The more you study the Bible, the easier it will be to defend yourself from false—or ignorant—prophets.

There are a lot of religious fanatics out there spouting strange doctrine. At first, they may actually sound reasonable because they quote from the Bible. But the problem is, these false prophets will take a verse out of context and base their whole theology around it. Although this is often done unintentionally, there are some who will twist a few words on purpose, resulting in an interpretation bearing no resemblance whatsoever to God’s actual message.

This is an effective technique the devil has mastered well. Think about the consequences for humankind when the devil twisted God’s words in the garden of Eden! And remember how Satan tried to tempt Jesus in the beginning of His ministry? He twisted the Word of God just a little bit, making it seem right, when he was saying the exact opposite of the actual meaning.

How can you battle this prostitution of God’s Word? Always study Scripture in light of Scripture. Study the Old Testament in light of the New. Study the Gospels in light of the Epistles so that you can have the theological and doctrinal understanding of the life of Christ, why He came, what He’s all about. You want to study a verse in the context of the chapter and in the context of the book. The more you study the Bible, the easier it will be to defend yourself from false—or ignorant—prophets.