Fear Not

"Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things." Joel 2:21

If you watch the news lately, you will see plenty of reports which could incite fear.  From worldwide plagues to civil unrest, from violent crime to economic uncertainty, from terrorism to global warming, etc.  Satan is doing his best to instill fear in the masses.  The world wants you to operate in fear, because then you remain controllable.  This is why it is so critical that we take everything to the Lord in prayer.

Even those in the world can pick up the changes in the atmosphere and are feeling the need to make preparations.  The issue is that - in spite of the physical manifestations of trouble - the problem at its core is spiritual.  In order to endure the times which are coming, we must find our refuge in the Lord.  In all of this, we must remember in Whom our hope lies (Psalm 39:7; Psalm 62:5-8).

Some might look at these things and say, "Oh no, the end must be near!"  I say, "Rejoice!  The end must be near!"

How do you maintain peace in a whirlwind?  How do you remain steadfast when the very fabric of the world seems to be disintegrating around you?  You die now.  Of course, I am not speaking about suicide; I am talking about cold-blooded murder (Romans 6:6; Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5).

Don't be misguided like Peter was, presuming that you will be able to stand because you are not fully aware of what is in your own heart.  This is the time to pray for cleansing, purging, and strengthening so that He enables you to stand.  I can only imagine how Peter felt when the words of the Lord came true and he found himself cursing to deny Jesus Christ.  Yet, there was one command that Jesus later gave him to get him back on track, "Feed my sheep."

Our focus now must be on doing the will of the Father.  Many of us have spent a large portion of our lives living for ourselves - even if we called it living for God.  It is the mercy of God which has been longsuffering with us and given us the time to finally get our priorities in order.  Jesus let us know about these things to come precisely so that we could be prepared.

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."  Matthew 24:6-14

Even though Jesus told us that these things would be, many people will be unprepared.  There are those preaching a "Kingdom Now" with people trying to reclaim the world for Christ before He returns.  This will never happen and is not Scriptural.  There are those who have been taught that they will be long gone, having been whisked away in a Pre-tribulation Rapture.  Scripture does not support this idea either.  Still more are so focused on trying to obtain prosperity in the world that they have no idea of the times and seasons in which we live.  Let not such things be said of you.

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." Luke 21:34

"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." I Thessalonians 5:4

The truth is that the world will become increasingly more evil - to unimaginable heights - prior to Jesus' return.  Just as with Sodom and Gomorrah, the cry of the world's grievous sin is great and will have reached up to Heaven (Genesis Chapter 18).

What an everlasting shame it would be to read all of these warnings in Scripture, see all of these signs around us, and yet do nothing.  What lamenting there would be to know that God's mercy and grace gave you time, but you were unable to rouse yourself from a spiritual stupor.  I don't want to be one who knew the truth, but was unable to be transformed into the truth because I loved darkness more than light (John 3:19).

Jesus is coming back in judgment, yet it is only the sinners who have reason to fear.  Die to self now so that you can live eternally with the Father.  The Lord is prepared to do great things through those who are His - and that distinction soon will become undeniable (Daniel 11:32).

"The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" Isaiah 33:14

Standard of Care

As I have interacted with the medical community in recent years, there is one phrase I have repeatedly heard, "standard of care".  What they are offering me is the "standard of care".  All the statistics prove that this is the "standard of care". Why don't I want to proceed with the "standard of care"?

standard of care: A diagnostic and treatment process that a clinician should follow for a certain type of patient, illness, or clinical circumstance. In legal terms, the level at which the average, prudent provider in a given community would practice.

The implication behind these statements is that it doesn't get any better than what they are offering.  I am getting the best the world has to give and should accept it gratefully.  I have even been told that following the "standard of care" is a demonstration of faith, while not doing so is an illustration of fear.

Yet, here is the thing.  I am not a statistic...and neither are you.  As a child of God, He not only knows our names, but He is concerned with everything pertaining to us; even to knowing the exact number of hairs on our heads.  Man's best is not always God's best...and neither you nor I should settle for anything less.

"I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor..." Ezekiel 36:9a

The standard of care in this world will not only let you die, but hasten your death. The standard of care in this world will watch you mutilate yourself and call you a champion.  The standard of care in this world will watch you kill yourself and applaud you.  By no means do I intend to mock those who are faced with life and death decisions or the many people who give their all in caring for others.  I merely want to point out that this world can only offer you options based upon hopelessness. According to the world, there is no hope for your life beyond the world.  Yet there is a God in Heaven who has a higher standard, and He wants to give you life.

"For with God nothing shall be impossible." Luke 1:37

The Lord God can do even what the world says is impossible, if we would just believe Him.  There is no situation you face which He cannot turn around.  Never walk in the spirit of fear because you have a God who loves you more than His own life.  We are not limited by the logic, systems, or answers of this world, but in Christ all things are truly possible.  Never forget to take your cares to Him and leave them there.

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." I Peter 5:6-7

By Their Fruit

"For every tree is known by his own fruit..." Luke 6:44a

Not to state the obvious, but "knowing Christians by their fruit" does not mean that everyone who does something "nice" is a Christian.  It does not mean that God is pleased with someone just because they give to the poor, attend church regularly, or sing in the choir.  It doesn't mean that everyone you think is a good person is saved.

Fruit here refers to the natural attestations of the life one possesses within; it is the fruit of the Spirit.  Apple trees naturally produce apples.  Orange trees naturally produce oranges. They don't have to try to do this or work at it.  In fact, they cannot help it.  Even if they tried to produce some other fruit, they do not possess the genetic make-up to do it.  Each must and does produce after its own kind.

So it is with the Spirit.  To identify those who belong to Him, God has denoted the one thing which cannot be faked: life.

Prior to salvation, we were by "nature" children of God's wrath (Ephesians 2:3).  After salvation we can become partakers of the divine "nature" of God (II Peter 1:4).

nature: Greek word physis; it means the nature of things, the force, laws, order of nature; birth, physical origin; the sum of innate properties and powers by which one person differs from others, distinctive native peculiarities, natural characteristics

When we speak of our "nature" we are talking about the very essence of who we are...and whose we are.  Do we belong to the Lord or do we belong to Satan?  How do we know?  It is not about what we say or even what we do.  It is not even who we think we are.  It's about the nature we possess, and each nature has its own fruit.

"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, revellings, 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.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Galatians 5:19-23

An insightful example of the old nature is seen in the Apostle Peter.  During the Last Supper, Jesus attempts to prepare His apostles for what is to come,

"Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. 

Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. 

Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 

Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples." Matthew 26:31-35

The first thing to notice about Peter is that he did not believe Jesus' words.  He understood completely what Jesus was saying, but he did not believe Jesus.  Even though Peter knew that Jesus was the Messiah - the Son of God - and that He had the "words of eternal life" (Matthew 16:16-17; John 6:68).

Because he did not believe Jesus, he made proclamations to contradict what Jesus said...twice!  And Peter was not alone.  All of the disciples disagreed with Jesus, in essence proclaiming that their own words were true and Jesus' words were false.  Yet, we know that Jesus words were, of course, true.

"Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. 

And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. 

And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. 

And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly." Matthew 26:69-75

Peter not only denies knowing Jesus, he swears that he doesn't and goes so far as to speak profanities so as to convince others of his lies.  Deep down - and in spite of what he declared earlier - Peter was still a liar, still selfish, still filled with wrath & profanity, etc.  He did not have it in him to live the life he had sworn he would.  Why not?  Because Peter had not yet been converted.  In an account in the book of Luke, it says:

"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Luke 22:31-32

Satan desired to "have" Peter.  Yet, what Satan meant for evil, the Lord uses for Peter's good. The Lord let's Satan sift Peter so that he would learn that will power and religious posturing is not enough to live the life to which he was being called.  The flesh will fail him every time and he should not be deceived by it.  He needed something greater than, and outside of, himself to follow Christ.  He needed the Holy Spirit.

"Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts." Zechariah 4:6

The Holy Spirit is the power which changes us from one nature or type of life to another.  Without the Holy Spirit, all you have is the old nature on display as it tries unsuccessfully to mimic the life of Christ within.  From this text about Peter, we can see various truths about the old nature:

1. Head knowledge is not belief.  Knowing truth is not enough for the old nature to walk in it. You can acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God and still not believe his words.
2. Unbelief in Jesus' words will cause your own proclamations to be the opposite of what Jesus says.  Your preaching will contradict the Scriptures.
3. Such persons are prone to deceive themselves, stoically believing that they are some place spiritually where they are not.
4. While the old nature may be able to blend into a religious environment for a time, it is all just emulations.  No matter what they proclaim or believe to be true, there is nothing the old nature can do to actually live as a believer.  
5. When push comes to shove, the real fruit of that fallen nature will reveal itself.  

There is a saying, "When someone shows you who they really are, believe them."  The problem with the Church today is that it has become filled with a bunch of play actors - or as Scriptures calls them, hypocrites.  They are in the pulpits, in the pews, in the choir.  These are unconverted individuals proclaiming to be Christians while espousing that which is directly opposed to God's word.  It doesn't even take any great discernment to see it; just look at the fruit.

How do you develop Godly fruit?  Look back again to Galatians 5.

"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." Galatians 5:24

The answer again is the cross.  Without the cross, the old man is trying; with the cross, the old man is dying and God resurrects a new man who is empowered to live for Him by the Spirit.

It is not too late.  If you know that you have been playing church - trying to suppress/ignore/forget the natural lusts of the old man within - all you have to do is turn your whole heart to the Lord. Forsake all to obtain Christ and offer back to Him the body & life He died to save (Luke 14:27; Romans 12:1).

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19

The Sin You Defend Is the Sin You Are In

God is so merciful.  It is easy to see the sin that plagues us.  Whatever we fight against in the word of God is what ensnares us.

"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3

One of the purposes of the word of God is to allow us to see where we are out of sorts with the mind of Christ so that we can be changed.

If you justify lying, you are in covenant with liars.

If you justify adultery, you are in covenant with whoremongers.

If you justify homosexuality, you are in covenant with sodomites.

If you justify disobedience to God's word, then you are in covenant with witchcraft (I Samuel 15:23).

It is really not that hard to understand.  Our own words give away what has us bound.  People think they are showing off their intelligence, biblical acumen, or spirituality when they debate Scripture, but what they are really doing is loudly & proudly proclaiming that they are still in covenant with sin.

What does it mean to be in covenant with sin?  It doesn't even mean that you are necessarily a practitioner of the sin.  Why?  Because sin is not defined by what you do, but what you are.   A drunk may not be drinking at this moment, but he is still a drunkard.  Not doing the act right now does not mean he is not guilty of the sin.  If this was not true, then how could Jesus say the following?

"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28

How can this person be judged guilty of adultery, having not performed the act?  Because adultery is still present in his heart.  Truly consider this.  Even if the man never actually commits the act, he is still already guilty; he is still in covenant with sin.

Earlier this year, entertainer Tye Tribbett gave an interview explaining what he calls the "doctrine of feelings".  His assertion is that "feelings" of sin are natural, but may not be God's best.  According to Tribbett, as long as you don't do the act, you are not sinning.  Even worse, such persons teach you that denying your "natural" lustful feelings is the best that you can do.  Many professing Christians think this way, and it is in error.  If this doctrine of feelings was true, then Jesus would have no grounds for pronouncing the lusting man to be guilty of adultery.

God is not simply looking at what you do, He is looking at your heart (I Samuel 16:7).    Yes, you should press on in obedience to the word of God in spite of how you feel, but the presence of the inclination towards sin is evidence to you that sin is still alive in you and needs to be mortified.  You are not delivered from that sin until it is no longer appealing to you; no pull, no temptation, no enticement (James 1:14-15; John 14:30).  Walking in the Spirit is not just the ability to not act upon sin.  It is the power to crucify that body of death so that you no longer live in sin.

"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." Romans 8:13

"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: in the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." Colossians 3:5-7, 10

There is some truth spoken by Tribbett in this interview, but it is not the truth.  That is a very critical distinction, because a partial truth will not make you free (John 16:13; John 14:6; John 8:2).  This is not about Tribbett himself, but the false teaching ever present today which exhorts people to act like they are walking in the Spirit while still being bound by sin.

"Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee." Exodus 23:32-33

You cannot sign a peace treaty with unclean spirits.  Any compromise with sin will lead to your ultimate demise. You must press on - patiently and persistently - to take possession of your own soul from that which seeks to bind you (Luke 21:19).  It truly takes a "kill or be killed" mentality.

"For I endorse and delight in the Law of God in my inmost self. But I discern in my bodily members [in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh] a different law (rule of action) at war against the law of my mind (my reason) and making me a prisoner to the law of sin that dwells in my bodily organs [in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh]. O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death? O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with the mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." Romans 7:22-25

Yes, there is a body of death which has corrupt desires and will war with us to do the things we should not do.  However, Paul doesn't say , "Oh well.  I guess I just have to war with these feelings for the rest of my life."  There is also deliverance available in Jesus Christ!  Paul says he can be released from that bondage through Christ.  He is only held prisoner - and thereby subject to these strongholds - when he lives after the flesh.

What's missing from this "doctrine of feelings" is the cross.  You cannot walk in the Spirit until after you have taken up the cross. God resurrects the dead, and then He gives you life.  If there is no old man on the cross, then there is no new man through which to impart new life (John 12:24-25).

"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24

The old man and his lusts are corrupt.  The goal is not to struggle with the desires of the old man, but to kill him.  God is not after getting you to stop acts of sin; He desires to kill off that within you which is still yoked to sin.

The only one who feels the lusts of the flesh is the old man.  Ask a dead man what he feels.  Do you know what the response will be?  Nothing.  Instead of crucifying the flesh, people are "living in" the flesh and calling it walking in the Spirit, making such no better off than children of disobedience.

"God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin." Romans 6:2-7

To be in covenant with sin means to be in agreement with it, even if you never act upon it.  It is to think that sin is okay, acceptable, natural, normal, or even unavoidable.  It is to strive to live with sin instead of crucifying the flesh which feeds off of it.  Such makes you an enemy of the cross of Christ (Philippians 3:17-19).

If you want to know what stumbling blocks exist in your soul, immerse yourself in the word of God. Whatever you feel resistance to in your soul is God shining a light on that within you which needs to change.  Pray for strength to not give in to that sin, but also do what is necessary to kill it; every inordinate desire.  Don't just agree with God that it is sin, but agree that you can be delivered from it.  Deliverance from sin is available, but you must not compromise with it.

Additional Resources:

Sin is Past

The Power to Lay It Down

Honor Your Father and Mother

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Matthew 10:34-37

A sister in the Lord contacted me recently in turmoil, asking how to honor parents who are not saved.  She could feel the oppressive tangles of the spirit of witchcraft vexing her soul when dealing with them (which is the spirit walked in by those who are not born again - this link is a Derek Prince study sheet download).

There always seemed to be manipulation, condemnation, control, and discord at work in those interactions.  There were even physical affects from those interactions, whether it was a terrible twisting in the gut, raised blood pressure, ulcer pains, etc.  All because the parents were not in agreement with their decision to live for the Lord and obey Him.

Things had so deteriorated that the parents were trying to use her children against her and her husband.  It had escalated to such a point where she felt like she needed to cut off contact with their parents altogether.

This is a situation - and a feeling - with which I was familiar.  I had even written about it once before. And while I believe the previous article to still be true, it is not the end of the matter.  Yes, choosing to serve the Lord will often bring about variance between you and those who are closest to you. However, what I learned is that the answer lies in the cause of the variance.

The sword is what we need.  It is the answer for how we are to still honor our father and mother, even when they do not currently belong to the Lord.

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

The sword of the Lord not only brings potential discord between family members, but that same sword is working in you to remove inordinate attachments to them.  God may not change your parents right away because they do not belong to Him yet, but He can surely change you...and that is the goal!

God is killing off in you those cords which bind.  With the sword, He is dividing within you that which is soulish from that which is spiritual so that you can sincerely honor your parents without being unnaturally bound by them.  The areas where these bondages are attached are in your soul; your feelings, emotions, perceived shortcomings/injustices, pride, resentments, etc.  Once your soulish life is fully submitted to your spirit man, then you will be truly free to love.  Don't look at these tensions with your parents as evidence that you need to separate from them, but consider whether it is proof that there are still issues in your own soul which need cleansing.

So, your parents are not saved.  Tell me, what is the difference between your unsaved parents and your unsaved neighbor?  If you cannot deal with your unsaved parents, then how will you be an effective witness to your unsaved neighbor?  They are both unsaved!  The difference is that you feel a certain way about your parents, and they know how to push your buttons.  The issue is in you.

Your "self" life must die.  At that point, the things done to control you will not matter anymore. There will be no puppet strings to pull because the strings have been cut.  I have found this to be true in my own life. As I grew and matured in the Lord, those things that people used to do to control me - which truly got under my skin - just didn't have the same affect on me that it used to.

Yet, it is not merely my own experience which bears out the truth of this statement.  Look at the very next verses of Scripture.

"And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Matthew 10:38-39

After talking about the sword which might bring division in your family, Jesus immediately moves to speaking about the need for you to take up your cross and die to self.  This is because that is the key.  We need the sword of God's word to divide us asunder so that we can be led of the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh - even the lusts of envy, wrath, strife, bitterness, and hatred.  Only then can we forgive from the heart and be healed.

I'll share something else with you.  When it comes to unbelievers - or even just compromising Christians living in sin - you rarely have to bring about the separation.  If the Holy Spirit is not drawing them, then they will separate from you all on their own; especially once they see that they can no longer control you.  Yet, there should always be a spirit of reconciliation at work, ready to receive them again as the Spirit leads,

It is true that your family may not be able to receive the Gospel from you, being unable to move past who you used to be (Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4).  Yet, that is on them.  Let it not be unforgiveness in you which has become the obstacle.

Satan's answer is to cause permanent alienation.  After all, he cannot have you rubbing off on them or drawing them to Christ, right?  Yet Jesus' answer is to bring about healing...even if it is just within you.  Whether your parents ever change, you can be made free from everything which would make you captive.

Additional Resources:

Seven Steps to Revival - Volume 2 - *particularly the study guide Witchcraft in Disguise (this guide will download to your computer if you click it)

The Prayer of Desperation - Part 1 and Part 2

How to Live in a World Falling Apart - Part 1 and Part 2

The Cross Nullifies Witchcraft - Part 1 and Part 2

The Seeking of Control - (this guide will download to your computer if you click it)

A Charge to Keep I Have

charge: an amount of electricity; 

the responsibility of managing or watching over something; the amount of an explosive material (such as dynamite) that is used in a single blast; 

an obligation or requirement; 

an expense or cost; 

a violent rush forward or attack.

A Charge to Keep I Have
by Charles Wesley

A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify!
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky;

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfil;
O may it all my powers engage
To do my Master's will.

Arm me with jealous care,
As in Thy sight to live;
And, O Thy servant, Lord, prepare
A strict account to give.

Help me to watch and pray,
And on Thyself rely;
Assured, if I my trust betray,
I shall for ever die.

Don't Let the Bible Become a Stumbling Block

Yoked to the Letter

Years ago when I was on Facebook, a professing believer in Christ Jesus started a thread arguing how the phrase "When praises go up, blessings come down" is not in the Bible.  There were dozens of people engaged in this conversation, talking about how foolish "church folks" were when they repeat/believe this.

"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. 

Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. 

Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him." Psalm 67

Confused by the fervor this post was garnering, I stated that perhaps it is a reference to Psalm 67, echoing the sentiment that there is a relationship between pure praise to God and being blessed by Him. At this, the original poster responded and said, "You know that this is not in the Bible so stop trying to make excuses for these false preachers."

Then I understood.  These were not people seeking after truth.  These were individuals desiring to use the Bible to mock others.  Indeed, as such, they were no better - in terms of motive - than the so-called false preachers they criticized.  The issue is so much bigger than that one phrase.  A true search for truth needs to go beyond just what the Bible says, but seeking wisdom to understand what God means.

Not everyone citing Scripture is preaching truth...or even desires to preach the truth.  When Satan tried to ensnare Jesus in the wilderness, he used the word of God.  The problem was that the word was being spoken through the wrong spirit.  Satan's ministers continue to do the same today.

People are defining their own religion - while calling it Christianity - and they are using the Bible to do it!  There are a number of ways that the Bible is being used as a tool for sorcery to keep you from the freedom that is in Christ Jesus, and that is just the way God designed it.

I once questioned God, "Why are the Scriptures written the way that they are?  You could almost twist Scripture to claim support of anything.  Why couldn't they just be more clear so that it is undebatable?"

"Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! They say of me, Doth he not speak parables?" Ezekiel 20:49

"All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world." Matthew 13:34-35

God responded that this was intentional, so that only those led by His Spirit could receive the revelation of truth.  Yes, people can actually use the Bible to support that which is against God, because the goal of Scripture was never about the letter.

"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." II Corinthians 3:6

Focusing on the letter at the expense of the spirit will always be a snare to you.   In this way, people will reject truth because:

• Something is not explicitly written in Scripture.  This is the argument often given to deny the Trinity, reject the rapture, denounce the ministry of deliverance for Christians, or to claim that masturbation or oral sex is not a sin.  
• Something is explicitly in the Bible.  People can grab unto verses in the Bible and apply it erroneously without considering the context of what is written.  An example of this would be twisting Malachi 3:10 to force a tithing bondage on Christians, using Galatians 3:28 to justify matriarchal authority in the Church, or pointing to Exodus 20:8 to claim that there is a certain day in which believers must worship.   
• Something is quoted from a certain version of the Bible.  I have seen people actually receive truth and then all of a sudden reject it all because a certain version of Scripture is referenced. They will even say, "I was with you until you quoted from the NIV."

"Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" Galatians 3:3

The linchpin for our translation from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light - and even our transformation into the image of Jesus Christ - is never based upon anything of this physical world; not even the Bible.  The Bible is not to be worshiped, but the God who inspired it is.  We are birthed by the Spirit, kept by the Spirit, and perfected by the Spirit.

The purpose of the Bible is not to encompass the mind of God, but to reflect it for us, so that we can be changed into His image by the Spirit.  It is not the words alone which change you, but the Spirit moving upon the words.

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."  II Corinthians 3:18

Without the spirit - and in the wrong spirit - the words alone can become a sorcerer's incantation. The problem is man's mind often thinks in concretes and cannot flow with the Spirit of God, which is like the wind (John 3:8; Colossians 1:21).

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." I Corinthians 3:1-2

"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." John 21:25

"How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." II Corinthians 12:4

"And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not." Revelation 10:4

The Bible is not the whole of God's instruction to man, nor is it intended to be.  The Bible will never tell you where you should be and what should do today.  For that you need a Rhema word from the Lord.  I am not advocating the type of rebellion we see throughout the churchworld where people falsely claim to be led of the Spirit in disobeying the Lord.  The inspiration from the Spirit of God will never contradict the written word of God,  However, obedience to the written word is what opens our spiritual ears to know and hear the spoken word of God - a Rhema word (Romans 10:16-17).  We can even attain to an intimacy with God where He shares with us that which He does not openly tell others.

Don't get caught up in the letter, but pray for God to fill you with the One chosen to reveal the Truth to you and in you (who is Jesus Christ).

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." John 16:13

Additional Resources:

Thy Word is Truth

The Whole Counsel of God

The following message is from Min. David Wilkerson:

The first evidence of revival is a great desire to hear and obey the Word of the Lord.

 “And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. . . . And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people . . . and when he opened it, all the people stood up” (Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5).

The cry of their hearts was, “Bring us the true Word of the Lord!” Ezra stood on a raised, wooden pulpit and read God’s Word for six hours while the multitude stood at attention, learning that the cause of their suffering was their own stubbornness and rebellion. The surest evidence of revival in a soul or a church or a city is a hunger for God’s Word. 

Backslidden Christians don’t want to hear the Word—it bores them! What they want is excitement. Backslidden preachers don’t preach much of God’s Word; instead, they give short sermonettes. They don’t preach the Law because that produces conviction and shakes up the church! It makes compromisers squirm!

Where the Holy Spirit is at work, the people in the pew are clamoring for the Word. I get hundreds of letters from famished saints crying, “We are so hungry. We don’t hear the true Word. We get the dead letter with no anointing!” Where God is at work there are Bibles everywhere. There’s an excitement about preaching and teaching with a true reverence for the Word.

How sad it is that in many Charismatic churches, preaching is merely endured. They just want music, entertainment, and special singers on center stage! When the Holy Ghost comes, the Word will be hailed. The cry of the people will be, “Lord, I want it all: the good, the bad, the commandments, the promises, the whole counsel of God!”

If you are part of a church that is caught up in the ways of the world, then you are part of a worldly, carnal church...and it is keeping you worldly & carnal.  Instead of the focus being on the truths of God, the church is busy with various "ministries" designed to entertain the soulish man.  When Halloween comes around, they have a "Christian" Halloween celebration (even though there is no such thing).  During football season, they have a Superbowl party.  Such churches are proven in the ways of the world, but do not possess the light of Christ within needed to save the masses.  It is truly the blind leading the blind.  Only the Gospel is the power to save, not entertainment.

You can tell me all about the homeless people you feed, the poor you support, the young men and women you lead, the people who respond to your altar calls, the favor God has shown your business dealings, the numbers who claim how your word/ministry has touched them and how God is working through you, etc.  It is all dead works if the whole counsel of truth is not your foundation.   If you are picking and choosing which words from God you will receive and preach, then you are a worker of iniquity even in light of your "wonderful works" (Matthew 7:21-23).

No matter how big, flashy, or "loving" a church seems.  If they are not preaching the whole counsel of God, then it is Babylon.  The fruit of any Godly ministry is going to set your affections on things above, and not the things of this world.

Pray for God to give you a broken spirit and to rid from you the desire to please the flesh so that you can be set free from false religion.  Even those who may not be part of a church organization can still be some of the most religious people you will ever meet.  Religion puts the real you behind a mask as you perform to try and prove you are what you claim.

When you are ready to stop pretending that everything is okay and be sincere before the Lord - even in your shortcomings - He will meet you there.  There you will find your rest in Him and experience His life-changing power as He molds you from within, lifts every burden, and makes you a true witness for Him to lead others to Christ.  Do not wait, for time is short.

Not That Outward Adorning

"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. 

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 

For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." I Peter 3:1-6

Most people understand that this text is in part about the true beauty of a woman being on the inside and not the outside.  It is not an admonition to not wear jewelry or braid your hair.  It is an encouragement to value that which God prizes most: a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

This is true, not only for women in general, but for the Bride of Christ as a whole.  Much of the churchworld is promoting worldly extravagance as the evidence of their holiness before. and acceptance by, the Lord.  They use Jesus as an accessory to their lives; some flashy adornment which draws accolades their way.  They point to the outward works to prove that they are saved when such is a delusion (I Timothy 6:5).

Don't let worldly advancement deceive you into thinking such is the acceptance of the Lord.  The mark of a Christian is bearing forth the spiritual fruit of righteousness (John 15:4; Hebrews 12:11), which is an inward work of the heart.

"Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21

It matters not how you are "moving and shaking" and claiming that God is pouring His favor upon you. All the accolades about how much of a blessing you are and how you are a great man/woman of God are fit for the trashcan.  You know in your own heart the sin with which you struggle; the unGodly thoughts which plague your mind.  If you are not being transformed in the inner man to be made into the image of Christ, then your religion - no matter how active - is in vain.  God is not concerned with the outside works, but the inner work.  If the inside is clean, then such will take care of the outside all by itself (Matthew 23:25-26).

Not understanding this has left many of our young people striving in religion to serve the Lord, but never actually being born again.  When you are truly born again, you do not remain what you are/were. God begins to change you into a new creation.  If this does not happen...if this new life is not coursing through your veins to make you over...then you have not really been born again (II Corinthians 5:17).

Many enter Christianity and are immediately turned towards a life of being justified by works by those who have no knowledge of spiritual things and who quite honestly often desire to pimp them.  Don't you know that most professing Christians are completely ignorant of demons, spiritual rebirth, and even the spiritual war in which we are engaged?  All they can tell you about is your false obligation to tithe and how God is going to take you to the next level.  ANY spiritual message that is focused on this world - and your success in it - is from Satan.

The video below is not posted to hold the young man featured up to ridicule, but to really pierce the heart about the tragic condition of much of the church.  As he justifies as normal the presence of femininity in men, he continuously asks one very important question, "If femininity in men is wrong and against the nature of God, then what is he to do about being an effeminate man?"

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind..." I Corinthians 6:9

This is to the shame of the church!  Where are those who know the Lord and can lead this young man (and those like him) into true repentance to be born again and filled with the Holy Spirit so that he can be metamorphosized into the image of Christ?  Where are those elder men in the faith who know the way and are able to disciple this young man saying, "This is the way. Walk in it."?  What this young man does not understand is that he is being infected and affected by an unclean spirit.  God doesn't simply want to get us to stop committing acts of sin.  He wants to cleanse us from that which led us into sin and purge us from the ways in which that sin defiled us.

Effeminacy in a man is not an attribute of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:8; Luke 7:25).  And if we are not like Christ, then whose image are we bearing?  Being effeminate is not itself the issue (because God can change you), but thinking that such is normal or of no consequence to God is the issue.

The entire world, including much of the churchworld, is being woven together by the King of Sodomites to be made drunk.  Babylon sets up Satan's ministers as minsters of righteousness - often under the perverted authority of female pastors or emasculated men who are merely figureheads in their own congregations - and entire generations are left stumbling in darkness.

I don't care what ministry you have, what talents you have been given, or what calling you feel is upon your life, you must be cleansed on the inside to be filled with Jesus' Spirit so that you can walk in the will of God. Pure water cannot come through a dirty vessel; it will be polluted.  This is why it is so important for each and every one of us to be purged.  Jumping right into "ministry" with no regard for the process of sanctification only leads to pride (I Timothy 3:6).  The very compulsion to justify one's self - no matter the area - is also pride.

You must be able to receive correction and you must have a love for the truth.  If we are simply looking for justification to stay as we are, then we will never receive the word of God by which we must be cleansed (Ephesians 5:26).  We must deny all fleshly pride and agree with God in every matter. Wherever our lives are out of alignment with Him, it is we who must change...and He will enable us to if we yield to His ways.

In posting this video, the young man says, "Every man does not, neither is he required to live by the same standards!!! The masculinity in a man is not defined by society but by his own thinking!"  That is the problem in a nutshell.  The best false religion can do for you is to make you into your own god as you reject God's words in exchange for what you think is good or evil (Genesis 3:5).  You begin to worship your own god based upon the dictates of your own mind, your own imaginations (II Corinthians 10:5).  No one can tell you otherwise because your own mind tells you that your god is pleased with you.  He is right in that the standard is not the opinions of others.  Yet, there IS a standard, and that standard is the Lord.  We must cling to His word - the word of truth - if we are to be saved (II Thessalonians 2:10-12).

Let our adorning be the hidden man of the heart, which is patterned after His nature, incorruptible and of a great price.  Pray for this young man and others like him, who are ensnared by that sodomite spirit.  These are the times when we will have to confront those devils seeking to bind people so that they may be set free in Christ.

"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." I Peter 1:22-23

Additional Resources:

Man Up