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Re: Bulletin Board [message #8817 is a reply to message #8805]

Tue, 21 February 2012 16:00

james
Messages: 2137
Registered: April 2008
Location: Birmingham, AL

Senior Member

Discernment...

I can't get out of my mind how SO many people with sincere hearts, that love The Lord, are being deceived today. Discernment comes in different forms or ways; there's the spiritual gift of discernment where The Holy Spirit gives discernment to the believer...obviously the best. Then there is discernment that comes from experience, both in the natural realm as well as spiritual matters(testing whatever against God's Word, having The Word in our hearts that gives us the discernment/wisdom/knowledge to know and recognize when someone is teaching or promoting a false doctrine or attempting to deceive.)

I talk with people who don't have enough grounding in The Word to be able to withstand the fiery darts and wiles of Satan when he is speaking through a man who professes to be a prophet or teacher of God's Word...especially those with headliner ministries that are on TV every day. I've had people become upset with me when I point out these charlatans, they repeatedly argue that they quote The Bible...perfect example: The guy I wrote about over on The Last Days thread, the 'Master Prophet' using II Chronicles 20:20b as proof text that those watching him should listen to him and believe what he said.("...believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.") Yes, that is the Word of God, but it MUST be taken in context as well as one must first establish that the person is in fact a Prophet...not one seeking to profit at the expense of the viewer.

Bible study is crucial, we aren't told in II Timothy 2:15 to STUDY to show ourselves approved unto God for no reason; it's the only way to 'rightly divide the word of truth'. Prayer is needful to discern the wiles of the enemy, especially praying in The Spirit which builds us up and makes us less likely to fall for subtle (and often rather obvious) deceptions being propagated upon believers today. But reading and doing word studies and praying takes time away from what we want to be doing, which is catering to the flesh, doing it our way. Instant gratification, "heal me NOW! I want prosperity/money NOW! I'm tired of just The Word, I want signs/wonders/miracles NOW!" and so off people go to Lakeland, Mobile, Toronto, Pensacola; and people like Todd Bentley, Peter Popoff, Benny Hinn, and 'Master Prophet' Benard Jordan, and hundreds more, get rich; and the deceived sheep get fleeced (to go along with often picking up demonic spirits and empty wallets). Once the spirit of deception has a person(sometimes just a small error or false teaching that is overlooked to promote 'harmony'), it becomes harder and harder for the deceived to discern righteously and soon they're totally blinded to what is SO obvious to those with discernment.

ENOUGH! It's gone on too long, it's time expose these deceivers and it's time to warn the sheep. Will they listen? That'll be their responsibility, at least they'll be warned.

“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,”

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