SPIRITUAL REALITY SERIES   LESSON 2

Faulty Foundations and Fuzzy Patterns


None of us are prepared for spiritual reality. We walk in the natural and when we are introduced to spiritual things it is sometimes a shock to us. We become like children in a playground, running to and fro as different things gain our attention. However, the Lord intends that we become stable in our walk in the Spirit and that spiritual reality would become supernaturally natural for us. The key to this a solid, secure foundation in the Spirit and a clear pattern to follow, as we said in our previous lesson.

Results of Cracked Foundations

Cracks in our foundation produce certain problems. These problems become issues for us and for those with whom we fellowship. Instead of walking in spiritual reality, we walk in a pseudo-spiritual illusion, an artificial environment that is not true reality. These are some of the results:

  1. Faking it. We want to appear to be more spiritually mature that we actually are. To do this we pick up “spiritual jargon” so that we sound spiritual.

  2. Demonic activity. Snakes crawl through cracks in the foundation. By not addressing the cracks and correcting them we open ourselves to demonic involvement in those areas.

  3. Backsliding. When our spiritual progress is not what we expected it to be, we become discouraged and return to the world.

  4. Spiritual collapse. When shaking comes (and it will come—the Lord has promised it), the foundation gives way and spiritual collapse results.

  5. Failure to reach goals. Without the proper foundation, God does not permit us to move on. He resists us. This is done out of His love and mercy for us.

If we build our spiritual life on a faulty foundation, we can never accomplish what God intends for us. We can never flow in spiritual things properly. We become unproductive to the Kingdom of God.

Results of Fuzzy Patterns

When we begin to pattern our life after other believers or even leaders, we are copying copies rather than copying the original. While it is good to have others as examples, they should be examples of the pattern of Jesus and we should be able to recognize that pattern in them. Even so, we follow after Jesus, who is our Lord and Master.

If we follow after other, fuzzy patterns instead of Jesus, it results in:

  1. Superficiality—cosmetic spirituality. We become superficial Christians without any real substance. As we move in spiritual things, we adorn ourselves with the outward manifestations of spiritual experiences without our character undergoing a building up of inward substance.

  2. Confusion—uncertainty—multiple voices. Without the proper pattern there is an uncertainty of experience, and confusion with many saying “lo here; lo there”. We end up following experiences and an illusive “anointing”.

  3. Conflicting teaching. Teaching based on experience can conflict with other teaching. Many things can be drawn from experiences including false doctrine and teaching that not only conflicts with other teaching but also conflicts with the word itself.

  4. One issue teaching. The latest truth always seems to be the most important truth. When we allow it to become the only truth taught then we are bordering on heresy. Examples of this are faith, prosperity, deliverance, submission, covering, authority, etc. All truth is in balance with other truth in the Scriptures.

  5. Variety of experiences. Many experiences—some weird, some wonderful.

  6. Induced experiences. We want others to experience what we have experienced. This leads to inducing experiences in others. An example of this is receiving tongues—the person is urged to say “hallelujah” fast until the tongue trips up, then someone announces “you've got it”.

  7. Simplistic cure-alls. Some experience something and then determines that their experience is the answer to all problems. An example of this is the teaching that praise is the answer to everything.

  8. Inner emptiness. When we try to live off of the experience of others it produces an inner emptiness in us. In meetings we gather the overflow from others, but when we leave the meeting we are left empty.

  9. Fear of needing and depending on others. How can we depend on those flaky people?

  10. Culpability. This is our part in deception. There is that within us that desires what is being presented. Many con games work because of inherent greed or dishonesty in the people being conned.

  11. Deteriorating relationships. Lack of maturing in the Lord causes relationships to begin to fall apart.

Spiritual Problems from Faulty Foundations and Fuzzy Patterns

Problem 1: Everyone who thinks he is hearing from the Spirit is not hearing from the Holy Spirit.

Problem 2: Failure to hear correctly, distorting or wrongly interpreting what God said.

Problem 3: Feelings, experiences, voices become ultimate criteria for truth rather than the Word.

These three problems produce much grief among the Lord's people. Any one of these will lead people down the path to become a false prophet. We all need committed relationships where we can address these issues in love with one another and learn to walk together in spiritual reality.

Marks of Authentic Spiritual Experience

Authentic spiritual experience will produce certain things in us. We can know our experiences are real if good fruit is the result and it is in keeping with the Scriptures.



© 2006 Art Nelson                            www.lifestreamteaching.com