To the David Generation

I was reading my Bible late last night [early this morning] when a passage that I’m sure I’ve read many times before in my 26 years jumped out at me like never before.  It was I Samuel 13:19-22 which reads like this:

“Now there was a no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, ‘Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.’  But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his sickle; and the charge for a sharpening was a pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads.  So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan.  But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son” (emphasis mine).

This passage struck me because I never recalled the fact that the Israelite people were completely unarmed and the equipment they did have (ie. plowshares, axes, sickles, forks, etc.) were for farming and building.  This makes young David’s bravery that much more astounding to me because he literally had nothing but God.  Any farming/building equipment he would have had access to, his seven older brothers most likely already took to battle.

Imagine a vast army full of men armed with sickles, plowshares, and pitchforks! What a pathetic sight that would be and in the natural, it would make sense for them to quake before the Philistines and Giant Lords of Gath. There is no way that they could go up in battle against the Philistines in their own might.  And this is most likely also why Goliath took the stance he did saying,

“‘Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.’  And the Philistine said, ‘I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together’.” (I Samuel 17:8-10).  

Goliath—knowing the incomparable abilities of the Israelite army as it concerned weaponry—followed the pattern of the Ancient World

and as the Philistine champion, much like in Troy a.k.a. The Iliad  when Achilles fought Hector or in Prince Caspian where Miraz challenged High King Peter, when he called for a champion among the Israelites to face him in combat.

Saul, apparently too afraid to face Goliath himself, tried to give young David his armor and sword, full-knowing that he and his son, Jonathan, were the only ones to possess such treasures.  He knew that it was pure insanity, folly really, to meet a foe in war without the proper gear and weaponry.  And it would seem that even armor and a sword that were too big for David would be better than none at all.  But David had discernment.

David understood that he did not need to try and fill someone else’s position [represented by the armor/clothing from Saul].  David had a revelation which we see expressed in Psalm 28:7 that the Lord is his “strength and…shield”.   He knew God would provide him with a more effective, divine set of armor and weaponry.  He knew that although it appeared he had nothing, he, in fact, had something.  He chose five smooth stones (one for each of the five giant lords, the sons of Gath), placed them in his sling, and slew Goliath.  And it was this victory that propelled David into his destiny. 

So now, I speak to the David Generation; the generation full of purpose and possibilities, yet who might feel insignificant.  You might wonder what good is a gift of singing with no one to hear it, a writing gift with no writing utensil, or a fighting gift with no one to fight.  Well I have news for you: God has heard your prayers and knows your potential—He gave it to you!  He has anointed you for a specific purpose.  Furthermore, God is about to provide you with the opportunity to show your quality and worth to the world!

Forget about what’s been taken from you, how helpless you feel, how dire your situation seems, and how overlooked you’ve been.  God is about to bring you out of obscurity to accomplish His purpose in the earth!

David Generation, it’s time to rise up!

Cry Aloud

*Disclaimer: This blog and no scripture referenced herein gives anyone the right to call out their pastor or any other minister [publically].  If you have a concern, take it to God in prayer.  The Word tells us the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much (James 5:16).  So tell God about it.  THEN, and only then if God specifically tells you to speak with them, then do so in love.  We are still called to respect our elders and the men and women of God.

My spirit is so unbelievably grieved at the level of arrogant sin-sick 5 Fold ministers. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers with very real—very noticeable—struggles in the pulpit ministering to people and all the while tainting them with their struggles.  It makes me sick.

Now, let me be clear about my definition of struggles in this particular blog.  I do not refer to a struggle that is confronted and dealt with or a struggle that is in the process of being dealt with.  I speak of struggles that are unaddressed and growing by the moment.  What’s the difference you might ask?  Well I’ll answer that question with two illustrations. 

Illustration #1: Little Johnny likes to steal.  If his mother leaves her purse out he’s sure to take her money. If he trails mommy to the store, he’s bound to sneak some candy from the candy aisle when he thinks no one is looking.  Little Johnny has a problem.  But Little Johnny likes his problem and has no intention of stopping.  No matter how many times he’s taught that stealing is wrong.  Little Johnny refuses to change.

Illustration #2: Little Suzie likes to shop.  She shops all day, everyday and no one can stop her.  When her father cut off her allowance, she got credit cards.  Little Suzie wracked up a mountain of debt and realized that she had a problem.  Now, she has a job, pays her bills, and even though it’s not easy, she understands that it’s not smart or healthy to spend all her money on clothes, shoes, and the like.  Little Suzie had an epiphany while watching Confessions of a Shopaholic and understood that she needed help to overcome her problem.  Little Suzie now exerts moderation in her spending and is a happy woman.

Now, which of the two examples do you think demonstrates a person who’s struggle is out of control?  That’s right, Little Johnny’s.  And it’s the Little Johnnies of the 5 Fold ministry that disturb me. 

How can one stand in the pulpit and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom, preach against the things that God hates, and lay hands to deliver the people from their hang-ups while they struggle with the same thing?  How can one prophesy into the life of a precious child of God and yet ignore the Word of the Lord in their own life?  It makes no sense.  And I’ll take it a step further.

How can the righteous ministers of the 5 Fold ministry who know the Lord for themselves and see the struggle in their brother or sister’s life and not call it out in love?  The Bible says “faithful are the wounds of a friend,” (Proverns 27:6).  How can I stand by and watch a friend make a mockery of the Word of God?

Now, I have two theories on this.  The first, is that God blinds the eyes of the righteous to the struggle/sin of the unrighteous minister for the sake of deliverance and healing for the minister themself.  Pastor Marvin Winans Sr. and Pastor Donnie McClurkin are an excellent example of this.  God brought Pastor McClurkin into the life of Pastor Winans so Pastor McClurkin would be connected with purpose and destiny and simultaneously be delivered from the spirit of homosexuality.  God allowed them to have a David and Jonathan relationship that they still possess today and now Pastor McClurkin is one of the world’s foremost psalmists and now a pastor of his own church in Long Island.  You can listen to Pastor Donnie’s testimony here.  After Pastor Donnie gave his testimony, Pastor Marvin mounts the pulpit and explained that he “never saw anything but the anointing of God” on Donnie’s life and that there was no way he would have let this man in his home with that particular struggle with two small boys.  God blinded Marvin’s eyes so His glory could be manifest in Donnie’s life.  Yet this is an extreme rarity.

My second theory, and I believe the more common of the two, is that God allows a person to remain in fellowship with a struggling/sinful minister, all the while shutting their mouth on the topic, for the sake of the people that need to be ministered to.  The best example I can think of for this is two years ago, when my favourite preacher in the entire world, Bishop Tudor Bismark, came to Tulsa, OK to preach at a conference.  The first night was spent preaching at one particular church while the rest of the conference was at another church location.  I will not even begin to tell you the level of corruption that took place with the majority of the ministers hosting the conference.  I forced myself to sit through every session with full-knowledge of the corruption that grew as the conference continued.  Why would I subject myself to that you might ask?  Easy, because I knew that God had a word for me.  And if suffering the biggest blow(s) I’d ever suffered in my life was the price for obtaining that word, then I was willing to pay it. 

I’ve asked myself time and time again why God would allow such an anointed and godly man to minister in such a toxic environment and finally I came to this conclusion: if in fact the people who belonged to these churches subjected themselves to this type of corruption and manipulation on a regular basis, then they need the ministry of the Bishop to heal, deliver, and set them free. 

It breaks my heart that ministry has come to this.  I know not all churches and ministries are corrupt or controlling, however, many of them are.  And we know that the Bible says that the gifts of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29).  Therefore, we the Body of Christ, must learn to distinguish between the godly and the ungodly.  The Apostle John tells us, “beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world,” (I John 4:1).  Do not chase after every so-called bishop, apostle, or pastor.  Simply because a person decided they should be an apostle does not mean they are.  Just because someone gave one generic prophesy does not mean they are a prophet.  Furthermore, we must be cautious because there are many 5 Fold ministers who were indeed anointed, appointed, and ordained of God to fill their positions, but they grew arrogant and take part in whatever sin they are drawn to.  Saul is an excellent example of this. 

Saul, was anointed by the Prophet Samuel to become the first king of Israel.  But he grew arrogant and decided that it was not necessary for him to follow God’s commandments.  Therefore, God ripped the kingdom from him and gave it to David.  Saul reigned illegally for almost four decades when God only allowed His anointing to rest on him for a few.  Eventually, Saul died because of his arrogance.  (See I Samuel 9-31 for the full story.)  Do not follow Saul(s) and better yet, do not become Saul.  God will reward you if you fulfill your end of the bargain by remaining faithful to Him.

Cindy Jacobs, a proven prophetess and mighty woman of God with mantle for apostolic intercession, Bishop Bill Hamon, another mighty man of God as well as others have declared 2012 to be a phenomenal year for those who are in the center of God’s will.  Yet for those who are not, for those who do not have father’s/mother’s heart for God’s people, for those who are enjoying their sin while calling themselves ministers of the Gospel of the Kingdom, this will be a year of judgment.  And I believe that this is so.  I feel such a level of expectation that I have never felt before and yet, my heart is grieved by the judgment that will undoubtedly go forth.  But there is good news!  It is Monday, January 30^th and God has not yet stretched out His hand of judgment which means that there is still time for those of us who have been wrong to repent and recognize the error of our ways.  God is a merciful God, full of love and compassion for His children.  He would that none perish, but that all would come to repentance (II Peter 3:9).  God will yet shake this earth and we must be ready.

We must pray for God’s mercy and grace upon the nation and the world.  Daniel was able to pray, repent on behalf of his entire nation as well as his ancestors and move the hand of God to shorten the Jews’ Babylonian captivity.  On several occasions, Moses plead with God to stay His hand of wrath from the Israelites and not destroy them.  Abraham plead on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah for his nephew Lot’s sake.  The Bible is chocked full of accounts of God relenting from His righteous fury and instead extending grace and mercy to His loved ones on behalf of one man.  Be an intercessor, a repairer of the breach, and stand in the gap for ministers.  It may be that God will allow their hearts to be softened and they will turn from their wicked ways before it is too late.

Some may ask why I’ve written this blog.  Is it for hate or for self-righteousness?  No.  Isaiah 58:1 states, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins".  I could not keep silent.  Jeremiah cried, "Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name.  But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay," (Jeremiah 20:9).  This is why I cannot stay silent.  I cannot justify  silence in the face of corruption and wickedness.  Can you?