Topic: Fact Check

There are many things that people who follow Jesus, go to church and even claim to believe the Bible who believe things that are completely unbiblical. This happens because some things are said that sound good, spiritual and biblical and they gain traction because people actually believe they are in the Bible.

Fact Check – “When God closes a door, He always opens a window” OR “Whichever door opens for you is the will of God…”

(Colossians 1:9 AMP) For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make [special] request for you, [asking] that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things—

If the Lord through the Apostle Paul is telling us to understand what the will of God is, then it must be possible for us to know the will of God for our lives.

In the Christian world, we are more physical-conscious (body-conscious) and more mental-conscious than we are spirit-conscious.

Yet we are first and foremost spirit beings.

(1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV) 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• You are a spirit, you possess a soul, and you live in a body.

(1 John 4:15 NKJV) Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

(1 John 4:13 NKJV) By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

• God dwells in you, in your spirit.
• God’s leadership in our lives will come primarily from your spirit, where He lives.

How does God lead us?

• The Written Word of God
• The Inward Witness

(Romans 8:14,16 NKJV) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

How do I tune in to the Holy Spirit?

1. Give the Word of God first place.

This means that the Word has final authority in your life above what you see, feel, or hear.

God gave us our five physical senses and they are great as long as they don’t contradict the Word of God. The moment that they do contradict the Word, you must choose to go with the Word instead of what they say to you.

(Psalms 138:2 AMP) I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your Name!

Don’t let the Word of God be an afterthought or the LAST RESORT! Make it the first thing you go to.

2. Meditate in the Word of God.

(Joshua 1:8 AMP) This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

The Word of God shall not depart out of your mouth…

If you ever want to do anything great in life, if you ever want to amount to anything in life, take time to meditate in the Word of God.

To meditate means to ponder, to mutter or speak to yourself.

3. Practice the Word of God

We have many “talkers of the Word,” and even “rejoicers about the Word,” but there aren’t very many “Doers of the Word.”

(James 1:22-25 NIV) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it–not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it–they will be blessed in what they do.

Begin the practice being a doer of the Word by doing in all circumstances what the Word tells you to do.

4. Instantly obey the voice of your spirit (conscience).

The human spirit has a voice. We call this our conscience.

Sometimes we call it an intuition or an inner voice. The world calls it a hunch.

As you give your newborn spirit the privilege of meditating on the Word of God, the Word becomes its source of information. Your spirit will become strong and the inward voice of your conscience, educated and fed by the Word will become a true guide. We always put the Word first and therefore our spirit becomes an authoritative guide.

This is a process that takes time to learn.

5. Spend time praying in other tongues.

• • Your mind grows quiet because you are praying out of your spirit.

(1 Corinthians 14:14 NKJV) 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

• • You are built up.

(1 Corinthians 14:4 NKJV) 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

• • You are speaking directly to God and you speak divine secrets.

(1 Corinthians 14:2 MOFFAT) For he who speaks in a ‘tongue’ addresses God not men; no one understands him; he is talking of divine secrets in the Spirit.

There are many things that people who follow Jesus, go to church and even claim to believe the Bible who believe things that are completely unbiblical. This happens because some things are said that sound good, spiritual and biblical and they gain traction because people actually believe they are in the Bible.

Fact Check – “God needed another angel in Heaven, so God called them home.” 

This statement is wrong on so many levels but let’s start with the basics.

• Angels and people are not the same thing.

(Psalms 8:4-6 NLT) what are mere mortals that You should think about them, human beings that You should care for them? (5) Yet You made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. (6) You gave them charge of everything You made, putting all things under their authority-

• Angels are created beings. Since Adam’s creation, people are born.

(Psalms 33:6 NKJV) By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

(Nehemiah 9:6 NKJV) You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.

• Angels have a will but do not have the right to use it. People do have that right.

God gave people the right and the ability to use their wills to make choices.

(Isaiah 14:12-14 NKJV) “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! (13) For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

Our eternal destiny is determined by what we do with our will during our lives here on earth.

What happens when a person dies?

(1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• While you are living in the body, you have the choice to determine where you will spend eternity.

(Ecclesiastes 8:8 NKJV) No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, And no one has power in the day of death…

• When your spirit leaves your body, you no longer have a choice in where you go for eternity.

Your loved ones that have passed on are either with the Lord in Heaven or they are separated from God in Hell, but they are NOT here in the earth to complete unfinished business.

• Jesus prepared the way to Heaven and into God’s presence. He made it possible for us to go.

(John 14:1-4 NKJV) “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. (2) In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (4) And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

(2 Corinthians 5:1 TPT) We are convinced that even if these bodies we live in are folded up at death like tents, we will still have a God-built home that no human hands have built, which will last forever in the heavenly realm.

The body is the tent that Paul is referring to, but we will get an eternal house to live in for eternity.

• As a Christian, we should never fear death.

(Hebrews 2:14-15 AMPC) Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the power of death–that is, the devil– (15) And also that He might deliver and completely set free all those who through the [haunting] fear of death were held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives.

• Jesus has taken the sting out of death.

(1 Corinthians 15:55-57 NKJV) “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O HADES, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?” (56) The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Never view the death of a Born Again believer as a win/lose proposition. For the Christian, death is a win/win proposition.

Some mistakenly think that if a Christian recovers from an illness, it is a victory, but if he dies, it is a defeat. (Rev. Tony Cooke: Life After Death)

Living and experiencing long life is more about calling and purpose than anything else.

(Philippians 1:21-25 AMPC) For me to live is Christ [His life in me], and to die is gain [the gain of the glory of eternity]. (22) If, however, it is to be life in the flesh and I am to live on here, that means fruitful service for me; so I can say nothing as to my personal preference [I cannot choose], (23) But I am hard pressed between the two. My yearning desire is to depart (to be free of this world, to set forth) and be with Christ, for that is far, far better; (24) But to remain in my body is more needful and essential for your sake. (25) Since I am convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and stay by you all, to promote your progress and joy in believing,

• Remember, God never sees His children die. He just sees them coming home. That is why the death of His saints – His children – is precious in His sight.

(Psalms 116:15 NKJV) Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.

There are many things that people who follow Jesus, go to church and even claim to believe the Bible who believe things that are completely unbiblical. This happens because some things are said that sound good, spiritual and biblical and they gain traction because people actually believe they are in the Bible.

(2 Timothy 3:16 TPT) Every Scripture has been written by the Holy Spirit, the breath of God. It will empower you by its instruction and correction, giving you the strength to take the right direction and lead you deeper into the path of godliness.

There are two extremes in how Christians deal with life:

• Those who do nothing.

They bounce through life just letting life happen to them. There is the belief that if it is God’s will for my life, that it will just happen.

• Those who make their own plans and then ask God to bless them.

Fact Check: God helps those who help themselves!

This phrase is not found in the Bible.

It was brought into our modern culture in 1736 by Benjamin Franklin in his Poor Richard’s Almanac.

While this may sound superficially like the kind of proverb you might hear from a committed Christian, Franklin was a deist. He didn’t believe in a personal God who is actively involved in the affairs of people, but rather in a God who set the world in motion but stands at a distance while we fend for ourselves.

On the surface this statement sounds good but it is actually anti-Gospel. It is based on the concept of self-reliance and self-righteousness.

• This comes from the belief that if you try harder and do better, then God will step in and help you in some way.

(Proverbs 28:26 NIV) Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

(Psalms 72:12-13 NKJV) For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper. (13) He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy.

(Isaiah 25:4 NLT) But You are a tower of refuge to the poor, O LORD, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat…

(Romans 5:6-8 NLT) When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. (7) Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. (8) But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

(Ephesians 2:8-10 MSG) Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! (9) We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! (10) No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

• The Bible DOES teach us that in this life of faith, there is a part that God plays and a part that we play in our lives.

What exactly is our part?

1. Use common sense while you are trusting God to do His part.

(Proverbs 2:7 NLT) He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.

(Proverbs 8:14 NLT) Common sense and success belong to me. Insight and strength are mine.

(Proverbs 10:21 NLT) The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.

2. Believe God’s Word.

We should make up our minds that God’s Word is true and believe it.

(2 Chronicles 20:20 NKJV) (20) So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

(Hebrews 4:2 NKJV) For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

3. Pray and speak God’s Word.

(Isaiah 55:8-11 NKJV) “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. (9) “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (10) “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, (11) So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

(Romans 10:8 AMPC) But what does it say? The Word (God’s message in Christ) is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word (the message, the basis and object) of faith which we preach, [Deu 30:14]

4. Obey Him and act like the Bible is true.

Believe that God will do what He says He will do.

(James 2:17 AMP) So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).

Does God help those who help themselves?

Charles Spurgeon said: “God helps those who cannot help themselves.”

The truth is, God helps those who place their trust and confidence in Him and believe for Him to help them.

(Isaiah 41:10 NKJV) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

There are many things that people who follow Jesus, go to church and even claim to believe the Bible who believe things that are completely unbiblical. This happens because some things are said that sound good, spiritual and biblical and they gain traction because people actually believe they are in the Bible.

(Psalms 138:2 NKJV) I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

(Hebrews 1:3 TPT) The Son is the dazzling radiance of God’s splendor, the exact expression of God’s true nature—his mirror image! He holds the universe together and expands it by the mighty power of his spoken word. He accomplished for us the complete cleansing of sins, and then took his seat on the highest throne at the right hand of the majestic One.

• God’s Word is the highest and final authority!

Fact Check: “God is in control.” 

1. God is Omniscient. (All knowing)
2. God is Omnipotent. (All powerful)
3. God is Omnipresent. (Is everywhere)
4. God is Sovereign.

Sovereign – having supreme rank, power, and authority.

When the Bible refers to the LORD (in all caps) it is referring to the Sovereign Lord, Who is supreme.

Only Someone who is sovereign could make the following decision regarding man. Someone who is not sovereign could not make this decision.

• God gave man complete control over His creation.

(Genesis 1:26-28 AMPC) God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. [Ps. 104:30; Heb. 1:2; 11:3.] (27) So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. [Col. 3:9, 10; James 3:8, 9.] (28) And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.

• Adam gave control of the earth to Satan when he sinned.

(2 Corinthians 4:3-4 NLT) (3) If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. (4) Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

(Luke 4:6-7 NKJV) And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered (handed over) to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. (7) Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

If the devil lied and Jesus did not know it, then this was not a genuine temptation. Satan did not lie and therefore it was a genuine temptation.

• This was a temptation because this was part of the plan and one reason Jesus came to the earth – to eventually die to buy back what Adam had handed over to Satan.
• Jesus came to purchase and win back that control from Satan.

(Matthew 28:18-19 AMP) Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. (19) Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

(Ephesians 1:17-23 NKJV) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, (18) the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, (19) and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (20) which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, (21) far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (22) And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

If we were raised up at the same time the Head was raised up, and all authority was conferred upon the Head, then it was also conferred upon His body which was raised up together with Him.

(Ephesians 2:1-6 NKJV) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, (2) in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, (3) among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. (4) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, (5) even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (6) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

• We need to preach the Cross and have a Cross mindset but we need to balance it with a Throne mindset and understand that we were CRUCIFIED together with Him but we were also RAISED together with Him and we are SEATED together with Him in the Heavenlies.

The right hand of God is the center of power of the whole universe.

(Philippians 2:9-11 NKJV) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

• Jesus has done all He’s going to do about the devil and his forces until the angel comes down from heaven, takes the chain and binds him and puts him into the bottomless pit. (Rev. 20:1-3)

(1 Peter 5:8-9 NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (9) Resist him, steadfast in the faith…

(James 4:7 NKJV) Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

(James 4:7 TPT) So then, surrender to God. Stand up to the devil and resist him and he will turn and run away from you.

(James 4:7 MSG) So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper.

Have you ever stopped and taken an inventory of what you believe? Once you have done this, have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I believe what I believe?”

The greatest thing that God could have provided for mankind is the Bible, the Word of God, because it is literally God revealing Himself and communicating with humanity.

The Scriptures contain insight into everything that has to do with our lives.

Biblical Christianity teaches that the Bible was inspired and authored by the Holy Spirit using men and women.

(2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

All that being said, there are many things that people who follow Jesus, go to church and even claim to believe the Bible who believe things that are completely unbiblical. This happens because some things are said that sound good, spiritual and biblical and they gain traction because people actually believe they are in the Bible.

For Example:

“God will not give you more than you can handle!”

(1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV) (13) No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Trial or Temptation: (peirasmos) A putting to proof of what you believe by the experience of adversity.

Adversity = pressure in our lives.

The enemy is desiring to generate pressure to get you off what you believe through the adversity.

The first step to overcoming adversity and passing the test is found in James 1:13:

(James 1:13 TPT) When you are tempted don’t ever say, “God is tempting me,” for God is incapable of being tempted by evil and he is never the source of temptation.

• Do not say that the temptation or trial is coming from God.

God does test us, but never with adversity. His tests are always tests of obedience to His Word.

(1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV) (13) No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

The Good News – There are three main points of this verse that are hugely important to us:

• You are NOT the only one that has ever faced this temptation.

In other words, even though you may think that no one else has been tempted in this manner, the temptation is something that is common to mankind and others have faced it.

• God will always make a way of escape for you with the temptation.
• In Him, you can resist and maintain consistency enduring the temptation.

(James 1:2-4 NKJV) My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, (3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (4) But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Amplified – “…so that you may be people perfectly and fully developed with no defects, lacking nothing.”

(James 1:12 NKJV) Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Endures = patience (same word in Greek)

Passing the test does require consistency but there is more to it.

How to develop endurance:

1. You must train before the competition begins.

(1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NLT) (24) Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! (25) All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

2. You cannot be entangled with the affairs of this life. (taking the cares).

If you are worried, you are contemplating how you can solve your own problems.

(2 Timothy 2:4 TPT)  For every soldier called to active duty must divorce himself from the distractions of this world so that he may fully satisfy the one who chose him.

(1 Peter 5:6-7 NIV) Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (7) Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

3. Make the Word of God first place in your life by spending time in it.

(Psalms 1:1-3 NLT) Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. (2) But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. (3) They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

4. Count it all joy when the test shows up.

(James 1:2 NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

(Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

5. If you won’t quit because of weariness, you will win.

(Galatians 6:9 TLB) And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.