This is April Fools Day.

Have you ever tried to fool someone on this day? Saying it’s Christmas probably won’t work too well. Have you ever been fooled?

Sometimes on this day we play tricks, like setting an alarm early, telling a friend to go to the principal’s office, or putting a fake spider on your mother’s plate. Those are harmless pranks, and usually everyone gets a good laugh.

But there’s another kind of deception that’s a lot more serious. And it happens more than just one day a year.

When the apostle John wrote 1 John, he warned Christians about people he called “false prophets.” These people were trying to fool people into believing lies about Jesus and God’s plan of salvation. Unfortunately, some were falling for it and being led the wrong way. So John said to “test” everyone who claims to be teaching truth about God. The test? See if they believe that Jesus, God himself, actually lived as a man, a real human being (see 1 John 4:2).

Today we have false teachers, too. Sometimes you’ll hear them on TV or radio, claiming to have special inside knowledge about how to get close to God. Or you might hear about a best-selling book that promises meaning in life, happiness, and salvation. What they say may sound good, and even true, but it’s false.

Don’t be fooled. Before listening to anything someone says about God, Jesus, and how to know God personally, find out if the person believes that Jesus is God and human. And check what they say with what the Bible teaches. It should match. That’s the test.

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world (1 John 4:1).

To Do

Ask a parent or another respected Christian how he or she came to faith in Christ.

Also on this day . . .

1748—The ruins of Pompeii (town in Italy that had been destroyed by a volcano) were found.

1778—Oliver Pollack designed the symbol for the dollar ($).

1929—The yo-yo was introduced by Louie Marx.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.