Are You Truly Contending For The Faith?

In the past there arose false prophets among God’s people, just as there will continue to be false teachers who will secretly infiltrate in your midst to divide you, bringing with them their destructive heresies. They will even deny the Master, who paid the price for them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow immoral lifestyles. Because of these corrupt false teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. They are only out for themselves, ready to exploit you for their own gain through their cunning arguments... (2 Peter 2:1-3a, TPT).

      We live in very strange times, if God had not warned us about them in the Scriptures, many of us would have felt what we had believed is a lie! Even now, many are beginning to think what they believe and held on to concerning God and His ways may not be so true after all. Many teachers of God's Word are even questioning the veracity of the Word. Some even went as far as challenging what they had read in the Scriptures. 

         Such believe the 'revelation' they now have is superior to the ones recorded in the Bible. Even though the Scriptures tell us: "God has transmitted His very substance into every Scripture, for it is God-breathed. It will empower you by its instruction and correction, giving you the strength to take the right direction and lead you deeper into the path of godliness. Then you will be God’s servant, fully mature and perfectly prepared to fulfil any assignment God gives you" (2 Timothy 3:16-17, TPT), many have chosen to believe these charismatic preachers that sprinkle truth on the many false words they teach. "The Holy Spirit has explicitly revealed: At the end of this age, many will depart from the true faith one after another, devoting themselves to spirits of deception and following demon-inspired revelations and theories" (1 Timothy 4:1, TPT). 

      We were warned to stay true to the Gospel of Christ as any other is fake and extremely dangerous! "That is a fake “gospel” that is simply not true. There is only one gospel—the good news of Christ! Yet you have allowed those who mingle law with grace to confuse you. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel different than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! Let me make it clear: Anyone, no matter who they are, that brings you a different gospel than the gospel that you have received, let them be condemned and cursed" (Galatians 1:7-9, TPT)! 

      Beloved, what do you believe? Do you hold on firmly to the teachings of your Pastors and Teachers without going to verify if what they teach you is the truth like the Berean Christians? They make out the Word of God and following Him into an insurmountable and mountainous mystery. Jesus said His yoke is light and easy, but these people have made it into a wrecking ball chain, designed to drown those that have chosen to believe them in rivers of self and lust! Why do you think we are told to test all spirits and prove all things? Do you think the Scripture to test spirits is only when we are not sure of what a person is foretelling or forth-telling? Do you not know that when a man teaches, he teaches from a place - and that place must be verified: Whether it is from the Throne of God, darkness or self? 

       Beloved, these times are so scary that people are not faithfully following God but are faithfully following men. They have become fans of men instead of Disciples of Christ! The Bible tells us to contend for the faith, many are rather contending for their men of God. God's Word should breed humility in the hearts of the hearers, rather, the so-called word their congregation are taught breeds pride, arrogance, and contentiousness in them. Beloved, something is very wrong with this picture! 

         Sadly, only very few voices are ringing out among the deafening voices of our time for us to return to the Ancient Paths - God's undiluted Word! Our society is in disarray because those that ought to be watchmen in the spirit over the society have left their duty posts or are sleeping. All the LORD is asking of us at this time is for us to return to Him by turning away from ways and deeds that are contrary to Him. 

      Understand this, as long as the LORD tarries, people will live and die, but God's Word will remain forever: "Standing firm in the heavens and fastened to eternity is the Word of God" (Psalms 119:89, TPT). The men you contend for are but men! And with time they will pass on: “Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? Yet surely My words and My statutes, Which I commanded My servants the prophets, Did they not overtake your fathers" (Zechariah 1:5-6a, NKJV)? 

       What manner of persons should we then be? Remember when you first believed! "For through the eternal and living Word of God you have been born again. And this “seed” that He planted within you can never be destroyed but will live and grow inside of you forever. For: Human beings are frail and temporary, like grass, and the glory of man fleeting like blossoms of the field. The grass dries and withers and the flowers fall off, but the Word of the Lord endures forever! And this is the Word that was announced to you" (1 Peter 1:23-25, TPT)! 

       Beloved, we have not been called or raised to contend for our Pastors, Teachers no matter how much they encourage us to, by reminding us they are our fathers, mothers and teachers, and we must obey them! No wonder Apostle Paul by the Spirit told us: "I want you to pattern your lives after me, just as I pattern mine after Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1 TPT). Meaning, that the day he stops patterning after Christ, we stop following him! 

      We are to contend for the faith, not the Pastors or Teachers: "Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3, NKJV). We are to listen, study and meditate on God's Word, and to obey: "...But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands" (Isaiah 66:2b, AMPC). God bless you as you shine the light of God's Word to the manner of your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.