On capturing weak women
This morning I received a stern letter from a woman named Pam who was upset that I would dare to compare Scripture with the words of her favorite motivational speaker.
"You will answer to God almighty for trying to pour evil into this world. I need say nothing God will bring you all to task for the blasphemy against His chosen teachers Beth Moore and others . You have chosen to believe Satan. I'm sorry for your soul."
In spite of the many voices, research articles (see below), and pastors who warn the sheep about this particular false teacher, her reaction does not surprise me. Like so many women, Pam has ignored the words of her Savior in favor of the words of the enemy of her soul.
Fortunately, many women are discerning; one of them being my dear friend Beth (not Moore!), who has graciously allowed me to share her excellent article on why these women are led astray by various passions:
Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth
2 Timothy 3:1-10 Guest post by Beth Seifert
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud,arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
I'm seeing a tautological problem today. (And I'm totally gonna speak out against my own gender here.) The vast majority of women today prefer to read not the Bible, but to do "book studies". The majority of book studies out there are so mixed with truth and lies that it's like wading through a field with land mines to make it through alive. But without reading and knowing your Bible (which means it should be your primary reading material, not the latest best seller) you are not equipped to navigate the land mines and make it through unscathed. This helps explain why women who seek out these types of books continue to get farther and farther from what the Bible actually teaches and have no idea what is in their Bible, or how to study it.
Sadly, most of the women have no idea that they are crippling themselves as they fill themselves up with the words of anyone other than God. They do NOT have the discernment to accept the truth and reject the lies. How can they when the majority of their time is spent not in the Word, but in the opinions of others? They will continue to lack discernment, and, indeed, to lose discernment, as long as they continue to avoid God's word in favor of their latest celebrity "Christian" author.
The sad reality is that as women continue to desire these things, the leaders over them need to sit down with them, show them the errors in these books, and rebuke them. These women need to be pointed back to God and His word, and they need to have their toes stepped on, instead of their desires pandered to. What a woman learns, she will teach to her children. And, especially when that teaching is endorsed, either explicitly or implicitly by the church, her husband will accept that teaching too. The influence of women is great; and that is a dangerous influence when they are eagerlyembracing false teaching and passing it on to the next generation.
Where is the hunger and thirst for God’s word? Where is it? The Psalmist writes in Psalm 119 that God’s word is sweeter than honey on his lips; more precious than jewels. That the only way tokeep your way pure is by living according to God’s word…but our women don’t know for themselves what God’s word is and they don’t want to. (Seriously. Read all of Psalm 119. The love for God’s word is tangible there; you can’t avoid it! It’s also 176 verses which is why I didn’t quote it here.) They want an emotional high. They want to be entertained. They want to be part of the crowd of the latest celebrity teacher, and whether that teacher is actually exegeting Scripture properly or not is beside the point. They wouldn’t know it anyway.
God’s word promises that the folly of these teachers will be plain to all and they “won’t get far.” I admit freely that I’m clinging to that promise right now, ‘cuz right now? It really feels like they are getting far. I must remind myself that I’m not to be guided by my feelings. How do I know that? Because Scripture tells me not to be guided by my feelings.
Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect
Ephesians 4:11-15 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Jeremiah 17:7-10
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
8 He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
10 “I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Reading books that are not the Bible is not a sin; don’t misunderstand me. But when you read those instead of the Bible? When you spend more time in those books than you do in God’s word? You’re setting yourself up for disaster.
If you are a woman reading this today and you are guilty of this? Repent. Set down that “popular” author’s book and pick up the book by the Author of your very life. If you are a man and happened to read this, please, I beg of you, for the love of the women in your life, hold those women accountable to Scripture and don’t let them fill themselves up with anything other than the source of all truth.
My heart hurts as I watch the bride of Christ defile itself with strange fire and unholy teachings. May God open the eyes of His people to recognize the folly that women are being sold today, and may God bring His people into repentance, to seek His word, to meditate on it day and night, and to love His word with quadruple the passion that we exhibit for these “best sellers”.
Sola Scriptura
Sola Deo Gloria
Beth Originally published at "SwimsWithFrogs," and republished with permission.