Deception

Deception

synonyms - deception, fraud, double-dealing,

subterfuge, trickery

deceive - implies imposing a false idea or belief

that causes ignorance, bewilderment,

or helplessness

beguile - stresses the use of charm and persuasion

in deceiving

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Once again, for the bazillionith time, I was dropped into the Book of James. Each time God leads me to this book, I know discipline is around the corner. But today, I was presented a different view of the anointed words of James. Actually I was surprised, because my usual response to HAVING to read James included the dragging of feet and the long face. I would usually say to God, "I know, I know...I don't have to read this again because I already know what you are trying to tell me". But this time...well let me just begin.

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James 1: 22-27

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion [is] vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world."

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Adam and Eve lived in a perfect situation. God was their friend and walked with them in the evenings. He provided for everything they had need of. He instructed them as to how to stay in relationship with Him. He gave them a tree of life in the center of the garden of which they could freely eat.

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Yet something happened when Eve allowed herself to be deceived by the enemy. She forgot who she was and who God was. This is what James is talking about in the verses above.

Eve listened to the Word of the Lord which was to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God's overwhelming word to both of them was to eat of the tree of life and of any other tree in the garden, thus showing his generosity and abundance towards this first couple.

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The Bible says Eve was deceived or beguiled because she forgot her relationship with and obedience to God was numero uno. She looked into the mirror, turned away and forgot what she'd seen...a being made in the likeness of God by God. She was a listener of the Word, but not a doer.

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The end result for both of them was a loss of freedom. James says that whoever looks in the mirror (looks intently) and sees the likeness of Christ...or rather Christ inside, is free...the law of liberty. This person is blessed. Christ bought us our liberty. Eve lost her liberty. Adam became a slave of the field. It all started with deception.

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Paul said in Ephesians 5:6 to not allow anyone to deceive us with "vain" words. Deception is easy when we are not willing to obey God's words. James says that if anyone acts as though they are God fearing, but does not restrain their words, they cheat, beguile or deceive their own heart...this person's religion (external religious ceremonies) is devoid of force, truth, success, and results. A deception of thinking they look good on the outside but in reality are void on the inside and fruitless.

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But those who have "religion" on the inside will reach out and help. They will keep from being deceived by their obedience to God's Word.

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If we as women want to have the liberty Christ has already purchased for us operating in our lives, then we must be not only hearers...but doers. We must look into the mirror of His Presence and see ourselves for who we really are...in His image. Then we must not forget when we get up each morning what we saw in that mirror. How do we not forget? By continuing in His Word and doing what He tells us to do.

Post on A Near Death Experience

http://onestepupfromstupid.blogspot.com/2007/10/near-death-experience.html

Thank You

Thank you Red Carpet Restaurant for hosting the Bible Study for these many months. I pray that your house will be a house of prayer for all people. I pray that God will richly bless your business today and every day and that He will open up the RED CARPET for you as you have opened up the red carpet for others.

Rejoicing in Riches?

Being rich solves a lot of problems...perhaps the basics of life like food, clothing, shelter, jobs and education. What riches can't solve or ultimately cure...is the heart, the spirit, the soul and ultimately the body.

Riches can be lost in a twinkling of an eye.

I am like most...being rich sounds a lot better than living in poverty, and by no means do I pray for poverty. The places God wants us to go in life often require money. Drilling water wells in a country void of clean water requires money. Building a school for the elderly requires money. The list is endless.

But here is a verse which will tingle your spirit and shake your brain. It was written by the Psalmist David...

"I rejoice in following your statues as one rejoices in great riches."

I guess the question here is, do we have the same kind of excitement about following God as we have when Aunt Wildimere wills us her millions?

This is a stinger I know, but when I read this verse in Psalm 119, I realized I wasn't where I needed to be...you know what I mean?

"Father, I love you. I want my ways to be your ways. I want to rejoice in following you more than all the riches in the world. I remember the words to a song we sometimes sing...Lord you are more precious than diamonds...more costly than gold. Your ways are life to me and I delight in following you because only in you can I have joy and fulfillment...I love you."

Can we have both? I think so, but remember one might help you through life, but only One will give you life.

Get A Plan

Get A Plan

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When your plan is all about you, then you don't have a plan, you have unrealistic, pie-in-the-sky, fairy tale thinking.

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When Al and I first married I was working two jobs. I was working a full-time job from 8-5, Monday through Friday, and I was working a Saturday job all day at an outdoors (hunting, fishing, etc) business. As a single person, I didn't think much about working extra hours because it helped get the bills paid...but as a married person, I expected to be cared for by my husband.

However, we came into the marriage...both of us...with debt. So, that meant both of us needed to work. I was okay with that because I knew we had to get the debt paid off, but I secretly wanted to be home when we started having children...and I wanted Al to care for me.

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Thus entered Cinderella in her tiara and flowing white dress, escorted by Prince Charming...handsome...a prince (of course) and quite able to take care of the delicate princess. Aaah...(buzzer sound)...not real.

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My Plan was for Al to take care of me!

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As the years progressed and we started having children, I was able to come home. I engulfed myself in church work and raising a family, but each time trouble came into our family, that feeling of wanting Al to take care of me surfaced...and each time it surfaced, it became stronger and stronger until one day.

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Then one day, we were going through some distress and the Lord cornered me and asked me what I was doing. What was I doing? I was distressed because Al wasn't meeting all my expectations...we had trouble knocking at the door of our finances. That's when God got a hold of my thinking and reminded me it is not all about me.

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You see, when we married it ceased to me about me, but somehow I didn't get the wire...it became about us.

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Two Become one Flesh

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Two become one flesh is the way scripture calls this union. Yet many years have passed and it was just within the last year I started realizing just what this was about. It is not about either of us but about God. When I had stupidly wanted Al to be my all in all...my provider, I missed out on a principle which would have freed me in my thinking had I bothered to ask the One who created me just a bit more. Here is how God said it to a wayward nation in the book of Hoses 11.

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"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms, but they did not realized it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness with ties of love. I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them?"

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Israel had forgotten who their Father was...it was God. Israel had forgotten who it was who gave them their grain and wine...it was God.

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At this revelation, it became clear that I was to make God my provider. I was to make God the one who could fulfill me...not Al. When I released Al from this heavy burden...along with myself from this unrealistic expectation, I fell head long into the arms of a great God. I got a plan. The plan included all three of us...Our God, and the two of us humanoids!

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It isn't about me (although there are some days I want it that way!), but it is about my God who is more than able to direct our paths, to redeem our lives from the pit, to give us his steadfast love and tender mercies and to fill our lives with good things so that our youth is renewed like the eagles.

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So, the plan? It begins with understanding this principle of God first. When HE puts a plan together in your life, it begins with Him...includes you...and funnels His love and ministry to others. We are simple conduits...the connection between God and others and it is His responsibility to provide for all that needs to be funneled to others. He will direct our paths.

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Whether married or single, it is still God first. He will direct our paths if we get our thinking right. He holds a plan in His hand, ready to unfold each detail as He sees fit. His plan always satisfies. "Come unto me all you who are thirsty and need rest" because He is the ONLY way we will be satisfied in life.

What Does Jesus Think About Women?-Sept. 4

Over the last several months, we have been talking about God's design for women. In our September 4th study we talked about Jesus' response to women. Jesus himself said that He only did what He saw the Father doing. He only said what He heard the Father say. So, we can safely assume that if we look at Jesus' response to the women whose lives He touched, we can know what God thinks about us.

1. The Desperate Woman who needed healing (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8: 43-48) A Woman of Faith

This woman had spent all of her money seeking cures to her "issue of blood". She was not supposed to even be out in public the day she grabbed the hem of Jesus' garment and received her healing. Yet Jesus said she was a woman of faith. He was not appaled, offended or judgmental.

2. Simon the Pharisee's party crasher (Matthew 26:7-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:37-50) Honored by All

Simon the Pharisee was entertaining Jesus as well as other guests when a woman with a "reputation" crashed the party uninvited. Jesus' "ability" to discern came into question by Simon as he thought to himself, "He should know what kind of woman she is!". This woman cried tears of repentance and washed His feet and anointed him with expensive oil. While others at the party were judging her, Jesus honored her when others did not. She gave him honor and praise and in return He declared to all those present that his woman's story would be told everywhere the Gospel was preached...she would be famous for her act of love. He forgave her and honored her.

3. The (Dog Woman) Greek Woman of Canaan (Matthew 15:22-28, Mark 7:25-30) Persistence in Belief

How could Jesus call this woman a dog? Well, a closer look at the wording of this story reveals that Jesus never did call her a dog, He simply asked her a question as was his custom. Now you have to remember that every time Jesus touched a life, he taught as well. This woman was not Jewish and as many thought, she did not qualify to receive healing for her demon controlled daughter. That was a blessing reserved for "God's people". This woman willingly admitted that she had no right to this healing. Because of her response...because she had spoken well, Jesus said she would have what she desired. He called her a woman of GREAT faith. All there were shown that the Gift of God was for everyone whether Jew or Greek and that faith was not reserved for any group of people.

4. The Bent Woman (Luke 13:11-17) Considered Important

This little lady was bent over. It was Sabbath and Jesus reached out and made her whole. This caused a ruckus as He told the woman she was loosed from her infirmity. The synagogue ruler was upset and chastised Jesus for working on the Sabbath. Jesus' response was that they had no problem "loosing" their animals on the Sabbath and leading them to water, so why shouldn't this DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM be loosed from her infirmity. Notice, he called her a Daughter of Abraham. Not a sick infirmed woman, but a Daughter of Abraham...the father of faith! Jesus' considered her important!

5. The WELL Married Samaritan Woman (John 4:7-42) Receive the Gift of Life

This is a much loved story of the woman who happened to be born a Samaritan. She was half Jew. There was no love by the Jews for this group of people. A brief study of the issues between these two groups will bring you to an understanding of the conversation between Jesus and this woman, but I'll leave that study to you. Jesus told her everything she had done. She accepted Him as the Christ and began witnessing to all around her. She gathered a crowd for Jesus and after hearing his words, they believed. She was a witness. She, a Samaritan received what many had rejected. She received life. He gave His life for all!

6. The Naked Adulterous Woman (John 8:3-11) Forgiven

This story always creates this question in my mind. Where was the guy who was having sex with this woman? According to the law he was to be brought out and stoned as well! Apparently, some of the law was overlooked in order to trap Jesus at the expense of this woman. As they questioned Jesus as to what was to be done, He simply made a statement. For those who were without sin would have the "honor" of throwing the first stone. Here she was...about to be stoned to death, but her accusers simply turned and walked away because they realized "all have sinned". If one...just one had thrown a stone based on His statement, they would have been admitting they were sinless and that would have brought them under judgement. He forgave her. An even greater a statement He made was that He did not ACCUSE her. It was as if it had never happened.

7. Mary the Message Bearer (John 20:11-18) A Messenger of God

She was the first one to see the resurrected Christ. What an honor. He gave her the task to take the good new FIRST to the others that Jesus was alive. He told her He was going to His Father and Her Father...to His God and Her God. He identified with her as a brother. Once again, what an honor. She was seeking after Him and He honored her.

I know there are other women in the Gospels mentioned, but as you read, you will find that in every case, Jesus loved women. The good ones and the "bad" ones. He saw beyond their failures and offered them everything He offered to the men around him...life. Jesus' love was for all, both man and woman!