Participants:
Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000016S
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00:01 - Today we're gonna be asking a really curious question
00:04 is there a sense in which old medieval thinking 00:06 still plagues the world of religion today? 00:09 And is there a chance that you and I have fallen victim 00:12 to a way of thinking that has more to do 00:14 with secret occult societies, 00:16 than it does with the words of the Bible. 00:19 Today on "Authentic", 00:20 we're gonna talk about magical thinking. 00:24 [upbeat music] 00:44 One of the more interesting characters 00:45 to emerge from European history 00:47 is a guy by the name of Abraham Abulafia, 00:50 somebody who practiced what you and I might call 00:53 the dark arts back in 13th century, Spain. 00:57 Some people might refer to this guy as a philosopher 01:00 but what he practiced 01:01 was something outside the usual realm of philosophy. 01:04 It was more of a magical art, 01:06 the kind of thing a wizard might practice. 01:09 But I wanna be careful that we don't apply some kind 01:11 of shallow stereotype and think of them as a devil worshiper 01:15 because, well in medieval Europe, the practice of magic was, 01:19 it was more sophisticated than that. 01:22 It's easy from our 21st century vantage point 01:25 to think of people from the past as superstitious or simple. 01:29 But if we had a time machine, I think we might be surprised 01:32 at the level of sophistication we would find 01:35 if we could go back and pay these people a visit. 01:37 These were not superstitious dummies. 01:41 A lot of them had collected what some might refer 01:43 to as the wisdom of the ages. 01:45 This system of pagan learning 01:48 that dates back as far as recorded history goes. 01:51 These were some really bright and creative people 01:56 and the stuff they taught is still in circulation today, 01:59 even though a lot of people don't know 02:01 where these ideas come from anymore. 02:03 So, let me see if I can describe Mr. Abulafia's work 02:07 in just a couple of minutes. 02:08 He was what we might call a Kabbalist 02:11 which is a form of Jewish mysticism 02:13 that largely allegorizes the Old Testament 02:16 and uses the Old Testament to describe esoteric concepts 02:20 that really belong to other ancient cultures. 02:23 It was a way of blending 02:25 some rather different schools of thought. 02:29 And the Kabbalists who came before Abulafia 02:31 took the Bible statement 02:33 that God created the world by speaking it into existence, 02:37 and they developed it into some very creative ideas 02:40 that on the surface look very interesting 02:42 but represent a departure from the intention of the people 02:45 who actually wrote this book. 02:48 The idea goes something like this. 02:50 There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, 02:53 and each of them has been assigned a numerical value 02:56 sort of like the Roman you studied when you were a kid 03:00 except that this goes a whole lot deeper. 03:04 Kabbalists would carefully analyze words 03:06 and combinations of words, define their numerical values, 03:10 and then they attached mystical importance to those words 03:14 based on the mathematical totals. 03:16 So when they talked about creation, 03:19 they said that God had combined these letters into patterns 03:22 and using those patterns, 03:23 He spoke the physical universe into being. 03:26 Now what Abraham Abulafia did with that, 03:30 was to suggest that by using those same letters 03:33 and speaking them out loud, 03:35 you could participate in God's creative process. 03:39 And this was all established 03:40 on top of one, really, really important idea. 03:42 The idea that mind existed before matter. 03:48 What do I mean by that? 03:49 Well, you and I approached the universe 03:51 with a very materialistic point of view 03:54 where the world is exactly as it appears to your senses. 03:58 We have this objective point of view. 04:00 So in our science classes growing up 04:02 we said the physical universe existed first, 04:05 it came out of the big bang 04:07 and it's the product of physical laws. 04:09 But then somehow the phenomenon of consciousness 04:13 emerged out of that. 04:15 Somehow you and I emerged out of a completely impersonal 04:19 material, physical universe, 04:22 as the sentient self-aware beings 04:24 who have the ability to think about ourselves. 04:27 Now, honestly, science is at a complete loss 04:30 to explain how that could happen. 04:33 How do self-aware thinking creatures 04:35 just emerge by accident? 04:37 I've read, I don't know how many books now 04:39 written by psychologists and scientists 04:41 who bend over backwards 04:43 trying to explain how thinking, self-aware minds 04:46 came out of non-thinking matter. 04:49 And I've got to tell you so far, 04:51 I haven't come across anything even remotely compelling. 04:54 It all looks like desperate guesswork. 04:59 So, what the ancient pagans actually taught 05:02 was the opposite. 05:03 They said mind came before matter, 05:06 that somebody or something was self-aware and thinking 05:09 before creation ever took place. 05:12 Now, of course, the Bible would agree with that 05:15 because it opens with that famous statement, 05:17 "In the beginning was God." 05:19 And it teaches that He was in existence 05:21 before the universe was made. 05:24 To the pagans, God wasn't a personal, single being however, 05:28 He was more of a cosmic mind that filled the whole universe. 05:32 And in the beginning the pagan said, 05:33 the universe was non-material 05:35 and mostly just this cloud of cosmic thoughts. 05:39 Then eventually, it congealed into the physical universe 05:43 we exist in right now. 05:45 And that the pagans taught 05:47 was a very unfortunate development. 05:50 We were never they said, 05:51 supposed to be trapped in physical bodies. 05:55 So, this is the reason a lot of ancient Greek philosophers 05:59 actually bemoaned their physical existence. 06:02 They thought that a perfect existence 06:05 would be spiritual and non-material. 06:08 This is why great philosophers like Socrates 06:10 actually looked forward to death 06:12 because Socrates thought he'd be liberated 06:14 from this imperfect physical existence 06:17 and ascend to something far more satisfying 06:20 out there in the cloud of the spirit world. 06:23 What he would do in other words, 06:25 is go and rejoin the great cosmic mind. 06:29 Now, you've probably noticed that's a really common thread 06:32 in a lot of the world's religions. 06:35 It's a way of thinking 06:36 about the universe that is pretty widespread. 06:38 And again, it's all based 06:40 on the idea that mind existed before matter did. 06:44 Now, the Bible kind of says the same thing up to a point 06:50 but then it diverges in one important way 06:53 in the creation account in here, 06:56 God creates a very physical world and He says, 06:59 "This is very good." 07:02 Now to the ancient pagans, this is not very good. 07:04 A physical existence was never the best design 07:07 but in the Bible, that's how God planned it. 07:13 So let's go back now to Abraham Abulafia 07:16 because he also departed 07:18 from the biblical description of the universe. 07:21 What he said, is that if mind comes before matter 07:24 and God spoke the universe into existence 07:28 then you and I should be able to use our minds 07:30 to control the physical creation. 07:34 And this is where you get the concept of magic spells. 07:38 It's an attempt to manipulate the universe 07:41 with the human mind. 07:43 Now, of course, Abraham Abulafia, 07:45 didn't come up with the idea of magical spells 07:47 because those had been around for a very long time, 07:51 but he did refine the concept 07:53 and he really focused on how you and I should pronounce 07:57 what he would call the secret name of God. 08:01 He believed that if you dressed in white robes 08:04 and went to a quiet place, 08:05 and meditated on the secret name of God, 08:09 you could ascend to higher forms of consciousness. 08:11 You could escape your physical body 08:13 even just for a few minutes. 08:15 And you could achieve secret powers 08:17 that would only be available to an elite group of initiates, 08:21 people who knew about his secret. 08:24 He also taught that wise King Solomon actually knew 08:28 the secret name of God, something we call the Tetragrammaton 08:31 because it has four letters. 08:34 And the story goes that you could only speak 08:36 that name out loud one day of the year, 08:39 and only if you were the high priest 08:42 who went into the most holy place on the day of atonement. 08:46 This spoken name of God was so powerful, Abulafia said, 08:50 that just the act of speaking it out loud 08:52 could make angels feel fear. 08:55 So he started working on special combinations 08:58 of words and letters, 09:00 especially the letters that make up God's name. 09:03 And he wrote them down in something called a grimoire, 09:07 which is really just another word for grammar 09:09 but this is a special, magical grammar. 09:13 He said that if you only had the right words, 09:16 and the right rituals to go with those words 09:18 then you could start working miracles. 09:20 And maybe, just maybe, 09:23 you could put some of those words on a magical ring 09:26 and use that as a source of power. 09:30 So in the 14th century we suddenly had a lot of books 09:34 that taught people how to create a thunderstorm 09:37 using your words, 09:38 or walk on water using your words, 09:40 or make somebody fall in love with you using your words, 09:43 or maybe even raise the dead 09:46 if you just had the right words. 09:49 And I know today, I'm giving credit to Abraham Abulafia, 09:52 but he was just one of hundreds 09:54 maybe thousands of people who had been thinking that way 09:57 over thousands of years. 10:00 Now today, we kinda treat that thinking 10:02 as a silly fairy tale, 10:03 and we've made it into a caricature 10:05 with fairy godmother, singing Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo 10:08 and Disney version of the Cinderella story. 10:11 Now, before anybody freaks out 10:13 that watching a cartoon 10:14 is somehow able to make you demon possessed, relax it's not. 10:17 Somebody made that word up in 1948. 10:20 And from a biblical perspective, 10:22 the sounds of words just don't have any power over you, 10:27 but you might be surprised to find out, 10:30 that the thought process that captivated Abulafia 10:33 back in the 13th century 10:35 is still around in a lot of circles today, 10:39 including some Christian circles. 10:41 I'll be right back after this 10:45 - [Narrator] Dragons, beasts, cryptic statues, 10:49 Bible prophecy can be incredibly vivid and confusing. 10:54 If you've ever read Daniel a revelation 10:56 and come away scratching your head, you're not alone. 10:59 Our free Focus on Prophecy guides 11:01 are designed to help you unlock the mysteries of the Bible 11:04 and deepen your understanding 11:06 of God's plan for you and our world. 11:08 Study online, or request them by mail 11:11 and start bringing prophecy into focus today. 11:15 - I was visiting this church a few years back 11:17 and this man quietly approached me 11:19 and asked if I knew the secret name of God. 11:23 "Well, I've seen quite a few names 11:25 for God in the Bible," I said. 11:26 But that made him visibly agitated. 11:28 "No," he said, "there's only one name for God 11:30 "and if you're saved, you would know how to pronounce it." 11:34 Now, here's the problem with that kind of thinking. 11:37 We find a number of names for God in the pages of this book 11:40 including Adonai, Yahweh, El-Roy, the God who sees, Elohim, 11:45 and a whole bunch more. 11:47 Now, usually when someone insists 11:48 there's only one name for God 11:50 they're referring to the name Yahweh 11:52 or the Tetragrammaton because it has four letters. 11:56 Our English transliteration has six letters, 11:58 but that's because the Hebrew language had no vowels 12:01 and we added them to help us pronounce it. 12:03 The original name is just four letters though 12:06 and in English we would call those letters Y-H-W-H. 12:09 So you'll notice in the early translations 12:11 of the Bible into English, there's a name for God Jehovah. 12:16 That's an attempt to translate why Y-H-W-H 12:19 and it's certainly not how it was originally pronounced. 12:22 At least I'm pretty sure it wasn't. 12:24 The problem we have 12:26 is that we don't know how it was pronounced. 12:27 So even Yahweh or Yah in abbreviation 12:30 those are just reasonable facsimiles, educated guesswork. 12:36 So from time to time, you will meet people 12:38 who insist that you've got to know God's secret name 12:40 if you're gonna get into heaven, 12:42 but honestly they don't know how to pronounce it. 12:45 Somebody has been feeding these people a story. 12:49 So maybe one of these days 12:50 we should just do a whole show on the names of God, 12:52 because that is a fascinating study. 12:54 But for right now, I wanna steer you 12:56 to just one really important passage 12:58 over in Exodus, chapter 33 13:00 where Moses asks God, if he can see God's glory. 13:03 And I know I've probably read this text a hundred times 13:06 on this show before I'll read it again 13:08 it's just that foundational. 13:10 Exodus 33, "Then He God said, 13:14 'I will make all my goodness pass before you, 13:16 and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. 13:20 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, 13:23 and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.'" 13:28 So here's what I want you to notice, 13:30 when God declares His name to Moses, 13:32 He doesn't give him a secret pronunciation. 13:34 What He does is describe His own character. 13:38 And this continues in chapter 34. 13:40 Listen to this. 13:41 "Now the Lord descended in the cloud 13:44 and stood with him there, 13:45 and proclaimed..." 13:46 Here it is again, the name of the Lord. 13:48 "And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed 13:51 'The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, 13:54 long suffering and abounding in goodness and truth...'" 13:58 Now the name of God is in that passage 14:01 because when you see the word Lord in all capitals, 14:04 the translators are telling you 14:05 that the original Hebrew is Yahweh 14:07 or the Jehovah of old English. 14:09 But still you'll notice 14:10 that when God reveals His name, 14:12 He does it by revealing His character. 14:15 That's why you have so many different names 14:17 for God in the Bible, 14:18 because each of those names is pointing us 14:20 to some aspect of who God is. 14:23 You see in the Bible, 14:24 your name is thought to represent your character. 14:27 This is why in Revelation 14, 14:29 you see God's name written on the foreheads of His people. 14:32 It means they are in harmony with the character of God, 14:36 they love who He is 14:38 and they're aligning themselves with His will. 14:42 So now let's get back to this idea 14:44 that there's a mystical secret way 14:45 to pronounce the name of God 14:47 and the idea that your salvation might rely on knowing that. 14:51 Here's what I want you to notice, 14:53 that way of thinking is very closely related 14:56 to the magical thinking of medieval mystics. 14:59 And they got that idea 15:00 from the ancient pagan mystery schools. 15:03 And what it suggests is that words 15:06 and letters have power in and of themselves. 15:09 And that comes from the idea 15:11 that you and I are spiritual beings, 15:13 who are just sparks that came out of the divine fire 15:16 of the cosmic mind. 15:18 And if God can create things with his voice 15:20 then you and I should be able to too. 15:23 Now as appealing as that might be, 15:25 it runs completely afoul of what the Bible actually says 15:28 because this book draws a very definitive line 15:31 between God and His creation. 15:34 It teaches that God is outside of His creation 15:37 and He's above it. 15:39 You can see evidence for God and creation, 15:41 the same way you can detect the work of a master painter 15:44 by identifying his style. 15:47 But God is not identical with His creation. 15:49 That would be something we'd call pantheism. 15:52 This idea that God is everything and everything is God. 15:55 You and I are not God, 15:57 we are part of creation, part of the physical world 16:00 and we are made in the image of God 16:02 and we are most definitely not God. 16:05 So let me assure you, the Bible does not teach 16:08 that you can control the physical universe with your mind 16:10 or with your words. 16:12 It does not teach that you are somehow exactly like God. 16:16 Now we do know that we can interact with the world 16:19 and we're learning that the very act 16:20 of observing quantum particles can change their behavior 16:23 but that would be a topic for another day. 16:25 And it's not really the same thing 16:27 as books of magical world-bending phrases. 16:32 So what does this have to do with you and me 16:34 living in the 21st century? 16:36 Well, here's what I want you to think about. 16:38 There are still forms of magical thinking around today. 16:41 And I want to preface this by saying that I don't think 16:44 that people who do some of the things I'm about to describe 16:47 are actually practicing the dark arts 16:49 because it's another form of magical thinking 16:52 to assume that just because old habits are still around 16:54 and some of the things we do 16:56 are similar to what Abulafia did, 16:58 that means that we can accidentally conjure up the devil. 17:01 That is not rational. 17:04 But let me give you an example 17:06 of the remnants of magical thinking. 17:08 Quite a few years ago now, 17:10 a lady approached me quite visibly upset, 17:12 "Pastor," she said, 17:13 "There's a group in the church 17:14 "that wants to put their chairs in a circle for Bible study 17:16 "and I don't like it." 17:18 I said, "I guess you don't have to participate 17:20 "if that makes you uncomfortable. 17:23 "But a lot of people find sitting in a circle allows 17:25 "for better discussions." 17:26 "No," she said "We can't allow it." 17:28 "Why not?" I asked. 17:29 She said, 17:30 "Well, because witches celebrate the rituals in circles." 17:34 Now I know that might seem silly to you, 17:36 but what I want you to notice is how that kind of thinking 17:39 is related to the idea that human beings can use rituals 17:43 or words to bend the universe in a certain direction. 17:46 This lady was suggesting that if you stand in a circle 17:49 you might accidentally perform a magical ceremony 17:52 that will bind you to the prince of darkness. 17:56 So you've got to ask yourself, is that how God operates? 18:00 Can I accidentally become demon possessed 18:02 because of an accidental ritual? 18:05 Will God really toss me aside 18:07 because I unintentionally invoked an ancient spell 18:10 and now He's got no choice but to just get rid of me? 18:14 Or is a relationship 18:15 with God built on something better than that? 18:18 I've got to take another quick break. 18:19 But when I come back, I'm gonna show you 18:20 some more examples of modern, magical thinking. 18:25 - [Narrator] Here at the Voice of Prophecy, 18:27 we're committed to creating top quality programming 18:29 for the whole family. 18:31 Like our audio adventure series "Discovery Mountain". 18:34 "Discovery Mountain" is a Bible-based program 18:37 for kids of all ages and backgrounds. 18:39 Your family will enjoy the faith-building stories 18:42 from this small mountain summer camp Penn town. 18:45 With 24 seasonal episodes every year, 18:47 and fresh content every week, 18:49 there's always a new adventure just on the horizon. 18:56 - Lemme give you another example 18:57 of some modern, magical thinking. 18:59 This one might strike a little closer 19:01 to home for some folks. 19:03 And I know there's a chance 19:05 I'm gonna step on somebody's toes 19:06 because there's more of this one happening 19:08 than some people realize. 19:10 I want you to analyze a common Christian phenomenon with me, 19:14 in recent decades there's been a movement 19:16 among some Christians that some people make fun of 19:18 by calling it the name it and claim it movement. 19:21 The idea kinda goes like this. 19:23 If you invoke the name of Christ and essentially ask 19:26 for whatever you want, say a big fat bank account 19:28 or a great big house, 19:30 then God has to do it for you 19:32 because you created it with your words. 19:35 Now, some people call it the word faith movement 19:38 and I can't help but notice how closely 19:40 it resembles this kabbalistic idea 19:42 that words carry spiritual power in and of themselves. 19:46 In a lot of ways, 19:48 this is almost exactly like a magical incantation. 19:50 You say the right words 19:52 may be in an altered state of consciousness, 19:54 and suddenly the universe bends in your direction. 19:59 It's not much different than the teachings of "The Secret", 20:02 of popular book that made the rounds a few years ago 20:04 that teaches the same ancient, magical principles. 20:07 If you make demands of the universe it says, 20:09 it will bend your direction, mind over matter. 20:14 And it's based on the idea 20:15 that the universe exists to serve you. 20:18 You are part of the cosmic mind 20:20 and that gives you power over reality. 20:23 But it doesn't resonate 20:25 with the way that Jesus taught His disciples to pray. 20:28 Some of you might remember this from when you were kids, 20:30 "In this manner, therefore pray: 20:32 Our Father in heaven, 20:33 Hallowed be Your name, 20:36 Your Kingdom come, 20:37 Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." 20:42 And then as you know, 20:43 it goes on to say, 20:44 "Give us this day, our daily bread." 20:46 But is not the same thing 20:48 as bending the universe in your direction 20:50 with the power of your mind. 20:52 You're just asking God for what you need. 20:56 So what the Bible teaches 20:57 is that my will is not the point of the universe. 21:01 God's will, is the point of the universe. 21:03 The universe is not a reflection of my glory, but His. 21:10 Now, let me give you you have very specific example 21:13 of this kind of thinking, 21:14 and I'm gonna protect the identity of this preacher 21:16 because who knows maybe someday he'll change. 21:19 But let me assure you, 21:20 it's a very popular TV preacher here in America. 21:23 And he's just one example of something 21:25 that is far too prevalent in religious programming. 21:28 And I want you to ask yourself 21:30 whether this sounds more like the Bible 21:32 or the teachings of an ancient occultist. 21:35 Here's what he said, 21:36 "Am I God? 21:38 "Man was created in the God class. 21:39 "He was not created in the animal class. 21:41 "He was created in the God class. 21:43 "He has a uniqueness about him 21:45 that even angels do not have." 21:47 Now that's at least partially true 21:49 but he's already steering you in a misguided direction 21:52 by implying that you are somehow on the same footing as God. 21:55 And that is the God-given right 21:58 to choose his own words and speak them, 22:00 thereby setting his own divine destiny, his own destination. 22:04 On another occasion the same guy said, 22:06 "When we use the spiritual laws 22:08 "that God has set up, 22:08 "God must obey what request" 22:12 now think about that. 22:14 He's teaching that you have the same creative power 22:15 in your voice that God does. 22:18 God's spoke and world was created. 22:21 Jesus spoke and the dead came back to life. 22:24 And what this movement teaches 22:26 is that you can do the same thing 22:28 with just the power of your words. 22:31 And it's a completely wrong-headed concept 22:35 that you can find in the medieval grimoires, 22:38 the books of magic spells, 22:40 but you can't find it in this book. 22:43 Look, there's no question that prayer is powerful. 22:47 Those of you who practice prayer know that it is, 22:50 it can change things. 22:52 But you and I are not creators 22:54 with the ability to make the universe bend to our will. 22:59 So now let me get even a little closer to home, 23:01 and I'm gonna be careful how I talk about this. 23:04 In modern Christianity, 23:06 we have something called the sinner's prayer. 23:07 And on the one hand, it's a really good thing. 23:10 The sinner's prayer teaches you 23:12 about the first steps in your relationship with God 23:14 you confess your sins and God forgives you. 23:17 And that prayer has done an awful lot of good 23:19 for a lot of people. 23:20 The basic contents completely biblical. 23:24 And it teaches us to believe that God really does forgive 23:27 just like it says in 1 John 1:9 23:30 "If we confess our sins, 23:31 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 23:33 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 23:37 So the sinner's prayer is a good thing 23:40 and I've used it with a lot of people, 23:42 but there's one aspect of it 23:44 that potentially lead to trouble if you're not careful, 23:48 and I'm gonna take a break 23:50 and then I'll come back and tell you what that is. 23:55 - [Narrator] Are you searching for answers 23:56 to life's toughest questions 23:58 like where is God when we suffer? 24:00 Can I find real happiness? 24:02 Or is there any hope for our chaotic world? 24:05 The Discover Bible guides 24:06 will help you find the answers you're looking for. 24:09 Visit us at BibleStudies.com 24:11 or give us a call at 888-456-7933 24:17 for your free discover Bible guides. 24:19 Study online on our secure website 24:22 or have the free guides mailed right to your home. 24:25 There is never a cost or obligation. 24:28 The discover Bible guides are our free gift to you. 24:31 Find answers in guides like 24:32 "Does My life Really Matter to God?". 24:34 And "A Second Chance at Life". 24:36 You'll find answers to the things that matter most to you 24:39 in each of the 26 Discover Bible guides. 24:41 visit BibleStudies.com and begin your journey today 24:46 to discover answers to life's deepest questions. 24:54 - You know I've met some people over the course of my life 24:56 who live these absolutely selfish, horrible, godless lives. 25:00 I mean, they live as absolute heathens 25:03 as if God doesn't even exist. 25:05 And then when they find out that I'm a preacher, 25:08 they backpedal a little bit 25:10 and then they tell me something like this, 25:12 "Oh, but you got to understand. 25:13 "I prayed the sinner's prayer way back when I was a kid 25:16 "and so I'm gonna be fine. 25:17 "I'm gonna get into heaven." 25:20 Think they kinda treat that prayer 25:21 like it's a magical incantation. 25:24 As if reciting specific words in a specific order, 25:28 somehow obliges God to take you into the kingdom of heaven 25:32 no matter what you think or what you've done 25:35 or whether or not you even want God in your life. 25:39 Let me assure you that is not even close to how this works. 25:45 In fact, the Bible has a lot of stories 25:47 about people who just went through the motions of religion. 25:51 They participated, for example, 25:53 in the rites and the rituals of the temple, 25:56 they brought their sacrifice to the temple 25:59 but then you find out God eventually rejected these people. 26:02 Why? 26:04 It's because they didn't mean it. 26:06 It was just a ritual. 26:08 I guess you could say 26:09 they weren't actually allowing God to write His character, 26:13 His name in their hearts. 26:15 They weren't becoming more like God 26:18 or wanting to be close to Him. 26:20 Look, I think it's better to think of the sinner's prayer 26:23 kind of like your wedding vows. 26:25 Because if you think about it, 26:26 wedding vows are not magical incantations either. 26:29 Just because you stand in front of the church 26:31 and in front of a minister and speak those vows out loud, 26:35 that doesn't magically bind your heart to some other person. 26:40 Those vows are just promises 26:42 that mark the beginning of a lifetime 26:44 of building and working on a relationship. 26:48 And that first prayer 26:50 you send in God's direction asking for forgiveness, 26:54 it's like a wedding vow. 26:56 It's not a magical spell that forces God to take you, 27:00 it's the beginning of a lifelong relationship. 27:03 And I know, some people cling to the idea of magical words 27:08 that guarantee you a spot in heaven 27:10 but I'll promise you this, 27:12 it's not your words that guarantee your spot in heaven, 27:16 it's God's word that does that. 27:19 Look, you can have it absolute confidence. 27:21 I wanna be clear on what I'm saying and not saying. 27:24 You can have absolute confidence 27:26 about God's intentions towards you 27:27 because this book shows you that He loves you, 27:31 and you can trust Him, 27:32 and He's trying to get you into the kingdom of heaven 27:35 not keep you out. 27:37 "For I am persuaded...", the Bible teaches 27:39 "that nothing shall be able to separate us 27:42 from the love of God, 27:43 which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord." 27:46 You see it's not magical words 27:48 that make God love you or want you, 27:52 it's the loving heart of God that does that. 27:55 So maybe you and I should leave the universe 27:57 bending to God and follow what He says 28:00 and let them start writing His character in our hearts. 28:04 I'm Shawn Boonstra, thanks for joining, 28:06 this has been another episode of "Authentic". 28:09 [upbeat music] |
Revised 2021-05-27