2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
There are many things that have unconsciously become a part of our ideology as a result of quotes that seem motivational and inspiring. However, many of them are in opposition to what the Word says. In John 17:17, Jesus said; Sanctify them through thy truth: Thy Word is truth. That means anything outside of God’s Word is automatically a lie. Also, in John 14:6 we see that Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. So Jesus is the truth about God.
In the opening scripture, we see that in the last days, people will have itchy ears and turn away from the truth and be turned to fables. In other words, people would be looking for nice sayings that feed their love for self rather than love for God. In this excerpt, we will look at some of the quotes and sayings in recent times that have no bearing on the Scriptures but have been beautifully crafted by people to look like the truth. Unfortunately, some of these people didn’t intend to walk by a lie. They were just caught in them because they sounded good and seemed harmless.
Among many such statements are statements like ‘Be yourself. Do you. Do what makes you happy. As long as you are happy, that’s all that matters.‘ Especially in this generation where we have many rights flying all over, people are told to live their truth. Live your truth? That’s crazy. Truth is Jesus, truth is God’s Word so I can’t have my truth. It’s like a manufacturer making a product like a piano and the piano says my truth is I want people to sit on me and not play music. You can’t be yourself because after the fall happened in the beginning, the natural ‘you’ and your default setting is wickedness and selfishness. Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things And desperately wicked; Who can know it? Other versions say the heart is hard, corrupt, beyond cure, and sick. You can’t follow your heart. That statement only works when the content of your heart is God and His Word. Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. So the only time I can trust that my heart will make the right choices or decisions is when the Word is in my heart. Instead of ‘Be yourself’, ‘Be like Christ‘. That is what aligns with the Scripture. Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
Again, I can’t always do what makes me happy because there are things that may make me happy but hurt another person or be against God’s purpose.
Happiness is not the ultimate goal of life. Fulfillment is.
Money and material possessions, for instance can bring happiness to a person but fulfillment comes from something else other than those things. That is why you could find people who seemingly have it ‘all’ but commit suicide. Something was missing. So if I’m to pursue only happiness, then I’d do anything to get what I want whether it is the wrong way or not. Dying on the cross didn’t make Jesus happy because it was so painful that before then, He prayed that the cup should be taken from Him. Nevertheless, He said not His will but God’s. You know what that meant? He was saying not what will make me happy but what will bring fulfillment and is in your purpose and will for me. There are instructions God will give you that won’t make you happy so if you’re with the philosophy that ‘Do what makes you happy’, you can never fulfil purpose.
Another statement is ‘God helps those who help themselves’. First of all if I’m helping myself, then I don’t need God’s help because I got it sorted out so God actually doesn’t help those who help themselves. James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. This means the only way I can receive God’s help is when I am open to His help. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path. In other words, lean not on your own help or effort. This doesn’t mean do nothing. But let whatever actions you are taking be rooted in the fact that God is making your efforts count and not your abilities or talents doing the work.
Other times people say that God will never give us more than we can handle. This statement is mainly 1 Corinthians 10:13 misinterpreted. It says; There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. The context is ‘what is common to man’. As long as we are on earth, there would be challenges but the Scripture mentions that God makes us able to bear it. This means as long as you have the Holy Spirit, there is nothing like, ‘I’m unable to handle this one.‘ Promotion always comes when you overcome a greater challenge. You don’t go higher when you are tested with smaller things or things at your level. In fact capacity is built when you have conquered what you normally didn’t have strength for. For every new level you conquer, that becomes your platform or stepping stone for the next feat or challenge. So God actually gives us more than we can handle so that we can depend not on ourselves but His Spirit to overcome.
Again, many of these sayings are meant to put the focus on you rather than God. So because you are looking at yourself, you keep saying God won’t give you more than you can handle, God only helps those who help themselves, Do you, Be yourself.
YOU, YOU, YOU! To magnify yourself and diminish Christ. That is the objective of every false doctrine and lie.
But what did John the Baptist say in John 3:30? He must increase, but I must decrease. Look at what Romans 16:18 says; For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. This has also in turn affected the kinds of prayers that get the most crowds. We are always praying for what we think we need to have in our lives and never concerned about what God wants. Philippians 2:21 For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s. We hardly pray for the church or souls or leaders of nations or servants of God. But we are quick to speak when we hear a story of a Pastor backsliding or a church doing the wrong thing. We look at unbelievers with disdain when we don’t intercede for them. As a result, because our focus is on making ourselves happy, the Holy Spirit is unable to move mightily in our midst.
Focus on Jesus and you will be taken care of.
The Word In Clarity 