Unscriptural Half-Truths

Have you ever heard anyone declare “The Bible says . . .” and then quote from some obscure scripture or quote something out of context to prove a point? I remember as a child hearing a church member say, “You know, the Bible says that cleanliness is next to godliness.” I never could find that scripture because it’s not in there!

 Well, I am not opposed to cleanliness. It is helpful! But there are half-truths quoted from the Bible which are damaging to your faith and your relationship with God. Telling a child at his father’s funeral that “the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away” can damage that child and any relationship he could possibly have with God.

 This teaching on “Scriptural Balance to Hard Sayings” is one that Dad taught often. He believed the need for this teaching was great because he, himself, had been bound by these unscriptural half-truths and misunderstanding of scripture.

 Hearing “you never know what God will do” from members of our church made me doubt the goodness of God. For years I struggled with trusting Him. How could I be obedient to someone who might reward me or punish me on a whim?

 Jesus said:

 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 ESV).

 It is the knowledge of scriptural truth that will release you from bondage. The bondage of a mindset is powerful, and if we believe that God is somehow against us, pulling strings from heaven to punish us, then not only is our relationship damaged, but we can have no faith in an unpredictable God.

 Whenever you read the Bible, read it from this viewpoint:

 • I am a child of God, and I am loved by my Father. He wants only the best for me.

• God is good. The devil is bad.

• Good things come from God. Bad things come from the devil.

 If you are born again and Jesus is your Lord, reading the Word of God brings freedom and blessing in your life!

 May God’s blessings overtake you!

In Christ,

Annette Capps

Click Here to view this month's teaching by Charles Capps, Scriptural Balance to Hard Sayings

It's Never Too Late!

Does God have a plan for your life? If so, what is it? Most people think of specifics: He plans for me to be a teacher. His plan is for me to go to school and become a doctor. He plans for me to marry and have 2 children. Some of your gifts and callings are decided in advance before you are born. Those gifts and callings lead you to fulfill God’s intention for your life (PURPOSE of GOD). The end result of God’s purpose or intention is to bless you and for you to bless others. In order for you to fulfill that objective, it is important for you to RECOGNIZE God’s PURPOSE and then His PLANS for your life by following the leading of the Holy Spirit. (A “purpose” is defined as an intention or objective. To “plan” is to decide upon and arrange in advance.)

It is never too late to fulfill God’s PLAN and PURPOSE for your life!

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Whatever you are doing in life, God’s ultimate PLAN for your life is peace, health, and well-being. No matter how many mistakes you have made, no matter how many wrong turns your life has taken, you have the choice at any time to decide that you will fulfill your life’s purpose. There may need to be a plan C, D, E… but it’s not over until you get to Z!

God is infinitely patient and infinitely long-suffering. Moses’ life looked like a disaster after he committed murder and was banished to the desert, but God’s purpose for His life never changed. When Moses agreed to God’s terms, the plan to lead Israel out of Egypt began. This man remained strong because the purpose of God in him was stronger than the extreme difficulties and challenges he faced.

What about you? Is God’s purpose and plan in your life strong? Do you feel you have a purpose in life? Is there a plan for you to bless the world and by this, you are blessed?

In this age of adrenaline addiction, God’s peace and purpose could be leading you to start a business, pray for the nations, pray for your neighbor, volunteer for a ministry, or teach a Bible Study. There are no limits to the ways God can use you if you are not demanding the spotlight!

My prayer for each of you this day is that the Holy Spirit of God will divinely align you with the purpose and plan He has for your life…and…that you will submit yourself to God and resist the lies the enemy has told you! 

In Christ,

Annette Capps

Click Here to view this month's teaching by Annette Capps, Why Good & Bad Things Happen

Speak the Word and Don't Stop!

Are there difficult circumstances in your life that you are facing? Financial, medical, family, or even legal issues that seem like a mountain looming before you?

Fear and anxiety will only add to the mountain. And, if you speak those words of fear, it will make things worse. I assure you; I have done it myself before I learned to STOP speaking words contrary to God’s will.

What I do, when I see that mountain, is to turn my eyes to the Word of God. God’s will is for us to live in victory over every financial, medical, or relationship mountain. So I look to Jesus and His Word and turn my eyes away from that mountain!

“Let us also lay aside every weight, …let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Jesus is the Word made flesh and all who look to Him see deliverance from oppression of all kinds – mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical. But you must pay attention to where you are looking and what you are saying. If the mountain fills your vision and you acknowledge its power with your words, it won’t move. If you choose to apply the words of your mouth and say what Jesus said, “Be removed,” it will obey you. (Mark 11:23-24)

Now, here’s where some people miss it (and miss the blessing of fulfillment), they think the mountain will move immediately or the next day. That would be wonderful and, in my opinion, a manifestation of a gift of the Holy Spirit, but normally there is a time period after applying and continuing to apply the Word before the stones start to fall off that mountain. I’ll conclude with this; when my dad started speaking the Word of healing over his body, he got sick with a cold, but he kept on speaking the Word until the times of illness became further and further apart. Eventually, when a symptom would appear, he would speak to it, and it would leave quickly.

Whatever you are facing, find the scriptures, and begin now to speak the Word and DON’T STOP!

In Christ,

Annette Capps

Click Here to view this month's teaching by Annette Capps, Words Change or Establish Circumstances

All Things Are Subject to Change!

I have faced difficult circumstances in my life, and I know you have too. Perhaps even today, there are pressures upon your life, and you are feeling squeezed from every direction. It could be family problems, financial difficulties, or even concerns about your health. Whatever it may be, I am reaching out to you today with a message of hope in the pamphlet I have enclosed for you.

Looking back over the years and the many challenges I have faced, I realize that at the moment when they were happening I “felt overwhelmed” and when we are overwhelmed, fear and anxiety follow. This is what happened to Jairus when the news arrived that his daughter was dead. All seemed lost at this point, but here is what Jesus said to Jairus and is saying to you and me today:

“Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.” Luke 8:50

It took some time for Jesus to walk to Jairus’ house. What was Jairus thinking during that walk? The Master said, “Do not fear.” The Master said, “Only believe.” And this is what Jesus is saying to you today about your situation. Just as Jairus’ daughter was raised from the dead, your hopes and dreams can rise from the ashes. Even as soon as “this time tomorrow,” the impossible can come to pass in your life!

“…with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

So, the lesson I have learned in those moments of feeling overwhelmed and knocked off balance by the circumstances that assailed me is this…ALL THINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE IN A MOMENT OF TIME WHEN YOU ARE WALKING WITH THE MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE!

I have had many “tomorrows” when SUDDENLY things changed. Lawsuits were dismissed. Fever broke and strength returned. Money came from unexpected sources. Relationships were healed. Problems resolved. I trusted in God and His Word and He is faithful to perform it.

Remind yourself of all the “tomorrows” you have experienced in your walk with God. Encourage yourself in the Lord. As you do, I pray that the Holy Spirit will enable you to “cast ALL your cares on Him” (1 Peter 5:7) and rest in confident faith that HE IS HANDLING THIS!

In Christ,

Annette Capps

Click Here to view this month's teaching by Charles Capps, This Time Tomorrow

Fight Back with the Word!

Many years ago, the Holy Spirit taught me a very important lesson that changed the direction of my life. You see, the enemy constantly lied to me about myself. I believed many of the negative things he said because it seemed what happened in my external world matched the lies he was telling me. “Nobody likes you.” It is true that I had few friends. “Did you hear them laughing? They are laughing at you.” Add that to my already active imagination, and the enemy had given me something believable.

   My mind was a constant battleground; unfortunately, I did not know how to fight back. Worry, depression, and anxiety were the result. I finally realized that I needed the help of the Holy Spirit and the Word to get control of my thoughts and overcome the lies of the enemy.

   Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

   If you believe the lie, then you will think upon it, dwell upon it, and even speak it. Then it becomes a part of you. Whatever that lie is, it must be contradicted with the Word of God through the help of the Holy Spirit.

   What is the enemy lying to you about? The first thing you have to do is identify the lie. I had been taken so far down that it took me a long time to identify what the lies were that I had swallowed. I had thought so long on those lies, and I thought the external circumstances proved the lies were true.

   Wow! See how the “father of lies” works to try to defeat us? 

   But “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

   It took me some time to learn how to take God’s Word and root out the “untruths” that had wreaked havoc on my image of myself as created in His Image.

   I pray this teaching pamphlet will be a blessing and a help to you. 

In Christ,

Annette Capps 

Click Here to view this month's teaching by Annette Capps, Harness the Power of Your Thoughts