I think that one of the greatest problems we have in the Body of Christ is distraction. The devil makes sure of it! Distraction is losing the order of our priorities. 

The Merriam Webster dictionary says it this way, “something that distracts: an object that directs one’s attention away from something else.”^[1] That something else, in this case, is our divine priorities: 

1. Our quality time with God.
2. Our quality time with our spouses (for those who are married.)
3. Our quality time with our home family. 
4. Our quality time with other believers. 
5. Our quality time in our ministry. 
6. Our quality time in our jobs as we make a living. 

I promise you that if you order your life focusing on these priorities, in this order, you will enjoy peace and joy. You may say, what about when bad news strikes? That is unavoidable; but if you are focus, you will be better prepared to face such challenges. If you are hit with bad news when you are already distracted, it will be even more devastated for you and the folks close to you because it will set you up to making emotional decisions. 

You may say, “I am too busy for this.” What we all need to understand is that placing your life in order is more important than anything you are distracted with. Martin Luther surely had the right prospective when he stated, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”^[2] Beloved, it is imperative that we stay focus today more than ever as the culture, Hollywood, many sport figures and politicians rebelled against God’s righteousness.  If you do not stay focus, it will be a matter of time before you join them in their rebellion.   

^[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distraction

^[2] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/35269-i-have-so-much-to-do-that-i-shall-spend

As I woke up this morning, I felt physically tired, and I did not have a sense of joy and peace. I went to the Scripture and read chapter 5 of First Peter; verse 10 in particular got my attention.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. First Peter 5:10 (ESV)

There are obviously four key words here: Restore, Confirm, Strengthen and Establish. 

1. Restore: This is the Greek word katartízō; meaning, “To adjust, fit, finish, from ártios (739), fit, complete. The fundamental meaning is to put a thing in its appropriate condition, to establish, set up, equip, arrange, prepare, mend.”^[1]
2. Confirm: This is the Greek word sthenóō meaning “To make strong; to make alive; to vitalize, to revive; to prevail, be of strength; to reinforce, to strengthen more.^[2]
3. Strengthen: This is the Greek Word stērízō; meaning “To stand. To set fast, to fix firmly.”^[3]
4. Establish: This is the Greek word themelióō; meaning “Foundational, fundamental. To lay the foundation of anything. To lay even with the ground.”^[4]

Oh, and as I studied these words, I felt that peace that overpasses all understanding^[5] and my bones began to come alive with the joy of my Father. As if this was not enough, the Holy Ghost took me to First Peter 1:7-9 and say,

so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. First Peter 1:7-9 (ESV)

Thank you Father for your Word, thank you for this new day. No matter the challenges, no matter the way of the world, the political and cultural atmosphere of this nation; the pain we feel for our love ones who are lost, our enemies who hate us just because we love you… Oh Father, my trust is in you and in you I find restoration, I find the revival of my soul, I find strengthen and a firm and secure foundation. In Jesus name… Amen

^[1] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

^[2] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

^[3] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

^[4] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

^[5] Philippians 4:7

Everybody has an opinion, but when it comes down to the ultimate destine of our souls, don’t you want to be sure? As I look at some folks around me, some love ones; those I know from my childhood and beyond, I see one pattern. They all believe in God, but they have a 911 kind of relationship with God. Outside of the times of trouble, God is not even a consideration. They don’t even ponder on the reality that God is worthy to be praise, that we must worship God and that we must trust him. 

I am asking you two questions: 1) If you die today, what is your final destination?   Don’t tell me you don’t care. You are still wearing a mask, some of you guys are wearing two masks and a face shield, even when you are by yourself in your car you are masked up, you are still social distancing and you have not hug anybody, not even your own mama in over a year. So, don’t tell me you don’t care about death.  The second question is even more profound, 2) in what you based the answer to the first question? 

Jesus tells us, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” John 3:3 (NIV) In John 14:6 Jesus also tells us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (NIV) 

Beloved, in order to be a part of the Kingdom of God’s family we must be born again, and we must remember that nobody goes to the Father unless they go through Jesus. In Christianity you can’t have it your way; as a matter fact, Christianity encourages us to die to self (Matthew 16:25). Christianity is not about exalting self; there is no room for arrogance… NONE!  We live to give glory to God (First Corinthians 10:31). In the things of God, we don’t establish our own conditions; those conditions are established by God and God alone. I hope you start meditating in these questions before is too late.

At the time I write these words I am 52 years old. I have been a believer since April 26, 1997. I started teaching God’s Word almost immediately. I used to work with Foster Care Children and the change on my character was so radical that they started asking me many questions about the Lord. I became a deacon later on, an Elder, Worship Leader, Men’s Ministry Director and as time went by, a Senior Pastor position. Yes, I knew how to sing, preach and teach; I knew to say the right things, but deep inside, I did not know how to have peace and joy. 

Peace and joy are powerful emotions that every human soul desires. As a matter fact you can take all the drugs in the world and divide them up into two categories, one to make you hyper and the other to calm you down. Drugs are used to control how we feel. Every person, no matter their faith, deep down, wants peace and joy. Sadly, many things get on the way of experiencing peace and joy such as our sins, bad decisions, circumstances, etc.  

It is amazing to me that last year was the year where I enjoyed peace and joy like never before in my life. In the midst of the Coronavirus’ mess, changes in our society, social distancing, mask, etc. my soul, for the most part, was at peace and joyful. In Romans 15:13 the Bible tells us, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)

Everything starts with trusting God. Without trusting God, we can’t experience hope, without trusting God we can’t experience joy and peace. There is no wonder the Bible tells us that “…without faith it is impossible to please God…” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) Isaiah has something to say about peace when he states, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) 

Jesus tells us in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (NIV) Jesus commands us to not let our hearts be trouble and not be afraid. Don’t expect peace and joy without trusting God. 

Jesus’ 33 years on this earth impacted the world in such a way that time itself was divided before and after Christ. However, many have denied his resurrection from the beginning. This is the context in which Paul wrote chapter 15. This chapter is a defense and explanation of how vitally important the resurrection of Christ is for our faith. Without the resurrection our preaching is in vain. Corinthians 15:13-14 tells us,

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁴ and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. First (New American Standard 1995)

God’s plan for humanity has been under attack from the very beginning. It was through the disobedience of Adam and Eve that death came into humanity. That problem needed fixing; Jesus fixed that problem with his resurrection. He became the sacrificial lamb. We must add that the cross completely fooled the devil, the resurrection was a total surprise for the devil and his kingdom. First Corinthians 2:8 tells us, 

None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (NIV)

Obviously, the devil regrets killing Christ. The devil realize that the power of Christ’s resurrection was the key to the redemption of the world. That same power is available for you and me today. Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Casting Out Demons

Up to this point in history, the world has seen the power of God manifest many times. The main example of that power manifested in the Old Testament came as God used Moses to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt. God truly put on a show there! In the New Testament God is putting on a greater show through Jesus. God is using his Son to bring people out from the dominion of the world to His Kingdom. Nobody has seen that kind of power manifest before; nobody has seen demons scare and flying off of people. But God was about to put up another show, this time through the church. In Luke 9:1-2 the Bible tells us, “And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons…” Luke 9:1 (ESV)

The word power here is the Greek word, dunamis “ability, physical or moral, as residing in a person or thing; power in action.”^[1] This is where we get the word dynamite.  It is the same word use in Acts 1:8.^[2] The word authority here is the Greek word, exousía; meaning, “Permissible, allowed, right, liberty, power to do something.^[3] We have the divine power to cast these demons out; but this power goes further, is dynamite and it only operates when you and I take action. We also have the right to cast these demons out. We can’t ignore this; it may make you a little uncomfortable, it may take away a little of your sense of dignity in ministry, you may even be one who experienced a bad deliverance ministry; but you can’t take anything away from the biblical reality of demons and the power and authority we have, from Jesus, to cast them out of people’s lives.

One chapter after that, in Luke 10:17-20, Jesus sent out the 70 disciples. He sent them by two all over the known world. This is the report they gave when they return,

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” Luke 10:17 (ESV)

Compare this report with the report we see in Numbers 13:32-33 when Moses sent out the 10 spies, 

So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” (ESV)

With the exception of Joshua and Caleb these spies gave the people a bad report; they could not believe they could take these giants, even after witnessing the power of God. Even as the 70 disciples were not dealing with physical giants or Nephilim, as discussed before, they were dealing with the same spirits. Demons are the spirits of these Nephilim. Back to Luke 10 Jesus answered and made sure the 70 disciples focus on the right thing. 

18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (ESV)

Jesus made sure that these 70 disciples stayed focus on what is the most important thing of all, the SALVATION of the lost. We can’t be walking around focusing on demons.  Nevertheless, Jesus did not minimize the importance of God’s people walking in the authority to cast out demons, Jesus continued by stating,

21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” Luke 10:17-23 (ESV)

As I always say, demons should never… ever, be comfortable in the presence of a man or a woman of God. Casting out demons is biblical. When a demon come against us, we have the right to strike back, but only in the name of Jesus. You may ask, what about the principalities or the gods of these nations and regions around the world? I have not one Scripture telling us to rebuke the devil or any rebellious god. What I see is a Scripture that tells us, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 (ESV) Any good deliverance ministry starts with 1) our obedience to God and 2) resisting the devil. The result of doing these two things is a devil that will indeed flee from us. But if we are living our lives any kind of way, if we are rebellious against God ourselves, if we are loose in our approach to righteousness, don’t expect any deliverance. 

Because I don’t see any Scripture telling me that I need to rebuke the gods of this world, I simply don’t do it. However, I see plenty of Scripture telling me that Jesus has all authority. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus gives us his last words and the instructions we should focus on,

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV)

We must remember that Jesus has all authority now. So, we can pray for God to protect us from the principalities of this world and to protect us from evil as we move forward trusting God to save folks and to anoint us to make disciples as we teach them the ways of the Lord. God is literally taking these nations back and, just as the children of Israel were a part of what God was doing then, we are a part of what God is doing now.

^[1] W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 2.

^[2] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (ESV)

^[3] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

Believing in God and trusting him goes together. Believing in God’s existence is not enough. Demons know that God exist also. John 2:19 tells us, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” Actually, demons are a step ahead of those who approach God as if He is a mere human; demons have enough sense to also tremble. Furthermore, God’s existence is really undebatable. Romans 1:18-21 tells us, 

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (ESV)

This verses clearly tells us the truth about Atheism… it does not exist! What is real is hatred against God, rebelliousness, ungodliness, unrighteousness and suppressors of the truth. However, the existence of God is, as the Bible states, in plain sight. The issue for humans is not God’s existence but trusting him. As a matter of fact, Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “…without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (ESV) 

Notice that just believing in his existence is nothing special; there must be trust in knowing that there is a reward for those who trust Him no matter the circumstances.  Folks who fall apart over every challenge or obstacle in life are not placing their trust in God; they are placing the problem above God’s power and that my friend, is very offensive to the Almighty. That is why without faith it is impossible to please God. It amazes me that faith is so important that is not only a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), but also a gift of the same Spirit (First Corinthians 12:9) and, a crucial ingredient in our own salvation (Ephesians 2:8). 

America seems to be synonymous with freedom and opportunities for all. After all, America is known as the home of the brave, the land of opportunities and a place where all dreams come through. That is, of course, the utopian America; the one that conservatives love to defend, and liberals love to hate. But even as America is still a great country; America is part of the world and, like each one of us individually, America is not perfect. 

Today, I want to address the Cancel-Culture. I defined Cancel-Culture as a vigorous attempt to cancel and, in some cases, destroy anything or anybody that stand or represent a different view from what the progressive principles determine to be right or wrong.

The cancel culture has always been around. The idea that this is a new thing is simply ridiculous. Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (NIV) 

The folks who do the canceling are the folks in power; the folks who get canceled are not. It has and, it will always be like that. The people in power chose who the good and the bad guys are; they decided who gets the spotlight, who stays in the shadows and who the heroes and losers are. They have the power to edit the pages of our history and tell it in whatever way they want and, they are in charge of the laws to. 

For example, these days I have been reading on boxing and baseball history. In that study I saw the cancel culture in action as I looked at two sport legends: Jack Johnson, the first black world boxing champion and, Babe Ruth, considered by many as the best baseball player that ever lived. They were both immoral, they were both adulterous and, they were both womanizers. However, one was protected by the folks in charge and, the other, put in jail by the same people. You can guess who was protected and who went to jail. 

All through our history, the ugly face of discrimination has shown her face. Those who have the power to discriminate are in charge of the cancel culture. Today, it seems like those who were discriminating then have lost significant grounds in our culture today. It was ok some years ago to be a racist; definitely not ok now. That is a good think. However, we are now looking at the same discrimination from the other side. You may say, “well Angel, that is justice.” I want to reply by reminding you that, as believers, we are told “…not repay anyone evil for evil.^[1] I guess it is the old saying “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

In the midst of her greatness and love for freedom, America has always had a part of her that is disgusting, a part of her that fights to keep certain groups of our society in chains. It used to be blacks and minorities in general on the receiving end of such hate. Today, we can say, that it is the conservatives and Bible believer Christians who are the main recipients of such hate. Furthermore, it is God the main target for that hate. The nations of the world turned against God thousand of years ago. In Psalm 82:3-7 Asaph prayed by stating, 

Defend the weak and the fatherless;
    uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
5 “The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.
    They walk about in darkness;
    all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 “I said, ‘You are “gods”;
    you are all sons of the Most High.’
7 But you will die like mere mortals;
    you will fall like every other ruler.” (NIV)

This is why we encounter so much evil in the world; these gods or principalities have been influencing regions and cities around the world to resist anything established by God. That is exactly what they are doing today. America is not exempt from such principalities of hate. 

In conclusion, this idea of a certain gladness for knowing that at least, in America, we are free, all through our history, it has always been at the expense of other groups. The cancel culture was, is and, it will be a central part of our culture and the cultures around the world until the time of the gentiles is over.^[2] The principalities will continue to vigorously attempt to cancel God and his church, but at the end of this dimension of life; more specifically, at the end of the millennium, all evil will be cancelled from the face of the earth for all eternity… you better believe that!

^[1] Romans 12:17

^[2] They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Luke 21:24 (ESV)

The responds of churches to the Coronavirus was helpful in our quest for a Church Family here in Arizona; it actually made it easier. The first church we attempted to make our home church closed before the governor even ordered to close churches in Arizona. I wonder where all that preaching about God’s power went. It seems like they were very comfortable with the online church. So, they left us! 

After weeks of watching church online we were hungry for fellowship with brothers and sisters. I will always thank God for Danielle, one of my wife’s co-workers who invited us to visit her church. I met her husband Allen and we connected right from the start. They introduced us to their pastor, Pastor John. Pastor John, like me, loves golf. He asked me for my Handicap first and then told me that he will call me for a game of golf on a Saturday. For my surprise, Pastor John did call me to play. We had a great fellowship in the golf course. My wife and I visited that church several times without making any commitment. 

It was in that church, Harvest Outreach, that I received the first invitation to preach. I played golf with Pastor John a few times. As we were playing a round of golf, pastor John told me that he felt the Spirit telling him to let me preach. When this invitation came, we were also visiting a church in our community. We got a quick invitation to sing in that community church and quickly after, the pastor expressed that he wanted for me to be a pastor there. 

We decided to choose the church in our community over Harvest Outreach, probably more out of convenience than anything else. We actually got involved in the music ministry. I never felt at peace there, but it was within walking distance from home. A few months later it was obvious that we made a mistake. No need to go into any details. We left that church; we should have never joined.

My wife and I decided to, for the first time, take our time in finding this home church. At the end of last year I said, we will look and visit churches in our area, and I trust that by March of 2021 the Lord will show us our home church. One Sunday morning we went online and look for churches inside of a half an hour from our home. We had a basic standard. After about 9 hours of searching, we only had five churches in our list. 

We visited these churches and again, I don’t want to go into details, but looking for a home church is not easy folks.  We found churches consumed with Hillsong, Bethel and Elevation music, we saw churches that looked like shows, we saw churches where a pastor was preaching out of some book outside of the Bible. We went to a church where the front doors were lock with no usher at the door. When they finally open the door, everybody inside was masked up, social distancing; the people were cold, folks afraid of saying hi. After a few songs from the worship team the pastor made his entrance with his bodyguard. We also saw a church that was losing their minds over Trump loosing. The whole service was political; they made it obvious they were Republican. 

After all these experiences my wife and I looked at each other wondering what we were willing to compromise. I continued to pray, and my wife continue to pray for God to give me wisdom. 

A week or so ago I can’t say that an angel spoke to me or I heard the audible voice of God, but out of nowhere I started thinking deeply about Pastor John and the Harvest Outreach Church. By then we have had good fellowship with Danielle and her husband Allen; we ate at each other’s home a few times. I ate breakfast with a few men from the same church and enjoyed the fellowship and, definitely enjoyed playing golf with pastor John.

I realized that Sunday that Harvest Outreach is our local church. It was the church that was there for us during Covid-19; they kept the doors open and received us with great love. We realized that we are no longer joining churches for the two-hour show on Sundays; if it does not feel like family is not a home church for us. We feel that this church is part of our family. I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord will do there in us and through us. We are looking forward to learning and serving at Harvest Outreach.