Nov
10
“Soldier of the Cross, everything in existence is qualified by the fact that He Is.” This is Ardith Keef’s first line today. Sounds deep doesn’t it? James says in James 2:19, “Even the demons believe and shudder.”
Even fallen angels affirm the reality of God and tremble. I read a Bible Commentary which said, “ Demons are essentially orthodox in their doctrine.” In Matthew 8:29 The demons called Him “Jesus, the Son of God.” Then they said “Have you come to torment us before the time?” They know the truth full well. They know He is. Mark 5:7 Luke 4:41 Acts 19:15
Orthodox doctrine by itself is no proof of anything. The Israelites knew who God was, but still they worshipped their false gods, and went astray time and time again. Ardith Keef today presents us with one of her mantras , this time we get 12 repetitions of “His reality means.” thus and so. Her writings and doctrines mean nothing without Love, and both herself and the Anchor Church leadership is devoid of genuine unconditional love by my experience , and what I have witnessed after over twenty years. Hence, her words are hollow and empty and without any substance or power.
Some of her pretty and smooth sounding words may be true, and we know HE IS. The fact that she and the Anchor leadership knows HE IS, claims to be His, continues in their path of hatred of His people; cutting off, shunning, maligning, coveting, destroying families, dishonoring and abandoning her own mother on her deathbed, dishonoring parents and grandparents, divorcing 5 or 6 times, leading others to divorce with no scriptural grounds, afflicting young children, taking the brethren to a court of law against the Word of God, breaking up churches, and emasculating men (even pastors and elders), taking self appointed authority to do these things, does not sound as if their knowing of Him or that HE IS comes from a good spirit. In fact it is very much like the abusive spirit of hatred that the enemy brings when he believes and shudders, but continues on with his evil doings.
It makes one wonder just who she is telling her followers to “Love, serve and obey.” The Bible teaches that the “Jezebel spirit is alive and well in His church, and just as wicked as ever. Rev 2:20-23 The Lord says, “I gave her time to repent, but she would not repent. ” He warned those who were her paramours (helpers, supporters) to repent as well or there would be dire consequenses. Read the story of Jezebel and Ahab in 1Kings 21 to get an idea of the kind of spirit Queen Jezebel had……
You can tell the condition of a tree by it’s fruit. Jesus Himself said, “A good/healthy tree cannot produce rotten fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit.” The fruit of Ardith Keef’s doctrines and the Anchor church leadership is unhealthy, unsound and it is evident that her teaching comes from another spirit. We write our rebuttals because we care. We pray for God’s best for all concerned because the Word of God says to “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you , and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44
“Love Divine! O sing the wondrous story,
Far and near the glorious news proclaim;
How for us God’s only Son was given,
Bringing Life to all who trust His name.
Love divine, twas manifest in Jesus
As He walked and talked by Galilee;
He who knew no sin became my Savior,
On the Cross, He “paid it all” for me.
Love Divine, the balm for every heartache,
Love Divine, the refuge of my soul;
Take my life, possess my inmost nature,
Over all my being have control.
Refrain:
His Love is wonderful to me…
His Love is wonderful to me…
For Jesus loved me so;
His Love is wonderful to me..
Paul White
I remember when I was disfellowshipped from the Jehovah’s Witnesses in February of 1981. I was 34 years old. My eight year old child had been killed in a car accident eight years before, and the Lord had heard my desperate prayers. I had come to a place where I could see that the JW’s worshipped their organization and Jehovah was in second place or even lower than that in my opinion. My mom had taught me that “you worship God alone,” and because I saw their organization as their god, I had to leave. Someone (an elders wife) heard me talk in this way and the elders called me on the carpet. I was probably one of the most fearful people who had ever sat before them. But my wonderful Lord of Love helped me as I had to face five or six men in dark suits and stern faces alone with my Bible.
I hadn’t received Christ as my Savior as yet, and I knew very little about His love, but He filled my mouth with His Truth as I sat being judged by those men. I began to expound upon His Word in front of all the JW elders whom I had feared and respected. Most of them I had never even been able to make eye-contact with, because I felt so low and unlearned. I knew that I would be excommunicated because there was no turning back. I had set my mind upon His Truth and He gave me all I needed to stand firm.
When I left their parking lot that day, I had to leave everything behind. For JW’s their religion is their country and their family. They cannot vote or salute the flag. Every friend that I had now saw me as a dead person. Many family members, renounced and rejected myself, and my husband and children, shunning us and have never spoken to us again. But I knew that God loved me. The day this happened was Feb 14, 1981. Thus began a whole new life for myself and my family almost as if we had moved to the other side of the earth. (I have never stopped loving those people, because of the Love which was extended to me by the Lord.)
For 6 months the Lord had been wooing me to Himself. By May 27, 1981 I was ready to receive Him as Savior. I still did not even know what being Born Again was, but one day in the shower I gave my heart to Jesus Christ. I had almost no teaching and only had the JW Bible which leaves out the Diety (Godship) of Christ. But God Almighty spoke to me through His Word and I was changed forever. I remember telling the Lord that if I knew He loved me, I could do anything! Whatever He asked of me I would do, if only I could know for sure He loved me!
He has been faithful to me over these twenty-eight years. I thank Him for the experiences that have been difficult and even agonizing at times. The day I got home from my disfellowshipping , the Lord gave me a verse from Revelation 3. It was Jesus words to the Church at Philadelphia: I remember it this way, “I have set before you an open door, that no man can shut because you have been true to my Word, and have not denied My Name .” I rejoiced that day! I felt close communication with Him and as if He was right beside me.
And so when I was enabled to see the same character raising it’s ugly head within the Anchor Church and taking hold , and that falsehoods, wolves in sheeps clothing had crept in, false gods (people and leaders) were being worshiped, (albeit unwittingly) , His wonderful love helped me again. My experience with the JW’s was such a tremendous help in recognizing what was going on, and when I spoke out and was excommunicated for it, it wasn’t foreign at all, although much more painful than before because I believed these folks to be saved. I loved them deeply and still do.
The JW’s at least met their own protocol, and their elders sat down and talked with me, before they made their decision to excommunicate me. The Anchor Missionary Fellowship Church leaders have no rules ,and make the rules as they go along. The rules for me and my family after twenty years of faithful service and deep committment were this: no going before the elders, no elders even speaking to our questions or even trying to help with them. Shunning and slander of those who tried to tell them the truth. There was no love, no mercy, no compassion. We were however taken to a human court of Law by them. I consequently knew, there was no Jesus there in the Anchor leadership either.
The Anchor church leadership have become as empty and destitute of Jesus, Love, and Truth, (even while calling themselves Believers and Christians) as were the JW’s. Their church is like an empty tomb, white-washed on the outside, empty and filthy on the inside, just as Jesus spoke of. They talk of love and give deeply spiritual, human descriptions of what they think it to be, as Ardith Keef does today in her Daily Devotional, but they know nothing of Love experientially.
The leaders of Anchor have sown hatred, abuse, affliction, division, cruelty, divorce, dishonor of parents and grandparents, and worse, and they are reaping that which was sown. Their wisdom, knowledge and pride has deceived them. The enemy has deceived them and has led them astray. May the Lord of Love and all Mercy open their eyes before it is too late. I was supportive of their actions, and just as deceived and guilty as they , but He was faithful to forgive me when I repented of my sin. We continue to pray for God’s best for them and for their full restoration.
The pain of being shunned and abused, and losing loved ones for the second time was severe, and distressing , but there was Glory all the same because we knew where our Savior of Love was and wasn’t. He has been ever Faithful and True to His Word , and True to myself and my family. Oh! How I love Him! His Love is wonderful to me!
“And I saw Heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and He that sat upon him was called “Faithful and True,” and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.” Revelation 19:11
Nov
8
The Bible admonishes us as Christians , saved by the blood of Jesus, that we can be deceived. We may experience full Salvation, but the enemy is wiley, and cunning and Jesus warned and cautioned that there would be false shepherds and wolves in sheeps clothing ,who would sneak into the flock,and would subtly come in to harm His sheep and lead them astray. There have been countless such ones over the centuries who have led His people astray. . The truth is that there are large amounts of saved Christians who get caught in these traps of deception for whole lifetimes , and even die there.
There are those who receive salvation and immediately begin to preach and teach. I have come to realize that this is an open door for the enemy, and makes one a sitting duck for deception. Even the Apostle Paul sat under the teachings of the other Apostles for thirteen or fourteen years in Jerusalem before he went on to his calling.
I saw someone I loved come out of the JW’s, who had been an elder there for almost 10 years, but having not been saved. He was a wonderful man who loved deeply and he had a lot of wisdom. However he got saved when leaving the JW’s , and began a ministry in the capacity of an elder almost immediately. He never humbled himself under the teachings of an older man of God to learn what it means to truly lead others. He was swept away into polygamy, and lost his footing. Now his doctrine is totally unsound and he is far away from the Truth, although he believes for all the world he is truly following the Lord.
Salvation may save the soul, but it does not come with any guarentees that we might not be enticed by sin, or caught in the enemies plots, plans, which he has designed for our spiritual downfall. No one is so wise they cannot be deceived. This is why we are warned many times about the deceitfulness of pride in our own wisdom, and the deceitfulness of sin, and we are warned about false shepherds and the enemies tricks and schemes.
Satan is a master of deception. You or I can be fooled. As I have said here many times the fruit tells the whole story. We reap what we sow. We may hear lots of pretty words and smooth, even truthful sayings. When the harvest becomes manifest and we see:
Broken homes, divided churches, divorces over and over and being sanctioned by the church leaders, Christians being taken to a court of law instead of having problems dealt with by the church, children divided from parents because of church leaders, aging mothers left to die without seeing their children, marriages destroyed ,children being deserted so their father can serve God with a different wife, leaders counseling women about marriage then taking their husbands, grandparents being dishonored, young children divided from their own younger siblings, praying for people to die, shunning and slander, and on and on , we are the witnesses of a cult which has become the fruit of what has been sown.
“Many are suffering and dying,” but they are God’s own people, even little children, who have been abused at the hands of false leaders, and false teachers, wolves in sheeps clothing. It begs the question of leaders such as Ardith Keef ; Who is “the Master to whom you raise your hand in obedience” ? Certainly not the True God. Not the God of Mercy and Compassion, Kindness and Love? Certainly not the God Whose people are the apple of His eye! Whom such leaders have unmercifully left afflicted, cut off like useless arms and legs, and strewn along the wayside.
If we are involved in something like this the wise thing to do is stop and repent. Humbly ask of God to show us the Truth. He is faithful and true to His word. The dysfunction, abuse , and chaos described above is certainly not the good fruit of a healthy, sound church. It is also not from the Holy Spirit ,but is clear evidence of ”another spirit.”
Paul was deeply concerned for all of the people of God, those who were truly saved saying ” But I fear, lest by any means , as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” Paul spoke of these false apostles who bring “another spirit”. He said such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And No marvel; for satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.” 2 Cor 11:3-14. KJV
Once saved always saved may be true, but once saved does not mean we cannot be deceived by the enemy and our own flesh. Our pride, and trust in our own power to discern, might be our downfall and we might take a lot of others with us. Brethren, it pays to look at the fruit, and search out the spirit of a leader or a church.
Nov
7
When a Christian follows a Charismatic leader such as Ardith Keef they find themselves constantly sinking beneith the load, and struggling for life. Whether it be a “storm” that comes or any difficulty she always seems to have the answers, but her answers only keep you constantly sinking , nearly drowning, and coming up for air time and time again. She has some good thoughts, even some Truth, sometimes ,but there is no firm spiritual foundation to keep you afloat.
She is like the man who throws a lifeline to a drowning person ,and it lands a few feet short of his drowning, thrashing body. He reaches and reaches for it, but drowns trying to get to it.
Only a hypocrite will talk of God’s “Sovereignty and Wisdom”, and “agreeing with God” then go on to take other Christians to a Court of Law, instead of ”agreeing with God” and doing things according to His Word of Law. If her “thought life is fed by verses that reaffirm His greatness and her limitations, “ then why doesn’t she take up her Cross instead of turning a deaf ear to the Word of God in these matters. “Does He know what is best? ” “Can there possibly be anything better?”
No folks, Ardith Keef talks a good talk, but she doesn’t walk the walk. She keeps the poor troops always seeking , and never finding anything solid. They’re like the analogy of a nest of birds who never mature, with the mother bird forever feeding them baby food. They never fly on their own. She keeps them crippled. I know, I hobbled around for years, reaching for her golden carrots and bits of truth. It was only when I was forced to get out of the “nest” that I got free. I could finally fly, and wonder of wonders, the Lord was underneath me, over me, and all around me, and He still loved me. Praise Him for His Faithfulness!
Whether it’s “walking on the water” ,or flying like an eagle, we may have to learn many lessons, but the Lord God is there to encourage, uphold, strengthen, and protect His own. We need not fear anything at all, for if He is for us, who can be against us?
Nov
6
In the book of Ephesions, the Apostle Paul tells us about the Battle we are in. He says,”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 the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Eph 6:10-13 KJV
The KJV has some great margin notes concerning these verses: “In the Christian life we battle against ‘principalities and powers’ (the evil powerful forces of fallen angels headed by Satan who is a vicious fighter see 1Peter 5:8″Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walking about, seeking whom he may devour.” ) To withstand their attacks we must depend on God’s strength, and use every piece of His armour.”
The NIV margin notes go on to say, ” These who are not ‘flesh and blood’ are demons over whom satan has control. They are not mere fantasies– they are very real. We face a powerful army whose goal is to defeat Christ’s Church. These beings become our enemies and they try every device to turn us back to sin. Although we are assured of victory, we must engage in the struggle until Christ comes, because satan is constantly battling against all who are on the Lord’s side. We need supernatural power to defeat satan, and God has provided that in the Holy Spirit within us and His armour surrounding us. If you feel discouraged, remember Jesus’ words to Peter, “Upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
So brethren we who love the Lord are definately engaged in a battle. We follow our Captain into the frey and we can be assured of the ultimate victory. Ardith asks 12 questions today without any answers. I’m so glad all the “yes” answers are in Jesus.
When the enemy has you deceived into running in the wrong direction, it matters not that “your life is tremendously important.” It doesn’t matter how ”important your countenance” is. You’re like the football player running the wrong way with the ball. When the goal is in the other direction , and you are pressing for all your worth to the wrong goal, what does it matter how hard you run. You are running away from God instead of toward Him. He is the Goal.
Brother or Sister, anyone can be deceived. Only a proud and haughty person will think themselves too wise and brilliant to get caught in the enemy’s snare of deception. ”Pride goeth before a fall.” It is only in humbly realizing we are weak and needy ,that we can be released from the enemies net . Be careful that you do not become a sacrifice for the enemy’s consumption, instead of a “Living Sacrifice” for God.
One of the best ways to tell which way a group is heading is by looking at the fruit. The foremost fruit is Love. Jesus said , “You will know them by their Love.” Today Ardith Keef gives us all kinds of outlets to keep busy at. But if you are not going in the right direction, it’s only stuff to do to kill time. Ardith says “It starts in your own back yard.” She should take a good look in the back yard of her life, at all the carnage of families and children, divided churches, deserted mothers, broken marriages, shunned and slandered people, and on and on. These came as a result of Ardith Keef’s twisted teachings and deceptive doctrines of demons. We can’t bury our heads in the sand and pretend all is well when the fruit is decayed and filled with everything unclean. There is no fruit of Love where there is such affliction and abuse of God’s people. It doesn’t matter how many good works one performs or preaches, the fruit doesn’t lie. If we are honestly looking at the fruit, we will not be deceived, by lies, fantasies, delusion, false leaders, or the enemy.
This is a battle clearly filled with deception and delusion. Sometimes one gets caught in the net of their own pride, and human wisdom, and they refuse to see the Truth, when it is right before their eyes. Then you become a sitting duck for the enemy. Your ears are closed to the truth like the guy running the wrong way with the ball refusing to listen to the shouts of those who can see clearly what he is doing, and where he is headed.
Nov
5
I’m not quite sure if Ardith Keef made a mistake in her last few words today, but I loved the change! It made me chuckle a bit! ”Move up and look on!”
We write these Daily Deprogrammings to rid ourselves of years of indoctrinations of one persons opinions, teachings, doctrines, thinking, ideas, and their humanistic, controlling , approach to Christianity. We hope that others who are under someones cultish teachings and bound to their self appointed ”spiritual authority” might gain the courage to step away , and be freed from such bondage.
The Lord and His Truth is still there after the cult experience. He is the Truth that sets us free. There is truly in Christ Jesus, New Life for the abused, excommunicated and shunned. For those who love Him, these demoralizing and hurtful abuses toward us only prove that we belong to Him, and we can share in His sufferings in a way others cannot. Elizabeth Elliot once said that we only get this life to share in His sufferings. It is indeed a privilege.
Jesus said we would be cast out because of His name, and if it happens our experience is the fulfillment of scripture. We can lift up our heads and rejoice! Listen to the words of Jesus, “Blessed are you, when people shall hate you, and when they shall seperate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy; for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.” Luke 6:22-23
He also said, “I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synogogues . You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are My followers.” Matthew 10:16-18 We take the Lord at His word and have no fear of the court case coming up this Friday, Nov 7, 2008. It is shockingly filled with lies and falsehoods, designed to take away Don’s 1st amendment rights to stand in front of the Anchor Missionary Fellowship Church, demonstrating with his signs. We have no fear or anxiety about the other case coming before long to shut down our web-site. We trust the Lord , and may His will be done. We do ask for your prayers concerning these two cases because the Lord works through the prayers of His people. Whatever the Lord does is fine with us. If the Lord is for us who can be against us? We continue to stand upon His Word of Truth and His promises. This being said, let us now continue with todays rebuttal……………….
The name of Ardith Keef’s piece today was, “Grace.” She begins with , “Remember, God’s Grace is greater than your sin. ” We are so greatful that this is the case. And humbly praise and thank Him for His Grace. It is something beyond words or human understanding that the Son of God would die for our sins. He still has the nail-scarred hands and feet to prove it.
Ardith seems to think it possible and somehow righteous to forget the nail-scarred hands, the cruelity of Christs’ sufferings, and put behind you the Grace of God that saved a wretch like me, in that we should never more “make a comparison between the offences and the forgiveness.” She says that this brings “freedom to enjoy the New Life in a deeper dimension.”
Sometimes we must look back over our behaviors, to get things right with God. Sometimes we get backed into a corner by Him until we do just that. When He unveils something to repent of, we had better take Him seriously and do just that. Then we might say, ’look back and move on?’ or “move up and look on”. I think she really meant “Look up and move on.” It’s her well used cliche’ to get the troops moving and away from thinking about the deeper things that might cause them some questions or doubts about her teahings. .
“Stop looking back and/or self examining “ could be good advice unless the Lord is stirring or piercing your heart , urging you to change some things , or make some past offences against others right. If you want “to enjoy the New Life in a deeper dimension,” you can’t possibly do it with past, unresolved sins against others standing in the way. When someone can casually ”look up and move on,” when leaving behind a wake of broken, damaged people, multiple divorces, broken churches, afflicted children with broken homes caused by that someone, there is a serious problem. There is no living of the true New Life in this case but only a fantasy, and pretense or worse.
Not only is it necessary to repent and ask God to forgive us when we are faced with past, unresolved sins, we are obliged to confess and ask forgiveness of those we have hurt or harmed, and who are still hurting, and damaged because of our abuses, carelessness, or neglect. After doing this, then we can make things right with God. God set it up this way. It’s called HUMILITY! You can hide your head in the sand for a long time, but not long enough for God to forget your need to repent. Be assured,His hand will be heavy upon you and He will not Look up and move on, until all is made right with each of us who belong to Him.
Nov
4
Today I decided to take a look at the surrounding verses to the short verse we often hear all by itself especially in cults/abusive churches. “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” 2 Cor 5:7 Although of course it is true, when we hear it over and over all by itself it becomes a sort of a mantra, and a pat answer for everything that faces a Christian. When I was a JW they referred to their Organization as “The Truth.” It took me years to shed that lie, and stop saying it when referring to them. What heresy! Jesus Christ alone is ”The Truth”, and no organization, or any other person, place or thing even compares.
Now back to “We walk by faith and not by sight,” Verses 1-10 of 2Cor 5, are speaking about our earthly bodies contrasted with our future resurrected bodies. “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked, for we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened : not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also has given us the (earnest ) guarantee of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” We are confident , I say and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad.”
As you can plainly see here there is much more than, “We walk by faith and not by sight.” What the margin of the KJV says about the verse among other things is that : “We have eternity in us now.” “The Holy Spirit within us is our guarantee (earnest) that God will give us everlasting bodies at the resurrection. Such hope should give us great courage and patience to endure anything we might experience. Paul was not afraid to die because he was confident of spending eternity with Christ. Of course facing the unknown may cause us anxiety and leaving loved ones hurts deeply, but if we believe in Jesus Christ, we can share Paul’s hope and confidence of eternal life with Christ.”
I lived with Ardith Keef’s thought terminating cliche’s for many years. Cult leaders reduce their doctrines to tiny and short overused thoughts and words to keep people from thinking about the deeper meanings of things in order to lead them in the cult doctrines and teachings.
Today Ardith Keef tells her followers, “The Christian who is walking by sight is always evaluating the circumstances.” “His Word is not enough.” She dispenses parts of His Word to suit her doctrine of the moment and discards other parts. In working for her for 17 years I found that any minor problem she had with a mailing, music that needed to be brought to someone etc. , was always “pretty critical!” when she ” evaluated the circumstances.” But when another person had a serious problem (for instance the death of a child) there was no empathy or mercy and the same pat answers over and over, such as ”You must walk by faith and not by sight” , “set your face like flint ” , or “look up and move on.”
I had a grandchild die a horrible death , (I stayed and worked at Ardith’s store until closing time) and never took a day off because of my loss. Some months later another infant was in serious danger, and I was criticized for being upset. Ardith backed me into a corner and said, “Do you think you know more than God?” She never one time offered to pray with me when she knew I was suffering, which is what I would have done for her or anybody else who needed comfort. This is cruel, sick , and it is cultish, and unchristian, I don’t want it for anybody else. This is why we speak out here at Anchorabuse.org. When you worked for Ardith keef you were expected to “stay at your post” no matter if someone you loved even died. You were expected to stay at the Anchor Church, as it was where God put you, and there was no excuse good enough for leaving, even your health. This is a perfect example of cult behavior.
Cult leaders keep people down and feeling as if they will never be good enough to please God. They hold up their golden carrot , of “Look at me! I can do this! So can you! I know something you don’t know , keep reaching for what I have.” They are liars and pretenders who take great pleasure in owning your soul. The Truth is none of us are good enough ,and that is why He sent His Son to die for us. The Truth is the Blood of Jesus Christ is our Righteousness.
The Word of God is enough dear ones. It tells us how to tell the true from the false. Look at the fruit! Check the spirit! Do the works and words of the one leading you line up with His Word? Is there Love and does it abound? Look below the surface and ask questions. Are you inundated with short , thought terminating cliche’s? Are all your doctrines coming through the controlling influence of one person? Look at the Word of God , find the point of the over used cliche’s if they are there ,and read around them, get the whole picture for yourself. We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ ,and we are each responsible for what we take in and believe.
Nov
3
Today Ardith Keef tells us , “You were chosen and set apart before you were born. and you have an undeniable purpose for your life. You have been woven into The Plan and you have the assurance of the revelation of, or leading into the purpose for which you were intended. Many desperately seek the will of God. He does not make it hard, and He does not require different things of different followers. He requires only one thing, faith.” “Galatians and all the rest of God’s Word.”
Isn’t it interesting that today Ardith Keef says “He requires only one thing, faith.” Every day there is a different “requirement”, or many, depending upon where she is leading her follower at that moment.
Although “without faith it is impossible to please God” Heb 11:6 , there are things we can do to keep us from entering into His rest. No, He hasn’t made it hard, but “the deceitfulness of sin can harden our hearts as it did to the Israelites. Heb 3:7-13 We (Christians) are warned here by the example of the Isrealites that God was angry with them, and He said “Their hearts are always going astray. They shall never enter into My rest.” Moses himself never got to see the Promised Land because of sin.
When we witness misery after misery in our lives, and curses instead of blessings, as did the Israelites for 40 years it begs us to take stock of our behaviors, and attitudes, to examine where we might be with God. Only a self-confident fool will look into the face of God arrogantly saying , “I have faith, that is all I need.” Moses could have said, “I am the meekest man in all the earth,” but he didn’t see the Promised Land because of sin. However hundreds of years later when Jesus Christ was transfigured on the mountain, Moses was there. This was because of Gods Faithfuness and Mercy. Isn’t it comforting?
We are creatures who are easily deceived by sin ,and we have an enemy who is a master deceiver. We had better not be too sure of ourselves, because then we may become “hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” We may not lose out on Eternal Life if we are His , but we may displease Him, the Lover of our soul. It is your life, and here on Earth there is only one chance to do it His way!
Nov
1
Listen to the beautiful words of the old Hymn, “Day by Day” “Day by day and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here; Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment, I’ve no cause for worry or for fear. He whose heart is kind beyond all measure, Gives unto each day what He deems best. Lovingly, it’s part of pain or pleasure, Mingling toil with peace and rest.” This is just the first verse. Isn’t it comforting?
The person who wrote the above hymn knew the Lord as her Heavenly Father. She got her strength from Him day by day and she trusted Him. You can feel the love she has for Him in her writings. It is easy to te the reationship went both ways , and she had some personal experience being loved by Him.
Sad to say, Ardith Keef’s devotionals have none of the above tenderness and treat people as if they are cold steel robots with no heart or free will , who have to go in the way they are programmed. Today she says, “He has designed you to have a relationship with Him. He has designed you to follow Him. He has designed you to be in love with Him. He has designed you to believe Him.” Think of a Star Trek episode with robots talking ,and repeat what I just quoted. Then you’ll get the picture.
Ardith Keef then tries to keep her poor robots from having any feelings. “if you deviate from any of these vectors, you will become myopic and fearful. You will need assurance of things that have already been resolved.” Heaven forbid you actually feel anything or think with your own mind!
If there are people still suffering from pain you have caused in the past, those abuses are not resolved until you ask their forgiveness. Ardith says, “The issue is, are you able to believe Him? Are you able to obey Him? Are you able to worship Him? Are you able to Love Him? Are you able to share Him?” In my opinion if one is not able to do these things , there is most likely some kind of sin blocking the way. Sometimes it is an old unresolved issue that the Lord has brought to mind that must be resolved with the other person involved before our normal relationship with Him is reinstituted.
This is not to discount the necessity of daily, and moment by moment heartfelt prayer . But prayer leads to our recognizing our need to make things right when we sin. If we do not follow the lead of the Holy Spirit to repent and make things right with those we have wronged , we will be become “myopic and fearful” , and we are sinning against God as well.
So, prayer in itself produces nothing unless we listen to the still small voice within and follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees prayed regularly and diligently as do many who have no living relationship with the Lord. They pray in the hopes of getting something from an unknown god. They pray sometimes just because they are afraid of the future; death, sorrow and sickness and it is better to at least try to call out to someone, in hopes maybe someone is there. Jesus said, “You worship a god you don’t know, but we worship a God we know.” John 4:22
True prayer is a two way street. It ’s a relationship between us and God (our Heavenly Father.) We are not some robot he has designed , but we are his individual children, with hearts, minds and souls and He has given us free will to obey, believe Him, worship, Love and share Him with others. He speaks to us through prayer , and if there is something we need to take care of, even from a long while ago, we will not have peace or rest until we do it. We can bury our heads in the sand for a long time, or cover the sin over with good deeds , spiritual knowledge or fantasy , but in the end there will be the same problem facing us , unresolved. It will not go magically away. We have to face it head on!
Here are the last 2 stanzas of the hymn, Day by Day. What comfort! What Truth! Someday in Heaven we will meet the lady who wrote these true and comforting words .
”Every day the Lord Himself is near me with a special mercy for each hour; All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me, He whose name is Counselor and Pow’r. The protection of His child and treasure is a charge that on Himself He laid; “As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure.” This the pledge to me He made. ”Help me then in every tribulation so to trust Thy promises oh Lord, that I lose not faiths sweet consolation offered me within thy Holy Word. Help me Lord , when toil and trouble meeting; Ev’n to take as from a Father’s hand. One by one the days the moments fleeting, till I reach the Promised Land.” Lina Sandell Berg 1832-1903
Oct
31
In the past weeks Ardith Keef has had her readers jumping through her hoops to get to God. There has been her “Agreeing with God” doctrine, her “crossing the line” doctrine, “no wound licking” , “setting your face like flint”, round and round her little box we go! Now we are at the corner where she first tells us in her high minded, complicated way as we scratch our head and say, “what?”, “Maturity is not complimented by complexity” and “Neither is depth the fruit of study of asceticism.” Lord help us! Then finally we hear a little truth, ”The Riches that are to be found in Christ are profoundly simple.” Oh! how refreshing to hear some simple truth! How it stands out even though hidden within all the ”complicated complexities “of all the “you musts”, ” obey her spiritual authority” twistings of scripture, and fabricated do’s and dont’s .
Some of what she says sounds so good today , and so scriptural, if only she could hide the disgusting fruit of the past 14 1/2 years, strewn along the path of the AMF Church; divorces, broken families, dishonoring of parents, children afflicted and suffering, pastors coveting other mens wives, people counseling others then taking their husbands, self-appointed authority, churches broken up, secret anointings, praying for people to die, throwing whole families and single people out of their homes, no accountability, missionary families severed from their children and siblings, shunning, slander, false witness, blatant cult behaviors, bringing other Christians to Court, rather than sitting down and reasoning together God’s way, “Yes- men” elders who fear men and will not budge to take care of the flock. These abuses of the flock of God are out in the open and easy to see. There is no need of a spiritual “revelation” to see the carnage , dysfunction, and chaos! All one has to do is take the blinders off!
Ardith Keef says, “The issue is Faith. Can He be believed or not?” There is no doubt in our mind that He Can be believed. His words to the Pharisees who were very much like cult/abusive church leaders, makes Him very clear. If you read Matthew 23 you will get His whole point but here is one verse, “Woe to you scribes and Pharisee’s, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within, full of dead mens bones and all uncleaness. Even so you outwardly appear righteous before men, but within you are full of hypocricy and iniquity! Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of Hell?” Matthew 23:27
If “the issue is faith”, and I don’t see faith as an issue, ( it is a virtue ,and fruit of the spirit ) then the Bible describes Faith as the “assured expectation of things hoped for, realities though not beheld.” The KJV describes it this way, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Heb 11:1 The reality of the matters previously disgussed is that when we use, abuse ,and misuse others, if we have any faith at all, and have not totally lost our conscience we know it is wrong , and we must humble ourselves and repent of the wrongs we have done. Jesus warned the Pharisees of the grim reality of their continuing on in their sin. They said a lot of good things too, they taught the Law of God , they tithed, etc. etc.
It is a good thought to go back to basics, but for Christians who have been living in sin, they must begin with humbly repenting before God. This is the most basic place where we can begin. His Word is true and we better believe Him when He brings us up short and disciplines us! He loves His own enough to stand firm and wait for them to come to Him with a contrite heart! Then we can get back to basics!