Don’t Fuel Fake News, Fight It!

The world of politics today seems to be a horrendously messy, chaotic, and very toxic environment! Outlandish accusations and wild aspersions are regularly cast, along with endless talk of conspiracies and fake news. Social media and AI-generated (dis)information have aided the production and dissemination of untruths, whether that is being done intentionally or inadvertently.
 
But the Book of Isaiah suggests such things are by no means new! In fact, it was so pervasive during Isaiah’s time that God warned him against being influenced by his peers. Check out what the LORD said to the prophet in Isaiah 8:11-17—a crucially important message that we ignore at our own peril…
 
Avoid Conspiracy
 
“The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, ‘Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them” (8:11-12).
 
Just as God warned Isaiah against trafficking in rumor and innuendo, He similarly tells us not to play that game or be intimidated by it. Tragically, some Christians have joined in the madness. Worse, Christ’s name is used by some to endorse bigoted, misogynistic, racist, and xenophobic ideas. Second Timothy 4:3-4 warns of a coming time when people will no longer heed sound teaching; instead, they will follow their own desires and fawn over leaders and opinion makers who tickle their fancy, reject truth, and chase after myths.
 
What, then, are we to do to fight fake news?
 
Fear God
 
“Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. They will be snared and captured” (8:13-15).
 
The One we are to fear is none other than God Himself! Christ alone is our fortress and sure foundation! Like how Hurricane Helene laid waste to the southeastern United States in the fall of 2024, the maelstrom of deceit and deception can and will wreck the Christian community—should we choose to indulge in it rather than heed God’s word. 
 
From the day my family and I arrived in America, we have sought to pray and work for the peace and the prosperity of this country—just as God commanded the Jewish exiles to do likewise in and for Babylon (Jeremiah 29:7). But I confess I’m just as susceptible as the next person is to the madness around us. And if Isaiah merited a warning from God, then the same goes for us as well. We are to fear God and combat fake news through His Word!
 
Keep and Teach God’s Word
 
“Preserve the teaching of God; entrust his instructions to those who follow me. I will wait for the Lord, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my hope in him” (8:16-17).
 
Where others choose toxicity over truth, where they spew ghastly invective and spun godly instruction, let’s you and I hew to Isaiah’s counsel. Firstly, we’re to preserve the teaching of God and entrust His instructions to His followers. Secondly, we’re to wait for the Lord, we are to put our hope in Him. Paul says something similar in 2 Timothy 4:5: (1) Keep clear mind in all situations, (2) Don’t be afraid to suffer for the Lord, (3) Keep preaching the Good News, and (4) Carry out the ministry God has given us.
 
Dear Friends, don’t fuel fake news, fight it!
 
* All Bible quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT