Tag Archives: Apostle Paul

Trying the Spirits in Times of Peril: What the Bible Says

27 Jun

blog_9By Pam Sheppard

Towards the end of the Apostle Paul’s life, he warns Timothy of the perils that would come upon believers in the last days. The peril concerns every single child of God.  NONE OF US ARE EXEMPT.  His ominous letter reads something like this.

The peril concerns every child of God, and no spiritual believer should be so foolish to assume that  he or she  is exempt from peril. Paul’s  prophecy of the Holy Spirit declares, that (1) “some shall fall away from the faith; (2) the reason for the fall will be a giving heed to seducing  spirits. The essence of the  deception is that the operation is looked upon as sincere and pure. (3) The nature of the deception will be in doctrines of demons (4) The way of deception will be that the “doctrines” are delivered with “hypocrisy.” Those who do so will be admired, revered, and believed to be teaching the truth.
Before the Apostle Paul, the Lord Himself pinpointed how the deception would come. through false  prophets: He warned, “”Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My Name, saying, ‘I am Christ:’ and shall lead many astray” (Matt. 24: 4, 5, A.V. and R.V.);”and many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many” (Matt. 24: 11, A.V.).”There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray [or “deceive” A.V.] if possible, even the elect” (Matt.24: 24)

Consequently, a “try the spirits” premise is to realize and remember  that the peril of deception was predicted  in the bible to be manifested through apparent believers who declare that Jesus is Lord. 
You may need to stop and take a breath on that one.
Try the spirits premise number two is connected to number one.  Most believers  erroneously  assume that every supernatural experience that comes from the enemy is evil and scary.   the truth not being realized that religious demons and fallen angels  work under cover of light (2 Cor. 11: 14). The deception is much stronger if these seducing spirits can use an apparently “good” person to first accept a mixed or false doctrine and then pass it on “as truth.” A sincere, attractive, upstanding person is a much more effective channel to deceive than an obviously raunchy man or woman for the goal of deception is to get you to believe.
 Since “How to Try the Spirits” is a series of blogposts, I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, so I will conclude with premise #3. Let us not forget the revelation of the Apostle John concerning endtimes. John revealed that at the close of the age, the main weapon used by the deceiver for obtaining power over the people of the earth, will be supernatural signs from heaven, when a counterfeit “lamb” will do “great signs,” and even make fire come down out of heaven  to deceive the dwellers on the earth, and thereby exercise  control over the whole world. So premise #3 asks a question.  Should we assume that we are living in endtimes in a perverse nation or even world that seeks after signs?  I suggest to you that it is safer to assume that we are living in the last days. Pentecostals call tongues “fire from heaven” and charismatic churches have adopted a practice called passing through fire tunnels. hmmmmmmm!!!!
In conclusion, my un-deception was both a sudden and a gradual process, beginning in 2002.  The truth is that   I   have   experienced   so   many supernatural signs and wonders  over 3 decades, most of which were from the enemy, pretending to be God. In fact  that I would have to pull out several notebooks to bring them all to mind.  Therefore, I have found that premise number four is essential, and that is, “to try the spirits, the spirits have to try YOU.” In other words, our discernment comes from being tried. As Paul wrote,  our senses need to be exercised to enhance our spiritual discernment. (Hebrews 5:14) We need practice which means the enemy has got to step to us  to attempt to deceive.

If you need help to prepare, call Pam at 518-477-5759
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Joel Osteen Sends Out a False Peace to Gays and Lesbians

9 Jan

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, “Let the God of peace fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:13 )To the Colossians,Paul wrote “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” (Col 3:15)  Yet there is such a thing as a false peace. I just watched Oprah’s interview of Joel Osteen, and what manifested clearly is a false peace  by a self-proclaimed blessing. Although he took a stronger stand on the Lord as the only way to the Father than he has in the past,  Osteen hesitated with tongue in cheek as he made it clear that homosexuality is a sin.Yet he equated sodomy on a par  with “telling a lie or being proud.”

  When  Osteen struggles to not offend anyone and   he tells a tv audience that homosexuals shall go to heaven,  he detracted from the word of God.  Paul wrote and warned the Corinthian believers that effeminates shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Does inheriting  the kingdom equate to “going to heaven?” Not completely, but it certainly is a part of the overall package. To be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD “IN HEAVEN” while He remains there. Consequently, Osteen has sent out a platitude  of a” false peace.”Commonsense ought to tell Osteen that  since  God destroyed Sodom primarily because of homosexual activity, it’s a sin far more damning than a lie or pride.. To not be truthful with the gay community is in itself, a lie. Along these same lines, when preachers expound on the escape of a lukewarm, deluded Laodicean age through a pre-tribulation rapture or messages that uphold financial prosperity for all, a  false peace prevails.

Yet when the evil day comes, we will need the peace of God to rule. In this country, we have the expectation that happiness is ours by our American birthright, so we are in constant pursuit of it, particularly on the weekend.  I should spell it “weak end.” Many are speeding in  cars, fighting  in parking lots and pushing forward in various malls and supermarkets, with dentist appointments, diets,  vacations, manicures, gyms, and restaurants on their  minds.  The irony is that as a nation in pursuit of happiness, “our weak end” is that we find no peace.

Moreover,  there is coming a day when all of our material comforts shall fail us and the fundamentals of food, water and shelter shall ascend in priority.  I know because I have seen it in the spirit.What usually causes us to lose peace is a lack of understanding that leads to confusion. In other words, what we don’t know brings stress. Therefore, in 2012, I offer a few points that will help you to let the peace of God reign.

  1. Learn how to thank God for “the answer.” The answer might be that “you will not get an answer in the way that you expected.”We must wait for the Lord’s answer in peace. Very often, the Lord has already given us the answer but we did not hear Him because we were too preoccupied and consequently, too stressed. We cry “speak to me, Lord and He has already spoken.”
  2. Learn how to stop trying to figure Him out. Most believers have a misunderstanding of prayer because they have been led by false doctrine and habitual expressions like “prayer changes things.” God does not need our prayers for Him to act.  We do not control God with our prayers.  Prayer changes us, not things.  Prayer is what brings the peace of God that confounds human understanding.  Prayer does not change God.  Most of the time, we do not know God’s will.  When we don’t, then we need to pray and ask Him to reveal His will.  Once His will is revealed in a particular situation, then peace will automatically rule in our spirits.
  3. Learn how to walk in the light as He is in the light.  I have an expression that brings me peace.  It goes “TO KNOW, BOW LOW.” When the brightness of the gospel falls upon us, we should immediately prostrate ourselves under His light and declare “Lord, I accept your sentence. I agree with your judgment. I seek mercy in this matter.” Meekness before God will prepare you to receive light, revelation or in other words, “enlightenment.” Enlightenment leads to deliverance and deliverance brings forth discernment, wisdom and freedom.

In the New Year, many google for prophecies because they have no peace in uneasy times. A wet blanket of worry, fear and stress has fallen on multitudes of professing Christians who search the web for  prophetic message. Since they are reading the signs of the times, believers are looking for confirmation and assurances that we will make it beyond December 21, 2o12. In the New Idolatry you will find these words:”Doubt can be a good thing, particularly when those fictitious, religious foundations upon which a captive has built his pride system become shaky.”

Yet in the final analysis, the message that should give you peace is both spiritually historic, prophetic and biblical. Simply put, if you be in Christ, He has already spoken peace to your troubled spirit t when He he prophesied that “if you endure to the end, you shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

This ministry is about preparing the elect of God to “endure to the end,” through publications, deliverance counseling, deliverance mentoring, and deliverance training. Ours is a Christ centered, a spiritual warfare and a spiritual empowerment strategy.  So our help is available to you. Send an email to pamsheppard911@yahoo.com or call 518-477-5759.

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Setting Captives Free From False Prophets

13 Dec
Taken from a website called Pulpit Pimps

With 30 years in ministry under my belt, I know a thing or two about false prophets. Besides the TV mega preachers that Iwatched for years, I also came to know at least 200 ministers while I was pastoring in a well known denomination. So from my observations, I have designated 3 different types of false prophets. The deceived, the detoured and the diabolical.

There are those false prophets who are really saved but they followed the wrong leaders, and “sucked into themselves” mixed and false doctrines and practices. In short, they heeded and harkened unto the voice of seducing spirits and doctrines of the devil. However, they have not yet departed from the faith. These I call, “the Deceived.” Some of them will be set free. Because of pride, sad to say, others won’t be. Some false prophets would prefer to be caught up in a scandal than to admit that they taught error and thereby “led the people in the wrong direction, away from God, and not toward Him.” They are too spiritually proud to admit that they did not rightly divide the word of God.

Then there is the false prophet who was once used of God mightily, but he or she got deceived by the enemy and fell into disrepute. These I call “the Detoured.” This man or woman becomes a pretender—one who is very dangerous to those who are babes in Christ or who remain carnal Christians. Their followers “stand by their man” even when they should jump ship. The bible has a classic example of how the detoured “Old Prophet” deceived the man of God, resulting in the latter’s death. (I Kings 13)

Then of course, there is the out and out pretender who knows that he or she is serving the spirit of the Anti- Christ and everything they do is a masquerade. These I call “the Diabolical.” They are imposters, planted in among Christians to willfully bring confusion that will lead to destruction.

Every false prophet type— whether the Deceived, the Detoured, and the Diabolical— is equally dangerous. Why? Because they can leave a huge trail of victims.  I am humbled and thankful that although I was on the road to becoming a false prophet, the Holy Ghost jerked my chain, then cut it and broke it.  When  I was deceived by charismatic teachings,” God blessed me by closing doors and blocking me from spreading error. Even though I once had the heart, the skill and the desire of a mega preacher, God purposefully would not allow me to become a popular celebrity.. When a door opened, the Holy Ghost closed it and blocked my way through it. Moreover, among those that I have pastored, even though I personally believed some mixed doctrines, I didn’t teach them to those who allowed me to lead them. So praise God, after 30 years as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have no victims.

For example, I spoke in tongues, but I didn’t teach my followers to do so. I tithed, but I did not preach a “sow a seed,” prosperity gospel. In fact, I was completely self sustaining. I gave back my church salary in the form of tithes and offerings to the churches that I pastored. When I practiced healing and the laying on of hands, I never told anyone to stop taking their medicine and “walk by faith.” I primarily preached the cross, sin, repentance, rebirth and the resurrection. But make NO MISTAKE. The false prophets of all 3 varieties:— the deceived, the detoured and the diabolical— are equally dangerous! Your prayers for them to repent may NOT prevail. And why not?

In order to repent, the false prophet has to do more than apologize and ask for forgiveness from those he has abused and deceived. If he has been made rich off of the backs of poor people by preaching the prosperity gospel, then God will require him or her to “give back” all of that money to the poor. Not too many false prophets are willing to give up those jet planes, million dollar homes and those Bentleys. Even the false prophets who are NOT mega, many of them have practiced the lie for so long, that it is practically impossible to receive the truth and act on it. Far too many have made “ministry” their career and not their calling.

Ask the Apostle Paul. He maintained as a tentmaker. He would not allow any of the churches that he set up to totally provide his livelihood. That is why he could write, “whether abased or exalted, I can do ALL things 4 through Christ who strengthens me.” In other words, JUST SO YOU KNOW, I am not dependent upon YOU to live and to serve my God. When a false prophet’s livelihood is intricately tied to church dollars and resources, he or she is captive to a self made trap that cannot be escaped from without God’s help. Actually, some false prophets have to be stripped naked to find God again, if they ever knew Him. So if you really think a particular false prophet is deceived, perhaps detoured but not diabolical, then your prayer should be “Lord, strip him.”

A word of caution. The religious demon assigned to me tried to set me up to become  a false prophet.  In several dreams, he showed me standing before huge audiences, walking up and down across a platform with my bible in my hand, preaching and teaching.  He even showed me pastoring a church of about 10,000 people.  Because I sought after the power to slay in the spirit, after 10 years of seeking, I got it. I could wave my hand, and certain ones would fall out, unconscious.  However, I began to question this power because I noticed that the ones in my congregation who fell out the most, were also those who could not STAND for the Lord, relapsing or backsliding constantly.  So I said to myself, “Pam, there is something wrong with this so-called gift. This cannot be from the Holy Ghost!” Once I prayed to the Lord and asked Him to “show me the darkness,” I got quite the wakeup call that revealed that  the mega preacher phenomena of today is NOT of the Lord.  It is a combination of human charisma, “anointed” by the enemy’s power.

10/25/11 “THIRTY YEARS A PREACHER!

So if you are on that road, you need to get off, and get off with a quickness!

If you have been burned by a false prophet, there is help.  Call 519-477-5759

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