are lacking wisdom.
I could write a book on just the above paragraph. For now, I would ask you to re-read it and think about it. There have been lots of surveys and studies done on this. But it essentially comes down to discernment.
Not everything we read, hear, or observe is true.
For example, I read an article the other day from someone who said (and I quote): “I’m a big fan of Jesus’ message, but my faith is not rooted in the mythology that grew around his story — like crabgrass in a graveyard — after his death.” Hmmm. Mythology, eh? I couldn’t resist. I kept reading. Later in the piece, she made clear she doesn’t believe the authors of the Bible. Instead, she believes the Bible is based on someone who rewrote Jesus’ story. Her words: “An anonymous genius rewrote the plot, so that what had been an unexpected and tragic end to a young religious leader’s life was transformed into Fate, preordained by God, and signaled by prophesy.”
Wait! What?
So, I asked her (in the comments on the article): “When?” as in when this “anonymous genius” rewrote Jesus’ story? She never answered.
Note that she asserted three things: 1) someone rewrote Jesus’ story, 2) that person was anonymous, and 3) that person was a genius. (So, I guess the person wasn’t so anonymous that she couldn’t judge them to be a genius, but I digress). And she provided not a shred of evidence to back up any of it!
And yet… there are people out there on the Internet who believe such assertions all the time.
Such people are what Solomon would describe as “simple.” Don’t be one of them.
Much of what we read online is not true. The above is just one example. One example out of hundreds of examples I could have provided.
Bottom line: Not everything you read online is true.
Or, if it is true, it often isn’t the whole truth. Usually, important aspects are missing or unseen. And yet…
The information is usually presented to us in a way that elicits an emotional reaction. Experts will tell you that emotion gets attention and anchors memories. We tend to remember how we feel. This is why first impressions matter so much, and it underscores the tactics and strategies companies and politicians employ to get space in our minds.
What happens is we get emotionally triggered by false, incomplete, or slanted information. Those emotions then get increasingly reinforced in our minds because the “first impressions” of what we read (or see or observe) frame (that’s an important word: frame) how we process further information. Before long, we’re solidified in our opinions — without ever having gotten all the pertinent information or having double-checked our sources.
I’m only scratching the surface of the challenge here, because the reality is…
We’re busy. And we don’t have time to double-check or triple-check every single piece of information that comes across our lives. We just don’t. The brain knows that, and there are filtering systems that our Creator built into our brains accordingly. Most of them operate at the subconscious level. This, however, doesn’t mean that they can’t be manipulated. And it raises the stakes for us to guard against such manipulation.
We also tend to gravitate toward “tribes” (starting with our immediate families — kids starting with their parents — and then extending out to friends, social circles, etc.) to help us process information. But, again, we have to remember that everyone in our tribe is a human being like us, and sometimes they are just as ill-informed, misinformed, or confused as we are.
The best source of wisdom and direction is God.
This is why Solomon tells us the following…
- “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7, KJV)
- “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10, KJV)
And it’s why James says…
- “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5, KJV)
It’s crucial that you:
- Worship God regularly
- Pray to God without ceasing
- Immerse yourself in the Bible
- Continually ask God for wisdom, discernment, and protection
- Surround yourself with others who are likewise seeking after God
Stay close to God. He has the wisdom, guidance, direction, and protection you need.
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