Month: April 2017

I wrote in my blog titled “Soul Ties” that we connect with someone via our mind, will, or emotions and form a soul tie. Some ties can be positive, others negative. The advent of the cyberspace age has introduced a new peril far more dangerous than anything we have yet seen.

Since the beginning of time, the spoken word had the ability to keep others engrossed and even mesmerized. From stories and oral history, to plays and books, and eventually progressing to radio. This offered a different fascination in that one’s imagination was quite engaged. They found that serials of different shows like The Spirit or The Lone Ranger had people talking and waiting for the next episode. People began to relate to characters on many radio shows. Orson Welles scared thousands with his radio story of an alien invasion as if it was happening right as people listened. People began to see the power of this medium and how it could be used to make a lot of money. Television brought in a whole new form of communicating. Now you could “see” what you previously just heard. Soaps, named for soap advertisers on these continuing shows, had people so enraptured they started to act as if they knew these characters. As TV evolved, this was the case with many series. Just as with early movies, producers and directors got people hooked by using cliffhangers. You had to see the next adventure to find out what happened to your hero. So far, much of this seems tame and benign. But this was a nascent medium so far. TV series became more sophisticated and started pushing the envelope with censorship, and now we have pay TV where little is left to the imagination. People were becoming more tied to many things that were able to erode at the basic foundation of core values ~ not so much in what was shown, but from the doors that were being opened from this evolving electronic medium.

Sex sells. As soon as video joined with this, it became a multi- billion dollar business. And cyberspace has allowed this industry to increase exponentially. Porn became accepted, but the damage it has done is increasing in severity. The worst parts of these industries became even more dangerous in how it contributes to sex slave trade and abuse of children. The evil practices of idol worship under ancient civilization had nothing in comparison to what is going on today. People everywhere, including the church, are seriously addicted. It has become a worldwide pandemic evil. And surprisingly, with the advent of 24 hour news, we have a new pathological problem infecting us.

I’ve lived long enough to have seen much in the form of communication increase, but I find that which we now see in social media to be a different form of danger. What started as people catching up with each other and networking has become a venue to spew hate and hide behind a degree of anonymity. As Christians, we have no excuse to be ignorant of Satan’s devices. As it states in Ephesians 2, he is the prince of the power of the air and works diligently in the hearts of those who are disobedient to the truth of God. The enemy appeals to the natural thoughts and cravings of a rebellious mind. This is not new. Satan was a liar and a murderer from the beginning. But if we’re in Christ, we are a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things become new through our place in Him. It states in 2 Corinthians 4, that “the gods of this age has blinded the minds of those not walking in God’s truth.”

The enemy works to divide and sow discord. As it states in 1 Peter 5, “Our adversary (Satan) goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” A big roar, but actually it is bereft of power, as Christ defeated him and we are in Christ, far above every power and principality. We are told to resist the devil and remain steadfast in the faith. By submitting to God we are empowered to overcome. In Luke 10:19, the Lord tells us, “I give you power and authority over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means harm you.” But we keep conceding this territory right back to the enemy when we become constantly embroiled in this chaos and come into agreement with that which only tears down through hate and unforgiveness. Rather than pray to build up, we end up cursing through our following a wrong voice. This discord displayed in social media has caused soul ties with people you might not even converse with in person. And if you were in proximity to them, the discourse could very well be of a more conciliatory nature. But couple that with a political atmosphere that seems to just breed more contempt and division, and you can see how easily the vitriol escalates. The ties people are now making with others, commenting on views shared on TV and radio, are becoming toxic to the point of eroding even our relationship with God. He has no part in this. I clearly heard Him say that “this spirit of lies from the father of lies has filled the airways and is doing irreparable damage. And those who say they are believers have jumped in with both feet. And those who should be looking after you and protect you, are powerless because they are under the same spirit.” This is like what we heard in Matthew and Mark in the parable of the sower. The enemy comes in to steal that good word put in you. Hate and division have no part in His kingdom.

We must stop and realize how this hate spewed venom compels us to be tied to others that cause us to stay in a place that destroys our peace and our relationship with the Lord. And how can we seek to expand His kingdom when we are undermining it with our actions? Do not be partakers with these deceivers and workers of discord. Come out from among them and be separate. The Message Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10 that we don’t fight as the world does and “The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing and manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire corrupt culture.” Every warped philosophy and every evil induced argument that exalts itself against the knowledge of God must be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. If you’re part of the problem, you cannot be used as part of the solution which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

If you’ve made soul ties with those you interact with on social media, you must realize that it causes an erosion of your relationship with God. I pray you renounce it and all other attachments that have been established with people bringing about negative connectivity. Ask God to cleanse you from all that has attached itself to you through these soul ties. You need to also realize that every word spoken and all thoughts created through this media become ingrained in you, and are always before Him. They are at odds with His Spirit of truth. Pray for wisdom and a discerning ear to hear. Unlike the words spoken in cyberspace, every word of God is pure and He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Blessings.

I felt led to speak a different Easter message than is normally given. This message testifies to the gift given to us by Christ and Christ giving His life for us that speaks of things which would melt the heart of David.

In 2 Samuel 7, David proposes to Nathan the prophet his wish to build a house for the Lord which would house the ark of God. Nathan agrees with him and tells David to do all that is in his heart. But the Lord later speaks to Nathan and tells him to tell David that he cannot build a house for the Lord. He has shed too much blood. The one who will build it will be David’s son, Solomon. Yet every part of the architectural plan, to the most tiny and exacting detail, was given to David who then instructed his son, Solomon. But David was not left out. God instead told David that He would build him a house. The Davidic covenant. His bloodline and throne would be established forever. The bloodline of Jesus the Messiah. David’s words show his understanding of this and his humility. He says in 2 Samuel 7:18, “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house that You have brought me this far?” He then verbally confirms his place in God’s decision and prays a prayer to the Lord in verses 28-29 saying, “O Lord, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

David knew full well of the magnitude of what God had promised him. A blessing beyond imagination. David was a man after God’s heart. His love for God was without question. The temple that Solomon built was done to perfection. The stones that were made were done so outside of the temple. They were so perfectly made that no finish work was necessary when placed in the temple. This speaks to us in Ephesians 2. Through the death of Jesus we are given a house of the Lord also. Us. Our body. The Passion Translation says in verse 21-22 that “This entire building is under construction and is continually growing under His supervision until it rises up completed as the holy temple of the Lord himself. This means that God is transforming each one of you into the Holy of Holies, his dwelling place, through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you.”

Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 14 and told them that He was going away. The full impact of His dying on the cross was not understood. Jesus tells them He must go but that He will not leave them orphans. The Passion Translation of John 14:16-17 says that “I will ask the Father and He will give you another Savior, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like Me – and He will never leave you. The world won’t receive Him because they can’t see Him or know Him. But you will know Him intimately, because He will make His home in you and will live inside of you.” He promised to make us His habitation. He said the Helper would guide us into all truth and would glorify Jesus.

Do you realize that it states in Romans 8:11, that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us? And in Romans 5:5, that the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us! In 2 Corinthians, we see that the Holy Spirit was given to us as a guarantee. But more like a deposit with redemptive value. So, when we give up these earthly tents, we will be present with God. Paul asks us in 1 Corinthians 3, if we know that we are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you. The very concept of this is only conceived in our hearts by faith. And this, too, is a gift of God. This Christ in us, the hope of glory, lives in me. And this life I live in the flesh, I live BY the faith of God, who loved me and died for me.

In 1 Corinthians 2:9 it says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” We have been given the Holy Spirit as His gift to dwell in us. We did nothing by works to deserve this. It is His love for us that is so profound and deep that He sent His son to die for us that we might not only have eternal life and forgiveness of sins, but an earthly abode for His Spirit to dwell in us and guide us. We were bought at a price that cannot be calculated in our understanding. We are redeemed by His blood according to the riches of His grace. And the temple we provide for Him speaks of our love for Him. We are all fixer uppers. There are times I seem to have forgotten who lives in me. Parts of me have been closed off to Him. I took my eyes off the prize. We all do this yet He is faithful. And when we confess, He forgives. Only in Him are we complete. We must all check daily to see if we are in the faith. To see if we are a house that even we would want to live in, much less the Spirit of God. We must have the heart of David and say to our heavenly Father, who am I that You would dwell in me? That You would die for me, a sinner, and then make me a temple of Your Spirit. This seems ineffable. Too sacred and special to be put into words. Yet I receive this love.

I pray we all have a walk worthy of the Lord. Fully pleasing Him. Increasing in the knowledge of Him. I pray we are strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power and that we endure and remain steadfast and know His joy. I thank Him that He has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light, and to realize that He has delivered us from the power of darkness and transported us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. This Easter meditate on the gift He has given to all of us. We are “His house” and we are sons and daughters of the Most High God. Blessings.