Welcome!
Wise words from A.W.Tozer especially in these final days before the Lords Return.
By A. W. Tozer
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine. . . .
Ephesians 4:14
Let me tell you of the dangerous logic of the gullible
Christian who does not realize that it may be fatal to
believe everything that happens to come along!
I have met Christians with no more discrimination
than the ostrich. Because they must believe certain
things, they feel that they must believe everything.
Because they are called upon to accept the invisible
they go right on to accept the incredible. God can and
does work miracles: therefore, everything that passes for
a miracle must be of God!
God has spoken to man---therefore they feel that
every man who claims to have had a revelation from
God must be accepted as a prophet. Whatever is
unearthly must be heavenly; whatever cannot be
explained must be received as divine. The prophets
were rejected, therefore everyone who is rejected
is a prophet. The saints were misunderstood, they
agree, so everyone who is misunderstood is a saint.
This is the kind of dangerous logic that can be
as injurious as unbelief itself!
Faith is at the root of all true worship and without
faith it is impossible to please God. But faith never
means gullibility. The man who believes everything is as
far from God as the man who refuses to believe anything.
Faith engages the Person and promises of God and rests
upon them with perfect assurance---and of such faith we
can never have too much.
Credulity, on the other hand, never honors God, for it
shows as great a readiness to believe anybody as to
believe God Himself.
Fair Use for Discussion and Educational Purposes
Morningstar, thank you for this wonderful post!
Our faith is upon a rock solid real thing. God is not (un)credible. He created what is credible.
Faith in God is based on a solid foundation of truth, truth about God, His Son, the place where they live. His future plans are all real. We know this in as solid a way as Noah did. When the floods came, who was correct?
When Jesus rose from the grave, who was correct?
We don't believe the uncredible, incredible, we believe in the everlasting God and King of all.
Come quickly Lord Jesus. Why should the unbelievers get away with saying "where is their God?"
Thankfully Jesus is the Power filling the true believer spirit to Spirit with assurance that He is the Light of the Word, . . His Presence abides in His children . . , He gave everything perfectly good to us as the Man/God dying for our sins . . He is Authority, Truth, and Judge ~~ and for His own, we can by His invitation run to Him by faith. ~~
Lord, You know everything about us, far more than we can know ourselves . . yet, You restrain Your very yearning to 'fix' us, patiently, gently teaching us to 'come to You' for help and wisdom and Truth ~~ Praise God for Your Word . . ~~~ trying to imagine Your 'Divine restraint' as You continue to not be early or too late teaching the Truth one day at a time ~~ You could change all things in an instant, for You are all the Power in Heaven and in earth . .
Thank You for the Holy Spirit abiding, God and very Authority giving us a teachable spirit ~~ You are our Encourager always in Truth moving us into Your Presence, right near You at the Holy of holies ~~~ Your Truth transform us teaching us God's Patience that moves us to our knees with gratitude ~~~ . .
“All power is given unto Me in Heaven and on earth. . . "Matthew 28:18
Thank you, Donna, for your calming, spirit-led words that are such an encouragement to all of us, but especially to younger or newer Christians who sometimes in their zeal for wanting to obey God with everything that is within them make mistakes in believing wrong teaching because they have not yet had enough time in the Word, or perhaps have not been exposed to the teaching of the Truth to be able to discern yet that which is right and true from that which is deceptive. That which contains enough of the truth that it appears to be right to the unlearned, or those we would call gullible. Everyone has to start somewhere.
It calls to mind when as a young, single mother to a 3 yr old, I was convinced by some older ladies that after my long day at work
(with my child at daycare all day long) it was more important for me to spend hours in prayer rather than with my child
(who was with yet another babysitter). My mother became so angry with me and yelled at me "how bad a mother I was" that I dissolved in tears. I didn't know what was right to do. A lovely, kind Great Aunt of mine in whom I could confide, listened to me as I explained my confusion on how best to please the Lord. (I'll admit, for most people it would have been common-sense as to what to do.) She listened to me and then calmly explained in her loving way that "Yes, prayer was very important, but that in this particular season of my life, caring for and loving my child would please the Lord very much. That she was at an age where she needed her mother." After she talked to me, I could see the truth, but it took a gentle word, not a sharp reprimand to help me understand what I needed to do.
Thank you, too, Morningstar for your Words of Wisdom and instruction from which I am learning much.
Bless you, both!
Yes...thank you for sharing your thoughts!
To add to yours, other than the above acclimation:
Logic, I firmly believe, is a gift of God (or, more likely, a characteristic of Himself that is *also* a gift to His creatures). So, we can approach Him in a very distant way - or even more directly - through the paths of logic (I say distantly to directly, as we all have different ways of understanding Him). He, Himself, has had discussions with His creatures in the Bible where He encourages us to reason with Him, or to use the capacity of reason or logic to learn something about Him. I cannot recall where, but one such verse that is used often springs to mind: "Come, let us reason together..."
However, I have been on the other side of this. I cannot remember the verse currently, but He warns us that what we can easily logic ourselves into, we can just as easily logic ourselves out of. The point is - I happen to humbly think - is a balance between logic, trust (or faith, if you will) and emotion, all built on the bedrock of truth.
Most of my personal doubt stems from logic-ing (not a word...I made it up!) myself out of believing that, (1) He is really who He said He is, and (2) that He really does mean what He says to us living today. I'm quite sure that I can get myself painted into a corner all by own little self, but sometimes I am equally sure that I've been painted into that corner with the combination of my own sin nature and the help of other creatures (we'll be nice, and call them 'elder fallen ones,' although I'll be rude and call them demons/fallen angels, so that all reading can understand my gist).
The point: Do not lose the threads of truth; hold on to them, and make sure that you don't lose sight of them when you are on the edges of, or even in the midst of, possibly losing any degree of your faith/trust.
My faith is not (I repeat: NOT) built on feelings, poor logic, or hallucinations; it is built on hard, firm, immovable TRUTH. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that this is the case, however.
Don't forget to remind yourself, either, in those dark moments. Or, should I say, don't listen to those voices who try to convince you that your faith is illusion combined with a healthy pinch of delusion. Because...it's not.
Period.
(Ok, sorry...had to comment! Hope it's helpful!)
Excellent lesson . Thank you for sharing this , Morningstar .
Quote : "A man who will not stand for something , will fall for anything ."
Anonymous ~~~~~
