Proverbs 6:16-19.....16 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
NKJV
Proverbs 6:12-15.........12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
Walks with a perverse mouth;
13 He winks with his eyes,
He shuffles his feet,
He points with his fingers;
14 Perversity is in his heart,
He devises evil continually,
He sows discord.
15 Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly;
Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.
NKJV
Our character is seen when we respond to something out of our control. In the mischievous man, it is one of destruction.
In my character are those traits with which I was raised. If I was taught to be truthful, then I am one who will deal in fairness giving an accurate report to truthful facts in a situation. But if I was raised to lie to people, then I would be one of a deceptive character. In that above, we find the dangerous man, the person who is quick to doing the wicked thing. He has a mouth of lying and of perverseness. We can see this "man" as one to deal craftily, with his entire body he expresses that hostile meanness. The man depicted here is one set, not to enhance himself but is purely intent on devising mischief to the extent of performing harm and destruction on others.
We are told that his doom in verse 15 is a calamity. A calamity of disastrous proportions. A tragedy or tribulation that never ends.
Suddenly, he will be broken. Without any warning, ......no whistle blowing, no loud trumpet call............a without warning destruction will befall such "man" who seeks another's doom.
Daniel 11:45...........yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. NKJV
Our spiritual health is hinged on hearing the good news which brings health to us! If I spend time with the angry, the hateful, the greedy, and the malicious, then I become some what like those traits state. But if I remain with the loyal, those who speak truth, are tolerant of others, have a loving nature and have the traits of the patient and the determined, then I am one who can stay fixed on the course devised by God to follow. I become one who can have the Preventative Vaccine of His Word to dispel darkness out of my life.
Like any preventative vaccine, one may still have some effects of an illness it is trying to prevent. But we must remember in our walk with God and at the very beginning, we may have some things that took seed as weeds in our lives that can cause problems later in life. So too, if I take the Word of God and use it, then those things I sowed to that did not bring life, will die and the things of God will spring up and have fruit for good for me and for others.
For every Word of God I hear, I am responsible for it. Will I guard it, or will I forget it? And for every Word of God I hear and give to another, I am responsible to give it in truth. I am to give it as the Word is written. Anyone who speaks against this Word of God is the false witness, the one who speaks lies and sows discord among many people or brethren of the faith.
Matthew 7:13-20...........................13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. NKJV
How do we know someone is speaking false teachings from the Bible? Well, one for sure is by reading it ourselves. We need to know what the written word of God says.
Paul tell us in Titus 1 and reading from verses 10-16.......what the deceiver looks and sounds like.
Titus 1:10-16.........................10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. 15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. NKJV
Paul was stating that false teaching is dangerous and requires a disciplinary action. That correction will come and should be a strong correction, understanding that the false teaching would not produce any fruit of good. There are those who will teach, may have memorized paragraphs of certain books and still not have that relationship of actually knowing God. THE teacher that is qualified to teach is the one who has been "tested" by God Himself.
Their character will be one of virtue and adhering to God the Savior. They are those who hold fast to the faithful word of God. He follows the commands given in that Word. When they speak, they speak and will teach that same Word. They give the sound doctrine. They exhort others.
The character of the "bad teacher" is one that is obstinate, unyielding. To be obstinate, to be so stubborn and refuse to change course, is the "bad teacher". They do not like authority. They are those who will not be corrected themselves. Those who speak as such, will have no power. They subvert and produce many errors through either speech or of giving the Word of God.
Matthew 7:18-20............18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. NKJV
Therefore you and I will know the "bad teacher" for they produce fruit but not for good.
Therefore you and I will know the "bad teacher" for they produce fruit but not for good.
Titus 1:4-13................Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.
5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you-- 6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." 13 This testimony is true.
Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. 15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. NKJV
Paul tells Titus, mouths must be stopped who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. Paul goes on to mention that a prophet had said that some from Crete........look like this........."Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." 13...This testimony is true.
From verse 13 ....rebuke sharply....(correct)..........not to give ourselves over to fables, but to be sound in the faith.
A " bad teacher" is..............obnoxious, hateful! They are the disobedient.......troublesome, rebellious. You might have seen some in "church". They cause problems wherever they go. They want their own way, they speak like they have arrived in the "things of God" but alas no one has. WE ARE ALL LEARNING AND GOING FORWARD TO REACH FOR THAT PRIZE, THAT CALLING IN CHRIST JESUS............we are each going at the pace we are to run, and we are learning of the life that is everlasting!
We are not going to spend our days floating on clouds. God has things for us to do and they start when we first believe in His Son Jesus!
We are not going to spend our days floating on clouds. God has things for us to do and they start when we first believe in His Son Jesus!
Philippians 3:12-21.........................12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. NKJV
Therefore let us, as many as are mature.............maturing, growing in Christ Jesus.............allowing God to reveal to us those things He desires to reveal through His Son and Holy Spirit. We are to be of the same mind as God. We, as believer's are to be those with the same thoughts God has...........from His Word, the Bible........so we will recognize those who are the enemy of the Cross of Jesus. (verse 18)
Those whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame are set on the earthly things.
In the Living Bible, it reads like this: .............19 Their future is eternal loss, for their god is their appetite: they are proud of what they should be ashamed of; and all they think about is this life here on earth.
And in the Message Bible, it reads like this: But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods, their belches are their praise, and all they think of is their appetites.
That preventative vaccine is designed by God to stimulate our inner man. His Word is to be administered to our spirit, soul and body. That Word of faith is to inactivate that which is coming against us either in our soul or body and is of the world. It could be something we were taught as children, but God wants us to have TRUTH! That holy Word teaches us to target that which must be corrected as in keeping that which must be identified that blocks our progress in God or hinders our life from operating in His plan for us. We must know what the Word teaches so as not to be deceived but overcome the world. We are not to run in unbelief but hold onto faith in those life giving words God has for us.
We want to be aware of any deceptive, well woven lie that can cause us grief. In His Word we can find those divine weapons to demolish strongholds we may not even know exist in our lives.
God's WORD is that vaccine. It is that medicine we take everyday, and get it inside our hearts to point to that which must not be in our lives. It will point to that which must be revealed and then speak to it with the Word till it is gone from our lives.
If we have problems with idols, pride, despair, unforgiveness, depression, overcoming the devil, in our lives, there are scriptures for those.
In Isaiah 43:10-12..........
10 "You are My witnesses," says the LORD,
"And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD,
And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no foreign god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses,"
Says the LORD, "that I am God. NKJV
"YOU are MY witnesses". We are to be His witnesses. We are to know Him and believe Him. We are to tell others that He is God. That sums it up, right?
There is only ONE TRUE GOD! Jehovah!
In closing: when I am looking for a teacher, and generally I do not have to look too far, for God always brings just what I need when I need it. That one teacher, will be one who will give the Word and have the power of God to heal and speak liberty to those who are the broken, those who are sick and the afflicted, those who are blind. When God's Word is given, it will be a beauty for ashes, a joy instead of mourning, and praise instead of heaviness.........TLB... for God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory!
That teacher will present the Word to what must be addressed and corrected. SETTING CAPTIVES FREE! AMEN!
I will take a look at the teacher and then look at his family, his character. He may give the Word in power of the Holy Ghost for God will always honor His Word, but we must always look how the man lives and how he lives with his family and children. Are they children growing up in admonition of the Lord? Does the teacher (that man or woman) represent God every time they speak? Do they live the Word daily? Do they lift up Jesus or themselves? Yes, take a look at those who think they must be heard and see if they truly have a relationship with God, know Jesus as Lord and Savior faithfully and allow the Holy Spirit full reign in their lives!
God will surely direct our steps............and He talks of those who are the righteous, those in right standing with HIM.
Psalm 37:23................23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way. NKJV
Proverbs 4:26.............26 Watch your step. Stick to the path and be safe. 27 Don't sidetrack; pull back your foot from danger. TLB
Father, today we pray in Jesus' name, not making the request because we are righteous, BUT BECAUSE OF YOUR GREAT MERCY. We desire to not be passive in receiving all that YOU have spoken from the foundation of the world. We truly desire to be active, reaching out to receive that preventative vaccine, that is of doing something......it is that searching as the Bereans did in the book of Acts. Today our trust is in YOU, and in YOUR Word spoken to set captives free. Help us to discern that which harms, stops us dead in our tracks, that which brings death and destruction. We desire to fight the good fight of faith.............(1 Timothy 6:12)
Today we take hold of the eternal life to which we were called. May we be those who will keep the Word, receive and act on every command without spot or wrinkle. I pray for each who read this that we would be those who CONTINUE TO PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS, GODLINESS, FAITH AND LOVE.........ENDURANCE AND GENTLENESS.
Father, may we be those who are the trees of righteousness for the healing of the nations. And not like those from Jude 12-13 .............clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted-twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
May we be Your Witnesses forever. May we abide and declare the true Word that brings faith and see that captives are set free to run the race for that prize....to grow and mature in the Word that delivers. May we live our lives in reverent fear of You our God, obeying truth, believing God who raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him, so that our faith and hope are in God.(1 Peter 1:21) The word of the Lord stands forever........and this is that which was preached to us. Amen.
You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV
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