What Do I Do!?

We currently have at least one generation of people, who have been raised in such a way, that they believe it's up to someone else to tell them what's important, what they need to know, and the "assignments" they need to complete. This type of thinking has taken away the initiative to use an inner heart motivation to explore, discover and create. Our society trains us not to think for ourselves, but to simply respond to what's been put in front of us. This assembly line mentality has hindered people from starting businesses or even working in their gifted fields because they haven't had time to discover or cultivate those gifts. They've been learning what's "important" instead.

The public school format has done such a disservice to our society because its turned learning into nothing but a cookie cutter handout of information, robbing our kids of valuable training time. Instead, we need to instill a personalized love of learning in our children. Their natural passion is going to be in the areas they are gifted in. Instead of taking their best hours of the day and exploring these personal gifts, they have been crammed in as after school or weekend activities between homework and everything else--times that should be used for rest and family. The demands of society have pressured us into taking the precious time that our kids could be using for morning devotionals--seeking God regarding His plan for their life and what they are to do with their time--and turning them into times of rushed and cluttered pop-tart chaos.

It is our responsibility to learn what we need to know. It is not the responsibility of the authorities to tell us what we need to know, or what we need to do. As parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children of their learning responsibility, and to provide a healthy creative love-of-learning environment. It is not a school systems responsibility to teach them, or choose what they should learn.

The years of our youth have been filled with the wasted time of others taking the lead in our life's instruction. As a result we've learned to respond to much, while initiating little. To reinforce this type of thinking, we are blasted with advertisements from every possible place you can imagine. The more we tune them out the more clever and demanding these ads become. We don't pay attention anymore. We don't search things out like we used to. We've been trained to "think" that if it's important, someone will bombard me with it. How much time do you spend responding to the demands of others as opposed to having the time to initiate and search out what you want to? If you do have the time, are you too tired from everything else to really do it well? We all need "blank" time to seek God, listen and explore where He leads us. There is nothing more important to do with our most valuable time. 

All knowledge, wisdom and understanding comes from God. Whatever it is that you, or your children, need to know in life, is found in Him. He is the One to go to for all instruction. Look at what we are told to do in order to receive the knowledge of God. This is not a picture of someone sitting idly by, but of one diligently going after wisdom and understanding.

"My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you,

Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding;

For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding;

If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures;

Then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

Proverbs 2:1-6

We are to seek it out, search for it as if it were hidden treasure--because it is! We can't sit back and wait for someone to tell us what to do any longer, and we shouldn't allow our children to be trained to be that way either. It may not be our fault that we've gotten to this place, but once we realize what's happened, we need to have the courage to change it. You have the Greater One in you. He has important things for you to do, don't wait anymore for a person to give you the O.K., seek the Lord with a determined heart and go after your dreams!

Jesus' End of the Age Warning

"And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you."

Matthew 24:4

Jesus was answering His disciples who came to Him asking what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age. The first thing He said is to see to it that no one misleads you. He goes on to say "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many." (v.5). At the end of this age, many who appear to be Christian, who say that Jesus is the Christ, will mislead many people. He says this again in verse 11, and in verse 24 He says that "false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect." There will be those who say they are Christ who, of course, are not. There will also be those who say that Jesus is the Christ who will deceive many. 

Jesus said not to believe those who say that they are the Christ, or even that He has already come and is "in the wilderness" or "in the inner rooms." He said "just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be." (Matthew 24:26-27). Jesus is not going to come quietly! He will come in a cloud, just as they watched Him ascend into heaven the first time, and "every eye will see Him" when He returns. (Rev. 1:7). Don't follow after anyone who says that they, or someone they know, is the Christ and is already here.

What about those who appear to be Christian, and even do great signs and wonders, yet mislead many people? We know there are genuine gifts given by the Holy Spirit which result in great healings, signs and miracles. We see these in 1 Corinthians 12. We also know that God confirms His word with signs and wonders, (Hebrews 2:1-4, Mark 16:20). We see miracles in both the Old Testament and in the book of Acts done by the early church. So we know there are great signs and wonders genuinely done by God's people. Since this is true, how do we know the difference between those who are false and those who are true?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of this. He said to "beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:15-16). We judge by their fruit whether a person is a true or false prophet. If the fruit of the Spirit is not evident in their life, if the results of what they do are destructive and dividing, rather than building and encouraging the church, then we know by that bad fruit that it is not the Holy Spirit, but a false representation. A person will produce good fruit if they are abiding in the Lord and He is abiding in them.

John approached Jesus after seeing someone casting out demons in the Lord's name and told Him that they tried to stop him from doing it because he was not following them. Jesus said, "Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is for us." (Mark 9:38-40, see note 1 below). Jesus knew that someone who seeks to do good in His name, has a heart that desires good. Seeing His goodness will lead a person like that to repentance and into a relationship with Him.

However, Jesus also said "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." (Matthew 7:21-23). This brings us back to judging the fruit. I don't know about you, but this verse makes me examine my own heart as well. We don't want to be misled, but we also don't want to be the misleader! Jesus said two key words regarding this, "I never knew you," and "practice lawlessness."

He must know us. This is more than just us knowing Him, or knowing about Him. We can feel like we know a person, and even do what they say, follow their suggestions etc. yet not really have a relationship with them because they don't know us. For example, if you have a certain person you listen to all the time, you begin to feel like you know that person. This could be a minister, a radio personality, a newscaster etc. Their words abide in you. Yet, if they were to see you face to face they would not know you--your words do not abide in them because you haven't spoken with them. In the same way, someone can get a hold of the words of Jesus and do mighty works in His Name. They may feel like they know the Lord. Yet when the time comes to see Him face to face, will He recognize that person as one of His own? They have not been abiding in Him.

Jesus said that we must abide in Him and He in us in order for us to bear fruit. We will actually bear much fruit if we are in Him and He is in us. When He abides in us, we know Him, His words have reached us. When we abide in Him, He knows us, our words have reached Him. He said that if anyone does not abide in Him (or He doesn't know us) he is thrown away as a branch and dries up. We must abide in Him, not just He in us. The Father is glorified when we bear much fruit and so prove to be His disciples. When He knows us and we know Him than we will bear much fruit and the Father is glorified! (John 15:1-11).

Lawlessness here means a breaking of God's law, not man's law. It's sin and disobedience to Him. These people seemed surprised that their works did not get them into heaven. Those who abide in the Lord will not use His power, His Name, or His Spirit to build a kingdom for themselves, to make themselves look good, or to build something that they think is a good idea. Our spirit must be in sync, filled and saturated with, the Holy Spirit. Then our heart motives will be right--the tree will be good--and the fruit that comes of that will also be good. Those who are led by the Spirit of God, are His sons (and daughters). (Romans 8:14). When we abide in Him and His words abide in us then we can "ask whatever we wish" and it will be done. (John 15:7). A child of God understands the heart and vision of God like no one outside of the family can.

Not being misled is the first warning Jesus gave regarding the end times. He felt it important enough to mention it first, which tells us that we should pay special attention to this warning. Of course, not only watching out for the false spirit in others, but to examine ourselves to be sure we are abiding in Him and He in us!

Note 1-As a side note, when the pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebul, a ruler of demons, He said, "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters." (Matthew 12:22-32). He said this because they spoke against the Holy Spirit, calling Him evil. Jesus didn't care that they spoke against Him (Jesus), but that they called the Holy Spirit a demonic ruler.

Click here for More on Jesus' End of Age Warning: Persecution

What About Psychics?

What does God think about psychics and other forms of contacting the spirit realm? To answer that properly, we need to understand why we are attracted to this "mysterious" world. Humans are naturally drawn to the spiritual realm because we are a spirit being ourselves. We live in an earthly body, but we are spirits, so it makes sense that we would be attracted to the spiritual world and wish to understand it, or even interact with it.1

The Bible tells us that God has foreknown us from the foundations of the world. Every human being is foreknown by God before he or she is even born. Not only that, God has chosen and predestined each one of us to be conformed to the image of His Son--Jesus Christ. That is the will of God for everyone.2 Even though we're all called into the image of God's Son, we are each unique in personality and in gifting.3 Everyone can be used in a prophetic gifting to a certain extent.4 Some to a greater degree than others, depending on their gifts.

Those who don't know Jesus as Lord, yet seek to operate in a prophetic type gift are those we usually call "psychics." When this person starts to tap into the realm of the spirit, they open themselves up to all kinds of spirits. There are two forces in the spiritual realm--good and evil, or the Holy Spirit and demonic spirits. Without the Holy Spirit inside, a person does not have the discernment to know what is from the Spirit of God and what is not. The devil is not going to tell on himself and let a person know that what he says to them is from him. He is deceptive by nature, sounding harmless and true when he is definitely not.5 

A psychic, basically, doesn't recognize (or chooses not to acknowledge) that the gift he or she has is from God, having no relationship with Him. Once again, this person will not be able (or willing) to differentiate between what is divine and what is demonic. The guidance or "words" this person gives will most likely be demonically (or at the very least, humanly) influenced. A person may be sincere in their desire to help someone through this gift, but because of the lack of purity in their spirit, (see next paragraph), what they tap into from the spiritual realm will not be holy. This could lead you into trouble, but worse yet, it would lead you away from God, away from the Word of God, and keep you from seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

A pure spirit only comes from receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Just because someone is a "good" person doesn't mean they won't be influenced by evil, even if evil is not their intention. Because of the sinful nature of man acquired as a result of the sin of the original parents--Adam and Eve--everyone born on earth sins. Each person needs to be born again, born of the Spirit, and receive the cleansing work of Jesus Christ which He completed by shedding His blood, dying on the cross and rising from the dead, in order to be pure in spirit. When our hearts are made new, free from the sinful nature, and we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be able to discern the good from the evil, and grow in that discernment as we grow spiritually.6 

God says not to seek guidance from psychics. The danger of seeking guidance from a psychic is, not only because He says not to do it, but because the spiritual source of a psychic is tainted. The influence they are tapping into will not be from the pure and true Spirit of God. We are to seek only to be led by the Spirit of God. A truly prophetic person, who is born of God and seeking to hear from the Lord, is one who seeks the Lord with a pure heart, only accepting that which is from the Spirit of God. This realm of the spirit is hidden for those who are in Christ.7

Often a psychic will give accurate factual information so you accept that "word" as being from the spiritual realm. But just because it's from the spiritual realm doesn't make it truth. It might be factual, but not from the Spirit of Truth. There is a difference. Once again, this demonic influence may all be done without the "psychic's" knowledge. They may very well be a sincere person--just unknowingly being used by a wrong spirit. Even a person who is born-again can yield to a demonic spirit if not careful. (see the article on What is the Influencing Spirit?)

The question is whether we want truth, or whether we just want some kind of accurate, "how did you know that" information from the spirit realm. A person can get so taken with the accuracy of a word from the spiritual realm that they don't really care what spirit it's from. For example, let's say a deaf person suddenly receives his hearing and becomes excited to hear words. Someone could talk to him and tell him that the color yellow is called purple and so on and get him all mixed up. He's so excited to be able to hear, that he just accepts it all. In the same way, just because someone can hear from the spiritual realm and bring information back doesn't mean that information is the truth. We need to develop a sincere desire for truth and not become taken in by the "coolness" of hearing from the spiritual realm.

The Bible tells us that there is a consequence for not loving the truth--deception.8 The problem with deception is that you don't know you are deceived. We must be a people who love the truth, and seek the Holy Spirit of God, whom Jesus called the Spirit of Truth.9 There is no other place to find the truth but through Jesus Christ, who gives us access to the Holy Spirit. He is the only way, and trying to feel around into the spiritual realm in the dark, without His light, will get us lost in darkness that could be devastating. 

God keeps His mysteries hidden for those who love Him. He loved us to the point of death and wants a relationship with each one of us. He longs for a people who will love Him more than they love anything else--including the good and awesome things found in the realm of the spirit. There really is nothing more satisfying, more beautiful, more indescribably "cool" than an intimate relationship with God Himself. This is the relationship He wants to have with you.

1 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Corinthians 5:1-8,
2 1 Peter 1:1-2, Romans 8:29-30, Ephesians 1:3-6,
3 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12:6-8,
4 1 Corinthians 14:31,
5 John 8:44, Revelation 12:9, 2 Corinthians 11:14,
6 Romans 5, John 3, 1 Corinthians 2, Hebrews 5:14, Acts 4:12,
7 1 Samuel 28, Romans 8:14, Colossians 1:25-27, 1 Corinthians 2:6-13,
8 2 Thessalonians 2: 8-12,
9 John 14: 16-17, John 16:13

What Is The Influencing Spirit?

"I speak the things which I have seen with My Father..." 

Jesus, John 8:38

During a recent time of prayer I saw an image of a person overtaken with bitterness and resentment. It was not a person I knew, but it was to show me how a root of bitterness, or any evil spirit, will try and spread. Bitterness is a root and roots try to grow and spread. They are continually trying to gain new ground and spread to new soil in search of nutrients and to establish a stronghold. What I saw was this root reaching like a hand to try and gain access into the heart of the person who was sitting next to the one with the bitterness. It was very subtle and the person was not aware that this root was trying to gain access. The Bible tells us that many can be defiled by a root of bitterness. It isn't content to just affect one person.

How can we be aware when things like this are trying to spread into our life? Most often they are spread through words--words that are spoken under the influence of these evil spirits. Just as words spoken under the influence of the Holy Spirit will bring life, salvation, deliverance, healing and all of God's goodness, words spoken under an evil spirit's influence will bring death and destruction through deception. It must use deception because no one willingly agrees to bring evil on themselves. When we take offense, fault-find, are critical or condemning, we are allowing a root to enter. When we compare, compete, become arrogant, jealous or look for pity instead of deliverance, we are allowing a root to enter. It may look innocent, it may look harmless, it may even look religious or have a form of godliness, but the question to ask is, "What spirit is the influencing spirit?"

We must embrace the Spirit of Truth, which is the Holy Spirit. It's not through knowledge that we see this type of spiritual thing going on. This type of discernment doesn't come through knowledge, even a knowledge of the Word. It comes from a pure heart. It comes through our spirit being saturated with the Holy Spirit. Our hearts longing for His heart, wanting to be free from sin, pride and our own efforts to justify ourselves.

Where two or more are gathered in the name of the Lord, He is in the midst. There is power in our unity and agreement with the Holy Spirit and each other. It's like an electrical current flows back and forth between the people in a way that can't happen with one person alone. The devil knows this, and tries to spread his stuff too. We must resist the spirit of bitterness, resentment, self-pity, and all of that, and yield instead to the Holy Spirit.

Then comes the test--the proving of our faith. When we sincerely, from our heart, want to yield to the Spirit of God above all else, that's great! When we say that is our desire, those words are pleasing to His ears. However, they do not contain any power or authority until they are proven. They are of no use until tested. Just like a water line must have all of the joints secured and then tested to see if it can handle the pressure of the water flowing through, there comes a time of testing to see if we will hold up, and to what extent. This is a good thing, not a bad thing, because the Lord helps us pass the test!

When a person near you wants to extend their bitter roots into the soil of your heart, you must prove that you will walk in the ways of the Lord even when it's difficult. This testing proves that you will remain faithful to the Lord and thereby allows His power and authority to flow through you in a greater way. This doesn't mean you become suspicious of others, or become prideful, thinking you have more discernment than they do. No, the way of the Holy Spirit, is the way of love. The way to judge what spirit is influencing you at any given moment, is to measure it by the yardstick of God's love.

Jesus said the pure in heart will see God. What is in our heart is what will guide our eyes, our thoughts and our words. Don't go looking for the evil influences around you, you'll find them, and if you focus on them you'll end up getting wrapped up in that. Instead, look for the Spirit of God and His glory which fills the earth. Look to see what your heavenly Father is doing. When Jesus was here on earth, He said He always did that which He saw the Father doing. He kept His eyes on Him. We need to be doing the same, and the Holy Spirit will alert us to danger when necessary.

Hebrews 12:15, Luke 9:55, James 3, Matthew 12:37, Acts 10:38, 2 Timothy 3:5, 1 Corinthians 8:1, John 14:16-17, Matthew 5:8, 1 John 4:4, Matthew 18:20, James 1:12, 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, 1 Corinthians 3:3, John 8:38, Isaiah 6:3

The Thoughts of Noah's Day, and Today

For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

Matthew 24:37

Jesus said that at the time of His return to the earth, it would be like the days of Noah--everyone going about their business, not aware of the imminent danger upon them. When we look at the condition of mankind in the days of Noah we read that evil thoughts of the heart were continual.

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth,

and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Genesis 6:5

The apostle Paul spoke of the battle the church is in. It's not a battle against flesh and blood, it's a battle of thoughts. Thoughts of obedience to Christ vs. thoughts that are against the knowledge of God. Our weapons are divinely powerful weapons that will destroy fortresses. These fortresses are speculations and lofty things that come against the knowledge of God--thoughts, arguments, belief systems and political platforms.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh,
but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing
raised up against the knowledge of God,
and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5

You are in a battlefield every day. Wherever you go--work, shopping, home, church etc.--there are thoughts and belief systems you are confronted with. The message of Christ vs. everything against Christ. This is the battle you face. Every time you choose to embrace thoughts of Christ--His gospel, His message, His ways, you are winning another battle. Don't think that these "little" battles you go through during your day that try to sway your mind off the Lord and His ways aren't important. They are vitally important. You are destroying fortresses. It's all about Jesus. The enemy will do whatever he can do to keep the message of Jesus quiet. The end will not come until the gospel of the kingdom is preached in the whole world. (Matthew 24:14). 

In the days of Noah, the thoughts of mankind were continual evil thoughts. In the day of the Lord, there will be a people whose thoughts are continually on the Lord. These are those who are preaching the gospel of the kingdom. These are the ones who overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. It begins with the thoughts of your heart. Your words come from what fills your heart. Put the Word of God before you all day, every day. Whatever you have to do to keep your thoughts on Him.

The enemy has tried to use science and logic to dispute the gospel of Christ, but science began proving the validity of the gospel. Today it seems to be religious and political ideologies. He goes after the thoughts to try and cripple those who believe. He goes after the faith, by promoting fear. May we cry out to God for our message not to be just persuasive words of wisdom, but demonstration of the Spirit and power of God so that faith in the one true, powerful God arises!

Revelation 12:11; Matthew 12:34; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5
Where is the Lord God of Elijah!

The Master's Table

"But she said, "Yes Lord; but even the dogs

feed on the crumbs which fall from their master's table." 

Matthew 15:27

In Matthew 15:21-28 we read the story of a Canaanite woman who came to Jesus because her daughter was "cruelly demon-possessed." Jesus wouldn't even talk to her. Eventually, His disciples came and asked Him to send her away because she wouldn't leave. His answer was that He was sent "only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." It seems so cruel, but Jesus was staying true to the timing of His call. It would eventually be the disciples' job to preach the gospel to the world, but at this point Jesus was sent to the Jewish people only.

The woman was persistent and came to Jesus and bowed down before Him, crying out for Him to help her. He finally spoke to her, but He said "it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." Most people would surely walk away in shame, or argue in arrogance, but she didn't do either one. She didn't care that He called her a dog. She didn't get offended at all, instead she said, "Yes Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master's table." Wow. With that He saw how great her faith was and spoke a word of deliverance for her daughter.

The remarkable thing about this woman's faith is that she let Jesus know that she wasn't there to steal the children's bread. She didn't even mention the children's bread. She said the dogs eat from their master's table. She didn't want to interfere with His call to reach the lost sheep of the house of Israel, she wouldn't take their bread, but she would take the leftovers, the crumbs, from His table.

The woman's attitude is just as remarkable as her faith. She didn't argue the equality of all mankind. She didn't get an attitude. She knew she didn't deserve anything from Him, and she didn't want to take away from what He was called to do. She simply knew that He had the authority to deliver her daughter and she begged for mercy, calling on His compassion, as humbly as she possibly could.

One little wave of the hand, one little brush of a finger, and a crumb falls from the Master's table. A crumb that is powerful enough to drive out a cruel demon from this woman's daughter. This woman's life and family was drastically changed due to this one crumb. Imagine what we can do now that we have been empowered with the Holy Spirit and commissioned by the Lord Himself to bring the Gospel of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth!

Matthew 28:18-19, Mark 16:15-18

The Staff of Reed: U.S. Lessons from Egypt

Around 595 BC The Lord spoke a word through the Prophet Ezekiel that Egypt would be destroyed. He said he was against Pharaoh because of his pride but he also says the following:

"Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord, Because they have been only a staff made of reed to the house of Israel. When they took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore all their hands; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins quake. Ezekiel 29:6-7.

There are a couple things we can learn from these verses. Egypt was being destroyed and it was, at least partially, because of it's relationship with Israel. Egypt was not a staff that Israel could rely on. They were a staff of reed, one easily broken, injuring Israel in the process. The Lord wanted (and still wants) Israel to trust Him and Him alone, not any other nation or any other person, and Egypt was suffering because of Israel's trust in them.

Does that mean Egypt should have just left Israel alone? Well, it says when they "took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore all their hands; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins quake." God didn't want Israel to trust in Egypt in place of Him, for that would be trusting in something that really can't hold up when put to the test. Egypt was not to give Israel a false sense of security--whether intentionally deceiving them or ignorantly thinking they were their protector. Yet they should have supported Israel as much as possible, if Israel made any agreement with them and then needed help.

The United States should take heed. If Israel reaches out to us, we don't want to just appear that we support them, but then not really do so when the pressure is on (like a flimsy staff of reed). At the same time, we need to realize that we are not to take the place of their trust in the Lord, and we should encourage them to trust in Him over us, rather than arrogantly thinking we are the fixer of all things. Yes we should support Israel, but that in no way means that they can't survive without us. We both need to look to the Lord as our God--our defense, our help in trouble, our provider, healer etc.

Egypt was to "never again be the confidence of the house of Israel," (vs 16) and the United States should never think that Israel needs us to survive. We need them, and we both need the Lord.