"Be STILL and KNOW That I AM GOD!"

"Be still and know that I Am God; 
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
                                                                              
                                                                                              Psalm 46:10

What an amazing declaration from the Lord God! He has given definitive pronouncement that He will be exalted among the nations and in the earth realm. It is critical to both know and understand that He is God alone and that He sits on the Throne of Grace and Mercy as well as the Throne of Judgement.

He directs His children to be "still" (damam; #H1826) which means to be silent; to be dumbstruck and/or to die (to one's own selfish desires). It also means to cut off, cut down rest, cease, (be at) peace, tarry and wait.

Wow! That's an awful lot of revelation from one single word. God's directive for us to be silent is indicative of the fact that we, as humans, talk too much! You know Brother James in his Epistle (3:1-12) gives us an unparalleled description that the "tongue" cannot be tamed without the Believer's submission to the authority and power of the Holy Spirit.

That same Spirit directs us to cut off any weight (person, place or thing) that would derail us in our walk of righteousness. He compels us to cut down the barriers of fear and complacency. He urges us to rest in His bosom and to cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. He warns us to cease from sinful activities in our lives. The Lord God compels us to be at peace in Him, His Way, His Truth and His Life.

Being still does not always mean that we are not to do anything. In one sense, God implores us to tarry (stay engaged in the marketplace by serving God's people). In Him, we live and move and have our being. His desire is for us to reflect His glory in the earth by transferring His Spirit to others we serve.

Finally, the Lord God tells us to just wait. One of my favorite scriptures in the Word is Isaiah 40:31, "...But they that wait on the Lord, (shall) renew their strength; They (shall) mount up on wings like eagles, They (shall) run and not be weary, They (shall) walk and do not not faint."

The word "shall" was added to the lexicon of the Bible to make its translation easier to read and more fluid to understand. However, if you read this same scripture without the word "shall," it removes the future tense of the word and amplifies the "immediacy" of results when we wait on the Lord. "But they that wait on the Lord renew their strength (immediately); they mount up on wings like eagles (right away); they run and are not weary (right now) and they walk and do not faint (straight away)."

This is how we KNOW that He Is God; when we are STILL! Selah...

"The Origins of EASTER & The Resurrection of CHRIST!"

The most difficult thing to digest about the revelation of profound truth is the earth shaking prospect that you have believed something for so long and come to find out that it has all been a lie. It is particularly unnerving when it comes to the things of God! You ask yourself, "How could I have not known this? Why didn't the Pastor ever teach us this or teach us that? Why didn't I check it out for myself? How do I recover from believing a falsehood for so long? Easy...receive it and keep it movin'!

The hard truth is that Easter has absolutely nothing to do with the Resurrection of Christ! Jesus didn't die on Good Friday and He wasn't Resurrected on Sunday morning! 

My pathway to truth has led me to some difficult places. It is not popular to challenge the existing paradigms of any institution; particularly religion. People are sensitive and protective about the things they hold sacred; whether they are true or not.

The origins of Easter are deeply connected to pagan religions and idolatry and did NOT originate  with the resurrection of Jesus. Eostre (Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring); Eostur (Norse word for the spring season); Ishtar (ancient spring goddess of Near Eastern countries) also known as Ashtoreth (in the Bible) are all connected to the spring season and springtime fertility festivals from "pagan" religions.

How we got to Sunday worship:
Early Christians staunchly observed the same laws and religious celebrations as the Jews. Consequently, due to the persecution received by the Jews from the Romans, the Christians defected from Saturday (7th day of the week) worship to "Sun" day (1st day of the week) worship (the Romans worshipped the Sun God) and that is why Christians go to Sunday service today.

The Truth about the Crucifixion, Good Friday & the Resurrection:
The Four Gospels detail the journey and timeline of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus. The main point of confusion is rooted in the translation of the word "Sabbath." During the Festival of the Unleavened Bread (FUB) which marked the renouncing of sin for seven days in the OT, there were "two sabbaths" (an annual Sabbath attributed to the FUB and a weekly Sabbath attributed to the Law).
The Greek word for sabbath (sabbaton: #4521; the "interval" between two sabbaths) was translated in a singular text when in actuality it should have been translated in plural text. The word clearly states that it is an interval or period of time between two Sabbaths.

This would mean that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday at 9am and died around 3pm on Nisan 14 (the "Day of Preparation"...John 19:31) the historical observance of  the Passover under Jewish Law) before the annual "High-Day Sabbath" (Exodus 12:16; Lev. 23:6-7) which coincides with the first day of the FUB (Thursday). Accordingly, Jesus' body was placed in Joseph's tomb just before sunset on Wednesday (Luke 23:54).

(Luke 23:56) shows that the women, after seeing Jesus' body being laid in the tomb before the High Day Sabbath began, returned with fragrant spices and oils to prepare His body. This work could ONLY have been done on Friday, because it would have been a violation of the Law to do any work on Saturday. (Mark 16:1) validates this point. This conclusively proves that the Sabbath mentioned in the scriptures was the first Holy Day of the FUB (Lev. 23:4-8) which in A.D. 31, fell on a Thursday. The women had to wait until the High Day Sabbath was over before they could buy and prepare the spices and oils to anoint Jesus' body.

After these activities, they rested on the Sabbath (Saturday) according to the commandment (Luke 23:56). After the rest, the women went to the tomb early on the first day of the week (Sunday) while it was still dark (John 20:1) and found that He had already been resurrected (Matt. 28:1-6; Mark 16:2-6); Luke 24:1-3; John 20:1). Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene early Sunday morning having already been resurrected on Saturday evening in accordance with the prophecy He gave the scribes and Pharisees in (Matt. 12:38-40) ... "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish , so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Three days and three nights is 72 hours any way you look at it. Friday night to Sunday morning is 36 hours any way you slice it. It's just math! Every word that Jesus spoke was true. He could not lie. Therefore, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are myths perpetuated by an adulterous generation of lazy Christians unwillingly to let go of their man-made traditions in lieu of the unadulterated TRUTH!

The FUB helps Believers to focus on renouncing their sin. It makes total sense for Jesus to have been the Passover sacrifice for mankind. He is the "manna" that sustained the Jews in the desert. He is the Bread of Life (John 6:48). He was born in Bethlehem (House of "bread"). "Leaven" is sin. Jesus was "unleavened" Bread or "sinless" Bread. This festival was always about Him! He is the "perfection" of the FUB in that His resurrection was the 6th (God's number for "mankind") great event to occur during the FUB:

1. Exodus from slavery in Egypt immediately after Passover during FUB (Numb. 33:3)
2. Crossing of the Red Sea (last day of the FUB)
3. Conquest of Jericho (during the FUB)
4. Re dedication of of Jews back to God (under King Hezekiah; 2 Chron. 29-31)
5. Re dedication of of Jews back to God (under King Josiah; 2 Chron. 34-35)
6. Resuurection of Christ (sunset on Saturday during the FUB)

Isn't it the absolute character of God to do something as belligerent as "resurrecting" Christ from the grave on the Sabbath? This had to infuriate the religious hypocrites of the day!

Unfortunately, this truth is meaningless if it is not applied. The carnal man will continue in the comfort of ignorance and blissful defiance to the revelation of truth in God's Word. He believes there is no accountability in ignorance.

Now that you know, what are you going to do? I exhort you to study this revelation for yourself and come to you own conclusion. At the end of the day, the sad truth is that "people will believe what they want to believe no matter how compelling the evidence may be to the contrary!"  Selah

"God vs. Satan: Varying Strategies in ELEVATION!"

There has always been great dissension between the Believer and the Sinner! These confrontations have always been, are currently and will always be epic until Christ returns!

But what about the choices mankind makes in "choosing a side" to align with? What motivates us to toward good and holiness or evil and wickness?

Both God and Satan use strategies in elevating their sons. The profound difference being Satan uses "temptation" and, just like holiness, the call to come up higher is equally compelling. There are no standards in evil. Evil continually exceeds itself. When you think you have heard or seen it all, evil once again confounds and amazes us with its ability to "take it to another level."

Likewise, when God calls us up to a higher level in Him, the expectation is that we exceed ourselves in holiness, righteousness and goodness. Instead of temptation, God uses "love" and "chastening" and "forgiveness" and "redemption" and "adversity" to mold us into the image of His Son. The willingness to die to our own lusts and desires and our ability to resist the devil (temptation) will compel Satan to flee from our presence and catapult us into a higher place in God. Once the Believer is " elevated" by God, it doesn't mean Satan will stop pursuing him, it just means he won't fall prey to his cheap magic tricks!

When Satan elevates you, your life is akin to a performer on a high wire moving cautiously so as to avoid catastrophe in the event a gust of wind blows him over since there is no safety net below to catch him if and when he falls. Elevation is Satan is precarious and dangerous and a slippery slope that always results in death.

But when God elevates you, the Believer arrives at a vast plateau of stability, serenity and safety. He can move about with ease under the wings of the Almighty. He is seated in heavenly places and fellowships with the Spirit of Truth. The result of elevation is God is joy, peace and eternal life.

When Satan says to you, "Come up higher," you must remember that he is the Author of Confusion and the Father of Lies.

But when God says to you, "Come up higher," you must remember that He is the One True God, the Prince of Peace and Author and Finisher of your Faith.

Just think about that for a minute; when you have totally and completely immersed yourself in God, you won't need FAITH anymore! I said, "You won't need faith!"

Now...that's what I call ELEVATION!"

"Getting Past The CROSS!"

"For through Him we both have access through One Spirit to the Father." (Ephes. 2:18)

It is imperative that Christians hear what the Spirit is saying. Cast away your religious ears and hear Christ! Jesus is GONE and the Holy Spirit is HERE. Don't be offended by this all you lovers of Jesus. It's time for you to diligently seek after the Spirit! This statement is not in deference to Christ, but is stated as a matter of fact. Jesus Himself declared that He had to leave us so that another Comforter could come (so that He could return to His throne in eternity to defend us against the incessant allegations of the devil; Rev. 12:10).

Christians have to get past the Cross. Too many Christians  are stuck on Calvary. Jesus is not on Calvary anymore. Calvary opened the door to salvation and the Holy Spirit sealed it shut. Receive the Lord of Salvation, be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire and you are in. You are a lock for a seat in eternity!

The Cross does not guarantee you a place in heaven. The Cross was a symbol. Jesus was a sacrifice. His physical body meant nothing to God. God allowed His body to be decimated in every way. His body was placed in a tomb and now its gone. The Body of Christ is now a mobile, agile and hostile weapon against the powers of darkness. Are you in the number? Are you a soldier in the army of the Lord or are you a captive of the enemy rotting in a cell of despair, hopelessness and fear?

"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." (Eph. 1:13-14)

Christians, I promise you that you will become Believers (that you will also "graduate") once you let go of the Cross. Getting past the Cross is critical to your spiritual growth and maturity. Don't get me wrong, the Cross served its purpose. The Cross was meant for the "guilty" not the innocent. The only legal reason Jesus could get on the Cross was because "He became sin," not because He was guilty. In essence, "sin", not Jesus, was nailed to the Cross.

The defining moment in history is that Jesus "graduated" on that fateful day. Over time, He transformed from Rabbi to Messiah to Christ. He was expected to fulfill His "call" in life through obedience to the Father unto death. The Word says that "obedience is greater than sacrifice."

Get that? Unto death the Word says. The only way you can receive an inheritance (the Holy Spirit) is for someone to die (Jesus)! Amen...

"I have told you these things while I am still with you. But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you." (John 14: 25-26 AMP) 

"The DEITY of the HOLY SPIRIT!"

The Holy Spirit (HS) is God! The HS is omnipresent as God and He does not infringe upon the "divine unity of the Triune (three-part) Godhead" (Father, Son and HS). It appears to me that, for some strange reason, many Christians seem to be missing the point that the HS IS GOD!

I can only imagine what the atmosphere must have been like between Jesus and His cousin John the Baptist at the Jordan River that fateful day. In the Gospel of Matthew 3:15, the Word of God says that Jesus "saw" the Spirit descending like a dove (peacefully) and rested upon Him and He heard the voice of God saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 

What just happened here? In a matter of a nano-second, mankind was rescued from eternal damnation in Gehenna (the Lake of Fire). In an instant, Jesus become the Christ (the Anointed One) or the host of the HS (the ACTUAL and AUTHENTIC SPIRIT of the CREATOR of ALL THINGS!). In a moment, mankind was delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of His Love. In real time, Yahweh declared the validation of Christ to the entire world. Although Jesus was physically located in Galilee, this declaration was no doubt heard throughout the entire universe!

Immediately Jesus was led by this same HS into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Why? Why would the HS thrust Jesus immediately into adversity? What did the HS hope to prove? Was it possible that Jesus might fail? It was necessary that mankind "see" less they "believe." I am convinced that this occurrence created the advent for "faith" to be introduced into the earth realm. "For we walk by faith and not by sight." (2 Cor.5:7)

Listen closely; Jesus was not tempted by the devil for 40 days and 40 nights! Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and afterward He was hungry. At that time (after 40 days/40 nights), the devil then came to Him and began using his "cheap magic tricks" to try to get Jesus to be seduced by the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life!

The HS ministered to Jesus for 3 1/2 years. At the Cross on Calvary, with His last breath He declared, "Father, into your hands I commit My Spirit." (Luke 23:46). What a minute. What just happened? Did Jesus just give the HS back to God? Is this the same Spirit that was given to us? Who else would Jesus have given His Spirit to? Jesus left us "The Comforter." You'll have to tell me what that means to you, I already know what it means to me!

At our baptism by fire (trials, tribulation and adversity), Believers can engage the partnership of the HS through our personal "wilderness experience." Only in our version, the devil is not omnipresent. After the Believer has graduated from the fire baptism, he is then baptised with the Holy Spirit (the Authenticator of who you say you are in Christ). This is where Christ makes the deposit of the HS into the heart, mind, body and soul of the Believer. The HS baptism is rigorous and is action packed and continuous. He teaches. He comforts. He rebukes. He convicts. He corrects. He listens. He answers.

The endurance of the Believer to withstand the wiles of the enemy is rooted and grounded in our:

• diligence in seeking after the Father
• pursuing an intimate relationship with the HS
• allowing the HS to teach, lead and guide us
• submitting to the authority of the HS
• living a life of godliness, holiness and righteousness and
• reading, studying and meditating on God's Word

These actions define, develop and defend the Deity of the Holy Spirit; Selah...

"The SUNDAY SERMON & SINNERS!"

"I am complete in Him."  Colossians 2:10

It has been a very long time since I have filed into a church and listened to a sermon. Since I graduated from church school, I have found peace in the presence and fellowship with the Holy Ghost. He is my teacher! 

Needless to say, the sermon is, without question, the "sacred cow" of the Christian movement. The entire Christian Experience is predicated on the anticipation of what subject the Pastor is going to preach about and everyone from the greeters to the Minister of Music has been prepped by the Pastor so that the "mood is set just right."

The immature Christian is totally dependent on the sermon. It is because our nation and, indeed our world is experiencing a global crisis of Biblical Illiteracy mainly because Christians do not read, study or meditate on God's Word. For the lazy Christian, the sermon is their saving grace. Their mindset is this; "no matter what I may have experienced during the week, no matter how much hell I raised, folks I cussed out or how foul my attitude may have been, if I can just get to "chuch" and hear the sermon I'll be alright!"

THE SUNDAY SERMON CANNOT SAVE YOU!

Too many Christians have been misled into thinking that they are saved just because they go to church. They think they are saved because they pay their tithes. They think they are saved because they quoted Romans 10:8 at the altar in front of the congregation. The modern day Christian has a "cultural connection" but not a "biblical connection" to the Lord God. Many churches are social gathering places where Christians go to sit passively with their pew warming friends. In short, the sermon is equated to worship!

This is hard to hear for many Christians, but the sermon was borrowed from pagan (early Greek) cultures and grafted into the Christian faith. The (modern day) sermon has no root in scripture and has very little to do with spiritual growth. Jesus never preached a regular sermon to the same audience. He preached out of a "burden for mankind" rather than from a set script. Neither did Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, Titus or Peter. There was a profound difference between the early church and what is going on today. 

Researchers have found that Christians remember less than 10% of the "unsupported" spoken word; (unsupported, referring to the content and/or subject that was taught but was not followed up with study, meditation and prayer by the Christian). No wonder why next Tuesday after church you can't remember what the sermon was about!

The early church gathering was designed as an interactive, extemporaneous and Holy Spirit led exchange among Believers in the gospel of peace. The speaker was interruptable. There was no scheduled weekly meetings. People gathered as they were led by the Spirit! They had only one agenda; to teach the unfiltered truth and direct all in attendance to Christ. What do you think would happen to you if you interrupted your Pastor with that burning question you had about something he just quoted from the bible? 

Remove the sermon and the Protestant order of worship becomes, in large part, a songfest. Remove the sermon and attendance will surely drop significantly. Remove the sermon and all you have, for the most part, is a crowd of passive, spiritually dead individuals.

Sinners love church because it is easy to hide in a crowd. Sinners are those people who are spiritually ignorant and have little or no relationship with the Holy Spirit; and,

Sinners have an intimate relationship with the Pastor, but not with Christ. Sinners don't want Christ. Sinners don't want to take their sin to Christ because they love their sin too much and they know Christ will take it away. The Pastor can't save them; he can't redeem them and he can't take away their sin..that is why,

Sinners love the Sunday Sermon...Selah

"SPIRITUAL ADULTERY: Guilty as Charged!"

"God's anger and fury has been kindled by a nation of Christians who are, in actuality, UNBELIEVERS!"


We have all seen and heard of the stories of the pain, anguish and betrayal associated with adultery in interpersonal relationships; most often marriages.

The breach of trust is a weight that is too much to carry for the spouse who has been betrayed. The emotional, psychological and physical toll can be overwhelming, not to mention the cost associated with the breakdown of the family unit. The father or the mother must reconcile themselves to the reality of their lives while simultaneously balancing "how much of the truth" the children need to hear. Often times, individuals and families never recover from these transgressions.

However bad you think your relationship might be after an adulterous encounter, multiply that feeling 1,000 times and you will get a snapshot of what God feels like when we abandon Him for the "lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life." 

In Exodus 34:14 God emphatically states, "...Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." Wow! He said, "My name is Jealous!" In the Hebrew language, "jealous" is translated to "qanna" (Strong's - Heb. #7067) which means "One demanding exclusive service (or attention)." You have to be dead to miss that! 

When the carnal Christian violates the covenant of this relationship (the "church" is the bride of Christ), he is destined for a life of despair, desperation and distance from the Lord God. The result of a "silent God" is catastrophic in the life of a follower of Yahweh. How do feel when your spouse gives you the "silent treatment." The idolatry of man, the incessant pursuit of material things and the total disregard for our brothers and sisters has placed us in a precarious position with our Heavenly Father.

Another definition of "jealous" in the Hebrew is translated "angry." Why do you think God is angry at us? That's right; there's not enough room to mention the list here!

Are you holding hands with your idol while the Lord God is sustaining you? Are you sleeping with the enemy? Are you cheating on God with the devil?

What does an honorable person do when you cheat on them? That's right...they leave your butt high and dry! Unlike mankind, the Lord God exits quietly just as He comes into your presence. There are no arguments, no fussing or fighting, no throwing things or hurtful words. He calls you a whore and abandons you. 

He just leaves and won't return until the heart of the transgressor is contrite, repentant and clean. 

Then the Lord God will forgive you. He will return and refresh, revive and renew your Spirit man so that the "marriage" can live on into eternity....