Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Deceitful Spirits

Well, last week’s news of Jennifer Knapp coming out as a homosexual really struck my heart with grief; deep to the core.

As I prayed and pondered my way through why I was so bothered by the news I was reminded of a basic principal of faith and a scripture that I find intriguing.

The principal the Holy Spirit reminded me of is that we need to be careful about putting faith in human beings as we are all born with a selfish nature. Somehow we place musicians, actors, politicians, sports figures and usually the very rich on a pedestal where we look up to them. The problem is that they all are human and do fail. Jennifer Knapp can be included in a long list of other more secular celebrities that have had personal or moral failings.

Back to scripture;

1 Timothy 4
Apostasy
1But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
2by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,
3men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.
4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
5for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.
It has always intrigued me that at some point men will be forbidding marriage. I can’t seem to envision how that will play itself out but these issues we see regarding homosexual relationships sure could be a factor in that movement which is clearly connected to the apostasy.

Unfortunately, I just continue to see more evidence of the deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons influencing our world.

Keep looking up my friends, our Savior is the only one who deserves our admiration.

Mike

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mike, This is just terrible. How can you continue in such a way without taking the moment to think about those people who fall behind. I feel like you focus on yourself and the better being of yourself and admire God and only him.

God created all of us, and in the bible it says that he is merciful. How merciful could he be to those of us who fall away from the faith, with no hope or promise to look for.

I admire all humans. Humans come before God now. I feel terrible that this is the case for me.

How can a merciful God forget those who have fallen away from the faith. I'll admit, I have been very faithful for the past year, but I had lost it after these earthquakes.

Just as a parent shows his decency to his or her child, God in his own mercy, should show decency to all humans. It's just depressing to see that people like myself who fall away from the faith, hate that we have fallen away, but also because God isn't there to help us get back on track when we lose it.

God created all of us. I still pray that he shows mercy to all of us. It just doesn't make sense otherwise. The God that I used to know is merciful.

Why is it that I had to be blessed, compared to those who had lost their faith before. I don't believe in being blessed anymore. Our merciful father doesn't chose who gets the blessing and who doesn't. And when we are 'blessed', and fall apart in some way, God isn't there to help us get back on track.

Pray for me, those of you that still have the faith. Pray for the fallen, and pray that God be merciful to all of his children.

It's not fair. Life is not fair. It doesn't make any sense.

the70thweek said...

Anon,

Mike will be unavailable for a week or so, until he has a chance to respond to your many questions and comments, please know that you are not being ignored by him.

If I may say, please know that Gods grace and mercy are still available to both you and to me today. But, by peoples own choices they have chosen to fall away from the truth.

Having said that, be assured, He has not forgotten those that have fallen away or those who are not following Him. There is hope, He is our hope, He never changes, he is still standing waiting to welcome you back right were you left Him. He loves you, always has, always will.

He is a good God, not wanting anyone to perish, but you must repent of your sins and return to Him.

2 Peter 3:9

9. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God, so we must repent of our sins so that we can be reconciled to God.

Romans 5:8-11

8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
10. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

May you know that you are in my prayers. Seek Him and He will find you.

Curt

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 12:48, clearly you do not understand the depravity of man. Even the best we have is filthy rags in the sight of God, there is none righteous, no, not one.

YOU say that God is merciful, GOD says, I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy. You say, God should show "decency" to all humans? Wow, your theology is so skewed. God extends common grace to all, it's a miracle that in the midst of this wicked world, He still sends rain and provision, this is a demonstration of both common grace and mercy.

The day will come soon when His mercy shifts into justice, the sins of man will be dealt with in full measure, God's holiness will be revealed through righteous judgment, and even the coming horror, will glorify Him.

He is God and does as HE pleases in both heaven and earth!