Happy Resurrection Day

I have been listening to Hank Hanegraaff talk about "Prosperity Preachers" and the Word of Faith movement. Some of these preachers are well known such as Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen and Rodd Parsley. I really didn't mean to bring this up on my facebook status to strike any division and here is a little bit of my heart behind this information. I definitely think Satan can use differences in biblical interpretations to divide the body of Christ... this is obviously not what God wants. He is not a divisive God.

From what I have learned about the Word of Faith movement and the preachings of the "Prosperity Preachers" the Word of God has been twisted to preach a gospel that places power in our hands to produce the success in our own lives.. i.e. if we become sick it is because we are lacking in faith and is essentially our fault, if we are not living like a millionaire we are lacking in faith and are not walking the path God desires for us because God wants us to be living in great financial prosperity... this is usually followed by a plea to give financially and a promise that if you give so much then it will be returned to you at a certain fold.

These are just a few examples of false teachings that can direct people down a dangerous path of self-reliance instead of relying on God.

God never promises prosperity especially financial prosperity as a result of our faith rather He tells us to pursue things eternal not things temporary that will die away when this earth comes to pass. 19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-20). Nor does He say anywhere in His Word that we will suffer illness or poverty due to our lack of faith. "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

My main point in bringing any of this up is to point out that Satan will do anything and use anybody to try to turn people away from the pure, merciful, gracious, free gift of salvation that God longs for us to receive. Satan can go a step beyond to reach those who believe in God and pervert the sanctification and the truths of the Word of God to direct believers away from the life God has created for them to live and to re-direct the source of diety to be placed in and of themselves. When I became a believer 6 years ago I wanted to believe in God because He is all powerful and I recognized my weakness and my inability to direct my own path in life. For the millions of mistakes I made and continue to make every day that reveal my weakness, the disgusting nature of my heart, my inability to always do the good I want to do yet fail to do, the frustrations of waking up with good intentions only to have them fail minutes later, I realized I DESPERATELY NEED a God big enough to overcome these failures of mine. Why would I believe in a god or believe in myself to bring me to some place of betterness if I frequently fail over and over again? My credibility is obviously weak and the likelihood of failure in the future is guaranteed. If I believed in a god I was equal to would that not hold true of that god too? And what would be the point? I want to believe in a God who is all powerful, who created the Heavens and the Earth with the simple command of His voice, who willingly sacrificed His one and only Son to be beaten, tortured, whipped, and crucified and then to be resurrected so that we, I, a sinful, undeserving being could have the opportunity to experience eternal life in Heaven with God instead of eternal separation from God that I deserve because of my sinful nature. That is the God I want to believe in.

It is so so important that we never place our faith in a person, a preacher, or a message until we have turned to the Bible and investigate with the Holy Spirit's guidance what God has to say about the issue. The Bible is the ONLY source of truth and we should test everything we learn with His Word because His Word will always reveal the truth.

Part of this truth is messy. We will suffer, we will experience hard times, we will struggle every day to walk in sanctification with God, we will continue to sin daily and the answer is not for us to turn to ourselves and our own strength and faith in ourselves to bring us out of this position (as the prosperity preachers teach, we have gotten ourselves in this mess in the first place by our lack of faith so how great are the chances really that we can get ourselves out successfully?). The only answer is by trusting in the truth that God promises us that He has a purpose for everything “28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” Romans 8:28. We will never experience complete satisfaction here on this earth… that will only come in heaven as this earth we live in today has been and will continue to be tainted by the effects of sin until Jesus returns “18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Romans 8:18-21

Visit this link for any more information on the Word of Faith movement http://www.equip.org/categories/word-faith-movement. And enjoy the video from YouTube at the top of our blog and do not hesitate to embrace the goosebumps it will bring to your heart. With all of this said… HE IS RISEN! Happy Resurrection Day.