Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The Blessed Manifest

What is the manifestation that the blessing of God is upon our lives? What is the blessing of God? Many people believe they are blessed by the outward circumstances being favorable or the the things and money they posses. Is the blessings of God based on material things or something greater? Let's take a look at what Jesus taught about being blessed.


Friday, April 20, 2012

There

Yes, you are on your way there. Where is there? There is your destiny, there is the fulfillment of every dream in your heart and every promise from the father. There is the place that God is calling you; It's not your past, its not your present, it's your destiny. So keep moving forward in spite of obstacles and the winds of life. Keep your focus and don't look back. Keep moving forward until you get there! I believe in you & I believe I will see you there!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Away With This Man - Give Us Barabbas



And they cried out all at once, saying,
Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
                                                               Luke 23:18


Who was Barabbas and why did the people to choose to have this man released and have Jesus crucified? Let’s take a look at an event that has changed the course of history forever. Not only did this event change the course of history, but a man named Jesus was the primary leader who sparked this chain of events. From his birth all the way to his death he was controversial and he was on the hit list of the religious mafia of Israel.

First we look at the scene from the time of Jesus being brought before the Roman authorities. Who were the Roman authorities at that time? The authorities of Rome were: The Chief Priest, the elders of the people, the scribes, the governor (Pontius Pilate), The King of Judea (Herod the great), The King of Rome (Caesar). It took six branches of Roman government to make a decision to arrest & crucify Jesus Christ. If Jesus was an average normal citizen who committed a serious crime I don’t think it would have taken so many government officials to kill one man. But this man Jesus was not like an average man.

And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.                           
                                                                                                             Mt 27:11-12

I want you to notice also that of the six branches of government, two groups were the religious leaders; the chief priest & the scribes. These two religious groups made up one third of the roman Government. Before Jesus was handed over to the non-religious segment of the government, he was arrested and turned over to the chief priest, elders and scribes. It was these religious leaders who set the whole scene up in the first place.

Who killed Jesus? Was it the people who shouted and made a decision to have Barabbas over Jesus/ or was it the religious community who followed him, tried to trap him and eventually reported and had him arrested? Who was responsible for the death of Jesus Christ at the cross?

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, what shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, let him be crucified. And the governor said, why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.                                                         
                                                                                                    Mt 27:20-24

First let’s understand that Jesus going to the cross was an event that was supposed to happen according to prophecy and for the purpose of eternal redemption of all humanity. I believe there was also a second reason why God allowed Jesus to be crucified. I believe it was to expose the devils kingdom and that all can see present and future the schemes and deceptions of the devil.  

The world is the devils kingdom and all those in the world are his servants if they are not servants of God. There is only two kingdoms in this world. When we look at the involved parties we must understand that everyone involved in the life and death of Jesus was either serving the kingdom of Satan or they were serving the kingdom of God. There is no doubt about it that these two kingdoms were at war and these two kingdoms were in the world then and are now.

The government of the Roman Empire was not of the Kingdom of God, it was clearly the kingdom of Satan. As I have listed the six branches, two of them were a religious branch and the elders and the people were very religious as well. Yes the religious community was part of the government of Rome; they were part of a worldly Satanic Kingdom whose purpose was to remove Jesus from the face of the earth.

No doubt it was Satan’s goal from the beginning of time to stop the will and plan of God in the earth. But ultimately there was no greater threat to his kingdom than the Messiah being born according to prophecy. He heard the prophets and knew of the prophecies and was determined to try to kill Jesus before he was able to walk. It was the same government that crucified Jesus that also tried to kill him at his birth.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.                                          
                                                                                            Mt 2:16

 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.                                                                                    Mt 2:19-20  

After the attempt to kill Jesus from an infant failed, Satan devised a plan to kill Jesus and even try to remove his influence, name and even his disciples from the face of the earth. At his trial, he was mocked as king of the Jews and he was whipped and beaten. He was humiliated before the people to be worse than a murderer and thief. They judged him to be killed at the expense of setting a criminal free.

The governor of Palestine gave the people a choice; do you want Jesus or do you want Barabbas? The people became as what we know today as Jurors. They were not ignorant of their decision of who Jesus was and who Barabbas was. They lived among the two. They made a conscious decision to choose to have Jesus crucified and a criminal instead of him.

What kind of hate that makes people reject someone who has only done good? What did Jesus do that made him an enemy of the people and made them hate him so much? He healed the sick, was that his crime? He raised a dead man and put a smile on the face of a blind man and made the lame walk. Was his miracles his crime or was his teachings his crime? What was it that made Jesus the most hated man of his time?


Who was Barabbas

“And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.” (Mt 27:16) there are four things we know about Barabbas in scripture. 1.) He was a robber 2.) He caused an insurrection (A rebellion against the government) 3.) He was in prison with Jesus 4.) His name means “son of Abba” and his name is of Chaldean origin. I want to first pay attention to the above mentioned scripture where it used the word “notable”.

Barabbas was a “notable prisoner”. The Greek word for notable means he was “remarkable”. The English define the word notable as remarkable, distinguished & prominent. This tells us that Barabbas was not an ordinary criminal. He was a man of power, and he was very well known for what he did. A modern word to describe Barabbas would be “notorious”. Notorious signifies a person who is famous for doing something criminal or evil.  

This man was not just an ordinary criminal in the smallest sense. Not at all, he was a big time robber and a leader of an insurrection. He had followers and he was well known for what he did. He can be compared to modern day infamous criminals like: Al Capone, the leader of a drug & mafia empire; Charles Manson, leader of three teens who killed on his behalf; or David Koresh, a cult leader who said he was Jesus Christ and went to war against the government (By whom Timothy McVeigh, The Oklahoma City Bomber was inspired by). Although these men were criminals of different crimes, they all had two things in common with Barabbas; they all did their crimes on a large scale and became infamous for what they did.  

The reason I’m taking my time to paint this picture and write this drama with detail is so you can get an image of the hate they had for Jesus. I want you to see that this hate and disgust was so strong that it was no way possible for it to be conceived in the hearts of mankind alone. This hate had to have come from a source that was beyond man himself, a deep dark spiritual and wicked source. For who or what would substitute a righteous man to let a notoriously wicked man free?

As we progress in this book I want you to see how the devil has never stopped trying to destroy Jesus Christ from the time he came into the world and even unto now. The devil has no new tricks, but one thing for sure he is consistent and predictable. And we can see his schemes and tricks in the scriptures, in history and in today’s world.

Monday, January 30, 2012

My Education: How God brought me up and sent me out

          It is quite obvious that I was led "OUT" of a cult by the holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit lead me when I was in the cult itself. Yes, God had Moses  in Egypt for an appointed time to bring him out just to send him back in. As I stated above, God has healed me and I do not have any bitterness or anger in my heart at all. To assume that someone is bitter because of his past bondage is to assume that Jesus was bitter because he was born under the oppression of the Roman Empire or that Jeremiah, Ezekiel and all the post and pr-exilic prophets were bitter because of there bondage and oppression in Babylon, and therefore the books they wrote were written out of such bitterness. It would not be wise to judge such men accordingly.  

          My Education goes far deeper than knowing the name of Jesus in Greek, Hebrew and English. My education is much deeper than knowing the etymology of words and the tetragrammaton. Education is not a biblical word nor is uneducated. but words like "wisdom", knowledge & understanding are. The word comes from Latin and it means: A breeding, a bringing up, a rearing it is also from a root word that means "to train". So education is God bringing us up out of something and training us for something greater. So according to the etymology of Education, I am very well educated. 

          But this I boast not. Neither do I boast in knowledge of how much I know but I thank God for his wisdom which is superior to just knowledge. Proverbs 8:12 says . I wisdom dwell with prudence... Prudence is "discretion" it is the ability to make proper discernment, judgements and decisions. It was wisdom through prudence that the holy Spirit led me. There are so many who Have head knowledge yet Lack wisdom & discernment. 

          It is not a matter of whether we have been deceived, but a question of where has our deception brought us to now. If we are full of the unrighteous fruit of anger and we lead by domination and control using manipulation, it is then our leadership and life is corrupted by our abusive past and we then become like the abuser that abused us. We are told not to seek gifts In 1 Cor, 14:12 but to seek the edifying of the church. We are also told 1 Corinthians 8:1 that knowledge puffs up but love edifies. God is not concerned with how much we know! He is concerned with how much we love and edify others. 

          If our knowledge is a worldly, prideful knowledge that we boast in, then we are no different from the highly educated atheist (and most of them are very educated) who deny there is a God, yet to them the scriptures says they are fools because they say there is no God (Psalm 53:1) So Education without the Holy spirit is basically useless and only leads to pride and foolishness. I count it all joy for the mess God brought me out of and most of all I'm thankful that he kept my heart and mind. Now I know a cult when i see one and i know a deceiver who handles the word of God deceitfully.

Spiritual Manipulation- My Story & The lessons I learned

 
          Signs of a demon "familiar spirit" that false prophets and messengers are used by (seers, clairvoyants, palm readers, witches, warlocks). They are called "FAMILIAR SPIRITS" because they watch you and know you, so they report information about you to false prophets. This is one of the ways you can tell when someone is operating by a familiar spirit. 
 
          Other signs include (but not limited to)  a.) when they point out past sins that you were forgiven repented & and healed of. B.) They say things about you that is irrelevant but just to prove they are a prophet (you have a cousin who lives in Florida, there is a cup you put in your window, your father name is Joe..) C.) They say things that are pleasing to your ear and you know it's not true D.) They say things that are condemning to you and embarrassing in front of others. E.) They tell you to do things that the lord did not tell you do personally. F.) They use scripture out of context or twisting it to validate what they say to you, yet when you read it it does not make sense in context of what they said if you see any of this BEWARE, the so called prophet or person could be operating by a demon familiar spirit!
 

          I was in a church that was a cult. everybody had a word, prophets came there all the time and I have known them personally and saw and heard things that was so ungodly and UN-Biblical that it would blow your mind. Look up "Metropolitan Spiritual churches" & "Spiritualism'. i was a licensed minister under that denomination and the lord brought me out. i gave my pastor a phone call and told him i was leaving and why and i was very respectful and polite about it!

          The Lord directed me more than 15 years ago to warn and teach others of the deception i came out of. In those 15 years I ran from it hiding in church positions and staying low key and being quiet. I knew the great responsibility and i knew the attacks that i would receive. Also, if God delivers you from darkness and you do not go and warn your brothers who are in that darkness that blood is on your hands.this is the exact scripture the Lord spoke to me me during my call Ezk 3:18-21.

          If something God allowed us to go through and survive from our past, We should come out much wiser, closer to him and have a sharper discernment of truth. What drew me closer to the Lord in prayer and in his word was the fact that I was in a cult, that's what made me aware of the fact that I was being deceived. Also, I saw the fruit of the lives of the people in leadership and in the church.

          Within my 15 year journey God healed my heart of the spiritual abuse and delivered me from the religious bondage I was in for so many years. Sometimes we discredit a persons message because we listen to their story and believe that they are saying and acting out of the bitterness of their past, and many times this is very much so, But not in all cases, as in mine. But the best advocate is one who is a former victim. Why, it's called loving compassion. 

          The advocate former victim walks in the steps of Jesus ( I hope that name does not offend you) whom scripture says " For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin" Hb 4:15. As priests of God (Rev. 1;6) it is vital that we have a heart for those who are deceived and mislead and those that are abused and hurting, whether mentally, physically, spiritually or all. We must do as psalm 82:3 says "Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy." In defense of the poor, the fatherless, the afflicted and needy, we will be attacked by the abuser, the liar, the deceiver and the predator of these people. But we must stand in the strength of the Lord and obey him and he anoints our hands for war.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Made To Win

Your Life is like a tree, it grows up and roots down. God made you to be fruitful and multiply. You were designed to grow and produce great things in life. Never let anyone make you think you don't have what it takes to produce greatness. Let your roots stabilize you and plant your feet on solid ground, for it is God who is able to uphold you!

Fruit is the product of purpose and purpose comes from the core of the tree. The tree was genetically engineered by God to produce fruit. It was made to survive and thrive. to live from the resources that was made for it. Your life is the same. you were made to thrive in life and win.

God did not make you to fail, he made you to win. Failure is a part of your process of winning, but you are not made to fail. Failure is not suppose the goal, or the end. failure is the means to the end of success. As you strive to win you must always keep in mind that you have all the power and capacity to win. There is no lack on your part concerning the ability to win.

If you lose, it is because you choose to lose. Your life is made up of choices that effect your outcome. You can have a successful foundation and all the resources you need to be successful, but if you make wrong decisions, you will ultimately fail. You fail, not because you lack something, or because God failed you or life and people failed you.

You fail because you made the decision to fail, whether you did so consciously or unconsciously. this is not to say that all your failures is a decision on your part. But the failures that are in your control are the ones you are responsible for. The failures that you made decisions for are your responsibility. When you choose to give up, you made a failure decision. When you choose not to try again, you choose to fail. giving up is a failure decision.

Just as you can make a decision to fail, you can decide to win in life. Don't sit back and play a script that someone gave you to live out. Don't let your life just play like a movie and you are the spectator. Take control of your life and you make the decisions. You must make up your mind that you are going to live your purpose and do what's in your heart and live according to your purpose. 

You are the driver in your life. So steer your life where you want to go. God will only give you your hearts desire when you make up your mind what you want and where you want to go. If you want more in life, pursue more. If you want to get up, strengthen yourself and get up. Decide to win and refuse to go down. You are a winner and I know you can do it!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Leadership Training: Phase 1

Leadership Training: Phase 1
The only way God is going to honor your leadership is when you have done three things : 
1 honor him with your life (bearing your cross and following Jesus) 
2. Served another Godly leader with sincere commitment & allowed god to train you through that leader
3. Show love for his people to the point that you will fight for them, even putting your life at risk.  
      Jesus taught very extensively about servant leadership and commitment. he said in Mt 20:27-28 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.  if we desire leadership we should desire to serve. This is one of the most commonly misunderstood truth about leadership. Some people seek the authority, the power the image and yet they have not come up in the ranks of service. They have not qualified themselves by serving others. 
      The best way to learn to lead is first to learn to serve. God will not honor you if you refuse to do it this way. Without following this procedure you will end up being abusive and eventually corrupt. But when you have been in the shoes of those you lead, it will give you a broader view, a greater compassion and a sincere love for the people. While you are in this training phase, you will be tested and reviewed by god. God is going to test your heart. 
      Is there pride, do you complain when given orders? Do you respect leaders? can you take correction? Will you rebel and leave or try to over turn the leadership? these are all the thing that god will test you in. if you fail any of these test, you will be sent back into training until you past the test. 
      Imagine for a moment, what if you hired a baby sitter and immediately on the first you gave her instructions she only followed two of the six instructions you gave her. And when you confronted her, she argued with you, made excuses and then demanded that you pay her in full just because she the two things on the list. She jeopardized your child's life, left you child hungry and neglected your child so that she can meet her own selfish agenda and for her own convenience and comfort. 
      What would you do in this situation? Do you think God is any less wise than you? Why would God appoint a leader over his people who is selfish, greedy and self centered. Why would God anoint someone to lead and they don't know nothing about leadership because they were never trained?
 
Mt 10:40-42 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Let go!

How much time do we waste trying to get back what can never be regained? As I checked my e-mail this morning, there was an old magazine subscription my mother had and my e-mail address was used for it. They sent her a message that said "Catherine we want you back", I thought to myself, "why are you all talking to a dead woman?" The difference between me and the magazine company is, I know she is dead and they don't. 
What about you, do you spend your time talking to someone or something dead that can never respond? Sometimes we spend too much time on things of the past that can never come back and things that we really need to let go. Today make a decision to let go a dead client, dead friendships, loved ones, relationships, dead opportunities and dead things. Let go of some dead past issues and move on to something new! For as long as you hold onto the dead, you cant make room for and embrace the new and the living!
Remember the saying, 'let go and let God', what awesome words we need to keep before us.   We need to let God heal us of our past hurts and past losses. There are some things that only he can do, and if we refuse to let something go, we limit God in his ability to prepare us for a better future with more. What are you willing to let go of today, so that you will allow god to give you more? 
 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Ps. 37:5