Covetous:
As with all sin, covetous short-circuits Gods plan to give us abundant life. He wants us to find the extravagant provision (e.g. peace, joy, rest, hope, strength…) that He’s made for us, while the enemy of our souls seeks to keep us connected to a temporal sense of lack. Since we don’t covet what we already have, the act of coveting keeps us focused on what we don’t have. Pursuit of those things generally blinds us to the blessings we already possess and drives us toward vain attempts to gain our lives.
It’s the enemy’s treadmill to have us waste the precious time and resources that we’ve been given chasing some elusive promise of fulfillment. In those instances when we are successful in attaining the coveted object, we most often find that it is not nearly as satisfying as we’d hoped. In those times the enemy generally begins to dangle “the next big thing” in front of us and soon we’re off and running again. This picture is in stark contrast to the scripture.
The book of Hebrews tells us to keep our lives free of covetousness and to be content with whatever we have (Heb.13:5). Paul also testified that he’d learned to be contented in all situations (Phil.4:11). This is the same freedom the Lord intends for us. We’re told that if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all of the other things will be added to us, and we are warned that our attempts to gain our life will ultimately cause us to lose it.
As with so many other things, we in the church are often more conformed to the culture than to the word of God. Sadly, the consumer mentality is rampant in the church and covetousness is a sin that is openly committed without repentance.
In Charismatic/Pentecostal circles, leaders often invite people to covet the gifts, and callings of those who appear to be more “anointed” than themselves, and those who preach the prosperity gospel encourage people to covet the lifestyles of those who appear to be more “blessed” than they are. We may rationalize it as being “goal oriented” or the pursuit of the “American Dream”, but it is covetous in its truest form, and it keeps us from walking in the fullness Christ died to give us.
Dying to Self:
Western Christianity has largely replaced the concept of self-sacrifice (i.e. dying to self, esteeming others above ourselves, sharing in Christ’s suffering…) with self-actualization (i.e. empowerment, fulfillment, blessing, calling, gifts…). This revised version of the gospel allows one to live their best life here on earth, and then ascend to their heavenly mansion.
But I would submit that becoming “the best version of yourself” is not necessarily the same as becoming the person you were created to be. The latter requires the involvement of the Creator.
Dying to self is a moment by moment proposition (1 Cor. 15:36). There is no level of sanctification, anointing, or calling that exempts us from the need to surrender our lives, and submit our wills on a daily basis (Luke 14:27). Without an ongoing commitment to partake of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), we are bound to fall to our human nature (Prov. 14:12).
Ultimately, we cannot hope to ‘make disciples (Matt.28:19)” unless we are disciples, and we cannot be disciples unless we are willing to deny ourselves and take up our cross “daily” (Luke 9:23).
Imaginations:
Though dreams and visions are referenced throughout the scripture, the most often cited application in the modern context seems to center on Proverbs 29:18 (Where there is no vision, the people perish…) and Joel 2:28 (your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions…). Both tend to be used as proof texts for the idea that God gives certain people (most commonly in leadership positions) visions of and for the future, which subordinates should gather around, and support. While there may be a thread of truth in all that, the scope and magnitude to which it is promoted is at the very least exaggerated, and at times patently deceptive.
The vision spoken of in Proverbs 29 is a present tense revelation from God, and this passage (verse 18) is simply pointing out that in the absence of such divine guidance, people will revert to what is right in their own eyes, which ultimately leads to death (Prov.14:12).
Too often, the “vision” presented by church leadership amounts to detailed plans, strategies and goals for the future, which almost always center on the building of their ministry. Ostensibly, God will be gloried in that process.
Visionary leaders can build strong organizations, beautiful facilities, and lasting legacies, but unless people are growing closer to the Lord, and are being transformed into His image, the Kingdom of God is not significantly impacted. Frequently, the followers of this type of leader are simply transformed into their image.
In my own experience, I have found that the God who exists outside of time, who tells me not to worry about tomorrow, and who knows the end from the beginning, is not fretting about the future, or His ability to preserve me in the midst of adversity. And that the God who offers us daily bread, and to be a lamp unto our feet, is not prone to give long term plans and strategies that would allow me to go very far without His direct interaction. Indeed, man’s obsession with knowing and controlling the future is rooted in fear, and that spirit does not come from Him.
What generally goes unspoken are the scriptures numerous warnings of how our pride and imaginations can lead us into deception. Zechariah spoke of idols that speak deceitfully, diviners who see visions that lie, and tell dreams that are false (Zech.10.2). Obadiah warned of how pride can cause deception of the heart (Obad.1:3). Isaiah spoke of those who “prophesy illusions” (Isa.30:10). Jeremiah warned of the delusions our minds can conjure (Jer.14:14), while Ezekiel spoke of those who prophesy out of their imagination (Eze.13:2).
Given the scriptures emphasis on these, and many other warnings, it would seem vital to discern between dreams and visions which are birthed from the Spirit of God, and those which come from the fertile imagination of their host. While imagination is a reflection of God’s creativity, it is also subject to the folly of our fallen nature, and is frequently a useful tool in the hands of our enemy.
The people of Babel imagined that building a tower that reached the heavens would bring them fame (Gen.11). Sarai devised a strategy to fulfill God’s promise to Abram (Gen.16). Peter had a plan to protect Jesus (John 18:10-11). And Saul imagined that he was serving God’s purposes by orchestrating the persecution of Christ’s followers (Acts 9). Ultimately, they all found themselves in opposition to God’s will.
On a more practical level, convincing folks to “serve the vision” generally has the effect of taking their eyes off the One who is the Author and Finisher of their faith, and the only One who has the words of life. If the vision is truly birthed in the Spirit, He will guide them to their role within it. Instead of teaching followers of Christ to “serve the vision”, we need to be teaching them to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, and that His sheep know His voice, they listen and they follow.
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The Way
Posted in Commentaries, tagged admonish, anti-christ, authority, champion, connection, deceive, deception, discern, embodiment, end times, eternal, eternity, evoke, exchange, fix our eyes, focus, genuine, hate, illusion, image, influence, Jesus name, kingdom, life, manifest, Sceva, seen, Spirit, spiritual, substitute, temporal, transform, truth, unseen, warning, way on September 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »
The danger of living in the social media age is that we can gather a following of like-minded folks, spend our days shouting into the echo chamber, and cancel anyone who dares to disagree with us. Devoid of any contrasting perspective, it’s easy to deceive ourselves into believing that our perceptions have become reality. And with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we can be sure that our electronic feed will remain full of voices that endorse and reinforce our illusion.
While this type of pattern is unhealthy on many levels, it is most dangerous from a spiritual standpoint. Throughout the scripture we are warned against leaning on our own understanding (Prov.3:5-7), about the deceitfulness of our hearts (Jer.17:9), and of the great deceivers and deceptions that will be visited upon God’s people (Matt.24:24). We are cautioned against focusing on what is seen, as it is perishing (2Cor.4:18). And most importantly, we are told to fix our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb.12:2).
I suspect that popular renderings of a singular “Anti-Christ” figure, from our depictions of the End Times, have clouded our understanding of the true spirit of anti-Christ, which manifests in many forms. While we’ve been taught to make bold declarations against such things, I have found that these spirits are not nearly as intimidated by our use of Jesus’ name as we might think. Like the sons of Sceva, the Chief Priest (Acts 19:13-16) or those people Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:21-23, we can try to evoke His name while having no genuine connection to Him (John 15:5). In such instances, this word carries no spiritual authority.
Ultimately, attacking the authentic, life-giving connection to Christ is the aim of the anti-Christ spirit. It tries to redefine the “work of God” as being something other than believing in the One that He sent (John 6:29). It offers symbols and rituals and formulas and brokers as a substitute for a genuine one on one relationship with the person of God. It offers earthly prosperity and temporal gains as a substitute for genuine spiritual authority.
It encourages us to know ministers by their gifts instead of by their fruit (Matt.7:16). It fills the atmosphere with voices and things to look at, so that we don’t discern the still small voice of God (1Kings 19:11-13) or fix our gaze on the Giver of Life (Heb.12:2). It inspires religious leaders to build an earthly replica of the kingdom, so that the genuine Kingdom does not become manifest.
This spirit does not care that Jesus’ name is plastered all over our buildings, bumper stickers, t-shirts and letter heads, as long as we don’t look anything like Him (Rom.8:29). It does not oppose our gatherings, as long as people aren’t genuinely connecting with the Savior (or each other). It does not resist our endless Bible study, as long as the scripture remains little more than a tool for the rationalization of our own carnal interests (John 5:39-40). It is not against us viewing Jesus as a resource for strength, as long as cultivating an authentic relationship with Him never becomes the goal. In such cases, the inclusion of Jesus’ name actually lends a sense of legitimacy to the whole deception.
Evidence of this spiritual influence would be a people who call themselves “Christians” yet aren’t identifiable by their love and grace for one another (John 13:35); who aren’t concerned about the fact that they nor their leaders look or sound anything like Christ (Rom.8:29), and who are more concerned with current events (i.e., the seen realm) than eternity (i.e., the unseen realm) (2Cor.4:18). They would likely be a people who were known more for their divisions than their unity (Eph.4:4-6).
In the absence of Christ’s Lordship, such a people would be destined to idolize mere men, and likely to crown themselves an earthly king (1Sam.8). And apart from the guidance of Christ’s Spirit, they would be highly susceptible to hollow and deceptive philosophies, which depend on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world (Col.2:8).
It would be difficult to argue that this isn’t a fairly accurate portrait of Western Christianity.
There are so many scriptures that appear to be warnings for individuals who count themselves as believers, or followers, or even disciples. Passages referencing a people who possess a form of godliness but also deny the power thereof (2Tim.3:5), who honor Jesus with their lips, but whose hearts remain far from Him (Matt.15:8), and/or who will exchange God’s thoughts for the rhetoric that fuels their true passion (2Tim.4:3-4). Yet we can convince ourselves that these words don’t really apply to us because we are good and moral people, who hate what is evil and champion the proper value system.
Despite the fact that many Christians would say that we are fast approaching, or perhaps even living amid the “end times”, there seems to be little concern regarding the Lord’s admonishments to the churches in the book of Revelation. If we really believe His return is imminent, we should probably be mindful of what it looks like to forsake our first love for some other passion (Rev.2:1-7) and perhaps be on the lookout for the false prophets who threaten to lead us astray (Rev.2:18-29). We might also want to ponder what might cause Him to view us as “lukewarm” (Rev.3:14-22).
Jesus taught that He is the way, the truth and the life; and that there is no other path to the Father (John 14:6). But the anti-Christ spirit works diligently to separate our concept of these things from the person of Jesus. It invites us to fix our eyes on anything but Him. Unless Christ becomes the embodiment of our truth, we will never walk in the way He’s ordained for us, nor experience the life He died to give us.
Ultimately, God’s ways are much higher than our ways (Isa.55:8-9) and that pattern was so perfectly demonstrated by Christ that at the end of His life He was able to say that, if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father (John 14:9). Through this perfect reflection of the Father’s heart, Jesus became “The Way” for us (John 14:6), and now the only thing that keeps us from walking in that way is “the way that seems right” to us (Prov.14:12) instead.
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