God designed our natural bodies to hunger. The LORD set certain trees in the Garden of Eden from which Adam and Eve could eat and one tree from which they were forbidden to eat. In the Old Testament God used the dietary laws to teach His people to discern between what is clean and what is unclean. Eating what is unclean made them unclean in regard to their worship. It was not for them to determine what was clean and unclean based upon their opinions, philosophies, traditions, reasoning, or experiences regardless of their intentions or sincerity. Their responsibility was to believe and obey what God said. God created us with spiritual hunger. How we choose to satisfy our spiritual hunger will determine our spiritual health. Satan deceived Eve into satisfying her hunger with forbidden fruit. Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger outside of God's will. The Word of God rather spiritual hunger is to guide our lives. Spiritual hunger should drive us to the Word of God. God uses spiritual hunger as a test to see if we will be loyal or disloyal to what the LORD has spoken. Our hunger will lead us either to truth or to treason, to discernment or to deception, to holiness or to heresy, to worship or to wickedness, to deliverance or to death. The LORD has set His table of truth before us. Don't feast at Satan's table of lies. Satisfy your spiritual hunger on the Word of God and pass God's hunger test.

Deuteronomy 8:2–3 (NKJV) "And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD."

Matthew 16:24-27 NKJV “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.’”
           
Are you successful? Who determines whether or not you are successful? What is your standard for determining success? The answers to these questions have eternal implications.

A businessman’s idea of success is usually based on how well his business is doing. An investor’s idea of success is usually based on how his investments are doing. A politician’s idea of success is usually based on how popular he or she is in the polls. Hollywood’s idea of success is based on how many tickets are sold at the box office and how many Oscar’s are sitting on the shelf. For the average person, success is usually based on how much money is in savings and in the possessions he has acquired. For others it may mean a marriage that lasts, finishing college, or landing that big job opportunity. Success means different things to different people. However, are any of these measures of true success? Do they really indicate true success in the light of eternity?

Isn’t the true evaluation of success found, not in how well things begin but, in how well things end?  Who will determine whether or not we are successful anyway—Wall Street? Hollywood? Friends? Family? Bankers? Fans? Ourselves? No. Ultimately the One who will determine our success is the Lord. The day when all “success” will be evaluated is the final Day of Judgment.

Imagine if a person was able to acquire all the money, wealth, possessions, popularity, and power this world had to offer. Most would consider him to be the ultimate measure of success. But Jesus said that a man profits nothing if he gains the whole world and then loses his own soul.  What is our soul worth? It is worth more than everything in this world. On the final Day of Judgment when men’s souls are cast into the lake of fire, every “successful” man would not hesitate to offer all his money, wealth, and power to buy his own soul. On that day, the reward of true success will be unanimous among all. It will be the prize of a man’s own soul.

How does a man gain his own soul? He gains it by giving it to the Lord.  How does a man give his soul to the Lord? He does so by laying aside his own definition of success in order to embrace God’s definition of success. True success is what we have accomplished in light of what God has planned. We will never know God’s plan unless we let go of our own. We will never discover the true meaning for our lives until we let go of our own reasoning. We will never have true success until God’s standard becomes our standard.  One day Jesus is coming back in the glory of His Father with His holy angels to reward all who have lived by His true and eternal standard of success. How will our idea of success stand on that Day?

In light of this, what definition of success have you adopted for your life?  Have you adopted a definition of success that ignores the will of God?  Are you trying to live up to a standard of success placed upon you by others?  If so, then you will either be deceived by your worldly success or discouraged by a lack of it. We will never be satisfied trying to be something God never meant for us to be or to gain something that He never intended for us to have. When we seek to gain success outside of God’s will, it always comes at the high price of our own soul. True success is doing the will of God. Doing the will of God includes giving our life to Jesus and then following Him daily. It means dying to our own dreams and plans so that we can embrace His destiny and plan for our life. We will find His purpose for our life. Living the life God intended for us is the life that will most fulfill us and make us a success in light of eternity. Granted, people may not recognize your success in this life, but one day they will. So embrace His will for your life and discover true success that promises a reward that will never fade away.
 
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for adopting a false standard of success. Forgive me for selling my eternal soul for temporal treasures. I choose to lay aside my own definition of success in order to embrace Your eternal definition of success. I choose to deny myself and to follow Your will completely. Thank You for the reward that comes with true success.  I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
 

2 Timothy 2:15-18 (NKJV) “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth…”
 
What is truth? That question was of a Roman Governor named Pilate. Upon being questioned by Pilate during His trial, Jesus testified, “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.  Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’” (see John 18:37-38) Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” remains unanswered in many minds today.

We live in the midst of a post-modern era. We are continually subjected to a barrage of different versions of “truth” as “preached” by the news media, Hollywood, the music industry, politicians, religious sects, social media, books, magazines, radio, and television. It seems everyone is quick to share his or her opinion of truth and to label as intolerant anyone who challenges that opinion. To make things even more confusing, this world’s concept of truth is ever changing. 

The post-modern mindset has no tolerance for absolutes. In fact, in the name of promoting tolerance for their own views, they have become intolerant of anyone who disagrees. The post-modern mindset has infiltrated our schools and universities and has subsequently filtered down to every other social order. It is now a part of our culture. According to post-modernism, there is no such thing as absolute truth. Truth is never certain or constant; it is something relative and ever changing. In the post-modern mind, truth is not determined by external standards but is determined by what a person feels to be true on the inside. For them, truth is found in self-discovery. It is truth based upon feelings and perceptions rather than facts.

The claim that there is no such thing as absolute truth is a self-defeating statement since it is itself an absolute statement. It might be asked of those who make this claim, “Are you absolutely certain that there is no such thing as absolute truth?” In contrast, absolute truth is not determined by feelings, experience, reason, or experiment. Absolute truth is fixed, constant, and unchanging.  Absolute truth can only be discovered, not debated.

What is truth?  Jesus came to bear witness of the truth—that God’s word is truth (John 17:17). God’s word is His gracious revelation of absolute truth to a fallen and depraved humanity who are at odds with the truth. God does not defend truth: He simply declares it. Without the light of truth, man would be hopelessly condemned to walk in spiritual darkness.  People choose to either accept the truth by faith or to reject it altogether.

We discover absolute truth through reading and studying God’s word.  Paul calls it “the word of truth.”  Because God’s word is the revelation of truth, we must take heed how we hear it and handle it.  We are to be “diligent” to present ourselves approved before God.  How do we do this?  We do so by living in the light of His word, by living according to “the word of truth.”  If we do not make the word of God our final authority for truth, then we will fall prey to the “profane and idle babblings” of fallen and ever-changing philosophical reasoning of men who deny the truth. These twisted and fruitless ramblings only lead to more ungodliness and to a straying from the truth. That is why Paul exhorts us to “shun” or “stay away from” such things.

If we are to build on a lasting foundation, then we must build our lives upon the absolute authority of the word of God.  His word is truth.  God’s word not only contains truth, it is the truth.  We must accept the word of God in its entirety or reject it all together.  We cannot pick and choose what we want to believe.  If the word of God is absolute truth, then we do not have the right to impose on it our own self-willed opinions.  The word of truth is a precious gift from God. Let’s be faithful to study it diligently and to interpret it correctly so that we will not have reason to be ashamed when we stand before Him. Let us hold fast to the word of truth that alone can present us approved before God on that final day.
 
Prayer:  “Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your precious gift of the word of truth, the Bible.  I receive by faith Your word as truth.  I make it the final authority in every area of my life. I thank You for this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
 

Psalm 105:17-19 (NKJV) “He sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons.  Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him.” 
 
I don’t know of anyone who really enjoys taking tests. A test tells the teacher if their student has mastered the material. We might assure the teacher that we have mastered the material but the test reveals what we really know and what we still need to learn. In school we can’t advance until we are able to pass the tests. In life we also experience tests. They are, of course, of a spiritual and moral nature. They test our character. They tell us whether or not we have made spiritual progress. Joseph is an example in the Bible of how God tests His people.

Joseph, the son of Jacob, was a man who had two dreams that confirmed the Lord’s will for his life. His dreams revealed that he would rule over his family.  However, once he voiced these dreams to his family, everything seemed to go in the opposite direction.  Have you ever received a promise from God only to find everything going in the opposite direction?  I know I have.  Before you begin to believe that the promises of God are not true or that God really doesn’t care, consider the life of Joseph.  Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was falsely accused of trying to commit adultery with his master’s wife.  As a result, he was thrown into prison.  While in prison he correctly interpreted two dreams—one that Pharaohs’ butler would be released and the other that Pharaoh’s baker would be executed. Both interpretations were proven true. Joseph asked the butler upon his release not to forget him but to secure his release from Pharaoh. Joseph, however, was forgotten again. Two years later Pharaoh had a dream which no one had been able to interpret. The butler then mentioned to him Joseph who came and interpreted Pharaoh’s dream. In addition, Joseph gave Pharaoh a plan to save the people from a severe future drought. Because of this, Joseph was promoted to second in command over the land of Egypt under Pharaoh. Once the drought came, his brothers also came to Egypt seeking food. Just as the dream foretold, his brothers bowed down before him not knowing who he was.  Still feeling the sting of their betrayal, Joseph tested them to see if they had really changed. Once they passed his test, Joseph revealed himself to them.  He and his family were reunited. The dreams which Joseph had in his youth came true but now he was a different man. God matured and proved Joseph’s character through severe tests to prepare him to sit in such a prominent position. Our passage tells us, “Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.” 

I am sure that Joseph through the process experienced times of anxiety, fear, disappointment, doubt, discouragement, questions, anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness, yet he remained true to the Lord and passed every test. He did so even though there was no evidence that passing these tests would even matter.

Does it seem that circumstances are going contrary the word of the Lord you have received or to the promise of God you have claimed?  It may be the word of the Lord is testing you in preparation to receive it. We are after promise fulfilled. God is after character revealed. Don’t be surprised if, like Joseph, the season of testing lasts longer than you imagined. Keep your eyes on Jesus who also, in His time of severe testing, endured great suffering lest we “become weary and discouraged in our souls” (Hebrews 12:3)

When we begin grade school, the promise of a high school or college diploma is years away with many tests still to pass.  But the diploma is sure if we will not quit in mastering the materials.  Determine in your heart today to pass life’s tests when they come.  Don’t judge God to be unfair based on the classes He requires you to take.  Joseph didn’t.  Whatever classes and tests you are given are part of the preparation needed to fulfill your unique role in the kingdom of God. Don’t drop out!  Determine to pass every test that comes your way. God’s promise is ON THE WAY!  “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:35-36) Learn from the life of Joseph.  Don’t quit and don’t drop out. Let the word of God test you until you pass. God is faithful to keep His promises. 

Matthew 16:24 (NKJV) "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.'"

 

The Gospel is a gospel of self-denial rather than a gospel of self-fulfillment. Self-denial is opposed to the modern versions of the self-esteem or self-help gospels being promoted today in books, pulpits, and on radio, television, and internet. The self-help gospel is clearly articulated by Robert Schueller, one of the fathers of the modern self-esteem gospel, in his book written years ago, "Self-Esteem: The New Reformation": "It is precisely at this point that classical theology in its insistence that theology be God-centered and not man-centered...This masterplan of God is designed around the deepest needs of human beings. And what are those needs? Self-dignity, self-respect, self-worth, self-esteem. The pearl of great price is genuine self-respect and self-esteem...If we follow God's plan as faithfully as we can we will feel good about ourselves...God needs you and me to create a society of self-esteeming people."

 

That message "feels" so good! Many people are "feeling saved" by that message. But is their "soul" being saved or something else? Is this a gospel of "self-salvation" rather than "soul-salvation"? The difference is huge. Could it be "another gospel" that Paul warns us about? (2 Corinthians 11:4) Compare the self-esteem message with the message of Jesus: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me." There seems to be a contradiction here. Are we to assume that Jesus did not "get it"? Did He not understand that the "deepest needs of human beings" is "self-dignity, self-respect, self-worth, self-esteem"? Was He too negative? The great delusion of the self-esteem gospel is that good is trapped within the human heart by negative thinking caused by negative influences. The belief is that men are by nature good but are trapped in a cycle of bad behavior because of negative thinking. They will be good if they will think positively about themselves. Is that true? Is there good trapped within the human heart? Consider Jeremiah 17:9 (NKJV) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" Are we to believe that men left to themselves without law, restraint, or consequence will do what is right? Would not anarchy rule instead? Would not men become utterly wicked instead? Consider again the words of Paul: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells." (Romans 7:18 NKJV) Paul says there is "nothing good" in self. Was Paul wrong? Aren't there good people? Jesus said that there is none good except God. (Mark 10:18) Paul said, "There is none righteous, no not one." (Romans 3:23) The Bible teaches that there is nothing good in self. Self has no goodness by which to save itself. If it does, then the Cross was unnecessary. Jesus should not have come to save sinners but rather negative people. The self-esteem gospel is another gospel. It is a gospel that offers redemption of self rather than the soul. It offers salvation without the Cross. The self-esteem gospel fails to see self as the enemy of the human soul. It fails to see the utter corruption and deception of the self life. Self is by nature self-centered, self-promoting, and selfish. It is consumed with self-fulfillment. Self seeks to find a life of its own apart from God. Self counterfeits life as lust counterfeits love. Freedom of the human soul will never be found in the gospel of self-esteem but only through the message of the cross. Wherever self lives and reigns, the soul is lost: "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 16:25 NKJV) Therefore it is no wonder that self hates the message of the cross that confronts and destroys it. It is no wonder that self seeks a gospel that eliminates the cross so it can live and prosper. Through the message of the cross God awakens a desire in the lost human soul to follow Jesus. Self rises to resist that desire. "Self" is like a husk around the seed of the human soul that must broken for new life to begin. Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." (John 12:24 NKJV) The true Gospel is a call for men to deny self to follow Jesus. It is a call to take up the cross and die to self so that the soul might live. It is the only hope of freedom for the lost human soul.

Genesis 18:17–20 (NKJV) "And the LORD said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.' 20 And the LORD said, 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,'" God chose to establish His covenant of redemption and blessing with Abraham because Abraham would be faithful to teach His children the way of the LORD. It is interesting that the context in which God said this is when He was about to judge Sodom and Gomorrah for their openly homosexual practices. When a society begins to openly approve and defend homosexuality including gay marriage, it is evidenced that the society has been given over to a reprobate mind and will not turn back to God (Romans 1:18-32). Outside of people turning to Christ, the only option left to a holy God is cleanse that society of the destructive consequences of its sin through judgment. When I hear that our President made his decision to support gay marriage by sitting around the table with his wife and children and being questioned on why gay couples should be treated differently than traditional marriage couples, he failed to do what Abraham did. He missed the teachable moment. He did not teach them the way of the Lord on this issue. I am not our President's judge. I pray for mercy on him, his family, and on our nation. America is no better than Sodom and Gomorrah at this moment. It has been said that if God doesn't judge America, then He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. Rather than judge our President or other liberal politicians, it is time for us to reflect upon the state of our own heart and what we value most. Our elected officials reflect the values of those who elected them. What does this tell us about us? I believe it tells us that we are a society more interested in another government handout and political correctness than it is in obtaining the blessing of God. We have made Caesar our god and ceased to fear the Lord. Where are God's prophets who will address sin and call America back to God? Where are the godly fathers and mothers who will teach their household the word of God? If our nation is to survive then it will happen when parents begin teaching their families to keep the way of the Lord no matter what our fickle culture is saying at any given moment. I am not anyone's judge. I am among those who will be judged by God. I want to be on God's side of every issue when that day comes. God wiped out Sodom and Gomorrah. He alone will have the final say on the issue of homosexuality, gay marriage, fornication, adultery and every other sin.

In Ezra 9-10 we find an interesting account of the consequences associated with compromise and mixture. The Jews who had returned from Babylonian captivity disobeyed the LORD and intermarried with pagan wives and had children. As an act of repentance, they agreed to put away their pagan wives and the children they had with them. Think about it. Putting away a wife and children must have been very difficult and heart wrenching. They had learned to love things outside of God's will. They had developed intimacy, affection, and interest in things that God were contrary to God's covenant. So it is when we involve ourselves in mixture whether of the flesh or spirit. Our involvement with mixture bears an illegitimate fruit that we love but God hates. We are resistive to put away the "ministry" or "fruit" we have born while involved in mixture. But if we are going to be true to God, God will require us to put away our mixture and the offspring of compromise. Abraham had to do with Ishmael before Isaac could take his place. Ishmael despised and mocked Isaac. So will the children of compromise (the flesh) despise and mock the true seed (the spirit). In this sense, these "children" of the flesh will resist the true covenant work of God. It is a grievous thing to acknowledge our sin and put away false ministries birthed in the flesh, but failing to do so will prevent us from producing righteous seed who can inherit and walk in covenant blessing.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:21–22 (NKJV) "Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."

‎One of the greatest dangers warned about in Scripture is deception. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'll never be deceived!" If that is your sentiment, then friend, you are already deceived! The reality is that deceived people don't know they are deceived. If they did, they wouldn't be deceived! The most dangerous form of deception involves mixture. For instance, at one time a person may prophesy by the Spirit of God (1 Samuel 10:6, 10) and then later the same person can prophesy through a demonic spirit (1 Samuel 18:10). Many mistakenly assume that if a person speaks by the Spirit of God on one occasion then everything else they say must be from God. Remember Peter who spoke by the revelation of God in Matthew 16:16-17 and then as a spokesman of Satan in Matthew 16:22-23.  In regard to mixture, if we do not "test all things", then we will react in one of two ways: blind faith or cynicism. Blind faith focuses on the good and accepts the bad. Cynicism focuses on the bad and rejects the good. Both are wrong responses that will land us in opposite ditches along the pathway of truth. True discernment involves the process of testing by the Word of God. Testing enables us to discern and accept the good while rejecting the evil (Hebrews 5:14). We are living in dangerous spiritual times because people have drifted so far from the Word of God. As a result people have embraced false prophets who introduce doctrines of demons, lying signs, and false experiences. These false prophets first seek to gain credibility and influence among the flock as they "transform themselves into ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:12-15) causing the simple to say, "What these men say is true!". Only then will they unpack their insidious doctrines. They first speak the truth and then bring in error to cover their own sins which they love. The true minister of righteousness will exhibit a lifestyle that agrees with the Word of God and lips that wholly speak what is true without mixture. In order to escape the deception of false prophets, we must be completely loyal to Christ, develop a love for the truth of God's Word, and never give our hearts to men or hold them in admiration. Don't be foolish, ignorant, gullible, or proud. Acknowledge your own vulnerability to deception apart from the razor sharp discernment of the Word of God. Obey the command of Scripture to test all things. Hold fast to what is good and abstain from every form of evil.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 (NKJV) "Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."

I see a sweeping pattern developing in some Charismatic circles today. People are running from meeting to meeting to experience strange manifestations (barking, howling, roaring, slithering, hissing, shrieking, elongated screams, vibrations, spasmatic jerking, violent shaking, rapid head rotation, unusual laughter, drunkenness, swooning, burning, angelic visitations, spirit travel, visualization, etc.). Many Christians are claiming that these strange, weird, and extra-biblical manifestations are evidence of a new move of God. But where are these kinds of manifestations supported in Scripture? Regarding being "drunk in the Spirit" some will use a Scripture like Acts 2:13 where believers were accused of being drunk with new wine. However, this accusation was made by onlookers because believers spoke with new tongues (a valid Biblical experience) and NOT because they were staggering around and acting like drunken men! People fall into such sloppy interpretations when they try to make their experience fit the Word of God. As a result, this invasion of strange manifestations into the church is producing a growing disdain for the truth of Scripture or any attempt at discernment. Even pastors and ministers are not only asleep at the gate but are also opening the gate for these things to enter the sheepfold. Ironically, accusations are launched against faithful shepherds and laymen who dare question these experiences and who attempt to follow the Biblical command to "test the spirits" (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22; 1 John 4:1). They are often accused of having a "religious spirit", of being a "Pharisee", or of being guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. These kinds of accusations make it clear that we are given no option but to just accept these bizarre manifestations by "faith" without any question or testing. But my dear brother and sister, the Bible tells us that the Spirit and the Word will agree (1 John 5:7). If these things are of the Holy Spirit, then why are these experiences not found in the Bible? Why didn't the prophets foretell of them? Some say, "Well didn't similar types of manifestations occur in past revival camp meetings?" Yes they did on the fringes because of human extremes. However, once faithful believers began to test these things by Scripture, they stopped occurring. Unfortunately today few ministers are testing them, thus allowing them to proliferate in the church. If we are honest, I think we would have to admit that these manifestations have more in common with ecstatic pagan and mystical New Age experiences than with the manifestations of the HOLY Spirit described in the New Testament. The services where these manifestations are allowed have no resemblance to the order laid out in 1 Corinthians 12-14 for church meetings. In fact, many of these services are nothing less than a "free-for-all" where anything goes. Some even refer to their meeting as a "Slosh-Fest." Is the Holy Spirit working contrary to the order set forth in His own Word? Unfortunately, we must abandon Scripture and discernment in order to embrace and endorse these highly questionable things. Sadly, I have had to do some soul searching myself. With regret I admit that in times past I have seen and allowed some of these strange manifestations in our own meetings. Granted, I believe God was moving in our midst bringing people to repentance and revival, but strange manifestations polluted the stream. At the time these things were new to me. Because I was unsure, I didn’t want to be quick to judge. I was open to the possibility they could be of God but I had my concerns. I understand now that if I had followed the Scripture and trusted the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, I would not have allowed these extremes to occur. In the midst of that however, God was faithful because I wanted to know the truth and kept seeking the Scripture for discernment. Based upon what I have learned, it seems that these more recent manifestations are directly related to impartation through the laying on of hands. The trail leads back to Rodney Howard Browne meetings in the early to mid-1990's when these manifestations were transferred from one group to another throughout our nation and the world. I am not judging this man's heart, but it does concerns me that these experiences do not generally manifest among churches and Christians where there has been no direct impartation or influence. Why is that? How do we know that this is a pure impartation of the Holy Spirit? Can we imagine Jesus or His disciples experiencing or celebrating these kind of manifestations in their meetings? What did Jesus do when similar manifestations took place in His meetings? Did the New Testament church experience these things? How do we know it is a "new" move of God? Are we suppose to just accept this "new move of God" without testing the message, the spirit involved, or the Jesus being preached? (2 Corinthians 11:4) People are hungry for a move of God. I understand that. So am I. However, we must not allow our hunger for a move of God to make us vulnerable to consume whatever is dished out on our plate. We must be discerning. I do not believe that strange manifestations are indications of a "revival." Neither do I believe that they are indications of a "refreshing" because New Testament refreshing comes after genuine repentance and conversion (Acts 3:19). What we are seeing is a growing emphasis on the "glory." I do not find a Scriptural precedent for seeking the "glory." We are to seek God and that begins with getting right with Him. When people are so determined to get the "glory" that they are bypassing true repentance and conversion and bypassing the truth of Scripture, they are opening themselves up to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. Sadly, they are more likely to experience a counterfeit glory. The Bible warns us that if we lose our love for the truth we will be given over to believe the lie (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). That's very sobering! Don't be gullible. Don't be intimidated. Don't fall in love with strange manifestations. Fall in love with Jesus. Fall in love with His truth. Love the truth enough to test the spirits. If something is not of God, get away from it. Don't be pressured by those who tell you that you are "missing out." Thank God that you are! Be assured that God will give you all of the daily experiences in His presence that you need as long as you love the truth and the God of the truth.

Pastor Keith

Interesting Documentaries on Strange Manifestations:

Shocking Documentary 1 (Andrew Strom): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBpw2oQrvMM&feature=related

Shocking Documentary 2 (Andrew Strom) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCcGaTRwG_4&feature=related

Shocking Documentary 3 (Andrew Strom) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWeUNoR30_0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Kundalini in Action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7Hidj1OGcE&feature=related

David Wilkerson on Weird Manifestations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrpW6Xctg8Q&feature=related

 

Romans 12:17-21 (NKJV) “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.’”

Are you being controlled by your circumstances?  Troubles and adversities are a reality of life. They come to us all. But the Bible tells us that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.   In other words, we are not to be controlled by our circumstances.  Rather we are to be God’s instrument for change.  Jesus declared it this way:  “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Throughout history, man has endured the adverse temperatures of nature.  He sought shade in the summer and built fires in the winter.  Eventually he invented the thermometer as a way of registering his misery.  His only partial escape was to move to cooler or warmer regions. In our modern world of air conditioning, man has developed a way to overcome the limitations and miseries registered by the thermometer.  Through the invention of air conditioning and heating, man can change the temperature of his environment.  The desired temperature is achieved through the use of a thermostat, an apparatus that automatically controls the temperature being produced by the heating or cooling unit. Although it contains a thermometer, it uses that information to bring about change.

We are not simply called to be thermometers.  Some people fall into the trap of continually registering the reality of what things are.  They worry, murmur, complain, and criticize.  They feel that it is their duty to continually remind everyone how miserable everything is.  Although they may have some accurate assessments of how things are at the moment, they can offer no hope for relief and no power for change. Jesus had an accurate assessment of this world’s condition but He came to bring hope and change in the lives of all who would believe.

We are called to be thermostats.  Like thermometers, thermostats can assess current conditions but uses that information to set the course for change.  Thermostats declare a temperature that does not presently exist.  Thermostats are not optimistic dreamers. No, they are connected to the power and resources to bring about that change.  If the thermostat adapts itself to the current temperature, then there will be no change at all. In the same way, we have the power to adapt ourselves to a dead spiritual environment and continue the misery, or we can set the temperature of vision to the standards of God’s word and begin the process of change.  In doing so we will not be victims of circumstance but conquerors in Christ Jesus