Watch Out for Those Who Lead You Away from the Truth

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By John Piper November 5, 2006


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Romans 16:17-20

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. Such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
I recall talking to a wise leader of a large missions organization about doctrinal faithfulness. He said something to this effect, “It’s crucial. And so is unity. Some people emphasize one, and some the other. Our organization is made of two kinds of people: purity boys and unity boys.” The unity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of personal relationships and tend to neglect an emphasis on truth. The purity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of truth and tend to neglect the nurture of personal relationships.

In fact, you could probably categorize people and churches and denominations and institutions and movements in the evangelical church today (or even in society in general) along these lines: There are those who emphasize doctrinal purity, and there are those that emphasize relational unity.

Loving People and Loving Truth
I hope you are feeling uncomfortable with that description. A good impulse inside of you would be saying right now: “Do we have to choose? Can’t it be both? Can’t you love truth and love people?” In fact, it would be an even more biblical impulse if you found yourself thinking, “I don’t even think you can love people if you don’t love truth. How can you do what is ultimately good for people if you don’t have any strong convictions about what is ultimately good?”

And yet there is no escaping the reality that people and churches and denominations and schools and even whole periods in history lean one way or the other. I think the period of history we live in is not an easy time to be a lover of truth. The most common criticism, if you stand for an important truth and imply by that stand that others should believe it, is that you are arrogant, which is the opposite of being loving (1 Corinthians 13:4), and therefore you are undermining relationships.

For many thoughtful people today the only path to peaceful relationships in a pluralistic world is the path of no truth that deserves assent from everyone. It seems on the face of it to make sense. If no one claims that what he believes deserves assent from anyone else, then we can live together in peace. Right? So peaceful pluralism and diminished truth claims go hand in hand.

But it doesn’t work like that. When there is no truth that deserves assent from everybody, the only arbiter in our competing desires is power. Where truth doesn’t define what’s right, might makes right. And where might makes right, weak people pay with their lives. When the universal claim of truth disappears, what you get is not peaceful pluralism or loving relationships; what you get is concentration camps and gulags.

Purity for the Sake of Unity
I want you to see from the Bible—and feel in your bones—the importance of being a purity boy for the sake of being a unity boy. I want you to see and feel how out of step this text is with today’s Western culture. It pictures a way of thinking and living that most of our fellow Americans would consider offensive, unloving, fundamentalistic, and out of date. It’s mainly a purity text—a text calling for vigilance in matters of truth and doctrine. But it’s not only that. In a striking way, it is a unity text. The goal of the vigilance for right teaching is to avoid Christ-belittling, self-exalting dissension.

So my hope in preaching from verses 17 and 18 is that you will be freed from any blindness or bondage to this truth-diminishing period of time in which we live. And I pray that, because of this liberty, you would know what it is to love your adversaries and that you would have fresh power from the gospel to magnify Christ in showing that love.

Let’s read again Romans 16:17-18,

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
Verse 17 gives two commands that seem contradictory, but they are joined by a phrase that shows why they are not contradictory. And verse 18 gives two reasons why these two commands are so crucial. Let’s look first at the commands in verse 17.

Watch Out for Those Who Cause Divisions
The first command in verse 17 is to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles or stumbling blocks. “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles.” So it is clear from this command that Paul is concerned about unity. He wants to promote unity. Watch out for those who cause divisions. These are enemies of unity. Watch out for them. I don’t want them to have that effect on you.

Avoid Them
The second command in verse 17 is to avoid these people. The last phrase in the verse: “Avoid them.” Stay away from them. Now the reason I said these two commands sound contradictory is that the first one is driven by a passion for unity: Watch out for those who cause divisions. And the second one is, in fact, a call for division. When you spot such a division-causing person, divide from him. Avoid him.

The Dividing Line of Doctrine
What is it then between these two commands that helps us see how they are not in fact contradictory? It’s Paul’s reference to doctrine. Verse 17: “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.” The issue here is not the same as in chapter 14 where Paul is dealing with different convictions about non-essential things. There he said, in verse 5, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” There was no talk in chapter 14 about avoiding people. The whole point was to help the strong and the weak Christians live together in mutual respect and understanding.

But now here in Romans 16:17, the approach is dramatically different. Here Paul says: Avoid them. Divide from them. Why? Because they are promoting doctrine contrary to what they had been taught. Now Paul’s response to this could have been: Well, nobody has all the truth, and everybody has a piece of it, and unity is more important than truth, and so don’t divide. And we would say: That impulse would not be all bad, would it? Unity is a good thing. Paul cares about it. His first command is: “Watch out for those who cause divisions.”

Truth-Based Division for the Sake of Truth-Based Unity
But that is not the way he responded to this situation. Instead, for the sake of unity—that is, truth-based unity—Paul calls for truth-based division. Avoid them. I don’t know how Paul could make any clearer how he relates doctrine and unity. For Paul, doctrine is the basis of unity. Without the common doctrine they had been taught, the unity would not have been Christian unity. So he is willing to call for truth-based disunity (“Avoid them.” “Divide from them.”) for the sake of truth-based unity.

In other words, when a person departs from the doctrine that the apostles had taught, Paul sees this as a greater threat to unity than the disunity caused by avoiding such people. If we say: How can that be? How can dividing from a false teacher who rises up in the church promote unity in the church? The answer is that the only unity that counts for unity in the church is rooted in a common apostolic teaching. Isolating false teachers—avoiding them—is Paul’s strategy for preserving unity that is based on true teaching.

Joy in the Truth Is Dominant
Now let’s pause here before looking at the reasons for these commands in verse 18. I want to make a clarifying comment about both of these commands and the doctrine that connects them.

First, with regard to the command to “watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught,” it is possible to go overboard on this. I hesitate even to say it, since I don’t think this is the temptation of most churches or most Christians today. But it is possible, and there are churches and people that do go overboard.

What I mean is that they become so obsessed with spotting doctrinal error that they lose their ability to rejoice in doctrinal truth. They’re like dogs that are trained so completely to sniff out drugs at the airport, that even when they’re off duty they greet everybody that way. It doesn’t make for a very welcoming atmosphere.

The book of Romans does not make this mistake. Periodically Paul warns against doctrinal or ethical error. But most of Romans is a glorious display of the work of Christ for us and in us. So let’s ask the Lord to help us get the balance right here. We must do this: “Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.” But this is not the main thing we do. Vigilance over error is necessary, but joy in the truth is dominant.

There Is a Defined Body of Doctrine
Second, with regard to the doctrine, don’t miss the obvious: There is such a thing—a body of doctrine that someone can go against. Verse 17: “Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.” There is a doctrinal standard. There is something you can depart from. Paul refers to it in several ways. In Romans 6:17, he calls it the standard of teaching: “[You] have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.” In 2 Timothy 1:13-14, he calls it the pattern of sound words and the good deposit. “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” In Acts 20:27, he calls it the whole counsel of God. “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”

So there is a body or standard or pattern of sound doctrine. The caution here, of course, is that we must not put every minor opinion about hundreds of Bible verses in this category so that there is no room for any disagreement at all (cf. Philippians 3:15). The pattern of sound doctrine would be a faithful summary of biblical essentials determined by how crucial they are in expressing and preserving the history of redemption, the nature and condition of man, the nature and work of Christ, the nature and word of the Holy Spirit, and the nature and work of God the Father. One of the greatest challenges in the quest for unity is deciding what belongs in this body of doctrine when Paul says, if someone departs from it, avoid him. That’s part of what the elders were working on last year in the baptism question. And which we are still working on.

Leave Room for Enemy Love
Third, with regard to the second command at the end of verse 17 (avoid them), we need to be sure we leave room for obedience to the teaching in Romans 12 that says we should “Bless those who curse you” (v. 14), and, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (v. 18), and so on.

Avoiding someone does not mean: Stop caring about him, or stop praying for him, or even stop talking to them. When Peter acted contrary to the gospel in Galatians 2, Paul did not first avoid him. He first confronted him with a view to winning him back. That kind of contact is not forbidden. What Paul commands with the words avoid them, is not no contact at all, but the kind of contact that communicates life can go on as usual between us. It can’t. If you, as a professing Christian, persist in departing from the doctrine the apostles taught, we can’t simply hang out together like we used to.

False Teachers Seem Nice
That brings us finally to verse 18 and the two reasons Paul gives for why doctrinal vigilance is so important. Verse 18: “For such persons [that is, the persons who depart from the doctrine] do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.”

Let’s take the second one first. Verse 18b: “By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” The word for flattery is simply blessing. And smooth talk doesn’t necessarily mean manifestly slippery. It just means pleasant and plausible. So the reason we must be so vigilant over biblical doctrine is that those who depart from it take simple people with them by pleasant, plausible speech that presents itself as a blessing. False teachers don’t get a following by being rough and harsh. They get a following by being nice.

Just take two examples from history: Arius (d. 336) and Socinus (d. 1604)—both of whom denied the deity of Christ. Parker Williamson describes Arius like this:

Here was a bright, energetic, attractive fellow, the kind of citizen whom any Rotary Club would welcome. Singing sea chanties in dockside pubs and teaching Bible stories to the Wednesday night faithful, this was an immensely popular man. His story reminds us that heresy does not bludgeon us into belief. We are seduced. (Parker T. Williamson, Standing Firm: Reclaiming the Chastain Faith in Times of Controversy [Lenoir, North Carolina: PLC Publications, 1996], p. 31.)
And another writer describes Socinus like this:

He was a gentleman. His morals were above reproach and he distinguished himself by his unfailing courtesy. Unfailing courtesy was remarkable in an age when even the great Protestant leaders, Luther and Calvin would use vile street language when arguing with their opponents.
This means that it will seldom be popular to resist false teachers in the church because they are almost always perceived as bringing a blessing and speaking with winsome words. They are gentlemen. And Paul says the innocent are carried away. Hence he says, “Watch out for them. And avoid them.”
False Teachers Serve Their Own Appetites
The other reason why doctrinal vigilance is so crucial, Paul says, is (verse 18a) because “such persons [the false teachers] do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites”—literally their own belly. In other words, the issue in false teaching is not a simple intellectual mistake. Behind the plausible speech and the smooth gentlemanly demeanor is idolatry, and the idol is the belly—the appetite for food or sex or human approval. Behind serious false teaching, we almost always find not merely intellectual mistakes, but worldly passions enslaving the mind.
Watch Out
So I close with a pointed call to vigilance: Watch out for smooth talkers who pastor large churches, write many books, lead wide ministries, and do not manifestly prize above their earthly good the whole counsel of God.

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Watch Out for Those Who Lead You Away from the Truth

1 PROPHECY: / Daily Prophecy Corner / DO NOT REJOICE WHEN YOUR ENEMY FALLS by Bill Young 9/12 on: Today at 07:08:44am
WILLIAM C. YOUNT
Hagerstown, MD
www.billyount.com


September 12, 2008

"DO NOT REJOICE WHEN YOUR ENEMY FALLS....." Proverbs 24:17,18

Proverbs 24:17,18 "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls. And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles." 18. Lest the Lord see it and it displease Him and He turn away his wrath from him.

Not only are we to love our enemies but we are warned not to rejoice when we see our enemy fall. We are not to even let our heart be glad when they stumble!

Have you ever prayed for God's love to flow through you to love your enemies and you were amazed that you could actually love them and then you saw your enemy fall and you began to praise the Lord? And as you were rejoicing over your enemy's seemingly defeat, your enemy suddenly somehow seemed to get blessed again only to rise above you. I believe this principle applies to our enemies also when they see us fall. I believe this is why in Micah 7:8 it says, "Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall, I will rise. Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me." The devil never has the last laugh when God's people fall....God laughs at the enemy as His people get back up! Proverbs 24:16 "For a just man falls seven times and rises up again!"

GOD SEES YOU WHEN YOU ARE CURSED BY OTHERS! 2 Samuel 16:5

2 Samuel 16:5 "And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimel, the son of Gera; he came forth and cursed as he came. 6. And he cast stones at David and at all the servants of king David and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7. "And thus said Shimei when he cursed..."Come out, come out you bloody man and thou man of Belial, 8. The Lord has returned upon you all the blood of the house of Saul in whose stead thou has reigned and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son and behold thou art taken in thy mischief because thou art a bloody man." 9. "Then said Abishai unto the king. Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head." 10. And the king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah" So let him curse... perhaps the Lord has said unto him, curse David. Who shall then say, wherefore has thou done so? 11 .... "Let him alone and let him curse for the Lord has bidden him. 12. It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day." 13. And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hillside over against him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and cast dust.

What a leader! What rare character is exemplified in David here. He could have had his men kill this cursing dead dog but thought to himself...."Just maybe the Lord is using this crazy man in my life for some reason!" I believe David took inventory of his life and examined his heart to see if anything he had done had given place to the enemy for this man to act like this. Proverbs 26:2 "...a curse without a cause shall not come."

"THE LORD HAS GIVEN COMMANDMENT TO BLESS AND HE HAS BLESSED AND I CANNOT REVERSE IT!" Numbers 23:20,21

This truth is found when an evil man named Balak was urging Balamm to curse Israel. He promised Balaam very great honor and whatever else Balaam would ask him for if he would curse Israel. Numbers 22:17

But every time Balaam opens his mouth, all that comes out is......

"Behold I have received commandment to bless and He has blessed and I cannot reverse it." "He hath not beheld inquity in Jacob neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him and the shout of a king is among them!" 22. God brought them out of Egypt, Jacob has as it were the strength of an unicorn!" 23. "Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, "What hath God wrought!" Numbers 23:20-23. Three times Balak presses Balaam to curse Israel and Israel ends up getting blessed three times over! Numbers 24:10

A WOMAN IS USED TO HELP DAVID TO BECOME KING OF ISRAEL 1 Samuel 25:13 - 34

David sends messengers to ask Nabal if they could have food and drink. After all when Nabal's shepherds were with David and his men earlier David was kind to them. But Nabal rails against David and his men and David says in 1 Samuel 25:13 - 22 21. ."Surely in vain have I kept all that Nabal has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained to him and he has requited me evil for good. 22. So and more also do God unto the enemies of David if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall."

David is ready to get even with Nabal but "Houston, we got a problem....here comes Nabal's wife Abigal to the rescue! In verse 25 Abigal says to David.."Let not my lord regard this man of Belial, even Nabal for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him. 26. "As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth seeing the Lord hath withheld you coming to shed blood and from avenging yourself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. 28 'Forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make you a sure house because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord and evil has not been found in thee all thy days." 29." Yet a man is risen to pursue thee and to seek thy soul; but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God and the souls of thine enemies, them shall He sling out, as out of the middle of a sling." 30 "And it shall come to pass when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel."

David says to Abigal in verse 32. "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me, 33 and blessed by thy advice and blessed be thou which has kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging myself with mine own hand." Ten days later Nabal is found dead.

All throughout scripture it seems how we handle criticism and even people who curse us determines our promotion and destiny!

DAVID OVERCOMES HIS BIGGEST GIANT CALLED 'CRITICISM' RIGHT BEFORE HE SLAYS HIS SMALLER GIANT 'GOLIATH'! 1 Samuel 17:28

1 Samuel 17:28 "And Eliab his eldest brother heard when David spoke unto the men about wanting to face Goliath all by himself and Eliab's anger was kindled against David and he said, "Why camest thou down here? and whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the naughtiness of your heart for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle." 29. And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?"

David could have gotten upset at his brother's remarks but verse 30 says that he turned away from his brother and spoke again about wanting to face Goliath. What self control David displayed. He seemingly overcame the bigger giant of criticism which perhaps catapulted him in the right spirit to take down the smaller giant 'Goliath'! Goliath's taunting and criticizing King Saul and all the people for forty days seemed to work effectively by putting intimidation into the people and King Saul but not with David. That same critical,intimidating spirit that flooded that valley, came spewing out of Eliab recocheting right off of David and penetrated the forehead of Goliath! When you face criticism you are nearing your promotion and victory!

'CRITICISM' CAN BECOME THE LADDER TO YOUR NEXT LEVEL. Psalm 141:5

Psalm 141:5 "Let the righteous smite me and it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil which shall not break my head; for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamity."

'Reprove' means to 'rebuke for finding fault with'.

Recently I have faced criticism for a couple of messages that I had written. I recieved a couple of emails concerning not agreeing with them. To be honest these emails I received were written with such hostility that I thought sure that the devil himself had written me from hell. Later a Godly brother whom I respect brought to my attention what he disagreed with so I began to search my heart and I could see where I should have used different words to avoid the confusion that people had about them. I realized that I was wrong. I also have grown over the years to regret a few words I wish I would not have written. As I have embraced this criticism from a few cruel people and the Godly ones who can reprove me in love, I am taking my writing more seriously. Right after this display of criticism as I have embraced it for good, I have experienced a fresh anointing upon my life and in my ministry. It is truly an 'excellent oil' that is covering my head. I think we all are practicing to get it right. I now actually thank God for criticism, for it is the ladder to my next level.

WHEN YOU GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL.... YOU START OVER AGAIN AT THE BOTTOM!




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August 28, 2008

"OH AMERICA!....DO NOT SALE YOUR BIRTHRIGHT!"

I saw a violent wrestling in the heavenlies as a window of opportunity was opening up momentarily for a space of time for our nation to be redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb! I heard as a strong voice of an angel proclaiming and piercing through the powers of darkness over America....."OH AMERICA!....DO NOT SALE YOUR BIRTHRIGHT!"

FOR THE HEALING OF OUR NATION....WATCH YOUR MOUTH FOR THE NEXT 40 DAYS. FAST FROM ALL NEGATIVE THINKING, CRITICAL WORDS, AND THE POINTING OF THE FINGER!

"Post a guard at my mouth, God, set a watch at the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3

I sense we have entered a critical space of time during the next 40 days as we repent and draw closer to the Lord. I sense during this time that the words that we speak, especially concerning our nation, will carry tremendous power in how the Lord responds to us. I sense it is as though our words will be amplified in the spirit realm during this time. God will be listening, but so will the enemy! Much of the battle and breakthroughs will be won by the words that we speak! Remember that the power of life and death is in our tongue! I sense the Lord saying...."OH America!....DECREE YOUR BIRTHRIGHT!"

I heard of a congregation who sensed the Lord challenging them to fast negative words and thoughts for thirty days. At the end of thirty days, there were tremendous testimonies of miracles, financial breakthroughs, and relationships reconciled!

ISRAEL'S MOUTH KEPT THEM OUT OF THEIR INHERITANCE...THEY MURMURED AND COMPLAINED ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP OF THEIR NATION!

Murmuring and complaining against their leadership, Moses, became full-blown and rooted in unbelief, keeping the Israelites from entering into their promised land. I sense we need to be reminded, especially during these next 40 days, to be careful what we speak concerning the leadership of our nation, churches, and yes, the husbands and fathers of our families. Perhaps, if you are a Republican, it may be wise to pray more for the Democratic leaders and vice versa.

If you are a leader, remember that Moses also was kept out of his inheritance by getting angry with the people and striking the rock instead of speaking to it. We as leaders must be careful to speak encouragement and not provoke those under us to wrath.

IF OUR MOUTH CAN KEEP US OUT OF OUR INHERITANCE--OUR MOUTH CAN TAKE US IN!

It is interesting that even with all of the sin, the giants, and the evil in the land of Canaan, that God still called it a "good land flowing with milk and honey!" Even when the evil report came about how big the giants were, Joshua and Caleb responded, "If the giants are that big, imagine how big the fruit of that land is!" Both of them could only carry out one cluster of grapes on a pole.

"I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!" Psalm 27:13

I believe the Lord will open our eyes and ears as we close our mouths more during these next forty days. He will show us great and mighty things that we just never saw or heard before. We will begin to see the good of our land--the fruit instead of the giants and evil. We will then begin to pray and say what He says about our nation! I believe we will even begin speaking blessing to the ground beneath our feet!

SPEAK TO YOUR MOUNTAINS, SING TO YOUR VALLEYS, AND BLESS YOUR OCEAN SHORE LINES...."THIS LAND WAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME!"

I heard the Rocky mountains, the Grand Canyon, and the ocean front properties crying out to Heaven, "Don't let go of me!" I heard the earth herself groaning--from California to the New York Highlands, and from the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters--she was travailing, as though crying out for the manifestation of the sons of God to come forth in power and might!

A VERBAL BLESSING IS SO POWERFUL IN REVERSING THE CURSE OF THE LAND!

Remember the old saying..."If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all!" As I saw our words blessing the land of our nation, much of the land was beginning to come under the anointing and ownership of God's people as though it was responding to our love and kindness to it.

This time period is the perfect time to speak forth God's word and call those things in this nation that are not as though they were!

"OH AMERICA!...DONT' SALE YOUR BIRTHRIGHT - DECREE IT!"




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August 16, 2008

DOING THE 'PRACTICAL' TO RELEASE THE 'SUPERNATURAL' IN YOUR LIFE AND OTHERS! 2 Kings 3:11,12

The word 'practical' means...pertaining to be useful in 'ordinary' everyday activities or work.

2 Kings 3:11,12 "But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of him?" And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha, the son of Shaphat, 'WHO POURED WATER ON THE HANDS OF ELIJAH'." 12. And Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him."

It is believed that Elisha spent his first ten years ministering to Elijah. Even after Elijah departed, he was known as "Elisha....who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah." Elijah was known as a lonely prophet and ended up battling depression in a cave thinking he was the only one left that was living for God at that time. Elisha's ministry doubled in miracles seemingly with less fan fare with the emphasis more on serving compassion to people. Elisha seemed to even down play the 'hoop de dah' of miracles and seemed to weave the practical side of life into the miraculous showing that in our every day ordinary activities lie the 'stuff' that lead us into the supernatural realm of miracles, signs and wonders!

2 Kings 5:1-14 You can read the whole story of how Nathan, captain of the host of the king of Syria, a great man with his master and very honorable, received his miracle in a very practical, ordinary way. It starts with a little maid who was taken captive out of the land of Israel who waited on Naaman's wife. She said to Naaman's wife, "Would to God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria, for he would recover him of his leprosy. This great miracle begins with a little maid wanting to do good to Naaman although she had been taken captive by his soldiers. ( This reminds me of Graham Cook sharing how he believes the world is dying from the lack of kindness to it.) It must have been humbling to Naaman to listen to this little captive maid and start his journey for his healing to see this prophet, Elisha. 9-14 "So Naaman came and stood before the door of the house of Elisha. 10."Elisha sends a messenger to him saying, "Go wash in Jordan seven times and thy flesh shall come again to thee and thou shalt be clean." Naaman gets upset for he doesn't even get to see the prophet make a big deal of his healing. 11. "I thought He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and strike his hand over the place and heal me!" Nathan even thought that this prophet picked the wrong river to go dipping in. He knew of better rivers that he preferred and anger rose up in Naaman. 13. "And his servants came near and spake to Naaman and said, "My father, if the prophet had bid thee to do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he says to thee, wash and be clean? 14 Naaman finally obeyed and was healed of his leprosy.

Can you see the practical things the prophet told Naaman to do to receive his healing? Naaman never even got to see the prophet Elisha until after his healing! I believe Elisha learned through serving Elijah many years by doing many practical things such as pouring water on Elijah's hands that supernatural miracles and healings begin right there.

The word 'practical' means.... pertaining to be useful in 'ordinary' everyday activities or work.

JESUS WENT ABOUT DOING PEOPLE GOOD. AS A RESULT HEALINGS AND MIRACLES HAPPENED! Acts 10:38

Acts 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power: who went about 'doing good' and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him."

Lately as I read this verse the words 'doing good' jumped out at me. Imagine Jesus being filled with the Holy Ghost and power and all He wants to do with all that power is to just walk around 'doing good' to people! It sounds like healing and miracles was not the first thing on his mind. Of course healings and miracles took place but it was the result of his love and compassion to help people. His passion was people, not healings or miracles. Whatever it took to do good to people would then take place even if it took a miracle or healing for He wanted to do them good! Signs and wonders followed Him as His compassion moved him towards people. It seems that 'doing good' things which included practical things like holding children in His arms, eating with publicans and sinners, and letting a prostitute wash his dirty feet, often released revelation that others needed to experience the supernatural.

Recently I had a dream of a crying child that someone was holding that could not be comforted. As the person handed me the child to hold, it became calm and peaceful in my arms. As I was holding this child I saw a small gift wrapped at my feet that began to leak out like a small drop of oil from the inside of it. I thought at first some kind of liquid bottle inside the gift must have broken and caused this drop to appear on the ground. As I continued to hold the child, this dripping continued out of this gift until it began to flow freely all over the floor without stopping. People's attention was drawn to what appeared to be oil flowing from this gift that was still wrapped up. I could see that many were drawn to this oil flowing out of it but I knew that me just holding and comforting this troubled child was what was causing this awesome anointing oil to be released from this small gift. God was showing me something. "Bill, if you are willing to begin to take your eyes off of your so called gifting and are willing to do some practical needed things in people's lives, My anointing will begin to flow out of your life as a result of you getting closer to people instead of you focusing on your gift." I plan to be more sensitive to small children.

DID THE FIVE THOUSAND EVEN KNOW THAT THEIR 'MIRACLE' MEAL WAS CATERED BY A LITTLE BOY'S BAG LUNCH? Luke 9:13

Luke 9:13 "But Jesus said to His disciples when they wanted to send the multitudes away... "You give them something to eat!" 14."And then he told His disciples to make the multitude sit down by fifties in a company." Imagine the practicality of having the disciples getting five thousand men besides the women and children to sit down by fifties! And then as Jesus blessed the five loaves and two fishes He gave them to His disciples to hand out...'practical hospitality'. Notice the practical things that the disciples did that was woven into this miracle. This all seems so practical but watch what happens....here comes a miracle on the heels of 'practicality'! I don't read where a big announcement was made to the multitude that their meal was catered by a little boy's bag lunch. Jesus didn't seem to make a big deal out of the miracle. He even made it look like the disciples fed them all! This miracle looked so practical in the making. Of course the miracle of multiplying the food took place but His priority was to get those five thousand growling stomachs so full that there would be twelve baskets left over! Since it took a miracle to feed these people that's what Jesus used. The miracle was just part of the journey of His goal to feed them. This miracle seemed to have practical applications woven all through it beginning with the mother who fixed an ordinary bag lunch for her son. Was Jesus teaching his disciples that in doing the practical, everyday, ordinary, mundane, things of doing good for people lies the ingredients of the supernatural?

From Max Lucado's 'Grace for the Moment Vol.2 "Work Can Be Worship"

"Have you seen the painting 'The Angelus' by Jean-Francis Millet? It portrays two peasants praying in their field. A church steeple sits on the horizon and a light falls from heaven. The rays do not fall on the church, however. They don't fall on the bowed heads of the man and woman. The rays of the sun fall on the 'wheelbarrow and the pitchfork' at the couple's feet. God's eyes fall on the work of our hands. He blurs the secular and sacred."

IT SEEMS THAT THE FIRST WEDDING MIRACLE OF TURNING WATER INTO WINE WAS INTENDED TO MAKE THE BRIDEGROOM LOOK GOOD! John 2:1-11

This miracle is performed with such practicality that the bridegroom gets the credit for throwing a great party!

John 1:6 "And there were six water pots of stone. 7. Jesus says to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8. Jesus says to them. "Draw out now and bear it to the governor of the feast." And they took it to the governor. 9. When the governor of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine he didn't know where it came from but the servants which drew the water knew. The governor calls for the bridegroom to praise the bridegroom for serving the best wine at the end of the party! Again I hear no announcement of a miracle from the lips of Jesus or his disciples. No one seemed to know but the servants and the disciples that Jesus turned the water into wine. Again the miracle of this feast wasn't the goal but it seemed Jesus wanted to do good to the bridegroom and to bless the party with the best wine. Since it took a miracle that's what He did. 11. This of course did help his disciples to believe on Him. Again was Jesus teaching His disciples practical steps in creating this miracle and getting other people involved to help someone else receive the blessing from it? In a way He was letting his disciples know that 'you can do this' if it's in your heart to do good to people!

LIGHT DOESN'T SAY A WORD... IT JUST SHINES! Matthew 5:14,16

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world." 16. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

When you walk into a dark room you don't start fighting the darkness so light can come. You just turn the lights on. The light of the world does not argue with darkness, fight or even try in any way to remove the darkness. It cannot be extinguished by any darkness. It is the light! Darkness can only exist in the absence of light. Light is a symbol of spiritual presence and power.

I know a pastor who always was counseling a dear woman who seemed to be turning her husband off by always preaching to him and telling him how he should be living. After many counsel sessions with no change in the wife or her husband the frustrated pastor finally said to the wife. "Sister, do you see that light bulb up there in the ceiling? It is giving out light without saying a word!" Jesus wants you to be the light in this house for your husband. Just let that light shine and your husband will be drawn to that light inside of you which is Jesus."

AS I WATCHED MY NEW NEIGHBOR'S GRASS GROW TALLER THE LORD SPOKE CLEARLY TO ME.... "MOW IT WITHOUT TELLING HER I TOLD YOU TO!' Psalm 72:5-6

Psalm 72:5-6 "They shall fear the Lord as long as the sun and moon endure, ( as long as the light is shining ) throughout all generations." He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth!"

I started to mow my neighbor's yard several times and no one seemed to notice it. I found out later the neighbor woman had no husband or lawn mower. She was too busy to even thank me at first for she was never home having to work two jobs. She finally did thank me and said she couldn't afford to pay me but I knew that as I mowed her lawn that something was happening in the Spirit. Every place where the souls of my feet were coming down, God was giving me favor and influence by just mowing the lawn. And as verse 7 says, "He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass." With each rain that fell upon this neighbor's mown grass, God was coming down upon this family! I wanted to tell her at first that God had spoken to me to mow her grass for the summer but the Lord seemed to stop me and wanted me to just let His light shine through me without getting Him involved prematurely. I am sure like others she has met Christians like myself and has been turned off by being disappointed in the past. Now is my time to do something good to help her see the light at the end of the tunnel. I believe it's time for us to show people we personally care about them before we even begin to mention how much God cares.

The greatest mistake I made when I first got saved was to tell my fellow workers in the factory where I worked that I was now a christian. They then watched me to see if I really was and all they seemed to see was that I wasn't perfect. I wish I would have just lived the life and let the light shine and as they saw the difference in me they would begin to ask what had happened to me.

"THE RAYS OF GOD'S SON ARE FALLING UPON OUR 'WHEELBARROWS AND PITCHFORKS!" Romans 12:21

Romans 12:21 "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

I believe the Lord is highlighting the need to be practical in our approach to this lost and dying world. It's overdue time to put shoe leather on our prayers and worship and overcome evil with good.

WHEN LIFE IS OVER WE WILL BE JUDGED BY WHAT 'PRACTICAL' THINGS WE COULD HAVE DONE THAT WE WERE ALL CAPABLE OF DOING! Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 25:31-46 "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of glory: 32. And before Him shall be gathered all nations and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. 34. "Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." 35. "For I was hungry and you gave Me meat: I was thirsty and you gave Me drink: I was a stranger and you took Me in: 36."Naked, and you clothed Me: I was sick and you visited Me: I was in prison and you came to Me."

As we are moved with compassion to minister to these peoples' practical needs, I believe we will experience more of the power of God upon us to be used to release the supernatural into their lives as well.

Romans 2:4 "....the goodness of God leads men to repentance."

Let's go about doing good and watch the supernatural take place!



2 PROPHECY: / Daily Prophecy Corner / JUDGMENT AND BLESSING TO COME by Gilliland 9/12 on: Today at 07:07:29am
MARY ELLEN GILLILAND
P. O. Box 499
Silverthorne, Colorado 80498
www.zoebooks.com




Judgment and Blessing To Come
September 12, 2008

Go in peace, My child, for I have it all in hand. Your cares are My cares. I am one with you. Forever My faithfulness will guide you. Forever My mercy will guard you. Relax then; you (and yours) are in My hand.
Now I will speak to you of other things: There is coming upon the earth judgment and recompense. Your dry places will blossom as the rose during this period. But you will see devastation around you. Do not be moved. Do not let these things distress you. Praise God that He knows what He is doing. Do not let the church in its shaking trouble you. I AM God who stands between the seven lampstands. Watch and pray. Observe and learn. But do not faint. I am with you.

Revelation 1:13 Then I turned to see the voice speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the lampstands one like a Son of Man, clothed with a robe which reached to His feet and with a girdle of gold about His breast.



Rejoice, for My Holy Nation Rises
September 4, 2008

I AM God. No one else nor any thing holds My position or contends for My position in your life or in the lives of My people. Therefore I will arise and act on their behalf, forming them into one holy nation which will be strong upon the earth. This nation, this people, is unlike any other. Its enemies will fall before this people. All nations shall release their wealth and power to this nation of God. This nation will excel in the anointing of Jesus, its King, bringing liberty to captives, giving sight to the blind, binding up and healing the broken-hearted and causing the lame to walk. I rejoice in this holy nation, this godly people, today. I make them My own. I mark them as My own, My very own people, My dream realized.



Feast of Tabernacles
August 26, 2008

Come! It will be beautiful. Come to the banquet of the Lord. Feast on His blessings, fine wine (exquisite joy) poured out, and fine delicacies held back for now. Feast your eyes (see it) and feed your body on its strength. Feast your soul and be satisfied.
It is the Great Banquet of God, set for the Feast of Tabernacles, and the invitations are going out to you. Believe and receive. Dance the Feast. Rejoice in the holy Feast of Tabernacles with Me.



Your Barren Places Will Blossom
August 18, 2008

Know now, My children, that your desert will blossom as the rose. Know now that your recompense is come, in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. For He is come, is appearing in you, the body of Christ. He is arising in you and shining in you, "for the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." He will be shown forth in you.
Your barrenness will blossom and bear fruit. Your worst places of defeat and loss will become a lush landscape, thick with green reeds and water plants. The rock will become a pool and the flint will become a fountain. In your devastation and lean places you will find joy erupting.
So strengthen yourselves and fear not. Don't be afraid to believe this message because it is true. Let it be done unto My people according to My will, according to My word. Amen.

Isaiah 35:1,4 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose and the autumn crocus . . . with the recompense of God He will come and save you.

Isaiah 60:1-2 Arise ! Shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth and dense darkness the peoples but the Lord shall arise upon you and His glory shall be seen on you.



Jesus Asks Us for Deep Intercession
August 13, 2008

I am God! No one deters Me. Nothing upsets Me. My peace overrides all My actions and doings, for I dwell in continual, perfect peace. I AM Peace.
Nevertheless, in Jesus, the Christ, who is both God and man, I can suffer. In the body of Jesus, I suffer now and am racked with pain regarding the church. This pain is not unlike the pain of My labor with Me and attend Me in My travail.
I call you to intercede in deep, deep prayer of the Spirit to allow Me to bring forth. As the full chapter (21) in Isaiah verse points out, there is also a bringing down. This Babylon brought down is the tyrannical religious structure that holds the church in its grip. This structure will come down.
Go in peace, therefore, because I AM in it. I am in control and I will bring it carefully to its conclusion in Christ Jesus. Turmoil will give way to peace. You will go out with tears, carrying your seed but you will return in joy bearing your sheaves of harvest.

Isaiah 21:3 Therefore my loins are filled with pain; Pangs have taken hold of me, like the pangs of a woman in labor. I was distressed when I heard it; I was dismayed when I saw it.


Give Your Identity to Me
August 4, 2008

Let go! Let God. Give your identity to Me. Let Me have it and use it and give you a new identity, a better identity. It is the cloak I told you about in April. (See April 23 prophecy below.) It chafes like rough burlap and slips from your shoulders but as you humble yourself and accept it to wear it, it becomes soft and lustrous and fitted to you. In your acceptance is your glory.

Thank you so much for your post genesisgirl, your words really bless me.



For the longest time, I couldn't figure out what Moses did wrong. I had to read very carefully to see that he struck the rock instead of speaking to it. God is teaching me to follow his word exactly and not change his word to meet my own expectations.

Good word...



GOD SEES YOU WHEN YOU ARE CURSED BY OTHERS! 2 Samuel 16:5