Trauma-Responsive Pulpit Series: Spiritual Deception

I'm Tammy Toney-Butler. Welcome to today's teaching and message. I want to thank everyone who is tuning in, who's coming to us from all different parts of the world. Holy Spirit, come have your way in this time that we have together. Let them see you and not me. Let you speak through me as a vessel, truth, hope, healing, chain breaker. Lord Jesus, we give you all the glory and all the honor as we prepare to teach your sheep as you would have taught them. Oh, Holy Spirit, come. Just blanket them with your peace, your protection, your strength. Give them spiritual ears to hear and spiritual eyes to see what is laid before them so that that spirit of deception Can be broken now in the name of Lord Jesus. By his power and his authority. Everything he is is in his name. As we will learn about today. Lord Jesus. Send us your Holy Spirit. To renew us. Make us one with you. your purified bride that you're coming for. Thank you, Lord Jesus. As we give you this time today, have your way in and through me. Not my will, but yours be done. In your precious name we pray. Amen. Don't forget to like us on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, follow Tammy Toney-Butler, follow Reflective Spaces Ministry, follow Reflective Hour with Tammy Toney-Butler. All these different avenues for the Lord Jesus to get his message out to his people. All right, we're going to begin. I'm going to start with our teaching today in our PowerPoint. And it is entitled Spiritual deception. The narrow gate. Again, the teaching and message is by Tammy Toney- Butler. That's me. Today's scriptural references. Mark four. Acts 3, 2 Timothy 2, Revelation 8. Mark 4. Jesus tells the parable of the four soils. And we're going to be reading out of the Life Application Study Bible, the New International Reader's Version. So grab your Bibles as we begin. Jesus tells the parable of the four soils. Again, reading out of Mark 4. Again, Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables and in his teaching said, listen, a farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, The plants were scorched and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying 30, 60 and even a hundred times. Then Jesus said, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. It goes on the next section is entitled Jesus explains the parable of the four soils. When he was alone, the 12 and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them the secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything is said in parables so that they may be ever seen, but never perceiving and ever hearing, but never understanding. Otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven. Then Jesus said to them, don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seeds sown among thorns, hear the word, but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seeds sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop. Thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times that was sown. He said to them, Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. Consider carefully what you hear, he continued. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And even more, whoever has will be given more. Whoever does not have, even when he has, will be taken from him. Jesus tells the parable of the growing seed. He also said, this is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself, the soil produces grain. First the stalk then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it because the harvest has come. Jesus tells the parable of the mustard seed. Again, he said, what shall we say the kingdom of God is like? Or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of the garden plants with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade. With many similar parables, Jesus spoke the word to them as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. Jesus calms the storm. That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, let us go over to the other side. Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along just as he was in the boat. There was also other boats with him. A furious squall came up and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, teacher, don't you care if we drown? He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, quiet be still then the wind died down and it was completely calm he said to his disciples why are you so afraid do you still have no faith they were terrified and asked each other who is this even the wind and the waves obey him well that speaks to faith over fear now we will continue In Mark 4, we see Jesus' teaching true to his followers. The church is bright. Crowds gathered around him as they gather in houses of worship today. Are their spiritual ears open to hear and spiritual eyes to see? We hear with our physical ears, but there is a different kind of listening with the mind and the heart that is vital to gaining spiritual understanding from Jesus' words. And our reference is the New Application Study Bible, the New International Reader's Version, pages 1736 to 37. Some people do not understand God's truth because they are not ready to. God reveals truth to people who will act on it, making it visible in their lives. Does the word of God fall on fertile soil, rocky soil, among thorns? What does the parable of the soils even mean? The four soils represent how people respond to God's message. Some believe it was talking about four kinds of people. Where is the person on their spiritual journey? Are they mature or baby Christians? How well will they receive the word? What does a parable of the souls even mean? The souls could also represent different phases or times in a person's life. Can we willingly receive God's message in some areas of our lives and resist it in other areas? Again, reading out of the New Application Study Bible. What does the parable of the soils even mean? Are you open to hearing God's word about your future, finances, health? What is the posture of your heart to receive the word, digest it, and act on it? What does the parable of the soils even mean? Can you hear the word at that moment? Have your basic needs been met? Food, clothing, shelter, and safety. Are you in need of healing physically? What rocks are in your soil? Obstacles, blockages, and hindrances. As soon as the word is heard, Satan comes to deceive them so the word sown does not penetrate their hearts. Remember, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10, 17, the King James Version. Others, like seeds sown on rocky soil, hear the word and receive it joyfully. But since they have no root, they last only briefly. Church or worship services, mission trips, seminars, conferences. The moment the storms of life come, persecution comes and trouble comes because they start trying to live by the word, going against the crowd and obeying it, being doers of the word. They fall away, falling back into sin and worldly fleshly desires. Their faith could not sustain them since they lack spiritual depth or maturity. They only scratched the surface of the true gospel, never diving deeper in cultivating a relationship with Abba Father, Jesus, and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives. They never surrendered control of their lives to Jesus, making him Lord and Savior of their lives and their hearts. Satan came along and also sowed seeds of hate, bitterness, resentment, greed, pride, self-righteousness, and materialism. Others are like seeds sown among thorns. They hear the word, but the worries of this life, the desires for the things of this world, money, wealth, power, pure acceptance, self-recognition, ambition, greed, sexual pleasures, and fleshly desires creep into their minds and choke the word, cutting off its oxygen, blood supply, and its very life and make their hearts dead to the word. Hmm. Satan causes deceptive thoughts to come in through lustful desires, past hurts, and not putting off our old sinful nature. Thus the heart hardens and the word is unable to penetrate the erected barrier or rocky soil. As a result, we follow the herd mentality, the world and not the spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit gets grieved, but they forge forward on a path of destruction and deception, following the path of the crowd, comfort, least resistance, or familiarity. Others, like seeds sown on fertile soil, hear the word, accept it, and allow the word's free will to work in their lives. They produce fruit for the kingdom. They have a changed life. putting off the old garment of sin and wearing the new robe of righteousness. They choose an uncomfortable, unfamiliar road that leads to fullness and abundant life, but can be paved with trials, storms, and periods of lack. These individuals have a changed life. The Holy Spirit has entered them, their heart, by faith, by hearing the truth of the gospel, and they are renewed daily. Daily repentance, renewal of mind and body to be in alignment with the Spirit, following the will of God for their lives and not their own. Living a life of obedience to Abba Father, as we saw in our last teaching, in Mary and John the Baptist's lives, they are full of joy, Peace and love, the fruits of the spirit are evident and on display. Dying to flesh each day, acting in humility and mirroring Christ to others. They have become the temple of the Lord Jesus Christ, the purified bride or true church. Carriers of his grace, mercy and ability to be living examples of the word as Jesus was when he walked the earth. As the apostles in the book of Acts demonstrate. Let's have a moment of reflection. Are you being deceived? Has the enemy Satan sowed seeds of deception? Have you accepted these lies as truth? Has the rocks of bitterness, hate, and unforgiveness blocked the seed from taking root and growing? Do you live for Christ every day of the week? Does the word produce fruit in your life or the kingdom? Can you rebuke Satan's lies and not entertain them in your mind? Is your mind like Christ? Or do you think of desire and seek after the treasures of this world? Trauma responsive pulpit. When we look at the next slide showing the aces pyramid, we must think of the soil, hearts of the people, where the seeds, the word of God, are sown. Are we sowing? As farmers, ministers, pastors, the word of God into good soil? Are we contributing to spiritual blockages with our words and delivery methods? We have to understand that trauma shapes and molds us. We are often cultivated and grown in wounds that have been conditioned by trauma. whether adverse community environments or adverse childhood experiences. We can be forged, built by fire, but not a refiner's fire as the Lord Jesus wants to do to transform us. putting off our old selves that were defined by these experiences and putting on our new selves. So the word can penetrate our heart. Any obstacles and obstructions being removed, uprooted, plucked. So the true gospel can branch off and bear Much fruit for the kingdom of God. Perhaps we need to till the ground a little bit more. Build a trusting, nonjudgmental space. Uproot some of these thorns and break up the rocky soil in the people's hearts. Then the word of God's song can fall on fertile ground and the seeds planted bear much fruit for the kingdom of God. People who grow into images of Christ branch off into non-compromising, deeply rooted faith trees. Trees that do not blow with the wind hold steadfast in the storms of life and become bearers of light to a world filled with darkness and deception. They produce light, love, and life wherever they go. As rivers of living water flow from their hearts into the thirsty wells of others, finally quenching that spiritual thirst. Proverbs 4. The King James Version, Tree of Life Version, New International Version is a resource reference there. Let's look at Acts 3, where Peter heals the beggar. We're going to be reading out of the Life Application Study Bible, the New International Reader's Version. So grab your Bibles. We're going to start again, Acts 3. Peter heals the crippled beggar. One day, Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer. Three in the afternoon, now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, look at us. So the man gave them his attention. expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Taking him by the right hand, He helped him up and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called beautiful. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Peter speaks to the onlookers. While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them, men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the holy and righteous one and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this by faith in the name of Jesus. This man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus's name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him as you all can see. Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, deception, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. and that he may send the Christ who has been appointed for you, even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people. You must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people. Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, through your offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed. When God raised up his servant, he sent him first. to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. Wow. Powerful. Let's continue. The crippled man was begging where the most people would see him. The gate beautiful was an entrance to the temple. The crippled man asked for money to fulfill his immediate need. Peter gave him something much better, complete healing. Reminds us of the homeless that we see on the streets that come up to our windows begging at those crowded intersections. We often ask God to satisfy an immediate need or small problem and see through a narrow lens or view of the world. God wants to give us so much more, believe for so much more. We often ask God for what we want or think is best. Instead, God gives us what we need. God knows what is in our heart and gives us the desires of our heart if we ask and according to his perfect will for our lives. Often our circumstances, seasons of lack and past experiences can skew our perspective and have our focus on survival needs only instead of the fullness of life that the gospel offers. We have to put our trust in God's healing, in Jesus and not in silver or gold. Displays of God's grace and mercy, as the healing of the crippled man demonstrated, often provide teachable moments. This healed crippled man began praising God openly, and through his testimony, many were awed at God's power. New Application Study Bible, New International Reader's Version, pages 1948 to 49 is the reference there. This man had experiential knowledge of God's mercy and grace, which opened the heart of not only him, but others present in the crowd, creating an environment conducive to planting seeds on fertile soil. Peter demonstrated faith in action. Peter told who Jesus is, how the Jews religious leaders have rejected him, why the rejection was fatal, what they must do to change or rectify the situation. The crowd still had a choice to believe and receive Jesus as their Messiah and Lord. Peter had courage. Peter's message emphasized the people and religious leaders killed Jesus. God brought Jesus back to life. The apostles were eyewitnesses of this fact. Peter pointed out these leaders' sin and injustice, the significance of the resurrection and God's triumph and power over death. Peter's message emphasized. In those days, a man's name represented his character, power, and authority. Peter let them know Jesus gave them the power and authority to heal. Jesus' name was not to be used as magic or with an agenda. It must only be used in faith. When we pray, we must remember it is Christ in us that gives our prayers power through faith, not the empty routine use of the name. New Application Study Bible, New International Reader's Version, pages 1948-49 as a reference. Peter's message emphasized Peter was explaining the kind of Messiah God sent to earth. Jesus was a suffering servant and did not look like what they thought he should look like. It was in different packaging. God gave them what they needed, not what they thought they wanted. God wanted them to have much more than their limited human understanding. Peter's message emphasized John the Baptist spoke of repentance and prepared the way for Jesus. The apostles like Peter also called for repentance. Repentance is recognizing sin in our lives and turning away from it. Peter's message emphasized many want the benefits of Christ, but do not want to turn away from sin and obey his will for their lives. Forgiveness is confessing your sin and turning from it. Spiritual refreshment, getting your thirst quenched, comes when we repent and seek a better way. Moment of reflection. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Religious leaders and people who followed them, they were caught up in a spiritual deception. They believed a lie. They were caught up in the herd mentality. They followed the crowd, the path of least resistance. We're deceived into believing God. We're deceived into believing good was evil and evil was good. Let me read that again. We're deceived into believing good was evil and evil was good. Cause division in the church, the body. As followers of Christ, we must know and understand God's word. We must guard our hearts against impurities and deception introduced through worldly pathways, such as social media, news outlets, television, music, video games, and sadly, those people who cooperate openly with sin. We must be careful what we ingest as Christians, spiritual food, and ask ourselves, Does what I see in this leader's or person's behavior and actions mirror Christ's life? Am I being deceived? Does this leader or person sow seeds of purity, love, unity, humility, compassion, mercy, and grace that feed and satisfy me? Or do they sow lies, discord, hate, division, incite violence, belittle, ridicule, bully, or hurt others that leave me spiritually dead or dry? Seeking kingdom living, kingdom wisdom, and understanding can be a complex daily process of transformation and renewal. You must follow Christ's example of love and humility daily. Say no to the world's value system. Our relationship with Abba Father is a loving, beautiful one that transforms our lives and leads us into the fullness and abundance discussed in the Word of God, John 10.10. We are like Mary and John, doers of the word, faith in action. Now let's look at 2 Timothy 2. Paul passes the torch of leadership to a new generation. And we will be reading out of the Life Application Study Bible, the New International Reader's Version. You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ. Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs. He wants to please his commanding officer Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown. Unless he competes according to the rules, the hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. Remember Jesus Christ. raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel for which I am suffering, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect and that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Here is a trustworthy saying. If we died with him, we will also live with him. If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us. If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. A workman approved by God. Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them. Before God against quarreling about words, it is of no value and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm. Sealed with this inscription, the Lord knows those who are his. And everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. And a Lord... house, there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, it will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the master, and prepared to do any good work. Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments because you know they produce quarrels and the Lord's servant must not quarrel. Instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him, he must gently instruct in the hope that God will grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth. Let me read that again. Those who oppose him, he must gently instruct in the hope that God will grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil. That's that deception again. Who has taken them captive to do his will. Wow. Powerful. Let's continue. Paul wrote while virtually alone in prison and sentenced to death for following Jesus of Nazareth. Paul teaches Timothy to lead faith. Be disciplined and ready to endure hardship. Keep eyes and mind focused on Christ. Hold to sound doctrine. Reject error. Avoid godless chatter. Correctly handle the word of truth. Keep his life pure. 2 Timothy 2, 14 to 18, the tree of life version. A workman with the word. Remind them of these things and solemnly charge them before God not to quarrel about words which is useless to the ruin of those who are listening. Make every effort to present yourself before God as tried and true, as an unshamed worker cutting a straight path with the word of truth. But avoid godless chatter or it will lead to further ungodliness. And their words will spread like cancer. The King James Version says canker. Again, that's not a good thing. It's a contagious sore often seen even in syphilis, terminal syphilis even. So it's like you're at the end of the sickness of the illness. So that is not a good thing. The New International Reader's version says gangrene, which we just read, instead of cancer. And the New King James Version says cancer. And their words will spread like cancer, like gangrene, like cankers. Allow God to use as an instrument of his will. Wise leaders remove themselves from temptation physically. Flee anything that produces evil thoughts. Remove yourself from any situation that stimulates your desire to sin. Knowing when to run to avoid a spiritual battle is as important as knowing when and how to fight. Life Application Study Bible, New International Reader's Version, page 2202 for reference. Good teachers are leaders of the gospel. kind and gentle, patient and courteous when explaining the truth. They do not promote quarrels or foolish arguments. They actively listen to others, treat others with respect, avoid foolish debates. Spiritual truth. They move against the herd on their own or in the minority. They take the narrow gate. Do they live a life like the example set forth in Titus that we discussed in earlier teachings? Admit need for daily forgiveness and repentance or purification. Jesus is the only way to salvation and eternal life. Can they stand up to a fruit test? You need to become a fruit tester. You need to look at their actions, not what they're saying, but look at their behaviors. Look at how they live their life. Look at their, are they bearing fruit? Are they, can you see what they're saying in the life? Are they living that life that they're preaching and teaching? Matthew 7, 13 to 14. New International Version. The narrow and wide gates. Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only few find it. Spiritual deception. Let's look closely at this section. Spiritual deception. Trusting in the majority when it comes to spiritual matters. Narrow versus wide gate. Which gate are you taking? Listening to anyone who claims to speak for Christ. Antichrist spirit is everywhere. And there's many false prophets as is referenced in Revelations. You need to look and see if anyone is teaching. Are they teaching from the word, from the Bible? Are they teaching? What does their life represent? How are they leading others to Christ? Are they setting the example themselves? Spiritual deception. Subtle but strong pressure to go with the crowd, sheep-ism or herd mentality. And merely agreeing with Jesus instead of acting on his word, doers of the word. And there's the reference there for that description that I gleaned from another source. 2 Timothy 2.26 says, Tree of life version. Then they may regain their senses and escape the devil's snare in which they had been held captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2, 26. King James Version. And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will. That spoke of deception. Now we're going to look at Revelation 8, sounding the trumpets and warm wood. Revelation 8 will be reading out of the Life Application Study Bible, the New International Reader's Version. And that will complete our reading of the scriptures in our sections. The seventh seal and the golden censer. When he opened the seventh seal, there was a silence in heaven. for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God and to them were given seven trumpets. Another angel who had a golden censer came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense together with the prayers of the saints went up before God from the angel's hand." Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar and hurled it on the earth. And there came peals of thunder, rumbling splashes of lightning and an earthquake. Sounding the seven trumpets, the trumpets. Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first angel sounded his trumpet and there came hail and fire mixed with blood and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up. A third of the trees were burned up and all the green grass was burned up. A second angel sounded his trumpet and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third angel sounded his trumpet and a great star blazing like a torch fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night. As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth because of the trumpet blast about to be sounded by the other three angels. Wow, powerful, powerful. Let's continue. The trumpet blast. They warn of certain judgment, call the forces of good and evil to battle, announce the return of the king, the Messiah. Wormwood was often used metaphorically. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy. Comparison between two things for clarifications, that's what an analogy is. Let me read that again. Wormwood was often used metaphorically. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them. And an example is like drowning in money. And I took that out of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. A plant with a very bitter taste. Something bitter and deadly. Evil, affliction, remorse, punitive, suffering. Unrighteous judges. Contaminated by sin. This is all things that Wormwood could represent in the scriptures. Let's look at Amos 5, Tree of Life version. Sins of Injustice. You who turn justice to wormwood through righteousness to the ground. Amos 5, New International Version. There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground. Amos 5, King James Version. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood and leave off righteousness in the earth. New Living Translation, Amos 5. You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed. You treat the righteous like dirt. Are we following the true gospel that Jesus taught and is referenced in John 7, 37 to 38? And I'll be reading out of the King James Version. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Are we following a contaminated, bitter gospel spreading through the church body like cancer with deception at its core? Sent by Satan to kill, steal, destroy, divide, and distract. In Proverbs 5, Wormwood refers to following the advice of the immoral woman of apostasy. When a baptized person who once professed being a Christian now rejects it. That's what apostasy is. And false religion, refusing to listen to the truth when it is presented in a clear, concise manner. Let me read that again. In Proverbs 5, Wormwood refers to following the advice of the immoral woman of apostasy and false religion. refusing to listen to the truth when it is presented in a clear and concise manner. Proverbs 5, the tree of life version. Beware seduction. My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Incline your ear to my insight that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge. For a seducing woman's lips drip honey, and her mouth is smooth as oil. But in the end, she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to shoal. She does not keep straight to the path of life. Her paths are crooked, but she does not know it. The people's minds refuse to see the truth. due to the spirit of deception that has bound them. Satan has hooked them with his false promises and inability to discern the truth. Let's have a moment of reflection. Is the church under attack by a spirit of deception causing disunity? Matthew 12, 25, New International Version. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. This is not the time for disunity within the body. Let's look at a trauma responsive pulpit. The children of Israel left Egypt, but was Egypt still in them? Were they bound yet free? Is something binding you? Are you chained to something or someone? How does it affect our ability to renew and transform our minds and be like Jesus? Now let's look at the prophetic word that I received on 8-7-2024. And the Holy Spirit has wanted me to put this in every teaching that I do. And I'll do it until he tells me to stop because I merely obey. Thus saith the Lord, They must turn from evil. The scales have tipped. The time is now. Repent and turn. I am a God of love and mercy, but also judgment. They openly sin and blasphemy me. Thus saith the Lord. Repent and turn back to me before my judgment is certain. Turn back to me. Turn back to me. Woe to the one that does not heed this word. Thus saith the Lord thy God. Now I want to do a little demonstration for you. So bear with me as I bring everything up on the camera. And I'm going to do this live. Now I want you to recognize that this can be triggering for some individuals. so their contact numbers hotline information on our website www.reflectivespacesministry.com And there's no shame in seeking help. There's no shame in calling the suicide hotline. There's no shame in seeking out counseling, spiritual counseling, Christian counseling, trauma-informed counseling from trauma therapists. A lot of the individuals I work with for spiritual healing, they also go to trauma therapists as well. So seek out those avenues and and recognize that for me, Christ is the only thing that healed me of my addictions and my coping with childhood trauma through those addictions. I coped with the shame, the guilt, the fear, the regret, the self-loathing, the lies that were planted in me and the hooks that were planted in me as a child when I was cultivated in a womb of trauma and then was exposed to many years of suffering sexual violence and abuse, then those negative seeds and things can get planted inside of us. And we have to uproot those and get those out to heal. And it's an ongoing process. It's only been just a few months ago, maybe about nine months now, that the Lord dealt with me with my food addiction and my spirit of gluttony. And I've lost over 90 pounds. And for the first time, I'm in control of that. And that was a journey and a process that we can explore later as well. But healing takes time. It's a layered process. You have to peel away the layers to get to those hidden roots that are the true root of why you have that addiction, why you cope through sex or drugs or other negative pathways. Recognize that trauma did play a role in your life and it did shape and mold us and we have to address it. And many people, they never tell anyone what happened to them, especially men who've been sexually assaulted. So just know that there's hope, there's healing and never be afraid or ashamed to reach out for help. So anyways, I want to do something because we were talking about the mind. We were talking about Christ. We were talking about healing and the enemy getting his hooks of deception in us. And so I wanted to show you my brain. OK, this is my brain. And I have this is my adolescent brain because we know that children are especially vulnerable to deception. and adolescents in that age group that social media is so evidently pursuing. So this is my little brain, and I've got hooks. And I wanted to show you how the devil, Satan, and the world can just get their hooks in us because they start planting lies Seeds of doubt, seeds of bitterness, seeds of hate. Telling us we're worthless will never matter. And also, if you're in a controlling relationship, seeds of fear. And often we can. become chained by our past experiences. And these chains can be around our brain. So even if we are free of the oppressor's grip, if we leave Egypt, Egypt can still be in us and someone can still be controlling our thought and our mind, our thoughts and our minds. And sin opens us up to deception from the enemy. And he can plant lies and seeds in us to where we, as the people of God, the body, the church, can actually believe a lie and be chained to someone who is leading us down a path of destruction. following the herd mentality or the crowd we can be shaped and molded to do that we see this a lot in human trafficking where the psychological chains and manipulation control individuals what do we have to do we have to break off this lie and unlink ourselves day by day from the lies planted by the enemy, planted by our circumstances, planted by our childhood trauma, planted by controlling individuals or false leaders, false prophets. We have to unhook ourself from the lies so that we can become unbound, unchained, and little by little, like in my case, the root, the hook, that they use to exploit us, manipulate us, and control us. The lure is broken because we're set free by Christ, renewed in mind, body, and spirit. Our heart is opened and ready to receive the word of God, and we live by faith and not by fear. Transformed, completely renewed in mind, body, and spirit, no longer bound. but set free in Christ. And he who Christ sets free is free indeed. And that's what I wanted you to see. So there's no shame in seeking help, no shame in recognizing that even if someone is in your church, in your clinic, in your sphere of influence, they can still be changed, be chained by the past, by the sins of the past, by the lies of the past, by the deception from the enemy. And our job as leaders is to not incite violence, but is to instill hope, peace and love and joy. And out of our heart, flow rivers of living water, healing water that sets individuals free and does not further imprison them. That's the Lord Jesus I serve. That's the true gospel, the purified bride, the gospel of truth. And that's what he wanted you to see today. God bless you, keep you. He loves you and I love you. Holy Spirit, be with them as they process This video is a process. The words and seeds that were planted. Let them have fallen on fertile soil. As we uprooted some of the rocks. And broke off that spirit of deception. Disunity. The lies of the enemy. And opened them up to seeing the truth. And walking along that narrow path of righteousness. For your name's sake. Strengthen them oh God. Touch them in the crevices of their heart. where raw wounds can open and bleed. Purify them with your blood. Let it be a soothing salve that comforts them where they ache and heals them in their infirmaries. By your stripes you were healed. Heal them, Father. Show them you, your love, your grace, your mercy, as they go forth this day and prosper as beautiful sons and daughters of the King. a royal priesthood set out to do your will. In your son's mighty name, in the mighty name of Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen. God bless you and keep you. And I hope you enjoyed this teaching. Like, subscribe to our YouTube channels or podcasts. Go to our website, www.reflectivespacesministry.com. You can donate, sow into this word, any of those things. God loves you. Take care. God bless.