Guest Speaker David Spivey

We have guest speaker David Spivey planning to speak on the call this week so lets really promote for him and most importantly pray that God would use his words to speak to whoever will listen!

Confusion - Speaker Ezra Byer

Where does Confusion Come from

1 Corinthians 14:33 ³³ ¶ for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. Since confusion doesn’t come from God, confusion obviously comes from the devil. The devil knows that he will not be able to get the vast majority of the universe to become Satan worshippers. However, if he can get people confused and deceived enough that they reject what God says, he will succeed in his mission for humanity.

How do we know if we’re confused?

We know we are confused whenever we are doing things that are going against Biblical principles. A lot of people say things like, “well, as long as my conscience doesn’t bother me, I’m okay.” Sorry, that’s not the way it works! Let me just explain how the conscience works. Many people think that when we get saved, the Holy Spirit becomes our conscience. This is not the case. [^NAU Romans 9:1 ¶ I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,] Our conscience functions separately from the Holy Spirit.

Our conscience can be so messed up that things like pornography, deception, or dishonor to parents don’t bother us. E.g. The Nazi army thought it was okay to kill 6 million Jews, many mothers feel it is okay to have abortions, and many people have sex outside of marriage. So don’t think that just because your conscience doesn’t bother you, is a sign that you are not deceived. It’s not.

How does the devil confuse us?

1. He deemphasizes the importance of God’s Word – If the devil can make people believe that the word of God is not important, this will cause people to fall into temptation. Now obviously no one will say that the Bible is not important but their actions alone prove what kind of significance they place on it. If people say that the word of God is very important to them but yet they never memorize scripture, they never read the Bible, and they never live God’s Word in their lives they are plainly saying that they do not truly believe that the Word of God is a shaper then a two edged sword and is our most significant weapon in our arsenal.

2. He will deemphasize the importance of prayer and the Holy Spirit – Without prayer and the Holy Spirit working in your life, you will do things you would not normally do. The Holy Spirit is the one who is faithful to check us and tell when we need to make a course correction and prayer is the key to nurturing that relationship with the Holy Spirit. If the devil can succeed in cutting you off from a good relationship with the Holy Spirit, he knows you will be much more likely to fall into his traps.

3. He Will Bring Division between You and Strong Christians/Authority – Mark it down, if you are a Christian, you are going to have problems with other Christians. If you are not a Christian, there are always going to be plenty of hypocrites that you can point to who will say one thing and then do another. It is how you respond to these disappointments that will define who you are. The devil wants to bring division among you and all other Christians because if he can do this he knows you will be more likely to fall into confusion. Hebrews 10:25 ²⁵ not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Remember that the very first sin that came into the world was brought in by deception and not from willful disobedience. Eve did not willfully want to disobey God but was rather deceived because she did not obey her authority structure. When we choose not to listen to our authority structure, we open ourselves up to a whole different world of deception. God placed authorities in our life to give us direction and when we choose to disobey them or not listen to their advice, we will be hurt in the long run.

How can we counteract the devil’s confusion?

The main way is by keeping our defenses up! – We keep our defenses up by fighting back with the very things he wants to confuse us with!

1. We memorize the Word of God and work it into our lives. I see no reason why some of us can’t memorize full books of the Bible or at least key scripture passages that deal with key elements of our faith.

2. We keep our defenses up by surrounding ourselves with key Christian people. The old saying, “you are who your friends are” is very true. If your friends stink, you will stink. Get good people and make a point of letting key authority figures have a role in your life. You will become a lot wiser and will be able to keep from falling into temptation as a result.

3. We keep our defenses up by praying and asking the Holy Spirit to direct our lives – If you don’t pray and develop a relationship with the God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are missing out on the biggest relationship you could ever miss out on. You wouldn’t think of missing a few days without talking to your boyfriend/girlfriend and so don’t do the same with God!

Conclusion

Let me just leave you with this key verse of scripture that my professor in Bible College often quotes, Romans 14:23 ²³ But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin. If there are things in our life that we are unsure about and think that God might be displeased with, we should cut them off immediately and not pursue them until we are clear. Why risk something so big?

New Feature

Okay, I've added a way for you to listen to past conference calls. Simply click on the link "Past Conference Call" on the Powerline recommended site list and that will let you listen to any past recorded topic you may have missed.

Opposite Sex Relationships

Learning How to Respect Yourself

Psalm 139:13-18

A. Your relationships with the opposite your family can screw up your view of the
the opposite sex.

B. For a healthy relationship with the opposite gender you must consider yourself
special.
I. You were created for a purpose.
II. When you see yourself as God does, you well see how special you really are.

C. God made you to be attracted to the opposite sex.
I. You aren't respecting yourself if you think of yourself as 'God's gift to the
world', or are always putting yourself down.
II. Girls need to think of themselves as beautiful, and guys need to think they're
handsome

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be and wicked way in me, and lead me into the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24

Principle - Not Law

I loved Kurk Marshall's call this last week for living a principled life as opposed to one of just rules and regulations. This is so important and is something we all should take to heart!

Personal Finances

Here are Steve Buckland's 7 main points that he thought were important to maintaining a healthy balance in personal finances.

Steve’s 7 basic steps for personal finances:
1. Acknowledge God’s ownership
2. Establish a budget (pro 16:3)
3. Keep giving at the top (Pro 3:9)
a. Be a giver and not a taker
b. We live in a consumer oriented economy
4. Get out of debt ASAP! (Pro 22:7)
5. Avoid indulgence from hasty decisions (Luk 12:15)
6. Establish Goal (Pro 29:18)
a. Idol hands are the devils workshop
7. Learn Contentment (Phil 4:11)

Big Call Tomorrow Night!

Guys, have yourself on the call and one other person on who is out of state/province. You do not want to miss this!