Grandma used to say....

 Ephesians 4:13-15 "...till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—"

With so many ministers out there behind pulpits in every church, on tv, internet, radio, in books and even on podcast, there is a lot of teaching going on out there. Some of it's great, and some of it could be potentially toxic. As we all know, what we believe will turn into what we think, and what we think will come out of our mouths, and there is power in what we speak. So how do you know the difference between solid teaching and toxic teaching? Balance it with the word of God! What does God's Word say on this subject? Just a hint, don't take just 1 or 2 examples from the Bible. You need solid scriptural points. Here's what does NOT qualify as solid scripture:

• Song lyrics - Anyone, and I mean ANYONE can write a song. While I'm all for Christian music, that does not mean that everything that you hear is scriptural and should be taken as truth or worse, used to create or support a doctrinal belief. It's a pet peeve of mine, but please don't try to support your doctrine by quoting a song! This just won't hold water.
• Catch phrases - Just because it rhymes or rolls of the tongue doesn't make it anointed or true. Be smart folks, you may have heard preachers and church people from all over the world say it, but it doesn't mean it's in the Bible or supported by the Bible.Can't tell you the number of times people have said, "I think that's in the Bible somewhere" or "I thought for sure that was in there." Only to realize that they've been quoting catch phrases as Scripture.
• Traditions - Just because it's what you've always heard or your parents told you that, doesn't mean it's scriptural. Unfortunately, if you can't find 3-4 scriptures, not stories to be interpreted lots of ways, but actual scriptures, then it's probably opinion. Check it out in the Word! 
• Books and commentaries - While book and commentaries can be enlightening and great tool to study the word, we've got to be careful to base our beliefs on opinions. Make sure that what you are reading is rooted in Scripture and should frequently reference Scripture to make their points.

 Since becoming an adult and moving out on my own, I have really start to examine some of the beliefs I've always held. One thing I've realized is that I don't know everything, and that if I want to know more, I've got to get into the Word. This is so important for so many reasons, but mainly we need to be able to share our faith with others. To do that, we have to be able to show them in Scripture where these truths are kept and on what our foundation is based.

If our faith is based on little thoughts and phrases, then it is no more effective or strong than that of any other faith. For instance, you can strongly say "I believe...," but if that belief can not be found in Scripture, then that belief is no different than the beliefs of the Muslim or Buddhist. All of them strongly believe in something, but as we know this belief holds no power because only the Word of God holds truth and power for living.

I remember hearing one teacher say it like this. When you are listening to teaching or preaching, you need to have your antenna up. You need to be thinking about what is being said and checking that against the Scripture you know. Thinking things like: Does this mesh with the nature of God? Does this support what I already know of Scripture? Can I think of any other Scriptures that talk about this? 

Don't be taken in by fancy presentations, opinions, or flashy degrees and experience. While we tend to think that those who have studied the Word and have lots of experience preaching or teaching do know a lot, we need to remember that these folks and human; it doesn't mean that they are always right. So no matter how much faith you have in the person's credentials, you need to find out for yourself. Remember, when you are looking up Scriptures, read a few verses before and after to get the full effect the writer is trying to convey. Just like the media takes things said in interviews out of context, we can do the same thing if we don't consider the full point that is being made. So make sure you don't pick out what you think it's saying without really looking first. 

Bottom line: Everyone has thoughts and opinions, but we can't hold those in higher regard than the Word of God. Be open-minded. Don't assume because you've thought that way a long time that it is the correct way. Examine the Scripture from lots of angles, and don't be too proud to admit that you don't know something or maybe you've been wrong about something. This only means you are catching an even greater grasp of Scripture and growing! I think the Scripture below really sums it up. 

2 Timothy 2: 15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."