After the Jews had been in captivity for seventy years, God sent Nehemiah back to Jerusalem from Susa (modern day Iran) to rebuild the walls of the city. God’s judgment for idolatry was at an end and He was going to return His people to the Promised Land.

Nehemiah encountered heavy obstacles in this project especially from two evil men. They wanted to do anything they could to stop the work. They even hired a fellow Jew to give Nehemiah a false prophecy, hoping to frighten him and discourage him into quitting.

Nehemiah didn’t fall for it. He said; “Then I perceived that surely God had not sent him, but he uttered his prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him” (Nehemiah 6:12). We should all be so wise and discerning.

I’ve had plenty of times when a message came to me from someone about my life or how I am conducting it. Sometimes God has used another person to speak His heart to me but sometimes that person has been speaking out of their own flesh. In the worst case, the person was being used as a messenger of the devil to frighten or discourage me.

I’ve learned over time to examine messages, even ones coming from fellow believers. I continue to pray for that gift of “perceiving” that Nehemiah had when he got the false prophecy. I suggest it to you too. The next time you get a message, before you believe it, ask: who’s the sender?