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New Wine for New Wineskins July 2006 |
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Are You Being Cheated?
Somehow – even though God's Word is very clear regarding His
will for our lives in regard to healing, deliverance, prosperity
etc - some people are often short-changed in regards to God's provision, and then
too many times they succumb to the persuasive words of those who would
convince them that they should not expect to receive any more!
God’s word clearly exhorts us to beware lest anyone CHEAT US out of the fullness of our inheritance in Christ Jesus...
Colossians 2: 1 – 15
1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those
in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2
that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and
attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the
knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in
whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 Now this I
say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For though
I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see
your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.6 As you
have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted
and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been
taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat
you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of
men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according
to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and
power. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made
without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the
circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you
also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who
raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and
the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him,
having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting
of requirements (certificate of debt) that was against us, which was
contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to
the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a
public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
I had a very vivid picture recently of someone in a shop handing over a
twenty pound note to pay for a small, inexpensive item and being given
change off a ten pound note. Most people would not be content to
just walk away from that situation without demanding their proper
change and what is rightfully theirs. I have seen situations like
this where the shop assistant can be very indignant that you only gave
them a ten when you know that you gave them a twenty. They can
be so persuasive sometimes that you begin to question whether or not it
is you that has got it wrong after all.
In the church this type of situation happens all the time in a
spiritual context. People give their whole lives over to the Lord
and then fail to receive everything that they have been promised in his
word!
Somehow – even though the word is very clear regarding God’s will for
our lives in regard to healing, deliverance, prosperity, etc – we are
short-changed and then succumb to the persuasive words of those who
would convince us that we should not expect to receive any more than
spiritual change!
God’s word tells us to beware lest anyone CHEAT US out of the fullness of our inheritance in Christ Jesus.
cheat
To deceive by trickery; swindle; to deprive by trickery; defraud; to mislead; fool
Galatians 5: 5 – 9
5For we, [not relying on the Law but] through the [Holy] Spirit's
[help], by faith anticipate and wait for the blessing and good for
which our righteousness and right standing with God [our conformity to
His will in purpose, thought, and action, causes us] to hope.6For [if
we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts
for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and
working through love.7You were running the race nobly. Who has
interfered in (hindered and stopped you from) your heeding and
following the Truth?8This [evil] persuasion is not from Him Who called
you [Who invited you to freedom in Christ].9A little leaven (a slight
inclination to error, or a few false teachers) leavens the whole lump
[it perverts the whole conception of faith or misleads the whole church]
We are waiting for our change – our transformation! We are not going to be cheated!
In Colossians 2 we see four different ways that we can be cheated out of our change!
1. PHILOSOPHY
2. EMPTY DECEIT
3. TRADITIONS OF MEN
4. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE WORLD
All of God’s supernatural change in our lives takes us forward – but
philosophy, empty deceit, traditions of men, and the basic principles
of this world will hold us back and eventually draw us back into a
place where we are continually short-changed!
1. PHILOSOPHY is anything that falls short of “Thus says the
Lord”. Only God’s wisdom is reliable! We don’t need
theories or opinions – we need the prophetic word! We need to
have it established in our lives that if God says it, we believe it,
and so that settles it! We don’t try and manipulate God’s word to
fit our experience – we believe for our experience to conform to God’s
word. For example, we don’t try and formulate a theology or
doctrine to justify our sin or our sickness – we believe the scripture
that promises deliverance and healing! Don’t be short-changed!
2. EMPTY DECEIT is anything that misrepresents God and the fullness of
the salvation that he has provided for us in Christ. When
something is empty it lacks power, purpose, or substance. What is
the point in someone telling you that there are certain things in the
word of God that we can no longer expect to happen as they have “passed
away”. The truth is that God would have to “pass away” first and
that is not about to happen anytime soon! Jesus said to some of
the religious leaders “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor
the power of God.” Don’t be short-changed!
3. TRADITIONS OF MEN are the formulations of religion that have no real
basis in scripture and yet can often displace Scripture as the accepted
practice. If you have been raised in a conservative evangelical
setting or have been exposed to such since being born again, you will
probably have been affected by certain doctrinal influences that have
been woven into the fabric of your being that will cheat you of your
change if you don’t break free from them. There can often be a
fatalism and a “whatever will be will be” attitude that leaves people
in a stupor when it comes to spiritual warfare. Jesus said to the
religious leaders, “You have made the word of God ineffective by your
tradition."
We live by FAITH – not by FATE – FAITH that comes by hearing what God
says and not what tradition has taught us! Don’t be short-changed!
4. THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THIS WORLD are the fundamental laws upon
which this fallen world operates. This world is under the law of
sin and death – but we have been set free from the law of sin and death
by the higher law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus! If you
are still living according to the principles of the law of sin and
death when the doctor tells you that you only have three months to live
you will probably sit down and write your will and get ready to
die! But if you are living by the law of the spirit of life in
Christ Jesus then you will take the report of the higher authority that
declares the higher truth that by Jesus’ stripes you are healed! Don’t
be short-changed!
Romans 12: 2
2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind
The battle is always for your mind because “as a man thinks, so he
is.” You will never be able to advance beyond your thoughts –
that is why we must break free from all of the worldly influences that
would limit our thoughts, and allow the higher law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus to bring us in line with God’s higher thoughts
that will result in us walking in God’s higher ways!
Jeremiah 29: 11
11 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Are you walking in the fullness of the salvation, healing, and deliverance that belongs to you as a child of God?
Or are you being cheated?
Don’t be short-changed!
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