Beth Moore and the 'Women of Faith' conferences

This past weekend my beloved was able to go to a 'Women of Faith' conference. She went up a day earlier for a 'pre-conference' with Beth Moore. This was the second time my beloved was able to see Beth Moore and she loves going to her conferences, but she is not all that keen with the Women of Faith conferences. On Friday the worship was interactive, and while Beth was speaking the lights remained up. My beloved is not one who is an "out of the box" worship singer. That is she needs to really focus on the music and focus on herself (in regards to singing) in order to really engage with it. But she really enjoyed the time of worship. The musicians were not over powering, and the lyrics were 'posted' for all to see. Whil Beth Moore was speaking the lights remained up. While she was speaking my beloved was able to read the scripture references and take notes. She was able to be 'interactive' with the speaker and thus she was able to get more out of it. In contrast, on Saturday, my beloved felt removed from the teaching and singing. The music was over powering, hard to follow along with, and it felt like it was more for the audience to sit and listen as opposed to participate in. As the speakers rotated up on stage the lights remained down, and it was very hard to read along scripture references, let alone take notes. My beloved told me, "... it felt very 'showy'. Like they were there more to entertain than to teach." In the end she was disappointed with the main conference, but once again walked away from the Beth Moore segment like she had actually learned something. I think the reason I am posting about this today, is that it sort of goes along with my entry from yesterday. We, as children of God, should not have to be entertained to draw us to sit at the Savior's feet. We should be drawn in to sit and listen, to learn. To interact and take what is being shown to us and make it a part of our soul. Part of my 'theology' - if you will - is charismatic. That is, I believe we are to interact with our Savior on an emotional level. But, I am also - at least partially - 'reformed' in my 'theology'. That is we need to test everything against the Word of God. The enemy of our souls is a master deciever. Our emotions are finiky and easily manipulated. The gifts of the Spirit (which I also believe are for the children of God today) can be imitated or faked. But just because the enemy can decieve us through these does not mean God does not still use it. But it does mean we need to be constantly on-guard. I think a guiding theme for me relationship with God is becoming similar to what those who are experts at discovering counterfit currency. Study the original. Study it so much that it becomes so familiar that when the false is present it something feels off. Even if it cannot be immediately determined. We need to constantly seek out our Heavenly Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. We need to seek to be in fellowship with God so much so, that when the enemy asks us, "Dis God really say?" we can reply with confidence, "thus says the Lord...". Please do not misunderstand me. I am not trying to say that the 'Women of Faith' conferences are a waste of time, or that they are somehow performing a dis-service to the body of Christ. What I am saying is that we should not seek these things out to be nurished. The Word of God, no matter how it is presented, can be fruitful and meaningful. I just want to encourage my fellow brothers and sisters to not remain at such a level, but to seek and grow beyond. Verse for today: Matthew 4:1-11, ESV Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up,lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.