DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - WEDNESDAY WARRIOR! #2.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. – 2 Cor 10:4.

Wednesday Warrior is designed to look at some false/heretical teachings etc; and to fight back against them with some straight-talking, and correctly handling the Word of God.

There is some pathetic stuff happening in the PENTE/CHARISMANIA REALM! We start with this no-brainer from ‘Streams of Revival” at Charisma Online (29/11/06.)

Intimacy With the King…
Patricia King, founder of Christian Services Association and its media arm, Extreme Prophetic, shares an encouraging word about God's desire to draw His people into greater intimacy with Himself. To move into a place of deeper intimacy, you must relinquish your fears and preconceived ideas about what that entails. When you do this, you can expect God to "draw near to you," as the Scriptures promise (James 4:8, NKJV).

"Get ready for a breakthrough unlike any you've had in the past. You may have had a breakthrough in your finances or in other areas of your life, but this is a breakthrough into intimacy. That's right, the King Himself has invited you into His chambers to tell you the secrets of His heart. The Lord is about to woo you into deeper levels of love, revelation and passion. You're breaking through a barrier of flesh and entering a new season of relationship with the Lover of your soul. You may have distanced yourself from Him because of fear or doubt about where you stand in your relationship with Him. Today the Lord says, 'Let My perfect love cast away all your fears.' Drop any preconceived notions you may have in your arms now and prepare for a full embrace with the King."

What a load of old codswallop! I can’t believe that someone would say this drivel, never mind publish it in a mainstream blog! It sounds so lovely and sweet, and many people could fall for this, but it is in fact a false interpretation of scripture. Notice how she uses part of the text, which is a trademark for false teachers. Here is the full text…

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. – James 4:8.

The reason that James said this, was that the sinners and double minded were adulterous in their behavior, and guilty of befriending the ways of the world…

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble and oppressed." Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – James 4:1-7.

It has nothing to do with fears or doubts, but it has everything to do with SIN! And when they confess their SIN, and purify their hearts against their inconclusiveness about who they would serve, then, and then only could they come back to God.

Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. – James 4:9-10.

Submit your understanding to the truth of God; submit your wills to the will of his precept, the will of his providence. Submit yourselves to God, for he is ready to do you good. If we yield to temptations, the devil will continually follow us; but if we put on the whole armour of God, and stand out against him, he will leave us. Let sinners then submit to God, and seek his grace and favour; resisting the devil. All sin must be wept over; here, in godly sorrow, or, hereafter, in eternal misery. And the Lord will not refuse to comfort one who really mourns for sin, or to exalt one who humbles himself before him. – Matthew Henry.

It’s time that this kind of foolishness stopped, and the people who say these things, should be brought to account for their actions. Then we may have balance in the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. There are many ways to encourage people to come closer to God, but Patricia King’s way is not one of them.

Loving Father, Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to study and show myself approved by you, that I may preach your word in truth and deed, and to follow in the footsteps of your dear son Jesus, in whose name I humbly ask these things. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY