Month: July 2024

The book of Numbers tells us of a seer named Balaam. In chapter 22, Balak, the king of Moab, looks to hire Balaam to curse Israel for him as he was afraid of the power of Israel. He sends messengers to hire Balaam as Balak is aware of Balaam’s power to bless or curse. But God speaks to Balaam and tells him he cannot curse Israel for they are blessed. So, Balaam tells the men Balak has sent to return to their land for God will not allow him to curse Israel. Balak undeterred, sends a greater retinue of men with promises of great honor for Balaam. He played to Balaam’s vanity.  Balaam still refuses to curse Israel, but he then adds of his own volition that he would not curse Israel no matter how much silver or gold was offered to him. But as yet, the amount of riches was not discussed, so why did Balaam broach the subject of riches? And therein lies the problem with many prophets today that seek after riches to be compensated for the words that they give. And though Balaam had protested he would not curse Israel, he still went with the messengers of Balak the next day. An angel of the Lord stood in Balaam’s way to meet Balak and were it not for his donkey recognizing the angel and speaking to Balaam in his own tongue, Balaam would have been struck dead by the angel. It’s sad yet funny how following a destructive path can cause us to miss signs so glaring as a talking donkey. But the lust of money and fame can do just that. Balaam temporarily heeded the angel’s warning, but Balak again pressured him to curse Israel and took Balaam to the high places of Baal where offerings were made to the false god Baal.

Balaam, even from the high places of idol worship and sacrifice, could not help but hear God. In fact, he eventually speaks one of the more important and prescient prophecies over Israel regarding the coming Messiah. The Lord gave Balaam an open-eyed vision of His love and plan for Israel. Balaam knew the voice of the Lord, yet foolishly lusted after fame and riches only realized by disobedience to the Lord. Proverbs 14:33 says, “Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding; But what is in the heart of fools is made known.” Balaam’s heart was not fully dedicated to the Lord. His name means one who makes a profession of religion for the sake of gain. Even with his knowledge of and encounters with the Lord, Balaam still lusted after that which was contrary to God. And we see in Numbers 31 that he once again aligned with lust and greed and was killed when Israel defeated the Midianites.

Jude 11 and 2 Peter 2 speak to the errors of Balaam and those that follow in his footsteps, like so many “prophets and apostles” today who follow the path of Balaam in their love of the wages of unrighteousness. They follow a doctrine of empty promises and promises based on their own lusts and leanings. They are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest. They speak great swelling words of emptiness and they allure through lusts of the flesh. They promise liberty while they themselves are slaves of corruption. The psalmist Asaph wrote of this in Psalm 50:16 saying, “But to the wicked God says; What right have you to declare my statutes or to take My covenant on your lips.” Yet these words do not deter any more than they did with Balaam when misdirection due to one’s own self- seeking only reveals the darker motives. And today, prophets can totally get it wrong, but rather than say it was because of wrong motives, they make excuses.  I recently listened to R.T. Kendall speak to this saying how prophets are giving their take on what will happen with Trump and how so many got it wrong with the last election. But he added they used the excuse of a stolen election as the reason that they erred.  His question then was why didn’t God tell you that was going to happen when you called the election for Trump initially? This is still going on. Those who call themselves prophets call people to follow one who diametrically opposes all Christ taught. To follow those who will make quick waste of our constitution. To basically say it’s acceptable to lie, steal, cheat, denigrate, falsely accuse, slyly or overtly embrace racism, anti-semitism, xenophobia, and nationalism. To invoke the name of the Lord while climbing to your high places of idol worship. We all sin and fall short of His glory, but this is something far more insidious. Much darker. We find warnings of this in Micah 3:11, “Her judges passing verdicts for a bribe, priests pattering oracles for pay, and prophets divining for money, and all the while relying on the Eternal, saying Surely the Eternal is among us: no evil can befall us.” (Moffat Translation) But as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5, they may say peace and safety when sudden destruction comes upon them. So, it is incumbent on all of us to not be aligned with these increasing false words from these self-serving “Balaams,” ascending to high places of self-adulation with no regard to who they cause to fall in their false ascents to their high places. Come out from among them and be separate. If there is self- seeking and that which does not truly line up with His word, reject it outright. Seek Him. Take His yoke upon you, not that of one seeking their own gain. He is gentle and humble in heart. Rest in Him. Blessings.

Jesus told us in John 8 that He is the light of the world and that if we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness but have the light of life. In Matthew 5, Jesus said that we are to be the light of the world and to let our good works so shine before men that they would see your good works and thusly glorify your Father in heaven. Lately what seems to emanate from too many is more like something that needs a new battery or that which even resembles a strobe light. You have to turn away from its annoying effects. Some follow those who allure you with garish carnival lights that may attract you, but their way leads to a destructive path. This seems to lead to a path of seduction causing many to careen into the ditch of waywardness of politics and religion. We forget His warnings of what to follow and how we must present ourselves as His followers.

Jesus said in Luke 11:34 that “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye (your conscience) is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is full of darkness.” But in verse 35 He gives a most prescient and foreboding warning saying, “Therefore take heed that the light that is in you is not darkness.” Somewhere we can follow that which may appear as light, but its roots are darkness and of evil intent. It can be mesmerizing and alluring. How have so many felt led to follow that which is the antithesis of all our Savior taught? Somehow many have come to believe that taking the earth for His Kingdom by whatever means necessary is acceptable. We CANNOT inherit His kingdom through unrighteousness. Eyesight becomes darkened by following false teachings and promises. Greed, self-serving, envy, hate, become entangled with false teaching that causes those not grounded in His light to be led astray. One becomes prey to the intellectually and spiritually dishonest. And the promise of some immediate gratification causes one to take their eyes off the prize which emanates from a foul and lie filled parallel dark world. Yet some close their spiritual eyes and hold their nose for the promise of that which allows light and darkness to co-exist simultaneously.

We are living in a time when just saying you’re a Christian can open doors for you. Forget judging one by their fruit. Lying and cheating have become acceptable by many if it will provide what one wants. The Sermon on the Mount just gets in the way of one’s desired goals. All you need to do is place a placard of the Ten Commandments everywhere and that should do the trick. Or make a spectacle of holding up the bible in a televised event. Lightning won’t strike you so that must mean you’re right with Him. We are supposed to examine ourselves to see whether or not we are in the faith, but what faith? Maybe a new one where selfishness, hating your fellow man, getting anything you can by whatever means possible, all have become acceptable. This is all a darkness that has caused a lack of self-scrutiny by not examining His word and the resulting spiritual ignorance which leads to rebellion, disobedience and unbelief. It seems to be acceptable to be yoked with those who have made up their own self-serving gospel. We must not allow ourselves to be yoked with unbelievers or those who preach a different gospel. Even an angel! Paul says in Galatians 1:8 to let them be accursed that preach such. Pray as David did in Psalm 18:28. Ask the Lord to light your lamp and enlighten your darkness.

Colossians 2:8 says, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” This is incumbent on you to ensure this doesn’t happen. If you listen to one that expresses that which is contrary to Him, it’s upon you. I look at what I see in the hatred, vengeful, and lying spirit in one that has become acceptable to his maga-followers and realize that solid food is no longer in their spiritual diets. Discerning of this spirit not of God has been lost. To some without a fight. I so pray His mercy and truth blanket this land and that we have not walked out of His grace. Romans 13:12 says, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” The time is short. I pray His light fill you. Blessings.