StanJ said:
IMO, Balaam's ass has not been the only ass to speak throughout history.
I'm sorry; I'm not intentionally ignoring you. Please, speak up.
And Madad21, thanks for getting back to me. Please allow me to respond to your comments.
Ok, well I was answering BM's OP but its up to you if you want to talk to me..
Yes, I do want to talk to you, because iron sharpeneth iron.
...because as you should have learnt from our last run in, if you deal with me you deal with Gods word in me, solid and unwavering and I can stand upon it firmly like the promises of God, I have no fear of man and no fear in using the word as the sword I wield.
Do not give place to pride; it is a blend of vanity and vexation of spirit. You know that one cannot maintain a “stand upon it firmly” if one “stands upon”
anything other than what is “firm” i.e. the word of God.
Even talking donkeys, addicts, convicts, the unschooled and the poor and the sick.
What Bibles do you think they have, some of em don't even own a bible, but I bet you they could teach you a thing or two about Gods forgiveness, His compassion, His grace and His love. God gives wisdom to those who love Him and those who love His Word and the Word became flesh.
Amen. I’m still learning about ‘forgiveness, compassion, and grace’ -- how about you?
Gods true Word is not hidden in a real deal book somewhere for only the accomplished to seek out. While your seeking out the real deal the rest of us will be reading the word of God.
It is not hidden. But there are many counterfeits competing for your attention.
Its no secret He has kept His Word in plain sight and so many are staring right at it but they refuse to see it,
The question, as we will explore, is, why do so many "refuse to see it"?
they want to see conspiracy's instead, because by them they think they have special knowledge and special insights, the chosen few.
Yes, there are many of those antichrists, even in these forums. Even now, one has been attempting to dog me for some time. It's a direct confirmation that I'm on target with the truth - i. e. it's a good thing. If I don't get dogged regularly, it means I'm falling back into complacency and comfortability with the world.
Conspiracy is a
biblical word, appearing over 30 times. There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. - Eze. 22:25
When we pray for wisdom and we seek God earnestly does he give us over to bad bibles and "moxy" instead of the Spirit that guides?
[and]
I dont call the Holy Spirit my "moxy" maybe you have moxy, but I have the Holy Spirit
You’ve conflated two separate issues here, and the result will be double mindedness. “Moxy” has nothing to do with “the Spirit that guides,” so, please, do not twist my words to attempt such as deception; that is not Godly. BTW, I misspelled the word “moxy;” that is why you could not find it in the dictionary. The correct spelling is
moxie, and I used it to describe one of your apparent character traits. Relax, it’s a good thing.
So let’s talk more about this question:
When we pray for wisdom and we seek God earnestly does he give us over to bad bibles and "moxy" instead of the Spirit that guides?
Of course I understand you are being rhetorical, even sarcastic (pehaps just hyperbole?). But that question hs merit on its own.
First, we establish the baseline. Did God tell you to use modern copyrighted versions of the Holy Bible? It’s a simple yes or no answer.
Second, I know that God did not tell you that. Now, you may have presumed that it was ok to do so, because when you chose to began using those inventions, you heard nothing from God telling you anything to the contrary. I also know that God wishes for his people to move from the milk to the meat (and I’m not implying that modern versions
of the Holy Bible qualify as meat -- or even milk!).
Judge all I have said by the word and tell me where I have made a mistake.
Back to your question:
When we pray for wisdom and we seek God earnestly does he give us over to bad bibles and "moxy" instead of the Spirit that guides?
A brother with whom I correspond, has the following to say about your question.
In the book of Ezekiel, we see that the
LORD says to the prophet: "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face. Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth
the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet, I, the Lord, will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols. That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols." - Ezekiel 14:3,4
When God says this applies to "every man of the house of Israel," he is speaking of his people. Ironically, the prophetic perception as to the
identity of the party to whom the prophecy is addressed is itself part of the "stumbling block" that is referred to in the passage!
The New Testament tells us that the "chosen" of the
LORD are the Christians - as opposed to, for exazmple, the pre-trib rapture cult position that tells us the Jews are God's people, and the Church is a separate entity. Thus, cult teachers immediately dismiss this prophecy as not being applicable to them because they do not believe they are "of the house of Israel." This
tradition of men is a Stumblingblock to their ability to hear and learn what God is telling them in this very passage. The truth is,
Jesus Christ plainly taught against the concept of
two groups of believers.
So while the cult teaches that Israel is one group and the Church is another group, the Gospels say otherwise. Before the Gentiles were called into the salvation offered by
JESUS CHRIST, he said "And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." (John 10:16)
Back to Ezekiel. When
Ezekiel says that when the people "cometh to the prophet" to seek the will of the Lord," they are inquiring of God through the authority of "the prophet" - who the New Testament tells us is
JESUS CHRIST. For example, in the book of John we learn that when
Jesus preached, the people said "Of a truth, this is the prophet." (John 7:40) Peter also said that Jesus fulfilled the prediction of a great prophet that would arise in Israel when he stated "A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you...." (Acts 7:37) There are many Scriptural texts proving that Jesus is "the prophet."
Ezekiel is told by the Lord that when "every man" comes to him to seek his will and they "setteth up idols" in their hearts, God will answer them "
according to the multitude of his idols" (Ezekiel 14:3, 4). First we need to see that an "idol" that is in the heart can be
anything that comes between the believer and God. Because idolatry is a
concept (as opposed to a statue that one worships), we must realize that an idol can be
any thought, belief, bible version, or even doctrine that we
want to believe.
When God says he will answer the inquirer "according to" the idol, He is saying he will not tear down the false beliefs that exist in the hearts of the believers. Remember, the text says the
believers are the ones that have "set up their idols
in their heart" (Ezekiel 14:3) Thus, the Lord plainly states that he will give you the answer you've already decided you want!
This is a gigantic truth, and it is another area concerning God's attributes that is commonly distorted by the false teachers. Pastors and Christian writers commonly tell us that God never
deceives people - yet the Scriptures tell us that God allows us to continue in the deceptions that we've ensnared ourselves in. The Bible says "the Lord knoweth how to...reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished" (II Peter 2:9).
In fact, the Apostle Paul plainly says that God will actually initiate deception when He writes that "God shall
send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie...because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (II Thessalonians 2:11,10).
And it is also God who
chooses their delusions! I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose
that in which I delighted not (Isaiah 66:4).
What we're seeing here should be frightening, because it is a scriptural proof text that indicates if we are
not completely sold out to hearing the truth - regardless of how unsavory the truth may be - we are subject to be deceived. Furthermore, the very fact that this principle exists is tantamount to a prediction that there will be believers that think they are truly seeking the truth, but in actuality they have placed their idolatrous doctrines in their hearts, and are going before the
LORD to ask him to validate the "idol" that is their false interpretation.
In the passage in
Ezekiel, the Lord also refers to "the stumblingblock of their iniquity" as another obstacle to receiving the truth when seeking God. The text indicates that when the believer "putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face" when he seeks the Lord on a matter, this too will cause the Lord to "set my face against that man...." (Ezekiel 14:8).
This aspect of the prophecy informs us that our iniquity produces a "stumblingblock." Although we see variations on the term with the Scriptures sometimes calling it a "stumblingstone," the idiom is not used much in the modern English vernacular. It might be useful to state that if we think of walking forward and tripping over a large stone that we
did not see, we have a valid picture of what is being said. For example, I live out in the country where it is completely pitch black at night. If I am walking around in total darkness and can't see a significant stone in my path, I'm likely to fall over it and be injured.
A
stumblingblock is not intrinsically evil as the Scriptures state that Christ was to "the Jews a stumblingblock, and a rock of offense...." (I Corinthians 1:23) What we see in this amazing prophecy from
Ezekiel is that it is our
sin that keeps us from seeing things that we need to see. To put it another way, our iniquity is directly proportional to our spiritual blindness, and God will not just override that sin and force us to hear his truth. In order to get past this vulnerable condition, we must consistently demonstrate our willingness to receive the truth - in short, we must LOVE the TRUTH.
JESUS CHRIST told us that HE
is the truth - "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6) If we genuinely love the truth, then we
will find it. Indeed, the very fact that there exists a multiplicity of "Christian traditions" is an indicator that something is dreadfully wrong. Thus, the idea that 'we can agree to disagree' is completely unscriptural on any matter concerning the faith.
There is only one truth, and everything else is a lie.
This is an extraordinary perspective and it cuts like the proverbial two-edged sword. The idea of
stumblingblocks is essentially synonymous with the New Testament concept of
Strongholds. This is another way of describing a stumblingblock. A "Stronghold" is a place where someone or something may be defended. This term is commonly used as a military concept in the context of
warfare - and the Bible frequently speaks of the war that is continuously occurring in the realm of the Spirit. In I Corinthians, we see,
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strongholds, Casting down imaginations, and every high thing [read idol] that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ...." (II Corinthians 10:3-5)
What this verse is so eloquently teaching us is that
we are the ones that pull down the "Strongholds." We are the ones that seek out the "Stumblingblocks" in order achieve the victory in Christ. And we do these things, not in
our power, but "through God" as we become "sanctified through the truth" (John 17:19). To be sanctified means to be set apart for glory, but for those that are not sanctified of God, "...the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness...." (Romans 1:18)
To put this into perspective, whenever we fail to fully embrace the truth, we allow the Devil to establish a Spiritual Stronghold that enters into our lives - and this is something that can eventually destroy us. When we refuse to see the
truth that God wants us to see, that
Stronghold becomes a
Stumblingblock that causes us to stumble and fall further and further away from the will of the
LORD. As this process continues, we are
not abiding in the truth, and we then become subject to the wrath of God which is directed to all that "hold the truth in unrighteousness." (Romans 1:18). Essentially, when we
say that we love him, and do
not love the truth, we have become
liars because he IS the truth.
Through Ezekiel, God says that he has allowed this situation to progress because "they are
all estranged from me through their idols" (Ezekiel 14:5). God desires our fellowship - a fellowship that is true and unfeigned - not simply words, but deeds. God will hold all accountable, and the only way to ensure that we know him is to be found in Him -
in righteousness and in truth. "If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? For the time is come that the judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God?" (I Peter 4:18,17)
I pray that this has answered your question. Thanks for your reply.
-- Brother James