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Was he right or wrong?

25 Mar

Was he right or wrong?

2nd Peter 2:1-3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. (ESV)

Peter was writing this epistle from Rome, likely from prison, and likely awaiting execution for his faith in Jesus Christ. This is his last letter of warning to the church against false teachers. False teaching with just enough truth to sound like the truth, has tickled the ears of the hearers and led thousands to condemnation as a result. Peter writes here in this second chapter how those false teachers are going to pay eternally for leading people astray 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment. When you begin to teach the Word of God, you are held to a higher standard by God; no teacher worth his weight in salt takes this knowledge lightly. My study Bible puts it, “Teaching and learning involves truth and error; it becomes ingrained in the soul. And if the truth or error involves our eternal destiny, the stakes only go up. This is why Peter wrote his second epistle.”

There is more of the world coming into the church that the church going out into the world. The church is seeking to please and entertain everyone; the church is seeking to become politically correct and not offend anyone; the church is bending the absolute truths of God to please everyone; those in authority will pay the price that Peter describes in his second epistle. Do you see it all around you, especially here in the USA? These false teachers are entertaining their congregations while building themselves mansions and earthly kingdoms and asking for private planes. They are seeking to exploit and milk their followers into believing they are doing good, all the while they are headed to hell and taking many with them. They preach sensuality and the pleasure that the world measures by. Why would a preacher torn by how lost the world is in sin waste thousands or millions of dollars on anything for themselves? How far could those millions of dollars for a house, plane, or fleet of cars or toys have gone to help the poor and needy by spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ?

You may ask, how will I know if I am sitting under a false teacher? It is simple, and yet divine. If you will pray and study God’s Word diligently yourself, the Holy Spirit will open your heart to the truth. Listen to what God told the prophet Jeremiah that applies to all that will diligently seek Him. 3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ God was talking about all the sins of Jerusalem, but this book of Jeremiah applies to all of us as his eternal people. Jeremiah continues to write; 6 Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. If you will seek Him, just as he was telling Jerusalem, he will bring health and healing. The more time you spend seeking God in prayer and his Word, the greater the Holy Spirit grants you discernment for the world. The greater your discernment for the false pleasure of the world, the greater your discernment for the eternal things also. You are to test scripture with scripture; you are to test those preacher and teachers by studying your Bible. How will you have any possibility of knowing you might be led astray? The answer lies in the Holy Spirit and the diligent daily study of God’s Word. It is there, and only there, that He shows you the difference in truth and error.

 
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Posted by on March 25, 2015 in Daily Devotions

 

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Get back up

16 Jun

Get back up

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Satan loves to find that which troubles us and press us there. He works his evil by continuing to strike us where is hurts. I could go down three or four roads where I am taking his blows right now. All of them hurt, and he seeks to take my eyes off Christ and concentrate on the pain. He wants me to lash out at God with the “why me”; or the anger that comes in it. He wants me to rebel against God and all that He has planned for me. Satan wants me to concentrate on the temporal situations, and not the eternal solution. God is allowing these trials to show me his work in them. I am so tired; mentally and physically in so many ways. I feel like the prize fighter who is entering the 12th round, battered and bruised but determined to win the fight.

I understand how lucky I am in so many ways compared to most. I know the blessings I have outweigh those that have not so much. I know that my troubles seem small to so many that face real struggles. I know that Satan is just as good at striking you as he is me. Paul was one who suffered immeasurably for Christ; yet through all of it he gave us most of the New Testament. When Ananias was called by God to go see Paul, the Lord told him the plans he had for Paul. Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Sometimes when I look at my life before Christ, I feel that I too should have to suffer for His name.

So much I read talks about suffering for Christ. Are you willing to suffer for Him? Are you wanting the life of ease and the blessings that all these false prophets preach today? Are you truly swept away by their feel good gospel that never talks of suffering? Do you believe that Christ paid the ultimate price for you to have everything you wanted on this temporal earth that Satan rules? Don’t you think that He is more concerned with your eternal destiny, than at best a 100 years here? Philippians 1:29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

 
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Posted by on June 16, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Wolves among us

30 May

Wolves among us

2 Timothy 4:1-5    I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

I believe we are living in these days that Paul speaks of; the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. Those days have truly been around since the beginning of time, for we are a world born into sin and all the traps of it. We seek to find all the pleasures in life that come with religions that promise worldly pleasures and, eternal life. That we are all good people and deserve all the good in life. We must understand that we are sinners, and that we are eternally lost without the only One whom can save us, Jesus Christ. You are not a sinner because you sin, you sin because you are a sinner. Christ provides you the means to justify you before a Holy God for that sin debt that we all must answer for; He has justified, or paid your debt by His death.

Many of today’s false prophets are simply wolves in sheep’s clothing. Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” They come with promises of earthy blessings; of smoke and mirrors that tickle your fancy and get you to think you DESERVE all of it. They never preach of the truth of sin and hell, for that scares people and effects their pocketbooks. Anybody will listen to a sermon that makes them feel good, but who wants to hear a sermon that makes you squirm in your seat in the realization of your sin? There is power in that conviction, and in that power resides the Holy Spirit that is drawing you to eternal victory; not a temporal false pleasure for your short time here.

Something in me stirred this week with a new church I saw, Animation Church. I simply cannot get past the trouble I have with the name alone. Animation is make believe characters, a fantasy land of make believe where anything goes, including death and life. A world where there is no truth, but only what satisfies the current need. How boldly can they proclaim their heresy on the title of their building? “We will make it all up as we go, and make it all work out in the end.” These are the days that Paul speaks of. There is the need for you to draw near to God and the things of God every day in His Word and prayer. This will provide you the discernment that you need to not be devoured by one of these wolves that are among us today.

 
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Posted by on May 30, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Abiding brings discernment

10 May

Abiding brings discernment

1 John 2:24-25   Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us–eternal life.

John has just written in the prior scriptures addressing the false prophets of the day; they are called the antichrist who deny the deity of Jesus as the Son of God. There were many false prophets of that day, and there are still many in our midst these days. They twist the scriptures to fit their agendas, or they present Christ in many other forms, some even denying that He was/is the Son of God completely. There is no middle ground here; they are antichrists, Satan’s messengers sent to lead people astray. They come as wolves in sheep’s clothing; sensual messages that tickle the ears and make us feel good. Yet under their cloak they are twisting the word of God, deny the Son of God, and leading many astray. The antichrist have been in our midst for over two thousand years; they are a predecessor to the beast in the book of Revelation who will elevate himself above God.

John has pointed us to keeping our eyes and hearts on Christ; to not love the things of this world and to seek to abide in Christ daily. If we truly have our hearts set on God, and the things of God, we will spend daily time with Him. This time leads us to that state of being known as abiding. That abiding heart has the knowledge and discernment found in God’s Word and prayer. That knowledge gives you the ability through Him to recognize the antichrists in your midst. Something will not feel right about the false gospels they are preaching. That “feeling”, is the Holy Spirit that God has given you to teach you all things. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie–just as it has taught you, abide in him.(ESV) The more time you spend with God, the more the Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to you.

When you have that abiding spirit about you, you will live a changed life that seems different to others. That difference is how God uses you to draw others to himself. That hope that is placed in you for eternal life is something that the world cannot steal away, and the world does not understand. The hope that the world and the antichrist preach is a false hope, and the darkness in it is revealed by the light inside of you. The closer you draw in, the deeper you abide in Him, the more evident the hope in you becomes. You will begin to live your life differently, not ashamed of the promises you now claim. 28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.(ESV) All of this comes with a heart that seeks God, and the things of God daily. A heart that truly desires Him, will find him, and the knowledge and discernment that comes with the anointing as a child of his for eternity.

 
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Posted by on May 10, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Oh no! They are up again!

13 Mar

Oh no! They are up again!

Acts 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

Paul was on his third missionary journey and he was in the town of Ephesus. Ephesus was a town full of supposed magic; even in the name of God they were trying to exercise their power over evil forces; this brought them supposed prestige. Even the seven sons of a priest had fallen into this dark world and were practicing this magic. God began to do strange miracles through Paul in this region to reach these people. His sweat rags, handkerchiefs and aprons were healing the sick and casting out demons just by those affected touching them. This was proving this that Paul’s preaching was truly from God.

These seven sons of Sceva had called upon Christ’s name to cast out an evil spirit. The evil spirit replied to them “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”. The evil spirit did the unthinkable in that he casts out the exorcists. 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. The evil spirit had called their bluff; he had laughed in their haughtiness and showed them they were nothing but false; no power in Christ but false prophets. He had left one body and leapt into seven, humiliating them as they fled naked. This became greatly known throughout the region and the name of Christ was glorified.  17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

Does Satan know you? Does Satan fear you for the power that resides in you as a disciple of Christ? Or is he satisfied at the religion that you rest on with your weekly worship and false security that will have no effect on his kingdom? Does he know that you truly are so busy that you have no time for Christ and the work He has laid before you? Do you feel so good about yourself that you present no threat to the kingdom of darkness? You will pay eternally for that pride. You should desire to have your picture on a Most Wanted poster at the gates of Hell. Your life should be focused every day on the Kingdom Work; a disciple such as Paul that spreads the Good News to a dark and dying world of false religions and securities. This world needs those disciples such as Paul to live their lives focused on eternity. The time is now, the time is every day that you awake and spend time with God. Every morning when you awake, pray, and open the Word is a day Satan knows who you are in Christ. That day may be difficult because Satan desires to take your eyes of Christ. Dig in for it is a war that is worth fighting when you are a disciple of Christ that is known to the enemy.

 
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Posted by on March 13, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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What goes in your ears?

13 Jan

What goes in your ears?

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.

I used to be the headbanger at heart, the trash TV of all sorts, the filth that fills our airwaves I filled myself with. I struggled with porn for many years as many people do in a hidden sin that happens behind closed doors. My mind was a garbage dump of the trash of society. Early in my pursuit of God and the things of God, He began to show me the filth I had been putting in my thoughts. One of the very first steps I made was to listen to Christian radio instead of the typical head bangn’ music. God started a transformation of my thoughts that continues even today.

Paul was trying to live that example, show them on how to live; of what to think about; of what is good to put into their minds. Philippians 4:9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Christ had given us the example of removing the filth of the world from our mind, to find the good in everything, to seek God in everything. A heart that seeks the good in everything is a heart after God. The more time that you spend weeding out the filth, and finding the good, the more you see God revealed to you. The noble that you seek is like a warning system for the unworthy that surrounds us every day. The Holy Spirit is that inner alarm that will warn you when you seek that which is unworthy and not of God.

Christ was speaking of the false prophets in Matthew 7; of how to enter into heaven by the narrow gate. In this passage he uses the analogy of the fruits that each tree bares. Matthew 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Just as the false prophet may seem good, they bear bad fruit. The truth comes out of what they have been putting in. You cannot claim Christ and live for the world 95% of the time. When you speak, those that hear will know where your heart lies. A change as simple as the music that you listen to can change the course of your heart.

 
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Posted by on January 13, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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When to hold; when to fold

09 Jan

When to hold; when to fold

2 John 1:9-11    Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

Hospitality was a big part of Bible times; welcoming strangers into their homes and towns. Throughout the Bible we are told to entertain strangers, to welcome sinners, to show them the love of Christ. Christ even speaks of being that stranger that was welcomed in (Matthew 25:35). During those days of the early church there were many traveling teachers and preachers also. There were groups that were modifying the good news of Christ, and leading people astray. John is warning the believers to take a stand against those false teachers; do not show them hospitality. If as a believer you show them that hospitality, you are being seen as supporting their cause. John is saying to test their doctrine, and deny it and them if it goes against Christ.

In today’s society we are far from an open door for strangers. It was even in my lifetime that doors were never locked, hitchhiking was a mode of transportation, and if a stranger came to your door they were likely welcomed in. Today we live in fear of the evil that lurks in our midst. The traveling teachers and preachers of our day are most likely on the TV, radio, and internet. They fill our airways and minds with their doctrines; are we welcoming them in? Are we testing what they preach with the God’s Word? 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Do not believe every thing you hear. Go to God’s Word and investigate it for yourself.

When you are hearing a good sermon in the pulpit, the radio, or any other means; take notes if possible. Write down what God is pressing on your heart. It may be that you find in your research that God is showing you the answer to a question you had been asking him. You may find that the teacher was wrong in what they spoke. God may be showing you to stay away from that teacher; to not welcome them into your mind as they did in the times of the Bible into their homes. Through your testing of things in God’s Word and prayer you gain discernment. You begin to understand the differences between good and false teachings. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. You know what to hold onto, and what to let go of.

 
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Posted by on January 9, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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“Because I said so” (Epic Fail)

22 Dec

“Because I said so” (Epic Fail)

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

I have two great young boys. Great kiddo’s, full of life, full of questions, full of testing me as a parent. Sometimes I feel as though I am too hard on them; but I see so many that have no discipline. I go into a lot of homes and see a lot of families, and I see a lot of children that run wild. It does not take long to get a feel of the level of structure in a home to be honest. I have had the talk with my oldest son of how I am learning to be a parent too; of how so many things I tell him are for his protection; or I have reasons behind them. It is so crucial to take the time to explain to them once we set the bar. We are hopefully looking out for their best interest and not from emotion; we should have Jeremiah 29:11 written on our hearts in the upbringing of our children.

King Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captives from Judah into Babylon. Jeremiah had spoken the words that God gave him during these turbulent years; he told them of the punishment for their idolatry; for they had gone against God. Even in their exile in Babylon, the were false prophets were leading them astray; promising a quick return to Jerusalem. God spoke through Jeremiah and told them His plan for them; 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord. 10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. God had reason for their exile and the 70 years they were to spend there. Their hearts will change in these 70 years.

God speaks of how He will renew and restore them who seek Him during this time. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. All of these things that were happening to them, were happening as a father corrects his children. God had seen their sin, and punished them for it. Our children may often wonder and question the why of our response; but if there is reason behind it and not emotion, the true learning comes with that explanation of it. The more time you spend in God’s Word the better a parent you will become. You will be taught by example by the best parent of all.

 
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Posted by on December 22, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Changing sticks into stones

02 Oct

Changing sticks into stones

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Jesus is coming to a close of His sermon on the mount. He has told them many things of how to live their lives as a believer in Him. He had pointed them to the dangers of sin and the false religions that were so prevalent at the time. The ritualistic society was being replaced, or fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah the Jews sought, but did not see standing before them. Even after Christ death on the cross and the Atonement for our sin, the false teachers entered and corrupted the churches even unto this day. Many are led astray by their false philosophies, miracles, rituals, and feel good messages. Nothing can ever replace the power of the Word of God that He has given to us. Those that teach, and or mislead, will have to answer to God and a higher standard.

But the fear that comes in Matthew 7:21-23 is from being mislead. How are we to know if we are being lead astray by false teachers? Test them by comparing their words to the Word of God. If they do not agree, they are misleading you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the truth as you spend time searching God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. You will get those gut feelings that something is wrong if their words do not agree. That gut feeling is the Spirit guiding you to the truth. The key is that realization and the action that follows it.

Many of the false prophets of today only preach “feel good” sermons that do not rely on the power of the conviction of sin from the Holy Spirit. Those convictions that make you stir; should make you confess, repent, and move one step closer to Christ. When we spend time in prayer and God’s Word, there will be pain involved in the attention to sin in our lives that is revealed. This is where many put the Bible down; to flee from that pain of the conviction of sin. With that pain can come inexpressible joy with the forgiveness and release of that sin to Christ. Through the pain when we are obedient to that stick, that stick becomes a rock set on the cornerstone of Christ in the foundation of our lives secured in Him. 24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Our house becomes not one of rubble, but build to stand through eternity in paradise.

 
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Posted by on October 2, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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The Light for your path

22 May

The Light for your path

Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

I had shared my devo yesterday with Russell waiting on his bus. Last night at time for bed he came to me and showed me where he had already started reading in Jeremiah. We spent some time there and I found myself there again this morning. In the verses above, God is reassuring the Jews in captivity of His sovereign plans, and even that the captivity is part of it. Just as today there were false prophets misleading them, but Jeremiah was being lead by the Lord himself in speaking to His people. God had taken them down a path they would not have chosen themselves just as we may find ourselves today. When we find ourselves in those difficulties, where do we turn? To the false prophets of today whom say the reasons we find ourselves in these situations is that we simply do not have enough faith? Turn your ears from them and turn your heart to God.

Wherever you find yourself today God has designed it or allowed it. He can work every situation for good for those that believe in Him (Romans 8:28). The means by which He accomplishes that good is many times out of our line of sight, but when we are on the other side of the turmoil, we see the path He guided us along. Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.  You cannot be mis-lead if you are following The Man (Christ), and not a man (prophet). The more time you invest in alone time with God, will allow you to discern the false prophets of this age. Where you find yourself and the situations you are in, is all part of His plan. Do not be lead astray by those preaching the “lack of faith” ministry, but see God alone every day. Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Alone time with God may lead you to glimpses of that path He has set before you, and the assurances of knowing He will never forsake you there. The time with God is the light you carry on the pathway of life.

 
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Posted by on May 22, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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