Do not be deceived.

Good day beautiful people

I pray that this blog meets you and your family members well? Recently a lot of church scandals have been brought to my attention, people have been sharing stories about their encounters of being spiritually abused and emotionally manipulated within the church. Also the amount of heresy being broadcast on tv these days is beyond concerning. Which is why I believe it is EXTREMELY important for every believer to study God’s word and get to know God for themselves!!

1 John 4:1 ~ Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.

Acts 17:11 ~ And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

Some important things to note is that a godly leaders fruit should be Christ like. I’m not saying a leader should be perfect, no one is perfect and truly good except God, but a godly leaders life should be a good witness to the watching world! Being abusive (physically, emotionally or financially), controlling (trying to take peoples freewill away from them), promoting sin and teaching doctrines which don’t align with the Bible is not the type of leadership that delights God’s heart. And if you fellowship in such a place it’s time for you to leave.

1 Timothy 3: 1-7 ~ “This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.” So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.”

Remember just because there is a WHOLE lot of praise, dramatic visuals, lots of dancing, singing, signs and wonders taking place in a church DOES NOT mean that God is happy with the worship being given or doesn’t mean the atmosphere is a godly one!

2 biblical examples

⁃ A visually stimulating prop: The horn

1 Kings 22:10-17 ~ “King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of Ahab’s prophets were prophesying there in front of them. One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, “This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!” All the other prophets agreed. “Yes,” they said, “go up to Ramoth-gilead and be victorious, for the Lord will give the king victory!” Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.” But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.” When Micaiah arrived before the king, Ahab asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we hold back?” Micaiah replied sarcastically, “Yes, go up and be victorious, for the Lord will give the king victory!” But the king replied sharply, “How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth to me when you speak for the Lord?” Then Micaiah told him, “In a vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘Their master has been killed. Send them home in peace.’”

^^^Just because a church has a lot of people attending their service does not mean that the word of God is being preached there. Don’t sheepishly follow the crowd instead obey the Holy Spirit and let God’s word guide you. Only one prophet (Micaiah) out of a massive group of seers spoke God’s truth in the above passage.

⁃ Dancing and shouting

2 Samuel 6:1-7 ~ “Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart that carried the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.”

^^ The ark of God was not supposed to be transported in a cart. The correct way was to use two wooden poles inserted through rings on its sides.

[A quick side note: Leadership is not easy and to whom much is given much is required. So always continue to uplift your spiritual leaders in prayer! They need prayer too they’re not machines, they have feelings and emotions and experience hardships too. They’re not immune to feeling discouraged].

James 3:1 ~ Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.

What the Bible says: Useful scriptures to remember

1. Romans 16:17-18 ~ “And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.”

^^^Some people enter ministry for their own personal interest and not for the sake of God’s kingdom.

2. 2 Peter 2: 1-3 ~ “But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.”

^^ If you have the time to read the whole chapter do so as it will give you more details regarding the topic of false teachers.

3. 1 Timothy 4: 1-2 ~ “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.”

4. 2 Timothy 3: 1-9 ~ “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres.”

I hope that you could learn something from today’s post. The main message I want to leave you with is to get to know God FOR YOURSELF! Don’t be satisfied with limiting yourself to hearing God’s word once a week via the church pulpit. Continue to stay safe.

God bless

Love from

Christian Lady After God’s Own Heart 💜