SEEKING PHYSICAL/SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES THAT GO A STEP BEYOND THE SCRIPTURES

 SEEKING PHYSICAL/SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES THAT GO A STEP BEYOND THE SCRIPTURES

Matthew 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

There is a move by the enemy of God to capture the hearts and minds of multitudes today. The method of action is cunning and very effective. This action serves to draw people away from what is true and real to a counterfeit that is destructive and deadly. For many who do not accept the counterfeit as being of God, they will yet be unwilling to receive what is real and true, believing the real and the counterfeit to either be one and the same or both of the same origin and thus neither of God.

The goal? Rejection of the Holy Spirit of God and acceptance of the spirit of Satan, anti-Christ and error.

There is now talk of opening gateways to heaven, seeing spirit orbs, etc. and an obsession for physical and emotional experiences – 'highs' – of all sorts.

People are being encouraged to get 'wacked' or 'messed up,” supposedly by the Holy Spirit, which is basically to be rendered “out of control.”

However the child of God is to purposely bring his thoughts and his body into subjection to Christ. He is not to allow himself to be in any spiritual/emotional state that would render him incapable of distinguishing between imagination and fact, truth and illusion.

2 Corinthians 10: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

1 Corinthians 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

1 Corinthians 14:32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

I come from a Pentecostal background myself, my father being a Pentecostal preacher. I have seen exuberant worship, in services where the Spirit of God touched lives. My father, however, warned against what he termed 'wild fire,' which often would show up to disrupt the true move of the Spirit of God.

Child of God, the old expression “on fire for the Lord,' was a reference to a zeal or passion for the Lord and the things of the Lord. There is nothing in scripture about a fire of the Holy Spirit that was passed from one human being to another, by calling out the word 'fire.'

We do not need extra-Biblical teachings to draw us closer to the Father. The way for intimacy with God was made at the cross!

Fire cleanses and purges. It is not an exciting physical/spiritual experience to give people thrills or render them out of control of their faculties!

Let me make a very clear distinction between responding to an event and seeking the response, or that is, in seeking the emotion rather than either the gift or the giver and in seeking signs of the reality of God rather than seeking God Himself.

When an individual receives a thoughtful, precious gift of love, he or she will most likely respond emotionally. When the one who loves him hands him the gift, there are a variety of responses that may be seen, depending on the receivers temperament, personality and what he is actually touched by the most. Whether or not he is more interested in the gift than the thought and purpose behind it or more interested in the love of the giver, may effect his response.

One person may jump for joy, another might put his hand over his mouth as tears roll down their cheek, while yet another person may embrace the giver and express his love as well as appreciation for the gift.

There is nothing wrong with any of these or possibly many other responses. But they are just that – RESPONSES! They are responses to having received something. These responses, of course, are not the gift nor the giver.

When God moves in a person's life, whether to cleanse them from sin, comfort and reassure him of His love or minister to him in some other way, he may well respond emotionally, both to the awareness of God's presence and love and to what He is doing in his life. There is nothing wrong in this, that I am aware of, if the response is within decency and order.

However a problem arises when people begin to seek emotional highs, rather than seeking God himself. When this occurs Satan is glad to supply any number of sensual thrills and amazing phenomenon, in order to fill this lust and capture minds and hearts.

This brings to mind the people who took a ship and went looking for Jesus, found Him on the other side of the sea and asked -

John 6:25 A... Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

But Jesus knew the thoughts and intentions of their hearts and had this to say to them -

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

Jesus knew that these people had not even come looking for him because they were so amazed and moved by the fact that He could perform such a wondrous miracle as feeding five thousand with a few loaves of bread and a few fishes! They had not sought Him out because the miracles He performed moved them to believe He was the Savior. No! They had only went looking for Him, because of how He had filled their bellies! Can you believe it?

And so it is today. People flock to churches, auditoriums and various gatherings, not because they have such a great desire to die to self and to sin, ashamed of the sinful lives they have lived and are aware of how they have hurt the heart of God. They do not come because they are deeply moved by the miracles He performs. They come because they want to experience some supernatural phenomenon that will give them thrills and fill their sensual bellies!

Consider Christs' response to those who sought Him out for the food that had filled their bellies.

John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Here Christ specified that the food these people sought was NOT the food that would endure to everlasting life. IT WOULD NOT! It only gave temporary satisfaction.

John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

The work of God, says God Himself, is to believe on Him (Jesus Christ) whom God has sent – not to believe in the fleshly satisfaction you can get for yourself to satisfy your own lust, your desire for sensual highs!

As a matter of fact, lust for things other than the Word of God will choke out the Word of God and my friend, Jesus IS the Word of God! The very lust for emotional highs can be choking out Jesus the living Word, from your life so that it has become unfruitful!

Mark 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Yes it is important to be filled with the Spirit of God. But what is it the Spirit of God does in the life of a truly born again child of God? Have you read in any place in scripture where it says that the Holy Ghost was sent to bless you emotionally and and give you a spiritual high, or to take you on exciting journeys through the spirit world, through supernatural gateways or to give you the power to tap into or control or command spirit beings?

You have not! There are no such scriptures!

What does the Word of God say?

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth!

Notice – HE SHALL NOT SPEAK of HIMSELF! He speaks what He hears from the Father!

He comes to guide the children of God into all truth.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you

He is the Comforter! It is He who comforts the child of God.

He brings to the remembrance of the child of God, the things that Jesus Himself has said. This is the Word of God, which is Jesus Christ!

Revelation 19:13 And he (Jesus) was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Holy Spirit did not come to magnify Himself, but to guide people into the truth that is Jesus Christ the living Word. He reminds them of the words of Jesus. He glorifies the Son of God!

Surely, for a mortal man to be filled with the Spirit of the living God and to feel His presence, it may be more than most can bear without an emotional response. Yet do we seek God for who He is or for a feeling?

Do we honor God in acknowledging who He is and allowing Him to do what He desires to do in our life? Or do we only seek fleshly thrills?

Will we allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in our lives and give thanks and praise to God for this and for His tender love that motivates Him to work on out behalf? Or will we seek to be, 'wacked' or 'messed up” as is the modern terms for being emotionally and physically out of control?

Anyone who will encourage people to pay more attention to the Holy Spirit and emotional feelings, that they identify with Him, than to the written Word of God, is a person to avoid and close your ears to! Why? Because the Holy Spirit works in unison with the Word of God, not separately from it! It is the work of the Holy Spirit to guide you into the truth that is contained in the scriptures and to remind you of what Jesus has said, as is written in scripture. This is what the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit will do!

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Corinthians 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

We are to be ministers of the New Testament, that has been made alive by the Holy Spirit. We are never to have one without the other. The letter alone, without the Spirit of God to reveal to us God's true meaning and heart, can be distorted and kill. But the Spirit gives it life.

There is no power in euphoria. It is like a drug that temporarily puts you in a state of forgetfulness, or at least distracts you from troubles and wounds that have not been healed. It gives excitement. It gives a temporary sense of elation, exhilaration, jubilation, or bliss, without this being a response to anything other than fleshly sensation. These pass easily, requiring another fix. They draw the individual to seek after greater highs and more supernatural phenomenon from which to gain excitement. But they do nothing to heal wounded souls. They do nothing to establish a man in the most holy faith of Jesus Christ. They do nothing to bring one into a greater knowledge of and relationship with God. They only deceive people into thinking that their sensual experience is their connection to God, while actually opening them to the Prince of the Power of the Air and his many illusions, even his demonic activity.

It is the Word of God, anointed by the Holy Spirit, that has the power to discern the thoughts and intents of a man's heart.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

One thing that Satan does not want to happen to any man, is for him to face the reality of his condition and his need before God. He does not want a man to see where he is falling short of the glory of God. For if he sees this, then he may turn and humble himself before God in repentance and find true healing and true peace that lasts even without all the hype and sensationalism!

Satan does not want the true Spirit of God to work in the lives of men, revealing to them the true Word of God, His heart and His will for their lives!

But notice that it is the Word of God that is -

Quick

Powerful

Sharper than any two edged sword

Piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,

A discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart

Notice it does not say that the Holy Spirit apart from the Word of God has this power! If you seek power of the Holy Spirit apart from the Word of God, it may not be the Spirit of God who comes along to satisfy your desire but the Spirit of the enemy of God, deceiving you with false senses of euphoria!

Satan will gladly give you a false sense of power and elation if that is what you desire. He has many spirits at his disposal with which to deceive the ignorant.

But the true power that comes from God Almighty is found in the person of Jesus Christ the Word, in unison with the Holy Spirit.

God is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are one and function in relationship, in unison, as a part of each other.

To search the Word without the Holy Spirit is to receive only a written word that can be distorted and kill. To seek the Holy Spirit without the Word of God is to open yourself to possible counterfeits and unholy, deceiving spirits.

The work of both Jesus and the holy Spirit is to restore us and keep us in fellowship with the Father.

What of Angels, Gateways into the heavenlies, Orbs, Drawing out anointings, Claiming ground, etc?

It is clear in scripture that the authority over angels belongs to God and not man!

Jesus made it known that -if- He chose to – pray to - His Father, God would have given Him more than twelve legions of angels.

Matthew 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

If Jesus, who was one with the Father, would have asked of the Father, why would any human being think he could take it on himself to 'command' angels?

The Word of God says that God shall give His angels charge over thee.

Psalms 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways

.

Luke 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:

WHO HAS CHARGE OVER WHO?

It does not say He will give man charge over the angels of God, but the exact opposite!

It is God who disperses angels according to His authority and His will!

Matthew 13:4 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

Matthew 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

They are HIS angels and He will give them their assignments – not man!

Beware of those who through words that sound intelligent and are alluring, atempt to entice you toward things that are not in agreement with the Word or heart of God. Things that distract from the still small voice of the Lord, who is come to influence your heart in the truth that is Jesus Christ, the living Word!

2 Peter 2:18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

Gateways or Openings into Heaven

People teaching the so-called blessings of such phenomenon as opening gateways into heaven may go back to Old Testament scriptures that refer to the heavens opening in Ezekial 1:1-

Ezekiel 1:1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

Or when God spoke to Malachi, concerning the children of Israel saying that if they obeyed Him, He would open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing -

Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

However it is important to establish the difference in the way God worked in the Old Testament and the way He works in the lives of born again believers in the New Testament era, which is today.

First and foremost it needs to be understood that the Holy Spirit had not been poured out before Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses and defeated sin, so that we could be cleansed from sin and purified, so that the Holy Spirit could dwell in us.

There were men in the Old Testament who were anointed by the Spirit, and moved on by the Holy Spirit at times. But as a whole, the people of that day did not have the opportunity to be filled with and indwelled by the Holy Spirit on a continuous basis.

This could only happen after Jesus died and rose again.

John 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Before Jesus took our sin on Himself, died, defeated that sin and rose again, mens' sins separated them from God. Because of this, His Spirit could not live in them.

Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Jesus gave us a new and better way with His defeat of sin. Therefore it is a mistake to think that we can find greater spiritual experiences by going back to the things that took place before the fullness of the Holy Spirit was given to us.

Concerning the Law of Moses it is said -

Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

God Himself found a fault Laws of the old covenant. That law could not remove our sin, purify our hearts and bring us into the fellowship with God that God wanted us to have.

But consider what Jesus had to say -

John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Hallelujah! Jesus gave the glorious good news, that He was going send the Holy Spirit who would fill us until out of our bellies would flow rivers of living water!

There is no need for us to open gateways into heaven, for God has sent us His own Spirit to live in us, here and now.

God has reached through the heavens and done a perfect work, so that now we can have Him living, communicating, influencing, comforting, empowering and guiding us at all times!

We have no need to seek beyond the cross for something else to make us more empowered, more spiritual, more anointed, than what Jesus has already provided!

John 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

Ephesians 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

What greater thing could we receive than the fulness of Christ and grace for grace?

All we could ever need is already found in Christ!

Grace is much more than the free gift of salvation, even though that in itself is of far more value than can fully be comprehended. Still it is this and even more.

Grace (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance) – charis; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstr. Or concr.; literal or figurative or spiritual: especially the divine influence upon the heart. And its reflection in the life....

Brother and sister, we should be more concerned with growing in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ - than in finding spiritual thrills!

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Grow in grace by learning to listen to and respond to the voice of the Lord, as He speaks to you through His Word and the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Seek to grow in submission to the King of Kings. Seek to live in that place where He is Lord and rules your life. A kingdom is a place where a king rules. If you seek to live in that place where Christ rules your life at all times, and to have His righteousness in you, then all that you need will be added to you!

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

To seek the power to open gateways into heaven is a selfish thing. Even when the heavens were opened in the Old Testament, it was not the result of any man asking this to be done or doing it himself. These were acts of God, according to His sovereign will.

Be very careful when anyone tempts you to take an authoritative position that belongs only to God!

Even in the New Testament when Jesus was baptized it was God who chose to open the heavens and show Jesus the the Spirit of God descending “like a dove.”

Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

Jesus told Nathaneal that he was going to see the heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. What an honor this must have been! But this was God's doing. It was His choice and for His own reason. Nathaneal did not ask for this. Nathaneal did not make this happen in any way!

John 1:51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

John the beloved, when exiled on the isle of Patmos, saw a door opened in heaven and heard a voice as it were a trumpet speaking. Brother and Sister, if God should choose to give you a dream or vision, and cause you to see a door opened in heaven, it would be for a specific purpose of God, because He wanted to reveal something to you and it would be something that could be authenticated in scripture. It would not be something of your own doing, for it is not up to you or I to dictate to God what He should do, nor do we know His plans.

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

ORBS

When God sent His angels to anyone in scripture, they appeared as men, never some unknown entity. They did not appear in some form that left the spectator wondering whether or not they were an illusion, whether or not they had actual substance, whether they were spirits or something else. They did not distract from the worship of God. They were not sent to be worshiped, sought after or glorified

Angels of God came on assignment from God and were seen as men or angels, nothing else.

Be careful not to mess with things the scriptures tell us nothing about.

Matthew 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men

When the children of Israel chose to worship a calf, in the wilderness, God turned and gave them up to what?

Acts 7:42 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven;....

Yes He gave them up to worship the host of heaven rather than Himself and it was displeasing in His sight!

Let us not be caught up into spiritual activities that are abominations to God. Worship belongs only to God and not to anything He has created, whether it be the things of heaven or earth, spiritual or material! Only God is to be worshiped and praised!

If you seek for angels, orbs or any other supernatural phenomenon, you may well be deceived and find yourself falling far short of the glory of God! Not only this, but involved in things that are blinding your eyes and closing your ears to the true things of God. You may end up serving God's enemy and living in total bondage!

2 Corinthians 11:1 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Taking Ground

Psalms 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Leave it alone! It is the Lords'!

1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Jesus came to save sinners. Follow His footsteps and it will be enough!

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

But, some will say, God gave man dominion of the earth! Such dominion was 'under' God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth!. Man was to till the earth and protect it. But the earth was and will always be the Lord's!

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

For who? Him! God!

1 Peter 4:11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 5:11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Time is short. Let the children of God have ears to hear what the Spirit of God says through His Word and eyes to see what He reveals through His Spirit as it gives life to the Word!

Avoid all sensationalism that magnifies spiritual encounters that have not been directed by God or authenticated in His Word.

Encounter Jesus through repentance and full surrender to the will and heart of God. The reading of His Word and the revelation of the Holy Spirit! And know joy unspeakable that is not dependent on repeated thrills and out of control physical/spiritual experiences that are not of God.

Do not allow lying spirits to lead you into things God has not ordained.

Seek Jesus and let the Holy Spirit reveal Him to you. Let the Holy Spirit fill you and you will be able to do the things God has called you to, by Jesus the living Word.

Proverbs 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

In ALL your ways acknowledge God – NOT seek to encounter angles - Not make connection to orbs – Not seek other men's anointings - Not seek emotional/spiritual highs – Not get 'wacked' so that you cannot control your bodily function!

ACKNOWLEDGE God and He will direct your paths!

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus

http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781627463959