Discernment

Why Is There Such a Lack of Discernment?

I’ve been having a lot of conversations over the course of this past week about the lack of discernment that is exponentially growing among believers. The lack of interest in sticking to the scriptures is truly astounding, isn’t it?

It would seem that as long as the name of Jesus is used along with a few Bible verses, these TV shows and movies and books and teachers and preachers are given a golden pass to teach and promote whatever they want.

The other week I was in a church service where, as the music started, the congregation began singing the lyrics on the screen in front of them. But something didn’t seem quite right. I realized what it was when the pastor stood up and said “wait a minute”. The organist had accidentally started playing a different hymn and we were singing our lyrics to the wrong tune. We were making it work but it wasn’t right. These things happen (as a pianist, don’t I know it!!) and we all laughed as she began playing the hymn that was on the screen.

I have found myself wondering what would have happened if the pastor wouldn’t have stood up and said “wait, that’s not right.” I think we all would have just kept singing, getting more and more confused along the way.

This is such a great picture of what discernment should look like in a church. Church leaders, pastors, and teachers should be protecting their people from the wolves that are trying to make their way into the flock. They should stand up and say “Wait! That’s not biblical. That’s not the truth.” Instead, what we find in so many churches these days are few that are willing to speak up about false teaching and, in fact, many who are actually embracing these wolves and promoting them. It’s a sad, sad plight that is honestly hard to wrap one’s brain around.

But why this lack? Why are so few leaders willing to speak up? Why do people get so angry at them if they do speak up? What is going on? If we are honest, there are various reasons for this, but there is a big one that I want to mention here specifically.

I was having a conversation about this topic with my son yesterday and he said something like this: People just aren’t interested in God anymore.

I’ve been thinking about this and I think he is exactly right. They only want the nice things they read about a man named Jesus. They don’t have any interest in learning about God’s wrath and justice and His glory. They only want the nice stuff that makes their self-centered lives more pleasant. This is why a “Chosen” or “He Gets Us” Jesus has so much appeal. This is why so many of these false teachers gain such a following. They appeal to our flesh.

And this isn’t new. The Shack, Jesus Calling, and a plethora of other books and movies have laid the groundwork. Completely redefining our beliefs about God and Jesus, these books paved the way for where we find ourselves today. People are not getting their theology and understanding of God from scripture. They are turning to these bestsellers that are so close to the truth and yet so far away. Satan comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He looks so good and yet He is so evil.

False teachers assure us of God’s love, grace, and mercy while never mentioning our need to repent of sin or God’s wrath, judgment, and holiness. They mention only the positives and never the negatives. It’s a one-sided religion that is woefully lacking. And, no matter the different details these false teachers give for their particular brand of religion, a religion that blatantly ignores these things so clearly found in scripture is absolutely FALSE.

But did you know that we were told in scripture that there would come a time that this would happen? Paul writes in 2 Timothy–

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

These people who refuse to discern aren’t victims of false teaching. But, rather, false teaching is God’s judgment on them. This is an important distinction to make. If someone is unwilling to hold to the authority of God’s Word in their life because they just don’t like certain things it says; if they are unwilling to follow Truth because it is unpleasant and would rather believe the LIE that is so much more pleasant…well, then they will find no lack of people and philosophies to woo them away from both the Word and the Truth.

It keeps coming back to the same thing doesn’t it? I am sure you are weary of me saying it but it just cannot be said enough! The Bible is our only anchor in this storm of heresy and apostasy that is swirling about us at an ever-increasing rate. Read it, study it, know it. Studying it with a humble heart willing to submit and obey all it says; this, through God’s precious Holy Spirit, is that which will hold us fast. Oh, how thankful we must be for God’s Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit who teaches us through His Word. God knew a time like this would come and He has provided all we need to stand fast!


NOTE: If you are just now becoming aware of the need to discern in this Christian culture; if you are just becoming aware that Jesus is being misrepresented in the culture at large; if you are wondering about a book study or an author your church is using; then I’d like to tell you about a little book I just published called Learn to Discern. It’s a short, easy read that will get you started in learning to discern, according to scripture. You can find it here.

What Color is the Sky?

Back in the 80s, there was an artist who liked to write songs about hot topics of the culture. One of the songs he wrote was about values clarification. You may not know what this is but I guarantee it has affected every one of our lives.

Values clarification is determining what has value based on subjectivity (personal “truth”) rather than objectivity (absolute truth). So his song was about a boat in which there were four people but only three could stay in it if it was to stay afloat. Which person had the “least value” and what criteria should be used to determine this?

This push to teach students values clarification was, in my opinion, very instrumental in moving the entire culture from absolute truth to subjective truth. From “This is true because it is true” to “This is true because this is what I have decided is true”. And from “This is true for all” to “this is my personal truth”.

But truth, by its very nature, must be true or false. There is no “truth” for you and a different “truth” for me. The sky cannot be both blue and purple at the same time. But most people would not argue with someone who says the sky is purple. They are content to let someone believe this, even if they don’t agree with them. And, in fact, they believe that there can be a different answer than four to the equation 2+2. They may believe the answer is four but they do not care and, in fact, willingly accept that someone else’s “truth” may lead them to a different answer.

This attitude about absolute truth is leading many Christians right off the cliff into the morass of relativity when it comes to discernment. Instead of using the Bible to judge what is right and what is wrong (because for a believer, the Bible is our ultimate test for these things), they are using emotion and feeling and pragmatism (does it work) to determine these things. They are determining what is true subjectively rather than objectively.

Let me give you an example…

Last week, I posted something my daughter had written about “The Chosen” TV series (you can find that here). Inevitably the comments come (more for her at this juncture than for me, although I did get a couple). The general spirit of these comments is “God is using this, how can you judge something God is using?” or “This has helped me to read my Bible more, how could you say this is bad?”

These people are determining truth by their own subjective experience, rather than by scripture. They are saying something is good, simply because it helped them or is helping someone else (pragmatism).

I just have to add here that if we think God needs a show from Hollywood that attacks His divinity and adds to His Words to reach people, we have a very, very low view of our all-powerful God. I’d also recommend reading Deuteronomy 13 to be reminded of how God feels about anyone who would lead his people astray. He does not take this lightly (to say the least!!)

Another example are the many popular books that make people “feel good”. They feel loved and comforted and encouraged. A book can’t possibly be wrong if it makes me feel so good, could it?

But should our feelings be our criteria for determining what is right, according to scripture? Is this what gives something “value”?

As genuine believers, we must hold the scripture as our authority and we must use this to determine what is right and good.

I think I am probably “preaching to the choir” here, because at this point if you are still sticking around here reading this blog, you are probably already aware of the danger of this type of thinking. And so let’s spend a moment or two considering how we talk to those who profess to follow Christ and yet just can’t see this danger.

This is a conundrum, isn’t it? It is an attitude that has reached every church and even every Christian family at some level. And it feels impossible to open someone’s eyes to how they are determining truth because they believe in their hearts that they are right. And guess what? It IS impossible for us to open their eyes. But God can!

And that is our HOPE. God–and only God–can open the eyes of someone who is determining truth in the wrong way. And so we must pray diligently.

As we pray, we must do our best to set a good example in our own lives of determining truth by scripture instead of by feelings. And, if we are given opportunities to have conversations about this with other Christians, we just keep pointing people to the Word. This is all we can do.

What we must never do is get into online debates or family arguments about this. Discussions are good but quarrels are not. If the person you are trying to point to the Word to determine truth wants no part of it, it’s best to just stop talking.

This is a very, very difficult time in which to be a Christian. Us older people can remember a time when truth was...truth. But that is simply not the case any more. We see this in a myriad of ways in secular culture but it has also crept into the church under the guise of “love and unity”.

Letting false teaching run amok among believers can never be defined as LOVE. And any unity that is based on “you believe what you want and I’ll believe what I want” is not true UNITY. But, unless someone is getting their definitions for love and for unity from scripture, they will have a very different opinion than you about this. These beautiful words that have so much meaning in scripture have literally been re-defined.

Oh, that we may continue to look to scripture as our anchor and our litmus test. And, as God gives us opportunities, may we encourage other believers to do the same.


If you’d like to read more about how to discern truth from error as a believer, along with some ideas on how to share the truth with others, perhaps my new book Learn to Discern (According to Scripture) would be helpful. It is available at this link. This is just a short book that I hope will help those who desire some help in learning to discern. I hope it will be a blessing to those who read it.

How Our Enemy Works

Last night we decided to watch a movie. We settled on a golf story that was rated G. It seemed well produced with a few familiar actors. As it began I noticed a verse from Isaiah flash up on the screen. I was distracted and didn’t take the time to read what that verse was. (I’ll come back to that later.)

As we settled in to watch, we enjoyed the story of a young golfer who had lost his way. Quite unsuspectingly, we ended up at the spiritual crux of the film, which was about 60 minutes in to the 90 minute film.

It started off quite innocently enough. Turning to the young man, his older mentor asked him a very good question:

What do you want people to say about you when you’re gone? What will your epitaph be?

Thought-provoking, isn’t it? After a few moments more of conversation regarding this, the young man thanked his mentor for all his help…which led to the older gentleman going on to encourage the young golfer towards his version of god (no capital because it wasn’t God at all!)–

(queue moving music) And I quote: Don’t thank me. Thank Him (pointing upwards) because God is all around us…inside each of us. If you listen, there’s a still small voice of truth leading us….talking to us…and telling you that you can see God’s face. Feel His presence. Trust His love.

No sin. No wrath. No Savior. Just look within and there you will find God. What blasphemy!

Now, this movie, which gave the impression of being a Christian movie, complete with encouragement to read the Holy Bible and go to church, ended in a very enigmatic way. It pointed you to a website. I decided to go there, and while I found a reference or two to Jesus, I could find NO Gospel. The first thing I did find was a testimony regarding the attacks the “enemy” (Satan) had made on the film during its production.

Oh. My. Goodness. How clever of Satan, right? Attack a film that is ALL HIS to begin with to give the message validity in the eyes of Christians. That is how our enemy works.

That bit of advice that man gave his protege was not biblical. It was satanic. It was pure mysticism and completely against scripture. Jeremiah couldn’t put it any plainer in verse 9 of chapter 17–

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

When I want back to look at just what verse they had used at the beginning of that film, I saw that it was verse completely taken out of context to promote this wicked lie that was nestled into this G-rated film.

See how our enemy works? He produces these innocuous movies, using out of context verses, and gradually changes the belief system of those who don’t know their Bibles and what it really says.

Until most of those who would claim Christianity do believe those words that man said. After all, who doesn’t love a religion that tells you to look to yourself (while claiming it is God) for the answers?

This belief–the belief to FOLLOW OUR HEARTS–is the core of mysticism and occultism. This belief is what will lead the world into the coming one-world religion.

Along with this core belief comes a very innocuous “Jesus”. He is a kind and loving man who doesn’t care if you keep sinning or if you follow after that heart of yours. He just wants to support you in whatever you want to do.

A friend of mine put this so succinctly yesterday in a comment. I asked her if I could share her thoughts with you. (Thank you, Susie!)–

[Modern-Day Christianity] is so one sided where Jesus is loved as the caring, loving, gentle, “give me everything I want when I want it” person, to the neglect of obedient walking, sin confessing, holy living, fear and reverence of God….

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have both of those sides to them. We cannot have one without the other.

To put it bluntly, God gets to call the shots. He is God. We don’t get to reinvent a fluffy nice Jesus who gives all I want without me walking obediently to God’s Word, and avoiding or neglecting parts of scripture where God seems harsh. “Keep yourself in the love of God” means to keep the love of God in view always as you read scripture.

What we have today is a selfish lop-sided religion world-wide.

Amen! But you need to understand that this is not without purpose. To get a bunch of people claiming to be Christians but living for themselves; listening to themselves; obsessed with themselves is a BIG win for Satan. For these people believe they are saved. They use the right terms, they sing songs of praise to Jesus, and they have their devotions. Oh, how burdened I am for these people who are living for their own dreams, their own promotion, their own desires and yet believe they are saved.

Maybe that is you? Oh, if it is, may I call you from a self-centered life to a God-centered life? May I encourage you to read the actual Bible rather than a devotional that just makes you feel good? Learn what biblical Christianity is from the scripture. It is there alone that we learn to know God and begin to understand our sinful nature and just how lost and hopeless we are without Jesus.

In Sunday School this past Sunday our teacher said something very profound:

If [Christianity] doesn’t impact your life, it’s not real.

He was referring specifically to turning from sin and worldliness. If we aren’t actively trying to do this (albeit imperfectly!)…if we aren’t even conscious of the fact that we should be doing these things, we should be concerned. Have we been duped into believing the lies of the enemy?


I keep a pair of crocs by the front door where I leave the dogs out. Sometimes I need to go out to check on something or to encourage them to come inside. Lately, I’ve been finding one croc all over the place. Sometimes it is in the kitchen, other times the sun room. This morning I found one under a blanket in the family room.

Our lab, Dixie, likes to steal shoes. She doesn’t usually harm them but simply grabs one shoe and moves it for some reason. I find shoes at the most unexpected places.

True biblical Christians are like this. We will find them everywhere across this world. Sometimes in unexpected places. I’ve had the great privilege of getting to know some of you through this blog. I’ve heard the testimonies of some from missionaries or through YouTube. And, in other cases, I’ve read their biographies.

While there is a great tsunami of apostasy that has invaded evangelicalism, God still has His faithful remnant spread across the world. I pray that we all study to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15) and consistently examine our hearts (2 Corinthians 13:5) to be sure that we are part of that remnant. And that we work diligently to share the TRUE Gospel amidst the flood of false gospels that abound.

(And, one final thing in conclusion– be so careful what you watch. Do not watch even one movie, read one book, or listen to one podcast without intentional discernment. Satan knows full well that some Christians won’t watch, read or even listen to certain things and so he uses things that we assume to be free from worldly influences to share his message. Pay attention to the philosophies that are infused into innocuous packages.)

Diagnosing and Curing Itchy Ear

2 Timothy is the final book that Paul wrote before being executed under the evil rule of Nero. It is full of practical wisdom and much exhortation for Timothy and for any believer who would read it throughout the ages. In chapter three Paul describes what the last days would look like. This description was not about what we would see in the world but about what would take place within the professing church.

As he moves to chapter four, he continues to let us know what would be the natural response of those he is describing in chapter three:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3)

When true believers come to this passage we often shake our heads in agreement and feel deep sadness at all of “those” people who are doing this very thing. We see them everywhere.

But today I’d like to take a bit of a different turn and think through this verse with a different lens.

Have you ever talked with someone about something and came away thinking, “they are so blind!” This might be a godly person who really wants to live for the Lord. But, for some reason, they can’t see their own sinfulness in a certain area or the truth about a false teacher or some other truth that is clear. Could this be because they have a slight case of itchy ear?

According to 2 Timothy 4, verse 3, there are a few ways we can diagnose itchy ear. Let’s look at them now–

1. We won’t endure sound doctrine. If we aren’t willing to endure sound doctrine in any particular area, then we probably have at least a slight case of itchy ear. What exactly is sound doctrine? In this context, it is the pure teaching of the Word. If we aren’t willing to submit and obey the Word in all areas, it will lead to a definite case of itchy ear.

But this is not always as cut and dried as we’d like to believe. Many of us will gladly obey most of the Bible. But when we get to a part that convicts us of entertainment, the lifestyle of anxiety or worry that has become our normal, or of giving up that long-held grudge and forgiving someone who deeply hurt us…well, that’s just too much to ask. And so we won’t endure that particular “sound doctrine”. This is a sure sign of itchy ear.

2. We only want to hear things that match our own desires. And so if someone brings something to our attention that we don’t care for–perhaps about a false teacher we love or a sin that is firmly entrenched in our lives– we will respond in one of two ways. We will get very defensive and maybe even a bit angry. Or we will just ignore it and go on with life. However we respond, we certainly won’t honestly examine our lives in regard to what is being said. Because we will choose not to hear what goes against our desires.

3. We will only like positive, uplifting teachers. If someone dares to call out sin, worldliness, or a false teacher (by name) we get all up in arms, declaring them to be negative, judgmental, and all sorts of other awful accusations. How dare they?!? And we conclude they must be the most unloving and unkind person we know.

4. We will turn away from truth and turn towards fables. The Shack is a rather old book by now but it is the perfect example of this very thing. This book (and its subsequent movie) presented a fable about God. It was not truth, according to scripture. And, yet, because so many loved the god that William Paul Young presented in his book, they turned away from the true God (as described in scripture) and embraced this false god. They turned away from truth and turned towards a fable. This is just one example. There are countless others and countless more to come. Satan loves to fool Christians. And he does it in such a way that it looks so good and so…right.

Do you have itchy ear? Even a slight case? Perhaps we all do to some extent. We don’t like to hear what is uncomfortable and demands change, do we? Change is hard and ingrained habits are hard to break. Teachers are much loved and the loyalty runs deep. Following hard after truth is not for the fainthearted and weak. And, yet, God can turn a fainthearted and weak person into someone willing to stand courageously in His strength, through the power of the Holy Spirit. But how?

How do we cure our case of itchy ear? How do we become someone who is willing to endure sound doctrine, willing to turn from our own desires in humble submission to God’s desires, willing to hear both the positive and the negative as we listen to teachers, and willing to turn toward truth and away from fables? How can we be sure to be the kind of listener that benefits our spiritual walk and blesses a biblical teacher?

There are a few things we can do. It’s rather simple really. But we can’t miss a step.

First, we must pray and read the Word. Let’s bring a humble spirit before the Lord, asking Him to show us the truth and to help us be willing to change. And then let’s read and study the Word with perseverance and diligence, so that we can know our God and what He desires.

Second, we must be willing to examine ourselves in light of the Word. Many of us live in a superficial way because we are unwilling to do this. And, I must admit, it is much easier to just live day to day as we endeavor to complete our to-do lists and take care of the many things calling our names. But, without taking the time to examine ourselves, we are opening ourselves up to a severe case of itchy ear, for it will sneak up on us when we least expect it.

Third, we must be willing to turn from our feelings. For many of us (myself included) the temptation is strong to let our feelings drive our lives. And so we don’t read our Bibles because we don’t feel like it. Or we turn on the TV and waste hours of time because we don’t feel like doing anything else. We don’t feel like reading hard books that help us grow but we feel like reading easy novels that fill our mind with fluff (at best) or trash (at worst). We make choices about going to church (oh, it was such a late night, let’s skip), we make choices about music (oh, this has such a catchy tune), we make choices about our children’s entertainment (but I don’t want to upset my child and take this way from her because then she might be mad at me) all based solely on how they make us feel. This will almost always lead to itchy ear.

With God’s help, we must move from making decisions based on feelings to making decisions based on what will please God. For a genuine believer that wants to live out their faith, no decision escapes this examination. Am I choosing this because of how it will make me feel or am I choosing it because I want to please the Lord? (I am convicting myself here!)

Fourth, we must be willing to listen to biblical teachers that will preach the whole word of God instead of those who just give us the positive, uplifting messages that make us feel good.


If we do these things, then we will cure our case of itchy ear, whether it be a severe case or just the slightest case. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be walking around with itchy ear, spiritually sick and weakened, when God has made a way for us to live out a radiant, vibrant faith as we journey through this darkened world!

It’s Simple Really

This morning as I studied my Bible, I got to thinking about something I heard yesterday in a sermon. Basically the thought was that false doctrines and teachings arise out of our lusts (for sin and for the world). This struck me profoundly.

The Bible’s message is actually pretty easy to understand. Sure, there are a few areas that are hard and we can’t really “get”. But, generally, it’s actually pretty understandable. The Bible clearly shows that we are lost sinners without hope and that salvation comes by faith in Christ alone through grace alone. There are NO works we can do to merit favor with God. It also clearly shows the terrible eternal destiny of those who reject Christ. Our call, as genuine believers, to please God, to turn from sin and worldly lusts and passions, to deny ourselves, to die to self, to call out false teachers, to expect persecution and antagonism for following the truth, and to turn from man’s vain philosophies (such as so-called “science”)… all these things are very plainly expressed.

So what is the problem?

The problem is that we want to “feed our flesh”. Oh, that awful flesh. It gets us into so much trouble. The old man wars with our new man and we can so easily lay our weapons down and stop fighting (i.e. rationalize and excuse our sin and worldliness away) if we but take a few verses out of context here or twist a verse or two there. And that’s how false doctrine is born.

As those who want to sincerely follow Christ, we must pray and ask God to open our eyes where we may be blind. We must ask Him to help us to follow the truth no matter the cost. This is a frightening prayer, isn’t it? And, yet, to be caught up in deception has far, far worse consequences than knowing the truth.

I was studying 2 Timothy 2 this morning and verses 3 and 4 of that chapter give us some guidance on how following the truth is even possible–

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

So, according to Paul, here in this chapter, we are to–

Endure hardship.

Remember that we are a soldier and God is our Captain (which means we are in a war!)

Do not entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life.

And there you have it: Three critical ways in which we must follow God’s Word, if we are to keep from being deceived and confused.

This is so much harder to live out than it is to write. The costs of following after God and His Word are very real and can be very painful. They can cost you relationships, material gain, jobs and careers, your beloved church home, and any other number of things.

But we must remember that it is worth it. Oh, so worth it. I am reminded of Paul’s words in another epistle–

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11)

Paul tells us all is rubbish when compared to the treasure of knowing Christ. May we remember this as we travel in the confusing landscape that makes up modern day Christianity.

Following God is simple really. But it isn’t easy.

Our Plan of Action for the Last Days

In 2 Timothy 3 we find out what the world will look like in the last days —

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent (meaning: without restraint), fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-7)

While the world has always been evil, the convergence of last days signs that evidence themselves as we study prophetical passages like this one, has overwhelmingly confirmed that the last days are upon us now. How long they will last, we have no way of knowing, so we can’t make predictions or set dates. But this passage, along with other passages that give descriptions of what the end of this current age will look like, would certainly seem to confirm that they have begun.

This chapter goes on to share some very important information regarding these days, which includes our expectation of persecution as we try to stand against the “form of godliness that denies the power thereof” (otherwise known as fake Christianity).

But at the end of this chapter, Paul gives our plan of action as true believers as we endeavor to stand strong against the tidal wave of wickedness and apostasy–

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Someone pointed out to me a year or two ago that this verse we are all so familiar with and many of us have memorized: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (verse 16 of 2 Timothy 4) was written specifically after the rest of the chapter. The verse, in its context, gives us our plan of action for such a time as this. Paul shows us what we must cling to as we endure these perilous last days.


In the past few weeks, I’ve been reminded, through a variety of events and conversations, of the danger of loving the world (and fostering our kids’ love for the world) while relegating God’s Word to the background or even to discount it completely. The world is eating Christians alive and, yet, those who call themselves Christians continue to feed on it and follow after worldly passions and dreams. Why is this?

I believe it is because God’s Word is not valued nor are those who call themselves Christians willing to follow the difficult parts that are within its pages.

In many churches and families, the Bible has become an afterthought, at best, and outdated and unnecessary, at worst. Many preachers insert a verse here or there to support their own opinions. Many parents care more about grades and sports than they do about the eternal destiny of their precious children. Throughout all walks of life, people who call themselves Christian live their lives without any love for God’s Holy Word.

This is leaving a generation (or perhaps two or three!) floating in a sea of non-absolutes, setting their hearts on worldly pursuits and passions… and utterly devoid of truth and completely severed from the anchor God has so kindly given us.

We cannot control the choices of others. While we can point people to God’s Word as He gives us opportunity, we cannot change hearts and minds. But we can choose, ourselves, this very day, to follow God’s plan of action and to ground ourselves in His Word. It’s a serious and urgent thing, this grounding ourselves in the Holy Scriptures. We are so susceptible to Satan’s subtle tricks and so vulnerable to worldly lusts without it.

I am so thankful God gave us the Bible and how He specifically reminds us in 2 Timothy 3 that our job is to continue strong in the faith and to remember the importance of His Word as we are blasted on every side with apostasy, deception, and wickedness. And as we do this, we can rest assured that–

But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

So let’s not be discouraged and anxious but let’s keep ourselves immersed in God’s Word, remembering that it has the answers we need, no matter what challenge, trial, or conundrum we face today.

The Missing Earring

I was vacuuming the other day when I spotted something shiny on the carpet. I reached down to pick it up and realized it was a favorite earring. I have a rather bad habit of putting my earrings in the back corner of the fourth or fifth step so that I can grab them on my way upstairs. Up to this point, that had worked just fine.

That is…until Dixie came along. Our Labrador Retriever puppy gets into everything and I had grown a bit lazy with keeping the gate across the steps. I knew right away that she had found them.

But there was only one earring lying there. Where was the other one?

I briefly scanned the floor, the path to the steps, and the steps and then started to panic a bit. Had she eaten it? She must have eaten it!

I made the assumption that somehow (and for some unknown reason) she had eaten my earring. I started thinking about the size of it, trying to discern if we were going to be dealing with a pet emergency. I was also more than a little disappointed to lose a pair of earrings I actually cared about (there aren’t many that I would care about).

As I stood there, my husband came in the house and asked what was wrong. I cried out in dismay that Dixie had eaten one of my favorite earrings. He wisely cautioned me not to panic and to take some more time to look.

So I went back over the path from the steps to where I had found the earring. Nothing there. And then I stood at the steps and really looked at each one. The earring blended in with the carpet, which made it a bit harder to find. My eyes carefully searched each step. Reaching the bottom step, I finally saw the small piece of jewelry winking up at me.

How had I missed it the first time? I realized that it was because I was already assuming that Dixie ate it so I didn’t expect to find it.

I’ve been thinking about how this incident can teach us a variety of lessons regarding discerning the truth in a “Christian” culture filled with lies.

1. Laziness is dangerous. The whole problem with the earrings began because I couldn’t be bothered to shut the gate to the stairs. So many issues begin because we aren’t willing to do a little background work on that author that our best friend recommended or the Instagram account that our sister insists is just great. It’s just easier to go off someone’s recommendation, isn’t it? But we can’t do that anymore. We need to carefully make sure that this person recommended is someone that lines up with scripture. We can’t afford to be lazy.

2. Assumptions are rarely helpful. My assumption that the earring had been eaten kept me from seeing the truth: The earring was still on the steps. Only when I opened my mind to the possibility that I might find it, could my eyes see the actual truth of what really was. Oh, how similar this is to us in real life! Whether we assume someone is a biblical teacher or we assume someone is not a biblical teacher, we cannot fairly make an assessment until we compare something they have said, done, or written to scripture. We need to be open to the possibility that we are wrong in our assumption. It is critically important that God’s Word be our litmus test for ALL things. It is our only certain anchor in the midst of the religious chaos we find ourselves in.

3. We need to pay attention. I could have vacuumed that earring right up. Thankfully, my eye caught the little shiny object before I heard that familiar “clank clank” in the vacuum tube. But so often, in life, we don’t spot that lie before it’s too late. It’s so important that we become familiar with some of the common red flags that signal a false teacher OR a teacher that is moving away from solid biblical doctrine. (I wrote about some of these red flags we can be looking for in this post.)

4. We need to be teachable. When my husband encouraged me to keep looking for the earring, I could have just ignored him or even told him to “stop being so optimistic”, assuring him it was a lost cause. But, instead, in this instance (I don’t always respond like this!), I heard what he said and I followed his advice. I was so glad I did. I think so often when someone tells us something that goes against our assumptions or the thoughts already so firmly embedded in our minds, we just don’t want to hear what they have to say that might not agree with those assumptions and thoughts. BUT what if they are right? What if that person we so dearly love to follow is compromised? We have much so much to gain by at least checking into what they might be saying and so much to lose by not checking. It’s a win win situation. If they are biblical, we have lost nothing but a little time. If they aren’t biblical, we have saved ourselves from imbibing false teaching and straying off the narrow path.


I don’t know if this is helpful. I’ve noticed a real change in the “Christian” culture over the past few years. It seems to me that you are either someone who is already aware of what I wrote above or you are someone who doesn’t see the importance of what I wrote above and do not care. There just do not seem to be many in between anymore.

But, I know that God is still working on the hearts of His children, one by one. And so I hope that this will be an encouragement and blessing to someone out there today.

The World is Quickly Passing Away

Today’s air was crisp and fall-like. This kind of weather makes me anticipate autumn, which is just around the corner now. As I walk around my yard, I see that many of the flowers are done blooming. The ones that remain are starting to look straggly; some have mildew on their leaves. Their time to shine is almost gone. In a few short months, they have brightened our world and then passed out of existence. Like a shooting star that gives sparkling light for a moment and then disappears.

Last night I was scrolling through Instagram for a few minutes. A retro reel came up that was from 1980. It was a promotion video for ABC and across the stage pranced people I hadn’t seen on TV or anywhere else for twenty years or more. They were the beloved stars of the popular sitcoms from that day. As I watched the reel, I realized that those people are just like the flowers and the shooting stars. Here one year and gone the next. No one knows what happened to those TV stars and most people do not care what happened to them. They are on to the next big name. The next big series. The next. The next. The next.

The public’s affection and adoration is so short-lived. We see this across all spectrums. Popularity and adoration are here one day and gone the next.

I was reading an article by Horatius Bonar* today and it fits perfectly with all of this. I want to share a bit of it with you today (you can read it in its entirety here)–

The things that are seen are temporal. Ours is a dying world, and here we have no continuing city. But a few years — it may be less — and all things here are changed. But a few years — it may be less — and the Lord shall have come, and the last trumpet shall have sounded, and the great sentence shall have been pronounced upon each of the sons of men.

There is a world that which does not pass away. It is fair and glorious. It is called “the inheritance in light.” It is bright with the love of God, and with the joy of Heaven. “The Lamb is the light thereof.” Its gates are of pearl — they are always open. And as we tell men of this wondrous city, we invite them to enter in.

How often do you think about that undying world? Jesus warns us about storing up treasures on this earth where they can be destroyed and encourages us to, instead, lay up our treasures in heaven, where nothing can destroy them (Matthew 6:19-21). Paul encourages us to set our minds on things above rather than things of the earth (Colossians 3:1-4). Both Paul and John remind us that this world is passing away (I Corinthians 7:31; I John 2:17). Isaiah tells us that all men are like withering grass and fading flowers. Here for a short season and then gone on to eternity (Isaiah 40:6-7).

Bonar explains the quickly passing world like this–

The world is passing away — like a flower. Beautiful, very beautiful; fragrant, very fragrant, are the summer flowers. But they wither away. So fades the world from before our eyes. While we are looking at it, and admiring it — behold, it is gone! No trace is left of all its loveliness but a little dust! O man, can you feed on flowers? Can you dote on that which is but for an hour? You were made for eternity — and only that which is eternal can be your portion or your resting place. The things that perish with the using only mock your longings. They cannot fill you — and even if they filled, they cannot abide. Mortality is written on all things here — immortality belongs only to the world to come — to that new heavens and new earth wherein dwells righteousness.

Of course! As believers longing to follow hard after God, we know this is true. But, oh, am I the only one who gets so terribly distracted by the things here on this earth?? Why do I find myself still trying to be filled by the temporal things at times?

I guess that’s part of the battle of the flesh we all face. But it’s good every now and again to be reminded that there should be a battle regarding this. We should be intentionally trying to focus on the Lord and on things above, remembering that this life and all things with it are so quickly passing away.

Horatio Bonar reminds us that there is but one thing that should be settled for us all as we journey through this brief life: Where will we spend eternity?

I’d like to share what he wrote here because it’s so important. It’s rather long but I hope you will take the time to read it. And I hope that it is a blessed reminder to you as you consider your own eternal destiny and the eternal destinies of those you come in contact with everyday. Perhaps you will agree wit me that what is written here makes the things of this world pale in comparison. Here’s what he writes–

The world is passing away — what then? This is the question that so deeply concerns man. If the world is to vanish away, and man is to live forever — then of what importance is it to know where and what we are to be forever! A celebrated physician, trying to cheer a desponding patient, said to him, “Treat life as a plaything.” It was wretched counsel. For life is no plaything, and time is no child’s toy, to be flung away. Life here is the beginning of the life which has no end; and time is but the gateway of eternity.

What then? You must, O man, make sure of a home in that world into which you are so soon to pass. You must not pass out of this earthly tent without making sure of the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. When you have done this, you can lie down upon your deathbed in peace.

One who had lived a worldly life at last lay down to die; and when about to pass away he uttered these terrible words, “I am dying, and I don’t know where I am going!”

Another in similar circumstances cried out, “I am within an hour of eternity, and all is dark!”

O man of earth, it is time to awake!

“How can I make sure?” you ask. God has long since answered that question, and His answer is recorded for all ages: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! I have never done anything else,” you say. If that is really true, then, as the Lord lives, you are a saved man. But is it really so? Has your life been the life of a saved man? No, truly. It has been a life wholly given to vanity. Then as the Lord God of Israel lives, and as your soul lives — you have not truly believed, and you are not yet saved.

“Have I then no work to work in this great matter of my pardon?” None! What work can you work? What work of your can buy forgiveness, or make you fit for the Divine favor? What work has God bidden you work in order to obtain salvation? None! His Word is very plain, and easy to be understood: “To him who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom 4:5) There is but one work by which a man can be saved. That work is not yours, but the work of the Son of God. That work is finished — neither to be taken from nor added to — perfect through all ages — and presented by Himself to you, that you may avail yourself of it and be saved.

“And is that work available for me just as I am?” It is! God has brought it to your door; and your only way of honoring it is by accepting it for yourself, and taking it as the one basis of your eternal hope. We honor the Father when we consent to be saved entirely by the finished work of His Son. We honor the Son when we consent to take His one finished work in the room of all our works. We honor the Holy Spirit, whose office is to glorify Christ, when we hear what He says to us concerning that work finished “once for all” upon the cross. Forgiveness is through Christ Jesus, who is Son of God as well as Son of man! This is our message.

Forgiveness through the one work of sin-bearing which He accomplished for sinners upon earth. Forgiveness to the worst and wickedest, to the farthest off from God whom this earth contains. Forgiveness of the largest, fullest, completest kind; without stint, or exception, or condition, or the possibility of revocation! Forgiveness free and undeserved — as free as the love of God, as free as the gift of His beloved Son. Forgiveness ungrudged and unrestrained — whole-hearted and joyful — as the forgiveness of the father falling on the neck of the prodigal! Forgiveness simply in believing; for, “by Him, all who believe are justified from all things.”

Could salvation be made more free? Could forgiveness be brought nearer? Could God in any way more fully show His earnest desire that you should not be lost, but saved — that you should not die, but live? In the cross there is salvation — nowhere else. No failure of this world’s hopes can quench the hope which it reveals. It shines brightest in the evil day. In the day of darkening prospects, of thickening sorrows, of heavy burdens, of pressing cares — when friends depart, when riches fly away, when disease oppresses us, when poverty knocks at our door — then the cross shines out, and tells us of a light beyond this world’s darkness, the Light of Him who is the light of the world.

*Horatius Bonar was a Scottish Presbyterian minister who lived during the 1800s. His poems, hymns, and religious tracts were loved by many during that time and since.

Can I Survive on Desserts?

What do you do for devotions? Do you have a book written by an author who shares a verse or two and then gives a bit of thought and application about that verse? Devotional books are quite popular and can be a big encouragement in our walk with the Lord.

But devotional books should not be considered our “time” with the Lord, for they are not really time spent in the Word. How do we know if the devotional book is solid if we aren’t reading and studying the actual Bible?

We really can’t. Let’s take a look at an example…

The most popular devotional ever, Jesus Calling, is filled with false teaching and error about Jesus. And, yet, this is what so many use as a devotional. I understand why. If we aren’t in the Word, doing the hard work of mining the treasure, then it looks pretty good. It’s filled with comforting words that we like. It is only when we actually study the life of Jesus that we can see that many things said about Jesus in that devotional are in direct opposition to who Jesus actually is.

That’s just one example. But there are many others.

Devotionals are easy to get down. They are like dessert. Full of “yummy” encouragement and sugared words, they build us up. A good devotional also convicts and challenges us. But they are, after every consideration, only dessert.

And just like we would never be able to survive–or at least survive with good health– if we only ate things filled with sugar and fat so, too, we cannot be in good spiritual health if we don’t fill ourselves with the meat of the Word.

Of course, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that a big component of this is time and laziness. Devotionals are easy. They are a quick way for us to check off “quiet time” on our long to-do list. Most of us don’t really desire to do the hard work of digging into God’s Word. And some of us probably don’t really know how and have just never bothered to learn.

The interesting and rewarding thing is this: When we commit to studying the actual Bible and go about doing it despite our feelings of apathy or inadequacy, we will be filled with more and more desire to know God and His Word. As they so often do in all aspects of life, feelings tend to follow along after the choices we make in our minds. As a good friend once told me–feelings should never be the engine of our choices but always the caboose. With our mind, we make the choice to study God’s Word faithfully and then the feelings will come, just like a caboose follows the train.

At any rate, I just wanted to take a few moments this morning and encourage you to eat your spiritual meat and veggies before getting to the dessert. While dessert certainly makes life sweeter, it will not sustain us for the long haul. May we view our devotionals as an “extra” and not the main course of our time spent with God.

Some Reflections on the Past Thirteen Years

Next month will begin my fourteenth year of writing at Growing4Life. This blog has changed a bit over those years but the tag line of the blog is still the goal of the blog — to encourage believers to never be satisfied with “status quo” Christianity.

What is status quo Christianity? It’s the Christianity that doesn’t care a whole lot about what the Bible says about much of anything. It’s the Christianity that looks like the world, thinks like the world, and acts like the world. It’s the Christianity that finds its validity in church attendance or small group or mission trips. It’s the Christianity that is nice to people but rarely truthful; that focuses on self-fulfillment and dreams coming true rather than on pleasing God. It’s one or two of these things in some and all of these things in others.

As I started to study the Bible– really study it– God showed me that this isn’t what Christianity is about at all. And, in fact, that most religion that goes by the label “Christianity” today isn’t really Christianity at all. No, instead, I realized that biblical Christianity is actually quite the opposite of status quo in almost every way–

True, genuine Christianity cares about what the Bible says in every area of life (Psalm 19). Biblical Christianity seeks to “unfriend” the world and live separately from its philosophies, entertainment, and lifestyles (James 4:4). It finds its validity in a relationship and not in a list of good works (Romans 8). True Christianity is both kind and truthful (Ephesians 4:15). And it calls us to focus on God and His will, denying self in order to please Him (Luke 9:23).

And so this blog began to focus on this difference as I learned more and more (and continue to learn still today!) through my study of the Word. Through the years, the biblical and the status quo have begun to be more obvious in their differences. For a long, long time they walked side by side and they were intertwined in such a way that it was hard to distinguish between the two. But not so much anymore.

Interestingly enough, with this parting of ways, I’ve noticed a trend that saddens me deeply. People who I would have expected to stick with biblical Christianity have gone down the status quo road. They have followed after the latest and greatest and man’s philosophies rather than wholeheartedly searching the scripture.

If you have been around here for awhile, I am guessing that you are noticing this trend as well. Some of you have even mentioned it to me. It is a hard thing to watch people you trusted and friends or family you love take the path away from the Bible and towards the coming one-world religion.

Of course, this is not a statement on anyone’s salvation. Let’s be clear on that, shall we? I, myself, was caught up in worldliness but that didn’t make me unsaved. I imbibed books and movies with anti-god, unbiblical themes. That made me rebellious and disobedient and deceived but it didn’t take away my salvation. God, through His Word, is ever so faithfully leading me and growing me. All praise and glory go to Him for any good in my life. He is doing the same for all who are redeemed through Christ’s blood. It would be nice to be automatically spiritually mature from the moment of salvation but it just doesn’t work like that! So we must have so much grace for one another!

So this is never–and has never been–about judging someone’s salvation but it has always been about calling genuine believers to walk with God as we are called to in His Word. And to never give up on this, even amidst the failures and the stumbling and the discouragement (and I’ve shared many of my own experiences with these through the years. Writing here doesn’t make me immune to these things!)

Writing in this way and about this topic of genuine Christianity as opposed to status quo Christianity has grown increasingly unpopular. More and more, I feel isolated in my calling. I know there are others of us (you are probably one if you have read this far in this post!) out there but we are so few, are we not? And the hatred for “our type” is growing. To stand up for the truth of God’s Word is to basically open yourself up to ridicule, irritation, antagonism, and sometimes even persecution.

And then there is the confusion and chaos we need to constantly be wading through. It seems like if a speaker or ministry is biblical in one area they have another completely wrong. It’s so confusing and so discouraging and it is growing worse by the day. Just as we knew it would. I know that this theological chaos lead some to stop following me.

So I just want to reiterate here once again: I am following scripture to the best of my knowledge. If I ever find out that scripture teaches something different than I have posted here, I will admit it, apologize, and share the truth. That is my commitment to you, my reader.

Because the only thing that matters is what the Bible says! Only there can we find out what God thinks. And that’s all that matters. Don’t follow people. I hope I can encourage you towards the Word and in the Word but I am so imperfect. I struggle daily, just like you do. I am nothing without Christ. In Christ alone do I boast.

The other day, as has been my experience in the past, I heard of certain people who don’t like me. This kind of thing always knocks me for a loop. Even though it has happened so often. This very public platform that speaks regarding a very unpopular topic leads many to not “like” me. And perhaps some of it is deserved. As I’ve said above and before, I don’t do this perfectly. I am sure sometimes I am too harsh or say things that don’t need to be said. I wish I could do this perfectly but I know full well I do not.

Of course, most who dislike me don’t say it to my face. They just distance themselves through a variety of ways. Readers often just disappear, never telling me why. Even those who had reached out in friendship for many years. Because of this, I can honestly say that some days I find myself discouraged to be traveling this path.

But God clearly created this path for me to follow (you can read more about how He showed me this here) and so, for thirteen years, I have followed it. I plan to follow it until He clearly directs me off of this path. I just want to do what He wants me to do.

I am studying Jonah right now in the Growing4Life Bible Reading Challenge and I have been convicted by Jonah’s attitude. He was more concerned for his shade than he was for the lost. He cared more about himself than he did about others. When I grow discouraged here I know it is because I am caring more about myself than I am about others.

If God has shown us the truth from His Word, we must boldly proclaim it for it is only this truth that sets us free! We know that it is not only our only hope but the only hope for everyone else, too! It is the only hope for the lost to be found and for the saved to be sanctified. And so, no matter the cost and no matter our feelings, we must keep encouraging others in the truth of God’s Word. Remembering that it is God we seek to please and not self. As Paul reminds us–

 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.(Galatians 1:10)

So, instead of staying focused on our desires and dreams and disappointments, may we instead obtain an eternal perspective, keeping our eyes fully focused on God with hearts filled with compassion for others.

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