Discerning True Believers



Today I feel it is very important that we are able to distinguish true believers from those who say they are, but really are not.  I felt led to read I John 2, and have quoted parts of it here: 

1Jn 2:1    My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1Jn 2:2    And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1Jn 2:3    And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

1Jn 2:4    He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1Jn 2:5    But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

1Jn 2:6    He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 

To get a clearer perspective,  according to verse 4, if someone is simply spouting familiar Christian terms and saying they know the Lord, but they are not intending to follow Him (keep His Word), is lying and do not know the Lord even though they say they do.  They may talk the talk, but are they walking the walk? 

1Jn 2:7    Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

1Jn 2:8    Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

1Jn 2:9    He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

1Jn 2:10    He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

1Jn 2:11    But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 

Take notice of verse 7, "I write no new commandment unto you."  If you research and are following what is going on in the Christian world, it is amply evident that there are groups balking at tradition and trying to come up with something new and different all the time.  Earlier this week I found a site that shed light on the "emerging church."  Click here for the link.  This is exactly the kind of thing to be wary of when someone comes up with new and revised ways that run contrary to Scripture or ignore it altogether.  God doesn't change and neither does His Word, or His commandments.  These are what we must adhere to, not the whims of man.   

1Jn 2:18    Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1Jn 2:19    They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. 

Today there are many "antichrists" who oppose the truth of God's Word and this can come in many forms.  For one, some think that the proponents of the emerging church are the ones who will help usher in the one-world church, where all religions blend into one, and you are no longer allowed to go against the stream of popular opinion.  Are we getting close to that now?  This should be no surprise since we know we are living in the last days.  In verse 19, we have a telling way to expose whether a person is sincerely a true believer in Christ or not.  Once you expose the truth of God's Word to them, as it's been revealed to you (through the Holy Spirit, confirmed by other Scriptures, and experienced by you in your own life), do they retaliate and argue, run and hide, or graciously receive the Word as it's been given?  If they do not receive it, then we have to question whether they are true believers, or are they just trying to lead us astray from the Truth of God's Word.  

 If we say we are true believers and followers of Jesus Christ, then we have been given the Truth for a reason, and it must go beyond ourselves (in fact, it is commanded).  We must not be passive in these last critical days.  We must stand up and make a difference, for there are many lost souls who will not stand a chance of receiving salvation if we do nothing to dispel the influence of such a heavy cloud of deception currently over our world.

Joy versus Positive Thinking

We must not confuse positive thinking with true joy.  A person who is not a Christian may experience temporary happiness due to favorable circumstances, but they can never know the joy of the Lord until they know the Lord in a personal way.  I speak from personal experience.  Even though I was raised in a Christian home, when I was a teenager, I got in with the wrong crowd to fit in, and I ended up backsliding against God.  During that time I lived as anyone who didn't know the Lord.   At first I thought it was fun to see how some unbelievers lived, and participate in the things of the world without any accountability to God or others.   The happiness I experienced all depended on my circumstances, whether I was accepted, invited to certain parties, and so on.   But after awhile, the drinking and the drugs (and cult involvement that went with the drug culture of that time) took a toll on my health and my mental well-being.  I became a border-line diabetic and I fell into a deep depression.  I couldn't sleep for the nightmares that haunted me.  So I began searching for a way out.

I began reading every positive thinking booking I could get my hands on, thinking that if I just learned how to think properly, I'd be free of the depression.  So I tried what they said.  I even prayed.  But nothing seemed to work.  I didn't know anything about oppression and that I had aligned myself with the devil and entered into his territory by delving into drugs and cult literature, which left me open to his deception and oppression.  I thank God that at that time my parents were earnestly praying for me, and made it possible for me to attend a God-centered Bible School that was one of the best schools at that time, with solid Biblical teaching. 

This is where I discovered what true joy is as compared to just positive thinking.  Here is where the Lord reached down to me and in His gentle and compassionate way drew me to Himself.  He changed my thoughts and my heart and He gave me a brand new start.  He filled me with the joy of my salvation, for He had delivered me from the great weight of my own sin and set me free from the bondage of my past.  But it would still take me many more years to discover the roots behind the depression that I would continue to struggle with, but never as so intensely when I wasn't living for Him.  

True joy and happiness is from the Lord and it comes from deep within, bubbling over in an unstoppable way.  It is usually accompanied by a deep and restful peace, knowing we are safe and all is well in our relationship with the Lord and others.  It is one of the most precious gifts of God, like a reward, for a job well done, and it is given just because He loves us, with no strings attached.  It comes from having a right attitude, and often follows heart-felt repentance, thankfulness and praise.  And the Lord will often surprise us with joy while we are in the midst of a difficult trial, and sometimes it will come at the end of a trial, like an added bonus. 

Joy does not necessarily happen because things are going well, we have money in the bank, our health is good, and all our relationships are thriving.  In fact, joy often happens when we are in the midst of great trials because we are no longer looking to others or to the things of this world to provide us with happiness.  When we struggle and have little, this is when we are the richest of all, because we realize God is enough and He is the source of all that matters in life.  Paul speaks of the Corinthians, how their joy was experienced during a deep trial: 

2Co 8:2   How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. 

As well, sometimes when we embrace the tenets of positive thinking, and we are lukewarm towards God and others at the same time, positive thinking will not deliver what we want it to because our hearts have to first be changed.   Joy comes from a heart that is right with God.  We think of David's prayer of repentance: 

Psa 51:2    Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Psa 51:3    For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Psa 51:4    Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Psa 51:5    Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Psa 51:6    Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Psa 51:7    Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psa 51:8    Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Psa 51:9    Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Psa 51:10    Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Psa 51:11    Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Psa 51:12    Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 

Notice in verse 8, the request for joy and gladness follow David's repentance.  And in verse 12, David desires the restoration of the joy of his salvation, which would not be possible until he had truly repented.  In that same verse, David refers to God as having a "free spirit."  It's interesting that many times when I wasn't living for the Lord, I thought that I was a free spirit because I could do whatever I pleased and that was real freedom.  But I didn't realize the consequences of my actions, and true freedom can only come from the Lord.  And with that freedom, where He graciously and lovingly clears us of our offences against Him, there is a peace and joy that only He can give.   

Many people do not realize that positive thinking, by itself, can never give us the joy we truly seek.  Only God can give us that because He is the source of all that is truly good in this life. 

Jas 1:17    Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 

God doesn’t just want us to seek after positive thinking, He wants us to experience the whole package, and this will result in joy.  Maybe today the journey seems long, and we can see the mountain ahead of us that seems so far away as we walk through the shadows in the valley to get there.  But once we reach our destination, we will know a joy unspeakable, and will know it will have been worth it all.

 

More than just Positive Thinking

In my last blog, I wanted to share some of the dangers of embracing positive thinking philosophies if they are not soundly Scriptural.  I offered other points of view about positive thinking by providing alternative Scriptural contexts.  I wanted to say if all we are looking for is the icing on the cake (the good feelings), and ignoring deeper issues of the heart, then it is possible that we are missing out on all that God has in store for us.  Today I would like to talk about situations when positive thinking is not enough to get us through the really rough spots in life.  Sometimes, many times, God wants us to walk through the dark shadows of the valleys in life because He wants us to live more fully in Him, strengthen our faith, and love more deeply, as He does.  Sometimes this is only possible through grief and hardship.  We must go through the pain of losing something in order to gain something even greater.  It is no coincidence that this has more recently been my experience. 

In the course of my different forms of writing, sometimes I am called upon to respond to blatant untruths as they continue to spring up on many different types of sites on the Internet.  It is a perfect opportunity to spread the Word of God in whatever way possible, and also proclaim the truth of a matter as kindly and thoroughly Scriptural as possible.  This is not something I necessarily enjoy.  I'd rather continue the fun of writing my newest fiction novel, but I know in good conscience that something must be said.  (Jas 4:17   Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.) 

I recently responded to a post by a Universalist who doesn't believe that hell is a place of "eternal" torment, but a temporary place where everyone will eventually make it out once they've served their penance, and then be allowed into heaven after a time.  We know that this is nowhere found in Scripture, so the Universalists take words that are already there (death, hades, eternal, etc.) and re-write them to take out the harshness of the reality of hell as an eternal place of torment.  They also erroneously try and make God out to be something He is not (for one, they eliminate the part of Him that is righteous judge).  Basically, by all appearances they have no holy reverence or a healthy fear of God, so they can create whatever kind of God they choose, and eliminate hell altogether.  I wonder if we subtly do this when we choose only the good things in life (positive thinking) and ignore the reality of the pain of life and do not try to help or love others in the best way possible. (1Jn 3:18    My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.)  

My comment was in response to a Universalist who had taken Scripture and twisted it to mean something entirely different than intended.  My heart's intent was not to argue, but to continue to warn anyone reading, that hell is real and not something to be trifled with.  We may get many things wrong in this life, but our eternal destiny is not something to take a gamble on.  I also explained the purpose and importance of salvation, and I also added the importance of reading ALL of Scripture and praying for understanding.  Needless to say, my comments were not well received by one of the Universalists (not the one I was replying to), and so he became malicious and slanderously responded and put words in my mouth that I never would have said in a million years.  I wondered if I should report this commenter and have his comment removed by the webmaster.  But when I prayed about how or if I should respond, I got a "no."  God had something else in mind. 

As the day unfolded and I was hurting from the cruelty of the commenter, something was happening in my soul.  For one thing, I began to realize anew the lies, false accusations, humiliation, and deep pain of what Jesus had to suffer at the hands of His persecutors.   

Isa 53:3    He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

I discovered that what personal suffering does is that it can make us better, or we can choose an alternate attitude; we can choose to become bitter and too self-focused (want to retaliate, self-pity, self-introspection, etc.).  I realized too that God is my avenger.  I didn't have to say anything to try and clear myself of wrongful and hurtful accusations directed at me.  All I did was pray for this situation and for this misguided person.  In addition to this assault against me, many other things seemed to go wrong with my day.  At one point I cried when I had lost something (my bank card) and couldn't find it anywhere.  So I had to go through the hassle of cancelling it and then driving across town to the bank to get another one.  And other things happened, my printer/scanner wouldn't work, so it caused a great delay in getting my work done, and on and on it went.  I finally just laid it all down and said, "Well Lord, whatever else this day has in store for me, I give it all to you."  Then I had a peace in my heart, and I knew He was with me. 

As it turned out, by the end of the day, God did defend me and avenge the slanderous comment that had been said about me.  Someone else (another commenter) soundly and rightly rebuked the person for assuming I would say something that clearly I would  not, and he wrote an entire Scriptural response in defence of what I had said in the first place.  Wow! God is so awesome. 

What did I learn from all of this?  I learned that rather than try to fight the un-pleasantries in life, sometimes you just have to go with it and give it to God.  Positive thinking won't be able to pull you out of it, only God can.  Sometimes He allows these things to happen to draw us closer to Him.  Most importantly, I learned that what is most precious and priceless to me is to "share in the fellowship" of suffering and discover more of the amazingness of God and His love and faithfulness in ALL circumstances of life.  There is nothing as joyful as seeing the "living" Scripture unfold before your eyes.  I love it when that happens.   

So often, we can only experience the grace and favor of God through difficult and trying circumstances.  In these situations, there is only one remedy - draw close to God.  Positive thinking is not enough because it does not affect our heart and entire soul and being.  Only the Word of God can do that.  What is flesh is of the flesh, what is spirit is of the spirit.  This is what Jesus said: 

Joh 6:63    It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

I am not saying we should not think positive.  I even wrote a book about it called, Power Thoughts for Positive Thinking.  There are many Scriptures telling us how to think, but we need to be careful we do not get swept away with worldly philosophies surrounding positive thinking as some people present it.  To do so only robs us of a much greater and deeper experience in our walk with God.