Tidbits and Blessings Blog
by Jeanie Malone
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It is important to be an aware Christian. We best know a counterfeit by knowing the real thing. That said, as a seasoned Christian who daily studied God’s Word, I have let many of the things listed below slip by the safety net and into my life and the lives of my loved ones. I am definitely not proud of this, but I mention it because it happens, even when we study and know God’s Word. At the time of these items presenting in my life, the Holy Spirit gave me hesitancy and an opportunity to block them from our lives. Sadly, on many occasions I let busyness and laziness have the final say, letting these things creep in. On occasions when I didn’t sense the hesitancy from the Holy Spirit regarding the sins, I have no doubt that I was not in the Word as much as I needed to be and was therefore not as in tune with God and what He approves and disapproves. Many of us have questions such as these:
At the end of this article, you will find links to excellent websites and YouTube channels with more information, including scriptures that command us to avoid these snares. My goal is to make you aware of some of these practices and items, so you can clear them from your life and home. Some things may seem obvious, and others may surprise you. The real danger is in those things we allow into our lives and our thinking that we deem safe, neutral, or of God. Sometimes we base our personal standards on our own experiences, so if we try decreeing and declaring and then we get what we declared and decreed, we think God is in it and for it. Sometimes we allow things because we see other “Christians” doing it. Especially if we see it frequently in “Christian” circles, we think it must be okay. This is very dangerous. We invite evil into our lives with our ignorance. Please understand that anything with any spiritual connection cannot be neutral; it is either of God and for God or from the enemy and against God. Things like a football game can be neutral, but participating in yoga, thinking you are only exercising and stretching is an invitation for evil to pull you away from God. Jessica Smith, a former Yoga instructor and Reiki healer, had world-renowned training and certifications but left that world and now spends her time educating others on the dangers of spiritual practices that invite evil. Please read her in-depth writings on these subjects and reference the studies she shares. Studies show that 60% of those who begin yoga only for physical health, continue after one year for spiritual reasons. Yoga is only one way we open ourselves up to evil. Again, I strongly urge you to please read her writings and even watch her testimony on YouTube with Doreen Virtue. The best way for us to have spiritual discernment is to ask God earnestly for it and seek it in His Word, in a credible Bible, not a paraphrase like The Message or the Passion “Translation,” but in a legitimate translation such as KJV, ESV, CSB, HCSB, NET, NKJV, or even the NLT. Also, understand that in a person born again because he/she trusts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit will give wisdom and discernment and even impress things upon our hearts. For example, when we commit to praying for someone daily, we may feel impressed to begin fasting also for that person. This is biblical and God-honoring; this is of God and for God. However, many people confuse feelings they have and even words whispered to them by the enemy, thinking it is a special message or revelation from God. This is human error the enemy thrives on; it is a way he moves us away from God. If we value spiritual revelation or experience over what God’s Word says, we open ourselves up for much erroneous thinking. Below you’ll see lists for common things, sayings, and practices to avoid. Our American society is saturated with these doors to evil. They are presented as helpful and certainly harmless, things to be sought after and attained. Remember that God’s Word warns in Matthew 7:13-14, “ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Things to Avoid:
Though I may not agree with everything a pastor or preacher believes, I can glean much solid teaching on the most critical doctrine and life application questions from these sources. I know to stay away from such teachings as those of the Word of Faith Movement, charismatic, New Apostolic Reformation, and more. However, there are many teachings and teachers who avoid these labels but teach erroneous doctrine. It is dangerous to buy into what they are selling. It weakens one’s own previous knowledge of important issues. There is much heresy and blasphemy taught in mainstream churches today. It is important to know what a church claims to believe, and it is even more important for you to know correct doctrine so you may easily identify right and wrong beliefs and teachings. For example, I went to a few local church websites. When I saw that one church had nowhere stated their doctrinal beliefs but only repeated the importance of emulating the first century church, I instantly marked that church off my list of those who possibly are sturdy in the Word of God. Although much of "progressive Christianity" isn't exactly labeled as such, I went to the official website for those who do identify as such to see what are their basic beliefs. Not only was I alarmed at their basic beliefs, I noticed their teaching is centered around their 8 points and not the Bible itself. That is a red flag in any church or denomination--when their emphasis is on their own interpretations instead of God's Word for each believer to learn and grow directly in truth. Bethel Congregational United Church of Christ screams their "progressive" beliefs and practices with much pride. In fact "pride" is a general theme on every page from the homepage showing a picture of the church flying a large rainbow colored banner saying, "All Are Welcome" to their automatic slide show with LGBTQ+ rainbow painted hands and social activism showing congregants protesting for Black Lives Matter. The following statement is from the top of their webpage explaining the origin of the Progressive movement. *All bold type is as they have it on their page. "The leaders of Progressive Christianity had grown weary of defining their Christian faith in negative terms: “We aren’t fundamentalists. We don’t believe the Bible is the inerrant or infallible word of God. We don’t agree that Creationism should replace the science of evolution in public schools. We don’t believe that God hates gays. We don’t believe that people of other faiths are going to hell unless they convert to Christianity. We don’t deny the right of women to choose what happens to their bodies.” Not only have they twisted the true Christian beliefs and practices, but they have contrasted themselves in a way to cause confusion, disrespect, and even disgust for true Christianity in which God does not hate the sinner, but he hates the sin. Sinners choose to sin and thereby choose the consequences thereof. I could argue a lot here, but I will just stop at the first belief: "we don't believe the Bible is the inerrant or infallible word of God." Some may not understand what is wrong with this belief, but the danger is in placing value and credit on subjective personal experience more than the objective Word of Truth which will never change. The one, true God never changes. He is not surprised or ill-equipped to handle the issues of this generation, nor does He have different rules of operation for us than He did the first church. Many mainstream Protestant Evangelical denominations, including Pentacostal, Assembly of God, charismatic, Open Bible Churches, and even many non-denominational churches place emphasis on experience over education in scripture. They emphasize apostolic gifts, such as speaking in tongues as proof of being baptized in the Holy Spirit. There is much danger in this. For one, if you watch a Pentacostal service and then watch a Kundalini Hindu awakening, you'll see the exact same things. It's not God that is present causing people to convulse and speak gibberish. Two, again notice the danger of valuing personal experience over the Word of God. There becomes doubt if you are saved if you don't have the convulsions, pass out, or speak nonsense gibberish. You doubt, others doubt, and then there's the temptation to "fake it" to fit in. Many people mistake emotional experiences for God-experiences. God is not the author of confusion. He is not present in any form in those worship "services." Third, read in Acts 2 about the signed, or apostolic, gifts. Read the specifics about how speaking in tongues was done. For an excellent teaching about this, see Justin Peters' teach in the 2nd episode of Clouds Without Water: "Mangled Manifestations" on YouTube. Scripture teaches us to not place our love and devotion to anything before God: Exodus 20:3-5— “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them” Matthew 6:24— “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Scripture warns to not be interested in or allow for yourself the false gods of other religions: Deuteronomy 12:2-4— “Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God.” Judges 6:25—God told Gideon to destroy the altar to Baal. Doing so made the entire community seek to kill Gideon, but God had the final say and used Gideon to prove Himself to many. God said for Gideon to “throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it” 1 Kings 18:20-40—I love this account of the overwhelming number of prophets for the false god Baal who get shown up when the one, true God responds to Elijah’s act to show that He truly is the only real, living God.-- "So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.” Scripture shows us the history of false prophets from the beginning of time and to expect false teachings in the name of Christ: Jeremiah 14:14— “Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.” Jeremiah 23:16-17— “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.” Matthew 7:15-16— “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” Matthew 24:11,24— “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Mark 7:6-9— “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.” Acts 20:29-30— “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” Romans 16:18— “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” 2 Cor 11:13-15—In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he expressed his concern that they would be deceived by false prophets teaching a different gospel because there “are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4— “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Peter 2:1-3— “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” Jude 3-4— “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Scripture makes us aware that evil does have some power, but we are to remain with God and not be led astray: Deuteronomy 13:1-3— “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Scripture warns against the love of money and value of personal wealth, which are in opposition to God: Luke 12:15— “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8— “But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” Scripture warns us against trusting our hearts, our emotions and experiences over God’s Word: Jeremiah 17:9— “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Proverbs 28:26— “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.” Matthew 15:19— “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” Mark 7:21-23— “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Ephesians 4:17-18— “ This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” Scripture makes us aware that the natural man cannot understand the things of God: 1 Corinthians 2:14— “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” God’s Design for Filling Your Mind versus Meditation (Eastern or New Age emptying of the mind): Philippians 4:6-9— “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6— “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” Admonition to all Christians: John 14:6— “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Matthew 7:13-23— “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-17— “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” 2 Peter 3:14-18— “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” Bible Verses About Idols doreenvirtue.com/Doreen Virtue, former best selling creator of New Age materials exposes the lies and shares the hope of truth
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LIFE (Live in Full Effect) Blog by Jeanie Malone is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
