Spiritual balance takes real self examination, real relationship in Messiah Jesus and obedience in studying the Word. Today I will share how Christians can start off in a good place, but get derailed into deception on this episode of hearingGod.
Hi Freedom 1, hearingGod.tv Did you know that the enemy loves Zealots? You can be so entrenched in Christendom and yet the enemy is right there to try and scoop you up. In this message I share ways that very zealous Christians get derailed… whether it's flesh of a wrong heart, lazy flesh, proud flesh, greedy flesh--you name it… repeat after me…. what get's us derailed? FLESH.
Touchy-Feely-
This is a category where I'll be giving examples of people pursuing things that tantalize the senses more so than a relationship and His truth.
Back when I was in a cult… we had a request from one of the members for prayer over her property as she seemed to have lots of witchcraft attacks. After we finished, one of the members walked across the driveway and went into a hysterical laughter. They said, "Oh, it's a Holy Ghost 'hot spot'… come and stand in it". And so other members would walk through that spot or stand in it & eventually begin to behave the same way. I had walked through that very spot earlier and felt nothing. I became the odd man out, but I refused to manufacture something that was not there. On a side note… that member that started this whole thing…. the Lord had been telling me for months that they were a 'false prophet'. This in fact, has been the only person God has ever told me was a false prophet. This knowledge, I tried to push off as the enemy trying to poison me. I certainly didn't want to be in 'offense' or 'unforgiveness' but, The Lord would continue to put scriptures in front of me, and the person would keep manifesting bad fruit vs. me & my family. Again… through His Word, everything is revealed.
I've got an example that fits into this 'touchy-feely' category; it's an excerpt from the writings of Frank Hammond:
"Christians, especially those suffering from rejection, inferiority and insecurity, are prone to crave an intimacy with the Lord which can draw them into unscriptural ways of achieving such closeness. For example, a Christian woman who had an unloving husband, was encouraged by a counselor to visualize Jesus as being her husband. She was to imagine Jesus coming through the door, hugging her and kissing her. Her visualized Jesus became very real to her, and she found this fantasy very satisfying. But one day her visualized Jesus became so intimate that he made sexual advances toward her. She was frightened enough to seek counsel which lead to her deliverance from a familiar spirit, the spirit of "another Jesus" II Cor. 11:4."
The salad bar leads us astray-
Pulling out isolated scriptures to make them fit instead of understanding the character of God throughout the scriptures.
Big example: street preachers that salad bar the judgement scriptures and condemnation to justify their hellfire as a broad net, while ignoring that God is always speaking to the house of God… not to pagans that can't receive God because of the curse and veil upon them for rejecting God. Doesn't it make more sense that these hellfire preachers go instead into churches? Even Jesus only judges the religious of His day…. but speaks parables [ and without a parable He did not speak] that break the veil and then the pagans are convicted of their sin and receive the Kingdom.
I'll probably just put an article on my blog if you want to know more on my stand about this, because that's a whole separate issue. I have yet to ever been in the presence of or watched a video of bible bashing street preaching net a positive confirmation on it's behalf by the Holy Spirit. The end result of a recent sharing of my scripturally based position with someone that condones it, was for them to turn around and mock christians 'that love, love, love'.
Well, sorry, but there's no condemnation in Christ Jesus and I will love the lost into the kingdom and I will continue to do just as Jesus did in correcting the 'religious firmly'.
WHEN RELIGIOUS SPIRITS SNEEK IN, YOU BEGIN TO SEE SOME, IF NOT ALL OF THESE MANIFEST:
(1)TENDENCY TO SEE MORE OF WHAT IS WRONG WITH OTHER PEOPLE OR OTHER CHURCHES THAN WHAT IS RIGHT WITH THEM
(2)TRYING TO FIX WHAT'S WRONG WITH OTHER PEOPLE AS IF THEY WERE APPOINTED BY GOD WITH THIS MISSION
(3) JEALOUSY/SUSPICION OF ANYTHING OUTSIDE THEIR BOX
(4) A PRIDEFUL SENSE OF BEING CLOSER TO GOD THAN OTHER PEOPLE
(5) MECHANIZED PRAYER LIFE
(6) COMPARING ONESELF WITH OTHERS
(7) DO MORE/FEEL BETTER=KEEPING SCORE
(8) SEEKING NOTICE AND ACCEPTANCE OF MAN
(9) GLORYING MORE IN WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN THE PAST THAT WHAT HE IS DOING IN THE PRESENT
(10) OUTWARD CEREMONY AND RITUAL BUT THEY OFFER NO POWER FOR A CHANGED LIFE
Wrongs don't make a 'right'-
Do you know that most of the secular self improvement, positive thinking systems are chock full of biblical principles but minus God and what Jesus did for us? These timeless biblical precepts work regardless of what side of the fence you are on. God's Word is faithful, it goes forth not to return void with access for anyone, but as believers we know it's only the end choice that counts. And you wonder why people get deceived? They see results. When you continue to see results despite things getting farther and farther watered down from the truth…. you begin to justify goodness by the results and not the path to get there.
A crooked road with results has an end result of no reward.
I knew a 'prophet' once that had gotten involved in an african money scheme in the past. It was said that it was an innocent mistake, her heart being to benefit ministry. The problem was, that she did it a second time, again foregoing the safety in a multitude of counsellors - secretly. So let's look at the fruit…. it doesn't matter that she wanted to 'help ministry', greed has many disguises. Again, using that platform of a trusting Christian, others lost thousands of dollars again. If you 'innocently' got caught in a mess once, why wouldn't you seek the counsel of other Godly people?
"But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die." Eze 18:24
Wallowing in the Mud-
Character in being a Christian is so important and one way people lose balance is by chopping down the tree and then erecting it again. What I mean by this is aligning with spirits that demean our high standing and then expect people to be impressed with Jesus after you've spoken things that oppose the Truth in the Word.
Now in the scriptures we hear,
1Cr 4:10a "We are fools for Christ's sake…"
but what I'm talking about jumps from that scripture into a negative confession over one's life. It is one thing to say 'look who God can use' but it's another to begin to confess negative negative negative, --chopping down that tree. Remember, Pro 23:7 "For as he thinks within himself, so he is." It's funny because most people do this to humor people-- let's say you're a lawyer or a politician, so you cut yourself down with 'jokey idle words'. HE may use broken vessels, but as we are conforming into His image we can testify what He's done without wallowing in the mud.
Spending too much time nosing around with what the devil is doing-
This is a big one folks! When I was in a cult, the leader would push that we needed to educate ourselves about what the enemy was up to by poking our nose into their culture. The cult leader actually had all of us watch the movie called 'The Craft' and then in watching the mini series spin-off that birthed from that called "Charmed".
Church, we are to be about our Father's business. After I left the cult and dug into 'God alone'… I found that if HE wanted to educate me, He would bring stuff to my attention without my having to dip my toe into any cesspool. Do you know how many people are out there that have been into the occult that have been redeemed and now are able to educate us with what we need to know? It is true, what was meant for bad will always be turned around for His glory! If you've been redeemed from a shady past, the Lord has a ministry for you!
We need to spend the bulk of our time examining ourselves; being pure and growing in the Lord… trust me, there are no 'hidden secrets' that we will find apart from the shadow of His wing.
Off the path for lack of the Word-
Another excerpt from the writings of Frank Hammond:
"The church there had been organized by an anointed woman pastor, who had been deceased for several years. One night, the Lord revealed to Ida Mae, by means of a spiritual dream, that several in the church were being visited by an apparition of the former pastor. In the dream, Ida Mae was shown the apparition. It appeared very beautiful. When Ida Mae identified it as an apparition, the face became hideously demonic.
The present pastor of the church, a young man, confirmed that everything Ida Mae was shown was true. Several older women in the fellowship were resisting the new, young leader and wanted everything to continue as it was before. These women, who had been closely related to their former pastor, so desired to stay in communication with her that they opened themselves up to being visited by the deceptive apparition. The sad part of the story is that the deceived women refused to believe that they were communicating with a familiar spirit rather than their deceased pastor.
Satan is a sly deceiver. When forbidden things are sought; or when good things are sought in wrong ways, the devil is quick to take advantage."
What's another big 'apparition' we hear of? Marian Apparitions. What do we know of Mary, the Mother of Jesus?
She was chosen of God:
Luke 1:30 "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God."
She was obedient:
Luke 1:38 "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word."
Eternally Blessed:
Luke 1:48 "For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed."
The scripture does not say:
Mary was without sin
She ascended to heaven without dying
Remained virgin
Is a mediator
Those are things the Catholic Church added.
Proverbs 30:6-5 "Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar."
(also note*: Deuteronomy 4:2 & Deuteronomy 12:32)
These additions give Marian apparitions credence. But next to the Word of God these apparitions speak of Necromancy: The supposed practice of communicating with the dead, esp. in order to predict the future.
What happens at these apparitions… people flock to get some new revelation or direction through Mary or "Jesus".
"But the message is good", people say. Doesn't matter does it? We are all too aware that the enemy knows the scripture too. If the enemy has gotten us into necromancy, we lose!
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter." Matthew 7:21
The scriptures say that God reveals His secrets to the Prophets…[Amos 3:7], no mention of any other mediator to His sharing than Jesus Christ.
I don't bring up the Marian Apparition example so that you bible bashers out there can rail on Catholics… remember if Michael the archangel wouldn't even judge satan…. than how much more so we shouldn't be railing each other. Michael the archangel would’t even pronounce a railing judgment against satan, how much more so, we as believers shouldn’t be railing each other!
[Jude 1:9 "But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"]
Strange Signs-
What happens when you assume? Never assume any phenomena is God reaching out to you!
We need to be satisfied by His Word alone. And through His Word we shall know the truth….and the truth shall set you free!
[Deu 8:3 "He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.]
I was in a big spiritual battle a few months ago and I had very strange phenomena happen. I awoke abruptly one night to see a swirling 2.5-3ft portal at the end of my bed. It didn't look good, it didn't look bad, but I hollered the Word of God at it, and professed Jesus as my authority etc. till' I ran out of things to say and it finally disappeared. This all occurring in a minute to a minute and a half's span of time. I'm hollering & my husband sleeps through the whole ordeal!
A friend tried to research if any others have had this happen to them before for comparison's sake… but I concluded it was bad based on:
1.) the fact that nothing happened in the face of the professed Word
2.) and the fact that I had already mentioned having been in the midst of a big spiritual battle
And that's what the enemy like to do folks… when you are in battle and pressing in we can't allow our guard down for a desired ‘flash in the pan’. We examine fruit and we use the Word. Am I repeating myself throughout this message?
How many ministries have we witnessed that get derailed by this one? Do I want to SEE the GLORY? Doesn't everyone? Praise God we have that to look forward to in all of eternity!---But we have to go through the narrow gate [through the crack of the bible].
We will SEE God -
by:
1.) Believing
Jhn 11:40 "Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"
2.) Being Holy
Psalm 24:3-4"Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, And has not sworn deceitfully."
3.) Being Pure
Matt. 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Awaken your discernment… if you have an uneasiness about anything….you should be watching the fruit and reading the Word. You should be questioning everything… you don't want to miss the Holy Spirit straightening out any crooked parts in your path and you don't want to allow the enemy's voice to meld in your spirit so you become that frog cooking gradually in the boiling pot of water. If something doesn't set well in your spirit, seek to know WHY. Find out everything by holding God's hand in relationship and by the truth in the Word…. not by following a crowd of people into the glittery ditch.
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