Return to God 3
By Ivan Ho 3 Jan 2026
But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
There have been an avalanche of erroneous doctrines and false prophetic words spreading amongst some churches today because some pastors have been making things up in their preaching that don’t align with the word of God, leading people who receive their messages into idolatry and sexual immorality. The people have been consuming foods offered to idols. So what are foods sacrificed to idols? These are foods offered to false gods first before they are served to you. If you eat such food week in week out, you will become a false god yourself. As the saying goes: “You are what you eat“!
Not only do people in some churches commit the sin of idolatry and eat food offered to idols, they also commit the sin of sexual immorality due to the false teaching, or the lack of biblical teachings in this area in some churches. Do they teach people to refrain from dating with someone in the opposite sex to whom you are not committed in marriage, someone whom you know isn’t God’s will for your life? In some churches may be, but not in most modern churches. People say: “But how do I know if that person isn’t God’s will for me if I don’t date him or her?” That’s exactly my point, you don’t need to date someone and spend intimate time alone with another human being to know he or she isn’t God’s will for you life, but many people don’t care about God’s will anyway. When God adjoins two persons together, dating is not a prerequisite as exemplified by Adam and Eve, Issac and Rebecca, Ruth and Boaz. If one is intimate with God, he or she will identify the one sent by God, prior to any courtship. Casual dating is for unbelievers in the world which usually end up in heartaches and sexual immorality. False teachings, or the lack of Biblical teachings in this area often lead to people of God following the ways of the world in committing sexual immorality.
Idolatry and sexual immorality are the two sins God repeatedly condemns throughout the bible. from Genesis to Revelation. If you think this is no big deal, you need to take it to God yourself.
Test the spirits behind certain words
There are workshops that teach singles how to relate to people in the opposite sex, to learn how to be “vulnerable” with otherwise strangers put in the class, to learn how to love each other who also happen to be singles. I’ve never been to such courses so I imagine that’s what they’re teaching. If I’m wrong, those who have attended these courses please educate me.
I did an AI search on the Single Life Workshop offered by Nothing Hidden Ministries which comes back with the following information:
The workshop emphasizes creating “a safe place for community” where participants can practice vulnerability and develop real relationships within the workshop setting . The goal is to help singles experience “greater freedom in risking, pursuing and engaging with the opposite sex in a dating relationship”
Wrong doctrines/ wrong teachings/ wrong prophetic words is the prerequisite to a messed up life
God speaks to the apostles doctrines and gives prophets words concerning individuals, churches, cities and nations. They pass on the messages they receive to the pastors and teachers who in turn preach or teach these messages to the people in their respective churches. When this pattern and process is violated, all kinds of messages that mix truth with personal erroneous interpretations are fed to the flock. When the flock is fed the wrong food, they suffer from food poisoning and their lives are messed up. Pastors and teachers are called to feed the word of God they receive faithfully rather than to invent new doctrines.They are supposed to spend time to study the Bible instead of trying to download things out of their own imagination or from the internet, repackage it, and dish it out to the congregation. Some crazy people even go as far as rewriting the bible.
Mind you, not everything they say is necessarily wrong. In a 3 point sermon for example, 2.5 points may be good and in line with God, but 0.5 are cooked up. In a prophetic word, 85% may be spot on, but it is the 15% downloaded from demons that mess up people’s lives.
One of the most messed up movements in the past 20 years or so is the prophetic movement when pastors, evangelists, teachers and those who aren’t called to be prophets, begin to give prophetic words outside of their giftings. God used the prophetic movement to revive the gift of prophecy to the churches, but somewhere along the line, some leaders involved in the movement mishandle the gifts, some due to immaturity, others because of self agenda and self gain. Some self appointed prophets begin to give people pathetic prophecies concerning their major decisions and future directions that would impact their destinies. Such people who aren’t called to be prophets, instead of staying within the protocols of giving words within the area of edification, exhortation and comfort, would give prophecies concerning people’s callings and ministries, who to marry, who to date and so on. As a result, the people are misled and suffer, some with their lives totally messed up.
If the devil wants to mess up your life, what does he do? He sends you people to give you wrong doctrines/ wrong teachings/ wrong prophecies/ wrong counsels. The devil first mess up your mind before he mess up your life. Guess what? These people are under the influence of a satanic spirit, namely, the spirit of Jezebel.
The devil may send people to you, but at the end of the day, it is YOU who allow these people and their words to impact your life. Deep inside, you are looking for someone to affirm what lies inside your heart, and that’s why you are deceived. If you know what God has already spoken, no matter what the devil says, it won’t affect you. But if you’re not submitted to God’s words as the final authority over your life, you will allow words of suggestions, words of flattery, words of seduction to influence your mind instead. If you surround yourself with people who affirm your heart’s desires, but reject godly counsels, you’re setting yourself up for disasters.
Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
I will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent
Now what does it mean when Jesus says: “I will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent”?
Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
The lampstands represent the 7 churches that Jesus was addressing in the book of Revelation. Each church has a place, purpose and prophetic function in the cities where it is positioned. It is strategically placed there by God as a lampstand to project the light and word of Jesus to influence the cities and nations around it.
Nevertheless, when the church begins to compromise the word of Jesus and allow the spirit of Jezebel to operate amongst God’s people, it can no longer shine the light of Jesus to its surrounding cities and nations. Unless the church as a whole repents, return to its first love i.e. the love for God’s word, do the first works i.e. return to the original God given purpose and assignments, ultimately God will remove the church from its place! When that happens, the church may continue to function as a church in name, and people may continue to gather and do meetings, but it has lost its place as a light to the cities. Worst still, the presence of God is not there!
It’s like God departed from Saul but he continued to assume the role of a king until his death, because he never repented.
When I say “the presence of God is not there”, I don’t mean God has left the church completely. God is everywhere present but when people are drawn towards idols and the things of the flesh, they won’t hear God even when He speaks. Sometimes you can be in a place but people aren’t even aware of your presence because they’re preoccupied with other things. So when people no longer draw near to God, other spirits come in instead. God’s power is not manifested, God’s voice is not heard even when He speaks. Why? Because people are not engaging God but engage the devil instead.
Divided heart is susceptible to receive wrong words
God is gracious and He doesn’t want to remove His presence from His churches and that’s why he sent His words to the churches to tell them to repent, both as individuals and corporately. Repentance is the key for us to return to the presence of God in our lives.
In order to shut down the operation of the spirit of Jezebel in the cities and nations, the church must first shutdown the false doctrines and satanic influences from inside the church.
To overcome demonic spirits, there are two things one needs to do: 1. Submit to God and 2. Resist the devil. If you’re not submitted to God and to His will, casting out demons won’t work for you. “Submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you“. The bible never says your pastor will resist the devil for you. No, you have to resist the devil yourself. If you opened the doors to demonic spirits into your life, you have to shut the doors yourself.
Remember, from where you have fallen, repent. Identify the occasion, time and place where you have opened the doors to allow demonic spirits to come in, and slam those doors shut for good! If you’re double-minded and leave the door ajar a little bit, you’re fooling yourself. If you don’t cast the demons in your life out, the demons will cast you out of your destiny. If you don’t bind the devil, the devil will bind you. Not only must you shut the doors to the devil, you must open the door to allow Jesus to come in!
A divided heart leads to doubts and confusions. A divided heart is the heart condition that is not totally submitted to God. A divided heart carries God’s words contaminated with false teachings, wrong words, doubts, bitterness, anger, frustration and all kinds of ungodly thoughts and negative emotions. Let the Spirit of God and His words purify our heart.
If you draw near to the devil, the devil will draw near to you. If you draw near to God, God will draw near to you.
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Return to God and He will return to you.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Revelation 2:17 KJV