Do you believe what you believe?

Do you believe what you believe? Well, do you? Okay, it sounds like a silly question, doesn't it? If you "believe" it, why wouldn't you "believe" it? Lol! This question was posed in Bible Study tonight at church. Out of one simple question came a great study. I suppose the better way to phrase it might be to ask "do you believe what you say you believe" but the phrasing of the question is an attention getter.


As Christians, we're apt to say "oh, sure, I believe that." We SAY we believe that God can do miracles but do we REALLY believe that? When the rubber meets the road, what do we do?


God promised He would supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Phillipians 4:19:


And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. (New Living Translation)

We as Christians can proclaim that verse all day long. Some people do take it to heart and can truly step out in faith and believe God will do that which they need. What happens when that unexpected bill hits? When the weather is exceptionally cold for days on end and a water pipe bursts AND we get one of the most expensive electric bills we've ever seen, what happens then? Do we worry and fret or do we trust God in faith that He has it under control?


Matthew 10:29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. (New Living Translation)


I've heard it said that God has never been found guilty of child neglect. While a cutesy saying, it is true. God promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He will take care of our needs. But do we believe that? Do we leave the situation in God's hands or do we sweat and fume?


We can short circuit God's blessings for our lives because of our unbelief. If we walk around all day long with our head held low and doubt that God will do what He said He would do, how can we expect His blessings?


Mark 6:5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. (New Living Translation)

What a sad commentary right there. Jesus was among them, the very One who was not only willing but capable of doing mighty miracles. Because of their unbelief He was unable to perform miracles, something He generously wanted to give them. We shake our heads in disbelief at these people and think it's a terrible thing that they missed out on but.....what about us? How do we react?


When you pray, do you trust God will do what you've asked? Now I don't mean we should go asking for a million dollars or a new car but if we've asked according to His will, how do we react? Do we go away with confidence in God or do we shrug our shoulders and say "well, it was worth a try?"


We live in a microwave society where everything is at an instant. If we want a pot pie, we pop it in the microwave for 4 minutes and it's done. If I want to watch a favorite show, I no longer have to wait for a TV station to run it but I pop in a DVD or cue it up on Netflix or YouTube. We expect God to work on that schedule and He doesn't! God's timing is not our timing but we think it should be. When God delays answering our prayer, how do we react? Do we continue to trust in Him or do we decide to do our own thing? Do we quietly trust Him to do what He promised or do we start balling and squalling like a spoiled 3 year old who didn't get his/her way?


Abraham got caught in that very situation. God promised him a son in his old age. When things didn't go exactly on the timetable that Abraham and Sarah felt it should, Abraham tried his own thing instead of waiting on God. This caused distress for not only Abraham but also Ishmael and Hagar as well as Sarah. Had Abraham stayed the course and waited on the promised son a lot of heartache would have been avoided.


It's easy to pick on Abraham and point out what he did was wrong. We're all great at pointing out what went wrong after the fact, aren't we? What was Abraham thinking? How could he not trust God? Most assuredly we would have did it differently, right? We're superior to ole Abraham and would've did it differently! Oh, yeah, that's just how it is! Sure and I have ocean front property to sell you here in Steele, MO. How many of us have accepted that new job or entered into that relationship we knew wasn't "right" all because God was taking too long and we began to doubt He was going to do it? Admit it, we've all did it at one point or another in our lives.


So, do you believe what you say you believe or are you just talking the talk? Take time out with God today and see if you're walking the walk or just talking the talk. I would love to link you to a great Bill Gaither song called "I Believe It" that was on one of his early albums (back when it was The Bill Gaither Trio) but YouTube doesn't seem to have it.

False prophets and "touching God's anointed"

I suppose anyone who knows me well knows I hold strong opinions on things; I wasn't voted "most opinionated" in high school for no reason! I've learned to tone it down over the years and be a little more moderate. Sometimes things just get to be such a burr in the butt that I have to speak! False prophets are one thing that can get me worked up as you'll see from other posts I've made.

I had a spirited discussion on Facebook about Joel Osteen yesterday. I realize he's a pretty popular guy in the world of Christendom today and you're opening up a hornets nest to speak ill of him with some folks. You have some who'll tell you "oh, you shouldn't call out a fellow Christian" or "hey, we need someone positive in the church today." My comments were removed from the discussion because I outright called Joel Osteen a false prophet and I had one person telling me I really "needed to be careful" and not call names. Perhaps I went too far in name calling but exactly what do you call someone who teaches a feel good message that doesn't line up with the Bible?

How far have we come? I think we've regressed when we can't call a spade a spade without someone saying we're name calling! Here's a man who went on CNN and had an awesome opportunity to witness to the world about the Christian faith. Instead he loused it up by saying he just couldn't say whether or not Christ was the only way to Heaven. Look, yes, I know Peter denied Jesus three times under pressure. Peter repented of his actions and became a mighty soul winner. Mr. Osteen seems more concerned with being a cheerleader and telling people God wants them to have the prime parking spot at the grocery store. You can have "your best life now" according to Mr. Osteen. Somehow that doesn't jive with Jesus saying we'd have persecution and troubles in the world. 

What I really get bugged by is this whole "touch not my anointed" thing. People are walking around in fear of DARING to say something a preacher is saying is wrong and seem afraid to think for themselves. In Acts 17 we find the Bereans searching the Scripture to see if what Paul is saying was true. A true man of God shouldn't be having to scare people with this "touch not mine anointed" line. My pastor has said many times before not to take his word for it but to look it up because we should know Scripture ourselves.

We find the New Testament replete with references to Christ and the New Testament saints not afraid to speak the truth about religious wrongs being practiced.

In Matthew 3:7, John the Baptist had this to say: But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee and escape from the wrath and indignation [of God against disobedience] that is coming? (Amplified)

In Jude, we find the following:

10 But these men revile (scoff and sneer at) anything they do not happen to be acquainted with and do not understand; and whatever they do understand physically [that which they know by mere instinct], like irrational beasts--by these they corrupt themselves and are destroyed (perish). 11 Woe to them! For they have run riotously in the way of Cain, and have abandoned themselves for the sake of gain [it offers them, following] the error of Balaam, and have perished in rebellion [like that] of Korah! 12 These are hidden reefs (elements of danger) in your love feasts, where they boldly feast sumptuously [carousing together in your midst], without scruples providing for themselves [alone]. They are clouds without water, swept along by the winds; trees, without fruit at the late autumn gathering time--twice (doubly) dead, [lifeless and] plucked up by the roots; 13 Wild waves of the sea, flinging up the foam of their own shame and disgrace; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of eternal darkness has been reserved forever. (Amplified)

In Acts the 8th chapter, we find Peter rebuking Simon the Sorcerer for his wishing to purchase the ability to the gift of the Spirit:  17 Then [the apostles] laid their hands on them one by one, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 However, when Simon saw that the [Holy] Spirit was imparted through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he brought money and offered it to them, 19 Saying, Grant me also this power and authority, in order that anyone on whom I place my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. 20 But Peter said to him, Destruction overtake your money and you, because you imagined you could obtain the [free] gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is all wrong in God's sight [it is not straightforward or right or true before God]. 22 So repent of this depravity and wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, this contriving thought and purpose of your heart may be removed and disregarded and forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in a bond forged by iniquity [to fetter souls]. (Amplified) Peter didn't say he'd pray for him or wish him well; he got straight to the point! Folks, God is not going to cut you down for calling wrong "wrong." As Christians we have a responsibility to point out those who are in error with their teachings. I'm not talking about doctrinal differences but I'm talking about outright error and falsehood. Even the Bible gives us instructions on what to do with a brother or sister who is "overtaken in a fault." Spiritual lives and eternity is on the line!

Making merchandise of God

Let me say upfront that I have no problem with a preacher/pastor making a living. Paul said not to muzzle the ox that was treading out the grain. If someone is involved in ministry doing God's work they should be supported in a decent manner. I do take issue with "preachers" who live in gated communities and drive a Rolls Royce or Bentley with a personal chauffeur while living in multi-million dollar homes in said gated community. Sadly I believe too many see that as the face of Christianity and want nothing to do with it. If the only familiarity I had with Christianity was some guy on TV in a designer suit driving a Bentley while living in a multi-million dollar home, I might be turned off, too.

Several years back I got subscribed to Jimmy Swaggart's magazine somehow. Look, people make mistakes and they struggle. Even King David had an affair and murdered Uriah, the wife of Bathsheba. I don't hold what he did in the 1980's against him as it's water under the bridge. If he's repented, God has forgiven. I simply inquired about whether or not his old LP's were available on CD. I love his music from the 70's up until about the early 80's. Somehow they got my address and I started receiving his magazine.

I read them each month when they came in even if I didn't agree wholeheartedly with his personal views on a few things. What really got me was he kept offering his "Expositor's Study Bible" and saying God wanted that in the hands of EVERY Christian and it could be yours for a love offering of $75! I'm not about to pay $75 for anyone's study Bible when I can get multiple versions free on my tablet and I more than likely can find commentary online or in other books. This led me to write the ministry a letter via e-mail.

I suggested to Jimmy (or whomever actually reads their correspondence) that they were doing Christians a great disservice with their $75 asking fee. I once heard a radio minister say he had a book that he felt every Christian should read and while a love offering would be nice, it wasn't required to get the book. If you called he would send you the book free of charge and he would trust God to meet the expenses of printing the book and postage, etc. I suggested to the Jimmy Swaggart ministry that perhaps they should adopt the same philosophy and even went to the extent of asking what about the "little widow lady" who lived on a fixed income. No response.

The next month rolled around. Same offer.....you send Jimmy $75 and he'll give you the Bible. I repeated my same e-mail again and suggested this time if they didn't intend to give me a reply to please remove me from their mailing list. That got someone's attention as I've never received another piece of correspondence from the Jimmy Swaggart ministry since then.

This morning a friend on Facebook posted "prophecy" from a fella named Doug Addison. I've never heard of him but the "prophecy" looked to be the typical cookie cutter "God's gonna do something big for you" that would fit anyone and their brother. I decided to peruse Mr. Addison's website and see what it contained.

I found out that Mr. Addison can interpret dreams and is a life coach. There wasn't any mission statement attempting to bring people to Christ that I saw. It was all about him and that God gave him the ability to interpret dreams back in the 1990's and he could teach you to interpret dreams as well. I'm sure, naturally of course, he's not going to teach you for free. As a matter of fact he was attempting to sell a book to those who were interested about dreams.

Here's where I take issue. We find NO ONE in the Bible or in church history that was "taught" to interpret dreams. Joseph in the Old Testament had the ability to interpret dreams. When Pharaoh had his ominous dreams and the wise men and magicians of Egypt couldn't interpret them, Joseph didn't offer to "teach" them how. No, he got down to God's business and gave Pharaoh the interpretation of his dreams. The same thing with Daniel many years later; he didn't offer to teach anyone how to discern dreams, he got down to business with Nebuchadnezzar.

I believe that God does give dreams. I believe he's the same yesterday, today and forever. If He chose to do it in the Old Testament he can still give dreams today. However, God isn't into cheapening any gifts He has to give. Just as we only find a handful of these instances in the Bible, it's still quite a selective process I'm sure. While perusing Mr. Addison's site, I found him "interpreting" dreams en masse saying what various dreams meant. If you dreamed you were falling it meant this or that. If you dreamed of being late for an appointment or a job it meant to be on the lookout and don't be late for what God is going to give you. I saw people posting pitifully asking what this dream or that dream meant. Of course I'm sure you'll have to buy his book or take his course in teaching people how to interpret their dreams.

In the New Testament we find that Jesus ran the money changers out of the temple for selling to people right in God's house. I wonder what He would have to say if He were walking among us today?

This is in no way an indictment against all pastors or preachers. Again, a pastor or preacher has to make a living. Not a killing but a living. Our pastor and his wife live in a very small house living off what little the church can afford, her retirement and his income from a full time job. I wonder if perhaps these high-roller preachers could be convinced to help out someone who's truly doing God's work? Probably not.

Don't ignore what God has put in front of you

Years ago, I heard the famous Jerry Clower tell a story, one that might relate to OUR lives.

A guy was caught in a flood. Things got so bad he had to climb on to his roof to escape drowning. He begged God to save him.

Shortly thereafter, a boat came by and offered him a ride. He replied that he was waiting on God and wouldn't accept a ride because God was going to save him.

The waters continued to rise and he got more earnest with God about wanting to be saved from drowning. A helicopter came by and offered him a ride. The reply was the same-God would save him!

Finally, the waters reached to a point he was about to go under and as he begged God again to save him from drowning, another boat came by. Nope, God's gonna save him!

The man drowned and went to Heaven. When he met God, he asked Him why He allowed him to drown. God replied, "you dummy! I sent you two boats and a helicopter!!!"

How many times do we do this in our lives? Because God didn't work the way WE wanted Him to do we turn down a blessing. Wouldn't it be a shame if we came to the end of our days and found out we had left multiple blessings on the table because we didn't think they looked the way we thought they should?

The Power of One

The power of one. This is something I've been thinking of for about a week or so and while I have a bit of down time between classes, I figured I would address it.

We hear that “one is a lonely number” and there’s strength in numbers. Yes, those things are undeniably true. Sometimes, though, change starts with the power of one.

Two times a week I sit in a so-called political science class in which it seems almost every belief I hold sacred is ridiculed. In the mind of this professor, liberal equals good and conservative equals bad. She has been the subject of previous blogs I’ve written, quite a few Facebook status updates and numerous tweets. On a personal level, I find her to be a pleasant person who is quite likeable but who is also very dead wrong from so many standpoints including political, religious and historical.

As I sit through this class biting my tongue, I am blessed to know that I was raised differently, that I was actually taught the true history of America (even learning more about our Founding Fathers as I became an adult) and was raised in a Bible-believing, Christ-centered church. I also realize that my generation isn’t getting younger and there’s a generation coming up behind my generation that may well not know the rich history of this nation and are being indoctrinated in falsehoods and half-truths on a daily basis.

I look around and see everything topsy-turvy in this nation. Truly the Bible was right in saying in the last days evil would be called good and good would be called evil. I sometimes think that maybe our great nation is beyond hope and it’s useless to even try, especially when you have liberal professors spewing out leftist indoctrination, even going to a point of saying that socialism is good (yes, this was said the first day of class) and holding up the USPS as some sterling model of how well the government works. It’s enough to make one consider throwing in the towel.

Oh but that power of one! What can one man do you ask? History is chocked full of references to that “one man or woman” who made a difference. Just pick up a Bible and see how that those who had God and truth on their side turned things upside down! One person, as long as they have God on their side, is a MAJORITY!!!

Don’t be afraid to speak up for what’s right. Yes, you may get ridiculed for saying what’s right and even laughed at. I’m sure Noah, a great man of the Judeo-Christian heritage, was laughed and sneered at for building a boat when no one had saw rain before. In the end, though, he was proven right and I’m sure there weren’t many who didn’t wish they had listened to Noah. Speak up for what is right. Do your research on the topics that matter. When you’re told that Christianity played no role in the shaping of this nation, refute that with the facts. You never know who is listening and may have their way of thinking changed as a result of you standing up for the truth.

I also want to give a shout out here. As much as I love blogging/talking about the liberal professor I deal with, I’ve also had professors who make it a point of telling you to think for yourself and to research the issues before having a knee jerk reaction!

School Prayer

I was required to write an assignment on school prayer for my Diversity in American Schools class. I had to trim down my submission just a bit since it was just one page allowed. Here's what I wrote:


For close to 200 years schools were allowed to have prayer and Bible reading. The prevailing notion that the Founding Fathers of this nation were somehow scared of religion or were deists who were terrified of religion is simply not true. Here’s a quote from Benjamin Franklin himself:

“In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for the divine protection! Our prayers, sir, were heard; and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor.”

This doesn’t sound like a man terrified of religion to me! Thomas Jefferson, while certainly not someone that would be classified as a mainstream Christian, did believe in Christ and even spoke of “Nature’s God.”

According to Noah Webster, another of our Founding Fathers and the founder of the dictionary named after him:

"No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”

Again, it doesn’t sound like he was terrified of religion in the government! As a matter of fact, Noah Webster is the man responsible for the Blue Back Speller, a book that was in use in American schools for over 100 years. If you wonder what’s special about it, a look at it will find it replete with Biblical references galore. It was a book that Benjamin Franklin used to teach his granddaughter with even. This doesn’t sound to me as men who would be against prayer in school.

Those who frown upon prayer or any mention of God in our schools point to the 1^st Amendment saying that Congress will not establish a religion. One only need to look at England and how they had a national church to see what our founders were attempting to prevent. They didn’t want a “Church of America” or a particular denomination having influence as did the Catholic Church in other countries where the ruler was expected to seek the blessing of the church. They were not attempting to wipe out every vestige of Christianity as the ACLU and militant atheist groups contend.

They will also point out that there may be non-Christians in the class. They have the right, at least in my opinion, not to participate in prayer. If the majority of students wish to have prayer, why should they be stopped? No one is trying to make this a “convert or die” scenario or making someone an outcast because they don’t subscribe to the majority view. 

What do we have to show for 52 years of forced secularization of our schools? School shootings, metal detectors, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, drugs, and other non-desirable things. Maybe, just maybe, it’s time we revisit the place that our Judeo-Christian heritage should have in our public school system.

I would also recommend a book to anyone who would like to research this further. What if the Bible Had Never Been Written by D. James Kennedy. It goes into great detail about the place the Bible has had in shaping not only American society but it’s place in literature and the arts including Shakespeare.

Blame the white guy!

As part of my college education I'm forced to take a class on diversity in American schools. Yes, there's diversity in schools; white people, black people, people of different ancestries, etc. I certainly don't think we need to go back to the days of segregation; that was wrong and should have been done away with.

As part of this course, I'm told in the book consistently how the white man is to blame for everything. The authors claim to be presenting no agenda and that they're neutral. Bull hockey! Anyway, on to the point of this blog. Our assignment was to choose between two scenarios and give our thoughts; I chose to do both scenarios and give my thoughts. The one on page 217 was of a child not being allowed to talk Ebonics in school and the parent crying racism; the one on 207 was of a child who didn't speak proficient English and needed to go to the restroom; it was plain what she was wanting but the teacher wouldn't allow her to go without speaking proper English. Following is the assignment I turned in:


I chose to do both situations actually.

I'll start with the one on 217. There is such a thing as standard English and it should be spoken in the classroom setting. You don't "axe" a question, you "ask" a question. I tire of hearing in the so-called mainstream media and in the book how that white people are somehow discriminatory against others and at fault for the "plight" of all minorities. I have to believe Martin Luther King, Jr. would be ashamed of this; this is NOT what he sacrificed his life for! MLK spoke proper English and said he dreamed of a society where one wasn't judged by the color of their skin. When people demand special treatment because they refuse to speak or learn proper English, it's not discriminatory and they should assume if they refuse to talk correctly that they will be viewed as less intelligent. I don't care if it is a white or black person talking in a non-standard form, they're going to be viewed as less intelligent. There are plenty of black people who speak proper English, are well-educated and have made something of themselves in politics, government and entertainment, people such as Charley Pride, Allen West, Clarence Thomas, Mia Love, Herman Cain, Bill Cosby and many others. Speaking of Bill Cosby, take some time to research his feelings on the whole Ebonics debacle. Per Bill Cosby (and Snopes has verified this as true):

They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk: Why you ain't, Where you is, What he drive, Where he stay, Where he work, Who you be... And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk.

Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living.

People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around. The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids. $500 sneakers for what? And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics.

I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit. Where were you when he was 2? Where were you when he was 12? Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn't know that he had a pistol? And where is the father? Or who is his father?

People putting their clothes on backward: Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong? People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack, isn't that a sign of something? Or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up? Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up and got all type of needles [piercing] going through her body?

What part of Africa did this come from? We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't know a thing about Africa. With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail.

Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem. We have got to take the neighborhood back. People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with eight different'husbands' — or men or whatever you call them now. We have millionaire football players who cannot read. We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two paragraphs. We as black folks have to do a better job. Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us. We have to start holding each other to a higher standard.

We cannot blame the white people any longer.

If I chose to move to or visit another country for an extended length of time, wouldn't I be expected to fit into mainstream society? Why is it expected that mainstream society should be accepting of substandard English then? I can't go into a school or business and start talking like Jed Clampett, can I? I would be told that I know better! But yet because someone is of a different skin color than I am, they're given a free pass to talk substandard English. In reality, you're calling the black person stupid and saying they don't have enough sense to learn standard English in my opinion and nothing could be further from the truth.

My thoughts on the incident on page 207? The teacher knew full well what Malia wanted. Perhaps Malia wasn't well-versed in English and an exception should've been made. The teacher was wrong in allowing her to urinate on herself in front of the class and the teacher should face disciplinary action. However, we read on the next page how this left "lasting emotional scars" on Malia. Really? Please! Can I claim that my kindergarten teacher hitting my hand with a ruler because I didn't get a green crayon out fast enough to suit her left emotional scarring or that a high school choir teacher not allowing me to go to the restroom when I needed left emotional scarring? I had a well-known science teacher here at SEMO yell at me last semester because I didn't get string out fast enough to suit her; can I scream emotional scarring? While what Malia's teacher did was not correct and unacceptable it's also time for Malia to move past something that happened as a kid; too many want to blame their lot in life on something that happened in their childhood. At some point you have to move ahead and grow up.