#as like the most obvious sowing of seeds to be reaped

[ceaselessims]

i'm so surprised at the amount of push back/lack of reaction to baby stolas saying "you'll hire me? i hope i qualify!" like that's the most on the nose line to what will happen by the end of a character's season arc in the whole show i think

[letscrywolff]

I refuse to feign indifference. Nearly a year later and I still care. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Your cold detachment, your silence - it used to tear at me. But now I see through it. I know the truth: I’ve never been far from your mind.

Not then, and not now.

You’re reading this, and you’re afraid. Afraid to confront what’s real, afraid to make a move. You even told me last time that you thought about reaching out multiple times but that you always talked yourself out of it, worried it wouldn't be right for "us". You have this habit of making unilateral decisions for "us" that always involve your lack of involvement. And you don't stay away because you worry it isn't right or good for us - you stay away because you're scared. That’s your weakness and always has been - fear. It’s what’s kept you stuck, not just with me, but with everyone.

You’re lost in a maze of choices, imagining different lives with people who aren’t here, daydreaming about those who’ve already walked away. All the while, you sabotage the present, undermine what’s real, what’s right in front of you. You did it with us. We could have worked.

We should have worked.

And that’s why I won’t pretend to not care. I’m not afraid. I’m not a coward. I'm not afraid to admit my failings - and I'm no longer afraid to hold you accountable for yours, either. I'm not afraid of things working. Of getting connected even deeper. Of risking the chance of having my heart broken again - I mean, you've broken it innumerable times at this point, I clearly have no issue risking my heart for a chance at happiness.

I just can't hide behind indifference because I do still care about you. I have the strength to admit it, and you should too. There’s no power in pretending we don’t have a history rooted in love, care and passion. You can't retcon that and pretend otherwise. I've been here long enough, been with enough people, to know when it's real, and when it's bullshit. I looked you in the eyes and I saw the burning look of love - it was animalistic. It was so fucking natural and obvious - even a blind man could see that the look you often gave me was one of love. It fucking radiated off of us - you saw the pictures from the security camera and even when you were peak-upset with me, you couldn't deny it. Believe your own eyes - we truly were in love. It couldn't have been mistaken for anything else. In the void, where you're most comfortable being yourself, you confirmed it in secrecy in your own words.

Your words were my vindication. I needed that more than you'll ever understand. Where you feel robbed, I feel righted.

But there’s no strength in the way you ended things. No courage in your reasons.

You ran because you were scared. Scared of what was real, scared of a commitment that required more than just playing house.

You said you felt pushed, like I was asking too much by wanting to grow our relationship, to make it flourish. As if asking for the next step after six years was some sudden, unreasonable demand. But let’s be honest, you weren’t being pushed; you were being asked to grow up.

You once mused about all the things you could have grown in a garden had you been with a better lover - clearly referencing me in your poetry. How did you plan to do that without tending to it too? All you proved is that you reap what you sow. What you saw as being pushed was really just the moment to cultivate what we had, to let it grow into something lasting. To grow a garden WITH me. Together. You helped plant the seeds of our future - but refused to help tend to and cultivate them.

I wouldn't have gone for it if you hadn't been in lockstep with me. I put in the work to ensure we were on the same page.

We could have grown that garden. Beautiful, nourishing, and plenty. But you couldn't be bothered to get your hands dirty.

And you still can't.

You'll still feign indifference. You'll still keep your distance. You'll still run from the good things and into the bad. And your pride will continue to hold you back - cause you'll still run whenever you get too close to someone. Because you don't have the guts to be anything more than a coward. You thought I never saw the real you, but that's who you truly are. A coward.

But I'll always take pride in being able to stand in my truth: I still care about you. I still love you. And I'll never back down from a chance to tell you so.

[harrytheexplorer]

The Ultimate Guide to Mastering the 12 Universal Laws

No matter if you're skeptical or an apologist of the 12 Universal Laws can be used to make positive changes within your own life. These laws are based upon spiritual principles, such as Ho'oponopono, and hermetic philosophical theories that date back to ancient Egypt. The Law of Polarity is an illustration of the Universal Law. It states that everything has two poles. This includes hatred and love or night and day. The Law of Attraction Every person has a part of their life they want to alter. It could be your relationship or job, or your financial situation There are a few steps you can follow to manifest what you desire. Like attracts like, which is the most well-known universal law. That means that whatever that you concentrate on, will get. To apply this law, you'll be a happy person who is focused on nourishing your soul emotions such as gratitude, love, and abundance. It's therefore important to know all 12 universal law to be in sync with them. The Law of Vibration The law of physics is inviolable and explains that everything is energy. This includes our thoughts, beliefs, as well as our feelings. If we emit higher frequencies it attracts experiences that resonate with the same frequency. It's similar to the way quantum physicists explain atoms interacting at an atomic scale even across space and time. Following this law implies that you focus on your thoughts and feelings in order to maintain a high vibration and this in turn leads to your life experiences that you wish to experience. This law also recognizes that you aren't just the body you are in and that your positive energy has the power to manifest your highest desires in the physical world. The Law of Cause and Effect The Law of Cause and Effect states that for every action that is taken, there will be an equal and opposite reaction. It's a little like Newton's Third Law, however with more of a spiritual twist. It's also linked to the law of karma. It states that you reap the seeds you have sown. It means that good deeds are rewarded while bad ones will be punished, even though it's not always obvious. The beauty of this law, Kumar explains, is that you have the ability to select your triggers and bring about the changes you wish to be able to see in your life. The Law of Compensation

A very close relative to the Law of Sowing and Reaping It is believed that whatever effort, energy or love you put into the Universe will return to you as a reward. It is not only limited to financial matters, but also actions like kindness toward strangers which can have far-reaching implications for the planet as well as our fellow humans. Imagine the universe as an accountant who tracks everything that you think, feel or speak. It is crucial to guard your thoughts and words as this will influence the reality you live in! The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy The law states that everything changes from one form to the next. It's like water turning into an ice cube rain, steam, or snow. Energy will never go away; it just shifts into a new shape. The most frequent natural transformation on Earth is due to cosmic rays which result in carbon-14 and the radioactive decaying of nuclides that were created at the beginning of our Solar System. These include the elements thorium, uranium, potassium-40 and thorium. On a personal level this law states that lower energies can be transformed into higher ones, by changing your energy, and changing your negative feelings to positive ones. This can be accomplished through self-reflection that is constructive and actively choosing to behave in ways that inspire you. The Law of Gender The Law of Gender doesn't refer to sex in the way we think of it, but rather the opposite energies that are present in us: one nurtures and the other that is driving. Kaiser states that harmony between these energies can help us to become more authentic. If you're naturally goal-oriented and assertive try to balance this out by balancing the ability to feel empathy and trust. Relax into the natural rhythm of life and develop a deep sense of interconnection with all living creatures. Harmonize your masculine and female aspects so that they are no longer at odds but harmoniously. The Law of Rhythm The Universe is governed by a periodic ups-and-downs. As the tides rise and flow, the seasons change and the days become nights and vice versa. This is also true of our personal and professional life experiences. Knowing this law will assist you in releasing your any resistance you may encounter during difficult times and be aware that the hardships will not last forever. It also teaches you to appreciate the highs, and to be prepared for the downs. You shouldn't be surprised by the good times. They always come. Be sure to stay clear of anxiety-related extremes such as excessive excitement or excessive depression. Watch the video here

[sakinotfound]

I just saw the the emotionally constipated MC post and I can relate way too much :'). Can I ask for the same scenario with Belphie, Beelzebub and Satan? Take your time with it, no need to hurry. And thank you in advance ^-^

when you are an emotionally constipated anime character (part 2)

characters: Belphegor, Beelzebub, Satan

cw: long post under the cut, angst, hurt no comfort, mc being a somewhat dick, you have a crush on Belphie in his part (i am sorry i needed to change it up a little. it was getting boring to write, hope you don't mind)— the rest are up for interpretation like always.

a/n: ahahaha not y'all relating to having low EQ. s' okay s' okay though. i understand you all. here we have hugs for all the people who relate to these posts. sorry for the delay, i have been mad busy these past few days. barely had any time to breathe. also thank you for the request, love 🖤🤍

part 1

🌪️Belphegor

• tears streamed down your eyes, temples, staining your cheekbones as they made wet splotches on the bedsheet.

• your body didn't shake with every tear that fell down your somewhat red eyes, your mouth didn't let out soft whimpers or ear piercing screams. yet you still cried, it was a silent cry.

• the type of cry when you pity yourself. when you know your condition is pathetic and you can do nothing about it. when you reflect back on how it all started and finally realize what led to your downfall. when you remember how you ignored the obvious issues that popped up in your mind like annoying pop up ads and you just clicked the cross button, happily ignoring them because you were thriving in your own little fantasies.

• as you sow, so shall you reap.

• you sowed seeds of unrequited love and now you will reap the pain and heartbreak of watching the guy you are in love with, fulfil the fantasies you painted in your head with someone else.

• it was heart wrenching. it was pitiful. it was worth sympathizing for.

• your chest hurts, it physically hurts every time you see him with them. every time those two hung out together, or laughed at each other's jokes or sat in the class together.

• he is so in love. truly, madly, deeply. you can see that. anyone with two functional eyes can see that.

• but what hurt the most was when he cancelled plans to be with them, when he prioritised their needs over yours, when even when he was not with them- all he talked about was them.

• and even though if it were you in their place, you'd want belphie to do the same for you. but it still stung nonetheless.

• you were angry. you were angry at yourself for crying over some stupid demon boy. you were angry at yourself for pushing it so far that now the mere thought of him had your eyes brimming with tears. and the memories you have created together have been tainted with jealousy and hatred.

• you know how wrong this is, but you aren't in the mental capacity to deal with what is right and what is wrong and what is supposed to be done. you couldn't care less.

• how did you let this happen? how could you do this to yourself. how could you-

• "mc! mc! open the door!" belphie knocked rapidly and by his tone, you knew he was excited.

• without even giving you a chance, he announced, "you know what? i am coming in!" only to see your tears stained cheeks and glossy eyes.

• "oh my God mc, what happened?" rushes towards you, holding you by your arm as he tries to understand you through your facial expressions and body language.

• you want to tell him. you want him to know what you have been going through. you want him to console you. and wrap you in his arms. and hold you close. and kiss you square on the lips. and tell you that he loves you too and only you.

• but you know that won't happen and you can't really tell your feelings to him either.

• you just can't. never been the best at communicating properly or expressing and dealing with your emotions in a healthy and smart manner.

• so you push him away. both mentally and physically. you push him and tell him to leave you alone. that you are fine and it's not a big deal.

• but he is your friend. and you mean a lot to him. he can see how you have been crying prior to his forced entry and he knows that had he given you the time to open the door, he wouldn't have gotten to know that something was bothering you in the first place.

• now that he knows, he is determined to fight whoever dared to hurt you. so he demands you to let him in and let him help you.

• but you straight up decline his offer, deny him the chance to see you vulnerable and brutally honest. give him the cold shoulder and remain stoic.

• how can you complain about mammon being a tsundere when you yourself are never true to your emotions? wearing a façade. showing a mask and hiding the truth behind a cover.

• that's how you are, though. and it might not be the correct way to live life, it might be wrong to the people you care about. but emotional vulnerability and opening up to others, scare you. it's a haunting experience. it leaves you anxious with a racing heart and what-ifs clogging your brain.

• you shelter yourself through lies and iron walls. hostile behaviour and rude remarks. denial and anger.

• "i know you are hurting mc, but please let me heal you?" he begs.

• you push him out and with hands holding the doors to your room you say, "you are the cause of the pain and the medicine to ease it belphegor. but i can't ask that of you. so please, leave me alone."

🌪️Beelzebub

• this boy truly didn't deserve it. like truly.

• he came to the right place but at the wrong time.

• mc, you jerk.

• you were so done with everyone and everything. your brain was a mess. scattered with anxieties and insecurities of your own. burdened with school work and lucifer's and your own high expectations, aching with Mammon's constant whining and levi's constant forcing to play another new game that he bought from akuzon which you had already denied him for.

• a headache was coming up and you were losing your patience. these past few days had been very hectic and with the things that were already bothering you, you often found yourself helpless.

• helpless because even when you were sure logic could solve every problem, you failed to solve this problem because of your limitations and flaws.

• berating and criticizing yourself, you found yourself spiralling down the rabbit hole of self-doubt and self-hatred.

• you wanted help. you needed help. you felt like you were drowning. and you couldn't breathe. you wanted to scream at the top of your lungs. levi and mammon's stupid immature acts were pushing all your wrong buttons. and when you were trying to calm yourself down and not explode at them, beel came up to you.

• "hey mc, i am feeling very hungry. i haven't eaten anything in thirty whole minutes. can you please make up some-"

• "FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!" you screamed so loud, your voice reverberated off the dome shaped walls and all the three demons in the room froze.

• "CAN YOU ALL SHUT THE FUCK UP AND ACT YOUR AGE FOR ONCE?"

• "CAN I GET SOME FUCKING PEACE IN THIS HOUSE OR DOES IT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE A FUCKING FISH MARKET ALL THE TIME?"

• "you-" you pointed at beel. "you can't make a fucking sandwich on your own? why the fuck do you have to come up to me? what am i? your fucking mother?"

• "and you two," you glared at the second and third born, "mc this, mc that. no mc! mc is fucking dead. leave me alone and don't you dare come to my room."

• beel didn't come down for dinner that night. he didn't mean to put pressure on you. had he known you were dealing with so much he would have never asked you to make him food. he just came to you because tonight was your duty to make dinner.

🌪️Satan

• another overconfident demon

• satan had noticed the change in your demeanor and body language long ago.

• he saw you getting pissed about small things easily. he saw you zoning out into your own little bubble mid conversation. he saw you trying to stay in your room more often. he saw you declining mammon's requests demands to hang out more often.

• he knows something is going on but he chooses to give you space and let you come to him on your own.

• but you don't. and that leaves him confused. it's been days and according to Satan he has given you enough space and time. you should have come running to him about what's bothering you by now.

• decides to wait for another day but he can't sleep now. he is tossing and turning, his mind fixed on you. he is worried. he hasn't seen you the whole day. you two haven't talked at all.

• nah, can't wait. gotta go find you.

• knocks your door at 2 a.m. hair disheveled and half panting. yeah he ran from his room to yours because the boy was getting more impatient every second. so tired walking turned to brisk walking turned to full on running.

• "mc, we need to talk."

• "a'ight." you let him in.

• "why do you seem so distant nowadays, mc? did something happen?" blurts out the second he gets inside.

• satan has a no bullshit, straight to the point policy. (love him for that, muah)

• you are slightly shocked because you weren't prepared for this but pulling on your straight face you say, "you have some misunderstanding, i suppose. i am just fine."

• clicks his tongue. "bullshit. we both know that's a lie. now get to the point."

• "can't help you with your delusions, satan. now go to your room."

• "you can't lie to me. i have been observing you for days. at first i had suspicions but now i have evidence. you-"

• "i am not a fucking case," closing your eyes, you grit you teeth. trying to control your anger. "so play detective somewhere else. don't poke your nose in other's business."

• he is taken aback by your sudden mood change. you have never been this hostile.

• sigh… satan it's called having boundaries babe.

• "don't take your anger out on me. i am here to help, mc. please tell me what is going on?"

• your turn your face away. for a second you felt bad for getting angry at him when's just tryna help but you also know what happens when you open your heart and let others inside. and that has you spewing venom.

• "nothing's wrong. i don't like repeating myself. i need you to leave."

• you see, when you challenge satan, he gets competitive. as if this is some sort of debate or competition and he has got to win.

• "i won't. not unless you speak up. which you will. i ain't gonna see you suffer when i am still here. so speak up, now."

• "you don't tell me shit, blondie." you glare at him. "so get out of my room NOW!"

• satan isn't done with you yet, but you force him out of the room in an instant and he isn't able to stop himself.

• you used your pact.

• shock, then surprise, then anger, then bubbling wrath, then heart break and then pain.

• his eyes seem dull as he walks back to his room.

[kadeu]

Accepted — Shah Mallick Sai 

♣️   Mallick Sai Shah aka. Black Panther looks like Hrithik Roshan (actor) ♣️   He was born April 1st  1875 ; making him 145  ♣️   This Shifter is Heterosexual and a Falseranking Five of Clubs ♣️   He is a Bartender at Club V and Leader for the Resistance 

Biography

Mallick could remember with a cruel clarity, the night when he lost everything. It had been quiet, calmer than the storm that had raged the day before. The skies darkening and clearing so quickly should have been a sign that his life was about to take a turn he’d never seen coming.

Mallick Sai Shah had been standing strong as a King of Clubs, 95 years old, married and expecting a child from a wife had loved since his very young days. They’d been inseparable since the first day he’d laid his eyes on her, strong and fighting despite the obvious sight of her failing to truly be able to defend herself. He’d taken to defending her against all odds, against everything that unjustly put her at a disadvantage in this faction.

He’d fought all of her battles, given her protection, safety and then he’d given her love and waited patiently for her to pick up on the fact that it all came from a genuine place. He’d courted her to the point of not ever being able to see a life without her. Where Mallick was, Saiyah followed–not in his shadows, but next to him. It never did matter to him that she was low ranked, weak, that she was frail, fragile, that she was human. He’d thought all the battles won when she’d returned his affection, bit by bit, when she’d finally let him get close enough to finally let them be lovers. Then spouses. He’d married the love of his life, that was what she’d been.

To think of her in the past still hurt him to this day, it still sat bitterly on his tongue everytime he laid to think of where it could have been other than the makeshift bed on the ground thinking of when he’d had her. He’d had everything he’d ever wished for and all it’d taken was a night of revenge to snatch it all from him without a single thought of what the consequences could come from it.

Saiyah would have eventually come to pass before him, an eventuality he’d always readied himself for–but not like that, not the way she’d been taken from him–assassinated by some drunk enemy of his mad for his loss and seeking to punish Mallick where it would hurt the most. They’d been right.

Mallick had been sitting in a tavern, laughing and thinking of heading back home where the warmth of her smile was waiting for him, where he’d get to press his ears to the soft heartbeats of the child that was growing in her, from his seed, from their love. That night had never happened like all the others had, instead, he’d been interrupted through a tale that had been started by a comrade of his at the table–with the frantic sound of his brother crying his name, crying her name.

She’s gone, Mallick, she’s gone. Saiyah–she is, oh brother.

What had he said then? He couldn’t remember if he’d spoken much or at all. The blood on his brother’s hands, the tears down his face, the pain he’d known Mallick would have felt from the sight of it all, from the message he’d been there to send, to deliver. Everything had been but a blur and Mallick rising with a calm he hadn’t felt, then. He still did not feel it to this day, it laid there–it was a dormant fear mixed in with a whole lot of rage.

The rage had come after, when he’d seen her body and he’d cried, he’d begged for someone to do something but they’d all passed by as if Mallick hadn’t been holding everything his life had been meant for–watching it slip from his fingers. Saiyah had been cold to the touch, the rain had started pouring as soon as he’d touched her and he’d stayed under the downpour until the day had gone and the sun had risen.

The fury had built itself up to a fire storm when he’d sought for justice and had gotten all the doors closed on him because Saiyah had been a lowranker and no one had cared to show sympathy or kindness to a human nonetheless.

You reap what you sow. Should have married someone stronger, dumbass. As if he expects us to fight against a Queen for some human.

Each door slams had made him grow quieter and quieter, or maybe it was the black panther he knew laid dormant in him–the one he’d always been known for whenever he let himself shift. Lean, elegant, he’d still hoped, trusted–until eventually someone had taken a hold of his fists, made him lift his gaze to meet theirs and that had been the first hand that had thought of letting him know there was something he could do.

Mallick had thought, anything–as long as he could get justice, he’d do anything. A man with nothing to lose was the most dangerous weapon to a cause and the woman who had lured him in the shadows of the resistance had recognized that from this tragedy could be born a great ally. Losing his rank had been an easy thing to do, his brothers had all chipped in to steadily make him lose face–the rumors had spread quickly about a certain King quickly spiraling down because of the useless whore he’d married. The insults to her memory, to her even in passing had kept him going until Mallick was satisfyingly down to a Five of Clubs.

Then he’d handed his life over to the only ones who had cared enough to try to mend what was left of the man. Mallick had not risen to be a leader because he could fight, or because he could command an army with the simple overpowering presence he had by merely standing by and giving orders in the most controlled manner.

No, he’d done so with loyalty, with a cause that never faltered with time–with studious work and a climbing through that had left him with many appraisals from various other of the leaders before him.

Mallick was steadfast in his manner of managing each and every operation, he was thoughtful of every detail, he was particularly adept at finding new strategies, proposing them–never standing still if there was something to do. He was a man of action and they’d seen the potential from the fifth successful operation, but they’d also seen it a lot more with how the other members of the resistance hung onto him for guidance in various other things.

More importantly, much like the black panther sleeping in his genes–Mallick moved swiftly in the dark and ate at his prey in quiet solitude, alarming them only when they were already neck deep in his claws. Nothing about this man was what his dear Saiyah had known, nothing left of him would have ever pleased her. But Saiyah had been gone for fifty years now and Mallick had found something to keep him from following her promptly. So she had to forgive him for losing himself in the absence of her, because she would have preferred him alive as he was, rather than dead, of that he was sure.

Personality

Mallick regards all factions as nothing more and nothing less than a system to dismantle for obvious reasons. He used to think that the way Kadeu works was never to be touched or taken apart, that life would just go on and as long as he or the people he cared for did not get affected by what this continent had become, it would be fine. 

But ever since the death of his wife and the way he saw everyone treat her while she was alive, his opinion has changed through time. He doesn’t overtly go about sounding bitter to every highrankers but he doesn’t need to do so for them to know that he’s not in the best of terms with the majority of them due to the fact that a highranker killed his wife and still hasn’t to this day really gotten punished for it. 

He tends to treat highranker the way he’s been taught to–politely–but with a colder shoulder than he had before, he could careless for their worries or their thoughts, or their status but he’ll play the game of pretend because he has to. It goes without saying that he’s been surrounded by only lowrankers ever since his own rank dropped severly after his wife’s death. 

He is rumored to be very forgiving because of how he’s still close to his brother despite his loss to them being the cause of his drop in ranks. He also has a reputed huge soft spot for humans as he does tend to prefer their company over any other in Kadeu. 

Congratulations Ria your app has been accepted and your personalized plot drop will be sent to you soon.

Please follow and welcome @mallickshah to Kadeu!

[apostolicpentecostalquotes]

Day 3: The Word Is Life

The Powerful Word Bible Study Series

Day 3: The Word is Life

Today’s Scriptures:

John 6:63 “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:68 “But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Luke 8:11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.”

When we lived in the Midwest, I was the designated lawn caretaker. Since I am a nature-lover and get a kick out of growing things, it was hardly a chore. I was pretty bad at it at first and had a penchant for drowning the flowers. One time I discovered I was fertilizing a weed!

One of the things I desired most was a beautiful, green, weed-free lawn. The bane of my horticultural existence was that particularly resistant, rebellious weed called crabgrass! You could pull them up all day, but their seeds would blow in with the next wind and firmly plant themselves in my grass, as pretty as you please.

I’ll never forget the spiritual epiphany I had when a professional lawn man said to me: “You know how to get a weed-free lawn? Grow thick grass.”

Excuse me, Mr. Scott, come again? Are you telling me if I grow enough grass seed, I won’t have to dig up any more weeds?

“Precisely. Where there is thick grass, there is no room for weeds.”

This was bigger to me than just a great idea for my next small group discussion. This was very personal and life-changing. You see, the soil of my heart had been bitterly poisoned by the words and deeds of others, and there were many empty places for weeds to thrive. I had tried for years to pull them out, one by one, only to find another weed growing in its place. My epiphany that day was: stop the endless

chore of pulling up weeds; instead, plant the Word of God and the weeds won’t have room to grow! That is the day I began intentional planting.

The Blessed Life

I’m going to make a bold statement to you: “Everything you need for a blessed life, you have right now in seed form.” Do you believe that? Let’s break it down according to God’s Word:

In Genesis 1:29 God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed.” Right from the beginning, God made everything on the earth to reproduce from a seed, including mankind. This is God’s strategy for life growth: sow the

seed. And God blessed it all. In the parable of the sower, Jesus says, “The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11). Since every seed reproduces after its own kind, and since the Word of God is blessed, our lives become blessed when we sow it: “for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7, ESV).

Promises Are Seeds

When I was a kid we sang a song called “Every Promise in The Book Is Mine!” I loved that song (who doesn’t like singing about promises?) I didn’t realize it then, but now I know that every promise of God is a seed. The promise does not come full grown. I must plant it and nurture it. Only then will I eat of its fruit.

It Is What It Is

You don’t plant broccoli and reap turnips. You might be laughing at how obvious that sounds, but I did this for years before I learned how to apply the principle of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7). I would think about how much someone had hurt me (seed of bitterness) and wonder why I had no joy. I would read too many news reports (seeds of violence and fear) and wonder why I had no peace. Philippians 4:6-8 has become my life’s scripture, seeds that I have reaped a bountiful harvest from (bless yourself today by planting this passage in your heart)!

When you open fruit, you will find the same kind of seeds on the inside. This is the same with people – what you see and hear on the outside is the fruit of the seeds that were planted on the inside, whether good or bad.

Bad Stuff Grows in Empty Spots

Have you ever seen a vacant lot that has no weeds? It would be a rare thing, because nature does not allow it. Leave something alone long enough, and bad things will show up. Proverbs 24:30-31, “I went by the field of ... the man devoid of understanding; and there it was, all overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles.” Your heart will never remain empty for long – the law of nature demands something to grow there. As I learned with my lawn, bad things grow in sparse places.

The Seed of Faith

One day the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, increase our faith.” As usual, Jesus’ answer forced them to think: “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” I used to think this meant it didn’t matter if you had small faith, but that’s not what the scriptures teach. Jesus admired great faith and rebuked small faith. In Matthew 13:31 He says when it is grown the mustard seed becomes a tree. He wasn’t saying it was okay to have tiny faith, but that great faith starts with a tiny seed and grows into tremendous usefulness. But it starts with a seed that is planted and cultivated.

The seed of faith produces miracles – Jesus said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).

The reason we call it the “Living” Bible is because it is not like any other book – the words in it are God- breathed and are actually alive with His DNA. When you read it, the life that is in the seed begins to grow, pushing out all the other “weeds” that have sprung up in your heart. Just like a beautiful lawn, when the Word is thick and lush, there will be no room for weeds like bitterness, anger, depression or fear. You will truly begin to live!

The Powerful Word pg. 9 | MoreToLifeToday.com | © 2017

[amidonna]

Why “Sacrifice” is Raven’s song

In Volumes 1-3 the ending songs have been closely linked to a character who got focus in the finale, even if it was brief (Raven and Salem). Volume 1′s song, Wings, was about Blake. Volume 2′s song, Sacrifice, was about Raven. Volume 3′s song, Divide, was about Salem.

But we (the fans) aren’t 100% sure that “Sacrifice” is Raven’s song so I want to argue my case line-by-line. A lot of this is speculation that will probably be clarified in the next episode, but I wanted to practice my writing / analysis / theorizing so I’m posting this anyway.

Close your eyes now, time for dreams Death is never what it seems

Raven kills people; that much is obvious. Qrow calls the tribe “killers and thieves”. This line is fairly straightforward so there isn’t much to talk about.

Did the things you thought you should All the things they said were good...

In the past, a lot of people theorized this song was about Cinder rather than Raven. I think it helps to look at the perspective of the song vs. what we know.

This line speaks about being obedient and doing what they (society? Ozpin?) said was good. Cinder objectively hasn’t done that. Raven, however, trained at Beacon to become a Huntress and remarks in the latest episode that she “trusted [Ozpin] once”.

All your faith in ancient ways Leaves you trapped inside a maze

This seems to be in line with Raven telling Yang that she shouldn’t get mixed up in the whole Ozpin debacle because it’s too big for her.

Take the lives of those you need Sow the death and reap the seed REAP THE SEED

Not only is this perfectly descriptive of Raven’s philosophy, “reap the seed” is repeated twice. What was the Spring Maiden shown doing in the tale of the four maidens? Sowing the seeds. Who has the current Spring Maiden? That’s right... Raven. Very clever pun / foreshadowing if it was deliberate.

Born an angel, Heaven sent Falls from grace are never elegant

You can see my extended thoughts on this line here; although some holes in the timeline have been pointed out I still believe the general idea of the post

The moon will sadly watch the roses die in vain.

We don’t have anything connecting Raven to the moon quite yet, but the roses dying is definitely a reference to Summer Rose and some people have speculated Summer’s death is the reason she doesn’t trust Ozpin. As of right now though, this piece of evidence is mainly conjecture.

The chorus of the song is very straightforward and emotionally charged rather than actual storytelling/foreshadowing so there’s not much to comment on, but the basic premise and stubborn refusal to give up definitely fits with everything we’ve seen from Raven so far.

Show them Gods and deities Blind and keep the people on their knees

Raven has negative feelings towards Ozpin that she made clear in the most recent episode. Despite not being on the same side as Salem, she seems to share Salem’s opinion that he is a liar and a fraud.

Ozpin also has some references to Odin in his design, with Raven and Qrow being references to Hugin and Munin (there was even a quote about Hugin and Munin on the chalkboard as Yang talked about Raven in volume 2). Odin sacrificed one of his eyes for knowledge, which makes the comment about blinding the people a very clever jab.

Truth will rise, revealed by mirrored eyes.

Many interpret the “mirrored eyes” in this line to be about Ruby, but it could very well be about Summer. This line could reference (if true) how Raven was disillusioned with Ozpin after Summer’s death.

What if all the plans you made were not worth the price they paid? Even with the lives you stole, still no closer to your goal.

This paragraph is clearly calling out Ozpin and is again in line with everything Raven has said about Ozpin. While Cinder was shown to hold similar criticisms, calling him arrogant in volume 3, I feel like this line would be more emotional and impactful coming from someone on ostensibly the same side (while not directly cooperating, Raven still opposes Salem and has worked for Ozpin before), as well as possible bitterness over Summer being one of the lives Ozpin stole.

__

That’s all I can think of right now! Like I said most of this is bound to be either confirmed or jossed next Saturday but I wanted to practice my analysis so  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ hope you enjoyed!

[sparrowstrikewrites]

Flaming Oven Character Study Part 2

Sasuke Uchiha (age 19, mostly canon compliant)

Sasuke’s oven is on fire because he was too busy over analyzing, planning, and having a minor existential crisis to pay attention to what he was cooking.

I was not the one voted most likely to set the kitchen on fire and I will NEVER live this down if anyone finds out. *panic rinnegans the flaming oven to Kami knows where and proceeds to eliminate the rest of the evidence*

Sasuke moved into the little row house with nothing but what he’d carried on his back the last 2 years. 

It was 2 stories tall, narrow, and he was pretty sure the ivy was more load bearing than the bricks. 

A rotund tabby cat sunned itself on the front step of the unit next door. 

The little patch of flowerbed next to the front stairs was choked with weeds, but a couple irises still managed to shove their way up to bloom.

The street out front was busy all hours of the day.

Across the street was a potter, a bakery, and a fancy little cafe that served imported pastries.

Curtains twitched and the neighbors watched Sasuke walk up to the door with open curiosity. This area of town was heavily civilian and he was very obviously a shinobi.

2 years away from the village had changed Sasuke beyond these people’s recognition. He’d had his last growth spurt and his shoulders were broader. His hair was long enough that he wore it in a low ponytail. He met their curious looks with a hesitant smile and a small wave from his remaining arm.

People smiled and waved back.

The cat raised its head to watch Sasuke fumble with the lock and then laid back down to continue purring.

Sasuke thought this place couldn’t get more perfect.

On his first night in the row house, Sasuke tried to cook a meatloaf. 

A knock at the door pulled him away from the kitchen.

A little old lady with her gray hair in a high bun and glasses that resembled small dishes grinned at him. 

“I’m Mrs. Matsuda. I live to the left. The lazy cat is Mebuki. We just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood.”

A plate of cookies, still warm, were thrust into Sasuke’s arm before he could say anything.

“Thank you,” Sasuke stammered. 

“You looked like you could use some cookies. There’s not enough meat on you shinobi types,” Mrs. Matsuda said and then she toddled back to her door before Sauske could figure out whether he should bite the bullet and introduce himself or how he could protect the delicate and welcome blanket of anonymity he’d managed to find here.

Sasuke wandered back into his new home. He didn’t have any real furniture yet, but a pile of cushions stacked against the living room wall made a decent couch, at least it was an improvement to the logs and rocks Sasuke’d spent his evening on for the last 2 years.

Sasuke ate a cookie and stared at the empty wall across the room. He chewed slowly, savoring the different flavors. There was vanilla and another sweetness Sasuke couldn’t quite identify between the chocolate chips. It was good. 

Sasuke didn’t usually like sweet things, but the cookie tasted like a home. 

Sasuke closed his mismatched eyes. Home was a tenuous, fragile thing.

Konoha would never be home again, not after what they did to the clan and to Itachi. Not after watching Naruto suffer the village’s predjudice for years and learning Kakashi’s story. How many people had this place destroyed?

Sasuke grabbed another cookie and shoved the whole thing in his mouth. The sweetness was almost unpleasant and oddly grounding. 

Konoha might never be home again, but this little row house could exist beyond it’s address. This space could be home. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were his home (had been for years). The fact that they lived in Konoha didn’t change that.

Sasuke leaned back and rested his head on the wall behind him.

The question of whether he had a home was a tentative, but hopeful, yes.

The question of how to keep it was one Sasuke didn’t know how to answer.

Would Mrs. Matsuda bring Sasuke Uchiha cookies? 

Sasuke knew who he was and what he’d done. He’d understood when so many argued for his permanent incarceration or his death. He hadn’t fought either option.

Kakashi and Naruto had used every favor they’d ever earned and the full weight of who they were and what they’d done to keep him alive in the months after the war.

Sakura’s tactics had been less diplomatic. Had Naruto and Kakashi failed, Sasuke had no doubt the kunoichi would have punched a hole in the wall and saved him herself-- not that he had or would have asked that of her.

When the question of how to imprison someone with both the sharingan and the rinnegan came up around the Council’s table, Sakura destroyed the table and dared the council to try. 

Sasuke owed her his freedom. He owed her everything he was now and everything he would ever become.

2 years had changed Sasuke. He’d crossed the world, learned to raise a barn, sow seeds, and reap a harvest. He’d been welcomed as a stranger. He’d fought bandits and searched for lost children. He’d learned to stitch wounds and battle nightmares (his own and others). He’d climbed mountains and swam in the ocean. He’d thought long and heard about his place in the world and he’d healed in ways he never thought he could.

Sasuke came home determined to do better, to pay back the faith placed in him. He didn’t believe in Konoha and Konoha didn’t believe in him, but the others believed in Konoha and Sasuke believed in them. If he could work from the shadows to support them, cloaked in anonymity, Sasuke thought he might be able to keep the peace in his soul that he’d found somewhere between the coast of Kiri and the sand dunes of Suna.

But how does the last Uchiha-- a man with 1 arm, one purple eye, and a well known name-- avoid attention?

A loud beep made Sasuke jump and scramble for the sword he wasn’t wearing.

The beeping continued, but Sasuke couldn’t hear it over the blood rushing in his ears.

It took a good 30 seconds for Sasuke’s adrenaline to level off enough for his brain to register the source of the ear splitting beep. 

Black smoke was pouring across the ceiling like water down a a stream and Sasuke’s eyes tracked it’s path across the whote plaster, past the screaming smoke alarm, and into the kitchen.

Sasuke staggered to his feet and bolted for the kitchen.

The oven was on fire. The smoke billowed out the edges of the oven door and up through the burners on the stove top.

Sasuke just stared. His mind was moving 90 miles an hour, but not in a useful direction.

The neighbors had to hear the alarm. 

Mrs. Matsuda was probably in her kitchen, baking another batch of cookie or something. 

Someone was going to show up at Sasuke’s door. 

The fire department was going to come.

There were going to be questions and Sasuke would be exposed. 

Sasuke swallowed hard. The smoke burned his throat. He wasn’t ready to face Konoha. The alarm needed to stop, NOW.

A kunai silenced the alarm, permanently.

The oven was still spilling smoke. Sasuke glanced around the kitchen in the vain hope that maybe there was something he could use as a water bucket. He owned a metal, campfire tea pot, but it as still packed in his bag. And it only made 3 cups of tea. A flaming oven needed more than 3 cups of water.

The smoke had to be visible through the kitchen window. 

Sasuke thought he was someone on the sidewalk. He acted on instinct and the whole oven vanished.

With its source cut off, the smoke spread out and quickly became less visually obvious. The smell lingered.

Sasuke’s eyes and nose watered. He coughed and his brain started to process the last several minutes.

The smoke alarm was impaled by a kunai. The blade sunk all the way into the wall.

Soot and smoke settled on the off white walls, leaving them grey and dingy. 

The smell was horrific.

The empty place that had been the stove’s home seemed huge in the tiny kitchen.

Sasuke had no idea where he’d teleported the burning appliance.

Sasuke turned on his heel, grabbed his purse off the counter, and walked out of the house.

He needed cleaning supplies and a new stove. Naruto and Sakura were going to be over in the morning and he needed there to be no evidence of this incident when they arrived. Among the 3 of them, they’d always agreed that if someone was going to light a kitchen on fire, it would be Naruto. Sasuke would never live it down. He could almost hear Naruto joking about how he’d gotten too used to cooking over a campfire.

Sasuke shook his head and walked faster. There was a hardware store just down the street and some sort of takeout restaurant next door. 

Welcome to home ownership, Sasuke thought with a grim smile. What is home besides something you’re willing to work and fight to protect?

[wiebkerost]

Harvest Seal (or making sure, you reap what you sow)

Original “Harvest Seal”, 2011

I am writing this due to recent events. I thought this was yesterday’s news, but apparently it isn’t. So once again:

The above design is my work.

It has been spreading on the internet, which is great.

What is not so great is, that it continues to be mistaken for being in the “public domain” (it isn’t). E.g. it has happened repeatedly that people used it for promoting their events, printed it on t-shirts and other types of merchandise, without knowing that the original design was by me and without awareness of the original context and purpose for which I designed it.

To shed some light (and hopefully to prevent future abuse and misuse), I explain here the concept behind the image and why it would be not particularly smart to employ it out of context.

I created the sigil in 2011 with ink and initially titled it “reaping seal”. I designed it for myself, as I was looking for a suitable sigil to burn on my altar table. It is pyrographed in the center, along with other esoteric glyphs and illustrative elements (the usual “satanic” suspects, serpents, pentagram etc.). Here are some photos of the table with different powerful herbs placed on it (some harvested by myself, others sent to me by fellow practitioners):

Aconite Harvest, 2012

Cornel and Thorn Harvest, 2012

Belladonna Harvest, 2011

My other sigil designs are inspired by my study of and practical work with traditional “witch herbs”. But before that I had been illustrating occult books, where my job was mainly to execute other’s ideas and visions. I literally “inked” hundreds of sigils from another author and this way became familiar with current specific symbolism and its peculiarities. I understood that in order to develop artistically I would have to come up with my own designs, also in my personal ritual work, rather than replicate another’s. This posed a challenge since the illustration job had inevitably left a trace on me and I was stuck in its forms.

The then so-called “reaping seal” serves as an example for a transition period, both in my art as well as ritual work.

The design plays with harvest symbolism, with sickles and quarters (connected to the four seasons, the four elements and returning cycles). It carries obvious references to the aforementioned occult forms employed within said books. (I do not name the book titles here, not because I do not want to give credit, but because the magi of said current do not like to see official links made between real names and their esoteric teachings, which is a rule I generally respect, but which was also the reason why I had to start creating my own designs if I wanted to get more jobs as an artist).

It should be clear now why (due to the aforementioned influence) it would not be smart to use the seal out of context. I uploaded the digital image to my Pinterest account years ago (I do not remember when exactly I pinned it there and Pinterest does not provide such information). I also uploaded (and later deleted) the image to my occult art page on Facebook, as well as a photo of the pyrographed altar table. I changed the title to “harvest seal”, which does not sound as grim.

I always note in the comments that I am the creator of the work and do not wish for my work to be used without permission. Most of the time people respect this wish. But apparently sharing a work on online platforms such as Pinterest means that some people consider it free to use as they please: from changing or deleting the original artist comment, to downloading and re-uploading, this way erasing all traces of the original source. Low resolutions seem to be no obstacle either these days, because there is software capable of vectorizing the smallest images. Due to this (and because the sigil seems to be really popular with esoteric online folks) it has sadly become one of my most stolen artworks. From witches printing it on their products to bands using it on their merchandise or for advertising events – it has happened and continues to happen. Once some band even claimed old illustration work of mine as their “graphic designer’s own creation”. But even individuals that bother doing a check-up and search the original artist behind artwork they find online and would like to use, end up being fooled. The question is not so much, who is to blame, but what to do about it.

No longer uploading my work online cannot be the way. Marking all works with bold ugly watermarks cannot be the way either (especially if the work is already a mark of sorts on its own). Putting a lawyer in charge – sorry, but I don’t make that much money. Contacting google – I have been told this would be the most efficient way, alas I may need help there by someone, who has already been through the process and could guide my step by step.

I am hence thankful that my followers are keeping an eye out and bring art theft to my attention. I am also thankful for everyone that reacts positive and respects my copyright. As it happens to be, once the connection is made, I sometimes end up with new illustration jobs. An example is the altered “harvest seal” I created specifically for the “Samhain Celebration” in Gotha:

“Samhain Celebration” merch bundle, Nov. 2016

With my consent and being compensated, the organizer was welcome to use the design on all merchandise sold on that evening and it was also painted on the backdrop used only on that night:

“Samhain Celebration” Gotha, 2016

Earlier, I made my own set up with the seal, employing it in the blessing of my seed boxes before they were shipped to customers:

Harvest Blessing, 2016

In this ritual I constructed the seal with dried plant parts strewn on soil – a meditative and joyful work. I used vervain (Eisenkraut) for the sickle blades and fennel stalks for the sickle handles. The center circle is strewn with aromatic fennel seed.  The symbols for the four elements are made out of corresponding herbs: fire – wormwood (Wermut), water – belladonna (Tollkirsche), earth – mugwort (Beifuß) and air – bittersweet nightshade (Bittersüßer Nachtschatten). The forked stang in the center is a dried thorn-apple stem. The triangle at the base (representing the “fifth” element – spirit) is made from dried thorn-apple leaves and seeds. The wooden boxes placed inside the four sickle blades are my “seed boxes”, which are pyrographed by hand and filled with seeds from different witch herbs – many of which are gathered by myself and then filled into little bags to be contained in these boxes, which are then shipped to fellow practitioners for sowing in their own witch garden.

To quote much admired fellow artist, Harold Roth, I am “working my butt off” on these boxes. And in the same way I am putting a lot of thought and work into all other art I do, and of course I wish to share this work with the whole wide world.

So all I can hope for is, that awareness will grow and that more people know about me and my work, respect it and not trying to take advantage.

Read on Wordpress

[laurelkrugerr]

50 Things You Need to Succeed in the Perpetually Changing World of Modern Finance

The finance sector has seen huge disruptions over the past 20 years. Developments like fintech, cryptocurrencies and automation have totally changed the jobs of stockbrokers, traders, fund managers and bankers. With all the new innovations, stock traders from the 1980s might not recognize the finance industry at all today.

Authority Magazine recently ran a series called “5 Things You Need To Succeed In the Modern World Of Finance.” In the series, we interviewed C-Suite executives and principals at finance or financial services companies who spoke about what a young person who joins the new world of finance needs to succeed in this sector.

Here are some highlights of the interviews.

If you do what is right for the client, you’ll be successful! A great example of this in our business is making sure we ask a lot of questions before making recommendations. If Joe Client wants security of principal and is fearful of risk, we don’t need to recommend a mutual fund! Or, if a client needs unlimited access to funds, we won’t suggest an annuity with limited withdrawals. Also, we don’t bother a client after they leave our office! If Joan Client has said that she needs time to think, we are going to give her time to think. People don’t want or need to be harassed and bothered.

You don’t sow a seed and reap rewards immediately. Success in the finance industry depends on consistently seeing people. Most people don’t make a decision at the first appointment. So, you have to consistently keep seeing people. We refer to it as “filling the pipeline.” It is human nature to want to slack off after some big sales or successful weeks. We’ve all done it. Long-term success requires full-time work!

Handwritten thank you notes will set you apart! It is absolutely amazing the impact a hand-written note has these days! This is a lost art. People are blown away if they receive a thank-you note via the U.S. mail service. Both of us travel a lot and have used some of our pictures as the front of our thank you note cards. Clients will often times call or email us after receiving these notes saying how much they appreciate receiving them!

Being appreciative of referrals is key! In our office, we make sure Joe Client knows how much we appreciate him sending a new prospect our way. If a person comes in for appointment and says, “Joe Client gave me your name,” we automatically send Joe Client a dozen of some very delicious cookies in a tin with our logo on it. It doesn’t matter if the person referred does business with us or not. We want the client to know just how special his word-of-mouth advertising is to us!

Your success is hugely dependent on your team! Our staff has heard repeatedly, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression!” When a person walks through our door, we want our front office personnel to great them with a smile and a cheerful voice. We want them to ask if they want a cup of coffee, tea, water or a soda. We want them to engage in conversation and show them where restrooms are located. When talking on the phone, we want our staff members to “smile through the phone,” talk slowly and be cheerful. Emails should be engaging, not just the facts! And emails should always include a line about how appreciative you are of their business or the opportunity to earn their business.

There’s not just one modern finance industry. The system is so huge that people can work in different corners of finance and speak with completely different vocabularies. I work in digital assets, for example, and that’s a very new field.

Keep an eye out for those different perspectives. Today’s curio may be tomorrow’s hot investment, and you’re going to miss out if you only pay attention to your little corner. I first heard about digital assets in 2012 (but didn’t jump in until 2017), so I was able to get on board before most people.

Understand technology. You’d think this is obvious, but if it were, you wouldn’t have so many challenger banks and fintechs winning value from century-old companies. We have new tools for business, and some of the larger finance firms don’t quite know what to do with them.

Be flexible. Digital Assets Data is actually the second startup I’ve launched; I founded it after selling a previous startup. Sometimes you need  —  and the market demands  —  a change of focus and a new start.

Question. Listen to other people and to their advice, but don’t let it overrule your own insights. What works for me, or for another one of your interviewees, may not work for everyone. The world is wide, and there are many paths to success.

The first one would be resilience. Being able to bounce back and come back is one of the key things. I mentioned this jokingly with some peers that our company DealRoom should’ve gone bankrupt. The business was completely stagnant for the first five years of operations. Very few customers, very much of an uphill battle to get people to utilize a project management tool instead of Excel to manage a process. We kept pushing through even though at the time it didn’t make a lot of financial sense, but we kept pushing through. Now over the past few years we’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth where that change curve is now hitting and we’re at the very forefront of it. Through that experience I’ve learned giving up is the number one cause of failure.

I would say another important skill is being bold, and to look at that as an internal muscle you develop to have a level of discipline and risk tolerance so that you are able to do things you were otherwise uncomfortable doing and taking risks you’d otherwise be comfortable taking. I think that’s a type of mindset you develop to get better and stronger over time and really push yourself to be a bold organization.

Another important skill is being dumb. We tend to be in the marketplace, find our area of expertise, and learn with a goal of becoming an expert. Then we go to meetings and want to make a good impression, to come across like we know what we’re talking about. The value, however, is really in the conversations you have with people. By being dumb, you become more open and receptive to what others say. You really listen and learn from them. If you can, put aside all the things you know and want to impress people with (or when you’re talking to people and you’re thinking about the next thing you want to say). That’s where you can find opportunities to help others. When you focus yourself on helping others achieve their goals, that’s where you can progress a lot further.

Another skill I touched on earlier was about empathy, being really empathetic with people and making them feel felt. I think for me I learned this skill by getting into a leadership role. It’s been one of my greatest successes. This is a skill that allows you to be more versatile as a person because you’re able to connect and understand people at different levels and put yourself behind the lens of different people to see how they look at things. Oftentimes we sort of get focused on one lens and we may not be seeing the whole picture. Until you get that connected view, that full view, it’s difficult to make the right decision.

The other skill I would add is agility. Driving your organization to be agile is critical in this time. You want to develop a culture that’s very flexible, responsive, collaborative, and that continuously improves to be able to respond to a fast moving world. It starts with leadership being able to embody that kind of culture into your organization. Then from there, you have to find ways you can actually standardize it through the organization so everybody’s acting in the same way.

Test small before building big! When I was first thinking about coaching, I did not go build a webinar or fancy platform, I began by making calls to the people who had asked in the past if I could help them. I gauged their interest in a structured program and what it would look like before actually bringing it to life! Now, that same program that began with only three students is available worldwide. There’s a misconception that you have to appear “buttoned-down” and built-out to sell, when in fact, at the heart of sales, should be soul. If your soul says “this may work,” speak from it, approach those you believe could benefit and be honest. My honesty allowed me to receive the feedback of what my audience wanted, instead of building something that I thought they did.

Choose an industry that you are personally passionate about for lasting results. The passion I had for making positive, vulnerable content available in mainstream media came from my personal experience without it. Because I was driven by passion, I stuck through every iteration of the brand. Without it, the desire to walk away instead of adapt could win in times of challenges.

Money is a mindset. Having had nothing, my belief could have been that I was destined for nothing. This mentality is widely adopted (what people see now, is how people determine how they are going to feel.) The opposite mindset is what leads to abundance: How you feel, determines what you are going to see. This deep-set belief allows opportunities to arise that seemed impossible. If your mentality is that if scarcity, your surrounding s will reflect it. Start thinking abundantly!

Choose optimism. This is the most simple word, but the best reminder. I personally have this word written in huge letters on my desk. It’s brief but powerful. I was very pessimistic and depressed for a little bit, after losing everything in the crash. It wasn’t until I found out that one of my dearest family members was going and buying back all of my belongings for me in secret, that I began to actually feel like the luckiest person in the world. This selfless act allowed me to activate a kind of optimism I can’t explain, but it has served me tenfold. Not only does it lend to my frame of mind, which I believe is the source of our results. But, people also like to be around optimistic people! So it has affected my personal life for the better too! Just choose it.

Do not think you have to do this alone: I did and got nowhere. I was constantly thinking that I had to do everything myself, including learning new skill sets. It wasn’t until I learned the value of teamwork, that I realized what does not come naturally to me comes naturally to others. I don’t have to learn all there is to know about “doing the numbers” if I can find help from someone who knows it all! This alone was life-changing. If you’re starting out and can’t pay someone, it’s not an excuse. I had four interns working with me at the start of my brand, all because I knew what was important to them and what they liked doing, so I provided that value in exchange for the value they brought to my own brand. The world wants to help you! You just have to allow it to.

Know more than one side — become the “renaissance man,” so to speak. The financial business of today is complex and spans across society. You never know what skill or knowledge will be required in 10, 20, 30 years. For example, while in the 80s bond traders were kings, right now, they are not needed at all  —  if that skill was the only one in your resume, you would go under. Never stop expanding your horizons.

Become international. This is a key thing. Back in the day, the nobles always sent their children to spend some years abroad to learn how the world works, not just their local court. We are lucky to live in a time when this is accessible to most people. Seize this opportunity and if you can, get experience abroad

Remember that people are still key. Don’t overestimate technology — without the right people, even the best technology will not help you build a successful venture.

Don’t wait too long. It’s better to start doing than keep waiting for the perfect timing/product/presentation etc. Better do once too many. To fail is part of success.

Persistence. Remember — it takes two years (at least) to see results. Don’t hurry. Today, an average career lasts until you are 70. You have time. Be open to making mistakes — keep trying.

Learn to talk so your clients will listen and learn to listen so your clients will talk. In my years of training and working with individuals, the one thing that pushes me over the edge is when I witness someone interrupt their clients or prospects — please stop doing that. We all have, what we would like to consider, a wealth of information we want to share and wisdom we want to impart. Please be patient and let your clients and prospects finish their thoughts. I often share this story when I am trying to make the point about being patient and letting their prospects finish their thoughts. In 1869 Thomas Edison tried to sell his new invention: the stock ticker tape machine. He made an appointment to show it to the president of the Gold Indicator Company. He thought his new invention might be worth $5,000 — a lot of money in 1869. During his demonstration, the president of the company interrupted young Thomas Edison and asked him how much he wanted for it and Edison didn’t say anything. The company’s president said, “I’ll give you $25,000 for it.” Edison said nothing. “I’ll give you $30,000 for it.” Edison said nothing. “I’ll give you $35,000 for it.” Again, Edison said nothing. “I’ll give you $40,000 and that’s my final offer!” Edison said, “I’ll take it.” The gentleman was writing out the check and about to hand it to young Thomas Edison, and he said, “I was prepared to give you $50,000!” And Edison, taking the check said, “Oh yeah, I was prepared to take $5,000!” If you stop interrupting your client, you might be surprised on what you may learn.

Facts tell but stories sell. For those of us in finance, for the most part, we are left-brain analytical people, while most of our clients are right-brain picture people. We are talking in numbers, but they are thinking in pictures, and many times they don’t have a clue what we are saying. We show them the numbers but many times they can’t do simple math. This is why some marketers like grocery stores, try to confuse the purchaser. For example, for a $4 item, which is better? 45 cents off or 15 percent off? Thirty-six percent of American consumers could not do the math. When A&W wanted to compete with the McDonald’s quarter pounder, they created the one-third pound hamburger, but it wasn’t selling as well as it had anticipated even though it priced its hamburger the same as McDonald’s. Why? The average American saw the number “4” as in 1/4 was larger than the number “3” as in 1/3 and thought the A&W burger was a much worse value. Do not explain concepts in numbers but do explain them using stories.

Most people like to be taught, not told. For the people I have trained, I often tell them “your job is know what your clients know and know it well. Your job is to also know what they don’t know and know that as well!” Sometimes I will refer to this a second-level thinking. It is easy for many of us to anticipate what questions your client may throw at you. For example, as a speaker in finance and economics, I can pretty much anticipate the question about our nation’s $23 trillion (and growing) debt. When I do take Q&A, that is usually the first question that comes up. I’m curious, how do you respond? Do you say, “Oh yeah, it certainly is a problem.” Or do you make comparisons to other countries whose debt-to-GDP is even higher? Neither of those answers, and I have heard both, adequately answers the question at hand. Instead, what I do, is to ask them: “What about our nation’s assets — do you happen to know what they are worth?” This is something few people have thought about and I often get a blank stare from those asked. I will then speak to the above-ground and below-ground assets, like real estate (the government owns 28 percent of the U.S. landmass worth roughly $23 trillion) and mineral rights and energy leases (worth roughly $128 trillion). When you add up all the assets of the U.S. government, you are approaching $270 trillion. I go on to ask them, “If you were a banker and were handed a balance sheet that looked like this (we will remove some zeros for easy math), $270,000 in assets, $23,000 in debt, $3,640 in income (taxes), and a credit score nearing 825, would you make the loan? Can you see how thinking past the obvious and going a little deeper helps provide perspective and clarity?

I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the most successful financial advisors in the world. One of the attributes that I have noticed is they know their best clients as well as they know their best friends. All too often, a conversation starts with, “Hi, how are you?” And the prospect will respond, “Fine, how are you?” The advisor or salesperson will answer with “fine” and then launch into “throwing up on the desk” — explaining why he or she is the perfect choice for their specific needs. I train people to ask more questions. The point I make is how can you possibly know what their needs are unless you ask? The answer is in the asking. Ask, ask, ask. If they ask you a question, then respond with, “Why do you ask?” You might be surprised to learn they will actually tell you. And then say, “Because you told me that, I recommend you do this.” I have seen this work so well so many times. I was once in a meeting when the advisor did what I suggested and learned that the prospect had three children between the ages of 25 and 32. The advisor also learned that there was a history of heart disease in their extended family- almost all of them had had heart attacks in their 30’s and 40’s. After a personal discussion about the prospect’s family, the advisor said, “Because you told me you have heart disease in your family, and because you told me you have three children, I recommend we place permanent life insurance on all of your children’s lives today, so if ever that happens to them, they won’t face the same issue you face today. For you, getting life insurance would be very expensive because your two previous heart attacks. For your children, who haven’t experienced an episode yet, the rates would be much cheaper.” The prospect agreed, introducing them to his three children. Instead of getting one new client, the advisor got four. Get to know your clients and prospects like you would get to know your best friends.

The last thing I would recommend is to make sure you are updating your sales process as much as you are keeping up to date with the products you sell. In the late ‘80s I read the book The IBM Way. What I still remember about the book is how IBM regarded everyone in its organization as a salesperson. What was true then is still true today. We are all salespeople, and nothing happens in this world until one person sells something to someone else. Early in my career I learned the sales process, feel, felt found, as in, “I know how you feel, I felt that way once, but then I found….” Then in the 90s I was taught: Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them. In the 2000’s the technique was: “Today we are going to talk about three things. The three things we are going to talk about today are… Today, we talked about three things.” Today, I have been teaching salespeople a process I call “issues, problem, solution, product.” Let me give you an example. Many people are surprised when they learn that medical malpractice is the No. 3 killer in America, right behind heart disease and cancer. Why? We go to the hospital unprepared. We don’t have our powers of attorney, our medical directives, the list of the prescription medicines we are taking, our prior medical procedures or even what our blood type is. Having this information could save precious time in case of an emergency. We also send out children off to college, and on youth mission trips or travel sporting events, without this information, and because they are now over 18, or in the eyes of the law, the “age of majority” and because of HIPPA laws, a hospital will not tell you what may be wrong in an emergency situation without the proper paperwork. On my website, markzinder.com, we provide the powers of attorneys for each of the 50 states for free. We also created ICE wallet cards and a thumb drive in the shape of a key that goes on your keychain that also has the ICE logo on it. You simply fill out the important information and in case of a real emergency, first responders have immediate access to important, lifesaving information!

A passion for finance  —  are you personally interested in it? If not, why are you doing it? Personally, my dad was an accountant and investor. He taught me to read the Wall Street Journal and understand investments at a young age. I try and teach my kids the same knowledge by encouraging them to invest some of their own money now.

Willingness to do anything  —  this business isn’t always glamourous. There are going to be late nights and early mornings. When I was starting out, I was always the last one at the office. I’d stay until 7 most nights and got to know the janitor pretty well. I’d even help him with the trash sometimes. One day he told me, “Out of all the people here, you’re the one who’s going to succeed.” I asked him why, and he said, “You’re here when I’m here, and you actually care about me.”

A passion for people  — this is a relationship business. It always has been and always will be. That’s why I’ve always been people first. And that goes for all people. Just like you need to be willing to do anything, you need to be nice to everyone, CEO to janitor. They’re all people, and they’re all important. I think some people can forget that.

Willingness to understand that you can’t control everything. You can’t control the financial market  —  we know that now more than ever. But you can control how you react to it. Straight talk is important. You have to be open and transparent with the people you’re working with. And when it comes to planning, you have to make sure you do everything you can to ensure your client’s success.

Focus on communication. You need to understand what it is your clients want to achieve. I always make sure those I work with feel heard and understood. When I write emails, I always ask them how they’re doing. I use exclamation points so they can tell I care, and I end by saying thank you, and I mean it. I also make sure whatever I write is succinct enough to be read on a phone screen without having to scroll further.

Be multidisciplinary. In addition to running my hedge fund, I also serve as the COO of Coinbase Custody, the largest cryptocurrency custodian in the world. I was introduced to Coinbase not because I was a blockchain expert, far from it  —  before Coinbase, I had to look up what a bitcoin was! But I was offered a position at this fintech unicorn because the company was looking for a lawyer in San Francisco who understood hedge funds and who is entrepreneurial. I’m probably not the only lawyer in San Francisco who runs a hedge fund, but because I have two very unique skillsets and am an entrepreneur, I stood out. I see this all the time. Coinbase recruits many engineer/MBAs because they have both technical and business skills. Specialization is good but being multidisciplinary can be very helpful in one’s career progression. It will give you the skills and experience to thrive in more situations and will underscore your adaptability to others.

Technology and disruption. Technology is changing (and in some cases, disrupting) the world of finance, and people entering the finance industry would be well-served to consider fintech jobs in addition to roles at traditional financial firms. Take investment management as an example. With the rise of discount brokerages, people stopped calling stock brokers and just accessed brokerages from the internet. While people still used investment advisors, the rise of robo-advisors like Personal Capital, Wealthfront and Betterment are casting doubt as to whether millennials will still want to talk to a traditional advisor when they need financial advice. If you’re getting out of college and want to go into the finance industry, learn about software and product development in addition to business and corporate finance. Doing this will maximize your job opportunities.

People skills. People’s attention spans are getting shorter. With the widespread popularity of text messaging, Slack, Twitter, it’s possible to get a lot of work done without seeing somebody face-to-face, or even speaking with them. Social, persuasion, and leadership skills have become even more important, especially if you want to become a manager. Fewer and fewer younger workers excel in this area. If you do, it will set you up for success. If you have emotional intelligence, it’s highly sought after it  —  leverage it! At Coinbase and other leading fintech companies clear communication is a core value and those who excel are able to articulate complex ideas clearly, persuasively and succinctly.

Understanding generations. Millennials make up a large percentage of the workforce in tech and finance, but GenX-ers and Baby Boomers still run the show. It’s important to understand the perspective of your boss. For example, a study by the Education Advisory Board found that millennials change jobs up to 20 times in their careers, more than twice as frequently as Baby Boomers. Another difference is that millennials prioritize being a good parent, having a successful marriage and generally helping others over work-related priorities. On the other hand, many Gen-X and Baby Boomers value sacrifice and putting work first. There’s no “right” answer, but if you’re joining a finance firm, there’s a good chance your boss may not be a millennial, and it will serve you well to understand their perspective in order to better achieve alignment.

Brands are changing but old isn’t necessarily bad. Sometimes there’s a human tendency to assume everything new is better. Progress and change are good, but it pays to remember to learn from the lessons of others and not to say “out with the old” too quickly. Robinhood is disrupting the online brokerage industry, but in just the last few weeks, its new systems have crashed multiple times, depriving their customers of liquidity just when they needed it. Robinhood could have learned a thing or two from “old guard” brokerage firms about platform stability and redundancy. Another amazing development is the crypto currencies. Many blockchain tokens show promise of potentially revolutionizing the finance industry, but they can be complicated and are relatively untested. Until just a few weeks ago, it was assumed that crypto would be a “safe-haven asset” — however it collapsed along with the stock market. With anything new, there is automatically so much that is unknown. Reinvent the world, but remember to learn from the past and to stay humble.

The first and most important thing you should know is how are you going to make money on the customer base you paid for. Many fintech startups succeed in gaining a large customer base and great market cap, but not many discover how to make a good LTV/CAC ratio, create lifetime value and achieve profitability.

The second thing is to discover a unique competitive advantage that would be hard to break. In the finance sector, consumers were historically sticky and loyal to their banks until challenger banks came on the scene. Loyalty is hard to build and even harder to break. But once broken, it is increasingly hard to build again, so once they learn how to switch to other banks, consumers won’t stop changing to a better or cheaper alternative.

Third is to cope with the dilemma to become a fully licensed bank or stay unlicensed. A license can kill your identity and competitive advantage to act fast, but I do believe it’s the only way to make money long term. Financial institutions are two-sided marketplaces of money, which is the essence of a bank’s business, but to become a marketplace, one should acquire a license  —  even if it means losing velocity.

The fourth thing is being a truly global player: Banking is a hyperlocal business with regulatory barriers that can also be hyperlocal, and to become a truly global FI player is a huge challenge

Last and not least, the tech giants (Alibaba, Amazon, Google and Facebook) are just a step away from entering into full-scale banking, with some of them already testing the waters. When they come full speed into this space, it will become a huge challenge for both old-timers and newcomers.

The five most important areas to be familiar with are investment consulting, wealth enhancement, wealth transfer, wealth protection and charitable gifting.

In the area of investment consulting, entrepreneurs should be looking for advisers who tightly integrate their investment process to minimize taxes. I had a client who was a tool-and-die manufacturer with a mid-sized company who came to me just to have his tax return prepared. Unfortunately, I had to break the news to him that he owed $130,000 in federal taxes. This was because his advisor had been very active in buying and selling tech stocks. While on the surface, it looked like this client was making significant gains in his portfolio, the truth is, they were all short-term capital gains, which were taxed as ordinary income. If the client had been able to hold on to his gains for more than a year, he would have been taxed at a lower rate. Meanwhile, I’m sure his advisor was making plenty in commissions for all of the stocks he had been buying and selling!

Wealth enhancement is something that’s more complex than having just an investment strategy. For example, many entrepreneurs tend to separate their work life from their personal life when it comes to creating wealth. But what if you thought about it more broadly? Instead of compartmentalizing your finances, what if you could invest through a pretax retirement plan to shelter that money and leverage it now, while you’re in a higher tax bracket? Then you could take it out in the future at a lower tax rate. Successful wealth enhancement is about being proactive and giving increased consideration to federal, state and payroll taxes all the time instead of just at the end of the quarter or the end of the year. It’s also about knowing how to use retirement accounts in relationship to what you earn.

Wealth transfer involves managing your wealth so you can transfer those assets to an heir or your favorite charity when you die or become incapacitated. I had two clients, for example, who died of cancer some years back. One, Gary, owned a small frozen food business. After he was diagnosed with colon cancer at 52, he passed away within a year. He had no life or disability insurance and had used the majority of his retirement account to start his business. So when he died, his wife had to sell their house to pay off debt  —  but the worst part was that the home was only in Gary’s name, so his wife had to go through probate, which was an expensive hassle for her. Now, let me tell you about David, who was also diagnosed with colon cancer around the same time as Gary. This story has a much happier ending, because David had created a solid wealth transfer plan. He owned a business, a home and several rental properties. In addition, he had a large 401(k), IRAs and other investment accounts, as well as a trust, a disability policy and life insurance. Before David died, he also put his family farm into a sub-trust for his family, so they were able to use the income from the farm right away after David passed away. Which situation would you rather be in?

Wealth protection is having the right kind of insurance to protect what’s yours. Now, I see a lot of entrepreneurs who buy insurance products that are also investment products, such as variable universal life insurance. I personally believe insurance products are too expensive to be used as investment products, because they have additive costs and a legal contract. A better way, in my opinion, would be to purchase insurance specifically for asset protection and risk reduction as it relates to long-term care, disability or life circumstances, such as a succession plan. Before you buy a policy, be sure to consider whether there’s a less costly solution that would provide the same coverage.

Finally, if you want to make a difference in your community, one way to accomplish that is through charitable gifting. Charitable gifting is more than just giving money to a good cause, however. I’ll give you an example. I had a husband and wife client who owned their own company and wound up merging their business with a publicly held company. After the merger, they received $400,000 in combined wages plus $1 million in stock options. Both of those would have been taxed as ordinary income at a time when the couple was in the highest federal and state tax brackets. We created a plan for them to gift 7,119 shares of stock with a transferred cost basis of $1 per share (anything above the basis would be taxed at capital gains rates). This generated $420,000 in charitable deductions which offset the income that the stock options generated. By doing that and some additional planning, we were able to save that couple more than $145,000 in taxes.

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source http://www.scpie.org/50-things-you-need-to-succeed-in-the-perpetually-changing-world-of-modern-finance/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/06/50-things-you-need-to-succeed-in.html

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How the Seeds of Instability Are Sown by Those Who Leave You

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:7

Every time someone leaves in rebellion he sows a seed towards his own future. Perhaps, this is the most important reason why you should grow in loyalty and faithfulness. Disloyalty is a seed that you would not want to reap from. In this chapter, I want to share about the seeds that a rebellious person plants towards his future. These seeds will grow and come back in a stronger and larger way.

If you are not spiritual, you will not believe in the power of Galatians 6:7, “Whatsoever a man soweth he shall reap.” Many things we see happening today are the results of seeds that were sown yesterday.

Many ministers struggling with division, disloyalty and confusion have sown those seeds in their ministry. These things have grown up and come back to haunt them. Fasting and prayer cannot remove a tree that you planted. Binding and loosing cannot prevent the laws of God concerning sowing and reaping. If you do not want to reap certain harvests you must learn not to sow certain seeds.

This message is for people who have sown certain seeds and want to uproot them. This message also serves to warn you not to sow certain seeds whose fruits you cannot live with. Please believe the Word of God that is spoken to you today. Whatsoever a man sows he will reap!

He Broke One of My Pillars, He Lost Two Pillars

Some years ago, I had a pillar on which I depended. He was my associate pastor and I did everything in the ministry through him. He did announcements, he led the worship and he stabilized the congregation whilst I travelled.

One day a minister of the Gospel enticed him to leave my side. This was a very difficult experience because my entire ministry depended on this pillar. I was heartbroken and suicidal when this happened to me. A few months later, I visited a senior man of God who made a comment that stuck in my heart. He said, “If you break somebody’s house to build your house your house will also be broken.

How true that is! Do you expect people to stand by silently as you build your house with blocks from their broken house?

A few years later, I watched in disbelief as the ministry that had taken my pillar began to disintegrate. They had looked so strong at the time they took my pillar. That ministry originally had one senior pastor and two pillars. To my amazement, that senior pastor lost his two pillars within a year.

You see, he took one of my pillars but he lost two. You must be careful what seeds you sow because you will have to reap them one day.

Jeroboam and Absalom provide the best examples of people who sowed the seeds of rebellion and reaped a harvest of instability and continued rebellion. In the text which I have reproduced below, you will see how Jeroboam and Absalom reaped a painful harvest from the seeds they sowed.

1. Those who leave you sow seeds that deprive them of authority.

Those who leave you sow seeds of disloyalty and rebellion.

Jeroboam left the kingdom of Israel, taking with him ten of the tribes of Israel. This departure in itself was a seed of uncertainty. Jeroboam then sowed the seeds that led to his eventual destruction. He established altars in Dan and Bethel, creating alternative places of worship for the people of God. Then he created feasts which God had not asked him to and ordained priests from the most unlikely group of people. All these actions were the seeds that led to his eventual destruction.

Jeroboam Sows the Seeds of Instability

And Jeroboam said in his heart, now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:

If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.

Whereupon THE KING took counsel, and MADE TWO CALVES OF GOLD, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

And HE SET THE ONE IN BETHEL, and THE OTHER put he IN DAN.

And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.

And HE MADE AN HOUSE OF HIGH PLACES, and MADE PRIESTS of the lowest of the people, which were NOT OF THE SONS OF LEVI.

And Jeroboam ORDAINED A FEAST IN THE EIGHTH MONTH, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he OFFERED UPON THE ALTAR. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ORDAINED A FEAST UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

1 Kings 12:26-33

2. Those who leave you reap a harvest of uncontrollable people.

Those who leave you reap a harvest of instability.

Jeroboam reaped a harvest: his kingdom was unstable. He was unable to reign for more than two years. A few years later a rebellion successfully overthrew Jeroboam’s son.

Jeroboam reaped a harvest of uncontrollable people. He realised that he could not control the people. He knew that the people he had led against Rehoboam would rebel against him and kill him if they got the chance.

And Jeroboam said in his heart, now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE TURN AGAIN UNTO THEIR LORD, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and THEY SHALL KILL ME, AND GO AGAIN TO REHOBOAM king of Judah.

1 Kings 12:26-27

How to Destabilize Your Family

There was a pastor who was sent on a mission to establish a church in an Asian country. As he was doing the work, he ran into various difficulties and became depressive and rebellious towards the authorities that had sent him. He began to communicate poorly until he stopped communicating altogether. Eventually, he rebelled openly and left the church without giving any reasons whatsoever.

His wife was not in favour of his actions as she saw the rebellious elements in his speech and attitude. She tried to convince her husband to change his mind about the things he was saying and doing but he would have none of it. He stomped off suddenly and rudely, severing all ties with his former pastor and other people he had known for many years.

Everyone must be careful about the seeds he sows. A few years after his departure, he equally began to lose control over his own family. His wife suddenly decided to leave him. She had become uncontrollable and had decided to abandon the family without any further discussion.

This pastor was beside himself, wondering what he could do to prevent his family from breaking up.

When I heard about it I thought of how ironical it was. This man’s wife was leaving him suddenly and without reason. That is exactly what he had done to his pastor and his home church a few years before.

When you practice rebellion and disloyalty, it returns to you in a greater measure. This brother had sown the seeds against his own authority. He was now deprived of the authority he needed to govern his own family!

Perhaps the most terrible rebel a minister can have is a rebellious wife. She is the rebel you are instructed to love. If the demonic spirit of rebellion can get into a wife she becomes the most deadly tool to be used against the man of God. On different occasions I have seen wives of ministers completely filled with the spirit of rebellion by which they tried to control their husband and destroy their ministries.

Who Will Be Destroyed?

On one occasion, the wife of a minister was determined to leave her husband publicly. She wanted the whole world to know that she could not live with him. This minister was deeply concerned about this because he knew that the reputation of his ministry depended on his being happily married. His wife also knew that but she did not care. Many people, including her own mother, begged her not to leave her husband. Eventually, this lady’s mother died and all restraint was gone. She threw her husband’s things out of the house and publicly separated from him.

The spirit of rebellion seeks to destroy everything that has been built. This lady, bless her heart, would listen to no one. She made the divorce public so that the man would be seen for what she thought he was. Indeed the divorce had a devastating effect on the man of God. Several of the pastors he had brought up and a section of his congregation obviously deserted him.

But it was not only his life that was destabilized. That is the point I am trying to make. The instability that you sow into somebody’s life is equally reaped by you. Her life became equally unstable as she moved around like a branch cast forth from a tree.

Mutiny on the Bounty

I once watched an enlightening film called “The Bounty”. This story highlights the point that you deprive yourself of future authority when you sow certain seeds. It was a film about the true story of a British expedition in 1787 to the Pacific Island of Tahiti to gather breadfruit pods for transplantation in the Caribbean as slave fodder.

The Bounty sailed west to round the tip of South America but failed due to harsh weather and had to take the longer eastern route. Finally arriving in Tahiti in October 1788, Captain Bligh found that due to the delays the wind was against him for a quick return journey, so he decided to stay on the island for four months longer than originally planned. During that time, ship discipline became problematic and many of the crew developed a taste for the easy pleasures that island life afforded.

It is then that the mutiny led by a gentleman called Christian takes place. Playing on Christian’s obvious resentment against Captain Bligh’s treatment of both him and the men, the more militant members of the crew finally persuade Christian to take control of the ship.

Bligh is roused from his bed and arrested, along with those considered loyal to him and all of them are forced into the ship’s launch, minimally supplied and cast adrift.

Blissfully happy at their newfound freedom (though Christian feels remorse and understands the implication of what’s been done) they naively sail back to Tahiti to collect their wives, girlfriends and native friends.

King Tynah of Tahiti is shocked by this turn of events. He makes them aware that, as mutineers, their presence on the island could incite King George to declare war against Tahiti and against his people. Realising the folly of staying, though some did, they gathered supplies and sailed away to find a safe refuge.

The search for a safe haven was long and seemingly impossible as they realised that any pursuing Royal Navy vessels would search all known islands and coastlands to find them.

By this point, those that remained on board The Bounty are so frustrated that they are ready to rebel against Christian, the leader of the mutiny, in order to turn the ship back towards Tahiti. After Christian forced the crew to continue on, they eventually found Pitcairn Island; a place which Christian realised may not be marked on British maps on the region and therefore provided their best hope of avoiding the royal navy.

Captain Bligh, through excellent seamanship successfully managed to reach civilization after a very harrowing journey.

The crew of The Bounty then burnt their ship to keep it from being found.

Can You Lead These People?

One of the things that struck me as I watched the mutiny on the film, The Bounty, were the parting words of the legitimate captain to the rebel leader. As the captain entered the little boat to which he was being escorted, he turned and asked Christian, the rebel leader, “Can you lead these people?”

This is the big question all mutineers must be asked. This is the key question all conspirators and rebels must ask themselves, “Can you lead these people?” Can you lead people you have inspired into rebellion against a rightful leader? The answer is “No, you cannot?

The people you are leading will never be loyal to you. They have learnt how to rebel and to overthrow legitimate authorities and they will surely practise it when they get the chance. Indeed, that is what happened. Christian, the rebel leader, was unable to control the other mutineers.

Can a pastor govern a group of rebellious church members he has led away from their legitimate leader? The pastor must be asked the same question: “Can you lead these people?”

The answer is “No, you will not be able to lead them. You will not be able to silence their rebellious way of speaking. You will not be able to quench the continuous murmurings and grumblings that come from them.

You will not be able to prevent the hatred and conspiracies around you. You will never have the stability you desire.

Why? Because you have sown the seeds of instability and rebellion. You have taught your followers how to rebel and dislodge legitimate leaders. They have learnt it well and they learnt it all from you! You are their greatest inspiration for disloyalty. The seeds of instability and disloyalty have been sown and the harvest must be reaped!

3. Those who leave you sow seeds of conspiracy.

Absalom left his father and sowed the seeds of conspiracy and treachery. He planned and plotted against his own father. He overthrew his father with his own father’s subjects.

Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!

And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.

And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so ABSALOM STOLE THE HEARTS OF THE MEN OF ISRAEL.

2 Samuel 15:4-6

4. Those who leave you reap a harvest of treachery.

Some people cannot understand why they continually have rebellious and treacherous people around them. Perhaps, they should consider the seeds they have sown in the past. Absalom was the classic conspirator and he received the full harvest of the same treatment. He was brought down by his own treacherous medicine. Someone in his own camp lied and pretended until he was totally destroyed. Absalom reaped a painful harvest of treacherous behaviour from Hushai the Archite. Read it for yourself:

Now someone told David, saying, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David said, "O Lord, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness."

It happened as David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, that behold, Hushai the Archite met him with his coat torn and dust on his head.

David said to him, "If you pass over with me, then you will be a burden to me.

"But if you RETURN TO THE CITY, AND SAY TO ABSALOM, 'I WILL BE YOUR SERVANT, O king; as I have been your father's servant in time past, so I will now be your servant,' then you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me.

"Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So it shall be that whatever you hear from the king's house, you shall report to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.

"Behold their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son and Jonathan, Abiathar's son; and by them you shall send me everything that you hear."

SO HUSHAI, David's friend, CAME INTO THE CITY, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 15:31-37 (NASB)

Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

Now it came about when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"

Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?"

Then HUSHAI SAID TO ABSALOM, "No! For whom the Lord, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain.

"Besides, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? AS I HAVE SERVED IN YOUR FATHER'S PRESENCE, SO I WILL BE IN YOUR PRESENCE."

2 Samuel 16:15-19

by Dag Heward-Mills

[webhostingindian4862-blog]

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[lucianaglossop7-blog]

Can Electricity Grow More Vegetables?

Other signs of an damage include: stiffness in your shoulder, feeling like your it might slide or pop out of socket, or absence of power in your shoulder even when doing normal every working day actions. Though the website only started in January, the neighborhood is expanding rapidly. "The value truly arrives from the number of individuals on the network," she says in a recent job interview. So even if you're just curious about learning who's gardening in your community, you can sign up to try it out - it's totally totally free. Another factor that must be carried out prior to you develop a chicken coop is landscaping. Always make sure that you have enough room on your garden for the size of the home you want to develop, and then look at what needs to be carried out to make certain the ground is level and company. And compost is simple make. It's not cost efficient to buy compost at the shop but you're in luck, it's simple to make your personal. All you need to do is contact your local horse or cow ranches to see which types discard the manure. As soon as you've transported the manure back to your property, shovel it into a big pile and moist thoroughly with a sprinkler. This will begin the process of composting the manure and facilitating advantageous germs development. After 1 week, turn the compost pile so that the outside is now on the inside, wet with a sprinkler and wait around another week. Mesembryanthem, or Pig Face - Strikingly lively, nearly fluorescent, orange/red/yellow flowers, succulent stems, leaves are greyish green, flowers are daisy like, and open up in the complete sunlight. Can be set up in near desert circumstances, even in rock-walls. Most of the time that you spend in life with be at function or your house. The way your house looks affects your temper. 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[dmmowers]

“I know you are a hard man”

"I know you are a hard man" A sermon for Trinity Episcopal Church, Baraboo, Wis., and St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Portage, Wis. XXIV Sunday after Pentecost | November 19, 2017 | Year A, Track 2 Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 | Psalm 90 | I Thessalonians 5:1-11 | Matthew 25:14-30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It's a cheery passage, this morning's gospel reading. It's one of those that makes you wonder, "How do they pick the passages to read on Sundays, anyway, and why was this one on the list?" This is a hard passage, and we read and preach from hard passages because, like all Christians who have come before us, we believe that God speaks to us through Scripture, even difficult passages in Scripture. The goal is not to make difficult passages like the parable of the talents simpler; the goal is to find God's voice speaking to us through these parables today.    I grew up in churches where this passage was frequently preached. Before I preach this passage this morning, let me tell you about some bad sermons I've heard about this passage. Maybe you've heard some bad sermons on this passage too. So here's a bad sermon on this passage. This parable is about money, the preacher might say. And it's true that there's a lot of money getting thrown around in this passage. A talent was equal to about 6,000 days' wages, so five talents would be what you might expect to make in an entire lifetime of work - for most of us, $1.5 or $2 million dollars. The bad money sermon gets blinded by how much money is getting thrown around: so it tells us that what God cares about is how we spend our money. God wants a return on his investment, so those of us with more money should invest it wisely and then give lots of money to the church. Those of us with a moderate amount of money should also invest it wisely and give a lot of money to the church. But where the bad sermon gets in trouble is with the third servant. If this sermon is about money, about who has it and who doesn't have it, what do you do with the third servant, who takes the money and goes out with his little shovel to bury it before the ground freezes for the winter? If we're clear about anything Jesus says, we're clear that Jesus loves the poor and welcomes them into his arms. So the bad money sermon goes really wrong if it suggests that the third servant is people who don't have money, or who don't give money to the church, or who don't take care of their money very well. So that's one way to go wrong: to make this sermon about the amount of money you have. There's another way to preach this passage badly. There's a bad sermon that makes this passage about talents, that is, about the things that we're good at. Yes, the money that the master leaves with the slaves in this passage is called "talents" and that's the same word we use in English to talk about our gifts, but it's not what the passage means. Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped a truckload of bad sermons that go a little something like this. God has given each of us a variety of talents. Some of us are good at a lot of things, some of us are good at only a few things, and some of us, bless their hearts, are only good at one thing. And so the point of the sermon of the bad talents is that no matter how many things you're good at, you should use the things you're good at for God. This bad sermon has been used to convince a lot of people to do things at church: even if you're only good at one thing, you'd better do it. Warble away in the choir. Bring your overbaked brownies to coffee hour. And if you don't, then God will judge you! So the bad talent sermon picks up on the fact that the word for the money that the servants are given is "talent" and then makes this parable about the "talents" we're given. That's bad not only because it's not what the story is saying but also because it's manipulative - it tells people that if they don't get involved somehow in their church God is going to throw them out where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. Here's a third way to go wrong in preaching this sermon. We'll call this one the "judgmental God" sermon. Unlike the first two stories, this way of going wrong remembers correctly that the point of parables is to tell us something about the character of God. And that is true. But when you read this story and make the obvious connection between the Master and God, what we find makes us, at best, uncomfortable. It's hard to understand what this parable is supposed to mean, but is the third slave burying his money really a big deal? The Master orders him thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  That sounds like exclusion, judgment, and maybe even hell. Whatever the difference was between investing the money and burying it surely doesn't justify the barbaric response of God. So, the  judgmental God sermon says, "The picture of God's character that this sermon gives us is barbaric. Don't you know that we're Episcopalians here? We don't believe in exclusion. We're not judgmental. You can believe most anything you want, but we sure don't believe in a God who gets angry at a small provocations like a slave who buries his money." So the result of the judgmental God sermon is that we dismiss this parable. Whatever God is like, we know that God does not throw servants out into hell for what seems to us to be a minor transgression of burying his money. So what's a better way to preach this parable? What's going on here, and more importantly, how is it that we can hear God speaking to us today through this difficult parable? Let's recap the movements in the story. A man going on a journey and calls his slaves and entrusts his property to them. He's going to be away for a long time, and he is not stingy with what he gives. Ten million dollars to the first, four million dollars to the second, two million dollars to the third. And then the man goes away on his journey. The first servant goes off and makes ten million more dollars with the money. The second takes his four and makes four more. The third takes his money out to the back yard and digs a hole in the ground and buries the million where nobody can find it to keep it safe. After a long time, the man on the journey comes back and comes to his servant to settle the books for when he was away. The first servant turns in his twenty million and gets put in charge of a portfolio of a hundred million. The second servant turns in his eight million and gets put in charge of a portfolio of a hundred million. And then the third servant comes in with his plastic baggy full of stacks of hundred dollar bills, dirt still on it from where he dug it up from the ground. He says to his master, "I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, gathering where you did not gather seed; so I was afraid and I went and hid the million in a ground where it would be safe. Here's the money." I want to suggest to you that the moment where the third servant goes wrong is this moment right here, the moment where he says, "Master, I knew that you were a harsh man." While he was digging with his little shovel in the back yard of the master's estate, the third servant could just see the master sitting at his fancy country club far away, watching the stock returns of all the servants whiz by on the ticker at the bottom of the screen. The third servant thought that the master was harsh. He thought what mattered to the master was performance. He thought what mattered to the master was return on investment. The servant knew that he would never be able to deliver. I think that's a fear we can identify with. Some of us think back to the men in our lives, fathers and husbands and sons, and those words fit: "I knew you were a hard man." Some of us think back to mothers or daughters or mothers-in-law, and we know that we can never measure up to their exacting standards. No matter what we do, we can never be good enough. And so we make the same decisions that the third servant made. We play it safe. We bury the money in the backyard. We don't dream. We try to skate by, hoping that if we just don't lose the money, somehow the hard man and the hard women will come to love us. But that is all wrong. There is no harsh bookkeeping Master in this story. The moment the third servant says, "Master, I know that you are a hard man," is the moment where he goes off the rails. He thinks he knows what the master is like, but he's wrong. He takes all of his fears of a non-existent audit, all his fears that he will fail, and he projects them onto the Master. The servant believes that the Master's favor is based on results - he believes that the first and second servants are congratulated because they brought good returns for the master. The servant believed that the master left him his property just so that he could catch him in a trap and make his life miserable, so he goes out and buries the money to try to avoid the trap. The servant believes that his own fear of the master is real and true. But the master wasn't interested in productive results. He wasn't pleased with the first two servants because they made money; he was pleased with them because they tried to do something with their master's property. The master entrusted his servants with his property not because he wanted to trap them, but because he was a good master who wanted to share in his work with his servants. There was no need for the servant to fear this master. As Robert Farrar Capon put it, "The servant with his little shovel and his mousy apprehension that God is as small as himself is such a nerd! He is just one more of the pitiful turkeys that Jesus parades through his parables to shock us, if possible, into recognizing the stupidity of unfaith." (Kingdom, Grace, Judgment, 503). God is not the hard man that we are afraid of. God is not the demanding mother-in-law, God does not demand productive results. God does not need us to measure up to a particular standard of goodness before we can be loved by him. The world that God has made is a world where God's generosity to us in sending us Jesus has given us everything that we need, and the only response necessary is for us to live out a relationship of trust with Jesus. We trust that we do have everything we need, and so we are people of unusual generosity with our neighbors. We trust that there is nothing to fear when God is our Father and Jesus is our brother, so when chaos breaks out we are the people who run towards chaos rather than away from it. We take all that God has given us in Jesus and, instead of burying it in the ground, try to do the work of the Master, to seek and to save the lost, to heal the hurting and broken and to give mercy to the tired. God's generosity to us matters more than anything else in our world; it matters more than life or death, than health or sickness, than riches or poverty. And that is why this parable ends in such harsh judgment for the servant who did not believe. The servant is one of those people who cannot believe in a gift, who insists that he has to earn it. The servant would rather take what God has given to him and bury it rather than going out to do the work that God has called him to do, because he's afraid that God will be angry with him if he fails. When God judges, he does it out of his love: not because he is mad at anybody, but because he longs for us to open our eyes and see the world as it is. He longs for us to come out from under the structure of our own imagined fears about God and to see that he has given us everything we need. We don't have to earn it. We don't have to be afraid. All we need to do is respond in faith to Jesus, to live our lives out of a passionate conviction that he is who he claimed to be.    And if we do, when God returns from his long journey to judge death and sin and all the forces in our world, we'll be ready. We'll be ready because we've learned that following Jesus is not about tangible results - it's about loving the people we share our homes with really well. It's about inviting the people who get left out to have dinner at our house, to invite our neighbors into our lives so that they can see a small picture of what God's generosity looks like. It's about inviting God the Holy Spirit to heal of our sin and brokenness and empowering us to share the story of the Master with people who need to hear it. God has given us everything we need to be ready. May God give each of us such trust in Jesus that we set aside our fears, love boldly and apologize quickly. May God the Holy Spirit open our eyes to the work that God is doing in our lives, in our homes, and on our streets, so that we can play our part in advancing it. May God set us free from feeling damaged or broken so that we can trust him with all of our lives. I hope all of those things for each of you, and pray for me, a sinner, that I might know them too. Amen.

[johnchiarello]

House of prayer

HOUSE OF PRAYER OR DEN OF THIEVES?

 NOTE- I made this video the other day- just as a test- it turned out to be a teaching post.

Matthew 13:22

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Luke 12:15

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

House of prayer- https://youtu.be/uUK7ZGIMi_c

http://ccoutreach87.com/9-5-17-house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/

http://ccoutreach87.com/9-5-17-house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves-2/

 ON VIDEO-

.Test?

.Guess not

.Kingsville stuff

.Bekins- House painter- Then Fire Dept.

.710 W ave. H

.The teaching tapes I heard while painting the house

.He lost his arm- got a settlement- and built a big house

.The sower

.Wal Mart computer- wrote it 3 times

.Rich man- poor man

.Jim Bakker [PTL] thanked me for this book- personally

.Radio days

.The Ephod vision [Austin]

.The prophecy [didn’t even know it]

.The play

 2 Timothy 3:7

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Isaiah 56:10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.Isaiah 56:11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

 PAST POSTS-

https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/ You can link to the book here- and if you scroll down to the bottom- there is a ‘print’ icon for you to print the book [it’s all free]

https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/

https://ccoutreach87.com/2017/04/18/acts-9/

  -[BOOK]

'HOUSE OF PRAYER, OR DEN OF THIEVES'

a critical look at the modern prosperity gospel.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

 CHAPTER 1 ‘YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON’

 CHAPTER 2 ‘TWISTING THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER’

 CHAPTER 3 ‘WHAT IS THE ABRAHAMIC BLESSING ?’

 CHAPTER 4 ‘WHAT DID JAMES SAY ?’

 CHAPTER 5 ‘WHOSE MINISTRY, JESUS OR OURS ?’

 CHAPTER 6 ‘1 TIMOTHY 6’

 CHAPTER 7 ‘WERE JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES RICH ?’

 CHAPTER 8 ‘COVENANT THEOLOGY’

 CHAPTER 9 ‘SOWING INTO GOOD SOIL’

 CHAPTER 10 ‘IS THERE HOPE FOR FALSE PROPHETS ?’

     INTRODUCTION

  It all started a few years back when I was regularly listening to certain ministries who taught the prosperity gospel. Over the years I subscribed to a few of these ministry magazines and truly enjoyed their teaching, but every now and then while reading through the bible I would come across certain passages of scripture that seemed to contradict the themes of the prosperity movement. I also found it strange the way they interpreted certain passages of scripture, it was almost as if when they were done explaining them, that these passages meant the exact opposite of what they were plainly teaching.

  During this season of learning, while the Lord was dealing with me about these various doctrines, I would find myself at times saying 'something needs to be done about the extreme teaching coming from this camp'. I would also deal with some of the unbalanced teaching through the small avenues of influence I had through a local radio program and various speaking opportunities. I would even go through stages where I was so upset over some of the more extreme elements of this teaching, that I would avoid dealing with it at all because of the emotional baggage that comes with having to disagree with a brother in Christ.

  Then why write this book? Each time I would determine to drop the whole matter and never deal with this issue again, something would happen, or be said on Christian television or radio, or be written in a new book, that was so off base that I would ask the Lord again if He wanted me to do more in bringing about a more balanced view of biblical prosperity. The most recent incident was while watching Christian TV one night, the preacher who was speaking is a well-known prosperity preacher. Before he preached he invited another prosperity preacher to share a 'special' revelatory word the Lord had given him, as the preacher came to the pulpit he began to lead the people in a series of confessions/actions that he told the audience to imitate in order for them to experience breakthrough in their finances. As he stood on the stage he then went through the motions of pulling down an imaginary lever on a slot machine while confessing in a very loud voice the words 'MONEY COMING'. He did this three times while the audience followed. When they got to the last shout, the preacher emphasized the importance of this last shout, and as he led them in the pulling down of the lever they all shouted at the top of their lungs 'MONEY COMING TO ME'

  Well to say the least this was another one of those 'incidents' that caused me to ask the Lord if I should do more about such obvious abuse in the church. A few days later, while driving to work one morning, I remembered this incident and asked the Lord if he wanted me to write a book on this subject. Later on in the day during a lunch break, while reading through the bible during a regular devotional time, I just happened to be reading through the book of revelation, and when I came to revelation 1:19 where Jesus tells John to 'write the things which thou hast seen', it hit me like a ton of bricks. So here I am today, believing that this book will serve a definite purpose in the Body of Christ and cause us to return to a more balanced view of the 'things of this world'.

   CHAPTER 1 'YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON'

    It has been said that the best way to spot a counterfeit is to know the real. So let’s begin with a biblical look at true prosperity. In the past, while trying to deal with this subject, I would often find people responding in defense of the prosperity gospel by saying things like 'oh, but you don't know how good the Lord is' or 'you don't know how much God wants to meet our needs' or, 'the bible doesn’t say money is evil, but the love of money'. To which I would reply 'AMEN', I agree with you. But the bible also gives us many warnings against materialism, seeking to be rich, and living for material things.

  So while trying to deal with the false prosperity gospel, I would like first of all to establish the truth that God is good, he does want to meet our needs and give us the desires of our heart, and yes, he even wants to bless us financially and materially. God promises not only 'heavenly' or 'spiritual' blessings, but also earthly or material blessings as well. If you go through the bible from Genesis to Revelation you will find instances of Gods people being rich, prosperous and blessed in every way. You will find many promises of Gods provisions for us, not only spiritual but also financial and material. There is no doubt that God can, and does bless His children in all areas of life if they are obedient to Him.

  We also know that there are many warnings in the N.T. against seeking to be rich, living for material wealth, and the like. So how do we harmonize these two truths?

  Let’s look at the overall purpose of God for his church. We are commissioned by Jesus to tell the whole world about His love for us, so we can make disciples of all nations. The message from our lips, [and hearts] is to overflow with who Jesus is and what He’s done for us. As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us that as we proclaim and talk about Him, and seek first His kingdom, that He will take care of all the other less important things. MATHEW 6:19-24 ' LAY NOT UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES UPON EARTH, WHERE MOTH AND RUST DOTH CORRUPT, AND WHERE THIEVES BREAK THROUGH AND STEAL: BUT LAY UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES IN HEAVEN, WHERE NIETHER MOTH NOR RUST DOTH CORRUPT, AND WHERE THIEVES DO NOT BREAK THROUGH AND STEAL: FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS THERE WILL YOUR HEART BE ALSO........ NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS: FOR EITHER HE WILL HATE THE ONE, AND LOVE THE OTHER; OR ELSE HE WILL HOLD TO THE ONE AND DESPISE THE OTHER. YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON. THEREFORE I SAY UNTO YOU, TAKE NO THOUGHT FOR YOUR LIFE, WHAT YE SHALL EAT, OR WHAT YE SHALL DRINK; NOR YET FOR YOUR BODY, WHAT YE SHALL PUT ON. IS NOT THE LIFE MORE THAN MEAT, AND THE BODY MORE THAN RAIMENT? BEHOLD THE FOWLS OF THE AIR: FOR THEY SOW NOT, NIETHER DO THEY REAP, NOR GATHER INTO BARNS; YET YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER FEEDETH THEM. ARE YE NOT MUCH BETTER THAN THEY? ...... THEREFORE TAKE NO THOUGHT, SAYING WHAT SHALL WE EAT? OR, WHAT SHALL WE DRINK? OR, WHEREWITHALL SHALL WE BE CLOTHED? [FOR AFTER ALL THESE THINGS DO THE GENTILES SEEK;] FOR YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KHNOWETH THAT YE HAVE NEED OF ALL THESE THINGS. BUT SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THES THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU. TAKE THEREFORE NO THOUGHT FOR THE MORROW: FOR THE MORROW SHALL TAKE THOUGHT FOR THE THINGS OF ITSELF. SUFFICIENT UNTO THE DAY IS THE EVIL THEREOF' Jesus is making a distinction between material things and the kingdom of God. He is saying if we seek first His kingdom, then all these material needs will be met. If the kingdom is about material things, then Jesus contradicted himself. The plain meaning and thought of this passage is that if we put God first, He will take care of us. Now say if the disciples took this to mean that the primary message of the gospel was 'God will add all these things unto you'. And say if they went around teaching all nations to quote 'all these things shall be added unto you'. And then all over Jerusalem and Judaea and unto the uttermost parts of the earth they had people quoting 'all these things shall be added unto you'. And after a lifetime of ministry they taught the people how God would give them things if they kept quoting and meditating on the passages of scripture that speak about material wealth. What do you suppose Jesus would say when He comes back? First of all the plain teaching of Jesus in this passage is to get their focus [meditation, confession] off of material things. He plainly says that the 'gentiles seek these things', and that the disciples are not to be thinking about these things all the time like the gentiles. He tells us to focus on the kingdom as opposed to focusing on material things. He tells us that as we go forth by faith to proclaim his gospel, that he in turn will meet our needs. After all, the disciples left their jobs in order to follow Christ, and he was reassuring them that they would be taken care of materially if they forsook all to follow him.

  I find it troubling that some teachers use this very passage in order to justify materialism, while the plain meaning of Jesus words are the opposite. Jesus says you cannot serve God and money. So we must take our minds and thoughts and meditations and focus them on God, not worldly things!

  So true prosperity can be defined as God meeting all the needs of his children as they proclaim him in all nations. True prosperity is God meeting our needs while our focus is on him [not on our needs being met!]. True prosperity is being able to preach the word of God without a covetous motive [1 PETER:5:2].

  I should make note that there are some who teach that this passage of scripture [MATT. 6:19-24] actually teaches that we have a bank account in heaven with real money credited to our account! And every time we sow [give into] the kingdom of God, that we are actually building a fund in this account. And that by faith you can claim a withdrawal on your account and receive your financial harvest now. But if this is what Jesus was teaching then the entire passage is twisted into turning our attention towards money once again! Jesus plainly warned us against focusing our thoughts on the material things in life, he told us not to be like the unbelievers who have all their possessions in this life only. Jesus told us to build up treasures in heaven, which meant a life lived for eternal purposes as opposed to temporary rewards. I believe that if we get our priorities right, that God will meet our needs, and we will be so excited about God and his kingdom that we wont even have time to think about serving mammon!

   CHAPTER 2 'TWISTING THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER'

    While a new Christian, enjoying that early honeymoon period with the Lord, I’ll never forget the joy I experienced while learning the bible for the first time. The clarity, pureness and unity of scripture were a sure foundation for a long road ahead. While working as a house painter and listening to Christian radio all day long, it was an early introduction to the various 'streams' of teaching that were being produced in the church. One day my job foreman, who often heard me listening to Christian radio, thought I would enjoy listening to a new tape series that he had just been given. So I popped the cassettes into my radio and listened with the excitement of a new believer in Christ. The cassettes were a new teaching on the parable of the sower. MATTHEW 13:1-9, 18-23 ' THE SAME DAY WENT JESUS OUT OF THE HOUSE, AND SAT BY THE SEASIDE. AND GREAT MULTITUDES WERE GATHERED TOGETHER UNTO HIM, SO THAT HE WENT INTO A SHIP, AND SAT; AND THE WHOLE MULTITUDE STOOD ON THE SHORE. AND HE SPAKE MANY THINGS UNTO THEM IN PARABLES, SAYING, BEHOLD, A SOWER WENT FORTH TO SOW; AND WHEN HE SOWED, SOME SEEDS FELL BY THE WAY SIDE, AND THE FOWLS CAME AND DEVOURED THEM UP: SOME FELL UPON STONY PLACES, WHERE THEY HAD NOT MUCH EARTH: AND FORTHWITH THEY SPRUNG UP, BECAUSE THEY HAD NO DEEPNESS OF EARTH: AND WHEN THE SUN WAS UP THEY WERE SCORCHED; AND BECAUSE THEY HAD NO ROOT THEY WITHERED AWAY. AND SOME FELL AMONG THORNS; AND THE THORNS SPRUNG UP, AND CHOKED THEM; BUT OTHER FELL INTO GOOD GROUND, AND BROUGHT FORTH FRUIT, SOME AN HUNDREDFOLD, SOME SIXTYFOLD, SOME THIRTYFOLD. WHO HATH EARS TO HEAR LET HIM HEAR.........HEAR YE THEREFORE THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. WHEN ANYONE HEARETH THE WORD OF THE KINGDOM, AND UNDERSTANDETH IT NOT, THEN COMETH THE WICKED ONE, AND CATCHETH AWAY THAT WHICH WAS SOWN IN HIS HEART. THIS IS HE WHICH RECIEVED SEED BY THE WAYSIDE. BUT HE THAT RECIEVED THE SEED INTO STONY PLACES, THE SAME IS HE THAT HEARETH THE WORD, AND ANON WITH JOY RECIEVETH IT; YET HATH HE NOT ROOT IN HIMSELF, BUT DURETH FOR A WHILE: FOR WHEN TRIBULATION OR PERSECUTION ARISETH BECAUSE OF THE WORD, BY AND BY HE IS OFFENDED. HE ALSO THAT RECIEVED SEED AMONG THE THORNS IS HE THAT HEARETH THE WORD; AND THE CARE OF THIS WORLD, AND THE DECEITFULLNESS OF RICHES, CHOKE THE WORD AND HE BECOMETH UNFRUITFULL. BUT HE THAT RECIEVED SEED INTO GOOD GROUND IS HE THAT HEARETH THE WORD, AND UNDERSTANDETH IT; WHICH ALSO BEARETH FRUIT, AND BRINGETH FORTH, SOME AN HUNDREDFOLD SOME SIXTY SND SOME THIRTY'. As the teacher taught through the parable he explained how Jesus was teaching us how to plant [sow] the word [scriptures] in our hearts [through confession, meditation, etc.] in order to receive a thirty, sixty, or hundredfold return. He then applied the entire teaching to reaping an hundredfold return of MONEY! He taught how that at each stage of the parable the devil tries to steal the word so we don’t receive our harvest. He then got to the part where Jesus says 'THE DECIETFULLNESS OF RICHES CHOKE THE WORD', I couldn’t understand how Jesus could be teaching us about reaping a financial harvest, and then say this! It almost seemed like a contradiction. Well the teacher then began to sound uncomfortable as he explained how the deceitfulness of riches was actually that old traditional teaching that says you cant be rich [or something to that effect]! Even as a new believer in Christ I just couldn’t accept this explanation, it was almost as if the teacher was trying to make Jesus words say the opposite of what he meant.

  The basic plain meaning of the parable is self-explanatory. There are always obstacles and enemies of the gospel. Ultimately those who overcome these obstacles will bear good Christian fruit in varying degrees [30,60 or 100 fold]. The various hindrances to the word of God include the 'cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches'. If you want to produce fruit for God you cant get caught up in the materialistic pursuits of the world [2 TIMOTHY 2:4].

  Many times in connection with this parable is the doctrine of sowing for a harvest taught. Jesus often uses planting [sowing] and harvesting [reaping] illustrations in his teachings. The main focus is usually dealing with the spreading of the kingdom of God and the message of Christ to the nations. Sometimes the seed refers to believers themselves, and other times the actual message preached [MATT. 13: 20,38]. Sowing and reaping also refer to the works we do, as well as the money we give into the kingdom [1COR. 9:11, GAL. 6:8]. While there are many ways you can apply sowing for a harvest, I find it disturbing that some in the church have focused the entire teaching towards financial and material gain. This type of preoccupation with money is in direct opposition to the warning that Jesus gave in this parable, he told us that the deceitfulness of riches could derail us from being fruitful, and the distorted teaching that applies this entire parable to money is in itself a fulfillment of the warning that 'the deceitfulness of riches' can deceive you, because it denies the very warning of Christ and makes him say something that he never said!

   CHAPTER 3 'WHAT IS THE ABRAHAMIC BLESSING'

    I must admit that out of all the various portions of scripture used to teach a false prosperity gospel, this is one of the most deceptive. In order for us to fully grasp the concept of the abrahamic blessing, we must do a little history.

  In GALATIANS 3, the apostle Paul makes one of the greatest N.T. arguments for justification by faith versus law. I personally believe this doctrine to be one of the foundational doctrines in the N.T.

  The heresy that Paul is fighting against in Galatians is the heresy of legalism that was taught by the judiazers. The judiazers were the Jewish/Christian sect that taught that gentile believers needed to be circumcised and brought under the law in order to be saved. The main argument that Paul uses to refute this doctrine is in Galatians 3. In this chapter we find Paul going back to the O.T. books in order to show that God established, by covenant, the basis of justifying man by faith without the deeds of the law. The main argument Paul uses is 'the abrahamic blessing'. Paul traces Gods promise to Abraham, made before the law was given, where God says 'in thee shall all nations be blessed' [GEN. 12:3, GAL. 3:8]. This meaning that God would bless [save] all nations through the promised child of Abraham [which would eventually be Jesus]. Paul’s point is to show that God already promised to bless all people through Abraham’s offspring [the abrahamic blessing], and not through the law. The abrahamic blessing referring to justifying the world by faith and giving us 'the promise of the Spirit by faith' [GALATIANS 3:8-14], this argument is also used in Romans 4.

  Now here comes the tricky part, some teach that God covenants to make us rich trough the abrahamic blessing [or covenant]. They use this chapter to teach that Christ died so we can receive the abrahamic blessing. They then define the abrahamic blessing as the 'things' that Abraham had. But once again the abrahamic blessing as defined in Galatians 3 is referring to God justifying us by faith as opposed to the law. Paul was in no way teaching the Galatians that God was going to make them rich! He was battling for their very souls! The plain text of this passage shows us that Paul was dealing with the issue of justification, and not finances. And it would make absolutely no sense for Paul to begin to address money issues in the middle of this chapter.

  Each time I came across this type of distorted interpretation, I honestly couldn’t understand how so many different teachers could so consistently apply the same passage in the wrong way. It almost reminds me of the O.T. passage that speaks of a conspiracy of the prophets [EZEK. 22:25]. A sort of network of false/distorted interpretations of the scripture that exist among certain groups of believers, and these same false opinions are then propagated again and again until after you hear them long enough they seem to become accepted truth in the church at large. We need to re-examine some of these doctrines and receive correction and make the proper adjustments in our thinking and acting [repentance!], so we don’t continue to spread these false opinions in the church.

   CHAPTER 4 'WHAT DID JAMES SAY'

    One of the strongest books in the N.T. dealing with poverty and riches is the book of James. Simply reading this book in context would give the modern prosperity gospel a strong rebuke! James contrasts both rich and poor, he says that God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom of God. The context also implies that these poor Christians will remain poor in this life! [JAMES 2:5] The prosperity message teaches that if you have faith in God that you will not be poor. It’s obvious that both James and the prosperity teachers of today have a difference of opinion!

  Lets look at exactly what the word of God says; JAMES 2:1-6 'MY BRETHREN, HAVE NOT THE FAITH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE LORD OF GLORY, WITH RESPECT OF PERSONS. FOR IF THERE COME UNTO YOUR ASSEMBLY A MAN WITH A GOLD RING, IN GOODLY APPAREL, AND THERE COME IN ALSO A POOR MAN IN VILE RAIMENT; AND YE HAVE RESPECT TO HIM THAT WEARETH THE GAY CLOTHING, AND SAY UNTO HIM, SIT THOU HERE IN A GOOD PLACE; AND SAY TO THE POOR, STAND THOU HERE OR SIT HERE UNDER MY FOOTSTOOL: ARE YE NOT THEN PARTIAL IN YOURSELVES AND BECOME JUDGES OF EVIL THOUGHTS? HEARKEN, MY BELOVED BRETHREN, HATH NOT GOD CHOSEN THE POOR OF THIS WORLD RICH IN FAITH, AND HEIRS OF THE KINGDOM WHICH HE HATH PROMISED TO THEM THAT LOVE HIM? BUT YE HAVE DESPISED THE POOR. DO NOT RICH MEN OPPRESS YOU, AND DRAW YOU BEFORE THE JUDGMENT SEATS? How were they despising the poor and being prejudiced in their thoughts? They were treating poor people with contempt while showing honor to the rich. This is exactly what we do in the church, by teaching that poor Christians have little, or no faith, we unconsciously treat them with contempt. We teach that the poor are under a curse and are therefore not living up to all their benefits in Christ. We actually set up a cast system in the church. James says the poor have great faith! He doesn’t portray them as having small faith. He warns the rich not to trust in uncertain riches. The bible flatly teaches that financial abundance is not a measure of ones faith! We must stop teaching that if you would simply believe God you would have an abundance of money. This is not true in every case. Sometimes the abundant supply from God is the grace and patience that he gives to the believer in the face of severe trials or lack. The N.T. clearly teaches that there are believers with lots of faith who are poor! You can't deny the plain word of God. We should not suppose that a lack of financial abundance is a sign of weak faith!

  Now to one of the most recent 'new revelations' that is being taught in the church. I first heard this from a very respected soul-winning evangelist. I then heard it taught from a variety of other teachers. As of this writing it seems to be accepted 'truth' in certain circles. Lets read JAMES 5:1-6 'GO TO NOW, YE RICH MEN, WEEP AND HOWL FOR YOUR MISERIES THAT SHALL COME UPON YOU. YOUR RICHES ARE CORRUPTED, AND YOUR GARMENTS ARE MOTHEATEN. YOUR GOLD AND SILVER IS CANKERED; AND THE RUST OF THEM SHALL BE A WITNESS AGAINST YOU, AND SHALL EAT YOUR FLESH AS IT WERE FIRE. YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURE TOGETHER FOR THE LAST DAYS. BEHOLD, THE HIRE OF THE LABOURERS WHO HAVE REAPED DOWN YOUR FIELDS, WHICH IS OF YOU KEPT BACK BY FRAUD, CRIETH: AND THE CRIES OF THEM WHICH HAVE REAPED ARE ENTERED INTO THE EARS OF THE LORD OF SABAOTH. YE HAVE LIVED IN PLEASURE ON THE EARTH, AND BEEN WANTON; YE HAVE NOURISHED YOUR HEARTS, AS IN A DAY OF SLAUGHTER. YE HAVE CONDEMNED AND KILLED THE JUST; AND HE DOTH NOT RESIST YOU. The first time I heard this 'new' truth, the preacher said that this passage was dealing with the end-time transfer of wealth from the rich to the poor. It was explained that in verse 3 'YE HAVE HEAPED TREASURE TOGETHER FOR THE LAST DAYS’ meant that the rich gathered together their wealth so it could be given to the church in the last days. While I have no problem with the idea of the world’s wealth being used for kingdom purposes, I do have a problem with distorting the word of God to prove our points! A simple reading of James 5:1-6 shows us that the reason the rich are being reproved is because they spent their lives building up financial fortunes without being rich toward God [LUKE 12:16-21]. This scripture also plainly says what is going to happen to their wealth. Is it going to be 'transferred' to us? Is it going to be given to the Christians in the last days? Is it going to be used at all? NO! It is going to canker, rust and corrupt! It is going to be destroyed! It will be of no help at all in the day of judgment [PRVB. 11:4]. It will be a witness against them for living covetous lives. The entire theme of James follows this line of thought. To read all the other things that James says about the rich and poor in this epistle, for us to then interpret this passage and say that James was now teaching the Christians that they would become rich through the end-time transfer of wealth, is ridiculous. Once again the plain meaning of scripture is being distorted in order to make it say the complete opposite of what it means.

  One more thing before we leave James. The early Christian community did not equate poverty with being under a curse. They did not equate poverty with sin. There are many rebukes in the N.T. against sin in the church, but the poor in the church were praised, not rebuked! The very mindset of looking upon the poor as a lower class permeates this teaching. If the poor are cursed, not living up to their inheritance, don’t know how to apply faith principles or simply don’t know/believe the word concerning prosperity, then in essence we are despising the poor through our belief system. The N.T. plainly teaches that it is okay to be poor! We need to heed the warning from this N.T. epistle and stop despising the poor!

   CHAPTER 5 'WHOSE MINISTRY, JESUS OR OURS?'

    I'll never forget the time I was watching 'Christian' TV and saw a preacher holding up his Rolex watch and then teaching the people that this was an example of his faith in action! He then went on to explain that when we use our faith to obtain things, we can then show these things to people as a witness of our faith. If this is what it means to go witnessing for Christ, I think most people would be standing in line to sign up!

  Over the years I have heard it taught that the only way the world would be saved is if the church becomes extremely rich financially so she could send the gospel to the world. That the world would see our extreme wealth and would ask 'where did you get all that money?' and we would then say 'from God', and the lost would then want what we have and get saved! Convenient isn’t it. But is this a biblical picture of the N.T. church and her witness in the earth?

  In order to answer this question, we need first to look at what the N.T. church is. The church consists of communities of believers scattered throughout the world. All over planet earth, right now, there are believers thriving and testifying of Gods grace in all types of circumstances and situations. The community of believers that Jesus launched 2 thousand years ago is still going strong. She answers to no man or human govt. She has outlasted empires, persecutions, false religions and every other conceivable attack that can be imagined. The prophecy of Jesus has been fulfilled ‘THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST HER’ [MATT. 16:18].

  As of today there has been no other single institution upon earth that has had more influence in the history of the world than the church! Now, if the church truly consists of believers [seeds], planted [sown] all over the world under the lordship of Christ, with various giftings [Apostles, Prophets, etc.] operating under the administration of the Holy Spirit, this ministry [the kingdom of God] already has the potential of a worldwide witness to all nations. As a matter of fact this worldwide gospel of Christ has been prevailing magnificently throughout the generations. This wonderful kingdom, under Christ’s rule, has been active. It has been supernaturally deploying ministers from day one [ACTS 13]. It has even witnessed for Jesus Christ when its main ministers were broke! [ACTS 3:6]. The witness of the gospel has done extremely well throughout the centuries and will continue to do so, whether or not we all become rich!

  The reason I say this is because there is a mindset in the church [American mostly] that equates the witness of the gospel with the success of American charismatic entrepreneurial ministries. We have been deluded into believing that unless we all become rich, we will never be able to reach the world. The overall success of the kingdom of God has never been dependent on any budget of any ministry past or present! Most of the modern day proponents of the prosperity gospel usually head up American ministry organizations and equate the sowing of seed [finances], with giving money to help support their organizations. They then sincerely believe that unless their organization makes more and more money, they will never be able to fulfill the great commission of reaching the world.

  The N.T. clearly teaches the principles of our witness for Christ, and the focus has never been extreme wealth. But on sacrificial living, loving each other unconditionally, a sharing caring community of people who are known for good deeds of charity. In the book of acts the early church had a powerful witness, and they weren’t rich financially, yet they did reach their world for Christ. How? Through great sacrificial living, through miraculous signs and wonders, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and through a bold proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not one sermon in the book of acts focused on anything else than Jesus Christ and his great work for us. Their hearts and lips flowed with the message of Christ, not money!

  I find it troubling that many of the ministries who teach the prosperity gospel usually do receive extreme amounts of money, not to proclaim the message of Jesus [speaking about him], but to simply propagate a money making gospel! You can tune into some of these ministries and find them talking about money all the time. What if a lost person tuned in? Would he hear about Jesus or money? What about when Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks? [MATT. 12:34]. If someone is always talking about money where is his heart, what’s his treasure?

  We need to shift our focus back to the pure N.T. message of Christ, and understand that his gospel is the power of God unto salvation! Jesus said the world would be saved when the truth is preached in all nations by a united church, not when we all become millionaires so we can finance our own ministries!

   CHAPTER 6 '1 TIMOTHY 6'

    I have often heard it said 'if you’re happy with just enough money to get by, you’re selfish and living in sin, you need to believe God and have faith for increased wealth so you can finance the gospel'. Is this a biblical concept? Should we teach people that being content with what you have is a sin?

  Lets look at the word of God HEBREWS 13:5-6 'LET YOUR CONVERSATION BE WITHOUT COVEOUSNESS; AND BE CONTENT WITH SUCH THINGS AS YE HAVE: FOR HE HATH SAID, I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, OR FORSAKE THEE. SO THAT WE MAY BOLDLY SAY, THE LORD IS MY HELPER, AND I WILL NOT FEAR WHAT MAN SHALL DO UNTO ME. This scripture plainly teaches us to be content with what we have! I even heard a prosperity preacher teach that this means to be happy with what you have now, while using your faith to obtain more. WHAT! When will we stop distorting the plain meaning of scripture?

  1 TIMOTHY 6:1-12,17-19 'LET AS MANY SERVANTS WHO ARE UNDER THE YOKE COUNT THIER OWN MASTERS WORTHY OF ALL HONOUR, THAT THE NAME OF GOD AND HIS DOCTRINE BE NOT BLASPHEMED....... IF ANY MAN TEACH OTHERWISE, AND CONSENT NOT TO WHOLESOME WORDS, EVEN THE WORDS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND TO THE DOCTRINE WHICH IS ACCORDING TO GODLINESS; HE IS PROUD KNOWING NOTHING, BUT DOTING ABOUT QUESTIONS AND STRIFES OF WORDS, WHEREOF COMETH ENVY, STRIFE, RAILINGS, EVIL SURMISINGS, PERVERSE DISPUTINGS OF MEN OF CORRUPT MINDS, AND DESTITUTE OF THE TRUTH, SUPPOSING THAT GAIN IS GODLINESS: FROM SUCH WITHDRAW THYSELF. BUT GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN. FOR WE BROUGHT NOTHING INTO THE WORLD, AND IT IS CERTAIN WE CAN CARRY NOTHING OUT. AND HAVING FOOD AND RAIMENT LET US BE THEREWITH CONTENT. BUT THEY THAT WILL BE RICH FALL INTO TEMPTATION AND A SNARE, AND INTO MANY FOOLISH AND HURTFUL LUSTS, WHICH DROWN MEN IN DESTRUCTION AND PERDITION. FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL: WHICH WHILE SOME COVETED AFTER, THEY HAVE ERRED FROM THE FAITH, AND PIERCED THEMSELVES THROUGH WITH MANY SORROWS. BUT THOU O MAN OF GOD FLEE THESE THINGS.........CHARGE THEM THAT ARE RICH IN THIS WORLD, THAT THEY BE NOT HIGHMINDED, NOR TRUST IN UNCERTAIN RICHES, BUT IN THE LIVING GOD, WHO GIVETH US RICHLY ALL THINGS TO ENJOY; THAT THEY DO GOOD, THAT THEY BE RICH IN GOOD WORKS, READY TO DISTRIBUTE, WILLING TO COMMUNICATE; LAYING UP IN STORE FOR THEMSELVES A GOOD FOUNDATION AGAINST THE TIME TO COME, THAT THEY MAY LAY HOLD ON ETERNAL LIFE. Paul is clearly teaching the concept of 'you came into this world with nothing, you cant take it with you when you die, so be content with what you have'. I have heard prosperity preachers say that this type of mindset is a religious spirit, and has no foundation in the word of God. This passage of scripture teaches plainly against the mindset of the prosperity gospel. The entire theme and thought of the apostle goes 100 percent against the grain of the prosperity movement. Paul clearly says that some will equate gain with godliness, if he is not dealing with the distortions of the modern prosperity movement, then who is he speaking about? He says that some will equate godly living with financial gain, or they will teach if you’re godly you will gain much money. This is exactly what the modern prosperity movement teaches!

  He says that those who want to become rich will fall into many foolish and hurtful lusts. The craving [coveting] to become rich can either be through confessing scripture, through meditating on abundance, through the sowing of seed into good soil or any other means imaginable. The scripture simply says that if the acquiring of money, for whatever purpose [even godly purposes], has become your goal, then your motivation is wrong and you have been sidetracked.

  Now the 'love of money' verse. 1 TIMOTHY 6:10 'FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL: WHICH WHILE SOME COVETED AFTER, THEY HAVE ERRED FROM THE FAITH, AND PIERCED THEMSELVES THROUGH WITH MANY SORROWS'.  I have heard it said 'brother, this says the love of money, not money' and then the preacher will go right past the warning and talk all about money, not even giving a second thought to the warning! These passages, read in their entirety, give a powerful rebuke against the prosperity movement. They teach us to' be content with what we have,' they tell us' don’t desire to be rich', they plainly state that the pursuit of material wealth will sidetrack you, and they even state that 'you came into the world with nothing, when you die you cant take it with you, so be happy with what you have!' I would exhort any person who is having difficulty breaking away from this movement to read 1 timothy 6 every day for a year and allow your mind to be renewed to the word of God!                  

One more thing before we leave this chapter, in verse 12 Paul exhorts Timothy to 'lay hold on eternal life'. He says this in the context of comparing eternal life against materialistic living. He is saying in essence 'live for eternal things, not temporary rewards [or money!]'. I just finished watching a minister on T.V. spend 30 minutes explaining how the eternal life that Paul is referring to deals with the abundance of God in the area of finances. He flatly said that Paul was teaching us to lay hold of an abundance of money! This type of extreme distorting of scripture actually takes the warnings in the word of God that speak against materialism and turns them around to teach the exact opposite! When our own interpretations of scripture go against the plain flow of the text of scripture, then we have usurped the word of God in order to teach our own traditions!

   CHAPTER 7 'WERE JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES RICH?'

    One day while listening to a preacher trying to prove that Jesus and the disciples were extremely wealthy, he used the common ‘proof texts’ to prove his point. He then went on to explain that religious tradition portrayed Jesus and the disciples as being poor [or average], and that the word of God teaches us that they were really rich. He also explained how important it was for us to know this 'truth', because if Jesus and the disciples were rich, and Jesus wants us to be like him, then we are in disobedience if we are not striving to become wealthy!

  A simple plain reading of the N.T. portrays Jesus as someone who came with a radical message of forsaking all to follow him. He often approached people who were in business [fishermen], or were rich, and challenged them to leave all and follow him. He would reassure these followers if they forsook all for his cause and the gospel, that they would be taken care of. This same type of radical call continued into the book of acts, where the early followers of Jesus also told the people that to be a follower of Christ they had to forsake all to follow him.

  If you look at the overall picture [not the prooftexts!], you see the early Christian community as a people who forsook all for the gospel. You find them living and sharing as a corporate community who took care of each-others needs [ACTS 2:44-47]. You find those who were wealthy [not all of the church, but certain individuals, ACTS 4:32-37] sharing their wealth for the needs of the Christian community. You can even trace the ministries of some of the early apostles and still find them many years later proclaiming Christ through much suffering and persecution. Not only does the N.T. portray the early Christian community in this light, but also church history confirms it. You find the apostles still learning to deal with financial lack many years later well into their ministries [PHIL 4:11-12, 2 COR. 11:27]. You see a beautiful picture of a people willing to suffer for the cause of Christ cheerfully. You also see a gracious Lord who met all their needs according to his abundant grace. You find stories where the material needs of people were supernaturally met [not by extreme wealth, but by Gods miraculous intervention [MATT. 14:17-19, 15:34-36].

  Now what about the promise Jesus made to Peter in MARK 10:28-31 'THEN PETER BEGAN TO SAY UNTO HIM, LO, WE HAVE LEFT ALL, AND HAVE FOLLOWED THEE. AND JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID, VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, THERE IS NO MAN THAT HATH LEFT HOUSE, OR BRETHREN, OR SISTERS, OR FATHER, OR MOTHER, OR WIFE, OR CHILDREN, OR LANDS, FOR MY SAKE AND THE GOSPELS, BUT HE SHALL RECIEVE AN HUNDREDFOLD NOW IN THIS TIME, HOUSES, AND BRETHREN, AND SISTERS, AND MOTHERS, AND CHILDREN, AND LANDS, WITH PERSECUTIONS; AND IN THE WORLD TO COME ETERNAL LIFE. Did Peter personally posses [inherit] more houses, lands, sisters and mothers? How was this promise fulfilled in Peter’s life? In the book of acts Peter became a part of the 'Christian family' who had all things common, they shared everything and had no lack [ACTS 4:32-34, 2:44-47]. They had no lack because of their membership in the family of God. The fulfilling of the law of love in their sharing of material things was the fulfillment of Jesus promise to Peter, not making him financially rich!

  Look at all the apostolic ministries in the book of acts. Wherever they went, whatever city they ministered in, their needs were always met. Why? Because when they became part of the Christian community, the homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, lands and all the other resources were SHARED by all the believers. They ministered to each other’s needs, they supported one another, they truly fulfilled the law of love by bearing one another’s burdens!

  This picture of Jesus and the apostles as extremely rich 20th century American evangelists who headed up big budget ministries is absolutely no where to be found in the plain reading of the N.T.! I just don’t find Jesus and the disciples as rich evangelists going into the world with extreme wealth, while at the same time telling rich people to sell all they have to come follow him! [MATT. 19:23-24,LK. 1:53, 6:24, 16:19-31, 18:18-25]

   CHAPTER 8 'COVENANT THEOLOGY'

    The early settlers [pilgrims] of our nation came by faith in God, believing their new nation to be a promised land of freedom that the Lord had given to them. One of the descriptions of the 'belief system' of these puritans is called covenant theology. They saw themselves as 'new covenant' people who were inheriting a promised land, much like the old covenant people [Israel] inherited their promised land. They claimed and believed the many O.T. promises of God concerning the inheriting of nations. They took God at his word, and it worked!

  In a sense all believers are covenant theologians, whether they realize it or not. It is through our covenant with God [the blood of Jesus], that we are made right with God [justified], have forgiveness of sins and are made children of God. As a matter of fact, everything that God does for us, or that 'we do for him', is based upon the bedrock foundation of the covenant of the blood of Jesus Christ.

  Now, it has been taught because of our covenant with Christ, we can go through the bible and find all the promises that are good and by faith hold God to his word and 'cause the things that are not seen [not manifested] to become seen [manifested]', or to put it simple, to get the things that God has promised us by putting our faith into action. I believe this principle is both scriptural and profitable. But the covenant cuts both ways.

 When people enter into covenant, the 2 parties have complete access to each-others rights and privileges. There are times were the Lord will require of the believer all that he has [leave your nets and follow me mentality]. There are even times where the Lord called people to lay down their lives in martyrdom in order to receive a better resurrection [HEB 11:35, ACTS 7]. As a matter of fact there are many examples of people of faith who have endured great sufferings even though they had great faith [HEB. 11].

  So what does it mean to be a covenant believer? It not only implies going throughout the bible and claiming all the good promises and quoting them by faith [sowing], it also carries with it the meaning of laying down all that we have [in this world] for the cause of Christ [HEB. 10:34].

  While the early puritans did claim and receive the promises of God by faith concerning their 'promised land', they also endured tremendous suffering and loss [many died in their pursuit!] in order to obtain a noble goal. The N.T. commands us not only to believe and teach the good parts [or the parts we like the most!], but also to heed the warnings [LUKE 12:15, ACTS 20:27]. If we reduce covenant theology to a belief system that only reads and quotes the 'good' promises, but never heeds the warnings, then we are failing to proclaim the full gospel and are presenting a distorted view of the Christian life [ACTS 14:22]. A simple overview of the N.T. shows us how the principles of the N.T. are supposed to work. For example, you never find Jesus or the disciples going around quoting the money verses in order to receive a harvest! As a matter of fact, if we teach people to 'quote, meditate, memorize and only think on the money scriptures', we would be doing the exact opposite of what Jesus said in MATT. 6:31-34. He specifically told us to take no thought [meditate, focus our minds, etc.] of what we shall eat, drink or wear [material things], the whole point of this passage was to teach the Christian NOT to focus on these things!

  You also never find any of the suffering Christians acting like they 'fell short' of their covenant rights. Instead they counted it a privilege to suffer for his names sake [ACTS 5:41]. The entire flow of the N.T. goes contrary to the 'picture painted' by unbalanced prosperity preaching. The focus of the N.T. was Gods advancing kingdom throughout the nations! Their own lives and the things they could get to make themselves more comfortable ran 100% contrary to the fulfilling of their mission [2 TIM. 4:10, 1 JOHN 2:15]. A simple plain reading of the N.T. in context teaches us that the character of N.T. Christianity is one of self-sacrificial living, not a 'get all you can by faith' mentality.

   CHAPTER 9 'SOWING INTO GOOD SOIL'

    A simple reading of the N.T. gives us a broad picture of the life of the believer, which includes giving and receiving, Gods promises of funding the work of the ministry, the Christian concept of charity, and a basic overall view of finances and the kingdom of God. One of the most basic reasons of giving money in the N.T. is to share what we have with those who are less fortunate [JAMES 2:15-16, 1 JOHN 3:17]. As a matter of fact Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of his day for their willingness to tithe to the temple while neglecting to use their finances to meet the needs of people in need [MARK 7:6-13]. One of the most recognized passages of scripture used to describe the character of Christ is found in Luke 10:30-37, an example of someone ministering to the needs of ‘the down and out’.

  Even in the book of acts the main focus on giving was to meet the needs of people [ACTS 2:44-46, 4:32-37, 6:1]. The very scripture that we use to exhort saints to put in their offerings on ‘Sunday’, is really speaking about a collection being taken to meet the needs of the ‘poor saints’ who lived in Jerusalem [1COR. 16:1-3].

  This basic Christian principle of charity is a well-established Christian doctrine that most people would agree with, except for certain teachers in the prosperity movement! I remember listening to a certain teacher actually teach that in order to receive a good financial harvest, you must plant your seed [money] into good soil. He then went on to teach that good soil meant ministries, or individuals, who taught prosperity and were financially rich! He even implied that giving to prosperity ministries would make you rich, while giving to ‘poverty mentality’ ministries would make you poor [because you reap the same anointing from the ministries you so into]. The problem with this is that the bible teaches that giving to poor people [people with a poverty mentality] is good, and that the Lord will reward you for it [PRVB. 22:9,16,19:17,28:27, PSALMS 112:9].

  While the N.T. does deal with Gods provisions for ministry [PHIL. 4:14-19,1COR. 9:1-14], this certainly in no way justifies perverting the gospel into a mindset of giving into wealthy ministries in order to receive a financial harvest!

  Jesus, Paul and all the other N.T. ministers did receive finances and provisions from God in order to fulfill their callings, but at the same time they also warned the people emphatically against materialism. They spoke out against covetousness/idolatry, while at the same time believing God to meet their needs [LUKE 12:15, EPH. 5:3, COL. 3:5, 1 THESS. 2:5, HEB. 13:5, 2 PETER 2:3]. Were they being hypocrites? NO! They understood the difference between using the things of this world without abusing them [1 COR. 7:31]. There is a big difference between believing God to meet our needs, and twisting the entire character of N.T. Christianity into a money focused mentality! The Christian should have a proper understanding of finances, as well as physical exercise, balance in family life and relationships, dealing with the practical concerns of life. But to exalt anyone of these areas of life and to make it the message of Christianity, and then to reshape the entire image of Christianity in order to make it fit our ‘peculiar’ style of belief would be wrong.

  The very fact that there are in existence today million dollar ministries [which in itself is not wrong!], that teach people to give into their ministries with the promise of a sure return, and even appeal to poor saints to give out of their lack [social security checks, etc.], while all the while propagating a false gospel, is wrong!

  These same ministries use the funds collected by false pretense and then preach the gospel of money, instead of a clear presentation of the gospel of Christ! Many of these ministries sincerely believe that it is a witness for Christ to have extravagant salaries, wear Rolex watches, drive a Cadillac and be a millionaire. They actually justify this by their own belief in the message they preach. They do not see it as wrong in the sight of God to finance this type of lifestyle/ministry from the offerings sent in by poor saints and widows! Many of their supporters are average, or struggling financially, and they give out of a sincere desire to better their own lives while at the same time furthering the work of God.

  I know some of these precious believers who are struggling financially while sending in their ‘widow’s mite’ with hope and faith that things will turn around for them. No where in the N.T. do you find rich preachers appealing to poor saints to give into their ministries in order to receive a harvest! This is 100% against the character of N.T. Christianity. The bible actually condemns the idea of ‘shepherds’ taking advantage of their flocks for personal/financial gain [EZEKIEL 34, MATT. 23:14, 1 PETER 5:1-2].

  The very fact that we have poor Christians sending in sacrificial offerings to millionaire ministries, often times because the preacher is appealing by the ‘word of the Lord’ to them, is wrong! Many of these ministries are using these funds to propagate a false view of Christianity to the world. They are preaching an unbalanced gospel while they themselves are bringing in large amounts of money. I appeal to the church at large to finance worthy ministries who are actually meeting the real needs of people around the world [good soil!], and to stop financing a false gospel!

   CHAPTER 10 ‘IS THERE HOPE FOR FALSE PROPHETS?’

   Why write this book? Over the years of struggling with these issues I would often come across an article, book or some type of testimonial that would expose many of the errors that are dealt with in this book.  Some of the books I read seemed to leave little or no room for repentance and restoration of the ‘prosperity preachers’. I not only believe that Gods ultimate purpose in exposing sin is for the restoration of the individual, but there are examples of former prosperity preachers who have seen some of these gross errors and have returned to a balanced presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 What constitutes a false prophet? While there are many characteristics that we can mention, I would like to deal with one specific area relevant to our study. That area is motivation. In 2 Peter chapter 2, the apostle deals with covetousness as a motive for teaching heresy [2 PETER 2:1-3]. He states that Balaam was a false prophet who ‘loved the wages of unrighteousness’ [2 PETER 2:14-16]. Although balaam's gift was legitimate, it was his motivation [the love of money] that caused him to use his gift in a wrong way. So you can have a true prophetic gift, and yet be a false prophet because of a covetous motivation [JUDE 11]. The early church even went so far as to brand someone a false prophet if they hung around more than a few days and charged for their ministry! [Read the Didache].

 As mentioned earlier, Paul and Peter warned against being in ministry for financial gain [1 TIM.6, 2 PETER 5:2, TITUS 1:11]. Jesus himself laid down a strong warning against the hireling mentality [JOHN 10:12-13].

 It is clear from these warnings [and the many others in the N.T.], that the early Christians were very aware of the dangers of the love of money. I have heard it taught that this ‘fear ‘ or ‘scared’ attitude towards money is just a ‘religious mindset’ that has no foundation in the word of God. This just isn’t true! The bible contains many warnings against materialistic living and covetousness that were the foundation of the ‘healthy fear’ that the early church had towards money.

 Now the scripture teaches that there will be a time when certain teachers [false prophets] who are motivated by money, will teach false doctrines [Jesus and the disciples being rich, etc.] and that these teachers would connect faith and money [gain and godliness], as going hand in hand. Now if the current abuses of the prosperity movement do not fall into this category, then who does? We just can’t deny all the evidence pointing to this movement as one of the fulfillments of the ‘false prophets’ who teach that gain is godliness! We as a church must see this before there can be any true restoration of those involved, or more importantly a preventing of this false gospel from being taught to a whole new generation of believers!

 The scripture says to rebuke false prophets sharply so THEY MAY BE SOUND IN THE FAITH [TITUS 1:13]. Even the false shepherds of Ezekiels day were promised restoration and usefulness in their latter years [EZEKIEL 44:10-14].

 If we begin to renounce our errors and return to the Lord [repentance], there will be true renewal in the church. Jesus warned the church to repent because she had within her those that held to the ‘doctrine of balsam’ [REV. 2:14-16]. It is possible for those who have taught these errors to repent and be restored to a pure gospel of Christ.

 Jesus dealt with the ‘money changers’ of his day just prior to the establishing of Gods kingdom.  MARK 11:15-17 AND THEY COME TO JERUSALEM: AND JESUS WENT INTO THE TEMPLE, AND BEGAN TO CAST OUT THEM THAT SOLD AND BOUGHT IN THE TEMPLE, AND OVERTHREW THE TABLES OF THE MONEYCHANGERS, AND THE SEATS OF THEM THAT SOLD DOVES; AND WOULD NOT SUFFER THAT ANY MAN SHOULD CARRY ANY VESSEL THROUGH THE TEMPLE. AND HE TAUGHT, SAYING UNTO THEM, IS IT NOT WRITTEN, MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED OF ALL NATIONS THE HOUSE OF PRAYER? BUT YE HAVE MADE IT A DEN OF THIEVES. The moneychangers served as a sort of currency exchange for anyone wanting to bring any offerings or do any legitimate worship at Jerusalem, but needed to exchange their type of currency for the official currency that was accepted at Jerusalem. I find this interesting, because the function of the moneychangers themselves was a legitimate business function. But their business itself brought a type of merchandising to the temple that Jesus himself found highly offensive. I find a present day application to the moneychanger mentality in the modern prosperity movement. The movement teaches Christians to focus their attention on the return they will get on their investment into the kingdom. It causes Christians to give their offerings with the expectation of some type of return on their money. While this in itself is not wrong, for we know that God does reward his children [HEB. 11:6], the tendency of the prosperity message actually appeals to the covetous nature of people in order to make disciples of Christ! Jesus told people to forsake all to follow him, while the movement tells people if you follow him he will make you rich! I have heard it taught that as you sow your seed [money] into the offering basket that you need to 'picture' your harvest of what you are believing for in your mind  [whether healing, a new car or house, the salvation of a loved one, etc.] and then your seed [money] will produce your harvest! The very idea of exchanging your money [or changing it!] into the visualized harvest of your own expectation is just as off base as the money mentality of the first century moneychangers. This is the only recorded incident in the N.T. where Jesus was visibly angry.

 REVELATION 4:14-22 ‘AND UNTO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH OF THE LAODICEANS WRITE; THESE THINGS SAYETH THE AMEN, THE FAITHFULL AND TRUE WITNESS, THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD; I KNOW THY WORKS, THAT THOU ART NEITHER COLD NOR HOT. SO THEN BECAUSE THOU ART LUKEWARM, AND NEITHER COLD NOR HOT, I WILL SPUE THEE OUT OF MY MOUTH. BECAUSE THOU SAYEST, I AM RICH AND INCREASED WITH GOODS, AND HAVE NEED OF NOTHING; AND KNOWEST NOT THAT THOU ART WRETCHED, AND MISERABLE, AND POOR, AND BLIND, AND NAKED: I COUNSEL THEE TO BUY OF ME GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE, THAT THOU MAYEST BE RICH; AND WHITE RAIMENT, THAT THOU MAYEST BE CLOTHED, AND THAT THE SHAME OF THY NAKEDNESS DO NOT APPEAR; AND ANOINT THY EYES WITH EYESALVE, THAT THOU MAYEST SEE. AS MANY AS I LOVE, I REBUKE AND CHASTEN: BE ZEALOUS THEREFORE, AND REPENT. BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR, AND KNOCK: IF ANY MAN HEAR MY VOICE, AND OPEN THE DOOR, I WILL COME INTO HIM, AND WILL SUP WITH HIM, AND HE WITH ME. TO HIM THAT OVERCOMETH WILL I GRANT TO SIT WITH ME IN MY THRONE, EVEN AS I ALSO OVERCAME, AND AM SET DOWN WITH MY FATHER IN HIS THRONE. HE THAT HATH AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAITH UNTO THE CHURCHES.

   VERSES-

Acts 22:14

And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

  Isaiah 56:8 The Lord GOD, which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.

Isaiah 56:9 All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.

Isaiah 56:10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

Isaiah 56:11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

Isaiah 56:12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.

1Timothy 6:1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

1Timothy 6:2 And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.

1Timothy 6:3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;

1Timothy 6:4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

1Timothy 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

1Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

1Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

1Timothy 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

1Timothy 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

1Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

1Timothy 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

1Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

1Timothy 6:13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;

1Timothy 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

1Timothy 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

1Timothy 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

1Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

1Timothy 6:18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

1Timothy 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

1Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

1Timothy 6:21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.

 Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Ephesians 1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Ephesians 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

Ephesians 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Ephesians 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Ephesians 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Ephesians 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Luke 16:19-31King James Version (KJV)

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Luke 16:19-31King James Version (KJV)

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Mark 4:19

And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness ofriches, and the lusts of other things entering in, chokethe word, and it becometh unfruitful.

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Luke 8:14

And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

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[bhlland]

Jesus, the Good Sower

This is probably my finest attempt to date at trying my best to sound smart haha. Here is my final essay for my Christology class that I took this past semester (and the last paper I'll ever submit in my entire undergrad career!).

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  In this paper, I will aim to explicate about the significance of the parable of the weeds among the wheat and its interpretation by Jesus (located in Matthew 13:24-30 and 13:36-43, respectively). To start, I will point out the cultural context in which the parable was presented. After giving some pertinent background information of the parable, I will discuss more intentionally about the narrative elements of the parable as it is presented in the gospel of Matthew and relate their inclusion to the significance of the parable as a whole. I will briefly mention about the parable’s alternate account in the non-canonical gospel of Thomas, though outside of this section all references to the parable will be from its original composition in the gospel of Matthew. A section will be devoted to elucidating about why Jesus exclusively explains the meaning of the parable to his disciples. Following this, I will expound about the eschatological implications in which this parable subsumes in regards to the kingdom that remains a defining mark of Jesus’ ministry.

Situated between the parable of the sower and the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus is consistent in his utilization of agricultural imagery that his audience would be more than familiar with. To the ordinary Jewish country folk, growing grain was commonplace knowledge. Too, speaking in farming analogies like sowing seeds and reaping plants as allegories for people and their actions was a precedent set from even before the time of Jesus of Nazareth (see Isaiah 55:10; Hosea 10:1). Upon its first being communicated to the crowds by the lake, there is no elevated or fanciful religious schema riddled in Jesus’ speech. Jesus appeals to the common Jew in plain language, which evokes a sense of immediacy, a sense of everydayness on the part of the listeners to really internalize what Jesus is saying (Doty, 1971, p. 186).

Most, if not all, biblical commentators identify the weeds mentioned in the parable as belonging to the species Lolium temulentum, otherwise known as bearded darnel. The weed, while young, is terribly indistinguishable from a wheat plant until after it matures and produces black seeds (McIver, 1995, p. 647). The fact that this detail of the parable was included is not surprising as it serves to help the parable function. It would have been more surprising to the audience had there been no weeds mentioned to interfere with the growth of the wheat. Additionally, had the details about the weeds been absent, then no later comparison could be made in Jesus’ explanation of the parable to his disciples in Matthew 13:36-43.

There is a fluidity to the narrative structure of the parable that can be sectioned into five primary movements: good sowing, hostile sowing, growth, first question and answer, second question and answer (Snodgrass, 2008, p. 196). The sower of the good seed is intentional about planting the seeds in a location where they will certainly grow: in the field. A mention of some enemy sowing weeds among the wheat implicates some kind of tension with the original sower. Why else would this new character sow weeds directly after and on top of the originally sowed wheat? Also, this enemy sower is careful to wait until everyone (the servants and the master) is sleeping before they commit their own hostile sowing. Nothing else is mentioned about the enemy sower, and they do not appear anywhere else in the parable.

As expected, the wheat plants when mature produce grain. But that’s not all. The weeds make a concurrent appearance. Some intervening event complicates the narrative, but the reason why is not yet clear. There follows then the first question and response event in the parable. The slaves confront the house owner and ask, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” (Matthew 13:27 NRSV). Taking into account the subordinate relationship between the servants and their master, it seems poignant to point out the servants’ questioning of their master’s actions. Did the servants find some newfound authority in themselves to critique the master’s sowing ability? Or were they just genuinely astonished by, and also curious about, the appearance of so many weeds?

The house owner is quick to blame the enemy for the presence of the weeds and the response from the servants warrants a second glance. Instead of replying in a way targeted against the enemy, they instead jump straight into a second question asking, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” (Matthew 13:28 NRSV). William Doty notes that, “The servants accept the explanation that the weeds are his [the enemy’s] fault and go about their work. This is their real task, and they are faithful servants” (1971, p. 189). This observation is significant in that it counters an earlier raised point about the servants’ gutsy behavior when questioning the master of his sowing capabilities. This second question soundlessly confirms that the servants are indeed subsidiary to the master as they seek permission prior to acting upon whatever convictions they held regarding the untoward situation they found themselves.

Probably the most defining feature of the parable’s narrative, and also the part requiring most clarification, is the master’s response to the second question. The master is careful to explain his reasoning behind leaving the weeds to grow with the wheat until just the right moment at the harvest time. It is this second exchange that, accordingly to Mark Bailey, “shows that the ultimate solution to the problem will not come until the harvest” (1998, p. 269). The eschatological implications of this part of the parable will be further explicated later on in this paper, particularly when Jesus’ interpretation of the parable is discussed, but a few other points to mention.

The plants that were bearing grain, as recorded earlier in verse 26, were not fully developed and therefore not ready to be harvested. This can be explained by taking into account the identity of the weeds mentioned in the parable as discussed in the preceding section. At this stage of development, the weeds in the field would be indistinguishable from the immature wheat plants and so the master’s recommendation to wait until the harvest before reaping the plants in the field is practically sound, as a perfectly good wheat plant could be accidentally pulled up from the ground if mistaken for a weed. Further, verse 30 details that it will not be the servants but “the reapers” that will gather the weeds and burn them separate from the wheat that will be harvested and collectively stored into the master’s barn. Without knowing the explicit identity of the reapers, it is possible to assume that these characters are distinct from the servants mentioned throughout the parable to this point.

As with any parable, though rooted in familiar language (in this case agrarian), the explicit takeaway might not always have been so clear at the get-go to Jesus’ audience. What significance did this story about planting good seeds really have to do with one’s better understanding of the kingdom? After all, the parable opens with the phrase, “the kingdom of heaven may be compared to…” (Matthew 13:24 NRSV), and so Jesus was certainly trying to illustrate some essential feature about the kingdom. The angle that interpreters seem to agree on, without taking into account Jesus’ interpretation of the parable in later verses, seems to be about cultivating a principle of patience (Hultgren, 2000, p. 302) with the understanding that the outcome of the harvest is the responsibility of the master and not the servant, lest the servant botch the conclusive work of the kingdom.

There are particularly compelling reasons to suggest that the version of the parable in the Gospel of Thomas most likely came after its antecedent inclusion in the gospel of Matthew. Scholars tend to point to the notion that the version present in the Gospel of Thomas “presupposes details in Matthew’s version that are necessary for it to make sense as a story; otherwise it is too enigmatic” (Hultgren, 2000, p. 295). Because of its inherent nature as a sayings gospel, narrative elements are sparse if present at all, which makes part of this particular parable hard to interpret if viewed on its own.

An excerpt from Thomas 57 reads: “The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds…” There is no clarification on who the pronoun them is referring to, so it is not obvious about whom the man is preventing from taking action. Juxtaposing this line from the gospel of Thomas to its counterpart in the version from Matthew, it is readily apparent to whom the man in the parable is speaking to: “… the slaves of the householder” (Matthew 13:27 NRSV). The failure to clarify the pronoun’s antecedent is an indication that the gospel of Thomas is engaged in the act of presupposing important details from an original source that were somehow redacted before being incorporated into its own text. This example among others is one kernel of evidence that indicates that the version of the parable in the non-canonical gospel of Thomas has some dependence upon Matthew’s version.

It might be said that Jesus’ parable was for all the Jews, and one would probably not be wrong in upholding that claim. After all, the parable was one in a sequence of other related parables that Jesus spoke to a huge crowd by the beach. There is no mention in Scripture of Jesus deliberately withholding the words of the parable from certain individuals, and so the words spoken to the crowd at large plausibly had some universal relevance to the ears on which they fell. And yet, after leaving the crowds, finding refuge in a house after a long day of preaching, and being prompted by His own disciples (Matthew 13:36 NRSV), Jesus exclusively shares a rather thorough explanation of the parable with his disciples.

Because the parable is further interpreted for the disciples, and in such uncanny detail, it would appear that the parable’s principal application was for them. To be a follower of Jesus was to be execrated by the religious establishment. It was no secret that Jesus had his adversaries during the course of his ministry here on Earth. Mark Bailey’s speculation is spot on: “The disciples and others may have been wondering, ‘If the kingdom has arrived, why has it not triumphed more overtly and visibly? If Jesus is its herald, why is response to Him not uniformly positive?’” (Bailey, 1998, p. 268). This parable, one which addressed the dichotomy between good and evil, perhaps had a special application to the disciples who may have found themselves in a quandary on if the lives they were leading were appropriate given their current circumstances and standing in society. Was leaving their occupations to follow this strange but charismatic man really worth it?

In reference to the disciples, David Wenham writes, “Matthew’s parable spells out what sort of action they were looking for, namely, the weeding out of evil and evildoers” (1989, p. 58). To anyone who was inclined to following in the ways of the kingdom, certainly there were those that were not so apt. The disciples must have wanted to see, perhaps even wanted to partake in carrying out, the manifestation of this justice against the “weeds” of the field. Maybe that would be the tangible affirmation that the disciples needed in order to justify their deserting their previous modes of living to follow Jesus. In response, and wanting to hearten his disciples in their decision, Jesus then reveals the assurance of a greater retribution to come, not presently but at the harvest, which is directly disclosed to be the end of the age.

One might wonder then, as Robert McIver does, about why Jesus spoke to the crowd at all if the parable seemed to be directed towards the disciples or, more comprehensively, to those inside the community of faith (1995, p. 650). Earlier in Matthew, Jesus expresses his views that the hearts of Israel have become ever hardened, though the disciples are, in his eyes, blessed (13:13-17). Following his larger address to the crowds, Jesus goes on to separately clarify the meaning of the parable to the disciples and, as Jack Dean Kingsbury articulates, “instructs them in the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven” (1986, p. 75). J. R. C. Cousland points out the strength of Kingsbury’s analysis in another work where he argues that “the function of Chapter 13 within the groundplan of Matthew’s Gospel is to signal the great ‘turning point’ where Jesus turns away from ‘the Jews’ (including the crowds) to his disciples” (2002, p. 9). When viewed through a macroscopic lens then, it would seem imperative that the gospel writer of Matthew include these recorded moments of Jesus preaching to the crowd in order to highlight this paradigm shift in Jesus’ relationship with the Jews living during the Second Temple period. And yet, if this were the case, then it attends to a bigger question of why Jesus seems to espouse this notion of exclusivity when his entire ministry seems to point to a message of unconditionally embracing one’s neighbor, whether they be reprobate and marked by sin or are more respectable and disposed to pursuing sanctification. This point, among others, will be addressed in the ensuing section.

When isolated by itself, the parable of the weeds among the wheat seems to push forth the predominant motif of maintaining a certain level of grit and patience as a worker in the field and expectant believer that perfect peace and righteousness will come in complete expectancy, all in God’s good timing. So too is the idea of a corpus mixtum (mixed body), that is made up of good and bad, within the kingdom propagated as the determined fate of the church until that hallowed moment does come (Hultgren, 2000, p. 294). However, the lesson of the parable extends beyond that initial lecture by the lake; Jesus proffers an interpretation of the parable (Matthew 13:36-43) to the disciples with more explicit eschatological implications.

Jesus’ identification of the sower of the good seed as the Son of Man (13:37) is also a self-identification of Jesus himself as the good sower (16:13-20). The extensive equivalencies that are defined between the parable and its interpretation further establishes the transition from a story where the central theme seems to be about cultivating an optimum level of patience to an apologue detailing more definitively about the final judgment. To Hultgren, Jesus’ interpretation serves to function “as an exhortation, an eschatological warning” as well as a “promise of salvation to the righteous” (2000, p. 301). The implication on Jesus’ part is clear. For the disciples who received the privilege of hearing Jesus’ intimate explanation of the parable, they are now charged with the responsibility of living out that call to do God’s will as “good seeds” in the field. Should those within the community of faith fail to observe and take to heart this timely exhortation then, according to the parable, they knew what their fate would be.

Reassuring to recognize was that neither the disciples nor any other adherent to the ways of the kingdom were to be responsible for the collection and categorization of the weeds among the wheat come the end of the age. Jesus puts forth the declaration that this responsibility falls under the authority of the Son of Man (Matthew 13:41), or Jesus Himself. Bailey asserts that because “Jesus has the prerogative to judge who will enter His Kingdom, the disciples are not to prejudge the people of this world” (1998, p. 276), which ties back to an earlier laid out command in the parable for the servants to let both the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest (Matthew 13:30).

It is interesting to note that Jesus’ voiced interpretation omits any explicit reference to this aforementioned climax about the co-development of the weeds and the wheat from the parable. As Snodgrass points out, “this shift parallels the shift in audience from the parable addressed to the crowds to the interpretation being a response to the disciples’ request” (2008, p. 210). Jesus’ objective seems not to belabor the idea that the world will function as a conglomeration of – or, the church as a meeting place for – both good and evil entities. Rather, the endeavor on Jesus’ part would seem to be to secure the notion that “only God Himself may distinguish the good from the evil” (Hill, 1972, p. 235).

An extension of this dislocation of responsibility from the believer to Jesus involves Jesus’ promise that those found wicked will indeed face the wrath of God come time for the final judgment (Matthew 13:42). This implication reinforces an earlier raised understanding that it is not believers but Christ Himself as the Messiah who takes on the responsibility of carrying out the divine judgment. Those found righteous at the harvest will not encounter a season of weeping and gnashing of teeth, but will be brought into the kingdom of their Father (13:43). It is posited that the kingdom of the Father mentioned in verse 43 is distinct from the kingdom of the Son of Man (13:41). Snodgrass postulates that if the parable’s aim is to conceptualize about the presence of the kingdom amidst a world prefigured as evil, then this kingdom of the Son of Man would seem to be “an incomplete kingdom, a proleptic kingdom which does not yet obliterate evil” (2008, p. 212). By this supposition, it is not until the eschatological consummation that evil and good are assuredly separated, resulting in what is presented as the kingdom of the Father. This distinction between these two ideas of the kingdom is relevant as it marks a transformation in the narrative of Jesus as the eschatological savior.

The parable, as introduced, indicates the kingdom of heaven as an entity that “may be compared to” a particular subject, in this case someone sowing good seed in the field (Matthew 13:24). Hultgren notes that the NRSV adaptation is more accurately translated as “the kingdom of heaven has become like” (2000, p. 295), which more directly displays the suggestion that the kingdom has already been present during the time of Jesus’ ministry and is now shifting to a new type of kingdom. By the time Jesus gets around to implanting eschatological significance to the parable in His interpretation, this malleable idea of the kingdom transforms even further into the kingdom of the Father (Matthew 13:43). This suggests an elevated understanding of the parable in that for one, the Kingdom of God can be understood as a multi-stable phenomenon which “manifests various aspects of itself at different times and doubtless in distinct ways," and also that despite evil being undoubtedly present in the world, it will also be dealt with according to God’s righteous judgment. This is hearty news for the follower of Jesus whose motivation for obedience is rooted in their understanding that this current period of God’s kingdom on earth is characterized as a period of sowing and growth, not one of ongoing judgment or retribution.

Still, the concern rose earlier about if this exclusionary revealing about the inevitable judgment-to-come directed to the disciples and not to the masses could actually be found to be antithetical to our contemporary understanding of Jesus’ message about embodying and emanating agape love to everyone has not been adequately addressed. If Jesus truly were concerned about the lost, why would he conceal this interpretation from the rest of the crowd by the beach? While Snodgrass notes that the interpretation goes significantly beyond the parable (an assertion warranted on the basis that the interpretation establishes an explicitly greater focus on the final judgment), it could also be said, “even without the interpretation the parable would be interpreted this way” (2008, p. 211). That is not to suggest that the interpretation is not necessary as it would be unwise to read the parable without the interpretation, and vice versa. And yet to the common Jewish audience listening to the parable for the first time, Herman Hendrickx suggests that, “those in the first community [the audience of Jesus] needed to understand that they were part of the new believing community and to understand the reason for the present opposition.” (1986, p. 60). Concurrently, Hendrickx further submits that “the second community [the early church] needed to realize that absolute purification of the will be executed by Jesus” (p. 60). In either case, Jesus’ ultimate objective was not to exclude, but to personally cater to the different audiences in which he interacted with. While his approach may have looked differently between communities, the convictions of Jesus and his readiness to act upon them in enlightened, though at times enigmatic, ways reveals a particular nature and authority about Christ as the Messiah within the horizon of Second Temple Judaism.

The copious use of parables as revelatory mechanisms of the kingdom of God by Jesus are far-reaching in their influence, both to the Jews that lived during the time of Jesus of Nazareth and to adherents of contemporary Christianity. In this discussion about the parable of the weeds among the wheat, it was shown that Jesus as the self-indicated good sower in the field both (1) alleviated his followers from the pressures of having to prove their obedience to Him through a means of action, in this case rooting the world of pesky evildoers, to one instigated by the belief that the responsibility (and success) of the harvest falls on the shoulders of Jesus Himself, while at the same time (2) ensured about a future kingdom that will come at the end of the age and permanently separate the children of the kingdom from the children of the evil one (Matthew 13:38). The eschatological impact of this parable is illuminating as it brings forth the matter of remaining patient until the end time comes while also being explicit about its capacity to serve as a warning to both the ones that might identify as a weed or wheat. The parable itself subtly bespeaks of humanity’s yearning to be made whole again amidst being caught up in a world ravaged by sinfulness and malevolency, and Jesus’ promise of a future kingdom that will bring about this wholeness indicates much about the implicit soteriological aspects of the parable as well as its pertinent eschatological implications.