Saturday, June 25, 2016

An answered prayer: Cavs' win broke the 'Cleveland curse'


If you're not from Cleveland, you don't get the look on LeBron's face, or why Delly, who didn't even play once during the Finals, could care less, had just as thrilled a look on his face as LeBron (once the immensity passed) as did the others.

God took me home to Cleveland to pray for this. Here's the rundown:

MONDAY: At my sister, Amy's, in North Ridgeville, watching with our family, and just prayed for this game not to be the last. I literally said, "Thank You, Jesus!" after every shot made, and meant it. And what's crazy, it felt like Jesus was laughing as I was praying (since obviously He knew He was gonna' give this to us), so in the same way the Chariots of Fire runner said when he ran he felt God's pleasure, I felt Jesus' laughter, His excitement.

THURSDAY: At Amy's again, and this time we were all a bit nervous, like, "Please, God, just let them get back to Oakland!"

At 7 minutes left in the game, we were getting quiet, and my sister (taking this pic) said out loud, "Please, Jesus, stop our heartbreak...this Cleveland curse...."Amy prayed it sincerely, from the heart.

And it jumped out at me. "Hey, I wonder if this curse is REAL?!" I've been in MI the past 10 years, so haven't been keeping up with Cleveland stuff.

So, I prayed, "Jesus, if there's something going on here supernaturally, that's keeping the Cavs down, please stop it. And likewise, if there's something that's helping the Warriors, that shouldn't be, please stop that."

Instantly, the Cavs came together and the Warriors came unglued. LeBron got that steely look in his eye. Steph Curry, a very public Christian, acted like a spoiled brat and got expelled for the first time in his life (I might add, that his arrogance is not Christ-like, but LeBron showed humility, so actually was the more godly appearing).

THURSDAY AFTER THE GAME: When I realized that this was more than just what appeared on the surface, I prayed that God would protect the Cavs and all their people, their families, the places they'd be staying at in CA, and their practices.

FRIDAY: I prayed that the Cavs would get good rest, that nothing would disturb their sleep, or practices. That God would send extra angels to wherever they were staying, and Oracle, to protect their practices, their families, and everyone connected to the team.

SATURDAY: I prayed that God would fill them with "the peace that surpasses all human understanding," and that they would know it's HIM Who is helping them. That they would feel His help so strongly that they would feel that it's not even them who's playing, but that something's filling them with extra supernatural power and strength.

SUNDAY: Had to go back to MI after church, had to be back at St. Matthew the next morning, so Jarod and I watched the game by ourselves (Kev watched Sister Wives, he loves laughing at that ridiculousness. Like ANYONE could be happy having to share their man!). But Jarod was in a group chat with my family back in Ohio.

After feeling Jesus laugh when I prayed Thursday and Monday, this time I felt silence. So, I prayed, "Lord, please do this to glorify Your Son, not for any selfish purposes." I gave up when it seemed like He wasn't going to do it. But I still prayed out loud, this time, the entire game. And I saw tiny things that were answered prayers throughout the whole game. But I still thought the whole game He wasn't going to do it.

The last few seconds, when LeBron hurt his wrist, both Jarod and I were like, "PLEASE, JESUS, HELP LEBRON!!!!!" He did.

And then, I was like, "PLEASE JESUS, do this for me and Jarod!" And He did. For me, Jarod, and all the others who prayed for this hope.

If you've never lived in a heartbroken, hopeless place, you don't get that this is about more than a trophy. It is a symbol of hope. Dan Gilbert summed it up: "God loves Cleveland!"

Dear Jesus, please bless Dan, Lebron, and the rest of the Cavs! Help them to use this to bring hope to many!


Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Ali is gone, but the 'rope a dope' technique is alive and well
I must admit, living here in the natural, I admire many people, even those who do not not share my faith. One such individual was Muhammad Ali, a Muslim, and the greatest boxer there ever was. Few could argue that he was a decent humanitarian.
But this column isn’t about his faith, his profession, or his life. It’s about a technique he used in the boxing ring. It was called the rope a dope. Many of you know a lot about it, but for those who don’t I offer this observation, and a spiritual comparision.
I do not know if Muhammad Ali originated the rope a dope, but he certainly perfected it. It became a hallmark strategy of his boxing career, and played an enormous role in defeating his opponents.
That’s what we’re seeing in the last few decades, but it’s not Ali, it’s Satan who has now mastered the rope a dope.
And, before we continue, this is not in any way comparing Ali to Lucifer. It’s not about that at all. It’s about the strategy. The infamous rope a dope.
Ali used to train relentlessly on how to take a punch. His sparring partners were often in training sessions doing nothing but punching him with no reciprocation. Ali ducked and weaved to avoid the headshots, but absorbed the body punches to the point where his midsection was like a wall of concrete. He could take those punches with little consequence.
In the ring, he capitalized on this by drawing his opponent into a corner, taking a defensive, if not retreating posture, leaning back against the ropes, and allowing the challenger to throw everything he had into taking Ali down. But, Ali wasn’t vulnerable in this position. He was on the ropes, but his opponent was “the dope.”
The challengers like Joe Frazier, George Foreman, and so many others, would exhaust themselves giving it everything they had in what appeared to be a moment of vulnerability. But, folks, it wasn’t the case. Ali’s strategy was to get his opponent to expend all his energy in those moments, to wear him down, then, when the challenger was physically spent, Ali would start to dance around, and effortlessly take them out. Knockout time, buddy.
Satan is playing the rope a dope on society today, especially Christians. He’s drawing you into a corner, and getting your emotional energy at its peak. You begin spending all that energy in a place, fighting, swinging, when there is no damage being inflicted on the enemy. Do you get it my brothers and sisters? Satan is wearing you down so he can easily take you out.
How does Satan draw you into that corner? Well, for Bible committed Christians, he puts out an endless narrative on the news feeds about the power grid going down, nukes headed our way, food shortages, martial law, even the gay pride parades and gay marriage, or gender identification issues. Not to minimize any of this, but if you know the Bible is the true Word of God, and know Jesus is in your corner of the boxing ring, and angels at your side whatever the impending catastrophe - whether real or perceived - you stay out of that corner.
Why get into the Devil’s corner? Are you a dope for the one on the ropes? His goal is a reversal, he’s tricking you. Turnabout, they say, is fair game. You will be the one on the ropes. When you’re invested in the devil’s strategy, you just might be knocked out.
So, the next time the world seems out of control, seemingly overpowered by the demonic, and it triggers a spiritual offense of emotion, stay away from the corner. Boldly stand before your opponent and smile with the love of Jesus upon your face, and His fierceness and wrath in your heart (Rev. 19:15).
Then, pray that Jesus sends His holy angels in for the knock-out. You won’t have to land a single punch. Through Jesus’ overwhelming power, you’ll be declared victorious in the ring. A true champion for Christ.

And the devil, if he’s even able to crawl out of there in one piece, by the power of Jesus, will never play you for the dope of the ropes again.
Posted by at No comments:
Gotthard event: Satan is playing you, just ask the Orkin man
The Gotthard Base Tunnel, which meanders through the Swiss Alps and is the world’s longest and most pricey tunnel project, measures over 57 km. Racking up a price tag of of over 11 billion Euros, the portal took 17 years to complete.

It is said to be “a symbol of European unification in a context of rising nationalism and closing borders.” It’s also another global event opportunity to break out the dancers and costumes for Satan.
One has to remember, while Satan is tenacious, this loser is relentlessly lazy. He’d much rather put in the least amount of effort to reach the most people with a filthy, unGodly visual. That’s why there are “wardrobe malfunctions” for pedophoile Michael Jackson’s satanic Jezebel sister.
The one thing being the host of a podcast titled Confronting the Devil has done for me is put me in direct contact with authoritative and scholarly Christians regarding infestation of the demonic. The demonic display you saw at the Gotthard Base Tunnel, while causing a shocking reaction from Christians, is a distraction. “What?” you say? Yes, Satan puts something outrageous like this out there so we don’t focus on the billions of other subtle moves he is making every moment.
You many have gone to church this Sunday and spoken of this outrageous Gotthard satanic event with a congregation member, and be totally unaware that demons are in your church, eavesdropping on your conversation, laughing at you. As long as your attention is on the Janet Jackson flashing, your mind will never entertain the notion that something bigger has happened. Your church possesses demonic infestation.
We can flinch over the idea of “Isis sleeper cells” in our nation, ready to rise at any given moment, and while they are Satanic, Isis is only some of Lucifer’s soldiers. And, for the most part, Satan doesn’t toy with sleeper cells, they are wide awake. They are in your face. And they are all around you, deceiving you into friendships.
That is one reason that we have a cross on the door of our home. Demons have to face that if they seek entry, and if they are indoors, they have the torture of Christian symbols and Christ everywhere.
When we get into Satan’s emotional response trap on these spectacular events and displays of the demonic, we wander past the guardpost of our personal environments and leave the territory unprotected.
The Orkin man never runs into an extermination job where the issue is one, huge, monster termite that is inside a wood dwelling. Bugzilla is the destraction. The reality is the Orkin man enters the home and sees hundreds of small termites all working together to eat away the foundation of the structure - or in our context, Christianity. And even the Orkin man is smart enough to know for every termite he sees, there are 100 he does not.
Our role as disciples and warriors for Christ demands that we take our eyes off the demonic spectacle of the Gotthard Tunnel event. That is the grand distraction, where lazy Satan can reach the most amount of people with the least amount of effort. And, we as disciples, much like the Orkin man, must not just focus on the obvious, the termites we can see. The true battle is the millions of termites that are inside our dwelling that we cannot see.
The bible tells us, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Do not be deceived regarding the Gotthard event. It’s not the big picture. Because demonic dancers with flashy costumes can never collapse the house of Christ. The big picture is what you don’t see - the unseen and ignored termites that are really eating away the structure and foundation of our faith.
Satan’s desire is to get us off topic. To be focused on temporal, rather than eternal issues. For those who don’t yet see, it’s to get us focused on worldly events, make us forget our mission. We are here for one reason and one reason only, and it’s NOT to save America:

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ‘All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.’” - Matthew 28:18-20
Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Jim Bakker has it right: Pastors need to unite in Jesus' name

By Kevin Scott Collier

Jim Bakker, host of the popular Christian television program that bears his name, often speaks of how pastors need to stop trash talking one another and stand as one regarding the Holy Gospel, for the benefit of all in our nation during these end times.
If you are ignorant, you might imagine Bakker says this because of his downfall amid the PTL bankruptcy, and his subsequent prison sentence in 1989. But this far from the truth. If you need to know more about redemption and restoration, read about the life of Chuck Colson.

Bakker, who I have always had an affection for, whether in his good times or bad, shares a birthplace with me. He was born in Muskegon, Michigan, same as I. And while Pastor Jim is 17 years older than me, and departed Muskegon when I was 2, I grew up hearing about his beginnings in my hometown, and his early involvement in ministry. His parents, Raleigh and Furnia, lived at 1126 Chestnut Street, off Apple Avenue at one time. We often passed by their old home on the way to the original Collier house on Peck Street., a block away. My great great grandpa Collier, William, built the first home in Muskegon Heights in 1874.

During the worst days of the Depression, Jim’s parents and grandparents, along with other Christians, built and paid for a new church, The Central Assembly of God. It was a brutal era, both of my parents remembered well.

Jim Bakker's grandfather, Joe, was a reverend, and preached in the streets and bars of Muskegon, handing out religious tracts, trying to win souls for Jesus. Some thought Joe was more than a little eccentric, but it was his passion for the Holy Savior that motivated his bold approach.

Rev. Joe R. Bakker lived to the age of 89 when he passed away on December 4, 1967. He worked owned a celery farm in Zeeland for many decades and worked at Campbell, Wyant and Cannon Foundry in Muskegon for years, which was a few blocks from my childhood family home in Roosevelt Park. My grandfather Bill Hislop worked with Joe Bakker there in the late 1940's. I can still hear the trains at that foundry in the night air as a child when I fell to sleep at night.

 I've visited Reverend Joe's grave on occasion, in Norton Cemetery, off Airport Road in Muskegon, a few times. Joe Bakker, born in Ottawa County, Michigan, on April 2, 1878 to Roelof (Ralph) and Aleida Bakker, didn't arrive into the world alone, as he had a twin sister, Jaaldert. Sadly, she died on November 7 that same year.

 I have lived in Ottawa County since 1982, when I moved out of Muskegon, first settling in Nunica, then Grand Haven.

 Joe Bakker was the type of pastor who would minister to prisoners in the Muskegon County jail. He didn't worry about going in the lion's den, getting his hands dirty, and was even punched a few times by God haters. From what my family recalled of him, he was a feisty man for Jesus, but he wasn't a divider, he was a uniter for Christ.

 When I was growing up, WTLJ, a Christian UHF channel, operated out of the Occidental Hotel in downtown Muskegon, a stone’s throw from Furn and Raleigh’s house. I became interested in that little UHF channel, and would watch it.

When I was about 9, Bakker began working with Pat Robertson, and the rest is Christian TV history.

The man who likely is one of the easiest targets for God haters is the one trying to unite pastors of all denominations during end times. It’s one thing to be critical of those who are preaching a false gospel, it’s quite another to target those who are following the authority of Christ just because you don’t like them, for whatever reason.

 As Bakker himself has said many times on his broadcast, “It’s time to stop it,” in regards to tearing down Christ loving, Gospel speaking pastors. Petty disagreements, jealousy, whatever divides you, let’s not let that overwhelm where you all stand with each other. And it’s time to take that common love for Christ and His Word and recognize what unites us all.

Bakker has it right. We are in end times, and with judgment day coming, Christians across our nation need brethren who will stand united. We all come from the same Creator. So, let’s recognize what we all share in common with Christ, instead of letting devils dictate division.


Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)