The Paradigm Shift

The Paradigm Shift

Many of us may remember studying about Galileo in science class when we were in school. He was a brilliant mathematician, physicist and inventor in his time (early 1600s) who defended the Copernican Theory, which states that the earth revolves around the sun. Most people at that time, including the Catholic Church, believed that the sun revolved around the earth, and in fact felt that Galileo’s beliefs were blasphemous. The Roman Inquisition was going on at this time, and there was a lot of hatred in the world for people who did not conform to the Catholic Church’s beliefs. Galileo was charged with heresy. He was threatened with torture if he didn’t formally renounce his belief in the Copernican Theory, which he eventually did. However, he was under house arrest until he died.

As we all know now, Galileo and Copernicus were correct – the earth does revolve around the sun and not the other way around. Yet a huge body of people-in this case, the Catholic Church–could not or would not consider that they might be wrong and someone else might be right. They could not make the paradigm shift to what was Truth.

A paradigm can be defined as a “generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline”. It’s a way of thinking, a model in your mind, so that if something doesn’t fit that model, it is rejected. A paradigm shift is just like it sounds – you make a “shift” away from a deeply held perspective. Many times people make paradigm shifts because they’ve discovered their thinking has been wrong. Sometimes paradigm shifts are hard to make–even when the evidence is clear that the shift should be made—because of mental strongholds—fortified, erroneous beliefs in people’s minds that are like fortresses that cannot be destroyed.

The paradigm shift from believing that the carnal, physical world that one can see, smell, feel, hear and taste is all that exists, to a new paradigm that a spiritual world exists all around us is a tough one for many people. Most Christians believe that the Lord exists in some spiritual plane, and that we’ll see Him some day in “the sweet by and by” when we die and go to Heaven. But the truth is that He and His angels are right here all around us, as are Satan and demons, even though we cannot see them with our physical eyes.

Believing that the spiritual world is right here and now, and that it is as real or more real than the physical world (remember, Spirit created the material world, and not the other way around) has tremendous ramifications for the Believer. It creates a whole new way of thinking about and approaching God and Satan. As you study the Word in light of this new paradigm, you will realize the power and authority you have over evil spirits and curses. You realize that you have a right to get angry at spiritual injustices against you and your family, and that you can engage in spiritual warfare. You become a victor, not a victim.

People frequently ask, “Why aren’t these things taught in the church?” Simple. It all goes back to the paradigm. Examine yours to see if you have been deceived.

All The World’s a Stage

All The World’s a Stage

Shakespeare said, “All the world’s as stage” in his play, “As You Like It”. Well, perhaps he had more insight into the reality of this statement than we may have ever given him credit for.

I was listening to a teaching about the time that Jesus walked upon the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a huge storm in which the disciples thought they were going to die. The scriptures say that “He would have passed by them” had they not called to Him for help. I thought, wow, was He just out for a casual stroll and didn’t notice the disciples needed help desperately? He was cool as a cucumber, which made me ponder the situation.

All of the sudden, the Lord gave me one of those capsule forms of the Word of Knowledge where in an instant you have some explosive insight into something scriptural. I pictured Jesus calmly walking upon this raging sea toward the boat that was about to be capsized with the totally-soaked disciples frantically bailing water, trying to keep the sail from ripping, hanging on for dear life and screaming out to Jesus in a sheer terror. Freeze frame.

What the Lord showed me was why He was so calm. He showed me the relationship between the spiritual and the physical world – it’s like a play or the theater. I had a vision of Jesus on the stormy see with the stormy sky all around, except that behind him the scene morphed into what looked like the backstage of a theater with cast and crew running frantically around to make sure the play keeps moving and things get ready for the next act.

I felt like the parable I was seeing was that the stage represents the physical world. It is what the audience sees (we’re the audience) – that’s all they can see – what’s before their eyes. Back stage is the spiritual world – what the audience can’t see, that is creating what is going on onstage – and what’s going on back stage is more real than what is happening on the stage. What is happening on the stage is secondary, almost unreal – it’s fake – a play is just pretend.

The disciples were the audience and they were very caught up in the play. They saw Jesus and this tremendous storm. Jesus represented the actor on the stage, in control of the audience, and the stage hands were creating the storm with their special effects to frighten the audience and convince them that the storm is deadly. But Jesus remained perfectly calm about the storm because He knew what was causing the storm, He knew it was just part of the play, and that everything was under control – His control. And, He also knew what was going on back stage: hundreds of people running around, getting ready for the next scene, applying makeup, moving lights, getting props ready, sound technicians, special effects personnel, etc. The stage hands are the metaphor for spirits: demons and angels.

I said earlier that what was going on back stage was more real than what was happening onstage. That’s because the spirit world is more real than the physical world. The physical world was created FROM the spirit world, not the other way around. In this particular story in Scripture, this storm was caused by demon spirits who didn’t want Jesus and the disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee to go to the land of Gad. Because when He arrived there, the people were excited to see Him and brought everyone who needed healing to Him, and the scriptures say He healed everyone. The demons didn’t want that to happen, thus the cause of the storm.

So to summarize, the audience, the disciples, couldn’t see back stage-they couldn’t see the spiritual world that Jesus could. But Jesus was trying to teach them something in the short time He was with them. In this case, He was trying to make them understand the power of God that would soon be theirs to command once He died on the cross, resurrected and ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. They would soon have the power to change the next act as He did when He calmed the storm. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:12)

As Christians, we have the power to change the next act. We have the power to command the stagehands (we can ask the Lord to send angels to work for us, we can command demons to depart in Jesus’ name, and we can speak to the mountain and cast it into the sea). Therefore, those who believe the Word fully, trust the Lord completely, do not fear as the Lord commanded, and are doers of the Word have the power to take authority over the spiritual realm and make it manifest in the physical realm. We have to remember that the storms are there only to attempt to scare us and crumble our faith. They are nothing as long as we keep our mind on Jesus.

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3)

Life and Death and our Words

Life and death are the in the words we speak…Do we believe it?

The Bible says:

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV)

There are several things here that are puzzling. This scripture says that the tongue has power. I never really thought of the tongue having power. The scripture also poses the thought of loving your tongue. Loving your tongue? Why would anyone do that, I’m kind of indifferent toward it myself; it’s just a tool I use to eat with and talk with. And eating its fruit, what does that mean?

To try to clarify these things, let’s look at the definition of power from the Merriam-Webster dictionary: the ability to act or produce an effect. And the definition of fruit in this context is: “The effect or consequence of an action or operation: PRODUCT, RESULT.”

The Amplified Bible says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].”

So, how can our tongues be powerful enough to hold life and death?

As you recall, the Bible talks a lot about God’s word. God created everything with only His spoken word. The scripture says:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

And:

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. (Psalm 33:60)

That’s pretty powerful. The Lord said in Isaiah:

…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

God’s words have a purpose and they will accomplish something. Couldn’t this also apply to us so we are made in His image?

And in Matthew:

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

Think about this and imagine the earth just being destroyed and disappearing – what a cataclysmic thing that will be – but spoken words will never pass away? That’s pretty mind-blowing.

And look at this:
That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) All you have to do is “confess with your mouth” and you will be saved. Those are some pretty powerful words, confessing that Jesus is Lord and you’re saved from eternal damnation. Words are powerful.

When Jesus was in his earthly body, he spoke powerful words all the time, healing the sick with His word, casting out demons with His word, forgiving sin and iniquity with His word, rebuking the devil with His word, and on and on. Speaking life pretty much all the time, except…remember the story of the fig tree in Mark Chapter 11:

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22″Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23″I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

So, Jesus spoke death to the tree with only His word. He didn’t have to use poison or root killer, he just spoke to it. Words have power.

Let’s look the story about the Roman centurion in Matthew Chapter 8:

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”

This centurion understood authority! The authority we have with our words in Jesus’ name!

Look at how many Psalms and Proverbs and other wisdom scriptures there are about what we say, and these are just a few. Do you think the Lord was trying to tell us something?

Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. (Proverbs 4:24)

Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin. (Proverbs 10:14)

A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. (Proverbs 11:12)

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (Proverbs 12:18)

The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. (Proverbs 15:2)

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4)

A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. (Proverbs 16:23)

A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered. (Proverbs 17:27)

A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. (Proverbs 18:7)

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity. (Proverbs 21:23)

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:2)

Words from a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips. (Ecclesiastes 10:12)

Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD ; keep watch over the door of my lips. (Psalm 141:3)

You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue! (Psalm 52:4)

Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you. (Job 15:6)

Let’s see what else Jesus said about the spoken word in Matthew Ch. 12:
33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.

Now, you might be thinking, “oh well, He was just talking to the Pharisees, they were evil anyway. This doesn’t apply to me.”

More scriptures in Matthew:

11 It is not what goes into the mouth of a man that makes him unclean and defiled, but what comes out of the mouth; this makes a man unclean and defiles [him]. 18But whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this is what makes a man unclean and defiles [him].

Now, child of God, why would you want to defile yourself?
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (John 6:63)

I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. (John 8:51)

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (John 15:7)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:2-10)

For, Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. (1 Peter 3:10)

But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. (Luke 6:49)

He replied, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. (Luke 11:28)

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does. 26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. (James 1:22-26)

Amen!

Buddha’s Belly

Buddha’s Belly

Recently, the news reported that a group of 100 factory workers won the Wisconsin lottery in a pool. Two ladies in the pool were interviewed on national television. In the interview they mentioned having a “little Buddha doll” that they used to bring them good luck by rubbing his belly. “We don’t know if it was this Buddha that brought us luck. We don’t know if it was our prayers to God that were answered,” said Mary Entringer, who organized the pool. ”We have no idea, we’re just grateful.” They also sat their Buddha on top of their lottery tickets.

Now, this is interesting to us; however, most Christians wouldn’t give their comments a second thought. But deliverance ministers do, perhaps because we know the scriptures a little better than most, or we interpret scriptures differently than most, or we emphasize or apply scriptures that other Christians normally wouldn’t. These ladies claimed to have been praying to God (we assume they’re talking about the God of Israel, since they were Caucasian Wisconsin women), but they were also glibly rubbing a Buddha’s belly to bring them the luck needed to win the lottery.

In the commandments, God says that we are to have no other gods but Him, and that we are not to make (or purchase or own) an idol or anything that looks like a human or an animal; we are not to worship or serve it; because if you do, God will inflict the spiritual and physical results of your sins upon you, your children, your children’s children, your children’s children’s children and on and on (see the 1st and 2nd commandments in Exodus 20). It’s a terrible curse. Even if you don’t worship or bow down to your Buddha or rub his belly, you are still not allowed to even have it.

So, in the deliverance minister’s eyes, these lottery winners, who are so full of joy now, may reap what they have sewn either in this lifetime or in their descendents’ lifetimes. Why? Because they really don’t know or don’t care what the scriptures say. It appears many people just want to pick and choose from the Bible what suits their lifestyle and discard the rest.

Jesus answered and said to them, You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29)

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. (Hosea 4:6)

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king. (I Samuel 15:23)

Once Saved, Always Saved

Once Saved, Always Saved

Many people believe that once you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and are “saved”, that you’re good for the rest of your life until you die and go to Heaven. We do not believe this is so.

In this article, we are not talking about Christians who sin and repent and keep on walking with God. We are talking about people who once called themselves a Christian, and probably still do, but who sin regularly, do not repent, live a carnal life and feel smug in the idea that we live under grace, so “God will forgive me and let me into Heaven”. I may just squeak by, but I’ll get in.” Here’s another paradigm we intend to break.

There are several scriptures that support the fact that you shouldn’t be too smug in your salvation.

First of all, why does Paul say that we must work out our salvation in fear and trembling?

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence , work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12)

If we’re saved once and it’s a done deal, then why do we have to “work it out”? This is something to think about.

In Romans 11, Paul uses an olive tree to represent our salvation in Jesus, the natural branches being the Jews, the children of the God of Israel, and the grafted in branches of the wild olive tree being the Gentiles. In this passage, he’s talking about the fact that many Jews do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and they are like branches that are being pruned from the olive tree, while the non-Jews, the Gentiles, are grafted into the olive tree. Note the underlined section below:

16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

Notice the word continue. We have to continue in goodness or we might be cut off. It’s pretty clear to me what this means.

To make the point even more clearly, look at this scripture:

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (Revelation 3:5)

In this passage, Jesus is talking to the seven churches and what they need to do to be overcomers and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Note two things: first we have to be overcomers. This requires continuous work, dedication and commitment, as anyone who has fought the good fight of faith knows. Overcoming Satan’s obstacles in this life is a daily battle, not a one time event. Secondly, notice Jesus says, “and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life”. Well, that means in order to NOT have your name blotted out, it must have been IN the book in the first place.

So, when you’re saved, your name is written in the Book of Life. But Jesus says we have to overcome so your name does not become blotted OUT of the Book of Life. How much more clear can this be?

The book of Revelation goes on to say in the last chapter:

14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

This scripture says that we need to do His commandments in order to enter the gates of Heaven. And the commandments are much more than just the famous 10. Those were just the beginning. God’s commandments are all through the Torah (first five books of the Bible). Jesus said in Matthew 5:

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

This Revelation scripture also says that people who are sexually immoral and liars, etc. will be outside the gate. So if you’re a “Christian” living under “grace”, but you don’t follow God’s rules of proper sexual behavior, will you be inside or outside the gate?

The bottom line is we have to revere our salvation like a precious gift that can be lost if we don’t guard it with our very lives, like the parable of the great pearl or the treasure in the field. If you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to find a pearl of great value or a treasure in a field, wouldn’t you guard it with your life? If you were smart, you wouldn’t just take it for granted that it would always be there. Someone might snatch it away from you. It’s something you would fight for if it were threatened. This same logic should be applied with our salvation.

So, how do we keep our salvation? By continuously seeking God’s face. There are numerous scriptures encouraging us to seek God’s face. Seeking God’s face earnestly will cause you to read His Word (which will teach you what the Torah says), will cause you to pray to Him, and I will allow Him to reveal His will and His ways to you. Then obedience is key. If you love Him, you will find obedience easy. And if you read His Word, you will come to love Him as you learn about Him.

And of course, if you have problems reading His word and retaining it, or if you constantly fall into sin against your will, you might need to seek a deliverance minister.

Does God Mind What We Eat? Part 1

Does God Mind What We Eat? Part 1

In The Beginning

From the beginning, when God created man, He gave man precise instructions on what to eat: man was to have a vegetarian diet.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. (Genesis 1:28-29)

God was very specific with Adam about what tree not to eat from in the Garden of Eden:

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:15-17)

In Genesis 6, some time had passed since man’s creation and humanity had fallen into deeper sin. Angels (referred to as the sons of God in Genesis 6) had come to the earth and were having children with earthly women, and the hybrid offspring were abnormal, called giants. God decided to end the human race together with the giants through the great flood. However, he found one man that was righteous, in that his parents, grandparents and children were 100% human and not hybrids. He decided to save him and his family from the flood He was sending. God commanded the man to build an ark to house him and the animals God wanted to save.

And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. (Genesis 6:21-22)

Notice that “all food that is eaten” referred to the vegetarian diet that both men and animals ate (or were supposed to eat) at that time.

As the ark was completed, God instructed Noah what animals would come into his ark. Notice that at that time, God already had determined which animals were clean and which were unclean.

And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. (Genesis 7:1-3)

A Change of Order

Before the flood, the Earth was surrounded with a “firmament” limited by water. The Earth was surrounded with a coat of water all around the planet, with an air space between the ground and the water. There were no clouds, and it did not rain (look this up in Genesis 1:7; Genesis 2:5). When the flood started, this coat of water came down to the earth and was never replaced. I believe that the coat of water had a function: protecting life on earth from some type of rays that were detrimental to human and animal life. To compensate for this change in the atmosphere of the earth, God now allowed both humans and animals to eat meat with one condition: that the meat would be drained of all the blood.

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. (Genesis 9:1-4)

We can see that in the book of Genesis alone there are several commands from God on what to eat and what not to eat. Is God concerned about what we eat? It certainly appears so.

A Meal In A Hurry

Most Christians are acquainted with the historic event of the Hebrew slavery in Egypt and all the attempts of Moses to take them out of Egypt. This involved a lot of miraculous events that were devastating to the Egyptians. Finally, when it was certain that the last of these events would convince Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go, God called for the Hebrews to have…a family meal!

This was quite an extraordinary set of events, but look at how carefully God planned this meal and what detailed instructions He gave:

And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover. (Exodus 12:1-11)

Does God care about what we eat? He cares about how we eat it also!

Supernatural Food

God has supernaturally intervened in our meals and our food, AND He still does. The following is recorded in the Bible, but He continues to do “food miracles” that are not recorded.

One of the most famous food miracles was the one of the wedding at Cana, where Jesus turned several big containers of water into excellent wine. Here are some other lesser known miracles:

And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah. (1 Kings 17:11-16)

And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot. And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord. (2 Kings 4:39-44)

I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. (Exodus 16:12-20)

Five Loaves, Two Fishes, Five Thousand Men

And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. (Matthew 14:17-21)

Seven Loaves, a Few Fishes, Four Thousand Men

And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. (Matthew 15:34-38)

The Greatest Passover So Far

And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. (Mark 14:12-15)

During this Passover Jesus took bread, broke it and said, “Take, eat, this is my body…” And as they drank the wine, He said, “This is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many…”

Eating After the Resurrection

Genesis chapter 18 has the story of the Lord and two angels appearing to Abraham. Abraham offers them a meal, which they accept and eat. God is a Spirit, as well as the angels. These materialized spirits ate and drank with Abraham! The following scriptures tell us of the Lord eating and drinking in His resurrected body:

And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them. (Luke 24:38-43)

Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. (John 21:3-14)

From Beginning to End

We have seen that from the beginning that God is concerned about what we eat. At the end, when we get to heaven, a marriage banquet is waiting for us. (Revelation 19:9)

Think of food, eating and drinking as something spiritual. Certainly the Lord does, and He is concerned about what we eat, He has given us commands as to what our food should be, and He wants us to mind what we eat.

Does God Mind What We Eat? Part 2

A Revelation About Blood

Many years ago, as soon as I became a Christian, I started reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and when I finished it, I started from Genesis again. There were certain scriptures that I felt the Holy Spirit was impressing upon me, and I wanted to look at them more closely. The food laws in the Torah was an area that particularly struck me. I felt the Holy Spirit telling me, “That is how I want you to eat”. It would happen every time I read those scriptures. At first, I wondered, because the church I attended did not teach about the subject of food, and none of the mature Christians I knew were obeying any special food laws. Nevertheless, since the Holy Spirit kept dealing with me, I started to slowly take away the “unclean” meats.

One day a Lake Hamilton Bible Camp newsletter came in the mail, and I read an article about a discovery. While ministering to a lady who had a blood disease (I believe it was diabetes), the ministers were trying to cast out a demon that said it had a right to be in her, because she had eaten blood. They discovered that eating blood gave rights to demons to bring blood diseases to people, Christian or not. Why? Because it is written:

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. (Genesis 9:4)

It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood. (Leviticus 3:17)

And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it. For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people. (Leviticus 7:24-27)

And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off. (Leviticus 17:10-14)

Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. (Leviticus 19:26)

Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water. (Deuteronomy 12:16)

Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh. Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water. Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 12:23-25)

Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water. (Deuteronomy 15:23)

From the above, we can learn the following: neither the children of Israel nor “the strangers” were to eat fat or blood. If your ancestors were not Israelites, but you are a Christian, you have been grafted into the vine, so spiritually you are an Israelite. (Even if you don’t believe so, how do you know there are no Israelis in your ancestry?)

We learn that the soul that eats blood will be “cut off”; “cut off” means death, obviously by blood disease. This is a curse of death. We learn that this curse is inherited, and it falls upon generation after generation. This means that even if you have never eaten blood, the curse falls on you if your ancestors did.

You might think your family would not do something as disgusting as drinking blood. How about eating blood? Many European and American cultures make “blood pudding” and blood sausage. If you eat Cajun food or Spanish food, you may be eating blood sausage (like boudin). And if you like your steaks rare with the red juice running all over your plate, you may be eating blood.

Arriving to a Conclusion

When I read that article in the Lake Hamilton newsletter, I realized that the same would apply to eating “unclean” meats. If we eat something that the word of God specifically says not to eat, we are giving demons legal rights to enter.

To verify my conclusion, I tested it by having a “mass deliverance” of demons that entered by eating prohibited foods, including blood. I tested it on a group of about 25 ladies. I made a short list of “unclean” animals. I led the ladies in a prayer of confession and repentance for having eating things prohibited by the Lord, and they asked forgiveness and were forgiven. Then, since the demons no longer had legal rights, I commanded them to go one by one, according to each kind of food. There was tremendous deliverance in the group. There was a lady who had eaten some unusual animals, such as snake and armadillo. The Lord brought those to her mind, she asked me to work on those, which I did, and the lady was delivered of those demons also.

And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: As the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you. These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you. And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; Every raven after his kind; And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you. Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you. These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole. (Leviticus 11:1-30)

Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat. Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase. These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat: And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. Of all clean birds ye shall eat. But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, And every raven after his kind, And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. But of all clean fowls ye may eat. (Deuteronomy 14:3-20)

Healthy Eating Doctors and Healthy Eating Books

Is it a coincidence that modern science has found that eating the very same foods that God prohibits is not good for your health? There are several Christian doctors on TV programs who have also written books advocating healthy eating, and their guidelines are the same as the word of God says.

But What About The “Other” Scriptures?

Some Christians get really, really angry when I suggest they follow the food laws. I wonder what makes them so angry? One of the first scriptures they bring out to defend their eating is:

On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour. And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance. And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate, And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. (Acts 10:9-20)

And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. (Acts 10:28)

And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing. And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee. Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. (Acts 10:30-33)

The interpretation of Peter’s vision was not about food, but about people – Jewish and gentile people. A triple vision just before three gentile men knocked at the door. And Peter, who walked with Jesus and was filled with the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, was not sure what it meant. He was not sure because it was a paradigm shift for him—the shift being for Messianic Jews to stop rejecting gentiles and rather to accept all people who wanted to believe in the Messiah. The Holy Spirit told him to quit doubting his interpretation of the vision.

There are other scriptures that bring confusion to this issue of food. But we must remember that the first church was at Jerusalem, and the head of the church in Jerusalem was James, the brother of Jesus. This church kept the Sabbath and went to the temple, and Sundays they would meet from house to house. They kept the laws as Jesus commanded:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)

Now the above might go against some Christians’ theology, but deliverance uncovers the truth. And the truth is that eating as God commanded is a matter of life or death.

One Additional Anecdote

Many years ago I was attending a Bible study in a lady’s home with a group from a Methodist church that my husband and I were attending at the time. We were studying the passage in Acts referred to previously about Peter’s vision. The study leader asked for comments, and I said that I didn’t think this passage was talking about food at all; that it was an allegory for Peter to understand not to reject Gentiles from becoming part of the Messianic movement. Therefore, that being the case, then the food laws still applied today, that is, we shouldn’t eat pork, bacon, etc. No sooner had I said this than the lady of the house exploded in an outburst completely disagreeing with me. It shocked me because this was so out of character for this normally calm and demure “spiritual” lady. I felt the Holy Spirit witness to me that food indeed was a spiritual issue, that this reaction was too over the top for it not to be a spiritual issue.

I have also had other Christian friends mock me and put down this particular viewpoint of the food laws. In conversation, I was not trying to impose my beliefs on them; people can eat however they want, it’s between them and God. Yet, they seemed to object to my decision to eat “kosher”, so to speak, to the point of ridicule. Again, this appears to be a spiritual issue. The demons do not want us to obey God in even, what appears to be to me, the smallest and easiest law to follow. It’s not a huge sacrifice in my opinion. For me, better to be safe than telling the Lord, “sorry”.

UFOs and Christians – Part 1

What do UFOs have to do with Christians? Part 1

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. (Ephesians 2:1-2)

Christians would do well in paying attention to what is going on in the skies. We are getting closer to the last days, and the enemy is working full time in deceiving human beings.

What is going on in the skies? UFOs are being reported daily, in different shapes, sizes and colors. They are reported appearing and disappearing before the observers’ eyes. They are reported separating or breaking up, and then merging again. There are also reports of plain, luminous blobs of plasma in the skies, behaving just like UFOs.

Investigators report that UFOs do not obey our physical laws. They seem to skip and float; they acquire tremendous speed in no time; and they come to a stop without decelerating.

Just like in the movies, strange-looking alien creatures have been reported to have emerged from landed UFOs. These creatures take samples of what they find in their roamings on earth, including water which they have suctioned out of lakes and electric power out of power lines. Even worse, since the ’50s there have been more and more reports of UFOs abducting human beings.

What goes on during an abduction

People who have been abducted sometimes remember having seen a UFO just prior to what they call “missing time”. These abductees find themselves in another location, close to where they were when they saw the UFO; however, when they heck the time, they realize they have lost time somehow, as it is much later than they feel it should be. There is a lapse of time in which they do not remember what happened.

Hypnotized abductees sometimes can remember what happened to them, including physical examinations, surgeries, fertilization, sexual molestation and surgical implants. These implants, of which there are x-rays posted on the Internet, are typically small microchips presumably implanted to gather and transmit data from the abductee to the UFO craft. Some abductees have had implants removed by surgeons. The implants are real.

Many women have found themselves to be pregnant after an abduction, caused by being fertilized during the abduction. Their doctor documents the pregnancy but finds later that the fetus has been lost. The lost fetus is not the cause of a miscarriage, but of another abduction in which the fetus has been extracted.

Abductees have reported seeing many human fetuses being incubated in jars inside the UFO. Female abductees have reported that the UFO occupants show them the babies that they helped produce, even allowing them to hold those babies. In Ufology terminology, these babies are called “hybrids”, for obvious reasons.

If you do not believe that a spirit can impregnate a human female, look at:

1. And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2. That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:1-4)

The “sons of God” in this passage refers to angels that are later called “fallen angels”. They had children with the women of earth, and the children resulting from these unions were not normal human children, but rather giants who were famous, not because of their stature, but because they were supernatural.

Abductions run in families. Investigators have found that abductees typically have a history of being abducted repeatedly since childhood, and that their parents (and previous generations) have also been abducted. Their children most likely have been or will be abducted in the same pattern.

UFO Creatures

People have reported seeing several kinds of UFO aliens that have totally different appearances:

  • “Grays”, which are short gray-colored creatures with large heads and large eyes Tall humanoids
  • “Reptoids”, reptile-like creatures
  • “Insectoids”, insect-like creatures.

Perhaps these last two types of creatures are what Jesus was talking about when He said:

Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all of the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm you. (Luke 10:19)

Extra-Terrestrials

Aliens claim that they are extra-terrestrials (ETs) from another planet. In fact, decades ago they were saying they were from the moon. When man made it to the moon, the aliens changed their story and started claiming to be from Mars. When man started sending probes to Mars, they changed their story again and claimed to be from a farther planet, in another galaxy. Who is the father of lies? Satan!

The “extra-terrestrials” say they are here because they are worried about what we humans are doing to the earth, citing the destruction of the ozone layer, our weapons of mass destruction, global warming, etc. They claim they have come to help us with those problems, when, in fact, that is not their true motive because they are not extra terrestrials.

Are they demons?

If you are getting the idea that perhaps the UFO creatures may be demons or evil spirits, you are in the right track. They are demons.

In addition to all the invasive procedures the aliens perform on their abductees, they are also brainwashed with demonic theologic teaching (doctrines of demons, I Tim. 4:1). Questioning, argumentative or doubting abductees are introduced to “Jesus”, a human-looking reflection of the Savior. The impostor declares that he is Jesus, and that the demons of the craft are angels working for him. The creatures tell the abductee that he or she is “chosen” with a noble mission to perform for mankind, in helping them solve the earth’s ecological and environmental problems.

What makes UFOs able to defy our physical laws?

The Bible says that there are three heavens. The first heaven is our atmosphere or sky. The second heaven is where the powers of the air dwell, that is, Satan and his ranks of demons called “the powers of the air” (see Ephesians). The third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2) is where the throne of our God is, with His angels and the saints in Christ.

The second and third heaven are spiritual, while the first heaven or sky and its contents, the Earth, are material. But in this material world, spirit can operate. Human beings are spirit protected by a material body. The earth and all that is in it were created by a Spirit. (God is a Spirit, John 4:24)

Reports have been made of people attempting to photograph UFOs which they have seen to no avail: the developed photos revealed no UFOs. Inversely, people have reported taking photos with no UFO in sight, and a UFO appears in the developed photo. This happens because the UFOs are intrinsically spirit and not matter, although they do “materialize”.

Clouds are associated with the spiritual world

Many UFOs are reported as coming out of a cloud or disappearing into a cloud. There are also many references in the Bible to God appearing in a cloud or riding upon a cloud. When God led the people of Israel out of Egypt, they were led by a cloud. When the presence of God was in the temple, a cloud filled the temple. During the transfiguration, a bright cloud shone upon Jesus and the disciples, and then the voice of God was heard. Jesus was taken up to the clouds and the angels said He was coming back the same way:

And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: (Exodus 14:19)

And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. (Exodus 16:10)

And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord. (Exodus 19:9)

And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. (Exodus 34:5)

And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. (Numbers 9:15-16)

And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp. (Numbers 10:34)

And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. (Numbers 11:25)

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord. (1 Kings 8:10-11)

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: (Psalms 104:1-4)

The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. (Isaiah 19:1)

The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him. And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. (Ezekiel 1:3-4)

Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s glory. (Ezekiel 10:3-4)

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (Matthew 17:5-6)

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30)

Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. (Matthew 26:64)

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. (Acts 1:9)

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)

It seems that when the heavens “are bent”, that is, when the spiritual realm touches the material realm, a cloud, or what appears to be a cloud, is formed, and some thing or some being is either going to or coming from one realm or dimension to the other (physical to spiritual or vice versa). So, not only can God move from one realm to the other, but also UFOs. Being spirit they are exempt from our physical laws, save for manipulating them.

What are the chances of getting abducted?

If you are a born-again, Bible-believing, Spirit-filled Christian, you have little chance of seeing a UFO or of being abducted by one. Some abductees have claimed to be Christians, but they might not have been born-again Christians. Demons know very well who is a Christian, and what kind of Christian we are.

The great majority of abductees, if not all, have a background in the occult in one way or another. Occult involvement apparently gives demons a legal right to abduct and manipulate people. In his book, Communion, Whitney Strieber writes that he protested about what the demons were doing to him and asked what right they had to do it. A demon he thought was the goddess Ishtar replied, “We do have a right.” Mr. Strieber had some involvement in the occult. Of course, Mr. Strieber does not realize that the entities are demons, although he has doubts at times.

Just as regular demons do, UFO occupants communicate telepathically with humans. If you see a UFO, it would be wise to ignore it and not even mention or think about it. If you try to communicate with the UFO occupants telepathically or otherwise, they will be more than happy to respond and even abduct you.

Signs of abduction

Some abductees do not know they have been abducted because the demons erase their memory of the abduction and replace that memory with a “screen memory”. However, here are signs or clues of a possible abduction:

  • Missing time
  • Awakening in a different place than where you went to sleep, or with your head at the foot of the bed, or with your night clothes inside out
  • Blood on the pillow (because of implants)
  • Purple marks, scratches, scars and punctures in the skin; the punctures might be arranged in a geometric pattern
  • Round “scoop” marks (where flesh samples have been taken)
  • Being paralyzed in bed as you feel a presence in your room
  • Nightmares of being operated on, of being raped, of big eyes looking at you, etc.
  • Feeling extremely tired when waking up, as if you could not sleep all night
  • Interference or malfunctioning of electronic devices when you are near them
  • Acquiring psychic powers, such as telepathy, ESP, etc.
  • Hearing humming or pulsing sounds
  • Poltergeist occurrences (things moving around by themselves, objects appearing and disappearing)
  • Missing fetuses
  • A memory of flying through the air
  • Many UFO sightings

There are more signs and if you are interested, e-mail me and I will mail you a complete list.

How to stop abductions

  • Become a born-again, Spirit-filled Christian. Only Jesus Christ, the Holy Son of God, can help in this situation.
  • You become a born-again Christian by repenting sincerely of all your sins, including not believing and/or not obeying God, and determining to change your lifestyle and follow Jesus for the rest of your life. See the “How to become a Christian” page on this website.
  • Repent of believing all the lies that the UFO demons told you.
  • Get plenty of deliverance of all the demons you inherited, that you acquired during your life, and that invaded you during the abductions.
  • Learn about the power you have in Christ to command any UFOs to leave in the name of Jesus, to command any apparitions or demons to leave in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, you can fight them back, and they will flee from you! (James 4:7)

UFO Abductions – Part 2

UFO Abductions – Part 2

Some spirits can transform into matter. The spiritual beings that are aboard UFOs are a type of demon that can materialize. They can appear as a material body, many times resembling humans, but most of the time looking like humanoids.

The Bible says in John 4:24 that God is a Spirit. And God, a Spirit, created by His word the heavens and the earth and all that are in them. This means that spirit creates matter. Matter has never been able to create spirit.

There is a story in the Bible in Genesis where Abraham, sitting at the door of his tent realizes he has three men visiting him. Abraham is hospitable to the men, having their feet washed and serving a meal of roast veal, bread, butter and milk. The men ate. After a conversation, two of the men departed for Sodom, and one stayed behind with Abraham. At that point Abraham knows that this man is the Lord God:

And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat. (Genesis 18:1-8)

And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. (Genesis 18:20-22)

In the following chapter, Genesis 19:1 says that the two men went to Sodom, but now they are referred to as angels. They went to Lot’s home still having the appearance of men. Lot also entertains them, serving a meal which they ate:

And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. (Genesis 19:1-3)

The above stories show that God and two angels, being spirits, appeared on earth temporarily, with anatomically and physiologically perfect human bodies.

But….not all of these materialized types of angels are good.

Genesis 6:1-4 shows a different story, but still mentions angels that had a human body. These angels came to earth with a certain mission (they were called “watchers” and their job was to report to God what was happening on earth), but when they saw the women of earth, they took them for wives and procreated hybrids: a cross between an angel and a woman, a spiritual being and a human being. Their sons were giants who also had supernatural powers and were famous for their deeds.

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:1-4)

The book of 1 Enoch, which did not make it into the canon, covers this event. This book relates how the giant hybrids started to kill cattle and even human beings to eat. This book also reveals how these watcher angels started teaching humans new skills including witchcraft. It also describes in great detail the punishment that God had for these angels. This book relates how Enoch was called upon by the angels to be their intercessor with God.

The book of 1 Enoch had been preserved in Ethiopia, but theologians had doubts as to when the book had been written, thinking it was a recent book. Not until the Dead Sea Scrolls were found were they able to place this book as being more than 2000 years old. You can buy this book at www.artisanpublishers.com.

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. (Jude 1:6)

Jude is referring to the book of 1 Enoch, where the punishment of the angels is related. Notice that Jude says that these angels did not keep “their first estate”, meaning that they left their totally spiritual state upon acquiring flesh and bone bodies. Jude also says that they left their own habitation, because they decided to live on earth as human beings.

The purpose of abductions

People who have had encounters with UFOs or have been abducted report that for the most part they have seen humanoids, although sometimes they see entities that look human. Abducted women have reported their pregnancy shortly after their abduction, only to mysteriously loose the baby. Their doctor had confirmed their pregnancy, but at a subsequent examination told them that there was no longer a baby in their uterus. At a subsequent abduction, some of these women were shown their hybrid babies. It looks like one of the agenda items of the UFO demons is to create a race of hybrids.

Another item in their agenda is to preach and teach another gospel to the abducted humans. (You have to remember that the devil is the father of lies.) They say that they are from another planet. They tell abducted people that the abductees are “special” and “chosen”. They tell them that the abductees have a mission on earth. They teach theological lies, saying that they created the world, that human souls are recycled, that they reincarnate souls into new bodies. They teach a lot of lies about Jesus Christ and God the Father in order to weaken the abductees’ faith. They teach a lot of precepts of what we now call New Age teachings. They have even brought a “Jesus” to an abductee, and this “Jesus” told them that he was Jesus, and that the alien demons were his angels.

Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. (2 Corinthians 11:1-4)

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

I Will Set Nothing Wicked Before My Eyes

I Will Set Nothing Wicked Before My Eyes

1 I will sing of mercy and justice;
To You, O LORD, I will sing praises.
2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way.
Oh, when will You come to me?
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will not know wickedness.
Psalm 101:1-4

One weekend several years ago, I was visiting a Christian couple – old friends of mine who were big movie-watchers. After dinner, it was movie-time. We selected an R movie from their huge library, and not 10 minutes into the movie, a tremendous seduction scene occurred. It was one of the most graphic sex scenes I had ever seen and it was embarrassing to me. I sat through the rest of the movie in a mild shock, wondering why they would think it was okay to watch a movie like this. I was not a big movie-watcher, and honestly, I had not realized how graphic R movies had become. To me, it was practically an X.

The following week, I could not stop thinking about that sex scene. Over and over it played in my mind. I couldn’t get it out even though I didn’t want to think about it. Being a single Christian woman, this was frustrating to me – first, as a Christian, I didn’t want to be thinking of this graphic sex scene. Second, as a single woman, I didn’t want to be thinking about sex at all, since God says sex is reserved for marriage only.

I eventually needed deliverance prayers to cast out the “flashback” demon that kept bringing this unwanted memory back to my mind. I repented to God about watching this movie and then the demon was cast out. (Also as a side note, when I watched my grandmother and my brother die, the trauma caused the flashback demon to enter me, and it had to be cast out then as well. The demon would bring back the memories of their faces and their last breaths at the time of their deaths. While I still remember those moments, the demon is not there any longer to torment me over and over again with those memories.)

But this article is not about the flashback demon, but about not setting anything wicked before our eyes. As Christians, we have to be very selective about what we take into our souls (defined as the mind, the will and the emotions) through seeing and hearing. Because what we take in through our senses affects our minds and our hearts toward God and people. As I was growing in my walk with the Lord, I realized I needed to swear off R-rated movies for the violence, the sex and nudity, and the profanity. What benefit would I as a Christian have in watching movies like this, I asked myself. It didn’t seem like it would be pleasing to God. And I could certainly get my entertainment from other sources that wouldn’t be so detrimental to my Christian walk.

King David got the connection between your input receptors (in this case, the eyes) and the heart and the mind as seen in the Psalm at the top of this article:

I will set nothing wicked before my eyes. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.

Now consider this proverb by Solomon, talking to his children about King David his father, teaching the same connection (in this case, the ears):

Proverbs 4:1-13 and 20-27
1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; 2 For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law. 3 When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 He also taught me, and said to me: ” Let your heart retain my words (hearing); Keep my commands, and live. 5 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.” 10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings (hearing), And the years of your life will be many. 11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble. 13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.

20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. 24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Wow, isn’t it the truth. What’s in your heart really tells what kind of a person you are. And what you put into your heart (through the choices you make with your eyes and ears) can make you the person you are today. This is what Jesus said to the Pharisees:

Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34)

To illustrate this, one day I was talking to a Christian friend of mine about a baby shower we were going to attend. Not long before this conversation, I had been telling her about the spiritual world of demons, how they affect Christians, how the Lord has taught us to minister deliverance. We had tried to minister some deliverance to her with no results. As we were discussing the shower, she said to me, “Well, don’t bring any demons to the shower,” in a catty voice. As I started my response, she said condescendingly, “Mandy, I’m just kidding!” After I hung up the phone, the bolded part of the scripture above shot into my mind like a lightning bolt, and I knew it was the Holy Spirit telling me that my friend’s heart was not right with God on this matter.

In conclusion, if you do a search on the Internet to read about psychological studies on children correlating the influence of watching sex and violence on TV and their behavior, you can find plenty of unfavorable reports. Christians can become desensitized from God (the Bible calls it a hardened heart and a reprobate mind and gives plenty of examples) by absorbing the wrong things into their souls. We all know looking at pornography is immoral and can create a tremendous stronghold, but what about the more subtle things like the television programs and movies we watch, the steamy romance novels we read, the raunchy jokes we hear, etc.? We need to be more select about what we allow our eyes to see and our ears to hear.

I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. (1 Chronicles 29:17)

…you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:3)

And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. (Deuteronomy 8:2)

But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. (1 Thessalonians 2:4)

I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:10)

This is what happens when you consistently don’t love God enough to guard your heart, your soul, your mind:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting. (Romans 1:28)

So, let’s say you’re a casual Christian and you’re not willing to swear off R-rated movies. “There’s nothing wrong with watching them, I’m not hurting anyone,” you might say. Then a little voice comes to you and says, “That’s right, you’re not hurting any one. And one little peek at some Internet porn won’t hurt you either.” So you think, yeah, why not?

Before you know it, you’re addicted. You can’t stop thinking about looking at that porn. You want to stop, but you can’t because the attraction is too great. Then the type of porn that satisfied you before doesn’t satisfy you any more. You sink into harder and harder porn.

If you’re married, you may ask your spouse to act out or participate in some of the perversions you’ve seen. Or worse, you lose all your desire for your spouse because he or she doesn’t fit the body type of your porn dreams or doesn’t want to play the sick games.

Now, you’re marriage is destroyed. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy through pornography.

What happened is that a small thought or wrong desire turned into a stronghold. Jesus taught how to stop something from becoming a stronghold in Matthew 5: 27:

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin (referring to masturbation), cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

If you want to walk with God with your whole heart, think about what is going into that heart through what you see and hear and how it affects your intimacy with Him.