Tag: Church

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A FORK IN THE ROAD

A Parable…

Two men were headed down a road. The first man, his road was rocky, dusty, hilly and the landscape was barren. Unsure that he was traveling on the proper road, he periodically checked his road map and sure enough he was always on the right road. The days were long and cold. He was often famished and went days without food until he found a rest stop along the way. Whenever fear encroached his mind, he screamed out in despair, ‘this journey is too long and difficult, I can’t make it!’ As he wept, thoughts of his long awaited love comforted his mind. That was the strength that kept him going.

The second man, his road was paved with a white line to follow, for he did not have his directions. He was told that he was supposed to travel a straight and narrow road. Along this man’s journey he was upbeat and optimistic that he would arrive at his appointed time. He even whistled while he walked. Along the way, kind hearted strangers stopped alongside the road and gave him food to eat and water to drink. But like the first man, there were long stretches of time when he didn’t have any food to eat. This was grueling for the second man, for he loved to eat! Nonetheless, the second man kept on his journey. It seemed as if the miles were getting longer and longer. The second man had walked so much he had worn holes in his shoes. He began to complain, ‘surely there must be a better way, this journey is too difficult to travel.‘ Nonetheless, he continued on. As day turned into night, the temperature dropped to below freezing. The man tried to sleep under a tree that he saw along the desolate highway but he could not rest because he was shivering uncontrollably. Out of anger, he cursed the road! He cursed the weather! He cursed his shoes for failing him! He even cursed God! He exclaimed that he was going to make it no matter what! He endured that bitter cold night and was back walking on the road early the next morning. The second man walked and walked.

Both men came to a fork in the road on their respective journeys. There were two signs posted.

One sign read:

The terrain on this road will get rockier, there will be hills on this road and there will be stretches of darkness and bitter cold weather. But rest assured, you will reach your destination sooner and arrive at a most beautiful and peaceful place! 

The second sign read: 

This road will take you a round about way to your destination. It avoids the pitfalls of the first road. This road is safer to travel than the first road. This road will eventually expand into a wider more comfortable road, with smoother terrain to walk on and it has beautiful idyllic scenery. However, traveler beware: YOU ARE TRAVELING AT YOUR OWN RISK!

The first man was given specific directions on which way to go, he did not want to get lost so he chose the first road, though he feared what was to come ahead. 

The second man was given the exact same directions. As he reached the fork in the road, he was exhausted and panting for breath. Looking up, he stood paralyzed contemplating the signs. This journey was long-g-g. He was famished, tired and exhausted. After much thought, he decided to take the easier road. Though it may take longer to get to his destination, he surmised he had walked long enough already and needed a break. He decided to take this road to ease his pain, heartache, setbacks and despair. It was going to take longer to arrive at his destination, but he was excited about the beautiful description of the roads’ idyllic scenery and eagerly awaited when he would be able to smell fresh flowers, see green flourishing trees and drink fresh water from glistening springs. So the second road he chose.

The first man started down his road of seeming despair. The second man sprinted down his road with ease. The first man had indeed experienced all that the sign read. With cries, tears, restless nights and dark days, somehow he managed to continue on. For he knew that his Beloved was with him in Spirit. In his mind’s eye he envisioned seeing his lovely GRACE.

The second man, on his journey down the road, was so in awe of the ambiance and beautiful landscape. He stopped many times to pick flowers, eat of the earth’s fruit and bathe in its waters. He enjoyed this road so much that as it got broader and broader; as the sign dictated, he got lost along the way. That was ok for him because he could not believe how beautiful the path was that he had taken and often congratulated himself for choosing the right road. He excitedly proclaimed, ‘I could walk along this road forever!’ forgetting the promise that he had made to the Love of his life. He was enamored with what he saw, what came to him freely and because of the ease and comfortability on this road, he felt as if he could live here forever. The more he walked, the more he lost track of time. He was in a different world and he ate of its fruit. He picked berries off trees, he feasted on wild mushrooms, he ate sap from the maple tree. ‘This is heaven,’ so he thought. As he trotted on, he began to notice that things were subtly changing; more and more down the road, dramatically changing. The grass began to wither, the flowers began to die, the birds were no more chirping. The beautiful sun shifted to the dark of night. He knew he had gotten lost but he did not think that he was that lost. ‘I’ll find my way back on that beautiful road,’ he said to himself. He had been walking for days and days. A chill would shiver his bones and the night would blind his eyes. He began to worry that he may never find that road again and more so, frightened that he was too far away from reaching his destination. But he kept reiterating to himself that he had plenty of time and had strong confidence in HIMSELF.

As he furthered along, vicious, growling wolves leaped out from behind a set of bushes! The second man was terrified that he would be their next meal. Fearing for his life, he ran as fast as he could in sheer terror. He found a tree and climbed it as the wolves blindly ran by. Further along as he was walking, he fell into a shallow covered hole in the ground. Struggling to free himself, he grabbed hold of a broken tree branch and pulled himself out. As he sat there, blood drawn scratches burning his body and covered in mud, he cried. ‘If only I could have chosen the first road surely I would have reached my destination by now!’ The man begrudgingly got up and continued on his journey. Nearing a wooded area, he was chased by a bear! The bear clawing him almost in two, he wrestled with the bear and miraculously escaped from its grip. Now he was bloody, bruised, scratched up, muddy, and fighting for his life! His strength was faint. He realized he was not as strong, smart, and wise as he first thought. He realized he was in a living HELL!

The road was so beautiful in the beginning he thought, so sound, so pristine. ‘I have been deceived!’ he screamed, ‘Now I’m never going to get out of here!’ As he continued down a side road, he finally reached a sign. ‘Thank God!’ He excitedly yelled! The sign read: No Man’s Land. The second man’s excitement quickly turned into despair. Head hung low, the second man continued walking throughout eternity.

By Puja Nagual

Beloved, this parable was written to warn you of all the trappings of this world: success, fame, money, recognition and power. While it’s not wrong to want to be accomplished in life, one must not allow these things to become idols. The world will entice you with its beauty, extravagance, jewels and excess, but if you do not realize that you were born to serve God you will be greatly misguided in life.

Our souls desire God; our flesh craves the world. It’s when we replace God’s love with things, people, status that we get lost on life’s journey. If you choose to take the first road it will undoubtably be excruciating, painful and hard. You will cry a lot, you will face doubt, fear, anger, even rage but you must keep going; for there is a great reward at the end! The man that chose the second road only had confidence in himself and his own abilities. How many of us are like that? He felt that he did not need God or guidance for that matter, and thought that he could make it through life on his own. He started off well, but all that he had accomplished was taken away from him. That second man was worse off than when he first started.

I Admonish you, serve Christ first then all these things will be added to you; there will be peace that comes along with your blessings that no enemy can take away from you. I love you and God bless you all!

This parable is dedicated to my dear friend and future minister in Christ, Sierra Shields. For she wholeheartedly chose to walk the first road. 

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The Death In The Valley

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The word of God teaches you how to fight. When you face trials and tribulation, you will either succumb to the attack or put on your God appointed armor and do battle! Caveat emptor: It requires discipline! Just face it now, if you’re born again and you choose the call of The Great Commission, you will face a life-long spiritual battle with the devil! The life of Christianity is not passive. It is not desperately sitting back waiting for the battle to be over, but contrarily picking up your spiritual weapons and fighting back until you have penetrated the enemy’s ground! So many Saints struggle in this area of their Christian walk. They endure a life of harassment, mental torment and persecution from the devil. Often settling for their health, joy and peace to be taken away from them. If you have a dogged determination and stand firmly on God’s promise, you can take back ground stolen from you, your family members and loved ones; precious lives the enemy has destroyed.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

Beloved, one must be spiritually prepared, and not blindly walk into encampments set up by the enemy to destroy you! What are those encampments? Your household, your job, your friendships, your business dealings, your finances, your health! Sometimes the attack is so vicious it may feel like you are stepping on land mines all around you! Satan works through people, including yourself! More, some battles you will lose! Others you may have to keep fighting a lifetime with the enemy not budging!

There was a beloved pastor’s wife whom I knew of. This beautiful, humble soul was stricken with cancer at an early age. It was reported that she had suffered 21 or so grueling surgeries! One can barley tolerate the thought of one let alone 21! Sadly to report, after many decades of prayer, the church interceding, and fighting the devil, the First Lady eventually lost her battle to cancer. Some things we will just have to endure that only God will know the answer to. But, we must not lose hope! It will take persistence, consistence, and diligence to keep fighting the good fight of faith! When severe pressure is upon us, hard as it may be, we must not cave in and quit or give up. Even when you feel like you can’t pray, God knows your thoughts before you even think them–keep your mind on Him! When you feel like you can’t read your Bible, turn on worship music and let the words minister to you! Remembering:

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30:5 KJV) You cannot give up!

The “night” matures us spiritually, it makes us more Christ like. When you first gave your life to Christ, there may have been overwhelming joy and great anticipation of your new christian walk: you joined a church, attended new believer’s classes, and supplied Christian books to read. There was a general feeling of euphoria that you were finally on the right path in life. You felt God’s touch on your life and some, God may have delivered out of deep bondage. But along the way, you began to face situations that challenged your faith, situations that tested your will, situations that you couldn’t find the answers to in a self-help book! My friend, you may have experienced devastating, life altering situations that resigned you to that of a fetal position, on the floor weeping like a baby, the pain hurt so badly! Beloved, this may have been your night, BUT! The Bible says that if you will just trust in Him with ALL your heart and ALL your mind (Proverbs 3:5), your joy will come in the morning! Amen!

I find that there are different stages of our christian walk. After conversion, you first learn how to pray, how to maneuver the Bible, and what it means to live a God called life. Secondly, God then begins to show you what your calling is in Him. Along with that calling, rest assured, will come an assigned fleet of demons whose job it is to do everything in their power to disprove the anointing on your life! The next phase will be a phase of the testing of your will and your faith. Indeed, the hardest stage for the called in Christ! In this stage you will experience extreme torment from the devil, even though you may be doing all the spiritual work! For those that may be saying this is not my testimony, this message is not for you!–but those on the front line of spiritual warfare, those that are experiencing extreme harassment from the devil because of your anointed call in Christ! The devil vehemently hates it when another pastor is birthed, another church is planted, and when another sinner gives his soul to Christ!

You will go through periods when God’s voice will seem reticent, or you may question: ‘God where are you?’ It will seem as if all hell has broken loose in every area of your life! You will be persecuted on every side, and may feel as Paul did on his Christian journey:

For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. (2 Corinthians 7:5)

It may seem as if you are screaming out to God with all your might and yet your voice is inaudible. You may even become angry at God in His silence. It’s a time of testing, tearing down, building up, and strengthening you. It will cause you to go deeper in the work of Christ; deeper in study, deeper in spiritual preparation, deeper in prayer, deeper in fasting. His silence is teaching you how to adamantly trust the word of God and not your feelings! No matter how dark the valley is, He’s teaching you to fear not the evil one, He’s teaching you that, although you cannot see Him, or feel His presence, He’s fighting right beside you! It’s like the parable of the footsteps in the sand. Some things you will look back on and wonder in amazement, how you made it through! Amen! It’s because God carried you! We were wounded and ready to be slaughtered, yet a loving Savior picked us up where our strength failed, and carried us the rest of the way! Selah!

The longer it takes us to completely trust and have faith in God, I believe the longer our spiritual growth will be stunted in our Christian walk. Christianity requires proactively growing in Christ. There will be trial and error in our growth yes, but to grow in Him with a purpose and a plan, that requires diligent study, prayer, and a concerted effort to make time with God daily. Beloved there is something to be said about spending time in God’s presence! The anointing comes down! There is a sweet peace. God will give you wisdom, knowledge, and signs and wonders. He will give you secrets, direction, and ideas your mind could never possibly conceive on its own.

And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. (Acts 5:12 KJV)

In the latter part of the Christian walk, you may enter into a place of supernatural discernment. You will have Godly wisdom and a deeper understanding of spirituality! Those called began to teach, edify, encourage, prophesy (1 Corinthians 12:4-12). There will still be testing, but it will not destroy you like it used to! You’ll know the exact spiritual tools to apply against your enemy and come out a victor! Amen! You will have a concrete belief in God; no trick, lie, or scheme from the devil will be able to dissuade you. You know it’s a war between good and evil, and you will distinctively know your place in the battle. You know that silence does not mean neglect. You know that you and God are in this together!

Lastly, the valley experience changes your attitude! You may have walked with Christ for years but still have a defeated attitude! Instead of thinking you are a victor, and knowing that you are already equipped to win the fight raged against you ( Luke 10:19), you are numb because of persecution, and are thinking defeated thoughts.

To live a victorious life in Christ, there has to be a turning over of mental thinking to the side of victory. Your spiritual language has to change. You have to learn to always speak positive words over your life and circumstances no matter what your physical eyes may be telling you. You have to learn how to see with our spiritual eyes–the eyes of faith!

Additionally, your mind set has to change. A lot of people may quote the verse, say the Christian slogans but deep down inside, perhaps because of continuous oppression, have not come to a place where they believe what they are even saying! If you have a certain call on your life the opposition can be so intense, that you have given up on the inside! You’re spiritually dead! You have been sowing, but sadly feel like you are not reaping. It’s a testing beyond your imagination! With all your might and knowledge about God, you’ve got to take God at His word, getting in your spirit man the living word!

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 KJV)

People often talk about the character of God. That is a culmination of His teachings, His anointing on the lives of the Biblical prophets, and His grace. The devil tries to undermine God and His work in your life. Fight hard with all that is within you to not believe him! There is an evil, vile, more diabolical level of spiritual warfare in this day and time. Satan’s kingdom has become more perverted, more wicked. Its mission is not the ungodly–he already has them under his control–but specifically to attack the saints of God! The death in the valley is so gruesome beloved, let us not forget the saints that are literally fighting a physical battle with the devil; having been permanently scarred, maimed, and tormented. Those who have lost their lives for the sake of the Gospel! As we continue to carry the weight of our cross–with blood, sweat and tears–let us remember: the battle is not between us and the devil, but between God and satan!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

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Red Hook Summer: Christian Movie Review

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First off, the characters in Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer looked as real as if you had stepped out of your front door, caught the subway and made your rounds through the no holds barred city of New York. Lee did a good job in the casting process: no over sexualized, glam puss, pretty boy actors/actresses here. The Female characters were maternal, womanly; like ladies I grew up around. Their presence emanates an old school grandmotherly type of protection, wisdom, and guidance.

The male characters seemed to be plucked right off of NYC’s streets; ripe with unabashed quirkiness, eccentricity, zeal, Martin Luther King righteousness and ’round the way B-Boy demeanor and dialect.

One of the Protagonists of Red Hook: the good Pastor Enoch (Clarke Peters), has all the passion, community involvement, and heated sermons of a street corner ‘hood preacher’, with such optimism, social justice, and fervor that riles up the emotions of the congregation, that the pastor could easily be mistaken a demagogue. He is perfectly cast; from his slicked back afro, peremptory voice, to the flawless execution of the dichotomy of his character.

New comer Jules Brown embodies the role of Flik Royale, Pastor Enoch’s grandson. Jules’ portrayal of character Flik is quite monotone, with the exception of culture/religion clashes with his grandfather, and adolescent banter with character Chazz.

Chazz, played by Tony Lysaith, is a spunky, rambunctious, outspoken girl whom befriends Flik. Chazz’s character is Akin to a throwback 1980’s era, popular 5th grade school kid, who all the nerd’s wanted to be friends with. What I personally like about Chazz is that she is headstrong, a thinker, much a philosopher for a kid her age; not to mention a little mischievous, which drives the story and adds a few good laughs! Contrarily, with better direction Chazz’s performance could have been much more solid.

Lee is a little more preachy in Red Hook compared to his previous movies, however it is eloquently executed through the diatribes of the good Pastor Enoch. The writing is a collage of new age pop culture, Sunday morning church sermons, pressing concerns of the inner city neighborhood, to the history of Red Hook, Brooklyn. Although, some topics of discussion seem outdated. Lee’s polemics is ever present in his current piece. While Red Hook draws you into a seeming adolescent romance between Flik and Chazz, and visually stimulates with colorful visages and homage to the city; the plot hits you like a wielding baseball bat swung by a bullied, abused, and fed up kid! While the movie is fluidly moving along, it comes out of nowhere and jars you: BAM! just like that!

A stiff-necked religious church lady would easily turn into Esther from Sanford & Son at the subject matter’s in-your-face reality! The audience gets to hear the other side of the story, which was a well acted and executed scene that left one not knowing whether to cheer for its redemptor or feel sorry for the Pastor. In the scene that follows, I felt that Lee didn’t need to expound in detail the horrid visuals via a flashback.

Overall, the movie had quite a few loop holes, loose ends, and left many questions unanswered. The acting was mediocre at best, with the exception of a few stand out performances: Clarke Peters, Nate Parker, and my personal best: Coleman Domingo.

Some of my friends were disturbed by the movie’s subject matter, but I have personally experienced it first hand. It leaves so much frustration, anger, and lifelong healing to the persons affected by it. Though uneasy to watch, it is realism! And, it’s happening on a much too frequent basis. Maybe this movie will allow the “doers” to see themselves outside of themselves, to provoke change. Moreover, the soundtrack, which was recorded by the real, Lil’ Piece of Heaven Babtist Church choir, nostalgically takes you back to the old time Gospel Hymns. After reading this review, I would advise you to see the movie at your own discretion.

One thing the movie did leave me with is the commonly quoted: Galatians 6:7-8. What you sow, goes out and circles around in the spirit realm like a boomerang until it eventually comes back to you. Even though you may have repented and God has forgiven you, you will still have to live with its consequences, so choose wisely! 

 -Puah Neiel

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Will you go in disobedience or by faith?

In the book of Jonah, God called Jonah to go and deliver a prophetic message to the city of Nineveh; a great and wicked city. Jonah refused to go and fled to Tarshish. Jonah 1:3 says Jonah went down to Joppa and got on a ship, trying to flee from the presence of Lord. Because of his disobedience God brought great wrath and turbulence upon his life by way of a raging storm. But when Jonah cried out to the Lord (Jonah 2:1-9), God received his prayer (vs 2: 10).

When we willingly disobey God His covering will not be over us, therefore we become vulnerable to all kinds of curses, dark places, and torture from satan. In contrast, the great thing about God is that it is never too late to come to Him. Unfortunately, usually it is when we have come to the end of ourselves and realize we can’t make it on our own. Oh but how loving is our Father, with arms outstretched wide, He rescues us from the hands of our enemies. Verse 2:10 goes on to say, ” So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” In Galatians 5:17 it says, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these two are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” Many times God may tell us to do something and we simply refuse.  The main root is disobedience which often arises out of fear, unbelief, and the most damming of them all–doubt! We doubt God can do what He sent us to do, and we doubt God’s ability to carry us through to the end. In the midst of life’s tide will come sharks, piranhas, and the proverbial whale. But, do we just let satan throw us overboard to be eaten alive because we selfishly don’t want to go through pain, hurt, and suffering that is often required to walk with God? Or, do we stand up, while inside the belly of the whale, and start praising and worshiping God; stirring up a commotion, agitating its loins, and upsetting its stomach so much so that it has no choice but to regurgitate us out? Light can not live inside of darkness. Either of two will happen: darkness will conform to light, or the light will be too powerful for the darkness and it will have to flee! Hallelujah! Will you heed the voice of God pertaining to your life? God may allow you to be overtaken by the enemy for a moment, but will retrieve you–despite your disobedience, so He can show you how faithful and merciful He is. It’s situations like these that God allows us to go through to increase our faith (1 peter 6,7). When you first started on this Christian journey your trials may have been small, but as you pass one faith test after another, you will begin to see that the level of faith required to go through the next situation will need to be of a higher magnitude. Will you walk bold like David did and face your Goliath, or will you do as James 1:23, 24 says and forget what kind of man you are? Intermittingly, we sometimes forget what God has already brought us through, forget who we are in Christ, and forget that Romans 8:37 says that we are more than conquers.

Moreover, when we finally accept God’s will for the thing that He has called us to do, when it does not go the way we think it should go do we start to murmur, judge and complain? We begin to usurp God’s authority and do His job for Him when all he simply told us to do was obey! The assignment He sent you on was for Nineveh’s (other person’s) deliverance, not you! But, you’re complaining, “why is this person in my life?” “Why am I going through this?” Some of you are even praying and wishing harm on the one that God sent to you to intercede for! Because you are subject to pain in the process, you get angry at God for not punishing the person (vs 4: 1,2). God had to show Jonah the mercy of His heart through a plant (vs 4: 9, 10). Just as Jonah was as passionate about that perishing plant, so was God about His perishing people (vs 4:11). Beloved, God will send us as laborers to the harvest when He is trying to reach unsaved sheep. It takes maturating in Christ not to look at a trial subjectively. It takes a selfless person to love another human being that is perishing in darkness; to suffer for that person so their soul can be saved       (1 corinthians 13:2). Instead most run away from Ninevah. We must have a willing heart and sensitive ear to listen to the voice of God and follow His direction for our life. Instead we let hurt, pain, and anger toward’s a person paralyze us, thus saying “no” to God and forfeiting the person’s salvation. Oftimes, God is already speaking to the person’s heart, calling them out of darkness. God needs you to be His physical body to reach out and embrace them. The people you are assigned to will most often react to you in anger and hatred because like you–before you surrendered to God–they are trying to run away from God’s calling on their lives. Beloved, don’t run away from God. Did He not tell us to, “pick up your cross and follow me?” Matthew 10:24. As Christians this life is not ours,    1 peter 4:2 says, “that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” Saints, we are ambassadors for Christ.

By Puah Neiel

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Contentment vs. Persecution

If you are living according to the mandates of the Holy Bible and are being persecuted it’s because you are an effective witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Contrarily, if you are sitting comfortable in the Lord satan doesn’t want to bother you. He see’s you sitting perched high on your religious chair–not ministering to anybody, not praying…let alone praying for anybody else, not reading your Bible, not serving in a ministry. Your ministry is your lip service, “God is good all the time!” Or, “I’m blessed, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost!” Oh, satan’s going to leave that one alone. When you are complacent you are doing his work for him, matter-of-fact he’s going to pamper you, make every thing go right for you, and build you up in false pride. He’s going to get you real comfortable so he can get you to a place of compromise. He whets your appetite by dangling the worldly carrot in front of your eyes, “sure, you can still have, fame, fortune, material prosperity, act like the world, dress like the world, talk like the world, watch what the world watches, party, drink, smoke, have sex; even with somebody’s else’s husband or wife and then tell yourself, “we are in love.” Oh, satan will have you so comfortable in him, until you start believing his lies!!! You will begin to ration in your mind, “we get along so well, God must have put us together.” In your heart you remember the Word, but out of compromise you let satan lead you by your emotions, by your wants, lusts, and the desires of this wicked world. Slowly he’s pulling you back on his side. But you know what’s the best part about it for him? Not only has he snatched you out of God’s hands, He now has you calling yourself a “Christian,” sitting up in the church doing his will! He’s now using you as his protegé to blind, destroy, deteriorate souls that God is trying to save, by your lifestyle. They look at you and say, ‘they’re just like me; they do the same things I do, say the same things that I say, and go to the same night clubs I go to, why should I follow God’? Some others will say ok well it looks like I don’t have to give up anything to become a Christian, so “sign me up!” When you compromise you are leading souls into darkness! You are telling the world a spiritual lie that you can have the world and God at the same time!!! 2 Corinthians 6:17 warns us to,”come out from among them, and be you separate, said the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” And you wonder why you don’t have any power or authority in your Christian walk so you blaspheme the person who is on fire for the Lord. Talking about them, ridiculing them. “Oh they think they are Paul, with all of that preaching and ministering! It don’t take all of that!” You wonder why God is not using you! You become jealous of their power and try to speak against what God is doing in their life! But I tell ya, to get that power you gotta suffer, you gotta go through some things, you gotta know what it feels like to be so hungry that your stomach feels like it’s eating your insides! I tell you, you gotta know what it’s like to go in the prayer closet in the morning and don’t come out until late at night. And you’re talking about this person, “if they were living right and doing God’s will they wouldn’t be persecuted. They must not be living right because they are always going through something.” But you just don’t know God has to bring them t-h-r-o-u-g-h before they can get a BREAKTHROUGH! “They are always suffering.” That’s because they are not compromising! They are a threat to satan! They are PRAYING souls out of his hand. Their ministry is breaking the shackles of sin, loosing the bonds of wickedness, feeding the bread of life to a starving and hungry generation. And you wonder why they are being persecuted. They are a threat to the kingdom of darkness! Satan is hot on their trails because they are a formidable opponent to his kingdom. He’s trying to stop the mouth of God with attacks, tribulation, war, and suffering but the more he attacks, the more he’s helping to further spread the gospel. This Christianity was built on the blood of persecution. Need a refresher course? Read the book of Mark. God will allow it for every Christian that desires to know His will for their lives in order to establish a deeper relationship with Him. Because every time they’re attacked, guess what? It’s going to drive them to their knees to seek the heart of God. Oh but when they get back up~ Isaiah 40:31 says but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint…so satan’s attacks are only creating testimonies, bringing resistant souls to Christ by the miracles that’s being done in the spirit realm , and creating a “fire” in that person that you complain about is too zealous for the Lord. God commands us in Mark 16:16 to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Complacency should not be commonplace in the kingdom of God. If you are lukewarm I ask you to reexamine your relationship with Christ. Ask Him to give you a fresh outpouring, a new anointing of the spirit. So many people have been hurt and turned away by the so-called “church.” Beloved, there are souls that are desperate, and hungry for the pure word of God, they are seeking Christians that will walk upright, and in integrity in the things of God. They are tired of being mislead. They seek a people who will speak the truth according to the Holy Bible and live according to its doctrine. Beloved, you are the only Bible some people will ever read. Let your life serve as light on a high tower, beaming ever so brightly to those who are perishing in darkness.

By Puah NeielNagual

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