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But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? Matthew 9:4 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Luke 5:22 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. Luke 11:17 Those who rest in God's Word and His truth will be established upon the earth and they will walk in His approval and peace. Those who do not meditate upon His Word and person each day and night will simply not progress into the maturity they need to develop a deep relationship with God. This will mean they will not progress and not prosper. True prosperity comes from a deep knowledge of God's commandments and statutes. True success and prosperity is not skin deep. It runs far deeper into the inner core of man's very being and wells up in goodness coming from his heart because he is so full of God's wisdom and truth in his spirit. It has nothing to do with wealth and provision that is strictly an outward form of God's blessings, which has nothing to do with spiritual progress. True spiritual progress does not end in the kind of behavior we have seen in the North American church. We have seen large numbers of Christian leaders easily led into adultery, greed and dishonorable behavior affecting both them and their congregations. Their character flaws are many and varied but the result is the same-defamation, dishonor and destruction. In the spring of 2003 the media in Tampa, Florida had a field day reporting about the escapades of Ronald and Belinda Clark, the former pastors of Living Water Church of Tampa who had earned annually a total salary of over $200,000. The couple founded the Tampa church in a hotel meeting room 15 years ago, then grew it to a multimillion- dollar complex According to the couple's tax returns, the Clarks didn't tithe 10 percent of their income even though they made their 1800 members do it. They claimed $4,000 in gifts in 1998 despite reporting $355,000 in income, and claimed $515 in gifts in 1999 when they reported $220,000 in income. The church leaders in 1998, without the knowledge of church members, awarded the Clarks $392,000. Most of the money was to fund a retirement account for the couple. Mrs. Clark was fired earlier in the year from her $70,000-a-year assistant pastor position at the church. And Clark later resigned as pastor when the news of their divorce began making headlines. Ronald claimed his wife was delusional and had tried to undermine his credibility at the church. Belinda alleged her husband had threatened to kill her, and she filed a domestic violence complaint against him. She dropped that complaint but accused him of slandering her by telling church members she was mentally ill and an adulterer. She then accused her husband of having a secret plan to sell the church, a plan designed to deprive her of any alimony. She said he planned to take a ministry to Africa that would be financed by church proceeds funneled to him by Myer. The result: She would get "half of nothing." Ronald Clark had accused his wife in a court hearing of being involved in viewing pornography. He said she was involved in a campaign against smut and "somehow pornography became a fantasy for her." [1] Clark left the nondenominational Christian church in financial shambles, and with a fraction of its onetime membership, according to testimony in the Clark divorce case. Pastor Ron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The couple owed up to $30,000 in credit card debt and were saddled with mortgages on a $500,000 Dade City ranch and a $275,000 home in the Celebration community. Many seek to say everyone should follow them not recognizing how far they have strayed from the truth. The slightest bent placed upon the truth turns it into a lie very easily. It doesn't need much to suddenly do nothing of what the Word really says we should be doing. Even when it appears we are doing it right, it may not be, because it is not done in the right spirit with the right motivations. Nine tenths of any person's battle is fought within themselves first. Our motives must remain pure before God or we can never please Him and we certainly can never fool Him. Jesus clearly knew the hearts of all men, yet He gave himself for these self same corrupt men because His love extended beyond their failure and unbelief-His strength to love others came from within Him and His understanding of God's purposes. Jesus still loves us despite what He knows about us. When harmony gives way to unity in the name of oneness great purpose is lost in the name of unity. The common good supercedes all. Forgotten are the individual purposes God has for each of His special children. Men forget to bend their knees and surrender their will to His will. This is the fault of man. He could be appearing to do it all 'right' and do it all wrong because he did 'his' will and not God's. As Frank Sinatra sang 'I did it My Way!' Why men think God doesn't understand what motivates them and what their secret inner thoughts are makes no sense. He is their Creator and He knows their every thought and every motivation-good or bad. He has promised to heal and change them if they would just do one thing-spend time with Him in His Presence, and yet, they change a little and think they have arrived because He has blessed them a little. They never stop to think that it is only the outward blessings they have received and must carry on in remaining close to Him to see true inward blessings and rewards. Yet, they persist on thinking they have 'arrived' and miss the One of Great Value-"God!" For everyone who desires to receive the Truth-THE TRUTH will set them free. Pure desire is from above and full of the Wisdom of the LORD. So, God's true Children must walk closely and continually in Him and receive the greatest rewards of their life-for the Best is Yet to Come! God's word is unchanging: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." Matthew 7:15-27 Source: Josephine_Melrose_76@hotmail.com (Josephine_Melrose) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Pastor quits in midst of divorce St. Petersburg Times; St. Petersburg, Fla.; JEFF TESTERMAN; June 1, 2003 |