Nougat 5

Wanna hear something else about the End Time? Consider today’s Holy Nougat

“The Spirit clearly says that in latter times some people will turn away from the faith … They will be controlled by the pretense of lying, and their own consciences will be seared.” ‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬a,2‬ ‭CEB‬‬

Who’s in control?

Siblings, we live in a world where we are encouraged to be ‘masters of our destiny’, without care for the opinions of others. And while I agree that sometimes we must break free from repressive systems and structures, we must also guard against the other extreme, neglecting community and fellowship with others.

Of course, there is the matter of influence. Not every single person with whom we interact is a positive addition to our lives. And yes, there is goodness in every person. Nevertheless we recognize that not everyone in our lives adds positive value. Even Paul and Barnabas had to part ways because their views on the faith differed strongly. Yet, Silas and Paul accomplished so much together on their various missionary journeys. And Mark, the one who’d been the bone of contention between Paul and Barnabas, became the celebrated writer of one Gospel.

It’s true, some of these differences are straightforward, related to our values or even our personality, but it can be more insidious. We are sometimes led to danger by persons who claim to be anointed by God. Immediately ‘false prophets’ like Jim Jones in Guyana comes to memory, and there are many others. Some are extremely sinister and must have been overtly involved in the occult to have gained such a following; others used their charisma.

What we do know is such leaders are reminders that we are approaching the latter days. Of course, we recognize that inasmuch as we are led astray by such individuals, they themselves have been lured from faith in Jesus Christ (assuming that they were genuine believers initially). Our Nougat suggests that this is linked to the pretense of lying and seared consciences.

As a former parish pastor, I assure you that it is easy to be lured into bad leadership patterns resulting from the trust others place in us. I can only imagine how much worse the temptation becomes when the congregation’s monies are placed directly in our trust. We are all familiar with ‘Prosperity Gospel’, where those who promote it prey on people’s desire for the manifestation of the supernatural. And, in the wake of #MeToo there’s also #ChurchToo.

Siblings, youth today talk about being ‘woke’, usually in relation to injustice and other issues. As believers, we also need to be ‘woke’ to tricks used by the enemy of our souls. Remember, the enemy’s aim is kill, steal, and destroy – using any and every means against us. As we move more towards the latter days, we counter the enemy’s plans by securing our hearts and minds in Christ; then under the Spirit’s anointing, we share the good news of salvation with others.

We’re woke now – let’s go save others.

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May all we seek be found in Christ