The Results of False Visions
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Matthew 7:19, 20.
Several now living [1890] are skeptics, have no belief in the gifts of the church, no faith in the truth, no religion at all. Such, I have been shown, is the sure result of spurious visions. . . .
Satan is . . . constantly pressing in the spurious–to lead away from the truth.
The very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God. “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people in the true testimony. He will bring in spurious visions to mislead, and will mingle the false with the true, and so disgust people that they will regard everything that bears the name of visions as a species of fanaticism; but honest souls, by contrasting false and true, will be enabled to distinguish between them. . . .
There is nothing more detrimental to the soul’s interest, its purity, its true and holy conceptions of God, and of sacred and eternal things, than constantly giving heed to and exalting that which is not from God. It poisons the heart, and degrades the understanding. Pure truth can be traced to its divine Source, by its elevating, refining, sanctifying influence upon the character of the receiver. The Author of all truth prayed to His Father, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:20, 21).
Things will be constantly arising to cause disunion, to draw away from the truth. This questioning, criticizing, denouncing, passing judgment on others, is not an evidence of the grace of Christ in the heart. It does not produce unity. Such work has been carried on in the past by persons claiming to have wonderful light, when they were deep in sin.
Maranatha p. 158
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Prayer Requests
—–I just talked with my girlfriend of many years since the 60′ s her husband just passed away . . . . her name is Joan please keep the family in prayer thanks. M.
—–Yesterday at work, I have seen a friend of mine & a former co-worker, whom I have never seen for a long time. She is one of our patient & she is terminally ill with cancer disease. She was given 6 months to live, & she has young kids…I am very sad & heartbroken! When is God coming back to end all this sufferings. Pls pray for my friend. MT
—–update—Peter is doing much better. Thank you for your prayers in his behalf. He had a rash instead of hives yesterday when he got in the bath, but benedryl took it away. Please pray that the doctor will be able to find a seizure medicine that he will not be allergic to and that will have no side effects. Rose
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Dear Friends,
When Ron and I had been married about a year, he decided to sell religious books door to door. We found an apartment in the middle of his territory which was in a rural area of Michigan. It was wintertime and very cold and snowy. The apartment was even colder. Ron worked long hours trying to make enough money for us to survive.
On those rare occasions when he had some free time, he used to love to walk in the nearby woods or across the small lake that was covered by a thick coat of ice. Even though I didn’t like the snow, I would go with him so we would have some quality time together. One night we got an extra amount of that heavy snow that covers everything with a thick blanket of pure white. We decided to take a walk. We dressed warmly and waded through the deep, cold snow. Since I am so short, it was up to my waist which made the walk very slow and difficult. In spite of this, I was enjoying the walk. The woods were silent and all the usual ground clutter was covered was white, untouched snow. It seemed like we were inside a picture on a Christmas card. We walked along silently, enjoying the opportunity to be together and reveling in the beauty of God’s creation.
Suddenly, just a few feet ahead of us there was a burst of snow and a loud whirring noise! We were completely startled! Ron instantly knew that sound. I, however, had never experienced the fright a partridge can give some innocent hiker. It had been under that blanket of snow and when we got too close, it flew away noisily. After the initial shock wore off, we burst out laughing!
Even though that walk was just a simple thing, it has been one of my cherished memories. Through the years, I have remembered it with fondness. It was a special moment of happiness during a time of difficulty. How often it is the simple pleasures of life that mean the most. How many times the togetherness of being out in God’s Great Creation is remembered when the so-called pleasures of this world are long forgotten.
Our Great Creator has given us the gift of His beautiful works for our enjoyment. As we walk among the stately trees or across a sunlit meadow, we feel our heart bursting with wonder and gratitude. We feel as did David when he spent countless hours in the fields watching over his sheep. During this time, he often composed songs of praise to the Creator of All Thins. As his eyes beheld the beauty of nature, the words and music burst forth from within. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.” “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” Ps 19:1-6; 8:3-9; 102:25
As we contemplate His care for works of His Hand, we have the assurance of His care for us. As we gaze upon fields and forests, mountains and valleys, white puffy clouds, or a sky filled with stars our minds are drawn to the One Who upholds “all things by the word of his power.” Heb 1:3 We have the assurance that we can trust Him to supply all our needs. (Phil 4:19) Jesus reminds us, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?…Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?…for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt 5:26-33
May we take the time out of our busy schedule to go out into God’s great creation and contemplate His greatness. As we do so, may our mind and heart be drawn to our Loving Creator just as a flower turns its face to the sun. May we continually place all our trust and confidence in Him for He cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7)
Rose
