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About SpiritualHardCandy

My name is Nathan Allen aka "Nations" and I am a poet, novelist, spoken word artist, minister and author of Expressions from a Contrite Heart. I hope you enjoy this blog as I plan to focus moreso on issues from a Christ-centered perspective. However, I admit that I do like controversy and even just talking about the human experience. Oh, and I do have a silly side. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are living life abundantly!

Spiritual Hoarding

12 Nov

Have you all ever watched an episode or two of that show “Hoarders?” If you have then you already know that what you see on this show is quite unbelievable. Professional psychiatrists and organizers work together on each of the cases to attempt to bring back some kind of order to the chaotic lives of the individuals being profiled. The “hoarders” on this show have homes that are comparable to that of a landfill! The first season that I watched this show, I was dumbfounded as I saw homes covered in animal and even human feces! Refrigerators full of food more than a year old, clothing and other artifacts piled up all the way to the ceiling, and roach and rodent infestations are extremely common in these hoarding situations. The different rooms that are typical to a home lose their function altogether. From bathrooms no longer functioning and become storage rooms to kitchens becoming virtual cat litter boxes, these situations are common with compulsive hoarding. I’ve seen situations where dining room tables and even couches were literally hidden beneath piles of junk and hadn’t been seen with the naked eye in years!

The truth is that most of these individuals have a real psychological problem. They can find sentimental value in something like a nasty pair of underwear from a loved one who died years ago! Yes, that is how crazy and insane compulsive hoarding can get! In some of the most extreme cases, homes could not be salvaged and had to be torn down.

One thing I noticed about these individuals who compulsively hoard is that their problems run very deep. It is the outward expression and the visible “fruit” that makes their issues seem strange, and even hopeless. These individuals are often grieving over losses that have occurred in their lives and many have basically given up on people and life in general. I also believe that fear is also a root cause of this issue as well. Compulsive hoarders will care more about an unsalvageable coffee table covered in rat feces than a loved one. They can attach their affections to things that have no value or that are even unsanitary. It looks absolutely insane to us “normal” folks, but they have adjusted their entire lives around their distorted thinking. Chaos and dysfunction have become their normal.

So I have watched this show on and off over the past couple of years, and marveled at this hoarding phenomenon. But as of lately, I believe the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about spiritual hoarding. In other words, many of our spiritual houses look just like the homes on this show. The various sinful habits that have gone unchecked could be like the feces and various infestations in the home. The lack of proper cleaning and physical damage done to the home is like the erosion of our spiritual houses due to lack of a prayer life and time spent in the Word of God. In many of the cases when they found skeletons of pets they thought had run away and just general stuff from years ago; this is like the many hidden sins and issues that we failed to address over the years. The saying that “Time heals things” is worldly and an outright lie! The issues simply become buried, whether it is under facades or just other issues that may be manifesting at the present time. They don’t go away. We in essence are engaging in spiritual hoarding.

Recently, I had a buddy of mine come visit for a few days. As a result, I had to take on the task of getting my other bedroom in order. It serves as my office and I had allowed it to get cluttered. However, I didn’t realize how much stuff I had stashed away until I began to dig deeper. (I hope you see where I’m going with this)  I had so much junk mail, work papers and just junk in the closet that I was even surprised. Well to make a long story short, I gradually cleaned the room over the course of a couple of weeks and ended up taking out four large loads of junk on different days. I found stuff from ten years ago and things that I had formally held onto that no longer served a purpose for being in my home. I even found a reminder or two from my sinful past… As I purposed to get this room ready for my guest, I had to be willing to dig deeper and go through all of the stuff that needed to be thrown away. I actually felt like on of those hoarders from the show. As a matter of fact, the music that plays at the end of an episode when they usually get someone’s home cleared was playing in my head once I finished the room! LOL!!! But on a serious note, I realized that in so many ways we are no different from those who compulsively hoard. I know that there are many people in the body of Christ, who are still holding on to past hurts, sinful habits and unforgiveness. Their spiritual houses look just like the ones in the natural that have been subject to physical hoarding. Their spiritual houses are chaotic and don’t function properly due to lack of prayer, lack of faith and a lack of consistent reading of the Bible. Their sinful habits continue to increase the level of filth.

So… It sounds like we must get our houses in order. If the Lord is supposed to dwell in our temples, it must be spotless. Otherwise, He will not dwell there because He is holy. As for me, I’m trying to get my “spiritual hoarding” under control. I’ve decided to no longer watch that show with the same JUDGMENT as before. Those who compulsively hoard, have their problems manifest in an extreme way for everyone to see. However, we all know that God looks at the heart and sees EVERYTHING. When I finished cleaning the guest bedroom, the entire atmosphere had changed and there was so much space that opened up. It was a breath of fresh air and almost like a new found freedom. We can have this freedom in our spiritual lives if we are willing to dig into the clutter and began to clear it away. Jesus paid it all so that we can have this freedom in Him. So for now, I’m journeying to find the secret place where I can ascend to a new glory and keep my spiritual house clean.

Nathan Allen Copyright© 2012

 
3 Comments

Posted by on November 12, 2012 in Spirituality

 

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Divide and Conquer

29 Oct

Mark 3:24-25 says “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” NKJV

We are living in probably the most turbulent of times in this country since the Civil Rights era. That era along with the Civil War are the only times I can think where this country was more divided. With the election looming next week, all the rhetoric is prevalent in all of the media outlets as we wait to see who will be the Commander-in-Chief of this country for the next four years. However, I don’t intend to write specifically about the election or about the division of this country. I intend to write about the division of the CHURCH.

Now considering politics, evangelical Christians and fellow believers have traditionally supported the Republican Party politically and this continues today. However, there are other believers, especially minorities who have supported the Democratic Party. On the surface, it might appear that one party represents Christianity more than the other. But when I look at the BIGGER picture, I just don’t see it. We also have to keep in mind that politics is just that: politics. There are so many hidden agendas behind things that seem “good” and there is so much corruption in the political world that I don’t see how any believer can devote themselves to either party. Contrary to popular belief, neither party has, or ever will uphold the standards of God. There are other issues besides gay marriage and abortion folks! Also, I believe actions and attitudes speak much louder than mere words and political talking points, even if it does involve a little Christianese. So I bring all of this up because in the past couple of elections I have heard so much rhetoric about how “true Christians” would vote for a certain candidate and/or political party. Even now when I look on social media outlets and even hear televangelists speak, people are now willing to question or even doubt another’s salvation or “level of faith” based upon whom they chose to vote for! This should not be! I understand that iron sharpens iron but this clearly is not it! It is tragic for people to actually believe that others are “tares” and not wheat solely based upon which candidate they choose to support. I believe that we all need to realize that embracing this mentality is falling right into the enemy’s plan of division amongst the body. True enough the Word specifically talks about the separation of the wheat and the tare, but basing this upon a man-made political ideology is way off base and irresponsible at best. We are fighting each over this mess forgetting that no true politician can be godly! There are always going to be gaps in ethics according the ways of God because of the inherent nature of politics… and capitalism. If there are any godly politicians, they will likely have a very short career. But of course, we have allowed political smoke and mirrors to cloud our vision of unity in the body.

The enemy also has the church engaged in cultural wars. Whether it is the style of the worship arts (mainly music) or the style of preaching that occurs in the pulpit, Christians are fighting over what style or culture they believe is more pleasing to the Lord. Instead of working together and adopting a “Kingdom mindset,” there is more interest in who is right and who is wrong. Instead of understanding that God made us all uniquely and appreciating the beauty who each person is called to be, we are willing to tear each other down and isolate from people who don’t do “church” or “ministry” the way that we might prefer. So it is not a big surprise that it seems more rare to see churches working together to help manifest the Kingdom of God in the earth. I have heard so many instances where churches have made the effort to be multi-cultural only to backfire because people only want to do “church” and ministry according to their familiar traditions. Sadly, many folks are still only comfortable worshipping with people that look like themselves. Yes, even in 2012, Sunday mornings are still the most segregated day of the week in the great old USA. Just recently, I read an article about racism in the church in an online Christian magazine. The blog comments below the article were shocking and left me a bit dismayed. They were the exact type of comments one would see on any of the major news network sites. I became angry as I read comments stating that certain races were “cursed” and others revolving around “reverse racism” and affirmative action. In other the words, the comments were WORLDLY even though we are supposed to be set apart. I believe the Heavenly Father is going to augment the issue of RACISM in the body and bring it to the forefront so that the bride can be healed from this sickness.

In these last days there is also a spirit of discord amongst the brethren. I have witnessed at least 4-5 church splits just in the last fifteen years in the city where I went to high school and college. And even some of the churches resulting from the initial splits have had their splits as well! Now there are a few small churches in the western side of this particular city that are doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! And this is all because of folks who want to be “right” and leaders who ultimately don’t follow the Holy Spirit. It seems like everyone has an agenda! What is wrong with us? I guess I would have to write a book to answer that question but ultimately it can be narrowed down to a short list:

  • Arrogant, prideful and greedy leaders who want to be worshipped and believe they can do no wrong (See II Timothy 3:2-5)
  • Competition amongst ministries, leaders and members within the church
  • Gossip and slander
  • Churches operating like businesses, corporations and places of entertainment
  • Lack of the Kingdom mindset
  • Worldliness in the church
  • Immature believers who carry a spirit of discord and who are unwilling to grow spiritually – See Proverbs 6
  • Holiness is no longer right

I have seen so much garbage play out in the church it is not even funny. Oh, and let’s not forget about scandals that end up in the mainstream media.

I believe maybe one of the core issues is that the brethren are still unsure about their value to the Kingdom and the beauty of their unique purpose. As a result, their insecurities cause so much drama within the church! There are so many individuals who are operating way out of their purpose with the church structure and body! I Corinthians 12:12-25 talks about the different parts of the body and how they must operate as intended in order for the body to function as a whole. Paul stated in Colossians 3:12-13 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

I Corinthians 1:10 “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

I hope that we modern day believers can follow this example. I hope that we can become the real church, the real bride that will rock this world to its core! But I think we have a long ways to go… Right now those outside of the faith are mocking and scoffing at the church because it hasn’t shown them anything different. The church lacks power, authority and influence due largely in part to the divide that exists within it. But right now the enemy and his minions are having a field day with the church! They are laughing and using the lack of unity to further the kingdom of darkness! Souls are hanging between heaven and hell, yet we’re fighting over who leads the praise team. A plethora of social ills exists in society, but we’re too busy fighting over theology (denominations = division) to address any of them or at least be of influence. The church should be an example of people loving one other and the cultures being reconciled, but racism and prejudice is just as real in the body of Christ as it is in the world. When does it ever end?

On a more positive note, I acknowledge that there is a remnant of churches in this nation that are spirit-filled and bearing much fruit. There are churches and leaders who are DESPERATE to see the lives of the people change and for the harvest to be brought into the Kingdom. They are willing to sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom. There are no perfect churches or leaders; however, the focus should be on the Kingdom. The focus should be on people being saved, healed and edified. So can we stop all of the useless fighting? Can we sucker-punch the devil and his minions by operating in a spirit of unity and love? I sure hope so…

Nathan Allen Copyright© 2012

 
3 Comments

Posted by on October 29, 2012 in Spirituality

 

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It Will All Be Worth It

03 Oct

On that glorious day, I believe the Heavenly Father will speak affirming words to all who endured and remained in right-standing with Him. I will only attempt to convey what my holy imagination tells me He will say to different types of people. On that day, everything will finally make sense as we are all completely formed to His image and are given the new heavenly bodies. We will be made perfect! It will all be worth it!

 

To the person with the major deformity or rare disease, the Heavenly Father will say:

Thank you, and well done My good and faithful servant! Thank you for showing others how to live in victory in spite of your circumstance. Thank you for not believing the enemy of your soul who tried to get you to believe that I loved you less. I needed people to persevere and show the world the true definition of strength and character. So I chose you long before you were formed in your mother’s womb. I envisioned your bravery and how your life would bring Me glory. You have no idea how many souls you touched and inspired! You held your head up high above the taunts, the jeers and the stares and chose to keep your eyes on the cross of Calvary. You allowed the blood of My Son to cleanse away self-pity, doubt and unbelief. I was there right beside you the entire time up until you breathed your last. While I had to comfort those around you, I rejoiced because I knew that you would be forever in My arms. You fought the good fight! Long suffering has paid you eternal dividends! Now go and see all that your faithfulness has given you for eternity!

To those who died young, the Heavenly Father will say:

I was always jealous for you. Before this earth existed, I adored you and knew that I could only send you to the earth for a short time. Yes your days were short and few but a part of My masterful plan. I couldn’t bare the thought of you having to remain in all the wickedness and evil of the world. I needed you by My side sooner than later. So thank you for shining My light and being salt to those around you. Thank you for learning how to embrace each step of the path I laid out for you with gladness and joy. I fashioned and formed your infectious smile and aura with My precision, and it brought Me such great delight! You left imprints of My glory after you breathed your last. I have come off of My throne and am running to you with open arms because we are now reunited. Now you will bask in My light for eternity and reign with Me forever and ever! Your reward awaits you!

To the artisans who went unrecognized, to those who dreamed big but seemingly came up short, the Heavenly Father will say:

I saw your sorrow that you kept hidden and I bottled up all of your secret tears. However, I rejoiced when you decided to choose joy over happiness. I gave you marvelous gifts that were for My glory. They were like precious jewels that a woman would keep locked in her jewelry box away so nobody would take them. Thank you for allowing My spirit to tame the wild stallion in your heart. Thank you for worshipping Me and not your gifts, charisma and ideas. Thank you for choosing the audience of Me over the audience of many. I needed secret weapons in the spirit realm for specific times and you held on to your faith. You allowed Me to use you the way I always had intended. Thank you for choosing Me over fame and riches. Thank you for being a pure vessel that only desired My presence and for My purposes to come forth. Thank you for not trusting in the promises of worldly success and trusting in the life I predestined for you. Thank you for not taking yourself too seriously and overcoming jealousy and envy of those who I chose to use in a more visible way. Your weapons remained razor sharp and defeated demonic forces in ways you would never know. Your gift caused great conviction, edification and repentance to those assigned to you. The applause of heaven shall now forever fill your ears! Go see all the rewards that never gathered up dust! 

To the soldiers killed in war and those who died saving the lives of others, the Heavenly Father will say:

Your bravery has earned you a glorious crown that will forever sit upon your head. No greater love is there than for a man who will give his life for others. I placed that love on the inside of you. In a world full of pride and selfishness, you remained selfless. You showed the world the true meaning of sacrifice and became a hero. Not only are you forever remembered in the earthly realm, there is a chapter in the Book of Life that is all about you! I’m your daddy and I will always say, “This is my child in whom I am well pleased.” You are of the chosen few throughout the ages who believed in something enough to die for. So in essence you truly lived! Enjoy the eternal fruits of your labor! For they were never in vain, and when I tried them in My holy fire they held up and remained. Now go see all that you have gained!  

To those who were martyred, the Heavenly Father will say:

Your death was victorious! It shook the very foundations of hell and caused demons to tremble! Your blood spilled and turned the hearts of many into fertile ground. Many lukewarm souls were made hot by your death. Many others came into My kingdom after witnessing or hearing about your passion for Me. You brought in a great harvest! Thank you for not loving your life till death. Your unwavering obedience kept you on that narrow path no matter where it would lead to because you trusted in Me. The truth is that I suffered with you even up to the moment when your earthly body was killed. But now I adorn you in this white robe. You will now rest in My glory and enjoy pleasures forever more! The pain your flesh endured has given you access to everything in My kingdom! Go and behold treasures that have been never seen!    

 

This life will have its troubles, but He said that he would never leave us no forsake us. Life is not fair, according to mankind’s standards. But Isaiah 55:8-9 says “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (NKJV) His plan is perfect despite whatever might seem to manifest in the natural. We have to trust in what we cannot see. We must walk by faith and not by sight. Trust the Heavenly Father as He is saying “It will all be worth it!”

Nathan Allen Copyright© 2012

 
2 Comments

Posted by on October 3, 2012 in Spirituality

 

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Where is the Reverence???

12 Sep

I remember growing up in New Hope Baptist Church, which had a congregation between 300 and 400 people. The church building was average size and was just a block away from Morning Star Baptist Church where my grandparents still attend to this day. I remember the other kids and me laughing at people running up and down the aisles shouting on Sunday mornings. We would always end up getting scolded by one of the adults. I can still hear the fast beat of the drums, along with the people’s hand claps and my mother keeping up on the piano. I remember the pastor whooping and hollering during his sermons and my mother playing chords, as if she were a background singer to his sermons. The summers at the church were filled with Vacation Bible School, and I began honing my vocal skills by singing in the youth choir. Sunday morning services would last for at least three hours and then there was still the evening service for that night! The elderly mothers of the church wore their hats decorated in magnificence and always smelled like roses or peppermints. The deacons and trustees always wore suits and ties. We would always wear black on first Sundays because of communion, and I remember the hand fans that had Martin Luther King’s picture on them that we used because it was so dang hot during the summers! I’m not sure if the church had central air or not. This was my reality back in the early 1980s and I’m sure the same or similar experience existed years ago dating back to post-slavery.

So why am I reminiscing? Because back in those times, I believe that there was a more sincere reverence for the Lord in the church. Now please understand that I’m not suggesting that folks didn’t have sin issues. I’m not saying that the churches back then were free of gossip, slander, doctrinal error and even scandal. I just believe that there was more of a reverential fear of the Lord compared to the present times. For example, when I was a kid, the nicest clothes I owned were reserved for church. I believe that is where the term “Sunday’s best” came from. The tradition was to look our very best because we were entering into the Lord’s sanctuary and it was regarded as holy. When I think about all of the special instructions that the priests of old had to follow and the holy garments that they wore when coming into the presence of the Lord, it was because of a deep reverence for Yahweh. I believe that God has never changed (despite the fact that we are now under grace) and would appreciate us at least trying to show some reverence. What happened? Many people still dress up for church, but the new trend is to dress down and be casual. “Come as you are,” so to speak. Granted, I know some people cannot afford nice clothes, but we should always look presentable when entering into the Lord’s sanctuary, if possible. Nowadays I only dress up when I go to my parent’s church and my suits and ties seemed to be reserved now only for special occasions like weddings, banquets or a special night out on the town. Wow… I thought gathering with the saints to celebrate the Lord was supposed to be a special occasion. It seems like the things that were once considered to be sacred no longer matter. When I read in the book of Exodus about the numerous details and excellence that was done in regards to building the Ark of the Covenant and its accompanying pieces, I wonder if God is longing for that same kind of reverence to be shown to Him in this hour. I am thoroughly convinced that there is a standard of excellence that the Lord expects, but we are so blinded by this thing called grace that we forget Yahweh has not changed one bit! We need to lay prostrate before Him because I believe that we’ve gotten way too comfortable with Him and He is grieved. You know; the “Jesus is my homeboy” mentality. Hmmm… We probably need to be very thankful that He is slow to anger and is withholding His wrath from us.

Flashing back to my childhood again, I think about how I and others got scolded for various behaviors (even playing with toys) that were considered inappropriate inside the sanctuary because it was held in high regard. During church we were supposed to be attentive and involved in the service. However, it is now common to see people on their cell phones texting, checking Facebook statuses and checking email while sitting in service! Even worse, cell phones ringing! Lord help us! Like I said earlier, nothing is SACRED anymore! But I have been guilty of some of these very things, and for me, it didn’t stop there. The Lord corrected me even in not showing up to church or ministry commitments in a timely fashion. We can show up to our jobs, movies and concerts for our own selfish reasons but we get real lax when it comes to church or doing the Lord’s work. Is the Lion of Judah now an alley cat? Is the Rose of Sharon now a weed? Has the precious Lamb of God become a donkey? Have we “progressed” and supposedly received so much new revelation to the point where maybe too much flesh is in the way? Or maybe this is because many are worshipping a god of their own making and NOT the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (That is a separate blog post coming in the near future)

This lack of reverence has spilled into almost every aspect of the present institution of church. For example, worship has become more about us than Him. While this is not in every church, I believe many have forgotten that worship is to honor Him alone and that it is not about showing off vocal and musical talent. It is not about what is pleasing to our ears but what is pleasing to His ears. Recently, my pastor mentioned how we can raise our hands at a football games to clap and cheer for a team, but not lift our hands during worship. How sad! I can even recall the times I have visited a prominent church here in the Atlanta area and on two separate occasions the dance team performed (not ministered) to a SECULAR song. Now I’m not saying that all songs outside the Christian or Kingdom genre are bad, but this was in the sanctuary! If the priests of old would have done something like that in the temple, God would have struck them down dead instantly! Read Leviticus 10:1-3 about what happened to Nadab and Abihu when they offered up something that was unsanctified, unholy and that which the Lord did not command. They offered up defiled worship because they did not regard the Lord with a proper reverence and it cost them their lives.

Something else I notice is that some churches show an undying devotion to a leader but not to God, just like the Israelites who were desperate for a king more than God Himself. Well the result was not a good one because we know what happened with Saul. (See I Samuel) As a matter of fact, all of the kings failed because they were mere men. However, people will give away their money and lust after a chance to meet with the pastor. Yet they don’t have a hunger to be in the Lord’s presence. There is no devotional life of prayer, no studying the Word nor simply learning to sit in His presence at home. As a result, of this lack of reverence, there are many places of worship that have become places of entertainment and charisma, and the Holy Spirit does not dwell there.

I know that I have different areas of my life that need much improvement to reflect a sincere love and devotion to the Lord. If we are truly disciples, then we should be disciplined in showing reverence to the Lord in the various areas of our lives. We have become too big in our own eyes and that has caused us to not regard Him as Lord, but more of a spiritual Sugar Daddy who will bless our mess. We want to be on the throne just like Lucifer did. I pray that we get back to the proper place of fearing Him and desperately removing ourselves from the throne so He can take His rightful place in our hearts. Funny how we are so quick to refer to the old school church as outdated (guilty as charged), but one thing they had over this newer generation is a sincere reverence for God Almighty.

Nathan Allen Copyright© 2012

 
3 Comments

Posted by on September 12, 2012 in Spirituality

 

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Don’t Let Your Ambitions Lead You Astray

04 Sep

Months ago, I started occasionally hearing the Lord say to me, “Don’t let your ambitions lead you astray.” James 3:16 states, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” (NKJV) I have come to better understand this scripture much more fully and the Lord has illuminated it to me through a couple of specific examples.

I believe that ambition with the wrong motives is simply another form of idolatry. The flesh, the frailty of the human soul and demonic influences create the desire to be exalted or affirmed in a not-so-healthy way. This is defined as the pride of life. We are the creation and He is the creator. He made us for His good pleasure and the only way we will ever find peace is to allow the Lord to fill the void in our hearts. He is the only one that can fill the void because He created it just that way. Our affirmation should come solely from being called His child. The fact that He has a specific calling for each of us should be enough for us to dedicate our all to Him and not be so high-minded, especially with our ambitions. His purposes should always override ours, and when they don’t there is always the potential for catastrophic consequences.

In the movie “300,” there is a deformed, hunchbacked character named Ephialtes that is desperate to join King Leonidas and the rest of the Spartan warriors in their conquest to defend their nation against the Persian forces. Uninvited, he follows the army and eventually makes his desire known to King Leonidas. However, the outcast has a moment of truth when it’s pointed out to him that his severe handicap would be a hindrance to the rest of the soldiers because of the way that they shield each other from the slings and arrows of enemy fire. However, King Leonidas is gracious enough to offer him some alternative duties in lieu of combat that were in fact honorable. But of course, this wasn’t enough. Ephialtes gets highly offended and rejects the offer because fighting with the other soldiers was the only way that his desire would be satisfied. While his intentions might have been good, it wasn’t a part of the divine path that was laid out for him. God created him for a different purpose. He couldn’t handle what he believed was rejection. Ultimately, his desires and ambitions to be a soldier were so great that he betrayed his own nation! His lust for what he believed would affirm him caused him to be lured in by the leader of the enemy Persian forces who accepted him as a soldier in exchange for information that would aid them in defeating the Spartans. He traded in good for evil to satisfy his own ambitions.

Jeremiah 29:11 states “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (NKJV) I have had to ask myself whether or not that scripture is a cliché or a reality that I will choose to trust despite what circumstances try to tell me. I wonder how many of us are lusting after the callings of others or things that we think will affirm us because we don’t understand why God created us. Or could it be that circumstance, our flesh and demonic influences have perverted our vision and God’s plan for our life appears undesirable, especially when we perceive other’s callings to be greater or more important? I believe that this was certainly the case with the Ephialtes. He had no confidence in who he was authentically created to be and formed an ambition that was outside of the purpose for his life. Many of us in the body of Christ are in the same boat, and we need to abandon ship before it sinks…

Ambitions that are ungodly and selfish always result in some form of destruction. Think about the pastor who believes he should be overseeing a “mega-church” or that he has revelation that the world “desperately needs to hear.” His ministry must be something grandeur in order for him to feel affirmed in his calling and to tell him he has value. So he starts watering down the Word of God and comes up with catch phrases that sound more like an advertisement or a chant at a pep rally instead of the pure gospel truth. His junk sermons make people feel good about their sinful situations; thus they never grow spiritually, but the congregation keeps growing in number. Before long, he and his church are in great error, but his “success” blinds him to the truth. The offering plates are full due to large numbers and the focus is on prosperity and notoriety rather than character and integrity. II Timothy 4:3-4 prophesied this present reality by stating “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (NKJV) In addition to his thousand-dollar suits he dons when preaching in front of the congregation, his growing celebrity status becomes a stronghold. He is unable to preach the pure unadulterated gospel for fear of losing members, but his congregation is still sipping on milk and not able to digest the solid food of the Word of God. Most of his congregation is stuck in the pit of sin and can’t get out because they aren’t even accustomed to receiving any form of rebuke or correction. Thus, his ambition has led himself and several other souls astray. In order to regain right standing with God, he will have to be humbled greatly, repent of all that he has done and suffer the consequences that he will have reaped.

If we are in the Kingdom of God, then everything we do should be for His glory alone and should benefit the kingdom. We are to love one another and focus on others more than ourselves. Ambitions that were not born from the spirit of God will always lead to works of the flesh. I Peter 5:6 states “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” (NKJV) But in order to do this, we have to have a proper reverence for Him. A healthy fear of Him. Understanding that we are only saved by His grace and recognizing that we owe Him everything will cause someone to realize that they really don’t have a leg to stand on. In other words, we don’t have the right to waste time pursuing things that don’t bring Him glory or that have hidden agendas bent towards self-exaltation. And I believe the Lord will test those He has chosen in this very thing. Doors will seemingly open to the things that we desire and have hoped for, but they will involve compromising what we know is pleasing to the Lord. Are our ambitions so strong that we are willing to jeopardize our relationship with the Lord in order to get what we want? Unfortunately, Judas’s answer to this question was a resounding “yes” when he betrayed Jesus Christ for some silver. Hopefully, you and I will make the right choice.

Nathan Allen Copyright© 2012

 
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Posted by on September 4, 2012 in Spirituality

 

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