Balance: Resisting the Devil from a Position of Stability

Yesterday, I was blessed to receive a phone call from a friend of almost 30 years. Though we only knew each other in passing those many years ago, our conversation yesterday revealed a unity in spirit and purpose regarding ministry…and what we both feel God is revealing and speaking today. We both expressed a feeling of URGENCY…that time is short, and Jesus Christ is soon to return.

It was during this conversation…and our discussions on recent FB posts and/or sermons…that a specific truth suddenly became so clear in my mind and spirit.

I write a great deal about the dangers of FALSE TEACHING and FALSE DOCTRINE within the Church. As I have written, Scripture deals EXTENSIVELY with this very subject. Repeatedly, Paul and Peter and John and even Jesus would WARN the people that “perilous times” would come.

Read these passages carefully (some included, some only referenced due to length - but take the time to read them: I want the Word of God to speak to you)…then, after these passages, I will write what God revealed as I talked with my friend by phone yesterday. (These passages are just a FEW of the Scriptures dealing with false prophets/false teaching/false doctrine. If you want to read what God revealed FIRST, skip down to the end of these listed passages. But I encourage you to read these Scriptures either way.)

1 Kings 18:22

(False prophets are numerous.)

Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

1 Kings 22

(400 prophets prophesy by a “lying spirit“, while Micaiah alone remains a true prophet for the Lord. The lying prophets spoke VICTORY, while God was truly speaking DEFEAT.)

Isaiah 30:8-11

(The people of God no longer want to hear the truth, desiring that only “good things” be spoken to them.)

8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet, And note it on a scroll, That it may be for time to come, Forever and ever: 9 That this is a rebellious people, Lying children, Children who will not hear the law of the Lord; 10 Who say to the seers, "Do not see," And to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. 11 Get out of the way, Turn aside from the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel To cease from before us."

Jeremiah 5:31

(Lying prophets speak “good things“)

The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?

Jeremiah 14:13-15

(Lying prophets speak “good things“-continue reading further to see/learn the catastrophic results)

13 Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say to them, 'You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.' " 14 And the Lord said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, and who say, 'Sword and famine shall not be in this land'--'By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed!

Jeremiah 23:16-22

(This entire chapter is such a revealing look into the realm of prophets who speak “blessings” as the Lord speaks “repent”: the false prophets speak lies and “false dreams“, and God is “against them“)

16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They continually say to those who despise Me, 'The Lord has said, "You shall have peace" '; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, 'No evil shall come upon you.' " 18 For who has stood in the counsel of the Lord, And has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it? 19 Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury-- A violent whirlwind! It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. 20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly. 21 "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in My counsel, And had caused My people to hear My words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from the evil of their doings.

Jeremiah 27:14

(This entire chapter reveals the tremendous error and lies being spoken by the false prophets, again claiming “blessing” while God is proclaiming “destruction”)

Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon,' for they prophesy a lie to you;

These are just a small sample of instances in the Old Testament where the prophets spoke LIES…leading to terrible consequences when the people BELIEVED the lies. In every case, the LIES spoken refer to words of BLESSING and COMFORT and PEACE…yet, God was NOT speaking these words! I cannot possibly even include every Old Testament reference regarding LYING PROPHETS…false prophets…because they are so numerous. (Read Ezekiel and the other books of the Prophets in the Old Testament: there are CONSTANT battles between prophets speaking TRUTH and prophets speaking LIES.)

Now…what about the New Testament…

Matthew 7:15

(False prophets come looking harmless, but they bring destruction and death)

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Matthew 23:34, 37

(TRUE prophets are sent…but the people reject them…and even kill them)

Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,…O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Matthew 24:11,24

(False prophets will fool many people as they use "signs and wonders" (fake miracles, etc) to deceive even the strongest Christians...but those who only know the Word superficially.)

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many…For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Luke 6:26

(A warning to beware when only good things are spoken…believing that those speaking blessing are “good men”…and beware of those speaking words of compliment)

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Romans 11:3

(True prophets are hated and killed…as they seek to destroy and silence truth)

"Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"?

2 Peter 2:1

(False prophets will come from “among the people”…they will be from your town or your denomination…they will be people who are known by many…and they will preach LIES)

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

1 John 4:1

(The ultimate command, telling us that we are NOT to believe everything that we hear from a “prophet”…and we are to “test” their words by the Word of God)

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

There are MANY MORE passages of Scripture which deal with false prophets and false teaching. These are just a few. But, just with these, we can see the focus on this issue is THROUGHOUT God’s Word. False prophets were a problem in the Old Testament…and they were still a problem in the New Testament. But…we are told that “in the last days”, that false prophets will increase in number. They will come as “wolves in sheep’s clothing”…appearing harmless. Yet, they will bring in “destructive heresies”. They will do this “secretly”, according to God’s Word. And, they will deceive the people with “great swelling words.” They will use “enticing” words of “seduction.”

Let’s take those words and summarize them in a very simple way: False prophets will come with the appearance of GOOD…they will SEEM to be good, honest, even godly people. They will speak with words which actually DRAW the people in: the words will be APPEALING, and what is offered even sounds “too good to be true.” These false prophets will be masters at hiding lies (false teaching/false doctrine) within the truth: in other words, they will expertly MIX the two, with the LIES being hidden in a WRAP of truth. Their teachings will speak of GROWTH…proclaiming blessings to come. Yet, what these false teachings will eventually bring is DESTRUCTION.

Now…here is where we get the revelation which God gave as I spoke with my friend yesterday:

How dangerous and effective is FALSE TEACHING and FALSE DOCTRINE which comes from these FALSE PROPHETS? How does all the FALSE work in the life of a person to bring DESTRUCTION?

Let’s look at this subject by observing the reality of the need for BALANCE.

Balance is EXTREMELY important in our lives. I have known people who struggled with inner ear problems…and it can wreak havoc on a person’s BALANCE. We probably never give much thought to the importance of BALANCE in our everyday lives. We probably gave more attention to BALANCE when we were children…as we played on the playground. Did you ever stand in the middle of a teeter-totter and try to make it BALANCE? Or did you ever try to walk across the top of the monkey bars without falling? (I know…what were we thinking?!)

But, what would life be like without BALANCE?

In reality, life would be virtually IMPOSSIBLE! Almost EVERY normal act of life would become EXTREMELY difficult!

Spiritually, false doctrine gets us OFF BALANCE. And, as we see today, that false doctrine can range from an EXTREME focus on GRACE…a grace which denies OBEDIENCE…to an EXTREME focus on OBEDIENCE…which discounts the work of GRACE for salvation. In the mix of these extremes, we find all manner of false doctrine being taught from pulpits in churches across America. I have dealt which many of these in previous writings…and I will not elaborate on those here now.

Now…you may ask: But HOW does this false doctrine get us off balance…and why is it so dangerous?

Let me give you a VERY elementary description and example:

Stand up…and then I want you to stand on only ONE LEG. How easy is that to do? How easy is that to do CONTINUOUSLY? How easy is that to do WHEN SOMEONE IS TRYING TO KNOCK YOU OFF YOUR FEET?!

Hear me on this…Satan is trying to DESTROY us. Satan is trying to KNOCK US DOWN. Do not be deceived: Satan is on the ATTACK!

Spiritually, we find BALANCE when we have BOTH FEET placed FIRMLY on THE ROCK! Jesus is our FOUNDATION…and we must be FIRMLY PLANTED AND ROOTED in HIM!

But notice this truth here…even if we are standing on THE ROCK…we are not STRONG and SAFE and SECURE on THE ROCK if we fail to maintain our BALANCE!

PLEASE LISTEN: Satan is and/or will be ON THE ATTACK! And…he is after YOU…and ME…and any other Christian! Satan wants you to FALL! Satan wants to see you lying on the ground…DEFEATED and BEATEN!

But…Satan knows that he cannot be successful in his attempts against us IF WE REMAIN BALANCED…with our two feet firmly planted on THE ROCK…Christ Jesus!

So…picture it this way: if Satan can get us UNBALANCED…if Satan can get us to stand SHAKILY on THE ROCK…if Satan can get us to simply stand on ONE FOOT…then Satan can MUCH MORE EASILY knock us down!

Try this: stand with two feet on the ground…then get someone to push against you. As they “come against you”…as Satan will…you can better thwart their pressure against you when your two feet are FIRMLY PLANTED.

Now…try this: stand with only ONE foot on the ground…then get someone to push against you. As they NOW “come against you”…as Satan will…you have no BALANCE by which you can successfully thwart their pressure against you!

Again…PLEASE HEAR ME…this is Satan’s tactic! Satan wants people UNBALANCED. Satan wants us “out of balance”…he wants us UNSTEADY!

Satan knows that when we are BALANCED in the Word of God…we can “resist” him. Remember: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Our ability to RESIST the devil is based on our position of BALANCE!

False prophets and false teachers introduce false doctrine into the BODY (the Church…believers) under the delusion of Satan, which allows Satan to bring about an UNBALANCED CONDITION to the people. From this perilous stance, the people cannot properly resist Satan. THIS is the danger of FALSE DOCTRINE!

I pray that this TRUTH will open the eyes of at least ONE PERSON who is under the deception of false doctrine. And I pray that this will help MANY understand and recognize the seriousness of this issue.

False doctrine is DESTRUCTIVE and DEADLY. Beware of FALSE PROPHETS…and seek TRUTH and BALANCE.

In Christ,

Ron

When Leadership Goes Astray: The Spirits of Antichrist and False Prophets

Articles and reports from many and various sources are consistently showing the American people that our leadership and government officials are simply LYING TO and DECEIVING the American people.

1. Information from Obama's own biography CONTINUALLY are PROVEN to be false and misleading. Even in the circumstances by which he lived overseas, Obama lived in the AFFLUENT neighborhoods, yet he and his wife REPEATEDLY paint his past as "poor", etc. It is blatantly FALSE. This is the FIRST United States President who holds office while the American people have almost NO INFORMATION about his past. Very little is TRULY known about Barak Obama...and his past is EXTREMELY sketchy. Yet, what we DO know...as written in his own autobiography...is PROVING to be lies and fables.

2. American government officials REPEATEDLY and CONSTANTLY declare that the recent unrest and MURDERS in the Middle East are due to a video...EVEN AFTER THEIR OWN INTELLIGENCE SAYS OTHERWISE! These attacks have NOTHING...NOTHING...to do with that video! The video was hardly mentioned by ANYONE involved...until some false claim was made regarding it. All of this is coming out in the news now.

3. It has now been revealed by NUMEROUS news sources that one of the leaders in the recent uprisings in the Middle East is a former detainee from the Guantanamo Camp. We wrongly release TERRORISTS who played a part in 9/11/2001...and they then return to wreak havoc and murder on our American soil...a United States Embassy. I will point out here that this terrorist was released during the Presidency of George W. Bush.

Our leadership and government declare to us that we are:

1. Economically strong. LIE!
2. Strategically safe. LIE!
3. Unified in purpose. LIE!
4. Morally pure. LIE!

Our country is economically, strategically, and morally corrupt. A country which is over 16 trillion dollars in debt is NOT strong! A country which releases TERRORISTS who simply attack and murder our citizens AGAIN...after being released...is NOT strong! A country which murders MILLIIONS of its unborn children is NOT strong! A country which was formed on a principle which stated that GOVERNMENT should have no right to insert its own wishes and will into RELIGION and the practice thereof, yet it TWISTS that very principle to LIMIT and PERSECUTE those who stand in obedience to the BIBLE...then they protect and defend every religious group EXCEPT Christians...that country is NOT strong! A country which abandons the truths of God's Word, only to accept the lies of evil and Satanic beliefs and religions, is NOT strong!

Then...we place our focus on the Church...

There have LONG been signs and warnings which show that there are MANY false prophets and false teachers who have infiltrated the Church..very successfully, I might add. These messengers of Satan are often just DECEIVED people themselves, yet Scripture defines their motivation as "greed" and "lust". In those words we discover that FINANCIAL WEALTH plays a HUGE part in the message being spoken by these false prophets. Further, the Bible clearly defines their methods of ministry as "enticing words" and "seductive" and "destructive heresies." To ENTICE and SEDUCE are words which CLEARLY denote that these ministers will seek to ATTRACT those who listen, using "flattering words" the Scripture tells us. Those very terms show us that these false prophets are seeking to APPEAL to the fleshly desires of the masses. And...with these ENTICEMENTS...the people bite to hook of false doctrine...and they are snared like a fish, as the heretical teaching "secretly" begins to work its DESTRUCTION.

The teachings from these false prophets range from WILDLY REDICULOUS to DECEPTIVELY SEDUCTIVE.

1. Joseph Prince's doctrine of GRACE: Prince uses GRACE to build a false doctrine which strays FAR from BIBLICAL grace. As far as the work of grace in salvation, Prince's teachings seem to mirror God's Word. But from there, it is in the APPLICATION of grace in the every day life of the believer by which Prince enters into false doctrine and false teaching. Prince espouses a grace which no longer requires REPENTANCE when we sin as a believer. This false doctrine promotes a FALSE GRACE...a grace which eliminates our sin and our need to repent when we DO sin. This false grace says our sins are forgiven BEFORE we even commit them, yet any decent study of BIBLICAL grace shows us that Paul wrote to THE CHURCH...to BELIEVERS...when he spoke about our need to REPENT when we sin! Throughout the New Testament, the Apostles were most often speaking to BELIEVERS as they expressed the need for REPENTANCE..thus, the need for Jesus as our "Advocate with the Father". Far from being BIBLICAL TRUTH...Prince's teachings are deception of Satan...and this deception is for the express purpose of dismissing the need for REPENTANCE when we sin. For reference sake...read the Letters to the 7 Churches (notice to whom these Letters were addressed!), specifically noting the call to REPENTANCE which is made to the BELIEVERS.

2. The PROSPERITY GOSPEL: No false teaching is more popular than the one labeled the PROSPERITY GOSPEL. Yet, no false teaching is so DEFINED and EXPLAINED within Scripture as FALSE DOCTRINE as is the PROSPERITY GOSPEL. I have always been amazed at how God's Word actually describes what some false teachers will be preaching..."supposing that gain is godliness"...yet so many have NO IDEA just how fully decribed within the Bible is the FALSE DOCTRINE of the PROSPERITY GOSPEL. Let me simply say this...as I have MANY TIMES written on this issue: the twisting of Scripture to propagate a teaching which says God wants all Christians FINANCIALLY WEALTHY here on earth is a LIE! Scriptures are taken WAY out of context by those false teachers who preach these lies. As with the "hundredfold blessing"...just one such false doctrine...the context of the passage is TOTALLY IGNORED by those who teach that false doctrine, as they fail to note and explain that Jesus is telling those who have given ALL for the cause of Christ (note that NONE of us fit that defintion right now!) will be rewarded in ETERNITY in such a way! The promise is SPECIFIC and CLEAR...as Jesus states that is what is "waiting" in the "kingdom to come"...when Jesus' Kingdom is established FOREVER!

3. Other FALSE DOCTRINES which demote God and which exalt Man: These are MANY and VARIOUS...such as: Doctrines which OVERSTATE the intent and meaning of Scripture regarding the "power of the tongue". Scripture teaches NOTHING which gives US...HUMANITY...the power to "create our world"...or to "create" ANYTHING...simply by what we "speak" or "declare" or "confess"! And...hear me loud and clear...I truly wish Scripture DID teach us something like that...but it DOESN'T! This false doctrine is based on GROSSLY and WILDLY misinterpreting and misrepresenting God's Word. When Scripture speaks about the power of the tongue, it is simply referring to our ability to ENCOURAGE others and ourselves...or the ability to TEAR DOWN others and ourselves. ONLY in that way does our TONGUE have power! Face it: not one of us could do this: "By the power of my words, I speak into existence a large, 3000 square foot home with 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, a 3 car garage with 3 cars to park there...being a Porche 911, a top-of-the-line 2013 Jaguar, and a top-of-the-line 2013 BMW...an Executive Position at a Fortune 500 Company, a million dollar a year salary, etc. etc." You see, if our "tongue and words create your world"...then that would be possible! Yet...it IS NOT possible. And...guess what? If you WANT those things....then GO TO COLLEGE, GET A DEGREE, GO TO GRAD SCHOOL, STUDY HARD, WORK HARD, BE FAITHFUL ON THE JOB, and then...MAYBE...you will get all of that! But...keep this TRUTH in mind: how can EVERYBODY be promised such things? Everybody CANNOT be THE BOSS! Everybody CANNOT be AT THE TOP! Somebody has to be the: factory worker, the plumber, the school teacher, the accountant, the secretary, the pastor of the SMALL, COUNTRY church! And remember: ONLY GOD ALMIGHTY...JESUS CHRIST...HAS THE POWER TO SPEAK THINGS INTO EXISTENCE!! God is CREATOR!! We are only CREATION!!

So...what is my point today??

I have laid out for you two deceptions...two places from which will come LIES and DISTORTIONS...all in an attempt to MANIPULATE the people for the purpose of PERSONAL GAIN and PERSONAL POWER. From these two "offices"...from these two "positions"...LIES and DECEPTION will come. And we can see that these LIES and DECEPTIONS are already present within each...as the GOVERNMENT and the CHURCH are heavily involved in propagating these LIES and DECEPTIONS.

What is the significance??

The Bible describes a man who will step onto the POLITICAL scene in the last days...a man who will APPEAR to be GOOD...yet that man will be the most evil man to ever walk the face of the earth. The Bible calls him several things: we usually call him THE ANTICHRIST. He will be a POLITICAL LEADER...one who distorts truth, even deceiving the elect. In the end...he will reveal his reality: that he is a pawn of Satan who seeks the destruction of all that is good..even the destruction of God Himself.

The Bible also describes ANOTHER man...a RELIGIOUS man. By all APPEARANCES...this man is a GOOD man...a "godly" man. Yet...that man will be the most evil and demonic religious leader to ever walk the face of the earth. The Bible calls this man THE FALSE PROPHET. His message is actually ASTONISHING in its content: he will come pronouncing "peace" and "blessings" and "comfort" and "unity" and "favor"...and "influence with those in high places". He will distort truth as a pawn of Satan. Scripture points out that he will walk hand-in-hand with THE ANTICHRIST. Yet...we learn that even amongst PARTNERS there is no honor: for, in due time, THE ANTICHRIST will even turn on THE FALSE PROPHET...and THE FALSE PROPHET will learn what unity with WORDLY SYSTEMS gets you in the end!

You see...the Bible describes a time when GOVERNMENT leadership and SPIRITUAL leadership GO ASTRAY. From both of these "offices", truth is denegrated...while LIES and FALSE TEACHINGS are exalted to positions of PROMINENCE.

We now live in times such as is described in God's Word.

I urge each of you to EARNESTLY begin to read God's Word...praying for wisdom and discernment. NEVER allow a leader to deceive you! Look for this clue of a FALSE PROPHET/FALSE TEACHER:

An angry or similar response to any questioning or disagreement with doctrines which they are teaching. When TRUTH is taught...EXAMINATION is WELCOMED! Yet...false teaching cannot stand up to scrutiny. Thus...KNOWING the Word of God...beyond SUPERFICIALITY...is ESSENTIAL. False prophets will most often urge you to "read MY book" or "listen to MY teaching"...pointing you to THEIR words. But TRUTH is found in GOD'S WORD.

REMEMBER: God's Word tells us to "hide" His Word "in our hearts"...that we "might not sin against God." You see...when the Word of God is "hidden" within us...DEEP in our spirit...FALSE DOCTRINE is easily recognized. TRUTH rebuffs LIES.

Obey God's Word...and "test" and "try" the spirits..."to see if they be of God." God WELCOMES your willingness to TEST all things spoken! Refuse to believe what a leader speaks if the ONLY criteria for belief is "because he spoke it."

Even what I...Ron Smith...write or speak: I welcome and URGE you to EXAMINE IT...in light of Scripture.

There is an ANTICHRIST...and a FALSE PROPHET...soon to come. Yet...the Word of God says MANY antichrists and false prophets will set the stage for these two specific men to gain their power and position.

Therefore...I urge you to pray, seek God, read and study God's Word as never before. Be strong and vigilant. Place your hope and faith and trust in THE WORD OF GOD...above the words of men.

In Christ,
Ron

Success: Climbing the Ladder of...Satan?

Regarding the recent "uprisings" in the Middle East, which should our government and Department of Justice be focusing on and going after:

A man who did a film/video which denounces Islam and Muhammed...or the people who brutally attacked and murdered 4 Americans in a planned assault on our American Embassy in Libya?

If Christians...and Americans in general...cannot see that speaking out on sin...proclaiming the truth of the Word of God which states that ANY OTHER religion is FALSE (other than Christianity - accepting Jesus as God: born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, arose 3 days later, ascended to the Father, and He is coming again)...is now being consider "hate speech"...then they are blind and deceived.

Satan is at work in all of this. Sadly, many WITHIN the Church are blindly SUPPORTING Satan in this. Many are saying speaking out against false teachers and false prophets is an "attack" against ministers. They fail to realize it is actually a DEFENSE of God's Word...and a rebuke of what God's Word says rebuke: false doctrine.

We seem to have come to a time in America and in the Church where SPEAKING OUT...telling the TRUTH...is considered SIN...while false doctrine coming from false prophets and false teachers is simply considered "a difference of opinion."

In these cases...Satan has WON!

Satan's primary goal in our modern age has been to do just that: get LIES labeled a simple "difference of opinion", causing TRUTH to now be just "one of the acceptable doctrines or teachings" which is OK to speak from the pulpits of churches across America. Yet, further, Satan continues to push that TRUTH is actually "hate speech."

Can you see it? Here is the progression:

1. Get LIES labeled as "just a difference of opinion."
2. Allow LIES to be taught SIDE-BY-SIDE with TRUTH.
3. Get TRUTH labeled "hate speech."
4. Get "hate speech" silenced.
5. Leave LIES as the only words allowed spoken in pulpits.

This cannot be BRUSHED OFF and IGNORED. We are living in that progression...actually BETWEEN point 4 and 5!

Church...Christians...WAKE UP!

I dare you to SEEK GOD...and I dare you to QUESTION and REBUKE those who fill the pulpits of churches across America...those ministers who refuse to mention anything like I have spoken here...those who only speak of "an attack of Satan" when they are being rebuked for their insistence to preach and focus on FALSE DOCTRINES...teaching "God wants Christians rich and comfortable", as they INTENTLY focus on EARTHLY COMFORT, never warning the Church of the things which Jesus, Peter, Paul, John, and much of the ENTIRE BIBLE would focus on:

1. False teachers and false prophets will come in the last days, preaching and speaking words of "comfort" and "blessing"...with their messages VOID of WARNING and REBUKE and CHASTISEMENT...with messages centered on ANYTHING that will make people simply FEEL BETTER about themselves.

 2. Getting caught up on EARTHLY PLEASURES and EARTHLY CONTENTMENT while seldom focusing on ETERNITY.

 3. Salvation is indeed a "free gift"...but if OBEDIENCE does not follow...if WORKS are not BIRTHED from that gift...then that GRACE was "without effect"...and that makes a MOCKERY of grace.

 4. REPENTANCE FOR SIN is needed ANY time we sin...not just in the act of receiving salvation! We cannot sin and simply claim "GRACE!"...all the while ignoring CONFESSION and REPENTANCE with allows FORGIVENESS.

 5. Christians are NOT promised "favor" as the Body of Christ! Remember...the body of Christ...the actual physical body of Jesus...had to be "BROKEN"! God's Word actually promises Christians this: we will be increasingly hated, despised, rejected, persecuted, hunted, imprisoned, and murdered. And there lies the problem: American Christians have lived in luxury and have NO REAL IDEA what TRUE PERSECUTION is. American Christians have mistaken DISCOMFORT for PERSECUTION! Sadly, the American Church has been so pampered and coddled and pacified that it has scarcely left the cradle...all the while proclaiming itself "A MATURE, STRONG BODY"...while never truly experiencing the type of persecution that other Christians face around the world.

Too many dismiss this truth because they simply do not like the messenger. Yet...if the Church of God General Overseer...or the leader of any other denomination...spoke these EXACT same words, these same people would be shouting "AMEN!" And even then...many would only be shouting in agreement with puckered lips! And...if that bluntness offends you...I wonder why the TRUTH of that statement does not offend you even MORE!

This is EXACTLY what I just felt the Lord speak to me about that word and thought:

"Do not worry, Ron. Most American Christians would TOTALLY dismiss John the Baptist today. In their version of Christianity, John would be OUT OF PLACE and OUT OF TOUCH and not IMPORTANT ENOUGH to listen to. Today's Christians demand any message to be delivered by someone they deem WORTHY. So, instead of following TRUTH, they have actually been just following MEN. Yet, in their blindness, they worship at the feet of HIERARCHY...willing to accept almost ANY doctrinal position as long as it comes from the elected 'authority'. This is what has led to such rampant excesses within the Church, as most called to preach My Word have simply viewed their calling as 'climbing the ladder of success'. In doing so, MINISTRY has become just a MEANS TO AN END...instead of MINISTRY being the goal...to minster MY WORD to each and every lost soul! As they focus on those already 'saved'...teaching false doctrines of wealth and gain and favor and earthly blessing...the command to 'do it unto the least of these'...keeping the focus on the hungry, the poor, the homeless, the lost...has been largely ignored. Many will claim 'We minister to all of those groups!', yet any true evalution of their ministry shows almost ALL time, money, and energy spent is spent on those who are labeled 'MINISTRY PARTNERS'...and the cycle of 'CATERING TO SUPPORTERS' is a perpetual MERRY-GO-ROUND. It is a system which heaps praise on a LEADER...no matter the message that the LEADER speaks! It is a system which claims ACCOUNTABILITY...yet is actually a system of ACCESSIBILITY: a system of MAN by which AGREEMENT and PRAISE gives one some access to those in leadership. It is the system you saw as a young man, Ron. Remember? It is a ministry system in which YES MEN are rewarded. It is a system in which YES MEN are encouraged. It is a system which PROMOTES conformity...yet it labels 'trying the spirits to see if they be of God' as DISSENSION and TROUBLEMAKING. It is a system in which FALSE TEACHING and FALSE DOCTRINE flourish. And...it is the SAME system which imprisoned John the Baptist...and then BEHEADED him. Just as with John, it is the RELIGIOUS who HATE the cry of the prophet. They hate the prophet for his MESSAGE...and the fact that he doesn't fit their mold."

I once spoke and wrote these words:

I fear that some are seeking to climb the corporate ladder...only to find the ladder was leaned against the wrong wall!

That, I believe, is a message for the Church. And many ministers and Christians and churches are busy "climbing the ladder"...yet it is leaned against the wall of FALSE DOCTRINE/FALSE TEACHING/FALSE PROPHETS.

It is your choice to accept my words or to simply reject them. But...I am sure these words are written under the urging of the Holy Spirit. May God bless and use these words in ways beyond my ability.

In Christ,
Ron

Fatal Flaws

On November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587, bound for the Dominican Republic from New York’s JFK International Airport, crashed into the New York City suburb of Belle Harbor, killing 269 people. The tragedy, coming only 2 months and 1 day after the terrorists’ attacks of September 11, brought even more fear and questions to an already shaken America…and throughout the world.

The big question: Who was responsible for this new act of terrorism? So soon after 9/11, a world stood watching, positive that the downing of Flight 587 was another evil act perpetrated by the enemies of the United States of America. “Surely this was an act of terrorism!” the people cried. And, with this supposed act of terrorism, 269 innocent lives were lost.

Men…women…children…fathers…mothers…husbands…wives: lives ended by the senseless act of madmen! A nation mourned.

Many months would pass as the National Transportation and Safety Board looked into the crash of Flight 587. The preliminary findings would startle and, in some cases, disappoint a nation. Flight 587 had NOT been a victim of terrorism! That much was SURE! American Airlines Flight 587 had been a victim of a FATAL FLAW!

Preliminary reports showed a severe flaw in the part of the tail section of the plane known as the VERTICAL STABILIZER. This VS broke away and dropped into the harbor, causing the Airbus A300-600 to immediately lose control, crashing into the New York City suburb.

A similar incident occurred July 17, 1996 in East Moriches, New York. TWA Flight 800 exploded minutes after taking off from JFK International Airport. The following is an excerpt from an article written by Chris Kilroy entitled “Special Report: Trans World Airlines Flight 800”, written for Airdisaster.com.

“Early indications suggested that the airliner had been blown out of the sky by a bomb or a ground to air missile. But as the investigation progressed, this theory, for which clear evidence was lacking, receded. Another theory, with serious ramifications for the entire Boeing 747 fleet of more than 1000 aircraft, focused on the possibility that the fuel vapor in the center fuel tank ignited after it had become overheated. If this was indeed what happened, it meant that the tragedy could be repeated.”

“TWA Flight 800, on a scheduled service to Paris, was delayed at JFK for nearly 3 hours due to mechanical problems. The center tank was virtually empty for the trans-Atlantic flight, most of the fuel having been pumped into the wing tanks. In the sweltering July temperatures, fuel vapor would have built up above the Kerosene to a temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature at which this volatile fuel would ignite with the slightest spark.”

“The aircraft finally took off and began to climb to its cruising height as it flew east over Long Island. Weather conditions were near perfect. Passengers were just settling down for the long flight when, as the aircraft ascended through 13,700 feet, a huge explosion blew away a large part of the fuselage below the leading edge of the wings. The stricken 747 plunged 5000 feet before a second explosion sealed its fate. The aircraft disintegrated, and less than 15 minutes after they had left New York, all 230 people on board were dead.”

Two airline crashes: two horrible tragedies. Both of these incidents were first thought to be acts of terrorism, but, in the final analysis, the apparent cause of these two disasters was due to one issue: a FATAL FLAW!

Coming to grips with reality can be a hard issue. It seems easier to believe that these two horrible accidents were caused by something else. It had to be caused by terrorists! Somebody ELSE has to be blamed here! We struggle with the fact that these two tragedies were PREVENTABLE. But no one recognized the FATAL FLAW that would eventually leave families broken and lives scarred by events that could have been avoided. If only someone had known! If only the flaws had been corrected before they horribly surfaced with such tragic consequences!

Yet, today we exist under some of the same assumptions of safety and tranquility that filled the lives of so many who would, within an instant, PERISH from the face of the earth, none being aware of the fatal flaw that would end so many hopes and dreams. Too often, we are unconcerned with obvious signs of trouble, even to the point of dismissing those signs as unimportant. And, when trouble comes, it is easier to believe that the cause of the problem lies WITHOUT…not from WITHIN.

Just as with American Airlines Flight 587 and TWA Flight 800, we are so ready to blame an outside source for our troubles when MAYBE the true enemy is some deep-rooted FATAL FLAW. These FATAL FLAWS wreak havoc in our world, in our country, in our cities, in our schools, in our homes, in our churches, and in our personal lives.

In our SCHOOLS, we have replaced:

1. Creation with Evolution
2. Prayer with Condoms
3. Discipline with Ritalin

In our COUNTRY, we have called:

1. Abortion a “woman’s choice”
2. Homosexuality a “sexual preference” or a “birth trait”
3. Christian truth “intolerance”

In our CHURCH:

1. Bible reading and study is almost NONEXISTENT
2. Prayer is only a suggestion…which most only do when they are in NEED (or WANT)
3. Tithing is an OPTION
4. Sin is just a “MISTAKE”
5. Obedience to God is now labeled “LEGALISM”
6. Truth is taught along side FALSE DOCTRINE
7. Repentance is considered “UNNECESSARY”
8. Grace is defined as LICENSE TO FREELY SIN WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES

In OURSELVES, we seek:

1. SECURITY over SANCTIFICATION
2. FINANCIAL GAIN over FAITHFUL GROWTH
3. COMMUNITY with each other over COMMUNION with God
4. SELF worth over GOD’S worth
5. CONTENTMENT over CONSECRATION
6. HAPPINESS over HOLINESS

These, I submit to you, are FATAL FLAWS!

FATAL FLAWS: hidden faults that can lie dormant for months and years without surfacing or without consequences. They are beliefs, thoughts, and/or actions which we fail to realize are CONTRARY to the WORD of God and the WILL of God.

These FATAL FLAWS are often misdiagnosed. Why?

Because it is much easier to blame an OUTWARD source for our troubles than to seek out the root of the INWARD source. In the Church, they are often labeled as “attacks of Satan.” We blame Satan for the mess we find ourselves in, not willing to recognize that we have allowed our FATAL FLAWS to remain within us and, thus, they have brought us to points and places we NEVER INTENDED to be! In blaming Satan, WE are not responsible! If SATAN is to blame…then WE are justified in our eyes! We are just “victims”…and we are not responsible!

In Matthew 7:21-27, Jesus said "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

A FATAL FLAW is the equivalent of building on the sand!

Today, the Church seems oblivious to the FATAL FLAWS within its walls.

-Sin is rampant.

-False doctrine and false teaching are espoused SIDE BY SIDE with the truth of God’s Word.

-The “law of ATTRACTION” has taken precedence over the “law of ATONEMENT.”

-Our Biblical VALUES have been DEVALUED.

-We have shifted our focus from SALVATION (seeing people as SAVED or UNSAVED) to CHURCH (seeing people as CHURCHED or UNCHURCHED).

-Success is measured by ATTENDANCE rather than OBEDIENCE.

-An EARTHLY focus has overwhelmed any ETERNAL focus.

-God has become little more than an OBSERVER in our PAGEANTRY and PERFORMANCES.

2 Timothy 2:1-7

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

We find ourselves in “perilous times”. We now live in a 2 Timothy 2:1-7 world.

But, notice in the passage quoted earlier…Matthew 7:21-27.…that the FATAL FLAW never appears until the STORM comes. I imagine the two OUTWARDLY identical houses. Yet, the STORM would reveal the FOUNDATION of each house: one built on the ROCK…the other constructed on the SAND. And…the passage doesn’t say IF the storms come…the passage says they DID come!

Church…Christians…we are now in the storm! We are assaulted on every side…in every possible way!

I urge you to remember the two main battle fronts by which Satan is attacking: POLITICAL and SPIRITUAL. We see this truth manifested in the last days with the rise of an ANTICHRIST (Political) and a FALSE PROPHET (Spiritual).

Politically...truth is being attacked. God’s Word is being disgraced and maligned. With every passing year, our nation ceases to build on the ROCK. God and His Word are being escorted out of every facet of America. Slowly…but with ever increasing speed…society is NO LONGER based on the timeless truth of God’s Word. We are in dire straits!

Spiritually...the Church has been so infiltrated by Satan through false teaching and false doctrine that the truth of God’s Word has become almost unrecognizable! Every whim of doctrine is being allowed in pulpits across America…and the poison is slowly destroying the Body of Christ. Weakened, the Church is giving in…tired of even fighting the “good fight”…failing to “defend the faith”.

POLITICALLY and SPIRITUALLY…we are in MANSIONS…but they are MANSIONS BUILT ON THE SAND!

I end with the words of George Barna…from his book “The Second Coming of the Church”:

“This is a call for us to stop playing church and start being the church…The only power that can cleanse and restore this nation is the power of Christ. And the primary way in which that power is to be manifested is by Christ’s followers serving God and humanity by being the Church--that is, the true representation of Jesus Christ….Faith used to revolve around God and His ordinances and principles; the faith that arrests our attention these days is that which revolves around us. We have demystified God, befriended Jesus, abandoned the Holy Spirit, and forgiven and even warmed up to Satan. Few Americans possess a sense of awe, fear, or trembling related to God…To increasing millions of Americans, God…exists for the pleasure of mankind…What we need is true spiritual renewal--a transformation that goes well beyond mere evangelistic outreach. We desperately need a holistic revolution of mind, heart, and spirit.”

It is time that we RECOGNIZE and REPAIR our FATAL FLAWS with PRAYER and REPENTANCE…before these FATAL FLAWS bring sudden destruction. We have wallowed in “permissive will”…assuming that we are “OK” since God has not sent JUDGMENT. It is time that we return to the WILL OF GOD…that we “seek His face” instead of always seeking His hand. It is time the modern SELFISH “gospel” is forever BANISHED from the pulpits of churches all across America. FATAL FLAWS will not be fixed in our own strength! We must take a stand…by kneeling before God.

Pray…”without ceasing.”

In Christ,

Ron

Exposing False Teaching: Truth Regarding "The DNA Blessing That Creates Wealth"

On Perry Stone’s Manna-Fest program entitled “The DNA Blessing That Creates Wealth”, there were NUMEROUS misrepresentations and errors which were spoken by Perry and his guest Walter Hallam. I will deal with a few very quickly…then I want to focus on one misinterpretation of Scripture which is OFTEN used by prosperity preachers.

Here are a few teachings/misrepresentations/errors which are spoken during this program:

1. God DNA - Walter Hallam called it “spiritual DNA”. There is no Scriptural basis for this exegesis of Scripture. Any teaching which has no basis in God’s Word MUST be considered FALSE TEACHING. Hallam gives no references for this teaching…so I cannot assess the invisible passage from which he gleans such a teaching. His reference to being made “in the image and likeness of God” is referring to our existence as a SPIRIT being. Being made in the FORM of a man (according to God’s Word), we possess a spirit. Our spirit will exist FOREVER…our body will die. It is this fact…that we are truly spirit in our existence throughout eternity…that God’s Word is referring to when it speaks of our creation. Only PHYSICAL MAN…HUMANITY…has DNA. God is NOT man…thus, God does not even HAVE or possess DNA. We are children of God by ADOPTION…not by BIRTH…according to the Word of God. Our DNA will not MATCH God’s DNA…even spiritually. God’s Word tells us that there is NONE like Him in all the universe! NONE means NONE! Far from our “God DNA” existing to make us “like God”, as Hallam puts it…it is in our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior which begins to mold us to be MORE like God…but, even then, it is ONLY in spiritual attributes which are noted by the “fruits of the Spirit”. It is then in our WILLINGNESS to be “transformed by the renewing our minds” that we continuously and earnestly seek to be as Christ. Yet, we are NEVER truly “like God” in our EXISTENCE. God is God: we are simply His children…by adoption. He loved us so much that He adopted us into His family. No adopted child receives the DNA of the adopting parent. If we actually received DNA from God…we would then be equal to Christ…who IS the very SON OF GOD in total EXISTENCE.

2. Hallam says “Every person has wealth in their DNA.” Again, there is simply no Scripture to substantiate this claim. It is simply an invented theological teaching which has no basis in God’s Word. This is just MADE-UP theology. The example by Hallam which says an ANIMAL would kill the child…and a human seeks to PROTECT the child…is simply utter nonsensical exegesis of a HUMAN thought. Even ANIMALS…in most cases…protect THEIR OWN! Some animals DO eat their young…or kill their young. But…some HUMANS do the same thing! Does ABORTION sound familiar?

3. Hallam’s statement “There is not going to be a poor street in heaven” is actually true. But…WEALTH IN HEAVEN IS NOT MEASURED BY EARTHLY STANDARDS! Face it…he uses “streets of gold” and “walls of jasper” as signs of wealth. Yet, God says that love and peace and joy are WEALTH in heaven. Actually…gold and silver and jasper and pearls are simply BUILDING MATERIALS in heaven! Those EARTHLY materials are no better than ASPHALT and STONE and BRICKS and LUMBER in heaven! BLESSINGS and WEALTH in HEAVEN are not the same as those here on earth! Gold and silver have PURCHASING POWER here on earth…but they have NO purchasing power in HEAVEN! Only THE BLOOD OF JESUS has PURCHASING POWER in eternity!!!

4. The unbelievable misrepresentation of the story of David is INEXCUSABLE. To present that story as “David brings a gift”…thus making some erroneous analogy of “giving” is just preposterous. This is what I call “spiritual exaggeration” for the purpose of MANIPULATION. It is taking a Biblical story and applying FALSE truths to the story. Read the story of David for yourself. Hallam takes GREAT LIBERTIES is his version of the story. I will simply let the Bible speak for itself…allowing you to read the ACTUAL version which is in God’s Word. Please…read the story of David as he takes food down to his brothers (by the instructions of his father). Read it for what it is…without spiritual manipulation which is seeking to use the Word of God to ENTICE you to GIVE based on a FALSE PRINCIPLE. The emphasis on the story of David was not on GIVING…it was on a small young boy being willing to take a stand when no one else was willing to STAND UP FOR GOD! It is NOT a story on GIVING! And David did NOT see an opportunity “where he could become a prince, marry a princess…” as Hallam suggests. This is twisting Scripture to make David out to be an OPPORTUNIST…where David is USING situations to INTENTIONALLY exalt himself! This is NOT Biblical. David simply TOOK A STAND! He simply DID WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE! And David did it with NO THOUGHTS of “what can I get out of this”! David was OBEDIENT and FULLY DEVOTED to God. That ALONE is why God used him. The resulting EXALTATION of David was simply a RESULT of David’s determination to defend his God! It was NOT due to ANY plans and intentions of David himself. David’s rise was due to GOD…not some PRINICPLE OF GIVING which David followed which he INTENTIONALLY PLANNED and EXECUTED to perfection! Simply put….Hallam’s exegesis of this story in Scripture is UNBELIEVABLY distorted and perverted, making claims that are NOT the purpose nor the intention of God to be gleaned from this portion of God’s Word.

5. Hallam’s assertion that you have to have money to be a blessing: simply UNBELIEVABLE! I will answer that this way: I guess poor people can NEVER be a blessing. If you cannot see through that lie…nothing I can say will EVER be enough to convince you. Listen to me: prosperity preachers tell you that it takes MONEY to minister. I dare you to try this: think of someone in your neighborhood who does not know Christ, and go witness to them. DO IT! Then…tell me how much MONEY that it cost you to do that! Can’t you see? What these prosperity preachers are ACTUALLY telling you is that it takes money for THEM to minister!!!!! Their words reveal their heart: THEY MINISTER FOR MONEY! Prosperity preachers…TV preachers…will tell you that it takes TV to get the message out! Do not buy that lie! If every Christian would simply WITNESS in THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES…whether in America or in Africa (Africa is no longer the biggest mission field: America is! That is not hyperbole…it is fact!)…then the lost would be won…and the lost would be won WITHOUT TV ministry! This whole thought process is to get the people to believe that A CERTAIN MINISTRY is NEEDED and NECESSARY. Yet…God will use a DONKEY if he needs to! No MINISTER nor MINISTRY is a “NECESSITY” to God! If one falls…God can use ANOTHER. No one is irreplaceable! God wants to reach YOUR COMMUNITY though YOU…not a ministry which has OVERHEAD that eats up the very money given for the purpose of winning the lost…much less a ministry that spends its time teaching on every other “principle” which has NOTHING TO DO with ETERNITY! This video…”The DNA Blessing That Creates Wealth”…has NO ETERNAL emphasis AT ALL! It is time that ministry returns to ETERNAL FOCUS and ceases this push for EARTHLY FINANCES!

Now, I want to deal with the misrepresentation of passages in Deuteronomy…specifically Deuteronomy 8:18. Here is the background for the Book of Deuteronomy.

The Children of Israel have been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. As Scripture shows us, the short trip from Egypt to the Promised Land had been lengthened due to DISOBEDIENCE. Most of Deuteronomy is Moses’ farewell to the people. The period covered in Deuteronomy is only about one month. Moses knows his time is short, and God gives him DIVINE REVELATION to speak to the people. It was time for the Children of Israel to “possess the land”…and God, through Moses, reminds them of their PAST…the reasons why they wandered for 40 years, the difficulties they faced, and the miracles that God performed. Moses reviews the TEN COMMANDMENTS and cautions the people against DISOBEDIENCE. In Chapter 7, we read of the COVENANT of God with Israel…and His promise of BLESSINGS on them if they live in OBEDIENCE in the PROMISED LAND. It is then that we come to Chapter 8...and the portions of Scripture which are SO OFTEN misinterpreted and misrepresented by PROSPERITY PREACHERS.

Moses, speaking under the authority of God, reminds the people of how God provided for them during their time in the wilderness. He speaks that God “allowed you to hunger” (verse 3), then fed the people with MANNA…a supernatural “feeding” which taught the people that they “shall not live by bread alone”. The people are then reminded of this: during the 40 years in the wilderness, their clothes NEVER WORE OUT! God, again, provided SUPERNATURALLY. God wants to remind His people of all He has done for them…so they will NEVER forget!

Then, in verse 11, we begin to see the reason for the reminder! God exposes the REAL reason He is speaking these words through Moses, saying “lest--when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart if lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end---then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’”

First, we must note some truths regarding this passage: all of this is in DIRECT reference to ISRAEL. We must learn to distinguish the difference in portions of Scripture which speak to HISTORICAL issues and promises which were for ISRAEL ALONE and Scripture which is for the Church. Every word in Scripture is for our CONSUMPTION…to learn and to glean from…but not all is ours in actual RECEPTION.

Abraham received a promise…that HE would be the “father of many nations.” That promise was for ABRAHAM ALONE…and no one else! We cannot apply a promise to OURSELVES which was NOT to be UNIVERSAL. Everyone CANNOT be the “father of many nations!” Just one example.

If you follow Scripture in its totality, you will learn that God provided for Israel in ways he does not provide for us today! It is that simple! God had a NATION which He was building through Abraham. Therefore, God blessed that lineage for that purpose: TO ESTABLISH A NATION. Last time I checked, God has instructed none of us to do the same. God blessed Abraham and his descendants for a specific purpose: so they would be SET and READY to inhabit the PROMISED LAND. God wanted the nation ESTABLISHED. From the outset, they would be set and blessed. Yet, God plainly recounts here in Deuteronomy that it was for a specific purpose that He had blessed them…and God did not want them to forget that the blessings were from Him…NOT from themselves.

Moses would speak for God, telling the people that they needed to REMEMBER…because, in a time of plenty, they would easily FORGET that it was GOD…and GOD ALONE…who is the source for all that they have…or that they EVER WILL have. EVERYTHING is attributed to GOD!

That takes us to the specific Scripture which is spoken by Hallam in the video “The DNA Blessing That Creates Wealth.”

Deuteronomy 8:18 says “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

In context, this passage says NOTHING like anything ever taught by PROSPERITY PREACHERS. This passage comes after Moses…by instruction of God…reminds the people of all God has done for them, and that God is telling them to REMEMBER or else they will forget that truth once they have settled into life in the PROMISED LAND. This passage CLEARLY makes reference to the “covenant” made by God with Abraham…the promise that a NATION would be birthed through him. And, the context in which this passage is written is ONLY to verify that NOTHING the people will have as they reside in the PROMISED LAND will be due to ANYTHING that they have done: it will ONLY be due to the PROVISION of God.

This passage is NOT some Biblical “promise” on which we can establish a UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE…especially ANY reference to “GIVING” and “PROSPERITY”. For one…there was NOTHING “given” by the people. God made it clear: it was ALL HIM! God provided in the wilderness IN SPITE OF the people…not BECAUSE OF any “giving”.

In this passage, God is REMINDING the people of this: ANY wealth which you have in the PROMISED LAND was given by ME. God is saying this: “I am honoring my covenant with Abraham. But do not be fooled. It is not in YOUR POWER that you will prosper. It is because I want My nation established forever: the nation of ISRAEL.

God blessed Abraham and his descendants for the EXPRESS purpose of BUILDING A NATION! He did not EVER intend on this blessing of Israel to equate to PROMISES OF PROSPERITY FOR EVERY BELIEVER!

You are not convinced? Then let me convince you.

Go back in Deuteronomy 8. Again notice how Moses reminds the people of how God provided for the Children of Israel. He provided water out of rock…food out of the heavens (manna)…and supernatural sustaining of clothing!

So…if we are to take verse 18 as taught by PROSPERITY PREACHERS…then that truth would have to apply even in those instances. Yet…I have never eaten manna from heaven: have you? I have to buy clothes regularly. My clothes wear out! Don’t yours?

PROSPERITY PREACHERS claim verse 18 is something for ALL Christians to claim because we are “under the same covenant as Abraham.” Yet…none of us are to be the “father of many nations.” None of us are called to “establish the nation of Israel” in the PROMISED LAND. None of us receive manna from heaven for our daily sustenance. None of us have clothes that never wear out.

The fact is…if we examine the entire covenant as given to Abraham…we do not have MANY THINGS which God promised Abraham and his descendants. We are the CHURCH…but we ARE NOT Israel. And…at the time of Deuteronomy…Israel was preparing to enter the PROMISED LAND. And…even then…they were warned what would happen if they DISOBEYED. And DISOBEY is just what they did! And…Scripture was fulfilled…and they ceased to be a nation!

Let me put it together like this: Deuteronomy 8:18 is not some FUTURE promise for every Christian to build WEALTH principles on. Deuteronomy 8:18 is a call for the Children of Israel to REMEMBER that it was…and is….GOD ALONE who has blessed them…and to GOD ALONE they owe their gratitude…not to THEMSELVES. And it is a WARNING of what will…and did…happen if Israel EVER forgets that it is GOD who sustained them in the wilderness, allowing them to BECOME the nation that He had promised!

Not only is Deuteronomy 8:18 not some “principle” established which proves we have “God DNA” within us…this passage has NO INFERENCE to the prosperity preachers’ FALSE TEACHINGS which tell you to “give” to their ministry. This passage is IN NO WAY discussing GIVING…nor subsequent RECEIVING due TO that giving.

This passage is about OBEDIENCE and/or DISOBEDIENCE…and the warning to “REMEMBER”!

And even in reminding the Children of Israel of GOD’S PROVISION…God (through Moses) already notes that, once in the Promised Land, the seduction of WEALTH will EASILY cause people to forget God! God is actually distinguishing between SEEKING GOD and SEEKING WEALTH…and the flaw of man to TAKE CREDIT for the works of God!

40 years Israel had wandered…and now God was about to let them enter the PROMISED LAND. If they obeyed God there, they would be established forever. If they disobeyed God there, they would be driven out and scattered. We know what happened, don’t we.

Our PROMISED LAND today….as the Church…is not an EARTHLY NATION. Our PROMISED LAND is heaven. We are NOT promised EARTHLY WEALTH here on earth. When our journey is over…if we have obeyed God…we will enter the PROMISED LAND…and we shall receive our INHERITANCE.

If anyone has any thoughts our questions…feel free to comment. There is MUCH more that can be said and shown from Scripture to renounce “The DNA Blessing That Creates Wealth”…but I will end this for now.

God wants us to seek HIM…not WEALTH. There are MANY other passages which PROSPERITY PREACHERS take out of context. I only wanted to deal with those mentioned in the video here…and it STILL took many words. I pray that each one will seek WISDOM and DISCERNMENT on this issue.

In Christ,

Ron

(Here is the link to "The DNA Blessing That Creates Wealth")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxG_-ldLDUA

The Deception of "Core Values": Protecting the Pulpit...and the Word of God

It is time to expose the ERROR in a long-standing quote…a quote which many love to use regarding Christian doctrine. Here is the quote:

“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

Many have heralded that quote as a banner under which we can all UNITE. Yet…that very thought is the OPEN DOOR to the ALLOWANCE of FALSE TEACHING/FALSE DOCTRINE to be ushered into the Church!

This erroneous thought creates a set of CORE DOCTRINES…stating that these are ESSENTIALS. And…true, there are ESSENTIALS which MUST underlie our BELIEFS.

The SERIOUS flaw in this thought lies in the “LIBERTY” section and the concluding statement.

Why is it wrong, you ask?

Throughout God’s Word…New Testament and Old Testament…God speaks VOLUMES on the issue of FALSE PROPHETS and FALSE DOCTRINE. In most cases, the issue was UNITING God’s TRUTH with teachings which were NOT directed by God. In other words…God consistently RENOUNCES any MIXING of TRUTH with LIES.

This is just ONE example of something…in this case, a quote attributed to Augustine…which may SOUND wise and correct, but…when evaluated…is actually FOOLISH theology!

When a Christian denomination and its ministers believe that it can UNITE around a CORE set of doctrines WITHOUT restricting and governing the doctrines which will be taught ALONG SIDE that CORE…then that group of leaders has been terribly DECIEVED!

It makes me want to ask “What Bible have they been reading?!?”

It is NOT for me to decide why Jesus and Peter and Paul and John were so INSISTENT on warning the Church about false doctrine…although it is CLEAR and PLAIN in the Word of God. But it is OBVIOUS that God Almighty is DETERMINED to keep the message pure…and that FALSE DOCTRINE has NO PLACE in ANY pulpit of a Church which calls itself CHRISTIAN!

Far from being harmless, even the most SILLY false teaching can lead to SERIOUS error and cause a focus on teachings that are SATANIC. Even SATAN’S fall from heaven seemed to start with what some would call “harmless error”.

Satan became ARROGANT…HAUGHTY…PRIDEFUL. (Sounds a bit like SEVERAL ministers that I know! And that is not being rude….I am being HONEST!) Oh how we love to ignore those “immature” qualities…never realizing that God NEVER intended for the ministry to become so CHILDISH and so INSECURE!

Anyway….

Consider this thought: Does the Bible not CONDEMN any and all “ADDING TO” Scripture…whatever shape and form in which that is done? Yes…it does! Can you see just what this dangerous thought can lead to? Think…discern…follow:

Once the CORE DOCTRINES have been established…what can be ADDED TO those doctrines? Where does the ADDING TO (non-essentials) begin…and where does it end? And…as long as someone continues to preach the ESSENTIALS…then can they be considered in ERROR on the NON-ESSENTIALS?

Face it…defining the NON-ESSENTIALS actually becomes IMPOSSIBLE. Why? Because if “liberty” is to be allowed…then it would be IMPOSSIBLE to declare that what someone is teaching is FALSE DOCTRINE. As long as the ESSENTIALS are included….ANYTHING can be attached to the ESSENTIALS and the package presented could still be labeled by the PROPHET/TEACHER as “TRUTH”.

Of course…the problem lies in the fact that MUCH of what is being “ADDED TO” the “ESSENTIALS” falls under the category of “FALSE TEACHING” or “FALSE PROPHECY” or “FALSE DOCTRINE”.

Church…Christians…hear me on this:

Everything taught under the banner of “God spoke this to me.” or “Thus saith the Lord.” or “God told me to preach this today.” or “This is revelation from God.”…in other words…ANYTHING TAUGHT BY ANYONE WHO CLAIMS TO BE HEARING FROM GOD AND SPEAKING FOR GOD…EVERYTHING spoken from a pulpit of ANY KIND….MUST be absent of ANY and ALL falsehood! There can be NO ERROR…NO DECEPTION…NO GREED…NO SEDUCTIVE AND ENTICING INTENTIONS…involved in any form or fashion.

The message which comes from God IS pure…and it must REMAIN pure!

When will the Church learn that it is the VARIATIONS…the “non-essentials”…given the liberty which is declared by such a statement as made by Augustine (if it was actually he who made that statement)….that have led to RAMPANT preaching and teaching of FALSE DOCTRINE in pulpits across America and around the world!

There are THOUSANDS of things which can be taught from the Word of God: stories, lessons, truths. Yet, even when the teaching is on some aspect of simple LIVING…each and every premise and precept MUST BE found DIRECTLY in Scripture! Even on NON-ESSENTIAL issues (if that is even possible), there MUST be Biblical support and grounds for teaching that issue!

Here is a fact: TRUTH exists…whether we like it or not! And whether we AGREE with it or not! Regardless of our OPINIONS…EVEN on “non-essentials”…there is an actual TRUTH regarding that issue! We can promote our “liberty” to disagree and debate the issue…but GOD knows EXACTLY where He stands on the issue and EXACTLY what He meant when He dealt with it by inspiring men to write regarding that issue! There IS a truth to be found…even about “NON-ESSENTIALS!”

Let me summarize my thoughts this way:

The Word of God is to be defended, protected, and held up as the ONLY standard of TRUTH. Any group or denomination or ministry or minister who believes that there can be UNITY around a CORE GROUP OF DOCTRINES while allowing for ANY AND ALL variations of teachings to be taught ALONG SIDE those CORE DOCTRINES is sadly DECEIVED. Any belief in such a thought flings the door WIDE OPEN to any and all false teachings and false doctrines, allowing them to ACCOMPANY the truth! In doing so, FALSE DOCTRINE is allowed to be ON PAR with TRUTH…and that is a perversion of all that is right and holy! God’s Word is a revelation of GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, and GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT! There can be NOTHING ADDED along side that revelation that is not directed and given and/or spoken by God Himself!

To believe that CORE DOCTRINES can be taught along with ERRONEOUS DOCTRINES of ANY KIND is absolute HERESY! It is ESSENTIAL that denominations and leadership protect ANY AND ALL teaching that will be heard from its pulpits! It is the WORD OF GOD and TRUTH that MUST be protected! Without that, the Bible becomes a simple book of MAYBES…instead of THE BOOK of TRUTH!

In Christ,

Ron

The Walls Are Down: Living Among the Ruins

Nehemiah 1

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, 2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire." 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said: "I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. 8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; 9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.' 10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." For I was the king's cupbearer.

Jerusalem was in ruins. All around, the signs of destruction were visible. The destruction itself was an ACTUAL and REAL reminder of the failure of the people to follow God. Every day in the city, people walked…people worked…people gathered…children played…people dined…lives went on. Yet, as everyday life continued, the very signs of DISOBEDIENCE stared Jerusalem in the face!

Make no mistake: the enemy was NOT the reason for the condition of Jerusalem! The reason for the destruction was DISOBEDIENCE…a failure to obey and follow God. The condition of Jerusalem was caused by the allowance and continuance of SIN.

But notice the situation: the people of Jerusalem had become ACCUSTOMED to walking amongst the ruins!

It is amazing the power of Satan to blind the eyes of those who SHOULD know and DISCERN the situation in which they find themselves!

Nehemiah would go on to oversee the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. As he did, he experienced OPPOSITION from some in the city...from those who had been content to live in the devastation, knowing that their own influence was tied to the RUINS in which they had kept the people! But my concern here is simply this: A WILLINGNESS TO LIVE IN RUINS.

As I have stated, we know through the reading of the Word of God that Jerusalem was ALLOWED by God to be attacked and laid waste…because of the DISOBEDIENCE of the people of Israel. DISOBEDIENCE has consequences! Yet, regardless of the reasons…looking past that truth…why would the people wish to live with NO FORTIFICATION??

The walls represented PROTECTION. The walls represented SECURITY. The walls represented STRENGTH. The walls represented BOUNDARIES. The walls represented OBEDIENCE.

Every day the people of Jerusalem came face to face with TRUTH: that they had failed God. Yet, they had become COMFORTABLE in that fact. Somehow, daily…the people had learned to live in their RUINS. The comfort of the surroundings allowed them to make no REPAIRS. And, in accepting their conditions, they simply had made their home in RUBBLE.

How often do we find this today…in the Church?

Today, the Church finds itself in a place of COMPROMISE. False doctrine and false teachings are running ROUGH-SHOD over the landscape…with false teachers and false prophets in almost total control of the major pulpits and platforms across America. And, much like those who opposed Nehemiah, those in control actually BENEFIT from the ruinous condition within the Church: as people seek for answers, the false prophets and false teachers are there with FALSE ANSWERS and FALSE HOPES. Just like the people of Jerusalem, the people seem unaware that the “powers-that-be” are PERFECTLY CONTENT in the present conditions…and to keep the people in a state of denial is their primary goal. Even though the walls are in PLAIN SIGHT…the RUINS are scattered around them…the people STILL buy the lies of those in leadership, which declares to them “Blessing! Provision! Wealth! Prosperity! Favor! New Dimensions!”

Just as the Word of God spoke several times before, the Spirit of God is crying out today: “The prophets speak lies to my people!” Yet…the Church rejects the very conditions which are visible around them, only to accept the lies of those who claim to be speaking for God. In truth…they are following the PIED PIPER, who mesmerizes the people with seductive music and performance, only to be led to their deaths as they mindlessly follow Satanic deception over the cliff of “secretly introduced heresies” and “fables”, as Scripture calls the false teachings and false doctrines which these messengers of LIES speak to the Church. Sadly, none of the deceived realize that those who claim to “care” and that say they “are looking out for your interests” are actually EMPOWERED by KEEPING people in their ruins. And…this is oft times the method of leadership to keep the people IN NEED…never wanting to actually help people find freedom for fear that the people will not see the LEADER as necessary any longer! It is born out of INSECURITY…accompanied by SELF INTEREST and SELF PRESERVATION.

Church…THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM ARE TORN DOWN IN YOUR MIDST!

The Church is NOT sitting high and mighty in truth: it is, instead, wallowing in the putrid refuse of false doctrine and false teaching!

All around, the truth of the RUINS speak volumes to the people…yet, they allow CHARLATANS to “make merchandise” of them! Appealing to the flesh, the false prophets promise “earthly blessings”…telling all who will listen that THEY…each and every person who will listen and OBEY their FORMULAS and KEYS and PRINCIPLES…will find the “gold at the end of the rainbow”. And they promise each and every one of their followers that GOD is the one promising them FINANCIAL WEALTH AND FAVOR.

Here is the puzzling truth: why do these people never realize that it is the FALSE PROPHET who prospers financially…all the while, those who follow that FALSE PROPHET are always promised that same prosperity at some point IN THE FUTURE? The promise is always KEPT BEFORE the people as a GOAL…yet that goal is never achieved (at least not by the “formulas, keys, and principles” which are touted by the CHARLATANS).

And…the FALSE TEACHINGS and FALSE DOCTRINES extend even further, branching out into twisted doctrines of GRACE which promote lies, attacking the need for REPENTANCE and CHANGE within the HEART and LIFE of a believer. In so doing, the TRUE GOSPEL of Jesus Christ…which recognizes salvation by grace alone, but which also recognizes that the work of grace brings about a SUBSEQUENT OBEDIENCE to God’s Word…is distorted into a doctrine unrecognizable in the true teachings of Jesus and the Word of God. From there, all manner of heretical teachings are catching hold within the Church.

Just as in the days of Nehemiah, the Church needs men…and women…who will stand up and recognize the condition of the Church. And, in so doing, there needs to be an all-out effort to organize the people for the REBUILDING PROJECT ahead. But that REBUILDING will not be with tools of labor…it will be done through REPENTANCE…then PRAYER AND FASTING!

God wants the walls rebuilt! God wants a STRONG, PROTECTED, SECURE, OBEDIENT Church which honors the BOUNDARIES set by God Himself!

Only when the Church is HEALTHY again can the Church be the ARMY OF GOD which God has called it to be! And, once healthy, the GATES OF HELL can no longer stand against the spiritual onslaught that the Church can bring against it! No…we will not be made strong to simply DEFEND our territory: we will be made strong to GO AND TAKE THE TERRITORY that Satan has stolen from so many! And that is NOT equated to WEALTH and RICHES! This territory is SOULS!

Who will help sound the alarm: THE WALLS ARE DOWN!

Then…who will help rebuild them? If you say “I will”…then the first order of business is REPENTANCE and SURRENDER TO GOD in OBEDIENCE. As we do that…we then join forces together UNDER THE BANNER OF THE SPIRT OF GOD…united under our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST!

God bless!

Ron