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1 Kings 12:24 (NKJV)

²⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord: “You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.” ’ ” Therefore they obeyed the word of the Lord, and turned back, according to the word of the Lord.

The purpose of this article is to build up the Body of Christ, His church, purchased with His blood. It’s because so many people who claim to be disciples in Christ are passionate about celebrating a part of history that should be remembered, but NOT celebrated.

They celebrate a heritage and culture that thrived from…

The enslavement of Black people…

The institutionalized and accepted rape of Black women…

The separation of fathers, mothers and children who were sold away from one another…

Profiting from forced labor.

Yes, they said it was for ‘States Rights’, but we all know the underpinning right for which the so-called “War of Northern Aggression” was fought.

Many of the same people who complain about our flag and military being disrespected celebrate the violent protest that fought against that same flag and military because they arrogantly have judged their cause to be more noble.

The Confederacy was another country, with it’s own constitution, it’s own government, it’s own currency, it’s own flag, its’ own military…it was treason.

Many of these same people who revere everything above to the point of worship, claim to be Christians. How could they have missed this verse…

Exodus 21:16  (ESV)

¹⁶ “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.

I encourage anyone who claims to love the God of our salvation, Yah, Adonai, our Elohim, the Father of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua the Messiah, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Living Word, Jesus Christ to carefully read through the Old Testament.

Notice that the Nation of Israel was split into two kingdoms because of the sin of Rehaboam, which was a heritage of his father, Solomon’s disobedience in his old age…

1 Kings 12:15  (NKJV)

¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word, which the Lord had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

God forbade them to fight one another…

1 Kings 12:21-24  (NKJV)

²¹ And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. ²² But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ²³ “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, ²⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord: “You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.” ’ ” Therefore they obeyed the word of the Lord, and turned back, according to the word of the Lord.

There were subsequently several battles between the northern and southern kingdoms during the reigns of the kings of both kingdoms. Here are a few of the verses…

1 Kings 15:1-6  (NKJV)

15 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. ² He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maachah the granddaughter of Abishalom. ³ And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not ^[a]loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. ⁴ Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, by setting up his son after him and by establishing Jerusalem; ⁵ because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. ⁶ And there was war between ^[b]Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

1 Kings 15:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

2 Kings 14:11-12 (NKJV)

¹¹ But Amaziah would not heed. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went out; so he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹² And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent.

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You will not find one verse in the bible CELEBRATING any of the civil wars between Israel and Judah! Are they documented? Yes. Are they celebrated? No. Are there statues and memorials? NO!

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This is one of the reasons that God forbade graven images…

Exodus 20:4-5  (NKJV)

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁵ you shall not bow down to them nor ^[a]serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting^[b] the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Notice verse 4 says don’t make them. That’s one complete thought. Then, verse 5 says don’t worship them…that’s an extension of that thought. Don’t make them, then don’t worship them. Why?

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Because God knows us. Too many times passion and respect unintentionally becomes worship. Especially when someone else doesn’t share your perspective or level of reverence.

God is sovereign. As a Black man, I’m thankful that the South did not win. Just as Israel was enslaved in Egypt for 400 years, so were Black people in what became the United States. When God chose, He released Israel from their bondage, and he did the same in America.

If you believe God is sovereign, then you have to accept the fact that IF GOD WANTED THE CONFEDERACY TO WIN, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE.

Again, this post is to equip and build up the Body of Christ. If it for some reason makes you angry, ask yourself which spirit is provoking your anger.

CELEBRATING WHAT WE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF PART 1…THE CIVIL WAR.

THE HYPOCRISY IN WHICH ‘RIOTS’ ARE TO BE RESPECTED (IT’S ALL ABOUT THE NARRATIVE)…

WHAT THOSE WHO CELEBRATE THE CONFEDERACY HAVE IN COMMON WITH COLIN KAEPERNICK…

FUNNY HOW IT’S CONSIDERED ‘WHINING’ UNTIL IT’S SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO YOU…

FOR THOSE WHO SAYS THE BIBLE ‘JUSTIFIES’ SLAVERY…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Life can get overwhelming. And, not just the consequences of sin, but the effects of your calling…

Philippians 1:29 (NKJV)

²⁹ For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

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God sometimes puts all of His children in situations where all they have to go on is faith. And, He knows how difficult it can be…

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Matthew 26:41 (NKJV)

⁴¹ Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Psalm 103:13-14 N (NKJV)

¹³ As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
¹⁴ For He ^[a]knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

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God knows trusting Him isn’t always easy.

So don’t feel like you have let Him down when you have your weak, human moments. As long as you snap out of them and acknowledge that you love Him and trust Him…

Psalm 13 (NKJV)

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
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;
Enlighten my eyes,
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.

Remember how troubled He was while He was in the garden before He was betrayed…

Psalm 103:13-14 (NKJV)

¹³ As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
¹⁴ For He ^[a]knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

He was troubled, but focused.

And, remember what our Lord and Savior said on the cross…

Matthew 27:46 (NKJV)

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

His cry didn’t mean that He didn’t trust the Father, it just meant He had one last human moment.

If Jesus had human moments that weren’t sin, He knows you will too, and understands.

Trust God my friends.

This may also bless you: HOW TO TURN YOUR PITY PARTY INTO A PRAISE PARTY…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

So many people today equate humility to weakness. Our society values arrogance, self-indulgence, retribution, revenge, retaliation, aggression, threats and what is perceived as loud, strong words…all of this is the fruit of pride. And, we know what pride does to our relationship with God…

James 4:6  (NKJV)

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

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

Even in our movies, people celebrate when the so-called ‘nerd’ finally stands up to the bully and ‘knocks him out’ to the applause of everyone watching.

That’s not what happened on the cross.

Yeshua, Christ Jesus, humbled Himself to open and public humiliation for our sins…

Hebrews 12:2  (NKJV)

² looking unto Jesus, the ^[a]author and ^[b]finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 Isaiah 53:3-12  (NKJV)

³ He is despised and ^[a]rejected by men,
A Man of ^[b]sorrows and acquainted with ^[c]grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

⁴ Surely He has borne our ^[d]griefs
And carried our ^[e]sorrows;
Yet we ^[f]esteemed Him stricken,
^[g]Smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But He was wounded^[h] for our transgressions,
He was ^[i]bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes^[j] we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord ^[k]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
⁸ He was taken from ^[l]prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
⁹ And ^[m]they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it pleased the Lord to ^[n]bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
^11 [o]He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the ^[p]spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.

 God demands humility from His children. Humility is a sign of having faith in Him and the rejection of pride.

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God loves us enough sometimes to humble us when we refuse to humble ourselves…but it can be very painful and humiliating.

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When God humbles us, He isn’t trying to hurt us, but He is trying to help us to develop our character and walk in His Spirit. It’s a form of discipline, similar to when…

A parent has to punish a child in front of other children,

When a teacher or coach has to reprimand a student in front of others,

Or even when we’ve passed several cars speeding only to have them catch up to us while we are pulled over by an officer.

So NEVER, and I mean NEVER ask God to humble you. Just as we are encouraged in the book of James, humble yourselves so God does not have to do it for you. Don’t worry, it comes with a beautiful promise.

James 4:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

It’s amazing how God allows issues to arise to show what’s in people’s hearts, both good and bad. God knows what’s in our hearts…

1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

I have to admit that one of my pet peeves is when someone retorts the assertion that ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’ with ‘ALL LIVES MATTER’ as if they are mutually exclusive.

You all know what mutually exclusive means. That two events or things can’t take place at the same time…

YOU CAN’T turn both right and left at the same time…they’re mutually exclusive.

YOU CAN’T flip a coin and have ‘heads’ and ‘tails’ at the same time…they’re mutually exclusive.

YOU CAN’T serve God and money at the same time…they’re mutually exclusive.

YOU CAN’T go to heaven and hell at the same time… they’re mutually exclusive.

Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)

^{24 (A)}“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. ^(B)You cannot serve God and ^[a]mammon.

However, YOU CAN be both hungry and thirsty at the same time… not mutually exclusive.

YOU CAN love your son and daughter at the same time…not mutually exclusive.

GOD IS a God of love and a God of wrath at the same time…not mutually exclusive.

Both Black lives, all lives and blue lives can happen at the same time…not mutually exclusive.

What motivates that initial retort when someone says “Black Lives Matter?” When people say encourage 2020 graduates because they were cheated out of the normal pomp and circumstance does not mean other graduates or other students don’t matter. When someone says show respect to senior citizens that doesn’t mean other citizens don’t matter. When Jesus says blessed are the poor in spirit, does that mean everyone else isn’t blessed? That doesn’t even enter our minds.

Could it be that the “BLACK LIVES MATTER”statement offends some people because of some hidden, unacknowledged racism in their hearts? Are they trying to ‘muddy the waters’ because the narrative they prefer is being challenged?

Racism is a lot like high blood pressure. Many people don’t know they have it until it affects their heart.

During the Civil Rights movement, the need for equal rights and equity was not mutually exclusive from any problems within the Black community. So, the need to address the brutality of some police officers and systematic racism within the system doesn’t have to be silenced because of Black on Black crime (I hear this argument all the time, ‘where are the protests about Black on Black crime’).

It it easy to see the people who would have criticized Dr. King and the countless unknown heroes of the Civil Rights Movement if they had been living then.

It’s easy to see who would have criticized Yeshua as He challenged the system and traditions of that time.

Yes, BLACK LIVES MATTER and ALL LIVES MATTER…all at the same time.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

There are many atheists and skeptics who say that religion was created to control the masses.

As a Black man, I often hear others say how can you believe in a God that was forced on your ancestors by the slavemaster. They forget or ignore that the bible did not originate with Europeans, but that’s another discussion.

Once some people are convinced their particular view is correct, they claim everyone else is BRAINWASHED.

It’s amazing how one can assume you haven’t studied history for yourself and that you’re being naive.

There are plenty of believers like myself who are educated, have studied history, have studied other cultures and still choose to believe in the Lord God of Israel from Everlasting to Everlasting through His Son and our Savior Yeshua, Christ Jesus, The Lamb of God.

The history of the bible goes beyond and before European influences.

Besides…Those who are truly connected with God don’t have ‘religion’…we have relationship.

1 Timothy 1:12 (NKJV)

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. 

BE BLESSTIFIED!

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So many times we, in the Body of Christ, are very quick to blame God’s wrath and judgement on those who don’t believe and are practicing the works of the flesh. And, God has promised that those who practice the works of the flesh and continue in sin will be ‘dealt with’….

Galatians 5:19-21  (NKJV)

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.

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the ^[a]gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

However, when you carefully read the word of God, especially in the Old Testament, you will find that God’s judgment on His people was NEVER because of the sin of unbelievers, pagans or heathens…it was ALWAYS because of either THEIR OWN SIN, COMPROMISE, HYPOCRISY and ASSIMILATION or because of the SIN OF THE LEADER (KING).

First of all, remember that every thing that is written in the Old Testament, especially the catastrophic, sometimes unbelievable and admittedly difficult to understand acts of judgment, such as commanding everything alive to be killed, the ground opening up and swallowing entire families, a man being stoned for picking up sticks on the day of rest, and His people being exiled were 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.

They were extreme examples to let us know God’s heart. It let us know how much some behavior pissed Him off.

That being said, now read carefully through Judges, 1st & 2nd Kings, 1st & 2nd Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi making a point to notice how God reacts to the behavior of His people.

Yes, God pronounced judgement on pagans, as when He told Israel to destroy Ai in Joshua Chapter 8.

But, notice that Israel suffered drought, famine and exile not because of heathens, but because of their own spiritual adultery. That’s why He made the promise to His people in 2 Chronicles Chapter 7 as a reminder of this…

2 Chronicles 7:13-14  (NKJV)

¹³ When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among MY PEOPLE, ¹⁴ if MY PEOPLE who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Israel and Judah were exiled into Babylon because of their own sin.

The entire nation suffered because of the sins of unrighteous leaders who did not seek Godly counsel nor listen to God. These were Kings who put their trust in the military rather than God…

Psalm 33:16  (NLT)

¹⁶ The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
    nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.

The entire nation of Israel was punished because of leaders who were arrogant, ungodly, unrepentant, and vengeful. They used religion for their own agenda, such as King Jeraboam (Read 1 Kings Chapter 12). Yes, they were ordained by God. Some of them were great builders and had many successful projects, but their arrogance established the culture in the nation and set up His people to sin.

King Herod was very fond of John the Baptist. He loved listening to him and even protected him. He was a great builder and politician, but he was an enemy of Christ.

Mark 6:20  (NKJV)

²⁰ for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he ^[a]did many things, and heard him gladly.

We all know that in 70 A.D. Jerusalem was destroyed. Yeshua even lamented about how He longed to protect HIS own people, but they wouldn’t have His protection…

Matthew 23:37-38 (NKJV)

³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ See! Your house is left to you desolate;

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So, here is my warning to those in America or any other nation who calls themselves disciples of Christ. I know many Americans fear socialism, illegal immigration, radical muslim influence and the loss of the nation but remember this…

Even though God set the example of allowing violent judgement upon heathens in the Old Testament…

ISRAEL LOST THEIR NATION, WAS EXILED AND THEIR TEMPLE DESTROYED NOT BECAUSE OF SINNERS BUT BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN SIN, COMPROMISE, HYPOCRISY and ASSIMILATION or because of the SIN OF THE LEADER (KING).

Please don’t take my word for it. Take your time (because it’s not a one day read or study), pray for wisdom, read and study it for yourself.

Also remember that every prophet called in the Old Testament that had harsh warnings from God had their messages rejected by the people of God.

GOD’S ‘JUDGEMENT’ ISN’T ALWAYS PAINFUL…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

If you read the bible carefully you will notice that everyone that God used to carry out His will had one thing in common…

None of them signed up, applied for or volunteered for the job.

Abram (Abraham)…

Noah…

David…

Joseph…

Mary…

John…

James…

Matthew…

Peter…

Paul…

If you notice, Yeshua went and drafted the Apostles while they were working on their job.

And as you know they all, except for the Apostle John, were killed for their faith and beliefs.

Our Savior even reminded us of who chooses whom, and His expectation of us…

John 15:16 (NKJV)

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and^(B)appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father ^(C)in My name He may give you.

^{d(B)appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father (C)in My name He may give you.6} It’s okay to be ambitious and have the desire to do great things. It’s okay to have goals and to relentlessly pursue our passions. However, remember that many of the people who changed the world did not plan their path…especially those who lost their lives.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

This is a spiritual post with political implications…

When Jesus’ disciples were observed eating without washing in the ‘prescribed’ manner they were criticized by those in authority, the Pharisees.

This expectation was a tradition that not only was accepted but expected. Anyone who didn’t do so had their loyalty to God and the tradition challenged. All in all, this was not something that God expected, but people. Just because it was the established expectation did not make it right.

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Jesus sharply rebuked them and their silly traditions. The mere passion behind being compelled to defend a tradition, even to the point of death, makes it worship to me.

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Any tradition that you cling to the point it is revered and question the loyalty of others if they feel it’s not right for them is too close to worship for me.

And, it was apparently too much for Jesus too…

Mark 7:5-9 (NKJV)

⁵ Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

⁶ He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

⁸ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—^[a]the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

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⁹ He said to them, “All too well you ^[b]reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

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Jesus said they REJECTED what God has said for their traditions.

This same dangerous thinking and practice continues today. Jesus said they set aside the commandments of God for the traditions of man.

For example, one of the hottest topics, debates and disagreements today is that of people disrespecting the American flag when they choose to ‘take a knee’ in protest to police brutality towards African-American men.

Personally, I love this country and would not want to live anywhere else in the world. I had uncles fight in World War ll and had two die just months before it was over. I had other uncles return home after fighting for their country to be treated like second class citizens. I currently have relatives serving in our armed services and have many friends who are police officers.

However, ever since I was able to read the bible for myself, I have felt uncomfortable standing and putting my hand over my heart for ANY flag. There’s a reason that God forbade us to honor, worship or acknowledge Him or anything else with graven images. The fact is that all idols aren’t made of stone, some are made of cloth. Does it take doing what seems to me as worshiping an idol to prove my respect? Just because this tradition was established doesn’t make it right. After all, there is also the established expectation to put one’s right hand on the bible and swear an oath while accepting an elected office or testifying in court…this is the same bible that our Lord clearly commands that we should never swear an oath. For more on this read WHY SWEAR IN COURT WHEN GOD FORBIDS IT?

Matthew 5:33-37  (NKJV)

³³ “Again you have heard that it was said to those of ^[a]old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 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 ^[b]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.

God’s expectation can’t be any more clear than here, but still we persist in swearing-in officials. What kind of rebuke would someone suffer if he or she refused to be sworn in?

How dare person A tell person B that they aren’t loyal because person  B feels a beloved tradition is in direct conflict to God’s word. In fact, person B could contend that person A’s devotion to that tradition contradicts person A’s loyalty to God.

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It is not God’s will to put our love for country or anything else before our love for Him or obedience to His word.

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God has given us the freedom to assume several postures in approaching Him. He allows us to kneel, stand, raise our hands, lay before Him etc. I discuss this more in the post… 9 BIBLICALLY PROPER PRAYER POSTURES… If God allows us to show respect, honor and praise for Him in several manners, who are we to demand more for ourselves or what we create?

So many of us today have become modern-day Pharisees in our expectation of others to honor the traditions that are dear to us, but are NOT requirements of God. There are many traditions and expectations that have endured for years and people have killed to defend that are in direct conflict with the word of God…hazing for example, that includes language and behavior (getting drunk, sex and violence) has become expected to become a part of many organizations and even upheld by Christians. I discuss this topic in the post THE UNHOLINESS OF HAZING: TRADITIONS FROM HELL…

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Again, I love this country but I would be irresponsible as a man of God if I didn’t challenge us to reexamine some of our traditions…that’s what Jesus and His apostles did.

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Remember, some idols aren’t made of stone, but cloth.

If this blessed or challenged you, I also invite you to read,

WERE SHADRACH, MESHACH, & ABEDNEGO BEING UNPATRIOTIC…?

 IF GOD DOESN’T CONSIDER ‘TAKING A KNEE’ DISRESPECTFUL TO HIM, WHY SHOULD WE?

God bless America and…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

It’s interesting to me how we sometimes expect more of one another than God expects of us.

Those who are against athletes kneeling during the National anthem complain they are disrespecting the American flag and service men and women who have fought for it.

Those who support kneeling contend it’s a peaceful protest to bring attention to police brutality against African-Americans.

The protest escalated when the President of the United States used his podium and position of authority to call athletes who choose to kneel sons of b*****s. This is not only insulting them but their mothers. It amazes me that so many ‘Christians’  (especially Christian leaders) are not offended at that. Offensive language is disrespectful and forbidden by God.

My question is this. Why is kneeling considered disrespectful?

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If GOD doesn’t consider ‘taking a knee’ to Him disrespectful…why should we?

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God allows us to approach Him kneeling, standing, or sitting.

Do you always stand to honor God when you pray?

Do you always stand before God when you read His word?

Jesus did when He read the scripture publicly in the synagogue…do you ALWAYS do likewise?

Luke 4:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.

Respecting a flag and the ideal behind is fine, but I will honor NOTHING more than I honor God.

Many of our traditions and expectations aren’t necessarily ordained by God…but merely traditions.

Remember how Jesus constantly rebuked the Pharisees for expecting more from the people than God did. How he rebuked them for being more passionate about traditions than devotion to God and His expectations.

Matthew 15:3 (NKJV)

 ³ He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

 In many ways, our country has set traditions that contradict what God commanded.

Think about it…

People are expected to put their hand on a bible and swear an oath to tell the truth when God forbids swearing in that same bible. That makes little since anyway since swearing on a bible means nothing to an unbeliever.

People are expected to take ‘an oath of office’ when God forbids it.

 Matthew 5:33-37 (NKJV)

 ³³ “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 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 your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

We must be careful that we don’t have the spirit of the Pharisees. It’s not fair for one base someone else’s patriotism on their expectations, perspective or traditions.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

I by no means condone rioting, looting and destroying property. It is counterproductive and actually hardens the hearts of some who support whatever the cause may be.

However, rioting because of injustice is nothing new. Injustice may not be an excuse, but it has been a reason…a spark to the explosion.

Even the religious leaders, the system that was threatened by Yeshua the Messiah ( Jesus Christ) knew this. They wanted to kill him many times before the crucifixion, but relented, seeking an opportune time. Why? Because they feared the people would riot.

Luke 22:1-2 (NKJV)

22 Now ^(B)the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. ² And ^(C)the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.

It’s interesting how so many Americans were taught to respect the ‘accepted’ rebellious protest of the Boston Tea Party. This act of vandalism and deception was considered honored and noble. Remember, they vandalized and destroyed property disguised as Native Americans so it would be blamed on them. What if that happened today?

• 

The fact is that the American Civil War was one big, violent ‘riot’ of the Southern states over what they called ‘States Rights’, but we all know what right was most precious to them… slavery.

They consider that cause so honorable that even public institutions are named to honor rebellion, for example, The Ole Miss Rebels. Rebels? Rebellion is being revered, and those who do so feel if you don’t feel the same you ‘don’t know history’. No, others just don’t agree with or accept that narrative.

• 

People want to own the narrative. When Jesus came, He changed the narrative, and the system didn’t like it….

Luke 23:5 (NKJV)

⁵ But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.”

The Apostles were accused of the same…

Acts 21:20–21 (NKJV)

20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all pzealous for the law; 21 but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.

Rebellion and riots are nothing new. And, I believe in peaceful protest. But, how those riots, rebellions and protests are viewed is not determined through ONE narrative.

Never forget the first rebellion in heaven that got Lucifer kicked out…

Luke 10:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Fear is how the enemy convinces us to undermine our own future; stunt our own growth; place limits where there are none; create a ceiling where the sky isn’t even the limit.

God did not give us the spirit of fear…

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Unfortunately, too many times we learn to be afraid of certain things from our parents. My grandmother taught me to be afraid of water. Anytime I got near a lake or river, she would say, “GET AWAY FROM THERE!”

What are you afraid of?

Water?

Flying?

Traveling?

Change?

Uncertainty?

Another race or culture?

Switching from Android to iPhone?

Think about what causes you anxiety. What you try to avoid….your prejudices.

Now, where did your fear come from? And, if you’re a parent, what fears have you passed on to your children?

You can either bless your child, or curse your child. When you teach your child to be afraid, you are cursing them… it becomes a generational curse.

Bless your child with enough confidence in God and Godly wisdom so that they don’t inherit your fears.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Most of us have heard the saying, “Revenge is sweet”. We have all had moments that we have craved for revenge.

That’s why I think the metaphor is appropriate because REVENGE and SUGAR have something in common. Just like sugar slowly deteriorates your teeth, the desire for revenge slowly deteriorates your spirit. It eats away at your spirit, defiles it and consumes your mental energy.

Besides, God never promised us revenge or allows us to take revenge. It belongs only to Him…

Romans 12:19  (NKJV)

¹⁹ Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Why?

Because revenge is judgement. It is condemnation. It is us deciding that people deserve to be paid back for how they have hurt us .

However, God does allow us to have and will sometimes grant us vindication. He has even promised vindication in His Word…

Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)

¹⁷     no weapon forged against you will prevail,
    and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the Lord.

In the bible vindication is getting justice or clearing one’s name.

We all know revenge is getting even and repaying someone for what they’ve done. It is retaliation. And, God does not allow us to do that…

Matthew 5:38-42 Expanded Bible (EXB)

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth [Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21].’ ³⁹ But I tell you, don’t ·stand up against [resist; retaliate against] an evil person. If someone ·slaps [strikes] you on the right cheek [^Ceither an insult or an act of violence], turn to him the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ If someone wants to sue you in court and take your ·shirt [tunic], let him have your coat also. ⁴¹ If someone forces you to go with him one mile, go with him two miles [^Calluding to the practice of impressment, whereby a Roman soldier could command a civilian to carry his gear for a mile]. ⁴² If a person asks you for something, give it to him. Don’t ·refuse to give to [^Lturn away from] someone who wants to borrow from you.

Revenge is getting them back.

Vindication is getting yourself back.

So, pray for vindication, but from the perspective that the person or those who injured you can be brought in right relationship with God.

Remember, God doesn’t love your enemies any less than He loves you.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

We have all messed up some stuff in our lives…

Money…

Marriages…

Relationships…

Credit…

Reputation…

What have you messed up in your life?

We also know that even when you’re in relationship with God, there are still real consequences for sin, bad decisions and weaknesses. And even now, many of us are living out those consequences.

It’s God’s will that we learn from our experiences, the mistakes of others, and listen to good Godly advice. We must learn those lessons of…

Repentance (Completely turning from our sins and changing our behavior. Not just asking for forgiveness, but actually changing.)

Accountability (acknowledging and owning where we need to change).

Stewardship (carefully managing the resources that God has given us).

Responsibility (owing and living up to our responsibility)

Relationships ( making sure we are doing everything we can for healthy relationships with God first, then one another)

Once we learn the lessons that God requires for our growth, even though we are living out the consequences, God can still restore all of the things we have screwed up through out mistakes, if He chooses. Time after time in the bible Israel and Judah hurt God and suffered the consequences, then after crying out, He heard them and restored what they lost….after repentance.

Check out these encouraging scriptures about restoration…

Psalm 23:3  (NKJV)

³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Joel 2:25-26  (NKJV)

²⁵ “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
²⁶ You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.

Isaiah 1:16-19  (NKJV)

¹⁶ “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
¹⁷ Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke ^[a]the oppressor;
^[b]Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.

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.
¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;

Isaiah 54 (NKJV)

Sing, O barren,
You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
² “Enlarge the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.
³ For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants will inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.

⁴ “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
⁵ For your Maker is your husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth.
⁶ For the Lord has called you
Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”
Says your God.
⁷ “For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.
⁸ With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the Lord, your Redeemer.

⁹ “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn
That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.
¹⁰ For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

¹¹ “O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
¹² I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.
¹³ All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
And great shall be the peace of your children.
¹⁴ In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
¹⁵ Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.

¹⁶ “Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an ^[a]instrument for his work;
And I have created the ^[b]spoiler to destroy.
¹⁷ No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

Job 42:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ And the Lord ^[a]restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

If you know in your heart that you have learned from your mistakes, as well as the trials that God has allowed to arise in your life, it’s okay to ask God for restoration.

God can and sometimes will…

Restore your relationship with Him…

Touch the hearts and minds of people that you’ve hurt for restoration in relationships…

Work miracles to restore money and property that you thought will never see again…

Work situations so that your credit can be restored…

Bless you with opportunities to restore your influence and reputation.

GOD CAN DO IT IF YOU TRULY TRUST HIM!

God loves you. Just like a parent who has a baby that had a horribly messy bowel movement that leaked out of the diaper and spread all over the child’s body…the parent doesn’t throw away the child. He or she gently cleans washes the child and restores it to it’s original cleanliness and beauty. That’s what God does for us.

So, begin to ask God during your regular prayer life that as you repent, learn and grow to deliver you from the consequences of you sins, bad decisions and weaknesses.

A SHORT PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF BAD DECISIONS…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

So, because of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the subject of Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest of taking a knee during the National Anthem to protest police brutality against Black and Brown people has arisen again. (Of course, all police are not guilty of this)

This enrages many people who consider themselves to be patriotic because they assert…

That taking a knee instead of standing disrespects the National Anthem, the American flag and our military.

He is at work and it is not appropriate for him to protest while doing his job.

And, they question his character to say he isn’t the right person to be the face of a movement.

However,

Many (but not all) of the same people who criticize Kaepernick’s protest CELEBRATE the VIOLENT protest of the Confederacy taking up arms and fighting against the SAME flag and the military of the United States. They justify this by arrogantly asserting they were fighting for ‘states rights’, as if their cause was more noble. They do this while still asserting to be disciples of Christ and having his support.

This is text book hypocrisy very similar to that of the scribes and Pharisees during Yeshua’s earthly ministry.

Many people glorify the Confederacy, the Confederate flag, and statues of Confederate soldiers and bully those who disagree by saying that “You can’t change history”. It is arrogant to expect someone else to accept one narrow perspective of history as the ‘so-called correct narrative’. As a Black man born and raised in the United States of America, I would be a fool to celebrate a heritage that glorifies a culture that represented the enslavement and subjugation of my ancestors …The accepted rape of female slaves! And, it is an insult to my intelligence to always respond to this with, “Africans enslaved Africans too” as if that excuses it. I celebrate neither! In fact, the children of Israel remember the civil wars between Judah and Israel without glorifying them and with no statues.

The fact that the South was fighting what they called NORTHERN AGGRESSION makes Confederacy JUST LIKE COLIN KAEPERNICK!

Many people assert that Kap was out of line to protest on his job, and many of these people claim to be disciples of Christ. Let me remind anyone who feels this way that Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, called James, John, Peter and Matthew while they were working on their jobs…

Matthew 4:18-22 (NLV)

¹⁸ Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers. They were Simon (his other name was Peter) and Andrew, his brother. They were putting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Jesus said to them, “Follow Me. I will make you fish for men!” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed Him.

²¹ Going from there, Jesus saw two other brothers. They were James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were sitting in a boat with their father, mending their nets. Jesus called them. ²² At once they left the boat and their father and followed Jesus.

Matthew 9:9-13 (NLT)

⁹ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

To those who question Mr. Kaeperkick’s character needs to read their bible. Look at the character of the 12 patriarchs, the sons of Jacob, renamed Isreal by God. Look at the character of Saul, also known as Paul who persecuted the church. Look at King David, a man after God’s own heart, who sent a man loyal to him to be killed to conceal getting his wife pregnant. And, quite frankly, many of those same people support politicians who’s character is far from perfect.

And let us not forget the fact that God does not consider it disrespectful when we bow on our knees in submission to Him in prayer.

I love this country! I have great friends who are police officers and in the military. And I have two great-uncles who died in Europe serving in World War 2. It is again arrogant and wrong to judge someone else’s patriotism because they disagree with your perspective and narrative.

Both were protests. One is non-violent and the other non-violent and both were because of what is seen as injustice from the perspective of those who are protesting — and that is the truth not an opinion.

FOR THOSE WHO FEEL IT’S TAKING TOO LONG FOR THINGS TO ‘TAKE OFF’ FOR THEM…

WERE SHADRACH, MESHACH, & ABEDNEGO BEING UNPATRIOTIC…?

CELEBRATING WHAT WE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF PART 1…THE CIVIL WAR.

I know there are going to be people on both sides of this argument who disagree with me. That’s okay, but we grow through good, healthy, respectful dialogue.

Common ground is the fundamental key to conflict resolution. Unfortunately, too many people don’t want to find it.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

One of the greatest threats to any marriage is outside influence. A mother, father, sister, brother, friend, co-worker or even an enemy that says something to influence the relationship of a husband and wife (man and woman).

All it takes for a married couple that’s very content with one another is or someone from the outside to say, “Doesn’t it bother you when he or she does…?” Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever done this yourself?

When someone does this, they become a ‘stumbling block’ in that marriage. And we all know what God says about those who cause someone else to ‘stumble’…

Matthew 18:7  (NIV)

⁷ Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!

This is by far nothing new. In fact, the very first attack on the very first marriage (Adam and Eve) came from outside influence…

Genesis 3:1  (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…”

“And he said to the woman…” We all know that God had already told Adam, even before Eve was created that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…

Genesis 2:15-17  (NKJV)

¹⁵ Then the Lord God took ^[a]the man and put him in the garden of Eden to ^[b]tend and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you^[c] shall surely die.”

The serpent (satan) knew this and used this to cunningly manipulate and influence Eve. We all know that today this takes place through both the husband and wife…

Once over 30 years ago when my wife and I were newlyweds, we had two cars. One was older and one was newer. I had absolutely no problem with my wife driving the newer car, while I drove the older one to work. But, one day my male coworkers began teasing me about driving the older car. I allowed their foolishness to influence me. I immediately got on the phone, called my wife and said, “I’m driving the new car tomorrow!” She was wondering, “Where did this come from?” In my youthful stupidity, I allowed those co-workers to influence my marriage.

My wife and I have always enjoyed being together. One day years ago, other females said to her, “Doesn’t it bother you being around your husband so much?” She briefly allowed their foolishness to influence her.

Be very careful about how you allow people to speak into your marriage, or family.

Be very careful not to let anyone speak badly about your spouse, even family…especially family. If they do, it’s because you have made them feel comfortable in doing so.

We all know the account of what happened after the enemy influenced Eve and when they both ate of the forbidden fruit.

Marriage is challenging enough without inviting in trouble from the outside.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

No matter how bad you have to use the bathroom…

How strong the urge to relieve yourself…

If you’re in a crowd of people outside, in a meeting, at a ball game, or in church YOU WON’T stop and use it right then and there.

Why?

Because you have RESTRAINT.

No matter HOW strong the urge, how painful, you would rather hold it in rather than disgrace and embarrass yourself.

Too many times we in the Body of Christ use the excuse, “I just couldn’t help myself!”

Too many Christians are perfectly content using profanity…retaliating…and giving in to their flesh, and quickly use the excuse, “I just couldn’t hold it in”!

Peter is well known for his lack of restraint. On the Mount of Transfiguration he quickly blurted out, “Let us build three tabernacles, one for Jesus, Moses and Elijah!(Matthew 17:4).

After Jesus was arrested, when accused of knowing Him, Peter cursed (Matthew 26:74, Mark 14:71). But, Jesus knew of Peter’s spontaneity, and had already prayed for him and told him that when he is converted to strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32). One of the things Peter was going to have to do was learn RESTRAINT.

One of the fruit of the Spirit is TEMPERANCE or SELF-CONTROL (Galatians  5:22).

It’s true we can’t do anything without the help of God, but he has given us the power to restrain our flesh as well.

You don’t have to use profanity (cuss).

You don’t have to get even.

You don’t have to let everybody know EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL.

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Just the same as you can HOLD BACK when you have to use the bathroom (flesh), you can hold back when that person of the opposite sex is trying to tempt you.

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Let’s be just like our heavenly Father. Because when you think about it, that’s what MERCY is…God holding back the wrath and judgment we deserve.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Who are you? Who’s the private-at-home you? Who’s the at-work you? Who’s the at-church you? I hope it’s the same person.

People aren’t always what they seem, but God knows who we all really are. We can act a certain way in public, but God knows and sees what’s in our heart…

1 Samuel 16:7  (NKJV)

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

However, sometimes we reveal to the world what we are really hiding in our hearts. One such way is through politics. Political opinions about social, racial, economic, sexual and religious issues invoke such levels of anger that it divides marriages, friendships, families and even leads to job loss.

Why?

Because politics reveals what is inside of us…

Selfishness…

Greed…

Pride…

Hatred…

Unselfishness..

Generosity…

Humility…

Love…

Politics emboldened those who supported gay marriage during the Obama administration and white supremacists during the Trump administration. This is not an observation, opinion but a fact. Why? Because they felt those politicians best supported what was inside their hearts.

POLITICS WILL TURN PEOPLE AGAINST PEOPLE THEY’VE KNOWN ALL OF THEIR LIVES TO SUPPORT SOMEONE THEY’VE NEVER MET, AND MAY NOT EVEN LIKE THEM IF THEY REALLY KNEW THEM…OR VICE VERSA!

Politics reveals when people really care about those who are poor and disadvantaged and those who care much less or not at all.

Politics reveals who places money over people and people over money.

Politics reveals who is truly concerned with equality and equity, and who’s not.

Politics reveals what is prioritized. That yes, someone may claim to care about social issues and helping the disadvantaged, but may feel they aren’t as important as being favorable to big corporations.

Now this article isn’t saying which issues are right and which are wrong, it is just pointing out that when someone begins to let you know where they stand politically…what makes them angry…what they’re passionate about…what they are willing to fight for…they are letting you know what’s in their hearts.

For example, I recently criticized President Trump for promoting a culture of insults through his behavior at press conferences and numerous insulting statements and tweets…that is a fact, not an opinion. Someone I attended high school with years ago said that I was ‘stirring the pot’ to say that. Hmmmm…why doesn’t he feel President Trump is stirring the pot by hurling insults at those who disagrees with him. This person revealed what was in his heart, however I revealed what was in mine as well.

I’m convinced that the devil, the enemy, the accuser of the saints, satan ( I didn’t capitalize his name on purpose) uses politics to divide people who should be on the same side…and we play right into it.

Remember, we have got to learn to disagree without insults or becoming enemies.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Most people who grew up in or around church, or were raised with a belief in God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, or those who have come from unbelief to belief will all quickly proclaim, “I love God!”

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But, do you love Him? Or do just feel it’s the right to say? You may even be afraid not to say it. Which is a healthy fear and reverence of God, but still isn’t love.

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When you love someone, you want to be in their presence as much as possible, in fact you look forward to it. When you love someone you want to know what’s important to them. When you love someone you don’t want to hurt them, intentionally or unintentionally.

When you love someone you want to grow closer to them. When you love someone, you enjoy talking about them. Many people when they are honest with themselves love their favorite team, their car, their guns, their _____________ more than they love God because that’s what they love talking about.

When you love someone you aren’t afraid to show affection for them in public. I’m not talking about kissing…I’m talking about holding their hand, hugging them…you aren’t ashamed to let the world know you love them. Some of the same people who get hoarse at a ball game are ashamed to praise God publicly even in worship. Too many Christians are too ashamed to even bless their food in public. Are you ashamed to lift up your hands in public and say ,“Hallelujah, I love you LORD!” Or, are you afraid people with think you’re crazy. Do you reason that, “It doesn’t take all of that to love God”.  But, when you love someone, you aren’t concerned with what is minimal or necessary. You’re more than happy to do what is ‘extra’ for them

When you love someone you aren’t just in relationship with them for what you can get out of them. You aren’t just in the relationship for the benefits. When you love someone you can talk to them for hours. How often do you talk to God and fellowship with Him prayer, just because it’s peaceful…not asking for anything, just spending quality time with Him?

When you love someone, you love listening to ‘mood’ music with them. You love listening to music that makes you feel closer to one another. You love sharing ‘your song’. I’m not saying you have to listen to Christian music all of the time, but I wonder how many Christians are perfectly comfortable never listening to some form of Gospel music…except when they are in church.

When you really love someone, what they think about you matters to you more than anyone else in the world. You want their love…their respect…their devotion…their affection.

How can one really love God and either never, seldom or randomly read His word? God knows we have the opportunity to fellowship with Him in His word whenever they please. Many claim they don’t have time, but that’s simply not true. Many people, when their honest with themselves, love social media, their favorite fiction or non fiction book, or whatever else they love to do in their spare time more than they love the word of God. What’s the first thing you check each morning? Your social media? The news? The weather? Your horoscope? Or, God’s ‘status’ and what He has ‘posted’ in His word.

It’s in His word we fellowship with Him. It’s in His word we find out what pleases Him. It’s in His word that we find out what He loves and what He hates. His word gives us both comfort and correction.

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When you love someone, living to please them is not a burden, but a blessing…

1 John 5:3  (NKJV)

³ For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

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I challenge you today to ask yourself, “Do I really love God, or is it just the right thing to say”. Yes, you believe in Him. Yes, you fear Him. Yes, you respect Him. Yes, you reverence Him. Yes, you pray. Yes, You, go to church…

But do you love Him?

And finally, think about this…

Most people quickly claim that want to go to heaven or live eternally in His presence, but I contend that if you don’t genuinely enjoy reading His word, fellowshipping with Him, worshiping Him, being in His presence, even going to church now, what makes you think you will want to do it forever?

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Remember, real love isn’t just state, it’s demonstrated…

Romans 5:8  (NKJV)

⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

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BE BLESSTIFIED!

Have you ever read the word of God, or spent time devoted to Him and was truly comforted by His presence?

God wants us to be THAT CLOSE to Him. He wants to be THAT REAL to us. Too many times we say we love God, but we aren’t truly comforted until we have talked to a REAL person.

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That’s why God puts us in situations sometimes where the only person we can depend on is Him, and the only comfort we can find is in His word.

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Look at what God gave us through the Apostle John while he was exiled on the Island of Patmos. Look at the powerful? God-inspired letters we received because of Paul being placed in prison.

God made a promise to never leave us or forsake us….

Isaiah 41:10  (NKJV)

¹⁰ Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Deuteronomy 31:6  (NKJV)

⁶ Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Remember this beautiful fellowship with God comes with responsibility on our part…

Hebrews 13:5-8  (NKJV)

⁵ Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁶ So we may boldly say:

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”

But that promise is only as real to us as we allow God to be real in our lives. And that level of relationship only comes through spending real, quality time with God.

Just the same as when we tell people “Shhhhhh, I’m on the phone…” or “Not now, I’m busy.’ We need to do the same thing when we’re spending quality time with God.

God would rather you willingly make quality time for Him rather than force us to have it.

WHEN ONLY GOD’S WORD CAN COMFORT YOU…

How to REALLY ‘Cast your cares’, ‘Give it to God’, or ‘Let Go and Let God’…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

“Racism is like high blood pressure, some people don’t realize they have it until it begins to affect their heart.”

Mark 12:31  (NKJV)

³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

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 one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic 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.

1 John 4:20  (NKJV)

²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, ^[a]how can he love God whom he has not seen?

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

It’s been said that “hurt people, hurt people”. How many times has someone hurt you…disrespect you…betray you…embarrass you…abuse you, or hurt, disrespect, betray, embarrass, or abuse someone you love — and you want to see them hurt too?

You want to see them experience the same pain that they caused. You want them to know how you feel, and regret how they treated you or your loved one. This is wrong, but this is natural and one of the burdens of our sinful nature.

There is a classic example of this in the bible. Easu, Isaac’s first born twin, was enraged at is brother Jacob for taking his birthright and stealing his blessing…

Genesis 25:29-34  (NKJV)

²⁹ Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. ³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called ^[a]Edom.

³¹ But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

³² And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”

³³ Then Jacob said, ^[b]“Swear to me as of this day.”

So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Genesis 27:1-29  (NKJV)

27 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.”

And he answered him, “Here I am.”

² Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. ³ Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. ⁴ And make me ^[a]savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

⁵ Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. ⁶ So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, ⁷ ‘Bring me game and make ^[b]savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ ⁸ Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. ⁹ Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. ¹⁰ Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.”

¹¹ And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. ¹² Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.”

¹³ But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” ¹⁴ And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made ^[c]savory food, such as his father loved. ¹⁵ Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. ¹⁶ And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. ¹⁷ Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

¹⁸ So he went to his father and said, “My father.”

And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”

²⁰ But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”

And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.”

²¹ Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” ²² So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” ²³ And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

²⁴ Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?”

He said, “I am.”

²⁵ He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. ²⁶ Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” ²⁷ And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:

“Surely, the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field
Which the Lord has blessed.
²⁸ Therefore may God give you
Of the dew of heaven,
Of the fatness of the earth,
And plenty of grain and wine.
²⁹ Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”

So, because of this, Esau comforted himself daydreaming about killing his brother…

Genesis 27:42 (NKJV)

⁴² And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.

Even if you didn’t want to see them killed, how many times have you comforted yourself with the thought of seeing someone else hurt?

Be careful! When you judge in your heart that someone else deserves pain because of the pain they caused…that’s condemnation and judgement. And, we all know what the bible says about when we judge (condemn) someone else…

Matthew 7:1-2  (NKJV)

7 “Judge^[a] not, that you be not judged. ² For with what ^[b]judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

You are pronouncing that judgment on yourself!

Remember, we have all hurt, disrespected, betrayed, embarrassed, or abused someone. Even if we didn’t intend to do so, their pain was real.

When those thoughts enter your head, immediately ask God to forgive you, then pray and ask God to forgive them and touch their hearts with His love. Bless them…

Luke 6:28-36  (NKJV)

²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic 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.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

Most of us who have grown up in or been around church know the account of Joseph in Genesis Chapters 37-50.

He was Jacob’s, renamed Israel by God, favorite son. For that reason, his 10 older brothers hated him.

Genesis 37:3-4 (NKJV)

³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. ⁴ But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

At first they conspired to kill him, but then decided to sell him into slavery. This happened when Joseph was 17 years old. Through this mistreatment, God was strategically placing Joseph in position to one day save his entire family, including the brothers who hurt him.

Matthew 9:9-13  (NLT)

⁹ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

He was sold to an officer of Pharoah, king of Egypt and entrusted with all of the affairs of his house. While there Potiphars wife aggressively pursued Joseph to sleep with her, and he refused. She eventually lied and said he tried to rape her which landed him in prison…again being mistreated positioned him to be placed 2nd to Pharoah in Egypt.

Genesis 39:7-15 (NKJV)

⁷ And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

⁸ But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

⁹ There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

¹⁰ And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

¹¹ And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.

¹² And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

¹³ And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,

¹⁴ That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.

But, what if he slept with her? She would have concealed it to avoid the shame and scandal. He would have served out his days with a ‘good job’, but still a servant. And, he would have never been placed in position to save himself and his family.

Just like Joseph, the decisions we make to live according to God’s will don’t just affect us.

Just like Joseph we will be mistreated sometimes by those closest to us.

Just like Joseph will sometimes be falsely accused and suffer consequences for things we did not do.

And, just like Joseph God, El Roi is always watching and working all things out for our good, if we put His will and word first in our motives and decisions.

Be cognizant to recognize your ‘Joseph’ moments.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

I try my best to refrain from using profanity, obscene or vulgar language because that’s what God told us to do…

Ephesians 4:29  (AMPC)

²⁹ Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it.

But, even if you aren’t willing to admit it, people who make it a point not to ‘cuss’ THINK ‘cuss words’ in certain situations. Here are a few of mine…

1. WHEN I REPEATEDLY BUMP & PROBABLY BREAK MY BABY TOE!

I wonder if anyone else has crushed their baby toe on furniture or anything else as much as me? My toes think they are fingers sometimes, reaching out to make contact or grabbing everything in the room. When this happens, yes, cuss words run through my mind.

2. WHE DRIVING & I LET SOMEONE CROSS THE STREET WHILE JAYWALKING, OR IN A PARKING LOT & THEY TAKE THEIR TIME AS IF I OWE IT TO THEM!

This happens wayyyy to often these days. I’m in a parking lot or driving down the street, and I have the right of way. I see someone walking across my path, and even though I have the right-of-way, I kindly let them go by. But, instead of keeping a good pace or hurrying up, they take their time, face in phone. Then, they don’t even look up to say thanks. In my head are a plethora of ‘cuss words’.

3. WHEN SOMEONE PURPOSEFULLY WAITS TO MERGE IN TRAFFIC AT THE LAST MINUTE AFTER I’VE BEEN WAITING PATIENTLY & THEN LOOK AT ME TO LET THEM IN!

This is one of my pet peeves. Do these people think their time is really more valuable than everyone else’s? We are all in a hurry to get to our destinations. This is why truck drivers will sometimes block one lane of traffic to clear the way and get traffic flowing again. This provokes ‘cuss words’ in my head.

4. WHEN SOMEONE IS GOING BELOW THE SPEED LIMIT IN THE FAST LANE WITH NO ONE TO THE RIGHT OF THEM!

Please move over! Don’t you see all of these cars passing you when they finally get a chance? You have held up traffic for miles going below the speed limit in the fast lane. If I were a police officer, I would pull over these people just as much as speeders…”Cuss words in my mind”.

5. WHEN A GRAVEL TRUCK IS ON THE ROAD FILLED TOO HIGH WITHOUT A TARP!

Yes I see the sign on the back of your truck that says, ”STAY 100 FEET BACK”. Guess what! That doesn’t matter when a piece of gravel bounces off your truck at 60 mph! How about just putting a tarp on it! “Please God forgive me for my thoughts?”

This list is by no means exhaustive. This is why God’s grace and mercy are so valuable, because even though these words don’t come out of my mouth, it is sin to still think them.

What are some of the things that make you ‘cuss in your head’? Be sure and always to ask God to forgive you in the name of Yeshua the Messiah, (Jesus Christ) for your evil thoughts.

Philippians 4:8  (NKJV)

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

• 

People speak up about what’s important to them, especially those who claim to be disciples of Christ.

So many evangelicals are very vocal about abortion and homosexuality, as they should be, but unfortunately seem to be totally unconcerned and quiet about social justice and civil rights. They act as though God is only concerned about being gay and killing babies.

But, God is concerned about robbing justice from those who are being mistreated, and those who are poor and needy…

Isaiah 10:1-2  (NKJV)

10 “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees,
Who write misfortune,
Which they have prescribed
² To rob the needy of justice,
And to take what is right from the poor of My people,
That widows may be their prey,
And that they may rob the fatherless.

We are living in time when evangelicals are justifying and defending leadership that is clearly unrepentant, unforgiving, and insulting because they equate it to strength and feel it is good for the economy and national security, clearly ignoring how Israel was held accountable for the sins of evil kings in the Old Testament. The fact is the Yeshua Himself said that he who insults his brother is in danger of hell fire . In that verse fool is translated as empty head, idiot, or moronic person…God hates insults just as much as homosexuality and abortion…

Matthew 5:22  (NKJV)

²² But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother ^[a]without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’^[b] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ^[c]‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of ^[d]hell fire.

Matthew 5:22  (NLT)

²² But I say, if you are even angry with someone,^[a] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,^[b] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,^[c] you are in danger of the fires of hell.^[d]

Yeshua was compassionate upon those who were struggling with hunger and sickness, rather than judging the reasons why…

Matthew 9:35-37  (NLT)

³⁵ Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.

When Yeshua fed over 5000 people He taught a perfect balance of being both ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’.

Yes, He was what some people would call conservative afterward…

John 6:11-12  (NKJV)

¹¹ And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them ^[a]to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹² So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”

But, He was also what some would call liberal, by feeding over 5000 people, who weren’t necessarily ‘unemployed’, they just travelled too far without planning in order to hear Him…

John 6:4-12 (NKJV)

⁴ Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. ⁵ Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” ⁶ But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.

⁷ Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”

⁸ One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ⁹ “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. ¹¹ And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them ^[a]to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹² So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”

Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ taught us both spiritual and social balance.

God even warns about putting too much faith in the military rather than Him…

Psalm 33:16  (NKJV)

¹⁶ No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

God doesn’t just hold us accountable for the sins of commission that we commit, but He is also concerned by when we know to do good and ignore it…

James 4:17  (NKJV)

¹⁷ Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Yes, homosexuality and abortion are sins, but I urge those who call themselves evangelicals not to omit the other sins from their ‘evangelism’. Notice the sins in verses 28-32 of Romans 1 that God equates to homosexuality, then notice in the first two verses of Chapter 2 He states that we condemn ourselves when we judge others because many times we commit sins equal to those we are calling out.

Romans 1:26-32  (NKJV)

²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their ^[a]women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. ²⁷ Likewise also the ^[b]men, leaving the natural use of the ^[c]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.

²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; ²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, ^[d]sexual immorality, wickedness, ^[e]covetousness, ^[f]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 [g]undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, ^[h]unforgiving, 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 2:1-2 (NKJV)

2 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. ² But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.

Galatians 5:19-21  (NKJV)

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.

Let me end by saying this. Don’t confuse calling out sin with judgement. God expects us to call out sin, but He doesn’t allow us to condemn those who may sin differently than we do. We are to all hold one another accountable.

Quite frankly, many who call themselves ‘evangelicals’ need to be more balanced in what they evangelize, and make sure that the spirit of the Pharisees isn’t continuing through them.

WE HAVE GOT TO LEARN TO DISAGREE WITHOUT INSULTS…

CELEBRATING WHAT WE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF PART 1…

THE CIVIL WAR. DON’T LET YOUR POLITICS ‘TRUMP’ YOUR FAITH…

GOD HATES MORE THAN JUST HOMOSEXUALITY &; ABORTION (DON’T CHERRY PICK SINS)…

WHICH BILL DO YOU BELIEVE? (A SPIRITUAL SELF-CHECK)

IF BILL MAHER’S USE OF THE N-WORD OFFENDED YOU, THINK ABOUT THIS…

BE BLESSTIFIED!