John 1:17 (Amplified) tells us, "For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
Law was never God's will, but was rather a stepping stone used to turn mankind back to Grace and Truth. While the blood of bulls and goats could never restore mankind to Spiritual Life and righteousness, they would cover sin until Jesus was born into the world. Grace and Truth were always the will of the Father. When God created mankind at the beginning, His relationship with man was based on Grace and Truth. John 9:31-32 (Amplified) says, "So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him; If you abide in My Word, hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them, you are truly My disciples And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free."
We often hear people quoting, "The Truth will make you free." This is certainly true, but are we always hearing "the Truth?" Many of the things we hear and have been taught, are not "the Truth," but are man's ideas of the Truth, as he sees it. Many of God's children are still in bondage to many things and accept these things as being, "God's will for His family." THIS IS NOT THE TRUTH that sets you free! We haven't distinguished between fact and Truth. It's a fact that Jesus died, the Truth is that He is not dead. Truth is greater than fact, when it's God's Word. It might be a fact that you are sick, but the Truth is that "By His stripes you are healed."
It's a fact that certain things God intended for His family aren't working in all our lives, but the Truth is that it's meant for all of us. Religion says that "Healing is not meant for everyone." Religion has watered down the Name of Jesus, to where it's being used like any other name. It's a fact that we use and sing about His Name, but the Truth is, we see very little results for doing so. This is a matter of our fellow shipping more with people who don't know the Truth, than we do with the Holy Spirit.
I can fellowship with other Christians who don't believe like I do, but there comes a place where I have to separate Truth from religion. I can listen to their reasons why the Word isn't working, but this isn't the Truth that sets me free. This might give me an excuse for accepting less than God's will for my life, but this isn't Truth. Proverbs 3:7-8 (Amplified) says, "Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn entirely away from evil. It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones." In Proverbs 4:20-27 (Amplified) God says, "My son, attend to My Words; consent and submit to My sayings. Let them not depart from your sigh; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are Life to those who find them; healing and health to all their flesh. Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of Life. Put away from you false and dishonest speech and willful and contrary talk put far from you. Let your eyes look right on, with fixed purpose and let your gaze be straight before you. Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered right. Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your foot from evil."
God tells us to, "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of Life." Jesus gives the Parable of the Sower, in Mark 4:14-15 (Amplified) saying, "The sower sows the Word, the ones along the path are those who have the Word sown in their hearts, but when they hear, satan comes at once and by force takes away the Message which is sown in them." Many have heard the Word and had it sown in their hearts, but they didn't guard it like they should and satan came, forcefully took away the Message they heard.
It seems like every time we change from one church to another, we hear a different gospel or word. It might all be from the Bible, but they might not be from the Teacher, Who is the Holy Spirit. All the ministers I know, use the same Bible, but they're not all speaking the same Message. One preaches that, "God uses sickness to teach us" or "God is testing you." Others say that, "The Gifts of the Spirit aren't for everyone." They all use the Bible, but they're not using Truth.
Paul told Timothy that "The Word is Truth," in 2Timothy 2:15-18 (Amplified) which says, "Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved tested by trial, a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing (rightly handling) and skillfully teaching the Word of Truth." When Paul speaks about "being approved and tested by trial," he's talking about satan's coming by force to take away the Message of Truth and not about God's testing you. He goes on in Verse 16, "But avoid all empty (vain, useless, idle talk), for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness. And their teaching will devour (it will eat away like cancer or spread like gangrene), so it is with Hymeneus and Philetus who have missed the mark and swerved from the Truth by arguing that the resurrection has already taken place. They are undermining the faith of some."
I'm convinced that most ministers are preaching what they believe to be Truth. One preacher preaches one thing, while another preaches something entirely different and both claim it's from the same Word of God. God's Word doesn't contradict itself. Some preach from what they've been taught or heard, while others preach from their individual study of the Word. There are preachers who only preach what they've heard from someone else and have accepted as Truth. These preachers are good Christians and aren't deliberately trying to go against the Truth, but they're standing for what they believe is Truth.
Jesus said in John 8:31-32 (Amplified) that, "If we would abide in Him, then His Word would abide in us and we would know the Truth, and the Truth would set us free." Many have come under the bondage of religious thinking and teaching, believing it was Truth. We hear this in the words they speak and the way they approach the Father. We even hear unbelief and contrary lyrics in some of the Christian music. One might say that I'm splitting hairs. No! I'm calling our attention once again to seeking for ourselves. I'm not telling you to deny the teaching of your church, but to rightly divide it for yourself. Don't allow some of the things you're hearing to get into your heart.
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