Do Not Set Your Mind On Fleshly Things

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." ~ Rom 8:5-8

How often today do we see these Word of Faith, Health, Wealth & Prosperity preachers doing exactly what this passage of Scripture tells us not to do. They whip their flocks up into a frenzie, into a hypnotic like trance, and convince them that it is God's will that they give as much of their money to them as possible. They tell their congregations that God will bless them a hundred fold above whatever they give. So these people belive it and rush to empty their wallets while these "preachers" go laughing all the way to the bank.

I often ask myself, "how can these people be so blind?" "How can they not see that these preachers are getting richer while they continue to get poorer?" I'm stunned to watch video's of this stuff and see these charlitans on TV just marching forward, unabated, chasing after material wealth so they can live according to the flesh - all in the name of Jesus of course.

Its amazing how much Satan has blinded the minds and hearts of so many in the Charismatic movement. It seems as if the whole movement is based on minds set on things of the flesh while claiming its all done in the name of Christ. It seems as if they make gods or idols out of everything. They chase after miracles, they chase after prophecies, they chase after money, they chase after health, they even chase after angels. They seem to chase after everything except the one true thing they should be chasing after - the Lord Jesus Christ. And, what's most frightening of all, as we get very near the Lord's return, is that their leaders seem to be getting more and more bold with their false doctrines, blatently stepping outside the bounds of Scripture and claiming things the Bible just does not say or completely denying things it does say. For example, many of them are running around and unashamedly claiming that we are little god's. Please find that for me in Scripture!

The thing I tell well meaning Christians when they ask me about these things is that the way of righteousness is a very narrow path. If you just stick with Scripture you'll never be led astray; you'll never go wrong. All this extra Biblical stuff is nothing more than doctrines of demons meant to empower man and deminish Christ. But I guess that's why people are so quick to abandon Scripture. They say it's dry or boing and they need something more exciting.

There's 2 things Scripture does that will benefit every believer:

1) Scripture makes sure that man is put in his place. It reveals man's sinfulness and how much he's fallen short of God's glory. It talks about the fact that there is no one who is righteous, no not one and that the wages of sin is death. Unfortunately, in todays fast food economy, people don't want to hear the truth about themselves. They'd rather heap up teachers who will tickle their itching ears and make them feel all warm and fuzzy about themselves instead of warning them to flee the wrath to come.

2) Scripture exalts Christ above all else. It reveals that all things were created by Him and for Him and that He is preeminent over everything including angels. What's so amazing about that? The amazing thing is that while we were yet sinners, dispising our very creator, He got up and laid down His crown and His royal robes and humbled Himself and became a man. He lived a perfect life in our place thereyby fulfilling the law of God for us. Then He willingly paid our fine by laying down His life on the cross and taking upon Himself the very wrath of God so that His righteousness could be transferred to our accounts and we could receive the gift of eternal life. Now that's an amazing Savior, that's an amazing Lord and King.

When we see these things in Scripture we should not feel exalted like we accomplished something great and now God owes us salvation. Instead we should be very humbled because we are so unworthy. We should stand amazed that the Master's love is so great for His elect that He would lay down His life for those who hate Him. And yet here we have these Word of Faith, H W & P preachers running around chasing after material things that will be here today and gone tomorrow. They chase after things of straw that will one day burn up in the fires of judgement. The sad thing is that there are so many who follow them to their own destruction. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

Without a doubt we need to pray for those who are caught up in this finely weaved web of deceit. They somehow must have their blinders removed so they can see the truth, repent of their sin and turn to the only one who can save them - our great King Jesus. To Him be the glory!

The Beginning of Birth Pangs

“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains." ~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:4-8)

So do you think we are getting any closer to the end times? Major earthquake and Tsunami in Japan today. Major earthquake in Hati last year. Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Tsunami in Indonesia in December 2004. Four Hurricanes hit Florida in 2004. I think there can be little doubt by any discerning Christian that what is happening today are things clearly referenced in Scripture.

Without a doubt, the words of Jesus seem to be ringing true more and more with each passing year. And as frightening as these things can be in these last days, we must take comfort in knowing that God is Sovereign and in control. One of the greatest things about being a child of God is that we can always turn to Him in prayer when chaos breaks out.

As I write this, the nation of Japan is being crushed with a giant Tsunami and many aftershocks which continue to wreak havoc on that country. The number of people killed and injured won't be fully known for quite a while. My heart breaks for the people of Japan because it is not really a Christian nation and I truly fear for those who have been killed. May the Lord be glorified in this disaster by opening up avenues for the Gospel to go forth amid the destruction and may a great awakening happen throughout that whole country.