A Lying Spirit by Nina Keegan

Praying against evil and a lying spirit! 

Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab

18 Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage. 2 Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him and urged him to attack Ramoth Gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel asked Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?”

Jehoshaphat replied, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will join you in the war.” 4 But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”

5 So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?”

“Go,” they answered, “for God will give it into the king’s hand.”

6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”

7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied.

8 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”

9 Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. 10 Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns, and he declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.’”

11 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead(E) and be victorious,” they said, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”

12 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the other prophets without exception are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.”

13 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says.”(F)

14 When he arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?”

“Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “for they will be given into your hand.”

15 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”

16 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel(G) scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd,(H) and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”

17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”

18 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne(I) with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’

“One suggested this, and another that. 20 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’

“‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.

21 “‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit(J) in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.

“‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’

22 “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours.(K) The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”

23 Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped(L) Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from[a] the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?” he asked.

24 Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.”

25 The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son, 26 and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison(M) and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’”

27 Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!”

Ahab Killed at Ramoth Gilead

28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead. 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised(O) himself and went into battle.

30 Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.” 31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out,(P) and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him, 32 for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.

33 But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor. The king told the chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” 34 All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.(Q)

This is an amazing passage of scripture… What stands out to me the most is when it says in verse 22 the Lord has put a deceiving, lying, spirit in the mouths of your prophets for the Lord has pronounced your doom...

When you want to please or impress someone, it is tempting to lie to make yourself look good. His 400 prophets did just that, they were always telling Ahab only what he wanted to hear. They were then  rewarded for making Ahab happy. Micaiah, however, ALWAYS told the truth and then he was promptly  arrested. Obeying God doesn't always protect us from evil consequences. Obedience may in fact, provoke them. But it is always so much better to suffer from people's displeasure then from God's wrath Matthew 10:28

Matthew 10:28, ESV: "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. ... Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

If you are ridiculed for being honest, remember that this can be a sign that you are indeed doing what is right in God's eyes. 

We must remember that the truth will set us free and we should not back down from it… In this age where it seems that everything evil is good and everything good is evil… It seems that evil is winning and that the truth is nonexistent… But we know that God has plans for the wicked… And that God knows the truth… 

We should not obsess over the seemingly "winning" of evil!  We must not back down from the truth.  The gates of hell shall not prevail! 

I believe we will be held accountable for the things we do and the things we don't do.

We must stand firm! 

As a Christian we have big shoes to fill… People are watching to see if we will cave under pressure or back away from the truth because it's not popular.

We must test the spirits and we must do our own research… Ask the Lord to show you the way… The truth… He will always make a way for us not to be snared in sin and evil. He always gives us a way out. The lying spirit is a picture of the false prophets entire way of life. Many things that are happening in our world today are lives built on lies, coverups scandal… And allowing people to only hear a one-sided skewed, manipulating agenda.

We know that lies will eventually catch up to you. Leaders will be certainly troubled if they surround themselves with advisers whose only thought

Is to please them…  eventually all who spread malice  will be caught in their own snares.

We are in the world but not of the world!

We must continually live lives steeped in  integrity and following God's word… Persecution is real.. 

We must know the truth about God's word and its relevance to the narratives being played out.

God fulfills His will despite the defenses people try to erect. As in the above biblical account, God can use anything even an error, to bring His will to pass. This is very good news for God's followers because we can trust Him to be faithful to work out his plans and keep his promises no matter how desperate our circumstances are or how bad things look in the natural…

We are God's believing believers… We will speak truth!

Fear the Lord and judge with integrity for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality or taking bribes

2 Chronicles 19:7

Yes indeed God will hold us accountable for the authority that we exercise.. realize that you are not doing the judging for God, be impartial and honest, be faithful and act only out of fear of the Lord not man… The fear of man is a snare.

Let God's word be truth and every man a liar… We will see the goodness of the Lord here in the land of the living… We will not grow weary in well doing and we must remember to give God praise… Give thanks to the Lord because his faithful love will endure forever! I love the scripture that says at the very moment they begin to sing and praise, the Lord caused the enemy armies to start fighting among themselves. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped!

God is our vindicator… When we do what is right the Lord himself will fight for us and bring us victory and rest on every side!

Live a life steeped in integrity and truth!  God honors truth! 

Truth always wins in the end! 

2 Chronicles 20:30

So Jehoshaphat's kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

Proverbs 12:22 – The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

Luke 16:10 Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

Proverbs 10:9 – Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

A call to holy living by Nina Keegan

1 Peter 1:13-20

13 So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.

The old testament prophets, writing under the Holy Spirit's inspiration describe the coming of the Messiah. The New Testament apostles through the inspiration of the same spirit preached the crucified and risen Lord. The eminent return of Christ should motivate us to live for him. This means we need to be mentally alert and think clearly and be disciplined and using self control. We must be focused and look forward. Are you ready to meet Christ, living as God's obedient child?

The God of Israel is holy, He alone sets the standard for morality.

He expects us to imitate him by following his high moral standards and by being both merciful and just.

After believers commit their lives to Christ, they sometimes still feel a pull back to their old sinful ways. But Peter tells us to be like our Heavenly Father … Holy in everything we do. Holiness means being totally devoted or dedicated to God, set aside for His special use and set apart from sin and its influence on us. We are to be set apart and different, not bowing and blending in with the crowd.

God's qualities and presence in our lives make us different. Our focus shifts and our priorities must be God's priorities. All of this is in direct contrast to our old ways… As a believer we should desire to do better… We may not be where we want to be but we must praise God and thank him that we're not where we used to be. We cannot become holy on our own, but God is the one who gives us his holiness, his Holy Spirit to help us obey and to give us power to overcome sin. We have help!… God doesn't expect us to do it alone… Call on Him, ask Him to help you! We must stop excusing away sin… We must rely on God's power in us to help free us from sin's grip!

God ransomed us from the Tyranny of sin not with money but with the precious blood of his own son Jesus, we cannot escape sin on our own.. only the life of God's son can free us. Jesus Christ's sacrifice for our sins was not an afterthought, it was not something that God decided to do when the world spun out of control. This plan was set in motion by the all knowing, eternal God long before the world was ever created. What a comfort it must've been to Jewish believers to know that Christ's  coming and the work of his salvation were planned by God long before the world ever began.

We can be assured that we don't live by the law but by the coming of Christ as part of God's eternal plan… It is all part of God's sincere and unconditional love for us all… There is only one way… And his name is Jesus!!

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Live in Holiness, free from the law!

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Grace versus the Law by Nina Keegan

Grace versus the law

In the book of Galatians Paul writes a letter to outline the dramatic differences between the two approaches to God... one approach is Grace the other is the law…

 In Galatians 4:21, Paul speaks of the law once again and the experience of Abraham... he addresses the false teachers foundational respect for Abraham and the Galatians infatuation with living under the law.

The Galatian believers, under the pressure from Jewish legalists, we're considering rejecting the gospel of grace and reverting back to dependence on the law for salvation.

Here are the two differences...

LAW...

The Law is based on works, it is incapable of resulting in justification,  it makes Christ nothing,  it is the way of the flesh, the law is a curse. The law was intended to be only a means to an end. The law results in estrangement from Christ, it keeps one a slave, it results in bondage, it depends on human effort. The law is motivated by pride and centered on circumcision.

GRACE...

Grace is based on faith, it justifies sinful men, it begins and ends with Christ! Grace is the way of the spirit, it is a blessing, it is God's desired end for his people. Grace results in intimacy with Christ, it makes one a son and a daughter of God and an heir of Christ. Grace brings liberty. Grace depends on the power of the Holy Spirit. Grace is motivated by love and centers on the cross of Jesus Christ!

Paul wanted the Galatian believers to fully believe and know the spiritual truths, he wanted the believers to know who they are in Christ and to stand fast in the liberty of not having to keep the law of Moses in order to be saved. The Galatians were on the verge of becoming enslaved to the law again.

Paul talks about this in this next verse… This is one of my favorite verses… We never have to be entangled in bondages and strongholds again… Because we have liberty... liberty in Christ Jesus...

Galatians 5:1-4

Standfast therefore in the liberty( freedom)  by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace for we through the spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

Galatians 6:16

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God

You are chosen by Nina Keegan

When Jesus says in Matthew 22:14 that “many are called, but few are chosen,” He is not laying out the doctrine of Unconditional Selection but is declaring that when God invites ALL to participate with Him in His rule and reign on earth, He does so without partiality or favoritism.

Jesus CALLED His 12 disciples. He didn't draft them, force them, beg them to volunteer. Jesus chose those men to serve Him and the world in an extremely special and extraordinary way.

Christ calls each of us today, 

We were all created with a special purpose, and plan, and calling on our lives…He doesn't need to twist our arms and make us do something that we do not want to do. We can choose to join Him or we can choose to remain behind. 

When Christ calls you to follow Him, how will you respond? Do not shrink back in fear... or question your qualifications or effectiveness… Any thoughts of inadequacy do not come from the Lord but from the enemy who does not want you to answer the call on your life… Remember this... God never makes mistakes!… His plans and purposes for you are  far better than you could ever imagine… What could be better than totally and completely living your best life serving Jesus?

You are here for such a time as this… God knew the exact moment you would be born and the exact time you would live on this earth! He knows the plans that He has for you… Jeremiah 29:11

Take the whole world and give me Jesus! … At the end of the day what else matters?

 If you notice in the Bible there's no outline or resume of impressive details on display about the 12 disciples that Jesus picked. But, what we do know is that He called people from all walks of life, there were fishermen, tax collectors, political activists… He called common people, and uncommon leaders. He called the wealthy and poor… He called the educated and the uneducated.

Today many people think they're not good enough and that only certain people are fit to follow Christ and to serve Him. This could not be further from the truth. There are many, many examples in the Bible of people who were sinners, broken, and in need of a savior and once they got in the presence of Jesus were restored and used powerfully and mightily… We are all sinners in need of a Savior… many think they've done done too much wrong for God to love them or use them for His purposes.

This is not the attitude of Jesus. God can and will use anyone.. He just wants us to have a willing heart that wants to serve Him. We must never judge how God can use someone…No matter how insignificant he or she appears, or feels, always remember… That God uses ordinary people to do His extraordinary work!

 It is never about us… If that were the case, none of us would be worthy of the call. It is all about Jesus… Apart from Him we can do nothing!

"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?"

Mark 8:36

When Jesus called his 12 disciples together he gave them complete authority to cast out every kind of evil spirit and to heal every kind of disease and illness… These were amazing signs wonders and miracles that none of these men would have believed they would be enabled to perform before they answered the call on their lives....

Jesus told His disciples to go and announce to God's lost sheep that the kingdom of heaven is near. He told them to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons, and he told them to give as freely as they have received… He told them not to take any money, gold, silver or even copper coins… When they were doing God's work with their whole hearts… He was taking care of everything else they needed.

We must remember that when God puts you in the path of somebody that is lost and prompts you to witness to them, that He has gone before you and has prepared the way for them to hear and to receive what you will be saying to them… Let's not miss an opportunity to allow someone to choose Christ… let's not miss an opportunity to be a blessing to someone in need..These opportunities may not present themselves again… I believe that we should be receptive to the teachings of God and not ignore the Holy Spirit prompting's...

We are God's  army… 

We are here for such a time as this… Esther14:4 

There are no accidents, or coincidences when it comes to God… Let's receive our mission to be on these divine appointments daily.. the appointments that God has pre-ordained… Let's get about answering the call and doing the business of God…

You are called! You are chosen!

John 6:28

Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”

Ephesians 2:10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Ecclesiastes 3:10

I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

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Once again and never again by Nina Keegan

ONCE AGAIN AND NEVER AGAIN!

 We have all heard that saying from time to time "new level, new devil"... 

But I don't believe the devil is all that creative… I think it's always the same devil… he just knows what buttons to push and he knows what works… doesn't it always seem like it's the same old trip around the mountain for most of us…? Warfare usually lands in the very space of where God wants to use you the most!

We all know that David killed Goliath when he was just a teenager… He took care of that enormous Philistine that was terrorizing Israel ..It only took David one rock ... and tons of determination! He bravely ran towards that giant and killed that enemy and then cut off his head with the very sword that was meant to kill him. David had such confidence in who God created him to be and in his abilities to do all that God had called him to do… Think about it… It only took one rock! ..He even had four more to spare! 

So fast forward approximately two decades and then we read in...

2nd Samuel 21:15

ONCE AGAIN, There was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David (being much older and wiser) went down with his men to fight against the Philistines and he became exhausted...

The enemy is always trying to wear out the Saints… This is his game plan... he tries to get us weary and distracted so we lose our focus on all that God is calling us to do…

Again, (the Philistines)… The same old enemy… Just "once again" David was having to be bothered by the same old ploy... there is nothing new under the sun… The enemy is not omnipresent… He's not creative… He always tries to terrorize us with the same old lies, the same old accusations!… We must recognize this at the onset…

 Let's read what happens just two verses later!

2nd Samuel 21:17

But Abidjan, son of Zeruaih, came to David's rescue, he struck the Philistine down and killed him then David's men swore to him, saying,

"NEVER AGAIN" Will you go out with us to battle so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished!

God sent a powerful warrior to fight on David's behalf… He sent help to come to his rescue so that "never again" will he have to be bothered by the same old enemy…

 God does not want our lamps to be extinguished… God has given us all a light… We are to go into all the world and do what God has called us to do… It's time that we take our authority over all of the enemy has been trying to steal…We have an army available to help us,  to fight on our behalf just like David did… We have a spiritual army… We have angels available at our command… It's time to go and do that which God has been calling you to do! 

We must not let our lights be extinguished! 

We cannot keep carrying around the same old bricks and dragging them around the same old mountain... when we do that, we are just going to wind up building the same old house over and over again… It's time to be set free from all of the past… the past hurts, pains, lies, distractions, trials, mistakes, and all of the things that we have been used as an excuse to not move forward! God is saying "never again"… it's over!… Times up!… "Never again" are we to believe these tormenting lies that the enemy is continually spewing at us… We are not going to let the Philistines bother us for two more decades…!

Make up your mind today!

 It is time for us to seek God's wisdom and to take every thought captive… Ask God where your thinking cycles are being infected by the enemies lies!

Our battles are fought and won in praise… When the enemy starts to lie to you, pick up your sword of the spirit!… The word of God!… Let the praises of the Lord be forever on your lips… We are ready, we are battle ready with a plan that comes from the throne room of God… It's time… It's time for our "never again" season!! Receive it! 

The enemy’s lies

We have between 50-70,000 thoughts each day. Yet God commands us to take EVERY thought captive. This means we have to pay attention to what we are thinking about  and determine if those thoughts line up with what God tells us in His word, or if they are lies from the pit of hell. That’s a lot of work!

God bless you all!

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Exodus 14:14

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be 1. "Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

2. "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

3. "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Cor. 10:3-5

4. "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith." 1 Pet. 5:8-9

5. "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me," declares the Lord." Is. 54:17

6. "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Eph. 6:11-17still