Suppose

Suppose you continue to raise up a great nation from this one man. You lead them to ancient Egypt where they are forced to live together for hundreds of years and become a distinct people. They grow to over a million. Yet they soon forget the miracles you did for their forefathers. At the right time you bring them out of Egypt with an incredible display of mighty miracles. In one final demonstration of your power, you show them that it is only by covering their dwelling with the blood of the most innocent of creatures (a lamb) that they can be spared judgment.

You continue to teach them a pattern. You bring deserved judgment on an evil Egyptian nation and kill the first-born child in every household. You separate your people from the influence of an evil world. You bring them through a sea with a wall of water on their right and a wall of water standing on their left to demonstrate that they are being baptised into a new life. Yet, incredibly, they immediately return to their evil ways. They build idols to other gods. They refuse to enter the land which you have provided. They are a stubborn and rebellious people. But you have a plan.

Suppose you allow your chosen people to spend 40 years wandering in the wilderness in order to teach them many lessons. You teach them that they must depend wholly on you for their sustenance and that they must come back to you each day for refilling. You teach them that they will be healed when they look upon a symbol of evil which is raised up on a wooden pole. You teach them that they must put their sins upon something other than themselves because they can never pay for their own sins. You teach them that life-giving water comes from a rock. You begin to teach them that it is only by the shedding of innocent blood that their sins can be forgiven. Each year they must bring an innocent creature - a spotless lamb - and slit its throat in a gruesome, bloody sacrifice. It makes no sense. But you are laying a pattern. Suppose you finally bring them into a special land made just for them. You delayed until the people living in that land had been given every possible opportunity to turn from their wicked ways. Then you win battle after battle for your people. You show them that you are giving this land to them. You drop walls of impregnable cities...You hurtle meteorites from space to destroy enemy armies...You stop the sun in the sky at their request...You drop giants with a single stone...You destroy entire enemy armies at the request of those who love you. Yet your people refuse to obey you. But it’s okay, you have a plan.

Suppose that time and time again you send messengers to tell your people how to behave. Yet they kill the messengers and always drift back into their evil ways. But you love this people. You tell them over and over again that you are going to send a Savior. You tell them where He will be born. You tell them, hundreds of years before it happens, the exact day when He will enter Jerusalem and declare Himself their eternal King. You tell them that He will become their eternal sacrifice so that they can end their pitiful and hopeless pursuit to work their way into your favor. You describe in minute detail over 300 specific details of what you are about to do for them. Their response is to kill the messengers who bring the promises. But you love these people. Through them you will show all people how much you love them. The time for your plan has come.

The time to complete the plan which You conceived before laying the foundation of the universe...the plan started before the first molecule was created and the first electromagnetic wave appeared... the plan laid out before the first animal was made and you breathed life, spirit, and part of yourself into these people whom You love so much...had arrived. You become a man. Permanently, for all eternity, you become human.

Suppose, at just the right time, thousands of years after history began, it was time to demonstrate to humanity what love means. You did not come to earth as an arrogant ruler... but as a humble servant to wash the feet of others. You did not arrive with fanfare and pomp ... but left the glory of heaven to become a baby born in an animal stall. Your prophets had told of this... but this was not what your people expected.

Suppose that you start your ministry to your chosen people by announcing that you are the Lamb who has come to take away the sins of the world. Surely they will understand the implication after 2000 years of teaching. You demonstrate who you are by healing sickness, restoring blindness, and allowing the lame to walk. You cast out demons which have oppressed your beloved people for millenniums. You show that you control creation by calming storms with a word and walking on water. You create wine from water and food to feed thousands. Yet they still follow you with their stomachs and not their hearts. Your prophets had told them these things would happen... but this was not what your people expected.

Suppose you spent three years patiently teaching your people how to live and who you are. You repeatedly teach them that you are the rock upon which they must build their lives. You hate the arrogant lie that Your children can earn their way into your presence. Your character is justice and justice requires payment for sin. Yet no man can pay the price. Throughout history Satan has deceived your children into believing that religion can save them. You expose the lies and hypocrisy of salvation by religious acts. You hate religion. Your harshest words are for these religious leaders. They are the ones who should know you best...but you are not whom they expected.

Suppose that the climax, which has been building since man first sinned, arrives. You pray for some other way to save mankind from his sin and restore fellowship with the Father. But there is no other way. You allow yourself to be taken. You make no defense in mock trial after mock trial because whom you represent (mankind) is guilty and deserves judgment. You allow Satan to pour his fury out upon you. You are beaten so severely that you hardly look human. You are whipped so severely that your back resembles raw hamburger. Your beard is ripped out, thorns are thrust onto your head, you are slapped, cursed, and spit upon. Nails are driven through your feet and wrists and you are left hanging on a pole to die. You could destroy the entire universe with a word, but you chose instead...to suffer. You become that symbol of sin lifted on a pole which will heal your people. But this is not what they expected.

But suppose this is not the worst. For the first time in eternity, you are separated from the Father. You actually become sin and the part of yourself left in heaven, the Father, pours out his wrath upon you. You pay the price for every sin ever committed by every person in the past, present, and future. The anguish is incomprehensible. Your innocent blood is shed for the sins of humanity. You are the innocent lamb sacrificed for others. You die for them. It is not what they expected ... they do not understand.

Suppose that three days later you rise from the dead to show that...at long last, they can have victory over death. Death has lost its sting. You have shown that there is nothing they can do to bridge the chasm between themselves and their Maker...you have done it all. But it is not free. They must love you more than their wickedness. You have shown them that there is no other way. There is no religious system, or set of rules which will allow them to earn their way to heaven. They have been trying to do this since they first sinned. They have been trying to cover their sins with fig leaves from the very start. You showed them that innocent blood...your blood would be required. But is was not what they expected.

The plan was finally complete. The path back to you is open to all who are willing to accept it. You have done everything you could possibly do to restore fellowship between sinful man and yourself. You have satisfied the perfect justice required of your nature. You took the penalty which they deserved. You have shown absolute mercy by providing a bridge over the chasm between sinful man and a perfect God. You have made it so simple that anyone can understand it. You have done it all. But it was not what they expected.

Suppose that this is history. It is Christianity. It is reality.

Will you accept His love?

Evolution: Approaching the Subject

Evolution: Approaching the Subject

Any of you that have teen age children will probably have a difficult time approaching the subject with them because they have already been thoroughly indoctrinated in the subject. You may feel extremely nervous about it because you may feel as if you do not know enough about the subject or about creation for that matter. You may be nervous about having proof for creation versus evolution, especially if you watch the Learning Channel you will see their supposed factual evidence supporting evolution and you can believe that your children have had this information provided to them from an early age. So how do you discuss it? First off if you haven’t been on your knees before God, surrendering your life to Him, I would not even attempt to discuss it with them because as I stated before if they do not see the obedience in you they are not going to believe what the Bible has to say, but if you have surrendered and committed your life to Him the next step is being familiar with the creation story in Genesis. If you have a study Bible use the reference verses to look up other verses that may have relevance. You can also go to Ken Hamm’s “Answers in Genesis” web site to help you in this area.

Whenever I speak to anyone concerning evolution they are always bringing up proof that supports evolution and that if the earth was as young as the Bible claims then there would be sufficient evidence to support it. The problem is not the evidence because the very evidence that they have to prove their point is the very evidence that we have to support creation the difference is the way the evidence is viewed. The important thing is to never lose your cool when discussing it when they can’t seem to see it your way. This is extremely important when it is your child because you are trying to reveal Christ through you. Remember that we are told that the world cannot discern the scriptures because they are spiritually discerned, so do not start by quoting a bunch of scripture. Now if you have younger children reading the creation story is a good way to start teaching them creation.

Much of science is best guess when it comes to determining the answer, while you run test you will always have a percentage of inaccuracy within the test to obtain the desired result so the way that the test is conducted depends upon the result that is desired. If all of my conclusions are based upon the fact that the earth is billions of years old then I know that the different strata layers depict age so if I have retrieved a fossil from the layer that I have already determined to be millions of years ago and I have run a test that shows it to be only a few thousand years old then I am going to add a percentage of inaccuracy to accomplish my desired age of several million years. Now on the creation side because I know from God’s word that the Bible is true then I do not have to add those percentages because the result is accurate. You see the evidence is proof yet it is the presupposed result that generates the difference.

Evolutionists believe in natural selection—that is real science, as you observe it happening. Well, creationists also believe in natural selection. Evolutionists accept the science of genetics—well, so do creationists.

‘However, here is the difference: Evolutionists believe that, over millions of years, one kind of animal has changed into a totally different kind. However, creationists, based on the Bible’s account of origins, believe that God created separate kinds of animals and plants to reproduce their own kind—therefore one kind will not turn into a totally different kind.

‘Now this can be tested in the present. The scientific observations support the creationist interpretation that the changes we see are not creating new information. The changes are all within the originally created pool of information of that kind; sorting, shuffling or degrading it. The creationist account of history, based on the Bible, provides the correct basis to interpret the evidence of the present—and real science confirms the interpretation.’

My point is that if we Christians really understood that all evidence is actually interpreted on the basis of certain presuppositions, then we wouldn’t be in the least bit intimidated by the evolutionists’ supposed ‘evidence.’ We should instead be looking at the evolutionist’s (or old-earther’s) interpretation of the evidence, and how the same evidence could be interpreted within a biblical framework and be confirmed by testable and repeatable science.

In my discussions I attempt to get them to let go of those biased opinions in order to see the results as they are. No matter how much evidence I was to provide for them, they will never see it from the Bible’s viewpoint therefore I must allow God to work in order to break down those presuppositions. When they realize that their logic does not make sense then they will change direction of the conversation to prove their point in another area and even go as far as denying their own theory when discussing morality. In my discussion with the atheist when he had no where else to go he then brought up the legitimacy of the existence of Christ and when that didn’t work he proceeded to call me a liar. He then changed direction and stated that even if there was proof of Christ and His miracles there was no proof that He was the Son of God.

As you look at the many changes in direction it is only to get you first of all angry so that you might say something that you shouldn’t say therefore they have you because if Christ was really the Son of God and you believed in Him the way the Bible says that you should then you wouldn’t say the things that you say, which enforces their theory of evolution with reverting to the animal tendencies. The other reason this is done is to get you to throw out one of the debunked evidences of creation such as the moon dust. You can find these on the Answers in Genesis website. The reason I say they are debunked is because again they utilize the presupposed results, in other words I can run the same test and come up with an answer that would also support evolution in the result. Again if you fall into the trap you will be ridiculed and any progress you had made up until that point will be lost and you will have to start all over again.

The one thing I love is to get them to begin thinking beyond the limits of their teachings, when they have to reach outside of the box in order to provide an answer it is like watching the light bulb go off in their head. The same thing can be realized in a text message because the order of their words reveals the thoughts going into what they are writing. In dealing with your teen it can be the same experience. The best way to discuss evolution with them is in nature itself because when they see the remarkable creation before their very eyes it is hard to deny. Of course the alone time with them is very important for the discussion because it shows them that they are important to you. The other thing that you have to realize is that by forgoing what they have been indoctrinated with at school they are going to be giving up a lot preconceived rights. They will have to begin being responsible for their own actions, which you will have to enforce. The purpose is to draw them to Christ not just remove evolution from their thinking. Again Christ does the work not you; your job is to be obedient to Him. Once we see them begin to understand it then makes it easier to show them the gospel because until this point it is important to remember that to them God has no power and Jesus was just a good man and not the Son of God. They do not see their sins as exceedingly wicked nor do they see their need for a Savior but hopefully with the aid of the Holy Spirit you can plant the seed that God uses to draw them to Him.

Uncovering Hidden Effects of Evolution

Uncovering Hidden Effects of Evolution

As we continue I want to look at one of the effects of Evolution; since evolution in essence denies God or His power it opens up the thinking that we are inherently able to determine for ourselves what is basically good or evil and since these differ from one person to the next just as they do within nature then we are unable to negate another persons beliefs thus the introduction of tolerance. In being tolerant one must accept another’s beliefs regardless of the harm it may to do that person or others around them. It is also indoctrinating others beliefs into your own to create a belief system that will; in their thinking; enhance you as a person. The question then becomes how does one generate this thinking into the general public and especially into the bible believing community? With the general public it was easy because with the teaching of evolution it was obvious that by eliminating a supernatural power, (God) you could essentially establish your own moralistic community in which everyone could do what was right in their own eyes and because man has evolved from animals any behavior that was deemed against the moral laws of the government could be blamed on the influence of their surroundings; and if that is the case, we can then soften those laws through the court system. This concept worked excellently for them and they were soon able to either forego sentences with probation or the transgressor was able to receive psychological evaluations which ultimately proved their case because in most cases the patient recalled suppressed memories. Whether these memories were true or false did not matter because they provided the ammunition that was needed to wage war on those who did not readily accept their new belief system.

This new battle needed even more ammunition then what they had expected so in order to wage a good battle they had to strike at the core of their belief system, which was God. Since they already had evolution as a way to show how the earth could be created without God the next step is to remove God from the school system. When they accomplished that it was easy for them to promote their new belief system and many of the students eagerly accepted it because it diminished the power of the parents. They suddenly had rights that they never imagined and because sin is exciting they eagerly ran head first to these new found rights and while they had found some success it still was not enough. There had to be a way to gain a greater foothold. They needed to be able to establish laws that would protect their new belief system and without a greater foothold that would be impossible to do. They had to soften the views of the holdouts and the only way to do that was through media. What people watch on television and how they spent leisure time greatly affected their thinking, so if they could create media that would seem innocent enough in context they could eventually cause them to drop their guard; therefore allowing them to ultimately change their thought process and during that transformation they could install their new laws.

However; how can you change a person’s viewpoint on something that has long been seen as wrong or dabbling with evil? The answer is you change the perception by making it seem unbelievable or by changing the behaviors of the person performing the act by making them inherently good in deed even though their act is against someone’s beliefs. Hence you have now accomplished a difference in their view of the act. For example if someone has had a hard life and nothing ever seems to go right for them. They are a loving father or mother but they lose their jobs and begin stealing to provide food for their families and then they begin providing for their friends and before long you find yourself cheering for them and when they finally get caught you secretly hope they get let off. Now all along they had a neighbor who tried to help them by providing a job but he wanted them to clean up a little bit. The position required them to have contact with people who would view the way she dressed as inappropriate or the smell of alcohol on their breathe as unacceptable yet we find ourselves pointing our finger at the neighbor for requiring such things.

Let’s take a look at another situation. You have a young boy who is rather plain. He doesn’t fit in with many people and is kind of a misfit. Unbeknown to him he has magical powers that are revealed to him by a friend of his parents who happens to be a wizard and he is invited to a school especially for kids like him but even there he is outcast by the more popular students so he develops these powers and while he never outright attacks his tormentor he does spells to make him look stupid. The premises is that there is good magic and bad magic and one shouldn’t judge the act but the person who is performing the act regardless of where their powers came from. Of course this opens a huge problem because it encourages those who are not readily accepted by peers to seek out a way to obtain these powers and parents unwittingly allow them to not only watch these shows but read the books. The reality is that these powers do exist and they do not come from God but that is a topic for another time the purpose of this is to open your eyes as to how we allow our hearts and minds to be changed from what God tells us in His word to be true.

As you allow them to change your thinking you ultimately become more desensitized to the things of the world and you then begin to accept more and more of their ideology. As this happens you start walking further and further away from God until you no longer believe that He really requires a daily relationship with you and is happy with you living the way you are living as long as you mention Him now and then in a quick prayer or go to church on special occasions; after all He created nature for us to enjoy so what is wrong with worshiping Him at the beach on Sunday instead of church?

As I come to a close here you may be wondering how this applies to evolution? I want you to stop and think about that for a moment. Send me your thoughts on how it either applies or does not apply and I will attempt to answer all of them. Let me assure you of this one thing. Everything mentioned here does stem from the belief in evolution and the question is; how does it affect you.

Introduction to Destruction

This is a repost of my posting on Radically Persuasive.

As I have read the post here I have not only had my heart broken but I have also became quite angry at the insensitivity of others reading these post. I see the same response from many in congregations across America today. Could it be that we have desensitized ourselves to the things of God that when we read these things or hear the preaching of the word of God that we sit back and tell ourselves that it really doesn't concern us. It is like we think that we are okay and we don't have to worry about these things because we go to church every Sunday and we live in a nice subdivision. These things don't happen to people in our class; they only happen to those who are living in projects or to those who don't go to church. Let me assure you that the influence that is being reported here will affect you and your children much quicker than any one else and here is the reason. We have walked away from God, telling him that, He is fine for Sunday but as for the rest of the week, they belong to us. When scripture told us that we rob God in tithes and offerings it was not merely talking about the money we give but also the time that we need to spend with Him through out the rest of the week. When our children do not see God in us the rest of the week, they are being taught by us that He is not really all that important. We are saying that it is good to have a belief in something because it makes you a good person and this is where the worlds teaching comes in and takes over the job that we are supposed to have.

Look back at the Old Testament at the children of Israel. When they did not live for God their children chased after other gods; they took wives from the world and did what was right in their own eyes. When we allowed evolution to be taught in the schools as fact and not theory it was easy for them to grab the church kids who came from good homes. They were easy to manipulate because they did not see God in their home every day of the week. They did not see Him being important enough for their parents to have a daily relationship with Him and therefore it was easy for them to accept the concept that they were simply following a tradition instead of the living TRUE God.

Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

The bible was not talking about insuring that your kids get a good education and make lots of money. It is speaking of raising them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. As a horse trainer I know that in order for me to properly train a horse it has to be done on a continual basis. it has to be a daily exercise in order to get the desired results. All of the athletes in the Olympics today will attest to this very same concept and yet we as Christians refuse to practice these things with our children. If they graduate from the best college and are making lots of money it does not mean a thing if they are living in habitual sin because the moment they die they are going to be standing before God and are going to have to give an account for their lives and who are they going to point the finger at. You see if you are telling them that they can't listen to Marilyn Manson because his music is bad yet every time you get into the car together you have Styx or Queen playing on the radio are you really sending him the proper message or if you have Faith Hill or Montgomery Gentry blaring on your radio; it is not sending him the proper message because to them you are just not being tolerant of their music just as your parents were not tolerant of the music you listened to at home. You see the daily training is not there.

Now does this mean that the child raised in a home where God is first and foremost won't rebel? No, it doesn't but there will be a less likely chance that they will. If they see the presence of God daily in your life they are less likely to fall into the teachings of the world. The failure of doing this is what evolution thrives on because it offers an explanation that makes sense to them when they do not see God working in your live daily. Let me attempt to make this a little simpler for you. If God is not powerful enough to keep you from listening to secular music then He must not be powerful enough to speak the world into existence therefore He must have used evolution to create the world or He simply does not exist and since He does not exist then there is no judgment for sin and I can live as I want and do what makes me happy regardless, because without judgment there is no condemnation so why should I go to church where there are rules set up by man. I hope that you can see the reasoning here. It is simply an attempt to justify ones actions and behaviors by eliminating God who to them is not worthy of their attention since He is not worthy of your devotion.

If this is getting you angry I hope that you realize it is the Holy Spirit working and not me for my intention is not to glorify myself but God. These are not my words but the words I have felt led to write based upon the scriptures. I have a series that I have put together involving evolution and how it is destroying our homes but more devastating than evolution is our continuance to refuse to surrender our lives to our Savior. The purpose behind the series is to show us how our disobedience is allowing the theory to shut out the truth.

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

My prayer is this, that you will allow God to speak to you through this and that it would cause you to draw closer to Him.
Stephen (Hisway)

Evolution: Opening the Door to Disaster

Evolution: Opening the Door to Disaster

In the theory of cause and effect, there must always be a cause which is greater than the effect. It is this theory that replicates the damage that evolution has had on not only us but on our children’s views of God and why they insist on denying Him in their lives. As we sat back years ago and allowed them to remove any evidence of creation from the classrooms of our schools. As they sit back and scream separation of church and state they continually inundate our children with their own religion, which consist of no God. Stop and think about it for a moment because it is not Catholicism that is being targeted nor is it Buddhism, Islamic, or any other religion that will in fact back up their thinking it is the fundamental Bible believing faiths that are being targeted. On the PBS website they posted intelligent design verses evolution site that teachers and students could go to and read or watch video concerning this trial. The entire purpose was to promote evolution and discredit creation. Much of their panel of experts’ discourse regarding creation was to dismantle fundamental Christians in their thinking after all if all the other religions could accept evolution then why could they not? In the discussion of evidence any evidence that does not support their hypothesis is immediately discredited as being narrow minded and unscientific regardless of the credentials of the person who found the evidence. While claiming to be free thinking they eliminate any possibility of it by pointing out that their evidence is the only acceptable evidence and because it is posed as fact it is therefore indisputable even if their own evidence disproves their hypothesis; meaning that even if their evidence is disproved by their findings the end result is that they are still correct however when their evidence proves creation then the result was inconsistent with their own hypothesis and therefore it must be suppressed.

While they cry out that we are intolerant they breed intolerance with their refusal to accept absolute truth, which is the whole purpose behind evolution because if we have evolved from lower species then we are not inherently responsible for our actions. It is the cause which generates the effect of a lawless society for in the animal world it is acceptable to kill a weaker species so that the stronger can survive. When a runt is born to a litter in most of the animal kingdom the parent refuses to care for it thus insuring it’s untimely death and ultimately assuring the survival of the rest of the litter, thus the purpose behind abortion and the promotion of euthanasia. When we can convince our children that evolution is a fact and the cause behind our existence then the effect is that our very existence is unimportant as long as the strong survive therefore if we can create a stronger race of people by riding the world of the diseased and unwanted then we can insure a stronger race of people who can defeat disease and become more intellectual; of course their nemesis is the Christian faith because while they promote no absolutes (an oxymoron in itself) we prove that there are absolutes. The simple fact that where there is a beginning there must be an end proves the fact of absolute and if that is true then the truth must be absolute, which stands to reason if evolution is a fact there must be absolute proof of it in the fossil records. It means that fossils during their evolutionary process had to die and since we have so many complete fossils then why is it that there are none that show this process? Surely during this process many had to die due to survival of the species and yet we have no evidence to support it. In considering this thought we must also be able to prove the fact of creation, however any evidence that leads to creation is ultimately denied by the closed mindedness of those examining the evidence. When nature exemplifies the very essence of it’s creator it is denied as being just one of those things that happen as if there is no order within the realm of the universe and yet the fact that the universe has order disproves the hypothesis of the ones denying it.

When reviewing the evidence for or against something one has to allow for the law of percentages which tells us that there is a percentage of inaccuracy within the test which stands to reason that if evolution is 99% accurate there is still that 1% chance that it is wrong and considering the size of our universe alone that is a huge percentage of inaccuracy however consider the fact that in that 1% there is proof that God created the heavens and the earth and you chose to not believe in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ then you stand to lose everything. The truth is that there is more evidence in support of creation than evolution so the percentages are reversed but because you have convinced yourselves that the opposite is true you therefore suppress any evidence that does not support your hypothesis because by allowing yourself to consider that there is a possibility that you are wrong then you would also have to admit that the bible is true and if the bible is true then there is judgment to come hence cause and effect; the cause; denying the existence of God, thus sinning against Him, hence the effect; judgment and eternal separation from God. While it may appear that the effect is greater than the cause the truth is that it is a greater charge to deny the One responsible for your very existence, because the effect is the just punishment of the denial.

How does this affect our children? Consider this; by approving of the teaching of evolution, we are telling them that it is acceptable to also believe all the aspects involved therein. For example if I accept evolution as truth and I am playing a video game that involves car thefts or murder how does that affect my views on those subjects? It lessens my moralistic view on these because if they are acceptable in nature then they must be acceptable for us as well. Therefore if they are acceptable for us, anyone who opposes these viewpoints must ultimately be eliminated to allow these basic tendencies to be fully practiced and appreciated. Is it really any wonder that many of the cartoons and television shows promote such things? The reason being that if they can instill these beliefs at a younger age they can then manipulate their thinking process when they are older; it becomes easier to convince them that their viewpoints are true and factual, after all mom and dad sat back allowing these things to be integrated into their minds without saying a word therefore they must have been uneducated in those regards. Can you see the circular reasoning in this? Put yourself into the mind of a ten year old who has played video games involving all of these violent acts or cultic themes as well as having the theory of evolution passed onto them as truth include the thought that if there is no God than there are no absolutes; now add the fact that we as parents allow them to endure all these things without saying a word, sure we go to church but that is the only time that God is even brought up unless your using His name in vain at home, place into the equation the type of music that you and they are listening to and what it promotes and then tell me in what direction do you really believe they will go? Before you tell me these things have no affect on people let me remind you that twenty years ago you didn’t dare mention that you were in prison, now it is a badge of honor, proudly proclaimed everywhere. I could go further but I will not because I believe you get my point, if not send me a message and I will tell you.

The truth is this, the evidence exists for both creation and God it is our denial of the evidence that creates disbelief of both. It is closed mindedness that disallows us to consider the evidence as truth.

Can We Have Victory?

This is an exert from my new book entitled "Satan is Alive and Well; and Living in the Church.

I know that I have been quite harsh up to this point but please know that it is done out of love for each and every one of you. My heart has been broken over our condition. It can be easily seen how the apostles felt when they saw the churches fall away from their teaching, knowing that what they taught was from the Saviors mouth. If I feel the way I do, I can imagine the sorrow that our Father must feel. He gave us a glimpse of the joy He feels when we return to Him in the parable of the prodigal son. In the parable we see the one necessary ingredient to be reunited with the father. It is the same thing that God expects from us and the lack of it is what keeps us from having victory in our churches. The lack of it is what caused Satan’s fall from heaven and is what has continually plagued man ever since; for without it we esteem ourselves better than others. It was the very essence of Christ’s ministry while here on earth and the center of His teaching and while the apostles struggled with it during His ministry they exemplified it after His resurrection. Take a look with me at 2 Chronicles 7:14-16;

If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Now Mine eyes shall be open, and Mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there for ever: and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually.

We have several request made here by God as well as promises to us for obedience to Him.

While this was spoken to Solomon in the Old Testament there are many promises held in here for us as well today. As we go through these verses we will see how it relates to us. We will also go to the New Testament where we will find the same command given to the New Testament church. As we begin here we notice that He starts of with the word “My”; we are His. As a child of God we have been bought and paid for by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our value is above our own comprehension and just as we may have a possession that we value highly, so we are to our heavenly Father. This not only applies to those who are saved now but to all those who will put their trust in Christ for we are told that He is willing that none should perish but that all should come to righteousness. We are not only His valued property but we are His precious property because we are called by His name. His name is highly exalted above every name and we know this because we are told that by the Name of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. There will be no one left out on this. There is no one more exalted than He for He is the beginning and the end. How wonderful it is to know that we are called by such a name; to be counted worthy of such a heritage that we have a Father who is worthy of such praise and just as we are concerned for our earthly name we should be far more concerned about our heavenly Father’s name.

We are then told that if we would humble ourselves and this is where the problem lies. We have no problem with praying or seeking His face but we do have a problem with being humble. It goes against our very nature because it has been instilled in us to be proud. Our parents are quick to point out that certain people are beneath us and not worthy of our time. The world glorifies those who have athletic abilities or who have great intelligence and we fall right into the trap. Notice that God required all three of these to hear our prayers. He required first that we were humble ourselves; next we were to pray and then we were to seek His face. All three of these are necessary to be able to have communion with Him, yet there is a fourth requirement that will keep Him from hearing us and that is that we are to turn from our wicked ways. This is how Satan has been able to control the church for so long; he has convinced us that it is enough to just be in the house of the Lord.

If that was all God wanted from us He wouldn’t have said these very things. He says these things because He knows Satan’s tricks. He knows that he will attempt to lead us astray with pride, with a lack of communication with the Father, and with little sins that keep us sidetracked and end up as Satan’s ammunition to disqualify us from service to God. Yet God promises us that if we follow His request that He will heal our land; He will heal the problems in our homes and families. He tells us that His eyes and ears are open to these prayers. He knows our hearts so we cannot fool Him even though we may fool our pastor or our spouses.

In the next verse He mentions the temple and the promise we have from Christ is that our bodies are now His temple therefore the prayers we have when we go before Him with a broken and contrite heart we know that we will have His eyes and ears. Look at verse 16 again.

For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there for ever: and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually.

We have a glorious promise here and even more of a reason to submit ourselves to Christ. We have this promise again in John chapter 15 verse 16; where we are told that we are chosen by Christ and in 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul reminds us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit; it is by these that we hold to the promise of this verse and if this be the truth than how can we continue in our own selfish desires if we are truly His children?

With this now being the question; how can we then gain victory over Satan in the church? Not everyone is going to see things this way because many of us have been blinded by our own delusions. Since we have given into the wiles of the devil and God has given us over to our lust, how can we gain victory? Look now at James chapter 4.

Jas 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Jas 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

If your heart is not right with God there will be no way that you will understand these verses, even though I will attempt with God’s directing to explain them; so if you have read this far and do not understand what is being stated please stop reading and seek God in prayer for understanding.

The war that James is speaking of here is the spiritual battle going on within us and the body of Christ. When we are at battle it not only affects us but the entire body of Christ for when we lose in an area of our life that area becomes a source of irritation with others, when we give into greed than all those who have become a source of irritation because they have what we don’t. The same is true when we give into pride and allow it to control us; we butt heads with those who are in leadership positions because we feel as if we know better than they do. This is not the same as one who takes a stand on beliefs that are supported in scripture. The way to tell the difference is that it is not them or their organization, but God who stands to be glorified. Notice that what we ask for is affected by the giving into Satan because we ask for things that are for ourselves and not for glorifying God.

The next thing we see is that our relationships are affected. James uses the term adulterer and adulteress here. He is not referring to sexual sins but unholy unions between us and the world. It is the cultivation of these relationships that continue to draw us away from God. The purpose of these relationships was not to draw them to God but to further our own goals and desires. As we look further we are going to see the plan that God has for victory in our lives and our churches.

Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Jas 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

There it is in black and white; submit yourselves therefore to God. There can be no victory without submission to God. The next step is just as simple; Resist the devil. And he will flee from you. This does not mean only lip action; it means a conscious decision to resist him. I can’t have victory over alcohol if I am continually in a bar nor can I have victory over Satan if I am continually putting myself into his care.

In verse 8 we are told to draw nigh to God; this can only be done by being in His word continually. Victory comes with a price tag attached to it and that price is sacrifice. It is sacrifice of your time and desires to Him. James tells us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts because from the heart comes that which defiles a man. You cannot love the things of God and the things of the world for you love one and hate the other. The world will always come before God when this is your thinking. Notice how James finishes this up in verse 10; humble your self before God.

Beloved; if we are going to defeat Satan we are going to have to get on our knees; we are going to have to humble ourselves before God with a broken and contrite heart. We are going to have to put away the things of the world and start seeking His face. We need change our thinking from them to Him and remember that He sees everything; there is nothing hidden from Him. We are His chosen people who are called by HIS name and frankly I am embarrassed about the way I have blasphemed His name in the past. I am heart broken over our dragging His name through the mud in our communities and in the work place. It is time people; it is time we throw Satan out and reclaim the power that God has given us. It is time that;

… My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

The Two Aspects Of Giving

To Give or Not To Give

As I begin this I must admit that I am doing it with an angry heart. I am not angry with people but with the attitude, actions and behaviors that are being displayed. They are prevalent in the church and it is destroying the testimony of Christ. These actions are in direct disobedience to God and the failure to correct these is one of the reasons that the church is failing to impact our neighborhoods.

I will let you know that many of you will dispel what I am going to write. Many pastors will deny it as will the deacons and many whom I hold in high regard because it is against our very nature to do what I am going to show you from God’s word that we are required to do. It has always been a sore spot for Christians because it hits them in the one place that many refuse to turn over to God, yet if we were to be obedient in this area then the blessings of God would flow upon us like a river. As we go through this I am going to break it up into two different studies because of the length of what God has laid on my heart. The entire subject encompasses the burden that has been laid upon my heart and the direction in which I feel God is leading me in regards to Vine Ministry. It is the basis of the ministry and I feel it should be the basis of every believer within the body of Christ.

The subject that we will discuss is that of giving. I believe that giving has two aspects that cannot be separated even though they are different. Neither has any power without the other. They are coexistent and are evident in each other. You cannot give one without the other because apart from each other they don’t make sense because they have no depth. They epitomize the very essence of the greatest command and obedience to them is obedience to the two commandments that Christ said was the essence of the law, which is to love God with soul, spirit and body; and to love your neighbor as yourself, because of this they are the very foundation of love. If this has gotten your attention I pray that you will allow the Holy Spirit to reveal these truths to you. I ask that you remove any preconceived notions that may exist so that He may be able to work within your heart. Please take note that I am not asking for money nor am I asking you to quit giving to the church or other ministries that you support, while these are important they are not to be where giving ends nor should they be the only place that we give. They are however, a good place to start.

Let’s get started.

The First Aspect

Physical

The first aspect of giving is physical, however it runs in conjunction with the second as it requires the second aspect to reinforce it. As I stated previously these two must run together as alone they do not have the power. We know the first aspect to be physical because we have it confirmed in scripture. John 3:16 states; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” In my notes I had the first aspect as being spiritual, yet as I was writing I felt God laying it on my heart to change it to physical. I had this same verse in my notes and as I was transferring them here He showed me how His gift to us was physical first in that He gave us Jesus in the form of man. God, Himself became physical in order to provide us with the second aspect of giving. Because I had not finished this entire study in my notes much of what I will write now will be as the Holy Spirit leads me. With that being said let’s attempt to continue.

As I now change directions here I am reminded of creation. When God created the world and then man he provided man with the basic necessities needed to survive. He already had communion with man because before sin, man was in a perfect state. The need for the second aspect of giving did not come until after mans fall and expulsion from the Garden of Eden. After their expulsion God still gave but it required toil on mans part to meet their needs however because His second gift had not yet come they only had a promise by which to look forward too. When the law arrived its purpose was to show man their condition before God and how they could never stand up to the expectations required to obtain His favor on their own. They needed the second gift. They needed the promise to come and the promise to come behooved them to share the promise with others. It required them to share the current gift in order to reveal the one to come.

Let me see if I can put into words what is running through my heart at this moment. If all I had were promises of things to come and yet had no evidence that it would how could I hold onto that promise. Look at the children of Israel as they were being led by Moses to the Promised Land. While many had great wealth many more did not. God provided for their daily needs as they made their journey and while they were heading to a land flowing with milk and honey many would still be without, because of one reason or another they would not be able to provide for themselves and would soon loose hope in the promise to come. By others meeting their physical needs they were able to continue in hope of the promise to come.

Let’s take a look at Deuteronomy 15:7-11.

7) If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brethren.

8) but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs

The attitude of the Israelites (and us) towards the poor in their community was to be one of warmth and generosity. The poor were given whatever was necessary to meet their needs; even with the realization that such “loans” would never be repaid.

9) Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying the seventh year, the year of release is at hand, and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing and he cry out to the Lord against you and it become sin among you.

10) You shall surely give to him and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.

11) For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘you shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’

Realistically the disobedience to the Lord on Israel’s, (and our) part meant that there would always be poor people in the land. Jesus repeated this fact in Matthew 26:11, which alludes to the fact that we are to still abide by this command from the Father. In fact He reiterates it in Matthew 5:42 “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. Now before you go quoting 2 Thessalonians 3:10 lets remember that the lost have not yet received the spiritual aspect of giving. Also Paul is adding the fact in verse 11 that there were many who went around as busy bodies. In other words they were busy getting into other peoples business instead of working. This also eliminates those who are working in the ministry to further the kingdom of God. The church at Thessalonica was not a wealthy church, which is why Paul stated he did not want to be a burden to them. If you take a look in the book of Philippians, he thanks them for meeting his needs while in Thessalonica because in doing so their fruit abounded. It is up to us to be obedient in giving and up to God to judge what is being done with the gift.

It is because of our disobedience to God that our country is in the condition that it is in, regarding the poor. We allowed our government to create a welfare system because it relieved our guilt for not caring for the poor. Pastors preached on tithes and we felt that if we gave to the church then we wouldn’t need to give to others. We then encouraged the church to use the money for other things rather than meeting the needs of the poor because we have welfare and after all if they really wanted to work they could get off of welfare, yet the businesses we run refuse to pay enough to even meet their needs because once they start working they lose all aid and now they can’t afford to pay their rent, put food on the table or provide health insurance for their kids. If you’re wondering how our giving to them helps in any of this then I will tell you. It involves the second aspect of giving, which is the spiritual, but it is generated by the physical aspect.

When we meet the physical needs of the poor by helping them once they have a job then we reveal what the world does not and that is the fact that there is a hope of something more. Through our obedience to Christ we reveal His love towards them in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Does this mean that every time we give it will turn out for the good? No, it doesn’t but that is for God to judge not for us; nor does it need to dissuade us from continuing to give to meet the physical needs of those in our community. Our ability to lift them up shows that God is in control and not the world. If they are working a low paying job then we help them obtain a better education that will increase their earning so as not to rely on others. We do this by sacrificing our time to watch their children or by helping cover their childcare cost, which I am against to a certain degree because it separates the parent and the child too long. I would rather see the parent in school than working and going to school both because their children need them.

I know that it seems as if I am excluding the spiritual aspect of giving but I assure you that I am not. In fact I am expounding the spiritual aspect because without the physical what need is there for the spiritual. If all I do is come tell you that Jesus loves you and fail to meet your needs then what help is to you? To you I offer nothing but illusions yet by aiding the physical and then adding that Jesus loves you; now you see that there is something different. You realize that there is a promise to come because the world wouldn’t care about your eternal soul. You have experienced the love that God has for you through the physical and now you are willing to experience it from the spiritual.

I realize that this has been quite long. I only pray that you have allowed God to speak to you through it and that you would look for the second aspect which is the spiritual aspect of giving. I hope to have it finished soon. May God richly bless you in your walk with Him.

The Second Aspect of Giving

Spiritual

As I come to this section I pray that God has also revealed these truths to you and that the Holy Spirit is working within you concerning them. I also pray that God has shown you the importance of the physical aspect of giving and how it expounds the spiritual. As we continue we are going to look one more time at John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” The spiritual provides the hope of the promise to come. Just as in the Old Testament they looked forward to the coming of the Messiah so we look forward to eternal life, yet it took Christ coming in the form of man to be able to provide this. The spiritual aspect is Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17; Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creature, old things pass away; behold all things become new. This is the second part of the second aspect; the first part being Jesus Christ and the second being a new creature, which creates in us new desires. The reason it creates new desires is that it feeds off the example of Christ.

What was the example of Christ? He displayed the love of the Father in actions unlike anything ever seen before. Unlike the religious leader of the time, He gave without drawing attention to Himself, although the news spread quickly, He gave with no expectations of reward, yet the Father still glorified Himself through Him. He gave without expecting thanks and yet one leper returned to give Him thanks. He gave because through His example many would come to Him and understand what love was. He gave even though He would be beaten, denied, spit upon, blasphemed, and ridiculed. He gave because by one mans disobedience many became sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. It is obedience to the first aspect that the second relies upon because without it, it doesn’t work. This does not endorse salvation by works, but what it does promote is evidence of your salvation through the work being done in us, through the gift of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we give to the physical needs of someone we are showing the Lord Jesus Christ. If done with a pure heart it is then blessed by God and allows us to share Christ with them. The reason this works is because it is something done for them without having strings attached. It reveals the true love of Christ and draws them to His character and not ours. It will allow them to see past mistakes that we might make because they are not looking at us but what pushes us to meet their needs in such a way and when it’s done regardless of the outcome, God works. All too often we do things expecting a certain response or action from the one we are helping and when it doesn’t turn out the way WE think it should we let everyone know how ungrateful the people were and then wonder why they won’t come to church. Remember what we were told in Deuteronomy 15: 9 Beware lest there be an evil thought in your heart. This is what has pushed many away from the church and God. Because the spiritual aspect of giving is so important it must be accompanied by a pure heart and it has to be able to recognize the needs of the one with whom you are sharing it with. If Christ was selfish or self-centered would His ministry have made such an impact? If He had done the things that He had done for the praise of man would it still be with us today? The answer to these questions is no. The simple fact is that He was God in the form of man and could do nothing more than reveal the love that He had for us from the beginning and to display it in a way that should have encouraged us to do the same. This love is what drew people to Him. It was what aided the Holy Spirit after Pentecost in adding to the church daily. It was the way the people met the physical then exuded the spiritual, so when they told someone that they loved them and that Christ died for their sins and rose again the third day the people could believe it because they were experiencing His love shown through them.

The reason why Christ said there would always be poor with us is because He knew we would not be obedient in providing for them just as He knew the children of Israel would not care for them in the Old Testament. Yet for a brief period in time we saw this obedience being practiced and the results were that thousands were added to the church daily. Did they accept Christ just so their physical needs would be met? No, they came to Him because they wanted what everyone else had. They saw it at work in their everyday lives and when they believed their lives were transformed and they became the examples to others. Is it any wonder why so many hearts are hardened against the gospel when you look at the lack of love among His people who are supposed to reveal His love through their actions? If we don’t truly love them enough to meet their physical needs then how can they believe that trusting Christ is going to make a difference in their lives? It’s not a prosperity gospel. There is no promise of great riches to all those who believe in fact it’s the exact opposite, we are promised trial and turmoil as well as persecution so who in their right mind would want to believe in someone who promised this? The answer is the person who has experienced God’s love through one of His children meeting their physical needs and then insuring that their spiritual needs were met also.

I pray that God has spoken to you through this and that you will allow the Holy Spirit to work within you. I am not sure if I am finished with this because I feel as if there is something more that God wants to show me concerning this so there may be another addition to this.

In Christ: SFT 8/07/08

The Blindness of Disobedience

The Blindness of Disobedience

When I began to write this blog I was torn with what to write because there were several things on my heart. As I went before God in prayer I began reading certain passages of scripture, which took me to the place that He wanted me to be. That is the amazing thing about God, when you truly seek His face, He reveals it to you. I knew that this scripture was were He wanted me because it encompasses the topics that have been discussed and leads into what I had felt He wanted me to talk about. Further confirmation is that it depicts the very reason that we are in the condition that we are in, not only in the church but the world. As others reveal the things that we allow our children access too, one can’t help but wonder why we do this. I believe that the question is the reason why God brought me to this passage of scripture. Even though I am going to provide you with these passages I am going to ask you to get your Bible out and turn to them also. If you highlight or underline in your Bible, please do so with these passages. Now turn in your Bible to Isaiah 29:9-16; as we go through them I am going to stop and provide some insight on each of the verses.

Isaiah 29:9 Pause and wonder!

This is not the entire verse but it is amazing how it begins so I felt that we needed to do exactly what it asks us to do. When we look at not only the condition of the church but the world as well, God asks us to pause and wonder. Take a moment to stop and take a look around you. Take in the happenings around you and then wonder why it is happening. This also applies in our own lives when we feel as if our prayers are not making it past the ceiling, we need to pause and wonder why it is happening. Perhaps there is some habitual sin that is keeping Him from us. Perhaps we never really felt His presence in the first place. Maybe all we did was say a prayer without the repentance of sin against Him; therefore we never had a relationship with Him to begin with. Maybe we have allowed things in our home that are not pleasing to Him and therefore it is causing that separation between us and God. In any case we need to pause and wonder! Let’s continue with the verse.

Isaiah 29:9 Pause and wonder! Blind yourself and be blind!

While I did not stop here in my notes I felt led to pause again here as I am transferring my notes. Blind yourself and be blind. I feel that as we attempt to justify our wants and desires we are blinding ourselves and therefore we don’t mind overlooking the things that are damaging our relationship to God. When we compromise in one area it makes it easier to compromise in another area. This is what causes the blindness and what makes it incurable is the failure to repent and to turn from it, as we will soon see in this group of verses.

Isaiah 29:9 Pause and wonder! Blind yourself and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.

Now again pause and wonder! The signs are everywhere and yet we wander about aimlessly. Refusing to see them; we busy ourselves with the things of the world and yet never accomplish anything. Oh, we may accomplish worldly things but these will soon pass away. We will sit in church and say our amen’s in the right places, yet once we leave the church we blindly stagger around without any true direction, never reaching our destination just like the drunk walking down the street. We readily use the excuse that we aren’t perfect and never will be till we reach heaven, when all it is, is an excuse to never accomplish anything for God while we are on this earth. Do you not realize that the only opportunity we have to accomplish what God has left us here for is now? Once we go before Him we will never be able to redeem the time that we wasted.

Isaiah 29:10 For the Lord has poured out on you, the spirit of deep sleep.

Let’s stop again. I believe this is the answer that eludes us as to the condition of the church and the world, especially in the United States. Since we refuse to repent; since we insist on being blind, justifying our actions; He has poured out the spirit of deep sleep. He didn’t just sprinkle it on us, He poured it out.

Isaiah 29:10 For the Lord has poured out on you, the spirit of deep sleep. And has closed your eyes, namely the prophets;

The prophets here are those who speak the truth. They are the ones who provide us with the gospel of Christ. They speak the words given to them from God and you can tell this to be so because they are in direct correlation with the bible. They are not just reinforced with the passage they are using but with the entire word of God, just as this passage is reinforced in the New Testament. It is shown throughout the entire bible in the examples of disobedience from Genesis to Revelations. ‘Closed your eyes’ speaks of the inability to hear them or to see the truth in what they are saying.

Isaiah 29:10 For the Lord has poured out on you, the spirit of deep sleep. And has closed your eyes, namely the prophets, and has covered your heads, namely the seers.

The seers depict the false prophets. This verse explains why there are so many of them today not only on TV but also in the church. This could be the reason why some of our once great denominations have become weak and full of apostasy. It is why we have these denominations approving homosexuality. Look at that section of the verse. He has covered your heads. This does not imply a small covering but a large covering. He takes those who are speaking the truth and replaces them with the false prophets because of our blindness, which we caused because we refuse to repent and turn away from our sin. It amazes me at the similarities between this and the passages regarding the church in the book of Revelations where we are commanded to repent or God will remove the candlestick from the church, the candlestick is referring to the pastor, the pastor being the one who sheds light to the congregation. He is referring once again to the one who speaks the truth that God has for the church.

Isaiah 29:11 The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying read this please. And he says. ‘I cannot, for it is sealed.’

The vision being spoken of here is the Word of God. The literate refers to someone educated and sealed means that it can’t be comprehended. We are being told that the educated can’t comprehend the word of God therefore they refuse to read it. When they do read it they can’t see the truths that are in it because they are reading it with spiritual blindness.

Isaiah 29:12 Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate saying, ‘Read this please.’ And he says I am illiterate.

Isn’t it funny that with all the new translations we still have people who do not understand the word of God? I will tell you now the problem is not in the language of the Bible; the problem is with the heart of the people reading it. You can sit there and read two chapters a day and you will be doing nothing more than reading a book. Unless your heart is right you will not understand what God is saying in His word. It requires a heart that is surrendered to Christ. Education will not give you understanding of the scriptures. The only way that you can understand the scripture is by surrendering your heart to God and seeking His will for your life. This passage here claims that the illiterate or the uneducated refuse to read it because they claim they are illiterate. Why do they feel as if they could not understand it? It is because of the educated who claim it to be difficult to understand so the uneducated refuse to even attempt to read it. Why does the congregation fail to read their bible every day? Is it because many pastors stand in front of them expounding the meaning of the Greek words that the bible was translated from causing them to believe that they are uneducated and if they were to read the bible they would probably get something wrong? Listen to the educated in the world and they claim the bible is full of death and destruction and that if God was a loving God, He wouldn’t have destroyed these people. They use it as their example to prove that there is no God. The uneducated sit back and say, ‘well, they are professor of this or a doctor of that so they must know what they are talking about and I probably couldn’t understand it anyways, but the one who is surrendered to Christ say’s, ‘Who am I that He would spare me, when He did not spare Ananias and Sapphira?’ We say this because when we look at Him through His word we not only see Him as a loving God but a just God as well.

Isaiah 29:13 Therefore the Lord said. “Inasmuch as the people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts from Me and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandments of men.

This speaks of the empty ritualism that is filling the church today. We go to church because it is what we have grown up doing. We shout hallelujahs, and amen’s in the right places yet with our lives we prove whose child we really are. We preach the prayer but not repentance of sin. We create false converts who believe that they can live as they want as long as they go to church on Sunday. They don’t fear God because after all they said the prayer and we all know that we don’t have to be perfect. They have their get out of hell free card and they feel as if they are all set to go and yet the day they stand before their creator what do you really think they will hear Him say? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When you are surrendered to Christ the fear that you have is not one of eternal punishment but one of disappointing the One who provided you with eternal live. It is the fear that pushes you to obedience to Him because how dare you consider the sacrifice to be anything less than worthy of complete obedience.

Isaiah 29:14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, A marvelous work and wonder, for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.

How else can you explain the illogical reasoning of many of our so called great minds today? They have the facts in front of them but they still deny them. Every time their hypothesis is proven incorrect they devise a new reason why their thoughts are accurate.

Isaiah 29:15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord and their works are in the dark; they say, “Who sees us and who knows us?

I believe the premises behind the show ‘Survivor’ epitomized this verse. It applauded this behavior and approved it by saying that it is okay to do whatever is necessary to survive. These things have destroyed more churches than anything else. The creation of alliances and then working them against each other just so one person can achieve their own desires. We do it in the work place to gain promotions and we see it in our homes with one child pitting us against the other.

Isaiah 29:16 Surely you have turned things around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay? For shall the thing made say of him who made it, He did not make me? Or shall the thing formed, say of him who formed it, He has no understanding?

Yet we hear these things and say these things every single day. As I read this verse it tied the rest of them together for me. It showed not only the state we are in today but how we got there. Pause and wonder for a moment about the way we are told to raise our children today. We are told to allow them freedom of expression. We are told that if we correct them then we are going to cause them to have emotional scars and the worst thing is that we listened to them. We say this verse to God and our children repeat it to us. Is it any wonder Hip Hop is a multi billion dollar industry when it promotes rebellion towards authority? Is it any wonder that homosexuality is increasing as is bisexuality and I am not just talking about adults but it is being encouraged in children as young as middle school.

As you reread these verses you can see how we blinded ourselves to the point that God allowed us to be put into a deep sleep. We closed our minds to His word and claimed it was impossible to understand. We practiced a surface worship of Him to the point He removed the wisdom of the learned. We compromised our principles for gain, seeking the approval of men rather than God and then we sat back and spit in His face claiming He was not our creator. We change His word to fit into today’s world because after all things are different now. We are more advanced then they were back then. We know more than they did.

Have you paused to wonder why the prison population has greatly increased over the last several years? Could it be because their method of child rearing doesn’t work? Could it be because of all the garbage that we allow our children access too? You know things like violent video games, music promoting sex, drugs, rape, and murder. Have you paused to wonder why more children are selling drugs and joining gangs than ever before or dressing like them and talking like them? Could it be because the very parenting techniques that we have been taught by the world promote these things? You know, things like self expression, being their friend and not their parent and not limiting them by boundaries. Could it also be the fact that we promote these same things in the music we listen to and the movies we watch or the websites we visit? It is not up to the world to change the way they are but it is up to us to begin being the parent that God expects us to be. When we deny Him complete control over our lives how can we expect any less from our children? After all they are merely following our example. The problem is that we allow the alluring pleasures of the lusts of the flesh to reign supreme in our lives and if we surrender to God than we might actually have to accept the fact that we are responsible for our own children, we might have to take the blame for their behaviors. The wonderful news though is this, it is not too late. There is still time. Just as the children of Israel wondered in the desert for 40 years there was a time when they were finally allowed to enter the Promised Land. It does not come though with out a cost and like the rich young ruler that cost may be too great for some of you. The cost is sacrifice; sacrifice of your will for His; it is repentance and surrender to Christ that will deliver you. I am not saying that everything will become wonderful after that but it will provide you a way to bear it. It requires commitment; you must stand by your convictions regardless of the conflict that you will receive from your children but when they see you standing firm and living by your convictions it will make a difference. I was grown and out of the house when God truly got a hold of my parents so I did not witness their day to day activities but what I did see was their change in attitude and that is what God used to bring me back to Him.

The question now is, are you willing?

SFT
8/9/08