The Bible Series Review: The Exodus #2

Alrighty, it’s time for Episode 2’s review. This episode was entitled “The Exodus”

The Man Moses

I loved the young Moses! I think they portrayed him right on! But more about that later.

I had several issues with the ex-prince Moses. From the moment of the burning bush scene (and let me state now that I LOVED the way they portrayed the burning bush itself!), I thought that Moses’ character was completely off. He was almost, dare I say, arrogant in all that he did whether it was stating aloud to himself that he would deliver God’s people, announcing his intentions to his brethren, the way he said that Pharaoh wasn’t a god, and more. It just didn’t like him.

Moses scripturally was an extremely humble man AND he had a major stuttering issue that we first see surface at the burning bush because he’s literally begging God to pick someone else for the task. God finally relents and makes his brother Aaron Moses’ spokesman. None of this is portrayed or even hinted at in the series.

Ethnicities

Again, I loved the portrayal of the young princes of Egypt, I felt like the fighting portrayed was entirely realistic and helped to feed into the beyond brotherly rivalry.

However, I feel like the authentic portrayal of Moses was lost in appearance once the actor switched to the older Caucasian-looking version of Moses.

That said, I feel like Roma Downey and Mark Burnett did a great job casting an overall group of actors who looked the from the court of Pharaoh to the Israelites.

Brotherly Behaviour

As aforementioned, I felt the portrayal of the young Moses and Ramses was well-planned and I loved Moses’ indicated affection and happiness for his would-be royal nephew.

However, I thought the treatment of Moses and Aaron by Pharaoh’s soldiers was unrealistic. I do not think it consistent to portray the physical abuse of the Levite brothers who are the instruments of the ten plagues on Egypt. The soldiers would have been terrified of Moses and his brother! Scripture never indicates or even hinted that Pharaoh was able to rough up Moses and Aaron although I’m sure that those were Pharaoh’s sentiments.

Where is the Hyssop??

Another issue that any student of the Bible or Pentateuch would have caught was the lack of hyssop at the first Passover.

And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. (Exodus 12:22)

God doesn’t command anything haphazardly, so to exclude the hyssop from the process of the painting of the door lintels was a definite error to me.

The signification of "hyssop," is external truth, which is a means of purification. (Bible Meanings Info) 

To leave out the hyssop is to leave out the element of purification entirely.

People Problems

My last point is that I felt the disobedience of the people wasn’t even related to whether that was the people collectively, Miriam and Aaron speaking against Moses, and Moses’ frustration with the people which led to his disobedience against God. All of these instances of disobedience caused the children of Israel—leadership included—to miss the Promise Land altogether. All we see is Moses receiving the 10 Commandments and telling Joshua that he will lead the Israelites into Canaan.

I understand that time is a huge constraint for what is and is not portrayed in The Bible Series, yet I feel that certainly spiritually significant elements could be portrayed better and more frequently.

That said, I did enjoy episode and look forward to viewing the rest!

See Also: The Bible Series Review: The Beginning #1

The Bible Series Review: The Beginning #1

I just watched my first episode of The Bible Series, “The Beginning” which covers the three “beginnings” of the Bible:

• The Beginning in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve (brief)
• The Beginning in the new world with Noah and his family (brief)
• The Beginning in the Promise Land for Abraham and the Jewish People (main focus)

I thought that Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett did a great job of classifying these commencements together for the sake of time—one hour. I was hoping for more illustration in the Garden, but I see why they skipped ahead to the story of Abram/Abraham.

It’s a Colour Thing

The first issue that struck me was that, as far as the main characters were concerned there was not much colour. Most, if not all of the lead actors, were Caucasian. This is noticeable to me since I myself am a woman of colour and hope to see ethnicities represented as accurately and frequently as possible in roles that denote them.

This colour issue was most noticeable to me when Sarah held the infant Isaac in her arms. He was the sweetest Middle-Eastern-looking child, yet his newborn and older child actor counterparts reverted back to the typical Caucasian actors.

That said, I was thrilled to see the angels accompanying Jesus to Abraham’s encampment to be one Black and one Asian. Which leads me to my next topic.

Angelic Representation

As aforementioned, I was happy to see two actors of drastically different ethnicities portray the angels. I believe when we go to heaven and even those of us on earth who are privileged to interact with angels on assignment will see a vast colour spectrum of angelic representatives as well.

Now when the angels visited Sodom, I was surprised by how the angels were depicted to have found Lot, or should I say, how Lot found them. I do not think it what truly happened in the story, yet I believe it does fit this Biblical passage:

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. (Hebrews 13:2)

Another angelic depiction that does not fit the specific story of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction yet, fits perfectly into the overall angelic depictions of the Old Testament was the warlike persona.

The Bible tells us that the angels struck the people of Sodom with blindness—which was portrayed in The Bible Series—yet greatly elaborated upon. However, I will again stress that it is not in and of itself unbiblical.

Here are some examples of warrior angels on the loose:

He cast on them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, by sending angels of destruction among them. (Psalm 78:49 emphasis mine)

Therefore David inquired of the Lord, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” (II Samuel 5:23-24 emphasis mine)

And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. (II Kings 19:35 emphasis mine)

If the angels who rescued Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah did more than strike the people with blindness, it was not mentioned in the Scripture because God did not think it pertinent to what we needed to know.

The State of Sodom

Another big issue that stood out to me was the actual behaviour of the people of Sodom. Not one homosexual was depicted. The Biblical lines depicting the townsmen banging down Lot’s door in order to take the angels and know them sexually was completely omitted. It just made them all look like they were wild. And although this was true, the main depiction the Bible provides us with is very different.

I admit, I have no clue why this was left out of the story since it has such massive implications, especially in a day and age where we are literally fighting the wave of homosexuality and sexual perversion in all of its forms, and fighting tooth and nail for the preservation of marriage as the Scripture defines it.

Maybe this was specifically why they left it out. I really have no idea, yet I don’t want to jump to false accusations and harm the good name of Roma Downey and Mark Burnett so I’ll move on.

Lot’s Family

Lot and his family seem to drop off the face of the planet after the destruction of Sodom, although we know Scripture tells us that a longer, ridiculous (on Lot’s part), incestuous story followed that gave birth—literally—to the Moabite and Ammonite peoples who became enemies of Israel once they left Egypt and returned to the Promise Land.

For the full Biblical account of Lot as well as Sodom and Gomorrah, you may see here.

Back to Abraham’s Family Troubles

I would have loved to see more hateful behaviour from Hagar in the story. We know that she ill-treated Sarah after she conceived Ishmael, yet I do not think we see this to the fullness that it truly was. I make this point because I feel that this tension was a great part of the reason (literally, not so much spiritually) for the forced separation of Hagar and Ishmael from Abraham and all that were his.

I also wish that a more physically beautiful actress had been chosen to play Sarah since the Scripture speaks of her beauty to the extent of causing Abraham to lie to, first, Pharaoh, then Abimelech, to prevent their killing him to take her as their respective wife.

We also know that their unfruitful, yet necessary sojourn through Egypt was where they acquired Hagar and as we can see in modern times, plays a huge role in the relationship between the nations in the Middle-East.

All in all, I believe that in The Bible Series: The Beginning, Roma and Mark accomplished what they set out to do—remained true to the spirit of the Bible, even if some details were changed.

As someone who sits under extremely revelatory ministries, it’s sometimes hard to watch an adaption of a Bible story or passage because I find that many directors cut out seemingly insignificant bits and pieces that, spiritually, have a great impact on the overall setting and story of the Bible. Yet as a writer and, one day, movie maker, I also understand the artistic liberties these visionaries must take and do take to accomplish the vision that God has given them for a project as best they can based on the level of their own present relationship with God and level of prophetic revelation and illumination.

Again, I want to emphasis the Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett did a lovely job and I encourage you all to purchase The Bible Series at your earliest convenience! 

Join Me in My Godly Government Book Blog Campaign!

Hello All,

I'm very excited to share with you all about my new ebook Godly Government!  Set to "soft launch" on Election Day, November 6th, 2012, I'm counting on YOU to help support this awesome project!

I'd also like to take a moment to thank everyone who voted for our forthcoming cover design.  Since you lovely people will be purchasing my first book, I thought it would be fitting if you helped me pick the most attractive and relevant cover design.  You can see the final rendering here.

Thanks to the Belinda John of Shulamite Women Community Magazine (SWCM), Divine Works Publishing House, and Divine Graphix Inc. for publishing my ebook and designing the cover!

Blog Campaign

I've got some more exciting news to share with you!  To help get the word out about my Godly Government book project, I'd like to get you all involved again.  My friend Dick Hardy of The Hardy Group and author of 27 Tough Questions Pastors Ask launched a blog campaign a couple of years ago to get the word about his book project out and it was apparently successful because he did it again for his teaching DVD series Make It Happen.  So I'm going to follow his lead and test it out for my own freshman project.

Therefore, during the week of Tuesday November 6th through Monday November 12th I'd like all of YOU to plaster all of the social media outlets with reviews about Godly Government!  Here's how it works:

Step 1: You email me at desiree@desiredassistance.com to tell me you want to participate in the Blog Campaign.  (Serious participants only.)
Step 2: I'll send you a FREE copy of Godly Government ebook (PDF) for you to read and review.
Step 3: November 6th-November 12th, you utilize Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Pinterest, your blogs, and any other social media platforms you have to spread the word about #godlygovernment.

I hope I'll be hearing from many of you soon and that you're ready to team with me to make this "thang" happen!

New Facebook Page

I'd also like to invite you all to "like" my official authoress page on Facebook!  This page and this blog will be the go-to place to learn about all the happenings with this ebook project, The Final Hour forthcoming traditional book project, as well as the other literary works that will undoubtedly follow.  So please don't wait, like my page now!

Thank you in advance!

Question

How do you all feel about doing a Twitter Chat to kick this book project off as well?  Please let me know your thoughts on this!

Love you all!

Desiree, xx
www.DesireeMMondesir.wordpress.com
@DesireeMondesir 

Dear Rev. Jesse Jackson...

Many of you are likely familiar with the comments the Rev. Jesse Jackson made on the name of God being removed from the Democratic National Convention.  If you would like to watch the clip, you may do so here.  I included the bulk of the text in my "letter" so please, feel free to read and let me know your thoughts on the matter.  Did I leave anything out??

Dear Rev. Jesse Jackson,

I would like to address you regarding your very public and very skewed stance on the name of God in the Democratic National Convention platform.  Your discussion with Sean Hannity was as follows:

Hannity: “Will this be the convention that we will now remember as the time that God was nayed and booed by the Democratic convention?”

Jackson: “I think not.  What I really think is that Jesus at one point says ‘Lord, Lord,’ is not the issue; it’s not the name [of] God, it’s the will of God that’s at stake here.  And that means that we must focus just not on what we name God—‘Ali’, ‘Allah’, ‘Yahweh’, “Elohim’—but we feed the hungry and defend the poor….Well I’m not sure why some people would want to focus on the word ‘God’ vs. ‘Ali’, ‘Allah’, ‘Yahweh’, or ‘Elohim’ because at the end of the day it is not the name ‘God’ that makes one religious, it’s the will of God that makes one religious and thing that must be what makes….”

Hannity: “But we are endowed by our Creator—our founding document—we are endowed by our Creator….How should America interpret that [keeping God’s name out of the DNC convention].”

Jackson: “Maybe it shouldn’t have been the word ‘Creator’ in the first place.  I’ve gone to schools where you have, uh, 50 different languages and several different religions and so the issue of a religion and a name can be divisive in a multi-cultural society.”

First, I would like to address your position as a Reverend and man of the cloth.  As an avowed minister of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, it is your duty to uphold that Gospel as it is written—not as you would like it to be written or interpreted.  That includes maintaining the heart and Spirit of God in your life which will undoubtedly permeate every area of your life—especially your political platform.  It does not appear that you have done and are doing that because you are more concerned with building a platform for yourself and blindly supporting our African-American Democratic president (I can say this because I am, myself, black), than supporting the mandate to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom that your very title of “Reverend” denotes.

Second, I would like to address your stance on the name of God Biblically.  To state “I’m not sure why some people would want to focus on the word ‘God’ vs. ‘Ali’, ‘Allah’, ‘Yahweh’, or ‘Elohim’ because at the end of the day it is not the name ‘God’ that makes one religious, it’s the will of God that makes one religious” is blasphemy.  First and foremost, because you equate the name of God to the name of Allah who is a demon impersonating an imagined god who, through is his demonic powers of persuasion and violence, have enslaved the Middle-East for centuries and whose devout followers would see you and me both dead for the infidels to Islam that we are.  Yet you give this demonic deity the same place and position as the name of God.  He is not pleased with this. 

I would also like to point out that the name—not ‘word’—“God” is the highest name above every other.  The very name of God denotes Who and what He is as well as Who and what He is to you and me.  “I Am Who I Am” has stood the test of time: before democracy was created, before the very foundations of the world were formed, and surpassing time’s appointed end which will place us all in eternal life or death, depending on the decisions we make in this temporal realm. 

Since Genesis 4:26, men have called on the name of the Lord and it has been so ever since. 

In Joshua 9:9, men came to the Children of Israel because of the name of the Lord and His fame (and because of what His children could do to their enemies in that name).

When David set himself to defeat Goliath, he did not do it in his own strength or name, but in the name of the Lord saying, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin.  But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied,” (I Samuel 17:45). 

Later the Psalmist declared, “So let Your name be magnified forever…” (II Samuel 7:26 emphasis mine).

When kings and leaders cried out to God for help, they did not ask it to be done for themselves or even for their people, but for the name of the Lord (I Chronicles 16:35, Ezra 6:12, Psalm 97:9).

David knew and declared that the name of the Lord was many things to those that love and trust Him (Psalm 20:5, 54:1) and countless times throughout scripture His name is counted worthy to be praised.

The Prophet Isaiah, too, speaks of the wonder of God and His name.

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6).

With God being “Wonderful”, “Counselor”, “Mighty God”, Everlasting Father”, and “Prince of Peace” how can we the people even begin to expect to govern the country correctly when the One who carries the government on His shoulders has been ex-communicated from the Democratic National Convention platform to be politically correct?

What President Obama needs, respectfully, is not a group of “yes men” and godless individuals around him, but rather those who carry the Almighty God—and His omniscience—inside of them and dare to proclaim it aloud.  That is America’s hope.  Therefore, to consider yourself a national spokesman and political advocate—“in the name of God”—you would have to ask yourself, truthfully, if your actions and fruit prove you to be an advocate for true change and godly morals or the equivalent of a false, palace prophet declaring only the words you believe are popular and want to be heard.

In the name of the Lord, there is untold power.  People can be saved, healed, delivered, and set free.  Demons flee.  Armies tremble and turn on each other.  The very earth stopped its rotation and appeared to make the sun stand still for Joshua all for the glory of God’s name.  Would not this power in the name of God be the “change” we need to move us individually, politically, and nationally “forward”? 

Third, I would like to address your stance on the name of God politically.  Regardless of the fact that many of the Founding Fathers were slave owners, I believe that they were, although socially on the “slavery bandwagon”, good men moved upon by the Spirit of God to draft and sign the documents that would be the framework to make this great nation what it is. 

In the very first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence it states:

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impels them to the separation.”

God is referred to very eloquently and truthfully by our Founding Fathers as the God of Nature and thus, we can deduce, the God of us: whether we be Democrat, Republican, or Independent.

In the very next line the Declaration states:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights….”

Our Founding Fathers, “in order to form a more perfect union,” felt it absolutely necessary to mention our Lord and Creator.  Why?  Because that is exactly who He is and also because in His nature and Word and the worship thereof, we are meant to be free individuals who remember our Creator through our actions, decisions, and yes—our political stances.

In the nature of the Creator-God, we have freedom, justice, peace, prosperity, and happiness (joy).  These things can only be found in Him and when we choose to delete Him from our nation’s government and even from our words, we not only grieve Him, but distance ourselves from Him.  The Founding Fathers knew that.  And if they were alive to see the America we live in today and specifically under President Obama, they might have thought to add more specific references to God and God’s intentions as it refers to marriage, government, civil liberties, the right to bear arms, and defending our nation against the foreign and domestic acts and agenda of terrorism. 

It was not only the Founding Fathers, but the lyricists of our patriotic songs and poems that grasped the truth and necessity of God in their lyrics.

As a child, I was still permitted to say the Pledge of Allegiance daily in my classroom as was my youthful patriotic duty and right which declares:

“…One nation, under God…”

Please note, that it does not say “One nation under ‘Ali’ (whoever that is),” “One nation under Allah,” “One nation under the Unitarian god,” or “One nation under Sun Myung Moon” who just died, but “One nation under God”.

“My Country Tis of Thee” is an Ode to God and nation.  Verse 4 so eloquently declares:

“Our father’s God to Thee, Author of liberty, to Thee we sing.  Long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light, protect us by Thy might, Great God our King.”

Other graceful lyrics from “America the Beautiful” sing:

“America! America!  God shed His grace on thee…” (Chorus A).

“America! America!  God mend thine ev’ry flaw, confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law,” (Chorus B).

“America! America! May God thy gold refine till all success be nobleness and ev’ry gain divine,” (Chorus C).

The last verse of the “Star-Spangled Banner” praised God gloriously!

“O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand between their loved home and the war’s desolation.  Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!  Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’  And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

Even our money cannot be spent without the laud: “In God we trust!”  If the money we spend so readily can declare God on its face, how much more should our lips?

The first individuals to reach the American shores, arguably, were Celtic monks who fled the Vikings and brought with them the hope of a people dedicated to God in their new home affectionately referred to as “Great Ireland”.  Centuries later, various peoples of the Christian faith sought refuge, again, on our shores from the religious persecution in Britain and on the continent of Europe as a whole.  In the 1800s, Britain’s William Wilberforce—a man of God with a divinely-inspired political agenda—championed the Abolition Movement that ended the British slave trade which was soon followed by our own Emancipation.  The Great Awakening that also leapt from Britain to the United States of America helped transform our nation for the better in the name of God.  And even now, with the economy and healthcare crumbling under the dangerously socialist rule of our president, Israel being bullied by its demonically-inspired enemies and ignored by its unsure ally, the once godly and patriotic Civil Rights Movement being unnaturally hijacked by sexual deviants its supporters, and abortionists being praised and asked to speak at the DNC while they agree to murder in cold blood more people than Hitler did in World War II, there are still those of us who would dare to maintain, support, and speak the name of God over ourselves and our nation because we know that invoking His name can only bring us blessings.  

The name of God is our only salvation and to deviate from the topic, deflect to your host, irresponsibly represent the American people, entirely abandon the Body of Christ, and to put it plainly: “talk crazy” is badly done on your part sir, very badly done.    

When your time comes, God will demand an account of everything He has set before you to do and accomplish and represent.  What will you tell Him?  The will of God is important, yes, but you cannot even state that phrase without mentioning the very name of God.  When you allow and support the removal of His hallowed name from the DNC platform, you deny Him like Peter denied Christ—accept it appears that you are not in the least convicted by your sins of denial and misrepresentation and are seeking no occasion to apologize and recant for your wholly incorrect statements.  I challenge and charge you, as a Christian and Daughter of the Most High God that you profess to serve to fall on your face before God, repent truthfully, and be the voice of reason in your party as well as your ministry.  And to seal that charge I leave you with these final words:

"The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy." (Psalm 145:8)

Truthfully,

Desiree M. Mondesir

Any Other Gospel Than This

Last night I was watching my service online like I typically do in this season of my life and they were sharing awesome testimonies from a retreat they’d had over the week-end.  The one that stood out to me was a young man who was bound by witchcraft and homosexuality.  When he was an extremely young child his family introduced him to voo doo by taking him to a ceremony.  At this ceremony or another like it, a man molested him which introduced him to homosexuality.  I shared the picture and Facebook version of the testimony so the world would be encouraged by the young man’s awesome testimony.

However, this testimony elicited an unexpected response from a former ORU [Oral Roberts University] peer (wing sister) of mine.  She called it “rubbish” and completely disregarded the young man’s struggle and deliverance.  It was late so I deleted her response because I do not allow any form of blasphemy or grieving the Holy Spirit and His evident work in someone’s life nor do I allow anyone to speak ill of my spiritual father or his church.  I don’t play that!  But not wanting to be rude and feeling maybe the testimony was unclear to her, I inboxed her a message to clarify the testimony of the young man and also my comment that Jesus can and does deliver from witchcraft and homosexuality.  I thought that maybe she misinterpreted it to mean that witchcraft causes homosexuality, which was not at all what I mean to convey.  I quickly discovered that her issue was not confusion with the testimony, but in believing that the Bible is true. 

The young lady has several loved ones that are active participants of the homosexual lifestyle and because they are wonderful people—which I cannot argue either way since I do not know any of them—has somehow led her to believe that it is alright for them to be homosexual because “God created them that way” and He loves them.  She also went on to add that I am judgmental, insinuated that I do not truly know the Bible (or at least how to interpret it), and that I will have to answer to God for my sins of judgment against His [homosexual] people.

This to me was absolutely laughable and also extremely sad because some people really think that their feelings about God and or His word determine how they are allowed to interpret the Bible.  They are sadly mistaken.  I write this blog not to gather personal supporters, but rather to use my literary platform to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.

The Apostle Paul provides an excellent passage that will direct the heart of this post.  It reads as follows:

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said and said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.  For do I persuade men, or God?  Or do I seek to please men?  For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ,” (Galatians 1:8-10).

Dear ORU grad, FB friend, Twitterbug, or other acquaintance: whether I know you or not, like you or not, I am not here to impress you.  I am here to lift up the name of Jesus and to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God—not of man—to you.  If anyone has an issue with what I say, then you don’t have an issue with me—you have an issue with God, with Jesus, and with the Bible.   

The Two-Edged Sword & Rock of Offense

Let us first clarify that the Word of God is a two-edged sword, sharper than any known to man (Hebrews 4:12).  So guess what? That means the Word cuts.  Or as Pastor Tamara Bennett would say, “it’s cutting me while it’s cutting you”.  We may not always like what the word of God says and we as human beings with free will are absolutely entitled to that preference.  However, when we stand before God on Judgment Day, He is not going to forgive us and let us in His Heaven to spend eternity with Him if we chose to disregard or twist His word to fit our preferences without repentance.  That’s not how it works.  When we truly know God, when we truly make Him our Lord and Saviour of every part of our lives, then we want to please Him; we want to abide by and preach His word because it’s our passion.  It doesn’t matter how we feel about it because what God says goes.    

The Bible also refers to Jesus as the “rock of offense” and that is a most accurate statement (Isaiah 8:14, Romans 9:33, I Peter 2:8).  I Peter goes on to say:

“They stumble, being disobedient, to the word, to which they also were appointed,” (I Peter 2:8). 

This means that even the people who have been introduced to the Gospel, those who claim to know, serve, and love God, can be [consistently] disobedient to God’s word.  

The word disobedience as defined by Merriem-Webster is the refusal to neglect or obey.  This means that the disobedient person knows the truth, knows what they are supposed to say, do, or believe, and yet they willfully choose to do otherwise.  They choose rebellion.  And it is this disobedience that allows the person to choose to be and or remain offended.

The Curse of Teaching [Promoting] False Doctrine

The Word is very harsh on those who teach and or promote off doctrine of any sort whether it’s a Unitarian doctrine that states everyone is saved and going to Heaven, they just don’t know it or that lying is ok.  Sin is sin to God and to be a believer and especially a member of the Fivefold ministry (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and or teacher) and promote it is a deadly mistake if it is not confessed and forgiven. 

The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy about false teachers saying:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables,” (II Timothy 4:3-4).

Jesus tells us the punishment for leading God’s children astray in Matthew.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to the man by whom the offense comes!” (Matthew 18:6-7).

Another passage that pronounce a judgment on promoting a false doctrine states:

“Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” (Matthew 5:19-20).

The Bible places very steep judgment on those who know the truth and choose to do, preach, or live otherwise.

Mistaking God’s Love for His Tolerance

Many people, especially as it concerns homosexuality, tell themselves that since God is a God of love, He would not really send unrepentant sinners to Hell for eternity.  These people are sorely mistaken.

God most certainly is love, but He is also holy and as such, demands us to be holy.  Sin cannot dwell in His presence which is why man was driven from Eden.  Their sin-sick state would have tainted the realm of glory that God created us to live in and it is as true today as it was then.  God loves us so unbelievably much whether we serve Him or not, whether we surrender our sexuality to Him or not.  Yet when we actively choose to disregard or disbelieve what His Word says about [homosexuality], when we choose to ignore the work of redemption and freedom that Jesus won for us through his horrible suffering, gruesome death on the cross, and powerful resurrection, we slap Him in the face and reject the gift and therefore willfully forfeit eternal life with Him. 

Illustration: If I give you a gift card to Nieman Marcus,  but you never redeem it, you will not be able to possess all of the wonderful gifts that are waiting for your there.  It’s like you never had it to begin with.

It is the same with salvation.  If we never accept it and walk in it, then we forfeit the abundant life that God longs to give us. 

Furthermore, when we say that God is love, it does not mean that He is tolerant of our sin and rebellion.  This is one of the biggest deceptions of our “advanced” society.  You become labeled as a bigot or hatemonger if you profess God’s stance on homosexuality because there is a widespread misconception of God and His word.

Illustration: An example I love to use is a parent and their child.  If you as a parent tell your child to clean their room and they don’t, they are being disobedient.  You hate that the child does not clean their room, but you do not hate the child them self.  Yet the child’s disobedience requires punishment. 

God is the same way.  He loves each and every one of us so very much!  The word tells us that “The Lord…is not willing that any of us should perish”! But I’m going finish the verse that so many would prefer I not see or read because it states “but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9). 

The Fragrance of Life or Death

I have been accused before of “cherry-picking” (preferential selection) Bible verses to suit a particular theology or philosophy.  Yet it is not cherry-picking to preach God’s word the way He intended to preach it.  I refuse to have blood on my hands for not preaching God’s word to the lost, or worse, for twisting and or selectively preaching His word to make it more appealing to a deceived generation.  I could boost my popularity with people and preach to their itching ears the things that comfort them in their mess, polish their chains of bondage, or pity their flesh, but God would be most grieved.  I would lose my place in Heaven and eternity because I was too busy trying to make myself a place among men. 

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is not popular, sugar-coated, or encouraging to our flesh.  In fact, it is foolishness (I Corinthians 1:18) and “the aroma of death leading to death” (II Corinthians 2:14-16) to those who do not believe.  But do not let it remain a deadly aroma in your nostrils.  If you repent and believe on Christ and His word, it will become the fragrance of life to you(II Corinthians 2:14-15)! 

Repeat this prayer with me:

            Father God,

I know that I am a sinner and my sin grieves You and separates me from you.  I want to put aside my emotions, preferences, and bondages to embrace You and Your word.  Come into my heart today.  I confess that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God who was born of a virgin, died on the cross, and rose from the grave on the third day to claim my freedom and healing. I make you the Saviour and Lord of my life.  Fill me with Your precious Holy Spirit who teaches and guides me into all truth!  I accept you now!  Thank God for saving and filling me!

In Jesus’ name,

Amen!

My prayer is that you repeated and believed that prayer with all your heart.  If you did, you are transformed and a bona fide son/daughter of the Most High God whose presence lives in and leads you.  If you make a mistake, it’s ok! Just ask God for His forgiveness, ignore condemnation from the devil, and continue to grow in the things of God.  Join a church near you that preaches the sound doctrine Jesus preached and can help you in your walk.   

I love you and most of all, God loves you! 

God Bless! xx

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!

Whitney: Her Life, Her Death, and Her Homegoing

Whitney "Nippy" Elizabeth Houston

1963-2012

Today, along with millions of people around the world, I watched Whitney Houston’s funeral.  I did not know what to expect and I have had viewpoints and opinions on her life as well as her afterlife that many would disagree with or even find offensive.  Yet, I love Whitney.  I never met her, but when she died, it was like an aunt I’d always loved, but never got to the chance to know, had died.  In short I was devastated.  And with none of us truly knowing where Whitney would spend eternity, I did not have a particular expectation of the funeral besides these two things: 1) Pastor Marvin Winans must preach the eulogy and 2) CeCe Winans must sing “Don’t Cry for Me”.  My expectations were met and, by far, exceeded.

As soon as I tuned into Whitney’s funeral, or should I say, homegoing service, I was immediately struck by the presence of God in that place.  It flooded into my office and overwhelmed me. And once I gained an understanding of what would truly happen at her homegoing, this verse popped into my head:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain,” (John 12:24).

I realised that the impact of Whitney Houston’s life would greatly pale in comparison to the impact that her death would have.  Someone related it to Sampson who, in his death, killed more Philistines than he ever did in his life put together.  I concur.  Whitney had an undeniable, gift from God in her voice.  Yet it was her death that drew the world together and created a platform for God to be exalted. 

In case you missed it, Twitter [and Facebook] was on fire during the homegoing service.  Piers Morgan, Suze Orman, RHONJ’s Caroline Manzo, Amber Riley, my fellow wedding professionals, and saints everywhere had a four hour, international church service via internet and over the airwaves!  The saints praised and worshipped.  Secular artists who didn’t know Jesus had the anointing rest on them like in Old Testament times while they sang their tributes.  Pastors spoke in tongues.  And I know that I know that I know that lives were changed.  And all of this on the internet and international television!  Furthermore, if you would have checked the Twitter trends during the Homegoing, the vast majority of them had to do with God and Jesus.  I’ve NEVER seen ANYTHING like this in my entire life!

I spoke with my sister Jessica today to relay all the funeral details to hear and I told her I did not think it was any coincidence that just two nights ago, I watched a church service online wherein the speaker, Prophetess Cindy Jacobs, declared that the next great revival of America had begun.  What the devil meant for evil [by Whitney’s Death], God meant for good!  And just as Bishop Jakes said today at the service, “death has not won”.  And it indeed has not! 

On Anderson Cooper the other night, BeBe Winans, spoke about the song he wrote which his sister CeCe recorded and performed, “Don’t Cry forMe”.

“No one is the blame, my death was meant to be.  Don’t carry guilt or shame. The reason why I came, soon you’ll see”.

Such poignant, powerful words!  “…the reason why I came, soon you’ll see…”. Whitney’s gift, Whitney’s life—as all of our lives are—was created to give God glory.  Despite whatever issues we have, whatever struggles we deal with, whatever heartaches break us, our lives were made to bring God glory!  And Whitney’s life as a whole, whether previously disputed or not, has now culminated to bring God greater glory than many of ours ever will.  Her death, timely and painful as it was, gathered us as a global family together and in the midst of our celebration, God was magnified above Whitney, above all of her triumphs, above all of her struggles, above all of her downfalls. And the Bibles says, “that if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me,” (John 12:32).  And today my friends, Christ was lifted up. 

So now, I will do what was not able to be done at the funeral.  I offer you the chance to accept Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Saviour.  It’s so simple!  You need only do these three things:

1. A—Accept Jesus Christ as your only Lord and Saviour: We must do this because the Bible says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which men must be saved,” (Acts 4:12).

2. B—Believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, who lived a sinless life, and died for your sins: John 3:16 tells us that Jesus is the “only begotten Son” of God and that “whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life in Christ Jesus”.  Furthermore, if we do not believe that Christ led a sinless life, then His death would just be the death of any other religious martyr and give us no hope of eternal life or forgiveness for our sins. 

3. C—Confess that you are a sinner and you will be saved: The Bible says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  That means me, you, Whitney, the Pope, everyone accept Jesus is a sinner.  Therefore, we all are in need of God’s forgiving grace.  It also says that our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).  We cannot do any thing, any work, that would erase our sins from our slate.  However, God’s grace is sufficient to forgive us all our sins and His blood strong enough to wash us white as snow.

Allow Whitney’s life and even more so, her death, to not be for naught.  Learn from Whitney’s mistakes and truly make Jesus your Lord and Saviour.  She would not want you to make the same mistakes she did.  She would not want you to wait as long as she did.  You can be free now, if you choose.  Pray this simple prayer aloud.

              Dear Lord,

Thank You for sending Your only Son to die for me.  I admit that I am a sinner and separated from you.  I do not want to live that way anymore.  Please come into my life and make me new.  I make You my Lord and Saviour this day and forevermore!

              In Jesus’ name, Amen!

YAY!!!  If you’ve prayed the prayer and truly believed it in your heart, then God now lives in you!  You have His precious Holy Spirit in you as well.  The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).  He is the One who teaches, guides, encourages, and empowers you to live the Godly life you desire to live.  With the Holy Ghost, you can shake every single addiction and every bad habit in your life.  It is His anointing that reaches you right where you are and literally destroys the yoke of bondage over your life.  And you will also have the evidence of His indwelling in you which is speaking in tongues or what Pastor Marvin Winans referred to as a “language you don’t understand”.  To receive this, pray aloud this prayer. 

Dear Lord,

I thank you for the gift of Your precious Holy Spirit.  I understand that He lives in me, yet I want to give Him the permission to lead, guide, teach, encourage, and empower me.  Holy Spirit, please come into my life and fill me so that I can live the life You created me to live and speak the words You would have me to speak.  Give me the evidence of speaking in tongues so that I know I have You for real.

Thank You Holy Spirit!

In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Open your mouth and begin to praise and thank God.  And when you start speaking in a language you don’t understand, you got it!  You are not only saved, but filled with the Power to live out your purpose-filled life! You are free!

(If you have ANY questions about these prayers, salvation, or the Holy Spirit, do not hesitate to comment or contact me at desireemondesir@yahoo.com.)

I praise God for Whitney “Nippy” Elizabeth Houston and for the impact of her death.  I pray that the people who heard the Word go forth would be drawn to Christ and that their lives will be forever changed. 

Whitney, today you were “the voice” that drew a nation and the world to Jesus.  We will ALWAYS love you. 

Love, Desiree

P.S.  My friend and client, Kathy R. Green also wrote a phenomenal blog about Whitney Houston.  You can read it here.  

P.P.S. Here are a plethora of clips from Whitney Houston’s Homegoing Service. 

Full Service Part I & Full Service Part II

BeBe Winans sings "I Miss You"

Pastor Donnie McClurkin sings "Stand"

Pastor Kim Burrell sings "Change is Gonna Come"

R. Kelly sings "I Look to You"

Stevie Wonder sings "Ribbon in the Sky"

The Winans Family sings "Tomorrow"

Bishop TD Jakes Has Words

Tyler Perry Has Words