His or her strength isn’t proven until it actually lifts and overcomes weight.
No matter how much they claim to love one another…
Their love and marriage isn’t proven until challenged by a real rival.
No matter how strong they claim their faith to be…
It isn’t proven until confronted with a real reason to doubt God.
1 Peter 1:7 (NLT)
7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
We have more in common than we sometimes realize, even when we disagree.
Two of the most controversial topics in America, if not the world, are BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME and WHITE PRIVILEGE They are both issues that are quickly deflected when mentioned to many in their respective races.
BLACK-ON-BLACK CRIME
There are countless neighborhoods in America where many of the residents live in fear, not of racists…not of other races…but of people who look like them. There is vigorous debate as to the causes such as generational poverty, systematic racism, the drug epidemic, organized gangs and others. However, the problem still persists and is undeniable. Many people within the Black community act just the same as people of other races when certain neighborhoods and cities are mentioned. The fact is that many of the EXTERNAL REASONS have been accepted as EXCUSES by many.
WHITE PRIVILEGE
Even if a white person is born in abject poverty and works very hard to become successful, the fact that they benefited from a system that was designed through generations that put them at an advantage. Societal attitudes, preferences, and norms have been established from a ‘white’ perspective. Even from the simple fact that many products whose packaging lists the color as ‘nude’ is the color of white flesh. The fact that beauty standard for generations have been based on ‘European’ features. And, that ‘acceptable’ history has been recorded from one perspective (for examples, Native Americans were portrayed as savages, and cowboys as heroes) . Injustice, inequality, inequity and a sense of entitlement (even though sometimes unintentional) is an undeniably interwoven into United States history as the extraordinary opportunities that the country offers.
As different as these two issues may be, they have some things in common and they have common solutions.
BOTH PROVOKE A DEFENSIVE RESPONSE
When you mention Black-on-Black crime to or White privilege to many members of their respective races, they are quick to respond…”There is no such thing!” Mentioning both issues quickly yield a defensive response. Both issues are quickly deflected with reasons to either justify, excuse or dismiss the behavior.
PEOPLE WITHIN EACH RACE ARE AFRAID TO ADMIT THE PROBLEM BECAUSE OF THE BACKLASH
There are many people in both communities who quietly agree there is a problem, but they know if they speak up about it they will be ridiculed by people within their own race.
BOTH HAVE BIBLICAL EXAMPLES
Israel spent 400 years of slavery in Egypt. After being established in the “Promised Land”, they were exiled in a strange country and considered second-class citizens. Even in the days of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) they were under Roman rule and considered second-class citizens in their own land. This caused internal and cultural challenges within the Jewish nation.
A gentle once told me, there is no such thing as ‘white privilege’ in the Bible. My response was study the Romans…the people, not the New Testament book. The Romans were European conquerors who felt entitled to the spoil of whomever they conquered. In the case of Israel, the Romans considered themselves superior, they did not associate with the Jews on an equal level, and their very empire was set-up to give them an advantage economically, socially and legally.
BOTH ISSUES SHARE COMMON SOLUTIONS
No matter what external challenges the Jews faces, God still expected them to maintain the integrity of His name and to always represent Him in their behavior through the most difficult situations. Look at what God told them while exiled in Babylon…
Jeremiah 29:4-14 (NKJV)
4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.
10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.
So God doesn’t give ‘a pass’ to indulge in crime because of the external challenges.
God also has an expectation of those who find themselves in a position of power. . Being a member of the majority puts one at an advantage. To be a member of the ‘majority’ is a position of strength. And, what is God’s expectation of ‘the strong’?
Romans 15:1-2 (NKJV)
We then who are strong ought to bear with the [a]scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to [b]edification.
God expects those who are in the position of strength to consider those who are weaker rather than please themselves.
Both Black and White people must:
Amit to themselves their own cultural challenges.
Courageously and aggressively address those challenges INTERNALLY in spite of any EXTERNAL causes or influences.
Every race and society must promote a culture and expectation must of EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE that perfectly aligns with the word of God. Many of our problems in society can be solved through cultures of high Emotional Intelligence (when one is aware of his or her emotions and the emotions of those around them and the ability to control their emotions).
Promote a culture of EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE that perfectly aligns with the word of God. Many of our problems in society can be solved through cultures of high Emotional Intelligence (when one is aware of his or her emotions and the emotions of those around them and the ability to control their emotions).
Crime, an attitude of privilege, as well as other sins…murder, theft, fornication, adultery, rage, wrath, revenge, greed, hatred, drunkenness, idolatry, selfishness can be cured by controlling our emotions. This must be achieved on and individual and cultural level. And, this behavioral science concept aligns perfectly with scripture…
Ephesians 4:31-32 (NKJV)
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, [a]clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Colossians 3:5-11 (NKJV)
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
God give us the responsibility to change, and the gift of His Holy Spirit to make those changes.
We all have more in common than we often realize, even when we disagree.
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 “‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’
27 “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
It can be annoying when someone who has hurt you never apologize and act as though they didn’t do anything.
But as time goes on you may notice that their behavior reflects they are sorry for what they did, even if they never apologize with their mouth.
If their behavior has changed and they don’t go back to thar dark place in their relationship with you, you’ve gotten something better than an apology… you’ve gotten repentance.
Forgive them.
Colossians 3:13 (NKJV)
13 (A)bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
This post isn’t a discussion about whether the antichrist comes before or after the return of Yeshua the Messiah, but how the stage is being set. Just as John the Baptist ‘prepared the way of the Lord’, the enemy is preparing hearts to accept his emissaries.
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”
Emissaries of the ‘evil one’ attempt to disguise themselves. The antichrist won’t deceive the people through presumptuous sins, but by appearing to care about what concerns them (an angel of light).
When you read the bible closely, the antichrist will bring what appears to be peace and prosperity before revealing who he really is. He will be a man of great boasting and arrogance, pride, insults, unrepentance, unforgiveness, accusations are all attributes of the enemy.
Pride is the FIRST mentioned of the 7 deadly sins. Israel wasn’t exiled because of the ‘heathens’ and their overt sins in the land, but because of their own idolatry, pride, compromise, hypocrisy, arrogant leaders, and yes denying justice to the oppressed (Isaiah Chapters 1 and 10).
Yeshua consistently rebuked the Pharisees for their cherry-picked sins, hypocrisy, self-righteousness and the attitude they owned the narrative as to which sins concerned God the most.
Many well-meaning believers who claim to ‘vote the bible’ justify pride, forsake God’s day of rest, celebrate paganism, teach their children that Santa Claus is omnipresent, blaspheme by calling our celebration of Jesus’s resurrection by a pagan goddess’s name, deny justice because they have decided these sins ‘aren’t a big deal’. The Apostle John said the SPIRIT of the antichrist is already here. The Apostles John and Paul said many believers will be fooled. The stage is being set for his appearance…and believers are distracted by two politicized sins, (and yes, they are sins) worshiping our economy and their guns. #ByTheirFruitsYouShallKnowThem
Should you leave your faith at home when you go to work? Remember, that Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, engaged Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew while they were busy working on their jobs.
He could have waited until they finished for the day, but he ministered to them while they were still working.
Matthew 4:18-22 (NKJV)
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Matthew 9:9-13 (NKJV)
9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
Sometimes God places disciples in the workplace to be light.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV)
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
God hates pride just as much as lying, abortion, murderers, devious schemes, eagerness to commit evil, being a false, and sowing discord among those who are close.
We don’t define what God hates the most based on what we hate the most.
We don’t define the narrative of which sins are most detestable and which aren’t.
Remember God was so pissed off at those who forsook His day of rest, He commanded they be stoned. This was an example. That seems like a minor sin today, as many ‘put off’ work they could do any other day for The Lord’s Day.
There is a reason that God listed Pride first among the 7 deadly sins…so many other sins emanate from it.
Proverbs 6:16-19 (NKJV)
16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to [a]Him: 17 (A)A[b] proud look, (B)A lying tongue, (C)Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 (D)A heart that devises wicked plans, (E)Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 (F)A false witness who speaks lies, And one who (G)sows discord among brethren.
Luke 18:9-14 NKJV The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector 9 Also He spoke this parable to some (A)who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee (B)stood and prayed thus with himself, (C)‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; (D)for everyone who exalts himself will be [a]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, (A)choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether (B)the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of [a]the River, or (C)the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. (D)But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Have you ever ‘stepped back’ and examined your personal motives behind your worship?
If we aren’t careful we can go to church expecting God to ‘worship’ and focus on our personal issues, family problems, professional struggles instead of us focusing on worshipping Him in spirit snd truth.
If we aren’t careful, we can make our worship about our hopes and dreams rather than praising God and making Him feel welcome in His house.
If we aren’t careful, we can spend our entire time in worship lamenting about our health and everything going wrong in our lives, instead of rejoicing in Him and giving thanks for His goodness, grace, mercy and faithfulness!
If we aren’t careful… we can make church about us rather than worshipping the Lord God of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting through our Lord and Savior Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ!
Please watch the short video above from a worship service back in 2019.
Sex is a gift from God. Even though it’s the means He intended for us to be fruitful and multiply, it is also meant to be enjoyed within the bonds of holy matrimony between a man and a woman.
Our bodies with their various curves, shapes, textures, contrast of colors, smells etc., are meant to provoke sexual arousal. It’s up to us to control these urges so that they are only fulfilled within marriage.
One of those divine combinations of curves, shapes, textures, and contrast of colors is the female breast.
Yes, these were created for mothers to make sure their children are nourished, but that’s not all.
They were also created for the mutual pleasure of the husband and the wife. Breasts were created:
As a means of seducing her husband…
For her pleasure during times of intimacy…
To be aesthetically pleasing to entice her husband…
For his enjoyment during times of intimacy…
The fact is that even though God created female breasts to nurse their children, that boobs aren’t just for the babies. Check out these bible verses about female breasts and intimacy within marriage.
Proverbs 5:18-19 (NKJV)
18 Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. 19 As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be [a]enraptured with her love.
Song of Solomon 1:12-13 (NKJV)
12 While the king is at his table, My [a]spikenard sends forth its fragrance. 13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, That lies all night between my breasts.
Song of Solomon 4:4-5 (NKJV)
4 Your neck is like the tower of David, Built for an armory, On which hang a thousand [a]bucklers, All shields of mighty men. 5 Your two breasts are like two fawns, Twins of a gazelle, Which feed among the lilies
Song of Solomon 7:2-3, 8(NKJV)
2 Your navel is a rounded goblet; It lacks no [a]blended beverage. Your waist is a heap of wheat Set about with lilies. 3 Your two breasts are like two fawns, Twins of a gazelle.
Song of Solomon 7:8 (NKJV)
8 I said, “I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of its branches.” Let now your breasts be like clusters of the vine, The fragrance of your [a]breath like apples,
Song of Solomon 8:10 (NKJV)
10 I am a wall, And my breasts like towers; Then I became in his eyes As one who found peace.
Hebrews 13:4 (NKJV)
4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
1 Corinthians 7:2-5 (NLT)
2 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.
3 The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. 4 The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.
5 Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
So, couples enjoy one another, and may your marriages…
BE BLESSTIFIED!
You may also enjoy these BE BLESSTIFIED articles on Godly marriage…
It happens every new year. Those prosperity preachers who want to ‘tickle the ears’ of their congregations make their annual claim, “This is your season for BREAKTHROUGH!!!
Good news is a great way to convince struggling members to ‘sow a seed’ into many of these ‘self-serving’ ministries.
The fact is that many hear this promise every year and never get their ‘check-in-the-mail’ breakthrough.
Yes, there are some good, transparent ministries out there doing great Kingdom work by serving the community and building relationships with God.
But, there are quite a few hustlers out there too.
It’s amazing how many of the true prophets in the bible were thrown into prison and persecuted.
Why?
BECAUSE, THEY DIDN’T ONLY DELIVER GOOD NEWS.
They warned the people of what God would do if they didn’t turn from their sins. Most of the time this wasn’t well received.
They also reminded the people of God’s unfailing love and willingness to forgive and restore if they turned from their wickedness.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
However, whether the news be good or bad, the one constant has always been the test for a true prophet is that the word came true.
Deuteronomy 18:21-22 (NKJV)
21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
Don’t allow those who pervert the Word of God by reducing it to a message of selfishness and prosperity harden your heart.
Use the word of God to distinguish between FAKE NEWS and FAITH NEWS.
BE BLESSTIFIED! 