Don't Listen to the Lies

Yesterday one of my high school classmates posted on Facebook that he was being chased by the police who pulled him over. They asked if he had been in a fight at a gas station moments before. Of course, my classmate said, “no,” but then heard the other officer calling the dispatch saying, “No, this is an elderly man.” It was a slap of cold water in his face—and mine since we graduated the same year. Earlier in the week I read of a pastor who asked the older people in his congregation to worship somewhere else so they could draw more young people into the crowd. That also slapped me in the face. 

I love younger people and mentor them to take over after I am gone, but we live in a youth-oriented culture where age is a liability. To be truthful, some seniors have added to the fire by becoming bitter and angry—demanding that nothing change from the way they have always done things. But we can’t sweep with a wide brush nor generalize! 

I was in senior in high school and in college during the Jesus Movement of the 70’s. This was the Christian’s answer to the Hippy, Flower Child movement happening in our world.  We loved everything about Jesus and proclaimed He was the One Way. Groups like Andre Crouch and the Disciples, Dove, Keith Green and many more used music to display their beliefs and we sang loudly. Yes, our songs were different than our parents but still proclaimed the truth of the gospel. The problem was that we sang accompanied by guitars and wore jeans (shock.) It was more than many of the congregations could handle and they alienated the youth of that day. Many left the local church and began non-denominational congregations. I didn’t leave but I did make a commitment to myself and God that I would never be an “old person like that!” What I meant was, that I would be open to new music and new ways of doing things as long as the message and the doctrine of the Bible was not altered in the process. I have kept my word. 

Just today, sitting at my piano, I played and sang (for His enjoyment only,) Leeland’s, Way Maker, and my heart was stirred to know that God is always working. Then from somewhere this thought came: “You are too old to sing this song or to speak into the hearts of younger people the truth of the Bible.” The enemy used the things I had read this week to cause doubt in my calling. I was devastated to say the least. I began to wonder if I was only fit to take trips to Branson and be satisfied with monthly luncheons. 

There is nothing wrong with Branson or lunches but any of you who know me, know I do not fit in that category or any category. God gave me skill sets that are different and has used these skill sets my whole life. God reminded me today as I sat in private worship, my fingers still ran across the ivory keys as well as they always did…my voice was still strong, albeit those really high notes don’t come like they used to. (so, I avoid them!) God reminded me He continues to give me messages to share and teachings from His word to encourage and urge others to stay in the fight. Tears fell. I knew all of this in my heart but my mind went to the lies of the enemy and I asked God if it was time to hang up my podium and piano.  Not three seconds later, my phone rang. I answered only to discover I was speaking with a ladies team looking for a speaker for their Hope Rally in September. The name of the rally was not lost on me. God was not finished. He answered immediately that I was still useful for the kingdom. 

Perhaps you have felt useless, as well, because your church only looks to the youthful for leading. Hold on. God has given those of us who have been around the sun many times, wisdom and patience, and persistence. These are things we only achieve with age. Don’t fall for the lies and don’t “settle” in your church if they think it is time to send you to pasture. Stand up and say you are not ready to retire from God’s army. 

As for me, encouraged once again by God,  I will not retire until someone leans over my coffin and says, “Don’t she look natural!”

he's Cooking with Gas!

This week I heard a Hollywood starlet (can’t remember her name) apologizing for being white.  Her tears were evident and she sounded very sincere. I don’t know what she plans to do with her whiteness but others are following her example. 

I think I understand what she was saying…in the course of US history, there have been whites who had slaves. There have been whites who abused people of color, there are currently whites who treat others (including other whites) with distain. These are all horrible acts done by evil people, and I grieve deeply because of them. BUT is it the whiteness of the person that caused these egregious acts? When a white child exits the birth canal, does something attach to the skin causing he or she to have preconceived ideas about race?  Of course not. 

This ploy is the next step in satan’s attempt to destroy human beings. He wants us to forget that we all were once slaves to his cunning. He wants us to forget that God freed us from his power. He wants us to believe we are just like him. He has used his ploys throughout the history of the world. There have been Egyptians, Chinese, Cambodian, Arians, and even Africans who enslaved their fellow humans causing great harm and abuse. However, these groups are not apologizing for their skin color. Why is that? Because the problem isn’t with our melanin. 

I do believe we should grieve and apologize for the acts of our ancestors. Apologizing for our skin color, however, is saying God made a mistake in our creation. No, friend, it is not the color of our skin we should be apologizing for but the condition of our hearts and the actions our hearts cause. The unregenerate heart desires power and dominance over others. The unrepentant heart will do whatever it takes to achieve these goals. They will lie, abuse, and prevent reasonable discussions in order to get their way. 

The enemy invented and is using a physiological method called gas lighting. Gas lighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception, and sanity.

This manipulation is mostly seen in abusive relationships but we are seeing on a large scale upon our society. People with evil agendas are using this method to cause us to doubt everything about us…our color, our nationality, even our family. None of us had any control over these things, yet we need to be ashamed of them. You see, if you are told something over and over by someone you trust, you begin to believe what they are telling you is true. The enemy can be very persuasive. 

Gas lighting is not new. The enemy has used this trick for thousands of years. He used it in the garden: “…Did God really say?...” Genesis 3: 1  He sowed seeds of doubt into Eve’s mind and she became confused.  The logic he presented was so clear…so she fell for his lies. We know how that turned out!  We are being told over and over if we are a certain color, if we are a certain gender, or if we have values that differ from those gas lighting us, we are worthless and should no longer exist. Sadly, many are believing this to be true as evidenced by this starlet’s confession. 

What is our defense? Believer, remember who you are in Christ. Galatians 3:28 states:“There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.” When Christ comes into our lives, He makes us new creations…our color doesn’t change but our hearts do. When our hearts change, we see others as Christ sees them; we see people who need the saving blood of Jesus.  satan doesn’t want us to know or see this because once we know the truth we are free from his abusive lies. 

We begin to love all, have compassion for all, see all as valuable creations of God. We begin to love because we have been set free. Galatians 5:1 says, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” We have a choice, Believer. We can once again be enslaved by the lies of our enemy, or realize the freedom Christ has given us. 

When that Boulder Won't Move

  

There is a line in Lauren Daigle’s popular song, Trust in You, that says, “If you don’t move that mountain, I’m wanting you to move…” I have pondered that line as I compare it with the verse in Matthew that says, “With a little faith, you can move mountains.” (Matt 17:20) If mountains in our lives aren’t moved, does it mean we don’t have faith? Perhaps you are pondering that, as well. 

Some of us have mountains…things in front of us that seem to impair our journey. We want it gone so we can move forward. Mountains are huge! But the truth is, most of us only have boulders in our way. We seem to be blocked by a person or situation we cannot see our way around. Our prayer is, “God, please move it.” Yet it remains. We sit in the boulder’s shadow, and lose faith and hope that we will ever see the victory. 

Right now, I am dealing with a huge boulder in my life. I know deeply that God wants to move me in a particular direction, but there is this obstruction I cannot get around. As I prayed, God showed me several scriptures, none of which talked about moving large rocks!  He showed me scriptures about water and the power water has. He reminded me of living water. In John 4, Jesus said to the woman at the well in John 4:10:  “Jesus answered,‘If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”

 

Living water. God also reminded me of a trip several years ago, when my husband and I did a white-water-rafting excursion on the Colorado River. At first I wasn’t sure I wanted to get on the raft because I knew there were many rapids--which are created by large boulders in the river. Many of the rapids were very dangerous. The thing that changed my mind was our guide. He was an NFL linebacker and a massive man! Not only was he huge, he knew how to maneuver our raft through the rapids to keep us safe; he had done this many times.  The obligatory picture, which was taken on our journey, showed our faces filled with fear mixed with excitement. It was so much fun…not because it wasn’t dangerous, it was fun because we trusted this huge human being to keep us safe. 

 

At one time, the boulders in the Colorado River might have impeded the flow of water, but now they were merely detours. It was a lesson I needed to remember. Living water moves forward...always. It doesn’t stagnant and become stinky. Boulders thrive in stagnant water and that is where I have found myself.  I had forgotten that living water, like a river, can wear down a mountain (the Grand Canyon) but I also had forgotten it can move over boulders until the river’s path is no longer hindered. The more living water, the deeper the flow. 

 

The same is true of God’s river in our lives. “If you knew…you 

would ask and He would give you living water.” Perhaps, I have 

been asking for the wrong thing. Perhaps, I have been asking for 

the barrier to be removed instead of Jesus showing Himself faithful 

over the barrier. There most likely will always be boulders causing 

hindrances to my journey, but I have a guide who knows how to 

flow over those boulders while the river runs forward. God’s voice 

clearly said I need to pray for more of Him, the living water. “If I 

knew Him…I would ask and He would give.” 

The Benefit of Stepping Back

There are situations in life when we have an opportunity to become angry, fearful and bitter OR peaceful, trusting, and better.  I am sure you have been in that place sometime in your life. God lead me to a very familiar passage in I Kings 18-19 about Elijah. You might remember this lesson: Elijah was told to go and show God's power to the prophets of Baal. God did an amazing miracle and many pagans turned toward the One True God. This did not make the evil leaders, Ahab and Jezebel very happy, and Elijah's life was threatened. He ran.

I am a runner...no not the kind a Fit-Bit would monitor, but the kind who runs from controversy when things get a little rough. Usually, running happens right after a time of great victory...a time when God's presence was so heavy I could touch it. The enemy craftily takes this particular time to present an attack. I want to run away.  This passage gives some points to ponder when we are in a similar situation.

• After a great victory, we are physically tired. 
• When we are tired, we allow our thoughts to run away 
• When we let our thoughts run away, we become fearful
• When we become fearful, we begin to think that we are all alone
• When we are all alone, we begin to think even God doesn't care
• When we think God doesn't care, we hide away from the world.

Does this sound familiar? As I read, I saw God in each situation:

• God gave rest to Elijah and brought him food to replenish
• God allowed Elijah to run and hide for awhile
• God spoke. 

God wasn't angry at Elijah for being human. We need to understand that. But God also wasn't going to let Elijah remain in a cave believing the lies of his fearful heart. He had called Elijah for a great work and that was more important than Elijah's feelings so He called to Elijah. Eventually, Elijah came out of hiding and heard the voice of the God who loved him.

"What are you doing here, Elijah?" I Kings 19:9 When God asks us a question, He expects honest answers and Elijah told Him everything he was feeling.  God patiently listened to every whine of His servant. When Elijah finished, God spoke truth to each of Elijah's complaints. Eventually, truth brought rest to all the fears. Elijah finally saw things from God's perspective.

I needed to hear that today as I am tempted to run from a situation. Sometimes, merely stepping back from a situation is OK. It doesn't mean I am giving up, it means I am willing to rest and allow God to show me a proper perspective of the situation.

Today, my encouragement to you is, instead of quitting, step away and listen to God's voice which will always be in a still small voice spoken deeply into your heart. That is when you know He is speaking a word only to you.

Does the Women's Movement Have Another Agenda?

In 2003, I took a course in seminary entitled, “Feminist Theology.” I had no idea what that was. I only took it because all the seminaries in our denomination joined together to hear the author of the book, The Feminist Mistake, teach the course. That, along with the fact I could visit my son, who was also in seminary at the time, convinced me to take this class. Those were not very good reasons, but I am so glad I went. God wanted to give me insight as to the agenda of the women’s movement.

The teacher, Mary Kassian, had done extensive research into the history of feminism. Her lectures taught us that feminism began long before 1963, when Betty Friedan’s book, The Feminine Mystique, was published. But it was this book which began the talking points of what would eventually be known as “The Women’s Movement,” and NOW. [National Organization of Women]

The premise of Betty Friedan’s book, suggested to women there was no way they could be happy cleaning, cooking, and taking care of their children in their homes. She gave convincing arguments that having children was the cause of the powerlessness women have, adding if a woman stayed at home taking care of children, she would never reach her full potential. 

Fast forward a couple of years and we see the appearance of the birth control pill. That surely would be the answer to our freedom. We could now decide when and if we got pregnant. The problem was, sometimes the pill did not work. So, there began a campaign to change abortion laws so women could be free from this plague called motherhood. In 1973, she and her followers succeeded when Roe vs. Wade passed in the Supreme Court.

Many in my generation, latched on to this and went around singing, “I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar.” I was completely oblivious to what was happening spiritually to my country.

While “equal rights,” and “abortion” is what generally is associated with feminism, the hidden agenda is seldom spoken about. Before Friedan’s book, feminism was based upon an idea called, “renaming,” and refers to the time when God had Adam name things. The question posed was, “Why would Adam and God get to do the naming?  We have every right to name ourselves anyway we like.” When I heard this part of the lecture, I have to admit, it made no sense to me.  Calling myself by another name, doesn’t change what I am…oh, boy was I naïve! 

In order to “rename” successfully, there needed to be some mind-changing steps or society would never agree. I cannot teach this whole course, but may I point out things a few “mind-changes” that have happened since I took that course in 2003?  

• Men are the enemy. We must destroy men to succeed. In today’s society men are shamed by terms like “toxic masculinity,” and “patriarchy,” which takes the very essence of what God intended man to be and renames it as evil. They rename the very essence of men. We see commercials portraying men as buffoons and comedy shows highlighting the superiority of women. Slowly but surely, men are being destroyed in our society.
• All men are immoral cannot be sexually pure. If they say they are, they are lying.
• There is renamingof anyone who disagrees with this agenda: bigot, racist, homophobic, old white men, and the list goes on.  There doesn’t have to be any evidence to these claims because "they" have the power to rename any person. Many are cowering because they don’t want this renamed title attached to themselves. 
• Make men more like women. Do this in many ways…convince men to get “in touch with their feminine side.”  If that doesn’t work, encourage men in the gay lifestyle so they will side with feminist feelings. 
• The latest renaming tactic is Trans-sexualism. Individuals decide, or rename, what sex they are. Please note, the vast number of people who claim they are transsexual are men wanting to be women…not the other way around. If we cannot destroy men, we will rename them "women."
• Convince society they get to decide what sex they are from the get-go. Believe it or not, birth certificates in some places do not “name” the sex of a baby until that child decides what it wants to be later in life. God no longer has a say. 
• Insist on sexual freedom. Women want to be as free sexually as they feel men are, but want no repercussions of their poor choices. They however, will hold men to higher standards than they hold and destroy them in the process. 
• Above all else, never get rid of “child sacrifice,” (abortion) for that would put women back in the dark ages of when they were prisoners in their homes. Of course, they soften the term by calling it Women’s Health. This is the main issue today and underlies many women movements and marches. 

At the end of the course, Mary Kassian, showed pictures of women involved in the Feminist movement from the start to where they ended up. Each one of the women looked more like a man than a woman.  I was shocked. Genesis 3:16b came to mind. “Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you.”  I had always thought that verse meant women would always desire a husband but the more I see what is going on today, I think it meant, you will want to be your husband; renaming what God intended. I am both shocked and saddened by this and also that so many are being taken in by it. 

Many will take issue with what is written in this blog and that is your prerogative but if you are a Christian, I ask that you open your eyes and see what is going on in our nation.  Read both of the books mentioned. See from a new spiritual perspective that possibly there is more going on in the heavenlies than we can see.  God’s enemy, satan, has always wanted to rename himself as God. In destroying all that God holds dear, perhaps, he is accomplishing his goal. But may I remind all of us, God wins in the end and we are called upon to trust the living, holy God of the universe.  

I want to end this controversial blog, by stating how God originally named us: 

·     Women are beautiful creations with the ability to feel deeply and to care for others. We alone are given the opportunity to feel life growing inside us and to birth a new baby. 

·     Women are equal in God’s eyes. Jesus honored women.

·     Women were the first ones given the opportunity to share the good news of the gospel. 

We should continue to do that and that only. 

https://www.amazon.com/Feminist-Mistake-Radical-Feminism-Culture/dp/1581345704/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1538167901&sr=8-8&keywords=mary+kassian+books

https://www.amazon.com/Feminine-Mystique-50th-Anniversary/dp/0393346781/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538168191&sr=8-1&keywords=betty+friedan+the+feminine+mystique

Proper Perspective

Let me preface this blog by saying, anythingwe do for God, anywhere, is wonderful. I do not want you to think I am against short term mission trips…nothing could be further from the truth. But, too often, I have seen churches give a spiritual elevation for people who go on mission trips. We hold them in honor as we post pictures and pray extra hard for them while they are away. (we should pray for them!) But it is almost like stating, “These are the most spiritual in our church, because they go away to serve!”  

Before you attack me, I have been on lots of short-term mission trips and they have been life-changing events in my life; events I never want to forget. But I also noticed in myself a desire to let people know I went, and I have to admit, I felt a little superior when I told them. I wanted (not consciously) for people to think better of me because I had sacrificed my time to share the Gospel. (Just being real, here!)

Why am I writing this?  Because it became evident to me (while listening to a group share their mission trip experience) that we will do things for those across the ocean we would never do for those in our own neighborhoods. I suddenly became aware that those close by are also in desperate need of the Gospel.  Examples: Seldom if ever, do we give people who reach out to rebellious teens, time to share…maybe because we are too busy keeping “those” kind of kids away from our church so we won’t have to deal with them. (ouch) There isn’t an “elevating to honor” those who work with addicts…maybe because the addicts might want to come to our church and that would give us a bad name. Do you get my point? It is much easier to deal with those kinds of issues far away from home…safely away from our comfort zone. 

But God clearly asked me that night: 

If you can go and do…why can’t you stay and do?

There was a reason Jesus first mentioned “Jerusalem” in Acts 1:8. Have we looked at our “Jerusalem” lately? The fields are white…ready to harvest…but the laborers are few. There are kids who need mentors…someone who will truly listen and care. There are people caught in all kind of issues who need to know there is an escape from their bondage. There are ministries all over Mississippi (my state) and wherever you might live; some even in your town. Perhaps you can go on a short-term mission trip to your very own neighborhood…or even your very own neighbor.  I guarantee, just like going over-seas, your life will be changed forever…plus you can sleep in your own bed! 

Gossip by Any Other Name…

Today, I became sickeningly disheartened by what is happening within the church. Believers are running to social media by the droves to add their comments about someone within the ranks of Christian leadership, who has fallen into some moral failure or innuendo. It reminds me of junior high/ high school…”did you hear about Sally?  No, what? Well…”and the whispers begin.  Before long whatever was said about Sally in that first conversation has been enhanced, added too, and embellished until it is so tantalizing we can’t help but share. It is better than Blue Bell ice cream. In the meantime, Sally is devastated because about 95% of what is being shared is untrue and no matter how much she protests, by this time, people believe what they want to.  Social media gossip is a sick type of voyeurism. We live vicariously through it. It seems we can’t help but click on every morsel of someone else’s failure. What was once their story, becomes a part of us…now, WE would never do such a thing, but we do want to experience every single detail of what that person did. We wear our Pharisaical robes and prance around in judgement while lives are forever changed.  

While we might think this only happens in secular society, I am talking about church people. The enemy has been on a rampage with leaders and recently many among us have fallen.  The true is, WE placed them on a pedestal that was too narrow and too high for them to ever remain and when they fall we point and say, “See, I told you!”  

Some of the failures are true, but there are also those who are innocently accused who have borne the same fate. We read massive reposting’s of what others have said about a person or a situation and often repost without researching the facts.

One example of an innocent person being maligned is about a popular woman Bible teacher. She had been seen talking to another woman leader whom a particular group considered a heretic.  Immediately, this Bible teacher was called a false prophet, heretic and was said to be leading women down a dark path.  They never sought the reason why this conversation took place and worse yet, they had never read nor listened to any of this teacher's teachings at all. They formed their opinions and condemned her.  Christians, men and women, all over social media joined the throngs of those who were condemning. Let’s throw her out!  When the facts were discovered to be different, it was too late, and the damage was done. Gossip.

Sometimes the rumors are true but we don’t know all the facts. Even if it is true that still doesn’t give us license to condemn.  Last year a popular football coach was fired because it was discovered he was engaging in some immoral practices. This coach had stood in pulpits stating his love for Christ. Because of his Christian stand, the enemy place a target on his head and he fell. The church responded that there should be no mercy for him.  Fact: Before this became public, he had already confessed this to his wife, who had forgiven him. Their lives were in process of being healed from his failure but when it hit the presses, his family was put in the limelight and all of them, including the innocent were destroyed.  Many in the church sat back, smug, with arms crossed, stating he got what he deserved. 

I could list more even more recent incidents but that is not the point of this message. The point is the church is engaging in massive gossip. Believers this is not to be. I am NOT condoning the moral failures of leaders. There is a higher standard for leaders, but It is up to God to take care of them.  Jesus did that with the woman caught in adultery when the robed spiritual leaders wanted her stoned to death. He simply said, “Those without sin, cast the first stone.” (John 8:2-11)

We seem to want to focus on others, don’t we? It is so much easier than focusing on ourselves.

Let me ask you: What if you were held accountable for everything that has come out of your mouth the last 20 years? What if every place you have ever gone or the things you did for the last 20 years were blasted on social media? What if your own moral failings, which God had already forgiven, were sent out on Facebook?  How would it feel?  Yes, I believe that our church leaders should be held accountable BUT what I see  happening can only be defined as downright gossip. Shame on us. We have not prayed for our leaders instead we are exceedingly glad when they fall because it takes the focus off our own failings. Perhaps we never liked them, so we relish in his/her demise. I literally became sick to my stomach last night as I heard conversations that continue to tear down other brothers and sisters in the faith. 

Folks, we are not responsible for what will happen to those who have fallen and therefore should not become judge and jury.  But we ARE responsible for what WE do in the Body of Christ.  Paul stated it like this:

Colossians 3:8-17

 ⁸ But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. ¹¹ In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. ¹⁴ Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Let's begin to focus on the log in our own eye.