There are some lies that circulate among professing Christians. These distortions of the Truth slip into sermons, books, Christian music, Christian radio and podcasts and many other ways. Most of these lies are subtle because they 'seem' to be taken from Scripture, and Christians, if they are not rooted in the Word of God, can be easily swayed to believe these harmful lies.

What might some of these lies be? For the next few Blog posts, I will try to address some common lies and then give a Biblical response to those lies. These are lies that many professing Christians fall for. When these lies are believed, there is always a negative, painful and harmful outcome.

We must embrace the Truth on these matters as God has revealed in His Word. In embracing the Truth, we will not only not be deceived, we will see clearly, Biblically, and in that, we will discover not only freedom, but also joy. Embracing the Truth is essential to our growth in Christlikeness as well. 

Let's get started:

Lie #1: God wants you to prosper (financially, health, success) and if you just have enough faith, you will. This lie has led many to abandon what they thought was Christianity (but actually wasn't). Often Jeremiah 29:11 is cited as a promise from God to do just that. However, the context of Jeremiah 29:11 has nothing to do with God promising all people in all times that if they have faith, He will make them healthy, wealthy and successful. This promise was to God's children as they were in exile in Babylon. God is promising His people, who were living in a very difficult and stressful situation, that He is not going to abandon them or harm them, that ultimately He will restore and renew them. God still had plans for His rebellious people. 

God never promises any of us that we would be rich, always healthy and successful in every endeavor. In fact, it is just the opposite.

Jesus said that in this world we would have many troubles, but we are to take heart because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). He also said, 'if they persecuted me, they will persecute you.' (John 15:20). The apostle Paul said this: 'All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, must suffer persecution.' (2 Timothy 3:12). God's Word certainly doesn't offer us our 'best life now,' on this side of eternity. Instead, we are called to live in light of eternity and to lay up treasures there, in heaven, as opposed to making earthly wealth our ultimate pursuit. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said this:  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."-Matthew 6:19-21. 

Jesus is not telling us to pursue poverty and adopt some ascetic lifestyle. He is telling us that whatever and wherever our treasure is, that is where I heart will be. If God is our great treasure, then we will delight in Him, love Him supremely, we will glory in Him. However, if our hearts are devoted to worldly treasures (or any other thing we might elevate above God), then that thing or person or things....is our 'god.'

This is not to say that God will not choose to give you health or financial riches or earthly 'success.' He might. It is to say we should not expect that God 'owes' us anything as long as our faith is big enough.

God may choose to give you great health throughout your life. If so, praise Him and thank Him for that and give Him all the glory. Use that strength to serve Him and others, starting with your family and church. 

God may choose to give you wealth. If so, praise Him and thank Him for all that He has given you and give Him all the glory. Use that wealth to impact eternity. Be a blessing to your family and the church and the kingdom of God. Be a wise steward. 

God may choose to give you success. If so, give Him all the praise and glory and honor and leverage that success for the purpose of the King and His Kingdom. Walk humbly before God and others. It is God Himself who gave you the capacity to achieve that success, whatever it may be. 

God may choose to allow you to experience financial hardship, health battles and you may never be seen as anyone (by the world's standards) who is 'successful.' If so, praise God and thank Him and ask Him for wisdom in trials. He promises to give that (James 1:5). And, remember this: God uses tests and trials, not because He is sadistic, rather He is using them to make us more like Jesus, to grow us in our maturity and spiritual perseverance (see James 1:2-4; Romans 5:3-5).

Testing and trials are opportunities not only for spiritual growth, they are opportunities for us to grow in our intimacy with Christ. They are opportunities for us to become more like Christ.

When we come to terms with the fact that our Perfect Heavenly Father will use troubles and tests and hardships to make us more like Jesus, we are able to rest more in Him when difficult times come. The difficult times are not by chance and they are not meaningless. God is with us in those times and wants to use them to do a special work in our lives for our growth, our ultimate good, and His glory. 

When we believe the lie that it is God's will to 'prosper' us (health, wealth, success), we find ourselves chasing after these things more than God Himself. We want the Father's stuff more than we want Him and we ultimately worship the Father's stuff more than Him. And, if troubles come, we come to a natural conclusion because we have believed a lie. We will believe that either God is a liar, or, we will believe that we simply don't have the necessary faith to experience the life that God has for us, and so we walk away from God, or at least the 'god' we were worshipping. 

Lastly, remember this: Our Father is Good. He is our Perfect Father. He is All-Wise and He perfectly knows what is ultimately best for us. He hears our prayers and knows how to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:7-11). Pursue Him. Seek Him and His righteousness first, above all, and He will take care of your needs (Matthew 6:33). 

You can trust Him. He is with you and for you. Remember that. 

Grace to You,

Pastor Kevin