6.17.2026

Many of you may not know that for the last 4 years or so I’ve been co-leading a weekly men’s group that meets on either Monday afternoons or Tuesday mornings. All of these fellows have had difficult pasts – sometimes because of their own choices, but sometimes as a result of others’ choices. Self-esteem is a serious issue with many of them. A few weeks ago I was teaching from the early chapters of Genesis and a question jumped out at us that I hadn’t really considered before. And, honestly, I haven’t been able to turn it loose since then. 

“Who told you that?”

You know the story: In Genesis 3, the first couple disobeyed God and, like children, tried to hide from him.  When God called to them, asking, “Where are you?” the man replied, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And then God asked him the million dollar question: “Who told you that you were naked?” Before, they didn’t know they were naked. Who told them? And how did they learn the meaning of the word “afraid”? 

But here they were . . . naked and afraid. Who told them? And notice that God doesn’t deal with the sin first. His SECOND question is “did you eat from the tree I told you not to eat from?” But the first question was about the source of their information: “Who told you that?”

And in our discussion, and also in my own private time afterwards, I got to thinking about all the lies we hear that we just accept without considering the source.  

“You’re not good enough.” Who told you that? “You’re not smart enough.” Who told you that? Or here’s my current favorite: “You’re too old.” Well, who told me THAT (besides my knees when I stand up)?  

How many of those judgments about ourselves and about others have we accepted without asking, “Who told me that? And why am I listening to them?” 

A friend and I were talking yesterday about recent news items and he brought up I Enoch. My first question was “Where did you hear about I Enoch?” And he told me that I Enoch explained the source and nature of the aliens. 

I asked him, “Who told you that?” 

It was some lame preacher he saw online trying to tie all this stuff about aliens and UFOs (or UAPs) to demons.  I told him Enoch has nothing to do with aliens. I asked him why, if they were demons – fallen angels, according to this pseudo-preacher’s interpretation of I Enoch – why would demons need to travel in space ships??? That question usually shuts that silly sort of thing down pretty quickly (this is not an endorsement of the belief in aliens, by the way). I’m sick of hearing about I Enoch. 

“Who told you that?” Consider the source. Are they really an expert – whether it's about aliens or about your character or about someone else’s character. Do they know what they’re talking about? 

Who told you that? 

Isn’t it funny how we latch on to lies about ourselves and others and let them run wild in our brains? Or, we allow some stupid comment to loom larger than reality, giving it weight it doesn’t deserve, and allowing it to become a driving force in the way we relate to others and the way we view ourselves. 

When you discover you’re a victim of what one of my former pastors called “stinking thinking,” don’t argue with it; trace it back to its source. Who told you that you couldn’t do something? Who convinced you that someone was your enemy? Who told you that your past has the final word in your life, and you’ll never be able to live your past down? Who told you that you were worthless? Who told you that you were just a _____ (you fill in the blank), and God could never use you? 

Don’t just buy into junk. 

I remember in debate class in college, my debate partner and I bulldozed over our opponents. I did it with a rapid fire delivery that the other side couldn’t keep up with (not everything I said fit the argument, but if I said it loudly and fast enough, they couldn’t tell!) and my partner kept hammering home, “State your sources! State your sources!” 

Don’t swallow everything you’ve heard about yourself or anyone else. Go back to the source and evaluate the source first. 

Not every voice you hear should hold authority in your life.

Which voice should you listen to? The Voice that tells you: “You are precious in my sight . . . do not fear, for I am with you” (Isaiah 43:4-5). “You’re made in my Image” (Genesis 1:27-28). “Those who trust the Lord will lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:10). “All of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” 

Let THAT Voice hold authority in your life! 

Blessings,
Pastor Terry 

PS - Just before we were ready to send the newsletter, this little video popped up on my phone and it blew me away how similar it was to what I had written . . . which only to goes to prove what an important question this is to keep asking ourselves!    CLICK HERE to see video!