Confessions of a Busybody

I had always thought being a busybody meant that you were a gossiper, talking about other people.  That understanding is also consistent with Scripture.

"For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies." II Thessalonians 3:11

"And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." I Timothy 5:13

busybodies: Greek word periergazomai meaning to bustle about uselessly, to busy one's self about trifling, needless, useless matters; used apparently of a person officiously inquisitive about other's affairs

busybodies: Greek word periergos meaning busy about trifles and neglectful of important matters; esp. busy about other folks' affairs

Gossiping about others was not my problem; in fact, I make it a point to stay out of such conversations. However, that is not the only meaning of the word. I recently came across a slightly different understanding where I have to admit I was a real offender.

Who is the God of Your Ministry?

The Relationship Idol 

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-12

ministry: Greek word diakonia meaning service, ministering, esp. of those who execute the commands of others; of those who by the command of God proclaim and promote the Gospel among men.

Every single believer in Christ Jesus is to do the work of the ministry.  However, notice that the word "ministry" in the text above is singular.  In God's eyes, there are different callings and distinctive works supporting each calling, but there is still only one ministry. The only valid ministry is that which has been birthed by command of God, coming from His calling and being empowered by His Spirit to do one thing: proclaim and promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I don't care if there is a "ministry" on how to clean your house, how to make money in your business, how to manage finances, taking care of the homeless, how to raise children, how to be a strong woman, how to find a spouse...if it is not primarily focused on the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is not a ministry inspired or recognized by God. The Body of Christ has many needs which God equips the Church to meet, but the focus is always Christ.

"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Acts 20:24

Please hear me.  Ministry is not a word you can just slap on to something for which you think you have a gift. It is not a platform for making money or developing a following; neither does calling something a "ministry" automatically make it a work of God. The essence of ministry is NOT that you are doing something for Christ, but that Christ is at the center of what you do.

Women's Empowerment

Being Teachers of "Good Things"

I have been seeing a lot of "Christian" meetings focusing on the "Women of God", "Women's Destiny" or the more common phrase, "Women's Empowerment".

empowerment: the giving or delegation of power or authority; authorize, especially by legal or official means; to enable or permit; warrant, commission, license, qualify. the giving of an ability.

My initial thoughts were, "Where are the men's empowerment sessions? Where are the children's empowerment sessions? Why are women being singled out so often for empowerment? Who is empowering them and what are they being empowered to do?"

The closest word to empowerment in Scripture that I could find is the following:

power: Greek word exousia meaning power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases; physical and mental power; the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege); the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed)

Now, Every Day is Freaky

As I indicated previously, I am compiling and amplifying posts from this blog into book format in preparation for the time when this blog is no longer available.

There is one book in particular which has taken quite some time to compile because the Lord continues to show me that the topic is deeper than I had previously documented.  That book is, "Turning the World Upside Down: The Spirit of Homosexuality and the Last Days."

As I worked on the book, I was reminded of a movie I saw as a child called Freaky Friday.  It was about a Mom and her daughter who switched places spiritually, although each still looked the same on the outside.  The Mom still looked outwardly like the Mom; and the daughter still looked outwardly like the daughter.  Yet, on the inside, they had switched roles.

This is what happened in the Garden of Eden when Adam & Eve fell into sin.  They switched roles: Adam became the submissive one and Eve became the authority.  This upside down perversion - where a man becomes inwardly like a woman and vice versa - is the root of the homosexual spirit.

And Adam Was NOT Deceived

"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." I Timothy 2:14

Have you ever wondered about this verse?  I have. When I first read it, I am sure my physical expression looked dumbfounded.  What in the world did it mean?

Didn't both Adam & Eve disobey God?  Yes.

Didn't they both eat of the forbidden fruit? Yes.

Didn't they both fall into sin?  Yes.

Then what distinction was God making here?

deceived: Greek word apataō meaning cheated, beguiled, deceived

Satan subtly tricked Eve into believing that his words were true.

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty..." Corinthians 11:3a

Yet Adam, who was with her, was not deceived (Genesis 3:6).  He knew that Satan was perverting God's words and knew that Satan's words were lies.

So that begs the question, why didn't Adam correct & stop Eve?  Why also did he partake of the forbidden fruit?  Knowing fully that such would bring death, why would Adam choose to follow Eve's error?  The answer is clear in God's judgement.

Drifting Away From My Core

Please take time to read this testimony from a Sister in the Lord.

I can attest to this struggle, having gone through it myself. In fact, I can say that I still encounter situations where I have to make this choice and the Lord uses those to show me other areas in my life where soul ties with these familiar spirits need to be broken.

Drifting Away From My Core

I will make an honest confession.  I care what people think about me.  Sometimes to my own detriment.  I encountered a  situation today that left me somewhat emotional.  While I attempted to fight back tears, I had to ask myself why I felt so hurt.  When I came to the realization of the origins of those feelings, I let the tears go and cried. I cried, not because of what the person said to me, but I cried due to the realization that I still greatly care about what people think of me and how they view me.  I was heartbroken that this person I have known and loved for years would utter comments towards me that were not in the affirmative because of a difference in opinion, and I was hurt.  My reaction caught me off guard. 

I'd done so well pretending not to care how I was perceived by certain groups or individuals and talked big talk like I was ready to let things run off my back like water.  I thought I had shaken the feelings of needing to be liked and accepted by others because of the personal stances I took on certain issues.  I thought I was as strong on the inside as my talk would lead one to believe, but the talk proved to be a smoke screen for something weak on the inside.

Jezebel By Any Other Name

Someone referenced the news article, Bill Cosby’s wife says accusers ‘consented’ to drugs and sex, saying that her stance is an example of unconditional love.

This is not unconditional love. If you don't take anything else from this blog, I hope you get this absorbed into the deepest part of your being: the requirement for love to be present is selflessness.  If someone is pursuing their own interests, reputation, pleasure...that is NOT love.

Neither does this show that Camille Cosby is a "ride or die" chick, as she is being called by some now.  What this really presents is a glimpse of the behind the scenes reality when sodomites marry, presenting only an illusion/mockery of the institution of marriage (if you don't know what that means, see the link).

You have the weak, lust-filled man who is up front as the puppet, while the hard, "without natural affection" woman pulls the strings.

It is tragic. It is sickening.  It is damnable.

The Whole Truth

A sister in the Lord contacted me saying that she had attempted to post a comment to the last article, but for some reason was unable to.  Therefore she sent it to me directly.

In the comment was a link to a blog post speaking about how the "Mother" Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, SC - the scene of a recent tragic slaying - was an apostate church steeped in freemasonry.  She wanted me to post it on her behalf because she thought it was important for people to know the whole truth about this situation.

Honestly, I knew that this church was a part of Babylon when the news referenced the church's women pastors.  Anyone who is born again would know that women cannot be pastors in the Church of God.  Somehow, that knowledge was enough for me.  While I don't dispute the research presented in the linked blog post, I have to wonder, "Why was that necessary?"

In a recent article about the shootings, the interim pastor stated:

"The blood of the Mother Emmanuel Nine requires us to work until not only justice in this case, but for those who are still living in the margin of life, those who are less fortunate than ourselves, that we stay on the battlefield until there is no more fight to be fought."

Is it not clear that this is a worldly endeavor?  They are not waging a spiritual war empowered by the blood of Jesus Christ.  They are fighting to defend the blood of man in order to bring people a perceived version of justice and comfort in this life.  Such is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Call to Obedience

I remember watching this episode when it first aired and laughing so hard!  On The Cosby Show, Alvin was always spouting these archaic, patriarchal ideals; and Claire Huxtable had certainly set him straight (so I thought).

Yet, as I look back on this now through the eyes of Christ (vs. the eyes of flesh), there is only sadness.  This is the type of insidious perversion which a lot of women have to fight tooth & nail to overcome, just to understand what it is to be a wife or even what it means to serve the Lord (because the two roles are parallels).

What Claire is espousing here is the concept of 50/50.  It signifies that everything must be shared (at least conceptually) to make sure that not one person bears too much responsibility for the relationship. With this mindset, I only contribute to the marriage as much (or as little) as I perceive the other person is.  It is a recipe for divorce.  Why? Because it is based in selfishness (what I am getting, what I am giving, how I see things, me, me, me, etc.).

There is no such thing as a 50/50 marriage.  Such is a fantasy.  Better yet, it is a lie.  People in such arrangements deceive themselves into believing that everything is 50/50.  In reality, every single time, what you really have is one person controlling and manipulating the other to get their way.

Not That Outward Adorning

"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. 

Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 

For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." I Peter 3:1-6

Most people understand that this text is in part about the true beauty of a woman being on the inside and not the outside.  It is not an admonition to not wear jewelry or braid your hair.  It is an encouragement to value that which God prizes most: a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

This is true, not only for women in general, but for the Bride of Christ as a whole.  Much of the churchworld is promoting worldly extravagance as the evidence of their holiness before. and acceptance by, the Lord.  They use Jesus as an accessory to their lives; some flashy adornment which draws accolades their way.  They point to the outward works to prove that they are saved when such is a delusion (I Timothy 6:5).

The Grand Canyon

God is Showing You YOU

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

If you look at the Grand Canyon, you will see various layers in the rock formations.  This is caused by various geological events which created, pressurized, and hardened rock over the passing of time.

Such is the way it is in sin.  It is like hardened rock that has been so pressurized, fortified, and built upon within us, that it seems almost immovable.

"And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:" Ezekiel 19:9

Sanctification unto salvation is a process (Romans 6:22; II Thessalonians 2:13-17; II Peter 1:4-10). When God chips away at these rocks, He reveals to us who we really are, as opposed to who we think we are.  As such, we should not be surprised to see the fossils and skeletons which resided there in our hearts. They are remnants of our past life of sin which - although may be years ago - still made an indelible impression on our personality.

Broken Ribs

In Don't Forget Deborah - Part 3 (The Beauty of Submission), I wrote the following:

When God was creating woman, He took one of Adam's ribs in order to form her. This small point is not insignificant. Again, God does everything for a reason.

The ribs provide one main function: protection for the heart and the lungs. Both the heart and lungs are critical to the life of the body, yet the nature of their work requires that these organs be soft, delicate, and pliable (and thereby in need of protection).

The heart keeps blood flowing, ensuring that life reaches other parts of the body. It also provides a place of refreshing where the blood can get re-oxygenated or revived in order to continue its work. As such, the heart needs to be sensitive and flexible enough to the respond to the body's electrical impulses regarding contraction in order to keep the blood pumping. It is strong and is one of the largest muscles in the human body. It is an involuntary muscle meaning we do not have to consciously tell the heart to beat. It is created to anticipate the needs of the body and does so automatically.

The lungs are the place where gas exchange occurs within the human body; it collects the oxygen needed to give energy to the blood and expels toxins such as carbon dioxide. Similar to the heart, the lungs must be elastic enough to inflate/deflate as needed to support the inhaling and exhaling of air. Again, the lungs are involuntary muscles and expand/contract without willful thought by nature of their design.

The heart and lungs work around the clock, processing on average 8,000 - 9,000 liters of blood and air respectively a day. When they don't work properly, it impacts the whole body's ability to function as it should.

Understanding the functional purpose that these delicate organs serve and how vital their work is to the health of the body, it is clear to see why God - in His infinite wisdom - encased the heart and lungs under the protection of the ribs.

However, what happens when the ribs are broken?  I mentioned in a recent comment that God has been emphasizing obedience lately.  A number of women have even written this month to ask what it means to obey their husbands. Further, I have seen other women claiming to be obedient to God, but rejecting patriarchal authority and going off in rebellion against Him.  They are in fact in "obedient" to a perverse demon spirit, even while claiming to be serving the Lord.

Take time to listen to this message.  The calling of women is so evident in Scripture that you would have to want to be blind not to see it.  Only those who enjoy rebellion and do not want to be cleansed from sin will turn a deaf ear.  If there is any resistance in your soul to this, then that is the very thing which God is trying to deal with in you.

It is past time to get this right.  We need to examine ourselves to see who - and whose - we truly are.  We must lay bare our hearts before God and be desperate enough for deliverance that we are willing to deal with those things that God despises.  It is time for women to once again become life in the church by joyfully understanding and embracing who we are designed by God to be.

The Head of Every Man

"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." I Corinthians 11:3

We know that the head of every man is Christ.  Notice, it doesn't say that the head of every male is Christ.  There are many males, and they often bow to many different things as their head; even having women as their head, in direct opposition of the Scriptures.  A true man will only have Christ as his head.

Yet, a true man can only be supported by a true woman.  And guess what?  The head of the woman is the man.  My daughter and I were in a group of women recently when one said, "My Momma always used to say, 'The head of the house is the man, but the woman is the neck and she can turn that head whatever way she wants."  A lot of the women laughed.  You know who says such things (and who laughs at such things)?  Rebellious women. 

The heart of a true woman is not to submit to her husband in name only, pretending he is the head while really getting him to do what she wants him to do.  Rebellion in disguise is still rebellion; and rebellion is still as the sin of witchcraft (I Samuel 15:23).

What I am sharing today might be considered a small thing, but even the little foxes can spoil the vine.  God wants to see our faithfulness, even in the small things...and sometimes those are the toughest.

The Queen of Heaven and the Dragon

As a former Catholic, the phrase "Queen of Heaven" had a completely different meaning to me growing up than what the Bible says.  Of course, as a Catholic, our understanding of God did not come from the Bible anyway.  Thank God for His strong hand of deliverance!

However, many are offering cakes unto the Queen of Heaven and don't even know it.  In spite of what God says, they boldly declare that they will continue in this worship while demanding that God accept it.  Let me tell you that God did not receive this worship in the past and He will not accept it now!

The following message from Omega Ministries is "The Queen of Heaven and the Dragon". 

• Most people have little to no understanding of the Bible.
• The war is an inner war in the human heart, it is not on the external.  You have to war against your own mind and thinking patterns to get free.
• God told Jeremiah that He was judging Israel because they were worshiping and serving other gods, even committing the abomination that He hates (Jeremiah 44:4).
• The inclining the ear is the intent, purposeful listening to what God is saying.  Very few people do this because they think they already know.  On of the biggest obstacles for people is that they don't like the one telling them the truth.  "I just don't want you telling me what is right."
• The great evil the people were committing were against their own souls.

Spiritually Dwarfed Women

There is a particular trap Satan has for women in the last days, and a woman's susceptibility to it is dependent upon not being made whole in Christ.  Make sure you take time while we have it to let the Lord purge you from every ounce of rebellion to His will and His way. 

The following message from Omega Ministries is entitled "Women and the Last of the Last Days".

• Selfishness and self-love is the catalyst for the perilous times which Scriptures tells us will come in the last days (II Timothy 3:1-2).
• For recent years, we have been seeing the visitation of the nephilim, the fallen angels.
• The Devil is a parasitical spirit which must live off of someone else, sucking the life from them.  It is a predatory spirit and uses others to fulfill its own appetites.
• The Holy Ghost is a dynamo who is self-generating and life-giving.
• Yielding to the temptation of the Devil is what gives unclean spirits access to you.
• There are positive and negative promises in the Bible according to where you are in Christ.
• The separator between those who really know Christ and those who just talk about Him is manifestation of the life of Christ from within in power.

The Glorious Calling of Women as Mothers

The following is the "Word of the Week" from Pastor Zac Poonen.

The Glorious Calling of Women as Mothers

Adam called his wife 'Eve', because she was a mother. In the pure light of God's presence, in Eden, he knew clearly what his wife's ministry was. Eve knew it as well. Sin and human traditions (influenced by Satan) have now, however, clouded women's understanding, so that she no longer sees her glory as a mother. Children are now called by the Satanic name of 'accidents', when God calls them 'gifts' (Psa. 127:3). They are also considered to be a 'nuisance', when God considers them to be a 'blessing' (Psa. 127:5; 128:4). This is but another indication of how far even so-called Christians have drifted away from God and become Satanic in their thinking!

The Color Purple and Other Feminist Lies

Feminists Kill Children

A disturbing article was shared with me recently:  How My Mother's Fanatical Views Tore Us Apart by Rebecca Walker.  I couldn't even finish the article initially without becoming overwhelmingly heartsick (and physically sick) at the devastation feminism has done; both to the author of that article, women in general, and society as a whole.

Many will look at the picture of the woman on the right and consider her to be a revolutionary.  An insightful & inspirational poet.  A trailblazer for women's rights.  This is certainly how my college portrayed her.  Not only had she attended my alma mater, but Spelman College listed many of Dr. Alice Walker's works as required reading.  Her ideologies permeated the curriculum and attitude of that women's only institution.  Our minds were being molded, but molded to be what?

As a child I remember reading Dr. Walker's book The Color Purple, and later watching the movie featuring Oprah Winfrey.  My favorite scene was Shug being drawn away from what I now know was a lesbian serenade with Celie to singing "God's Trying to Tell You Something" in a church reunion with her minister father (ironic to say the least).  I also remember somewhat of an uproar coming from African-American men, describing the book as "anti-man".  Each man in the movie was either a fornicator, abuser, adulterer, liar, weakling, or self-centered scoundrel.  I didn't understand their issue at the time. I didn't realize that there were no positive portrayals of men in the movie...nor did I get why such even mattered.  I didn't pick up on the lesbian innuendos between Celie and Shug, nor understand that this relationship was the glue to the whole story. 

Godly Mother

The following article is from Pastor Zac Poonen, entitled "The Amazing Faith of a Godly Mother".

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We read in 2 Kings 4:8-37 of a woman - a prominent, rich, wealthy and influential woman – who was also blessed by Elisha’s ministry. God does not choose only the poor and the illiterate and the uneducated to bless. He has no partiality. He chose an illiterate Peter, but He also chose a highly educated Paul. Peter did not know much of the Scriptures, but Paul was a scholar in the Scriptures. There were some rich women who supported Jesus and His disciples financially, and Jesus accepted their large gifts, because they were godly women (Lk.8:3).

Here was a wealthy woman who decided to support Elisha. She was a godly woman too, because when she saw this man visiting them occasionally, she said to her husband, “I perceive this is a holy man of God.” How did she recognize Elisha as a holy man of God without even listening to a single sermon of his? She just observed the way he conducted himself at the dining table. What an example for us! It is the little things that identify a godly man - the way he sits and talks to people, the way he eats his food and the way he conducts himself in ordinary matters. We don’t have to listen to his sermons.

The War on Men Through the VENERATION of Woman

For those who still don't see how evil this is after reading, please see the following: The End of Men. 

Notice that she is referenced as "Ms." vs. "Mrs.",
which is a title usually reserved for when it is unknown
whether a woman is married or unmarried.

"Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. 

And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.

Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: [Shinar is Babylon] and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base [a pedestal]." Zechariah 5:5-11

On December 1, 2012, Mrs. Jada Pinkett Smith posted a note on her Facebook page called, "The War on Men Through the Degradation of Woman."  It shows in a nutshell how the perversion of womanhood - such as promoted by Mrs. Smith - is contaminating the minds of young girls and is the cause of what she calls the "War on Men".

A Bisexual Playground... UPDATED

The following article is written by a blogger who has given her life to, and is truly on fire for, the Lord.  I am posting her article here because she describes a phenomenon that I am just honestly not too familiar with, as this was not done in my day.  However, it seems to be very prevalent in these last days.

She describes how commonplace it has become for young girls to"joke" about being married to their girl friends, which they even call their "wives".  She tells the truth of how these activities are inspired by a lesbian spirit which attempts to normalize these behaviors in the minds of young people.

Recently, God enabled my family to see the reality of what this blogger describes through ministry to a young woman with similar experiences.  She had engaged in similar jesting in high school, which ultimately culminated in full-fledged lesbianism in college.  Yet this spirit is very deceptive.  Although the woman was participating in same-sex activities, she did not consider herself to be a lesbian.  Even when we prayed to cast out that spirit, she would cry out, "I am not a lesbian."  When Satan can mold you into his image and yet still blind your mind to the reality of what you have become, that is true deception.