Don’t Be Led Astray, Lead To Truth!

“I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.  As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.” (I John 2:26, 27 NIV)

Before true understanding of what is said in this blog can be attained, one must know and understand what John is saying, in the previous verses. He is warning us to not be led astray by those who profess to know truth, but they lie and the truth is not in them.

Anyone– and it does not matter who they are or what title they hold–who tells people that sin does not upset God, lies! If they lie about what God says, they also lie about any title they hold because God does not promote liars since He hates all  liars. Apostle, Bishop, Prophet, Pastor, Evangelist–no title held, given by man, is proof of God’s promotion; especially if lies stream from the mouths of those holding the positions. The first sin they commit is–lying! Why do people lie about sin? Primarily, they lie to make themselves feel better. If they can convince others that their behavior is not sinful, they are more likely to continue engagement in sin and will encourage others to do the same. When a person is not willing to allow God’s Word to rule in their life and they demonstrate it by living according to the world, it is an indicator that “flesh” (influenced by Satan) rules.

If we profess to have the Spirit of God living within us, guiding us, and counseling us, we will not say anything other than what He says. Holy Spirit will never contradict God’s Word because He speaks as God speaks. When we lie, steal, cheat, abuse and misuse others–Satan has influenced and in many cases, since people won’t acknowledge Satan’s influence, he rules in their lives. What better way for him to rule than to have people disavow his existence? Isn’t this why people say God doesn’t exist so they can live any way they want to live?

When God’s Word is our guide to living, we demonstrate that by doing what He says and not what we feel like doing. We recognize counterfeit teachings and will not follow those who are counterfeits. We do not trust those who speak confusion–opposition to God’s Word because we know God is not the author of confusion and we know who is. Any confusion in the minds of those who profess belief in God have been led astray–doubt about God, self, and The Word–confusion created by Satan so he can reign and destroy hope.

Don’t be led astray by those who are actually counterfeits! Lead others into the truth of God’s Word by knowing Truth and in recognizing when the enemy is trying to influence. Be bold and very courageous in speaking God’s Truth, never wavering or fearful of what the enemy might do because he has no power over those who allow Holy Spirit to lead their lives.

Jesus is Lord and the devil has no power over those who truly Believe!

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Who Has Bewitched You? (Part 3)

Yet speaking to preachers, getting to the heart of the matter!

“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:9-11 NIV).

            People have a chance to get things right with God, but repentance must take place, first—total turning away from all acts of sin—and turning to God and living according to His Word.  Jesus died so we would have access to heaven and though there are some who believe that our time on the planet now is either heaven or hell, I choose to believe God and will wait for His Son’s return so I can be with Him for all eternity.

There have been myriad attempts to justify man’s behavior by saying, “it’s not in the Bible.  God didn’t say anything about homosexuality.  Jesus never mentioned anything.” I have to wonder about the reading comprehension levels of people saying such things.

When the woman was caught in “the very act” of adultery, Jesus had this to say about her accusers when they left.

“No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin (He addressed every sin included in the law already revealed—Notice, He did not say “sins” because any and all sin is sin)” (John 8:11 NIV).

The following is a list of words that are not mentioned in the bible, but the acts for the most part are graphically described and those acts were later “defined and labeled by contemporary society.” Note that while some “labels/names” used now were not used then, the intent or the act is still the same and so are the consequences.

Homosexuality—Already discussed in Leviticus and Romans.  A label given by man.

Rape—Not mentioned but clearly understood by those who have adequate reading comprehension in the reading of those stories as told by Moses in Genesis, Numbers, and by what happened to David’s children. A label given by man.

Incest—not mentioned, but clearly described.  A label given by man.

Molestation—not mentioned, but clearly described.  Label given by man.

AIDS/HIV—not mentioned, but already discussed in Deuteronomy. Labels of illnesses, given by man.  “The LORD will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed” (Deuteronomy 28:61).

Depression—not mentioned, but clearly identifiable when reading comprehension is above average.  A label given by man.

Depravation—(to make morally bad or evil, or corrupt) not mentioned in the Bible, but clearly identifiable by descriptive acts throughout the Bible.   A label given by man.

Political Correctness—certainly mentioned in the bible and I cannot even clearly discern a description of such as we attempt to promote it.  It is simply a label given by man, to make sure politicians can maintain their status in a politically charged arena.

There are many other “labels” we have given people and things that do not appear in the bible—too many to list in the space of this commentary.  We, “mankind” have always determined what labels are applied to people and things.  Many forms of illnesses were not named, until someone decided to name them.  The symptoms or results of the illness did not change—only the name.  The act of sexual depravation has not changed, only the name.

The bottom line is this—people are going to do exactly what they want to do—in total opposition to God and self.  So, just get to it.  But do stop trying to twist God’s Word so you won’t have to feel guilty.  God knows better.  Remember this—there are consequences for our actions—good and bad—we choose our consequence by what we do; especially when we say—we have a relationship with God.  Don’t let the enemy continue to bewitch you—see the need to seek God and know that He has only your best interests in mind.  God loves you and so do I. The enemy could care less about you.  So, don’t get the truth twisted. Open your heart to hear what the Spirit of the Lord has to say, not the fickle-mindedness of man. Those who deceive and lie have neither heaven nor hell for us for our eternal resting place.  Gratification of the flesh for a limited time is not worth losing a mansion for eternity or living with the negative consequences of disobedience. It’s a choice we all have to make—follow Christ or follow the enemy. The choice is now yours!

Father, in the name of Jesus, Help us to understand that Your Word is our guideline for living and in positioning ourselves to receive Your best for us. Help us to shield our minds from the tricks of the enemy who will influence any caught up in the lust of the flesh.  Help us to stay focused on being everything You desire us to be.  Speak to our hearts and help us to turn away from anything that is not like You.  Help us to love unconditionally, so others will come into a true knowledge of what it is to be a follower of Jesus Christ.  We declare all lies exposed and all liars exposed for all to see who really know who You are and how we are to live.

Who Has Bewitched You? (Part 2)

Still Talking to Preachers!

Paul addresses the issue of sin, grace, and the law quite adequately without there being a need for me to be redundant, but I have to say, that Paul was a very wise man—knowing exactly how “mankind” would oppose themselves to God.  Paul knew the law; he was instructed in the law and promoted because of his understanding of those things not permitted under the law.   But when he met Jesus, he gained even greater insight to understanding God and grace.

When he wrote his letter to the church at Galatia, he was appalled at those who had been introduced to the gospel of Jesus Christ and had accepted Him as their personal Savior and yet denied the power of The Spirit to guide.  He had to remind them of a number of things and they are revealed in Galatians.  He’s concerned that the enemy (anyone opposed to God) has enticed them by witchcraft or cast a spell on them with their attempts to keep people under the letter of the law.  He reminds them that those who understand what Jesus did on the cross and the power He gave to those who believed by His Spirit had no need to live under the letter of the law because the Spirit who dwells within guides and corrects.  The letter of the law entailed man conducting certain rituals—things they did using their hands (flesh)—to indicate compliance with the law to others in position of authority. We know no longer have a need to have ritual practices of anything in order to be declared loved by God.  The one thing we must do is to obey—love Him, love others—and when we truly love, we cannot sin.

“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched (charmed, cast a spell over you)?” (Galatians 3:1a,b NIV)  “Are you so foolish (unwise, showing a lack of sense)? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3 NIV)

Ouch! Not only does Paul ask them if they’ve been bewitched, but then he asks them “have they lost their minds?” (my words). This is what happens to people who are misled and deceived by the enemy.  They are confused and appear to lack common sense (which is certainly not so common any more). But Paul didn’t stop with the Galatians, He turned up the heat in his letter to the Roman church when they decided that grace gave them license to sin and be forgiven.

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness “ Romans 1:18,

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God, nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:20-28 NIV).

After reading and re-reading this passage of scripture, I find it very difficult to believe that anyone who claims to a Christian or a preacher of The Gospel could possibly believe that God is not concerned with our behavior and our “sins”.  And for the record, even though most discredit Paul for everything, this is New Testament admonition—after Jesus returned to the Father.  If we truly understood everything said—we would know that God is not pleased with our opposition to His instructions, but He allows it to happen and then sits back and waits for the consequences of our actions to fall upon us—and they do.

Who Has Bewitched You? (Part 1)

This explication is for those preachers who deny the Truth of God’s Word!

I have recently heard that a number of notable, out-there-in-the-public-eye preachers are now attempting to justify homosexuality by saying they can’t find anything in the bible about it.  Liars! If they have been truly called of God, they know what’s in there—descriptions of the acts that God is opposed to—no matter what name it is called.  God called “the act” sin.  In the following scriptures, the description of the act seems pretty clear to me.

“ ’Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable (Leviticus 18:22 NIV).

“ ’If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads” (Leviticus 20:13).

            I already know how some will attempt to refute what was said under the law since we’re not there.  Understand the Spirit of what is being said and if you have the Spirit of God living in you, you cannot ignore the intent. “And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived (misled into believing a lie) and became a sinner” (I Timothy 2:14 NIV). Don’t believe the lie the enemy tells you and promote sin, trust God and know that He loves you and only wants the best for you.

Of course, the enemy loves to cause confusion and twist what God has said to make sure he appears to be credible.  Let’s go back to The Garden.  When the serpent enticed Eve to eat of the fruit of the garden that God had told “them” not to touch, he twisted what God said to suit his own purposes. Think about the conversation that took place and how the serpent (the enemy in disguise) took advantage of the situation.

“Now the serpent was more crafty (cunning and deceitful) than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.” For God knows, that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5 NIV).

The enemy deliberately twisted God’s instructions to make it seem like He didn’t mean what he said.  Sound familiar.  How many people and groups are saying the same thing?  “Yeah, that’s what the bible says, but that’s not what God meant.”  About a number of issues and the first thing they will say is—“we’re not under the law; we’re under grace.” That is so true, but being under grace does not give us the liberty to sin and then try to say, what we do “is not sin.”

Will a Title Get You into Heaven?

Forgive my momentary angst about church leaders who are only interested in amassing titles here on earth, but do they think their titles will get them a reservation in heaven?

Let’s face it.  There are more people bearing the title bishop, apostle, overseer, Your Imminence, prophet, pastor and evangelist.  Some have confused the roles of ministry that are established for the benefit of the people (they think the people should benefit them).  The true spokespersons can hardly get an invite to speak any where because their name won’t draw a million-dollar crowd.  What has happened to the church today?  Are we addicted to the sensationalism and nonsense that goes on in churches everywhere?  (I did not say in every church.)  The call to ministry for all believers is to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We do not need titles to do that.  And many of those bearing titles, do not promote the Gospel; they promote themselves as a 15 minute wonder–all talk and no action.  I mean, how can you get up in front of people and say, “I hear God saying that there are people here who can give a $1,000 dollars.”  When no one gives that amount, God changes His mind about He said (according to those professing the lie).  Now, they’re asking for a lesser amount, still proclaiming that God is the motivator.

Get real folks!  God doesn’t change His mind or lie!  That’s man/woman doing so!  And since they are misrepresenting God, they apparently have no hope of getting into heaven or they would surely know–God is not mocked and is not fooled by the foolish!  If you were not called by God to do what you’re doing, then you will answer to Him, on That Day!

I’m willing to proclaim that no one who misleads God’s people into believing a lie or causing them to promote a lie will have a place in heaven.  Will I see you there?