Calling, compromising, chastening - where are you in the cycle?

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of www.photoxpress.com

Hello dear friend, welcome back to A Good Bible Study where we are discovering A Passionate Love: the Relationship Between God and You.

Sometimes the synonyms we find for passion, like zeal, fervor, fervent, enthusiastic, etc. refer to God's desire for our hearts, His excitement with our lives, or His heartbreak over our childish behavior. Other times, it refers to his determination not to let us go on forever in willful sin, throwing away our future, and our hope.

Let me illustrate: We spent a recent Sunday at Calvary Memorial Church, in Gering, NE and the Pastor said something that really tied up some loose ends for me. He said the history of Israel can be summed up in a cycle of three words: calling, compromising, and chastening.

Israel was meant to be a light for the rest of the world; set apart to point others to God. They were the first called. Unfortunately, the people struggled with being in, but not of, the world around them. Sound familiar?

They always started out loving God, being grateful for the last time He got them out of hot water; but sure enough over time, the Israelites slowly lost their passion for God and began sinking into the culture around them, to the point of taking on their evil practices of idol worship and human sacrifice.

They began to compromise, just a little at first, just leaving up one or two idols, just small acts of disobedience, (look, nothing happened, see, God doesn't even know what we are doing) then more and more, until the Israelite was unrecognizable from the people around him.

God gave them some rope, often for centuries, giving the people prophets to first plead with their hearts to return to God, then to offer dire warnings of what was coming down the pike if the Israelites didn't repent. Finally, to announce the consequences, the chastening, of refusing to obey.

It's tough love at its, toughest. You're a parent, right? Or a child. Think of it as a monumental count of "1 . . . . 2 . . .  don't let me get to three young man . . . OK, have it your way, 3."

Read Ezekiel 5:13-15.

¹³ “Then my anger will cease and my wrath against them will subside, and I will be avenged. And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the LORD have spoken in my zeal.
¹⁴ “I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by. ¹⁵ You will be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and an object of horror to the nations around you when I inflict punishment on you in anger and in wrath and with stinging rebuke. I the LORD have spoken. NIV

This is one of those "3" moments when no matter what God did or said, the Israelites just weren't going to listen. They were depraved, doing vile and disgusting things inside the very temple of God, from sexual acts to child sacrifice. Hard to believe, isn't it? It's hard to believe anyone could fall so far. Yet, they did.

God had warned them and warned them, and the Israelites, chosen or not, were so mired in their evil desires that a major shake up was the only thing going to get them out of their own mess. They were in love with their own depravity.

Sometimes my husband and I read parts of the Old Testament and just want to scratch our heads at the stubbornness of this people. I mean, we're thinking, if God led me out of captivity with a pillar of fire at night, and a pillar of cloud during the day, fed me with manna, then meat, and made water come out of the rocks, I wouldn't need a sign every five minutes to follow him! Nor would I need to be told more than once that I was getting off track, right?

Or would I?

How often do I question God's attention to the details of my life when things are not turning out my way? How often do you?

Now, think about this: How much pleasure do you think Satan gets out of leading the called, the chosen ones, the light of the world, into compromise, even depravity?

Nearly every year some story breaks (substantiated or not) about a Protestant or Catholic leader involved in sexual impropriety on church property. Now in relation to the rest of the world, it's likely an extremely small percentage of the population, but it sure gets headlines, doesn't it? And why? Because these are some of the called.

If Satan can convince you that no one, no one, is sincere about their faith, then how easy do you think it will be to get you to start crossing your own line? Not a big line. Just a tiny, inconsequential one . . . at first.

Do you think the Israelites, or Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker, or countless Catholic priests, do you think they woke up one day and said, "today I will defile God's temple, or today I will take advantage of the trust of a child?" . . . or do you think a series of small compromises led to a completely distorted sense of right and wrong?

Understanding the cycle of calling, compromising, and chastening might clear up a few things in our lives, what do you think?

So, where are you in your faith right now? Ask yourself honestly. Are you being called? Are you compromising? Are you being chastened?

If you are being called, what is your response?

If you are compromising, this is your chance to re-evaluate on your knees, asking God to help you before things go all to pot.

If you are being chastened, are you going to thumb your nose, or welcome a wake up call? We don't waste our time chastening people we don't care about. It's the ones we love that we don't give up on, no matter what. It's those we invest our energy in, calling, and even chastening when needed.

God loves you. He will call you, and after giving you enough time to have it your own way and really get yourself turned in a knot if that's what you insist on doing, He will finally chasten you.

Where are you? What's your response?

Let's pray.

Lord, thank you for loving me. Thank you for refusing to let me stay in depravity! Help me to listen to your voice and see the beginning of compromise before it's too late. Help me to see Satan's plan to undermine my joy, my light, my calling and instead give me ears to hear Your call, and a spirit to obey. In Your name, amen.

Raise the battle cry and triumph over the enemy!

Photo by Lauren Thamels, courtesy
of www.photoxpress.com

Welcome back to A Good Bible Study! Don't you love discovering A Passionate Love: the Relationship Between God and You? I do and I am so blessed to be sharing this time with you.

We are searching for synonyms of "passion" in the Word of God. We've seen so many examples of His passion for us, and His desire for our passionate response, that there can be no doubt of God's incredible love for each of us. Can you deny it any longer?

God is a poet and his language is love, pure, passionate love.

The Book of Isaiah is rich with prophetic Hebrew poetry. "The Hebrews used parallelism in poetry and prophecy as a literary technique to emphasize a particular thought. . . Prophetic poetry uses colorful images that point to further meanings . . .with the use of evocative language." Nelson Study Bible

Read Isaiah 42:13 and you will see what I mean:

"The Lord will march out like a mighty man,

like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;

with a shout he will raise the battle cry

and will triumph over his enemies." NIV

Think about any great war movie you've seen. Braveheart comes to mind for me. Who is the hero every time? Someone self-sacrificing. Someone brave. Someone so passionate about his people that he will suffer anything and everything for them. Someone who is able to stir up the passion of all those around him with his eloquence and zeal for their freedom!

That's what this verse is describing. Can you see it?

Is there anything going on in your life leading you to need a hero? A mighty man of valor? Someone to stir up your zeal? Do you need a champion?

Pray. He is fighting for you. Sometimes the victory is right in front of us, sometimes it's hard for us to see where the battle has been won. But we can trust we are not alone and we can call on His nature as the One who is passionate about us and our needs!

Father, be a mighty man for me. Stir up your zeal on my behalf and triumph over those who try to destroy your work in me! I am so grateful that I am not alone in the trials of life. That I have a champion in You. Help me to recognize Your hand in my life and see Your triumphs, instead of looking only for my own will to be done. Help me to follow You, my victor, my champion, my Mighty Man of Zeal and celebrate in Your victories! Amen

Love, Karen

A passionate love: the relationship between God and you - The zeal of the Lord



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Courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

Welcome back to A Good Bible Study. We are passionate here - passionate about a passionate God!

This God of ours loves us with a love like no other. It never ends, it never dissipates, God never tells us "It's not you, it's me," is never too tired, too stressed, too angry to spend time with us, comfort us, listen to us, or advise us. He's passionate for us!

But, sometimes it seems like God is not listening to our prayers, not answering our prayers, not acting on our prayers. Sometimes we believe we are on our own and that we aren't even on God's radar.

This isn't some new phenomenon. People have been looking for the next sign since the beginning of time. Remember Adam and Eve? They had a unique relationship with God. God spent time with them physically in the Garden, walking, talking, and exchanging ideas. Can you imagine hanging out with God and having no doubt He is real? You would think that would make it easier to obey God, right?

God was cool. God was a lot of fun. Adam and God were good friends. In fact, God gave Adam only one rule, just one. Don't eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He didn't say take a little bite. He didn't say eat it if you think you've got a better plan. He didn't say check with the serpent for permission to eat it. He didn't say let your wife get confused about what God said and go along with it. He said, "Don't eat it. Don't. Eat. It. Don't touch it, don't smell it, don't hang around under it's branches, DON'T EAT IT."

Pretty clear, right? So how come it took about 5 minutes for Satan to convince Adam and Eve that God really didn't have their back and they should just go ahead and do whatever seemed right in their eyes? Of anyone in history, Adam and Eve should have been the ones to say, "Uh, I don't think so." Or how about, "I'm gonna double check with God because I know He said don't eat that." Now, I guess it is possible that Adam and Eve had never been exposed to a liar (kind of like that movie The Invention of Lying) so may be they were kind of gullible.

I'd like to let them off the hook like that and say that God sure is harsh. After all, He made them. . . So it's really His fault, right?

God did make them and He doesn't make stupid. So sorry, no dice. Consider this: Adam and Eve were created with the original DNA, uncontaminated and unmutated by chemical damage, environmental pollution, and poor diets. They were the most intelligent beings in the universe second to God. A far second, but still, they rocked.

Let's be honest. They wanted that fruit.

Satan only shows us what is in our own hearts. He dangles the bait, it's called temptation, and we either run to God, or we start trying to justify why we should go ahead and do what we know in our hearts is wrong.

Adam and Eve started playing the justification game. They deserved that fruit. After all, they did all the work in the Garden, Adam named all the animals and he and Eve tended the plants and oversaw the animals. God obviously didn't want what was best for them or He would share His precious Knowledge, right?

They were on their own and they needed to take what they wanted because God was never going to share the good stuff anyway! Besides, God hadn't even been to the Garden that day to talk with them so He probably wasn't even coming back. What happens in Eden stays in Eden . . . wrong.

Like most of our mistakes, the minute that fruit touched their lips, Adam and Eve got a whole lot of knowledge they wish they hadn't. Ever done that? Wished you had minded your own business and found out something you wish you hadn't? Ever wanted to turn back time and take it back? You and me and Adam and Eve and all the rest of us.

So, let's not kid ourselves that we are the first ones to feel like God is ignoring us. Let's not pretend we can take a time out from God and like a little one year-old child say, "If I can't see You, You can't see me." Let's get honest. Let's be real.

Now, about now you might be thinking that since Adam and Eve couldn't cut it, we are all doomed to fail. Let me tell you a story with a different ending.

In the time of Isaiah the prophet of God, there was a King of Assyria, named Sennacherib, who had conquered much of the land around Israel and was after the Israelites next. "The Assyrian Empire extended from Ur of Chaldes, up the Tigress-Euphrates valley toward Baghdad then across to the Mediterranean, taking in modern day Syria. So Assyria in the Bible included modern day Iraq and Syria" (Pat Robertson)

This guy had a lot of reason to be confident. He sent word to the King of Israel, Hezekiah, that he was coming down there to take care of business. Read 2 Kings 18 for the whole speech.

Reading this I had an image of this King's emissary doing a rap before the King of Israel, bragging about his King and talking smack against the God of Israel. Then he goes out and starts rapping to the people outside the palace, telling them in other words, "Who's your daddy?"

This emissary tells the Israelites not to believe their God will save them, because no one else's gods have saved any of the people King Sennacherib has conquered. He literally starts mocking God, saying what is a real insult in that time, "haven't you gotten the news", or "did you not hear", basically meaning, what, you didn't know I'm the biggest stick in the land? He was boasting that he, the King of Assyria was the only one with any power and they better get in line or be destroyed.

As you can imagine, the people of Israel were pretty concerned. I mean, they hadn't had a word from God for a while. May be God was out of the office.

So, King Hezekiah sent for word from Isaiah, the prophet of God.

God says through Isaiah, "Don't be afraid." I got this, God says. Don't you wish we had a prophet nowadays?

King Hezekiah is pretty relieved, and begins praising God. 

¹⁵
And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.


17 “It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, LORD, are God.”

God answers the King's prayer with a promise, first to King Sennacherib, then to King Hezekiah.

To Sennacherib he says, and I am paraphrasing here, "Who do you think you are talking to? Let me tell you a little bit about the Holy One of Israel, son."

God reminds Sennacherib of all the ways he "reproached the Lord," bragging about how he was going to cut down all the trees and dry up all the waters of defense. Then God uses Sennacherib's own words against him, saying (paraphrase) "Did you not hear that I made this world, and that I allowed you to conquer these lands and made the people defenseless against you?"

God is in Sennacherib's face now, and God tells him He knows alllll about the smack he has been talking.

In fact, God uses Sennacherib's own methods of dealing with prisoner's of war against him, saying in 2 Kings 19:28, "I will put My hook into your nose and My bridle into your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came." Oh yeah, Sennacherib knew exactly what God was talking about. I love it. Nothin can set you down like a word from the Lord!

See, sometimes we read the Old Testament without any cultural references and we think, jeepers, God was harsh! We've got to look deeper, search out a study bible (I use the Nelson Study Bible, NKJV) and get the "whys" behind the "whats."

After this, God gives a promise to the Israelites. He says you are going to be fine. You are going to have plenty to eat and drink. You are going to rebuild and it's going to be good. I am going to make sure of this because "the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this."

Zeal, a synonym of passion.

See, the way in which Adam and Eve responded to temptation and the way in which King Hezekiah responded made all the difference. Adam and Eve assumed God wasn't looking and that God was keeping back something good from them. They went out on their own and we have been feeling alone ever since.

King Hezekiah was tempted to be afraid, to give in to the demands and the promises of the Assyrian King, but instead he went to the Lord. He prayed. He asked God to guide his decisions and believed God wanted the best for him. He waited for God's insight in the face of the taunting, demanding, ridiculing King.

What will you do today in the face of temptation? Will you seek God and believe He loves you passionately? Or will you hide your face and pretend He can't see you?

When I was at probably my lowest point in life, holding my son in my arms as he breathed out his last breath, I knew I had to make a decision. I was on the brink of temptation. My husband and I decided for our household, we would still serve the Lord.

I decided this in spite of the temptation to let my heart grow cold because He didn't answer my prayer to save my baby. I chose to believe God is good, even when my life seemed so bad; to believe in who He is, instead of what I could understand.

Soon after, I discovered I was pregnant again. I couldn't believe God would put me through this when I had just lost my boy. I prayed for a girl. I had a son. What was God thinking?

I will tell you. God is thinking about His zeal for you and me when we are only thinking about what we think we want and need. We are thinking about pain and He is thinking about restoration.

We named our son Joshua. I thank God for him every day. 

Joshua 24:15

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

God, help me keep straight who is God and who is not. Amen

Love, Karen









What is the zeal of the Lord?

Good news: the end of the world is just the beginning

Photo by Karsten Fischbach,
courtesy of www.photoxpress.com

Hello again fellow God-lovers (and those who are still a bit unsure!) Are you feeling a little more passionate these days? That's what we are talking about in A Good Bible Study today! It's A Passionate Love: The Relationship Between God and You.

We've talked about many words in scripture that mean "passion." Most of the time the terms have referred to God's love for us, or our emotions or actions; but in 2 Peter 3, Peter describes the Day of the Lord and yes, it's a day reflecting great passion!

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." 2 Peter 3:10 NKJV

Can you imagine the level of heat required to literally burn up and destroy the earth? Yikes. God says it's a fervent heat, a heat of passion.

What then? The earth is gone. Are you and I gone, as well? The answer for some of us is yes. But, if you are interested in sticking around for what follows, read what Peter says in verses 11-18:

^"11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?"

Good question! I know most of us think we have all the answers. Be more good than bad, right? How's that working for you based on God's definition of good (perfect) and bad (see the 10 commandments, and remember it refers to thoughts as well as actions) Still confident?

Peter continues:

 "You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.^[b] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells."

Peter says there will be a new heaven and a new earth for each of us who love God and accept His forgiveness offered by His Son, Jesus Christ! What a deal!

However, Peter continues to remind us that forewarned is forearmed. We can either plan for this day, or we are planning for our own destruction. Like Benjamin Franklin said: a failure to plan, is a plan to fail.

In other words, you can keep on pretending that everything is going to continue on, business as usual, or you can accept that God has an ultimate plan for your life, and for this earth and all it's imperfections.

Peter agrees, saying, "¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. ¹⁶ He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." NIV

So there you have it : grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter isn't suggesting that on our own power and strength we somehow make ourselves perfect, blameless or spotless in God's eyes. It's the sacrifice that Jesus made, that purifies our self-centered hearts.

It comes down to this: do you believe in God, the real God, not one made up for your own convenience? Do you believe God is the ultimate authority on right and wrong?  Do you believe you can ever be good enough, all the time, every day, to earn the badge of perfection?

In that case, do you accept that you need a Savior to pay the price of your imperfection? Do you accept that Jesus in all His perfection paid the price for your lack? Do you gratefully accept His gift?

Yes? Then will you spend the rest of your life loving Him for it? Following His example as best as you can? Seeking a new relationship with God who loves you so much, He sent His willing Son to clean up your sin so you can enjoy an eternity of peace, love, and joy in a new earth and heaven?

The only answers to these questions are Yes, or NO. There is no kind-of. Do you want a passionate love?

Here's how the Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines "fervent" or passion:

Synonyms: ardent, blazing, burning, charged, demonstrative, emotional, fervid, feverish, fiery, flaming, glowing, hot-blooded, impassioned, incandescent, intense, passional, passionate, perfervid, red-hot, religious, superheated, torrid, vehement, warm, warm-blooded, on fire!

Or . . . you can keep living as you have been:

Antonyms: cold, cool, dispassionate, emotionless, impassive, unemotional

Near Antonyms: detached, dry, impersonal, objective; reserved, undemonstrative

You choose.

Let's pray: God I want to be spiritually on fire! There is no middle ground that interests me. Fill me with Your passionate, incandescent, torrid excitement for living a life with You! A servant of Jesus, amen.

Love, Karen

Passion in action: Apollos, Priscilla, and Aquila in Acts 18

Photo by Arvind Balaraman, courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net

Welcome again to A Good Bible Study, where together, we are exploring A Passionate Love: the relationship between God and you!

I can't wait to share with you about a really cool trio of friends: Apollos, Priscilla, and Aquila in Acts 18. It's truly passion in action!

Let's start by reading Acts 18:24-28.

This is one of my favorite passages and if you've got any desire at all to share God's passionate love and grace to anyone, it might soon become a favorite of yours, as well. 

^"24Meanwhile, there was a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, who came to Ephesus. He was a cultured and eloquent man, well versed and mighty in the Scriptures.

²⁵He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and burning with spiritual zeal, (the NKJV says fervent in spirit) he spoke and taught diligently and accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he was acquainted only with the baptism of John.
²⁶He began to speak freely (fearlessly and boldly) in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him with them and expounded to him the way of God more definitely and accurately.
²⁷And when [Apollos] wished to cross to Achaia (most of Greece), the brethren wrote to the disciples there, urging and encouraging them to accept and welcome him heartily. When he arrived, he proved a great help to those who through grace (God's unmerited favor and mercy) had believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ as Lord and Savior).
²⁸For with great power he refuted the Jews in public [discussions], showing and proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah)." Amplified Bible

So, here's this guy, Apollos. He's grown up in Greece, so he probably looks and sounds like a gentile, though he is a Jewish Christian. Like all Greeks, he is an educated man. As a Jew, he's also well-read in the Scriptures. So, if anyone is going to know what the Old Testament says about the coming Messiah (Jesus), it's Apollos.

Someone had gotten ahold of this guy and shared the truth of Jesus's coming with him, and he was on fire about it! And Apollos knew that any Jewish scholar should be able to review the Scripture and come up with the same inevitable conclusion, that only Jesus could be the Messiah. So, I figure Apollos' opinion was that if knowing all this, you still couldn't put two and two together, you must have been knocked on the head as a child, you know what I mean?

The thing I love about Apollos, was that he hadn't even met Jesus. He didn't even know all that had gone down, he just knew Jesus fulfilled the prophecy and that alone was exciting enough! Peter says Apollos knew only the baptism of John, but so much more happened since!

But, isn't it exciting that not having all the information didn't stop Apollos from sharing what he knew so far? He didn't say, "Well, before I get excited about this and spread the awesome news, I'm going to go back to school and learn everything there is to know about Jesus." Neither did he go ask someone in authority if he should share his good news. Because I think that's what a lot of us do.

We know Jesus is the Messiah, we have had some personal life-changing experience, but we are afraid of what people will think if we share it. We think we need to get a PhD in Scripture before we've got any business sharing what we've learned so far. We think we've got to get someone in authority to give us the thumbs up before we talk about it!

I'm not suggesting any of us, educated or not, proclaim to be the ultimate authority on Jesus. I'm not suggesting you purport yourself as knowing one thing more than you actually do. I'm saying only you can share your personal experience with Jesus Christ; only you can explain the effect He's had on your life, and only you can share your insights gleaned from reading His Word, just as I am doing now, with all of you.

No one can argue that, and you don't have to defend it. It just is. Just like Apollos knowing the Scripture backwards and forwards, and that Scripture could only point to Jesus as Messiah. It was what it was; what it is.

So, Apollos didn't wait around for permission to share what he knew to be true. In fact, Peter says Apollos was fervent in spirit, he was burning with spiritual zeal. He was gonna jump up and shout the news!

Now, Apollos wasn't exactly ignorant, to be sure. He really did have the equivilant of a PhD in Scripture. He knew his stuff. Nothing was getting by this guy.

But he didn't know the rest of the story. He only knew the baptism of John, and nothing about the Holy Spirit or the work of the apostles, or what he should do if he couldn't convince the Jewish leaders of the truth.

He knew the Messiah had come, but he didn't know what that meant for both the Jews and the Gentiles. Luckily for Apollos, he ran into Priscilla and Aquila.

Priscilla and Aquila were prominent leaders in the early church. They were a husband and wife team, and contrary to Jewish tradition, Aquila was not the leader, or Pastor, with Priscilla merely a wife helping out in her husband's ministry.

Scripture mentions the pair 6 times and in four of those instances (Acts 18:18, 26; Rom 16:3; 2 Tim 4:19), Priscilla is mentioned first, followed by Aquila, which bible scholars familiar with the style of Greek writing, suggest indicates an equal role.  It is likely that in some areas Priscilla was in charge, while in other situations, Aquila took the lead.

This is only one of many examples in which God shows us that women are a vital resource in Christian church leadership. So take heart, ladies, you can be an Apollos, too.

Aquila and Priscilla heard Apollos preaching, and they invited him to their home. They recognized the passion he had for Jesus, and realized Apollos was missing some vital information.

Did they contradict him in public? Did they talk about him behind his back? Did they undermine his ministry? Did they pull him aside and let him know he wasn't good enough to preach because he didn't know as much as they? Praise God, no! What a resource that would have been lost had that been the case.

Neither did they say, "Oh well, he doesn't have some vital information, but he is passionate and enthusiastic, so let him do what he's doing." That would have been just as much a diservice to both Apollos and to his listeners, as if they'd ostrasized him.

Instead, Priscilla and Aquila took Apollos home and fed him, then filled in the missing pieces. The Greek says they took him aside to teach him undisturbed. Can you imagine the joy of Apollos when his new friends shared what had all happened after John the Baptist announced the arrival of the Messiah?

Apollos was so excited about this news, so enthusiastic to work with other passionate Christians, he couldn't wait to get back to Greece and get involved. Peter says Priscilla and Aquila sent word to the leaders of the church to welcome Apollos and off he went, becoming "a great help."

Can you imagine the outcome if Apollos had been too full of pride to accept their instruction? What if he had said, "Hey, I know a whole lot more about Scripture than you, and I am doing just fine on my own. I like running my own show, so thanks, but no thanks."

Apollos was fervent, passionate, zealous for the Good News of Jesus Christ and so he wanted to know more. He was willing to be taught, and he was willing to spend time learning and working with those who had the experience he lacked.

I love this story for so many reasons! What about you? What speaks to your heart? Is it the passion for Apollos? Is it his determination to get out there and share the Truth, even though he didn't know everything?

Is it God's example of a women in Christian leadership? Is it the genuine grace and love of God evident in both Priscilla and Aquila, who stoked the fire of Apollos instead of shutting him down? Or is it Apollos' desire to learn, and be useful to God?

Spend some time thinking about where you fit in this story, and what you can do with what you already know. What more do you need to learn?

Let's pray: Father, thank you so much for leaders and teachers who point us to you, who encourage the gift you have placed in us, who share their insight and knowledge without extinguishing our passion to be of service to you. Give us each the courage to share what we do know,  even if we don't have all the answers.

The fervent desire of Jesus

Photo by Gary, courtesy of Photoexpression.com

Hello again - it's so good to spend time with you today in A Good Bible Study! If you are sticking with this study of "A Passionate Love: the relationship between God and you" then you are probably, like me, ready to lighten up a bit!

We've shared quite a bit about the negative side of passion, and how we can get our passion mixed up with ambition, anger, or false spirituality. I'm ready to hear more about the passion of our Lord, for you and for me!

I searched for synonyms for "passion" in my Nelson Study Bible, New King James Version, which is the main resource for this study, and I found the following:  fervent and fervently; delight; delighted; and delights. During the next few lessons, we will delve into the passages containing these passionate terms.

 Now, we've got to start with Jesus! I love this passage, in particular, from Luke 22:15.

"On the night of the Passover Jesus sat down with the apostles and said, 'With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.'”

I love the way the Weymouth New Testament translates it: Earnestly have I longed to eat this Passover with you.

Do you hear the love and yearning in this passage? Fervent desire, desired . . . earnestly, longed. Repeating words to magnify the intensity of the meaning is called an anaphora.  Do you see how each repetition or synonym lends weight to the importance of their relationship? It's like an exclamation point!

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible contains one of the most descriptive explanations of why Jesus was so emphatic about eating this particular meal with His disciples. It says, for one, "because he should eat it 'with' his disciples; an emphasis lies on the phrase, 'with you', to whom, and not so much to the passover," itself.

Jesus wasn't just hungry. He wasn't just glad to be participating in one of the most important Jewish traditions. Jesus has a bond with these particular individuals, like to no one else. He is preparing to suffer intense physical and emotional pain for not only their sakes, but for each of us in the world, and like anyone, Jesus wanted to spend his last hours with those he loved, and with those who would carry on His work.

In addition, Jesus knew that this was the Passover, the one that immediately precedes His fulfillment of the promise of the Passover: salvation. Once Jesus left that table, He knew He would be arrested, horrifically tortured, and nailed to a cross until His human body was dead. He was ready to do what it was He came to do: give His life in exchange for ours.

Gill's says it this way: He looked forward to this night "since hereby justice would be satisfied, the law would be fulfilled, sin atoned for, and the salvation of his elect obtained; for whom he bore the strongest affection, and whom he loved with a love of complacency, and whose salvation he most earnestly desired, and even sufferings for the sake of it."

Oh, to be there in the morning of the third day, Sunday, when Mary found the tomb empty and her Lord alive!

Read it for yourself. It's almost like the ending of an incredible movie that gets even better when you discover the story is true!

John 20 New International Version "The Empty Tomb 1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene 10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. Jesus Appears to His Disciples 19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Jesus Appears to Thomas 24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” 26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you maya believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

Lord, thank you for loving us so earnestly, so passionately, so willingly! I pray that each of us reading this study, experiences the depth of your love today! In the name of Jesus, amen

A Passionate Love: the relationship between God and You - Set our minds on things above

Photo by Graurraz Vanionut,
courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Hello again. I am so glad we are discovering God's passionate love, and our passionate response to him, in A Good Bible Study. Today's topic is Setting Our Minds on Things Above.

What is the difference between passion that serves God, and that which serves sin (at it's root, Satan)? How can we express passion in a way that delights God? 

In Col. 3 Paul writes in verse 2 to set our minds on things above, not on the things of the earth. I notice God is always giving us these polar opposite choices: life, death; good, evil; blessings, curse; heavenly concerns, earthly desires; Christ, carnality. He's never wishy washy about it either, so be fore warned.

In verse 5 Paul breaks down five specific examples of passion gone wrong, using the former practices of the Colossians as an example that can just as easily apply to those of us here and now. You might not want to hear it, it is certainly not politically or socially correct in this day and age, but if you are serious about living a passionate life that delights our God, you'll be willing to prayerfully consider God's view on the behavior that results from a misuse of passion.

I ask you to remember God that loves you, and like any good parent He is willing to offend you if that's how it has to be, with an honest discussion regarding choices and behaviors which are ultimately harmful, no matter how tempting:

1. Fornication - sexual behavior with anyone other than, or in addition to, your spouse - defined as one person of the opposite sex (like it or not.) The Andrew Wommack bible commentary defines it this way 

"The English word 'fornication' comes from the Greek word PORNEIA and alludes to

any illicit sexual intercourse including adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse

with a close relative or with animals. (Lev. 18). Our English word "pornography" is derived from PORNEIA plus the Greek word GRAPHE which means a writing or picture involving unlawful intercourse. Pornography is wrong because it is looking or lusting after someone else's nakedness. The Scripture states that our own wife or husband is our nakedness (Lev. 18:8; Gen. 2:25)."

We like to pretend it's alright if we are only thinking about it, or fantasizing; that imagining the act is not bad, but really a "healthy outlet." In contrast, in Matthew 5:28 Jesus says, "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

And in Jesus Matthew 15:18-20 says, "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, blasphemies. These are what make a man ‘unclean’ not eating with unwashed hands."

We as a society don't want to hear this. We are like children wanting to run amok in the candy store with no limits. We see only our ferocious appetites with no ability to look to the future consequences of a sick belly and exhausted body.

I've felt the sting of following my sexual whims and have suffered the consequences, as I bet so have many of you. I've learned from those mistakes, but not without cost. And I've justified my own misbehavior as a "payback" for someone else's wrong.

Even when I was given good advice, I rationalized my desire to sin by claiming that it's the best way to learn and so therefore, I wanted to learn from my own mistakes, which I think simply means "I know it's wrong but I'm going to do it anyway and I'll pay the piper later."

Honestly, I didn't learn much at all, until I gave my life to God, to live His way instead of following whatever "spiritual" teaching flattered my ego and my self-serving desires that day. 

Let me give you a comparison to ease the pain. I like to compare everything to parenting, because we've all been either parents or children, so who can't relate to that image? 

When I build a fence around my yard, both my children and I can relax and enjoy ourselves fully, because we are protected from outside elements from coming in, and my children are prevented from venturing farther than is safe.

In terms of sexuality, marriage is the safe fence. Marital commitment is a safe fence. Mutual respect and love within that marriage is a safe fence. Does that mean no one will ever hurt you if you respect these boundaries? Of course not! Anyone who is determined to sin will find a way to do so regardless of what they disingenuously promised. That fence is only as strong as the building material used.

We've got to take responsibility to choose our mates wisely, to keep God as our source of guidance and strength within our marriage, to do what we each can to ensure those boundaries stay healthy.

And, here's a difficult one for many of us. We've got to give ourselves permission to be passionate with our spouse, and let one another enjoy that passion, instead of comparing one another to photo-shopped, idealized images in books and movies. Think about that for a moment. Are you passionate with your spouse, and do you allow your spouse to be passionate with you?

Now, does this answer the question for those who feel they are born with homosexual desires or other passions that Scripture defines as sinful? I can only venture to empathize with the dilemma, and compare it to the fact that we are all born with a tendency toward a particular sin(s), even as we are all born to grow into sexual, passionate adults. Does that make our choices any easier? Not easier, but hopefully simpler. God says sexual sin is so overwhelmingly tempting that we should not even play around trying to resist it half-heartedly, but just run from it. 

 Am I the ultimate authority on this matter - absolutely not. So, I will share Who is, and what He has to say:

No matter the what, or why, or how, we have only one recourse, only one way out, only one path to our true passionate natures: to give ourselves to God daily (sometimes minute by minute) to lead us away from expressing that passion in ways that God defines as harmful to our bodies, minds, and souls. That's it. That's all. Give ourselves to Him, ask Him to lead us away from temptation and deliver us from evil. If it's up to us alone, we are lost.

I'm going to save the last 4 examples for the next post. They are definitely shorter than this, but I wanted to give this topic the time it deserves, because in one way or another, I think this is the most common struggle for us all, be it in our outer behavior or inner thought life.

Let's pray: Lord, You gave us this wonderful gift: passion. You gave us a desire and a fenced playground in which to fully enjoy it. Help us to overcome what has become of Your good gift. Help us to be the passionate lovers of life that You intend - and not settle for distorted pleasures that erode our souls in the name of sophistication. Everything You created in me is good - as created, as intended. Give me a passion that has no sin and let me enjoy it Lord! Lead us away from temptation, and deliver us from evil, for Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen.

Burning with passion - for Christ

Hello! Welcome back to A Good Bible Study and today's topic in the ongoing study of our passionate relationship with God: Burning with passion - for Christ.

I looked the word “passion” in the index of my Nelson Study Bible, to see which verses contain the reference and came up with three: 1 Corinthians 7:9; Colossians 3:5; and Romans 1:26.

Passion can be a gift, or a burden, depending on how you handle it. 1 Cor. 7:9 specifically refers to hhe distraction and danger of burning with passion with no righteous outlet to satisfy or relieve your desire. 

Paul uses himself as an example, referring to the fact that he is so passionate about serving Jesus, he has no room in his life, or even desire, for marriage, and he wished we all felt that way. But Paul recognized his lack of need for marriage and physical love was a gift from God, and let's face it, not everyone is so gifted.

To try and force yourself (as an adult) to remain single (and celibate) when you truly desire marriage and the accompanying benefits, is to torture yourself and subject yourself to unnecessary temptation. Paul describes it as burning with passion.

Don’t be misled to think passion is ungodly, or something to avoid. God loves our passion, for He is a passionate God.

When you are passionate about someone or something, you are willing to put everything else aside for it. You think about it all the time, it’s importance supersedes everything else. You would die for it. You would give up whatever is necessary for it. That’s how God feels about us.

 John 3:16 "For God so love the world (meaning the people in the world) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Jesus, being of the same substance as God, and His only begotten Son, feels the same way. If He didn't, He would not have suffered, died, and rose again for our sakes.

In John 17:19-23 Jesus says, “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be as one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. . . that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

Can you imagine being loved by God, in the same way God loves His only begotten Son, Jesus? Think about that for a moment.

Now, can you imagine being so passionate you are willing to ask, and allow, Your Son to suffer for our sakes? Let that blow your mind for a bit.

Finally, can you imagine being so passionate about God, and about all of us, that You agree, and wholeheartedly? Jesus did.

So let there be no mistake, God is the author and giver of passion, but like anything good, it can directed in a positive manner, or misdirected to our own doom. Passion without boundaries is just chaos leading to destruction.

Satan loves to try and convince us that passion is the most important aspect of being human. “If it feels good, do it.” “Just do it.” “Go for it.” In fact, he really gets a kick out of convincing us that the most important thing we should be passionate about is money. Often, we neglect our families in the pursuit of social achievement or financial reward and call it a desire to provide for them.

Do we want to provide for our families? Of course, yes! But, I'm not talking about responsibility, I'm talking about being honest with what your goals and desires really are, and only you can answer that question.

It's because we are created in the image of God, we are passionate, like God. But, like all good things, the gift of passion is meant to enhance our relationship with God, not distract us from Him, or from those we love.

Passion with the drive to honor God is a delight to Him (one of the definitions of passion), but passion perverted into sinful behavior or that replaces our God (or our families) in importance, becomes an abomination.

Let's pray: Lord, thank you for being passionate about me. Help me to recognize what You've made me to be passionate about - and how to use that gift to honor You. Let me be wise in my work, so that I take care of all of my family's needs, not just their financial needs. Help me to keep myself straight in who and what I am serving with passion. In the name of Jesus, amen.

In Christ, Karen

The Holy Spirit and you

What is the Holy Spirit and what is His role in every day believers' lives? The Holy Spirit comes as a comforter, helper and communicator from God. He was sent specifically by Jesus to everyone and anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Jesus promises the Holy Spirit will help us in specific ways:

"Jesus answered and said to him,'If anyone loves Me, he (or she) will keep My word; and my Father will love him (or her), and We will come to him (or her) and make Our home with him (or her). He (or she) who does not love Me does not keep My words. . .the word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.

These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring you remembrance of all things that I said to you.'" John 14:23-26

"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me." John 15:26

"However when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." John 16:13-14

What Jesus Christ is saying, is that if we love and worship God, accept His gift of eternal life with Him in heaven by the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, then we are given personal access to God through the Holy Spirit. What a wonderful gift!

The Holy Spirit's role for believers is to
1. teach us all things
2. remind us of everything Jesus said and taught
3. testify about Jesus to us
4. guide us into all truth
5. tell us what is to happen in the future

The Holy Spirit did all of these things for the apostles, however, He is still working in all believers today. We might call it intuition, a feeling or hunch, a remembrance of scripture or bible teaching, or at times, an audible or visual message telling us to act (or avoid something). We often say, "What a coincidence" or "I just knew I was supposed to do that."

The Holy Spirit is also our conscience, our moral compass; He brings a sense of conviction to our hearts. At the moment you felt you needed God, wanted God, and couldn't wait to spit out all of the ways you'd sinned and rejected love in the past, you met the Holy Spirit.

The more time we spend in God's word, the better we will recognize His voice, His teaching, and leading. The more time we spend not only asking in prayer, but listening and expecting His response, the more we will experience His voice. I find it's those times when I am physically active and mentally silent that I get the most clear communication, those "a-ha!" moments that can only be from the Holy Spirit because just two seconds before I was completely stumped!

The Holy Spirit comes to lead us to joy, contentment, peace, love, and harmony, not to increase our self-centeredness or self-importance. We do not need to "channel" Him, be "possessed" by Him, or lose control to Him. We do not need to burn incense, chant, or meditate to access Him.

He comes as a gift from God, a Helper, a Comforter, a Truth-Giver. The only requirement is to love God, and to choose to believe God loves you. In fact, God says He loved us first (Romans 5:8.) We don't have to do anything to earn, or get, His love. He already gave it and He doesn't take it back! We only need to admit that there's no way we can ever do enough good to deserve heaven, and just accept what Jesus did so that we can have heaven anyway.

We've only got to believe what God says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call on me, and got to pray to Me and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord . . ."

Pray with me now: Lord, I am so sorry for all the ways I've tried to get what I want while ignoring You. I can't be good enough to get to You on my own. I'm tired of trying. I've been selfish and self-centered, and wanted it all my own way. Most of the time my plans have backfired on me. Please forgive me for everything I've ever done, and ever will do to hurt You and hurt other people. I accept Jesus died for me, so I can live. I accept His gift of life. I want Your Holy Spirit to be my teacher from now on. I'll follow You now. I want what You offer: peace, love, joy, contentment, laughter, and harmony. Send your Holy Spirit to me Lord and let me be sensitive to His voice from now on. Let me never be the same again! In the name of Your Son, Jesus, amen.

Spirituality, or spirits-uality

Hello friends! I have been buried in books and prayer for the past few months and am coming up for air. God is so good. He provides exactly what we need, when we need it. I don't mean when and what we "want," but what He knows we need, in His wisdom. Let's pray:

Lord, guide my eyes so everything I read is filtered through Your Word and Your Grace; guide my ears, so that I recognize the difference between Your Truth, and spiritual confusion; guide my mind so I remember that anything that draws me into serving myself, elevating myself, or celebrating your creations over You, as Creator, actually decreases my spirituality instead of enhancing it.

And Father, keep my heart close to yours so I never believe anything, except that only Your love can satisfy the longings of my soul to be still, and know God. In the name of the Way, the Truth, and the Light, Jesus Christ, amen.

In reading The Holy Spirit and You, by Dennis and Rita Bennet, I was struck by this quote:
"If you find much emphasis on the teachings of Jesus, but little on His Person, you may be sure you are dealing with a false cult. Christianity is not founded on the teachings of Jesus, but on the Person of Jesus. It isn't what He taught, but Who He is, that matters most."

There is so much in the world today designed to confuse Christians and non-Christians alike. Satan loves to entice us with a small measure of truth, which he twists until we foggily look around, and realize we have forgotten who is the Source of all good things, and begin to worship the good things, instead.

In reading various books on "spirituality," attending some classes on healing and "gifts," I have been struck by how seductive false spirituality is, how it alludes to a relationship with God, but really points us to a "god" that asks nothing of us, and offers nothing to us other than more metaphysical knowledge and a desire for personal powers, including psychic gifts. This tempting apple is not dissimilar from that which brought down Adam and Eve, promising the knowledge of God.

I am not referring to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which some confuse with talents or even psychic ability. We all are born with genetic talents but these are not Spiritual Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Talents are an expression of our own creativity and genetics, which are certainly given by God and should be expressed and used. However, while Gifts of the Holy Spirit might complement our talents, they are given to us by God only after we have chosen to repent of our sinful thoughts and behaviors, and accept the sacrifice of Jesus that literally purchased our forgiveness.

We all want our talents to be celebrated, and we tend to search for activities that will highlight our talents. We should instead do as Helen Keller suggests, "It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks." A Holy Spirit Gift is power equal to the task.

It is imperative to understand that Spiritual Gifts point us to God, not to ourselves. Mysticism and metaphysics point us to ourselves, and to knowledge for the sake of learning, alone.

Too often people searching for proof of God, seek out spirits. Little-s spirits are nothing more than demons claiming to be ghosts, extra-terrestrial travelers, or gods (goddesses.) These spirits seek to possess and control people by seducing them with special powers. Is it any wonder that demons possess personal and private knowledge of our loved ones and even ancient peoples? They've been watching us for centuries. Demons seek to gain our trust for the purpose of opening our spirits up for their immediate or eventual possession and control.

The Holy Spirit does not possess and overtake your consciousness. He indwells our hearts, giving us direct communication with God the Father. We retain choice, personality, and we experience an increased capacity for love, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, and a desire to help others.

These Gifts are for two specific purposes: ministering to and encouraging other believers; and demonstrating the power and goodness of God to non-believers, so that they are moved to believe.

Spiritual Gifts are listed in the following scriptures. Make sure you read reputable commentaries and study bible notes on these gifts for more understanding about practical application.
Exodus 31:3; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14; Ephesians 4:1-16; Hebrews 2:4

The Holy Spirit Gifts are not designed to elevate ourselves and they never, ever involve speaking to spirits of the dead or allowing any spirit to possess us for the purpose of "channeling" knowledge. God is very clear about this in His Word.

Question any person or doctrine that encourages you to develop supernatural gifts merely for the purpose of increasing knowledge, or even under the guise of helping others if it is by your "spiritual" power and not by the working of the Holy Spirit, and without a requirement to be guided by, put to use by, and in submission to God. I mean God the Person, not god the universal energy that requires and demands nothing from us other than we "grow and learn" here on earth for our personal improvement.

2 Timothy 3:1-7 (New International Version 1984, ©1984)


"Godlessness in the Last Days
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.

I caution myself, and all of you who are seeking a more intense experience with God, to follow the advice our Lord gives when considering the teachings of any man, or woman, and that is:

"Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world." New Living Translation (©2007)

Examples include:

1 Kings 13:18 The old prophet answered, "I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the LORD: 'Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.'" (But he was lying to him.)
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Jeremiah 14:14 Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.
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Jeremiah 23:16 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Do not listen to what the (false) prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.
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Jeremiah 29:8 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let your (false) prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.
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Matthew 7:15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
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1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 Test everything. Hold on to the good. Abstain from every form of evil.
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2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 Now, brethren, concerning of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
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2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves.
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1 John 2:18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
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2 John 1:7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
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Revelation 2:2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
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Let's pray:
Lord, thank You for Your good gifts. There are many things we do not understand in this universe of Yours. One thing we know is true is that there is one God, one Father, one sacrifice for our sins who is Jesus Christ, one Holy Spirit by whom comes all Spiritual Gifts that increase a genuine spirituality. Help us to focus on You, instead of ourselves. Help us to help others in a way that leads them to the ultimate Helper. Help us to seek eternal gifts, and not temporary talents that serve our own egos, no matter how we dress them up in a cloak of spirituality. Your Gifts include discerning of spirits, knowing which are of Truth, and which are clever lies. I pray for each of us to be truly discerning of spirits, in the name of Jesus, amen.
Love, Karen