As I said previously, “Dear Lord, I sure need your help here”! As I do in all things.

You may have some misgivings about what I have written thus far, but I am asking with genuineness of heart that you consider allowing the Lord to search your heart as you search the scripture. Ask yourself, is He speaking to you about the dangers of prosperity? Allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide.

With His help, as I approach the final part of this series, I believe we need to revisit the beginning, again, back in the Garden of Eden, to Adam’s disobedience and Eve’s being deceived. We will do this as we take a look at the “church” and where it is today.

The Church, the Body of Christ, all followers of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior across every tongue and every nation, His family, that’s who we are in Him. We gather in buildings that we call churches to worship, praise, pray, learn together, and equip us to go into the world to spread the Gospel of Jesus, adding to His Kingdom.

But some churches have been deceived into spreading a gospel other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By that, I mean they teach that there are other ways to the Father than Jesus. John 14:6 NKJV “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Some reject the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 Jesus gives the Great Commission and is very specific about the Trinity. “ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” NKJV. The Trinity is a core Christian belief! Some twist, delete, and water down the Holy Scriptures to meet their agenda. They do not teach the Truth out of fear of losing numbers of people and the revenue they bring. They allow “anyone and everyone” to be leaders in the church instead of following the requirements of Church leadership taught in the scriptures. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NKJV “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound doctrine, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” Has that time come?

Remember what the church I’m speaking of is: a place for individual followers of Jesus Christ to gather in corporate worship, praise, pray, learn together, and equip us to go into the world to spread the Gospel of Jesus, adding to His Kingdom. No wonder the enemy works so hard to deceive us, and our human flesh follows him in disobedience! Just like Adam and Eve!

And what about those of us who judge others’ sins while our hearts are just like the Pharisees?

Looking at the Church today could be condemning, but recognize that condemnation is from Satan himself, also! We must remember that God never condemns us. He lovingly corrects us as we have all gone astray. He is the Good Shepherd, and Jesus made the way back to Him. Just as the prodigal son in Dutch Sheets’ prayer for our nation…

“But also like the prodigal, we believe in Your mercy. We believe in the power of the blood of Jesus. We believe it cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness. And we believe in restoration. We believe that You are restoring America to You and to our calling. We place our faith in Christ’s blood and boldly declare, “America shall be – and is being – saved!”

As the Lord reveals my times of going astray in my sinful nature, and judging others, I thank Him for making the way for not only me, but all of us to come back to Him.  Hopefully, you have seen a glimpse of my confessions throughout my poems, narratives, and blogs. The Lord does not bring our sins to the Light for condemnation, only for correction for our “good” and His Glory.

I stand on the words I wrote in “Casting Stones” and the associated scripture. This is in “Blue Skies, Butterflies & Battlegrounds”. It begins on page 149 and ends on page 150. I hope you will read it in its entirety and the narrative, as well. This is our warning not to “cast stones” of judgment on others.

When regarding others, do you have a bit of smirk

And your critical eyes around corners still lurk?

Do you gossip, ridicule, and point the judgment finger

And when you’ve departed, your hurtful words still linger?

You might say no to any or all of this

But your view of yourself could honestly be amiss…

Only our Lord knows what  is in our hearts;

It is there where this evil in each of us starts.

He reveals things in my heart I did not know,

To show me the stone is not mine to throw!

We must not “blame” or “cast stones”. “Disobedience and blaming, what misery they bring”… “No stones will He cast; Only forgiveness He imparts”!

His healing balm, His Word, His Truth, His way back to our relationship with the Father, is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.

As we apply it through reading, studying, and obeying it, His Word does what He says it will do. We, as believers, our families, governments, schools, and our nation will function and serve their purpose as designed by God.

So, with my mixed emotions, I approached my keyboard. And piece by piece, He has given messages for the healing of the hearts of those of us who mourn over the direction our great nation has chosen. Have we forgotten those who fought so fiercely and sacrificially for our freedoms? Worse yet, have we forgotten the price our Lord paid with the sacrifice of His only Son? He made the Way back to the Father through Jesus Christ, the only way! He made the greatest sacrifice ever for all mankind. There was no other way!

I thank the Lord for helping us examine the dangers of prosperity because it helps clear our minds to understand how we have been deceived into believing that our way is the better way, and that somehow, God is withholding “good” from us. I, for one, move from the sadness, discouragement, and shamefulness of what we’ve done. With humility and confession, I receive the Lord’s forgiveness and walk in His Godly prosperity, not man’s prosperity.

As I will continue to profess, “His Way is always the Better Way!” And He certainly has “The Perfect Plan”, pages 104-105 in Blue Skies, Butterflies, and Battlegrounds. I hope you will read it and be encouraged. For those of us who know God’s Love, Grace, and Mercy, this is more than encouraging. It gives us hope for all of us and the future of our families, governments, schools, churches, and every area of our lives.

Romans 12:2 NKJV “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. Emphasis mine.

In my next blog, I will write about the incredible faith-filled responses to the catastrophic floods in Texas this past July 4^th. Yes, during our nation’s time to celebrate, that turned into mind-boggling, tragic devastation. Yet, more healing balm for aching hearts and clearing minds that cannot understand. No, this is more like crushed hearts that we may never understand. But we can take a look together and gain more trust in Him and His Ways even in the devastation.

God bless you and thank you for sharing in my journey, through my mission to glorify God through writing, sharing His Word, and my life experiences, communicating the love of Jesus Christ to add to His Kingdom.

Reba