One of Satan’s great tools to handicap God’s people is the tool of condemnation. In fact, there are spirits of accusation and condemnation that are attached to many of God’s people with the sole assignment of making them feel unacceptable to God.

I have known faithful believers who knew the Word but never felt fully forgiven nor acceptable to the Father. In fact, they could read through such affirming books as Ephesians and Philippians and still walk away with a crippling sense of condemnation. Something in them filtered out every positive promise and every affirming word about their identity.  Even if they understood what they were reading, they believed those promises and affirmations were for other believers, but not for them.

Condemnation seems to carry the message that not only have you done some things that are wrong, but you are defective, you are rejected, you are not enough.  Of course, the good news of Jesus is that, by his death, he has taken away our defectiveness, taken away rejection, and he has made us enough in the eyes of God.  

The writer of Hebrews declares, “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being madeholy” (Heb. 10:14).  Notice the fact that you have been made perfect in the eyes of God by that sacrifice.  The verb is past tense.  It is not something we can earn or strive for or beg for.  The blood of Christ has already given us a standing of perfection in heaven while we are yet imperfect.   

So, does God then simply ignore the sin in our lives, the failures, the imperfections.  In one sense, the answer is “Yes.”  He ignores it in the sense that he does not hold those things against us or even see us as being defined by those things.  We may define ourselves by those things but God does not. We are defined by who we are in Christ and those weaknesses and failures (past and present) no longer have any condemnation attached to them.

In addition, although those things bring no rejection or condemnation from God, he is faithfully working to make us holy.  This is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.  He isn’t doing this in order to make us acceptable, but simply to make us everything we can be in Jesus.

Satan’s ploy is to get us to focus on every past sin, every imperfection, and every failure.  The old axiom is, “We become what we behold.”  What we focus on defines us and we typically live up or down to the view we have of ourselves.  God’s strategy is to get us to focus on who we are in Christ…children of God loved and forgiven; citizens of heaven walking in power and authority, representatives of Christ on the earth with a destiny established by God; the forgiven, the cleansed, the perfected, saints of God on this earth with an unimaginable inheritance waiting for us in heaven.

As we consistently focus on those realities, we become them – those realities define us. Knowing that, Satan continually whispers condemnation in our ears, speaks it through the broken people in our lives, and keeps us in a constant state of self-rejection and insecurity.  

As a result, we never feel the love of God, never have faith that he will answer our prayers, and never step into significant roles in the kingdom that God has ordained.  As long as we are bound up by condemnation, Satan wins.

But Paul put condemnation to rest in his letter to the Romans.  He said, “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 7:21-8:2, emphasis added). 

Notice, Paul still struggles with sin and often does what he doesn’t want to do and feels the frustration of living out that reality.  However, he stands on the truth that the blood of Christ covers those failures and weaknesses in the courts of heaven.  He boldly declares to us, to himself, and to Satan there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.  That must be our answer to every condemning thought that trickles across our minds.  

Some of those thoughts are our own. In that case we need a renewed mind where God’s truth replaces our habitual thoughts that do not line-up with his thoughts.  We must constantly say what God says about us in Christ. Some of those thoughts are from broken people.  Maybe we need to distance ourselves from them, if possible. 

Some or most of those thoughts are from Satan. Because you are a child of God with power and authority, you need to call Satan out when those thoughts immerge in your mind.  Call him a liar, renounce the lie he has spoken to you, and then command him to be silent and depart. James tells us, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Ja. 4:7).  We submit to his truth about us by giving his Word more authority than our feelings or thoughts. We them must actively resist the devil by declaring God’s truth and exercising the authority you have in Jesus.  Command Satan’s demonic representative – the spirit of condemnation to leave and he will.  

If you struggle with condemnation, stay in the Word, submit your mind to God’s truth, and constantly say only what God has said about you.  Jesus himself told us we will know the truth and the truth will set us free (Jn. 8:32).  When the enemy comes, pull out the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit and contend for God’s truth about you!

This week we witnessed the widow of Charlie Kirk publicly forgive the man who assassinated  

her husband.  Forgiving one who has betrayed you, wounded you, taken life from you, stolen from you, slandered you, etc.  is one of the most defining aspects of our faith and, sometimes, one of the most difficult to live out.

However, for us, forgiveness is an imperative.  It is not optional.  Jesus clearly stated in several places that if we do not forgive those who sin against us, God will not forgive our sins against Him.  I am uncertain if you can cross the threshold of heaven if there are any sins on your ledger not blotted out by the blood of Christ, but I think not and the question highlights what a serious issue unforgiveness is.  I am certain that unforgiven sins give Satan access to believers because unforgiven sins give him a legal right to afflict us. As we have ministered deliverance through the years, we have often seen demons refuse to leave until the person to whom we were ministering had forgiven someone who had dealt them a great deal of pain.

So, in light of Ericka Kirk’s decision to forgive, I want to remind us of the necessity of us doing the same as needed.  One thing was clear when Ericka forgave her husband’s killer…it was a decision of the will not a decision of the heart.  That is always the first step.  In the same way that we don’t have to always like someone to love them, wd don’t have to feel warm and accepting of another person in order to forgive them.

Let’s explore that thought briefly.  First of all, we are commanded to forgive those who have wronged us.  We cannot command our emotions but we can command our will.  First of all, forgiveness is a decision to let Jesus be the judge of the other person.  We let him decide if they should be punished and how.  Biblical forgiveness, initially, is a decision to release the judgment to God and to no longer act in ways to make the other person pay for what they did. Jesus often framed the act of forgiveness as a willingness to release another person from a financial debt they owed.  The debt was real and sometimes extensive, but in his parables, they simply no longer required payment for the hurt that was done. 

In the human context, we usually try to make the one who wronged us pay through our angry outbursts, by withholding loving behaviors, by our constant reminders to them of their past failure, by our subtle slander of them as we try to undermine their relationships with other people, our silence and a cold shoulder, or simply by ending the relationship. In our own way, we decide to settle the score by making them pay for what they did.

Satan helps us justify our anger and our revenge.  We don’t forgive because they “don’t deserve it.”  We don’t forgive because they haven’t adequately repented and begged for our forgiveness. We don’t forgive because our anger makes us feel powerful and righteous or we believe it keeps us from being hurt again. But Jesus forgave when no one asked and forgave before he had seen repentance.

Forgiveness requires faith.  We must believe that God and wisdom will protect us from further hurt, that God will see justice done if that is needed, and that he will heal the hurts we believe only revenge can heal.  The first step then is to declare that our betrayer is forgiven and to choose to no longer act in any way designed to make them pay.

The second step is also an act of the will.  In Luke 6, Jesus tells us to love our enemies which consists of doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who curse you, and praying for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28). You do it, even when your flesh pushes back.  The blessing comes to you because the act of forgiveness and the act of loving your enemies brings 
God’s blessing as you take the high road, even though your enemy takes the low road.  It keeps anger, bitterness and a victim mentality from taking root in your heart. It keeps the door of your life closed to the devil and anger and bitterness from sloshing over into the other relationships in your life.  The very act of praying for them eventually shifts your view and your emotions. You may have to ask God to soften your heart or give you strength to pray for things your flesh rebels against.  But keep it up.  Be obedient.  Your heart will change so you no longer want revenge but truly want the best for someone who once hurt you.  Then you will be truly free of that person.

Your forgiveness keeps those who wounded you from continuing to have power in your life.  To keep the anger fueled, you have to replay the wrong they did to you over and over…each time tearing the scab off the wound so it never heals.  You end up making decisions on the basis of how they will impact your enemy rather than on the basis of what is best for you.  You indirectly continue to give them power in your life. 

When God calls us to forgive, it is our response to the immense grace God gave us through the sacrifice of his own son.  We forgive, not because the perpetrator deserves it, but because Jesus deserves it.  It is also a call to bring us freedom, healing, and wholeness is our lives.  Jesus never asks us to do anything that does not bring a blessing through our obedience. 

Let me say, forgiveness does not require letting hurtful people continue to hurt us or to keep putting ourselves or our children in harm’ s way. We can love from a distance and forgive from a distance if needed and we can set healthy boundaries.  Forgiveness is required but reconciliation is conditional. 

So, at this time, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death we can hate or love, seek vengeance or forgive, slander all those across the aisle from us politically or we can live out a witness to the reality of Jesus and the grace he has brought to our lives.  

Let me encourage each of us to forgive every hurt and be blessed.

We have all heard the phrase “speaking truth to power.” Historically, we know that carries great risk.  John the Baptist was beheaded because he confronted Herod about his immoral lifestyle.  Jesus was crucified at the insistence of the Jewish Sanhedrin for speaking truth to them about their legalism and hypocrisy.  Charlie Kirk was assassinated for speaking conservative and biblical truth to our culture. 

Speaking to his own unbelieving brothers, Jesus declared. “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil” (Jn. 7:7). He went on to tell his disciples, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (Jn. 15:18-19).

We cannot be surprised that there are many who apparently hated Charlie Kirk. Obviously, the man who killed Kirk hated him, but also those who celebrated his death on social media and other venues.  I read The Days of His Presence by Francis Frangipane several years ago about the end times.  He made a statement that has stuck with me.  I’m paraphrasing, but he said something to the effect that, in the end times, everyone on earth will be fully possessed…either by God or by Satan.  I think we are seeing that.

What we are witnessing is not just a political struggle, but a spiritual struggle for the soul of this nation and, in fact, the world.  If you have seen the irrational rage that seems to possess a number of people who hated Kirk and his message, you might automatically sense the demonic realm at work.  If you look beyond the United States, you will see that the number of Christians being killed world-wide now is the highest number in any period in history.  We should not be surprised if this continues.

This is not a statement of capitulation in which we simply accept the idea that Satan will win until Jesus comes.  Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against his church.  We still have our assignment to preach the gospel, make disciples, and redeem cultures.  And, in fact, we are seeing the pendulum swing in that direction in America.  We need to ride that wave as long as God sustains it…which could be for a generation or more.  I am saying, however, that as we take back territory that has been given to the enemy in this nation, while the church often sat on the side lines, we should expect fierce, irrational, and sometimes violent opposition from those that are enemies of the cross, of life, of this nation, and of God’s truth.

Charlie Kirk has become an inspiration to many and I am glad for that.  However, as we honor him, we need to remember that Jesus is our Savior and our ultimate inspiration.  If we make any man a cult hero of Christianity, we have missed the mark and altered the gospel that Charlie passionately preached.  On the other hand, martyrs for the faith have fueled the faith of others for centuries and encouraged them to stand and face the fury of the devil in their own lives…so we should honor all those who have suffered for the cross.

Satan wants to silence those who speak God’s truth and he wants to further divide this nation.  Our response must be to continue to speak God’s truth in love, love our enemies, pray for them, and overcome evil with good. We are to be salt and light in the world. Love, prayer and doing good, even to our enemies, will be our weapons and our testimony to the reality of Jesus.  We are not to withdraw from the public square because to do so prevents us from being the leaven for righteousness that is our assignment.  But our words must not only reflect the truth of Jesus, but also his Spirit. God will deal with those who persecute his people.

There has been a meme on Facebook that says a great deal.  It pictures the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death with people in numerous circles standing arm in arm in prayer.  Below that picture is a picture of the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, which was burning neighborhoods to the ground and looting stores.  We want to be part of the top picture.

As we see the move of God across this nation, our prayers should fuel what heaven is doing.  The assassination of Charlie Kirk has added focus and energy to this move of God.  This is a window of opportunity to redeem this nation once again.  May we, along with many others, be bold and passionate as we stand for Jesus and confess him before men. 

It’s not unusual for believers to offer up a fervent prayer to the Lord outlining not only what we want from God but also how we want him to deliver our request.  By “faith” we ask for not only the what but the how.  There is a real risk in that type of prayer.The classic example is found in 2 Kings 5.  Naaman was the commander of the army of the King of Aram.  He was a great man and a valiant soldier who was highly esteemed by his king and his fellow soldiers.  However, we are told, he had leprosy.  In the original language, leprosy could refer to a number of health issues and not always the one we think of in which skin begins to rot and eventually takes the victim’s life.  Those with that kind of leprosy were usually quarantined from all those except other lepers. 

However, whatever Naaman suffered, it was concerning and affected his health, his social interactions, and, perhaps, his future.  We are told that Naaman had a servant girl, an Israelite who had been taken in a raid. She confidently told Naaman’s wife that if he would go to the prophet Elisha in Israel, he would be cured. Probably, out of desperation, Naaman gathered a few men and a significant amount of wealth with which to pay for his healing.  

Eventually, he found his way to Elisha the prophet and with his horses and chariots, and probably some fanfare, he stopped in front of Elisha’s door.  Elisha simply sent his servant out to Naaman with the message that if he would go dip in the Jordan River seven times he would be healed.  The text then says, “But Naamanwent away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?’ So he turned and went off in a rage” (2 Kings 5:11-12).

Naaman’s problem was a combination of pride and a preconceived notion of how he wanted to receive his healing. To a highly regarded general, simply the fact that Elisha himself did not go out to meet Naaman was galling. He undoubtedly felt disrespected and, on top of that, he was instructed to dip in the muddy Jordan of Israel rather than in the crystal-clear mountain streams of Damascus.  In his rage, he determined to leave and, would have also left his healing behind if his servant had not spoken up. His servant quieted Naaman’s rage and talked him into doing what the prophet had instructed.  Clearly, dipping in a muddy river without fanfare or an audience seemed an unlikely way to be cleansed of leprosy, but as he rose from the river the seventh time, his skin became like that of a young boy. 

Naaman came very close to missing the blessing he had longed for because God didn’t provide the blessing in the way Naaman envisioned it happening.   I was a Singles Minister for a number of years and, of course, many of the single women in our group had a great longing to be married. They frequently prayed for God to put a man in their life they could marry and then they attached a number of qualifications for the man…six feet tall, dark hair, nice looking, athletic, a good job, and spiritual, etc.  After a year or two of praying that prayer, they would come to me frustrated with God for not answering their pleas.  I would always ask, “So has no one even asked you out?”  They would inevitably answer, “Oh sure, but they were not what I am looking for!”  I knew many of the men these women turned down and the truth is they were good guys, committed to the Lord, with good character, and would probably have made excellent husbands and fathers.  What these women needed was a good, reliable car.  When God sent a Ford instead of a Lamborghini, they were offended.

To the still lonely ladies, the men who asked them out were the Jordan River, not the rivers of Damascus. It’s not that they dated these men and found there was something lacking, they simply refused to believe that God might answer the heart of their prayer in a way he felt was best –  rather than in a way they felt they deserved or, at least, romanticized about.  

When we pray for something, we may want to leave the “how” of the answer up to God more than demanding he deliver the answer on our terms.  If I’m not offered the promotion I wanted, but am offered something a little less, do I feel like God has stiffed me?  If I want instantaneous healing, but am only offered a long, arduous healing process through doctors, do I reject that or feel that God has failed in his promise to heal me? If I don’t get the miraculous check in the mail but have to discipline myself and pay off my debt over time, do I take offense at God because I didn’t get bailed out quickly and painlessly as I had hoped?

If you look at most of the miracles in scripture, God did not act in anticipated ways.  How does rubbing mud on blind eyes restore sight?  How do a few loaves and a few fish feed five thousand?  How does showing up four days after a friend has died give life? We could go on.  The point is, we should anticipate God answering our prayers, but be open to him answering our prayers in unexpected ways.  

When we sense how he might be answering our prayer, we will still need to pray for confirmation and discernment. The answer will not always be the first thing that happens or the first person who shows interest.  The greatest blessings in my life have been unexpected moves of God that I did not see immediately as his answers to my prayers or needs. In fact, initially, I saw his move as a rejection of my need for comfort, control, and predictability. However, they turned out to be incredible blessings when I went with what was happening.

Let me encourage you to pray without ceasing.  Ask God for what you need and even how, but be open to his answering in ways that do not match your preconceptions. Ask for eyes to see what he is doing and wisdom to walk through the process he has ordained.  God is a Father who is always multi-tasking…answering your prayer while developing your faith, skills or character so that you can steward well the answer to your prayer when it comes.  When you begin to feel as if God is not responding, remember Naaman.  Don’t refuse to open the present just because it isn’t wrapped in your favorite paper!

THE ENEMY WANTS TO DEFINE YOU BY YOUR SCARS.

JESUS WANTS TO DEFINE YOU WITH HIS.   

~LOUIE GIGLIO~


The quote from Louie Giglio is right on target.  I see this in my own life and I have seen it in nearly every believer who has come to my office for counseling for over four decades.  One of Satan’s primary strategies against us is the constant accusation that our past failures disqualify us from serving God and accomplishing great things in the kingdom.  He tries to persuade us that our past failures and present imperfections disqualify us from the blessings of God and even answered prayers. He tells us that God may tolerate us but he doesn’t delight in us.

Since the beginning, his blue print has been to tempt us to sin and then to plaster us with shame as a result.  In the Garden, once Satan had persuaded Adam and Eve that God was withholding the greatest blessings from them and once they took and ate…they were overcome with shame.  

We were clearly told that the two humans God had created were both naked and felt no shame.  Before they allowed Satan to draw them away, they walked with God in the Garden without being dressed and somehow felt totally loved and accepted.  The moment they sinned, they began to hide from God and blame others for their decisions. They were ashamed.

I like to differentiate between guilt and shame.  Guilt is the feeling I have done something wrong while shame is the feeling that there is something unacceptable about me.  I am defective.  I am beyond love.  I am beyond redemption or, at least, beyond God ever delighting in me.

Satan always draws our attention to our scars brought by rejection, abuse, abandonment, and our own sins from the past.  How often have we asked forgiveness over and over for some source of shame in our past?  When we do, we reveal a belief that the blood of Christ is not quite sufficient for our defectiveness, our sin.  We feel that we must be overwhelmed with remorse and self-loathing for God to forgive us.  So…we beat ourselves up and heap shame upon ourselves as some kind of penance that might eventually earn us true forgiveness…but our shame still remains.

The only escape from this hell of self-condemnation the enemy heaps on us is the cross.  His scars. The gospel is simple.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn.3:16).  The sacrifice of Jesus was offered for our sins so that the record of those sins would be erased in the courts of heaven.  When we believe and trust God, he makes us righteous, he remembers our sins no more and removes them as far as the east is from the west.  No amount of penance, self-loathing, or self-imposed suffering will take away or sin or our shame. If it could, Jesus died for nothing.  Only the blood of the Lamb can do so.

Faith removes our sin and love removes our shame.  The problem with the gospel is it seems too good to be true. We sense that we must pay for our crimes and that no judge can simply say, ”Lets forget it.”  We are correct.  Sin and crimes must be paid for and they have been…by holy blood.  But because the gospel is so simple, we think there must be something more in the fine print.  But there is not.  There is only grace that comes by faith…not perfect faith, but faith enough to reach out to Jesus.

Satan’s tactic is to keep us focused on ourselves…our sin, our past, our failures, our current imperfections.  He magnifies them.  I know godly people who, while they read scripture, find every passage on judgment highlighted in their minds and who feel every passage on grace is not for them. Satan twists the word as they read it. So, they read and feel even more condemned than when they started.  Then they stop reading. But Christ’s sacrifice is greater than all of our sins.  His blood is sufficient.  He is our high priest that constantly intercedes for us and pleads his blood over our failings.

To receive his forgiveness and to take joy in that forgiveness gives him glory.  When the enemy tempted Jesus in the wilderness after forty days of fasting, Jesus countered his temptations by declaring the word of God.  We should do the same.  When the enemy whispers his reminders of our weakness and failures, we should declare our forgiveness and righteousness in Christ.

Never mind trying to convince yourself or God that you couldn’t help yourself or that circumstances forced you to sin. Never mind minimizing or rationalizing what you did. That simply keeps the focus on your scars rather than on His scars. No matter what you did or what happened to you, you are a new creation in Christ. Scripture tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus.  Keep being amazed at his love, his sacrifice, his mercy, his gentleness with sinners and the all-sufficiency of his blood.  

Do not let the enemy accuse you of something for which there is no record in heaven. When he whispers, “You are not worthy.” Respond with, “God has made me worthy.  Christ became sin for me, that I might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!”  Faith is not about being perfect people, but a conviction that we really are who God says we are and he has truly removed our sin and our shame by the blood and the scars of Jesus.  Say it, claim it, and never let yourself say otherwise.

This message comes from Randy Clark, founder and president of Global Awakening.  I thought it was worth posting for those who read my blog.  So enjoy.  Tom Vermillion


If grace has no limits, how much is grace? 

Some of us have entered the Kingdom by faith, and we believe we have been forgiven. We understand we are sinners saved by grace. This is wonderful, but we will limit our victories if we camp here.

You see, grace that brings you out and causes you to be born again takes you to the door of what grace actually provides. Not only does Jesus save, but He takes the signet ring of the Father and gives it to you.

If we just come to the door and say, “I’m forgiven,” we’ll live like spiritual paupers. We need to understand that we are more than forgiven—and that is by God’s grace. Grace not only forgave us but put the ring back on our finger. Now, in the authority of the Father’s name, we can make decrees.

Jesus did not just die to forgive you but to welcome you into the Kingdom as children of the Most High with all authority and power to use on His behalf. He puts His own Spirit within you so you can walk right into the taverns now and begin to prophesy. You now have access to God as your beloved, your Father, and a best friend. More than that, He grants us the grace for impartation, spiritual gifts, and supernatural empowerment in our Kingdom callings. Healings, miracles, the five-fold ministry—these Kingdom works are the grace of God in our lives.

I really believe that if we could get a full understanding of grace, we would not need to go through most of the issues we face as Christians. If we could get grounded in throne life at the beginning of our Christian life, we could walk in victory a lot more. Too often, as Bill Johnson says, we’ve repented—changed the way we think—enough to get into the Kingdom but not enough to walk in its power. 

Don’t stop at the doorway. He loves you. We can’t comprehend how much He truly loves us. More than that—He has abundant grace for us. He wants us to rule and reign with Kingdom authority so we can go into all the world and disciple, heal, deliver, and walk in victory.

In our age of “relative truth” or “personal truth,” many churches have become quite relaxed when it comes to biblical doctrine.  When you look at recent research on churches, ministers and beliefs, there is an astonishing number of pastors and “theologians” that don’t believe or are uncertain about some essential doctrines of the faith. A 2022 survey by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University reveals the following.  Their findings are in line with other major researchers like Barna. 

Specifically, the report found that one-third or more of senior pastors believe:

• Sexual relations between two unmarried people who believe they love each other is morally acceptable.
• Determining moral truth is up to each individual; there are no moral absolutes that apply to everyone, all the time.
• The Holy Spirit is not a living entity, but is a symbol of God’s power, presence, or purity.
• Having faith matters more than which faith you have.
• Reincarnation is a real possibility.
• A person who is generally good, or does enough good things for others, can earn a place in Heaven.
• The Bible is ambiguous in its teaching about abortion, enabling you to make a strong argument either for or against abortion based on biblical principles.
  

Additionally, one-third or more of senior pastors reject the following beliefs: human life is sacred; wealth is entrusted to individuals to be managed for God’s purposes; success is consistent obedience to God; people are born into sin and can only be saved from its consequences by Jesus Christ; they, personally, will experience eternal salvation only because they have personally confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.

In addition to these findings, other research reveals that high numbers of senior pastors and theologians do not believe in the miracles of the New Testament, the virgin birth, or a literal resurrection of Jesus.  Many do not believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven. We also know that entire denominations have embraced same-sex marriage as well as allowing practicing homosexuals to fill leadership roles in their church. The research finds these faith discrepancies among senior pastors., not just young, new-to-ministry pastors. 

So…is this something to be concerned about?

In Paul’s letter to the Galatian church, he responded to a group of teachers that had come into the church teaching that salvation was not only dependent on belief in Jesus but also on certain works of the Law…especially circumcision.  Their bumper stickers would have read,  ”Jesus + Circumcision[TV1]  = Salvation!” 

In response to that teaching, Paul wrote, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (Gal. 1:7-9). The word translated “God’s curse,” essentially means “eternally damned.”  That is an exceptionally strong rebuke.

In Pauls’ first letter to Timothy, he warns, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:1-2). 

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he reinforced his warnings about false teachers. “I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:1-2). 

A close reading of the New Testament emphasizes again and again that doctrine matters because salvation depends on what you believe about Jesus.  In Galatians, Paul asserts that if you add any kind of works to grace, you have stepped outside of grace. He wrote, “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (I Tim. 5:4).  Anything other than Jesus alone, makes his sacrifice insufficient for our salvation.  Any salvation that depends on anything other than the blood of Christ and grace of God, places you back under a system of law which will ultimately condemn you.  Any number of churches today preach a salvation based on a system of faith and works. 

In addition, the entire New Testament admonishes believers to live righteous lives as evidence of their salvation.  We are not saved by righteousness, but we are called to be righteous.  Those who say they believe in Jesus, but continue to live lives dominated by sin without remorse, are warned that those who live in such ways will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  God does not require perfection, but a heart that wants to live a righteous life for Jesus.  Those who change the word of God to embrace cultural values, place themselves in great danger.

This is not to say that all believers must be in lock-step on doctrine and understand all scripture perfectly.  In Romans 14, Paul says that we can disagree about some biblical doctrines and still be good with God and one another.  For instance, he says if a man wants to count all days as the same and does so unto God…he is good with God. If another man wants to keep certain days holy and does so unto God…he is good with God.   But Paul warns these positions cannot be made conditions of salvation and we must not judge one another about those matters…keep the Sabbath if you wish, keep Christmas if you wish, or consider all days the same.  If you do either out of faith, it is acceptable.  

Many beliefs are not salvation issues. Thankfully, understanding the book of Revelation perfectly is not required for salvation.  We can read scripture honestly and come away with different views on the gifts of the Spirit, end-times prophecies, whether we should celebrate Christmas, what blasphemy of the Spirit truly means and be saved and still fellowship with one another.

What we can’t compromise is the truth about Jesus, his divinity, his coming in the flesh, his sinless life, his death and resurrection and his ascension to heaven.  John tell wu us that those who bring unbiblical views of Jesus into the church and try to teach them, must be separated from the church ( 2 Jn. 7-11).

The second non-negotiable is holy living.  We are called to be holy even as He is holy.  Anyone or any church who tries to use grace as a “get-out-of-jail -free-card“ for sinful living, is in a dangerous place with the Lord, because it makes  a mockery of the cross.  John declares, “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning, No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him” (1 Jn. 3:6).  John is not saying that if we ever sin after coming to Jesus, we are not saved.  He is saying that, after coming to Jesus, we should have a heart that pursues righteousness, even though we fail at times, rather than still having a heart that pursues sin.

In summary, doctrine (what we believe about Jesus and righteous living) matters.  We must be careful with God’s word and be careful not to let culture dictate our understanding of the Word.  After all, Paul declares that without the Spirit living in us, we cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14).  The world and the systems of the world cannot give us insight into God or his truth.

When Satan can teach “doctrines of demons:” within the church, he has found a powerful strategy for deception. We must study the scriptures for ourselves and test what we hear in church with the scriptures.  I’m not advocating distrust, but we are told to weigh prophecies, test the spirits, and Paul called the Bereans noble because they searched the scriptures daily to see if what he was teaching lined up with God’s word.  The end-times are to be marked with deception, so be careful with the Word of God so that Satan cannot twist it, change it, or dilute it and lead you away from God’s truth.

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One of the recurring questions throughout scripture is, “Why do the wicked prosper?”  I(f there is a just God in heaven who rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked, why do the wicked seem to fare so well in this world.  If you are wired in a way that justice is a strong theme in your life, it is even more troubling.  

We live in a world now where the rich and powerful seem to be able to get away with anything.  People acknowledge corruption at the highest levels of government and yet little seems to be done in concrete ways to deter that corruption.  No one goes to jail.  And yet, scripture cries out for justice.

Through the prophet Amos, God declared to Israel, “Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:22-24).  For God. justice has a higher value than sacrifices at the temple. 

The psalmist brought this complaint before the courts of heaven: 

But as for me,  my feet had almost slipped, I had nearly lost my foothold. For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. for they have no struggles, their bodies are sound and sleek. They are not in trouble as other men are; they are not stricken like other men. Therefore, pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell out with fatness, their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. Therefore the people turn and praise them; and find no fault in them. And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken, and chastened every morning (Ps. 73:2-14).

That text certainly seems to describe our world.  Men and women go to Washington to “serve their country” but soon are worth millions of dollars and their only concern is maintaining power.  There is a huge amount of corruption being uncovered now, but it is hardly being reported on by most news agencies and many doubt that anyone will actually be punished for wrong doing.

That was the psalmist’s complaint.  Not only did he complain about how the wicked thrived but that because of their affluence, many people praised them and wanted to be like them.  On top of that, the psalmist was a man who was trying to live for God and his life was difficult every day,  So, what do we do with this paradox?  There is a just God in heaven, but he seems to keep his hands off the injustice in the world. 

The psalmist went on to say, ” When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply 

till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin” (Ps. 73:16-18).

What the writer understood was that justice would be served inevitably and perfectly when these men stood before God in the final judgment. Some will certainly reap what they sow in this life, but all will face judgment in the end. One of our frustrations is that we want God to do what he has assigned us to do. Psalm 115:16-17 declares, “The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind.”  

The Lord commissioned Adam and Eve to take dominion over the earth. He has given man authority in this world.  He does intervene, but often only in response to our prayers.  It is up to us to ensure that justice is done. The kingdom of darkness is not interested in justice, only in power.  The kingdom of light is the domain of justice and so as the kingdom of heaven spreads across the globe, so will justice.  Bringing the world to Jesus is the sole cure for injustice.  To be sure, there will be pockets of culture now where Christians have influence that will dispense justice, but we cannot depend on the systems of the world to express the values of heaven.  We must bring those systems under the influence of the kingdom.

Our frustration is that we want to see justice now.  That is a worthy goal.  So we need strong believers sitting on judicial benches, making laws in Congress, imparting godly values in universities, and pointing out injustice in the media.  The wicked will continue to prosper in this world until the kingdom of heaven engulfs them.  If our frustration begins to affect our faith as we ask where God is in all of this, we need to adopt an eternal view of life.  God lives in the eternal.  He knows justice will be dealt out.  Paul says. “God is just. He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to those who are troubled. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire” (2 Thess. 1:5-7).

God calls on us to work for justice in this world, but he also promises that whatever has been left undone, he will see that justice is done at the return of his Son. Again, Paul says, “¹ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord” (Rom. 12:17-20).  

God does not ignore injustice or wickedness or betrayal or those who have unjustly persecuted or wounded you.  All things will be set right when Jesus returns.  Should we strive for justice in this world?  By all means, that is our assignment.  But those who seem to be beyond our reach, will not be beyond his.

When we think of King David, we most often envision him as a boy shepherding his father’s sheep while facing down a lion and a bear, a young man slaying the Philistine champion Goliath, a friend of Jonathan running from an insane King Saul, or a poet penning the words to great Psalms we have committed to memory.  To most of us, Davis is an heroic figure.  He was, after all, a man after God’s on heart.  

But then there was the episode with Bathsheba and her husband Uriah.  As you recall, Uriah was one of David’s mighty men who served as the king’s guard and who fought his battles.  In the Spring of the year, David’s troops went to war but, for some unstated reason, David stayed behind.  While walking on the roof of the palace in the cool of the evening, David saw Bathsheba taking a bath in her courtyard.  I’m certain it was behind a wall with no thought that someone might be on the palace roof where he could see over her privacy fence.  You know the rest of the story.

David had Bathsheba brought to him.  Before the evening was over, they ended up in each other’s arms committing adultery.  We don’t know if Bathsheba were a willing party or simply felt she could not sway not to a king. He most likely sent her home apologizing for what had happened with assurances that it would never happen again.  However, she soon reported she was pregnant. David found himself in a contorted dilemma.  He was responsible for what had happened.  Adultery was a crime punishable by death for both the man and the woman and, in this case, an innocent child.  Even if the law were not enforced, David would lose the loyalty of his men who were off risking their lives while he was at home trifling with their wives.

Satan had sprung the trap.  One moment of unguarded passion had led to unthinkable consequences for David, Bathsheba, and the kingdom.  In a desperate effort to cover up the sin, David called Uriah home from the front to “report on the battle.“ While there, David encouraged him to go home and be with his wife.  Later, they could explain the pregnancy as a result of his brief visit in Jerusalem.  However, Uriah would not go to his wife while his men slept in the field away from their families.  

Finally, David devised a plan. He sent Uriah back to the front, but instructed his commander to place Uriah in jeopardy in the battle in the hopes that he might lose his life.  He would not be around to deny that he had gone to Bathsheba on his trip back from the war. David’s plan worked and Uriah was killed in battle.  Then, in a seemingly compassionate move, David took the grieving widow to be one of his wives.  Now he had added murder to adultery.  We are told that David sat on the throne for nearly a year before he was confronted by Nathan the prophet about his sin.  God had given him that time to acknowledge what he had done and to repent.

We can only speculate, but David was a man like other men.  Undoubtedly, he kept quiet about what had happened and what he had done both out of shame and fear. Adultery was bad enough, but if it got out that David had set Uriah up for death, he might not have an army left nor the loyalty of his people.  Like most of us, he probably rationalized his silence and, perhaps, his sin. The enemy must have been whispering that Bathsheba should have been more careful with her privacy or perhaps, Uriah wasn’t the husband he should have been.  He put his men ahead of his marriage and maybe Bathsheba was susceptible because of an unloving husband.  Secrecy and murder was wrong but it was for the sake of the kingdom…the greater good.  Besides…God had made David with his sex drive.  He couldn’t help himself.  The death of Uriah, though tragic, may have saved three lives as the death penalty was attached to the adultery.  For months, David probably pushed back against any impulse to confess because of the dire consequences that would come from his failure.  In that season he felt the absence of God because, in his heart, he was hiding from the one he had once been so close to.

Even in this state of denial, God still pursued David.  His Spirit kept stirring David’s conscience and eventually he sent Nathan the prophet to confront him.  As the prophet rebuked David (2 Sam.12), the dam broke and David acknowledged his terrible sin. Psalm 51 is the substance of his confession. We need to notice a few critical things in this Psalm as David sought forgiveness from his creator.  The Psalm is a quick read, so I encourage you to read it now before continuing with this blog.

Importantly, David begins by trusting the character of God…especially his great mercy, his unfailing love, and his compassion. Before we go to God with a big fail (sin), we need to assure ourselves that when our heart is right, God is willing and quick to forgive.  Like the father of the “prodigal son,” he waits for us and longs for us to return no matter what we have done.   

Nowhere in this psalm does David minimize or justify his sin. He does not plead his case before God by blaming Bathsheba for her carelessness or Uriah for his neglect.  He doesn’t try to make a case that it was only one time and he couldn’t help himself.  He didn’t argue that his concern for the Kingdom demanded the coverup.  He simply stated he had sinned against God and he had no excuses.  He clearly was broken and remorseful and simply wanted to be restored so that he might praise God again and point sinners to salvation.

When he confessed and repented, his sin was immediately forgiven and his relationship with the Father renewed.  There would be difficult consequences in the natural realm, but his walk with God had been restored and God would see him through the hard times ahead.

Too often, we feel as if we have to talk God into forgiving our sins by down playing them, excusing them, blaming others, or even declaring that God’s expectations are not fair. David declared that God’s standards were just and right.  The problem was on David’s end, not God’s.  God does not forgive our sins because we deserve to or make a good case.  He forgives them because he is full of love, mercy and grace and we are his beloved children.  Knowing all of our sins before we were ever born, he still covered them by the blood of his son.

What he wants when we fall short, no matter how short, is for us to fully own our sin…no excuses, no rationalizations, no deflecting.  He wants is to trust in his love and grace rather than our ability to persuade him we are actually pretty good people who warrant him letting our sin slide.  That approach suggests that God is not so good and the blood of Christ is not really sufficient. That approach brings us into agreement with Satan and opens the door to his activity in our lives.  We are going to sin…sometimes in disastrous ways, but we cannot hide it from God because he knows all things.  We cannot blame others because we made our choices. We should not excuse ourselves because sin will not be excused.  What we should do is run to our Father, knowing he is full of mercy and quick to forgive, if we indeed have godly sorrow about what we have done. He will not keep bringing it up or rubbing our nose in what we have done because by the blood of Christ, in response to our repentance, our sin and the record of our sin are blotted out.  Good news!

In Paul’s letters to the church at Corinth, we discover that a group of pseudo-leaders had arisen in his absence, who were attempting to undercut Paul’s authority and influence in Corinth while declaring themselves to be God’s ordained leaders over the church there. Because Paul was a traveling evangelist these “super-apostles” (2 Cor. 11:5) worked hard to criticize him and undermine his work while he was away.

Satan often tries to attack church leaders through complaining, gossiping, and slandering members but he can also attack entire congregations through men and women who pose as the rightful leaders of the church, yet are not ordained by God to be so. Being critical of a church leader is a serious matter, but just as prophecies need to be weighed, sometimes leaders need to be biblically evaluated.  I want to derive a few principles from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, about those who are given the mantle of leadership by God and those who may not have been given that mantle.

In his letter, Paul states, “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves…We will not boast beyond proper limits but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us, a sphere that also includes you” (2 Cor. 10”13).  There is an interesting word that is translated as sphere in this text. It is the Greek word kanon and means, “a clearly defined and delegated territory over which rule or control is exercised.”  This suggests that God assigned Paul and his ministry team to a specific area or territory over which they were to exercise spiritual authority. This raises the question of how effective we might be if we begin to minister outside of our kanon or decide not to stay in the lane God has assigned to us. Sometimes, pastors are effective in one area but then move to another without being effective. It also suggests a person who is placed in a significant leadership role in the church, must be assigned to that church by God…not by men nor by self-promotion or popularity.  There should be some evidence that God has called someone and appointed someone to that leadership role before it is given.

There are several indicators in his letter regarding legitimate leadership and presumed leadership.  First of all, he says these “false teachers” or “super-apostles” were commending themselves.  “Leaders” who are constantly self-promoting are usually insecure, manipulative, and use people rather than serving them.  That can lead to a lot of church wounds in the congregation.  Many of the wounded abandon the church so this kind of leader can be a real weapon for the enemy. 

I’m not saying that this leader is consciously aware of what he or she is doing, but the mature need to help that leader grow in those areas of faith and ministry.  After all, many young leaders are insecure and self-promoting but can grow out of that. However, If the leader rejects counsel or only gives lip service to correction, he may not be the one ordained by God to lead the church. 

Paul reminded the church that he had come to them first with the gospel.  He was a spiritual father to them.  He also reminded them that he had demonstrated the works of an apostle – signs, wonders and miracles (2 Cor. 12:12). They also knew he was commended by other respected and proven church leaders and had sacrificed many things for the preaching of the gospel. There should be some concrete history that demonstrates calling, character, and fruitfulness in a man or woman before we give them a role of significant leadership. 

There is a Jezebel spirit that can enter a person, male or female, and, like the Jezebel of the Old Testament, can and will divide churches by undermining legitimate leadership and promoting themselves or someone they are attached to.  Anyone who has the habit of criticizing other leadership should be suspect. Remember how Absalom, the rebellious son of David, sat in the city gate and whispered how much better things would be if he were king.  In order to gain power, he split an entire kingdom.  Others have split churches.

A second indicator is whether or not the “leader” is serving the people or is insisting that the people serve him.  With self-promotion comes a sense of entitlement and sometimes obvious arrogance.  Paul declared to the church at Corinth, that unlike these pseudo-leaders, he had not demanded financial support, housing, or a seat of honor from everyone.  Apparently, these false leaders had done just that and the church had taken that attitude to be a sign of leadership.  Perhaps, that is what was seen in cultural leaders and so they assumed that indicated these false apostles were carrying a mantle of leadership in the kingdom.  But remember, Jesus said that unlike the world, kingdom leaders are not to lord it over anyone, but be servants to all. 

Thirdly, these false apostles often brought a different teaching or message than the one Paul proclaimed.  The “freshness” of the message was taken as fresh revelation by the immature church at Corinth.  I am certainly not a slave to orthodoxy, but we should be not be quick to take on new doctrinal positions until we have studied, discussed, and prayed over them. In a world of YouTube videos and podcasts, there are teachers everywhere who are articulate, convincing, and Bible quoting.  However, until you know a man or woman’s character, you should be slow to make that person a spiritual guru in your life. In addition, are they biblically sound and do they teach the whole counsel of God instead of only presenting the most palatable slice of Biblical truth?

Jesus warned us of false teachers and said we will know them by their fruit…the fruit of their life and the fruit of their teaching (Matt. 7:16).  It takes a while for fruit to become apparent, so Paul warned Timothy, “lay hands on no man quickly” (1 Tim. 5:22). What he meant was, do not approve of a man or give him influence in your life or the church until you really get to know him. 

Fourthly, leaders must be spiritually mature.  How can they lead others to maturity if they themselves are immature? Look for the fruit of the Spirit in those who would be God’s leaders. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:22-24). No leader is perfect, but there should be growing evidence if these fruits in his or her life.  

Lastly, do these “leaders” point you to Jesus or themselves.  Do they point you primarily to scripture or other sources of authority or information. Are they making disciples of Jesus or of themselves?  Do they seek the approval or men or of God?  

All of these indicators of God-ordained leadership versus man-ordained leadership are found in Paul’s writings.  I have served in churches where the leaders were clearly selected by the Holy Spirit and others where leaders were selected by men.  The difference is immense.  

If you find yourself in a place where leadership does not seem to be God-ordained or spiritual, I would encourage you to do several things.  First of all, go to the person and express your concerns.  Do so in love and with respect.  If he or she receives your concerns and takes them to heart, continue on.  If they do not, go to one or two other respected leaders and express your concerns to them…them only, not to all your friends or anyone who will listen.  This is the order of Matthew 18:15-16. If you see positive outcomes from those visits, stay and serve.  If not, pray for those leaders while you ask the Lord if you should go elsewhere.  If you sense that you should move, do so without creating any division in the church or undermining the leadership.  If a man or woman does not need to be leading, God will remove them…that is not your job. 

Here is the thing…the Spirit gives life to spirit while the flesh gives life to flesh.  If the church is being led by fleshly people, it will be a carnal church and will lead some to destruction.  Spiritual, God-ordained leadership will impart life and life is what we seek.  Leadership is critical.  Before you commit to someone’s leadership, ask a few questions, look for some fruit, and be very prayerful.