Don't Believe Everything You Hear or See Online

Hey, carpool crew. Some of you might be eating breakfast at the table. Some of you might be grabbing your backpack and heading out the door, and some of you might be just hanging at home, relaxing. No matter where you are, I'm really glad you're here. I'm Pastor Justin, and I'm so excited you're listening to Carpooling with Jesus on Pure Flix. In today's verse, it's a reminder to not just believe every rumor, every video, or every did you hear that comes your way. Our verse is from Proverbs chapter 14, verse 15. Here's what it says: the inexperienced one believes anything, but the sensible one watches his steps. Solomon's talking here about two kinds of people: the inexperienced, people who are young, new to life, easily tricked, which by the way, that's fine. Being young means you're inexperienced and that's okay. And then the sensible, those who slow down, think it through, and make careful choices. And guess what? When you're young, you'll develop that over time. Hopefully today is gonna help you understand why it's so important. Now, I want you to notice it doesn't say the dumb one or the lazy one. It says inexperienced. That means this verse is talking directly to young people like you, not to shame you, but to teach you how to grow in wisdom. This is basically saying, don't be gullible. Don't just believe everything you see online, every rumor you hear at school, every story someone tells you, every idea someone says is no big deal. Wise people, they pause, they ask, is this true? Is this helpful? Where is this going to lead me? Solomon's saying, be the kind of person who watches where they're stepping, not the one who blindly walks into trouble. If Jesus were sitting next to you in science class and heard some nonsense being spread around, he might lean over and say, you don't have to believe everything. Just follow what's true. See, Jesus always pointed people back to the truth. Even when the crowd believed something false, he stayed focused on what was real. Let's say someone starts telling a story in class that makes someone else really look bad. You believe it. You tell other people. Maybe you add a joke to it. Later you find out this story was totally wrong, and now someone's feelings are really hurt. See, that's the power of believing without thinking. But if you had paused, asked questions, or chosen not to pass it along, you would've been part of the solution, not the problem. You would've helped that friend not have hurt feelings, but instead feel supported by you. So what are some ways you can apply this? First, pause before you believe, repeat, or share stories. Ask, is this really true? Second, if something sounds sketchy, it sounds shady, it sounds kind of unbelievable, it probably is, so you don't have to believe it and you don't have to share it. Lastly, be someone who watches their steps. Don't follow blindly. Don't just do what everyone else is doing. Be wise. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you.