There used to be a TV show called “Dragnet” about a policeman named Joe Friday whose catchphrase was “Just the facts”. In the course of his investigation there were often theories about this or that, but he wasn’t interested in theories, “just the facts”.  Well, that’s me.  As you know, I teach about a lot of Bible subjects, but mostly about healing.  And do you know what?  I don’t give a hoot about anyone’s theory about this or that, all I’m interested in are the FACTS!  Everywhere I go there are people who think this or that about the Bible, and yes, I do too, BUT what we think doesn’t count.  What DOES count is what the Bible says, for it contains the sum knowledge of what is revealed by God to mankind.  Yes, the Holy Spirit speaks to believers, but what He says ALWAYS agrees with the written Word of God.  And what about the times when the “voice of the Holy Spirit” doesn’t agree with the Word, such as “NEW REVELATION?  Pitch it.

Most every day I hear someone say “The LORD said…”(you fill in the blank).  Have you ever been in a church where seemingly everyone had a “Word from the LORD”?  One says this, another says completely the opposite, one says “Go!”, another says “Stand still and wait”, and another says “God says do what is in your heart to do”, and another says “Don’t do that!” If you didn’t have a good knowledge of the Word of God, you’d think God can’t make up His mind anymore, assuming all these “prophets” are right.

One time I took this tape of a “Word from the LORD” someone had me listen to and wrote it all down and took it apart sentence by sentence. Each sentence began with “And the LORD said…”.  After I crossed out all the “And the LORD said…” parts, there wasn’t much left, but it didn’t agree with what the Word says.  Therefore, the LORD didn’t say it, plain and simple.  We are given some very good advice in 1 John 4:1-6:

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

I have followed this advice for years and teach others to do so.  Once I heard something in my spirit that I was SURE was the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit reminded me, “JERRY, TRY THE SPIRIT.”  I did so immediately by simply saying aloud, “Did Christ Jesus come in the flesh?” And much to my surprise I heard “NOOOOOOOO! Boy, it didn’t take me long to pitch THAT “Word from the LORD”.  It has become the litmus test of EVERY “Word of the LORD” and every “The LORD said” that comes my way.   Friends, the LORD tells us there are many “voices” out there which speak to us, and even our own mind tells us “The LORD said….” But we need to be able to back it up with the Word of God, else we will be deceived.  Sometimes the devil doesn’t have to deceive us, we do it to ourselves!

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Indeed, greater is the Holy Spirit in us, than the spirit of antichrist that is in the world.  But the pull of the flesh is so strong that we long to hear a “Word of the LORD” that goes along with what our flesh wants to do.  You know, we want to be rich, healthy, popular, and have everything going our way, because that’s the fleshly nature in us.  Where we have trouble discerning the true voice of the Holy Spirit is concerning what GOD wants for us.  He is more interested in our eternal future than how comfy we are in the here and now.  So we have to ask ourselves, What would Jesus do? Well, He would do what He has always done, and that is please His heavenly Father in all He says and does. That needs to be OUR first consideration.

WHY DID JESUS COME TO EARTH?  You need to ask yourself this every time you don’t know what you are supposed to do.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  That was “JOB ONE” for Jesus.  He taught His disciples about the Kingdom of God, and they taught their disciples likewise.  We find most churches today teach about the “Burger King Kingdom”, that is, building YOUR kingdom your way.  Some teach you can confess your way into anything you want.  And they have the scriptures like Mark 11:23-24 to back them up.  True, those verses give us the very keys to the Kingdom of God, and we should use them, and I teach often on those verses.  BUT…they should be used to build GOD’S Kingdom, not YOUR kingdom.  So I come to the important part about “JUST THE FACTS”.

WHAT DOES GOD HAVE TO SAY ABOUT PROSPERITY, HEALING, JOY OF LIFE?  C’mon now, just the facts, not what you THINK He says.  If you don’t know, there is a way to know, and that is to open your Bible and read it.  Consider this, had the disciples listened to Jesus, they could have used Mark 11:23-24 to get out of every hard spot, every trial, every hardship they faced.  BUT THEY DIDN’T!  So….either they weren’t paying attention when Jesus spoke those words in Mark 11:23-24, or else, they put doing the work of the Kingdom of God above their own personal desires.

Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. How very important it is that we understand how easy it is to get led astray by the spirit of error.  The Bible tells us that Satan comes as an angel of light to deceive us.  He leads us to think we are doing God’s will, when all the time we are being led by the desires of our own flesh, THINKING, it was the LORD that told us to do such-and-such.  If everyone was truly led by the Holy Spirit as it SHOULD BE, we wouldn’t have all these different denominations, and we would work together and win this whole world to Jesus.  But many are allowing themselves to be led by the spirit of error.  Again, TEST THE SPIRITS, don’t just assume everyone who says “The LORD said…” is being led by the Holy Spirit, because they’re NOT always.  And that includes ME!  If I tell you something, go back it up with the Word of God to see if it’s right, and if it’s not, then pitch it.  I’m only human and I could be wrong too.  But the Holy Spirit is NEVER wrong!  No theories, just the facts.

Does God want us prospered? Yes, the Word says so.  Does He want us healed? Again, yes, the Word says so.  Can prosperity and healing help us do the work of the Kingdom of God more effectively?  Yes, because you can’t do as much for the Kingdom of God if you’re so sick you can’t move, or so broke you can’t even leave your living room.  It takes money to go minister and energy to go preach, but once your flesh gets too comfortable, you will forget all about doing the work of the Kingdom of God, and your attention will be upon doing what makes YOU feel good.  Don’t believe me?  Some of you are already there, and you’re not too overly concerned about doing God’s work at all.  You’re about doing what YOU want in life.  You’re not too worried about seeking and saving the lost, after all, YOU are saved, so you figure “Let the other guy worry about his own soul, it’s not my problem.  He can find God if he really wants to”. Well, THAT, my friend was NOT the attitude Jesus had, and that is NOT what He taught His disciples to do.  So you have to ask yourself, DO I HAVE THE FACTS STRAIGHT, or am I just following my flesh or someone’s theory about what God wants for my life?

Personally, I find it a struggle sometimes to stay focused on doing God’s work.  I love the LORD with all my heart, yet my flesh wants to do what it wants to do, and I’ve had this fleshly body for as long as I can remember.  Consider this: all my needs are met, I’m healthy and energetic, and yet there are plenty of enjoyable things I’d like to do.  But the bottom line is, the LORD saved and healed me and equipped me to do HIS work, not mine.  We are bought with the high price of the blood of Jesus, and we are not our own.

So when I hear the Holy Spirit prompts me “JUST THE FACTS”, that’s all the motivation I need to get my focus back where it belongs on Jesus.  There are many theories and “words” out there concerning what God’s will is for His people, but the FACT is, we are to be building God’s Kingdom, seeking and ministering to the lost and unsaved.  We can’t draw them, only the Holy Spirit can.  His job is to put those we are to minister to in our path, which are ready to listen to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Our job is to preach the Gospel.  But if we’re busy building “our” kingdom, we will miss the opportunity to do His work, and what a tragic loss that will be, not only for us, but for the ones we missed the opportunity to minister to.  Jesus died for them, too, not just YOU.  So get your focus on Jesus, for time is short and He is coming soon.  No more time to waste on theories and dead-end doctrines.  JUST THE FACTS.