Every tongue, tribe and nation – A tribute to the Creek Nation

Every Tribe, tongue, and people – A story of the Creek Indian Nation.

Re 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

As I study the Cherokee history course, I find myself learning much about the United States, the five civilized tribes, and the state of Oklahoma.

As many of you know, my heart has been torn to shreds in tears, as I have studied the plight of the North American Indian tribes, the host peoples of this nation we call the United States of America.

I am convinced that the only reason that the Indian tribes have not been totally eradicated from the United States, is because God Himself, has preserved for Himself, a remnant of each tribe, a people of destiny, alive on the earth in this hour, for such a time as this!

As I look at what has happened, as a Christian leader, I am in the face of God in prayer constantly, asking Him for understanding, mercy, and constructive solutions to the plight of my Indian brothers, and I have become convinced of several things:

1. God, the Creator, has been visiting the Indian tribes, for thousands of years before the white man was ‘discovered’ upon their land.

2. That there has been a direct demonic attack on the North American Indian tribes directly, that has occurred in two forms: a. plagues and sickness b. Genocide resulting from a false doctrine taught in the traditional Christian churches of the day, called ‘manifest destiny.’ I further believe that satan did this specifically, and intentionally, because the innate spirituality of the Indian tribes, was a great threat to his work in the earth.

3. That many Indian peoples have been visited personally by Jesus, or had revelation clearly from the Holy Spirit, designed to bless them, and prepare them for the coming gospel, hundreds of years before the first missionaries visited this land.

4. That many denominational attempts to convert the Indians were erroneous, in that they had no understanding of the ways that God was already at work in the tribes, and no platform or willingness to learn and understand the ways of the red man. In the words of David Stannard in his book ‘The American Holacaust’, he refers to the attitude of European and American historians as ‘stubbornly determined ignorance.’

5. That judgment first begins in the house of the Lord, that the healing and restoration of the tribes, must come from the church, walking in depth of consecration, humility, and increased understanding of the movements of God both historically and presently among the tribes.

6. That the current fate of the United States of America, directly hinges upon this particular ministry, that not only are the eyes of all of heaven upon the North American Indian tribes presently, but that this particular mandate of the church, is the number one priority on the heart of the Father, currently, that will determine the restoration, or destruction of the United States as we know it.

7. That the day of Indian reservations being merely a ministry of humanitarian aid (receiving aid), has ended. That God requires us to deliberately, intentionally, train, equip, recognize, and respond to First Nations leaders as equals. That leaders raised up, be responded to in respect, honor, and equality, that the voice of the red man finally be heard in this critical chapter of US history.

8. Finally, as these host peoples are recognized and responded to, their particular contribution, wisdom, revelation, grace and anointing will release the move of the Holy Spirit in America we have all sought for many years now, and that they hold specific keys of revelation and knowledge, to actually, practically see and know, exactly what must be done, to heal the land.

As I have studied, prayed and meditated upon these thoughts, I read this particular account of a reflection of the native church, among the Creek nation, described by Angie Debo, ‘The Road to Disappearance’ in her book, and it really touched me:

“The native church formed another expression of the Creeks’, community life. During the first hard years after the war the buildings were windowless log huts daubed with clay, with stick fireplaces, earthen floors, and clapboard roofs; but in time frame buildings like those of the white man were erected. In 1878 the Tuskegee congregation near Eufaula, with a technique learned in the old communal fields, planted and tended eight acres of cotton and applied the proceeds to the building fund. On the church grounds were numerous camp houses for the storing of cooking utensils or the use of individual families, and in the summer several large brush arbors were commonly erected for holding the meetings and serving the meals; and there was a tendency to arrange these structures in the familiar form of the town square with the church building forming one side.

There was probably some conformity to denominational requirements, but in practice each congregation selected one of its own members to serve as pastor as long as he lived. Some of the Creeks formed the pleasant habit of rotating their services among four neighboring towns, each town entertaining the other three in its own church once a month. Such services usually lasted for three or four days, and during the summer there were frequent camp meetings lasting for a week or longer and bringing people together from a large area. Careful preparations were made for these meetings, and the members of the local congregation worked together in cutting the weeds, cleaning the grounds, repairing the camp houses and arbors, and sometimes painting the church. The men hunted game and killed beeves and hogs, and the women cooked great pots of food to be distributed among the various camps. The services were almost continuous throughout the day and often during the whole night, and the conduct of the worshippers was reverent and devout. They used the Creek version of the Bible; their sermons were preached in Creek, but sometimes translated into English as a courtesy to visitors; and they sang Creek translations of English hymns and, as one Creek woman expresses it, “other songs about nature; that is, the flowers, etc., that they made up.”
The Creeks had found in Christianity a means of expressing the strong community ties, the moral aspiration, the mystic communion with nature, the deep sense of reverence that had once been expressed by the native ceremonials. Even its forms were native: the arrangement and care of the church grounds, the feasting, the camping, the community labors, the continuous day and night services.”

Why does this account make my heart leap?

1. It was Christianity embraced by the Creek, practiced and lead by their own pastors, elders, traditions, and leaders.
2. Preaching, singing, and teaching, were in their own language.
3. Though I am sure they love white people, and other Christians, they were not asked, nor forced to embrace the white man’s culture, only our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. They had Bibles, and songs in their own language and ways.
4. It is a beautiful expression of community, as each village celebrated and worshipped with other villages, in love.
5. They required no financial support from white churches. They planted their own cotton, built their own buildings, and led themselves.

I would have loved to hear a translated message from some of these pastors on topics like: love, respect for elders, community, faith, hearing God in creation, and discerning vision.

As I walk with my son, in his required Oklahoma State History textbook, I find the following account relevant here:

“An example of the movement of the gospel from eastern to western Oklahoma was the activities of men like Reverend John McIntosh, a Creek Indian convert to Christ, who moved we to evangelize the Wichitas and Caddo peoples. He was the son of Creek leader Chilly McIntosh.” (from Oklahoma History in Light of the Cross, Kenneth C.Davis,3rd Ed, p 66)

I’m sure they could teach me a few things.

Red men and women are being visited personally by Jesus, in this generation. Many are having open visions of heaven, the glory of God, and deep revelations as to the times and seasons of America, that we, the traditional church, desperately need to embrace, and walk with them in.

Mt 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mt 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Let’s Pray:
‘Father, wash our hearts, unstop our ears, cause the scales to fall from our eyes, that we might truly hear with our ears what You are saying, see Your heart, plan, and purposes You wish us to walk in and unfold, and give us hearts to obey, in humility and love, free from pride that blinds and binds, that we might be agents of healing, restoration, change, reconciliation, wisdom, power, and peacemakers to this generation. We humble ourselves and ask in sincerity and truth, in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen’

Sacred Council Fire

Sacred Fire….

Before the removal of the Cherokees (The trail of tears) there was heated debate in Congress. Senator Edward Everett of Massachusetts fought against the removal of the Cherokees, holding the house in session for two whole days, speaking on Cherokee affairs, sometimes with effective irony, On Feb 21st, 1831 he said:

‘Here, at the center of the nation, beneath the portals of the Capitol, let us solemnly auspicate the new era of violated promises, and tarnished faith. Let us kindle a grand council fire, not of treaties made and ratified, but of treaties annulled and broken. Let us send to our archives for the worthless parchments, and burn them in the face of day. There will be some yearnings of humanity as we perform this solemn act. They were negotiated for valuable considerations; we keep the considerations, and break the bond. One gave peace to our afflicted frontier, another protected our infant settlements; nearly all were at our earnest request. Many were negotiated under the instructions of Washington, of Adams, and of Jefferson-the fathers of our liberty. They are gone, and will not witness the spectacle; but our present Chief magistrate, as he lays them, one by one, on the fire, will see his own name subscribed to a goodly number of them. Sir, they ought to be destroyed as a warning to the Indians to make them no more compacts with us.’

John Ridge (Cherokee) and one of his colleagues sat in the gallery of the House and were deeply moved by Everett’s sonorous words reverberating through the chamber. ‘I happened to be a spectator of this debate,’ wrote the correspondent for The New York Observer. On the second day, towards the close of the long speech, he found it hard to “shield his heart” against the “subduing power” of Everett’s words. “Two of the Cherokees stood immediately behind me and over me. In the midst of Mr. Everett’s peroration, I thought I heard something like a drop of rain fall upon…my cloak, near my ear. I looked up, and the head of one of these Cherokees had fallen upon his hand, and he was endeavoring to conceal his tears.”
Excerpt from the book – The Cherokee Tragedy, – Thurmans Wilkins, p 220,221

The rest of this is history. President Andrew Jackson pressed the vote, overruled the Supreme Court decision upholding the Cherokee treaty rights to their lands against the state of Georgia, and the vote was carried against them, BY ONE VOTE. Sending the Cherokees upon the ‘trail of tears’ where 4600 died in transit, an eternal disgrace upon this nation.

I have more to say on this, how these very broken covenants between the US government and the various host peoples of this land we call the United States of America, are the main contributing factor to the problems we currently face as a nation. God Himself, has heard and seen the plight of the various Indian tribes that have been mistreated by this government, and treacherous white men. As a white man living here, I have wept, until I thought I could weep no more, in prayer before the throne of God, for the plight of the North American Indian. God has heard, and answered, and is moving to bring healing, conviction of sin, and cleansing of this land, as we humble ourselves before Him, in earnest, heartfelt prayer. He will visit the red nations of this land, with power, signs, wonders, and miracles, and as He does, there is a movement in this nation, that I see, and call: RED MAN RISING!’

Let’s pray:

‘Father God, Creator, Great One, The Grand Father of us all, we come to You, asking that You, Yourself heal our hearts, rebuild, recreate that which has been destroyed, shattered, by treacherous people, who know You not. Forgive them Creator, have mercy. Forgive us, and heal our hearts, and make us strong again, in the place where no man can see, the deepest part of us. We come to You, knowing we are heard and answered, for we come in Your name Lord Jesus, Yeshua, Amen’

For more understanding, please read:

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/the-first-nations-mandate/

https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/racial-ethnic-and-womens-ministries/gender-and-racial-justice-ministries/doctrine-of-discovery/

Respect Your History and Your Elders

Respect your History and Elders…

Job 8:8 ¶ For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:
9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)
10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
You know, as I study the Word, and am learning the ways and traditions of various North American Indian tribes, there is a simple tradition:
‘Respect the Elders!’

Seems many white folks have lost this. Instead of esteeming and celebrating with them the wisdom of the years of their lives, of our elderly, we often place them in ‘retirement homes’ or ‘assisted living’ facilities, safely tucked away from the mainstream of society.

Yet, in many cases, they are neglected, and at best not esteemed, or sought out for instruction, and wisdom.

I like the saying I heard in Africa: ‘When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground!’

I know that not every old person is wise, but they can be still honored, loved, and respected.

Job 32:7 I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.


Yet, if a person did not serve Jesus their whole life, or attend church or in some way learn, grow, or develop in the Word of God, then seems that the best we can offer, is to love, honor and respect them.

Want to get blessed by God?

Le 19:32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

Ex 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Just a Native American tradition?

Nope, this is the eternal word of God, a principal eternally established in the heavens, for all time.

So we must respect elders, and our parents, whatever age they might be, even if they frustrate us, and in our eyes, are not honorable.

Even if they are wrong, in their counsel, or lifestyle, according to the Word of God, we can still disagree with them, without being disagreeable.

1Ti 5:1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;
There is much to be said in the Scripture about our treatment of elders, but it all boils down to this:

Love, honor and respect them, no matter what they do….

Let’s pray:
‘Father, place in my heart, love, honor, and respect for all parents, and elders around me, no matter what they do, in Your name I pray Lord Jesus, Amen’

Hearing the Voice of the North American Indian!

Hearing the Voice of the North American Indian!

You know, here is a thought: I hate racism. Whether a brutally oppressive white man, or a bitter black man wanting vengeance, it all reeks of pride, hatred, murder, bitterness, anger, rage, and wickedness. We must rise up in honor, to become who God created us to be. To love, respect, and seek to understand one another’s unique gifts, to build bridges instead of walls.

The cure for racism is still Jesus, reconciling us into covenant with God, through His cross and His blood. Although God sees and understands different skin colors and cultures, He is not preferential to black, white, red, or yellow men. We each bleed red blood.

God is not pro-black, white, red: He is looking for covenant men. Sons and daughters that will accept His offer of royal adoption! People who will accept royal rank, privilege, and eternal destiny, not of this earth, rather, heavenly citizenship.

Yet there is a thought today, that will not leave me.

Though there is still much work to be done in destroying racism between the black and white man in the United States, battles have been fought against slavery – there was a Civil War over this!

Then, my generation saw Martin Luther King Jr raise his voice against the hand of white oppression, and many of us paid a great price to see schools integrated, and social justice and an attempt at equality in the workplace.

Yet, as I study the plight of the Red Man here in America, and I study the histories of myriad First Nations peoples, I read of horrors untold, injustices, murders, and treacheries that, if they were not true, would be unbelievable in this great land, home of the free and the brave, with supposed freedom, liberty, and justice for all…

“Congress Granted Citizenship to All Native Americans Born in the U.S.
June 2, 1924
Native Americans have long struggled to retain their culture. Until 1924, Native Americans were not citizens of the United States. Many Native Americans had, and still have, separate nations within the U.S. on designated reservation land. But on June 2, 1924, Congress granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S. Yet even after the Indian Citizenship Act, some Native Americans weren’t allowed to vote because the right to vote was governed by state law. Until 1957, some states barred Native Americans from voting”

As I study, pray, and listen to Holy Spirit for His heart with respect to the American Indian, I find myself dwelling on this recurring thought:

The black man has had a war fought to end slavery, and his voice has been heard to some degree in the Civil rights movement in the 1960’s, but the voice of the Indian has never been heard!

It has been muted, muffled, muzzeled and silenced from main line Media, and in generally omitted entirely from US History texts in our schools.

The devastation and tragedy of the First Nations peoples of the United States is a story as yet untold, a very shameful chapter in this great land and nation.

The question screaming inside of me is this: ‘Who will be their voice?”

Who will tell their story?

Jesus is alive!

Heaven is real!

Those great peoples of our ancestors, still live before the throne of God, and I believe that God Himself, is now about to take up the cause of the red man in America.

This, will be the thing, that brings healing back to this land, as justice, understanding, love, and acceptance is brought to these people, who have suffered horribly here, for many generations….

There is a cry I hear from heaven: ‘Red Man Rising!”

Let’s Pray:

‘Father: Open the eyes of America, all people, to understand, and to embrace the First Nations peoples of this country. Give us eyes to see, a heart to understand their pain, their culture, language, honor, traditions, and the ways that you Jesus have visited them in the past. Somehow God, heal their hearts, their lands, and ours, where we have lacked so much, in the rejection of the gifts you have given them. Make impossible wrongs, somehow right, through your cross and shed blood Jesus! Deliver us from our blindness, our foolishness, our pride and foolishness of way, and somehow reconcile us! Give us grace to see and hear truth, and to turn from our wickedness and treacherous ways, and forgive and have mercy upon us, for our great sin in Your sight! Somehow, Holy Spirit, visit each and every Indian tribe here, and heal, restore, reveal Your love, and give them courage to be able to forgive us, that somehow we might walk before You in honor, respect, dignity, strength, humility, and love and truth. Let their stories be told, restore to them their voice in the land! I ask this Father, in Your great name Lord Jesus, Amen…’

Red Man Rising!

Red Man Rising!

Had an interesting thought yesterday, as I sought the Lord for His heart with respect to First Nations people’s here in North America.

I have been very troubled, over the teaching of ‘manifest destiny’, which has caused such devastation among the Indian tribes of this land. The thought, preached in many Christian churches, that the United States was given to the European settlers by God, and that like the Israelites destroyed or drove out their enemies from their lands and houses by conquest in the book of Joshua, that God, through Christian calvary, had ordered the genocide of First Nations host people in America.

Depending on who you talk to, or what you read, approximately 80 million Indians died on US soil after Columbus landed in 1492.

Seems more of them died from sickness, than from war or genocide, yet the destruction and devastation was and is horrendous.

Yet, here is the thought I just had, after yet another day of prayer in the Holy Spirit, seeking God for understanding.

Satan always does evil, then blames God for it.

Why?

Simple, it is all about the gospel.

The gospel is the power of God that destroys his work in the earth, that gives men new birth, and translation out of his kingdom, into the kingdom of God’s family, where Jesus is Lord, and dominion, dignity, and authority over demons and creation is restored. He must stop the gospel!

The annihilation of the north American Indian has his fingerprints all over the crime scene.

Remember how he works:
Through deception, he is a mind blinding spirit.
He comes only to kill, steal, and destroy (exactly what has been done, to all Indians with respect to the murder, the theft and destruction of traditional lands)

Through sickness, Jesus came to heal, and God is not the author of sickness, it is a result of the fall of man. God did not create it, for surely, sickness, suffering and disease is not good, and when He created the heavens and the earth:

Gen 1: 24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Acts 10:38 New King James Version (NKJV)
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Jesus only did the will of our Father, the Creator, and everything He did while on the earth, was only good. In this verse we see Jesus going about doing good. What good? Healing. Healing Who? All those oppressed of the devil. Who brought sickness? Satan and his minions, NOT GOD!

I will expound on this more, at a later time, but I am now convinced of this one thing.

God did not kill, orchestrate, nor in any way participate in the destruction of the North American Indian! In fact as I spend these years praying for various Indian tribes, what I hear and feel heaven saying on their behalf, is anger, and overwhelming grief. I find myself, weeping, sometimes sobbing uncontrollably, as Father God shares His heart for my Indian brothers and sisters, whose blood still cries from the earth.

I am convinced that many of those, are these described in Rev 6: 9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the heavenly altar the souls of those murdered for holding fast to the word of God and their testimony. 10 They cried out in a great, singular voice.
Murder Victims: How much longer, O Lord, the holy One, the true One, until You pronounce judgment on the inhabitants of the earth? Until You avenge our blood
From the great cloud of heavenly witnesses, there has arisen a cry, for justice in the earth.

Now, at this time, I believe God, our Creator, the Great Spirit, has heard, and is answering…

Satan fears the North American Indian greatly, and is determined to destroy Him.

He has used sickness, disease, treachery, and deception planted in minds of wicked men, to do what he always does: kill, steal, and destroy, a great people, created in the image of God, for His glory.

“Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. Even before there were large numbers of Negroes on our shore, the scar of racial hatred had already disfigured colonial society. From the sixteenth century forward, blood flowed in battles over racial supremacy. We are perhaps the only nation which tried as a matter of national policy to wipe out its indigenous population. Moreover, we elevated that tragic experience into a noble crusade. Indeed, even today we have not permitted ourselves to reject or feel remorse for this shameful episode. Our literature, our films, our drama, our folklore all exalt it. Our children are still taught to respect the violence which reduced a red-skinned people of an earlier culture into a few fragmented groups herded into impoverished reservations.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.

We see the mind of godless men, described in Romans 1:

Romans 1:26-32
The Voice (VOICE)
26-27 This is why God released them to their own vile pursuits, and this is what happened: they chose sexual counterfeits—women had sexual relations with other women and men committed unnatural, shameful acts because they burned with lust for other men. This sin was rife, and they suffered painful consequences.
28 Since they had no mind to recognize God, He turned them loose to follow the unseemly designs of their depraved minds and to do things that should not be done. 29 Their days are filled with all sorts of godless living, wicked schemes, greed, hatred, endless desire for more, murder, violence, deceit, and spitefulness. And, as if that were not enough, they are gossiping, 30 slanderous, God-hating, rude, egotistical, smug people who are always coming up with even more dreadful ways to treat one another. They don’t listen to their parents; 31 they lack understanding and character. They are simple-minded, covenant-breaking, heartless, and unmerciful; they are not to be trusted. 32 Despite the fact that they are fully aware that God’s law says this way of life deserves death, they fail to stop. And worse—they applaud others on this destructive path.
These verses, about sum up the interaction of the first immigrants of the United States, with the indigenous people, or Indian tribes currently living here, when they arrived.
Yet, understand that humanity has a fallen nature, original sin, and that the one who fuels, empowers, and works through this murderous bunch is satan himself, planting in the minds of fallen men, destructive murderous thoughts.
2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Reminds of the guy who was walking down the street, when a ferocious dog bit him, and grabbed hold of his leg. He began to scream: ‘God, why did you let this dog attack me! God, I hate You for doing this to me!’

All the while the dog is chewing on his leg.

Moral: Kick the dog, not God! Kill it, but know that God is a good God, and that He did not send the dog to teach you something, or to punish you, but that an evil master did.

Do not blame God for the devils work!

Now, as for the wicked, deceitful white men that greedily killed, stole, and destroyed, they will keep their own appointment with Jesus, alone, to give an account of their lives. There is surely a heaven, and a hell, and I am convinced that many of them are presently burning there.

Forgive them! Rise above it. Refuse to be like them!

Hebrews 10:30
For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Some have said, but they deserve to die! Yes, but murder, bloodshed, vengeance, hate, and bitterness, only poisons us, they are already dead men walking. We will all give an account of our lives, alone, before Him who made us, one day, not so far away.
There are only two types of spirits in the earth, good and evil, God and devils, love or hate. Jesus said it this way:
Luke 9: 54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”[e]
55 But He turned and rebuked them,[f] and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.
Nor do you, warrior. There is a fight for peace, justice, truth, healing, restoration, against hatred, bitterness, murder, and all that mess.
Yet, God is not calling us to lower ourselves to the wickedness of devilish men, but has given us far greater weapons, weapons of spiritual warfare, through the Word of God, to not only walk in dignity, honor, respect, and power, but also to attack satanic strongholds that hold the minds of men.
Let’s Pray:
‘Father God in Heaven, Creator, Great One, Giver of all life: Help me to see You, Your heart, Your truth, Your Son Jesus, and His way of honor, respect, dignity, mercy, and love. Father, teach me Your truth, make me a warrior for You, against sin, sickness, injustice, and every other work of devils and the devilish people that serve them, that I might fight for true justice, peace, healing, and the restoration of my people, in Your name I pray Lord Jesus, Amen’

Confounders of the Wise – Being Purified!

(1 Cor 1:27 NIV) But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

(1 Cor 1:28 NIV) He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are,

The computer gives me these verses in the New International Version of the Bible, but I like the way they read in the King James Version:

(1Cor 1:27 KJV) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are nought, to bring to not the things that are.

I like the way the Message Bible says this verse.

“Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks, exploits, and abuses chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything we have-right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start-comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That is why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.””

In my addiction, I was a fool. I would lie to my parents about where I was going, and what I was doing, and what I was spending my allowance on so that I could go and get high with my friends. At these parties, there were fights; people were involved in sexual depravity. The people who were my so-called friends would sell me out for the next drug deal. I was a fool, and to be honest, when you were not actively serving God, so were you. You would lie to cover yourself, and rationalize your behavior to avoid being honest with yourself and God, avoiding the cross and the truth and the mercy of God that sets us free. We were fools.

Funny thing about life is this. When I initially wrote these words, 15 years ago, I had not yet been exposed to a different culture: the ‘up and outers’..People that have accumulated wealth, assets, and stuff, yet as I have entered their homes, I have met all kinds of irregular behaviors: Pride, homosexuality, materialism, drug addictions (with drugs now supplied by ‘friendly’ doctors, alcoholism, and the long train of broken relationships, divorces, child custody battles, and the whole ‘keep up with the community’ scene. People who have money, but who, in the privacy of their own homes, are just as broken, and messed up, as we used to be partying on the weekends in high school.

As I have seen this scene, I am even more convinced that Jesus is the only answer for the human heart:Only He, can give peace, dignity, honor, and joy in the journey..If we walk with Him, money can have purpose, and be a blessing to many, without Him, all money does is make more of me.

If ‘me’ likes video games, money gets ‘me’ more games. If ‘me’ likes women, then ‘me’ wines and dines more ladies. If ‘me’ likes cars, ‘me’ gets more fancy automobiles, and so it goes with houses, electronics, boats, planes, etc.

Yet, if ‘me’ loves Jesus, and is surrendered to Him, money means more churches, orphanages, missionaries being sent, children’s programs, great gospel crusades, food to the hungry, water wells drilled, children going to school, and truly one discovers that it really is more blessed to give than to receive…as one by one, like the leper who came back to Jesus, people in the kingdom, come back to say, ‘Thank-you!’, and joy becomes full!

(2 Tim 2:20 NIV) In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.

(2 Tim 2:21 NIV) If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

(2 Tim 2:22 NIV) Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

(2 Tim 2:23 NIV) Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.

(2 Tim 2:24 NIV) And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

(2 Tim 2:25 NIV) Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

(2 Tim 2:26 NIV) and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Where do you think all these temptations come from? God? Do you think God is schizophrenic? Holy, Pure, kind, and loving one minute, then tempting you to do the things that will destroy you?

(James 1:13 NIV) When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

(James 1:14 NIV) but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

(James 1:15 NIV) Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

(James 1:16 NIV) Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.

No! God is a good God. He loves you, and can never lead you into evil. It is Satan who puts the thoughts in your mind, reminding you of the pleasure your sin will bring you. Let’s get real here can we. If sin was no fun, no one would bother. Saw a plaque on a wall one time made me laugh, that read: ‘The trouble with trouble is that it started out as fun!’ No, the Bible is clear, there is pleasure in sin for a season. Yet, it always pays the same – death. It is designed to separate you from Him who is life, and while your flesh is laughing with the fools and God haters, your conscience is screaming No! Don’t do this, the Holy Spirit grieving within you. Think about it.

Well, the Bible is good news. And who you are will affect what you do. As you begin to see yourself as God sees you, you will change, for you are designers original, a work of art, created by the Author of all life for divine destiny in Him alone. He is still inscribing the wonder of your life against the backdrop of eternity. After a diamond is cut and polished, it is small, like a piece of glass lying on a desk, insignificant. Yet, if you take that same gemstone, set it in brilliant gold, mount it upon black velvet, and shine a light upon it to accent it’s many glorious hues and iridescent luster, it shows both the beauty of its creative forces, and the exquisite excellence of the master gem cutters hand. That is where the grace of God shines best, against the backdrop of sin, for where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.

So it is God who gave your life. Like a piece of coal are each of us without Him.

Except a person be born again, we cannot even see the kingdom of God. Yet, is it not written?

(Isa 48:10 NIV) See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
(Isa 48:11 NIV) For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.

In the fiery furnace of heat and pressure formed as our sin creates incredible pressures and heat in this life, this blackened piece of coal that is our life either burns up, or comes to Jesus, is born again that raw uncut diamond.

Now a new fire is applied to our lives, the fire of God’s love. The revelation of His holiness, the application of His word slicing through our dross, and cutting away those things that dishonour Him. Now the gem becomes cut, to reveal the beauty within.

(Isa 53:2 NIV) He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

So it is with us. God Himself has come to live within us. Outwardly, we may look unfinished, but He is working. Even if our life appears to be remnants on the cutting room floor, the gem remains for (Phil 1:6 NIV) we can be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

So now we decide the price of the gem, for each of us was formed perfect in our raw uncut state. What will our life become? One of heartbreak and failure and compromise, or will we, like the apostle Paul, abandon all and say, “(Phil 3:14 NIV) I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

It’s a choice only you can make. Your husband, wife, or family cannot make it for you. No, eternal rank, glory, positions are at stake, and these are the most precious things one could ever desire. Great heat and pressure made the clump of coal a beautiful gem.God knows this, and so He allows us to pursue Him, for those things that will never be taken away for us. Our lives, gems in His hand with a weird twist. He allows us to determine the eternal value we might hold. We are vessels that reflect His glory.

(2 Tim 2:20 NIV) In a large house, there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.

(2 Tim 2:21 NIV) If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

Notice that we are to come willingly to the word, and let the master gem cutter cut and shape us for His glory,

(2 Cor 4:16 NIV) Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

(2 Cor 4:17 NIV) For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory, that far outweighs them all.

(2 Cor 4:18 NIV) So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

As we focus on Him who is yet unseen, we discover that He is the pearl of great price, and He is altogether lovely, the fairest of ten thousand, the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star. As we do this, and the wonder and the awe of these truths become alive in us, we discover that something is happening to us as we behold Him, (2 Cor 3:18 NIV) And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

This glorious transformation has been wrought in others before us. Charles Finney, the great revivalist would simply enter a town, and the glory of God upon his life would cause sinners to fall upon their faces groaning and weeping before God, crying out for mercy. Entire towns shut down all business upon his arrival.

Smith Wigglesworth, after prayer, came out of a restroom on a public train. Onlookers beheld his face as it were, like an angel, and an entire train car found themselves weeping, crying out to God for mercy for their sins.

In the ministry of Kathryn Kuhlman, the great healing evangelist and woman of God, it is recorded how she was escorted into a hotel conference room via the kitchen. The hotel staff was immediately overcome with the presence of God, and fell out unconscious under the power of God.

I personally have experienced moments with majesty in meetings with some who still walk the earth today.

In 1994, in Anaheim California, at the World convention for FGBMI, Benny Hinn ministered the anointing of God to us. The crowd threatened to storm the stage, and surged forward. Suddenly, a power emanated from him that swept through the crowd, leaving thousands unable to stand. I shall never forget the picture burned in my spirit of him, standing alone on the platform, as power emanated from him. It was tangible, electric, and terrifying.

Like John the revelator who penned the words Rev 1:17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.

Or in Toronto Canada in Rodney Howard Browns meeting where a holy hush fell upon us. Several ministers were thrown from their seats to lie prostrate in the isle, jerking, groaning. No one could move to help them, the fear of God was in that place.

Or in my youthful exuberance hugging brother Hagin while attending Rhema, and leaving the embrace suddenly aware of my sin, and the depth of depravity in my soul, and going home to weep before God, until I knew the cleansing power of His blood afresh and anew. It was like being born-again all over again.

What is Biblical humility? Not groveling around like a worm in the dirt but rather consider this:

Phillip Brooks made an apt comment when he said, “The true way to be humble is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature that will show you what the real smallness of your greatness is.”
quoted in Burning out for God, E. Skoglund, p. 11.

Mal 3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Isa 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

You are a jewel in the hand of Jesus, allow Him to cut, polish, refine and finish you, for His glory.

Let’s Pray:
Father, I see your call to consecration, and purpose to walk in it. You have seen my pain and heartbreak, yet I have come to you, and you have accepted me. Give me wisdom to do your will in all of my daily affairs, and may I never compromise in the high calling you have set upon my life. Refine me Father, restore my soul, and cleanse my mind from the filth my sin has left there. Purify and make me holy practically, as I know you have done for me positionally in Christ. Amen

Today, God wants to touch you afresh.

Rev 2:13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!
16 So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Spiritually, you may be poor, naked, blind, and self-deceived.

Here’s the wonderful part of this teaching I want to get across to you.

(1 Sam 2:8 NIV) He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; upon them he has set the world.

God wants to touch you today with His presence. To fan the flames of your fire. He would impart to you fresh fire from heaven, passion, zeal, and strength to run the race.

As a child of the king, you have access to the very throne of God. The second you accept Jesus, God seeks to begin training you for reigning, lessons of servanthood, humility, and obedience to both His Word and His Spirit that educate you for eternity. It is so much easier to learn them here, in this life. Why go through this earthly existence as a pauper, with one foot in the kingdom of God, and the other in the world. No, why not sell out for God now, pursue Him with passion in this life?

“Holiness does not consist in mystic speculations, enthusiastic fervours, or uncommanded austerities; it consists in thinking as God things, and willing as God wills.”
John Brown, Nineteenth-century Scottish theologian, quoted in J. Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness, p. 51.

Today I’m going to have an old fashioned alter call,on-line. We are going to turn this place into holy ground. A place where you can meet God. I am anointed today to stir you into the high call upon your life. You need to respond to God today. Perhaps you need a fresh touch from heaven today. There is not time or distance in the Holy Spirit, Receive it: NOW!

When you are able, email me your testimony!