Daily Deprogramming

We do not have a Daily Devotional by Ardith Keef again today so I found one that I hadn’t rebutted.  It came from August 9, 2007.   On or about July 24, 2007 my husband, my self, and my son-in-law were served with papers to go to court.  We opted to stop writing the web-site until we went to court.  This finally happened on October 5, 2007.  So from July 24, 2007 until October 5, 2007 I wrote no Daily Deprogrammings.

We are being sued again this year, but opted to keep the web-site going. I guess the Judge agreed with our choice and freedom of speech,  because he refused to grant them an injunction that would have kept it  down until the court date.   

On July 1, 2007 Pastor Bill Keef was caught red-handed  by an officer in plain clothing, planting an illegal listening  device in the ground where my husband parked his truck weekly to demonstrate.  The bomb-squard had to be called and the police had to be interrupted while they were all at President Bush’s home in Kennebunkport.  No one knew at first what had been buried!  It could have been a bomb!

Then later that month we were served with papers filled with lies about our “harrassment “of them ,and even my stalking of them.  Everything we have done has been open and above-board for all to see. I believe their false accusations  were  used to cover over and draw attention away from  their own evil deeds.  As Ardith said, “Without a strong devotional life the Believer will become a chameleon over the flesh, and will step into the role of defending the things that develop the self-life”……… 

The life of the cult leader is secretive, covert, and much of their actions are hidden. They imitate their master and father, the master deceiver and the father of lies.  They have come to hate the Truth since the enemy has perverted their thinking.  When honest-hearted servants of the Lord speak the Truth  to them they hate them for it.  They love the lies and the darkness and hate being reproved by the Light of Truth!

What kind of Christian leader loves to read about blood and guts, heads being cut off and  brutal murders, along with their “strong devotional life”  ,and daily Bible reading?  Then when you check the fruit of their lives you find strewn along  in their wake  families, children, mothers, pastors, churches, marriages, friends, all  of them tattered and torn-up spiritually and emotionally, hurting and in pain.   The kind of books we read might just be another  ”red-flag indicator of cult/abusive leader  behaviors. 

These are Ardith’s “red-flag indicators” that the flesh is governing the thought life according to her Daily D of August 9, 2008: Perhaps she should be a bit more concerned about her own fleshly tendencies and her own thought life as her own “red-flag” indicators might closely resemble her own behaviors.

1. “Being easily offended.”  

2. “Having to settle a score.”

3. ”Needing stimulation all the time.”

4.  “Passivity”

5.  “Being a fussy eater.”

6.  “A sharp tongue.”

7.  “Being quick to spot a weakness in another.”

8.  “Resenting authority.”

9.  “Sloppy work.”

0. “predictable tardiness.”

OK lets take these one at a time:

 1. “Being easily offended”.   Accusing people of “being offended”  who question cult leaders practices  is a  common way cult leaders use of explaining to the rest of the group why these have “left the church” rather than telling the truth that they have been shunned and cast out because the leaders were themselves easily offended by the Truth.

2.  “Having to settle a score”:   Cult leaders are devious and deceitful about this,  and they stealthily  work undercover to settle the score no matter how long it takes while they “preserve and defend the things that develop their own self life”  at any cost to anyone but them. They will break up your family, bruise your soul, destroy whole churches, take down pastors. They will do anything in their power to “settle the score.” They will do anything no matter who it hurts to maintain their power and authority over others.

3.  “Needing stimulation all the time.”  Cult leaders demand stimulation all the time by their followers. They need their ego’s constantly stroked and petted. They need to be looked up to, they need to be bowed down to, they need to be listened to and obeyed, they need to have everyone around them think they are in authority and act that way towards them all the time. These leaders are in essence weak and insecure. Some might even have to wear shoulder pads to make them feel better about themselves.  Perhaps even to the point of asking someone to be sure they were wearing shoulder pads in their casket!  

4.  “Passivity”:   A pastor who quits his good paying job , stays home in the guise of “taking care of the Lords sheep” etc , then hangs around all day with other mens young wives has a problem with passivity or worse. He leads the young women away from their homes and family duties and makes them passive about their true calling , which is making a home. This is another red-flag indication  of a cult: The “pastor ” quits his  day job to stay home. Then he flitters away time with other men’s  young wives.

5.  “Being a fussy eater”:  I remember cooking for the Pastor. He was never satisfied. For 4 years I bought the food ,and I cooked the food. He had to have special things that were organic and  he often  complained about how the food was cooked or prepared. Ardith Keef likes cheese. So the poor woman who now does a lot of the cooking for the church puts cheese in almost everything to please Ardith.  She does it because she loves Ardith, but one day she will find out that she is nothing to them but their servant,(her nick name is Spud)  and if she ever questions or criticizes them without bowing  to their false authority and asking for forgiveness, she will be gone.

6.  “A sharp Tongue”   There is more than one kind of sharp tongue.  Some are loud and abrasive, but some are smooth-edged like the serpent in the Garden of Eden. I would much rather face a person who chews me out good than one who is deceitful and slippery ,and flatters me with falsehoods just before they quickly inject  me with their lethal bite of death!  This is what cult leaders do.  Watch out for smooth, cunning words of flattery, and spiritual wisdom. It might be a red-flag indicator of a cult leader!

7. “Being quick to spot a weakness in another.”   Whenever I was with Ardith Keef she always complained about  and criticized people. “The men never gave, only the women did.”  The women weren’t hard enough on their children.  The woman upstairs was always “stealing things” and she never did anything right.  No one was ever good enough for Ardith Keef. If anyone left the church for any reason there was something wrong with them. Even if they were elderly and needed to leave for their health for a better climate they were deserting their post and cowardly.  (But the leaders kept taking the money sent to them by these unfaithful ones!) The small children  in the apartment above Ardith lit matches, struck them on the side of the Isaac  House , and their mother taught them to do it!?, so Ardith Keef said.   What did Attorney, Guardian ad Litem,  Keef do? Nothing. She talked about the situation and criticized the woman.  The last I knew she never even told the childrens father. 

Now I don’t believe the above incident  ever happened as I now  believe very little I was told.  Only what I actually saw for myself do I believe especially about others.  Everyone  but Ardith  was weak and had something wrong with them according to her.  Her husband  “the Pastor screamed all night, he saw demons, he hit her all night “, so she said.  She made him out to be weak to the women of the church. they in turn saw their own husbands the same way. 

The women  of Anchor feel and act superior to the men because of her teachings. I have never heard Ardith once in 21 years speak to the women about submitting to their husbands.  By her actions she has taught them to dishonor, disregard, over power, manipulate, and control their husbands, and to put both husbands, marriages, and family life on the back burner as unimportant.  Five or six marriages under Ardith’s belt shows that this is exactly how she feels about marriage and family life herself. This is another red-flag indicator that something is awry with Ardith Keef’s teachings.

8. “Resenting authority.”  Let’s turn this around and the red-flag is that Cult leaders resent you  for not adhering to  and respecting their “self appointed” authority.  This is the main way they can keep you under their control, if they can keep you believing they are “God’s Authority.”   This keeps their followers in fear of “disobeying” them, keeping the followers from or questioning or criticizing  the feigned, pretended, authority figure. Of course they demand you not “Resent ” their “Authority”, then they would lose control!

9. “Sloppy work.”    Cult leaders demand,  ”do as I say not as I do.”   The paperwork  Attorney Ardith  Keef passes in  even to the court is sloppy and ill-informed.  Names are spelled wrong.  Addresses are not right at  times, and the pages are often messy.   Ages of clients and opposing parties are  often entered incorrectly  and in some cases the paperwork is even sent to the wrong court, but she holds others to a much higher standard.  I remember when I first went to work for her. She made me put a stamp on a letter 5 or 6 times until I got it straight! 

0.  “Predictable tardiness”   This is another way cult leaders control people and make themselves look good. They make you feel inadaquate when you’re late  as you work and slave for them, (you may be late simply trying to fit in a few things of your own)  , so the leaders can always be on time themselves , and appear  to have it all together and look good to others.  As long as their things get done, they have no consideration for your necessities ,and the things you might need to do for yourself or your own family.  They will even criticize you when  your  ”predictable tardiness”  is a product of your giving all to help them.  It is always all about the cult leader and their having power and control.  It is about them looking good at any cost to you.

Ardith Keef says in the Daily D of August 9, 2007, “You do not  need to describe to the Lord how He should alter you to bring this about. He will usher in the Gift of circumstances so that you can make choices.  Those choices will bring about the answer to prayer - that you be transformed and become more like Him.”   However, when Ardith Keef  was confronted with “the Gift of circumstances”, she took other Christians to court!   I DOUBT that God answered her prayer by saying, “Go against My Word and take these Christians to Court. Don’t sit down and talk with them as My word says to do.  You are so special and they had better yield to your authority!”  No , Cult leaders take exception to the rules they lay down for others. this is another red-flag indicator of a cult leader in progress.

There are red-flags everywhere in the Anchor Missionary Fellowship, church leadership, if one cares to see them. They are  often covert and hidden unless one loves the Truth and is willing to persue it. 

 Lastly in this Daily Devotional Ardith says, “You have only a few more hours, if even that.”  I wonder how many times Jim Jones and David Koresh said this type of thing  before the reality of a  terrible tragedy, and needless death and heartache came to fruition?”   Perhaps this statement , which Ardith  often implies or openly repeats  , is one of the most serious red-flags of the Anchor Church leadership.  Only time will tell……..

Today there is no Daily Devotional by Ardith Keef as yet so I want to take this opportunity to  again let my readers know that what I do here , I do because of Love.  The Lord God expects us to speak out and do whatever is necessary to  snatch our brothers and sisters out of the fire. The enemy, satan the devil,  is like a lion seeking to devour His people.  If for some reason He has granted us sight, it is not only the right thing to do, God’s Word tells us  we must warn another when he or she is headed in the wrong direction.

I pray for the Keefs as well as for the whole Anchor Missionary Fellowship Church.   I pray for their deliverance from satan’s strongholds ,and that the enemy’s  power and (cloud of lies)  over the leaders as well as the few members who are left there, will be broken. 

I can say with a certainty that I continue to love these people for whom Christ died.  I regret that I ever put Ardith Keef up on a pedestal, and oo’d and ahh’d over her “wisdom”, “knowledge” ,and “Bible teachings.”  People like myself are just as responsible as those in leadership for enabling them to become monsters who need  to have more and more control.  This is probably  why  Jesus said regarding Jezebel’s paramours, (supporters, helpers) that they  must repent as she  must, or be severely chastised .  When we  give people power over us, much of the pain we are reaping is our own fault!

So what can we do except to speak out in writing?   Our voice has been silenced in the Anchor Church.  I and my family have been shunned and slandered with lies.  As time goes by more lies  deceptions are discovered , and I am more sure of my stance.  Satan is the great deceiver, slanderer, and the  ”father of lies.”  If he can get a believer to believe a lie against another he can destroy a whole church. He always tries to stifle and surpress the Truth.

My Christian counselor told me in the beginning that I had just left a cult, and that  these situations often end in violence, and there are usually sexual perversions, adultery, and/or  child abuse involved.  Just in thinking about Jim Jones, David Koresh, and other cultish groups this is easily seen to be true.  It has been true of abusive  churches  such as “the Bible Speaks started by Carl Stevens.  The proof of any “ministry”  or leader is always in examining the fruit, no matter what doctrines they teach.

In 1991 Ardith Keef would never have allowed one of her women to leave her home or her husband ,without serious scripural grounds.  She never would have let the young women  (other men’s wives) in the church be alone with the pastor for hours and hours, day after day. She never allowed a woman to even ride  to the Airport alone with the Pastor or any other man in the Church.  She would not have promoted divorce for one Christian against another without Biblical reasons.  She would never have taken a brother or sister to court. 

But like everything else,  over time when we become puffed up with pride , and think we alone know what is best for everyone we begin to lose the sharpness of our thinking, and our sight gets clouded.  When we have people around us who elevate us,  and put us up on pedestals, it doesn’t help us at all.  It only feeds our pride, and strokes our ego. We all need people around us whom we can be accountable to , and  who will  speak up and tell us the truth about our actions and choices.  Pastor Bill and Ardith Keef are accountable to no-one, and refuse to listen to anyone who may have a differing opinion.  This is and was an open door for the enemy!

When I finally was able to see the truth of our church’s  unhealthy condition, and told Bill and Ardith, “The wolves are inside the fold”, it was too late by human standards.  For questioning  and criticizing I was immediately thrown out and shunned along with my whole family.  It never changed the fact that I love these people unconditionally!  Those around me will tell anyone who asks that this is true.  However it is never too late for our Heavenly Father.  He is still the God of the impossible. 

The abuse and accusations of our family, and our daughter in law’s family , is from the enemy.   I could easily doubt my own self , as I know my weaknesses,  but these dear faithful servants of the Lord , Missionaries for over 20 years to Thailand, did nothing to be so maligned or to have their daughter  and their grandchildren severed from their family.  I praise  and thank the Lord that I have them in my life.  The  friendship and fellowship  of the John and Rosemary Kane family,  is one of the best things that has come out of  the abuses of the Anchor Church toward our family.  My husband, Don  who is a non-Christian has finally met some True Christians and he definately appreciates  and respects these folks.

I hold no grudges. I am also not afraid of what men (or women)  can do to me, whether in court or on the street.  I fear God and Trust Him alone. He is my Strength and my song!  The battle is not with flesh and blood, but with the powers and principalities of darkness!  I will stand with the Belt of Truth around me as long as the Lord helps me stand.  I will speak the Truth as long as there is life and breath in my body.  It is all I can do!  They are my brethren!  It is nothing,  when I consider all Jesus Christ has done for me….

When I think of the word, “Life”  I always first think of John’s words about Jesus Christ, “In Him was Life and that life was the Light of men.  I also think of Jesus’ words, “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

We know as Christians and from our own experience of Him that our new “Life” is in Him. We know the Bible is True, and it’s words were inspired.  There is no doubt about it.

What happens in some cases is that leaders  become deluded and deceived into thinking they are a little bit wiser than the next guy , that  they  have a better understanding of   the things of God , then THE PRIDE OF LIFE overtakes them.  It can happen to anybody.  We may say many things that are true and even believe ourselves that we are right, but through PRIDE darkness begins to set in and we become blind over a period of time.

Almost any Christian Cult/ Abusive church  leader would probably say as Ardith Keef does today, “There is no other Life than life in Him.”  or “He is for you, Is there anything better?” 

But in subtly  becoming false leaders, they  “confuse the issue” themselves by adding their own flavor to the pot.  They all  add their own twist  of  the element of  the  ”obedience” doctrine, to reign in their people, and so that they  themselves will be  looked up to, and obeyed.  To this they add their “spiritual authority” doctrines to lift themselves up and , defending their selfish  ”Pride of Life” by any means , becomes another issue, and a secret agenda.  Perhaps even hidden from themselves. These are like concealed cracks in their foundation and will finally become manifest with a little pressure and a few storms.

Ardith Keef asks today, “What is your purpose?” Then she responds with “You must spend your life in obedience to the One who gave Himself for you.”  

Every Christian who loves the Lord knows these basic things. But what it does for a Cult leader  such as Ardith Keef ,is to keep her followers hanging on her words and following her.  Never mind that she is leading them  away from the Truth in divisions,  taking other believers to court, divorces without grounds, broken churches, dishonoring of parents and grand parents, causing deep emotional scars in children etc. etc.   She  keeps firm to her  seemingly “true” doctrines while she breaks all the  important rules of love  in the Book of “Life” that characterize Him.

This is serious both for the cult leader and the followers. Jesus said, “Many will say to Me on that day, Lord didn’t we do many works in Your name?  And I will say to them, I never knew you. Get away from Me you workers of unrighteousness!”  It is imperative that we be humble. That we think ourselves lesser than the others we have been called to “serve.”  We are all merely servants.  None are greater. In fact Jesus Himself said “The greatest among you is the servant.” The Lord will do whatever He has to do to humble us if we are His.  Our very  eternal “LIFE” depends upon it.

Satan uses our own pride to deceive us.  The pride of our thinking we know more than the next guy about God and  “Life” and spiritual things will bring a church leader , and whole churches to ruin.  There are many cracks that were hidden , now appearing and wreaking havoc  around Ardith’s foundational teachings and the church is crumbling  before their very eyes because no one is willing to  see the Truth.  No one is so blind as he who will not see.  I found  an unusually interesting article in Google. “A Peek inside the deceived heart and mind “ PJ Miller Wordpress.com      Very eye-opening!

Ardith Keef has some good things to say today about  the basic first Commandment, and “how we must all remind each other of the beauty and value of Christian basics: “   She says, “The first commandment is to love the Lord. He wants intimacy with us- attention and obedience.”  She talks about “time with the Master.”

These are all basically good concrete  things for the believer to remember.  But then we find four little words, very basic little words from Ardith Keef that are out of line with the Word of God, “You may not weaken”  she says. This teaching  is basically false,  Biblically untrue, and a hazard  and  should raise a red-flag for the believer when testing the spirit of any  Christian group.   The Lord said to Paul, the Apostle, ‘My Grace is sufficient for you. My Power (strength) is made perfect in WEAKNESS.”  and Paul said, ”When I am weak, He is strong.” 2 Cor 12:7-10  “In our own strength we can do NOTHING.”  “The Lord is my STRENGTH and my song”  , says the Psalms.

Everything  we do as Christians: Loving God, Loving others, Helping each other, choosing eternal things, even “having intimacy with God ,and giving Him our attention and obedience ” comes as we lean upon Him and His strength, because we are weak.  If we think we are strong  and teach others ”You  may not weaken”  there is a serious, BASIC problem  and flaw in our thinking. We are all needy, helpless and hopeless without Him and His strength. Our hearts are desperately wicked ,and if we think we must be strong it is a  horrible pitfall! We are “wretched, miserable, poor , blind and naked” when we trust in our own strength. Jesus said we need “eyesalve to annoint our eyes” so we can see.   Rev 3:17 

One seemingly small heresy like this can infect our otherwise sound doctrine with an unhealthy blemish, or blight that will eventually spread and cause the fruit of our teachings to become unsound, unholy, untrue. It is especially serious when we are teaching a whole group our tainted version of truth.  Jesus said “Watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees.” A little bit of leaven  spoils the whole lump of dough” Jesus said.

When one realizes how much the Lord has done for us, the only thing we can do is love and serve others. However one can only love and serve as the Lord directs if one is free himself.  If one is in bondage to  a cult leader , one can only serve the cult leader. One cannot serve two masters.

Ardith Keef talks about serving others as a “law”  today.  Well, we are under the “law” of Love and we love because He first loved us.

Ardith Keef says,”Those who serve do not dwell on themselves.  They are always giving of their own resources so they exempt themselves from the fear of ever being without.” 

Like Queen Bees, Cult leaders like to make sure they are taken care of.  They like to have their little worker bees buzzing around them and freely “giving of their own resources” to buy food, cook the food, do errands, clean the cult leaders house,  and  provide other  mundane services for them that they would rather not do themselves. Cult leaders  have a hidden agenda to first and foremost  take care of themselves.  They use their charisma, along with other manipulations to make sure they feel important all the time. They twist such beautiful doctrines as “He gave Himself as a Ransom for many ” to get their subjects to give all that they have and  are , as a ransom for them.   

The false and “fake”  spiritual leader uses up all of a persons resources ,materially and physically then casually throws away that person and goes on to the next victim.  They always make sure to ”exempt themselves from the fear of being without.”

The Cult leader keeps their victims so busy caring for them and their  own needs there is little  time for “others.”  There is no time for husbands and families.  There is no time for homes and friends. There is only time to do the cult leaders bidding and jump to attention at their every whim.  There may be a lot of talk about others , but  it is only a  cult leaders ploy, and it never comes to fruition.  How many people are at the Anchor Missionary Fellowship Church now?  Whatever happened to Christian Outreach Association and the Christian Musicians Association?  It all came to nothing but the actual leader of all three “churches” is still being served and catered to.  It is a clear picture of how many “others”  besides the cult leaders have truly been loved and served.

Cult leaders are takers, users,  parisites;   They protect themselves and their own interests at the expense of everyone and everything else.  They may feign caring for “others” , but the fruit of their track record is abismal with the emotional and spiritual lives of countless men, women, and children, along with marriages, churches, and Pastors, strewn along in the wake of their selfish ambitions and lusts for power and control. 

Look at the fruit brothers and sisters. Test the spirit. This is the way God has provided to tell the true from the false! 

The battle is not with flesh and blood but with the powers and principalities of darkness.  Stand up for Jesus! Stand in the gap for the brethren!  ”Am I a soldier of the Cross?  A follower of the Lamb , And shall I fear to own His cause, Or blush to speak His Name?  Sure, I must fight if I would reign; Increase my courage, Lord;  I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain, Supported by Thy Word.”    Isaac Watts

Because I am His:  I am no longer under works of Law, but under Grace.                 

Because I am His:  I can love where men revile me.

Because I am His:  There is Hope for every tomorrow.

Because I am His:  I can forgive my enemies.

Because I am His:  I am forgiven of my sin.

Because I am His:  I can remain married to the same mate 45 years and counting.

Because I am His:  I will not fear men or foe.

Because I am His:  I can have wisdom and understanding from above.

Because I am His:  I can have faith in the darkest of days.

Because I am His:  His Word brings Holy Spirit power into my life.

Because I am His:  I can face impossible odds and look for victory.

Because I am His:  My prayers hold weight with Him.

Because I am His:  I can trust Him with everything and everyone in my life.

Because I am His:  I am never alone.

Because I am His:  Nothing is impossible.

Because I am His:  I can endure hardships and know He is my Helper.

Because I am His:  He is the Lifter of my head. “He lifts my head above my enemies.”

Because I am His:  I am part of His family and a child of God.

Because I am His:  He has set me free, even death and hell has no power over me.

Because I am His:  I am  healed ,whole ,  and healthy in my inner being. 

Because I am His:  The Truth is beautiful to me.

Dear Lord Jesus,

   I’m so glad you are mine and I am yours.  I thank you today for Your wonderous Salvation,  and your precious Blood that was shed for me. I pray that this day ,The Lord’s Day ,  many will come to you and find the depth and breadth of knowing You as their personal Savior and King. May you bless hearts and save souls today and may you set people free from the enemy’s strongholds , and the power of their own sin. You are an Awesome Lord and God!  How blessed I am that You Are Love Personified!  How blessed I am that I belong to You!  Shine through me today, Lord. Help me to lift another  today as Your Love has lifted me………

Frank Sandford was a  Christian “pastor” of sorts who led a small group of religious zealots to their death’s on a ship called the Coronet where they starved.  He was put into prison.  His writings declared he was some kind  of Christian leader,  some believed in him, but he certainly led his people astray from God.  He was definately off-course with the will of God.  They fasted and prayed and read the Bible to no avail.  They had a little “Christian”  commune  and church called Shiloh, in Durham, Maine. 

Frank Sandford  probably meant well at first, but his ship (which was undoubtedly “devoted to God” ) sank.  So did Jim Jones spiritural journey ,as well as the plans of David Koresh , and countless others come to nothing, and they took a lot of gullible, probably well-meaning, ”christians” along  with them!  Something must have sounded good and seemed right , but in the end the fruit of the operation was exposed as  sick and unhealthy!  There was no Fruit of The  Holy Spirit there.   Someone said  “The road to hell is paved with “good intentions.”  It is IMPORTANT to know the difference between the Truth and the lie!  It can save you from certain shipwreck…….

Ardith Keef quotes from Chuck Swindoll today, “Never let the urgent take the place of the important.” Chuck Swindoll is a faithful servant of the Lord. To my knowledge he is fully  accountable, and faithfully adheres to the Word of God in his treatment of those around him. I know from listening to his radio program that he will never be alone with another man’s wife even for a casual lunch, and he has men around him purposely who will hold him accountable.  Abusive Church leaders such as Ardith Keef use the true, honest words of such honorable  ones as Mr Swindoll to promote their own agenda.  

Ardith Keef then says, “If the attention grabbers are getting all your attention, you have veered off course.”

To this I reply, If you are already veering off course ,you had better listen to those who would try to get your attention , before you end up on the rocks and shipwrecked!  When his followers  were starving to death  on a sinking ship, Frank Sandford probably was  rallying the troops and telling them just as Ardith does today, “What is the bottom line?  Are you yours or are you His? “  He probably demanded that they “obey”  and  said  such things as,  ”He wants to create His likeness in you.” , as Ardith says today.  This is exactly the type of thing all cult leaders do when something important /urgent is going on that they cannot control. 

My father-in-law, Nelson Dobson told us the story of Frank Sandford for many years. It seemed his family was a part of Shiloh ,but they were never aboard the starving ship.  However ,his family  (six children) survived on potatos and turnips for months to give money  so the ship could sail.   Nelson  was turned far away from the Lord because of his fathers’  abuse and neglect  of his family , in order to give to the lost cause.  Brothers and sisters, don’t  try to support a “sinking ship.”  

For months , even years, as I worked for Ardith Keef’s Gift Store I knew deep inside  it was a sinking ship and a lost cause , I could see it was never blessed, and I didn’t get off until tragedy struck! Even the hymns she  demanded we played in the store , the same ones over and over, day after day, year after year seemed to mournfully emit the dreadful sounds of a funeral dirge and the cold hollow echos of a breaking ship..  There was nothing joyful or even pleasant about them.  But I couldn’t / wouldn’t  leave.   Such is the cult life……..

I’m sure Frank Sandford also tried to keep control of his spiritual slaves, in the face of impending disaster , by expressing  the same kinds of  ”deep spiritual” things as Ardith Keef says today.  Her words  are only cleverly designed, lures and traps for your soul , disguised as truth  hidden  amidst some  smooth sounding spiritual “garbel” such as: “His will is the important thing.”  “His commandments”  “His presence”  “His Body.”   Without  the Presence of the Holy Spirit these are just hooks and lures for the Christian soul, leading her followers farther off-course than ever! 

The ship called  ”Anchor Missionary Fellow “ship”  has veered offcourse.  It was never on course.  Its  initial birthing  may have been the result of well-meaning, spiritual  thoughts, even some true sounding Christian ideas,  and started out with good intentions,  (even prayer and fasting)  the same as Frank Sanford’s Coronet,  but it never truly had the Lord’s blessing.   The “trip”  before it ever began was already sullied by divorce, divisions,  adultery and the shunning and slander of innocent people.  It would  not and never will, reach the final goal.   The only answer is to Drop “Anchor” and Abandon “Ship”  , then cling to the Rock of Ages,  Jesus Christ , the only Truth,  with all that you are!  Everything you are looking for is found in Him alone!

You can point a ship toward a final destination , but if it veers even a tiny degree at first, you will miss the mark by stretches of land the size of continents!   The only question now is, “What is the bottom line?”  Will you jump off the sinking ship  and be rescued , or will you go down with it?   Is the ship more important than the Truth?   It was for Frank Sandford!   It almost was for me, but God! 

It makes me very sad to read a Daily Devotional such as Ardith Keef wrote today.  Such blindness! So many good sounding words ,and even some  Truths but with no good fruit to prove it is from God!

If it was only true of the Anchor Missionary Fellowship leaders ,that they showed by their actions the Love Ardith talks about!  “He who is Love wants His own to Love His own.  Love the lost.  Love the sick.  Love the prisoner.  Love the handicapped.  God’s love pouring through you is far more important than anything that can be troubling you.”, she says.     She legislates and demands her followers “love.”   If only the fruit of the church was made of  impartial, unfeigned, True Holy Spirit Love. 

But it isn’t ,because where there is abuse of  false “authority”,   hurtful (spiritual and emotional) abuse of children, divisions, broken churches, broken marriages without scriptural grounds,  divorce, taking the brethren to court rather than talk with them,  and dishonoring of parents and grandparents, shunning and slandering faithful servants of the Lord, God’s Love cannot flow freely, and the Holy Spirit is  grieved as well.

I respond today with Ardith Keef’s own words, “The real issue is, what do you really want?”  I then ask, Do you want power and control or do you want Jesus?   “If you want Jesus, He is knocking at the door of your heart.”   Seek Him while He may be found.  Confess and repent of  self-willed high-mindedness, abuse of  feigned authority over God’s people;  Abuses of  His Own children, families, churches. These are the “apple of His eye.”  If you don’t love them, you do not love Him.  It’s as simple as that!  When we confess  our sin, He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

The same goes for all of us!  God is not partial, whatever a man (or woman) sows thus shall he (or she) reap!  Sometimes it takes a while for the harvest to come to fruition, but then the truth is  revealed and exposed!  Whether it be good or evil….  Our motives or deceptions  won’t be hidden any longer when the fruit has appeared!  

If we truly love the Lord we will be accountable , and take responsibility when His Light of Truth proves our fruit is not healthy , but covered with blemishes!  We will take heart, come before Him honestly in repentence, and change what we can!  Friends,  He requires “truth in the inner being.”   Ardith Keef leads the Anchor Church in singing over and over “Change me, Change me, Oh Jesus please”  but are they willing to  admit the truth and be changed?  Are they willing to humble themselves before the Lord and repent?  Will He ever get their  undivided “Attention?”   Only time will tell………..

Ardith Keef tells us today that our “Assignment” “is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all you are.” “Therefore all other things pale in light of the Word of God.”

Sounds very spiritual and even Godly,  doesn’t it?  Delivered by true servants of His who truly love the brethren, it is True and lovely to think on ;loving the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.   However,  Cult leaders  love to give people “assignments.”  It keeps them  too busy to think  for themselves and gets them out of their hair!  This kind of behavior is nothing like our Gracious, Loving, Patient Lord, Who IS LOVE and everything He does is because of ,and flows out of His Great Love.

He wants us to come to Him over and over again with every difficulty and desire, every need and every appreciation of Him.   This is how we come to love Him because  our relationship together with Him grows as we reach out to Him alone drawing close , and He in turn reaches out to us and draws close to us.  We love Him because He first loved us!  We love because He has poured His Own love into our hearts.  We lose that “first love” for Jesus when cult leaders put themselves in Jesus place ,and demand the worship and praise that belongs to Him alone.  When they demand we look at them  and their self-professed “importance” ,as “authority” figures instead of God, this becomes a form of idolatry  and we sin when we practice it.

When we practice serving  ”two gods” , God and the cult leader , we will  surely need to ask the question as Ardith does today, “Why is it so hard to keep Him in mind?”  Because friend you are looking to someone else as your God!  You are so busy trying to keep the commandments, and follow the doctrines and teachings  of men and women, they become “God” to you.  He  ,The Almighty, The  Only True God, wants your undivided attention.  He wants your first fruits ,and He will not share it with anyone or anything else!  Not even cult leaders who demand your attention with smooth and subtle sayings, who twist the Word of God to make themselves appear to be highly spiritual, extremely wise ,and like the enemy always does, they try to immitate and simulate the True God.  However they are fakes and frauds!  They keep others who submit to them far from the True God and bowing to themselves!  Take off their masks and they are frail and weak like everyone else.

Look at the fruit of their lives. Test the spirit of their teachings brothers and sisters.  Have they been married to several others even as Christians? (What ever happened to those marriage assignments God gave to them?)  Do they demand to lead you  with self-proclaimed ”spiritual authority” when the Bible  clearly says a leader in the church cannot be divorced?  Do they lift themselves up above others?  Where are their children?  Are there divisions and broken churches?  Are there secrets?  These are the things that keep people from a true prayer life. These are sin!   They are sick, decaying, unhealthy fruit in a church that is not blessed by the True God.  This  rotten fruit and lack of Holy Spirit  is evidence of a False Prophet, a False Shepherd  in the leadership!  His Word says so!

“The  Lord is my Strength and my shield, my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song I will praise Him. ” Psalm 28:7 KJV 

The same David wrote this as he who sinned against the Lord, had a good man killed and took his wife.  David lost his first  son with Bathsheba in death as a direct recompence for his sin, but when he repented, God  fully forgave.  The Lord is Just and “whatever a man soweth, thus shall he reap.” 

When the people of God were not in idolatry and when they were truly hearing and listening to the True God, He helped them win battles.  But when they were in sin they were slaughtered and lost miserably.

“In His strength we can do all things.” is a verse we all ascribe to, if we are believers.  The Lord has proven Himself faithful, but He does not back up His people when they sin against Him,  and abuse His saints.  When they go against His Word to  support evil by encouraging such things as divorce of Christians without scriptural reasons, bearing false witness,  injuring the souls of young children, refusing to do things God’s way, coveting other men’s wives and children, and dishonoring parents and grandparents.  I don’t believe it is Biblical to expect Him to swoop in with His strength to help accomplish these wicked goals.

No, It is just the opposite!  Where there is unresolved sin, there is miserable failure and loss. David and Bathsheba? Samson and Delilah?  Jezebel and Ahab?  The Lord never condoned and backed up sin against His Word! There was dire consequences and  not victory!  He does not lend His strength to evil endeavors! He does always  forgive and heal our land when we repent of our sins ,because He is Faithful to forgive us and wash us white as snow when we humble ourselves and repent. Then we are strengthened.

Ardith says today, “So you must stop accumulating ammunition and defenses in order to win.  It can’t be your way and His way at the same time.” His way would have been to sit down and reason with people who have a grievance as His Word says.   Especially if one  were a Christian Attorney , or Church leader,  a wise person  would be very  careful about bringing false witness against any innocent people who belong to Jesus. It is a serious matter before God to falsely accuse the brethren.   It  would  be wise to tread lightly and fearfully in order not to offend God.  When we do such things as this we may find ourselves fighting against Him. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God!

As I write these Daily Deprogrammings I do it with fear and trembling before Him.  I try diligently not to embellish or add to the Truth of the accounts stated herein. The Truth is what sets people free, and my efforts are to help the people,  both leaders and members of the Anchor Missionary Fellowship Church to see the Truth, and turn from sin.  Also to expose the enemy and his deceptions.  I also care about those individuals and families we have harmed over the years, some who have been shunned and abused for over 14 years now. Even the children of the Pastor who still bear the scars of spiritual and emotional abuse.  Perhaps others who have been caught in abusive churches / cults can be reinforced and enabled to be  healed, and strengthened to go on in faith to seek after God.