I believe that Jesus died on the Cross for more than just the cancelling of my debt (which I could have never paid). He also died to break the power of the very law of sin and death that was at work in my members. He died so I could be free from the effects of sin upon my body, soul, and spirit. He died to break the legal right the enemy had to assault me and oppress me. He died to grant me full access to everything that is His in heavenly places.
Refusing to come out of our sin is what keeps us in bondage to the enemy. We may believe that the Lord Jesus made us free from the enemy's hold, but if we continue in our sin, we are not living in the freedom purchased for us by His sacrifice. We are choosing the chains of bondage over freedom. The Scripture declares that for freedom's sake Christ set us free. He didn't make us free so we could use that freedom as a cloak for our sin. If we do that, then we are not really using freedom the way it was meant to be used.
So many of us are sick today, not because we are doing the right things but because we are doing the wrong things. We are suffering not for righteousness sake but for unrighteous decisions we made. We are reaping the consequences of what we have sown. My whole life I lived in a prison of fear and rejection. I did not realize what I was doing until everything fell apart. In some ways I feel like I have to learn a whole new way of being, and that takes a bit of effort as I lean on the Lord to teach me HIS way of being. Sometimes, I find myself back in the groove that WAS my old pattern of being. The Lord is very kind in helping me to see it and to make a decision that will begin forming a brand new groove that is in agreement with Him.
Renewing the mind takes time. Growing up into Him takes time. There are many lessons in store for all those who choose to walk in HIS freedom. We don't automatically choose His way in the beginning. Like Israel we don't know what to do with freedom from bondage, so we have a tendency to recall the former days in Egypt where we could fill our stomach with things that instantly gratified our fleshly cravings. The problem with recalling our former days of bondage is that if we entertain such recollections for long enough we will begin to desire to return to those things because rather than remember how terrible it was in slavery, we will remember "the leeks and garlic" of those days. It is important to recall our new found freedom in Jesus, which opens up to us more than we could possibly imagine.
I am so thankful for the Lord's freedom. I'm so glad that He's not trying to create robots that just say yes. He wants mature sons and daughters with which to relate to. We have so much say in this relationship with Him. Not all of our choices will lead us into His BEST, but He doesn't prevent us from making them, and He will still walk with us while we are reaping the consequences of those choices.
I find it remarkable how determined He is to dignify man's free will. It's scary and delightful at the same time. Who is like Him? He is so different than man. Man seeks to enslave. God seeks to liberate. Man seeks to control or to dominate through fear and manipulation. God seeks to empower us to yield and submit to His divine leadership by demonstrating and revealing the depths of His love for us. Through that demonstration we ultimately conclude, of our own free will, that His way is better and we can trust His leadership. Man comes to us with ulterior motives always designed to limit movement. He wants to put strings on you and use you as a puppet for his agenda. You may think at the outset that what he is offering you will set you free, but in the end you will find yourself in a prison and you will wonder how you ever got there... I'm not saying that if you follow Jesus, you won't end up in prison... you may INDEED end up there... but your heart will not be there. You will be as free as the birds of the air. It is one thing to be in a free world and feel like you are in prison and another to be in a prison and feel like you are in a free world.
Oh the blessings of divine liberty!
February 05, 2012
October 28, 2011
The Transforming Power of Grace
I no longer believe that God is solely concerned about our success in trials as I once believed, though success and failure certainly can be used as indicators of where we are in our growth, progress, and maturity. In school I was always so afraid of failing the test. I learned the information for one purpose alone – to pass the test. It did not matter whether I actually agreed with the information or believed it. I simply studied to get pass marks. When I passed a test, I reveled in that mark. I was so proud of what I’d accomplished. But, when I failed, I beat myself up emotionally. This is how we are…results-oriented and results-driven. Passing the test meant I was a success. Failing the test meant I was a failure. The whole of society measures the worth of a person based on what they have accomplished. We are defined primarily by what we do and how we do, rather than who we are.
Stepping into the Kingdom of God, we bring all our results-driven paradigms with us…things the Lord takes many pains and much delight in crucifying. In His family, we learn His ways, not to pass a test, but to become more like Him. The tests indeed come, but the pass or fail is not an indication of our worth or value before Him. It simply indicates whether our natures are operating in a way of being that is either consistant or contrary to His way of being. Tests are designed to expose who we are in our nature. This does not mean that we should be afraid of the tests that come. In fact, we should welcome them, because they bring the dross to the surface. When unrighteousness is exposed within us through the fire of adversity, we have the opportunity to allow the Father to remove it, resulting in a heart that is more like HIS heart.
In this renewal process, we can be absolutely confident that He is FOR us. He is a Father that loves us more than we could EVER fathom and is fully committed to working with us, helping us to understand why His way is the good way, why doing things our own way in our own strength will never bring us any peace, and how to let His Holy Spirit bring our natures into agreement with His nature more fully. This really is the process of sanctification. The designs have already been completed from before the foundations of the world. He had already seen us completed in Him before we were made, so He relates to us, not in our current condition, but according to the plans that He lovingly made for us.
For too long we've had this idea that God is put off by our failures. But, for the heart that is continually trying and reaching out for Him, wanting to do things His way, He says, "Beloved, all your failures have already been accounted for and atoned for on the Cross. I don't hold your sins against you. Instead, I will use your failures to help you understand My goodness and grace toward you more fully. Just keep trying. Keep reaching. Keep getting up and pressing forward. Take hold of my mercies and believe that I am doing for you what you cannot do for yourself. I am transforming you." Without experiencing failure like the prodigal son, we would never fully realize the goodness and the kindness of our Father, who runs to meet us in our returning…and notice here that He always has a plan for our returning...and our complete restoration. No matter how far we think we have strayed from His love, we can’t get away. He will remind us time and again of His kindness and the unbelievable benefits that we have in returning to Him and remaining with Him.
When the prodigal finally came to his senses and returned, the father did not wait for the son to approach him and to get on his knees and beg for mercy. NO! The father saw him at a distance and RAN to him, fell on his neck and kissed him. The prodigal declared his guilt to his father, and rather than the father disparaging the son over the wickedness of his actions and condemning him for wastefully spending his entire inheritance, the father ordered the servants to bring robe, ring, and sandals and to kill the fatted calf because they were going to celebrate the son’s homecoming.
Initially, the son did not come home because he was sorry for what he had done. He simply missed the father’s provision. He missed his father’s goodness. The father didn’t hold that against him. He was just so glad to have his son home again. Sometimes, we come to the Lord with wrong motives, but He doesn’t condemn us for that. He knows that without Him we can’t live, so He pours upon us grace upon grace, even accepting us when our motives are far from right. He fully restores us by clothing us in His robe of righteousness, placing the ring of His favor upon us, and shodding our feet with the ministry of reconciliation.
The heart and intention of our Father in heaven is to produce voluntary lovers who are faithful to Him to the end. How could this be accomplished if every mistake we ever made was met with a disapproving look and a harsh rebuke rather than an invitation to come closer and let Him love us more. It is inevitably His love for us that will win our devotion. It is in gazing upon perfect love and experiencing it firsthand that will cast out all our fear.
This is why God so intentionally included all the failures of His servants in the Scriptures. If His servants had responded with perfect obedience or God only recorded their successes, we would have no grid for how God treated human weakness and utter failure. We would be completely terrified of approaching Him for fear of His judgment, and unable to see Him as the Father that joyfully takes weak, frail human beings and through the power of His grace transforms them into men and women of renown. What a wise and good Father we have who unashamedly broadcast the poor choices, personality flaws, physical defects, and character weaknesses of those He chose in His own story in order to magnify His own loving kindness, compassion, tender mercies...and the transforming power of His grace.
Stepping into the Kingdom of God, we bring all our results-driven paradigms with us…things the Lord takes many pains and much delight in crucifying. In His family, we learn His ways, not to pass a test, but to become more like Him. The tests indeed come, but the pass or fail is not an indication of our worth or value before Him. It simply indicates whether our natures are operating in a way of being that is either consistant or contrary to His way of being. Tests are designed to expose who we are in our nature. This does not mean that we should be afraid of the tests that come. In fact, we should welcome them, because they bring the dross to the surface. When unrighteousness is exposed within us through the fire of adversity, we have the opportunity to allow the Father to remove it, resulting in a heart that is more like HIS heart.
In this renewal process, we can be absolutely confident that He is FOR us. He is a Father that loves us more than we could EVER fathom and is fully committed to working with us, helping us to understand why His way is the good way, why doing things our own way in our own strength will never bring us any peace, and how to let His Holy Spirit bring our natures into agreement with His nature more fully. This really is the process of sanctification. The designs have already been completed from before the foundations of the world. He had already seen us completed in Him before we were made, so He relates to us, not in our current condition, but according to the plans that He lovingly made for us.
For too long we've had this idea that God is put off by our failures. But, for the heart that is continually trying and reaching out for Him, wanting to do things His way, He says, "Beloved, all your failures have already been accounted for and atoned for on the Cross. I don't hold your sins against you. Instead, I will use your failures to help you understand My goodness and grace toward you more fully. Just keep trying. Keep reaching. Keep getting up and pressing forward. Take hold of my mercies and believe that I am doing for you what you cannot do for yourself. I am transforming you." Without experiencing failure like the prodigal son, we would never fully realize the goodness and the kindness of our Father, who runs to meet us in our returning…and notice here that He always has a plan for our returning...and our complete restoration. No matter how far we think we have strayed from His love, we can’t get away. He will remind us time and again of His kindness and the unbelievable benefits that we have in returning to Him and remaining with Him.
When the prodigal finally came to his senses and returned, the father did not wait for the son to approach him and to get on his knees and beg for mercy. NO! The father saw him at a distance and RAN to him, fell on his neck and kissed him. The prodigal declared his guilt to his father, and rather than the father disparaging the son over the wickedness of his actions and condemning him for wastefully spending his entire inheritance, the father ordered the servants to bring robe, ring, and sandals and to kill the fatted calf because they were going to celebrate the son’s homecoming.
Initially, the son did not come home because he was sorry for what he had done. He simply missed the father’s provision. He missed his father’s goodness. The father didn’t hold that against him. He was just so glad to have his son home again. Sometimes, we come to the Lord with wrong motives, but He doesn’t condemn us for that. He knows that without Him we can’t live, so He pours upon us grace upon grace, even accepting us when our motives are far from right. He fully restores us by clothing us in His robe of righteousness, placing the ring of His favor upon us, and shodding our feet with the ministry of reconciliation.
The heart and intention of our Father in heaven is to produce voluntary lovers who are faithful to Him to the end. How could this be accomplished if every mistake we ever made was met with a disapproving look and a harsh rebuke rather than an invitation to come closer and let Him love us more. It is inevitably His love for us that will win our devotion. It is in gazing upon perfect love and experiencing it firsthand that will cast out all our fear.
This is why God so intentionally included all the failures of His servants in the Scriptures. If His servants had responded with perfect obedience or God only recorded their successes, we would have no grid for how God treated human weakness and utter failure. We would be completely terrified of approaching Him for fear of His judgment, and unable to see Him as the Father that joyfully takes weak, frail human beings and through the power of His grace transforms them into men and women of renown. What a wise and good Father we have who unashamedly broadcast the poor choices, personality flaws, physical defects, and character weaknesses of those He chose in His own story in order to magnify His own loving kindness, compassion, tender mercies...and the transforming power of His grace.
April 19, 2011
One of My BIGGEST Pet Peeves
I do a lot of research. I would consider myself a researcher by nature. I want to know where things come from, whether it's food, medicine, or spiritual matters. Lately, I've been researching current "christian" trends. In doing so, I've stumbled on some alarming information. Though the information itself disturbs me greatly, what I'm completely disgusted by is the way that well-meaning Christians slander Christian ministries in the name of being watchmen and exposing deception.
I have NO problem with Christians being Bereans and exposing falsehood. In fact, Jesus Himself praised the Bereans for their diligence in daily putting the Apostles' teachings to the litmus test of Scripture.
The problem I am having is with the WAY these men and women are choosing to communicate themselves to others. When I am looking for good unbiased information, I don't want to have to guard myself against the rude, condescending nature of their remarks. I understand that Jesus said some pretty HARD things to the religious crowd of His day. He called them hypocrites, brood of vipers, white-washed sepulchers full of dead men's bones. Anyone with half a heart would recoil at being called such harsh names.
Where the lines of acceptability are drawn, I don't know. I guess it all comes down to the motivation of the heart. Jesus said these things without malice. He intended no evil toward these men. I do, however, think Jesus was full of righteous indignation. A case in point would be when Jesus made a corded whip and boldly marched into the temple in a fury rarely seen in Jesus, to show the people what His Father thought of the merchandisers in His house. When He had completely wrecked the place, He zealously cried out, "My Father's house shall be called a house of prayer, and you have made it into a den of thieves." I can't imagine being one of those merchandisers. Yeesh!
It is GOOD to be zealous for the purity of the gospel. Jesus was CONSUMED with zeal for His house. We live in an age where taking a stand for the Gospel is becoming increasingly difficult, and we are encouraged to remain silent instead because "God doesn't need us to defend Him." This is very true, yet Jesus calls us to stand as His witnesses in the earth. To be a witness means to declare what you have seen and what you know to be true, regardless of the consequences.
In standing as a witness for Jesus to a generation that has not seen Him and does not know Him, it requires that WE know Him. If we know Him, then our lives, actions, and WORDS will reflect that knowledge. God is not looking for witnesses that have a head full of knowledge ABOUT Him, but a heart full of living understanding from a living, vibrant relationship with Him.
In defending the Gospel by exposing false teachings, teachers, prophets, apostles, or ministers, it is very important that we are not arrogant in our exposition of them. Simply state the facts without the snide or sarcastic comments. When I come across an article about a certain minister and his false teaching and encounter the writer's negative attitude and rude name-calling, I end up feeling sorry for the minister they are exposing. I'm not saying that you shouldn't expose such things. We are commanded to beware of false teachers and wolves in sheep's clothing, and to reprove the works of darkness. However, it NEVER says that we are allowed to hurl insults and sling mud at those that we are exposing.
Every human being is loved by God, regardless of how evil or destructive they are. It is this very love that put Jesus on the Cross in the first place. Don't make a mockery of Him by excusing bad behavior in the name of "defending the gospel" or "exposing false shepherds." It was with TEARS that Paul revealed who was doing damage to the Gospel; not with slanderous, rude, demeaning, condescending, sarcastic, snide comments that bordered on malicious.
I have NO problem with Christians being Bereans and exposing falsehood. In fact, Jesus Himself praised the Bereans for their diligence in daily putting the Apostles' teachings to the litmus test of Scripture.
The problem I am having is with the WAY these men and women are choosing to communicate themselves to others. When I am looking for good unbiased information, I don't want to have to guard myself against the rude, condescending nature of their remarks. I understand that Jesus said some pretty HARD things to the religious crowd of His day. He called them hypocrites, brood of vipers, white-washed sepulchers full of dead men's bones. Anyone with half a heart would recoil at being called such harsh names.
Where the lines of acceptability are drawn, I don't know. I guess it all comes down to the motivation of the heart. Jesus said these things without malice. He intended no evil toward these men. I do, however, think Jesus was full of righteous indignation. A case in point would be when Jesus made a corded whip and boldly marched into the temple in a fury rarely seen in Jesus, to show the people what His Father thought of the merchandisers in His house. When He had completely wrecked the place, He zealously cried out, "My Father's house shall be called a house of prayer, and you have made it into a den of thieves." I can't imagine being one of those merchandisers. Yeesh!
It is GOOD to be zealous for the purity of the gospel. Jesus was CONSUMED with zeal for His house. We live in an age where taking a stand for the Gospel is becoming increasingly difficult, and we are encouraged to remain silent instead because "God doesn't need us to defend Him." This is very true, yet Jesus calls us to stand as His witnesses in the earth. To be a witness means to declare what you have seen and what you know to be true, regardless of the consequences.
In standing as a witness for Jesus to a generation that has not seen Him and does not know Him, it requires that WE know Him. If we know Him, then our lives, actions, and WORDS will reflect that knowledge. God is not looking for witnesses that have a head full of knowledge ABOUT Him, but a heart full of living understanding from a living, vibrant relationship with Him.
In defending the Gospel by exposing false teachings, teachers, prophets, apostles, or ministers, it is very important that we are not arrogant in our exposition of them. Simply state the facts without the snide or sarcastic comments. When I come across an article about a certain minister and his false teaching and encounter the writer's negative attitude and rude name-calling, I end up feeling sorry for the minister they are exposing. I'm not saying that you shouldn't expose such things. We are commanded to beware of false teachers and wolves in sheep's clothing, and to reprove the works of darkness. However, it NEVER says that we are allowed to hurl insults and sling mud at those that we are exposing.
Every human being is loved by God, regardless of how evil or destructive they are. It is this very love that put Jesus on the Cross in the first place. Don't make a mockery of Him by excusing bad behavior in the name of "defending the gospel" or "exposing false shepherds." It was with TEARS that Paul revealed who was doing damage to the Gospel; not with slanderous, rude, demeaning, condescending, sarcastic, snide comments that bordered on malicious.
April 07, 2011
Confusing the Languages
In the Book of Genesis, an event takes place that serves as an example of what is occurring NOW. Genesis 11 recounts the tale of the whole earth being of one language and one speech or expression. At some point, they determined to build a city with a tower that reached to heaven, in order to "make a name for themselves." During this building process, Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men were constructing. Yahweh knew that the intentions of their hearts were not pure. Why build a tower that reached to heaven unless you wanted to somehow "ASCEND into heaven" in an attempt to exalt yourself and "be as God"? He says, "Behold, they are one people, having all one language. This is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them." Their plans were thwarted when Yahweh wisely confused the languages so the people could no longer understand one another and they consequently abandoned the construction of the city and were scattered across the face of the earth. The name of that place was appropriately called, Babel (confusion).
Since that time, man has sought a way to return to that place where all mankind was unified and "nothing they imagine will be impossible for them." It is common knowledge that a life-threatening crisis or a catastrophe has the necessary impact to force people to reevaluate priorities and unite with others to find or be a part of the solution that will divert or arrest the looming crisis. In order to unite mankind, it was necessary to globalize the crisis. If the looming crisis was global, then it would require a "global response". What is the crisis being preached and marketed? Global destruction. The earth (mother nature) is in a complete upheaval. Why? The common belief is that humanity's "negativity" is responsible for all the woes of the planet. If all men would stop fighting amongst themselves, we would no longer have earthquakes, tsunamis, or any of the other disasters that are rapidly increasing in strength and occurrence in the world, because as we are being told, "we are all one." If mankind is connected to the earth, then it would make sense that "world peace" would solve creation's rebellion. Thus, the goal that the nations are vigorously striving to rally everyone around is "saving the planet." In order to attain that goal, they are seeking to unite all the world's religions into a universal religion because the heart and soul of a man is found in what he believes.
In order to unite the religions that generally oppose one another, a common language has been needed. Within the last 20 years, the emergence of terms and practices commonly used in New Age circles have made their appearance in Evangelical, Charismatic, and Ecumenical circles. It has been a slow, steady stream, so as not to cause a great alarm. Those who were drawn out of the New Age movement by the Lord immediately saw what was happening and began to sound the alarm. However, those whose ears have been dulled to truth, having been tickled by the false teachers and false prophets that are in the land, cannot hear the sound of the alarm. They are mesmerized by the soothing words and peaceful plans that these men falsely offer all of humanity. It all "sounds" like a "god" idea. Who would not want peace, unity, and love in the world? You'd be crazy to oppose such highly esteemed values.
But, truthfully, there are inherent theological problems connected to their vision for a better world. Most importantly, they seek to attain these values apart from Yeshua, the Son of God, which can never be done since Christ is the Door that leads to peace, unity of the faith (not faiths), and the fruit of love. Instead, they preach a false Christ, a "christ-consciousness" or divinity that is, apparently, resident in every human being, regardless of what they believe. They direct people toward new age philosophies and practices, such as meditation and contemplative prayer in order to somehow awaken them to that "christ-consciousness". But, unbeknownst to those who participate in such practices, they are actually opening themselves to receive spiritual experiences that will inevitably lead them through the wrong "door", placing them on the road to eternal destruction.
The language and expression of Christianity that used to be clear has now become so confused that it is easy to mistake the counterfeit for the genuine. The terms that are being used in Christianity today are sounding more and more new age with the passage of time, thus blurring the distinctions. There is also a growing number of ministers instructing people that spiritual or "mystical" experiences are important to validate and invigorate their faith, rather than obedience to the Word of God. It strikes me as odd that the Bible teaches that the last days will be marked by deep deception, forewarning all Christians to "take heed that no man deceives you" and "beware of wolves dressed like sheep", yet, there is rarely any teaching advising Christians to read and study the Word of God and cultivate a discerning heart. The Bible warns that these false brethren would appear to be genuine believers and disciples of Jesus Christ; they would even arise from the midst of true brethren, making the deceptive nature of their teachings more difficult to discern, since we are more apt to trust those who we love. However, if their teachings and their lives were examined in light of the Scriptures, it would be discovered that their faith is not authentic. They would really be teaching a false gospel.
In their attempt to unify the religions of the earth by redefining Christianity in small steps in order to produce the least resistance as possible toward their goal of saving the planet by establishing "world peace", they have intentionally sought to confuse or replace the true gospel with a false gospel. Those with discernment are seeking to maintain a clear distinction between the beliefs and practices of the one world religion that is forming and authentic Christianity. This is absolutely necessary, lest those who are genuinely seeking the truth become confused by the propaganda and the blatantly deceptive language and are swept into a strong delusion that is falling upon the whole world. We must have such a love for and commitment to the truth that produces within us an unwavering resilience and strength of spirit, regardless of the pressure or the persecution that is surely to come.
It really is time to "come out" of the world system (Babylon); to be distinguished and peculiar in an age of relativism, deception, and rebellion against God's precepts. God has one language that He speaks, and we must come into agreement with Him at all costs. Do not let anyone confuse the language (message) you have received from Him through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and obedience to His Word. Don't let ANYONE tell you that you need something more than Jesus Christ and the Bible. He is the ONLY way to the Father.
Since that time, man has sought a way to return to that place where all mankind was unified and "nothing they imagine will be impossible for them." It is common knowledge that a life-threatening crisis or a catastrophe has the necessary impact to force people to reevaluate priorities and unite with others to find or be a part of the solution that will divert or arrest the looming crisis. In order to unite mankind, it was necessary to globalize the crisis. If the looming crisis was global, then it would require a "global response". What is the crisis being preached and marketed? Global destruction. The earth (mother nature) is in a complete upheaval. Why? The common belief is that humanity's "negativity" is responsible for all the woes of the planet. If all men would stop fighting amongst themselves, we would no longer have earthquakes, tsunamis, or any of the other disasters that are rapidly increasing in strength and occurrence in the world, because as we are being told, "we are all one." If mankind is connected to the earth, then it would make sense that "world peace" would solve creation's rebellion. Thus, the goal that the nations are vigorously striving to rally everyone around is "saving the planet." In order to attain that goal, they are seeking to unite all the world's religions into a universal religion because the heart and soul of a man is found in what he believes.
In order to unite the religions that generally oppose one another, a common language has been needed. Within the last 20 years, the emergence of terms and practices commonly used in New Age circles have made their appearance in Evangelical, Charismatic, and Ecumenical circles. It has been a slow, steady stream, so as not to cause a great alarm. Those who were drawn out of the New Age movement by the Lord immediately saw what was happening and began to sound the alarm. However, those whose ears have been dulled to truth, having been tickled by the false teachers and false prophets that are in the land, cannot hear the sound of the alarm. They are mesmerized by the soothing words and peaceful plans that these men falsely offer all of humanity. It all "sounds" like a "god" idea. Who would not want peace, unity, and love in the world? You'd be crazy to oppose such highly esteemed values.
But, truthfully, there are inherent theological problems connected to their vision for a better world. Most importantly, they seek to attain these values apart from Yeshua, the Son of God, which can never be done since Christ is the Door that leads to peace, unity of the faith (not faiths), and the fruit of love. Instead, they preach a false Christ, a "christ-consciousness" or divinity that is, apparently, resident in every human being, regardless of what they believe. They direct people toward new age philosophies and practices, such as meditation and contemplative prayer in order to somehow awaken them to that "christ-consciousness". But, unbeknownst to those who participate in such practices, they are actually opening themselves to receive spiritual experiences that will inevitably lead them through the wrong "door", placing them on the road to eternal destruction.
The language and expression of Christianity that used to be clear has now become so confused that it is easy to mistake the counterfeit for the genuine. The terms that are being used in Christianity today are sounding more and more new age with the passage of time, thus blurring the distinctions. There is also a growing number of ministers instructing people that spiritual or "mystical" experiences are important to validate and invigorate their faith, rather than obedience to the Word of God. It strikes me as odd that the Bible teaches that the last days will be marked by deep deception, forewarning all Christians to "take heed that no man deceives you" and "beware of wolves dressed like sheep", yet, there is rarely any teaching advising Christians to read and study the Word of God and cultivate a discerning heart. The Bible warns that these false brethren would appear to be genuine believers and disciples of Jesus Christ; they would even arise from the midst of true brethren, making the deceptive nature of their teachings more difficult to discern, since we are more apt to trust those who we love. However, if their teachings and their lives were examined in light of the Scriptures, it would be discovered that their faith is not authentic. They would really be teaching a false gospel.
In their attempt to unify the religions of the earth by redefining Christianity in small steps in order to produce the least resistance as possible toward their goal of saving the planet by establishing "world peace", they have intentionally sought to confuse or replace the true gospel with a false gospel. Those with discernment are seeking to maintain a clear distinction between the beliefs and practices of the one world religion that is forming and authentic Christianity. This is absolutely necessary, lest those who are genuinely seeking the truth become confused by the propaganda and the blatantly deceptive language and are swept into a strong delusion that is falling upon the whole world. We must have such a love for and commitment to the truth that produces within us an unwavering resilience and strength of spirit, regardless of the pressure or the persecution that is surely to come.
It really is time to "come out" of the world system (Babylon); to be distinguished and peculiar in an age of relativism, deception, and rebellion against God's precepts. God has one language that He speaks, and we must come into agreement with Him at all costs. Do not let anyone confuse the language (message) you have received from Him through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and obedience to His Word. Don't let ANYONE tell you that you need something more than Jesus Christ and the Bible. He is the ONLY way to the Father.
March 25, 2011
Spirit and Truth Worship: A Lifestyle
When I first heard someone preach about the passage in John 4, where Jesus tells the woman at the well that "the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him," I was a bewildered 19yr old. I had never heard that passage before, and for a very long time, I didn't understand what it meant. I would ask people who had knowledge of the Word of God to explain that passage to me, but every single one would give me an unsatisfactory answer. I would ask, "What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth?" They would reply, "It's spirit and truth worship." Huh? I was confused and no one seemed to be able to help me. You see, I LONGED to be a worshiper of God. If He was looking for a certain TYPE of worship and worshiper, then I wanted to BE that type of person and offer Him the kind of worship that He took delight in.
Rather than continuing to confer with man, I began to ask the Lord what He meant when He said that, and He began taking me on a journey through the scriptures to help me understand His meaning and intention. The Lord's desire has always been for a kingdom of priests; a people who would draw near to Him in love and adoration for who He is and out of that understanding walk in right relationship with Him and with others. He called the nation of Israel to stand before Him in that priestly role. He chose for Himself the tribe of Levi as those who would stand continually before Him and minister to Him. They would also minister to the people, teaching them the ways of God. Israel, in turn, would teach the nations what it meant to walk in righteousness, for the nations of the earth did as they pleased, walking in the imagination of their evil hearts, serving gods made of created things: Sun, moon, stars, water, wood, stone, etc. They did not realize that they were really serving demons, not gods.
Yahweh patiently taught the children of Israel His ways, so they would be careful to walk in them. Not doing so would produce disastrous results. He desired to bless them abundantly with His life and His peace, but He also would not violate their free will. He could not FORCE them to walk in agreement with Him. He, therefore, set before them a choice. Life or death. To choose life meant doing things His way. To choose death meant walking in opposition to Him and His ways.
The children of Israel, however, were stubborn and stiff-necked. They kicked against anything that looked like restraint. They looked at the nations and wanted their kind of freedom, not realizing that all along the nations were looking at Israel with jealousy in their hearts, greatly desiring what Israel had. Who had a god that provided for, cared for, nurtured, protected, and defended them like Israel's God? Not one nation on the earth had that kind of relationship with their god. What god made their presence known like Israel's God? None. There was and is no one that compares with Him. Yet, Israel could not see that they were special. They just saw that they were different, in a negative sense. Throughout their time in the wilderness, they groaned against God and ached for the comforts of Egypt (though life enslaved in Egypt was by no means comfortable). That sort of attitude eventually kept them from entering the land that God promised them. Their evil heart of unbelief and their slavery mentality was more than God could stand.
The interesting thing to note is that not EVERYONE in that generation was kept from entering the promised land. There were two, out of an entire generation, that believed God. These two, Joshua and Caleb, were those who actually drew near to God. Long after Moses departed from the tabernacle, it is said that Joshua remained behind to seek the Lord. The scriptures say that Joshua and Caleb were of a different spirit. They carried themselves differently. When God said, "Draw near," Joshua and Caleb did not hesitate. They did not stand in their tent doors at a distance and tell Moses to hear God for them. They wanted direct communication with their Maker. The proof of this is found in their response to God. Their actions communicated their love(worship) for God.
Many generations later, God would speak through Isaiah the prophet words that still ring true to this very day. "This people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their fear of me is taught by the precept of men." With each passing generation, God felt the ache for a people who's hearts were closing themselves off to Him. A growing list of rules and regulations to be strictly observed by the people, taught by scholars, teachers of the Law, and Elders took the place of heartfelt devotion and sincere worship. Relationship with God became mechanical and legalistic. With each passing year, God's wife became more distant, rigid, and unresponsive to His voice. They performed all the rituals that God had written in the Law, but it was with a cold and unyielding heart. They were just going through the motions of devotion. Behind the scenes, they were actually committing adultery. Religion (legalism) always quenches the fire that Love has ignited within the human heart, which eventually leads to living a double life, full of hypocrisy.
In Ezekiel 36, God gives a promise to Israel. He says, "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My Holy Name's sake which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went... I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."
The coming of Jesus was the beginning of the fulfillment of that promise. He came to show us the Father. He came to reveal the thoughts and intentions of the Father's heart toward His people. He violently opposed the religious Pharisees, who placed a stumbling block before the people, preventing them from entering the kingdom and living a life of true and heartfelt worship. This stumbling block was the traditions of men. By these traditions, they made the word of God of no effect. For example, in Mark 7, the Pharisees gathered to Jesus after seeing that His disciples hadn't washed their hands before sitting down to eat. They asked Him why His disciples didn't adhere to the traditions passed down by their fathers but ate with hands unwashed and ceremonially unclean. Jesus stunning answer was, "Excellently and truly did Isaiah prophesy of you, the pretenders and hypocrites, as it stands written: These people [constantly] honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far distant from Me. In vain do they worship Me, ordering and teaching as doctrines to be obeyed the commandments and precepts of men. You disregard the commandment of God and cling to the tradition of men [keeping it carefully and faithfully]. You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition (your own human regulations)! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and, He who curses or reviles or speaks evil of or abuses or treats improperly his father or mother, let him surely die. But you say, A man is exempt if he tells father or mother, 'What you would otherwise have gained from me [everything I have that would have been of use to you] is Corban(a gift already given as an offering to God),' then you (Pharisees) no longer are permitting him to do anything for [his] father or mother [but are letting him off from helping them].Thus you are nullifying and making void and of no effect [the authority of] the Word of God through your tradition, which you [in turn] hand on. And many things of this kind you are doing." Mark 7:6-13 They had placed their traditions above God's word, thus stripping the Word of God of its life-giving power and blessing.
Essentially, what Jesus did throughout His ministry, was to call God's people back to the two greatest commandments, "Loving God with everything and loving others." He even said that all the law and the prophets hung on those two commandments. How did He call them back? He taught them that it wasn't about "the letter" of the law, but about "the spirit" of the law. "You have heard that it was said you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that whoever so much as looks at a woman to LUST after her has committed adultery with her in his heart." Living by the SPIRIT of the Law was very different because it literally forced people to examine their motives and attitudes. In the epistles, Paul teaches that if you walk in the spirit you will not gratify the lusts of the flesh. This is worship that is acceptable to God. Paul told us to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable worship."
When speaking to the woman at the well, Jesus said, "A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither in this mountain nor yet in Jerusalem." God was about to do something significant and unprecedented. He was about to make His dwelling place the spirit of man. To all those who believed on Jesus and put their trust in Him, the Father gave them the right to become His children, sending His very own Spirit to live within them and witness with their spirit that they are indeed the children of God. Man became a temple for the Holy Spirit, and the kingdom of priests that would fulfill the great longing of God's heart to disciple every nation in the ways of God by living a life of love(worship) toward God and love(honor and service) toward one another. This would prove to be the most powerful demonstration of God's presence with His people. "By this, all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35
Therefore, to worship the Father in spirit and in truth is simply having a living and vibrant relationship with God by allowing His Spirit to perform His work in you that will bring you into proper alignment with His truth and reveal the depths of His love to your heart. By allowing His love and His truth to take root in you, you will begin to walk in agreement with what He says is true about Himself and about you and about others, essentially causing you to walk in the Spirit. When we choose to walk in opposition to the truth revealed to us in God's word by His Spirit within us regarding His identity, your identity, and the identity of other people, we close ourselves off to the life of God, and we slowly begin to die.
I firmly believe that this is why many of God's people are not flourishing like they should. There are still places within that are walking contrary to God's love and His truth. John writes in 3John 1:2, "I wish above all things that you would prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers." Walking in the Spirit will lead us into life and peace. He will reveal the truth to us, which always liberates, heals, and restores our soul. If we are not flourishing, we need to examine whether we are living the lifestyle that marks true worshipers.
Rather than continuing to confer with man, I began to ask the Lord what He meant when He said that, and He began taking me on a journey through the scriptures to help me understand His meaning and intention. The Lord's desire has always been for a kingdom of priests; a people who would draw near to Him in love and adoration for who He is and out of that understanding walk in right relationship with Him and with others. He called the nation of Israel to stand before Him in that priestly role. He chose for Himself the tribe of Levi as those who would stand continually before Him and minister to Him. They would also minister to the people, teaching them the ways of God. Israel, in turn, would teach the nations what it meant to walk in righteousness, for the nations of the earth did as they pleased, walking in the imagination of their evil hearts, serving gods made of created things: Sun, moon, stars, water, wood, stone, etc. They did not realize that they were really serving demons, not gods.
Yahweh patiently taught the children of Israel His ways, so they would be careful to walk in them. Not doing so would produce disastrous results. He desired to bless them abundantly with His life and His peace, but He also would not violate their free will. He could not FORCE them to walk in agreement with Him. He, therefore, set before them a choice. Life or death. To choose life meant doing things His way. To choose death meant walking in opposition to Him and His ways.
The children of Israel, however, were stubborn and stiff-necked. They kicked against anything that looked like restraint. They looked at the nations and wanted their kind of freedom, not realizing that all along the nations were looking at Israel with jealousy in their hearts, greatly desiring what Israel had. Who had a god that provided for, cared for, nurtured, protected, and defended them like Israel's God? Not one nation on the earth had that kind of relationship with their god. What god made their presence known like Israel's God? None. There was and is no one that compares with Him. Yet, Israel could not see that they were special. They just saw that they were different, in a negative sense. Throughout their time in the wilderness, they groaned against God and ached for the comforts of Egypt (though life enslaved in Egypt was by no means comfortable). That sort of attitude eventually kept them from entering the land that God promised them. Their evil heart of unbelief and their slavery mentality was more than God could stand.
The interesting thing to note is that not EVERYONE in that generation was kept from entering the promised land. There were two, out of an entire generation, that believed God. These two, Joshua and Caleb, were those who actually drew near to God. Long after Moses departed from the tabernacle, it is said that Joshua remained behind to seek the Lord. The scriptures say that Joshua and Caleb were of a different spirit. They carried themselves differently. When God said, "Draw near," Joshua and Caleb did not hesitate. They did not stand in their tent doors at a distance and tell Moses to hear God for them. They wanted direct communication with their Maker. The proof of this is found in their response to God. Their actions communicated their love(worship) for God.
Many generations later, God would speak through Isaiah the prophet words that still ring true to this very day. "This people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their fear of me is taught by the precept of men." With each passing generation, God felt the ache for a people who's hearts were closing themselves off to Him. A growing list of rules and regulations to be strictly observed by the people, taught by scholars, teachers of the Law, and Elders took the place of heartfelt devotion and sincere worship. Relationship with God became mechanical and legalistic. With each passing year, God's wife became more distant, rigid, and unresponsive to His voice. They performed all the rituals that God had written in the Law, but it was with a cold and unyielding heart. They were just going through the motions of devotion. Behind the scenes, they were actually committing adultery. Religion (legalism) always quenches the fire that Love has ignited within the human heart, which eventually leads to living a double life, full of hypocrisy.
In Ezekiel 36, God gives a promise to Israel. He says, "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My Holy Name's sake which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went... I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."
The coming of Jesus was the beginning of the fulfillment of that promise. He came to show us the Father. He came to reveal the thoughts and intentions of the Father's heart toward His people. He violently opposed the religious Pharisees, who placed a stumbling block before the people, preventing them from entering the kingdom and living a life of true and heartfelt worship. This stumbling block was the traditions of men. By these traditions, they made the word of God of no effect. For example, in Mark 7, the Pharisees gathered to Jesus after seeing that His disciples hadn't washed their hands before sitting down to eat. They asked Him why His disciples didn't adhere to the traditions passed down by their fathers but ate with hands unwashed and ceremonially unclean. Jesus stunning answer was, "Excellently and truly did Isaiah prophesy of you, the pretenders and hypocrites, as it stands written: These people [constantly] honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far distant from Me. In vain do they worship Me, ordering and teaching as doctrines to be obeyed the commandments and precepts of men. You disregard the commandment of God and cling to the tradition of men [keeping it carefully and faithfully]. You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition (your own human regulations)! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and, He who curses or reviles or speaks evil of or abuses or treats improperly his father or mother, let him surely die. But you say, A man is exempt if he tells father or mother, 'What you would otherwise have gained from me [everything I have that would have been of use to you] is Corban(a gift already given as an offering to God),' then you (Pharisees) no longer are permitting him to do anything for [his] father or mother [but are letting him off from helping them].Thus you are nullifying and making void and of no effect [the authority of] the Word of God through your tradition, which you [in turn] hand on. And many things of this kind you are doing." Mark 7:6-13 They had placed their traditions above God's word, thus stripping the Word of God of its life-giving power and blessing.
Essentially, what Jesus did throughout His ministry, was to call God's people back to the two greatest commandments, "Loving God with everything and loving others." He even said that all the law and the prophets hung on those two commandments. How did He call them back? He taught them that it wasn't about "the letter" of the law, but about "the spirit" of the law. "You have heard that it was said you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that whoever so much as looks at a woman to LUST after her has committed adultery with her in his heart." Living by the SPIRIT of the Law was very different because it literally forced people to examine their motives and attitudes. In the epistles, Paul teaches that if you walk in the spirit you will not gratify the lusts of the flesh. This is worship that is acceptable to God. Paul told us to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable worship."
When speaking to the woman at the well, Jesus said, "A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither in this mountain nor yet in Jerusalem." God was about to do something significant and unprecedented. He was about to make His dwelling place the spirit of man. To all those who believed on Jesus and put their trust in Him, the Father gave them the right to become His children, sending His very own Spirit to live within them and witness with their spirit that they are indeed the children of God. Man became a temple for the Holy Spirit, and the kingdom of priests that would fulfill the great longing of God's heart to disciple every nation in the ways of God by living a life of love(worship) toward God and love(honor and service) toward one another. This would prove to be the most powerful demonstration of God's presence with His people. "By this, all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35
Therefore, to worship the Father in spirit and in truth is simply having a living and vibrant relationship with God by allowing His Spirit to perform His work in you that will bring you into proper alignment with His truth and reveal the depths of His love to your heart. By allowing His love and His truth to take root in you, you will begin to walk in agreement with what He says is true about Himself and about you and about others, essentially causing you to walk in the Spirit. When we choose to walk in opposition to the truth revealed to us in God's word by His Spirit within us regarding His identity, your identity, and the identity of other people, we close ourselves off to the life of God, and we slowly begin to die.
I firmly believe that this is why many of God's people are not flourishing like they should. There are still places within that are walking contrary to God's love and His truth. John writes in 3John 1:2, "I wish above all things that you would prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers." Walking in the Spirit will lead us into life and peace. He will reveal the truth to us, which always liberates, heals, and restores our soul. If we are not flourishing, we need to examine whether we are living the lifestyle that marks true worshipers.
March 23, 2011
Are You Willing to Leave?
The other night I had a dream that I feel is important enough to publish in a public space. It was not a long dream. It was, however, a warning...and a challenge.
In the dream, I was at a rally for the Unborn. I was with friends that I loved well; one of the girls I thought I knew. I did not realize it was really her IDENTICAL TWIN. I thought that I was fighting FOR the Unborn, until I realized that the message I heard from my camp was AGAINST the Unborn. I was shocked and abhorred. I looked around at all my friends; those I had lived with, traveled with, ministered with and realized I was in the wrong camp. I stood up and I voiced what I was feeling. One of the girls told me that they found support for their stance in the Scriptures. In the dream, it was a passage about a garment being thrown off. I stood up and angrily replied, "A baby is not just a garment that you can THROW off." And I left.
I made my way to the OTHER camp, and within its numbers I found other friends that I have known over the years, including the TWIN sister of the girl in the first camp. As I stood and spoke with them, I could hear a friend from the first camp yelling after me, trying to defend her position. The way I heard it sounded as if she were passing by because her voice steadily grew fainter at I stood and listened. The dream ended.
When I awoke, I was confused. I went over the dream in my mind but could not see how it related to anything. None of those people in the first camp would EVER support Abortion...what was that about? Must have been a pizza dream.
I got up and prepared for the day. While I stirred my oatmeal, bubbling on the stove, the dream came back to my mind. I thought it through again, but still could not understand what it could mean, if anything. I ate breakfast and settled into a chair in the sitting room to read. Instead of reading, however, the Holy Spirit began talking to me about the dream and its meaning.
It was not about Abortion at all. The Lord's intention in utilizing that issue was to convey the weight and importance of the issue to my heart. It was about the NON-NEGOTIABLE issues in my life. The issues I just WON'T compromise...that CAN'T be compromised. In the Lord's heart, the issues that comprise our Faith - Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood for the remission and forgiveness of sin, complete and uncompromising obedience to the Word of God ALONE, which is my only source of truth and reality. These are NON-NEGOTIABLE.
Those in the dream represented those I am near to; those I know, respect, and love who are dear brothers and sisters in the faith. They had severely compromised a NON-NEGOTIABLE issue and justified it by twisting the Scriptures to fit their compromised belief. Not only that, but I had been led to believe that I was on the same side as they were; that we were fighting for the same thing...and we were NOT. This forced me into a place of decision. I had to be willing to leave those I loved and respected to join with those who were of the same mind and heart as me. When I joined the other camp I realized that even the CLOSEST kind of sibling had been divided over this issue. The dream was a warning and challenge from God that I need to take seriously. There may or...I have to be bold and honest...WILL be a time coming, or is here, when those you have called your friends: those you have lived with, traveled with, and ministered with will no longer place the same value on the NON-NEGOTIABLES of Scripture. In other words, they will SAY they believe in Jesus, but in practice they will contradict that belief. The Bible clearly says in I Timothy 4:1-3 that in the last days, some will depart from the faith "giving heed (paying attention) to seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats which God has created to be received with thanksgiving...". The specific false teachings mentioned here are simply two of the many teachings that began to infiltrate the Church in time. If you gave heed to these teachings it did not mean that you were immediately CUT OFF from the faith or the family of God, but giving heed (paying attention, listening, opening the door) to these sorts of doctrines opened you up to receive more and more false doctrine until you had completely abandoned the faith you once held to so tightly, having been LED ASTRAY.
There are many doctrines of demons that are currently being openly accepted and taught by mainstream Christianity that have the potential to shipwreck our faith. I don't believe that those teaching these doctrines are intentionally trying to lead people away from the Gospel, but the reality is that the messages being preached are so mixed, tainted, convoluted, and intertwined with subtle lies that it "seems" like the truth when it is NOT. Rather than expose the specific teachings being taught, I am just going to tell you how to escape the trap that is being laid for us by the devil.
1. Read, Study, and OBEY the Word of God
I can't stress the importance of this enough. This is how we keep ourselves in the love of God. Jesus tells us that when you hear His Word and obey it, you are like a wise man who builds his house upon a rock. Paul told Timothy to give time to study the scriptures in order to show himself to be an approved workman, able to divide the Word of Truth rightly. Jesus tells His disciples to ABIDE in HIM, the place from which we draw our life. To abide in His Word is to abide in Him. Jesus tells us that we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from God's mouth. The writer of Hebrews tells us that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword; it pierces even to the dividing of the soul and spirit; it discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart. By staying close to and living in the Word of God, we stay close to and abide in the love of Jesus. The more we seek the Lord through His Word, the more He will direct our steps, and the more we will know what God thinks and feels. This is called discernment.
2. Don't be afraid to discern and judge the teachings of those in ministry
We are told by Jesus to be WISE. Part of wisdom is knowing and discerning the truth from the lie. Jesus praised the Bereans for their diligence in searching the Scriptures in order to discern and expose the false apostles that were trying to lead His beloved sheep astray. I know that there are many teachers who try to dissuade Christians from even TRYING to discern if something is from the Lord or not, but if Jesus Himself told us that we would know a tree by it's fruit, then He was giving us permission to discern. We cannot neglect this matter or relegate it to those who seem wiser than us. One of the key issues in the end times is DECEPTION. Jesus continually warned us "not to be deceived". This places a demand on us to be watchful and wise...and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit and those who are of the same mind and heart.
3. Cultivate relationships with others living their faith in spirit and truth.
Being a christian takes more than tagging your car with a fish or saying a prayer of salvation in a church service. It is HARD to be a christian. It costs you everything you have and everything you are. Jesus said that the way to eternal life was NARROW and STRAIGHT, full of tribulations and adversity, and FEW there be that find it. It is VERY important to have good, honest, and CLOSE relationships with those who are LIVING their faith, rather than TALKING their faith. James tells us that faith without works is dead. This means that those who simply TALK about having faith don't really have it. It is those who SHOW their faith by their actions that truly have it. Those who have REAL life-giving faith are those who seek to consistently obey the Word of God...even to their hurt; those who have the fruits of the Spirit evident in their lives, even in spite of hard circumstances. These are the sort of people you want on your side. These people have a living relationship with the Father and cultivating a relationship with these people will help to spur you on in your own faith because their lives reflect something that is "other worldly", and it's contagious.
4. Signs and wonders are NOT the stamp of approval from heaven
Some people wrongly assume that when signs and wonders occur, heaven is nodding in agreement and approval at the message being preached. This is not always the case. Yes, miracles follow them that believe. A demonstration of power often accompanies the preaching of the Gospel. However, this is not a prerequisite. Signs and wonders often happen in occult and new age gatherings. Does that mean that heaven is nodding in agreement to THAT sort of message? No, of course not. This is when discretion and discernment play a part. If you find it hard to discern the truth in the moment, then take time to seek the Lord and ask Him to show you what the truth is. He promised to give wisdom to those who ask. He loves to reveal the truth to our hearts. It's one of His favorite things to do. Don't be afraid that you're going to somehow "miss" God if you decide to restrain yourself because you are uncertain. Some will tell you that you are being silly or religious. However, I have been in enough meetings where spiritual phenomenon was happening to know that most of it served to distract my attention from loving Jesus with all my heart. People became seekers of the phenomenon or experience rather than seekers of Jesus. If all I get is a supernatural experience, then I got ripped off because the experience doesn't transform the heart. If, however, I receive a deeper understanding of the person of Jesus Christ, then I've hit the jackpot, because that kind of understanding will change a person.
In the dream, I was at a rally for the Unborn. I was with friends that I loved well; one of the girls I thought I knew. I did not realize it was really her IDENTICAL TWIN. I thought that I was fighting FOR the Unborn, until I realized that the message I heard from my camp was AGAINST the Unborn. I was shocked and abhorred. I looked around at all my friends; those I had lived with, traveled with, ministered with and realized I was in the wrong camp. I stood up and I voiced what I was feeling. One of the girls told me that they found support for their stance in the Scriptures. In the dream, it was a passage about a garment being thrown off. I stood up and angrily replied, "A baby is not just a garment that you can THROW off." And I left.
I made my way to the OTHER camp, and within its numbers I found other friends that I have known over the years, including the TWIN sister of the girl in the first camp. As I stood and spoke with them, I could hear a friend from the first camp yelling after me, trying to defend her position. The way I heard it sounded as if she were passing by because her voice steadily grew fainter at I stood and listened. The dream ended.
When I awoke, I was confused. I went over the dream in my mind but could not see how it related to anything. None of those people in the first camp would EVER support Abortion...what was that about? Must have been a pizza dream.
I got up and prepared for the day. While I stirred my oatmeal, bubbling on the stove, the dream came back to my mind. I thought it through again, but still could not understand what it could mean, if anything. I ate breakfast and settled into a chair in the sitting room to read. Instead of reading, however, the Holy Spirit began talking to me about the dream and its meaning.
It was not about Abortion at all. The Lord's intention in utilizing that issue was to convey the weight and importance of the issue to my heart. It was about the NON-NEGOTIABLE issues in my life. The issues I just WON'T compromise...that CAN'T be compromised. In the Lord's heart, the issues that comprise our Faith - Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood for the remission and forgiveness of sin, complete and uncompromising obedience to the Word of God ALONE, which is my only source of truth and reality. These are NON-NEGOTIABLE.
Those in the dream represented those I am near to; those I know, respect, and love who are dear brothers and sisters in the faith. They had severely compromised a NON-NEGOTIABLE issue and justified it by twisting the Scriptures to fit their compromised belief. Not only that, but I had been led to believe that I was on the same side as they were; that we were fighting for the same thing...and we were NOT. This forced me into a place of decision. I had to be willing to leave those I loved and respected to join with those who were of the same mind and heart as me. When I joined the other camp I realized that even the CLOSEST kind of sibling had been divided over this issue. The dream was a warning and challenge from God that I need to take seriously. There may or...I have to be bold and honest...WILL be a time coming, or is here, when those you have called your friends: those you have lived with, traveled with, and ministered with will no longer place the same value on the NON-NEGOTIABLES of Scripture. In other words, they will SAY they believe in Jesus, but in practice they will contradict that belief. The Bible clearly says in I Timothy 4:1-3 that in the last days, some will depart from the faith "giving heed (paying attention) to seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats which God has created to be received with thanksgiving...". The specific false teachings mentioned here are simply two of the many teachings that began to infiltrate the Church in time. If you gave heed to these teachings it did not mean that you were immediately CUT OFF from the faith or the family of God, but giving heed (paying attention, listening, opening the door) to these sorts of doctrines opened you up to receive more and more false doctrine until you had completely abandoned the faith you once held to so tightly, having been LED ASTRAY.
There are many doctrines of demons that are currently being openly accepted and taught by mainstream Christianity that have the potential to shipwreck our faith. I don't believe that those teaching these doctrines are intentionally trying to lead people away from the Gospel, but the reality is that the messages being preached are so mixed, tainted, convoluted, and intertwined with subtle lies that it "seems" like the truth when it is NOT. Rather than expose the specific teachings being taught, I am just going to tell you how to escape the trap that is being laid for us by the devil.
1. Read, Study, and OBEY the Word of God
I can't stress the importance of this enough. This is how we keep ourselves in the love of God. Jesus tells us that when you hear His Word and obey it, you are like a wise man who builds his house upon a rock. Paul told Timothy to give time to study the scriptures in order to show himself to be an approved workman, able to divide the Word of Truth rightly. Jesus tells His disciples to ABIDE in HIM, the place from which we draw our life. To abide in His Word is to abide in Him. Jesus tells us that we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from God's mouth. The writer of Hebrews tells us that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword; it pierces even to the dividing of the soul and spirit; it discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart. By staying close to and living in the Word of God, we stay close to and abide in the love of Jesus. The more we seek the Lord through His Word, the more He will direct our steps, and the more we will know what God thinks and feels. This is called discernment.
2. Don't be afraid to discern and judge the teachings of those in ministry
We are told by Jesus to be WISE. Part of wisdom is knowing and discerning the truth from the lie. Jesus praised the Bereans for their diligence in searching the Scriptures in order to discern and expose the false apostles that were trying to lead His beloved sheep astray. I know that there are many teachers who try to dissuade Christians from even TRYING to discern if something is from the Lord or not, but if Jesus Himself told us that we would know a tree by it's fruit, then He was giving us permission to discern. We cannot neglect this matter or relegate it to those who seem wiser than us. One of the key issues in the end times is DECEPTION. Jesus continually warned us "not to be deceived". This places a demand on us to be watchful and wise...and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit and those who are of the same mind and heart.
3. Cultivate relationships with others living their faith in spirit and truth.
Being a christian takes more than tagging your car with a fish or saying a prayer of salvation in a church service. It is HARD to be a christian. It costs you everything you have and everything you are. Jesus said that the way to eternal life was NARROW and STRAIGHT, full of tribulations and adversity, and FEW there be that find it. It is VERY important to have good, honest, and CLOSE relationships with those who are LIVING their faith, rather than TALKING their faith. James tells us that faith without works is dead. This means that those who simply TALK about having faith don't really have it. It is those who SHOW their faith by their actions that truly have it. Those who have REAL life-giving faith are those who seek to consistently obey the Word of God...even to their hurt; those who have the fruits of the Spirit evident in their lives, even in spite of hard circumstances. These are the sort of people you want on your side. These people have a living relationship with the Father and cultivating a relationship with these people will help to spur you on in your own faith because their lives reflect something that is "other worldly", and it's contagious.
4. Signs and wonders are NOT the stamp of approval from heaven
Some people wrongly assume that when signs and wonders occur, heaven is nodding in agreement and approval at the message being preached. This is not always the case. Yes, miracles follow them that believe. A demonstration of power often accompanies the preaching of the Gospel. However, this is not a prerequisite. Signs and wonders often happen in occult and new age gatherings. Does that mean that heaven is nodding in agreement to THAT sort of message? No, of course not. This is when discretion and discernment play a part. If you find it hard to discern the truth in the moment, then take time to seek the Lord and ask Him to show you what the truth is. He promised to give wisdom to those who ask. He loves to reveal the truth to our hearts. It's one of His favorite things to do. Don't be afraid that you're going to somehow "miss" God if you decide to restrain yourself because you are uncertain. Some will tell you that you are being silly or religious. However, I have been in enough meetings where spiritual phenomenon was happening to know that most of it served to distract my attention from loving Jesus with all my heart. People became seekers of the phenomenon or experience rather than seekers of Jesus. If all I get is a supernatural experience, then I got ripped off because the experience doesn't transform the heart. If, however, I receive a deeper understanding of the person of Jesus Christ, then I've hit the jackpot, because that kind of understanding will change a person.
March 15, 2011
Why the Fists Toward Heaven?
The videos capturing the surge of water that carried life away on Saturday in Japan left an indelible mark upon my heart. A group of us gathered on Sunday at a monthly meeting called Worship at the River in Troutdale, OR in a sweet little wedding venue at the edge of town. During the meeting, we got the opportunity to pray for Japan...and her people, being blessed with the presence of a Japanese exchange student, who did not know Jesus and would be going home in another week. She did not understand much English and we did not understand Japanese, but touching her was like touching the people of Japan and their pain. We wanted to sing in Japanese, "God Help Japan"...something we thought would be simple to learn. It was not. Instead, we had her repeat the phrase over and over as we prayed blessings over Japan and cried for mercy and salvation from the Lord for the nation and the people. As the girl continued to repeat the phrase, she began to cry. It was so touching and many in the room began to cry as well, including myself. Such a simple prayer...yet, so powerful. For God hears every word from a sincere heart. The girl had been able to communicate with her family and they were all fine...but how many others were not? So many precious lives were lost. What is our response? There is no doubt in my mind that God LOVES Japan. All the nations of the earth are precious to Him - and they don't know it.
Each ensuing natural disaster where there is profound destruction and loss of life leaves many asking questions that have difficult and uncomfortable answers. The number one question that I hear so often after a crisis is, "Did God do this?" Whenever we say, "No." The next question or comment is, "Well, if He didn't cause it, did He allow it?" When we say, "Yes," they raise their fist to the heavens and say, "How can a God of love allow such untold suffering to so many people?" And they begin to accuse Him.
I can say without conflicting emotions that God is surely a God of love that deeply cares about human beings. If He did not, He would NEVER have sent His only Son to die such a brutal death in order to reconcile the world back to Himself. He would not have cared that we understand His character and His heart, displayed so perfectly in the life of Jesus. He came for the sole purpose of showing us the Father; revealing His love and concern for us; His intention and desire for us to know Him as He is. Without such a pure representation in the earth, men who claimed to represent God would have continued to MIS-represent Him and keep people from entering into direct relationship with Him. However, He is also a God that will not allow men to continue in undisturbed delusion. Eternity is bearing down upon planet Earth and unless men are awoken from their slumber, through whatever means God deems necessary to perform that task, then much more human life will be lost in the Great Judgment that IS coming. Eternity is what matters, not the temporal reality that we have constructed for ourselves. We cannot continue worshiping false gods and expect the One True God to wink His eye at such idolatry forever. The question I ask is, will men awaken? Will they see their lives as mere grass - as vapor - and turn to the One True God, who loves them so dearly, desiring to adopt them and make them His own? The media, who has replaced God with Mother Nature, will not give such a call. We must pray that God would send out His laborers into the field that is white for harvest. We must pray that God would grant repentance to those He is calling unto Himself. We must petition the Holy Spirit to convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
When Jesus walked among men, He was asked many times about the signs that would precede His coming. He did not hide the fact that the signs would include global unrest and widespread natural disasters. He was up front about this. Whenever He spoke about such events, He never told His disciples to go and find a place to hide or to stock up on guns and ammunition. He didn't tell His disciples to protect themselves. He told them, "DO NOT FEAR. These things will come, but don't be afraid. Fear will be widespread, and lawlessness will abound. Love will grow cold because of iniquity. However, if you belong to ME, you have nothing to be afraid of. Only take care that no man deceives you." This is what Jesus was MOST concerned about. Take heed that you are not deceived. Jesus will be with us in the fire and in the flood. He told us that He would NEVER forsake us. But, beloved, the last days will be a time when people will give heed to deceiving spirits and be led astray by them. It will be a time when people will place more confidence in man's ways than in obeying and being true to the Word of God, because obeying the Word of God will be the difficult path to follow. This is why Jesus said,"When I return, will I find faith on the earth?"
The seducing spirits will cause men and women to love themselves and do what "feels right" to THEM. This will open them up to receive instructions that are in conflict with the Truth of God's Word, which will lead them away from the Faith, and give way to lawlessness. Marriages across the land are being devastated because they are giving heed to seducing spirits. Children are being disobedient and dishonoring to their parents because they've given heed to seducing spirits. A spirit of repentance is required to break away from this sort of seduction and a returning to God's Word as our only source of Truth and Light.
There is no reason to shake our fists at heaven for the earthquakes and the devastation. There is a need, however, for time on our knees and a humbling of our hearts before the God of all creation who is, indeed, a God of infinite, immeasurable love. He will save us if we call upon the name of Jesus with a genuine heart of repentance, and He will keep us in these troubling times. This is His promise to us...and He NEVER breaks His promises.
Each ensuing natural disaster where there is profound destruction and loss of life leaves many asking questions that have difficult and uncomfortable answers. The number one question that I hear so often after a crisis is, "Did God do this?" Whenever we say, "No." The next question or comment is, "Well, if He didn't cause it, did He allow it?" When we say, "Yes," they raise their fist to the heavens and say, "How can a God of love allow such untold suffering to so many people?" And they begin to accuse Him.
I can say without conflicting emotions that God is surely a God of love that deeply cares about human beings. If He did not, He would NEVER have sent His only Son to die such a brutal death in order to reconcile the world back to Himself. He would not have cared that we understand His character and His heart, displayed so perfectly in the life of Jesus. He came for the sole purpose of showing us the Father; revealing His love and concern for us; His intention and desire for us to know Him as He is. Without such a pure representation in the earth, men who claimed to represent God would have continued to MIS-represent Him and keep people from entering into direct relationship with Him. However, He is also a God that will not allow men to continue in undisturbed delusion. Eternity is bearing down upon planet Earth and unless men are awoken from their slumber, through whatever means God deems necessary to perform that task, then much more human life will be lost in the Great Judgment that IS coming. Eternity is what matters, not the temporal reality that we have constructed for ourselves. We cannot continue worshiping false gods and expect the One True God to wink His eye at such idolatry forever. The question I ask is, will men awaken? Will they see their lives as mere grass - as vapor - and turn to the One True God, who loves them so dearly, desiring to adopt them and make them His own? The media, who has replaced God with Mother Nature, will not give such a call. We must pray that God would send out His laborers into the field that is white for harvest. We must pray that God would grant repentance to those He is calling unto Himself. We must petition the Holy Spirit to convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
When Jesus walked among men, He was asked many times about the signs that would precede His coming. He did not hide the fact that the signs would include global unrest and widespread natural disasters. He was up front about this. Whenever He spoke about such events, He never told His disciples to go and find a place to hide or to stock up on guns and ammunition. He didn't tell His disciples to protect themselves. He told them, "DO NOT FEAR. These things will come, but don't be afraid. Fear will be widespread, and lawlessness will abound. Love will grow cold because of iniquity. However, if you belong to ME, you have nothing to be afraid of. Only take care that no man deceives you." This is what Jesus was MOST concerned about. Take heed that you are not deceived. Jesus will be with us in the fire and in the flood. He told us that He would NEVER forsake us. But, beloved, the last days will be a time when people will give heed to deceiving spirits and be led astray by them. It will be a time when people will place more confidence in man's ways than in obeying and being true to the Word of God, because obeying the Word of God will be the difficult path to follow. This is why Jesus said,"When I return, will I find faith on the earth?"
The seducing spirits will cause men and women to love themselves and do what "feels right" to THEM. This will open them up to receive instructions that are in conflict with the Truth of God's Word, which will lead them away from the Faith, and give way to lawlessness. Marriages across the land are being devastated because they are giving heed to seducing spirits. Children are being disobedient and dishonoring to their parents because they've given heed to seducing spirits. A spirit of repentance is required to break away from this sort of seduction and a returning to God's Word as our only source of Truth and Light.
There is no reason to shake our fists at heaven for the earthquakes and the devastation. There is a need, however, for time on our knees and a humbling of our hearts before the God of all creation who is, indeed, a God of infinite, immeasurable love. He will save us if we call upon the name of Jesus with a genuine heart of repentance, and He will keep us in these troubling times. This is His promise to us...and He NEVER breaks His promises.
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