On this day in 1939, the movie Wizard of Oz opened.

You’ve probably seen the classic film Wizard of Oz several times.

Remember the story? Dorothy lives on a farm in Kansas until a tornado picks up her house and deposits it in the land of Oz. Wishing to return home, Dorothy begins to travel to the city of Oz where a great wizard lives. Along the way she meets a Scarecrow who needs a brain, a Tin Man who wants a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who desperately needs courage. They all hope the Wizard of Oz will help them before the Wicked Witch of the West catches them.

And remember what happens when they finally get in to see the Wizard? What a shock! “The great and mighty Oz” turns out to be a frightened little man hiding behind a curtain and using a microphone to amplify his voice. He has no power or authority at all—he is a pretender.

You probably won’t ever meet a Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion, and hopefully you’ll never experience a tornado. But you certainly will encounter “pretenders”—people who make grand claims about having inside knowledge and truth that they really don’t.

Don’t be fooled.

The Bible warns us to watch out for false teachers and to reject their lies. The apostle Paul told the leaders of the church at Ephesus: “I know full well that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29).

Our source of truth is the Bible, God’s Word. So be sure to check the messages you hear with Scripture. Just because someone looks good, sounds good, and has a magnetic personality doesn’t mean that he or she is telling God’s truth. Look behind the curtain.

When we tell you this, we do not use words of human wisdom. We speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. (1 Corinthians 2:13).

To Do

Check out 1 John 2:21, 22 and 4:1, 2.

Also on this day . . .

1790—The capital city of the United States became Philadelphia instead of New York City.

1859—A hot air balloon was used to carry mail for the first time. John Wise left Lafayette Indiana for New York City with 100 letters, but he had to land after only 27 miles.

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).