First, let me say that I am not here to offend anyone, but to try to help the Body of Christ. To spread the Gospel. God said,"it is time for the church to wake up. It has been asleep too long. It has gotten too comfortable, sitting in our padded pews. The churches are being controlled by man instead of me."
"Church, rise up and become clean," thus saith the Lord.
It is time that the christians come off of their comfortable pews and start fighting the devil back. Satan has used deception and his powers of destruction when he uses christians to attack other christians. He has done this for years but now it is getting worse. Its time to stand up and fight for the truth.
John 13:34 says: A new commandment I give unto you. That ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Jesus told us that we must love one another as He loved us. That means that we must be willing to lay down our lives for a friend or a neighbor. How many christians would be willing to do what Jesus did?
Matthew 23:24-28 says: 24.Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26: Thou blind Pharisee, clean first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28: Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Many pastors and leaders are blind guides. They are blind because they have not listened to the Word of God.
Our pastors/leaders are supposed to be teaching the Body of Christ how to present the Gospel to the sinners and how to lead the sinner to Christ. Also, to teach them how to use The Spiritual Gifts.
Instead, they are nearly always preaching on dress code, length of hair, wearing make-up, wearing of jewelry, or wearing a beard or mustache, just to name a few. God doesn't care what the outside looks like, as long as the inside is clean. Do you think God would have permitted John the Baptist to baptize Christ if He had been concerned about the way he looked? John the Baptist was unshaven and also was grided about with animal skins. He felt that he was too lowly to baptize Christ, but God knew his heart and his purpose. But the Word of God says to clean up the inside that the outside may be clean also. It is not my job nor is it your job to try to clean up everyone's outward appearances. It is the Lord's and He will do a much better job than we can. We are to love them! We are to show the sinner what christianity is all about. I have heard many sinners say about a christian, "Well, if that is the way christians are supposed to act, then I want no part of it."
What a tragedy! We may cause that sinner go to hell because of our actions, not the way we look! We are supposed to worry about getting souls saved!
I can put on the holier than thou appearance and still be full of hypocrisy and iniquity on the inside.I can have pride, self-righteousness, selfish ambition, respectability, unrighteous judgment,jealousy, and respect of persons. I can be someone that is a talebearer, that gossips, slander someone and always finding fault. There is also rejection, bitterness, unforgiveness, impatience and lust. Remember, the worst part is
that these evils are on christians, not the sinner. I can be someone that won't give to another person that is in need because they do not pay tithes or they don't attend my church or any church for that matter. I can be a murderer or an adulterer.
Jesus told us to be cheerful givers. A doer of the Word, not a hearer only. If I go around spreading gossip about someone, which can hurt them, then I am a murderer! What's worse, is that I am not a murderer of man, but a murderer of souls! We also have depression and condemnation. And the tongue is a fire; a world of iniquity. It defiles the whole body and no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. We must watch what we say about people. If all we can do is critize someone, then we should stop looking for their wrongs because we just may be looking at a mirrored image of ourselves.
John 7:24 says: Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
When we critize someone, we give substance to the fact that everyone sins and we prove without a doubt that we are no better than the one we are critizing.
James 2:9-10 says: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
James 4:17 says: Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
We are more vulnerable to Satan's deception than to any of his other schemes. Why? Because when he tempts you or accuses you, you know it, but when he deceives you, you don't know it. Satan's perpertual aim is to infiltrate your thoughts with his thoughts and to promote his lie in the face of God's truth. If satan can control your thoughts, he can control your behavior. He can introduce his thoughts, tempting you to act independently of God, as if they were your own thoughts or even God's thoughts, as he did with David (1Chronicles 21:1), Judas (John 13:2) and Ananias (Acts 5:3). If he can enter your church, your home, or your mind undetected and get you believe a lie, he can control your life, home and ministry.
Sad to say, he is doing just that across our land by deceiving many people.
You cannot overcome satan's deception by human reasoning; you can only do it by God's revelation. Jesus said,"If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."(John 8:31,32.) Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy Word is truth." (John 17:17.) It is critical that when you put on the whole armor of God, you start with the belt of truth.(Ephesians 6:14.) The light of truth is the only valid weapon against the darkness of deception.
Many are passively paying attention to a deceiving spirit (i Timothy 4:1) instead of "taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). In so doing they have opened themselves up to satan's activity in his/her life.
We must assume our responsibility for choosing the truth. We can't always tell whether the thought comes from the TV set,our memory bank, our imagination or a deceiving spirit. Regardless of where a thought originates, examine it in the light of God's Word and choose the truth.
So, why don't we make up our minds right now to repent of all wrong doings, get off those pews and start working for the Lord with a clean heart, rebuking the devil each time he comes back for us. Let us become true warriors for Christ. Let us win souls for Christ. Let us allow the church to be controlled by God, not by man!
The real issue we face today is this: What area of our lives, our hearts, our secrets, our sin, our rebellion, have we not submitted to his lordship?
I am destroying any speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and I am taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5).
I am asking the Lord to help me as I assume my responsibility to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
This is My Prayer:
Precious Father,
I know my heart can be deceitful. At times I can even fool myself. But when I kneel in your presence and am convicted by your Word, I find myself reminded of the areas I have not yet fully submitted to your control and Jesus' lordship. Please, dear Father, use the Holy Spirit to gently show and convict me of my self-deception so that I may be wholly lost in your will. Through Jesus, Lord of Lords, I pray.
Amen!!!
