Psalm 40 Ministries - Articles

The Problem with Ted Haggard's Interview

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:46:00 PST

The Problem With Ted Haggard's Interview

I was very saddened today to hear an interview given by Ted Haggard in which he stated, "I violated the rules. I should not have done that" This was said in the context of his being asked to step out of the ministry because of his involvement with a male prostitute.

My first thought was, "No, it's not about breaking the 'church's rules' ... it's that you SINNED AGAINST GOD and you also sinned against your own body." (as scripture says in I Corn 6: 15 & 18 & 19 ... 'Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of a harlot? God forbid.......Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.')

Oprah then asked him, "Did Jesus heal you?" and Haggard replied, "No, I was never sick" Well, I beg to differ. He is spiritually sick. As John 14:21 says, 'He that hath my commandments, and KEEPETH them, he it is that loveth me; an d he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, I will love him and will manifest myself to him.' or an even better scripture is I John 2:4 'He that saith, I know him and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in Him.'

Then Oprah suggested that he should EMBRACE WHO HE IS since he has a propensity towards this attraction to males. He totally agreed saying he was sorry he had LIED about the entire situation. Well, here God begs to differ with both of them according to I Cor. 6:9-11, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

So YES, Jesus needs to heal him by WASHING him by the SPIRIT of our GOD and He does not want Ted to embrace that sin but be DELIVERED from it.by the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT.

If we had a propensity to be an axe murderer does not mean that we are to embrace this as an indication of WHO WE REALLY ARE, but we are to submit that inclination to God and avoid even the thought of such a temptation.

By giving such a compromising & erroneous interview I am afraid that Ted Haggard is now making the sin of homosexuality an acceptable mainstream lifestyle choice.

Predictions That Will Come To Pass in 2009

Wed, 7 Jan 2009 23:47:20 PST

Predictions That Will Come To Pass in 2009

Since January 1st I have been receiving e-mail after e-mail regarding predictions and prophetic messages for the coming year.

The one today especially disturbed me because it promised that all would be well with me in the coming year and that I was destined to succeed and achieve every goal in my life. Then it went on to say that victory and prosperity will be coming my way in abundance. Also, that God was going to end all my suffering, sorrow and pain.

Now... I'm certain your eyes have diverted right back up to the top portion of this page to see if you might have miss-read what I had said about being disturbed and upset. Wouldn't I WANT all these good things coming from the throne room of God into my life?

My answer is, "Yes, absolutely. Of course I would." But, what disturbs me is that there is no mention of my part, parcel and responsibility in this equation. Nowhere do these prophecies mention a very large, two-letter word that is the most important component in this equation. That two-letter word is "IF'.

Throughout scripture God's word says that �if' I obey His voice and �if' I walk in holiness and �if" I walk humbly with my God that THEN He would �bless me in the city and bless me in the field; He would make me the head and not the tail and place me above and not beneath.'

God absolutely �delights in the prosperity of His saints'... but His saints have received some marching orders directing them how to �live and move and have their being in Him' so that they can achieve victory over their carnality, allowing Christ to transform their lives and make them the salt and light of this world.

No parent would allow their child to live on a diet of cotton candy and then reward that child with a bowl of ice cream. They understand that cotton candy is great as a dessert once in a while or as a treat at the fair, but if that child solely existed on a diet of this stuff it would result in severe illness and eventually even death.. No parent allows a child to stay up until three o'clock in the morning every night and then rewards that child by allowing them to stay home from school the next day. It would be totally insane for a parent to permit a child to throw their toys out of a three story window and then go out and buy them dozens of bowling balls, yet people presume that God the Father would allow His children to run amuck without any boundaries, guidelines or any form of discipline and then bless them unconditionally in the process.

So, if you are anticipating God's very best for your life in the coming year (love, joy, peace, health and prosperity), you need to abide by God's directive from Joshua 1:8 which says, �This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou MAYEST OBSERVE to DO according to ALL THAT IS WRITTEN THEREIN; for THEN thou shalt make thy way PROSPEROUS, and THEN thou shalt HAVE GOOD SUCCESS.'

So allow me to prophecy over your life for the coming year directly out of the Word of God ... �IF you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; ALL THESE (good & wonderful) THINGS shall be added unto you.' (Matt. 6:33)
Happy New Year !!!

What Is It Going To Take?

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:47:38 PST

What Is It Going To Take?

More than ever before in my life I hear and see things that keep me awake at night and bother me for days on end. I have come to the point where I don't even know how to pray about these thing any longer. I merely sit and cry before God. How could things get this bad? How could things go so wrong?

Please do not think that I am referring to the economy. I am talking about the church. When my next door neighbour said, "Donna, the church is strong.... the CHURCH IS STRONG!" I thought, "�STRONG? The church is watching Harry Potter..... she is reading �The Shack'..... she is celebrating Halloween..... she is practising Yoga..... and she is preaching from the �Message Bible'. No, the word is not strong....the word is DECEIVED!"

As I woke up this morning this article was formulating in my spirit and the very first e-mail I opened talked about a Christian University that was now promoting the book �The Shack' which depicts God as an Asian woman in a dress. Even though this book is totally redefining God it is sweeping through Christendom as if it were the next chapter in the book of Acts. It is not. It is blasphemy. It has absolutely no validity except that a Christian TV Host interviewed the author on his program and thereby gave it credence.

It does not take the gift of discerning of spirits to realize that all of the above have a demonic origin. And yes, rewriting the bible and omitting crucial words like �hell' and �damnation' also fits into that category. The Message Bible also deletes words that imply occult spirituality and substitutes more finite, human influences. (as in I Tim. 4:1) It minimizes occult dangers and deletes the consequences. (as in 2 Thess. 2:9) It deletes words like adulterers and homosexuals which identify specific sins and adds a politically correct reference to environmentalism. (as in I Cor. 6:9-11) It deletes �sexual immorality' and replaces with wording which implies that "commitment and intimacy" or "becoming one", not marriage, set the boundaries for acceptable sex. (as in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20) [many more of these comparisons may be viewed on my web site where Kjos Ministry exposes and deals with Erroneous Bible Translations]

Just as The Shack redefines God, the Message Bible redefines His word. So why do I hear it quoted in pulpit after pulpit? Do they not know that additions and deletions are strictly forbidden throughout God's word or do they simply not care? The answer must be one or the other.

As far as Harry Potter, Halloween and Yoga are concerned, all I can say is, "It's a NO-BRAINER". Look at the origin. Look at the roots. Look at what they represent. "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of devils.' (I Cor. 10:21 KJV)

Folks, I am not making this stuff up. It is the �Word of God'. You cannot have it both ways. It is either �good' or it is �evil'. It is either �holy' or it is �unholy'. It is either �light' or it is �darkness'. It is either �truth' or it is �error'. There is NO middle ground. There is NO grey area.

How can anyone read the following verses, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" (2 Cor. 6:14-15 KJV) and then incorporate all of the above mentioned horrors into their lives? It is spiritual suicide.

"...for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light." (Eph. 5:6-8 KJV)

Going Back to the Basics

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:23:41 PST

Going Back to the Basics

Doesn't that almost seem redundant? I mean, I would assume that all the many unusual and paramount things that are happening right now, in these final hours right before Jesus' return, would be much more noteworthy and really need to be addressed or at least mentioned instead. I also think that the man, whom the bible calls �the son of perdition' (II Thess. 2:4 KJV) and who is about to step up to the plate and center stage on the world scene and unite nations and kingdoms and religions together under the �One World Government' should be exposed, so the very last thing that I want to do is go �back to the basics'. But, I believe I received a directive from the Lord. You see, last night I told a friend that I needed to write an article but did not have a thought in my head. Her response was, "Why not just preach the �Good News'?" What she meant was that she thought I should just relay the Gospel story. I quickly nixed that idea because I have been there and done that many times in the past and was confidant that by now everyone had heard the message. I told her that I was confidant the Lord would show me what to write. He always does! Happens month after month.

Well, this morning I received an article in my e-mail entitled, �Tell the Good News with Thank sgiving'. Now everyone knows that I do not believe anything is a coincidence. Just the title alone would have been confirmation enough to begin steering me in the direction that my friend suggested, but when the remainder of the title included "...Psalm 40:1 - 11" I knew I had received a memo from heaven because Psalm 40 is the name of my ministry and Psalm 40 is where it all started for me.

Up until one life-changing day in 1980 it had never occurred to me that I was a sinner and needed to be reconciled to God. I actually thought that I was a pretty good person and people even referred to me as a �goody-two-shoes'. They would say that my honesty bordered on stupidity so I figured that if anyone was going to make it to heaven it was going to be me.

I had never heard though that all my righteousness and goodness was �as filthy rags' (Isaiah 64:6 KJV) in the presence of a most Holy God and that I was alienated from Him because of my sinful nature. When I came to an altar for the first time to surrender my life to God it felt like this terrible black filthiness was pouring out of the top of me at a thousand miles per hour and at the same time it felt like Niagara Falls was being poured in. The water felt clear as crystal while refreshing my spirit and setting me free. Sins were being forgiven and bondages were falling away. Fear, that I had liv ed with my entire life was removed that day. Never in my entire life had I heard that He was the �Fountain of Living Waters' and that once I tasted of Him I would never thirst again. (Jer. 2:13 & John 4:14)

I never understood that God Himself came to earth and put on our mortality in the person of Jesus Christ and then allowed Himself to be beaten by those He had created. He then took my place on that cross and willingly laid down His life so that I could have eternal life. It was because He was the sinless, spotless Lamb of God that His precious blood qualified to become the atonement necessary to place me in right standing with God the Father. There was no other way.

It has been said that salvation is FREE but it did not come cheap ... it cost Jesus His life. But, the �Good News' is that He did not remain in the grave but rose from the dead and is alive forever more.

Basically, that is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the moment I committed to live my life in obedience to Him the Holy Spirit took up residence within me and I became the Temple of the Holy Spirit. (I Cor. 6:19) I became a �new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.' (II Cor. 5:17) I passed from death unto life. (John 5:25) I became a citizen of heaven and from that moment I was seated at the right hand of God in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:6) I automatically began to love what God loves and to hate what He hates. I began to see with His eyes and with His heart and was given the �mind of Christ'. (I Cor. 2:16) I became part of the �Family of God'. (Gal. 4:5-7)

Basically, that is what it means to be �born again'.

Of course there are a thousand more chapters to this Gospel but the most important verse is this: "Jesus said unto them, �Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God'." (John 3:3 KJV)

Do not delay. Jesus is coming soon. Sooner than you think.

How Long Will You Ignore the Sound of the Alarm?

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:27:19 PST

How Long Will You Ignore the Sound of the Alarm?

Recently I watched a five minute video of David Wilkerson's in which he actually ends up sobbing because of all the dangerous fallacies and practices that have permeated the evangelical churches all over this nation. It prompted me to try to shake up and wake up at least a few more people to this devastating assault that is happening right under their noses. It never ceases to amaze me how some things can sweep through the church like wildfire and become the 'latest rage' almost overnight even though they are completely unbiblical and even anti-biblical and how these things can completely ensnare even mature believers.

People flock to gatherings and conventions and purchase books on any new methodology that is being promoted. They listen to any and every 'Christian Superstar' who is in actuality promoting nothing more than snake oil, yet they readily swallow his bill of goods even though the New Testament is replete with warnings about false teachers and false teachings, about lying signs and wonders and about the many wolves who come in sheep's clothing seeking to draw followers after themselves. They are ignoring scriptures like 1 John 4:1 (KJV) that says, 'Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because MANY false prophets are gone out into the world' and they do not 'Prove all things' as 1 Thessalonians 5:21 which advises.

Most people are seeking and even seem desperate for some greater manifestation or encounter with God without giving even a second thought to those scriptures. It reminds me of when King Saul turned to the witch of Endor because he wanted an answer at any price. The price he ended up paying was his own destruction. (1 Samuel chapter 28)

I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that more than half of what is being presented to the Body of Christ is NOT of God. I have spent the last three weeks visiting three different churches in Toronto and was more than shocked at what was being presented to the sheep. At the end of one service I sent a note to the pastor regarding the false doctrines of the man whom he was quoting throughout his entire message and listed all the anti-biblical beliefs and practices of that particular person.

I don't think I would be as worried if it was merely dispensing snake oil but what is now being promoted is a new methodology and a new spirituality that is deadlier than arsenic because the consequences have ETERNAL ramifications.

You would think that any discerning believer would find these things alarming but most seem to be oblivious to what is happening and have become spiritually blinded. Many are even embracing 'secular' superstars who are promoting this new 'christ-consciousness' type of spirituality. The only thing is ... it is nothing new. It's all the same 'false gospel' but it's packaged a little differently. I wish I had the nerve to state right here in black and white the things that I am addressing but I will leave it up to you to investigate for yourself and to seek God whether the things and people you are following and the things that you are embracing are 'of' God or whether they are of 'another spirit'.

We need to heed the many warnings given about deception and the wolves that come in sheep's clothing. They are not discerned because they come in the name of the Lord. They look like sheep. They sound like sheep. They also act like sheep but inwardly they are ravenous wolves and they are bringing a totally different 'gospel'.

The 'good news' is that God did not leave us defenseless. He has given us the Holy Spirit AND the gift of discerning of Spirits AND He has given 'Watchmen' to the church who have been anointed and appointed and commissioned to warn against the biblical apostasy and great falling away which stems from a total rejection of biblical Christianity and which will result in a false Christianity under the control of the antichrist. Paraphrasing from Joy Parrott's book, 'Watchman, Watchman, What of the Night' I want to point out that the Old Testament 'watchman on the wall' spied out and peered into the distance in order to see approaching danger and to warn those who were in jeopardy.

Some of the Hebrew meanings for the word 'watchman' are 'to guard, to protect, maintain, observe and preserve' Likewise, today's spiritual watchmen have the ability to see approaching danger not only from outside the church but God has also given them the ability to see problems that are arising from within. They have been given the ability to 'see' beyond what is seen in the natural to what is spiritual. While the leader of the church is busy doing the work God has called him to do, providing spiritual nourishment, the watchman is positioned to see any approaching danger so that the work will not be destroyed. He has been given to the church for it's protection and preservation. Unfortunately, the church has not operated very well in this capacity. Neither the leaders nor the believers are heeding the warnings and the results are becoming catastrophic. If this trend continues it will spell disaster for the twenty-first century church.

A Tribute to My Dad

Tue, 20 May 2008 21:30:01 PST

A Tribute to My Dad

After a very lengthy illness my dad Nikola went to be with the Lord on May the 6th of this year. He had been hospitalized since early December when gangrene claimed his right leg. He never regained his strength after the surgery and became weaker with each passing day so I flew to Canada on two separate occasions to spend a few weeks with him.

He was not always lucid because of all the heavy medication. The very first time I walked into his room he inquired as to who I was and I explained, with a huge lump in my throat, that I was his daughter. His eyes then searched my face very intently and then he blurted, "WHY do you look like this?" I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry and replied, "I couldn't have aged THAT much since you've last seen me!" "Oh no, no, you're beautiful," he quickly shot back, "I just don't think I've ever seen you before."

Thank God that he did know who I was MOST of the time so that we could reaffirm our love for one another. He would stroke my face lovingly as I would reminisce about the many times that he took me fishing. Since he had no sons and I was his only child he was determined to make a first class fisherman out of me. He also had me cheering for Bobby Hull, Bobby Orr and Frank Mahovlich so it's no wonder I'd rather go to a hockey game than go shopping for clothes.

I respected and admired my dad greatly. He was a giant of a man both physically and in every other way. My kids adored him also. We were shocked to find out that on top of everything else he had cancer in his bones and that it had spread to other parts of his body. It was heart breaking to see him become so weak and helpless. Even though he was very frail and in much pain from all the other complications, he never lost his will to live and although he was not able to even sit up for the last four months he would ask us daily to bring him his clothes and two strong men that could carry him to the car so he could go home. One time, after he had pulled out his feeding tube, his wife and I tried to coax him to eat on his own but he gritted his teeth and turned his head away from the spoon like a little boy would do and once again asked for his shoes (forgetting he had only one leg). We told him if he opened his mouth and chewed the food that we would bring him his shoe, and he smiled sheepishly and replied, "One shoe is not worth THAT much!" He never lost his sense of humor. He was hilarious.

He was also a very hard worker and always true to his word. He was self-taught and in spite of only a few years of schooling he could hold his own in any conversation about anything and everything. He was very well informed, very well read and he ALWAYS had an opinion. I loved the fact that he had strong convictions........EXCEPT when it came to God. Just like most people, he had his own misconceptions about God and the hereafter. Because he was raised in a communist country he could not fathom an omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God. He would laugh when I talked about Jesus and then kid me that IF there was a man who walked on the water two thousand years ago then he could probably do that because he was a spaceman from another planet.

Fortunately, and because of many prayers offered up on his behalf, he did not remain in darkness. After my mother died he met a precious lady who was committed to God. She transformed his life and very shortly after he then allowed the Lord to transform him. He continually kept telling everyone that life was �never better than this' and that he wished that he was younger so that he could enjoy it longer. In the hospital I kept reminding him that the best was yet to come because God said in 1 Cor. 2:9 "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." (KJV) It is the one thing that brings me comfort and lessens my grief plus the assurance that my dad is beholding the face of God and that one day in the not too distant future we will be reunited around the throne of God.

Until then, there will be a gaping hole in my life and in my heart but I will not dread any upcoming Father's Days because I know that both my Heavenly Father and my earthly dad are looking down from above, assuring me of their love.

My other reason for writing this article is to encourage everyone on this upcoming Father's Day to reach out to the Lord who longs to be known as "Abba Father" which translated means �Daddy', implying that He wants a close, intimate relationship with His children.

He will become your Father and adopt you into the Family of God the moment you turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and receive Him as your Savior, trusting in Him alone to save you. You will then truly experience the unfathomable depth and revelation of His grace and love.

Whatever Will Be --- Might Not!

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 22:55:21 PST

Whatever Will Be --- Might Not!

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand that we cannot control most things in this life. For example, we cannot control the weather. Not the rain, nor the snow, nor the wind. We are totally powerless, except of course when we pray, at which point intervention could come from God Almighty who alone is omnipotent and able to change the laws of nature. Otherwise, it is simply a fact of life that there are innumerable things that are beyond our ability, regardless of our genius. I realize we have many limitations but when I heard Pastor Dan Turpin preach a message stating that we have very limited control over our own bodies I did an about-face and thought, "What is he saying? He must be wrong. Of COURSE I have absolute and total control over my own body!"

Wrong. It didn't take him long at all to show that we have almost NO CONTROL over most parts.

He went on to list a variety of conditions that occur regardless of whether we want them to or not. He pointed out how we cannot command our hearts to stop beating. We cannot tell our stomachs to stop craving or churning. We cannot demand our nerves to stop feeling. We cannot keep our hair from falling out, or for that matter, to even remain the same color. Our skin will not stay smooth and our eyes will not remain bright no matter what we do. And, worst of all, we certainly cannot stop aging.

I had never before considered the sheer reality behind these simple facts. It was a bit distressing and I found it very unamusing. I ended up thinking about this for days and finally decided that it needed to be in my next article.

As is often the case, my life seems to be on �fast forward'. Organizing my speaking engagements for April and May plus preparing to transport almost everything I own to Canada for the next six months, amongst a million other things, wiped me out totally. Since I only had a set amount of time for each and every task I began writing this article immediately. The only problem was that I ran into a brick wall right about here. I had NO IDEA of what I wanted to say past this point. Knowing that it is useless to try to be creative when I'm completely exhausted, I decided to take a much needed nap.

Using all the faith that I could muster, I whispered an imperceptible yet very compelling prayer to God as I lay down and closed my eyes, "Lord, you KNOW how much I have to accomplish this week and you KNOW that I need to finish this article so I am believing that you could show me what to write even in my sleep --- because Lord --- I need a nap soooo badly!"

About thirty minutes later I awoke out of a very deep sleep to the sound of Doris Day singing "Que sera, sera, whatever will be will be". My husband was watching, �The Man Who Knew Too Much' in the living room. I shot out of the bed like a lightening bolt and raced to my keyboard. This was the answer to my prayer. Doris Day was WRONG! I'm certain it must have been a very nice movie, but the message was all wrong. We are not to assume that �whatever will be will be' but that we play an integral role in determining our destiny. As Pastor Turpin stated, "God has given us FREE WILL. It belongs to us. God does not control it and the principalities and powers of darkness do not control it --- we do".

By exercising that free will we choose our future both in this life and in the next. The choices and decisions we make have consequences. Our destiny does not consist of a chain of events that are just happenstance. We can choose to follow and obey God thereby allowing HIM to orchestrate the events (For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you' Jer. 29: 11 & 12 KJV) or we can choose our own path and live in rebellion to Him. As Dan Turpin so eloquently expounded, "Atrocities happen when our free will is not in tune with the nature of God. People become proud, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, angry and lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Our only hope is to surrender our greatest possession, our will and give it to God. The body and the spirit belong to God but we determine their fate (1 Cor. 6:20) The human will is God's ONLY when we surrender and give it to Him."

Might I add, if we choose to yield ourselves to the Spirit of God then the fruit of the Spirit --- love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance (Gal. 5:22 KJV) is developed and manifested in our life and in everything we do and those things are paramount in shaping our destiny.

Usually, Things Are Never What They Appear To Be

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:01:51 PST

Usually, Things Are Never What They Appear To Be

In a previous article I promised to tell you about the divine appointment which awaited me on my trip to Missouri because I wanted you to get a clearer understanding of what it means to sail smoothly through the frustrating perplexities of daily life totally confident that when we yield to the Spirit of God everything that happens to us is being orchestrated by Him so that it will ultimately work out for our good and for His glory. It is during those times when it seems like we are paddling upstream that we need to remind ourselves that God is at the helm and readily allow Him to steer the course.

My flight was delayed from the �get-go' so I had to spend the next six hours trying to catch any flight to any where which would get me to my final destination. I never dreamed that the weather could be so nasty during that time of year. By the time I had to reclaim my luggage for the third time and drag it back to the departure area, where they kept reassuring me that they would get me to where I needed to be, I felt as if I had walked no less than a hundred miles. My bags, though on wheels, had become very cumbersome and a total nuisance by then. The funny thing was, even though it is not unusual for planes to be delayed and connecting flights to get messed up in bad weather, I began to sense that God had a divine purpose and that He wanted me on a particular plane at a particular time.

Eventually, I boarded a plane which was deployed to handle all the backed up traffic and was therefore mostly empty. Just as the hatch was about to close, a very flamboyant and extremely charismatic individual, who was chatting nonchalantly, but much too loudly on his cell phone, turned to the steward and said, "Have you got anything in First Class?" The steward replied quite sarcastically, as if he had encountered this ploy many times before, that First Class was booked solid but that he could have his pick of seats anywhere else on the plane.

Even though he was obviously dripping in wealth, from his full length leather coat, that was noticeably worth more than an average person's entire wardrobe, to the very expensive laptop case that was casually draped over his shoulder, everyone could tell from his telephone conversation, which was loud enough for everyone on the plane to hear, that he was accustomed to slipping into First Class free of charge.

Undaunted by the negative rebuttal and behaving like a movie star, he parked himself one row behind and across the aisle from me and began a flirtatious power struggle with the stewardess who was trying to get him to end his call. Moments later I couldn't help but overhear him negotiating with her about the price of a can of beer. She kept repeating that the price was five dollars but he kept offering her three. He explained that he didn't have a chance to get to an ATM machine so all he had on him was three bucks. Politely she kept repeating, "I'm sorry, sir, a beer costs five dollars."

Without thinking, and before I even knew what I was doing, I reached out my arm and said, "Let me throw in the two dollars!"

Now focusing her attention on me, the stewardess announced, for everyone on the entire plane to hear, "This nice lady is going to buy you a drink."

Completely alarmed at what people might be thinking, I was very quick to explain, very loudly I might add, that I don't even drink, but that I have been caught short of funds many times and could relate to his predicament."

Ignoring my feeble explanation he immediately dove into the seat opposite mine and began �hitting' on me. Telling him repeatedly that I was NOT trying to pick him up and was on my way to see my grandchildren did not deter him in the least. His mischievous grin got even broader and his eyes became wide with expectation as he bounced around in his seat trying to find out all he could about me. Finally, determined to thwart his advances, I stammered, "I am also an ordained minister and will be preaching in Missouri this coming Sunday!"

His composure changed so dramatically that for a moment I thought the plane had stopped in midair. Suddenly the glitz and the glamour melted into a puddle of raw, broken humanity. He was desperate for something to bring meaning into his empty life. In spite of all his wealth and behind all the smoke and mirrors was a man who bore a gaping hole deep within his soul. He fired question after question at me for the next four and one half hours. I was then privileged to lead him to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, who alone is able to fill that void and transform his life forever.

Since we had both attracted a lot of attention and then in our exuberance talked so loudly that most everyone could hear our conversation, we had a very captive audience. I was very delighted to find out later that they felt like they had been to church.

Sometimes We Just Need to Give Our Heads a Shake

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:10:55 PST

Sometimes We Just Need to Give Our Heads a Shake

Back in the late 1980's, I was under the tutelage of Lorne Shepherd, an incredibly marvelous instructor/teacher who was and still is one of Canada's leading Christian Counselors. He used to stress again and again how completely and systematically Hollywood and the television conglomerates had succeeded in reshaping society and thoroughly desensitized the masses, who were in essence very moral and ethical people, into accepting ideas and philosophies that ran against the very nature of their values and their belief system. Philosophies that actually cut through the very core of decency.

Many times, as he was lecturing on some age old principle I would think, "Yes, YES, I used to believe that!" and then I'd wonder, "At what point in my life did I stop thinking in that vein and when did I lower my standards?" It became quickly apparent that I no longer saw the forest from the trees as to what so many believers in the church had embraced. At least not until someone like Lorne came along and pointed out how far we had strayed into the woods by blindly accepting what had become the 'norm', because it seemed to be considered acceptable by almost everyone else. I would often have to give my head a shake and come to the realization that just because the majority seemed to embrace certain values, that did NOT mean that those values had become right or honorable. Even though I always knew deep down that they certainly never were and never would be acceptable to God, I used to look the other way, not wanting to rock anybody's boat.

What I want to do today in this article is to simply point out, as Lorne did for me, a few areas that many Christians need to revisit because they are allowing worldly concepts to reshape their thinking and those things are becoming very detrimental to their spirituality and their walk with God. These things conflict with how we are to portray Christ to a lost and dying world. These things also conflict with the admonition to be 'unspotted from the world' (James 1:27 KJV)

Now my case in point... I was recently sent an e-mail with a link to view a 'Christian' comedian's web site with a note saying that he was hilarious. It did not take very long after watching a few previews from his various acts to put me into a 'Holy Ghost rage'. (I guess for the sake of sounding 'spiritual' I should be using the term 'righteous indignation') At any rate, I was flabbergasted to hear this comedian making fun of and sabotaging everything that I hold dear in a very crude and almost vulgar manner. He was demeaning the institution of marriage. He was undermining parenthood and depicting moms and dads as complete morons who were totally void of any common sense. He was portraying people that home school their children as complete nerds. He was very insulting and disrespectful to other religions and even mocked the practice of saying 'grace' before meals as totally ludicrous, meaningless nonsense. The entire thing was an insult to my intelligence. I thought, "Why don't you leave these vicious attacks on the things that I deem as wholesome to the 'Late Night Talk Show Hosts'?"

What concerned me more than anything were the commendations on his site from the churches where he had performed. They wrote, "AMAZING ... best ever... the entire crown was doubled over!" and comments such as, "It was a riot ... and it was a big plus for our church. We had more invited guests for this comedy night than for any other event we've had." The one that broke my heart the most was, "He was incredible! It was the first concert event in our church's history, and he put on a show that rocked the house. People not only laughed all night but bonded together in community. Thank God for this ministry to the body!"

I could hardly believe what I was reading. Words like, 'rocked the house' are not conducive to the holiness and sanctity of the altar of our Lord. Have we forgotten that God's house is supposed to be called a 'House of Prayer' and the altar a place where sinners come to repentance, not a replica of a stage in some Vegas nightclub?

This reminded me of a pastor of the largest mega-church out in California who announced from the pulpit on a Sunday morning a few years ago that imitation was the best form of flattery and then proceeded to do an imitation of Jimi Hendricks who was a head-banging, guitar-smashing, acid rocker who died by choking on his own vomit after a drug overdose. This 1960's wild man was considered lewd and indecent and was known to have used psychedelic drugs and have demonic visions. His song, Purple Haze, glorified drugs which were used to produce 'magical effects'. He was involved in occultism and mysticism and these themes permeated his music, yet, this pastor considered it thoroughly appropriate to pick up a guitar and mimic this poor, lost soul. What is even more outrageous is that most of his congregation was clapping and singing along and having a real 'blast'.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if a pastor such as the above would mimic the apostle Paul instead, who said, "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. ... But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light; for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore, he saith, 'Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.' (Eph. 5:8-11, 13-16 KJV)

Paul also gave some very wise counsel to the leaders of the churches, so I can't think of a better way to close this article than to quote him; "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." (Acts 20:26-32 KJV)

Hark the Harold Angels CRINGE

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:03:24 PST

Hark the Harold Angels CRINGE

My day started out like any other day --- totally open and receptive to anything God wanted me to do or anywhere He wanted me to go. The only thing that I had on my own agenda was to write this month's article about this most incredible divine appointment which I encountered on my trip to Missouri last week. I grabbed a coffee and parked myself at my computer. Naturally, I was going to check my e-mail first. BIG mistake!

I should never have opened the first one. It was from a well known ministry that sends out �daily devotionals'. Quite often there would be things that would make me flinch but today it really saddened me when they quoted the Dalai Lama who is the top spiritual leader and guru in the Buddhist faith. "WHY in the world would they DO THAT?!!" I wondered? I contacted them and asked, "Could you not find a CHRISTIAN that is worth quoting? ... and by the way, please remove me from your mailing list."

I'm certain you can tell what kind of frame of mind this put me in. Sweet, passive, wishy-washy and don't-make-any-waves was not the order of the day. People assure me constantly that I really am �nice' but I know that I can be like a bull in a China shop and this was certainly one time that I did not intend to mince words.

My next big mistake was to open a �forwarded' e-mail. This was no ordinary e-mail. This one was different. This one caused my blood to boil and sparks to shoot out from my eyes. "Well, there goes my inspiration to write �A Most Amazing Thing Happened To Me On My Way to Missouri' article," I thought to myself. Then it hit me... �THIS is MAJOR inspiration!'. THIS is my passion. THIS is what keeps my motor running and my blood pumping and spurs me on in this race to continually contend for the faith because of all the nonsense that has swept into the lives, hearts and spirits of Christians who are being sucked into this deep, dark cesspool of error and confusion which is totally void of Christ.

The e-mail was entitled, �Sleep In Heavenly Peace' and showed a picture of Santa Clause taking a nap with a tiny baby on his chest who was dressed in a similar Santa suit. So far this was nothing to get cuckoo over but the caption that followed certainly did the trick. It said, �This is perhaps the cutest Christmas photo going around this year. Please spread throughout the world for everyone to see, so that maybe...just maybe, someday our world will be as peaceful as this. Merry Christmas!!!"

Do you not think, that maybe, just maybe, it's the GOSPEL that should be spread throughout the world by Christians? I know it's NOT the Dalai Lama that was given that assignment! This is the ONE time of the year that we can really push the envelope with our friends and family about the Babe in the Manger, who IS the TRUE Prince of Peace, and they cannot even accuse us of preaching at them because it is, of course, Jesus' birthday that we are supposed to be celebrating.

I began typing so fast I thought my keyboard would start smoking. I wrote back to this friend and included a picture of the baby Jesus laying in a manger with four little white lambs surrounding His humble makeshift crib. It is His picture, Emmanuel's, who's name means �God with Us', that should be sent throughout the world for everyone to see and hear and know that the Creator of the Universe came to save us from our sins and reconcile us to Himself.

Just when I thought that it could not get any worse I noticed one more �ELFyourself' Christmas greeting from yet another Christian who thought it was funny to place themselves and their family members into Elf suits and sing and dance to the tune of Jingle Bells. If you are one of them, please forgive me for pointing out that you might want to rethink your Christmas message. I love to have fun. I love a good time. People assure me that I have a wonderful sense of humor and I often roll on the floor laughing until my sides hurt, but NOT at the expense of Christ.

Throughout history God's people have been martyred and are being martyred for spreading the message of Christ to the world so how dare we waste such a God-given opportunity, in a totally free society, to lift up the name of Jesus and trivialize this most glorious time of year.

Santa Clause has been replacing Jesus for centuries. Now we have Christians flippantly substituting Santa in the place of Jesus and don't see the danger of putting Santa in the manger. A most sacred manger that was reserved solely for our Lord. It breaks my heart. I can't imagine what it does to God's. I know the angels must be sobbing.Shouldn't Christians of all people be glorifying Jesus and shouting from the rooftops that without Him there can be no CHRISTmas and outside of Him there can be no peace? It can't come through Santa. It won't come through the Dalai Lama.

So let us HAIL, let us HONOR, let us PRAISE, let us ESTEEM, let us EXALT, let us give GLORY TO and PROMOTE at every opportunity, the Lord or Lords and King of Kings!

Obviously, something has gone very wrong!

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:30:45 PST

Once upon a time... no scratch that because this is no time for fables. What is needed right now, more than ever before in history is the TRUTH, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, especially since there is so much Christian �happy talk' about chewing the meat and spitting out the bones. This is certainly not what scripture tells us to do. It clearly states that even a little leaven (error/sin) will �leaveneth' (spread throughout) the whole lump. (I Cor. 5:6 KJV)

Leaven is an additional element that alters or modifies something. Therefore, even a little error/sin alters the truth/purity of something immensely.

I'm going to use an even better analogy which I heard on television recently to clarify the �leaven parable'. The broadcaster was talking about something totally different but I'm confident it will perfectly illustrate my point. He stated that toilet water was, in essence, 99% pure water and that ONLY 1% was toilet. So, his question was, "What's the problem?" Answering his own question he screamed, "OF COURSE there is a problem! You would most certainly not want to drink it!"

That was a very astute and obvious conclusion. With that in mind, let me say that most Christians would reject anyone that claimed to be against Christ or His teachings without hesitation. Yet, these same people are being fed dangerous heresy little by little, in small doses and being led into flagrant error by people claiming to be preaching the Word of God.

I'm presuming that their reasoning must be that because it is presented from a church pulpit or on Christian television then it must be biblical. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have heard countless anti-biblical statements espoused with little regard for doctrine and nobody seems to even notice. While some of these �concepts' have been very subtle, others merely jump up and hit you in the face because they are so totally contrary to God's Word. The one common denominator though is that they all contain a LOT of truth. That is how deception works. It cloaks itself in truth so that the person being deceived is totally unaware that they ARE being deceived. It's that simple. Light and darkness become all rolled into one just like Satan planned. You then drift further and further into darkness because you've become accustomed to the darkness.

That is why Jesus warned that �DECEPTION' would be a sure sign that we were living in the end times. Notice what He says in Matthew 24, �Take heed that no man deceive you.......for MANY shall come in MY name and shall deceive MANY'. Notice that they are coming representing Christ! They are coming in HIS name! �And (they) shall show great signs and wonders; inasmuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold I have told you before.' (KJV)

The Apostle Paul also warned, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (the Day of the Lord) shall not come, except there come a falling away first." (II Thess. 2:3 KJV)

How could there be a great falling away from Christ? How could people be led away from the truth without knowing it? Obviously by following �another Jesus' who's primary function is to make them rich.

Could the answer also be that people no longer read God's Word and �do not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Tim. 4:3, 4 KJV)

The fables are only a minute problem compared to the bigger picture. My case in point, and I'm going to have to be ambiguous here so you are going to have to read between the lines because people have been taken off of radio and television and their web sites are being targeted for removal because they were exposing what is happening. (so much for freedom of speech) There is a new spirituality within Christianity that is being promoted and it is going to lead to the greatest apostasy this world has ever known.

There are countless events that I could mention but I'll just share this one particular program that I watched on Christian television where the evangelist stated that he was going to a mid-east country and that he would be praying with their religious clerics. He did not say that he was going to be praying �FOR' them. Not praying that they would see the truth and turn to Jesus Christ for salvation, but that he would be praying �WITH' them. That was shocking enough but then he continued and said that he would be reading prayers from �THEIR' religious book.

Now folks, I have a very serious problem with that! The problem, you see, is not only mine but it is spelled out clearly in the Book of Revelation which emphatically cautions us not to be seduced into the �One World Religion' that will be formed just prior to Christ's return, which will incorporate all belief systems into one big melting pot. Yet, eastern mysticism has swept into the church like a tidal wave.

How can Christians be practicing rituals and meditations that are contrary to the Word of God? How can they be praying to �another' God without even knowing it? The answer is deception. The same deception that blinded people in Noah's day.

"But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.' (Matt. 24: 38, 39 KJV)

Obviously, they refused to listen to the warnings!

Please Feel Free to Call Me an Intolerant Bigot....

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:14:32 PST

Please feel free to call me an intolerant bigot...

If by that you mean that I am strongly partial to my religious beliefs and intolerant of those who differ, then I would be most honored. I would also be in very good company with the likes of the apostles Paul, James and John and most notably Jesus Himself.

When you look up the definition of the word �intolerant' it simply means �not tolerating or respecting beliefs and opinions different from one's own, as in political or religious matters'. You don't have to be a rocket scientist or even read much of the New Testament to clearly see why those mentioned above qualify unequivocally.

My best example would be from John 14:6 where Jesus stated adamantly, "No man cometh to the Father but through me!" (KJV) There is simply no room to maneuver in that statement. There is "0" tolerance.

The word �bigot' means �one who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ. A good example would be when Peter said, "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name (the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth) under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 KJV)

As a matter of fact, every single writer of the entire Bible needs to be considered an intolerant bigot because they stressed that it was either �God's way' or the �Highway'. They taught God's people how to distinguish between the �holy' and the �profane' and the �clean and the unclean'. Something was either �of God' or it was �opposed to God'. It was either �good' or it was �evil'. It was either �light' or it was �darkness'. There was never a gray area (which people just love to concoct for themselves) and that is because God operates in absolutes. The writers all had the courage to stand up and expose the error in their midst just as Joshua had to do regarding an accursed thing which Achan had brought into the camp. (read Joshua chapter 6 and Deut. 7:26)

I'm certain that by now you can already tell that I'm in a flap about something. And yes, I am. I am horrified and greatly saddened that an evangelical church which belongs to one of the biggest denominations in America could descend so deeply into deception.

Hanging on the walls of the long hallway that leads to the restrooms of this church were more than half a dozen life-sized cutouts of what they classified as their 'Super heroes'. There was a six foot tall Spiderman and also a huge picture of Superman. This was shocking enough but when I got to a poster of Yoda I totally lost it because Yoda is a demonic looking creature who is portrayed as a powerful Jedi master in the fictional Star Wars Universe.

I began to rant and rave to my friend who had invited me that these fictional characters had no business being hung on the walls of a church. Especially since their coveted superpowers were subliminally replacing the attributes of Jesus Himself in the minds of young people. If they wanted a hallway of super heroes than they should hang posters of firemen and police officers and the soldiers who are fighting for our freedom not creatures who's eyes look like they have seen the very depths of hell itself. She said that people have complained to the pastor but he said that his son, who was barely out of his teens, came up with the idea and if people have a problem with it then they are very immature Christians.

I then ran to my pew to get a bible and have her read Ezekiel chapter eight where the Lord says that He is about to leave His sanctuary because they have provoked Him to anger because of the �great abominations that were portrayed upon the walls round about. There was every form of creeping things and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.'

My husband came back from viewing this outrageous fiasco and asked, "How can a church possibly get to this point?" Just then the music began. My spirit became so alarmed and so distressed that for a moment I did not know what to do. I sat frozen with my mouth hanging open. The �drumming' which I have heard and read about, but never experienced, grated my entire body, soul and spirit to it's very core. I felt as if I was about to be attacked by something savage, ferocious and extremely cruel. The beat was so hostile that my husband began to sob uncontrollably. He jumped to his feet and left the building. I followed.

My friend came out and said that a visiting evangelist brought the music to their church a few months ago and suggested that I talk to the pastor. My question was' "Why? He has already given his opinion regarding the �hallway of heroes'. If he does not have enough discernment to realize that �another spirit' has taken control of his church then there is nothing that I could say that would make an iota of a difference. I have a difficult enough task of getting churches to give up Halloween, much less Spiderman.

Nevertheless, I went and printed out about 20 pages from God's Word pertaining to this very subject. The next day, when he was presented with it he became very angry... at me!

Would you not think that if there was something so vile happening in your church that it actually caused someone to sob out loud that you might want to stop everything that you were doing and get the entire church to pray and fast about the matter?

Maybe they haven't read Romans 1, verses 21 ' 25, "....but they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things......who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator...' (KJV)

Or maybe they have simply lost their understanding of God, as in Jeremiah 5:21, "Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: Fear ye not Me? saith the Lord; will ye not tremble at my presence?"

Sing in the Midst of Disaster

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:33:27 PST

Sing in the Midst of Disaster

Last month I was pretty excited because the Lord had intervened so supernaturally regarding a pretty serious crisis that had cropped up in my life. In actuality that predicament was just the culmination of a long list of extenuating circumstances that had escalated and progressed until it became apparent that all these very grave and life-altering events were not a normal progression of circumstances but were obviously an attack orchestrated by �the powers of darkness' that Ephesians chapter 6 talks about. I mean, it was like the powers of hell were suddenly unleashed.

They were certainly far beyond my natural ability to resolve. So, I imitated what those bold and fearless men of God in the bible did when they were powerless and I began to sing and praise the Lord. That is what King Jehoshaphat did in the Old Testament and that is what Paul and Silas did in the New until God fought the battle on their behalf and delivered them. I was more than happy to relinquish this entire mess to the One that has some serious clout, not only in heaven but also on earth.

Although I don't want to repeat myself I need to reiterate the part about how the Lord showed a friend, who lives thousands of miles away, that I was in the fiery furnace and that the fire was getting hotter and hotter. She said that God was going to send Warring Angels to deliver me from the flames that wanted to consume me and that all I needed to do was to stand in faith and trust God and to sing, and then sing some more, the same way Jehoshaphat did when he came up against insurmountable odds and the same way Paul and Silas did when they were imprisoned.

That was amazing! The fact that she mentioned these particular people from the thousands that could have been used as an example was pretty spectacular in itself, but, God used a third confirmation which was so remarkably specific that even an atheist would have to acknowledge that it was a miracle. She told me to read Psalm 27 and to get a flag and to wave it symbolically, unbeknownst to her that I had the word �flag' written in the notation of my bible beside that very same psalm.

How much clearer could it be? It was as if God literally arrived on the scene in the midst of all the turmoil. It was really encouraging and at the same time extremely humbling to know that God was reaching down and was about to set things straight. I realized that God was going to do battle for me. I had total peace. I certainly didn't need any additional proof or further confirmation so what happened over the next two days was obviously orchestrated to build YOUR faith for the circumstances that are happening in YOUR life. Or, maybe God wants to prepare you for those things that are yet to come. Either way, I am convinced they happened so that you would know that God is aware of your situation and that He is willing to undertake for YOU.

The fact that God used David Wilkerson in these two additional confirmations, to further emphasis His solution to the dilemmas we face in our lives, is not surprising because I respect him as a prophet sent by God. Therefore the Lord has him pop up at all the strategic points in my life knowing that I will pay close attention.

The first confirmation jumped off the page and almost hit me in the face when my friend brought me a pile of mail that she had been holding for me. Tucked away in this stack was an article in which Wilkerson used King Jehoshaphat as an example, showing what he did when he faced an invasion by a massive army. As his nation trembled helplessly before this mighty force... Jehoshaphat sang! As he sang God simply had the enemy turn on itself and destroy itself.

The second confirmation, which is actually number five, was a taped message of the sermon he preached just recently warning of a sudden cataclysmic event which the Lord showed him was imminent. He believes that it is going to occur in the United States, yet the entire world is going to be affected by it. He believes that Isaiah 24 prophecies about the events of a day when everything is going to be turned upside down. It is going to be beyond man's human ability to cope with the aftermath. The world is going to be changed in one hour. He also believes that the church is going to be changed in one hour and enter her destiny. His sermon was not intended to instill fear in anyone but to show that God loves us so much that He warns us in advance.

The crux of his message though was that in the midst of all this destruction he saw that God's people will be �singing the song of the Lord.' They will be �singing for the majesty of the Lord in the midst of the fire' (Isaiah 24:14, 15 paraphrased) because the children of the Most High God do not sorrow as the world sorrows because we know that God is in control. As that old hymn so aptly declares, �He holds the whole the world in His hands.' Therefore, we have absolutely nothing to fear.

Let me emphasize that the time to start singing is not after disaster strikes but now. Right now, begin to sing and build yourself up so that you can stand strong and bring strength and peace to those around you.

For those of you who are in the midst of your fire right now.... it is not too late to start singing because �the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show HIMSELF strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.' (II Chron. 16:9 KJV)

Let Me Give You God's Cell Phone Number

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:00:22 PST

Let Me Give You God's Cell Phone Number

If you have been reading my articles for any length of time you probably remember that back in 1991 it seemed as if my life had blown up in my face. I use the word �seemed' because I totally lost my understanding of God for more than three and one half years because of what transpired. We (my husband and I) were embezzled out of an incredible amount of money when we sold the 82 acre farm which we held as an investment. The funds from the sale of that farm were absolutely crucial. They were going to be used to eliminate the large mortgage that we owed on a third property which we had intended to turn into a shelter for abused women. By the time all the dust settled, we were left with exactly 36 cents to our name. This could not have happened at a worse moment in our lives because at that time we had two sons in university and our youngest son was about to enter Bible College.

Prior to that point in my life I had a direct line to heaven. Suddenly it seemed as if the phone had become disconnected and the line had gone dead. I could not hear from God. He seemed to be totally silent. What I didn't realize until after those three and one half pitiful years was that He was speaking loud and clear but not in the way I expected or was accustomed to. My focus was on what I had lost instead of on what the Lord was providing because He completely and totally met our needs, each and every one, on a day to day basis. Just as the Lord had sent the prophet Elijah to the Brook Cherith and sustained him there, He had a little brook prepared for me but I barely noticed because it was just a slow, steady trickle instead of a torrent like Niagara Falls. I did not have a week's worth of shopping or a month's supply of groceries in my fridge, but God did send those ravens each and every day just as He did for Elijah.

I'm shocked now when I think back to that time that I did not see the hand of God supernaturally intervening again and again. I guess it was because I had always been very self-sufficient and accustomed to making truckloads of money. So, instead of focusing on God's miraculous provisions, I became so discombobulated that I could barely function. So much for my �massive faith'! Since my husband was also a workaholic, the trauma of losing 25 years worth of blood, sweat and tears and having absolutely nothing to show for it caused him to start having heart attacks and his health deteriorated dramatically. His faith was in me rather than in God so when I began to live in a constant state of anxiety his world crumbled.

That life changing event and the years that followed taught me some incredible lessons and changed my life so dramatically that I intend to write a new book about the entire experience and the thousands of miracles that God enacted for us. There were literally thousands because God had to intervene MANY times a day because we had come to the end of ourselves and our own efforts. I know that story will help and encourage many people and give them hope to believe God in the midst of their own disastrous situations.

Sixteen years later, and now much older, something just as earthshaking happened again. But, THIS time I am not only older, I am MUCH WISER so I immediately ran to get a word from God and just happened to open my bible at 2 Chronicles chapter 20 where the Lord told King Jehoshaphat to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Then as Jehoshaphat stood and began to sing and praise the Lord, God intervened on his behalf. You really need to read this incredible story of God's faithfulness.

Since our current catastrophe is too big for us to handle I know that I will just have to �stand' and believe that God will work it all out. So this morning I reminded my husband that when Paul and Silas were beaten and then thrown into that horrible dungeon, forced to sit in their own filth with their feet shackled, that they did not murmor or complain or panic but they started to sing praises to their God and suddenly an earthquake shook the prison so hard that the doors were thrust open and their chains fell off and the Lord delivered them supernaturally. (Acts 16) I then spent the morning singing and worshipping God instead of falling apart.

Later in the day I pondered some ideas and topics for this month's article. I had actually wrestled for an entire week on what to write. I was having some difficulty until just after supper when I sat at the computer and began typing this story to this very spot right here.... and that's when I received my confirmation from heaven. My friend Lena called from Dominica and said that God had prompted her to call and prophecy over me. Under a tremendous anointing she said that the Lord told her that I was in a fierce battle. I had been cast into the fiery furnace and the heat was being turned higher and hotter but that if I do (don't miss this...) what Paul and Silas did and sing praises to our God that He would release Warring Angels to deliver me. Then she continued (don't miss this either) that I should just �stand still and see the salvation of the Lord' as Jehoshaphat did because God was going to fight on my behalf.

Then, she told me to get a flag and wave it as I sang. It would be a symbol that I already have the victory. Then (it just gets better) she said that the Lord specifically wanted me to read Psalm 27. When I turned to that psalm I saw a notation in the margin that said, �see FLAG article #40 March 2002'.

That's three separate, prophetic confirmations of God's intended intervention. How's THAT for a direct line to heaven?

Many of you are in the fight of your lives and it's taking everything within you to maintain your faith in God but this article is YOUR answer from heaven and the Lord is saying to you, "Trust in me. I will see you through this problem. Don't let the devil steal your joy. Sing songs of praise! Rejoice! Then watch and see what marvelous things I will do for you!"

The perfect ending to this article is a quote from Jeremy Taylor ... "It is impossible for that man to despair who remembers that his Helper is omnipotent."

His number is 1-800-SING-PRAISES-TO-HIS-NAME

Have You Checked Your Oil Lately?

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 21:53:05 PST

Have You Checked Your Oil Lately?

The moment I read one of the questions posted on my web site by a lady who wanted some clarity regarding one of Jesus' parables found in Matthew Chapter 25, called the Parable of the Ten Virgins, I knew that I should write an entire article on the subject. I preach on it often and it comes up in almost every one of my sermons. I consider it THAT important because Jesus did not prophecy very often during His ministry on earth. So when He does give a glimpse into future events, we should really pay extra attention.

The virgins in this parable are awaiting and preparing for the arrival of the bridegroom. They are getting ready to participate in a wedding feast, which according to Jewish culture usually lasted an entire week. They are clearly a picture of the �church' or the �Bride of Christ', who are commonly referred to as Christians and who are preparing to sit down with their Bridegroom, Jesus, at the �Marriage Supper of the Lamb'.

These virgins are carrying lamps which are filled with oil. Since light is an expression of God's presence, the lamps are symbolic of vessels that are carrying His presence. Once we become a Christian our bodies become �temples of the Holy Ghost' (I Cor. 6:19 KJV) and oil has represented the Holy Spirit and the anointing of the Holy Spirit throughout the Old and New Testaments. Without oil, the lamps are useless. Without the Holy Spirit a person cannot be the �light of the world'. It is the Holy Spirit within a person that causes them to shine just as oil causes a lamp to glow. So Christians are encouraged to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The word �filled' in this instance is actually a verb expressing an ongoing activity, not a one-time event.

In this parable Jesus teaches that we are responsible for our own spiritual condition and cannot be incumbent on others, and that we need to be prepared for His return. He then states that five of these virgins were foolish. They were NOT prepared. They did not bring enough oil to replenish their supply and did not have enough to trim their lamps, since He, the bridegroom did not arrive until the midnight hour. By this time their oil had run dry and their lights had gone out. They missed his arrival. The door was then closed, never to open again. It was too late. They could not enter in. They could not go to Him.

Jesus, in His own words, prophecies that five out of ten... that means half, that means 50%...that means one out of every two Christians are going to miss His return. That's a staggering percentage! They are not going to be part of the bridal party. They are going to miss the wedding. They are going to miss the feast.

Let me interject right here that this shocking statistic does not give us license to go on a witch hunt trying to figure out who is the wise and who is the foolish down at the local church. The purpose of this warning is to cause us to examine our own spiritual condition. It should cause us to check to see if our light is shining brightly in the darkness and if we are fulfilling our mandate from God which is to �Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.' (Matt. 5:15) Or, is it possible that we have become foolish and our light has gone out? The odds of that happening are so tremendously high that it bears serious consideration.

If we ARE filled with the spirit of God, it will show. It will be apparent to all. A perfect example is a story that I heard the former Miss America, Cheryl Prewitt Salem share in a kind of dual, tag-team sermon with her husband Harry. They described a cross-country flight that was booked to capacity so that they ended up seated rows from each other. It didn't bother her one bit because she curled right up with a blanket and pillow and was fast asleep within minutes. Her husband on the other hand sat anticipating that the passenger seated next to her would exchange seats with him if he stared at him long enough. He soon became alarmed when he noticed this passenger leaning into Cheryl's face. He kept getting closer and closer as if he intended to kiss her. Harry's first impulse was to storm down the aisle and scream, "What do you think you're doing" but he remembered that he was an Arab and that he was on an airplane and that it was not a good idea for an Arab to be running and yelling on an airplane in this day and age.

The man, who was now less than three inches from Cheryl's nose was peering so intently that it woke her up. At that very moment he then screams loud enough for everyone on the plane to hear, "WHO ARE YOU?" Startled and still groggy from sleep, she can't think. She doesn't know who she is or where she is but manages to finally compose herself enough to say, "I'm Cheryl Salem!" The man then yells, "There's light coming out of you and you're glowing!" Now fully awake she replied in that humble and modest way that she always does, "Oh that's not ME, that's God inside of me!"

I have met this lady. I've interacted with this lady. Her life impacted me so dramatically that I wrote about it in a previous article entitled, "A Crown of Glory that Fadeth Not Away" (it's number 39 on my web site). I can state emphatically, "Yes, it's absolutely true, she DOES glow!" I'm not surprised to hear that she even glows in her sleep.

I can also state emphatically that Christ EXPECTS His followers to be shining and radiating His light! Whether we do or not, is not dependent upon whether or not we call ourselves �Christians', but on whether or not He truly lives inside our heart.