Just this morning I was listening to one of my all-time favorite preachers, a man by the name of Amir Tsarfati. I can't say enough about Amir. He's an Israeli, so he's Jewish, and he's a former Captain I believe, maybe something higher. I need to go look that up before I go off and brag about him. He's just an amazing man. He was in the Israeli Defense Force, and he was in their Intelligence program as well. He's now a preacher and a teacher, as well as an award-winner author of several spy-type fiction thriller books all having to do with the End Times. Wow, just wow, wow, wow! When people say things like they hope Jesus looks like Jim Caviezel, the man who played Christ in the famous Mel Gibson film "The Passion of Christ", I smile. I know it would be awesome to be able to say Yep, that's Jesus, so handsome! I think the Bible actually says Jesus is rather plain; I think I heard a sermon on that. Anyway, when I think of Christ, I think of an image far more aligned with Amir Tsarfati than Jim C. Go look and see what you think.
So, Amir was preaching at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, out in California this morning. He gets out to that area about once a year now, and he and his buddy, another great Pastor, Jack Hibbs, have a few conferences where they grab a couple of chairs, sit on stage and talk to people for about two hours. This year they were standing at a table and they took a little longer, and they were on fire! Both guys were just going on and on about the events that had literally just happened. The name of their program (incidentally) is Happening Now. I'll share the link so you can go listen. It was seriously serious, and drawn from the news of that very week, and even that very day! They prove through the Word what God had to say about the End Times, and it's almost as if you can pick up your Bible and turn to this morning's headlines by going to Ezekiel 37 and 38! Do it! I double-dog dare you! If you are a Bible-Believing Christian, you know I'm right. I love it.
Amir made a statement today that I have to share. It was so profound and yet it was so simple too. He was talking about the Liar, the Deceiver, the one we call Satan. Satan comes as a light, but he is not THE LIGHT. He is a counterfeit, he is a false light. He knows the actual truth, but he shares a lie with you to draw you away from the truth. Here is what Amir said, pay attention. He said, "In order for a person to deceive you they must first know the truth. If they just told you something that wasn't right, they would just be wrong. I tell you, listen to me, if someone knows the truth, and tells you something else, leads you from that truth, they are lying to you. Don't you think Satan is fully aware of what the true Messiah can do? Don't you think Satan already knows what awaits all of us who believe? He lies. He purposely lies." (Emphasis added)
We know the truth. We lie to ourselves when we allow ourselves to be deceived and when we purposely go in the direction that we KNOW God has said is wrong, and God would know, He created us. He knows what is our destiny. In Jerimiah 29:11 it is written, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God flat KNOWS the plan because He created the PLAN! You, before you were born, were part of the PLAN. He knew whether or not you would accept Him. He knew if you did what your plan was, and how you would fit into HIS plan. You can't escape it, and why would you want to? Stop listening to the lies. Stop listening to the Liar, the one telling you that someone is spreading rumours about you when everything they ever said was proven and true. You may not want to accept what they said as fact, but you know what you did, you know where you were, you know and they know. Guess what, God knows, and more importantly, He already KNEW, past tense, and Jesus was crucified for that and other sins. (Mine, too! Thank God)
So simple. So profound. The liar knows the truth but draws you (and others) away from the truth for his/her purpose. When someone promotes you, admires you, sings your praises, and they are only there to uplift you before God, you are not to bite them if they also chastise you or scold you when you are falling or failing. God has a plan, you are part of it, and some people were put on this Earth to guide you EVEN IF you don't agree with their words. As long as they are not lying about you, and what they are saying can be proven, you have no reason to bite. You do, however, have an obligation to evaluate, deep-dive into your behaviors, and see if what they have been saying to you has merit. Why would someone who loves Jesus be a deceiver to you? Most likely they would not, but Satan may want you to think they are. Pay close attention to where the feelings in your heart come from. Are they whispers of the great serpent who also whispered lies to Eve, or are the words you hear in your soul come from the Holy Spirit? If it is the Spirit, you will not meet the other person with disdain and anger, you would be moved to show grace. That is the ultimate litmus test. Did you respond with anger? Did you respond with grace?
Please, don't let your heart be troubled. You don't have to live with the lies you are being told. The light may be counterfeit, it may only seem warm and inviting but could be hiding the face of the one wanting to lure you away so you can't shine your own light for your God. You do belong. You do have a place. You do have worth. You are the child of a living, breathing, truly forgiving God. Never think you have gone too far to be forgiven. Never think that anyone who truly loves you will stop loving you or stop praying for you. Now, let me say, I am human...I will spit, and I will cuss at you, and I will pop you upside your head like Jethro Gibb if you need it. I am not beyond showing that side of me. Someone once told me that Jesus wouldn't appreciate my hand-slap; I reminded them that Jesus broke out the whips and tossed the tables! "My God is an AWESOME GOD, He rules from Heaven above, He rules with Power and LOVE, my God is an Awesome God." He will always, now, and in the End, be right! He cannot lie. He will not lie. He also, and pay attention to this; He will NOT change His plan for you or anyone else.
We are to conform to HIS pole, not expect Him to accept our weak and sin-filled decisions. He is sovereign! The sooner we realize that the better rest we'll have. I really like to rest. Maybe that's why I'm so adamant about following His direction and not falling into the muck of this world. Why "tolerate" and "include" if Jesus told us to flee from and stay away from such people? Think about it. If God said it was wrong for Sodom and Gomorrah, it's still wrong today for everyone.
Link to Happening Now: September 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqLhpxaxYnQ
Amir Tsarfati
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