How Do People Become Addicted???

Addiction has always been a mystery to me.  For as long as I can remember, I have always wondered what makes a person become addicted...whether it be to drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, or anything.

ADDICTION: The state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

The fact of the matter is that anyone can become addicted to anything at any given moment in their lives.

What I have been trying to figure out is why they become addicted.

It became necessary for me to look into and study this.  Pray about it.  And through a combination of not only study and prayer, but divine connections with those who have insight into these types of matters, I believe God has finally begun to help me to begin to unravel the mystery behind addiction (the mystery behind addiction within the 'church' as well).

People choose to become addicted to substances and behaviors because they are looking for a form of escapism from their reality (I touched on this on another post about the altered state of consciousness).

Everybody is looking for an escape.  An escape from busyness.  An escape from the rat race.  An escape from stress.  An escape from drama, problems, trials and tribulations.  An escape from the reality of our lives.

I called it in the last article on this "The Mass Trend Towards Denial"

The fact is this tendency is massive among the population.  We as a society are more stressful now than ever before.  We are living in the last days, when things are prophesied in the Word of God to be extremely perilous (1 Timothy 3:1).

And as we draw closer and closer towards the end of times, more stress is inevitable.  At least for those who don't know Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

And since religion has done a masterful job at getting the masses UNfamiliar with the REAL Jesus Christ and MORE familiar with the 'another' Jesus, it is no wonder that more and more people are seeking ways of deliverance, peace and relief from the stress and pressures of the last days.

When people keep denying truth-a love for the truth-God promises to give them over to a lie, to strong delusion.

Masses and masses of people deny truth.  Some willfully, intentionally...others unknowingly, ignorantly.  NO matter the intent, when the enemy sees the denial of truth, then he has access to the souls of man, to impart untruth, deception, false doctrine, false teaching and lies.

So people who are looking for relief from stress and relief from (demonic) torment in their lives seek relief through alcohol, sex, gambling, ...and even RELIGION.

YES...RELIGION and CHURCHANITY indeed can be addictions!

The subtleness of the enemy is to lull churchgoers into a false sense of security-to rationalize and justify their behavior by concluding that avid churchgoing is 'the right thing to do.'  Most have been raised in church all of their lives.  They know nothing BUT church.  I mean, if you listen to the average sermon preached on a Sunday morning, you can hear the preacher talk about 'leaving your problems at the door' and 'entering the sanctuary' with praise and thanksgiving.

In other words, the preacher (who is nothing more than an enabler) is encouraging people to get in denial about what they really are dealing with and going through-even if only for a few hours-and 'get your praise on!'

The praise and worship leaders, the altar workers, the prophets...they are all enablers, enabling churchgoers to become 'addicted' to attending church, churchanity and religion-with all its varied forms & products of placation, pacification and flattery.

Mega preachers are counting on the masses being 'stressed out,' so they pump out books, CDs, DVDs, conferences and the such supposedly centered around and promising 'deliverance.'  Psalmists with recording contracts have replaced YOUR voice, so now in order to get into the presence of God, you GOT to go and purchase your favorite gospel artist so they can 'usher you into the presence of God.'

And all they are doing is ushering in 'another spirit,' a spirit that is NOT God,  It is a fake anointing.  A fake glory.  A fake shekinah.

The Word tells us to sing OURSELVES in psalms and spiritual songs.  We ALL have access to the presence of God now.  No ushers are needed.  No third persons, no mediators needed...JESUS CHRIST of NAZARETH is IT!

But these 'preachers' profit off you needing them.  They profit off your dysfunction.  They profit off your 'needing a word.'  They profit off your need to escape from your reality.  They are counting on it.  As a matter of fact, these leaders start getting nervous when you start growing in the things of GOD, and start hearing from God FOR YOURSELF.  They get nervous when their conference attendance and sales dwindles.  So they got to tap into another form of escapism.

They GOT to get YOU addicted to their ministry!

They are nothing more than spiritual pushers, enablers, feeding your need to escape from reality.  Feeding your need to not see what YOU NEED TO SEE.  THE TRUTH!  

I came across a really good site that talks about the enabling personality.  I encourage you to read 'Enabling Personality' by J. Lawson and see the shocking similarities of the enabler as presented on this site and the actions and practices of leadership in mainstream Christianity.

You will be utterly amazed...

'I Need CONFIRMATION!' Part 2

In the last article, I talked about the rite of confirmation in the Catholic Church, as well as the tendency of many within the modern day Protestant church to 'need confirmation' or seek a sign after they have heard a word 'from the Lord.'

Seeing that I'm a history buff, I always like to do my research and study to find out where a thing or tradition originated from, how did it get started.  It is my conviction that when we do that, we will fully understand the SPIRIT behind a thing and proceed accordingly....WITH CAUTION.

In other words, when we know WHY something was started, if the ROOT of it was GODLY or UNGODLY, then we can make an informed and wise decision to NOT follow it or participate in it if we find it started out NOT FROM GOD.

Is 'needing confirmation,' 'seeking after a sign,' of GOD?

Or is that mindset and all proceeding ceremonies and rites instituted thereafter, a result of RELIGIOUS PROGRAMMING and DECEPTION????

The very first time in the Word of God where a man actually sought a sign from the Lord was in the book of Judges. (Yes, there were times when God spoke to the Israelites with signs and wonders, delivered them by such.  But Gideon is the first account where a man asked God to 'show him a sign.")

We are all familiar with the story of Gideon.

The story is found in Judges 6.  The setting is starting from about Judges the first chapter, Joshua and the generation who remembered what God had done for the Israelites in the wilderness before they reached their promised land had died out.  One of the last things God commanded the Israelites to NOT do is to forget the precepts of God, to intermarry with unbelievers and to worship their gods.

Yet, after God gave them 'their promise,' that is EXACTLY what the Israelites did.  Read Judges 1-3 to understand just where Israel was before Gideon was born.  They were in rebellion and disobedience.  They had forgotten God and all that He had done for them.  They got the bling, the power, the fame and the very allegiance they promised God in the wilderness they gave it to other gods and allowed themselves to 'fall in love' with-and intermarry-with unbelievers.

In the 6th chapther of Judges, God has given the Israelites over to the Midianites.  After hearing their cries for help, God calls Gideon as their deliverer-calling him a 'mighty man of valor' in vs. 12. Instead of responding in faith, believing what God has said, what was Gideon's response?

"...If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me...." vs. 17

The Lord God 'confirms' His Word with a supernatural sign in vs. 21.

Then Gideon LACKED FAITH and TRUST in God again, seeking TWO more signs from God in vs. 36-40, signs that God wanted him to do what He said.

Now, we often make Gideon out to be this great man of faith and valor, taking the scripture completely out of context.  What we fail to realize is that God had already chided Israel because in spite of His MANY signs, wonders and deliverance(s) to Israel, Israel STILL went awhoring after other gods, STILL walked in blatant disobedience and rebellion to the things of God and STILL worshipped other gods.

Because God is long-suffering and merciful, He granted 'confirmations' here.  He sent signs and wonders...to confirm His word to His people...THEN.

But NOW?

God is NO LONGER sending signs and wonders for the purpose of feeding the faith of those who profess to be believers in Him.  God has a proven track record of HIS Faithfulness to man.  He does NOT need to confirm or prove ANYTHING to us.

We simply need to take heed to HIS WORD, trust implicitly in HIM, and NOT seek after signs and confirmations.

We hear preachers preach on the 10 plagues in Egypt.  We hear preachers preach on 'these signs shall follow them that believe...' We hear modern day apostles taut that they are supposed to have signs and wonders following them.

Well, I present to you that those who seek after signs and wonders are WICKED and EVIL.

Matthew 16:4A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it

The Word here actually calls this generation 'adulterous.'  Why?  Because seeking after signs is a form of idolatry!  And God sees idolatry as spiritual adultery.  Without FAITH, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God.  When God speaks TO US, we simply must believe it, and act it out accordingly...(of course, trying the spirit is totally different than seeking a sign. God tells us to try the spirits, yes.  But He actually grows weary of people who seek a sign...)

Mark 8:11-12

And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

It greatly displeases God when we keep asking for a sign.  Or even when we entertain 'confirmations' of words heard in the spirit merely by events that happen to occur, supernatural manifestations, prophecies, and the such.

Do you see where the Word says that God will NOT be giving signs to this generation?

God does not want us so caught up in signs, confirmations, miracles and the such in this hour.  We MUST understand that the enemy of our souls can perform signs, miracles and wonders, too.  The enemy can prophesy...ACCURATELY.  The enemy can raise folks from the dead, heal the sick, and the whole nine.  He got ALL kinds of tricks in his bag.

And he is waiting to pull one out JUST ON YOU, if you keep your spirit open to all kinds of confirmations...seeking a word...seeking a sign...stalking prophets and such.

That spirit of unbelief occurs in a people when they walk away from God in disobedience and rebellion to Him.  In sin, one cannot hear the voice of God.  NOT AT ALL.  So therefore, they have to rely on OTHERS to hear FOR THEM!

Whenever you find someone who cannot hear from God, who are always seeking a word, a sign, running from conference to conference, looking for that next prophetic 'fix,' they are in sin in some area of their lives.  SIN IS THE ONLY THING THAT SEPARATES US FROM GOD!

Another reason is that that person is IMPATIENT...which speaks to a LACK OF FAITH.

Faith requires you, at times, to WAIT ON THE LORD for an answer.  When we try to 'make things happen' in our own strength, in our own time, then that shows we don't trust God the way that we should.  So we go about trying to help God out...when HE DOES NOT need our help!

One of the gravest errors of the Word of Faithers is that they believe that if they merely 'utter the Word of God back to God,' then He is somehow 'obligated' to do their bidding, whether it be money, a mate, a job, a ministry, etc.

But when God does not grant them 'the desires of their hearts,' then they go about seeking signs and wonders to 'feed their faith' in a false word.  And religious spirits LOVE to feed false words!  Religious spirits will feed one's 'faith' in a word THEY believe it true ALL day, ALL year long!  By dreams, signs, wonders, prophecies, sermons, by ANYTHING they feel will keep them deluded and deceived.

Do you remember the movie, "Bruce Almighty," in one scene after Bruce gets God's powers, him and Grace, his girlfriend, has broken up.  He thought because he had God's powers now that he could make Grace love him and take him back.  But he finds out he cannot.

So in an attempt to win Grace back, Bruce uses his newfound, supernatural abilities to create all kinds of signs and wonders around her that hopefully will point to her taking Bruce back.  The 'Bruce & Grace Forever' carved on every tree stump she passes on a morning jog.  The numerous TV commercials that play messages that encourages Grace to take Bruce back.  Their dog who gives Grace the phone and encourages her to call Bruce!

That is much how a religious spirit operates.

EVERYTHING around you will seem to point towards 'what God said' or 'what God promised.'  You think, 'I mean SURELY, if ALL of these signs are pointing towards this, this MUST be God, right?'

I know what you're thinking: 'But hey! In the movie, Bruce and Grace DOES get back together..'

Yes.

But that was NOT because of Bruce's supernatural manipulations and control, trying to 'make' Grace take him back.  It had to be her choice.  Anything other than that would have been nothing more than witchcraft...and if the reconciliation began out of witchcraft, it would only be maintained by witchcraft as well.

I go into all this to help you realize one thing.

When we ask God to show us a sign, we are actually trying to control and manipulate Him, attempting to relegate God to be nothing more than our Magician, to do our bidding whenever WE want.  Most of the time, when people seek after signs and wonders, it is out of an unhealthy desire within them for control and power.  Two very powerful yet dangerous entities when combined without the Holy Ghost to temper them both.

And people who seek ultimate power and control REALLY not only lack faith in God, but are weak, and feel powerless over their situations and circumstances.  Instead of trusting God, they trust in their control of things.  This is another form of self-righteousness that nullifies the work of the Cross AND the power of the resurrection in our lives.

And any spirit that does NOT embrace AND confess that the resurrection of Christ is legitimate is of the AntiChrist. (1 John 4:2-3)

We must also be aware that the Antichrist WILL perform signs and wonders.  This is how he will be able to get so many people to follow him. (Revelations 13:13-14)

If you are 'addicted' to signs, wonders and confirmations, it is time to get 'detoxed' from them, FOR REAL!  Continuing to seek after them can cost you your life!

I encourage those who love God to TRUST the voice of God speaking to you.  Try the spirit and see if it is of God.  ALWAYS.

"I Need CONFIRMATION!" Part 1

Many have been found saying this very thing to themselves. Usually, they are at a crossroads, where they are trying to get an answer to prayer, or have received an answer to prayer, and want a 'sign' from God that what they heard was actually from HIM.

And most of the time, these people will heavily rely upon outward (supernatural) signs or 'prophecies' to back up what they have previously heard.

We all have been there, at that place where we heard from God, but thought we didn't.  So we didn't walk out the word we heard, at least not until someone 'confirmed' what the Lord God said to us.

For some, it took the pastor preaching on what we heard in the next sermon, or a prophet called us up to the front of the church and the prophecy 'confirmed' what we already had heard from God.

Or what we THOUGHT was from God...

What IS confirmation, anyways?

I found two different definitions of confirmation.  The first I was already aware of: confirmation is the act of confirming or verifying something.  It is additional proof that something that was previously believed is, in fact, true.  It authenticates a previously known truth or belief.

But did you know that a confirmation is also a rite of passage among the Catholic Church where a baptized person is given 'full membership' into the church?  According to www.catholicism.com, the confirmation 1) unites one firmly to Christ; 2) increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit; 3) renders one's bond to the church more perfect; and 4) gives one special strength to become witnesses.

I had never heard of this ceremony within the Catholic Church.  It is usually performed by a bishop, but sometimes bishops delegate authority to priests to conduct the confirmations within their respective dioceses.

Right away, I can tell you that this ceremony reeks of religiosity.  It feeds the notion that one needs a mortal man-i.e. a priest-to stand between us and God...to speak for us.  To pray for us.  To 'sacrifice' for us, much like the Levitical priests did in the Old Testament.  They take on the role of the Holy Ghost and demand loyalty and commitment NOT TO GOD, but to the local church.

I liken the rite of confirmation to these 'impartation' services held with pentecostal, non-denominational and word of faith churches and ministries that encourage people to come to the altar and get hands laid on them so they can receive 'an impartation,' healing, deliverance, revelation knowledge, and the works.

I believe ALL such ceremonies and tendencies to 'need confirmation' are totally unnecessary, and actually hinders one in their own growth in their relationship with God.  

1) You don't need to 'pledge allegiance' to a church, a denomination, a man, a woman, a fellowship and the such to be deemed faithful TO GOD.  God does NOT require such religious obligation from you.  HE SIMPLY REQUIRES YOUR FAITH.  WITHOUT FAITH, IT IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD (Hebrews 11:6).

2) You cannot be a member of the church.  You ARE the church, if you are born again.

3) There is NO ceremony that magically bonds us closer to Christ Jesus.  NONE.  All ceremonies are man-made traditions that actually open you up to be tormented by demons.  Most of these 'bishops'-in both the Catholic and Protestant realms-are doing nothing more than imparting demons into unknowing people who think they are getting closer to God by participating in them.

4) You do NOT get the Holy Ghost by natural means.  ANY group that claims you can get it by means of participating in their 'rites' are lying to you.  You will NOT be receiving the HOLY Ghost.  You WILL be receiving 'another spirit.' (2 Corinthians 11:4-6)

The need for confirmation really speaks to the lack of faith in the one seeking confirmation.  They lack faith that God will do just what He said He would do.  It could be out of immaturity.  It could be because they have not gone through enough-and watch God bring them out enough-to have developed a healthy, mature, unwavering faith and trust in God.  It could be for a whole lot of reasons.

In 'To Curse The Root' by Pamela Sheppard, she further discusses people's need for confirmation:

"...By losing all confidence in our self esteem, we will gain His esteem. We will not be tossed to and fro by pride and vanity because He will cause us to be immovable, unshakable trees that are tooted and grounded in Him. His acts of consolation will serve as a confirmation that He can be trusted in every crisis, every temptation, every trial."

Please continue on to Part 2 to understand where this mindset of 'I Need Confirmation' first originated, and why it has survived the test of time...

How Do You Ride The Judgment Wave??? The Similarities between Katrina...and the Church

This picture is a giant wave from Hurricane Katrina crashing down on the Gulf Coast seven years ago.

New Orleans is my hometown and we lost everything in Katrina.  I can remember barely escaping the ravages of Katrina.  I evacuated with a group of church members; a caravan of three vehicles filled with approximately 20 people.  We waited so late to leave N.O. that we had to drive east instead of west...right into the storm.  Riding along the Gulf Coast and near Mobile, AL, I can recall us driving across a bridge that was flooding, the waves and water was crashing on the bridge.  I could barely see where I was going, but we knew we had to keep driving, or we would drown.  Or tornadoes spawned due to Katrina would hit us.

I recall I was not going to leave New Orleans.  I sent my three kids along with relatives to Texas and I was going to ride the storm out, right in the house with a cousin who initially had decided to stay back as well on what is known as the Westbank of New Orleans.  The pastor of the church I was attending called us and told us that we should all leave...that was Sunday afternoon.  My cousin did not want to leave and I remember having to almost force her to come along.  She didn't want to leave a brand new house, her brand new business.  She said she wanted to 'stay behind and believe God will spare her house and business...'

Seeing that she had like four babies, I wasn't trying to hear it.  "Girl!  You better COME ON here!"  I scolded her.

She decided to come along.

I remember as we left out of New Orleans, I saw many people who chose to stay behind.  I visited another church and the pastor was sitting in the church as it got dark....I asked him if he was going.  He said 'he didn't know...'

I guess he felt obligated as the pastor to stay.  I was glad to later find out that he chose to leave N.O., too.

Once our caravan made it to shelter-a hotel with the lights kept going out about 50 miles outside of Mobile-we all watched the news in horror and looked outside the windows where the threat of tornadoes was still very real all along the LA, MS, AL and FL coasts.  The next morning we made it to another shelter, we saw the news again and couldn't believe what we were seeing.

ALL of New Orleans was flooded!

All of N.O. East-where I grew up...a whole mall...GONE!  Ninth Ward-where I stayed for a bit with another church member at one time....GONE!  Spain St....our first home after I was married....House was GONE!

We watched in horror at the littered bodies all up and down I-10, floating in the waters.

We watched as Canal St begin to look like something out of the riots of the 60s and 70s...folks looting stuff out of Walgreens to survive.

I would later hear of stories of people who actually saw the flood waters rush in literally down their streets when the levees broke.

They described it as a 'wall of water'-a wave-just rushing down after them.

I remember Garland Robinette from WWL-TV on the radio asking survivors to call in so he could send help to them.  One lady just had a newborn baby like a week before.  When they heard the BOOM of the levees breaking and the waters rushing in, flooding their home, her and her family climbed into the attic.  An elderly relative had already died.  The water was coming into the attic and the girl sounded so tired.

She was begging  them to help them, so her baby could survive...

I cried and prayed that her and her baby with the relatives, made it out ok.

I think of all those people who stayed behind.  Who didn't heed the warning(s).  Boats were sent out to rescue folks even AFTER the levees broke, and yet they chose to stay behind.

Now, I know.  A lot of folks COULDN'T leave due to no finances, no resources.  They didn't have money or a car or knew anyone who they could ride with.

But help -however inadequate-was sent to them and they got out.  They suffered trauma and unmentionable horrors, but they got out.

All because they wouldn't heed the warnings to GO!

This makes me think of the church and how there are millions of people who have heard the warning(s) to GO.  To COME OUT from among her...and yet for whatever reason, they make excuses and stay.

GOD WILL ALWAYS MAKE A WAY OF ESCAPE!

The Church may be all you know.  You may feel like if you leave the church, all your support systems will go.  You won't have anywhere to turn.  You don't even know HOW to go.

You may be like my cousin: you have seen the inadequacy of the church-and know that she is under judgment even-but yet you have decided you are going to stay and 'pray away the storm.'  You think your intercession is going to stop the judgment of God, when God says in His Word that judgment BEGINS at the house of the Lord.  NOT the world.  THE CHURCH!  God's word is the same...forever!  If He said judgment is going to hit the house FIRST, then IT IS...

And IT HAS!

Or you may be like those 1000s of people who wouldn't leave their houses, even when help was sent.  The National Guards, boats, FEMA, help was sent, yet they rejected help and thought it best to stay.  And some of those same people perished with their stuff, too!

Sometimes, tough-love or radical intervention is needed to save someone who doesn't know they need saving. This was the case with my cousin.  I wish sometimes I could go into some churches and just 'snatch' folks outta there...lol!  I really do!  Its not to talk bad about them.  Its just that they are so brainwashed, bamboozled and deluded that they really cannot see how much danger they are in.  This was the case with my cousin.  She got mad with me..(truth be told, she still is angry with me, just not for that!)...but as our relationship is...I told her the hard cold truth...whether she liked it or not, whether it agreed with her theology or not (she is a whole elder in the full gospel church, btw).

But I know she is glad she listened to me!

Anyway, you say 'I'm gonna stay at my church and ride the wave out!  I'm a faithful servant and I'm gonna pray that devil away...'  And you just don't realize it isn't the devil!

It IS the Judgment of GOD!

When a place is under judgment BY GOD, there is NO prayer warrior that can pray judgment away...especially if that house is unrepentant.

Again, I know.  You're scared.  You don't know how to go.  You have been in your church for 20 years.  You feel like people are depending upon you.

But think about it:  what alternative do you have?  Stay?

How Do You Ride the Judgment Wave?

At your OWN RISK!  God can save you, rescue you.  Send Help.  But because you won't take heed to the warning(s) He has sent TIME and TIME again, you may suffer loss, tragedy, trauma...

All UNNECESSARILY.

Why?

Because of your FEAR and DISOBEDIENCE!

Take it from someone who has literally driven through a hurricane and experienced and seen things she should NOT have seen...

I could have spared myself MUCH trauma...I could have spared my kids and family the horror of thinking I may be dead...I could have spared myself years of spiritual abuse (this church was one of the churches I went to that put me THROUGH!)....I could have spared myself MUCH DRAMA had I just listened to that still small voice of God that was telling me to GO!!!

It all worked out.

But...I share this to encourage you.  You DO NOT have to ride out the judgment wave with your church.  GET OUT BEFORE THE WAVE HITS...BECAUSE ITS COMING!!!!

Once it hits, it may be harder-if not impossible-for you to escape!

Judgment Against The Church...GUILTY!!!

1 Peter 4:16-18

 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

There are many that cringe at the thought of judgment hitting the 'house of God.'  They fight statements that say that the church is under judgment.  They hold onto to error and teach people that the church is 'under attack' and 'the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church' every time another scandal about a leader in church comes out, or their actions are brought into scrutiny.

Or criticism.

Criticism and judgment are two words that have taken on a bad meaning in what is known as the 'church' today.

To criticize means 'to pass judgment on the credibility of a thing.'  To judge means 'to objectively, wisely and authoritatively form an opinion upon. '

Another word in the dictionary for JUDGE is TO DISCERN.

I hear many pray for the 'gift' of discernment.  They erroneously think that discernment is this ethereal force we pull out of the air that breathes upon us and automatically gives us wisdom on all things.
And, yes...the Holy Ghost DOES give wisdom.  But obtaining wisdom is a PROCESS.  Sometimes, the Spirit will give words of wisdom...that is wisdom that comes from God.

But the Holy Ghost is also a TEACHER.  And the process of obtaining wisdom is by way of KNOWELDGE.

You obtain facts.  You obtain truth.  You measure it against the authenticity of the Word of God.
Sometimes, a LOT of times, actually, we get knowledge based upon EXPERIENCE.  Now experience NEVER trumps the Word of God.  EVER!

But the Word of God says ALL things work TOGETHER for the good of those who love the Lord...who are called according to HIS purpose.

God is so amazing that He can take everything in our lives and allow us to work for our good.  By allowing us to learn from them!

Life is a learning process.  Lifelong pursuit.

We gain knowledge by what we have experienced.  We gain wisdom by knowing HOW to apply the knowledge we have gained.

Knowledge are FACTS.  TRUTH.  Pillars.  Foundation.

The Bible is stock FULL of facts.  Events.  Circumstances.

But how we apply the Word to our lives....THAT'S wisdom!

Even in our mess ups, if we are willing to allow God chastise us and show us where we messed up, then He can cause that thing to turn around and be for your good!!!!

But its when we don't confess our sins-individually or collectively-that God has no other choice but to pronounce judgment!

The corporate lack of discernment in the Institutional Church is because of the mass denial of truth...and the masses denial of judging ourselves as individuals.  The very nature and culture of the I.C. is such that it lends to covering up sin more than it does to dealing with and healing sin.

And the only way healing of sin comes is when it is confessed.

Because many fail to judge themselves as individuals, they gather together corporately to further play along in this mass denial of sin in the camp.

And since they won't deal with sin, but deny it, and cover it up...with programs, conferences, mega ministries, making stars out of preachers, religious cliches and phrases and gross error...THEY LOVE NOT THE TRUTH as stated in Romans 1, God has given them over to reprobate minds.

So that they have to believe the LIE!

No discernment is operating because NO TRUTH is there.  In the buildings.

Only lies and cover-ups.

So God HAS to pronounce judgment on the church...He said He would in the Word...and because the church won't pronounce judgment on HERSELF!

God gave her space to repent...and she would not.

It became easier to placate sin, to make excuses for it, to cover it up, to blackmail one another, and to murder one another...than to deal with the harsh reality that...

GOD HAS JUDGED THE CHURCH!

In 'Come Out of Her, My People,' Pamela Sheppard goes into detail about the judgment the church is facing today and what you as a believer can do to get OUT and not be partakers of her plagues.

The nature of a plague is that it spreads rapidly.  Plagues are contagious.  No matter what measures one takes to not catch a disease, if it is highly contagious, they will get it, sooner or later.

Remember getting the chicken pox as a child?  If a sibling or someone else in the house got it, it was only a matter of time before someone else would get it, too.  No matter what measures were taken to prevent it from spreading.

The plagues in the church are not airborne.  They are spirit-borne. Spirits transfer.  No matter how anointed you are, no matter how holy and righteous you are, no matter how obedient to the Word you are, if you stay in that contaminated atmosphere long enough, sooner or later, that 'chicken pox' is going to get you, too!

You could have stayed celibate in your church for 23 years.  If you stay there, you will fall into sexual sin.

You could have been faithful in tithes and offerings all your life.  If  you keep 'sowing' into a church or TV network that's under judgment, your finances will get WORSE.

You could have done all the right things in church, faithful, hard worker, the whole nine.  But if you stay there and YOU KNOW God said GO, judgment WILL hit your house.

You could be on the road preaching 8 times a week.  But if God said DON'T GO, you better not go!  The enemy got a trap waiting for you!

You could sing like a mockingbird, bring tears to balling and wailing all in the floor...but if God said STOP SINGING-cuz they're not worshiping ME-you better zip it!  And don't sign another contract!

Remember the plagues in Egypt?  ALL who were disobedient to God suffered the plagues, man, woman and child.  NO one was spared!

If the Israelites had not followed the instructions of the Lord to the TEE, they would have suffered right along with the Egyptians in those plagues.

The church was given space to repent and she would not.  So she is under judgment...and all the 'attacks' you see going on in the I.C. are nothing more than plagues.

Do you want to partake of her sins?

If not, then it's time you came OUT of the church.  She is under judgment...

PAY ATTENTION!

Having worked mostly in a secondary educational setting, I noticed a trend towards the younger generation that I had not noticed before.

The best way I can explain it is by example.  When working in one college institution, I worked in student outreach.  We were constantly trying to create new ways of recruiting new students to our campus.  The Director came up with a brilliant campaign to send text messages to to prospective students on campus events such as recruitment and retention drives, as well as other campus events meant to draw crowds.  We sent text messages in text lingo to 1000s of people, in opposed to sending email messages like we had done the previous semester:  recruitment increased by almost 50%!

And retention had increased by 30%.

What the outreach team had come to realize is that many people today have short attention spans, not to mention limited time.  Harried, busy schedules keep people from taking the time needed to read and research matters.  Now, people hire people to do what -40 years ago-we did on our own, i.e., clean our houses, drop off and pick up dry cleaning, carpool, babysit, etc.

I have personally worked for people who didn't have time to read their own emails!

It is the way of the world as we know it today.  But is it a good thing?  A progressive thing?

There have been times when I missed an important email message-one I had been expecting-because I hadn't taken the time to check my email.  I have even worked as a personal assistant where our main mode of communication was text.

Text messaging and email is not the point here.  It is why are we as a society SO BUSY, SO DISTRACTED, SO in A HURRY, that we cannot PAY ATTENTION to the things we NEED to pay attention to????

The Word of God says that we are to WATCH and to PRAY.  In other words, PAY ATTENTION!

I do believe it is a ploy and a trick of the enemy to get people TOO BUSY and TOO DISTRACTED so that they are not able to WATCH what needs to be watched.  And if we don't watch what is needed to be watched, then we won't know HOW TO PRAY!

My heart goes out to today's teachers, for their job is truly a challenge.

They must get as much information into the kids as possible in a society that is too fast-paced, and too distracted, to sit down and have a good teaching session with them.  Nowadays, kids have Wii, Nintendo, PS3, and a host of other gidgets and gadgets that keep them overly occupied.  But this phenomena is not exclusive to kids...the kids learn this behavior from the parents.

Parents got their own gadgets, too. iPads, iPhones, laptops, PCs, Androids, and $500 cell phones are a household common commodities.

Instead of 10 TV channels on TV-like when I was a little girl-now there are over 500.  Access to all kinds of information (Distractions) are at the fingertips of most of the population.

And while we are distracted with our gidgets, our gadgets, our entertainment, our social lives, our religions and church services, our careers and education, our relationships/marriages, the enemy is behind the scenes, counting on the masses to stay ignorant of his devices.

And while we are all distracted-even with religion-the enemy will have 'the attention' of the masses...and they will do whatever he commands...thinking it is God!

ONLY those who PAY ATTENTION...who WATCH and PRAY...will not fall for the tricks of the enemy in this hour.

YOU HAVE REACHED.....THE CHURCH ZONE!

“There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension … it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone.”

—Rod Serling

I don’t know if any of you ever remember the anthology series from the 50s and 60s ‘The Twilight Zone.’

They remade it again, with Forest Whitaker as the host in 2002.  TV Guide called The Twilight Zone…the ‘TV’s Best Cult Series EVER!’

Well, just as television has its ‘Best Cult Series,’ religion has its best ‘cult series’ as well.

By definition, a cult is a group of people (not just a church, by the way) that have a certain set of characteristics that single them out.  According to http://www.howcultswork.com/, a cult “trick people into joining and coerce them into staying.”

What I want to point out to you in this post is that MANY people who claim to have ‘left the church’ or who are not ‘religious’ are, in fact, still VERY RELIGIOUS.

I have noticed something that is quite disturbing:  I have noticed a trend of groups of people who do recognize the frailties, the faults and the inconsistencies of religious organizations, of churches, and they heed the call to ‘COME OUT’ of the church.  So they will leave their denomination, their church, their fellowship, their clique, their group.  Then they will start a ‘church,’ a ministry, another group or fellowship that mirrors EXACTLY to a tee what they JUST got delivered from or came out of!!!!!

For example, I have seen people leave out of holiness churches and start a ‘home’ church, then turn around and get a pulpit and put it in their house, go buy some clergywear, go get some papers (I guess to ‘look’ legitimate, whatever THAT means), and start the whole wicked, outmoded, outdated, harlot system ALL OVER AGAIN!!!!

Then when the crowds come, they go get a building.  And what they claim they were delivered FROM, they have actually NOT been delivered from…but mirror the exact same institution they came out of

I want to say this to all the people who claim they have heard from God to leave the church:

WHAT IS THE POINT OF LEAVING THE CHURCH…IF YOU ONLY GO AND START ANOTHER CHURCH????

What I’m convinced of is that most leaders are not aware of the fact that if God called you OUT of the church, it was FOR A REASON.  And it was NOT to perpetrate the same fraud (whether its your intention or not) that was committed within the organization you came out of.

THIS is the gross error that most commit when leaving a church, feeling like they are heeding the call of God.

God will NOT call you out of an institution,  a church, an organization-showing you all of its glaring errors, mishaps and all-only to have you come out from among them, be separate…and then reproduce the SAME ERROR you came out of.

I think I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating:  RELIGIOUS DEMONS are attracted to churches.  ANYTHING that looks like a church, ACT like a church, SMELLS like a church, CONDUCTS itself like a church…you best believe YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE RELIGIOUS SPIRITS flock to your buildings.

YOU’RE STUCK IN THE CHURCH ZONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Erecting another church, or having a group of people in your home, over the phone on various conference calls, on Skype, over the Internet that looks in ANY WAY like a church is just like putting up an ad that says:  ’RELIGIOUS SPIRITS WELCOME HERE!’

And if you’re not careful, you can become a CULT.  MANY churches have morphed into mega-cults…and mini-ones, too.

I was talking to Pam Sheppard-a friend of mine-about this phenomena about why this is the case.  Why people leave the church and then turn around and start a church.  This is how the conversation went:

Pam:  ”I am inclined to believe that it was the devil-A religious demon called her out to continue the SAME religious ways with a new message….Satan knows THIS message also….”

She went on to confirm something I believe the Spirit of the Lord showed me as we talked about this phenomena….

The enemy knows AND preaches the message of coming out of the ‘church,’ too.  It is a religious demon that actually mimics the voice of God and it can preach this message to a tee!  It will have you hooping and hollering, too!  But it only does that to lure out those the enemy wants to single out as having recognized it for what it is…only to annihilate them once they come out of one religious setting…and go into another!

In other words, a religious demon will mimic a word/message to sound genuine or authentic.  We all know a religious demon is a murdering spirit.  And it will do whatever it takes to kill its intended target, even preach against its own institution, other preachers, etc, to gain the trust of those who recognize (obviously and openly) religious spirits.

We all recognize religious spirits that wear only certain types of clothes, focus on outer appearance more than inward holiness.  We all recognize religious spirits that preach against fellowshipping with other types of believers.  We all recognize religious spirits that tell women they can’t preach and that they gotta wear veils and the such.

But there are MANY faces to a Religious demon.

There are other, more insidious, sneaky faces of a religious demon that I believe that MOST are simply not aware of.  This is why you should get “Faces of a Religious Demon” by Pam Sheppard.

(The enemy is trying to take out many who ARE hearing from God to come out by perpetrating that it’s not a religious spirit teaching and preaching that, when in fact, some of them ARE STILL religious, demonized by a religious spirit!)

They are imposters!

One of the lesser known traits of a religious spirit is that it WILL mimic another (authentic) message it KNOWS is gaining momentum in the TRUE EKKLESIA, in the Kingdom of God.

And it will cloak it, and package it in a religious tone, so it can be acceptable to the religious masses.

All in the guise of offering liberty and freedom from ONE religious setting, when, in actuality,  its only a ploy by the enemy to set folks up for the kill all over again by setting them into yet another religious setting-most of the time, more sinister and wicked than the one they left!!!

This is where the non-denominational ‘denomination’ came from:  they thought they were leaving religion, only to set up another religion called ‘non-denominationalism.’

But they aren’t the only ones guilty of this.  MANY who branched off and left churches to build other ministry have managed to sustain the SAME error, the SAME spirit, the SAME wickedness that they claim GOD delivered them from!

THIS HAS TO STOP!

If God is calling you out of the church – and HE IS – then realize this ONE THING.

GOD IS CALLING YOU OUT TO BE SOMETHING UNIQUE.  SOMETHING ELSE.  SOMETHING DIFFERENT.  GOD HAS A UNIQUE PLAN FOR US ALL.

First of all, let’s get some things straight.

The institutionalized church as we all know it was set up in gross error.  No, the error didn’t begin in the Book of Acts.  It began once the Roman Catholic church gained popularity and acceptance as the model in which to build ministry.

I became aware of this while having a conversation with my own mother.  She is a Catholic, and I was telling her about the Eddie Long fiasco-the whole crowning of him as king.  She hadn’t heard of the story, so I told her about it, how the four men erected Eddie in the air and they named him king, as four men carried him along like he was a god or something.

My own mother said, ‘Well, he is like the Pope.  You know, they erect the Pope like that…’  My mouth flew open as she stated that, like it was right or something!

I respectively but assertively told her that that was ERROR, for BOTH Long and the Pope to be lifted up above flesh like they are gods.  My mother is not a confrontational type, so she left it alone after that.

But I said all that to say this:  we mirrored our churches after the Roman Catholic error, even though in the 16th century, Martin Luther led the Protestant movement…supposedly OUT of the Catholic Church-because they didn’t believe the Pope should have that much authority and wanted to teach and prove the priesthood of all believers instead of a select few.

Yet in many of today’s so-called ‘Protestant’ churches, there STILL is the perpetuation of the priesthood being the select few and instead of having popes on top of the ‘Protestant pyramid,’ they now have bishops and apostles at the top.

The Protestant church of today have succeeded in perpetuating the very error they came out of within the Catholic Church!

They separate clergy from laity.  
They have the clergy wear garb that looks MUCH like what is worn in the Catholic Church.  

They still teach-in the 21st century!-that the people must come through the priests (today, it’s called the prophets) in order to hear from God.

They still have elaborate ceremonies that is supposed to prove to the people that the clergy is legitimate.

They still ‘pull rank’ within the religious institution.  (This is where the ‘apostles-on-top-teacher-on-bottom’ doctrine that is being taught now.)

They still allow the clergy to have illicit sexual behaviors, without accountability or responsibility.

THEY ARE STILL STUCK IN THE CHURCH ZONE!!!!!!!!

In order to get out of the Church Zone, one must recognize not only the error of which they are in, but be willing and courageous enough to NOT perpetuate the same error they came from once they are FREE.

THIS can take much diligence, much time in prayer, and even counsel.  Counsel by a dedicated team of ministers who are here to help those who TRULY want to be TOTALLY FREE of religion and ALL OF HER VARIED FORMS and FACES.

Endtime Warfare Survival Tactics (for Prophets), Part 2

Retreat is NOT defeat!  Retreat in THIS hour, in these endtimes, is a survival mechanism...

And it IS the CRY of the Spirit of God!

"COME OUT FROM AMONG HER AND BE SEPARATE...says THE LORD!"

In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul gives the requirements, if you will, of the ministry OF THE LORD.  Ministry these days has been so glamorized that we barely hear the reality of what it's like to be in real ministry today.  Verse 5 starts:

 "...in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings...

...By honour and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;

... As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

 ...As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things...."

Unknown.  Incognito.  That is going to be the earmark of those used by God in this hour.  The 'unknowns' are hearing what God is saying.  And saying what GOD is saying.  The famous ones, the well known ones, the popular ones, the ones we have revered in the past are not the ones God is using in these endtimes.

The unknowns/the incognito ones are getting well known.  Some in the religious ranks are beginning to hear of them.  So to the enemy, you are well known.  The unknowns don't have a lot of money, nor do they seek it.  Their selfish agendas and ambitions have been nailed to the cross, so the enemy cannot tempt them with filthy lucre or money.  For the love of money IS the ROOT of ALL evil. It is the very growing/breeding ground of EVERY form of evil.  Money.

Further down starting from verse 14, Paul encourages us to NOT be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.  Or, in other words, to COME OUT.

"....Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

 ...And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

 ...And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

 ...Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

 ...And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty...."

Many want to be received of God-chosen-but they won't follow His Instructions.  They are disobedient.  They THINK they are doing God's service, God's work, but have been deceived by a religious demon.

These same 'prophets' are time and time again under constant 'warfare' from the enemy.  They get depressed often, they go through an inordinate amount of unfortunate circumstances...a lot.  They are up one day, and down the next.  This is NOT the will of God.

Its like I said earlier....

Retreat is NOT defeat!  Retreat in THIS hour, in these endtimes, is a survival mechanism...

In war, you don't hop out of the foxhole in loud hot pink gear, hollering at the enemy to 'Come and get me!'

You hide, incognito.  You camoflauge yourself.  Play dead even, once the enemy has found you.

I liken these prophets who continue to operate within the four walls of the church to the unwise people in flourescent green who dance atop the ground, in full view of the enemy.  His target is locked and loaded RIGHT in between your eyes!  Why?

Because you're in plain view.

GET OUT of plain view.  COME OUT of the church.  BE SEPARATE.  TOUCH NOT the UNCLEAN thing...THEN GOD says HE WILL RECEIVE YOU!

The truth of the matter is that within the four walls of the organized church, there are unbelievers.  Many of them.  Many of the people who are claiming salvation are NOT saved, yet millions fellowship with unsaved church members, unsaved ministers, unsaved five fold...the whole nine...on a weekly basis.

Then they wonder WHY they are constantly 'attacked?'

I think one of the main ploys of the enemy in these end times is to get folks 'addicted' to church.  There are scores of people-'prophets' included-who are literally addicted to attending church.  If they don't get their fix by going to the next service somewhere in town, then they just don't know what they are going to do.   They MUST get 'a word' from the Lord.   They MUST get their dance, their 'shout' on.  They MUST see the people of God.  They MUST enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise! (Psalms 100:4)

What these 'addicts' fail to realize is that that which they externally seek after lies IN THEM!

This, too, is an end time tactic of the enemy.  To get people to not know WHO and WHOSE they are.  To have an identity crisis.  So it becomes easy for someone who calls themself a prophet to take on the identity of another so called, widely-accepted prophet, in order to be accepted and approved of by the people.  But once they fall prey to doing that, they become addicted to the attention, the flattery, the money, the fame, the fortune-they even become addicted to the 'attacks,' 'the drama,' the 'so-called persecution'-that comes along with perverted ministry initiated by the enemy.

The Greek word for gates here is 'sha`ar,' which means 'tabernacle or temple.' (Renember:  WE are the temple of the Lord- Hebrews 9, 1 Corinthians 3:16)

The Greek word for courts is 'chatser,' which means 'settlement or abode.' (Remember, God abides with us wherever we are-1 John 2:14, John 10:38)

In 'Come Out of Her, My People' by Pamela Sheppard, she explains why many seem 'addicted' to going to church and her own exodus out of church:

"...From 90 days to 6 months, perhaps a year, the church addict’s mind must be re-trained. False doctrines and practices that the churchgoer has believed in for decades must be challenged so that the soul can be renewed. As God Himself has compared false worship to prostitution or whoredom , I am not out of line in making a similar comparison. A church addiction can be compared to “good sex” with someone you know does not really love you. Simply put, you get hooked to the thrill and the feeling. Those of us who have never “been there and done that” wonder what the thrill is for a masochist.

Masochism from a psychiatric perspective is defined as a condition in which sexual gratification depends on suffering, physical pain and humiliation gained from despair, deprivation, and degradation. The perpetrator can be others or it can be self inflicted. Unfortunately, masochists are known to find pleasure in self denial and emotional pain.

I can relate on a spiritual level because sexual masochism is like self imposed martyrdom... I ignorantly assumed that I was suffering for Christ.” Notwithstanding, like a spiritual masochists, a sensual, carnal thrill was obtainable through believing that I was more righteous than they because I was faithfully doing God’s will. What a shock to find out after more than two decades, that “God never sent me there for ANY reason.” He simply used what the enemy meant for evil for my personal and spiritual good, so that I could be used by Him to help others “help themselves!” Nevertheless, as one who was “addicted,” I never wanted to leave that Whore on my own so God made HER PUT ME OUT!!!!"

The enemy is planning on using your 'addiction' to church against you in these endtimes.  If you can't come clean and effectively 'detox' from churchanity, the enemy has a foothold in you.  If you have ANYTHING in you that wants fame, fortune, popular acceptance, and approval, the enemy has yet another foothold in you.  If you love attention, there is another one.

Like I said, Retreat is NOT defeat.  It is a necessary survival tactic in this hour.

It is TIME to COME OUT from AMONG HER.  NOW.