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church, deception, discerning the spirits, exhortation, experience, eyes of the heart, false spirits, fellowship, Michael Clark, Satan, sin, true faith, worldly spirits
Marienkirche Hof/Bavaria (St. Mary’s Church)
Photo by Susanne Schuberth
“What a strange headline,” one might say here. Leaving aside the fact that I love rhymes, I put the heading that way in order to hint to the possibility that not all snares by the devil can be recognized immediately. The Prince of the Air works in an unseen realm and he is very crafty in manipulating our thought life, which cannot be seen, either. Just recently I read an interesting quote from a man who was finally freed from the bondage of a destructive Christian cult. I took that quote out of a longer testimony which Michael Clark had shared with me. After having left the cult, Tom Murray realized,
No one can consider themselves above the possibility of deception.
As soon as we think we have arrived at a certain point of no return in our walk with God, we can be sure that Satan will test our faith by offering us several temptations in order to draw us back into his realm of darkness where all kind of sin lurks at every corner. Today I want to point to the necessity of listening to God’s voice in all things, here particularly regarding the choice of our relationships with other people, especially Christians. In order to bring my point home in advance, I do not refer here to ALL those people whom we meet incidentally time and again. We cannot and should not avoid living in this world. Even if some of these people treat us badly, we can be sure that God will eventually enable us to love them, though. However, loving our enemies does not mean that we share our hearts with them and give them the possibility to – ATTENTION (!!!) – draw us away from Christ. “Wait a moment, wait a moment…” one might argue, “what could be so dangerous about a simple talk with another person?!?” Well, it is true that we should open our hearts if we see someone suffer and try to help them with the gifts God has given us if He led us to do so. But how can you and I resist the devil if we have opened up our hearts toward people who are obviously controlled by the wrong spirits and believe living in sin (not stumbling into it) and being a Christian at the same time would be no problem at all? Take care, these “Christians” preach another gospel! Or how can we be friends with someone who is full of pride about knowing it all better than you and me and who, finally, wants to control us and our behavior by bringing us back under a law of sorts that springs from their own carnality? Hey, no matter whether they know it or not, some of these people simply try to replace God in our lives!! Have you ever experienced such a thing in your own life? I did – OUCHEE!!! 😮
Dear brothers and sisters, there is a big difference between rejecting someone and separating oneself from those people God has drawn our attention to. On the one hand we should avoid friendship with those people who are still carnal and belong to this world, that is quite clear. But on the other hand we must be very cautious, too, with what kind of Christians we get into closer contact. The apostle Paul admonished the Corinthians,
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor 6:14-18 ESV)
Do we want to be sons and daughters of the Most High God who welcomes us in our real home in the heavenly places with Jesus? I do not know about you, but I do not love my life on this earth unless God is with me 24/7. Without Him, nothing else makes sense to me…
Below you can read an exposition from Matthew Henry about the above mentioned verses (and a few more) where he explains quite plainly what our call is all about.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
6:11-18 It is wrong for believers to join with the wicked and profane. The word unbeliever applies to all destitute of true faith. True pastors will caution their beloved children in the gospel, not to be unequally yoked. The fatal effects of neglecting Scripture precepts as to marriages clearly appear. Instead of a help meet, the union brings a snare. Those whose cross it is to be unequally united, without their wilful fault, may expect consolation under it; but when believers enter into such unions, against the express warnings of God’s word, they must expect much distress. The caution also extends to common conversation. We should not join in friendship and acquaintance with wicked men and unbelievers. Though we cannot wholly avoid seeing and hearing, and being with such, yet we should never choose them for friends. We must not defile ourselves by converse with those who defile themselves with sin. Come out from the workers of iniquity, and separate from their vain and sinful pleasures and pursuits; from all conformity to the corruptions of this present evil world. If it be an envied privilege to be the son or daughter of an earthly prince, who can express the dignity and happiness of being sons and daughters of the Almighty?
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/2_corinthians/6.htm
The following is one of my favorite Psalms which, right at the outset, clarifies what we should do and what we should avoid doing. It reads,
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Ps 1:1-6 ESV)
I have never had problems to speak with worldly people at all unless they tried to counsel me kind of forcefully with their worldly wisdom and ideas. I can listen to them and understand them, but I do not need their advice except when God speaks through them (which happens pretty rarely). It is crucial to know the difference between God’s voice and others since we are confronted with so many voices (heard or read) every day. May God help us to discern right from wrong and to listen to His gentle voice before making our own decisions. Amen.
Entering the Promised Land 
My heart says come Lord Jesus. Without Him, I have no hope.
Thank you for your faithful writing.
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You’re so welcome, dear sister. 🙂 I love your heart, Pat. ❤
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So nice, I read it thrice. 😉 Since you like poems, Susanne:
There once was a blog by Susanne
Who railed at the wisdom of man
She stood firm in the Lord
And gave them “what for” (*)
‘Til they all turned tail and ran!
(*) https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Citations:give_someone_what_for#English
Seriously, I did read this through 3 times … the Spirit kept drawing me back to the word “yoke”, for that unequally yoked scripture has often been used to imply that we should have no relationship at all with non-believers – or at least, that’s the way I’ve often heard it preached. What occurred to me on the 3rd read through, “yoked” means to be in partnership. A yoke joins 2 animals together to perform work of plowing, pulling a wagon, etc. Likewise, marriage which was also referenced, is a similar joining – a covenant. Don’t know why I hadn’t seen that before but it’s freeing, because I do have, for lack of better terms, cordial / casual relationships with unbelievers. It’s fair even to say that some are friends and that we love each other. But I am not partnered or in contract/covenant with them. Sadly, I’ve encountered a number of believers who have implied my friendships with non-believers is unbiblical.
When I recorded my last CD “Resurrection Power”, several of the guys who helped me record some of the instrumental parts were not believers. At some point while recording with their help, I remember asking them why they were helping me, since the songs were obviously Christian and they were not … I was NOT expecting their answer:
“Because we love you, Jack.”
I lost it and cried in front of them (we had gathered for a week of vacationing at the beach).
There’s something about all that reminds me of the Roman centurion … the accounts in Matthew and Luke but both convey that the Centurion recognized that Jesus was “a man of authority” who commanded power – I suppose the implication is that the Roman recognized that Jesus commanded unseen forces. His confession wasn’t like Peter’s “you are the Christ, the son of the living God”, still, he recognized that Jesus had unearthly authority. Did he love Jesus? Was he drawn to Jesus?
And so I wonder of those of the world whom the Lord lets us meet, whether they see the Jesus in us – and it makes me hesitant to separate from them unless specifically directed to do so by the Spirit. Lord knows I do not want to partner (yoke / covenant) with the world. And I have had friendships with non believers that have come to an end because they asked me to do something with them that my faith and the Spirit prohibited.
Thanks for helping to clear up that “equally yoked” trouble that bothered me, Susanne. 😀
Jack
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Jack, this was good to read or your experiences with these guys. I understand the difference between God using us to touch the lost and becoming yoke up with them in their worldliness. We are to be in the kosmos (world system) but not OF the kosmos. It is obvious that you salt has not lost its saltiness. I think that when it does lose it, is when it gets cast out and trodden under the feet of men. Such is the case with most churches today. The whole system is scoffed at by the world’s people as it tries to take on more and more of the worlds goals and value system to be “relative.”
Great comment, Jack. Hugs!
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I am glad you found that article helpful, Jack. Thanks so much for the poem, too. That was cute! 🙂 BTW, I have a poetry blog of my own (https://susanneschuberth.wordpress.com/).
Actually, I was amazed to hear that you read the post even thrice. 🙄 Your thoughts on what “being yoked” truly means make a lot of sense to me. As for me, I had a wonderful relationship with a non-believer (or rather, nominal Christian) until Jesus began to draw me closer and closer. From that time on I felt that we could not share our hearts with one another any longer. Although I still understood what she was going through, she could not understand my sufferings that came from my closeness to Jesus. Even after some years now, I always feel sad when I think of her. However, I had to finally realize that we did not have the same goals in life any longer and thus we had to part.
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The “prince of the air” is a snare indeed! Thank God for discernment of spirits! God bless you Susanne and Merry Christmas!! May you be blessed more than you can ask or think in 2016! 🙂
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Yes, Yvonne, without God helping me to discern even the most subtle spirits, I would be at my wits’ end, for sure! 🙄
May God bless you and keep you from the influence of all evil spirits that constantly surround us and draw you ever closer to His overwhelmingly loving heart! ❤
Merry Christmas to you, too!
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So true Susanne! Apart from Jesus we can do nothing! Thank God for the cross of Christ Jesus!! I could not live a day without our Father’s protection and provision; the “fear of the Lord” being made clearer to me as our only fear being separation from our holy God. “Fear not; be not afraid; let not your heart be troubled” Thank God for Jesus! Thank you for your sensitivity to Holy Spirit! God bless you!!
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Susanne,
You wrote:
“‘No one can consider themselves above the possibility of deception.’
As soon as we think we have arrived at a certain point of no return in our walk with God, we can be sure that Satan will test our faith by offering us several temptations in order to draw us back into his realm of darkness where all kind of sin lurks at every corner.”
Dear sister, you and I have both been caught up in different Christian cults and suffered much as a result and know what we talk about. I have heard many a Christian quote part of this verse,
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24 RSVA).
Then they reason, “Well, these are THE ELECT! Of course it is impossible to deceive THEM! If so, they would not be the elect!” Jesus did not give these warnings to the elect of God just to hear Himself talk! In Matthew 24 He is giving many warning as to what will be coming upon the earth at the end of this dispensation of grace. The New Testament has many such warnings about false anointings (Christs) and false prophets and apostles and teachers sent forth by Satan to deceive the people of God and that there are many antichrists among us and have been since the end of the first century (see 1 John ch. 2).
This quote from Tom Murray in the beginning of your blog is rather personal for me. I was in this cult he was in, though in a different location in 1978 and ’80. The people I knew in it quite well. I had been in the same church with them and some of them I knew from a former Christian cult in the same area. This one was called “The No Name Fellowship,” by the media because they refuse to take a name. The leadership started out all warm and fuzzy as the pastor of our church invited their speakers in to minister to the congregation on Sundays. There was a lot of preaching about going all the way with God and rooting out all sin in our lives and “being holy.” Well, finally these leaders started drawing away church member by inviting them to “special meeting for those who really want to get serious with God.” My wife and I wanted to get serious about our faith and grow in Christ so we started going to these meeting during the week in a large home of a family that was very dear to us that we had become quite close with over the years we went to that church. Even the pastor and his wife were sucked in!
Well, as these leaders got control of this “core group” of “serious saints” the control level started ratcheting up. Women were told they must wear head coverings and dresses and their husbands were told to take control of their wives so that they did not speak up in the meetings (unless they were a recognized prophetess of which the pastor’s wife happened to be one!) The poor pastor didn’t know what hit him. Soon there was a church wide meeting in which the cult leaders after failing to take control of the church facilities from the elders, forced a division among the people and took all of them they could with them and pronounced curses on the church grounds, on the buildings, and on the people that would not follow them including a curse of barrenness on all the wombs of the women who would not follow them! It was the most ugly church meeting I have ever been in and Dorothy and I got up and walked out while this would be “prophet” cult leader was doing his curse routine.
You see, I was deluded up until that point because I had been saying to myself, “I can’t be deceived again, because I have already escaped form one cult!” Thank God we left when we did for over the next eight years the lives of those people that went with these men were destroyed! Women and men who did not obey the letter of the law of these leader’s wishes were publicly ridiculed and even spanked with boards and disruptive children were beaten. Until finally one ten year old boy who was sick with diabetes was prayed over instead of given medical attention and went into sever weight loss and was spanked over and over for a sin that he did not commit that was “blocking his healing.” He finally died after a sever beating by his own father one night while the cult leader looked on. THAT was when the authorities stepped in and investigated. The main cult leader ended up in prison over this boys death as did his father.
YES, Susanne, the very elect CAN be deceived! We need to learn the voice of our Lord and not be cowered by strong soulish people who presume to speak into our lives for God. These were all people I knew that had a sincere faith in Christ! Finally, while in prison the leader, a powerful man who had been a line-backer in the Cleveland Browns, confessed that he too had been deceived into thinking that what he was doing was under the leadership of God.
“Now these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12 RSVA)
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Yes, Michael, it is good to know how easily we can be deceived. Problem is, we do not see it, once we are captured. We might feel uneasy, still, at times, but if someone tells us we have been deceived, we defend our wrong beliefs. Alas, that was my own experience… 😦
Looking forward to reading your next blog post that will spring from your great comment above, my brother. 🙂
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Yes, Susanne, once the Deceiver gets a hook in us through his lies, it is hard to get free. In m case in the above mentioned cult, I had some help from a brother I respected. I went out to his cabin in the woods to visit him while I was still starry-eyed about this new “holiness group” and the first thing he said to me was, “What is this I hear about you joining a cult?” POW! It was like he hit me right between the eyes with a 2×4 board! He then went down the list of the things they were doing and teaching with me. I drove home quite shaken and KNEW that I had a decision to make. The Spirit used that brother to crack the lies that had taken me captive and through prayer I was able to finally see what was going on clearly. I ended up confronting the cult leaders when they called me into a private meeting to work me over and drive me under their control and we walked away from the whole mess. Yes, they put curses on us, too, and the next 14 years God took me out into His wilderness to dry me out of needing top down leadership in churches and cults any longer. It was the hardest time of my life, being cut off from all meaningful Christian fellowship during those years, but it was worth it, for the Spirit was teaching me in a whole new subliminal way after that, independent of men.
The new blog article should be published today sometime. Thanks for all your encouragement, dear sister. You are a real blessing to me and I am glad we have had these common experiences and victories, too. 🐻
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Michael as I was reading your comment all kinds of things came into my memory of my experiences in this one paricular church. Went to a home church from the main church, and heard someone say, “I don’t hug secular people.” I thought what? What does that even mean? Secular? They are not believers he said. I immediately dismissed that. I said geez that is like being on a strict salt and pepper diet. Or I would hear, “The Lord told me to tell you this or that.”. Well it never came to pass but I would always say to myself, well the Lord didn’t tell me this or that? Or I would hear the Lord told me that I would get a certain house at such and such a place in this rich neighborhood, and I never seen it come to pass. Or the Lord will deliver you from Rock and Roll, and I would say, I don’t want to be delivered from that. Or someone would tell me that I shouldn’t have a tattoo on my arm. They are dolphins in a heart shape btw. And I told her take the log out of your own eye before taking the splinter out of mine.
Man what started out to be auch a wonderful church to me with all the songs and praises I would cry in joy and couldn’t wait to go back. But then it was like you can’t do this, or you can’t do that. Then I heard the apostles creed being prayed in that church and I whispered to this old couple in front of me and said isn’t that a catholic prayer? Or if I had mentioned to the pastor of that church at the time where can I find this scripture I dreamt about the night before and he just looked at me in such a hurried looked and yold me it was in Ezekiel something and that wasn’t it. So I asked another and she pointed out that it was in Isaiah 43 and I read it and I found it! To make a long story short, that church was killing me! I had to leave. I noticed they would praise someone more than another. Someone asked me when did you get saved? I couldn’t give a date because for all I know it could have been when I was locked in my room as child reading a holy communion book and saw a picture of Jesus riding on a donkey and I said Oh please Jesus save me? I have asked the church leaders who are the elect that I read about in the bible> They would immediately say it was the ones who would were the pastors and the like.
But yes Michael, I have come to believe that I was an elect however I became egotistical with it and trust me I know God would slap me into humility from time to time. And I too also realize that I can still be deceived. I don’t dare try to put myself above another becaue who know who God will save? I am so glad I had left that church. It was getting to legalistic, and speaking of things that had me throwing up while cleaning others homes because of fear. I used to chant in my mind, Demons, and devils, and urchins, oh my! God it was too much! Anyways I am more able to take in some things. I can handle deeper truths. Thanks Michael.!
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Stacey, your comment reminded me of a bumper Sticker I saw on the back of a car one time. It said, “Lord, save me from your followers.” All too often Satan does his most effective work against the gospel of Christ with how Christians represent Him.
Keep seeking His voice as your Shepherd, Stacey and you will do well for Jesus has everything you need.
Michael
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This one, Michael?
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Yup! 🙂 It reminds me of this passage…
“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did; but Jesus did not trust himself to them, because he knew all men… for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:23-25 RSVA)
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Indeed, that Scripture fits, Michael. 🙂
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“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did; but Jesus did not trust himself to them, because he knew all men… for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:23-25 RSVA)
I am getting there. Now when the Whale spoke to Stacey, He knew how she liked to trust all people but then would get burned, so The Whale saw the goodness in her and thus did she save the Whale from harm and He spoke unto her Never trust the Minds Of Human Beings. And He gave Stacey a big lick across the face. That dream was well over 15 years ago and I still don’t have it down pat. I can’t even trust my own mind at times.
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Seeing that I am 95% deaf but hear very well with hearing aids and also lip reading dependent or CC it seems odd to me that for some reason if a believer is talking with me, I can usually hear them quite well. But when supposed believers speak, I seem not to be able to hear. Or if I pay attention enough, it may be poison to my ears. And I am repulsed by it. And from such I turn away. I have nothing in common with them. Be it family or Friends. If I hear the word Karma, or Nametes, to me that is a foreign language to me. .Your comment of this:
Do we want to be sons and daughters of the Most High God who welcomes us in our real home in the heavenly places with Jesus? I do not know about you, but I cannot love my life on this earth any longer unless God is with me 24/7. Without Him, nothing else makes sense to me… Rings true for me even when I have been in unequally yoked relationships. I mean there are certain people that are friends but I can tell we are not on the same page spiritually. But then there were others that were very detrimental to my life but it is I who have allowed it to be so. Thankfully God will step in on my behalf to force the relationship to be ended. Truth be told I wish my brother were still alive. He of all people in my family knew what was going on with me when Satan was attacking me. He was the only one who believed in me. But that was long before the internet. Anyways great post as usual. Nowadays if I speak just 10 words and I see a certain reaction I can easily just back off. I do not need to engage.
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Ha! Stacey, that truly hit home with me! It was so very good what you shared here since it describes my very experiences too. You said,
Yes and amen. That was excellent! ⭐ Thanks so much for sharing it with us one here, my sister! Very helpful, indeed! 🙂
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May I have the honor of doing the curtsy bow for you, princess? LOL
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Jesus was known as a friend of sinners. Which, in that culture, was a huge insult. Yet the Word also says that He trusted Himself to no man because He knew what was in man. We are to be in the world yet not of it. How are unbelievers to see the love of God in us if we are not in relationship, to some degree, with them? I am not here speaking about the type of covenant relationship we have with brothers and sisters in Christ who we know and an intimate bond of friendship has formed because we agree and therefore can walk together. We must remember that the Lord Himself said that He was sending us out as sheep among wolves. The only protection we as sheep have is our Shepherd.
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Thank you for this timely warning, Susanne. Frohliche Weihnachten! ❤
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Pingback: Deceiving the Very Elect or “Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid!” « A Wilderness Voice
Thank you all for your comments on here and for sharing your insights on this issue.
Your Susanne ❤
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This makes me wonder if going to a Christmas party is wrong.
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Good question, Fred.
“…why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience?” (1 Cor 10:29 ESV)
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Cor 3:17 ESV)
If you feel free to do so because God has assured you of this liberty in your heart, why not? 😉
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Thanks as far as I know he has allowed me to go. I keep thinking of the verse that says not to hide your light.
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Greetings Fred, I once felt that knowing the truth about the pagan origins of Christmas I could no longer celebrate the day; that is until a dear brother simply suggested that I could redeem the day. After all, the word says “the earth is the Lord’s, the world, and all who live in it” … there is a similar scripture near the end of Job, so the Lord owns the day! That the enemy has profaned it does not make it off limits to us, rather, we can redeem it in the Lord’s truth.
Is “this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” any less true on December 25th, than it is the other 364 days per year? So long as we worship in Spirit and Truth, December 25th is as good a day as any and every to celebrate our Messiah! 😉
Peace brother, and enjoy the day! 😀
Jack
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I like that song and I think we have sung it at the church I once belonged.
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