Have You Been Turned off by Religion and Finances?

Psalms 16:5
The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

Proverbs 16:33
The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

Over the years you have heard me refer to the fact that everyone one of us has a "lot" in life. That lot is your portion. I have found it sometimes redundant but very useful to utilize the controversial subject of giving money to the Lord’s work and us prospering that has been indoctrinated in some Churches and religious sects. The teaching is that you will prosper if you give. The prosperity is taught as a rule as bringing you more possessions, more money and better quality of living based on that realm. The teaching tells us that if you give your tithes (a tenth of what you earn) back to God, that you will have all your needs met and that you will prosper. The scriptures sometimes used to solidify this are Malachi 3:10 (1st testament) and 3 John1:2 (2nd testament). I will quickly set your mind at ease by telling you that: 1. I do believe that God meets our needs when we ask Him. He is God and he knows our needs. 2. I do believe that the principle of sowing and reaping is evident throughout the Holy scriptures hence, I do believe that If you sow you will reap of what you sow. Next, I do believe that as 3 John 1:2 says, God desires that you should prosper in every area of your life just as your Soul is designed to prosper. This beckons a study of how the soul prospers, which I will leave to another time, but plant in you, the reader, for food for thought.

In the scriptures David thanks Adonai his Lord for the lot in his life and the way it was drawn for him. In reading these passages I am convinced that everyone has a "lot" in their life that is drawn for them and while I could address many issues of life, the one that has drawn many away from God has been the idea that either the religious world is always asking for money and making promises of material prosperity as a surety or that religious people give and do not end up prospering the way they were told they would. I believe this has torn many people apart from their creator as they deem to blame Him instead of the faulty doctrine. I am not God, however, I can sincerely say that if this is you it must grieve Him so.

Please understand that every Ministry, religious and charitable organization must operate from the donations of the people. Our organization is one of them. We need the contributions of the people that believe like we believe to help us. However, there are those that have a "lot" drawn for them to be wealthy and have many riches here on earth and there are others that are called to be comfortable in the area of finances. There are some that have a "lot drawn" of struggle and challenge in financial areas. If I tell you that you will get rich if you help me financially I am not being truthful with you because I do not know your lot in life in this or any other area.

To explain this further, you would not give your 5 year old a loaded gun and tell him/her to go play with it just as you would not give a 30 year old recovering crack addict a million dollars unless you knew it would not lead him/her back down the wrong path. There are then some that can have millions and stay close to Him and on their path and there are others that God forbid they should EVER get wealthy. He loves us too much. When you are close to Him, you have an inner peace whether you are wealthy, comfortable or struggling. You somehow know that he is God and He will watch over you. The closer you get, the more you come to grips with the fact that the prosperity He speaks of is a prosperity that literally transcends our human thoughts. It is a prosperity that seems to have breath in it for each individual. If you give yourself to Him, you walk in this prosperity as this is how your soul prospers.

Should you give? Absolutely. Why? Because He is God and because you have learned to fear/reverence Him and love Him. When you give to that Church and/or organization, if you give to us in this organization; Give because of Him, Give because you love Him, because you are surrendered to Him in every area of your life. Do not give because someone told you, you would get rich or because you see them rich. Their lot may be different than yours.

If you are reading this and you have been offended by the Church, a ministry or religious Television because you feel like people are being taken advantage of, please take it further, what about your creator? Your Lord? What about your God? Isn’t it really Him that has been taken advantage of? Please do not walk away from Him because of twisted doctrines. God wants to meet your needs and the needs of your family. He will do it because you give yourself to Him in every area of your life, including your finances. Our Lord never wanted us to compare ourselves to each other and worship Him because you wanted to achieve wealth. I am not striving for wealth; I am striving for truth in Him. If he chooses to bless me with wealth I will assume that because I sincerely serve Him, He has blessed me with it. If I struggle, perhaps I am irresponsible and there is something I must learn through it. If I am comfortable, perhaps he needs me to focus on another area of my life. All I know is I must trust Him and do my part to walk upright before Him.

If you walk with Him, you walk in prosperity; you will find yourself at peace. I would suspect that there will be many that may read this blog and consider me wrong; however, the proof is in the pudding. If it were different then all of you that give would already be wealthy. It is not about wealth, it is about knowing Him as He does meet your needs. My Lord has always been there for me. He has always manifested His love in my needs, but that does not mean I never have a need and that does not mean I will stop giving. Please always give to the distribution of His Word. Do not stop and it will reap the blessing of His choice. Do not walk away from Him because someone else turned you off. What they do or do not do is not God’s fault.

The evil in the world would want nothing more but for you to never return to Him. The more that can walk away from their creator the more evil will rejoice.

I welcome your comments and I sincerely hope you sense my desire to release truth.

Independance Day

“The care of every man’s soul belongs to himself. But what if he neglects the care of it? Well, what if he neglects the care of his health or his estate, which would more nearly relate to the state. Will the magistrate make a law that he not be poor or sick? Laws provide against injury from others; but not from ourselves. G-d, Himself, will not save men against their wills.” (Quote from Thomas Jefferson)

If you were raised an American, you were brought up to believe that there is an all-seeing eye and ear watching over our nation. America is fortunate - and although many would like to deny it and build their case against it, our forefathers believed in G-d. During the time when many of us were growing up, there was a fear of G-d that was even sung about in the great secular oldies but goodies of our time. G-d was acknowledged before great meetings in secular settings and comfortably referred to whether in private or public education. The Pledge of Allegiance was viewed as a devotion and not rhetoric or courtesy - and the National Anthem filled most with a sense of pride, as tears welled up in people's eyes. Freedom of speech was not classified as a "hate crime" and everyone agreed to disagree. This was a day when, even though we had not arrived at great technical heights or deeper scientific revelations, everyone had some semblance of the Fear of G-d.

This week as we celebrated our independence as Americans, I asked myself: "What happened?" I realize replacement theology is more than Biblical content. Instead of fearing G-d, many fear losing homes, jobs, and children fighting for our freedom. Instead of fearing G-d, the consensus of fearing government, financial leaders, and academic instructors is very apparent. Instead of feeling safe, many fear civil unrest. Traveling is uneasy as the color of our security level moves up and down on the scale.

When I think about my grandparents and parents, they were concerned with what G-d would think about what they had done, were doing, or about to do. When our forefathers wrote the Constitution of the United States, they were thinking more about what G-d would think - and they wrote it with fear and trembling. They feared G-d! By the people and for the people, the goal was to have peace, harmony, and freedom. As we celebrate the gift of freedom we must remember that we will not be judged by what we are today, but rather by what we could have been.

You as an individual have great potential and so does America. It is not over till its over. I do not believe that G-d is through with America. For righteousness sake, for your sake, and mine - and for those that we love: may the independence and freedom of America continue! May we be all that we can be - and may we do all that we can do. While I do not pretend to know the answer to the problem I know that we must revive the fear of G-d in this country. The fear of G-d is not a tormenting fear but rather a confidence that He is G-d and that all things are in the power of His Hand. It is a reverence to live our lives in the standards that He has left us in His commandments. We all are human and we all fall short, but within that humanness we must have the fear of G-d. Our Government must operate in the Fear of G-d, our religious leaders must operate in the fear of G-d. Should we loose this completely, we will loose the identity of who we are as a country and America will cease to be America as we know her.

Your comments are welcomed.

Irma Elizabeth

"Exceptions to the Rule" – "Hashgacha Pratit" (Divine Providence)

I was always a deep thinker, but never discussed the depth of my thoughts with family and friends as I grew up. My brother and I had a very secure surrounding growing up, so I never gave much thought as to who was running the world. We grew up believing in G-d, but were so secure that I do not think we gave much thought to anything outside of "our" world.

As I grew in my studies as an adult, I realized that everything was much bigger than all of us. It seems to me that the world has begun the birth pangs of labor as nation rises against nation. There is an unsettling of things in people's thoughts and ways. Wars all over the world on ideology seem to be the fashion nowadays! There is a verse in the Psalms that says (paraphrased) "How awesome are your works o G-d, they are so mighty that your enemies deny you".

The world appears to be functioning on its own; however, this is what makes it a world. G-d created a real world with human beings and creatures that were to become a vehicle for His expression. He created something called "natural law". This natural law is not separate from G-d, but it is indicative of His consistency. Most of the time, He relates to us in this mode. But, there are times He chooses to relate to us in an inconsistent way. In other words, He makes "exceptions to the rule". I love these times, because this is when not even natural law makes a difference. He makes an exception for me. This is called "A MIRACLE". All of a sudden, I realize that #1) He will make exceptions to His own rule for me, and #2) He really IS running the world. No matter how much it may appear that the world is running itself, He is in charge and He can make exceptions to His own rule. This is "Hashgacha Pratit" (Divine Providence).

This should bring great peace to your heart - knowing that He is running the world; yet, always willing to make "exceptions to His own rule" for you. Yes, the marriage can work and the child can come to G-d, no matter how hard headed he/she is. Your physical body or that of your loved one can be healed and made whole. Your house can be saved, the relationship can be healed, America can be touched by His rain, and Israel and Palestine can be brothers. "Far fetched", you say? Not too far fetched for Hashgacha Pratit. Not too far fetched for the One that made the rules, for He can bend them. He is the G-d of "exceptions to the rule"!

I believe in miracles - I believe in the G-d that runs the world and established its rule - I believe in the miracle working G-d! He is my source and the lover of my soul. He, as always, will be willing to "do it" for me. Praise Him and give Him the honor due to Him!