Exposing Error

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.