By Jeannette Haley
How beautiful, entertaining and sometimes hilarious it is to watch the
curiosity of newborns in both the human and animal worlds! What would life be
without curiosity? There is just something askew when a human being prefers to
lapse into a zombie state of mind and chooses to become disinterested and
detached from everything and everybody even though they habitually attend
some church and “go through the motions” of being a believer. Inevitably, their
self-made, small world of “me, myself, and I” will sink into a pit of unbelief,
hopelessness, ingratitude, bitterness and self-pity. Such people, wishing to
remain “remote,” will say they are “okay” but discerning believers know when the
“salt” has lost its savor, and when the “light” isn’t lit.
Lynette Hughes, minister and teacher, wrote a short piece that touches on
this subject. She said, “Most of us have experienced times where reading
Scripture and praying has been more drudgery than joy. I believe we all have
from time to time experienced a lack of desire to read the word of God and our
prayer life has waned. Have you ever asked an honest “Why?” When your desire
to read the Bible diminishes, you are not availing yourself of the knowledge of
how to live your life and bring glory to God. Sometimes we have lost our desire
because our hearts have become cold and our ears dull. We have seen the glory
of God declared by creation without seeing it as glorious. We see and hear about
the astonishing works of God without being astonished. We have put God’s word
on our tongue without tasting its sweetness. We have heard and seen the hidden
wisdom of God and felt no admiration. We have seen and read about the
holiness of God’s wrath and felt no fear. A heart that loves other things more than
God is the primary barrier to our loss of interest in God’s word and prayer. We
must kill the desire for those things that cause us to be apathetic and indifferent.”
A vibrant lover of God, whose affections are set on things above, will declare,
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear
before God?” Psalm 42:1, 2. Even an inkling of becoming spiritually dry will
cause a truth-loving child of God to rise up and agree with King David, “O God,
thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh
longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” Psalm 63:1. Seeking
God first, above all else, will bring deep satisfaction that safeguards us against
the wiles of the devil. Being a curious person myself, I know full well how Satan is
able to entice our curiosity into “investigating,” or “studying,” or “learning” about
the myriads of “hidden meanings” and “mysteries” that are finding their way into
every possible outlet available. The undiscerning, and those who know better but
think they can “handle it,” will fall into the clutches of this satanic “flood” where
they can easily be caught up and swept away to their own destruction.
I thank God for curiosity, but I have learned that it must be corralled and
properly channeled to expand only within the boundaries of truth, knowledge and
appreciation of God and His Word. Such things can never be boring to a born-
again soul whose faith burned like a flame that cannot be extinguished by
Satan’s lies or his “signs, and wonders.” I cannot emphasize enough, however,
that in this present and temporary life in the flesh, curiosity can be either good or
bad, depending on where it leads you. In the past, my curiosity led me into some
treacherous territory spiritually. It seems fitting at this junction to quote from one
of my Facebook posts concerning curiosity: “While curiosity should come
naturally when it comes to learning about God, His Word, life, the wonders of the
world, history, and so forth, all of which should bring glory to God, curiosity can
also lure an unsuspecting soul into a dark pit of confusion and insatiable thirst for
“deeper” knowledge in a labyrinth of mysteries, bizarre phenomena, altered
states of consciousness, and hidden information from “a higher dimension.”
“If you’re thinking that this could never happen to you, or to professing
Christians in our ‘enlightened’ church world, you are asleep on your watch. To try
and explain the tsunami of demonic, occult, witchcraft, doctrines of demons,
satanic and antichrist ‘dark death pits’ that a person can easily step into would
take volumes. I am shocked at how many people who claim to be a Christian are
also embracing the beliefs and terminology of the New Age, Hinduism, Unity,
Mormonism, spiritism, Witchcraft, Jehovah’s Witnesses (and other cults) as well
as metaphysical and philosophical beliefs of ancient paganism.
“Beware of ‘higher learning’ and wolves that openly display their heresies to
gullible Christians who think just because they have more degrees than a freight
train has cars that their spirit doesn’t have to be discerned! Jesus didn’t say we
would know them by their degrees, but by their fruit. If Jesus Christ is not lifted up
and His Word proclaimed as it is written, then walk away. Love the truth and
never forget that the ONLY pure TRUTH that we can lay our hands on in this
world is the HOLY BIBLE (but not a modern version that “takes away or adds to”).
If you truly believe that Jesus Christ is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only
Life, then prove it by burning any books you may have that pervert, pollute or
profane what the Bible teaches by altering it with ‘hidden knowledge’ or the ‘real
meaning’ (that somehow true men and women of God have somehow ‘missed’
for thousands of years)! If you become so caught up with some ear-tickling ‘new
revelation’ that God somehow forgot to put into His Word instead of caught up
with Jesus Christ and His Word, then you’re in trouble. If you’re reading and
studying spurious books that you believe are the truth, even though the Bible
says differently, then you are rejecting the Living Word, Jesus Christ. (John 1:1-
3.)”
In today’s world we are witnessing a colossal battle between the kingdom of
light and the kingdom of darkness, between truth and lies, and between good
and evil. The truth is the truth and can be found if diligently sought for, and it will
remain standing when all else falls away. So, why do most people, from
childhood on up, tend to be more interested in, and curious about what is hidden
in darkness? Perhaps it is for the same reason Eve took and ate from the
forbidden fruit; that is, her curiosity was stirred when Satan said, “For God doth
know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall
be as gods, knowing good and evil” Genesis 3:5. Satan’s tactics have not
changed through the centuries. He just repackages his lies and lures to fit
whatever generation he’s trying to devour.
It’s amazing and disheartening in these end days to see so many Christians
who, while they may not fall for blatant, in-your-face doctrinal error, will
nevertheless enthusiastically welcome, follow and support wolves in sheep’s
clothing who claim to “have a word,” a “vision,” a “dream” or a “new revelation”
from the Lord concerning the current global upheaval and what the future holds.
These false prophets skillfully quote portions of the Bible (out of context, of
course) in order to appear “legitimate” and attract people to themselves. Their
long and lengthy daily dialogues or discussions usually boil down to a soupy
mixture of sugary platitudes, positive possibilities, and ear-tickling error. Of
course, the name of Jesus is tacked on here and there to give them credibility.
Overly-educated heretics, on the other hand, cleverly word their books,
messages, or teaching titles in such a way as to “set the hook” in the jaw of the
curious who have “taken the bait.” They are adept at using obscure verses that
are less studied as to their original meaning and purpose in order to start a whole
landslide of false teaching that enthusiastic and curious minds, while sincere, are
ripe to fall for anything “new” or “ear-tickling.” Such will eagerly pursue, believe,
and, when challenged with scriptural truth, defiantly defend. This is especially
true when their new “guru” has, as referred to above, a string of letters behind his
or her name. The truth is, in both the religious realm, as well as in the secular,
most “higher learning” and “elevated education” is, simply put, the “blind leading
the blind.” The bottom line is, what eventually tells on victims of these heretics is
their emphasis, their agenda, and their fruit. If it’s not “Jesus, and Him crucified”
(1 Corinthians 2:2) and their fruit is not that of the Holy Spirit, but “another spirit,”
then you will pay the consequences if you insist that they’re “right” even though
both the Bible and historical data declare otherwise.
Whether we allow our curiosity to be a powerful motivating factor in our lives
for good or for evil depends upon what is in our heart and what our motives are.
The highest goal of our curiosity should be to seek to know God through His Son,
Jesus Christ; to know His Word, and how to follow, walk and live in the Holy
Spirit, in order to glorify God. James 1:5,6 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. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, For he that wavereth is like
a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” Oswald Chambers said, “The
golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. If a man
wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants
insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience.”
Aren’t you glad Jesus’ disciples were curious and asked Him questions?
Otherwise, just think how much knowledge, wisdom and insight would be lost to
us! When they asked Jesus about His coming and the end of the world, the first
words that came out of His mouth were, “Take heed that no man deceive you”
Matthew 24:4. Therefore, let us respect our sense of curiosity, while maintaining
a careful watch over where it tends to lead us—whether to the Way, the Truth
and the Life, or to the beguilement of the serpent. “For if he that cometh
preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if we receive another
spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not
accepted, ye might well bear with him” 2 Corinthians 11:4.