THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY - PT. 2

Written by Allison Sylvester-Conliffe

2 Thessalonians 2:7

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work 

(King James Version)

 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work 

(New King James Version)

Another example of when the spirit of iniquity is lurking, is when you read or hear doctrine that is contrary to the doctrine that was preached which resulted in your Salvation. If left unchecked against the Word of God, this spirit would take up residence in your heart and you would begin to believe a lie. 

If you believe contrary to the Word of God then you would act contrary to the Word of God.  Iniquity is at work.  When doubt is present, faith is absent.  It is written in the Book of Hebrews that without faith it is impossible to please God!  Do you see the connection?  Do you see the ploy of the enemy at work?

The spirit of iniquity has taken up residence in your own heart when the following sins are manifest in you – Pride, Resentment, Hatred, Bitterness, Envy, Jealousy, Unholy Desires, and the like. 

You would notice that all of these manifestations are as a result of bad heart conditions before God.  These sins are hidden in the heart and nobody is able to detect that iniquity is present and is in operation.  Iniquity can hide behind smiles! It is serpentine!

You may have been treated wrongfully, maybe you were betrayed. Most of the time this is done by someone you are close to, and you may feel justified to harbour anger, bitterness or resentment because you were taken by surprise.  This does not justify your reaction of embracing of the sin of iniquity and thus bearing its fruit.

If you are faced with such a situation, the answer is right there in the Word of God.  Romans Chapter 12 and verse 14 instructs us to bless those people and not curse them.  That is an antidote against the spirit of iniquity.
 
Though these sins are hidden from easy detection by man, they are not hidden from Almighty God, who looks and judges according to the condition of our hearts.  Harbouring these sins would prevent us from making it to Heaven as was written in Galatians 5:17-21.  We must constantly guard our hearts against the fiery darts of the devil see Ephesians 6:16 – “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

As believers it is imperative that we remain attached to the True Vine since sin would always separate us from God.  Only then would we be able to draw from the character and nature of Jesus, and be attuned to the Voice of God.  Only then would we be able to recognize the contrary voice of the spirit of iniquity when it comes lurking, and so be able to immediately cut that spirit off. Only then would we be able to love the brethren and manifest the love of God to others. 

To remain attached to Jesus, the True Vine, we must digest the Word of God and do what the Word says.  In so doing, we would be guarding our hearts against the unclean thing and so prevent the spirit of iniquity from finding a home in us.

To God be the glory.

THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY - PT. 1

Written by Allison Sylvester-Conliffe

Iniquity is not something that is tangible. It cannot be seen outwardly with the naked eye, but resides within the heart of man. What is iniquity?  Simply put, it is sin of the heart.
 
Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:7
“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work”

Paul was cautioning the Thessalonians against partnering with iniquity.  He cautioned the believers in verses 1 & 2 of the same chapter that they should not be swayed by listening to another doctrine which was contrary to what they were already taught concerning the coming of the Lord.  Apparently they had been listening to persons who were circulating a false teaching concerning the Lord’s coming.

There is a spirit of iniquity that constantly tempts the believer to step outside of the will of God. This spirit’s job is to plant stuff into our hearts which opposes the nature and character of God and His Word.

This spirit of iniquity is at work to do satan’s bidding in order to cause us to fall from grace.  It enters believers as well as non-believers through the eyes and the ears, and then it takes up residence in the heart.

One of the ways that it comes through the ears is in the form of gossip.  For example, if an agent of satan comes to you with an evil report about someone, that report enters through your ear and if you receive it, it takes up residence in your heart.

The next time you see that person who was evil spoken of, immediately what got into your heart would manifest in the way that you see or relate to that person.  Iniquity is at work! This could then bear the fruit of resentment or bitterness or hatred in you.  These fruits are not fruits that come from God!

The fruit that comes from God that ultimately and undoubtedly challenges bitterness, resentment and hatred is the fruit of love.  Love is of God and God is Love!  The spirit of iniquity cannot penetrate a heart that loves with the God kind of love.

TO BE CONTINUED...

LISTEN TO THE SOUND

Thanks to Allison Sylvester-Conliffe for this article

Some sounds can be pleasant and other sounds can be discordant.

There is a sound that emanates from Heaven … a distinct sound … a sound of worship unto God, night and day!  The Bible says that the elders and the angels make a continuous sound of worship as they cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy!!"  This sound is as many waters.  It is a beautiful and infectious sound … but there is another sound that emanates from Heaven.  It is the Voice of God! 

Sometimes it thunders and sometimes it is as a still, small voice.  However, when the Voice of God speaks a sound, that sound is directed to His creation, His children.  Therefore after He sounds that sound, He looks for a response from us.  His sound is sometimes one of rejoicing or it may be a sound of lamentation and woe.  How do we know what sound He is speaking to us at any given hour?  The sound that comes from God is always the sound of His Heart.  We must be tuned in 24/7 to hear and identify what His sound is speaking. 

You know that sound speaks don’t you?  Take music for an example.  The sound of music can create an atmosphere of joy or it can speak sounds of lamentation.  Some music can project an awareness of danger and others project fear.  A typical example of this is evident in the sound effects that are created for the movies.

We must be able to identify the sound that we hear from Heaven.  If this is not so, then how would we know when the sound from Heaven is speaking to let us know it is time to intercede?  How would we know when the sound from Heaven is telling us to be militant in warfare?  How would we know when the sound is telling us to be silent? 

The sound from Heaven will usually give us instructions and direction.  There is a sound that emanates from God’s Throne that is speaking to us by the minute.  God speaks to us either audibly or through His Spirit to our spirit. However as we read in John 15, we must abide in Him, so that we will be one with Him and thus be attuned to His Voice … His Sound! 

As God’s children we are His image and likeness in the earth. Therefore we are to echo the exact sound from heaven as the Father dictates to us, so that His will can be done here on His earth. This requires our intimacy with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

As you quiet your spirit and tune in to the sound from heaven, what do you hear?

Love to All!

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

Thanks to Allison Sylvester-Conliffe for this article

Jesus said in Matthew 5:5, 

"Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth."  

This statement means that the humble persons (the persons that walk with God and in obedience to his will) will have divine favour on the job, divine favour with men, divine favour in business dealings etc. while they live on the earth. 

While we live on the earth as believers, we are supposed to live in the supernatural, which is different from life as it is in the natural.  To live in the supernatural is to live according to the Word of God.  Very often this goes against what our rational thinking would tell us.  God is supernatural and therefore his Word is also supernatural. We are to read His Word, study it and make it become so much a part of us that we live out what it says.

Matthew 5 - The Beatitudes, Romans 12 - about the Body of Christ and 1 Corinthians 13 - The Love Chapter are just a few key Scriptures to help us to begin walking in the supernatural.

If we live according to the dictates of the Scriptures, then we would indeed bring the kingdom on earth as a likeness of what the Kingdom is in Heaven.