May 18, 2020
The following is the transcript of the program Does God Manipulate Our Circumstances? Check back soon to find the youtube and podcast links at bottom of page.
As we're seeing now in the news from religious leaders, from all angles we are seeing mass confusion about WHY the Corona virus? "What's the reason for it?" And as always when any type of pandemic, or disaster happens - whether it's tornadoes, hurricanes or earthquakes - the knee jerk reaction is "God is angry." "He's trying to teach us something." "The end is near." "The Apocalypse." And on and on it goes. The crazies come out of the wood work with some of the most outrageous responses. Proudly and arrogantly they demonstrate their ignorance. They do not rightly divide the word of truth, having missed an entire section of their bible, where God promises to hold back his wrath while he dispenses his grace. Their oblivious to this truth. This is why we chose the name Truth Time Radio. Somewhere you can come to, you can rely on for truth. (Something hard to find these days) With most you have to cut through miles of red tape to find a tid-bit of truth here and there - just sprinkled in. They have become masters of operating in the grey area. No grey here - just black and white.
This virus is not from God. The next tornado - the next hurricane - whatever disaster you want to bring up - it is NOT FROM GOD. It is a natural occurrence of living in this present evil world. And you would do well to put away your Calvinistic thinking that says "This is God trying to teach us something." As we have said on many occasions, he has ALREADY taught us everything we need to know - go read it! This wrong headed belief comes from those who are to lazy to study his word. Stop avoiding the bible and blaming God for what you read in the headlines. God did his teaching BY HIS WORD. And he'll teach you today if you will only allow him to. It is in and through his word that you can glean understanding in all things. (2 Timothy 2:7)
These world events - you won't have to guess. You'll know why they're happening. We have those who pop up - they want to claim that everything that happens is ordained - is caused by God. No, you got sick because your immune system was low. You went out in the rain and didn't dry off properly. I've heard religious people claim that God tells them what to wear. No you wore the red shirt because you CHOSE to. You do have the cognitive capacity (God gave it to you) to choose your own outfit.
If you got into a car accident, stop blaming God. If you were hit by a drunk driver, it wasn't a part of God's great big masterful plan for your life. Yes he KNEW it would happen, but he did not CHOOSE for it to happen. He didn't manipulate it. The only choice that was made was a BAD one. The one the drunk driver made when he chose to drink and get behind the wheel of a car. Just use a little common sense here and stop letting religion dumb us down.
In life we make choices. (That's no mystery) And those choices have results. Our choices come with consequences. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. But they come from making choices.
We are free to be saved. Free to study God's word and live accordingly - according to what we study. Or, NOT to be saved, NOT to study his word and live accordingly. These things are not manipulated by God.
There are no strings - no manipulation - God is not micro managing our lives. This sort of teaching is a lie, and does nothing but take away from personal responsibility and accountability.
Our loving God - he is so loving that he chose to give us free will. We are not mental slaves. The sovereign crowd out there they don't believe we have a free will. This has to be right up there with some of the most outrageous teachings I've heard in my lifetime.
Things in life happen as a result of the choices we make. Thats what God says in Luke 10. Things happen "by chance" "by chance".
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves,
The reason this man came in contact with the thieves is because he made the CHOICE to go to Jericho. See that? This wasn't a part if the big plan of God.
Keep reading...
which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
Why did they strip this man, beat him up and leave him there half dead? They CHOOSE to. God calls it Free Will.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way:
Was the priest sent there by God? No he. Ame down that way " by chance". Did God order the steps of this priest? As he's ordering every step of your daily life? That's what the Calvin's won't us to believe but it's simply not true.
Read on...
and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Why did the priest pass by on the other side? Is this hard to understand? No it's not. He CHOSE to.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
Again, a choice was made. A Levite, just like the priest, said, Hey I'm not going to have anything to do with this. Looks like there is a bad situation going on over there. A man is getting robbed - getting beat - I'm just going to sneak over this way and pass by on the other side. He made a choice. Again, a FREE WILL choice was made.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
Again, another choice was made.
No divine intervention. Just a man who had a conscious and made the right choice.
Religious people will mess up - they'll read in TO the scriptures messing up all this. This is straight forward easy to understand plain and simple. And this religious claim that all things good and bad are caused by God. Wrong!
God gives each of us a free will choice to make our own decisions.
So the next time one of these goof ball religious ministries tells you some tall tell of how God supernaturally intervened in someone's circumstances and is punishing them or making things all better, you make sure you go and tell all the starving children - the ones he supposedly decided to NOT make things all better for - you go tell them how he manipulates our daily lives and decided - he made the choice to ordain them to starvation.
And tell all the parents whose children died of cancer before seeing their 13th birthday how God ordained that too.
When tragedy strikes, everytime without exception, there are those who come out of the wood work and start making the claim that this is God judging us for being bad.
These horrific things we're seeing today are not the workings of God, but of a quote "present evil world".
Hey, Galatians chapter 1 verse 4 is plain to anyone who will simply believe it. Read it and believe it!
Paul here speaking of Christ wrote, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
Don't miss it. That "he might deliver us from this present evil world,"
What Christ accomplished on our behalf, was to DELIVER us from this present evil world, not to pronounce more evil. He's not making bad things happen to any of us. His plan is to "deliver us" from the evil, not to pour out more evil on us.
People ask, "What is the will of God"? Read the verse. It says, "according to the will of God" His will is to DELIVER us. Just believe the bible. The bad things happening are not his will. Oh he KNEW it was going to happen, nothing surprises God, but he's not ordaining and choosing that. He's not willing that on your life. The will is to deliver you, not to give you a virus. Not to put you through a devastating tornado. And when the doctor says the "C" word (when he says cancer) that's not of God either. These things are a natural occurrence of this "present evil world". Ruled by Satan, (2 Corinthians 4:4) god of this world.
These who credit God for what's happening today, have a crooked and perverse way of seeing things, and they're actually co mingling paganism and it's superstitions with Christianity.
Satan is the god of this world, and the God who died for all the sins of humanity is not manipulating our daily circumstances making good or bad things happen.
I'll never forget this one time when I told a man that Satan is the God of this world, and he looked at me as if I were some sort of monster in front of him. The truth sounds stranger than fiction - especially to those who are strangers to it.
Folks are simply not being taught the scriptures. This man claimed to be a pastor for nearly 30 years, yet didn't know 2 Corinthians 4:4. (Shameful) A shameful workman that will stand before God, UN approved, because he chose not to study but rather only parrot his denomination tradition.
If you'll carefully follow along and watch how your bible progressively reveals itself, you'll see that God is no longer physically intervening in lives today. And is why Paul wrote, (Romans 8:18) For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
What are WE - those of us who are saved - what are we waiting for? - Keep reading. We're waiting to verse 21 "be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Amen!
The quote "bondage of corruption" (the Coronavirus, deadly tornadoes, and whatever) that's not from God. The "glorious liberty" is. You just got to believe the bible.
You see, in God's word - just look at it for yourself, don't believe me, but you'll find distinctions. There are distinctions. That's why you have to rightly divide the word of truth. Rightly divide these distinctions.
Not seeing - not abiding by those distinction will leave you in a state of confusion. Having to guess each time something occurs. Each time something bad happens. Each time you turn on the news. Having to guess whether or not that was from God. Was it God? Was it Satan? Is this God punishing us? Or is this Satan causing this? Is this God getting even with us? And on and on it goes, where the wheel of fortune stops nobody knows. Will it be "Loose a turn" or will it be spin the wheel and land on "Jackpot?
You see, God has no reason to get even with any of us - to settle the score. He got even when he took out his wrath on Christ. Remember the cross? You know, it doesn't get preached about much anymore, but it is finished. Enough with the religious guilt trips.
God doesn't have unfinished business with sinners. Stop allowing that religious voice in your head to continue to fill your thinking with this nonsense. If God poured out his wrath upon Christ, then he is not going to pour it out on YOU! He's not going to punish you for the same thing he has already punished Christ for. And if God was the author of this virus, that's EXACTLY what he'd be doing. Punishing us today for what he punished Christ for. Meaning that what Christ did on our behalf just wasn't GOOD enough. God was not satisfied with the death of his Son.
But the truth is - you want the truth? The truth is it's finished. And NOW, the only thing left to do has nothing to do with GOD doing anything. It's about unsaved PEOPLE doing something. Hearing and believing the gospel. Resting their faith in the Son for their salvation. Resting in him alone, apart from anything they can do in their flesh to save themselves. The only thing left to do is for the unsaved to be saved.
This current time we're living in - now not according to the headlines, not according to the news media, but according to the bible it is called "but now". And during this "but now" time period, we're supposed to be living according to the instructions given to the apostle Paul to give to us. And is why he ask the Ephesians, (remember?) he said have you heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me to give to you?
Ephesians chapter 3 verse
3 "How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
The dispensation of the grace of God. It's happening NOW - "but now". And is a time of unmerited grace. We can't EARN anything good, and we can't EARN anything bad. Gods not handing out cookies to the good little boys and girls, and he's not handing out apples with razor blades to the bad ones. We all - everyone of us operate day to day from the platform of free will. We have choices and decisions to be made - we are responsible for ourselves - we are accountable for what we do. Decisions and choices are made, and what happens next is the RESULT of those decisions and choices. That's not God - that's YOU! Take responsibility for your own actions.
Under the current administration of God's grace, the means by which he intervenes (listen) is through his words - the bible. And if you are saved and you've equipped yourself by having studied and rightly divided his word of truth, he wants to use you to intervene.
This is real simple, but some of the people wearing the name badge, "Hi my name is Christian" make the rest of us look quite ignorant to the world. When they go around claiming that all worldly events such as the COVID virus and tornadoes and such - is God punishing and trying to teach us something.
I hear the woefully ignorant say "Where is God when all this is happening?" As if he's obligated to step in and give you a get out of jail free card. They are expecting him to change and rearrange their circumstances, as if we are puppets on a string.
It's not about our TEMPORAL circumstances, it's about our ETERNAL circumstances. And they were effected on the cross of Calvary. That's the greatest intervention - that's the greatest miracle we'll ever NEED. Stop looking to God to effect your day to day physical circumstances. Stop operating as babes in the temporal, and graduate to the eternal. Move on from the physical to the SPIRITUAL. Stop speaking as a child understanding and thinking as a child. (1 Corinhtians 13:11) And just grow up - put away the childish things - something that will happen when you rightly divide the word of truth. That's when we begin to stop seeing through the glass darkly, and begin to see the truth in high def. "face to face:".
Today, let not your heart be troubled, and when things like this virus or whatever happens, you don't have to be punch drunk, glassy eyed or tossed to and fro. As a member of the body of Christ, you are to remain stable. Like a tree planted by the water. I shall not be moved. Stand on God's truth. The "word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."
And as he wrote to the saints at Ephesis.....
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Whenever you're ready to get real and face the truth, you'll stop following the lies. God is not intervening in our daily lives causing good and bad things to happen to ANYONE. Has he? Oh yeah - he has. But there is a whole lot of things in the bible that he HAS done that he's not doing today.
That's part of the problem. Most have been taught to READ the bible, but haven't been taught HOW to read the bible. Been following some ministry that is more interested in telling you fanciful stories, than to teach you how to rightly divide God's word of truth.
After the salvation of the apostle Paul, God began to reveal something NEW. And once the revelation of the mystery was revealed in FULL - and the fall of Israel was in place, many things began to change. Things that used to happen, began to fade out and stop happening.
And I'm not talking just about the old testament either.
When's the last time you saw someone get healed by a handkerchief? That's New Testament, Acts chapter 19 vs 12.
When's the last time you saw someone get healed by a man's shadow? Acts chapter 5 vs 15
When's the last time you saw the holy ghost strike down a man and his wife dead in their tracks because they didn't give the church all their money? That's Acts chapter 5 also.
I can do this all day. From Old Testament AND New Testament.
Many things throughout the bible that used to happen, stopped. And its not because of lack of faith. If that were the case, we could go over to the local children's hospital and empty the place out. Just tell them about Jesus and how he heals. Read them a few passages of scripture about his mighty works of healing. Hey, they got all the faith in the world. It's not an issue of faith - they got plenty of that. They'll believe almost anything you tell them - with their child like faith.
So why aren't preachers - these so called "healers" - why don't they go over to the hospital - go over to St. Jude's, lay hands on them and empty the place? Because it don't work.
No they'd rather stay on their stage - that's much more comfortable - talking about it than actually getting in their car and proving it. They'll stand there this Sunday and read all the biblical accounts about healing. About Lazurus raising from the dead. The lepers who were healed. The lady with an issue of blood. But that's as far as it goes. It don't leave the church doors.
They don't dare take their cell phone and go to the hospital and actually record any children getting healed and getting up out of the bed and leaving the place.
And all along your expected to just node your head and shout hallelujah. Shuffle along through the week until NEXT Sunday. When you can go over to that building and hear about some MORE things that don't really happen.
And we wonder why we have atheist.
Bottom line is this, some of these things that used to happen, began to fade out and stop happening after the Lord called out and saved the man Saul of Tarsus. (The apostle Paul) And what you should be upset with, is why you have never been taught this. Why you were never taught about the uniqueness of this man's ministry, and the significant part it's supposed to play in your life.
Why you were never taught that we NOW are currently live in what the bible calls "the dispensation of the grace of God". We're not living in the time of Israel's reign, but rather their FALL. That's why things that were happening at that time are not happening anymore.
We're not living in line with the covenant promises God made and promised to Israel. Their covenant that awarded them when they did good, and punished them when they did bad. We have no such covenant. We live according to GRACE. Grace is UN merited, a covenant is merited. See the difference?
Grace is not a covenant. Just weigh it out.
On one hand we have "covenant", on the other hand we have "grace". There not the same.
Covenant is like an agreement, a contract if you will. A contract between parties that says, if you do this, in turn I will do this. But if you DON'T do this, I will NOT do this. Do you understand that?
You see, Gods GRACE is not a two way contract. Nothing is EARNED - It's freely given.
So when you hear someone say "grace covenant" - I've heard that for many years but, do know that you're hearing a term that actually contradicts itself. It's a self defeating statement. There is no such thing as a "grace covenant."
Grace is grace and a covenant is a covenant.
Your bible will fall right in line, right in order when you get this. When you understand that the old covenant was for Israel, and the NEW covenant will be for Israel as well.
Just believe the bible.
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord , that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Which one are you? Neither. Your not in the picture.
And just in case we missed it in the OT, God decided to repeat it again in the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
You see, the confusion part, what has confused some people is that there is also grace that comes with Israel's new covenant. But it's not the DISPENSATION of grace. Grace can be found throughout the entire bible, but the dispensation of God's grace is only found in the writings of Paul. Just like churches. There are more than one church in your bible, but only ONE church the body of Christ. Paul's church. The church that began with Paul.
So in this the dispensation of God's grace - at this present time he is not dispensing sickness. He's not dispensing death - calamity. During this time he's not responsible for causing even one hurricane - one tornado. He's not making the earth to quake. Oh I know it's in the bible, but it doesn't fall in with this dispensation we're currently living in. He's not dispensing any of those or anything else you can come up with. (just fill in the blank) And until you start rightly dividing the word of truth, you're going to keep opening your mouth and sticking your foot in it. You'll continue to believe and may even spread these lies.
Don't fall for the nonsense. This is a false and very harmful message, and we have the Calvinist to thank for it.
We have those who roll around on the floor - bark like dogs - gobble like turkeys - perform all sorts of fake healing's, pretend to make legs grow and so forth. But I don't think there is ANYTHING more damaging to the body of Christ, than this business of telling others that God is causing - ordaining everything that's happening today in our lives. That he has robbed you of your free will and has taken it hostage and is controlling - manipulating your daily circumstances.
And Truth Time Radio we're gonna keep pressing in - standing up against this false teaching as long as we're able to sit in front of this microphone.
The good news is we continue to hear from SO many telling us that are waking up and coming away from this illogical thinking.
One listener said that after hearing us teach on this, it was as if a light came on. They suddenly woke up!
This is how it happens.
You go for so long, privately questioning things, thinking that there must be something wrong with YOU. Thinking you're the only one - the only one questioning these things. Then all the sudden you find out that your NOT the only one. Hundreds, thousands of others have been quietly thinking the same thing.
The truth light bulb begins to shine and it comes on. Praise God!
Not long ago a caller told me of how he had finally grown tired of all the allegorical teachings he was being fed. His pastor was real bad about changing the meanings of scripture and turning everything into allegories.
No need for all the allegorical interpretations. Just stick to the natural reading of scripture and you'll be fine. The truth will show itself every time.
You know what the problem with reading God's word with an allegorical interpretation? Everyone's interpretation is DIFFERENT. One says it means this, another says it means that - and there you are left in a head spin. Having to guess. Next thing you know it turns into a personality contest. You've got to guess and you've got to measure truth by which preacher you like best. Who speaks with the kindest voice. Or smiles the most. Has the largest following.
Eventually no one cares what GOD actually meant. No, that gets overshadowed by who you've chosen as your favorite teacher. The winner of the personality contest.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study - and rightly divide the word of truth - makes all the difference.
GraceRightlyAppliedChangesEverything
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