Author Archives: Tammie Edwards

“Surely, God Didn’t Say…”

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“Surely, God Didn’t Say…” Those are the words that the devil used to deceive Adam and Eve in the Garden. Those words led to them disobeying God.

If I had a nickel for every time that I heard the devil use those words through human vessels, I would be a very wealthy woman today. I refute their foolishness every time. Here’s the thing, Adam and Eve could have sought God when the devil used those deceptive words. They could have, right then and there, said “God, what did you say?” and called God into the midst of the confrontation. But they didn’t. Instead they allowed themselves to be walked right outside of fellowship with the Almighty and into a pit of sin.

Some people are more easily deceived. They walk themselves right into alcoholism, drug addiction, pornography, gossip, and living as their own “god”. Why would anyone who supposedly loves you not want you to seek God? Why would they want you to disobey Him? If they truly love you, wouldn’t they want you to submit yourself to God’s authority so that you can walk humbly with Him?

In the New Testament Scriptures we can see repeatedly that God used human vessels to send letters to the churches. The apostle Paul wrote letters to the churches in Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and Thessalonica. He also wrote letters to Timothy, Titus (for the church in Crete), and Philemon. There were other letters, too, written by other apostles and leaders to include Simon Peter, James, John, and Jude. All of those letters were inspired by God and included in the Scriptures. Additionally, John penned the seven letters to the churches (in Asia Minor) in Revelation. So, it’s not unlike God to want to send a message to the churches through human agents especially when the leadership of those churches refuse to seek God. They seem to be comfortable leading others astray with their false teaching.

Several years ago, God had me send letters to 24 churches locally. Please understand, it wasn’t that the other churches were correct in their doctrine. The printing, envelopes, postage and time were all coming from my small fixed income or He probably would have had me send them more far and wide. In the days ahead, we will revisit those letters to the churches to examine if there has been positive changes in the local churches during that time. Each letter contained a “Mark of Excellence” doctrinal newsletter to prompt them to study the doctrines more carefully. Listen, I don’t want them to believe me. I want them to truly have their own relationship with God where they ask Him questions until their garbage theologies are gone. That’s my hope!

I hope you will join me as we take a look at the false doctrines in the churches. Will you seek God and raise your voice against the false teaching or will you sit back and be comfortable in your country-club Christianity?

Ten Percent Or All Of It?

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Are you 10% committed to God’s will? Is He in charge of only a “tithe” portion of your life? What if He measures His protection and provision with the same portion of giving? If you’re not wholehearted in Him being your God, shouldn’t He hold back His inclusion in your life similarly? Yikes! That’s a hard word!

You are going to have an opportunity today. Will you choose His path or will you decide that you know best?

*Not-so-hidden open letter follows:

Not only are you not fully submitted to God but you are teaching false doctrine in His church. How should He handle that? How cordial should He be with you while you include the blasphemous word “trinity” on your website? Should He walk you towards your own demise when you refuse to seek Him? You can’t certainly believe that He should send His prophet, whose warnings you refuse to heed, to lay hands on you to deliver His healing while you teach falsely. What good are you to the Kingdom? Are you a help or a hindrance? Once again, I warn you to remove the word “trinity” from your website. (Remember that I tried to do this privately and kindly from the beginning. It’s your refusal that is forcing God’s hand against you. I came in love as a friend and sister to issue the warning from God.) God doesn’t need my permission to come against you for refusing to seek Him and obey.

Proverbs 12:1
“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.”

Walk With Confidence!

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The Lord focused my spiritual vision on a specific trait today. As I was walking into the mini-mart to get an early morning cup of coffee, I noticed a man getting out of his vehicle. He walked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. It made him look small and timid. Now obviously I don’t know anything about the man’s circumstances so there’s no judgment here. But it made me think about how I carry myself. Do I walk with confidence?

A little while later I had driven to a favorite morning spot where I can walk out on a long pier to a covered landing. It was already hot outside. I saw from a distance that there were two men standing in the covered area. Now you might think because I’m a female that I would hesitate about putting myself in the situation of being out on a pier alone with two unknown men. But, the Lord said that He was with me and that I was safe. So I proceeded to the covered area. Again, the Lord shifted my attention to the way that I carried myself. I was walking like a mighty warrior with full confidence in my stride and direction.

It seems somewhat insignificant to focus on our gait, but it does speak silent volumes about our confidence. Now that you have read this, you’ll probably be drawn in to consider your own stance. Do you carry yourself as God’s anointed?

Having a Form of Godliness …

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“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” (2 Timothy 3:2-5 NIV)

That part about “having a form of godliness” is the part that God highlighted to me when we were talking just now. (Yes, it’s 4:00 am. That’s when He likes to talk about all the important stuff.) I was asking Him a question that was recently raised by another about what needed to change locally — was it “a church” that needed to change? At the time, the Lord answered right through my mouth that it was “all the churches” that needed change. I knew that already. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. They have a form of godliness but deny its power.

What I have witnessed in my trek through the churches locally is that none of the pastors can be bothered to seek God about the false doctrines in their churches. It seems like they deny that God has a right to disagree with their garbage theologies. They can’t ask Him simple questions even though they claim to know His voice. But God, in His grace and mercy, sends His messenger to teach them how to ask Him questions, and they don’t want to learn. Their pride won’t allow them to be taught by a female. They are too wise for their own good.

Oh, but the problem is not limited to the pastors. The congregations are willing to sit silently by rather than raise their voices to disagree with false doctrines. They certainly don’t want to mess with their comfort and stature. It is hard to be the one who will risk their inclusion with the church family to please God especially when that family will surely turn against you for being the one to speak up. But I will just say this: their form of godliness is ugly. I’m not the only one to notice. God sees it clearly. Why won’t they stand up and fight for truth?

The Train of His Robe Filled the Temple

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This verse has been repeatedly coming to mind over the last few days. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1 NIV)

The prophet Isaiah was grieving when the Lord opened his eyes to a spiritual vision and a throne-room experience which led to the Lord commissioning Isaiah. I’m always inspired by this passage of Scripture where Isaiah says to the Lord “Here am I. Send me!” (That exclamation point speaks volumes.)

This Scripture text (in Isaiah 6) is largely about proclaiming that the people have been wayward from the Lord’s instruction. They have been spiritually deaf and blind. Maybe that’s why these words have often inspired me. Imagine for a moment that I was asked to read this passage aloud in front of a congregation where women were often silenced if men were present. Seriously, I don’t know how the Lord pulled that one off. But it happened. It was the day that the Lord publicly commissioned me to go and speak truth to the nations. It was years later, however, that He told me in prayer that I was His prophet to the nations. Listen, I would NEVER be so brazen as to call myself a prophet if the Lord had not said it (and He continues to call me His prophet). The train of His robe fills the temple. He is Lord! (But don’t believe me … ask Him yourself!)

That exclamation point in Isaiah’s proclamation “Send me!” is often less enthusiastic when persecution comes, and the prophet finds herself weighed down by the mire and muck of dredging through things of this world. It’s hard to constantly be pushed away and ignored by those who God has sent me to at the same time that God commands me to focus in on specific people and doctrines. I want to do the Lord’s work. I really do. But I don’t have the power to open their spiritual eyes or ears. All I can do is keep stepping forward as the Lord directs.

I want to share what I have learned from Him in more than 20 years of hearing His voice. How can I teach people that have no interest in learning? How can I show them God’s heart if they are spiritually blind? How can I hope for their spiritual ears to be opened when they can’t hear me tell them how? I did ask the Lord to “Send me!” all those years ago. So here am I … and the train of His robe fills the temple.

Closed Doors Trek?

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The Lord has been showing me closed doors lately. He allows me to glimpse in and then closes the door with finality.

I’ve been looking for office space so that I could have room to work on finishing the Discipleship magazine. Two years ago, I closed my office and moved everything into storage. I hate paying for storage and not having my things easily accessible. For weeks and months, I have been following God’s lead about possible office venues. But most have just been way too expensive and would keep me financially strapped. And for what? All to create a magazine that nobody really wants?

This week, God directed me to an office that was affordable and just exactly right. I sent an email to the broker and patiently waited for a response. But God would not let me call the broker. The next morning, I was being impatient with God about it, and He said “If I want you to have it, it will be yours.” I took that to mean that nobody was going to interfere. But what it really meant was that God didn’t want me to have it. When He finally allowed me to call the broker later in the afternoon, they had JUST signed the lease with someone else. I was disappointed. I was already imagining having a workspace again. But God wanted a closed door instead.

Of course, at any time I could have chosen to ignore God’s leading and just do what I thought was best and I’d probably have an office space by now. But there would never be peace in my heart. I know that with certainty. It makes me wonder how everyone that doesn’t hear God’s voice gets where they are going. Does peace elude them?

The closed doors are painful at times. But being separated from God for even a moment would be unbearable beyond understanding. Behind every closed door is something that God doesn’t want for me. I receive that and will try to glimpse inside those temporarily open doors with much greater inspection of God’s heart for me. I do know that His plans are rarely ever the easiest trek. But why would I need to be His “mighty warrior” if things were destined to be easy?

Where You Belong?

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Some of you don’t get it. I’m not worried about me. I have a relationship with God. I hear His voice in prayer. I follow His leading.

It’s you that I’m worried about. What are you going to do if we find ourselves walking in the last days? What are you going to do if there is a sudden disaster? Will you know how to ask God for direction? Will you be under His protection?

I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about you. What if tomorrow your life is demanded from you? What if God finally has had enough of your false teaching? What if God chooses an eternity in hell for you because you couldn’t be bothered to learn to hear His voice? What if God allows the devil to torment you?

I’m not worried about me. I’m right where I belong. Are you?

Rewards For Obedience?

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Do you think that the Lord rewards us for our obedience? I do. And I also think that He punishes us when we refuse Him. Rebellion is ugly to the Lord. But when we submit to Him we are rewarded with more intimacy of heart and sometimes tangible blessings.

Let’s talk about obedience first. Recently, the Lord asked me to once again offer a Bible Study to teach about hearing His voice. I already know that most people are too lazy to put in any real effort to show up, study, and seek God. But, my obedience is not contingent on how many people attend the study. My obedience is in walking intentionally on the path that God has for me. I can’t take it personal when there is not as much interest in the Bible study as I might hope. I’m not responsible for how other people respond to the invitation. That’s between them and God. My rewards are tied to pleasing God with my faith. So, even though my expectations may be low for how others will respond, I’m going to keep stepping forward in obedience. Every time that I’ve done this in the past, God has increased the anointing that He delivers through me. I want that.

Now let’s talk about disobedience and ignoring God. What if I instead said to God that I know that nobody is interested and why should I waste the energy? Should God be pleased with that response from me? Should He reward me for thinking that I know better than Him what the outcome should be? Seriously, I don’t need to know the outcome. I just need to know the next step forward. That’s how God does things. So, please don’t think that I’m naive about people wanting to learn to hear God. I know that most don’t want to. It’s up to God how He chooses to discipline or punish those people. I just need to keep stepping forward with a positive goal to please God.

What about you?

The Gullible One?

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I’m sorry to be so blunt but you CANNOT interpret the Scriptures correctly without hearing the voice of God!

The devil is a liar. His whole scheme is deception. If you’re reading the Bible without God present, you are going to be deceived. When you study the Bible, you must do it while listening to God teach it to you. Ask questions to Him if anything is vague. The reason why there are so many misinterpretations and bogus doctrines is because they have left God out of their study.

Look at all the variations of religions that are out there. Some pray to statues. Some pray to Mary and saints. Some pray to themselves. Listen, Christians pray with God and hear His voice. At least, that’s the expectation. Without it you are lost!

I’ve spent the last 20 years offering to teach Christians to hear God’s voice in prayer. This is the anointing that God has placed on me. I’m not a singer. I’m not a musician. I’m not a historian. I’m a child of God trying to lead others to hear His voice so that they can refute the false doctrines in the churches. It’s not complicated.

We all want Christian community. We are want to be received and loved. But it seems that it becomes all about something else when we can’t agree on doctrine. Why can’t we agree on doctrine? Seriously, God is not going to give us different answers where doctrine is concerned. If we believe different doctrines it can only be because some aren’t submitting to God’s authority and teaching when they study doctrine. It’s frustrating especially when those that teach falsely claim to hear God’s voice. Really, how long does it take to ask a question to God like “Are there three Gods?” “Is the trinity doctrine correct?” “Is there a God sitting next to another God on thrones in Heaven?” It shouldn’t take weeks or months to ask a simple question if you really hear God’s voice. How long does it take to ask “God, do you want me to remove the word ‘trinity’ from the church website?”

I’ve been more than patient, but at some point you have to believe that “they” don’t want to address these issues with God. Their seat of honor is more important than being right with God. He sees it. He’s not naive or gullible. They can fool audiences that don’t know God, but they can’t fool God.