John Todd was a former high-level Druid witch, who was saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. Todd assisted the late Seventh-Day Adventist publisher Jack Chick in the production of several comic book tracts such as The Broken Cross. Many Christians have expressed doubt regarding Mr. Todd’s conversion, and don’t think it appropriate to reference his testimony. But, in that the witchcraft worldview is being promoted by Hollywood and in the media, and is being taught to our children in school, it is incumbent upon the body of Christ to understand what witches believe.

DISCLAIMER: I do not agree with all of Todd’s doctrinal views (for example his belief in a Rapture, or that the Mark of the Beast will not be an actual physical mark), but his testimony confirms many things I have observed, but never heard spoken of by established Protestant sources. Most importantly, Todd emphasizes the fact that Christian children are targeted by the Occult, and many have succumbed. This is especially true for many of us in the ministry.

Grace and peace, Saints

This is part of my testimony and will give you an idea of the circumstances that characterize my ministry, and why I do what I do. Please listen with an open mind.

The Still Man

Mary Surrat’s boarding house as it appeared in 1890.

541 H Street was the boarding house of Mary Surrat, one of the chief conspirators in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. It was also the place where John Wilkes Booth, the man who shot Lincoln; and John Surrat, Ms. Surrat’s son, frequently met with the other conspirators in the assassination plot. Mary Surrat was later tried, convicted, and hung for her role in Lincoln’s assassination. Nearly all of the conspirators, including Mary Surrat, were fervent Roman Catholics. (Rome’s Responsibility for the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, p. 53.)

Grace and peace, Saints.

Today marks the 152nd anniversary of the assassination of America’s greatest president, Abraham Lincoln. I had planned to write an article and do a podcast commemorating this event, as I have done the past couple of years, but, regretfully, events conspired to prevent me from doing so.  For your edification, education, and encouragement, however, I pray that you will listen to the podcast I did commemorating this occasion of our great martyred President back in 2015. God bless you.

The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

Today is the anniversary of the murder of one of America’s greatest statesmen, presidents, abolitionists, fathers, husbands, and Christians, President Abraham Lincoln.  I owe a great debt of thanks to Mr. Lincoln, and, in my small way, I want to honor the man without whom I literally would not be where I am today, doing what I am today.  For, were it not for “Honest Abe” Lincoln, I would not be sitting in my chair, in my “study,” in my apartment (which is not even mine), writing this on my computer (which is mine), looking at my monitor (also mine) as I write this.  I would not own anything, not even the clothes on my back.  In fact, I would be owned by someone else and I would be considered little more than someone else’s property. My name would be of little consequence.  I would have no address of my own.  I would never know what it is to receive mail, and I wouldn’t know what it is to get paid for the work I did.  I wouldn’t be allowed to raise my own children, to go where I wanted, or to wear what I wanted.  I wouldn’t know how to read, wouldn’t know how to write, wouldn’t know how to format this essay.  The fact is that I would know little else other than what I needed to know in order to pick cotton, which ain’t much. In other words, I would be a slave.

President Abraham Lincoln lost his life because he believed that “all men are created equal” and are endowed with certain unalienable rights, among them being life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness. President Lincoln did something that few people do anymore: he walked the talk.  He lived what he believed knowing full well that it would cost him his life.  According to former Roman Catholic priest, Charles Chiniquy, whom Lincoln once defended when he was a young lawyer, when Chiniquy informed him that the Jesuits of Rome were conspiring to assassinate him, Lincoln said:

“You are not the first to warn me against the dangers of assassination. My ambassadors in Italy, France, and England, as well as Professor [Samuel] Morse, have many times warned me against the plots of the murderers which they have detected in those different countries. But I see no other safeguard against those murderers but to be always ready to die, as Christ advises it. As we must all dies sooner or later, it makes very little difference to me whether I die from a dagger plunged through the heart or from an inflammation of the lungs…”

“My dear Father Chiniquy…Has not He (God) taken me from my poor log cabin by the hand, as He did of Moses in the reeds of the Nile, to put me at the head of the greatest and the most blessed of modern nations, just as He put that prophet (Moses) at the head of the most blessed nation of ancient times? Has not God granted me a privilege which was not granted to any living man, when I broke the fetters of 4,000,000 of men (the slaves) and made them free? Has not our God given me the most glorious victories over our enemies?

“Now, I see the end of this terrible conflict, with the same joy of Moses, when at the end of his trying forty years in the wilderness; and I pray my God to grant me to see the days of peace, and untold prosperity, which will follow this cruel war, as Moses asked God to see the other side of the Jordan and enter into the Promised Land. But do you know that I hear in my soul, as the voice of God, giving me the rebuke which was given to Moses? (Though shalt not go over!)

“Yes! every time that my soul goes to God to ask the favour of seeing the other side of Jordan, and eating the fruits of that peace, after which I am longing with such an unspeakable desire, do you know that there is a still, but solemn voice, which tells me that I will see those things, only from a long distance, and that I will be among the dead, when the nation which God granted me to lead through those awful trials, will cross the Jordan, and dwell in that Land of Promise.” (Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, p. 50).

So much for the Jesuit lie that Lincoln was not a Christian, and so much for the Jesuit lie that Lincoln did not want to free the slaves.

Saints, I am not feeling to well today, and, for that reason I did not write the article and do the podcast I wanted to do to commemorate this great man. But I have provided a link to the podcast I did in 2014 on the anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination.  I pray you will listen to it.  Even if you don’t, please think on Honest Abe today and tomorrow, especially if you’re Black.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

TSM

Grace and peace, Saints.

Last week my son and I were waiting for the subway, when an advertisement for chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies appeared on the television monitor on the wall of the subway station. As we watched the advertisement, it dawned on me that I had never explained to my son the difference between Easter and Resurrection Day and why Easter eggs and bunnies have nothing at all to do with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

The modern-day Christian Church is extremely ignorant about the pagan origins of many of our holidays, traditions, and customs. Consequently, many Christians believe that Easter is the same as Resurrection Day. Not a few churches, for example, will host Easter egg hunts on the church grounds (weather permitting), and children will receive Easter baskets full of chocolate bunnies, eggs, and candy.  Many Christians believe that because Easter is mentioned in the Bible, it must be Christian. But this is not true. Easter is not the day our Lord Jesus rose from the dead, but is instead a pagan celebration in honor of the ancient Phoenician fertility goddess Ashtoreth, also called Ishtar and Easter.

In reality, Easter has nothing to do with Jesus Christ. In fact, Easter is mentioned only once in the Bible, in Chapter 12 of the book of the Acts, and it is not in connection with Jesus or the Christian Church:

“Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. 

“And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

 “And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

 “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people” (Acts 12:1-4).

To understand the Bible’s mention of Easter, it is important to first understand that it Easter is connected with King Herod and not the Christian church.  It is also important to understand that Herod was not a Christian. He even mocked Jesus when Pontius Pilate sent Jesus to him. Herod wasn’t even a believing Jew. He was a pagan: Jewish by birth, but Roman at heart. The Herods were always loyal to Rome. The Romans worshipped the goddess Diana (and many other gods and goddesses), and there is every reason to believe that Herod did also. Herod wanted to wait until Easter passed to kill Peter, because he worshipped the goddess Ishtar or Easter.

Easter has also been confused with the Passover, because the Roman Catholic church used to base the date of the Easter celebration on the Jewish Passover.  Christians make the mistake of believing that because the Bible says Herod had Peter arrested during the days of unleavened bread, which are the six days that precede the Passover, then Easter must be the same as the Passover. As a matter of fact, one of my Bibles, the 1990 Regency Bible from Thomas Nelson Publishers, in the “read along translation,” says that Easter is the Passover. Additionally, the New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (also from Thomas Nelson) says that Easter is the Passover.

How can this be? The Passover is celebrated on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. Jesus rose on Sunday, the first day of the week. They are not the same. Nowhere in the Bible is the word Easter substituted for Passover.  That is because Easter is a pagan fertility festival.  

Secular sources agree. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines Easter as “the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” yet it goes on to say that the word Easter is “derived from Eastre, the name of a goddess associated with spring.” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (Unabridged), says the word Easter comes from the “West Germanic name of a pagan spring festival.” Collier’s Encyclopedia says that the word Easter comes from Eostra a “goddess of dawn or spring” (p. 492). And the New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language, International Edition (1970), defines Easter as “a goddess of light or spring, in honor of whom a festival was celebrated in April.”

For its part, the New Strong’s Concordance says that the word Easter is Chaldean, not Hebrew. Chaldean means Babylonian, and the Babylonians worshipped the goddess Beltis. Many historians agree that the paganism of Rome was handed down directly from Babylon. Easter is a pagan Roman holiday named for the goddess of sex. This goddess goes by many names; Easter is just one of them.

The Bible gives absolutely no evidence that the early Church celebrated the resurrection of Jesus with a holiday. In fact, according to the Bible, the only way the first century Church celebrated Jesus’ resurrection was by eating the Lord’s Supper.

At the Last Supper, the night before our Lord Jesus was to be crucified, He told His disciples that the bread symbolized His body, which was broken (crucified) for us, while the wine symbolized His blood, which was shed for us (Mark 13:22-24, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25). By eating the Lord’s Supper, then, we celebrate Jesus’ death. Jesus rose on Sunday, the first day of the week (Mark 16:9). When we eat the Lord’s Supper on Sunday, therefore, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. The Sunday observance of the Lord’s Supper is therefore, the celebration of Jesus’ death AND resurrection. The early Church ate the Lord’s Supper every Sunday (Acts 2:42), and, therefore, celebrated Jesus’ death and resurrection every Sunday. Incredibly, the Encyclopedia Britannica, a secular publication, says that Sunday “came to be regarded as the weekly celebration of the Resurrection” (Vol. 4, Macropedia, p. 333 “EASTER”).

How, then, did the Christian Church come to identify the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with a pagan fertility festival? Well, the Roman Catholic church had everything to do with that. It was the Roman Catholic Council of Nicaea in 325 that established the Easter celebration as a church holiday. And what is even more revealing of the true nature of the Easter celebration is that the Nicene Council did not base the date for the Easter celebration on the day Jesus rose or even three days after He was crucified, but set it to fall “always the first Sunday after the full moon on or next after the vernal equinox, March 21” (Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, p. 716).  The current date of the Easter celebration is based on the moon!

This is especially significant when one considers that the Roman Catholic church was not established by Jesus Christ, but by the Roman Emperor Constantine. History records that Emperor Constantine worshipped the Sun God “Sol Invictus,” and the Romans in general worshipped Diana, the goddess of the moon. That the Roman Catholic church did not base the date of the Easter celebration on Jesus’ resurrection is the greatest evidence that Easter is not the day Jesus rose from the dead.

But there is more.  Not only was Diana the Roman goddess of the moon, but she was also the goddess of fertility and sexual love (Oxford Dictionary of English). This is where Easter eggs, the Easter rabbit, and chocolate enter the picture. They all have a pagan sexual connotation. The Encyclopedia Britannica, says this:

“Easter eggs…have been very prominent as a symbol of new life and resurrection. The hare, the symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, a symbol that was kept later in Europe, is not found in North America. Its place is taken by the Easter rabbit, the symbol of fertility and periodicity both human and lunar, accredited with laying eggs in nests prepared for it at Easter or with hiding them away for children to find” (Encyclopedia Britannica, Fifteenth Edition, Vol. 4 Macropedia, p. 333).

Chocolate has long been considered an aphrodisiac (a substance that heightens sexual urges). The word aphrodisiac is actually derived from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of fertility and sexual love. As one can plainly see, Easter is not about Jesus. Easter is about sex.

There is something else to consider. Because the Apostle Luke, the writer of the Book of the Acts, uses the word Easter so matter-of-factly and with no explanation whatsoever, it stands to reason that he, and perhaps all Christians at the time, were familiar with this pagan holiday. This is especially true, when one considers that many of the early church were former pagans.

In conclusion, one difference between Christians and the world should be that Christians don’t do anything without knowing why they do it. The basis for everything we do as a Church should be the Bible. If it’s not in the Bible, we shouldn’t be doing it. Easter, while on the surface, a day to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, is really a pagan fertility festival, and has nothing to do with Jesus. According to the Bible, the Church ought to be celebrating the Lord’s resurrection by eating the Lord’s Supper, and we should be doing that every single Sunday.

Now, I’m not saying that Christians shouldn’t celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday.  All I’m saying is that the first century Church and Christians for long after celebrated Jesus’ resurrection every Sunday with the Lord’s Supper. The 21st century Church should do the same. My Bible says that Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Shouldn’t that be true of His Church also?

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

–TSM

Grace and peace.

This Christmas, I read from the Book of Luke, Chapters 1 and 2, which tell of the events surrounding the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I did something like this also this past Resurrection Day, and because I enjoyed it, and, because many of you did also, I am doing it again, as a way of sharing my love for Jesus with you.

I hope you enjoy it and that it blesses you.

Be encouraged today, and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

Well, another Christmas is upon us, and, again, millions of people will be spending money they don’t have to buy presents they can’t afford for people who neither appreciate nor need them. The line between the haves and the have nots will become broader and bolder, and people everywhere will remember why they always hated Christmas. Arguably, no other time reminds people just how poor they really are like Christmastime.

I can remember when I first came back to Germany, after getting out of the military, back in December, 1998, about a month before Christmas and about a week before the birth of my middle daughter. My then girlfriend, who is now my wife, and I had gone to the shopping mall to “window shop.” The mall was teaming with cheery people and screaming children, and the smell of cookies, cakes, and pies, and other baked goods filled the air. I was more grateful about being reunited with my girlfriend than I was about the approaching Christmas season, because she and I had been separated for about six months prior to this. As we walked hand in hand, perusing all the beautifully decorated confectionaries and bakeries with all their cakes, chocolates, pies, and cookies on display for all to see, it suddenly dawned on me that as beautiful as all of this was, none of it was free. Everything these stores had to offer cost money. And if you didn’t have the money to buy any of these things, then you were out of luck.

That was my situation: my wife and I were flat broke. And the better the food smelled, the more beautiful and sparklier the decorations were, and the happier the people looked, the broker I felt. And the fact that my wife was with me did not help matters at all. In fact, it made things worse.

My wife used to be a very cheap date. She just didn’t ask for much. But one thing she has always loved is roasted walnuts. And the time my wife most loves roasted walnuts is during the Christmas season. Now, roasted walnuts are always available somewhere in Munich year-round, but during the Christmas season, roasted walnuts are prolific. Everywhere you turn, there is someone selling roasted walnuts. Everywhere you walk, there are bags of roasted walnuts somewhere on display. And every five minutes, you are bumping into someone eating roasted walnuts. At Christmastime, roasted walnuts are literally everywhere.

So you can probably appreciate my chagrin as we passed store after store, confectionary after confectionary, and nut stand after nut stand, while the smell of roasted walnuts wafted through the air. But the only thing I have in my pockets is lint. Again, my wife used to be a cheap date, and she would understand if I didn’t have the money to get her what she wanted. She well understood, however, that she was a cheap date. And she knew that as a woman, she deserved a lot more than I could offer her. So, when my wife wanted roasted walnuts, she got roasted walnuts.

That day, however, there was absolutely nothing I could do. I was flat broke. So broke, in fact, that I couldn’t even pay attention. So broke, that if it weren’t for the lint in my pockets, they would have been completely empty. So broke, that if I had passed one of those Santa Clauses on the street corner ringing his bell asking for donations, he might have had a problem. Yes, I was that broke. And that wan “That’s OK baby” smile on my wife’s face didn’t help matters at all.

All this came back to me a couple of weeks ago, when I went to the mall and saw all the beautiful decorations, nativity scenes, and all the candy and baked good vendors situated in the center of the mall thoroughfare. And again this week, as I watched a news story on “Christmas stress,” and the fact that most people are highly relieved when Christmas is over, with its hustle and bustle of shopping for presents, decorating the house, and sweating over a hot stove cooking dinner for dozens of family and friends, not to mention the traffic jams and crowded airports that characterize the Christmas travel season.

As I considered this, I realized that Satan was at the bottom of it. Who else, but Satan, that old serpent and the father of lies, would take Christmas–the greatest day in the history of the world–and twist it, pervert it, and profane it, by turning it into a day that poor people dread, “middle-class” people regret, and rich people profane. Satan hates Christmas, not because the name of Jesus is glorified that day, because you and I know that that is certainly not the case. Satan hates Christmas because Jesus was born that day. And Satan knows that if Jesus had not been born, then Jesus could not have died. And it was Jesus’ death and the shedding of His blood that set you and me free from the curse of sin. The Bible says:

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, [Jesus] also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil; 

“And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15).”

Satan is a defeated foe. He has been conquered by the Lord Jesus Christ. You and I, as Christians, are also conquerors through the blood of Jesus. Satan has no power over us except that which has been granted him by the Lord Jesus.

Satan is not happy about this at all. Of all days, Satan hates Christmas more than any other day. He would like nothing more than to wipe that day from history and from memory forever. He cannot, however, so he ops for the next best thing: to profane Christmas: to twist it, to pervert it, and, above all, to commercialize it. Satan makes Christmas about everything but Jesus. Christmas is not about Jesus. Christmas is about money—spending money, that is.

If you’re going to put up a Christmas tree, unless you live in or near the forest, you have to buy a tree. Then, unless you have the lights and ornaments from the previous year, you have to buy those. Then you have to buy lights and ornaments for the house. Then you have to buy presents for family and friends. Then you have to buy a “Christmas goose” or a ham and other food for the Christmas dinner. And, if you’re going to have family over who live in another state (or states), you might need to buy extra blankets, pillows, or even an extra bed or mattresses. And we can’t have people sitting on ten-year-old couches, can we? KA-CHING!

You may even have to buy a plane or bus ticket for a family member who is unable to do so. And if you have children, you may have to buy a Christmas present or two or three for them to give to their classmates at school. Add to that the box of chocolates for the mailman, the teachers, your boss, etc. etc.

Christmas is only a day long, yet the reverberations from this day can and often do reach all the way until the next Christmas. As you can see, Christmas is not at all about Jesus. Christmas is about MONEY. If you have money, you celebrate Christmas. If you don’t have money, you dread Christmas. This should not be.

As Christians, we need to think about why we do what we do. Romans 12:2 says that we should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We should not be celebrating Christmas the same way the world celebrates Christmas. We should not have a Christmas tree, we should not be spending a lot of money on presents, and we should not be telling our children that Santa Claus is coming to town. The only thing we should be on Christmas is thankful that Jesus Christ was born into the world to take away our sins. We should be grateful for our salvation.

Christmas is nowhere to be found in the Bible. The Apostle Paul said that one man believes one day to be more important than others, while another man believes all days are the same. He went on to say that every man should be “fully persuaded in his own mind.” In other words, it is not necessary for Christians to celebrate Christmas, as Jesus never mandated we celebrate the day of His birth. I believe the reason He didn’t do this is because He knew that men would legalize His birthday the way the Pharisees legalized the Sabbath. And Jesus is about liberty, not slavery.

Now, there is nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of our Savior, especially in the antichrist climate in which we now live. But Jesus did not command us to celebrate His birthday. In fact, the first-century Church didn’t celebrate Christmas.

Whose idea was it then, to celebrate Christmas? Did you know that Christmas stands for Christ Mass? And who celebrates the Mass? Why, the Roman Catholic church. And the Roman Catholic church is a pagan institution. Christmas is pagan.

Let me illustrate. Did you know that the practice of giving and receiving presents is Satan’s perversion of the story of the wise men of the East, who came to visit the family of our Savior (when he was about two years old) and gave presents to the young child Jesus? Listen to Scripture:

 “And when [the wise men] where come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Matt. 2:11).

Did you see that? The wise men gave gifts unto Jesus. Why? Because they knew that Jesus is God Almighty in the flesh, and that He was born to take away the sins of the world. Why, then, do we give each other gifts? Did any of us die for the sins of mankind? No, we did not. Then we ought not to be giving each other gifts, should we? 

We don’t give Christmas gifts in our house. That’s for birthdays. 

Let me share something else with you: Did you know that putting up and decorating a Christmas tree is an ancient pagan custom? Hear what the Bible says:

“For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

“They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

“They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good” (Jeremiah 10:3-5).

You will note that the verse addresses the fact that the Christmas tree can neither speak nor move, and that one must not be afraid of it. This would be a very strange thing to say, unless you understand that, in those days, the Christmas tree was an idol. It represented Nimrod, the first king of ancient Babylon. Nimrod was called “The Oak,” because of his great stature and strength, and was symbolized by trees, among other things. Gold and silver are representative of the sun and the moon, and represent Nimrod and his wife, Semiramis. Nimrod and Semiramis were both deified as the Sun God and the Moon Goddess, respectively.

People would erect the tree in their homes, deck it with silver and gold, and make their petitions of it. If they wanted something, they would write their petition on a piece of paper and attach it to the tree. In come cases, they would fashion a model of the desired object and set it under the tree.

And get this: the star, which people set atop the Christmas tree, represents Semisramis, the wife of Nimrod, and the queen of ancient Babylon. The star is a symbol of Semiramis in her aspect as the ancient Phoenician fertility goddess, Ashtoreth. The ancient Jews, including King Solomon, worshipped Ashtoreth with a star. Listen to this:

“Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god, Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them” (Acts 7:43).

Moloch is another name for Nimrod, and Remphan, according to the Oxford Dictionary of the English Language, is an “Egyptian goddess of the moon.” That would identify Remphan with Isis, who was also the Egyptian goddess of the moon. By now, you should know that Remphan is really Ashtoreth, who is really Semiramis, the wife of Nimrod.

Ashtoreth is the same goddess you see on the Starbucks logo with the star on her crown, only there she goes by a different name.

So, with the star on top of the Christmas tree, you have Nimrod and Semiramis, the first King and Queen of ancient Babylon, the worldwide center of paganism for thousands of years, in your living room.

1 Corinthians 10:19-20 of the Holy Bible says that behind every idol is a demon. Since the Christmas tree is really an idol, then once you set up a Christmas tree in your house, you are inviting a demon into your home. Now, is there any wonder that so many murders just happen to occur on Christmas in homes all over America every year? Remember Jon Benet Ramsey?

We don’t have a Christmas tree in our house: that’s for idolaters.

Finally, most people of European, and, especially German descent, know that Santa Claus or Sankt Nikolaus, is an old European folk character, which went house-to-house accompanied by a demon called Krampus (sometimes there were two such creatures), of which elves are merely a symbol. And everybody was scared of him.

We don’t recognize Satan Claus in our house: that’s for pagans.

See what Satan has done? He has completed perverted and distorted the true meaning of Christmas and turned it into something that only the rich and pagan can relate to. What a shame!

I said all that to say this: What people call Christmas is not really a celebration of the birth of our Savior. Christmas, as the world celebrates it, does not glorify God: it glorifies Satan. Satan hates Christmas, so he does his level best to destroy what should merely be a day of gratitude and joy that Jesus came into the world to take away our sins. Satan makes Christmas about everything but Jesus. Christmas is not about all the things that it has been associated with. Christmas is about Jesus Christ and His triumph over sin and Satan.

So, if you are not where you would like to be financially this Christmas, don’t worry. If there are no Christmas presents, don’t worry. If you have not been invited to Christmas dinner with friends or family, don’t worry. If you don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend with whom to cuddle up in front of a Christmas fire, don’t worry. If you are in a tent in Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan, Syria, or any of the other trouble spots in the world, far away from family, don’t worry. If you don’t have a “Christmas tree,” don’t worry. If there is no snow where you live, don’t worry. If you are homeless and sleeping in a shelter, on the streets, in your car, or at a friend or relative’s house, don’t worry. If you are a police officer, an emergency room surgeon or staff, a nurse, a fireman, a pilot, a bus driver or taxi driver, or anyone else who can’t be at home because of your job or other responsibilities, don’t worry. And if you are just plain alone this Christmas, don’t you worry. Christmas is not about any of these things. Christmas is about one thing or should I say one Person: Jesus Christ.

The only thing that makes Christmas important is that Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was born in a manger in a little town called Bethlehem of Judea. Jesus Christ is God Almighty and was born into this world for one reason and one reason only: to die for the sins of the world, including yours and mine. If you think about it, the only people to whom Christmas really means any thing are Bible-believing Christians. If you are not saved, then you probably have no idea what Jesus did for you. And if you do know what Jesus did, but aren’t saved, then you probably couldn’t care less. You’re probably just happy you get a day off from work, right? But, if you think about it, even this is something you should thank the Lord Jesus for.

The best thing you can do for yourself this Christmas is to really get to know the Man for whom the day is named: You can talk to Jesus about anything. I talk to Jesus all the time, and I never worry that He is going to go and tell somebody what I told Him. That’s because, unlike our fake friends, Jesus really cares. Jesus is Holy. He never sinned in His whole life. But He was born into this sinful world just like you and I were, and He was tempted just like you and me. So He understands what you and I are going through.

Jesus wants to have a relationship with you today. But in order to have a relationship with Him, you have to come to Him with a true heart.

The Bible says, that if we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord shall not hear us (Ps. 88:7). Our sins are the only thing standing between Jesus and us. But if we accept what Jesus did for us, His death and the shedding of His blood on the cross for our sins, then Jesus will come into our hearts and be our Friend. The Bible says that Jesus sticks closer than any brother. Once you got Jesus for a Friend, you truly have a Friend.

If you are ready to make Jesus your Friend today, just close your eyes wherever you are, and talk to the Lord Jesus. This is called prayer. Say something like this:

“Lord Jesus, I understand now that Christmas is not about food and family gatherings, Christmas parties, presents, or a Christmas tree. I understand now that Christmas is not about being with friends, or cuddling up with a loved one in front of the fire. Christmas is about you and the sacrifice you made for me. I accept your sacrifice for my sins, Lord Jesus. Please come into my heart and be my Lord and my Savior. My friend.”

If you prayed that, or something like that, then you are now a Christian, and next Christmas, you will celebrate Christmas for the right reason and in the right way.

Thank you for joining me for this special Christmas 2015 edition of the Gospel Light and Truth Crusade. Find us on the web at www.GospelLightAndTruth.org. You can also visit our blog at www.TheStillMan.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and also our podcast on iTunes, soon to be on Spreaker and other podcast venues. For your convenience, you may download the podcast of this article below.

And, as always “Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

I recently received an email from one of our readers who had read our article on generational curses. I responded to her email, and she wrote me back later that day asking me a very interesting question. I want to share our correspondence with you drawing particular attention to the question she asked in her second email.

I must make it perfectly clear that we do not share anyone’s personal information with you. Though the situations are real, we use pseudonyms to protect the person’s identity. Because we are all looking for answers, we share this information in the hope that it will minister to others out there who may be going through the same thing.

[Begin letter]

Hi, its interesting to read your explanation as I notice there are generational curses resulting from my ancestors’ sins. I am [a] born again Christian and, lately, I have been lazy reading my Bible and praying. I also read some signs of generational curses one of which is chronic unemployment and broken relationships. I release this pattern in my life.

Also as a Chinese descent, my parents didn’t accept me as their daughter and I was almost aborted as a baby. Adoption was my mom’s option, but I was raised in this dysfunctional family. My mom suffered chronic illnesses before she died as she consulted paranormal fortune tellers and prayed to dead ancestors. Money was her idol as in my late father’s life. I don’t want to suffer the consequences of generational curses.

I think God directed me to your site as I asked Him how I can be delivered from curses. I’ve been unemployed for a long time, and when I would apply for jobs, my late dad would pronounce a curse on me so that I wouldn’t get the job. Is this spoken curse by God’s authority or by the spirit of limbo? It affects every relationship that I have had, and all contacts I have with other Christians. My mom used to say I would be divorced if I ever married and that even if I did manage to marry, I would not receive blessings from above. This is the word that she received from a fortune teller.

I need to know how to break these curses or generational curses. My siblings robbed me of my inheritance when my parents died. Thats another abuse. People in asia think women should carry burdens of aged parents and it’s normal to abuse daughters. I have God’s calling but I realise I can’t be effective as a Christian or receive God’s plans for me if I have to serve others.

[End letter]

This was my response:

Hello, Lilly.

You are correct when you say you cannot fulfill God’s calling on your life when you are in bondage to sin, as a generational curse is bondage. God can and will still use you, but for you to have the testimony God wants you to have, then you will have to break free of the generational curse that is holding you back.

Fortune telling is a form of witchcraft called divination, and praying to dead ancestors is another form of witchcraft called necromancy. It is also idolatry. Since your mom was guilty of these things, then you are bearing the burden of this activity. If you want to enjoy true freedom in Christ Jesus, then you will have to confess these sins to the Lord Jesus so that He may forgive them and set you free.

These curses that your mother and father spoke against you regarding marriage and employment were not spoken with God’s authority. God doesn’t curse people out of spite or hatred. God only curses us when we commit those sins that He hates because when we commit those sins against His prohibition, we are saying, in essence, that we hate Him (Exodus 20:5).

If the curses they pronounced are having an effect on you, it is only because you are under a curse already because of the sins of your parents. When we are in a right relationship with Jesus Christ, no curse, spell, hex, or incantation can have any effect upon us, because Jesus protects us.

What you need to do therefore, is to confess those sins that brought the curse upon you in the first place.  You must understand that although you may not have practiced witchcraft, because your mother did, God is punishing you for her sin. That is how a curse works. However, God tells us in Exodus 20:5 that He will curse a descendant with the same sin that the parent committed.  In other words, if a parent is guilty of witchcraft, God will punish the children of that parent with that sin. So the child will practice witchcraft just like the parent. Now it does not necessarily mean that the child will cast spells like the parent did, but she may smoke cigarettes, which is also witchcraft, according to the Bible. She may also merely be rebellious, and the Bible teaches that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” (1 Samuel 15:23).

I said all that to say this: to break free of this curse, you will have to confess your parent’s sins that you of AND your own sins, since you will also be guilty of committing the same TYPE of sin, if not the same sin per se. I hope you understand what I’m trying to say here. For you to do this, you will have to have a knowledge of what sins God hates, which can be difficult, because we are such a sinful society. You, however, should have no problem doing this, as I perceive in you a knowledge of spiritual things above the norm, and you have the requisite honesty that you will need to confess your sins to The Lord Jesus Christ. Just ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you those things that are sin, and He will reveal them to you.

Regarding your culture’s views on women, I understand how difficult that must be for you. But I am confident that with the Lord’s help you will overcome even this. You are not alone in this, Nancy. I perceive the hand of God on your life. The Lord Jesus has plans for you, sister, and nothing anyone says can alter His decree.

I will be praying for you, Nancy. Please keep me informed of your progress and do let me know if there is anything else that you need. I will help in any way The Lord directs me.

Your servant in Christ Jesus,

[End response]

Lilly wrote me back within the hour, saying that she will do what I suggested. But she expressed confusion as to why she should confess her parents’ sins and

Here is what she wrote:

Dear Still Man,

Thank you for [your] reply. I’m going to pray for God’s forgiveness on the part of my ancestors’ sins. However, I just want to know why if I’m born again I have to break off from the sins of my parents or ancestors? After all Jesus died for my past sins and future. Anyway, what I am trying to understand is why if we belong to Jesus when we accept Christ, some people still bear the ancestral curses. I’m sure my previous ancestors up to 10 generations had done evil in God’s eyes. None of them I knew.

Yours,

It is not true that Jesus died for our past and future sins. Jesus’ death remitted 1. Original Sin: that is the sin of Adam and Eve and 2. those sins that we committed before we got saved. For proof, let us go to the Holy Word of God. Let us first establish that because adam sinned, we all have sinned (Original Sin). The Bible says:

“Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all mean, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

Next, let us see that Jesus’ death cleansed us from Original Sin:

“For if by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Now let us see that Jesus’ death also cleansed us from the sins that we committed before we got saved:

“God hath set forth [Jesus] to be a propitiation (substitute) through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:25).

As you can plainly see, Jesus death and the shedding of His blood redeemed us from our past sins: that is, the sins that we committed before we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

It is important to understand that though Jesus paid for all our sins with His blood, when it comes to our future sins and generational sins, that payment does not take effect automatically. In other words, in order for Jesus’ blood to be applied to our future sins and generational sins, we must confess those sins to God.

So, though Jesus died and shed His blood for all our sins—past, present, and future, all sins committed after our conversion, as well as generational sins, must be confessed in order for the blood of Jesus to be applied to them.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 4:38).

“If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

And we see the manifestation of this with the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. The Holy Spirit told Philip to go up to an Ethiopian man who was returning to his land from worshipping at Jerusalem. A brief exchange led to Philip giving the man the gospel of Jesus Christ, whereafter the Ethiopian received Jesus Christ as his Savior. The Bible tells it thus:

“And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?”

“And Philip said, If thou believest [on the Lord Jesus] with all thine heart, thou mayest [be baptized]. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

“And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him” (Acts 8:36-38).

The entire event is recorded in the Book of the Acts 8:26-39. So the Bible makes it clear that in order to be saved one must only believe on the Lord Jesus and confess Him as Savior.

Now, in my experience, those who believe that all our sins are forgiven at conversion, including generational sins, do so because of a faulty interpretation of 1 John 1:9:

“If we confess our sins, He [Jesus] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9 is an if/then statement, where the first action must be completed in order for the second action to take place. Therefore, if we confess our sins, then Jesus will forgive them. Conversely, if we do not confess our sins, then Jesus will not forgive them. Because 1 John 1:9 says that we must confess our sins in order for Jesus to forgive them—and we do not need to confess sins in order to be saved—then this verse cannot be talking about salvation, as one need only believe on the Lord Jesus to be saved.

If 1 John 1:9 is not talking about salvation, then what could it be talking about? I submit that the sins that need to be confessed in order to be forgiven are generational sins and the sins we commit after we are saved (future sins). We have already proven that, according to Romans 3:25, Jesus’ death on the cross obtained forgiveness for our past sins. So, because we will continue to sin until we receive our glorified bodies in the resurrection, we need some way to get forgiveness for those sins we commit after we get saved. This is what 1 John 1:9 is talking about. If we confess those sins we commit after our conversion, Jesus will forgive those sins. He has already paid the penalty for them on the cross at Calvary; all that is needed is for us to acknowledge and confess those sins to the Lord Jesus for His blood to be applied to them.

1 John 1:9 also covers generational sins. Generational sins are a special category of sin which God calls an abomination. Webster’s Dictionary defines an abomination as “something hateful and detestable.” An abominable sin, therefore, is a sin that God hates and detests. The Bible teaches that all disobedience is sin, but an abomination is something that God hates and detests so much that he will curse the descendants of anyone who is guilty of this type of sin. Examples of abominable sins can be found in chapters 8 and 9 of the book of Leviticus and include idolatry, murder, fornication, witchcraft, adultery, and homosexuality.

I believe that before Jesus paid the blood at Calvary, when God cursed a person’s descendants, that family line stayed cursed until someone came along who would repent of his family’s sins and ask forgiveness of God. Because God says in Exodus 34:7 that he would “by no means clear the guilty,” I believe that God would allow a curse to skip a generation because of that repentant individual. But even so, the curse would return upon the next generation. One reason I believe this is because of the aforementioned verse, Exodus 34:7:

“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…”

“Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

Notice that unlike Exodus 20:5, where God says that He would punish a person’s descendants unto the third generation, this verse adds “unto..the fourth generation.” I believe the reason God says this is because he is willing to allow a curse to skip a generation because of the faithfulness of one person. I could give two examples of this, but I discuss this in greater detail in our podcast on generational curses.

If you truly want to be free, then you won’t have a problem confessing any sins, that’s for sure. I have known people to be so resistant to this teaching, that they refuse to confess any sins. Consequently, they continue to suffer the effects of their curses and become bitter and cynical, and constantly ask God why they continue to suffer when they are saved. Some, I would not be surprised if some have even left the faith for this reason. What a pity!

Confession of sin is important because we will continue to sin as long as we are in this sinful body. Sin is an obstacle in our way, blocking us from enjoying all the benefits of a right relationship with Jesus. Thankfully, God has provided us a way out by allowing us to confess our sins to Him and remove the obstacle blocking our path.

Do you now see that Jesus’ blood washed away our past sins, but for us to be forgiven our future sins, that is, those sins we commit after our conversion, we must confess them. 

This is one of the reasons Christians are suffering even though they are saved. They believe Jesus died for their future sins and don’t understand that 1 John 1:9 is telling them to confess their sins so that they can be forgiven. So, even if they are not under a generational curse, they are not confessing any sins and are, therefore, living in sin, which is just as bad as being under a curse. 

Can you now understand why the Christian Church is not as powerful as we ought to be? We are almost in as bad a shape as the unsaved. This ought not to be.

The podcast for this article is available for download at the iTunes Store.  Subscribe to the Gospel Light and Truth Crusade podcast today! For your convenience, you can also download this episode below.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh,

The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

On Mother’s Day, I received an email from a very despondent mom, whose plans for that day were ruined when her daughter became ill. I sometimes get emails from Christians whose trials may be causing them to experience a crisis of faith or doubt the goodness of God. But this was the first time someone admitted that her trials are causing her to actually hate God.

Hate is a word that people don’t normally throw around as lightly as we do the word love. When someone says they hate something or someone, that is usually exactly what they mean. So when Gretchen said she was beginning to hate God, that really got my attention.

Here is her email:

“Hello, Still Man. I found your website when I did an internet search on curses.
Today is Mother’s Day, as well as my 18th Wedding Anniversary. My husband, daughter, and I had very special plans for celebrating two such special occasions today. I was SO excited and happy. I had been listening to a series of sermons by Andrew Wommack, that were recommended to me, and I was feeling so peaceful and happy, and growing so much spiritually.

“Then yesterday my daughter became sick, so all our special plans had to be cancelled. I had prayed and pleaded the blood of Jesus that she, would be protected from getting sick, and that we would all have a wonderful time today.

“This sort of thing happens EVERY TIME we have special plans. Either one of the three of us gets sick (usually my daughter), or something else will happen to ruin our plans. I am sick of ALWAYS being disappointed.

“Every time I start getting closer to God and Jesus, very disappointing things happen. I am starting to hate God. He doesn’t answer my prayers, and I really don’t think that He wants me or my family to be happy. I have already renounced my sins, and become born again.
Regarding Catholicism, I have Catholic friends and family who glide through life on a perpetual cloud of happiness.

“All I asked for was for 1 DAY OUT OF THE YEAR not to turn out to be a disappointment,  but apparently that’s too much to ask.

—Gretchen” [CAPS in the original, boldface mine]

This was my response:

Hello, Gretchen.

I understand how tough this must be for you.  And I can understand the temptation to blame God for your troubles.  But you shouldn’t hate the Lord Jesus or believe He doesn’t want you to be happy.  The Bible says that God wants you to have an abundant life, not a life of misery.

Understand that the Christian life, though a wonderful existence, is not all fun and games. Jesus Himself said that it is given to us who are saved not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake (Philippians 1:29).  I can testify that this is a gospel truth.  Suffering is part of the Christian experience.

The Apostle Paul loved the Lord with all his heart and soul and couldn’t wait to die so that he could be with the Lord.  And Paul suffered more than all the Apostles, losing everything he had just to follow Jesus.  Did Paul complain?  Not hardly:

“I count all but loss (I’m willing to lose everything) for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them (the things he lost) but dung (poo-poo) that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8). [Parentheses and boldface mine.]

Those are pretty strong words from the Apostle.  But he meant business.  Suffering is part of the Christian walk.  In fact, Paul goes on to say that to know Jesus is to know “the fellowship of His sufferings” (3:10). Only when you have suffered for Jesus’ sake do you truly come to know the Lord, because He is going to take you through the fire to perfect you.  And perfection is had through suffering.

Even Jesus suffered.  And the Bible says that Jesus “learned obedience through the things that He suffered.”  This is exactly what happens to us when we suffer. God doesn’t let us suffer because He gets a kick out of it.  God allows us to suffer for our good and for His glory.

I believe this may be part of what you are going through.  Note that you said every time you start getting close to Jesus, “very disappointing things happen.”  This happens to all of us.  In Jesus’ parable of the sower, He describes the seed that fell among stones as the person who gladly receives the Gospel, and rejoices.  But as soon as troubles come, he becomes weary, and Jesus becomes an offense to him (Matthew 13:20-21).

Don’t let this be you.  Don’t confuse the Christian life with what many have made it out to be: all fun and joy and no tribulation. This is not biblical.  Remember, Job was a righteous man in all his ways, who hated sin. Yet, God allowed Job to suffer.  God allowed Satan to kill Job’s children, bankrupt him, and destroy his health.  Satan was sure that when he was finished with Job, he would “curse God to His face.”  Yet, the Bible says, “In all this, Job sinned not with his lips.”  Job said, “The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

The Bible says that our trials are no different than what the average person goes though (1 Corinthians 10:13).  The difference, however, is that Jesus is with the Christian every step of the way.  He won’t allow us to suffer more than we are able, but “will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that we will be able to bear it.”  That’s why you don’t hear about true, Bible-believing Christians committing suicide.  God either stops our trials before they break us, or strengthens us so that we can handle them.

You shouldn’t worry about your Roman Catholic friends and relatives who are “gliding through life”, as you put it, as not everything is what it appears to be.  Besides, the Apostle Paul says that we err when we “measure ourselves by ourselves and compare ourselves among ourselves” (2 Corinthians 10:12).  We shouldn’t be looking at the person to our right and left and comparing what we are going through to what they are going through (or not).  Keep your eyes on Jesus. Whatever you are going through, has nothing to do with them and vice versa.

It may very well be possible that you may be placing too much value on everything being just right, just perfect, on that special day.  You may instead consider putting less emphasis on the day and more on the person.  For example, Mother’s Day is a day to honor mothers for the special sacrifices they make every day to take care of their families. I get that.  But, at the end of the day, isn’t it more important that mommy is around to hear her husband and children say “Happy Mother’s Day?”  

Believe me when I tell you that there are many daughters out there who are very sad on Mother’s Day, because mom is no longer alive to receive her daughter’s love and appreciation.  If your daughter or anyone else gets sick, and you are unable to do what you had planned, just switch to Plan B.  (You should always have a Plan B.) And plan B should be a very scaled-down version of Plan A. Something that maybe doesn’t even require you to leave the house.  Just stay home and watch some videos like “Mommy Dearest, “Throw Momma From the Train,” or “Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot!”  LOL.

If you are a Christian, then Jesus is allowing this to happen to you.  And if He is allowing it to happen to you, then He has a reason.  It could be that the Lord Jesus feels you are putting too much importance on “special occasions.”  The Apostle Paul said, “One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike.  Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).  What Paul meant by this is that, at the end of the day, these days were not ordained of God, but by men, and they are not as important as we make them out to be.  It is like the Pharisees, who put so much importance on what you couldn’t do on the Sabbath, that just about everything was a violation of it.  Jesus told them that the Sabbath was made to serve man, and not man to serve the Sabbath.

One last thing:  Satan is very aware of the importance you place on days like Mother’s Day and your wedding anniversary. You can count on him, therefore, to do all he can to derail those days for you.  The way you thwart him is to not put so much emphasis on those days. That way, he can’t spoil it for you.  All Christians have enemies, and many, if not most, of those enemies are witches.  A witch will watch you, study you, and learn you.  A witch will know when you have a birthday coming, or an anniversary, or a family outing, etc., and when that day approaches, will go into action, casting a spell on you, someone in your family, or someone else with whom you have to do.  They will either try to make you sick, be in a bad mood, or argue with someone, in an effort to ruin that day for you.  This happens to me all–and I do mean ALL–the time.  So I know what I’m talking about.

Whenever a birthday is coming in my family, for example, I take it in stride, placing more value on the fact that whosever’s birthday it is lived to see it, than I do on all the trappings. There is always a cake (even a burnt one that I made) and, if possible, at least one present and a party.  But it is not always under the best of circumstances.

On my youngest daughter’s 1st birthday, for example, my wife and I were at odds, so she didn’t attend the party.  On another daughter’s birthday, a month later, we were still at odds, so I didn’t attend the party.  Did it stop anything?  No sir.  Would it have been more fun if everyone had been there and getting along?  Of course.  But you must understand that we are in a war, and in a war, nothing is sacred; even birthday parties.  At my son’s birthday party, my wife and I were still not speaking, but we both were at the party.  And because we respected one another and dealt with one another amiably, everyone had a great time.  The next day, my wife and I reconciled (briefly).  (My wife is a Roman Catholic and has many many spiritual problems.  So we are almost always at odds.) My children understand very well the spiritual warfare that is raging, and they always have a good time, under the circumstances.  We have learned to lower our expectations, and we have redefined what makes a day special and what makes it fun.

In closing, I would like to say that I do not believe this is a curse at work.  What I believe is that you may be placing too much importance on special days, and, in so doing, you are serving those days rather than letting those days serve you.

One last last thing.  Don’t hate the Lord Jesus, and don’t feel He doesn’t want you and your family to be happy.  I can tell you, as someone who has had things happen to him that my daughter says could make a bestseller, that the Lord Jesus loves you very very much.  Just ask Him what His purpose is for all that is happening to you.  If you are sincere, He will answer.  And He will tell you what to do.

And please, please repent of hating the Lord.  It could be a whole lot worse than a spoiled Mothers Day. You should be thankful it isn’t.
Your servant in Christ Jesus,

Tony

I appreciated this lady’s sincerity, and I’m sure the Lord Jesus does too. Now, someone reading this probably thinks it is the epitome of evil to hate God because of something He allows us to go through. But, in my heart, I believe this lady is not alone. My spirit tells me that it is probably very common for someone who names the name of Christ to hate Him, when the going gets tough.

Doubtless, all of us know something about God. But I would argue that very few of us actually know God. Because, once you know Him, it is impossible to hate Him; for to know God is to love Him. To hate God would be to hate goodness. To hate God would be to hate truthfulness. To hate God would be to hate honesty. To hate God would be to hate love. In short, to hate God would be to hate everything that is good in the world; for every good thing comes from God, the Father of Lights (James 1:17).

I don’t believe, therefore, that Gretchen really hates God, because I don’t believe she really knows Him. And the first clue that she doesn’t really know Him is that she doesn’t mention His name once. God has a name, and that name is Jesus Christ. If she knew God, then she would have no problem naming the name of Jesus.

The second clue that she doesn’t know God is that she says He doesn’t answer her prayers. If this is true, and God hasn’t answered any of her prayers, then it may be because He hasn’t heard them. Jesus said that anything we ask in His name He will do (John 14:13-14). Again, she doesn’t mention the name of Jesus once in her email, so one has to wonder if when she prays, she does so in the name of Jesus.

It may also be possible that Gretchen is not saved. Note that she never said that she was saved, but that she has “renounced [her] sins and been born again.”  Not everyone who says they are born again means that they are saved.

Christianity is not the only religion in the world whose adherents claim to be born again. Freemasons, for example, are “reborn” during the ritual of the third degree, and some Freemasons, will tell you that that they have been born again.  Freemasons are not Christians.

It is not enough to simply claim to be born again. One must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord and Savior. The Bible says,

“If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God has raised Him from the dead, thou wilt be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

I don’t like to question anyone’s salvation, but, in these last days, when deception is at an all time high, one must, because there are many who have been deceived into believing they are saved, when, in fact, they are not. I was one such person. We must believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died on the cross at Calvary and shed His blood for our sins, in order to be saved. Then, we must confess Jesus to the world.

When we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are showing what we believe in our heart: that He is Lord of all. If you are not trusting in the shed blood of Jesus for your salvation, then you are not saved. And if you cannot say with certainty that you are going to Heaven, then you are not saved.

Renouncing our sins is also not enough.  We must confess our sins if we want forgiveness for them. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Renouncing our sins is a good start, but we must confess our sins if we want the Lord Jesus to forgive them. Sin in our lives is the number one reason God doesn’t hear our prayers. The Bible says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord shall not hear me” (Psalm 66:18).

The Bible says that we all sin. But, as Christians, we must confess those sins right away to the Lord Jesus (not to any man) if we want forgiveness. Unconfessed sin creates a wall between God and us—a barrier—through which prayers cannot pass. If we want to get a prayer through to God, then we must make sure that we are in a right relationship with Him. And one way to make sure that we are in a right relationship with God is to make sure that when we sin, we confess those sins to the Lord Jesus as quickly as possible.

The Bible says that we must examine ourselves and determine whether we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). When we feel that God is not answering our prayers, we need to first ask ourselves if we are in a right standing with Him. And if we are living in sin, then we are not.

We also need to make sure that when we pray for anything, that we want for God’s will to be done first. The Bible says:

“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petition that we desired of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

God’s will is perfect. And everything that He allows in our lives serves a purpose, even if we can’t see it. Even Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, ended His prayer with “But not my will, but thine, be done.” Gretchen said that she prayed and pleaded the blood of Jesus that her daughter would not get sick and that everyone would have a great time. But, because she was so disappointed when things didn’t go the way she planned, I wonder if she prayed for Jesus’ will to be done. Scripture says that if we want God to hear our prayers, then we must pray according to His will.

The Bible also says that we receive that which we ask of the Lord if we “keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22). God’s commandments can be found in both the Old and New Testaments, and it behooves us, as Christians, to find out what the Lord Jesus wants and expects from us and to do it. If we don’t know what God’s commandments are, then we can’t keep them. If we can’t keep God’s commandments, then we cannot do those things that are pleasing in His sight. We will, therefore, not receive the things we ask of Him.

The third clue that Gretchen doesn’t really know God is that she believes He doesn’t want her to be happy. God wants us all to be happy. The Word of God commands us to rejoice, and to rejoice again (Philippians 4:4).  The Bible says that God will not withhold any good thing from those of us who seek the Lord (Psalm 34:10). And happiness is a good thing. But it is important for us to understand that God’s version of happiness is a lot different from ours.

To us, happiness is getting everything we want. To God, happiness is getting everything He wants. And what God wants for us is not always exactly what we would want for ourselves. Just because something seems good to us, doesn’t mean that it’s good for us. And even something that is good for us may not be good for us all the time. The Bible says that there is a season for everything. What may not be right for us today may be right for us tomorrow. Only God know when the time is right.

I believe this is the root of Gretchen’s problem. She has unrealistic expectations of what happiness is—unrealistic, that is, in the Christian sense. The Apostle Paul said that we should be content with such things as we have, and that we should not grumble or complain about our lives. If God will not withhold any good thing from us, then, if we are in a right relationship with Him, we are exactly where He wants us. To be in a right relationship with God should be every Christian’s desire, and, ultimately, that is what should make us happy, even when everything else in our lives seems to be going wrong.

Knowing that you are in a right standing with the Lord Jesus can often be the only silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud. When everything else seems to be going wrong: when you are forsaken by your friends and family, when your husband or wife has turned their back on you, when your children are misbehaving, when things are not right at work, when your money is acting funny, when you just keep on getting sick, and when it seems that no one cares whether you live or die, it is knowing that God Almighty is watching over you and allowing these things to happen to you, but will not put more on you than you can bear, that helps you to get through each and every day.

True happiness, then, is being dead center in the will of God, and knowing that regardless of how things are going, the Captain of our Salvation and the Author and Finisher of our faith is at the helm. And He will guide us into a safe haven.

The Bible says, “All things work together for good to those who love God and who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Note that the passage says all things work together for good. All means all. That means even the bad things that happen to us serve a purpose, working together with the good things to fulfill God’s purpose in us. And the Lord Jesus has promised us that ultimately things will work out for our good. That means we can’t lose!

Don’t let Satan steal your joy. Sanctify yourself and avoid sin and those who sin. Don’t give a witch power over you.  “Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

In closing, we shouldn’t have unrealistic expectations of the Christian life; for when we do, we set ourselves up for disappointment. The Christian life is not all fun and games. Job said it best when he said, “Shall we [only] receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10). Jesus is God Almighty, yet the Bible says that Jesus was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” Life was not all fun and games for our Lord either.

Truly, the servant is no greater than his Master.

The podcast of this teaching is available for download at the iTunes Store.  Subscribe to our podcast today!  For your convenience, it is also available below.

“Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame; and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:2-3).

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

Grace and peace, Saints.

How many of you know that tomorrow, April 14, 2015 is the anniversary of the assassination of the sixteenth President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln?  If you didn’t know, don’t feel bad: you had a lot of help not knowing.  The same people who killed him are the same people who own the media and the educational establishment.  So it’s no wonder many of us didn’t know.

Satan hates Abraham Lincoln because he opposed and successfully defeated his plans to take over the United States and destroy forever it’s Constitution and the hard-fought liberties Americans hold so dearly.  Lincoln also passed the Emancipation Proclamation and pushed through the legislation that led to the passing of the 13th Article and Amendment to the Constitution, forever breaking the chains and fetters of the slaves and making them free.  And it cost him his life.

Most blacks pay no tribute at all to President Lincoln.  His birthday and the anniversary of his assassination come and go without many of us even noticing.  This is a shame, especially in light of what he did for the Negro.  If anyone should remember Honest Abe Lincoln, it should be blacks.

It would enough of a tragedy if everyone had forgotten Lincoln.  But a greater tragedy–nay a crime, has been perpetrated by some who choose to remember him; for in remembering him they dishonor him, even making him look like a buffoon.

Is this right?  I submit that it is not.  Abraham Lincoln should be revered by all Americans as the man who held the Union together, and the man who made it possible for blacks to share in many of the blessings of this great country. At one time, he was; but not anymore.  Lincoln has been maligned in the media, in the history books, and by Martin Luther King in his “I Have A Dream” speech. How could we stand by and let this happen?

All the blame shouldn’t be heaped upon Americans, however.  An alien government actually shares in the blame, the same alien government that was responsible for Lincoln’s death.  And you probably didn’t even know they were involved.

On the 130th anniversary of President Lincoln’s assassination, I pay tribute to him by narrating an excerpt from Fifty Years in the Church of Rome, a very important book that reveals who was behind President Lincoln’s assassination.  The book’s author, former Roman Catholic priest, Charles Chiniquy, shares some particulars about Lincoln and the circumstances of his death that you likely never learned in school or anywhere else.

The discussion is available at the iTunes store at our podcast The Gospel Light and Truth Crusade.  Subscribe to our podcast today!  It is also available for download below.

It is my hope that by the end of the podcast, you will have a renewed respect for the man, Abraham Lincoln, and that his noble sacrifice on behalf of the great country that was America and especially for the Negro, will not be forgotten.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man