Our Plans & God's Sovereignty

In writing the previous blog, Does God Have a Plan for our Lives? the idea of the Sovereignty of God kept surfacing.  The more I thought about it, the more sense it made that this is something irrefutable when it comes to how God works regardless of any plans we may make in life.  Sovereignty generally means "supreme power or authority; supremacy and dominion."  Today, the topic of God's Sovereignty isn't often taught or even mentioned.  But I believe that without a knowledge of this crucial aspect of God, there is a very real danger that we will not only fail to reverence God for Who He is, but we will also be much more susceptible to putting way too much emphasis on what we want more than what God intends for us.  This can also put us in the driver's seat, lead to self-centered pride, and de-throne the majesty and Lordship of our great and mighty God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  It also leads to undue stress, since we may be constantly wondering if we are making the right decisions in life.  As always, we need to search Scripture to find the balance and come to a better understanding. 

God's Sovereignty works in all things.  This is true in life and in death and all that happens in-between.  Things will change throughout our lifetime in spite of any plans, desires and wishes we have, and we'd better be prepared to change along with it. 

Ecc 3:1  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecc 3:2    A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; Ecc 3:3    A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; Ecc 3:4    A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; Ecc 3:5    A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; Ecc 3:6    A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; Ecc 3:7    A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; Ecc 3:8    A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. 

Ecc 8:8    There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. 

And in Acts, we see that all our times are pre-appointed and determined by God.  Notice especially verse 26. 

Act 17:24    God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Act 17:25    Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; Act 17:26    And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: Act 17:28    For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 

The mighty God we believe in and serve knows all things.  But more than this, He has pre-destined, or pre-determined, and before ordained even our good works: 

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Isn't this a comforting thought?  We may look at our life and feel we haven't done much, or our works aren't good enough, or we don't measure up.  But it is often and only through our weaknesses and failures that God is glorified, and this is often where He begins to use us for His purposes and His glory.  When He is glorified, we know that these are the works He is doing through us, works that were previously ordained for us to do. 

And finally, we have one of the most encouraging passages of Scriptures in the Bible when it comes to God's Sovereignty, foreknowledge and promises to all those that love Him: 

Rom 8:28    And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Rom 8:29    For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Rom 8:30    Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 

I remember when I first read this and began to understand what it means.  I had been concerned that I could never measure up to what God wanted from me, and that I would fail as a Christian, and become so discouraged that I'd want to give up altogether in even trying.  I began to see and believe that for some reason, God picked me, drew me to Himself, and then made it possible for me to live as His child, and that He would enable me to serve Him all the days of my life.  And the best part is that it had little or nothing to do with how good or adept I was at being a Christian.  God would be able to use me no matter how weak I was or how much or how often I had failed.  I just had to be willing to let Him use me.  No matter how difficult life gets, I hold onto the promise in verse 28, that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."  I can testify that this verse has been true in my own life in every, and in all situations, no matter how difficult or heart-breaking, or discouraging, God has never failed me, and neither has His Word. 

Sometimes when things seem at their darkest, we may question the Sovereignty of God, and wonder if He really does have a plan for our life.  But the trials and difficulties are when God's power is seen through us, and He is glorified and others take notice. 

2Co 4:7    But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 2Co 4:8    We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 2Co 4:9    Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 2Co 4:10    Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 

So when it comes to the balance between God's Sovereignty and our plans, according to the Scriptures we have just read, God's Sovereignty always takes precedence in every and in all circumstances in life regardless of our plans. 

May this be our prayer today: 

Mat 6:9    After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Mat 6:10    Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Mat 6:11    Give us this day our daily bread. Mat 6:12    And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Mat 6:13    And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

 

Does God Have a Plan for our Lives?

Recently I read a blog by a woman who doesn't believe that God has a plan for our lives.  She says that we take Scriptures out of context and she used Jeremiah 29:11 as one of them. 

Jer 29:11    For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. NIV

She believes that the above verse only applied to the people of Judah who were in exile, and was offered only to them to comfort them. She believes it is not to be taken literally for the rest of us, and if we believe that it is, we have taken it out of context.  She goes on to suggest that there were only a select few who were blessed enough to hear from God in regards to a plan for their life (Mary, Moses, and Billy Graham are examples she used).   She thinks that the rest of us are just ordinary and God isn't at all concerned about what we do with our lives.  Although she does say some good things at the very end, overall, reading this article brought me immediate caution and I sensed that she had not thoroughly researched the Bible (in fact she never even quoted a single verse beyond Jeremiah 29:11) to give a balanced view of such an important topic.  For days after that, the Holy Spirit kept giving me verses and bringing me into truth regarding the topic of His plan for our lives.  So I am now sharing some of what He has been putting on my heart.  

To begin, I'd like to say that Jeremiah 29:11 has been true in my own life for as long as I've lived.  If being prosperous is measured by having mounds of money, I have experienced this for no more than short spans of time, but I have certainly prospered in many ways in my life.  In fact, my present life is very much the "future" life I prayed for and envisioned several years ago that God perfectly put together (mainly providing my husband and the opportunity to write full time).  It all came about in God's timing and not my own and I had to wait for it.  I continue to trust Him for the fulfillment of my envisioned future, and I am confident that He will bring the desires of my heart to pass, as He's always been faithful to do in the past.   I look to Him every single day to guide my path and continue to inspire me to fulfil my "calling" to write.  I know there are countless others who have a similar testimony that God is working out or has worked out His plan for their lives.  The day we stop believing in that is the day that, I believe, we have made a decision to turn away or walk away from God and go our own way. 

Interestingly, Jeremiah 29:11 in the KJV of the Bible says something different than the NIV: 

Jer 29:11    For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 

It uses the word "thoughts," and not "plans."  The gist of it is the same in that His thoughts towards us are only good, and not evil, and that we can trust Him for a bright future.  God is very specific when it comes to letting us know we can never reach His level of thought, as in the following:   

Isa 55:8    For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  Isa 55:9    For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.   

Most of us have some kind of plan for our lives.  We have some idea what we want to or need to achieve in life. But things don’t always turn out the way we thought or planned, and so we start to question God as to why.  Sometimes in our failure to understand why, we immediately blame God.  We fail to realize that God's thoughts are so much higher and greater and broader and deeper, we can't even begin to grasp the Greatness of His mind, and then think that He should have done something we wanted in our time and in our way.  That is nothing short of self-centered pride.  Of course, He doesn't want us to suffer undue harm or be overcome by failure and grief.  Many Scriptures confirm this.  Yet, in the blog I read something to the effect that if God had a plan for our lives, then why are people suffering so much, especially children?  Or why are single people not meeting their life partner, and so they live alone and die alone?  These are classic questions similar to what the unsaved ask.  They ask, "If there is a God, why is there so much suffering and pain in the world?"  It's really a way to avoid the personal - perhaps they have lost a loved one and can't get over their grief.  Or perhaps they have failed at their marriage and their career.  Perhaps they are always sick and can't seem to get well.  So they blame God.  It is like saying, "God plays favorites.  Some succeed, while many others don't."  So it is easier just to keep laying the blame on God, rather than doing something about it. 

It is easy to fall victim to becoming a victim if we fail to believe that God loves us and, as Jeremiah 29:11 says, only wants us to succeed and not fail in life.  What father would want failure for His child?  How much more does God want us to succeed?  Look at these verses: 

Mat 7:7    Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: Mat 7:8    For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Mat 7:9    Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Mat 7:10    Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? Mat 7:11    If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 

This doesn't mean we will have a pain-free, trouble-free life.  No one has that!  We are told to expect trials, tribulations, and troubles from every side.  We are also given the strength and the wisdom (if we ask) to get through each problem.  Many times God will provide an escape, as He promised in I Cor. 10:13. 

Does God care about our needs?  Yes, I believe He does according to the following: 

1Pe 5:7    Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

It's because He cares so intensely about us that He does have a plan for our lives, and His plan has to do with relationship and trust.  This all comes about and is revealed bit by bit when we sincerely seek Him and commune with Him.  We may not have the exact reason or answer for everything that does (or doesn’t) happen to us, but God does speak to us, lead us, guide and direct us.  All we have to do is ask and believe, listen and obey.  The question is – are we asking, seeking, listening, and are we expecting an answer from Him according to Jeremiah 29:11, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Faith Under Attack

This morning I experienced many wonderful answers to prayer and they all occurred in succession.  Between my husband and I we found three items we needed that had been missing for months.  I was able to get a hair appointment in record time from my excellent hairdresser.  Then the Lord answered a few more prayers that day regarding reservations we needed for a place to stay on the long weekend for a family reunion.  Even at this late date both places were able to accommodate all of us and we can be together.  My husband and I also had been praying about our present and future ministry involvement as an outreach.  Currently I write and my husband works full time and on the side has been doing complex web page development and design as a highly technical professional.  He spends many hours making everything work in a multi-complex computer environment.  He also does ministry writing similar to mine when he gets a chance.  The Lord seemed to be shifting our direction more to the writing/publishing aspect of it, and less of the web design and development (which is incredibly time-consuming).   We have been filled with a growing passion for this, and have such peace about it.   

Interestingly, just prior to this, I had been reading some uplifting articles by Kenneth Hagin and Kenneth Copeland ministries.  These two ministries have been a great blessing to me many times over the years.  But even just reading the many Scriptures they shared, was boosting my faith and filling me with a joy and an expectation to believe that God has not forgotten me, and that His "goodness and mercy" shall follow me all the days of my life (Psalm 23:6).  I wasn't even thinking of anything in particular that I was believing for, it was just a general shift in my attitude and I felt very encouraged.  Like so many other times when I've read the many uplifting verses in the Bible, I've found that the Word of God uplifts, encourages, and gives life.  All we have to do is read Psalm 119 to discover all the life-giving benefits of God's Word.  With all the sorrow and sadness in the world, how can we help and encourage others if we ourselves are going around with a long face and filled with discouragement, fear and unbelief? 

Around the same time that I was feeling so encouraged, I noticed that as of late, the idea of faith is getting some pretty negative media, and it is not coming as much  from the outside world.  Much of it is coming from people who say they are Christians.  Yet, since they do not seem to have a grasp of faith as outlined in the Bible, they may be part of the "emerging" church, and do not consider God's Word as the final authority when it comes to knowing and understanding faith and the many Biblical passages that place such importance on it.  In fact, our faith in the finished work of the cross and our confession of it is what saves us in the first place (see Romans 10:9), and without faith, it says that it is impossible to please God (see  Hebrews 11:6).  Are we to begin our Christian walk in faith and by faith, and then abandon it afterwards when under trial?  I believe the Lord would have us "grow" in faith and not see it diminish because of trial.  In fact trials are there to increase our faith and we are not to give up because the heat has been turned up: 

1Pe 1:6    Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:1Pe 1:7    That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

The attack on faith is coming under the name of "word faith." Some people consider any preacher or teacher who teaches on faith belong to a "word faith" movement, and the idea of "name it and claim it" is included in this.  I did some research, and apparently there is a counter "word faith" movement that is humanistic and abuses God's Word for their own ends.  But this is nothing new.  Satan has tried to counterfeit every good thing that God has ever done, but for Christians, we should be able to, with the help of the Holy Spirit, discern what is of God and what is not.  Unfortunately, some of the sincere and legitimate preachers of faith have been lumped together with the counterfeit group of word faith preachers, and as I wrote before, these people cannot have done a thorough research to discover the truth about these men of God. 

Many well known individuals and teachers like Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland and Oral Roberts ministries who teach about faith, use and apply God's Word, and as a result of their application of faith have seen and continue to see tremendous results as the Bible promises in so many different places.  All you have to do is go to their websites to discover if they are legitimate.  Copeland, for example (under KCM Ministries), has many outreach ministries which goes beyond their own and, it becomes plain that you will know them by their fruits.  These men of faith do not take personal credit for these results or that they did anything special or unusual, but that they simply applied the Word of God to their lives in a more deliberate way than most people do.  In other words, they didn't just pray and do nothing.  They acted on their faith in the Word of God!  Is there any other way to walk the walk of faith, or is it just something to talk about? I had a very dear uncle (who recently passed away) who was very humble and loving, but when He prayed, God honored him and things happened!  Clearly, by the hundreds of answers to prayer me and my family have had and continue to have, God honors the prayer of faith when we really mean business and take God at His Word! 

 We must be careful to take the time and discover all that the Word of God says about faith, and not omit entire passages of Scripture that tell us specifically how to believe and receive.  We need to seek to obtain the utmost understanding about faith because if we don't, we will continue to walk around with such sad faces, and spread negativity to all around us.  This is not the testimony of blood-bought, victorious, overcoming Christians, we should be showing the world or each other, is it? 

In the Bible, there are many examples of God rewarding and exalting a person of faith.  There are also many examples of what happens because of a person's unbelief (the most obvious being eternal damnation without God in a place of torment called hell).  God's greatest promises are always to those that believe and obey His Word.  As He is unwaveringly faithful to us, He looks for us to be faithful to Him.  In Hebrews 3, we have an excellent example of faith and that when we fail to believe, we have hardened our own hearts, and have an evil heart of unbelief.  So unbelief is not something to take lightly! 

Heb 3:1    Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;Heb 3:2    Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.Heb 3:3    For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.Heb 3:4    For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.Heb 3:5    And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;Heb 3:6    But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.Heb 3:7    Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,Heb 3:8    Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:Heb 3:9    When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.Heb 3:10    Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.Heb 3:11    So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)Heb 3:12    Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.Heb 3:13    But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.Heb 3:14    For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;Heb 3:15    While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.Heb 3:16    For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.Heb 3:17    But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?Heb 3:18    And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?Heb 3:19    So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. 

Shouldn't we be taking the time to discover all that God’s Word has to say about faith, rather than looking for the flaws of others and diminishing our own faith by dwelling on the negative?  We have every reason to rejoice in our believing regardless of our present circumstances, because we can put our complete trust in God who is faithful to do all that He has promised.  

Heb 10:23    Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Is the Trinity Taught Properly?

Today's very important blog will take some time and careful reading. It is an essential read and one that needs to be shared.  I invite you to read right through to the end.  For the past little while, the idea of the doctrine of the Trinity has come up.  First, the word "trinity" is not once mentioned in the Bible, and was not specifically taught by Jesus or the apostles in the way it is being taught today, so this is a very difficult doctrine to understand, and we must be very careful how we approach it and come to terms with it.  This blog has come after many difficult hours of reading, researching, and earnest prayer to ensure the Scriptures are presented correctly.  I do not make any pretence of understanding the Trinity any more than most people, but I'd like to provide another aspect of it that is perhaps neglected. 

Recently I read a book warning of the dangers of the growing problem of apostasy that has arisen through the Emerging Church.  The author was thorough in his treatment of Scripture, but when he discussed the Trinity, I had a few misgivings.  The way he presented it is so often the only way the Trinity is presented, failing to emphasize the deity and pre-eminence of Jesus and that Jesus and God are one and the same.  The way it is taught is that God is really three distinct persons, which presents a view of comparisons and degrees of differences, while often neglecting to explain how they all agree as one God.   I know there are many verses in the Bible that would seem to indicate they are separate and apart from each other, such as the many verses that seem to differentiate God from Jesus and the Holy Spirit as another separate divine being.  But there are also many verses to indicate God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit function as one complete God.  These verses are not often mentioned, which by their omission, can almost seem to strip Jesus of His deity.  This is what I have found most disturbing in the way the Trinity is so often presented.  It becomes very confusing and we begin to think of Jesus more in human and not divine terms.  Perhaps this has to do with His willingness to submit all things to the Father during His earthly ministry.  We think of submission and obedience as a weakness and therefore we might think that He is not as great as His Father.  Yet, if He is demonstrating His love through weakness, willingness and obedience, would these not also be the exact same characteristics of God and the Holy Spirit?  

Let's take a look at some important Scriptures to try and balance out the Scriptures and come to a better understanding of God.  To begin, there are many references to the names of God including the ones we are most familiar with -- God, the Father, Jesus His Son, the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit.  God has so many additional names and so many different characteristics, it would take a separate book to record them all.  Perhaps we can come to a better understanding of the Trinity as one God if we think of the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in terms of His unchanging nature.  God has stated in His Word that He changes not:   

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. 

Heb 13:8    Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. 

Mal 3:6    For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. 

Of particular note is that the words "the Lord" are used 6,005 times in the Old Testament, and 642 times in the New Testament.  Jesus and God are both "the Lord."  If we think of God as three separate persons, it becomes impossible to try and decide which one is "the Lord." 

In the Old Testament God is referred to as the Redeemer, a name we think of when we think of Jesus as Savior: 

Job 19:25  For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

Psa 19:14  Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Isa 44:24  Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; Isa 54:8  In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. 

It is interesting to note that Job had this assurance that he knew his Redeemer lives.  How could he possibly know this?  By being in the presence of God, and being delivered out of his trials, He recognized his true Redeemer.  God is as much a Redeemer as Jesus.  He redeemed the children of Israel from Pharaoh and his armies.  In fact we see God as Redeemer throughout much of the Old Testament, so it is not a new attribute given to Jesus, because God changes not. 

God claims He is the only God: 

Exo 34:14    For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

 

Yet, Jesus claimed equality with God: 

Php 2:5    Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Php 2:6    Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Php 2:7    But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Jesus took the name of God that was revealed to Moses in the burning bush in Exodus 3:14  - “I AM.”  Jesus applied it to Himself in John 8:58: "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." 

In John 5:18, Jesus claimed to be equal with God: 

John 5:18    Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 

Jesus said in John 10:30    I and my Father are one. 

Similar to Job's recognition of God as his redeemer, Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, called Jesus: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)  

Isaiah said that the coming Messiah would be God: 

Isaiah 9:6   For unto us a Child [referring to His humanity] is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God [referring to His deity], Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

God the Father called Jesus “God.” Hebrews 1:8 says, “But to the Son He [God the Father] says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.’” (quote from Psalm 45:6-7) 

Here are some more verses saying that Jesus is also God: 

Titus 2:13 "Our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ." 

John 1:1 & 14 "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God... and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." 

2 Peter 1:1 "Our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ." 

Heb. 1:8 "But of the Son He (the Father) says, "Thy throne O God is forever and ever." 

In Isaiah 43:11 God says, "I, even I, am the Lord and there is no Saviour besides Me", and yet Titus 1:3 & Matt. 1:21 says, "Christ Jesus" is "our Saviour." So Jesus has to be God if only God is our Saviour. 

In Isaiah 9:6 speaks of the coming Messiah/Jesus..."For a child will be born...His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." 

Matt. 1:21-23 calls Jesus "Immanuel, which translated means "God with us." 

Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, called Jesus: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)  

Jesus created all things as God: 

Isa 44:24    Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; 

Joh 1:2    The same was in the beginning with God.

Joh 1:3    All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

He forgave sins:  The Pharisees rebuked Jesus for calling Himself God because He claimed equality with God in being able to forgive sins. 

Mar 2:5    When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.Mar 2:6    But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,Mar 2:7    Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?Mar 2:8    And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?Mar 2:9    Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?Mar 2:10    But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)Mar 2:11    I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 

One of the strongest passages of Scripture showing Jesus and God are the same person comes from Jesus own words:   

Joh 14:6    Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Joh 14:7    If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

Joh 14:8    Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

Joh 14:9    Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Joh 14:10    Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

Joh 14:11    Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. 

Another interesting passage is found in I John 4:15: 

1Jn 4:15    Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

Both Jesus and God dwell in us - are there two distinct Gods? 

Here are some more interesting Scriptures:   

Col 2:9    For in him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Col 2:10    And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Jesus is over all and He is the Head of the Church: 

Eph 1:22    And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Eph.  1:23    Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. 

Jesus is given all power and authority: 

Mat 28:18    And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

There is no other name greater than Jesus in heaven and earth: 

Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

There are many more Scriptures to share, but let's think about the impact Jesus has had and continues to have on people.  If He were lesser than God, could He speak with such authority?  Could He freely and unashamedly forgive sins?  Could He call Himself God, or the Almighty (Rev. 1:8)?  Why would people in Jesus time be "astonished" at His teaching and miracles?  Take note of anyone who has ever encountered Jesus, both Scripturally, and today, even your own life and testimony.  For me, it was a life-changing revelation of who God really is in the form of Jesus the Lord.  I no longer saw Him as three separate and distinct persons, but the one and only true God of the Bible.  Scripture then began to make sense to me since I was no longer compartmentalizing Him.  Every revelation of God is consistent with His singular character.  He changes not.  To teach or believe otherwise would not be consistent with Holy Spirit revelation and Truth.

The Dangers of the Need to Belong

To borrow some lines from the movie "The Enchantment," when someone asks the character who plays Jesus that if God is a good God and He is in control, why are there so many terrible things happening?  Jesus answers him to the effect that, "We live in a fractured world."  He explains that nothing is in the original state He created as first intended in the Garden of Eden because of sin and man's free will to choose a life apart from God.  Men loved darkness rather than light.  Where man wants to blame God for the state of the world, God looks at man and the terrible choices he/she has made to bring such sorrow and destruction.  Without considering and honoring and choosing God, our world is literally falling apart. 

Nowhere is this truer than in relationships.  In today's world of self-seeking, loneliness abounds.  Marriages split and families are fragmented.  In school some kids are singled out and treated badly or bullied by other kids because he/she are different.  This can happen later in life as well, in college or in the workplace.  We are all born with the need to belong, to feel that we matter and that our life counts for something.  We each need to feel important to at least one other person.  We need to feel valued.  When this need does not get met either at home, in school, the workplace, or even in our local church, we can become so vulnerable that we make unwise choices. 

Specifically, I'd like to talk about the dangers of what can happen when we are repeatedly rejected and continue to find that no matter where we go or what we do, we simply do not feel accepted for who we are or valued for what we do and in some cases, for what we believe in.  Younger people will typically do everything possible to blend in with their peers at school.  But when their peers still reject them, they sometimes turn to gangs or start hanging out with the wrong crowd and get attention by getting into all sorts of illegal trouble like drugs, drinking and all the destruction that goes with that.  Why do they do this?  Likely because they are joining a group that feels exactly the same as they do - rejected by their peers or family and so they lash out.  

In the church, when people start to feel rejected and that they don't really fit in or perhaps do not fit into a popular clique that has formed, they can quit going there, or worse yet, get drawn into or begin another fellowship with like-minded embittered believers.  But the problem is, if they have perhaps left a church and not dealt with the underlying problems there, they are bringing with them unresolved issues that can and will affect everything that happens in the new split-off group.   They may try and forget about it, but it will rear its ugly head again and again until it is properly and scripturally dealt with.  Healing will not be possible without attempting to resolve the issues in a right and Biblical way. 

Sometimes church members when they leave a church will get drawn into a cult.  They don't intentionally do this because they don't realize that their new group is a cult.   What does a cult look like?  What are some characteristics of a cult?  After doing some research I found the following, and also added my own based on past experience with cults.  One or more may apply: 

1.   You may feel uneasy, but you're not sure why

2.  Leadership discourages you from offering a difference of opinion and you are not free to question something they may have said, or what they are teaching

3.  They make you feel warmly welcome, but may not want certain others to attend that might threaten the premise of the group

 4.  They may talk about Christian love, but show preferential treatment to only those who are in agreement with their doctrines and beliefs

5.  They make it very clear that other denominations, groups, individuals are to be shunned and avoided altogether because they might soil the pure teaching of the group and try to lead it in a direction they don't want to go

 6.  They seem to be paranoid of the outside world and its evil influences

7.  They point out perceived errors of others and fail to admit their own

8.  If they are putting others down, you sense a self-righteous pride rather than a Christ-like attitude of humility and acceptance of others (this may be hidden under a guise of religious mumbo-jumbo)

9.  If they feel you have scripturally erred, they are not able to correct you with gentleness or meekness or give you Scriptures in the right context to try and point you to the Scriptural truth about it

10.  There is a forced sense of unity and not a freedom of the Holy Spirit where all are accepted and welcome to fellowship together, faults and all. 

The nature of cults most often stem from bitterness and disappointment, and unresolved hurts.  If these are not dealt with, we will see a bitter root that defiles and blocks the work of the Holy Spirit. 

Heb 12:15    Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 

Eph 4:31    Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Eph 4:32    And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Notice in verse 31, "evil speaking."  To run other people down, or other Christian groups or evangelists who may not exactly speak the same Christian language that we do, isn't that considered evil speaking?  What if we are wrongfully judging and doing more damage to their ministry which may be completely legitimate, by our harsh and condemning words?  Biblical protocol is to go to that person (or research that ministry) directly and find out the truth of the matter. 

Mat 18:15    Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 

Then we are to humbly offer how we can help correct them and only do so as The Lord specifically guides and directs us to.  To do anything less will hold us accountable for our own words.  This is what Jesus said: 

Mat 12:36    But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Mat 12:37    For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 

We must be very careful what we say and the attitude of our heart in which it is said.  Look at these verses: 

Psa 12:1    To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

Psa 12:2    They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

Psa 12:3    The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:

Psa 12:4    Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?

Psa 12:5    For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. 

Every time we judge another and run someone else down, are we not like the ungodly, proudly lording it over others by the attitude in which we speak?  Beware when others run down a Christian fellowship or another Christian group and they cannot even accurately, Biblically, and humbly back up their claims.  Beware if they do this and then try and explain why their own group is superior to all the others and do not once use Scripture.  If you follow such a group, this is the blind leading the blind. 

Jesus said we will know them by their fruits:

Mat 7:15    Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Mat 7:16    Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Mat 7:17    Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Mat 7:18    A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Mat 7:19    Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Mat 7:20    Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 

Notice in verse 15, false prophets appear good, but inwardly they are bent to destruction.  You do not want to be involved with such a deceitful group or person because they can destroy your life.  What would be considered evil fruit?  It is rotten, it stinks, it is useless, and it leads you astray.  It works like a cancer and will destroy everything that is good in your life.  If you feel even a hint of evil fruit, walk away as fast as you can and have nothing more to do with that group.  Good fruit produces more good fruit.  It builds up, it edifies, it draws you into fellowship with God and other believers; it produces positive and life-giving fruit.  It is never confusing or divisive.   

Jas 3:12    Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Jas 3:13    Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

Jas 3:14    But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Jas 3:15    This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

Jas 3:16    For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Jas 3:17    But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Jas 3:18    And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. 

Notice verse 17 and 18 - good fruits are pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to take, full of mercy and good fruits, not preferential, not hypocritical.  Fruits of righteousness are sown when people choose to make peace.   

We all desire and have a need to belong, but we must choose prayerfully and carefully where we hang our hat.  If you find yourself in a group that you suspect may be the makings of a cult or is a cult, search your own heart and ask yourself why you are really there.  Pray and ask God for peace about what direction you should take from here.  Ask Him to search your heart and make things right with Him first.  Ask Him if you need to make things right with any individual who may have caused you undue pain and heartache.  Offer forgiveness and ask others and God to forgive you.  Fellowship with the Father is not possible if we have bitterness towards one another.  It will do nothing to further the Kingdom of God or restore fellowship with one another.   No group on earth can fill the deep need we all have to belong and feel loved.  Only God can do that, and then He leads us from there.   

I realize this is a lot to digest and you may need to re-read it. I pray fervently that today if you feel you are too involved  in a group that you are not sure about, do everything you possibly can to ensure you are where you are meant to be, and let the peace of God direct you from there.