"The FANATICISM of FAITH vs. the FUTILITY of COMMON SENSE!"

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

True Believers in Christ Jesus are some radical folks! They can really stir folks up with their contentious views on the life of mankind in his pursuit of stuff and things and the "ever evasive FLESH!"

FAITH in direct opposition to COMMON SENSE is FANATICISM; and COMMON SENSE in direct opposition to FAITH is RATIONALISM. The "faith life" brings the two polar perspectives into confrontation with one another and, ultimately, right relation. Common sense is not faith and faith is not common sense. Common sense exists in the "natural realm" while faith permeates the "spiritual realm." There is a direct correlation between "impulse" and common sense; while faith is manifested entirely out of "inspiration" through the person and power of the Holy Spirit.

When the Lord God speaks to us by His Spirit, it is "pure revelation sense" not common sense. Revelation sense can reach the shores safely where common sense floats aimlessly in the deep waters; stranded without hope of survival or rescue.  FAITH must be "tested" (the Believer must be roasted, stewed and barbecued) before the "reality" of FAITH is manifested in the HEART of the Believer. It is ONLY the power of God that can transform faith into reality for His children. In fact, it is His "prime objective."

The common-sense life is diametrically opposed to the faith-life whereby every detail of the rational mind can be refuted by the spiritual mind. Faith is a dynamic principle within the Kingdom of God. The faith-filled Believer looks "crazy" through the lens of a "gotta see it to believe it" perspective. I call this "head faith" (something that you won't believe until you see it) which is always a struggle to contend with. 

It is the power and INTENT of God to "educate our FAITH" because the nature of faith is to make its object real. Until we KNOW JESUS, God will always be an abstract, distant entity that we can NEVER faith in. But once the Believer steps out of the sense realm into the faith realm, he will begin to HEAR CHRIST and he will know that He is real and that the "unseen thing" is more real than the "tangible thing" that he can smell, taste, see, feel and touch...

FAITH is the "whole man" rightly connected to God by the "dunamis power" of the Spirit of Christ Jesus!

"PASSION to POSSESS the PROMISE!"

In the Book of Numbers 13:30, we are able to witness the spirit of passion between Joshua and Caleb. As the men were leaving the Wilderness of Paran, just southeast of Canaan, they began strategizing their plan to take the land.

The plan to send spies into the land was endorsed by God, so Moses sent the men into the land. During this transition period, Moses gave Hoshea (which means "salvation") a name change to Joshua. This is significant in that Joshua was selected to become the heir to lead God's people after Moses died. A "name change" indicates a spiritual transfer from God to a physical man. Inherent in the new name are both the "assignment" and "legacy" that the man selected must walk out in the earth realm.

Joshua and Caleb were well into their 80's (they were old men) in age, yet they exuded the passion to possess the promise. Their leadership and valor made them eligible for selection for this difficult task. Yet they did not waiver and stepped up to lead in a time of trouble. The spies were then sent into the land and directed to bring back a report of what they saw.

When the spies came back with the report that the land was lush with fruit, flowing with milk and honey and was well equipped to produce a comfortable lifestyle, the people rejoiced. They spoke of a cluster of grapes they saw that was so large, two men had to carry them on a large stake or beam. Suddenly, the mood changed when the spies began to report on what they saw and that the people dwelling in the land were descendants of Anak (giants), the hearts of the people of Israel melted. They continued, "Nevertheless, the people who dwell in the land are strong, the cities are well fortified and the men are GIANTS!

After hearing this, the people of Israel refused to enter Canaan. This is the anatomy of FEAR! Fear can paralyze an ENTIRE nation. These people had been the recipients of God's grace for centuries, yet they still doubted that He could deliver them once again.  He just told them to go an "possess" the land that I have ALREADY GIVEN TO YOU! Wait a minute; God told them that He had already given them the land! Why in the world were they afraid?

It's gets down to FAITH and HEARING! Out of all the spies who went into the land, only Joshua and Caleb came back with a "good report." They said to the people of Israel, "Let's go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." But the other men said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we. ...There we saw the giants, and we were like grasshoppers IN OUR OWN SIGHT; and so we were IN THEIR SIGHT."

The moral to the story is your enemy, as well as everyone else you encounter, will see you as you see yourself.  The huge difference in this example is that Joshua and Caleb saw themselves AS GOD SAW THEM! This Godly perspective is the ONLY PERSPECTIVE for a Believer to have.

This is the perspective that will fuel your passion to possess the promise that God has for your life!

"The ECONOMICS of HOPE!"

For many years and in countless instances I, like so many of us, have held the paradigm of "hope" in high regard. Hope hasn’t lost its luster, but the advent of the Prosperity Gospel has certainly dulled its shine. It is the audacity of hope that caused the races to rise from obscurity and poverty into prominence and affluence. Hope has eradicated diseases, chartered new discoveries and healed brokenness. The grace of hope in Christ Jesus has no end and until the end of the ages His grace will reign.

So what do we have before us now? The paradigm has shifted dramatically because the evil ones have seen the power of hope and are using it as a tool of manipulation, emasculation and wickedness against the masses of God’s people who are riddled with hopelessness.

The wicked ones have crafted a comprehensive economic plan that includes the siphoning off of the substance of the less fortunate. This is no different than that of any other corrupt system in human history. It is hidden behind the veil of Christianity, but at its core its stench is nauseating; to be sure; the "Body" of Christ is decomposing!

The plan is simple. The liars have created the unattainable lure of "incredible wealth" and wrapped it in a "promise" and sealed it in a pretty box and bow called "hope." For an individual trapped in a web of hopelessness, the temptation is far too great to resist. Coupled with the fact that the person standing in front of them in the pulpit is the most influential person in their culture; the man or woman that they have been told since birth to honor and obey because they are speaking on behalf of God Almighty, they have no choice but to submit! The "hirelings" know this and they exploit it to the fullest!

Week after week, thousands of Christians flow into churches across the land or listen to hours upon hours of Christian TV. They have become "fans" (short for fanatics) of their favorite celebrity preachers. These deluded individuals mail in cash they cannot afford to send to these vultures all because of a jaded hope that their $10 donation is going to somehow transform them into a multi-millionaire! This is a mockery and a damn shame!

                   They will even take money from this elderly lady...

What people seldom see is the other side of this equation. The preachers on the receiving end of these $10 donations multiplied exponentially are becoming very wealthy. Many of these ministries have millions of viewers watching them every week. Imagine if only 1/10 of 1% sent in $1? You are still talking about tens of millions of dollars! How many jets, mansions, and summer homes in the Caribbean and off-shore investments do they need? Meanwhile, back in the Willert Park Projects in Baltimore, MD, Bessie Crawford and her six children are crammed into a two bedroom, one bathroom rat infested apartment eating government subsidized meals. Are you serious? How can she put a celebrity preacher ahead of the needs of her own flesh and blood?

This, in short, is the mess we have made of a thing called hope.

"WHY are you STILL SEEKING THE KINGDOM?"

Many Christians are too quick to declare that they are "Kingdom Citizens" and too many of the church leaders jump to the conclusion that they have "Kingdom Ministries." The "Kingdom of Heaven (KOH)" or the "Kingdom of God (KOG)" are emotive ("emotionally charged") phrases many preachers use to get their folks fired up for Sunday morning service. The sad truth is that the overwhelming majority of Christians wouldn't know what the KOG was if it walked up and slapped them in the face!

The immature Christian will "sprint" to Matthew 6:33 like Usain Bolt (the fastest man in the world) as "proof" of their being a Kingdom citizen. After all, it is the foundational scripture for the KOG isn't it? I mean, we constantly hear it quoted ad nauseum week after week so it must be true.

The hypocrisy in "proof texting" this scripture, as always, is that it is taken out of context. The entire chapter of Matthew 6 admonishes Believers not to be carnal in our conduct and personal choices as we encounter the challenges and obstacles of life. It provokes us to do good to please God, guides us through the proper posture of prayer, warns us against the hypocrisy of public fasting, teaches us to lay up our treasures in heaven versus the earth realm, teaches us to guard our eyes so as not to corrupt the whole body and be deceived by the spirit of darkness, directs us that we cannot serve two Gods and finally tells us not to worry about the cares of this life because God knows all of our needs before we even ask. Now THAT is the context of the ENTIRE CHAPTER.

Here is the excerpt of Matthew 6:33 that has the BOC in an uproar: "...But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." You have to ask yourself what "things" is he talking about? The "prosperity message" teaches you that these "things" are "riches and wealth" to satisfy your carnal desires. You just read the "things" that God says will be added to you in your pursuit of the Kingdom; do any of those "things" look like wealth and riches?

The thing that should have sent off warning signs is the transitional word "but" at the beginning of the verse. This is a sure indication that a complete thought had to precede it. Have you ever read it? What does it mean to you? What will it take to get you to finally do something to help somebody else? You are NOT a citizen in the KOG if you are NOT serving someone else (Matt 25:31-46).

WHAT DOES THE KINGDOM OF GOD LOOK LIKE?

1. The Kingdom and KING (Christ) are sovereign (Lord over all people, territories and things).
2. The KOG is a DOMAIN under the complete authority of Christ; all of its resources & property (spiritual and physical). In this the citizens will be completely provided for by the King.
3. The KOG has a CONSTITUTION: the Word of God. It is a covenant between the Christ and His people whereby we receive our instructions for conduct and service in the earth realm.
4. The KOG has CITIZENS who live under the authority of the King. Citizenship is not a right, but a priviledge. We remain in good standing with the king by serving the KOG faithfully.
5. The KOG has LAWS which are governed by the King; these are acceptable practices or rules of engagement between citizens in the KOG. Violators are punished by the King. Those obedient to the laws of the KOG receive the benefits of peace, freedom and the PRIVILEGE to serve the King.
6. The KOG has a CODE OF ETHICS including spiritual morality, social relationships and integrity in managing the things the King entrusts us with in our daily lives.
7. The KOG has an ARMY to protect its citizens, territories, assets and resources. The angels of God are the military component that are in constant war in the spirit realm against the enemies of the KOG.

Simply stated, "If you have been a Christian more than 3 years, why are you STILL seeking the KOG?" Matthew says in his writing that it is the FIRST thing we should do!

The result should be that we have such a LOVE for the KING that it leads to serving...

"STARVE the FOOL and FEED the KING!"

The problem that many of us have is the problem of controlling our anger. For Christians or Believers it is a "slippery slope" to say the least.  It is amazing how quickly we can be snatched right out of the spirit into a full blown discourse of profanity and rudeness!

The bible tells us in (Psalms 4:4-5):

"Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
⁵ Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,And put your trust in the Lord."

The message is clear; don't sin by allowing anger to take control of your senses. God wants our responses to the things that provoke us to line up with the Word of God. The inability to harness your anger will result in rage. What is the result? Who wins? Who loses? The only winner is ANGER itself.

Anger is a reasonable part of of the"engagement process" that needs to occur. The individual must take comfort in knowing that they are not alone in mismanaging their anger and that the truthful testimony of how "you lost it" will afford you an excellent opportunity to effectively minister to another person in the marketplace.

Faith come by hearing and hearing the word of God. Men and women will learn to talk about their differences. Hey, look...there is nothing wrong with getting mad. It is a normal human emotion. In fact, it is healthy sometimes if it is controls and doesn't spill over into a physical altercation or a sustained verbal attack.

The key to the healing process is the release of your true emotions. When was the last time you heard one man tell another man, "Hey, Larryy, you know you hurt my feelings when you said my breath stank..." I can hear you laughing, but you know I'm telling the truth! You will probably NEVER hear a man say that to another man; but at the end of the day, the one man still walks away hurt and never heals. He will carry those words in his heart against his brother forever if it is not reconciled. The words become like cancer that eats away at him daily. The angry man is the one who dies a little each day. Therein, lays the power of FORGIVENESS.

The attitude of "keepin' it bottled up inside" is not healthy and the conflict can contaminate the relationship. That is why I always prescribe the Word of God to settle a difficult dispute (if you are a Believer). If not, the Word is still true! 

The WOG is not a "safe place" for the man or woman who wants to play it "safe." It is a place of judgement and correction. In essence, "we must starve the fool and feed the king!"

"SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY and EFFECTIVENESS of BEDTIME STORIES!"

       Many churchgoers and faith leaders struggle to define "spiritual maturity (SM)." Of course, the opposite of this paradigm is "spiritual immaturity (SI)" which undoubtedly is the "prevailing spirit" in the modern day IC. In the US, we have perhaps the largest infrastructure to nurture SI over most places on the planet. We boast hundreds of thousands of churches, an equal number of statewide conferences, organizations, colleges and seminaries as well as a plethora of "Christian" products, resources and an unending chain of "life coaches" (which is a new revenue stream for the prosperity preachers who don’t know the Word of God well enough to preach it).

        Why is it so difficult for people who spend an average of eight to 20 hours per week on "church stuff" to grow into SM? It is because "the preachers can’t teach what they don’t know!" This just blows me away. Why does someone who has been in the church for ten years or more still need the preacher to read them "bed time stories" (my definition for lazy Christians who don’t take the time to read the bible for themselves and are subject to the interpretation of the preacher who might be manipulating them)?

                                      Momma reading little Mikey a "bedtime story."


        You see, when my kids were little they enjoyed bedtime stories because they couldn’t read. I could tell them anything and they would believe it. I changed the story every night. If I was tired and didn’t feel like reading the entire story, I shortened the story. They didn’t know any better because they couldn’t read. They really enjoyed the pictures in the book, but they could not read or comprehend the words. Over a period of time, and as they got older (matured), they learned to read for themselves.

       They "graduated" from the fairy tales to fiction and non-fiction, as they were able to tell the difference between the two because they studied, practiced and subsequently learned their native language. As a result, I don’t read to my kids anymore, since they are literate (not to mention how much it would offend them) and have matured well beyond nursery rhymes and fables. Now, the ONLY way they don’t know something or don’t learn something is because they DON’T READ IT; it is NOT because they CAN’T read it! You see where I’m going with this?

      Welcome to the IC. There is a pervasive spirit of SI in the modern day church because Christians DON’T READ! The number one enemy of SM is laziness or apathy. Christians want their Pastors to lead them on the path to SM and the people allow them to do it! Week after week, Christians file into the sanctuary ("mortuary") to listen to the preacher. They take copious notes and sit fixated on the pulpit waiting for revelation to pour forth like rivers of living water.

       They sing a few songs, give their offering, hug a few folks and then head to the car. I guarantee you more than 90% of these people NEVER open their bibles again until the next time they come to church! Now that is pitiful isn’t it? But this is the place we have created for God in our spiritual lives.

       In order for SM to occur, there must be a clear directive on the goals and objectives of the paths to righteousness set forth by the teacher. The student, in turn, must commit to a regiment of diligence and foster relationships with fellow believers who also hunger and thirst for an intimate relationship with God.

WE WANT A KING! WE WANT A KING!

We want a KING! We want a KING!

This is the clarion call of a stiff-necked people for whom Yahweh has NEVER been enough! These words resonate within the bowels of my spirit even today because the clarion call has not changed! Of course, the people of God don't want a King today (I'm sure only because our political system does not allow for one; but IF WE COULD...). But they have sure been able to "manufacture" a reasonable facsimile thereof; we just call him a Bishop, Apostle or Prophet!

Right after the Ark of the Lord was returned to Israel at Kirjath Jearim, as the prophet of God Samuel judged Israel for its unrighteousness, Israel demanded a King. Samuel was mortified at what the Lord God would do! Surely the short term memory of these selfish Hebrews must have gone awry! They just witnessed God slaughter more than 50,070 people for just "looking or gazing upon the ark of the Lord (I Sam 6:19)." Surely this additional transgression would bring the full fury of the wrath of God and lead to the utter annihilation of his beloved nation.

                                                            The Ark of the Covenant

The WARNING from the prophets has never changed because the ONLY words they are able to speak are those words that come directly to them from the Lord. In addition, EVERYTHING they say comes to pass and in EVERY instance, GOD gets the glory! Samuel told Israel that is they would renounce their love and worship for foreign Gods that the One True God would forgive them. I always say, "God always warns us before He judges us!"

After averting another attack by the Philistines and receiving the grace of a "Rejected God" once again which included complete protection from further attacks, decimated cities and territories being restored and the spirit of peace throughout the land the PEOPLE  STILL WANTED A KING! Once again, God was not good enough for them to worship.

Samuel was not pleased with this request, but at the direction of the Lord, he did what they asked. But the Lord said that Samuel (who represents "truth" in this story) must tell the people the characteristics of the KING that they desired (I Sam 8:6-22). Even after hearing all the suffering they would endure at the hands of their future King, the people STILL demanded that he be manifested. God selected Saul to be Israel's first King. Samuel anointed him and he began his reign over the nation. Now, Israel was elated because they were just like all the other nations! 

What do we learn from this revelation? The people of God have not changed in their lack of desire to engage God on an intimate level. Dating back to Moses, the people of God have avoided God at all costs. First judges, then kings then priests and pastors and prophets and apostles. Give the people anything but God and they will be satisfied. Herein lays the great deception. They even rejected the Christ!

Face to face with the Lord God removes all the shenanigans we like to roll out on a daily basis.  You know, the things your pastor or prophet can NEVER know unless you confess it to them. But even then, what can they do? They can't heal you? They can't deliver you from crack addiction or death. They can't save your soul. They can't renew your spirit. The words they speak are not their words; they are the words of the Lord God.

So God said to Samuel (again, representing "truth"), let them have their King and tell them what he will do to them and tell them that when they call out to ME to save them from the abuses of their King, "I will not hear them."

The Lord God changes not....