To Tithe or Not to Tithe???

How long is it acceptable to be wrong under the assumption of right without proper investigation? For thousands of years mankind believed the world was flat. For over 1,000 years most Christians were Catholics who also worshipped Mary equally with Christ, and believed the Pope was God's chief and final authority on the earth in the place of Christ. For hundreds of years in the United States it was taught, believed, and accepted that black people were inferior to white people. I've heard it taught that non-tithers are cursed, should not be allowed to participate in church activities, should be kicked out of church, should be shot, and are robbing God among other things.

Musings At Midnight...

The Lord woke me up early this morning and begin dealing with me about the lack of discernment in the Body of Christ and the great deal of cynicism for which there is no accountability. Who caused this? How did we get here and how do we get out? We have a lot of folks tired of church who don't go anymore, or folks who are tired and still in church as we know it. Most of them love God and want to be saved, but many are unhappy and often hurting from church. The old cliches of "maybe the problem is you" or "you only get out what you put in", and guilt tripping or intimidating people into following or giving isn't working nor has it for some time. Folks are either burnt out or beat up, and leaders are fed up. The leaders seem to always blame the people and the people blame the leaders. 

No one wants to take responsibility or be held accountable for this, but everybody is playing the "blame game". The modern church has become a revolving door where new folks get saved and veterans leave. Is this prophecy being fulfilled or are we over-spiritualizing it when the answer is much more practical? Maybe folks are tired of getting beat up over the pulpit, on phone calls, in meetings, in their pocket books and bank accounts, and being embarrassed when they start thinking differently or have legitimate questions that displease the leaders. A few of my writings may be liberating to some people but often reviled by leaders because it challenges our traditional positions and the structure of church as we know it. 

When people get tired they rebel; it's called a revolt or a revolution. I don't have anyone that can shut me up or controls me like a dog on a leash, and that is probably the most annoying aspect of what I and others like me do in the eyes of those who oppose this line of reasoning. Sometimes I feel like a freed and educated slave who is sneaking onto plantations to teach other slaves how to read and empower them to gain their freedom from an oppressive system of religion. It is annoying to some because we've been taught a slave-god mentality that has convinced us of the concepts of "clergy vs. laity" and "absolute authority" based on titles and delusions of self grandeur. This has only created a division within the Body of believers and led to problems we are facing now. 

For many leaders, true freedom for their followers is scary because it means we have to actually teach the Bible the way GOD wrote it and we can no longer dictate and control how folks live, or be served by them in the manner we were taught and have become accustomed to. Without this system of "serfdom" that we've inherited and continue to propagate our economy and mini kingdoms will have to truly rely on the LORD like we preach to the people. We like the system as it is and have no vision beyond it so we say it's YAH's doing, but have never really followed the Lord's blueprint and built according to His pattern. When I think about it like this I'm reminded that Yeshua the Christ was crucified by the religious establishment because he challenged these very things. Have we become the Pharisees and Sadducees of the current system who are so bent on protecting our place that we will crucify anyone who gets in our way no matter how anointed they are or who they are? I wonder.

I'm not hurting from church, angry at church, or against the Church and not even against what we accept as the modern day conventional church, but I believe it needs an overhaul before Christ returns or very few of us will go back with him. As Christ said in MARK 7:7; "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." We're trapped in tradition and lie to ourselves about being "cutting edge", because to leave the traditions we've created would take us to far out of our comfort zone. It would force us to do more than just go to church but actually "be the Church"; a living organism empowered by God Almighty with all parts treated equally. Pure religion as defined by the scriptures tends to the needs of people and doesn't feed the greed and prestige of the leaders. 

JAMES 1:27; "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."  

Being "cutting edge" or innovative as many of us think we are is actually worldliness and ungodliness in most cases I've seen, and it misleads the masses by appealing to their carnality while driving them further away from the standard of holiness and the LORD. HEBREWS 12:14; "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord". The Gospel that Yeshua preached liberated people with good news, but the one many of us preach and are hearing is full of financial promises, false prophecies, and bondage. We too often sound more like politicians, motivational speakers, and rappers rather than gospel preachers.

I seriously doubt that what we are doing and have been calling church is the same thing Adonai Yeshua had in mind when he established the Church. I'm not really sure anymore but I know something isn't right and there has to be more to it than this; no more cliches please. The greatest opposition to change comes from leaders who want to keep the status quo. We love the attention and assumed privileges our titles and positions have brought us. Some have waited almost all their lives to get to their positions and feel offended that a group of us come along and say "NO MAS" (NO MORE). They invoke their titles with decrees, declarations, and even curses at those they deem foolish enough to challenge the system or question their authority. 

I ain't scared. I'm too tired and have had to heal from too much hurt to be worried or scared anymore of some puffed up preachers or their groupies. If they were "King Kong" or "Godzilla" I would feel the same way. I love the LORD; I really do, and I love the Church. I just wish those with the big titles they love reminding everybody of loved the people of God as much as they love themselves. The last I checked I think Christ said that loving others was tied for being the greatest of all commandments with loving YAH himself. Let's check... hmm... Oh there those pesky scriptures are:

MARK 12:28-31; "And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29) And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31) And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."

Yep, that's the one. We teach it but we sure suck at doing it. I'm going to go pray about what I can do better on a personal level with intense self-examination, and also how to help improve things in the Church of the Living God. I got a lot of work to do on me if I'm going to help others, but working on me doesn't negate my right to discuss "US". WE are the Body of Christ and the citizens of the Kingdom of God TOGETHER. There is no me without you nor you without me in the true Church of Yeshua the Messiah. Ah, never mind me; these are just the private thoughts of a random dude expressed publicly that I probably should have kept to myself. Oh well, I'm just musing.  ~ I.J. West  

ISAIAH 6:5; "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."  

To Decree & Declare, or Not?

I asked a question and challenged fellow believers to prove with scripture the validity of the doctrine of "decree & declare". This false doctrine seems to have come from the Word of Faith movement and has now spread like wildfire throughout charismatic & Pentecostal churches. This teaching has been made popular by celebrity status preachers and is partner with the teaching that by faith we can put a "demand" on God to answer and perform our petitions by using God's own word to do so. The latter mentioned teaching gives the impression that we can hold God hostage with the Bible and boss him around based on what we believe he said, and the former leads me to believe that we have harnessed some magical word power that gives us the ability to change any circumstance with the words of our mouths like GOD. The primary scripture used to support the doctrine and now popular practice of "Decree & Declare" is found in JOB 22:28.

A Message to the Five-Fold Ministers

Everybody wants to be heard but nobody wants to listen; especially preachers and leaders. We seem to only pay attention when a message comes from someone we think is on our level or above us because we are respecters of person. We want everyone to respect us or apologize to us when they're wrong, but we don't respect hardly anybody and almost never apologize to those we hurt and wrong. We demand obedience and quote scriptures out of context by teaching fear of men instead of faith in God. We try to keep followers in check by misusing such scriptures as "touch not my anointed", "double honor", reminding folks of stories such as "she bears mauling the disrespectful", and not to mention the "I'm your man/woman of God" statements we hurl at folks. We compare ourselves to biblical figures in our ungodly pride, subterfuge, and delusion saying things like we have the authority of Moses but unable to match the "meekness" of Moses. When I see and hear certain leaders I see and hear so much of them I can't see or hear any of Christ in them. A truly humble person never has to talk about how humble they are; they just are. Are not the people also God's anointed? Are we not suppose to also honor one another, reject strife with vainglory, and esteem others as better than ourselves?

The Great Falling Away... A Call to Revival

A disturbing thought came to me in the wee hours of the morning:

"The Great Falling Away" happens in the Church. It is not really about Church members leaving and falling away to the world but primarily falling away and remaining in the church. The scriptures don't actually call it "great" but many theologians do as it relates to and precedes the revealing of the anti-Christ and the coming "great tribulation" in prophecy. 2nd THESSALONIANS 2:3; "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition".  In the book of Revelations chapters 2 & 3 Christ is addressing the Church, not the world. The final church known as Laodicea has fallen away but has not left their "system of organization". When the "organism" becomes an"organization" first it is no longer a living thing and is considered dead. We should be organized, but not become slaves to the system. When we worship our worship more than we worship the LORD then Yeshua isn't getting anything out of our services and we're not going for him but for ourselves. A dead church can have service every Sunday, the best musicians, the most dynamic worship team, a nice usher board, a beautiful edifice, the best preacher in town, and everyone walking in material prosperity and still be fallen away and spiritually dead. Are you fallen away? Do you really think because you go to a church every week it really means you are saved?

A Word From The LORD, 10/15/2013

The Word of the LORD came to me saying: "Birthing pains and Growing pains are happening at the same time within the Body of Christ. I AM bringing forth a new thing that has been foretold of old and developing the unknown and obscure to be at the front of it. I AM re-establishing my order in the Church that the children of men have perverted in their attempts to usurp my authority and establish their own. Your old ways of doing things were never my way but I allowed it for a time and now that time has come to an end. 

ISAIAH 43:18-19; "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 19) Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."    

The "wilderness" represents "entanglement", and the "desert" represents "bareness". I AM growing some out of their entanglements, and causing others to birth out of their bareness. It is time for you to be born again in your mind so that you can grow in your spirit and see these very things of which I speak. 

JOHN 3:3; "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 

I AM weaning my children off of the milk and changing their diet to strong meat, and others I'm weaning off of strong meat and changing their diet to manna so they may digest the deep things of God in order to live the supernatural and not just experience it in bits and pieces. Those who won't change will starve and remain where they are.

PSALM 78:22-26; "Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: 23) Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, 24) And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. 25) Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full."

My manna is not of this world nor comes through the agency of mankind but directly from Heaven. My chosen, Israel, made the dire error of choosing the earthly and worldly things, represented in their desire for meat, over the heavenly things I gave to them. Their own carnality led to them being judged by me and their carcasses remain in the desert to this day as a witness against them of my very Word, and also as a reminder to those who would follow their bad example.

PSALM 78:27-33; "He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: 28) And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. 29) So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire; 30) They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, 31) The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. 32) For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. 33) Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble."

Do not rebel or kick against the prick and cause the same kind of judgment to happen to you when I have gone through much greater lengths to bring you where you are now than I ever did for natural Israel. I came in the person of my Son Yeshua HaMoshiach to redeem you and make you worthy, and for this reason I will begin my judgment with the redeemed to prove whether they are walking worthy or unworthy of me, and I will do so for all to see. 

1st PETER 4:17; "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

I have admonished you to "walk worthy" by my holy apostles and prophets through my written Word and sent others to speak unto you by my Word as witnesses of these things. EPHESIANS 4:1-3; "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2) With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3) Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."  There will be few other warnings to some and no other warnings to those who claim to possess and walk in higher callings but do so falsely.

JEREMIAH 29:8-9; "For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. 9) For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord."

Hearken unto me dear children and obey my Holy Word. Let not my voice fall on deaf ears or be rejected by a rebellious and stubborn heart. I am realigning you with my will and re-positioning many in these last days. I love you above all others; please do not ignore my voice."  ~ YAH  

Anointed For 2nd... Can You Handle It?

Can you handle being anointed for 2nd? I've witnessed and still see many of my contemporaries in the ministry striving and competing for preeminence among the brethren in a manner completely contrary to the Holy Scriptures. They seek recognition under the false pretext of spreading the gospel, which is a lie they tell themselves and others to mask the ungodly pride that drives their vain ambitions. They want to be served but are unwilling to serve; believing their title or position makes them more deserving and above others. Adonai Yeshua the Christ himself said in MATTHEW 23:11, "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant."  We have few great leaders among us because we have few great servants. The higher the calling the greater the responsibility and service that must be rendered by the one so called; not received. We are to faithfully work for the LORD without the thought of material gain or fame so that the pay and the credit is not our focus but our loving service unto YAH is. LUKE 17:10; "So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do."  I find it ironic that it is almost always the leaders teaching the people these scriptures to remind them of their service to God as if it doesn't first apply to them, and they are also quick to use other scriptures that speak of receiving "double honor" and "being worthy of their hire" to justify themselves being served. Everyone seems to want to be a somebody without realizing that it is more rewarding and takes greater strength of character and anointing to be a nobody. For anyone who has ever been overlooked, made the underdog, counted out, shunned, ostracized, or is even a middle child let me offer you some encouragement and enlightenment on your situation in the eyes of the Most High.

WikiScrips & Battered Saint Syndrome

It is a shame when we have to unlearn "church" to actually become "The Church" as our Heavenly Father ordained. Many people of Yah have been brainwashed, manipulated, intimidated, and bewitched by men and women by means of vain traditions and false doctrines taught as commandments of God to bring us into bondage unto them, and block the way to God. People are so deeply entrenched in this system of bondage that they will turn on those sent in love by Yah to help rescue them. They don't know how to love outside of their abusive and manipulative relationship. They vehemently over emphasize prayer for the abusive leaders but rarely if ever for the abused. "WikiLeaks is an international, online, non-profit organization which publishes secret information, news leaks, and classified media from anonymous sources." The Prophetic and Teaching ministries are the "WikiScrips" to declare the Word of the Lord from the Holy Scriptures and reveal the truth of God. The goal is to freely provide accurate information from Heaven without seeking personal profit in order to liberate those held captive by the deception of Satan and people. JUDE 22-23; "And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23) And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh."  Often the message of truth is not well received or believed because the people love the lie more, and have confused serving man with worshipping God.

A Word on "SPIRITUAL HOSPITALS & DOCTORS"

Church has been called a "spiritual hospital" for the spiritually sick, but why is it the only hospital that seems to keep you in treatment and never lets you leave? What other hospital do you know of that doesn't try to help people get well and release them? Patients who live in hospitals are either beyond treatment with mental illness and are only controlled with medication, or they are terminally ill and about to die. Is your pastor and church driving you crazy and killing your spirit, or are they helping you get well and training you to move on and help someone else as a spiritual doctor or nurse? If you're destiny is dictated by how far your pastor lets you go then you're not going anywhere, and will die in the hospital. That makes it a mortuary. 

JEREMIAH 8:22; "Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?" 

Doctors make big money off of patients by medicating their sickness without healing them. Pulpit Pimps make big money by keeping members dependent on them rather than independent of them. Doctors often fall victim to the "god complex", and so do pastors. A true pastor isn't insecure or envious of someone else's ability, isn't in competition for preeminence and recognition, isn't in need of total control over people or the church, but willingly supports and sends others out to do their ministry, and truly seeks to help others exceed them and reach their full purpose in Christ. If the pastor isn't using you after all this time, and you've been faithful and obedient unto the LORD then know they would rather prove their power over you than empower you.  ~ I.J. West 

MATTHEW 23:13; "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."  

How To Develop In The Prophetic & In Spiritual Gifts

A question came to me that had me think many years back in my own experiences of walking with God in the prophetic ministry. A senior minister/prophet who I looked up to told me to start practicing my prophetic gift on different people whenever I was out some where. He told me that sometimes I would be right and other times I may even get it wrong. I was a bit taken back because what he was telling me to do didn't seem right and kind of like the things that those with "familiar spirits" practice; aka "psychics". He wanted me to try discerning people's names, birthdays, and prognosticate (predict or forecast) events and other details in their personal lives. I was in shock and disbelief, but either out of respect or purely being stunned I froze up at that moment and didn't say anything. I rationalized in my head who he was, who I was compared to him, and then decided to accept what he was saying because of his experience and my trust in him; believing that he would not lead me astray. Many days went by and I couldn't bring myself to do what he had told me because it felt so wrong in my spirit, and I couldn't find one biblical precedence to validate what he was teaching me as being from YAH. Yet, there was something else within me that wanted to do it to prove my own prophetic prowess which the LORD revealed to be ungodly pride. Needless to say I didn't follow through on what he told me, and I let him know my position on that. Surprisingly, he actually listened and seemed convicted and corrected by what I said. He had also been taught what he had told me by someone he trusted years before. I still love him as a brother, we are still friends, he has never shown me in anyway that he wasn't a moral man of God, but on this particular issue I could not agree and we no longer discuss these types of matters. Here is the question below I mentioned in the beginning:

*A WARNING TO ALL PREACHERS & LEADERS* (A Plea Out Of Love)

PSALM 118:8-9; "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. 9) It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes."

Sexual sins often follow the sins of pride and arrogance. Whenever a minister falls to pride, takes their success for granted, and begins to believe their own myth they tend to think they are practically invincible and put more confidence in their gifting rather than being humble and glorifying God. They justify their arrogance and those following them are many times contributors to their delusion by continually hyping them up. The web of pride & lust is unmerciful and all caught in it fall together. We aren't the second coming of the Lord Yeshua or a Holy Ghost Superman/Superwoman. Repent and be humble.