Masters of Illusion

Deception (noun) - the act of causing one to accept as truth, that which is not true.

The other day, I was taking a shower and sometimes in this quiet time, I pray and/or think.  This day, the topic of "deception" was on my mind and it went a little something this:  Sometimes, deception can be pretty obvious when it presents itself, but most of the times, it shows up unannounced and with very little fanfare. The reality is that deception rarely shows up like a lady in a red dress where it is readily identifiable.

Think of it like this.  When a magician performs a trick, the idea is to cause one to focus on one thing as the trick, while the trick is really "out of focus" from the act itself.  However, because you have been focusing your attention on the original presentation, you miss what really happened.  As long as a magician's secrets are not discovered, they can keep convincing people to come marvel at their illusions. The moment they can no longer trick the audience, their act is over.

As followers of Christ, we should be alert and aware all the time.  There will be false teachers and other people anxious to show us their full deck of cards, while they hide aces up their sleeve ready to work acts of deceit. The Word of God warns us of deception and its effects, but if we can never recognize it, where does that leave us?  The only way to recognize spiritual deception is to...

1. ...know who God (Yahweh) is;
2. ...have a true relationship with Yeshua the Christ and;
3. ...allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us in discernment.

 I believe that John sums things up very well in 1 John 2:18-20 when he says,

(18) Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. (19) They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. (20) But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. (21) I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

Know this - purposeful deceit is dishonesty and a lie can never be the truth.  Keep your eyes open as deception will continue to get worst in the days ahead.

Until next time, be easy folks.

Antoine

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Church Attack From the Inside

(Image Courtesy of WikiMedia.org)

With all that is going on in the United States today most Christians would view that the church is under attack.  Most Conservative blogs, radio, etc. have exploded over the latest SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) ruling over gay marriage.  The consensus is that it is an attack on the church.  While I have my own opinions about this, my answers are a bit more complex and would have to be addressed at another time.  I wrote about this topic back in 2013 and if you are interested, please read my blog entry called "Christians, You Misunderstand The Marriage Debate":

http://toinebo.blogspot.com/2013/04/christians-you-misunderstand-marriage.html

While it is a complex topic, in its simplest form it will become an attack on the people of Yahweh. I do not believe that every person of the LBGT community is out to get us. For the most part, I believe most want to be left alone and don't want to bother anyone, but there are a select few who are powerful and lead the way.  You may not see them, but they have a powerful hand in everything that occurs.  All you need is for a select few to stir the pot and persuade people that XYZ is what they desire.

What we are seeing is just a tip of the iceberg and the church will begin to see a lot more persecution. This is not news hot off the press and there is/will be more than just one frontal attack by many things against the church.  Remember that Yashuah the Christ, said, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you (see, John 15:18)". There are many ways the church is and will be attacked and things will get a lot worst before they get better.  In 2 Timothy 3:12-13 it says,

(12) Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, (13) while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (NKJV)

So, this is nothing new under the sun. However, I believe what most Christians fail to realize is that the very church they attend or group they attend for fellowship can have individuals who will do the same.  What are you talking about Antoine?  My church has Christians in it and while not all visitors are saved, everyone else are all Christians.  This may or may not be true, but you are truly deceived if you believe that your congregation or group is immune from attack from the inside out. Paul goes on to tell the church and Ephesus this very same thing.

Acts 20:28-31  (28) Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God[c] which He purchased with His own blood. (29) For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. (30) Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. (31) Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. (NKJV)

This very same message that Paul shared with the Ephesians applies to us today.  Just because your church building have four walls does not make it immune.  It is not like getting under the covers to hide from the Boogie Man.  Satan and his cohorts, will not stop at the church door, snap his fingers and act like Swiper from Dora the Explorer:  "Awwww Man!" Just like that cartoon, that thought process is fictitious and will allow believers to be led astray from the inside, by people who tickle their ears.

People of Yahweh at a time such as this, it is not wise to be asleep.  We have to be awake and ready for all things that may and will come our way. We know that many believers will fall away, but we must be vigilant of the very thing that will let us put our guards down - being around other members of the church (see, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

Stay vigilant in these days to come!


Antoine E. Hall

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The Militant Christian

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of Wikimedia.org

I have been told on three different occasions that I am a “militant” or “angry” Christian. Right after, on two occasions, I was told that I needed more love (I can draw more people with honey rather than vinegar and I can’t wait for God to release me to write about “love”) or I was reminded about Paul, and how I’m neglecting his writings.

So, when I get an accusation like that, I figure, I need to take a step back and do self-examination. Am I off base with my beliefs? What are my beliefs? Do they line up with the word of God and not some pastor or author of some books that you find on Amazon or Barnes and Nobles?  Then, what about Paul and the things that he taught? Most importantly, what about Jesus, and the things that He taught? I’m going to take a little time to explore, and I ask that you take that journey with me. BUT, before we do, we must come to agreement on two things:

1. It is always important to test yourself to see if you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5)
2. The Word of God is true, without error, and used for instruction and correction (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

I guess it’s probably best to start off with my belief, which is really hard to do because my view of theology is complex, yet so simple. How do I explain that? Well, what I mean by complex is being a disciple of Christ is not easy, yet, His call to salvation is. For example, Jesus plainly tells us that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter into the kingdom of heaven (will be saved), yet, only those who do the will of His Father will. So that lets me know, there is more to being a disciple than just “saying” and “thinking” I’m a Christian, or being a Christian in name only. My “works” don’t “save” me, but they certainly do make a statement of Who I am serving and who I am. However, salvation is so simple. God says, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart – or else you will be deceived by sin (Hebrews 3). Then all you have to do is recognize your sin as direct disobedience and an offense to God and His character (Psalm 51:4), repent (turn away from them, *stop it!*)(Revelation 2:16, Ezekiel 14:6, Joel 2:12, Matthew 3:8) and accept His gift of salvation (Romans 10:9) by believing in faith that Jesus is the only way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:16) – that through His shed blood, we are redeemed (1 Peter 1: 18-19) . See? It’s simple, yet complex.

I also believe that if we are TRULY following Christ, our thinking will start to change, and we won’t see the world the same way (Romans 12:2). You will start to see the error in other’s thinking and the thinking in society as contrary to what God says and thinks. You will see the blatant attack on your faith and those who you thought were friend or even fellow Christians will turn against you. You will find true companionship in others who are genuinely following Christ, and see that you all have the same types of persecution and I’m not talking about “haters”.  But, no wonder - you all are following the most hated One ever – and He warns us about this (John 15:18, Matthew 10:22). You also will learn or discern how to check the fruit (Matthew 7:16) to see if what people (yes even pastors) say line up with the Word of God. In other words, you will find out who are the sheep and who are the fakers/goats/false teachers. You will learn to hear the voice of Christ (John 10:27-30), the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), through studying and knowing His word (2 Timothy 2:15). This is important because He warns that there will be many that will come in His name, but will teach false things (Matthew 24:3-5,10-11). I believe that once you know His voice, you will start to feel comfortable warning others or standing up for God’s word. Not that it has to be proven, but in a world that needs to hear, if you know the truth, you better live it and speak up, otherwise, you do have blood on your hands (Ezekiel 33:1-9). I believe that once you KNOW God, you will not only start to fear Him but reverence Him as well (Psalm 34:9). Last, I believe that once you know God, you will not live in sin (1 John 5:18).

When I was “in the church”  I fell victim of false teachings. I even once became a pastor pleaser, putting him on a pedestal. I devoured and gluttoned myself on his every word instead of God – trusting him for my salvation and knowledge because, why would my pastor tell me wrong? I witnessed men emasculated and I witnessed myself becoming fearful and subservient to a man that is not my husband or my God. There were several more times after that, where I now realized God allowed me to “sit under” or be “sat on” by those pastors and false doctrines so that I will know what to look out for and how to warn others. These experiences did make me “militant”. And I thank God for that.

So, how have I become militant you may ask? Let's first look at the definition of "militant"....

Militant: adjective 1. vigorously active and aggressive, especially in support of a cause: militant reformers.
2.engaged in warfare; fighting.
noun 3. a militant person. 4. a person engaged in warfare or combat.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/militant

These definitions would fit 1 Timothy 6:12 and 2 Timothy 4:7, as well as Ephesians 6:10-18. And, here are a few other ways that I identify with being “militant”…..

1. I stand firm and don’t compromise the Word of God (1 Corinthians 16:13, Ephesians 6:11, Colossians 1:23). One thing that you will notice is that since seeking and finding the truth of GOD for myself, I will stand firm in my belief. I am very open to discussion, but the case is closed on my faith in the triune God and God alone. Through my experiences and my study of scripture, I have learned to discern when something is being said and is a lie about God. I’m not afraid to call it out.
2. I stay watchful (1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 5:14, 1 Thessalonians 5, Luke 21:34-36). Have you noticed the temperament of “Christians” lately? Many have been lulled to sleep by this world. A lot has to do with the love of their life more than God, the prosperity gospel and other false gospels, some has to do with not thinking that Jesus can come back at any moment and they have “time”. But Jesus told an important parable in Matt 25 of the 10 virgins. Many were unprepared for His return, and many Christians will be that way too. Why? Because they love the cares of this world, the music, material things, the shallowness of it all. Many also have “itching ears” and refuse sound doctrine. Therefore will fall prey to false teachings and beliefs about God.
3. I am ready to suffer and stand alone and even die for my faith in Christ (Matthew 5:10-12, 10:39, John 15:20, Psalm 129:2, 2 Timothy 2:3). There have been on more than one occasion where I had to stand alone for the gospel of Christ. There have been times where I’ve been “attacked” by fellow “Christians” for speaking simply what the bible (not the pastor) actually says. I suspect that there will be tougher times as well. And I welcome it. Why? Because I have learned that if the world loves what you are saying, you ain’t saying it right.
4. I am willing and able to follow my General’s commands (Matthew 7:21, Ephesians 6:6, 1 Peter 4:2). There are times in my life where I want to do something, say something, and go somewhere. But I hear the voice of God and the unction of the Holy Spirit telling me “No”. There are times where I Don’t want to do, say, or go and the Father tells me “GO”! There are times where I want to forge ahead in getting a point across and the Holy Spirit says “Shhhh. No more.” And as hard as it is to obey, I have learned that it’s in my best interest. I, as a mere “soldier”, cannot supersede my General’s commands. It’s hard, because you have to learn to lay down your own desires and will in order to be in line with His. But it is really worth it in the end.

So, am I militant in my walk? I am inclined to say yes. I am also inclined to say everyone who claims to be a disciple of Christ should be. We are in a spiritual battle – we war not against flesh and blood but against spiritual darkness in high places. We are kidding ourselves if we think that we can follow Christ and be placating Christians holding hands and kumbaya-ing with every Tom, Dick, and Harry, or every false doctrine or non-believer out there. The adversary, the devil, satan is NOT playing with us. He is playing for keeps, coming to steal, kill and destroy us all. And it would behoove every believer to put on their spiritual armor, get on the wall, and cry aloud “REPENT! FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND!”.

Militantly yours for Christ,

+Deidra Hall
Board Certified Coach 

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For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deut 20:4  Translation: We never lose!!

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