Political Thuggery - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) September 13, 2024

It's election season in the United States and as usual, people have taken to pure thuggery. Democrats and Republicans continue their cycle of vicious fighting. Each side believes their presidential nominee and other down-ticket candidates must snag the offices they are running for. It is a do-or-die affair as people line up behind the political party (or person) of their choice.

My question is for the Believers who have chosen to camp with one party/person or another - how many would be ready to get 'thuggish' if the Lord asked you to do so? How many would answer God's call to brandish the Kingdom weapons of prayer, fasting, and praise to address the very issues you trust the political parties to deal with in your favor?

This is the problem. Many Believers are ready to fight via democracy but unwilling to fight spiritually for the future of the nation you claim to love so much. And when you 'pray' you solely pray your desires, never once asking the Lord what His will is so you can honor Him by praying for that. And you wonder why the nation is in shambles. You are not involving God in the issues of your life, of which politics is one.

You forget that the Bible has called on you, dear woman and man of God, to not insult your leaders. Alas, as far as you are concerned, that only applies to the leaders you prefer. You have forgotten that when Jesus spoke harshly of the Pharisees and Sadducees, He did so because it was His calling to teach them how to be better for God's purpose. Thus, even when He spoke harshly, calling them "vipers" and "hypocrites", He did so to fulfill His fiduciary duty as God's messenger and witness.

When you get on your device to insult one political side or another, are you doing it for God's purpose? When you stand on your soapbox in the digital square to support one ideology or another, does God get the glory? When you gather with like-minded individuals to lambast those who disagree with you, is that part of your ministry and Kingdom Identity? Or are you simply seeking the applause of your peers, living to please man and not God?

If any part of this message makes you uncomfortable, I praise God! Please, brother and sister in Christ, go pray and seek forgiveness for being more willing to 'fight' via elections and other worldly structures than to fight with the weapons of Christian warfare. Lay yourself at God's feet and ask Him to help you serve Him be it in the political sphere or elsewhere. Be humble enough to acknowledge that unless God tells you what He wants you to do, you run the risk of praying and acting outside of His will. Remember, only when a Christian prays according to His will do they get results (1 John 5:14-15). Why not align with God instead of being so 'thuggish' for politicians, political influencers, political parties, and the like?

And before anyone accuses me of discouraging voting, that was not the point of this message. Also, do your best not to slander me or anyone else. God hates slanderers and deals with them accordingly. That said if the Lord is placing it on your heart to vote, run and go vote. However, if you have not even taken a moment to ask the Lord whether He wants you to vote and who He wants you to vote for, please do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. You cannot claim to be a Christian and not submit every aspect of your life to Him. If you have never submitted your political interest to God, that's not good. Please take this message as your call to put your political leanings before the Lord in prayer so you receive His instruction. Then, do what He tells you and not what you want.

God bless you and see you for fellowship at Noon EST when we shall worship our God and prayerfully intercede for others. We will also invite God into the areas of our lives that we've left Him out of and ask Him to direct us.

Please consider reading:​

1. Speaking of Leaders​

2. The Only Side That Matters: The Israel - Hamas War​

3. Wear Your Kingdom Identity​

4. Practical Ways To Wear Your Kingdom Identity​

5. Beware of Partiality​

6. Flee Conspiracies​

7. You Need A Revelation​

8. You Need A Revelation: Beware The Lie​

9. Topic: Five-Fold Ministry

Stand Firm or Else - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) September 10 2024

Isaiah 7:9 - The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. The last part of that verse is often repeated by Christians but do we really understand what God meant?

The Lord gave that word to Ahaz, a one-time king of the Kingdom of Judah who also happened to be the father of King Hezekiah. This prophetic word was part of a larger message from God when the people of Judah were gathered behind the wall of Jerusalem because their nation was under attack. Two armies lay in wait beyond the city's gates - the Aramites and Judah's brother nation, the Kingdom of Israel.

Isaiah was sent to King Ahaz to tell him that the enemies at the gate would not overcome the city. He called their kings "smoldering firewood" and assured Ahaz there was no reason to fear them (Isaiah 7:4). And then, He had His prophet utter Isaiah 7:9. That verse was the condition on which God's promise hinged - if Ahaz didn't fear those kings and their armies, then the threatened destruction of Jerusalem and its people would not occur.

Often when people speak of Isaiah 7:9 they ignore the fact that it was a clause in a larger message to God's people. And because of this, many Christians are unaware that God's promises hinge on them not fearing the Goliath standing in their path. They are ignorant of Joshua and Caleb's announcement at Kadesh Barnea, the pronouncement that so pleased God that they were the only two men who survived God's culling of everyone in the wilderness who'd doubted Him. They were the only two of their generation to enter the Promised Land. Numbers 14:8-9 - If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

Christians are called to only fear God and nothing else. When we allow a spirit of fear to get the best of us, we signal to God that we might need more time to become familiar with His faithfulness before He can release the land of milk and honey to us. If not, we'll enter and the devil will use tactics to scare us into relinquishing what we received. And in such an instance, the blessings meant for God's people could end up under the control of God's enemy.

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

Look at that sentence. It is just a bunch of words until you realize the weight each carries for your journey into the promises of God. That verse is just a catchy Christian saying until you realize it is God's order to you and I to fix our faces like flint despite the attacks and oppression we face. Those words won't mean anything to us until we see that our faith is a platform we must prayerfully climb onto and not descend from until we have complete victory. If not, we will not stand at all.

And that is what happened in the time of King Ahaz. He feared the enemy and they eventually defeated him, killing 120000 warriors in one day and carting women, children and the aged as captives. That shall not be your portion IJMN, Amen. The Lord will help us take a Jairus stance as our Savior walks us to the miracle that is already on the way.

See you at Noon EST for fellowship.

Your Fiduciary Duty To God - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) September 6, 2024

Have you ever heard of the term fiduciary duty? It simply means that a person has a responsibility to do everything within their power to best serve the interests of another. Sometimes an individual has a fiduciary responsibility to an organization such as their employer. Likewise, the reverse can be true whereby an institution has a fiduciary duty to individuals such as a law firm's duty to do things in the best interests of their clients. This issue is very serious and a person or business can be sued for failing in their responsibility. The consequence can be a legal judgment costing millions.

Fiduciary duties are equally important to God. The Bible is littered with the numerous duties He has to you. Covenants He made to protect you, advance you, and heal you, etc. He also expects a fiduciary duty from those who say He is their God. Especially since you gave your life to Christ and thus committed to be more like Him and less like ... you. And if you pay attention to the way Jesus lived His life, you will see He understood He took His duty to serve God seriously. You are to do the same.

And you can faithfully and fiercely serve His interests in the territory He has placed you. That territory may be your workplace, your school, your neighborhood, or elsewhere. Your role is to serve as His representative and further His interests there.

This requires that you distinguish yourself as His child so others come looking for what you know (the answer being God Almighty). He may call on you to regularly fast and pray to protect God's purpose in your territory. Or, God may need you to act as His witness, testifying to others about what He's done for you. He may have put you in a location for the benefit of everyone there or because of a specific individual.

Do you know why God has put you in your family? Do you know why He placed you in the job He gave you? How about in the neighborhood you live in? None of these things happened randomly. Everything about your life is ordained to serve God's purpose but if you don't stop to seek His wisdom, you will fail to faithfully honor your fiduciary duty to Him and the people He planned for you to bless.

Many of us are experiencing difficulties in life because we've failed to realize that our success is not for our benefit but for God's glory. That problem you faced until God sorted it out, for instance. He didn't do it solely to make you more comfortable. He also did it so you would regularly tell others and encourage them to taste and see that your Lord is good. You'd prayed for months for a job and then you got it, for example. He didn't work that miracle just so you earn a check and have the lifestyle you have always desired. He placed you there so that you can be His instrument of light, dispersing the darkness through complete submission to Him.

Too many want God's gifts more than the Giver and His expectations. And if you consistently and unrepentantly fail in your fiduciary duties to Him, you run the risk of stepping outside of the fullness of life He promised to His faithful. Never forget the caveat contained in Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Yes, God is working things out for the good but only for those who love Him and are living in their Kingdom Identity - in their calling - for His purposes and not theirs!

If you think you are not yet serving God's purpose within the territory He placed you in, it is time for a course correction. Ask God to reveal how you are to satisfy your fiduciary duty to Him. Read your Bible and fast for revelation. If you know what He wants from you but have been stubborn, do not risk losing the promise contained in Romans 8:26 and other scriptures. Things may be comfortable right now but if God determines that, like the one-talent servant, you are not producing a profit for Him, then don't be surprised if the comforts you currently enjoy disappear. Please take God's interests seriously. Put them above your own so your blessings increase Matthew 6:33).

God has placed His word higher and more significant than His name according to Psalm 138:2. This means you can call on His name as much as you like but it is His word that really moves Him. Honor His word, bring Him profit from the talent(s) He has given to you by protecting and serving His interests in the locations He has placed you. Honor your fiduciary duty to Him and He will Honor you even the more.