"OUR LIGHT AND MOMENTARY AFFLICTIONS"

"In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges17:6) "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry...." (1Samuel 15:23) I believe that the question of authority in the local body of believers is vital in this day. We live in a time very similar to the years that the judges ruled Israel. Too many are doing what is "right in their own eyes" without concern for the Body. We often hear believers say "God told me" to do this or that, then we witness the aftermath of offense, confusion, and alienation. I believe that if we all would take just a moment to ask the question, "how will this affect those around me right now?", "will they be blessed?" before acting - we would avoid much of the fallout. Today, there are many Churches which prohibit any manifestations of the Spirit for this very reason. Pastors and leaders have been burned by

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest." (Hosea 4:6) "But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep." (1Corinthians 11:28-30) "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." (Hebrews 12:15) I see it constantly. And it is always tragic and sad. Unresolved bitterness is like a pandemic virus. It does not like to remain in the "host." I studied Virology in college as part of my pre-med course requirements. Viruses are nasty little things - they have one purpose - to take over, duplicate themselves, spread and destroy. They are the perfect infil