POLITICS: A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING

The devil is very clever and if we are not aware of His schemes, we will find ourselves
the victims of them (2 Corinthians 2:11). Satan often creates an obvious attack in front of us so that as we focus on it, He can quietly move around the back. Which is more dangerous, the wolf at the front door or the wolf in sheep's clothing slipping in the back door? In this country we see numerous frontal and obvious attacks to what is biblically moral and right, and it is a natural response to fight against these attacks using any method at our disposal. But the greater danger is not in losing the battle at the front door but losing our identity as God's people and being devoured by the devil we allowed in the back door. Have we been fooled? Has the enemy distracted us with an attack at the front door while sneaking in the back? He is sneaky and I believe many have been fooled with his schemes. What schemes do I mean? 

 1. POLITICS IS OUR GOD. 

I see many Christians who speak as if what happens in Washington will determine their eternal destiny, as if God is not on the throne. There is Earthly power in politics, which makes it an obvious and tempting choice to wield as a weapon. If our party is in power, we can force the country to be what we think it should be. So, instead of praying we vote. Instead of representing the Kingdom we cover our timelines in political memes. Instead of loving our neighbors we define them as enemies who must be defeated. I’m certainly not against voting or being involved politically, but our true power as Kingdom citizens doesn’t lie in the power structures of this world. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are mighty through God. If you see politics as our most powerful weapon and the weapon of choice for the church, then the enemy has fooled you. 

 

2. A POLITICIAN WILL SAVE US. 

I remember President Obama being cast as the savior by some and as the antichrist by others. Today, it is President Trump. When I say the name, Obama, some of you feel wonderful and safe, while others are fearful and angry. The same can be said for the name Trump. Opposing political leaders have become ‘christ vs antichrist’ with the fate of our literal lives hanging in the balance. Who will save us? We will know in November. As Christians we have one Savior, Jesus Christ. The Savior has already come and brought the Kingdom of God to Earth. Right now, that Kingdom is spiritual, but it is leaking out of the people of God into the world in preparation for something big that is coming. That great event is His return when He brings the Kingdom of God physically to Earth. Jesus is the rescuing hero that your heart longs for. Your favorite political leader is a fallible human, and if your hope is in a politician, then your hope is not in Jesus and the enemy has fooled you. 

 

3. AMERICA IS EQUAL TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 

We enjoy so many wonderful freedoms and blessings, and many are desperately struggling to keep the freedom and blessings alive. I certainly want our country to continue and even improve, but I know the Kingdoms of this world are not God’s ultimate goal. God’s plan is not “SAVE AMERICA.” God’s plan is “LET THE KINGDOM COME.” Our minds should not be set on Earthly things but on things above. It’s not that I want to see America fall, I want to see the Kingdom come. America is not God’s vehicle for justice, righteousness, and peace, it's the Kingdom. Jesus will not sit in the White House He will sit on His throne, and when Jesus returns America will be no more, Washington will have no say, and the republic will be replaced by a Kingdom with a righteous King. If it bothers you as a Christian to imagine the US being replaced by King Jesus, then the enemy has fooled you. 

 

Satan has placed some blatant and aggressive attacks at our front door. His desire is not to win those battles but to get the church to think of these as the defining battles of our lives. He has convinced many to pick up the weapons of politics and power to save our nation while we lose our identity as God’s peculiar people in the process. We’ve forgotten who we are. We’ve forgotten what weapons we should use. We’ve forgotten what battle we should be fighting. 

I realize there are many important battles in our country and that faith in general has been under attack for decades and we should address these, but our goals are not earthly, our weapons are not worldly, and our destination is not America. If we make politics our god and worship at the altar of our party, then we will lose our identity as the peculiar people who are not of this world. If we depend upon a human savior we will lose our identity as those who have already been saved by Christ Jesus. If our hope is in an Earthly nation we will lose our identity as a people who belong to a greater Kingdom. If our goal is Earthly, if a person will save us, if politics is our weapon, then we have been duped. While we spend our time at the front door, Satan is dismantling us from within. He is convincing us to change our goals, our methods, and our identity. We must regain sight of who we are, where we are headed, and how we will get there. I hope these scriptures help us recognize and dismantle the schemes of the devil in 2020. 

 

 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. -Colossians 3:1-4 NASB 

 

 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” - Mark 12:17 NASB 

 

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. – Ephesians 4:1-6 NASB 

 

 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” – John 18:36-27 NASB 

 

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:25-34 NASB 

 

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. - Ephesians 6:10-17 NASB 

 

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. – 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NASB 

 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7 NASB 

 

-Mylon Avery

From a SEED to a MIGHTY OAK - God's plan for your success.

What if you could reach a level of success that you never dreamed possible?  

What if I told you that the seed of great success is already inside you? Well, it's true.

"...seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, ... 2 Peter 1:2-4

I have watched many people with God-given talents who never reach the pinnacle of success. Most people never really discover who they were created to be and never realize their full potential. Are you one of those people? Are you someone who has huge potential but never does much with it? Hopefully, this will inspire you to achieve the success that God intended for you.

THE GOAL
Before we go on, let me define success for you. Success is becoming the person God created you to be and accomplishing the mission He created you to accomplish. As you follow Christ and His plan for your life there will be times when what God desires for you and what you desire for yourself are at odds with each other. This is when you must come back to this definition of success. If you believe that your true success comes from fulfilling the life that your Creator designed for you, you'll be willing to let go of your own desires in exchange for His perfect plan.

THE SEED
Everything you need is already inside you. When you were created God designed you for success. When you are born again your spirit is in union with Christ. You have the spirit of an overcomer, victor, a champion. When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit your life is empowered to grow and execute the purpose of your life. The giftings become supernaturally empowered, the divine goals become clearer, and your tenacity to accomplish things increases. However, there are still some things you need to do to help turn the seed inside you into a mighty oak standing tall before the world.

FROM SEED TO OAK TREE
The seed inside you resides in your perfected spirit which is united with Christ. Everything in your born again spirit is great, victorious, successful, and designed to be used to bring God's plan into the world, but the seed must be channeled through your imperfect mind, emotions, and body (2 Cor.. 4:7). This is where the work comes in to play. This is where growth occurs. If your vessel is not shaped for use you will not be very useful, and the seed will never grow.  This is why Peter doesn't stop at verse 4 but continues on with instructions on how to turn your seed into your harvest.

"Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you." 2 Peter 1:5-11 

GOD'S PLAN FOR SUCCESS
1. Diligence - Diligence is careful and persistent work or effort. So many people only give an effort when they feel like it, which guarantees failure. They climb up the ladder only to get tired, discouraged, or lazy and slide back down to the first step. God's plan for success requires you to give careful effort. Make sure you are working on the right things. God's plan requires you to give persistent effort. Don't try for a while then quit when you don't see instant results. Great things are built over time. 

2. Moral Excellence - be godly in your dealings and give your best at all times. God and people deserve your best. Don't do things in a half-hearted manner but strive for excellence in your character and your effort. 

3. Knowledge - Make a continuous effort to grown in your knowledge of God, your knowledge of self, and the knowledge of your calling. God is always unveiling new revelations to those who are seeking Him. 

4. Self Control - This is a huge problem today. Everyone seems to be doing what they feel like doing. There is little self-discipline. It's interesting that the Bible refers to us as Disciples and yet many Christians have no self- discipline. They think that doing what you feel like doing is the way to follow the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not your emotions. If you really want to know the difference between the Holy Spirit and your emotions you need to read and re-read the Bible. The Word of God will help you distinguish between your feelings and the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 4:12). God has given us instructions to control our emotions, our minds, and our bodies, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to empower our decisions to obey Him. 

5. Perseverance - This one is pretty simple. Don't quit, finish. Once you know the direction God is leading you and the purpose of your life becomes clearer, don't stop pressing until your finished. 

6. Godliness - Conduct your self in a manner that Jesus would. Be honest, be real, don't quit, sacrifice, love others, get back up, etc. 

7. Brotherly kindness - Remember that you were saved for the purpose of good works. Those good works always include other people. Everything we do is about helping other people find the life and love that Jesus has for them. Think about it, if God only wanted to give us comfortable lives and take in our praise He would just take us all to heaven, but there are still people down here who don't know Him and our lives are living portals to the kingdom of God. Through us, God is loving and reaching the world. Make sure your success is about helping others.

8. Love - love is the greatest power of all. Love has the power to literally change someone's life and we have the power to love. In all your efforts and striving for success don't lose sight of why succeeding matters. In the end, loving others is the greatest success, and your success can be a tool to show and share the love of God with those who need it. 

It breaks my heart to see seeds of greatness everywhere that are lying dormant in lives that have given no effort to grow them. It bothers me to hear people blame God because they haven't accomplished anything great. It's a shame that so many people never discover how incredible they really are. It's a tragedy when someone knows they have a gift but refuses to do the work to make it grow. You're not just depriving yourself of success but you're depriving the world of a mighty oak.

The seed is in you. Start working it. 

Mylon Avery

Fight The Resistance

Resistance - It’s something we all face at some point in our life. We try to do our best but inevitably the world tries to hold you down. Maybe you didn’t get the promotion you worked for or maybe things didn’t pan out for you in the way you’d hoped. These moments can make us feel like we aren’t good enough; like we should just give up. These feelings are natural and aren’t something you should be ashamed of but they are avoidable. The bible says in 2nd chronicles 15:7 “be strong and do not lose courage, for there is a reward for your work.” This scripture is telling you that if you just push through and keep fighting the lord will provide. Our God is watching you, cheering you on and telling you to keep up the hard work. Don’t let the negativity of the world make you forgot that God has plans for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says “for I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope.” God is trying to tell you to fight back, keep up the hard work because he has good plans for you. The struggle you face now is not His plan for you. He says not for trouble but for a good future and hope. So see past the struggle in your life because God is waiting on the other side of resistance ready to bless you.

Just Like A Red Solo Cup

I know many people who have the misguided notion that Christians, especially Christian leaders, live above the rest of us. I can assure you that Ministers, Pastors and Christian leaders are all just people. In fact, we all make mistakes and are prone to sin, fail and otherwise blow it. Plain and simple. 

God doesn't use people because they have reached some invisible level of goodness. He doesn't call people to ministry or service because they have earned His favor or respect. God is not keeping track of your mistakes, He will use you in spite of your mistakes.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

Here's how it works - God is the excellent treasure and you and I are the Earthen vessels. We are like Red Solo Cups full of the life giving power of almighty God. A Red Solo Cup is not fancy, not strong, not expensive but it gets the job done. After all, it's really not about the cup it's about what's in the cup. 

You and I may not seem like much on the outside. We have weaknesses and we will make mistakes but God uses imperfect people to do His perfect work. Even with all of our faults and failures we carry the power of God's Holy Spirit inside of us, to be poured out over the world as He sees fit.

So don't be critical of Christian leaders who make mistakes, and don't count out someone who has failed (including yourself), God doesn't.