Monthly Archives: September 2009

Pilgrim Pleasure 3 – Poetic

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We have followed Pilgrim, as he gave in to the temptation for temporary indulgence on the “Please Yourself” path. We saw how that small step of selfishness changed the way her perceived and accepted the “Do Right” trail, which he had been on before.

pilgrims progress

We saw how Pilgrim became addicted to pleasing himself and eventually abandoned the right way completely. Yet, in that process, Pilgrim found that he could not enjoy the things he pursued. Pleasure became elusive and his life was spent in the vain quest of what he believed could be found.

Poetic Summary

I have described Pilgrim’s pleasure plunge in a poetic summary. This not only summarises the story, but allows you to put it up somewhere as a reminder of what this story teaches. Print it off and put it behind the toilet door, or on the fridge.

Read this series to your children and have them learn the important lessons described therein.

I pray that the Lord open your hearts to the truth and shine light into your whole existence, as you receive the reality embodied in this poetic summary.

A Poetic Warning

One day another pilgrim walking the “Do Right” trail came to the place where the “Please Yourself” path crosses and leads off to a lovely meadow. And there, nailed to a tree, hung a parchment with these pain-filled words.

Please Yourself – Pilgrim’s Folly

“Please yourself”, they told me, “and have your fill of sunshine.”
I nodded my approval and gladly took their cue.
I sampled all the goodies of sight and sound and senses,
And told myself with sureness, “This will surely do”.

My purpose, like a boulder, that weighed upon my shoulder
I left behind for playful things, without that load of care.
Intent upon my pleasure I ran from treat to treasure
And did about as many things as I was wont to dare.

But as the days unfolded, while other voices scolded,
I found a sourness turn to bad the things that ought to please.
I also found a yearning and a deadly sort of burning
That nothing I could do would now appease.

“Please yourself”, they told me, but something seemed to hold me
And keep my senses empty, to never feel their fill.
So I became distracted, obsessed and sore impacted
By burning lust undaunted and longings raging still.

“Please yourself”, they tell you, and try now to compel you
To venture down a pathway that steals away your soul.
So stop, right now and hold back, and stay upon the right track
For “Doing Right” and fearing God is what will make you whole.

Copyright 2009 CGF

June Sutton Died Sept 8 2009

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June Margaret Sutton, Veteran Missionary to Hong Kong and Pioneer of Wholeness Through Christ International, died in Melbourne on Tuesday September 8, 2009, at 11pm. She was in intensive care following chemotherapy treatment for bone-marrow cancer.

June Sutton

June is remembered as a tireless and dedicated woman of God with a forthright manner and unbounded commitment to build God’s Kingdom. In her young adult years June lived in Hong Kong and ministered among the Swatow speaking communities.

The Funeral Services for June Sutton were as follows:

10.30am – burial at Lilydale Memorial Park, on Tuesday 15th September.

A Thanksgiving Service followed at 1pm at New Hope Baptist Church, Blackburn North.

Brief Biographical Notes

Born November 14,1936, first child to Len and Iris Sutton. Siblings: Barrie, Julie and Colin.

14.11.1936 ~ 08.09.2009

June received theological training at Melbourne Bible Institute which later became Bible College of Victoria. In 1965 she began missionary service as an Australian Baptist Missionary with American Baptists in Hong Kong, where she trained hundreds of Chinese Christians in children and youth ministries, evangelism and discipleship.

After leaving Hong Kong in 1984 June founded Wholeness Through Christ Ministries Australia, through which hundreds have been equipped to minister Jesus’ healing to emotionally hurt and sick people.

At the same time she pioneered a ministry in China, visiting house churches and taking Hong Kong Christians with her to train house church leaders.  Hong Kong Christians still continue this ministry, visiting China twice a year.

June was always an excellent student, being dux of her subjects in her final year at school. She pursued further studies over the years and was awarded an MA in the USA.

In 1995 June was led by God to visit Eastern Europe and here He showed her the need to equip Christians, now freed from behind the Iron Curtain.  She established World to Christ International (WTCI), with a qualified Christian Board, to develop a ministry of training Christians in former communist countries in discipleship, evangelism, children ministry, Jesus Healing of the Whole Person and leadership development for the Church.   In 2005 the Lord directed a change in focus nations towards Asia, and WTCI sent teams to Nagaland (NE India), India, Cambodia and Hong Kong, with many opportunities opening up in Asian countries.  June served as International Field Director for WTCI and oversaw the ministry in each nation.

June created Jesus Healing of the Whole Person as a ministry to lead people into release from spiritual oppression and inner pain. She was privileged to train workers in the former Communist country of Slovakia and ultimately hand that work over to the locals.

For much of the past decade June attended Full Gospel Assembly Melbourne (directed there through prophetic encouragement), where she was actively engaged with the Chinese congregation led by Ps Shirley Ma.

June Sutton (1)

June also ran monthly training sessions for Jesus Healing of the Whole Person, and maintained overseas ministry trips. As recently as January 2009 June spent time in Hong Kong, as God was opening that mission field to her once more. She also met with and encouraged Christians in China as well.

In 2005, June was led by the Lord to write her autobiography ‘To God be the Glory: Forty Years in Missions Ministry’. Her book was launched in Hong Kong to the great delight of those she had blessed there.

June never married and was single-hearted in her desire to serve the Lord. She encouraged, trained, ministered to people, exhorted and prayed, drawing others into her various strategies for building God’s Kingdom.

In May 2009, June was diagnosed with blood and bone marrow cancer.  During the short period of illness, June was never in despair; she was full of hope and believing for a miracle.  Her prayers were filled with thanksgiving for the love and peace of the Lord.  Those around her were lifted up by her great faith and devotion to our Lord.

She was visited by several of the Slovakian pastors whom she had taught and encouraged over the past decade, since they were visiting Melbourne. June took a short holiday to Queensland before undergoing chemo therapy for her cancer. It seems that the first dose of chemo so impacted her physically that her kidneys, lungs and heart were compromised and she was quickly in intensive care. She never recovered.

June died peacefully surrounded by loving family members and close friends on September 8, 2009.  June was 72 years old.

June is sadly missed by people who she blessed around the world. Ps Shirley Ma expressed on Tuesday morning, the day of June’s death, that the Chinese congregation were grieving, wishing to have opportunity to show their love to June who had been a wonderful spiritual mother to the work. Sadly that chance did not come.

June at grave of Robert Morrison (1)

I knew June from many years ago. I can’t even remember how we met. About eight years ago, very shortly after I began attending Full Gospel Assembly Melbourne, June turned up. She was sitting right in front of me and was delighted to see me there. She told me how the Lord had impressed her that she was to attend a Chinese congregation not very far north of her home. She did not know such a church existed and was surprised and delighted to find out about FGAM. She attended there faithfully, joining the Mission Committee, introducing the church to her Slovakian contacts (which led to several ministry trips there by leaders from FGAM, including my ministry there a year ago – Sept 2008), blessing many of the members through the Jesus Healer of the Whole Person training program, and finding great blessing through her connection with the Chinese congregation of the church.

June was a very forthright and determined lady. She took everything seriously and displayed great persistence and wisdom. She got things done and gave of herself as far as she was able.

Karen and Ed Seymour assisted her wonderfully at WTCI and took on much more responsibility in the inner healing training program this year. June’s brother Barrie was Chairman of the Board for WTCI for a time, before retiring.

The World To Christ International (WTCI) ministry will continue to build upon the work that June has established in obedience to God’s leading, in Australia, Slovakia and Hong Kong.  WTCI is the provider of Jesus’ Healing of the Whole Person (JHWP) training course. Many of those personally trained by Sis June are well equipped to bless others and so they will continue to minister faithfully, as June has prepared them to do.
WTCI Contact: Karen Seymour, JHWP Training Director  www.wtciaus@gmail.com

We praise God for June’s ministry and example. Our prayer is that this “seed” that has fallen into the ground will cause a whole new generation of selfless servants of the Lord to be raised up in the spirit and commitment of June Sutton. We also pray that the monthly prayer initiative which June set in place for outreach into China will bring forth new churches and increased fruitfulness in that land.

A further note – from Sophia Hunter….

I am privileged to have shared many precious moments with Sister June.

June’s passion was Missions to the Nations, and to the last days, her thoughts and plans were for the lost and hurting – in need of Jesus and healing.

Sister June, your total dependence on God and obedience to His plans, is an inspiration and role model for me and co-workers in the Kingdom of God. You are greatly missed.

- Sophia

june sutton and sophia hunter

Rejection 19 – Buy Attention

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Since personalities differ, different people respond to Rejection differently. While some simply give in to a form of defeat, using their problem as a lever to make others carry them, or others simply hide away and get on with life quietly, there are those who decide they need attention.

Maybe this is the extrovert response. But I believe it is also evident even in small ways, with people who are quite retiring.

Buying Attention

The process works something like this. A person suffering from rejection, insecurity and the like finds that something they do gains them approval and attention. It may be that people are very thankful for their help, or that someone compliments them on their hair, voice, smile, or some other quality.

To a wounded heart that small deposit of affirmation takes on enormous proportions. It is easy then for the needy person to decide to do more of the thing that gained them attention.

Retreat to Safe Territory

We see this process too when a person finds their area of strength. A child who is not strong at book work will tend to concentrate on their sporting, artistic or trouble-making abilities. They retreat to the safety of something they can excel in, or for which they are gaining a reputation, or even notoriety.

Those who are not good with their hands may retreat to the world of study. Those who can’t handle being around people may retreat into the kitchen or workshop.

This is a similar process to playing up a strength in order to “buy attention”.

Picture the Extrovert

The image I created to describe the extrovert reject is that of someone who is shrivelled up on the inside, but who not only projects a better image, but magnifies their worthy qualities.

Reject 19 Buy Attn

The extrovert may play up his or her buoyant personality and winning smile. They may excel at academics to prove their worth. They may become a sporting hero, or an entertainer, or a skilled mechanic. They may display their wealth.

Whatever they magnify in their life will be the things they have come to believe will impress others and give them a form of input, as a substitute for the love they so deeply crave.

Substitute for Love

The person seeking attention, by being popular, notorious, impressive or accepted in some special way, is actually trying to buy love. Because they can’t force people to love them, they must revert to “attention” as the substitute for love.

It is claimed that people who make trouble, at home, school or in the community, can be seeking some form of attention. Being rebuked by an angry father may be the only way some children can get their parent’s attention.

This is Me!

My rejection journey took me to this place. This is how I dealt with my feelings of insecurity, inferiority and rejection. I became the ‘life of the party’ type of person, when I could. I tried to impress people with my worth. When people commented on my singing or how deep my voice was, I decided to use those abilities to impress.

I created the image of a person more mature than my age, with more intelligence than I actually had. I avoided areas where I was weakest, such as most sporting activities, and concentrated on public speaking, debating and acting. I made a discipline of learning any funny joke I heard, so I could gain the reputation of being the best joke teller.

I would lie awake at night re-telling jokes in my mind, so I could be in full control of the delivery of the punch line. I even mentally rehearsed how I would walk into a group to gain the most effect of my presence.

Empty Praise

The problem with buying attention is that it is not love. It also comes at a cost, so it is not love freely given. No matter how much attention people can gain, they will never feel truly loved. Love is a very different thing to attention.

And love, at its best, is given to us when we don’t deserve it. So, getting attention by winning it from people also lacks that rich quality of being freely bestowed.

No matter how much attention I could gain, and I had my moments when I performed very well, my deep insecurities and pain were completely untouched.

So the extrovert is caught up in what Solomon called “vanity”. They are wasting their time. Buying attention, no matter how impressively you perform, will never do anything for the real needs deep within.

Plastic Fake

My extroversion led me to become a fake. I so honed my public face, playing it up and adjusting it so it had the best chance of winning attention. But that made my public image into something unreal.

My life became increasingly “plastic” and fake. I may have looked like a success story to casual observers, but the real me on the inside was as empty as ever.

I lived “on stage” all the time. I was performing for an audience all the time. I was conscious of how I was coming across all the time. I was burdened and enslaved to my image keeping.

I kept trying to think up the wittiest or most intelligent things to say. I looked for ways to assert myself into the centre of people’s attention. If I was outwitted, or outshone by someone I felt the sting.

Reality Check

By God’s grace He was able to deliver me from my plastic life. I will say more about this in later lessons, but suffice it to say here that God challenged me about the fact that I was fake.

He impressed me with the truth that He loved me, the Real me, just the way I am. He also saw right through my fake façade. He then impressed me that He only deals with Real People. If I chose to stay a fake He could not help me or use me in His purposes.

If I agreed to pull down my fake front and let God love me the way I really was, then He would heal me and make my miserable self into a much grander person than my false front could ever appear to be. And that new “me” would be 100% real!

I knew that I needed that kind of reality, and I desperately wanted to be loved unconditionally. So I let God do His work in my life. I was hesitant and took some encouraging and coaxing along the way, but I did make that journey.

I would never want to go back to the foolishness of my false front and my attention grabbing performances. God’s love and the security it brings are rich beyond my wildest hopes.

So, hang in there. Freedom can be yours and God’s love is freely available to you, as it was to me.

Flying Saucers

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In an earlier post, UFO Sightings, I shared about my observations as a teenager visiting a hypnotist show where the subjects saw UFO’s after they had been hypnotised. I was near them at the time and saw the terror in their faces as they fled from things they pointed at in the sky. Yet I could see nothing.

Their sightings were very real to them, but based on a trick in their mind, via hypnosis, not based on what was really there.

flying-saucer 1

Hypnotic Effect

What struck me was not just the UFO sightings, but the mood change I noted in one fellow I saw several times after the show.

I also wondered if the UFO sightings were implanted suggestions by the hypnotist, or him preparing them for something that would happen anyway, whether he implanted the idea or not.

Hypnotism

hypnotism

The flying saucer incident and the morose condition of the subject gave me grave concerns about the impact of hypnosis. It seemed to me that some kind of spiritual compromise was experienced by subjects of hypnotism, making them vulnerable to spiritual forces which terrified them, and subject to personality altering influences which depressed them.

I have far too little evidence to make a case, but I have kept those thoughts filed away, as a caution.

The Name of Jesus

But now, here is something that I did not know and which struck me as very significant.

Gary Bates relates in this book, Alien Intrusion, that people who have been going through some form of alien visitation have at times called on the name of Jesus. I expect they did this in fear, invoking the one name that they knew could protect people from harm.

In every case where people called on the name of Jesus the aliens would immediately disappear and the ‘visitation’ experience would stop.

Now, that is bizarre. If real creatures from outer space were standing in a room they could not be made to disappear by mentioning President Obama or King Fu Panda. Mentioning a name should have no impact on the physical presence of a physical reality.

But if mentioning the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, causes supposedly physical manifestations to disappear and not come back, the implication clearly is that the visitation was spiritual, not tangible.

Deceiving Spirits

The Bible warns that there are demon spirits, fallen angels now serving the devil, whose job it is to deceive people.

“Now the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” 1Timothy 4:1

The existence of unexplainable phenomena of a spiritual nature and leading people to believe things to be real which are not really happening, fits the description of “seducing spirits”. It is highly likely that what people experience as alien contact is nothing more than people seeing demons. Those demons present themselves in the manner that best achieves their purpose, which is to deceive.

Does it Fit?

Let’s refer back to my beachside observations from forty years ago and see if the idea of deceiving spirits fits the hypnosis situation I mentioned earlier.

People were subjected to hypnosis, overriding their will and opening them up to spiritual influence outside their control. Consequently they saw demon spirits, in the form of aliens. The fruit of that ‘visitation’ was terror and depression.

Does that sound like what we should expect from demon activity? To me it does.

And it fits the facts, such as the aliens evaporating when the name of Jesus Christ is called upon by people. It fits the situation where the actions of these manifestations are beyond what is possible in terms of the laws of physics.

Read the Book

These are my cogitations, based on what I have observed. For those who want to take the matter further I commend the book, Alien Intrusion, by Gary Bates. Gary’s extensive research and balanced review of the facts will be illuminating, even if it challenges your own ideas.

Meanwhile, be ready to question the idea that these ‘aliens’ have travelled from deep space and offer any hope to mankind. That is exactly the type of deception the devil would like to pull off. He would like us to submit to him, even if we did so in the belief we were dealing with highly evolved creatures from far away.

Pilgrim Pleasure 2

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Pilgrim had followed the “Do Right” trail and knew it was a good and wholesome way to go. But one day he decided to try out the forbidden “Please Yourself” path. His excursion seemed to do him no harm and he could not understand why that path was so warned against.

However, rising within him were stronger urges to pursue pleasure than he had ever felt before. He had lit a fire and that fire burned insistently within him. He was being drawn aside, to pursue his own lusts.

pilgrims progress

Yet Pilgrim rationalised that he could have both the forbidden pleasures and his commitment to the “Do Right” trail. The two ways were close at times and crossed each other on occasions. So surely, he thought, he could have the best of both worlds.

Then, before he ventured along the “Please Yourself” path again, he met the man who designed it. He was told that the only rule for this tantalising alternative route was to “Please Yourself”!

The New Adventure

Spying a babbling brook Pilgrim hurried to it and sampled its refreshing waters. Then, fearing his companion might catch up and discover him from the “Do Right” trail, he moved into the sweet shade of leafy trees.

From there he saw fruit trees and went to sample the fruit. Then he saw happy animals to play with, which made hearty fun.

His new adventure was wonderful; much more pleasant than anything from the “Do Right” trail. And, to top it off, he was not far off track and soon to join the trail again.

He praised his maker for the chance to enjoy such sweet delights and drink in such happiness. And he wondered why this path should be so badly spoken of.

Not that there weren’t difficulties on the path. When bees swarmed near him he had to get away. And when the path was slippery he had to find his own footing. But at least now he could please himself about how he solved each problem. He could divert off course, or push through with purpose. Whatever he felt was best he was allowed to do.

Back on the trail there was not the same liberty. He had to do things the right way, without the creativity and spontaneity the pleasure path allowed.

The Trail Again

In time the “Please Yourself” path crossed the “Do Right” trail once more. Pilgrim was relieved to be back on track again. This confirmed to him that there was no harm in taking the “Please Yourself” path.

In truth, though, he would not have stuck to the trail at that point but pressed on along the pleasure path, except that he saw people he knew.

He waited for them, hoping to slip down the path once they passed. Instead they seemed intent on talking with him. They seemed suspicious that he had done wrong and wanted to warn and exhort him.

Such talk was insulting and intolerable, yet he did not wish to offend, so he gave the appearance of listening intently. His mind, however, drifted off to things he had seen and enjoyed on the side path.

As they walked Pilgrim caught glimpses of the mountains ahead and began to resent the hard road under his feet. Restrictions and a disciplined journey now offended his senses, freshly awakened by his recent excursions.

With each step Pilgrim felt all the more resentful of doing right and all the more determined to please himself as soon as he could.

Into the Woods

Before long those on the “Do Right” trail recognised that something was wrong. They exhorted and cautioned him to get his heart right, but he resented their meddling. They could not understand what he felt, for they had never tasted the delights of the “Please Yourself” path. Their cautions, therefore, were empty and vain.

And so it was, when he next had opportunity, Pilgrim snuck onto the side path again and dashed into the woods. From there he searched out every meadow, drank from every brook and tasted every fruit.

This time, however, the delights were not so sweet. Somehow his tongue had adjusted to the tastes and would not be tantalised. The meadows seemed not so soft, nor the bird song so sweet. So he pressed on for better places, determined to truly “please” himself.

One time, stumbling near the “Do Right” trail, his old companions pleaded with him to come to his senses and get back on track again. Yet, despite how elusive were the pleasures he sought, he knew they did not exist at all on that hard trodden trail.

Chance Sighting

After many years it was reported that someone caught sight of the lost Pilgrim. His face was hard and his manner set. There was no joy in his face or light in his eyes. Yet he still chased the elusive pleasures with determination.

His heart was set against the “Do Right” trail, convinced it could never make him happy. Yet he could not see that his “Please Yourself” path had failed him. Nothing was to his liking. His senses so demanded gratification that even the most precious things could not appease them.

He had sampled every fruit and seen every place. He had splashed and played and eaten, as often as he chose. Yet breezes could not touch him and flavours seemed insipid. Sounds could not attract him or vistas ever please.

He had believed a lie, that happiness is found in its pursuit. Yet life is not about pursuing happiness or finding pleasure. To pursue them is to shut down the very mechanisms that perceive them.

Two Ways Meet

The old Sunday School song, “I Met Jesus at the Crossroads”, speaks of two paths meeting at a cross-roads. It says,
“Satan too was standing there and bid me “Come this way.
Lots and lots of pleasures I can give to you today.”

So, the truth expressed in this Pilgrim story is not new. It can be traced back to The Garden of Eden, where the devil tempted Eve with exactly that proposition. He effectively told her, “If you do what I suggest, you will have better things than you presently possess!” (see Genesis 3:1-6)

We are each challenged to live for ‘self’ or to restrain self in order to worship and obey God. When we give in to ‘self’ we put ourselves above God. That is treason! It brings God’s judgement upon us, but also brings us under the power of sin. We are then denied the joy of life and trapped into an empty pursuit of self-fulfilment.

When, on the other hand, we submit our selfish desires to God, and die to them, learning to do what is right, no matter how hard that may be, we find fulfilment, joy, peace and divine blessing which cannot be found by a self-led life.

Back on Track

If you have been seduced with the idea you can make yourself happy, stop to take stock. Has living for self brought you all the rewards it promised? Have you become slave to impulses, and have you found that life does not satisfy the way you thought it would?

Have you become addicted to things which you know are evil? Have you lost control of your life to such things as anger, lust, unhappiness, shame, fear, grief, resentment, unforgiveness, and the like?

The only viable track for anyone to follow is that of humble submission to God. The “Pilgrim’s” path is your created destiny. And it is much more wonderful than the world has made it out to be. It will offend your lusts, but it will also set you free from them. It will offend your selfish desires, but it will deliver reality which selfishness can never begin to provide.

It is time for you to get back on track. I challenge you to humble yourself before God and repent of living for ‘self’. Ask God to forgive and to heal you of your years of folly, trying to please yourself. Ask Him to cleanse you and then to lead you in the paths of righteousness. Then, let Him build eternal relationship with you and bring you to fulfilment and joy that you never thought possible.

Pilgrim Poetry

I have a poem about Pilgrim’s pursuit of pleasure. I’ll share that with you in Pilgrim Pleasure 3.

UFO Sightings

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I have watched people as they saw and fled from UFO’s. I stood near the people, saw the look of terror on their faces and watched them run screaming down the street.

So I have my own set of UFO experiences to draw from and my own thoughts about that strange phenomenon.

flying-saucer

UFO Researcher Gary Bates

A year ago I met with Gary Bates, a UFO researcher, and compared notes of my observations with his extensive research. He has come to the same conclusion I came to, way back in the late 1960’s.

Gary has reviewed a mass of data from around the world and notes several significant similarities among the many serious UFO sightings. While many supposed sightings are clearly tricks of light or natural items, such as the planet Venus, some sightings are clearly beyond natural explanation. Gary paid particular attention to those sightings.

What Gary found, and documents in his best selling book, “Alien Intrusion”, is that there is something unnatural about most alien encounters. He describes it as a “spiritual” dimension. And this is attested to by UFO enthusiasts too, who realise that the antics of UFO’s are beyond known laws of physics.

gary bates

There’s a Flying Saucer!

When I was a teenager, in the late 1960’s, I went to see a hypnotist perform while I was on a camping holiday at the beach. The hypnotist was Rodrigo and I was very impressed with his ability. Several people from the audience made fools of themselves to the mirth of the audience. Rodrigo performed some impressive mind reading tricks and walked through the crowd, blind-folded, dodging all the obstacles people put in his way.

Before he brought his volunteers back to normal he told them that once they left the building they would see Flying Saucers. It seemed a strange suggestion to make and quite unnecessary. So my brother and I hung around to watch these people leave the building and see what happened.

Even though the warning was given to the people under hypnosis, so they would have no memory of it, they were clearly reluctant to leave the building. When they did step out they saw flying saucers, screamed and ran down the street.

Seeing is Believing

Those who saw the flying saucers were convinced of what they saw. It was clearly terrifyingly real to them. But my brother and I looked where they looked and saw nothing. There was nothing to flee. There was nothing to be afraid of.

If I were to argue with them later about what they saw, they would swear on a stack of Bibles that they saw a real, genuine flying saucer. Their terror was clear testimony to their conviction.

So, they would believe there were flying saucers and I would believe they were not there. We would both believe what we saw, or didn’t see.

Similarly, people who have seen these things, or had alien visitations, would be absolutely convinced, even if the very process was a trick of their mind, or the creature was a spirit, not a real being.

Bad Fruit

Jesus warned us that we would know what we are dealing with by its “fruit”.

“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” Matthew 7:16

“Wherefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:20

Armed with that truth I noted that one of the young men who was hypnotised had a significant change of personality following the performance. This chap was a huge life-saver, bronzed and blonde. He was one of those happy people who one would normally want to have around.

When I went to the beach each day he would be around the clubhouse and he made me feel safe and comfortable.

After the hypnotism, however, I would see him sitting slumped and in a depressed frame of mind. He seemed continually distracted. I wanted to go and speak with him, but I was not secure enough in myself to do so. But I kept an eye out for him to see him come back to normal. In the remaining time we had at that place he did not rebound.

Preliminary Conclusions

The negative “fruit” of the hypnotism, plus the “sightings” of flying saucers, when there were none there, prompted me to see UFO sightings as linked to tricks of the mind, and even the work of spiritual forces. Those forces were clearly not the angelic beings of the Bible, but most likely the evil spirits which Jesus cast out of people.

So, in recent years when I talked with Gary Bates and learned of the international awareness of the non-material nature of many UFO visitations, I realised that I may have been onto something significant, way back in my teenage years.

But there’s even other evidence of the “spiritual nature” of UFO sightings, so I’ll share that with you in a new post shortly, named “Flying Saucers”.

Meanwhile, I recommend Gary Bates’ book, Alien Intrusion, and I caution you to be wary of thinking UFO’s are real beings from another galaxy. I believe they are evil spirits actively deceiving the gullible. More on that next time.

Pilgrim Pleasure 1

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Follow Pilgrim in his discovery of forbidden pleasure. And just maybe you will see something of your own journey over the years. For, as we shall see, pleasure has a power of its own that Pilgrims should treat with care……

Pilgrim paused at the junction and considered what lay before him. His “Do Right” trail had thrown up many hurdles, yet he always found sufficient resolve to cross them all.

The trail stretched before him, austere and narrow, straight toward dark, thankless mountains. Foreboding echoed from every crag. It was a Pilgrim’s lot to scale such heights and grow by doing so. Pilgrim’s shoulders slumped at the thought of what awaited him ahead.

pilgrims progress

To the left, down a short path spread a lush and leafy pasture, where the sun shed mottled patches through leafy trees. The path was marked, “Please Yourself”, and pleaded to his weary senses.

The Path to Pleasure

“I was warned of such a path”, he spoke to himself. Yet he paused and longed for the relief so near.

Even though Pilgrim kept away from self-indulgence he had enjoyed life so far. Overcoming a daunting obstacle, bringing joy to others, helping his friends and doing right all brought a reward that nourished him.

But at times he just longed for the freedom to do as he pleased. And now, as he thought, the meadow was so close. “Surely I could suffer no harm to pause for a moment.” Without further word he eased his load from aching shoulders and moved tentatively toward the inviting pasture.

Falling into the soft grass brought celebration to his senses. Muscles rested as a smile came to his lips. Surely this could not be bad, since the Lord Himself commended rest.

Breezes swept sweet scents to his nostrils and birds chirped happy music to his ears.

Sleep came readily in the sweet comforts of the meadow.

Call to Return

He woke to the cries of a friend. A companion he oft walked with called him back to the trail. “You are not to go to such a place.”

“It’s fine. I suffer no harm. Come, see for yourself.”

The companion stood firm, so the pilgrim rolled in the grass to show how harmless the meadow was. “Come. See for yourself!” As the companion remained resolute the pilgrim laughed at him.

“This is great fun. And it makes me feel so good.”

“But you are not supposed to be there. Now hurry up and get back on track. Others are coming and they will see you.”

With that the pilgrim returned to the “Do Right” trail, looking longingly back to the meadow.

Temptation

The “Please Yourself” path crossed the trail many times and each time it did the pilgrim was drawn to it. His companion did not notice the various delights laid up close to the trail, and did not seem to care even when they were pointed out. But the pilgrim felt a new ache for them.

His short pause in the pasture remained with him and pulled at him in ways he could not explain. If he had been alone he would gladly have sampled more of the treats he saw along the way.

Finally he discovered a case for venturing to the “Please Yourself” path again. Since that path kept intersecting with the “Do Right” trail, there was clearly no harm in taking it as an alternative route, at least for a good part of the journey. Since he had resolved to go the right way and “Do Right” there could be no harm if he were to enjoy himself while doing so.

When his companion needed rest, pilgrim decided to press ahead, hoping to find the pleasure path while alone and free to explore it without censure.

As You Please

When pilgrim came again to the “Please Yourself” path there was a man standing at the intersection. Pilgrim was eager to see what pleasures the path afforded, but held back, unsure of this new acquaintance.

“I see you like my path”, the stranger spoke.

“Is this path yours?” Pilgrim enquired.

“Yes. And it’s a fine path too.” The stranger watched Pilgrim’s eyes.

“Do you mind if I use your path?”

“Please yourself.” They both laughed at that witty answer.

“Well, should I go to the left or the right?” “As you please.” The stranger smiled.

“Can I stay close to the “Do Right” trail?” “If you wish.”

“Can I still be a pilgrim?” “If that’s what you wish.”

“Are there no rules, then?” “Yes. That you ‘Please Yourself’. There is nothing else you need worry about.”

Please Yourself

If life could be divided into two kingdoms they would have to be the Kingdom of “Do Right” and the Kingdom of “Please Yourself”. While enjoying life is by no means a bad thing, the issue is a matter of heart intention.

When you set out to do what is right your heart operates under a moral imperative, in the fear of God, recognising that you are not here for yourself, but to fulfil the purposes for which God, your Creator, placed you here. That becomes your joy, and joy is much richer than “pleasure”.

When you set out to please yourself your heart has chosen to elevate self above God. You love pleasure more than God (2Timothy 3:4). Moral responsibility takes second place and you see every situation, challenge and relationship as something to exploit for personal benefit.

Moral responsibility leads to self-sacrifice, self-discipline, character, inner strength, resolve, authority, moral might, leadership, ability to bless others, social fabric and security, and God’s grace on lives and communities.

Selfishness leads to irresponsibility, abuse of others, indulgence, moral weakness, exploitation, vulnerability, lack of care for others, and God’s wrath upon lives and communities.

Choose Your Way

We each choose our way. We either walk the way of life, or of death. Western culture advertises the merits of “Please Yourself” as if it is the only logical choice. We are told to “Just Do It!” and “If it feels good, Do It!” We are encouraged to have our way, do our own thing, and insist on our personally crafted notion of what is best for us.

God calls us to fear God, love Him, obey Him and glorify Him. As we do that we receive blessings that are beyond anything our natural senses can deliver.

I call you to choose “Life”! Choose the way of holiness in the fear of God. So you can truly enjoy the life in your hand.

The next lesson follows Pilgrim into his adventure, exploring the pleasures his heart craves.

How Evolution Works

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Despite all the hype there is universal ignorance about how Evolution operates. So let’s stop and think through the mechanism to better appreciate this amazing and highly acclaimed phenomenon.

The Miracle of Progress

We are told that Evolution created for us all life-forms, including humanity. All the complexity, intricacy, ever-so-clever innovations, amazing functionality and profound capabilities developed, so we are told, from an accidental process which has proven wonderfully lucky for us.

We will not consider here the number of miracles required for the evolutionary process to move forward. We will not consider the statistical impossibility of the process. The scientific community has schooled us to ignore those realities and accept, as a matter of faith, that Evolution did happen. And that is that!

Defining Evolution

Let us contain ourselves to the simplest definition of Evolution. Working up from there we should have no problem explaining the process.

At its simplest level, Evolution is “change”. When we say that our skills have evolved we do not mean that they have stayed the same. They have changed, hopefully for the better, over time.

So, the simplest definition for evolution probably should be “change”, or maybe “change over time”. We could even call evolution by other names, such as “morphing” or “biological transformation”.

Evolution is change. If nothing has changed then nothing has evolved.

But, we should note, not all change is evolution. When a bucket rusts we don’t call that evolution. That’s simple degeneration, even though it is “change”. When one gene is switched on and another switched off, that is not change in the inherent nature of the thing, although it might represent a striking visual difference.

A Change Agent

Now, for evolution to occur, so that “change” can take place, there must be a change agent. There must be some process causing change. If there is no process of change, there is no evolution.

Evolution assures us that “change” has taken place. So the theorists must come up with a change agent. They need to show the method by which organisms make those millions of miniature “morphs” that transform simple things into the incredibly complex creatures living on the planet.

Crossing Boundaries

Now I pointed out that some changes are not evolutionary. Rust and decay are not evolution. And the kinds of visible changes which occur in the breeding of animals and plants are also not evolution, because the essence of the creature has not changed.

For evolution to become what evolutionists mean it to be the change process must be able to cross boundaries. Amazingly, from an evolutionary point of view, created things are contained within their own biological set. These types, kinds or species are able to interbreed, but not mix across the biological boundary.

Dogs can be crossed with wolves, but not with foxes. While the diversity of types of dog suggest that just about anything is possible, there is an invisible biological boundary around the “dog” species. The boundary includes the wolf, suggesting that all the dogs we know today were bred from an original wolf family.

Evolution must be able to empower a fox to cross with a wolf. It must provide change ACROSS the boundaries. That kind of “species to species” change is biologically impossible today. So, how did it happen in the past?

Paper or Plastic?

But evolution requires a secondary process to its ability to create “change”. Evolution also involves choosing the best new alternative.

We frequently face many choices, such as, “Do you want fries with that?” or, “Do you want that in a paper or plastic bag?” Likewise, evolution is forced to make millions of choices to get to a good outcome.

You see, not every change is a good one. A mindless change process (assuming there is a change process at all) produces random outcomes. Considering the delicate and intricate balance required for just about every important biological process, there must have been billions of negative changes before the best ones came along.

Evolution, as a completely mindless process, could not know which changes to choose. So there had to be a mechanism that would successfully make the right choices. That process also had to be completely random, yet successful.

The Fitness Test

Evolution gained its greatest advancement under the notions put forward by Charles Darwin. He proposed what we could call the “Fitness Test” concept. His idea of the “Survival of the Fittest” caught the popular imagination. This concept seemed to give scientific validity to the ideas that had already been discussed, of life developing without a divine creator.

Charles-Darwin-31

As the millions of changes took place, all non-beneficial changes would be displaced by failing the fitness test. If changes made the organism weaker it would die. If a change made an organism more viable than its parent, then the new would displace the parent generation, in due course.

Change and Discrimination

Evolution needs to produce millions of changes and then discriminate between them to pick the best ones. If there is no change then there is no evolution. If there is no discrimination then harmful changes will outweigh the beneficial ones and destroy the existing life.

Survival of the Fittest became the rallying point for evolutionists. To this day many people think of “Survival of the Fittest” as synonymous with evolution.

Yet Survival of the Fittest only addresses the second stage of the process. If the fitness test takes place at all, it only serves to remove the non-viable outcomes of the change process. Survival of the Fittest says nothing about the change process itself. And at heart, Evolution is Change!

Now You Have It

Got that? Evolution is change over time, with the ability to pick the good changes. Evolution is “Change” with “Discrimination”. Oh, and that change must not just be window dressing. It MUST be able to cross over the biological boundaries.

Survival of the Fittest is the supposed “Discrimination” mechanism. Now all we have to do is find the “Change” agent that can jump biological boundaries.

If there is a viable Change agent and a viable Discrimination agent we are a long way toward discovering evolution.

However ….

Owning a rifle doesn’t make you a killer. Owning a typewriter doesn’t make you an author. Owning a guitar doesn’t make you a musician.

So, even if we could discover very viable Change agents and Discrimination agents, we have not proven evolution. Even if the ability to jump the biological boundaries is provided, we still have not proven evolution. While evolution must produce its viable mechanisms it must also produce its evidence that those mechanisms created what we see around us today.

And that, my friends, is an impossibility. You cannot prove the past. Even if evolution were occurring today, that cannot PROVE that it ever happened in the past.

So, our dear friends who have taken evolution to heart have a long way to go to have a viable case. Sadly, most have resorted to asserting evolution as a “fact”, rather than admitting what the existing evidence declares. Change between species did not happen. Change between species does not happen now. Change between species is a myth, supporting a pseudo-science.

In a future post I’ll take you for a waltz through the topic of “Change” and see what we come up with.

Rejection 18 – Masking

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Another Rejection response is to Mask pain and put on a False Front. It’s a self-defence mechanism, to protect our pride.

The Pride of Life is one of three human worldly motivators, along with the Lust of the Flesh and Lust of the Eyes. So people instinctively hide the truth if it will damage their image in the eyes of others.

Denial

The urge to deny our weakness, failings or vulnerabilities is ubiquitous. Little children start young, with “I didn’t do it, Mummy!” I recall seeing one child drop something, pick up the broken pieces and go straight to his Mum saying, “I didn’t break it!” No-one needed to teach the child to deny the unpleasant truth.

The force of denial leads to self-delusion, fantasy thoughts and the like. But for the purposes of our Rejection study denial is the force that prompts people to place a mask over their hurt and failure.

The Cover Up

I recall approaching a house and hearing a heated argument inside. When I knocked all went quiet. The door opened and a smiling face greeted me as if there was nothing wrong.

Have you ever had to answer the phone in the midst of an argument or upset?  People can be shouting in argument, then pick up the phone and speak sweetly to their caller. A mask is placed over the problem or the heated moment, to keep it from others.

Rejected people, despite their personal pain, share that same instinct to cover up their unhappy lot. They learn to put on a smile, project an air of confidence, push down their unhappy feelings and give the impression that all is fine.

The False Front

The cartoon I use to describe masking our pain with a false front is that of a deeply inferior person projecting a different image onto the screen of their life. Rather than letting others see how miserable they feel, they give off the false front of a happy and confident person.

Reject 18 Masking

Sadly, most people live with some degree of masking. In a minimal level it is simply covering up a mistake, overlooking a weakness, or diverting people’s attention from things they don’t want openly known.

At the most extreme level a person can become completely false. Their whole life can become one of living a lie. They can hide just about everything about them.

Professional Front

Keeping up appearances is part of life in some fields. The old saying, “The Show Must Go On!” speaks to how performers must squash down their pain, skip onto stage and perform as if the personal issues that may have just bombarded them don’t exist.

Professionals in business need to maintain a professional front, not showing their despisement of their associates, clients, bosses or company policy. Politicians can argue behind closed doors then emerge as best of buddies, so the cameras convey the desired image.

Doctors, counsellors and others have to maintain a ‘public face’ in dealing with their clients, as part of their professionalism.

The Ministry Smile

Mid last century the idea of giving away a “smile” became popularised in Christian circles. In some churches the “ministry smile” took on Biblical standing as a ministry obligation. While always smiling affirmation at people has a natural sweetness about it, I personally found it quite annoying.

What troubled me was that it became a form of False Front. It was a professional “mask”, which successfully hid the true feelings from others. But it also became a barrier to genuine personal contact. Christians in ministry moved one step further away from those they met, because the Smiling Mask was artificially applied. Rather than people meeting on a more real level, they met as professional and client.

The Ministry Smile mask caused me to feel unsure of the friendly relationships which were offered me. I was sure that so many people could not all be so deliriously happy to meet me. I suspected that some of them might have liked to tell me they disagreed with something I taught, or had personal concerns they needed to discuss. Instead, all I ever met was that blasted smile.

Personal PR Front

An Australian pastor visited a friend in the USA many years ago and complemented his friend on the quality of the church members. The Aussie said, “I wish I had people like this in my church back home.” His American counterpart confided in him, “These people are exactly the same as yours, with exactly the same problems, but they have learned how to put on a front to cover it all up!”

Sadly, image has become a major consideration in life today. People want to have the right “look”. Their “front” or mask is usually much more carefully crafted and maintained than their grandparents ever thought necessary. More expensive beauty enhancements are used. Men now put product in their hair. People now inject botox into their skin, and have plastic surgery, while faking their hair colour.

Is there anyone out there who is not afraid to be who they are?

Glorious Liberty

Christians don’t need masks. People who are free don’t need masks. Why would you put a false front over a beautiful view?

When we enter into our glorious liberty (wonderful freedom) as God’s children we can throw the masks away. Our pain is healed. Joy fills our heart. The smile on our dial beams from a heart that is full and strong.

Then, when we are under pressure, we can be open and honest about it. We don’t need to keep up a PR image. We are not “marketing” ourselves, but simply BEING ourselves. We can share our realness with other people’s reality, and bless them by our inner wholeness.

People with “liberty” are not afraid to go grey, grow old, admit they don’t know something, laugh at their mistakes, publicly share their failures as a lesson for others and live un-intimidated lives.

A Culture in Fear

While I can understand Rejected people feeling great pressure to cover up their pain, why do others feel such pressure to lie about themselves? Who is it that intimidates them so powerfully?

It seems we have a whole culture that has come under the tyranny of fear. The fear of rejection and being put down by the culture itself seems to drive perfectly valuable people to live as if they need others to affirm them.

I pray that God so heal our culture that it celebrates His grace, lives in His presence and radiates the glorious liberty that only comes from Him.

Toxic Ideas in Marriage

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The devil uses “lies” to great effect. What helps his lies is that people want to believe them. The human heart is evil and so people want excuses to be let off their own responsibilities. The devil’s lies are often quickly taken up, to justify selfish choices in life.

The devil sows many toxic ideas into people’s minds regarding their marriage. The ideas usually appeal to human selfishness.

Devilish Wisdom

It is possible for an idea to be wrong, yet to appear to be ‘wisdom’. James, the brother of Jesus Christ, gives us insight into this situation in an important description of evil wisdom.

“This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.” James 3:15

You can pick the wrong ideas, even though they are propounded by experts and appear to be ever-so-wise, because they are “earthly” and “sensual”. When an idea defines reality from the earthly perspective, leaving God and godly morality out of the picture, then it is devilish wisdom. And when an idea appeals to human sensibilities, while ignoring God and godly morality, then it is devilish wisdom.

Beware of the ideas that go through your mind from time to time about your marriage. They may be devilish wisdom looking for a place to live. If you let that kind of wisdom in it leads to strife, contention and broken relationships.

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What are you Thinking?

Have you ever thought any of the following thoughts about your marriage?

“I married the WRONG person.” Maybe if you’d been more careful you could have been more happily married. Hmmm ???

“I DESERVE better than this!” You are not being treated properly and so you have the right to be angry and resentful.

“SOMEONE ELSE would make me happier.” Your heart is already lusting for something or someone better.

“EVEN GOD could not fix my marriage.” This is a great excuse to bail out.

“ADULTERY has ended this marriage.” When you’ve been wronged, why not be unforgiving and vengeful?

“God just wants me to be HAPPY.” Actually, I want to be happy, and I thought happiness was the whole purpose of life, so I’m now pinning my selfish wants onto God’s account.

“MY SITUATION is unique.” Your pain is very personal, and so surely no-one has ever been in your situation before.

Shake Up

Let me do a quick shake-up for you, and see if I can dislodge some of those “earthly, sensual” ideas that are dancing into your mind at times.

“I married the WRONG person” – You’ve got to be kidding! Your spouse only seems wrong because they rub up your selfishness and challenge your character. God did not create one “right” person for you. Instead, He created a relationship that is very resilient and able to be enjoyed with any one of gazillion spouses.

“I DESERVE better than this” – Do you really want what you deserve? I certainly don’t. When we compare you to God’s holiness, what you “deserve” may be far worse than anything you have ever been through!

“SOMEONE ELSE would make me happier” – How incredibly selfish of you! Your happiness is what you are demanding. And guess what! By being selfish you will be impossible to make happy. You are the principal obstacle to your own happiness!

Ready for More?

“EVEN GOD could not fix my marriage” – How dare you think so! Nothing is impossible to God. You just want and excuse to selfishly have your way.

“ADULTERY has ended this marriage” – That’s ridiculous! Millions of marriages survive adultery! Jesus Christ pointed to “hardness of heart” as the reason marriages break-up after adultery. When the offended party refuses to forgive, THAT is what ends the marriage. Don’t blame it on adultery!

“God just wants me to be HAPPY” – God wants you to be HOLY and that will bring happiness. If you are a happiness junkie, you will never find the joy your heart longs for. Be Holy. Happiness will follow.

“MY SITUATION is unique” – Rubbish! You don’t have a clue what other people have been through. Your situation is as fixable as anything God has to deal with.

Mending Marriages

I have drawn these points from my book, Mending Marriages – Putting Lives and Relationships Back Together. If I have offended you, then maybe I have made you think. Maybe you will open your heart and mind to some truths that will set you free from the devilish lies that have become “strongholds” in your mind.

We have a whole generation of unhappy people, simply because they believed the lie that they could pursue and find happiness. Godliness with contentment brings great gain. It is not “happiness” that you should be chasing.

When you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and be the person He created you to be, doing the things He created you to do, you will find wonder, joy, fulfilment and blessing that you cannot hope to find by throwing away your marriage.