The Blind Will Fall

Luke 6:39

 

39And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?"

 

As a man or woman of God, if you are leading or teaching people, whether formally or informally, then you are held by God to have a greater level of responsibility.  Yes, it is true that we are ALL a work in progress, however, there are some things that you blatantly know are off. 2Peter 2:19 says "while they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption."  For example, preaching and teaching the word, yet you are having sexual intimacy with every man or woman in every state your foot steps in is deception to the people and God whether you are married or single.  This is an example of having a spirit of lust which requires deliverance. But in order to be delivered, you have to admit that you have a problem and need deliverance. There are many examples of many spirits. Remember, people usually do what you do not what you say. So as Jesus said, you are leading people to stumble but the stumble can lead people busting hell wide open. I remember meeting and hearing the preaching of a prophet from Ghana. A very dedicated man of God who saw very clearly in the Spirit of God. He spoke a word to a woman and her husband being very arrogant in his walk coming beside her was called out by the prophet for his other deeds. Now the prophet had not met them before or anything. Another example, my Nubian/dreadlocks were created as a vow to God fifteen years ago. Now with that, I am very particular as to who touches my hair because too many times I have seen what spirit(s) occupy that person that are not of God after they have touched my hair. Just because no one else is around when the deeds are done doesn't mean that God doesn't allow true men and women of God to see in the Spirit. God is Jehovah Roi, the God who sees. So attempting to teach others in the word of God yet not striving yourself to live upright before God will show. But you also leave blood on your hands. Ezekiel 33 talks about the watchman with the trumpet that fails to warn the people of danger when he sees it. Though the people doing the deeds must answer for what they've done, the one leading will also be held accountable. Jesus said that to whom much is given, much is required. You cannot lead without responsibility. You cannot lead without checking your own walk before God. You have already been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Take hold of it by sincere repentance.

"Shh Don't Tell"

2Samuel 13:20

 

 

20And Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this thing to heart."

 

Unfortunately, Absalom's response to Tamar being sexually violated is the same response many give to children who have been violated. The reputation of the violator and those around become more important then the child who was violated. As a matter of fact, many acts of child abuse go unreported which is why the statistics are still slightly off. The 1 in 10 to be abused is likely to be less than 10. But many children are shamed into keeping silent like poor Tamar who was raped by her brother.  The Christian church (the people are the church) is just as guilty for not handling or touching the subject of child abuse as well. Counseling is a must from both a spiritual prospective and a psychological one. There are many problems that occur after abuse that people fail to talk about or even see. For Tamar, she lost her innocence and can never get it back. Every child who has been abused has somehow lost their innocence and can't get it back. School will be starting soon. Neighborhood football, basketball, swim, soccer teams will be forming. Do you know what signs to look for? Do you know the behavioral changes that can occur in your child after abuse? Do you know what to do if you find out your child has been violated? Or will you just respond like Absalom and be more concerned with keeping a reputation rather than the safety and well-being of the one whom God entrusted to you? Be informed. Shh Don't Tell are the words every child hears while they are being violated regardless of who is hurting them. In their quest to get help, please don't let them hear it from you.

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"Shh Don't Tell"  by Joy T.J. Riley

The Power Belongs to God

Psalm 21:7

 

7For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.

 

The psalm, written by David recognized and celebrated in the salvation of the Lord. A king, a man who had complete sovereignty over a country, region and people to be the final decision maker in going to war, to destroy with a flick of a finger, decided to trust in the Lord. Why can't you? David wouldn't make war without consulting the Most High God. Ego was not a factor in David's decisions to war. His decisions, as a ruler rested with God. He delighted in his relationship with God and not just when his enemies were against him. He delighted in his relationship with God during times of peace. David had enemies. But what the enemies failed to see is that when you make yourself an enemy of a child of God, you actually make yourself an enemy of God himself. In verse 13, David celebrated and exalted God for His strength and power. David recognized the power and strength of God and was not fooled by his title to believe that he had more power than God. Unfortunately, the minute some people get a title or position, they get beside themselves and forget who really has ALL power. The power belongs to God no matter your title or position in any industry or walk of life. If a king could recognize that, why can't you?

Showing Who You Are

Proverbs 21:13

 

13Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.

 

I have heard my assistant pastor say this repeatedly but I had no idea where it was in the Bible. God illuminated it for me. Do you recall during Jesus' ministry how Jesus would specifically stop and call out to the down and outcast? They were considered poor. And when those who "had more" would tell the outcast to be quiet because they were less? And did not Jesus hear? After the Beatitudes in Luke 6 Jesus pronounced some woes. One of those woes corresponds to this scripture. Remember Jesus said we are to love thy neighbor as thyself and treat others the way you want to be treated. So if you ignore the cry of the poor whom you see in need and know they need and know that you have it to give but won't give, remember, God is watching. He gives you the power to get wealth as said in Deuteronomy 8:18 so no matter what you have, God gave it to you. And should you see fit to ignore one in need when you know you have it to give, then you are mocking God. God blessed you so you could be a blessing. And as Job said, "God gives and God takes away." So lest you repent, your day is coming when you too will cry out and be ignored. Even if you have been there before, God will take you back if you failed to grow with the blessing He gave you.

 

I remember being in D.C. one day and came across a man begging. He was pleasant but obviously in need. I had no cash on me at that time but had a card going into the store. He was thirsty and asked for something to drink so I bought him something. When I came back, he was happy and we talked and hugged before I left. He was over in "tent city." I saw him a couple months later and he remembered me. He had just been put up in a place near a school by an organization and had recently given his life to Christ. My heart was warmed because he felt the need to share it with me. He said he knew I knew Christ.  I never said my faith or belief. How you act can easily show who you are. Jesus said you will know a person by their fruit? Are you displaying rotten fruit? Are you like those who ignore the poor unless you can be seen? God is Jehovah Roi, the God who sees. Our Pastor preached yesterday on "Who Are You Working For?" He said there are many who claim to be a child of God and follower of Christ.

To All the Nations

Acts 2: 5-6

 

5And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.

 

Luke details the coming of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised after He ascended to heaven. The day of Pentecost was exactly fifty days after Jesus' resurrection. We celebrate this day every year because it is the day that the power of the Holy Spirit was released and given to the disciples that they may carry on the work and ministry of Jesus. The day of Pentecost was indeed special. It was the day that a great miracle was witnessed by many men. The wind and fire of God came down on the disciples and they began to speak with other tongues as the Holy Spirit directed. But the miracle of men hearing the disciples in their own language beyond Hebrew and Aramaic without the disciples ever studying was an example of what Christ said in the great commission in Matthew 28, "Go therefor and make disciples of all the nations." Remember, originally, Jesus' ministry focus was only on the Jews. The NKJV Study Bible notes "it underscored the universal outreach of the church."  Men of all different backgrounds began to hear the word of God in a language they understood. A supernatural gift from God given to reach the masses. The apostle Paul talks about the ability to interpret tongues that are spoken in 1Corinthians 14:6-13. As the apostle Paul stated, "How will it be known?"  Speaking in tongues is one thing but as Paul said, someone must be able to understand or interpret what is being said. The day of Pentecost was also special because God reversed what He did at the Tower of Babel in Genesis. Even now, the word of God is heard in other languages in other countries so that men might believe. It is a gift from God to know another tongue or language without study to communicate and most importantly, to communicate the word of God that men can be saved.

Continued Conversations in "C"

Song of Solomon 2:7

 

7I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.

 

We are continuing the conversations in "c" or celibacy. God is really serious about everyone getting this. In Song of Solomon, the Shulamite woman who was the apple and object of young David's love, acknowledged that as tempting as it is to consummate a dating/courting relationship with sex, that it is best to wait until the proper time. Anything not done in God's timing is off and out of order. The reason is you don't get the opportunity to enjoy the full blessing from Him and all that comes with it. When you have sex according to your timetable and not God's in the confines of marriage,  you taint the act of worship and expression of love that is supposed to be for a spouse. If you are not sure if you want to marry or when you want to marry that person, you rob them and their future spouse of the act of worship that sex is supposed to be. You essentially steal someone else's spouse and taint them physically and spiritually. Do you go to the grocery store and take a bite of an apple and then sit it back in the barrel for someone else to take? You have left your physical DNA all over that apple and because you decided you didn't want it, you expect someone else to see it as attractive and take it home. Too many people coming by to take a bite of that apple then leaves nothing for the person who was intending to buy who may have seen it in the barrel yesterday and waited until they were ready for it and God said it was time. Now if this sounds gross to you, then you are getting a picture of what you're doing when you are not celibate and waiting for God to send your mate be you man or woman. Remember in John 10:10 the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy. He would like nothing better than to steal or destroy anything God has set aside for you. You play right into his objective when you lack self-control. Satan exploits weaknesses and this subject is the one he gets many on both out of ignorance and pure disobedience of the men and women of God.

 

The book of Song of Solomon and the book of Ruth include romance but also note the importance of waiting. In the book of Ruth, Boaz was much older than Ruth. He was aware that Ruth had been married before but she was celibate. Boaz was in love with Ruth but respected her enough not to consummate a physical union until he was one with her spiritually by the authority of God. He respected Ruth and would not taint her until he knew for sure he could marry her because she was potentially someone else's wife. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sex and it is a beautiful act of worship, which is to express love and connect to become one but only in its proper time and with the person God has set aside for you. Conversations in "c" or celibacy concluded.

Conversations in "C"

Matthew 19:12

 

12For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their  mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.

 

What is a eunuch? The Merriam-Webster's Dictionary says that a eunuch is a castrated man. In ancient times, including times of our dear Queen Esther, men were castrated so they could focus on the task assigned by the king and not be distracted by their physical organs. But the focus on the last part, "eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake," is where we are. God gave this to me last week but said to wait. And then of course Pope Francis addressed the issue of celibacy.  For essentially a eunuch is celibate. Yes, the conversation the church often avoids.

 

In the Protestant church, ministers and pastors are not restricted from marriage. Actually, they are often encouraged. Some churches prefer not to employ pastors for their church if they are not married. Why? Because they are seen as power figures and the women in the church who unfortunately lack self-control and have not been delivered from the spirit of lust, go after them. The women become Satan's tool in attempting to find a weakness in the pastor or spiritual leader that can shift his focus. The enemy's objective is, " if he can get the leader then he can take the flock." This is not to obstruct a spiritual leader from responsibility, it is just to describe a most common and very real situation. There is no rule that says leaders of the church cannot marry. As a matter of fact, deacons and overseers are described as, "having one wife" in Titus. But Jesus spoke of those who are eunuchs for heaven's sake. The apostle Paul addressed this issue in 1Corinithians 7 because there were some who sought marriage as though it were the greater of situations. The NKJV Study Bible translation notes the apostle Paul was saying that celibacy or circumcision was not less spiritual than marriage. Yes, marriage was the first relationship God created between humans but it does not mean that being single is bad. The apostle Paul was saying that being single allows one to focus on the desire of God and the kingdom of heaven which is what Jesus said above. However, ANYONE who is unmarried and a follower of Christ is called to celibacy unless they are married for that is your "reasonable sacrifice" as said in Romans 12. The apostle Paul also wanted  to address those who seem to lack self-control. Those that do must be married so their passions do not overtake them. In 1Corinithians 6 the apostle Paul illustrates what happens when passions overtake a person. You end up becoming one flesh and spirit with someone like a prostitute. I saw a picture demonstrated on Facebook of a man sleeping with a woman who looked dead. Thought extremely gross, It was used as an analogy for those who have sex with someone who God did not call to them and who is by all accounts, spiritually dead. For if every person saw the spirit of the one they physically desired before lying down with them, they may have second thoughts because that's what they would become inside. Hosea 4:6 says for my people perish for a lack of knowledge. Many perish because they are caught on conversations in "C" or celibacy.

 

Be blessed!