Why Are People Stuck In Stupid?

Say a man comes to your house and offers to paint it for you.
He asks for $200.00 upfront to pay for supplies and you give it to him.
You schedule the job to take place in one week.
Problem, the man never shows up to do the job.
You are out $200.00.
Well time goes by and the man shows up at your door again.
States some excuse on how he lost the money and was embarrassed and asks you to forgive him.
Your a Christian so of course you forgive him.
The man offers to paint your house again he of course states he will need another $200.00 for materials.
You give him the money again.
Again he takes off with your money and does not do the job.

As Christians God expects us to forgive others.
Matt 6:14-15
"14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Matt 18:21-22
"21 Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?
22 Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."
God however does not expect us to be stupid, naive and ignorant.
Matt 10:16
"16 Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."
1 John 4:1
"1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
The problem that Christianity at large is having now is we are following leaders instead of following God and His Word.
So why do people continue to follow false teachings like those of Joyce Meyer and Kenny Copeland as well as the Catholic rituals that the Emergent church is now marketing to our youth?

Yesterday I received a appeal by mail from St Matthews church.
They promote what I call The Shroud of Tulsa.
It is a paper prayer rug that you are instructed to stare at and the eyes will open (an optical illusion).
And then you are told put a mark on your needs (they mainly encourage you to pray for a financial blessing).
And then mail it to another family in need and to do this right away.
And of course they ask for the good ole seed gift.
Folks this is witchcraft and God does not honor this type of prayer when you stare at a funky prayer rug and believe this piece of paper is soaked with prayer.
The only thing these folks are praying for is that you will be stupid and send them money.
We do this all the time.
Look at all the televangelists who have been exposed, some sent to jail for a time, some not caught yet.
And they are still getting wealthy off your ignorance.
The same goes for false teaching in the church.
People rename rituals and duh it's ok now because we have renamed the ritual and called it something else.
All these rehashed occult rituals have come into the church (after being regected throughout the centuries)
for the sake of having some kind of experience with God.
Will it be a experience?
Yes.
But it will probably not be of God.
And what will happen to many in the church who continue to believe false teaching and lies of the enemy?

The Bible speaks of this as the falling away.
2 Thess 2:3
"3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

What will happen if you continue to believe the lies.
2 Thess 2:10-11
"10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie."

I believe we are in the great apostasy the Bible speaks of as well as what our Lord Jesus spoke of in Matt 24:11-12 as well as verse 22-24
Matt 24:11-12
"11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold."

Matt 24 11:22-24
"22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elects sake those days will be shortened. 23 Then if anyone says to you, Look, here is the Christ! or There! do not believe it.
24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

I encourage you to let the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth.
Search the scriptures and see if what I say is true.
Reread Matt 24 because many Christian leaders are teaching that the world is getting better not worse. And that it is up to Christian leaders to subdue the earth for Christ return.
Page 245 of Dallas Willards "The spirit of the disciplines" states-
"CHRISTIAN LEADERS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD
This is why the responsibility for the condition of the world in years or centuries to come rests upon the leaders and teachers of the Christian church. They alone have at their disposal the means to bring the world effectively under the rule of God." end quote

Balance that against what Jesus states in Matt 24 on the condition of the world when He returns.

Compare it also to what Our Lord states in John 18:36
"36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.
I would suggest following the words of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rather than the contradicting words of New Ager Dallas Willard.

To sum things up follow scripture and forgive your enemies and all others as God commands.

Just don't give them any more money for paint.

Special thanks to Bud Press for some ideas in this article.