Our Need to Rediscover God's Biblical Truth

For some time now, I have recognized that the path that I have been on to discover Biblical Truth for myself is somewhat distinct from other Christians that I have encountered. I didn't grow up in the Church, and in fact, did not come to my salvation until my early 30s. Perhaps that plays a part in distinguishing my walk with the Lord. And, furthermore, perhaps that is why I have not fallen for the deception that I see infiltrating the organized Church. I'm going to be honest and forthcoming here ... my heart grieves for what I can only describe as "religion that is false"; a system of faith and worship that lacks the underpinnings of absolute trust in Jesus/God, a complete understanding of His plan of redemption for mankind, and an infallible knowledge of His Word and Character.

Instead, as I minister and interact with my fellow Christians, [whom I continue to love and serve with] I see too many people graduating from online religious "universities" with fancy-titled degrees, but yet have no simple recognition of the Scriptures I quote. I see too many people who constantly seek prayer for everything they do, whether out of fear or uncertainty in their walk. I see too many people willing to put their eternal future in the hands of a self-proclaimed "prophet" who teaches and preaches words that tickle their ears. It seems that Christians today are more interested in finding ways to convince God to make their lives more comfortable and happier, than they are in seeking ways to know Him deeper, serve Him more faithfully, and die to themselves, that they might gain true life in Him. 

I have heard other authors refer to this scenario as "religious humanism", but I'm even suspect of this form of terminology because it still focuses on man, not God! Religious humanism is explained as centering on "human needs, interests, and abilities", within the framework of organized religion or congregational traditions. But that is exactly why I'm concerned about the state of the Church! Just like secular humanism, it's belief system is centered on man, not God! Why aren't our religious institutions instructing their members about God's needs, interests, and abilities?!? Have we forgotten that we are subject to Him, not the other way around? 

How did we get so far off track from what Jesus taught and what the Church in the Book of Acts knew -- That His Holiness, His Sovereignty, His Righteousness, and His Justice, are just as important as His Love, Mercy, and Grace? I am seeing far too many people living out of their souls, rather than connecting to God through their spirits. And I am constantly amazed that far too many Christians are unaware that they are a three-part being; body, soul, and spirit. Because our soul consists of our mind [our thoughts and opinions], our emotions [feelings and responses of our flesh], and our free will [the ability to make decisions based on those thoughts and feelings], we often smother our spirit, who is our true identity, made in the image of God, and our direct link to Him. 

If your soul is smothering your spirit, you cannot hear or receive the voice of our Creator, who through the Holy Spirit is always ready to give us His wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and fear of the Lord. If you can't hear Him, you can't receive those gifts and will most likely fall prey to human or demonic influences, which are far less rewarding than anything God wants to give you. 

I can remember a specific night when, while watching a documentary about a ministry that introduced the mighty love of Christ to people who desperately wanted a relationship with Him, that I was suddenly overcome with the weight and reality of my sinful nature, and I found myself weeping uncontrollably as I asked Jesus to forgive me and accept my repentance for all the ways I had sinned and hurt Him. One minute I was sitting on my couch moved by the testimonies of others, and the next minute, I felt the overwhelming pain of what my sins cost Him. I realized then, that although I had previously asked Him into my heart and been baptized, that that experience now seemed like a superficial human act of compliance to the traditions of the Church. This ... this was a supernatural experience in which I understood, for the first time, just what my life was worth to my Savior -- that He loved me so much that He would suffer so greatly for me, so that I could be redeemed and we could begin a deeper relationship as I entered into a lifetime of service to Him. 

I cannot stress enough how important it is to open your Bible and begin an earnest study of God's Word. It is there that you can begin to meet Him and grow in your understanding and commitment. It is where you will find the depth of His commitment to us; and what He expects back from us in this mutual relationship. It is where you will find His promises that extend far beyond anything the world offers. We often hear of the "mysteries of God", but there are no mysteries when you seek Him in His Word. I have quoted this verse often (it is my husband's favorite) ... Proverbs 25:2 says, It is the Glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to search it out. Our Father in Heaven loves it when we search for the clues He leaves us to answer our questions. And it is definitely true that the Holy Spirit will reveal more as you seek more. 

Our God is so much bigger than we've ever been taught. But when all you hear is that God is love and grace and mercy (which He is!), and you don't hear that He is also righteous and just, then you don't really need to be concerned about the consequences of your actions ... He's going to always love you, right? And there is a huge void in the Church regarding those attributes, which has greatly affected our culture and societal morals. It then becomes all about us, and our needs, and our desires. If you aren't conscious that God is Holy and Righteous, above all else, then you aren't going to worry about what He thinks about killing your unborn child. As a society, we are focused on the conditions of our lifestyle, instead of the conditions of our heart and spirit, where Jesus resides. 

As we long as we "do not forsake the gathering together" in our church houses on Sunday, we can convince ourselves that we are good Christians. But the rest of that passage exhorts us to meet for instruction and to encourage each other to no longer sin [after receiving the knowledge of the truth] so that we can avoid divine judgment, should we continue to willfully and deliberately sin. Just meeting together on a Sunday doesn't atone for our continuance in sin. The Church should be equipping us for the spiritual war that is waging all around us in the spiritual realms right now! We desperately need to understand that, just as the saints in the Book of Acts did. We have a spiritual responsibility to go into the world and not only expose the darkness in our midst, but instruct and train and disciple our fellow man to serve the One True God and His Kingdom here on earth! Sadly, America and her churches have failed in this duty. And please don't try to convince me that we are primarily a Christian nation. Does our society and culture bear the fruit of that label?  

I do not write this post to discourage or malign. I write to pour out the frustration and sadness of my heart as I see that we have fallen far short of the honor and praise that is due our Messiah and Savior. I love this nation. It is still the best place on earth to live. But for how long? I sincerely worry that our shallow demonstrations of covenant with our God are deteriorating, and that a false representation of what Jesus modeled for us has no imperishable foundation. Our churches pray for revival, but why would God trust us to defend and fight for how He would want to revive us? We've allowed His marriage covenant to be perverted; His sanctity of life to be rejected; and the bodies of our children to be corrupted, modified, and altered beyond His design. We need the bold and courageous spirit of Jesus's followers in the First Century to be sown into our spiritual lives. We need to rediscover the truth of the Bible and the perfect, immutable, power of His Word to awaken in our land. I know this is not my eternal home, but I pray that we can make it as close to Heaven as we can. 

Psalm 119:160     The sum of Your Word is Truth (the full meaning of all Your precepts), and every one of Your righteous ordinances endures forever.

Beware of Biblical Manipulators; Know the Truth About Jesus!

We live in a world of social manipulation. The advent of Computer Technology, Social Media, and Artificial Intelligence has led to a trifecta of attempted control and influence over our minds and spirits. And I fear the ultimate goal is to convince true Christians that their belief system is not valid. The world will tell us that not only does our faith not represent Jesus's message of "love thy neighbor", but they will try to convince us that our message of impending judgment for our sins does not ring true to God's Word.

True, without a full understanding of the complete message from God in the Bible -- which involves the dual concepts of both Love and Judgment -- it's easy to see how the unenlightened could be confused, misguided, and influenced to fall for distorted and exploited lies. Which is why it is immensely important that Christians know and understand the fullness and complete counsel of God's Word. And there you have one of the most effective tactics of God's Enemy, who is the Father of Lies. Satan has been practicing this tactic, which we now know as Gaslighting, for the last 2000 years, but it seems to me that he has been able to advance his agenda exponentially in the last 50 years or so.

Just in my lifetime, I have discerned that he was able to convince the American public [and our governing officials] that God's Word can be offensive to others who 1) don't believe in Him; 2) don't want to to believe in Him; or 3) are unduly judged because they don't follow Him, or they follow another god. Then Satan convinced his proxies to carefully plant the idea that we Christians are misrepresenting Jesus by not "loving others as we love ourselves". In other words, we are painted as being hypocritical, holier-than-thou, possessing hollow faith, and being two-faced. We are labeled sanctimonious and insincere Believers; intolerant, and exclusive.

Consequently, we are presently inundated with social engineering tactics as a means to influence and control society's attitudes and behaviors. We are told that Jesus would be a proponent of DEI policies  -- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion -- as well as a champion of "Social Justice". But any student of the Bible knows that Jesus did not come to promote a social agenda. He came to teach [and personify] God's will in the hearts of men. Yes, He met people's physical needs, but it was always people who were either following Him, or seeking Him, or people whom the Father sent Him to who were in need of a relationship with Him. He never advocated for the local government to provide what the people needed. He didn't call for taxes to be raised or the prosperous to be divested of their wealth. And yes, Jesus preached that it should it be a priority to take care of the poor and needy within the community. BUT, He spoke that this was the responsibility of each individual or local groups within that community, not a governing body imposing their will on all the people. 

You see, Jesus didn't really trust the government to fix the world's problems; that's why He was sent. And the answers to fixing those problems would be taught [and carried on] by those who follow Him. And He showed us by example. It is a heart-to-heart solution; one individual who exemplifies the Father's love [for each of us] to another. When you know and understand that foundational Truth of the Word, you will not fall for the psychological deception of the world that tries to convince us we are mistaken in our theology. Do not be manipulated into agreeing with the parts of godless society who say we are hard-hearted and judgmental; do not fall for the deceptive compromise of Satan's spokesmen.

And remember this! While we should always maintain a solid and loving relationship with God and seek to share His love with our fellow man, we must also recognize that God has given us a total plan for our reconciliation with Him and for our redemption. His commandments stretch from the Law and the Prophets in the Old Testament to the New Covenant in the New Testament. They represent the totality of God's Word to us, and are still in full effect today. The Biblical manipulators of today will try to convince you that the Judgment exhibited by God in the first half of the Bible has been replaced by His Mercy in the second half of the Book. And they will spread the misconception that anyone who holds true to righteous judgment is legalistic and misrepresenting Jesus's command to love others.

But this just shows their lack of knowledge of God and His full counsel. Yes, Jesus taught us of God's Grace, but the glory of that Gospel is that the true expression of our love for our neighbor involves sharing the full truth of God's Word -- that He promises the certainty of His judgment if we disobey or rebel against His righteousness. We are due His judgment [and yes, even His wrath] should we continue in our sin. That promise of righteous judgment makes room for His mercy when we acknowledge our sins and repent. You see, He makes a way for us to return to a justified and acceptable relationship with Him.

Of this, we can be sure ... there will be a day of Judgment and it is because of His love and sacrifice for each of us that we can choose to love our neighbor as ourself; to love them enough to share the Good News that Jesus loves them, too; so as to spare them the consequences of His holy judgment. So, I want to leave you with these thoughts .... because we stand firm in our Biblically-endorsed theology, we must expect to be judged [and even persecuted] ourselves. But do not let that possibility lead us into the temptation to compromise with the world and "go along to get along". By standing solidly on the Word, we can also expect to reap an inheritance of eternal blessings. Hold fast to your beliefs and faith; God will not abandon us to the opponents of His Word. In reality, we will be given the mind of Christ and the counsel of the Holy Spirit, that we might be approved to show the authentic love of Christ to everyone so that God might grant them repentance and a place in Eternity with Him. We will not be manipulated, confused, or misguided!

2 Corinthians 10:5    We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ