No More Counterfeits!

What does the title of this post make you think of? Counterfeit money? Counterfeit art? Counterfeit people? Counterfeit designer handbags sold in flea markets?

I use to work in the security area of the banking business. The most intriguing part of my job was working with federal law enforcement agencies. Counterfeit money is under the jurisdiction of the Secret Service.

When one of our tellers would accept a counterfeit bill it was my job to fill out the paperwork and send it in to the Secret Service. The Secret Service would also send me notices of counterfeit bills circulating in the area, with lists of phony serial numbers, etc. So, when I hear the word counterfeit, money use to be the first thing to pop into my mind. Now, however, when I hear the word my mind first goes to thinking of the ultimate counterfeiter, Satan.

Satan counterfeits everything...I mean EVERYTHING! Sadly, many of his counterfeits are a really good looking version of something legit. Just as many of the $50 and $100 dollar bills I processed were really good "fakes" of the real thing...so good many of them would pass the counterfeit pen test.

What would be some examples of Satan's counterfeits? The list is lengthy. Relationships, spiritual gifts, pleasures and comforts are a few coming to my mind.

My revelation on this subject came when I realized the depth of God as Creator.
El-Elohim is the name of God which means Creator. On an elementary level when we think of Creator God we think of Genesis 1:1 where God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1 goes on to tell of God's creation of plants, water, animals and man.

When we view His creation as being limited to the universe and everything in it we can actually miss the vastness of His creativity! The purpose of this post is to invite you to search a little deeper into the depths of His creativity.

God is always good. What He creates is always good. Genesis 1:31 states, "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good."

Which brings me to my next question...what have we been missing by confusing God given gifts with counterfeits of the enemy? I can only speak from my personal experience, so I will share with you a little of what I was missing.

Now would be a good time to tell you I believe in ALL the gifts of the Spirit. I believe they are for the here and now. They are available to every believer to work in accordance with God's purpose to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth, to destroy the works of darkness and bring glory to the King.

I haven't always believed in the gifts and I'm not here today to convince you into believing in them. I am just sharing my journey and would be remiss if I left out this part of it.

You may be wondering how spiritual gifts tie into a post on counterfeits. Remember, the enemy is NOT creative. He is using the same lies, the same cons, the same snares he has used for generations. Bottom line is they still work, he doesn't need to change his mode of operation!

Once the Light has exposed an area of deception in our life we sometimes can't believe how gullible we were. I can think of countless times I would actually be annoyed with myself for falling for such blatant lies. How could I be so stupid? But that's the thing about deception...the deceived have no clue they are being hoodwinked.

When I first realized I had been shunning part of my inheritance by not validating my God given gifts I was angry. Angry at former teachings in which I now believe were not accurate. I had to process these feelings with the Lord and then seek what He was wanting to reveal to me. My revelation went something like this as I spoke to God aloud all that was on my heart:

Wow, God, you are the Creator! Satan doesn't have the ability to create anything new or good. He only distorts and perverts something You created. The New Age movement, witchcraft, etc. is a perversion of what You designed every believer to walk in...supernatural power. Supernatural power to expose the kingdom of darkness, drawing others to a life with You, to walk in victory and take dominion over the earth! As believers we are missing out on all the fun, believing You are a cosmic kill joy with a list of do nots. For years I served a God I didn't even really know. Sure, my head was full of knowledge from Your Word, but I wasn't walking in the power of any of it. Your Truth wasn't permeating every fiber of my being. I didn't believe in the Amy you said I was...there were too many lies in the way of me receiving all You had for me. I didn't believe Your Word in John 14:12 when Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." Or in I Corinthians 4:20, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." You have given Your power to every believer to advance Your kingdom! Show me Lord, show me what I've missed because all I saw was the counterfeit and it made Your gift look evil! Forgive me Lord for my unbelief! I want all You have for me. I want it all so I can glorify You, praise You, worship You, serve You, know You, draw others into a fuller relationship with You.

He simply said to me, "it is My desire to give you the Kingdom!"

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." I've come to understand this verse more in the last year or two. I think it is possible to so know the heart of God that His heart becomes your heart...when your heart becomes so entwined with the heart of God, what you want is what He wants and He will give it to YOU! That just blows me AWAY!

So, in what areas have you accepted the counterfeits? What are you denying yourself because you don't think it is of God? Ask God these questions...He is waiting to reveal the mysteries of Himself to you!

You may be wondering what some examples would look like. God desires us to be full of His Spirit and never ending JOY! The enemy counterfeits this with drugs, alcohol, food and various other addictions. We go to these substances because we desire a feeling of euphoria, escape and comfort.

I'm going to share with you how I used alcohol, in the past, to escape. I don't believe it is wrong to enjoy an alcoholic drink. I know there are people with dependencies on alcohol and they have to practice total abstinence. I also believe scripture is clear when it says "do not be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit."

Before you make any conclusions about me and alcohol I want to assure you I have never had a drinking problem. But there was a time in my life I used alcohol to make me more comfortable in social situations. I wasn't happy with who I was and didn't feel I belonged anywhere. I would drink a couple of drinks in order to loosen up and become the life of the party. I was a "fun" drinker. It made me silly and giddy...which I now realize is part of my God given personality, no wonder I desired to be that way and accepted the counterfeit in order to "get there."

When I started seriously walking with the Lord I was convicted of this behavior and gave it up without argument. There have been times I have enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner, but overall I have felt the Lord has asked me to abstain from the use of alcohol. This is a personal conviction and not one I impose on A-N-Y-B-O-D-Y else:)

I shared this to set up the rest of the story. I now am fully aware of what it means to be "filled with the Spirit." Quite frankly it surpasses any "high" I ever had from wine! It's the same feeling of freedom I would get after a couple of drinks, but without a headache the next morning!

When I'm "drunk in the Spirit" I'm absolutely rocked with JOY. I will laugh myself to tears...and it's always more fun with a group:) During times of intercession with my fellow prayer team members and friends we have entered into His presence and have been overcome with laughter and unexplainable peace. I LOVE it! There really is no substitute for the Real Deal!

As I sit back and observe the trend of our youth, I see a generation who knows deep in their spirits there has to be something more. They aren't content with their parents' religion...and, quite frankly, they shouldn't be. Sadly, many of them are turning away from God in search of something else, something that gives them power, something seemingly more exciting than the God of their parents.

They are in search of deep meaningful relationship with something or someone who fulfills the God given desire in them to excel and rise above the status quo...and, many times, they accept the enemy's counterfeits.

Kris Vallotton explains what is happening in this excerpt from "The Supernatural Ways of Royalty; Discovering your rights and privileges of being a son or daughter of God."

"I am convinced that many people who are caught up in witchcraft are the "unpaid bills" of the church. A lot of these folks have experienced spiritual realities and come to our churches to find an explanation for this dimension of life, but only find a powerless religion. It is sad but true that most people wouldn't know whether God showed up in church or not, because so little of modern Christianity requires Heaven's intervention. Jesus never expected people to believe in a gospel absent of power. Therefore Jesus said, "If I don't do the works of My Father, do not believe in Me." (John 10:37.) The people who can't find power in church visit a seance or a cult meeting and find the enemy's counterfeit power. Although it's the dark side, it is real, and they turn to it. If they cannot find supernatural power in the church, they will sadly go to where they can. Proverbs 27:7 says, "To a famished man any bitter thing is sweet." (end quote)

This post has probably posed more questions than it has given answers...and that's okay. I encourage you, as I always do, to search out the answers with God yourself. I love Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

He is waiting to reveal His mysteries to you and to me. I'm ready! Let's go on the journey of a lifetime. Indescribable JOY, Holy laughter and personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe makes my soul unapologetically SING, SING, SING...and, that, my friends, can not be counterfeited!