Getting Out of Emotion and Using Discernment – The Marvin Sapp Response, and Prayer

"Praying Hands", Courtesy of WikiMedia

I've seen a few posts on FB this morning about the response of Marvin Sapp about a song called "Stay Prayed Up". I will admit that I'm not familiar with the song, or the writer/singer of the song. But I can say, that his response is a false statement.

Below, you will find the question of a lady, and Mr. Sapp’s response.  Later, I will break down his response – a lie, wrapped in a tiny bit of truth – as the word of God says “…a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” (Galations 5:9, 1 Corin 5:6).

Please read my only response to the song "Stay Prayed Up"

Mr Sapp, I was a big fan of yours however as a Christian I'm a bit confused about your motivation to record the record prayed up. I intentionally watched you on the HOA and was taken back by your conversation with Kandi at the studio. You continued to tell her not to try to explain herself, and that she didn't have to apologize etc. I'm just wondering is this the watered down version of the word you are teaching in your church? The bible says "my people perish because of a lack of knowledge." It also says "GOD would rather that we be hot or cold." Not trying to come off as judgmental but this is the type of thing that makes the church look no different than the world. So fed up with this new concept of stooping to the worlds standards to reach souls Jesus hung out in places with sinners to reach them but HE never comprised GIS standards nor GOD's word. Kandi is motivated by money just wondering what's your motivation?

Usually I don't respond to people about things like this however I must this time. The problem with many in the church is 1.) that we major in minors and 2.) ignorant (not well studied) of scripture. Lets deal with the first, This woman who was an ex R&B singer that sells sex toys and live with her man decided on a show that reaches 10 million viewers per showing (believers and unbelievers) to sing about,,,, Not sex toys, drugs or living with a man but PRAYER!!!!!! and the saints are upset. The lyric says, "I stay prayed up, that gets me by, that how I made it through my darkest time, see I'm a sinner and thats no lie, but thank God my prayers are heard because he knows I try" Wow!!!!! nothing elicit or comprising about the lyric.... So lets look at how Jesus dealt with the sinner..... From my study of scripture the only people he checked was the church (religious people of that day) however the sinner he consistently showed COMPASSION!!!!!!! Examples...... Woman caught in the ACT of adultery Also the Woman at the well....... Never exposed them publicly, dealt with them privately. We as believer major in minors...... So caught up in the messenger that we are missing the message "Staying Prayed UP". Now I close with this...Everyone that God used in scripture was flawed and or had struggles.... Let me call the roll..... Moses was a murderer, Rahab was a harlet (whore), David was a murder/adulter and still considered a man after Gods own heart, Peter was a cutting cusser however was in the inner circle of Jesus, Paul was a murderer and made many blaspheme against God however wrote 2/3 of the NT, He spoke through a Donkey and if we decide to be quite rocks will cry out... We say we are christians which means being Christ-like but question peoples motives that model his behavior....The bible speaks about witnessing and that you need to be wise to win souls and Paul says I became all things to all men that I might win some.... Compromise was never done here nor do I condone her life style or life choices and keeping 100 you don't know the off camera conversation we had. Again big picture 10 million people at 1 time were challenged to PRAY in difficult times WOW!!!! Thats Awesome and Ministy..... PS Didn't spell check because I'm late to a meeting.... Be Blessed

Now, before we begin, we must agree on a few biblical truths before we move forward:

1. We need discernment to understand God’s Word and laws (Psalm 119:125)
2. Only believers will understand God’s Word ( 1 Corinthians 2:14)
3. The Word of God is true, without error, and used for instruction and correction (2Tim 3:16-17)

If we can agree to this, then, let’s continue….

There are two things that need addressing here. The first is how much a Christian will idolize one person, so much so, that they ignore the discernment that God is giving them to see something that is dangerous to their souls.

Now, I will admit, this first part will be commentary, I will add supporting scripture where I can, but ultimately, I am just sharing my observations.

After Mr Sapp raised this statement, there were many that came to his side in his defense. I believe that is what caught my attention. My newsfeed was flooded with “Amens”, and the like, agreeing with what he said. Many of the “amens” were emotionally charged – as to say “he told them!” or “that’s right, y’all church folk, that’s why don’t nobody wanna be bothered with you!”. Some were “amens” because what he said sounded good on the surface. Those were the “amen” attitudes. But what does “amen” really mean?

Yes, we know the conventional meaning of “amen” – “so be it”. But why do we say it? Let’s look at scripture:

Rev 3:14 (KJV) 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saiththe Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;…..

When we agree with our “amens” we are saying that whatever we are agreeing to is as pure, faithful and as truthful as THE AMEN Himself! The Amen is Christ! So, we can’t just go around “amening” to anything. That is not a word to throw around lightly. The attitudes above did not reflect agreement in The Amen. What they reflected were bitterness and anger at someone who was bold enough to ask a question. Someone who was bold enough to hold someone accountable for the office they proclaim and the message that they are sending. Those “amens” were blatant disdain and goes completely contrary to the Word of God when it says:

1 John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.”

Matt 7:15-22 15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

People of God, we must be careful in these times. She was not out of order, and Christians who hold other fellow laborers, whether they be famous or not, or pastors or not, accountable for their words and deeds, and want to do as the bible says, are not either. In fact, making sure we are not among wolves IS being obedient to Christ, and it is very wise in doing so. Many are led astray because they follow another voice blindly instead of listening and following Christ’s voice….always remember that.

John 10:4-5(KJV) 4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. ***discernment and knowing the actual Word of God will keep you from following strange voices/doctrines.***

The second is the issue of prayer.

The more and more I read his statement, the more and more clear the subtle lie became. That one little subtleness is the leaven in the lump. And isn’t that exactly how the enemy works? Now, don’t get all emotional on me…I did NOT call Mr Sapp the devil – don’t let that spirit rise up and confuse you. See carefully what I said – the enemy works in subtleties. He is cunning – just ask Eve! He will twist something ever so slightly that you won’t even notice that the lie is in there – but it’s there. So let’s examine this and pull back the covers on this serpent. I would like to do this in 3 ways. I would like to examine the song, the message, and Mr. Sapp’s message.

I did go and research the young lady who sang the song, as well as the lyrics. And yes, they are “uplifting” – but what are they uplifting?

The first stanza – speaks of the loss of her husband, her grief and her trying to keep it together for her daughter.

In my research of her, I found that before she was married, she lived and had a daughter with her boyfriend.That was something that was new for me. I don’t watch the show, and don’t know anything about her – except for the things I found that she wrote, and other things I’ve found in my search. So, I was under the assumption that her daughter was with her deceased husband. Anyway, in this song, she admits to fornication. (Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Revelation 21:8-9)

The chorus – A lyric that stands out and should catch a believer’s attention is this verse: Yeah I’m a sinner and that’s no lie. Thank God my prayers are heard cause He knows I try.

This lyric, the crux of the song, is contradictory to the Word of God. These are not His words, or His truth as He cannot lie or contradict Himself. (John 9:31, Psalm 66:18, James 5:16)

The second stanza – speaks of her trying to hold her home together, keep her kids happy. But it’s hard because she always feels judged, but she’s just trying to do the best she can.

But, trying and doing are two totally different things in the kingdom of God.  Jesus says, if you love me youwill keep my commandments (John 14:15,21) He also says only those who do the will of His Father will see heaven and be considered His brother or sister (Matt 7:21, 12:50). And willfully going from living with one man not her husband and having a child, to living now with another who is not her husband is not trying, as well as her other choices and lifestyles contradictory to God’s word is not trying.

So what message is this song sending? It’s sending the message, God, I know I’m messed up, I’m doing wrong. But, I’m just gonna pray and keep doing it because I think you hear me and you know I’m “trying”. Is that the life that God would want His elect, His royal priesthood, His Bride to have when He tells us to Repent and accept Christ as our Savior – the one who can restore us to where God wants us to be?

Now, for Mr Sapp’s message. As a man who has over 5,231 “friends” to this time at 10:33pm on 2/26/13 on one page and 4,955 on another at this same time, he must be careful with giving the truth of God’s word.

Let us lay down the enchantment of his voice, fame and status for a moment, and use God’s discernment – especially after what we have just gone through…

The accusation of “church folk” majoring in minors is both divisive and inflammatory. Admit it, when you read that, didn’t you have an “us vs them” mentality? But, aren’t we ALL brothers and sisters, one body in Christ? (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 2:14,16 ,Colossians 3:15)

Second, as “church folk” majoring in minors is what we are supposed to do. Now, I’m not exactly sure what he meant by that statement. But, from the times that I have heard it used, it was to say that people are too nitpicky. But didn’t we just learn that we are suppose to be nitpicky? Aren’t we suppose (according to the Word) inspect the fruit and test the spirit? If we are not nitpicky, we will start to let (which as already happened even after several warnings in the bible) false teaching AND prophets enter into the body of Christ. I for one, dare not meet Christ and He ask why I didn’t test spirits and check fruit and I say “Well, Lord, I didn’t want to be majoring in minors”. Please believers, don’t let someone trick you into not checking actions and motives – either of those in “church” or out of church. Every spirit should be tested, and every fruit should be checked – even the pastor.

Third, he admits that he knows this woman is in sin. Yet, he mixes the “holy” (supposed “gospel” song) with the profane. Why? Why as a man of God who is blatantly telling us that those who question are ignorant of the Word of God, is himself ignorant of this very warning from God?

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 - 14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. 18 And I will be your Father,  and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Last, he goes down the “roll call” of those who were sinners. But what he fails to say is – yes, each and every one of those people sinned. BUT, when they encountered God, when they encountered Christ – they were changed. God chose Moses, and Moses obeyed His call. God chose David, and David obeyed his call. The adultress encountered Christ and He commanded her “GO! And sin no more”. And she obeyed. He encountered the woman at the well, and she went back changed and witnessing about what the “Man at the well did” when He told her everything about herself. Those people were believers. And you must know, that God’s promises are for those who are believers. I highly suggest you read my last writing “Why I Am Not A SinnER” if you haven’t already – it will help greatly with this truth and understanding.

With Mr Sapp’s stamp of approval, he has now led those “over 10 million viewers” both unbelievers and believers a like (which I don’t believe or understand why believers/disciples of Christ would be watching things that HE tells us to guard ourselves against – but that’s just me) to believe that it’s ok to be in your sin – “Do what thou wilt” the mantra for the satanic believer – and say a prayer in tough times, God will hear you and you’ll be ok. That is a lie from the pit of hell. Going through all of the scriptures you should be able to see that. Satan is crafty. He is very good at what he does. He’s been doing it well over 2,000 years, and he has no need to change up his game, because it works.

WE HAVE TO KNOW THE WORD OF GOD!! It’s the only way that we will not be deceived. Eve didn’t know the Word of God – and she was “beguiled”. Jesus DID know (and IS) the Word of God – and put satan to shame on the mount.

Do you know what would have honored God? If Mr Sapp would have taken that time on camera to lead Kandi to God for salvation, that would have honored God. She by her own admission has no relationship with him. If Mr Sapp would have shared the gospel for 10 Million hurting souls to hear and seek the true living God, that would have honored God. That is what would have been awesome and ministry. Instead we are left with a song that will get people emotional, but not seek true salvation, and fade over time. Those few minutes on air was squandered for the benefit of selling a record (face it, that’s really what it was about. No one would have bought it otherwise). It has been said in their defense that maybe one person could have been saved. Well, I will tell you, unless the pure gospel was preached during that time – not one soul was led to Christ. The Holy Spirit is the one who draws – not a tv show, or a song. And if someone was “saved” I will bet you my $10 I made today that it is a false conversion. This scenario sends mixed messages to see someone who lives a contradictory lifestyle singing about a God she doesn’t know along with someone who is supposed to not be ignorant of the scripture (remember those who are not adopted into His family, don’t know Him because they can’t understand His word). And he, WE as believers should know this.

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

Please use discernment,

+Deidra Hall 
Board Certified Coach 

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For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deut 20:4  Translation: We never lose!!

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Getting Into a Rod Bending Match With God

Courtesy of WikiHow.com

I know what you're thinking.  That is a really weird title.  Besides, how could I possible get into a rod bending match with God.  He is all powerful and we all would lose every time.  Well, that is exactly the point.  We cannot and will never win a contest with the Triune God!

The phrase "rod bending match" is something I came up with a few years back (it may not be original, but hey it was new to me)  It is when we, wrestle with and against the will of God when directed by the Holy Spirit.  We are like the rod, where we try to resist bending at all cost, but being omnipotent, not only do we lose, but we can be broken.  Our will is not stronger than God's will no matter how much we resist. When I think about this analogy two individuals in the Bible come to mind.  They are Jeremiah and Jonah (Moses resisted the Lord at first, but you can read on that in Exodus 3 & 4).

As humans, you will find that we are all in agreement with getting things done until the responsibility falls onto your shoulders.  This is no difference with Jeremiah.  In Jeremiah 1, we are introduced to Jeremiah and we are told that this is where the Lord calls him and give him his first visions.  In the first message the Lord tells him, "I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5).  In the very next verse, Jeremiah says, "'O Sovereign Lord', I said, 'I can't speak for you! I’m too young!'" (Jeremiah 1:6).  In his one answer, Jeremiah makes two excuses.  First, he claims that he is too young.  Secondly, he said that he could not speak for the Lord because he was too young.

As you might know, you cannot out wit or excuse your way out from the all-knowing God. You can only allow Him to show you the strengths you already have or what He can give to you.  In a very parent like manner, the Lord tells him not to make the excuse that he is too young.  He then tells Jeremiah that he would say whatever He told him to say!  I could only chuckle at that because as parent I can relate!  The beautiful thing about this correction is that the Lord also assures Jeremiah not to be afraid of the people and that He would protect him (just like a parent).  At that point, the Lord touched his mouth and put words in it (Jeremiah 10).

Problem solved.  Jeremiah only made excuses as to why he could not do the Lord's will.  However, Jonah is a completely different story.   Let's have a look at Jonah.

Jonah 1:1-3 says:

(1) The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: (2) "Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are."  (3) But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

Jonah had a direct order from the Lord to go announce His judgement against the city of Nineveh, but he chose to run.  Where did he think he was going to go, I have no idea, but he tried to run.  Jonah, then buys a ticket aboard a ship, but as the ship traveled over the sea, "(4)...the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.  (5) Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.  But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. (6) So the captain went down after him. 'How can you sleep at a time like this?' he shouted. 'Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.'  (7) Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. (8) 'Why has this awful storm come down on us?' they demanded. 'Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?'  (9) Jonah answered, 'I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.'  (10) The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. 'Oh, why did you do it?' they groaned. (11) And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, 'What should we do to you to stop this storm?'  (12) 'Throw me into the sea," Jonah said, "and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.'" (Jonah 1:4-12).

Even the sailors knew that running from "Jonah's God" was a bad thing.  They wondered how could Jonah do such a thing and now they were caught up in his disobedience.  After trying to continue through the storm, the sailors gave in and threw Jonah overboard.  In Jonah 2, we see that he is then swallowed by a fish (not a whale as some are taught.  The Bible just says a fish.) and there he stayed for three days and three nights. At that point, Jonah had finally quit running, prayed, and agreed to be obedient as to what the Lord had set out for him to do.  "Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach." (Jonah 2:10).

In both scenarios, the Lord's will prevailed.  You cannot make excuses.  You cannot run.  You cannot hide.  Even your own resistance can make you feel like a fugitive on the run from the police.  You're constantly looking over your shoulders.  You are on edge about every thing.  You see everyone as a potential enemy and then wonder why things are happening in your life they way that they are.  Only if you circle back to the original issue, it could be that you are running from God's mandate on your life.  Stop running and surrender.  It will only make things a little easier for you.

So what has He called you to do?

Be Blessed.

Antoine E. Hall

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Why I am NOT a SinnER….

I’ve been having this conversation a lot lately. And it’s not well received. You would be surprised by all the names I’ve been called by “Christians”. To tell you the truth, I am not surprised. It’s hard hearing the truth after you’ve been lied to for so long. After this declaration, I’m sure many would join the ranks and call me “apostate” or “judgmental” or a “liar” or some sort and stop reading. But, I ask that you please hear me out.

There’s been a lie circulating in the “church” for a very long time, and that doesn’t surprise me either. I’m telling you, once I’m done, you will truly understand the difference between sheep and goats. So, before I begin exposing the lie, we will both need to come to agreement on some basic biblical truths.

1. The Word of God was written for believers (2 Tim 3:16-17)
2. Believers are those who have been drawn through the Holy Spirit and God, understood the truth, accepted the Messiah, and are spiritually born again into His family. (John 6:44-45, John 16:8, John 14:6, Romans 10:8-10, John 3:3,5)

If we can agree on that, then let’s move forward.

I want to give you some quick analogies.

• My husband and I well occasionally hold hands, move in real close and sway from side to side, but, I am not a dancer.
• I cook almost nightly for my family, but I am not a chef.
• I volunteer with students at my children’s school – help them with math, but I am not a teacher.
• I commit ACTS of sin, but I am not a sinner.

See, I can do these things, but it is not my essence. These things are not who I am….I’ll further explain.

In a conversation, I was told that I was a sinner (by this time, the conversation became very hostile b/c of some biblical truths I had said). I asked the person to please do not lump me in that category, as I am NOT a sinner. Then this verse was thrown to call me a liar:

Rom. 3:23 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”

But see, this verse has a semicolon, and many who quote this verse tend to forget the last part of that sentence. So let’s explore….

²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

***Well, look it there, there’s a colon as well, which means, there’s more to follow, although that sentence can stand alone….***

²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Here, I’ll give it to you in an easier version, because sometimes the KJV can be difficult to understand. Let’s take the NLT (New Living Translation) version:

²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴ Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

Do you see that truth there? Those who believe in Jesus (which is more than just saying “yeah I believe in Him” but actually DOING the will of the Father as stated in Matt 7:21) are declared righteous by God…righteous people are NOT sinners.

Let’s look at other verses about sinners/Unbeliever vs a Believer/Saint.

2 Corinthians 6:14(NLT) - ¹⁴ Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?

**I like the KJV because it says “unequally YOKED”. To yoke means to be tied together, bound together, connected.***

This verse is separating those who are “righteous” from those who are “wicked”. And, we just established above, that God calls us “righteous”.

Here’s another:
Eph 4:18-20 - ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹ They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.²⁰ But that isn’t what you learned about Christ.

Here, in verse 18 and 19 the apostle is speaking of unbelievers. Those, as verse 20 points out, have learned about Christ. Remember, in our agreement above, those who have been drawn, believe and have learned of Him. So again, believers are not sinners.

1 Corinthians 2:14 states:

¹⁴ But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

But we also clarified that one must be BORN again of the spirit, not the natural man if you are in Christ right? Here are a few more verses to show the difference between a sinner and a believer to draw contrast:

2 Corinthians 5:17 ¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

And

John 10:26-27 - ²⁶ But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

**and added bonus: ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, ²⁹ for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. [a] No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. ← only saints/believers, not sinners will have eternal life.

So, you see? IF you are truly seeking the Truth of God; If you have recognized your sin, REPENTED and let go of the world, it’s system, and all of the things that it lures you with in desire (James 4:4); if you have believed and confessed Jesus Christ as your savior and are letting HIM be Lord over you; if you have been born again in the Spirit and not living in your flesh, you are not a sinner, and neither am I.

If we fit those qualifications, we should walk as the new creature God has created us to be. Stop leaning on the half-truth that we all are sinners. It’s a lie, and an escape route for us to be lazy and continue in our sin. GOD DOES NOT CALL HIS PEOPLE TO LIVE IN SIN!

I will leave you with this 1 John 3:4-9
⁴ Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. ⁵ And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. ⁶ Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is. ⁷ Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. ⁸ But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life^[a] is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.

Now, do we mess up? Sure we do. Jesus recognized this in the Lord’s Prayer : Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

So, what do we do? We stay vigilant by knowing the Word of God. It is declared in His word, that when we come upon temptation, He will give us a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13), and that we are to

humble ourselves before God and RESIST the devil (James 4:7). Is it easy? No. But, that’s why if we are in Christ, we are under God’s grace.

Now, we should never abuse that grace and keep putting ourselves in situations to sin. To lean on the stick of “I’m just a sinner” or one of the favorites “I’m just a sinner saved by grace” (which AIN’T even IN the BIBLE!! Don’t believe me? Try to look that up and see what you get) as an excuse not to ask God to help us face our sin (either done TO us, or by us). It is a cop-out that people love to put in our head.

If you are in CHRIST you are NOT a sinner. You do commit ACTS of sin that you MUST repent from and be forgiven of. If YOU are in CHRIST, you KNOW His voice and understand His Word…..and if you can’t, then, may I suggest taking a trip back to the drawing board.

I am not a sinner,

+Deidra Hall 
Board Certified Coach 

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For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deut 20:4  Translation: We never lose!!

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My Wife Will Now Be Posting Too!

Hello Everyone,

Today, I am happy to announce that my blog will now start to contain works posted by my wife, Deidra C. Hall.  She can be a firecracker at times, but she speaks nothing but truth even when it may hurt! So, stay tuned as they will be coming your way.

Be Blessed,


Antoine E. Hall,

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Sinner’s Prayer Leads to False Faith

Studying and I'm about to kick some dust...get a mask if you have allergies. The SINNER'S PRAYER will eventually lead to an apostate faith. Yep, I said it. There are several prayers in the bible - some Jesus even prayed. But nope, no "Sinner's Prayer" for salvation. "Well, what do you mean Deidra? I said the Sinner's Prayer!"

Well, imagine you are in a courtroom, and a murderer was to read a statement to you and your family for killing your mother. You see the lawyer reach into his brief case and says to him - "Here, say this. This is acceptable, and they will forgive you." What would you think? You know he's just reading the words someone else gave him. He isn't truly sorry for the wrong he's done and is turning his back on it (repentance). He isn't really confessing what he did was wrong (confession). He isn't really going to start obeying the law now (obedience). He isn't asking you for forgiveness....he's just reading what someone else wrote.

Now, the bible says "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12 Operative word *OWN* See, when you say a "sinner's prayer" you never really come to put your faith in Christ, but you put your faith in a prayer, the words of someone else who wrote them for you.

God wants to hear YOUR heart, YOUR struggle, and that you need HIM to rescue you. He wants YOU to REPENT (turn from the things that He detests and that you find so pleasurable) and to know that YOU believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, crucified and resurrected for YOUR sins (the REAL Gospel - not this prosperity and "best life now" junk). He doesn't want you mumbling some mumbojumbo that someone else is leading you to say. He wants repentance and obedience by searching HIS word for TRUTH and believe HIS gospel that Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and He lives even now [interceding] on our behalf day and night.

PASTORS! Cut that stuff out....that teaching isn't correct. And if it is, I need scripture to show that it is so....

+Deidra Hall 
Board Certified Coach 

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For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deut 20:4  Translation: We never lose!!

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Overlooked People In the Bible: Sosthenes

Have you ever sat down to read the Bible and you had one purpose in mind, but then another came out of it?  Well that’s what happened to me and how I ended up on this topic.  One evening as I laid in bed, I started to read 1 Corinthians starting at verse one.  As I read it, I ran across a name that I had glossed over before and never paid any attention, but this time the Holy Spirit prompted me to not skip over this name.  This is how I found the man Sosthenes.

First and foremost let’s go to the scripture at where he jumped out of the pages at me:

1 Corinthians 1:1-3:  
(1) This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. (2) I am writing to God’s church in Corinth,[a] to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus,[b] just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. (3) May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

As you can see, you didn’t have to go far to find Sosthenes name, but I probably read a couple more verses past verse three before I had that “hey, wait a minute” moment.  I didn’t recall this name before and I gone through the entire New Testament. So, why is he popping out now?  For that matter, who is he and is he mentioned anywhere else in the Bible?  To answer these questions, I did a search through the Biblegateway.com and low and behold he is mentioned in the book of Acts (which of course is before Corinthians).  So how did I miss him?

In his introduction in the letter to the Corinthians, Paul identified himself and also Sosthenes.  Not only was he called by name, but he was identified as “our brother”.  With this description, we know that he was a follower of Christ.  This is all that is mentioned from this point onward of Sosthenes, but why is it important to mention him? Would the people at Corinth know who he was?  To answer that question, we’d have to travel back to the book of Acts.

In Acts 18, we find that Paul traveled from Athens to Corinth where he met a Jew named Acquila along with his wife Priscilla.  In these verses, Paul would go to the Jewish synagogues on the Sabbath and preach to them about Jesus Christ.  However, at around Acts 18:6, the Jews were not happy with what Paul was doing.  As such, they “...opposed and insulted him...” and “...Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, ‘Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.’”  Paul ends up staying for over a year in Corinth preaching the gospel, but at some point the Jews had had enough.  They wanted Paul dealt with so they brought him before the new governor of Achaia.

Acts 18:12-17 says, “(12) But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. (13) They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”  (14) But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. (15) But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” (16) And he threw them out of the courtroom.  (17) The crowd[c] then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.”

At this point in time, this is where we see the other mentioning of Sosthenes.  From verse 17, we find that Sosthenes was the leader of the synagogue.  In order to be the leader of a synagogue meant that he was a Jew!  But wait a minute, didn’t we just establish that later in 1 Corinthians 1-3 that he was also a follower of Christ?  If he was a Jew why would the Jewish people beat up their own leader?  I think it is highly unlikely that they would beat up their own leader without just because a Christian could not have judgement brought upon him by the new governor, Gallio.  Not only did they beat him up, but they “threw him out the courtroom”.  At this point, we have no more mention of Sosthenes until 1 Corinthians 1:1.  We know that he converted at some point but we do not know when.  Or do we? One of the things that made me curious about Sosthenes was why was he mentioned twice without a mention of when he was converted to Christianity.  If it was important to mention his name as a brother in the letter to the church at Corith, then clearly there was more to this man.  

What I am about to go into is a topic that I have discovered in my research.  This topic surrounds the idea that Sosthenes and Crispus is one in the same person.  As I began to read a little more into this it made a lot of sense and it answers some confusion in Acts 18.  I believe in correction, so if you see something completely wrong with this I am open to discussion and reproof,  so where we go.

You may be wondering where the name Crispus comes from. If you read Acts 18, you will notice that I skipped over a few verses (on purpose).  What I wanted to do was circle back to this name as it is important to who Sosthenes was.  Remember, in Acts 18:6, Paul upset the Jews to the point where he was no longer welcomed in the synagogue. Let’s go to Acts 18:7-8.  It says,

“(7) Then he [Paul] left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. (8) Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.”

Verse 8 tells us that Crispus was baptized along with some other Jews in the synagogue.  We know this because Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:14, “I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius” 1.  Paul baptized Crispus, but what does this have to do with Sosthenes?  Let’s look back at verse 8 of Acts 18.  An important thing to easily overlook is that Crispus was “the leader of the synagogue”.  Keep in mind that in Acts 17, when Sosthenes was mentioned, he was identified as “the leader of the synagogue”.  There is only one leader of the Jewish synagogue, so one would have to wonder why aren’t these the same people.  The Jewish people would not beat up one of their own people without cause.  However, if their leader had converted to Christianity, then they would no longer have a reason to be loyal to him and would have every reason to cause harm to him2.  Keep in mind, it did not say that they beat up Crispus, but rather the name Sosthenes was used.

So, we have drawn all of these conclusions but what of Sosthenes?  It would seem that the use of his name in 1 Corinthians is important to mention because he was once a leader but now a brother in Christ.  He was once a leader of a synagogue who probably many of the converted Jewish Corinthians were quite familiar with as they may have attended the same synagogue.  Maybe his name was used a reminder to them at how the church at Corinth got its start versus what it had become.  At the end of the day, I believe there is merit to Sosthenes and Crispus being the same person based on the idea that some converts to Christianity were given new names3.  After all, Paul, was originally Saul, and he began to go by another name. (see Acts 13:1-12).  

Be Blessed,

Antoine E. Hall

1.  BibleStudyTools.com.  Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible.  Acts 18
2.  Crispus-Sosthenes
3.  PAUL AND CO-WORKERS.  The Renaming of Benefactors.


P.S. Here are some additional links I read on Crispus and Sosthenes being the same person.
StudyLight.org - http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?number=T5972
Sothenes was Crispus - http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/corpus-paul/20110504/003397.html

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Love Is More Than One Day

One "holiday" of gifts is not a strong indicator of how much one loves another.  There are 364 other days in the year and if those are ignored, then you have nothing but a nice shiny new gift until the next year's gift.  It should make you wonder to what you are looking forward....is it the gift or is it love?

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What's Holding You Back?

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Since I have been going through physical therapy to get motion back into my toe, I have learned a few things.  The first thing I learned was that sometimes pain is necessary as a part of progress (see my post on pain).  Well, this week, I started doing more activities at my appointments that involve jumping, lunging, and other agility exercises.  This leads me to the next issue that I have learned to handle and that is overcoming obstacles.

Some of the most difficult things that we deal with in life are obstacles.  You know, things that get in the way of progress.  Sometimes they are physical barriers that block us from moving forward and then there are times where they are mental blockers.  In my case, my obstacle was both mental and physical.  See, once I had surgery, I was limited with my motion because of my physical condition.  In my brain, I became use to my condition and mentally trained myself to protect my foot and to not do anything to cause harm or re-injure it.  I mean that makes perfectly good sense right?  Anyone who has had any type of injury goes to great lengths to protect that body part.

However, physical conditions typically heal while leaving mental obstacles behind.  To me, I could not jump or apply force to my foot because it was still healing.  I felt a little discomfort at times, so clearly I was not ready, or so I thought.  My fear was that at this point I would still injure myself if I became too physical on my feet.  

This is why we have people around us to help us see the potential in ourselves that we cannot otherwise see. My PT knew what I was capable of doing at this point of my recovery.  The only issue was that I was not confident in my ability of what I could do.  My body was ready, but my mind needed a little push to get over the hill.  Needless to say, I lunged, jumped, moved, balanced, and did a host of things this past Monday, however, if I was not urged to break down the mental barrier I would have never overcame it.

We can be the biggest obstacles to our own movement forward.  It can seem like a daunting task to tear down the barriers that we have created, but if we never attempt to overcome then we will always be stuck where we are.  Do not let your thoughts of what you think you can do place limits in your life.  So, what's holding you back today and what's your plan for overcoming it?

Matthew 17:20  "And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."  

Be Blessed,

Antoine E. Hall

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Sometimes Pain Is a Good Thing

Have you ever had to experience a little pain in your life?  Almost all the time, we try to do all within our power to avoid pain.  However, there are times in our lives where it is unavoidable.  Look at this example.  When our family drive to and from North Carolina we have to drive through the mountains.  Now, in order to get through a couple of the ranges, we have to drive through tunnels.  If you are that person who is scared to drive through tunnels you have no choice but to continue your current route.  Because you are on the interstate, you cannot turn around, but you have to drive through.  You could stop at the tunnel's entrance, but then you have no where else to go but to push on through to the other side.  In some cases, we have to  grimace, wince, and push through pain in order to succeed at some things in life.  It could be that you are exercising for strengthening to be a better athlete or rehabbing from a surgical procedure so that you can get your body back to normal.  In both instances, you have to drive through the pain to appreciate the end results. So really in some ways, pain can be a good thing.

Be Blessed!

Antoine E. Hall

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Should You Pay Your Tithes Next Sunday?

I know what you are wondering.  How dare I ask if you are going to pay your tithes this upcoming Sunday?  Of course you are, right?!  Well, while I understand you may be certain about your intentions with your 10%, I wish to offer you some information about what you may be about to do.  I will go ahead now and give you warning that what you are about to read, may challenge teachings you have learned since childhood.  While I understand that these types of challenges can shake us to the core, I encourage you to continue reading.


I Probably Was Just Like You

Once I gave my life to Christ, I was taught that we are to give our tithe and offering.  I was taught that I should be a “cheerful giver” and that I was suppose to “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse”.  You’ve probably heard it too.  Once I learned that I was suppose to give an offering and that I was required to give the tithe (which was 10% of my income) I started to fall into line.  It was a gradual process because after all, one is not use to giving away 10% of their income.  At first it started off with 10% of my net income and then it changed to 10% of my gross income because God is suppose to get my “first fruits”.  That made sense to me, but then God threw a monkey wrench into what I thought I knew.  I had been doing it all wrong and what made it even worse is that it was right there in the Word for me to read.  I just chose to be spoon fed from the pulpit rather than picking up my bible and reading for myself.  Reading is definitely fundamental.


What’s Wrong With Tithing Today?

After doing some reading, studying, and discussing with my wife, I discovered something.  Tithing is an Old Testament (OT) teaching and as where it is taught that you should do it today in the church, it is an incorrect teaching.  There is a lot in the bible that supports this statement but I will simply point you to this.  In the OT, the only people who could collect the tithe were the Levitical Priests which meant you had to be a descendant of Levi (see 2 Chronicles 31:1-12).  In that alone, unless a Pastor today is a descendant of Levi and they live under OT Law, then what they are teaching is incorrect.  Also, in that scripture, there is no mention of money (which is man-made), but rather it is a tithe of things that were created by God ("...firstfruits of grain, vintage fruit, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field").  


If It’s Not Money, Then What Is It?

Well, some would argue that the Israelites did not have money, so they tithed other things. Well that would be an incorrect argument as well.  In Deuteronomy 2:5-7, Moses told the Israelites that they "...shall buy food from them for money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them for money, that you may drink". So, clearly money was present, but God never commanded them to tithe money.  It was always something from the land and/or an animal (of things God created).  One scripture that people love to quote is Malachi 3:10, but this really point to the fact that tithe was not about money. It says to "Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."  Using that scripture alone, it is easy to deceive and keep with the same teachings of tithing today.  However, if you look at that scripture and keep in mind the directive of God as to what to tithe, you will know that it is not money, but the first fruits of God created things (see back in 2 Chronicles 31:1-12).

Let’s look at the BibleStudyTools.com commentary for Malachi 3:10.  (Just an FYI, they are using the NIV version).  You will notice that it points to Proverbs 3:9 which says "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;".  Here wealth is not money but their increase from the crops.  Going back to the mentioning of the "storehouse" in Malachi 3:10.  The commentary points to 2 Chronicles 3:11, but I would suggest for you to read 2-chronicles 31:9-13 for the full context.  Here "Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple" because the people brought so many contributions that they "...had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the LORD has blessed his people, and this great amount is left over."  So, the storerooms (or storehouse) was a place to store the "contributions, tithes [which is not money], and gifts".  Nowhere does it mention bringing 10% of your gross monetary income.  In addition, this again is in Malachi which is in the OT which is under the Law!


What About Paul’s Instructions to Give Cheerfully?

So then, we have to move to the New Testament (NT) because a lot of the times 2 Corinthians 9:7 is used in the context of tithing.  It says, "Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He [a]takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving]."  I do not have a gripe with this at all because we are to give cheerfully.  We are to give of our time, talents, resources (which could include money, but does not have to).  Going back to 2 Corinthians 9:7, you have to read it in context.  If you read verse 1, Paul says "Now about the offering that is [to be made] for the saints (God’s people in Jerusalem), it is quite superfluous that I should write you;".  Directly, he tells you that the offering is made for the saints of Jerusalem who are poor (see verse 9).  It is not a tithe.  It is not 10% of their income, but rather an offering from their heart to support the poor in Jerusalem. Paul gave them notice that he was coming as to prepare before he arrived so that the offering was not as a surprise, but so that it would "be ready, not as an extortion [wrung out of you] but as a generous and willing gift".  Notice again there is no reference to money.  Today, our society has trained our brains to think that when we give something representing a charitable donation that it has to be monetary.  Well, once again I would like to challenge you to believe otherwise and that there is other value found in things outside of printed currency.


But, What About the 10% of My Income Part?

If we cannot find an account of it in the written word, then it only leads to one thing.  Humans made it up.  Now, I would like to turn the question back to you.  What about it?  Can you find any mention of it in the NT scriptures that says we as Christians, living under grace, should be doing this?  It is not my intention to offer up opinions, but rather to provide facts based on the truth, which is the Word of God.  If you decide to keep giving 10% of your income out of the cheerfulness of your heart, then by all means do so.  However, know that you are not tithing.  It is not an obligation and neither will you go to Hell for not doing so.  Those misconceptions are not true and many have been misled.  I encourage you not to take my word for it, but rather go to the Word of God for yourself.  Also, I encourage you not to discount what I write because it goes against anything you’ve ever learned.  Again, read the Word for yourself and if you find different then please correct me as a brother in Christ.  


In Conclusion

By no means, did I provide an exhaustive explanation and or list of scriptures, but what I wanted to do was provide an invitation for you to look for yourself.  God does not contradict himself, so I wouldn’t expect any of the scriptures listed to contradict any others in his Word.  There is a lot of information out there on the topic of “should the church teach tithing”.  Google it when you get a chance. Any time we as Christians give, it should not be a guilt trip, game, or the need to give because we think God is a slot machine.  All of these thoughts have been incorrectly taught and is still preached every Sunday from the pulpit throughout the nation.  The issue is that a lot of us don't pick up the Bible and read for ourselves and simply accept spoon feeding.  I know because I was one of them, but when you know better you do better.  

Be Blessed Folks,

Antoine E. Hall


Some Other Reading Resources:

"Tithing is Not a Christian Doctrine", by Russell Earl Kelly, PhD
“Tithing Today”, Gary Arnold Ministries
NoMoreTithing.org

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