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If you believe in God and angelic influence in our lives, then you have to believe in the devil and demonic (fallen angel) influence in our lives as well.

The bible not only gives examples of the devil influencing our behavior…

Luke 22:3-4 (NKJV)

³ Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. ⁴ So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.

But, it also makes it clear that even some doctrines taught in the church have demonic origins…

1 Timothy 4:1 (NKJV)

Now the Spirit ^[a]expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,

It’s unfortunate that from race, to religion, to fraternal organizations, to business, to ‘heritage’, to family…too many cultures and traditions have either intentionally or unintentionally been established and endured due to demonic influence.

If it contradicts the word of God, then it’s not of God.

God has given us clear insight in how to tell if there’s been demonic influence in culture or tradition, but too many times we ignore, justify or excuse it because we’re too committed to our traditions etc.,

Mark 7:7-9 (NRSV)

⁷ in vain do they worship me,
    teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

⁸ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

⁹ Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!

The knowledge is available, but too many times we choose willful ignorance…

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

⁶ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

Here’s some explicit, biblical examples of how to tell if a culture or tradition has been established or influenced by demons…

1. IT CONTRADICTS THE WORD OF GOD…

This one was stated above, but let me give you a perfect example that someone is sure to deflect, justify or explain because the feel compelled to continue the tradition. Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), and the Book of James clearly tells us to never swear an oath and goes on to say that when we do IT IS FROM THE DEVIL…, but from court, to public office, to public servants to the military, the tradition has been established to make the first act of office or service A SIN by swearing an oath. It’s even written in the United States constitution to ‘swear or affirm’. But, the Lord said…

Matthew 5:34-37 (NKJV)

³⁴ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶ Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let ^[a]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

James 5:12 (NKJV)

¹² But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into ^[a]judgment.

WHY THE WORD ‘SWEAR’ NEEDS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSTITUTION, ASAP…

One way the devil gets demonic traditions to survive for thousands of years is to convince people they are depriving their children of something. For example, God made it clear that we should not only avoid to worship pagan Gods, but to refrain from allowing their names to come from out lips…

Joshua 23: 7(NKJV)

⁷ and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not MAKE MENTION OF THE NAME of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them,

The devil has convinced well-meaning Christians to blaspheme every time they mention a day meant to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ by calling it by the name of a pagan goddess. This tradition is so established that not only do many Christians not know why it’s called Easter, but they feel compelled to defend it once the find out that it and it’s traditions are pagan. Celebrate without calling it Easter and ‘hunting eggs’ NAMES MATTER (WHY WE SHOULD STOP CALLING EASTER…EASTER)

2. IT’S BASED ON PRIDE

God hates pride and explicitly forbids it. However, from family, to nation, to race, to organizations, people proclaim that pride is a part of the culture and tradition.

Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before ^[a]a fall.

James 4:6 (NKJV)

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

Anytime we feel compelled to use the word pride, thankful is always more appropriate

REMEMBER THIS THE NEXT TIME YOU SAY YOU’RE PROUD OF ANYTHING…

3. WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO BECOME A PART OF IT OR PARTICIPATE

There are so many cultures and organizations that either force people to sin to become a part of them, or to sin to participate in them. One thing that I couldn’t ignore when I was living on campus when going to college is the sinful behavior in which pledges (of all races) had to participate to become a part of a fraternity or sorority. And, once a member some frats very reputation was of sinful promiscuity and overindulgence in alcohol (watch some people push back on this one)…

It’s amazing that despite how easy God makes it to become a part of His organization (The Body of Christ or the church) that we can make it so difficult to become a part of some of ours.

THE UNHOLINESS OF HAZING: TRADITIONS FROM HELL…

Many toxic corporate and organizational cultures flourish because people are forced to make unethical and ungodly decisions. Many of these cultures pervert what God calls strength… FOR THOSE WHO PERVERT WHAT GOD CALLS TRUE STRENGTH…

4. IT EXPLICITLY HONORS THE DEVIL

God takes names very seriously. He changed Jacob’s name to Israel. He changed Abram’s name to Abraham. He changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. He continuously reiterated the fact that He takes His own names very seriously…

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.

So this being said, why would anyone want to name a sports team with a name that has anything to do with the devil or devils? You literally has to shout cheers for the devil to support the team! WHY AREN’T CHRISTIANS CONCERNED WITH TEAMS WITH A DEVIL AS THE MASCOT…

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This short list is by no means exhaustive, but hopefully it provokes thought and conversation about what it truly important to God.

2 TOXIC, CULTURAL DEMONS THAT ARE OFTEN DEFLECTED IN THE BLACK & WHITE COMMUNITIES…

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BE BLESSTIFED!

We inherited all of our emotions from God…we were created in His image, so we can experience His emotions. God gets frustrated at us when we willingly sin.

So, He understands that we will sometimes feel frustrated at life… at some of His decisions… at what He allows.

Jeremiah 12:1 NKJV

Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?

Sometimes we can feel guilty over our frustration.

But remember, getting frustrated isn’t a sin unless…

It causes us to be ungrateful.

It causes us to be in thankful.

It causes us to complain rather than lament.

It causes us to doubt God.

It causes someone else to doubt God.

It causes us to lose our faith.

It causes someone else to doubt God.

When you feel frustrated or even angry at yourself, others, life or even God…do a Google search for Psalms of Lament.

Notice how God teaches us to responsibly express our frustrations as long as we always end with expressing our trust in Him.

Psalm 13 (NKIV)

13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
^(A)How long will You hide Your face from me?
² How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

³ Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
^(B)Enlighten my eyes,
^(C)Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
⁴ Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

⁵ But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
⁶ I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Ephesians 4:26 (NKJV)

^{26 (A)}“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

Don’t let your frustrations keep you down.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

One day a man who had been walking, catching rides and using Uber to go to work every day was given a car by a family member. He was so thankful. All he had to do was have a few things fixed. As he drove it home, he stopped to get gas and the car wouldn’t start. Wow! He had to have the car towed to the shop. After they fixed it, as he drove it home he let the window down and it wouldn’t come back up. He said, “Are you serious!!!!”

As he drove back to the shop so they could fix the window he noticed stains on the seats.

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He said, “Why does everything I get have to have something wrong with it? Always ‘STAINED’?”

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He then immediately remembered that he had transportation to work, the store or to take his lady friend out on a date. He also remembered the fact that the price he paid for the repairs was still better than having a car payment for years. He immediately thanked God and asked him to forgive him for so quickly allowing frustration to take away the excitement of his blessing.

So many times God will bless us and if it’s not exactly the way we wanted it or comes with some imperfections, inconveniences or responsibilities, we can find ourselves with an unthankful attitude.

The bible reminds us that every gift God gives is perfect…

James 1:17  (NKJV)

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

The next time you begin to see stains on your blessings, remember that every gift from God is perfect.

Any stains we see are on our eyes and not the blessing.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

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One of the incredible ‘ripple effects’ of the COVID-19 pandemic is that after those who either lost or left their jobs because to the shut-down of the economy, many of those workers haven’t returned. To some workers, the federal and state unemployment compensation was a ‘windfall’, giving some people more income than they have ever earned in their lives.

Many of these jobs are considered ‘low skill’ and aren’t desirable to many Americans, especially if they have achieved certain levels of education.

The result is a huge worker shortage.

However, remember this… LOW SKILL DOESN’T MEAN NO SKILL!

From the people who make fast food ‘fast’, to the professionals who collect our garbage, the shortage of so-called ‘low skill’ workers has revealed that their absence can cause a huge disruption to our everyday lives.

With restaurants either closing early or closing their doors all together…

With essential services such as garbage collection being disrupted…

The real value in those who have been undervalued is being revealed.

My wife and I owned a small retail store in our twenties, and we understand the value in the people who work the register and protect your inventory.

As much as many people feel these workers don’t deserve $15 an hour, the fact that many workers who make only $8 an hour bring more value than that amount of money to the company.

The fact is that even though many top-level CEO’s make millions, they still don’t bring that much VALUE to the company. There is no justification for that much of a companies resources to be wasted on one person, especially while many of the front-line workers who make those huge salaries possible are dismissed with what equates to ‘pennies’.

I was once a Marketing Manager at the headquarters of a Fortune 300 company. Everyone above manager level received an annual bonus based on performance, while those below didn’t. Each year they were encouraged to help ‘hit that target’ that would ensure wonderful bonuses for all of us who were manager level or above.

What was their added incentive to work even harder for a reward that didn’t belong to them?

If anyone deserved a bonus it was the people who helped make the bonuses possible.

Sure many of these ‘lower-level’ jobs have traditionally been filled by high-school students, that still doesn’t diminish the value that they bring to our society.

Even in the bible, the landowner who was seeking workers to optimize his property, valued workers so much that he paid the workers who worked one hour the same amount of money he paid those who worked all day…

Matthew 20:8-16 (NKJV)

⁸ “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ ⁹ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. ¹⁰ But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. ¹¹ And when they had received it, they ^[a]complained against the landowner, ¹² saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ ¹³ But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ¹⁵ Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ ¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first last. For^[b] many are called, but few chosen.”

Think about this, how long would it take for you to miss you local garbage collectors if they were on strike because they wanted more money?

Just because they’re working with garbage doesn’t mean they don’t deserve it.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

God has blessed my wife and I to teach at the same school.

Her class is just down the hall, and we LOVE being TWO-gether all day!

That means we also get to enjoy our HARD EARNED Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer breaks TWO-gether!

While many couples are looking for opportunities to be apart, even after 34 years ( I was 18 and she was 17) we’re excited about spending our Fall Break TWO-gether.

So today, we left school right behind the kids🤣

Proverbs 5:18 (NLT)

¹⁸ Let your well be honored, and be happy with the wife you married when you were young.

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It’s easy to make our relationship with God ALL about us if we aren’t careful.

God called us to make disciples of Him through His Son and our Savior Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:19-20  (NKJV)

¹⁹ Go ^[a]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” ^[b]Amen.

One of the best approaches at studying the bible is to look specifically how the Lord REACTED to certain situations, conditions and behavior.

Look at the Lord’s reaction when He silently looked upon a multitude of lost people…

Matthew 9:35-38  (NKJV)

³⁵ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease ^[a]among the people. ³⁶ But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were ^[b]weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. ³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ³⁸ Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

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Now look at how He reacted at those who had hard, hypocritical hearts…

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Mark 3:1-5  (NKJV)

3 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. ² So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might ^[a]accuse Him. ³ And He said to the man who had the withered hand, ^[b]“Step forward.” ⁴ Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. ⁵ And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored ^[c]as whole as the other.

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Above in Matthew, Yeshua, felt compassion for those who were lost. He wasn’t judging why they were in their particular situations…He felt compassion. Then He commanded us to pray to THE LORD OF HIS HARVEST to send workers into HIS harvest. How many times have you prayed for that? How many times have you had an interaction with an atheist and instead of praying for them, felt contempt. How many times have you gotten intensely angry at a drug addict, gang banger, racist, politician, someone who you consider to be a ‘great sinner’…(we are all sinners saved by grace Romans 3:23). These are all opportunities to plant seeds of God’s…

Word..

Love…

And to pray specifically for these people, even calling out their names if you are made aware of them. Hey! WHAT IS SECRET, CYBER MINISTRY…

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I have had to stop and ask God to help me make that a priority in my life. I have had to ask myself, “Aldtric, do you really care enough about God’s harvest, are or you just concerned about your own?”

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Now, let’s quickly look what made the Lord angry above in Mark Chapter 3. It wasn’t compassion, but anger at the religious leaders were looking for a reason to accuse Him, ignored the good He was doing, and was angry at their hardness of heart. Again, this is a sign of someone who is lost and doesn’t know that they are. God expects hypocrisy and hardened hearts to make us angry, but we must respond to that anger with lifting them up in prayer, praying that God softens their hearts to His love, will, word and salvation.

Have you ever asked yourself if you hare concerned enough about those who are ‘lost’? Have you stopped to consider how you react to those who claim to be His own, but aren’t exhibiting their best behavior?

How often do you pray for HIS HARVEST rather than your own?

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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If you weren’t aware of the decades of allegations against R&B singer/songwriter/musician R. Kelly, then you probably were after the Lifetime Network documentary, “Surviving R. Kelly” that originally aired a few years ago.

His recent convictions for racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery, sex trafficking,  threaten to over shadow his creative genius. His inability to control his flesh will likely cost him his freedom for the rest of his life.

There’s no question that R. Kelly had intimate relationships with many women. He admits that himself. And, it’s no question that his lust for women has gotten him in trouble. His problem is that many of these women have been underage. He’s accused of summoning women to his ‘palace’ and abusing his power to influence them and take advantage of them. Some of the women’s families have accused him of brainwashing their daughters. The women interviewed stated that R. Kelly abused his ‘power’ and influence to control them.

But, there is another man in history who had a love for and quite frankly, lust for many women. The bible lets us know that he was intimate with numerous women. This man was even identified as a man after God’s own heart…King David.

Acts 13:22  (NKJV)

²² And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’

But, even though David was a man after God’s own heart, he wasn’t perfect. None of us are.

King David was also a singer/songwriter/musician.

As he was relaxing on the roof of His palace he saw a woman bathing outside. This woman, Bathsheba, wasn’t only another man’s wife, but she was the wife of a man, Uriah, who was devoted and loyal to David. Uriah was one of the soldiers in his army. David was attracted to her and abused his power as king to summon her to his palace. In fact, David summoned many women to become his wives. I’m sure she felt pressured to please the king, just as many of the women said they felt pressured to please R. Kelly.

After King David was intimate with Bathsheba, she became pregnant and to make a long story short, after the scheming and manipulating to hide the pregnancy didn’t work, he had Uriah killed. He then he took Bathsheba to be his wife.

We see that David and R. Kelly had some things in common,

But there was one big difference in David and R. Kelly.

As of the time of his convictions, R. Kelly hadn’t acknowledged or repented of doing anything wrong.

After being confronted with his sin, David repented…

2 Samuel 12:13 (NKJV)

¹³ So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

Psalm 51:4  (NKJV)

⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just ^[a]when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.

David’s repentance is what confirms he was a man after God’s own heart.

R. Kelly has a huge library of music and some of his songs are even spiritual and sung in churches. However, there are many people today who refuse to listen to R. Kelly’s music anymore. Radio stations all over the world are refusing to play his music. There are those who are demanding to ‘Mute or Erase R. Kelly’.  Again, Mr. Kelly has not yet acknowledged or repented of any wrong doing.

We all know that David, under the inspiration of God, wrote most of the Psalms which of course are songs. They teach us how to worship, pray, praise, celebrate and even lament.

If David was living today, even though he repented, there would be many people who would refuse to listen to or sing many of the Psalms. There would be people wanting to ‘Mute or Erase David’ because of his serious sins. But, here’s the difference…again, David repented.

Both David and R. Kelly’s sins were revealed and made public.

We all have something in common with both of them…

Everyone of us has had dark moments. Moments of which we are very ashamed.

Our shameful moments maybe not to the extreme of David and R. Kelly, but nevertheless, moments that we don’t want anyone to know about. Take a moment to think about some of the most shameful things you have done (or are still doing) and thank God for allowing them to remain secret.

AREN’T YOU GLAD GOD ALLOWED SOME THINGS IN YOUR LIFE TO REMAIN SECRET?

If you haven’t already stopped habitual, sinful behavior, stop it now and repent, just like King David did.

And remember this, the same forgiveness that was available to King David is available to both R. Kelly and to all of us. His spiritual story isn’t over yet. What if David died right after his sin with Bathsheba? Would his Psalms be included in the bible? Would his influence on the kingdom of God be erased?

Because just like King David, you can be a man or woman after God’s own heart, too.

I know there will be some people who will be critical of me comparing R. Kelly to David. But, God let’s us know that everything in the bible, especially the Old Testament, was written for our example…

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.

We must use the examples of both David and R. Kelly to help us with your relationships with God.

Remember, the entire bible reminds us that His grace and mercy through Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, endures forever.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

The power of true love is almost incomprehensible…

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Most teachers I know are passionate and take their responsibilities very seriously. And, and those that are parents share the parenting challenges as the parents of their students.

It’s unfortunate when their dedication, devotion and integrity is challenged through unrealistic expectations.

Sometimes parents, administrators (most of whom used to be teachers) expect teachers to do what none of US as parents can do…monitor everything their child does 100% of the time.

For example…

A student writes an inappropriate note and passes it to another student. The teacher discovers the note, corrects the student, but has to report it to administrators because of the level of inappropriateness.

How many times has the response been, “You need to do a better job of monitoring your students? How many parents can monitor their ONE, TWO or maybe THREE children all of the time?

The same scenario arises when students jump onto unauthorized websites while using technology in class.

How many parents can make sure that their children are always being responsible with technology?

As stated above, the fact is that many, if not most educators, administrators, and district officials are parents too. They have the same parenting challenges as any parent.

In a field where the professionals are under-compensated for their education, workload, level of accountability and legal liability…the culture can’t continue to be poisoned by a never ending list of tasks, unrealistic expectations, and deflected blame.

Americans must stop equating teachers expressing their concerns to whining and take their concerns seriously.

One Tennessee legislator in early 2021 was quoted as saying, “People are listening to the teacher’s union instead of the parents.” This infers that teacher concerns don’t matter.

My wife has been an educator for 20 years and has noticed the negative shift in culture since she started.

After working in manufacturing, owning a retail store, originating home loans, radio marketing consulting, a decade as a corporate marketing manager and copywriter, as well as prison and homeless ministry…my mid-life career shift to teaching has been the most challenging but fulfilling work I’ve done. I love it!

My wife and I happen to teach at the same school at a school and district with a very healthy teacher culture…that needs to spread across the country.

We’ve got to do better or fewer younger people will go into this necessary profession.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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If there’s one consistency between both the Old and New Testaments, it’s the fact that names matter to God. From God changing Abram’s name to Abraham to Yeshua changing Simon’s name to Peter (Cephas).

In an age when so many in the Body of Christ are politicizing sins that society considers BIG, while excusing those they consider small, the bible is clear that God takes how we identify ourselves very seriously…

Not many Christians are quick to name their children, Satan or Lucifer.

Why?

Because those names are used to identify the enemy, the accuser of the saints…the devil.

That’s why I don’t understand that while Christians are so passionately ‘campaign’ against the so-called BIG sins, why they never speak up against teams, many of which they allow their children to be a part of, that identify themselves with a devil.

They wear sports paraphernalia, fly flags, display bumper ‘stickers’ and worst of all cheer for, root for, in a sense ‘praise’…and glorify THE DEVILS!

Right now someone reading this knows in their heart it’s not right, but they are naturally inclined to do what Christians do when they want to continue doing something…look for reasons to justify it.

Do you think God is cool with you allowing your child to be identified as a ‘devil’?

Do you think God is okay with allowing a school, AAU team, or professional team to be identified as the DEVILS? The RED DEVILS? The BLUE DEVILS? etc.?

Names matter so much go God that He demands we be baptized in the NAME of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here name doesn’t mean the combination of consonants and vowels that make up ‘Yeshua’, ‘Jesus’, ‘Emmanuel’, Adonai, or even Ruach ha-kodesh (Holy Spirit). Names denote authority, character…who you are, or what it is. Think about the fact that God changed Jacob’s name to Israel.

Think about the fact that most Christians are content with calling a day chosen to commemorate Yeshua’s (Jesus’s) death, burial, and resurrection by a pagan goddess’s name (Easter), which is the same as (Eostre, Ishtar, Ashtoreth) one of the very names He forbid us to make mention of, one of the very names that Israel and Judah invoked (said) and provoked God to anger.

NAMES MATTER: WHY WE SHOULD CELEBRATE JESUS’ RESURRECTION WITHOUT CALLING IT ‘EASTER’…

Joshua 23:7 (NKJV)

⁷ and lest you go^[a] among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them,

Names matter, so we should stop trivializing what is important to Him.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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Too many people who call themselves Christians have a perverted view of strength.

They equate being proud, angry, loud, aggressive, insulting, retaliatory, impulsive, impatient, mean, ruthless, hard-hearted, violent and unforgiving to being strong…

While equating being humble, meek, quiet, patient, kind, gentle, self-controlled, merciful, willing to yield, soft-hearted, forgiving and turning the other cheek to being weak.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

James 3:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

On social media and verbally, people brag about how easy it is for them to…

Cut people off…

Hold onto a grudge…

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Revert back to their less patient, less forgiving, more hard-hearted and ready to ‘strike-back’ self.

They say, “You don’t know who I used to be” with pride rather than regret.

They boast, “I haven’t always been saved”.

They assert, “I can come down to your level.”

They lament about not being able to ‘cuss you out’, and brag about how they would have ‘back in the day’.

They infer that in some situations, they have to let Satan handle it instead of God through their behavior.

All-the-while these people who claim to be in the Body of Christ are impressed by people who ‘keep it real’ and say ‘just what’s on their mind’, even though the word of God prohibits that behavior…

Proverbs 29:11 (NKJV)

¹¹ A fool vents all his feelings,^[a]
But a wise man holds them back.

When called out on either engaging in or celebrating overly assertive behavior that clearly doesn’t meet God’s expectations, they quickly want to call out Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) turning over money changers in the temple…as if that was an example of strong behavior, but allowing Himself to be beaten and hung on the cross wasn’t.

But, even when the Lord was turning over money changers, He didn’t strike one person. New Testament Christians love to revert to the violent Old Testament to justify their visceral behavior rather than the New Testament that doesn’t give ONE example of Jesus allowing us to violently respond…

Matthew 5:38-40 (NLV)

³⁸ “You have heard that it has been said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you, do not fight with the man who wants to fight. Whoever hits you on the right side of the face, turn so he can hit the other side also. ⁴⁰ If any person takes you to court to get your shirt, give him your coat also.

When challenging so-called ‘strong words’, too many people mention when Jesus was calling the Pharisees hypocrites, a brood of vipers and sharply rebuking them, as if remaining silent before Pilate wasn’t strength.

People brag, “MY CUT-OFF GAME IS SO STRONG!”

People are competitive about how assertive and aggressive they can be to ‘get ahead’ in the world.

What if people bragged, “MY FORGIVENESS AND KINDNESS GAME IS SO STRONG!”

What if people were competitive about how gentle and willing to yield they can be to ‘get ahead’ in the Kingdom of God?

God doesn’t conform to the demands of our culture and standards…

We conform to His.

Matthew 5:5 (NKJV)

⁵ Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the ^[a]earth.

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BE BLESSTIFIED!

Psalm 127:2 (NKJV)

² It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.

Are you tired? You went to bed. You had time away from work, but you’re still tired? Is your mind always racing? Are you either trying to get ahead? Stay ahead? Or, catch up? Maybe you’re just trying to hold it together.

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So many of us our so busy. So many of us are either worried, stressed or obsessed.

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Then what do we say when someone transitions from this life…”Rest in Peace!”

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I want to encourage you today to learn to rest in peace BEFORE you die!

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One of the enemy’s greatest manipulations is to keep us spiritually weak because we don’t rest. He wants us too tired to read and study God’s word. He wants us too tired to take the time to pray before we eat our food, before we go to bed at night. He wants us too tired to go to worship.

How many times have you said, “I’m not going to church today…I’m too tired!”

Rest is so important to God that He commanded we rest one day every week (Exodus 20:10). He told us to do no work! But, I’ve noticed that in some church cultures people will go to morning worship, then they will leave and go to another church and worship having what’s called ‘afternoon services’ or ‘special days’….Men’s Day, Women’s Day etc.  Then some will even have another service in the evening.

Just as much as it is God’s will that we don’t forsake the assembling of ourselves together and that we worship regularly, it’s not His will for us to spend all day in church to the point that we don’t rest at all. That is establishing our own righteousness (Romans 10:3).

I have to admit when it comes to not getting enough rest. I’m guilty. I’m guilty of sometimes letting life’s problems weigh too heavy on my mind. I’m guilty of not stopping to just do nothing and rest my mind, body and spirit

I encourage you to learn to rest in peace before you die. Learn to rest your body. Learn to rest your mind. Learn to rest you spirit. Learn to refresh yourself in God’s word and prayer. Learn to say NO. Learn to say I can’t do that. Learn to say I need some time to myself. Think of how Jesus would withdraw to Himself (Luke 5:16).

The Lord has promised to help us with our ‘rest problem…’

Matthew 11:28New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Learn to get yourself some rest because if you don’t…you’re being disobedient.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

For those whose work schedule allows them to have a normal Saturday and Sunday weekend…Mondays can be tough. Especially if your job is challenging, if you have to work with difficult people, or if you work in a toxic culture.

Monday can also be difficult because the euphoria of the weekend is over. The reality of bills, errands and obligations come rushing back.

I’ve even found myself finding it hard to sleep well on SONday night…have you?

Monday CAN seem like a mountain, it can seem more like MOURNday if we let it.

If any of this is true for you, I have some suggestions to not only help get you through Monday, but make it seem quicker.

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Here are 3 Simple Suggestions to Make Your Mondays Easier and Faster…

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Work Harder/Have Fun

There are two sure fire ways to make time seem to pass by quicker…working harder and having fun.

When you’re focused on a job or completing a task, you can look at the clock surprised at how much time has elapsed. Anyone who works in a deadline based environment can attest to the fact that not only hours ‘fly by, but days and weeks. If you’re focused on your computer screen…your customers…your phone…your assembly line…your project…your students…your patients…your task, you’ll find yourself suddenly at the end of your work day.

It’s always good if you can find a way to make your job fun. Starting your day with and maintaining a smile sets a mindset, not only in you, but those around you. Find the humor in difficult situations…conversations…meetings. There will always be those who appreciate that you lighten the mood. Of course there will also be those who are annoyed, but that’s on them.

Listen to music, sermons, pod casts, etc if you can.

Play work goal games with yourself…I can make difficult customers smile…I can get this done faster with fewer mistakes.

Find a way to enjoy each day!

Make your it goal to be easy to work with. You can get joy from being the positive voice…from being the encourager.

Don’t Complain

God let’s us know through out His word that He hates complaining…

1 Corinthians 10:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 

God also said do our jobs as if doing them for Him…

Colossians 3:23  (NKJV)

²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 

That being said, we should learn to work without complaining…

Complaining not only makes you feel worse, but it’s either contagious, or it makes people want to avoid you.

When you feel yourself ready to complain, remember how happy you were when you found out you were hired.

When you feel like complaining, try giving God some praise instead.

Pray Often During the Day

The truth is that Monday is always a blessing, and God deserves to be thanked first thing and all day. Even a job you hate is still a blessing…link

Pray and be thankful when things are going well…

Pray for strength when days get challenging…

Pray for your coworkers or customers who make your job difficult or work against you.

Just as you take a lunch break, dedicate some regular time as your prayer break.

Pray without ceasing (1Thessalonians 5:17) should not be taken lightly…prayer is your key to make God a part of your work day and help you maintain His character and integrity. It is also good to read some of His word during the day as well.

Every day is a gift, and we should treat each as such. We don’t want to find ourselves wasting days in anticipation for the weekend, holidays and vacation. It’s best when we can learn to enjoy every day…all day.

But, as we mature in our ability to enjoy each day, I pray these tips can make your Monday easier and quicker.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

Too many those of us who attend church regularly criticize or judge new members who joined but drifted away.

Nothing deep here, just four things I think we should consider before we open our mouths…

1. They come to church looking for something and it doesn’t happen fast enough, so they leave.

2. They come to church looking for something and it happens quickly, then they leave.

3. We, who should be mature in the faith, run them away because we forget they are weaker, OR we aren’t nurturing enough, OR we’re too self-righteous.

4. They came seeking something other than God. This is usually the reason for 1 & 2. (That will be discussed in tomorrow’s post.)

Romans 14:1 (NKJV)

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.

Romans 15:1 (NKJV)

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the week, and not to please ourselves.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

One of the best ways for a teacher to establish his or her classroom culture and expectations is by modeling that behavior.

The tone of our culture troubles me.

Our society has legitimized a culture of insults, profanity, retaliation, and foolishness.

This behavior is being modeled by too many of our leaders , while being justified, excused, ignored and mimicked by their supporters.

People are so impressed by ‘keeping it real’, telling it like it is, adolescent humor, indecency and avoiding being Politically Correct that many have lost the value of exercising Emotional Intelligence, tact, kindness and restraint.

Too many people see being loud, proud, obnoxious and visceral as strength, while seeing meekness, humility and patience as weakness.

Our children are having this negative behavior modeled every day.

Even in our movies, we feel the ‘bullied nerd’ is weak until he or she stands up to the bully violently.

Remember, Yeshua Himself said don’t repay evil with evil, but turn the other cheek. He said don’t resist an evil person (unless of course your life is threatened). But of course, striking back if someone slaps you isn’t about self-defense, but pride. Returning an insult with an insult is about pride.

Matthew 5:39 (NKJV)

³⁹ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

The picture below was posted in a community Facebook group. The poster was complaining about this behavior, but many adults were celebrating trespassing, nudity and indecency. When the Lord said ‘turn the other cheek’, this isn’t what He was talking about…👇🏼

It’s possible some of the same people who celebrated this, also frown on this foolishness 👇🏾👇🏼

Do you think God approves of either?

Adults who call themselves disciples of Christ are going to have to do a better job of setting the example of walking in the Fruit of the Spirit, which the world sees as weakness.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

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Our children are learning to fight instead of keep the peace…

They’re learning to argue instead of reason…

They are learning to place blame and accuse instead of looking for solutions…

They’re learning to hate instead of love…

They are learning to make excuses to satisfy their will instead of God’s will.

Could many of our childish adults be the children who were spoiled when they were growing up? It’s time to stop the erosion of decorum in leadership.

Grown folks! We have got to do better.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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We were created in God’s image, which is less about how He looks and more about how He is.

We can have His character…

We can experience His emotions…

We can share in His divine nature…

2 Peter 1:4 (NKJV)

⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the ^[a]corruption that is in the world through lust.

The fact is that not only did we inherit our ability to LOVE from God, but we also got our ability to HATE from Him.

God hates sin…

The two emotions are two of GOD’S TANGIBLE INTANGIBLES… that have an extreme influence in our lives. When you think about it, both love and hate share one powerful influence over our lives.

Both LOVE and HATE force us to surrender control of our emotions to someone else.

When you truly love someone, or hate (or strongly dislike) you make yourself vulnerable to allow their behavior to be a steering wheel, or thermometer to your emotions…your joy, anger, frustration, happiness, rage, etc.

Think about it, the reason we either experience so much joy or pain from those closest to us is because we love them. Our closest relationships are a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s only apathy that leaves us emotionless.

Just like God.

Numbers 25:3 (NKJV)

³ So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.

Matthew 3:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Genesis 4:3-5 (ERV)

^3-4 At harvest time,^[a] Cain brought a gift to the Lord. He brought some of the food that he grew from the ground, but Abel brought some animals from his flock. He chose some of his best sheep and brought the best parts from them.^[b]

The Lord accepted Abel and his gift. ⁵ But he did not accept Cain and his offering. Cain was sad because of this, and he became very angry.

There’s a reason why we hurt those we love the most.

“If you aren’t LOVING HARD, you’re HARDLY LOVING.”

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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Most of the good you do will go…

Unnoticed…

Unappreciated…

Unreciprocated…

Undeserved…

And, MISUNDERSTOOD!

Remember, you’ve got to be cool with that.

John 1:11  (NKJV)

¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

1 Corinthians 10:34 (NKJV)

³³ just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Undervalued…

Underpaid…

Unrealistic expectations.

But, worth it!

My 5th graders insisted that I post the impromptu birthday card they made me on my blog.

They insisted.

Just like in the bible, what a teacher plants into the hearts of his or her students, is like seeds in the ground.

A good tree can’t bear bad fruit, and vice versa (Matthew 7:17 paraphrased)

While administrators, school boards, districts, and states are comparing and judging teacher effectiveness through test scores and data…

When a student or parent says “YOU’RE MY FAVORITE TEACHER”, it’s not because of standardized test scores.

Luke 6:40 (NKJV)

⁴⁰ A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Picture this. You’re sleeping comfortably in your bed and are awaken by a rattling at your window. You quietly get out of bed and notice that someone is trying to break into your home.

Or, You’re relaxing watching television and you’re shocked out of your show as your burglar alarm suddenly goes off.

In either situation do you go and let them into your house?

Of course not! You…

1. Call for help… you dial 911 if available.
2. You prepare to defend yourself with your weapons if available.

Our bodies are temples for the LORD to live inside of us, and it’s our responsiblity to protect them…

1 Corinthians 6:19-20  (NKJV)

¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body ^[a]and in your spirit, which are God’s.

John 14:23 (NKJV)

 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, He will keep my word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

In as much as God desires to live inside us, so does the enemy. The fact is that demons are real. Those fallen angels/unclean spirits are always looking for opportunities to come and try to occupy your spiritual house…

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.”

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God’s presence, His Spirits is what makes those unclean spirits leave us.

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It’s our responsibility to protect our spiritual houses. But, how does the devil get in? We make our ‘temple’s a comfortable dwelling place’ for unclean spirits through sin. Not just sin, but complacency towards sin. Giving in to sin is what allows them to return, get comfortable and invite more…

Revelation 18:2  (NKJV)

² And he cried ^[a]mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!

Sin makes our bodies and spirits comfortable places for demons. So, what keeps them out? What makes us comfortable dwelling places for God?

Being obedient to God’s word (1 Corinthians 6:20), being obedient to His word, and walking in His Spirit…

Galatians 5:16-23  (NKJV)

¹⁶ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: ^[a]adultery, ^[b]fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, ^[c]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.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ^23 [d]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

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But, here’s the good news! God never allows us to be taken by surprise. He has given us a built-in security system to let us know when the enemy is trying to get into our house through sin. It’s called TEMPTATION.

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James 1:13-14  (NKJV)

¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

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Giving in to temptation is letting the enemy into our spiritual house.

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Don’t ignore your alarm! God lets us know that the enemy is trying to enter us through temptation. Not just sexual temptation. I mean the temptation to hate, or harm someone. The temptation to speak evil of someone behind their backs. The temptation to complain… Think about it. You can always tell when the enemy is trying to ‘draw you away’ and convince you to sin.

But, God will not allow the enemy to do so without giving you the strength to withstand him…

1 Corinthians 10:13  (NKJV)

¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to ^[a]bear it.

Now there are many who now try to say that we weren’t strong enough to bear it, that’s why we gave in. But, I contend that we were strong enough, and we just gave up. That doesn’t mean the strength wasn’t avaialable.

So, the next time that you feel yourself tempted, stop and be reminded that’s the devil rattling on the windows of your spiritual house trying to get in. That’s your spiritual alarm system letting you know to, just as if someone were breaking into your physical house…

1. Call for help…Pray for a fresh anointing of His Holy Spirit and for protection from the enemy.
2. Defend your house….reject those evil thoughts and walk in the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 10:4  (NKJV)

⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not ^[a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

Remember, temptation lets you know that the devil is trying to get inside of your house!. Don’t ignore your alarm!

For more on this subject also read…DON’T ASK GOD TO LEAVE FOR A DEMON TO COME IN…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

What do you hope for? Think about it for a moment. Both big and small, what do you hope for in life? For yourself? For your family? For the world?

Please don’t ever take hope for granted. Hope gives us a reason to get up each morning. Hope gives us a reason to live. Hope gives us anticipation beyond this life.

Hope is a blessing from God…

Romans 15:13 (NKJV)

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 5:1-5 (NKJV)

Therefore, having been justified by faith, ^[a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces ^[b]perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, ^[c]character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

As much as faith is evidence of what we can’t see, hope is the expectation and desire of what we can’t and can see. Faith is the belief that we can actually have what we hope for…that it can and will happen.

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Faith is hope’s fruit…

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Hebrews 11:1  (NKJV)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The reason so many rich people are unhappy is because their ability to hope has been challenged.

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A life of having everything you want when you want it is a life with literally, no hope!

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Those who can put their hands on everything they want can find themselves unhappy and unfulfilled because God wants our hope to be in Him…

Psalm 39:6-8  (NKJV)

⁶ Surely every man walks about like a shadow;
Surely they ^[a]busy themselves in vain;
He heaps up riches,
And does not know who will gather them.

⁷ “And now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in You.
⁸ Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Do not make me the reproach of the foolish.

Take a moment to thank God for the ability to hope, and ask Him that your hope always be in Him.

I ‘hope’ this message blesses you.

You may also enjoy this: CURSED WITH EVERYTHING THEY EVER WANTED…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

If false hope gives someone a reason to keep on living…is it really false?

Think about this…

I in no way mean any disrespect to anyone dealing with the pain of a loved one suffering from any form of dementia. However, God does have a reason for everything He does. This true story showed me how what we sometimes think of as a ‘curse’ can be the blessing of hope in disguise for some.

Years ago I used to do nursing home ministry. I would visit two nursing homes, once each month. As I walked down through the halls I would see the same faces. There were some residents who had regular visits from family and friends, but unfortunately, there too many who never got a visitor…ever.

There were also varying levels of mental health. I would hear one lady in particular at one of the nursing homes say the same thing every time I visited. She would sit in her wheelchair in the entrance to her room as I walked by…she would smile and say,

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“I’m going home today”.

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No, she wasn’t going home. She was one of the residents who never had visitors, and her family had moved on with their lives. At first I felt sorry for her because her situation seemed so hopeless…but then God gave me an awesome revelation.

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In her hopeless situation…her dementia gave her hope!

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Was her hope false? Yes!

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But, it allowed her to wake up every morning WITH hope.

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God gave her a reason to smile EVERY DAY.

God gave her something to look forward to EVERY DAY.

God gave her HOPE in a HOPELESS situation.

She spent her last days with HOPE.

What many may think of as a CURSE, was actually a BLESSING to her.

God’s wisdom is amazing!

He can can pull HOPE out of HOPEless…

FORTUNE our of unFORTUNATE…

Of course there are times when false hope is harmful, but there’s other situations when it can give someone a reason to keep living.

Romans 5:5-7 (NKJV)

^{5  Now hope does not disappoint, (B)because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.}

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Let me first say that this article is in no way excusing the sin, shortcomings of weaknesses of any preacher, but rather acknowledging them. I know that God expects us as ministers and teachers to set the standard of behavior and holds us to a higher degree of accountability.

1 Peter 5:2 (NKJV)

² Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly,^[a] not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV)

11 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

1 Timothy 3:2-12 (NKJV)

² A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; ³ not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,^[a] but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; ⁴ one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence ⁵ (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); ⁶ not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. ⁷ Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

 James 3:1 (NKJV)

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

1 Timothy 5:19-20 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. ²⁰ Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.

But, I do ask you to remember and consider this…

Police officers sometimes speed while off duty…

Doctors don’t always eat healthy…

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And, preachers haven’t always perfected what they preach.

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The Word of God cuts preachers as He gives them inspiration, revelation and the anointing to share it. It convicts preachers of their sins as God reveals it to them.

Even the apostles were caught in and admitted to human moments…

Galatians 2:11-13 (NKJV)

¹¹ Now when Peter^[a] had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹² for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. ¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

 The Apostle Paul…

 Romans 7:19-25 (NKJV)

¹⁹ For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. ²⁰ Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ²¹ I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. ²² For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. ²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Sometimes preachers may even be transparent about what they are dealing with in their lives in their sermons or what they may write.

People particularly get upset with ministers as they call out particular sins and warn of their consequences….accusing them of judging. However, they are simply practicing, and sometimes struggling with what they preach, as they teach, instruct, encourage, admonish/warn those whom they are charged with.

Many people either do one of two things, they are oh, too ready to acknowledge that preachers are only human and diminish the authority that God has given them in the word.

Or,

People put them on a pedestal and treat them like ‘man gods’, which is blasphemous and wrong.

I just want to give everyone a reminder that preachers are the same is everyone else, that just like police officers and doctors preachers are the same as everyone else. Police officers are subject to the same laws they have been charged to enforce. Doctors are vulnerable to the same sicknesses that they have been educated to treat. And, preachers are clothed in sinful flesh and working out their own salvation, while also being charged with watching over the souls of the Body of Christ.

The next time you see a preacher repenting after having a human moment, or even a moral failure, remember that God didn’t remove King David’s anointing or kingship after his acts of murder, deception and adultery…because He repented. Yes, there were consequences, but God still allowed Him to remain in authority.

Also, remember if you see a preacher somewhere that you think they should not be…you shouldn’t be there either.

You might also find this interesting…EVEN THE MOST EFFECTIVE LEADERS DON’T ‘HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER’…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

 

 

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Conversation:

Them: “Al, doesn’t that get on your nerves? There’s no way I would want work with my wife and be together with her all day, every day.”

Me: “I understand dude. There’s no way I would want to be with YOUR wife all day every day either… but I LOVE doing so with mine.“

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I made a career change after a decade as a corporate Marketing Manager and Copywriter and became a teacher at the age of 50 three years ago.

My wife has been a teacher for the past twenty years.

Before then, in our 20’s, we opened a beauty supply store ‘TWO-GETHER’…

In our 40’s we launched our music ministry, literally ‘making beautiful music ‘TWO-GETHER’…

But, she has always inspired me to become a part of the ministry of teaching. She’s a phenomenal math teacher.

When I started, we were teaching in two different local districts, but then God did the amazing… He opened the door for us to both teach at THE SAME SCHOOL.

Hallelujah!

I’ve heard so many couples who seem as though they can’t wait to get time apart from one another, but not us.

Even after 34 years of marriage we LOVE being ‘TWO-GETHER’, so this was a dream come true.

HERE’S 10 REASONS WHY THE COUPLE THAT TEACHES AT THE SAME SCHOOL TWO-GETHER, STAYS TWO-GETHER…

1. We help each other pack lunches and get out of the house on time.

2. We get to have a therapeutic ride to work together every day.

3. We have the opportunity check in on one another during breaks to make sure the day is going okay.

4. We help each other remember duties and responsibilities in a fast-paced environment of high expectations.

5. We give other tips, advice and help through the daily challenges .

6. We enjoy a therapeutic ride home together.

7. We help each other with the duties we take home.

8. We save money on the daily commute.

9. We get our breaks, holidays and summers together!

10. We can totally relate to each other’s job related joys and challenges!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 (ESV)

⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?

After 34 years of marriage…God has given us something for which we have hoped for years. Hallelujah!

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

If we aren’t careful, we can let pride and arrogance creep into our faith. That’s exactly what the Pharisees, Scribes and Chief Priests did. They contended with Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ).

Their spirits live on today in many of those who claim to be Christians. I had a conversation with a man earlier this week. He had shared a post that was going around social media around Independence Day. I responded to the post with a scripture from the word of God, and a brief on-line conversation followed. Below is the post followed by the conversation in the form of a dialogue…

HERE’S THE POST:

“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the Officers appointed over me according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.I took this oath on June 15th, 1984 my oath has no expiration date.********For all my military retired and veteran friends, I challenge you to copy and paste this as your status. Replace my name and date with yours. Happy Independence Day!”

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As you notice the statement is an oath. Those entering the military or public office take this or a similar oath before beginning service. There is only one problem with that, God clearly has forbidden swearing or taking oaths. Our Lord told us to simply let our YES be YES and our NO be NO, in other words, let the truth in our words stand on it’s own as He does.

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So here’s the conversation:

ME:

Matthew 5:34-37 (NKJV)Jesus Forbids Oaths34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let [b]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.https://beblesstified.com/2020/06/25/why-the-word-swear-needs-to-be-removed-from-the-constitution-asap/

HIM: (Justifying what he wants to believe in spite of what Jesus said)

“The only reason God forbids you from swearing to an oath is that he wants us to realize that when you swear to something, he is going to hold you to it. I swore to this oath and with God’s help I will hold to it and I stand by it. If he didn’t want us to swear to something then why did he swear in Isaiah that ever knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

As far as taking swear out of the constitution only weakens the meaning of it and would make it null and void and that is what the powers that be want.“

He was referring to Isaiah,,,

Isaiah 45:23 (NKJV)

²³ I have sworn by Myself;
The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,
And shall not return,
That to Me every knee shall bow,
Every tongue shall take an oath.

(This is God swearing by Himself. We are not God)

ME:

“Yeshua forbade us from swearing because He wants the truth in our words to stand on its on, like His. That’s why He said ‘Let your yes be yes, and your no be know’. You are trying to justify doing something that God clearly said DO NOT DO.Taking the word swear out does not weaken anything if God said don’t do it. As far as Isaiah, That was God swearing by Himself…we are not God. You already know that oaths were permitted in the Old Testament, just like ‘an eye for an eye’. James 5:12 But above all, my brethren, (A)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into [a]judgment. God bless you my brother”

HIM:

 “I still stand by my word and I’m sure all others will as well.”

ME:

That’s fine and quite frankly that’s the problem. This is the type arrogance and pride that is bringing this country down. (pride comes before a fall). You are standing on YOUR word. I am standing on GOD’S word. I gave you scriptures from Matthew and James and explained the context of Isaiah. What you are doing is expecting God’s word to submit to YOUR will instead of submitting to HIS. Do you realize how dangerous that is? Do you realize that’s exactly what the Pharisees, Chief Priests, and Scribes did? I have done my duty in planting a seed of truth. God bless you. https://beblesstified.com/2020/07/05/worried-about-losing-your-freedom-look-at-your-own-pride-first/

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This concluded the conversation.

Friends, so many Americans feel their freedoms are being challenged through masks, socialist ideology and ‘sinners’ in the land. I am 100% AGAIST SOCIALISM, but one would have to ask oneself why God might allow that to happen. Remember, that Israel lost their freedom and were exiled into Babylon not because of the pagans in the land, but because of their own compromise, arrogance, hypocrisy and spiritual adultery. WORRIED ABOUT LOSING YOUR FREEDOM? LOOK AT YOUR OWN PRIDE FIRST…

Remember, Yeshua sharply rebuked the Pharisees for giving the traditions they wanted to keep above the word of God…

Matthew 15:3-9  (NKJV)

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’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 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 ^[a]or mother.’ Thus you have made the ^[b]commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. ⁷ Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

⁸ ‘These people ^[c]draw near to Me with their mouth,
And 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.’ ”

Matthew 15:3-9 is a classic example of what the gentleman with whom I had the conversation was doing. He asserted that despite what God said in Matthew 5 and James 5, he was ‘standing on his word’. That’s dangerous.

I pray in the name of Yeshua the Messiah that God softens his heart to submit to His word, His will and His truth.

Be very careful that you aren’t claiming you have more authority than God by putting your will or traditions above His.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

You finally got it! That promotion you worked so hard for, or it may be that you didn’t earn or deserve it. Either way, you got it.

The first thing you want to do is make sure that it’s from God. But, how can you tell? It’s really very easy.

Here are 7 quick ways to tell whether your promotion or job is a blessing or a curse in disguise.

Make sure the expectations of your new duties don’t…

1. Make you behave contrary to God’s will.

2. Make your compromise God’s character and integrity.

3. Prevent you from attending regular worship service.

4. Force you to make a choice between your career/occupation and your calling.

5. Force you to be disrespectful to others

6. Force you to endorse, encourage or excuse ungodly lifestyles.

7. Did you pray about it first?

Number 7 is really big. I probably should have put it first, but it would have messed up my transition:-) How can God bless something that you didn’t pray about first? Making any decision, but especially big decisions without God is foolishly stepping out on your own.

Remember, no matter what your role, job title, or job description…you are God’s representative at work. You are His ambassador…

2 Corinthians 5:20(NKJV)

²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

Even in an ungodly culture, God has sent you behind enemy lines to set the standard of behavior in the most difficult circumstances.

If God gave it to you…Congratulations!

If not, you would be better off with less money if it comes between you and God. And, any influence you may have lost in the world is multiplies in God’s Kingdom.

Mark 8:36-37 (NKJV)

³⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?³⁷ Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

BE BLESSTIFIED.

God uses imperfect people to carry out His perfect will. That being said, we know that the church is made up of those imperfect people. It’s unavoidable that the church has historically made some mistakes. What’s important is that we continue to learn from those mistakes…and change.

I feel that one of the most damaging mistakes that’s been made in many churches is about GIVING. I’m not talking about HOW MUCH. I’m talking about WHY?

Too many people have been taught to GIVE SELFISHLY. Too many people have been taught and are being taught to approach God and give carnally. The ‘prosperity’ movement has reduced giving to a selfless act, based on our culture of greed, as a ‘tool’ to get what you want out of life from God. This allows the idolatry (Colossians 3:5) of worshiping oneself to pervert faith. They believe God can do it, but the motivation is wrong.

This actually comes from a biblical truth in the concept of giving when the bible says…

Malachi 3:10-12 (NKJV)

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,

That there may be food in My house,

And try Me now in this,”

Says the Lord of hosts,

“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven

And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. ¹¹ “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,

So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,

Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”

Says the Lord of hosts; ¹² “And all nations will call you blessed,

For you will be a delightful land,”

Says the Lord of hosts.

Again, this post isn’t about the AMOUNT, but about the WHY. Of course God can and will bless you for giving from the heart, but when they’re honest with themselves…too many people give so they can release the blessings of verses 10 through 12 into THEIR OWN LIVES, “open the windows of heaven”…”pour out a blessing that there will not be room to receive it”, “rebuke the devourer for your sakes”, “all the nations of the world will call you blessed”.

When they’re honest with themselves, many Christians only give so they can get. It is their BLE$$ING bill, their BLE$$ING note…no different than their utility bill, cell phone bill, mortgage, rent, car payment…that if they DON’T give God will cut off their blessings.

They prove this in their behavior. These same people who won’t get caught missing an opportunity to give don’t seem to have a problem with not reading regularly, not praying regularly, not sharing their faith with unbelievers, not being generous beyond what they think is the minimum, not helping those in need, and not even having a regular prayer life.

When we’re honest with ourselves, even when we help others sometimes, we aren’t doing it to be a blessing, but so we can feel good about ourselves, or so others can see what we’ve done. A good example…so many people rush to feed those in need in shelters during Thanksgiving, as if these people don’t need to eat 365 days per year. Jesus clearly tells us that when we do things for our own glory, that we have already received our reward…

Matthew 6:1-2 (NKJV)

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

Does that mean that it’s always wrong to share when you’ve blessed someone? No, because we are told to let our light shine…however God also knows the reason why we shared it.

We must always be honest with ourselves of even why we do good.

God wants us to give unselfishly, wishing for nothing in return. He wants us to give to fund the growth of His Kingdom in the earth. He wants us to give to simply plant seeds of His love. He wants us to give to be A BLESSING and not ONLY TO BE BLESSED.

Look at some of the verses concerning unselfish giving, and think of how infrequently you hear some of them or all of them…

Luke 6:34-35 (NKJV)

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, 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.

 2 Corinthians 9:5-15 (NKJV)

 ⁵ Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. ⁶ But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God I sable to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. ⁹ As it is written:

“He has dispersed abroad,

He has given to the poor;

His righteousness endures forever.”^[b]

¹⁰ Now may^[c] He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, ¹¹ while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. ¹² For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, ¹³ while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, ¹⁴ and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

 Ephesians 4:28 (NKJV)

 ²⁸ Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

1 John 3:17 (NKJV)

 ¹⁷ But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

There are many more verses where God makes it clear that we should give unselfishly.

Yes, we should always be obedient and give as God told us to do. We should be generous as God told us to be.

But, we must always be honest with ourselves as to why we’re giving or being generous…because He already knows.

BE BLESSTIFIED!