Showing posts with label deception. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deception. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Tom Hamon: "Don't Crack! Attack and Take It All Back!" - The Elijah List

Tom Hamon: "Don't Crack! Attack and Take It All Back!"


The Elijah List Jan 29, 2019

Steve ShultzFrom the desk of Steve Shultz:
Are you, like many others, really "going through it?" Is the warfare feeling a bit "off the charts" for you?
This is a short season we are in, where the enemy is hitting "very hard" toward those who are followers of Jesus Christ.
But God, in HIS INFINITE WISDOM, is going to allow us just enough discomfort to bring us back on track. Here is what Tom Hamon says:
God cares about your comfort, but not at the expense of your destiny. He will offend your flesh, put you in a wilderness experience, crucify your self-life and put you in a trial, all to perfect you and make you more like Him.
We are in a day, a season, a specific time period, when God is cleaning up many little areas of our life...He's cleaning up LITTLE things so that we may be effective in gigantic assignments from the Lord.
It may look bad today, but give it a few days, STAY IN FAITH, submit to God, and the devil WILL FLEE FROM YOU! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
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HR


In this season of the third Great Awakening in the Church, the enemy's resistance is real! The enemy wants to break the back of us, the Church, and make us collapse under the pressure being applied in this generation. Political correctness, new cultural norms and social pressure are trying to reshape the very fabric of the Church to be conformed to this world instead of being the transformational force we are called to be by the renewing of our minds by God's Word (Romans 12:2).
Without the Word of God as our basis of truth, the Church is doomed to fail. The enemy wants us to crack under the pressure—crack doctrinally, morally and spiritually! The Scripture says that the enemy is like a "roaring lion" seeking out the weak to see whom he can devour. I believe that is true in this generation more than ever before. The enemy has loosed a spirit of seduction, deception and intimidation against the Church that, if we are not strong, will cause our very foundations to crumble.
Hebrews 12 says that everything that can be shaken will be, and all I have to say is that there is a whole lot of shaking going on right now! It goes on to say that only the things of the Kingdom will remain and stand. I believe it is the job of the apostolic and prophetic to lay true foundations in the Church (Ephesians 2:20) so that the Church in this generation will withstand the heat and pressure that is coming against it today. Without that, I'm afraid the Church is destined to lapse into apostasy rather than awakening and revival.
"God cares about your comfort, but not at the expense of your destiny."
In 1 Samuel 30, we see the story of David at Ziklag. We know that David had been on a long journey to fulfill his prophesied destiny of kingship. And if David had given up then, all of his sacrifices up to that point would have been for nothing. At Ziklag, the Amalekites attacked and robbed David and David's men, taking everything that was precious in their lives.
The Amalekite spirit is indicative of a viscous, violent spirit of robbery. The enemy's attack was not a direct one, to kill David, but rather an indirect one, to hurt and take what he most cared about. The plan was to make him crack and give up on his destiny. The pressure grew greater. Even David's loyal men, out of their grief, began to turn on David and blame him. They even contemplated killing him! These were desperate times and David had a decision to make: would he give in to what was happening in hopelessness, despair or would he attack back? David did the wise thing and inquired of the Lord. The answer was clear and emphatic: pursue, overtake, attack, take back and recover all! I believe this is the same answer that the Lord is decreeing to the Church today: "Attack your lack and don't look back!"
Don't Lose Your Confidence
What is the enemy trying to steal from you today? Here are a few things that I prophetically see. He desperately wants to steal your confidence. David's confidence in himself, his men and God, was shaken by what had taken place. He had been through so much in his life and became disheartened. The enemy wants to shake your confidence. 
You must be bold and believe for the great things God has promised you.
Don't Lose Your Peace, the Presence of God and God's Purpose!
The enemy attacked David's family and those who were in covenant with him in order to confuse David and hit him where it hurt. When something like that happens to us, it can cause us to react emotionally, but David was able to calm himself and seek God and receive the word he needed to hear in order to continue to advance toward his destiny. The enemy wants to rattle your cage and get you off your game but don't let him. Scripture declares, "The God of peace will soon crush satan underneath your feet..." (Romans 16:20). 
We pursue the Lord first so that we can pursue our enemy with confidence and take back all that he has stolen! God's peace will allow you to hear His voice and guide you to victory.
Don't Lose Your Hope!
Hopelessness is a direct attack against the nature of God. When resources are stolen and we feel powerless to see change, we can sink down into a state of hopelessness. The enemy wants to rob our hope of seeing things change or regaining our possessions. He wants to rob our hope for our family, or our purpose and power. But we must not give into the hopelessness the enemy is promoting to us and understand that Christ in us is the very hope of glory and the banner of victory to bring the change God wants. We must not shrink back in despair, but rise up in hope and faith to attack and take it all back.
Don't Turn Back!
Scripture instructs us to advance forward in our calling and to be more like Jesus. It exhorts us not to turn back to our old life or the rudimentary ways of this world. The enemy's strategy is multifaceted, but I believe one of his most insidious attacks involves the Church turning back at the very time we are called to advance. I'm reminded of the children of Israel's call out of captivity and on to the Promise Land; at the crucial moment of their journey they retreated instead of moving forward into the promise, and God was not pleased. All they had worked for was forfeited at the Jordon River. But why? We know they spied out the land and perceived themselves to be like grasshoppers in the sight of the giants of the land and chose not to go in. They even chose a leader to take them back to Egypt. Can you imagine? (Photo via Unsplash)
The New Testament describes it this way, "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: 'Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.' For who, having heard, rebelled?" (Hebrews 3:14-16). Then it goes on to describe how they came out of Egypt. All but two of them knew of God's disappointment and anger because of their unbelief. It was a breach of promise. How could that happen? How could they not believe the God who had delivered, blessed them and destroyed their enemies? How could they have lived in so much disbelief that it brought them to the point of rebelling against His Word and promise and lost out on their prophesied destiny? Where did all this start? How and why did they harden their hearts in unbelief?
The Golden Calves of the Modern Church in America
In the passage in Acts 7:39, we get a clue. Stephen is preaching to God's people and reminds them of what happened on Mount Sinai. Moses was on the mountain, standing in the glory of God and receiving His commandments to His people. At the same time, the people of Israel were lamenting the loss of all the pleasures of Egypt. They felt abandoned by God and Moses and decided to turn back to the gods they had served back in Egypt. Out of a need for comfort and security they made an idol, brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made. God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars and the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan. I believe these gods refer to the worship of creation and bowing down to evolution, abortion, perversion, witchcraft and antichrist. I also believe that there are four very powerful "golden calves" or "sacred cows" in the Church today that want to keep us out of God's promised destiny in this season.
Can't You Talk Louder, God?
Convenience, Comfortability and Entertainment
In the last days, people will have itching ears to hear what they want and not endure sound doctrine. Instead, they will seek out teachers to tell them what they want to hear. God cares about your comfort, but not at the expense of your destiny. He will offend your flesh, put you in a wilderness experience, crucify your self-life and put you in a trial, all to perfect you and make you more like Him. Unfortunately, too many people in the Church have decided that they would rather be comfortable back in Egypt than to become an army called to possess the Promised Land.
Convenience has replaced commitment and comfortability has replaced being conformed to the image of Christ. Entertainment has replaced worship and sacrifice. Tolerance—being non-offensive and all-encompassing—has replaced preaching the truth with conviction and repentance. Let's not bow down to the idol of convenience or go back to Egypt and captivity only to face God's judgment.
Compromise to the Current Culture
Some have bowed down, becoming more like the world, in the name of being relevant. Grace is an amazing thing, but Jude 1:4 warns us not to allow men to "...turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." As a Christian, can you deny that Jesus is the only true God and way to Heaven? How could that happen—that people would use grace as an excuse to sin or live like the world? Paul has said that God forbid that would happen.
The law of grace is not a lower standard but a higher one in God. It not only deals with your actions but your heart motivation as well. For example, the New Testament tells us to not just avoid committing adultery, but don't even lust with your eyes! Jude and 2 Peter warns Believers saying to remember what happened to the angels who were in Heaven and then fell and are being held in chains of darkness in Hell. Remember the children of Israel who God destroyed? Remember Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed because of their immorality, sexual sin and perversion? Remember Noah's generation and the judgment that happened to them?
We are warned of false teaching and false teachers, "For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning" (2 Peter 2:20). So many are preaching liberty in their foul language, their promiscuity, their partying, their perversion and their lifestyles, but God's warnings are clear: Don't compromise with the world. Don't become a friend of the world and compromise your faith, your godly standards and your relationship with God. Let's not bow down to the golden calf of compromise!
Cowardice
"The answer was clear and emphatic: pursue, overtake, attack, take back and recover all!"
What was the problem with the children of Israel? They lost their courage and retreated, deciding to play it safe. God was saying, "Just believe Me. Be strong and of good courage. Fight, and I'll fight with you and for you." A passive, fearful, unbelieving mentality had gripped the people of God. They decided and declared that they were not able to possess the land that God had promised. In contrast, God was looking for champions and those who would fight for His cause and His Kingdom. He was looking for those who would face the giants and shout at the walled cities until they fell. He was looking for a fearless generation that would not be afraid, intimidated, disheartened or dismayed but would courageously take the battle to the enemy to accomplish God's vision on the earth. The enemy, through a spirit of intimidation, wants to make a coward of the Church. It's not time to back down. It is time to turn around, attack back and possess the land of promise!
Complacency and the Cares of This Life
God once said to me, "A man with passion will overcome any obstacle to achieve his goals, but a man without passion will allow any obstacle to overcome him and stop him in the journey toward his destiny." Matthew 24:12, tells us, "...the love of many shall wax cold." They will lose their first love. God said to me, "Apathy leads to atrophy and will ultimately lead to apostasy." That's a big part of the enemy's strategy against the Church today.
If the enemy can't stop us, then he'll just distract us with all the concerns of life. He'll get us so caught up in the mundane day-to-day that we stop dreaming and discovering. He'll try to cause the hard things to harden our hearts and dominate our passion. He'll try and turn our eyes to escapism and entertainment or deaden our dreams with the drudgery of everyday pressure to just survive. Dead religion and ritual will want to supplant a passionate pursuing of God's plan for our lives. This can become a golden calf that diverts or depresses our energy for Heaven's purposes.
Get on Track and Take It All Back!
Lastly, God is saying, "Do whatever it takes to get yourself back on track with your destiny and My purpose for the Church." Don't bow down to any idols that will take you back to the captivity of Egypt and keep you out of your prophetic promise! (Photo via Unsplash)
If you're hurt— seek help. Seek God and let Him heal your heart. It's time to get over it and get on with it.
If you're hard—humble yourself. Let grace flow and soften your heart. Seek God.
If you're distracted—focus, commit and get your life back on track with God.
If you're compromising—read the Word with an open mind. Confess your sin and repent. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you, convict you and help you change.
If you're facing something impossible—rise up in faith. Lift up the sword of the Spirit. Fight, shout your doubts out and cast the enemy out.
If you feel hopeless—allow God to re-ignite His vision in your life. Remember your hope is in God.
If you feel powerless—choose to use your weapons and your authority in Christ. Don't retreat to get out of the heat! Remember God's got your back! Don't crack. Take it all back! It's a time to rise up with the spirit of David at your Ziklag and pursue, overtake, attack and take it all back! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Tom Hamon
Vision Church @ Christian International

Email: click here
Website: www.visionchurchci.org
Tom and Jane Hamon are the senior pastors of Vision Church @ Christian International in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Their ministry together is an example to the Body of Christ of a husband and wife team working in tandem and unity to accomplish God's purposes. Their ministry is characterized by a rich deposit of God's wisdom to provide apostolic covering for the Church, prophetic teaching and ministry, and demonstration of Kingdom anointing and power. They travel as an apostolic/prophetic team to the nations, imparting both the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation to establish the Church and break open territories through spiritual warfare for the Kingdom of God to be experienced in a powerful and practical way.

Friday, December 8, 2017

Life Behind the Scenes: What in the World is Going on? By Mary Lindow Identity Network

Life Behind the Scenes: What in the World is Going on? By Mary Lindow

Identity Network  Dec. 8, 2017

 
Save me, O God! The water is up to my neck; I am sinking in deep mud, and there is no solid ground; I am out in deep water, And the waves are about to drown me. I am worn out from calling for help, and my throat is aching. I have strained my eyes, looking for your help. Psalm 69:1-3
 
There are so many things going on in the hearts of God's people.
 
Many believers have gone through pain and devastation because of betrayal and disappointment in those with whom they have at one time "walked with" in the Lord.
 
"For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one that hates me who has exalted himself against me; then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God among the people." Psalm 55:12-14 
 
Levels of Separation and Deception
 
Church leaders and members or friends often separate. Their unresolved issues and wounds infect others around them. With their tongue and pen, (and Facebook posts) their resentment and bitterness spread in uncontrollable proportions. Christians in other ministries and relationships receive the bad report and often, they don't even know the people involved but - because they have leaned their ears to hear the suggested and well-placed evil reports, the conversation poisons them like toxic waste in their soul. If unchecked, this becomes a hideous, malignant cancer-like cell eventually damaging their mind and above all, their spiritual discernment.
 
"Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, But the rebellious stumble in them." Hosea 14:9
 
The age-old serpent, the ultimate enemy of our souls, has not lost the art of deception even after centuries! He, even now, can cause God's people, including the sincere ones, to miss the mark if they are willing to only hear one side of a story!
 
The Great "Occupy Something" Movement
 
The "frenzied entitlement culture" we are seeing hold their protests as a result of selfishness and feeding upon fear, have begun to reach a newly fevered pitch. People are "herding" their way into public venues to protest whatever they may be angry at in the moment, and mostly remaining ignorant as to what or who is really driving and orchestrating the events, reflects the hardness of heart and disrespect for the needs and lives of those around them.
 
This type of behavior is a prime example of even how believers have become "selectively " hard of hearing when it comes to serving one another, or encouraging one another, or having patience with one another!   One moment we are asking for forgiveness and prayer, and in nearly the next breath, slanderous retorts are spoken out in anger and those driving the malicious train, mean to use others as their well-placed pawns of destruction.
 
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, Fighting and slander, along with every form of nastiness." Ephesians 4:31
 
Once bitter words are spoken or written, they cannot be retracted. Sadly, those who often shout the loudest about being maligned are often the perpetrators of assassinating the characters of those whom have been in disagreement with them or who have possibly warned them about a need for a course correction.
 
"He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool." Proverbs 10:18
 
Today Many Things have Degenerated into Blurred Insignificance and Uncertainty.
 
The beauty of what God's purpose in His people really is meant to passionately reflect is - missing. Things that are now being said and done do not mean what they did mean originally in His Word. Twisting of truth to fits one's own idea of God's will has become acceptable and is often left unchallenged. So many spiritual and scriptural terms are put into motion, but they are not in the same dimension and point of view, which are in the Divine plan!
 
The tragedy is that so many well-meaning believers have gone on with the outward appearance of searching for the will of the Lord, and yet they fail to see that the power of His radiant life is missing! The Apostle Paul warned us in his letter to Timothy about this, "This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come, having the form of godliness (true religion) but denying the power there of. "
 
My heart is broken to see things as they are happening all around us.
 
So much is falling short of its original blueprint. There is so much labor and "rallying" being pumped out there into the minds and hearts of people and it is being poured into the "Self Promotion Machine" more than any time in the history of God's people! Yet the toil is ending in heartbreaking disappointment!
 
Saints, only those devoted to humility and honor can be saved from this deadly poison that lulls those longing to be entertained and pampered into apathy and spiritual powerlessness!
 
God's faithful people in this hour should seek Him and that which is upon His heart. What the Lord is doing in this era is so different, and we should be sensitive to Him!
 
He is looking for His "People of the Secret Place" in which the power of resurrection may freely function. The Apostle Paul said "according to the power that works in us." (Ephesians 3:20b).
 
These "people" will have to be men and women who have "seen!" They shall be like "a voice in the wilderness."
 
It is becoming increasingly clear that God must do a fresh thing with His followers.
 
And that actual "thing" is that He is drawing them to seek the Lord Himself and His recognizable presence! Away from the throng, nearer to the Word, bowed in repentance and prayer.
 
The Psalmist said, "When You said oh Lord, Seek My face; My heart said unto You, Your face, Lord will I seek."
 
Will You Set Your Heart to Seek Him?
 
Oh that God may find His Davids in this crucial hour that will set their faces towards Him at the command of His voice! Without it, the Human race will continue its fall and decline into further confusion, tragedy, and self-preservation.
 
"Man's goings are of the LORD; How can a man then understand his own way?" Proverbs 20:2
 
It's easy to say, "give your cares to the Lord and trust Him" when everything in life seems to be going well.  It's easy to say, "I trust you Lord with everything I own" when bills are paid on time and when you just got a promotion at work.
 
However, if God striped you of everything you own; If God told you to leave the very job that's paying your bills, will you trust the Lord enough to do it?  Will you trust God even when you don't understand; even when life hurts?  If God told you to leave the familiar and enter the unfamiliar, will you trust Him?
 
For many of you, God has done just that. 
 
He has taken you from what's "oh so familiar" and redirected your paths into the unfamiliar.  You don't understand what's happening in your life; what to do or where to go. 
 
The only thing you know is that the Lord gave you a word (instruction, a promise, vision, etc.) and the only thing you have to hold on to is that word.  I understand the feeling; you're not alone. 
 
There is Encouragement for You Today
 
Many things happen in our lives that we will never be able to explain or understand because God is orchestrating the events of our lives "behind the scenes" (read Job 1-2). Moreover, we cannot detect God physically (through our senses) and we cannot comprehend His plans.
 
"But the hour cometh, and now is, When the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: For the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit: And they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24
 
Therefore, since we cannot rely on our perception or our reasoning we must turn to something else that is more reliable if we are going to be able to remain calm in the midst of turmoil, to find rest during the storms of life we must rely on God's knowledge instead of our own. 
 
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts."  Isaiah 55:8-9
 
Let us run right now to the throne of grace and mercy.
 
Now! While our hearts are freshly tenderized and troubled over the recent events in the earth! Here is something to remember.  Man is fallible; we fall short and at times we're unable to keep our promises.  Man can give you instructions that are misleading and imperfect. 
 
With God, none of these things are possible. God keeps His promises, God gives you right instructions according to His perfect will and He won't mislead you. No matter how much you don't understand life as it is right now, no matter how uncomfortable it may seem or how hard it gets, don't give up.  If God is with you -  the same God who spoke life into you, the same God who IS and knows the beginning and the end, the same God who knew you before the foundation of this world -is with you, then ask yourself who or WHAT can stand against you.
 
Consider the Source and Seek to be Obedient to the Lord
 
Even when you don t understand what God is doing in your life; don't worry about "this or that" because God has provisions for you. There is the safe voice of the Father calling us. Let us respond with ears to Hear and hearts that obey.
 
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16
 
Mary Lindow
 

Friday, February 26, 2016

The 1 Lie Millions of Christians Are Believing About the Holy Spirit - LARRY SPARKS CHARISMA NEWS

Why are millions of Christians believing this lie from the enemy?


Why are millions of Christians believing this lie from the enemy? (Lightstock )
Point of Breakthrough, by Larry Sparks

When the devil wants to hijack the advancement of God's people, he introduces subtle, yet destructive deceptions. Deceptions that are easy for us to embrace as truth, even though they are not presented in Scripture ... anywhere!
I want us to consider one of these deceptions and its severe implications to every single Christian or church who has bought into the lie.
Why Does the Devil Hate the Holy Spirit?
One of the enemy's favorite topics to target is the Holy Spirit. This is no coincidence. The more the enemy can confuse the church about the role of Holy Spirit, the more he can gain influence.
Consider this. The very Spirit of God that empowers ordinary men and women to be a restraining force to darkness in the earth has become reduced to being a controversial doctrine that we tolerate, at best, and ignore, at worst. This should not be so!
Satan hates Holy Spirit intensely for one key reason. The Christian who fully embraces the revelation that he or she is actually filled with the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead becomes a spiritual Joshua or Caleb who enters into and releases the promise land of heaven on earth. We begin thinking, speaking, and acting like people who are, quite literally, possessed by God. Surely, this throws a wrench into Satan's diabolical plans.
This is why the enemy so persistently perpetuates lies about the Spirit. He's done this since the beginning of church history, causing division about how equal (or non-equal) the Holy Spirit is to God the Father and God the Son. Controversy has continued all the way up into our modern era, where everything from speaking in tongues to the continuation of miracles to being "slain in the Spirit" is on the table for theological debate and division. Yet, while Christians are dividing over the Spirit, darkness is gaining ground. This must stop if we are going to see a great worldwide revival prior to the Second Coming of Jesus.

The Lie that is Impacting Millions

There is a lie that is being widely circulating in the evangelical (and yes, even the charismatic) church that shuts down expectation concerning the Spirit's movement. In many ways, this lie is robbing the people of God from embracing (let alone sustaining) the supernatural culture that is the inheritance of every single believer. So, what's the lie?
Have you ever heard someone say, The Holy Spirit wouldn't do that ... remember, He's a gentleman. That's the lie right there. "He's a gentleman." We've taken this to mean that the Spirit of God will not move with unusual power or force. He won't make us uncomfortable. That's a lie. You know how I know? Because God's chief concern is not mankind's comfort; it's His kingdom.
Jesus never seemed to consider comfort when he healed the sick or drove out demons. These kingdom-advancing activities always brought great freedom, while simultaneously attracting significant reproach from the religious community.
This false idea about the Holy Spirit has put a ceiling on what we are expecting from God in our lives, church services and in our world today. As C.S. Lewis wrote of Aslan, "He's not a tame lion, but he is good." Yes, the Holy Spirit comes to faithfully represent King Jesus who is kind, compassionate, gentle and caring. Yet, this Jesus is also a King, Warrior and Conqueror. He is Lamb, yes, but also Lion. He blesses little children one moment and casts out devils in the next.
I don't want a containable, in-a-box Jesus. Likewise, why should we place the same expectation on Holy Spirit?
I'm most concerned about the definition we've assigned to "gentleman." While I don't believe the Holy Spirit forcibly causes us to experience something we don't want to, my concern is how we have lowered our expectations of what He can do, will do, or wants to do. Even Charismatic communities tremble at the prospect of "opening the service up" to the Spirit, in fear of what He might do.
Is there risk? Always. Is there potential for disorder? Certainly. As long as human beings are involved, you will have those who behave out of order. Is it worth it all to watch God crash in and transform people's lives forever? Ask John and Carol Arnott, pastors of the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship during the Toronto Blessing. Ask John Kilpatrick as he pastored the Brownsville Revival. Ask Steve and Kathy Gray, leaders of Smithton Community Church. Ask Randy Clark and Heidi Baker. Ask Bill Johnson and Leif Hetland. Ask Dr. Michael Brown and R.T. Kendall. The answer is yes. To pay the price of risk and experience the move of God in exchange is always worth it.
Consider the multiple scriptural accounts of how the Holy Spirit moves. In the Old Testament, he comes upon the judges and prophets with great power, anointing them for supernatural exploits. Even from His grand entrance on the Day of Pentecost, it's quite obvious that He's not tame. He invaded that upper room as a mighty rushing wind (Acts 2:2-3) and it's been His will to bring heaven's mighty transformation ever since. So why aren't we seeing it as much today?
Tune in Tuesday for part two of this article. 
Larry Sparks is co-author of the book, The Fire That Never Sleeps, with Dr. Michael Brown and John Kilpatrick. Larry's mission is to help teach all believers how to experience and sustain personal revival—enjoying a deep relationship with God through encountering the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. To this end, he maintains a blog through Charisma magazine, is a published author, teaches revival seminars, and is the co-founder of Renewing South Florida, an organization committed to uniting the local church for regional outpouring. Larry holds a Master of Divinity from Regent University and presently serves as vice president of publishing for Destiny Image Publishers.
You can receive daily empowerment for personal revival from Larry on Facebook (facebook.com/larryvsparks).
For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!
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Thursday, February 4, 2016

When the Church Ignores Immorality - DR. F. DEAN HACKETT SPIRITLED WOMAN CHARISMA MAGAZINE

The Church is becoming a social club embracing political correctness and historical rewrite.
The church is becoming a social club embracing political correctness and historical rewrite. (Charisma archives

When the Church Ignores Immorality



Why would anyone actually choose to accept deception over truth?
It makes no sense, or does it?
A person's morality will always determine their theology. When people make the choice to follow Christ casually and to loosen their moral standards, they must adjust their theology accordingly.
We are living in such a time. Many professors, pastors and church leaders are teaching and publishing that the infallible Holy Bible "contains God's Words." According to them, many of the facts are inaccurate and many of the principles are cultural ethics of ancient times and cultures.
The creation story is replaced with theistic evolution, opening the way for the devaluing of human life.
Mankind is not a special creation made in the image of a loving heavenly Creator but the product of spontaneous generation.
The principles of divine design, purpose and destiny are removed, and every person has the right of self-determination.
This opens the gateway for women to discard unexpected fetal tissue to protect their future and career from unwanted encumbrance. A woman has the right to determine what happens within her own body. Couples may enjoy "hooking up" and living together without the demands of outmoded marriage ceremonies. A man might be born with the desires and passions of a woman and seek relations with another man. A woman may have desires for another woman. Sexual orientation is no longer a divinely prescribed moral standard.
Should any of this be questioned, sociology, psychology and junk science will ensure enough disinformation is reported to verify these new truths. Pastors and teachers who do not accept the infallibility of the Holy Bible are subject to such distortion and will give way to the "new truth" and avoid the labels of intolerant, homophobic and bigoted.
These "new truths" will not bring about a "Great Society" but create a "Brave New World" filled with greater hatred, bigotry and a moral landslide.
These "new truths," and their accompanying freedoms, become addictions and bring new forms of sickness, creating a broken society that mankind cannot cure. The social epidemic quickly becomes pandemic and will become a moral tsunami of proportions not seen since the Roman Empire. All of this is made possible by a church that has turned their ear from hearing the true Word of God and built upon sand.
The church is becoming a social club embracing political correctness and historical rewrite.
Authentic worship is being replaced with performance and very professional music.
Entertainment is being delivered instead of powerful spiritual awakening.
As the church adopts this "new truth," they also adopt the medical model for dealing with moral issues. "Disease" replaces the old teaching of sin; this to prevent further emotional damage from being inflicted upon the broken.
Twelve-step programs replace "a broken and contrite spirit."
Years of counseling and psychotherapy take the place of repentance and cleansing of the heart through the blood of Jesus. Universal grace replaces redemption and salvation through new birth.
The great danger of deception is one does not know when they are deceived unless someone loves them enough to show them the truth. That is the great responsibility placed upon the church. Jude challenged the apostolic church. "Beloved, while I diligently tried to write to you of the salvation we have in common, I found it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. For there are some men who secretly crept in, who were marked long ago for this condemnation. They are ungodly men, who pervert the grace of our God into immorality and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 3-4).
May God move the heart of spiritual leaders to seek Him earnestly; commit their hearts to love and honor the infallible inerrant Word of God; then boldly teach, preach and publish the uncompromised Holy Word with anointing that will convict and purity the hearts of men and women.
Dr. F. Dean Hackett has served in full-time Christian ministry since October 1971. He has ministered throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, serving as pastor, conference speaker and mentor. He has planted four churches, assisted in planting 15 others, and currently serves as lead pastor of Living Faith Church in Hermiston, Oregon. Dr. Hackett founded Spirit Life Ministries International in 2001 to facilitate ministries in Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina and to open a training center for workers in those nations. You can find him at F. Dean Hackett - Foundational,FacebookTwitter and Pinterest.
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Friday, December 18, 2015

How the Deception of Tolerance and 'Chrislam' Is Destroying America - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

Interfaith leaders gather at a rally to condemn Donald Trump's proposed ban on Muslims.

Interfaith leaders gather at a rally to condemn Donald Trump's proposed ban on Muslims. (Reuters)


How the Deception of Tolerance and 'Chrislam' Is Destroying America


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Quite literally, the Islamic term "Allah" translates as "god," but Allah and the Christian God are not the same deity.  
Wheaton College suspended professor Larycia Hawkins for making the bold claims, but the action brought the discussions of "Chrislam" to the forefront of American religious dialogue.  
"To affirm this truth (of the true Christian God) is not to argue that non-Christians, our Muslim neighbors included, know nothing true about God or to deny that the three major monotheistic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — share some major theological beliefs," writes Albert Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  
"All three religions affirm that there is only one God and that he has spoken to us by divine revelation. All three religions point to what each claims to be revealed scriptures," he continues. "Historically, Jews and Christians and Muslims have affirmed many points of agreement on moral teachings. All three theological worldviews hold to a linear view of history, unlike many Asian worldviews that believe in a circular view of history." 
However, that is where the comparison ends, Mohler writes, saying there is no genetic link between Christianity and Islam.  
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born to a virgin to fulfill God's promises. He was crucified, resurrected and will return once more. Jesus is one of three in the trinity, therefore, He is God, as well.  
In Islam, Mohler writes, to believe this would be blasphemy to Allah.  
"Hard times come with hard questions, and our cultural context exerts enormous pressure on Christians to affirm common ground at the expense of theological differences. But the cost of getting this question wrong is the loss of the Gospel," Mohler writes. "Christians affirm the image of God in every single human being and we must obey Christ as we love all people everywhere as our neighbor. Love of neighbor also demands that we tell our neighbor the truth concerning Christ as the only way to truly know the Father." 
The debate rages on, however, dividing the religious community as many promote "tolerance" as the answer.  
"But we ought to focus now on how that principle of religious tolerance extends liberties to the professor and to the school," writes The Chicago Tribune's editorial board. "Remember that this tolerance protects a fragile freedom. It is rooted less in fear of institutions imposing their beliefs on individuals than on bloody histories of governments dictating which institutions can even exist. Here, we give the individual and the institution wide latitude in the religious realm. Even when it's infuriating or frustrating or just goes against our grain, at our best we're consistently ... tolerant." 
Even Pope Francis has claimed Muslims and Christians are "brothers and sisters." 
After terrorist attacks around the world, millions gathered for "interfaith" services.  
And at Washington's National Cathedral, interfaith leaders gather frequently to pray together to emphasizing moving "beyond tolerance." 
But these moves for "tolerance" and promotion that Christianity and Islam are fundamentally the same astounds many, including prominent evangelist Franklin Graham.  
"Can you believe this Wheaton College professor who says she's going to wear a hijab for the holidays this year to show solidarity with Islam? Shame on her!" Graham posted on Facebook recently. "She said that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Well she is absolutely wrong—she obviously doesn't know her Bible and she doesn't know Islam." 
To promote the two as the same would doom America to ignore the truth of the gospel.  
"We must also understand that the most basic issue is the one Jesus answered with absolute clarity. One cannot deny the Son and truly worship the Father. There is no question that the Muslim is our neighbor, but there is no way to remain faithful to Scripture and the gospel and then claim that Christians and Muslims worship the same God," Mohler writes.
For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!
NEW from CHARISMA: Do you want to encounter the Holy Spirit and hear God speak to you? Increase your faith, discover freedom, and draw near to God! Click Here