Many Paths to God: Lies Christians accept to make others Comfortable

I don't know about you all, but I am done with being the type of Christian that tells others things that make them comfortable. Before I really delve in to my topic, I want folks to know that I am not judging anyone. However, the scripture that will come up 99.9% of the time in the conversations about this has already been written about. 

Over the past few weeks, I have been watching different people state their Christian beliefs online, then as soon as someone offers to read their "cards" they jump on board with Tarot. While I understand the tarot is a pack of playing cards, used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play games such as Italian tarocchini, French tarot and Austrian Königrufen, many of which are still played today. In the late 18th century, some tarot decks began to be used for divination via tarot card reading and cartomancy leading to custom decks developed for such occult purposes. Yet it is still dangerous as it opens the door to evil. 

In fact, the Nazi party was involved in the occult. As it turns out, the Nazi party incorporated occultism from its very start. The political group that would eventually become the Nazi party (the German Worker's Party, or DAP) was founded in part by individuals from the Thule Society, an esoteric group dedicated to studying the mythological origins of the Aryan race. Several prominent Nazis were either members or active within the society, including Rudolph Hess, who would become the deputy further to Hitler; Alfred Rosenburg, head of the ministry that oversaw Nazi Germany's occupied territories in Eastern Europe; and Dietrich Eckhart, who founded the DAP.

The Thule society's primary focus was on the study of Ariosophy, referring to wisdom regarding the Aryans founded by occultists Guido von List and Lanz von Liebenfels. These individual's beliefs would come to inform significant aspects of the Nazi state, such as von List's belief in the power of magical runes. The most glaring example of this would be the twin "sig" runes that formed the SS insignia.

Occult-related activities and organizations were often suppressed in Nazi Germany at the behest of Heinrich Himmler's Rasputin-like personal occultist, Karl Maria Wiligut. The point of this was to ensure that Wiligut's own brand of occultism would be the eminent philosophy of the Nazis. Wiligut had developed a religion centered on worshipping the Germanic god Irmin. 

The reason that the occult was so alluring to the Nazi is that it promises power. If someone is involved in the occult can provide secret information to an individual that only he knows, and the predict something that does indeed occurs then the occultist has secured power over the other person. Another reason is that the occult promises love, but it's not the divine unconditional love of God (agape), rather it's a psychosexual love (eros), which explains why many of those involved in the occult are immoral, recognizing only a standard of authority established by their own reasoning. The occult also provides a minute amount of certainty in an uncertain world. It provides a sense of belonging so desperately needed by those who reject the love of Jesus Christ. 

Let's take a look at Acts 13:6-12 

6 When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

A fulness of deceit and mischief together, make a man indeed a child of the devil. And those who are enemies to the doctrine of Jesus, are enemies to all righteousness; for in it all righteousness is fulfilled. The ways of the Lord Jesus are the only right ways to heaven and happiness. However, more than that, Acts 13 reveals God's attitude towards the Occult. 

According to Martin Walters, The Kingdom of the Occult states of the sorcerer/magician:

1. They are in league with Satan and possess certain supernatural powers.

2. They are false prophets.

3. They seek to influence people politically and ecclesiastically, particularly those in positions of power. (v. 6-7)

4. They attempt to prevent those who are seeking to hear the Word of God from learning it by opposing those who preach it. (v.8)

5. They deliberately attempt to divert prospective converts from the faith as their ultimate goal (v.8). 

Dr. Walters continues by contrasting to this, the judgement of the Holy Spirit is explicit: 

1. He calls such attempts and practices "Fully of all kinds of deceit and trickery" (v. 10-NIV)

2. He designates occultism and the occult as having its origin with the devil by calling Bar-Jesus "Son of the devil." (v. 10)

3. He unmasks the occultists' tactics and declares them to be enemies of all that is righteous. He calls them perverters of the Lord, which are designated as "straight," or right. (v. 10). 

The "religion" that the leaders of Black Lives Matter claim to practice is an ancient religion from Western Africa called Yoruba. One of the main practices of the Yoruba religion is divination. William Jones had attended predominantly African-American churches throughout the earlier part of his life and had considered himself to be a spiritual person. The Christian church just did not give him the personal attention he wanted.

Notice the article says it didn't give Jones the attention he sought. Not the attention that would glorify God. He wanted the attention himself. That is what false religions and the occult promise people. The attention they seek. 

You see God has been warning those after His heart for years not to go after practioners of the Occult. Deuteronomy 18:9-12 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.

Leviticus 19:26-31 “You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes. You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord. “Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity. You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.

Isaiah 8:19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?

There are scripture upon scripture telling us to not engage with the darkness. Christians need to stop letting people think there are many ways to Christ. Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

How many of us know people who are choosing the wide way because it's easy? They are choosing the wide path because it is allowing them to live how ever they want without the discomfort of conviction that God brings to you life? They don't have to change? How many people do we know as Christians who support people in their every path leads to God? How many times have you been scared to say something because you didn't want to make people uncomfortable? 

There is a bumper sticker that I abhore. It says basically states that all religions are equal and should coexist, but the truth is that all religions are not equal. Christianity isn't a religion at all, it's a relationship. Friends we as Christians, need to stop making people feel comfortable, we need to stop with the I am okay, you are okay, we are all okay since that is not the truth. We are lying to people by telling them they are okay whatever path they choose. Sometimes I think people are scared to go out and minister to people. Some of us, if challenged, get defensive, we will stoop to the levels of others to get our points across. Even I am guilty of this. Instead we need to be willing to tell people that Christianity is the only path to God. We need to educate ourselves in apologetics so that we can speak to people and do so in a way that isn't offensive and being able to do this will bring more people to Christ. 

I have found that people are often times scared to walk up to the stranger in the street and strike up a conversation; my friend Tim used to be so good at this. He'd walk up to the most random stranger and say "Do you know my friend Jesus?" By the time the person checked out, he'd most likely exchanged numbers and began to build a relationship with that person. 

I have met several people over the past few weeks that don't believe in God and I have built relationships with them. I am comfortable enough to say "I don't agree with your lifestyle or I don't believe in what you do, but I care enough about you to still be your friend and to tell you the truth."

Christians we need to stop coddling people and actually tell them the truth. Yes, it will hurt. Yes, it will make them angry. Yes, it will possibly cost you their friendship, but hopefully in the end, it will help them come to a true relationship with Christ. 

A Fall from Grace

Earlier this month Jerry Falwell, Jr. stepped down indefinitely as the Chancellor of my Alma Mater. Today, Jerry Falwell, Jr. stepped down permanently from his position due to a scandal. (It was later reported he was not stepping down.) Many fellow graduates were shocked, but others were not shocked at all. In fact, one lady said "I am glad this happened." The fact remains that Chancellor Falwell is a man. As a female graduate of Liberty, I can say that I didn't have it easy in the seminary, namely because I wasn't at the school to meet a husband, I was genuinely intrigued by the scriptures. 

Falwell did release a statement to the Washington Examiner. From the way the release was written it sounds like a feeble attempt to clear his name, but not that of his wife. 

Despite all of this, I would encourage my fellow Christians to not rejoice in the human failures of Jerry Falwell. Instead, I would encourage you to pray for him, his family and the school. 1 Corinthians 13:6 it [love] does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in truth. Proverbs 24:17 states Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles. We shouldn't be rejoicing at the failures, we shouldn't be gloating in the moral failures of a person, rather we need to be rejoicing that Chancellor Falwell will now have time to work on getting his life back in order and work on his marriage, if the marriage survives this. 

Obidiah 1:12 states But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah, in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress. 

At this time, all I can do is think "Thank God my life isn't lived out loud, that my sins are not broadcast for the world to hear." The reason I think it's easy for us to judge Mr. Falwell is because at this time, we are just glad it isn't us; we are holding him to a higher standard than we hold even ourselves. 

When was the last time that you were wronged? Or that your sins were found out by someone else? When was the last time that we watched with glee someone else "get what they deserve?" While most of the people I know are not gloating in the fall of Jerry Falwell, they are relieved at the fact that he resigned, hoping that the school can get back on track. 

To be a student at Liberty, you have to agree to "The Liberty Way." I had to agree to uphold the standards of the honor code, which covers every thing from the history of Liberty all the way down to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. The Liberty Way/Student Honor Code prohibits Sexual relations outside of marriage, and only between natural born men and natural born women. Sexual relations outside of a biblically-ordained marriage between a natural-born man and a natural-born woman are not permissible at Liberty University. In personal relationships, students are encouraged to know and abide by common-sense guidelines to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Activities inconsistent with these standards and guidelines are violations of the Student Honor Code.

At this time, it is my desire that Liberty's new leadership be charged with upholding The Liberty Way in all ways, fashion and form. I am also asking my followers/readers to not rejoice in the fall of Chancellor Falwell, instead take the time to pray for him. To pray that God will show him the way, to which he will need to follow. Pray for his family, and the Liberty Family...because of the next few months and possibly the entire next year, they are going to be needing our prayers, as they change leadership (pending tomorrow's announcement). 

Until we know more, we should become humble. Humbleness is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of a right heart with God.  

Are you bitter over something wrong that was done to you and are finding it hard to let go? Have you rejoiced over another’s misfortune after they have wronged you? This is the time to get with God and repent and ask God to fix what needs fixing. When we turn the matter over to the Lord, He will take care of it. Our job is to forgive and move on.

I am not afraid...I was born to do this...

I'm a firm believer that God removes stumbling blocks and things that bar us from Him. I have been a candidate for ministry since 2017 and last night, my pastor had to deliver the news that the church was pulling their support from my candidacy. However, I didn’t cry, I didn’t get upset, in fact, I think I may have teared up and then thought “Well, okay God what’s next?” But I haven’t felt like a candidate for a long time; in fact, I haven’t felt much like a candidate since we came home from Kenya. 

The reason for pulling their support was that I come across as contentious. And in some ways I am very contentious. I love a good argument, it’s a part of who I am. Yet today, when I was asked by a friend at work how candidacy was going, I just openly said “I am no longer a candidate.” Shock crossed his face and he said “WHAT?” I explained that “I am contentious, and my church can no longer support me as a pastoral candidate.” He just looked at me and said “Do they know what they just lost?” 

This friend has been following my candidacy since we met. We are on very different sides of the UMC split, he is UMCNext and I am Traditionalist. Yet his question was “Do they know what they just lost?” I don’t know if the church really understands what they just lost, what I do know is that Christians are called to be various things at various times and contentious is one of them—Jude vs.3. Tonight my parents asked me “How are you feeling?” “Are you okay?” I looked at them and said “I am fine. When God closes one door, he opens another and all that jazz.” 

I can honestly say I am at peace with the decision of my church. I am at peace because I had already been questioning being a minister, I had thought about lay servant, but even now that is out of the question. But that is great, it means that God has removed something that was blocking my view from Him. 

Over the past few weeks, I have been taking time out and walking through my town at various times of the day, just praying. Praying where the protests have been taking place, praying at City Hall, praying at the County Commissioners office, praying over local businesses, praying with people that need prayer. I have been approaching God with all kinds of prayers. (Ephesians 6:18) And it’s been amazing. I come home and I feel 1000% refreshed, and like I may have made a small difference. 

Yesterday, my friend Kimberly and I went out together. We prayed for businesses to prosper, we prayed for our leaders and those in authority over us. (1 Timothy 2:1) We prayed for hearts to be opened and to be healed. And God kept impressing on me “Two Women and a Prayer.” Now I will be honest, I don’t know exactly what that means. I don’t know if it means that God is leading me to work with another female and pray; I am still praying over it, but I do know that if, I was still a candidate, I wouldn’t be able to pursue what God is doing, I’d be too focused on how to be the perfect candidate. 

Equally, I have taken a huge interest in spiritual warfare. I have started reading everything I can find on how to battle against Satan and his demons. (Ephesians 6:12) In fact, Spiritual Warfare is a neglected subject by the Wesleyan tradition for the most part. As Bob Ayres puts it, “Just because we can wear the armor doesn’t mean we know how to use it. Unless we know how to use it, and use it properly, we don’t stand a chance against our enemy.”

C.S. Lewis writes in the preface to The Screwtape Letters, There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.

I think of St. Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans, at the tender age of 13 when she first had her visions of figures she identified as Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, and Saint Margaret, who told her to drive out the English and take the Dauphin to Reims for his consecration. Joan’s military advances were in the physica

l, but she also fought spiritual battles. In fact, she probably championed the battlefield of the mind long before Joyce Meyer, when she said “All battles are first won or lost in the mind.” 

However, today it has become clear, quiet clear, that God has removed the stumbling block that was candidacy; and He is going to do something far greater. So as I go forth to start a new ministry journey, some have asked and may be asking “Are you scared?” “No, I am not afraid…I was born to do this.” 

Don't Make a Point, Make a Difference

Everyone is seeking that next like, that next heart, that next great share. It doesn't matter if you are a writer of a blog, a musician, or even a pastor. It seems everyone is hustlin' for some kind of attention. Maybe they are writing the next great book, maybe they are posting on Facebook, Twitter. At times, it's okay to seek attention, but when the attention that you seek becomes all you seek that is when things turn ugly. 

A few weeks back, I was invited to a Facebook group. I joined the group, and boy were they attention seeking. If you posted what they liked you were gold. However, they are all about themselves, they are all about talking and making points, and not making a difference. Jeremiah 17:9 says The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

The only thing I can think of when I listen to these people talk about themselves is that they have zero humility. And should focus on: 

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:3-5).

In our increasingly online-world, there is an overabundance of point-makers and an alarming deficit of difference-makers. We should talk less and listen more. One of my favorite lines from the musical Hamilton is when Aaron Burr tells Alexander Hamilton, "Talk Less, Smile More." In other words, talk less, and listen to people. 

We also need to stop critiquing people and start affirming them. In m life I had a lot of people criticize me and affirm what I believe in. Currently I am standing up for the Statesville Confederate Monument. When I have told my family about it, they don't ask questions, they just tell me what they think. When I try to tell them how I feel "It doesn't matter." In fact, they have been known to tell me "I don't want to hear about it." Instead of "I may not agree with you, but this is important so tell me why you believe what you do." 

There is a story in an article by Relevant Magazine, it tells to stop over thinking things. If you sense that God is asking you to take action in a particular situation, take action within 10 seconds. This has been a great challenge but an even greater help as I attempt to make fewer points and make more of a difference.

However, honestly we need to be more like Jesus, there is a story in the scripture where Jesus healed the sight of two blind men, and then told them not to tell anyone (Matthew 9:9). Why would he do that? Jesus wasn’t seeking attention, He simply wanted to make an impact in these needy lives. Jesus never performed mass healings, and He did everything He could to make sure He became known for having an intimate touch on people’s lives.

Maybe that's what we should be doing; stop seeking the attention of man and start pointing people to Christ.  Stop trying to make a point and start making a difference.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

 

 

The Battle is Here

There is a great war being waged in the world today. It is not a conflict between nations, tribes, or government leaders. It is not a rebellion or coup. It is an important invisible battle taking place in the spirit world. The Bible states that God's people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). The early Church viewed their spiritual experience in terms of warfare. Military terminology is used throughout the New Testament. Protection was seen in the armor of God. The Word of God was compared to a sword. Satan's attacks were called fiery darts. Faith was the "good fight" and believers were told to "war a good warfare." The early Church knew they were engaged in an intense spiritual struggle.

This week I have been reading a YouVersion devotion called Warrior by Tony Evans. This devotion came earlier in my 2020, but it didn't feel like the right to complete it so I sat it aside. On Sunday afternoon, I was looking for a devotional that just spoke to me, that would help me through the next few weeks of my life. 

In my last post, I wrote about being attacked and taking refuge in Christ Jesus. Growing up in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) I wasn't taught very much about the spiritual realm. In fact, it was mostly what I read (I read everything I could growing up). Even now, in the United Methodist Church (UMC) we don't speak much about the fact that there is a spiritual realm. This is probably because in 1985 Stanley Hauerwas and Bishop William Willimon accused "mainline" Protestants churches and theologies of conducting business as if God does not exist. This has flowed over to conducting business as if the supernatural and the spiritual realms don't exist. In his article Embarrassed by the Supernatural Roger E. Olsen states that our disbelief has less to do with intellect than it does with not wanting to look like a fanatic or a our religion being respectable.

However, all of this being said, I do believe in the spiritual realm and I believe what our world is going through is because the spiritual realm is manifesting itself in our physical realm. An enemy that we can see is easier to fight than one that we can only feel and can't see. 

So much of what is going on in our country isn’t so much racial oppression and being fed up; it’s the spiritual realm manifesting itself in what we can see...however, we don’t have enough strong, godly “soldiers” willing to go to war. They are willing to pray, of course, but have yet to step foot onto the battlefield. Christians, our time is now! Through the civil unrest God is calling us to something greater, flood doors are opening and people are needing to see Christians, not as uppity, perfect people, but as real, authentic, willing to be in relationship with the least of these.

I have been mocked, called a traitor, had people threaten me, call me a leftist, liar, hypocritical, bi***, for walking over to the monument protestors in Statesville and talking to them. All the protestors at the monument know where I stand on the issue at hand and they treat me with respect; as I treat them with the same respect. If I am driving in town, I stop, say hello, and ask if they need anything. Then I converse with them; and I always end with, “I am praying for you all.” The battle isn’t with the protestors, and it’s certainly not over a monument. It’s very literally for the souls of men, women and children.

William Abraham stated in an article on Juicy Ecumenism "Evil is not just an absence of good,” but also “a real turn to evil,” in which we can know very well that something is wrong and still “consciously choose it, and then celebrate it.” 

John 10:10a tells us that the "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy." (ESV) Later in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul reminds us to Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.(Eph. 6:11-12 ESV)

The church needs to teach more about Spiritual Warfare! Christians are soldiers, but we are highly untrained, much like the Continental Army when the revolution was declared; but like those soldiers we don't have to stay untrained. The best way to train for this battle is to be aware, be aware that everything that happens is first to God's plan, but not everything is from God; next stay engaged with your Bible, delve into the Scripture and stay engaged in prayer; staying connected to God leaves no room for the enemy to attack you. Once you are built up, then you are able to go out and fight a good fight for the kingdom of God. 

The battle is here, how ready are you to suit up in your armor?