Archive for the 'Hearing God' Category

How to Protect Yourself From False Spiritual Teachers and Prophets. Part 2

Published January 16, 2023 Characteristics of Believers , Hearing God , Holy Spirit Leave a Comment
Tags: , ,

We can only discern or identify false teachers and false prophets by comparing what they say/write with truth and this means the truth of God.  Remember that the enemy knows the Bible as well or better than we do and he uses twisting and misstating the Bible to draw us into his lies.  As you may recall, Jesus was tested by the devil in the wilderness (see Matthew 4 and Luke 4), the devil quoted the Bible.  But he quoted it out of context and with nefarious motives and Jesus saw right through it and corrected him.  For instance, Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and the devil appeared and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt 4:3-4).  Jesus knew the devils’ motive was to tempt him to break his fast for God and to show his power.  Jesus was stating that for us to feast on the Word of God (The Bible) and be nourished by our Father in Heaven and not to worry about what is happening in the world or what people think.

The best way to discern whether the teaching/word is a lie is to judge it against the word of God in the Bible.  I like to read the commentary in my study Bible for the verses I am reading.  The commentary are those little footnotes at the bottom of the page but you can also google the commentary for the scripture.  I also use an app called the “Blue Letter Bible” because you can also zip into the Greek or Hebrew words and their definitions or usage.  Know that reading and studying the Bible starts to build up your Spirit, knowledge and wisdom and soon you will be able to quickly spot the lies because the truth will be strong and hidden in your heart!

Advertisement

How to Protect Yourself From False Spiritual Teachers and Prophets.

Published January 15, 2023 Hearing God , Prophetic Word , World Leave a Comment
Tags: , ,

If you wondered about the name of this ministry, Arming the Saints, let me explain.  It is our heart to give God’s people the knowledge, wisdom and training to be armed against the battles of this world and in the supernatural realms and the lies of the enemy that keep many people blind to their true blessings and authority in Christ.  It is so heavy on my heart that so many are being blinded and deafened by the world and religious miscommunications, false prophets and teachers and incorrect human interpretation of Biblical truth and maybe you are too.  So here are a few posts on how to protect yourself.

  1.  Do not believe everything someone tells you, especially if they attach any religious words or titles with it.  What I mean is test everything as we are told in 1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”  Testing the words of your pastor, TV spiritual teachers and spiritual friends is perfectly acceptable and highly recommended!

Know that spirit comes in the form of spiritual influence that come to us in feelings, emotions and most obviously in words.  The best way to test the spirit (or teachings/statements) is to know the truth in the Word of God.  This truth comes from studying the Bible not just reading it and asking for wisdom and understanding.

A Word From God

Published April 24, 2020 Current events , Hearing God , Prophetic Word , Uncategorized 1 Comment
Tags: , , ,

I hope that everyone is weathering this unusual time, and I pray that everyone is healthy both in body and spirit.

I had a word from the Lord a week or so ago, but I’ve been putting off sharing it due to its somewhat political nature. Frankly, I have an aversion to the politics of this age because it’s been used by the enemy so successfully to divide people. It all reminds me of our civil war and how divided our nation and families were in that particular time. Nevertheless, I’ve been convicted by my lack of obedience since I have received this message, and so here it is. Those of you who are in more charismatic churches know that if someone gets a word, he or she must share it verbatim and not try to clean it up just for the sake of cleaning. I’m not apologizing for the message, but I will simply tell you to open your heart and mind and ask for the Truth to be revealed from the Lord.
What God told me is this:

“Tell my people to stop worshiping Trump. He is just a man and I am God. I am He who knew you from before you were formed in you mothers’ womb. He is a not a man after my heart. The things happening now are to break down the idols you have come to worship that take your focus off of me and the good things I have for you. Trump is your president because your nation picked him. Yes, I use all things to my honor and to show my face – but he is not to be worshipped and set on a pedestal as one who is above me or the laws. Look at his fruit and test him by my Holy Spirit – open your eyes.

Break off/break down your idols that you worship – that which you focus on – money, wealth, politics, vanity, pride – these are not lasting, but I AM. I am the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end. Turn your focus to me and prepare to be blessed immeasurably.

This time you have while you are removed from the busyness of the earthly world is to be used to renew your bonds with me, remember me, spend time with me as you would a long, lost friend. Get to know me and reflect on the good things in your life and know that I orchestrated those times. Look at your growing and learning times and know that I was with you and that I remember your sorrows and heartaches. Know that I have never left you.

Come back to me, rest in my arms, enjoy my peace, stand in my protection, seek my heart for you and your family and see how much better it is than the worldly, fleeting pleasures. Invite me into your home and heart so I can heal your woundedness and prepare you for your True blessings. Also know that I am a jealous God and disobedience and forsaking me angers me. I created you, I created the heavens and the earth, the sun and moon, the stars in the sky, the food you eat. I created you to love me and fellowship with me and yet you have created altars and idols to worship who can’t speak, or bless or save you. Come back to me. I forgive your sins – nothing is too great for me to forgive – just ask me. Put down your pride. I love to heal your brokenness and purge the lies set in you by the enemy.

Stop hating your brothers and sisters because they don’t believe the way you do. Stop taking in everything your people say as truth and look for my Truth. If you don’t see me or my heart in situations or people it is not my Truth. Be careful what you feed your body to be healthy and in the same way be careful of the things you feed your mind. If it is not my Truth it creates a trash heap in your heart where the enemy finds pleasure in exploiting and growing lies, hatred, misinformation, deceit, pride, covetousness, and busyness to blind you from my love.

Come back to me – not for just a moment like you did after 911 where I protected and rescued many – but for your lifetime. Make your time on earth matter by knowing me and loving my people, helping my people not just in a crisis but every day. Come back to me. I Love you.”

A little more revelation from this past week. Know that the words I heard from the Lord, above, are addressing the adoration and admiration of idols, but especially people’s (believers and non-believers) adoration with our current President, as shown especially by comments that he is a man of God and has been chosen by Him apparently to bring people back to God. In fact, the current President is not a “man of God,” as shown clearly by tests gleaned from adherence to scripture and by spiritual fruit, which we have discussed a bit before. But there appears to be more confusion over the President’s particular role given God’s providence over all things.

I suppose this will require a longer explanation in another blog, but for now simply realize that God uses ungodly people to do His will all the time, and His will is not necessarily what you might hope it would be at any given time. For example, in Luke, Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow, whose pleas wore down a man who “neither feared God not cared what people thought.” Luke 18:1-8. Jesus used this particular ungodly man to make a broader point about God’ justice. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s Temple and initiated Babylon captivity of the Jews. Cyrus rebuilt the Temple and allowed the Jews to return from Babylon. In each of these things, God’s will was done – and would always have been done – whether or not people agreed with the Kings or even remotely knew their ultimate purpose.

The Bible is clear in stating that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,” (Romans, 8:28) and those things include both good and bad – godly and ungodly – rulers. But at any given time, we simply don’t know what the “good of those who love him” actually is. Indeed, to build His Kingdom, it’s quite possible that God will use ungodly rulers to force some of the more unpleasant parts of the end times to occur. So, we don’t know why someone is in charge – we only know, given a strong sense of divine providence – that God has everything under control and, in the end, will use it for good of the Kingdom he envisioned at creation. In fact, if you go down the path of saying, “God placed this person on his or her throne to make us a more godly nation,” then you’re stuck in a logic problem of trying to determine why, for instance, God placed any other particular President – or even some dictator – on any particular throne at any particular time. Is one placed there to bring people to God, while another is placed to punish – each for our ultimate good? Or is it the other way around?

The point is that, even with a strong sense of divine providence, we don’t exactly know why a person is allowed to rule. So, again just for now, realize that God’s plan for this particular President might be for something altogether different than to bring our nation “closer to God.” Indeed, simply from the current news surrounding the church, an equally plausible reason appears to facilitate separation of “the sheep from the goats,” the true believers from those who only practice a shallow, if not anorexic belief.

The main point is not to worry, but to allow God to work. And, accordingly, not to try so hard to define and, indeed, prompt that work that we stray from Biblical principles. God will do what He will do, and we may be puzzled by that at any given time. But as for daily living, we have clear guidance: Follow God, relying on His moral law, scripture, and, in some cases, particularized revelation, to make daily decisions – each of which brings glory to God. If you find what you are doing is, instead, practicing a sort-of idol worship, not only by coveting the things of the natural world, but also by constantly standing up for ungodly decisions, ever=defending unscriptural actions, and persistently agreeing with notions that sow hatred and division, then it’s clearly time to turn back toward God.

The Pattern of the World

Published July 27, 2015 Characteristics of Believers , Hearing God , Supernatural Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , ,

I’m way off track on my goal of switching from full-time criminal justice reform to creating a new album and studying more about God. It’s super frustrating, but I can see some light. Plus, I consider everything I do with criminal justice reform still to be doing God’s will – in fact, I call what I do “God’s Project,” because of all the things He’s done to make it happen. So if He wants me to keep it up, I will. Part of walking in the supernatural is to hear God and do what He says no matter what else you think you want to do. We’ll see.

untitled

Last week I watched with amusement the Family Leadership Summit, where each of most of the Republican candidates for president answered questions about pretty much everything, including God. I watched a lot of strange answers, including a guy who said that he never asks for forgiveness (apparently he doesn’t need it), but that he enjoys eating that “little cracker.” Most of the answers made me think that everyone was just trying to find that perfect balance between talking about God and not saying anything too crazy to lose votes. Political Christianity.

A lot of America is probably content with these kinds of answers. But if you’re a follower of Jesus, you have to get used to living in a foreign land – the natural world, where everything Jesus said and did often seems crazy to most everyone else. For a moment, I wondered what it would look like if a candidate for president was truly someone who believed in all that Jesus taught and modeled. Someone who believed in the supernatural. Someone who understood the transcendent force of love for all persons, even those who are unloved by the world. What would he say? Would he be called a “Republican?” Would he even be there?

In my opinion, if Jesus himself were in Ames Iowa that day, he wouldn’t have been labeled as either a Republican or a Democrat. If he spoke to anybody, he probably would have spoken of things that people simply wouldn’t have understood. Just like before, he would have spoken of wonderful things to give hope to all humanity, but he also likely would have spoken about things that would have made people want to kill him. The more I think about it, the more I believe that he wouldn’t have even gone in to the Summit – I think he would have spent his time looking for the poor and displaced people that were somewhere in the backstreets of Ames.

If you’re like me, and you want to follow this radical named Jesus, you have to realize that some things he said might be labeled ultra-conservative, while other things might be considered downright socialist. And so to truly follow Jesus, you’re going to have to get used to feeling like a complete outcast in the natural world. That’s to be expected. In Romans 12, Paul wrote, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  Jesus mentions being “not of this world” a few times, and one commentary explains one of those statements quite succinctly: “The Spirit of God in true Christians is opposed to the spirit of the world.”

If the whole political thing just frustrates and confuses you – especially when they talk about God – then that’s a good thing. In my opinion, that’s just you listening to the Spirit of God and not conforming to the pattern of the world.

Be blessed, everyone!

Priorities

Published May 31, 2015 Hearing God , Purpose , Sharing your faith Leave a Comment
Tags: ,

This is a moment of truth. Denise has been so busy that she asked me to take over writing about God. Then I became so busy myself that I had a hard time doing it, too. But that’s unacceptable.

I was recently reminded of what really matters when I was out of town at yet another gathering to talk about criminal justice reform. It’s what I do for my day job (piano just doesn’t always pay the bills), and so I travel around the country trying to get justice leaders to take more of a compassionate look at how they treat people who get wrapped up in the criminal justice system.

At that particular gathering, a prosecutor – clearly upset at having someone like me questioning how he does his job – asked me (in a tone that only a prosecutor can take), “How do you define ‘justice’”?

He interrupted me to ask it, and the question clearly was designed to throw me off, because that’s a tricky term for anyone to define. There are regular dictionary definitions, legal definitions, famous people definitions, and collaborative definitions, but I asked him, and he made it clear that he wanted my personal definition of the word justice.

And for a second, it did throw me off. But at that moment a small voice inside me (quite obviously the Holy Spirit) said, “Just tell him the truth.” And so I did. I said that I was a Christian, and because I had a biblical worldview, I defined justice in a way that would honor God. I told them that perhaps the best way to encapsulate it would be through an articulation of the Golden Rule.

Well, a few things happened because of that. First, it silenced the prosecutor. It’s hard to argue against the Golden Rule, right? Second, several people came up to me afterward and said, essentially, that they were followers of Jesus, too, but they thought that I’d been brave to say it out loud. I hadn’t thought it as brave – I just figured it was what the HS wanted me to say. Third, I started getting some flak from people who didn’t think I should have said it at all. I fretted about that last thing a bit, but then I quickly remembered Matthew 10:32, which says, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father.” It was then that I realized that I had done a bit of ministry that night, and that it was worth any negative consequences.

It turns out that the ministry was primarily for me. When I came home, I told Denise that I was sick of being too busy to talk about God, sick of being too busy to learn about God, and sick of being too busy to worship God. Long story only somewhat shorter, I’m taking six months off starting in June to focus on God. I’m going to complete my fourth album, read and write about God, and basically get my priorities straightened out. I’d tell you to wish me luck, but we all know luck has nothing to do with any of it. Instead, pray that I can set aside all the trappings of the natural world to do what I think God really wants me to do.

God bless all of you!

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

%d bloggers like this: