The Danger of Celebrity pt. 1

Everyone knows that we are in a world that worships celebrity and celebrities. People love to try to connect with celebrities, but what has grown in this new advent of reality television and social media, is the strong desire of many to become a celebrity. Now anyone can go “viral” and get a measure of fame.

My personal thoughts on fame is that it’s liability. Yes, when I was younger, I was in hot pursuit of meeting my favorite musicians, but I have never had the desire to be famous and the thought of losing my anonymity is terrifying to me. But different strokes for different folks.

What made me want to write about this is the incident that happened at the Oscars with Will Smith and Chris Rock. But I will deal with that in part 2. I first want to deal with the danger of fame and worshiping human beings who are just like you and me.

There are people who absolutely worship Beyonce. Recently there was a church service that was about Beyonce and her songs. Yes, really. And there is even a name for her fans. They are called the Bey Hive and they will “attack” people online, by filling their social media pages with bees, if they say negative things about Beyonce. This is a form of worship.

So how do people get famous? Basically in our society today, fame comes from becoming actors, singer, musicians and sports figures. Authors and politicians can become famous, and again, going viral can bring a measure of fame to the average person. Fame come when someone does something that the world takes notice of.

But there is also another way that you can become famous. Fame can be offered to you by the devil himself. Yes, I believe that and the proof comes from Mathew 4 when Jesus had been fasting and praying for 40 days and night and the devil came to him to tempt him. in verse 5 it says the following:

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’^[c]”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’^[d]”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’^[e]”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Verse 8 is key. The devil offered fame in exchange for worship. Don’t be deceived. This still happens to day. That is why every once in a while you will hear celebrities say things like they “sold their soul to the devil.” I believe it happens but it comes with a price.

So what does God think of fame? Is he against it? And is it wrong to be famous? I think that fame is something that can come and in and of itself, it’s not wrong. I believe it’s the worship of the celebrity and the attitude of the famous person that becomes problematic. Several years back there was a video going around of actress Reese Witherspoon being arrested and she used the entitled words “do you know who I am?” Well that is the attitude I am referring to. It’s the celebrities who think they are entitled to be treated differently or that they are better than everyone else, that is problematic. I’ve heard horror stories from friends who knew or had encountered some very arrogant celebrities and I will leave it at that.

Finally, because this is a blog about the prophetic, I want to share a prophetic word of knowledge that my former Pastor gave. In doing my research I am amazed at how accurate my Pastors word was. I believe it was in 1992 my Pastor gave a word that God was going to bring down two Michael’s. The Prophetic word indicated that God was not pleased because their fame (the two Michael’s) had touched His glory.

Isaiah 48:11New International Version

¹¹ For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.
    How can I let myself be defamed?
    I will not yield my glory to another.

You see true glory belongs to God alone. And He will not share his glory with those who he created. After my Pastor prophesied about the two Michael’s, in 1993 Michael Jackson was accused of abusing a child and Michael Jordan had a gambling scandal and his father was murdered which led to his temporary retirement. Both men’s level of fame was greatly affected. Michael Jackson was never viewed in the same light ever again.

Listen, God is the only one to be worshiped and if you find yourself in that space of fame and fortune, you need to constantly be pointing people to Jesus and not you.

I think Will Smith’s has reached his pinnacle of fame. This incident has changed his career forever. I’ll talk about that in part 2.

Surviving Covid-19 Part 1

I’ve been thinking about writing this post for a while, but I just didn’t get around to it because I have been dealing with getting the Corona virus and all of it after affects. Just writing those words brings up so many emotions, so I know it will take me two posts to get it all out.

When you reach a certain age in life, you realize that things don’t always go the way that you want them to no matter how we try to avoid them. I say this because even the most careful of us can end up getting this crazy virus. Here is my story:

When the virus started to get bad back in March, my job went on lock down and we worked from home for 2 months. God has been good to me because I continued to work this entire year, never missed a paycheck or a meal and I still have a roof over my head. I know this is NOT the case for many people, but I am grateful to God for how my year has been.

I lost my sister in February and by May I received the surprise of my life when I received a letter about a life insurance policy in which I was name the second beneficiary (our father was the primary, but he is deceased). I was able to accomplish so much and I even brought a new car even though my other car was only a year old. So for me, this has been a great year financially. God has been good!

But just last month after being extremely careful about this virus, I was infected. I was not attending church for safety. I stopped going to the movies, don’t go to the hair or nail salon and I pretty much do nothing except get my food. No socializing or anything. But on December 3rd a co-worker came into my office and removed her mask. I had heard her talk about how uncomfortable they were and so she steps into my office and promptly removes it and stays for 15 mins. At a certain point I put my mask on, but I guess it was too late. I always look back to that day and wonder why I didn’t ask her to put it back on, or put mine on immediately, which is what I normally do, but of course hindsight is twenty-twenty.

On December 8th my boss call’s me on my work phone and informs me that this employee tested positive for the virus. Of course I was horrified because I had spent 15 minutes in my very small office with her. So I got tested and on December 12 I received the terrible news that I had tested positive. I kind of sensed it though, because by the time I go tested, I had developed this dry hacking cough and I kept wondering, why I was coughing

After the initial shock, I felt a little fear because I didn’t know what to expect. But after that subsided, I had to deal with a real rage. Honestly, it’s been a long time since I felt this angry. You see folks, wearing a mask is mainly about protecting other people. It’s really not about you! My friends and family will tell you, I was so angry, I really had to get a hold of myself. I told one of my co-workers that if the woman who infected me wasn’t working here, I would have sued her. And what made it bad was she did not apologize nor acknowledge that she gave it to me at all. Just moving along like nothing ever happened. Also, she found out she was positive, so soon after our encounter, so I wondered when she suspected she had it.

The most difficult part of all of this is that I know this could have been avoided. I believe if she had worn her mask and if I asked her to put her mask back on the outcome would have been different. I also should have put my mask on sooner. But of course there is nothing can be done about it now. The good part is my symptom’s were not too bad and I did not have to go to the hospital. As you know, many are dying from this. I had a childhood friend die leaving his wife and 4 children. Another friend stayed in the hospital for 6 months. And my former Pastor got it, got pneumonia, had a stroke and is now in a rehab, all as a result of Covid-19. And his wife got it and she was undergoing Chemo at the time. So I know that my circumstance could have been much worse. Other than extreme fatigue, and occasional cough, and losing my taste and smell. I did pretty good. But let me tell you this; Covid-19 is nothing that you want to get.

To be continued….

Why this Virus? Part 2

Yesterday’s post was a heavy one and this one will not be easy either, but the end result of any plague or judgment is ALWAYS good.

Revelation 2:29 Amplified Bible (AMP)

²⁹ He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’

The following is a Prophetic Word given in 1986 by the Late David Wilkerson. Before his death, he pastored at the great Times Square church in New York City. Some of you may remember or heard about the big scandal in the ’80s with Televangelist Jim Baker. Pastor Wilkerson sent a word of warning that was ignored. Here is the Word Pastor Wilkerson  shared with Pastor Mike Evans:

Part 1: As I was in prayer, studying in my prayer room during the coronavirus crisis, I
picked up an old Bible and out of it fell a note I had forgotten I even had. As I
read it, I found myself trembling and crying. The note was from a breakfast I had with David Wilkerson in 1986 at the EmbassySuites near the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.
He showed me a letter addressed to Rev. Richard Dortch who was running PTL
under Jim Bakker. It said, “Rev. Dortch, within 12 months, the judgment of God
will fall on PTL. You are fornicating with brick and stone. Flee now and repent.
Bats will fly through the empty building.” A month later, I was with Dortch, and
he mocked David’s letter, saying, “if I fornicate, it will not be with brick and stone.
These attacks aren’t against me or Jim Bakker, they are against God.”
Twelve months later the Charlotte Observer broke the PTL scandal.
 

Part 2: During breakfast as David Wilkerson was talking about idols at PTL, he said, “I see
a plague coming on the world, and the bars and churches and government will
shut down. The plague will hit New York City and shake it like it has never been
shaken. The plague is going to force prayerless Believers into radical prayer and
into their Bibles, and repentance will be the cry from the man of God in the pulpit.
And out of it will come a third Great Awakening that will sweep America and the
world.” He then pointed to Isaiah 24 and said to me “a plague will hit the globe and
America.” He said, “every house will be shut up, and no one will be coming or going. The
city of confusion is broken down, and every house is shut up that no man may
come in.” Isaiah 24:10 says that.

The prophet Isaiah describes in Isaiah 24:12, all entrances and exits to the city are
gone. In other words, there will be no place to escape. God has shown me that a calamity is coming beyond humankind’s capacity to respond.

This judgment will devastate the world’s economies. Every restaurant and bar will be shut down, and all the drinking and merrymaking will end. All entertainment and churches will be shut down. Isaiah says in the 24th chapter, verse 9, “they shall not drink wine with a song.” The mirth of the land is gone. All sports will be shut down.

But the prophet Isaiah also saw a great shaking of the olive tree coming in
24:13. In other words, God’s shaking everything that can be shaken. It’s a time of
overwhelming darkness as He exposes the world’s idols. But in the midst of this terrible shaking, a song is heard, a chorus of voices singing praises to the majesty of God. “They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea,” (Isaiah 24:14). That’s the beginning of the Great Awakening. And then in 24:15-16 it says, “from the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous.” That’s a Great Awakening.

 

 

The Celebrity Everyone Likes but Nobody Loves Part 2

So why do I say that nobody loves the celebrity who I was referring to in part one? Because I don’t think anyone is telling him the truth about how his artistry has deteriorated morally. Now I can’t be sure of it, but I think that if someone features you in their pulpit, has you on their Christian Television show, attends your studio opening, then they are pretty much sanctioning your work.

Years ago, healing Evangelist Kathryn Khulman got involved with a married man when she was in the ministry. This man divorced his wife and married Kathryn. I read about this story in her book. Well what happened back then, would never happen now. No churches would receive her and her ministry and she ended up getting out of that adulterous marriage because no one would allow her in their pulpit. After that, her ministry soared. The ministry she is known for happened after her fall. But today, you can claim Christianity and live any kind of lifestyle and you will be featured and celebrated as long as you are financially successful.

I can’t be sure of it, but I think the reason why no one will take a stand against this man’s compromising artistry is that he is probably writing some big checks. I know that he did write a large check for Joel Osteen’s church. And sadly today’s church is ruled by the mentally that if we mention something is wrong, then you are judging. How tragic!

I started out watching some of this man’s TV shows and then for a year or two, I didn’t have cable. Later when I got cable again, I went to watch the shows and I couldn’t. I noticed the cursing and explicit heterosexual and homosexual loves scenes and I just couldn’t watch anymore. A few times I tried to give his shows a chance, it was like an assault on the eyes. I know it’s because I am very careful about what I watch, so some people would not have this reaction. My spirit was grieved and I was so saddened by the blatant moral decline.

So I have seen this argument online: The Bible deals with sex, violence, etc, so the shows are no different. But here is the difference. When you show debauchery it has an effect on your spirit. There is a big difference between reading about something in general and watching an explicit depiction of it. It’s no different from pornography. It corrupts the soul and the spirit.

²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:28 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Colossians 3:5 English Standard Version (ESV)

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Corinthians 6:9-11 English Standard Version (ESV)

So what is the problem? The problem is this man’s artistry has gone from edifying to corrupting. And even though he is very popular, nobody is saying anything. And don’t give me that “but he’s successful:”. Porn Hub has 95 million views per day. Pretty successful right? Also pretty corrupting.

Listen, if you don’t attend church, you drink, party, cuss, fornicate and live with your girlfriend, you’re NOT in the faith. It’s no big mystery.

A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Matthew 7:15-20 English Standard Version (ESV)

2 Corinthians 13:5 King James Version (KJV)

⁵ Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

I know this sounds harsh, but when you care for people, you tell them the truth even if it hurts. God is not going to allow this to continue, especially when the person creating this stuff claims to be of the Lord. A storm is coming to get this brother back on track and in my next post I will share what I see. Meanwhile, pray for this brother, whether you know who I am referring to or not.

Life Changes, Late Changes

I used to write blog posts every day, sometimes twice a day, but oh how things have changed. But for some reason, I felt strongly to post today and so that is what I am going to do.

So many good things have been happening for me, I just want to share and encourage someone to know that things will change and have to change, especially when WE change and no matter how long it takes. The changes I am about to share are very ordinary, but I am moving forward and moving up. Some of you like me may have struggled with obtaining ordinary things. Just know, God can help you to turn things around.

First, it took me a while to recognize some mistakes I made that contributed to my own suffering, but hindsight is 20/20. One of my biggest mistakes was walking away from a good job as a bill collector at Macy’s. It’s still very painful to think about. At the time that I left I was having some health and transportation issues, but nothing that could not have been solved and was solved. Leaving that position sent me into a long season of poverty and basically being out of the will God. After I left I tried the road of self-employment, but the truth is, I was not ready to do that in a way to really support myself the way I needed to. Like I said, it was a very painful lesson, but I learned from it and I am back on track.

No that’s not me. lol

When you stay out of the traditional workforce for a long period, it’s difficult to get hired. And that is what happened to me. But I was able to get into an employment training program and after a little over a year of working temp at the same non-profit, the executive director was so happy with my work and  my work ethic (that’s what he said), he hired me as a contract worker, for the position of Administrative Assistant. Each year, I will sign a contract in October. It’s funny, but it fits with how I have worked for years, so this kind of work did not scare me. The good thing is this kind of contract work offers me more stability. And what’s even more exciting is that after only, 2 1/2 months I got a raise!!

My second life change is really not out of the ordinary, but nonetheless, still quite miraculous. I hadn’t driven in a little over a year because I didn’t have a car (I used to drive someone else’s car). Getting a car is a very normal thing to do, but how it happened to me was quite miraculous.

Yes, this is my actual car

In December 2018, while riding with my sister, on our way to church we got into a car accident. She was driving and an older man who was focused on getting to McDonald’s (yes really) rammed us on the backside of the car and we spun around and ended up facing the opposite direction. Thank God there was no traffic and we were not fatally injured. I suffered whiplash and had to go to the chiropractor for 3 months. I really hope I never have to go through anything like that ever again, but in spite of all, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I sued and received a nice settlement that enabled me to put a very large down payment on a car and in spite of my not so great credit rating (I am working on it) I was able to buy a 2019 Kia Rio and get a very low car payment. The car is not new, used, but brand new and only had 16 miles on it. I actually walked into the dealership and drove off the lot with my car without putting a dime down until 3 days later!

My third life change just happened yesterday. I had applied for a new apartment (brand new construction) and I was standing in line at Costco, getting some lunch and got the call that I had been approved. I’m going to bring this post to an end, but I know these are very normal life changes, but after a long journey things seem to be coming together at this season in my life and yes it’s late in life for me, but nevertheless with the help of God change has come.

 

So what’s next? A full-body makeover. There is a gym where I work and I can use it for free and there is a gym in my new apartment complex, so I have no excuse. This coming week I will be meeting with a trainer to help me learn how to use the different machines in the gym.

This will be my biggest Goliath, but I have to make some major physical changes. The good thing about me is I am not in denial. I am well aware of what I must do and now is the time. I am in a weight-loss clinic at my doctor’s office. I’ve lost weight in the past, but I realize a regular exercise regimen is a key to keeping the weigh off. I  don’t know who this is for, but just be encouraged. Things will change, when you change.

For whoever is reading; whatever your goals are, start believing God, do the work and get ready; get set; go!! The time is NOW!

Hollywood Exposed Pt.1

Have you watched YouTube lately? Many celebrities and artists are exposing the evil that is going on in Hollywood.  And many You Tubers are as well. I’m going to posting a few videos. Don’t be naive. This stuff is real. Some of this is R-rated, but I feel it needs to be shared.