Tag Archives: King Saul

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Watching your two-step……

“Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for WIDE IS THE GATE, AND BROAD IS THE WAY THAT LEADETH TO DESTRUCTION, and many there be which go in thereat (through it): Because strait is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” MATTHEW 7:13,14 

 The spiritual dance of stepping into the will of God and His call upon the life of every believer. The true test in this is trying to always move two steps forward while being careful to not slide the three steps back. During times of testing, crisis, and uncertainty we can quickly give up on trying to learn the new step and be easily swayed into sashaying back to that same old waltz with the world that we have grown accustomed to. We are creatures of habit and sometimes slow learners.

 But we never dance alone and often we don’t realize that there are others who watch us and our moves, and sometimes our faulty footwork can not only harm them, it can ultimately destroy them.

Pressure from the world, Pressure from the enemy (constantly reminding us that we may fail) and the most dreadful one, pressure from our self. Pressure that tells us we must get this right, that we have one shot and it is over. This “performance” pressure does not come from the Lord. HE IS merciful and HE IS patient, even if we are quite challenged with the tempo and have two left feet. 

 I want to give a few examples of why it is imperative to wait on the Lord, go forward but be careful to not let our flesh and need to excel “outrun” Him and His desires to teach us those steps himself. Because if we do, we will run head on into disobedience and that carries a hefty price that no one can afford.

Lesson #1 TRUST NO OTHER INSTRUCTOR:  

1 KINGS 13 tells, what to me is one of the scariest stories in the entire book, and of course, I’ll have to highlight, but if you have a moment please read it. God had called forth a Prophet, who is just referred to as “The man of God”  He had sent him by His word and with signs to “cry” against a pagan altar at Bethel. After Jeroboam had asked him to pray to the Lord on his behalf he invited him to dinner, and that is where we will pick it up:

1 KINGS 13:7-9: “And the King said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. And the man of God said unto the King, if thou wilt give me half thine house, I WILL NOT go I with thee, NEITHER will I eat bread nor drink water IN THIS PLACE; FOR so WAS IT CHARGED ME (COMMANDED TO ME) BY THE WORD OF THE LORD, SAYING, EAT NO BREAD, NOR DRINK WATER, NOR TURN AGAIN BY THE SAME WAY THAT THOU CAMEST.”

So the story goes on and the man did as he had been commanded and went another way. Meanwhile, there dwelt “an old Prophet” whose sons had came and relayed the entire story to him. The old man asked the sons which direction the prophet travelled in and pursued after him.

Now, this is what I really want to point out in this story: verses 14-17: “And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under and oak { not going forward}: and said unto him, Art thou (are you) the man of God that camest from Bethel? { if he were legit he should have KNOWN} and he said, I am. Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

And he said, I MAY NOT RETURN WITH THEE, NOR GO IN WITH THEE; NEITHER WILL I EAT BREAD NOR DRINK WATER WITH THEE IN THIS PLACE: for it was said to me BY THE WORD OF THE LORD, THOU SHALT EAT NO BREAD NOR DRINK WATER THERE, NOR TURN AGAIN TO GO BY THE WAT THOU CAMEST { NO GOING BACKWARD}.

Now for the deception, the “old” prophet speaking, verse 18-26:” He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an ANGEL spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water: BUT HE LIED UNTO HIM.”  

So  he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord  came unto the prophet that brought him back:  And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, THUS SAYETH THE LORD, FORASMUCH AS THOU HAST DISOBEYED THE MOUTH OF THE LORD, AND HAST NOT KEPT THE COMMANDEMENT WHICH THE LORD GOD COMMANDED THEE. But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase  shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers ( your corpse will not come to the tomb).

And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, (so you will know) for the prophet whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, A LION MET HIM BY THE WAY (ON THE ROAD), AND SLEW (KILLED) HIM, AND HIS CARCASE WAS CAST IN THE WAY, AND THE ASS STOOD BY IT, THE LION ALSO STOOD BY THE CARCASE.    

AND behold men passed by, and saw the carcase cast (laying) in the way, and the Lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt (lived). And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It IS THE MAN OF GOD, WHO WAS DISOBEDIENT UNTO THE WORD OF THE LORD: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto him.”

#2 DANCING A LITTLE TOO FAST….

JUDGES 11:29-31: ” Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

And Jephthah VOWED A VOW unto the lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, THEN IT SHALL BE THAT WHATSOEVER COMETH FORTH OF THE DOORS OF MY HOUSE TO MEET ME WHEN I RETURN IN PEACE FROM THE CHILDREN OF AMMON, SHALL SURELY BE THE LORD’S, AND I WILL OFFER IT UP FOR A BURNT OFFERING.”

As our story continues he has an awesome victory but as we pick it up with verses 34,35 we will see that his OWN words ensnared him to a terrible price:

” And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and behold, HIS DAUGHTER came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: she was his ONLY child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent (tore) his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter!  Thou hast brought me very low, and art one of them that trouble me: FOR I HAVE OPENED MY MOUTH (GIVEN MY WORD) UNTO THE LORD, AND I CANNOT GO BACK. (go back on it).”        

Now, by that scripture, God WAS already with him and God did not ask him to make this vow. But sometimes people can fall into the trap of questioning their relationship with God and feel that they must “bargain” with him to gain victory. God only asks that we trust him to lead us and guide us. He NEVER asks for us to bargain anything with him for his goodness toward us. The Bible states God “maketh rich and addeth no sorrow with it” of course that means fruitful in many things and he does not hurt us in doing so.

#3 NEVER TRY TO OUTDANCE THE MASTER:

Saul, Saul, Saul, an endless volume of books could be written dealing with King Saul. One of whom, yet again, Israel was warned about. They wanted a King because everyone else had a king, God was like, I AM your King and they were like no, we want a king like they have. So even after being warned by Samuel the prophet about just how bad this guy was gonna be, they still wanted him, he was tall, striking and looked like a king to them, what if had a few undesirable personality traits?

So we know that he was a bad king and very disobedient to God in always doing it his way and doing his own thing and so the time comes when God had commanded that all who practiced witchcraft be destroyed out of the land and of course, Saul being Saul did not live up to this command. God grew tired of all of it and took his spirit away from Saul and had David anointed as his successor. As Saul’s sanity vanished farther and farther away as he was filled with hatred and jealousy, he would commit one final act that would also hurt those who were innocent and cost the lives of his sons.

  1 SAMUEL 28, to break it down, the Lord was no longer with Saul and Samuel had died, so instead of accepting his state, Saul full of self will took one more shot at trying to out maneuver the master, with yet again more disobedience.

1 SAMUEL 28:7 ” Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit (psychic, medium) that I may go and enquire of her. And his servants said unto him, Behold there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.”

So here he is, disguising himself, as if he can really sneak this one by an all seeing God, and he goes to this witch, who points out that KING SAUL has called for the death of them all, and realizes that he IS Saul. He reassures that no harm will come to her, but little does he know the harm that is coming to him and his entire house. He calls for Samuel, God ALLOWS one final message: verse 16-19 :

Then said Samuel, WHEREFORE THEN DOST THOU (WHY DO YOU) ASK OF ME, SEEING THE LORD IS DEPARTED FROM THEE, AND IS BECOME THINE ENEMY? 

Because thou OBEYEDST NOT the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.

MOREVER the Lord will deliver Israel  with thee INTO THE hand of the Philistines:  and TO MORROW SHALT THOU AND THY SONS BE WITH ME { Saul and his sons would be dead by the next day}…..”

1 SAMUEL 11  recounts the battle, verse 6: “ So Saul DIED, and HIS THREE SONS, and HIS ARMOURBEARER, and ALL HIS MEN, THAT SAME DAY TOGETHER.”

All of this tells us some simple truths that we need to always keep hold of, God is faithful. God calls us, and you do not have to beg Him your job. He equips us as we need equipping, with whatever we need to do our work for the Kingdom and to follow Him and do His will we need only to TRUST. He opens doors in HIS TIME and when he opens them no one can shut those doors.

So be patient and walk as He has called you and wait on those answers, don’t be tempted to run ahead or go sliding back, you will miss the entire dance and all the wonderful moves he wants to teach you! 

PROVERBS 3: 5, 6: “ TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART: AND LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL THY WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATHS.”

Φλογίζω Εαλπιζω NB 2016  ***Original post date: 2016/04/09, REVISTED 10/01/2022.

Also available as podcast.

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“And Yet….” Part 2, being a wee witchy

*Original post 09/04/2016′ revisited as reminder of what the word of God foretells *

“And the rest of the men (humans) which were not killed by these plagues  yet repented not  of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:  Neither repented they  of their murders, nor of their sorceries,……” REVELATION 9:20

Hence therefore, subject two, I just love Old English! Well anyway a frightening number have fallen in love with something else.. the need to attempt to understand things that were never meant to be understood and the chasing after “mediums” and the pursuit of FALSE knowledge of how passed on loved one are faring in the afterlife are opening many up to the occult and demonic forces.

Remember a little something, it is NOT just the one who is playing with demonic spirits in order to project that they have some secret knowledge that is affected it is also the ones who SEEK after these people to inquire for that knowledge.

The full realm of “sorceries” can cover a staggering list of human possibilities, tea reading, card reading, and everyone’s favorite, horoscopes, think it is funny?

You won’t when it becomes a HORROR SCOPE, illusionist, magicians, and of course, seances, and ouija boards, funny thing I web searched a spell check (ironic term there) the word, who really using that word often?

Anyway, the first thing pulled up was a link to, YES, get a demon to communicate with you! Wow, how you know you are barking up the right tree! The devil always makes things look pretty and his favorite hook, is grief and the promise of these people to give you special knowledge and that will be our main focus, because if you do not see a problem with wanting to talk to demons than you’re gonna need much more help than a blog post can offer you!

Onward! First you have to reiterate the fundamental Gospel that NEVER changes. God NEVER changes, HIS WORD NEVER changes. His commandments that you are to stay AWAY from these things NEVER changes. The reason He commands us to STAY AWAY from it will NEVER CHANGE.

Lucifer was thrown out of heaven, he is one of the most powerful beings in the universe, his desire is to DESTROY all that God has created, ESPECIALLY humans. He is running the same game he used on Eve and the sermon has been preached from end of the earth to the other through eons of time and YET… we are more entangled with sorceries and  the occult than ever before in the history of the world.

Why? Because like Eve, EVERYONE wants what they think is SECRET knowledge that WILL MAKE THEM WISE and make them THINK that they are as smart as God!  Read it, that was one point of the seduction, she wanted to “know” good and evil, as God knew and the this is the same reason He STILL commands it to be shunned, HUMANS can not handle Satan, never have, never will.

God wants us to be safe and not destroy our own souls through our own lusts for whatever purpose we may be seeking after. My main goal with this is to hit the point of grief, I have heard it, people who wish that they had money to visit a certain televised physic to know that a deceased loved one is well, that is scary.

The people claim to have “gift” but it is a possession that the use for the same purpose it has always been used to make money. How do you know? Well, you can read in Numbers 22-24, that a false prophet had been commissioned to CURSE Israel and God intervened and FORCED blessings to be spoken from his mouth in the presence of the one who wished them harm. ACTS 16  deals with a girl who WAS POSSESSED WITH A SPIRIT OF DIVINATION, I have used this story before but for anyone who is not familiar with it:

ACTS 16: 16: And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel POSSESSED with the SPIRIT of DIVINATION met us, which BROUGHT HER MASTERS MUCH GAIN (lots of money) BY SOOTH SAYING (fortune-telling) ”

Now the story goes those this girl FOLLOWED them and KEPT saying that THEY WERE MEN OF GOD that others should hear them. So what was so wrong with her proclaiming that they were indeed the servants of God and that others should hear them? Sounds like that would be a good thing, right?

NO, IT WAS NOT! Because it was NOT GOD who TOLD HER TO PROCLAIM THESE THINGS! And when good is present evil is often there also! If those there that heard her proclaim theses things and then SAW the miracles and wonders of God come down and people saved THEN the demons could use that to their advantage, by mingling her “message” with the work of the Apostles and thereby VALIDATING this girl even farther.

Imagine the money they would have made from her then! Remember when the other demon spoke to the Jewish exorcists in ACTS 19:14-16, and told them “Jesus I know, Paul I know” and I asked WHO where they?

Evil always TRIES to weave itself in with good and you HAVE to see it for what it is. To farther prove this out, back to ACTS 16:17,18:

“The same (girl) FOLLOWED Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew us the way of salvation. And this she did MANY DAYS but Paul BEING GRIEVED, (greatly annoyed), turned, and said TO THE SPIRIT, I COMMAND THEE IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST TO COME OUT OF HER, AND HE CAME OUT THE SAME HOUR.”

Now, if it was a demon then that came through her, IT IS STILL demons today that use the bodies of these supposed physics, and again you can see by that story, they may seem nice, they can say things that really seem not so bad, BUT it is still a demon.

People have mingled the word of God and the teachings of the Bible and watered down the truth to the point that we are unwilling to shun anything and often people are not even taught that these things are STILL wrong.

Satan is and always has been and always will be a liar and to listen to those lies and seek after those lies in the name of comfort is just absurd. They can tell you anything and they can say that see this one or see that one but it will never change the fact that if those who passed on have not repented, if the psychics don’t repent and those who use them do not repent, they are not going to be in heaven and where ever the tell you they are is just another one of the lies to trap you and turn your mind against the truth of God’s word. But at no time can you have God and devils. God is Holy and you want answers you seek him. He WANTS you to seek HIM and HIS ways, ISAIAH: 18,19:

” BEHOLD, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me ARE for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

 And WHEN THEY SHALL SAY UNTO YOU, SEEK UNTO THEM THAT HAVE FAMILIAR SPIRITS (ARE MEDIUMS) AND UNTO WIZARDS THAT PEEP (WHISPER) AND THAT MUTTER: SHOULD NOT A PEOPLE SEEK UNTO THEIR GOD? FOR THE LIVING TO THE DEAD?“

So, when THEY  TELL you to go ask a physic, you are NOT to go. You are to SEEK GOD. Why ask the dead questions pertaining to life, when all the issues of life belong to a very living God??? God HAS sent His Son, He has sent signs, He has sent wonders and all they can offer you is a cheap intimation of the things He wants to give you.

 It would take DAYS to discuss the warnings and thoughts the Bible gives on the subject, but the most classic, most horrifying, and most you better believe this can happen to anyone, example is the story of King Saul, remember that was once upon a time King of Israel, who CHOOSE the curse of disobedience over the blessing of obedience to the commands of God.

King Saul had a little habit of thinking because he was King that God’s commands did not apply to him, he had a little problem with that, the Lord had Israel FOREWARNED that Saul would NOT be a good king, but much like us THEY WANTED HIM ANYWAY.

So he had been commanded to rid the land of any who practiced magic, witchcraft, and any pagan “art”. A command he did not quite fulfill, once God had left him and the SPIRIT of jealousy had overtaken him, insanity began to set in. He still refused to conceded to the fact that God was not going to answer him and instead of repenting, this is that path he choose. 1 SAMUEL 28:7-10: 

“Then Saul SAID unto his servants, Seek ME a woman that hath a familiar spirit (is a medium), that I may go to her, and ENQUIRE of her, and his servants said unto him, Behold there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

And Saul DISGUISED himself, and put on other raiment (clothing) and he went and two other men with him, and they came to the woman BY NIGHT; and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me BY thy familiar spirit, (conduct a séance for me) and bring him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off ( put to death) those that hath familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: Wherefore then layest thou a trap for my life? (why are you setting a trap) And Saul SWARE to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee in this thing.” 

Brief interjection time.. Okay, he is sneaking off disguised in the middle of the night, thinking GOD or no one else will ever know or see him, God ALWAYS knows and then he drags two other people into this sin with him and finally, even the witch knows that this is death penalty business and Saul has then unthinkable audacity to promise HER by THE LORD that she will not be punished!! That is why God TELLS us when they tell us that it is okay to partake in these abomination, DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM!

Onward! Same Chapter, picking up at verse 11-19: “Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake unto Saul, saying Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul (you are Saul).

And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods (a spirit) ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of? (what does he look like?) And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. 

And Samuel said unto Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?  And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams, therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I should do. 

THEN said SAMUEL, WHEREFORE THEN DOST THOU ASK OF ME, (why are you asking me) SEEING THAT GOD IS DEPARTED FROM THEE, AND IS BECOME THINE ENEMY?

And the Lord hath done to him (David), as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent (tore) the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David: BECAUSE THOU OBEYEST NOT THE VOICE OF THE LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, THEREFORE THE LORD HATH DONE THIS THING UNTO THEE THIS DAY.

Moreover, (Also)  the Lord will deliver Israel WITH THEE INTO THE HANDS OF THE PHILISTINES, AND TOMORROW SHALT THOU AND THY SONS BE WITH ME:..”

That story SHOULD be enough to make anyone think twice, even when you feel like you need answers, wait upon the Lord and live life and be saved so HE will answer, we HAVE to be His to partake in His promises and there will always be things we don’t understand.

This DOES NOT allude to a display of physic power either, NOTICE the LORD ALLOWED this to happen. And in his sin SAUL DESTROYED HIS OWN SONS. HE DIED AND THEY DIED. Sin HURTS everyone you love.

Now for the bad news and the good news.

The bad news, back to our starting scripture they repented not… WHO can stand in the presence or against God? This is HIS words concerning the forces of darkness PROTECTING themselves against Him, just as Saul thought he could hide and he thought he could promise the witch protection. ISAIAH 47:12,13: “STAND NOW, with thine enchantments, and with the MULTITUDE of thy SORCERIES, wherein thy hast laboured since thy youth (practiced all your life to prefect), IF SO BE THOU ABLE TO PROFIT, IF SO BE THOU MAYEST PREVAIL.

THOU ART WEARIED (WORN OUT) IN THE MULTITUDE OF THY COUNSELS, LET NOW THE ASTROLOGERS, THE STARGAZERS, THE MONTHLY PROGNOSTICATORS, STAND UP, AND SAVE THEE FROM THESE THINGS THAT SHALL COME UPON THEE.”

 He is telling them to go ahead, stand, stand in their witchery and see how far they get and let all the demons they have trusted in to STAND AND SEE IF THEY CAN SAVE THEM FROM HIS WRATH.

Now for the good news.. THIS IS AND YET… they REPENTED NOT. So that means ALL the things that were listed CAN be REPENTED OF! God really does want people saved. That is why the Bible was written and why these verse exist. If King Saul was not spared, why would we be? If God hated it before why would He suddenly say oh, well twenty first centurions , have at it? He won’t! That is why we have and yet…..  

Back to ACTS 19, the story of the demon who defeated  the exorcists who KNEW NOT  Jesus, they were NOT saved, they DID NOT have the Holy Ghost with them to drive out those demons, so they were overthrown. The people who witnessed this were horrified and THEY REPENTED!

ACTS 19:17-19:” And this was known to ALL the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and THE NAME OF THE LORD WAS MAGNIFIED. and many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

MANY OF THEM WHICH USED CURIOUS ARTS (PRACTICED MAGIC) BROUGHT THEIR BOOKS TOGETHER, AND BURNED THEM BEFORE ALL MEN: AND THEY COUNTED THE PRICE OF THEM, AND FOUND IT TO BE FIFTY PIECES OF SILVER.

So mightily grew the word of God and PREVAILED.” 

Φλογιζω Σαλπιζω NBJ 2016

For the rest of this series please check out these posts; And Yet… Part 1 “paganism”

And Yet part 3 “Still sin”

and DEMONS, THE DEVIL AND THE DECEIVED/ PART 1 FALLEN  

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“And Yet….” Part 2, being a wee witchy

*Original post 09/04/2016′ revisited as reminder of what the word of God foretells *

“And the rest of the men (humans) which were not killed by these plagues  yet repented not  of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:  Neither repented they  of their murders, nor of their sorceries,……” REVELATION 9:20

Hence therefore, subject two, I just love Old English! Well anyway a frightening number have fallen in love with something else.. the need to attempt to understand things that were never meant to be understood and the chasing after “mediums” and the pursuit of FALSE knowledge of how passed on loved one are faring in the afterlife are opening many up to the occult and demonic forces.

Remember a little something, it is NOT just the one who is playing with demonic spirits in order to project that they have some secret knowledge that is affected it is also the ones who SEEK after these people to inquire for that knowledge.

The full realm of “sorceries” can cover a staggering list of human possibilities, tea reading, card reading, and everyone’s favorite, horoscopes, think it is funny?

You won’t when it becomes a HORROR SCOPE, illusionist, magicians, and of course, seances, and ouija boards, funny thing I web searched a spell check (ironic term there) the word, who really using that word often?

Anyway, the first thing pulled up was a link to, YES, get a demon to communicate with you! Wow, how you know you are barking up the right tree! The devil always makes things look pretty and his favorite hook, is grief and the promise of these people to give you special knowledge and that will be our main focus, because if you do not see a problem with wanting to talk to demons than you’re gonna need much more help than a blog post can offer you!

Onward! First you have to reiterate the fundamental Gospel that NEVER changes. God NEVER changes, HIS WORD NEVER changes. His commandments that you are to stay AWAY from these things NEVER changes. The reason He commands us to STAY AWAY from it will NEVER CHANGE.

Lucifer was thrown out of heaven, he is one of the most powerful beings in the universe, his desire is to DESTROY all that God has created, ESPECIALLY humans. He is running the same game he used on Eve and the sermon has been preached from end of the earth to the other through eons of time and YET… we are more entangled with sorceries and  the occult than ever before in the history of the world.

Why? Because like Eve, EVERYONE wants what they think is SECRET knowledge that WILL MAKE THEM WISE and make them THINK that they are as smart as God!  Read it, that was one point of the seduction, she wanted to “know” good and evil, as God knew and the this is the same reason He STILL commands it to be shunned, HUMANS can not handle Satan, never have, never will.

God wants us to be safe and not destroy our own souls through our own lusts for whatever purpose we may be seeking after. My main goal with this is to hit the point of grief, I have heard it, people who wish that they had money to visit a certain televised physic to know that a deceased loved one is well, that is scary.

The people claim to have “gift” but it is a possession that the use for the same purpose it has always been used to make money. How do you know? Well, you can read in Numbers 22-24, that a false prophet had been commissioned to CURSE Israel and God intervened and FORCED blessings to be spoken from his mouth in the presence of the one who wished them harm. ACTS 16  deals with a girl who WAS POSSESSED WITH A SPIRIT OF DIVINATION, I have used this story before but for anyone who is not familiar with it:

ACTS 16: 16: And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel POSSESSED with the SPIRIT of DIVINATION met us, which BROUGHT HER MASTERS MUCH GAIN (lots of money) BY SOOTH SAYING (fortune-telling) ”

Now the story goes those this girl FOLLOWED them and KEPT saying that THEY WERE MEN OF GOD that others should hear them. So what was so wrong with her proclaiming that they were indeed the servants of God and that others should hear them? Sounds like that would be a good thing, right?

NO, IT WAS NOT! Because it was NOT GOD who TOLD HER TO PROCLAIM THESE THINGS! And when good is present evil is often there also! If those there that heard her proclaim theses things and then SAW the miracles and wonders of God come down and people saved THEN the demons could use that to their advantage, by mingling her “message” with the work of the Apostles and thereby VALIDATING this girl even farther.

Imagine the money they would have made from her then! Remember when the other demon spoke to the Jewish exorcists in ACTS 19:14-16, and told them “Jesus I know, Paul I know” and I asked WHO where they?

Evil always TRIES to weave itself in with good and you HAVE to see it for what it is. To farther prove this out, back to ACTS 16:17,18:

“The same (girl) FOLLOWED Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew us the way of salvation. And this she did MANY DAYS but Paul BEING GRIEVED, (greatly annoyed), turned, and said TO THE SPIRIT, I COMMAND THEE IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST TO COME OUT OF HER, AND HE CAME OUT THE SAME HOUR.”

Now, if it was a demon then that came through her, IT IS STILL demons today that use the bodies of these supposed physics, and again you can see by that story, they may seem nice, they can say things that really seem not so bad, BUT it is still a demon.

People have mingled the word of God and the teachings of the Bible and watered down the truth to the point that we are unwilling to shun anything and often people are not even taught that these things are STILL wrong.

Satan is and always has been and always will be a liar and to listen to those lies and seek after those lies in the name of comfort is just absurd. They can tell you anything and they can say that see this one or see that one but it will never change the fact that if those who passed on have not repented, if the psychics don’t repent and those who use them do not repent, they are not going to be in heaven and where ever the tell you they are is just another one of the lies to trap you and turn your mind against the truth of God’s word. But at no time can you have God and devils. God is Holy and you want answers you seek him. He WANTS you to seek HIM and HIS ways, ISAIAH: 18,19:

” BEHOLD, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me ARE for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

 And WHEN THEY SHALL SAY UNTO YOU, SEEK UNTO THEM THAT HAVE FAMILIAR SPIRITS (ARE MEDIUMS) AND UNTO WIZARDS THAT PEEP (WHISPER) AND THAT MUTTER: SHOULD NOT A PEOPLE SEEK UNTO THEIR GOD? FOR THE LIVING TO THE DEAD?“

So, when THEY  TELL you to go ask a physic, you are NOT to go. You are to SEEK GOD. Why ask the dead questions pertaining to life, when all the issues of life belong to a very living God??? God HAS sent His Son, He has sent signs, He has sent wonders and all they can offer you is a cheap intimation of the things He wants to give you.

 It would take DAYS to discuss the warnings and thoughts the Bible gives on the subject, but the most classic, most horrifying, and most you better believe this can happen to anyone, example is the story of King Saul, remember that was once upon a time King of Israel, who CHOOSE the curse of disobedience over the blessing of obedience to the commands of God.

King Saul had a little habit of thinking because he was King that God’s commands did not apply to him, he had a little problem with that, the Lord had Israel FOREWARNED that Saul would NOT be a good king, but much like us THEY WANTED HIM ANYWAY.

So he had been commanded to rid the land of any who practiced magic, witchcraft, and any pagan “art”. A command he did not quite fulfill, once God had left him and the SPIRIT of jealousy had overtaken him, insanity began to set in. He still refused to conceded to the fact that God was not going to answer him and instead of repenting, this is that path he choose. 1 SAMUEL 28:7-10: 

“Then Saul SAID unto his servants, Seek ME a woman that hath a familiar spirit (is a medium), that I may go to her, and ENQUIRE of her, and his servants said unto him, Behold there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

And Saul DISGUISED himself, and put on other raiment (clothing) and he went and two other men with him, and they came to the woman BY NIGHT; and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me BY thy familiar spirit, (conduct a séance for me) and bring him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off ( put to death) those that hath familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: Wherefore then layest thou a trap for my life? (why are you setting a trap) And Saul SWARE to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee in this thing.” 

Brief interjection time.. Okay, he is sneaking off disguised in the middle of the night, thinking GOD or no one else will ever know or see him, God ALWAYS knows and then he drags two other people into this sin with him and finally, even the witch knows that this is death penalty business and Saul has then unthinkable audacity to promise HER by THE LORD that she will not be punished!! That is why God TELLS us when they tell us that it is okay to partake in these abomination, DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM!

Onward! Same Chapter, picking up at verse 11-19: “Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake unto Saul, saying Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul (you are Saul).

And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods (a spirit) ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of? (what does he look like?) And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. 

And Samuel said unto Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?  And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams, therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I should do. 

THEN said SAMUEL, WHEREFORE THEN DOST THOU ASK OF ME, (why are you asking me) SEEING THAT GOD IS DEPARTED FROM THEE, AND IS BECOME THINE ENEMY?

And the Lord hath done to him (David), as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent (tore) the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David: BECAUSE THOU OBEYEST NOT THE VOICE OF THE LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, THEREFORE THE LORD HATH DONE THIS THING UNTO THEE THIS DAY.

Moreover, (Also)  the Lord will deliver Israel WITH THEE INTO THE HANDS OF THE PHILISTINES, AND TOMORROW SHALT THOU AND THY SONS BE WITH ME:..”

That story SHOULD be enough to make anyone think twice, even when you feel like you need answers, wait upon the Lord and live life and be saved so HE will answer, we HAVE to be His to partake in His promises and there will always be things we don’t understand.

This DOES NOT allude to a display of physic power either, NOTICE the LORD ALLOWED this to happen. And in his sin SAUL DESTROYED HIS OWN SONS. HE DIED AND THEY DIED. Sin HURTS everyone you love.

Now for the bad news and the good news.

The bad news, back to our starting scripture they repented not… WHO can stand in the presence or against God? This is HIS words concerning the forces of darkness PROTECTING themselves against Him, just as Saul thought he could hide and he thought he could promise the witch protection. ISAIAH 47:12,13: “STAND NOW, with thine enchantments, and with the MULTITUDE of thy SORCERIES, wherein thy hast laboured since thy youth (practiced all your life to prefect), IF SO BE THOU ABLE TO PROFIT, IF SO BE THOU MAYEST PREVAIL.

THOU ART WEARIED (WORN OUT) IN THE MULTITUDE OF THY COUNSELS, LET NOW THE ASTROLOGERS, THE STARGAZERS, THE MONTHLY PROGNOSTICATORS, STAND UP, AND SAVE THEE FROM THESE THINGS THAT SHALL COME UPON THEE.”

 He is telling them to go ahead, stand, stand in their witchery and see how far they get and let all the demons they have trusted in to STAND AND SEE IF THEY CAN SAVE THEM FROM HIS WRATH.

Now for the good news.. THIS IS AND YET… they REPENTED NOT. So that means ALL the things that were listed CAN be REPENTED OF! God really does want people saved. That is why the Bible was written and why these verse exist. If King Saul was not spared, why would we be? If God hated it before why would He suddenly say oh, well twenty first centurions , have at it? He won’t! That is why we have and yet…..  

Back to ACTS 19, the story of the demon who defeated  the exorcists who KNEW NOT  Jesus, they were NOT saved, they DID NOT have the Holy Ghost with them to drive out those demons, so they were overthrown. The people who witnessed this were horrified and THEY REPENTED!

ACTS 19:17-19:” And this was known to ALL the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and THE NAME OF THE LORD WAS MAGNIFIED. and many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

MANY OF THEM WHICH USED CURIOUS ARTS (PRACTICED MAGIC) BROUGHT THEIR BOOKS TOGETHER, AND BURNED THEM BEFORE ALL MEN: AND THEY COUNTED THE PRICE OF THEM, AND FOUND IT TO BE FIFTY PIECES OF SILVER.

So mightily grew the word of God and PREVAILED.” 

Φλογιζω Σαλπιζω NBJ 2016

For the rest of this series please check out these posts; And Yet… Part 1 “paganism”

And Yet part 3 “Still sin”

and DEMONS, THE DEVIL AND THE DECEIVED/ PART 1 FALLEN  

by

Watching your two-step……

“Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for WIDE IS THE GATE, AND BROAD IS THE WAY THAT LEADETH TO DESTRUCTION, and many there be which go in thereat (through it): Because strait is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” MATTHEW 7:13,14 

 The spiritual dance of stepping into the will of God and His call upon the life of every believer. The true test in this is trying to always move two steps forward while being careful to not slide the three steps back. During times of testing, crisis, and uncertainty we can quickly give up on trying to learn the new step and be easily swayed into sashaying back to that same old waltz with the world that we have grown accustomed to. We are creatures of habit and sometimes slow learners.

 But we never dance alone and often we don’t realize that there are others who watch us and our moves, and sometimes our faulty footwork can not only harm them, it can ultimately destroy them.

Pressure from the world, Pressure from the enemy (constantly reminding us that we may fail) and the most dreadful one, pressure from our self. Pressure that tells us we must get this right, that we have one shot and it is over. This “performance” pressure does not come from the Lord. HE IS merciful and HE IS patient, even if we are quite challenged with the tempo and have two left feet. 

 I want to give a few examples of why it is imperative to wait on the Lord, go forward but be careful to not let our flesh and need to excel “outrun” Him and His desires to teach us those steps himself. Because if we do, we will run head on into disobedience and that carries a hefty price that no one can afford.

Lesson #1 TRUST NO OTHER INSTRUCTOR:  

1 KINGS 13 tells, what to me is one of the scariest stories in the entire book, and of course, I’ll have to highlight, but if you have a moment please read it. God had called forth a Prophet, who is just referred to as “The man of God”  He had sent him by His word and with signs to “cry” against a pagan altar at Bethel. After Jeroboam had asked him to pray to the Lord on his behalf he invited him to dinner, and that is where we will pick it up:

1 KINGS 13:7-9: “And the King said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. And the man of God said unto the King, if thou wilt give me half thine house, I WILL NOT go I with thee, NEITHER will I eat bread nor drink water IN THIS PLACE; FOR so WAS IT CHARGED ME (COMMANDED TO ME) BY THE WORD OF THE LORD, SAYING, EAT NO BREAD, NOR DRINK WATER, NOR TURN AGAIN BY THE SAME WAY THAT THOU CAMEST.”

So the story goes on and the man did as he had been commanded and went another way. Meanwhile, there dwelt “an old Prophet” whose sons had came and relayed the entire story to him. The old man asked the sons which direction the prophet travelled in and pursued after him.

Now, this is what I really want to point out in this story: verses 14-17: “And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under and oak { not going forward}: and said unto him, Art thou (are you) the man of God that camest from Bethel? { if he were legit he should have KNOWN} and he said, I am. Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

And he said, I MAY NOT RETURN WITH THEE, NOR GO IN WITH THEE; NEITHER WILL I EAT BREAD NOR DRINK WATER WITH THEE IN THIS PLACE: for it was said to me BY THE WORD OF THE LORD, THOU SHALT EAT NO BREAD NOR DRINK WATER THERE, NOR TURN AGAIN TO GO BY THE WAT THOU CAMEST { NO GOING BACKWARD}.

Now for the deception, the “old” prophet speaking, verse 18-26:” He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an ANGEL spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water: BUT HE LIED UNTO HIM.”  

So  he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord  came unto the prophet that brought him back:  And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, THUS SAYETH THE LORD, FORASMUCH AS THOU HAST DISOBEYED THE MOUTH OF THE LORD, AND HAST NOT KEPT THE COMMANDEMENT WHICH THE LORD GOD COMMANDED THEE. But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase  shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers ( your corpse will not come to the tomb).

And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, (so you will know) for the prophet whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, A LION MET HIM BY THE WAY (ON THE ROAD), AND SLEW (KILLED) HIM, AND HIS CARCASE WAS CAST IN THE WAY, AND THE ASS STOOD BY IT, THE LION ALSO STOOD BY THE CARCASE.    

AND behold men passed by, and saw the carcase cast (laying) in the way, and the Lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt (lived). And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It IS THE MAN OF GOD, WHO WAS DISOBEDIENT UNTO THE WORD OF THE LORD: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto him.”

#2 DANCING A LITTLE TOO FAST….

JUDGES 11:29-31: ” Then the spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

And Jephthah VOWED A VOW unto the lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, THEN IT SHALL BE THAT WHATSOEVER COMETH FORTH OF THE DOORS OF MY HOUSE TO MEET ME WHEN I RETURN IN PEACE FROM THE CHILDREN OF AMMON, SHALL SURELY BE THE LORD’S, AND I WILL OFFER IT UP FOR A BURNT OFFERING.”

As our story continues he has an awesome victory but as we pick it up with verses 34,35 we will see that his OWN words ensnared him to a terrible price:

” And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and behold, HIS DAUGHTER came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: she was his ONLY child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent (tore) his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter!  Thou hast brought me very low, and art one of them that trouble me: FOR I HAVE OPENED MY MOUTH (GIVEN MY WORD) UNTO THE LORD, AND I CANNOT GO BACK. (go back on it).”        

Now, by that scripture, God WAS already with him and God did not ask him to make this vow. But sometimes people can fall into the trap of questioning their relationship with God and feel that they must “bargain” with him to gain victory. God only asks that we trust him to lead us and guide us. He NEVER asks for us to bargain anything with him for his goodness toward us. The Bible states God “maketh rich and addeth no sorrow with it” of course that means fruitful in many things and he does not hurt us in doing so.

#3 NEVER TRY TO OUTDANCE THE MASTER:

Saul, Saul, Saul, an endless volume of books could be written dealing with King Saul. One of whom, yet again, Israel was warned about. They wanted a King because everyone else had a king, God was like, I AM your King and they were like no, we want a king like they have. So even after being warned by Samuel the prophet about just how bad this guy was gonna be, they still wanted him, he was tall, striking and looked like a king to them, what if had a few undesirable personality traits?

So we know that he was a bad king and very disobedient to God in always doing it his way and doing his own thing and so the time comes when God had commanded that all who practiced witchcraft be destroyed out of the land and of course, Saul being Saul did not live up to this command. God grew tired of all of it and took his spirit away from Saul and had David anointed as his successor. As Saul’s sanity vanished farther and farther away as he was filled with hatred and jealousy, he would commit one final act that would also hurt those who were innocent and cost the lives of his sons.

  1 SAMUEL 28, to break it down, the Lord was no longer with Saul and Samuel had died, so instead of accepting his state, Saul full of self will took one more shot at trying to out maneuver the master, with yet again more disobedience.

1 SAMUEL 28:7 ” Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit (psychic, medium) that I may go and enquire of her. And his servants said unto him, Behold there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.”

So here he is, disguising himself, as if he can really sneak this one by an all seeing God, and he goes to this witch, who points out that KING SAUL has called for the death of them all, and realizes that he IS Saul. He reassures that no harm will come to her, but little does he know the harm that is coming to him and his entire house. He calls for Samuel, God ALLOWS one final message: verse 16-19 :

Then said Samuel, WHEREFORE THEN DOST THOU (WHY DO YOU) ASK OF ME, SEEING THE LORD IS DEPARTED FROM THEE, AND IS BECOME THINE ENEMY? 

Because thou OBEYEDST NOT the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.

MOREVER the Lord will deliver Israel  with thee INTO THE hand of the Philistines:  and TO MORROW SHALT THOU AND THY SONS BE WITH ME { Saul and his sons would be dead by the next day}…..”

1 SAMUEL 11  recounts the battle, verse 6: “ So Saul DIED, and HIS THREE SONS, and HIS ARMOURBEARER, and ALL HIS MEN, THAT SAME DAY TOGETHER.”

All of this tells us some simple truths that we need to always keep hold of, God is faithful. God calls us, and you do not have to beg Him your job. He equips us as we need equipping, with whatever we need to do our work for the Kingdom and to follow Him and do His will we need only to TRUST. He opens doors in HIS TIME and when he opens them no one can shut those doors.

So be patient and walk as He has called you and wait on those answers, don’t be tempted to run ahead or go sliding back, you will miss the entire dance and all the wonderful moves he wants to teach you! 

PROVERBS 3: 5, 6: “ TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART: AND LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL THY WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATHS.”

Φλογίζω Εαλπιζω NB 2016