With several words for mind
in the Bible, there is one that is only used a few times, but would be helpful
to understand. The word sophroneo
means “right mind”, but is sometimes translated “sound mind”. If one can be in
their right mind, then that means that one can also be in their wrong mind. We
would say that most people in mental institutions are of a wrong mind, and that
is one aspect of an unsound mind, but it is possible that people with a wrong
mind are really controlling much of what we are exposed to in the world. It
might seem like they must be people who are technically very sane and
calculating, but in actuality they are insane and calculating. Since the birth
of the Church on the day of Pentecost there has been a plan and a plot to break
down Christianity, but the use of force only made the Church grow. So the plan
became covert and less physical in nature, but more mental and emotional. Jesus
told us about the plans the enemy would use against the church in his letters
to the seven Churches and if we look closely at what he told us, we will see the
working of the insane rulers today.
We looked at disunity last week and while that seems like a
basic and boring study, it is the lead up to what we want to look at today.
There are many crazy disinformation campaigns in the world we live in, all
designed to break the unity of the Christian majority. When we ask the question
“who would want to cause disunity in the Church” we notice the answer falls on
the shoulders of those who are not in their right mind. This gives us answers
as to prayer targets, it gives us direction in leadership, and it gives us
awareness in our own personal lives as to the schemes around us. Last week I
spoke of a popular conglomerate that operates most of our media, so that what
we are fed seems overwhelmingly true when in fact it is simply broadcast in so
many areas of the same conglomerate, that we only see what they tell us. Truly
our media moguls are more interested in leading the population rather than
actually reporting truth. This ensures special privileges by ruling class
leaders; not to be vague but just take note of who interviews top government
officials, what companies do those reporters work for, and how many media
outlets does the conglomerate control. If your news, entertainment, sports, and
music all come from the same company, you are getting an unbalanced diet of
information.
Let’s look at the Greek word sophroneo and its usages.
NT:4993 sophroneo (so-fron-eh'-o); from NT:4998; to be of
sound mind, i.e. sane, (figuratively) moderate: KJV - be in right mind, be
sober (minded), soberly. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and
Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006
Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Mark 5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was
possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his
right mind [4993]: and they were afraid. KJV
Once Jesus told the demons to leave, this man was sitting
with his clothes on and in his right mind. This is an extreme case of someone
who was out of his right mind and then suddenly in his right mind. This is an
instantaneous occurrence of deliverance. Again from Luke.
Luke 8:35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came
to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at
the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind [4993]: and they were afraid.
KJV
The town’s people were all afraid of Jesus. That seems
funny, as the man who was demon possessed couldn’t even be held with chains.
That man should have made the people afraid, but instead they were afraid of
the power Jesus demonstrated to free the man from demonic bondage. That should
be a key point in our understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit that
resides within us. And those of us who cast out demons should recognize that
what frightens people is the power of the Holy Spirit. That seems like twisted
thinking, doesn’t it? It is in fact twisted thinking, which is the purpose of
what we want to learn from this study. Human thinking has been and is being
twisted so that the Church is broken down.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to
every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought
to think; but to think soberly [4993], according as God hath dealt to every man
the measure of faith. KJV
One of the reasons Paul gives us this warning is that pride
leads us into a wrong mind, and then opens the door for us to add more wrong
thinking into our lives. Here in context Paul is talking about all of us giving
account before the rostrum of Christ.
2 Cor 5:12G3756For [2not
G1063 G38255again G14384ourselves
G49211we
do 3commend] G1473to
you, G235but G874[3opportunity
G13251are
giving G14732you] G2745for
boasting G5228over G1473us, G2443that G2192you
should have something G4314against
G3588the
ones G1722[2in
G43833appearance
G27441boasting],
G2532and G3756notG2588in
heart.
13G1535For
whether G1063 G1839we
were startled, G2316it was to
God; G1535or
whether G4993we
were of a sound mind, G1473it is for
you
14G3588For
the G1063 G26love G3588of the
G5547Christ
G4912constrains
G1473us, G2919having
adjudged G3778this, G3754that G1487if G1520one G5228[2for
G39563all G5991died],
G686then G3588 G3956all G599died
Paul’s exhortation here is not to glory over appearances
but over heart. The word startled
means “astonished” as in the idea of insane. Therefore what Paul was saying and
doing was perceived as being insane for God, but actually it was sane for us
and it is the love of Christ that holds or constrains them. The Jews never
acted aggressively in evangelism, in fact evangelism to Judaism went out of
favor many ages before the first century. Therefore this new evangelism of the
first century looked crazy. Today, do we see any Jewish evangelists? No,
because Jews do not believe the Messiah has come, therefore anyone who believes
Jesus is the Messiah is a liar and false prophet. One can only be a Jew through
their own mother’s blood line. There is no Judaic evangelism, as well as any
other evangelism. Think about what Paul is communicating. It seems like the
Apostles are insane, suffering all kinds of abuse, to tell people of Jesus’
death, burial, and resurrection. But if the apostles are insane for God, they
are actually sane for us who hear and learn from them because the love of
Christ holds them steady and we who believe get to live eternally. This is
another twist in thinking. It would be wrong thinking or twisted thinking to
let people die because they did not know they could have eternal life through
Jesus, but people, even at that time, were trying to turn around the public
perception of the actions of apostles and evangelists by saying they were
insane. Paul counters that thinking by saying they were insane for God but sane
for us. It is a good thing that people have taken the risk to look insane to
bring us the only true sanity we can have in this world, the knowledge of the
Creator.
Titus 2:6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded
[4993]. KJV
Why does Paul tell Timothy to exhort young men to be sober
minded? Obviously once a young man enters the world on his own, it is easy to
be led astray by the lusts of the world. Solomon wrote extensively for young
men to seek after wisdom not lust. By the time our young people go out into the
world on their own, they have been indoctrinated into the culture of the world.
Subliminal messages lead young adults without their full awareness. We can look
at every childhood movie and find the word “sex” presented several times. While
one may not have noticed those letters and spelled them out in their head,
becoming consciously aware of them, they did see those letters together. At
some point, those letters watched over and over stay in one’s mind, and once a
conscious understanding of the word is made (maybe around Junior High school
age) it triggers a subliminal arousal within the movie watcher. Then all the past
movies that child saw with those letters forming the word sex have a connecting
point in the mind of the child. It is the same with images that portray
physical body parts. While a child would not be allowed to watch a pornographic
movie, that child may be seeing his/her share of phallic symbols throughout a
children’s movie. While the child may not make the conscious association of a
castle that looks like a penis, this image played repeatedly through the movie
will disarm one’s mind from being offended and guarded and instead encourage
one’s mind to think of this symbol as good because it is repeated in an
enjoyable movie. While we try to teach children to guard their private parts so
that no one will take advantage of them, they are receiving a conflicting
message seeing private parts over and over in children’s movies. While at a
young age they might not be aware of it, by the time they have reached their
teenage years they have been exposed to those images thousands of times which
is disarming to the message of guarding one’s own body.
1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye
therefore sober [4993], and watch unto prayer. KJV
Peter sums up this message nicely as we are to be sober, or
right minded, and watch unto prayer. By the time we become adult Christians we
should be right minded. Yet the campaign to destroy Christian living has been
around a long time. We know Jesus told us of wolves in sheep’s clothing
entering the flock to devour them. Jesus also told us of the hireling, the
hired shepherd, who runs when trouble comes and leaves the sheep to be
devoured. The first letter Jesus had John pen to the church at Ephesus contains
a warning regarding false apostles. An apostle is one who is sent to the Body
of Christ but here in Ephesus we see that there are some who call themselves
apostles who are not sent by Jesus.
Rev 2:2G1492I know
G3588 G2041your
works, G1473 G2532and G3588 G2873your
toil, G1473 G2532and G3588 G5281your
endurance, G1473 G2532and G3754that G3756you are not
G1410able G941to
bear G2556evil
ones; G2532and G3985you
tested G3588the
ones G3004calling
G1438themselves
G652apostles,
G2532and G3756are
not, G1510.2.6 G2532and G2147found G1473them G5571liars;
3G2532and G941you
bore, G2532and G5281[2endurance
G21921have],
G1223because
of G3588 G3686my
name, G1473 G2532and G3756you
tired not. G2872
One of the things Jesus commends the Ephesian Church for is
testing the ones calling themselves apostles. They proved them and scrutinized
them. How do we know if someone is a false apostle? We prove them, check their
facts, check their words, and scrutinize their teachings. I know many people
who will be mad at me for pointing this out because too many people speak
foolishly, out of their perceptions and fears, rather than from the Holy
Spirit. Some people really believe they are hearing from the Holy Spirit, but
the things they say seem to supersede the words the Holy Spirit already gave
us. Let me explain. Your “revelation” does not usurp or override the words
already recorded by the Holy Spirit. Most of what apostolic ministries believe they
receive from the Holy Spirit is not from the Spirit of Yahweh, and technically
their claims are blasphemy. Blasphemy is saying Yahweh is doing something he is
not doing or attributing to Yahweh an opinion that He does not have. We have
studied this before (hence the need for all those boring studies, we find them
useful in cases like these). We tend to speak loosely with our lips. Are we
saying “God” as in the god of this world, or “God” as in Yahweh? More people
who claim to be apostles are motivated by fear rather than the Holy Spirit.
What they feed on is what they speak, and fear sells.
There is a business conglomerate that owns a large portion
of the news media, entertainment channels, sports networks, children’s
productions, and popular music that also owns some channels that seem
innocuous. Certainly, if we are smart we don’t watch sitcoms, but instead shows
about history and biographies, right? However, if the shows on those channels
sell fear, people spend money in fear, stocking up on MRE’s rather than sharing
food with the poor. Who gives food to the poor and hungry when one is told the
end of the world is near and we will have to somehow survive. I might mention,
if I have a can of peas, and someone forcefully steals my can of peas, I am in
the position of trusting in Yahweh rather than in my storehouse of peas. I had
someone mention to me that during the end of the world we should make alliances
with others who have complementary knowledge and abilities. My response was
that if I have a can of peas, I’m not leaving my house or my can of peas,
because while I am networking end of the
world alliances, someone will steal my can of peas. If people watch shows
that inspire them to live in fear, they will evangelize less and hide out at
home more. I’m not speaking of in the future or during the tribulation, I’m
speaking about right now, today.
We know there are false apostles, false prophets, false
teachers, and false pastors infiltrating the Body of Christ, and that is
another twisting of our soundness of mind. If we are led astray, our thinking
becomes unsound. How are we living after we listen to these people? Do we trust
the Lord more and are we built up in our faith?
Or are we fearful, afraid, and nervous about the future? Sometimes very
good people get caught up in the media blitz of fear, and they believe they are
helping people by preaching “outside” of the Biblical precepts we have. Again,
your personal revelation does not supersede the written revelation the Holy
Spirit already gave us. Therefore, what some people perceive to be revelation
from the Holy Spirit, if it does not align with the Holy Spirit’s already written
word, is not revelation at all. Looking at this rationally, there is very
little “prophetic” writing in the New Testament. Most of our Bible is
documentation on right living. Explanations on right living are most helpful to
us. John gave us some true prophetic writings, yet the Book of Revelation is
the most mis-taught Book of the Bible. Simply make a timeline of these events on
a piece of paper and connect the dots, don’t be foolish. Here is another aspect
of how the Church gets twisted.
Rev 2:9G1492I know
G1473your G3588 G2041works,
G2532and G3588 G2347affliction,
G2532and G3588 G4432poorness,
G235(but G4145[2rich
G1510.2.21you
are]) G2532and G3588the G988blasphemy
G3588of the
ones G3004calling
G*[2to
be Jews G1510.1 G14381themselves],
G2532andG3756are
not, G1510.2.6 G235but G4864a
synagogue G3588 G4567of
Satan.
This is still a great warning for us today. For some reason
there was a 90’s-00’s movement to get back to Hebraic Roots. The movement
wasn’t all bad but there were many distorted aspects of that group and many
false teachings arose from it. Someone even wrote a fictional work and turned
it into a movement filled with its own doctrines and suppositions on Christ.
The problem is that in a fictional work anything goes, and yet compared to the
Bible there are many distortions and stretches that do not adhere to sound Biblical
doctrine. Another problem is that an entire cult movement has arisen that is
not being tested and proven. Are these people of the synagogue of satan? Let’s
ask how much money has been made thus far. Do these people see Jesus as a
“lesser god” or Yahweh the Creator? Are these people getting Jews as well as
other unsaved people saved, or are they taking people out of the Church with
different doctrines? There is no point getting the saved more saved, aren’t we
supposed to get the unsaved saved?
Rev 2:13G1492I know
G3588 G2041your
works, G1473 G2532and G4226where G2730you
dwell, G3699where G3588the G2362throne
G3588 G4567of
Satan is; G2532and G2902you
hold G3588 G3686my
name, G1473 G2532and G3756denied
not G720 G3588the G4102belief
G1473of me G1722in G3588the G2250days G1722in G3739which G*Antipas
G3588 G3144[3witness
G14731my G3588 G41032trustworthy] was,
G3739whoG615was
killed G3844among G1473you, G3699where G3588 G4567Satan G2730dwells.
14G235But G2192I have
G2596against
G1473you G3641a
little. G3754That G2192you
have G1563there G2902ones
holding G3588the G1322teaching
G*of
Balaam, G3739who G1321taught
G3588 G*Balak G906to
throw G4625an
obstacle G1799before
G3588the G5207sons G*of
Israel, G2068to eat
G1494things
sacrificed to idols, G2532and G4203to
commit harlotry.
15G3779So G2192have G2532also G1473you G2902ones
holding G3588the G1322teaching
G3588of the
G*Nicolaitans
G3668in
like manner.
Here we see the martyrdom of Antipas did not deter their
witness. Imagine the fear they must have felt, yet they were, as Paul mentioned
in 2 Corinthians, insane for God but sane for us. Within their community of
believers there were people teaching manipulations, like Balaam taught Balak.
There were people leading others astray by putting enticing obstacles in front
of the believers. Also people having the incorrect teachings of the
Nicolaitans. This is a reference to people being “people overcomers” or
dominating other people. So while they were still holding a faithful witness in
the midst of martyrdom, they were being twisted by two other types of wrong
teaching. If one is led astray by Balaam’s or the Nicolaitans teachings, they
become manipulators for another cause. Even if the cause is for Christ, they
are using the wrong tactics to gain numbers and followers. There is a mind in
one’s head, but the heart also has a mind and thoughts; and Balaam’s
manipulations were of the heart while the Nicolaitans were of the head. Lust
and dominance. Church is not about numbers or controlling other people’s lives.
Let’s not be twisted into unsoundness and disunity in this manner.
Ministries and para-ministries typically sell out to
whoever gives the money. And many times preachers have to manipulate teachings
to be sensational so that people give more money. Preachers also have to
appease the ones who give money by teaching the way the givers indicate. That
means the congregation controls the preacher or para-minister. If the
congregants and givers have a wrong perspective on the Bible or Jesus, they
influence the teacher to teach the way they
believe. Truly these controlling people do not want the truth, they want their
own beliefs substantiated. Using money and dominance, the situation the teacher
finds him/her self in is one of being controlled and selling out, even if it is
not a conscious decision. Most teachers listen to the donors rather than people
who don’t give money. That is also a twisted position in the Body of
Christ.
Rev 2:20G235But G2192I have
G2596against
G1473you, G3754that G863you
allow G3588 G1135your
woman G1473 G3588 G*Jezebel,
G3739which G3004calls G1438herself
G4398a
prophetess, G2532and G1321teaches
G2532and G4105misleads
G3588 G1699my G1401bondmen
G4203to
commit harlotry, G2532and G2068to eat
G1494things
sacrificed to an idol.
21G2532And G1325I gave
G1473to her
G5550time G2443that G3340she
should repent; G2532and G3756she
wanted not G2309 G3340to
repent G1537from G3588 G4202her
harlotry. G1473
22G2400Behold,
G906I
throw G1473her G1519into G2825a bed,
G2532and G3588the
ones G3431committing
adultery G3326with G1473her G1519into G2347[2affliction
G31731great],
G1437unless
G3361 G3340they
should repent G1537from G3588 G2041her
works. G1473
23G2532And G3588 G5043[2her
children G1473 G6151I will
kill] G1722by G2288plague;
G2532and G1097they
shall know G3956in all
G3588the G1577assemblies
G3754that G1473I G1510.2.1am G3588the
one G2045searching
G3510the kidneys
G2532and G2588hearts;
G2532and G1325I will
give G1473to you
G1538each G2596according
to G3588 G2041your
works.
In one way the church has twisted this into not allowing
any women to be able to teach or prophesy, but we have to look at the broader
picture here. It is not “women” twisting the right thinking of the church, it
is the historical culture of the temple that emerges here. As we have studied,
from the time the kingdom split after Solomon died, to the time of Ezekiel was
about 337 years. Through almost all of that time, the Glory of Yahweh resided
alongside male and female prostitution in the temple in booths, as well as the
burning of incense, the worshipping of the Cherubim and constellations, and the
fires of Moloch, including abortions. This was a big problem for a very long
time. Once the Glory of God left, Judah went into captivity and the temple was
destroyed. Temple prostitution still goes on today in many various religions
around the world. That someone brought this into the first century Church is
not a surprise. Leading people astray with lust is not uncommon in our
churches. How many pastors have fallen? So the wrong thinking is not that all
women are controlling witches, using witchcraft to seduce, but that there is
witchcraft that seduces people within the church to commit adultery. If we
notice from the context this was an inner circle, not everyone took on this
teaching of satan. Just like in the temple, the people on the outside most
likely didn’t know anything bad was going on, as Ezekiel had to be shown. Only
those allowed into the inner courts defiled themselves in the temple and
practiced male and female prostitution in booths in the temple. This is such an
inconvenient truth.
Jesus is searching our innermost being. Here we have an
allusion to the two centers of human thought, the nephros and the kardia.
The kidneys are the inner most depths of one’s being and the heart is the
emotional center of thoughts. Jesus knows both one’s head thoughts and heart
thoughts. Jesus is searching them. He knows our works. That is how he rewards
us. Again as we saw in the letter that Jesus wrote to Pergamos, there are two
ways to manipulate the mind, via the head or the heart, (Nicolaitan and Balaam);
and here at Thyatira Jesus points out that the kidneys and the heart are the
two centers of a sound mind.
Rev 3:2G1096Become
G1127being
vigilant, G2532and G4741support
G3588the G3062rest G3739which G3195you
are about G577to
throw off! G3756for I
have not G1063 G2147found G1473your G3588 G2041works G4137being
fulfilled G1799before
G3588 G2316my
God. G1473
3G3421Remember
G3767then G4459how G2983you
received G2532and G191heard,
G2532and G5083give
heed, G2532and G3340repent!
G1437If G3767then G3361you
should not G1127be
vigilant, G2240I will
come G1909upon G1473you G5613as G2812a
thief, G2532and G3766.2in no
way G1097should
you know G4169what G5610hour G2240I will
come G1909upon G1473you.
This church has its twisted thinking in not being vigilant.
Vigilance is being watchful or awake, and not being awake is epidemic in many
of our Churches. Here it seems that there are those who are not being watchful
and they were going to lose whatever they had left because of their
unwatchfulness. This means they had already lost something, maybe unity, love,
peace; and now if they didn’t wake up they would lose whatever they had left.
Perhaps joy, community, kindness. Whatever they were losing by falling asleep,
they were going to lose more if they didn’t wake up. What if they were losing
their young men to the seductions of the world, and they would soon lose the
entire generation to the seductions of the world. Whatever works they had to do
to be fulfilled before God, they had not been doing because they were asleep at
the wheel. Sometimes we get lulled into a false sense of comfort in our church
and we aren’t as assertive against the schemes and plans of the devil as we
should be. Hence the disunity of the Spirit, and hence the need to study this.
Spiritually we have to stay vigilant. There is a popular
children’s movie that shows the main character in a doorway of a child’s
bedroom, but next to the doorway is a child’s drawing of two men (with the names
of the two men) in a sexual position. Sometimes people throw these things into
movies and video games as a joke but in this instance, if a child drew a
picture of anyone in a sexual position shouldn’t we be concerned that the child
is being abused? I must make a disclaimer as I do not own this movie and have
not looked at it frame by frame, but it seems this “easter egg” is making its
rounds in social media circles because of its abomination. While animators
might have thought this was funny, it is another subliminal message. In reality
if a child drew that picture in school like this a lot of questions would be
asked. Not to mention that this type of picture hanging in the bedroom of a
child is simply inappropriate. While we don’t even know these images are in the
movies we watch because we are not paying that close of attention, when we do
find out we still have the responsibility to warn others.
One soft drink company sued the advertising company that
did their advertisements as the soft drink company was offended over the subliminal
images of naked women drawn in the ice cubes. We have to be careful who we
point a finger at. Was it the production company, the advertiser, the artist,
or the animator? In any event, if we recognize that this is a problem and we bring
it to the attention of others, we will be awake and preserving what we have
rather than be asleep and losing what we have left.
Rev 3:9G2400Behold,
G1325I give
G1537from
out of G3588the G4864synagogue
G3588 G4567of
Satan G3588of the
ones G3004saying
G1438themselves
G*to be
Jews, G1510.1 G2532and G3756are
not, G1510.2.6 G235but G5574lie. G2400Behold,
G4160I will
make G1473them G2443that G2240they
shall come G2532and G4352do
obeisance G1799beforeG3588the G4228feet G1473of
you, G2532and G1097they
should know G3754that G25I love
G1473you;
10G3754for G5083you
kept G3588the G3056word G3588 G5281of my
endurance,G1473 G2504and I G1473will
keep you G5083 G1537fromG3588the G5610hour G3588of the
G3986test G3588of the
one G3195about G2064to
come G1909upon G3588the G3611[2world
G36501entire],
G3985to
test G3588the
ones G2730dwelling
G1909upon G3588the G1093earth.
Everyone wants to be this church, the Church of
Philadelphia. But we really are all seven of these churches and not just the one.
Here again we see people attempting to have religious dominance. Just because
someone is a Jew or a brand of Judaism, does not give them dominance over you.
The day of Pentecost changed that forever. It doesn’t matter if others want to
be stuck in the past, the fact is the Holy Spirit now dwells in us. That makes
things different. And Paul, the former rabbi, received the revelation of the
mystery and told us of the dispensation of the mystery. I don’t care who thinks
their tradition is better, the Bible was written by the Holy Spirit, and one’s
personal revelation does not supersede the written Bible. Again, the people
saying that they are Jews are from the synagogue of satan; there is no Jew nor
Gentile, but there is one Body, the Body of Christ. We are new beings, so do
not fall into the trap of old traditions, superstitions, or practices. If
Messianic Jews don’t evangelize Jews and the unsaved, then they are of the
church of satan, because satan wants people to die in their sins. Isn’t that a
twisted way to behave?
Rev 3:17G3754For G3004you
say G3754that, G4145I am
rich G1510.2.1 G2532and G4147am
enriched, G2532and G3762[2no
G55323need G21921have].
G2532And G3756you do
not G1492know G3754that G1473you G1510.2.2are G3588the G5005miserable,
G2532and G3588the G1652pitiable,
G2532and G4434poor, G2532and G5185blind,
G2532and G1131naked.
18G4823I
advise G1473you G59to buy
G5553gold G3844from G1473me G4448purified
G1537by G4442fire, G2443that G4147you
should be rich, G2532and G2440[4garments
G30223 with white
G24431that G40162you
should be covered], G2532and G3361[4should
not G53195be
made manifest G35881the G1522shame G3588 G11323of
your nakedness]; G1473 G2532and G2854[2collyrium
G14721rub] G1909upon G3588 G3788your
eyes, G1473 G2443that G991you
should see!
As we come to the last scheme that Jesus was warning us
about, we see that these people are blind to their own state because they are
rich and comfortable. What if a church leader becomes rich in wealth, does that
leader lead the same as the one who is poor? Jesus challenges them to buy gold
from Him. That does not mean don’t invest, but if one is going to put their
money into an investment, it would be better to invest in evangelization rather
than earthly gold. If we go back to the twisted thinking regarding the fear of
the end of the world, we know that many people buy gold because they believe it
will help them in a crisis. Truly, just like the can of peas, gold won’t get
you anywhere. The recognition is for us to live on the edge so to speak. Don’t live
as if there will be a crisis by hoarding food and gold; use what you have now
rather than “when the crisis comes”. I know of some folks who thought Y2K was
going to be the end of the world. They sold everything they had and bought
gold. It was a terrible investment at the time, and they then became very poor,
barely making ends meet, and not able to sell their gold because the price went
down so low they could not get a return on their investment (this was some
years ago). Someone sold them a fear trip and they got on board. We are to be
living on the edge for Jesus now, not hunkering down waiting for something to
happen. This is another twisted scheme that causes us to do the wrong things.
If we are rich and wealthy we aren’t as concerned about our spiritual state,
but instead we should invest in Jesus’s Body and we will become truly rich.
This is the twisted thinking of the enemies of Jesus. This
is the wrong mind that people have used to attempt to dissect Christianity. It
is witchcraft, it is manipulation, it is domination, it is an attempt to confuse
and blind Christians, and it is a campaign of disinformation. Solomon has a bit
of wisdom for us all.
Wisdom 4:12 For the bewitching of naughtiness doth obscure
things that are honest; and the wandering of concupiscence doth undermine the
simple mind. KJV
The bewitching of
naughtiness obscures things that are honest. The wandering of sexual desire
undermines the simple mind. These are the schemes to keep our mind’s unsound,
or to cause us wrong thinking. The insane and unsound are the enemies of Jesus
and they will continue to twist culture to make the believers in Christ look
unsound. It doesn’t matter if one is a Jew, an atheist, or anything else, if
that one is not a believer in Christ, or doesn’t believe that Jesus is the
Messiah and that by His death he makes eternal life available, then in this
context they are insane and not possessing a sound mind. The insane have become
a ruling class, with covert tactics to manipulate people’s minds and emotions.
To which they hope the end result is disunity in the Body of Christ.
While there isn’t a quick onetime fix as in casting out
demons, the result of correcting our thinking as a church can be just as
dramatic. We can be found fully clothed and in our right mind instead of in disunity
and arguing about every doctrine. Instead of allowing ourselves to wander in
concupiscence and tossed about with all the schemes and plans of the enemy, we
can push back against twisted insanity instead of pushing one another in the
Body of Christ. Rather we should be of sound mind and given to watchful prayer,
not sleeping, but vigilant so we don’t lose whatever we have left. The
multilevel attacks against the church and the innocent are not going to stop,
so it is our duty to understand what is happening and stand against it, unified
and unbroken in the purpose of investing in Jesus’ Body. The insane people of
this world are controlling a lot of things, the media, churches, culture. We
have a great opportunity to overcome and invest in Jesus. We are of sound and
right minds because of what Jesus did for us.
