This weeks devotion brings us to a topic of great concern for me personally. As a pastor I am always adamant to place the highest emphasis on the Word of God to my church. The Bible teaches that (the Word of Truth) is a lamp unto my feet. In other words, it gives light to the places that my feet will step within this life so as not to be in the dark about anything or any place I may find myself. If we are in need of anything within this life, the Bible teaches us to look to the Father and ask and it will be given to us in Jesus' name. Howbeit, my concerns is the many evidences that I so often have witnessed that demonstrates such a lack of knowledge of God's Word by so many today. The reason I write this is because of all the wild and ridiculous things people are willing to do in order to receive from God.

 

Our study today is on the subject of "Desperation." Like you, I have heard the many sermons and teachings on the woman with the issue of blood who became so desperate before she finally received her healing from God. Or how about the men who had leprosy who became so desperate that they figured why die here and starve when we can go into the forbidden camp and eat? However, even though these may seem to sound like spiritual attributes worth pursuing (the emotion of desperation), it incredibly defies the very truth of God's Word in this dispensation where we are complete in Christ. We must understand that the Gospel of Christ teaches that we have received everything necessary to live godly lives, be in health, power to get wealth, joy, peace and so much more through the work of Jesus.

 

Now before you think I am being insensitive and just completely absurd that I would have the audacity to say such mean things. Or maybe your thinking, "Well if you were faced with my situation, my sickness, my loneliness, my financial woes you wouldn't be talking like this." My friend, I may not be going through what you are facing today. And if my words seem to sound harsh please know that is not my heart at all to be such a person of meanness. But, irregardless, it does not change the fact of God's Word. He has provided remedies for every possible scenario that we could find ourselves in, and has made a way out or the provision needed for our predicament. God cannot lie, His Word always abides boundless and He carefully watches over it to see that it accomplishes results where ever it is sent. However, the Word must be believed on with your faith intact. Remember what it says in God's Word, "It is impossible to please God without faith." Your faith must be appropriated on God's Word, not the object of pain. There are so many that just study at great length on their problems that it becomes all they can talk about. My friend, if you cannot get your eyes and faith wrapped around God's Word then you have empowered something else over your life. When this happens, I believe this is where desperation comes in and defiles many because they have lost their balance and no longer hold on to what is stable, that being the Word of God. Look with me at a Scripture that is sure to reveal the vulnerability of those who find themselves desperate within any given situation.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 (AMP)
9 The coming [of the lawless one, the antichrist] is through the activity and working of Satan and will be attended by great power and with all sorts of [pretended] miracles and signs and delusive marvels-[all of them] lying wonders-
10 And by unlimited seduction to evil and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing (going to perdition) because they did not welcome the Truth but refused to love it that they might be saved.

 

Over the years I have had the privilege to be in some incredible moves of God. I have witnessed many miracles and seen hundreds of lives changed by the power of God. My church, Potter's Wheel Ministries was birthed out of a revival back in 1993. I am truly thankful for the personal impartation of the Holy Spirit within my life during those times of refreshing. I am forever grateful to the Lord for changing my life so much during that period. That being said, I also witnessed a great deal of ridiculous displays from people that were so desperate for something from God that they would essentially do anything no matter how absurd it was. All that matter was to receive a manifestation and caring less whether it was a valid manifesting of God's power or the devil and his counterfeit and deceptive trickery.

 

I recall a revival meeting that I was in sometime way back where the guest speaker (not the reformer who initiated the revival at first for he was a great man of God) had called me up for prayer along with many others. During this time there was a great move of God that had broken out in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area that I was glad to be apart of. However, there had been many extreme cases that started showing up as well (ridiculous manifestations of all sorts) and the lack of leadership to correct some of these was absent to say the least in some circles. So it escalated to much more bizarre manifestations the more it was left unchallenged. As I was standing in line to be prayed for, the minister walked over to me and began to tell me that I was not in the revival and needed to get in. I thought to myself what is he talking about. I have been in this revival since the beginning. But he kept on being persistent and would not quit saying it. I finally told him he was wrong but he immediately shouted over me all the more. At that I resolved that this was over and walked away sadden that such displays of arrogance was in the pulpit bulling God's people.

 

I realized that it was because I was careful to keep things Scriptural in my life personally that I did not buy into everything that was manifesting as being from God. And this I am sure is why I was challenged because I was not willing to be yielded to what everybody else was doing. Therefore, it made certain leaders scold or ridicule me for being closed off. I just could not rejoice when people acted like animals shrieking with ridiculous sounds and even mimicking their images. I did not feel comfortable and at peace when people went into convulsions on the floor with extreme yelling of pain. As a side note: I am not talking about those times where people fall under the influence of God's power as He is ministering to them in a special and wonderful way. No, I am talking about the attributing displays that make the Holy Spirit out to be a force that makes people demonstrate weird and strange things outwardly that make no sense. The amazing thing about all of this that still sickens my heart today. Is most of the folks I knew at that time who left off all Biblical restraints had gotten so desperate that they were willing to act any old way and are no longer serving God. We need to realize that emotions have no intellect of their own. They simply come about based on what we are thinking or told. The enemy will deceive in such incredible proportions that even some of the elect will be fooled in the last days. Watch therefore and pray, redeeming the times for they are evil. Your adversary seeks whom he may destroy.

 

Our days are increasing with the widening desire to feel something emotionally, physically and even the more bizarre the better, verses living soundly and grounded in the integrity of God's Word. Our world is declaring without flinching what is good, and calling it evil and what is evil, calling it good. We have a real dilemma before us today. That is simply, to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God or live by whatever floats your boat. I'll close with this.

 

I read a portion of a TIME magazine statistic to my church last week where they had surveyed some 35000 people randomly on whether they believed there was one way only to get to heaven. An astonishing number, 76% to be exact said they believed there was many ways to get to heaven. Now I was not all that shocked since I realize this country is not as Christian as many think. But what did shock me was to learn that 56% of that number were Evangelicals who were surveyed. What is amazing about this is that Evangelicals have always stood strongly on the tenets of their faith where Jesus declared in the Gospel of John that, He was the only way to the Father. However, this shows just how far off base we have gotten in what we trust and what we believe. Friends, this so aligns up prophetically with God's Word for us. That in the last days there will be a great falling away. For many will be deceived and abandon their faith for some other manifestation filled with deceptions.

 

Desperation, will be the cause of so many jumping from the sound teachings of the Bible and exchange it for teachers that will tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. Desperation, will be the cause for so many believing in the fantastic, the sparkling manifestations of those with great charisma even though it be false. Think about this, if the devil is the author of sickness in a person's life. Then certainly he can withdraw that sickness from that person to make it look like a miracle if need be to establish credibility to his messenger in any given platform so as to deceive even more souls. Pay attention to the heart of the messages in light of the manifestations. Are they Biblical and sound? Or are they weird and strange and lacking Scriptural validity?

 

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (AMP)
13 For such men are false apostles [spurious, counterfeits], deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles (special messengers) of Christ (the Messiah).
14 And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light;
15 So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. [But] their end will correspond with their deeds.

Watch out for the wild and ridiculous manifestations and compare them to the Bible and see if within the Scriptures Jesus or one of His disciples ever displayed ridiculous methods that brutalized or belittled people. My friends, God is a good Father who loves us tremendously that He will not withhold any good thing from us. No matter what you need, ask and it is yours. But make no mistake when we become so desperate to abandon sound biblical truths; we will do some of the most outlandish things you can imagine to try and get what we should already have. In addition, this will be manifesting from the wrong source in order to deceive. We never have to be desperate again! We have the Holy Spirit living in us to comfort us and to help us. All of God's promises are Yes, and Amen! God's grace affords you and I to live in constant revival that is safe, peaceable, and is filled with unspeakable joy! This place in Him allows us to freely receive and the ability to give.

 

There have been more people of desperation in human nature that have destroyed their lives over time through foolish measures that they wildly grasped for with out thinking soundly on the Word of God. We have been given a sound mind to know all truths in the Holy Ghost! Trust Him and abandon not the teachings that you have received in Christ. They will help you keep your way in a very dark world. Arise and shine and be the real deal for His glory is upon you!