Sunday, October 25, 2009

LOTTERY WINNER REVEALS A LOSER


For all his multimillion-dollar lottery winnings, Jack Whittaker can't seem to do anything but lose. The man who landed a $315 million jackpot on Christmas Day seven years ago has since lost his wife to divorce, his granddaughter to drugs and now his daughter, found dead in her West Virginia home on July 5, 2009. Whittaker has also been arrested on charges of driving drunk, lost more than $500,000 in cash to thieves and settled with the parents of a teenage friend of his granddaughter's who died at his house from a drug overdose.
Back when Jack Whittaker won his jackpot $315 million, he said “the first thing I’m going to do is pay my tithe to my church.” Sad to say, Whittaker never paid the church tithes, offering or a donation. Amazing how many people often say that when they get a lot of money, they are going to give to the church, but they never seem to give the tithe of their $150 a week, let alone will give the tithe of their $150 million if they ever get that.
No, the truth is, “Money is a Multiplier.” Whatever or whoever a person is, money will only amplify what he or she really is. We never really know who or what most people are at the core of their soul because they never seem to have any means or ways to manifest who or what their core nature really is. Money never really “changes a person,” it merely amplifies their true self.
A surprising number of other lottery winners share Whittaker’s pain. According to a health study reported this week in London's Daily Mail, winners smoked and drank far more two years after winning then they did before, countering the notion that more money means better health. The paper cites the tragedy of Phil Kitchen, a jobless carpenter who won big in 1999, turned to binge drinking and died three years later, at age 58, of self-neglect.
Less than six months after Brandi Whittaker’s death, Jack’s wife, Jewell, started divorce proceedings. Even before the recent blow of his daughter's death, Whittaker told ABC News in 2007, "Since I won the lottery, I think there is no control for greed. "I think if you have something, there's always someone else that wants it," he said. "I wish I'd torn that ticket up."
Winning what was then the nation's largest lottery payout in 2002 proved to be the manifestation of Jack Whittaker's true self. Whittaker, lost his granddaughter Brandi Bragg to a drug overdose in 2004. She was 17. His wife filed for divorce. And on July 5, his daughter, Brandi's mother, Ginger Whittaker Bragg, was found dead in her home.
The fact is, when a person “wins big” in way of means or money without true character, the person will suffer at the hands of such a false magnification. Always remember, winning big when one is a loser will only magnify the low loser in a big way. The key to this story is, work on your character first before you work on amplifying yourself.

Monday, October 19, 2009

FREE FROM ME


My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest” (Ps. 55:4-8).

Have you ever felt like David? We’ve all felt like that and thought about quitting. However, there is a problem with the “free from me” syndrome as I call it. We could spend ample time discussing all of the details of “justification” for wanting to quit work, quit school, quit trying, quit caring, quit marriage, quit loving, quit church, and even quit God. However, reasons or excuses are always a “blue light special,” whole sale, and are very, very, cheap--if you know what I mean. I don’t wish to waste my time dealing with “justified” reasons or excuses of the why of wishing to escape from it all, but would rather like to discuss where it comes from.
The “free from me” syndrome can be seen in every corner of life styles and from every civilization. Take TV for example; What is it really, but a tool of “escape.” Most people watch approximately seven hours of TV per day. Why? All to escape from the real world. Take a novel, fiction of course--and you will find another fantasy high. The list is endless if you start thinking about it: Drugs, alcohol, parties, babes, dudes, concerts, music, etc. Again, I don’t wish to look at “why”, nor the “reasons” but “where” does it come from.
The “free from me” attitude comes from an attitude of rejection of self. That’s right! The majority of people do not like themselves. They would rather do what David was thinking, and fly away from it all. The major problem with the “free from me” spirit is, that when you “quit” or fly away, where ever you go, YOU will still be there. The answer is not to quit, or escape from circumstances, problems, temptations, etc., but rather to find the miracle in you, the change that Jesus made in you and like it.
Most singles want to get married because they don’t like being ALONE--you know, alone with THEMSELVES. One out of two marriages end up in a divorce. Why? They found out that they were still alone, even though they were married. Guess what? They found themselves alone again. Yes, TV, parties, drugs and wanting marriage again. Why do people get on this merry-go-round anyway? Because, they ignore the place where it all comes from which is in themselves. Your answer, and the world’s answer is in letting God do a divine work in your life until you can be happy about yourself.
Your answer is not in a new marriage, new home, new car, new job, or a new relationship, but in a new YOU. There is only one place you can get a new you, and that is with Jesus. Your answer is where David found his answer, which is in CHANGE (Ps. 55:19). In the same chapter he thought of flying away, he found out that if he would let God change him, the afflictions would go. Yes it is possible for you to learn to like yourself by liking the change God has made in you. I invite you into this wonderful world of change

Friday, October 9, 2009

JESUS SAT DOWN


“Jesus, after he offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool” (Heb 10:12-13).

I have for near 50 years have heard Christians pray, worship, sing and even preach suggestive words of such requests, demands or even declaratives that Jesus is to go out and move on someone’s heart, save the lost or go and heal the sick. In other words, our theology sounds like we Christians are telling Jesus to go out into the field and do what Jesus told us to do.
Yes, I am saying that it is NOT truth that we Christians have any position to TELL Jesus to go out and do what he told us to go out and do. We have no more power, right or position to tell Jesus either in prayer, worship or sermon to go out into the highways and byways and save the lost, heal the sick or deliver the oppressed.
Ridiculous! It was Jesus who told we Christians to “go out into the highways and byways and … heal the sick, raise the dead, freely you have received, freely give” (Matt 10:1-5). The Bible fact is, Jesus came and DID his purpose on earth (written in the gospels) and died, buried and rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and SAT DOWN. No, Jesus is NOT going to get up and do OUR work for us. It was Jesus who SENT US OUT into all the world to win the lost, heal the sick and raise the dead.
I hope and pray that our misunderstanding or ignorant theology is the fault of our wrong belief and not our ineptness. I pray that our false allusion of Jesus being responsible of doing the work of the church is based on our miss guided teaching through the centuries and not our choice apathy. Yes, this is hard language, but after near 40 years of ministry worldwide, my words are mild to what I’m sure heaven is saying about the church’s lack of ministerial fulfillment. Let us all rise up from our couch of comfort and get to work for the Gospel of the Kingdom. “Jesus said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Thursday, October 1, 2009

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?


Have you ever asked the question or have someone ask you the question, “Why do BAD things happen to GOOD people?” How many times have we heard someone say, “If God is a loving God, why did God let this bad thing happen?” I’m sure that if you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you have been through some very troubling heart aches that have set you back. Most of us were raised in a culture that has suggested that if one becomes a Christian, then God will save us from trouble, trials and struggles. Allow me to be honest for a few minutes. I grew up in the church world where one of the evangelism’s approach was to present the gospel with the assumed notion that if we got saved, we would be saved from bad things happening to us. And of course, that is just not true. I don’t need to belabor the reality that Bad things do happen to Good people – namely Christians. Let’s address the “why” this happens.
First, “God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt 5:45). In other words, Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. Jesus was using Sunshine and Rain (weather) as a metaphor of life. Everyone in the world, whether good or evil live under the same weather at the same time. Weather doesn’t take place daily based on a decision that God makes. Sunshine or stormy weather is not based on some emotional reaction from God. Get it out of your mind that God decides for you to have a bad thing happen to you today or a good thing. Jesus was explaining that (like weather) circumstances happen from a set of “systematic cycles” of life. Each of us will have good days and bad days, regardless of what we do or not do. Predestination is not a decision of God, but the intention of God. God planned your life for good. “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer 29:11-12). Every good gift comes from God (James 1:17). So, everyone regardless of how they live will face good and bad days. This is a part of nature – period.
Second, bad things happen to good people because of attacks of the enemy. Sometimes we (good people) sow the right seeds, do the right things, live a good life and still things go wrong and we’re forced to live through afflictions. David records, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them OUT of them all” (Ps 34:19). However, even when we do good, sow the right seed, and do nothing to give reason for a bad thing to come to our lives, the devil comes in and sows bad tears in our fields of life. Jesus reveals, “An enemy has done this” (Matt 13:28). Jesus told Peter that the devil was trying to “sift him as wheat” (Luke 22:31). Satan is before God accusing the righteous daily (Rev 12:10). Satan’s motive is to use trials, tests, troubles, loss, pain and suffering to get the righteous to “curse God and die” (Job 1:11). Therefore, bad things happen to good people also to cause us to deny our faith and leave God.
Third, bad things happen to good people because of the seeds we’ve sown. None of us would dare deny that much of the bad things have come our way because of dumb stuff we have done. If we could go back and undo things we’ve done over the past 10 years, I imagine that we could write a book of stuff we wish we could undo. Bad things happen to good people from the very seeds we’ve sown causing us to reap “bad things.” Sometimes these “bad seeds” are behavior we know of and sometimes from actions we do not know. We’ve all heard the term, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” The greater truth of this statement is true in Scripture (Rom 2:1). We will reap what we have sown (Gal 6:7). These are the three reasons Why bad things happen to Good people.

Elder couple in the courtroom
An 80 year old woman was arrested for shop lifting. When she went before the judge he asked her, "What did you steal?" She replied, "A can of peaches.” The judge then asked her why she had stolen the can of peaches and she replied that she was hungry. The judge then asked her how many peaches were in the can. She replied "6". The judge then said, "I will then give you 6 days in jail." Before the judge could actually pronounce the punishment, the woman's husband spoke up and asked the judge if he could say something. The judge said, "What is it?" The husband said, "She also stole a can of peas."

Funny Philosophies to live by:
* It’s not until mothers have teenagers that they can understand why animals can eat their young.
* Grandchildren are God’s reward for not killing your kids.
* Be nice to your children, they’ll chose your nursing home.
* Anyone who quotes the “It’s as easy as taking candy from a baby” has never had kids.

COMING EVENTS
Oct 2009 – Vision – Theme for September, 10:30 AM Sunday’s
Oct 2-3 – Empowered Women Conference – Cathy Poulsen @ Promiseland
Oct 11 – Power Weekend – with Pastor James Sizemore – 10:30 AM
Oct 16-18 – Fellowship Groups – @ a place near you – call 321-216-8030
Oct 31 – FALL FEST – Community Outreach @ Melbourne Square Mall 5-9 PM
Nov 5-7 – Live the Dream Conference – London, England: www.oikas.biz

Promiseland Church
1855 Lansing St. Melbourne, FL 32935
www.promiseland.org
http://www.oikas.biz/blog.php?user=Timmcclure
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www.freedomfromthe925.com