Right Address, Wrong Destination: How Listening to the Wrong Source Gets You Lost
A man hops into an Uber, full of confidence. He entered the address in the app, so he leans back, pops in his ear buds, and enjoys the ride. All is well. He’s done his part. No need to check directions, no need to second-guess—he’s on the way.
Twenty-five minutes later, the car pulls up to a pawn shop where he expected to see a restaurant. Instead of familiar city hubbub and the promised land of five-star food and cocktails, he’s in a neighborhood that looks like it hasn’t seen a non-cash transaction since 1986. Turns out, he gave the Uber driver the correct address but the wrong zip code. Close enough to feel right, wrong enough to wreck the moment.
The problem? He trusted the system. He assumed that because he gave mostly right information, he’d get the right result. This is exactly what happens when we listen to the wrong sources about how the world works.
Slightly Off is Off
For those of us educated in Western countries, our teachers, even those at church, almost exclusively bought into what one might call a naturalistic and humanistic worldview. That’s not to say they did (do) not believe in God. It is to say that they do not immediately think of Gd, or spiritual activities, as causal. They think of causes as something one can sense. A person gets sick, they see the physician rather than the elders of the church as James commands in chapter five of his letter. Another person succumbs to alcohol or drug addiction, and we send them to the psychiatrist rather than to the exorcist. Our worldviews are shaped by naturalistic explanations.
None of us gives it a second thought until the meds don’t cure the malady, and someone with an alternative worldview offers an alternative explanation. We’ve supplied mostly right information, trusted the system, and applied the prescription, but the answer dumped us out at the wrong address. Slightly off is off.
People assume that if they’re “mostly” right about God, they’re fine. They mix in a little Scripture with a lot of self-help platitudes written by people who never read the Bible. They add a dash of motivational Instagram theology and assume they’re heading in the right direction. They check the box: Christian? Yes. Bible? Sure. Sermons? When convenient.
But if the source is wrong—even by a little—it can take them way off course.
“God just wants you to be happy.” (Wrong source.)
“God helps those who help themselves.” (Wrong source.)
“If you have enough faith, you won’t suffer.” (Wrong source.)
“Follow your heart.” (Definitely wrong source.)
Those ideas sound close enough to the truth to make many people feel safe. Much like trusting an Uber ride without double-checking the details, misplaced trust can take you places you don’t want to go.
Who’s Your GPS?
The Bible is clear: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27, BSB). Jesus didn’t say, “My sheep listen to influencers who occasionally mention Me in their bios.” Or “My sheep listen to their feelings, vibes, and whatever’s trending.” No, He said His followers know His voice and follow Him—not whatever preacher, book, or TikTok algorithm sounds appealing that week.
If the voices you trust aren’t leading you directly to Christ, they’re leading you somewhere else. If the people you go to for help are helping you come back to them again and again, they may be more interested in your patronage than in your healing. Like an Uber with the wrong zip code, “somewhere else” is never where you thought you’d end up.
Check the Map Before You Ride
Before you hit cruise control on your spiritual journey, take a moment:
✔ Who are you listening to?
✔ Where is that leading you?
✔ Is it straight from Scripture, or just sprinkled with it?
Wrong voices don’t announce themselves. They sound wise, they sound spiritual, but they’ll drop you off in a bad part of town faster than you can say, “Wait, this isn’t where I’m supposed to be.”
The Good News?
God’s Word is the ultimate reroute. No matter how far off you’ve gone, no matter how many wrong voices you’ve trusted, He’s always ready to guide you home. But you have to listen to Him first. Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
Because trust me—no one wants to explain to God why they spent their whole life listening to bad directions.
