The Colonel's Motivational Quotes of the Day!

While I was researching for today’s motivational quote I ran across something about falling down in the Church. It took me a little bit into the article to finally be aware of the position of the author. I seriously had a debate with myself about whether I would share it here, but in the end I have faith that y’all can figure it out. This is a very interesting read and I believe some may initially be irritated. I am not trying to irritate but rather to offer understanding. I truly hope y’all read this article with that in mind. Please pray that God give you the discernment to appreciate what the author is trying to convey.
Be blessed my RP Family.

Taken from bibibleissues.org
Why do people fall down?
by Denver Cheddie

And when the Comforter is come, He shall cause thee to fall down, yet thou shall rise up again exactly as before thy fall, and thus shall thou be slain.

The above “scripture” is taken from the NCV – the New Charismatic Version. It’s slightly different from the original, which promised that the Holy Spirit would teach us, guide us, lead us into truth and bring the word of Christ back to our remembrance (John 13-14).

It is not uncommon in charismatic circles to see people falling down whenever the preacher lays hands on them. In fact, it’s an anticlimax when they don’t. This phenomenon is called “being slain” in the Spirit or “slain” by the Spirit – and no, it does not mean that people are being killed by the Holy Spirit. I don’t know the etymology of the term, but being slain is the popular term for falling down, so I use the terms interchangeably.

Why do people fall? This question is especially noteworthy considering that it did not happen in the bible days. It did not happen in Christ’s ministry, Peter’s or Paul’s. Although some may site the following scriptures which use the word “fall”, the fact is that the experiences being described are vastly different from what is seen today in charismatic circles.

Falling Scriptures?
The following scriptures are questionably used to support the practice of being slain in the Spirit.

FALLING INTO A TRANCE
Numbers 24:4
"He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:"



DOWNLOAD FREE CHAPTERS FROM OUR NEW BOOKS
Kiss Waiting Goodbye small devil BIG GOD


PEOPLE OF GOD FALLING ON THEIR FACE
Genesis 17:3
"And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,"

Joshua 5:14
"And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?"

Ezekiel 1:28
"As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake."

Matthew 17:5-6
"While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid."

Luke 17:16
"And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan."

Revelation 7:11
"And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,"

Revelation 11:16
"And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,"

ENEMIES OF GOD FALLING BACKWARD
Isaiah 28:13
"But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken."

John 18:6
"As soon then as he had said unto them, I Am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground."

Acts 9:3-4
"And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"



DOWNLOAD FREE CHAPTERS FROM OUR NEW BOOKS
Kiss Waiting Goodbye small devil BIG GOD


What the Bible Teaches
In the bible, people fell prostrate at their feet. This is willingly falling forward with their face to the floor as an act of submission. In charismatic circles, people fall backward and not always willingly. There were also instances when enemies of God fell backward when the power of God was revealed, e.g. Saul on the road to Damascus, and the soldiers who came to arrest Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the case of Saul, he became converted. Not so with the soldiers. But in charismatic circles, it is Christians who fall, and somehow this falling is associated with spiritual renewal.

I once attended a service where a lady fell when hands were laid on her. Others in the congregation murmured “I wonder if she knows it is the Holy Spirit who healed her and not the preacher.” I stood there perplexed because it was not at all evident that she got healed of anything. All she did was fall down. And secondly, how were they so sure it was the Holy Spirit?

The bible tells us very clearly what to expect when the Holy Spirit manifests. His general purpose is to teach, lead, guide, glorify Christ and bring God’s word to our remembrance. Later Jesus promised that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes (Acts 1:8). And in congregational settings, he also manifests gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). The purpose of these gifts is clearly stated – to profit all. God is a God of purpose and there must be a purpose in what he does. If he gives a prophesy, that will benefit people. If he manifests healing, again people will be blessed. But who is blessed when someone falls down? Most people who fall down, get back up exactly the same. They are not healed, delivered or anything. Some people say God is just giving them carpet time. The only problem with that is that the God of the bible requests devotion from people willingly. He wants us to take time out of our busy lives to devote to him. He will not force this on us. Further, why aren’t people changed for the better when they fall? Why aren’t they more hungry for God afterwards? There is simply no divine purpose in being slain by the Spirit.



DOWNLOAD FREE CHAPTERS FROM OUR NEW BOOKS
Kiss Waiting Goodbye small devil BIG GOD


Possible Reasons for Falling
I can say with a great deal of confidence that God does not throw his people down when he wants to deal with them. How am I so sure? Because it is not consistent with the bible. There is no direct scripture addressing this issue either positively or negatively, but it is just not consistent with what the bible tells us to expect regarding the Holy Spirit. So why then do people fall? Here is a list of possible answers, starting with the most diplomatic.

PEOPLE THROW THEMSELVES DOWN
It is possible that some people just throw themselves down. I know that I threw myself down once. I was at a small prayer meeting and some guy was praying for people, many of whom were being slain. I did not fall when he prayed for me. So he prayed harder. And everyone was encouraging me to “let go”. I supposed that they wanted me to fall. I quickly figured that he was not going to give up until I did. So knowing there were Holy Ghost catchers behind me, I let myself fall backward. Everyone celebrated and praised God for the victory. I threw myself down to get them off my back. But considering how venerable an experience being slain in the Spirit is in charismatic churches, I won’t be surprised if many others allow themselves to fall just to avoid questions like “How come you didn’t receive? Is there some secret sin in your life?” or for some other similar reason.

PERSONAL REACTION TO GOD’S POWER
Another possibility is that this is a personal reaction to God’s power. Many people report feeling something when the Holy Spirit is on them. The feelings vary from hot to cold to trembling, etc. Jesus felt power leave him on one occasion (Mark 5:30). So it is not unheard of. It is possible that some people find the power of God so strong that they simply lose their balance. This seems to me to be the most plausible explanation. But if this is the case, then being slain by the Spirit is not really the grand experience that Charismatics think it is. It is simply a personal reaction. Some find it cold in Canada, some find it bearable. That’s all it is – a personal reaction.

SOME POWER OTHER THAN GOD’S
A more disturbing possibility is that it might be some power other than God. I recently learned that a renowned fellow minister had studied Reiki. This is an eastern practice – the art of laying on of hands. In this practice, they chant certain incantations and invoke certain spirits. It claims to be harnessing your inner power or the power of the universe – just a nice way of saying demonic power. The minister assured me though that he always used Christ’s name during the incantations, to ensure that he accessed God’s power and not the devil’s.

So I thought to myself, “Why did he feel the need to study Reiki?” Forget about whether it works or not, why isn’t praying for people good enough? Why do you need something extra? Is the need for the sensational so strong? Is it possible that the power being demonstrated on charismatic stages is a power that does not come from God? I would sincerely hate to think so, but it would explain a lot. It would explain why people fall without getting healed, why it is inconsistent with what the Bible teaches on the Holy Spirit, and why so many unsaved and questionably saved people are attracted to such ministries. I always knew that charismatics craved spiritual power. It would indeed be sad if they finally settled for a power that was not of


Conclusion
The bible urges us to covet the best gifts. Those would be the ones God called us to operate in, and done with God’s love as the motivating factor. There is no divine purpose in people falling. Personally I don’t care for it in my ministry. My focus is on ministering to people as God would have me to. My desire is to obtain only what God has for me as prescribed in the Holy pages of his Word. Nothing more! If people throw themselves down or fall because they could not physically stand in God’s power, that’s fine. Nothing is lost and nothing is gained. It serves no purpose – good or bad. But if the power is not of God, then that’s where it gets dangerous.

If I am sincerely seeking God, and someone under a demonic power lays hands on me, I do not believe that any demon can transfer to me because Jesus promised that if we asked our Father for bread, he would not give us a serpent. However, people who are not saved and not genuinely seeking God may very well open up themselves to demonic oppression. I sincerely urge my readers to stick with the bible. Don’t crave power so much that you have to go beyond the scriptures to get it. Be satisfied with biblical Christianity. It may not always be glamorous, but it’s all you need.


SFC Bernard Walko SPC Robert Pulliam TSgt Carl Johnson TSgt George Rodriguez SGT Thomas Seward PO1 Richard Nyberg SFC Alvin Miller PO3 Aaron Hassay MSgt Steve Sweeney SSgt Richard Kensinger
LTC Orlando Illi MSgt James "Buck" Buchanan CPO Nate S. SGT Mike Williams PO2 Geoffrey LeNoir CPO Robert (Mac) McGovern
SrA Marianne Santangelo LTC David Brown SFC (Join to see)

Good morning COL Mikel J. Burroughs I think everyone on here has fallen down a few times but we've all gotten ourselves back up again. I don't believe any of us learned to walk without falling a few times (or a lot of times) but the fact that we can all walk proves we have what it takes to get up and try again. What counts is that you have one more effort to get up than you have falls.
I haven't yet made it back into some of the physical training classes I was doing prior to the surgery but I haven't given up. At some point, I will see positive results, but not if I quit.
What are you doing that requires you to get up and try again? Can you find the strength to make another try?
LTC Stephen F. SPC Douglas Bolton Sgt John H. TSgt Joe C. SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL TSgt David L. SMSgt David A Asbury MSgt David Hoffman SGT (Join to see) LTC David Brown CPL Dave Hoover CMSgt (Join to see) Maj Marty Hogan CPT Jack Durish CW5 Jack Cardwell Sgt Randy Wilber SCPO Morris Ramsey SP5 Mark Kuzinski LTC (Join to see)

Good Monday Morning COL Mikel J. Burroughs!!! This is a great discussion topic and I am going to take a brief pause to contemplate how I will respond to it... Be back at it shortly!

...Yep! I paused, but I am back and after re-reading all of the quotes, there is one I found separately, and you also had chosen it and it is the quote from "Confucius"...

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." — Confucius

"Confucius (/kənˈfjuːʃəs/ kən-FEW-shəs; 551–479 BC), also known as Kongzi, was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period. The philosophy of Confucius, also known as Confucianism, emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity."

"His thoughts have influenced Chinese culture right up to the present day. Confucius has become a larger than life figure and it is difficult to separate the reality from the myth."

"Confucian teaching rests on three essential values: Filial piety, humaneness, and ritual. The Confucian value system may be likened in some ways to a tripod, which is one of the great vessels of the Shang and Zhou Period and a motif that reoccurs in later Chinese arts."

In my view, Confucius thought and wrote with simplicity, but with deeper meaning and understanding...that is what falling and rising are all about... "Falling" is but a metaphor for, among others, losing one's way... "Rising", is also a metaphor for fundamentally finding one's way again... And as we think on this more deeply, it can be applied to any part of our lives as the message is loud and clear!

Be it known by all, that...

"Some of us, if not most of us will fall down today or tomorrow, so what, pull yourself back up, brush yourself off, and continue to move forward — that's what really counts!" — COL (Ret) Mikel Burroughs




Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Maj Marty Hogan SSG Byron Howard Sr Lt Col Charlie Brown LTC Stephen F. Col Carl Whicker Maj Robert Thornton CWO3 Dennis M. LTC Wayne Brandon Sgt Deborah Cornatzer PO3 Bob McCord CW5 Jack Cardwell TSgt Joe C. SFC Stephen Lucas SMSgt Lawrence McCarter Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC Douglas Bolton SPC Mark Huddleston