Like sands in the hour glass..like a clock ticking to the end...like it were your last breath

In the past week, i have come to discover, that several people i grew up with, have all lost family members within a short time span. Not too long ago a very young husband slumped and died, perfectly healthy,no warning sign, leaving behind a wife and a child ,we all grew up in the same neighborhood.

It is shocking to me, many of them i personally knew, conversed with ,some i laughed with, so i can't even imagine what the families must be going through.

None of them saw this coming, none of them expected this. None of the families saw this coming . One day they were making plans and setting dates, have hearty conversations with their loved ones, and the next, they were gone, and to their loved ones, it was like a bad dream.

In a few days it would be the birthday of a friend that passed on when i was in my freshman year many years back,but feels like yesterday, he would have been 27 this year.

What's my point. We have no control over when we would die. No matter how healthy we eat ,exercise or diet, there is no guarantee. No matter how safely we drive , efficient our pilots ,our sturdy our houses. There is no guarantee that we are even going to wake up the next morning, can you guarantee that the next breath you take won't be your last.

These dear people were teenagers, young adults and well lived in the prime, chronology did not make a difference to their passing on.

Being young is no guarantee. We have all heard stories of people that step out of their front door and the next minute they are gone. We have heard of young people that sleep and don't wake up, no warning . We've heard of toddlers, pre teens, teenagers , graduates and newly weeds that are gone in one second, shortly after saying, "i'll be back in a few minutes"

A few months ago, Michael Jackson passed away, many people that never met him or had a personal knowledge of him, but they took it very personal and very hard. The next question was "where is he now?" Some of those that did not like him , made statements of "Roasting", others say "he's Moon Walking in the pearly gates". I don't know what confessions, decisions or repentance he made before he passed, so i'm not going to speculate.

The question we should be asking ourselves. What are we going to do when we breathe our last breath and find out after all, that there's life after death?

What are you going to do when you find out that being good, doing good works, being a nice person, does not grant you entry into Heaven? That your good, or nice does not meet the standard of God.

How would you explain or give account for the life you lived?

How would you explain , hearing about God, knowing about him, and yet living a life that largely ignored him and the sacrifice he made for you?

When God says, WHY should i let you into my Kingdom? What would your answer be?

Your employee of the month. Paid off Mortgage, Tight Whip, Favorite Song, Retirement Fund, Big Bonus,Six Figure Salary, Goodness, Donations to Charity ,Appearance on a Magazine front cover, Award winning song,Movie, Best selling book are not going to matter. They are all going to be left behind for people to fight over.

When you stand naked before the throne of God, all that you achieved in the physical is not going to amount to a hill of beans. To put it bluntly , no amount of good works, that impresses humans, is going to impress an eternal and infinitely Holy God. To whom all our righteousness is like filthy rags. To use a modern term, presenting your "good works' to a Holy God that knows no sin, is like strutting in front of him, in a coat made of month old used tampons, and expecting him to be impressed. Imagine the stink of it, not to mention how Ludicrous .

BEFORE WE PROCEED ANY FURTHER, LET'S TAKE THE GOOD TEST

-Have you ever told a lie? If you say NO, that' s a lie right there . Baring false witness

-Have you ever stolen something , no matter how small or insignificant,even a pinch of cake,a piece of meat, a friends dress,shoe. Thou shalt not Steal

-Have you ever looked at someone with lust, you just looked and imagined. Yup, that's as bad as doing the deed of fornication or adultery

-Have you ever taken the name of the Lord in vain? G....Dammit etc...well that's blasphemy

-Has anything, job,money,love interest,ambition held a bigger place in your heart than God ,more time , more priority, more focus and attention than God? If so, it's called Idolatry

-Growing up did you ever defy your parents and disobey a direct instruction even by omission,or subtly Well, you did not Honor your parents as commanded.

If you have answered yes to any of those question , you just broke one of the ten commandment. You see how hard it is? In all honesty we all have broken all of them at some point in time.

By those pre Grace standards we are all on some level, Liars, Thieves and fornicators

Trust me, we do not want to be judged by the law, or how moral we have been.You can see them in Exodus 20

That is why a merciful God sent Christ, so we would not be subject to judgment by those standards. Our sin separates us from God and repentance and submission to Christ is the only guarantee to reconciliation with God.

This is not multiple choice, or the wheel of fortune..There are no several roads to salvation. If you don't come to God through Jesus, you are not coming to him at all. He is offering us GRACE. God is not there saying "Let's make a deal", he's saying "Here's the deal, take it, or leave it"

GOD LOVES YOU,and he made a plan of salvation so you won;t be subject to the law. He's a father opening his arms for you to run into ,but if you reject him, you have to realize that he is also an incorruptible judge, that would not let injustice, sin and rejection of his gift go unpunished.

Jesus was the only one to come and make a sacrifice for our sins. He paid the price that for our sin,and faced the wrath of God, that was meant for those who confess their sin and accept his Lordship. When you accept Christ, God no longer looks at you or your sin, but he looks at his sinless son, the righteousness of Christ and accepts that as YOUR righteousness.

He stands in the gap, saying Father, look at my righteousness not his, he has confessed and accepted me. In order to have that.

You have to acknowledge your sin first of all.

The lies, the lust (mental&physical), the cheating, the malice, fornication , hate ,the pride the jealousy ,envy ,greed ,spite and all those things we call part of human nature. No human being can say they have never being guilty of any of these, and THAT is exactly the point.

We are all born in sin, and until we accept the salvation of Christ done on the Cross , by mourning ,repenting and forsaking of our sin, we will face God as a judge instead of a Father welcoming us home.


And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment Hebrews 9:27

You may be thinking "I know i need to get right with God, BUT I'll do it later, i still have time , i want to enjoy life as i'm young".

Tupac said very similar words to Evander Holyfield a few hours before he was gunned down. He was man that had it all by world standards; looks, fame , more money than he knew what to do with, a successful career and respect in his industry. What more, right??

The wisest man to ever live, King Solomon said

"Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your creator.Honor him in your youth before you grow old and no longer living. It will be too late then to remember him......." Ecclesiastes 12:1-2

You may say "How dare you imply that i'm a sinner, who are you to say that, i'm a very good person , i work hard a being moral. How are you better than me?"

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

I'm not better, but the fact is unless we are seen by God through the righteousness of Christ, we are all filthy and face the judgment of an incorruptible judge, because no human can live 100% to God's standard ,his HOLY standard, no matter how good, or moral we think we are by human standards, humans are fickle, and what is moral today, in 30 years time would be called old fashioned and backward thinking.

If you are relying on Good works, it's recorded that Michael Jackson did more more for humanity and Charity than any other celebrity or even some organizations. Yet there are human beings that hold him in contempt, for the charges of which he was acquitted. If people could not forgive him, for apparent mistakes, which were never proven.If despite all the good he did , humans with their own flaws and issues had such high standards and expectation .How much do we think our accumulation of good works can ever matter to an infinitely HOLY God, who has never known any sin.

There's hope

He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved Acts 16:30-31

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Come now, let us reason together,"says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.-Isaiah 1;18

If you have made it to the end of this note, you may still disagree and say NO ,

You may be infuriated with me.

You may be saying, This boy has come again?

You may be , this boy won't leave this religion thing alone,is it by force?

You may even decide to bid me good riddance

But I'd rather say this truth to you , and have you mad at me, than keep quite, and just hope you stumble across it someday, just so we can keep the "peace".

.You may decide that you've had enough of my Bible stuff and never want to speak to me again BUT Your life, your eternal destiny, is more important to me than how happy you remain with me,or how high i am ranked on your approval or "cool" rating, Where you stand with God when your time comes, is FAR more important than those things

This is not about religion.This is more than just an opposing theology or philosophy . THIS IS ABOUT YOUR LIFE. It's about a personal relationship with God.

Ceremonies, church attendance,prayer routine is no guarantee to salvation, neither are any amount of good works or penance. Good people don't go to heaven, forgiven people do.

Even if you grew up in church, with Christian parents, that is no guarantee. Going to church does not make you a christian, any more than going to MacDonalds makes you a hamburger. God does not have any grand children , faith in Christ is not genetically transferred. The evidence about what your life is TODAY.

The word says
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine.Test yourselves.If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5-6).

The only thing i will ask, is that if you have never done this before, Cry out to the God of heaven and earth through his son Jesus and ask him if you are right with him. If he is pleased with your life right now, If he recognizes you as his child and if you have a place in his Kingdom, and to teach you how to be reconciled to him. If you don't believe he's real , well, all you've lost is some words. If you do, well, this could just be the beginning of your journey with him.

That's all i ask.

GOD BLESS

MY KINGDOM COME???? (CONCLUDED)

From the "gospel" garnished American Dream, which is all about living in comfort, and getting your own, and enjoying life NOW. A "gospel" that tells us God wants to give us everything we ever dreamed about if we come to him Dream Career,Great Kids, Lovely Spouse, $$$$$. We have been so locked into that mindset and latched on like leeches that i wonder how many of us, would in the face of; trails, difficulty, persecution declare, like Shedrach,Meshac and Abednego, "even if he does not save us from the furnace", we will not deny our God.. I ask myself that every so often.

I think that is something we REALLY need to come to terms with in the days that lie ahead for true Christianity in a God hating world.

A day and age, where one person can file a Lawsuits to
take down a cross on public property,which the rest of the town likes

remove the Ten Commandments plaques in schools and court rooms

remove any identification of Christianity on public property

be fired or sued for sharing your faith in your own business premises, when the other party initiated the conversation

be ordered to take down bill boards that say "satan is not welcome in this town"

YES, that really happened

A day that all you have to do is mention you are a Christian and doors are slammed in your face.

When you can be fired, sued or arrested for sharing your faith. A pastor can be arrested in his own church, for "hate crime" or preaching intolerance, can be forced to hire a person whose lifestyle goes against everything the church against or be charged with discrimination.

We are not talking about iron curtain countries this is happening in "the free world".

Things are not going to change no matter how we fast and pray.The current social,moral and political occurrences have been predicted in both the old and new testament. It's said that the last days will be like the days of Noah. (read Matt 24)

Men would become lovers of themselves,Aren't we in a time where it's all about YOU, The adverts, the movies,the songs, the divorces(MY needs weren't being met).

Like the people in Noah's days, they denied and hated God. They disregarded morality ,silenced their conscience, and sin increased, they living hedonistic self serving lives; they mocked Noah and his "fairy tale " God. Noah lived in preparation for the flood, he was not concerned about having a mansion ,the best cars.

Does this mean we should fold our hands and resolve to be the bottom of the barrel in finances or our careers ? NO

Does this mean one should not be responsible, contributing citizen while on earth,NO .

Does it mean that we should abandon everything and all flock to a mountain resort and live like monks waiting for the Rapture. NO.

Does this mean we should live in mediocrity and not make an effort NO


The point here is , where was his focus, where did he channel most of his energy, and

WHO was he listening to? Societal expectations? Criticism/mockery from the ungodly?

Was he concerned with Impressing the sinners with "God's material blessing", so they could run to him for those things they are already chasing? NO.

His concern was with his assignment; building the ark, and warning, preaching, trying to save as many people as possible before the inevitable. But they went on ,acquiring, partying and leaving Noah to his ark building "Don't worry, Live, there is no God" ,Sound familiar??

I may be wrong ,but It is quite possible that there were other men and women that feared God in that time. But they didn't want to get involved in Noah's "taking it too far and he's making the rest of us look bad". Maybe he was delusional after all that time in the sun, early stages of Alzheimer or something. Who wants to look like a fanatic after all ? .

So they carried on, business as usual, thanking God for the customers that made them richer, a large turnover, the new barns they built and livestock they'd bought. Perhaps even threw a party for a bountiful harvest. All while Noah, worked on that ark, babbling about some unheard of phenomenon happening . To destroy THIS WORLD!!!!, the one God had just blessed them with lands, livestock,vineyards and over flowing barns? NAH.That's not MY God, The devil is a liar
(a parallel to those that were too busy with "taking care of business" to attend the great feast Matt 22)

Noah may have won most valuable customer 120 years running ,at the local B&Q of his day. Sadly the CEO,shareholders, board of directors,manager, check out boy and the staff watched their best customer sail off as they sank down to a lost eternity.

Once again,
This is not to say that we are only righteous or saved if we are poor or barely getting by.

This is not to say that there is anything wrong with earning well in our careers. Or

Having a business that grows phenomenally or even wanting to have more than enough for our spouse and kids.

BUT

Whether we admit it or not, When financial prosperity is our BIGGEST and SOLE goal,

when those are the only scriptures we know.

When building OUR Kingdom on earth puts on such blinders, that we can't even see the world sinking around us in sin, and they march right pass us in gleeful conga a line to hell, and our eyes are so focused on ourselves or asset building, that we ignore them, THAT is a huge problem.

Jesus himself said "My Kingdom is not of this world", why then are we so blinded to think he has promised us one HERE. Why aren't we pointing others to him and HIS kingdom???

Im not going to pretend I have it all figured out(i haven't even scratched the adamantium like surface ) nor i have reached that position like the apostles.Nor do i smile when i think about it or that i look forward to it.The possibility of being called to a life that is not cushy or flowing easy.Facing Constant conflict to my faith/life , swimming against the tide,as everyone else relaxes and seemingly "enjoys life" carried by the ebb. Believe me, i am still coming to terms with it all the time and it is HARD, Ko Easy.

Like most people ,I have lofty dreams, goals, ambitions, i'm not a masochist, so im not venturing out looking for suffering or discomfort.

BUT

At some point we just have to surrender it all to the Lord, instead of wanting to Live La Vida ,spiritually living in comfort, in the sweet by and by, getting fat and lazy with no challenge or REAL building to our faith. We have to submit our ambitions, goals, dreams, intentions,assets. and ask the Lord, if all we are doing is IN LINE with what HE wants us to do.

"Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church, should not be of failure but succeeding at things that in Life, don't really matter- Tim Kizzar"

We need to be the ambassadors that he called us to be. An ambassador does not try to establish his own embassy in the land he has been sent to, he is a representative of that from Kingdom, which he has been sent and his commander in chief makes sure that his needs are met at all times.

What should most concern us, is, when it's all said and done,

After all the employee awards, mansion, 4 apartment building,tightest whip in the hood , 2 month global holidays, 40 page balance sheets, paid off mortgage , platinum album, appearance on the magazine front cover,blockbuster movie.

How would we answer when he asks,

WHY SHOULD I LET YOU INTO MY KINGDOM

MY KINGDOM COME????

"ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU, BUT ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY"-JFK

That is one of the most recognized lines in the history of speech making. Most of us don't have to be told that it's from John F Kennedy,one of the youngest Presidents of the United States of America. A speech to rally up the people to stop focusing on themselves, and think about how they can each contribute to the greater benefit of the nation. As later years would show , Kennedy had a lot of skeletons in the closet, that would follow him in presidential and private Legacy, but that was such a profound statement, that immortalized him.

Somehow and unfortunately we "modern day" Christians have gotten it twisted. We've flipped it round and it's become

"Lord, ask me, not what i can do for your Kingdom, but what you can do to build MINE".

The modern day "gospel" has become so focused on, How we can, Get our best life now, "Write our own ticket ", claim our inheritance NOW, that there little or no room in our minds , thoughts or desires to ask,

How we as individuals can further the Kingdom by bringing more people in. Just like the prodigal that demanded his inheritance before the appointed time, we. The consensus is,

"When we as Christians are wealthy, we can pay higher tithe, therefore , have more money to build bigger churches and send missionaries out".

The truth is, if furthering the Kingdom was our REAL and number 1 concern, we'd ask for God to bless that ministry , and not be requesting him to use us as the financial conduit or middleman, who gets a 90% commission.

That big bonus, or huge salary rise would go to the building,missionary or homeless fund, and not to a brand new whip, or wardrobe upgrade. If the biggest reason for financial increase was the Kingdom. We'd give more of our time, skills and talent directly to the church or ministry , voluntarily ,so the church could direct funds elsewhere.

Our prayers would be "God, please supply just enough for my needs, so I'm not worried about money, but not more than i need, that my heart would stray from you".

NOW, this is NOT to say we can't aspire to be financially comfortable, own a big business, or succeed exceptionally in our chosen careers.

The point is, we spend so much time , claiming the wealth "promises" and what God can do for US, that we rarely turn and ask,

"Lord, what is it that you have set out for me to do for YOUR kingdom".

We think, it's the job of the pastor, deacons, ministers , elders etc. We rarely cry like Isaiah "Here i am, send me". Most of our thoughts and actions go, "Here's my money, send it..but don't even think of asking me to go anywhere or do anything"

Once again, THIS IS NOT against , attaining success financially or otherwise, But i think we should just admit that we want wealth, success etc. for our own comfort , instead of the sanctimonious, "I'm praying for it for the Kingdom sake".

We are not fooling GOD, when the Kingdom is just a very last, after thought for that wealth desire and we pretend like it's the first .

Remember Annanias and Saphira??

I was listening to a teaching on the Prodigal Son yesterday, and it occurred to me, that with numerous teachings on how to have a ;best life now, and riches NOW. We demand our inheritance from God NOW, and want to go off and enjoy, while we leave the harvest and the building of the Family Empire(God's Kingdom) to our more mature siblings i.e the missionaries,pastors, the evangelists. We aren't concerned about the generations to come after us, all we want to do is grab as much of the inheritance right NOW.

This is NOT against having financial success, but it's evident that it's become a SOLE focus. A lot of us due to certain teaching, ONLY see God as a cosmic bell hop; there to respond to our chanting of twisted/mis interpreted scripture at him .Our thought patterns have made scripture an ATM pin code to Heavens bank account instead of "for reproof, correction and training in righteousness".

In the past 40 years or so, Christianity has adopted the American Dream, and just tied a ribbon of scripture around it to pass it off as Gospel. A message that is so focused on a comfortable cushy problem free materialistic life, that the early church would spin in their graves ,if they found out what we are teaching, "is this what we were killed and fed to the lions for!!!".

A lot of which sounds no different from what you'd hear at a secular Wealth Building/Self empowerment seminar, (a few of which have metaphysical origins). Our justification!! "The Lord promised me".Now there is nothing wrong with personal development, but it should not be done at the expense of a person's soul.

In fact, if you are familiar with personal development, you can hear some sermons almost lifted verbatim, from some self help books and tapes. This is not to say personal development is wrong, but we have to be aware that some of it , and it's speakers also learn from new age and other questionable movements.

Some "pastors" have gone as far to say we should not pray "if it be thy will Lord". They claim it's a prayer of doubt. But isn't that a HUGE contradiction to Jesus teaching the disciples to pray "Our Father.........YOUR will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven"

Are we to listen to their method and not the Lord Jesus. You'd be surprised and frightened at who some of the people saying this are, huge and influential ministries for decades, but that is not for today.

Looking at the early church, the early apostles, none of them had a cushy, problem free lifestyle. None of them sat in their La Z boy ,saying

"That's not my calling, I'll lick a few stamps, and write a cheque but that's it".

Imagine if Paul,Peter, Timothy John the Revelator had many of our attitudes??

Too far back to relate to?

What would be of what we know of the Church today, if John Calvin decided all wanted to do was sign cheques. Or Martin Luther thought he'd leave the expounding to the Pastor alone. What if Charles Spurgeon or George Mueller,John Bunyan, Smith Wigglesworth, decided that, he'd chill at home and just send a love gift to God TV when the Dow Jones jumps a few points.

Still don't know DO SOME RESEARCH ON THESE EARLY 20TH CENTURY REFORMERS

The Bible says "take on the whole Armour of God, that you may be able to stand in the evil day" .It didn't say, "contribute to the armor fund and watch the ship sail off then go home and lean back"

This is not saying that we are all going to be missionaries in the field, pastors or in a direct form of ministry. But regardless we are still asked to take on the Armour, and not just those in the five fold ministry. We may not be in the front lines like the missionaries and the Pastors but we are the reserve army that could be called to report at any time. What if in the wealth we are claiming and fighting so much for, we get too fat for the armor.

We've consumed so much "good stuff" that when the battle-cry comes, we've gained too much weight to fit into the armor. We are too lethargic to even move.

The breast plate of righteousness, is bursting at the seams and no longer protects our sides , because we may have engaged in something dodgy to attain that "promised" wealth.

The shield of faith has weakened because after attaining the wealth or while seeking it, Church becomes mechanical, routine, if at all we go, and spiritual growth has become irrelevant.

As for the sword of the spirit, we have absorbed so many wealth and sweet by and by, "promises" that the battle preparation,spiritual war fare verses were neglected.

The verses that predict the inevitable are skipped over and downplayed as only judgement on the heathen not us "the saved".

The verses that enable us to prepare for the battle, that is "not against flesh and blood" are glossed over.

How can we be battle ready if we have been so fattened by the spiritual equivalent of Twinkies,Ding Dongs and Dumplings, that we can barely fit into the armour(if we remember where it is and how to put it on)

Modern "gospel" is lot a more of " Lifestyle of the rich and Famous" justified by twisting scripture,than it is truth .

We have been programmed in self preservation(physical,emot

ional,reputation) and many celebrity Pastors who "preach" messages that ; lack Repentance from sin,Remorse over sin,Holiness,Righteous living, passion for lost souls.

All in an attempt to be politically correct and avoid losing or offending their unrepentant fans(yes fans), who sit to hear all about how God is going to give them all the desires of their heart. but requires no change or sacrifice from them. They care more about being high on popularity and opinion polls, than they do do uncompromising Biblical truth on Sin and Salvation...

....but you may think, "they give altar calls and many people answer and are are saved, God is using them" . OK. But who are the people answering the altar call?

The people that want a Jesus upgrade from a Buick to a Mercedes, to move from The Projects to a Penthouse, from RV Holidays to Jet Skiing in Barbados.

Those "converts" don't want Jesus, they want what they can get by dropping his name in front of God.But he better not mess with their default settings.At least those that go to Tony Robbins seminar are honest about why they are there, and to be frank experience more success, than those falsely converting ,and claiming promises with misinterpreted scripture.

MENTAL QUIZ: Think of this, how many people attend a seminar on

Holiness and growing in Christ, Being an effective witness

as opposed to the masses that attend a Achieve your destiny ,Enter your prosperity. Believe me, I know, been guilty of it myself.

When many of these celebrity pastors are directly confronted by secular media, or non believers about sin or salvation, they water it down, or give the greatest single answer dodging line(s)

"it's not my place to judge" , "i can't tell you who's going to heaven and who's not going",

OH, and here's a big winner "Judge not, i can't judge somebody's heart, i don't know their hear, only God knows it."

YES, it's not your place to judge,don't give them your opinion, just tell them what the Bible categorically states on the issue of sin and how to assure salvation.

"..The heart of man is desperately wicked no one can know it..."- Jeremiah 17:9

"...you shall know them by their fruit"- MATT 7:18-20

"I am THE way the truth and the NO ONE comes to the father but by me" -John 14:6

.PRETTY CLEAR ISN'T IT

Instead they promote a cotton candy, lah lah land, Care Bear picture of God. YES, he is a Loving God, but he is also an incorruptible Judge, who will not acquit the guilty or those that wilfully and even gleefully break his law

They neglect the fact that people are living unrepentant and unwilling to change in sin and say "Smile God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life".

Imagine that pasted over the side of Noah's ark.

They paint the life a Christian is to live as some Shan gri La....A Paradise Island, .If you are not rich and completely healthy 100% , you either

1)Need to give more to their ministry
2)Buy their book and find out how to achieve it
3)Don't have enough faith for 100% health and wealth,and you are a doubter

Quite a contrast from the lives the Apostles lived, or even the one Christ told us to expect in Matthew 10 & 24.

This is not about going out, like a suffer seeking missile, causing trouble and seeking persecution. We are not masochist. But we have to realize that the feel good message feeding the flock is no good. We want to be fed , stay at home and never be called or leave for the mission and battlefields, literally or metaphorically. Growing fat, like an over feed, yet under nourished hamster, protected from the world in it's cage.

We all have seen, how a once magnificent athlete makes it big, becomes rich , comfortable , famous, dates and marries a stunner. Having struck career and personal gold, he gets distracted ,then adds weight and starts to perform poorly on the field, Letting down the team and the fans, eventually benched, not so long after being on the road to Legend status.

Imagine being an NFL quarterback and your two blockers have become over weight and can barely move, already wheezing in the huddle before the game has started. Would you want them, or feel confident with them having your back as you charge the opposition?

NOW Imagine that was YOU on the front-line of a battlefield, war, life and death situation, and those are the people giving you back up. Sword to sword combat, without the safety of long range weapons. There's no mention of missile,Jet fighters or M16's in the armor of God.We are in the thick of the battle, your only protection is your training, weapons and your allies. Getting the picture??

As we are meant to be soldiers for Christ and the Kingdom, what does this say about our state of fitness.

Fat and lethargic soldiers in the real world are useless and certainly likewise in the spiritual,they do the army of God no good. The opposition is well armed and fully aware of what to do . Nobody carries an overweight and lethargic soldier into battle , they get left behind in the base , miss the battle, and the rewards of victory, they most likely get a dishonorable discharge.

TO BE CONTINUED

NO COMPROMISE

I repent of ever having recorded one single song and ever having performed one concert if my music and more importantly ---- my life--has not provoked you into Godly jealousy , or to sell out more completely to Jesus- KEITH GREEN

That quote came from Keith Green, without a doubt one of the most anointed musical ministers to have ever lived, a man who i like to call the Psalmist(David) of the 20th Century,others called him a John the Baptist on the keyboard, a spiritual revolutionary .A man whose musical talent was only surpassed by his passion for Christ and evangelism. On his way to become a rock star, he had talent that could rival the likes of Elton John .If he was in the secular world he would have been up there with Billy Joel. His skills on the Piano were amazing and he was destined for greatness,and Bob Dylan saw this potential in him .

As a young boy raised in a Jewish home, he constantly searched for spiritual answers while pursuing his music career. He tried everything under the sun, and remember, this was the 70's .

And then at age 21, after intense seeking on many paths , Keith found Christ, his life was instantly regenerated he became a new person. With this rebirth, and realizing the world lacked this news, he immediately dropped his rock star ambitions, and wanted to tell the entire world about the transformation that had taken place in his life; even if it meant never playing music again publicly, but God had different plans for his life.

Soon after auditioning and scoring a record deal with Christian Label Sparrow records, he released his first album, spreading the Good News he had discovered shipping the equivalent of 500,000 units today. After several hit albums he left Sparrow and formed his on Label with the intentions of giving his albums away, for free. It even got to a point that he refused to charge people to attend his concerts. He rejected the idea making money out of the gospel which he repeatedly pronounced was free and refused to charge people to come hear him sing/minister.

Can you imagine that happening today!!, a "gospel" artist that holds all their concerts for free and give out whole albums for free, at their own expense,quite a contrast to what happened a few years ago when a popular gospel duo, refused to fly to London because of a money dispute.

To Keith, his music was ministry, not a career,and was not about showing people his talent or having people scream his name, he saw it as an assignment, the great commission. He often appealed to people not to exalt him or place him on a pedestal and redirected all praise to Jesus. Often times , audience members that desired a career in Christian music would ask advice on how to become gospel singers; he'd then proceed to ask them a series of questions

"Are you willing to never play music again? Are you willing to be a nothing? Are you willing to go anywhere and do anything for Christ? Are you willing to stay right where you are and let the Lord do great things through you, though no one may seem to notice at all? ...those seeking bright lights and screams from adoring fans often left downcast and disappointed.

When not recording or on tour, he held Bible studies and training, he and his young wife opened their home to single mothers,runaways, addicts ,the homeless and those seeking God. Note, this was not a man that had a large income, or even a steady stream. Remember that he gave his albums away for free, they had a little royalty from previous years, but with housing and taking care of 20 -30 people at anytime ..well... they simply lived by faith.

Tragedy struck in 1982, Keith died in a plane crash, with two of his young children, leaving behind a pregnant wife and an infant daughter, he was just 28.

27 years on, his music is still challenging lives, turning people to the Good News of Jesus Christ, and lighting the fire of a radical desire to sell out for Christ. Like a musical John he Baptist he was a voice crying out in the a spiritual wilderness. Despite his enormous success and following, He refused to be a celebrity and only wanted to challenge people to live for God. THAT and much more he definitely achieved.

As i listen to songs he recorded in the 70's ,they still challenge my life more than a large majority what i hear from my generation which entertains but rarely convicts the spirit. Many have great flair,catchy and easy to nod your head to and dance to, but no soul stirring and rarely different from the same emotions stirred by secular music . His music is uncompromisingly about the Gospel. He did not try to make it ambiguous or open for interpretation so that anyone can accept it as they see fit, he was clear about his message without losing the amazing musical delivery.

I look at Keith's life and his ministry legacy , what he accomplished within such a small time span between coming to the Lord at age 21 and his death at 28. He's been gone for over 25 years, and yet through the clear message in his music, generations born long after his death are being challenged to live for God beyond a cushy luke warm status. Not just entertained but he provoked listeners to asses our walk with God and see how we can do much better. The impact he made in those short 7 years of ministry, is more than many others do in a lifetime.

Now, we are not all going to have a musical platform , we are not all going to be public speakers, or hold a place in the five fold ministry, we are not all going to open our homes to as many as he did ,but we can cry out to God on how our lives can be a Love song unto him.

One of Keith's songs , written by his wife, Melody , was titled "Make my life a Prayer to you" , the opening lines are quite profound as he cries out "Make my life a prayer to You, I wanna do what you want me to, No empty words and no white lies,No token prayers no compromise...........".

"I want to do what you want me to", this reiterates the Lord's prayer, "thy will done on earth as it is in Heaven", and not us chanting scripture at God in an attempt to psyche or strong arm him, into giving us what we want instead of his desire for us.

I feel very challenged and ask myself ,what my life would mean when I'm gone. Would i have left behind a testimony that would change people's hearts towards God. Would they hear about my passing and , say "chei ya"(what a pity) and forget about it a few seconds later, with no impact on their lives towards Christ. Would people be able to identify and say "that was a man that lived for God and his life was an example of unrivaled passion for God? I'm ashamed to say that as i look at my life right now, and even my ambitions, if i dropped dead this second, my life would not have been a herald trumpet testimony unto God.

All i can do is cry out to Lord as ask that he create in me that heart for ministry, whether it be in my personal , professional or otherwise. Being a witness would be much more than posting a status update, writing a note, or putting up a video, but that in every moment of every day , my life both behind doors and in public, can be the salt and light to the earth.

I leave you with some more words from Keith , that really challenge me , i have not reached this state and i ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to get me there.To lay aside all ambitions and dreams if that is what he asks me to do, and like the 12 disciples, just follow and walk in faith no matter how ludicrous the world,friends, family think it is.

"NO compromise is what the whole Gospel of Jesus is all about...For i tell you ..no man can serve two masters..(Matt 6:24) In a day when believers seem to be trying to please the world and the Lord(which is impossible) , when people are far more concerned about offending their friends than offending God, there is only one answer....Deny yourself take up your cross and follow Him"- Keith Green

God Bless

CATTLE ON A THOUSAND HILLS , HIS, MINE, OURS???

I was having a conversation with someone a few months ago, and i casually mentioned that i no longer listened to Prosperity gospel. This went into a long debate that went on for hours.

He was like Wyatt Earp, firing off scripture after scripture to support his case of God promising us wealth and riches. One of them was "the cattle on a thousand hills are his" does that sound like a poor God? ...gooble gooble gooble gooble....ok, he didn't go like that, but you catch my drift.

Naturally , the logic followed How can a rich God , that owns the whole world not want his children to be rich. Another quote brought up was from apostle Paul,

"my God shall supply all your needs ,according to his riches in glory".Philippians 4:19

His interpretation was, "Paul was rich , thus the reason he prayed YOUR need for the people , and not his own needs.

Needless to say as i went back to read that verse, from the beginning to the end, THAT assumption of riches is totally out of context.

Paul was thanking them, for the previous times they had sacrificially financially catered for him,in his last visit, and at that point in time we did not need it, but placed a blessing on them, for their willingness and generosity.

If i remember right, Paul made and mended tents to finance himself, so he won't have to ask or take a "love offering"(nothing against that) from the people he ministered to.

Read the entire passage for yourself and see.

However , the cattle on a thousand hills stuck with me. Taken from Psalm 50:10 , it is extremely popular with the prosperity gospel movement and i decided to take a look at it for what it fully meant, and the context in which it was said.

Does God own the cattle on the hills and the whole world. YES,

Is our God rich? Of course he is, but i doubt if riches to God, means sitting in his money room, counting gold and diamonds gleefully, as his Angel Gabriel reads his balance sheet out loud for the umpteenth time.

This verse is quoted in isolation to justify and promote the desire to be rich, wealthy and seize the promises that a rich God has provided.

So let's see what it says

v 10 For all the animals of the forest are mine and i own the cattle on a thousand hills

v11 Every bird of the mountain and all the animals of the field belong to me

v12 If i were hungry i would not mention it to you, for all the world is mine and everything in it

v13 I do not need the bulls you sacrifice, i do not need the blood of goats

Here's a key verse

v14 What i want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfill your vows to to the most high.

v15 Trust me in your times of trouble and i will rescue you and you will give me glory

ZOOMING out of the isolation of verse 10 , an often misinterpreted passage , reading the whole passage , we would realize that God is not saying ,

"the cattle on a thousand hills are mine , so you get them in the will my child, take it , it's yours". 

This passage is a chastisement to those that carry out religious ceremony, those playing church so to speak. They cross all the T's and dot all the i's , but it' s all routine. Done out of some sort of obligation rather than love and desire. He was speaking them that did acts and went ,

"Hey, check out, look at my God badge, you better recognize y'all", but lived lives of hypocrisy;lives contrasting to the God they claimed. He was speaking to

HYPOCRITES; v16-17 But God says to the wicked "Recite my laws no longer and don't pretend that you obey me.For you refuse my discipline and treat my laws like trash.

ACCOMPLICES TO THE WICKED; v 18 When you see a thief you help him, and you spend your time with adulterers

LIARS ; v19 Your mouth is full of wickedness and your tongues are full of lies

SLANDERERS :v 20 You sit around and slander a brother, your own mothers son

Verses 21 -22 Go on to explain God's verdict towards all this , a sound WARNING

When you did all this ,I remained silent, and you thought i didn't care. But now i will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you. Repent all you ignore me, or i will tear you apart and no one will help you.

This passage is FAR from the endorsement or promise of financial prosperity as it is often used in isolation. It is a warning to those paying God lip service.


Kinda makes you wonder who many other passages we shout and claim, but have taken out of context.

Lest i do what they do, the passage ends on a hopeful note

v23 But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.If you keep to my path i will reveal to you the salvation of God.<

Please read Psalm 50 in it's entirety, to see the introduction God is given ,lest we read in isolation.

SELAH

EPILOGUE

This is not to say that we should not and can not believe the Lord for financial prosperity. This is not to say we should not believe him to provide more than enough, or excess.
This is not to say we should lean back and live in mediocrity. We should be the best at whatever we do, and when we are rewarded financially we thank him.

So if you have a million dollar idea. Plan to become a CEO of a Fortune 500, or have a plan to become a millionaire or billionaire. THAT'S COOL.

We just have to keep in mind the passage Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and that will be our compass that keeps us in his light. We should be careful about the person we become in the pursuit of our goals, and how that pursuit affects our beliefs, values, morals, ethics ,associations and integrity.

The whole point of the assessment of this passage, is that , we should acknowledge the CONTEXT, in which a popular( or any) passage was said. Like the Bereans that went back to the scriptures after being taught by Paul and the others; we should read a whole passage to find the relevance of a specific verse, and not just parrot someone( pastor or anyone else) that may have gone off tangent, and is just promoting his/her book or ministry.

ANY THOUGHTS ON THIS PASSAGE ON EITHER SIDE OF THE DEBATE ?? PLEASE SHARE

THANKS