Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
How loved ones will be used to hinder your spiritual growth at times.
Wednesday, October 3, 2001
ACT 7:4 “Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God removed him into this country in which you are now living.”
Lot will feed the human viewpoint of Abram because that’s all that he gets from his wife who runs him.
Surah 4:34 – Quran gives authorization for husbands to beat disobedient wives.
Lot’s wife was a feminist but not feminine.
Gen 12 – Abram gets out of his reversionism by leaving Haran; however he does not separate from the reversionist Lot.
He finally got in the Lord’s will, Canaan, but then because of Lot and some other things, he winds up back in reversionism again, in Egypt.
He goes from Haran-type reversionism to Egypt-type reversionism or from the dried up spiritual life back into the devil’s world or the cosmic system, the kingdom of darkness.
No believer can have fellowship with God and at the same time have fellowship or socialize with a reversionist without getting into reversionism himself.
Abram finally came to geographical obedience but not personal obedience; that is why he is going to go down to Egypt.
JOB 23:12 “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more important than my necessary food.”
Those that we love the most and those that we are closest to often become the greatest testing at some point in our spiritual advance.
Sarai is a nag, but she is never going to go from nag to hag as most nags do; she will go from nag to a virtuous woman.
1PE 3:7 “You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life,”
EPH 4:15 “Speak the truth in love,”
JOH 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Koran – Surah 2:190 – Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors. Surah 2:191 And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter;
If loved ones do not advance with you spiritually, they will be used to hinder your spiritual growth at certain particular times.
When negative volition toward doctrine occurs, those closest to you in your life will often become your greatest enemies and hindrance to spiritual advance.
Possessions rekush great wealth.
Even materialistic possessions become a test at some point in our spiritual experience.
Everything you possess, every friend that you have, everyone that you love, at sometime in your advance, can become a test.
Is that person or possession more important to you than God and His word, Bible doctrine?
Beware of being distracted from doctrine by anything that you have accumulated.
The danger lies in getting your eyes on things and forgetting the source of all blessing from the Lord.
1TH 2:18 For we wanted to come to you I, Paul, more than once and yet Satan hindered us.
a. The worries of the world.
Worry was Martha’s problem which prevented her from Bible class with TLJC, LUK 10:40.
LUK 14:18-20 “I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused. “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused. And another one said, “I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.”
LUK 21:34 “Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life,”
ECC 5:10-11 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance {with its} income. This too is vanity. When good things increase, those who consume them [bills] increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on?
1TI 6:9-10 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.”