Building Trust

The TikTok video below is in my opinion one of the best presentations on team building. I’ve been on many ministry teams, who have set out to do great things for the kingdom of God but we always ended up crashing into a brick wall. The last organization that I gave 22 years of life ended up being lead by toxic leadership. Im at that stage of my life where I want to work with people who are sold out for the cause of Jesus Christ! Seal Team 6 is one of the highest performing elite military organizations in the world.

I imagine that you have to not only work with people you trust with your life but also you must be somebody who will not throw your weapon down and run off the battle field. You must have high energy, that is, the ability to not give into offense but to stay focused, committed and not easily distracted.

There is also another characteristic that is crucial to becoming a soldier in the work of the Lord. Can you handle pressure? Can you maintain your love walk in the face of criticism?

Know those who labor among you! 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (KJV)

https://www.tiktok.com/@millionairessteps/video/7049435851469737217?_t=8OmfvX1nftG&_r=1

The god of this world

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (KJV)

The apostle Paul calls Satan the god of this world. Satan is not the god of the physical planet called earth but he is a god to those who obey him.

Jesus said,

“I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil . They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:14-16 (KJV)

My biggest battles have been with the systems of this world. It’s political, economic and social systems. A good part of my life has been spent in debt to credits cards, personal loans, car notes, house note, and insurance bills. Right now, my car insurance is $340.00 a month because I live in a city that demands its drivers to carry unlimited liability. The car theft is high and so all the residence have to pay extra money to cover the losses of the insurance companies.

Tags

The world’s system loves to classified and place people into categories based on one’s net worth. They assign numbers to every individual such as social security number, credit score, drivers license numbers, and bank account numbers. These numbers are used for the purpose of control and manipulation.

I can say as of April 2021, I am debt free. My journey has been one of breaking the stronghold of the enemy out of my life. I got into debt because I didn’t know that there was a choice to do anything else. I listened to the voice of the world tell me there wasn’t much hope for my future because of the color of my skin. I was told who to vote for, who to follow, how to think about racial injustice. The world was programmed to think in a certain way which put people at a disadvantage.

I came into 2020 $11,000 in mortgage debt. By September of that year, my mortgage was paid in full ahead of time. I came into 2021 with one debt left; $10,000 dollars in credit card debt. By April of 2021, by god’s grace, my credit card balance was paid in full.

We are in the world but not of it. We don’t have to be limited by social security benefits. We let the world tell us how to think about provision. It’s time to break that yoke!

“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” Colossians 1:12-13 (KJV)

A new covenant

The nations came into the covenant promises through the ministry of the apostles. The Gentiles nations did not have the benefit of 4000 years of walking with God in covenant. When I got saved, I knew absolutely nothing about covenant, inheritance, blood sacrifice, priesthood and yet every one of those things figured strongly into my salvation.

When Jesus told his disciples, don’t be like the Gentiles (Matthew 6:32), he was talking to people who knew and was taught the covenant from birth. They were taught about how God sustained their forefathers in the wilderness for forty years. As a Gentile, those things were a foreign concept to me.

Jesus said to go teach all nations

“And Jesus came unto them and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: TEACHING THEM to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)

We have been delivered from the power of darkness. We are in the world but not of it.

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separated, saith the Lord, and though not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (KJV)

People are yoking ourselves to the world through

-Fellowship

-Communion

-Concord

-Agreement

This yoking of people together comes through binding contracts. Some contracts are necessary others are for convenience.

God says, be separated from them. Come out of them and don’t touch the unclean thing. In Luke 16:9 & 11, Jesus calls mammon unrighteousness. He said, they that trust in it, it is hard for them to get into the kingdom of God (Mark 10:24).

We have to do the hard work of entering into his rest (Hebrews 4:11); the hard work of seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

The judgment is coming

Come OUT!

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4 (KJV)

In Revelation 18:

-They shall bewail her, (verse 19)

-Her judgment will come in one hour, (verse 10)

-For no one buys their merchandise anymore, (verse 11)

-The things you desired, lusted for are departed from you, (verse 14)

-For great wealth will vanish in one hour, (verse 17)

From my notes

I found this note in my writings:

“There is coming a time when men shall go into deep depression because they cannot make money. They cannot get enough of it. Then the revelation will become golden, ‘God provide seed to sowers, bread for our food. He multiplies my seed sower and he increases the fruit of our righteousness. They will see Isaiah 55:8-13 come to pass!”

“You are bought with a price; be not servants to men.” 1 Corinthians 7:23

“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” 2 Corinthians 9:15. Compare Isaiah 55:18-13 to 2 Corinthians 9:7-13, you clearly see that God rewards those who trust in him!

The god of this world blinds the minds of them who do not believe. What is in your hands?

Mammon

Photo by David McBee on Pexels.com

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24 (KJV)

The worship of Mammon

Mammon is an idol worshipped by millions and millions of people all over the world. There is a cult build around this figure. Cult being defined as “a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.” (Oxford language dictionary Online)

Jesus said you cannot serve God and mammon.

The temptation

There are two classic temptations included in the word of God. The original temptation in the garden of Eden in Genesis 3:1-7 and the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13

God’s original plan for Adam and his wife was to dress and keep the garden of Eden within the Seventh Day of creation, God’s own Sabbath rest. They were to sacrifice the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil as the act of worship.

Adam and his wife were created to be a part of a worship system.

It was never God’s will for them to know good or evil. God wanted them to experience the blessings of his Sabbath rest.

The temptation to Eve was threefold:

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5 (KJV)

  1. Their eyes would be opened! Opened how? To another reality! There eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. So they made provisions for hemselves
  2. They shall be as gods, to chose their own destiny.
  3. They would know good and evil. They are in the position to be judges of right and wrong.

What did they do wrong? Threefold

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her: and he did eat.” Genesis 3:6

  1. She saw the tree was good for food or provision
  2. It was pleasant to the eyes. It looked good.
  3. A tree to be desired to make one wise. She saw that the tree could make her wise

She ate the fruit and turned and gave it to her husband and he ate the fruit too! That is the story of humanity. In my years of serving as a volunteer chaplain in the Wayne County Jail and Dickerson Detention Facility, I saw common thread running through those who became addicted to drugs. Somebody introduced them to weed, crack cocain, alcohol, gambling, etc…

Jesus temptation was threefold:

  1. Satan said to Jesus, If you be the Son of God turn this stone into bread.
  2. Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and set him down and said, if you be the Son of God cast yourself down for it is written he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways
  3. Satan show him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and said, If you worship me all shall yours.

In all three challenges, Jesus refused to be lead by those temptations. He also refused to move outside of the will of God. He refused to initiate an act independently of God.

Satan says, ‘worship me and the world shall be yours’

“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8-9 (KJV)

Jesus said,

“Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Matthew 4:10 (KJV)

Two things:

  1. Worship exclusively belongs to God and nobody else. He and he alone designates what is worship and how it is administered.
  2. Jesus said, Him only shalt you serve

God is calling man back into his Sabbath rest. He gave the promise of Sabbath rest to Adam. He gave it to Israel through the covenant he established through the ministry of Moses. He renewed the promise of Sabbath rest during the ministry of King David. He extends to all mankind his promise of Sabbath rest throught the ministry of Jesus Christ!

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. LET US LABOUR therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Hebrews 4:9-11 (KJV)

The valley of indecision

People are stuck in the valley of indecision between faith in God and trust in Mammon.

When Jesus was ministering to his disciples in Matthew 6:24-34, he was ministrying to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, a people who knew covenant promises. They knew the works of God and the faithfulness of God. They had about 2000 years of history walking in covenant. The Jewish people knew the covenant promises of the kingdom of God!

The Gentiles only knew or knows citizenship or constitutional rights of their nations. This includes the political and economic system of your nation. I had to learn that my covenant rigths superedes my constitutional right.

The Gentiles nations came to faith in Christ in the second half of the Bible, the New Testament.

“For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Ephesians 2:18-19 (KJV)

I encourage you to read the entire Bible but it is important to read and know the first three chapters of the book of Genesis; St. John chapter 3, and the last three chapters of the book of Revelation. These seven chapters will give you a good working foundation to understanding the will of God.

As a believer, you can be stuck in citizenship/constitutional rights. You can be limited by the economic system of your country or you can labor to enter into the eternal promise of the LORD’s sabbath rest.

Jesus said,

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek🙂 for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. BUT SEEK YE FIRST the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:31-34 (KJV)

You cannot serve God and mammon! What is in your hands?