A Voiceless America

People are intrigued and in awe at the seeming success of the political phenomenon called Donald Trump. With some of his outlandish remarks and his brash style and tactics, a lot of people can't believe that he's still leading the polls as the Republican candidate for the Presidency of the United States. Keep in mind that not all of America is Republican, and that there are many Americans that would never vote for Mr. Trump. However, regardless of one's personal stance or opinion about him, he seems to have struck a cord with America that has allowed them to be supportive of him in this presidential race.

I am of the opinion that a lot of the "success" that Mr. Trump has had during this primary campaign is due not so much to his personal style or flair, but because of the sign of the times. One of the things that Mr. Trump has said I totally agree with: people are mad. The American people are mad, and I believe they feel betrayed. Where is the "Change" that President Obama talked about 8 years ago? The President and the Vice-President have acknowledged that while Corporate America is thriving, the wages of the worker are decreasing or stagnant at best. Who's working to change that problem? Our governmental system is inept and incompetent, and the American people are furious, disheartened and discouraged. The "in your face" style politics of Donald Trump is resonating with that segment of the population that represents what I'd like to describe as A Voiceless America.

 The real disappointment for me is the expectation of the American people. This country seems to believe that the Government is going to fix their problems. I hate to say it, but it doesn't matter who's in office, Republican or Democrat; until the Rules of the Game change, the Results will stay the same. But I do have some Good News! There is another Governmental System that people can subscribe to that will meet every one of their needs (Philippians 4). I didn't say political party, I said Governmental System. People tend to forget that Jesus is a King. He's not just the Savior, He is the King of the Universe; and His Governmental System is called the Kingdom of God. That's why His Message was the Good News. If you study the Gospels, you'll notice that Jesus didn't spend a lot of time (if any) talking about His Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection. But yet His Message was the Good News. Why? Because the Jews understood that as the Christ, Jesus the Messiah represented a brand new Order of Government that would establish a whole New Way of Life for the children of Israel (John 6). This is what America is looking for today; someone in governmental authority that can help change their way of life.

Jesus is still Alive today, and His Kingdom as readily available as it was 2,000 years ago. The problem is that the church won't represent that Jesus. We want to represent a "religionized" Jesus, not a Resurrected Christ who has ALL POWER in Heaven and earth in His Hands. If we were representing "that" Jesus, we would reflect and manifest the same Power that He demonstrated while He was here on earth. But as I've said on numerous occasions, A Kingdom Movement is about to be released in the earth. And when it is, people won't be looking to an Obama, people won't be looking to a Donald Trump, people won't looking for the next Martin Luther King, Jr. or John F. Kennedy, or whoever. They'll be looking to Jesus! And people will finally realize that Jesus the Christ, the Resurrected King and Emperor, is the answer for A Voiceless America.

Developing Satanic Resistance

As we continue to press through the beginning of 2016, we need to remain mindful that the Lord is Moving. No matter what is going on in your life personally, please, do not be deceived; God is still on the Throne and His Divine Will is being executed even as we speak. That being said, we need to remember that Kingdom Advancement in the earth is about Warfare. We may be sleeping, but the Devil is not. He understands the Power of God much more than we do. So even he is preparing for the Move of God that is going to hit the earth. Therefore, we must remain prepared and on watch for the Manifestation of our Master. The King Is Coming.

For this reason, it is imperative that we remain alert and make sure that we are Developing Satanic Resistance. Once again, this is War. Christianity and the advancement of the Kingdom of God isn't about feeling good and going to church. It's about taking territory for the Kingdom of God and winning souls for Christ. This irritates the Devil and his demons, and makes us targets for attack. Yet we need not fear, because Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world (1John 4). This is not the time to be lackadaisical. This is not the time to get slothful. This is the time to get on edge! This is the time to let the Holy Ghost get you on fire! Because when the Move of God hits, you won't have time to get warmed up, you'll have to already be on Fire.

The scripture says in first Peter chapter five, "Be sober, be vigilant; because our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour". Are you sober? This means focused and mentally alert. Are you being prudent and discerning in regards to the various decisions that you're making in your life? The opposite of sober is intoxicated, which means the experience of some type of slight if not severe mental impairment. Don't let some situation or circumstance get you "out of your mind". It doesn't always have to be alcohol or something pleasure related. It can be a relationship and your feelings for someone. It can be a job opportunity that you're really "excited" about. It can be an upcoming event that you're looking forward to. Or even something or somebody negative that you've just gotten carried away with and preoccupied. Stay Sober. Stay focused and locked in to the things God is calling you to do.

Vigilant. One of the greatest challenges that the church is experiencing right now is the spirit of being "laid-back". It's not that we don't care, it's not that we're indifferent, but there's no intensity to what we do. Everybody seems to want to just "go with the flow". Everybody wants to be as "stress-free" as possible. I'm definitely not a proponent of unnecessary stress, but some stress is necessary. How much stress do you think Jesus had to endure just to get psychologically prepared to "bear" the Cross? The bible says, in Him just praying about it He was sweating blood (Hebrews 12). That's being Vigilant. We've got to adopt an attitude now that says we're going to win at all cost. Whatever we have to do, that's what we're going to do, in order that the Divine Will of God may be executed and fulfilled in our lives. When the Devil strikes, we already have the strategy from the Holy Ghost to counter-attack. When traps are set, we'll be assertive and aggressive to insure that the Victory will be manifested in our lives. It's Time saints. It's time to get ready to go to Battle for the Kingdom of God. But if we're going to Win, we must make sure that we're Developing Satanic Resistance.

The Contentment of Circumcision

One of the spiritual disciplines that needs to be restored to the consciousness and commitment of the church is Spiritual Circumcision. Circumcision was the sign of the Covenant that God established between Himself and Abraham, and the Covenant Community identified as the Hebrews or the Jews (Genesis 17). If a person (a male) was not circumcised, then he was ex-communicated from the Covenant Community of Jehovah. We are no longer under this Covenant Agreement. We are now under the New Covenant established by faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ for the remission and forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1). However, Romans chapter 2 makes it clear that a Jew (a person identified as being part of the Covenant Community of Jehovah) is not one who is circumcised in the flesh, but one who is circumcised in the heart and in the spirit. This lets us know that Circumcision is still a discipline that is applicable to the New Testament church.

When we talk about embracing the discipline of Circumcision, we must understand that the importance of this discipline lies in the fact that there are things in our hearts, things in our minds, things in our spirits, and things in our lives that need to be cut off. In her Devotional "It's A New Day", the Prophet Kathy Wilson talks about "cutting the cord". There are things in our lives that are not consistent nor congruent with the Divine Direction that God is taking our lives. Therefore, these things have to be cut off and put away. Otherwise, they will hinder us in regards to the fulfillment of God's Divine Destiny for our lives.

The challenge with Circumcision is that, once again, a lot of the things that need to be cut off and circumcised are not overtly sinful. Sinful acts and dead works are things which need to be repented from (Hebrews 6). Even works of the flesh don't need to be circumcised but crucified (Galatians 5). Even though the discipline of Circumcision is applicable to the aforementioned areas, that's not always or necessarily its specific focus. A lot of times its certain people, certain associations, certain feelings, certain affections, certain habits; that God is calling us to circumcise and cut off. It's not easy, because it's Painful. Yes, Circumcision hurts. It is indeed a Painful Process. When the children of Israel were circumcised after crossing over into the Promised Land, the scripture says that they had to stay in the camp till they were healed (Joshua 5). So the discipline of Circumcision is not an easy task.

But I am convinced that there is a Supernatural Contentment that comes along with the Discipline and Exercise of Circumcision. When you refuse to commit to Spiritual Circumcision, you inevitably compromise. You don't mean to, you love the Lord. But a lot of times our faith is not in a place to execute the obedience and submission required to endure the pain and sometimes agony, let alone disappointment and hurt, of Spiritual Circumcision. But when you trust God, when you believe that He has more in store for you than what you're holding onto, there's a Supernatural Contentment that is released on your behalf. I can't say that I understand it, but I sure do believe it. If you look at the witness of Abraham and his sons, it's obvious. You never lose trusting in God. It may hurt for a little while, and you may have to heal from your disappointment and in some cases maybe even disillusionment. But in the end, Our God is Faithful, and He will show you the value of embracing and receiving The Contentment of Circumcision.

The Danger of Self

As I continue to walk with the Lord, I am learning that one of the biggest dangers to the fulfillment of God's Divine Will for our lives is the Danger of Self. So many people are convinced that the biggest threat to our Christian walk is sin. I would beg to differ. Sin is simply the "by-product" of what the true danger really is. If we don't get a handle on our Self, inevitably we'll find ourselves immersed in sinful activity: whether it's sin of omission or sin of commission, sin of thought or sin of deed. We must be mindful and leery of the Danger of Self.

When you look at The Fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, the issue was not sin. Remember, Adam was created in a state of Innocence. He did not have a sinful nature. So he was not "internally compelled" to disobey God. Yes, his wife was "Satanically seduced" to negatively influence him in regards to the Divine Will of God that had been established in the Garden (Genesis 2). But we can never blame our disobedience on another person. We, and we alone, are responsible and accountable for our loyalty and fidelity to God and His Divine Will for our lives. So what happened then in the Garden of Eden that allowed Adam to disobey His Master and Creator? He got consumed and preoccupied with Self.

Lucifer, now Satan, resided in the very Glory of God (Ezekiel 28). Unlike Adam, he wasn't on earth when he rebelled against God, he was in heaven! So how do you sin and lead a revolt against the Almighty when you're in the very Presence of His Glory? If you study Ezekiel 28, once again, Lucifer became enamored and infatuated with himSelf.

As we press into the Kingdom of God, there is a Glory that, by the Grace of God, He is going to bestow upon His elect and upon His chosen. It's a Glory unlike we've never experienced before. This Glory will not only be a spiritual one, it will also manifest itself in the natural realm. When this happens, the only way we will remain impervious to Satanic attack is to keep our eyes and our focus strictly and solely on God. This is the only way saints. This is why Jesus strongly admonishes us in Matthew 16 to deny ourselves and carry our cross. Once again, if you study Matthew 16, you'll notice that shortly after Peter had received Divine Revelation of who Christ was, that moments later he was being used as a Satanic instrument to keep Jesus from fulfilling His Destiny. This is what it's all about saints. Please hear me today. It's not about sin! Jesus has already died for our sins. Whatever issues you're having with sin our tied up to your lack of denial of self and crucifixion of the flesh. And even when you're sanctified and have mortified the deeds of the body (Colossians 3); if that Self has not been properly dealt with, you still give Satan just enough to work with to prevent you from fulfilling all that the Father has called you to be and do.

Saints, let's not fall to this Satanic trap. Let's not be ignorant and indifferent to those dynamics within us that still lend themselves to us going against God's Divine Will and Path for our lives. Let us be sober and vigilant, and make sure that we're developing the proper strategies to fight against The Danger of Self.

The Threat of Internal Division

One of the biggest threats to the maintenance and sustainability of any organization or social unit is Internal Division. Whenever people start fighting amongst themselves, whether it's a government, a corporation, an organization, a church or even a family, the viability of that organization begins to diminish. Jesus said that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand (Mark 3). This is where America lies right now as a nation. Democrats against Republicans, Blacks against Whites, Americans against Muslims; nothing but in-fighting. This is not the Will of God. The God we serve is a God of Unity (Ephesians 4). Not at any cost, mind you (Matthew 10). But we have to make sure, in the various areas of activity and influence that God has providentially placed us, that we're not fostering and facilitating the Threat of Internal Division.

One of the greatest areas of Internal Division is within ourselves. I heard a preacher say once that our biggest enemy is the "Inner-Me". There is a lot of truth to this statement. There is a reason why the Scriptures say that, "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17). We must be mindful of the "civil war" that's taking place within every born-again believer in Christ (Romans 7). That's why the Scripture says that "the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would" (Galatians 5). We must be mindful and cognizant of the threat of internal division that exists within each of our souls, in order that the Kingdom of God may stand within our spirits.

All of us are challenged within our respective environments to deal with people that are contrary to us. There's no way around it, it's a part of life. However, how we choose to deal with that contrariness is up to us. The Bible says to "be not overcome of evil, but to overcome evil with good" (Romans 12). We live in a society now, even in the church, that encourages to "fight fire with fire". "If you come at me, I'm coming back at you". Once again, this is not the Will of God. This is why Jesus taught to "turn the other cheek" (Matthew 5). Not in the name of some weak passivity, but in the name of the reality that social destruction is the result when we proactively fight against each other. As believers in Christ we have to take a stand and quit trying to "defend" ourselves in the name of "being right". Only God is Right. Everyone else are beneficiaries of His Mercy. So why don't we take the attitude of mercy towards others that God has so graciously bestowed upon us?

Saints, we are about to enter a Season where our Witness for Christ will not be tolerated. When people begin to lash out at us and attack us because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we cannot afford to "lash back". We must truly learn to let the Lord fight our battles (2Chronicles 20). If we do, He is Faithful to heal the land and protect our respective communities from the Threat of Internal Division.

Barred from the Promised Land

I have a concern that I'd like to address regarding the people of God. We are getting ready to move into a Season where God is going to release His Miracle Blessings upon the earth. Many of us have been waiting for our breakthrough, waiting for the Manifest Blessings that we know that the Lord has borne witness with our spirit. However, my concern is that even though there are some who are waiting for the Blessing, you may not receive the Blessing for which you have been waiting for. The reason it may "go down" this way is because of what I'd like to describe as being Barred from the Promised Land.

It needs to be established that the Season that we're about to enter has been ordained not simply for the children of God but for the elect. Every born-again believer in Christ is a child of God, a Christian. But not every child is a part of the elect or chosen of God. That is why Jesus said, "many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22). Keep in mind, God is good. There are blessings, I believe, that He's going to dispense to His Own simply because they belong to Him. But there are supernatural manifestations that are about to take place, straight form the Throne Room of Heaven that, quite frankly, only the elect and chosen of God are prepared to receive.

So what's the difference between simply being a child of God and being the chosen of God? Faith and Obedience. When you read the record of the children of Israel, God made it clear that the reason that generation did not make it into the Promised Land was because of unbelief (Hebrews 3). Even Moses, the great leader that God used to bring the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage; even he didn't make it into the Promised Land. Why? Because of unbelief (Numbers 20). We have too many professing Christians that embrace Christ as Savior but won't do what He tells them to do. You can't talk about you have faith in God and then walk in disobedience (James 2). There are some specific things that God has told many of us to do. And we've chosen to leave them undone. Yes we still go to church, we still work in ministry, we still say our prayers and read our bibles, but we're not doing what God has told us to do. This my brothers and sisters, is unbelief. And when God establishes His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven, disobedience that grows out of unbelief will not be tolerated. Yes you'll still be saved, but you won't be able to participate in the Movement of the Kingdom. Make sure saints that your heart is right and that you don't find yourself Barred from the Promised Land.

The Zone of Obedience

As I've stated earlier, the prophetic word that I received for 2016 is that this is going to be a "Warring Year". Saints, it is imperative, if you plan to live in Victory and not defeat, that you prepare your hearts and minds to fight for the things that God has ordained for your life in this upcoming year. I can assure you that it's not going to be handed to you on a silver platter, you're going to have to fight. That being said, it's also important to know who your primary enemy is, the Devil. The Bible says that Satan walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1Peter 5). He's on the prowl and he's looking to destroy you (John 10). But don't be scurred (scared) and don't be distressed. The Word says that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world! (1John 4). But in order to overcome the Evil One and win the War, we have to learn how to operate in the Zone of Obedience.

The Bible says that to obey is better than sacrifice (1Samuel 15). Obedience is the key. You can do all types of things in the name of serving the Lord, but if you want the Blessing that He has reserved and ordained for you, you must learn how to be Obedient to the Voice and the Will of God for your life. There is a Zone of Obedience that the Father want us to get into that is orchestrated and navigated by the Holy Ghost. Therefore, you have to know how to get into that Zone.

The scripture that makes reference to Satan being a roaring lion, also shows the posture and approach that we must take in order to position ourselves to defeat him. The scripture says for us to be Sober and Vigilant (1Peter 5). Being Sober means to be ready-minded and alert. There are too many of us as Christians that are too passive in our thinking in regards to our relationship with God. We just kind of "go with the flow". We don't give enough "thought" to the things we need to do in regards to the execution of God's Divine Will for our lives. When you are "mentally lazy" in regards to the things of God for your life, this gives the Devil the room he needs to come in and trip you up. Then the scripture says be Vigilant. To be Vigilant means to be assertive and intense. It means not only are you mentally alert, but you're proactive and assertive in regards to the things that need to be done to win the war against the Devil. You're not waiting to be on the defensive, you're looking to be on the offensive. You're not waiting to get attacked, you're looking to see how you can penetrate the kingdom of darkness and take even more of the Enemy's territory. That's being vigilant. Making sure he can't get to you, and that you're able to thwart his plans before they're even implemented.

Saints, it's that time. Now is not the time to play with God. Now is not the time to put your spiritual devotion and commitment to Christ on the back-burner. Now is the time to sober up. Now is the time to get vigilant and on fire for Christ. Now is the time to ask, Lord, what would you have me to do? (Acts 9) Now is the time to allow the Spirit to lead you into the Zone of Obedience.