August 30, 2007

• Spiritual Blindness

  Pastor Don has been teaching on various aspects of faith, and knows that we have faith for a number of things. But we want better Bible faith, higher and higher levels of faith. We want to get to a place where our faith increases and reflects Biblical faith.

  He pointed out this this is a season of testing for the Body of Christ, and faith that is not based on the meat of the Word will not give us much to stand on.

  Those in the universities and seminaries are being tested. The natural is bringing pressure to bear on the supernatural. There is a challenge between science and our faith foundations. What science is revealing, we are not prepared for. Science looks for answers that are based on the physical world for things that are occurring now, even though we know that there is a spiritual basis. Pastor Don gave the example of Matthew 24 which unfolds many of the events that happen today, diseases, pestilence, earthquakes, weather, etc. People are trying to use science to explain the reason why they are occurring.

  We have to choose what we believe – do we believe by faith or do we believe what the scientists are saying? The measure of faith is do we have enough faith to be dangerous to evil or do we not operate in faith? How we deal with our perceptions and our senses is determined by the degree of Spiritual Blindness that we have.

  When our faith is challenged and we feel that we have run into a wall, and our circumstances do not appear to agree with what we are believing in faith, with what we have prayed for, what do we believe?

  When we are Spiritually Blind we have to come to the Lord to ask Him to remove our blindness. Pastor Don then pointed out five things that can affect our level of Spiritual Blindness.

  1. TRADITION: Religious tradition can cause Spiritual Blindness. Pastor Don gave a few examples. The Holiness Church considers long white clothing to have spiritual value. Pastor Don has seen hookers saved and operating spiritually even though they are not wearing the right clothing or clothing that comes down to one’s ankles. Anyone who is not dressing according to the tradition of the Holiness Church would be considered by members to be in a state of sin. The Catholic Church has traditions that are not Biblical. Even Word of Faith churches will, when someone lets slip out of their mouths a statement that is not fully faith based, will begin to look upon that person as not being strong in faith, and will judge the person based on one slip of faith. People pray with traditional ways, some are quiet others shout. Those who shout may feel that the quiet ones are not really praying to God. Tradition can cause Spiritual Blindness in a person.

  2. EMOTIONS: Affection. The Bible says that God can forgive all sins if a person repents. But there are some in the church who have their pet sins that they feel cannot be forgiven. For example they may feel that murder, assault, or attacks against children cannot be forgiven. They do not understand the magnitude of the grace of God. Pastor Don told us that many of the Mega Churches are having problems in their leadership, Paula White, Jaunita Bynum, and other well known leaders are having marriage problems. These will reflect on the church in general. Pastor Don told us that when we are dealing in our emotions, our flesh, and with our affections, these can lead to Spiritual Blindness. We have to see what the Word of God says, and accept or reject according to what the Word of God says, not according to what our emotions are telling us.

  3. EXPECTATIONS: Spiritual Blindness can cause us to have certain expectations. People expect that someone SHOULD act a certain way, or do a certain thing. We want people and God to do what we EXPECT them to do, to be treated in a certain way. They consider it a slight if someone does not respond as expected. One of the sisters in our church was once hurt and upset with Pastor Don because he went to the pulpit, did not look at her during a service, greet her or speak with her. She took offense, was angry, and upset with him. Pastor Don honestly did not see her, he was focusing on the service. But she had expected something else from him, and because of that she stopped being receptive about what was going on in church, her expectations lead to Spiritual Blindness. Her Spiritual Blindness in the situation did not permit her to hear the true word of God, so Spiritual Blindness caused her to shut down. This has since been rectified. There is Spiritual blindness across denominational lines. An example of this is TONGUES, some churches expect that everyone should speak in tongues, and when others don’t speak in tongues, Spiritual Blindness causes people to believe that because someone does not speak in tongues that they have nothing of spiritual value to offer.

  4. THE FLESH: (Mind, will, emotions of a person.) People choose to not believe the Bible, to make up their own mind about their fleshly desires, and that can lead to Spiritual Blindness. If a person loves sex so much that they want to disregard what the Word of God says about sex, this leads to Spiritual Blindness. They prefer to give in to their flesh rather than sticking to the truth of the Gospel. They justify their sin, make excuses to continue their actions. They have a long repentance – 360 degrees instead of 180 degrees. They repent from their sin and turn 180 degrees, then the flesh causes them to choose the sin and they end up 360 degrees, full circle. You can know the Word of the Gospel, but choose to let the body rule. God will permit us to destroy ourselves (for He gives us free will). These people reverse the Word of God and respond to their flesh. When they fall they make excuses and that leads to Spiritual Blindness.

  Pastor Don shared about a husband who demanded that his wife have sex with him on such a frequent basis that it was not healthy. This man used certain Bible verses to show that the wife had to submit to her husband, and then made them apply in the area of frequent sex. Pastor Don showed him the correct interpretation of verses, so that while she is to submit to her husband, he also is to love her so much that he chooses to do things for her out of love to bring her pleasure. That he had to love her as Christ loved the Church.

  Pastor Don was then reminded of another thing that can be a detriment that he added as an aside:

  5. TEMPER: People explode at us in anger and that can close our spirit. We are told to be angry and do not sin. Anger can cause Spiritual Blindness. We can gloss over our spirituality and believe that we are justified in our anger.

  The fact of Spiritual Blindness is shown both in the Old Covenant and in the New Covenant.

  Under the Old Covenant Spiritual Blindness is seen through tradition. Many of the people felt that they were righteous because of all the things that they did, because of works that they did, and they ended up believing that they were entitled to mercy and blessings from God because of their righteousness.

  They also believed that if they were successful in spiritual works that it would bring them blessings and they held to the covenant of self-fulfilling works. This is Spiritual Blindness. They felt that if everyone did not do the works that they did according to the Old Covenant, they did not measure up.

  God told them, “I desire Mercy, not sacrifice.” It wasn’t works, but God’s mercy. Spiritual Blindness made the people blind to the true mercy of God that was available, not because of works, but because of love and God’s compassion. Whether or not a person did all the works perfectly, God still was going to give mercy and compassion.

  The people believed that physical sickness, emotional sickness, and the demoniac were all because of sin. These kinds of attitudes made it tremendously difficult for unity with God that God so desired, for God wanted the hearts of the people, not their deeds.

  The first murder in the Bible was because Cain’s offering did not measure up to Abel’s.  God told Cain, Genesis 4:7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. Cain did not rule over the sin, and he chose to remove his brother, thinking that would solve the problem.

  Abraham begged God to preserve Sodom and Gomorrah if there could be found 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, or even just 10 righteous men in the city. Pastor Don reminded us that these people probably did good works, even evil people do good works at times. God wasn’t destroying Sodom and Gomorrah over evil works. He destroyed the city because the people kept violating the Covenant of God, it was the relationship that God wanted. Only Lot was in covenant with God, and Lot was not perfect in his works. In fact, after the cities were destroyed he was drunk and ended up sleeping with his daughters.

  Moses gave the Law in the Old Covenant, not because God thought that we would keep the Law perfectly, but as a guideline for the people. If you love God, you will keep the commandments. The Scribes and Pharisees added to these laws, and changed the heart of the Commandments from loving God to a works philosophy – that if you do things, it will save you. What God wanted was, because of the Covenant with Him, that their acts would change.

  If a husband really loves his wife, over time his behavior will change. He will try to find out what pleases her to make her happy, and he will do things that he knows makes her happy. God wants us to love Him so much that we seek to do things that please Him. God wants us to move closer to Him in relationship, and respect the relationship in Spirit and in Truth.

  God even gave the Israelites a way to restore relationship when they got out of relationship – the sacrifice of sheep and goats. The problem is that in the Old Covenant they substituted the rituals and sacrifice of sheep and goats instead of relationship, and that created a spiritual form of Spiritual Blindness.

  They established traditions, emotions, expectations, their fleshly attitudes and actions instead of relationship, and that led to Spiritual Blindness.

  Pastor Don then brought us to the New Testament to see how Jesus taught about Spiritual Blindness, and how our relationship is to be with God. I will save that part for tomorrow, and let me assure you it is exciting as we cover details in a few chapters, and I learned something that surprised me.

  Have a blessed day!

  Heather

  • 7:23 am
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