Daily Deprogramming

Today is an anniversary of sorts for me. It was on this day two years ago, I began to see that I was in a cult .   Upon the impending birth of my grandson, I saw the pastor of my church doing bazaar things which were out of the realm of being a pastor , invading the space , and usurping the  God-given authority of the  young husband and father of the child.

I was quickly removed when after 20 years of faithful service, I asked questions and criticized the outlandish behavior of the leadership.  For now my daughter in law and two grandchildren have been lost to the ”christian” cult.  It has been a uniquely tormenting and agonizing experience.  The story is on our home page.

I thank the Lord today for allowing the pain, because it took such a horrendous event to finally allow me see in reality , the  visable concrete  embodiment of a  sick condition within the leadership of the church, that I  had sensed existed , but could never  wrap my brain around.  I struggled , in great conflict within my spirit for at least seven years prior to this  bazaare event , knowing  something was wrong in the church,  but just couldn’t see it clearly. 

 I simply would bury my feelings and instincts and tell myself I was  wrong time after time.  We can be blinded by our beliefs even if they seem to be good beliefs,  when they sound like they are the truth ,and  seem to be  coming from God’s Word.

Today Ardith Keef’s Devotional talks about being a “bond servant.”  I was her “bond servant” for many years.  Nearly 20 years. Nearly one third of my life I willingly served her, not for money ,but because in my heart I truly believed she followed the Lord , and I wanted to serve Him.  For almost the whole time I worked nights so I could take care of her needs days.  I bought food for her  and her husband for four years and cooked the food for them.  I even stayed nights with her for nine months while she and her now pastor husband, mutinied her ex-husbands church, causing a  , rupturing breach and destroying the unity  of the members.

I deeply loved her,  and she held me there by speaking of my being “in the reigns with her.”  I  believed her  and wanted to be a bond servant to Christ .   I truly thought  she was following Him.  It was my own fault.  I was gullible.  I was deceived.

So, where did I put the abuses of people in the scheme of things?  I still  can not figure out how I could  have so easily skipped over the mutiny of her  ex husband’s pastorate by she and her new love interest. How a marriage with four young children could be disintegrated  before my eyes in the name of “Jesus” as if it was normal in the Kingdom of Heaven to destroy what God has yoked together, and divorce was acceptable ,when He said, “I hate divorce?”   How could I see the agony and intense mental abuse   of her new husband’s children and ignore it?   How could I accept a clear lack of Love as “the will of God ? ” How  could I shun and treat God’s people with distain, when I knew nothing except Ardith’s  interpretation of “truth” in the situation? How could I accept and accede to dysfunction and chaos ,as  being  God’s  Truth and The Holy Spirit in action?    How could I be so deceived?

Friends, an illusionary ”Christian” cult , that duplicates and simulates the Kingdom of God with it’s false fire, false and twisted doctrines and false leaders, is in  satans mind one of his  greatest achievements!  He is the master deceiver.  He has said, “I will be like God.”  It is his keenest desire to deceive the “church” of Christ Jesus.  If the doctrines of a “church” seem to line up with the Bible, and the leader is charismatic , is able to influence people with a false  spiritual “authority” ,and even believes his or her  own twisted versions of “truth”,  we easily can be deceived by them. 

Our very freedom is based upon whether or not we think we can be deceived. If we are not willing to accept the fact that we can be deceived then we are blinded  to the truth, and  will continue to be food for the roaring lion out to devour us, if indeed we are in a cult.   I can tell you from experience  it can  be very difficult to recognise the  distinction of the false , and the difference between the  Holy Spirit’s Truth ,and  satan’s false truth for a long time.  However, when the fruit is manifest the truth is clearly shown.  But you can miss the truth if you arrogantly think you cannot be deceived.

Now I know what it means that “the wheat and the tares will grow up together until the harvest.”  I always thought it meant the harvest was when Jesus comes again.  Now I know there’s a lesser fullfillment , and it can be a harvest of  the fruit in ones life, or in the life of a church.    Eventually every sowing of seed produces something or it rots in the ground.  There is a “harvest” and by that fruit we can determine the  health of of a person, a  leader , or a church.  

There  can be good fruit, as in leaders and churches that have stood the test of time ,and remain filled with Love, are firm, faithful,  and healthy;  or the fruit can be bad as in churches that are loveless,  full of corruption, secrecy, with no mercy, painful divisions and splits  abounding, divorces,  all coming from the top.  Sometimes you can’t see or smell the rotten  fruit because it is  highly perfumed with smooth spiritual words and teachings.  Until the filth and moral decay  affects  you personally , the “false perfume”  diffuses  and cloaks the stench of the enemy’s workings.  You think you are following God.  It seems so real!

Again today I thank my Lord for opening my eyes, and my  spiritual senses, even though the cost of True sight  and  True smell was great.  I am determined to follow Him.  I am determined to serve Him.  Seeing the Truth, I have had to repent from following a false fire, false doctrines, and false leaders.  I have had to repent from supporting unkindness, and abuse of others ,and looking the other way during  the cruel unchristian conduct toward children and families of a church and leaders who think for all the world they’re following Christ.  

I have seen the beautiful fruit of families being brought back together in true Christian love and unity, after years of being seperated  under Ardith’s control  and teachings.  I have seen mothers and children brought back together as well. This gives me much hope for those I love who have been so deceived ,and caught by satans lies. 

Yes, it even gives me hope for  deceived leaders like Ardith and Bill Keef  as well.  I have great pity and compassion for them and pray for their release from satans strongholds and wiles.  Thinking they are bond-servants of Christ , they are the enemy’s puppets , his servants of sorts,  and are led along , deceived  and held fast  to him  by their strings of pride,  self-aggrandizement, and  their own false and twisted teachings and beliefs!  May the Lord have mercy on them, as well as their poor followers.

The moral of the story is this:  Be careful brethren, if Christ has set you apart for Himself, don’t come under another yoke of slavery.  It can be disastrous!  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galations 1:5