Deception

The Allure of a Lie

3 Comments / February 19, 2026

There is one particular thing that I’ve encountered over and over again as I seek God through His Word and compare what I see in the world to what I read in the Bible.

And that being: An unwillingness of certain people to even have a thoughtful discussion.

So many people toss out something you’ve studied at length with a quick word given with ridicule. In fact, “study” has become a word that is viewed with disdain in a lot of ways. Particularly if it comes to the Bible and comparing what it says, both for our lives today and for what it says regarding the future, to the things we are encountering in the world around us—particular the world that calls itself “Christian” or “evangelical”.

A pastor by the name of David Nelson (1793-1844) wrote a book back in the early 1800s that addresses this unwillingness to study for oneself:

We do suppose that of all the scoffers who were to come in the last day and who were to be wilfully ignorant, there is scarce, one but would be willing to receive historic knowledge, at least, provided an angel could just grasp it in his hand, and throw it into his brain, without any exertion on his part. But the toil of research he never encounters. He may snatch at some plausible objection to truth, as he hears it repeated: but to impartial investigation he is an utter stranger.

As Pastor Nelson implies, we do find that people who are unwilling to study for themselves, are, however, eager to grab on to and repeat a lie that promotes what they want to believe.

I say “they”. But, honestly, we can all be in danger of this, including myself. It is so much easier and alluring to believe an appealing lie than to face an unpleasant truth.

David Nelson goes on to say this about the one who would prefer to believe a lie—

still it is true, that one small cunningly devised falsehood will influence him further than one hundred plain and forcible arguments in favour of Revelation.

It is true, isn’t it? A cleverly devised falsehood will be most influential in the one who does not love the truth, and a mountain of Bible verses, facts, or documentation given as proof that his belief is not true will not change the mind of one who does not love the truth.

I’ve been thinking a lot about 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 over thee past few months, in regards to this:

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This is speaking specifically to the day when the world will fall for the deception of the antichrist. But there is a lesson for us all in these verses: If we do not love the truth, we will be vulnerable to deception.

A genuine love for truth is the only thing that will protect us.

And this genuine love for truth will only be developed in the one who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, takes the time to pray and study the Bible. Not just read it, but study it.

Horatius Bonar has the best wisdom about our own personal study of God’s Word—

The Word must be studied in all its fullness. Over its whole length and breadth we must spread ourselves. Above all theologies, creeds, catechisms, books and hymns, the Word must be meditated on, that we may grow in the knowledge of all its parts, and in assimilation to its models.

Our souls must be steeped in it, not in certain favourite parts of it, but in the whole. We must know it, not from the report of others, but from our own experience and vision, else will our life be but an imitation, our religion second-hand, and therefore second-rate.

Another cannot breathe the air for us, nor eat for us, nor drink for us. We must do these for ourselves. So no one can do our religion for us, nor infuse into us the life of truth which he may possess. These are not things of proxy or merchandise, or human impartation. Out of the Book of God and by the Spirit of God must each one of us be taught, else we learn in vain. Hence the exceeding danger of human influence or authority.

Just like another cannot breathe the air for us, nor eat for us, nor drink for us, so no one can do our religion for us nor infuse into us the life of truth.

Oh, how many Christians rely on others for their growth? I used to do this myself, to be honest. I’ve shared that here often. I feel like my Christian life was status quo and without vigor until I picked up God’s Word for myself and began to study it on a regular basis.

I am a testimony of its power working to steadfastly transform an undeserved, sinful woman into the image of Christ, little by little.

This doesn’t mean we won’t continue to have blind spots that keep us from seeing ourselves as we really are. It doesn’t mean we will be perfect or that we will never fight sin or worldliness again.

What it does mean is that God, through our daily study of His Word and time spent in prayer, will open our blind eyes and then enable us to fight against the sin and worldliness that He has revealed to us. That’s it. All glory to God.

I want to be careful here. I have not “arrived”, by any stretch of the imagination (just ask my family!!) I am serious when I say any change in me is by God’s grace. But the Word is changing me. And it will do the same for you.

But it is only through our daily study of God’s Word that we will be filled with a love for the truth and be transformed into the image of Christ.

And this can only happen if we are willing to see ourselves as we really are. It can only happen if we are willing to see the people we love, the people we struggle to love, the world, and all that is happening in the world around us as they really are.

If we hold tightly to a lie—to our own reality that doesn’t represent truth—well, then, we will never change. And we will never be all that we can be for God’s Kingdom.

Oh, to be believers that love God’s Word—all of it in its entirety. Oh, to be believers that study the Bible, all of it—not just the parts that we like or find comforting. Oh, to be believers that will keep ourselves from deception and delusion because we dearly love the truth.

It’s Not One or the Other

1 Comment / February 11, 2026

I’ve had an interesting past week, which included visits to a surgery center and the hospital. As I reflect on these visits, I realize they are a great analogy as to how we are to approach the “love vs truth” dichotomy we find in Christianity today.

A nurse or doctor who is loving and kind is worthless if they won’t do the hard stuff. If they won’t give us the medicine that we need because it will make us “feel bad”, they can be as nice as can be but we will understand their complete incompetence, won’t we?

As we grow sicker and sicker—or even lose our life—their “love” will mean nothing. In fact, we will recognize that it wasn’t love at all that drove their actions, but rather a self-love that made them want to avoid our “bad feelings”.

On the other hand, a nurse who is mean and gruff who gives us the right medicine, in spite of how it will make us “feel”, is certainly not the blessing they could be. They can do everything right, but if they do it with a frown on their face and a mean spirit…well, love is important, isn’t it?

Love and truth aren’t enemies. They are the greatest of friends.

I’ve noticed a really strange dichotomy in the recent years and I really want to encourage my readers to avoid it. It seems that many Christians are drawn only towards the “love and grace” posts, podcasts, sermons, and books. While another group is drawn only towards the “truth and discernment” posts, podcast, sermons, and books.

This ought not to be. As believers, we need to highly value both. I strive very hard to be balanced here because God has clearly shown in scripture that BOTH are important. I am well aware I don’t do this perfectly but I am trying.

If we step back and really think about it, we will recognize that there is no genuine love without truth.

Truth, no matter how it’s spoken, will save your life. To confirm the salvation of someone who has no fruit and zero interest in repentance or being more like Christ is not true love. No matter how that truth is spoken, if someone who has been deceived repents and believes on the name of Jesus Christ, they will receive eternal life.

But love does change everything. It makes [some] hearers much more willing to listen and plants many more seeds than a harsh, critical word. I write “some” in brackets because, at this juncture, we find many who have no interest in hearing the truth, no matter how lovingly it is said.

We are told that people will turn from the truth in the last days (2 Timothy 4:3-4). We are told there will be many false “Jesus”s in the last days and they will deceive many (Matthew 24:5). We are told that there will be perilous times in the last days with people following their lusts and calling it godliness (2 Timothy 3:1-9). And we are told that people will be deluded in the last days because they did not love the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).

No matter how close we are to the actual return of Christ, we are most definitely seeing these things the Bible warns us of. Christianity is getting more and more confusing every day because so many things are done in the “name of Jesus”.

But is it the real Jesus? When we compare this “Jesus” to scripture, we can see most definitely it is not our beloved Savior who died for us and calls us to forsake our sin and the world and follow Him.

The Bible is true or it isn’t. Our faith is either based on the Bible or it’s based on human philosophy and opinion.

We can’t just define Jesus to be the way we want Him to be and then call ourselves a “Christian”.

Honestly, I think many of us Christians thought we would be in jail by now, being persecuted for standing up for the true, biblical Jesus.

Instead, we find ourselves being persecuted and rejected by those who either profess a different Jesus or are deceived to think all of the “Jesus”s are the same person.

So let me go back to the beginning of this post. As genuine believers, who desire to follow Christ wholeheartedly, we need to understand that there is a very concerted effort to move the world towards a one world religion (which is exactly what scripture tells us will happen! The Bible is 100% true!)

This is something that can’t be done without taking the eyes of the people off of God’s Word. And so there has been a real effort to move the hearts and minds of Christians from the Bible and to, instead, value more highly human opinions and their own personal experiences.

As we live in the midst of this crazy, confusing migration of “Christians” from Bible-believing religion to mysticism (let’s call it what it is), we must be passionate about both truth and love. We cannot—we dare not—eliminate either one in this very dangerous time.

And by doing this, God will use us to plant seeds for His Kingdom. He is still working in the midst of the “Christian” chaos and He is still using His people here on earth. We don’t want to be deceived into unbiblical thinking or a wrong focus, lest we be rendered ineffective. We don’t have to choose one or the other because, as believers, we must choose BOTH, just as Jesus shows us so perfectly in scripture.

We won’t change the world, but one day at a time, we can make a difference in the lives we touch. May we be courageous enough to speak the hard truths of scripture with love and grace. May we love others well and stand boldly in the swelling tide of apostasy.

Some Thoughts About Our Nation’s Past Few Weeks

2 Comments / September 23, 2025

I was out of town for the past week and a half and had little time to write much of anything. Even over on the Facebook page I didn’t post much. In the meantime, there was a quite a lot going on in our nation.

While I didn’t have time to write, I did find some time to think about it all.

*When that horrible incident took place on the university campus almost two weeks ago, we all were in shock. It was unexpected and it was frightening.

What has taken place since then has been…interesting. To say the least.

And I may as well just tell you now: What I am going to write below is going to go against the flow of what is being said.

However…

As believers it is critical that we be more interested in what is true than we are in what is popular.

I’d like to go back in time for a moment. A little over 500 years ago, God moved men to leave the false Catholic Church. Until then, true believers were comprised of a small remnant that could be found in pockets throughout the world. But in the 1500s, Martin Luther, along with other men, recognized that the Catholic Church was teaching a works-based salvation while the Bible teaches a grace-based salvation. The two religions are in complete opposition to one another, although they use much of the same language and terms (see here for more information).

Since that time, the Catholic Church has been trying to bring Protestantism back to the “mother church”. And, in fact, accomplishing this has been one of the main purposes (or perhaps THE purpose) of the Jesuits.

What we have seen taking place over the past few weeks has done more to accomplish this than anything in recent or distant history.

Here’s why: The Charlie Kirk incident brought everyone together and very few Christians even raised an eyebrow. Catholics, Christians, Mormons, even Hindus praising God together. Doctrinal differences just fell away in the midst of the memorial service held to honor this man.

Why are we rejoicing about this? Even people who understand the danger of ecumenism have been rejoicing? I am honestly bewildered.

So what do we know to be true, according to scripture?

We know that God does not want us to link arms with people who do not teach biblical doctrine (Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-10). We know that the genuine way of Christianity is narrow and difficult, not popular and easy (Matthew 7:13-14). We know that we cannot be friends with the world (James 4:4) and that the world will hate us (John 15:18-19).

We also know that the world will join hands in a one-world worship system (Revelation 13). This will not happen in a vacuum.

So, if we understand these things from the Bible, how can we rejoice at what has been taking place? Why aren’t red flags being raised inside of us?

I have an idea about that…

But, first, let me say this: I do think that the Gospel being preached to such a large audience was wonderful. I wholeheartedly agree with Paul—

Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

I am thankful that the Gospel was preached. But being thankful for this is not mutually exclusive with being wary. The verses above make it clear that not everyone who preaches the Gospel has pure motives.

Okay, so why are most Christians rejoicing at religions joining together to praise God?

Could it be that we have gotten distracted about what our role is as believers? Have we been deceived into believing our job is to make the world a better place?

This is an easy deception to fall for. We hear it everywhere we turn. It’s the message of much of the music labeled “Christian”; it’s in podcasts and sermons and books.

The “left” side has given us an enemy to fight against and many Christians have risen to the challenge. We have been told that the left side is wrong and the right side is right. But is it that simple?

It is not.

Morality is not Christianity. Changing policies and laws does not change hearts.

And, while any Christian most certainly would love to live in a moral country, we have to be careful we do not equate that with genuine conversions of souls. They are not even close to the same thing.

We need to remember this important truth: We are sojourners and pilgrims. We do not belong to this world.

We need to search the scripture for our purpose and our calling, instead of listening to “Christian” celebrities.

Amidst the cries of “Revival!” We need to ask ourselves: What is Revival, according to scripture?

I wrote this on Facebook yesterday—

Let’s remember that genuine revival is always based on scripture and transforms lives. Regenerated people become less sinful and less worldly (Romans 6:5-11; James 1:27; 4:4). True believers travel a narrow path that is hard and never popular (Matthew 7:13-14; John 15:18-19). Believers are told to never join with those teaching false doctrine (Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11).

“Revival” that is based on policy or morals is not revival. “Revival” that comes by linking arms with false religions is not revival. These things may yield cultural change but we cannot call it revival, according to scripture.

If what has taken place is true revival, then we will see transformed lives that are turning from sin and the world. We will see people who desire to avoid false teachers. We will see a rising interest in studying all of the Bible instead of cherry-picking verses.

And, while none of us can say for sure that revival isn’t taking place, it is important in these situations that we watch and wait to see what happens before adding our voices to the voices crying “Revival”.

On a different note…

I have found it extremely interesting (and deeply concerning) that conservatives are praising the fact that Jimmy Kimmel has been removed from TV for saying some very tasteless words in the middle of all of this. And they were tasteless and thoughtless and awful. On that we agree.

But, if we truly value free speech, we should be more than a little concerned about this.

To only have free speech for one side and not the other is an extremely dangerous view. It’s important to recognize this.

I have so much more I could say. But let me just conclude with this reminder: Don’t believe everything you hear.

We can’t just believe something is from God and of God because they use His name or quote a Bible verse. Our enemy seeks to devour us (I Peter 5:8). He comes as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). We need to be wise and wary.

We are called to test all things (I Thessalonians 5:21). We test them against scripture, which is our only anchor in all of this craziness (Acts 17:11).

That includes even the things that “everyone” is praising. It includes the things that will draw criticism and ridicule from even other believers if you can find the courage to question them.

But, at the end of the day, we must care about the truth of God’s Word more than we care about anything else.

I know that what I write here is not going to win me any prizes. I know that it is going in direct opposition to most of the Christian world and even many of my Christian friends.

I am not writing this from a heart of a criticism but, rather, I simply feel puzzled and concerned. Why are we Christians not asking questions about what just took place?

I pray that this post will be an encouragement to you to pause and consider what is really going on. And may we all be driven to get on our knees in humility and pray for discernment. We desperately need God’s help in the midst of these confusing and troublesome times!

*I am purposely being vague because of censorship. If you don’t know what happened, feel free to reply to this email.

How Do I Know if a Teacher is False or Just Confused?

3 Comments / August 5, 2025

So how do I know if a teacher, preacher, author, or songwriter is false? What if they are just confused? Does it matter?

Over the past year or two, I’ve noticed a cacophony of voices growing louder and louder. None of them are saying the same thing but, as a rule, they are mostly pointing away from God’s Word and pointing towards man’s opinions and experiences.

The one thing that makes this so VERY confusing is that most of these voices have lots of good (and even biblical) things to say. So unless you know what your Bible says, you will fall prey to the false teachings that creep into their messages—often unnoticed.

It’s a confusing, scary world where the church is no longer a safe space (actually…I am uncertain that it ever was a safe space in my lifetime, as I look back from this vantage point.)

But let’s go back in history for a moment before we continue on…

In the early 300s, Satan brought his tactic of syncretism to the Roman church through an Emperor named Constantine. Most of us remember hearing of Christians killed by lions in the Roman Amphitheaters or used as lights while they burned at the stake at Nero’s parties. Satan has been behind the cruel, torturous death of believers throughout the ages. That continues today in some areas of the world.

But in 312, he implemented something new in the church, as Constantine joined Rome’s pagan religion with the Christian religion. It became a religion that was a conglomeration of worship of “God” and worship of pagan deities.

If you are reading along with me in the Bible Reading Challenge this year, you will remember how God feels about syncretism. The Old Testament contains several stories of Israel combining their worship of the One True God with the pagan worship of the nations surrounding them. God hated it.

Well, this is, in essence, what the Catholic Church is. It is the amalgamation of Christianity with pagan religion. Do some research if you don’t believe me. Most saints are directly connected to a pagan deity.

So what is my point?

Satan has achieved tremendous success using this model of religion. He doesn’t care if someone is moral or upright. If they never turn from their own works and to Jesus alone for salvation, he still has them for eternity.

And, so, throughout the ages, he has worked hard to compromise any biblical church, organization, and institution with false doctrine and syncretism. It’s fairly easy to see if we take the time to look back over history.

Today, we can see this in living color, as we watch Satan try to marry biblical Christianity with mysticism. Once you see it, you can never unsee it. It’s so clear. But it’s also so very subtle.

Peter tells us that the devil is a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8) and Paul reminds us that we wrestle not again flesh and blood but against powers of darkness and spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12).

Really consider those truths for a moment. We don’t like to dwell on them. And we don’t need to, necessarily. But we must be aware of them. We are targets of Satan and he’s working hard to a) gain worship for himself and b) to render Christians ineffective.

Okay, what does that mean for us right now in our daily lives?

It means that we can’t just read any old book labeled Christian and call it good. We cannot just turn on a Christian radio station or watch a “Christian” movie and check our brains at the door. It means we have to use discernment for our new Bible Study book, the “Christian” bestseller recommended by a friend, the “Christian” show that everyone’s raving about, and, yes, the “Christian” band that sings those catchy tunes.

We have to be actively engaged in thinking “is this true according to scripture”? All the time. This takes so much work. But, given the truths from I Peter 5:8 and Ephesians 6:12, it’s vital for our spiritual protection (as well as for the spiritual protection of our precious children and grandchildren).

So back to my original question (which you are probably thinking that I totally forgot by now!)

How do I know if a teacher is false or just confused?

I just don’t think it matters. Whatever they are, we need to keep our distance from them as soon as we realize they are off.

The deception is growing by leaps and bounds. It can be exhausting to spot it. And ignorance is way easier to live in for the short term. But the damage will be great if we stay in deception.

Thankfully, God gives us the help we need for this time in His Word. Yes, evil men will grow worse in the last days. That is clearly true from the Word and from our experience, right?

So how do we discern the truth about all that swirls about us? Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us the answer to this question—

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 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. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:13-17)

Scripture is the key. At the end of the day, why someone is teaching a false doctrine and leading their followers astray is fairly irrelevant.

The important and quite relevant thing is to be aware that someone is leading us astray. And this will be done only through knowing God’s Word and recognizing its authority in the life of every believer.

It’s a crazy, confusing Christianity we find ourselves living in. And when you realize the level of deception that has infiltrated even the most solid of churches, it can be discouraging and exhausting. Situations come up and you wonder if you should say anything. Books are recommended and you just smile while inside you shudder to think of the deception that the book is teaching. Someone invites you to a concert or to hear a speaker and you have to say no but you know that if you explain why, the person who invited you won’t understand and maybe even get angry at you.

It’s no easy thing to follow hard after the truth. And, in fact, earlier in 2 Timothy 3, Paul reminds us that we will be persecuted if we do so.

The encouragement I offer to you as I close today is to be in the Word and in much prayer, as you seek to discern in this age of deception. God will give us the wisdom to discern and the courage and love to speak up when we are given the opportunity. We must rely solely on the Lord to fill us with His wisdom, His love, and His grace as we live in these spiritually confusing and troubled times.

Which Is the Real Lighthouse?

1 Comment / July 22, 2025

We spent a lovely week in Maine last week and one of the highlights was a “Puffin and Lighthouse” boat trip. As we motored among the many islands in the Acadia region, we saw seals and puffins (my first time seeing them! So fun!) and several lighthouses.

As the fog surrounded us on the ocean that morning, it was easy to see why lighthouses were desperately needed back in the day. They warned of shoals and rocks and kept sailors from shipwreck.

As we were shown some of the different lighthouses in the area, we noticed that quite a few weren’t all that tall. Many were shorter but still gave that needed warning to the ships coming through to the harbor.

As we looked all around us, the tour guide pointed out one lighthouse that actually wasn’t a lighthouse. Someone had built a lighthouse replica as they constructed their new home but it was fake and served no purpose at all.

If you look above, you will see a photo of that lighthouse beside a photo of an actual lighthouse. Can you tell which one is the real lighthouse? (I’ll let you know at the end of the post)

That false lighthouse was a vivid reminder to me that not everything is what it seems. Some things are fake. They are not what they appear to be.

We live in an unprecedented era of this very thing, don’t we? AI has taken deception to a whole new level.

This is especially dangerous when it comes to our spiritual health. If we follow a false teacher, they will lead us down a wrong path.

Jesus warns us that these false teachers won’t look outright false—

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (Matthew 7:15)

He also gives us a clue how we can know the difference—

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:16-20)

By their fruits. That is how we know if someone is genuine. That is why it is so important to watch someone you admire. What is their attitude about the Word of God? Where are they pointing their followers? Who are they quoting? Who do they admire? Who are their friends? What is important to them?

Answering these questions will help us to discern the fruit of their lives.

Anyone can look like a lighthouse. Jesus tells us how to discern if someone is really a lighthouse of Gospel Truth.

In the bright sunlight, it would really be impossible to tell which lighthouse is real. But when the fog rolls in or night comes, it is then that the difference is shown in all its glory. One lighthouse will shine and one won’t.

We haven’t really had dense fog or night yet. Not really. We’ve had some hard times during that weird time a few years back and it was interesting to watch how certain people handled things.

But I am reminded of how true colors come forth under persecution when I think of World War 2 Germany and how many pastors caved to the “state”. Or when I think of the conditions in some countries today, where to stand for Jesus is a death sentence. When it costs to be a Bible-believing Christian, few will pretend.

However, false lighthouses thrive and multiply when it’s such a rewarding endeavor without any cost.

Oh, people love their celebrities and many rise up to meet that desire.

I am sure close inspection of these lighthouses would also reveal the truth. I am reminded of a biography I read earlier this year that tore to shreds my opinion of a “godly Christian” most Christians greatly admire (from a distance), just as I did until, unfortunately, I got a closer look. Getting a glimpse into this person’s life was disheartening and discouraging and has made me wonder if they were a true lighthouse at all.

The celebrity culture is very dangerous. It puts our eyes on people instead of on God and His Word.

It is important that no stars in our eyes keep us from seeking God through His Word and seeing the truth.

Is someone a real lighthouse, shining the light of Jesus or are they fake, pretending to be a lighthouse when they really aren’t?

Jesus warns us that this is important. Paul and John echo this warning (Philippians 3:17-19; I John 2:18-19) Unfortunately, we don’t get to just warmly embrace everyone who comes in the name of Jesus. There are just too many that are using Him for personal gain and for deception.

It would be a nice world where we could trust everyone at face value. But scripture clearly shows us we cannot.

Just as I could not trust that the lighthouse on the left is not real, I cannot trust that a teacher is true without looking at their fruits.

Yes, it’s the lighthouse on the left that is the fake. Maybe you could tell. I could not. I was thankful for the tour guide who told us the truth.

Just as I am thankful for other believers who speak the truth. Even when it’s hard. Even when it costs them. They help me stay on the straight and narrow path and keep me from deception.

And that’s what we should be doing for each other, right? We are family after all and our love for each other should compel us to speak the truth. Humility helps us to receive the truth that is offered in love.

May we both speak and hear the truth, even when it hurts. And may we turn our eyes from celebrities and keep them focused fully on Jesus.

The Wheat and the Tares

Leave a Comment / May 31, 2025

Recently, I decided to research some reviews for something we are preparing to buy. Reviews can be tricky because some people are never happy. But you can generally find a trend if you look hard enough.

But this got me thinking. Have you considered that religion is the one thing you are not allowed to honestly review? It’s the one thing that is considered off-limits to critique, evaluate, or examine.

Why is this?

It’s because religion, in all its forms, has become completely and utterly subjective. The individual gets to decide what is right for them (they are the judge), rather than God deciding what is good and right (He is the judge and has given us His Word to show us what is good and right).

While lots of people calling themselves Christians would never admit that they believe in universalism (everyone is going to heaven), they do believe in a form of it (everyone who “believes in Jesus” is going to heaven—no matter if their Jesus is in direct opposition to the Jesus of the Bible; no matter if they utterly ignore God’s Word; no matter that they live in sin and worldliness without conviction.)

I am not sure I realized until just now how we have been so deeply affected by relativism. Of course, I knew at some level. But it has so exponentially exploded so that you aren’t “allowed” to criticize anything. And if you do, you are the worst of the worst. You are the unloving, unkind one. YOU are the wicked, evil one.

It doesn’t matter if you have Bible verses in context as an argument. How dare you argue against someone’s opinion or feelings?

But opinions or feelings never inform true religion. My opinions and feelings are irrelevant to how Christianity is defined and lived out. And so are yours. I am no judge. None of us are. Our desire should be to proclaim the Word of God in its entirety. The Bible contains the most beautiful promises for God’s redeemed child. It also contains difficult commands that are not pleasant to my flesh. It has painful truths and delightful encouragement. Every single word of it is true and we don’t get to pick and choose what we want.

The Bible is what makes Christianity an objective religion. We don’t get to just go by our feelings, wherever they lead us. And, honestly, would we even want to? Oh, thank the Lord, we are not dependent upon our feelings for they will always end up leading us astray and away from God.

Many truths of scripture do not feel good. Many lies of the devil feel great. We can’t go by what we feel.

I was talking to one of my daughters last night and we were talking about how this subjectivity has infiltrated the churches—almost all churches— now. To the point that there are few Christians who don’t subscribe at some level to this feelings-oriented “Christianity”.

Who is saved? Who isn’t? The wheat and the tares are basically indistinguishable now (Matthew 13:24-30) and I certainly don’t know. But what I do know is that scripture is the basis for true, genuine Christianity and it will continue to be my guide, my litmus test, and my anchor.

If what someone is saying doesn’t line up with the Bible, I will be skeptical. If some famous celebrity is claiming to know Christ while boasting about still living in sin, I will assume he is lying. If some new trend comes on the scene to help me experience “God’s presence”, I will run.

Just because someone names the name of Jesus does not make them a genuine Christian. Remember—even the demons believe and tremble (James 2:17). Anyone can say words. It is our actions that prove our words.

So where does grace come in? Grace is an important word here because many people are blind to certain things. In fact, I would venture to say we are all blind at some level, no matter how much we love the Lord. It is the nature of humanity.

The other thing to remember is that true believers can resist certain truths because of what following the truth would cost them. I resisted a certain truth for 15 years. My conviction of it would come and go through those years, while I continued in a pattern of something that was not pleasing to my Savior. I praise the Lord for His patience with me over those years.

And so, we must have grace. True believers can be blind and can resist certain truths. We are not the judge and we are not God. We can’t know what is going on in any heart.

But the one thing we can do—and we can do with fervency—is pray. Ask God to save them or to grow their faith—He knows which is needed. Pray for those you see who are blind or are resisting the truth. Pray that God would open their eyes and soften their hearts.

And then, while we are at it, let’s pray the same thing for ourselves. Oh, that our eyes would be open and our hearts be teachable to the things God tells us in His Word.

We must just continue to do the next right thing as we endeavor to avoid the works of the flesh, walk in the Spirit, and crucify our flesh (Galatians 5). And this lifestyle is not burdensome to us because we have a new heart. It is the genuine Christian’s heart’s desire to live in this way and to please our Heavenly Father. Oh, our flesh may argue with us sometimes but, deep down inside, we want to be righteous.

May we not allow anyone to hoodwink us into thinking that we can worship or act any old way we want to and still follow Jesus. That is just not true, according to scripture. God has given us very specific guidance on what our lives should look like after salvation and those who are genuinely saved desire to follow this guidance.

May we hold onto the Bible with all our might as we live in the midst of this relative, subjective, groundless religion called “Christianity” (which clearly isn’t Christianity at all).

Right in His Own Eyes

Leave a Comment / March 28, 2025

As I finished the book of Judges today, I was filled with… I am unsure. Sadness? Bewilderment? Confusion? The stories in this book are just so out of the ordinary. In fact, the story about the concubine of the Levite is, for me, the worst story in the entire Bible. I cannot understand why God put all of these…interesting (for want of a better word) stories in the Bible. There ARE reasons. Good reasons. His reasons.

I’d rather guess that two of the reasons are 1) to show the utter depravity of men and 2) to show the great mercy of God, despite our wickedness.

The people of Israel—people who had the One True God rescue them over and over again—kept falling back into rebellion and sin. And, yet, when they would seek Him, God would continue to rescue them.

What an incredible reminder for us of God’s love. He will not forsake us when we get misguided or deceived if we are truly one of His own. His grace and mercy will be there when we cry out in genuine repentance and with a whole heart that seeks Him, despite the sinfulness and foolishness of our past. And, in fact, that grace and mercy is available to all who genuinely seek Him and come to Him on His terms (read the book of John in the Bible to understand what they are).

All through history, God would shed His great mercy on those who seek Him and, in fact, this is throughout scripture—even into the New Testament (Matthew 6:33-34)

Also of interest to me regarding Judges is its final verse. This verse seems to be in exact parallel to what is happening in our own “Christian” culture (albeit not to the same extreme).

Commands and doctrines that have been clearly understood for two thousand years are all up for grabs. Believe what is right in your own eyes. Make up your own god and don’t worry about the Bible.

People are changing, negating, and despising doctrines of old, despite their historical understanding of thousands of years. This is all because they want to do what is right in their own eyes and they desire desperately that the Bible sanction it.

But the Bible is the same yesterday, today, and always. It will never change. And what it says is the same as it what it has always said. We cannot upend biblical Christianity just because we don’t like some of the commands and doctrines.

The book of Judges clearly shows us what happens when people decide to do things their own way. It’s a sad, tragic, and horrific picture.

We can’t control the world (or church) around us. But we can be sure, in our own lives, that we are reading and studying the Bible, dividing it rightly and comparing any teaching or doctrine to it so as not to be deceived.

May we do what is right in God’s eyes and not our own. May we continue to seek God with our whole hearts. May we be testimonies of His grace and lights in this dark world as we seek to live for Him, remembering that His Word promises that His marvelous grace and abundant mercies will be ever present in our lives as we do so.

Light Unto My Path

1 Comment / August 6, 2024

I groaned. My Roku had stopped working again and so I was standing by my tv trying to reset it by unplugging it and then plugging it in again. Seems so simple, doesn’t it? I figured I could do such a small thing without light, right?

Wrong.

I couldn’t see a thing. The tv was in a dark-ish room and set in a cavity painted black that sits above our fireplace. And so I thought I’d let my fingers “do the walking” and tried to just “feel” where to put the plug in. Have you been there? Trying to put any plug in without being able to see often leads to frustration.

After a few frustrating moments I decided life is just too short for this and went to get my phone and turned on the flashlight. That little bit of light made short work of putting that roku back where it belonged.

What a wonderful picture of what the Bible does for us. Whether we are growing frustrated and anxious in the dark path we are traveling personally or the overall darkness of this world that is descending like a thick blanket on all our paths. No matter where we live there is no shortage of darkness. Illness and death, financial woes with the growing inflation, compromised churches and Christian organizations, corrupt governments, the growing wickedness and occultism in the culture; sometimes these things make it too dark to see.

Unless…

We have the Bible. God has told us that this is the light He has given us for the dark path we must travel through life—

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)

The Bible fills us with confidence in our Great God as we get to know Him through His Word. It tells us of His love for us and gives the way for eternal salvation through His Son, Jesus.

We find within its pages many wonderful promises of the grace, mercy, and lovingkindness that will be shed on us, as a believer, as we travel any path in this life. Some paths we choose but many we do not. God’s mercy will follow us wherever we go.

The Bible gives us the light of truth. Only by knowing what it says, can we protect ourselves from the deception and lies that are snowballing out of control.

It gives us His plan for the future, which, if we take it literally, sheds so much light on both historical events, as well as the events happening right now in our world.

And the Bible gives us eternal perspective. It reminds us that we are but pilgrims and strangers passing through a foreign land. This world is not our home.

It’s important to note that the verse above does not declare that God’s Word is a giant spotlight on the whole world, filling it with light. It is just a small lamp, shedding light one step at a time on the path of the believer.

While the Bible could conceivably light up anyone’s path, most of those in this world will never repent of their sins and turn to Christ alone for salvation. Unless we do this, we can read the Bible all we want but it will be like holding a flashlight but never turning it on. We cannot understand God’s Holy Word without the Holy Spirit. And we cannot have the help of the Holy Spirit without salvation.

If a small flashlight can make such a huge difference when trying to plug something in in the dark, how much more of a difference will the Bible make in our lives? If we’d but just treasure and use this lamp that God has given us specifically to light our paths.

If we have trusted Christ alone for our salvation, may we keep the light God has given us ever near as the darkness descends around us. For it is the only light we have as we travel in this dreary land.

Red is just not my color

July 16, 2024

The other morning as I sat on my back porch, I was filled with thankfulness at the view around me. But, in my opinion, the view was marred by one small thing. Not really, but sort of.

This spring, when we got our hundreds of flats of flowers that we plant for customers, there was one mistake. They sent red dragonwing begonias instead of white. My husband told me to keep them…that we would use them somewhere. In my head, I quickly reviewed my plans for each customer, as I wasn’t sure where we would use them, but we did keep them.

Since I had these red begonias that were just sitting there, I decided to use some red on my back patio. I haven’t used red…well, in perhaps forever. I am more of a “pink” person. But I thought this one year, it wouldn’t be a big deal, right?

Wrong.

I wish I would have planted my normal pink. I just don’t love red. Now, some of you feel the other way. You love red and don’t love pink. Or you love something different altogether…perhaps purple or yellow. We all have the colors we love and it’s so wonderful that we aren’t all the same. What a boring world this would be if we all liked the same things.

The freedom of opinion is a wonderful thing to have. But it’s not something we have when it comes to the scripture. Over the past few years, there has been a general trend towards making the Bible mean whatever it means to you. To believe that it doesn’t have just one interpretation.

So when Bible studies get together, they will ask questions like, “What does this verse mean to you?” Or the teacher will say “in my opinion, this verse means…”

But this isn’t how we should approach scripture. One of us doesn’t get to choose a certain interpretation because we like it, while someone else believes something different altogether.

As I once heard it said: You can be right and I can be wrong, I can be right and you can be wrong. We both can be wrong. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

As soon as we believe that we can interpret scripture any old way we choose, we have undermined the authority of scripture. And I think that’s probably the whole point.

There has been a slow but steady effort to move Christians from the authority and trust of scripture. This has been replaced by personal authority (the individual gets to decide what a verse means) and trust in reasoning and feelings.

This change has happened so slowly that it is almost imperceptible. I think that is why so many have missed it. It’s only when we take a walk back through history that we can see this troubling change. It’s only as we study the future, according to scripture, that we see why this change had to take place.

We can’t change the world. And, most likely, we won’t change our churches or any large group of people in our circle. But we can recognize this and respond accordingly in our own lives, as well as to speak up about this as God gives us opportunity.

The Challenge of Sharing the Gospel

5 Comments / February 27, 2024

I have been studying Revelation this year and the reality of what is coming for the world…and for many of the people around me every day…has been setting in. I’ve become more burdened than ever for the lost as I have been studying what is going to happen in what seems to be the very near future.

But…I also find it so very difficult to know the best way to “bring up” the Gospel in every day situations. Particularly in this culture of wishy-washy American Christianity where everyone thinks they are saved.

So I decided to do something I haven’t done for awhile: Pray that God would bring me an opportunity I couldn’t miss.

I have prayed this prayer off and on through the years and God always answers it in the most amazing ways. I am quite ashamed I don’t think to pray this more often.

At any rate, God provided me with no less than three different opportunities to plant seeds for the Gospel this past week. I couldn’t miss them. It was truly incredible!

However, as I talked with the first person God “dropped in my lap”, I quickly grew discouraged. I realized at that time that for anyone to find true biblical faith in this culture of deception and lies it would truly take a miracle (but then the redemption of any person is truly a miracle, isn’t it?!) But, let’s be honest: How is anyone to figure out their way through the maze that calls itself Christianity these days? A maze that is chock-full of dead ends and false teaching?

Most people turn to one of these dead ends when they are searching. They are resting comfortably in a dead end corner of the maze, thinking they have reached truth. Why did I think that sharing the Gospel with someone who is so confused could possibly be frutiful? How can I– a simple ordinary person– “unconfuse” them? Surely God needs someone much more knowledgeable and gifted than myself to do this job. My enthusiasm to share the Gospel was dissipating rapidly in the midst of these thoughts.

And that’s when the thought came: Just point them to the Bible.

Remind them that truth is found in the Bible. Encourage them to read their Bibles.

I could do that. I might not be gifted in evangelism and the person I am talking to might be super confused. But God is bigger than all of this. And He uses His Word to open blind eyes.

For it is the Word that will tell people the truth about their souls in a way I never could–

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

And Isaiah reminds us that God’s Word never returns void–

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

My discouragement that afternoon was replaced by a renewed enthusiasm. God doesn’t need me to share the Gospel so that someone can be saved. He can use a rock to do that. It’s not my responsibility to save someone. It’s my responsibility to plants seeds for the Gospel. Lots and lots of seeds. And I believe that I can do this most effectively by pointing people to the Bible.

And so I have been excited to plant seeds this past week. Just last night, God provided an amazing opportunity I never expected with a young man from the Philippines who was helping me through a tech issue. (Please pray for him if you think of it. His name is Joshua.)

And let me brutally honest here. I had to argue with myself a few times to bring up God to this young man. Why would I bring up the Gospel with this stranger on the other side of the world? But this thought kept coming to mind: Why wouldn’t you? I had nothing to lose and he had everything to gain.

God is slowly changing my perspective on witnessing. He is reminding me through His Word what is coming both on this earth and for eternity for those who reject Him. And He has reminded me that I need to be faithful to plant Gospel seeds when I am given the opportunity and let the rest in His hands. I have also been reminded that God answers prayer. Specifically, God is very faithful in answering the prayers for opportunities to share the Gospel. But, most importantly, I have been reminded that it is in pointing people to the Bible that people will figure out their way to biblical salvation through this crazy “Christian” landscape that looks so impossible to navigate.

There is a way for all to know the whole and wonderful truth about God’s marvelous gift of salvation. It is through the inerrant, inspired, and infallible Word of God.

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