Articles

2nd-Hand Spirituality

Paula White Exposed [video]

THAT’s My King! Pastor Lockridge [video]

Powerful Prayers from Children-This Will Shake You [video]

The Fear of the LORD is to Hate Evil: Pride, and Arrogancy #shorts [video]

by Ingrid Schlueter

As a part of the job that I do in Christian radio, I have to fight my way through a blizzard of catalogs from Christian publishers across the nation. I also get a number of secular catalogs as well. There is one predominant theme now from both non-Christian and Christian publishers alike and it cannot be denied. That theme is spirituality and how to experience an authentic spiritual life.

The New Agers, or “transformational teachers”, as they now prefer to be called have books filled with the theme of finding personal peace through various methods. Five steps to this, ten steps to that. Each individual guru has his or her own path for you to follow that they claim will help you achieve “authentic” spirituality. Millions around the world are buying into each new offering from publishers who promise the ultimate spiritual answer.

It is no secret that like its secular counterpart, Christian publishing is largely a money-making business. Without a constant flow of new books that capture the imagination of the evangelical public, publishing houses would quickly grind to a halt. This reality, however, is often at odds with what is best for Christians in their spiritual lives. The publishing world and Christian media have created an array of celebrities who are looked to as spiritual experts upon whom we must depend to hear from God for our own lives. How many Sunday school classes today rely not on the Bible itself, but on the latest books about the Bible from the current raft of authors and teachers put forth from Zondervan, Nelson, Word, Intervarsity, and so forth? Many “Bible” classes today are taught by authors and celebrities on DVD, rather than a humble member of the church who has immersed himself in the Word of God.

Compounding this problem is often the content of the books themselves. One mainstream Christian book catalog I received offered all kinds of ways to find the right kind of spirituality. Here are some of the book titles they are promoting: The Path of Celtic Prayer: An Ancient Way to Everyday Joy, Spirituality Old & New: Recovering Authentic Spiritual Life, Flirting with Monasticism: Finding God on Ancient Paths (this is an evangelical publisher!), Fasting: Spiritual Freedom Beyond our Appetites, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us, Sacred Rhythms: Arranging our Lives for Spiritual Transformation, and The Deeper Journey. Like the medieval Roman church prior to the Reformation, finding God and experiencing Him is accomplished through a variety of methods and practices, not opening His Word, the Bible.

The conservative Christian publishers are at times no better. Here are a few titles offered by a more conservative publishing house. 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue, The Sassy Girl’s Checklist for Living, Loving and Overcoming, Take Back Your Life, Prayers for Emotional Wholeness, 30 Days to Taming Your Stress, 15 Minutes Alone with God. There are thousands upon thousands of books like this that hit the market every year, and enough people are buying them to keep Christian publishing a lucrative business. While some of these books may have good things to say about given problems in the lives of believers, the real question is this: If the Bible truly contains what we need for life and godliness, why are so many evangelical Christians seeing the Bible through the eyes of someone else? If the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth through His Word, than why are so many Christians looking for ten steps to freedom from this or that spiritual problem, or 30 days to being a better person? In short, why are billions of dollars a year going into supporting Christian publishing when we have the whole counsel of God in our hands?

Christians down through the centuries had nothing but the Scripture and their unquenchable faith in the Lord. They didn’t have the kind of celebrity media culture of today where we are told over and over that we need to buy this latest book or DVD to really understand how to encounter God. Yet those Christians of old were the ones who faced lions, fire, the sword, imprisonment, torture and the loss of every earthly comfort for the sake of the Gospel. How did they manage to do all of that without stacks of self-help books, guidance manuals and elaborate seminars on how to achieve real spirituality? The answer? They had something far more powerful than Christian publishing. They had the power of the Holy Ghost in their lives and utter confidence in what God had told them in His Word. That was enough.

This kind of deep Christian faith is not achieved by reading the Word through another’s eyes or adopting the practices or methods of the evangelical celebrity of the hour. It is discovered by delving into the vast riches of God’s Word for ourselves and by seeking God in earnest and prevailing prayer. It is astounding how we can spend our entire lives reading about the Bible, reading about a deeper spiritual life and a deeper relationship with Christ and yet never achieve it. Even those in ministry who are out fighting false doctrine and spiritual error can sadly fall prey to this. This kind of virtual Christianity is why our ministries and churches are so often full of carnality and flesh and lacking in spiritual power. Only a spiritual walk with God through daily immersion in His Word and faithful prayer will keep us from this state.

There is a place for solid Christian literature, without doubt. I have been greatly helped by the writings of faithful and godly men and women, past and present. But when the writings of others become the primarysource of our spiritual food, we are missing out on what God has to say to us through the Word, directly. There is also no substitute for time away from the noise and clamor of our commercial culture (that includes much of evangelicalism as well, sadly) and time with the Lord Himself.

Our souls are restless, as Augustine once wrote, until they rest in God. Our souls are hungry, and they are only satisfied when they are in fellowship with our Creator. That will not come by learning how to chant mantra prayers, or clutching prayer beads or burning candles or listening to some expert on “spiritual formation.” It will also not come by listening to every new emerging teacher to produce a DVD on the ultimate whiz bang way to encounter God or by reading yet another author’s take on what God has to say to us. The Scriptures tell us that He who has begun a good work in us will be faithful to complete it. (Phil. 1:6) That’s why our eyes need to be on the author and finisher of our faith, and not on the hot new release from profit-driven Christian publishing. The old gospel song says it best:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

and the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

in the light of His glory and grace.

Sign up for free email devotional HERE… The Moments with My Master email devotional is sent out for the edification of the body of Christ.

Join Us

We saved a place for you to receive our weekly newsletter.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!

Abiding

5 Loaves, 2 Fishes, and 12 Baskets Left Over [podcast]

“And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. 10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.” Galatians 2:9-10

Did Jesus come as a celebrity or servant? Read Philippians 2 each morning this week.

“Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” Matthew 5:42

“Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.” Luke 6:30

“If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. 11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; 12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” Proverbs 24:12

FEEDING THE POOR IN SPIRIT AND STOMACH: Because you care, you prayed, you gave….. Cenovio, a homeless man, was treated to the hearing of our LORD’s bless-ed Gospel message, a delicious hot meal, hot coffee, fresh water, and a JESUS tract. It was a super blessed time with this man. Thank God and you!

Would you like to pause and pray for Cenovio? | Mission Mexico

Of Jesus feeding the multitudes, one source notes:

“Jesus fed a large crowd on at least two occasions, most notably feeding 5,000 men plus women and children with five loaves and two fish, and later feeding 4,000 men plus women and children with seven loaves and a few fish. The miracles occurred when Jesus had compassion on the hungry crowds who had been following him, and the food multiplied supernaturally, leaving 12 baskets of leftovers in the first instance and seven in the second.”

Join Us

We saved a place for you to receive our weekly newsletter.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!

Poor in Spirit: What does that mean? [podcast]

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 Note, “poor in spirit,” not poor financially or religiously. The two should be mutually exclusive. The Greek word translated into English as “poor” is PTOCHOS. It means pauper, beggar, poor, desperate and spiritually impoverished. Christ looks to desperate, hungry and thirsty people who want more of Him (Isaiah 66:2). Their hearts pant for more of Him (Psalms 42:1-2). They deeply desire and long for Him. His Word is their meat. “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and […]

"Poor, yet Making Many Rich" [podcast]

“As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” 2 Corinthians 6:10 EACH day (except Sunday), I leave early in the morning and there are 2-5 guys setting up the cooking equipment for other people they work for. The sun is barely coming up. They are getting those assemblies, tarps, grills, stoves, etc., ready for the owners (usually families) to come later and cook, sell food all day and night. Let me tell you, those men are so happy, they greet me with such joy. Today it hit […]

The Cross and the Great Commission [podcast]

SAINTS of Christ, we are Team JESUS. And remember that your prayers and supply are just as powerful, effectual for Christ as those, boots on the ground, are giving out God’s love in the form of those Gospel tracts and food, assistance, the spoken WORD of God, etc. 100% acceptance down here! “WE (plural) are labourerS TOGETHER with God.” 1 Corinthians 3:9 YOUR PRAYER: Father in Jesus’ name, please use me to be Your instrument in edifying Your people and winning lost souls to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Jesus is coming – Let’s roll saints! WE, TOGETHER, are […]

Articles

The Psychology of Eternal Security [book]

What’s Behind this Popular Belief?

ALL of Todd’s books on Amazon in both print and kindle versions

Grace Perverting Wolves and the People They Deceive Exposed

An epidemic of grace-perverting wolves have hi-jacked the modern church world and are leading millions to damnation, all while fully believing that they are unconditionally eternally secure. We can easily observe a cross-less generation of professing Christians who claim to be saved and hide behind this damning heresy in fulfillment of the Holy Spirit’s severe warning of a people who “heap to themselves” false teachers who despise truth and tickle their ears (1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-7; 4:2-4).

Saving grace does not grant the recipient a license to sin but to ‘live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world’ (Titus 2:11-12).

What is the profile of those who buy this flesh-flattering package of falsehoods which contradict the clear teachings of Christ and His holy apostles? What was Jude’s warning about these corrupted false teachers who pervert the saving grace of God for their own self-serving purposes and whom we are mandated to “earnestly contend” against? (Jude 3-4)

Why do pastors espouse and teach this doctrine? Find out in the enlightening volume.

Chapter One: The Psychology of Eternal Security

Chapter Two: The Reason People Believe OSAS

Chapter Three: OSAS and the Dupes Who Defend It

Chapter Four: Sweet Jesus, the Eternal Security Savior?

Chapter Five: Biblical Proof of Being Backslidden

Chapter Six: The Spirit of Antichrist Underlies OSAS

Chapter Seven: How are Jesus’ People Identified?

Chapter Eight: Honest, Prosperous Hearts

Chapter Nine: Will Everyone Jesus has Saved be in Heaven?

Chapter Ten: Unconditional LOVE Examined

Chapter Eleven: Salvation is Not a One-Time Experience but a Lifelong Walk

Chapter Twelve: What is the Root Cause of Believing OSAS?

Chapter Thirteen: Calling Out all Evangelical Pastors on Their So-Called “Doctrines of Grace”

Chapter Fourteen: Calvinism is a Fraud

Chapter Fifteen: Calvinism: The Curse and Apostasy of America’s Evangelical Churches

Chapter Sixteen: The Initial and Perpetual Condition of Salvation

Addendum: Making Peace with God.

BUY HERE ON STORE

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS BOOK:

AMAZON REVIEW: 5 STARS: “Latest book is a beautiful read: Buckle Up reader! This book is going to rock your world and empower you even greater to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and share it effectively. Don’t look for a read that is going to tickle your ears (we have enough of that within the Christian book world today) but look to be enlightened as Todd continues in The Psychology of Eternal Security to expose a not-so-subtle wave that has taken hold of the Church today. God’s Word stands strong and true and stands the test of time. However, knowingly or even unknowingly, the gospel in many fellowships has been seemingly hijacked and replaced with heretical teachings. The “tell me what my itching ears want to hear” teachings. Once again, Todd uses an incredible amount of scripture as he helps unfold what transpires in us when we become truly saved. For me, the underlying theme of his message in this latest book is to maintain a close relationship with God, thereby being strengthened and empowered to endure life’s trials in an imperfect world while being a light to the lost. This book is beautifully written in the no holds barred but lovingly delivered style that is Todd Tomasella. I am glad to add this latest volume to my library and know that, like his other books I’ve read, will return to its pages again and again.”

5 Star Review on Amazon: The Psychology of Eternal Security: “CAUTION: This book is not for those who want to be comforted in a lie! This book is filled with scripture and the message is one that needs desperately to be heard today! This will likely not be a popular book because many do not want the truth, however if you’re tired of having your ears scratched get this book read it. I believe many…if they would search the scriptures would be surprised that they have been misled in this vital Church doctrine! If you want the truth God will open your eyes, if you don’t God will allow you to keep them closed to the truth. Jesus said: “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.”

“What a great book! Get all your questions answered—and more—about what takes place in our souls when we first get saved. I asked that question many years ago and couldn’t find anyone who could give me a biblical answer. This book clearly brings home the fact that as born-again believers, we have the responsibility to keep our garments clean by abiding in Christ and following His commandment to die to ourselves and take up the cross and follow Him. If we sin, we need to ‘confess our sins’ and God ‘is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ This abiding in Christ is first and foremost a relationship, out of which our love for God grows, and that love for Christ, fed and empowered by His grace, brings forth “good fruit”—the keeping of His commandments. This book is so loaded with Scripture that you won’t be the same after reading it. You will be equipped to minister to others of God’s saving grace—and what our part is as we abide in Christ, and empowered by His grace “endure to the end” to be received joyfully in Heaven to spend a glorious eternity with our loving Lord who “loved us and gave Himself for us!” Debbie Lord

Buy Print Copy Now (click below)

Foreword

By Frank Telford

The truth in the chapters you are about to read is the difference between life and death. It is that important. What this author has written about is so vital to the church today that it should be read by everyone.

Paul gave a stern warning to Timothy that in the last days believers would be swept away by seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Think about that for a moment. What this author is saying is that the origin of some teachings from the pulpit do not come from the Holy Spirit. They come from Satan and his demons to seduce believers into a state of ineffective lukewarmness, or even worse, to get them to depart from their faith in Christ completely. We have to ask ourselves how the devil is successful in this mission when believers are armed with the Word of God.

This book will give you a unique insight into two different paradigms. On one side, we have church members who are not really interested in serving God but they want a ticket to heaven. On the other side, we have false teachers who fill their churches by preaching a message of comfort, regardless if its members are spiritually dead. They have enriched themselves by telling their members what they want to hear and not the full truth of the Gospel. Their incomplete message gives those who want to hear it an excuse to live however they please with the comfort that if they profess their belief in Jesus one time, they will be saved for eternity, regardless of their actions.

Consider the deadly ramifications when someone believes “once saved always saved” is true. A person can get saved, walk several years with the Lord, then turn away from Christ and become a homosexual, and believe that he will face no eternal consequences like the rest of the world will. A believer, when faced with the choice to take the mark of the beast, would then be comforted (falsely) by thinking that he can take the mark and still be saved for an eternity in Heaven.

This book is of vital importance because it is shining a light on this doctrine of devils that has true eternal consequences.

STORE

Abiding

10 Truths to Behold in Isaiah 41:10 [podcast]

“Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not
cast thee away. 10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee:
be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen
thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold
thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 41:9-10

There are 10 truths to behold in Isaiah 41:10:

• “Thou art my servant”
• “I have chosen thee”
• “and not cast thee away”
• “Fear thou not”
• “I am with thee”
• “be not dismayed”
• “for I am thy God”
• “I will strengthen thee”
• “I will help thee”
• “I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness”

The soul that prospers is that one who clings to, trusts in and
relies upon Christ alone, day by day, walking ever nearer to
the soon coming Savior. He is with us and promises to “never
leave thee, nor forsake thee”—that is, for those who abide
with Christ (Hebrews 13:5).

1 Peter 1

“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Prayer: Dear LORD, thank You for helping me today, and
continuing the good work of salvation You began in me the
moment You saved me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Join Us

We saved a place for you to receive our weekly newsletter.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!

The Importance of Personal, Organic Bible Study [podcast]

To study the Bible organically means simply to study God’s Word without the undue influence, the taintings of mere men! God’s Word is your life (Proverbs 4:20-23). The Word is your “daily bread,” and your life depends on knowing and obeying it (Matthew 6:11). Knowing and adhering to Holy Scripture is your protection (Proverbs 30:5-6). “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield (protection) unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Proverbs 30:5-6 RECENTLY: In a very engaging fellowship discussion […]

The Imperative of Private Prayer [podcast]

We must be aware of our prayers we throw up while they have no congruence with our personal life – when they are shot gun prayers void of the foundation of private prayer, private praying, and holy living. Private prayer with God is an essential to set your life up for success. “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:6 Private prayer is essential to the disciple. Jesus reveals here that those who seek […]