Fire Extinguisher (Radio / Podcast)

…take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

(Ephesians 6:16 – ESV)

Do not put out the Spirit's fire;
(1 Thessalonians 5:19 – NIV)

Learning to live the life of faith can be frustrating at times; especially if you don’t understand the battleground you are on. It seems like you are on fire for God one minute, and then later it is like you are in the burning pit of hell. Why is it like this, what is going on, you might say?

Well, most Christians know that we are in a spiritual war, but did you know that the devil is not your greatest enemy? Your old man of the flesh is your greatest enemy. What the devil tries to do is set on fire the fuel that is already there. The Holy Spirit within you is also trying to start a fire, but a holy one that envelops you with a burning passion for God.

The truth is that there are two fires we must tend to as Christians. One we must stoke (2 Timothy 1:6) and one we must stop. Both fires are trying to blaze, and you are always extinguishing one or the other. The shield of faith quenches the fiery darts of the devil, and those are darts aimed to enflame your flesh. Either you will quench those darts or quench the Spirit, quench the devil’s fire or the Spirit’s fire. It is one or the other, at all times. There is no neutral ground; the devil will rush in to set on fire the places you are leaving unguarded (Ephesians 4:27).

You will either deny yourself or deny the power of God. In those moments that you sense your new man and your old man at war, the Spirit is not just trying to get you through that moment, and not just trying to get you to do the right thing. The Spirit is trying to sustain your life force, the fire is going out, and He is putting kerosene on the pilot light that is why it can seem like such a flare up and perhaps painful. He is reminding you that you are dousing the life right out of you. The shield of faith quenches the fiery darts of the devil, the shield of the flesh quenches the Spirit. Don’t quench the Spirit’s fire.

Don’t deny the Spirit’s power to live a life sanctified increasingly to God. This would be the opposite of the list in 2 Timothy 3, which talks of having a form of godliness but denying the power. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 – ESV). The Spirit gives you the power to deny yourself instead of denying God in this way.

Satan doesn't need to read minds because he has at least 6000 years of reading behavior. He can plant thoughts perhaps, but he can definitely observe when a sinful stimulus appears and our response to it, and therefore know how to strategize. Our enemies in the spiritual war are allowed behind the lines, as it were, and we had better realize that. There are no secret sins; you are putting lighter fluid on one pilot light, and putting your fingers on the other.

In those moments where you have that choice you either choose life or death, and the problem for some is that the choice of life feels like death...and it is, it is death to self, and since they aren't used to it, it is a seemingly unbearable pain, but we must arm ourselves with this mind (1 Peter 4:1). At all times, the Spirit either is working in your life or He is becoming grieved (Ephesians 4:30). You are a fire extinguisher; the question is which one?

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Bible Warnings against the Occult

(Astrology, Spiritism, Secret Knowledge, Magic, etc.)

When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a wizard or a necromancer, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you.
(Deuteronomy 18:9-12 – ESV)

· Leviticus 19:26, 31
· Leviticus 20:6, 27
· Deuteronomy 13:1-4
· Deuteronomy 17:2-3
· 1 Samuel 28:3, 7-9 / 1 Chronicles 10:13
· 2 Kings 17:16-17
· 2 Kings 21:6
· 2 Chronicles 33:6
· Isaiah 2:6
· Isaiah 8:19
· Isaiah 19:3
· Isaiah 44:24-26
· Isaiah 47:12-13
· Daniel 2:27
· Acts 7:43
· Acts 8:9-11
· Acts 13:8-11
· Acts 16:16-18
. Acts 19:19
· Galatians 5:20
· Revelation 21:8

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Casting Out Demons?

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons;
(Mark 16:17 – ESV)

You don’t see Paul teaching Timothy or Titus how to cast out demons or how to teach others to do it. You don’t see it taught in the epistles of Paul, Peter, or John. You only see it demonstrated in the narratives of the gospels and the book of Acts. Surely, something of this seemingly important magnitude would be covered in more detail; it would be outlined in Ephesians 6:10-18, or 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, etc., if it were to be our standard operating procedure.

It isn’t.

Paul mentions to Timothy about people who are ensnared by the devil, but he tells Timothy not to go down the rabbit trails but to correct with the truth, hoping that God will give them repentance. He says that Timothy will have to be patient and endure the evil, not cast it out (2 Timothy 2:23-26). He was to engage the enemy behind the behavior by bringing the truth to the encounter. The power and authority of the Word IS the power and authority of the believer, it doesn’t require an exorcism. If this is not the case, and we are supposed to “take our authority” and cast out demons, then why is there such a lack of teaching in the scriptures about it?

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Fire Extinguisher

…take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

(Ephesians 6:16 – ESV)

Do not put out the Spirit's fire;
(1 Thessalonians 5:19 – NIV)

Learning to live the life of faith can be frustrating at times; especially if you don’t understand the battleground you are on. It seems like you are on fire for God one minute, and then later it is like you are in the burning pit of hell. Why is it like this, what is going on, you might say?

Well, most Christians know that we are in a spiritual war, but did you know that the devil is not your greatest enemy? Your old man of the flesh is your greatest enemy. What the devil tries to do is set on fire the fuel that is already there. The Holy Spirit within you is also trying to start a fire, but a holy one that envelops you with a burning passion for God.

The truth is that there are two fires we must tend to as Christians. One we must stoke (2 Timothy 1:6) and one we must stop. Both fires are trying to blaze, and you are always extinguishing one or the other. The shield of faith quenches the fiery darts of the devil, and those are darts aimed to enflame your flesh. Either you will quench those darts or quench the Spirit, quench the devil’s fire or the Spirit’s fire. It is one or the other, at all times. There is no neutral ground; the devil will rush in to set on fire the places you are leaving unguarded (Ephesians 4:27).

You will either deny yourself or deny the power of God. In those moments that you sense your new man and your old man at war, the Spirit is not just trying to get you through that moment, and not just trying to get you to do the right thing. The Spirit is trying to sustain your life force, the fire is going out, and He is putting kerosene on the pilot light that is why it can seem like such a flare up and perhaps painful. He is reminding you that you are dousing the life right out of you. The shield of faith quenches the fiery darts of the devil, the shield of the flesh quenches the Spirit. Don’t quench the Spirit’s fire.

Don’t deny the Spirit’s power to live a life sanctified increasingly to God. This would be the opposite of the list in 2 Timothy 3, which talks of having a form of godliness but denying the power. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 – ESV). The Spirit gives you the power to deny yourself instead of denying God in this way.

Satan doesn't need to read minds because he has at least 6000 years of reading behavior. He can plant thoughts perhaps, but he can definitely observe when a sinful stimulus appears and our response to it, and therefore know how to strategize. Our enemies in the spiritual war are allowed behind the lines, as it were, and we had better realize that. There are no secret sins; you are putting lighter fluid on one pilot light, and putting your fingers on the other.

In those moments where you have that choice you either choose life or death, and the problem for some is that the choice of life feels like death...and it is, it is death to self, and since they aren't used to it, it is a seemingly unbearable pain, but we must arm ourselves with this mind (1 Peter 4:1). At all times, the Spirit either is working in your life or He is becoming grieved (Ephesians 4:30). You are a fire extinguisher; the question is which one?

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Destroying Doctrine

…We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up…

(2 Corinthians 10:4-5 – NET)

People get upset when we trample down their pet ideas that have “worked” so long for them. They should be upset, for their foundation is crumbling, and their flesh is falling. They will have to do the work of reworking their understandings of faith and the Christian life and it is hard work, and people don’t want to do it. Oh, the spiritual man does, but our flesh does not, and if we are believing in a false doctrine or teaching it is our flesh that likes it. Our old man of the flesh doesn’t want to change, and it is perfectly happy with doctrinal error that makes us conform to our little world of unchristian ideas dressed as spiritual piety but that are not really biblical at all.

Neutering pet proof texts, smashing down idol ideas, and carving up the sacred cows of charismania, this is part of a pastor’s job. This task is not limited to the fringes of charismania, however. There are many who are not even charismatics, and who might adhere to a perfectly orthodox understanding in their statement of faith, but who nevertheless in practice adhere to these doctrines we aim to destroy.

By the way, this is what 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 is talking about, not so much singular thoughts as it is systems of thought, even within the Christian community, fads and frauds based on faulty and flawed understandings of scripture. We are trying to destroy destructive doctrine. We are not tying to destroy your faith in the Word of God; we are trying to destroy your faith in yourself.

This isn't being "mean", this is doing what God has commanded us to do. Really read the following verses again and let them sink in.

2 Corinthians 10:3-7 – For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ's, so also are we.

I think we spend most of our lives trying to please our flesh, and sometimes even if that means we are helping others, because sometimes we are helping others so we may feel good about ourselves instead of out of obedience to God’s Word. When we think this way, and who hasn’t at times, and when we are trying to decide on differing models of doctrine, it would make sense to just find the one that sounds like it does everything the others do, but also pleases my flesh to a degree, although we may not realize that. We sometimes try and justify aberrant practices by that, “it is helping people” standard, but it is the standard our flesh is comfortable with, the most supposed help with the least amount of confrontation, not just confrontation with the parties being “helped” but with ourselves having to change our way of “helping people”.

Instead, if we find our flesh happy about our doctrinal choices, we should run as fast as we can seeking the Word of God to show us what it has to say about the choice we just made. And we have to "know" when it is our flesh speaking to us, or if we are walking after the Spirit, and so we have to "know" the Word of God, and so we have to keep learning and living the Word of God continually, even if it means part of us is destroyed in the process.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Remind Your Mind

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
(Ephesians 6:11 – ESV)

The armor of God is a state of a renewed mind because of truth. It is not something we must put on as if we have taken it off, so much as it is something God has put on us, and we put it on by reminding ourselves of it. It is imperative only in the fact that it is indicative. We remind our mind that we have been initiated in the Truth and accepted into the beloved by praying to God. God knows the Truth and we are calling on God to fulfill His word, that we believe in what He says about us as the redeemed. Prayer using scripture is powerful in that it relays our confidence in God's word, our faith in His promises, our trust in what He says.

The breastplate of righteousness, for example, is the fact that our righteousness is the righteousness of Christ. We are justified, declared righteous by faith, and the shield of faith protects us from attacks by the enemy, and the breastplate is a covering over our heart. This is not so much like a literal thing, but in essence. We know what the scripture says, and we are renewed in our minds to believe it. This protects us from losing the battle when we are under attack and strengthens us to be reminded of that as we claim the truth in prayer, as we go into each daily battle recognizing that we ARE wearing it. It isn’t a matter of having to put it on in the sense of, “oh no we forgot it, were doomed” but, “yes we can survive the attack because we have been clothed”. We remind our mind and are renewed in hope once again. Talk to your self about what God has done before your self talks to you about what you have done.

The schemes of the devil revolve around trying to get the Christian to turn from the righteousness of God and to look at their own righteousness, and then to have the believer realize that they have failed God. This is true, we have all fallen short of the glory of God, but when the devil comes calling, when he tries to fire the flaming arrows of condemnation at us, when he tries to talk us out of it, we need to remind our mind of what God has done, and talk ourselves right back into it (Romans 8:1).

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Loving Truth or Living Lies

But that is not the way you learned Christ!
(Ephesians 4:20 – ESV)

Believing a lie is the genesis of sin, and it hardens our heart. Hardness of heart leads to an increasing futility of mind, which leads to more corrupt practices. Even Christians can have this happen to them, we all do to a certain degree. Paul is saying we should strive to make it happen less, stop believing lies and start embracing the truth, dance with it instead of dancing with the devil. This whole passage from Ephesians 4 is about the truth and learning to trust and obey it, which becomes an easier thing to connect with when we discover what lies we are believing. Usually they are about the fear we have of letting something go and embracing something else because we haven’t ever done it that way before.

We are both loving truth and trying to stamp out sin or we are living in lies and loving our sin. The deceitfulness of sin is what hardens your heart which leads to the darkness of a futile mind where we think we are doing good but we are not, we are only doing it the way we want to and only obeying in the way that appeases our own undeveloped or underdeveloped conscience. This has many disastrous effects. If we continue to love a lie, we do more than believe lies, we become hardened in our hearts and we actually cherish the lies, we cherish the sin; we love our false doctrines, and our pet theologies. We also are prone to believing more lies, like believing that we are hearing from God or that we discern some teaching as true or false doctrine when we don’t have any scriptural support. We just trust our feelings without any basis in bible facts.

The word of God must be the arbiter; we must evaluate teachings based on the plumb line of the bible. Pagan practices have made their way into the church, and false teaching breeds false believers. Unfortunately, when confronted lovingly with bible truth, many people would simply rather believe a lie than lose face or submit their will. It comes down to a case of “My judgment is superior to yours”. They may say, “God told me you are wrong”, or “I have the gift of discernment”, or “You are just all about head knowledge”, or use the pragmatic yardstick – “look at all the fruit”, and on and on it goes.

Until the believer believes the Word enough to submit his heart, mind, and will to its authority nothing of great value can be accomplished. As long as the opinions of the believer reign supreme the person teaching them cannot take him anywhere. Worst of all are the instances where the person believes he has received a “personal” word from the Lord and uses it to justify himself. The pastor or teacher or discipler will subsequently find that he cannot lead this person down the road of obedience. As Jonathan Edwards observed, “As long as a person has a notion that he is guided by immediate direction from heaven, it makes him incorrigible and impregnable in all his misconduct.”

We must always be willing to learn and turn if we can be shown clearly from scripture and plain reasoning that our position is wrong. Renewing your mind means changing it. Stop believing the lies and start believing the truth as we see so clearly in this whole passage. Put on the new you which is the true you who believes in truth. Church should be a place where everyone tells the truth in a safe environment for the people and a deadly environment for lies. Speaking the truth in love so as to grow up means we don’t let it just go. We should live in fear of accepting error. We must confront error when confronted with it. If we love the truth we won’t stand for living with lies.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Hearing Voices

to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
(Ephesians 4:22 – ESV)

Believing a lie is the genesis of sin. It is the reason behind your sin; whatever sin you’re in is because of some lie you are currently believing. Those who are sinning the most are the ones who are most gullible to believe a lie. Our goal is to find out what the truth is and believe it, to connect with it, to learn how to process our way through the lies and into the truth.

The old man is the old man of our flesh (Romans 8:6-8, 13). In the flesh basically just means you will do things your own way. Now with some crafty Christians, as we might call them, which are just people who are in the flesh and are deceived about it, these people think they aren’t doing things their own way, they think they are doing things God’s way. However, they really aren’t because God’s way to them is dictated though their feelings or impressions. They think God gives these things, but they don’t match up to scripture, they are a lie, and these people are deceived. So if you think God is trying to tell you something, what does the bible have to say about it? Is it consistent with godly character, a mature understanding, and a biblically informed conscience? How would you know?

You might think that this is obvious but I’m here to tell you that this happens a whole lot out there. I have been guilty of it, you have been guilty of it, and we all have been guilty of it at one time or another. The challenge, the right thing to do about it is to keep learning your bible, keep checking the facts, and stay in fellowship with other Christians, preferably ones who are progressing or ones who are further along than you. Stop being disobedient, stop believing the lies that you think you are hearing from God when the things He’s supposedly telling you don’t line up with scripture. The next time you get an impression or hear some voice, tell it to come back later after you have consulted with your bible first. If it says no it can’t wait, you know for sure it isn’t God talking to you (Acts 17:11 / 1 Thessalonians 5:21). That isn’t a lack of faith; it is a stand for truth. The truth is in the text; if it doesn’t agree with scripture don’t agree with it.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©