Tag: scripture

Who Are We Following? Part 4 What is the Truth?

On By LindaIn Who Are We FollowingLeave a comment
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

Looking at all the information about Kathryn Krick that is circulating these days has been like watching a train wreck. I don’t know if she is deceived or evil, but I know her followers are deceived. Considering the history of Krick along with her “spiritual father” who has be accused of being involved in witchcraft, I wonder how anyone could be deceived by her. But many are.

What’s even worse is that Krick is not the only one deceiving believers. Many other people from famous online megachurch leaders to obscure pastors in small towns,  even a person’s closest friends or family members, can lead others knowingly or unknowingly into deception. Sad to say, even I have been guilty at that.

The Bible says that evil people and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13) and that false prophets and false teachers will arise even from within the body of believers and bring in destructive heresies (2 Peter 2:1).

It makes sense that non-Christians and new Christians would be caught up into the deceptions; They don’t know the Bible very well so they don’t have the knowledge to counter the lies and half-truths. But even older Christians are being deceived. How can this be when they have been reading the Bible for years?

I think all Christians would agree that we want to please God and we want to go to heaven. To do this – to navigate the spiritual world – we need a guide. Everyone would agree that that would be the Bible. But that’s where the agreement stops. Leaders disagree on what the Bible says. Each one can point to Scriptures that back what they believe even when those beliefs are contrary to each other.

If you had asked me a year ago about my beliefs, I would have said they were all biblical. They were taught to me by people I trusted or things I came to believe by reading the Bible. I have read the whole Bible, cover to cover, several times. I would have told you that I knew what the Bible said, and that I was sharing the truth.

But then God directed me to start backing up everything I said or wrote with Scriptures and to be careful not to take any scripture out of context. I had to look at the entire passage, sometimes the entire book, to identify who God was talking to and why. I also had to compare what He said in one area of the Bible to what He said concerning the same topic in other areas of the Bible. I had to consider the original words and their meanings, the culture and setting, and who He was speaking to or about. The more I did this, the more concerned I got. Although I usually got the main message from God correct, there were many details I got wrong. The Scriptures I used, if I used any at all, were taken out of context. These scriptures, trusted and treasured for years, were not truth. I had been deceived by other deceived Christians and by my own biased interpretations. I chose to believe what I wanted the Bible to say, not necessarily what it did say. I was not following God’s Word. I was following man’s interpretations of His Word. Two very different things.

So, how are we supposed to know who or what to believe?

Are we following what we want the Bible to tell us whether through our own reading or through self-confident pastors and teachers? Does people’s popularity influence the trust we put in them? Do we readily accept the scriptures they use to prove their points because it’s scriptures? Do we put our faith in people who seem to walk powerfully in the gifts of the Spirit and do miraculous signs?

If so, we are in danger of having already been deceived and of being deceived in the future as evil goes from bad to worse. People both inside and outside the church cherry pick verses to support whatever they are preaching about. People use the verses that make them feel good to support the life style they want to live. Cults rephrase and/or isolate text, sometimes adding new “inspired” information, to make the Bible say what they want to prove their teachings. New age and new thought followers use Biblical words but change their definitions. The devil himself is confusing the truth by whispering to us, “Did God really say…?” and by combining a little truth with his lies.

 The only way to avoid deception is to know God and His Word for ourselves. We need to study the Bible, not just scan through it. We need to know all of it, not just our favorite parts. We need to recognize the voice of our Shepherd by continually praying and listening for the voice of the Spirit.

We need to check out everything we hear by going to the Bible like the Bereans did (Acts 17:11). We need to look at everything that we are told, including finding and reading relevant scriptures in context and in the light of other related scriptures. And then we need to cling to what is true and let go of what is not (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Scriptures:

while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:13

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as th ere will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. 2 Peter 2:1-3a

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. 2 Timothy 4:3

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and fro training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Acts 7:11

Do not despise prophecies but test everything; hold fast what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21

They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:5-6

They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands. Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst. Isaiah 5:12-13

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; Hosea 4:6

Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving Colossians 4:2

A Prayer for SIL, Day 66

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Jesus, I lift up SIL to You again, for Your continued work in her. It feels like it’s been so long, but You see what I can’t. You know what she needs. You know where she resists You and why. And You know how to fix her.

Looking to Jesus, to founder and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:2a

Jesus, You are the founder of her faith, the faith that once guided all her thoughts and behavior, the faith that filled her with overwhelming love for You, the faith that now seems to be just glowing embers in a dying fire. You are also the perfecter of her faith. Only You can restore the fire and rekindle her love for You, and fill her with faith that rules her heart and mind. Continue to work in her as Your Word says You do. I know that You love her and won’t give up on her.

In Your Perfecting Hands,

Amen.

The Deadly Barcode

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parablesLeave a comment

By AJ and Didi

Once upon a time there was a barcode walking through town. And then he saw an exclamation point. Exclamation Point walked up to Bar Code until he was three inches from him and stared and stared at him. And then Exclamation Point fainted. The whole town stared in horror.

The next day Bar Code saw a period. Period walked up to Bar Code until he was three inches away and stared and stared at him. And then Period fainted. The whole town stared in horror.

On the third day Bar Code saw a question mark. Question Mark walked up to Bar Code until he was three inches away and stared and stared at him. And then Question Mark fainted. The whole town stared in horror.

On the fourth day Bar Code met a comma. Comma walked up to Bar Code until he was three inches away and stared and stared at him. And then Comma fainted. The whole town stared in horror.

This continued to happen for a whole month.  And then the whole town started calling him the Deadly Bar Code.

So don’t stare and stare at a bar code or else your town will stare in horror at you.

At first glance as AJ dictated her story to me, it seemed to make no sense. Just a fun imaginative story from a seven-year-old. But then my spiritual ears perked up. There was something of value in this story. A spiritual nugget of truth and a warning.

What if we replaced “bar code” with “sin”? Then the story would be about sin moving through a group of believers. Someone approaches the sin and looks at it at length (stares) which eventually ends in disaster (death). The rest of the people are then filled with the fear of the Lord (horror).

 Consider the case of Ananias and Sapphira.

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.  Acts 5:1-5

This is not the only example we have.

Eve drew close to the serpent and focused on (stared at) the fruit. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6

Achan drew near and considered (stared at) the forbidden things at the fall of Jericho. “when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” Joshua 7:21

David’s heart drew near and longed for (stared at) Bathsheba when she was bathing. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 2 Samuel 11:2

In each case, a glance became a stare which led to coveting and then a sinful act. And in each case, those who saw it were horrified by the result of the sin.

The moral of this story is found in the words of a children’s song: be careful little eyes what you see. There’s no telling how many times Eve may have glanced at the fruit before that day, but on that day her glance became a stare which led to coveting and then to sinful disobedience. Achan and David followed the same pattern in their own temptations. Most of the time we can’t control what we glimpse, but we can control what we allow our minds to dwell on. Jesus said if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. He didn’t mean to literally remove your eye, but the warning is clear. Don’t stare at sin.

Scriptures:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

For the wages of sin is death Romans 6:23a

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6

And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord. Joshua 6:16-19

But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel. Joshua 7:1

 “when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” Joshua 7:21

Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 2 Samuel 11:2

I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? Job 31:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

A Prayer for SIL, Day 46

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, cover SIL with Your wings.

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:3-4

Deliver SIL from the snares around her. From the ones created by the enemy, the ones created by her past, the ones created by her sin, and the ones created by her pride and self-centeredness. No matter how strong the snare, You are stronger. No matter how hidden the snare, You see it. May SIL find refuge under Your wings. May she be open to Your will. And may she find Your faithfulness to be shield and buckler. Keep her fully aware of Your presence and Your promises each day.

In Your Protective Name,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 42

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, I lift up SIL to You. Only You know what she needs. I may think I do. She may think she does. But we can only guess. We can’t see things like You can. We trust You. Bring about the things that need to be addressed. Reveal the hidden things. Show her what You want her to see. Open her heart – or knock on it until she opens it to You – that You may heal her completely from the past as You dine together.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him , and he with me. Revelation 3:20

Do not be conformed, but be transformed… Romans 12:2a

Lead her to transform her thoughts. Put people, videos, commercials, etc. in front of her to tell her what You want her to know and what You want her to do. Lead her all the way to perfect health.

In Your Wisdom,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 28

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord Jesus, Master Healer and Friend, be both to SIL. Fill her with Your presence. Restore to her the joy of her salvation. Feed her Your Word and open her eyes, ears, and heart to receive it. Surround her with Your angels to keep the enemy away. And grant her peace as You still her fears of the future.

My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 24:13-14

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103

Lord, I pray that SIL eats Your Word, finds wisdom, and rests in Your promise of a future. Let her find Your sweet Word addictive and begin to crave it above all else.

In Your Sweet Name,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 25

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, I come to you tonight with yet another plea that you heal SIL of all past experiences that left scars, and that you fill her with Your Spirit. Let peace reign over any turmoil that is binding her and causing problem behaviors. Work within her heart and mind. Call her to You. Increase her appetite for Your Word and give her a little push to overcome her inertia.

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. 1 Peter 2:1-2

Lord, I pray that You show SIL when she is being deceitful, when she’s holding malice in her heart – even if it’s about someone in her past. And when she’s being a hypocrite. Like a newborn infant, like when she first got saved, I pray she craves pure spiritual milk – Your Word – so she can grown in wisdom and in You.

In Your Light,

Amen.

Wedding Vows Can Be Hazardous to Your Marriage Part 2 Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud

On By LindaIn My ThoughtsLeave a comment

Have you ever stopped to really consider the promises being recited at a wedding? What if we could see into the future and then recite our vows with that in mind. What if we said the quiet part out loud? In the world, it might sound like this.

I take you…

to have and to hold, (except when you make me mad or when I am too tired or when you come in from cutting the grass all dirty and smelly or before you brush your teeth in the morning…)

 in good times and bad, (except when the bad times make you irritable, angry, or depressed or are happening because you did something stupid)

for richer and for poorer, (except when you spend all our money and max out the credit cards or because you lost your job and have many excuses why you can’t find another one…)

in sickness and in health. (except when it causes me to become your caretaker, like if you became paralyzed from an accident or developed dementia or an autoimmune disease…)

I promise to be faithful to you (as long as you are faithful to me and you keep up your appearances and you fulfill all my desires…)

and stand beside you in all things. (except when doing so will cause me to be too uncomfortable or when it cuts into my personal time)

I promise to keep laughing with you, (until your jokes get so old that all I can do is groan)

crying with you, (after the first few dozen times, you’re on your own)

and never stop finding new ways to make you smile. (except when you stop finding new ways to make me smile)

I will love, (until the emotion goes away)

honor, (as long as you are honorable and do the right things)

and cherish you (except when I take you for granted because I’m too busy thinking about myself)

all the days of our lives. (maybe most of the days, but the nights are mine)

In Part 3, we’ll take a look at some statistics.

Scriptures:

For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Luke 8:17 

Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.”  Zechariah 8:17

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

My New Book Is Here!

On By LindaIn Letters From Someone Who Loves YouLeave a comment

Those of you who have been with me for a few years may remember my “Letters from Someone Who Loves You” series. Well, I tweaked them and they are now published in a book that can be purchased on Amazon!

Sorry, but the free preview button does not work. This book is not available on Kindle.

I have some other books on Amazon also, mostly children’s books.

I am so excited and hope that this book touches many hearts!

The Battle Over Samantha

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parablesLeave a comment
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For many years, Samantha had guided her family to work outside their home. Besides teaching, her children also gave frequent talks to a great variety of people who asked, helped out in the soup kitchen downtown, shopped in small as well as large businesses, and donated to relief organizations. If someone had a need, they were to be quick to say yes. Samantha believed in the value of everyone, and instructed her family to use their resources to promote the welfare of others.

Not only concerned for those outside her home, Samantha also worked hard for those within her home. Her family was extremely important to her, and her children, in return, loved her greatly. At first her children had been supportive and grateful for her words to them even though they knew as well as she did that things weren’t perfect. She encouraged them to voice their concerns and suggestions with the intent that they would work on the problems as a family. But as her family grew, so did the problems. Sibling rivalry became a constant source of friction and it seemed she was no longer good enough for many of her children. No matter what she said, someone would complain. If she suggested steak and baked potatoes for dinner, some of her children complained that she ignored their desire for single dish meals. If she directed her family to clean the living room, some of her children complained that she was saying the dirt in the other rooms didn’t matter. Stains settled on shirts were her fault for not having treated them immediately. No matter how hard she worked, there were always more complaints about more messes. Some of her children blamed her that the messes even existed. They yelled, criticized, and threw tantrums. They turned on the siblings that ignored their rants or defended Samantha, and vowed to force them to change or to be attacked, which resulted in more fights as the second group retaliated with anger and name calling. Few children looked at themselves as the cause of many of the problems.

Samantha was concerned with the increasing discord in her family but was frozen from action by conflicting ideas on how to stop it. The stress of indecision weakened her immune system, which allowed viruses and bacteria to begin infiltrating her body. She fought against them the best she could, but could feel herself losing when a cancer took root and began spreading throughout her body.

One day a friend arrived. He had been watching the decline of Samantha’s family and could no longer stand by and do nothing. He suggested that she reduce her outside work for awhile in order to focus on the problems in her house. She followed his advice and began to shift her priorities. But as she did, her hidden illness began interfering with her work. The man recognized the signs of cancer in her and told her and her family that helping her regain her health was one of his top priorities. Until she was healthy, she wouldn’t be able to take care of anyone properly.

The backlash came quickly and violently.  Many of the children denied that Samantha was sick and refused to acknowledge the symptoms the man pointed out.  They said he was lying in order to take control, and that as long as their mother did things their way, they could take care of all the family problems themselves. They did not want this man in the house, and demanded that he leave. Other children disagreed, saying that the cancer would contaminate any solutions tried and would only result in more problems.  They wanted the man to stay, thankful for his help and intervention.

It seemed as if the disagreement would last forever, but eventually, a plan was devised and successfully executed by the first group of children, forcing the man to leave and replacing him with a woman. This woman also denied that anything was wrong in Samantha’s body and threatened to take action against anyone who disagreed. The children in the second group watched sadly as Samantha was put back to work without consideration of any possible health issues. While the first group of children celebrated their victory, the second group worried that the end result would be their beloved mother’s death, and were frustrated with the lack of freedom to voice any more of their concerns.

Will the first group of children care enough about the feelings of the second group to let a doctor examine the health of their mother to verify whether or not she was healthy?

Will the second group of children quietly submit to the woman’s threats, or will they rise up to confront the unfairness of censorship?

Will the man go back to his own life and ignore the needs he saw in his friend, or will he continue to find ways to get her the help he thinks she needs?

Will Samantha survive the intense battle that rages over her?

Only time will tell.

This allegory was written in response to a question I read this morning. My prayer is that God opens all of our eyes to what is true – to see the truth no matter which group of children we are in – to acknowledge what is true and not true in what we see and what the other side sees – and to recognize the truth about the evil spiritual enemy who is the real mastermind behind this battle – for without truth, there can be no healing or unity in our country.

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. (Ps 25:5)

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! (Ps 43:3)

These are the things that you shall do: speak the truth to one another; render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; (Zech 8:16)

and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Eph 6:12)