Author: Ed Craddock

The book of Numbers tells us of a seer named Balaam. In chapter 22, Balak, the king of Moab, looks to hire Balaam to curse Israel for him as he was afraid of the power of Israel. He sends messengers to hire Balaam as Balak is aware of Balaam’s power to bless or curse. But God speaks to Balaam and tells him he cannot curse Israel for they are blessed. So, Balaam tells the men Balak has sent to return to their land for God will not allow him to curse Israel. Balak undeterred, sends a greater retinue of men with promises of great honor for Balaam. He played to Balaam’s vanity.  Balaam still refuses to curse Israel, but he then adds of his own volition that he would not curse Israel no matter how much silver or gold was offered to him. But as yet, the amount of riches was not discussed, so why did Balaam broach the subject of riches? And therein lies the problem with many prophets today that seek after riches to be compensated for the words that they give. And though Balaam had protested he would not curse Israel, he still went with the messengers of Balak the next day. An angel of the Lord stood in Balaam’s way to meet Balak and were it not for his donkey recognizing the angel and speaking to Balaam in his own tongue, Balaam would have been struck dead by the angel. It’s sad yet funny how following a destructive path can cause us to miss signs so glaring as a talking donkey. But the lust of money and fame can do just that. Balaam temporarily heeded the angel’s warning, but Balak again pressured him to curse Israel and took Balaam to the high places of Baal where offerings were made to the false god Baal.

Balaam, even from the high places of idol worship and sacrifice, could not help but hear God. In fact, he eventually speaks one of the more important and prescient prophecies over Israel regarding the coming Messiah. The Lord gave Balaam an open-eyed vision of His love and plan for Israel. Balaam knew the voice of the Lord, yet foolishly lusted after fame and riches only realized by disobedience to the Lord. Proverbs 14:33 says, “Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding; But what is in the heart of fools is made known.” Balaam’s heart was not fully dedicated to the Lord. His name means one who makes a profession of religion for the sake of gain. Even with his knowledge of and encounters with the Lord, Balaam still lusted after that which was contrary to God. And we see in Numbers 31 that he once again aligned with lust and greed and was killed when Israel defeated the Midianites.

Jude 11 and 2 Peter 2 speak to the errors of Balaam and those that follow in his footsteps, like so many “prophets and apostles” today who follow the path of Balaam in their love of the wages of unrighteousness. They follow a doctrine of empty promises and promises based on their own lusts and leanings. They are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest. They speak great swelling words of emptiness and they allure through lusts of the flesh. They promise liberty while they themselves are slaves of corruption. The psalmist Asaph wrote of this in Psalm 50:16 saying, “But to the wicked God says; What right have you to declare my statutes or to take My covenant on your lips.” Yet these words do not deter any more than they did with Balaam when misdirection due to one’s own self- seeking only reveals the darker motives. And today, prophets can totally get it wrong, but rather than say it was because of wrong motives, they make excuses.  I recently listened to R.T. Kendall speak to this saying how prophets are giving their take on what will happen with Trump and how so many got it wrong with the last election. But he added they used the excuse of a stolen election as the reason that they erred.  His question then was why didn’t God tell you that was going to happen when you called the election for Trump initially? This is still going on. Those who call themselves prophets call people to follow one who diametrically opposes all Christ taught. To follow those who will make quick waste of our constitution. To basically say it’s acceptable to lie, steal, cheat, denigrate, falsely accuse, slyly or overtly embrace racism, anti-semitism, xenophobia, and nationalism. To invoke the name of the Lord while climbing to your high places of idol worship. We all sin and fall short of His glory, but this is something far more insidious. Much darker. We find warnings of this in Micah 3:11, “Her judges passing verdicts for a bribe, priests pattering oracles for pay, and prophets divining for money, and all the while relying on the Eternal, saying Surely the Eternal is among us: no evil can befall us.” (Moffat Translation) But as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5, they may say peace and safety when sudden destruction comes upon them. So, it is incumbent on all of us to not be aligned with these increasing false words from these self-serving “Balaams,” ascending to high places of self-adulation with no regard to who they cause to fall in their false ascents to their high places. Come out from among them and be separate. If there is self- seeking and that which does not truly line up with His word, reject it outright. Seek Him. Take His yoke upon you, not that of one seeking their own gain. He is gentle and humble in heart. Rest in Him. Blessings.

Jesus told us in John 8 that He is the light of the world and that if we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness but have the light of life. In Matthew 5, Jesus said that we are to be the light of the world and to let our good works so shine before men that they would see your good works and thusly glorify your Father in heaven. Lately what seems to emanate from too many is more like something that needs a new battery or that which even resembles a strobe light. You have to turn away from its annoying effects. Some follow those who allure you with garish carnival lights that may attract you, but their way leads to a destructive path. This seems to lead to a path of seduction causing many to careen into the ditch of waywardness of politics and religion. We forget His warnings of what to follow and how we must present ourselves as His followers.

Jesus said in Luke 11:34 that “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye (your conscience) is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is full of darkness.” But in verse 35 He gives a most prescient and foreboding warning saying, “Therefore take heed that the light that is in you is not darkness.” Somewhere we can follow that which may appear as light, but its roots are darkness and of evil intent. It can be mesmerizing and alluring. How have so many felt led to follow that which is the antithesis of all our Savior taught? Somehow many have come to believe that taking the earth for His Kingdom by whatever means necessary is acceptable. We CANNOT inherit His kingdom through unrighteousness. Eyesight becomes darkened by following false teachings and promises. Greed, self-serving, envy, hate, become entangled with false teaching that causes those not grounded in His light to be led astray. One becomes prey to the intellectually and spiritually dishonest. And the promise of some immediate gratification causes one to take their eyes off the prize which emanates from a foul and lie filled parallel dark world. Yet some close their spiritual eyes and hold their nose for the promise of that which allows light and darkness to co-exist simultaneously.

We are living in a time when just saying you’re a Christian can open doors for you. Forget judging one by their fruit. Lying and cheating have become acceptable by many if it will provide what one wants. The Sermon on the Mount just gets in the way of one’s desired goals. All you need to do is place a placard of the Ten Commandments everywhere and that should do the trick. Or make a spectacle of holding up the bible in a televised event. Lightning won’t strike you so that must mean you’re right with Him. We are supposed to examine ourselves to see whether or not we are in the faith, but what faith? Maybe a new one where selfishness, hating your fellow man, getting anything you can by whatever means possible, all have become acceptable. This is all a darkness that has caused a lack of self-scrutiny by not examining His word and the resulting spiritual ignorance which leads to rebellion, disobedience and unbelief. It seems to be acceptable to be yoked with those who have made up their own self-serving gospel. We must not allow ourselves to be yoked with unbelievers or those who preach a different gospel. Even an angel! Paul says in Galatians 1:8 to let them be accursed that preach such. Pray as David did in Psalm 18:28. Ask the Lord to light your lamp and enlighten your darkness.

Colossians 2:8 says, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” This is incumbent on you to ensure this doesn’t happen. If you listen to one that expresses that which is contrary to Him, it’s upon you. I look at what I see in the hatred, vengeful, and lying spirit in one that has become acceptable to his maga-followers and realize that solid food is no longer in their spiritual diets. Discerning of this spirit not of God has been lost. To some without a fight. I so pray His mercy and truth blanket this land and that we have not walked out of His grace. Romans 13:12 says, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” The time is short. I pray His light fill you. Blessings.

A couple of decades ago I attended a conference where I thought I’d be helping in prayer and doing prophetic ministry. The first evening I noticed a young but already notable evangelist staring at me. There was something in his eyes that was a pleading, and yet something that seemed to be fearful of me. Every time I saw him during this three-day conference, it was the same thing. I was thoroughly confused as I was getting no answer as to why he was looking at me this way. That first night, this man was called up to receive prayer. I was one of those praying for him. I believe God had me positioned at his feet for blessings on where he would go and where he had been. Romans 10:15 says, “And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things.” This man was an evangelist in a Muslim nation and had gone through hell. Threats, guns held in his face for long periods of time and always the fear of impending doom. The presence of the Lord was so strong as we prayed for this man that I was immersed in a most intense heat and tears were coming down my face as if by their own volition. It was such a powerful experience. The next couple of days though were more of the same. Every time I saw this man, his eyes were exhibiting both pleading and what I saw as fear.

The last evening session of the second day I was seated during a sermon. Suddenly I started to feel quite uncomfortable. Hot and sick. But most troublesome was this impending doom over me. Like the most pronounced panic attack one could imagine. I had to get out! I was seated in a middle row of the hotel conference room but managed to climb over people and get in the hallway in a flash. I never stopped to see if I had upset anyone in my escape. I’ve had heart attacks before and I wasn’t sure if I was experiencing this again, but this time with extreme fear. In the hotel hallway, I paced wondering what was happening. But then I heard the Lord say to me, “Go back and get your bible.” In my rush to escape this room and doom, I’d left my bible. I said no I would not go back into that room. I felt extremely fearful and was not sure I was not about to die. He said again, “Go back and get your bible.” I managed to go back and retrieve my bible and get out in record time. Those in the room must have thought I was an idiot. I left a message at the front desk for a pastor friend to come to my room after the meeting.

The intensity of what I was going through did not let up. In fact, at times it became worse. I was reading scriptures for all I was worth. I even called my wife to maybe come get me. At this point I was trying to figure out if I was having another heart episode. It was nearing midnight. I finally called my wife but decided that the best heart hospital was nearer to my home, and her driving to get me and bring me back would take over 6 hours. I received prayer from my pastor friend and a couple people I called, but this feeling of panic and doom would still come in waves. I prayed and did what spiritual warfare I could all night. Sleep would not come. Finally, in the morning I showered and went to breakfast. I sat alone. The last teaching session was over by noon and then I saw the young evangelist again. He looked as fearful as I felt. His eyes were still looking at me the same way. And then it was over. He said good-by to me and a few others and left. He said he couldn’t join a few of us for lunch. Something was unfinished and yet I was at such a loss as to what that was. And then during lunch he came back in and approached our table. And that spirit of intense fear came rushing at and over me in a wave. And I said out loud, “It’s you! There is a spirit of dread that has come to disable and kill you. To make you ineffective in what God has called you to do.” He started to answer that it wasn’t, that he just couldn’t go back, as he was worn out and tired. I said, “Be quiet! This goes now.” There were 5 other ministers at the table. All more seasoned than me, but they deferred to me as if by the Spirit. I prayed for this spirit of dread to go and spoke what His call was for this man. How he would go back and the thousands he would introduce to Christ. I stated what we read in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” And we spoke from Psalm 23 and 27 and 91. This dread is such a great fear compounded in the face of impending doom, terror, fright and the promise of death. He was being set free and as it left him, I noticed a lightness over me. The Lord wants us at a place where we can fully understand Isaiah 8:13, “The Lord of Hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread.”

Ephesians 6: 11-12 says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand the wiles of the devil, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The Lord later spoke to me and another minister confirmed it: He said that He allowed me to encounter the prince over the spiritual principality over Pakistan. If I did not understand this encounter, then how could I minister to the one in need of healing from this? My first reaction was stupidly to say, “What gives you this right!” I realized how stupid it was as soon as the words left my mouth. Sort of like the soldier complaining that they’re using real bullets in basic training. This experience I shared won’t happen to everyone, but I share it to prepare you. We are in perilous times and they are getting darker. We must be ready in season and out, and we cannot be ignorant of Satan’s devices. It doesn’t matter whether you signed up for this or not. We must don the armor Paul shares with us in Ephesians 6. We must be watchful and always remain steadfast and in prayer. And as Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” But He who is everything is with you in times of trouble. He will set you high upon a rock. Stand and pray. Blessings.

A few decades ago, I was on trial for what could have proven to be disastrous for how my life would have turned out. We were still in the last vestiges of the Vietnam War and emotions were high against those who looked like they were anti-war. I was not one of them as I had lost a few friends in Vietnam, including my best friend. But I was from a military family and I could never protest against my friends fighting in Vietnam. I was at a college mixer and too many people were indulging in things that altered their behavior. One such person believed my friend Mark was trying to move in on his girlfriend and proceeded to hit Mark across the forehead with a beer bottle leaving a large cut. I was upset about this and my first instinct was to handle this myself. But I thought better of this and decided to report this to the cops on duty. The cops didn’t care and they didn’t seem to care that I was trying to do the right thing. My hair was quite long which exacerbated the situation. So, they started pushing me. I held my ground and tried to explain what had transpired. To no avail. Two cops jumped me and started hitting me. I had learned some boxing techniques from my dad who boxed in the Navy. I had my shoulders and arms up high. I was able to secure my left arm around the second cop so his punches were limited. But the first guy left plenty of lumps on my head. My friend Mark, holding a towel on his head for the bleeding, jumped in as the first cop pulled out a blackjack. Mark said just let us go home as we did nothing wrong. Meanwhile a large crowd had gathered and were yelling all sorts of things, and in the melee, one of the cops lost his gun. Glad I wasn’t shot. I think the crowd size made the cops let us go. I took Mark to the hospital for stitches.

The next day I made a complaint against the two cops. But I was arrested and put in a cell. I was charged with breach of peace, resisting arrest, and assaulting officers on two counts. I was able to post bail and then had to get an attorney for the upcoming trial. He was recommended to me as a good trial attorney but I had to sell all I had, including my car, to pay his fee. I was up before a judge that was known to dislike anyone who had long hair which he considered to be trouble makers. I was advised I should cut my hair as things could go easier for me. I refused. How does the length of my hair have anything to do with innocence? It was a jury trial. It took quite a bit of time to select the 12 jurors. I think the prosecutor knew that the cops involved had a penchant for being overzealous and nasty. I was told that I could plead guilty to breach of peace and they’d drop the other charges. I stated I was innocent of ALL charges and would not give in. The judge then said if I was found guilty, he’d throw the book at me and I could expect a minimum of 5 years. I was ready to go to Canada.

We had quite a few witnesses. One professor that testified for me was painted as a communist and anti-American. The prosecution only had the two cops. My attorney did a good job with them. I testified. They tried to paint me as an anti- war hippie. An activist. They spent a long time cross examining me and when they couldn’t rattle me or catch me contradicting myself, they told the jury that was because I was used to speaking and influencing people. I had never done that and hated public speaking. Thank God for my mom! She was an excellent witness on my behalf. And she introduced herself as Tresa Santilli Craddock. Emphasizing that middle name affected a couple women jurors who were also Italian. She could not be rattled. She had prayed and fully believed God was with her. The jury was out for a long time. Quite a few attorneys would drop by to sit in on this trial as it was getting notice. A Bailiff had told my attorney they could hear the women in the jury room raising their voices. After many hours they came in. I was definitely scared. I was found not guilty on all counts. The judge didn’t look happy. One of the women jurors smiled at my mom upon entering the courtroom. There were many tears that day.

I look back on that time and wonder why I had to go through that. And all it cost me financially. Was this preparation for things I’d do standing for Him later in life? I think of Psalm 31:20 where it says, “You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence, from the plots of man.” Yet I was not undamaged. I look to Isaiah 26:3 which states, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in You.” But did I? I was definitely wavering. I couldn’t say as in Hebrews 13:6, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” I did fear what they could do to me. Yet I tried to do my best in trusting Him. The verse I find most appropriate for this is what Jesus said in Matthew 10:19, “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” My mom knew that better than I.

And now I look at the multiple political trials in the news. I look at people who looked to overthrow our election like Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis or Kenneth Cheseboro. They spoke many untruthful things but now have pleaded guilty. I see Donald Trump say he’d testify then not do that. If you’re innocent, then make a stand. And if you’re guilty, cop a plea. Paul was stoned for his truth. Peter was beaten. And he tells us in 1 Peter to gird up the loins of our mind. To be morally alert. You cannot do this if you’re living a lie. Trials will come to test us even when we are walking circumspectly. Truth and lies have become intermingled. And many in the church seem to not have a big problem with this. “An honest witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.” (Proverbs 14:5) Stand for truth even when it seems to bring hardship. “Send Your light and Your truth! Let them lead us.” (Psalm 43:3) Blessings.

Then God remembered Noah and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. (Genesis 8:1) Did God forget Noah? They were on that ark a long time. I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant and the smell surely got worse by the day. In Exodus 2:24 it says, “God heard the groaning of Israel and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and God looked upon the children of Israel and acknowledged them.” These are hard sayings. Jewish scholars have spent untold hours discussing this concept of remembering. The word “Zakar” means remembered. It means to recount, or be mindful of. In all this there is testing. I hate it and stink at it. And I am going through it again. God has yet to say, “Well Ed hates this so let’s speed things up.” Most of us have a tendency to overlook Deuteronomy 8:11-20.  Moses talks of the dangers of forgetting that God is the source of all of His blessings in our lives. It’s easy to get caught up in the things of our lives and not realize His blessings in our life. We so easily follow things that are either contrary to Him or that are just a pale comparison to His blessings.

Sarah was barren 25 years and then God remembered His promise and she bore a son, Isaac, to Abraham when he was 100 years old. After 14 years Rachel finally gave birth to Joseph. According to the Midrash, Hannah was barren 19 years when God remembered her and she gave birth to Samuel. The Rabbis cite Proverbs 27:21 which states, “For silver–the crucible, for gold–the furnace. And a man is tested by his praise.” In the midst of these trials of waiting there is silver and gold being produced that cannot be of the same value when the time is shortened or rushed. There can be a special wine that comes from this extended process. Some of the best wine comes when even water is withheld.

David was so open as to his feelings when God seemed to abandon him. In Psalm 13 he says, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” Can you imagine how Joseph felt during his captivity and trials? Psalm 105 says of Joseph, he was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with shackles, his neck was put in iron, until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. David’s prophetic writing in Psalm 22 were words also spoken of by Jesus on the cross. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” Jesus identified with all our trials. Yet we can still feel isolated and disconsolate no matter how many examples of seemingly being forgotten we can find in scripture. Elijah provides an excellent and fitting example in 1 Kings 19. He has just defeated the prophets of Baal and proved to be a mighty prophet of the Lord, yet evil was allowed to attack him through Jezebel and cause Elijah to flee. Elijah was tired. Afraid for his life. He prayed that he would die. Yet the Lord sent an angel to provide sustenance and give him direction. Elijah got into self-pity. He felt he was the only one left fighting this battle against evil, yet the Lord told him He had reserved 7000 who had not bowed their knee to Baal that serve the Lord. The Lord then showed great signs to Elijah in the form of a mighty wind, earthquake and fire. And after the fire, a still small voice. We so easily allow that voice to get drowned out when we listen only to the sounds that accompanies our trials.

We see fatigue and abandonment displayed by Paul with all his trials when he writes in 2 Timothy 4 of being abandoned by Demas and harmed by Alexander the coppersmith. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul gives a list of all the suffering he has gone through to defend his call of apostle when treated poorly by the Corinthian congregation. The apostle Peter, who had denied Christ, said in 1 Peter 4:13 to “rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may be glad with exceeding joy.” It’s quite difficult to walk in a way that He is always before our eyes. In hardship, suffering, or deafening silence that may seem never ending. We have been taught a gospel that so often speaks to reward and riches. Just call on Him and he’ll be there. Like a Four Tops song or rubbing a magic lamp. But can we, like in the Matt Redman song, bless Him in the sufferings? It’s hard. After going through so many health issues and doing my best to persevere, I was told 7 years ago that I needed a second by-pass surgery. No matter what I did to keep myself fit in body, mind and spirit I was at this place I hated again. I prayed He would take me. I felt done. He didn’t. Since then I’ve tried to concentrate on the writing I was supposed to be doing and had not, but now I am.  There is a place when you’ve come and gone through many battles, and you just remain quiet. This is a place where you hear differently. It’s as if you lean on your staff overlooking what may still lie ahead and wonder if you’ll see it. For the discerning person, there is a measured countenance with those before and after trials. Yet I still say the words in my time and prayer with the Lord, “remember me.” We assess by our finite mind. Our God forgets nothing and knows the beginning from the end of all things. The measure of our days. I speak to myself and to all of us, “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14) Blessings.

I’ve been meditating on Isaiah 53:7. “He was oppressed and He was afflicted. Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” Jesus was the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins. Jesus took our sins upon Himself and was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. This prophecy from Isaiah was written more than 700 years before it happened. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. No other would suffice. 1 Peter 1 states that we would not be redeemed from our empty way of life handed down by our forefathers, but only by the precious blood of the lamb. And Jesus was chosen to be the substitute for our sins “before the foundations of the world.” Before this world was, God saw there was but one way we could be redeemed…the horrible sacrifice of His only son. For God so loved the world. And yet we still don’t fully understand.

I’ve been quite bothered lately by examples being used of how certain peoples’ ordeals mirror that of what Jesus went through. Imagine Jesus’ answer to Judas when he asks the Lord to sign a few Torahs as they could probably get a couple denarius for each one. Probably He’d reiterate what He said in Matthew 6:24, “You cannot serve God and money.” Even Billy Graham said he wouldn’t sign people’s bibles when asked because he was not the author. Or maybe the Lord would overturn a few tables the money changers had set up in the temple and say, “My house shall be called a house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves.”(Matthew 21:13) Rather than telling people to go after those He felt harmed Him, Jesus might have said hit them, make fun of them. Here are the names of even their families so you can threaten them. But in Luke 22, when they came to arrest Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane and Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus, Jesus heals his ear. On the cross Jesus asks His Father to forgive those who crucified Him. So, what are we missing here? Donald Trump has compared what he is going through to that which Christ went through. He stated that he’s going through his terrible trials the very week Jesus went through His. As if they and he are similar to our Savior. If Jesus had yelled out the names of those responsible for His scourging and crucifixion, all of mankind would have been named. We all must take an accounting of where we are with Him. Follow God or man.

Jesus said in Matthew 5 that we are to be the salt of the earth. Too many have lost this flavor. We are to be the light of the world that shines before men and glorifies our Father in heaven. We are falling short by our actions and our inaction. Saying nothing in the face of that which is contrary to His commands is being complicit. We must realize that He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. So why would we follow after wrong teaching that will only lead us astray? Why endure teachings that insult the spirit of grace? It is written that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the living God. (Hebrews 10) But at some point, we may just see a re-enactment of Acts 13 where the people listened to King Herod and shouted, “The voice of a god and not of a man.” And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him and he was eaten by worms and died because he took the glory that was the Lord’s.

I pray we do our best to put things in proper perspective. Jesus gave His life for us. No one can relate to what the Lord did for us. No one! Read and ask what it means to be crucified with Christ. Hope you never hear who has bewitched you or worse…depart from me. Embrace Him. Love one another. He who does not walks in darkness. Meditate on what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Imitate me as I also imitate Christ.” It’s a good start. He is risen! Be blessed.

We live in a time of uncertainty and conflict. Swirling emotions. And we’re approaching a time of seeing this so increase that it will cause an unsteadiness that will rival the worst case of vertigo. Certain verses can work to alleviate uncertainty bordering on seasickness. Similar to how keeping one’s eyes on the horizon provides a stable point for our eyes to focus on, thereby avoiding seasickness. Rather than a dramamine, I start every day with certain verses. For me, it provides help and comfort. And it allows me to try to fulfill His commands. And I need all the help I can get to walk uprightly. The more we can stay tethered to Him the better we will stand when storms come and He said He would be there with us during these times.

The first verse I recite each day is Micah 6:8. “What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” There is so much required here and without trying to stay in His presence it is impossible to fulfill. So that leads me next to Nahum 1:7, “The Lord is good, He is a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those that trust in Him.” Man, I hope so because I have too many days where I feel alone and wondering if His phone is off the hook. I’m then in Psalm 121 reciting, “I will lift my eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved.” I have to trust Him for that, for too many times I feel like I’m on a sandy incline slipping backwards two steps for every step I advance. But I trust in the closing of this Psalm when the Lord says He will preserve my going out and coming in from this time forth and even forever more. He said in Hebrews 13:5 that He would never leave us or forsake us. Hold onto that. So, can we do as Jesus commanded in Matthew 22:37-40? Can we love Him with all that’s within us and at the same time love our neighbor? Do you see that when you look at this world?

That leads me to Psalm 86:11, a verse I’ve been saying each day for quite a few years. “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.” I’m asking Him to reveal to me His ways, for I so often stumble or follow a path I’ve tried to clear in the wilderness. I ask for Him to unite my heart so I can walk circumspectly. To become one with Him. To revere Him. To want to spend time in His presence where there is fullness of joy and yet knowing that I’ll stumble.  But even as I do, I can rest assured that He will show me the path of life. His path for me. Yet I know what was stated in Jeremiah 17:9 is so true. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?” Sort of a conundrum. Yet through Christ we have hope. A new beginning. Life as He planned for us before the world began. Just as He promised in Ezekiel 36:26, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.” I hold onto this, for to not have my heart united in Him is to be double minded and therefore unstable in all my ways (James 1:8).

We may feel like Peter in Matthew 14 where he sees Jesus walking on the water and is asked to step out on the water with Jesus. Jesus said “Come” and Peter did. He was united with the Lord. He was walking in truth and with the “Truth.” But then the waves and wind became boisterous and Peter had his faith tested. He took his eyes off the prize. Just like I do. Just like we all do. And then we do not walk in the truth that is Christ alone. Maybe we should recite the words to that old hymn, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus.” The things that are swirling in this world and causing us to doubt and follow wrong doctrine will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory. We need to remember this when we hear strange doctrine purporting to be words of the Lord. Or when we see teachers, pastors, prophets and evangelists we may have once listened to now cause many to stumble or find themselves in the waves and no longer know how to swim. Be like the psalmist who said in Psalm 119, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” A heart united with Him. “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and the patience of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5) Blessings.

I was never at a point where I didn’t have any idea about Jesus as the one who died for my sins. I was raised in a Christian family. My great grandfather was a preacher, and my dad was always involved in the church. My mother was a woman of faith. So, I grew up with a knowledge of Jesus. That in itself can be self- incriminating as I veered from the path so often in my life. I never quit believing but I did things no different than one who never knew Him. So, I look with a discriminating eye when I see evangelists or other ministers that see how many hands can be raised when they ask those present at a service to give their lives to Christ. I’ve seen them say it’s not necessary to get up if you feel uncomfortable, just look up and you’ll be recognized. Or just raise your hand. Then they take a count of how many converts they made. A good day’s work. Except Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always to the end of the age.” Now many do this properly but to some it is still a numbers game. Jesus gave all that we would be able to come to Him. He endured unbearable pain on the cross for us. He laid down His life for us.

Romans 10:9-10 states, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” There is action we must take. Not just a head nod or a raised hand. This is life and death. In early 1994 I was given a prophecy by Clare Huck from Jude 22-23 saying “On some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” That stayed with me.

Years ago, while visiting family in Connecticut, I spent some time with a friend I used to work with. He asked what I was doing and I explained things in prophetic ministry I was involved in. He said that was like what his wife was doing. But what she was doing was following a person who spoke to the dead. I tried to explain the difference and he asked me to come by for dinner that night to go over this. I first said no as my wife and I had plans that night, but then I felt that ‘not too gentle prodding’ telling me to change plans and go. My friend was a bit put off by some who kept telling him he had to be born again. My friend was an attorney and a marathon runner. He did things to the max. He was also a member of Mensa and fully dissected everything. But there is a simplicity to the gospel when accompanied by His presence. I left that evening hoping something really happened. One week later after returning home to Florida I received a call from another acquaintance that told me my friend had died in his sleep. I so prayed I had gotten through and that my friend was now with the Lord. We must listen intently always.

I visited Connecticut another time and had some prophetic ministry time with quite a few young people that were friends of my nephew. Of course, they came for a prophetic word but I was there to reveal who those words were from. One young man, the lead singer and guitar player in my nephew’s band seemed a bit reluctant at first but he did sit with me for ministry. I spoke to him prophetically and he confessed with his mouth that he believed. He came to understand being born from above. Quite a while after my return to Florida I received a call that he had died in a car accident. I was told that his mother was most upset that she didn’t know if he had accepted Christ as his savior. I called her and explained that her son had truly accepted Christ. I was told her countenance was so different after knowing that.

I ministered at a church one Sunday and in the middle of giving my message a young man just stood out to me. The Lord started giving me a word for him. After finishing my message, I asked where that young man had gone as I was ready to go after him. Turns out he had just gone to the restroom and someone went to get him. I explained what the Lord showed me. It was from my vacations in Cape Cod. I explained I had seen local artists take what looked like a useless piece of driftwood and fashion it into a beautiful work of art. I told him this was how the Lord saw Him. He may have seen himself as useless but in the eyes of the Lord he was most precious. There had been others talking to him about the Lord but that afternoon I had him verbally commit to accepting Christ. He stood up and voiced his acceptance of Jesus. About a month later I found out he had overdosed and died. These things stay with me.

We are in very serious times. Many proclaim to represent Christ but have a different gospel. It does not line up with what Christ taught. His testimony says God has given us eternal life and if we do not have the Son of God as our savior, we do not have life. As it says in 1 Timothy, we are not to be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord and we must be aware that He has called us with a holy calling in Christ Jesus before time began. Walk in what was preordained to be yours and look to those who do not have Him as their savior. He sets before us life and death. Choose life.  Blessings.

I’ve always found Chapter 3 of 2 Kings to be so thought provoking. I’ve heard different explanations, but what I feel the Lord has been speaking to me on this the past couple of months may provide further insight. Jehoram, son of Ahab, king of Samaria, had enlisted the help of Edom and Judah in fighting against rebellious Moab. Jehoshaphat, as King of Judah, asked if there was a prophet of the Lord near that they could inquire of. So, they inquired of Elisha, who told Jehoram to go inquire of the prophets of his father, Ahab, who had not followed the Lord. Elisha finally said that were it not for the presence of Jehoshaphat, he would not even give them notice. So, Elisha asked for a musician to play and the hand of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied a vivid picture of destruction for Moab. The king of Moab finally saw the battle was too fierce for him to prevail, so he took his eldest son who would reign in his place and offered him up to his gods upon a wall for all Israel to see. There was such great indignation to this horrendous act that Israel departed back to their own land. This army prevailing against Moab had just stood in the counsel of God’s prophet, Elisha. What happened that their faith in God was so lacking when confronted with this evil seen by the sacrifice to the forces of darkness? How intense was the power of this demonic release that it caused them to be so overcome?

What I’ve heard spiritually is that we, too, have given ear to that which is diametrically opposed to the teachings of Christ. There are those who have opened themselves to another voice, both knowingly and unknowingly. This has caused them to depart from the path that is narrow and righteous to follow that which leads only to destruction. So many call evil good and good evil. Darkness and light have no true line of demarcation. True counsel of the Lord is cast off. And lack of knowledge in His ways causes many to go into captivity to the fleshly pleasing entity they worship which leads only to death. The Apostle Paul was quite clear when he warned in Romans 10:12 & 21, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall,” and “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.” Yet that is what is being done. Man, even demonically flawed men, are deified. One example was a church in Las Vegas, Nevada that had Donald Trump as a guest. Someone said that it was the most amazing thing that had ever happened in that church other than giving your life to the Lord. This sentiment makes me want to turn away and just allow that unrighteous utterance to cause despair. But I cannot allow that. I must stand and having done all, stand. We are truly wrestling against principalities and powers of darkness. An ever increasing evil. Yet this church is like many who worship that which has no part in Him.

I feel as if that evil sacrifice done by the King of Edom has been imitated and reproduced in our day. This started years ago and was allowed to reproduce. True prophetic voices like Elisha were ignored. The prophets, like those of Ahab and Jehoram, were invited in. And misdirection and that which was almost true became accepted. Money for a word became commonplace. Aligning the church with government to increase power became the norm. How many woes are listed in His word for those who seek gain unjustly and will distort the word of the Lord for profit? Yet they do not fear. But we must seek to hear as never before. “Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding. But what is in the heart of fools is made known.” (Proverbs 14:33) You see that demonic voice has said we don’t really have to love the Lord with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our strength, and ALL our mind. And that we MUST love our neighbor as ourselves. We can’t adjust the depths of that meaning. It’s not OK to change the meaning of rights that we say are God given like the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Especially if it allows us to shackle those who we want power over or wish to disenfranchise. Racism and anti-semitism so long festering beneath the ground is allowed to be watered and sprout anew. When the Apostles at times had differences, one thing they always agreed upon was taking care of the poor. Bible white out has taken care of that problem. And in its place, that money goes to special interests and pastor palaces. The voice of that demonic sacrifice has set us on a course of autocratic destruction. Trust in the promise of a man/men that allows us to be comfortable in a path that leads to a path of promised judgement by the Lord. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 16:25)

We must press in as never before. There is a demonic force that has been released today that is eerily reminiscent of that which the king of Moab displayed by his hellish sacrifice of his son to the forces of darkness. And this same evil power touches every facet of our lives from home, church, and government.  So, we must be ever vigilant in paying no heed to the voices that do not align with that which Christ spoke. “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8) The prophet Jeremiah said we are witnesses against ourselves. And Joshua said that even the stones will be a witness against us for they heard the very words the Lord spoke. Sobering. Blessings.

Many years ago, I was attending second grade in Kinston, North Carolina. Things with Navy housing and the school district had not yet materialized satisfactorily in Virginia, so I would spend second grade with my grandmother and my dad’s two sisters. One day before my parents had returned to Virginia, I had come home crying. Being the new kid, I was being tested by a neighbor’s son who started picking on me and then punched me in the stomach. I went home crying. I was met at the front door by my dad, mom and grandmother. I was about to receive consoling from my mom and grandmother but my dad stopped it none too gently. He told me to go back and finish the fight or I would not be able to come in. My mom and grandmother started to protest but my dad gave them his notorious look and just said “no.” So, I went back. I was scared, but I was also scared to try and return home with my tail between my legs. So, I approached the boy who had a defiant look on his face as if daring me to come closer. I did and quickly mustered all my courage and strength and punched him in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of him and he then started to cry. I went home and my dad let me in. That boy and I later became good friends. I’m not advocating violence here, but there are times we must stand up against bullies, whether it be in the world or the church. And today more than ever.

Peter at one point was verbally full of conviction. He’d never desert or deny Jesus. When they came to arrest Jesus in John 18, Peter stepped in, drew his sword, and cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. But later Peter denied Jesus three times just as Jesus foretold. In fact, nearly all left Jesus for fear of reprisal by the Pharisees and being turned over to the Romans. The thousands who had been under His teachings and were fed by Him, all left. All those who had been healed by Him did the same. Peter went from being one on fire for the Lord to a by stander and then a true believer and apostle.

One of my favorite stories in the bible that speaks to not being a bystander and then going back to being one after seeing a great miracle is in John 9. A young man blind from birth was healed by Jesus and now had sight. And this was done on the Sabbath which the Pharisees said even this could not be done on the Sabbath. They said this this man, Jesus, was not from God because He did this on the Sabbath. The Pharisees had great power. The young man’s parents feared being put out of the synagogue. If that happened their very livelihood could be threatened. The parents at first answered the Pharisees and told them that their son was born blind but fear crept in and they told the Pharisees to ask their son themselves as he was of age. The Pharisees confronted the son saying Jesus was a sinner as Jesus had done this on the Sabbath. The son answers with one of the more important come backs in the Bible. Saying, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” The Pharisees reviled the young man saying they were on higher plane as they were Moses’ disciples. They said they did not know where this man, Jesus, was from. But this young man was not just healed of blindness, he was now able to see and discern this Pharisaical spirit. He became bold and said, “Why this is a marvelous thing that you do not know where He is from: yet He has healed my eyes!” He went on to say that “Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one born blind. If this man was not from God, He could do nothing.” I think it was the constant repetition of the Pharisees asking the young man questions in verses 26-27 and being put in their place by the young man saying, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” This young man had gone from blind to seeing and gaining spiritual sight and courage. He had no fear of the Pharisees. He had heard them all his life and they had done nothing for him. Now he saw them in the flesh and saw them for what they were. Always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. He later went to Jesus who revealed Himself to the young man. Jesus said that for judgement He came into this world and those who don’t see would and those who see may be made blind. And his response to the Pharisees who asked if they were blind also should cause many to tremble. Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would have no sin: but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains.”

The church, as seen today, has lost its way. They’ve become spiritually blind. Things that even 20-30 years ago that would have been seen as blatant sin are swept under the rug. As long as your agenda remains intact. Those who walk in obvious sin are excused and even embraced as long as they help you achieve your goals. To quote 2 Corinthians 6:17, saying “Come out from among them and be separate” would just be shouted down. There are many that want what borders on revolution but even John Lennon said, “But if you want money for people with minds that hate, All I can tell you brother is you have to wait.” And yet those who spew evil are embraced because they are meeting some ungodly agenda you’ve aligned to. And much of it was at one time seen as the antithesis of what we said we espoused as bible believing Christians. Yet so many have fallen away from that faith and given heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies. (1 Timothy 4) Much of what I see today is a literal gut punch to those who profess Christ and those that love democracy. It is being dismantled before our eyes. Men that profess Christ and use that to gain followers basically worship a gospel of their own making. They worship nothing different than Baal. It is imperative that we not sit back as by standers. Our country is dependent on this for survival. Our spiritual walk is hanging in the balance. No compromise. We need to wash in the spiritual pool of Siloam, like that young man Jesus healed of blindness in John 9. Totally immerse ourselves. If we believe we have the mind of Christ then there is no other path for us but of true obedience to His ways. Sound doctrine is being ignored. We must be watchful, standing fast to what is true.  We must stand up for spiritual truth and against that which does not align with the teaching of Christ. Test all things and abstain from every evil teaching. Pray without ceasing. Blessings.