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Entering the center stage of many Christians’ lives are personalities that are gifted in promoting and presenting Biblical truths. As Believers seek direction and spiritual leadership there is an adoption of these spiritual instruments as mentors. The elevation of these individuals is brought to heights that are generally reserved for Saints. Spiritual fan clubs and “partnerships” are initiated. Bibles are endorsed and filled with notes highlighting some of their greatest teachings. Tapes and books fill the horizontal mail ways. Trinkets and souvenirs occupy many households. Special meetings are held throughout the country and are attended by the faithful followers, many traveling hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to hear the “voice” of God. There are great teachers and preachers today who have helped people grow from infancy to adolescents through their teaching and mentoring. Through the years I have learned so much from so many. But after being taught the basics, and how to use the Bible, I was granted, as were many others, a spiritual degree in discipleship and servitude. The Holy Spirit became my mentor and teacher. The Holy Spirit began to guide me into all truth. He did not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He heard He shared with me. (John 16:13) It might sound like I am anti-ministry gifts. They have their place, but it is not to create followers at the expense ($) of the Believers. Whenever a ministry gift (Eph. 4:11) becomes the substitution center of attention to the Christian, one is in danger of a misalignment of devotion. It should also be noted that no matter how good a teacher is, there will always be a humanistic understanding and promotion of their own self induced interpretation of Scripture.
Let the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers realize they are called to help perfect and edify the body of Christ, while the Pastors and Teachers are also to feed and nurture the followers of Christ. All of these ministries are to continue in their calling until there is a unity of the faith and the Believer has been matured and trained to resist temptation from the enemy. (Eph. 4:11-14) Throughout the years, there has been a self promotion of the ministry of the Apostle, Prophet, and Evangelist at the expense of the Pastor and Teacher. Some Pastors have even expanded their calling to include the title of Apostle and Prophet. This is to do a great injustice to their shepherding duties. The Evangelist is called to bring people into the Kingdom. The Apostle is called to expand and organize the Kingdom of God. The Prophet is called to make known the voice of God in particular situations. The Pastor and Teacher is to guide and lead the “sheep” in understanding the principles of God’s Word. When you intertwine these ministries, their uniqueness is lost as well as their effectiveness. Pastors who leave their flocks to elevate their own ministry are derelict in their calling. One does not leave one’s flock to elevate and promote one’s own reputation.
A Pastor’s positional authority seems to be minimized by other ministries as well as by Believers. “Traveling pastors” will use their drawing power to entice the faithful to help fill a rented stadium or convention center to hear their unique message. Little do people realize that God speaks through their Pastor who will be there long after the big three ministries have left the area. Let the ministry gifts learn to fulfill their calling, knowing they each play an important roll in ministering the Truth. Let us not elevate ministry gifts above our true mentor’s, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
The Christian community faces many challenges on its road of servitude. For some perplexing reason the communal effort to follow God’s leading has led, not to the fulfillment of its mission, but rather, to an excursion into areas of judgment. More and more the Church is leaving its foundational base and is leading an outreach based on the human interpretation of the Bible. Rules and regulations flow from the Christians’ lips. When God rent the Veil in the Temple at Jesus death, tearing it from the top to the bottom, the way to God was opened to the “whosoever.” What is happening today is Christians are restoring the Veil by sewing it back together and in so doing are making it very difficult for the world to find the way to God. The Church wants the sinners to change their life style before they can be introduced to the Life Changer. The Christian community has become an agent of division instead of a conduit of love from God.
I submit to your consideration what I believe to be some of the causes of an ineffective Church. 1. Zeal without knowledge. It is basically promoting self serving Scripture that is taken out of context. Many of these teachings are based upon misunderstanding of the text. 2. Knowledge without zeal. This is knowing the Word, but not practicing what it says. It is a tendency to accept the Bible as the Word of God, but doing little to promote it. 3. Truth without compassion. Practicing the Word almost to the degree of legalism, but when it comes to responding to the sinful world, there is little compassion. 4. Compassion without truth. Willing and able to feed the hungry and give to the poor, but failing to share the Word of God and His gift of eternal life. 5. Worship without commitment. It is lifting up hands in praise and adoration, but not committed to consistent attendance whenever the doors of the church are opened. Also, there is a lack of trusting God’s directions. 6. Commitment without worship. Living a Christian life style, but void of outward displays of adoration. Even in their homes there is little, if any, time for worship and praise. 7. Prayer without sincerity. This is praying as a form of ritual and not with the sincerity of knowing that God is listening and hears the petitions and requests. There is little knowledge of what it is to “pray through.” The brevity of prayers is evidenced by the second hand of the watch. 8. Sincerity without prayer. Prayer is almost non-existent. After all, is thought, God knows the heart and what is needed so there is little or no need to pray.
If the Church would only consider developing zeal according to knowledge, having truth with compassion, would worship with commitment, and pray with sincerity, then maybe the Church would function according to its calling. Let us rearrange our priorities from human editorials of Biblical truths to IT IS WRITTEN; from the “want ads” to the “good news;” from the classified to the clarified. It is time to move from the Cliff Notes mentality to the whole Truth, from the abridged to the unabridged Word of God. Instead of promoting sin consciousness, let us devote our energy to bringing people to a God consciousness. Instead of centering on issues that are characteristic of worldly standards, let us introduce them to the one who brings forgiveness and abundant life. When people come to know God through the blood of Jesus, issues like abortion, homosexuality, drugs, and immorality will cease to be important. Jesus said to His disciples at Jacob’s well, “…Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:35) The world is waiting for the answer to its problems; what are we waiting for?
Whenever one gives Scriptural interpretation that seems to go against traditional beliefs, the door of religious scrutiny will be opened. It is important that we acknowledge that God said what He meant and meant what He said, thus pluralistic view points of Scripture are not to be brought into question. What I want to address is the humanizing of God’s Word and thus the introduction of misinterpretation. Some people take liberty to introduce a new doctrine or teaching that seemingly deviates from God’s intent. Let me illustrate with two examples. It is amazing that some believe, when John the Baptist was in prison, that he questioned the deity of Jesus, and whether He truly was the Messiah. (Luke 7:19-20) Reading the text without the Holy Spirit’s tutorage will give way to misunderstanding and the promoting of human misdirection. If John actually doubted his own faith, would Jesus have said there was not a greater prophet than John? (Luke 7:24-28) It was the disciples of John that doubted, not John. What John did was to send some of his disciples to Jesus to have a live encounter with the Messiah. To make it easier for them to question Jesus, he told them to use his name and to say he was wondering whether He was the Messiah. Jesus responded to their enquiry by telling them to tell John of what they were seeing and hearing. (Can you not see the smile on Jesus face as He understood what John was doing?) Luke 7:22, 23) Many of us have faced spiritual doubters in life. We have tried to explain issues with the questioning saints only to be discouraged at their lack of understanding. What we need to do is get them to Jesus and let Him lead them into understanding.
Another area that I believe has led to misrepresentation is when Jesus wept at the home of Mary and Martha. (Read the whole account in John chapter 11.) Many believe it was because of His compassion that He shed His tears; after all, the one whom He loved so much had died, and seeing the extreme grief of Mary and Martha, He could not help but weep with them. The Bible only tells us twice that Jesus wept, here at Bethany and as He approached the palm waving crowds at Jerusalem. There He witnessed the peoples’ lack of understanding of who He was. When Jesus came to Bethany, Martha had gone out to greet His arrival, while Mary stayed with the mourners. Jesus made it clear to Martha that if she only believed she would see the glory of God. Mary stayed in the house surrounded by negativity. Jesus finally called for her to come. She arrived with the professional grievers and confronted Jesus with, “If only you had been here, he would not have died.” Martha said the same thing, but she added that God would give Him whatever He would ask. Jesus was witnessing unbelief in an individual who should have known better; after all she had sat at His feet and heard His teaching. (Luke 10:38-42) When Jesus saw the unbelief and the weeping, He was troubled and groaned in the spirit and then wept. As they went to the tomb, many chided Him by saying He could heal the blind, but He couldn’t save Lazarus. Jesus then groaned in the spirit again. It was because of the UNBELIEF of Mary and the people that caused Jesus to weep, not compassion for the loss of Lazarus.
Tradition says John doubted his faith, and Jesus wept because of His compassion. One must ask if that interpretation is consistent with the re-occurring theme of Scripture. Is it consistent with the behavioral pattern of Jesus life? We are not to fit Scripture into our life experiences, but rather we are to seek the truth ministered unto us through the Holy Spirit. Scriptural selection without seeing the total picture is to open ourselves to deception.
Finding the will of God for our lives has been a journey of explorations. Many of those exploits have been runs of trial and error. Doors have been rattled, windows lifted, and streets traveled, all in pursuit of finding God’s will for our lives. Caution lights have been neglected, even red lights ignored, all with a careless abandon to find God’s direction for lives. In our endeavor to seek His elusive will, we have even attempted to help God by making suggestions. How long will it take for us to realize that the way to understanding the will of God is to open His Word and let Him speak to us? It is not simply reading the Word, but seeing it as a “burning bush” that will draw us into the presence of God. So many Believers wander aimlessly in the wilderness of life thinking about their past victories and mistakes. I can just see Moses reliving his riches to rags story over and over again! It was only when he was drawn to the fire retardant bush that his depressive life would not only change, but he would affect the lives of generations to come.
To be able to understand God’s will, our minds must be fine tuned to the frequency of the Holy Spirit. Instead of thinking like the world, we must allow our minds to be renewed so as to be able to accept what is God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will. (Romans 12:2) The world wants us to think with the wisdom it offers, while the Spirit wants us to set our affection on things above. (Col. 3:2) We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and, in so doing, understand the direction God wants us to take. Old Testament David could delight in the will of God because God’s Word was within his heart. (Psalms 40:8) He did not just read the Law, but took it as a student would personally receive from his teacher. (Psalms 143:10) The Apostle Paul stressed the importance of experiencing God’s will as a servant responding from the heart. (Eph. 6:6) Knowing the will of God is not discerned from the head, but from the heart. It is presenting oneself as a “living sacrifice” before God. (Rom. 12:1) It is proclaiming during difficult days that it is not what you want; rather, it is what God wants. Jesus cried out, “Not my will, but Thine be done.” (Luke 22:42)
When you enroll in the Kingdom of God, you realize that you are no longer in charge. It is God who has redeemed you and it is God who will direct you the rest of the way. If you do not understand that you are a new creature in Christ, you will have a hard time understanding the will of God. It seems that many Believers are talking and petitioning so much that there is little room for the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s plan for their lives to them. Meditate on the Word. Let the Scripture soak into your spirit. It won’t be long before you will begin to walk in the directive will of God. It all begins at the “burning bush.” See you there!
It is more than reading the Word. It is more than studying the Word. It is more than meditating on the Word. It is more than sharing the Word. What it all comes down to is that we must live the Word. We need to be a walking, living, breathing example of God’s Word. It is more than reciting the Word to the impression of the hearers. It is more than exhibiting our knowledge of Biblical addresses. It is more than carrying our expensive Bibles in our neatly designed cases. What it comes down to is that we must daily illustrate the Word through our lives. It is not interpreting Scripture to fit our theological doctrines. The Word is not a tool of correction to be released on others who are not in harmony with our understanding. It is God who uses His own Word for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (II Tim 3:16) Believers must not transfer authority by taking on the role of God. We are called to introduce the seeking to the source of all forgiveness and peace. The Believer’s calling is to be an instrument of outreach which the Holy Spirit can use as the living example of Jesus Christ. What it comes down to is that people will see more of Jesus than they do of us. Jesus said to Philip, “…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father…” (John 14:9) May every Believer say with confidence and assurance, “He that sees me, sees Jesus.”
To be able to position ourselves to the point of exhibiting the Word, we must first understand the Word. Understanding is simply being “under” the tutorship of the Holy Spirit who guides us into all Truth (John 16:13); and then “standing” on the things that He has taught us. Every Believer needs to practice the example of the Apostle Paul who proclaimed continually that he was a living example of Jesus. (I Cor. 4:6, 11:1; Phil. 3:17, 4:9) The more we “understand” God’s Word, the more we decrease while Jesus increases in our lives. (John 3:30) A young man wanted to meet a very attractive young lady, but he did not know how to approach her. His friend told him she was so into Jesus that the only way to get to know her was through Jesus. May our lives display Jesus to such a degree that no one will ever doubt His daily presence.
Organized religion is not the answer to a hurting world. Church buildings with the cross embedded on their structures will not be able to quench the thirsting of a sinful world. It will take Jesus manifested through His creations. What really matters, in this life, is that we are the living proof of the living Savior. Each day, let us lift up our voices and say as David did, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Ps. 19:14)
When God reveals His desire to use us for a certain task, we have a tendency to dilute His desire into a simple request instead of a directive. We acknowledge the hearing of His Word (Rhema,) but at the same time raise questions as to our ability to fulfill His calling. One of our first objections to God’s leading is that He doesn’t realize our flaws. (Seriously?) With sincerity, we ascend to our mountain of self-reliance and proceed to list our imperfections. We believe that if we are honest with God, He will realize that we are not the best choice in carrying out His desire. When God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, Moses was more than ready to present his inadequacies: “Who am I?” “They will not believe me.” “I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” “Send someone else.” God had the answers: “Certainly I will be with you.” “Tell them ‘I AM hath sent you.’” “I will be with thy mouth.” “I know Aaron can speak well.” Moses, the eighty year old who traveled from riches to rags, from leading people to leading sheep, a stuttering old man who had the wool pulled over his eyes, was seeing only the sunset of his life. How many times has our self-reliance overshadowed the Word of God? Reality seems to dwarf the steps God wants us to take. If God’s Word does not fit our mind-set and circumstances, we are ready to ask God to reconsider His “offer.”
When Moses finally acquiesced to God’s plan, he faced the dilemma of seeing himself victorious. The momentary success with the Jewish leadership in Egypt was short lived. The response of Pharaoh was disastrous to the hope of the Jews; in fact, the situation in Egypt became even more ominous. Moses confronts God and rehearses his short comings by claiming that no one was listening to him. He claimed he was of “uncircumcised lips.” (Ex. 6:13, 30) How many times do Believers attempt to follow God’s leading only to seem to fail every step of the way? The more resistance we face, the more assistance Satan gives to our doubts, and soon we are either questioning God or giving up. The road to His victory may very well be a journey of difficulties and “spiritual construction” ahead, but always realize God is with us to the end. We are just the tool in the hand of the great I AM. We show up and He does the work through us!
How could an eighty year old move from being an under-achiever to being an over-comer? What he had to do was get beyond his own limitations and accept the person God was making him. God told Moses that he was to see himself as a “god” to Pharaoh, not as a babbling, tongue-tied individual. (Ex. 7:1) When are we going to start seeing ourselves as God made us? We say, “I can’t do it!” Others say, “You will fail.” Circumstances say, “It is too difficult.” Satan says, “You are worthless.” God says, “I will be with you.” To whom should we listen? Go with God and see the VICTORY.
Over the years, I have experienced God’s promptings to pursue a certain direction. Upon hearing the verb, I would eagerly wait for the noun. What usually followed would be a long pause of anticipation; after all, if God wanted me to pursue a certain direction should He not tell where I am going and what to expect on my journey? I have always had the tendency to want to get more information from God than is necessary. It seemed the more knowledge I acquired limited the amount of faith that I needed. Maybe God chooses not to reveal the total picture because we will try to help, and even influence, what road we should take to the destination. In our daily walk, God wants us to learn to walk by faith, not by reason and sight. He wants our faith to grow from a dependence upon our own decisions to a faith that sees God in all aspects of our life. Getting to where God desires us to be can be just as rewarding as the destination itself. The road of walking in His will is both satisfying and edifying, even when we don’t know where the road will take us. The one thing we do know is that God is in control.
One day, God told Abram to leave Haran and go to a land that He would show him. He did not tell him where he was going, just that he was to pack up and head south. God told him that He was going to use him in a mighty way. (Gen. 12:2, 3) Abram did not ask for clarification. The Bible states that he simply “departed.” (v.4) That is what faith is all about. Faith is not leaning on our own understanding, but acknowledging Him as He directs our path. (Prov.3:5, 6) As Abram traveled, he continually built altars, which were symbolic of worship and praise. Can we not raise our hands in surrender and praise as we walk by faith to the place where God’s wants us?
Not all journeys are void of challenges and set backs. (A set back is just a set up for us to learn more of God’s ways.) When Abram experienced a famine, he decided on his own to head to a land of plenty (Egypt). There, through the use of deception, he tricked Pharaoh into committing the error of taking Sarai as one of his wives. Abram became rich because of his treachery, for Pharaoh treated him well for Sarai’s sake. Pharaoh finally realized that Sarai was really Abram’s wife. He expelled Abram from Egypt and allowed him to take the riches which he had given him. (Gen. 12:10-19) Abram returned to where he built the first altar, and there he called on the name of the Lord. There he stood before God with the fruits of his deception (wealth). Those riches would cause a rift between Abram and Lot and their eventual separating of ways. (Gen. 13:1-13)
I have learned over the years to take one step at a time, one day a week, one month a year. When I try to anticipate God’s intent for my life, I have a tendency to trip, stumble, and fall. I think I see where God is taking me, but through my impatience and attempting to take short cuts, I end up in “Egypt.” May our spiritual lives be like driving a car at night, not knowing what is beyond our headlights other than a destination that God has planned for us.
One of the greatest hindrances to the Church today is the underlying vein of unbelief that seems to be flowing within the Body of Christ. The majority of Believers confess that Jesus is Savior, but very few profess that Jesus is Lord. The language of a confessor deals basically with past tense grammar. There is no disputing the significance of the historical Jesus, but as to His everyday Lordship, there is a hesitation to venture beyond reason, emotion, and human understanding. Confessors display “selective hearing.” They hear only that with which they are comfortable. When a teaching takes them into a realm of faith without comprehension, it is immediately shut down, and their defense reaction mechanism kicks in. The case in point is the disciples’ failure to hear Jesus speak to them about His Crucifixion and Resurrection. They heard Him say He would die, but they failed to hear Him say that He would rise on the third day. In Matthew 16:16, Peter makes a proclamation of faith by stating that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Shortly after that, Jesus shared with him that He would suffer many things, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. (Mt. 16:21) Peter rebuked Jesus to His face by insisting that He would not be crucified. He had not heard all that Jesus had said, because he had selective hearing. Soon after Peter’s rebuke, Jesus took him along with James and John up a mountain where God spoke to them through a cloud, saying that Jesus was His beloved Son and that they were to “hear ye him.”(Mt. 17:5) Many times Jesus would share with His disciples about His last days, but they did not hear. Today, if a sermon or teaching treads on areas that conflict with carnal comfort, there is resistance and immunity to the Truth.
What should have been a celebration of Jesus Resurrection was overshadowed by a parade of unbelief which featured a group of women carrying their vessels of anointing oils. They were going to the tomb to pour their embalming fluids on Jesus body so that it would not smell when it decomposed. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had already coated Jesus body with their 100 pound weight of oils. (John 19:39) Instead of displays of unbelief, the garden tomb should have been ringing with sounds of excitement, for the King of Kings was going to rise from the dead! Soldiers should have been called for crowd control. Where were the Believers? The Disciples had gone into hiding. Instead of the Disciples going to the Resurrection party, Jesus met them in their secluded hiding place and rebuked them for their unbelief. (Mk. 16:14)
How many Believers today go to their spiritual hiding places (churches) carrying their problems, heartaches, and other displays of unbelief? They hear about the historical Jesus, but fail to hear and experience the Living Jesus! How many have missed the True message by failing to hear the “rest of the story?” The stone was rolled away, not to let Jesus out, but to let His followers in to witness its emptiness, thus confirming the reality of His resurrection. Many confess that Jesus is Savior, evidenced by the blood stained cross, but fail to profess the reality of the living Lord, evidenced by the accepting of His word. Thank God for Calvary and the empty tomb, but let us not stop there. Let us see Him on His Throne in all His majesty and glory. Let us learn to read and listen to all the Scripture, knowing that everything He said is important.
The Media has been the spear point of issues that have poked and prodded into the soul of the American people. It is the Media that has determined what societal issues need to be addressed. One network claims, “We report, you decide.” Should it not be the other way around, “You decide, we report?” Should it not be the people deciding what is important and news worthy? Agendas are predetermined by popular media sources and then their reporters are released with their magnifying glasses to make these issues into incendiary priorities. It is the hope of the Media to ensure that their chosen issues will lead to more print and visual exposure. For some brain numbing reason, people become a participant in expanding the written, spoken, and visible media agendas. These agencies have become the secular bible of many Americans. People have been taught how to think, and even respond to issues, by what they read or hear. Group mentality has dwarfed individuality.
Homosexuality has been elevated from a private and personal issue to a public demonstration in which there is a transcendence of information upon a vulnerable society. According to a 2012 Gallup poll, 3.4% of the American population is of the homosexual lifestyle. What percentage of that 3.4% has a desire to make public their personal choice? It would be a conservative guess that only half would choose to announce their sexual preference. Yet the Media has chosen to make the issue of homosexuality sound like a majority of Americans are interested in the subject. From the privacy of the bedroom to the proclamations of support from the President and Vice President, as well as the Supreme Court, the issue of sexual preferences has occupied the interest and involvement of the government. More and more States are running to their Legislators seeking to have same sex marriages legalized. The Media has done, and continues to do, its job of raising issues of what it determines is important, no matter what the cost will be to the already decaying and deteriorating morals of our Society.
If any dare to verbalize words of opposition to the media driven “Same Sex Marriage” (SSM) promotion, they will be in jeopardy of losing ground socially, educationally, financially, and occupationally. Recently, Dr. Ben Carson, an outstanding Surgeon at John Hopkins, withdrew as a Commencement speaker due to the reaction to his stand that marriage is between a man and a woman. He emphasized that no group has a right to redefine marriage any other way. The news media called it “incendiary.” Just because someone wants to live a life style that is in opposition to a moral definition of marriage does not mean that laws should be changed to justify his cause. Non-conformist have an “in your face” mentality. They want immediate change, and they want it yesterday. Everyone has rights to a full and prosperous life, but to walk over others in the pursuit of that happiness violates societal ethics.
The Media needs responsible reporting. If there is a controversial subject, both sides of the issue need to be presented in a non-biased way. It is not the job of the Media to sway people to its way of thinking, but to offer the facts and let the public decide.
The average student of the Word of God has failed to understand the implications of some attacks upon the Church. Instead of seeing the underlying factors that attempt to dispute the Kingdom of God, many have simply shrugged off these attacks as a harmless nuisance. What is really behind the rejection of the Word of God? It is not simply unbelief, rather an organized assault led by Satan himself. The rejection of God is a deliberate attempt to not only minimize His authority but to knowledgeably reject the fact of His Godhead to the point of establishing Satan’s kingdom. An atheist not only knows of God, but rejects Him as God. (Romans 1:21) Atheism is a religion of “self” under the headship of Satan. An atheist’s role is to deceive people into accepting the unreality that God exists; after all, “How could a loving and caring Supreme Being allow so much pain in the world?” The commitment of the camouflaged believer (atheist) makes the servitude of the true Believer dwarf in comparison. The shocking reality of this movement is that Satan’s believers know that they are “worthy of death” and will be judged by the One whom they deny, yet they continue down the road to destruction. (Rom 1:32) They are in affect spiritual suicide bombers.
An atheist is dedicated to spreading lies, so as to deceive “weak” Christians. They use “fiery darts” (Ephesians 6:16) of doubts that are continually released against the unsuspecting Believer. These weapons are used to try and alter the direction of the Saints. To counter the attacks of Satan’s followers, the Believer is given the shield of faith to quench these assaults, but he tragically fails to carry his shield with him. Water (to quench,) which is the Word of God, is what puts out the fiery darts, but the Believer neglects to use it. When Jesus faced Satan in the Wilderness, He continually used the Word to defend Himself and send Satan back to regroup. (Luke 4: 1-13)
Atheism is not a movement of uncalculated resolve, rather, it is a highly orchestrated movement dedicated to disrupting man’s relationship to God. When the Church fails to recognize Atheism as a strategy of Satan, it will be caught unaware of the potential affect on the Body of Christ. Humanizing God is denying who God really is. If the thought of God can be brought to the point of human dissection, than God becomes nothing more than a figment of man’s creation. Man’s imaginary god becomes a human crutch to lean upon until man assumes the responsibility for his own life. Atheism denies the acceptance of God’s ultimate authority. Atheists believe in God, but refuse to acknowledge that His Sovereignty has any affect on mankind. Thus, at least to the self created, God does not exist.
Believers must be aware of all the devices and tricks that Satan releases against the Kingdom of God. Anything that questions the sovereignty of God must be dealt with immediately. Whenever the seed of doubt is planted, there will be an ever present danger that it will grow into a faith smothering growth that could revert man away from the reality of God. “THE FOOL HATH SAID IN HIS HEART, THERE IS NO GOD.” (Psalm 14:1)
