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Nehemiah's CallP.O. Box 95Broadway, VA 22815540-896-2580 |
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Eyes to See and Ears to Hear |
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Eyes to See and Ears to Hear
February 4, 2007
Tossed To and Fro
Daniel 12:4
But you Daniel (man of God) shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase.
Ephesians 4:14
That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.
Ephesians 4:17
That you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind..
The book of Daniel clearly prepares us today in that our lifestyles will be frenetic and that the consciousness of our time will be based upon the rational mind guided in knowledge (Gnostic belief systems). It is important to note that in the New Testament itself Paul wrote key letters to the Ephesians and Colossians warning them of the prevailing Gnostic belief systems. These were Greek designed classical systems to make sense out of our existence through a shared common experience created to provide order and opportunity. As long as we could understand and communicate from our “human experience and intellect” we could create (out of the act of agreement) mental assent to a truth. Our actions could be put in motion because our minds released us to do so.
Here lies the value of biblical truth and how the prince of darkness sets us up in the battle for our minds. The prevailing belief system controls the mind and wins the body. These two passages from Ephesians highlight parts of what is happening today. Both of these sentences refer to a potential of action. We must pray for our eyes and ears to be opened to discern these plans and motivations and move accordingly. Walking in the Spirit is a lifelong pursuit and act of faith.
The days we live in are quite different from ages past. How so? The breadth and awareness have grown closer in respect to time and distance of people. The worlds and daily existence of historically different peoples have collided. In the past ages sailing and travel was the means of connection. That took place even between the continents. The sending of people back and forth allowed for an expanded awareness to begin. The oral traditions and folk stories passed down from generation to generation increased.
Our most recent age has provided the means to close this gap of awareness. The writing and printing of materials allows information to be made more permanent. In the 21st century the connectedness of peoples throughout the earth can occur rapidly through various forms of media. The most likely source of information passing from one to another is via the internet. The creation of a web page allows information and messages to be constructed in a way that conveys “an awareness of meaning”. What we do not know is the intimate background or even maturity of the face behind the words. The words chosen can be carefully put together out of a collective of human understanding and experiences all guided toward a clear presentation. And just as quickly as the clear presentation has grown to a perceived picture it evaporates into the shifting sands of time and place. As rapidly as the universe is expanding so too is the thirst to be heard and understood, a seemingly futile attempt to grasp within the limitations of our minds.
In a free and ordered society there are no boundaries for potential implementation. As long as one does not break the code of law or oath he or she is free to pursue their full intention. As long as it benefits the human experience and does not hinder the stability of the political state there is no interference. So as long as a free and ordered society can operate unhindered by rival political states then all acts of virtue can take place. So those in a full functioning democracy can take a thought or idea fully to implementation.
However, there are limitations to our human experience and thinking. Since we have been educated to see ourselves as the “opener of opportunity” by introducing a thought or idea we can also become deceived in fantasy. We were not created to rule our own little kingdoms or assist others in ruling theirs. Our minds can process based on pattern recognition and experience. What if our experience has not been the product of truth or revelatory words from on High? Here lies the benefit of true revelation from on High.
For our Western culture has puts itself on a collision course between logic and truth. A classical system of education that promotes reason and logic as a foundation to education does have its limits. Reason and logic are easy prey for spiritual entities as they can slip whispers into the mind through contact. The origination of thoughts, ideas or emerging consciousness is to be discerned. Perhaps the best gift to the body of Christ and the greatest threat to spiritual darkness is the discerning of spirits. The effectiveness of the detection of demonic presence or the intended manipulation of the will through the injection of a “new thought or idea” is a need of the hour in these last days.
What is the source of this discernment of spirits? It is largely a gift given through apostleship for the purpose of growing in maturity. Apostleship has always been rooted in a foundation of truth and revelation. In our time this truth has been already revealed through the written Word of God in what is called the Bible. A key component of apostleship was the succession in communicating the application of these holy writings. The outcome from this was to protect the called out ones from being tossed to and fro, trickery and craftiness of unaccountable ministers destined to steer them away from a holy lifestyle.
The value of the Bible in the eyes of the apostle is to teach discernment of truth from error. In most of the New Testament letters a common outcome was to expose error and encourage obedience through revealed instructions as pertaining to living a holy life. Paul outlines the preferred approach in Ephesians 4:11-12. In the days we live in there is no more a hotly contested topic then the role of the Bible and our approach to it. Our approach to the Bible is at the very core of a healthy life before God. The instructions found in these holy writings should not have found their way to us. As sinful human beings with strong wills we should not know of these things. God had no obligation to reveal anything to us. But He did. And in this lies the responsibility to remain grounded.
Written by Lawrence R. Yoder- Director
