And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 I was a false prophet. There is no joy in making such a statement, but there is…
There is a popular saying incorporating a well-known Bible verse: I can do all things through Scripture out of context. Though this is comical, there is a seriousness to the issue of misusing Scripture for personal purposes and for creating aberrant doctrine. One of the things I can personally relate to is my former way of decreeing and declaring in prayer. Have you ever heard any of these phrases: Call those things that aren’t as though they were? Decree a…
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water…
The modern deliverance movement rests on the premise that born-again believers in Christ are in need of demonic expulsion. Leaders holding this to belief teach people that deliverance maintenance every few months is necessary, which is sometimes referred to in these circles as a “tune up”. Generational curses are a commonality, and numerous spirits are on the rampage, from Leviathan to Jezebel. There seem to be growing facets of this movement, and now there is a teaching and practice emerging…
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore…
For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! Psalm 47:7 Music is a powerful thing. Many of us can recall songs from our childhood, and the words once filed deep within our minds emerge easily from our lips. Many of us have put things to music when studying for exams and trying to memorize various facts because it makes learning easier and retainable. Music is an important part of our praise and worship unto…
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 1 Timothy 3:1-3 It was a subject and belief I avoided tackling. After all, I had been permitted to minister and to preach on a handful of occasions to a…
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.” Joel 2:28 As I recently prepared for a podcast Q&A, I had a friend and sister in Christ pose this question of personal interest. Perhaps you have had the same question. “Why are so many visions accepted in New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) churches…
This week, I recorded an episode answering listener’s questions concerning some beliefs of the New Apostolic Reformation. Some of these questions also included personal elements of how to navigate coming out of this movement and unlearning much of the teaching while also dealing with loved ones and family members still entrenched in it. Here was one of the questions from this week’s episode. “My husband and I were in an NAR based church for 12 years. As you can imagine,…
A self -professing apostle stands on a platform in various gatherings while children are brought before her. The parents are bringing their children forward in order to seek out deliverance from indwelling demons. Some of the children writhe on the floor and scream. Some children react passively to the countdown to three for the demons to leave. The minister tells the people that children can have indwelling demons as well, and they need deliverance from inhabiting demons. There is even…