Christian Newsletter Online

How do we steer clear of these kind of people?

The kind of people we are supposed to stay away from usually visit church & sometimes they visit often.  They are wolves in sheep clothing afterall.

How do we warn others about what kind of person they really are if they have shown us their extremely bad actions and the churches sometimes fall prey to forgetting that there is supposed to be a Godly confrontation with those kind of people? 

I’ve come to guess that we just do our best to do what we know is right & let God handle the rest.

I am not perfect.  Duh………. like any of us are. 

One of my pet peeves is how I’ve struggled with not knowing how to deal with certain things.

I’ve read in the Bible about the importance of staying away from so-called Christians that do not follow God’s Word.  They are the pretenders.  They are the wolves in sheep clothing.  They are hard to spot.  Once  you spot them it is my understanding that we are not supposed to spend time with them.   From what I’ve read it is made clear that the writer wasn’t saying we are to stay away from all people in the world for we are in the world but we are not of it.  The writer was speaking of the kind of people that claim to know the Lord &  they claim to follow JESUS having made Him their personal Lord & Savior & then they consistently do things that are against Biblical teachings.

Deuteronomy 23: 21-23,  “²¹When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.²²But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.²³That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.”

Psalm 76:11, “¹¹Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.”

Psalm 116:14& 15-18, “¹⁴I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.¹⁶O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.¹⁷I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.¹⁸I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.”

Ezekiel 16:59-60, “⁵⁹For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.⁶⁰Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.”

Jonah 2:8-10, “⁸They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.⁹But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.¹⁰And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”

Psalm 116:14 & 18 – both verses state the same thing – ^“14I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.”

Malachi 1 & 2 have more passages that talk about vows being made to the Lord.

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I placed these scriptures under the category of my pet peeves.  I’m certain that the subject I’m writing about is not something I alone share as an annoyance.

People don’t like broken promises.  God does not like it when promises are viloated.  God keeps all of His promises.  God’s promises are good ones.  Joshua 21:45 & 23:14, II Samuel 22:31, I Kings 8:56, Lam. 2:17, Daniel 9:4,  Ps. 126, 18:30, 116:45, & 145:13 are Biblical references showing that our God is always faithful to do what He promises He will do.

The first passage given in this writing shows that scripturally it is better not to make a vow than to say you will do something you don’t plan on doing.

Do you believe God wants you to seriously consider the promises you make to Him and to others?

I think most people that know the Word of God know that God is not only faithful but He wants His people to be faithful, as well.

The law of this land helps people make contracts so they can recall the promises they have made.  If a person does not hold up their end of the contract it is possible they will suffer the consequences for the error they make.

I believe the Scriptures show us that God will hold us accountable for promises we’ve made.  He also understands if we made a promise in good faith and the other party in the agreement does not fulfill their obligation to do what they said they would do.

Laws in our land will hold someone accountable for a breach of contract.  They must have gotten this idea from the Bible.  The Lord does hold people accountable for what they say and do.

A person may be able to go to an earthly judge and they may be able to fabricate circumstances in order to try to fool the court’s system but they will never be able to mislead or manipulate God.  I think most of the judges and lawyers work hard to see that people are treated fairly.  Even if the courts make mistakes know that God won’t make a mistake.

There was a  time over a decade ago when I had a contract with a company.  I was prepared to hold up my end of the bargain and the company was promptly paid for services they were to perform.  The company was deceptive and they didn’t properly fulfill their agreement to do the work they were hired to do in a right manner.  I tried to reason with them and I diligently worked very hard to get them to fulfill their commitment before I contacted the authorities to make them do the right thing.

I asked several close Christian prayer partners to join me in asking God to help for I felt I had been treated wrongly. God sent me words of encouragement to go ahead and contact the authorities when it was apparent that the company that I had hired was not doing the right thing.  I had to write a long letter explaining what had happened.  I had to show records of what I had paid the company and showing the original contract.  It was not pleasant to have to go through it.  It grew more painful over time because the company tried to deceive me again and again.  They even tried to make me think the governing authority was so friendly with them that there was no way they’d ever be required to correct their errors.

Guess what!  The governing authority held that company accountable for what they had done wrong.  They made the company correct the mistakes they had made. It was rather silly of them to try to con people the way they did because they hurt their own business when they received another bad report for their shoddy way of handling things.  They could have been building a good report and their business probably would have doubled.  Their reputation would not have been damaged.  I can only guess that they had grown used to the fact that some people didn’t hold them accountable for their dirty deeds so they possibly thought they would continue to get away with the wrong treatment they were giving consumers.

We may know of stories when God allows people to be treated wrongly even though they did all they could to do things right but let me tell you there are times when God says, “No, You are not going to get away with it this time.”

If you encounter a time in your life when you feel you’ve been wronged and you have done everything you possibly can to make things right know that the Lord is on your side.  God knows everything.

If you have fulfilled your vows to the Lord and you have done the best you can to please God it really does not matter what anyone else says or does.  You can live this side of heaven knowing your conscience is clear or you can know that if you leave this old earth in the next given moment you have done the right thing(s) before God.

If you suffer because someone else breaches their contract with you it is not just vain consolation that God will tend to them for the wrong they have done.

I’ve talked and written a lot about how God will hold us all accountable for the things we’ve said and done.  Every idle word spoken is heard by God.  Every thought we’ve had God hears.  God knows why you’ve said and done what you’ve said and done.  God does know everything.

I want to admonish every fellow Christian servant of God to meditate on the words I am contemplating on myself.  Be careful what you say you will do.  Be sure that you fulfill your vows before the Lord for He will hold you accountable.  Repent if you’ve done something wrong.  Correct your errors if you are able to do so.

If you love your child you will hold them accountable for their actions.  God loves us and He wants us to be responsible individuals.

You are given a free choice if you will choose to serve the Lord or not.  If you choose to serve the Lord you will give great value to the ways of God.  God is faithful and He wants you to be faithful.

God also understands if you are one that made a commitment and you must break it because the other party isn’t fulfilling their commitment to you.

I am one that tries very hard to do what I said I would do.  It has been my goal to do the right thing(s) no matter what anyone else does because I know God is watching me in a loving way.  I believe God may allow us to go through certain things to see how we will conduct ourselves when we are facing those conditions.

Joseph was exposed to horrible times and he still did what he knew was right.  When God opened doors for him to be free from his oppressors he took the freedom for he knew he did not deserve to be imprisoned. God gave Joseph strength, wisdom, and favor to endure the hardships he had to endure.  God also provided a place of honor for Joseph.  God allowed all of that to happen to Joseph and it was known to Joseph that what the devil meant for bad God would use for good.

A servant of God will do the right thing even if others do not do what is right.  That servant will also seek assistance to have things rectified when possible.

It is my hope that you will have confidence that when you encounter things beyond your control you can be assured that God will orchestrate all things to work together for good.  God knows exactly why you have to break a commitment because someone else isn’t carrying out their part of a bargain.

I’m making a list of assorted notes that may help you recap ideas mentioned in this writing & there are a couple of added notes that came to my mind as I was typing this:

1. God makes promises and He does what He says He will do.
2. God does not want us to make vows unless we plan on doing what we say we will do.
3. If you have made promises to God & those vows are things God approves of you will be held accountable to God.
4. One should never make vows to do something wrong.
5. There are presently laws in our land that are in place to help people get assistance when they have had someone make a contract/commitment with them and the contract/commitment has been broken.
6. God knows every idle word spoken.
7. God sees everything done on earth and in heaven.
8. No one likes to have promises made to them broken.
9. There are people and companies of people that will try to deceive others for their own purposes.  God is not conned by those people or companies of people.
10. Take comfort in the fact that God is a fair and just God.
11. It is best for us to do the right thing even if others are not doing the things that are right and good.
12. It is okay to seek help from the law of this land if you feel it is the right way to handle matters.
13. God will make all things work out for good.
14. We know it is better to settle out of court if possible and it is best to have peace with all when it is in our power to do this.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. 

To be redeemed is to be saved from bondage.

There are all kinds of bondage. 

One of the strongest forms of bondage I know is the bondage of the mind.  For the mind to be limited to what God can or will do is like being imprisoned.

I saw a program on television where a man talked about how he believed God healed him of a form of cancer that takes lots of lives.  He talked about his healing. 

Since I believe in the fact that sometimes God will choose to heal some people this side of heaven I listened to this televangelist as he spoke. 

I have a loved on that has suffered with a disease for years.  There is another family member that is presently afflicted with an eye problem. 

I do not believe in limiting the power of God.  I do believe He can do things any way He chooses.  There is no doubt in my mind that the same Lord Jesus that healed on the Sabbath still heals people today.

I read a book with a study about supernatural healing.  That particular  book mentioned that they had found or believed that attending healing services was something a lot of people who were healed had been involved with.

I found out where that televangelist that spoke of his own healing was going to be.  He was going to be at a church within approximately 100 miles of the area where I lived.  He talked about the healing service that was going to take place.

I decided it may be a good idea for me to gather my two loved ones and get them to that service.  Perhaps God would make a way for both of my loved ones to receive a supernatural healing. 

We probably asked others to pray about this.  Off we went for a long trek to a church not so close to home.

We were expecting our miracle.  They all tell you to expect the miracle.  I believed in miracles. I also already felt as though  I  had a number of miraculous events take place in my life.  I still believe in the miracle power of God to heal, save, and deliver people.

It doesn’t matter what happened at the church that night.  I am not disappointed in God.  I have not become a non believer because things didn’t turn out as I hoped and expected things to turn out.  My faith in God is not shaken.

My faith in people that claim to know God is a different story indeed.

I felt led to take one little check with me to the service as an offering at this church I was visiting.  I knew I had to be careful of not being tempted to give more than I should. 

I can hear some pious people wondering how a Christian could ever be concerned about giving too much at church.

I have to admit something here.  I was exposed to a lot of name it claim it type churches.  There were also some churches that loved to tell you about how you will give and it will be given unto you loudly and often so they could line their pockets more.  It is true that many churches want to use the funds for God’s work.  It is also true that there are churches and others out there that only want to use the funds so they can personally show the wealth they acquired by taking from widows and orphans and by taking from people that have less than them.

There really isn’t anything new under the sun.  The love of money is still the root of all evil.

I began praying about my giving so I wouldn’t be influenced by the pie in the sky type preachers that were using God’s Word to get people to give to them making the people think they would get more from God if they gave more to God.

God doesn’t operate like man does. 

God wants people to give with a cheerful heart because they really believe the way they are giving will help people learn more about God or it will help people.  I believe a true Christian gives because they want to further the kingdom of God in some fashion.

True believers can make mistakes in their giving, too.  I’m sure I’ve made plenty of mistakes in giving to people out of ought rather than giving being led by the Spirit of God.  I can only pray I can do better in the future.

I haven’t finished telling what happened when we went to that healing service where one of the televangelists was going to be. 

We went as a group of four.  We walked in this church we had never attended before and sat down expecting good things to happen.

We didn’t know anyone there.  The services started.

It has been about 9 years since we went to that church.  There was the televangelist standing on the stage. 

I do not recall him sharing much from the Word of God.  He wasn’t even talking about the name it claim it stuff and he wasn’t reminding the people of how if they gave it would be given unto them. 

I must interject that I do believe the Word of God is true.  If you give it will be given unto you.  I used to tell my children they wanted to make sure they planted good seeds because you will reap what you have sown.  There are so many ways to give.  There is the giving of kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and the like and there is the giving of money and talents.  I am a full believer in giving good things.  I just do not want to encourage people to give for the wrong reasons or to the wrong purposes.

If every action we take and every word we speak is going to be judged by God as I believe it will be then I expect how and where we give will also be taken into account. 

OH, I am so glad God is a merciful God.

The thing I recall most about that church service was how the evangelist began to help take the offering.  That is to be expected at most churches.  It is rare that a church will place a box at a certain spot in the church and let people freely give being led by the spirit of God.  Most churches prefer to have someone walk around with a plate, basket, or cloth bag while they personally have someone appointed to collect funds from people.  Unfortunately newcomers to churches usually complain that they feel like all a church wants from people is their money. 

The evangelist took one offering.  Then he began to take another offering.  He intently watched the people as they were giving.  He mentioned that the church he was using for the services that night was in need of a new roof. 

He seemed disgusted about something.

I don’t remember every detail after all these years but I do recall what shocked me the most.

He stood before us and told us that he was going to take the offering one more time because he saw that some hadn’t given.

We were sitting close to the front of the stage area.  It really did look like a stage in front of the church.  I knew I wasn’t going to be able to give any more funds no matter how many times he took the offering because I had felt led to only bring the one check.  I am now very glad that is all I brought. 

His voice sounded so disgusted as he mentioned that he was going to take that offering one more time and then he floored me with some sort of statement that is clearly not backed up by the Word of God.

He said something like this: “You didn’t give more money but you are going to get your healing anyway!”

He walked down among the people attending the service.  He spoke words about how he knew there were certain illnesses and asked some people what kind of healing they were in need of. 

Both of the loved ones I brought to the service that night for a healing were prayed for.  One of the ones who had been diagnosed with the most serious disease went to the floor crying when the man prayed for her.

We left the service and I was upset. 

How could a man that claimed to know Jesus stand before people and act like money had anything to do with getting healed? 

That man and every man like him will stand before the Lord.  It is truly appointed that all men will die once.  There will be judgment. 

I think a pet peeve or two has been exposed here and you can probably understand why I am  upset about these issues.

Giving to get is clearly wrong.  Declaring that someone can or will get healed if they do or do not give money is wrong, too.

Jesus healed them all.  I did not see one place in the Bible where Jesus said give money and you will get your healing.

Jesus talked to the man that was on the pallet in front of him and told that man to get up and walk.  Jesus did not tell that man with palsy to give money to the cause before he would get healed. 

Jesus did not talk to anyone with a disgusted tone telling them they would get their healing anyway even though He saw they had not given to the church. 

Jesus did turn over the tables in the temple courts declaring how they had made His Father’s house into a den of thieves. 

I believe Jesus is not happy with people who are selling things on the temple courts.  I believe these acts of theivery have not gone unnoticed. 

God knows all things.  God sees all things.  No stone will go unturned.  Nothing is hidden from God’s sight.  All that is hidden will be exposed.

It is my prayer today that fellow Christians will not be imprisoned by the teachings of mankind.  May God let His people get their eyes open to the truth.  I sincerely pray God will expose the things that are hidden from His people so they can see His way more clearly.  It is also my prayer today that the ones that are called by His name will no longer be in bondage to these man made teachings that bind them from doing the will of the Lord. 

Readers may also want to know that my two loved ones are still in my prayers concerning health and healing for them.  The one family member has continued to be plagued with the same disease although God has graciously granted her many miracles.  The other family member still has the eye problem and he has had assorted ailments for quite a while. 

I still pray for God to send forth healing. 

I also believe that some times the complete healing isn’t ours until we receive resurrected life.  People that get miracles this side of heaven still end up dying eventually.  There is an appointed time for death.  Our times are in the hands of God.

Written by Elizabeth Wolfe

I know a pet peeve is actually defined in several ways.  I’ve always thought of it as a mild grievance that should be shared so a solution can be found to the problem before it gets out of hand.

When I wrote the first writing for the pet peeve section today.  I wondered why people started calling them pet peeves.

My mind wondered in a humorous way.

I thought, “Ha, it was probably called a pet peeve because some man who called his wife, Pet, said she had a peeve or grievance with him.” 

Do you think that’s how the term pet peeve got started?

When I was younger I did hear people say someone was peeved at them instead of the other term used so often today.   

Please always know that I plan on sharing things in this section just so the little things can be prayed about. 

The body of Christ is definitely in need of repair. 

Repairs aren’t usually taken care of if someone doesn’t address the problems that are seen. 

The squeaky wheels need oiled not simply sent sailing out the door or put in the trash. 

The dirt is what needs put in the trash not hidden under the carpet. 

My pet peeves must not be written in such a manner that they provoke instead of bless.  This may not be easy.   I’m going to need the Lord’s help. 

Christian friends when you read my pet peeves please think of them as a matter of prayer.  We are all members of the body of Christ and God wants us to walk in love.  He wants us to speak the truth in love and to speak up when we think things are wrong, as well.  I’m just one Christian writer hoping and praying I can share my pet peeves in a way that they can help others with the same problems learn how to voice their opinion about it.  Then there may be a way that after much prayer these little things can be remedied. 

Okay, I will share feelings I just thought about again. I did talk to the Lord about these things today.  I also shared some of these same thoughts with some Christian people I just met.  They can pray about it, too, if they think it’s worth praying about.

Maybe churches can start having an early bird service for people that do not like loud music.  Maybe it can be  a separate service so the music can be toned down for those of us that don’t want the loud symbols sounding like they are clanging in our ears.  

I know David danced before the Lord in the streets and he had a processional with him.  I think the streets with open air spaces allowed for people to hear the music for miles around.  When that kind of loud music is shared in a closed in space it has long been told that this is not healthy for the hearing.  I believe God wants us to take good care of our bodies. 

At some  churhces I’ve attended I’ve sat way up in the balcony still hearing the music so loud that it is hard to hear the melody being shared.  Other people are very happy with this and it does not bother them at all.  I do like to make a joyful noise, too.  It would be so nice to join in on the singing especially when visiting a new church and you are trying to sing along but you can’t even hear the melody.

It just isn’t my cup of tea to feel like I’m in a nightclub when I go to church.  I remember the days (in my early 20s) when I visited a few nightclubs. No, I was not a practicing Christian then.  At least I did not know how to walk with the Lord yet even though I did believe in Jesus.  The music in most nightclubs was so loud you couldn’t talk with someone even if they were right next to you and even if you could you were raising your voices just to talk to them.  That has happened to me in many churches.

God speaks in a small still voice.  There are so many distractions in the world today it has got to be hard for people to really hear God’s small still voice. 

I recall sweet Holy Spirit filled churches that allowed God’s Spirit to lead them when the music was shared and the music was gentle.  The Lord moved touching hearts in so many powerful ways when the people could hear the words being sung.  They also learned the words better.

I’ve heard Christian gentleman complain that they feel as though the churches are becoming social clubs rather than churches where we do what God says to do. 

I talked to the Lord about this today. I said, “Lord, If men are telling me about this why aren’t they speaking up in their churches? Are these men going to make a woman have to say and do something about this problem?” Then  I instantly thought about Deborah in Judges Chapter 4.

This Christian writer is praying that some pastors and elders in the churches will take notice and they will pray about this problem.  It is a problem.  Everyone getting silent so they can hear the preacher is a good thing.  People hearing the voices of the choir and the music leader is a good thing, too.  Most people don’t enjoy having a television turned up high in their home why would they want the volume turned up real high in church?

Yeah,  I know if you turn it down too far then the people that need to hear it better can’t hear so well.  When the music is too loud there is no place of refuge for people that don’t enjoy loud music.  The only comfort level for them is out the door.  The hard of hearing can turn up their hearing aids or possibly get closer to the front and some churches may be large enough to make sections just for them. 

As for the comments I’ve heard Christian men make about seeing so many churches act like social clubs I see what they are talking about.  That is something that simply needs exposed by God so the men of God that really care about reaching the lost instead of only filling up the pews will step forward and see what God wants them to do about this issue.

Written by Elizabeth Wolfe – Please do not print or copy this writing in any form without written permission.