Blurry Lines . . .

Don’t love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father.  Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father. The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live forever.

~ 1 John 2:15-17 (CEV)

     If this seems to be a play on words using a popular song title...it is! The lines are blurry because lately it's becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between some Christian ministries and other groups that have nothing to do with God by the ways in which He is being represented, and by the ways that ministries are presenting themselves to the world. In other words, the lines between what is godly and what is ungodly can be hard to discern unless you can see them spiritually. Just look around . . . and it will become very obvious what is being allowed to get our attention.  Money, pride, competition, confusion, compromising behavior and personal drama that calls itself Reality TV is causing people to exalt fame above Christ.

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].

~ 1 John 2:16 (AMP)

     It has been said that most ministries start out with the right intentions of putting God first in all they do, but as they progress, what they do can become more important than God Himself. In other words, they leave their first love. Other things begin to replace prayer time, study time, rest and refreshing time and they move away from a place of devotion to a place of constant motion, and the enemy can then entice them away from God's way into the way of man, which is the way of the flesh. Next come offers of more exposure, more money and of course the weakening of the message of the Good News to become more "seeker friendly" to draw a broader audience with the prospect of mass appeal, eventually moving them even further away from Christ. At the extreme end of this continuum is the complete removal of God Almighty from their ministry, and the addition of other doctrines and teachings that are a complete opposite of the Bible. This is where some lose their faith, become "enlightened" and no longer even believe that Christ is the only way of salvation, and the enemy has effectively destroyed another ministry.

But this is what I have against you: you do not love me now as you did at first. ~Rev. 2:4 (GWT)

     There has to be a distinction between the way Christian ministries live, behave, believe, and appear in contrast to others. People should be able to recognize when your group goes up to present an ministry offering anywhere they go by the presence of God that is with you. The anointing is more than a feeling, it is the approval of God on what you do! The anointing of God brings a change, brings spiritual sight, physical, emotional and mental healing, deliverance and a reverence for holy things. If the lines are blurry, people will have nothing of God to take with them and all they were was entertained.

And it shall come to pass in that day that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be consumed in the presence of the anointing.

~ Isaiah 10:27 (JUB)

     Stop and think...who and what do you represent when you minister? Do people see Christ in your works, or do they only see your skill of presentation? Has the amount of time you spend preparing your ground (environment, personal space, spiritual time) decreased since the time you began your ministry? Is what you do (choreography, garments, engagements, content, awards, popularity) becoming more important than the One who called you? Have you started associating more with non-believers to promote yourself while hiding who you really stand for? If you can honestly say yes to even one of these points, then maybe it's time to pull away from the limelight and reacquaint yourself with your original calling and vision. Don't be one whose works will be burned at the end of your time on earth because they didn't glorify God. There's still have time to make those blurry lines clear!

     Please enjoy this video of "Who's on the Lord's Side" by the late Rev. Timothy Wright:

Say What?

In the past there were false prophets among God’s people. It is the same now. You will have some false teachers in your group. They will teach things that are wrong—ideas that will cause people to be lost. And they will teach in a way that will be hard for you to see that they are wrong. They will even refuse to follow the Master who bought their freedom. And so they will quickly destroy themselves.

~2 Peter 2:1-2 (ERV)

     Just in case no one has noticed, there's a lot going on in the world now, and it's happening all at once at a very high level of intensity. We see more because of the large amounts of information that can be seen and heard and passed along quickly, 24 hours a day. The media controls a lot of what we learn so it's not always easy to know what is true and what isn't. The older people used to say "Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear" and there is some wisdom to that saying when it's taken in the right context.

     The one place that we should always be able to get accurate information is when we go to church to hear God's Word. Even though pastors and ministers are not perfect, what they say should always be found in the Bible and not made up. Nothing is supposed to be added to their message from outside beliefs, and definitely nothing should ever be taken away. The church is supposed to be a safe place where we can worship Christ in a pure environment, pure -- meaning that no one makes mistakes or doesn't sin, but the purity that comes from worship in spirit and truth according to John 4:24:

For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

~John 4:24 (NLT)

     We need to worship God in a place where we will not be lied to, manipulated or have mind games played on us. The only way to know if a preacher or church is telling the truth is to know what the Word says for ourselves. We need to listen to everything they say with an open mind (thinking), an open heart (reflecting), and an open spirit (discerning). I once heard that when bank tellers are being trained to recognize counterfeit bills, they learn what real currency looks and feels like, so when the fake bills are passed they will immediately reject them. It shouldn't be any different when it comes to any type of ministry. We should be so familiar with what the Bible says that when someone speaks something that is foreign, we don't listen to it. It doesn't require a degree in theology to know a lie when we hear it. It's not necessary to have a title or be a church leader to discern when something is wrong with what a person is saying or to be able to see that his or her actions don't agree with what they are promoting from the pulpit.

Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah).
1 Cor 11:1 (AMP)

     God is not calling us to be judgmental, but He does require us to discern when something or someone is leading us in the wrong direction and not to follow them. A wise pastor once said: "If there ever comes a time when you no longer see the fruits of righteousness in my life, please leave this church!" Anytime you see a minister mixing other beliefs with God's Word in the pulpit, or promoting activities on TV that should only go on in private, saying one thing and doing another, paying off millions of dollars to keep themselves out of court or promoting selfishness, worldliness and greed, it's time to take a long hard look and determine if what they are doing is bringing you closer to Christ or closer to Them....because as men and women of God there should be no contradiction between what they say to you, and what they do. 

Do not let anyone fool you. For the Lord will not come again until many people turn away from God. Then the leader of those who break the law will come. He is the man of sin.  He works against and puts himself above every kind of god that is worshiped. He will take his seat in the house of God and say that he himself is God. ~2 Thess. 2:3-4 (NLV)

     It's challenging when we see "great" preachers that we admire become part of the world system that they are called to pull others out of, but we are living in a time where the Word says that people will be deceived and will cause many to fall after them. I hope and pray that none of us will be in that following. Let's remain watchful and prayerful!

   
      Please enjoy this video from the P4CM Dancers reminding us to "Stand Out"!

Spiritual Safety!

...In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit

even on my servants --men and women alike --and they will prophesy.

(Acts 2: 17-18) NLT

  
     It's no secret...we are in the Last Days! It's summertime, and there are always a lot of public service announcements about water and heat safety because of the many tragedies that happen during this season. But what about our spiritual safety? If you haven't noticed, there are things happening all around us, good and bad-- that have been foretold thousands of years ago in God's Word. One thing that has become very active is the amount of prophecy that is being spoken. The Word clearly states that God has called some to be prophets, to reveal the mind and will of God to great numbers of people, or many have the gift of prophecy, to exhort, build up, and encourage others. But there are also some who misuse these gifts, either out of ignorance, or out of some other motivation that is not of God.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.  To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.  It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

(1 Cor 12: 14-17) NLT

     According to the Word, spiritual gifts are given by God to help people. They are not to be used as a means to control, manipulate, or dominate them. No one can decide what gift they will have, because God is the One who distributes spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are part of the true worship of God, because during worship, God reveals Himself to people and sends the blessings that are needed at that time according to His will. When God speaks a word into your situation or circumstance that no one could know but Him, that word will always agree with the Word of God that has already been written, and the spirit of the word will always agree with the Holy Spirit. Even if it's a word of correction or a word that seems "hard", it will always agree with God's Word and God's Spirit, and carries peace. And, a  true word from God will never tear you down, belittle, or embarrass you.

...Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.

(Rev 19:10) NLT

     Worshippers, if you are ever in the presence of someone who wants to "read" you, if you see someone fixating on you as if they are trying to "see" into you, if you feel some type of "energy" trying to pull on your spirit, causing you to feel agitated, disturbed, distracted, fearful, confused, weakened or any other feeling that is not of God, LEAVE immediately! If it's the Holy Spirit, the only things that He brings are power, love, and a sound mind. There are a lot of people who mix God's Word with their own doctrines and imaginations, and even practice what is called Charismatic Witchcraft*. That being said, you have to spend enough time with God to be able to know what is true. When bankers are being trained to know counterfeit bills from authentic ones, they spend hours learning how real money feels and looks, so that when they see a suspicious one, they recognize it right away.  Be careful of those who come into prayer gatherings announcing themselves as "Minister so-and-so" or "Prophet or Prophetess so-and-so" as soon as you meet them. A person who has a true prophetic gift does not need to do those things to call attention to themselves, because their gift will announce them!  Be aware of your spiritual environment. Be prayerful and watch what is going on around you. Don't be quick to run to every revival, prayer meeting, church service or conference looking for a "word". Allow God to lead you, and take your Bible with you to make sure that what is being said is the same thing that God says.  This is not to cause fear, but just as you would protect yourself on the streets, you must protect yourself in the religious community. Remember...we are in the Last Days. God has given us everything that we need to defend ourselves against spiritual attacks from inside as well as outside of the church, but we have to use the information that we have been given:

 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:

1 Cor. 12:1 (NKJV)

Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.

Matt. 7:15 (NLT)

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.

I John 4:1 (NLT)

Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.

John 10:5 (NKJV)

     God loves us and does not want any of us to be deceived. He has people strategically placed to minister as He chooses. But just as God uses His people, the enemy has people that he uses to try to confuse us, or cause us to stumble, either because of lack of knowledge, or pure wickedness. Think of it in this way: the 5-year old who brings a gun to school, plays with it and causes it to go off, injuring another classmate, and the adult who deliberately shoots and injures someone has still done the same damage, even though the intentions were different. Don't become a spiritual casualty! Know when God is speaking to you, listen carefully to what is being spoken to you by people, test it against God's Word, and follow what He says about what you have heard. It's the only way to be spiritually safe in the last days.

    
Footnote:
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*Charismatic Witchcraft -Charismatic witchcraft is exercising control over other Christians by leaders or anyone within the church. Charismatic witches use personal prophecy to control others.