In association with Messiah Media, author & Bible teacher D. L. Dunnaville shares Kingdom insights called "Spiritual Food for Thought," updates on his Rescuca book series, Messiah Music videos & more!
"The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world.
Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
~ 2 Corinthians 10:4 (BSB) ~
Opening verse (2 Corinthians 10:4) quoted from the Berean Study Bible. The end scene video clip is an illustration of Daniel 2:40-44a
which reads, "And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron,
inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron
that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the
others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and
partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the
iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.
And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so
the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron
mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they
will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom
which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to
other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms,
and it shall stand forever."
In the beginning, Yehovah created the entire universe with the spoken Word. We humans are made in His likeness. There's also power and authority in our words. When it comes to parenting children, we would do well to safeguard this principle.
When speaking to our children, we should do our best as parents to say what we mean and mean what we say. If a child does not heed our clear instructions the first time, we should be sure follow up with some sort of [appropriate] consequence. And if we tell our child "No" to something, we should be sure to "stick to our guns" and not allow continual requests for the same thing.
This and more is covered in this first episode of SOS For Parents!
As part of the human experience, at some point we all find ourselves asking the question “Why am I here?” We pursue a number of things to include people, possessions, careers and money. We look for that ever-elusive pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. When we come up empty, we’re left down and out and dissatisfied. It is at this point that we must look up. We must look to the Author and Creator of our souls for our purpose and meaning in this life. Far & Wide is a Messianic (Christian) song with an eclectic sound which takes one through this journey.
Think about a son who loves his father so much that he wouldn’t dare disobey his dad intentionally. He hangs on his father’s every word and proudly tells everyone about how he has the best dad in the whole wide world.
Or think about a wife who is so in love with her husband that she can’t wait for him to come home from work each day. It’s with fond and intimate thoughts that she does her hair, puts on makeup and picks out her best clothes to wear to impress the love of her life.
Neither of these scenarios involves someone being MADE or forced to do anything. And there’s no built-in consequence for one’s failure to perform. The son isn’t going to get beat by his father if he doesn’t proclaim to others how great his dad is. And the husband isn’t going to fine or penalize his wife for not being excited for his return.
There is so much debate surrounding the Law of God and whether or not it’s been done away with or still applicable for today. There are those who adamantly declare that Yeshua (Jesus) did away with the law when He died. Then there are those on the other end who boldly proclaim that the law is still binding for today. - It seems to me that these two groups are often talking past one another and both are perhaps losing sight of “the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2; 96:9).
Yes…there was a time when there were “handwritten ordinances which were against us” (Colossians 2:14) and yes…there came a time when Yehovah sent His Son Yeshua to die on a cross and free us from sin (i.e. sin's grip & the law of sin & death). But none of this changes the concepts of love and us being set apart as God’s special people (1 Peter 2:9).
We who are God’s children obey Him because we CAN; because we are inspired; because we desire to please Him. Yeshua isn’t interested in marrying a robot bride or one who is scared of His wrath. At the same time, however, the Creator of the Universe is worthy and desires a wife who loves Him dearly and keeps herself pure for Him. He deserves a wife who obeys Him wholeheartedly while being free to disobey. - This is true love. This is the beauty of holiness.
Sometimes, it can be so easy to go back & forth trading [social] blows. People can be flat out wrong in their views, ways &/or beliefs & then have the nerve to try & tell you how to live or condemn you for something they feel is wrong in your life. It can be real tempting at this point to "stick it" to such people & tell them how you really feel. You want to show them the "log that's in their own eye" (Luke 6:42) & teach them a lesson so that they never dare go there with you again.
But after you let 'em have it, you'll actually feel terrible. Especially when your opponents are just plain ignorant.
As believers, we know the Truth. And those who live godly understand walking in the light (1 John 1:7). This isn't true for those who are still plugged into the world; those still walking in darkness...blinded by the Evil One (2 Timothy 2:26). Know that this group can include professed "believers."
So remember all of this the next time you're hurt by someone and made angry; when you're tempted to [socially] throw a punch at a blind person. I think we all know that knocking out a person who can't see isn't really something to brag or feel good about.
There is one type of evolution (e.g. apes to humans) which is completely false and dishonoring to God. However, there is another type (e.g. environmental adaptation) which is perfectly plausible and actually demonstrates the genius in God’s creativity!
Likewise, when it comes to our faith [in Yeshua], we should not “evolve” to the point where we completely abandon our beliefs and jump from one religion to another. Nor should we be ever-changing within our own faith and believing each new thing that sounds good for the moment (Ephesians 4:14).
However, “evolving” in our understanding of the Messiah is perfectly healthy and encouraged! The Apostle Paul wrote about us “being conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). In this sense, we should definitely be changing and growing. In fact…if you still believe, think, speak and act the same way today as you did 3 or more years ago, you should probably be asking yourself some probing questions.
Evolution and Religion. By latvian (evolution)
[CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”
– 2 Corinthians 13:5a
Blinded by our own desires
We love to gaze at false fires (Lev. 10:1)
With itching ears we listen to liars (2 Tim 4: 3)
teachers, preachers, pastors and prophets for hire
We were warned by the Holy One
that such wolves were sure to come (Matt. 7:15)
But if you are deceived then why would you believe
that those tongues were just for fun;
That those "miracles" were the devil's magic,
entertaining you so that he can wreak havoc,
in your homes, in your head
in your dreams while you're in bed
And it's not just you he seeks to devour,
he wants your spouse, your children
and anyone else with power
The power to crush his head (Gen. 3:15)
with the might of the One Who bled
so that we might be free...no longer slaves
to sickness, sin and disease
Wake up Church, rise up ya'll,
The One True God Yehovah calls!
Complete message by Kris Vallotton entitled
"Spirit Wars" can be found HERE
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father Who is in Heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you who are lawless!’
From births to "life celebrations" (funeral services), Messiah Media can prepare for you a wonderful work of video art to share with friends, family...clients or customers. Just send them your media material and wait to be impressed!
I was quite disturbed when I first saw a trailer for Birth of a Nation; a movie written, produced and directed by Nate Parker. I was even more disturbed by the number of professing Christians supporting and promoting the film when it was released. To me, the film has "devil" written all over it. In short, the movie is antichrist. It goes directly against a number of things Messiah taught and stood for.
From the trailer and description, you see the Gospel made of no effect. You see a boy raised up on the Word of God and due to manipulation, violence and brutality from a particular group, this young man turns his back on what he learned from the Messiah and pursues what he now believes to be a more "effective" means of liberation. From this film, viewers are encouraged to question whether or not the teachings of Yeshua are actually relevant. Young black men are devilishly urged to question whether or not the Judaeo-Christian faith is even for them. The age-old thought is planted in their minds that Christianity is just the "white man's religion" which he put on young African males in order to keep them under control.
A brief glance at history will show you that the murderous actions during Nat Turner's revolt merely led to more murder. The dark notion that black men were savages was simply reinforced and white slave owners meted out what they believed to be due justice as a result. Hundreds of blacks were brutally killed in the aftermath and many of them had nothing to do with the slave rebellion.
The children of Israel were in slavery in Egypt for 400 years (Acts 7:6). We know from God's talk with Moses (Exodus 3:7) that Yehovah heard their outcries due to their suffering. Though deliverance never came in the lifetime of many individuals, it most assuredly came for Israel as a people, in God's own time. As horrible as life in this age can be, a very important thing is to learn to TRUST Yehovah in all circumstances and never doubt His character or His resolve. Vengeance is His and He will repay and deliver in His own time (Deuteronomy 32:35).
We are created in God's image. He defines for us what it means to be human and therefore humane. By "humane" I mean what is actually decent behavior between one human being and another...as well as animals. - We are not brute beasts who cannot control our passions. It's time we own up to that and take responsibility for our choices.
When it comes to passions, desires and temptations within our modern culture, I’m sure you’ve heard people say things like “Lust is perfectly natural; it’s just how we’re made,” or “Why would God create me with these feelings if He didn’t expect me to act on them?” or “I can’t help it, I was born this way” and then there’s the…“You don’t choose who you love and are attracted to.”
We live in a world where almost anything goes. One of the craziest things about this is the fact that one group which justifies one particular lifestyle will simultaneously oppose and judge another group with a different type of lifestyle; all the while both groups represent a social minority. In other words… it seems that no matter who you are, everyone draws some line somewhere. But the question is: What is the tool and measure being used to draw this line?
For now, I’d like to quickly expose the fallacy in the implied notion that we have no control over our thoughts and feelings and also provide you with some practical pointers for living in a healthy-minded fashion.
Let me start by saying that this message is NOT picking on any particular group. At 1st Corinthians 6:9-11, we read
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Yeshua (Jesus) and by the Spirit of our God.”
So we can see here that there are a number of things which can cost a person a place in God’s Kingdom. Notice that I’m not talking about anyone burning in Hell forever, but rather hindering God’s ability to rule in and through us now and also forfeiting our place to rule alongside God in the age to come. Having a right relationship with God and man is what makes it so important for us to learn how to keep our sin nature in check.
Now let me show you how we either make this easier or harder for ourselves every day. Let me show you in a practical way how God has given us power to CHOOSE. We choose where we allow our minds to go and it’s important that we “put to death” all things within us which go against the ways of God.
Let’s say you’re an average man who for some crazy reason happens to find himself on a beach in the summer where for some crazy reason, women tend to hang out in their underwear. And let’s say you’re walking up on a woman from behind who is lying face-down on a beach towel. From behind, she looks just like your type; the kinda of woman whose body you just can’t resist being attracted to. You can’t be totally sure yet though, until she turns around and talks to you. It's then that you’ll know if she has the “total package,” so to speak. But in the meantime, you’re having a hard time NOT checking her out. Then finally, after you’ve finished doing your fair share of gawking, you go to get this woman’s attention but she is unresponsive. You soon realize that this woman is actually dead. Are you still attracted to her now? – Or what if you realize she is actually a dummy; a life-like mannequin someone put there on the beach as a joke? Or what if she turns around and answers you with a deep voice and it turns out she’s really a man? Are you still attracted then? Or let’s say after talking to her you realize she’s your sister; your sibling who you were once told of but never met? And lastly, what would you do if you learned she was very underage? Would you allow yourself to entertain the same original thoughts you held as you approached her from behind?
The rhetorical answer to all of these questions is a resounding ‘No!” In each one of these cases, the average healthy-minded man would instantly hit the attraction kill switch in his mind, even though nothing changed in his actual environment. What would change for a man in the 5 cases mentioned would be his perspective. The average man would slam the door on thoughts he deemed disgusting and inappropriate based on his own conscience.
Now…here is something for us to be aware of: When it comes our thoughts, they just don’t break into the homes of our mind unannounced and do all sorts of damage which we never intended. It’s more like we stand at the door of our mind and decide whether or not we are going to tell a thought to go away or welcome it in to stay. It’s here where we have to identify if something is healthy or unhealthy and based on our own value system, we slam the door on what is unhealthy. But again…the question is, where are we deriving our value system which tells us whether or not something is healthy in the first place? I suggest we get our value system from The One True God. Let His Spirit and inspired Scriptures be our guide. On this note, James 1:13-15 reads:
“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
Now let’s go back to the 5 cases mentioned earlier. Each one of them exists in our real world today and has a technical name (i.e. necrophilia, paraphilia, homosexuality, incest and pedophilia). Furthermore, in a healthy society, all of them are considered deviations and perversions. In most cases, people who participate in the associated behaviors represent a minority versus a majority.
And so, it is here where we should note something very important: The mere fact each and every one of these perversions exist [as minority behavior] among societies today is proof that on a regular basis, many people CHOOSE to not succumb to thoughts associated with the abnormalities described. People are choosing every day to NOT lust after things or people who their consciences have told them it is inappropriate to find attractive. We even see these choices adjusted whenever people find themselves in less than desirable situations and/or situations which challenge people's integrity (e.g. prisons & priests). In other words, no one was born with an automatic lust for small children. Rather, people choose to deem this as being wrong. Likewise, no one was born to lust after other people’s spouses, animals, objects or people of the same sex. We all, however, were born with a sin nature which we must learn to keep in check daily (see Luke 9:23). This is all very profound and all of us can use this knowledge in our lives every day. We can actually allow our built in values to work for us. Young men, for example, who are trying to live holy lives as single men can learn to look at every woman who they are not married to as being their literal sister, until such a time when it is appropriate for gears to be shifted in their minds. Older men can choose to see younger women as daughters as opposed to objects of pleasure. This list could go on and on and this concept applies to both men and women.
In conclusion:
We should all be aware that there are powers and principalities at play (Ephesians 6:12) which are bent on degrading the minds of individuals, families and societies as a whole. Accordingly, all of us get bombarded with things which can tempt us in one way or another. To make matters worse, agents of evil have an ally within our own human nature and physical senses. When we allow it, this fleshly nature [described in Romans 7] is the part of us which willingly opens our mind’s door to unhealthy thoughts. We must learn to put this part of us to death each day (Luke 9:23) and seek to be filled with God’s Holy Spirit. We must do this until the time we are raised in the likeness of our beloved Messiah. Until then, let’s not make things harder on ourselves by choosing to meditate on unhealthy thoughts or justifying why we have the right to do so.
Chew on this!
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A woman who will hook up with a man for $50 million is not somehow better than a woman who will hook up for just 50 bucks; a prostitute is a prostitute. Therefore, given the fact that time and money are both commodities, a woman who will hook up after knowing a man for only 5 minutes is no worse than a woman who will hook up after a man invests 5 weeks or even 5 years; whoredom is whoredom.
Point: One flesh relationships are for LIFE, period! This goes for women AND men. God said so (e.g. Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:8-9; Ephesians 5:31). We were made in His image and for greater purposes than mere animal instinct. Believe that, live that, and be blessed in the process!
There is nothing new under the sun (Eccl 1:9). Gods of old still exist today, only with different names. Just as children were offered in the fires of Moloch, millions of babies are sacrificed today to the goddess Libertas (freedom & independence) in the form of abortion. Large graven images of this goddess stand proudly in various places of the world (e.g. Liberty Island, New York City, NY). Sun gods like Baal are paid homage every winter solstice in the form of Christmas and Yuletide. The goddess of fertility, Eostre, is still honored with a tradition which bears her name (Easter). In the name of careers and capitalism, Mammon (Luke 16:13) is served more than the One True God, Yehovah.
~ When when the "fling things" end? "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)
Have you been deceived and misled by the mainstream machine? - Watch this video to find out!
Christ's Mass (Xmas/Yuletide), Easter, everlasting torture in Hell, Sunday Sabbath, Halloween, etc. etc. - These are just some of the things which were inherited by Protestantism from Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholicism was part of the Great Compromises of 4th century AD. - If you go to a typical denominational church on your average street corner, then odds are...you're part of mainstream Christianity (m~C). And that's fine and dandy until the customs and traditions within that system are in direct contrast and opposition with the clear Word of God. The Truth will set you free. Choose Truth over tradition!
On the specific topic of the Bride of Messiah observing pagan holiday rituals: Let's not celebrate anniversaries of old boyfriends or have their pictures lying around everywhere in our homes while we are engaged to be married to the King of Kings!
"What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?" - 1 Corinthians 10:19-22 NKJV
Many of us have heard the saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” Well, that might sound cute and make a child feel better temporarily but it’s far from being true.
As believers we know that God created the entire world by the power of words. And being created in His likeness, our words as humans have the power to either build up or tear down. Never ever take this for granted. In fact, this topic is so important that our Lord took the time to teach us divine strategies and spiritual “martial arts” [so to speak] when engaging in spiritual warfare.
At Colossians 2:15 (NIV) we read,
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (stake).”
The context here is humanity’s liberation from bondage to sin and death. We see here that the key to this victory was the Lord being crucified. And as followers of God, we too must be willing to die to ourselves. We must be willing to take offense rather than return blow for blow. Remember, we’re called to bless others (Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:14). We are instructed to pray for them. This makes little sense to the carnal mind but as we saw in the first movie clip, even the world is aware of the fact that we as human beings rarely feel better after we’ve torn someone down with our words. Everyone loses in that case.
And so, I urge all brothers and sisters in the faith to actually take God at His word. I know this is much easier said than done but please believe and obey God when He instructs us to pray for and BLESS those who do and speak evil against us. I can guarantee you based on the Word of God that you will feel better in the end and see far better results in the long run. Even if you find yourself yelling, make sure you’re yelling out blessings. Do this and you will NOT be sorry. Thus says the LORD in His Word.
We as humans need food or we die. We need water or we die. We need God, or we die. Per our Creator's design, a number of CONDITIONS have to be met in order for us to thrive and survive. Love, holiness, righteousness and obedience are no exception to this phenomenon. It's for our own good that we must live a certain way to keep us in right relationship with our Ultimate Source of Life - Yehovah!
You’ve probably heard a number of times that God’s love for us in “unconditional.” People will often quote verses like Romans 5:8 which states,
“But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.””
People will say “See, God loves you just the way you are, no matter what. You don’t have to be good enough for God." While there is truth in those statements, we have to be careful not to take them too far. And we must take note as to who the “us” is who God demonstrates His love toward. Far too often, writings from early church fathers are taken out of context. Let’s look at John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Notice how Romans 5:8 and John 3:16 actually parallel each other. God loves His creation universally just as we all should, but it’s those who believe who qualify themselves as beneficiaries of God’s redemptive and saving love. Believers are the “us” to whom the Apostle Paul was referring in his letter to the Romans. And like Abraham being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, our belief is demonstrated by our actions. If you believe a $1 million check is real which you just won, then you’ll go cash it. Likewise, if you believe a train is going to hit you, you’ll move out of its way. There are a number of things a person will DO and NOT DO if he truly believes in God and His plan of salvation. This will include repenting, turning from sin, being baptized, praying, trusting God, having faith, loving God and loving his fellow person.
I specifically mentioned “saving love” earlier in order to distinguish between that and the universal love which God shows to all. We see God’s universal love at Matthew Chapter 5 where His Son Yeshua preaches:
“But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”
This is like a person having an inner circle of close family members and friends versus an outer circle of mere associates. We as people should aim to be kind to all, but if someone is going to be close to us, then conditions are a given. If a man has a wife, he expects that wife to remain faithful and be committed to him and no one else. Think about it: All of creation started this way. Adam and Eve enjoyed one type of relationship with God while living in obedience in the Garden but once they disobeyed and broke covenant, that right standing was lost. The same was true for Israel when God’s people kept the commands of God versus the times they worshiped idols.
Believe it or not, conditional love is good for us! It keeps us honest and faithful; clinging to good rather than evil. Additionally, our own love is made worthwhile and proven by our commitment to covenant. God is love and His Son Yeshua is Salvation. We are to abide in this Salvation to live. It is love which God is trying to develop in the children He is saving. God doesn’t want robots but rather a faithful bride for His Son. Now…does our Father stop loving us when we do wrong? Of course not. But whether or not we enjoy and prosper in His love is very much so dependent upon our participation.
Some will label all of this as “works-based salvation.” On this topic, I’ll make the point that even those who believe in simply praying a prayer and “accepting Jesus” (as they say) are still preaching works. According to their own belief system, praying and accepting are still things one must DO in order to be saved.
In conclusion: God’s love might be many things to include unbiased, uncritical, unchanging and unfailing, but it definitely entails conditions. The myth of unconditional love is that God’s love is somehow free of covenantal responsibility on our part. Many are led to believe that they can come as they are, STAY as they are and God will still love and save them all the same.
I will argue that both salvation and sanctification are processes which very much so call for our commitment and faithfulness. We are to continually endure, die to ourselves daily, persevere, pray, seek, hope, trust, forgive, love and have faith in God. Kingdom living isn’t taking a walk in a park; it’s engaging in a war! And love happens to be the greatest weapon in that fight.
