Have you ever gone on a trip? Are you like most of us who return home to discover that we had packed significantly more than you needed? Is your life like that? When you take your last breath are you going to find that you are overpacked or are you going to realize that every bit of the baggage was necessary?
We all have baggage. Not just the stuff we check when we travel or use as storage for our off-season clothes. We have emotional baggage, spiritual baggage, mental baggage. Anyone who has ever lived has baggage. We carry our experiences with us. Our experiences help to shape us into who we are and who we will become.
Imagine the gym bag of a high school football player. After practice, it is full of
sweat soaked clothes, shoes, and accessories. This bag isn't small, it
is a heavy duffel bag and our athlete's two year old little sister is trying
to carry it. This is just like when we are trying to carry all of our
baggage. It weighs us down and holds us back. But if her older brother carries
the bag, they will get to the car much faster - as he can move faster
while carrying the bag on one shoulder and her in his arms.When they get
home, is it safe to let the little girl unpack the bag and wash the
dirty clothes by herself? Of course not. She needs help and supervision
to make sure that she is safe. This is what God does for us.
He is there to take the heavy, smelly, cumbersome bag and carry it - and He is so strong that He can carry us right along with it. He doesn't leave us to unpack and wash everything in the bag without guidance. The Bible gives us direction. God brings people into our lives (counselors, pastors, recovery sponsors, supportive friends and family, etc.) to help us with working through and addressing the trouble spots - just as a grass stain on white pants needs to be pretreated.
Who is going to help you unpack your baggage? Are you determined that you can unpack and rearrange it all by yourself? Do you think that your friends, your family, your counselor, pastor, or whoever is going to do it for you? Have you considered that the only way you can completely unpack the baggage and put it away so that you can use your experiences to help someone else is to let God help? God is the only one who can take our baggage, sort it out, and show us how to use it to help others.
Why are you still carrying your baggage? You know that it isn't getting any lighter, but you continue to carry it. Is it because it is familiar and "safe"? God can carry all of that baggage while He is working it out. It is easier than it seems to let God carry the burden. It only seems difficult to let God carry the baggage when you aren't ready to let go of it and keep taking it back.
I want to challenge you to take an honest look at yourself and your baggage. Who is carrying it? Have you decided to let God carry it? Why? What do I need to work through to be who God intended me to be? How are we (you and God) going to deal with processing and healing from your hurts?
*I am not saying that counseling is a bad thing at all. I am only suggesting that you cannot expect your counselor to heal your issues for you. You can expect their guidance, support, and encouragement. The same goes for any other person in your life.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
The Altar Stones (Releasing The Burdens)
I know that some have been praying for me for a long time about breaking ties with my occult past. For those that have been praying, and those who didn't know about my past, I want to tell you about something that happened the other day.
I had some stones that I knew that I needed to get rid of, but I didn't see any reason to. These were my altar stones, the very stones with which I created various arrangements for my wiccan activities. I practiced summoning, spellcasting, used them in worship of my deities whom I followed, etc. I thought that when I burned my Book of Shadows back in 2008, I had ended the connection. While I burned that book, I kept many of my other items, including books on spellcasting, tarot cards, jewelry, artwork, and more. The week after Cornerstone, I set fire to all of my pagan/ wiccan things that would burn. Then I stashed them in a metal bucket in the back yard. Along with that container sat my altar stones.
Last Tuesday, I realized that I couldn't take it anymore; that if I continued to hold onto these things, even in the back yard, that it would destroy me. So I took the bucket and dumped the contents - mostly ashes - into a trash bag (because of the paintings' chemical residue, I couldn't just throw it into the compost pile) and left it by the curb.
My next step was to get one of my (many) backpacks and fill it with the stones. It probably weighed close to 40 pounds. I ran an errand, then stopped at a park not too far from here. As I pulled the bag from the trunk of the car, I thought I would just walk to the edge of the river and dump the stones into the water and walk away. But God had another way in mind.
I started down the path toward the river, surprised to see that there were so many people there. I knew that it would arouse more suspicion that I felt capable of dealing with if I just dumped the bag and walked away. So, I decided to go across the footbridge and see about throwing the stones in a little farther upriver. I walked a little way, thinking to myself, "Oh, I'll just dump them in and leave. When I get a little further up the path, no one will see me and I can just dump them and go." Except as I walked, there continued to be people. I had walked a full mile carrying that bag before I reached a point where I could begin to unload it. As I started throwing a few rocks out of it, I realized that I couldn't just dump them all in one location, that I never wanted to create the possibility of the stones being put together the way I had in the past. I felt like God was telling me to drop them along the way. So, as I started walking back, thinking that I was going to have to make this trip several times in order to get rid of them after all, I realized that the people had left. I got rid of a few stones at a time as I walked back to the car, praying all the while. As I crossed the bridge to head back to the car, I realized that my bag was completely empty.
When I got back to the car, I felt as though God was telling me to look at what had just happened. I carried that heavy, awkward bag as far as I could before I had to stop and just get rid of a few stones. Throwing them into the river, I was giving them back to God. As I walked and got rid of a few more, I gave more back to God. I knew that I couldn't continue to carry the bag as it was, I had to let God have some of that burden. At the moment when I threw the last of the stones into the water, I realized that this was what it was all about. The whole idea of letting God carry the burden; He is so much better prepared to carry my bag of stones. When we let Him carry them all, we are left to carry an empty bag. And believe me, an empty backpack weighs a lot less than one packed full of stones.
I had some stones that I knew that I needed to get rid of, but I didn't see any reason to. These were my altar stones, the very stones with which I created various arrangements for my wiccan activities. I practiced summoning, spellcasting, used them in worship of my deities whom I followed, etc. I thought that when I burned my Book of Shadows back in 2008, I had ended the connection. While I burned that book, I kept many of my other items, including books on spellcasting, tarot cards, jewelry, artwork, and more. The week after Cornerstone, I set fire to all of my pagan/ wiccan things that would burn. Then I stashed them in a metal bucket in the back yard. Along with that container sat my altar stones.
Last Tuesday, I realized that I couldn't take it anymore; that if I continued to hold onto these things, even in the back yard, that it would destroy me. So I took the bucket and dumped the contents - mostly ashes - into a trash bag (because of the paintings' chemical residue, I couldn't just throw it into the compost pile) and left it by the curb.
My next step was to get one of my (many) backpacks and fill it with the stones. It probably weighed close to 40 pounds. I ran an errand, then stopped at a park not too far from here. As I pulled the bag from the trunk of the car, I thought I would just walk to the edge of the river and dump the stones into the water and walk away. But God had another way in mind.
I started down the path toward the river, surprised to see that there were so many people there. I knew that it would arouse more suspicion that I felt capable of dealing with if I just dumped the bag and walked away. So, I decided to go across the footbridge and see about throwing the stones in a little farther upriver. I walked a little way, thinking to myself, "Oh, I'll just dump them in and leave. When I get a little further up the path, no one will see me and I can just dump them and go." Except as I walked, there continued to be people. I had walked a full mile carrying that bag before I reached a point where I could begin to unload it. As I started throwing a few rocks out of it, I realized that I couldn't just dump them all in one location, that I never wanted to create the possibility of the stones being put together the way I had in the past. I felt like God was telling me to drop them along the way. So, as I started walking back, thinking that I was going to have to make this trip several times in order to get rid of them after all, I realized that the people had left. I got rid of a few stones at a time as I walked back to the car, praying all the while. As I crossed the bridge to head back to the car, I realized that my bag was completely empty.
When I got back to the car, I felt as though God was telling me to look at what had just happened. I carried that heavy, awkward bag as far as I could before I had to stop and just get rid of a few stones. Throwing them into the river, I was giving them back to God. As I walked and got rid of a few more, I gave more back to God. I knew that I couldn't continue to carry the bag as it was, I had to let God have some of that burden. At the moment when I threw the last of the stones into the water, I realized that this was what it was all about. The whole idea of letting God carry the burden; He is so much better prepared to carry my bag of stones. When we let Him carry them all, we are left to carry an empty bag. And believe me, an empty backpack weighs a lot less than one packed full of stones.
Friday, August 3, 2012
A Challenge of Faith
There is much that could be said these days about spiritual warfare. How we do not engage in it enough, how we engage in it too frequently, how best to go about it. But while we were all talking, Satan has crept by us and infiltrated our ranks. Many of our great spiritual leaders in both subculture and mainstream churches are being led astray, with their followers close behind. Our leaders are finding themselves wrapped up in false teachings, spiritism, and the occult.
How are others to be saved if there are no leaders left? If we let our leaders walk on in blind faith, believing that whatever it is that has lured their focus away from God is correct, are we truly any more focused on God than they are? It takes a true friend to call someone out on an issue, without throwing hurt and disdain like rocks. It is only through someone genuinely concerned that the truth will be spoken in love. And yes, sometimes, even the truth in love hurts.
2 Corinthians 11
Paul and the False Apostles
11 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
5 I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” 6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.7 Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you.9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to youin any way, and will continue to do so. 10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
1 John 4:1-6
4 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. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
This next passage concerns me greatly, as it has shown up in my own daily devotions several times in the last week. I know that it relates to much of what has gone on in the past, but it also ties directly to much of what I am seeing today.
Deuteronomy 18:9-22
Occult Practices
9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the Lord your God.
The Prophet
14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so. 15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”
17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”
21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by theLord?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true,that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.
2 Peter 1:12-21
Prophecy of Scripture
12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning starrises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
1 Timothy 4
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters,[a] you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
11 Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
I challenge all who are believers and read this to test what they are learning through prophecy and teaching against that which is known to be the true word of God. I also challenge you to guide, teach, encourage, and correct in love each other and those who have turned away from God.
I challenge all who are reading this and are not believers to search for God.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
A Breath of Destruction
I know that as Christians we are all tempted, and that some will surrender to that temptation. I know that it is not our place to pass judgement over those whom we encounter. But it is becoming obvious, through both word and deed, that many of our Christian leaders are falling prey to the lies of Satan. They are speaking and believing false truths (things that are contrary to Scripture,) consulting with mediums and spiritualists, performing occult practices and rituals, and some are even leading others - both knowing and unknowing - along a deceitful path. These are things which God speaks clearly and repeatedly against.
Isaiah 8:19-22 - 19 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.
Deuteronomy 18:9-13 - 9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the Lord your God.
Isaiah 19:2-4 - 2“I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. 3 The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists. 4
I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Isaiah 8:19-22 - 19 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.
Deuteronomy 18:9-13 - 9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the Lord your God.
Isaiah 19:2-4 - 2“I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. 3 The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists. 4
I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
2 Chronicles 33
Manasseh King of Judah
33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations theLord had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lordhad said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 In both courts of the temple of the Lord,he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists.He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.
7 He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. 8 I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land I assigned to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and regulations given through Moses.” 9 But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors.13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.
14 Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.
15 He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city.16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.
18 The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel.19 His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself—all these are written in the records of the seers. 20 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.
Amon King of Judah
21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years.22 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon worshiped and offered sacrifices to all the idols Manasseh had made. 23 But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble himself before the Lord; Amon increased his guilt.
24 Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace. 25 Then the peopleof the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.
Leviticus 20:1-8,27 - The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him. 3 I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. 4 If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death, 5 I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.
6 “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.
7 “‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.
27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’”
I am not suggesting or implying that we commit murder against those whom we know or suspect of abandoning the teachings of God; rather,consider:
Ezekiel 20:2-20 - 2 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign Lord. ’
4 “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors 5 and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the Lord your God. ” 6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 7 And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. ”
8 “‘But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt. 9 But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep my name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites.10 Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live. 12 Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.
13 “‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws —by which the person who obeys them will live—and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness.14 But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 15 Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands — 16 because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols. 17 Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an end to them in the wilderness. 18 I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 20 Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”
Galatians 5:13-26
Life by the Spirit
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
While our first reaction when we see a brother or sister in Christ stumble may be correct, we need to remember that our responses need to be tempered with love.
Ephesians 4
Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ
4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called ; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.Instructions for Christian Living
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
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