I ran across an interesting headline that instructed me, “Don’t Read This Article!” Of course, a headline like that dares defiance, doesn’t it? And that was the author’s point exactly. Joel Hilliker asks, “Are there ever times when you have thoughts you don’t like, or don’t understand—or, even worse, emotions you can’t explain? Do you ever feel disappointed because you keep doing things you’ve “promised” yourself you’d overcome? In your relationships, do you find yourself dealing with the same problems, making the same mistakes, time and time again?”

His answer, in a nutshell, to this conundrum? “The heart [that is, the seat of intellect—the human mind] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

What say you? Is Hilliker right? Is this why so many folks run to self-help books and false prophets rather than walking in the Spirit and being a doer of the Word?

We all know that the Apostle Judas was a traitor, a betrayer, a backstabber. We all know Satan entered him. But some are now saying Judas was an actual demon. Indeed, a new translation of the recently revealed Gospel of Judas suggests that Judas Iscariot was not only a traitor but as a demon also.

Let’s just skip the controversy over the so-called Gospel of Judas. I don’t want to touch that. But what are your thoughts on this “new revelation” of Judas Iscariot? Did he have a demon or was he actually a devil himself?

My personal opinion is that Judas was influenced by religious spirits and Jezebel spirits. He was controlling, manipulative and greedy. If the Prophet Jonah was a mess, the Apostle Judas made him look like an obedient servant by comparison. These same spirits — religion and Jezebel — are still trying to get those who follow Jesus to betray him today.

We’ve been reading a lot in the news about the threat of the “nuclear nation” of Pakistan. The unrest there has made headlines on every major broadcast news station and daily paper in the U.S. and many other countries. Now, prophetic words are surfacing warning America of a nuclear attack.

I’d read such prophecies with a word of caution and here’s why: We are jars of clay, imperfect vessels. Our souls are interesting, too.

If we start too much at any one thing, we begin to see it everywhere. Have you ever noticed how when you read about a new kind of car, you start seeing that make and model everywhere? You see it on TV, you hear the radio ad announcing it, you see it on the road, maybe your friend decides it the car from him?

Some of the prophecies I’ve been reading are laced with soulish fear about nuclear bombs dropping. We have to judge all prophecy, and prophecies that rehash media stories about the danger of our times are no exception. I believe when the Lord gives a warning, He also gives encouragement,  or some sort of prayer strategy to thwart the attack. He tells you something good to go along with the bad.

So as we enter evermore perilous times, let’s be just as careful to judge prophetic words as we are to judge those media headlines…

The Global Cause Network is putting on a conference called Let the Awakening Begin. It’s an apostolic-prophetic believer’s summit in Hallandale Beach, Florida, November 15-18, 2007 hosted by Apostle Jonas Clark and Pastor Rhonda Clark.

Prophets have announced it by the Spirit of God. A Great Awakening is coming that will stir His Church. God wants to use you as a mighty revolutionary to invade the land with the Gospel of the Kingdom. Catch the fire of the glory of God in this Great Awakening. Keep Reading »

We’ve all heard of seeker-friendly churches, but what about a seeker-friendly mosque? Hmm.

The Washington Post reports on Islam’s “Up-to-Date Televangelist,” an Egyptian preacher with large TV screens that project his image to the crowd, sort of like Joel Osteen’s services. The Post’s Robin Wright writes,

“‘My goal is that you leave happy,’ Amr Khaled began softly, once he finally got to the lectern. “My goal is to fulfill the hadith of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that says, ‘Whoever puts joy in the hearts of the believers, his reward is not less than Paradise.’ ‘The crowd ate it up. For the next 90 minutes, they laughed at his witticisms, smiled at his stories, nodded at his exhortations and clapped again — spontaneously and often. But most of all, they listened intently. Keep Reading »

Are you using all the weapons in your spiritual arsenal? Many are adept at wielding the sword of the Spirit and pleading the blood of Jesus against principalities and powers. Others do spiritual warfare through walking in obedience and love. Still others dispatch ministering angels, worship or prophesy against the enemy, declaring his ultimate doom.

But Scripture teaches of another weapon that Spirit-filled believers can include in our artillery as we press in to do damage to enemy forces in the hostile clash between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of Light: praying in tongues. Keep Reading »