“Tell The Truth And Shame The Devil!”

Then you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. John 8:32 NIV

Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want want to carry out our father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet, because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God. John 8:43-47 NIV

Although we know that Jesus was talking to the Jews who had a problem believing who He was, we also know that those words ring very true today. Liars are influenced by the devil, the truth is foreign to all pathological liars and until we are willing to speak truth and accept truth, we remain in bondage to doing the devil’s bidding.

I think it’s about time–everyone woke up–and started speaking the truth about daily news events and the threat hanging over us with Russia’s asset in the White House. I have been saying this for over a year and some have chosen to stop following me and that is certainly their right. I will continue to speak the truth as I see it. donald trump is a Russian asset; he has been used to dismantle American democracy and we can see the effects on a daily basis with the attacks on the media, on people of color, and even on those elected officials in Congress. Whether there are those who want to admit they made a mistake by supporting trump or not is totally irrelevant. If American democracy is to be sustained, we must all speak truth to power and keep speaking it until it sinks in and when or if it doesn’t, we must all be prepared to fight to save our Constitutional freedoms by voting blue in every election across the nation!

As Jesus told the Jews, the reason many won’t hear my voice or the voice of others who consistently speak truth about trump is because they do not want to hear truth and they are following the dictates of the devil. It doesn’t matter whether those who refuse to hear and accept truth call themselves Christians or not. If they refuse to hear and speak truth, it’s because they are not “Bible Christians” but conservative Christians who are in essence–false Christians. I am a Bible Christian and I will speak truth and if people choose to hear it, great, if not–great. I will be held accountable for what I do–and they will be held accountable for what they do. I will speak truth and speak truth, shaming the devil. By the way, the title of this blog is reflective of what I’ve heard a number of preachers say, “tell the truth and shame the devil.” It is appropriate at this time and place in our history. We must tell the truth–the world sees and recognizes the truth and they’re judging the rest of us as to whether or not–we will. Russia has an asset in the WH and his name is donald trump.

For instance, the special counsel that trump keeps trying to impugn (along with a number of republican congressmen) is not conducting a witch hunt (and if they are–they’re finding witches with all the indictments). The “witch hunt” theory is simply smoke and mirrors propaganda, designed to keep his base from hearing the truth. It’s a tactic also used by other dictators–along with maligning the press–especially those who print and broadcast truth. The devil is afraid of truth, which is why he tries so hard to keep people from hearing the truth. For if people heard truth and spoke truth, the devil would be out of business and peace would be possible on earth–in all countries.

Another tactic being used to erode truth is the misleading information about the Democratic Party–created by the GOP to malign Democrats. There is propaganda being spread all over the Internet via blogs, ads, and videos–produced by conservative entities that are determined to suppress the vote–especially the vote of the Black Community. If anyone in the Black Community has succumbed to the GOP lies, it’s time they woke up to truth–the truth is that Republicans don’t want you to vote unless you side with them. And the reason they want you to side with them is so they can–call a Constitutional Convention, rewrite the Constitution, and take away the rights of all people of color and women. Don’t believe me–do some research for yourself. This is all part of the plan to allow the United States of America to slide into tyranny. Look at the imbalance of power that exists and know that if Republicans remain in control of all branches of government, there will only be a dictatorship governing.

Look, this is not about abortion rights and religious freedom as those “conservative (false) Christians would have people to believe–this is about our democracy–about putting country before political party. If we don’t, we all suffer the consequences and none of us will survive the outcome for long. We already see increased cost at gas pumps, transportation of food and goods, and in October–the increase in healthcare insurance will be more than many of us can afford–all because of party partisanship that cares not one whit about the people. The fact that elected officials have lined their own pockets and bank accounts is the fault of those who voted for them without paying attention to their open agenda–they did not hide their agenda, but they were counting on people to put political party before what’s best for the country. And here we are!

However, just because we’re here–facing the possibility of seeing the demise of American freedoms, we don’t have to let it happen. The only way we can stop what’s happening right now is get out and vote and vote Blue–No Matter Who! We have to vote Blue in every local, state–primary and general election to get America back on track to sustain our Democracy. If we fail to do that–this November 6, 2018–we may never get a chance to vote again. Again, don’t believe me–do some research and determine the agenda that trump is pushing in order to give Putin the advantage over America. I will never stop fighting to keep our Democracy strong and to keep a dictator from running rough shod over all.

In Michigan–for our primary on 8/7/18–vote for Gretchen Whitmer for Governor and Dana Nessel for Attorney General and Ellen Lipton for CD09 and Kristina Lodovisi for state Senator.  In November–Vote Blue–again for Gretchen, Dana and all other Democrats on the ballot. For Supreme Court Judges–vote for Sam Bagenstos and Megan Cavanaugh to balance decision-making.  Don’t allow GOP tactics to keep you under the thumb of a rising dictator in America.

Across this great nation on November 6, 2018 rise up and vote in numbers never thought of before and make your voices heard–We Do Not Want A Dictator ruling this country–so Vote Blue–No Matter Who–across the land.

 

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Did Republicans Read This?

“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness. “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it. “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent. “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.Exodus 23:1-9 NIV

Considering the fact–stated previously in another blog post–everyone in this country–except the natives and the imported slaves–is an immigrant (or descendants of immigrants), why on earth do we feel we have the right to totally disregard others?

Forget about the “legal” immigrant--when the colonists first came to this country, the natives didn’t give them legal status–they took over the land and proclaimed it their own--even naming it and trying to turn the natives into them. And they’re still doing it!

But this is the group--the Republicans–who claim to be Christians (actually pseudo-christians with no relationship with God) who apparently either didn’t read what God said or didn’t understand it.

• They spread false reports about Hillary (yes, I know she “lost” the election but let’s analyze why).
• They blatantly lied about aspects of Hillary’s tenure in the State Department by telling half truths (which are whole lies) and taking things out of context.
• They accused her of being responsible for the loss of life in Benghazi when she had no control over the situation after people had been warned to get out.
• They almost cost other people their lives with the spread of the ill-advised lie promoted by Rush Limbaugh and Alex Jones about Pizzagate when a man rushed into a pizzeria with an assault weapon on a mission to save kids that were never there.
• They accused Hillary of murdering babies at nine months when any fool should know–at nine months–a baby is delivered.
• They spread the lie that God chose tRump to be president when God never voted and never told anyone to promote this lie.
• They have lied about the existence of relationships with Russia and all is coming to light.
• 45 has lied about so much that I can’t even keep it all straight any more–part of the plan in gas-lighting people–but I do know every time he opens his mouth, he lies.
• 45 is devastating the national debt with his “budget proposal” because he doesn’t have a clue; yet he’s costing tax payers millions a day with secret service protection in New York, and all his weekend excursions to escape responsibility.
• Why go to Mar-a-lago? He can arrange to talk to Russia without government monitoring. WE’RE NOT STUPID!
• All of their “alternative facts” are believable by people without a functioning brain–the rest of us know better.

So, just looking at all the stupid that is unfolding every day, I cannot say that I believe any of the Republicans read the Bible, have a relationship with God, and they are certainly not Christians–not by a biblical standard.

This is why it is incumbent upon every American with a functional brain to actively resist the tyranny in the White House. This is not about being a Democrat or a Republican–it is about saving America from the throes of those who would attempt to change our democratic process into a dictatorship! Bannon, Miller, and all those with connections to the Russians and praise Putin–are responsible and most of the filth has already spread into every government agency and no one wants to take responsibility for it. CLEAN-UP ON AISLE 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NEEDED.

If we sit or stand silently by and allow this to continue–we are all at fault and God will hold each and every person accountable who did not stand for truth, and equitable justice, or defense of the poor and the needy. That’s the biblical standard we must live by–not a political party’s biases.

Caught Up In Idolatry!

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 1 Corinthians 10: 1-15 NIV

How do people get caught up in idolatry? When they allow themselves to think more of mere human beings or things than they reverence God, they have sunk to the depths of idolatry–worshiping the created things more than the Creator.

How do we know who is caught up in idolatry? When we see people revere another person more than they revere God and actually proclaim God has directed them to do so–they are caught up idolatry.

I’ve seen a number of posts on social media in which people now have regrets about the election results. One pastor admitted they got caught up in the glare of what seemed to be and didn’t realize what was. They thought a businessman who knew how to make money would be a better choice for the country and now see the error in their thinking. He said, “We prayed for God to anoint the one we chose instead of praying for God to direct us to the right person.” Now, in the aftermath, prayers are being made that God will undo, what men did–because they were caught up in idolizing a mere human being.  And some are still praying for 45’s salvation, when that should have been established before anyone supported him–if they truly wanted a Christian in office.

People have been so blinded by the proclamation that God chose 45, they refused to see all the warning signals and would not hear the alarms sounded by those whose vision was clear and their ears unstopped. They overlooked the fact that a pathological liar was running around doing what liars do–lie–about everything. They overlooked the fact that a vengeful, hate-mongering xenophobic was stirring up hatred and fear to “show everybody” what he could do.

Now that he has won an election–by hook and crook with all the lies, false propaganda and Russian interference with hacking, he has to constantly remind everyone that he won–every time he opens his mouth–guilt coating every word for those who are spiritually discerning. For if we are not able to spiritually discern what is unfolding before our eyes, we will be caught unaware and be tempted to do as the others.

God sees all and knows all and He will not be mocked by anyone proclaiming to be a Christian when they are not. We can quote the bible, go to a building for “church services,” and even act like we know God, but if Christ does not reign in our hearts, and we cannot show compassion and love for all others–we do not belong to Him and we lie. For the lies people are living, the truth is being exposed and yet–those caught up in idolatry refuse to see what it is right in front of them. By the time the scales fall from their eyes, the country may be in such dismal shape, it will take years for America to recover. And while America is in the throes of recovering her status with the world, the world has moved on–without us–leaving us to fend for ourselves in the face of the inside danger–emanating from Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller–the architects of the destruction of government as we know it.

For those in right relationship with God and know how He does things--with truth always at the forefront--we have nothing to fear for our God is faithful and He will deliver us from the hands of the wicked and the wicked shall be punished.

So, don’t get caught in the noise that sounds like a victory and the rallying cries. The victory is hollow and based on lies and the rallying cries–designed to stroke the egos of those who know–they have not earned the position in which they stand. People who know they are loved, need not travel the country looking for adulation (those idolizing them). Applauding ineptness and mentally instability while not acknowledging it–is idolatry.

When the truth is unveiled and the cowards in Congress develop a backbone or at least grow a pair–the world will see what many of us already see–his orangeness is but a bumbling buffoon who has laughed at all those he’s duped into believing he cares about America.

The Enemy!

The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains. Everyone lies in wait to shed blood; they hunt each other with nets. Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire— they all conspire together. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day God visits you has come, the day your watchmen sound the alarm. Now is the time of your confusion.Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with the woman who lies in your embrace guard the words of your lips. For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Micah 7:2-7 NIV

There are seemingly more enemies surrounding us than friends, but the most despicable enemy are those influenced by deceptive persuasion. Satan–will don the garment of the righteous in order to deceive and when their hearts are not right with God, he is successful and then will things fall apart, they stand in wonder as to how it happened.

Everyone saying, “Lord, Lord” is not a follower of The Most High God and in fact, we are cautioned in The Word that many will stand before Him and He’ll say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” Let’s look at what Jesus said:

Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:20-27 NIV

So are we building our house on a rock or on the sand?

It would appear that with all the upheaval and chaos emanating from the White House that the 2016 Election created a situation in which the presidency and the credibility of America was built on sand and when the storms continue to rage, it will soon be washed away.

Historically, not many have ever seen such turmoil in the White House or such disdain from other countries because of the leader in it as we see right now. The enemy–those who gain access or entry into situations by deceit and cunning through the auspices of wrong doing and outside interference should never expect peace for there will be none. Whenever a “dictator” sets out to beguile the people using false propaganda and outright lies, they may have persuaded the masses for a moment, but the moment passes as soon as the blinders fall off and people realize they’ve been duped.

Ironically, not once has there been an evil judge or king or dictator who did not fear for his own life, yet they had no qualms about destroying others.

Karma bites and it’s about to take a big bite out of those responsible for the madness resulting from the rigged election.

But it’s not only those who rigged the election who will feel the pain, but all those who pretend to be Christians–the pseudo-christians who because of their own agenda–lied in order to bring about a desired result.  They won–but what did they win? Based upon what I’ve seen posted by various people from across the land, the pseudo-christians have won the disdain of many who now see them as hypocrites and that includes the entire Republican party–that so-called party of family values who have endorsed and embraced the very epitome of ignorance and evil and condones the wrongdoing in the White House.

Anyone who does not do the will of God, “defend the rights of the poor and needy,” and cannot love as God loves–unconditionally, is the enemy. Did not Jesus tell us that there are but two commands by which we must live and will be judged by? “Love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind and love one another as we love ourselves.”

Where is the love of a the fake-president residing in the White House? There is a love of greed and power, but those are also covered in The Word–practices of evil. When a confirmed and publicized “white supremacist” is sitting at the table with others because he “tricked” the president into signing the order, but the president won’t rescind it–what does that tell us? Can we see any good fruit in that action?

Do we see good fruit or rotten fruit in those given positions as cabinet members who have ties with Russia and refuse to disclose truth?

Do we see good resulting from evil in establishing people who disdain government in government positions? Is that why those who knew nothing, know nothing, and don’t care, are guarded by others at taxpayer expense?

Every foolish decision has consequences and the cost–from a financial perspective is shouldered by the tax-payers who actually pay taxes and those who circumvent paying taxes keep are rewarded. Something to think about it.

Though Satan is the enemy of mankind, those influenced by him are the enemy of everything right and good. The media is not the enemy of Americans–the clown in the White House is the enemy with his autocratic notions and attempts to establish tyranny.

The Americans who did not drink the shake are not fooled (and there are more of us than those who drank the shake) and we are not standing by idly waiting for the storm to rise; we are establishing our faith on The Rock and He will prevail against all the enemy attempts to do to destroy a nation.

In order to defeat the enemy–we must know the enemy and how the enemy plans to divide and conquer. We do, for we see it on a regular basis and will not cave. We will resist the impulse to give in and we will be victorious over evil.

What Have We Done?

Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away. “But let no one bring a charge, let no one accuse another, for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest. You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother— my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful.  Hosea 4:1-7 NIV

Do we not pay attention to the past–the history that is written or told–the events in life that destroyed, both the young and the old?

Did we not know how lies and falsehoods tend to overtake truth when truth is not repeatedly told and then evil influence rises higher than mountains, more destructive than swelling seas?

Were we not looking at how nations–once great civilizations–now no longer exist and if we noticed, did we not understand that if we do not learn from history–and the mistakes made–we are doomed to repeat it?

From the despicable Nero to Hitler and others–all with a mindset to rule–single-handedly, dictators and despots—destroying lives with lies and propaganda designed to make them look better when actually they were the worst of human nature. Did we not know that evil permeates the minds of those who are vulnerable and gullible and look to men instead of God for truth and then we have a mess on our hands that man cannot fix?

Narcissistic natures who tend to be megalomaniacs have a pathological tendency to lie and lie and lie and will say anything to convince others they are the only ones who are right and yet they are truly wrong and will destroy and convince others to join them in the destruction of mankind. Were we not paying attention or did we think we were so spiritually deep we did not need to pay attention? See how the enemy plays with the minds of those in leadership, enticing them to believe lies–though they have ears to hear–they do not listen to God.

And because those in leadership have failed to hear God and say what He says, about all things, we now enter a stage or phase that some will not survive–because of the lies promoted just to control the masses and now the masses will decrease in numbers until the only ones left are those the devil will engulf in the flames they lit.

What have we done? If we haven’t figured it out–we need but to keep watching and listening and then doing nothing for the bottom will fall and all hopes crumble because we were too foolish to pray and humble ourselves–obeying God only, not man.

Is it too late to undo what we’ve done? God alone has the answer and now we will see just how many have the courage and boldness to hear Him when He speaks and do what He says, willing to move mountains to turn things around, so all will have an opportunity to prosper and thrive under the leadership of one who at least “hears and honors God” when He speaks.

Lord,

You said if Your people would humble themselves and pray, seek Your face, repent of their wicked ways, You would hear from heaven and heal the land. We humbly ask You to forgive us for thinking we did not need Your direction in all we do; especially in this election. Cover us with Your mercy, truth and grace and allow those who truly love You to provide remedy and relief so others won’t suffer needlessly because Your elect leaders failed to tell people the truth.  You are the only wise God and we seek You to make a way out of this situation before there is no room for repentance by all involved in the travesty we see unfolding on a daily basis. You know our hearts and thoughts from afar and now we ask You to speak to the hearts of those who are willing to hear You and reset this course of destruction back on the path of Your divine instruction. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen!

Being Full of the Holy Spirit!

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” The devil led him up to a high place and  showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Luke 4:1-13 NIV

In order to resist the temptation served up by the devil, we have to be full of Holy Spirit, with a heart to hear and obey Him, rather than the dictates of our flesh.

Now, all who have eyes and are being led by Holy Spirit can see through the devil’s lies and all of the promises made are crumbling for all the world to see.

God knows our hearts and our motivations. Since He is love, He abhors hate-mongering and fear-mongering and we know–with all the hate demonstrated in this country, that it was the devil who offered the temptation of change through a narcissistic, fear-mongering demon and those who didn’t have the spiritual discernment to see it, fell for the smooth talking snake-oil salesman.

But of course there was a specific group targeted to engage their loyalty–the low-educated and the ill-informed–the gullible and it worked. Now, though their hatred of all people who don’t look like them was their driving force, they are seeing and will see even more why they were misled.

The media became a pawn in the game of the enemy and he played them like a finely tuned fiddle. Free coverage–never spending his money because that’s not his style.

The tax cuts won’t help anyone who isn’t rich. Another lie perpetuated by the enemy.

The wall won’t be built unless the haters volunteer their time to build it and that will be the extent of the jobs provided–manual labor–for their savior knows they don’t have the educational ability to do anything beyond that. How do we know? He held a baby in his hands and declared, “he looks like a construction worker,” pronouncing the expectation as though that’s all the baby can ever hope for.

And for those poor folks who think didn’t have healthcare before the Affordable Care Act, they’ll be back to square one because no one has a better plan to put in its place.

I’ve concluded because of what The Lord is showing me that buyer’s remorse is rising faster than flood waters and the regret is already real and he has not even been sworn into office. His lawyers are handling the 75 pending lawsuits while he’s avoiding any press coverage. And why is he not allowing the press to travel with him? He doesn’t want any of his true thoughts and conversations to expose him for the devil he really is. The dictator he plans to be.

And the biggest group who fell for the lies–the Evangelical group who was more concerned about party than country. I’m sure they are really proud of themselves for pushing the enemy down people’s throats. If people thought church attendance was bad, they will see–soon enough–the real decimation of trust betrayed. If the church lies to people because they believed the lie–how disappointed is God in those He trusted to hear and obey Him? 

Based upon His Word, I can only conclude that they were not filled with Holy Spirit and therefore did not have the power to resist temptation–the temptation to “have authority over people with Supreme Court Appointments.” They forgot, the only authority over anyone’s life should be God, not people. But they didn’t trust God, to be God!

I will hear and obey and do all within my ability and in His strength to help turn the tide of hatred and bigotry and overt racism that now flows freely, unhinged because Americans elected a madman–who only wants to benefit himself.

So renew a right relationship with God and be filled to overflowing with His Spirit so you can see things through spiritual eyes and not allow the dictates of the flesh to blind you. My hope is in Jesus Christ and I will not be tempted by delusions of grandeur and having authority, not rightfully mine. I will continue to write and say what God is saying to my heart until He returns or I can no longer type.

The Desire To Control!

“Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the Gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No, We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” (Acts 15:1,5, 7-11)

The tendency within mankind’s heart to control others has always been prevalent, but even more so in those who claim to know Jesus. This is one of the reasons why Believers–those who believe the work on the Cross and the Divinity of Jesus Christ–must know for themselves the plan of God for all men and women.

When we are in relationship with God and know and understand His Word–we won’t allow anyone to hogtie us to traditions and rituals that by themselves mean absolutely nothing. That is not to say that all traditions and rituals are worthless, but we must check our motivation for doing certain things, especially if we think they have any power to save us. We are saved by grace and that by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing we do–no observance of ritual or tradition–can save us–other than believing that Jesus rose from the dead, after being made the sacrifice for the atonement of sin. We repent of our sins–turn away from them and allowing them to control us–and allow Holy Spirit to guide us in all things. He does not “take control” of us; we must give Him control and when we do, we will see the blessings of God in our lives.

Notice how we are told that “certain people” started a campaign to control others and then how the Pharisees (those supposedly now Believers) also wanted to control the new converts. We are not told who the certain people were, but we can guess these were the “religious” sect that converted, but wanted to hold onto to the Law–not fully understanding “grace” because their hearts did not fully belong to God.

Peter reminds them–“God knows their hearts” referencing the Gentiles and He had no thought to keep them in bondage to a law that Jews could not and had not kept. Funny, how no one likes to be reminded of their shortcomings and they all became silent. This reminded me of those who wanted to stone the woman supposedly caught in the “act of adultery” but no man was brought to judgment with her. After Jesus reminded them that all had sinned, they dropped their rocks and left–not one stone being hurled at the woman.

But perhaps a more important lesson gleaned from this chapter of Acts is the fact that the Believers met to discuss what was going on and decided upon a course of action. No one person made a determination as to how they should proceed, but the group as a whole made the decision. “Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (call Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the Believers.” (Acts 15:22 NIV)

Are we choosing men and women who are leaders among us or are we simply allowing one or two people to control the masses and making messes of what should be an environment conducive to all to learn how to live, pleasing God, not man? Do we pray and ask God’s directions for all we do in the church or do we allow others to control what we do? Do we seek God’s directions to make decisions in our homes and everywhere else?

We ought to always pray and seek God’s directions in order to stay on the path He desires us to travel and never allow any one person–to control what we do. For when that happens, they become dictators and we become puppets–dancing to their dictates, instead of living our best lives–guided by Holy Spirit.

Let those with their religious spirits control themselves before trying to control others. Allow Holy Spirit to guide all matters and know that we cannot err when we do.

Who’s Glorified in The Meetings?

“In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.” (I Corinthians 11:17,18 NIV)

If we use the “church” as an example of how behavior should be in any meeting, and the church does not know how to conduct itself, how can there be progress in any other type of meeting?

I feel Paul’s frustration over having to instruct–Believers–in how they should conduct themselves in church. One would think (at least I do) that if we truly believe in every Word of God and respect the authority of the Word that we would have no need to have anyone correct errant behavior. Of course, we know this is not true, not only for the church but  for various types of meetings in other venues.

In particular, I’m referencing meetings in which an elected body should know what they’re doing, but don’t and instead of seeking advice, they attempt to run things like a dictatorship. When things start falling apart, they want to cry foul because their leadership style has not drawn others into the fray. God is not the author of confusion and where there is confusion, He is not present.

When business meetings–of any type–become embroiled in personality conflicts, rumors and he say, she say commentaries, racial divides and social cliques–people have lost sight of the purpose and nothing is accomplished and then we wonder why. If our purpose in meeting for any reason is not to create an environment in which there is productive, forward movement obtained in harmony and unity, our meeting is in vain and we are wasting our time.

Anyone who takes on a position of leadership should know what they’re doing and if they don’t, they should know how to obtain the information they need to know from other resources and proceed as expeditiously as possible. Instead of making excuses for not getting the job done, people need to find reasons to get them done. If we keep in mind that everything we do should glorify God, confusion in the midst of meetings would not be an issue.

Is God glorified in the confusion that exist because of low-esteem and insecurity when people feel a need to belittle others or start rumors about them? No! The only glory is for the enemy who loves confusion.

When we are able to relate God’s Word to every area of our lives, we learn to move forward in peace and harmony. God does not want us to harbor ill-will towards anyone and when we do, it affects our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. So, instead of making noise to bring attention to ourselves, let’s practice seeking Him in the matter of all things and when there is disagreement, solve it in all Godliness, not pettiness.