THE OLD PATHS: Issue No. 17 - July "Have Faith In God"

Every time I download the pdf, I always turn to the
Quotable Quotes 1st;

C.H. Spurgeon
"Unless we have the spirit of
the prophets resting upon us,
the mantle which we wear is
nothing but a rough garment
to deceive. We ought to be
driven forth with abhorrence
from the society of honest
men for daring to speak in the
name of the Lord if the Spirit
of God rests not upon us."

Billy Sunday
"If you're not meeting the
Devil head on, then you're
going in the same direction."

Walter Chantry
"It is imperative that preach-
ers of today learn how to
declare the spritual law of
God; for, until we learn how to
wound consciences, we shall
have no wounds to bind with
Gospel bandages."

C.H. Spurgeon
"The great reason why we
have so little good preaching
is that we have so little piety.
To be eloquent one must be
in earnest; he must not only
act as if he were in earnest, or
try to be in earnest, but be in
earnest.”

John Wesley
"Preach 90% Law and 10%
grace."

Dear saints,

I would much rather not present this with a wrong understanding that this is an important issue to be read and absorbed. I do not know that any of The Old Path's are of any difference in their importance and would not create a hierarchy where one trumps another. It is no different then the messages and articles presented here. If anything, it would be the import of timing.

I must express my own fear and great concern that even those in our loose fellowship here may be caught unaware and therefore deceived. The tremendous thought is expressed by the Lord;

Mar 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

[i]Even the elect[/i]. That is a troubling statement only if we would not look at it on it's face value. Rather than exegete all that might be meant by this statement I would take it as one of examination of ourselves individually first and foremost and also give us a certain courage to address those things that come about in our discussions with this as an underlying concern to our own Brethren. This is true love that we care enough to be misunderstood of motivation to say hard things when they are warranted. I recognize the balancing act we must try and walk in our expressions, having a charity that is not at once compromised. I do fear that we can become too 'nice' in our concerns of not offending our own Brethren yet allow that to hold back or truncate speaking hard things to notions that are deceptive.

This July issue has a thread running through it warning us of not being deceived and that always starts in the first person singular. It is our very selves that we have to be on-guard against in the natural proclivities, in the drawing off of the world and the subtle, craftiness of the devil himself.

The article; "[i]Ten Great Biblical Deceptions[/i]" speaks much to this;

”TAKE HEED LEST ANY MAN deceive you!” This is one of the warnings in Scripture that any believer would do well to listen to. Is it possible that you are deceived that are reading this? From the beginning men have been deceived, how ought we to earnestly take heed to ourselves lest we find ourselves in the same place. The first deception is: “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” Take heed that you do not become deceived and deceive many in your blindness. God is able to keep those that call out upon His Name. The Scriptures proclaim: “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” If we walk fully towards God in repentance and forsaking all our idols we will be protected from deception.

[i]Be not deceived[/i], how often this pronouncement in the New as well as the Old Testaments. The former expressed more so for our sakes as those living in these ends of days.

Another article, "[i]Prophetic Warning[/i]" I would frankly admit to my first cautious approach in that it is a rare thing indeed that any true prophetic word is or has been uttered out of the hundreds and thousands of such speaking that resembles more of the imagination or cleverness of dicing up scripture than that which is an intimation or impression from the Lord Himself. I believe this article and this prophetic word to be it's own forth-telling and it's own authenticity just by way of it's earlier date and that which we find ourselves living in, in actuality, in real time, space and present circumstance;

Cry Out Continually

I am going to prepare you for the coming days by a hard path that will cause you to cry out continually unto Me. For when the going is easy, men do not seek Me, but rejoice in a temporary blessing. And when that blessing is removed they so often turn this way and that way but do not come to Me. I am showing you these things that you may seek Me continually and with great diligence. As you seek Me, I will open up truths to you that you have not seen before; and these very truths will be that which will enable you to stand in these last days. As you are persecuted, reviled and rejected by your brethren then you will turn unto Me with all your heart and seek Me for that spiritual life you have need of. And when tribulation comes you will have that which will enable you to stand. For many shall be tossed to and fro. Men's hearts shall fail them because of trouble on every hand. For these days shall be very terrible, the like of which has never been seen before.

Do note; [i] by your brethren [/i]. Perhaps a very hard and difficult word to hear, I ask, can it be corrected? Can we be corrected?

Be Not Deceived

Be not deceived. For the deceiver will first work to gain the hearts of many, and then shall bring forth his insidious doctrines... But seek Me constantly,... if you will look constantly to Me I will uphold you.

Great Dangers

The minister of righteousness shall be on this wise -- his life shall agree with the Word, and his lips shall give forth that which is wholly true, and it will be no mixture... The deceivers speak first the truth and then error ... Therefore I exhort and command you to study the Scriptures relative to seducing spirits, for this is one of the great dangers of these last days.

I desire you to be firmly established in My Word and not in the personalities of men, that you will not be moved as so many shall be moved. I would keep you in the paths of righteousness. Take heed to yourselves and follow not the seducing spirits that are already manifesting themselves. Diligently inquire of Me when you hear something that you have not seen in the Word, and do not hold people's persons in admiration, for it is by this very method that Satan will hold many of My people.

Truth In The Inward Parts

The truths that I have revealed to you must become a part of you -- not just an experience, but a part of your very nature. Is it not written that I demand truth in the inward parts? It is the truth of the Lord expressed in your very being that shall hold you. Many shall experience the truth, but the truth must become a part of you, your very life. As men and women look upon you they will hear not only the voice but see the expression of the truth. Many shall be overcome because they are not constant in My ways, and because they have not permitted the truths to become part of them. I am showing you these things that you may be prepared, and having done all, to stand.

Moreover, all the warnings are also those articles here pertaining to faith and to prayer. The unbelief and confusion of so many things brought about by deception must need a solidifying of fundamentals to counteract and to establish ourselves as the evil day approaches. It is only going to grow worse and worse saints we must uphold and hold to the very scriptures that are our spiritual strength and admonishen and be unashamed to exhort and rebuke ourselves by them.

I have a great burden of concern over some of the things being fostered in our midst that are left trailing and without particular confrontation scripturally. Let us not fear one another but God Himself, reverentially, prove our love for one another with spiritual courage and spiritual confrontation that we be not deceived.

This July issue has a thread running through it warning us of not being deceived and that always starts in the first person singular. It is our very selves that we have to be on-guard against in the natural proclivities, in the drawing off of the world and the subtle, craftiness of the devil himself.

not being deceived...always starts in the first person singular.

God repeatedly calls us to be on our guard against believing lies. That's what deception is--believing what is not true. It is one of the great works of the enemy of our souls. So the Lord repeatedly warns us about it in Scripture:

\tLuke 21:8, Jesus warned His disciples: "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am [He],' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them."

\tRomans 7:11, Paul describes the role of deception in his spiritual bondage: "For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed [me]."

\t1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul identifies "cheap grace" with deception: "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

\t1 Corinthians 15:33, "Do not be deceived: 'Evil company corrupts good habits.'"

\t2 Corinthians 11:3, "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

\tGalatians 6:7, Paul warns those who think that they can get away with sin: "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."

\t2 Timothy 3:13, This is a problem that will constantly threaten us in this life: "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."

\tTitus 3:3, It is the very condition out of which we have been converted: "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another."

\tJames 1:16, "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren."

\tRevelation 20:8, 10, It is the devil's design to "deceive the nations."

This is a mere sampling of the Bible's warnings. Deception is spiritually deadly because at every point that you believe lies you cannot believe truth, and it is the truth that sets us free and by which we are sanctified (John 8:32, 17:17).

[i]Thomas Watson speaking of the ‘deceitfulness of sin’ once said: “Sin... has its original from a deceitful subtle serpent, is the ground of all the deceit in the world, is the great deceiver of souls. Sin... debases the soul of man, defiles and pollutes the soul of man, renders the soul most unlike to God, who is the best and greatest; renders the soul most like to Satan, who is a very sea and sink of sin. Sin robs the soul of... the image of God, the holiness of God, the beauty of God, the glory of God, the righteousness of God. Sin is peccatum est Deicidium--a killing of God!

‘But they kept shouting--Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’”[/i]

Mikes's: It is only going to grow worse and worse saints we must uphold and hold to the very scriptures that are our spiritual strength and admonishen and be unashamed to exhort and rebuke ourselves by them.

This is a very important topic and one I have felt the Lord putting in my heart also. I shared on this subject Sunday AM and may share some of the notes on a different post. But we are told in Hebrews 3:13 and 10:25 that we are to 'exhort one another'. And more and more as we see that day approaching.