Signs and wonders in the last days will come, many times, from sources other than the Holy Spirit; in fact, occult activities.  Some “miracles and signs” are done through the psychic realm.  If you watch some of these magicians and the things they can do, it’s pretty interesting.  I don’t want to get off on this at all, but these people are students of the human mind.  They know how the mind works.  It does not take in all of the information.  It’s not seeing everything that’s going on. It’s filling in the gaps.  “A always leads to B, I’ve grown up all my life knowing A leads to B.”  They’re taking the assumption that your mind is trained that way.  They slip something in-between A and B and your mind comes up with B, “Because A always leads to that.”  It’s interesting how these magicians can do that and how we sit there, many times, amazed at what they’re doing.  It’s just a psychological fact of how the mind is able to work and process information.

But as we’re talking about these “good works,” that James speaks about in the fourth chapter, verse 17, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”  That's a very interesting statement, this aspect of the “good works” that sometimes seems to be in opposition to grace and faith.  Hebrews, Chapter 13, verse 16 says, “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”  Psalm 37, verse 3, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land.”  So, we see, that James and these other passages are speaking to the false doctrine that was being promoted in that day, saying Paul was teaching a doctrine that said, “It doesn’t matter what you do, grace is sufficient, faith is sufficient, acceptable with God.”  Therefore, we come up with these false teachings that are spoken and presented in this particular manner, “I’ve accepted Jesus.  I’m right with God in my heart.  I don’t go to church.  I don’t read my Bible, but I love Jesus.”  Well, James has a problem with that, I have a problem with that, and in fact, Paul has a problem with that.  But it’s so prominent in the church, today, that it allows us to be deceived.  Many people who profess to be Christians come into a dualism in thinking that, somehow, they can be right with God in their heart and in the spirit realm and what their bodies do doesn’t matter.