Reset

This is not a time to fear. This is a time to reset. While many are scared right now with the coronavirus, let me assure you that all is well no matter what it looks like or sounds like.

In times like these, we need to stop and listen. The Lord is speaking to us. Think about it for a moment. We've been sent to our homes. We've been put out of the church. Essentially, we are on a God appointed time out. But why? What is he saying to us?

The Lord is tired of churches that have a form of godliness, but deny the true power and presence of God. Watered down gospel messages, sugar coated sermons...the Lord said no more!

He's put us out of the church for a reason. Don't miss what he's doing. It was never about a building or a program. It was always about the cross of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, and his transforming power. God is done with lukewarm, status quo, wishy washy, stale programs that do not save souls, heal the sick, cast out demons, bring true repentance and deliverance.

This is the time of the reset, where the Bride is being cleansed and prepared for her biggest and greatest job on the earth...the harvest is ready. Take this time to get ready! Let him clean your house and prepare you for the Greatest Awakening known in all of history. You can be a part of it. Preparation is now. This is the reset!

Let's agree together in Jesus' name. Father God, in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus Christ, I unite my faith with my brothers and sisters in Christ all around the earth. We declare and make a decree this day that this pandemic shall go no further! Coronavirus, You Are Finished! COVID-19, you are done!

We command this virus and pandemic to weaken, shrink back, end, and cease to exist. We call forth mighty angels of war to fight in the spirit realm. We are not wrestling flesh and blood. This is a war with principalities, spirits, and wicked high things. Every high thing must come down now! Every stronghold is broken!

We call forth ministering angels to minister healing and peace to everyone in need. From those suffering from the coronavirus, to those who have lost loved ones, to the health care workers who are tired and weary, to anyone who is scared or anxious, to all of those still going to and from work, and all in need.

Holy Spirit, we welcome you in our midst. Come and pour your spirit out on men, women, and children. We invite you to move mightily in our midst.

We ask you for wisdom for all of the health care workers and all who are on the front lines. Give new ideas and new awakening to how to fight this. Bring dreams and visions that give them the answers. Give them strength and energy to run. Protect all first responders. Keep their families safe.

Give wisdom and strength to President Trump and his emergency task force. We bind spirits of division. We call on governors in all 50 states to get in line with wisdom and follow common sense. We bind rogue spirits from operating against truth and wisdom. We bind every lying spirit, every deceptive spirit, every fear mongering spirit in Jesus' name. What is hidden, be exposed now! What is buried, reveal it by your spirit now! Darkness be exposed now!

We bind the spirit of fear! This is NOT the end! We bind anxiety, doubt, and worry. They are not from you, Jesus.

We renounce the works of Satan. We confess we have sinned against you Lord. We have murdered 60 million precious miracles and answers that you sent to us. We have shed innocent blood. Our hands are covered. We have turned our backs on you. We have kicked you out of our nation and our schools. We have legalized what is sin in your eyes and called it love. We have defended shacking up with our lovers. We have murdered others with our words.

We have turned our heads instead of helping others. We have selfishly taken more than we need. We have abused others, slandered others, and hated others. We have sold people into slavery, past and present. We have coveted, lusted, and schemed. We have abandoned widows and orphans. We have not guarded our eyes, ears, or our heart from evil. We have cheated, lied, and stole what wasn't ours. We have blasphemed your holy name. We have mocked you. We have cursed your chosen people and nation.

We are guilty of all of this and more. Lord, we repent. We are sorry. We have hurt you. We have hurt others. We are remorseful. We don't deserve mercy. We deserve the full weight of your judgement. You would be justified to turn your back on us.

But that's not who you are. We ask your forgiveness. We want to change. No more status quo church. No more hypocrisy. No more masks. No more pretentions. Lord, We Need You! We Want You! We Choose You! We Love You! Wash us in your blood. Cleanse us of our sin and wickedness. Deliver us from evil. Heal us. Set us free.

Jesus, we plea your blood over our sins and the sins of our nation. Hear us from Heaven. Forgive us of our sins, and heal our land.

We know you are not finished. We know your plans are for good and not evil. With you, the best is yet to come. We know there are souls to be won. There are captives to set free. We want to run and finish this race with you. We love you Lord. We are desperate for you. We worship you. You alone are worthy. You are our hope. You are our healer. You are our King!

In Jesus' name we agree and pray.
Amen

Daddy Issues: Letting Go of Past Hurts (Part 3)

I am the author of the book "Daddy Issues," a certified public school educator, and an ordained minister. I wrote "Daddy Issues" to candidly share my own story of abuse. I grew up in a home with a physically, emotionally, mentally, and psychologically abusive father. Through the years, I realized how the long-term effects of my daddy issues have ruled my life; from weight and self esteem issues, trust issues, and more. As a teenager, I was extremely angry and didn't know why or what to do about it. I had to get counseling for my anger issues. I wrote "Daddy Issues" to share a story of hope with everyone that can in some way relate to my story or any of the 8 other stories about different types of abusive daddies that I wrote about. I know we all have baggage. My hope is that you can find that proverbial light at the end of your dark tunnel for what you've been through; perhaps answers to some of those questions that have been nagging away at you, or peace of mind after all that has happened to you. To get a copy of my book, you can go online at: Books A Million, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon (Kindle). You can also purchase a copy from my website, which I will gladly sign and personalize for you. Just go to:  http://pastorwendyschmeling.org/book.html

This is a message I shared at a Women's Conference in Florence, SC the summer of 2015. It is in 3 parts, so be sure to watch all 3 to get the whole presentation. Thanks for taking the time to view it. I hope it helps you in some way.

Daddy Issues: Letting Go of Past Hurts (Part 2)

I am the author of the book "Daddy Issues," a certified public school educator, and an ordained minister. I wrote "Daddy Issues" to candidly share my own story of abuse. I grew up in a home with a physically, emotionally, mentally, and psychologically abusive father. Through the years, I realized how the long-term effects of my daddy issues have ruled my life; from weight and self esteem issues, trust issues, and more. As a teenager, I was extremely angry and didn't know why or what to do about it. I had to get counseling for my anger issues. I wrote "Daddy Issues" to share a story of hope with everyone that can in some way relate to my story or any of the 8 other stories about different types of abusive daddies that I wrote about. I know we all have baggage. My hope is that you can find that proverbial light at the end of your dark tunnel for what you've been through; perhaps answers to some of those questions that have been nagging away at you, or peace of mind after all that has happened to you. To get a copy of my book, you can go online at: Books A Million, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon (Kindle). You can also purchase a copy from my website, which I will gladly sign and personalize for you. Just go to:  http://pastorwendyschmeling.org/book.html

This is a message I shared at a Women's Conference in Florence, SC the summer of 2015. It is in 3 parts, so be sure to watch all 3 to get the whole presentation. Thanks for taking the time to view it. I hope it helps you in some way.

Daddy Issues: Letting Go of Past Hurts (Part 1)

I am the author of the book "Daddy Issues," a certified public school educator, and an ordained minister. I wrote "Daddy Issues" to candidly share my own story of abuse. I grew up in a home with a physically, emotionally, mentally, and psychologically abusive father. Through the years, I realized how the long-term effects of my daddy issues have ruled my life; from weight and self esteem issues, trust issues, and more. As a teenager, I was extremely angry and didn't know why or what to do about it. I had to get counseling for my anger issues. I wrote "Daddy Issues" to share a story of hope with everyone that can in some way relate to my story or any of the 8 other stories about different types of abusive daddies that I wrote about. I know we all have baggage. My hope is that you can find that proverbial light at the end of your dark tunnel for what you've been through; perhaps answers to some of those questions that have been nagging away at you, or peace of mind after all that has happened to you. To get a copy of my book, you can go online at: Books A Million, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon (Kindle). You can also purchase a copy from my website, which I will gladly sign and personalize for you. Just go to:  http://pastorwendyschmeling.org/book.html

This is a message I shared at a Women's Conference in Florence, SC the summer of 2015. It is in 3 parts, so be sure to watch all 3 to get the whole presentation. Thanks for taking the time to view it. I hope it helps you in some way.

TOTAL DARKNESS

What if the earth was in total darkness for 3 days? What would you do? How would you cope? Are you prepared for something like this happening? Before you run to snopes and say this won't happen, I urge you to pick up a Bible or a Bible concordance and look up the key words/phrases: "darkness," "total darkness," and "darkness over the earth."

What if our Creator were trying to get our attention with a 3 day time out? LIGHTS OUT! He flips the switch and the lights go out for 3 days. No sun. No moon. No stars. TOTAL DARKNESS!

Why would He do something like that? To get our attention and to wake us up. It would be a reminder that He's God and we're not. PERSPECTIVE!

It wouldn't be for vengeance or a cruel joke on us, but an alarm to wake up and smell the coffee. A CALL to return to Him; take stock (spiritual inventory) and make sure that "it is well with our soul," and with Him.

The CAVE: I want to share a personal story. A few years back some friends and I went to Tennessee to go white water rafting and cave exploring. On our cave exploration, we had a rather unique and unusual experience.

Our guide took us into a deep dark cave that went back several hundred feet. Once we were deep inside the cave, there was absolutely NO light, except for our flashlights.

Our guide said we were going to experience the total darkness in its fullness and one by one, we'd have to find our way out of the cave with no help from one another and without any light source.

Before we began this journey, we all stayed in one place for a few moments in the darkness, as we were told to think about what HELL is truly like. The Bible describes it as a place of absolute darkness and total isolation. A place of torment and pain. A place where the worms don't die.

These thoughts were very heavy to bear in the total darkness of that cave. Even though my friends were there with me, I could not see them and per our guide, we could not speak with one another or hold hands. So for all intents and purposes, we were each alone and isolated with our thoughts.

A good 5 minutes went by (or at least it felt like that - it was probably only a minute; it just felt a lot longer) and then our guide spoke to us in the absolute darkness. His voice was so comforting and gave me hope that I was not alone. He asked us to share our thoughts and feelings. In the darkness we heard each others sobs and true despair in how we each felt; not for ourselves, but for our loved ones that could end up in such a place. We knew this was a momentary experiment, but the reality of an eternity in hell for many people that we know and love was just unbearable.

This part of our experience was now over and we all had fresh perspective about not only making sure we were right with God, but that others had the same opportunity. Next, began the hardest part of this journey; finding our way out in total darkness and isolation.

We each had to go alone and our guide timed it for us, so there would be enough time between each person, so as not to run into each other. We were told we had to hang onto the walls of the cave and feel our way out. We were told there was nothing in the cave that could hurt us (no bears and no creepy crawlies).

We were also given instruction that once we got to the realm where light began to exist to stop and gain our bearings. This is because once the eyes have been in darkness for so long, they can't process the light and the brain has trouble making sense of it. Did you get that? There's a lot of spiritual truth here. We were told to stop, process, then slowly proceed toward the light. You can't just run into it, is what our guide said.

So, with that instruction, it was my turn and I made my way; step by step. Hand by hand on the damp, dark cave wall. It was so dark that I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face.

Now, I was scared and had to have a conversation with Jesus all the way out. I knew I could make it, with His help and His peace. I knew that if nobody else was there with me, He was. He was there for every step and every tear. This gave me hope to keep moving and not just stop and cry, or give up.

It was a long trek before I reached the realm of light. It seemed to take forever, even though I kept moving and didn't stop. When I saw it, I didn't quite know what I was looking at. It was like a blue, hazy, halo there in the cave. It was fuzzy and cloudy and I wasn't sure if it was real, or just my mind playing tricks on me. I remembered the advice of our guide to stop and process. Give your eyes and brain time to check back in after being in total darkness. So, I stopped and waited.

I just stared at it until it began to come more clear and my brain seemed to come back online with a thought that this IS the way out. There is hope ahead. Because, in the darkness, you feel hopeless and like there is no way out. But this was the way.

So, I kept walking. Step by step, the light got brighter and became more clear. Soon, there was enough light to see my hands and feet and I didn't have to grope the cave walls to find my way. Now, the light was my way!

Soon, I wanted to run, but I remember our guide saying not to, so I kept my pace steady and kept walking until I was outside of the cave and back into the glorious light.

I never felt so relieved, yet so unnerved at the same time. I was relieved my time in total darkness was over, but I was unnerved for the coming darkness and how my loved ones, friends, and coworkers would be able to get through it.

What about eternal darkness? After this journey, I was more aware of people facing an eternity of this and wanted then and now to be able to warn them. My whole experience in that dark, isolated cave was only about an hour out of one day of my life, but what about people who are bound for eternity in such darkness and isolation?

Friends, a time is coming when we all must decide if we want to live for ourselves or live for God. A time will come when it will be just you and Him and you will have to answer. Your friends and family won't be there. You'll have to make a choice. You have the power of that choice.

Actually, that time is now. The Bible says today is the day of salvation. Choose this day whom you will serve. Don't wait until it's too late and you're all alone in total darkness.

If you're reading this, it's because you are concerned for yourself and/or loved ones. I've taken the time to write this, because I care about you. I've shared my very personal experience with you, because you matter to me. Please listen. I'm not here to judge you. I'm here to warn you. Friend, the bridge is out up ahead and you need to get off this road now. It doesn't matter how you got on this road. All that matters is that you get off of it, quickly. Please don't ignore me or spite my advice to keep on driving on this road. Please have ears to hear what I am truly saying and eyes to see what I've written.

If 3 days of darkness comes, see it for what it is. Heed my warning and recall my CAVE story. This is a warning from a loving God. It is a taste of what HELL will be like if you are not right with Him. It's not because He doesn't love you. On the contrary, it is an experience for a reason, just like my cave experience was. You are meant to learn from it, gain perspective, and cry out to Jesus, before it's too late. Jesus is the ONLY one that can save you. Why? Because He is the ONLY One that died for you and for me. He went to the cross and stepped into a place of punishment for your sins and mine. He did this, so that we could go free. But it's not enough to say you believe in Him to escape judgment. You have to be found IN Him. Your life has to be fully given to Him. You have to lay down your life to find it.

Just start a conversation with Jesus. You know you've made mistakes. We have all sinned. There's no person on earth who hasn't. Just admit it to Him and ask Him to forgive you and cover you for all that you've done that displeases Him. This is called humility and it destroys that evil thing called pride. You can't do it on your own. You need assistance. All you have to do is ask for it. Just talk to Him, like you do your best friend, because in reality, that's who He is. He will never leave you or forsake you, not even in the darkness. His peace will give you hope. It's time to raise your white flag and surrender. Rain or shine, Darkness or light, He'll be there with you through it all in a relationship that lasts for eternity. It's because of Him that you can escape eternal darkness. Call Him. He's waiting to hear from YOU! Just say His name and start talking.

Feel free to share this and pass it on. E-mail me if you have questions, need prayer, or want to continue the conversation. God Bless You. He loves you.

TRUTH Part 3

 

What about the argument that members of the LGBT community are Christians? Paul addressed this too. Now, what he said here is not just in relation to the LGBT lifestyle choice of sin. Paul addresses all sin here. And let’s be clear. There are believers who struggle with leaving behind the LGBT lifestyle. Christ followers need to encourage, uplift, and pray for those struggling, because while struggles are real, a true repentant heart can be delivered.

On the flips side of that are people who say they are Christians, but have no intent to stop living ungodly lifestyles (whether it’s an LGBT lifestyle, a promiscuous heterosexual lifestyle, a lifestyle of theft, a lifestyle of abusing people, etc.) This is who Paul is referencing. People who say I’m a Christian but refuse to change their lives to actually live as Christ commands us to can NOT just hide behind the veil of grace and Paul tells us why.

Romans 6:1-23 (New Living Translation):

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? ² Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? ³ Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? ⁴ For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

⁵ Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. ⁶ We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. ⁷ For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. ⁸ And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. ⁹ We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. ¹⁰ When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. ¹¹ So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

¹² Do not let sin control the way you live; (Or Do not let sin reign in your body, which is subject to death) do not give in to sinful desires. ¹³ Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. ¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

¹⁵ Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! ¹⁶ Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. ¹⁷ Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. ¹⁸ Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

¹⁹ Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

²⁰ When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. ²¹ And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. ²² But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul uses the slavery illustration here to help us understand that this is not just something we can run away from. This is serious business! The KEY to it all is DEATH TO SELF! That is how we separate the true converts from those who just call themselves Christians. There is a price to pay to be a follower of Christ. You can’t just convey the title of Christian upon yourself and not do the action it takes to actually be a Christian. As Yoda told Luke in The Empire Strikes Back, “Do or Do NOT. There is no TRY.” You’re either all in or not. No fence riding.

Does this mean you won’t ever sin again? NO! The only perfect one is Jesus. Only he can say that. We will still miss the mark (sin), but there is forgiveness for that. God knows we’re human, so he understands and helps us move past our struggles IF we are willing to die to self. To pass from our old sinful lifestyles that are unholy, displeasing to God, and separate us from him, we must die. Death is the passage way to the New Life of a New Creation that is pleasing to God, holy, and in an intimate relationship with him. That is the key.

So, for members of the LGBT community who want to continue in that lifestyle... you can. It’s your right and your choice. However, you can NOT claim to be a Christian and continue in the lifestyle. You also can NOT attack Christians, the Word, the faith, etc. to justify your lifestyle. If you truly love your lifestyle, then OWN it! It’s yours! Leave Christ out of it. Just say you love it and live it without bothering anyone else.

Just don't be surprised when the guilt of your own conscience weighs most heavy on you, and nature itself testifies to you that what you choose to do is wrong. There will be a price to pay for it in the end. The reality is this conflict from within is what drives the attacks against Christians and God’s Word. It’s classic displacement to make one’s self feel better about the choices one makes.

Christ followers love you, just not your lifestyle choice, because it is a sin. God is CRAZY about you, just not your lifestyle choice, because it is a sin. You don’t have to stay there. There is hope. You can change. It all involves your power of choice.  

There are many former members who have awakened to the truth. Their stories of deliverance from a lifestyle choice of sin are so amazing. This is just 1 of many. There's no better honesty that a person sharing the genuine reality of their story.

Powerful Testimony

TRUTH Part 2

2) The second argument of the LGBT community is that homosexuality is OK, since Jesus never mentioned it.

Jesus did not mention it, but that does not make it OK. He clearly painted the accepted way of love with several analogies. Being a Jewish Rabbi, He was a natural teacher, versed and trained in Jewish law and customs from a young age. This is why we hear him refer back to the creation account of male and female that God made. He uses the analogy of the bride (her) and groom (him); feminine and masculine pronouns. In Hebrew it’s known as “ish” (male) and “isha” (female). He spoke of the family unit as mother and father with children. It was crystal clear what Jesus was saying when he defined marriage and the family.

3) The third argument of the LGBT community is that the word homosexual cannot be found in Bible translations prior to 1960. Therefore, it has been added later as a conspiracy by Christians to put an end to their way of life.

The word “homosexual“ may not be found in the original Hebrew or Chaldean languages of Leviticus 18:22, but the meaning is still clear. Man shall not have sexual relations with a man, as he does with a woman, for it is an abomination to God. Not calling it by its modern day name does not change the fact that the description fits the lifestyle. By the way, this whole chapter is about sexual relations. Having sex with one’s family member was an abomination to God then and now (we call it incest and it’s against the law today). Having sex with an animal was an abomination to God then and now (we call it beastiality and it’s against the law today).

Yes, there are stories of people in the Bible who did some pretty bad things, but that does not make them right. The law is the law. Jesus said it still stands. Just like if your kid said to you, well Johnny’s mom lets him do it, your reply would be, well I’m not Johnny’s mom. These are my rules and you will live by them. Just because Johnny does it and his mom lets him, does not make it right! God is our Daddy, so he does not play that game with us either.

The argument I have yet to hear rebutted from the LGBT community is one for Romans chapter 1. I think this is because the way Paul says it, there is no room for error about what he is saying. You have to understand that Paul was a Pharisee (a teacher of the law). He knew it like the back of his hand. Paul expounds upon the Levitical Law to give us the how and the why answers to our questions. He leaves no stone unturned in his very descriptive use of words. Again, Paul was writing to churches on issues the churches were dealing with from within and in the greater context of society, as the church was to engage the world, but not be part of it.

The book of Romans was written to the main church hub, centrally located in the ruling and reigning empire of the day. It would be like sending a letter to Washington, DC churches today about the church’s involvement in American culture and society on key issues in culture. Rome was the capital city of a massive empire, which ruled Jerusalem.

Homosexuality was a key issue in that day, as it is in ours today. It was popular in culture in Rome. Its roots stemmed from the armies of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. Sodomy was used by both the Greeks and Romans to break a young boy’s will. It was thought of as a way to toughen him up for battle. Homosexuality was also a practice for sexual gratification amongst men, while away from home. Because of pagan practices and lust, there was an LGBT community in the ancient world (it just wasn’t called that then). None of this changed the fact that such acts were detestable to God both then and now, because they are unnatural.

Paul had to write the churches about this to clarify that it was still detestable to God. From his description, it sounds like people were talking about it. No doubt there were people in all camps of belief, just like today. While 2,000 years separate our time from theirs, things really are not all that different in society and culture. More than likely there were people who said, “God made me this way.” “Who are you to judge?” There were probably people who quoted Levitical Law and said God said, “it’s detestable to him and that settles it.” There were probably people on the fence that said, “love is love, who am I to judge?” “We have to just love people as we are commanded.”

There were probably people (even church leaders) who struggled with the issue, especially in light of new converts. They probably said, “how do I balance truth from God’s word about what is right and pleasing to him verses what is wrong, and then how do I teach that to these new converts in a way that they won’t get offended and will still understand that God loves them and Christ followers do too.” They probably struggled with that balance of when is the timing acceptable for old ways to become old ways and how do I/we (Christ followers)  extend grace to those struggling with forsaking their former lifestyle to follow Christ.

Paul addressed all of this in his letter to the Roman church, namely in chapters 1 and 6. In chapter 1, he goes straight to the heart of the issue, defining it, explaining it, and telling what happens when it continues. He says this in Romans 1:18-32 (New Living Translation):

¹⁸ But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. (Or who, by their wickedness, prevent the truth from being known.)

¹⁹ They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. ²⁰ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

²¹ Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. ²² Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. ²³ And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. ²⁵ They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

²⁶ That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.

²⁷ And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

²⁸ Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. ²⁹ Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. ³⁰ They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.

³¹ They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. ³² They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

When God created the heavens and the earth, animals, man and woman, he had an original intent and purpose that has NOT changed! He set natural laws into motion so that everyone would know. Nature testifies of God and his ways. Recently, there has been another attack launched by members of the LGBT community to twist even this. The argument is that there are animals that have homosexual relations, so therefore it MUST be natural and is OK. This is a blatant attack on this scripture to try to justify this lifestyle CHOICE of SIN and to try to NORMALIZE it for everyone to ACCEPT the LGBT community and its agenda.

The #1 goal of the LGBT community is to destroy Christianity, because it is the only thing opposing their lifestyle choice. It won't happen, but this is why there have been such heinous attacks against Christians and their faith. Recently there was such a disgusting attack and mockery of Jesus and the cross by LGBT protestors. While many Christians have sat back and been tolerant of members of the LGBT community, the favor has NOT been returned by many in that community.

Making a sacrilegious mockery of Jesus and the cross with perverse sexual displays of an unnatural lifestyle choice is the ultimate LGBT intolerant insult spat back in the face of God and his true followers! This kind of behavior is happening for a specific reason. It's been a gradual (slow fade) step by step, methodical process from demanding equal rights by riding on the back of the Civil Rights Movement of Dr. King Jr., saying God made them that way, attacking and devaluing the Word of God to omit the "sin" factor to what they do, infiltrating the church, so they can say they are Christian too, and then attacking traditional marriage, and trying to destroy the faith. This is a spiritual battle and believers need to wake up, rise up, and change their world!

I’m not advocating violence or hate speech, although I am sure that is what it will be labeled! True believers must still reply with love, but with eyes WIDE open! We must use wisdom and speak truth to counter the lies from the other side. No more of this fence riding, maintain the status quo, upset no one, “love is love and everyone can do what they want” attitude and behavior. That's what got us to where we are now. No! Let’s call it what it is!

This is a lifestyle choice of sin based on the lust of the flesh to go a way that is unnatural and defiantly smacks God in His face. Yes! They have the right to choose that way of living, but there are consequences to those choices and a price to be paid for them that they must individually pay, when they stand before God. He is the judge! We are simply repeating what the word has to say about it.

We are not the author, just the messengers. We convey the message of the Creator in love, so that educated choices can be made. It’s time to rise up and let our light shine. In this, we will not tolerate attacks on the Bible or true believers, as scapegoats to excuse a lifestyle choice of sin in order to try to normalize or downplay what it truly is. No one is born gay. It's a choice. Research has proven this (BTW, it was research conducted by scientists in the LGBT community).

Dr. King Jr.'s Civil Rights Movement was absolutely justified. The LGBT community trying to use that movement for approval of their sexual preference and lifestyle choice is both unacceptable and disrespectful to Dr. King Jr., everyone who marched, and all people of color. Ethnicity is not a choice that can be changed, but who one lusts after is a choice and it can be changed. If it were not so, there would not be the success stories of people who were delivered from the lifestyle.

It's time to push back the lies with truth. Haters are gonna HATE the TRUTH and try to twist it, so beware, but do NOT be silent! TRUTH is what sets people FREE! So speak the TRUTH in love, unashamedly and unapologetically. Remember, you are the messenger, not the Author! You relay and convey the Author’s message. It’s up to the Holy Spirit to convict and bring change after that. Remember the word says, how will they know unless they are told and how will they hear the good news unless people are sent? We have to go and tell. We can’t sit and be quiet or passive.

Stay tuned for TRUTH Part 3...