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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 Vol. 2, No. 6
IN THIS ISSUE:
Recognizing False Prophets --Betty
Miller
God Keeps His Word -- R.S. "Bud" Miller
Purpose and Vision -- Ministry Information
Share and Tell -- Testimony of a Former Hindu
Spiritual Warfare -- Battle in the Mind
Exposing Satan's Devices -- Satan A False Light
End Times -- The False Prophet Beast
Prophecy by Rick Joyner -- Y2K and The Church
Book Review -- A Simple Christmas
Little Foxes (Little Compromises) -- What Does the Bible Say
About Piercing the Body?
Prayer Focus Spotlight -- Calling All Intercessors
Keeping Christ in Christmas -- Special Guest, Larry Burkett
Thanksgiving Proclamation -- President
George Washington , 1789
Personal Word From the Millers -- Holiday Greeting
Past Issues of the Digest -- Archives
Return to Main Menu
RECOGNIZING
FALSE PROPHETS
By Betty Miller
Prove All Things
1 Thessalonians 5:21: "Prove all things; hold fast that
which is good.''
To recognize false prophets we must heed the above verse and "prove all
things." One does not arrive at being an overcomer until he first learns the all
important lesson of testing or "proving" the issues of this life. In the hour
that we live there are so many things that are false and evil. We must be constantly on
guard and "prove" or test things, lest we become ensnared by something that is
wicked. Cults are spreading. Eastern idolatrous religions are creeping into our country in
very subtle forms, and many Christians are being deceived and have accepted their
practices without even being aware of their evil. Some religious groups have existed for
years under the guise of Christianity, and yet are far from the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The Lord warns us of these false teachers and tells us to beware of them.
Looking at Matthew 7:15-23, we find Jesus gives us the guideline for
determining false prophets:
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather
grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit;
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good
fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but
he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and
in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew
you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
God's Standard, The Bible
Certainly, we are admonished to be on guard. However, some go to such extremes as to
become narrow-minded and closed to some beautiful truths in the name of being careful.
What should our role as Christians be in regard to acceptance of a new thought, idea or
doctrine? We are told to prove all things, not to reject them because they might be
strange or new to us. However, we should not receive them either, until we first prove
them. How do we prove things? All true Christians are in agreement that our standard is
the Word of God, the Bible. God left us this Book as a reference, standard, or gauge so we
could know whether something is good or evil, truth or error, right or wrong. (2
Timothy 3:16-17: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of
God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.'')
One of our major faults as Christians is that we tend to quote men on certain subjects
instead of referring to the Book God gave us. We recognize that God gave us men to lead us
into the truths of God, but our problem becomes who are the true men of God and who are
the false ones that Christ warned us about? Sometimes we tend to evaluate men according to
the size of their ministries, their popularity with men, or their endowment of certain
gifts, etc.
Check the Fruit
The Lord said in verse 20 of Matthew 7 that we would
know them by their fruits. What are these fruits? Galatians 5:22-24 defines
them as being the fruit of the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections
and lusts." We are told to look at their lives and see if these fruits are
predominant in them and examine if they are living the crucified life. Of course, we must
allow for imperfections that have not been overcome yet; but we should readily see the
fruit of the Spirit in more abundance than the imperfections. One way we can check this is
to notice the words that a man speaks. The Scripture says in Matthew 12:33-35,
"Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and
his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye,
being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A
good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man
out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.''
Pride and Lustful Lifestyles
Many people have been led astray when they could have recognized the wrong spirit
simply by the braggadocios and prideful words of men who exalted themselves instead of
Christ. Others would have been spared if they had examined the lifestyles of certain men
who claim to be God's anointed. Their lifestyles are far from being temperate, reflecting
the most expensive and extravagant clothes, diamonds, homes, cars, etc. This is not
referring to well-dressed men and women, nice homes, and quality things but the extremes
which reveal anything but the nature of Christ. Of course, neither is the other extreme of
poverty the nature of Christ. Men of God should live temperate, moderate lives, overcoming
poverty and avoiding extreme wealth. Jesus always went about giving to the poor. He never
stored up His wealth even though He apparently handled a lot of money, thus the need for a
treasurer, Judas (John 13:29). He gave away the things He could have used
on Himself, yet He never lacked as He went about ministering. He should be our example
today. The affection and lust for the things of this world do not portray the Spirit of
Christ.
True Prophets Reflect Jesus
Examining the conversation of these leaders can quickly reveal the God they serve. Do
they speak of God's kingdom, His righteousness, and His love; or does their conversation
center on the things of this world and life? Are they peacemakers, sowing mercy and love?
Are they gentle and patient, or do they lose their temper easily? Do they walk in faith,
or are they continually looking to other men for their needs to be supplied? Are they
always pressuring people for money, or do they simply receive those gifts of money as unto
the Lord? Do they have the joy of the Lord, or do they minister out of duty? Are they
truly joyous with that joy spilling over to others, or do they continually complain and
gripe over all the things that are not pleasing to them? Is goodness evident in their
lives instead of evil? Do they put people in bondage by always threatening them with the
wrath of God, or is freedom of choice extended with the warning of the penalties of sin?
Jesus came to set us free, not to bring us under the bondage of men.
Let us prove all leaders and see if their fruit is good fruit. Do they love and not
hate, have joy instead of depression, and promote peace instead of strife? Are they
longsuffering (patient) or impatient, gentle or harsh? Do they show love and tolerance for
those that oppose them? Do they walk in faith, or doubt and unbelief? Are they meek,
giving God the glory for their talents and gifts, or do they pridefully talk of all they
are doing or their group is doing? Does temperance prevail not only in their lifestyle,
but in their personal habits as well, or do extremes exist that do not glorify God? In
essence they will not live for themselves, but for others as Jesus did. Do they reflect
Jesus? They will live a crucified life that glorifies God! Proverbs 20:11
says, "Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and
whether it be right.''
Examining lives by this standard we must be careful not to go to extremes ourselves and
expect total perfection of all ministers. There are many godly men and women who are
called of God, who have overcome in many areas, although they still have some weak areas.
They are believing as they walk with the Lord that these too will be perfected. We are
especially called to be patient and loving towards our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Excerpt from the book Prove All Things; Click here to order from the CHAPEL BOOKSTORE
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue
COVENANT: GOD'S GUARANTEE FOR
VICTORIOUS LIVING
By R.S. "Bud" Miller
Note: This teaching is continued from last month's Overcoming
Life Digest. See Table of Contents for Archives.
_________________________
God Keeps His Word
The night God cut the blood covenant with Abram, He told Abram
that his descendants would be servants in a strange land for 400 years, but then He would
judge the nation holding them in bondage. After that, they would be brought back to occupy
the land (Gen. 15:13,14).
God did exactly as He had told Abraham He would do. He
judged Egypt and led the Israelites to freedom and eventually to the Promised Land. When
the Israelites were in still in slavery, Exodus 2:24 says that God "heard
their groaning and remembered his covenant" with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God
had confirmed His and Abraham's covenant with Isaac and Jacob. The same covenant was not
confirmed again until 400 years later when He led His people out of Egypt. However, God never
forgot that He had "cut covenant" with Abraham, which would include Abraham's
descendants, because God had said this contract was "everlasting." If we feel
that God has forgotten the covenant He made with us, we must go back to the last promise
He made to us and hold on to it in faith. God's word is absolutely true, even if our
outward circumstances do not show the manifestation of His promise (yet).
When it was God's timing to take the Israelites back to Canaan,
He honored the blood covenant and delivered them. His plan of deliverance began with a man
named Moses, who was keeping his father-in-law's sheep in the "backside of the
desert."
Now Moses was a descendant of Levi, one of Abraham's
great-grandsons. The story of his early life, recorded in Exodus 2, illustrates how
God has His hand on those He calls from the time they are born to bring them into His
purposes in His timing, if they will submit to His will. The story of Moses shows God's
faithfulness to keep His promises, for the sake of His people and for the sake of His own
great name.
As a baby, Moses should have been killed, because the Pharaoh of
that time had decreed that all Hebrew male babies be killed. That was his method of
"population control." But God saw to it that Moses not only lived but was
adopted by Pharaoh's daughter and brought up in the palace as royalty!
As a grown man, Moses chose to be a Hebrew and not an Egyptian
by trying to be a champion for his native people who were being oppressed. Like many of
us, however, he did not seek God as to His timing and His way of doing things. He tried to
handle it himself, which resulted in his committing murder and having to flee for his own
life.
Moses ended up in Midian, north of Egypt in the wilderness, with
some distant relations. They were descendants of Abraham through a son by his second wife (Gen.
25:2). In Midian, he married a priest's daughter and spent the next 40 years working
for his father-in-law, apparently herding sheep for the most part. It would appear to
anyone that Moses had failed at his original God-given desire and destiny. He had wanted
to help his fellow Hebrews, but instead he ended up in exile, hiding for his life. What a
dismal conclusion to the story this would have been, if God had not honored His covenant!
However, the real story of Moses begins when he was called by
God at 80 years of age for the purpose intended for him all along. Moses was even
older than Abraham when God called him out of Ur! God has a way of using people mightily
when it appears that all hope and favorable opportunity have left them. He has a habit of
stacking odds against Himself, so He might show himself strong and mighty in our behalf.
This should give all of us hope. God can use you for His purposes, if you are truly
yielded and obedient, no matter how old you are or what you've done.
One day at Mount Horeb as he was tending sheep, Moses suddenly
saw a bush on fire that did not burn up.
"And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God
called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am
I" (Exodus 3:4).
God had Moses take off his shoes because the ground
becomes holy where the Lord is. Then God explained:
- Who He was -- the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
- Why He was there -- because He had heard the people's groans,
- What He was going to do -- send Moses to bring them out of
Egypt.
The things Moses did, God did, Pharaoh did, and the people did
during the time they were being brought out of Egypt make this one of the most exciting
stories in the Bible. You can find it in Exodus 3-14.
Three months after they left Egypt, they arrived at Mount Sinai (Ex.
19:1). There the Lord confirmed the covenant with them through Moses and added the Law
(The Ten Commandments) as a way of outwardly helping them keep the covenant.
We are going to look at what happened between God and Abraham's
descendants as the blood covenant was confirmed to them. On the mountain of Mount Sinai,
God gave the structure, guidelines, and ways in which the old, imperfect covenant could be
kept current to cover every generation until the Heir (Jesus) came to whom all the
promises were made.
(To be continued next month)
(Excerpt from the book entitled: COVENANT God's Guarantee for Victorious Living by
R.S. "Bud" Miller)
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue
PURPOSE & VISION
THE OVERCOMING LIFE DIGEST is published for the purpose of strengthening the Body of
Christ by furnishing teaching literature and a prophetic voice to the church in these last
days. CHRIST UNLIMITED is helping and working with all Bible-believing Christians
regardless of their church or denominational affiliations in promoting the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. CHRIST UNLIMITED believes the hour is late and we must fulfill the great
commission. We, as Christians, desire to cooperate with the Lord in breaking down
denominational walls, for a united front line against the kingdom of darkness and setting
up the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
CHRIST UNLIMITED MINISTRIES, INC. and CHRIST UNLIMITED PUBLISHING provide such tools
through literature as to enable the saints of God to take the Kingdom and walk in the
overcoming life as promised us in John 10:10 & Revelation 21:7.
PUBLISHER
CHRIST UNLIMITED PUBLISHING
President: R.S. "Bud" Miller
Editor: Betty Miller
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SHARE AND TELL
"O Give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name:
make known his deeds among the people."
Psalm 105:1
Testimony of a Former Hindu
____________
October 25, 1998
Dear Bud & Betty,
Greetings in Jesus Name:
I am from Malaysia and I truly enjoy the Overcoming Life Digest.
Although I enjoy reading all the articles, I find the Little Foxes enlightening and
informative. Last Friday, when I entered the GCN chat room, they were discussing about
tattoo and piercing (tongue). One of the believers there was telling them it was wrong for
Christians to have tattoos. Since I was formerly a Hindu, I know tattoo is from Hinduism
and also witchcraft. Also, Hindus pierce their tongue with small spears and prick the
entire body with little hooks and go in trances. I have witnessed this personally. But
praise God, I never took after any of these rituals even when I was a Hindu. Praise God, I
managed to convince a few about the evil of tattoo. One of them asked me for scripture
verses which I promised I would send. But during the weekend, I was busy and also, I
couldn't find the relevant scriptures. I prayed to the Lord to help me. Then He reminded
me of an article I read in your Digest last year. So I send them your article instead.
Praise God for the articles in Little Foxes. Keep up the good work.
I print out your digest and pass it around to believers and also place a
copy in my church library. I didn't come across an article on the evil of social drinking
or occasional drinking. A couple of weeks ago, I got angry with a pastor in GCN chat room
who asked me about adult beverage (alcohol) in Malaysia. As a believer I take a strong
stand against liquor. Besides, although formerly my family were Hindus, my father and
brothers don't drink alcoholic drinks. Therefore when non Christians take a strong stand
against alcoholic drinks I don't understand why believers should compromise. I will
appreciate it if you can publish an article on this "little fox". I have also
included your link in my homepage.
Thank you and keep up the good work,
Karen
_____________________________
Editor's Note: Each month The Overcoming Life
Digest has an article entitled Little Foxes. This article always features a
topic on how little things or little compromises can create big problems. This edition of
the Digest is featuring an article on Body Piercing since this is a growing fad
among the youth. Past Little Foxes articles can be accessed by going to the Overcoming Life Digest Archives. The
article on Tattoos that Karen mentions in her letter can be accessed at the Bible Answers link.
_________________________
For those that would like to also read some of the letters we receive at BibleResources.org
we have a Testimony Page comprised from e-mail from many people around the world. They
have really blessed us and we pray they will bless you too. Go here: TESTIMONIES
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue
SPIRITUAL WARFARE
By Betty Miller
Battle in the Mind
What is spiritual warfare and how do we fight in this battle? Where does the battle
begin? It begins in our minds. "(For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians
10:4-5). Where are the strongholds? They're in our minds. That's why Paul says
we're casting down imaginations and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of
God as our thinking comes under His obedience. Consider this: ultimately, the only power
Satan has over believers is the power of deception. If he plants a lie into our minds and
that lie becomes a stronghold, we're doomed to defeat.
God's Healing is for Everyone
For instance, what if we believe that God does not want to heal everyone? What if we
think He's selective in His healing? Then if we become sick, the enemy will whisper that
God heals some, but not us. He'll tell us we're the exception to the rule. Having embraced
a lie, we won't be able to receive our healing. The enemy keeps us from victory by feeding
us a lie. The truth is that God is no respecter of persons. His healing is available to
everyone. It's like salvation. Christ died on the cross so that everyone might be saved --
everyone! But not everyone is saved because they have not accepted the provision. Christ's
provision includes healing: "By whose stripes ye were healed" (I Peter
2:24). Note the past tense: were healed. It has already been done. Legally it's
ours. All we have to do is receive it by faith, just like salvation. Neither are
automatic. To receive healing we come in faith believing that it's ours because God has
provided it. Otherwise the enemy will use a stronghold in our minds to rob us of our
inheritance. We're to cast down any imagination that the enemy has exalted above the
knowledge of the Word of God. That's why we need to know God's Word. Then when we face
trials, the knowledge of the truth will provide whatever we need to overcome the enemy. So
if the enemy hits us with sickness and follows with the lie that God put it on us to teach
us a lesson, we'll know the truth.
God Doesn't Use Sickness to Teach Us Lessons
God never uses sickness to teach us. He teaches us through His Holy Spirit and His
Word. If school children listen to their teacher and read their textbooks, they learn. But
if they don't listen and study, they fail at test time. It's the same for us. If we've
been ignoring our teacher, the Holy Spirit, and neglecting our text, the Bible, we'll fail
life's tests. But if we've done our homework and the Word has been worked into our
spirits, we'll overcome. Every time the enemy lies to us, we'll counter with the truth of
the Word. Some victories will be instant, others will require our continually standing on
the Word. Because His Word is true, eventually every victory will be manifested. Some
people will learn while they are in their trials only because they start seeking God more
diligently, however the Lord doesn't bring destruction on us so we can learn. Evil
troubles come from the enemy and the Lord warned us that we would encounter these things
because we live in this world and the god of this world, Satan is always trying to destroy
people.
We Have Victory Through Christ's Power
However the Lord gave us promises so we could overcome. The Bible says in 1
John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In
the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the
world."
Ephesians 6:10 tells us to "be strong in the Lord, and in
the power of His might." In our own strength, we're powerless against the
devil. He's a supernatural being and as human beings we cannot overpower him. The
exception, of course, is the human who is in Christ. In Christ, we have authority over
Satan; without Christ, we're already defeated. That's why the world is being wiped out by
the enemy. They're defenseless against his assault on their marriages, their children,
their finances, their health.
God's strength changes us. When I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I boldly
began witnessing whenever I had the opportunity. I was unashamed of the gospel, whereas
before I had been timid about sharing my faith. This holy boldness is also to be upon us
when we confront the enemy. Christians need not fear the devil. Even a newborn babe in
Christ has more power over the devil than the devil has over him. The enemy would try to
bluff us into thinking that he is to be feared and that we dare not arouse him. He does
this to keep people passive, to keep them from pressing in to their inheritance in Christ.
But does the Word say to ignore the enemy? No. It says to resist the enemy and he will
flee (James 4:7). To resist him we must identify him; we must know where
he is positioned. Some would advise not to talk about the enemy, thinking such attention
brings him glory. Not the way we talk about him. We're talking about how to identify,
fight and overcome him!
(To be continued)
Excerpt from the book Personal Spiritual Warfare; Click here to order from the CHAPEL BOOKSTORE
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue
EXPOSING SATAN'S DEVICES
Betty Miller
SATAN A FALSE LIGHT
Satan is an angel of false light. He certainly has glitter and glamour, but his fire
turns to ashes. The Bible tells us that those who refuse to be taken in by Satan's false
light will one day be able to see him for what he is.
Isaiah 14:16, "They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and
consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake
kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that
opened not the house of his prisoners?" Isaiah 14:12, "How art thou fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations."
The name Lucifer comes from the Latin words "lux" (light) and
"ferre" (to bear). He originally was a light bearer; since being cast from
heaven, he is now only the bearer of false or "black" light. He is the prince of
darkness and much of his evil work goes on in dark places. He also attacks the dark places
of our knowledge of God, and since we do not have God's light in those areas, he is able
to do his work of deception.
The Hebrew word for Lucifer is "heylel." If we look at the root word of
"heylel" we find that it is a false light or the false son of the morning. Jesus
is the true morning star. The root of "heylel" is the word "halal" and
its varied meanings give us a description of Satan: "to shine; hence to make show, to
boast; and thus to be clamorously foolish; to rave; to celebrate; also to stultify: (make)
boast (self), celebrate, deal, make foolish, glory, to give light, be (make, feign self)
mad (against), etc." (Definition taken from Strong's Concordance). Glittering Lucifer
is the old serpent, the devil. Serpents enjoy dark holes, thus we see how darkness is more
conducive to Satan's evil ways, like dark nightclubs, bars, and parked cars at night. Most
criminals and molesters prowl in the darkness. Witchcraft and seances are practiced in the
dark. The Bible says, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into
the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For
every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds be
reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made
manifest, that they are wrought in God" (John 3:19-21).
Excerpt from the book Exposing Satan's Devices; Click here to order from the CHAPEL BOOKSTORE
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue
END TIMES
MARK OF GOD OR MARK OF THE BEAST
Betty Miller
INTRODUCTION
Much has been said on this subject of the mark of the beast, but little said about the
mark of God. Will there be a literal mark tattooed on people's foreheads and/or their
hands in these end times to make it possible to buy and sell in a one-world monetary
system that is being set up by an antichrist?
We can certainly see the possibilities of this becoming a literal reality in our day
with the technology of laser beam tattoos and our president speaking of a "new world
order." Even now, pets can be tracked by tiny computer chips about the size of a
grain of rice which have an identification number programmed into it that can be injected
under the skin with a hypodermic needle. A special scanner generates a radio signal that
reads the number through the skin of the animal when it is found.
This book is not disputing the possibilities of a literal tattoo, but rather exposing
the spiritual implications behind that plan of Satan. How will this come about? Will it be
one of the above new technologies or something yet to come? We don't believe men are going
to be tattooed or branded with a literal set of three sixes on their foreheads or hands,
any more than we believe the letters J-E-S-U-S will be on the foreheads of God's servants
as spoken of in Revelation 22: 3-4: "And there shall be no more curse: but the
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they
shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads."
How will the beast mark those who follow him, and what is the mark of God set upon
those who follow Christ? Let us begin with the mark of the beast, then look at how we are
to receive God's mark which protects us from destruction in these end times.
Throughout the Scriptures, the word beast refers to a system, and not to a
man. The beast is a system that rules the world; it's an antichrist system. Daniel
7 speaks of beasts and identifies them as earthly kingdoms. So the beast in
Revelation is a beastly system that's ruling the world (it's a dictator beast). This beast
is not just one human being, rather it is a system that has infiltrated every area whether
it be politics, medicine, art or science; the beastly system is everywhere. This system is
typically overseen by a powerful government with those in power making decisions that
perpetrate the worldly system throughout mankind. When Revelation 13:1
speaks of the beast rising up out of the sea, what is meant by the sea? The Scriptures
speak of the sea as "masses of humanity." This beastly system is rising up out
of humanity, out of all the people on the earth. When John, the author of Revelation,
stood upon the sand of the sea, he was standing upon that which could not be numbered,
among all the people of the earth.
_______________
The False Prophet Beast
By Betty Miller
"So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a
woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads
and ten horns" (Revelation 17:3). The scarlet-colored beast represents the
false church and false prophets. In the Bible, scarlet is symbolic of the blood of Jesus,
but this scarlet color is not of God. The false church is trying to look like Jesus. With
seven heads and ten horns, this beast has much authority and leadership. This beast is not
one person, but pervades everything, be it politics, medicine, arts, science - it's
everywhere.
In being "full of names of blasphemy" the beast is that which calls good evil
and evil good. That's what blasphemy is. When people curse God, they're cursing good or
calling it evil. People have to know God exists in order to blaspheme Him. So much of the
blasphemy coming from this beast is symbolic of the great apostasy when people who've
known God fall away from Him. In so doing they're blaspheming God; they're coming against
Him. Things that are an abomination to God are also blasphemous.
"And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with
gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations
and filthiness of her fornication" (Revelation 17:4). Purple was the color
kings wore so her purple clothing symbolizes authority. She's at the head of the false
church. She's decked with the wealth of this world. She has great wealth. She's been
involved in the filthiness of fornication as people have fornicated with her over money.
People have sold their souls for money in the buying and selling system of the world. The
world's system is buying and selling, but God's system is giving and receiving. We're in
this world so we have to buy and sell, but we don't sell out to the system. We don't sell
our souls for money. I believe that in the millennium God will establish his economic
system of giving and receiving. God's Word says, "Give, and it shall be given
unto you" (Luke 6:38a). When we plant into God's kingdom through giving, we
receive back. At present, we yet use the world's system of buying and selling, but the
system doesn't touch us because it's not in our hearts.
(To be continued )
(Excerpt taken from the book The Mark of God or The Mark of the Beast)
CHAPEL BOOKSTORE (Click here to order)
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue
PROPHETIC VOICE TO THE CHURCH
As some may not be familiar with prophecy in the church, we want to share this short
explanation of Biblical prophecy before we share an actual prophecy from God.
First, what is godly prophecy? It can be summed up as words that are spoken on behalf
of God. A prophet or prophetess is one who is a spokesman for God. It is a divine
utterance that comes from the Holy Spirit. (Note: Just as there are prophetic words from
God, there are also false prophecies that the Lord warned us about in the Bible. In Matthew
7:15-16 Jesus said, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their
fruits...." We must prove the source of prophecy before accepting it as coming
from the Lord).
God is raising up many prophetic voices in the earth today. His gifts of prophecy are
basically of two types. One is the "simple gift of prophecy" which every
believer can express under the unction or direction of the Holy Spirit after they have
been filled with the Holy Ghost.
The other is the "office gift" of the spirit which is given to a prophet or
prophetess who is called to the "five-fold" ministry office as outlined in 1
Corinthians 12:28 which says "And God hath set some in the church, first
apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of
healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."
Ephesians 4:11-12: "And he gave some, apostles; and some prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
The basic difference between these two types is, the simple gift of prophecy is given
to all spirit filled believers as spoken of in 1 Corinthians 14:31, "For ye may
all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted."
It is for the purpose of edification, exhortation and comfort as spoken of in 1
Corinthians 14:3, "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and
exhortation, and comfort."
The "office gift" of a prophet or prophetess is given to speak to the body of
Christ at large. The ministers who are called to the office of a prophet or
prophetess will deliver messages which include edification, exhortation and comfort, but
their messages can also be directive in nature and futuristic in content as well (Ephesians.
4:11-15).
Presently God is leading His people with prophetic preaching and teaching. A prophetic
movement is taking place in the world.
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PROPHECY
Y2K AND THE CHURCH
By Rick Joyner
The Y2K problem is the computer glitch that will cause many computers to
malfunction when their internal clocks turn to the new century on New Years Day 2000.
Because many systems were not prepared for this when they were programmed, when computer
clocks go to "00" at midnight on December 31, 1999, many will read this as
"1900" instead of "2000," making it difficult or impossible to
retrieve the data stored in them. The fear is that banks will not know how much money they
have or how much money you have in them. Inventories will be lost and manufacturing plants
will shut down. It is expected that many airline reservations will be lost and that the
governments will lose all or much of their data, crippling social security, the IRS, and
even local water and sewer systems. The effect of this problem on civilization is viewed
by different experts as being somewhere between a bump in the road to the end of the
modern world.
One of the potentially devastating problems can come from the almost universal dependence
on "Just In Time" (JIT) inventory control that has been almost universally
adopted by western industry. For example, most products are made from a combination of
parts or products which are each made by smaller vendors. A car may be built from several
hundred parts all made by different companies. To save the expense of storing large
inventories of all of these parts, most industries have instituted JIT where they have the
parts delivered to the assembly plant "just in time" to be used. Of course all
of this must be computerized. The problem that Y2K presents is that even if almost all of
the smaller vendors figure out the problem, but just a few don’t, the assembly plant
will still be shut down, and production will grind to a halt.
Most companies have already figured out the Y2K problem and have reprogrammed their
computers, but many have not, and it seems that they are not going to make it on time. For
those who have figured it out, another potentially great problem has arisen. Many resolved
the Y2K problem by writing new software, but now they are not sure that the software
programs will be able to talk to the other vendors, assembly plants or agencies with which
they need to communicate, creating a modern, technological tower of Babel that some say
can never be resolved.
Even though I have a fairly good understanding of the technical and commercial issues Y2K
can cause, I wanted to hear from the Lord about it. For over a year I prayed about this
concern, but He said nothing to me about the Y2K situation. When He finally did begin to
speak, I was surprised by what He said.
Do Not Be Shaken
The first thing the Lord said to me about this is that He is not sitting
in the heavens, wringing His hands and worrying about Y2K, and neither is anyone who is
abiding in Him. This is not going to be the end of the modern world, but it is going to
cause some problems which we need to be aware of. The most severe problems will come from
the panic generated by the situation and not the actual problems themselves. The Lord
wants His people neither to be controlled by this fear, nor to contribute to it.
We must abide in the peace of God regardless of the circumstances, and if we allow fear to
control our decisions, we will suffer loss. This does not mean that there are not some
changes and preparations that we need to make, but we must do all that we do in faith,
following the Lord and not the world. Even more important than having our assets protected
is having our hearts steadfastly trusting in the Lord.
The whole world and all of its systems are extremely shaky and vulnerable, and Y2K is not
by any means the worst problem now facing us. The meltdown of the Russian economy, North
Korea, terrorism, and the rising tension between India and Pakistan are all going to be
far worse problems than Y2K. The world is tottering at the edge of many different
precipices. Only the grace of God has kept us until now, and only the grace of God will
keep us in the future. We are in the period of time
spoken of in Revelation 7:1-3:
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding
back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea
or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the
seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it
was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea
or the trees, until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads."
There is a restraining that is now taking place, and God will continue to restrain the
forces that are trying to break forth across the earth until He is finished sealing His
bondservants. He can and will restrain the effects of Y2K and all of the other potential
disasters until He has finished this.
One thing we must understand is that not all Christians are bondservants. They are
supposed to be, but few are. A true bondservant is a slave. He does not own anything, but
everything that he has belongs to his Master. Even his time is not his own. He does not
live for himself, but for his Master. Many claim this position, but few truly live it.
A true bondservant cannot lose anything in the stock market, or in any other business,
because he does not own anything. He may be a steward of much, but it is not his, and he
does not treat anything as if it were his, but his Master’s. Those who have become
true bondservants have built their lives on the kingdom that cannot be shaken by Y2K, an
economic collapse, or any other disaster. Those who are true bondservants are being sealed
in this hour, and they are protected. Those who have claimed this position but have gone
on living their lives for themselves have built their lives on the kingdom of this world
that will fall, and they will fall with it.
There is still time to get our houses in order. It does not matter how entangled we are
with the ways of this world—true repentance will bring us under the Lord’s care.
Though we are His slaves, there is no greater Master that we could ever have, and He will
care for us much better than we can care for ourselves. This does not mean that we will
not suffer any loss. Those who have built their lives on the ways of this world will lose,
but they will not be lost. Soon they will be entrusted with much more to steward than what
they have lost by trying to build their own lives. Those who have truly submitted to the
Lordship of Jesus are soon to be rulers themselves. If you are moved in your heart to
repent, begin by reading, studying and obeying the following scripture found in Hebrews
12:1-29.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay
aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with
endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you
may not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding
blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is
addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and
He scourges every son whom He receives."
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is
there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all
have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we
had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be
subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as
seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have
been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore,
strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths
for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be
healed.
Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness
springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or
godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that
even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no
place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.
For you have not come to a mountain that may be touched and to a blazing fire, and to
darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words
which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word should be spoken to
them.
For they could not bear the command, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it will
be stoned." And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, "I am full of fear
and trembling." But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriad of angels, to the general assembly and church of the
first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of
righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the
sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.
See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when
they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from
Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised,
saying, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven."
And this expression "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which
can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may
remain.
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by
which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a
consuming fire.
We are approaching the judgment day. We will not be able to get away with the things that
God may have overlooked in the past. As He promised, those who call Him "Lord,
Lord," but do not do what He says will pay the price. We must get rid of the roots of
bitterness and forgive others as He has forgiven us. There are no excuses that will stand
up when we are before His judgment seat. We are admonished to "Enter into his
gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless
his name." (Psalm 100:4), so let us be thankful for all things, even the
trials of our faith which are more precious than gold, given for our good to help shape us
into His image. Now is the time when all true bondservants will be revealed, and they are
the ones who truly do all things for the sake of His gospel.
_____
Editor's Note: This prophetic word by Rick Joyner was taken from
the MorningStar 1998 Prophetic Bulletin. Rick Joyner is an anointed teacher and prophet in
the body of Christ at large. He is also founder of MorningStar Publications located in
Charlotte, North Carolina.
MorningStar Website: http://www.eaglestar.org/
Rick is also the author of the book The Harvest which
details a vision that Rick had concerning the end times. A brief summary of this vision
was first circulated in 1987. It quickly found its way into major periodicals and
countless newsletters, reaching millions in just a little over a year. It has been called
"a prophetic word for the nineties" by major Christian leaders. This book
promotes a message of devotion to Christ and preparation for the coming harvest. The Harvest
is available in our CHAPEL BOOKSTORE
(Click here to order).
Other links with information about the Y2K
Problems (the Millennium Bug):
http://www.mcalvany.com/index.htm
(Documentation of the Y2K problem and solutions from The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor)
Larry Burkett's Money Matters NewsletterWeb Site (Business
and Money Matters)
(Practical and Emergency Preparation)
http://www.CBN.org/ (The
Church's Response to Y2K - Faith, Not Fear)
(How to test your personal computer hardware &
software for Y2K compliance)
Return to Table of Contents for this Issue
BOOK REVIEW
A Simple Christmas
Hundreds of ways to bring Christ and joy back
into Christmas in the spirit of More-with-Less
By Alice Chapin
Are you yearning for a Christmas filled with celebrations that actually
mean something? Are you tired of the tinsel and credit card debt; the depression and
exhaustion that this holiday now means to so many people? Do you want to establish family
traditions that will teach your children to honor Christ during the holidays and give them
beautiful memories for the future? If so, this book will be an inspiration to you.
A Simple Christmas will take you through the holiday season,
offering hundreds of creative and meaningful activities that you can do as a family (and
with friends) all during the month of December and into New Year's. The 250 pages in this
book are literally bursting at the seams with heart-warming ideas. The books offers
suggestions for:
- Keeping the spiritual heart of the holidays, with peace and joy.
- Leading your whole family is doing things together.
- Finding happiness in reaching out to others and giving yourself away.
- Coping with pressures and extra expenditures.
- Overcoming the blues and even enjoy spending the holiday alone.
- Dealing with selfish or excited youngsters.
- Reshaping customs to focus more on the Christ of Christmas.
As I read through this book, I found myself becoming more thoughtful
about life in general and inspired to reclaim, not only Christmas, but many other areas in
my life that have been too easily dictated by the self-dominated society. Perhaps the
chapter that touched me most of all was "Goodwill and Peace to All." Christmas
is about giving and receiving--and most of all to honor the One who has freely given us
every good and perfect gift. May we bring joy to Him this season, as we remember those who
are less fortunate than ourselves. As we all know, but so easily forget, Christmas is not
about the obligatory gifts hastily ripped open and often never used. It is about giving of
our time, sharing of our memories and skills, and teaching others to do the same.
The spirit of Christmas is a lifestyle, not something that can be simply
turned on during the holiday season. Even so, at Christmas I think we all yearn a little
more to express God's love in meaningful ways to the world around us, and exalt the truth
of Jesus Christ to those who do not yet know Him. A Simple Christmas brings these
foundational truths of Christianity to the forefront of our hearts and shows us practical
things we can do, not only to make the holiday more meaningful, but also the rest of our
lives as well. The book is not only spiritually uplifting, but also practical. It comes
equipped with a budget guide, and Christmas goals worksheet for you to use as a planning
tool. It will help simplify your Christmas and place the focus on the real meaning of
Christmas.
.......Book review
Alice Chapin is the author of many articles and thirteen books, all
written to fulfill her life's goal of helping others. The titles of some of the books she
has written are 400 Creative Ways to Say I Love You, Gifts of Love, Reaching Back, 365
Bible Promises for Busy People, 365 Bible Promises for Hurting People, 365 Bible Promises
for People Who Worry a Lot or a Little. Alice Chapin is a pastor's wife and has been
on the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ International for twenty years. She and her
husband, Norman, live in Newnan , Georgia, and have four grown daughters. She attends
Central Baptist Church in Newnan.
The book, A Simple Christmas, is available in paperback priced at
$14.00 in our CHAPEL BOOKSTORE (Click here to order)
LITTLE FOXES
(Little Compromises That Cause Big Problems)
By Betty Miller
Song of Solomon 2:15 says, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that
spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes." Foxes sometime in search of
food would enter into the grape orchards and devour the grapes and spoil the crop.
However, the little foxes were too small to reach the grape bunches so they would chew on
the vines and it would kill the whole vine. Instead of the farmer just losing his crop, he
would lose his vine which was more disastrous. Spiritually some things we do or allow that
we might think are little or insignificant can also be disastrous for us.
What Does the Bible Say About Piercing the Body?
Many of the young people in our society here in the USA are embracing a
dangerous "little fox" or seemingly "little thing" that may seem
harmless. The young people are saying that it is a "trendy" thing to do. Many of
them are showing off multiple ear, nose, tongue, eyebrow and navel jewels and rings
attached to their pierced flesh. Some even have this done on unspeakable parts of their
bodies. These are abnormal and unnatural.
As many people are not aware of the spiritual dangers in such practices,
this article is not meant to condemn any that may already have this done. However, we
would urge you to seek the Lord as to any further involvement in this practice. The Lord
loves everyone, no matter what we are currently doing however, His desire is to show us a
better way.
The Bible warns us against cuttings in our flesh in Leviticus
19:28 which says, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for
the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord."
Our young people do not realize what they are doing has its
roots in witchcraft and the practices of false religions. Those that have made trips to
other parts of the world have viewed the bodies of those who have not only pierced and
tattooed their bodies but have gone further, with mutilating their bodies. It is repulsive
to see someone deform the body that the Lord made in perfection. The Lord admonishes us in
1 Corinthians 6:19-20,
"What? know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,
which are God's."
If we are to glorify God in our bodies, how do body
piercings glorify Christ?
In 1 Kings 18 we find the story of Elijah
contesting the evil prophets of Baal (a false god of that day whose followers practiced
witchcraft). The prophets of Baal worked themselves into a frenzy trying to get their god,
Baal to show himself mightier than the true and living God. However, the God of Elijah
proved to be the true God. During the frenzy of the Baal worshipers they began to
disfigure their bodies as we see from this scripture in 1 Kings 18:28, "And
they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the
blood gushed out upon them."
Another scripture that warns us not to disfigure our bodies is Deuteronomy
14:1(Amp.): "You are the sons of the LORD your God: you shall not cut yourselves, or
make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead."
When it speaks here about doing this in relation to the dead; this was a witchcraft rite
done to mourn or remember their dead, so cutting, piercing and tattooing have its origin
in witchcraft practices. The verse below reveals a connection between foreign gods
and earrings.
Genesis 35:2: "Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were
with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your
garments: 3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto
God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. 4
And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their
earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by
Shechem."
Perhaps a more well known scripture having to do with earrings is the record of the
children of Israel falling into rebellion and worshipping the golden calf while Moses was
up in the mount with God receiving the Ten Commandments. Here we find they took their
earrings and cast them into the fire and make a golden idol out of them which greatly
displeased the Lord.
Exodus 32:2-3: "And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings,
which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them
unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears,
and brought them unto Aaron."
There is one specific verse in the Old Testament which uses the Hebrew word,
"lachash," which is a word specifically associated with witchcraft. Here, the
jewelry is used as an amulet to cast a spell.
Isaiah 3:18-23: "In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their
tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of
the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, 21 The
rings, and nose jewels, 22 The changeable suits of apparel,and the
mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, 23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and
the hoods, and the veils."
This is what makes it spiritually dangerous for people. People not
realizing this opens the door for Satanic attack because they
have a mark or opening which allows the enemy entrance in their lives. Today this practice
is growing because of false religions and pagan influences infiltrating the church.
Many of our young people are getting body piercings and
tattoos out of a spirit of rebellion against their parents advice. Many men are also
wearing earrings to make a statement of their rebellion by showing that they are
"macho" or homosexual. Because the youth of our day are
despising and rebelling against their parents this is very displeasing to the Lord as one
of the Ten Commandments in the Bible is to honor our parents (Exodus 20:12,
"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the
LORD thy God giveth thee" and Colossians 3:20: "Children, obey
your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.")
Some complain and say that most of the women today in our society wear pierced
earrings and they attempt to use this as an excuse for the bizarre body piercings they are
flaunting. The Lord always judges what we do by our motives as He looks on the heart. It
is a different matter when women wear pierced earrings as a custom, without the rebellion
and pride attached to it. However, this could even be wrong if women are filled with
vanity and pride over their appearance. Remember God looks at our heart attitudes. In
fact, the Bible speaks of a generation of women that will be alive at the coming of the
Lord that will be judged severely for their flirting and their haughtiness. Let us look
again at the prophecy in Isaiah 3:16-24 (NIV):
16 The LORD says, "The women of Zion are
haughty, walking along with out stretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along
with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the Lord will
make their scalps bald."
18 In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and
crescent necklaces,
19 The earrings, the bracelets and veils,
20 The head dresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms,
21 The signet rings and nose rings,
22 The fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses
23 And mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.
24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well
dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth: instead of beauty, branding.
25 Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle.
We are living in a day that the Bible speaks of in 2
Timothy 3:1-7:
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous
times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers
of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden
with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
If you have been one that has been led away by lust or have
been rebellious against your parents, you can come to the Lord and repent and He will give
you a new start and a desire to live a holy and obedient life unto God. We should remove
anything that portrays rebellion and ask the Lord to forgive us and give us a submissive
spirit. Jesus does not condemn us, but rather, will help us. He loves us and invites us to
a wonderful life in Him.
One note of warning to the church on this subject of body piercings.
We have a generation now of young people that love the Lord yet do not understand all of
His ways. Soon we are also going to be seeing a great revival among the youth of the
world. The youth of this day want a real cause to live and die for. Most have
not seen true Christianity. However, when they do come to Christ many will be
bringing their tattoos, dress, music and old habits with them right into the church.
We must be sure that we do not despise them nor look down on them, but rather
welcome and love them and gently teach them the ways of the Lord. We are called to love
and pray for them and help them avoid making some of the mistakes we have made in our own
walk with the Lord. We need to be true mothers and fathers to them. Yes, we must
speak the truth in love, but let us make sure we are loving them and not condemning them.
On the other hand, we must not accept all that they would desire to bring with them
that would harm them and compromise the Word of God. We will all need God's grace to
bridge the generation gap. We would recommend a great article written by a young Christian
on this very subject. Click
here to read "Bridging the Generation Gap."
Bottom line in regard to body piercings would be to ask the popular youth
slogan, "What Would Jesus Do?" I don't believe we will ever see Jesus
with any body piercings that He placed on Himself. I can't imagine Jesus with a tongue
ring or a navel piercing. The only scars on His body are the nail pierced hands
and feet put there by the evil men that crucified Him. They were not self inflicted.
Overcomers will put away the "little foxes" that lead to bigger compromises.
EDITOR'S NOTE: We are including a testimony of a
former Hindu who knows only too well that body piercings and tattoos are a form of
witchcraft:
I am from Malaysia and I truly enjoy the Overcoming Life
Digest. Although I enjoy reading all the articles, I find the Little Foxes enlightening
and informative. Last Friday, when I entered the GCN chatroom, they were discussing about
tattoo and piercing (tongue). One of the believers there was telling them it was wrong for
Christians to have tattoos. Since I was formerly a Hindu, I know tattoo is from Hinduism
and also witchcraft. Also, Hindus pierce their tongue with small spears and prick the
entire body with little hooks and go in trances. I have witnessed this personally. But
praise God, I never took after any of these rituals even when I was a Hindu. Praise God, I
managed to convince a few about the evil of tattoo. One of them asked me for scripture
verses which I promised I would send. But during the weekend, I was busy and also, I
couldn't find the relevant scriptures. I prayed to the Lord to help me. Then He reminded
me of an article I read in your Digest last year. So I send them your article instead.
Praise God for the articles in Little Foxes. Keep up the good work. Karen
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PRAYER FOCUS SPOTLIGHT
Calling All Intercessors
We now have an Intercessory Prayer Page. If you would like
to be an intercessor and prayer for the needs of the church around the world as well as
this ministry, go to this link: INTERNET
INTERCESSORS updated quarterly.
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SPECIAL GUEST
Keeping Christ in Christmas
by Larry Burkett
It irritates me when I see Christ being taken out of Christmas. That is not limited to
only non-Christians--even Christians have adjusted to the commercialism of the holiday
season. Obviously, not all of it is bad--in fact the holiday season provides the
opportunity for families to reunite and also provides a pleasant break from our routines.
I personally look forward to these days as an opportunity to visit with friends who are
much too busy at other times in the year to just stop and relax.
But we have become terribly imbalanced. We give a myriad of useless gifts at Christmas
because it's expected of us and we feel guilty if we don't. The commercialized world now
makes a $100.00 toy seem perfectly normal. It's easy to observe the stress that our
imbalanced society places on family members. Christian parents who cannot provide the
latest indulgences to their children are often depressed and distraught. Obviously, no one
purposely makes them feel unworthy or insignificant, but the overwhelming emphasis we
place on giving at Christmas certainly does.
So great is this social pressure that the closer we get toward Christmas Day, the more
depressed and unworthy those who can't indulge feel. Unfortunately the pressures don't end
once Christmas is past either. Those who can't afford to compete in their gift-giving
often dread congregating with their friends immediately after the holidays, because at
"show and tell" time they don't have much to show. It is not a conscious act on
the part of most people to openly display their pride. Rather, because we are in a
competitive society we often determine a person's worth by his ability to buy things. "For
you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3).
BALANCE
One extreme is not balanced by going to the opposite extreme. The distortion of
Christmas won't be corrected by eliminating all gift-giving and observing Christmas as a
"religious" holiday. The fact is, we do live in this world, and our
families are greatly influenced by others. What we need to do is swing back toward
the middle and eliminate the need to compete with others. Then we will have the freedom to
develop God's plan for our families without the pressure from the commercial world.
In order to do so, I believe that as Christians, we must first believe that God's plan
is different from the world's, and is more--not less--fulfilling. It is a
deception to think that by adopting a more disciplined lifestyle we are somehow denied the
"good life." It's like saying that by avoiding drugs, we deny our children the
euphoria that would make them feel "good." But to decide that any and all drugs
are evil and absolutely refuse to use them makes for a painful experience if you have to
have a broken leg set. The key, as always in God's plan, is balance. That always comes
from following God's wisdom.
SHIFT OF ATTITUDES
Gift-giving at Christmas is a relatively new idea. Until a couple of centuries ago,
Christmas was reserved as a religious holiday on a noncommercial basis. Many of our
forefathers would have believed that trading presents on the day set aside to observe
Christ's birthday was near blasphemy. However, gift giving became a generally accepted
practice and was used primarily to show appreciation to loved ones. Gifts were usually
simple, regardless of the means of the giver so as to not embarrass those who couldn't
afford to give very much. For a long while in most countries, gifts were exchanged on New
Year's Day (not a bad idea today--think of the great buys you could get!). Christmas gifts
were limited to food for the poor or special gifts to pastors and missionaries.
As with most things that start out right, somewhere along the way the direction
shifted. By the early twentieth century, families were exchanging simple gifts, usually
handmade, on Christmas Day. Certainly there was really nothing wrong with that, except
that under the growing influence of secularism it was a golden opportunity for Satan to
divert our attention from Christ to Santa Claus. By post-World War II, Santa was the
dominate figure at Christmas and December was the calendar month for retail sales of all
kinds.
How did it happen? It would seem apparent that Christians aren't as wise in the things
of the Lord as non-Christians are in the things of the world. The secular world is always
looking for ways to shift attention from God to material things, and we're naive enough to
go along. By the time we realize that our whole direction has been diverted, as it has
been at Christmas, we believe it's too late to change, so we give up. "For
all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful
pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world" (1 John 2:16).
WHAT TO DO?
By anyone's standard, the way Christmas is celebrated today is a gross commercialism of
the most important birth in history. But we don't need to preach to the unsaved world to
put Christ back into Christmas. They shouldn't; we should. One thing I learned a long time
ago in counseling is not to try to overcorrect too quickly. Not only are past habits, such
as overindulging at Christmas, difficult to change, but quite often others around us don't
see things just the way we do. If you attempt to stamp out all Christmas gifts suddenly,
you'll end up with a revolt on your hands. The correct way to is make some positive steps
to establish a better balance.
Step 1: Stamp out Santa Claus. Christian parents
should let their children know that Santa is a fraud. Santa's harmless you say? Not so,
when parents knowingly deceive their children about an apparently omnipotent being who
travels the world in the wink of an eye and disburses presents on the basis of good or
bad. It may be a small matter, but it is a place to start.
Step 2: Husband and wife should pray together and agree on a
reasonable amount of gift-giving. Once you have reached a decision that you
feel is God's plan for your family, don't get caught by Satan's condemnation as Christmas
approaches. The pressure to buy when everybody else is buying will be difficult to resist
unless you absolutely agree. And again, I repeat, don't overcorrect. Develop a balanced
attitude that will accomplish your goals over the next few years.
One method that has proved successful to many families is to commit an equal amount
spent on gifts to feeding the truly needy. In many areas of the world, an amount equal to
most of our gift purchases would feed and clothe a family for several months. By giving to
a specific family through a Christian organization, your children can see the purpose and
value of your sacrifice and theirs. "And whoever in the name of a disciple
gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he
shall not lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42).
Step 3: Stamp out credit. As bad as
commercialized Christmas is, commercialized Christmas on credit cards is even worse. Many
families literally indenture themselves to creditors for a whole year just to buy some
useless junk at Christmas. As Christians, we need to decide if we really serve the
God of the universe. If so, then He knows our needs and will meet them through His people
without indebtedness.
I know that some of the people reading this have desperate needs. I also know that
others sincerely want to help but don't know who has needs. The use of credit allows those
who have needs to temporarily buffer themselves from God's real source. "As
it is written, 'He who gathered much did not have too much and he who gathered little had
no lack'" (2 Corinthians 8:15). I believe Satan has used credit cards to
cheat God's people out of blessings and to keep them in bondage.
WHY BOTHER?
With all the other important issues to deal with, such as crime, abortion, and drugs, a
logical question would be, "Why bother with such a minor issue as gifts at
Christmas?" Because gift-giving is one area totally under our control, and like the
Easter bunny, it is leaven that Satan sprinkles in the church. The practice of giving
gifts is not the problem, just as the use of credit is not the problem. It is the
misuse of these things that entangles us and diverts attention from Jesus Christ to
material things.
We have enlisted in God's army and now we can't identify the real enemy. "No
soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he
may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier" (2 Timothy 2:4).
Our problem is that we keep trying to negotiate a compromise with an enemy who is
totally dedicated to destroying us. It's time that, as Christians, we decide to draw a
battle line again. When it comes to commercializing Christ's birth or resurrection, we
need to establish a balance.
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix
their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all
things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17).
________________
This material was taken from the book "Using Your Money
Wisely" by Larry Burkett. Published by Moody Press, a division of the Moody Bible
Institute of Chicago, IL. Used with Permission.
Larry Burkett's Money Matters NewsletterWeb Site (Business
and Money Matters)
The book, Using Your Money Wisely, is available in
paperback priced at $10.99 in our CHAPEL BOOKSTORE (Click
here to order).
If you would like to create a meaningful and Christ-centered
holiday season, we would also recommend an excellent book, A Simple Christmas, by
Alice Chapin. Click here for a book review and ordering information.
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Thanksgiving
Proclamation
A Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer
The Year of 1798
"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty
God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection
and favor-- and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me
to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer,
to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty
God, especially in a form of government for their safety and happiness.
"Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday...to be devoted by the people
of these states to the service of that great and glorious Being Who is the beneficent
Author of all that was, that is, or that will be--that we may then all unite in rendering
Him our sincere and humble thanks...
"And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and
supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of nations, and beseech Him to pardon our
national and other transgressions...to render our national Government a blessing to the
people...to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations...and to bless them with good
government, peace and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true knowledge and
virtue, and the increase of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all
mankind such a degree of prosperity as He alone knows to be best..."
--President George Washington, 1798
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November/ December 1998
Dear Internet Friends:
The Lord is so good! We are so blessed to receive your many letters. You have
encouraged us as we continue to labor in this great field of the Internet. We regret we
are unable to answer each one. However, we do read and pray over all our mail. The Lord
spoke to us that our new pulpit is now our writings going forth through this media. Your
love, prayers and support make it possible.
We pray this Digest has been a blessing to you. There are a lot of people that make it
possible. We are grateful for each of them. We especially thank our intercessors and
partners as they have been faithful to pray for us. God is answering your prayers. We now
have extra help which has lightened our load. Thank you.
We have had a lot of questions about the Y2K problem so we are including updates on
this situation in each new Digest. People are asking us what we are receiving from the
Lord. The most important thing is that we must prepare spiritually for the days ahead as
there will be other problems besides Y2K facing our nation. Hearing the voice of the Lord
will be very important for all of us. We also feel everyone should make some physical
emergency preparations also. The main areas would be to have some water and food storage
and an alternate light and heat source. This would be wisdom in the hour we live anyway,
as the Bible calls these days the time of trouble, perilous times, and the days of
darkness.We will write a detailed recommendation in the next Digest. The Lord knew His
people would be facing these times so He will make provision for all who are looking to
Him. We must remember that the Lord is in control and that He promises protection and
provision for all of His children who are seeking Him. He is calling us to walk in faith,
not fear and to trust Him in all things. We must all continue to witness and share our
faith with those who have not heard. The hour is late and Jesus is coming soon.
Just to update you about some changes on the site. We now have the Bible Study
Course available for download at this link: http://christunlimited.com/bs.html We also have
a page now that lists our personal prayer requests and we would
appreciate your prayers for us. Visit this link for details: http://christunlimited.com/ppartner.html
We have also added a lot of new topics to the Bible Answers link that you
may want to check out at: http://christunlimited.com/answers/answers.html
We pray that the Holiday season will be a time of blessing for you and your family.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are wonderful days to share our faith. We plan to have a simple
Thanksgiving and Christmas and focus on relationships with family and friends. We also
want to spend time in prayer, praise and worship, for truly our Lord Jesus Christ is
greatly to be praised!!
In His Service,
Bud & Betty Miller
P.S. Mercy wants to share a Christmas greeting also:
Happy holy days everybody! God bless us everyone! I just want to thank you for
all that you have shared with us this year--in spite of all the mail we receive, that are
so many of you who we know by name and who now seem like old friends to us. It has been a
true pleasure to get to know you in little ways and to carry your prayer burdens with you.
Something personally that I love about working on the Internet, is getting to know such a
cross-section of Christianity from all over the world and every denomination. Though we
may have differences in how we interpret certain passages, different strengths and
weaknesses, different emphases and giftings; we all are truly part of the same Body. It
fills my heart with such joy when we can all work together for the common goal of
glorifying the Lord in all that we do. My prayer this Christmas, is that we will give to
the Lord a gift that will please Him most. One of those would be that we will truly love
each other from the heart, and hold love a higher law than the doctrines that we don't see
eye to eye on. This is a commandment from God, and was part of Jesus' last prayer on earth
in the garden of Gethsemane (right before He was crucified):
"I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as
we are one. I in them, and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to
let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you loved me" (1 John
17:22-23)."
AMEN! We love you Lord Jesus. Happy birthday!
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