Bible Passage: “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:12-13 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Matthew 7:15-20; Galatians 5:22-23
Did we really land on the moon?
Who actually killed JFK?
What is going on with our government behind the scenes?
I’m not trying to answer questions like these today (or start debates!). They are endless, and we can go down a million online rabbit trails trying to discover the truth.
So when we hear an online influencer share their perspective, a politician make their case, or even a preacher declare their biblical opinions, how can we know if the truth is with them?
We’ve already talked this week about how we need to check our “itching ear” tendencies and measure everything against the Bible’s truth.
But Jesus didn’t just leave us with the Bible—He left us with much more.
At the Last Supper, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come and guide us into “all truth.”
He is so good at this job that His name is literally “the Spirit of truth.”
The Scripture-citing Pharisees knew God’s Word intimately and should have been the most truth-filled people on earth. But the Gospels make clear that they missed the truth about Jesus entirely.
They read the Word but didn’t have the Spirit.
We, on the other hand, have been filled with the Spirit, and He leads us to truth—so we should ask Him to.
But not everyone who claims to speak the truth really does, and the Spirit helps us there, too.
Jesus warned that people would come with the appearance of speaking the truth, but would ultimately be false, and that it would be “by their fruit” that we could tell the false from the true (Matthew 7:15-20).
Their words might sound good, but the fruit of their lives will tell us whether God is with them or not.
Does this person demonstrate love? Joy? Peace? Patience? Kindness? Goodness? Faithfulness? Gentleness? Self-control?
While no one will ever likely have all of these fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), do we see evidence of these virtues growing in their lives?
If not, we should rightly question whether they are walking in step with the Spirit of truth, and thus rightly question whether they are a voice we should be listening to in our search for truth.
We first listen for biblical truth, then add an evaluation of the speaker’s fruit. Taken together, we are a step closer to being men who rightly discern truth.
Prayer: Lord, help me to see clearly who is sharing Your truth. May the fruit of their lives be clear to me, and may I see with the Spirit’s help where the truth lies. Amen.
Reflection: Is there any voice you are listening to that doesn’t pass the “fruit of the Spirit” test? If so, what does that mean for the level of authority you grant that voice in your life?
Copyright © 2026 Impactus. All rights reserved.
About
