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My privileged but grave responsibility is to make my writings as much of God as I possibly can. All of us know, however, that if infallibility were ever to touch a member of humanity, it would be a frustratingly fleeting encounter. And to fallibility, each of us must add serious limits in knowledge and understanding. Even writers of not some mere spiritual masterpiece but the very Word of God freely confessed that God’s “knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (Psalm 139:6), that they know only “in part” (1 Corinthians 13:12), and that “as the heavens are higher than the earth,” so are God’s ways and thoughts higher than theirs (Isaiah 55:9). My heart aches that net-burst.com be exclusively God’s website, sparkling with divine perfection, unstained by human failings, half-truths, false presumptions and inability to understand the infinite. Everything within me craves the beauty and security that would bring. But no such site exists. Over and over and over I have pleaded with God to let me be his dictating machine. I keep thinking that this would be the ultimate honor. To my never-ending amazement, however, the Lord keeps indicating that he has no interest in reducing anyone to that level. (For a brief but moving explanation, see Creativity.) The dilemma is that God chooses to use people, and as much as this is God’s glory, highlighting his stupendous love and humility, it is the crux of many challenges. I find myself spiritually obligated to ensure you are acutely aware of the hazards of the human element in any communication. It is my conviction that emphasizing my fallibility and ignorance is so important that I have placed a link to this page at the end of almost everything I have written. Straining to think of what would most stir readers’ curiosity, enticing them to visit this page, I chose to label the link My Shame. I dare believe that parts of this site are truly of God, but the gold is mixed with dross. The result is a glorious paradise strewn with landmines. This side of eternity, these two elements hide wherever a Christian steps. Our very survival hinges on a deep dependence upon the Holy Spirit. As much as I loathe the fact, you must read my writings with the same prayerful vigilance needed for anything else claiming to be from God. When at last my eyes are opened and I stand before my Judge, the risen Lord, I will fill with shame for every deficiency in this website. I take seriously my responsibility to present truth and I presume the accuracy of my teaching is somewhere within the current average for born again Christians. That means my writings are almost certainly riddled with imperfections. Except for the writings of Scripture, every preacher, teacher or writer faces a similar prospect. Jesus rightly put me in my place when he said: Matthew 23:8-10  But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. Ultimately, truth is a Person: the Lord Jesus Christ. All truth originates from him and is embodied in him. Unless we constantly seek him and cling to him, letting go of everything else, we will be deceived, regardless of whether, like the Pharisees of old, much truth is mixed with our deception. There might be a powerful anointing of God upon a sentence of mine. It could have come as a direct revelation from the throne of God. But that does not make it impossible for the next sentence to be straight from Satan. Remember Simon Peter: one moment commended for receiving a revelation from God, and soon after rebuked by Jesus with the stinging words, ‘Get behind me Satan’ (Matthew 16:17-23). For the exalted Lord to so lower himself as to use my writings highlights the astounding grace of God. That he who is perfect would dare taint his reputation by using the imperfect is a mystery that leaves me awestruck. And yet our Lord’s stupendous love moves him to want to use each of us. So for the Lord to powerfully use these web pages proves the magnitude of God’s mercy, not the accuracy of my writings. No matter how authoritative I sound and how many Scriptures I use, and no matter how much I yearn and pray and strive for divine revelation and inspiration, let nothing lull you into assuming that everything I write is of God. Neither assume your ability to instantly discern truth is much better. I will be judged for any error I live or propagate and for every time I settle for a half-truth or allow my thinking to be unconsciously tainted by the world’s brainwashing. Nevertheless, you have access to the Word of God and the Spirit of God, so you must share responsibility if you choose to follow someone’s error, rather than seriously consult the Spirit and the Word. My Shame My biggest source of shame is how far short of my own words I fall in my everyday living. I hope I love and fear God too much to live in deliberate sin. I try hard because nothing is more important than daily living revealed truth. I dare not add to my shortcomings, however, by implying I have yet traveled nearly as far as I can see. I pray you do much better. No one knowing the real me is very impressed, but I fear the inflated guesses of anyone using my writings to imagine what I am really like. The last thing the world needs is yet another idol, no matter how puny. Were I in the top 1% of Christians, I would only be one of millions, since estimates suggest there are hundreds of millions of Christians. As it is, I might not scrape into the top 50%. Famous Christians, like the rest of God’s people, are usually wonderful people. The Christian superstar mentality, however, does enormous damage to the body of Christ. A few are so exalted as to endanger their spiritual walk, while the average Christian is made to feel inferior. The problem with the limelight is that it puts others in the dark. Don’t fall for that trap. Either God could move the world through YOU or he isn’t God! To focus on any human would be a tragedy. Keep looking past the vessel to Jesus. He alone is the rock, alongside whom everyone else is shifting sand. Jesus said the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth (John 16:13). I must not be content with ignorance but keep pursuing more truth. Nevertheless, the Lord says in his Word that we currently only “know in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9), that “the secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us” (Deuteronomy 29:29) and the psalmist sang, “I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me,” (Psalm 131:1). We are not called to be know-alls but to know the One who knows all. ‘So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ”We are unworthy servants . . .” ’ (Luke 17:10) No Christian is Exempt from the Danger of Deception The danger of Christians falling into spiritual deception is emphasized with astounding frequency in the Bible. To let the seriousness of this impact you, note the sheer volume of these warnings, even if you let your eyes whiz over these Scriptures for only a couple of seconds: New Testament Warnings to Christians About Being Deceived. Reminder If you agree with something in these web pages, make sure that it is because the Spirit of God agrees with it. Likewise, if you disagree with anything written, ensure it is because the Spirit disagrees. The issue is not whether Scripture can be twisted to conform to what I write. I have already managed that. Nor is the issue whether what I write is popularly preached in pulpits, or expounded in the best Bible Colleges. It probably is. The issue is whether these web pages conform to the Holy Spirit’s interpretation of Scripture. Intimacy with the Lord Jesus is our only protection against deception. Even the great apostle Paul, whose writings and revelations are clearly in an utterly different league to mine, acknowledged that we “see but a poor reflection” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Every day, seekers of truth walk through a minefield satanically strewn with hidden dangers. Jesus will lead us safely through, but only if we fix our eyes on him. Related Pages The Bible: Divine Protection Against Deception Short, but very helpful Spiritual Deception The Spiritual Essentials for Accurate Bible Interpretation Creativity: Why God is not Interested in us Becoming his Dictating Machine [What is net-burst.com?]   [Financial Policy]   [Beliefs] [Daily Quotes] [Index]   [E-mail]