Fickle Beasts

 

I’m stingy with compliments. It’s not anything new or something that came on with age. I’ve always been this way because I respect the integrity of words and that they mean things. Modern culture tends to water down and dilute everything, including the meaning of words, wherein an over the hill has been bag of wrinkles is called a heroine for shouting her abortion, or as modern parlance would phrase it, murdering her unborn child, or committing infanticide.

That said, any nurse, doctor, candy striper, or other medical staff who continued to go to work day in and day out as the pandemic broke out is a bonafide hero in my book. Why? Because when this all started last year, nobody knew anything about this virus, whether mortality rate, transmission rate, or what it could do to the average human.

Countless unknown factors served to make people trepidatious. Yet, medical professionals still clocked in every day did their jobs, and came home, all the while uncertain as to what they may have contracted when the toothless homeless fellow hocked a loogie in their eye.

As Americans are fond of doing, at a certain point, we jumped the shark. As a society, we went overboard with giant banners waving in front of hospitals declaring that heroes worked there, kids wearing my mom’s a hero shirts, husbands wearing my wife’s a hero hats, but it’s the American way. We are a bombastic people, and we like signage. That’s why Marshall’s Home Goods is still in business. Take a dollar’s worth of wood and paint, scribble Bless This Home calligraphically, and you’ve got yourself a $40 piece of art that some cat mom somewhere will be proud to own.

A year and change have passed, we know more about this malady, and chances are most nurses and doctors have had it and recovered from it. Still, because they refuse to fall in line and obey for whatever reason, they are now pariahs, worthy of being left destitute and homeless.

It just goes to show how fickle a beast the human being is because I would wager that some of those calling for the termination of these people were likely cared for by them over the past couple of years.

Although grotesque on its face, there are deeper truths we must uncover as this saga plays out. First is the speed at which society can make a heel turn as far as its heroes are concerned. An entire sector went from hero to zero in no time flat, even though the reasoning is shaky at best.

The second thing we must be aware of is that this is the perfect vehicle by which the non-compliant, the stiff-necked, and the independent-minded are weeded out of positions of power, authority, or import. The new order is looking for team players, not lone rangers, so shut up, do as you’re told, toe the line, and be quick about it, or you will be next.

It’s sad how quickly we can vilify our fellow man and how readily we can be manipulated to be at each other’s throats for something that makes absolutely no sense at all. If you got jabbed and it works, then it makes no never mind what I do. If you got jabbed and it doesn’t work, it makes no never mind what I do. It’s like rolling down your window and yelling at the driver in the next car over to put on his seatbelt because he’s going to kill you. It makes no sense, yet here we are.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

Enough To Go Around

 

The instant Christianity morphed into the business of religion, its reason for being was deformed, butchered, and mutilated into some grotesque apparition of what it was intended to be. Once it became a business, Christianity was no longer governed by the higher calling of saving souls but by the laws of supply and demand.

We had a product that most consumers tended to avoid, so we retooled it to make it more palatable. We did away with the requirements such as repentance, holiness, and righteousness and increased the benefits and bonuses. Finally, a new religion where you can have your cake and eat it too. And, for a limited time, if you sign up today, it not only applies to the great beyond but to this present life as well. 

Remember not so long ago when the entire world collectively decided that the three things it couldn’t do without were hand sanitizer, face diapers, and toilet tissue? The demand went through the roof, supply dwindled, and people were selling hand sanitizer on Facebook for the price of a used Hyundai.

Soon everyone got into the act because they saw the demand outpacing the supply. Companies that once made adult beverages now made hand sanitizer by the gallon, and every granny in North America suddenly became a seamstress making face diapers from their old, unused bloomers. As far as toilet tissue is concerned, well, it’s pricy starting up an entire tissue enterprise, but people were offering their services hoping to teach others what they can use around the house in lieu of Charmin’s extra soft. The one I liked most was pulling the two-ply toilet tissue you had apart and making it into one ply. That would make it last twice as long.

The point I’m trying to make this morning is that there’s enough blame to go around as to why modern-day Christianity is in the decrepit state it’s in. The supply would never have materialized if there had been no demand for watered down, lukewarm, libertine doctrine.

If every Christian demanded Biblical exegesis and Scriptural doctrine, you wouldn’t have gotten the rash of Joel Osteen wannabees, the Creflo Dollar pimpologists, and all the other jet-setting mansion dwellers who have at this point foregone fleecing the flock and are just skinning them alive.

It’s not as though we weren’t forewarned; we just chose not to heed the warnings. Paul was very explicit in his second letter to Timothy, warning that men would not endure sound doctrine and heap up teachers according to their desires. However, we turned it into a business model rather than take it as the warning it was intended to be.

Give the people what they want, and they’ll love you as you’re shepherding them toward hell. Give the people what they need, and you will be called every name under the sun, not by the godless or the heathen, but by the very people you were tasked with shepherding.

The situation may look hopeless, but there is one glimmer of hope. The other day I went to my local supermarket and noticed that they were giving away bottles of the selfsame hand sanitizer they had been charging $5 a few weeks earlier. Why? Because the demand had dried up, nobody was buying it anymore, and they were stuck with excess inventory they needed to be rid of.

The same principle can be applied to all the purveyors of humanistic, self-centered, flesh-obsessed doctrine that omits Christ, the cross, and the Bible altogether. The supply is exceeding the demand, and what’s worse, more and more people are waking up to the reality that though they may sound good and empower the flesh, the newfangled doctrines don’t work.

A sea change is on the horizon, and men will begin to search for truth anew. The one unanswered question is, when they begin to search for truth, will there be anyone left to offer it to them? Or, as Jesus put it when the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth?

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

American Prophetic

 It’s easy to see why the modern-day prophetic movement, and I use that term in the loosest way possible, is so ripe for mockery and skepticism. When your brand ambassadors are a pink-haired lady who wants Tammy Faye looks but doesn’t have Tammy Faye money and a guy who looks like an extra from an ill-conceived biker/vampire movie, awkward glances, and arched eyebrows are a given.

Not being one to judge a book by its cover unless the cover is of Fabio bare-chested on a pirate ship, I could overlook the cringe factor when it comes to wardrobe choice and hair color if any of the things these modern-day seers into the great beyond have said had actually come to pass.

We throw titles around loosely nowadays, marrying words that ought not to have ever been in the same sentence, like honest politicians. It diminishes both the title and the integrity of the English language.

One word that is exceedingly overused in Christian circles is prophet. Nowadays, you run the risk of tripping over a prophet or two just stepping outside your front door. I know what you’re thinking ‘how will we know they’re a prophet?’, well, they’ll be sure to tell you, over and over again, and some will even insist you call them by the title.

I’m guessing some of these individuals looked around and came to the conclusion that if a man can demand you call them a woman because they think they are, the same demands can be made regarding being called a prophet. Just because you think you are something or want to be something does not make it so. I can think I’m skinny until I try to stuff my pudgy carcass into a pair of skinny jeans. The same goes for wishing it were so or wanting it really bad.

So, as a public service, let me go through a few things you should be wary of regarding individuals who call themselves prophets or insist on being named a prophet. Why now? Because this is an issue that will only grow in relevance as evil men and imposters will wax worse and worse.

If the individual does not point the way to Christ and insists upon repentance, no matter who they are, you may have just crossed paths with a deceiver or an impostor.

If the individual, no matter who they are, cannot definitively say ‘thus says the Lord’ but goes into feelings, impressions, senses, and other such pabulum, you may have just crossed paths with a deceiver or an impostor.

If the individual, no matter who they are, attempts to exert authority over you using their so-called prophetic calling or tries in some way to profit from you, you may have just crossed paths with a deceiver or an impostor.

If the individual, no matter who they are, sets a date upon which a particular thing will happen, and it is not so, you may have just crossed paths with a deceiver or an impostor.

I understand how powerful a draw confirmation bias is. I also know how it can be used to manipulate the sheep of God’s pasture toward nefarious ends. Biblically speaking, prophecy is not supposed to be a vehicle to boost your self-esteem or a cheering section as to how great you are doing. I’ve heard one too many ‘you are the apple of my eye’ prophecies in my day, as well as ‘I know you’ve fallen short, but that’s okay’ revelations. True prophecy will never contradict the Word of God or give license to practices the Bible clearly condemns. True prophecy warns of future events, calls to repentance, and chastens in love. More could be said, but I’m getting wordy, and my kids are about to wake up.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

The Surrender Protocol

 I’m not a big fan of canned or prepackaged. That’s not to say I don’t eat absolute junk more often than not, but other than Spam, which, let’s face it, the only way to make comestible was to can it, I’d rather skip the metallic taste in the back of my throat if I can help it.

The same goes for sermons or talks I give. That’s not to say I don’t spend time in prayer, meditation, reading the word, and preparing, but as far as putting together presentations with slides and pictures, diagrams, and charts, that’s just not me. To be clear, I don’t look down on well-prepared talks, nor do I diminish the work put into them; it’s just not the way I work.

My thinking has always been that even if you take the time and painstakingly prepare a six-course meal of various delicacies, from boar, to elk, to duck, oh my, it does nothing for you if the person coming over for dinner declares that they are strict vegan the moment they walk through your door.

I may have a great talk, all polished and ready, that will do nothing for you because it’s not what you needed to hear. Sure, you can cram a bit more head knowledge in there, ooh and aah at some factoid or another, but as far as the message impacting you like a rogue asteroid, that’s unlikely to happen.

Last week I was asked to speak at a conference in California, and because I’ve known the people putting it on for the longest time, I agreed. As I was sitting in the back of the amphitheater getting the lay of the land and taking in the atmosphere, I had an epiphany of sorts. The godless are so giddy and relentless in their lunacy because they expected more of a fight from the church than the church actually put up.

We surrendered as soon as war was declared, not one shot fired, not one casualty had on either side, just plain white-bellied surrender. What’s worse is that we surrendered what wasn’t ours to surrender in the first place. We surrendered those God-given intangibles like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which were gifted to us with the presupposition that we would hold to them, value them, and defend them.

We did none of those things. Maybe we thought they weren’t worth defending, or perhaps we were just too cowardly to stand up and say no, but either way, the ghouls and gargoyles who dream of your enslavement every waking moment feel as though they have carte blanche to do whatever they want for as long as they wish.

If there is still an America, our children’s children will look back on this time and hang their heads in shame. They will see us not as heroes who made the best of a bad situation but as cowards who gave up everything for the illusion that a piece of cloth over our faces and a jab in the arm would somehow make us immortal.

All men die! It is the way of things. The how and when of it is not up to us, no matter how in control we think ourselves to be.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Basic

 It’s not complicated, it really isn’t, but we won’t allow ourselves to accept the reality of it because that would mean this entire upheaval we’ve been going through has to do with nothing more profound than power.

It’s not about saving lives, or keeping you safe, or anything lofty and idealistic. It’s basic, really, it’s about keeping the power they’ve managed to finagle through fear, and increasing it exponentially. Once you get your first hit of power it’s like crack and cocaine put in a blender, and mainlined directly into your bloodstream. You’re always going to want more and you’ll do anything to get it.

 I’m assuming that’s what crack and cocaine in a blender would feel like because I’ve never done either, but you can see the mad gleam in the eye of anyone who comes into possession of undeserved authority, control, and power over their fellow man. Once they taste power on their tongue everything becomes about omelets and eggs and having to break one to make the other. By the way, if you haven’t caught on yet, you’re the egg!

Why is it important to know the underlying motivation of our dear leaders? There’s more than one reason to be sure, but the most important is to dispel the myth that what they’re doing, they’re doing for your own good rather than their advancement.

Yes, there is the far more nefarious subset whose goal is a one world government and a reset of all things, but for the most part, this particular class of politicians have but one thing on their mind.

You need to know what you’re dealing with in order to act accordingly. There’s this meme that’s been going around the internet forever about a mountain lion in a bathtub, with the words ‘nice kitty’ as the subtitle. There’s nothing nice about the power mad, or their inner circles which profit off their positions. They create an interdependent eco-system of grift and filthy lucre, and God help any man that dares to interfere with it.

Evidently all you really need to sell your paint splatters and finger doodles for north of half a million bucks is have a relative with political clout, while real artists cut off appendages hoping to get some traction to be able to afford ramen noodles. That’s just one of the more egregious examples, but this sort of thing happens all the time, in both political parties, and those that reject the notion of profiteering off the average Joe, are summarily ostracized, marginalized, and silenced.

No longer does the political class pledge their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor, because they have no honor left to pledge, and as far as fortunes are concerned, that’s why they got into this game in the first place, to make fortunes.

The blind are leading the blind, but as long as there is bread and circus they will continue to trudge along, ever closer to the edge of the precipice. By now those willing to see it are seeing the reality of what we have created, and also what is on the horizon. Even those willfully blind will see, but by the time they see it will be too late to do anything about it.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Undesirables

 Unless it’s one of those Indie flicks no one likes, but everyone pretends to understand and love because they think it makes them seem sophisticated, most movies, at least the good ones, the film regular folks like, are made up of a three-act structure.

Whether you call it the inciting incident, midpoint, and climax, or the setup, the confrontation, and the resolution, there are still three components that make the whole of a movie.

I’ve been noticing of late that even though we are barely into the first act of this global drama, some believers are insistent that this is the climax, and we must act accordingly.

“This is it, baby, fourth quarter, no downs, seventh-inning bases loaded,” I don’t know; I mix metaphors, and I’m not into sports, but let’s just say that there are many insisting that the jab and poke are what the book of Revelation was referring to as far as a particular mark was concerned.

If it sets anyone’s mind at ease, it’s not. Not saying the ouchie isn’t nefarious, not saying that it is, just saying that it’s not the Mark of the Beast. That said, looking at the entire situation dispassionately, it sure is a nice way of paving the way for it and removing those not readily given to blind obedience from positions of power and authority. Isn’t it?

Because it makes Beth Moore fans feel empowered, for the longest time, we’ve been teaching the church that the devil is nothing more than a naïve with a dunce cap and a drool cup sitting in the corner trying to trip people as they walk by. We ignore the Biblical description of him as a roaring lion because that would make it more challenging to sing, ‘we’ve got the enemy under our feet, wouldn’t it?

What’s the point? Am I trying to make you scared of the devil? No, I’m trying to make you understand that the devil is smart enough to engineer a test run before the actual unveiling of the mark of the beast.

You don’t just come charging out into the open, unveiling your diabolical plans. First, you probe the outer perimeter, identify the weaknesses, see how compliant the majority are, how far you can push them with fear until they realize the object of their fear is an illusion. Then, and most importantly, you identify those who aren’t so easily culled and remember them for later.

I promise you, if you have been deemed undesirable if you somehow made it known that you’re not up for going along with a global suicide pact, then your name is on a list somewhere.

If this was a test, we failed. By ‘we,’ I mean the royal ‘we,’ and include everyone from the church on down. While I can’t throw too much shade at the world because for the past two decades, they’ve been conditioned and programmed to be soft, spineless, their men to be dainty and effeminate, I can and do find fault with the church.

How easily we succumbed to fear and pressure and fell in line, some even doing the bidding of that oddly reptilian fellow with the gravelly voice and New York accent.

Gone are the days of being bitten by a viper and nonchalantly shaking it off into the fire as though nothing untoward occurred. Gone are the church services where pastors read the scriptures that in no uncertain terms insist that if you drink poison, it will not harm you.

We don’t have the faith for that kind of stuff anymore, but we sure do have enough faith for prosperity. Ah, the wonders of the modern-day Christian Church.

More to be said on this topic. Maybe I’ll make it a series.   

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Requiem

 

If the only thing remembering what was serves to do is make us disgusted with what is and troubled by what is to come, we will fall into the same snares time and again until we are spent and are no more.

Heeding one’s own advice is necessary, especially if not becoming a hypocrite is paramount in every action you undertake. I’ve never been a big fan of hypocrisy. I tend to think it tastes like a mouthful of pennies, even though I’ve never actively caught myself willingly being a hypocrite.

I’ve seen enough of it in Christian circles throughout the years to make me wary of it, and know without equivocation, it is not something I wanted to court, invite, or embrace.

I have not posted anything for some time, not because I’ve had nothing to say or because I haven’t written anything, but everything I’ve written seems to have been birthed from anger, and I don’t want that.

Yes, there are countless things to be angry about, and the list is growing longer every day, but having taken my own advice, I pulled back for a while because angry rants just for the sake of releasing some pressure is counterproductive. Typing out ‘I told you so’ a hundred times and posting it is likewise counterproductive, so I’ve been taking my advice and living as though I am terminal. I’ve been enjoying my daughters, my wife, the weather, and long walks that start before dawn.

The nation has chosen its path, its trajectory is clear, and all that’s left is to prepare individually, steel ourselves spiritually, and root ourselves in the Word and promises of God.

I’ve butted heads with the rising phoenix wing of the Christian church one too many times, and our verbal jousts leave me hollow. It’s like throat punching a toddler; there is no glory in it. Wishing it, hoping for it, manifesting it - which isn’t a Biblical thing but more a New Age flavor of pseudo-spirituality – will do nothing to change the reality that an unrepentant nation is deserving of the judgment soon to befall it.

I would have stayed gone save for an e-mail forwarded to me by my staff, and it struck a chord. Yes, Krista, your e-mail. So, moving forward, I need those of you that read my ruminations to understand that if I post something, it will be the truth as it always has been. It is not intended to stir fear in your heart; it is not intended to make you panic or flee to the hills. However, I will not sugarcoat the truth or water it down for fear of making you uneasy.

There is no point in me lying to you today to put you temporarily at ease, only for you to realize I’ve lied to your face come tomorrow. I would rather tell you the truth, have you bristle at it, but see the veracity of it down the line.

As I said, I don’t want to write angry, but I’m sure anger will seep through from time to time. Yes, I know, most spiritual authorities currently in the limelight are saintly to the point that they need not contend with anger, but I am not one of them. Nor am I a spiritual authority for that matter.

We are in a pickle, kids, and it’s not going to get any better, rising phoenix notwithstanding. Anyone who tells you we’re turning a corner is lying to your face, and the best you can hope for is that they are not doing it knowingly or with malicious intent. Nations either pivot toward repentance or toward more rebellion when they see the writing on the wall, and I’m not seeing sackcloth and ash being out of stock anywhere.

Although some of you may kick yourself for asking for it, I plan to get back to a regular writing schedule and share my thoughts with you, that is, until I get branded some sort of undesirable or another and get de-platformed.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.