Sometimes we just know. I remember a fellow Guardsman asking how I knew I could trust my wife while I was gone. It had never occurred to me that maybe I couldn't; I just knew she was a faithful partner.
Sometimes we believe when we're told by someone we trust. Your dad says, "That's a good car." Your broker says, " Sell that stock."
Sometimes, John says, God dwells in us and tells us what's true. In 1 John 2:20-21 he writes, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth."
Remember, John is talking about false prophets, anti-christs. He's reminding the church of the great gift they have in the Holy Spirit: He won't ever guide them wrong. They will know when those other guys are spouting lies, because the Spirit will wave a warning flag.
What a gift! If I can just listen to that voice of caution inside my soul, I can navigate safely through all the false messages being spouted from pulpits these days. "Go ahead and chase money; God wants you to be rich." "God wants you to be happy, so do what makes you happy." "Go ahead and sin, so that God's grace may abound." "You're chosen, and it's OK to hate anyone who isn't."
There are a lot of false prophets out there, but no worries. We know the truth.
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