The “errors” of Balaam" 505 - 6 - 7

According to CM there are three errors of Balaam:

Errors of Balaam

• “Way of Balaam”: making religion his source of wealth.

• “Error of Balaam”: attempting to oppose God’s will and curse Israel

• “Doctrine of Balaam”: marriage with the world.

Balaam was a soothsayer, a “prophet for profit,” for hire. He agreed to use his ability contrary to God’s will.  When blocked, Balaam then suggested a work-around.

Balak, king of the Moabites, feared the Israeli so he sent messengers to Balaam and asked him to curse Israeli. God intervened. Numbers 22:12, "And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed."

At first Balaam refused to curse Israel and eventually traveled to Moab but not until after a conversation with his donkey. Every time Balaam tried to curse Israel he ended up blessing them in accordance with God’s word. Finally he usedthe doctrine of Balaam, “to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel,” to cause them to be unfaithful to God so He would then “turn His hand against them.”

Later Balaam was killed, Joshua 13:22, “Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.”

Fast forward to the present. Today we have the televangelists who have, in my opinion, gone the way of Balaam in a marriage with the world. Like Balaam they are “hireling” marketing their gift of being persuasive speakers. Their doctrine tickles the ears rather than convicting the listeners of their sinful nature and the need for redemption. Most of these televangelists run the risk of “Sacrificing eternal riches for temporal gain.” Eventually they will stand in judgment for casting stumbling blocks before their followers.

Our world is becoming increasingly evil. The Theory of Evolution has become a religion and our Creator God is marginalize, from goo to you by way of the zoo. So little value has the unborn that millions have been sacrificed on the altar of a woman’s choice. Those in academia who suggest intelligent design often lose their positions or at the very least are ridiculed. Romans Chapter One speaks to what happens to those who deny our Creator God, the judgment of homosexuality.

Rather than verbally cursing Israel, our current administration is undermining Israel, ironically a political party that has a donkey as its icon.

The “prince of the power of the air” and the Lame-stream media 537 - 4 - 3

Isaiah 14:12, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” In his pride Lucifer sought to exalt himself above God and was thrown out of heaven. To paraphrase Peter, he certainly does wander around like a roaring lion bent on destroying God's people.  He is aided by the corrupt left leaning lame stream media works to shape opinion rather than to accurately report world events.

In Daniel 10:13 we read that the Prince of the kingdom of Persia held up God's messenger for 21 days and he required the help of the archangel Michael. Daniel 10:14, "Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days." So here we are in the latter days and the vision is for now. Satan and his minions use the corrupt media to confuse those not under God's protection, we who have the gift of discernment.

1 Peter 5:7-9 is very relevant today. 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Jesus, our center and protection from the half-truths and innuendos presented as fact by a very corrupt left leaning lame stream media.

1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” While the lame stream media doesn't wander around as a roaring lion, it certainly seems to seek destroys balanced reasoning and has a worldwide megaphone via satellite. Truly an instrument of the Prince of the air.

1 Peter 5:9, “Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”  Indoctrination and incitement of mob rule is occurring throughout the world. Responsible parties? The Illuminati, the establishment, the elite?

Ephesians 2:2 was the only passage in the Bible containing the expression “the prince of the power of the air.” Ephesians 2:2, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” “Children of disobedience,” evil aided by the media?

Through Ezekiel God tells of the annihilation of "the anointed cherub that covereth and his minions. Ezekiel 28:18, "Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee." times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

As in 1 Peter 5:9, we are to those “Whom resist stedfast in the faith….” 

How I discern God’s will? 537 - 4 - 6

To me discerning God's will is an internalized knowing not so much what is His will, rather knowing what is not.

Romans 5:19, “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” We are living in a fallen world and I have inherited a fallen nature. Thankfully God had a solution to the fall. His son and our Savior Jesus is our propitiation.

I've read and quoted the following verses many times and each time I get what could be described as the warm fuzzes. I know there is nothing that I can do to justifying myself before a righteous God; thankfully I'm covered by the blood of Jesus.

Ephesians 2:7-9, “7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

I know that when I am trying to do it myself rather than relying on God I'm acting under my will rather than His. I usually know when I’m acting in God’s will, well, maybe. When I’ve “missed the mark” it’s the Oops feeling I get in my mid-section. Staying in God’s will is getting more difficult in this upside down world. I remind myself that I am in this world but not of it, however, it is easy to get pulled into the drama of this quickly imploding world.

I find that avoiding those out of fellowship with God helps to keep me in God’s will. 2 Thessalonians 3:6, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” I often withdraw almost to the point of being a recluse, again, in the world but not of the world as I work on sanctification.

I work at keeping my mind stayed on Jesus as the perfect role model and ask myself “What Would Jesus Do” if faced with a given situation. I often fall short of the mark and experience that Oops feeling I get in my mid-section.

There is the Word. 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” So here Paul tells us that Scripture speaks to what is right, what is not right, how to get it right and how to stay right. 

Moses broke the Third Commandment by striking the rock rather than talking to it. 505 - 5 - 6

In Exodus 17:6 God tells Moses to smite the rock ay Horeb and "there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.” Later while in Kadesh the people again murmuring about not having water. God tells Moses in Numbers 20:8 to speak to the rock and “it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock.”

Being fed up with the murmuring of the people and in disobedience to God Moses struck the rock rather than talking to it. Thus it appeared that the water came forth through the effort of Moses and not as a gift from God.

There was a price to pay, Numbers 20:12, “And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.” Moses would not see the Promised Land until hundreds of years later when he and Elias joined Jesus on Mount Hermon, "The Mount of Transfiguration."

Exodus 20:7 “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain” is The Third Commandment. Before CM and KI I naïvely thought the third commandment had to do with swearing. Now I realize that taking the Lord’s name in vain has to do with being a poor ambassador for God.

As a born again Christian I am an ambassador for Christ. It is incumbent upon me to represent the God and the Word in such a way that I’m not a stumbling block to others. Paul tells us in ll Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  Also, we are not to lightly use God’s name in the making of an oath.

Today there are many professing to be ambassadors for God who misrepresent His Word. The prosperity tele-evangelists of the “name it and claim it” ilk are leading thousand down the wide path that leads to destruction. “Demons Work - Live In Church!” is a montage of telemarketing hustle:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsxcaG4Myyk&list=RDIsxcaG4Myyk

Not all tele-evangelists are delivering messages of deception. Dr. David Jeremiah pastors a mega-church while holding to the Word of God. In his book I Never Thought I'd See the Day!: Culture at the Crossroads. He writes "It never occurred to me that the Bible could be marginalized and even vilified publicly as it is today." 

references about rocks that have messianic overtones 505 - 5 - 7

CM often states that the Bible is an integrated whole. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments the rock and/ or stone is used a type of the Messiah.

All through The Book of Psalms King David referred to God as the rock of salvation, refuge. Jesus is our rock of salvation, our refuge.

Exodus 17:6, “Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.” Jesus, our living water.

Again in 1 Corinthians 10:4, “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

Numbers 20:8, "Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.”

Moses was to speak to the rock, a type of Jesus, instead he struck it twice. Strong’s H5553 includes rock as a fortress or a stronghold. Here this rock is a type of Jesus, our fortress, our stronghold and the provider of Living Water. Striking the rock was a harbinger of the crucifixion of Jesus.

Isaiah 8:14-15, “14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.”

1 Peter 2:8, “And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” Here Jesus is the stone of stumbling to unbelievers, harkening back to Isaiah 8:14-15.

Romans 9:33, “As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Today just the mention of the name Jesus is often an offence to unbelievers.

Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”

The precious corner stone is picked up again in 1 Peter 2:6, “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, Precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.”

Ephesians 2:20-21, “20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord”

Matthew 7:24-25 concerns a house built upon a rock, the floods came and the wind blew and beat upon the house but it stood just as our faith does when it is built on Jesus, the precious corner stone, a sure foundation.

Reflections on the Shema 537 - 3 - 6

"In Judaism, A mezuzah (from the Hebrew for "doorpost") is a small parchment inscribed with short Torah passages in Hebrew. The parchment is rolled up, placed in a decorative case, and attached to the doorpost of Jewish homes.

The primary purpose of hanging a mezuzah is to fulfill this biblical command. The mezuzah also serves as a reminder of God's laws and presence and is a symbol of Jewish identity."

[http://www.religionfacts.com/mezuzah]

Keeping one’s mind stayed on God is facilitated by a physical reminded. God’s decree to have a mezuzah, Deuteronomy 6:9, is repeated in Deuteronomy 11:20, "And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:"

Drilling down on The Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 with thanks to Strong’s:

Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:”

Lord - H3068, The self-Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: - Jehovah, the Lord.

God - H430; Plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used in the plural of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates. H433; a deity or the deity: - God, god.

A hint of the Trinity?

Deuteronomy 6:5, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

Heart - H3824; the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the center of anything understanding, willingly, wisdom.

Soul - H5315; From H5314; properly a breathing creature, H5314; A primitive root; to breathe; passively, to be breathed upon, that is, (figuratively) refreshed (as if by a current of air)

Might - H3966; From the same as H181; properly vehemence, that is, (with or without preposition) vehemently; by implication wholly, speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or superlative; especially when repeated): - diligently, especially, exceeding.

H108; From the same as H181 (in the sense of enveloping); a fog: - mist, vapor.

Deuteronomy 6:6, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:”

Heart, again the center of everything, understanding, willingly, wisdom.

Deuteronomy 6:7, “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Deuteronomy 6:8, “And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.”

Frontlets are a decorative band or ornament worn on the forehead. The Jews write passages from Exodus on parchment and fashion them with a little square of hard calf-skin into what is called the “Tephila of the head. The Most devout Jews put it on both at morning and noonday prayer.”

[http://biblehub.com/topical/f/frontlets.htm]

2 Corinthians 10:5, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”

Deuteronomy 6:9, “And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

Again, keeping one’s mind stayed on God.

Defrauding the Body of Christ 537 - 3 - 2

As for the question,” How does one defraud the Body of Christ,” CM seems to be referring to non-performance in being a prayer warrior. I’m more concerned that I might defraud the Body of Christ in another way due to what I perceive as my gift, that of discernment.

Paul had much to say about the gifts of the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 12:7, "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” Paul lists them in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, “8, For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10, To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.” My best fit is in verse 10, discerning of spirits.

For me it is Sola Scriptura. Unfortunately there are many organizations claiming to be Christian while promoting a very shaky doctrine. Some in the New Apostolic Reformation are claiming to manifest gold teeth, gold dust and gemstones. Nothing new here as this is just recycled Eastern spirituality as practiced by the late Guru Sai Bara for decades.

In the 90s I circled the drain of the New Age, a fact that gives me greater discernment along with common ground with the New Agers than I would have otherwise. 2 Timothy 3:5 pretty much sums up the New Age, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” Too often new agers think they are a little gods in the making. I remember when we would greet each other with “The Christ in me sees the Christ in you,” Better would be the Holy Spirit, however, not supercilious enough.

While I have the discernment to spot New Age enticements even in my church family I need to be more able to ascertain that I am correct in my discernment. I have already nearly lost church friends over disparaging Ms. King regarding her supposed visit to the Third Kingdom by comparing it to Paul. Many discussions with church family concerning 1 Corinthians 12:10 and speaking in tongues. Several church members would be speaking in tongues at the same time and no interpretation of tongues. To me babbling rather than an orderly use of the gift.