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    When Godly People Do Ungodly Things: Finding Authentic Restoration in the Age of Seduction
    When Godly People Do Ungodly Things: Finding Authentic Restoration in the Age of Seduction
    When Godly People Do Ungodly Things: Finding Authentic Restoration in the Age of Seduction
    Ebook299 pages5 hours

    When Godly People Do Ungodly Things: Finding Authentic Restoration in the Age of Seduction

    By Beth Moore

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    About this ebook

    It is reported in the headlines, confessed in the pulpits, and hidden in the pews in churches around  the world. The seduction of God’s people by the deceiver is a tale as old as the garden, but we are always surprised when it happens. We must realize that Satan is a lion on the prowl and we are his prey.

    Beth writes with a passion fueled by the Biblical warnings of the schemes of Satan’s seductive activity and the broken-hearted concern of a teacher who receives countless letters from repentant Christians limping on the road to finding restoration. Delivering dire warnings to Christians to safeguard themselves against Satan’s attacks, Beth also reveals how you can know if someone is vulnerable. Beth writes, “We, Christ’s church, are in desperate need of developing His heart and mind in issues like these.” She fears that often God is far more merciful than the Body of Christ is with the deeply repentant and those desperate to find their way home. When Godly People Do Ungodly Things will be a guide to authentic repentance and restoration.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBH Publishing Group
    Release dateApr 1, 2002
    ISBN9780805454598
    When Godly People Do Ungodly Things: Finding Authentic Restoration in the Age of Seduction
    Author

    Beth Moore

    Author and speaker Beth Moore is a dynamic teacher whose conferences take her across the globe. She has written numerous bestselling books and Bible studies. She is also the founder and visionary of Living Proof Ministries based in Houston, TX.

    Read more from Beth Moore

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      When Godly People Do Ungodly Things - Beth Moore

      Table of Contents

      Acknowledgments

      Preface

      I. THE WARNING

      Chapter 1: Prime Targets

      Chapter 2: Satan's Well-Attended Course

      Chapter 3: Common Claims of the Seduced

      Chapter 4: Susceptible to Seduction

      Chapter 5: God's Permissive Will

      II. THE WATCHMAN

      Chapter 6: Seduce-Proofing Our Lives

      Chapter 7: The Safe House of Love

      Chapter 8: See-Through Lives

      Chapter 9: Warm Hearts, Wise Heads

      Chapter 10: Clean Ties

      Chapter 11: Strong Walls and Secret Places

      III. THE WAY HOME

      Chapter 12: Name Calling

      Chapter 13: Starting Home

      Chapter 14: A Path of Hope and Restoration

      Chapter 15: Trekking with Facts, Not Fear

      Chapter 16: Steps with Indelible Prints

      Chapter 17: A Stop at the Cross

      Chapter 18: Going Home

      Endnotes

      Guide

      Acknowledgments

      Table of Contents

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      Copyright © 2002 by Beth Moore

      All rights reserved

      Printed in the United States of America

      ISBN: 978-0-8054-2465-2

      Published by B&H Publishing Group,

      Nashville, Tennessee

      Subject Heading: CHRISTIAN LIVING

      Unless otherwise stated all Scripture citations are from the NIV, the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society; other versions cited are NASB, the New American Standard Bible, © the Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977; used by permission, and the New Testament © The Lockman Foundation 1954, 1958, used by permission; KJV, the King James Version.

      To L. L.

      You have been an unspeakable inspiration— especially at times when I've grieved while a few others refused to go the distance and let their Redeemer redeem. What needless defeat! I am so proud of you. Can you imagine how He must feel?

      A great harvest awaits you, Dear One.

      I can't wait to look over your shoulder and celebrate!

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      Though many have supported this message and helped bring it from heart to page, One must be acknowledged over all others. My Father, I will never understand the extravagant nature of Your grace and mercy. You continue to take the worst blights on my Christian track record and use them for good. If anyone has tested Romans 8:28, surely I did! I am proof You are true to Your Word. My Lord and my God, the Love of my life, thank You so much for not being ashamed of me. I will proclaim Your loving-kindness as long as I live. I adore You.

      Keith, Amanda, and Melissa, what would I do if you were too embarrassed or private to allow me the freedom to use my own testimonies, failures, and experiences publicly? I love the three of you so much. Keith, you are my best friend. Thank you for also believing so strongly in this message of warning, protection, and full redemption. Girls, I can't leave you a perfect track record for an inheritance but in the words of Peter in Acts 3:6, such as I have give I thee. Lessons learned. Grace received. Love lavished. These are the things of your inheritance. Pour them out in humility and abundance upon others.

      Susan and Sabrina, thank you for not resting until this message got out. I will never forget how you reacted when Satan hit me with second thoughts. Your experiences and testimonies were inexpressible inspiration throughout these pages. I love all of you at Living Proof Ministries so much. Let's watch our backs, Ladies! Satan's going to be mad.

      My brothers and sisters at Broadman & Holman, I am so grateful for your partnership in this work. I have never felt more strongly about a message God has given me. Having a publisher who did not believe in the full restoration of the repentant would be a laughable irony in my case. I wouldn't be in ministry if God were not a willing and able Redeemer. Thank you for not being afraid of this message and for leaving so in tact. We said it loud. Now, may God make it clear!

      Finally, I am so grateful to God for those He appointed to risk telling me their stories. None of them had any idea so many others were experiencing similar horrors. May God expose the enemy of our souls, and may the Body of Christ become equipped in this unparalleled age of seduction. The time is now.

      PREFACE

      This book represents one of the most unique writing experiences I've ever had with God. Unbeknownst to me, He's been writing each chapter on my heart for several years. When the message for this book was complete (in His estimation— not mine! ), God compelled me to ink it on paper with a force of the Holy Spirit unparalleled in my experience. He whisked me to the mountains of Wyoming where I entered solitary confinement with Him, and in only a few short weeks, I wrote the last line. My most overwhelming emotion at this point is relief . My soul is at rest. I have done to the best of my understanding what God seemed to require of me with a relentless passion.

      On behalf of all authors who seek the sole leadership of the Holy Spirit, please allow me to say that we don't just pick and choose our subject matter. In fact, sometimes God assigns us a message that is more radical than we'd choose to be and requires more transparency than we'd ever want to invite! I am being as honest as I know how to be when I say that I did not write these pages by simple preference. I wrote them because had I not, the rocks in my yard would have cried out. What God does with what He's required is His business. I entrust this message entirely to the One who delivered it while I sat bug-eyed.

      Certainly I'm not audaciously implying that this book is written under the same kind of divine inspiration as the Holy Scriptures! The Word of God is our only volume of pure truth. We mortals no doubt taint everything we touch however accidentally. What I'm saying is that I wrote this message to the best of my ability under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and I do not believe it conceptually departs from the precepts of God's Word. I may unknowingly err in interpretation or application, but the overall message of warning, redemption, and restoration are consistent with a God so merciful and courageous, He would dare use a pauper like me.

      The only other of my manuscripts Satan tried as hard to hinder or destroy was Breaking Free. He hates to let go of a captive. He also hates being exposed as the fraud he is and that's one of the chief goals of this book. My specific prayer for this message is threefold:

      that God will use the pages of this book to shed light on Satan's massive campaign, in our current and future generations, to seduce the saints.

      that God will use this message to remind a battered and bruised believer how loved he is and how much the Father longs for his complete restoration. We have never gone so far that we can't come home. Oh, thank You, Lord!

      that many readers will wise up to Satan's seductive schemes and fortify their lives before he traps them into something ungodly.

      This book is written in three parts. Part 1 is the warning, both biblical and experiential, that Satan is heightening his attack on devout believers in Jesus Christ. Part 2 comprises ways we can fortify ourselves against Satan's full-scale attack on the lives of the elect in the latter days. Part 3 is the road home for the one who has been deceived and seduced by the enemy into a season of ungodliness. If you are fairly convinced you are a victim of satanic seduction, please read the book in this important order: Part 1, Part 3, then Part 2. All others should read the message in the order it is written.

      When Godly People Do Ungodly Things would never have been written without the vigilant prayer and fasting of a thousand prayer warriors who built a firewall fortress around me for several weeks. I am unspeakably humbled by their around-the-clock provision of prayer protection. Many took hits on my behalf that can only be explained as spiritual warfare. I am astonished and deeply indebted to them for their willingness to war so faithfully on behalf of this message. They enabled me to write while entirely alone many miles from home without experiencing a single hint of oppression. Satan was utterly defeated.

      One of the peculiarities about this assignment is that God also required me to fast. He would not release me to eat until the very end of each day after all writing for that day was accomplished. Sometimes He would not release me until the end of the next day. Never before has He asked me to do such a thing while writing a book. Many authors may fast in advance of a project but we feel we need the brain food during the actual process. This time God would not permit any such approach. To tell you how adamant He was, the one time I thought I'd be fine to eat breakfast; my thoughts became completely warbled and confused until midafternoon. The requirements of this message were so unusual and intriguing to me that I couldn't help wondering why. Finally God gave me understanding and I realized that He was applying the principle Christ introduced in Mark 9:29 (KJV). This book— written specifically to expose one of the most insidious assaults of the evil one—would come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. What God required of a thousand prayer warriors and me gave us just a hint how much the enemy was raging against us in the heavenlies.

      Once again I find my insecure self wanting to issue some kind of disclaimer about my mental and spiritual health. I really am a pretty normal person. I think. I can tease with the best of them and can take a joke. If it's funny. I am a regular wife and mom. (And does anyone happen to remember that one of the last books I wrote was a sweet, inoffensive mommy book?) I love dogs and I really like chocolate malts. I am a maniac for Mexican food. I like long Sunday afternoon naps and digging in my flowerbed. Some of my neighbors don't even run in the house when I'm out in the front yard. I'm just your average girl, for heaven's sake!

      I didn't ask to write some of the kinds of messages God has appointed me. Believe me, some of the works God has assigned me have not been without sacrifice. My mother went to her grave wondering why I couldn't just be funny like I used to be. Although I certainly received her love, I never received her blessing for the turn my ministry took toward freedom for the captives. Choosing God's approval over hers was a monumental test for me. She's not the only one who liked me better when I did everything far safer. Some of my deeply loved fellow Baptists probably wonder from time to time why I have to be so edgy while brothers and sisters at the other end of the spectrum just wish I'd go ahead and jump off the edge with them. I'm not going to. I cannot write to please man as much as I'd like to at times. So, when you've turned the last page, if you're not pleased, kindly consider telling God and not me. My self-esteem is shakier than His.

      Lastly, I want you to know how honored I am to serve you no matter who you are or where you've been. You are a lavishly loved child of God. I humble myself before you and even now have come to my knees in your behalf where I'd like to pray for you.

      Father, I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve this brother or sister in the faith. I readily and willingly esteem Your child as better than myself. I do not wish to lord authority over a single one. I wish to serve at the feet of any who will allow me the privilege. How I pray that Your words will fall powerfully upon this child and that mine will be forgotten. I echo the petition I've prayed throughout this journey that You would not let me lead a single one in error. If I have unknowingly left something in this manuscript that is not of You, I beg Your forgiveness, and I pray his or her mind will not absorb it. I pray that You will give Your child ears to hear, eyes to see, and a mind to conceive every word of Yours in this message. Help my brother or sister to approach these concepts with transparency before You. Even if he or she is reading this book in someone else's behalf, I pray each reader will hear You speak straight to his own heart. In Jesus’ name I bind the attempt of the enemy to cause any desperate reader to grow an attachment to me rather than You. You are our only salvation. God forbid that any flesh glory in Your presence. You are the only One worthy of a second thought.

      You are the love of my life, Jesus. I want others to love You with absolute abandon. Steal our hearts, Lord Jesus, and consume our minds with Your truth. We are otherwise dreadfully at risk of seduction. Expose your child's vicious enemy and any ground he or she has unknowingly surrendered to him. Rise to Your feet and fight on behalf of Your beloved child, Mighty Warrior. Redeem every single hit and every single hurt caused by the enemy of souls. Cause each precious reader to see this journey to its completion. You will be faithful to finish what You start in each one. I thank You in advance that none who allow Your Word to abide will ever be unchanged. In the powerful, life-giving name of my Deliverer and Redeemer, Jesus, Amen.

      CHAPTER 1____

      PRIME TARGETS

      Iam terrified... Not just a tad concerned. Terrified. I'm convinced that's what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote, I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3).

      For a people who fear so much that is unnecessary, we have doused the term afraid with our bottled water until it slips comfortably into sentences such as, I'm afraid the ball game might be rained out. That's not what the fiery apostle meant.

      The Greek verb phobeo encompasses a far greater alarm than tempered concern. Imagine the pitch of Paul's voice erupting from the passion he felt for the infant church in Corinth. I think he was terrified for them. Mind you, he wasn't afraid of the serpent. He preached alertness and aggressive resistance, never phobia. He was terrified that this inexperienced and passionate young church might fall for the serpent's schemes.

      I will probably live my whole life without grasping a fraction of Paul's spiritual perspective, but I have come to share a heaping cupful of his prophetic alarm in this unsettling Scripture. I am terrified.

      A strange thing began to happen soon after my books, Breaking Free and Praying God's Word, were released. Probably because I admit to such a flawed and sinful past, letters began stacking on my desk from Christians confessing, often for the very first time, to harrowing rounds of defeat at the hands of the devil.

      You may be thinking, So what else is new? Satan has attacked man since his creation.

      I'd like to suggest that there is something about this spiritual phenomenon that might just have taken demonic assault to a whole new level. In the course of this ministry I've read countless letters, and I have come to discern the difference between blatant accounts of mercifully forgiven rebellion and the testimonials I'm talking about here.

      What has terrified me is the growing stack of letters from believers who loved God and walked with Him faithfully for years then found themselves suddenly overtaken by a tidal wave of temptation and unholy assault.

      Many believers are convinced such things can't happen. Not to good Christians. They are wrong. And through the course of this book, I hope to prove it.

      Skeptics ask, How do you know these people are not lying or trying to make themselves sound like innocent victims? Undoubtedly because I was so desperate and prayerful for discernment, through the last several years God has developed such an acute awareness in my spirit toward deception that the ability makes me uncomfortable.

      I don't quite know how to explain it, but the Holy Spirit in me often causes me to detect when something is not what it seems. I am convinced many of these accounts of formerly pure lives suddenly knee-deep in the mire are absolutely authentic. Not one of them presents him or herself as an innocent victim. They are horrified and taken aback at what they have done and appear capable of doing. A flood of shame pours forth like rusty water from a busted pipe. (That's one way you can detect who's at the bottom of it. Shame is Satan's game.) Shockingly few of those who have told me their stories were looking for excuses. They were looking for explanations. Big difference.

      Another skeptic might ask, How do you know they are telling you the whole story? I don't doubt they may not be telling me the whole story. I'm not sure they know the whole story. I surely don't know mine. I'll have questions about some of the things that have happened to me until I die!

      One of the chief purposes of this book is to hopefully shed a little light on parts of our stories that we don't know but, thankfully, can know. Over and over I've heard renditions of the following statement: For the life of me, I can't figure out how something like this could have happened. When we turn the last page of this book, we still won't know everything about how godly people can turn around and do ungodly things, but I pray we'll know more than we do this moment.

      My insatiable search for all the answers nearly kept me from writing this book. There are still plenty of things I don't fully understand, and I will openly admit to them as we reach those places.

      I am fairly convinced that some of the pieces are simply hidden from our eyes and we won't have crystal-clear understanding this side of heaven. The apostle Paul himself taught that the spirit of lawlessness has a secret power (2 Thess. 2:7). As much as I wanted to wait to finish this book until I understood it all, God placed such an urgency in my spirit that I could not delay another second. I am too terrified for the Body of Christ.

      I need to clearly state that three streams of evidence lead me to my conclusions in this book. As we proceed, I want to ask you to consider the significance of each.

      I've told you the first stream of evidence: the testimonies of scores of believers. Now let's turn to the second. I don't care how many testimonials I received, I would not give what they suggest—that godly people can suddenly do ungodly things—a second thought except that Scripture completely supports the idea. Take a good look in the Amplified Bible at the Scripture I quoted at the beginning of this chapter, including the verse that precedes it.

      For I am zealous for you with a godly eagerness and a divine jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one Husband, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ. But [now] I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Cor. 11:2–3 AMP)

      Wholehearted. Sincere. Pure devotion to Christ. To you, what kind of person does the apostle Paul seem to be describing? That very kind of person can be beguiled by the enemy, whose utmost fantasy is to corrupt and seduce the real thing. Unsettling, isn't it? Let's take a look at another unnerving statement. In Galatians 6:1, the apostle Paul wrote:

      Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual—who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit—should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also. (AMP)

      Even the one who is spiritual, responsive to and controlled by the Spirit, can be tempted by the same sins that have overtaken another. One might argue, Yes, the one who is spiritual might be tempted, but he surely wouldn't fall for it. Ah, I believe I hear the familiar echo of 1 Corinthians 10:12 in mine ear: "Therefore let any one who thinks he stands—who feels sure that he has a steadfast mind and is standing firm—take heed lest he

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