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The Faithless Preachers - Part Four

2010-04-07T08:45:00.000-05:00

He's (Jim Bakker) in Branson Mo. and is back to teaching the same garbage that he renounced.

I started off with "good intentions" also. I was taught Word of Faith in a Baptist Church's Sunday school class. The pastor of the church knew exactly what was being taught in there.

I'm not laying blame but what would have been IF the pastor had demanded the teacher to stop? I can't know that now because he didn't demand anything but only told the teacher to "teach from his heart", which sounds really cool but isn't cool at all.

It lead me down a wide path of destruction. Please understand that I take full responsibility for what I listened to and believed in, but, darn, one would think that a Baptist church would be a safe place.

The Faithless Preacher - Part Three

2010-04-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

I love her question about being "slain in the spirit" because it happened to me also and I've wondered, since learning of the errors of Word of Faith, what really happened to me. It was very real but I didn't hear anything.

I had people demand to know what God said to me and when I told them that He said nothing to me, then I was told that what happened wasn't real because God was supposed to talk to me or tell me something when I was "out" which made me feel inferior, somehow incomplete and incompetent. Which, looking back, was probably their main goal anyway.

Happy Easter

2010-04-02T11:01:00.003-05:00

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ⁽¹⁾ Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. ⁽²⁾ It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. ⁽³⁾ I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. (⁴⁾ He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

The Faithless Preacher - Part Two

2010-04-02T10:00:00.001-05:00

The Faithless Preachers - Part One

2010-04-01T11:13:00.004-05:00

I just watched this video. I wanted to share it, and the others in the series, because it's so easy to understand and easily explained, simple really. I wish that someone had taken the time to explain things to me in such an elementary way when I became so attracted to such things as Word of Faith.

The problem didn't lie in people wanting to tell me the "wrongness" of Word of Faith, but it was in their approach. Most of them, if not all, were completely aggressive and hostile. And just to be honest ~ THAT turned me off to them and on to the Word of Faith crowd that portrayed love toward me.

Anyway... Enjoy.

Wolves/False Teachers (part 2)

2010-03-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

^{Acts 20:29-31 (New Living Translation)

29} I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. ³⁰ Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. ³¹ Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.

The bible uses a wolf to symbolize a false preacher/teacher/pastor/minister (whatever word you want to use). Wolves EAT sheep! The are carnivores ~ meat eaters. He or she, the false teacher, feeds on sheep and sees them as nothing more than a resource for his selfish purposes and agendas. But they are very clever at disguising themselves because if the sheep KNEW they were following a wolf, they wouldn't hang around waiting to be devoured. Sooner or later being devoured is exactly what happens to the sheep because wolves only think of themselves.

They are NOT a true shepherd. They are greedy for personal gain and a hireling. They mislead the sheep by drawing them in with words that sound biblical and true but they draw them only to themselves, not to God. They are not submitted to or in the service of Christ, The Messiah, Son of God. Rather than a servants heart, they merely put on a show of service to get what they want, which usually consist of money or things that money can buy. To them ~ the end justifies the means.

They are a cruel lot and in the end they are more than willing to feast on God's precious sheep.

False Teachers Video

2010-03-24T10:09:00.000-05:00

Wolves/False Teachers

2010-03-23T09:08:00.004-05:00

Matthew 7:15-20 (NLT)

15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions."

Jesus warned us to Beware of false teachers. But a false teachers doesn't just jump out on stage and say "Look at me, I'm a false teacher!!!" Too bad it's not that easy to spot one, but it's not, because they are disguised. Which means they come across as someone that is very likable, friendly, thoughtful, inspirational and even genuine.

We are told to beware of these teachers for a reason. They lead people to believe that they are on the straight and narrow path that leads to life but they are really leading them down the broad and wide highway that ends in destruction. Matthew 7:13-14

The true Gospel of Jesus Christ points you toward HIM, toward BELIEVING IN HIM, TRUSTING IN HIM and LOVING HIM with all your heart, mind and soul. Anything else is not truth. It is a false gospel and those that teach another gospel is a false teacher and a vicious wolf.

Wolves

2010-03-22T10:53:00.002-05:00

I write this as a semi response to an e-mail that I received from a friend.

He wanted me to pass on an e-mail to my old pastor. What would make him think that I still have some sort of on going relationship with the pastor, I couldn't say. But throughout his email, my friend addressed many aspects of the pastors ministry. Aspects or teachings that I long ago became aware of as being false and have since moved away from entirely.

My friend, however, insists that this teaching is proper and therefore will not even consider leaving the system. But what I found in his own email (addressing this pastor about his ministry) was the very same language used in the bible that addresses false teachers/prophets.

I didn't understand at first why his e-mail bothered me so. I simply thought it was the fact that he sent it to me in the first place. I mean, why would I want to have anything to do with that church or that pastor? And then, after I read it several times over several days, it began to dawn on me. My friend has rebuked the pastor, actually seeing his "fruit" and yet is still eating from the tree.

I have warned him several times that it's the system of Word of Faith that is wrong and not just individual pastors. The whole thing stinks! But he has gone his own way and still listens and participates in the WOF movement. This is what makes me sad. He can see that it's wrong in this one pastor but can't see that it's the same in all of them. He can't see the forest for the tree.

By his own e-mail and his own description of what is wrong in this persons ministry he has stumbled upon the very thing that the bible warns us about ~ WOLVES. He has identified ONE wolf but has ignored the pack. I feel for him. First because he thinks that an e-mail will change the wolf. Ha! And second because he's striving so hard to make something false into truth.

Twist it all around and you can make scripture say anything you want or whatever fits into your agenda. But twisted scripture will never be truth.

(Matt.7:15-16)
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

New Living Translation (NLT)

~ 2010 ~

2010-01-01T16:09:00.005-06:00

My "New Year" hope for anyone reading this is the same hope that I place on myself; that I can finally be able to live out of who I am and not who others expect or want me to be. That will be a beautiful place.

May the Lord bless you and keep you ~ May His face shine upon you and be gracious to you ~ May He lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Leaders

2009-12-09T15:37:00.000-06:00

Anyone that has a ministry, a ministry gift and all those that are in leadership positions should be serving the body and not demanding that the body serve them.

Or maybe Jesus was simply unclear on the subject. Luke 22:25-26, Mark 10:42-45

All Things

2009-12-08T17:10:00.005-06:00

It is so very easy to become focused on all that is wrong in life, when we should be experts in all that is right ~ All things that pertain to life and Godliness have already been given to us through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Wow.

Trust in Jesus as The Christ and avoid all things that do not give your inner spirit peace.

2009-11-25T16:51:00.002-06:00

John Piper - Why I abominate the prosperity gospel

2009-11-13T13:24:00.003-06:00

Having been a pawn in the prosperity gospel game, I agree with John Piper. But this next video absolutely turned my stomach. I never saw fully, until watching it and seeing myself (figuratively) in it, what a fool I had been and what kind of immense damage this so called "gospel" does when people start believing that "paying God" will bring them riches and blessing untold.

This video just sort of tops off what John Piper was talking about...

It is a MUST see, don't skip it.

The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.

Seek and you will find... It's true.

2009-09-03T10:04:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I happened upon a program of Joyce Meyers. Although I no longer believe as they (Word of Faith) do and I now know it's all twisted, I still stopped and listened for about 10 minutes. Why? I have no clue, except that she said something to the effect of... stop trying to be perfect on the outside while your miserable on the inside. That's my loose translation of what I heard her say.

I guess it just goes to show that God really can use anyone because He used her to help me to understand more of what I've been struggling with (explained in the last post).

As I listened to her explain how ugly she was on the inside while trying to be "spiritual" on the outside, I began to understand just how really ugly that was.

When Jesus talked to the religious people, He told them they were like pretty painted tombs on the outside but they were literally dead and rotting on the inside. Again ~ my loose translation of Matthew 23:27.

But I began to see that even though I wasn't trying to be "religious" or "spiritual" anymore, I was still dead and rotting on the inside and that was my constant pain. Something that I couldn't outrun or hide from, even though I was trying hard to do so.

And then, as if that wasn't enough of a revelation for one day. I went to the site of Dave Burchett and read this post.

Intrigued, I went to the free download and listened to this man describe my life. I laughed and cried and felt in awe of a God that could put up with the likes of me.

I can't say it better than he did so please go get the free download.

I immediately ordered his book from his website and am very excited to read it.

Throwing in the towel

2009-09-02T08:47:00.003-05:00

Ok. So, I've been struggling with a few weighty things these past several months.

Is it okay to be totally honest with God about my feelings toward Him? I mean, He knows already, right? He knows I'm angry, confused, empty and brokenhearted. He knows that I'm sick of the masquerades, disguises, pretending ~ the pretense ~ Blah!

I'm so tired of it all. And maybe he is too. He's about as real as it gets, right? So, why do we constantly fall into the trap of keeping up appearances? If I can't get real with God and with myself then who in this entire world can I be real with?

I had reached a point where I not only didn't trust Him, I didn't believe that He even cared. A careless God made me angry beyond anything else especially after I put my whole life into Him and He failed me. Yes, I truly believed that He failed me. These are the thoughts and feelings that I've been struggling with. It's crazy, isn't it. But there it is.

I've always thought that when everyone else fails and deserts you that He would be the one that remains. People are fleeting ~ God is not. And maybe this small belief is the only thing that has remained and has kept me from walking away from Him entirely. I can't say for sure.

But I know this:

I can no longer do the dance. I will no longer do the dance. No more pretense, falseness and plain old hypocrisy. No more pretty on the outside, ugly on the inside. It's gross and I can't take it anymore. No more being angry at God for nothing. I've made my peace. I couldn't go one more day with this constant ache inside.

So there I am, throwing in the towel. And I have a funny feeling, deep within me, that God is happy about that decision. I know that I am. I can already feel a shift. I can't explain the shift yet but it's there. It has presented itself as something that I know rather than something that can be articulated and interpreted but maybe the explanation will be revealed a little later.

But for now, I'm ready to trust God again. And that's all I have. I'm ready to trust Him again and nothing more. It's that simple.

A Whale of a Tale...

2009-04-24T11:38:00.002-05:00

I can't even come up with words. And that's saying something!!!

Pet Peeve

2009-04-14T10:10:00.003-05:00

I woke early this morning to this in my Inbox >>>

If I have one pet peeve that I can't seem to get over it's email hoaxes and urban legends. It's not the literal hoax/legend itself that really bothers me, it's the people that continue to spread it around as the truth, especially if that person proclaims to be a Christian.

What disappoints me most about this is that it literally takes minutes to investigate these things on the internet. Here are just a few sites that have already debunked this one...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well_to_Hell_hoax

http://www.snopes.com/religion/wellhell.asp

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/d/drilltohellfacts.htm

http://www.freebase.com/view/en/well_to_hell_hoax

Make no mistake about it ~ hell is real ~ but this is totally false. And quite honestly if someone preaches the Truth of the Gospel, plain and simple, the rest will fall into place.

Jesus Wants the Rose

2009-04-10T10:01:00.009-05:00

Jesus Wants the Rose is the title to this video but I thought a more appropriate name could be something like... The Missing Point of the Gospel.

Somehow the sum of the Gospel message is getting lost. The beautiful essence of His Truth is being contaminated with the need for more, bigger, better, etc. I could use more adjectives but I hope you get my point.

We might view this broken useless rose as garbage but God does not...

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:6-11 (NLT)

He's right. We are the Rose and God wants us ~ even when no one else does.

Church or Club

2009-03-11T14:02:00.006-05:00

Will the REAL churches please rise?

Because honestly... Many of us have had enough already,
myself included.

Reflections

2009-01-23T10:10:00.004-06:00

I looked back this morning through my journals for the year. Sometimes that's good and sometimes that's not so good. I guess it's all in the way you look at it. But I'm beginning to see a nice shift in my life for the better ~ mostly.

The only thing that I regret from the past year is letting go of God ~ as I knew and understood Him.

But in the hope of trying to move through my life without any regrets, I began to see this differently.

I couldn't find God with letting go of what I believed to be God.

Maybe that doesn't make a lick of sense whatsoever but to a person that understands the power of religion and the ability of illusions to deceive ~ that person will get it.

Putting it simply...

I had to destroy the house of cards to begin to build the house of stone.

This may be the slowest process and the biggest undertaking of my entire life but it may just be the one with the most gratifying results and the biggest reward.

Only time will tell.

Light at the end

2009-01-06T17:45:00.004-06:00

Sometimes we wonder why things happen to us.

I've wondered just that for years now. The events that took place against our will and behind our backs at our old church have been a constant nagging in the back of my mind. But sometimes things just happen for our own good ~ even when it is devastating.

When I left that church I was empty and broken ~ mentally, physically, spiritually. I cried for God to fill the void in my soul almost everyday. I begged God to help me to find a new church family ~ one that would accept me and love me. The church has yet to come ~ and maybe never will. But the void, the hurt, the shame and the pain seems a distant memory.

Maybe I've finally found a way to forgive. I can't say that I've really forgiven any of them but it's all just easier now. Maybe the old saying that "it all gets better in time" is true. Or maybe, after all these years, I finally found a way to let go of the past and find my sense of self again.

No one has a right to tell you who you are. Never give another person/pastor/church that kind of power. You can think for yourself and make your own decisions in life. It's very hard after it's been stripped away but I'm living proof that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Hope for the New Year...

2008-12-26T10:08:00.002-06:00

I know it's been a while but I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and may God show us His love, mercy and grace in the coming new year.

He offers us so much. Often we are the blind leading the blind. I've tried so hard to get out of that rat race and just focus on Him and His Truth. It's hard. So many voices pulling our attention in so many different directions. Who's right? Who's wrong? I seriously don't know ~ But I am confident that God can speak to me through all the other screaming voices and that He can break down the religious walls and reveal His true self to me.

That is my Hope for the New Year.

America has spoken...

2008-11-05T09:40:00.007-06:00

Loudly.

Our 44th President and Vice-President.

Congratulations Senator Obama and Senator Biden. The Lord knew you would be our leaders long before we did. He knows why you were chosen and how you fit into His ultimate plan. His thoughts and plans are higher than ours.

Sometimes we forget that.

We must not lose sight of why we are here. It's not to push political or social agendas. It is to portray Christ to a lost and dying world. It is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is to be a light on a hill.

No matter who you voted for. No matter if you agree or disagree with the choice. It is now our duty to pray.

My trust is in God ~ alone.

My hope is in Christ ~ alone.

My salvation is in Jesus ~ alone.

Believers remember:

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases"
Prov 21:1

Believers remember:

1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.
1 Timothy 2:1-6 (New American Standard Bible)

Believers remember:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8

Nothing changes in the heart of God on November 5th.

Political Pulpits

2008-09-30T08:06:00.003-05:00

If your not already aware, Sunday was the big day for the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) in which a group of pastors decided it was time to take on the IRS ~ good luck with that ~ and endorse political candidates from their pulpits, which goes against tax-exempt rules.

Tax-exempt entities, and that includes ALL of them not just churches, are not to support or oppose candidates running for public office. I wouldn't think that would be too hard for a pastor.

Gee, I had one that simply told us not to vote for the candidate that believes in abortion. There is no limitation on speaking about issues ~ a shake of the head or a wink of an eye can let the congregation know who to vote for. But why?

Why do preachers think that they need to tell their congregation who to vote for? Do we need to be spoon fed? Can't people make up their own minds based on what they believe? I think it's shallow and shows that the pastor thinks very little of his congregation's abilities to discern and doesn't say too much about his own ability to lead.

Pastors are to teach and preach the Truth, The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Politics does not dictate that to us ~ the Bible does.

To prostitute the pulpit for a politician is... well... I don't really have words for how gross I think that is.

Politicians are not the salt and light to the world. They have a lust for power and position. And they will do, or say, anything to get it or keep it. We must understand that they are not truthful even if they claim to be a Christian.

We are not put our faith and hope in them ~ they are NOT Jesus Christ!!

We don't even have to worry about political agendas. We can relax and keep our peace knowing that God Himself will choose our next leader according to His Will. ( Daniel 2:21, Romans 13:1, Colossians 1:16 )

So, with that, I clearly think these guys should follow the rules ~ unless, of course, they want to give up their tax-exempt status ~ which is highly doubtful. But they certainly have the right to do so, then they can endorse or oppose whomever they please from their pulpits. Otherwise they need to submit to the governing authorities as Romans 13:1 says.

And if they don't have enough morality and faith to follow what the Bible says, then how do they expect the members of their congregation to swallow anything that they say? I wouldn't. Knowing that my pastor was blatantly disobeying the government would not make me think very highly of him, in fact, the word hypocrite comes to mind.

I don't know... Maybe I just expect too much from someone who is supposed to be representing God?

Mr. President...

2008-09-23T09:29:00.009-05:00

I AM Main Street.

And Main Street is struggling to pay the bills, put gas in the car, and food on the table.

Don't you get it?

Oh...wait.

It's completely obvious that you don't.

Being Free

2008-09-08T11:57:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Sunday. Most "good church folk" were in their pews, probably the same one that they've had their backside on for years, which is okay with me. It's just not okay for me anymore.

I certainly can relate though. I planted myself in the pew every Sunday for years. And for most of those years it was in the same spot. Heaven forbid if someone stole my spot! Yep. That was me. Same church, same pew, same spot, same, same, same. (If that kind of thing works for you ~ good! I've been there - done that, so I'm not pointing my finger or being judgmental and I would ask for the same respect.)

Here are just a few issues that lead me out of institutionalized church.

The pastor and his wife spent more time preaching the fundamentals of their authority and the congregations obedience to their authority ~ which they claimed to be submission ~ rather than on preaching the authority of Christ and our submission to Him.

Which in turn lead to our absolute obedience to him and his wife.

We were never to question them ~ Never. That would be rebellious. We were to fully comply with whatever they said. I remember one person bragging that he had to cut the grass to the precise height of the pastors wife's wishes, going as far as measuring with a ruler, "just to make sure".

There was another person there that bragged about how the pastor corrected him when he apparently tied a trash bag wrong. I know it sounds trivial. It is trivial. Is it really that important how we tie trash bags as long as the trash doesn't fall out? Does our spirituality depend on how high the grass is? And why were these grown men bragging about being corrected by them like they (the pastor and his wife) were Jesus Himself.

The whole thing was about control. Many, many time they referred to themselves as "mommy and daddy" of the church. They had to keep a firm hand on all of their "kids" because, well, you know how rebellious kids are.

We were told and told, as leadership in the church, that they understood and acknowledged that we all had the Holy Spirit and could easily hear from God for ourselves BUT when we did hear from God it had to be approved by them and through them first. No joke. They were the last word. Period.

We lost our freedom to pray. Not allowed.

We lost our freedom to hear from God. Not allowed.

We lost our freedom to minister. Not allowed. (Unless you were on a certain "team". Then you were told what to say and when to say it and if you stepped over your boundaries then you were removed from that ministry team.)

We were not even allowed to hug. This unnecessary hugging, of course, might have the appearance of evil.

Men and women were not allowed to be alone in the same room together ~ no matter how harmless. I actually witnessed a staff member literally run out of the room that I was in, doing some administrative work, when he realized that I was the only one in there and that would mean a man and a woman alone in the same room.

I'm sure that you can tell that the only interest they had was control. All power is centered on them without any concern for the spiritual wellness of the congregation.

More to come... Be Well.

Forwarded Email Truth ~ Probably NOT

2008-08-25T11:42:00.002-05:00

A huge pet-peeve of mine is people automatically forwarding emails without a second thought. I appreciate their intentions. Really. I do. But please. It only takes a few minutes to check something out to see if it's true or not. Why don't we just give that a try before we hit the Forward button? Huh?? Please???

I can't tell you how many times that I have had to send emails to friends to inform them that what they've been forwarding is indeed a hoax. Some of them appreciate it ~ many of them don't. Doesn't matter to me, really, if they appreciate it or not. They need to be aware that they are helping to spread lies, gossip, half truths, hoaxes.

And with November getting closer and closer, I'm getting more and more emails about politics and religion. Seriously. Most of these are coming to me from Christians. It's shameful.

From all the emails, one would think that Barak Obama was the anti-christ and John McCain was Michael the arc-angel. The jest? Don't vote for Obama ~ he'll drag us straight into hell but if you vote for McCain ~ he'll take us directly into righteousness. Neither are true.

We are to have a personal relationship with God. If you believe in Jesus Christ, you are not going to hell. NO matter what Barak Obama does if he were to lead this country.

And if you believe in Jesus Christ then He has made you righteous Through HIM. Doesn't matter what John McCain does if he were to lead this country.

I understand both sides of the issue. I'm not really even talking politics here. So, please, no emails about politics! I'm talking about a relationship with Christ that is a personal one.

Vote the way that seems best to you and to your faith.

And think next time before you forward something derogatory about Barak Obama. Every email I've received from well meaning Christians that has anything to do with Obama has been false. This falseness is being spread by hands that are supposed to represent Truth. These things should not be so.

Paula Whites First Fruit Offering Scam

2008-08-14T16:22:00.003-05:00

Go read this article at Ima Blogger.

Seriously. I couldn't have said it any better.

Not much more to say. Other than; While your
"standing" and "believing God" they are laughing
all the way to the bank.

They don't "love you" they love your money.

Wake up sleeping church.

You can't buy healing, you can't buy the "anoiting",
you can't buy prosperity, you can't buy peace.

Your money will never purchase any of God's gifts.

He's not interested in your money. He's interested
in you. I hope you can give to Him what He truly
desires ~ your heart.

Cheifest of Sinners

2008-08-08T11:44:00.005-05:00

Paul said that he was the chiefest of sinners:

12. How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for considering me trustworthy and appointing me to serve him,13. even though I used to scoff at the name of Christ. I hunted down his people, harming them in every way I could. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14. Oh, how kind and gracious the Lord was! He filled me completely with faith and the love of Christ Jesus. 15. This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ? and I was the worst of them all. 16. But that is God had mercy on me, so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners.Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

Sometimes I feel like the worst sinner, while trying to please God, and I wonder how I can be a sinner and saved at the same time. But that's the brilliance of God ~ with Him all things are possible.

He doesn't ask us to straighten ourselves out and then come to Him to be saved. We come to Him first, with all our sin, our mistakes, our blunders. All of it ~ no matter how grimy and mixed up we really are. He knows already. There is nothing you've done that He doesn't know about. Nothing so horrible that He can't fix. It is only through Him that we can be saved and then He'll clean us up all in due time. It's a process.

I think the message is a simple one, that we often compound, God does not give up on us. He loves us and desires us to be set free from the bondages of sin. That is why Jesus took our punishment on the cross. But we are not perfect yet. We are a work in progress.

We should never be surprised when sinners sin and those of us who are Christians ~ we are still sinners ~ Saved ~ but ONLY by His grace. We should thank God for His Mercy and always remember where we came from.

Be Well.

Disney World Doctrine.

2008-08-06T09:48:00.014-05:00

Please...

watch this video, it's too important to skip. It's not very long. Three minutes of you time.

Do you see the congregation laughing? Yeah, a few short years ago, that would have been me. I had the audacity to laugh and mock too. I'm not laughing anymore.

In my last post, Exposing Error I said:

"My hope is that I can be as bold at exposing error as the people that God sent into my life when I needed it. I didn't accept them then. No, I did exactly what my preacher did, the things that he subtly taught me from his pulpit - I laughed at them, mocked them, made fun of them, saw myself as "over" them because of my special "revelation knowledge", I even pitied them."

This is, in fact, 2 of the preachers that I had a big hearty laugh with ~ just as they are laughing here. This video is two minutes. Please watch.

I'm not proud of what I became ~ I'm just thankful that God got me out.

My hope is that you can get out too and repent of this garbage before it's too late.

Exposing Error

2008-07-23T11:19:00.003-05:00

There can be little doubt that we are living in the "perilous times" that Paul talked about in 2 Timothy 3. Men and women are lovers of their own selves. And many deceptive preachers are helping them become more and more selfish, covetous, proud, etc. by making it seem like God merely exists to fulfill their every desire.

I became one of them, to which, I am not proud, but God has since delivered me out of the hands of darkness and I am ever so thankful to Him for it. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't nice but it was necessary.

Before becoming totally indoctrinated by Word of Faith, God sent people into my path to warn me. He sent very nice people that tried to direct me a different way. He also sent very stern but passionate people that hated the deception that had blinded me.

I listen to none of them but instead went my own way - I can't even begin to explain how this hurts my heart now. Looking back and knowing that God loved me enough to send these people to me and I was so full of myself that I couldn't see the truth while it stared me right in the face. It honestly makes me want to throw up.

I accepted the false teaching with open arms. I'd never heard such teaching before and was so excited about it. I remember even being angry that it had been kept from me all this time. At first I felt like I really was getting to know God better, then, after a while, I began to eagerly seek the gifts instead of the Giver, the blessings instead of the Blesser. What a sad thing that was and is.

God was still faithful to me, I mean after all, I was saved before I gave into the enemies web of deceit. And through His faithfulness to me, he continued to send people along my path that were courageous enough to stand up to me and the "other" gospel that I had adhered myself to.

I found myself using the same language that is still used today in those circles: "The bible says not to judge, judge not less you be judged, Don't touch God's anointed, Do His prophets no harm, Don't judge this move of God or it's leaders because if it's God, it will prosper - if it's not, it will come to nothing, those who question their authority end of cursed or dead."

I actually believed that these preachers were teaching me right and proper ways of respecting and honoring them while all along they were teaching me to be afraid of them and not to discern or test the spirits for myself - which is clearly something I should have been doing according to the bible.

My failure to know the bible and to test what was being taught from the pulpit, like a good Berean, led me astray into what was the worst experience of my life.

Nobody's teachings are above biblical judgment ~ NOBODY'S. I don't care what they say, what threats they make, or how much they scare you. Read your bible for yourself and discern, test and try the spirits.

We are to be aware of false teachers. The scriptures warn us over and over again to be on our guard against them. Jesus warned us. Paul warned us. Peter warned us. John warned us. The church at Ephesus was commended because they tried them and found them liars. The church at Pergamos was rebuked because they tolerated them.

My hope is that I can be as bold at exposing error as the people that God sent into my life when I needed it. I didn't accept them then. No, I did exactly what my preacher did, the things that he subtly taught me from his pulpit - I laughed at them, mocked them, made fun of them, saw myself as "over" them because of my special "revelation knowledge", I even pitied them. None of this to their face though, we were to be kind to the ignorant ones since they might be converted.

Honestly - I was the one to be pitied. I was being destroyed by deception and didn't even know it.

I thank God for those that expose these wolves in sheep's clothing. It was their work that finally began to shed some light on my darkened eyes. Without God's work through them I would still be in utter darkness.

Satisfaction

2008-07-03T08:54:00.006-05:00

"The church has failed to follow her appointed pathway of separation, holiness, heavenliness and testimony to an absent but coming Christ; she has turned aside from that purpose to the work of civilizing the world, building magnificent temples, and acquiring earthly power and wealth, and, in this way, has ceased to follow in the footsteps of Him who had not where to lay His head."

~ C.I. Scofield

"Christianity began as a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
When it went to Athens, it became a philosophy.
When it went to Rome, it became an organization.
When it went to Europe, it became a culture.
When it came to America, it became a business."

~author unknown

"God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him"

~John Piper

When Jesus Christ is your satisfaction; When He is your rest, your delight, your strong tower, your everything, your all in all, that is what brings Him glory and honor. When Jesus is the ultimate treasure, not money or houses or cars, that is what brings real riches, peace and joy.

What is being preached from some major pulpits is idolatry. The truth of the gospel is being perverted. The gospel is that God sent His son, Jesus, born of a virgin, Mary, who walked on this earth as a man that lived a sinless life and gave Himself as The sacrifice for the sins of the world when He was crucified on a cross, bled and died and rose again the third day and is now seated at the right hand of the Father God. Blessed be God forever.

To say that God sent us His son who paid the ultimate sacrifice for sins (His life) so that I can have a bunch of money in the bank, drive the best cars and live in the biggest house is sickening. And you can't deny that that is what they say. I know from personal experience. I was one of them. Just as thick into it as you could possibly get. They are preaching lies and deceit that will turn you away from the one and only REAL AND TRUE GOD.

You may not think so now but neither did I. I thought that it was real too. It's not. Read your bibles without any influence from them. I began by reading Romans over and over and over. I must have read it 50 times in a row. I would read it out of the King James and out of the New Living. It took a while but I finally began to see the light of the scriptures and when I did it was like a whole new world with God emerged.

God loves me for who I am and not for what I can do for Him. (What could I possibly do to impress Him anyway? He's God.) He wants to bless me and I don't have to "sow a seed" to buy His blessings or favor or mercy or grace. (What monetary gift "seed" could I give that would impress the God of the universe anyway? That's really ridiculous indeed. And it does turn into "give to get" no matter how much you deny it.) God wants me to be the person that He created me to be and not the person that someone else demands that I be. It's so easy to be deceived by all them. So easy.

My biggest mistake... Not reading the bible for myself without their influences. But I was young in my Christian walk, even though that is no excuse ~ we are called to discern and test. I didn't do that. I just believed what they said and ran deep into the lions den. It was only by the endless grace of God that I (we) got out. It hurt for a long time but today I'm so thankful and grateful.

I can only pray that if you are reading this that you will run fast the other way ~ it just might save your life, your marriage, your family, and your relationship with God.

Have a great day.

First entry

2008-06-23T10:39:00.003-05:00

Good Morning. I sort of started this by accident. I wanted to add a comment on someone else's blog and somehow just ended up here. So... we'll see where it leads.

Have a great day.

Angie