Prayer and Truth

So tell me, with all of the varying brands of Christianity, and the endless number of Pentecostal sects to boot, how DO you know what is really the truth? Is it a matter of studying the Bible more closely than anyone else? Plenty of folks have done that, and plenty of folks have still come up with different views of the same topics. Maybe pray more than anyone else? Well, if you're praying right, that certainly couldn't hurt anything; but that still may not be enough. So am I saying that there really isn't any way to know for sure what is the truth? Of course not. The simplistic truth of the matter is this: If you really want to know what the truth of the gospel of the kingdom of God is, then get real honest and real humble before God, and THEN study the Bible diligently, and do a whole lot of serious praying. And when you have empowered yourself by the holy Ghost that way, then refuse sin and allow the Spirit to put the unruly works of the flesh to death (Rom. 8:13; Tit. 2:11,12). Because I will tell you, you will NOT find the truth of God any other way than that. It simply will not happen. And even then, real divine truth has to be REVEALED by the holy Ghost, the same exact way the prophets prophesied, and the same way the scriptures were written: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (II Pet. 1:20,21). Jesus once asked Peter who he thought he was, and Peter answered like this: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my [congregation]; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Mat. 16:16-18). The rock that the elect of God are built on is the solidity of true understanding revealed from heaven by the holy Ghost, and you don't get that by walking after the flesh and remaining under dominion to sin. One may THINK he is getting it under circumstances other than that, but thinking something is so doesn't make it so.

The scripture tells us, "For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy" (Eccl. 2:26). And I assure you that nobody is good in God's sight unless they are abiding in his Son through the Spirit that he sent back from heaven after leaving here (Jn. 15:4,5; Jn. 16:7; I Cor. 12:13). And Jesus told us very clearly that there was no other way to learn of him, than BY that same Spirit: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (Jn. 14:26). And again, "Howbeit when the Spirit of truth is come, [it] will guide you into all truth" (Jn. 16:13). And The apostle Paul felt the same exact way: "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we MIGHT KNOW the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (I Cor. 2:12,13). And to that he added, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). And since we've already heard from Peter on the subject, let's hear what the beloved apostle had to say about it: "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him" (I Jn. 2:27). Friend, there is only one "anointing," and that anointing is the holy Ghost. So it's unanimous among the who's who in the kingdom of God, and I can only fully concur with my superiors in the faith. And I have only one more note to add to the obvious, and that is that anything that is truly revealed by the Spirit of truth can and must ALWAYS be confirmed by a consistent flow of scriptural evidence. That is in fact the way the new testament scriptures were written, and that is exactly how Jesus and the apostles preached. Unlike the modern Christian gospel that takes a scripture here, and a scripture there, and expects you to ASSUME that the remainder of the Bible flows together with it, when in fact it absolutely does not. But one will only know these things for himself if and when he/she does what is required to find the truth for himself. If we do not want the gates of hell to prevail against us, I strongly recommend that we do just that. Amen.