Prayer Forum

 

Hi Friends!

I wanted to open today’s blog post as a prayer forum for anyone who needs prayer. Please post your prayer request as a comment so we can all pray for each other.

God put this on my heart last night as I was thinking of what to blog about today. I couldn’t think of anything except that I was tired and weary. So I decided that we needed a prayer blog!

Here is what you can pray for me this week:

• Continued endurance and motivation. I haven’t had much time to sit down and write for the book in the last two weeks. My attention has been more towards getting the blog site running and learning how to use different social media outlets for promoting the blog. I think I hit a wall yesterday as I just started to feel tired. Please pray that God gives me the strength to endure and that God will multiply the people who visit this site and also catch my vision for this message.
• You can also continue praying that I will find a literary agent and publisher. I have one agent reviewing my book proposal right now. Pray they find interest in the book and understand my vision.

Thank you for your prayers!

Gina

Is Your Middle Name John?

While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly. (Luke 1:11-17, NIV)

As I read this passage in Luke yesterday, I thought to myself, “John the Baptist prepared the hearts of the people of Israel to hear the message of Jesus two thousand years ago. Who is preparing the hearts of men and women for Jesus’ second return in the future?”

The answer is you and I! John should be our middle name.

Everyday is one day closer to Christ’s return. However, as each day goes by, people are taking steps further away from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are leaving the wisdom of God and are clinging to the wisdom of the world. Jesus teaches that as His return gets closer, deception will increase. He says, “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.” (Matthew 24:10-14)

It’s time to make John your middle name! Think right now of someone you know who is deceived and walking away from the Lord. Who is the first person that comes to mind? What are you doing to prepare him or her for Jesus’ return?

Poll #3: What does it mean to be DOUBLE-MINDED?

Results will be revealed November 2nd! Come back and check the website!

Poll #2: Spiritual Wisdom

 

I would like to thank everyone for participating in the poll this week! There was an outstanding turn out! The question this week was: What does it mean to have spiritual wisdom? 

 

67% of you answered “to have insight into reality and live according to the truth,” 27% of you answered “all of the above,” and 7% of you answered “none of the above.” The answer is “to have insight into reality and live according to the truth.” 

 

The definition of wisdom given is made up of two parts. The first is to have insight into reality. Having insight into reality requires us to have an understanding about ourselves and the world around us. How do we gain insight? My answer would be to put on the eye glasses of God. 

In Job 12:13, Job says, “With Him are wisdom and might; To Him belong counsel and understanding.” (NASB) We must see the world through God’s eyes to really have a correct understanding of the world we live in. As we press in closer in our relationship with God, through studying Scripture and prayer, we will begin to see things the way God does. By doing this we will continue to gain more insight into reality. 

The second part of this definition is to live according to the truth. In Psalm 31:5, David calls God the “God of truth.” As Christians, we are required to live according to God ways and instructions. These instructions are not there for our destruction, but are there for our protection and benefit. Did you happen to notice that living according to the truth is an action? We are required to do something. We are required to follow the ways of the Lord. 

To sum it up, wisdom is understanding the world as God see’s it and living according to His ways. To have spiritual wisdom is to understand and act. 

I would encourage everyone to do a word study in your free time on the words understanding, truth, and wisdom. There are many great passages in the Bible about these topics, that for the sake of time and the length, I could not fit them into this blog post. 

Lastly, I want to address the other two choices that were given in the poll. First, “to be very knowledgeable” doesn’t necessary mean that you are wise. I think most people would agree that you can have much knowledge but still not be a wise person. Second, “to be able to predict something in the future” has more to do with the gift of prophecy than it has to do with wisdom. 

(Definitions in this post were taken from the Kregal Dictionary of the Bible and Theology.)

Facts and Characteristics of the New Age Movement

 

The following is a brief survey of some facts and characteristics of the New Age movement:

 

•  The New Age movement is made of a diverse group of people with a diverse set of beliefs.
• There is not one single organization that New Agers must be part or a creed they must adhere to.
• There is not one leader or one person that speaks for the entire New Age movement.
• The New Age community may include, but is not limited to, holistic health professionals, ecologists, political activists, educators, human potential advocates, goddess-worshippers, reincarnationists, astrologers, and many more. (I think we could add talk show hosts to the list … ) Anyone can be part of the New Age movement.
• The New Age movement draws its beliefs from many sources of “truth.” (They do not believe in an absolute truth. I will discuss this more in a later blog post.)
• In fact, New Agers draw their teachings from Jesus Christ, Buddha, Krishna, Confucius, Kabbalah, Islam, and many other “sacred” teachings and belief systems.

 

What do you think? Is it possible to pick and choose your own belief system from different religions, philosophies, or spiritual gurus? What do you think is the harm in doing this if you claim to follow Christ and be a Christian? Should Christians take spiritual guidance from people other than Christ and the Bible?

All of this was adapted from Ron Rhodes’ book, New Age Movement, pg. 7-8.

A Call to Action!!!

 

I want to thank all of you who are following this blog! All of your support is greatly appreciated! 

As you know, the main purpose of my book and blog is to make women aware of the deception of New Age teaching that is prevalent in our culture today. Because of this, I ask you to tell others about this ministry and forward the blog web address to others who will support the ministry of this book and also to those who need to hear its message. You can also become a fan of the book on facebook and follow me on twitter (Jesustlkshowhst).

Paul states that a time will come when people will push aside correct biblical teaching. Please read the following: 

 

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:2-5, NIV) 

 

Paul encourages Timothy to be prepared always to correct and rebuke false teaching! Yet, he tells Timothy to do so with patience and careful instruction. This is what we are called to do as believers in Jesus Christ. We are called to stand up for the truth and help our brothers and sisters in Christ when their ears turn away from the truth! 

So I ask you now … please stand up with me! Reach out to those people you know are walking away from the one true God and turning to New Age spirituality. With love and patience, confront your friends who are reading books such as The Power of Now, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, The Secret, A Course in Miracles, and the many others out there! These books distort Scripture and God’s precious message to us. Satan’s plan is to draw believers away from the truth. Let’s stand and fight back!!!

 

Who is your house built upon?

 

Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord” and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. (Luke 6:46-49, NIV)

 

Is your house built on a foundation? What kind of foundation is it? Is it old and cracked? Does it need some reinforcement? Or is it steady, anchored into the ground, and ready for any storm that may come?

The Lord uses images and illustrations that are common to us so He can teach us principles we will remember. In this passage He uses the foundation of a house to contrast those who hear Jesus’ words and put them into practice and those who hear His words and do nothing with them. Which one are you? Do you believe Jesus’ words are true?

Jesus’ words form the foundation upon which our lives should be built. If our lives are not built on this foundation, our faith in Christ will inevitably collapse when new teachings and ideas arise that counter what Jesus taught. This is why it is so important to know Scripture and distinguish between what is the truth and what is not.

Who is your house built upon?

What does it mean to have SPIRITUAL WISDOM?

 

 

Results will be posted next Monday, October 26th!

Poll #1 Results: Pantheism

 

The correct answer for this week’s poll is “none of the above.” 91% percent of you answered correctly. 9% answered “all of the above.” Let’s now look at why none of the statements are correct: 

At its core, New Age teaching is built upon an idea known as Pantheism. Pantheism is the belief that God is in all and all is God. Thus, He is everywhere and in everyone. 

Let’s think about this for a moment. Scripture teaches two things: 

1. Is God is in everyone? NO. Scripture teaches that God only dwells in those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior: 

 

“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” (Romans 8:9, NIV) 

 

We can conclude from this verse that everyone does not have the Spirit of God. God does not dwell in people who do not submit their lives to Jesus Christ. 

2. If you really believe that all is God, which pantheism suggests, then this thought can eventually lead you to believe that you are a God yourself. Does Scripture teach this? NO. In fact, Scripture teaches the opposite. There is a separation between the created and the Creator: 

 

“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” (Isaiah 46:9, NIV) 

 

You are not a god. You are not divine. Do you see where this line of thinking may lead? New Age teachers who make statements such as, “find the God within you” and “you are divine”, are not teaching from the Bible. These ideas are not supported by Scripture. Thankfully, God has given us His word to teach us the truth and we must test everything against it. I hope this blog post has helped you understand these concepts better. I’m sure I will touch on this subject again in the near future. 

I Confess …

 

I read other books more than I read the Bible …

In fact, the only addiction I have is my book addiction. When I was single, I had to limit myself to spend only $25 per month on books to keep myself disciplined. Now that I’m married, I know I’ll have to answer to my husband if he see’s a new book on the shelf. That keeps me in check.

I added one more rule in my life to keep my book addiction under control: If I am not reading the Bible consistently, then I can’t buy a new book. You see, God pressed this upon my heart one day and said, “How come you aren’t spending as much time in my Word than you are with another person’s words?” That convicted me right away! I was neglecting precious time with the Lord.

What about you? Is there anything that gets in your way of spending time in God’s word? It may not be other books, it may be the time you spend on the internet, watching television, talking on the phone with friends, laziness … the list could go on and on!

Lord, search our hearts. See if there is any way in us that is not pleasing to you!

 

 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24, NIV)