HOW DO I KNOW I AM PRAYING TO THE LIVING GOD AND NOT FALSE GODS?

by Shawn Brasseaux

“How do I know I am praying to the living God and not false gods?” Thank you for this question. We look forward to answering it!

The Bible is God’s communication to us, and prayer is our communication to Him. Before (!!) we say something in prayer, we need to first (!!) know what God has already said in His Word. Almighty God spoke first when He caused His inspired words to be written down in human language and preserved through history. Friend, we should pay close attention (!!) to those words. Once we learn what God the Holy Spirit spoke to us through the Holy Bible, then we speak to Him in light of those words. It is quite simple. We let Him tell us what He is doing (the Scriptures); we do not tell Him to do something (which is often what “prayer” is assumed to be). Instead of trying to force God to do something He is not doing, we need to remember what He says He is doing and then by faith go do that. (This is how we do God’s will!!)

Dear friend, it is ever so important that you: (1) have the right Bible text, and (2) pray in accordance with the verses applicable to you. We will briefly consider both issues here.

THE WORD OF THE LIVING GOD

Here, we must correct two common misconceptions about the Bible. Firstly, there is the assumption that there is only one set of Bible manuscripts. This is demonstrably false (simply look at the footnotes in any study Bible to discover hundreds of “variant readings!”). Secondly, there is a belief that all Bible translations are derived from that one family. This is also patently incorrect (again, study the textual notes in the footnotes of any modern English version). All versions do not “say the same thing” because they are all copyrighted. Legally, they cannot say the same thing!!It is generally believed that the differences in Bible translations are due to the whims, biases, and/or ineptitude of the translators themselves. This is only partly true. The more serious differences are due to Bible manuscript divergence. There are two sets of Bible manuscripts—God’s Word and Satan’s counterfeit. This can be easily proven by simply looking at 2 Thessalonians 2:2 in whatever manuscript or version we like: “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”

Think long and hard, friend, think long and hard. Let the verse sink deep into your mind and heart. If there was a false Bible manuscript being peddled as the “word of God”—heralded as having Paul’s apostolic authority—20 centuries ago, how many counterfeit Bibles would we expect to be circulating today? Satan counterfeits everything the LORD God does, so we would expect him to mimic God concerning the Scriptures as well. Recall the false apostles of which 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 warns. If Satan has his own preachers and apostles to mislead the masses, then he surely has his own Bible to deceive people as well! Remember, the Scriptures caution us to be on the lookout for “doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1).

While beyond the scope of this study, the Bible versions issue is really a Roman Catholic – Protestant debate. Where is the preserved Word of God? Is it the Minority Text, Alexandrian Text, Critical Text? Codices Vaticanus and Sinaiticus are the leading witnesses in this group—the supposedly “two oldest and best manuscripts.” (Notice the name “Vaticanus,” which gives away its pagan background!) This is the Roman Catholic text and the source of most modern English versions (NIV, NASB, ESV, HCSB, NRSV, Amplified, Message, ASV, NLT, NCV, and some NKJV). Or, is the preserved Word of God the Majority Text, Textus Receptus (Received Text), Antiochian Text? This is the King James manuscript family—the Protestant Bible.

Here is what we should never, ever forget. Whenever we hear or read preachers and teachers offering “better readings” than what is found in the King James text, they are usually offering a reading taken from the Roman Catholic text. Whether inadvertently or deliberately, the fact remains that they are discrediting the Protestant Bible (genuine) and praising the Roman Catholic Bible (counterfeit). In fact, let us be more frank. They are really removing the authority from the Scriptures and placing it on the Roman Catholic Church!

Dear friend, as an English-speaking person, you are here strongly advised to use an Authorized Version King James Bible. We cannot trust the modern English versions because they are Roman Catholic in origin. They in fact teach heretical doctrines—denying or hiding Christ’s Deity, eliminating references to His shed blood, omitting references to His bodily resurrection and ascension, perverting or obscuring salvation verses, to name some of the more serious topics.

Our goal is to find God’s inspired and preserved words in our language (English). This is the Authorized Version King James Bible. It has every verse that should be in the Bible, and it has been translated just as God intended. There are no missing words, letters, or books. We will not find in it historical inaccuracies and doctrinal deficiencies. However, this cannot be said of modern English versions. They have made major changes to the King James Bible text because they are based on other Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Heretics and apostates produced the works that are used to discredit the Authorized Version all these centuries later.

Friend, you are strongly encouraged to research this matter on your own. Start comparing Mark 1:2 in the King James Bible versus modern versions. Look at Matthew 5:22 and then Mark 3:5. Try Hebrews 3:16. Research the “scholarly position” of Mark 16:9-20 (and how most would doubt these 12 verses were ever inspired of God at all!). John 7:53–8:11 is attacked in a similar fashion. Read Romans 13:9 in the various versions and see if you can spot the appalling difference there. Hundreds of other examples could be given; these, however, should suffice.

THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES

Now that we have established the right Bible—the Authorized Version King James Bible in English—we need to learn where to go in that Word to find God’s directions to us. This is important too, friend, because you can be Scriptural and still actually be outside of God’s will. You can literally use the Bible and not honor the God of that Bible! For example, does not Scripture warn that a giant boat must be built because of an impending global flood? Yes, see Genesis chapter 6. However, that is not God’s Word to us or about us. We must respect the context, or we will be deceived while applying Bible verses to life.

Romans chapter 11: “[11] I say then, Have they [Israel] stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. [12] Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? [13] For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [14] If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.” As we can see in verse 13, Paul is “the apostle of the Gentiles.” He is God’s spokesman to us.

Ephesians 3:1-2 says, “[1] For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, [2] If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:….” God’s instructions to us are titled “the Dispensation of the Grace of God.” This set of information is the 13 Pauline epistles, Romans through Philemon.

When Saul of Tarsus met the resurrected, ascended, and glorified Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, Christ told Saul in Acts 26:16-18: “[16] But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; [17] Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee [“apostle” is derived from the Greek word meaning, “sent one”], [18] To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” This is the origin, the foundation, of the Apostle Paul’s ministry. Historically, he was saved/justified and then commissioned/ordained in Acts chapter 9.

First Corinthians 14:37-38 says, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.” What the Apostle Paul writes in Scripture is not his own words but the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are authoritative—and even more than Christ’s words spoken in His earthly ministry—because Paul’s words are Christ’s words to us Gentiles in the Dispensation of Grace. Christ’s earthly ministry was not directed toward us (see Matthew 10:5-7; Matthew 15:24; John 4:22; Romans 15:8). Very few know this and even fewer believe it!

The only verse that tells us to “study” the Bible tells us how to study it. Second Timothy 2:15 says in the King James Bible: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” When we “rightly divide the word of truth,” we are recognizing the differences that God the Holy Spirit has made in His Word. Failure to separate Peter from Paul, Israel from the Body of Christ, prophecy from mystery, earth from heaven, and law from grace, will result in absolute and unanswerable confusion. The lack of dispensational Bible study is the primary reason why thousands of conflicting denominations have arisen over the centuries. No wonder most church members are clueless concerning God’s will for them!

Paul’s epistles document what God is doing today. If we are willing to hear and believe Romans through Philemon—God speaking—we will then pray in line with those Bible Books. This is how we ensure we are praying to the living God and not some evil spirit (devil). For more information, see our related studies linked below.

NOTE: Dear brethren, the first intro video to our New Testament Survey is finally online! You can watch it here. New lessons will be added in the near future. Be sure to bookmark this link, as this playlist is where all the NT lessons will be stored in the coming years. Praise our Lord Jesus Christ!

Saints, please remember us in your monthly giving—these websites do cost money to run! 🙂 You can donate securely here: https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux, or email me at arcministries@gmail.com. Do not forget about Bible Q&A booklets for sale at https://arcgraceministries.org/in-print/booklets-bible-q-a/. Thanks to all who give to and pray for us! By the way, ministry emails have really been backed up this year. I am handling them as much as humanly possible. Thanks for your patience. 🙂

Also see:
» How should I pray?
» How can I have an effectual prayer life?
» Must I be a “King James Bible, Pauline dispensationalist” to have eternal life?