REALality

You may have noticed how there has been an increase of “Christian” reality shows on various networks. These shows get those who are believers interested, but then quickly turns them off by the stereotypical foolishness that is showcased in every other reality show.

I cannot lie, I have grown up watching reality shows and have enjoyed watching the nonsense that has most people tuning in. The fact that they now have Pastors of LA, Preacher’s Daughters, The Sisterhood, Thicker Than Water, Mary Mary and so on. All of these shows start off as something that is promising and shortly after tuning in, they quickly turn awry.

The fact that most of these television networks are homes to popular secular shows, it pulls in nonbelievers that want to see what goes on in Christian families and that of a Pastor, only to be shown the SAME craziness and lack of Word that goes forth in every other nonbelieving family. It’s sad seeing Christians on television claiming their faith and then cussing out friends or family members the next or engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior.

The other reason I cringed when I see those shows on is the fact that 99% of them are African American. And most of the families interact in stereotypical banter and behavior, showing baby’s mamas, dressing like thugs or wearing skin tight or revealing outfits, getting loud and going off on somebody and so forth. Just as an African American seeing those things played out on television is enough for us to feel like “really? Can’t we move on!”.

Now joining the two: Christians and African Americans looking/edited to look like every other unbeliever and having no word or faith used, for those watching to see how prayer works, how the power of our words work, and so much more.

This more than likely will increase as time goes on, but we can’t let them be the only representation of what a Christian family looks like.

Who's Counting?

Counting all the things that Pastors own has been a past time for many Christians. There has been a stigma developed by the enemy that the people of God are to live like poppers or just having enough.

This is false thinking!

Every one of God’s children are to prosper in Him and to be abundantly supplied and then some to help others and spread the Gospel. Yet too many Christians are hung up when they see their pastors or other pastors with expensive things. Instead you should be first checking their fruit as man/women of God to make sure they are godly and doing the work of the Lord then learn how they prospered!

Not every wealthy Pastor is out to get your money! The Lord NEVER has said that he’s people are live just getting by or just barely getting by or by being poor.

Judging how another Christian spends their money, unless they are not living within their means, is not your business to scrutinize. If they aren't living within their means and you can help, help them but if they are living within their means, judging them isn't going to get you the increase you want or get you out of debt.

In result of that false thinking that you can’t have any wealth is selfish! Someone in the world could be waiting on you to help them, but you are bust concerned about how much money someone has and/or how little you have financially.

You have to understand that you have what you say-so if you say “I can’t get wealth because I’m not a pastor at a mega church” you are going to have exactly that-nothing at all.

You have to declare increase and tithe and give offerings to your local church that you know are following the word of God. This is the only way to insure increase. It’s then when the Lord can trust you with more because you have been diligent over the “little” that you have given BACK to Him. Because you can’t expect someone to give you more money when you have been taking their money bit by bit-the tithe belongs to Him, it is scriptural!

So the next time you see a Pastor cruising down the street and Bentley, don’t be jealous, don’t speak ill of Him/Her, instead thank God for your Bentley, if that is your desire as a tither/giver or thank God for the increase that you want.

False Messiah

Matthew 24:22-30

New International Version (NIV)

²² “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. ²³ At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you ahead of time.

²⁶ “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸ Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹ “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’^[a]

³⁰ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth^[b] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.^[c]

As the time winds down to the return of Jesus Christ, there will be much more deceit and manipulation that will be delivered to believers by Satan in order to get them to backslide. As many of you may have noticed, former Christians have fallen prey to new age thinking. New age thinking incorporates a mixture of different types of religious practices and beliefs including a sprinkling of Christianity all thrown together. When you combine different schools of thought/beliefs it makes it easier for you to be fooled by almost anything. So when a false messiah appears, your thought WILL be “that’s Him!”.

We as believers have to be aware of the fact that there WILL be many false prophets and false christs. We can not afford to be swindled into believing them.

You will know by the Spirit when anything not of God is presented. If you have the infilling of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, it makes you so much stronger to defend yourself from the wiles of the devil.

Don’t be shocked when the day comes that someone will declare themselves to be the son of God.

The only way to not be deceived is to know God’s word and be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. 

Falling Away

2 Thessalonians 2:1-15

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Great Apostasy

2 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, ² not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ^[a] had come. ³ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin^[b] is revealed, the son of perdition, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God^[c] in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He^[d] who now restrains will do so until He^[e] is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Stand Fast

¹³ But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,¹⁴ to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.¹⁵ Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Many believers would agree that we are currently seeing a “great falling away” in the churches. People are leaving because they have fallen back in to sins, they are leaving because of they don’t like what the pastor has said, they are leaving because they were offended by something another church member has said and the list continues…

The saddest thing about the falling away is that they because easy targets for further attack by the enemy. There is no bigger door for demonic activity than of one that was open by offense and backsliding.

We all have to be prepared for offenses that may come, we can not take things personally and whenever anyone says something to you or about you realize that it’s a spirit operating in through them and it’s not the person that is to blame. However you may have to separate from that person or group of people if they continue to do you wrong or do others wrong.

It is also easy to fall into the role of the offender; it’s easy to become an offender-offenders are the ones who have been offended and allowed their flesh to act out and cause an offense to another. We have to train ourselves to be more sensitive to the spirit and push back the flesh.

Do not be discouraged when you see the people you know leave the church, do not be drawn by them. Be led of the Spirit and not of your friends and family, everyone has to work out their own soul salvation in the end, just because you followed someone who is saved means that you’ll be okay no matter where you go. The people who remain in the church may think that those who left just left to be at another church, this is not true for those who chose to leave and wasn’t led to leave, they are opening up an opportunity for them to go through a testing period.