While overcast most the day,
yesterday, it still hit 110 and today it is promising the same. The air-conditioner hasn’t turned off since
yesterday morning.
It used to be so easy to work in
the heat, it ain’t anymore. Our energy
drains faster and our bodies grow weary and tired quickly. Carla is in the garden very early, day break,
in order to avoid the heat – and she gets a lot done. Tough Girl.
The animals, right now, are not
very active; can’t blame them, they don’t want to get overheated and know how to
conserve their strength.
Still we are getting produce
from Carla’s garden; growing your own food allows you to get it at the peak of
freshness. The vegetables are not
designed to travel and stay colorful for days and even weeks, they are to be
eaten, dried, frozen or canned quickly.
Their flavor is stronger and benefits so much greater than getting same
thing in the produce aisle at the store.
Exodus 7:9-12 When Pharaoh shall
speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron,
Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a
serpent.
10 And Moses and Aaron went
in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and
Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a
serpent.
11 Then Pharaoh also called
the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in
like manner with their enchantments.
12 For they cast down every
man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their
rods.
I have often wondered about
these verses. We all can enjoy magic
which is actually illusions. We know the
person performing has learned a trick to make it look like he has actually
performed something that is ‘impossible.’
Many of the illusionists are
becoming more and more resourceful. I
can’t figure it out so I don’t even try; I just enjoy the ‘magic’ shaking my
head in amazement.
I am sure the magicians of Egypt
were able to use sleight of hand as they cast down their ‘rods’ which became
snakes. They had the appearance of being
able to copy God’s miracle, but they were a sham and God showed that when Aarons
snake devoured the others.
I would ponder why God chose to
include these ‘miracles’ of the magicians when it would appear that they had the
same abilities that Moses and Aaron possessed.
It could be self-defeating you would think; it could appear that God was
no different than man.
But God isn’t concerned about
what man can do. He uses man’s
ineptitudes and false beliefs to demonstrate that HE is GOD and that man cannot
compare to HIM.
Like many other stories in the
Bible the story of how God called Moses into the ‘ministry,’ and worked with him
the rest of his life, shows that man can sometimes ‘duplicate’ what God does,
but it isn’t as perfect as God’s and it will lead to the destruction of man’s
work.
We look at many of the miracles
that Jesus performed and those that were also performed by Peter. It was performed on those that had been in
bondage to either sin or physical impairments for years.
The people knew these men and
women, they had seen them for years – decades even – in their impaired
condition. But they were healed by
Jesus. Not only could those that were
healed testify of the healings, but so could the people that knew them.
There was no question of the
authenticity of the miracles, they happened.
This was no action by man to
copy God, this was God working and proven by the witnesses that knew these men
and women. The background is important,
that is why God included it; these were documented miracles.
They were proof that Jesus is
God; and God rules wherever and whenever He chooses.
God does perform miracles
today. Of course the miracle of a lost
soul coming to Him and being wholly cleaned is being performed by God every
day.
But He still heals, He still
comforts, He still changes lives in such a manner that can be only described as
a miracle.
Unfortunately, charlatans,
knowing the desire of man to see miracles, can produce by illusion and trickery
duplicates of those miracles.
People come to see the
‘miracles,’ and many really do come to Christ even though the messenger is
flawed, his message – at least on accepting Christ is not.
Those speakers that use false
miracles to entice people to come to their meetings are doing it for their own
benefit, not God’s. God doesn’t need
that kind of trickery to attract people to Him.
What these people really want is
something to boost their own egos, to obtain things that will make them feel
better, superior to those around them.
It may be for prestige or power; it may be for money and the things it
will buy; or simply making them feel good, useful. But it isn’t about God, it is about them.
If God doesn’t provide miracles
in their services – or as many as they feel should be performed – they will fake
it and have actors perform the illusion of the miracles.
The more people who believe in
them, the more followers they have, the more prestige they have, the more power
they have over people, the more money they have, the more ‘things’ that money
can buy.
It is capitalism in
religion.
And it is wrong.
Most of these people are very
charismatic. They have oversized
personalities; they are attractive and well spoken. They are natural leaders and draw people to
them. Many appear humble and draw others
in by that ‘humility.’
Others are bold and preach that
God will do anything we tell (er, ask) Him to do. If we are not getting what we want, it is
because we do not trust God enough, and therefore there is something wrong with
us.
“It is the power of positive
thinking which makes God do things for us.”
Ignoring the fact that it is the heart God looks at, not the thoughts or
words.
If you challenge them they
bluster and call you unworthy, or not sold out for God. God can do anything you just have to accept
that and do what these charlatans tell you to achieve that state of graceful
acceptance. They do not like to be
challenged and will use their ‘power’ to discredit and destroy anyone that does
so.
It is the misuse of God’s Words;
it is the illusion of God’s acceptance of what is being taught. But it cannot stand up to the light of His
Word.
We must evaluate everything we
hear, or even see, by the Word of God.
If it doesn’t line up – not just a verse or two – but with the truth of
the whole Bible, then it is false teaching and we should avoid it
immediately.
2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were false
prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you,
who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought
them, and bring upon themselves swift
destruction.
2 And many shall follow
their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken
of.
3 And through covetousness
shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a
long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth
not.
Satan has been using his lies to
manipulate the minds of people since Adam and Eve. As we learn more about him, he changes his
methods and deliveries; but his message is always the same, humans are equal to
and better than God.
As any good liar, the lies are
believable, and often have a semblance of the truth as he weaves them in our
minds. But when the light of God’s Word
is shined on them, they are seen for the dark matter they are.
Malachi 3:16-18 Then they that
feared the Lord
spake often one to another: and the Lord
hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for
them that feared the Lord, and
that thought upon his name.
17 And they shall be mine,
saith the Lord of hosts, in that day
when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son
that serveth him.
18 Then shall ye return,
and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God
and him that serveth him not.
Let us not be deceived by
satan’s minions and charlatans, but use God’s Word and truth to overcome any
temptation to follow or believe them.
God is not afraid of questions, He has all the answers – His Holy Spirit
will help us discern the truth.
Later, Art :-)
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