STOP WATERING DEAD THINGS

You have to move on, stop giving them more chances to cut you.  Save yourself.  You’ve carried them as far as you can.  You gave them as much as they needed to prove that you don’t need to keep watering dead things.
 
It’s not personal, it’s greatness, destiny and sanity.  There are some people who are doing overtime in your life.  They don’t and they won’t get it.  They’re not supposed to get it, their time is up, the relationship has expired.  You cannot make the wrong person do the right thing.
 
Put This In Your Spirit: You have a sanity code.  Your C.O.D.E. = Close Open Doors Easy. Closing doors to our soul that let the wrong people in has to be the easiest thing we do. Don’t pet the devil, doors that let drama, confusion and distraction in our life are a threat to everything in our life: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
 
The most difficult doors to close are the one’s that let the closest people in.  For you and everybody else.  Judas was close, and your frien-enemy is going to be close too.  Our closest people are the one’s who know enough to be dangerous and who know we care enough to let them abuse their privileges.
 
Sometimes our open door is to a “friend” who is not a friend to our relationship or our relationship boundaries. Relationships come with enough problems, your spouse or mate should not have to deal with outside assassins.  For the sake of your relationship, never leave an open door for wrong people.  These people are the gasoline for your fires, cheerleaders for your wrong decisions and sowers of division.  Close the door on them — they aren’t happy for you unless your relationship is unhappy.
 
The bible said, “A double minded person is unstable in all their ways” (James 1:8).  We have to be either for or against our sanity and our greatness.  We cannot be both. It’s not always easy but it’s always right to do right by you. A friend to your weakness is an enemy to your greatness.  The bible said be either hot or cold but don’t be luke warm — You cannot think great and do the opposite of what is great  You cannot have a great relationship and court relationship killers.  We cannot do the opposite of what supports and feeds our greatness and be great.  
 
Yes, people who you have to close the door on are going to be upset — sometimes.  If they respect your greatness they will understand — if they don’t, they won’t.  Don’t be afraid to let people know that, “Things have changed and you have to get back to focusing on your priorities and getting close to God’s plans and desire for your life.” That’s called working out your faith (Philippians 2:12).  You don’t have to get mad, tell them off or throw the deuces up in their face, just keep it real, keep it simple and keep it moving.
 
Closing open doors that let wrong in is a sign that you are ready to live God’s plans for your life and you take mental and emotional ownership of the requirements.  Cry if you have to but don’t keep watering dead things and expect joy to live.
 
Your greatness, your relationship, your family, your sanity, your relationship with Jesus is on the line. Don’t make excuses for people who don’t belong in your life. Everybody is not going to go easy or be easy to let go of but you’re not choosing to let go of them, you’re choosing to hold on to your sanity — and you need both hands. The bible warns us this way, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20).  
 
You only have one life to live.  God planned on you living it to the fullest (John 10:10).  Truly living our best life means that we have to make tough decisions for our greatness.  The only people who will have a problem with you making the right decision for your sanity or your greatness are the people who don’t care if you’re out of your mind or run out of time.
 
Share and be blessed.
 
 
 
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DAILY DEVOTIONAL: DON’T BITE

“A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression” – Proverbs 19:11
 
We learn, the hard way or the easy way, that every time somebody says something or does something ignorant, a response is not necessary.
 
We’ve all been in a situation, sometimes in our own house, when we wanted to clap back, strike back or tell somebody off — after all, they gave us the scissors to cut them when they opened their mouth…(Proverbs 18:6).
 
The truth is, when we bite or get sucked into tongue fights every time somebody says something ignorant, rude or foolish, we have to leave our peace to, “get them back.” To cut them, we have to literally suspend all thoughts about any and everything else we could be thinking about to go run them down and give them a piece of our mind (Philippians 4:8).
 
Put This In Your Spirit: The bible says, “Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9). When folks come for you, they either don’t know you or they know you well enough to know that their behavior is going to provoke you. Either way, the goal is the same — to get you to bite, clap back or to act up. What you do next is either going to cause them to win or cause them to recognize that they don’t have that much power over you.
 
Anybody that says putting somebody in their place who gets out of line is not tempting, is a liar. It’s tempting because we, in that moment, believe we’re defending our honor, our intelligence or our rights. Sometimes we are, and sometimes a response is necessary but the key is, only the right response is going to make a difference.
 
See, it’s one thing to cuss somebody out or go off, it’s another thing to make a difference. The bible put it this way, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). It’s not what we say, it’s how we say it that not only determines if it makes a difference but also if we have to leave our post to make it.
 
When they, them or that causes us to act ignorant, act up, act a fool, go off, erupt or just plain slice and dice like the best of them, ultimately all we really did was show somebody that our power can be cheaply rented by foolery.  When we burn down our emotional house to get back at somebody, we might have, “got them,” but we have to go back to emotional ashes.
 
When the bible says, “Anger but sin not,” it’s talking about saying it without leaving our post. Our post is our power, our character, our intelligence, our peace. If and when we have to respond, we decide if that response is going to be powerful or pitiful (Proverbs 14:17, 14:29).
 
Personal power, purposeful responses, intentional words are more effective than a simple tongue beating. It’s one thing to throw wood on the fire, it’s another thing to put the fire out, shut them down or leave them with nothing to respond to. A foolish conversation needs your words to keep it going — they need you to give up your power and step into their world of crazy.
 
It does not matter whether the person is a stranger, a relative or a spouse, ignorant conversations don’t solve anything. They have one purpose: make the other person bleed. If you keep it up, especially with a spouse or a relative, the relationship will become a constant boxing ring and eventually, love will leave the building. You cannot keep cutting people you love and expect them to be the same or to stay (Proverbs 27:5-6).
 
Head check. If the conversation pushes your button, it’s the spirit of strife operating through them, or it, to pull you away from your post. You always have a decision to make — play with the devil or shut the devil down with power. Walk away or use words that prevent you from walking away from your character. This takes practice, thought, and more practice, especially if you enjoy cutting people or are easily provoked to anger. 
 
I’m not saying that there won’t be times when we have to turn over some tables like Christ did, I’m saying that when we know how beautiful we are when we walk in power, talk with power, foolery will loose it’s ability to be a remote control for our character.  Power is bad, it cannot be mistaken for foolery, it’s always intentional, it shows out without acting up, and it is never purchased cheap.
 
Make it powerful, not messy.
 
 
 
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ACTIVATE YOUR DO NOT CARE SPIRIT

We have to stop letting people who do so little for our life have so much control over our emotions. We tend to give out power to non-factors more than we do thoughts and people that support our greatness.
 
We put valuable emotions into opinions that don’t matter, and most of the time, they don’t even come from people who mean us any good. Look back over the troubles that God brought you through, then look at the people who supported you when you went through. It’s amazing that the people who sit in our bleachers, who have never walked a mile in our valley, can be given power that they haven’t even earned.
 
We have to build faith wealth. Faith that is too expensive for foolery. Faith that does not offer discount access to peace or care what people think who think above their pay grade. Faith wealth that is guarded and kept out of the reach of emotional vampires.
 
This is your season for activating your do not care spirit. If it does not promote you, grow you, inspire you or feed you, activate your do not care spirit. You cannot carry garbage and stay in peace. You cannot make a home for drama and stay in your right mind. You cannot let negative people and their opinions live in your head rent free.
 
It’s time for spring cleaning. Start fresh, start anew, start your next chapter of not caring about what does not support your greatness or give God the glory.  A friend to your weakness is an enemy to your grace, Godliness and greatness.
 
Put This In Your Spirit: It’s called self-esteem not others-esteem for a reason. God is a jealous God, and He said that we cannot serve two masters. When it comes to the opinion that matters in your life, if it contradicts God’s opinion, you must delete it — don’t keep it and worship it.
 
After you live long enough, go through enough, have seen enough, you know that it is impossible to walk in victory by holding on to thoughts or people who belong in your history. Family included. Love is not defined by distance, love is defined by sincerity — some people have to be loved sincerely far enough away from you to prevent them from hurting you.
 
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).
 
When you stop caring, folks will say you’re acting funny.  Folks will think and say, you’re acting like you’re too good.  Nobody who supports your greatness will have a problem with you creating boundaries that support your greatness.
 
“Pay attention when people react with anger and hostility to your boundaries.  You have found the edge where their respect for you ends.”
 
A do not care spirit is not a selfish or negative attitude.  It’s an attitude that steps aside and lets anything or anybody pass that does not belong in your head, your life or God’s plans for walking in victory. You have to stop feeling guilty for wanting to be healthy. This is your personal circle, and you get to decide who’s in it.
 
Walking in victory requires some tough decisions.  Regularly.  Personal power is costly.  You will give up some people to be your best self.  You will grow out of people, places and conversations when you’re growing faith wealth.  Your tastes will change, your expectations will change and your walk with God will change when you choose power over mess.
 
It’s your time.  You’ve earned this.  Go now and start spring cleaning.  You’ve got to make room to be great.
 
 
 
 
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DAILY DEVOTIONAL: THEY WERE SENT TO IRRITATE YOU

Sometimes the person that gets up under your skin is your beauty agent.  Nobody can irritate you like they can irritate you but have you noticed that you always grow from their irritation?
 
Every time they irritate you, you get better.  They are on assignment and most of the time they don’t even know it.  They are your sandpaper to smooth off your rough edges.  They don’t go along with everything you say, they don’t agree with your every opinion, they challenge what they don’t understand and they don’t care if you don’t like it.
 
Come on, you know when you have to cut somebody off you will.  You have, and you don’t have a problem doing it again except when it comes to them, you can’t.  You cannot get rid of them because you need them.  We all need somebody who challenges us to think better, the care better, to grow better but that person, despite their benefit to us, will feel like an irritant until we appreciate their purpose.  
 
Put This In Your Spirit: A pearl is beautiful when you see it in the store but did you know that a pearl gets its beauty from irritation?  Natural Pearls form when an irritant works its way into an oyster, mussel, or clam. As a defense mechanism, they release a fluid to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating, called ‘nacre’, is deposited until a beautiful pearl is formed.
 
If you are blessed enough, your irritant is also your mate.  If you get this, you might understand why the person you love to life is the same person who can irritate you the most.  You don’t know you love somebody to the moon and back until you have to love them even when you don’t like them. If you have a healthy irritant for a mate, thank God for them and let them do their work — irritation comes when irritation is necessary.
 
Your healthy irritant, whether they are your soul mate or your ride or die, is God’s gift to you.  You know they’re a healthy irritant because you know they don’t tell you anything wrong, they don’t tell your business, they don’t go along with your mess and they hold you accountable.  They don’t make you feel small, they lift you up, and you know they always want what’s best for you.
 
Put This In Your Spirit: The bible says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).  In other words, no pain, no gain.
 
Everybody does not have the will or the tolerance to handle their irritant.  But trust this, for every person you know who does not have a healthy irritant in their life to do the Lords disciplining, you know they go through more repeated cycles of hell than most.  Your irritant is your divine beauty agent sent to help you to think, shine and to be your best.
 
We glow better when we know better.  Thank God for your irritant!
 
Share and be blessed.
 
 
 
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MIXING FAITH AND POLITICS CAN BE DANGEROUS

God is not a Democrat or a Republican and He did not ordain the donkey or the elephant to be over the church.
 

God did not tell us to use the government or governing authorities to make disciples. God said the governing authorities are a testament to our righteousness or confirmation of our rebelliousness: “…For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid…” (Romans 13:4).

Evangelical leaders have jumped into the political arena head first and unwisely aligned themselves with particular government officials for pseudo-religious reasons. Government is not for the Christians, it is for the people. Get that understood. Government is not the ministry of the church nor can it exclusively represent Christians. American citizens are not and do not have to be Christians. American citizenship is not a religion it is a right, a freedom that is protected by the constitution.

This may shock some of the holy rollers but gays and lesbians have rights under our constitution, and you do not have a right to use your religion to overturn the constitution. Jews, Muslims, agnostics and atheists have the same constitutional rights as Christians do and the Government is responsible for their rights just as they are any.

Point being, we need conscious and careful evangelical leadership speaking the truth and not misleading the body of Christ by promoting unbiblical allegiance to political parties or unintended purpose of government. We, Christians, must tend to our business and not outsource discipleship to government. We must acknowledge our fellow citizens of all colors, of all persuasions, of all religions and of all backgrounds who are protected by our constitution.

Leaders of faith and the faith community should always promote the cause of Christ and support policy that represents the interests of humanity, freedoms and equality but this reckless, blind support of the elephant vs. the donkey, republican vs. democrat, is insane, demonic and unholy. God is a righteous and Holy God, God is not a Democrat or a Republican. Leaders of faith must not get in bed with political parties at the peril of freedoms, or contrary to the bible, or to use government to go make disciples.
 
Share and be blessed.
 
 
 
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DAILY DEVOTIONAL: LET THEM!

Too often we let someone’s idle or inappropriate threats control our life — especially loved one’s.  Fear of them leaving, fear of them not talking to us, or fear of them period gives them power that no man or woman should ever have.
 
We put our faith under unnecessary stress and pressure when we try to accommodate indecent proposals.  A friend to your weakness is an enemy to your greatness.
 
Let them!  Let them do what they threaten to do.  This might seem harsh or insensitive but the truth is, people who want to stay in your life by threatening to make your life unstable, don’t deserve to be in your life.  Let them go, let their mouth cash that check. A threatening spirit is after control and tolerance gives it power.
 
 
Put This In Your Spirit: The bible said, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (1 Timothy 1:7). When fear controls us, it reduces us to slaves of the person threatening us — and they become our god. Can you imagine a bully being a god? No, they need to get right or be removed from your life. God said, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
 
Remember, the bible says, “…Not of fear but of power, love and self-discipline.”  We have to examine ourselves, our emotions and our truth when we tolerate an emotional bully (2 Corinthians 13:5).  When an emotional bully is tolerated, you’re giving up your power, love and self-discipline or control.  Nobody is worth that and the only time that somebody is believed to be worth that is when we have lost our self-worth.
 
Tell somebody, even if you have to cry, go with out, sacrifice or give up what you thought you needed, take your power and self-respect back. Your soul is unable to serve God and you cannot respect you from the prison of fear.  Let them do what they say they’re going to do.  Maybe God is calling you into a deeper level of faith by letting them go.  Maybe God is making a way for your escape by letting them do what they say (1 Corinthians 10:13). Tolerating the intolerable is not because we love them, it’s because we don’t love ourselves.
 
Sometimes you have to let people do what they threaten to do so that you and they can find out that God did not attach a single one of His promises to them  And if they leave, don’t call anymore, don’t help again or don’t speak to you again ever in life, that makes them a non-factor in God’s plans for your life.  God does not put anything we need for our destiny in our history or give us a bully for a blessing.
 
Love hard, give from the heart and always demand respect for your anointed abundance (Matthew 7:6).  It is not unloving to let someone do what they threaten to do. It’s unloving to let someone write negative checks with their mouth without consequences (Proverbs 13:20).  Give people notice — God did not give you the spirit of fear.  
 
Love you and people will either love you back the right way or leave you for the right reasons.
 
 
Share and be blessed.
 
 
 
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Together we can reach more and do more! Through the financial support of friends and partners, FAITHHILL is on a mission to impact, teach and transform lives in community and around the world.  Thank you for believing in God’s vision.
 
 
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DON’T BE AFRAID TO DISAPPOINT

 

We have to learn to be OK with not wasting valuable time, precious energy trying to be liked, fit in or go along to get along.  Some think it’s love or faith that keeps us holding on to what’s killing us but that’s a lie.  It’s fear of letting go — we’ve all been there with loved one’s, relationships, friends and people who knew us back when.
 
Put This In Your Spirit: This is your life and you’re trying to fulfill God’s divine plans for your peace, joy, potential and destiny. Everybody who wants to be a part of your life is not eligible to be a part of your plans. The bible says, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (Amos 3:3).  If they don’t agree with the plans that God has for your life, don’t be afraid to disappoint!
 
Some might say, “Well, that seems shallow.”  Well, the alternative is to treat your life like it doesn’t matter.  You are not being fair or true to you by cooperating with what destroys you (Proverbs 14:7).  Walk alone if you have to but don’t hold on to what’s killing you — The only people who will have a problem with your boundaries for joy, peace and power are the people who are not meant to walk with you.
 
Don’t be afraid to disappoint! Nobody knows better than you what it takes to be you.  Nobody is responsible for your peace, guarding your heart and keeping your life drama free but you.  Before every plane takes off, the pilot has to make sure that the plane is not overweight.  Every life, like every plane, can only carry so much weight — don’t let the weight of wrong people, wrong decisions, history relationships cause your life to stay stuck on the ground (Hebrews 12:1).
 
Put This In Your Spirit: The top 5 people that we spend 80% of our personal time with, influence our conversation, our direction and our elevation.  You know better than anybody that intruders throw your prayer life off, they interrupt thoughts, they distract you from your fight and they keep you majoring in minor things.  When we’re afraid to disappoint the right people, we let the wrong people have power over our lives.  
 
If they cannot handle the requirements of you, that’s OK.  If they cannot handle your boundaries, that’s OK.  If they cannot appreciate your need to be healthy, stable and positive, that’s OK. If they cannot handle the fact that you need to keep them in your prayers but put them out of your life, that’s OK.  If they cannot handle you letting go of people that are killing you, keeping you stuck, holding you back, that’s OK.  This is not their life, it’s yours and you get to make up the healthy rules that keep you from losing your mind (Micah 2:10).
 
Every tree is a seed that refused to be held down.  No amount of dirt, no amount of darkness, no amount difficulty kept that seed from becoming who it was created to be.  When you refuse to allow anything or anybody to keep you from becoming who God created you to be, you are walking in agreement with God’s plans for you: “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20, Matthew 7:6).
 
God desires to bless us but we have to protect our inheritance from wrong people and wrong decisions.  Doing right by you, positions you to be blessed. Esau was the firstborn son to Isaac and Rebekah, but he made a bad choice that forfeited his inheritance (Genesis 25:29-34).  Don’t be afraid to disappoint when your inheritance is on the line!
 
Share and be blessed.
 
 
 
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THE DEVIL IS PUSHING YOU INTO YOUR DESTINY

The enemy is on assignment to push you into your destiny.  They had to do what they did.  They had to reject you.  That door had to be closed.  You had to almost walk out.  You had to go through what you went through. 
 
You’re going to have to get comfortable being uncomfortable in order for God to keep moving you to the love, the plan, the vision, the goal that He showed you.  When you’re doing overtime in a season, the devil will show up to push you out of your history and into your destiny.
 
You remember Joseph in the bible. God showed him in a dream that he would be ruler over his brothers and his father. His dream got him hated by his brothers who threw him into a pit. His brothers then sold him into slavery and he wound up at Potiphar’s house in Egypt — running things (Genesis 37:18-36).
 
Put This In Your Spirit: Sometimes we get comfortable simply because we’re doing better than we were.  Or because they are better than the last.  But God is saying, “The longer you stay comfortable where you’re not supposed to be, the more uncomfortable it will become.  Staying comfortable where you are is keeping you from the dream that I gave you.”  The dream God gave Jospeh was not going to be fulfilled at Potiphar’s house.
 
Joseph got comfortable in a temporary place, in a place that was meant for him to pass through not to stay put. The spirit of complacency can cause us to become content in a relationship, a fear, a feeling, a decision or on a level that takes us off of God’s path and causes us to do overtime in a season.
 
Put This In Your Spirit: The bible says, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). You cannot stay where God’s purpose cannot be fulfilled. Your destiny belongs to God — His plans for your life were written in His book before you were born: “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16).
 
Just as soon as Joseph got comfortable, Potiphar’s wife started making passes at him and when Joseph resisted, she accused him of rape.  Potiphar threw Joseph in the pen but what Potiphar didn’t know was that his actions pushed Joseph into his destiny. You weren’t supposed to get promoted there, they weren’t supposed to like you there, you weren’t supposed to do business with them, you weren’t supposed to be comfortable with a mediocre relationship — resist the temptation to get depressed about what pushed you out.
 
It might look like all hell is breaking lose, it might look like things aren’t working out, it might look like a breakdown but God is breaking you out of that place, that stronghold, that dry place, that comfortable place to position you for your high place.  When God is positioning you for what’s coming next, your resistance to what you could do, to what they want you to do, to what might be tempting to do is going to set it off (2 Corinthians 4:17).
 
You’re going to encounter some situations, some people and some setbacks along your journey that will make you feel like, “Not again!,” but remember that God uses opposition to move us into position.  When a layover causes us to put our dreams on layaway, God has to push us in order to bless us (Isaiah 43:19).
 
Joseph went from the pit to Potiphar’s house, from Potiphar’s house to the pen, and from the pen to the palace — get comfortable being uncomfortable for your destiny.  The prophecy written in God’s book for your business, your ministry, your love life, your purpose that He showed you in a dream will keep pushing you out of your history until you fulfill your destiny.
 
Share and be blessed.
 
 
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IS GOSPEL MUSIC GOING SECULAR?

There has been a great deal of controversy over this issue of secular artists singing gospel music and whether the church is falling prey to outside influences that compromise the standards of faith that supposedly separate the believer from the non-believer, or holy from secular.
 
While the debate will continue, and there will undoubtedly be different opinions throughout Christendom, the issue of secularization, I believe, is not as simple as we would like it to be.
 
First of all, we have to ask the question, “What do we mean by secular?” When we say secular, are we referring to the person or their profession?  The word secular means, “attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis, or nonreligious.” Most Christians have secular jobs — work outside of the church in a nonreligious profession. So to simply say secular, or to disapprove of someone based on the fact that they have a secular job is dangerously problematic. People called Jesus a carpenter (Mark 6:3), which means that our Savior had a secular job.
 
More recently, though not new, popular secular artists have collaborated on gospel albums with well known gospel artists. Many in the body of Christ are up in arms over this trend and are vehemently opposed to it. Why? Is it that the particular secular artists aren’t spiritual role models or good enough examples of holy living?  Is it because they sing secular music — as a profession? Is it because our gospel artists have to conform to a made up image that agrees with our exposure, box or preference? Or is it that the body of Christ, in general, concludes that secular artists, in general, are all sinners and sinners should not sing the Lords music?
 
If the body of Christ were to just come out and say, “We believe that secular artists who we do not approve of or who do not live visibly holy lives are sinners and we disapprove of sinners singing gospel music,” there would be many who might go along with that. But the truth is, this argument/position is highly flawed, shaky and borderline spiritually arrogant. Surely, the church is not turning down tithes and offerings that come from secular jobs — just the giver…
 
Our nondescript, muddy, subjective view of secular creates more problems than answers. At its most basic level, if what we’re saying is that having a secular job is synonymous with being a sinner, most if not all Christians would be excluded from participating in any church function, role or position. The idea that having a secular job, in and of itself, counts you out of relationship with Jesus is beyond ridiculous. If you don’t personally know the heart of a man, be quiet about their salvation (1 Corinthians 2:11).
 
Secondly, wouldn’t it make more sense for those who do have x-ray secular vision to use it to protect the thousands of children who are molested in the church every year, or to see and deal with the countless secular church rituals that we honor? Or is it that our vision is best when we look out the window instead of in the mirror? God would differ with us on looking out the window (1 Corinthians 5:11-13, 1 Peter 4:17).
 
We, Christians, as flawed as we are, are good for counting people out but we struggle at counting people in, extending grace or allowing other flawed people into our perfect little clubs.  Christians are flawed, secular job or no secular job (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 7:21-25, 1 John 1:8). However, we are incredibly perfect when we’re comparing ourselves to people who we consider to be imperfect or different but thanks be to God, there are no favorites in the Kingdom of God (Romans 2:11).
 
Superficial judgement leads to shallow condemnation. Does this mean that the church should become a safe haven for “anything goes” or be influenced by what the world does? Absolutely not. Is it possible that unbelieving secular artists singing gospel music can cause some confusion among their unbelieving fans? Yes.
 
A Possible Path For The Cause of Christ
 
I think the issue really comes down to what we do, as opposed to what an artist or anybody does on his or her own.  In the case of who or what the body of Christ co-signs, maybe we should consider the following:
 
I would suggest that anybody who sings about Jesus is inclined to believe in Jesus or at the very least, knows that they are being used to attract others to Jesus.  We, Christians, should know better than to judge one of God’s books by the cover (1 Corinthians 2:11), or to question God’s plan for salvation (Romans 11:34, 1 Corinthians 2:16).  It’s not our job to question God, it’s our job to question ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5).
 
It is possible for an unbeliever to draw people to Christ and even perform miracles in the Name of Jesus (Matthew 7:22-23).  Why? Because it is not the person who leads someone to Jesus, it is the revelation of the name of Jesus (John 14:16, Philippians 2:10). We don’t save anybody, God does (1 Corinthians 3:6, Ephesians 2:8).  However, to those who were lawless and performed deeds/miracles in Jesus’ name, Jesus said, “Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23).
 
It’s not about whether or not they have a secular job, it’s about the cause of Christ. Christians have to be mindful of the message attached to the cause of Christ.  The gates of hell shall not prevail against the Kingdom of God.  The Kingdom is not threatened by an unsaved individual singing gospel music.  The anger of the Lord will be against those in the body who choose to co-sign or align the cause of Christ with contrary images: “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32, 2:1)
 
All Christians know, or should, that the bible said, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).  That includes gospel music or any other partnering in the name of Jesus.
 
As for secular artists singing gospel music, in general, there is nothing wrong with that — the more the merrier.  If the concern is that gospel music is at risk of becoming secular/worldly music simply because a secular artist sings it, that’s far reaching (Romans 8:28).  Perhaps our concern can be expressed this way — in general: “To the best of our ability, for the cause of Christ, Christians should make every effort to eliminate, avoid or not promote any confusion about deeds overriding the need for deliverance  — for the sake of the unbelieving hearers and the unbelieving participants.”  You cannot work your way into heaven.
 
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (Romans 6:1)
 
That’s why Paul exhorted Timothy, as a young leader, to “be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity,” reminding him to “take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:12, 16).
 
In other words, keepers of the promise, not unbelievers, are responsible for the lives assigned to us (Jeremiah 23:1).  If the messenger and the message are contrary to the word, if the implication is “saved does not matter,” if the potential exists for the unbelieving hearer to be lead astray — by the appearance of deeds/singing overriding the need for salvation, or if the intentional partnering/collaboration undermines the cause of Christ, it should be rethought — or left up to God to destroy it (Mark 3:25, Romans 12:19).
 
Winning souls, meeting people where they are does not mean that we should promote staying where they are.
 
Share and be blessed.
 
 
Join Pastor Patrick at the HILL, FAITHHILL Church, every Sunday.  For more information about FAITHHILL, Click Here.
 
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DAILY DEVOTIONAL: A TIME TO KILL

It might feel like pain but this is your season of separation.  Every tree is a seed that refused to stay the same, refused to stay under ground and refused to give up.
 
God is moving you out of what was into to what will be.  Old things are passing away, and behold, all things are becoming like new!  When it’s time to kill, God is saying, “Kill what’s killing your hope, kill what’s killing your potential, kill what’s killing your focus, kill what’s killing your fearless faith.
 
When it’s time to kill, God will use His fire to reveal the impurities, the familiar spirits that have crept in and have taken you out of position to win.  
 
God says, “See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10).  The enemy is not attacking you, God is purifying you beloved. Did you know that when God is purifying us, He holds us in His hands and uses just enough heat to separate us from our impurities but not enough heat to hurt us?  
 

Put This In Your Spirit: “A woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in our hot spots.

 

Then she asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, How do you know when the silver is fully refined? He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy–when I see my image in it.”

 
Are you seeing what God is revealing?  Do you see the impurities, the familiar spirits, the strongholds, the forces that have been holding you back?  Can you feel the separation from wrong people, from emotional ties, from fears, from doubts, from caring about what people think about you? What is the Holy Spirit telling you needs to be sacrificed?  What needs to be surrendered and who needs to be shook in order for God to get the glory for your story? 
 
As God reveals it, release it. They were a season, not a lifetime. You can keep them in your prayers but you can no longer keep them in your life.  You’re going to have to unfriend and unfollow some people in real life.  Talent got you this far but it’s going to take sacrifice and humility to get you to the next level.  What mama did, what happened in childhood, what daddy didn’t do is over — you’re being separated from that so you can take your adulthood back.
 
Put This In Your Spirit: To make a God transition in any area of life, you have to get comfortable being uncomfortable.  Remember, if God’s fire reveals it, you were comfortable with what you were supposed to be uncomfortable with.
 
You’re coming out of this.  This is the breakout before your breakthrough.  Suddenly, when God is finished, doors that you couldn’t open are going to be opened to you.  Struggles and storms are going to cease.  Your famine is going to turn into favor.  Your faithfulness in this season is going to cause prayers to be answered, fights to be won and faith seeds to produce a supernatural harvest.
 
This is your time.  Kill it.  Celebrate your victory in advance! You’re about to be lighter, you’re about to lose to win, you’re about to go from stressed to blessed.
 
Share and be blessed.
 
 
  
 
 
 
Click Here to view previous daily devotionals and to register to be notified when future devotionals are posted.
 
Join Pastor Patrick every Sunday at FAITHHILL Chuch in San Leandro, CA for an experience that will empower your faith to walk in victory!
 
 
Have you downloaded your copy of the So Amazing eBook devotional.  A God shift requires begins with planting and watering amazing seed thoughts! This 30 Day devotional will encourage, inspire and challenge you to put power behind every thought for an amazing results.
 
 
 
 
 
 

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