Lust Exposed...Part 2

Lust has been the downfall of many believers and the world makes it no easier. God set the standard so high, that to most it seems impossible to attain. Ephesians 5:3, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” and to show that he meant business, in verse 5 he says that no such person has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Do you realize how much a hint is? It’s like putting a pinch of salt into a 200lb container of mashed potatoes, it seems insignificant to most but to God that’s too much! So why do we as believers struggle with lust so much? 3 Reasons:
*Understand that lust has many different forms (sex, pornography, homosexuality, impure thoughts, masturbation, etc.)

1. Acceptable. Just watching television for five minutes you’ll see that everything God says is wrong the world says its alright. Using homosexuality for example, every believer knows (or should know) that this is wrong but the world has painted it as normal and natural. People say things like they were born gay or God accepts me just as I am. (No you weren’t and God accepts you not your sin.) What used to be taboo is now accepted and embraced, even more than Christianity. I was listening to the radio this morning and there is a group home worker who took their kids to the beach and while at the beach there were different bands or music being played and there was some Christian music played in the mix. The group home worker was suspended without pay because she exposed the children to Christian music! He/she in no way tried to convert the children, they were just exposed to it! But all the music talking about sex, guns, and drugs is acceptable….
2. Accessible. It has never been easier to gain access to pornography or even sex for that matter. I was on youtube one time and typed the title of a Christian song and found the song. Then out of curiosity of how far I could go I began to click on different videos in the “suggested videos” box and before long I was at X-rated videos! There are so many free pornographic websites with no way to keep us out. It’s like putting a fat kid in a candy store and say everything is free but you can’t have any. Disaster waiting to happen! I was talking to a college student tonight and he was telling me how easy it is to find someone to have sex with, it’s scary.
3. Attractive. The world has glorified sex outside of marriage. It’s almost taboo to say, “I’m saving myself for marriage.” Looking at music, movies, even commercials they all promote lustful things and make them look soo good. It’s not hard to say no to something that isn’t attractive, but when it looks good, smells good, feels good, its not so easy.

So how do we combat this enemy……leave your response before my next post

Lust Exposed...Part 1

For personal reasons, I have been studying and gathering insight on lust and feel its time to expose the enemy. Part 1 is a small but powerful revelation I recieve last week while battling lust. (please leave your feedback)

A lot of times we feel like our lust or sexual struggles do not affect other people, especially when no one else knows about them but this is farthest from the truth. Last week God showed me just how much it can affect the one closest to me, my future wife. The affect of sexual sins are evident in generational curses but when you don’t have kids or aren’t close to having kids you can procrastinate. So God had to use something that would hit closer to home. When we give ourselves to pornography or multiple sexual partners or sexual fantasies we are hurting our spouse or future spouse. What we’re doing, whether we realize it or not, is creating a standard in our mind that our spouse will never be able to reach. By filling our minds and hearts with these images and expectations, we program ourselves to know what pleases us and as time goes on it takes more to please us. This is one of the dangers of engaging in premarital sex.

Side note: This is also a good reason why you should not be dating or courting when you are nowhere near ready to move toward marriage. I’ve talked about this in a previous blog but when we think of girlfriend/boyfriend and friendships, the only real difference is the physical aspect; the hugging, holding hands, kissing, etc. But when you’re 15 or 16 or even an adult and engaging in this level of physical activity, soon it will no longer satisfy you and you’ll want more. Why open the door when you can’t go all the way in?

But we’re actually setting unrealistic expectations that our spouse or future spouse will never be able to match up to. That scared me, to know that by what I’m giving myself to, I’m placing myself and my future wife in a position to where she will not be able to satisfy me. And it will only be my fault! Whether its multiple partners, pornography, masturbation, or sexual fantasies with every indulgence we’re raising the standard for our spouse. Lust feeds lust, meaning it’s never satisfied so it will take more to satisfy your lust or even in marriage your sex drive.

With this revelation, its blatant selfishness to continue to give oneself to such things.

Lord, your work on the cross has freed us from all sin, including lust. Help us to keep the work of the cross in view in our daily living. We repent for giving ourselves to things that do not honor you and chose this day to turn from them and pursue righteousness. Help us to walk in the knowledge of your grace and know that, “the temptations that come into our life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that we can’t stand up against it. When we are tempted, he will show us a way out so that we will not give in to it.” In Jesus name, Amen.

Preparation for Elevation

This is the first public announcement about my ordination but its not to magnify the event but the God behind it. Yes, I am being ordained as a minister and an elder on February 8. As I entered this final week of preparation the Holy Spirit spoke "service". That is what He wanted me to focus on this week and it was confirmed through an e-mail I recieved that morning. It was a testimony about a young lady who partnered with the Holy Spirit to bless a complete stranger at Food Lion. Also, that morning during my staff meeting at work, because we're a Christian organization we always have prayer and scripture at the start of the meetings. The scripture that was given was 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circustances". The person giving the scripture also recited the verse before and after "pray continually" and "don't quench the Holy Spirit". The last verse about the Holy Spirit stuck with me the rest of the day. Monday night we were having our "Seed Faith Conference" at church and after service the Holy Spirit told me to say these words to a young lady in the ministry. Immediately I began to ask if this was really God or flesh and asked for confirmation. He confirmed it when he had the young lady approach me to speak and in disobedience I chose not to say what the Spirit spoke. Immediate regret sank in and that moment stayed with me the remainder of the night and into the next day.

I prayed and asked God if the door was still open for me to share that word and it was. The next day as I reflected on the previous night's events the Holy Spirit brough to rememberance the scripture that came yesterday, "don't quench the Holy Spirit". He was showing me that when I walk in disobedience I quench/stop what He desires to do. So as I went to service Tuesday night I was looking to see if she would be there and sure enough she was there. I didn't know why she needed to hear it but because the Holy Spirit spoke it I knew she needed it. So after service I caught up with her. First, I had to apologize to her for my disobedience the previous night and then shared with her what the Spirit spoke to me. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, she began to tear up and cry, telling me how much she needed to hear that.

I was floored as I hugged her again and walked away. God's grace and mercy. How many people have not gotten what they needed because I chose to be selfish and remain in my comfort zone and not speak what the Spirit said! I know how unworthy I am but for that very reason I draw closer to the Father.

As I prepare for this elevation, I can tell you my focus has not been on preaching the gospel (the charisma) but on character. I have spent more time in prayer dealing with my issues and sins then the word to speak to the people. I understand that Sunday's sermon is with purpose and not to be taken lightly but I also understand that my life will be magnified and after reading 1 Timothy, I'm more concerned about character than charisma. I've told many people, "how can anyone desire to be a minister or the title I should say?" Looking at 1 Timothy and throughout the Word where it talks about the standard and attacks and everything else. If God didn't call me, I definately would not have pursued it.

Help this young lady!!

After reading this blog multiple times, it has gripped me and I must spread it as far as possible. Please read the blog, "I'm a believer and I need an abortion" and respond accordingly...

Dream Fulfilled?....I think not

I almost wanted to laugh when people began saying that the events of today have fulfilled the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. To make sure, I went and watched the "Dream" speech and checked if it had truly come to pass. It has not. Even if it had, what would that mean for us? His dream was pointing to return of Christ, "the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together". Your thinking is too small if you think that dream was fulfilled. Yes we've made progress on the racial side of his speech but he was speaking about biblical truth. Now let us, with the same excitement and zeal push for the biblical side of the dream. What is it going to take to wake us up spiritually as we were awaken by Obama? We must pray, pray like never before, pray without ceasing, prayer night and day, give yourselves no rest. PRAY PRAY PRAY!!!

Immediate Opening: Godparents

GODPARENTS NEEDED!!!

This was birthed through a couple of conversations with man and woman of God who see what’s going on. Godparents are spiritually responsible for the Godchildren but we have watered down the position to a nice title to give close friends of the family. It’s time to re-establish the standard they are supposed to hold.

Judges 2:10 “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.”

There is a generation that is wandering around aimlessly that is in desperate need of guidance. For whatever reason, the generation that came before them did not show them the way that they should go and now they are considered a lost generation. It is said that this same generation will be the one to usher in Christ. With that said, there is a desperate need of those who pray the prayer of Samson’s father, “teach us how to bring up the boy..”. Lord teach us how to bring up this generation!

Spiritual orphans. They have been left by their parents (or the generation that came before them) to fend for themselves. Godparents are needed, like Mordecai, to take them under our care and train them in the way they should go. We can’t complain about what their parents did not do but realize their potential and bring it forth. Raise a generation of Esther’s; they are all being brought to the Kingdom for this hour.

This is more than discipleship; we must embrace them and equip them like our own. We don’t just get them saved but we must raise them, stay with them to maturity.

Mordecai did not know he was raising a queen that would save a nation, he was faithful to what God entrusted to him. We must prove faithful. You don't know what you could be raising up when you pour into a young person. You plant the seed and be faithful and let God handle the results.

We must pray against the Delilah of the Nazarite generation. Delilah caused Samson to become bound in something that led to his premature death. (I know some believe that he died as God purposed but Delilah was his weakness). We must also pray against the Jezebel spirit, one that puts a wet blanket on the fire of a generation. We have to be very mindful of their relationships, at all cost protect their fire.

We are called to rise up a generation that walks with godly character. Training must be strict; there is no room for compromise. Those who had them before compromised and dropped them, crippling most like Mephibosheth. Don’t put them in the hands of just anybody.Let us not raise a generation that does not know God and what he has done. Count up the cost and begin to adopt these Spiritual Orphans. No previous experience necessary, just a heart of the Father and for this generation.

2009: The Year of Extreme Obedience

As I entered the last day of 2008 I petitioned God for my focus in the New Year. At the beginning of 2008 my focus was to find God; that He would become personal to me like never before. Looking back over the year I can truly say that I have a personal relationship with my heavenly Father that cannot be shaken. Seeing how He answered that prayer gave me a desire for more of Him. God I want more of you. His response was, “you will find more of me through extreme obedience”.

We were created to be the image of Christ, walking as Christ did. The greatest summary can be found in Philippians 2:5-11. Verse 8-9 says, “he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him…” In between humbling yourself and God exalting you is obedience, extreme obedience. Christ’s last words as he hung from the cross were, “it is finished”. He did everything that God commanded Him and created Him to do. When we think extreme, we usually think radical, crazy, or some word like that. God’s definition of extreme is complete, total, fully. When God says extreme obedience, its not that he wants me to go and bum-rush the main office and tell every to repent or go to hell. Extreme in the sense that a majority of those who call themselves followers of Christ only obey what is convenient but he wants someone who will obey all that he commands. Someone who will obey unto death (Phil 2:8), obey in opposition (Acts 5:29), obey in love (1 John 5:3), obey in faith (Heb 11:8), become a slave to righteousness through obedience (Rom 6:16-18).

Extreme obedience does not question what Abba Father wants me to do. He speaks, I act. This is the year to show if we really believe what we confess, the wheat and tear will be separated. The lukewarm will be exposed because everyone else will move forward (or back) but no more standing still. Faith is moving when you can’t see what’s in front of you. Because we have the God who is the creator of the universe and a big brother, Jesus, who overcame the world, what do we have to worry about if they want to do something through us?

We are not given obedience, it must be learned. Even Christ “learned obedience from what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Daily self sacrifice and denial is required. We must partner with the Holy Spirit daily to lead and guide us in all righteousness and truth. The Spirit cannot flow where flesh lives, so it’s apparent that this cannot be the “year of flesh or self”. It is impossible to walk in extreme obedience and walk in the flesh simultaneously. Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live” Romans 6:6 “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin”

This year, if there is no manifestation and fruit in our lives then we have no one to blame but ourselves. The only way we’ll see fruit is if we do it his way, extreme obedience. As I enter this New Year I enter with a level of expectation as well as humility, believing God for great things but knowing it will take my participation.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your grace and mercy in allowing your people to see a new year. I pray that in this new year, we will walk as your children, obedient to your voice. I believe that if we seek you and obey you will our whole heart that you would give us the desires of our heart, so I pray for a new boldness in our prayers to you. Father, reveal yourself to us in a most intimate way, that we would know without a doubt that your hand is upon us. We walk in extreme obedience to your word, grounded in love and faith. We commit our cause to you and desire no glory for ourselves. Father, you know those who are yours, protect us and we take our light into the darkness of this world and we’ll be careful to give you all honor, glory, and praise, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

Have a great year of Finality, Fullness, and Fruitfulness!! God Bless
-Christ’s Ambassador