Lord, Please Keep Me

I have had occasion to witness a young woman who had come to know the Lord in recent years go off head first into a strong delusion.  This woman has not overtly turned away from God.  Instead, like many people, she has simply turned to religion.  It has been amazing and yet terrifying to see.

You try to talk about basic Bible truths with her, and the response is honestly just incoherent.  There are lots of religious sounding phrases, but an inability to deal with or acknowledge the simple truths of God.  The Scripture uses the phrase "great swelling" words, which is the Greek word hyperogkos meaning overswollen.

The words are "great" because they sound really impressive and holy, but they are "swelling" because they have no substance. Just as a balloon fills up and swells with air, the words are puffed up.  As a result of having been infected by the wrong spirit, the person's mannerisms and speech have become affected.  In general, it is evidence of one who has been filled with head knowledge, yet not been transformed in heart to become what they have learned (II Timothy 3:6).  Such is a deadly combination.

"Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." I Corinthians 8:1

I am sure you have probably had similar discussions:

Statement: "You know, the Bible says that we must flee fornication and all sexual immorality."

Response: "I'm blessed & highly favored, praise God!  God is moving and advancing His Kingdom!"

Statement:  "But God wants to purge us from all uncleanness.  He says here that we must repent and turn away from sin.

Response: "Hallehujah!  God has me! The gifts of God are without repentance!"

Now my example may be an exaggeration (though not by much), but the point is that people's minds are going deep into insanity in religion and only the Lord Jesus can bring them back.  Such persons can never address the Scriptures, instead they simply espouse religious jargon as if such renders Scripture invalid.  And for the record, let me just state that "the gifts of the Lord being without repentance" is not a cover for disobedience.

The religious arena is not just a nice place people go to find God.  It is a snare set up by Satan to keep people from God and yoked to the personalities of men.  Again, I say, this is terrifying!

As I considered this young woman's conversation, I was filled with sorrow for her condition.  At the same time, I was also immediately humbled and overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for keeping me...and I prayed diligently that He would continue to keep me. 

You see, it is nothing in and of ourselves which has allowed us to have a sound mind.  It is truly the mercies of God (II Timothy 1:7).  If you have the ability to understand, receive, walk in, and be changed by God's word, then that is supernatural!  Without the intervening, transformative power of God in your life, you would be lost; even while sitting in Church with a Bible singing hymns.

"But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." I Corinthians 4:19-20

The power of God is not just for outward show.  Even "workers of iniquity" can perform mighty signs and wondrous works (Matthew 7:21-23; II Thessalonians 2:9).  The power of God is distinguished from all others in its ability to mold you into His image (II Peter 1:3-4).  If the power we profess does not make us partakers of the divine nature, then it is only a puffed up counterfeit.

People may boast about being a flourishing "man or woman of God" or being a "mover and a shaker in God's Kingdom", but I tell you that unless the Lord Himself safeguards your mind, you will go off.  You will still be there thinking that you are a mighty servant of God while in reality you are far off from Him...and be none the wiser. 

"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." I Corinthians 10:12

The human mind is more fragile than we think; this is why we need the mind of Christ always. As soon as we start thinking that we have arrived, then we can surely know that we are on the verge of a fall (Proverbs 16:18; I Timothy 3:6).  The Spirit will give us boldness of speech, but our boasting will only always be in the Lord (Psalm 34:2; Acts 4:13, 29-31; Ephesians 3:12; I Corinthians 1:31; II Corinthians 10:17; Philippians 1:20; I Timothy 3:13).

The more we come to truly know God, the more we appreciate how very much higher His thoughts and ways are than ours (Isaiah 55:9).  If your closer view of God leaves you with a bigger impression of yourself, then you are not looking at the True & Living God at all; you have found "another Jesus" (II Corinthians 11:4).

So the question becomes, "How does God keep us and what is He keeping us from?"

Some mistakenly believe that God promises to keep every believer so that you will never fall.  Those who believe in the error of Once Saved Always Saved cling to such promises. Yet, is that Biblical?

"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,"  Jude 1:24

"For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." II Timothy 1:12

The Scriptures say that the Lord is able to keep us, and this is true.  However, it does not promise that He will.  Why not?  Because we have a will.  We must keep ourselves in a position of being kept.  As a Sister in the Lord would say, "God keeps those who want to be kept."

How do you stay in a place of being kept? You keep on believing (obeying) God's words.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." I Peter 1:3-5

It is our continued faith in God which allows us to be kept. Faith here is the Greek word pistis, which we have talked about before.  It means having faith in and being faithful to. 

You cannot have one without the other; you cannot be faithful to God while at the same time disbelieving/disobeying His words.  When we are believing in God, it is His words which are the basis of that faith (Romans 10:8, 17; I Timothy 4:6; II Timothy 1:13; Hebrews 4:2; Hebrews 11:3).  Disregard His words and you are outside of the faith.  People want to talk about being kept by God, but it is your abiding faith - faith in and faithfulness to Him - which God demands in order to be kept. 

Remember, there is nothing we can do to keep ourselves.  Our faith is not the power which keeps us, rather our faith is what gives us access to God's power (Acts 6:8; I Corinthians 2:5; II Thessalonians 1:11)...a power that will not only keep us, but will change us to be as He is.

Know this.  You will only go so far in God as you are willing to let Him purge what is in your soul. This is why we need to walk circumspectly (Ephesians 5:15-16).  If you begin to back away from the Lord's chastening as He purges you, then you will return to the vomit and the mire of the world...even a religious vomit/mire (II Peter 2:22; Hebrews 12:8).

What are we being kept or saved from?  Well, lots of things: our enemies, ourselves, Satan, etc.  Yet there is one thing in particular from which we are being kept: God's wrath.

"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." Romans 5:9

At the end of the day, all that matters is Jesus.  It is His reconciliation that we need and pleasing Him will be all that matters to those who love Him.  We will not try to justify or defend our own ways, but we will obey His words.  We must be watchful to cast down every high thing that would exalt itself against the knowledge of Christ and bring every thought to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:5).  I have to pray, to plead with Him for mercy, because I know I cannot keep myself.  I know that left to my own devices I am prone to wander.  I cannot rely on my own strength or wisdom.  I must remain ever dependent upon the Lord.

As you walk with the Lord, I pray that He keeps you.  I pray that He continues to bless you with a sound mind.  I pray that He helps your unbelief and gives you a heart to hear & obey Him.

Don't ever take your salvation for granted (Hebrews 2:3).  Scriptures say that deception will be so strong in the last days that if possible it could deceive the elect of God.  We need to depend upon and trust in the Lord now like never before.

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." Revelation 3:10-11