The 25 Commandments about Financial Discipline and Planning

This is what I promised you from today’s message! I have not mastered all of these, but I’m on the journey with you! Hope this helps!

The 25 Commandments about Financial Discipline and Planning:

  1. Stop Borrowing
  2. Track your spending
  3. Set up a budget and commit to it
  4. Excuses to NOT budget
  5. Develop new spending habits (spend less than you bring in)
  6. Understand your wants vs. needs (master them, don’t be mastered by them)
  7. Incorporate the entire family in the budgeting process
  8. Teach your children how to be wise stewards of their money“Train children in the way they should go, and when they are old, you can borrow money from them.” – somewhere in the scriptures ;-) Don’t be defined by your stuff
  9. Take Financial Peace University
  10. Cut up your credit cards
  11. Cut discretionary spending
  12. Don’t take debts in college
  13. Use cash instead of plastic
  14. Downsize if you need to
  15. Don’t upsize just because you think you have to
  16. Practice delayed gratification (stop impulse buying)
  17. Diversify your funds (don’t save all in one place)
  18. Learn the joy of giving
  19. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
  20. Visit a financial counselor or accountability partner who has nothing to gain from you and who is a teacher. Make sure they tell you what you NEED to hear instead of what you WANT to hear.
  21. Follow the 10/10/80/maybe plan
  22. Read what God’s Word has to say about your finances – you’ll be amazed by it’s practicality (God knows something about money!)
  23. Communicate constantly with your spouse and / or children
  24. Review plan / budget weekly – force it to become a lifestyle
  25. Don’t get pressured into buying things you don’t need / Don’t pressure anyone else to buy from you

Is this your WAKE-UP call?

This video is a clip from a recent message called “Humility or Humiliation” that was preached at Grace Church.  It’s a reminder that we MUST pay attention to the little things in our lives…or else.

If you are a small group leader, this would be a good clip to share with your group to highlight this week’s www.ownit365.com small group conversation guides.

What’s the One Thing That Separates Dreamers From DOERS?

Part 3 of the Dream Series (click here for part 1 or part 2)

There is a special ingredient in the lives of men and women who have made a dent in this world – who have impacted generations for the GOOD and made a real difference.  It has nothing to do with charisma, education or background!  It is not related to social status, cash flow or even their discipline!  What is it?

Disturbance. 

As mentioned in a previous post, disturbance is the riot in your soul that aggravates you to move towards something bigger than yourself.  Some call this the “firestorm of frustration” or a “holy discontent”.  Others call it a righteous indignation.  You might call it passion. Regardless, it is the disruption in your heart that sets you onto a new trajectory.

This is what Nehemiah faced while minding his own business.  The text says that Nehemiah was “Shushan, the citadel.”  Interestingly, Shushan (or Susa) was the winter vacation retreat for the Persian kings and dignitaries!  That puts things into perspective.  Nehemiah, while relaxing in the midst of a resort, having his back rubbed and drinking an umbrella covered drink, gets greeted by his brothers who have some news from their homeland (or something like that).

After asking about how the people and the place of Jerusalem were doing, Nehemiah’s vacation quickly ends.

Nehemiah 1:3

And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

Punch in the gut.  It had been 150 since Nebuchadnezzar had ransacked the city and it was STILL a disgrace!  Keep in mind, this was before smartphones and the Internet.  Nehemiah couldn’t check his Twitter account to see how the city was doing.  He was genuinely clueless about it’s status.  So, when his brother tells brings to light the brutal facts of reality, it sucker punches him in the midsection.

Images of the city’s destruction and rubble are flying through his mind.  Emotions are going crazy.  Hold it in.  Be a man.  Don’t lose it.  Ignore it.  Be about your dignitary business.  Help.  No.  Stop.  They need me.  The king needs me too.

All in a matter of seconds.

What did he do?

 

Did he put the miserable condition of God’s city on his prayer list?

 

Did he change the channel?

 

Did he blame the people for their lack of initiative?

No…Instead of blowing it off, he lets the words of his brother sink deep into his soul and let them move him.  Although Nehemiah had probably never even been to Jerusalem, he felt disturbed when he heard the news.  He let the brutal facts of reality change him.  Disturb him.

Nehemiah 1:4

“So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

 

 

Nehemiah was not the sort of many who would weep at the drop of a hat.  He wasn’t weak.  And he certainly wasn’t emotionally unstable.  But he was BURDENED.  He was DISTURBED.  Little did he know that these deep feelings were the initial birth pains of a vision that people would be reading about thousands of years later.  The point is, Nehemiah’s dream didn’t begin as a dream.  It began as a concern, a burden, a disturbance.

Let’s unpack these events one-by-one…

“When I heard these words…”

“…I sat down…” – This news stopped him in his tracks.  This was his 9/11 moment where everything changed.  His vacation ended.  He was no longer the same.  In a moment nothing changed but everything changed.  He was disturbed.

“…and wept…” – An emotional uprising had just taken off in his soul.  He couldn’t “remain professional.”

“…and mourned for many days…” – This new reality left him shocked and perplexed for days.

 

 

For Nehemiah, his Divine Dream didn’t begin as a dream.  It didn’t launch as a great idea.  He didn’t have a marketing plan and a website and Twitter followers and then merely decide to go a certain direction with his life.  No. He allowed the brutal facts of reality to disturb him to the point where doing NOTHING became his unpardonable sin. 

How about you?

What are you disturbed about?  Is there anything that makes you mad?  Frustrated about the world, the church, your life, or other’s lives?  I love what Bill Hybels says in his book Holy Discontent when talking about this very subject.  He says “Still today, what wrecks the heart of someone who loves God is often the very thing God wants to use to fire them up to do something that, under normal circumstances, they would never attempt to do.”

Maybe you don’t know.  That’s okay.  You need to position your life in the path where you can be exposed to what God might be up to.

Here’s your homework…

Pray an audacious prayer…

I dare you to pray this prayer everyday for the next 30 days – “God, break my heart for what breaks Yours…”  It’s that simple.  It’s that complicated.  However, when you begin to pray this prayer, God will begin to reveal Himself and His mission for you in a way that will become crystal clear.

Praying this kind of prayer focuses you.  What you focus on expands.  The more you laser in on seeing God’s broken heart, you will be overwhelmed with the response.

Step out…

Go on a mission’s trip.  Get out of your comfort zone.  Do something that you otherwise wouldn’t do.  Volunteer to help the homeless.

Ask questions…

This might be the most important step.  When you ask questions, the right questions, to the right people, the answers might shock you.  You might have known about the human trafficking epidemic in our world, but until you started peering into the facts, you had NO idea it was so bad.  You might have realized that there were homeless people in your city.  However, you didn’t know it was THAT bad.

Ask the right questions…to the right people…and don’t stop until your find the answers that satisfy the divine longing inside of your heart.

And when you become divinely disturbed, something amazing takes place inside of you.  You begin to see the world from a completely different perspective.  You see through God’s vision.  You see as HE sees.  You might look at the same situation as 1,000 others but YOU see the potential.  YOU see what COULD be.  YOU see that God has positioned you there to be HIS point person this this very moment in history.

It doesn’t matter if you are flipping burgers or flipping houses. You can be a mechanic or a nurse.  What you do doesn’t matter.  It’s what you DO with what you do, that matters.  When you are fueled by your frustration, God has you perfectly positioned to receive a dream that HE wants to birth in you. 

OWNIT365 Experience Guide

Each week, I create an Experience Guide for people to follow along with the one-year Bible reading we created at Grace Church called www.ownit365.com. I wanted to offer this as a resource for you on my blog…Here is next week’s so you can get a jump start!

2012 Week 7 Experience Guide

date reading family focus
13 Feb Revelation 3 Revelation 3:14-22
14 Feb Revelation 4 Revelation 4
15 Feb Revelation 5 Revelation 5:11-14
16 Feb Revelation 6 Revelation 6:1-4
17 Feb Revelation 7 Revelation 7:9-17
18 Feb Isaiah 6 Isaiah 6:1-8

Reading Tips

  • Christ completes his evaluation of the churches providing both correction and encouragement (Rev 3).
  • John is caught into God’s presence in heaven. He sees the place of supreme authority and majesty, the heavenly Throne and the constant worship of God and the Lamb (holy, holy, holy).
  • The first six seals bring God’s wrath in the form of conquest, war, famine, death, and earthquakes.
  • The only ones who can withstand the wrath of God are those whom He has sealed.

    What to Look for (chapter by chapter):

  • Rev 3: What the church of Laodicea thought they were
  • Rev 4: Why the 24 elders claimed God was worthy of praise
  • Rev 5: Why the Lamb was worthy to open the scroll’s seals
  • Rev 6: Why the martyrs under the throne were slain
  • Rev 7: What the people did day and night in God’s temple
  • Isaiah 6: Compare Isaiah 6:2-3 to Revelation 4:8

Personal Reflection and Application

  • Notice in Revelation 3 the repeating phrase, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Having ears and actually using them to listen are not the same thing. How well do you listen to others? How well do you listen to God? What interferes with your ability to listen? Pray for God to help you become a better listener. This week strive to listen to and obey all of the promptings of the Spirit. Listen. Do. Repeat.
  • Christ called the church of Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) the lukewarm church. They were neither hot nor cold. Therefore, Christ had no other choice than to spit (vomit) them out of His mouth if they did not repent. Are you lukewarm in your faith? Is your apathy towards Christ forcing Him to vomit you out of His mouth? What are the things that you can do to bring back your fire for Christ? Rev. 2-3 gives Christ’s recommendations to other churches: remember your walk, repent of your actions, and restore the love that you had.

  • John wept because no one could open the book with seven seals until he learned that the Lamb was worthy. Consider how this parallels the Bible. No one is worthy to understand it; however, there is Someone who can open it for us.

    Luke 24:45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

  • Isaiah had an encounter with God similar to the one John had. In Isaiah 6, the prophet Isaiah gets caught up in a heavenly vision and comes face to face with God Almighty. After preaching several “woes” to the nation of Israel, when Isaiah sees God, he turns his finger from pointing at others to pointing at himself. He says emphatically “woe is ME.” His glimpse of God’s holiness brings about immediate repentance. Read Isaiah 6 slowly and observe the prophet’s response – both to God’s holiness and to God’s call on his life. If God gave you a similar calling, how would you respond?

    Small Group Conversation Guide

  • Have each member of the group read the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. Look at the things that they are doing well vs. the things that Christ challenges. For each church, make observations of themes that we can apply to our lives today. What if God wrote a letter to YOU? What would He say to encourage you? Challenge you?
  • Revelation 4 describes God’s throne room. If you saw it as John did, you would be overwhelmed. Try to imagine the impact it would have on you. The theme and atmosphere of heaven, as seen in these chapters, is pure worship. Read Revelation 4. Don’t get too sidetracked on the details. Just focus on the fact that God is on the Throne and is being continually worshiped. Discuss how your approach to worship would change after that experience. How do you worship best: songs, quiet meditation, journaling, or serving? Discuss with your group.
  • We know that God does not always answer our prayers in the way we expect (different answer, different timing). Do you ever wonder if your prayers get lost? Consider Revelation 5:8. The 24 elders in Revelation hold golden containers of incense which are the prayers of saints. Discuss your reaction to knowing that there is a provision in heaven for collecting prayers. Does this reassure you? Knowing this, do you see your prayers in a different way? What other Scriptures about prayer have been meaningful and encouraging to you?
  • Everyone goes through trials in life. In fact, Jesus said, “In this life, you will face troubles.” One way to conquer the trials in your life is to have a vision of your future. When you catch a glimpse of your preferred future, it puts your current situation in perspective. That’s what Revelation 7:9-17 is for the believer. It is a snapshot into the future glory of heaven. Read this passage of scripture and discuss what it means to you and your group.

    Leadership Principles

  • As a leader, it is imperative that you surround yourself with people who are not going to be simply “Yes” men or women. You need to have truth spoken into your life from time to time and you must be willing to receive that truth. Jesus gives this truth to the Laodicean church in Revelation 3:14-22. Although they “thought”they were doing well because they were financially stable, Jesus exploded their joyride and exposed their true state of hypocrisy. Do you have people in your life who are willing to stand up and speak the truth to you in love? Are you that kind of friend to other leaders? When they do share information with you that might be difficult to hear, how do you respond? Do you deny it? Do you blame others? Do you accept it and determine to get better?
  • Read Isaiah 6:5-8. If you saw the Lord on His Throne, you would respond as Isaiah did, “Woe is me!” You would know that everything you have (talents, time, treasure) are from Him. You would know that He gave those things to you for a reason. When the Lord asked, “Whom shall I send…?” would you respond as Isaiah did, “Here am I! Send me.”? Christian leadership could be classified as simply listening to God and doing what He says. In this case, Isaiah heard from God and said yes even before he received his mission. Do you have that kind of total abandonment to God? Are you willing to say, “Yes God! Now, what do you want me to do?”

Are You Comfortable In Your Captivity?

[Part 2 in the Dreams Series (click here for part 1):]

What comes into your mind when I tell you that YOU can be GOD’S representative for YOUR generation?  What if I told you that you, yes you, can change the world?  I’m sure, if you are like me…excuses start coming to your mind and you start to doubt…

 

We all do it…

  • We doubt our identity – who am I?
  • We doubt our ability – how can I?
  • We doubt our availability – when can I?
  • We doubt our education – I don’t know enough?
  • We doubt our age (too old or too young)
  • We fear rejection
  • We fear failing
  • We fear criticism 
  • We fear taking the first step into the unknown

 

So what do we do?  What do we do when our DESIRES and DREAMS come face-to-face with our DOUBTS and DISAPPOINTMENTS?

 

In a word, sadly, most of us DO NOTHING. 

 

However, today we are going to look at an inspiring story of a man in the Bible who decided to put a deadline to his dreams and changed the world for his generation! 

Context please!

The date is 444 BC.  God’s promised people (Israel) had long past seen their glory days.  In fact, at this time in history, there was nothing left of the prized nation.  The Northern Tribes (Israel) were ransacked first by the grossly ungodly Assyrians in 722 BC.  I was going to show you a picture of what the Assyrians did to the people they captured (not pretty) but it was too graphic.

However, do you think this was a wake-up call to the Southern Kingdom, just a few miles to the south?  Not a chance!  Even despite heavy warnings from the prophets like Jeremiah and others, Judah and her capital city, Jerusalem, did not turn to God.  Rather, they did their own thing.  Consequently, they too were humiliated and destroyed, not by the Assyrians, but in 605 BC by the Babylonians led by none other than Nebuchadnezzar.

After killing many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the King took those who remained (including the best of the best) with him back to ancient Babylon, some 900 miles away.  There he brainwashed them, gave them new names (i.e. like in Daniel 1 with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) and forced them into a new culture.

At first, God’s people were furious at this happening.  However, little by little, time by time, they started to become COMFORTABLE.  In reality, they became COMFORTABLE IN THEIR CAPTIVITY.  We know this because after 70 years (when Jeremiah’s prophecy came to fruition) the new King of the region, King Cyrus, issued a decree granting permission for all of the captive Hebrews to go back and help rebuild the temple of God.  Only 50,000 people made the journey back!  Even the most conservative scholar would say that their population was well over 1 million at that time!

Only a handful came back!

I’m sure that the first several years were extremely difficult.  But after awhile, they started to look around and say, “this isn’t so bad!”  In Jerusalem, they were primarily farmers.  Now, they were learning trades and opening up businesses and becoming accustomed to a new lifestyle.  They learned a new language.  They learned adapted to the culture.  In a word…they became to be comfortable.  They became comfortable in their captivity.

Let me ask you a question: Have you become comfortable in your captivity?  Have you learned to adapt to a foreign lifestyle under the control of a foreign ruler?  Have you changed your language, changed your identity, altered the person you once were and now under your captor’s influence?

  • Maybe you have been taken captive by DEBT.  However, you are comfortable in that captivity and don’t want to do anything to get out.
  • Maybe your life has been taken captive by the wrong FRIENDS AND INFLUENCES and although you were once alive, you have become a DEAD FISH unable to swim against the current of this world!
  • Maybe you have been taken captive by a SIN that has you bound.  However, you make excuses and become comfortable in your shackled lifestyle.
  • Maybe you have been taken captive by UNFORGIVENESS and BITTERNESS.  However, it will take too much work and humility to make the journey back so you stay comfortable in your captivity!

If you have been taken captive by anything that is contrary to the Word of God and the Will of God for your life, it is my sincere desire to let this be a wake-up call to rebuild!  It is time to make the journey back to your spiritual homeland and rebuild that which the enemy has tried to destroy!

We can sit and throw stones at the nation of Israel for not coming back to rebuild the promised city of Jerusalem, but until we can rebuild the city of our own hearts, we are just as guilty as they are. 

These 50,000 came back to rebuild the temple.  A few years later, the priest Ezra came back to restore healthy temple worship.  However, there was one glaring thing wrong with the city – it was left defenseless.  The city’s walls had been destroyed for 150 years!  In the Ancient Near East, if a city was not fortified, it was worthless.  The inhabitants were always worried about  the next raid and losing everything – again.  They couldn’t have commerce INSIDE the city and they couldn’t have protection from OUTSIDE the city.  Walls were SO critical! 

The main character of our story is a cupbearer named Nehemiah.  Now, Nehemiah was of Hebrew descent but living 900 miles away in former Babylon, now under Persian control.  He was the cupbearer to King Artexerxes I of Persia.  His role was to taste the wine and food brought before the king.  If the cupbearer keeled over and died because someone poisoned the wine, then his job was successful!

Nehemiah has probably never been to Jerusalem but has a heart-longing to hear about how his grandfather’s city is doing. 

That’s where our story picks up in Nehemiah 1.

Nehemiah 1:1-2

“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.

It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, 2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.”

It is at this point, while performing his daily responsibilities that Nehemiah sees one of his brothers named Hanani.  Hanani had just made the 900 mile trip back from Jerusalem to Babylon / Persia and Nehemiah wanted to know how the people where doing and how the city was getting along.

Remember, this is before Internet and Satellite TV and smartphones…It had been several years since Zerubabbel led the 50,000 to go build the Temple and since Ezra had established worship in the Temple.  But Nehemiah probably didn’t know the specifics of how the city was doing.

So, when he asks the question, it is a genuine request… “How are our people doing?  How is the Holy City, really?”

Little does Nehemiah realize that his brother’s response will soon become the catalyst behind the birth of a God-ordained dream.  Little does Nehemiah realize that his destiny hinges on what is on the other side of this question. 

(We’ll pick up next time….page turner, I know!)

How To Activate Your God-Birthed Dream – It’s not what you think!

What is your THING?  You know what I’m talking about.  It’s that THING that is inside of you that bugs you.  It’s that THING that won’t let you sleep at night.  It’s that THING that you know God is leading you to do, start, stop or lead.  It could be a lifelong THING or a short-term THING.  Maybe God is prompting you to start a ministry or volunteer on a project or feed the homeless or give money or write a book.  Whatever it is that God has placed on your heart to do is your THING…

…It’s the DREAM that God has placed in your heart..

How To Activate The Dream

I’m not talking about daydreams!  Everyone has daydreams…I’m talking about raw, honest, audacious God-birthed dreams where your Heavenly Father has implanted a divine calling into your soul that moves you, stirs you, breaks you and shakes you!  Consequently, this dream inside of YOU moves others to action as well!  Thus, before long, a movement has begun and God is getting the glory.

It’s not what you think…

Every dream that begins as a dream will fail.  It might be a good idea, but not a God-idea.  A God-birthed dream does not begin with a dream.  Rather, it begins as a disturbance.  Disturbance is the riot in your soul that aggravates you to move towards something bigger than yourself.  Some call this the “firestorm of frustration” or a “holy discontent”.  Others call it a righteous indignation.  You might call it passion. Regardless, it is the disruption in your heart that sets you onto a new trajectory.

Nehemiah was a man who changed the world for his generation and it all started with a disturbance in his soul.  Read Nehemiah 1 and imagine the scene.  We’ll pick up there next time…

pk

P.S. Over the next several weeks I am going to be blogging on this topic of fulfilling your God-birthed dream.  We are going to be looking through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah as we chronicle the 10 Building Blocks for activating and accomplishing the dream that God places on your heart.

I want you to walk through this journey with me as I share some practical tips and encouragement with you.

Seven Days W/O Computer…Ugg

I  just got back from a trip to Kentucky to perform a wedding of some friends. About an hour and a half into the 11 hour trip, I discovered that I forgot my computer bag! Gasp. I have been known to forget a child, rather than forget my computer bag (not really, but almost). That’s why it shocked my wife when once I realized this tragic fact, I decided to press on with our trip and not U-turn our SUV.

Although it was a bit of a hassle having to get all of my premarital counseling notes scanned and e-mailed to me so I could put on the final touches of the wedding sermon, it wasn’t all that bad. In fact, I found it liberating. Here are a few things that I realized…

1. People are more important than computers and projects.

2. It’s amazing how much you can learn when you are “present” in a conversation, instead of thinking about when the next time you will be able to work on a project on your laptop.

3. Handwriting is beneficial. It allows you to brainstorm on paper and let’s you think more creatively (sometimes).

4. I was able to relax without the noose of a computer and e-mail and files and projects (repeat until dizzy).

5. It was a reminder that technology is a servant, not a master.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has experienced this phenomenon. What was your story and your experience?

Dear Pastor, Are You A Prostitute or a Prophet?

At first, you may call me offensive. That’s okay. But let me explain.

We all want to be liked…yet, at what expense? Pastors across the country are subtly cashing in their calling for a paycheck. Even though they know the right thing to do in most instances, they cower from the truth in order to keep their lifestyle.

A prostitute is someone who gets paid to perform. You give them money and they give you what you want.

However, a prophet speaks the truth.

Here’s what this looks like…

Prostitutes
Give you what you WANT
Get paid to PERFORM
Their audience is the CROWD
Work for MONEY
EARTHLY focused
Are walking AMEBAS (no spine)

Prophets
Give you what you NEED
Work for the LORD
Their audience is the KING
Serve for MINISTRY
HEAVENLY focused
Are VERTEBRATES (spine)

Sadly, many “progressive” pastors and preachers, authors and speakers have fallen into the trap of telling their respective crowds (followers) what they want to hear in order for them to keep their paychecks. I’ve seen pastors compromise their biblical stance or convictions because “if they didn’t, they would lose the denominational support and their insurance” and “my family is counting on this job”.

Really?

In my time as a pastor, I have had to make several tough calls that had to go against the grain of popular opinion. They were tough calls, bathed in prayer and wise counsel, but at the end of the day, the decision had to be made to either follow God’s Word or follow the crowd.

As we face the crossroads of decisions (big and small), it is high time that we grow a backbone, stand on our convictions, trust God and leave the result to Him.

Scripture is replete with examples of men and women who stood for their convictions:

Daniel 3:12 “There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”

1 Kings 22:14 “And Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.’”

Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank…”

Jeremiah 20:9
“Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.’
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And I could not.”

Galatians 1:10
“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Matthew 12:34
“Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

These are just a few of the hundreds of examples we see in Scripture about men who took a stand, grew a backbone, pleased God rather than serve a paycheck and made a difference for the Kingdom in their generation.

You don’t have to be a pastor to apply these truths.

In your workplace, are you compromising your convictions in order to get ahead? Prostitute.

At home, are you lying and deceiving in order to get what you want? Prostitute.

In church, are you telling people what they WANT to hear instead of what they NEED to hear? Prostitute.

God is bringing forth a new generation of world changers who are willing to take a stand on biblical truth and become modern-day prophets, whose sole mission is to follow the precedent found in 1 Kings 22:14 “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”

Question: What are some other biblical and modern day examples of both prostituting and being a prophet?