Someone wrote, “Ingratitude denotes spiritual immaturity. Infants do not always appreciate what parents do for them. They have short memories. Their concern is not what you did for me yesterday, but what are you doing for me today. The past is meaningless and so is the future. They live for the present. Those who are mature are deeply appreciative of those who labored in the past. They recognize those who labor during the present and provide for those who will be laboring in the future.”
Test the integrity of teaching from spiritual leaders by observing the following fruit: rejoice in God’s spiritual and financial blessings, seek righteous and wise counsel, offer their best to God, stop trusting in their resources and refuse the world’s ways & personal agendas.
Rejoice in God’s Provision
God commanded Israel to celebrate the Passover in the month of Abib when He brought them out of Egypt by night. They ate unleavened bread for seven days, the bread of affliction, to remember their departure. The seventh day would be a solemn assembly to the Lord. They celebrated the Feast of Weeks seven weeks after the beginning of harvest to make a freewill offering in proportion to God’s blessings. They rejoiced at the place He chose as a dwelling for His name to include family, Levites, aliens, fatherless and widows in remembering their slavery in Egypt. They celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles seven days after gathering the produce of the threshing floor and winepress with the same group of people. The Lord blessed the harvest and work to make their joy complete. Three times each year, all the males appeared before the Lord in the place He chose at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks and Feast of Tabernacles so no one would appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every man gave in proportion to the way God blessed them (Deut. 16:1-17). Rejoice in God’s spiritual and financial blessings as a witness of Christ to those around you.
Seek Good Counsel
They appointed judges and officers in every town the Lord gave them, according to tribes, so they could judge the people fairly without perversion or partiality. Instead of taking a bribe that blinded the wise and twisted the words of the righteous, they followed justice to possess the land that God gave. The Lord hated any wooden Asherah pole set up beside His altar or sacred stone (Deut. 16:18-22). Seek righteous and wise counsel without mixing worldly ideas so you can fulfill God’s kingdom purpose.
Offer Your Best
They could not sacrifice a defective or flawed animal to the Lord. They investigated thoroughly and stoned to death any man or woman who transgressed God’s covenant by serving and worshiping other gods. This verdict was based on the testimony of two or three witnesses to purge the evil from their midst. For bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults, they went to the Levites and judge in office who ruled according to the law they taught. A man would be put to death if he showed contempt for their decision so people would be afraid and not show contempt again (Deut. 17:1-13). Offer your best to the Lord and follow His word in every situation.
Stop Trusting Your Resources
If they entered the land God gave and wanted a king like other nations, he would be selected among their brothers according to His will. The king could not acquire great numbers of horses, take many wives or accumulate much silver and gold that would lead his heart astray. He was required to read God’s word everyday so he could learn how to revere and follow Him carefully enabling his descendants to reign a long time (Deut 17:14-20). Stop trusting in your own resources and human strategies so you can follow God’s word.
Refuse World’s Ways
The Levites had no inheritance with Israel but lived on the Lord’s offerings. They were given the first fruits of the grain, new wine, oil and wool from the sheep that God chose to minister in His name always. The people could not imitate the nations’ evil ways in the land God gave like sacrificing their children in the fire, divination or sorcery, omens, witchcraft or casting spells. The Lord drove out these nations because of evil requiring everyone to be blameless before Him (Deut. 18:1-13). Refuse the world’s ways and personal agendas and trust God’s provision and direction.
Test Integrity of Teaching
The Lord raised up a prophet from among their brothers with God’s word in his mouth for people to obey instead of listening to sorcery or divination. If the prophet presumed to speak in Him name something God did not command, he would be put to death. To test whether a message was spoken by God, it must take place or come true. If not, do not be afraid of the prophet (Deut. 18:14-22). Test the integrity of teaching from spiritual leaders by observing its fruit.
Test the integrity of teaching from spiritual leaders by observing the following fruit:
1. Rejoice in God’s spiritual and financial blessings as a witness of Christ to those around them
2. Seek righteous and wise counsel without mixing worldly ideas so they can can fulfill God’s kingdom purpose
3. Offer their best to the Lord and follow His word in every situation
4. Stop trusting in their own resources and human strategies so they can follow God’s word
5. Refuse the world’s ways and personal agendas and trust God’s provision and direction
