A Famine In The Land

I was just watching a report on National Geographic channel about shamans, so-called ‘holy men’ around the world in many cultures. I watched with a broken heart as I saw them partake of marijuana and other drugs to get into a trance-like state. Some then went even farther and allowed themselves to be stung by poisonous stings of insects like wasps and such. In this trancelike state they would claim to see the spirits who would give them the power to heal. Then they would proceed to suck on the skin of the sick until they sucked the ‘thorns of sickness’ from their body and spit them out. I watched as one young man being initiated into the culture died from the effects of the initiation. I watched as so-called ‘holy men’ smoked marijuana all day and ‘prayed’ to their gods and smoked more marijuana till they passed out for the night. They hold no job or any productive role in their society but are accepted as ‘holy’. It makes me think back to a time I heard about a pilgrim on a pilgrimage to Mecca who would raise a stone over his head and fall face forward. He would mark this spot, stand and do it again and again all the way to Mecca in hopes his ‘god’ would be pleased by his sacrifice. This is serious and it makes me weep for these people. This is in the 21st century where you would think they would see the foolishness in what they are doing. But, consider, probably many of these people are very sincere and have a spiritual hunger. As David Wilkerson said once, we all have a God shaped hole inside us all. We may try to fill it with false religion, drugs, anger, violence, promiscuity—but this hole is God-shaped and like a jigsaw puzzle only the right piece will fit and that piece is God.

Now, before we are too hard on these people, they definitely represent the extreme, let us consider the state of the so-called Church today. People flood to meetings of people who claim to have the gift of healing (When the scripture makes it plain that we all are supposed to pray for the sick, Mark 16:15-18.) People order ‘blessed water’ from the Sea of Galilee claiming to have the power to heal. False teachers and preachers eloquently bend the weak minded to send them their life savings claiming they will receive a healing if they do or some huge hundred-fold return twisting the scriptures out of context to back up what they say. A certain denomination universally claims they can release your dead loved one from hell for a price. This same denomination symbolically crucifies Christ afresh every meeting because they do not believe Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary was sufficient for all time. They twist the holy communion and say the bread and wine literally turn to Christ’s flesh and blood in your mouth and you must eat it. And no matter how unholy you live if you will just confess your sins to one of their leaders he can forgive your sin. What about those who still believe we must keep the Old Testament Jewish law and ceremony when those things were but foreshadows of what Christ fulfilled while on Earth. All through history until today still false prophets speak their lies and create their institutions to control the ignorant children of the Earth.

Amos 8:11-12 says, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” A FAMINE OF HEARING THE WORDS OF THE LORD! If there were ever such a time it is now. And the western church is particularly without excuse because we have the freedom to own a Bible, to open the Bible, to read and study the Bible, for ourselves. There is a famine in our churches. So many go mindlessly to their favorite institutions, some out of guilt and bondage, some sincere, only to leave starving. They go to feed at a table where there is no food and they say, “but there is no food” and are told,” if you truly had faith you would see the food”, then, not wanting to be thought unspiritual say, “Oh, yeah, now I see the food”. “Well hallelujah brother! Welcome to the fold!” It reminds me of the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes. We need some true children of God to speak up like the child in the story and tell the truth that the emperor is naked.

I know I am getting lengthy here but I hope some of you will read on. Read Ezekiel 13 with me if you would: “And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD. They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD. And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. ”

Now replace ‘Israel’ with the ‘church’ in this passage. God’s Word applies to the church in this passage also. Yes, there are those who claim to be His people and are following false prophets who say, ‘Thus saith the Lord’ and it is not the Lord. I have seen so many quiver and yield because a scary man said they were speaking the words of God and God said this and God said that. I mean after all, the man said God Said It, so it must be so. Really? If you know the Word, The Bible, you cannot be deceived because you will recognize when something is said that is out of character with God or cannot be backed up by scriptures or is taken out of context of scriptures. But you won’t know if you don’t read and study it for yourself! If you honestly don’t know how to rightly interpret and study God’s Word then please find a teacher that will teach you, not a false prophet type teacher, someone who really knows the Word and knows how to rightly divide it. If you don’t know anyone please contact me and I will help you. I also have many books I have written that I encourage you to get (For ordering information) I AM SICK OF THE ENEMY DECEIVING PEOPLE!

It really isn’t that difficult. I struggled with what was true and what was not most of my Christian life but I think God has finally helped me narrow it down to a few foundational truths that if we knew them it would revolutionize our walk with God. Notice I said foundational truths. This is a never-ending journey of learning, but a building is only as strong as its foundation. I am not saying it is easy, that you will never have any problems if you live for Jesus (John 16:33). I am just trying to lay a good foundation here and awaken the body of Christ, get us back on track. Here are some of those truths I think you should build on: Be born again (John 3:3). Be filled with God’s Spirit (Ephesians 5:18. Acts 2). Read and study the Word (2 Timothy 2:15). Love one another (John 13:34). Do the work of the Kingdom not out of fear but out of love (Matthew 25:31-46. Mark 16:15-20). Worship God (John 4:23). Pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Get together with other people of God (Hebrews 10:25). Know who you are in Christ (Romans 6). I will probably get mail on this one with other things others consider important, that’s OK. If I do at least I will know you are reading this and you’re probably not one of the ‘frozen chosen’ but are alive in Christ.

Pray Church! Pray like never before. Let God use you to feed those under the famine in this world of God’s Word. The true church is waking up; like a sleeping giant we will rise!

Benjamin Raven Pressley is a prolific writer and has authored many books and blogs. He is an author, artist and philosopher. His Cherokee heritage and his knowledge of living in harmony with the planet and God are evident throughout everything he writes. Raven welcomes your questions, input, and visits to his website at Ravens-Writing-Desk.com.