After two early false starts, our pair of Lineolated Parakeets, Splash and
Chine, finally came of breeding age. No longer did we discourage them from
nesting—not that it had done any good when we DID try to discourage them!—and it
didn’t take them long to find the nesting box I had given them and to lay
another 6 eggs. Three of these hatched, and at last, Splash and Chine were proud
parents.
We watched the babies grow with anticipation. We knew we would soon begin to see
their adult plumage, and we already knew what color that would be: Dark green!
Why?
Because green is the dominant color for linnies, and although Splash is
turquoise, Chine is olive, the darkest possible form of green. This pairing
would produce babies that were visually green, but were carrying a recessive
blue gene that could be passed on to their offspring. Or, as they say in the
bird world, the babies would be dark green split to blue. Of course, it could
have been possible for Chine to have been split to blue, but I already knew that
both of her parents were green. There was no way she could pass on anything but
green genes!
Imagine my surprise when two of Splash and Chine’s babies turned out to be blue!
I rushed to my computer and called up an on-line genetics calculator I was
familiar with. I typed in the colors of the parents and pressed, “submit”. I had
to have made a mistake somewhere, but where?
The results came back 100% dark green babies, split to blue.
Obviously Splash and Chine forgot to consult the genetics calculator before
producing babies!
There was only one possible explanation to the dilemma. Chine must be split to
blue. But how? I went back to my original records, and I was surprised to
discover that although Chine’s mother had been an olive, one of her grandparents
had been blue. The recessive blue gene had been passed down through the
generations to my bird, who, when paired with a blue male, produced blue babies.
Because I hadn’t made the effort to check the records earlier, I had been
deceived into believing that Chine could only be a carrier of green, when in
reality, she carried a hidden blue gene.
As I thought about this, it occurred to me that deception abounds around every
corner, even within God’s church. We may think we have the answers. We may think
we have been told 100% of the truth. But there may be a hidden “blue gene”
lurking in what professed “people of God” are telling us. There may be some
element of untruth mixed with the truth they are preaching.
In the days of Jeremiah, just before the fall of Jerusalem, there was a big
problem with hidden “blue genes”. False prophets abounded, telling the people
what they wanted to hear: that Jerusalem would NOT fall. And the people believed
it. In fact, they LOVED these prophets! And they shunned the true prophet of
God, Jeremiah.
Here is what God said about these false prophets: “’Therefore,’ declares the
LORD, ‘I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly
from me. Yes,’ declares the LORD, ‘I am against the prophets who wag their own
tongues and yet declare, “The LORD declares.” Indeed, I am against those who
prophesy false dreams,’ declares the LORD. ‘They tell them and lead my people
astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them.’” (Jer
23:30-32 NIV)
Pretty harsh words, aren’t they? And what does God say He will do with these
false prophets? “Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty says concerning the
prophets: ‘I will make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water, because
from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.’”
(Jer 23:15 NIV)
Ouch! These so called “prophets of God” might have been loved by the people, but
in the end, their punishment was sure.
But how could the people have guarded themselves from these hidden “blue genes”?
How could they have safeguarded themselves from believing the lies of these
false prophets? God makes this very clear: “Do not listen to what the prophets
are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from
their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.” (Jer 23:17 NIV)
Okay, that’s easy, but how do we know if they are truly prophesying lies?
The prophet Isaiah gives us the answer: “To the law and to the testimony! If
they DO NOT SPEAK ACCORDING TO THIS WORD, they have NO LIGHT of dawn.” (Isa 8:21
NIV)
Friends, if I had taken the time and effort to check into my bird records, I
would have realized that there was a slight possibility of Chine’s mother being
split to blue. I would have guessed that Chine herself might be carrying a blue
gene. I would not have been surprised by blue babies. Likewise, it is only by
taking the time to check what our pastors and teachers are telling us by taking
it back to the Word of God for authentication, that we can avoid spiritual
deception.
Don’t just take everything your pastor or a renowned author or speaker says at
face value. Take it back to God, to the Word of God, for verification! Only then
can we be sure of the true colors of these “babies”—that the words of professed
men and women of God speak forth truth!
Don’t be surprised by blue babies! Take every professed “word of God” back to
the TRUE Word of God for verification, and then, shun whatever does not contain
100% truth.
Lyn Chaffart
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