Tag Archives: christianity

The Healthy Church Vs. The Unhealthy Church: Stands Strong Against Injustice

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Does the church even know what justice is? Can it be trusted to want God’s will against injustice? Individually or corporately are we reluctant to understand God’s need for justice? If we were the one who was falsely accused, would we then desire God’s justice? If we were the one who was abused, would we want God’s justice against our abuser? Is the church afraid to discuss God’s justice because they fear it being directed at them?

“And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice. (Psalm 50:6 NIV)

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6 NIV)

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’” (Matthew 25:41-43 NIV)

The healthy church understands that God sees right from wrong, good from evil, and every heart motive. We know that He is sovereign and delivers discipline and punishment as only He can. King David was confronted by the Prophet Nathan for conspiring to kill Bathsheba’s husband and to coverup the affair that produced a child. God’s punishment was to kill their firstborn child. That wasn’t karma. That was God’s justice.

“Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19 HCSB)

So, understanding that God sees injustices, does that make you want to pray differently? Could you be praying contrary to the will of God when you pray for healing or provision for someone who God is disciplining and punishing? Do you not think that God is sovereign and can do as He pleases? Or do you instead think that the devil is somehow more powerful than the Lord making it impossible for Him to heal if the enemy were the one delivering the trial?

God is not waiting for you and one-hundred of your closest friends to convince Him how to make His next move. If God needed our advice, He wouldn’t be much of a God. Would He?

“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. (Isaiah 46:10-11 NIV)

To be clear, I am not saying that every trial is a discipline or punishment. Trials can be used to equip us or position us. But God surely doesn’t need our advice in any case. So, wouldn’t it be best to seek God for His will in how to pray? Seek God rather than advise God. Maybe there is something that God would like to explain to you.

The Healthy Church Vs. The Unhealthy Church: Hospitality

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Hospitality is a service gift from God. There are people who just exude this gift and then there are others who don’t have a clue. Who do you know that has a strong gift of hospitality? Now, consider which places that you go to where you always feel welcome. Is it church? Do they know your name? I feel more welcome at local coffee shops than I do at most churches.

Recently, I attended a church event that was posted on social media as a public invite. When I arrived, there was very little emphasis on hospitality. The event host was busily readying the administrative things involved. She asked for contact information so that she could finalize the next meeting location and date. But she never contacted me until after I didn’t show up to the next event. I’m not criticizing her because I have been her. My version of hospitality used to be organizing an event and making sure that everything was done well. I was so event focused that I wasn’t necessarily people focused.

What I’ve learned from years in ministry and attending events is that people want to feel invited every time. They want to feel welcome every time. They want to be made to feel special just for their presence. It takes courage to show up to a group where everyone already knows each other. It’s important to learn names of guests and greet them with sincere care. I recommend for those of us who have administrative talents to partner with at least one person with the gift of hospitality who can concentrate their focus on the welcoming aspect. It’s crucial to repeat attendance. (And of course, we all need to learn hospitality. Ask God to guide you to improve.)

Now, I need to talk about the biggest offense that the church does against hospitality. Everybody has a phone with a camera these days. We are polite enough to silence our phone during sermons (when we are reminded beforehand). But some use the sacred gathering that is meant as a time of worship to take photos of private moments. There should not be any photos or recordings taken of guests during a worship or prayer time. Absolutely ZERO! Ask God about it. He will tell you.

I do not feel comfortable allowing myself to praise God wholeheartedly in worship at churches where a “photoshoot mentality” is practiced. I don’t want someone making a mockery of me raising my hands in praise or bowing in solemn prayer. It’s an invasion of privacy. I should be able to expect privacy away from the paparazzi when I’m in my Father’s house. The churches need to really seek God about this because He is not pleased with the “advertising” gimmick that’s being used. Don’t believe me. Ask God yourself!

The Healthy Church Vs. The Unhealthy Church: Doctrine

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The healthy church constantly walks with God and learns from Him. However, the unhealthy church is so sure that their faulty interpretation of Scriptures is all that there is. They don’t need to learn from God through hearing His voice in prayer because they have already learned from another (faulty) human everything they need to know. (That was sarcasm.)

King David said “I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.” (Psalm 119:102-104 NIV)

The Apostle Paul wrote letters to the churches in Rome, Corinth, Thessalonica, Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae. He wanted them to know truth and stand firm in it. The same God who spoke to the Apostle Paul still speaks today. He speaks to His prophets. He speaks to His apostles. He speaks to His children to be heard and obeyed. If church managers and ministers are unwilling to seek God, they are always going to be teaching contrary to God’s heart even if what they’re saying sounds like what we want to hear.

Each of us needs to individually seek God and learn from Him. When His Spirit cautions us about something we have heard from a message, we need to lean in to Him and gain clarity through asking questions and listening to His answers until we have peace.

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3 NIV)

Many denominations of the church develop their own church stance on doctrines while not caring if and when other churches teach contrary to their doctrines. They stand shoulder to shoulder in a fake unity, as if God would want a unity of false doctrines. God wants us to oppose false teaching, not sit complicit with it.

If a church is so sure that their doctrine is correct, shouldn’t they oppose the message of the false teachers? The problem seems to be that the unhealthy churches, that don’t seek God, don’t realize that they’re teaching falsely. The healthy church seeks God for every doctrinal stance.

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:1-5 NIV)

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Butt-Kissing Pathetic Pew Sitters

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Please listen sisters-in-Christ. You do not have to be sitting in a church chair to hear God and obey. You do not have to be in a church building to hear God and obey. You do not have to be submitted to a certain denomination of the Protestant Christian church to hear God and obey.

God is the head of the church. You can be anywhere that God is (which is everywhere) and be submitted to Him. You can hear God and obey while sitting in your car. You can hear God and obey Him while walking in the park. You can hear God and obey Him while laying down. You can hear God and obey Him while sitting on the toilet. You DO NOT need permission from a pastor to be God’s prophet, messenger, or agent of change.

God is watching the lies and deceit that are being spoon-fed to you. But He is also watching if you’re idly complicit because you’re too lazy or enjoying your seat of dishonor. If a pastor clearly says that the men of the church are gathering to plan the vision of the church, it’s pretty obvious that he is saying that women have no place in setting the vision of the church. If you only knew how little they value God’s appointing and anointing of women, you would be as outspoken against them as I am.

But some of you women will come against me time and time again because you don’t want me to call out the blatant false theologies that he is teaching. You have your lips so close to kissing his butt that you can’t see that he is just using you to build up his seat of honor. Listen, please, if the church’s doctrine is that women are not allowed to discuss doctrine in the church, you should RUN from that place. Instead, you defend that nonsense. Only the devil would want you to defend false doctrine and false teachers. But don’t believe me. Ask God yourself!

The Prophet’s Gift of Sarcasm

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When I hear a pastor teaching nonsense and purposely distorting what the Scriptures teach, I always ask God about their motives.

Recently a pastor preached that God’s prophets are not true prophets if they’re not submitted to a church authority. I asked God why the pastor purposely brought that false doctrine. God said that the pastor is jealous of my giftings and wants to dissuade people from believing that I’m God’s prophet, apostle and deliverance minister. Do you think he’s jealous? God says he is.

To the pastor: There is absolutely NOTHING in the (Old Testament or New Testament) Scriptures that says that a prophet must be under the authority of a church body. No matter how much you want to twist the texts of the Bible, you are wrong. But perhaps, you’re counting on the laziness of your churchgoers to check the Scriptures for themselves. (Because let’s face it, you believe your congregants are actually more stupid than you are.)

But for the anointed true Christ follower all they would have to do is have a simple conversation with God and listen to His answer. Because we are supposed to hear God, right? (Can you hear the sarcasm in my words?) So, who is up for the challenge? All you would need to do is simply ask God. “God, is Tammie Edwards your prophet?” Or you could ask “God, do your prophets need to be a member of a church that teaches false doctrine in order to be under your authority as the head of the church?”

Maybe you could ask a question that you don’t really want to hear the answer to, like “God, is the pastor at my church teaching false doctrine?” Another possible question might be “God, is the pastor of my church an idiot?” Perhaps you’re not practiced at asking God questions because you’ve only been taught to give God all your wise advice (Did you hear the sarcasm again?).

Try actually having a conversation with God where you listen to His voice and SEEK HIM rather than tell Him.

Tammie Edwards,
Christian Apostle, Prophet & Deliverance Minister

(Don’t believe me. Ask God yourself!)

A WASTED VOTE!

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Any vote you place on a ballot that doesn’t have its origin in specific conversation with God is a wasted vote for you personally. If you didn’t include God, He saw it. He also saw whose opinion was more valued by you.

Did you ignore God when He wanted to give you insight? Did you refuse God’s gentle nudges for you to seek Him in prayer? Did you forget that He is indeed sovereign over life and death (yours included)? Did you forget that He can allow you to be taken into captivity for choosing substitute “gods”?

Why would you allow your vote to be wasted in God’s sight? And please hear me, you don’t get a pass by refusing to vote. God has entrusted you with a sacred duty to seek Him. Refusing to vote is the same as voting contrary to His will. He sees it!

If you break the covenant oath with God to seek Him and obey Him, He can and likely will allow you to feel the weight of the broken covenant.

Warning:
“But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over.” (Leviticus 26:14-18 NIV)

The Anointed Outcast?

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I can’t look at the churches with the same eyes as those who do not hear God. Because of God’s persistence to expose the false doctrines as part of my ministry, I’m always going to see the church as resistant to God’s leading UNTIL (or if) they change wrong doctrines into correct truth.

I can’t see the church in the same way as someone who doesn’t care about truth. They can be happy and content with every sermon, every gathering, and every blatantly wrong theology, because they don’t have the same perspective that I have through listening to God teach me about correct doctrine.

If they don’t have the Holy Spirit leading them, church can be an outing and opportunity to see friends and make new ones. It’s not work. They don’t have to confront the devil’s lies and schemes against God’s Kingdom. Everything is easy for them in the comfort of church gatherings. They don’t even know that they’re seen as fools who walk without the Spirit. It is normal for them to nonchalantly stroll in their “faith” walk.

To them, I probably seem like a troublemaker who refuses to settle for the status quo. Do they wonder why I can’t endorse a pastor who teaches falsely? Do they think that I’m just a cranky old lady?

Recently, I had to deliver a hard message to someone who I hadn’t seen in years. When I got home and alone with God, I said “Lord, they’re not going to want to be my friend after that.” The Lord said “Well, they weren’t your friend yesterday, why does it matter if they are today? Isn’t it better that you spoke truth to them in love than to leave them where they were? Isn’t it best that you did my will?”

So, it seems that I’m not going to fit in with a church locally if God has His way. I don’t know how to be a superficial Christian while being a supernaturally anointed follower of God. If I have to choose one (and I do) then I must choose to be an outcast to the spiritually blind and deaf as they do their thing.

Intent For Intimacy

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This may come across a little sexy, but the hope is to create a visual that sticks in your mind.

When a husband sees his wife show up for bedtime with a skimpy nightie, he might assume that a romantic evening follows. There is an indication of intent. (Especially if she’s bothered to shave her legs and to smell like flowers.)

Well, believe it or not, God is looking at the intent inside your heart when you approach Him in prayer. He’s looking to see if you want to know Him. Are you coming to Him in prayer simply to unburden your worries or are you wanting His will in every situation? Are you wanting intimacy of the heart with God? That is spiritual romance to God. He wants you, yes, to be real and discuss your worries with Him but also to listen to Him express His heart to you. And while God appreciates your words of thankfulness, more than that He wants you to take time to listen to Him.

Is your heart first set on connection with God’s heart? Do you come to Him to discuss ALL things that you may have done wrong or less pleasing to Him? Have your personal sins caused a distance between Him and you? If so, He wants to see a humble heart intent on restoring the relationship. Does He see a sincere heart that wants fellowship with Him or instead does He see you trying to use Him for a purpose? Listen, He knows if you’re looking for lottery numbers versus obedient steps of faith. He knows if you’re only including Him to accomplish a mission of your own.

Are you seeking Him for direction with a heart INTENT on obedience? God sees clearly right to your motives. You cannot manipulate Him or seduce Him. Your attempts to maneuver Him to your will cannot be hidden. Your heart is absolutely laid bare before Him.

What is the intent of your heart when you approach God in prayer?

Why Vote With God’s Heart?

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What’s happening in our local, state, and federal government is VERY important to God. God is not looking simply at outcomes based on a one-day voting count. God is looking at the heart of the nation.

Are we a nation that seeks God? Are we a people who sincerely ask God who to vote for? Do we trust that God has strategically planned each destiny? God wants to prosper a nation who seeks His heart, but He has promised to abandon people who ignore Him.

What does God see when He looks at you? Does He see someone who puts energy into assessing the leadership qualities of our city, county, state, and federal government candidates or does He see a lazy, uninterested person who is willing for the wrong people to be in seats of leadership? (When I say “assessing” in that question, I’m primarily including a sincere conversation with God where you identify who He specifically wants in each representative seat.)

Don’t choose a candidate for their outward appearance. Allow God to choose the person that He has intentionally positioned for the path ahead. God has woven into His chosen person what is needed to advance His provision and protection. The wrong person elected will produce what we deserve for refusing to seek God.

We cannot ever choose someone just because they say they are a Christian. There are many so-called Christians that will be judged harshly by God for their vanity, greed, and schemes against mankind. We should all want leaders who hear God’s voice and follow Him. Without that, we will fail and deservedly so.

Do you hear God’s voice in prayer?

Parasites?

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Have any of the rest of you had your newsfeed full of the ads for products to remove parasites? That’s just nasty stuff to think about. I don’t want to consider that there might be worms crawling around in me. What the heck? I must have paused too long on an ad for weight loss and then AI decided that it was going to give me … options. Yuck!

I was discussing my disgust with God. (Probably giving Him an ear-full about what was He thinking with creating gut bacteria or allowing parasites to live in our bodies.) And without words, He led my thoughts directly to the church. Well, that’s just as nasty to think about. Parasites sitting in the church pews and standing in pulpits crawling around parading themselves as good bacteria.

The whole conversation makes me sick to my stomach. I wish there was a pill to give out to turn those parasites into usefulness. Ha ha. That’s when God spoke up. He said “Girlfriend, why don’t you teach them to hear my voice so that they can know true doctrine and leave the parasite cleansing up to me?” “Ok, God but could you please stop the gross ads from coming up in my newsfeed?” God replied, “No, it’s part of the process evidently.”