Tonight, I just want to post a few of my favorite songs...and that..is all...nothing "strange" or complex...
Just music...ahhhhhh..
enjoy!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
ahhh
Tonight, I just want to post a few of my favorite songs...and that..is all...nothing "strange" or complex...
Just music...ahhhhhh..
enjoy!
sad day
Today, I am sad. Well, I don't even know if sad covers the emotions that I am feeling. I am learning that if you challenge anyone's way of thinking, people often get angry. They say things that hurt. I'm trying to come to a place where I can "let it go," and still speak what I believe to be the Truth.
Guys, I'm not God. I don't have all of the answers. But the first thing I will tell you is that God has shown me that deception runs deep in our society. Deeper than you could ever imagine. The thing about all of this..is that you don't have to take my word for it...I encourage you to read the Bible for yourselves..seek God on your own..
If you don't like what I have to say, then don't read my blog..don't watch my videos.. You have a choice.
But if you don't agree with me, then please, all I ask is that you don't be ugly to me.
Tell me why I am wrong..that is all I ask..
This life is too short to be immersed in anger. This walk, this path that we are on, is too narrow to get things wrong.
For the past two weeks, I have had a thorn lodged in my thumb. Yesterday, my entire hand started hurting. Today, I noticed that the thorn had caused my entire thumb to swell. I started secretly wondering if my hand wasn't becoming infected. At one point, I actually wondered if an infection could find it's way into my bloodstream and ultimately lead to my death.. I know it sounds far fetched, but I have heard of fatal blood infections that begin with something very small and simple.. like a thorn..Last night, I was at work and my hand was throbbing. I actually had trouble perfoming basic job tasks.
Lately, I feel as if Christ has pointed me to research and learn about false teachings. He has been leading me to read about it in the Bible. Today, He gave me an illustration. False teachings are like the tiny thorn. They seem tiny and insignificant, but they begin to infect the Body of Believers in very serious ways. They get into the bloodstream, and like a poison, they make their way into the heart. Before you know it, the entire Body is sick and infected. The fruit becomes evident..selfishness, greed, and a severe lack of love. As a Body of Believers, we each have talents and gifts. We are anoited of the Holy Spirit and false teaching and lies are hurting the Body of Believers in that they are keeping us from performing the tasks or jobs for which we are created.
One word that I have heard as of late is "complacency." We have become content in our walk with Christ, and truthfully, I blame the permeance and infiltration of false teachings.
Jesus showed me something the other day. I was searching the New Testament and I noticed that nearly every book mentioned the danger of false teachings. The apostles said that they would be "among us."
When we think of false teachings, the first thing we have a tendancy to do is point to another religion and refuse to acknowlege that we could be decieved in any way.
It's not my point or purpose to show "people where they are wrong." I simply want people to begin to seek the heart of Christ himself.
I don't care if you agree with what I have to say, but if you disagree, at least please have the decency and respect for me to peacefully disagree.
One point of trauma for me has been the fact that I have seen money misued in churches. I have friends who have turned away from Christ because they have been hounded for cash.
Last week, I watched a video of a mega preacher by the name of Creflo Dollar who told his congregation that God was going "line up the non tithers" and shoot them. I watched a mega preacher tell his congregation. "It's all about the money, telling them that if they didn't pay a tithe, never to step foot inside of his church again." These men live in extreme wealth, and they preach wide path messages.
That concerns me..and it should concern you, as well.
Jesus tells us to defend the orphans and widow..He tells us to shine the light into the darkness.
Many people say that if you don't tithe, then you are robbing God.
They point to scriptures in the Old Testament where a tithe was imposed upon the Levitical priests.
The other day I simply pointed out that a tithe was a part of the Mosaic Law, or the law of Moses, and that in the New Testament, we are told that we are no longer under the Old Law, but under the New Law of Grace. We are under the law of love and Christ wants us to, and I quote from scripture, "Give generously as we have decided in our hearts and never "under compulsion"
We should never be "bullied" to give.
I have more on this later. Folks, I don't care if you tithe or not. That is your perogative, I love you regardless. But I am convined that Christ does not want our ten percent. He wants our entire being. HE wants all of us.... He wants to fill us in such a way that we love each other so much that we are willing to lay down our lives for our brother..
Am I wrong for thinking that?
It seems that some think that I am...
I am not here to please man.
Today was a hard day. Even at my job, there is tension.
Push on..move forward..
More posts coming soon..
Love you.
And if anyone wants
Guys, I'm not God. I don't have all of the answers. But the first thing I will tell you is that God has shown me that deception runs deep in our society. Deeper than you could ever imagine. The thing about all of this..is that you don't have to take my word for it...I encourage you to read the Bible for yourselves..seek God on your own..
If you don't like what I have to say, then don't read my blog..don't watch my videos.. You have a choice.
But if you don't agree with me, then please, all I ask is that you don't be ugly to me.
Tell me why I am wrong..that is all I ask..
This life is too short to be immersed in anger. This walk, this path that we are on, is too narrow to get things wrong.
For the past two weeks, I have had a thorn lodged in my thumb. Yesterday, my entire hand started hurting. Today, I noticed that the thorn had caused my entire thumb to swell. I started secretly wondering if my hand wasn't becoming infected. At one point, I actually wondered if an infection could find it's way into my bloodstream and ultimately lead to my death.. I know it sounds far fetched, but I have heard of fatal blood infections that begin with something very small and simple.. like a thorn..Last night, I was at work and my hand was throbbing. I actually had trouble perfoming basic job tasks.
Lately, I feel as if Christ has pointed me to research and learn about false teachings. He has been leading me to read about it in the Bible. Today, He gave me an illustration. False teachings are like the tiny thorn. They seem tiny and insignificant, but they begin to infect the Body of Believers in very serious ways. They get into the bloodstream, and like a poison, they make their way into the heart. Before you know it, the entire Body is sick and infected. The fruit becomes evident..selfishness, greed, and a severe lack of love. As a Body of Believers, we each have talents and gifts. We are anoited of the Holy Spirit and false teaching and lies are hurting the Body of Believers in that they are keeping us from performing the tasks or jobs for which we are created.
One word that I have heard as of late is "complacency." We have become content in our walk with Christ, and truthfully, I blame the permeance and infiltration of false teachings.
Jesus showed me something the other day. I was searching the New Testament and I noticed that nearly every book mentioned the danger of false teachings. The apostles said that they would be "among us."
When we think of false teachings, the first thing we have a tendancy to do is point to another religion and refuse to acknowlege that we could be decieved in any way.
It's not my point or purpose to show "people where they are wrong." I simply want people to begin to seek the heart of Christ himself.
I don't care if you agree with what I have to say, but if you disagree, at least please have the decency and respect for me to peacefully disagree.
One point of trauma for me has been the fact that I have seen money misued in churches. I have friends who have turned away from Christ because they have been hounded for cash.
Last week, I watched a video of a mega preacher by the name of Creflo Dollar who told his congregation that God was going "line up the non tithers" and shoot them. I watched a mega preacher tell his congregation. "It's all about the money, telling them that if they didn't pay a tithe, never to step foot inside of his church again." These men live in extreme wealth, and they preach wide path messages.
That concerns me..and it should concern you, as well.
Jesus tells us to defend the orphans and widow..He tells us to shine the light into the darkness.
Many people say that if you don't tithe, then you are robbing God.
They point to scriptures in the Old Testament where a tithe was imposed upon the Levitical priests.
The other day I simply pointed out that a tithe was a part of the Mosaic Law, or the law of Moses, and that in the New Testament, we are told that we are no longer under the Old Law, but under the New Law of Grace. We are under the law of love and Christ wants us to, and I quote from scripture, "Give generously as we have decided in our hearts and never "under compulsion"
We should never be "bullied" to give.
I have more on this later. Folks, I don't care if you tithe or not. That is your perogative, I love you regardless. But I am convined that Christ does not want our ten percent. He wants our entire being. HE wants all of us.... He wants to fill us in such a way that we love each other so much that we are willing to lay down our lives for our brother..
Am I wrong for thinking that?
It seems that some think that I am...
I am not here to please man.
Today was a hard day. Even at my job, there is tension.
Push on..move forward..
More posts coming soon..
Love you.
And if anyone wants
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Witchcraft in the church?
As you read this post, I encourage you to test all things. There are things included that will upset many people. I pray that you seek God before getting angry or upset, and please know that if you read through the pages of my blog..I do not believe in lies.
Today, I see many people listening to other people’s interpretation of the Bible. We live an age where people in pulpits are distorting the gospel in such a way that it is barely recognizeable. It has become a doctrine where we line up with “itching ears” to hear the latest self help sermon. We have replaced the Jesus of Humility with the Jesus of Prosperity, and, in doing so, we have truly lost our way.
A few years ago, I boasted to my coworkers that God was going to pay off my student loans.. I said, "God is going to give me fifty grand, and I am going to be debt free."
You see, I had been planting what I thought were "little seeds." I would give to someone, but when I gave..I expected a blessing in return. I prayed for God to wipe out my student loan because I had been planting "seeds" with my money.
I didn't realize back then, that I had a thwarted image of God. I didn't realize that I was using God for my own personal benefit and gain.
You see, I grew up thinking that "seed faith" was normal and even right. But what I didn't see is that it reduced God to cosmic coin and money machine who I was using for my own financial gain.
God already gave us a gift. He gave us the gift of His One and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life. I didn't realize back then that giving is and should be a joy..not because we expect to reap any earthly rewards, but because when we do give to help the poor and clothe the naked..it is an expression of His love. It should be a joy for any Christian and Jesus says that in doing so, we store up treasures in Heaven.
I also learned that giving doesn't even have to be about money, and it should never be "under compulsion" as the Word states. God wants our time, our hearts.. He wants us to do His will because when we do...His Kingdom comes to earth.
The other day I was at my grandfather's house and I saw a book that caught my eye. It was a book of prayers. The prayers had dozens of different prayers for different purposes. One prayer was for financial success.
Without the gift of discernment, I would have seen absolutely nothing wrong with this book. But I have since learned that God is not always concerned with our personal ambitions. As a matter of fact, He tells us to die to self that we may live with Him. He tells us to lose our very lives so that we may find it...Matthew 10:39
In the Bible, God tells us how to pray, and yet there are thousands of books on this subject.
Here is how Jesus said to pray..
"Our Father Who art in Heaven, Blessed is Your Name..Your Kindom Come, Your will be done, On earth, as it is in Heaven."
When we do His Will… His Kingdom comes to Earth. His peace, his fruitfulness, His divine and perfect love, …It plays out in our own lives and it spreads into the lives of others.
The will of Christ leads us into humility and humility is the complete expression of love.
Ok. so now for the witchcraft part and I pray that you can see how this all ties in together..
I want to tell you about a disturbing youtube video that I watched. It involved a man who had seen and recognized abuse and manipulation inside of his church.
He said that he spoke with his pastor, and told his pastor that he was no longer going to be a member of the congregation.
The man said that the pastor started casually rubbing the back of his neck. The man thought it was a strange gesture, and asked the preacher what he was doing..
The preacher casually responded, "oh, i'm just putting on a string."
The man said that he didn't really think much of the experience...he shook hands with the pastor and parted ways..
But.. he said that a few nights later, he started having extreme pain in his neck. He said that the pain was severe, and he couldn't understand what was happening.
He spoke to his friend, who had the gift of discernment, and they discovered that the preacher had used a form of witchcraft and was attempting to pull some sort of invisible string to lure him back into the church.
The man then goes on to say that they prayed for his neck and rebuked the evil spirits. The man said that the pain immediately left him.
I want to detail a very, very strange experience that I have had in the not too distant past. It involves two men who came to our church. Keep, in mind I am not speaking against these men in any way, but I want to share what I experienced because it seemed really strange.
Here is the story:
He began to talk of how Christians in the area are experiencing the demonic, and asked if anyone in the congregation needed prayer in this area.
Well, having had experiences with the demonic, I went to the front for prayer.
The man put his hand on my head and started talking about negative thoughts. I thought it was strange because I hadn't had any kind of negative thoughts. By this time, another man who I think was the missionaries friend, stood up and began to pray as well. He asked me if I needed healing in any area of my body. I told him about my mild thyroid issues. He then, put his hands on my stomach and proceeded to move his hands across my belly. He then asked me if I "felt anything."
Truthfully, I felt nothing. I was very confused.. he kept asking, Do you feel that?...He said, do you know who that is..in my confused state, I stated, in a way that more of a question, "God?" He said, yes..
A few days after this particular service, I began to be bombarded with negative thoughts. They were so bad that I didn't want to get out of bed. A level of hopelessness and guilt over the past pervaded my mind in such a way that I silently wanted my life to end.
A short time later, I was laying in bed and trutfully I don't know if I was dreaming or awake, but I began to feel an immense pain in my belly. The pain was excrutiating and like nothing I had ever experienced. It literally felt as if claws were trying to rip out my insides.On a separate night, I even dreamt of a huge worm that was ravaging my insides.
It was during this time, that I truly began seeking the gift of spiritual discernment.
To be honest, I still cannot say anything against the men who prayed for me, only that I have come to be extremely cautious in who I trust. Truthfully, I believe that man is falliable, and I have learned that the only one I can truly trust is God...
I know that this must strange to some of my readers..trust me, I know..it is strange. I read something the other day that I found disturbing. It is a little hard to believe, but I suppose it makes sense.
I read that there are real witches and those who practice witchcraft whose sole purpose is to infiltrate churches and cause harm to the Body of Believers.
I also read that witchcraft is a form of conrol and manipulation, and that witchcraft in the church doesn't have to look obvious. I read that it is cleverly disguised amidst twisting scriputures for the purpose of obtaining money and even in using controlling techniques to create fear and submission.
One practice that has always bothered me is seed faith and even using the Old Testament practice of the tithe to generate fear. I have heard preachers preach that God will not bless someone who does not pay a tithe and I have even heard it preached that a "curse" will come upon a non tithing member....
If someone is dabbling in curses and proclaiming curses that are not from God, are they, in essence, dabbling in a subtle form of witchcraft?
I guess in order to find out we need to hear what God says about witchcraft..
The scriptures say that God says rebellion is as the sin of witchraft.
"Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." 1 Samuel 15:23
Is this practice of creating fear and using the word to twist scripture considered rebellion against the nature of God? Therefore, a form of witchraft in the eyes of the Lord?
In the next segment of this post, I want to bring some things to your attention.
Keep in mind the story of Simon in the Book of Acts Chapter 8. Simon was a sorceror who was perceived as a great man of God. He used powers to allure the people of his day..He was also guilty of trying to sell the gospel..
Read this verse:
In the story of Saul, we are presented with Saul's disobedience to God.
Saul was ordered to completely destroy the Amalekites and their animals. The Bible refers to the fact that they were a wicked nation. Instead, Saul did what was right in his own eyes and kept all that was good. He tried to rationalize his actions to Samuel, but Samuel replied in verses 22 and 23 that God does not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord. It says that rebellion is like the sin of divination (witchcraft).
So, if these things are against the will of God, we must then ask, what works of the flesh are being brought into our churches. Once, they are identified, then hopefully we can present the light of truth in order to begin to weed them out..I will only cover a few in this post.
1. Adultery - Since this is against the will of God, it is considered rebellion, and therefore a form of wichcraft. Sadly, I hear that many pastors have slept with members of their congregation.
I read that many women are seduced by the "man in the front" so to speak..He is given status, and some will use that status to prey on unsuspecting members. This is tantamount to witchcraft in the eyes of God.
2. Lasciviousness - Lasciviousness equates to a desire for pleasure and things of the world. Have you noticed that amidst today's prosperity crowd, the one thing that is placed in high esteem are the pleasures of life. Many of the preachers tout rich lifestyles and preach of resurecction benefits, but in doing so, deny the Power of the Cross in their lives. They boast of the material "possessions" that God has given them. They represent pride and not the true humble nature of Jesus. Jesus said in His Word that many would leave the true faith because their ears would be "tickled" and they would abandon the truth for "another gospel." The Prosperity Gospel, in it's false teachings, is one of those "other gospels" In Christ's eyes, it is tantamount to witchcraft in the sense that the true humble nature is corrupted and replaced with a "prosperity Jesus"
3. Hatred - Have you ever gone into a church that preaches against another denomination and, instead of showing love and kindness to people of other faiths, they are rude and proud. I have experienced this in more than one setting. It is equivalent to religious hatred, and it the Lord's eyes, it is equal to witchcraft.
4. Heresies - In this segment, I will cover both the topic of heresies and lies. The truth is that Christianity largely has come to resemble a business. We live a world where the majority of leaders are charging for something Christ intended to be free. In regards to His gospel, Jesus said, "Freely give as you have been given," and yet, we see the scriputes being twisted and things like seed faith being born. We also see wealthy leaders exploiting the congregants, while some suffer in the pew. Many are made to feel guilty. I recently heard a story of a woman who attended a church. She was penniless and literally did not have a dime on her at the time of the service. The pastor kept pushing people to give. He use fear and manipulation in order to attempt to whittle money out of the crowd. He probably even twisted the scripture. This damaged the woman significantly and she never returned. The New Testament says that we should never give out of compulsion..or because someone is pushing us to give. We should give only out of the joy of our hearts when we are able.
The modern day tithe is another example of how scripture is twisted in order to obtain money. The tithe was a Old Testament Law that was intended for Levitical priests. The Testament lets us know that the Old Testament Law is no longer valid. Instead,, we are given a New Law, the law of Grace..
Under this law we are expected to give ourselves wholly..God does not want our ten percent. We are expected to care for one another and share with one another, never out of compusion, but out of JOY.
This twisting of scripture for personal gain is a heresy and it is witchcraft in the eyes of God.
5. Revelings - Lately, I have heard the idea of going to church simply to satisy the "experience."
The truth is that we crave experience and entertainment. In our church, we often see "powers" by which we are allured.
BUT, it is important that we keep in mind that NOT ALL POWERS are from God.
The Bible says that Satan appears as an angel of light. The Bible also says there are false miracles and signs and wonders.
Think about the New Testament story of Simon. Simon was a sorceror, but the people percieved him as a great man of God.
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power. Acts Chapter 8 verse 9,10.
Also, keep in mind that Simon was one who thought the gifts of the Holy Spirit could be bought with money. Keep in mind this next verse from Acts Chapter 8.
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 20 Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
One thing that I want people to take note of is the fact that Simon was a swindler and yet he had powers that were perceived as godly powers. But, Simon was anything but godly. He spoke the language and probably decieved many people.
Lately, I have began to question some of the powers that I have seen and experienced in churches all of my life. The truth is that the spirit world is real and, as Christians we are called to "Test the spirits"
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.1 John 4:1
At some point, I feel as if many have forgotten this verse. Instead, we accept whatever we deem normal. But we forget that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against the unseen. (See Ephesians 6:12)
To think that the enemy has never infiltrated our churches is naive. By the fruit of today's dark world, the enemy seems to be having his way. You don't have to look very far to the see the damage done. Mothers are killing their babies, the faces of missing children are splattered all over the news, murder is rampant, abuse has become the norm rather than the excpetion. Yes, folks, the enemy is very real and the fruits of the flesh only prove that he has taken over the lives of many.
I digressed..
Back to the subject of powers in the church.
This has been a very touchy subject for me, and a part of me doesn't even want to touch it..but I am coming to a place where I feel I must.
I grew up in church where I saw many powers. As a child, many of the things that I saw frightened me. I often didn't even want to go to church. However, after a while, many of what I witnessed seemed normal.
I'll give you a few examples.
I once saw a church member, who I know was living in sin, raise her hands, and begin to "convulse." She would start screaming and writhing and her entire body would shake.
Another time, there was a man who spoke at my church. I remember him using fear and manipulation in order to get money, even out of the poorest members. I think he even used "seed faith" language to attempt to enlarge his coffers. He equated money with blessings and curses.
The man called several members to the front for prayer. As everyone was standing in line, the man began to "blow" on people. I remember when it was my turn for prayer, the man asked me if I had any faith? I said, "of course I have faith," The second that I said that, the man "blew" on me, and I felt as if I temporarily lost conciousness as I fell backward to the ground.
The truth is that I have never questioned any of these experiences until recently. I was always told that what I was experiencing was a "move of God, an outpouring of the spirit, or the anoiting." But one thing that truly bothered me is the fact that I know a girl who went to church and witnessed things like this, and truthfully, I wonder if she will ever come back. Also, I began to notice that many ministries are engaging in this phenonmenon, but after reading some of their heretical quotes and misrepresenations of God, then I began to wonder if there could possibly be something else at work..because these men are perceived as "great men." Remember that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, and he can counterfeit so as to decieve.
I recently became of aware of the dark staments that have come out of Benny Hinn's minsitry. Upon reading some of the documented things that he has said and done, I discovered , upon his own admission, that he claims to get his "anointing'" from the dead bones of a woman considered to be a "prophetess." If you are interested in learning about the dark fruit of this ministry, I encourage you to click here.
One thing that has greatly bothered me over the course of the last few months, is the fact that many people in Hinn's congregation are experiencing what they believe to be a "powerful move of God."
People are experiencing what I experienced.... The phenomenon is known as "slain in the spirit" or "falling out." They are also experienced something called holy laughter.
The more I seek discernment, the more I am convinced that many of the powers that I thought were from God are simply not from God. They are the powers that Simon used to lure sheep to the slaughter. Many people begin to put faith solely in the "man using the powers" and in turn, forget the gospels entirely. I have also noticed that other ministries teaching false teachings are also experiencing this movement.
When I think of being slain in the spirit, it is important to test all things against the Word of God. One thing that I think it is important to note is that there was never any instance of being slain in the spirit in the Bible. Also, we have to look at the verse that tells us in 1 Timothy, "Do Not be quick in the laying on of hands." If I am wrong, please correct me.
So, now let's test.. We can all agree that we are seeing a lot of power in our churches. However, we can also heed the fact that Not all Powers are from God. We can recall the story of Simon who had great powers that he used to deceive, and we know that even Satan, himself appears as an angel of light, meaning that he appears to be good.
Let's assume that the devil would try to use "slain in the spirit" to his advantage. How would he do it, and what would it look like?
I"ll explain.
Well, if I were the devil, I would deceive men into believing that they had "great powers." The people would be moved by "great signs and wonders" They would begin to put their trust in these "men of God." They would perceive that God was doing great and mighty things in their midst. Meanwhile, in the midst of all of their fervor, their hearts would grow complacent. They would see that "god was moving amongst them, and so they would abandon reading their Bibles. I would deceive them into thinking that their duty to God are limited to a tithe. I would then use a twisting of scripture to tell them that in order to be accepted by God, they must first give Him money. This will distort their perception of the true God and diminish His loving nature. If I were the devil, I would do everything in my power to see that the people use their resources to support "his ministry." I would encourage him to appeal to people's good nature and hearts, and I would throw in scripture and people would throw money at him and even buy him jet planes to fly around the world spreading "prosperity gospels, and other distorted gospels.
If I were the devil, I would convince the people that the "men with the power are the anoited ones." They would, in turn, forget that the Bible says that we are all anoited and each have certain gifts. If I were the devil, no one would be using their gifts..If the Body started using their gifts, then That would be chaos for my kingdom... So, I would try to keep the Believers so caught up in revelry and in "movings and outpourings" that they would forget the words of Jesus. Instead, they would listen with open ears to anything that the man says, because they believe that he is a powerful man. I would fill entire stadiums full of people, and they would see such a great "outpouring" that they will forget to test all things against the word. All of the people's attention will be on the man in the front and center. He would preach a wide path message of hope and prosperity and people would forget or disregard the call for self denial and the Cross would lose power amongst the people..
You see, If I were the devil..Once the people forget the power of the Cross, then they are already mine.
If I were the devil, I would use strange manifestaions in the Body of Believers to create fear in the lost and unsaved world. I would distort the character of God by convincing people that shaking, convulsing, and even barking like dogs is a sign of His power. Thousands of the unsaved would laugh at such things and never know the true manifestion of the Holy Spirit is in the form of the most perfect love. You see, if they knew that..then my kingdom would be in severe danger. People would start sharing and loving and my kindgom of hell would be doomed because people would grasp the great nature of the love of God.
If I were the devil, I would see to it that people were "puffed up" and prideful because they percieve that God is in their midst because they see these great powers. They would begin to compare themselves to other denominations, and hatred and division would increase. They would see that these "great signs and wonders" are only happening amongst their denomination, and they would percieve that their teachings are true.
Oh, and churches..ha! I would create thousands and thousands of churches. Trillions of dollars would be spent every year on brick and mortar buildings because they people don't know that the Body of Believers is about people! Meanwhile, millions of people around the world will continue to live in hunger and extreme poverty. By now, the people's hearts are so fat with God's "prosperity" that sharing becomes obsolete.. Or if they do share, I will see to it that they give their money over to huge organizations like TBN who take pictures of themselves with orphans in order to manipulate and raise more money.
If I were the devil, I would counterfeit miracles and other gifts of God so that people will more readily put up with unsound doctrines. Because you see, I disguise myself as something good. The Bible even says I appear as an angel of light. If I were the devil I would rejoice! Because it says that in the last days, that people would be vain, lovers of money, lovers of self, immoral, lovers of pleasure... and I would see that my Believers no longer follow the gospels, do what it says, or even read their own Bibles..Then, the whole world would look like chaos and millions or billions, who have fallen for lies, and do not carry the power of the Cross, will inherit my kingdom.
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. Matthew 24:24
Ok, I recant a few of my words.. I believe that there may be a real and a counterfeit slain in the spirit.. Also, I made a made a video on my experience with holy laughter and demonic laughter. A woman came forth and said that she had experienced a genuine holy laughter..and gave me the verse..
however, we should put all of trust in God alone and remember to test things. Just because we experienced a power does not mean that it was from God. Satan is a counterfeiter.. But how are we able to recognize the counterfeit? We don't study the counterfeit, we study and learn the real thing. We get close to Jesus. We talk to Him, read His Word, and simply learn to hear His voice. We give up what He asks and be obedient to His calling on our lives.
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Please take the time to read the following article about false miracles in the end times.
http://www.aibi.ph/articles/falsemir.htm
Ok, I know this is an extremly long post..I only want to cover one more thing.. It involves false miracles. For everything real, there is a counterfeit. (I recently saw a video that implied that perhaps there is a real slain in the spirit and a counterfeit. I encourge you to be wary and if you see something out of line with the gospels, run for the hills)
Such is the same with miracles, and Christ tells us this is Matthew 24:24
Last week was a very strange week. One night my grandfather came into the room and started telling me that he heard on the radio that God is giving people new teeth. He said that there are miracles happening where people are getting new teeth filled with gold and/or gold specks.
My grandfather then told me that he is praying for new teeth.
A few days later, I am browsing facebook and I hear a story about how Christ is physically appearing to the Muslim world. Immediately, I thought of how Benny Hinn is stating that Jesus will appear at his crusades. I also thought of the verse that tell us that many will claim to see Christ appear..ONLY it will NOT be Christ..
Consider this verse in Matthew Chapter 24: 23
At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
I also began to wonder why Christ would give someone gold teeth when He warns against greed and riches. Would a humble Jesus who told us to carry our crosses and lose our lives for His sake, really be filling our mouths full of gold?
I highly doubt it.
You see, I do believe in miracles. But, I believe that miracles come when our lives begin to look like the Cross. Those are the true miracles. One only needs to read about the life of Jesus in order to see a true miracle.. Miracles come when we hand our will over to the will of Our Heavenly Father.
a lady reads from the Bible about what is witchcraft in the eyes of God according to the Bible
Benny Hinn, Holy laughter. I once had an experience with holy laughter. I started laughing uncontrollably. It actually seemed like a pleasant experience. However, I have had experiences with the demonic and I have seen how demons disguise themselves. Once, in the presence of a demon, I first perceived it as angry, and then I started laughing because I percieved it as something good. Yes, I know this all sounds strange. The Bible says to test all things. Even if you don't listen to my experiences, read your Bibles. Experiences need to be questioned. All of them. But the devil does appear as an "angel of light." When I have been in the prescence of the true Holy Spirit, I am often moved to tears because I feel an immense love for others. The Holy Spirit leads us into complete love and truth..That truth produces joy, not uncontrollable laughter.
Benny Hinn, false prophet, heretical quotes
Joyce Meyers advocates seed faith and lives in riches
Video on the prosperity gospel
David Wilkerson talks about strange manifestions in the church.. he says that in some churches, people are barking like dogs and walking around on invisible leashes. He points out that people are commiting suicide and God's children are in the sanctuary laughing and barking like dogs. He says that God is being portrayed as a buffoon.
This is a two hour long video, but it has some highly disturbing things. In this video, you will see Jim Jones say that he is a "little god." Then, you will see TBN ministers say on air that they are "little gods" You will then see a trail of dead bodies from the people who followed Jones. You will see people barking like dogs and howling like wolves in church, and a man being led around on a leash. You will see people convulsing. You will see Kenneth Copeland and his heretical and dangerous teachings and you will see a stadium of people gathered around him as he speaks in "tongues" with another man on stage. They make a joke out of it. You will also see a demon possessed woman speak in a "counterfeit" tongue.. For every real, there is a fake.. The real gift was in the Book of Acts and it was a great miracle. You will see New Age gurus using "slain in the spirit" to knock people unconcious. You will see Benny Hinn use a young boy to get huge amounts of money from his crusades. Watch this with discernment, there are some true things on here and some things I would like to address, but if you are looking to see how decieved people are..this is a good place to start.
These are the words of Jesus for you. This is beautiful! Please watch
This is another version of the above video. Simply gorgeous.
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:4
Lately, I have felt a deep sense of unease.. I can't really explain it other than the fact that as I continue to pray for spiritual discernment, I feel Christ showing me that things are desperately wrong within the Body of Believers.
I feel a source of tension as war is looming between Israel and Gaza and the economy of our nation hangs in the balance. I am certain that God does not want us to fear, but yet I feel that the pangs that we will feel as a result of world unstability is inevitable.
For the past two weeks, I have had a thorn lodged in my thumb. Yesterday, my entire hand started hurting. Today, I noticed that the thorn had caused my entire thumb to swell. I started secretly wondering if my hand wasn't becoming infected. At one point, I actually wondered if an infection could find it's way into my bloodstream and ultimately lead to my death.. I know it sounds far fetched, but I have heard of fatal blood infections that begin with something very small and simple.. like a thorn..Last night, I was at work and my hand was throbbing. I actually had trouble perfoming basic job tasks.
Lately, I feel as if Christ has pointed me to research and learn about false teachings. He has been leading me to read about it in the Bible. Today, He gave me an illustration. False teachings are like the tiny thorn. They seem tiny and insignificant, but they begin to infect the Body of Believers in very serious ways. They get into the bloodstream, and like a poison, they make their way into the heart. Before you know it, the entire Body is sick and infected. The fruit becomes evident..selfishness, greed, and a severe lack of love. As a Body of Believers, we each have talents and gifts. We are anoited of the Holy Spirit and false teaching and lies are hurting the Body of Believers in that they are keeping us from performing the tasks or jobs for which we are created.
One word that I have heard as of late is "complacency." We have become content in our walk with Christ, and truthfully, I blame the permeance and infiltration of false teachings.
They have become so mainstream that they are truly hard to discern. For the past week, I have felt weird. I feel a disconnect from others in way that almost frightens me to some extent. While other women my age are out getting manicures, I feel as if God is calling me to point out the dangers of seed faith, and The Word of Faith Movement, the Little god heresy, and the prosperity gospel.
It is a humbling and very lonely place to be.
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:4
Lately, I have felt a deep sense of unease.. I can't really explain it other than the fact that as I continue to pray for spiritual discernment, I feel Christ showing me that things are desperately wrong within the Body of Believers.
I feel a source of tension as war is looming between Israel and Gaza and the economy of our nation hangs in the balance. I am certain that God does not want us to fear, but yet I feel that the pangs that we will feel as a result of world unstability is inevitable.
For the past two weeks, I have had a thorn lodged in my thumb. Yesterday, my entire hand started hurting. Today, I noticed that the thorn had caused my entire thumb to swell. I started secretly wondering if my hand wasn't becoming infected. At one point, I actually wondered if an infection could find it's way into my bloodstream and ultimately lead to my death.. I know it sounds far fetched, but I have heard of fatal blood infections that begin with something very small and simple.. like a thorn..Last night, I was at work and my hand was throbbing. I actually had trouble perfoming basic job tasks.
Lately, I feel as if Christ has pointed me to research and learn about false teachings. He has been leading me to read about it in the Bible. Today, He gave me an illustration. False teachings are like the tiny thorn. They seem tiny and insignificant, but they begin to infect the Body of Believers in very serious ways. They get into the bloodstream, and like a poison, they make their way into the heart. Before you know it, the entire Body is sick and infected. The fruit becomes evident..selfishness, greed, and a severe lack of love. As a Body of Believers, we each have talents and gifts. We are anoited of the Holy Spirit and false teaching and lies are hurting the Body of Believers in that they are keeping us from performing the tasks or jobs for which we are created.
One word that I have heard as of late is "complacency." We have become content in our walk with Christ, and truthfully, I blame the permeance and infiltration of false teachings.
They have become so mainstream that they are truly hard to discern. For the past week, I have felt weird. I feel a disconnect from others in way that almost frightens me to some extent. While other women my age are out getting manicures, I feel as if God is calling me to point out the dangers of seed faith, and The Word of Faith Movement, the Little god heresy, and the prosperity gospel.
It is a humbling and very lonely place to be.
So now the question remains:
What do we do when we are sick? The answer is simple..
We go the One who Heals. We go straight to the source of His Word.
What do we do when we are sick? The answer is simple..
We go the One who Heals. We go straight to the source of His Word.
Today, I see many people listening to other people’s interpretation of the Bible. We live an age where people in pulpits are distorting the gospel in such a way that it is barely recognizeable. It has become a doctrine where we line up with “itching ears” to hear the latest self help sermon. We have replaced the Jesus of Humility with the Jesus of Prosperity, and, in doing so, we have truly lost our way.
Look around. The sickness is evident. We ignore the needs of the poor and seek to largely serve only members of our own congregations. We expect others to pour into our churches, but we forget that the church is not about a building, but rather a Body of Believers who should seek to care about the lost enough to minister to them by telling them the Good News.
I do not believe that we are justified by works. However, I do believe in the verses that say that we should not be hearers of the word only. In doing so, We deceive ourselves and The truth is not in us..
I know you are all itching to find out what this has to do with witchcraft, but hold out, and you will soon come to understand..
I know you are all itching to find out what this has to do with witchcraft, but hold out, and you will soon come to understand..
A few years ago, I boasted to my coworkers that God was going to pay off my student loans.. I said, "God is going to give me fifty grand, and I am going to be debt free."
You see, I had been planting what I thought were "little seeds." I would give to someone, but when I gave..I expected a blessing in return. I prayed for God to wipe out my student loan because I had been planting "seeds" with my money.
I didn't realize back then, that I had a thwarted image of God. I didn't realize that I was using God for my own personal benefit and gain.
You see, I grew up thinking that "seed faith" was normal and even right. But what I didn't see is that it reduced God to cosmic coin and money machine who I was using for my own financial gain.
God already gave us a gift. He gave us the gift of His One and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall have eternal life. I didn't realize back then that giving is and should be a joy..not because we expect to reap any earthly rewards, but because when we do give to help the poor and clothe the naked..it is an expression of His love. It should be a joy for any Christian and Jesus says that in doing so, we store up treasures in Heaven.
I also learned that giving doesn't even have to be about money, and it should never be "under compulsion" as the Word states. God wants our time, our hearts.. He wants us to do His will because when we do...His Kingdom comes to earth.
The other day I was at my grandfather's house and I saw a book that caught my eye. It was a book of prayers. The prayers had dozens of different prayers for different purposes. One prayer was for financial success.
Without the gift of discernment, I would have seen absolutely nothing wrong with this book. But I have since learned that God is not always concerned with our personal ambitions. As a matter of fact, He tells us to die to self that we may live with Him. He tells us to lose our very lives so that we may find it...Matthew 10:39
In the Bible, God tells us how to pray, and yet there are thousands of books on this subject.
Here is how Jesus said to pray..
"Our Father Who art in Heaven, Blessed is Your Name..Your Kindom Come, Your will be done, On earth, as it is in Heaven."
Jesus showed me something the other day.. It was profound.
When we do His Will… His Kingdom comes to Earth. His peace, his fruitfulness, His divine and perfect love, …It plays out in our own lives and it spreads into the lives of others.
The will of Christ leads us into humility and humility is the complete expression of love.
Love changes things.. Christ’s love is Life changing!
When His will comes to this earth..It sets people free!
But we no longer trust Him with His will. Instead we follow Word of Faith preachers who “tickle our ears” and tell us a distorted gospel. We use "our prayers" to pray for our own wills, but don't realize that we reduce God to a cosmic genie.
The result is a brand of selfishness and greed that is unprecedented. We use prayers as a source to channel a God that very few really know or understand. We forget the verse that says, "Narrow is the gate that leads to life and few will enter. Work hard to get in."
The result is a brand of selfishness and greed that is unprecedented. We use prayers as a source to channel a God that very few really know or understand. We forget the verse that says, "Narrow is the gate that leads to life and few will enter. Work hard to get in."
These things concern me, and while I do not judge those who follow the Word of Faith.movement, It is my duty as a Christian, to “contend for the faith, and to shine the light of Truth into the darkness.
Ok. so now for the witchcraft part and I pray that you can see how this all ties in together..
I want to tell you about a disturbing youtube video that I watched. It involved a man who had seen and recognized abuse and manipulation inside of his church.
He said that he spoke with his pastor, and told his pastor that he was no longer going to be a member of the congregation.
The man said that the pastor started casually rubbing the back of his neck. The man thought it was a strange gesture, and asked the preacher what he was doing..
The preacher casually responded, "oh, i'm just putting on a string."
The man said that he didn't really think much of the experience...he shook hands with the pastor and parted ways..
But.. he said that a few nights later, he started having extreme pain in his neck. He said that the pain was severe, and he couldn't understand what was happening.
He spoke to his friend, who had the gift of discernment, and they discovered that the preacher had used a form of witchcraft and was attempting to pull some sort of invisible string to lure him back into the church.
The man then goes on to say that they prayed for his neck and rebuked the evil spirits. The man said that the pain immediately left him.
I want to detail a very, very strange experience that I have had in the not too distant past. It involves two men who came to our church. Keep, in mind I am not speaking against these men in any way, but I want to share what I experienced because it seemed really strange.
Here is the story:
A few months ago a speaker came to our church. Listening to him talk, I perceived that he was the real "deal". I saw that he wasn't asking for money, and actually spoke of time that he spent in Haiti as a missionary.
He began to talk of how Christians in the area are experiencing the demonic, and asked if anyone in the congregation needed prayer in this area.
Well, having had experiences with the demonic, I went to the front for prayer.
The man put his hand on my head and started talking about negative thoughts. I thought it was strange because I hadn't had any kind of negative thoughts. By this time, another man who I think was the missionaries friend, stood up and began to pray as well. He asked me if I needed healing in any area of my body. I told him about my mild thyroid issues. He then, put his hands on my stomach and proceeded to move his hands across my belly. He then asked me if I "felt anything."
Truthfully, I felt nothing. I was very confused.. he kept asking, Do you feel that?...He said, do you know who that is..in my confused state, I stated, in a way that more of a question, "God?" He said, yes..
The men began praying for others in the church and declaring miracles, and I wondered if any were actually taking place.
I believe in healing, and I believe in the laying on of hands as it says in the Bible, I believe in miracles, but I also think that if God shows up to perform miracles it will be a beautiful and unmistakeable experience.
A few days after this particular service, I began to be bombarded with negative thoughts. They were so bad that I didn't want to get out of bed. A level of hopelessness and guilt over the past pervaded my mind in such a way that I silently wanted my life to end.
A short time later, I was laying in bed and trutfully I don't know if I was dreaming or awake, but I began to feel an immense pain in my belly. The pain was excrutiating and like nothing I had ever experienced. It literally felt as if claws were trying to rip out my insides.On a separate night, I even dreamt of a huge worm that was ravaging my insides.
It was during this time, that I truly began seeking the gift of spiritual discernment.
The Bible says that we fight not against flesh and blood but against the unseen in the realm of darkness..
It also says to "Test the spirits to see if they are from God."
To be honest, I still cannot say anything against the men who prayed for me, only that I have come to be extremely cautious in who I trust. Truthfully, I believe that man is falliable, and I have learned that the only one I can truly trust is God...
I know that this must strange to some of my readers..trust me, I know..it is strange. I read something the other day that I found disturbing. It is a little hard to believe, but I suppose it makes sense.
I read that there are real witches and those who practice witchcraft whose sole purpose is to infiltrate churches and cause harm to the Body of Believers.
I also read that witchcraft is a form of conrol and manipulation, and that witchcraft in the church doesn't have to look obvious. I read that it is cleverly disguised amidst twisting scriputures for the purpose of obtaining money and even in using controlling techniques to create fear and submission.
One practice that has always bothered me is seed faith and even using the Old Testament practice of the tithe to generate fear. I have heard preachers preach that God will not bless someone who does not pay a tithe and I have even heard it preached that a "curse" will come upon a non tithing member....
If someone is dabbling in curses and proclaiming curses that are not from God, are they, in essence, dabbling in a subtle form of witchcraft?
I guess in order to find out we need to hear what God says about witchcraft..
The scriptures say that God says rebellion is as the sin of witchraft.
"Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." 1 Samuel 15:23
Is this practice of creating fear and using the word to twist scripture considered rebellion against the nature of God? Therefore, a form of witchraft in the eyes of the Lord?
In the next segment of this post, I want to bring some things to your attention.
Keep in mind the story of Simon in the Book of Acts Chapter 8. Simon was a sorceror who was perceived as a great man of God. He used powers to allure the people of his day..He was also guilty of trying to sell the gospel..
Read this verse:
Notice verse 22 which says The gift of the Holy Spirit cannot be purchased with money.. but how often do we see Jesus sold in our churches? Many sell him via seed faith and many use the the twisting of the word to accumulate wealth.. Doesn't the Bible even say that false teachers will use deceptive words to expoit others out of covetous hearts?
"But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. 2 Peter 2:1-3
How will God judge this, and when scripture is twisted to maintain control and create fear and enslavement, is this a form of witchcraft?
Many people think of devil worsip, ouija boards, spells and incantion sort of witchcraft, but if God defines rebellion as the sin of witchraft, then we have to be aware that it is something that is less noticeable. It is more crafty and cunning and we often submit to it because it is something that is being done in many of our churches.
The good news is that Jesus was sent to free us from the chains of bondange. He says, "For you have been called to freedom brothers, not freedom to fall into your old sinful natures, but freedom to serve one another in love."
The more I read the word and become aware of how the word is twisted..the more I see that the Good News really is Good News.. Sadly, however, many use Jesus as a tool for bondage when HE has really called us to freedom.
I also read that another possible use of witchcraft in the church is through questionable prophesies and through direct revelations. Some preachers use these "prophesies" as nothing more than a tool to keep their tithing members on a leash. Keep in mind, the gift of prophesy is in the Bible and many use the gift for the good and building up of the Body... However, it is wrong someone falsely prophesies and claims a direct revelation in order to generate fear.. An example of a false prophesy would be..God says He is going to heal you if you plant money in my ministry. Or God says that if you leave this church, something bad is going to happen.
Keep in mind that we have to be very careful when we say that God says something. What God says is found in His Word and we should adhere to what the Word says rather than being quick to have "ticked ears" We should also be wary when people in positions try to create an atmosphere of fear.
What does Jesus say about fear? He says that He does not want us to fear. "For I have not given you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of Love, and of a sound mind"
Also remember the verse, IF God is for me, then who can be against me?
That sounds like Good News to me. Jesus does not want His children to fear.
Ok, now that we have established that rebellion is like withcraft, we need to ask..Rebellion against what or whom.? I have heard it falsely stated that rebellion against traditions or institutions is tantamount to witchcraft, but what does God have to say?
In the story of Saul, we are presented with Saul's disobedience to God.
Saul was ordered to completely destroy the Amalekites and their animals. The Bible refers to the fact that they were a wicked nation. Instead, Saul did what was right in his own eyes and kept all that was good. He tried to rationalize his actions to Samuel, but Samuel replied in verses 22 and 23 that God does not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord. It says that rebellion is like the sin of divination (witchcraft).
From reading the following verses, we can conclude that not following the will of the father, or rebelling against His will, is tantamount to witchcraft in His estimation.
So, for purposes of arguement,...I now must ask..what are the characteristics of one who follows his own will. Well, we know those who have the Spirit of the Lord by their fruits..and those fruits are..
"
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22
So, if these are the Fruits of the Spirit that Christ gives, what is the direct opposite of these fruits? The fruits of the flesh are listen in the book of Galatians.
Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
So, if these things are against the will of God, we must then ask, what works of the flesh are being brought into our churches. Once, they are identified, then hopefully we can present the light of truth in order to begin to weed them out..I will only cover a few in this post.
1. Adultery - Since this is against the will of God, it is considered rebellion, and therefore a form of wichcraft. Sadly, I hear that many pastors have slept with members of their congregation.
I read that many women are seduced by the "man in the front" so to speak..He is given status, and some will use that status to prey on unsuspecting members. This is tantamount to witchcraft in the eyes of God.
2. Lasciviousness - Lasciviousness equates to a desire for pleasure and things of the world. Have you noticed that amidst today's prosperity crowd, the one thing that is placed in high esteem are the pleasures of life. Many of the preachers tout rich lifestyles and preach of resurecction benefits, but in doing so, deny the Power of the Cross in their lives. They boast of the material "possessions" that God has given them. They represent pride and not the true humble nature of Jesus. Jesus said in His Word that many would leave the true faith because their ears would be "tickled" and they would abandon the truth for "another gospel." The Prosperity Gospel, in it's false teachings, is one of those "other gospels" In Christ's eyes, it is tantamount to witchcraft in the sense that the true humble nature is corrupted and replaced with a "prosperity Jesus"
3. Hatred - Have you ever gone into a church that preaches against another denomination and, instead of showing love and kindness to people of other faiths, they are rude and proud. I have experienced this in more than one setting. It is equivalent to religious hatred, and it the Lord's eyes, it is equal to witchcraft.
4. Heresies - In this segment, I will cover both the topic of heresies and lies. The truth is that Christianity largely has come to resemble a business. We live a world where the majority of leaders are charging for something Christ intended to be free. In regards to His gospel, Jesus said, "Freely give as you have been given," and yet, we see the scriputes being twisted and things like seed faith being born. We also see wealthy leaders exploiting the congregants, while some suffer in the pew. Many are made to feel guilty. I recently heard a story of a woman who attended a church. She was penniless and literally did not have a dime on her at the time of the service. The pastor kept pushing people to give. He use fear and manipulation in order to attempt to whittle money out of the crowd. He probably even twisted the scripture. This damaged the woman significantly and she never returned. The New Testament says that we should never give out of compulsion..or because someone is pushing us to give. We should give only out of the joy of our hearts when we are able.
The modern day tithe is another example of how scripture is twisted in order to obtain money. The tithe was a Old Testament Law that was intended for Levitical priests. The Testament lets us know that the Old Testament Law is no longer valid. Instead,, we are given a New Law, the law of Grace..
Under this law we are expected to give ourselves wholly..God does not want our ten percent. We are expected to care for one another and share with one another, never out of compusion, but out of JOY.
This twisting of scripture for personal gain is a heresy and it is witchcraft in the eyes of God.
5. Revelings - Lately, I have heard the idea of going to church simply to satisy the "experience."
The truth is that we crave experience and entertainment. In our church, we often see "powers" by which we are allured.
BUT, it is important that we keep in mind that NOT ALL POWERS are from God.
The Bible says that Satan appears as an angel of light. The Bible also says there are false miracles and signs and wonders.
Think about the New Testament story of Simon. Simon was a sorceror, but the people percieved him as a great man of God.
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power. Acts Chapter 8 verse 9,10.
Also, keep in mind that Simon was one who thought the gifts of the Holy Spirit could be bought with money. Keep in mind this next verse from Acts Chapter 8.
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 20 Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
One thing that I want people to take note of is the fact that Simon was a swindler and yet he had powers that were perceived as godly powers. But, Simon was anything but godly. He spoke the language and probably decieved many people.
Lately, I have began to question some of the powers that I have seen and experienced in churches all of my life. The truth is that the spirit world is real and, as Christians we are called to "Test the spirits"
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.1 John 4:1
At some point, I feel as if many have forgotten this verse. Instead, we accept whatever we deem normal. But we forget that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against the unseen. (See Ephesians 6:12)
To think that the enemy has never infiltrated our churches is naive. By the fruit of today's dark world, the enemy seems to be having his way. You don't have to look very far to the see the damage done. Mothers are killing their babies, the faces of missing children are splattered all over the news, murder is rampant, abuse has become the norm rather than the excpetion. Yes, folks, the enemy is very real and the fruits of the flesh only prove that he has taken over the lives of many.
I digressed..
Back to the subject of powers in the church.
This has been a very touchy subject for me, and a part of me doesn't even want to touch it..but I am coming to a place where I feel I must.
I grew up in church where I saw many powers. As a child, many of the things that I saw frightened me. I often didn't even want to go to church. However, after a while, many of what I witnessed seemed normal.
I'll give you a few examples.
I once saw a church member, who I know was living in sin, raise her hands, and begin to "convulse." She would start screaming and writhing and her entire body would shake.
Another time, there was a man who spoke at my church. I remember him using fear and manipulation in order to get money, even out of the poorest members. I think he even used "seed faith" language to attempt to enlarge his coffers. He equated money with blessings and curses.
The man called several members to the front for prayer. As everyone was standing in line, the man began to "blow" on people. I remember when it was my turn for prayer, the man asked me if I had any faith? I said, "of course I have faith," The second that I said that, the man "blew" on me, and I felt as if I temporarily lost conciousness as I fell backward to the ground.
The truth is that I have never questioned any of these experiences until recently. I was always told that what I was experiencing was a "move of God, an outpouring of the spirit, or the anoiting." But one thing that truly bothered me is the fact that I know a girl who went to church and witnessed things like this, and truthfully, I wonder if she will ever come back. Also, I began to notice that many ministries are engaging in this phenonmenon, but after reading some of their heretical quotes and misrepresenations of God, then I began to wonder if there could possibly be something else at work..because these men are perceived as "great men." Remember that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, and he can counterfeit so as to decieve.
I recently became of aware of the dark staments that have come out of Benny Hinn's minsitry. Upon reading some of the documented things that he has said and done, I discovered , upon his own admission, that he claims to get his "anointing'" from the dead bones of a woman considered to be a "prophetess." If you are interested in learning about the dark fruit of this ministry, I encourage you to click here.
One thing that has greatly bothered me over the course of the last few months, is the fact that many people in Hinn's congregation are experiencing what they believe to be a "powerful move of God."
People are experiencing what I experienced.... The phenomenon is known as "slain in the spirit" or "falling out." They are also experienced something called holy laughter.
The more I seek discernment, the more I am convinced that many of the powers that I thought were from God are simply not from God. They are the powers that Simon used to lure sheep to the slaughter. Many people begin to put faith solely in the "man using the powers" and in turn, forget the gospels entirely. I have also noticed that other ministries teaching false teachings are also experiencing this movement.
When I think of being slain in the spirit, it is important to test all things against the Word of God. One thing that I think it is important to note is that there was never any instance of being slain in the spirit in the Bible. Also, we have to look at the verse that tells us in 1 Timothy, "Do Not be quick in the laying on of hands." If I am wrong, please correct me.
So, now let's test.. We can all agree that we are seeing a lot of power in our churches. However, we can also heed the fact that Not all Powers are from God. We can recall the story of Simon who had great powers that he used to deceive, and we know that even Satan, himself appears as an angel of light, meaning that he appears to be good.
Let's assume that the devil would try to use "slain in the spirit" to his advantage. How would he do it, and what would it look like?
I"ll explain.
Well, if I were the devil, I would deceive men into believing that they had "great powers." The people would be moved by "great signs and wonders" They would begin to put their trust in these "men of God." They would perceive that God was doing great and mighty things in their midst. Meanwhile, in the midst of all of their fervor, their hearts would grow complacent. They would see that "god was moving amongst them, and so they would abandon reading their Bibles. I would deceive them into thinking that their duty to God are limited to a tithe. I would then use a twisting of scripture to tell them that in order to be accepted by God, they must first give Him money. This will distort their perception of the true God and diminish His loving nature. If I were the devil, I would do everything in my power to see that the people use their resources to support "his ministry." I would encourage him to appeal to people's good nature and hearts, and I would throw in scripture and people would throw money at him and even buy him jet planes to fly around the world spreading "prosperity gospels, and other distorted gospels.
If I were the devil, I would convince the people that the "men with the power are the anoited ones." They would, in turn, forget that the Bible says that we are all anoited and each have certain gifts. If I were the devil, no one would be using their gifts..If the Body started using their gifts, then That would be chaos for my kingdom... So, I would try to keep the Believers so caught up in revelry and in "movings and outpourings" that they would forget the words of Jesus. Instead, they would listen with open ears to anything that the man says, because they believe that he is a powerful man. I would fill entire stadiums full of people, and they would see such a great "outpouring" that they will forget to test all things against the word. All of the people's attention will be on the man in the front and center. He would preach a wide path message of hope and prosperity and people would forget or disregard the call for self denial and the Cross would lose power amongst the people..
You see, If I were the devil..Once the people forget the power of the Cross, then they are already mine.
If I were the devil, I would use strange manifestaions in the Body of Believers to create fear in the lost and unsaved world. I would distort the character of God by convincing people that shaking, convulsing, and even barking like dogs is a sign of His power. Thousands of the unsaved would laugh at such things and never know the true manifestion of the Holy Spirit is in the form of the most perfect love. You see, if they knew that..then my kingdom would be in severe danger. People would start sharing and loving and my kindgom of hell would be doomed because people would grasp the great nature of the love of God.
If I were the devil, I would see to it that people were "puffed up" and prideful because they percieve that God is in their midst because they see these great powers. They would begin to compare themselves to other denominations, and hatred and division would increase. They would see that these "great signs and wonders" are only happening amongst their denomination, and they would percieve that their teachings are true.
Oh, and churches..ha! I would create thousands and thousands of churches. Trillions of dollars would be spent every year on brick and mortar buildings because they people don't know that the Body of Believers is about people! Meanwhile, millions of people around the world will continue to live in hunger and extreme poverty. By now, the people's hearts are so fat with God's "prosperity" that sharing becomes obsolete.. Or if they do share, I will see to it that they give their money over to huge organizations like TBN who take pictures of themselves with orphans in order to manipulate and raise more money.
If I were the devil, I would counterfeit miracles and other gifts of God so that people will more readily put up with unsound doctrines. Because you see, I disguise myself as something good. The Bible even says I appear as an angel of light. If I were the devil I would rejoice! Because it says that in the last days, that people would be vain, lovers of money, lovers of self, immoral, lovers of pleasure... and I would see that my Believers no longer follow the gospels, do what it says, or even read their own Bibles..Then, the whole world would look like chaos and millions or billions, who have fallen for lies, and do not carry the power of the Cross, will inherit my kingdom.
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. Matthew 24:24
Ok, I recant a few of my words.. I believe that there may be a real and a counterfeit slain in the spirit.. Also, I made a made a video on my experience with holy laughter and demonic laughter. A woman came forth and said that she had experienced a genuine holy laughter..and gave me the verse..
however, we should put all of trust in God alone and remember to test things. Just because we experienced a power does not mean that it was from God. Satan is a counterfeiter.. But how are we able to recognize the counterfeit? We don't study the counterfeit, we study and learn the real thing. We get close to Jesus. We talk to Him, read His Word, and simply learn to hear His voice. We give up what He asks and be obedient to His calling on our lives.
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Please take the time to read the following article about false miracles in the end times.
http://www.aibi.ph/articles/falsemir.htm
Ok, I know this is an extremly long post..I only want to cover one more thing.. It involves false miracles. For everything real, there is a counterfeit. (I recently saw a video that implied that perhaps there is a real slain in the spirit and a counterfeit. I encourge you to be wary and if you see something out of line with the gospels, run for the hills)
Such is the same with miracles, and Christ tells us this is Matthew 24:24
Last week was a very strange week. One night my grandfather came into the room and started telling me that he heard on the radio that God is giving people new teeth. He said that there are miracles happening where people are getting new teeth filled with gold and/or gold specks.
My grandfather then told me that he is praying for new teeth.
A few days later, I am browsing facebook and I hear a story about how Christ is physically appearing to the Muslim world. Immediately, I thought of how Benny Hinn is stating that Jesus will appear at his crusades. I also thought of the verse that tell us that many will claim to see Christ appear..ONLY it will NOT be Christ..
Consider this verse in Matthew Chapter 24: 23
At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
I also began to wonder why Christ would give someone gold teeth when He warns against greed and riches. Would a humble Jesus who told us to carry our crosses and lose our lives for His sake, really be filling our mouths full of gold?
I highly doubt it.
You see, I do believe in miracles. But, I believe that miracles come when our lives begin to look like the Cross. Those are the true miracles. One only needs to read about the life of Jesus in order to see a true miracle.. Miracles come when we hand our will over to the will of Our Heavenly Father.
The other day Jesus showed me something about His miracle with the loaves and fishes.
On the day when He fed the crowd of five thousand.. There were hungry people by the droves.. but there was no food to be found... Jesus didn't have any butlers to arrange for His feast....instead, there was a boy walking with some bread and fish. Jesus asked the boy if He could have the fish and the boy agreed to give up his only meal..
Jesus took the meal, gave thanks...and showed the crowd..that when we share...there is more than enough... There is supernatual provision when we humble ourselves to do the will of Christ.
I also think of the story of Jesus walking in the desert. He walked in the desert for 40 days and nights. He went without food and water. He endured temptation, but when he came out of the desert, He began His ministry. It was then that the Bible mentions Jesus' healing of the blind and the lepers and the sick.
Many of our prosperity pastors today are quick to offer the blessings of the resurrection, but in thier lives, they deny the power of the Cross.
The power is in the Cross.. It is in the verse that says, In order to have life, we must first DIE TO SELF.. that means foregoing many of our carnal and earthly tempations..
that means..being willing to be set apart...Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.Matthew 10:39
The Power is in the Cross.. without a death, there is no new life.. Without a Death, there could be no resurrection.
When we speak His name, but don't carry our Crosses, are we, in essence..claiming to have a form of godliness but denying the power, thereof..
The power is in the Cross of Christ, and that is something that today's TBN preachers and many others aren't preaching.
The miracles come when our lives look like Jesus... but rarely will you find a George Muller or a Hudson Taylor... and I haven't finished the book, but I think I can see it in the L'ABRI story or the stories that resemble Koinonia, mentioned in the Book of Acts.
Yes, I know this is a lot of meat... and now I simply want to encourage you to Seek.. because He says that when you seek, you will find. I encourage you to turn of Christian networking and TBN. I encourage you to pray and get deep into the word and listen to what God says through it.. Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit..
I hope this message has offended no one. That is not my intent. I have cried real tears for the past week because this is the stuff of real and I have a deep concern for my brothers and sisters..
with that being said, I love you :)
Oh, there is one more story that I would like to share. The other day I made a youtube video. I haven't uploaded it yet, but I will in the near future.
In the video, I told people that I feel as if Christ is being grossly misrepresented in our society.
I told a few stories of who Christ is to me..
I began by saying that when I was a teenager I used to drive around in my car..I would often pray to Jesus. There were times when my I would begin to cry. Tears would literally begin pouring out of my eyes because I could feel an immense love. Often, I look at complete strangers and am literally overcome with such a love that I can't help but cry. One day, a long time ago, I was at a hospital.
There was a lady standing near the elevator. The Holy Spirit came over me and I walked over to a complete stranger, put my arms around her, and cried. The woman was happy that I had done this.
Another time, I was driving though the parking lot at Walmart. I saw a man sitting near a picnic table outside. He was on smoke break. The man had many tattoos. I felt an overwhelming love for the man, and felt as if the Holy Spirit was asking me to give him something. I felt as if Jesus was telling me that no one had ever given this man anything...all people have ever done is take things from him.
I pulled my car near him,and asked to please come speak to me. Immediately tars began to fall from my eyes as I told him how much Jesus really loved him. I handed him a one hundred dollar bill and I could see this giant of a man, begin to cry. His lips began quivering and I told him how real God really is..
That, my friends, is the reason Christ died. He died for our sins and His hope for us is not to make us rich, but to lead us into humility. In doing so, we march toward the Cross.
Friends, do not forsake the Cross.
It is the only path that leads to life.
The Bible says that God is Spirit, and that God is love.
The Bible says that God is a light , and In Him, there is no darkness at all.
The bible says that He loved us so much that He sent His One and Only Begotten son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
He also says that life is difficult, but on this path, there is joy ( Colossans 1:24). There is true joy.. He says my burden is light and when you are tired,, then I will give you rest.(Matthew 11:30)
He says seek and we will find. So, I encourage you to start seeking.Keep in mind that there is a lot that I don't understand. But I am certain that God is good and He is grossly misrepresented as He said He would be.
I hope this message has offended no one. That is not my intent. I have cried real tears for the past week because this is the stuff of real and I have a deep concern for my brothers and sisters..
with that being said, I love you :)
Oh, there is one more story that I would like to share. The other day I made a youtube video. I haven't uploaded it yet, but I will in the near future.
In the video, I told people that I feel as if Christ is being grossly misrepresented in our society.
I told a few stories of who Christ is to me..
I began by saying that when I was a teenager I used to drive around in my car..I would often pray to Jesus. There were times when my I would begin to cry. Tears would literally begin pouring out of my eyes because I could feel an immense love. Often, I look at complete strangers and am literally overcome with such a love that I can't help but cry. One day, a long time ago, I was at a hospital.
There was a lady standing near the elevator. The Holy Spirit came over me and I walked over to a complete stranger, put my arms around her, and cried. The woman was happy that I had done this.
Another time, I was driving though the parking lot at Walmart. I saw a man sitting near a picnic table outside. He was on smoke break. The man had many tattoos. I felt an overwhelming love for the man, and felt as if the Holy Spirit was asking me to give him something. I felt as if Jesus was telling me that no one had ever given this man anything...all people have ever done is take things from him.
I pulled my car near him,and asked to please come speak to me. Immediately tars began to fall from my eyes as I told him how much Jesus really loved him. I handed him a one hundred dollar bill and I could see this giant of a man, begin to cry. His lips began quivering and I told him how real God really is..
That, my friends, is the reason Christ died. He died for our sins and His hope for us is not to make us rich, but to lead us into humility. In doing so, we march toward the Cross.
Friends, do not forsake the Cross.
It is the only path that leads to life.
The Bible says that God is Spirit, and that God is love.
The Bible says that God is a light , and In Him, there is no darkness at all.
The bible says that He loved us so much that He sent His One and Only Begotten son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
He also says that life is difficult, but on this path, there is joy ( Colossans 1:24). There is true joy.. He says my burden is light and when you are tired,, then I will give you rest.(Matthew 11:30)
Work hard to get in. You will be persecuted for my names sake, but I have rewards and a mansion for you in heaven.. (Matthew 6:19-20) As a matter of fact, if you can make it through this hard life, then your wildest imagination cannot even conceive what I have in store for you.. ( 1 Corinthians 2:9)
He says seek and we will find. So, I encourage you to start seeking.Keep in mind that there is a lot that I don't understand. But I am certain that God is good and He is grossly misrepresented as He said He would be.
Be Blessed :)
Friends, I know this is a lot to take in..Truthfully, a part of me is afraid to even publish it. I have no idea how certain things are judged by God. I do know that His mercy and His compassion are great. I also know that it wrong to take advantage of people for money and teach false doctrines for personal gain. It is wrong to preach hatred from the pulpit and tout the name "christian" Christ has been marred severly and I recognize that the deception runs deeper than I thought. I encourage your thoughts, comments, and opinions but will not publish profanity or hate speech of any kind. Thanks :)
It is important that my followers note that I sometimes post articles and youtube videos. I do not promote any religion. My goal in my Christian walk is simply to seek God, adhere to His Word, and seek discernment. I no longer affiliate myself with the Protestant religion because there are many false teachings, and I do not like labels. My family is part Protestant and part Catholic. I see things that with which I disagree in both. My goal is simply to share the gospel from the Bible. Sometimes, I may come across an interesting article or video. However, I do not claim to promote the site. I may not even agree with every single thing in the article, but really liked a few key points. Deception runs deep in our society. There are many false teachings, as Jesus said there would be. So, all I can say is that if you read through the articles that I post or recommend..do it prayerfully. And know that just because it is posted on my site, I may not agree with every thought in the article. Friends, I know this is a lot to take in..Truthfully, a part of me is afraid to even publish it. I have no idea how certain things are judged by God. I do know that His mercy and His compassion are great. I also know that it wrong to take advantage of people for money and teach false doctrines for personal gain. It is wrong to preach hatred from the pulpit and tout the name "christian" Christ has been marred severly and I recognize that the deception runs deeper than I thought. I encourage your thoughts, comments, and opinions but will not publish profanity or hate speech of any kind. Thanks :)
a man talks about how manipulation is witchcraft and how God does not want our money, but our hearts.
a sister hurt and very angry that the black community is being decieved by a false prophets who are speaking their language
a video about a dream where there were thousands in a stadium laughing and rolling on the floor, and there were three serpents in the room.
a man talks about his experiences about witchcraft in the church
a man talks about his experiences about witchcraft in the church
a lady reads from the Bible about what is witchcraft in the eyes of God according to the Bible
Creflo Dollar tells people that if they don't tithe, they are cursed and will be shot. He lives in luxury.
This is a video from a friend of mine. She sold her house in the suburbs and shares her home with those who need a helping hand. To, me this is what part of the true gospel being played out. Please watch. This is a beautiful video.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
What many preachers won't tell you and some beautiful moments from the week
In this post, I simply want to breathe..
It's four am and I'm tired..
This week I had to keep reminding myself that I am normal, even though I don't always feel like it..
While many woman my age are out getting manicures, I feel as I have been called to point out certain false teachings and how they are affecting the Body of Believers.
My spiritual life is a constant flow.. There is always an attack, but with those attacks, there is always the hand of God that shows me the depth of His Grace and Mercy.
I know that I am not called to be "normal." My life..our lives are NOT supposed to look like everyone elses..
We are a people set apart.. We are Not supposed to look like that which the world has to offer...
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
But, yet I constantly feel as if we are trapped by false prosperity messages that deny the power of the Cross..
The prosperity message teaches that God wants us to all have mercedes and have mansions and nice things..
Jesus tells us to carry a Cross.
The prosperity message touts the benefits of the flesh.. the desire to please self..
but Christ says
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Christ can give us the strength to resist worldly tempations.. He tells us that if we pursue them we are bad soil..and we will fall away..or be choked by our desires and temptations..
That is the very thing that the church is promising these days.
Today, too many are touting the benefits of the resurection, but denying the Power of the Cross.
The Power is in The Cross..
Without it, there would be no life..
There would be no resurrection.
There would be no need for self sacrifical love.
To deny the Cross, is to deny Christ Himself.
I think that is the part that we are missing.
Paul warned in the new Testament that there would be "another gospel" that would be preached. Do you notice how none of the prosperity preachers have lives that resemble the life of Jesus.
They speak a really big Jesus talk, but do you really see Him in their lifestyle and the way that they live?
One thing that really bothers me is what I perceive as "hero" worship...
IN the New Testament , the Believers worked together. We forget that we are all anoited and we each have a task to perform. We each have gifts, and yet..it seems that in our churches..there is one man standing..
and sometimes it seems that he gets the glory, but God doesn't..
Why do I feel like I am "preaching" again..
I simply want us all to remember to take the time to learn the word. Read about the life of Jesus and see what He has to say about how to live.. compare that message to the messages that you hear and you will see that what you are hearing is more than likely "another gospel"
The one that Paul warned against..
Jesus never came to "tickle our ears"
He came to tell us that life would be hard, the path would be narrow..work hard to get in, He says..
He came to present us a bloody tale where people would hate us and there would be difficulty around every corner.
If we aren't seeing those things in our lives, are we even following the true Christ.?
Or is it the Jesus from "another gospel"? Jesus said not everyone who knows Him by name will really understand what He is all about...
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Do you know who I think He is talking to here?
I think He is speaking about those who deny the Power of the Cross...
To those who claim to "have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.."
To those who tout the riches in this life and call themselves heirs of the kingdom..speaking Christ from their lips, but denying Him by not recognizing the true beauty of self sacrifice and the bloody nature of a complete death to self..
I don't like talking about the narrow gate, and yet it is a verse that is still there.
"Narrow is the path that leads to life. Few will enter. Work hard to get in."
You will rarely ever hear that message preached simply due to the fact that Christ is sold and people do not want to offend their congregations..
but it is a part of the Bible that we cannot deny.
Anyhow,... I suppose that I don't want to be normal. I want to pursue the very heart of Christ and walk the narrow road that leads to life..
But for those who think I am just completely "out there"
I will talk about a few normal things for a moment..
last week, I bought a book about the weather. I took my two boys to the mall. Little Brendan did the bungee jump and laughed as he went 15 feet in the air. Cade made his way up some sort of spiderman contraption.
We turned off the television, and I filmed a video of my nephew who educated me about hedgehogs.
I took Brendan grocery shopping, and I secretly loved how he kept putting things in my cart.
My grandfather turned eighty years old.
I sat in the bookstore for an hour and read "Night" by Ellie Weasel. I bought the book because his suffering was so great that I knew that his story needed to be heard.
Isn't a voice powerful when it can speak through suffering?
It is even more powerful when we can speak joy through suffering,and Christ gives us that ability.
This week,
I was subtly critized for posting "religious" material on facebook..
I prayed for humility and for the man who critized me.
I prayed for a great, great depth of love..
because in the end.. That is all that really matters.. But that love is not humanly possible..
It only comes in the shape of a Cross.
It's four am and I'm tired..
This week I had to keep reminding myself that I am normal, even though I don't always feel like it..
While many woman my age are out getting manicures, I feel as I have been called to point out certain false teachings and how they are affecting the Body of Believers.
My spiritual life is a constant flow.. There is always an attack, but with those attacks, there is always the hand of God that shows me the depth of His Grace and Mercy.
I know that I am not called to be "normal." My life..our lives are NOT supposed to look like everyone elses..
We are a people set apart.. We are Not supposed to look like that which the world has to offer...
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
But, yet I constantly feel as if we are trapped by false prosperity messages that deny the power of the Cross..
The prosperity message teaches that God wants us to all have mercedes and have mansions and nice things..
Jesus tells us to carry a Cross.
The prosperity message touts the benefits of the flesh.. the desire to please self..
but Christ says
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Christ can give us the strength to resist worldly tempations.. He tells us that if we pursue them we are bad soil..and we will fall away..or be choked by our desires and temptations..
That is the very thing that the church is promising these days.
Today, too many are touting the benefits of the resurection, but denying the Power of the Cross.
The Power is in The Cross..
Without it, there would be no life..
There would be no resurrection.
There would be no need for self sacrifical love.
To deny the Cross, is to deny Christ Himself.
I think that is the part that we are missing.
Paul warned in the new Testament that there would be "another gospel" that would be preached. Do you notice how none of the prosperity preachers have lives that resemble the life of Jesus.
They speak a really big Jesus talk, but do you really see Him in their lifestyle and the way that they live?
One thing that really bothers me is what I perceive as "hero" worship...
IN the New Testament , the Believers worked together. We forget that we are all anoited and we each have a task to perform. We each have gifts, and yet..it seems that in our churches..there is one man standing..
and sometimes it seems that he gets the glory, but God doesn't..
Why do I feel like I am "preaching" again..
I simply want us all to remember to take the time to learn the word. Read about the life of Jesus and see what He has to say about how to live.. compare that message to the messages that you hear and you will see that what you are hearing is more than likely "another gospel"
The one that Paul warned against..
Jesus never came to "tickle our ears"
He came to tell us that life would be hard, the path would be narrow..work hard to get in, He says..
He came to present us a bloody tale where people would hate us and there would be difficulty around every corner.
If we aren't seeing those things in our lives, are we even following the true Christ.?
Or is it the Jesus from "another gospel"? Jesus said not everyone who knows Him by name will really understand what He is all about...
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Do you know who I think He is talking to here?
I think He is speaking about those who deny the Power of the Cross...
To those who claim to "have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.."
To those who tout the riches in this life and call themselves heirs of the kingdom..speaking Christ from their lips, but denying Him by not recognizing the true beauty of self sacrifice and the bloody nature of a complete death to self..
I don't like talking about the narrow gate, and yet it is a verse that is still there.
"Narrow is the path that leads to life. Few will enter. Work hard to get in."
You will rarely ever hear that message preached simply due to the fact that Christ is sold and people do not want to offend their congregations..
but it is a part of the Bible that we cannot deny.
Anyhow,... I suppose that I don't want to be normal. I want to pursue the very heart of Christ and walk the narrow road that leads to life..
But for those who think I am just completely "out there"
I will talk about a few normal things for a moment..
last week, I bought a book about the weather. I took my two boys to the mall. Little Brendan did the bungee jump and laughed as he went 15 feet in the air. Cade made his way up some sort of spiderman contraption.
We turned off the television, and I filmed a video of my nephew who educated me about hedgehogs.
I took Brendan grocery shopping, and I secretly loved how he kept putting things in my cart.
My grandfather turned eighty years old.
I sat in the bookstore for an hour and read "Night" by Ellie Weasel. I bought the book because his suffering was so great that I knew that his story needed to be heard.
Isn't a voice powerful when it can speak through suffering?
It is even more powerful when we can speak joy through suffering,and Christ gives us that ability.
This week,
I was subtly critized for posting "religious" material on facebook..
I prayed for humility and for the man who critized me.
I prayed for a great, great depth of love..
because in the end.. That is all that really matters.. But that love is not humanly possible..
It only comes in the shape of a Cross.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
The True Gospel of Jesus.. the one that most preachers don't want you to hear
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:4
Lately, I have felt a deep sense of unease.. I can't really explain it other than the fact that as I continue to pray for spiritual discernment, I feel Christ showing me that things are desperately wrong within the Body of Believers.
I feel a source of tension as war is looming between Israel and Gaza and the economy of our nation hangs in the balance. I am certain that God does not want us to fear, but yet I feel that the pangs that we will feel as a result of world unstability is inevitable.
For the past two weeks, I have had a thorn lodged in my thumb. Yesterday, my entire hand started hurting. Today, I noticed that the thorn had caused my entire thumb to swell. I started secretly wondering if my hand wasn't becoming infected. At one point, I actually wondered if an infection could find it's way into my bloodstream and ultimately lead to my death.. I know it sounds far fetched, but I have heard of fatal blood infections that begin with something very small and simple.. like a thorn..Last night, I was at work and my hand was throbbing. I actually had trouble perfoming basic job tasks.
Lately, I feel as if Christ has pointed me to research and learn about false teachings. He has been leading me to read about it in the Bible. Today, He gave me an illustration. False teachings are like the tiny thorn. They seem tiny and insignificant, but they begin to infect the Body of Believers in very serious ways. They get into the bloodstream, and like a poison, they make their way into the heart. Before you know it, the entire Body is sick and infected. The fruit becomes evident..selfishness, greed, and a severe lack of love. As a Body of Believers, we each have talents and gifts. We are anoited of the Holy Spirit and false teaching and lies are hurting the Body of Believers in that they are keeping us from performing the tasks or jobs for which we are created.
One word that I have heard as of late is "complacency." We have become content in our walk with Christ, and truthfully, I blame the permeance and infiltration of false teachings.
They have become so mainstream that they are truly hard to discern. For the past week, I have felt weird. I feel a disconnect from others in way that almost frightens me to some extent. While other women my age are out getting manicures, I feel as if God is calling me to point out the dangers of seed faith, and The Word of Faith Movement, the Little god heresy, and the prosperity gospel.
It is a humbling and very lonely place to be.
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 2 Corinthians 11:4
Lately, I have felt a deep sense of unease.. I can't really explain it other than the fact that as I continue to pray for spiritual discernment, I feel Christ showing me that things are desperately wrong within the Body of Believers.
I feel a source of tension as war is looming between Israel and Gaza and the economy of our nation hangs in the balance. I am certain that God does not want us to fear, but yet I feel that the pangs that we will feel as a result of world unstability is inevitable.
For the past two weeks, I have had a thorn lodged in my thumb. Yesterday, my entire hand started hurting. Today, I noticed that the thorn had caused my entire thumb to swell. I started secretly wondering if my hand wasn't becoming infected. At one point, I actually wondered if an infection could find it's way into my bloodstream and ultimately lead to my death.. I know it sounds far fetched, but I have heard of fatal blood infections that begin with something very small and simple.. like a thorn..Last night, I was at work and my hand was throbbing. I actually had trouble perfoming basic job tasks.
Lately, I feel as if Christ has pointed me to research and learn about false teachings. He has been leading me to read about it in the Bible. Today, He gave me an illustration. False teachings are like the tiny thorn. They seem tiny and insignificant, but they begin to infect the Body of Believers in very serious ways. They get into the bloodstream, and like a poison, they make their way into the heart. Before you know it, the entire Body is sick and infected. The fruit becomes evident..selfishness, greed, and a severe lack of love. As a Body of Believers, we each have talents and gifts. We are anoited of the Holy Spirit and false teaching and lies are hurting the Body of Believers in that they are keeping us from performing the tasks or jobs for which we are created.
One word that I have heard as of late is "complacency." We have become content in our walk with Christ, and truthfully, I blame the permeance and infiltration of false teachings.
They have become so mainstream that they are truly hard to discern. For the past week, I have felt weird. I feel a disconnect from others in way that almost frightens me to some extent. While other women my age are out getting manicures, I feel as if God is calling me to point out the dangers of seed faith, and The Word of Faith Movement, the Little god heresy, and the prosperity gospel.
It is a humbling and very lonely place to be.
So now the question remains:
What do we do when we are sick? The answer is simple..
We go the One who Heals. We go straight to the source of His Word.
What do we do when we are sick? The answer is simple..
We go the One who Heals. We go straight to the source of His Word.
Today, I see many people listening to other people’s interpretation of the Bible. We live an age where people in pulpits are distorting the gospel in such a way that it is barely recognizeable. It has become a doctrine where we line up with “itching ears” to hear the latest self help sermon. We have replaced the Jesus of Humility with the Jesus of Prosperity, and, in doing so, we have truly lost our way.
Look around. The sickness is evident. We ignore the needs of the poor and seek to largely serve only members of our own congregations. We expect others to pour into our churches, but we forget that the church is not about a building, but rather a Body of Believers who should seek to care about the lost enough to minister to them by telling them the Good News.
I do not believe that we are justified by works. However, I do believe in the verses that say that we should not be hearers of the word only. In doing so, We deceive ourselves and The truth is not in us..
I refuse to ignore the verse that says, “narrow is the path and few will enter. Work hard to get in.”
I refuse to ignore the verse that speaks about the sheep and the goats, telling us that we should feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
I am forced to believe that these verses are not mere suggestions.
I believe that each of us should serve a significant function in the Body of Believers, but we have become so trapped in routine that we have lost our ability to work together as a whole.
We are sick. We are deluded that if we do not pay our tithes, then we are robbing God. We rob God when we don’t heed His Word. I recently learned that we are no longer bound by the Old Law, but Through the New Law..Christ died for our sins..His Spirit should fill us such that we should want to give cheerfully, and not under compulsion.
Christ says that we are called to Freedom and that our freedom should be used, not to return to our sinful natures, but to serve one another in love..
Can we say that we are functioning in this capacity in our churches?
Instead, we serve only those who are members of our donominations, and we miss the point of the gospel entirely.
We are bound by religious hatred. We see others as our enemies..and we forget the fact that Jesus came to save both Jew and Gentile..… Jeus died for people… People of all religions…"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" 1 John 2:2
Many of us, chasing after prosperity and accepting lies that diminish the true nature of the Cross.. forget the verse that says those who say lord lord..will not enter the kingdom.. Matthew 7:21-27 "
Matthew 7:21-27
NewTrue and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
We need to get back into the word and listen to what God has to tell us..
We should take heed to remember the verses that say..”if you have two coats, give one away.’
Do we think that this is mere suggestion or do we think that we should have a closet full of the finest coats because God wants us to be rich.? If we have an issue with giving and we have excess, we need to find out the reason why.. We truly need to seek His face and ask for His help in these matters, because I am confident that He will answer.
One thing that I realize is that Christ wants to carve us into His image. Christ was humble, and it is His desire for His chuch to be humble. Many churches preach against poverty. They say that poverty is a curse.. But we forget the verses that say,"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." Matthew 5:3
We forget the warning to the rich man and the verses that tell us not to conform to the patterns of the world.
We forget the warning to the rich man and the verses that tell us not to conform to the patterns of the world.
We forget the verses that say tha Christ will take care of our needs, if we would only trust in Him.
Sigh.
I think you get the point. The Body is ill, and it has everything to do with the fact that we are being deluded by lies that have been passed off as truth for years. Often, when we trace something back to its roots, we find something very dark..
There are many movements today that began in darkness.
One is seed faith.
Another is the Word of Faith of movement which has it’s roots in a new age practice of “projecting”
Christians, today are procting their thoughts toward God and we think that it is His cosmic duty to succumb to our every wish. We call it faith, but it is really a perversion and misuse of Christ.
The other day I saw a book that tells us how to pray for “our wishes to come true”
Christ tells us how to pray in His Word..
Our Father,
Your kingdom come, Your Will be done, On Earth , as it is in Heaven..
Jesus showed me something the other day.. It was profound.
When we do His Will… His Kingdom comes to Earth. His peace, his fruitfulness, His divine and perfect love, …It plays out in our own lives and it spread into the lives of others.
The will of Christ leads us into humility and humility is the complete expression of love.
Love changes things.. Christ’s love is Life changing!
When His will comes to this earth..It sets people free!
But we no longer trust Him with His will. Instead we follow word of Faith preachers to “tickle our ears” and tell us a distorted gospel. The result is a brand of selfishness and greed that is unprecedented.
It saddens me, and while I do not judge those who follow this movement.. It is my duty as a Christian,
To “contend for the faith, and to shine the light of Truth into the darkness.
The other day I read the verse that says “For I have come not to bring peace, but the sword. I had never understood this verse, and I once thought it sounded harsh, but the other day I finally understood.
The sword is the Truth, and when we receive the real truth, if often hurts. It digs deep. Christ didn’t come to tickle our ears..Instead, He came with a message that said, “Take up your Cross..Follow me.(Mark 8:34-35). This is a hard path and not everybody is going to make it.( Matthew 7:14) But even though it is hard, it is the Only road that leads to life. Work together. Share with one another..(1 John 3:16-18)
Life is difficult, but on this path, there is joy ( Colossans 1:24). There is true joy.. He says my burden is light and when you are tired,, then I will give you rest.(Matthew 11:30)
Life is difficult, but on this path, there is joy ( Colossans 1:24). There is true joy.. He says my burden is light and when you are tired,, then I will give you rest.(Matthew 11:30)
Work hard to get in. You will be persecuted for my names sake, but I have rewards and a mansion for you in heaven.. (Matthew 6:19-20) As a matter of fact, if you can make it through this hard life, then your wildest imagination cannot even conceive what I have in store for you.. ( 1 Corinthians 2:9)
Friends, that is the gospel of the Bible.
This walk is hard.
The other day I was amongst someone I know and I was berated for posting scriprure on face book. I have been berated for writing a blog.. I have been criticized..
But do you want to hear some good news..
Jeus says, Blessed are the persecuted, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs..but Jesus said to pray for those who persecute you..
It’s time that we go to the Physican, get into His Word and listen to what He has to say about things.
Chances are you won’t like what you hear…. But if He asks you to do something hard..he gives us the verse that says that We can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives us strength.. Phillipians 4:13
I have heard this word twisted to mean that Christ wants us to be rich and that he gives us the strength to store up earthly treasures.. Want to hear something disturbing. It was said by a famous woman whose status updates we follow on face book. ---a doctrine of man being twisted and passed off as the word of God..
And like sheep being led to the slaughter, we accept everything we ear..with eagar hearts…but the truth and it is a sad one… is that our body is desperately hurting and we are sick.
It’s time to get back to The Great physican and let Him truly heal us.
These days we are miracle seekers and we look for “experiences”. I am a firm believer in miracles, but I truly believe that they happen when we lay down our lives, take up our cross, and trust Him. This week I heard stories of Jesus planting gold teeth in people's mouth's. I also heard stories of Jesus sightings across the Muslim World. I believe in miracles. I have experienced the power of God..but I am forced to remember the verses that say in the last days, there will be false miracles that will deceive even the elect. The Bible also says that many will claim to see Jesus physcially apperaing before people.. . Here's a verse from Matthew Chapter 24
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
So, from that verse we can gather that there will be "sightings of Jesus" only it won't be the true Jesus.
Want to hear something even stranger?
Benny Hinn is preaching that Christ will be appeaing at his crusades. It is false. It is a lie,and yet thousands or millions rush toward the experience rahter than searching the scriptures.
Also, I can't help but wonder why Jesus would put gold in someone's mouth when he preached against the allure of riches and wealth. The Bible says to test all things, and I encourage you to test these stories because I don't believe that they are true.
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
So, from that verse we can gather that there will be "sightings of Jesus" only it won't be the true Jesus.
Want to hear something even stranger?
Benny Hinn is preaching that Christ will be appeaing at his crusades. It is false. It is a lie,and yet thousands or millions rush toward the experience rahter than searching the scriptures.
Also, I can't help but wonder why Jesus would put gold in someone's mouth when he preached against the allure of riches and wealth. The Bible says to test all things, and I encourage you to test these stories because I don't believe that they are true.
But Yes, I do believe in miracles. The other day Jesus showed me something about his miracle with the loaves and fishes.
On the day when He fed the crowd of five thousand.. There were hungry people by the droves.. but there was no food to be found... Jesus didn't have any butlers to arrange for His feast....instead, there was a boy walking with some bread and fish. Jesus asked the boy if He could have the fish and the boy agreed to give up his only meal..
Jesus took the meal, gave thanks...and showed the crowd..that when we share...there is more than enough... There is supernatual provision when we humble ourselves to do the will of Christ.
I also think of the story of Jesus walking in the desert. He walked in the desert for 40 days and nights. He went without food and water. He endured temptation, but when he came out of the desert, He began His ministry. It was then that the Bible mentions Jesus' healing of the blind and the lepers and the sick.
Many of our prosperity pastors today are quick to offer the blessings of the resurrection, but in thier lives, they deny the power of the Cross.
The power is in the Cross.. It is in the verse that says, In order to have life, we must first DIE TO SELF.. that means foregoing many of our carnal and earthly tempations..
that means..being willing to be set apart...Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.Matthew 10:39
The Power is in the Cross.. without a death, there is no new life.. Without a Death, there could be no resurrection.
When we speak His name, but don't carry our Crosses, are we, in essence..claiming to have a form of godliness but denying the power, thereof..
The power is in the Cross of Christ, and that is something that today's TBN preachers and many others aren't preaching.
The miracles come when our lives look like Jesus... but rarely will you find a George Muller or a Hudson Taylor... and I haven't finished the book, but I think I can see it in the L'ABRI story or the stories that resemble Koinonia, mentioned in the Book of Acts.
On the day when He fed the crowd of five thousand.. There were hungry people by the droves.. but there was no food to be found... Jesus didn't have any butlers to arrange for His feast....instead, there was a boy walking with some bread and fish. Jesus asked the boy if He could have the fish and the boy agreed to give up his only meal..
Jesus took the meal, gave thanks...and showed the crowd..that when we share...there is more than enough... There is supernatual provision when we humble ourselves to do the will of Christ.
I also think of the story of Jesus walking in the desert. He walked in the desert for 40 days and nights. He went without food and water. He endured temptation, but when he came out of the desert, He began His ministry. It was then that the Bible mentions Jesus' healing of the blind and the lepers and the sick.
Many of our prosperity pastors today are quick to offer the blessings of the resurrection, but in thier lives, they deny the power of the Cross.
The power is in the Cross.. It is in the verse that says, In order to have life, we must first DIE TO SELF.. that means foregoing many of our carnal and earthly tempations..
that means..being willing to be set apart...Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.Matthew 10:39
The Power is in the Cross.. without a death, there is no new life.. Without a Death, there could be no resurrection.
When we speak His name, but don't carry our Crosses, are we, in essence..claiming to have a form of godliness but denying the power, thereof..
The power is in the Cross of Christ, and that is something that today's TBN preachers and many others aren't preaching.
The miracles come when our lives look like Jesus... but rarely will you find a George Muller or a Hudson Taylor... and I haven't finished the book, but I think I can see it in the L'ABRI story or the stories that resemble Koinonia, mentioned in the Book of Acts.
Yes, I know this is a lot of meat... and now I simply want to encourage you to Seek.. because He says that when you seek, you will find. I encourage you to turn of Christian networking and TBN. I encourage you to pray and get deep into the word and listen to what God says through it.. Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit..
Knock and Keep on knocking.. He hears you
Easy: you concoct the "prosperity gospel" that will ease your followers' cognitive dissonance.
It's convenient to ignore the poor when everyone is shouting about how God wants us to be rich.
Jesus was poor, BUT He was not Lacking. By Doing the Will of His Father, God provided His needs.
It's convenient to ignore the poor when everyone is shouting about how God wants us to be rich.
Jesus was poor, BUT He was not Lacking. By Doing the Will of His Father, God provided His needs.
Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly, are perceived as good Christians, give money to charity as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living, choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict, are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ but fail to act, rarely share their faith, say they love Jesus and that He is a part of their lives, try to assure you that radical devotion is not possible for the average person, think about life on earth much more than eternity, are thankful for their luxuries, feel called to minister to people in their socioeconomic status, do anything to keep from feeling guilty, play it safe, were baptized, structure their lives so they do not have to live by faith, drink and swear less than the common man, and equate their partially sanitized lives to holiness.
Their lives wouldn't look much different if they stopped believing in God."
- Francis Chan
Now, here are my favorite verses...
Because you have loved much, much you will be forgiven...Go in peace and sin no more..Jesus said this to the prosititute who washed His feet..
Your faith hath made you well - Jesus to the woman who reached for the hem of His garmet
In this life you will have many struggles, but take heart, for I have overcome the world
God is love.
God is a light and in Him there is no darkness at all.
God is merciful
Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.
Now, here are my favorite verses...
Because you have loved much, much you will be forgiven...Go in peace and sin no more..Jesus said this to the prosititute who washed His feet..
Your faith hath made you well - Jesus to the woman who reached for the hem of His garmet
In this life you will have many struggles, but take heart, for I have overcome the world
God is love.
God is a light and in Him there is no darkness at all.
God is merciful
Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.
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