16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to [a]Him: 17 A[b] proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.
God hates pride, and that has never changed. Yet, it has become common and accepted to be proud and express that pride. To be clear…
Racial pride is a sin…
National pride (disguised as patriotism) is a sin…
Gay pride is a sin…
Being proud of your accomplishments is a sin…
Being proud of your children is a sin…
“I’m a proud American!”
“I’m proud to be Black!”
“I’m proud to be White!”
“I’m proud of my heritage!”
“I’m proud of our traditions!”
“I’m proud of my child!”
‘I’m proud of my accomplishments!”
God does not excuse pride, no matter how we justify it.
Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV)
18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:5 (NKJV)
5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.
Did you see that? The bible just said that being proud is an abomination, something that stinks in the nostrils of God. Yes, sin is sin, all sin is wrong, but an abomination is a sin that really ‘pisses’ God off and kindles His anger even more. Kinda like…it’s one thing for someone to pinch you, but it’s a another thing if they were to shoot you.
PRIDE DISGUISED AS ARROGANCE IS A PLAGUE OF THE SPIRIT IN AMERICA
Just watch the news. Just look at social media. Just read some blogs. Humility is viewed by many as weakness, but being loud, being mean, being ‘tough’, being insulting, being condescending, being disrespectful is being validated by too many of our national leaders. The shame is those who call themselves disciples of Christ are not holding leaders accountable. The result will be the next generation will grow to believe this is behavior that is acceptable by God.
God resists those who are proud…
James 4:6 (NKJV)
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
Humility pleases God. Look at the Fruit (evidence) of God’s Holy Spirit…
Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
In our culture, too many people view people with these qualities as weak.
Remember this. Anytime that you feel compelled to say, I’M PROUD, saying I’M THANKFUL is always more appropriate.
“I’m thankful for my children” rather than “I’m proud of my children”.
It’s amazing to see how many Christians hurl these words at one another as an insult.
They say this implying someone is blindly following some ‘pied piper’ without any intelligence (especially politically), while they can’t see themselves doing the very same thing they are accusing others of…following some person, group, party or ideology.
These terms SHEEP and SHEEPLE are also used by atheists when attempting to insult Christians.
However, they don’t realize they are telling the truth. I’m glad to be one of Yeshua the Messiah’s ‘SHEEP’.
John 10:11-15 NKJV
11 (A)“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a [a]hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and (B)leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and (C)I know My sheep,and (D)am known by My own. 15 (E)As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; (F)and I lay down My life for the sheep.
Matthew 25:31-46 NKJV
31 (A)“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the [a]holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 (B)All the nations will be gathered before Him, and (C)He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the (D)sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, (E)inherit the kingdom(F)prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 (G)for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; (H)I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was(I)naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; (J)I was in prison and you came to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand,(L)‘Depart from Me, you cursed, (M)into the everlasting fire prepared for (N)the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer [b]Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, (O)inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And (P)these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
And apparently, King David was honored to be one of God’s sheep.
Psalm 23 NKJV
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is(A)my shepherd; (B)I shall not [a]want. 2 (C)He makes me to lie down in [b]green pastures; (D)He leads me beside the [c]still waters. 3 He restores my soul; (E)He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of (F)the shadow of death, (G)I will fear no evil; (H)For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You (I)prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You (J)anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will [d]dwell in the house of the Lord [e]Forever.
So, if someone calls you a SHEEP, they are most likely ignoring the fact they are following some ‘shepherd’ themselves.
And, if someone calls me a sheep I will quickly say, “THAT’S RIGHT, AND THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD!”
King David was fleeing for his life. He was running from a man to whom he was devoted, King Saul. He had done nothing hurt Saul, but the King knew that God had rejected him and chosen David. So he sought every chance he had to kill him, David, a man who honored him. The fact is that David knew God had chosen him. The Judge and Prophet Samuel had anointed David in 1 Samuel Chapter 16…
1 Samuel 16:12-13 (NIV)
12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
How could God be anointed for the throne if God is allowing him to be pursued by the current king…running for his life?
However, David escaped to a cave in Adullum and then this happened…
1 Samuel 22:1-2 (NKJV)
David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was[a]discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.
Notice how The Message Translation says it…
1 Samuel 22 (The Message)
1-2 So David got away and escaped to the Cave of Adullam. When his brothers and others associated with his family heard where he was, they came down and joined him. Not only that, but all who were down on their luck came around—losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts. David became their leader. There were about four hundred in all.
There were about four hundred men who heard that David had taken refuge in the cave. They weren’t what their current society called ‘the best of men’. They weren’t affluent. They weren’t cultured. And, apparently they weren’t considered to be ‘winners’.
They were in distress…
They were in debt…
They were ‘bitter of soul’…
They were losers…
They were vagrants…
They were misfits…
David, a man chosen by God, did not reject these men. He became their leader. Leaders today don’t want those who are rejected…they want winners. I have heard preacher proclaim that they don’t want to pastor a bunch of ‘broke people’. I have heard national leaders refer to others as ‘losers’. Coaches want the best athletes on their team. Corporate leaders want the best working for them. Everybody wants winners. No one wants to be the one left after the team captains have chosen who they want on their team.
But it was these losers and misfits who fought with David down his difficult road to kingship, until Saul died and he became king of Hebron and then all of Israel.
Those 400 losers were a blessing to David at his lowest point. David was a blessing to them at their lowest point.
Just because ‘the world’ sees someone as a ‘loser’ doesn’t mean that God does!
Just because they’re a ‘loser’ doesn’t mean they didn’t fight valiantly.
Just because they’re in debt doesn’t mean they weren’t wise with their money.
Just because they’re ‘bitter of soul’ doesn’t mean that the world hasn’t given them good reason to be.
Just because they’re considered to be ‘misfits’ doesn’t mean they are capable of greatness with the right leadership.
If you’re a leader, don’t ever look down on those who God has trusted you enough to send to you. Don’t consider yourself TOO GOOD to lead anyone.
If you consider yourself a ‘loser’ or a ‘misfit’, don’t consider yourself NOT GOOD ENOUGH to be used by God.
Remember this…
1 Corinthians 1:27 (NKJV)
27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
Never despise ‘small people’ or small beginnings…
Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)
10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”
There is a horrible Christian subculture that is trying to take over the identity of those who believe in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ). Especially in America, Christianity is being characterized by mean-spirited, insulting, gun-loving radicals who aren’t much different than what they love to identify as ‘radical-Islam’.
The fact is that if the devil can provoke us to become mean, he can destroy anyone’s desire to become a part of the Kingdom of God.
If the devil can make us ‘mean’, he can change our motives. It’s not about what God wants anymore, but…
about feeding our anger…
about proving we are right…
about condemnation rather than salvation.
Is your anger at sin truly about what God wants or doesn’t want, or about which sins you want to be angry about?
Too many Christians condemn the HIGH PROFILE sins, while excusing pride, insults, arrogance, idolatry, blasphemy and the sins that they have decided that God isn’t as concerned about.
My wife once told me after a sermon, “What you said was good, and true, but I think you lost some of the people because you were preaching like you were angry.”
At first I made excuses, but when I thought about it, she was right. Was I angry at the sin, or was I angry at the sinner? Who do we really think we can convert through ‘fussing at them’ all the time?
When we’re angry, we open the door for our flesh to speak louder than God’s spirit.
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV)
26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give [a]place to the devil.
Colossians 4:6 (NKJV)
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
No matter how much we may feel that we are passionate about the right thing, if we don’t spread God’s word in love, we are doing more harm than good, and He will hold us accountable for being a stumbling block.
Stop and take notice of your tone…your expression… your attitude…your motives, and make sure that the enemy hasn’t hijacked your intentions, just as he did Judas Iscariot. Remember, he was among those who were sent out to cast out demons and work miracles, but the enemy defiled his intentions and motives…
Luke 22:3 (NKJV)
3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.
When I see the behavior of some who call themselves believers online, on television, on social media… it think about what my wife told me.
If you can’t spread your faith in love, keep it to yourself.
All of us want to be appreciated and there’s nothing wrong with that. The problem comes in when we allow not being appreciated to not only cause us disappointment and stress, but to allow us to stop doing what God expects us to do in regard to others and Him.
Learning to have joy, even when being unappreciated, is a part of being spiritually mature.
We are not going to be appreciated when we have selflessly given our best and sacrificed for others.
They won’t always get it…
They won’t always care…
They will sometimes even say, “I didn’t ask you to do it!”
The truth be told, when you’re honest with yourself, do you fully appreciate everyone that you should? Do you fully appreciate the sacrifice that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made for our sins?
You won’t ever experience the true peace and joy that God intends for our lives until you learn to have joy when being unappreciated. God still loves us and gives us His best even when we don’t appreciate Him. Oh, yes we say we do, but our actions sometimes say otherwise. Every time we complain, we ‘say’ we don’t appreciate God’s sovereignty over our lives…
Philippians 2:14 N (NKJV)
14 Do all things without [a]complaining and disputing,[b]
1 Corinthians 10:10 (NKJV)
10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
I recommend, if you already don’t, that you make asking God for help in learning to have joy even when unappreciated a part of your regular prayer life. Yes, it’s hard, but that’s one of the reasons He told us through the apostle Paul that we can do all things through Christ…
Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
13 I can do all things through [a]Christ who strengthens me.
Learn to have joy and be satisfied in seeing the fruit of the good seeds you’ve planted even when those who benefit don’t appreciate you or acknowledge you. And realize that some never will. Just as some never will appreciate God.
Of course it refers to when an adult employee must be disciplined or reprimanded by their supervisor, principal, manager…whomever they report to or answer to for doing something wrong on the job.
Most managers, no matter what level, are responsible and accountable for their direct reports, and must answer to his or her manager.
We live in a culture where ‘chewing out’ subordinates is accepted and common, but that doesn’t make it right.
So here’s my question. At what point does does workplace discipline, chewing out, or a sharp rebuke, become disrespectful?
When it’s too loud?
When it’s public?
When there’s profanity?
When the subordinate is insulted?
When the subordinate is belittled?
When the subordinate is embarrassed?
When the subordinate is humiliated?
When it’s malicious?
When it’s out of anger and emotion?
What is necessary to properly address the problem? What is necessary to ensure it never happens again? Is it necessary to be an example to others?
Some argue it may be more necessary and acceptable in the military and law enforcement where lives are at stake, but the bible even addresses their behavior.
Luke 3:14 (NKJV)
14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”
Even the bible teaches that leaders are to rebuke, or correct sharply…but what does that mean? How do you correct someone in a volunteer organization such as the church?
2 Timothy 4:2 (NKJV)
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
But, we know that it’s not God’s will for a minister to rebuke with profanity or malice. God has told us to not allow any unclean communication to come out of our mouths…
Ephesians 4:29 (NKJV)
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
This admonition is universal, not excused in the workplace, on a team* or even in the military…at least for disciples of Christ. Unfortunately, many of those who disrespect others with their mouths claim to be believers.
I feel that America is the greatest country on earth, however our country is not beyond reproach. Everyone DOES NOT experience and HAS NOT experienced ‘America’ the same.
God presents the history of His relationship with Israel and all of humanity by telling the ‘good’, ‘bad’, and ‘ugly’ of that relationship.
His story includes numerous rebukes of His chosen people followed by calls to repentance.
Throughout the bible, God continued to demand that Israel repent of the ‘sins of their fathers’ rather than justify, excuse or glorify them…
2 Chronicles 29:5-8 (NLT)
5 He said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites! Purify yourselves, and purify the Temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all the defiled things from the sanctuary. 6 Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned the Lord and his dwelling place; they turned their backs on him. 7 They also shut the doors to the Temple’s entry room, and they snuffed out the lamps. They stopped burning incense and presenting burnt offerings at the sanctuary of the God of Israel.
8“That is why the Lord’s anger has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem. He has made them an object of dread, horror, and ridicule, as you can see with your own eyes.
America’s story is filled with ‘good’, ‘bad’, and ‘ugly.
Acknowledging that fact is not unpatriotic or un-American , but it’s responsible with biblical support.
Because of America’s past and present there have been legacies, paradigms and cultures established that result in the fact that everyone hasn’t and doesn’t experience this great country the same.
Let me give you an analogous example:
I used to work for an great Fortune 300 company that has provided the means for an awesome standard of living for it‘s employees for decades.
Employees of this company at manager level and above (which I was) recieved an annual bonus based on performance. This company historically performed well when the economy was healthy, but performed even better when the economy wasn’t doing well. Because of this, the bonuses were always very good, often 5 and 6 figure bonuses based on each employee’s level in hierarchy.
Unfortunately, employees below manager level did (and do not) receive a bonus. These employees are on the front lines and have a huge influence on the company’s bottom line. They work just as hard and it can easily be argued that they deserve the bonus just as much, if not more.
So, the employees of this great company don’t experience the company the same.
The company is systemically set up so that some employees have a much ‘richer’ experience.
Does everyone where your work ‘experience’ the company the same?
It’s the same for our great country of America. All Americans don’t have the same ‘American’ experience.
There are many people who judge the patriotism and devotion of others based on how they feel others should respond to how to their ‘American’ experience.
To many people pets are just like one of the family. And, just like any other family member that you love, any good pet owner wants the best for their pet.
Just like a child, a pet must be nurtured and taken care of, so many people spare no expense on what they feed their pet and for their medical care.
Even though pets don’t have an eternal soul, they do have a spirit. They do have a nonphysical force within them to give them consciousness, that makes them alive.
If you believe in God, then you also believe in the adversary, and if you believe in the adversary you believe in demons, (also called evil and unclean spirits), those fallen angels who are constantly trying to negatively influence the lives of human beings.
And, if you believe in the bible as the word of God, you know that demons can live inside of humans…coming and going, influencing their behavior…
Matthew 12:43-45(NKJV)
43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
Mark 9:17-18 (NKJV)
17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
The ‘house’ mentioned above in Matthew Chapter 12 is a LIVING host.
But, if demons can get into people, including children can they also get into our pets?
Can that explain the behavior sometimes of when pets misbehave? Should we be careful of stray animals we encounter because of what they’ve been exposed to? Can a demon use an animal as a vehicle to get access to a person whom they are seeking to influence or occupy?
Are there examples of demons in the bible? Well, in the very first book of the bible the chief of demons (I don’t capitalize his title or name) satan, entered and worked through a serpent, before it was demoted to crawl on the ground…
Genesis 3:1-15 (NKJV)
3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was[a]pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves [b]coverings.
8 And they heard the [c]sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the [d]cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
Thewoman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
And, don’t forget the time that the demons who were possessing a man begged Yeshua to allow them to enter a herd of pigs…
Matthew 8:28-34 (NASB)
28 When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, twomen who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. 29 And they cried out, saying, “[a]What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before [b]the time?” 30 Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. 31 The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” 32 And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. 33 The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, [c]including what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.
Yes there is biblical evidence that demons can occupy animals. Now if you don’t believe the bible this isn’t for you, but if you do, then you can’t ignore it.
So we don’t only have to be careful of what evil we expose ourselves and our families to, we also have to be careful of what evil we expose our pets to as well. It’s okay to rescue animals, but if you are a believer, make sure you ask God in the Name of Yeshua the Messiah, (Jesus Christ) to cast our any unclean spirits and command they never return, just as Christ said in Mark Chapter 9…
Mark 9:25 (NASB)
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was [a]rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I [b]command you, come out of him and do not enter him [c]again.”
Check out the scene above from the movie FALLEN staring Denzel Washington, and look where the ‘evil spirit’ in that movie finds a ‘host’. Even though it’s just for entertainment, I thought it brought great context to the subject.
There are so many times in today’s society that those who claim to believe in God through Yeshua the Messiah try to justify their behavior or the behavior of someone they support even when it’s contrary to what the Lord said.
When we do this, we are expecting God to submit to our will rather than us submit to His.
Example, I remember a few years ago Sara Huckabee Sanders, when questioned about the President’s so-called ‘strong words’ said, we elected him because he is strong and “when he is struck he strikes back”. This in direct conflict with Yeshua’s command to ‘turn the other cheek’. He didn’t say ‘unless you’re the President’.
So many times we feel justified in retaliating against an enemy. But, the Lord made it clear we are to bless them and look for opportunities to do good to them.
Yeshua gave some very clear commands in Luke Chapter 6 and they apply to everyone. Notice that the word UNLESS doesn’t follow any of these statements…
Luke 6:27-36 (NKJV)
27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the onecheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold yourtunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, [a]hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
How many times do you try to put an ‘unless’ behind what God said?
Even though there are many races and cultures in America, it’s undeniable that many of America’s issues are in ‘Black & White’. That’s unfortunate because when God called Abram, and renamed Him Abraham…He created a faith, not a race. Faith in God through Yeshua the Messiah is based on faith and not race.
However, part of the ‘race’ problem in America is that all races have their ‘cultural demons’ that are immediately deflected, especially if presented by someone of the ‘other race’.
You know what ‘DEFLECT’ means…
TRANSITIVE VERB
If you deflect something such as criticism or attention, you act in a way that prevents it from being directed t toward you or affecting you.
The key to conflict resolution is common ground. So, I’m pointing out a ‘cultural demon’ from both races that are constantly deflected by many instead of addressed to change the culture.
WHITE PRIVILEGE
As I stated in a previous post:
Many say, I NEVER OWNED SLAVES!
Others say, I WAS BORN POOR AND WORKED HARD FOR EVERYTHING I HAVE!
And some say, I HAVE NEVER BENEFITED FROM ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’.
Others assert, I’M NOT RACIST, I HAVE BLACK FRIENDS, SO WHY SHOULD I FEEL GUILTY?
I’m asking everyone who respects the Bible as the Word of God to consider this…
It is undeniable that in our nation’s history there wasn’t a hint of equality or equity for non-white Americans until the late 60’s.
Even if you had nothing to do with any of the evils towards Black people through the generations,, legacies and benefits of their behavior and systems transcends generations…culturally, economically, socially psychologically, and spiritually. Narratives and paradigms are set.
The Romans in the New Testament (the people not the book) are the perfect biblical example. They thought they were superior (even though many White people today don’t). They subjugated the Jews. The ‘system’ of their empire was set up to benefit them. Even if you had nothing to do with any of the evils towards Black people through the generations,, legacies and benefits of the system that has established thought and behavior and systems transcends generations…culturally, economically, socially psychologically, and spiritually. Narratives and paradigms are set.
However, rather than admit this, the response is too often…”There’s no such thing as White Privilege!” That’s deflecting.
BLACK ON BLACK CRIME
Black on Black crime is an unfortunate reality in America.
Again, this is from a previous post that I made:
There’s too many Black people killing Black people!
There’s too many Black people terrorizing Black people!
There’s too many Black people doing racists a favor by doing their job for them!
RACISTS DON’T HAVE TO FIRE A SHOT OR TIE A NOOSE WHEN BLACK PEOPLE ARE KILLING ONE ANOTHER!
And marches…speeches…block parties…the police or politicians can’t solve it.
But, rather than admit and address it, too many times when Black-on-Black crime is mentioned, the response is…’There’s no such thing as Black-on-Black crime.” That’s defecting.
This scripture applies to both individual and ‘corporate’ sins…
1 John 1:9 (NKJV)
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It’s one of the oldest and most contentious discussions, interracial marriages. Marrying outside of one’s own race angers some people to the point they would kill to protect the ‘purity’ of their own. Just as with other controversial issues, people either twist, misunderstand or cherry pick bible verses to suit their purpose, agenda or desires.
So when both or all sides of an issue are using the bible as their foundation, how do you know which is in harmony with God’s truth?
I’ve officiated several interracial weddings, and this information is a part of my premarital counseling sessions. I want to give ammunition to people to defend their relationships.
Let’s look at some verses used by those who WANT God to say interracial marriage is forbidden…
Deuteronomy 7:1-5 (NKJV)
When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, 2 and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. 3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.
1 Kings 11:2 (KJV)
2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
2 Corinthians 6:14 (NKJV)
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
The wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, allowed marriage to unbelievers to turn his heart from God and compromise his faith.
The New Testament verse in 2 Corinthians makes it perfectly clear that God’s concern wasn’t about RACE, but it was about FAITH.
God doesn’t want us to intermarry with someone who might allow our love for them to cause us to serve another God, or abandon God.
It has nothing to do with race.
Remember when God called Abraham in Genesis 12, he was from the land of Ur. He already had a ‘race’.
God wasn’t raising up a RACE of people, but a FAITH of people.
Now, I will give you some biblical examples to prove it…
First of all let’s look at what happened when Moses married an Ethiopian woman after his wife Zipphora died…
Numbers 12:1-9 (NKJV)
Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it.3 (Now the man Moses wasvery humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) 4 Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. 5 Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. 6 Then He said,“Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?” 9 So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow.
God was so angry at Moses brother and sister’s dissatisfaction and gossiping about Moses’ marriage (sound familiar?) that He struck Miriam with leprosy…
Notice that Ruth was a Moabite and Boaz was a Jew (King David’s great-great grandparents Ruth 1:1-5).
Notice that the apostle Timothy’s father was a Greek and his mother was a Jew.
Acts 16:1 (NKJV)
Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.
Above are just few both Old and New Testament examples making it very clear that God isn’t concerned with the race of who you marry, but He is VERY concerned about their faith.
So, back to my question how can you tell when both or all sided of an issue are using the bible to support their stance…it is the person most willing to abandon what they WANT to believe and be open to accepting God’s truth. The person who can harmonize the scriptures they are using for support with the entire bible.
Don’t find yourself making God angry as He was at Aaron and Miriam for disapproving of Moses’ marriage.
So to be clear, God does NOT forbid interracial marriage.
A meeting with several opinions, suggestions, but no viable solutions?
A meeting where tempers flared, and enemies and alliances were made?
A meeting where big egos were begging to be fed?
A meeting where everyone wanted their way?
A meeting where people behaved immaturely?
A meeting where no one would admit the wrong decision was made or the organization is on the wrong path?
All of these meetings, whether virtual or in-person, are held by people…imperfect people. People with faults. People with egos. People who make mistakes…sometimes big mistakes.
Usually every major decision that affects our lives comes out of a meeting.
Please pray that God leads our leaders.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJV)
2 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
Don’t have blind faith that their experience, credentials and qualifications will make things all right.
The only differences in the meetings that you’ve attended and the high-level meetings that determine the direction of…
Our economy…
Our national security…
Our children’s education…
Our future…
…are ‘higher-level’ job titles, personalities and influence. They’re all still just people…very imperfect people just like you and I.
Pray for our leaders and that God blesses their meetings. Pray for peace, cooperation, collaboration and most of all agreement with and submission to the will of God.
Just as the bible says, don’t put your trust in them…put it in God.
Psalm 118:8-9 (NKJV)
8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
Sex is a beautiful, rewarding blessing given to man and woman, but meant to be enjoyed responsibly within the bounds of marriage. His word makes that clear in both the Old and New Testaments…and it’s joys are evident throughout…
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 enraptured with her love
Song of Solomon 1:2 (NKJV)
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
For your[b] love is better than wine.
1 Corinthians 7:1-3 (NKJV)
7 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband
It is intended to be the highest level of human intimacy physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually.
It is a connection that makes two become one, and the only diversion that our God who made creation in consistent numerical order diverts from the norm. It’s when we multiply by adding, and the product/sum is unique in all mathematics (when 1 + 1 =3).
Genesis 1:28 (NKJV)
28 Then God BLESSED them, and God said to them, “Be FRUITFUL and MULTIPLY; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
His holy intent for this union is perverted when consummated outside the bond of marriage…
1 Corinthians 6:16 (NKJV)
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”[a]
Hebrews 13:4 (NKJV)
4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
God created us physiologically and psychologically so that sex would be the perfection of the submission and honor that He commands from wives and husbands respectfully…
WIVES
1 Peter 3:1a
Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands…
Think of how God created woman so sexual intercourse can only take place through her perfect submission. Graphic but true: as the King James Version puts it, a man can only ‘know his wife’ (Genesis 4:1) unless he physically accesses her most intimate spot. Where is this located? Between her legs…not in the front…not in the back, but between her legs closer to the middle. The ONLY way he can get to that spot is if she allows him. This access is the ultimate act of submission, granted most often by her opening her legs to him. She must open herself to receive her husband into her. But, her psychological state of mind must be submitted also. Even if he is allowed physical access, she also has to submit psychologically to allow arousal. Her mind must be submitted to her husband, as well as attracted to him physically in order for her to most intimate spot to ‘react’ properly to accommodate him to both their enjoyment ( I think you know what I mean). God created woman, so that total physical and mental submission is required for sex.
HUSBANDS
1 Peter 3:7a (NKJV)
7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel…
God commanded that husband honor their wives. Of course man is the stronger sex. As much as a woman was created for submission for sex to take place, a man is strong enough to force himself on her. When a man forces himself on a woman she’s not submitting and he’s not honoring, married or not, this is rape. God commands the husband to honor her as the weaker person in the relationship. When a man submits to his wife by restraining his strength and allowing her to submit, this is one way he honors her as the weaker vessel. Not by forcing her legs open. Not by forcing himself inside her. Only by allowing her to become aroused through physical and mental submission and physical attraction.
Submission and honor. Honor and submission. Without both, sex becomes something dreadful rather than something beautiful. It becomes a curse rather than a blessing. But, when it works perfectly, it’s not only how God’s wisdom provided for us to be fruitful and multiply, it’s also a wonderful gift to help keep couples close and marriages strong. For more on this please read….IF THE ‘BIG O’ WAS TOO BIG (GOD’S WISDOM)…
Relationships make our lives richer….better. God created us because He wanted relationship with us.
As our relationships evolve, whether it be marriage, parent/child, siblings or friends…we are also all evolving as individuals.
For example, If you’ve been married any number of years, then neither of you are the same people you were when you first married.
The truth is some things get better, and some things don’t.
There will always be some things, attitudes, behaviors, moods, etc., that you hate about those who you love most….it doesn’t mean you hate them.
In fact, daily living and loving beyond those things is what makes it love.
Think about God…do you think He is always pleased with you?
Are there ways He is still expecting you to change?
Even at our best, we don’t measure up go God’s level of righteousness…
Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV)
But we are all like an unclean thing,And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
It’s only through God’s abundant grace and mercy that we are able to be in His Holy presence.
That’s why His gift of justification is so valuable, and should never be taken for granted. Even though we are unrighteous…through the blood of our Lord Jesus, we are ‘counted as righteous’.
Romans 3:23-25 (NKJV)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
Just as we don’t measure up to God’s standard…We disappoint each other because at times don’t measure up to one another’s expectations…whether reasonable or unreasonable.
Just as we continue to disappoint God in our individual relationships with Him, we will continue to disappoint one another in our relationships with each other.
As years go by, even though we grow to know one another better, there will still be things about each other that ‘drive us up the wall’…things that ‘drive us crazy’.
Think about some things that you hate about those people who are closest to you.
Does it mean that your relationship is flawed?
Well, yes it does…but so is your relationship with God.
But, just as God loves us through our flaws, He expects us to love one another through ours as well.
So, the next time your notice your husband…wife…parent…sister…brother…friend doing something you don’t like…or even hate, after all these years remember…
Theirs something they can’t stand about you, and…
It makes your relationship normal…not over.
Love each other through it, just as God loves you.
Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
The bible teaches us that there’s a time for everything, in particular there’s a time to laugh…
Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NKJV)
4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
I take my responsibility to share what God has placed inside of me very seriously. However, the gifts that God has given you don’t always have to be ‘delivered’ in a serious manner or tone.
God has given us both both serious and silly sides. And, your silly side should be just as encouraging, inspiring and entertaining as your serious side.
Your silly side should be just as influential in helping us grow, mature, fulfill our God-given purpose and enjoy life as a balanced person.
We just need to make sure that our serious and silly sides don’t do anything to dishonor the God who has poured His spirit into us.
Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV)
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall [a]direct your paths.
The video above from the weekly radio show I share with a DJ friend of mine on an FM radio station. I’m encouraged that the responses I receive about people being entertained and uplifted are just as powerful as those whose walk with God, or lives are enhanced by my blog, sermons, inspirational and informational public speaking, and daily interactions.
Always make sure that your silly is just as influential as your serious!
The enemy doesn’t mind you going to church as long as you take him with you. He wants to distract and infect your worship. One way he achieves this is through division in the local church. Division in the Body of Christ is strictly forbidden, and is sin…
Galations 5:19-20
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, FACTIONS
1 Corinthians 1:10
10 “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be NO DIVISIONS among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
We as people tend to want to be in groups of people with either common interests, or people who can benefit us. Sometimes these groups can form in the church with an unwillingness to let others in…that’s a CLIQUE (FACTION) .
Church can become like high school – The Cool Kids, The Jocks, The Nerds…
Church can become like the outside world – The Haves and The Have Nots…
Church can become like the secular (or Christian) music industry – Pastor, his Entourage, his Groupies and Fans…
Are you in one of these CLIQUES?
These are all distractions from the enemy to make our churches carnal, unfruitful and unproductive.
Don’t let your small group, your ministry group, your choir, your circle of friends be a CLIQUE in disguise.
Clique- ‘ISH’ even tried to creep into the early church…
1 Corinthians 11:18-22
18 “For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.”
The Body of Christ is one body with many members (1 Corinthians 12:12) and EVERYBODY IS SOMEBODY!
Even though we as people have a tendency to be CLIQUE-‘ISH’…. we need to keep that CLIQUE-‘ISH’ out of God’s church.!
1. Slang term often used to replace “s**t.” Derived from the process of editing the vocals of rap-songs by revershing the curse words so said song could be played on radio or television.
One of the things about the Old Testament is that it gives us extreme examples of what God loves and what He hates. His extreme judgements explicitly gave us insight into how He feels, reacted as well as spiritual concepts and laws that are still relevant today…
1 Corinthians 10:11 (NKJV)
11 Now [a]all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our [b]admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
Romans 15:4 (NKJV)
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the [a]patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
One of those concepts is generational curses. That’s when God places a curse on an individual that continues to transfer to his or her posterity. Seems pretty unfair huh? But, it’s been that way since the Garden of Eden after Adam and his wife sinned.
When you read Deuteronomy 28 God lists the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience. These blessings and curses are generational…
Deuteronomy 28:45-46 (NKJV)
45 “Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you [a]did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 46 And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your DESCENDANTS FOREVER.
Forever is a long time. Seems unfair doesn’t it?
But, there is a reason for this.
Whenever God cursed or punished His people, what was it that always removed the curse, that would have otherwise remained FOREVER?
WHEN THEY REPENTED!
Leviticus 26:40-42 (NKJV)
40 ‘But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me,
41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies;
if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt—
42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember;
I will remember the land.
1 John 1:9 (NKJV)
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Think about your family and the attitudes, habits, thoughts and behaviors that have gone on for generations. How many of them can STOP with your generation?
If you feel your family is under the generational power of dysfunction, promiscuity, homosexuality, addiction, arrogance, pride, shame, racism, poverty, anger, witchcraft, violence, sickness etc,….
SOME OF THESE CURSES COULD STOP WITH YOUR GENERATION IF YOU CHANGE GENERATIONAL BEHAVIOR IN OTHER AREAS.
As much as parents and grandparents love their children, no one ever does everything RIGHT. God consistently reminded Israel of the ‘sins of their fathers.’
Stop and think about the things that your parents and grandparents did that were not pleasing to God, but may have continued through tradition, bad teaching or simply because ‘that’s the way we do things’.
Be bold enough to change it the way that Hezekiah did not continue in the sins of the kings before him. He TORE DOWN the alters and evil practices of those who came before him…
2 Kings 18:1-5 (NKJV)
18 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi[a] the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.
4 He removed the [b]high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the [c]wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it [d]Nehushtan. 5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.
What ‘alters’ do you need to tear down in your family?
CONFESS. REPENT. and BREAK THE CURSE.
Now, read Nehemiah Chapter 9 and notice that after they were allowed by God to return from exile, they confessed not only their sins, but the sins of their ancestors. Notice in BOLD print each time the people confessed their sin…
NEHEMIAH 9 (NKJV)
9 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with [a]dust on their heads. 2 Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the Lord their God.
4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the [b]stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said:
“Stand up and bless the Lord your God Forever and ever!
“Blessed be Your glorious name, Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise! 6 You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.
7 “You are the Lord God, Who chose Abram, And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, And gave him the name Abraham; 8 You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him To give the land of the Canaanites, The Hittites, the Amorites, The Perizzites, the Jebusites, And the Girgashites— To give it to his descendants. You have performed Your words, For You are righteous.
“You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, And heard their cry by the Red Sea. 10 You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, Against all his servants, And against all the people of his land. For You knew that they acted [c]proudly against them. So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day. 11 And You divided the sea before them, So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; And their persecutors You threw into the deep, As a stone into the mighty waters. 12 Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar, And by night with a pillar of fire, To give them light on the road Which they should travel.
13 “You came down also on Mount Sinai, And spoke with them from heaven, And gave them just ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and commandments. 14 You made known to them Your holy Sabbath, And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws, By the hand of Moses Your servant. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst, And told them to go in to possess the land Which You had [d]sworn to give them.
“But they and our fathers acted [e]proudly, Hardened[f] their necks, And did not heed Your commandments. 17 They refused to obey, And they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. But they hardened their necks, And [g]in their rebellion They appointed a leader To return to their bondage. But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, And did not forsake them.
18 “Even when they made a molded calf for themselves, And said, ‘This is your god That brought you up out of Egypt,’ And worked great provocations, 19 Yet in Your manifold mercies You did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day, To lead them on the road; Nor the pillar of fire by night, To show them light, And the way they should go.
You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out And their feet did not swell.
22 “Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations, And divided them into [h]districts. So they took possession of the land of Sihon, [i]The land of the king of Heshbon, And the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, And brought them into the land Which You had told their fathers To go in and possess. 24 So the [j]people went in And possessed the land; You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, The Canaanites, And gave them into their hands, With their kings And the people of the land, That they might do with them as they wished.
And they took strong cities and a rich land, And possessed houses full of all goods, Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves, And [k]fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and grew fat, And delighted themselves in Your great goodness.
26 “Nevertheless they were disobedient And rebelled against You, Cast Your law behind their backs And killed Your prophets, who [l]testified against them To turn them to Yourself; And they worked great provocations. 27 Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, Who oppressed them; And in the time of their trouble, When they cried to You, You heard from heaven; And according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them From the hand of their enemies.
“But after they had rest, They again did evil before You. Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies, So that they had dominion over them; Yet when they returned and cried out to You, You heard from heaven; And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies, 29 And [m]testified against them, That You might bring them back to Your law. Yet they acted [n]proudly, And did not heed Your commandments, But sinned against Your judgments, ‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’ And they shrugged their shoulders, [o]Stiffened their necks, And would not hear. 30 Yet for many years You had patience with them, And [p]testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets. Yet they would not listen; Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 31 Nevertheless in Your great mercy You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them; For You are God, gracious and merciful.
“Now therefore, our God, The great, the mighty, and awesome God, Who keeps covenant and mercy: Do not let all the [q]trouble seem small before You That has come upon us, Our kings and our princes, Our priests and our prophets, Our fathers and on all Your people, From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 However You are just in all that has befallen us; For You have dealt faithfully, But we have done wickedly. 34 Neither our kings nor our princes, Our priests nor our fathers, Have kept Your law, Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies, With which You testified against them. 35 For they have not served You in their kingdom, Or in the many good things that You gave them, Or in the large and rich land which You set before them; Nor did they turn from their wicked works.
“Here we are, servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, To eat its fruit and its bounty, Here we are, servants in it! 37 And it yields much increase to the kings You have set over us, Because of our sins; Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle At their pleasure; And we are in great distress.
38 “And because of all this, We make a sure covenant and write it; Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.”
Now notice what God says to Israel in Leviticus Chapter 40 after giving them consequences of being disobedient…
Leviticus 26:40-45 (NKJV)
40 ‘But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me,
41 and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies;
if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt—
42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember;
I will remember the land.
43 The land also shall be left empty by them, and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them;
they will accept their guilt, because they despised My judgments andbecause their soul abhorred My statutes.
44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them;
for I am the Lord their God.
45 But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God:
I am the Lord.’ ”
What ‘sins of your fathers and mothers’ are you allowing to continue in another generation? What sins have you not rejected?
What offends you? Disrespect? Seeing others hurt? Injustice? Intolerance? Insults? Sometimes when led by God we’re offended by evil. And sometimes, when being influenced by the enemy we’re offended by good – all of us.
We all get offended sometimes. And, many times we have a right to be offended – even justified in being offended.
But, we must use Godly wisdom in how we respond to being offended. We just first be honest with ourselves as to whether we are being offended by good or evil. The Pharisees were constantly offended by Jesus. They were offended by good…
Matthew 15:1-13 (NKJV)
Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; [a] and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’[b]5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’[c] Thus you have made the commandment[d] of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And[e] honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me. 9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”[f]
10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
One of the most powerful things you can do is exercise the emotional control of not letting someone know how they have offended you.
If you really want to know what someone is really like. If you really want to know what’s inside someone’s heart…let them think that ‘nothing really offends you’. That’s when they will feel comfortable to share what’s really inside them. That’s when they will reveal to you who they really are. That’s when you can with wisdom ‘meet them where they are’. That’s when you will know how to manage your relationship with them…whether it be family, co-worker, friend, associate or even an enemy.
One of the powerful attributes of being emotionally intelligent is the fact than when you learn to control your emotions, you can actually control the emotions of those around you.
Controlling your emotions is a powerful way to control your world.
Emotional Intelligence is behavioral science that aligns perfectly with scripture.
Even the bible teaches us to…
Ephesians 4:31 (NKJV)
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
1 Peter 2:1 (NKJV)
2 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
God teaches us to ‘put away’ our bitterness and anger. It teaches us to lay aside our malice. Remember this that…
Controlled anger shouldn’t turn into wrath, but into action.
When you don’t let some offend you, or when you control your emotions when offended you gain the upper hand. Many the offender is speaking or acting out of emotion, which if not controlled puts them at a disadvantage. At the very least they are more transparent of their true heart, intentions, motives and self.
You aren’t showing weakness by not letting someone know just how much they have offended you. You are showing your true strength. You’re showing the same strength that our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus displayed each and every time He controlled His anger. You are displaying the same strength that our God displays when He withholds His wrath.
So, don’t shut them up. Let them run their mouth and continue to let you know what’s inside them, and be led by who is inside you.
Most of us clean up really well. We put on our public faces. We play the role. Some people go about their daily tasks with such a level of confidence, professionalism and excellence that you would think they are close to faultless.
They are always perfectly groomed…
Their credit score is 800,000,000…
They always know the right thing to say…
Their focus is surgical…
Their anointing is nearly biblical.
They are never shaken by anything.
Do you know someone like that?
Watching these people can make you feel…
Unqualified…
Inadequate…
Ugly…
Weak…
Unproductive…
Unfocused…
Insecure…
Naked.
But God sees ALL of us as we really are.
We all stand NAKED before God.
Even the most fit person has some physical imperfections that they don’t want anyone to see when they’re naked.
God sees us all spiritually NAKED.
Jeremiah 17:10 (NKJV)
10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings
He sees our heart and our motives of WHY we do what we do.
He sees our secret anxieties and insecurities.
He knows when we’re second-guessing ourselves.
He knows those thoughts that make us most ashamed.
He knows our secrets that we hope are never revealed.
He sees us as we REALLY are when we aren’t ‘cleaned up.
He sees us NAKED.
That’s why we should NEVER take the fact that God sent the Living Word as His Son to serve as PROPITIATION for our sins for granted.
1 John 2:2 (NKJV)
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Propitiation means that Jesus covered our guilt and our sin. It means that Jesus served as a substitute, appeasing the wrath of God for all of our sins.
God knows on our best day we mess up and stand NAKED before Him.
Stop right now and thank the Lord Jesus Christ for covering your spiritual nakedness.
YES, of course homosexuals are welcome in the church.
Matthew 11:28 (NKJV)
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
NO, it does not excuse nor condone that particular sin. All sinners must repent and work on turning from lifestyles displeasing to God.
Romans 1:26-27 (NKJV)
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
YES, there are fornicators and adulterers in the church…
1 Corinthians 5:1 (NKJV)
5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named[a] among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!
NO, their sins are not excused or condoned either.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV)
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[a] nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
YES, we are to speak out against homosexuality as any other sin…
Ezekiel 3:19 (NKJV)
19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
NO, speaking out against it doesn’t equate to hate speech or judging.
Hebrews 3:13 (NKJV)
13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
YES, the church isn’t perfect…
1 Corinthians 11:18 (NKJV)
18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
NO, that doesn’t make the church as a whole bad. We are all works in progress.
Ephesians 5:26-27 (NKJV)
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
YES, some people are passionate in their feelings against this sin…
Romans 10:2 (NKJV)
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
NO, that’s not an excuse to call people derogatory, hurtful, mean-spirited names.
Galatians 6:1 (NKJV)
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
YES, people are born with innate desires they didn’t ask for…
Psalm 51:5 (NKJV)
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
NO, that doesn’t necessarily make them okay.
Romans 1:29-32 (NKJV)
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,[a] wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving,[b] unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them
Romans 2:1 (NKJV)
Therefore, you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
YES, this post is to provoke healthy, respectful dialogue.
Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
I may lose some readers and/or ‘followers’ for making this post, but it’s my prayer that God will gain some.
Okay, I know this is a morbid unpopular subject, and most people don’t like to talk about or preach about it any more, but as I read Matthew Chapter 7, I can’t read past verses 13 and 14 without drawing the conclusion…that most people will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10-15).
Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are MANY who go in by it. 14 Because[a] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are FEW who find it.
The LORD says, “many go in by it” meaning the gate to destruction, and then He goes on to say, “ few are they who find it” in regard to those who find the way which leads to life. Jesus lets us know that the road that leads to life is difficult.
So, according to scripture, the truth is that MOST people will not enter into God’s Kingdom.
We all have loved ones who died without accepting the Christ Jesus as LORD and Savior. It’s a difficult thought to accept their eternal plight.
That’s why in Jesus’ parable of “The Rich Man and Lazarus”, the rich man who died asked for a message to be sent to his brothers so that they would not end up like Him.. Your loved ones who died outside of Christ would tell you the same thing if they could…
Luke 16:19-31 (NKJV)
19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell[a] from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ 27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
The awesome news is that if you’re able to read this post, God has given you grace and time to accept Yeshua, (Christ Jesus) as LORD and Savior of your life.
Romans 10:9 (NKJV)
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
That’s how easy it is to avoid eternal separation from the presence of God. Now, I know there is much debate over whether it’s a literal Hell, Lake or Fire, whether you burn forever or are immediately consumed. I know there are those who say that the church ‘created’ Hell to control the masses, but all of that is another discussion….all I know is I don’t want to find out the hard way.
As much as I love to encourage you, I wouldn’t be responsible as a minister of God if I didn’t warn everyone of the ultimate consequences of sin…
So, even though it’s difficult, enter into and continue the narrow path. Even though most people ‘won’t make it in’, you can make sure that you do.
We all have ‘night seasons’ in our lives. Seasons of struggles, trials, storms and pain. These seasons can seem to go on forever.
As we pray for God to change things in our lives, and walk and work in faith, we can sometimes sense a transition. We can sense that God is gradually changing things.
I have a quick word of encouragement for you.
I want to remind you that no matter how subtle, gradual or slow the transition change may seem that change is always sudden.
Think about the longest, darkest, stormiest night you’ve endured. I’m not using a metaphor here, I’m talking about a literal, long, dark stormy night. No matter how long that night was, when the morning light broke through…it was sudden.
Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)
5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But [a]joy comes in the morning.
Think about a gradual 180 degree turn. No matter how gradual the change, when you finally begin to go straight is always sudden.
In fact, the action of even gradually changing direction is still sudden. No matter how subtle the turn…you aren’t going straight any more.
I know we often hear the cliché, ‘a change is coming’. If you think about it, your change may not be coming, you may be in your season of change right now. And, though your transition may be slow the change is always sudden.
Remember that everything that God predicted, declared or promised…no matter how long it took — always happened suddenly.
Isaiah 48:3 (NKJV)
3 “I have declared the former things from the beginning; They went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
One of the things that reminds me that our bodies and our flesh are temporary is when we stink. As good as you may smell right now, think of the effort we as humans have to put into avoiding smelling bad.
We have to bathe regularly…
Brush and floss our teeth…
Shampoo our hair…
Apply deodorants…
Perfumes…
Colognes…
We as humans have to work at smelling good. Whether we admit it or not, we all smell bad sometimes.
Sometimes if we have been working hard…been sick…or whatever, we can begin to smell unpleasant…YOU STINK.
Have you ever been in need of ‘freshening up’ and were actually able to smell yourself?
You may have raised up your arm, caught a whiff of your own breath…or whatever and said to yourself , “Wow! I stink!
What’s interesting is that if you don’t get an opportunity to bathe soon, you won’t notice the odor anymore…you’ve gotten used to your own stench.
BUT, even though you CAN’T smell it, everyone else still CAN.
Our sin STINKS to God.
Isaiah 65:5 (NLT)
5 Yet they say to each other, ‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!’ These people are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.
Just as we all have to work to avoid smelling bad, we have to all work to avoid sinning.
Just as our bodies can smell bad, our spirits ‘smell bad’ when they are consumed with the works of the flesh, or sin…
Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
If we aren’t careful, we can become complacent in sin…bad habits…bad attitudes…inappropriate lifestyles…behavior that’s displeasing to God.
We can become complacent and comfortable to the point that we begin excusing, justifying or ignoring where we are wrong…
WE CAN’T SMELL OURSELVES STINK ANYMORE…
But others can still smell us…
AND, God can still smell us!
Have you ever gotten caught up in sin to the point that you began to…
Accept it?
Become comfortable in it?
Tell yourself, “It doesn’t matter anymore”?
Feel you couldn’t come back from it?
Say to yourself, “Why try to do better?
YOU COULDN’T SMELL YOURSELF STINK ANYMORE!
The bible tells us to cleanse ourselves of what defiles our body and spirit…
2 Corinthians 7:1 (NKJV)
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
1 John 1:9 (NKJV)
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2 Corinthians 7:10 (NKJV)
10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
We have to recognize what IS sin…by reading God’s word from His perspective.
We have to acknowledge our sin…admit to ourselves that we are hurting God.
We have to regret our sin…if we are still proud of what we’ve done there is no forgiveness.
We have to repent of our sin…we have to ‘turn around’ and not put ourselves in situations to be tempted by our weaknesses.
Even though sin stinks to God, He has made it clear to us what makes us ‘smell good’ to Him.
Accepting His Son
2 Corinthians 2:15 (NKJV)
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
Wash yourself in the Word of God
Ephesians 5:25-26
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
Walk in Love (Read 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 to learn how love behaves)
Ephesians 5:2 (NKJV)
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Practice the Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Remember…we have to work to avoid smelling bad…EVERY DAY!
Put effort into making sure your spirit smells good to God…EVERY DAY!
Don’t get to the point that you can’t smell yourself stink anymore.
In the early to mid 1990’s a little girl bounced, pigtails swinging, into her first day of kindergarten. She insisted on going in alone. As her young parents watched her disappear in the door, both their eyes welled up with tears. This bittersweet day that they, both looked forward to and dreaded had finally come – and it was more bitter than sweet.
You see, this little girl had courageously overcome at least one surgery every year to correct birth defects. The doctors said she would be both blind and brain-damaged to her devastated, but faithful parents at birth. Each year, she would desperately reach back for her parents as staff took her from ‘The Bunny Room’ (where children could choose a toy before surgery) off to the operating room. God honored their faith and through the expert staff at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis TN., she was neither blind nor brain damaged – God worked a miracle in her life.
Her mind was sharp, and God blessed her with sight in one eye and a prosthesis that fit perfectly over the other eye that both looked and moved perfectly.
However, as beautiful as she was, there were still some minor, subtle features that made her feel uncomfortable…and we all know how cruel children can be in school.
This little girl walked in with the excitement and hope of all children to have the friends and normal school experience that all children deserve…and yes she did make good friends. But, there are always those children and some adults who love to amuse themselves and affirm themselves at the expense of others.
This sweet little girl was BULLIED.
This sweet little girl would have her expectations of a happy school year ripped from under her EACH year by a few other children who felt she didn’t deserve to be happy at school.
They weren’t there at the ‘Bunny Room’ before surgery…
They weren’t there for the pain as the scars healed…
They weren’t there as she looked in the mirror desperately wanting to just feel normal…
They weren’t there when she begged morning after morning to stay home from school…
They weren’t there when she looked her parents though tears asking “why don’t they like me?”
This constant emotional, physical and psychological abuse slowly chipped away at her self-esteem as her parents did everything they could to help their sweet child. There are few things worse than sending your child to a hostile environment…with little to no power to change it.
Sometimes as she put her head in her hands to escape to herself for a few moments, children would still poke her in the back of the head. WHAT IF, in a temporary moment of rage she raised her head and blindly lashed out with a pencil striking one of the bullies in the temple with a pencil…who would be made to look the villain in this situation.
She wasn’t the villain, and didn’t ask to be the victim.
As much as violence has no place in our schools, we must ask ourselves WHY when some students lash out.
When I watch some tragic news stories, I sometimes wonder what led to that point. It isn’t always violent video games and music that lead to such behavior…they sometimes provide the fuel for emotions that have been created through bullying.
Yes, some people come out on top after years of bullying, but everyone isn’t blessed with the same coping mechanisms…some just can’t handle it.
This young lady made it through school allowing herself to continue being hurt, without hurting someone else…but if she had, the last thing she deserved was to be portrayed as a villain and possibly imprisoned because she couldn’t take it any more.
I am in no way defending those children who violently attack their fellow students and teachers, but we must be honest enough with ourselves to realize that SOMETIMES…there is more to the story.
Unfortunately, bullying doesn’t stop in school. Adults do the same thing once they begin working. There are bullies in our offices, stores, factories…anywhere people can work. One of my greatest disappointments in ‘growing up’ in realizing how many of us don’t.
When someone is born with challenges that most of us don’t have to endure, let us not allow bullies to ruin their lives. Too many time our culture not only allows, but sometimes supports this behavior. Let us be sensitive to them, Let us embrace them, nurture them…they deserve to enjoy life as everyone else.
This young lady turned out to be a beautiful person both inside and out – to God be the Glory!
Just as the man born blind in John Chapter 9, many times God has special purpose to get glory out of their lives. Their lives are meant for PURPOSE and not PAIN.
John 9:1-3 (NKJV)
Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
This short piece isn’t a debate on the validity of calling crime in the Black community ‘Black on Black crime’.
It’s simply coming from a Black man with a wife, a daughter, two sons and a granddaughter.
Every time I hear a headline about someone who looks like me senselessly killing someone else who looks like me, it pisses me off!
Does poverty breed violence? Yes.
Are there some residual affects of decades of institutional racism that contributes to violence? Yes.
No matter what’s going on externally, it’s time for an INTERNAL SPIRITUAL and CULTURAL REVOLUTION!
There is absolutely no excuse. Every culture has to address its internal threats as well as external. While some communities must face their own pride and arrogance, others must address the violence within their subcultures.
God demands excellence from all of His children no matter what situation they are in. Look at what He told Israel and Judah when they were exiled in Babylon…
Jeremiah 29:4-14 (NKJV)
4Thus 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 andeat 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.
They were exiles in a foreign land who had lost their freedom. But, God still expected them to thrive and live up to His standards. He expected them to pray for the peace of the city in which they lived, not contribute to it’s destruction.
I encourage everyone who hates racism, don’t give ammunition to a racist’s argument or hatred with the bullets that come from YOUR gun.
Matthew 26:52 (NKJV)
52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will [a]perish by the sword.
Don’t get it twisted. This is not just a self-righteous, judgmental platitude…it’s biblical truth.
Why is God anti-gay?
Because God is anti-adultery, but not anti-adulterer.
He’s anti-fornication, but not anti-fornicator.
He’s anti-murder, but not anti-murderer
He’s anti-malice, but not anti-malicious.
He’s anti-hate, but not anti-hater.
He’s anti-lie, but not anti-liar.
He’s anti-foolishness, but not anti-fool.
He’s anti-pride, but not anti-proud person.
He’s anti-greed, but not anti-greedy person.
I think you get the picture. God is anti-sin, but He is not anti-sinner. Even though there are those trying to now establish that homosexuality is not a sin. It still is. Even though many people are trying to say that that’s not what Sodom and Gomorrah was about. It still was (Genesis 19). Even though many people are trying to say that Jesus never addressed homosexuality, He still did (Matthew 19:4-6)FOR THOSE WHO SAY JESUS NEVER ADDRESSED HOMOSEXUALITY…. And even though people are refuting what Paul said about it, it’s still truth (Romans 1:24-27).
Calling out homosexuality, as well as any other sins, is not hate…it’s our responsibility (Ezekiel 33:1-11, Romans 6:23). But, we must always remember…
To do so in love (1 Corinthians 16:14).
To remember that we are all sinners saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8).
So no matter what your sin may be, God still loves you!
God is anti-sin, but He is never anti-you!
1 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)
9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
Are you praying for deliverance? Are you going through a trial? A struggle? A situation? A storm in which you’re praying for God to rescue you?
Whether you’re living out the consequences of a bad decision, or you’re going through something beyond your control…God is a deliverer.
Psalm 34:17 (NKJV)
17 The righteouscry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
I just want to give you a quick word of encouragement with a cautionary admonition.
Brace yourself for your deliverance!
Sometimes God’s deliverance is not comfortable, easy or convenient.
God delivered Noah through an assignment that made him look like a fool to those who were around him. (Genesis 6)
God delivered Joseph of Genesis to save his entire family through being sold into slavery by his brothers (Genesis 37:18-36), through being accused of sexual harassment (Genesis 39), through being thrown into prison. (Genesis 39)
God delivered Lot through having he and his family quickly flee a condemned city in which he had made his home. (Genesis 19)
God delivered Saul/Paul from a life of persecuting the church to planting churches by temporarily striking him blind. (Acts 9)
God delivered us from the penalty of sin through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. (John 3:16)
And, God is able to deliver you too…
2 Peter 2:7-9 (NKJV)
7 and delivered righteous Lot, who wasoppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented hisrighteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing theirlawless deeds)— 9 thenthe Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
So, I’m saying all that to say this, as you pray for deliverance, brace yourself!
God may deliver you through…
Getting fired…
Losing a car…
Getting evicted…
A serious surgery…
Getting your heartbroken…
Damage to your reputation…
Forcing you to relocate…
Through shame…
God is more concerned with our salvation and our relationship with Him rather than our short-term discomfort.
And, as you go through the process of your deliverance, remember this…
Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)
5 For His anger is but fora moment, His favor is forlife; Weeping may endure for a night, But [a]joy comes in the morning.
There was a time when God’s name was referenced more. We need to be careful how we refer to God casually and not in reverence…how we let what is meant to be praise be reduced to idle words. Look at what Jesus said about idle words…
Matthew 12:36-37(NKJV)
36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
We must make sure that we never play with His praise. Many movies, plays and songs, have turned what is meant to be sincere praise into a joke, or cliché…
Please don’t say HALLELUJAH unless you’re really praising Him.
And, don’t play with it.
Please stop saying “HALLELUYER!”
Remember this…
JAH (YAH) is the part of the word that’s His name. You don’t have to say GD to take His name in vain.
Exodus 20:7 (NKJV)
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
One of the things that reminds me that our bodies and our flesh are temporary is when we stink. As good as you may smell right now, think of the effort we as humans have to put into avoiding smelling bad.
BE BLESSTIFIED! 