Some Thoughts

There is a path that man sets for you, and there is the path God has planned for you from your mother’s womb. When God called Jeremiah, He said, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee,” and a conversation and a calling followed:

Jeremiah 1:4-19 KJV “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;

and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,

and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. 9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. 10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. 12 Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

13 And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. 14 Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. 18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. 19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.”

Throughout Jeremiah, we see others trying to convince him not to follow God and not to speak the Word of God. False prophets arose to contend with him and turn the people against him, but Jeremiah held to his call.

The rallying call of the Protestant Reformation was that a plowboy would know more Bible than the Pope. Sadly, even though that has happened, Protestantism has become its guard of the Scriptures against the people in the pew. Whether it’s modern scholarship, prophets, or pastors who don’t like questions, we, the people, have a decision to make: will we follow God or man?

Jesus said of the last days, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4-5). We have understood that to mean that many people will claim to be the Messiah, but what if there is a second possibility as well that people will come saying that Jesus is who He says He is but teach things contrary to the Scriptures? Look at this cross reference from Jeremiah 14:14, ” Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.”

Scripture warns of a great deception and falling away in the last days. When I read passages like these, I can’t help but think of all the false prophecies of 2020. I also think of the number of high-profile leaders who have fallen last year and this year. I believe in pastors and teachers, I believe in the gifts of the Spirit, and I believe in discernment. It’s time for us to begin discerning what we are hearing and what we are seeing.

A question was asked by a pastor: what about the men who surrounded a fallen pastor? How did they not discern the double life? Should there be accountability for their failure to protect the flock? I believe these are legitimate questions.

Along with that comes the question, what do I do? What do you do? I have always turned to books for help, and this is not wrong, except when we become dependent on the writings of man more than we do our own study, prayer over the Scriptures, and conversation with people who know us and are actually in our lives.

It’s been hard for me not to rely on books and not listen to sermons in this season, but I know I have a word from the Lord for me to be in a season with my Bible, concordance, and more dedicated prayer time.

The sad truth is that the web of deceit, sin, and manipulation is much broader and more extensive among our leaders than we realize. My own personal conviction for the next while is to read only from those who are dead and only as I feel led to. I realize that most of the leaders I have gleaned from are all interconnected to leaders who have been proven to be frauds.

I have been very confused lately, and I have watched as people who actually knew those leaders say they don’t understand how they couldn’t see it. I have watched people I know walk away from church, their Bible, and even completely from faith because of these scandals. I watch as others continue to stay in places that are not spiritually healthy.

The truth is, we’re all on a journey, and it is our journey. Regardless of those who have influenced us or who we are friends with, when we stand before God, we will each stand alone.

I’ve been wrestling with various things since the fall of 2019; I’ve had a lot of blows to my early years with the Lord because of who I learned from. I’ve thrown away books and discarded certain beliefs, only to have the Holy Spirit say, ‘ Take that back to the Word and study it out. ‘

One of the best things I am doing right now is reading through books of the Bible and studying specific topics, such as covenant, Israel, glory, healing, and others. I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water, but I also want to make sure there is bath water and not filthy water, and what if the baby isn’t my baby – what if revival isn’t what I’ve been told? What if there is truth that has been so manipulated that it has ceased to be true? The best thing I can do for my own soul right now is return to the Bible, turn off the modern worship, and listen to old hymns that are solidly based on Scripture.

This post didn’t go where I planned, but as I wrote, other things poured out. It’s a good idea for all of us to be journaling at this point; it doesn’t need to be public. Much of what I share in my own devotional time and prayer time doesn’t go from my journal to the blog or anywhere else.

The Scripture that has been on my mind lately is Hebrews chapter twelve; that chapter has stayed with me primarily because of the words, “fix your eyes on Jesus.” That’s what I’m endeavoring to do right now. I’m not always successful at avoiding the latest developments in the charismatic, reformed, or evangelical world. I’m not trying to define myself as Messianic, Charismatic, or anything else. What I have discovered about myself in the last few years is that I was never truly charismatic in the sense that the movement defines it. I do believe in healing and the gifts, but it is so abused in much of the charismatic movement that I could never stomach it. No one who is truly reformed would consider me reformed, or even a Calvinist, for that matter, but I know that for me, the teachings of the sovereignty of God and the Puritan Paperback books have greatly helped my walk with the Lord. John Wesley’s teachings on holiness inspire and encourage me to walk more closely with Jesus. I love Israel and the Jewish people, but I don’t desire a connection with the messianic movement.

I’m just a guy who loves Jesus and has wanted to be a pastor since I was a kid; thankfully, what that looks like to me has changed over the years. I don’t want revival anymore; I want discipleship. I no longer think conferences are the way to deepen your walk, personal fellowship, and study with people you know is how we grow. Yes, there were crowds around Jesus, but who did He spend most of His time with? Twelve disciples.

Perhaps, as we observe God purifying the Church, we should reflect on the Scripture about a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle – that’s what we are called to be. The Apostle Paul repeatedly said, “Follow me, as I follow Christ. Recent months have shown us that some of our leaders are not following Christ, and other leaders are willing to make excuses. Gather with friends, study the Word, pray together, eat together, and grow together. Don’t worry about reaching the world; just reach the people the Holy Spirit brings to you.