SPIRITUAL CALLER ID

The phone rings and you check the Caller ID before answering. You certainly don't want to listen to any sales calls, or that person who is calling to yell at you, or whine to you, or ask you for something you don't have to give. The Bible tells us to test every thought to see if it is OK for us to think about.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says this: We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

I picture myself grabbing the thought on its way into my mind, like a bouncer at a bar. Then I frisk it like a policeman might search for a gun or other weapon. I ask it if is worthy to come in. Just like Philippians 4:8 says: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things.

If the thought is not true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy, then send it back to hell where it came from! DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE!

TEST IT!

So how do you know when God is talking to your heart? Do you hear an audible voice? Do you feel something strange inside? It is too important of a thing to be vague about! Here are five ways to test what you think you are hearing God say to you. Your answers may be ‘YES' or ‘NOT SURE', but if you answer ‘NO' to any of these questions, it is safe to say that it is not God's voice you are hearing!

Every time you see the word ‘it', replace it with what you think God is telling you to do.

1. Does it exalt Christ?
John 16:14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

2. Is it Scriptural?
Proverbs 30:5-6 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

3. Do other Christians confirm it?
Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

4. Does it produce good fruit?
John 15:1-16 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

5. Does God bring it to pass?
Isaiah 55:10-11 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Should Christians Judge Others' Sin?

I Corinthians 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.

Last week, my Sunday School class brought up an interesting topic. Should a church allow a new Christian to teach a 2-year-old Sunday School class while still living with her boyfriend?

I have to admit, I have argued both sides of this coin before!! Now, after many years of receiving God's grace and mercy, I, a wretched sinner, am not so quick to cast the first stone on any sinner. Although I do agree that church leaders must make judgments about who can serve in their churches.

The real question here is not about who should be allowed to teach Sunday school or work in the nursery or anything else. Our real hangup here is about sin and more specifically, what does this say about MY sin?!! And aren't we judging others by talking about their sin?

This points out two lies that the enemy is propagating - and it infuriates me that he continues to use Christians and churches of God to spread his lies!!!

Lie #1 - All sin is the same.
Truth - ALL SIN IS NOT THE SAME. We like to tell people that ANY sin earns them a ticket to hell, whether it's a small lie or a murder! While this is true (Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death..."), the Bible is still clear that all sin is NOT the same. (I Corinthians 6:18 says "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.") This verse clearly points out that sexual sin is worse than non-sexual sin. This is just one example.

Lie #2 - Christians shouldn't judge others.
Truth - CHRISTIANS SHOULD JUDGE OTHERS! We all quote the passage from Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." But do we look at it in context? What about I Corinthians 5 which clearly says we Christians ARE to judge those within the church. In fact, it says in verse 13 that we are to EXPEL the wicked man from the church!!! (go read the whole chapter!!)

Yes, we are a church full of sinners. And yes, we want other sinners to come and join us. But we need to tell them the TRUTH!! Daniel 4:27 tells us to "Renounce our sins by doing what is right." We need to teach this!! Yes, "Come just as you are...", but STOP sinning!!

Active sin is a symptom of a heart not having been changed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us this is how we know who the true children of God are!!! This requires judging others for ourselves!! I John 3:6-10 says "No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother."

I Peter 3:15-16 says "...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." So I appreciate having to look this up for myself this week!!