You Might Be A Redneck... If You Offend People, The Duck Dynasty Controversy

I’ll always support Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty, because they’ve won me over. They won me over by offering a clean, family friendly show. They won me over because they’re not overly “religious.” They have a relationship with God without being all bound up by rules. In other words, They are free in Christ. If you’ve ever watched the show, you can understand why Phil said what he said in a recent interview with GQ. I do feel that Phil’s words were harsh, but if you watch the show, you know that is who Phil is. I am sure viewers are in no way surprised by what he said in his interview. If I ran into him, I’m pretty sure he’d call me a Yuppy. I wouldn’t be offended. I’m proud that I’m a Yuppy girl. I think I’d just jump right back and call him a Redneck. I know that Rednecks tend to offend people. They are free in their own skin. They don’t care what other people think of them. Duck Commander released an official statement saying they support Phil, their patriarch.

I had two feelings when I heard this whole debate.

First, I actually feel a sense of relief that Phil said these things. I feel like through Phil Christians finally have a voice. We’ve been silenced for the past 7 years. We have not been allowed to express our views because they are not what a very small minority of people call “politically correct.” In a way I Thank God the words were finally said. Could they have been a little more compassionate? YES, they could have. If they had interviewed one of the Duck Dynasty women, I’m sure their words would have flowed with compassion and love. Phil admitted that his words came out course and he did apologize for their lack of compassion.

My second thoughts were that I think these words poured out of Phil as a symbolic gesture. Christians are tired of being told what we have to believe in America. We’re tired of the truth being twisted in our faces and in our children’s schools. We’re tired of the government telling us what is correct and what is not. We’re mostly tired of the twisted media empire who provides a vast amount of entertainment that places a false beauty upon affairs, casual sex and the politically correct agenda.

Why I Would Never Label a Specific Teacher as Preaching The Prosperity Gospel

After much prayer and searching, This is what I have found: The words, prosperity gospel, are not in the Bible. They are man made words. The definition of the prosperity gospel actually has a very wide range. I believe it to mean that pastors abuse their church in an effort for financial gain. I think people misunderstand pastors who do not preach from the same denomination and label them prosperity gospel pastors. Here is why John Piper says not to label a pastor a prosperity gospel preacher.
John Piper has a video on YouTube about why he does not point out specific pastors as prosperity gospel preachers. He actually says Mark Driskell does but he does not and this is why. He says has to be aware himself that he does not preach the prosperity gospel. He says that everyone at some point can make a mistake and preach the prosperity gospel. He says it is not something that you label a specific person with. John Piper says do not label specific preachers as preachers of the prosperity gospel. He says when you listen to someone preach, look for it in their teaching and be cautious. I actually think John Piper went back and made this Youtube video to correct people because he had no idea entire groups of people would take his Youtube message and label specific preachers with this label.
Matthew 7 Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

I fully support Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer and I can tell you why they preach Biblical truths are mislabeled with the prosperity gospel.
In fact, they are very close to God and God uses them greatly.
First we will look at Joel Osteen:
1. Joel Osteen does not take a salary from his church. If he was in this for money, trust me he would take a salary. People with greed always need more. Joel preaches that you have to pray in faith and believe God for things. This is actually in the Bible. God says to many people "Your faith made you well." There are many denominations who completely run from praying with faith when it's actually a Biblical concept. God is sovergn, He's the one that heals and it's in his timing but faith can be an intrical part in that healing. If you don't believe this Biblical concept, you're probably not going to understand Joel Osteen and I can see why you would mislabel him as preaching a prosperity gospel.
2. Joel Osteen believes that Jesus is the only way to God. If you need proof, here is a list of Lakewood church's values. He gave an on camera interview when asked this question he said that he can't judge people's hearts. He can't know if someone has accepted Jesus or not. His call is to reach sinners, I and I personally think he gave a great answer.
3. This is a major misconception that I hear often "God calls us to suffer and Joel Osteen claims that God has good plans for our lives." Really? God does not call us to suffer. Jesus suffered on the cross for us. Thinking God wants us to suffer is very wrong. This is a poverty mindset which many denominations have. It is also child abuse. God would never want one of his children to suffer. Jeremiah 29:11 states that God has good plans for our lives. In fact he says God's plans are not to harm us. Now, the enemy of our soul has other plans. Satan wants us to suffer, in fact he wants to devour us. Satan causes suffering in our lives, not God. God allows it and He is with us as we go through it. He has the power to heal us and to help us get restored. He can give us joy in our trial. We could be Joni Erickson Tada and have complete joy from God everyday. I pray she never gives up on her healing. Because whenever God decides to give it to her, whether it's when she gets to heaven or while she's on earth, it's going to be a glorious moment. When I am going through something, I fight for my healing. I fight for my wholeness. 1 Peter 5:10 states 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. 
In an interview with The Christian Post on April 21, 2013, Osteen expressed his sentiments on being perceived as being part of the prosperity gospel. "I get grouped into the prosperity gospel and I never think it's fair, but it's just what it is. I think prosperity, and I've said it 1,000 times, it's being healthy, it's having great children, it's having peace of mind. Money is part of it; and yes, I believe God wants us to excel...to be blessed so we can be a bigger blessing to others. I feel very rewarded. I wrote a book and sold millions of copies; and Victoria and I were able to help more people than we ever dreamed of. But when I hear the term prosperity gospel, I think people are sometimes saying, "well, he's just asking for money."
Let's look at Joyce Meyer: 
1. Joyce Meyer's events are completely free. She is one of the only speakers I know that speaks at a venue outside of a church and her event is entirely free. If she wanted money, she would charge money. 
2. Joyce Meyer believes the same way as Joel Osteen as far as praying in faith goes.
3. Joyce Meyer's ministry donates 83% of the money that they receive to the poor.

What to do if this is you, "I Don't Want to be Gay Anymore."

If you feel you are swaying to the same sexual orientation and you want to be straight. Believe it or not you can! Even if you were "born gay" you can change your sexual preferences. Now first off, this is a Christian blog, thankfully since it is legal to have a personal opinion, I believe that being gay, happened by an open door somewhere in your life. It could have been through your parents which means you could have been born with the open door. I have spoken with many lesbian women and heard this from gay men as well. Hear me out, The Creator (God) wants to help you turn straight, if you want to. He'll also love you if you decide to stay gay.  I am not going to lie to you and say, sorry buddy you were just born that way, I can't help you. God gives us many choices in life.
The first step to healing is too look back at the door that was opened. You could have been born with a door opened in your parents life and it was passed down to you. You may have opened the door yourself. You may have been a harmless innocent child and were molested. God wants to love you, heal you, protect you and close that door for you. Now, you have to understand, God designed a man to be with a woman. It's natural. Their parts match. When a door is opened in someones life, it could be opened to lust, perversion, molestation and it might not even be your fault. Maybe you just wanted to kiss that one person who was the same sex and you opened the door yourself, That's okay. Maybe you have no idea how in the world these thoughts are there. That's okay too.
Here is what you need to do. You need to pray. Jesus is the authority over the spiritual world. Talk with God for a little bit and ask God to close all the doors. Rebuke a spirit of lust, a homosexual spirit and a perverted spirit. Ask God to completely heal you. Look up a local church for more follow up. Make sure they have a deliverance ministry. Believe that you are healed!

Praying in Faith is Different Than Name It Claim It

I want to clarify some things about Praying in Faith. Praying in Faith is believing that God will do something. It is Biblical and God asks us to do it.

James 1:5-6

New International Version (NIV)

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

If we are praying a prayer for God to show us where something is located, a mature Christian understands that God is a good dad and would want His child to find it. To pray God help me find my cell phone if it is your will, is actually not a faith filled prayer. If you had a child, would you want them to find there lost cell phone?
This type of prayer should not be confused with name it claim it. If you have gotten caught up in a group that models the name it claim it theory, you should seek the Lord for deliverance. God wants to be sovereign if your life and help you do what you are asking. He does not want you to name it and claim it. Now you should believe for your prayer requests, but believing for something is very different than naming it and claiming it.
A good example of a faith filled healing prayer, "I am believing for my healing, it was done in the spiritual realm right when I asked, but God you are sovereign to make it appear in the natural realm. I can't wait to see it show up."
I used to pray things like this, God please heal me and I believe that you will. One time an intercessor came up to me and said God said to tell you that "He will."
Occasionally if I pray in prayer in faith (believing God for it) and God has a better direction for me and that prayer is not His will, He will often tell me. I will then change my prayer to align with His will.
If you are praying for direction, you do want to know what God's will is and you should pray for God's will. An example would be "God if it's your will please give me this new job."

Discerning The Religious Spirit

The Religious Spirit is a common attack from the enemy. It can keep you bound from experiencing complete freedom in Christ. Look for these signs: The Religious Spirit says everything is a spiritual experience. The truth: sometimes life is just life, enjoy time with friends without having to minister to them or see something spiritual happen. The Religious Spirit says you can never pray enough or read the Bible enough to please God. The Religious Spirit always says to do more. I can cause you to strive. Truth: You are free to pray as little or as much as you want, God still loves you the same. The Religious Spirit can have you constantly analyzing your sins. If you are constantly confessing sin, you could have a Religious Spirit oppressing you. The Religious Spirit may have you pray out of nervousness or rebuke the enemy all day. The Religious Spirit try's to keep you out of balance in this area. To get rid of the Religious Spirit, rebuke it. Ask God to reveal revelation to you if there is a root lie. This might take a few days. If He reveals one say the lie out loud. Say I am getting out of agreement with the lie and state the truth. Rebuke the Religious Spirit again. I pray that as you walk this out God would continue to renew your mind from these old thought patterns until you are completely healed.

Is Reiki Witchcraft?

Yes, Reiki is witchcraft. The symbols that a Reiki master get's drawn over their head mean God and man are one. This is very dangerous.  Looking into their meaning is very important.

I have had Christians come to me, experiencing demonic oppression after they had reiki done on them. To heal this, ask God for forgiveness for opening a door to witchcraft (He is gracious to forgive!) renounce reiki and rebuke witchcraft.

Beyblade Fighting Spirits

God reveled some revelation to me today that Beyblades have fighting spirits associated with them. They are one of the few anime toys that I did allow my children to have. I bagged them up and put them in the basement and rebuked a fighting spirit. I searched online and Fighting spirit is the theme of some of the beyblade tv shows. After one day, I noticed a huge difference in their behavior. They are much kinder to each other.

In the meantime, instead of Collecting various trading cards, such as Pokemon, my boys have gotten into trading fishing lures. It's a huge hit!