From A Spiritual Perspective.....The Orlando Massacre

So I'm going to weigh in on what happened in Orlando, Florida this past weekend. I will begin by saying that God is still sovereign, he's still on the throne, and there is no fault or failure in HIM. However, there is fault and failure with mankind. Along with the devil, Satan, our enemy, people have a human spirit (mind) by which their actions can be controlled or constrained. Being the fact that it was a gay club that Mateen attacked, many people believe that his acts was promoted and even sent by God. Now I in no wise am a supporter or a participant of the gay community, but I do not believe that my God designed such an act. If God wanted to kill a bunch of homosexuals, he's the same God who sent fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, without any direct usage of another human being. The thing is God wants to save homosexuals and deliver them from that bondage and belief that they are right about such lifestyle. To any homosexual that has not experienced the love and wonderful Grace of God's salvation, he wants to SAVE you, not kill you. The devil will make you think you need a transgender, but the Lord wants to give you a transformation. There may be things that have taken place in your life such as rape, molestation, physical and verbal abuse, abandonment or any such unfairness, but you are still who God made you in the beginning. In this world where everything and everybody is accepted no matter how far away from the truth is, I will be the servant of Christ to take a stand and declare that the Bible is right and somebody's wrong. I understand that there are some hardcore, unyielding homosexuals who do not want to change. They accept and believe the lie of being born gay. They turn a deaf hear to any kind of preaching about holiness and living for the Lord. Well those are not the homosexuals who I'm talking to. But I'm talking to the ones who are sick of themselves being trapped into something that seems impossible to break free from. The blood of Jesus can set you free. That's all I can tell you is that the blood of Jesus can save and wash you and make you a new creature. No, I do not understand a homosexual' s struggle because I've never gone through anything like that. But I can say that nobody's sin is worse than another's. All sin is sin and we all have to depend on the Lord for deliverance from something, whether it's cigarettes, alcohol, fornication(heterosexual sex), adultery (mentally or physically), lying, gossiping, or whatever, we need to seek the Lord for forgiveness and his strength to overcome certain temptations. This blog is not so much about the lives and souls that were lost in Orlando, but it's about the survivors. It's about the homosexuals who are still practicing that lifestyle (openly or undercover). For the life of me, I can't understand why a woman would want another woman or why a man would want another man, but at the same token,I don't need to understand. It's wrong. It is not ordained of God. It is not approved by true believers in Christ because we know there's power to walk out of sin and be free in Christ. People who have had to trust God for deliverance in other areas such as heterosexual fornication/adultery know how powerful the urges are. But it takes fasting and prayer to get delivered and stay delivered. It takes fleeing the very appearance of evil. There is no demon stronger than the power of God but we have to submit ourselves to God and RESIST the devil and he will flee. 5% of our problems is the devil. The other 95% is simply our own flesh, which includes our thinking, desires, and stubbornness. If a homosexual wants to be saved, then they must come through the same channels that the rest of us came through and continuing to come through and that is to deny worldly and ungodly lusts. We cannot serve God and please ourselves at the same time because the flesh wants to rule. And furthermore, to the stout-hearted Christians who believe that God orchestrated the Orlando Massacre, this is what I have to say to you...... Don't let your son or daughter or nobody else you love ever get caught up in that lifestyle, because if they do, and somebody kills them, then we want to hear the same words come from your lips about your own as you said about others, that....... THEY GOT WHAT THEY DESERVED!!!! As a believer in Christ, How can one say such a thing. Even when God wiped out Sodom and Gomorrah, he sent Abraham to intercede for them to turn and repent. In other words, God did not want to kill them but the people were unyielding to Lot and did not want God's salvation. As I mentioned earlier, there are some modern day gays who do not want to change and they will proudly die in their sins. But not every gay person fits that Bill. Some of them want to come out but they don't know how because they have tried the "Church" thing and many of them see a bunch of down low lesbians and gay men in the pulpits and choirs or what have you. To tell the truth, there are some churches that even I won't step back foot in because I know the pastor is a pervert, a womanizer, and a liar. And if me, being full of the Holy Ghost, will not affiliate with certain churches, then I can imagine what sinners feel when they really want to be saved but see so much falsehood. In my closing, we certainly want to remember the families who lost their loved ones and pray that God will comfort their bleeding hearts. We reach out with thoughts of kindness to mend broken hearts and shed light upon you in the midst of so much shade right now. Furthermore, we pray for all families that God will protect, direct, and continue to cover our loved ones in Jesus name we pray.

EXPOSURE OR EXPERIENCE?

When it comes to the things of God, the spirit realm, hearing the voice of God, and proclaiming the message of God either by speaking or writing or reading, I do not take it lightly. Over the past couple of months, I've been reading comments and posts from YouTube and Facebook about the Brian Carn ordeal. First of all, this blog is not derogatory in any form or fashion toward Carn and his supporters neither to the non-supporters. But I would like to say that I have never been a fan/supporter of Brian Carn. I do not follow the mainstream ministers on any level, not just singling him out, but I don't watch, read, or share their material due to the fact that I'm a die hard Apostolic Pentecostal believer and outside of the doctrine that has been delivered to me and the New Testament saints, I don't support any other. That said, people have spent a lot of time on making videos and posts about the psychic vs Carn issue and a lot of good things have been said along with a lot of negative, nasty comments that I don't care to repeat and even had to skip over certain cussing demons that got let loose on the internet. Anyway, this is not a matter of me trying to get to the bottom of whether or not Carn plagiarized the psychic.  Based upon the evidence presented in the video, I believe he did. Being a criminal justice major, I can only state the facts and make my decision on just that. Furthermore, I have also heard and read where a prophet is to be 100% correct in what they declare God said. I agree. However, I also believe that immature prophets will make mistakes, but when they are immature, weak, and unsure then they do not need to be prophesying period, at all, point blank. There is something called arrogance and ego that makes a person continue on speaking/writing something because they feel they are a lot more spiritual and superior than they really are. That's when the waves of error start tumbling. The minor and major prophets got it right EVERY TIME. That is what we have left on record. But what we don't have on record is the training, the polishing, the humbling experiences, the mistakes, and the the trial and error that the prophets encountered BEFORE God used them as the dynamic mouthpiece. Most people cannot handle that but if we use spiritual common sense, then we must know that there were times when the TRUE prophets had to get equipped to hear and know the REAL voice of God. They didn't just wake up fully mature in the Spirit one day and started proclaiming God's word just like we don't today. However, on another note, the real prophets/prophetesses did not play around on Satan's turf either. They were not caught up in sexual immorality, reveling, and worldliness while proclaiming to be a spokesman for the Lord. They might have enjoyed the pleasures of sin BEFOREHAND but not DURING. That's the difference between old time and present day (so called) prophets/prophetesses. Majority of them have some type of money gimmick going on and have thousands upon thousands of supporters and followers who speak well of them. The prophets of old did not have that kind of following, but was rather rejected, persecuted and even killed because they were the direct mouthpiece of God who did not always prophesy good things that the people wanted to hear. God takes the fivefold ministry seriously, and the prophets have a MAJOR responsibility and accountability to hold up the standard of holiness at ALL TIMES!!!! I know somebody think I done lost my mind, but if a man or a woman is going to be used to say what God says, their vessels must be clean, lest any impurities seep through and their words become contaminated and mixed with truth and error, deceiving themselves and the people. The biblical prophets were not popular but isolated most of the time. They stayed in a place of purity mentally and spiritually so that they would not get it wrong when they heard a voice. Real prophets/prophtesses understand that God's voice is not the only one that can be speaking in the spirit realm so they know they don't have time to entertain foolishness or they are subject to making a fool out of themselves. Yes, I believe it takes work and discipline to get to that point. But a real prophet, also called a servant, does not have to be beat with many stripes by the Lord in order to get to that point because their hearts are already humbled and they're just willing to surrender to the call. It's when folks got their own agenda, their own reputation, their own bank account, and their own bellies at the center focus that cause them to not be in sync with truth. I'm so tired of seeing folks calling themselves apostles and prophets and they all have the same layout. There's no real brokenness and weeping over the nations like Jeremiah. But they want people to come hear them speak over here in Michigan, Tennessee, Georgia, and the surrounding areas and then charge the people, maybe not at registration but during some some prayer line and prophesying. Real prophets don't need to send out invitations for the people to come to them because they are supposed to be bringing the people to God. That's how I can tell that they have made ministry about themselves and their name. What makes this thing even more dangerous is that you got false prophets using the Word of God to expose Brian Carn and they are turning the people's hearts away from Carn to them. The weak folks hop from one level of falsehood to the next. They think that because Carn was openly exposed then the next person on their way up the spiritual ladder as a prophet got to be true. In closing, I believe real prophets will go through some experience and training before they are released to walk in the office of a prophet, but when they are not handling the experience right or are down right rebellious (like King Saul), then God will let them go through the exposure.

Giving Up the Grace for the Gold

WHAT IS "OFFENSE" IN THE BODY OF CHRIST?

1 Corinthians 8:4-13 says "4As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

5For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)

6But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

7Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

8But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.

9But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

10For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;

11And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

12But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

13Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

Now when we read 1 Corinthinas 8:4-13, it is clear, plain as day tht Paul is addressing meat offered unto idols. We know that idol worship is sin in both the old and new testaments because we should only be worshipping one God...Jesus Christ. In summary, Paul is so concerned about the spiritual welfare of new saints in Christ that he committed himself to not eat meat at all, if eating meat would cause his weaker brother in Christ to stumble or fall into sin or feel condemned through conscience sake. In other words, Paul would abstain from eating any kind of meat, not just meat offered unto idols, if by him eating meat, it caused weaker saints to fall into the sin of eating meat that was offered to idols. This chapter in a nutshell is very wise and shows genuine love for the brethren and their souls. However, many things that is called "offense" in the body of Christ today can be traced back to wrong interpretations of scriptures and scriptures taken out of context to mean what the reader wants it to say to validate their own opinion and views. Just to provide some history, years ago almost everything and I mean almost EVERYTHING was pretty much considered a sin. There was a time when saints would not dare step into a movie theater or go to a football game but NOW saints are signing their children up to play sports and other such like things. I'm reminded of a pastor who shared his story of how his grandfather, which was also his pastor, forbade all his grandsons from shooting marbles because of the scripture John 3:7 "MARVEL not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again". Clearly this scripture was taken out of context because of a lack of understanding of what the scripture meant. The definition of Marvel means to be filled with astonishment or wonder. The word marble is a small ball of colored glass or similar material used as a toy. Jesus told Nicodemus not to Marvel or not to be amazed and wonder but to know that he must be born again. He did not tell Nicodemus not to Marble or not to play with marbles because shooting marbles was a sin. That is only one occasion where scripture got misread, minterpreted, and misunderstood and thereby, heavy restrictions and rules were placed on people as a result. Now back to the sports and movies things that used to be sinful or worldly back in the day. The question is why are saints not only going to these types of things and even encouraging and paying for their children to participate in them? Because many people have discovered that a lot of things they were taught back then by older spiritual leaders were not necessarily wrong or sinful in and of itself and they have found ways to enjoy life and have fun and allow their kids to do so without such heavy burdens and still maintain their walk with Christ. This is not to say that everything playing at the movie theater is God-approved, but there are some good shows that play that even Christians can take to heart, such as the movie War Room. We did not go to the theater to see the movie but we rented it from RedBox and it was a tearjerker. One of the older saints in our church testified that her children offered to take her to see the movie War Room but they had never offered to take her to see anything else at the movies. The reason they chose War Room for their mother is because it was a show for Christian audiences and even those who don't know the Lord but just need to learn how to pray. Suppose she would have turned them down for holding on to a teaching that she would have backslidden by going to see that movie? No, she went with her adult kids and enjoyed it and came to church and testified about it and that is what made me and my husband go and rent the movie and I must say it was worth watching!! I'm getting closer to the Offense thing in the body of Christ. The scriptures lay out what is truly sin but Paul went a step further to say that we should not cause another person to stumble or fall in sin with the way we use our liberty. So with the movie theater example, if someone else who heard the older mother saying that she went to the movies and they decide to go see an R-rated movie with Martin Lawrence and Kevin Hart, for example, based on the fact that they heard the older mother say she went to the movies, then they have clearly over stepped their conscience of what they know is right and wrong and if the older mother is aware that they did this because of her testimony of going to the movies liberally, then she would be guilty of causing a weaker saint to offend. Now where the guilt would not be laid upon her is if the weaker saint knew that she did not go to see an R-rated movie but went to see a PG and was in an atmosphere where lust, profanity, and other sins were not in action. However, she explained in her testimony that she did not make a regular habit of going to theaters but went that one time to see War Room. What I'm saying here is we can magnify things to be something that they are not and accuse people of being in sin and causing others to stumble when that is totally not the case. Some people get offended over things that they were "taught" was sinful (such as going to sports and shooting marbles) and they believe that others are in sin when they see them doing these things. As a result, many Christians made commitments and even vows not to do this, not to do that, not to wear this, and not to wear that for the simple fact that it might offend a brother or sister in Christ. And if you make a vow then you are bound to keep it. So that is why many of them still do not change from their original stance because they promised to remain a certain way in the beginning of their walk with Christ even after discovering that they had been taught wrong. The type of offend that many people use today has little if any thing to do with the type of offense that Paul talked about in 1 Cor. 8. Many people get offended, which jealous is the more appropriate word, because some Christians have more liberty to do certain things than they do because for #1 they did not make a vow from the get-go and #2 their spiritual leaders have more wisdom and better interpretation of the scriptures and permit his congregation to do/wear certain things with balance and moderation. God does not expect us to hold others accountable for our own personal convictions. Neither does he want us to do something or not to do something just to please another Christian knowing that it is really not in our hearts to do so because that would be hypocritical. Where Paul said he would not eat meat as long as the world stands, takes the offense to a whole different level where a brother or sister's soul salvation would be at stake if they went back to eating meat offered to idols and eventually ended up in idol worship simply because they were watching Paul as he ate meat. Again, I say, some things are not that serious with people of today but they are just filled with jealousy and try to redirect it as "offense". In this modern age where social media is very popular even among Christians, I've learned that other Christians become so easily offended over little of nothing in other Christians. People get offended over saints posting pictures, videos, or statuses of their new hairstyles, new cars, new promotions in the ministry, new jobs, new homes, or anything that shows the blessings and favor of God on their lives. Now with 1 Cor. 8 extremely taken out of context, then our modern day Christians would have to not get a new hairstyle, not get a new car, not except a promotion in ministry, turn down job offers, and not buy a new home so that they will not become a stumbling block and  cause a weaker saint to offend. I hope I sound really absurd because that's exactly what it is. Uniformity is not necessarily unity and keeping everybody on the same level, being the same way, with the same tastes, and never changing, progressing, and becoming better is not what Paul meant when he said I will not eat meat as long as the world stands. Many pastors have failed gravely at trying to keep their congregants all on the same plateau without realizing that people outgrow certain things and people and must move on to perfection. And if somebody cannot take that for what it is worth without going back into a world of sin and shame, then they already had more problems that what just a little offense could bring out. It is this kind of "offense" belief that keep some saints from trying to excel in life because they are afraid that either they will sin and become proud or cause someone else to sin. So they settle for mediocrity and being at the bottom of the barrel. But I'm of this persuasion, that if God blesses one Christian, then they should have enough love to be a blessing to other Christians and help lift them up out of negative thinking and being offended by everything that they either don't understand or don't agree with. Yes, people of the Church have changed. All of the change has not been good but all of it has not been bad either. Most of the good changes have occurred from saints studying the word for themselves, sitting under wise instructors, maintaining a consistent prayer life, and letting the Holy Spirit lead and guide them into all truth. On the flip side, some of the negative changes have occurred because people had been locked up in cages for so long without the privileges to do certain things that once they got a little leeway to get out from under such hard taskmasters, that they took off like a jet in the totally opposite direction of holiness. God is not calling us to go to those extremes either because that will really be offensive to both Christians and non-Christians who once looked up to a brother or sister in Christ. So yes, we do have a standard to hold up for the world to see and whether at a ball game or in a PG-rated movie (I don't recommend any other ratings), then we will shine forth as lights and tell a dying world that Jesus Saves to the utmost!!

MODESTY EQUALS BALANCE

There are some groups of people who believe they have the only revelation to what is modest and what is not and everyone who does  not adhere to their set rules of outer wear are lost, backslidden, and doomed for eternal punishment. I will not say what or who those groups of people are but many of us already know. So, in a word, in order for us to understand modesty, we must go to the scriptures to see what God has to say to us about the way we should look. First of all, modesty is extremely important to God, although many people might not think that it is. However, much of God's word does not blatantly come right out and say "you cannot wear this or that", but it's left up to the individual to let the Holy Ghost lead and guide him or her on how to present themselves in worship services and the general public. My mind is racing now and I'm trying to get this in as it is after midnight but I have been doing some in-depth study about Christian apparel for several months and I have pretty much discovered the same things on both extremes. Group #1-Those who believe it is an abomination for a woman to wear "female" pants, make up, and jewelry and Group #2 those who believe that women can wear "female" pants, make up, and jewelry in moderation as long as she is not doing so to a degree to incite lust in male counterparts or draw attention to herself. As for group #1, I personally walked in those shoes because of being under a pastor who forced it on the women in the congregation, and because I was taught it was right, biblical, and unchanging, I abided by the rules but deep in my heart, I did not believe neither was I convicted by the Holy Ghost that wearing these things were sinful. However, it was always taught that whatever your pastor teaches, you have to abide by it whether you like it or agree with it or not. I did that up until I changed churches and my new pastor taught with a bit more understanding, love, and gave the Holy Spirit in my life a chance to work to show me what was offensive and what was not. After changing my wardrobe from strictly skirts and dresses down to my ankles and buying some nice earrings and some light colored make up, I felt pretty doggone good about myself. I mean I felt girlish, stylish, and up-to-date. And unless you have seen people dressed like they have no clue of what century we are in, then you know what I mean when I say "up-to-date". But anyway, my female pants were not tight but loose with a long button-up shirt to cover the main parts that it has always been taught that pants reveal (the booty and the split between the legs). My point is there is a way that a Christian woman to wear pants that is a garment made for her and not the kind made for a man (Deut. 22:5) and still be modest, unrevealing, and not looking worldly. Maybe my brain is wired differently but why am I the only one who can see this and other people in my faith and also the hundreds of Youtubers who make videos and other website bloggers, who bash Christian women for wearing "her" pants. The only thing I keep hearing and reading is that pants on women are not feminine and that God hates it? But I heard through the grapevine, that some of the people from Group #1 wear female pants underneath their dresses during cold, cold weather. Hmmm!!! Isn't the same God who sees the pants on a woman worn as her garment outwardly, watching when a woman wears them privately? See, the thing about a bunch of additional rules that are not laid out in scripture but made by man's doctrine and tradition, puts people in a category of being a hypocrite. My blog is not for Christian women who do not wear pants to start wearing them, neither is it for Christian women who wear pants to stop wearing them but I'm only trying to make a point that they can be worn with a long shirt or trench coat or something that covers the private area that most men like to see whether a woman has on pants, a dress, or a skirt. Men advertently look at women's bodies and are generally attracted to curves and in a lot of cases, where a female is built right, it does not matter how big she buys her clothes, her figure and form is somewhat noticeable. On that note, men also get attracted to other things about women besides her shape. Just let me point out that men appreciates modesty in a woman because he feels he can trust her (especially if he is seeking a godly wife) and it also gives him confidence that if a relationship was to surface, she would give him his legal and lawful right to be the head. There are some women who want to dominate and be in control of everything and everybody and that attitude shows up in the way she dresses. I personally believe that a woman should look and act like a woman. There should be not any lesbian/bisexual projections in apparel, hairstyle, tone of voice, mannerisms, and none of that kind of stuff in a true godly, holiness woman. At the same token, a real godly woman desires to be feminine and stay in her female role because she knows it brings honor to her husband (jf she is married) and to her Lord. Single women and those in unhappy marriages do struggle with modesty and it might not be just a thing of trying to attract a man but women want to feel cherished, loved, respected, and nurtured. So where there is a single woman who is seeking the Lord for a husband, have been praying for years (sometimes decades), and is burned out on being the bridesmaid instead of the bride, if she does not have a good support system, then her struggle of loneliness, depression, and growing weary of patiently waiting has the possibility to show up in her "need a man" attire. On the flip side, women in unhappy marriages, particularly Christian women married to unsaved men have a struggle that women married to saved men know nothing about unless they won the victory in winning their unsaved spouse at one time over to the Lord. But in many cases unequally yoked marriages tend to stay that way until there is a death or divorce. Even though there have been a lot of successful women who stayed there and waited until their husband came in to the Lord. But for the most part, a saved woman married to an unsaved man has many battles to fight and those battles will often show up in her appearance. For number one women with unsaved husbands look like single women to ungodly and even godly men. And these men WILL try to hit on her even when she is dressed modestly because to them she appears to be single. I don't know how that works but even when a woman married to an unsaved man wears her wedding band, she still looks vulnerable and special to unmarried men (especially if the husband never goes to church with his wife). There is something about a saved man being his wife's covering and when he is unsaved, she is pretty much uncovered and therefore, the men who are wild on the hunt might mistake her for being single because she does not have the glory of covering from her husband like a saved woman with a saved man does. Unsaved husbands are generally very cruel and disrespectful to their saved wives and if she stays there for many years and tolerate that kind of behavior and verbal abuse, then there will eventually be a breakdown in standards because there has been a breakdown in self esteem and confidence in what she has been believing God for. Women who have suffered at the hands and mouths of unsaved husbands might rebel against the teaching from Group #1 by applying makeup to hide bruises or put on jewelry to make herself feel nice, sweet, and loved since she has been called everything but a child of God by her spouse. Women with unsaved husbands try their best not to wear their situation outside their house but try to look decent even when they don't feel it. But that is something that people from Group #1 don't understand because they think that beauty is only from within. On another note, Christian women who have husbands that were once saved but backslid might go through challenges in maintaining modesty. Just like the other Christian women who has a husband that has never been saved, the wife whose husband backslides makes her in a marriage that is unequally yoked and her appearance might change from how it used to be when she was married to a godly man. The main point is bringing out a lot things that a lot of Youtubers and different bloggers leave out on their videos and websites. They mainly teach and preach modesty, discretion, and respect and I agree with all that but if we see a Christian not doing that then we got to find out what is the underlying causes for the change if they have gone from highly respectable to totally destestable. But on a real note, many of us changed how we dressed because we just absolutely did not believe in all the legalistic doctrines. I will say that there is a balance between being plain and ghost-looking and looking like a harlot. That is why the topic is Modesty equals Balance, meaning God permits us to wear nice, clean clothes that keep us in our own gender roles (not cross-dressing) and he allows us to wear cosmetics and jewelry to enhance our appearance. He does not want us to go overboard and the ones from Group #1 will quote 1 Timothy 2:9 .......braided hair, gold, pearls, costly array......and 1 Peter 3:3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but if Paul meant for us to take that literally to not braid our hair at all, or wear gold at all, or wear pearls at all, or wear costly array at all, then Peter backed his stance by saying not to plat the hair at all, not to wear gold at all, and.....get a load of this....NOT TO WEAR APPAREL AT ALL!!!! Now how many hairs do we need to split here. These holy and highly reverenced apostles are not prohibiting the wearing of jewelry or clothes but they are saying that godly women should not get so wrapped up in how we look outwardly that we don't focus on the hidden person of the heart which is where our true value comes from. A true godly woman knows how to dress herself. Jewelry and makeup is referenced as pride by Group #1 but at the same token, their teaching is that Christians should be different and separated from the world but behind all that man-made legalism, they STAND OUT and by standing out it makes them proud because they know they look different from the average person who applies a little make up on pimples or who wears small, stud earrings. Their rules are on the other end of the extremes of complete worldliness and they obligate themselves and hold themselves to certain stipulations that even the word of God does not and that is very prideful in my view. We should let all things be done decently and in order and not to offend our brothers and sisters in Christ. Remember, God does care about how we look and he wants that look to be nice, clean, and as a representation of him, not sloppy, unkempt or uncaring, and not dressing in such a way where we STAND OUT and draw attention to ourselves. And by saying standing out, that can be on either extreme of deliberately wanting people to see you or your group and not the Christ in you.

My Hair Journey

Well I checked my calendar and found out that May 31, 2015 was actually my last relaxer. I thought I had one sooner than that. Oh well, I'm only two months into transitioning but my hair is has lots of new growth. I have always got new growth really fast. I have a YouTube channel but haven't uploaded any transitional videos yet. I'm waiting until it gets a little more course. I do Bantu knots every night and where my hair curly everyday. I tried micro braids for about two weeks then took them out. I wore micro braids so much over the past seven years until I'm just burned out from doing them and wearing them. The Bantu knots are growing on me and it doesn't take that long to do them. They don't hurt my head to sleep in either. I wish I would have discovered this natural thing years ago. I think of all the money I spent on Optimum relaxers, shampoos and conditioners, and other Optimum hair care products only for my permed hair to grow a certain length then break off . I went natural for a while in 2012-2014 but went back to relaxer after getting embarrassed at having nappy hair. That's because I didn't know about all these protective styles then like I do now. Knowledge really is power!! I have heard many testimonials from black women who have gone natural and not everybody is doing it for the same reason. Well my reason has spiritual purposes behind it and I will tell you what it is. I'm not sure how close the United States and the world in general is to experiencing the depression of the global economy but during that time, there won't be any money, time, or resources for getting relaxers. Our world of fashion and fads will shift tremendously. Furthermore, people in the United States who are so quick to judge other people for what they have on will find themselves with limited access to clothing. And women who pride themselves over wearing strictly dresses and skirts will find themselves putting on a pair of female pants just to stay warm in the dead of winter when there are no central heaters. Before Jesus Christ comes back, he is going to strip his Bride (the Church)  of everything that makes her proud and self-sufficient. Many of our co-dependencies will be greatly reduced. What I mean by that is for example, people who feel they can't praise the Lord unless they are in a nice big organized facility with thousands or hundreds of other believers will find themselves worshipping with the true saints in small congregations, in houses, in caves, and even underground. The depression and oppression and persecution from God haters and anti-Christians will force people who really want to stay with the Lord to give up many luxuries. For black Christian women, going natural is the best thing we could ever do for ourselves both physically and spiritually.

IS IT ABOUT YOU OR ABOUT JESUS?

It's a true saying that you catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar. When it comes to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are supposed to be talking about Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross and the Holy Spirit that he sent back on the day of Pentecost. Nothing cringes my heart more than to see and hear people pointing out their goodness, holiness(mainly referring to how they dress or don't dress). And how they are so right in the eyes of God. True, saints should look, act, talk, think, dress, and be different from the world, but when you hear more about what a person does or does not do or wear that makes them holy, then I'm afraid they have already missed the mark because they have taken the glory off of Jesus and his righteousness and put it on themselves. There's so much work for the saints (THE REAL SAINTS) to do that we don't have time for self righteousness, hypocrisy, and slothfulness. One deceptive category that many people fall into is that if they present themselves in the manner of other people and other saints and meet all the requirements of the rules and regulations then they are heaven bound and pleasing in God's sight too. Not so!!!! GOD knows what lies in the deep crevices of our hearts that we can hide and cover up from other people. A truly humble child of God would stay at the feet of Jesus almost refusing to look up because he/she knows that they are not worthy of his love, Grace, and forgiveness. But a proud person will boldly look you in the face and proclaim that they know they are holy and going to heaven, not so much because of what Jesus done, but because of what THEY do or don't do . How sad. It's the blood of Jesus that makes us righteous and because we believe and receive his purpose for dying on the cross, we will seek after him and his righteousness, get filled up with his Holy Ghost power to walk as lights shining in dark places of this world. God resists the proud, but gives Grace to the humble!!!