STUBBORNNESS

“Who is a stubborn person?” you might ask. Simply put, a stubborn person is someone who is difficult to handle or someone who firmly sticks to his own ideas or desires no matter what. People are generally stubborn in various aspects of their lives: in their homes, schools, workplaces and relationships. The worst and most severe form of stubbornness is stubbornness towards God. It is one thing not to believe in God and another to be firm in unbelief that you are not even open to anything that might change your mind. It is God’s wish that all people will turn to Him – 2 Peter 3:9 – but recognizes that some (the “stubborn”) never will.

Many people in the Bible are described as stubborn, but three in particular stand out: (1) the king of Egypt during the Exodus; (2) the people of Israel throughout their history; and (3) the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. Each of whom, because of their hardened hearts, rejected the constant appeals from God to alter their paths. These people had similar characteristics that all stubborn people manifest:

1.       They persist in the evil they engage in, refusing to change. Their hearts and minds have been so hardened that they see no wrong in what they do. Jeremiah condemns their unchanging ways; Jeremiah 13:23, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then may you also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” And Isaiah tells of their rigidity; Isaiah 48:4, “Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass.” The king of Egypt exhibited this characteristic – Exodus 8:15, 8:32, 9:35, 10:20, 10:27; so did the Israelites – Judges 2:19; and the Pharisees in the time of Jesus who refused at all costs to believe in Jesus – John 5:39-40, and insisted others disbelieve Him too – John 9:24.

2.      The stubborn also knowingly ignore the voice of God; Isaiah 30:10-11, “Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” They pay more attention to matters of the flesh and concentrate less on spiritual growth.  This makes them spiritually dull; Ezekiel 12:2, “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.” They are so spiritually dull that God’s correction for them is fruitless; Proverbs 1:22-32, Jeremiah 17:23, Amos 4:6-11.

3.      The stubborn continue in their unbelief even when they witness God’s awesome power. Miraculous signs can encourage the small in faith – Genesis 15:8-17 and Judges 6:17-24 – but have no effect on the stubborn – Matthew 12:20-24.  The Pharisees saw the miracles Jesus performed – John 10:25-26, 12:37 – but were so committed to opposing Him that they blasphemously attributed the Holy Spirit’s power to Satan – Mark 3:30.

To all these stubborn acts of hardened unbelief, God responds in various ways. Sometimes He responds in anger – Zechariah 7:12 and Deuteronomy 9:7; sometimes in sadness and compassion – Nehemiah 9:17, 9:28, Romans 2:4. Sometimes He renews stubborn hearts – Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26-27 – or punishes to correct – Proverbs 1:29-33, Nehemiah 9:29-31. And at other times, it is final – Psalm 95:10, 2 Kings 17:14-18, Jeremiah 19:15, Romans 2:5.

In conclusion, God’s response to a stubborn person depends on His purpose for that person. Though man has a will and is responsible for his stubbornness, God is still in control of the heart and is able to use unbelief for His own good purposes – Romans 9:18. Thus we must trust that God can always bring good out of the stubborn nature of an individual.

INNOVATIVE SYSTEMS

Some material from the Everyday Study Bible

CHILDREN & HEIRS

My mentor had told me of this before but I only understood it on a mental level back then. Months later, after clearing my plate of its delicious occupants, the Spirit of the Lord set this seed my mentor, Mr. T, had placed in my heart alive.

Isaiah 43:26 says that we should, “Put me (God) in remembrance: let us (you and God) plead together: declare thou (state your cause), that thou mayest be justified.” God is asking us here to put Him to remembrance of the earlier promise He made in Isaiah 43:25. But not only is He asking us to state our case so He forgives us of our sins: vs. 25, He is also asking us to go further than that to ask what we need as His children and heirs.

In Galatians 4:1, Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit states, “Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all.” We find that though we may be heirs we could still be acting like children or even servants, asking for crumbs that seem like gold to us. We could be children and keep asking for forgiveness for sins that have already been washed away. (This does not mean we should intentionally sin though, as we have to strive to walk in righteousness and light: 1 John 1:7). Or we could be heirs and exercise the authority our loving Father has given us through our Brother, Jesus Christ. One might ask, “But how do we know what we ask for is in the will of God?” My answer is simple. An heir knows the will of his Lord, of his Father, as though it were second nature to him. An heir is someone who is entitled by law to inherit the estate of his Lord and can only exercise this authority once he has matured from being a child to an adult: in our case, a spiritual adult.

Hebrews 5:13 and 14 differentiates between children; who are like servants, and the heirs who, “by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern between what is good and evil.” With these exercised senses will the heir not know what the will of the Father is? Surely he will. With his exercised senses the heir can boldly come before the Father and state his case, Isaiah 43:26, knowing what is good and evil, Hebrews 5:14.

I humbly entreat you to do away with the milk and move on to the meat, to mature from childhood to being an heir so you can boldly and respectfully put our Father to remembrance and plead with Him. Remember, God loves you more than you could ever imagine, trust Him and watch Him do wonders through you. God bless you.  

THE WONDERFUL NAME OF JESUS CHRIST: OUR GIFT

 Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

From this insightful verse we notice four key points:

1.      “Neither is there salvation in any other………. whereby we must be saved.”- Salvation

2.      “…. for there is none other name…….” – The Name of Jesus Christ

3.      “…… under heaven….” – The Realms/worlds

4.      “….. given among men…….” – The Power in the Name given to Us

The first key point we see in this verse is that salvation of man is only through our Lord and Master Jesus Christ. There is no other way for man to have his soul saved and transformed from a state of death to eternal life. Even before His birth the angel of the Lord told Joseph what Jesus was to do, and that was to save us from our sins: Matthew 1:21. Jesus himself said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Also in Acts 2:38 Peter urged the people listening to him on the day of Pentecost to, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Peter’s call to the gathering only reaffirms the eternal truth that Jesus Christ saves those who willingly open their hearts to Him and believe that He is Lord.

The second and most powerful point in Acts 4:12 is the Name of Jesus Christ. The Name of Jesus Christ is a name of power and authority: a name greater than any name conferred on anyone or being. We first have to realize that Jesus inherited His name from the Father; Hebrews 1:4-5, “4 Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son?” Psalm 2:7 bears witness to Hebrews 1:4-5. Apart from inheriting the name, Jesus had His excellent name bestowed on Him. Upon His death at the cross and His resurrection, our Father gave to Jesus the mighty name in which we find joy, hope and strength. Philippians 2:9, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.” God was greatly pleased with His Son, our brother, and found Him worthy of the name that is greater than any that was, is and is to come. Ephesians 1:17-23 and John 17:24 confirm that our Father bestowed the mighty name on Jesus after He resurrected from the grave. Jesus Christ also acquired His wonderful name by conquest. Upon His death He descended to the depths of hell and easily defeated the devil. Colossians 2:15, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Like a victor who is feared by the defeated long after the battle, the name of Jesus (our victor) is feared. Hebrews 2:14, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Revelations 1:18, “I am he that lived, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” For someone to have the keys to your home means you have been totally defeated and thus subject to the wills of the one with the keys. This is the case of the devil and he very much fears the name of the One who made a show of him; the name of Jesus Christ.

The power the name of Jesus has in the three realms or worlds is the third point we see in Acts 4:12. Jesus is not only Lord on earth but also in hell (he has the keys) and sits on the right hand side of our Father in heaven. Therefore His name has power in all three realms. Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” Also Jesus tells you and me that where ever and whenever we gather in His name, He is amongst us. This means that once we call on His name and believe everything that comes with His name: the power that He himself has, falls upon us.

This leads to the fourth and final point in Acts 4:12; and that is the Power in His name has been given to us freely. Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:19, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Our Big Brother has given us the authority and the right to use His name because He is in us as we are one in Him; Matthew 17:21-23. We have been empowered by that wonderful name to teach the Word of salvation and life: Matthew 28:18-20. We have to understand that we do not have to work or do anything extraordinary to receive this power but to just believe and have faith in Jesus Christ and in His Mighty Name. John 16: 23-24 tells us that whatever we ask our Father in His name shall be provided unto us. The Mighty Name of Jesus is our passport, our blank check, our medication and our master key. (Acts 3:3-6, 1 John 4:4, James 5:14-15 and Hebrews 13:5-6)

I entreat you to take Jesus by His Word and to believe in the wonderful gift He has given us: The Name of Jesus Christ. Trust and believe in the Lord and watch Him do exploits through you.

Amen.

Let us conspire and aspire to inspire

Light Dreams of A Black Kid

To hell with the fervent prayers spat from weary lips
to hell with wasted youth hoping for brighter times
My ancestors deserve no explanation
when I'm haunted by visions of a distant nation
when my identity is the shadow of my destination.
Sowed in this dark soil my dreams bear a fairer complexion.
I fight for the chance to be the next slave
as the former is casually tossed in his grave
Understand I do so not willfully
but because my aspirations are fed with willed folly
I believe in the land of bright lights
though all that glitters is not gold.
I believe in the land of free expression
though empty barrels make the most noise
Do not question my borrowed perception
for you seek a fruitless inquisition
Who are you to doubt this,my beloved inception
I find peace in this nation of lust and envy
and proudly pledge allegiance to a land I've never seen
I gladly accept I'm a spawn of misfortune
concocted in a continent of despair
waiting to be cleansed by the ignoramus I follow
waiting to be cleansed by the ignoramus I think superior
I seek the fruit promised me
the joy, wealth and eventual death
Ready to trade my skin for one new,
to make the ultimate sacrifice.
From an African prince, to an American pauper.

----Swelly

INITIATION

From her lips escaped a whimper,
as my flawless token was laid on the alter.
This was not the time to falter,
for around stood fellows of the dark
clad in shadows of the fallen master.

A sullen hymn was raised by the priest,
to greet the icy fingers reaching from the east.
Guttural exaltation echoed in the twilight,
placing my beloved sacrifice in a peaceful trance.
This was no Isaac to the cause
for through her eyes her soul itched for a chance.

Handed the sacred instrument of initiation,
I approached my beloved with unsolicited invitation.
My breath was that of a million,
my senses were that of a legion,
and my conscience was that of the vilest abomination.

Her scream cut through the great hall,
quickly followed by orgasmic sighs from the fallen.
Bathed in the blood of my beloved's womb,
I was eager to refresh my impatient ghoul
Sweet to the tongue and smooth to the throat,
my beloved's blood was indeed nectar.

My long awaited initiation was finally complete
My former nescient self finally obsolete.
But at the threshold of enlightenment,
I discovered that God made man good
and man made good evil.

CONDITIONALS

without a doubt I know what love isn't
but then again I wonder what it could be
is it the painted meadow we see on the tube?
or the nightmarish stories told by the jilted?
frankly my untamed naivety wishes love were everything.
if love were a science,
you'd be Einstein calculating E = my heart x C square
if love were food,
you'd be one arrogant Italian whipping up culinary masterpieces tempting my fickle will
if love were a subject,
you'd be physical education, working me all day and night
if love were a car,
you'd be a German engine cocooned in an Asian exterior but bully like an American
my alter ego seeks to reason with my naive self but then I still wonder:
if love were a season,
I'd be summer time drawing sweat from every curve and crevice
if love were music,
I'd rock you like MJ, teach you like Marley and conquer your ecstasy like Jay
if love were a sport,
I'd be Kobe, Tiger and Messi all rolled in one and still be reffing the game
if love were poetry,
I'd be the words making you bite your lip and press your thighs closer together
and if love really was everything,
I'd still be the one looking into your angelic eyes,
nervously asking you to be mine forever and ever
till eternity lends a helping hand.