A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (January 24, 2017)
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)
I was recently talking with a fellow minister friend (Guy Iannello) who is the Founder and Director of Total Freedom, an Alternative Addictions Program in Ocoee, FL. They have nine residential homes where they house and help men and women get free from addictions. One of the many ways that they raise funds for this project, and at the same time get an important message out, is by the sale of a t-shirt that says, “Who Told You That” which can be purchased at http://www.whotoldyouthat.co.
“Who Told You That” is metaphor in hopes that people might examine their thoughts of influence before acting. For example, who told you to lie, steal, and kill; or to love, forgive, and comfort? Who gives us thoughts of evil or thoughts of good? This theme is not only appropriate for the addicted but is crucial for all of us. It started way back when Satan confronted Eve with what God had said and called into question God’s truthfulness and relevance which resulted in the fall of man.
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (Genesis 3:2-6)
Satan’s tactics have never changed. He does not have an original thought in his head. God is the Creator, Satan is the deceiver. Satan takes things that God says and twists them in order to deceive and manipulate. That is why it is so important for you and me to know who said what.
Let’s just take a very simple example. God says we should not steal. Most of you know that I was a federal investigator for years. I have arrested numerous people for stealing. In one particular case I arrested a federal employee for embezzlement. When interviewing him on why he would do such a thing he gave me the following reason. He said he had worked many hours without being paid overtime and he felt he had worked many years without fair compensation. Bottom-line, this person had convinced himself that he deserved the money he stole so it wasn’t really stealing. Where do you think those thoughts and reasonings came from? It wasn’t from God! I saw similar reasonings from many
thieves.
This is why it is so important to know God, know His Word, and know the voice of the Holy Ghost. Satan knows the Word and if he knows the Word better than you do he can twist it in such a manner that it will totally change the meaning and convince you it is truth when it is actually a lie.
It is time to grow up! If you are depending on your Pastor or Sunday School teacher to be your sole source of spiritual truth, you will be deceived. If you are depending on some spiritual friend or television preacher to be your sole source of spiritual truth, you will be deceived. You need a personal relationship with God and the Holy Spirit. You need to read the Word for yourself. Don’t let Satan tell you that you are not educated enough to understand the Word of God. That is a lie! Don’t let Satan tell you that you have done too many bad things to be accepted by God. That is a lie! God loves you and He wants a relationship with you. He wants to speak to you personally!
