(1John 4:1) “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out
into the world.”
The question so
many ask is how can I be sure that this thought is from God or not simply a
vain imagination? Far too many people within Christian circles claim that the
voice of God speaks through them and babes in Christ are often influenced by
those voices. Whilst the unbeliever slates the Gospel message because of the
madness witnessed. Do not be fooled, the gospel is rejected only because men
love darkness more than light, and they avoid coming to the light so that their
sin is not exposed.
It is imperative that we base everything we do on
the instructions found in the Bible; if and when we are prompted to act let its
always be in accordance with the Word of God and make sure it is always done
decently and in order and without reigning down confusion. God is most
certainly not a God of misunderstanding and the spirit of misconception reigns outside
of His kingdom. Sanity must always ride on the back of the fruits of the
Spirit, even when we are laughed at.
The Word of God must always come first; then we
must remember to exegete (interpret) correctly. We cannot open a bible and
point at a verse and then claim it as if God has spoken directly to us. This
would be a foolish way to conduct our lives.
If I am struggling financially and times are tough
I cannot claim a portion of a verse and then apply faith to it expecting
results or claim someone else’s providence as my own. If we take a verse out of
context, we must be careful not to fall into this trap.
Here is an example…
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is
its own trouble.” (Matthew
6:33-34)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things
will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow
will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:33-34)
I trust you see the difference…
With this in mind let us understand a deeper truth…
(Matthew 19:30) “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
To understand this there must be a shift in our
reckoning; our minds must shift gears, moving from the natural into spiritual
overdrive and without that transformation there will be no revolution in a
believer’s life. A revolt for the WORD OF GOD should begin to dictate. If not
we must examine if we be in the faith? Its one thing to say we believe but
quite another to live as one who truly believes. When we examine our lives,
which I am in the throes of doing and as I look through the looking glass of
time; 30 years to be exact! And I see snippets of positive influence, the time
when my ministry had a constructive affect on others, I realise that those were
the times in my life where my mind was in SPIRITUAL OVERDRIVE. It’s God in us
that equips the believer to bring about this change, that is a given, but we
have been instruction as children of God to put on the mind of Christ, in
others words; we must purposely learn how to do this. Some will be better at it
than others, why? God knows! However this does not free me to find an excuse
for my rebellion when it rears its head.
The Apostle Paul was very clear on this; “I appeal
to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a
living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you
may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable
and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)
For the slow learner like me, it does not excuse
the many mistakes I have made along the way. But praise the name of Jesus and
the fortitude of my heavenly Father for His endurance in my life. The times
where I had lost my way is simple to understand, it was always a shift from the
spiritual back to the natural. What is the lesson then? We must always remain
in the Spirit, trusting the Word of God above the whole enchilada of everything
else to be fruitful. We must learn to surrender to God; this is how we lay a
good foundation in our lives. If we have lost our way, pruning will be
required, it will be painful and have its effect on our lives, we will be under
strain no differently to a tree that is clipped, but is will bring forth fruit
in its season, praise God!
If the required trimming is ignored do not expect
any change. Please do not mistake financial gain for blessings from God if we
are not chasing His righteousness in our lives as it is probably just another
lure distracting us from His truth.
Signing off
Tyrone
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