Beware Of False Teachers (Part One)

Through the years, and especially in today's world I have been perplexed at how so many people can be so deceived about God, Jesus and the Word of God. How people can condone, accept or push things that are completely contradictory to what God has said. 

However, that said, I now understand. 

I have been watching a lot of videos recently by those who are calling out false teachers by comparing what they are teaching to what the Bible actually says. 

There are those who have willingly invited new age worldly practices and beliefs and intertwined them into their teaching. They are literally adding demonic practices and teachings to their messages and church practices. I mean it's crazy what people choose to believe and accept when they base their beliefs not on facts or the actual word of God, but on their feelings and emotions. 

This of course isn't a new phenomenon, it's been happening for thousands of years, in fact the Apostles warned us about this throughout the New Testament. 

"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 brought 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 judgement has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber" 2Peter 2:1-3

I recently watched a video of a young man who calls himself a Christian and goes around speaking at churches who actually claims it was not the serpent in the garden who lied, but that it was God who lied and the serpent told the truth.

Seriously, that floored me to hear someone so boldly lie and distort the Word of God. His basis for calling God the liar and the serpent the truth-teller? Because God told Adam and Eve if they ate of the tree of knowledge they would die and they didn't die the moment they ate of the forbidden tree and the devil(serpent) told them they would not die.

Here is what the Bible says, "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die." 

Just a reminder, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day". 2Peter:3-8 and Psalm 90:4 Adam lived to be 930 years old and then he DIED. 

Until they ate of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil they could have been immortal, they could have lived forever, but they disobeyed so they did indeed die, just not at that moment. There was more to what he was trying to say, but you get the gist of it.

Why does he teach such lies? Because he doesn't like what God has to say about his life choices, which is typically the case for those who teach false things and pervert the word of God. 

They do not like that the Word of God labels things they want to do or are guilty of doing as sin. They don't want to hear what they desire in the flesh is sin in God's eyes.

"Let God be true but every man a liar." Romans 3:4

 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires because they have itching ears they will heap for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." 2Timothy 4:3-4

There are a whole lot of  'name it and claim it' or 'prosperity teachers' out there. They tell people what they want to hear, to make them feel good while leaving out anything that might make them uncomfortable. They trick people into believing if you become a Christian you will have everything (material) you want, you should never be sick or have any trials, etc. That completely contradicts the Word. 

They take verses out of context, such as "ask anything in my (Jesus) name and you will receive it". They teach God will heal everyone if they just ask and believe, but they leave out the whole, if it's God's will part. 

They rarely if ever point people to Jesus as not only savior, but as Lord. They rarely if ever, point the need for repentance or obedience. Everything they teach revolves around how you feel, emotions and fleshly desires. Very little is taught about personal responsibility and the importance of again, repentance. 

What ends up happening is when people believe their lies and they don't get everything these false teachers promise them, they turn away and blame God. If they don't get healed they start to think God doesn't love them or God is punishing them for something or worse-that God doesn't exist. All while these teachers get rich off their books and the money given to then by people who believe if they just give a big enough 'seed' they'll get a large 'blessing' of money back in return.

"Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving head to seducing spirits with and doctrines of demons; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron." 1Tim 4:1-2

Honestly I had no idea just how completely whacked out some of the teachings are out there, but even more so blown away that people could actually believe in some of those things they are being told. 

There is a prominent church in Redding, CA that actually teaches people that if they lay on top of the actual grave of a dead preacher or evangelist they can pull out the power of the Holy Spirit that may be trapped in the person's body when they die. There isn't a word to accurately express how completely sick and ridiculous this idea is. 

First of all when a believer dies their soul leaves their body, the Holy Spirit does not get trapped or remain in the body of someone who has gone on to be with the Lord. Not sure where they get from because it sure is NOT in the Bible! 

I mean really, this sounds more like something from a horror movie, and yet there are people who not only believe this, they do it! This is most definitely occult type teaching and behavior straight from demonic doctrines. 

There are those who teach Jesus didn't rise from the grave in his physical body, that claim an angel came down and gave them a new gospel, etc. But I'll save those for part two. 

Test everything using the Bible as your litmus. I learned a valuable tool years ago, when checking to see if a scripture being quoted is being taken out of context, always read the chapter before and the chapter after the verse. But most importantly pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give you discernment and understanding. Always take the Bible as a whole, not in bits and pieces. Any 'teacher' who pushes something that directly contradicts the Bible is a false teacher! 

We can ask the Lord to keep us from being deceived, in fact, this is something I pray for regularly. It's especially important in today's world when things that are good being called evil and things that are evil being called good. 

Always be alert and remember our enemy, the devil is like a prowling lion, just looking for those he can devour. Nothing has changed in his tactics, he uses the same deception today as he did in the Garden.

 Thousands of years later he is still using the same lines, did God really say that? God didn't really mean that, etc. Check and re-check everything you are told, because ultimately it is your soul that is at stake.

True Or Counterfeit Jesus-Which One Are You Following?

Telling someone the truth is not judging them. When we keep quiet because people say when you speak the truth you are judging them- we are not loving them. We must speak the truth of God in love, and in love means not attacking the person with insults or treating them with disrespect. 

One issue I see people claim we are judging is when a religion claims to be following Jesus and following the bible, but they are not following the same Jesus or the Bible. 

They are in fact following a counterfeit Jesus. How can you tell if a religion is not following the true Jesus? Simple, what does the Bible tells us about Jesus and who he is? Is this other religion teaching something else? Everything we base our beliefs on must be based on what the scriptures tell us. 

Just because something 'sounds' good or right doesn't mean it is. There are a few basic truths about Jesus we MUST believe and accept or we are not following the real Jesus. 

Any faith that teaches less these things are not following the same Jesus Christ the Messiah.

These are the basic truths about who Jesus is:

Jesus according to the Bible, is fully God as much as he was fully Man. 

He is NOT the spiritual brother of Lucifer, He is NOT an angel, He was NOT created by God- He is God. 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made." John 1:1-3

He was sinless. "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin." Hebrews 4:13

He is the ONLY way to heaven and to God the Father. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

 He was crucified for the sins of every human being past, present and future and because of this we are forgiven when we confess and repent. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 

Important to note that we are only forgiven when we confess our sins to God and REPENT! "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". 1John 1:9  

Jesus said, "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish". Luke 13:3,5

Jesus will return and all will see him when he does.

There are some religions who teach Jesus has already returned secretly, but that is not true nor is it biblical.

His second coming will not be a secret and it will not be hidden from the world. "Behold, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him". Revelation 1:7

(27)“For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (30)They (the nations) will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” Matthew 24:27,30. 

Jesus said, "Then if anyone says to you 'Look, here is the Christ or, Look, He is there!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect." Mark 13:21-22

He rose on the third day in his physical body.

Some religions claim Jesus did not rise from the dead in his physical body, which is a complete contradiction to what the Word of God tells us. Jesus himself assured the Disciples when he appeared to them that he was NOT a ghost or a spirit but still a physical being with flesh and bones. I often wonder how they can ignore or explain away the scriptures that contradict their teachings and beliefs.

In fact, in Luke 24:39 he said, "Touch me and see because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have". Jesus went even further and in Luke 24:41-42, he asked them if they had anything to eat, they gave him a piece of broiled fish and "he ate in their presence". 

Matthew 28:9 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary "took hold of his feet and worshiped Him". Spirits don't have feet, nor do they have flesh and bone. 

There are numerous other instances in the Gospels of Jesus appearing to his disciples and others and he reassured them by telling them to touch and feel that he was indeed truly risen and not merely a spirit.

If we are not following the true Jesus and sticking to what the Scriptures tell us, then we are following a counterfeit Jesus and THAT has eternal consequences. It is not loving others when we ignore or are afraid of offending them so we keep quiet. What's more loving, to offend someone with the truth or to allow them to end up spending eternity in hell? 

One last thing - It is so important to remember the warnings about false teachers/teaching of 'other gospels' the veer from the truth. 

The Apostles warned us about false teaching and 'other gospels'. Not only did they warn us they said anyone who tells of any other gospel they should be accursed. 

"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, OR AN ANGEL from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, now now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1: 6-9

Are you following the true Jesus?

 

 

 

 

The Seasons Of Life

It is often said there are seasons to life, and I think this is true. Those seasons are different for each of us however and when we move into the next season depends on the choices we have made. 

I have entered into a 'new season' with the move from staying with my daughter and her family in the Midwest, to arriving yesterday to stay with my father on the Pacific West coast. I haven't seen dad in several years and haven't been to the lovely little town he resides for almost 10 years. The last time I was here was when my mom passed on in December 2006. 

Dad's health is not so good, and he's been needing someone to help him, since he has lived by himself since mom's passing. I have considered before coming here, but honestly I wasn't sure he would accept help. It was also difficult to leave my amazing Grandson Kellen, who by the grace of God has been a part of my daily life for the last four years. He is now six. I miss this child beyond words and not hearing his voice or seeing his smile daily is difficult. 

I have another grandson who will be one on the first of April who by the grace of God also I was blessed with being able to be there when he was born and again a month later to spend three weeks taking care of him. Leaving was difficult. My heart still hurts when I think of him and the conflict going on between his parents. 

I don't know what this new season I am now entered into is going to bring, but in all that has happened, I believe the Lord has a plan and for now I am right where He wants me to be. 

Life's Consequences

It's hard to believe how quickly the last two months have gone by. I will have been in Indianapolis two months on the fourth of this month. My husband is still in jail, he's been there since May 20th. I believe he is suppose to go to court this week on one of the charges.

I am doing fine, I still sometimes miss my "home". I loved our house, even though it was old, 140 years old to be exact, it had character! Of course I miss my son and his family and my church home also. But I talk to him almost daily on the phone.

I miss my step daughter, who is back in Washington with her mom. I worry about her though. The influences around her now are not very positive and I pray the values and things she was taught by us and her youth group will not fall by the wayside.

I've received a couple of letters from my husband. In both he says how sorry he is, how he wants one more chance to be the husband I've always wanted him and needed him to be, how he has turned his life back over to the Lord, is going to NA meetings and bible study in jail.

My response to this? Good for you, but what happens when you get out of jail? It's easy to say how sorry you are, how you are determined to stay clean and sober, that you are spending every day reading the bible, attending meetings, ect. when you are locked up and have nothing else to do.

The first part of his letters always start with this stuff and then go on to say how he needs my help, could I find it in my heart to put some money on his books so he can get soap, toothpaste, envelopes, paper and stamps? His last letter he made sure to say it would be awhile before he was able to write again because he didn't have the money on his books to buy more paper and stuff.

I don't mean to sound harsh here, but guess what, not getting another letter doesn't bother me much. He obvisoulsy still has the same attitude that makes him believe he can manipulate me emotionally by trying to make me feel sorry for him. Guess what...it's not going to work!

I have replied to his letters and told him that although I have forgiven him (because the Lord says we must forgive) it does not mean we will get back together or that I am now responsible to "help" him. It is time for him to rely soley on the Lord!

I reminded him that weeks before I left and he was finally arrested that if he continued down the road he was on he would go back to jail, and this time there would be nothing waiting for him when he was released! He did not listen and now he has made his bed and must now lay in it.

I told him that although I  care what happens to him, I pray for him every day and wish things could be different I will not take yet another chance that his 'new found faith and desire to be clean' will stick this time. It would be one thing if this was the first time he has caused us to lose everything, that he has chosen drugs over me and his family, but it's not the first time! But it will be the last.

He has become so use to people giving him chance after chance, to my being there for him and giving him chance after chance that I believe he thinks I am not serious about what I am telling him. And he still has the idea that because I am a Christian I HAVE to reconcile with him and help him. He has use the 'you're a Christian so you have to be there for me no matter what I do' card for years. What he doesn't understand is there comes a point when the consequences of a person's choices have to be lived with.

I was thinking about this last week when I read in the bible how Moses, although he was God's chosen to lead Isreal out of Egypt, God did not allow Moses to enter the promised land because he disobeyed God. God forgave him and took him to heaven, but he was not allowed to enter the "earthly promised land". I think this is a good comparision.

In all the years we have been married, he has relied on me to "take care of him", and not on the Lord. We used to actually get into arguments when he would ask me what he should do in certain situations that I had no idea how to handle, or even worse those I would give my opinion about and he did not agree with, situations that he should have been seeking God's direction on not mine. When I would tell him he needed to pray about it he would get mad at me.

He has always gone to his dad or family when a need came up instead of relying on and trusting God. Now even his family has cut him off because instead of being a help they were enabling his addiction.
It's not like the Lord had not given him a ton of chances and showed him an abundance of grace over the last couple of years, yet he chose to see that grace as a 'license' to keep making sinful destructive life choices. Just like in his relationship with me, I think he just figured no matter what he did, God would not only forgive him but bail him out!

Now he no longer has a home or a family to go back to when he does get out of jail. Not only that he probably no longer has any clothes or personal belongings left. A week before he was arrested he let some girl move in to "rent" a room. After he went to jail all his drug 'friends' moved into the house, turning it into a drug house. He had sold all the antique furniture when I left, all of which paid for me drugs.

Because he had given this girl permission to move in there was nothing I could do about it. After countless calls to the Greeville Police department I learned they didn't really care what was going on and kept saying it was a "civil matter". Because my husband had let this girl move in only he could say she couldn't be there and of course he couldnt do that from jail. Basically by the time all was said and done, druggies had pretty much cleaned out anything that could be sold, they even took one of the water heaters!

 The house had holes in the walls, the owner (after he paid a visit to my husband to get the Quick Deed signed) found needles, drug paraphenailia, empty baggies and powder residue on the large mirror from the dinning room. Most if not all of my husbands clothes were gone also.

 I feel pity for him but at the same time, it's not like he was not warned of the consequences repeatedly! He will have a rough time when he does get out of jail, but that is between him and God. I have already told him several times in letters our getting back together is NOT an option and he absolutey cannot come here.
I've begun getting calls from the jail on my cell phone, apparently someone sent him my number. He had asked for it in his first letter and I refused to send it to him.

 I don't know why he thinks I will answer his call. First of all I really don't want to talk to him because, even though he may be sincere in the things he is saying, and I hope that he is for his sake I don't want to have to actually 'listen' to him as he tries to convince me how sorry he is. Not to mention I refuse to pay for a collect call. Calls from jail are ridiculously high! I think he has cost me enough already.

I do hope that someday his relationship with his daughter can be healed, along with his relationship with his dad, hopefully before it's too late. I pray he is sincere about his life change, especially when it comes to his relationship with the Lord because if he is not, then he will never get back the relationships with his family and there will be no hope for him in this life or the next!

As for me I will continue to move on with my life! There are times I think about all the years we had been together, and there were some good moments, unfortunately the not so good moments far outweigh the good. And even though there are times I actually do miss him, I am reminded of how things have gone and especially how the last few months of our marriage progressed...that alone is enough to keep me from even considering any possibility of reconciliation!

He did it AGAIN!  Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos brought home the win against San Diego last night! (November 27). The team overcame the struggling Chargers 16-13 in overtime in last nights game. Bringing the Bronco to a 6-5 - winning four straight games. Tebow carried the ball 22 times for 67 yards giving him the record for the most carries in a game since 1950. According toSTATS LLC. 

Known for his strong faith in Christ and his routine of thanking God after every touch town, kneeling in prayer after every game which seems to grate on the nerves of not only some fans who are offended by his faith but other players in the League. Former Denver Quarter Back Jake Plummer has said that although he praises Tebows ablilities he would like his successor a lot more if he publicly praised Jesus Christ less. According to an article in USA Today.  

I love how Tim responded to this critisim from those who seem to take issue with his very public displays of faith. Via ESPN's First Take, he said in part: "If you're married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife 'I love her' the day you get married? Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and every opportunity? And that's how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ is that it is the most important thing in my life. So any time I get an opportunity to tell him that I love him or given an opportunity to shout him out on national TV, I'm gonna take that opportunity."

I find it so interesting that it is perfectly acceptable for celebrities to get up and thank God for awards, or thank God for their blessings in public and it doesn't cause a stir but if you thank Jesus Christ and use his name in a prayer or give him any credit or glory people become offended.

Why do you think that is? I'm not asking because I don't know, I do know the answer. Jesus himself even told us people would be offended by him and some would even hate him. (Matthew 24:8-10)And in turn will hate his followers.

Logically this makes no sense to me. Jesus did nothing but love people, help them, teach them good from evil and give all he had, including his life. Regardless of whether or not you believe in God or the Bible, historically Jesus was a real live person who walked this earth, who was crucified by the Romans at the insistance of the Pharisees and according to a vast number of witnesses rose from the grave. 

Now why would anyone be offended, logically speaking by his name? The name of someone who showed the world what true unconditional love really was? The name of a man who spent his days going from place to place reaching out to those others considered unlovable or unforgiveable by most, showing them love and compassion? The name of a man who did miracles, fed thousands and taught about the ways of God? 

When you try to find 'logic' in something that has a completely spiritual cause you realize logic will not suffice to provide you  with the answer. So you have to ask yourself if you are offended by the name of Christ, why is that? 

I admire Tim Tebow and I believe it is because of his very public faith God is blessing him. He makes it known his abilities are given to him by God, and he is very open about letting the world know Jesus Christ the only Son of God is his savior.

Jesus tells us that if we deny him before men he will deny us before his Father (God). He also said that we are blessed if we do NOT deny him and are not offended by Him.  "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Luke 7:23.

So again, the question is if you are so offended by the name of Jesus Christ ask yourself why! 

Tim Tebow’s Witness | jamesrobison.net

Tim Tebow’s Witness | jamesrobison.net

Tim Tebow Man of Faith

I wouldn’t consider myself an avid sports fan, however I do love a good NFL football game. And last nights game between the Denver Broncos and the NY Jets was definitely worth watching if for no other reason than Tim Tebow!

 I was incredibly impressed by this young man last night. Not only did he basically win the game for his team, against the odds according to all the so called ‘experts’, not once did he take credit for the win or even for his talent.

During his interview after the game the commentators kept asking him how he felt about bringing the win for his team, and how he felt about what he did. It was like they were trying to hard to get him to take the credit. But this young man, who is a Christian continually answered those questions by saying he is a blessed man.

The very first thing he did when he sat down was to give glory to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You don’t hear that very often today, someone who has seemed to defy the odds give the credit and glory to God first and foremost.

When he made that 20-yard touchdown to win the game in the last 58 seconds of the game, this young man dropped to his knees thanking God. My son tells me this is completely normal for him and is one of the things he is known for. I think in today’s world awesome! After the game he and several other teamates as well as a couple of the Jets knelt down to pray and give glory to God. Again something my son tells me he does after every game, win or lose. 

During his interview he continually put the emphasis on the fact they are a team and it was and always a team effort! Not once did he place himself above his teammates. He talked about having faith and believing in yourself and your teammates, believing you can do it and working hard. “We believed as a team”, Tebow is quoted as saying.

I have seen headlines today that are calling the Bronco’s win a miracle. To that I say - you are most likely right! When a man lives a life submitted to the Lord, giving him glory and honor in all things, he will be blessed, which in turn will be a blessing those around him.  “A faithful man will abound with blessings” Proverbs 28:20

There are many who have had some very negative things to say about this young man, when asked about that he simply said he doesn’t worry about it or focus on it.

I told my son last night as we were talking about the game and this young man, the reason there are those who try to tear him down or don’t like him probably stems mostly because he is a Christian and he has no problem stating that clearly and often.

He stands on his faith and is not afraid of what people think. Jesus says, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15:18-19

It is so nice to see a young man like this who has integrity, humility and faith. It shows there are  still a few sports figures out there who really are trying to be a good role model to those kids out there who look up to these guys. And even the adults who in today’s world need some good role models.