“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 fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” Ephesians 4:13-14.

We see, hear and claim to believe this Scripture without ever realizing it is not the Scripture we believe but the winds of doctrine coming down the pipe.  It is like a wave sweeping through keeping all the busy bodies busy, the spirituals spiritual and the enthusiastic enthused.  The false teachers lie in wait for both the new converts and the old converts who remain as children.  The counterfeit Truth has all the “qualities” the flesh desires but is only detected by those who have experienced the Truth.

The unity of the faith is not compromising nor condoning every wind of doctrine.  I have had some get upset with me because we both believe in Jesus Christ and Him crucified for Salvation but we did not agree on Jesus Christ and Him crucified for sanctification…or spiritual growth.  Their idea of being “no more children” was learning the schemes of man instead of the Gospel of Jesus.  We have to do “our” part.  The false teachers snatched the “children”, tossed them to and fro by twisting the Scripture and the vail was no longer removed from their eyes.  They began worshipping the creation more than the Creator.  Someone patted them on the back and told them their sin nature having victory over their life was okay and their conscience became seared.  Other false teachers called the demon by name, performed a deliverance session, gave explicit instructions on how to overcome their sin nature (that “demon”) and sent them on their merry way.  Just to be sure, of course there are demons and they can oppress a Christian but they cannot possess a Christian and when those “deliverance ministers” are casting out those demons, they are in fact trying to take authority over the sin nature.  There is only ONE way we have power, victory and dominion over our sin nature and that is through FAITH in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.  The Holy Spirit can only isolate our sin nature when our faith is placed in Jesus, not our own self efforts.  Do we have authority over demon spirits? Absolutely!  However, to maintain that authority we must maintain our faith in Jesus…not in some ritual, ceremony, 12 steps, 40 days, 21 days or whatever wind of doctrine is coming down the pipe.

There is freedom and liberty in coming to the realization that we can’t but He can and He will.  Jesus has already given us the victory over our sin nature, we just have to maintain it by maintaining our faith in Him and not schemes of man.  I see people in bondage everyday.  I spoke with a sweet girl just this weekend who was 51 days sober.  Her story touched my heart because I know there are so many others with similar stories.  I also know there are false teachers lying in wait for her.  So many never receive their deliverance  because deliverance (Jesus-Who He is and what He has done for them) is not preached but “imitated” by man.  Many would rather receive the glory than allow God to receive the glory.  Oh yes, they may give lip service to Jesus but they won’t step out of the way and allow Jesus to reveal Himself and the new convert or the “old” convert who remains ignorant to the Gospel of Jesus, doesn’t recognize the difference.  Don’t get offended that I used the term “ignorant”.  There are those who are aware but do not seek God’s Truths because it may interfere with their religion or sin of choice…those are the willfully ignorant and if that offends you, discern the offense.

“But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you.   My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:” John 10:26-27.  God knows the heart of each and every Believer.  He knows if we are truly seeking Him, His power and/or His promises.  Praise the Lord, He is patient and faithful with each of us.  The Lord will guide and direct our every step.  When a Brother and Sister in Christ fails, we pick them back up and turn them back to the faith in Jesus Christ.  Let us now define “fail”.  We know failure as falling off of the wagon, backsliding, lying, cheating, adultery – all of those tangible, physical sins that we can see.  As a “good” Christian, we are the first to pray for them, tell them of their sin, exhort them and do our best to keep them from the fire.  Their sin nature has regained dominion over them and they are on a slippery slope if their faith is not restored in what Jesus has done.  They do know God’s voice but satan is tempting them…that’s his job, that’s what he does; he is the counterfeit.

So tell me Brothers and Sisters in Christ, WHY do we not tell them when we see them falling into the clutches of the false teacher?  WHY is that sin not one we try to warn them of?  Those false teachers are NOT God’s anointed.  WHY is it okay to allow our Brothers and Sisters to be swept to and fro by false doctrine?  WHY do we condone this sin and condemn others?  Why? What if that young girl, 51 days sober was your child…would it be okay then?   – Donna Clark Warren