Summary: If you need to start out with milk, do so, but study so you can handle strong meat lest you be led astray into a buffet of theological salmonella and botulism.

Having been in ministry many years and somewhat unfortunately have had many addresses due to the military, college and jobs. I have had great concern about the great amount of biblical illiteracy in a land of millions of churches and hundreds, if not thousands, of bible colleges and seminaries. I have heard many things from people that they cannot prove from Scripture, but they hold to them as if they were written by Moses or the Apostles or was in red letters in their version of the Word.

Today we have people buying into many outright lies because of Scripture twisting and ignorance of the teacher and the ones being taught. I have always been concerned about sound doctrine, but as I see some of my family stray from God and one even involved with a famous ministry that is trying to retrieve stolen truth from the New Age movement, which is really “giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” I am even more concerned. (1 Timothy 4:1) You would not seek to retrieve your favorite candy bar if you accidentally dropped it in a fresh cow pie. Neither should you seek truth in a cesspool of bad theology.

Most cults are just groups who took parts of God’s Word and drug it through a cesspool. There is no need to retrieve what the Church never lost. You cannot take the truth from the true Church because it is the pillar and ground of truth. (1 Timothy 3:15) The Church may need to be awakened or revived to practice the truth, but the truth or faith was once delivered to the saints in the infallible Word of God. (Jude 1:3)

I believe that the bulk of the issue is that Christians do not study the Word. They merely skim it looking for assurance of salvation, comfort in need, assurance of forgiveness or loop holes to justify their particular sin they call their conviction. Biblical conviction is not a preference. Indeed, I Timothy 3:15 that speaks of the church being the pillar and ground of truth starts out with saying “that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God,” There are rules in the house. Anyone grow up in a home where there were no rules? While some rules may have different applications due to age, most were in effect regardless of age or gender. Too many of us think God is double-minded. If I taught my daughter to be chaste and not drink or smoke, but on my son’s eighteenth birthday I took him to a brothel with a fifth of whiskey and a box of cigars you would think me a horrible parent and inconsistent. God is not like that. Paul even said in 1 Corinthians 11:16 that no matter what you think the churches of God only have one way to do it. A point to ponder.

For the sake of time, I want to exegete just one verse that we often quote, but may not sense the full meaning of it or the depth of its implications. Indeed, it is what so many fall to false teachings when it is usually very easy to find the error and stand against it.

2 Timothy 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

Study

From G4710; to use speed, that is, to make effort, be prompt or earnest: - do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavour, labour, study.

Show - From G3488 and G2476; to stand beside, that is, (transitively) to exhibit, proffer, (specifically) recommend, (figuratively) substantiate; or (intransitively) to be at hand (or ready), aid: - assist, bring before, command, commend, give presently, present, prove, provide, shew, stand (before, by, here, up, with), yield.

I see this like standing beside your science project in high school waiting for questions or to have your findings challenged. A PhD candidate has to stand by and defend his thesis to a panel.

Thyself - The genitive case from G4571 and G846, with the dative and accusative of the same with contractions, respectively, of (with, to) thyself: - thee, thine own self, (thou) thy (-self).

You, not your pastor or teacher. You have to show yourself approved. God will be asking you why you believed something or did something and there will be no pointing fingers at others. It is on you to to know sound doctrine and practice it.

Approved - From G1380; properly acceptable (current after assayal), that is, approved: - approved, tried.

Like an assayer proving your gold sample is legitimate or fool’s gold. Like the customer saying the cake, dress or whatever you made for them is acceptable. You may like it and other’s have expressed compliments, but unless the customer is happy it is not approved.

Unto God – In college, my tests answers were given to get the grade or approval of the professor. In life, we have bosses and spouses we have to seek their approval of our work or actions. When it comes to the Word, it is God and only God we have to stand approved before, not our family, church affiliation or the culture. There are people in wrong church affiliations holding doctrine that is not approved by the Word and ultimately not approved before God.

A workman - From G2041; a toiler; figuratively a teacher: - labourer, worker (-men).

We are called to be workers in the kingdom. Being this is directed to Timothy, his labor was to be a pastor-teacher. We are all teachers of the Word by our lives, but are we teaching the right thing?

That needeth not to be ashamed - From G1 (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of a compound of G1909 and G153; not ashamed, that is, (by implication) irreprehensible: - that neededth not to be ashamed. Reprehensible - Deserving rebuke or censure. Worthy of reprehension; culpable; censurable; blamable.

Rightly dividing - From a compound of G3717 and the base of G5114; to make a straight cut, that is, (figuratively) to dissect (expound) correctly (the divine message): - rightly divide.

The Holy Spirit is able to divide asunder or make a cut between the soul and spirit, joints and marrow, discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. That is some really fine cutting. No surgeon is as good as that. The Holy Spirit was sent to lead us into all truth so He can can rightly divide or make a straight cut in any verse or even a word as He was used to verbal-plenary inspire the Word. That means every word in the fullness of its meaning was inspired and He will show us the meaning if we do more than skim the Word.

Word of Truth – al-ay'-thi-a From G227; truth: - true, X truly, truth, verity.

All truth is God’s truth and His Word is what we need to know and follow, not false prophets.

You may say, Brother, I have not been to bible college and did not learn some of the things you did. True, but I learned more in the library in my own study than in some of my classes. We live in the Information Age so you can do the word studies like I just did. I looked and there appears to be concordances for the other versions. I only use the King James and a Strong’s concordance and I still have a Theological Word Book. If you are not Net savvy, you can still find some old school resources out there. Besides, if you are saved, we have the same Holy Spirit to teach us.

When I was with the Baptists it was found that most of the cults got converts from folks of a Baptist background. Some of the New Age and other Charismatic cults may well be getting some from the Assembly of God. Indeed, some of this may be invading both pews and pulpits in our ranks. This should not happen. We are to be people of the Word, but unless we are true Bereans the enemy can twist the Word into vain jangling and we can be deceived. We need to heed Paul’s warning.

Ephesians 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 

If you need to start out with milk, do so, but study so you can handle strong meat lest you be led astray into a buffet of theological salmonella and botulism. Maranatha!!

Greek definitions are from the Strong's Concordance that is part of e-Sword.

My Testimony

I was born in 1954 into a Christian family. We went to Sunday school and church every Sunday from birth until I rebelled in my teenage years. We also went Sunday evening and Wednesday evening to church. We often went on Thursday nights also. We went to every revival ever held at the church and to Vacation Bible School for a week or so each summer. We were regular church goers.

As I grew up I would complain about always having to go to church but it always fell on deaf ears. Now that I am grown I see these church going years as being the biggest blessing in my life. Having not read the Bible from cover to cover, I feel as if the entire Bible has been read 1 story at a time. We always had memory verses where we had to memorize verses for Sunday School. That too is a huge blessing in my life. These church going years have saved my life both figuratively and literally several times in my life.

I was saved and baptized at age 11. Being the youngest of four children, I was the last to be saved and baptized. I was saved at Vacation Bible School in the summer of 1966. My mother was overjoyed. Now all 4 of her children had accepted Christ.

In the winter of 1967, in February, my mother died. I was 12 then. My brother and 2 sisters knew that she was dying but never told me. I guess they thought that I was too young. Maybe they didn't want for my mom's last couple of months, well, they just didn't want her to see me with tears in my eyes each time that we would see each other or speak to each other. She died of leukemia.

Here is what happened that dreadful day. My best friend then lived across the street. His mother would pick us up from school each day to take us home. On this Friday she stopped at the beauty shop. My friend and I stayed in the car while she went inside. A few minutes later she returned to the car to drive us home. When we turned on our street, cars were lined up parked on both sides of the street for about a block. It was obvious that all of these cars had something to do with my house. The neighbor lady told my friend and I to go inside their house while she went to see what was going on. A few minutes later she returned and told me to go home, my father wanted to talk to me. This is when he broke the news to me. I was crushed. I snuck into a room and called the first girlfriend that I ever had and told her. We talked a couple of minutes then hung up. I went to my room and layed on my bed. Later that night my girlfriend, her friend that lived across the street from her and her father stopped by my house with a couple of 12 packs of cokes for us. They didn't stay long. When they left I went back and laid on my bed. It was Saturday afternoon, I was still laying there when an older cousin came into my room. She asked if I wanted something to eat, I told her no but she insisted. She went and got me a plate of fried chicken and with some coaxing, talked me into eating some. The next morning my father woke us up and told us to get ready for church. I begged to stay home but it fell on deaf ears. We went to church. Everyone there expressed their condolences. Other than her funeral, that's about all that I remember.

The next year, age 13 I started smoking cigarettes. The next year at age 14, I started smoking pot. The first 3 guys that i smoked pot with all wound up in prison and 1 of them hung himself in prison. The next year at age 15, I started taking pills. Here is the account of the first time I took pills.

I had gone with some friends to S. Padre Island for a few days of spring break. These friends were all about a year older than me. We left on a Wednesday afternoon and got there in the wee hours of Thursday morning. We setup our tent and got ready for camping until Sunday night. We were going home on Monday. A bunch of our friends were there. They were talking about going to Mexico the next day, Friday. Mexico was just a few miles away. In Mexico we would be able to drink legally so we were thinking about going and drinking some tequila. We did go and I remember sitting at an outdoor table with my friends. Another friend came up and told us that he had found a pharmacy that would sell us anything and asked if we wanted something from there. Of course I did but didn't have a clue what I wanted. That friend said, they have trees. I responded trees? He said yes, Christmas trees. I told him yes, I want 3 of them having no idea what they were. Christmas trees are a very strong barbiturates that are very fast acting. In a little while He returned with my trees. Not knowing any better i washed all 3 of them down with some tequila. Trees or christmas trees was the street name for Tuinol, a very strong fast acting barbituate and the strength we got was 3 grain. The strongest in which they were made. Although they take about 30 minutes to feel them, I don't remember anything beyond that point. I passed out. My friends had to carry me back across the border. They told the border guards that I had too much tequila and were taking me home to sleep it off. I am lucky that I didn't wind up in a Mexican prison. This was on Friday. I slept until Sunday afternoon in a tent back at Padre Island. I woke up in time to enjoy just a couple of hours of sunlight our last day there.

This is the first time that I remember God protecting me from myself and my own bad decisions.

A couple of years later, I had a Volkswagen. I went everywhere in that car. There was a time that I had a gallon jug of cough syrup with codeine in it. I figured that stuff would sell good on the streets. I just had to put it into smaller bottles that could be purchased from a drug store. Before pouring it up into smaller bottles, a friend of mine and I went to some apartments where we knew there would be many drug users to see if they would want it. They said yes so we went back to my house to pour it into smaller bottles. I think we probably had about 25 bottles to sell for about $20 each. My friend had to go home for dinner so we made plans to go back to those apartments after dark. Later on I went to pick up my friend. My friend's father was a policeman, a detective. When my friend came out and got in my car. He told me that he got 1 of his father's pistols just in case we need it and that he would sit on it so that it couldn't be seen but he could get to it quickly if needed.

We pulled up into those apartments and went to the corner where we were supposed to meet the guy that we spoke to earlier. There were probably 20-30 guys standing on that corner. Just as soon as we pulled up, all of these guys surrounded my car. One guy put a gun to my head and told me to give him all of those bottles. I think someone else was holding a gun to my friends head because he was handing him those bottles just as fast as he could. I was just hoping that he wouldn't pull out the gun that he was sitting on. He didn't and just as soon as they got those bottles they told us to leave. And we did, just as fast as we could. This was the second time that I remember that God saved me.

I was trouble just looking for a place to happen. When I was 18, in the summer, a car load of boys about my age pulled up in front of my house. Four of them got out and were ready to beat me. I knew they were going to. I did have it coming. I didn't even try to stop them. They were making a circle around me. About that time my father pulled up in the driveway. He was just getting home from church on a Wednesday night. He came walking out there and asked what we were doing. One of the guys said that they were going to beat me. My dad said, 4 against 1? They said yes. My dad said, let's see if we can even up the odds some and started taking off his shirt. All 4 of those guys jumped back into that car and they took off. Again, God was looking out for me.

In my 20s, I pretty much stopped taking pills. I had gotten married and had a son. Even though I was still smoking cigarettes and pot, I would go to church. I knew that it was important that my son was in church. During these days of trouble I never once doubted God, that He was real, that Jesus was real. I never doubted the Bible. I didn't act like it but I never doubted and by this time was no longer going to church with my father.

In 2005 I quit smoking cigarettes. I had been in the hospital for a week or 2 and was not able to smoke. When I got out I realized that I had been through the hardest part of quitting and decided not to start again. It was still hard. I wanted to smoke a cigarette for years after that.

In 1998 my son was in college since 1995 or 6. I don't remember. My wife and I decided to sell our house. We had about 60 thousand dollars in equity. The day that we took that check to the bank, my wife informed me that she wanted us to divide the money. I guess that was her way of telling me that she wanted a divorce. We had been married for about 20 years, over 20 years. To this very day she has never told me why she wanted a divorce. We put all of our belongings into storage and went our separate ways. She went to live with her mother and I just drove off not knowing where I was going to go. I wound up in Tupelo Mississippi about 700 miles away from Houston. I drove all night long, falling asleep at the wheel until the right tires would make noise as they left the road and would wake me up. Again, God was protecting me. I just wanted to get away from everything and everyone that I knew. The only one that I told where I wound up was my son. He wouldn't tell anyone. I could trust him. I stayed in Mississippi for about 6 months before thinking that I had better get back closer to my son before I lost him too.

So I moved back to Texas. To Galveston Texas and rented a house there. This was in the fall of the year. Just before I left and wound up in Mississippi, I had started a Christian chat room. It was going pretty good. We gave a sermon each night and would usually have 20-30 people there. Living in Galveston, every afternoon I would go and park at the beach and smoke a joint. I know this was horrible but this is where my life was at.

One Saturday in January, I got busted with marijuana in my pocket and went to jail. There were about 15 people in the cell that they placed me in. It was cold, freezing cold and I sure wasn't dressed for it. I just stayed up on my bunk covered with a blanket trying to keep warm. Late that night they brought a couple of more guys in there. Big, muscular guys. There wasn't a bunk or blanket for either of them. They went to a guy in the lower bunk next to my upper bunk, rolled him out of bed and beat him. All just to take his bunk and blanket. I rolled over with my back to them and just prayed asking God to protect me. Please Lord, protect me. About that time one of them said, what have we here and put a hand on me. I was still praying and didn't know if I should jump up and scream God protect me or if I should kick them in the head with the steel toed shoes I had on. They started to roll me off of the top bunk. I was just fixing to yell out, God protect me, when I heard a loud voice call out my name. At first I thought it might be the voice of God. It turned out to be a detective at the cell door calling my name. To this day I believe that even though it wasn't God's voice, it was a voice that was God sent. This detective took me from the cell, to his office. I asked him if he saw what was happening when he got there. He said yes and that I wouldn't have to go back in there. My bond had been paid. Once again God saved me.

In 2023 I was still smoking pot. For 55 years I had been smoking pot and thought that I would never be able to quit. I didn't want to quit. When talking to my sister about this problem of mine, I would refer to it as my old wineskin. She knew what I meant. In the Bible an old wineskin represents weakness. A new wineskin represents the Holy Spirit and His gifts. Maybe that's why I called it my old wineskin. I was starting to feel some conviction from God about this. To be honest I can't recall ever feeling any conviction about smoking pot in the past but in 2023 I did.

One day right here on reddit someone asked if anyone had heard from God and what does His voice sound like. Without thinking I told him that I had and it was a soft still voice in my head and in fact it sounded like my own voice. It wasn't but 5 or 10 minutes I heard a small voice in my head that sounded like my voice and it said, your old wineskin is OK. You don't have to get rid of it. I knew immediately that it wasn't the voice of God. It was the devil. The devil can't read your mind but he will sure listen to what you say and watch the things that you write to bring trouble to you and this is exactly what was happening. I didn't listen to him. A few days later that voice told me that he wasn't going to talk to me anymore until I got rid of that old wineskin. Again, that didn't sound like God, in fact, God had quit talking to me in that voice because now the devil knew about it. It took awhile but I finally found how God was speaking to me. I knew that God was still there because I could see Him working in my life. From that I looked at my past knowing that I didn't deserve God anymore and surely with the life I lived, I had squandered my salvation. But when I thought about the times that He saved my life, saved me from beatings, it just made sense. I still belonged to Him.

I decided to quit smoking pot. All I could do is to put it into God's hands to help me quit. I couldn't do it alone. The next morning I stopped. Every time I felt the urge to smoke I would say, God please take this desire from me. And poof, it would be gone. Maybe for just a minute but it was gone. I would then thank God for helping me and before long I would feel that urge again and again I would ask God to take this desire from me and He would. Again I would thank Him. Those desires became fewer and farther apart and each time I would thank Him again. Before I knew it those desires were a day apart then days apart but each time I asked for it to be gone, it was and each time I thanked Him. I finally got to a point of feeling that I had actually quit. Even to this day there are triggers that make me want to smoke. Not often but they are there and when it happens I ask God for help and He helps and then I thank Him. I wish I had known about this when I quit smoking cigarettes. After having smoked cigarettes for 35 years, I still had the desire to smoke for years after I quit. Now that I have quit smoking pot, there are times that I have an urge to smoke. All it takes is me asking God to remove that desire from me and then it's gone. Then it is time to thank Him again.

Back in 1998-2002 in the Christian chat room that I was involved with that gave a sermon every night, I gave many of those sermons. I know that God was helping me write them. Each one took about 30 minutes to present. After 2002 when I shut that chat room down I tried presenting those sermons anywhere that I could online, without much success but I kept writing. really felt over those 4 years in the chat room that I had been called to help spread God's Word online. In about 2012 God told me that the texts used to spread His Word had to be shorter, about 5 minutes long each. I tried and tried but just couldn't fit much of anything into 5 minutes and I wasn't feeling any help from God.

Time went on then just a few years ago I found myself here on reddit in the Christian subreddits, reading what other people were posting. So many people with so many problems. So many people asking questions about God and about the Bible. People would often have the same problem and others would often ask the same questions. I would respond to those with problems and those asking questions. I didn't and still don't feel qualified to respond to all problems or all questions but where I feel like my words might help, I respond. I sometimes even get into debates but I really try not to. I don't even go into r/Christianity anymore because of that. I realized that each response seemed to be about 5 minutes long, most of the time when I respond. Some longer, some shorter but most are about 5 minutes long.

When I realized many of the problems were the same and many of the questions were the same AND many of the responses to them from me were the same, it hit me. These are the 5 minute sermons that God was talking about.

In about 2012 when God told me that those sermons needed to be 5 minutes long, I see why, right here on reddit. I opened a subreddit of my own to use for storing these sermons or texts where I can provide a link to the sermon that is needed for the issue the person is facing or the question they are having. There are probably 30-40 texts there now and it grows by the week. I use them all the time and often I read them for myself. Just like those old sermons that I used to write, they are as much for me as they are for anyone else. I know that God has called me for something and for now He is using me here. Most of those sermons are about 5 minutes long but there are 3 or 4 that are still those full length 30 minute sermons.

Now that I have gotten rid of all of my old wineskins. I have never felt closer to God than I do now. It was just last year when I thought that I had lost my salvation but when I finally came back to Him with no old wineskins, God ran to meet me just like in the prodigal son and accepted me back with open arms. Looking back I can see that He was always there with me protecting me. It wasn't Him that left me. It was me trying to leave Him. He never left me.

Praise God!!!

Hey everyone! I’m the creator of Fasted, a spiritual fasting companion.

When you’re planning a fast, there’s a lot of attention on what you’re giving up and for how long. But what are you making room for? What are you praying about? What are you learning as you spend time with God?

That’s the focus behind Fasted. It brings together:

• Fasting plans to give your journey structure.
• Scripture readings and reflections for time in God’s Word.
• Prayer journaling to capture your prayers and what you’re learning.
• Daily check-ins to help you stay intentional.

The idea is to have a place you can return to throughout your fast: read, pray, reflect, and keep track of the journey.

Preparing for a fast or already in one? Explore Fasted here.

I’d love for you to take a look and share what would make it useful for your walk with God.

Whether you use the app or not, what helps you keep your attention on God while fasting, especially once the initial motivation wears off?

Summary: God never called the rich celebrity pastors for His true work. It is the riffraff pastors and saints that will bring the next great revival. Men like the 8th grade shoe salesman, D. L. Moody or Crazy Lorenzo Dow.

1 Cor 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

When revival comes it will most likely come during a time of great persecution. It will not be led by the PhDs and the celebrity Pastors. Indeed, many celebrity pastors may head for the hills or compromise to keep their position and wealth.

I believe that the next great revival will be led by the weak, base and foolish. It will be the unlearned who have been with Jesus. It will be the blue collar folks. It will be former addicts, pimps, felons, fornicators, liars and thieves whom God has cleansed and gifted.

Too long the Church has placed too much stock in degrees to the point of idolatry. We have looked at celebrities and made the many ones who God called to feel inadequate and useless to the Kingdom because of the few. "How can I serve as I have no college?" College is nice, but if you have the Word and the Spirit you can be as Jesus at twelve years old instructing the professors or like "ignorant" fisherman who have been with Jesus confounding the council.

We have exalted and sought the "not many" over the ones who God said were the majority of the Body. We have built mansion churches to attract the wealthy and celebrities when we could have been Minimalists using those millions to meet the needs of the poor and do what we could to lift them out of poverty. Give them skills to benefit themselves as well as the society. We needed to be leading them to find their spiritual gifts and their place in the Body rather than just a place on a pew.

Preachers want new jets instead of flying commercial finding people who need to hear about Jesus in tourist class. Remember Jesus looked not at what the rich gave, but what they kept and praised a widow who gave all she had. Two mites with a right heart is more impressive than two thousand that is possibly pocket change with a prideful heart. Indeed, if Jesus and the Apostles are truly our mentors none of them were rich or popular with the rich in power.

We look for the erudite and handsome when even Paul who might have thirty PhDs today was not much to look at and was not at all an erudite speaker, but had power as he cast all that would make him appealing in the flesh into the dung pit relying only on the Holy Spirit because he knew he was weak. Indeed, not many want a resume like Paul's though they may want his ministry's fruit. Even Jesus' appearance was not anything that would make Him stand out in a crowd.

Persecution is coming. I believe that with all I have. An election may give us a few more years to prepare for it, but I do not think it will prevent it. America has been fat and spoiled for long time. Indeed, spoiled brats whining when we have it better than most of the world's population.

We have sat, soaked and soured when we should have been empowered or made church a concert and motivational meeting promising prosperity. I believe God is more concerned about our piety than our prosperity and holiness before our health.

1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

We are not destined to suffer the wrath of God, but that does not mean we shall not suffer the wrath of man to purify us. We have brought it upon ourselves. Instead of purifying ourselves pointing out our heretics we have ranted against the unbelievers for their sins when we were called to speak the truth in love to save them. Jesus came for that, not to condemn the world.

On the other hand, we have mingled with ungodliness in the name of love leaving truth in the background or removed completely. We went into the world rather than being separate and calling them out. Both sides of the coin lack the power of God because truth, grace and love are a type of trinity. Leave out any one of them or exalt one above the other and you have corrupted them all. Both sides of that coin generate disrespect and hatred from the ones the true Gospel came to save.

We have so divided the Body that it has caused confusion rather than a strong witness. We have taken that which Jesus died to create and cut it up like a mass murderer might his victim. We have fingers, toes, arms, ears, etc. cut off and scattered around town even rejoicing in this mutilation cheering new churches and struggling to keep dying ones on life support. Is He weeping over this?

How we cannot see the great evil in this I do not know We are fighting Jesus' prayer that we would be one often for carnal and foolish reasons. When it was said that we would be known for our love it was not our love for dividing the Body.

Keep praying for revival as we desperately need it, but realize that it may not come to us like the ones this country has known before. Prep your soul and heart not your stashes of supplies. God can feed you in the wilderness and protect you in the midst of the flames. I would strongly suggest that you read Foxes' Book of Martyrs as well as the updated version. Let us repent and pray for His strength.

It is time for the weak to rise up in His strength, the base to walk in the nobility He gave us as warriors, priests and ambassadors. Let the foolish connect to the mind of Christ and serve in His wisdom. Hallelujah! Maranatha!

Hello, brethren. I just wanna ask some advice as I'm struggling right now. Yesterday, one of the workers of our church tells a story that the Pastor's wife of our church is making stories about him to her fellow Pastor's wife and missionary visitors. Then one time the Pastor's wife of our church to gain the favour of that church worker told him the backsliding side of the members and other old stories of them which is already been in the past and being faithful and into the ministry right now, then one of the highlight of the story is that my friend allegedly stole the church offering before as he is the only one inside the worship hall during the time (the basis of accusation) I don't know what to do or who to talk with. I don't wanna make it a big deal to other members but that gossip is alarming. I'm nervous and i knew some same stories about this thief issues from other churches and the members that was labeled like that move to other church as they we're labeled like that by the Spiritual Family. The said issue was never made public by the church to the members but it was spreading as a gossip to the workers and other personels without the person involved knowing. There's a lot of questions running through my head, like what if he really stole it? How to resolve it? And, what if it is not true at all? The church will be in chaos and members might lose interest to stay to the church. It breaks my heart. Please, pray for me.

Tell us your funny/crazy church stories!!

Summary: The road you are on will get you to God, but will you enjoy the meeting?

Eccl 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. KJV

Many years ago I was having a discussion with my supervisor during naval reserve training. I was still a young Christian and he wanted me to donate to a cause for children sponsored by a group that claimed to be Christian, but I did not believe that it was Christian. He got a bit upset and I tried to explain to him that while I was all for helping children I could not give in good conscience to that group. I was not as erudite as I am now and a lively discussion ensued.

At some point, he made a comment that all roads lead to God and made a reference to this verse. Again, being very young in Christ, though in bible college at the time, I had to believe that God helped me in my ignorance. I asked him to lend me a pencil. He took one out of his drawer and I wrote something down and gave it back to him. I asked him what he was going to do with it. He said put it back in the drawer. I asked him to give it back to me. I scribbled on the page, broke the point and then broke the pencil in several pieces. I gave it back and asked what he was going to do with it now and he promptly tossed the pieces in the trash. Yes, he was a bit puzzled and I was glad he did not get mad.

I told him that both times he had given me the pencil and both times it was returned. What he did with it was determined by the condition of the pencil when it returned. The first time it was still able to be used and you planned on keeping it. The second time it was no longer useful and you threw it in the trash. The spirit does indeed return to God who gave it. No matter what you believe or do you will ultimately stand before God so in that sense all roads lead to God. The issue is what will He do with the spirit when He gets it back?

If that spirit was born again by faith in Christ's death, burial and resurrection for the payment of his/her sins then even though it may return used and with teeth marks, a broken point and half an eraser God will keep it with Him eternally. He will completely remake it. If however, that spirit returns without having its sins forgiven in Christ then no matter how it may have beautified itself with a paint job, engravings, encrusted jewels, a special eraser and making sure it had a fine sharp point it will be from God's perspective the same as the pencil I returned to you in pieces. He will then take and throw it in the trash can called Hell. Well, the conversation ended after that with him disagreeing with me but the subject of the donation was also done.

The question remains for all spirits/souls. You will meet God, but what will be the outcome of that meeting? Saint, if you arrive battered and broken after a life in service to Him you will be accepted in the Beloved and changed from a mortal, corruptible pencil into a immortal, incorruptible writing utensil that God will use forever. Unbeliever, you will also be given an immortal, incorruptible frame but you will be tossed into Hell where the memories of all you wrote in your lifetime will be rewritten throughout eternity in your mind as part of the punishment of Hell. You will remember everything in detail including every opportunity Christ gave you to have your sins blotted out and your name written in His book of life. Why go there? He wants to save you from yourself and forgive you. Hell was only designed for satan and his minions, but if you reject grace there is nothing left but judgment. Why spend eternity in a place with those that always hated you when you can be with the One who has always loved you. Write a new page in your life so that when you get to the end of the road you will be treasured instead of trashed. Maranatha!!!

 Mattana Ministry Welcomes You to:

 Senior Program:  19 October 2026

 Theme: Battle At The Gates (3)

 Scripture:  Isaiah 62:6; Psalm 141:3;Isaiah 62:6 & Joel 2:28

 The Gate Of The Mind And Mouth

The battle of memories and words

 Message:

The enemy loves to attack seniors at the gate of the past — bringing guilt, regret, and loneliness. He says, "Your time is over." But God says you are a watchman on the wall (Isaiah 62:6). The mouth is also a gate. What we speak at the gate becomes law.

 Bible Verses:

Psalm 141:3

"Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."

Isaiah 62:6

"I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem,which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence."

Joel 2:28

 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”

 Warfare Prayer:

I shut the gate to regret. I open the gate of my mouth to bless, not to complain.

 Please feel free to leave a review of this message.

 https://www.soulcenters.org/directory/mattana-ministry/#listing-reviews

 MM

So I’m per trib ( tho I do think the other views are possible and we should prepare for how ever it happens) I have two questions about the mark of the beast
1 I’ve seen a couple of end times movies mentioned a counterfeit mark do you think that’s biblical and if someone found themselves in the tribulation and took this counterfeit would they be dammed ( I get the point behind it since the bible indicates that taking the mark requires worshipping the beast so if someone counterfeited it then it would get around that and thus they wouldn’t get dammed)
2 in rev 20:4 it mentioned those who have been be headed for Jesus I’ve seen people use that to say that be heading will be the only form of the death penalty during that time I actually saw a recent video saying that whole Christa pike situation might result in the reintroduction of be heading so will be heading be the only form of death penalty during that time or is it a case of John saying be heading cause that was only form that they will be using that he could easily describe to his audience

Summary: Are we sharing the Gospel or selling Jesus?

The core problem is that we live in a culture that is looking for the innovative versus the inspired. We want excitement more than exegesis. Give us 10 easy steps to holiness or the 1minute disciple program and we are into it. Gather up a bunch of ideas that have been preached for years by many men and package it as new and you have the purpose driven craze. Take a simple prayer and mold it into an evangelical rosary and you can sell millions of books to people who are looking for the thirty day silver bullet to their problems. Yet, human nature has not changed since the Fall and if I could have access to every sermon preached or book written in two thousand years I would probably find similar books as I have mentioned and similar attitudes among men.

Our problem is sin and the solution is salvation and discipleship. Salvation is instant but discipleship is until death or Rapture. When the bulk of Christians finally accept that and quit seeking quick fixes we may again see the power of the early church. Albeit since we are in an age of apostasy and quite likely in the last days before the Rapture I don't foresee another Great Awakening, but I can pray for one.

All you have to do is look around to see it. Marketing and branding churches, if the Holy Ghost does not brand you and your church all the name changing and logo design are not going to cut it. Skinny jean, tats, piercings, smoke machines, demographics studies or hiding your denominational ties with a vanilla name will not get you what you need and what you think you want. You get a crowd, but they may be shallow Christians, if Christians at all. They may just be fans and not converts.

Someone asked John Wesley why people came to hear him speak. He replied, "I set myself on fire and people come and watch me burn." We could use far more men on fire than fancy buildings and rock concert sound systems.

The Body is sick though we have numerous "doctors" in the house. We lack real prophets, but are full of false sunshine prophets. Everyone wants to be a general or have some sort of worldwide ministry. No one wants to be a private slugging it out with the devil in the battlefield of the unknown like those in the last few verses of Hebrews 11. No one wants to be just a godly mom or dad raising up godly children impacting all of their family and community. Indeed, those that would aspire to such are made, intentionally or non-intentionally, to look like second class citizens in the kingdom.

We are all to be rich and healthy when Paul said that it was given to us to not only believe, but also suffer with Him and all who will live godly shall suffer persecution. Somehow prosperity and persecution do not go hand in hand.

Indeed, it looks like the only way now for Acts 2 power and impact is for the American Church and other 1st World churches is to go through a period of harsh persecution like many of our brethren have for decades and even centuries.

Take away our glitz and glam and replace it with whips and prisons to see how many of the current leaders and members will still be singing the praises of Jesus instead of denying Him like Peter. I hate pain and have no desire for persecution, but I think it will be the purifying of the Church before the Rapture.

1 Peter 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.

16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

I believe in a Pre-Trib rapture because we are not called to suffer His wrath, but that does not preclude us from suffering the wrath of man as a means of purification. I am not a prophet nor a son of a prophet like Amos. I just see this as a real possibility and it may come sooner than we think.

If all you have left is Jesus, will it be enough? Maranatha!!

Summary: We grow soft and cold without it. Sometimes it takes the fire of persecution for us to seek the fire of God.

1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

I read of an Orthodox Rabbi who was saved and led his whole family to Christ. This will not only cost him his position, but other family and friends will shun him. His parents might even hold a funeral. One man knocked on his parents door and when his Dad opened it he just shut it. He heard his Mom ask who it was and Dad replied that it was only the wind.

Believing in Christ does not cost us much unless we had a family opposed to it. Most of our old friends may laugh or be suspicious, but they will not shun or harm us. Maybe that is why so many of us are shallow.

I have always maintained that not only should we go back to public baptisms we should also publish a list of those who were baptized last Sunday so no one can be an undercover Christians. We have too many of those on Sunday that stayed up too late on Saturday.

When I was saved I went from being number one in a co-worker's book to out of the book. Not even the last line on the back cover. Every time one lad would call in his morning report he always had a slur or mocking story to tell. I once worked at a job where I was consistently harassed and even my life threatened because of my faith. Many Christians will get offended and leave a church because someone did not shake their hand or notice their new hair style or some other silly thing.

Some are predicting a great persecution coming. If that is true, it may be the best thing for the American Church in decades. We will be turned from being ice cream saints that melt at the slightest degree change or the never get out of the freezer types into those who will endure hardness as good soldiers do receiving the fire of God on our lives. Facades will drop. Our seats will no longer be comfortable. Our worries about the church being too hot or to cold or we did not get our way in the business meeting will be over.

Instead of seeking the best band or motivational speaker, or someplace where we can get zapped we will be seeking the presence and power of God. It will become He church, not Me church. Our prayer lives will improve. We will read our hidden Bibles instead of having dusty Bibles. Our fellowship with saints will take on a new level beyond cookies and chatter and then we scatter. Our conversations will be more about Christ than sports or politics.

Among my Veteran family there is a saying, "He who sheds blood with me is my brother forever." Jesus shed His blood so we could be brothers and sisters forever, but we do not love each other as we should. We split churches over nonsense and do not handle our differences as adults, let alone as children of God. We play with the toys of fads, celebrity preachers, Madison Avenue branding and marketing rather than putting on the whole armor God whereby we can dispel darkness with His light and power.

Yes, maybe we need it to be a tad difficult to be a Christian requiring more than a country club initiation enjoying all of the benefits without any responsibility to even show up for the meetings let alone serve in some capacity.

God has often had to make where I worked uncomfortable before I would seek a new job. He had to make it uncomfortable at times before I would get out of a bad church situation or an organization. He allowed my last fulltime job to get so bad that I finally retired a few years before I wanted. Had I not I would not have had the time with my son in the last year of his life. I would have missed much.

I pray that in the midst of whatever comes God will bring a revival as He has often done in the midst of chastisement or judgment. May millions get a fresh view of His glory and His mercy. More may be saved in a year than there has been in decades. Wandering sheep will return to fold and the backsliders will repent and be filled and fruitful. Whatever happens, He is in control.

You believe the Rapture is near? Judgment starts with the house of God so if He purifies His bride before He takes her to Him that only means His coming is closer, so remember from where you have fallen, repent, rejoice and look up! Maranatha!

Summary: Madison Avenue is not what God uses to build His Church. He has branded His own. He does not need us to market Him, but we may get to bear His marks as He leads us into His image.

Are you looking to brand and market your church? If you are truly a church founded by a call of God and a move of the Holy Spirit you are already branded by the blood of Jesus Christ and if the Spirit is moving in your people you need no marketing plan as He will draw people to where He is working.

If He is not the founder or energizing your church no amount of Madison Avenue techniques or evangelism programs will be of any lasting effect. At best, you will have a roller coaster of boom and bust as people come looking for some new thing and get bored when the new is not so new and they get bored.

As Pastor Carter Conlon has said, "It is time to come out of the boardroom and go back to the prayer room."

Psalms 127:1 A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Stop trying to resuscitate what God did not create or remodel a mausoleum. You are wasting energy. Look around and ask the Lord where He is working. Then close your doors and go there to serve and be refreshed and blessed rather than being stressed and distressed over a memory.

Be part of a growing Body. That also means not trying to be a random and separated string of DNA or amputated limb. A small group or connection group as part of a Body is a good thing. It is dangerous to be a loose finger not attached to a Body. Indeed, that is how many cults start and how some develop a sense of hyper-spirituality leading them into pride. The wolves pull down the weak that are separated from the flock. If you think you are too spiritual to be in a church you are weaker than you think.

Your gifts are meant to edify the Body, not just a few people. If you were in an area where there was no church then your two or three would be the church in that area. If there are vibrant churches in your area than you are not doing well being isolated from one. The early church met daily in the temple and broke bread from house to house. (Acts 2:47) Maybe we should go back to daily as well and we might lose the many distractions and start seeing more power than we have seen in some time.

Use your gifts in the Body. I will upset some here, but use your gifts in the Body in your town. If God has placed you in your community then He intends for you to use your gifts there or else He would lead you to move to another community. He created the local church and it is technology that has developed the buffet church and the ideology of the church of your choice. The automobile may be a curse as well as a blessing since we can wander far and wide.

Paul wrote to THE Church at Corinth, Ephesus, etc. not to the churches. Jesus spoke to the seven churches as one church per town, not a multiplicity of churches. Division is not what He ordained though Paul predicted that there would be heresies and divisions for it was already happening. Division is also a heresy, along with false doctrine.

If the doctrine is the same the houses should be one. I wonder if God turned the color of the roof red on all the churches He did not plant how many would there be and would yours be one of them? What if He colored the door purple because it was started by pride? What if blue was the color of anger? We could do a rainbow of reasons for a church building started by someone or something else other than God's decree.

Decline should be a red roof issue. If it has been steady, then either something is wrong or it is just the end of a season. Few people live past 100. We average 70-80 years. Some have suggested that churches have a life cycle as well. Some people die young. So do some churches. Often it is because of a birth defect. If the church was not conceived by God then its birth would be defective and may have a short life unless placed on life support by the finances of man. The soul may be long gone, but the shell continues.

Whatever the cause, consider merging with a vibrant church of like doctrine. If no one knows you exist and you have no impact on your community that is a clear sign that the building is a fellowship hall of memory not a church as we see in the Word.

The time is coming when we will have to put away our silliness, pride and ideas. Better to seek the Spirit and start now then to be forced by the times or culture. We may get to bear the marks or brand of Jesus as Paul did. We will have much regret that we did not do the Father's business empowered by the Spirit thwarting what Jesus was leading us to do. May He come quickly, but may He find us in better shape than what we are because we repented of our will so His would be done. Maranatha!

Having a dispute with a family member that is of the baptist persuasion and can't find any references historically for this but have the baptist ever come out and said that marrying a cousin is against their beliefs(southern baptists to be exact)?

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Before you read this, understand that this is my personal testimony. I am sharing what happened to me, what the Lord taught me, and how He changed my life. I am not asking anyone to agree with me simply because I say something happened. Read the Scriptures, examine what I share, and test everything against the Word of God. Some of what I share may challenge the way you have been taught, but I ask that you approach it with an open heart and childlike faith.

This is my testimony of how the Lord pursued me, broke my pride, taught me to surrender, and began changing my life.

My life before October 15, 2023

I grew up in and out of church. I had family and friends whom I cherished, and around the age of eighteen, I felt a call to preach. But I resisted. I questioned how other people could tell me what to do when they had never walked in my shoes.

Instead of surrendering to the Lord, I ran away from Him and joined the Army.

I entered Active Duty in 2015 as an infantry recruit and graduated as an 11B infantryman that December. I served at several installations, including Fort Benning, Fort Stewart, Fort Lewis, and Fort Drum, before becoming an Army recruiter. I served as a rifleman, SAW gunner, Stryker gunner, Javelin team member, fireteam leader, squad leader, headquarters platoon sergeant, and recruiter. I traveled to thirteen countries and deployed to a combat zone from April to December 2022.

I learned discipline, responsibility, and how to lead. But underneath all of that, I carried years of pain.

I began swearing, drinking, watching pornography, fighting, and allowing pride, anger, fear, and insecurity to grow in me. I had spent years dealing with abuse and trauma, and I hid much of my shame and sin from everyone around me.

I married young, at twenty-one. That marriage became abusive and involved infidelity and deep betrayal. I stayed longer than I should have because I thought marriage meant enduring everything, no matter what happened. Eventually, the marriage ended.

Later, I met a woman who had a daughter. I fell in love with being a husband and father. I loved the laughter, the memories, the silliness, and the ordinary moments of family life. During deployment, I called home whenever I was not on patrol, even when it meant getting only about four hours of sleep.

I wanted to move mountains for them. I wanted to give them a good life.

But I had never truly dealt with the pain from my first marriage. After deployment, problems grew in my second marriage. I became consumed by hurt, doubt, anger, and confusion. I would go silent and then have outbursts of questions. I tried to keep my family together, but I did not know how to deal with what was happening inside me.

I eventually gave up drinking for a time, then started again. I tried to make things better through love notes, dates, shopping trips, and family events, but things continued to fall apart. In July 2023, while my wife was pregnant, she left.

My life came crashing down.

I was full of anger and pain. I stopped caring about right and wrong in the way I should have. I knew God existed, but I wanted to fight the world because of what I had suffered. I wanted to do what I wanted, and I thought I had earned the right to live however I pleased.

But even in that condition, the Lord had not finished pursuing me.

The Lord kept drawing me toward Him

One day, I felt an inward prompting to go to church. I visited a Catholic church, even though I felt spiritually dead and did not know what I was doing.

Later, I saw an advertisement for a Methodist church. The people there showed me genuine kindness and love. Instead of receiving that kindness peacefully, I felt deeply disturbed. I could not understand why their love affected me so strongly.

The pastor spoke about doubt from James 1:6–8. I wanted to choose myself and decide what was right for my life. I did not want anyone telling me what to do.

I later met someone who practiced witchcraft. I did not take it seriously at first, but she told me a Light was pursuing me and that I would have to make a decision. Fear came over me, and I left.

That Sunday, I went to a Baptist church. As I entered, I felt anger and resistance. The pastor spoke about James 1:6–8 and Matthew 6:24:

«“No man can serve two masters.”»

I became furious inside. I felt as though someone had struck my soul. I wanted to fight against whatever was confronting me. I was not angry at the pastor or the people. I was resisting the One whose words were reaching me through the message.

I kept returning to that church on Wednesdays and Sundays. Each time, I felt spiritually exhausted. My pride would not let me simply walk away and leave the matter alone. I kept returning to resist what I was hearing.

Then came October 15, 2023.

October 15, 2023 — “Submit to Me”

I was sitting in church when Romans 1:28–32 was read. The passage described unrighteousness, wickedness, pride, deceit, disobedience, and other sins. As I listened, I felt confronted by the condition of my own heart.

Then I heard these words inwardly:

“Submit to Me.”

The presence and conviction were so overwhelming that I fell to the ground. In my heart and mind, I cried:

“I YIELD!”

I remained there for what felt like an eternity, around ten minutes. Then I experienced what felt like chains being cut away from me. I felt free, lighter than air. Something had changed in my heart.

In that moment, I surrendered my life, my past, my future, my sin, my desires, and my control.

I did not surrender like a soldier surrendering to an enemy. I surrendered like someone who finally trusts the person who loves him. I had spent years fighting, and I finally stopped fighting the Lord.

Not even a week later, I was about to return to sin. I heard the words, “You’ll lose Tyler,” and stopped. Later that night, I cried out, “I listened to You. Show Yourself to me.”

I then experienced what felt like fire entering the room and my soul. I felt a love so pure and overwhelming that I began to cry. It began a process of confronting and removing sin from my life.

John 1:29 says:

«“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”»

That verse became deeply meaningful to me. Jesus did not come merely to tell people that they were sinners. He came to save people from their sins.

I later read Romans 10 and understood my surrender more clearly. I had stopped trying to establish my own righteousness and had placed my trust in Christ.

Deuteronomy 6:4–7 teaches us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and might, and to keep His words in our hearts and teach them diligently. Matthew 22:37–40 teaches that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves.

The Lord began teaching me that surrender was not simply an emotional moment. It meant giving Him my whole life and learning to love Him through how I lived.

What the Lord began changing in me

Since October 15, 2023, I have experienced changes that I could not produce by simply telling myself to be a better person.

The Lord began teaching me to forgive. He began healing the wounds I carried from abuse and betrayal. My relationship with my mother and father improved. I experienced healing from burdens connected to my trauma. I began learning how to love people I had previously hated or judged.

He taught me to examine myself rather than continually look for someone else to blame.

He also began teaching me through Matthew 5, 6, and 7—the Sermon on the Mount. Those chapters became a way of examining my heart, my conduct, my relationships, my prayers, and my obedience.

This is what I began learning.

1. Forgiveness: releasing the wrong without pretending it never happened

The Lord taught me that forgiveness is not pretending abuse never happened. It is not calling evil good, excusing someone’s actions, or returning to a dangerous situation.

I had been abused and betrayed in my first marriage. I carried those memories and the anger that came with them.

To begin forgiving, I had to admit what had happened. I had to stop denying the facts, name the wrongs honestly, and then release the hatred I had been carrying.

I began bringing those memories before the Lord and choosing to let go of the desire to punish the people who had hurt me.

I learned that I could acknowledge the truth and still forgive. I could maintain appropriate boundaries without feeding hatred in my heart. Reconciliation and restored trust are not always possible or safe, but forgiveness was something I needed to work through before God.

The Lord also confronted me with the command that we must forgive others if we want to receive forgiveness ourselves. Matthew 6:14–15 makes that warning clear.

I began understanding forgiveness as releasing the debt from my heart rather than carrying it around every day.

1. The wilderness: separating myself to seek the Lord

The Lord taught me about seasons of separation. In Scripture, the Hebrews, Moses, the prophets, Jesus, and His disciples all experienced times of wilderness, testing, preparation, or solitude.

In December 2023, I entered a period of separation. I stepped away from social media and television, focused on Scripture and Christian music, and spent time in prayer. I also practiced fasting and tried to remove distractions that kept pulling my attention away from God.

The lesson was not that a person can purchase God's attention through fasting or earn salvation through hardship. It was that I needed to quiet the noise around me and face what was happening in my own heart.

I learned to seek the Lord, examine my desires, and stop feeding the things that were drawing me back into sin.

If someone falls back into sin, I learned the importance of turning back to God, removing the influences that are feeding the sin, and returning to obedience rather than giving up.

A period of separation should bring a person closer to God, not become a way to boast about spiritual achievement.

1. Being born again: surrendering the person I used to be

I began to understand being born again as more than adopting a religious label.

It meant surrendering the identity I had built around pride, anger, sin, pain, status, and the need to control everything. It meant placing my relationship with God above my own desires and allowing Him to reshape how I lived.

That did not mean I stopped loving my family or neglecting my responsibilities. It meant those things could no longer take God's place in my heart.

I had to learn to let go of the person I had been and follow Christ as He changed me.

I also learned that this requires continuing to walk with Him. I cannot point to one experience and use it as an excuse to stop examining myself.

1. “Call Him Father”

In December 2023, I was praying in my bedroom with the lights mostly off. I was fasting and opening my heart to the Lord.

I heard the words inwardly:

“Be still, know I am God.”

As I prayed, I experienced what felt like a presence in the room. I could not see a person with my physical eyes, but I sensed movement and a presence near the foot of my bed.

Then I heard:

“Call Him Father.”

I quietly said, “Father?”

I was twenty-six years old, but in that moment I felt like a little child speaking to his father. I felt an overwhelming calmness, love, and compassion. I experienced it as the love of a father who had stopped what he was doing to look at his young son.

All I could say was:

“Thank You for loving me in all that You have done for me.”

I cried with joy. I felt loved and cared for in a way that was difficult to put into words.

That experience taught me to approach God with humility and trust rather than only fear, anger, or the desire to control everything. I began learning what it meant to come to Him as a child comes to a loving father.

1. Why did the Lord pursue me?

Months after my conversion, I asked the Lord why He had pursued me when I was fighting Him.

I remembered the person I had been. I had argued with people, enjoyed conflict, judged others, and sometimes wanted to cause trouble simply because I wanted to fight. I could be harsh toward people beneath me and full of resentment toward those around me.

But I also remembered coming home to an empty house after my family was gone.

I had a photograph of my former wife and me on our wedding day by a lake in Washington. I would turn a rocking chair toward the photograph and talk as though she were there. I would tell her about my day, share jokes, and tell her how beautiful she was and how much I missed her.

I would watch videos of my stepdaughter, who was four years old the last time I saw her. I remembered the way she would run down the hallway calling, “Daddy, daddy, daddy,” often carrying a tablet to show me something.

I missed those ordinary moments more than I can describe.

I prayed for my former wife even while I was hurting. I asked God to protect her, to let her feel loved and cherished, and to keep her from harm. I prayed that my stepdaughter would know love, joy, and happiness, even if I could not be there to raise her.

I prayed for them even during a time when I was struggling with anger toward the world.

When I later reflected on these memories, I experienced what felt like the Lord showing me that He had seen those moments. The words that came to me were about loving someone who had hurt me deeply, continuing to wish them well, and showing love even when that love was not returned.

The message I took from that experience was that the Lord had seen the love I still carried, even when so much of my life had become angry and broken.

It reminded me of the love Christ shows people. He did not wait for me to become perfect before calling me to Him. He confronted my sin, called me to surrender, and began changing me.

1. Faith is trust that produces action

I learned to think of faith as trust.

A child who trusts a loving parent acts on that trust. My stepdaughter believed I could help her, and she would respond with joy when I asked her to do something.

I began asking myself whether I trusted God with that same childlike confidence.

If I say I love Christ but refuse to follow what He teaches, what does my love look like in practice?

Faith should produce action. If I trust Him, I should want to obey Him, show love to others, forgive, tell the truth, and turn away from sin.

This does not mean I earn God's love by doing good works. It means that genuine trust changes how I live.

When Christ teaches me to love someone, I want to do it because I love Him.

1. Sin is an infection, and Christ is the One who takes it away

The Lord taught me to stop treating sin as something I had to accept as a permanent part of myself.

I began thinking of sin like an infection or cancer that spreads if it is continually fed. It damages the heart, the mind, relationships, and our ability to live in truth.

Christ is the One I turned to for cleansing and freedom.

I had been a slave to habits and desires, including nicotine, drinking, lust, pride, anger, and other things I had allowed to control me. I had spent years believing that I would simply have to live with the person I had become.

But the Lord confronted that way of thinking.

John 1:29 says Christ takes away the sin of the world. The lesson I took from this was to bring my sin into the light, confess it, turn away from it, and trust Christ to deliver me rather than make peace with it.

When temptation comes, I must choose whether to entertain it or turn away. I cannot use my past, my trauma, my desires, or other people’s behavior as an excuse to keep doing wrong.

I also learned that I must be patient with people who are struggling. I can testify about the freedom I have experienced without pretending that I am better than everyone else.

1. Examine yourself before correcting someone else

Jesus warned against hypocrisy and taught us to examine the beam in our own eye before trying to remove the speck from someone else's eye (Matthew 7:1–5).

The Lord taught me that if I am knowingly holding on to a sin, I should not stand over another person in pride and act as though I am righteous.

For example, someone who is feeding lust through pornography or sexual sin should first confront that sin in their own life rather than condemning another person for the same behavior.

This applies to every sin, not only sexual sin.

The point is not that we should never warn anyone about wrongdoing. It is that correction must begin with humility, honesty, repentance, and a willingness to live by the same truth we are speaking.

I learned that I must not use Scripture as a weapon against others while refusing to let it correct me.

Jesus opposed hypocrisy, arrogance, pride, and traditions that replaced God's truth. I want to be corrected by His words before I try to correct someone else.

1. Understanding temptation

I began learning to recognize temptation in different ways.

Temptation through outside pressure: Sometimes temptation seems to come from outside us, through people, situations, or things such as social media. I learned to recognize when an influence is pushing me toward something I know is wrong and to remove myself from it.

Temptation through the mind and eyes: A thought may enter the mind, but I do not have to keep entertaining it. If I see something I desire and continue dwelling on it, that thought can begin to occupy my heart and influence my actions. I learned to turn my attention away rather than deliberately feed the thought.

Temptation arising from the heart: Sometimes a desire feels powerful and overwhelming. Simply trying to bury it or pretend it is not there does not necessarily resolve it. I learned to open my heart to the Lord, tell Him honestly what I was experiencing, surrender the desire, and ask for help.

James 4:6–7 teaches:

«“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”»

The order matters: submit to God, humble yourself, and resist evil.

I learned that I do not have to rely on my own strength alone.

“Your weakness is My greatest strength”

In December 2023, I was tempted to sleep with someone. I had already removed many temptations from my life, but this experience felt like an outside pressure pushing against me.

I imagined myself holding up a shield and resisting. I was becoming tired from trying to defend myself through sheer determination.

Then words appeared in my mind:

“Your weakness is My greatest strength.”

I stopped relying on my own pride. In my heart, I said that I did not have the strength to overcome this by myself and that I trusted the Lord to do what He wanted with me.

I experienced it as if I had lowered my own shield and someone stronger had stepped in front of me to defend me.

The lesson was not to give up resisting sin. It was to stop trusting in my pride and self-sufficiency. I needed to submit to God and rely on His strength rather than believing that everything depended on my own willpower.

I learned to pray honestly, “Lord, I need Your help. I surrender this desire to You.”

1. What repentance means to me

Repentance is not merely feeling bad after doing something wrong.

When I hurt someone I love, the truth of what I have done should matter to me. I must admit the wrong, understand why it was wrong, feel sorrow for it, and turn away from repeating it.

I began applying that to my relationship with God.

I must admit my sin honestly before Him. I must stop making excuses. I must ask Him to forgive me and choose to forsake what I did.

Repentance is a change of heart that leads to a change in direction.

Christ died so that our sins could be forgiven and cleansed, and so that we could know the Father. I do not want to treat His mercy as permission to continue doing what I know is wrong.

If I truly love Him, I should want to stop hurting Him through my choices.

1. How I understand salvation by grace

I use this picture to explain what I learned.

Imagine having a knife stuck in your side, and the knife is labeled with the sin that has been controlling you. You cannot simply pretend it is not there. You need someone who can remove it.

I learned to come to Christ believing that He can save me from my sins, not merely forgive me while leaving me content to remain enslaved to them.

I had to trust Him enough to surrender the thing I was holding on to.

I did not deserve His love. Yet I experienced His mercy as something that called me to leave my old life behind.

Grace is not a reason to keep returning to the same sin. It is a reason to come to Him, receive mercy, and follow Him.

I often think of someone who loves you deeply and says, in effect, “I know your past, but do not keep living the way you lived before.”

That is how I came to understand the mercy I received. The Lord did not tell me that my past was good. He called me out of it.

1. The Holy Spirit and the fruit of a changed life

I began understanding the Holy Spirit through the words of Christ in John 14:15–17, 21, and 23.

Jesus connects love for Him with keeping His commandments and speaks of the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, whom the Father sends.

The lessons I took from these passages were:

- Love for Christ should lead to obedience.

- The Holy Spirit helps us walk in obedience.

- Christ reveals Himself to those who love Him and keep His words.

- We should ask the Father for His Spirit and remain attentive to His teaching.

I came to understand the Holy Spirit as God's presence working in a person, teaching, correcting, transforming, and empowering them to walk in His light.

As I read the Bible, passages that I had previously overlooked began to challenge me in a new way. I began to see how the Old and New Testaments connected and how the Lord's words called me to change.

Galatians 5:22–23 describes the fruit of the Spirit:

- Love

- Joy

- Peace

- Patience

- Kindness

- Goodness

- Faithfulness

- Gentleness

- Self-control

These are not just words to memorize. They are qualities I must allow the Lord to develop in my life.

A powerful experience alone is not the whole measure of a person's walk with God. I must also examine the fruit being produced in my conduct, my relationships, and my choices.

1. Believing and becoming a disciple

The Lord challenged me to think seriously about what it means to follow Christ.

A disciple counts the cost. A disciple loves Christ above all, carries the cross, and follows Him wholeheartedly.

For me, that meant surrendering the things I had placed above God: my pride, my need for control, my sinful habits, my identity as a man who always had to fight, and my desire to decide for myself what was right.

I learned that following Christ means taking His commandments and the Sermon on the Mount seriously.

It also means loving people, helping those in need, and using whatever gifts God gives for good rather than for personal pride.

Jesus told His disciples to preach the kingdom, heal the sick, cleanse lepers, and freely give what they had freely received (Matthew 10:7–8). I take that as a reminder that what God gives should not be used to glorify ourselves or exploit other people.

I learned to ask not only, “Do I call myself a Christian?” but also, “Am I actually following what Jesus taught?”

1. The Father and the Son

One of the central lessons in my testimony is that the God revealed in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ cannot be treated as though they are opposed to one another.

I came to see the Son as revealing the Father's character and living out His will.

The Son honored the Father, and I am called to honor the Son by following His example.

Jesus taught the commandments of God, demonstrated love, confronted hypocrisy, showed mercy, and called people to repentance. His life showed me what obedience and love look like in practice.

I also began studying the names used in Scripture. The Hebrew name commonly rendered Yeshua is associated with the meaning “Yahweh saves.” The name Jesus came through the Greek and Latin forms before reaching English.

For me, the important lesson was not merely learning names. It was learning to know the One to whom Scripture points and to follow His teachings.

I began asking how the Son's words connected with what the Father had already spoken, rather than treating the Scriptures as disconnected pieces.

1. The feasts and their meaning in my walk with Christ

I began studying the appointed feasts in Leviticus 23 and how they relate to the story of Scripture and the work of Christ.

Passover: In the story of Moses, the Hebrews were delivered from bondage. I connected this with Christ as the Lamb of God, who delivers people from sin and death (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7). The lesson I took from Passover was deliverance: God calls people out of bondage.

Pentecost: I studied the giving of the Law and the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. I connected these passages with the promise that God's law would be written on the hearts of His people (Hebrews 10:16). The lesson was that obedience is not supposed to be merely outward; God's teaching must reach the heart.

Tabernacles: I reflected on how God dwelt among the Hebrews during their wilderness journey, guiding, teaching, correcting, and remaining with them. I connected that with John 1:14, which says the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. I also studied the possibility of a connection between the feast and Christ's birth.

What moved me was the theme of God dwelling with His people. He did not simply give instructions from a distance. He led, taught, corrected, and showed them His ways.

I wanted to learn to walk with Him in that same closeness.

1. Pride, stubbornness, and hypocrisy

Jesus repeatedly confronted pride and hypocrisy. Matthew 23 and John 8:43–47 challenged me to examine whether I was hearing God's words or resisting them because they contradicted what I wanted.

Matthew 15:6–9 warns about traditions that make the commandment of God ineffective.

I learned that religious appearance does not automatically mean a person is walking in truth. A person can know religious language, attend church, and still refuse correction.

I began asking the Lord to expose pride in me: arrogance, stubbornness, dishonesty, and the desire to win arguments instead of doing what is right.

Proverbs 6:16–19 describes things the Lord hates, including:

- Haughty eyes and pride

- A lying tongue

- Hands that shed innocent blood

- A heart that devises wicked plans

- Feet that hurry toward evil

- A false witness who speaks lies

- A person who sows discord among others

These verses taught me that God cares about the condition of the heart and the actions that come from it.

I did not want to be someone who speaks about righteousness while practicing dishonesty, hatred, or pride.

1. Reading Scripture with childlike faith

My daughter believed I could fix almost anything. When she asked me for help, she came with a kind of trust that I wanted to understand better.

I began thinking about approaching God and His Word with that kind of humility and willingness to learn.

Childlike faith does not mean refusing to think or asking no questions. It means coming without the pride that assumes we already know everything.

I learned to read Scripture carefully, ask questions, and let the Word correct my assumptions rather than forcing every passage to agree with what I already wanted.

I want to keep learning instead of assuming that I have everything figured out.

1. Churches, denominations, and money

I have visited different churches, and I have seen people express their faith in different ways. Some emphasize love and service, some emphasize spiritual gifts, some are eager to reach others, and some are strong in standing against evil.

I began questioning why people so often define themselves first by denominational labels rather than by their devotion to Christ.

I do not want a label to prevent me from asking whether a teaching agrees with Scripture. I encourage people to examine what they are taught rather than accepting something only because a pastor, priest, or religious organization says it.

I also learned to be cautious when spiritual leaders use religion to pressure people for money or claim that people cannot be free from sin. Jesus taught His disciples, “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

I studied the biblical context of tithing and the support provided to those who served in the temple. I came to emphasize giving to people in need and giving when the Lord places someone on my heart, rather than using money to manipulate people spiritually.

The church is not merely a building. Christ's people are called to live as His body, showing His love and serving one another.

My concern is that divisions over labels and traditions can distract us from the work of becoming more like Christ. I want to seek unity in Him while still testing every teaching against Scripture.

1. Prayer: speaking honestly with the Father

The Lord taught me to pray with humility and honesty.

The pattern Jesus gave in Matthew 6:9–13 became a guide for me:

Our Father in heaven: Come to God as Father, with trust and reverence.

Hallowed be Thy name: Honor Him rather than treating His name casually.

Thy kingdom come: Seek His kingdom and His purposes.

Thy will be done: Surrender your own will rather than insisting that God follow your plans.

Give us this day our daily bread: Ask for what you need, both physical provision and the nourishment of God's Word.

Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors: Confess your sins and release the wrongs others have done to you.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: Ask for protection and help to resist sin and evil.

Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory: Remember that the glory belongs to God, not to us.

I also learned that prayer is not limited to repeating words. The Lord taught me to speak honestly about my fears, grief, anger, worries, and desires.

I no longer want to bury every emotion and pretend that I am fine. I can tell the Father what I am feeling, open my heart before Him, and ask Him to guide me.

I learned to trust Him with my needs instead of allowing anxiety about food, clothing, money, or the future to control me. That does not mean ignoring responsibilities; it means bringing those responsibilities before God and taking the next faithful step.

1. The commandments as promises of love

I began viewing the Ten Commandments as more than a list of restrictions. I came to see them as describing what love for God and neighbor looks like in practice.

If I love God:

- I will not put another god before Him.

- I will not worship idols or give my devotion to objects made by human hands.

- I will not take His name in vain.

- I will honor His Sabbath.

If I love my neighbor:

- I will honor my parents.

- I will not murder.

- I will not commit adultery or nurture lust.

- I will not steal.

- I will not bear false witness or lie.

- I will not covet what belongs to someone else.

I also became concerned about the ways people can attach spiritual meaning to objects, images, statues, charms, or other things and place their trust in them instead of God.

I began examining my own habits and attachments. I did not want to be controlled by addiction, possessions, pride, or desires that had taken the place of love for God.

Jesus summarized the commandments through love for God and love for neighbor (Matthew 22:37–40). I came to understand that love is not an excuse to disregard God's instructions. Love should lead me to take them seriously.

I also studied the relationship between the Law of Moses, the commandments, and the teachings of Christ. I understand Christ's commandments as upholding the Father's will, with obedience flowing from the heart rather than being merely an outward performance. I continue to examine how the Scriptures fit together.

1. The Sabbath and the Lord's Day

I began observing Saturday as the Sabbath, setting aside the day for rest rather than work or business. I want the day to be restful, joyful, and centered on God, not a legalistic burden.

I also see value in gathering with other believers on Sunday for teaching, fellowship, and worship.

My emphasis is that the day should not become an excuse for pride or condemnation. I want to honor God with the time He has given me, rest from ordinary work, and make room for fellowship and His Word.

1. The things I learned to reject

As the Lord began changing me, I had to examine the sins I had previously excused or hidden.

I had to confront lust, pride, arrogance, lying, anger, addiction, greed, and the desire to control everything. I learned that I could not keep feeding these things and expect to walk freely.

The Lord taught me to be especially wary of pride because it can disguise itself as strength, knowledge, religious zeal, or the need to be right.

I learned that I must not confuse stubbornness with conviction. Conviction means standing for what is true while remaining willing to be corrected. Stubbornness means refusing correction simply because I do not want to surrender.

1. Learning to trust the Father

Through these experiences, I began to understand God's character differently.

I learned to approach Him as a Father who teaches, corrects, comforts, encourages, and calls His children away from what destroys them. I experienced His love as gentle but firm, patient but unwilling to call sin good.

I began learning that He wants people to experience love, joy, family, meaningful relationships, and the goodness of life without surrendering themselves to sin.

I also learned to bring my deepest burdens to Him instead of pretending they do not exist. I can be honest about grief, fear, loneliness, anger, and uncertainty.

When I cannot see the next step, I can still seek Him, read His Word, pray, and do what I know is right.

What I want others to understand

I am not sharing this because I think I am better than anyone else. I am sharing it because I know what it is like to be broken, angry, ashamed, stubborn, and convinced that I would always be the same person.

I know what it is like to hide sin. I know what it is like to carry trauma and believe that the pain will define the rest of your life.

I also know what it was like to reach the point where I stopped fighting God and surrendered.

The Lord began teaching me to forgive, to repent, to trust, to obey, and to love. He taught me to examine myself, to bring my burdens to Him, to seek His Spirit, and to take the words of Christ seriously.

I still need to walk with Him. I must keep learning, keep examining my heart, and keep returning to His Word.

If you are struggling with sin, do not simply accept it as your permanent identity. Bring it into the light. Tell God the truth. Confess what you have done, ask for His help, and turn away from what is destroying you.

If you have been hurt by others, you do not have to pretend it never happened. Seek safety, tell the truth, and bring the pain before God. Forgiveness does not require you to return to abuse or allow someone to harm you again.

If you are full of pride, ask the Lord to show you where you are resisting Him.

If you feel abandoned, speak honestly to the Father.

If you have fallen back into sin, do not use that fall as a reason to surrender to it. Turn back to Christ and seek His help.

And if you have questions about what I have written, read the Scriptures for yourself. Do not accept my words just because they are part of my testimony. Examine them carefully.

The most important lesson I learned is this:

Jesus came to save His people from their sins.

He did not call me so I could remain the person I was when He found me. He called me to surrender, to learn His ways, and to walk in the light He gives.

I spent years trying to control my own life. On October 15, 2023, I finally yielded.

I am sharing this testimony in the hope that someone else will seek the Lord, open their heart to Him, and discover that they do not have to remain bound by their past.

May the Father teach you His ways, may you follow the Son, and may your life become a testimony of the love, truth, mercy, and freedom that He brings.

Are you ready to surrender? Are you ready to let go of what is keeping you bound? Are you ready to follow Christ with your whole heart?

“It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.” Lamentations 3:22

Sometimes we forget how much we’ve been carried by God’s mercy. We make mistakes, fall short, and have days when we don’t get everything right. Yet God continues to show compassion.

I’m thankful that my hope doesn’t depend on being perfect, but on the faithfulness of God. ❤️

What does this verse mean to you personally?

John 1.2-3 (Genesis 2.7), (Colossians 1.15-17), (Hebrews 1.2,10), (Ephesians 3.9). Jesus literally built everything.

I think the coolest thing about Jesus is that He built everything. It says in John 1:2-3: “The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

That idea is expanded in Colossians 1:15-17 “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

And in Ephesians 3.9 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:”

And in Hebrews 1:2,10 “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”... “And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:”

It’s really cool because then when you think of the creation story. Specifically parts like Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

You can see that those were Jesus’ hands picking up the dirt and molding the man Adam. Jesus breathing life into Adam.

Phrases like “...heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” from Genesis 3:8 start to make more sense.

These aren’t abstract things that just happen. God doesn’t just make coats of skins appear out of nowhere. Jesus literally sacrifices an animal to clothe Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21).

I just think that’s a pretty mindblowing thing to think about when you’re thinking about the Lord.

Anyways if anyone else have any mindblowing facts about Jesus let me know.

Summary: Beware of those who prophesy a rosy destiny as God called very few, if any, to that kind of destiny. Roses have thorns so buckle up.

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Looking for your destiny? Seek what is in these verses and do them rather than prosperity and power.

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.

No prosperity destiny in these verses. Indeed, there is great danger in seeking riches.

2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Philippians 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

It would seem that our destiny is is tied to persecution and suffering in this life if we are living a godly life. Not that all poor people are righteous, but there is no promise of some super ministry or wealth to finance the Kingdom or whatever many preachers and prophets are teaching. Indeed, it is a dangerous position to be among the rich and famous as it tends to draw you away from Christ.

At times, a promotion being offered in not the best for you, your family or ministry. Real promotion comes from God and at times when no promotion is sought. Enos did not plan on just walking into glory. Noah did not seek a shipbuilding job. Moses did not seek to lead the people out of Egypt. Jeremiah told God that He had picked the wrong man. Amos did not seek to be a prophet. Samuel was in the temple, but had no clue he would be a prophet or judge. The disciples were not looking to be Apostles. Jesus called them out of their every day life and they would have died in those lives if Jesus did not call them. Paul definitely did not plan on being an Apostle as he was zealously persecuting Christians.

Sometimes, like Joseph, what you think your dream is turns into a hundred miles of hard road. Yet, it was a higher goal. Joseph just thought he would be the leader of his family. He had no ambition to be second to the throne of Egypt.

Do what is in Micah and James and maybe you will be promoted to an influential position, but then again you many be among the persecuted and unnamed in Hebrews 11:35b to 40. We all love reading about the folks on the glory and famous side of the hall of faith. We do not want to hear about the rest of the folks who were persecuted wanderers in clothing of poverty dying by saw or sword.

We need to fix that. They are also a part of the cloud of witnesses in Hebrew 12;1, not our loved ones who are not looking down on our struggles, to protect us or whatever sentimental application of that verse you use to make yourself feel better. You are believing a lie that came about by a chapter break. Had it been Hebrews 11:41 this issue would not have been created.

A person who lives the Spirit filled life among the mundane of life with many sorrows is actually more influential than our TV Celebrities or "Super stars." Seeing Jesus in our tough times is really what the unbeliever needs to see. Coveting fame and fortune is no different than what they look for. Indeed, the American "gospel" is not in alignment with the Word.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

He did not say that you would have great prosperity and a powerful ministry.

Matthew 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

We see what happened to John the Baptist, Jesus, the Apostles and many other over the millennia. Indeed, if we are not persecuted, are we truly living godly? Menno Simons said that the true church will always be persecuted.

Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

This church was way off course and yet, this is where many wish to be without realizing it, I have seen a dying church thrilled that they had the $50K to fix the roof when the pews were nearly empty and they had a 80+ interim pastor that they had for four years. As long as churches have sufficient nickles and noses they think they are OK and if they are in multi-million dollar facilities they think God's blessing is on them. Jesus busted that myth talking about the camel and the needle's eye.

This false theology will cause many to deconstruct when all of their dreams, declarations and prophets fail. Do not be one of them. Maranatha!!