| -> | | | | will (as stated in Philippians 2:13) give you desires that |
| Deception: It Can Happen to You | | | | are from him so that the more you grow in your love |
| Don't bury your head in the sand: it is frighteningly easy | | | | for God, the more the deep desires bubbling within you |
| to fall into deception. Even more devastating is that | | | | will have been put there by God himself. |
| anyone deluded is completely unaware of it. Those in | | | | The obvious truth is that both sides of the coin - all the |
| the greatest danger are the ones who think it couldn't | | | | tests and pain and trials, and all the blessings - are in |
| happen to them. Those who murdered their Messiah | | | | the Bible. |
| were appalled that their ancestors had killed God's | | | | We can rob ourselves if we are not expecting earthly |
| prophets. They were certain they would never do | | | | blessings. When Jesus walked this planet, many got |
| such a thing. | | | | their miracle from him solely because their faith that |
| The great apostle Paul wrote: | | | | God will bless them fired them to keep pushing through |
| 1 Corinthians 4:4 My conscience is clear, but that does | | | | all the obstacles. |
| not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. | | | | On the other hand, there are dangers in expecting |
| Let these Scriptures chill your spine: | | | | continual ease. Jesus warned us to count the cost. |
| Proverbs 16:2 All a man's ways seem innocent to him, | | | | We find Barnabas and Paul "strengthening the disciples |
| but motives are weighed by the LORD. | | | | and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. . . ." |
| Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a | | | | I've stopped mid-verse. So far there seems nothing |
| man, but in the end it leads to death. | | | | different here from normal prosperity doctrine. But let's |
| Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things | | | | read the entire verse to discover how they |
| and beyond cure. Who can understand it? | | | | strengthened and encouraged them: |
| Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets | | | | Acts 14:22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging |
| will appear and perform great signs and miracles to | | | | them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through |
| deceive even the elect - if that were possible. | | | | many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they |
| Matthew 25:44,46 They also will answer, 'Lord, when | | | | said. |
| did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or | | | | To embrace the full teaching of Scripture we must |
| needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help | | | | avoid both the mindset of always expecting God's will |
| you?' . . . Then they will go away to eternal punishment | | | | to be scary and the mindset of always expecting |
| James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so | | | | God's will to be deliriously easy and filled with more |
| deceive yourselves. . . . | | | | thrills than Santa Claus' magic cave. |
| James 1:26 If anyone considers himself religious and | | | | God's will is always the best we could possibly |
| yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he | | | | experience and to settle for anything else is as smart |
| deceives himself . . . | | | | as shaving with a chainsaw. But our long-term |
| Avoid Presumptions About God's Will | | | | happiness and our short-term pleasure and ease are |
| If we are to truly hear from God, it is essential that we | | | | usually oceans apart. Our wonderful Lord wants our |
| avoid the trap of blindly assuming that if it is contrary to | | | | permanent happiness, not some sweet fizz that turns |
| our longings it must be God's will. It is equally critical that | | | | sour. We are so often like children wanting to |
| we not go the other way and automatically assume | | | | sentence ourselves to a lifetime of gorging ourselves |
| that if it seems certain to make us happy, it must be | | | | on no other food but chocolate and ice cream; having |
| God's will for us. | | | | no idea that their conception of heaven would slowly |
| Few Christians - maybe none - have walked with God | | | | turn to hell. |
| for long without sometimes mishearing him because | | | | As God's ability to see the future soars high above our |
| what the Lord was seeking to tell them was contrary | | | | own, so his knowledge of what will make us eternally |
| to their expectations. Scripture insists that as the sky | | | | happy is far above our guesses. Consequently, we |
| soars way beyond our reach, so are God's ways far | | | | need to look to God to guide us, and avoid |
| beyond our own (Isaiah 55:8). Yet still we | | | | presumptions. |
| unconsciously develop presumptions about God's | | | | Whether positive or negative, presumptions are |
| ways that seriously distort what he is seeking to tell us. | | | | dangerous because they can close our minds to things |
| No matter how sincere, our preconceptions blind us to | | | | God wants to tell us and they can also cause us to |
| possibilities, without us realizing it. They have horrifying | | | | seize what we suppose to be God's will when it isn't |
| potential to send us spinning into delusion. | | | | at all. To use marriage as an example, there are those |
| Mindsets, whether positive or negative, can | | | | who think to themselves, "I long to marry, so it's |
| dangerously cloud our perception of reality and of | | | | probably God's will for me never to marry," or "There's |
| what people are really saying. For example, there are | | | | a degree of attraction between us but I wouldn't want |
| people whose tragic pasts have convinced them that | | | | us to marry, so God probably wants us to marry." |
| they are unlovable. Some of them end up married to | | | | Then there are others who tell themselves, "I love this |
| adoring partners and yet their mindset so blinds them | | | | person and feel I couldn't live without him/her, so |
| that they continue to be convinced that they are not | | | | marriage must be God's will." In either case, one needs |
| loved, no matter what extremes their partners go to in | | | | further confirmation of God's guidance. We must |
| trying to prove love in word and action. In fact, many | | | | confuse neither wishful thinking, nor fear or pessimism |
| such people are so blinded to all the evidence that | | | | with God's leading. |
| they deliberately act obnoxiously in an attempt to drive | | | | How to Avoid Misinterpreting the Bible |
| their loved one away because that seems less painful | | | | Every Christian leader worth his salt - or to put it even |
| than what they consider the inevitable shame of being | | | | better, everyone who is salt - stresses the vital role of |
| dumped. They can even be doted on by the most | | | | the Bible in divine guidance. The necessity of verifying |
| loving and most important person in the entire universe | | | | that any supposed word from God is thoroughly |
| - Almighty God - and they still can't accept it and, | | | | consistent with the written Word of God is so obvious |
| despite everything, they continue to feel utterly unloved. | | | | that telling that to most of us is as superfluous as telling |
| A positive mindset can be just as dangerously blinding. | | | | us to breathe. You'll find this webpage crammed with |
| With tragic consequences, young people can feel so | | | | Scriptures. What is seldom explained, however, is that |
| invincible that they are certain that no warnings of | | | | unless our heart is right, a thorough Bible knowledge |
| danger apply to them. | | | | and deep reverence for the Bible will let us down - |
| So let's briefly explore how mindsets can hinder us | | | | badly. |
| from hearing God's voice and discovering his will for us. | | | | The devil used the holy Word of God to tempt Jesus. |
| Many of us fall into the rut of always expecting God's | | | | It was central to his plot to lure the Son of God from |
| will to be challenging, scary, painful. The Bible is dripping | | | | his divine mission. Scripture convinced devout Bible |
| with evidence for this expectation. We are to love | | | | scholars that Jesus was a demon-possessed |
| God more than any other person or thing. This can be | | | | madman they should kill for the good of the nation. No |
| divinely tested, as it clearly was for Abraham when he | | | | doubt, it was also his knowledge of Scripture that |
| was asked to sacrifice his precious son. Jesus was | | | | played a role in firing up Saul to eradicate every trace |
| continually asking people to give up everything to | | | | of Christianity from the planet. |
| follow him. An entire book of the Bible is devoted to | | | | Bible knowledge is spiritual wealth. Give someone a |
| Job's horrific test. We know God's will for Jesus was | | | | million dollars and the vast possibilities range from using |
| terrifyingly painful. Jesus and the rest of the New | | | | it to achieve enormous good, right through to |
| Testament warn us to expect severe persecution. | | | | destroying himself with it. Wealth - be it spiritual or |
| Scripture tells us to rejoice when trials hit, because | | | | material - tests a person's character. |
| they build character. | | | | In a webpage for Christians agonizing over the morality |
| As if hundreds of Bible verses were not enough to | | | | of divorce, I briefly mentioned various Scriptural |
| make us expect the worst, many of us have the | | | | interpretations on the subject by sincere scholars. |
| additional pressure of being prone to feelings of guilt, | | | | Rather than being enlightening, it was frustratingly |
| depression, inferiority, or pessimism. A friend of mine | | | | confusing. Amazingly, however, it turns out that feeling |
| shares his experience, which is an extreme example | | | | confused and incapable of correctly interpreting God's |
| of how preconceptions distort our ability to hear from | | | | Word is a vital leg of one's journey to hearing from |
| God. | | | | God. |
| I had an abusive father who only sent me to church to | | | | Those who suppose they have all the answers are |
| get a free baby sitter. I often looked at God as similar | | | | the ones least likely to hear from God. |
| to my father. I stopped attending church when I was | | | | Ponder the implication of Jesus' prayer: |
| 13. I tried to be a good Christian for a while, but before | | | | Matthew 11:25 "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven |
| long I plunged from being a good kid to being a mean | | | | and earth, because you have hidden these things from |
| spirited, hateful person. | | | | the wise and learned, and revealed them to little |
| I tried numerous times to get back to God but each | | | | children. . . ." |
| time I hit a wall of fear that was so unbearable that I | | | | Those who are wise in their own eyes are in grave |
| felt compelled to turn away from God. I often told | | | | danger of spiritual blindness and deception. |
| myself that this fear was God's punishment for my | | | | 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 Do not deceive yourselves. If any |
| gross sins and that it proved I was beyond | | | | one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this |
| forgiveness. I had a lot of bad thoughts about God that | | | | age, he should become a "fool" so that he may |
| I had no control over. As a result, I often slipped into | | | | become wise. For the wisdom of this world is |
| depression. I would then get on medication and return | | | | foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches |
| to my sinful lifestyle. | | | | the wise in their craftiness"; and again, "The Lord |
| It seemed the only way I could function was to | | | | knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." |
| eliminate God from my life. I did fine for a while. I got | | | | On the other hand, wondrous possibilities emerge for |
| married and had a son. I got off drugs and alcohol. I | | | | those with the humility to realize their "foolishness" - the |
| even started a business. For the first time in my life I | | | | natural human blindness to spiritual things - and their |
| was finally happy. I thought I had completely erased | | | | need of divine help in understanding biblical truth: |
| my past. | | | | Psalm 25:9 He guides the humble . . . and teaches |
| Then I began to think that all these good things were | | | | them his way. |
| from God. I told myself, "It can't be! There is no God!" | | | | Even someone so spiritual and knowledgeable that he |
| "Why do so many people love God?" I puzzled, "He | | | | actually wrote part of the Bible, recognized his own |
| wants only to send everyone to hell." Wondering if I | | | | need to pray for understanding of God's Word: |
| had overlooked something, I explored a number of | | | | Psalms 119:18 Open my eyes that I may see wonderful |
| websites and learned a lot about God. I asked myself, | | | | things in your law. |
| "Why do I despise God so much?" Within a couple of | | | | The Lord intentionally makes his Word difficult to |
| days I was once again overwhelmed by fear. I told | | | | understand to shake us out of complacency and |
| myself, "This fear is surely God again; I remember this | | | | inspire us to passionately seek his understanding of his |
| from years ago." I immediately cried and began | | | | Word, like Jesus' disciples who couldn't understand his |
| repenting. I vowed that I would face my fear of God. I | | | | parables and so came to him for understanding. |
| turned my back on everything evil in my life. | | | | An intellectual approach to the Bible, no matter how |
| I started reading the Bible but I was afraid that it would | | | | studious and informed, is never enough. |
| only confirm that I'm condemned. Before long, it felt like | | | | 1 Corinthians 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not |
| everything in the Bible somehow condemned me. My | | | | accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for |
| mother worried about my spiritual state and visited me | | | | they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand |
| a lot. I would often tell her, "Look, this verse right here | | | | them, because they are spiritually discerned. |
| proves I'm going to hell!" We would then go over it and | | | | Discerning biblical truth either takes us to the height of |
| discover its meaning was totally different. I couldn't | | | | spiritual intimacy or we will drift into delusion, no matter |
| figure out why I could read something and get such a | | | | how much, like the devout scholars in Jesus' day, we |
| condemning message from it. I would often stop | | | | think ourselves the epitome of orthodoxy. |
| reading the Bible because oppressive fear would | | | | Paul commented on how Jews could study the Old |
| come over me. | | | | Testament with great thoroughness and still never |
| I bought a book about spiritual warfare. All was fine for | | | | realize that Jesus is the Messiah it prophesies. He put it |
| a while, then even that book seemed to be | | | | this way: |
| condemning me and in despair I put it down. Eventually, | | | | 2 Corinthians 3:15-16 Even to this day when [the books |
| I forced myself to open the book again. I re-read the | | | | of] Moses [the first five books of the Bible] is read, a |
| condemning sentence I had underlined. To my surprise, | | | | veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to |
| I couldn't find anything in it that could lead me to feel | | | | the Lord, the veil is taken away. (Emphasis and |
| condemned. | | | | explanatory text, mine.) |
| I began to notice that as I read, fear would sweep | | | | To know the will of God, it is not enough merely to |
| over me, causing me to throw the book down without | | | | know the words of Scripture, you must know the |
| finishing the sentence. | | | | Author, being on the most intimate terms with him. To |
| I eventually learned that the fear and condemnation | | | | do the will of God, it is not enough merely to know the |
| were not from God, as I had always thought, but were | | | | answer, you must be in spiritual union with the Answer. |
| from the enemy. This discovery changed everything. I | | | | Countless thousands of sincere, Bible-loving Jews |
| looked back on all the things in my life that I had | | | | longing for their Messiah rejected Jesus as their Savior |
| considered were from God and realized that they | | | | because he did not match their Bible-based - yes, |
| were not from him at all. | | | | Bible-based - preconceptions. Much of their |
| My friend's experience might be far more extreme | | | | misunderstanding was due to confusing the Messiah's |
| than yours but any preconception you have about | | | | second coming with his first coming, and much of that |
| God and his will is just as capable of distorting what | | | | was probably because their longing to be delivered |
| God wants to tell you, and, like my friend, wherever | | | | from hardship was greater than their longing to be |
| you look in the Bible and Christian messages you'll find | | | | delivered from their sin. |
| much to confirm your presumption - whether it is really | | | | God made it so difficult to recognize Jesus' true |
| there or not. | | | | identity that when Peter made this discovery, Jesus |
| Most Christians who don't habitually expect God's will | | | | exclaimed, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for |
| to be unpleasant, fall into the opposite trap. Again there | | | | this was not revealed to you by man, but by my |
| is much scriptural encouragement for this view. | | | | Father in heaven. . . ." (Matthew 16:17). |
| Abraham was renowned for his wealth; Isaac and | | | | Here's my poem. I hope it's not too long for you: |
| Jacob enjoyed great material success; Job was very | | | | Spiritual concerns are spiritually discerned. |
| rich, Solomon was mind-bogglingly wealthy and many | | | | (Well, it almost rhymes.) |
| of the Bible heroes were kings. | | | | For proof of this great truth, we need go no further |
| A study of the Old Testament use of the word | | | | than this: evil spirits were far better at knowing who |
| blessing is astounding. The way experts ascertain the | | | | Jesus was, than were all the priests, spiritual leaders |
| precise meaning of a word is to find as many different | | | | and Bible scholars combined. Demons knew in an |
| occurrences of the word as they can and examine | | | | instant what the best theological minds could not figure |
| each context. Do this and you will discover that almost | | | | out about Jesus. |
| every time, the word blessing refers not to spiritual | | | | So a critical step towards finding the mind of God on |
| blessings but to material prosperity - many children, | | | | any issue is to recognize that insights into spiritual |
| overflowing harvests, livestock breeding like there was | | | | matters will not be attained merely by the intellectual |
| Viagra in their hay (Scriptutes). | | | | process of studying the relevant Scriptures and |
| The Bible is filled with promises of joy, God's love for | | | | reaching one's own conclusion as to what they mean. |
| us, answered prayer, miracles, healings and victory. | | | | There must be a humble recognition of one's |
| John 16:24 . . . Ask and you will receive, and your joy | | | | dependence upon divine illumination of God's Word. |
| will be complete. | | | | This naturally leads to fervent, faith-filled prayer for |
| Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will | | | | divine revelation but, as we will discover, there are |
| give you the desires of your heart. | | | | additional heart attitudes to be mastered. |
| Not only will God give you what your heart desires, he | | | | |