False teachers and Apostasy

All down through history there have been false teachers and there are still false teachers around today and many believers have been influenced by them.  One of the big problems is that many believers believe anything they hear from the pulpit or a teacher, mainly because they don’t take the time to study the Bible for themselves.  Paul said this in 2 Timothy 2:15-19, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Paul warned about the false teachers in his day.  This is what it says about this subject in the footnotes in my Bible word for word, “False teachers are still spouting lies. Some distort the truth, some delude it, and some simply delete it saying it no longer applies. But no matter how many people follow the liars, God’s truth never changes, is never shaken and will never fade. When we know and believe God’s truth He will never forsake us.”

How will believers ever come to know the real truth if they never study it themselves?  How will they know what to stand for?  I heard, or read, it said that, “if you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything.”  If you are not reading or studying the Word, you will be missing the very thing that will help you become more like the Lord.

Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote about this subject also warning against false teachers and also apostasy, turning away from Christ.  He said this in Jude 1:1-4, “Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.  Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Word and its truths must never be compromised.  The Word of God is reliable and should never be twisted to say what people want it to say.  When people do that, they end up confusing the hearers and that will cause misunderstanding.  People who twist the truth to fit their own lifestyles are playing with fire and will reap the consequences.  Believers have a responsibility, also, to study so that they won’t fall into false teachings.  Every believer should know the basic doctrines of the faith and stand on those truths so they won’t be drawn into any lies from false teachers.  That will only be accomplished through study and meditation of the Word, along with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to teach you and to keep you from being deceived and to fill you with His wisdom.  

I know I write on this subject often but I think it is so important.  I have given you food for thought and I hope you will start studying if you are not doing it.  May God bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!

Not Guilty

How can we stand before the Lord justified and not guilty, before a holy and righteous God?  In the beginning, when this country was a great nation, people worked hard and sacrificed much to achieve the freedoms we have and God blessed this nation mightily over the years.  Then little by little we left our first love and we became idolaters, worshiping what God created instead of the Creator himself which has caused the Lord’s wrath to be poured out on us ever since.  It is very hard to grasp the concept of ever being justified before God because of this and also just how awesome He is; therefore many struggle with this truth.  At one time we were taught that hard work would accomplish a good end but today it seems that many like the ‘nanny state’ idea where they receive something for nothing, thinking that they are entitled to a free ride.

By eliminating the Lord from most of our schools, businesses and establishments as well as court rooms and the government, we have caused a great injustice to take place in our nation.  This reminds me of the Israelites years ago, back in the days of the Old Testament, when they rejected God as their King and wanted to be like all the other nations with another king ruling over them.  There were different reasons why they wanted a king, but in the end God knew that they would forsake Him as their ultimate leader and live by the world’s standards instead of God’s.  

If they would have been content with the Lord’s leadership they couldn’t even imagine what their life would have been like.  It seems like many today have this same attitude, they want to get rid of the One that blessed, helped and allowed us to become one of the greatest nations in the world, trading it for a worldly kingdom that little by little is taking away our freedoms and rights.  

The good news is that God is still in control and He still wants a relationship with sinners and outcasts that feel there is no hope.  I want you to know the truth, if you are still breathing there is still hope for you, praise the Lord!  God has made a way that you can stand before Him not guilty because as it says in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  That is part of the reason He hasn’t returned yet He is patiently waiting for those that will to come to Him.  The Lord is not stuck in our timetable, although many mock and say, “where is He,” life goes on just like it has for many years.  I can assure you He is coming back and from what I hear, see and know it will be much sooner than people expect.  But until that day takes place there is still hope for you.  

Peter was writing to the church at large, warning them about false teachers and heresies and to grow in their faith.  Peter said it this way in 2 Peter 3:2-8, “This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”

Now that you have read these truths, if you haven’t repented and received Jesus as your Lord and Savior yet, don’t put it off, today could be the beginning of a new life for you.  If you are convinced that your sin separates you from God, which it does, then confess that you are a sinner and ask the Lord to forgive you and to come into your heart and take charge of your life, because you desperately need Him.  You can do this anywhere, but don’t be in a hurry, take your time and pray through like they used to pray in the old days.  Let the Lord’s peace, love and joy flood your very soul and bask in His presence, then go forth rejoicing and share with others what happened to you and start growing in your new found faith.  Then, you will also stand before the Lord not guilty.  Something to think about!  God bless and have a super day!!  

Vanity

Solomon was the richest, wisest king that ever lived and he had it all.  I don’t think there was anything that he wanted that he didn’t have. Solomon had 700 wives (Princesses) and 300 concubines; he sure didn’t have a shortage of women.  He had influence and prestige and probably more riches than he could spend, so you would think he would have been one of the happiest people in the world.  He saw and experienced many things and, in the process, he learned many things.  He also learned the most important thing and that was this; “Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)  

Probably most of the men in the world would have loved to have been in King Solomon’s shoes with all the money and women he had, but they could learn a great lesson from King Solomon; these things are not what make you happy.  Happiness doesn’t come from external things it comes from within one’s self.  True happiness, peace and joy are obtained from the Lord at the time of rebirth, when a person is born again.  Everything else is temporary; depending on the person’s mood at the moment and doesn’t last.

I think King Solomon was very happy when he became the king in his father’s place and when he asked God for wisdom, God spoke to him and said these words in 1 Kings 3:10-12, “The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: ‘Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.’’”  

Like I said, I think Solomon was very happy at the start of his reign but as time went on Solomon’s wives led him away from the Lord to serve their gods and because of Solomon’s idolatry, he made the Lord very angry. This is what it says in 1 Kings 11:4-10 about Solomon’s sins, “For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded.”

Having felt separated from the Lord myself for many years, and feeling terrible about it, I would think that Solomon would have felt somewhat the same way.  I learned from my experience, and I think King Solomon did to.  There is something about living in sin, as a believer, that causes the person to feel miserable until repentance and confession take place.  I think it brings you to the realization that everything means nothing without that relationship with the Lord.

When Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, he knew firsthand that all things were vanity unless the Lord was in the center of it all.  The Word says this in Psalms 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

Without God life is meaningless and senseless and Solomon knew it, even though he was lured away from Him because of idolatry.  Solomon knew that everything man runs after whether it be riches, a career, home and family or anything else man seeks, none of these things will give them the love, peace, joy and contentment they are intended to, unless the Lord is in the center of them.  Solomon wasn’t saying these things were bad and you shouldn’t seek them or have them, he was saying without the Lord being first in your life, no matter what you have, you will never truly be happy.  Seeing as he had it all, he should know and we should be thankful for his wisdom and learn from him.  Something to think about; may the Lord bless you and yours and have a super day!!

Telling

Moses was a man that experienced many miracles because he was present when the plagues took place in Egypt.  He experienced things that very few have ever seen.  Many might think that he should have kept these things to himself and not shared them; today many people don’t want to hear these things.  It is easy to think that when people share their experiences they have had with the Lord, they are just bragging.  That may be true, but some are bragging about the Lord.  

I have shared many times what the Lord has done in my and my family’s lives.  I may not say praise the Lord every time I share, but only the Lord knows my heart and believe me I know what the Lord has delivered me from and I can’t thank and praise Him enough.  I have been misunderstood many times over the years and I am sure that I have misunderstood others also.  I think in today’s world people need to hear about what the Lord in doing in people’s lives.  I believe God wants us to share but I also believe that many people never seem to experience the Lord so they may have a tendency to believe that God doesn’t work in people’s lives anymore.

I have been delivered from alcohol, drugs, a party lifestyle, stinking thinking and I have been delivered from depression.  While I was praying for healing in my body, by myself in my bedroom one morning, I was also miraculously healed of asthma that had me in its grip for over fifty years.  I have had the Lord speak to me very clearly, in my mind, on more than one occasion.  The Lord has used me to bless and encourage many people over the years, and He still is, praise His Holy Name!  I have experienced the mountaintops and also the valleys of the Christian walk.  Jesus didn’t promise believers a rose garden, like many seem to think, and even teach, no, Jesus said this while talking to His disciples in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Going back to Moses, the reason I said that we should share the things that the Lord did and continues to do in our lives is so that people will know that God is the Lord.  This is what the Lord said to Moses in Exodus 10:1-2, “Now the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”’

Just like the Lord told Moses to share his experiences, I believe we should share with our families and anyone else that will listen.  I have shared things with people and it seemed like some were amazed.  Just think about how many people in the Word believed when they saw or heard about what the Lord and His disciples were doing in people’s lives.  So, go out and brag on the Lord a little, tell somebody what He has done in your life, but make sure that the Lord gets all the glory and praise.  Something to think about and have a super day and may God bless you and yours!!        

What Will It Take

This is a question that should take some thought.  How many times have you asked the Lord to use you to further His kingdom here on earth in one way or another?  Then, when given the chance, you backed out, making up some kind of excuse why you couldn’t do it?  I know this has happened to me more than once, I wonder how many other people have had this same problem.

I have never been too comfortable teaching or preaching when the opportunity arose, until I was in it for a while, then I could relax more as time went on.  I am not, and never have been, a preacher but I have had the privilege to preach and I never took it lightly, but I could never preach without some anxiety at first.  I never wanted to say anything that wasn’t true and, to be honest, I didn’t want to be embarrassed by making a mistake.  Always worrying about making a mistake is called pride and I was sure guilty of that.  I have always had the fear of God in my Christian walk which is a good thing, praise the Lord.

 In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 it talks about Paul and the way he felt when he first preached to the Corinthians saying this, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

Paul knew that it wasn’t the man speaking that counted; it was the power of the Holy Spirit behind the words and in the man, who was speaking.  Paul was a brilliant scholar and could have overwhelmed his listeners with his knowledge, but that was not important, Paul wanted his listeners to fully understand his message so he made it simple because he knew with the Holy Spirit’s conviction, the Lord’s will would be accomplished and that was his goal.  Too many times, people get their eyes on the preacher and off the Lord and Paul knew that was a big mistake.  Paul was determined to get their focus off him and put it on the Lord where it should be.  That was why he felt like he did when preaching to the Corinthians.

Some people preach or minister with all kinds of self-confidence and some are very bold while others are very, very timid, some even seek different ways to get out of ministering when the opportunity arises.  This brings to mind how in the book of Exodus, Moses had a problem when God wanted him to go to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let His people go.  It seems like if an angel of the Lord spoke to you from a burning bush, you would have no problem going, but Moses came up with excuses not to go.  He feared what the people would think of him and that something might go wrong, after all, he wasn’t in very good standing with Pharaoh.  

Do you think you would have responded differently in Moses’ situation?  It does seem that Moses would have had more trust in this kind of encounter but be careful not to judge Moses too harshly, God may put you in a similar position to test you.  He tried so hard to get out of it that he made God angry at him, not a good idea.  Thanks to God’s patience and mercy, God provided Moses’ brother Aaron to go with him, so Moses finally was convinced to go and he went.  You can read about it in Exodus chapters 3 and 4.  This was quite a struggle for Moses, but when he finally obeyed, God accomplished His work and the Egyptians let God’s people go.

What will it take for you to go and do what God has called you to do?  God doesn’t always call the equipped but He always equips the called, so I want you to be encouraged today and step out in faith.  If God has called you, you will not be alone, He will go with you and help you be victorious in the task He has sent you to do, praise the Lord!  This is something to think about and I hope you will.  God bless you and yours and have a great day!