Avoiding the Feel Good Fever

Ever had a big decision to be faced, and you didn't know how to figure out what to do? We all do at some point. It comes with the territory when you are a finite, trapped-within-time-and-space being. We cannot see the future, and have no idea how things will play out, so we stress out about what to do. This is a problem that has occurred since the beginning of time, and happens throughout the Bible. Today, we will be looking at 1 Kings 22, and the dilemma that was facing Ahab, the king of Israel.

Now, Ahab made a deal with the king of Aram not to fight, and there had been peace between Israel and Aram for three years. But Aram had some of Israel's towns under their control, and that bothered Ahab. Those were supposed to be his lands, and he wanted them back! So when the king of Judah (the Israelite nation was split into two nations: Israel, led by Ahab, and Judah, led by Jehoshaphat) came to town for a visit, Ahab asked Jehoshaphat if they could team up and take back these towns.

Something about getting support just makes us bolder, doesn't it? Ahab wasn't into the idea of going alone against an army he probably could have defeated (Israel routed Aram in 1 Kings 20). He was scared. But if he had some help, he felt better about his chances. Jehoshaphat had a different focus of support, though.

Jehoshaphat said he would help his Israelite brother, but one thing needed to happen first: they needed to consult God on the matter. Jehoshaphat's daddy, King Asa, had been a long-ruling king of Judah, and had taught Jehoshaphat all about following the Lord. The king of Judah knew that if God didn't approve of going to war, both armies could be destroyed.

Do you look for God's approval in decisions? Are you concerned about His opinion on the matter?

Ahab agreed to find out what God thought, so he called up 400 prophets to tell him what God said on the matter. They all said that Ahab would be victorious, for God would be with him. They filled the room, shouting that God wanted nothing but good for Ahab, that God certainly would give over those lands to Ahab.

Of course, Ahab was thrilled to hear it. But here's the thing: these weren't prophets of God. They had no authority from above; they were former idol-worshippers that were brought in to make the king feel like he was hearing from God.

Do these men sound familiar? Let me go further.

These are men that were catering to man's feelings, and not to God. These were men saying things about God that pleased man to hear, whether it was true or not. They weren't concerned about staying true to God; they just wanted man to "be the best you could be." They want man "to reach their full potential" and "live their best life now." Nothing more than motivational speakers in preacher's clothes.

These men exist now. They are everywhere, and people are all about them.

Men like this will tell you that God wants you to be rich and wealthy, if you just follow Him. If you just follow God, he will give you the desires of your heart. He wants you to be happy, all the time, no matter what. Whatever you want is what God wants. This, my friends, is a lie.

Books like Love Wins will willingly leave out words from Scripture, or twist it to mean what they want it to sound like. Does God really send people to Hell? How could a loving God do that? There's no way this could be... Let me tell you, it is. Anyone who tells you that Scripture could be inaccurate is lying to you, and is speaking not from God, but from the adversary, the devil himself.

I'm not saying God doesn't want you to be happy. Of course he wants you to be happy. The Psalms and Proverbs are fulling of verses that say that He wants us happy (Ps. 68:3, Pro. 17:22 for example). But it also says that He wants us to rejoice in Him (Ps. 118:24, Phil. 4:4). This is how God wants to give us the desires of our heart (Ps. 37:4). This oft-misquoted verse says,

"4 Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desires." -Psalm 37:4, HCSB

Prosperity gospel preachers will say that this verse is meaning that delighting in the Lord will give you everything you want. That is NOT what this verse is saying. If you are taking delight in the Lord, He will be the desire of your heart! Sure, He may choose to bless you with material wealth, but He may not. Life doesn't always turn out with rainbows and butterflies for people that follow Jesus. Look at the 12 disciples. Jesus leaves and they start the church. 11 of them are killed, and the other is left stranded on an island to rot. Do you think they were delighting in the Lord? Where's their wealth? Where is their perfect life?

What about the apostle Paul? He wrote 13 books of the New Testament. He started many churches. He traveled all over, proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Savior. He was killed after spending years in multiple prisons. He spent his life with a "thorn in his side," which is believed to be some sort of physical pain for him. Do you think he was delighting in the Lord? Was his pain and confinement taken away because of it?

Or what about our Christian brothers and sisters in countries like Nigeria, China, and India, where Christians are being tortured, burned alive, raped, and killed for loving Jesus. Do you think they are delighting in the Lord? Did that make them rich?

My readers, false prophets are everywhere. They are idol worshippers in God-loving disguise. No, they aren't sacrificing to a god on a hill like Ahab's prophets. They are sacrificing to a much more subtle idol: themselves. Following these pastors and speakers feels good, because they say things that make themselves and other people feel good. But God's Word isn't just a warm hug on a cold day. It is the Truth, the written words of an almighty God.

So, do as Jehoshaphat did in verse 5, where he asked if there were any real prophets of God. He knew these "feel-good" preachers weren't speaking from God. How do we know?

Look for Scripture. If the speaker is leaving out words of Scripture, or just throwing it in at the end to give weight to his message, red flags should go up. All preaching and teaching about God should come directly from Scripture. It may not always make you feel good (this is why Ahab hadn't called on the only real prophet around, as we see in verse 8). The truth hurts sometimes. But we must be willing to listen for what God is saying through His Word, not what a glorified motivational speaker is saying through his charisma and smile.

Are you willing to look for the truth from God, even when it doesn't always make you feel good? Are you willing to look for speakers grounded in the authority of Scripture, or will you be content to be fed lies about "becoming a better you?"