How Can So Many Be So Right and STILL Be Wrong?

How can so many be so right and still be so wrong?  That question comes to my mind all the time.  I read some great posts by christians about observing the Sabbath or the coming of the Lord.  Posts filled with truth and backed up with Scripture.  Then I see horoscopes or pictures of half naked people or worse yet, the Word of God taken completely out of context in the next post.  That is why I ask, how can so many be so right and still be so wrong?  I already know the answer to that but it saddens me because the church, God's church, God's people are so easily blinded, so easily led astray.  I'm no exception, my only saving grace is God, again, MY ONLY SAVING GRACE IS GOD.   There is an old saying, "there but for the grace of God go I".  If it were not for the convicting Holy Spirit, for putting on God's armor every day, I don't know what I would be doing, (and I might add I don't want to know!).  Thank you God for never leaving me.  There was a time when I "thought" I was right but I was so wrong.  And please don't get me wrong, I am NOT saying now that I'm always right.  The difference is now I know how fallible I am, now I know that I can be right, but I can be so wrong too.

There was a time I followed man's doctrines and believed man's word over the Word of God.
Why would I do that you might ask:
1)  Because I did not read the Word of God myself.
2)  Because I did not have a deep personal relationship with God.
3)  Because I was unwilling to let go of my beliefs and man-made traditions and let God teach me.
4)  Because I was scared I would have to give up some of the things I enjoyed.
5)  Because it was "easier" to listen to a preacher and believe him, than to study and read the Bible for myself
Wow, that #4 because sounded just like my excuses many many years ago for not giving my life totally back to the Lord.  Because I was afraid I would have to give up some things I enjoyed.  That's a subject for another post but let's just say, I didn't give up anything because I HAD to, it all went willingly.

Back to how can you be right and still be wrong.  The Bible says to "be diligent to show thyself approved".  (2 Timothy 2:15) NASB.  Meriam Webster defines diligent as characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort : painstaking diligent
 worker>.  Steady, earnest, energetic, painstaking?This means God wants us to stay in His Word, to study it, to grow with HIM, not with the world.  We won't get it completely right until the day HE changes our bodies from mortal to immortal, but we can work diligently to spread the TRUTH of HIS Word.  

Here are some things to get you started to search out for yourself.  But before you do, IF you do, I ask you to pray sincerely for God to show you the truth, EVEN if it goes against everything you have been told and taught.  Ask God to open your eyes and ears of understanding.  Be receptive to letting the Holy Spirit teach you.
Ready:  Here goes, God's laws, the 10 Commandments, the 4th Commandment, rapture, holidays, (in particular, Christmas and Easter, trinity, King James Bible, Sunday observance, God's true church.  That's just a few of the things I can think of that I had to relearn.  Now in teaching me the truth about these things, God took me other places ALONG with His Word (the Bible).  The first thing I can remember God showing me was about the rapture.  The word rapture isn't in the Bible!  When you look up how the rapture "theory" came to be, you find out it was an idea started by man!!  You will find a great many "arguments" pro and con but praying and opening yourself up to God will show you the truth.  Arguing fact is one thing, proving and backing up with fact, that's how you get to the truth.  Always back those facts up with Scripture.  The Bible, contrary to what some "say" does NOT contradict itself.  It proves itself, time and time again.
How can so many be right and still be wrong?  By following the world instead of the Word.
God bless you as you study for the truth.

Choices - Which Way Do I Go

We all make hundreds maybe thousands of choices everyday beginning from the time we wake up in the morning until we fall asleep at night. Many are made without much conscious thought, like swinging our legs off the bed after we have decided to get up. The first choice we make in the morning: Do we get up or do we lay in bed and sleep a while longer?

Before we make that choice though, we should take a moment to thank God for (to quote my husband), "the precious breath of life", and we should choose WHOM we are going to serve that day. Before we get up every morning we should make a conscious choice- today I will serve God. Ask Him to help You serve Him this day and deliver you from temptation and the snares of the devil. You will be pleasantly surprised at how it will change your whole perspective for the day. (I didn't say it would change circumstances, I said it would change your perspective).

Let's discuss some other choices. We don't want to do wrong and we don't want to cause others to do wrong, so how can we make these choices?

If we choose one course of action:

1) Does it help our witness for Christ? (1 Corinthians 9:19-22)

2) Are we motivated by a desire to help others know Christ? (1 Corinthians 9:23, 10:33)

3) Does it help us do our best? (1 Corinthians 9:25)

4) Does the choice go against a specific command in scripture and result in causing us to sin?

(1 Corinthians 10:12)

5) Is it the best, most beneficial choice? (1 Corinthians 10:23, 33)

6) Are we thinking only of ourselves or do we truly care about other people? (1 Corinthians 10:24)

7) Are we acting lovingly or selfishly? (1 Corinthians 28:31)

8) Does it glorify God? (1 Corinthians 10:31)

9) Will it cause someone else to sin? (1 Corinthians 10:32)

10) Have we truly prayed - "Lord lead us not into temptation but deliver us from (all) evil (and all appearance of evil)? (parenthesis and italics mine)

Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

God gives us all free will, however, he also gave us an instruction manual to live righteously and gloriously through Him. The first choice is to accept it, to read it, to follow it, to live it. It is just as relavent today as it was when it was being written. I hear a lot of people say, "this is 2010, it doesn't apply now". That's so far from the truth, every precept in the Bible can be applied to our lives today. As Jesus said on the mount, "nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou will".

I leave you with these scriptures and pray God blesses you and and gives you integrity and wisdom in your choices today.

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

I'm far from perfect and I make bad choices everyday, sometimes I have to ask God to forgive me but the one choice I have made is to follow Him.

His servant-tawanab

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.