Be merciful unto me, O God: for man
would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. Shall they escape by iniquity? In thine anger cast down the people, O God.
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?" Psalm 56:1- 13
One time, in my personal study, I was reading Matthew Chapter 11. As I read, I came across the text where John the Baptist sends his disciples to question Jesus about whether He was the one. This did not make sense to me. John knew exactly who Jesus was; he had declared Him to be the Messiah when he baptized Him. I did not understand why John the Baptist was having doubts at this time. Now I was a young Christian at this point and did not realize that I should have asked God for understanding. It is His pleasure to give us that. However, I kept reading to continue with my study time and I did not think of it any further.
Almost a week later at a prayer meeting and out of the blue, my pastor started speaking about that text and began explaining why this had happened. I was shocked! In fact, although I had been praying with my eyes closed, my eyes popped open in surprise as he began speaking. There were two things which surprised me:
- I knew that this was specifically for me. God was using my pastor to answer the questions I had pondered one week before.
- I had never even asked God for an answer, nor had I continued to meditate on that text. It had merely been like a fleeting thought. Yet, God still took notice!
"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." I John 5:14-15
I just want you to know that God hears. Whether you are able to perceive His answer or not, He hears. He hears your heart's desire, your soul's longing, your hopes, and even your fears. He sees your struggles, your tears, and even your doubts. Why? Because He cares about you! You are precious to Him, for you are His child. There is nothing about you that isn't of concern to Him. Not only does He hear, but He will deliver (Psalm 34:4)!
"For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." II Corinthians 6:2
I said above that it is His pleasure to do it, and it is! God is not some tyrant demanding His pound of flesh from you before He gives you His ear. He is a loving Father who is attentive to our needs. He desires to do us good and not evil. It pleases Him to bless us. Do you believe that (Proverbs 15:8; Psalm 35:27, 147:11, 149:4; Philippians 2:13; Hebrews 11:6)?
Just wait and see; wait and see the salvation of the Lord as He delivers you. He is not slack, nor has He forgotten. His eye is upon you, for you are the apple of His eye.
"When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." Psalm 126:1-6
This is very timely Maisha, thank you for your obedience!
ReplyDeleteHi Charlene,
DeleteI am so glad it encouraged you. It surely encouraged me to remember this as well. No matter what we are dealing with, God knows, He cares, and He hears us. May we never forget that and start to believe the lies of the enemy.
God bless you Sister!
You indicated that it is God's desire and pleasure to give us understanding....understanding of the Scriptures. Concerning that I have a very serious question that I cannot find a satisfactory answer to. If God desires to answer our questions concerning Scripture and to teach us the meaning of His word through the guidance of the Holy Spirit then why are there so many conflicting and opposing beliefs, views and doctrines concerning Scripture among true Christians? I can understand false beliefs among different false religions, denominations and believers within them but not the widespread differences among true believers. Why is this truly?
ReplyDeleteHi MaxxPro,
DeleteI believe there are several reasons for this. First, we must settle that God does in fact want us to have understanding of His word. That is not an "If" statement, but is truth.
"Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God." I Chron. 22:12
"Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." Prov. 2:3-6
"Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled." Prov. 9:4-5
"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." Psalm 19:7
"Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me...Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way." Psalm 119:98, 104
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him." Eph. 1:17
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." Jam. 1:5
"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." I John 2:27
In terms of why there are differences in beliefs among sincere believers, I am reminded of I Cor. 13:12,
Delete"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
No matter how sincere our faith, we all only see now in part. No one person has all of the answers but Christ...and that is a good thing. Man is prone to idolatry and easily led to fix our eyes on things other than Jesus Christ.
Further, iron sharpens iron as we reason together. With no one person in the church possessing all truth, it allows everyone to contribute to the growth of the Body. We are able to learn from each other.
If our faith is never challenged, then how can we grow stronger in faith? It is not enough to just believe something, but we need to know why we believe what we do. If we do not, then we will be easily deceived and led astray by that which is false.
In summary, I believe that this is allowed in order to:
* Limit pride in man
* Reinforce that God alone is the standard of Truth
* Keep us dependent upon the Holy Spirit for all truth
* Remind us that we are a "Body" of believers and help us to appreciate and receive from each other.
* Remind us that we are each accountable for searching the Scriptures ourselves and seeking understanding for ourselves
* Teach us how to try the spirits
* Keep us from idolatry
In religion, you will often see churches set up around the point of doctrine. People congregate with those who believe as they do. Yet while doctrine is certainly important, it is not primarily doctrine which unites us into one Body, but the Spirit of God (I Cor. 6:17, 12:13; Eph. 2:18, 4:4).
DeleteAny honest minister will tell you that they have been wrong at times about the things of God. As they have matured in Him and received more understanding from Him, God may have needed to correct some belief they held previously. He is a wise God and He will only give us what we are able to receive at a given time so as not to completely confuse or overwhelm us (John 16:12; I Cor. 3:1-2; Heb 5:11-14).
There are ministers I learn from and listen to, recognizing them as true ministers of God through whom the Holy Spirit speaks, but that doesn't mean I agree with them on every point of doctrine. I receive what the Spirit leads me to receive and set aside those things that He does not lead me to receive.
However, know this. We are each expected to hold on to whatever truth God has shown us at this time. Whatever truth He has confirmed in us, we are to stand upon it. If He needs to expand our understanding, then He will and we should continue to yield and follow as He leads.
All of that said, I do not believe there are "widespread differences" amongst the members of Christ's Body. There are essential doctrines and non-essential doctrines. While none of us has perfect understanding at this time, there is also such things as false doctrines, even amongst professing believers.
DeleteFor example, doctrines promoted by such groups as Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Catholics, etc. are not merely differences in beliefs but are deceptions. The word of God is the standard of truth and should be the barometer by which all truth is evaluated.
Thank you for your reply, it is very insightful and helpful. I think that some of the things Charismatics believe and practice bothered me for a long time but I was able to put most of these things behind me and focus on what I know and believe. I am revisiting this struggle again though after reading a book by Joseph Herrin on his website Heart4God called God's Plan of the Ages. I think for the average Christian this is a deeply radical and disturbing book with the things he is teaching in there that dont align with common Biblical and Scriptural beliefs...especially seeing as he is using Scripture to back every teaching. I have read his blog on and off over the years as many others do and he seems like a very insightful and strong follower of God. He also believes that most Christians are deceived and he has been taught all these truths by God. I am having a very difficult time reconciling the things he is teaching in his book with the man he claims to be as a Christian....does he have special insight or is he even worshipping the same God and Savior that the rest of us are? I have seen many different blogs referencing his work but I highly doubt that most have any clue as to what he really believes and teaches....or if they do that leaves me further confused that they endorse these things. I contacted Thomas Gaughan about this but still felt a little lacking after his response to me. Maybe you can shed some light on this although unless you read the book (available free to download) you cant know the full depth of what is in it. I dont know exactly why one book has caused this disturbance and struggle within me but it has.
DeleteHi MaxxPro,
DeleteYes, I am aware of Joseph Herrin's beliefs and read the book you referenced a few years ago when I first came across his site. I was completely prepared to dismiss what was within it, but was not prepared for the Scriptural backing with which he supported his position. It really caused me to rethink what I believed in this area. I had a few conversations with him about it before committing it to prayer.
In doing so, God did not permit me to receive Joseph's understanding, but pointed out things for me that questioned the soundness of that position according to the Scriptures. I shared with Joseph what the Lord had pointed out for me (simply because I felt led to). Much of what God answered me on in terms of that issue I later used in another article on this site: Hell Bent
I also questioned the Lord on these differences because I had sensed the Spirit of God behind much of Joseph's writings, which had led me to his site initially. How could this be; had I been deceived? Yet, the Lord told me that I am still to treat Joseph as a brother in the Lord. And so I do. I am not telling others what to do, I can only speak for what the Lord has told me.
I remain thankful to the Lord for that experience. One, it made me really examine what I believe in this area. Many Christians only believe what they do because it is what they have been taught. They do not understand what they claim to believe because it has not become part of them. If God's words do not take root in us then it cannot bring forth life within us.
Two, it revealed pride in me. I had subconsciously adopted an attitude that those in Hell deserved Hell (as if I didn't). Yet there is nothing special about me that makes me undeserving of Hell. As one who sinned, death & Hell was my due reward as well. It is by the grace of God we are saved, and not of ourselves. It also reminded me that I am not the standard. Salvation is not based upon who agrees with me. I must give God room to work on people and grow them up in Him just as I hope He continues to do in me.
While it is not my position to defend Joseph or any man, I must be clear that the difference between his beliefs and that of what you call common Biblical beliefs is in what will happen after the millennial reign of Christ. His views are otherwise very consistent with what is largely considered Scriptural.
At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what any one person believes. You must not believe what I say just because I said it any more than you would believe what another writes just because they said it. As stated above, no one man has all truth and men are fallible. This is why we should seek the Lord on all things. Seek the Lord and let Him confirm for you what He will. He alone will be able to settle in your heart the thing with which you struggle. If He did it for me, then I know He will do it for you. He is no respecter of persons.
We must be careful not to focus our eyes on men. Jesus is the standard. Look to Him in all things.
God Bless
Hey again Mai, this song just popped into my head after re-reading this and I thought I would share it with you, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEKJO7ZmS_E
ReplyDeleteThank you Charlene!
Delete"I was completely prepared to dismiss what was within it, but was not prepared for the Scriptural backing with which he supported his position. It really caused me to rethink what I believed in this area." You shocked me before with the discordance between your preaching and your actions (you have shown me on many occasions throughout your blog).,but this is really serious. When someone brings in a strange doctrine contrary to the one that you have received (Gal1:8) is your faith so weak and shaky, that it put you in confusion immediately? False teachers know the bible, they will use it to back up their lies. I'm sure you knew that? I suspect that you put your trust not in God but in man (contrary to your fervent preaching, warning about this) I visited Joseph Herrin's site thanks to your introduction, and read his blog almost entirely and realized that it wasn't the holy spirit that inspired him but Satan. He is babbling about how he's "God- appointed prophet" whose life "parallel with that of Joseph in the OT" and God "named him Joseph" for the specific purpose of "interpret the signs of times, heaven etc" just "like the Joseph in the OT" !!!!! LOLLOL, I guess millions of Christians whose name happen to be Joseph are special ppl put aside by God for "interpretations of the signs of heaven" " I see it clearly that he has mental illness. No true follower of Christ exalt himself, claiming "I'm a God's prophet" No true follower of Christ is a narcist like this guy is.. Joseph Herrin teaches astrology He uses the same sources as new agers do, then, claim the "Father gave him" these "interpretations" to him. I pointed out that there are hundreds of ppl with such "knowledge" on YT alone and the majority of them are not even Christians. You don't even have to be a believer to know this stuff. All one gotta do is to study these sources from the dark side long enough and you can become an 'expert". Herrin shows the classical signs of false teacher. This Satan's disciple apparently adopted Catholic version of
ReplyDelete"Christian symbol" in butterflies. This gross, sinister butterfly symbol is everywhere in his sites. He even posted a blog called "Emergent Church" where he posted many shots of butterflies and placed them as if upward motion, thereby "symbolizing emerging"!! LOL that poor guy has no idea what "emergent church" means.
Joseph Herrin is serving "another god" I told him that his god told him to "focus on the SUN" (another blog of his where he teaches astrology, horoscope 101), my God told me to focus on the SON.
You said "God did not permit me to receive Joseph's understanding" yet you put his blogpost on your page? God didn't permit you so why are you endorsing him? It seems to me that you don't realize the seriousness of the crime of false teaching before the Lord. I highly doubt that God told you to "still treat Joseph as a brother in the Lord" if one doesn't know the Lord, how could he be a brother "in the Lord"?
My brothers, let not many of you become teachers knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. James 3:1
Hi Woil, you've made one thing clear: We don't serve the same God.
DeleteGod's people should be teachable by His Holy Spirit, growing in the knowledge of the Lord & open to correction (Col. 1:10; II Cor. 3:17-18; Heb. 12:6-11; II Pet. 1:8, 3:18). Apollos was able to receive from Aquila & Priscilla when they expounded to him the way more clearly (Acts 18:24-26). Christians boldly proclaim the truths God has revealed to our hearts, but we never get to the point where we know it all or have all the answers. Becoming unteachable by God's Holy Spirit is not demonstrating faith; it is merely esteeming your own carnal mind above the mind of Christ. Christians must be like the Bereans, prayerfully searching the Scriptures to see if a thing is true (Acts 17:11).
Jesus stated we should be able to discern the signs of the times just as well as the face of the sky (Matt. 16:3). When the time of His coming draws near, there will be signs in the Heavens & in the earth of which we should take note so as not to be caught unawares (Luke 21:7-11; I Thess. 5:4-6). Believing the word of God and applying it to our lives is not astrology.
The Lord has often bestowed names upon His children; before their birth, at their birth, as well as later as a demonstration of the work He would perform in them (Gen. 16:11, 17:19; I Chron. 22:9; I Kings 13:2; Luke 1:13, 30-33). If this concept is foreign to you, then it just illustrates how far your current thinking is from the Lord.
True servants of God are not ashamed to walk in the calling for which God has prepared them because it is He alone who gets the glory (Rom. 1:1, 11:13; I Cor. 9:1-2; I Tim. 2:7; II Tim. 1:11). Acknowledging one's calling is not boasting. It is a form of false humility to assert that denying one’s calling means one is “humble”.
Woil, repent & seek the Lord with your whole heart. Forget focusing on others and present your own life to Jesus for sanctification. Do you honestly believe you bear the fruit of Jesus Christ through such posts as these? Not because of your attempts to malign me (I don't care about that), but based upon your twisting of God's words. When there are many dying every moment and winding up lost in Hell, you would have me to believe that this is how God would have you spend your time? Attempting to prove others wrong does not make you right; it simply places you in Hell next to them if you never are transformed into the image of Christ yourself. Get about the Father’s business...or simply get on.
What follows is a message to the Christian reader:
I rarely approve strifeful posts such as these, but the Lord has led me to do so today as a warning to others.
The point in this response is not to address this person's claims against me or Joseph Herrin. Let each man judge for himself based upon the fruit seen. However, I want to point out that the reason for Lucifer’s fall can be summed up in one word: pride. It is also the main characteristic of those who follow him (Jeremiah 48:29; Ezekiel 16:49; Dan. 4:37; Obad. 1:3; Zeph. 2:10; I Timothy 3:5-6).
When one is bound by this root of bitterness, even the word of God will be perverted because you can only see yourself: how others treat you, how much you “know” and others don’t, how you can see while others are blind… Is there any hope or yearning for the salvation of others in such interactions? No. Merely gloating, mockery, and condemnation. That alone should show you the spirit in operation.
The Gospel is not all about “you” (or “me”). Neither is how we think someone “acts towards us" the standard for truth. Do not become so high-minded that you believe yourself to be above error. Do not let the pride prevent you from going prayerfully to God's word to always learn more of Him. As indicated in my testimony above, doing so only helped to further strengthen my faith in the Lord as He confirmed for me what is true…and He will do the same for you for He is no respecter of persons.
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:7
DeleteThe way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. Proverbs 12:15
DeleteWoe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Isaiah 5:21
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:6
But wisdom is justified of all her children. Luke 7:35
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:13-17
The Lord woke me up this morning to post these Scriptures. May they bless those for whom they are intended.
Foe those who may be struggling with pride or dealing with those operating in that spirit, the following article may be helpful: Shake Off the Snakes!
ReplyDelete