Anyone else wondering ...

So is anyone else wondering what's going on here: Fox News gets rid of Tucker Carlson while CNN hosts Trump Town Hall?  What are the powers-that-be trying to do here?

No good comes from ...

No good comes from saying what shouldn't be said or not saying what should be said.

And the hardest part may be knowing the difference.

Life is ...

Life is the slow, steady journey of turning from this:

into this:

[My kids are watching Parks and Recreation right now, and this popped into my mind.  Couldn't help it.]

A Warning about Prophetic Messages and Speaking in Tongues

(For the rest of the Spiritual Warfare series, click here to go to my other blog.)

There are a couple videos I recently linked to of someone sharing the spiritual warfare they've gone through.  It was good advice and on-track biblically.  But since then, she's done videos more along the lines of "prophetic messages," sharing dreams she's had and what she thinks God is saying through them to the people watching her videos, including the prophecy that God is going to bring someone an unexpected business opportunity.  This makes me leery, and it makes me want to share a quick warning about those kinds of "prophetic" messages.  

I don't want to quench the Spirit or limit His work, or anything like that.  And I don't know exactly what this specific woman is experiencing (so I'm not writing this specifically about her, but about things like this).  And I don't know exactly how the Spirit works nowadays through spiritual "gifts."  So this is just my opinion, a word of caution.  (There's a note about the "gift" of speaking in tongues, which has nothing to do with this woman's messages, near the end of this post.)  

I think "prophetic messages" are something we should be discerning about, especially as the New Age and the occult has seeped into churches more and more over the years.  When do things cease to be strictly biblical and start to blend into New Age or the occult, especially when it comes to supernatural things?

Spiritual Warfare: Stay on the Path (Eph. 6:11)

Do you remember the scene in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug when the dwarves are about to enter Mirkwood?  Mirkwood is full of dangers, distractions, and deceptions that will try to confuse them and get them off-track, lost.  And so before Gandalf leaves to attend matters elsewhere, he instructs them about how to get through the evil forest successfully.  He tells them what they need to know about the dangers they'll face and the path they should take, and then he warns them, "Stay on the path."  But while in the forest, it's up to them to do it, to be on-guard and wise, to remember and follow what Gandalf said instead of trusting themselves.  

Well, life is our Mirkwood, full of spiritual dangers, distractions, and deceptions that try to get us off-track in life, away from God's best.  But God has created a way through, a path that He wants us to walk for the best life (and eternity) possible.  

But where is this path?  How do we stay on it and avoid the dangers?

Psalm 119:9-11: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.  I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Spiritual Warfare Sermons by Tony Evans

Here are links to some great sermons about the spiritual world and the spiritual battle.  

Some basics

The Nature of the Battle part 1 (audio, 25 minutes long)

The Nature of the Battle, part 2 (audio, 25 min.)

The War Revealed and Strongholds Defined (video, 29 min.)

Finding victory over Satan's tricks and traps  (video, 44 min.)

How the enemy tries to distract you from God's plan (video, 50 min.)

Some Interesting Articles

I stumbled across these interesting articles today.  Passing them on to you for your reading pleasure:

"'I am so sorry': Naomi Wolf apologizes to conservatives for believing mainstream Jan. 6 narrative"

"Secret Pfizer & Government documents reveal COVID Vaccination has caused Antibody-Dependent Enhancement, V-AED, and AIDS resulting in millions 'dying suddenly'" 

The looming reckoning for COVID tyrants

A fun, catchy, new song: Trump Won (but I don't foresee him winning in 2024)

 

[Four sources for more world news headlines like the above: 

Tracking the Birth Pangs - News and Links (trackingbibleprophecy.org)

Rapture Ready News - End Times News Stories and Headlines

Natural Health News and Scientific Discoveries - Natural News.com]

Spiritual Warfare: Be Strong in the Lord (Eph. 6:10)

I remember one dream I had during those five months of demonic harassment (see this post) that really stuck out to me.  (I actually think it was more of a vision than a dream).  I was “dreaming” that I was sleeping in bed just like I was actually lying there sleeping in real life, and there was a demon in the room, hovering about a foot over me in a cloud of black smoke as I slept.  (Honestly, it felt as if my spirit was watching my body sleep and could see the demon hovering over me.)  

Still fits in 2023:

(Can I get an "Amen"?)

"Spiritual Warfare" series: My Story

I'm gonna do a series on Spiritual Warfare, reposting some relevant older posts, adding new things, and sharing some good resources.  The world is growing dark and the spiritual battle is getting serious, making it a good time for a series like this.  (I figured since I'm posting it on my other blog, why not post it here too.)

You don't think that the world is getting dark, that the spiritual battle is ramping up?  Here are some articles I found just this week: