Implications

 Before we can talk about glasses being half full or half empty, we must ensure the glass is clean inside. The inside of the vessel and the cleanliness thereof is more important than the outside, that is, if you want to avoid botulism or the explosive ejection of your stomach’s contents. A vessel dirty on the inside contaminates whatever you put inside it. In order to prevent contamination, one must be diligent in washing the vessel of its previous contents, ensuring that none remains.

I don’t mind sitting at a counter and seeing a chipped cup with scratches and dents placed before me as long as I can look inside it and know it is clean. Sometimes vessels get dinged up. My favorite cup is one my daughters made for me at a shop where you get to pick the shape, then paint it inside and out before they fire it in a kiln. It’s been a few years since they made it, and it has chips and cracks a plenty, but it’s still my favorite cup.

When you strip away the hand prints, brush strokes, and slanted heart at the bottom of the cup, it’s just a cup like any other. However, it is special to me because of who took the time to individualize it and who gave it to me. Because Christ imprinted Himself onto us, and we have received His nature, the Father looks upon us with exceeding joy. Clay is clay until the Potter gets His hands on it and makes something beautiful from it. The most beautiful of vessels begin as mere clay. We all start out the same. How we end is different for everyone.

John 14:23, “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”’

If you love Him, you will keep His word. If you keep His word, you will do not as you desire but as He commands. You are His, and because you love Him and keep His word, the Father loves you despite the dings, scratches, imperfections, or eccentricities.

Some of the dings, the self-inflicted wounds, the trauma, and the pain occurred before you knew Him and loved Him, and although they heal over time, and the dings aren’t as pronounced, they’re still there, a reminder of poor choices, bad decisions, and consequences. They also serve to elicit gratitude for what God does in our lives and the transformation that takes place once we surrender to His will.

My grandmother loved buying dented cans. They were cheaper, and we were on a budget, and creamed corn is creamed corn whether the can is dented or not. God doesn’t mind the dents or scratches either, as long as what’s inside is what’s supposed to be inside.

Problems occur when what’s on the label doesn’t match what’s on the inside of the can. It’s frustrating when you’re expecting the aforementioned creamed corn, and you get sliced beets instead. Even if a can is dented, the label must be true. If we say we belong to Him, then His presence in our lives must be evident. The indwelling of Christ must be an ever-present reality so that what’s advertised on the outside is confirmed by what’s on the inside.

God doesn’t mind the dings and scratches as long as you allow Him to thoroughly clean you so that He might fill you. You can be filled with the Spirit or with the flesh. You can be filled with the presence of the One True God or the god of this world. You can be filled with light or darkness. They are binary choices, and there is no in-between.

Those who would creep in and seek to do harm to the children of God may have the outward appearance of being bondservants of Christ, but one look inside, and you’ll know that the inside doesn’t match the outside.

When we treat the presence of God in our lives as the priceless gift that it is, we will be zealous in keeping it pure and undefiled. If His presence is lacking, all we need do is ask, for if we ask, He will give; if we desire the fullness of Him, He will not turn us away.

The ponderous question remains whether we desire the fullness of Him or the things He can give us. Is it the relationship or status you’re searching for? If it’s status, then Christ isn’t your life’s priority, but a means to an end. He is a vehicle that you can use to acquire what you desire.

What this means is that you will never be satisfied in Christ, you will never be satisfied with where He has placed you, and like Korah, the need for more will be constant and vexing. Submitting to authority will always seem unnatural, something to be avoided and despised. You will plot and scheme in order to advance, and the entire exercise will become about you and your rising star rather than Christ and His saving grace.

There are men walking about today who use Jesus as a means to make their earthly dreams come true. Jesus is just a cover, a foil, a name they drop to get instant access to the checkbooks of those they’ve caught in their net. If you’re willing to sell your soul and have no qualms about looking over the adoring audience you’re guiding into the abyss, then the recipe is simple enough, and any determined fool can do it.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Blame

 Even though Moses had laid out two scenarios for the people, one which would confirm the Lord had sent him, the other which would prove that Korah was in the right, once the dust settled and the earth swallowed up Korah and his household, the people returned to Moses angry and bitter.

Numbers 16:41, “On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.’”

Even when God is clear and direct, and His power is manifest, people still see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. Was it Moses and Aaron who killed Korah and his followers? Were they still the people of the Lord even though by the manifestation of God’s power and their being swallowed up it was proven that they had rejected the Lord?

You read this verse, and your first inclination is to shake your head at the cognitive dissonance until you realize this is what the contemporary church has been doing for decades. God sends a messenger warning the nation of what He will do unless repentance is forthcoming; the messenger delivers the message, the nation does not repent, God keeps His word, and the people blame the messenger.

The people accused Moses and Aaron of murder, praising Korah as one who was of the Lord even though he clearly hadn’t been for some time. Why would they do such a thing? Because Korah stroked their egos and appealed to their vanity, and called them holy already, while Moses insisted they must repent and come before the Tabernacle to know the presence of God.

It’s hard to dislike someone saying nice things about you. It’s difficult to reject someone who is boosting your ego and seeing you as someone different than what you know yourself to be. Even though they’re lying, and you suspect they know you know they’re lying, it feels too good for you to seek out the truth of it.

The people weren’t playing. They weren’t joking around, and they weren’t just voicing an objection. It got bad enough that God had to intervene. Otherwise, the angry crowd would likely have torn Moses and Aaron apart. These were the same people that saw the earth open up and swallow Korah and his followers whole, but somehow that neither bothered nor deterred them.

Could you imagine being present and watching Moses say that if the earth opens and swallows them up, then you know who’s in the right, then seeing the earth swallow Korah up, and the next day come against Moses accusing him of murder?

Some believers have a difficult time with the notion that they will be betrayed by those closest to them because they are followers of Christ. Is it any more difficult to fathom than an entire people coming against Moses after seeing the earth open up and swallow many people?

Numbers 16:42-44, “Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Get away from among this congregation that I may consume them in a moment.”

You never blame the guy that co-signed for your sin. You never blame the individual that turned a blind eye and refused to preach the whole counsel of God because it allowed you leeway and wiggle room to feed your flesh and follow after its desires.

For a season, the symbiotic relationship works. You give them money and make them famous, and in return, they tell you to love yourself just the way you are. However, the closer you get to the finality of your life on earth, the louder the whispers of judgment on that great day become. It’s unavoidable, and there’s nothing you nor I can do about it. Every man, every woman, and every created thing into which God breathed life will stand before Him, including the angels reserved in everlasting chains under darkness.

Blaming others for your choices will not be an option on that day. You are standing before an all-knowing God who doesn’t accept feelings as an acceptable justification for disobedience. There’s no option to call a friend to vouch for how nice a person you are, and those wolves and deceivers who were happy to take your money while you were drowning in sin will be nowhere in sight. They will have their own judgment to contend with, and since it is better to tie a millstone around one’s neck and go for a morning swim than cause a little one to stumble, they’ll be in no mood to be a character witness.

The season is soon approaching when the modern-day church will have an inverse reaction to what will befall the world. They won’t blame the men that lied to them, that promised them an easy ride and a carefree life in exchange for some coin. They’ll blame God for not bending to the word and will of those who deceived them. They’ll shake their fists at the heavens and be overcome with hate even though God had been patient, and kind, and gracious, warning for many a year that darkness will descend and oil in one’s lamp wasn’t an option; it was a necessity.

What must God do to get our attention? What must occur for us to humble ourselves enough to admit that we don’t know it all and that His way is always best? Israel saw the earth open up and swallow Korah whole, and the next day they were back to their old ways as though nothing had happened. Another fourteen thousand seven hundred souls had to perish before they got the message that God wasn’t playing games.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Separation

 It started with one. Usually, that’s all it takes. The adage that one bad apple spoils the bunch is accurate unless the bad apple is removed before it can contaminate others. It began with Korah, then his numbers grew to two hundred and fifty, and by the time the story reached its crescendo, all the congregation was gathered against Moses at the door of the Tabernacle of meeting.

Their attitude is mirrored in today’s church, wherein we are not grateful for what God has already done for us but anxious about what He will do for us today. Our expectations are that tomorrow will always exceed today’s blessing, and one setback, hardship, and trial is enough for us to shake our fists at the sky in frustration.

Numbers 16:16-29, “And Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow, you and all your company be present before the Lord – you and they, as well as Aaron. Let each take his censer and put incense in it, and each of you bring his censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty censers; both you and Aaron, each with his censer. So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron. And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.’”

Korah must have felt pretty good about his situation. He’d worked tirelessly to turn the hearts of the people away from Moses and Aaron, and here he stood, seeing his plan come to life, with all the congregation gathered against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

He had the numbers. Two men against the whole of Israel weren’t odds anyone would relish the idea of, but what Korah didn’t take into account is that although he had turned the people against Moses and Aaron, God was still for them, and if God is for you, everything else is inconsequential.

A choice between a big budget, a big ministry, a big congregation, or the favor and presence of God is no choice at all. Only a fool will choose the natural things over the supernatural ones because while human ability, will, and resources are limited, God’s not limited in any area, ever.

God’s command to Moses and Aaron was simple enough. Separate yourselves from among this congregation because we’re going to settle the matter once and for all.

There always comes a point where God speaks to those who obey Him to separate themselves from those in rebellion. Once that occurs, judgment is imminent, and the only thing the obedient need to concern themselves with is to be far enough away from the disobedient when the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up.

There were no negotiations, no attempt at diplomacy, no soft-handed pleas by God for the people to return to obedience, just separation.

As the story unfolds, we begin to see the true nature of Korah. Not a benign man who just wanted the best for the people of God but an evil man who tried to turn the hearts of the people away from the one true God.

Before Elijah and the prophets of Baal, there was Moses and the rebellious children of the house of Israel. His proclamation was absent ambiguity and clear enough that even a dullard could understand it.

Numbers 16:28, “And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.’”

A man who had been separated from the congregation of Israel to be brought near to God and stand before the congregation to serve them had allowed evil in his heart to the point that he and those who followed him were deemed to have rejected the Lord.

Holding an office or a title does not shield you from deception, pride, avarice, or heresy. Having a relationship with Christ, daily working out your salvation with fear and trembling, and walking humbly with your Lord does.

Korah thought his office justified him to the point of believing that God was compelled to follow his lead rather than him following God’s lead. He was dissatisfied with his portion and place and chose instead to undermine Moses and Aaron in the hope of replacing them.

He used every tool the enemies of the cross still use today, from flattery, calling all the people holy, even though he knew himself not to be, to laying blame at the feet of Moses for the disobedience, grumbling, and rebellion the people had descended into, to getting numerical superiority on his side and feeling confident about the outcome because of it.

Yes, a majority can be wrong. Very wrong. Fatally wrong. Just because the wicked outnumber the righteous, it does not mean the wicked are in the right. Just because it seems like the wicked are winning doesn’t mean they will be victorious.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Damage

 Whether in a family, a town, a community, a church, or a nation, it doesn’t take an overwhelming force to wreak havoc. All it takes is a handful of determined people and a docile, passive, go along to get along majority. When people are situationally ethical, situationally moral, and situationally faithful, it’s easy to whisper sweet nothings in their ears until their hearts are turned away from the truth, and they begin to turn against those who would see them reach the promised land.

People are fickle. They have been since the beginning of time, and those who are not anchored in truth, those who are not firmly planted in the Word, are easily swayed given the right kind of pressure. It doesn’t take much pressure at that. Just a few well-placed, leading questions that have an inevitable, predetermined answer built in due to how the question was formulated.

It starts with one, then spreads like a cancer. Korah was one man who brought others to his cause, and by the time Moses confronted him, he’d set the entire people against him. What began subtly was now a full-blow attempt to overthrow Moses and Aaron, going from, “Hey, we just want to help because you look tired, to You’re not our king; how dare you?”

Be careful as to whom you allow into your inner circle, whether it’s your family’s inner circle, the church’s, or your ministry. Just because they say they want to help, it doesn’t make it so, and if they’re gossiping to you about someone else, be sure they are talking to others about you.

Korah was good at sowing doubt and division, and he set himself up to reap the rewards of infighting and disillusionment among the tribes of Israel.

As he begins to see the situation spiral out of control, Moses reaches out, hoping for reinforcements, and if not for the full knowledge that God was with him, the answer he got would have chilled his blood.

Numbers 16:12-14, “And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up! Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us? Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, not given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!”

Whenever the devil attempts to beguile, he always frames the past in the best possible light, to the point that the bondage they endured was now seen as having been a land flowing with milk and honey. That’s the retort Moses got from the sons of Eliab when he asked that they come up and stand with him.

We were doing just fine before you came along, buddy. You took us out of a good place and brought us into the wilderness to kill us. Who made you king? Who are you to give orders? We were promised an inheritance of fields and vineyards; all we’re doing is walking through the desert. Maybe it’s time for new management. You know, a fresh voice, a fresh vision, something to attract new blood to an old cause.

If you have no calling or talent, you have to discredit and minimize the work and sacrifice of those who came before you to elevate yourself in the eyes of the people. If you can manage to also offer them an excuse for their rebellion and a way by which they can circumvent personal accountability, you’re golden.

Whose fault was it that they were still wandering through the desert? Was it Moses and Aaron that encouraged them to grumble, or was that something they came up with all on their own?

Yet here they were not only laying the blame for their situation squarely at Moses’s feet, but they’d also revised history to the point of making slavery and bondage in Egypt look like a good thing.

Even though all Moses was doing was relaying God’s instruction and encouraging them to serve God, their reaction was who died and made you king? Never once did they stop to consider why it was that they had not been brought into a land flowing with milk and honey. They just knew they hadn’t.

Thousands of years later, man is still the same. Whenever we’re not seeing the progress we thought we would, or God’s promises being made manifest in our lives at the frequency we envisioned, it’s always that God welched on the deal; it’s never that we didn’t keep up our end of the bargain.

One aspect of this event that is widely overlooked is that every single individual involved in this drama had been brought out of the land of Egypt by the mighty hand of God. They had all seen the sea part, they had beheld the miracles of God, and they were the people of God, yet one man with an agenda was able to stir up discontentment that led to rebellion, to the point that God had to intervene.

A lot can happen between your exodus from Egypt to your entering the promised land, and if you are not watchful and precise in your purpose and selective about the voices to which you give heed, you may end up siding with those who stand in stark opposition to the truth. The desert is not the promised land. Don’t pretend otherwise just because you have a few blisters on your feet. Press on!

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Best

 When God plants you in a particular place, it is the best place for you. Although you may not see it at the time, although it may not feel like the best place at the moment, God does not err. He does not fumble the bag, as the kids like to say, nor does He make mistakes.

When God assigns you a task or places a calling on your life, it is the task or calling you are best suited for. It is something no one else can do as efficiently or with the same skill because the One who created you is well aware of the gifts with which you are endowed.

God isn’t going in blind or making decisions based on someone else’s recommendations. He’s not beholden to the notion of diversity hires or having a certain percentage of females, males, handicapable people, vegans, pescatarians, or carnivores. When He assigns someone a task, it is with the full knowledge of who they are, what they can do, and what He can do through them.

However monumental the endeavor, if the individual tasked with carrying it out would only trust and obey, they would see the conclusion because God finishes what He starts. The weakest link in the process is man. More specifically, the heart of man with all its divided loyalties, propensity for avarice, and pride of life. If a man can keep humility as his constant companion and give glory to God for all He does through him, there is no limit to what God can do.

As with most everything else, trusting and obeying is easier on paper than in real life. There’s the theory of something, then the practice thereof, and theory is easy until you have to apply it and actually follow through.

Theoretically, losing weight is a simple endeavor. Burn more calories than you consume consistently, and eventually, the scale will start to show it. That’s the proven theory and is indisputable. You’re welcome; I just saved you the four easy payments of $29.99 you would have had to shell out for the newest diet guru’s plan.

The practical application of the theory is where people get in trouble. Theoretically, saying no to a piece of warm peach pie with the crumbly streusel topping or a slice of schaum torte is easy. Practically, when your mouth starts to water, and the only thing you’re thinking about is if you have vanilla ice cream in the freezer to make the pie alamode, it’s not so easy.

Trusting and obeying God to give you the means to fulfill your calling seem like simple enough principles. When you’re breaking ground for a six-story orphanage and barely have enough money in the bank to hire someone to dig the hole for half the foundation, trusting and obeying God becomes a battle of faith versus present reality. That’s when standing on faith and believing God will make a way isn’t just something you sing in church but something you anchor everything on.

Faith will carry you from the shore to the boat in the middle of the sea if you can keep your eyes on Jesus. It’s hard to reject the rational side of your brain screaming that it’s impossible to walk on water and trust fully in the reality that nothing is impossible for God.

The morning my grandfather woke up and said God had told him we would build an orphanage in Romania, we had a total of $749 in the bank. I know because I checked. We didn’t have assets we could sell for cash; there were no matching grants or friends we could call with that kind of cheddar, just seven immigrants in a two-bedroom apartment who were barely scraping by themselves.

One of the things I respected about my grandfather is that when God set him on a course, he acted as though he already had all the resources necessary to carry it out. We didn’t wait, drag our feet, or rationalize that someday, perhaps, if things improve or the ministry grows, we would carry out the vision God placed on his heart. He called that morning and started the process of securing the land upon which the orphanage would be built. It has been close to thirty years since the orphanage opened its doors, and its completion was just the start of the miracle. That we’ve been able to keep it open and running through the ups and downs of life and ministry without once having the children go hungry, or the staff go to their families without pay is the continuation of the miracle that was birthed from one act of obedience.

Obedience is how we live our lives; with every new confirmation of how indispensable obedience is, we press in even more. From the outside in, obedience can look like madness to some. They’ll scratch their heads and not understand what you’re doing because God did not instruct them to do it but you.

God told my grandfather he’d be returning to Romania to distribute Bibles again at a time when the current regime had a lock on power, and he was still banned from setting foot on Romanian soil.

He’d bought the plane tickets and the large print Bibles six months before the revolution took place, and when it did, it was so sudden that no one had seen it coming.

He was so sure of having heard the voice of God telling him what he must do that he even shared it with brothers in the Romanian church, who began to low-key mock the closer they got to the end of the year with nothing happening.

Sure enough, by February of 1990, the date for which my grandfather had purchased his plane ticket months in advance, we were one of the first ministries on the ground, distributing Bibles, helping build churches, holding crusades, and taking full advantage of the newfound freedom.

Obedience is never fruitless. You will see the glorious fulfillment of God’s promise to always be by your side when you walk in obedience to Him. Even if you can’t see past the next hill, know that God can, so trust and obey Him fully, for to obey is better than sacrifice.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Perspective

 Entitlement in anyone who has no reason to feel entitled is off-putting on the best of days. Spiritual entitlement, doubly so. It’s been established that most people like nice things to be said about them, even if they don’t happen to be true, and if you can weave in some hyper-spiritual declaration that they are the effervescence of sanctification itself, well, you’ve got yourself a lifelong supporter who will tell others how much you blessed their socks off. That brother gets me; he really gets me. He sees what others don’t.

We like being praised even if the praise is undeserved, and we like being esteemed even though there’s no reason for it. We like it so much that we start to believe it even though it’s a lie, and pretty soon, we’re so hyped up on an illusion that we try to live up to the hype and fall flat on our faces.

Self-serving charlatans have convinced many silly people in this country that they are the apex of spirituality, even though they have no evidence to support the claim. They’ve heard so often that they are the apple of God’s eye, little gods, declarers, movers and shakers of the kingdom, and the linchpin in God’s plan for the world, that it’s a wonder they can still fit through a double door given their inflated egos.

A few days back, I ran across an article that should give a little perspective and maybe inspire a little bit of humility. Perhaps it was because I’d just gotten off the phone with my dad, who’d called after finding out I was coming to Romania. We haven’t seen each other in almost half a decade, and he was excited about the prospect of being reunited. He had just called to see if I wanted anything special, like a certain kind of meal or a specific itinerary for when I was there.

After this call, I read about two Ugandan brothers who’d converted to Christianity being set upon by their own family when an older brother had overheard them praying to Jesus. They’d come for their sister’s funeral, and while in their father’s home, they decided to have a prayer.

As their brothers were beating them and kicking them, the father stepped in, and his words, juxtaposed with my father’s reaction at hearing I would be returning to Romania, are what got to me.

“Stop, don’t kill them in my house, just send them away from my home – from today on, I am no longer their father, and they are no longer my children.”

I just read that sentence over and over again, considering the implications. It wasn’t that the father opposed the murder of his sons by their brothers as long as it wasn’t done in his home. It was the inconvenience of dealing with two dead bodies that bothered him, not that his sons were beaten to a pulp.

I know this sort of thing is not unique in a place like Uganda or to Uganda as a nation, just as my grandfather’s torture and privation were not unique during the Communist rule. Christians are being beaten, brutalized, beheaded, abused, and dehumanized every day in various parts of the world, yet, somehow, American Christianity and the way the West practices it is the best it can get?  Whole congregations waving rainbow flags on sidewalks celebrating perverts and perversions as they march down the street are now deemed the pinnacle of Christianity?

While men and women are being martyred for their faith in Christ, mega-church pastors are musing aloud whether believing in Jesus really is necessary for salvation, yet, somehow, we see ourselves deserving of waiting in the first-class lounge until our exclusive shuttle is ready for boarding.

While Christians are suffering loss and dying, we’re entertaining fantastical stories about pet dinosaurs and unicorns in heaven, yet, somehow, we demand priority access and early boarding because some nutter came up with an indulgent theory about never having to endure anything. It felt good. We felt unburdened. The flesh sang with delight. We bought into it like it was Iraqi Dinars and never looked back.

So what if others are suffering and dying and enduring for the name of Christ? We’re special! We discovered the special ingredient in the secret sauce that they never did, and we’re declaring and binding and loosing so we never have to have our faith tested, not even a little.

The only problem is that no one ever gets around to explaining why. Why are we special? Is it because righteousness runs down like an overflowing stream from this nation? Is it because the churches are packed with humble, righteous, sanctified souls determined to preach the gospel of Christ to the nations?

Why? Why do we, in America and other Western nations, feel entitled to be spared what the rest of the world is experiencing while being so arrogant in our position as to declare those being martyred as having less faith than Creflo Dollar because they couldn’t manifest themselves a Rolls Royce?

The comfortable lies and fanciful tales have already started to ring hollow to some, but soon they will ring hollow to all. All the promises men have made to other men about being spared persecution and hardship will be exposed as nothing more than coping mechanisms and hopeful proclamations. It turns out God doesn’t have to keep promises devious men made in His name after all.

We’ve been told what to expect during these last days by Jesus Himself, yet what we’re being told by those claiming to be His representatives is the polar opposite. We hear brothers and sisters in Christ suffering for the faith yet fail to have enough self-awareness to inquire why we should be spared when they aren’t.

John 15:8-20, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.’”

Matthew 24:9-10, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.”

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Penalties

 Korah’s big problem wasn’t that he was coming against Moses. His problem was that he was coming against the Lord. It would have been a different matter entirely if it had been just Moses and Aaron on their own, without a mandate and an anointing from God. They likely would have overwhelmed Moses by sheer force of numbers, having gathered some two hundred and fifty men to their cause. How quickly they forgot all that God had done for them through Moses. How quickly they forgot the parting of the sea or the plagues upon Egypt that compelled Pharaoh to let them go in the first place.

Now that they were away from Egypt and its oppression, it was time to plan for the future. It was time to position oneself for greater power and authority, even though the position God called you to was impressive enough.

Korah made two unforced errors. First, he left his proper domain. He was not content with his portion or his calling, desiring something other than what God had appointed him to. Second, he disregarded the reality that God appointed Moses over the people, not Moses himself.

Numbers 16:8-11, “Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: Is it a small thing that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?”

At first glance, Moses is trying to be conciliatory, pointing out that Korah’s calling and that of the sons of Levi was nothing to scoff at. They had been set apart and brought near to God to do the work of the Tabernacle of the Lord; they were a special people among a special people. Then, as though Moses was trying to verbally process the intent behind Korah’s attack, he hits upon the reason. Korah was not content with the calling to which he had been called and wanted the priesthood as well.

There is wisdom and great gain in godliness with contentment. Most today lack both, which shows in their countenance, machinations, plots, plans, and attacks. Why did God call you to run a ministry? I don’t know; ask Him. Why don’t you try harder at growing the ministry? Because that’s God’s area of expertise. It will be as big as He wants it to be, and my trying to grow it of my own volition will lead to nothing good.

Why don’t you come up with edgier, more gripping titles for your books? Because the objective is not units sold, and my target audience is not people who judge books by their covers.

Why aren’t you more driven? Because I’m content. I am where God commanded me to be, doing what He commanded me to do, and I have no dreams or aspirations for anything greater.

When your single-minded pursuit is obedience unto the Lord, contentment is a byproduct. The contentment does not come from an achievement per se but from the act of obedience itself. Because it is obedience that facilitates the contentment, the size, scope, reach, or impact of whatever you were called to do is irrelevant.

Are you where God needs you? Are you content with what God has for you, or do you want more? Are you comparing your calling to others, or are you walking in godliness and humility with God, unconcerned about another’s field?

For those not in ministry, this may sound like a trivial matter, but given what happened to Korah and his adherents, I assure you it is not. It’s easy to get caught up in the Korah mindset, especially given the intellectual deficiencies of some modern-day preachers who have risen to prominence.

That’s when you take a step back, rebuke the thoughts trying to make a nest in your heart, and ask yourself the only question that matters: Are you being faithful to your calling? That’s it. If the answer is yes, then everything else is tertiary.

Be content in your calling because you are satisfied with God. When you are satisfied with God, the magnitude of your calling doesn’t come into play. Even if your calling was as simple as sweeping the sanctuary after everyone has left, if you are satisfied with God, you will be content in it.

Whenever the enemy comes upon one with the Korah mindset, he is quick to fuel their ambitions, most often at the expense of others, because his purpose is not to elevate one such as Korah but to tear down what God helped build through others.

There was a time back in the early 90s when corporate takeovers of television ministries and evangelical campuses were so common that one woke up expecting to see the headline every morning. When one old hack died, another old hack would sweep in and take over because their avarice knew no bounds, yet they justified all their underhanded dealings by insisting they were doing it as unto the Lord. Korah did too, but God knew better. His end was swift and final and of such resonance that the people understood whom God had chosen and whom He had not.

The time of the sifting is soon approaching. It is a sifting that will begin with the house of God, in the house of God, and all the lies will be laid bare, all the liars judged with His righteous judgment.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

More

 Serving God shouldn’t be akin to a full contact sport, and being in ministry should not have the intrigue, corruption, or betrayal of politics. Granted, confronting the devil can get you some scars and bruises, but there’s a difference between fighting the devil and fighting your own kind.

Being a pastor, you shouldn’t have to wake up every morning wondering who’s about to stab you in the back or who’s planning on splitting the church and taking half the congregation. Sometimes you guess right, sometimes you’re blindsided, and the closer you are to the individual, the greater the pain and disillusionment.

We could keep discussing this, but suffice it to say some things shouldn’t be but are, so we must contend with the reality rather than the ideal. Even though the attempt is always made to explain away the viciousness and vindictiveness of a church split, or a ministry torn apart by opposing parties, the underlying reason is always that someone wanted to be elevated to a station they were never called to by God.

Although they’d never come out and say it, they sow division because they want to be the top dog; they want the spot and not just a spot. They want to be the leader and not a follower, and when all the fancy self-serving words are peeled away, wanting something you have no claim to is at the root of it all.

When you want to take from another something you had no hand in building, it wasn’t God telling you to do it, no matter how much you insist upon it. God would have had you build it yourself if it was meant for you to guide, but if another put in the effort to start an outreach, a ministry, or a church, and they’re being diligent in their calling, He won’t send you to tell them to move along. If they are needed elsewhere, God will tell them.

This is why I don’t pay much attention to individuals who appear out of nowhere and insist the Lord spoke to them that I should hand over the reins of the ministry. Funny how the Lord did not confirm it with me, and it’s never a third party I’m supposed to hand everything over to. It’s always directly to them. Convenient, to be sure.

A squatter will never care for a home the way the homeowner does. A squatter has no sweat equity, nothing invested, and no skin in the game as far as they are personally concerned. If there’s anything to take, they’ll take it, including busting through the walls to get at the brass pipes so they can sell them for scrap. As soon as they’re done picking one place clean, they move on to the next, always searching for that next opportunity they can exploit.

As Solomon once mused, there is nothing new under the sun, and man’s constant desire for more is one of those defects that has existed since time immemorial.

Korah had a pretty sweet gig going. He was a Levite, set apart to do the work of the Tabernacle of the Lord and stand before the congregation and serve them. It wasn’t anything to scoff at, and the tribe of Levi was well respected among the people.

Korah, however, wanted more, and he looked upon the calling of Moses with jealousy and covetousness. Since he couldn’t make a go of it alone, he incited others, some two hundred and fifty men in all, and came to Moses and Aaron.

Numbers 16:1-3, “Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

When you parse out the words spoken by Korah and his minions, you see the blueprint for attacking someone in authority while attempting to get the people on your side. First, he seemed magnanimous, worried about Moses and Aaron, fearful that they were taking too much upon themselves, but then pivoted to bringing false praise on the people.

That a good chunk of them would later worship a golden calf is a testament to my claim, but at the moment, it didn’t matter whether or not he was lying as long as the people felt good about themselves and their achievements. As long as you are getting praised, does it matter if the praise is honest, true, and verifiable? If you’re honest, it does, but usually, flattery works, and those doing the flattering rise a rung or two in your esteem.

You know it’s not true, the guy blowing smoke knows it’s not true, but it makes you look good, it strokes your ego, and it impresses your neighbors. You say nothing because it would endanger your newfound station, so you’re happy to turn a blind eye.

A little girl tried the same play on Paul, but it didn’t work quite so well as Korah’s rhetoric worked on the people of Israel. His intentions were not sincere; he wasn’t interested in sparing Moses and Aaron’s hardship; he wanted their positions, and for that to occur, they had to be undermined and removed.

Moses knew he had been called of God; there was no shadow of doubt in him regarding this, so he didn’t shy away, he didn’t cower or retreat, but pushed back on Korah’s claims, as he ought. That’s the beauty of being where God told you to be and doing what God told you to do. When the vultures come, you won’t hesitate to stand your ground.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Flesh

 When we filter everything through the prism of the flesh, a flesh that is tethered to this plain of existence, withering and closer to corruption with each passing day, it’s easy to wonder aloud why God would do or allow such and such a thing.

If, however, we filter everything through a spiritual prism, with the spiritual man and eternity as our touchstones, the things the Bible says we will witness and endure not only make sense but are welcomed.

We reject what Jesus said about being hated and persecuted because we have placed the flesh and this present time at the pinnacle of purpose, with everything else, including our relationship with God, revolving around it and flowing out from it. Nobody likes to hurt, nobody relishes pain, and nobody wants to be marginalized and hated and ostracized by those around them, but Jesus said we would be.

If the metric by which you perceive life is the comfort and ease of the flesh, you would naturally bristle at the words of Jesus because He implies that you will experience the opposite of that. Picking up your cross and following after Him is no day at the beach as far as the flesh is concerned, so the flesh sets out to avoid it at every turn.

Because comfort is the principal desire of the flesh, it will seek out places and individuals that will validate the desire and encourage it vociferously. The flesh says, “I want to be rich,” the guy on television confirms and validates the desire by insisting that God also wants you to be rich, and you have an infinity loop of the flesh getting everything it wants due to the voices undergirding its desires.

It’s an insidious sort of sleight of hand when you think about it. The smiling faces insist upon the idea that God wants you to be happy, but they never explain which you. If they are insinuating that God wants your flesh to be happy, that’s a lie from the pit of hell. If they are saying God wants your spiritual man to be happy, then the spiritual man with a renewed mind is delighted in Him.

The flesh is the fulcrum the enemy uses to distract believers from the spiritual. He doesn’t fear possessions, positions, or prosperity; he fears power, and as long as he can keep believers from desiring power, he’s more than willing to glut you with baubles.

The moment your perspective shifts from flesh to spirit, from you to Him, from your glory to His glory, you become dangerous to the devil. You become an unstoppable force that cannot be sidelined, silenced, distracted, or carried away by the lust of the flesh or the pride of life. All for Him. All through Him. All by Him.

The enemy always tries to corrupt the corruptible. The most corruptible part of man is the flesh in which his spirit temporarily resides, and as such, it’s through the flesh that the enemy attempts to starve and weaken the spiritual man.

You become proficient in that which you devote your time to. It is a fundamental principle that has withstood the test of time. If you practice piano every day, you will get better at playing the piano. If you feed your spiritual man every day, your spiritual man will inevitably grow more robust. If, however, you indulge your flesh at every turn, it is the flesh that becomes the dominant force in your life, and you will become a slave to it anew at some point.

If the Son has set you free, don’t volunteer to go back into bondage because your flesh misses the excitement, the pleasure, the buzz, or the world. Don’t be the person that returns to the sin carousel with the consistency of an atomic clock, then wonders why they’re still stuck in the same place, spinning their wheels, growing comfortable with things they found repulsive just a year or two ago.

Some people take half a lifetime to climb the mountain and feel the exaltation of reaching the mountaintop, only to freefall down its face in a handful of minutes and find themselves at the bottom once again. All the hard work, sweat, breath, aches, and exertions made null by one foolish, ill-conceived decision.

It’s not just sinning I’m referring to either, at least not sin in how we usually catalog it. Sometimes, we have our defenses in place when it comes to temptation via external sources, but we allow the heart to fuel the desire for more than God has in store for us at present and so make efforts toward that end.

To tamp down the feeling of unease, we tell ourselves we are doing it for God and the Kingdom, you know, giving Him a hand and moving up the timetable because we feel like we’re ready for more.

You may feel or think you’re ready for more; God knows when you are ready. He is the one that determines your level of readiness, and He is the one that knows where you are needed, even though it may not be where you think you are needed.

It’s a snare as old as time and one into which men have fallen time and again, just as the angels of old who did not keep their proper domain and left their own abode.

But I’m not satisfied in my office, my position, or my status, you say. Those aren’t the things that are supposed to satisfy you. Christ is. If you are looking to be fulfilled and satisfied by a title or an office, I fear you are still in need of learning the elementary principles of Christ.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Consequence

 Rebellion has consequences. So do disobedience, obfuscation, and a divided heart. You can tell when someone is just going through the motions and when they are wholly invested in the endeavor they are pursuing. Usually, if it’s a humdrum sort of thing, the fresh faces are the new hires who haven’t gotten chewed up and spit out by the system yet, who are still bright-eyed and adorably innocent vis-à-vis the world they’ve wandered into.

They have yet to discover that there is intrigue afoot everywhere and people trying to sabotage strangers just to make themselves look better than they are. It doesn’t have to be a multi-national corporation or a six-figure job; even the third shifters with the mullets and the face tattoos are getting in on the act.

We like to believe that people are generally agreeable and easygoing, but that’s only until you poke them in a tender spot or hit upon a long-held belief and challenge it. It’s not as though you’re trying to be contrarian just for the sake of it, but if you ask me a question, and I tell you the truth, don’t get angry at me for telling you the truth you asked for.

The people of Jeremiah’s day were good at that. They all wanted to hear a word from the Lord until they heard it and realized it didn’t match up with the plans they had for themselves or that God didn’t see them in quite the grand light they saw themselves. Then their reaction became volatile and unhinged, accusing the person they went to for help of having a hidden agenda.

Raise a hand when you can see the breakdown in logic: I’ve already decided my life course; I just need God to confirm and validate it. I’m not looking for instruction or direction; I’m looking for confirmation and validation.

If God, perchance, points to a different path, then we get angry and morose, despondent even, because we thought God understood us better than this, and now He’s telling us to do something we had no plans of doing.

That’s the whole thing about obedience, isn’t it? When God commands, we obey, even if what He commands is disquieting for the flesh. Before you start earnestly praying for God to do His will in your life, you must be prepared for the possibility that your will and His will not harmonize. If this turns out to be the case, you must likewise be ready to abandon your will for His; otherwise, don’t even start.

2 Peter 2:20-21, “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of this world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.”

“I need direction.”

“Go that way.”

“That’s not the way I want to go.”

“But it’s the direction God wants you to go.”

If you’ve already made up your mind about something, don’t tempt God by asking for His input, then still do whatever you want to do even though it’s contrary to the instruction God provided. I have a friend who constantly asks for advice and never takes the advice I give him.

“Mike, do you think I should buy a pickup truck from the eighties with two gas tanks on it?”

“Two gas tanks aren’t what you want on a car, especially if gas is expensive.”

“Thanks for the advice. By the way, I got a new truck, and it has two gas tanks.”

We cannot go before God with a predetermined outcome in our minds. That’s not the way God does business. Where You lead, I will follow, has become You’d better lead me where I want to go. We make demands of God that we have no right to make. We think we can get away with this because the relationship dynamic has been flipped on its ear regarding who He is and who we are.

It is another tactic the enemy uses to keep individuals from walking in God’s will and feeling no compunction about doing so.

I’ve done the exegesis, believe me. I even went back to the original Greek, and surprisingly, being highly favored does not mean that the rules don’t apply to you. It’s like that one person you know who uses certain words in the wrong context so often that you get the feeling they don’t really know what the words mean.

I get that same feeling when I hear people try to justify rebellion and disobedience by insisting that due to their status of being one who is highly favored, they can disregard the will and word of God with abandon.

That doesn’t mean what you think it means. I know; bummer. You were all set to order a t-shirt that said little god and everything. If the angels who left their proper domain were not spared judgment, what makes us think we will be if we do likewise?

The consequence of disobedience is nothing to scoff at. The angels chose to leave their own abode, thereby committing themselves to everlasting chains under darkness until the great day of judgment. Had they remained faithful and stayed in their proper domain, the chains and judgment would not have been required.

God did not spare the angels who sinned. He will not spare this generation just because it thinks He should.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Illogical

 Whether for good or ill, human nature is consistent. We can try to tell ourselves that man has changed over the centuries, that he has become more sensitive, emotional, inclusive, or accepting, but most of the time, sooner or later, that narrative falls apart faster than a cheap plastic chair at an overeater’s anonymous soiree. The mask stays on well enough as long as everything’s going your way, there is no opposition, and you can do as you please without consequence. Once there’s pushback, once smooth sailing becomes stormy seas, all talk of coexisting goes out the window.

By the by, can you be an overeater and anonymous? I guess when you’re first getting started, it’s possible, but a few years in, I think the whole anonymity angle is a non-starter.

Most people today just want to hear an echo of their own opinion spouted back to them. Anything requiring rational thought, or heavens forbid, a contrarian opinion, is enough to tear the fabric of their reality asunder and render them intellectually incontinent.

Since either the church influences the world or the world influences the church, and the only thing we’ve been influencing lately is each other to lukewarmness, our reactions to biblical truth have become less controlled and more vitriolic.

It takes a special kind of person to relish the thought of you in Gehenna because you disagree with them on the timing of Christ’s return. Usually preceded by a ‘you’ll see,’ I am then informed that they will be as Lazarus to my rich man, failing to dip a finger in water to help ease my suffering.

I mean, not for nothing, but for folks who boast about loving their enemies, you treat people who are supposed to be members of your body kind of crummy if you’re willing to sentence them to hell for disagreeing on a tertiary issue. Could you imagine if people really had the authority to send people to Sheol? That’d be entertainment worth popping corn for.

This train of thought came about due to a recent conversation with a friend. We were talking about prophecy, future outlook, and how certain things that were foretold a generation ago are beginning to take shape before our eyes, and being the innocent naïve he is, he said, “Maybe people will start to listen given that what you guys said would happen is starting to happen. Maybe they’ll finally wake up.”

I smiled a sad smile and shook my head. “No, they won’t,” I said. “Most people have made up their minds that they’re not seeing what they’re seeing, their lying eyes have deceived them, and their death grip on their opinion just gets stronger.”

I didn’t say this to be mean or to insinuate that this generation is more stiff-necked than their predecessors; I just went by precedent. People become illogical when their preconceived notions are challenged. They will twist themselves into pretzels, accuse the messenger of being a liar, and justify their reluctance to themselves, all so they can keep believing what they wanted to believe in the first place.

Jerusalem had been sacked, the people slaughtered, and those that remained were led into captivity and taken to Babylon. The king had been taken in chains and presented before the Babylonian authority, his sons killed along with his generals, and the few that remained in Jerusalem saw all of this play out. It happened precisely as Jeremiah had prophesied it would for forty years. No one believed him until it was too late because they reasoned that Jerusalem was too strong, too powerful, too well-guarded to fall. The Lord spoke, and they did not listen and, as such, witnessed the fulfillment of the words Jeremiah had spoken to them for decades on end.

They would ask Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord, and Jeremiah would inquire of the Lord, deliver the message the Lord had given, only to be summarily mocked and rejected, and asked to inquire of the Lord anew. We’ll keep asking until we get the answer we want. Like a prophetic eight ball that you shake if you don’t like what it’s saying to you.

One would think they’d learned their lesson. One would think that after seeing the fulfillment of what had been prophesied, going forward, they would heed the warnings of the man of God without delay or compunction. They would have if Jeremiah had given them the answer they were seeking, but alas, their ways were not God’s ways, and their thoughts were not His thoughts.

I would encourage you to read the forty-second and forty-third chapters of Jeremiah to understand the duplicity of men’s hearts, but in case you haven’t the time, it went pretty much like this:

“Ask the Lord what we should do, and we’ll do it! A handful of us are left, but we’re ready to listen and obey.”

“I can do that. I will keep nothing back and declare to you everything the Lord says.”

“Sweet! We owe you thanks, and this time we promise we’ll do everything the Lord says to do. Keep us updated.”

“The Lord says stay where you are.”

“But we think we should go to Egypt.”

“If you don’t stay where you are, the Lord says you all will die by famine, the sword, and pestilence.”

“You lie! God didn’t say any of that stuff. We’re going to Egypt!”

God doesn’t stutter, He doesn’t lose His train of thought, nor does He needlessly threaten anyone. Once He has spoken, it’s on the individual or individuals in question to obey the voice of the Lord or disregard it.

Obey, and I will build you up and plant you. Disobey, and I will tear you down and pluck you out of your habitation. The people made their choice, and God kept his word. Their destruction was the consequence of their disobedience, and no positive vibes or good feelings shielded them from the wrath of God.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Safe

 As the world descends further into chaos, and all that can be shaken is shaken, the children of God must choose whether they will be dragged along by the world’s machinations or anchor themselves in Christ and rest in Him. As with most things in life, it’s a binary choice. We either cling to Jesus, trusting in His promises or are swept away into despondency with the rest of the world.

Despondency feeds on itself. It is a never-ending downward spiral that strips the heart of hope, joy, and peace. The longer you spend in that frame of mind, the harder it becomes to pull out of it because its tentacles dig deeper with each passing day until even the midday sun looks dark, and hope becomes a distant memory.

One of the benefits of being a child of God is that what is happening in the world around us does not affect us as it does the godless. We are different, at least we are supposed to be, and because our hope is not tethered to the things of this earth when they begin to crumble, we do not react as those who have no other hope but for the things they can see and touch.

It’s the difference between having the foundation crumble from beneath your feet and standing firm, resolute, and undaunted on the foundation of Christ, with not a tremor to be felt. Christ is safety from the storm, joy amid sorrow, and peace when surrounded by chaos. He’s not some third party that can point the way to these things; He is these things. Anyone offering you a substitute is a liar, and the truth is not found in them. Whether a million-dollar bunker, self-cleaning underwear, or a bucket of gruel for three easy payments, they will not give you the peace and security Christ can.

So what’s the difference between knowing what’s coming, obsessing over every detail, and trying to prepare for every eventuality? One is harmless, Biblical, and a net positive; the other can lead you down some dangerous, self-destructive, and obsessive paths.

Undeniably, the Bible speaks a lot on the topic of the last days. Jesus tells us what they will be like, along with Paul, Ezekiel, Joel, Jeremiah, Daniel, Zechariah, and so on. It was not a topic the Holy Spirit shied away from, nor was it one He avoided inspiring the writers on.

We are given to know what will be not so we might fear and obsess, but learn to trust in the almighty arm of the One who foresaw the end from the beginning, who knew not only that you would be but who, where, and when and made provision for you in that time and place.

While we see things one-dimensionally when it comes to what the future holds, God sees everything, from the events themselves, to what led to them, to the placing and positioning of His children in the midst of them, to their protection and provision through them.

God doesn’t tell us what will be to scare us but to fill us brimming with hope. What would be the point of Jesus detailing all the things that will befall the earth if He had no way of protecting you through it? What would be the point of discussing wars, rumors of wars, pestilences, earthquakes, and a plethora of other things if He was powerless to keep them from affecting us?

The only thing we must prepare for as children of God is persecution. There is a very real and distinct possibility that some of us may be martyred for the cause of Christ, but other than that, as far as what will befall the world is concerned, you do not need to worry, for you are no longer of the world.

The world needs to worry about it, most assuredly. The children of God need only compare and contrast what is happening with what the Word says and be at peace knowing that He knew, and if He knew, He’s already made a way for you and me through it.

It’s all well and good that God will protect us through the storm, but I don’t want that persecution stuff, either! This isn’t deal or no deal. You don’t get to pick door number two. The Word gave us a blueprint of what will be, what we can expect for the world, and what we can expect for the church. There are no opt-out clauses. You can’t dodge this draft by running to Canada or pretending to have heel spurs. If you are a servant of Christ, live with the expectation of persecution.

For some, it may be mild, for some severe, but all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

The only way to avoid persecution is to cease desiring to live godly in Christ Jesus. That would be like setting yourself on fire to avoid a paper cut.

The man who was beaten with rods, stoned, starved, and often thirsty and cold called it but a light affliction.

When the apostles were beaten by the Pharisees, they rejoiced in that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

There are plenty of clues as to what we can expect as children of God, and being pampered, prosperous, and praised doesn’t seem to be on the menu. Whether you believe the Word of God or not is entirely up to you. I can’t force belief on someone; no one can. All I can do is tell you the Biblical truth of the matter and pray that you choose to believe Jesus over the fevered dreams and fantasies of men. Men’s machinations may be more appealing in the short term, but eventually, the words of Jesus will come to pass, and whether you stand or fall will depend upon where you built your foundation.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.  

Resistance

 The devil is a liar. He always has been. It’s not as though he’d been telling you the truth, then all of a sudden, he went off the rails. He is the father of lies, the originator of deception, so anything he says is suspect from the start. One of the narratives being floated is that there’s no point in going against the flow. It is inevitable, and we might as well stop fighting it. This is the new normal. It is now the way of things, irrevocable like the pinkie promise you made to your schoolgirl crush. The devil would have you believe that resistance is futile, so you might as well stop resisting.

A hunter doesn’t ask a deer how he should hunt it. A deer will never be honest or forthright about the right way of going about ensuring its destruction. The same can be said of the devil and his children, who are constantly advising as to how they can be defeated. You’re asking me to believe that your magnanimity extends to your giving me counsel to aid in your own destruction.

You see this in politics all the time, and it makes you chuckle. Individuals who are rabid for their particular party start bloviating about what the other side needs to do to win, and you wonder who it is they’re trying to convince.

It’s like all those pastors who went to branding and marketing firms trying to figure out how to grow a congregation. The suggestion was simple, as it has been since the beginning of time, a no-brainer really, something obvious and easily identified: Give the people what they want! That’s it—magic in a bottle; Insta-church. Tell me I’m pretty, tell me I’m smart, and say I’m a winner right from the start. Don’t ask for changes; who’s got the time? Tell me I’m saved, and I’ll throw you a dime.

Resistance is not futile, even though the devil would love for you to think it is so. It’s the narrative he’s been building upon for generations because he knows that if the church realizes all that is required for him to flee is for the church to resist, he’d have a much harder time infiltrating congregations and spreading messages of division and disunity.

James 4:7, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

You can’t resist the devil without submitting to God first. You can’t submit to God as long as your flesh dictates your actions. One or the other must be in control. One or the other must hold the position of authority, the primacy of influence over your trajectory, direction, and goals.

When I submit to God, my will, desires, dreams, aspirations, and plans become irrelevant. They are no longer part of the equation because if they remain, I will always try to find a way to please two masters, which is an impossible task. 

It’s hard for some people to accept the master and servant paradigm, especially when voices are insisting that they are little gods, masters of their own universe, and the arbiters and deciders of their journey through this present life. It’s why so many people suffer needlessly, why they fail, hurt, and grow despondent and disjointed. It’s because they have not submitted to God, and every action they undertake pulls them in two separate directions. How long do you think that’s sustainable? How long before you’re either torn apart or acquiesced to the dominant half of your inner turmoil?

Which is the dominant half? That’s an easy self-diagnosis. Which do you spend more time nurturing, feeding, coddling, and maturing? If you spend more time in your Bible, prayer closet, and the presence of God, then eventually, you will submit, surrender, and walk humbly with your Lord in all things.

If you spend more time feeding the flesh and looking for preachers who will excuse sin and compromise, then the Word will grow ever more bitter for you because the flesh constantly grates and bristles at it. There’s no getting around the fact that the spirit and the flesh are at war. The same goes for the light and the darkness, good and evil, godly and ungodly. Why would your sworn enemy ever give you helpful advice? Why would the devil tell you what you must do to overcome?

The devil is not an unbeatable foe. He knows this but hopes you don’t. The only way he wins is if you don’t resist. The only way he becomes a constant in your life, always trying to slow you down, wear you down, and beat you down, is if you allow it.

We know that the Word of God is yes and amen. The Word tells us the devil will flee if we resist him. It is a definitive outcome. The Bible doesn’t say he may flee or that chances are good that he will. If you resist him, he will flee from you.

So why are so many believers still shackled to their old ways, prisoners of their old lives, and victims of the devil’s snares and devices? The answer is obvious, although uncomfortable. They have not submitted to God or resisted the devil, so the devil had no reason to flee.

To have the outcome God promised, you must do as God commanded. To do as God commanded, you must submit to His will and purpose for your life entirely. Half measures don’t work, but the devil is quick to insist that they do. I wonder why?

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.