7 LIES I BELIEVED about CHRISTIANITY (and THE TRUTH THAT SET ME FREE)

In this conversation, Erika discusses the lies she once believed about Christianity and the truths she has discovered through her faith. She emphasizes the importance of discernment in identifying true Christians, the misconceptions about boredom in a Christian life, and the significance of understanding biblical teachings on issues like abortion and the rapture. Erika also highlights the necessity of anointing in preaching and warns against judging spiritual leaders by worldly standards. Ultimately, she encourages listeners to seek the truth in the Bible and to be set free from lies that hinder their spiritual growth.

takeaways

• The devil deceives many into believing lies about Christianity.
• Not everyone who claims to be a Christian truly follows Christ.
• Christianity is often misperceived as boring and restrictive.
• The truth about abortion and sharing the gospel is crucial for believers.
• Understanding the rapture is essential for spiritual preparedness.
• Anointing is vital for effective preaching and teaching.
• Worldly standards do not define true anointing or blessing.
• Believing lies can lead to spiritual breakdowns instead of breakthroughs.
• The Bible is a reliable source for discerning truth from lies.
• Seeking truth in Christ leads to freedom and spiritual growth.

#christian

Transcript

Erika (00:00)
The devil is a liar. And Jesus says, my sheep are perishing for lack of knowledge. So that's why today the Holy Spirit has led me to the next topic, seven lies that I used to believe about Christianity because we have all been lied to our whole life.

Jesus is the way he is the truth. He is the answer So before I get into it, my name is Erica and welcome back to where is your voice and ministries? So happy that you're here. So the first lie that I used to believe about Christianity is just because Someone says that you are a Christian means that you are a Christian

This is still a hard truth for me today. And this is why discernment is needed. Because if you live in America, especially the South, everyone is a Christian and they tend to run off new believers. Because new believers have the same mindset of thinking that if someone says they are a Christian, that means they are a Christian.

and they tend to get hurt. You ever heard of church hurts? They tend to get the church hurt. They get misled, lied to about the true nature of God. They run far from God. They are mentioned in the Bible. Jesus declares a terrible fate for them. Matthew chapter 18 verse 6 states,

that if anyone causes one of these little children to stumble who believe in me it will be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. So as you see they have a judgment pending but also the Bible states how you can tell

who are Christians from people who are not Christians. And this is the only way you can tell. So it's not about what they say. It is about what they do. Listed in Matthew chapter seven, verse 15 through 20. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in cheap clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

By their fruit, you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into a fire.

Thus by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the ones who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. So what fruit should we be looking for? Let's see in Galatians chapter five, verse 22 through 23. But the fruit of the Spirit.

is love, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. So that's what people who are saying they are Christians, believers, and they do not possess the fruits of the Spirit, then you know now I can stay away from them.

as Jesus suggested for me to do and pray that they are set free because they are truly in bondage. Lie number two, every Christian is judging me. I laugh about this because it is truly a lie from the enemy that lived in my head rent free. I remember cringing.

before walking into church thinking all the saints can see my sins and they are chanting as I walk by. Shame, shame, shame. And I am so grateful to be free from this lie. The truth is we were all once sinners as stated in 1 Corinthians chapter six, starting in verse eight.

Instead you yourselves cheat and do wrong and you do this to your brother and sister Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived neither the sexual immoral nor auditors Idolatrous nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkers nor slanders nor swindlers nor

will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God. And in 1 John 1, 8, it says, if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves.

and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and purify us from our own righteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. So the enemy tells us this lie that all Christians are judging our

our sins and that they never sin and they have no understanding on my ways and flaws. But the truth is they have a full understanding because as the scripture says we all battle with the same sin and Jesus is who washes us and cleans us from our sins. So we are sinless. If we say we are sinless we are calling God a liar.

So we should be walking into church acknowledging our sins and weaknesses so we can be set free and God's glory would be shown among others. But instead we walk in church and we want to show our strengths. And that's the problem. You have to view church like a hospital. You don't go to the hospital with foot pain about how amazing with foot pain and then you walk in.

embarrassed that you have this foot pain when you go into the hospital and then they ask you, so why are you at the hospital? And instead of saying that your foot is in pain, you go, no, my foot, it feels amazing. I actually don't know why I'm here. I just wanted to see what everybody does at the hospital. No, you're going to tell them exactly how terrible your foot feels so they can judge the level of your pain.

and treat the pain in your foot. That is what church is for. When you go, they are supposed to judge you, but their judgment is not to shame you. It is spiritually discerning judgment. It is put there by the Holy Spirit for two reasons. One reason is to draw you near, closer to Jesus. And the second reason is to make sure

You're not trying to pull them away from Jesus. It's not a judgment to shame you or to make you feel less than. It's there to help you and to help them. If someone is at church making you feel less than or if they're shaming you or making you feel like you're the only sinner or you have no sins,

then they fall into the first lie that I stated that everyone who calls themselves a Christian is not a Christian. So you can't base unfair treatment from people who are posing as believers when you got real believers out here. So you just have to get from among them and find you a church who is going to treat you in the way that the Bible states for you to be.

treated because this is your relationship with God at stake. This is your life at stake. So you should treat this as important as it is. So in Corinthians chapter 2 it says, the person with the spirit makes judgment about all things but such a person is not subject to merely human judgment. So you're judging for spiritual reasons not

human worldly standards. So you should be judging, basing how can I get closer to Jesus or how is this pulling me away from Jesus. Okay, so lie number three is once I become a Christian, I will be bored, not have any friends. And this was a battle for me. Like I almost didn't become a Christian.

Like that's how big this lie was because during the time that I was like really thinking about being a Christian I was like partying, partying, I was doing hub rat stuff with my friends, I was going on dates, I was like living fully in my flesh and it was like if I stopped doing these things like I won't even have anything to talk about because all I talked about at the time was sex.

And I was like, when I hang out with my friends, what will I talk about? And then when I go out to eat with my friends, I always ordered a drink. So was like, how am I going to not order a drink? That just sounds boring. It sounds bland. It doesn't sound like the life for me. So y'all, I kept going to church. I kept reading the Bible, praying, talking to Jesus.

Still trying to hold on to my old ways because I was like, I think I could do both. But this scripture kept popping up in my mind every day. And I didn't really know why. I even have it in a journal where I kept being led to this scripture. And it is Romans 12 to, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

then you will be able to test and approve what God will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will. Yeah, I didn't know it at the time, but in the meantime that I was spending time with God, He was transforming my mind and the life I thought was boring is one of the best lives I could have ever known. Now I don't desire to do any of those things like...

I look at drinking alcohol now like liquid poison. see it as there's no reason why we should do it. I view going to a club and a lounge like a waste of time. I get up early now. I never was an early riser and now I don't even see how anyone could sleep in. I'm like, you're wasting your days by sleeping in. I don't listen to worldly music at all. I only listen to gospel music.

and I could care less about a friend. Do I desire friendships? Absolutely, but if a friend calls me, comes around, it just doesn't really bother me. Because all I care about is having Jesus, and it's all I need is Jesus. So God will renew your mind choices. In John 10, 10 it says,

The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that you may have life and have it abundantly. Unlike a thief, Jesus comes to give, not to get. And others, meaningful, purposeful, joyful, eternal life. But the enemy comes to steal and lie to us by telling us that living a life of partying, friends, success.

wealth, beauty, wisdom is the way to life. That Christian life, you don't want that. You will dislike it. Everyone will dislike you as well. Don't believe those lies like I once did. The Christian life is the way to go. The rest of the other life, is a trap.

bondage with anxiety, depression, and fear, and doubt, insecurities, validation issues, boundary issues, people-pleasing. The list goes on and on, but the enemy will constantly lie to you to keep you in that way. That way you won't have that abundant life that Jesus has for us. Which leads me to the next lie.

Lie number four. I used to believe that abortion, sex, and not sharing the gospel is okay in Christianity. And you will still get to heaven because God's grace is sufficient. Now, let's just go straight to the Bible and see what the Bible says. In Jeremiah chapter one verse five,

It says, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And before you were born, I consecrated you. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. In Revelations chapter 21 verse 6, says, he said to me, it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty, I will give you water without cost.

from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all of this, and I will be their God, they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all the liars, they will be co-signed to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

Full transparency, the hardest one for me was sex. I've never had an abortion before, but I didn't have a stance on it either. I had many friends who were getting them. I didn't care, nor would I even try to stop them from getting one, which also I wasn't sharing the gospel out of fear. I felt like...

That was okay even though the Bible says the faithless and the cowardly will not enter or will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Wow. I started sharing the gospel but I was still struggling with sex. But because of the lies from the enemy I thought that I can still go to heaven.

by doing that until this scripture. This scripture set me free. 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 3 through 8. It is God's will that you should be sanctified, that you should avoid sexual immorality, that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is

holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God, and that this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister, the Lord will punish all those who commit such sins. As we told you and warned you before, for God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

Therefore anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject human beings but God the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit Now this verse set me free Meaning this is what made me have the final choice the decision to repent and Say I will no longer engage

and sex because I don't want to grieve the Holy Spirit which is within me. I don't want to call someone else out of my own selfish flesh desires and they don't go to heaven because of my own doing. And so just with that thought process I gave it up but I am thinking of making another video.

on that process because I do understand that that process is one. It's hard to give that up with the world and the lies and the friends and the people all telling you something completely different and you truly need deliverance from it because if you don't, it's slavery. That's what you're in. But Jesus is the savior and he wants to deliver you and that is not a deal breaker.

None of those are deal breakers. You have to know because it's key in knowing that this journey is hard but Jesus is here to partner with us and break you free from that. So in Matthew chapter 7 verse 13 through 14 it says,

But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life and only if you find it. So I feel like what we try to do is we try to widen that narrow road. We try to widen it and bring things in there that Jesus has already said cannot come. It is impossible. You will not enter heaven this way. So you have to leave those things there.

if you want to enter into heaven. The path of life is narrow, but a lot of us try to ride in the path by adding things that the Bible already states many times we cannot take with us. Lie number five that I used to believe is the truth about the rapture. I don't know why.

This one baffles me. That's why I believe in God so much. Because it doesn't make sense to me that I did not know this. Because I grew up in church, so I should have understood about the rapture, which also makes me think that churches should be preaching about this a lot more. Because if I grew up in church and I didn't understand the when, the how, and the why about Jesus' return.

That to me says a lot about what they're preaching about, but it's important that you know the why of the rapture. The reason why I say that that's important because if you don't know the cornerstone of Jesus returning, that means you don't know the truth of the gospel. If you don't know the truth of the gospel,

How do you prepare for something that you don't understand the truth to? mean, it's like this. Let's say someone you deem as important called you right now and they said, I will be at your house in 30 minutes. I could imagine your next thought being, I wish I had more time.

to prepare for this important person that is coming to my house. 30 minutes is not enough time to prepare for this person who I care about that is coming to my house. I need to clean, I need to get ready. 30 minutes, how do I have enough time? Well, guess what? Jesus is coming back even quicker than 30 minutes.

He will come back in the blink of an eye. If you don't understand the knowledge about Jesus returning, how do you even know that you should be preparing? That was me. Let's go to Thessalonians chapter 5, Brothers and sisters, about times and dates, we don't need to write to you.

For you know very well that the time of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly. As labor pains on a pregnant woman, they will not escape. But you brothers and sisters are not in the darkness so that this day will not surprise you like a thief.

You are children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then let us not be like others who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who are asleep, sleep at night. And those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate of

the hope and salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. And in Luke chapter 12, 42 through 47, the Lord answered, who then is it?

is the faithful and wise manager, whom Master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time. It will be good for that servant, whom the Master finds doing so when he returns. Truly, I tell you, he will put them in charge of all his possessions. But suppose the servant says to himself, my master is taking a long time in coming.

But he then begins to...

To beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. The servants who knows the master will and does not get ready or does do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.

But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who's been given much will be demanded. And from the one who's been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. So the gospel is what removed the veil off my eyes.

I just remember studying this in a small group and as I was thinking and I was reading, I was like, wait, this hasn't happened already? I literally asked myself, this hasn't happened? And then in the next Bible study meeting, it was my first question. was like, so this hasn't happened yet?

they answered, no. And in that moment, my ears and my eyes had opened up and I had been living for Jesus and preparing for that day of his arrival because I do not want to be like the dishonest manager who assumes he has time when he doesn't know the second, the day, the hour, the minute that Jesus is coming back.

So we have to get ready so we can stay ready. All right. Line number six is that as long as someone is speaking the gospel, I could be saved. But missing the fact that there has to be an anointing behind every sermon, every prayer, every book.

I used to go to bed and I would put on this YouTube video where it was like they were saying Bible verses. They would just go through Bible verses and it would be like thunder and rain. Every time I would put this on, I would have nightmares, some of the worst nightmares. I would wake up in a cold sweat and I would keep putting it on because I didn't realize it was this video because I would say...

Why would it be the videos, just Bible verses that are coming on? But then it dawned on me that the person who is saying the Bible verses, it isn't even a person, it's an AI saying those scriptures. So I know for a fact, there is no anointing behind that because it's a machine. So there's no anointing.

behind a machine and you see it so much on social media. You see people who are taking other people's sermons and they're using it as if it's their sermon and there's no anointing behind it. The power that is in the gospel that the minister is preaching so you can be delivered is through the Holy Spirit that is working in them.

So any old gospel can't save you. You must make sure that they are using the Spirit of God because the scripture says in 1 John chapter 4, beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world

By this you know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. And in 1 Samuel chapter 16 verse 13, then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David.

from the day forward and Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and a harmful spear from the Lord tormented him. Then in Acts chapter 10 verse 38, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power he went about doing good and healing all

who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him. So as you see, even Jesus had to be anointed with the Holy Spirit. So you can't listen to the gospel from anything and anyone and expect to be set free. And right now it is growing at like popularity actually because

People don't want to do the hard work. It comes with knowing God and sharing the gospel. They want all the praise for work, but without even doing anything in the first place. I saw this video on YouTube right here and she's passed years ago. So she's clearly not making these videos, but look how many views this video has.

People are watching this, but how many people do you think was set free? Zero. How many people you think drew near to Jesus? Zero, because there is no anointing in this video. And it's sad that people are watching this and not picking the anointed content on YouTube, which there are so many on this platform and others.

And they're choosing this over sound doctrine that is on YouTube. And it's just like, why? Why would someone choose this over sound doctrine? You know, the Bible actually has a reason that talks about this. It is in 2 Timothy chapter four, starting at verse one.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead and by his appearing in his kingdom preach the word ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching.

but have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. So if you're watching those things, you have to ask yourself,

When you choose to watch that over sound doctrine from anointed bodies of Christ, are you like those people who they're warning about in the last days?

All right, anyway, lie number seven. This is my last lie on the list, but there are a lot of lies. I just chose to do seven, but I might do another video with seven more because when I was writing this, I was like, wow, there are a lot of lies. Please educate yourself so you can make yourself more equipped. It's your job.

to do that. Like I said, if the Lord leads me to, I'll make another one. I'll make another video. But the last lie, number seven, is basing how blessed someone is or how anointed someone is by worldly standards.

Meaning if they are a preacher and they have a massive following, big house, dressed nice, speaks well, wisdom, attractive, charming, I would deem them as someone who was close to the Lord, someone who was blessed. Blessed.

And the thing about it is these are worldly standards. These are not things that deem how blessed someone is or how anointed someone is. Jesus himself ran from crowds. He was homeless. And some of the wisest people in the world hated him. They laughed at Paul and said he wasn't much in person. John the Baptist, they labeled as

crazy and the shepherds were deemed as nobodies. So we can't base blessings or how anointed someone is on worldly standards. It's only what the Bible says. In Revelation chapter 13 verse 13 it says, performs great signs even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people.

This is speaking of the Antichrist. The Antichrist will be able to perform signs. He will be wealthy, attractive, charming, have wisdom. This is why we must base how blessed and how anointed someone is based on what the Bible says solely. That way we won't be deceived. If you want to know if someone is truly anointed,

Do they have the fruits of the Spirit? Are they loving? If you want to know how blessed someone is, you can read about them. And there's some in Matthew chapter five, verse three through 12, it says, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they should be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they should inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they should be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth but if the salt

has lost his tape, how shall it be saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled upon people's feet. So the most anointed people are the ones who have endured the most. The most blessed people are the ones who are still enduring, not the ones you see on a Ya and My tie posting. How blessed.

their life is, the ones you don't see. The ones when you do see, all they do is share their weaknesses and talk about Jesus. Those are the ones that are blessed. Those are the ones who are anointed. I just wanted to share that was a lie that I used to believe and I follow a lot of false prophets believing that lie. But anyway.

Those are my seven lies that I used to believe that I no longer believe thanks to Jesus, the truth. Who wants to be following a lie? Let me tell you, if you are believing a lie, you're never going to have a breakthrough. You're going to have a breakdown eventually. You want to have a breakthrough, you want to be set free, you want to have that abundant life. You can't believe the lies.

And if there is a lie that you think you could believe in, go to the Bible. The Bible does not contradict itself. If you're believing something and it is contradicting itself in the Bible, that's a good way on how you know you're believing a lie, because the Bible do not contradict itself, and God cannot lie.

So anyway, I'm gonna go ahead and pray.

I hope you all have an amazing day. Share this with some people that you know are believing in lies. They should not be believing and they need to be set free. Lord, we come to you in the name of Jesus as your humble servants, Lord. We are so thankful for you, God. We want you to know, Lord, that we are eager to know the truth.

We are eager to be set free from every lie, Lord. And we understand that as a baby, Lord, that lies have been given to us, Lord. And we know only you can reveal the truth to us, Lord. So we are praying that you will open our eyes and our ears and reveal every deception.

that has been brought to us, Lord, so we can be set free in all truth and all knowledge, and knowing that there is freedom in Christ, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. All right. Have a great night.