How Loosing Your Job Can Be a Great Blessing – Brandy's Story

“Getting fired from my job was the best thing,” says Author and Spoken Word artist, Brandy Rankins (a.k.a BrandyWine). In this post, I share with you the full discussion which transpired between BrandyWine and I on LinkedIn on November 12, 2011. It’s my prayer that you will find hope, inspiration and encouragement from the story of a woman of God who at some point in life felt all hope was lost, but God intervened and gave her “hope and a future” as promised in Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV.

Brandy’s story followed when I posted the statement below:

“This evening I felt really depressed, and as I began to pray the Lord gave me this scripture: "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." - Matthew 24:13. So I want to ask, what have you been enduring as a Christian?”

Brandy's reponse to the above statement is as quoted below:

Brandy Rankins

"Love and needed this scripture! As a Christian I've endured A LOT! My hope, belief, and confession is that the most challenging trials are behind me. I've endured some great hardships such as becoming a widow at the tender age of 21. I was devastated by the loss and since I was new to the church, I left God because of my confusion and pain. "Why would you let this happen to me Lord?" I thought daily. From there I went into the world drinking, smoking, and clubbing heavily trying to do everything to fill a GOD SIZE VOID. I found out the hard way only God could fill that.

I returned to the church and began to sit under God and allowed Him to minister to my pain. What I LOVE and remember about my time away from God is that He was still with me. He continued to PROVIDE, and look out for me, even though I left Him. He was and is so Faithful. Seven years later, I was blessed to remarry a wonderful man but then my mother and best friend passed with lung cancer. We literally had to raise the money to bury my mom in three days because she didn't have any life insurance. We held two carwashes, sold hot dogs, and went through the community with signs that read "Please Help Us Bury Our Mom." 

A Closer Look at Christian Hip-hop and Christian Rap Music

We recently posted an article on what the Bible says about hip pop and secular music. As I read through that post, it impressed on me the need to take a look at Christian hip pop (a.k.a Christian pop or holy pop), and Christian rap music. So let’s get into it; let’s take a closer look at Christian hip pop and Christian rap music.

Personally I find Christian rap and Christian hip pop to be cool. While secular hip pop fills your mind with sex, women, drugs, crime etc., Christian rappers preach the Word of God through their music. Fans of secular artists raising their hands in excitement as they watch their artists perform is a form of worship to satan (the lord of most secular artists).  On the other hand, fans of Christian artists/rappers raise their hands in support of the Christian message that the Christian artist/rapper is presenting. This gives glory to God because His name is being honoured. 

The issue with secular music or secular hip pop is not the rhythm of the songs but rather the words/lyrics of the songs and the obscenities found therein. Rhythm is like language. There are thousands of languages in the world. As far as I know, it is accepted for each clan or tribe to praise God in their language. You may look at it this way; God created sex but does that mean he supports pornography?

How To Stay Pure Until Marriage...Yes, It's Possible!

A decision stay pure until marriage includes abstaining from sex and also abstaining from anything that has the tendency of preventing you from living up to your promise of purity. What this means is that, you must do away with friends who will not help you in your commitment to purity.

Also, entertainment resources such as music, movies, games and all entertainment materials with the propensity to make you fall into sexual acts of any kind must surely be neglected. For example, I would not recommend songs by Rihanna, Beyonce, Lady gaga and their like, to anybody who is serious about staying pure until marriage. Most of the songs of these artists are full of sex lyrics and complemented by videos packed with countless sex scenes, mind control objects and symbolism.

God’s Word is clear on this, “For this is the will of God, [for] your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;  that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,  not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God” – 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5.

Elsewhere in the scriptures God asked, “For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” – 2 Corinthians 6:14b-16 NKJV.
To be able hold tight to our commitment to purity, we must avoid all persons and anything that is not aimed at helping us stay pure until marriage in honour of God, our family, our future spouse and ourselves.

The Complete Purity Guide For All Christians

When people talk about purity, they mostly refer to sexuality purity. Of course, sexual purity constitutes a large portion of the purity journey. However, Christian purity extends far beyond just sexual purity. One may not see the big picture if he/she is outside the purity box. But as soon as you decide to stay pure until marriage, you will realize that such commitment really goes beyond abstaining from sex. In this post, we will look at what purity is, and what it encompasses.
 

What is Purity?

Purity, also referred to as Christian purity, is a Christian virtue that requires believers to make commitment or promise to abstain from sex until marriage. As mentioned earlier, abstaining from sex is a principal component of purity. However upon taking that decision, it becomes evident to the individual that to be successful in abstaining from sex, he/she must abstain from anything else that would lead him/her to fall prey to sex.

Purity is an honorable virtue. It is honorable because it brings honor to God, your family, your future spouse, and yourself. Consider the following scriptures in relation to the honor that a commitment to purity brings to God, your family, your future spouse and yourself, in that order:

“For this is the will of God, [for] your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality” – 1 Thessalonians 4:3 NKJV

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.  Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise” – Ephesians 6:1-2 KJV.

“Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” – Proverbs 31:10 KJV.

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” – Proverbs 31:30 NKJV.

Of all the purity scriptures listed above, my favorite is Proverbs 31. It helps us to understand that although a commitment to stay sexually pure until marriage brings honor to God (1 Thess. 4:3), your family (Eph. 6:1-2), and your future spouse (Proverbs 31:10), the greatest honor comes to you. “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” – Proverbs 31:30.

What is a Purity Ring?

Purity Rings are rings worn by people as an outward sign or symbol to show their inward commitment to stay sexually pure until marriage in honor of God, their family, their future spouse and most significantly to bring honor to themselves.

Most purity rings have purity scriptures engraved on them. They serve as reminders and daily puts the individual in remembrance of his/her commitment to purity. Most purity rings are for girls, but there are also purity rings for guys. A purity ring is worn on the ring finger on the left hand. The idea behind this choice of finger is that, the ring is to be worn until marriage and it symbolizes marriage to God. Purity rings are replaced by the wedding ring when the individual finally gets married. The joyful task of most girls who wear purity rings is to give it to their husbands on their wedding day. Isn’t that beautiful?

Why We Must Stay Sexually Pure Until Marriage

The Crocodile likes water, but not when the water is boiling. Sex, like fire, can be very good and also very destructive; depending on how it is used. During cold weathers fire is kept in a home to keep it warm. Taking the fire out of its place and placing it somewhere else in the home could spark up a great fire which could burn the entire house into ashes.

Similarly, sex outside marriage (or premarital sex) is equally dangerous. Pre-marital sex is simply sex taken out of its place – marriage. It has the same effect as fire taken out of its place. The Bible has a better view on this, it said, “For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread…” – Proverbs 6:26. If by a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread, then I believe the opposite is also true: by a means of whorish man, a woman is brought to a piece of bread. Stories of beautiful and reputable women been ‘used and dumped’ by treacherous men, are common in our societies today.

Who is a whorish woman? She is any woman (girl or lady) who is not your wife. Other Bible versions translated the ‘whorish woman’ as ‘strange woman’. Elsewhere in the Proverbs book of the Bible, we see the strange woman and what she can do:

“Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee… To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.” –­ Proverbs 2:11, 16-19 (KJV).

Usually when people hear the word whorish, the first thought that comes to mind is a prostitute, right? Well it should be noted that any woman who have sex with another man other than their husband is a whorish woman. In this context the closest whorish woman to you could be your girlfriend if sex is involved in the relationship. Sex should never be the foundation of the relationship.

Dear ladies, if sex is what your man needs to stay with you, then I can assure 100% that he will still leave even if you give it to him. I am not making up any new theories about this, it is a fact. What makes you different from the ‘other girls’ if he can get from you what he got from them? Here’s the real gist: why should he marry you if he is freely enjoying the privileges of a married man from you?

A decision to stay sexually pure until marriage will make men respect you, and when you finally meet the right man for you, he will love you like never before. I once overheard two guys talking and one said to the other “Do you think I am going to marry one of these ‘club girls?’” I was saddened as I thought about whose daughter in the world is being referred as a ‘club girl’ by these young men? Then the guy continued, “Come on, I will go to the Church and find a better wife.” That statement really struck me. Mercy for the ladies at Church, may God give you eyes to see this young man for who he really is when he finally arrives at your Church.

Dear gentlemen, we will be doing ourselves much good if we stay sexually pure until marriage. The Word of God is clear;

“For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the[his] precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.” – Proverbs 6:26-29.

The phrase ‘his neighbour’s wife’ in the above scripture is not only referring to the wife of another man, it encompasses all ‘will be’ wives.

Dating is preparation for marriage. For a fact, not all relationships lead to marriage between the two partners. However, the person you date eventually becomes another person’s wife or husband. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s be honest here; do you find it okay that somebody somewhere should be having sex with and fondling the woman or man that will soon become your wife or husband?

Sex is to be preserved for marriage. God made it that way for a reason. And come to think of it, it is for our own good. We will be doing ourselves much good if we say no to sex and live a sexually pure life until marriage. 


Share this post if you know someone who needs to read it.


More on purity? Read the following posts:
The Complete Purity Guide For All Christians
How to Stay Sexually Pure Until Marriage
How To Overcome Sexual Temptations
The Purity Code: A Sexual Code of Conduct

Why Christians Should Not Listen To Secular Music

This post is in two parts. The first part looks at why Christians should not listen to secular music, and the second part provides some advice on how to stop listening to secular music. Prior to this article, we wrote a number of articles on hip pop and secular music. We started by telling the truth about Sasha Fierce: why Sasha is fierce, then we wrote about the deceptions in Jay z’s ‘Forever Young’ song lyrics. It did not end there; we also have a post on what the Bible says about hip pop and secular music, and another about Katy Perry selling her soul to the devil. Feel free to leave your comment on all the above mentioned articles. Meanwhile let’s get into the purpose of this article.

1.      1. Why Christians should not listen to secular music

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” – 1 Peter 2:9.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.  – 1 John 2:15-17.

One sad truth in Christendom is the fact that many Christians do not recognize their identity in Christ. Being a Christian goes a lot more beyond being called a Christian. “Being a Christian is a work of a moment but living a Christian is a work of a lifetime,” Billy Graham observed.

Every Christian has a unique story to tell. However, in the midst of each story is a loving God who gave up is life as ransom for our sins. Different things and different circumstances had over the years led many to Jesus Christ. Every believer reading this post has been delivered from bondage of some sort. The Lord Jesus had met each of us at different points of our lives. Some have been delivered from drugs, others from excessive partying, clubbing and sexual promiscuity. And many others have been delivered from worldly lusts: the lust for money, the lust for material possessions, and greediness.

But when we become born again by the blood of the Lamb, we become new creatures (2 Corinthians 2:17), we become the sons and daughters of God (John 1:12), but most significant, we become a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and peculiar people. The attributes and identities of believers have been made evident by the apostle Peter (See 1 Peter 2:9). There is a reason why God gives the believer all this attributes. It is so that we can “show forth the praises of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous light” – 1 Peter 2:9b.

What does it mean to show forth the praises of God? I believe it means doing away with worldly lifestyle; secular music, secular movies and anything that do not glorify our Heavenly Father who loved us and sent His Son to die to save us. The scripture says “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” – (Galatians 2:20). Being in Christ means we are no more of the world. We have been delivered from the darkness and are now nigh to the marvelous light of God in Christ. This is why every Christian must grow to a point in their life where they can boldly say NO to secular music and all the profanity and deception that go with it.

2.     2. How to Stop Listening to Secular Music

The lesson in Galatians 2:20 is that Christ lives in us. Every believer must always be conscious of the fact that Christ lives in us. Whenever you are tempted to sing or play a secular music, pause and ask yourself, “Will Jesus listen to this song I am listening to? Will He dance to this song I am dancing to? I have found this questioning approach to be an effective way to stop or quit listening to hip and secular music.

Alternatively Christians can stop listening to secular music by listening to more godly music. I used to really love hip pop,  R & B and rap music. Now I am in Christ and I still enjoy these genres but I do it this time to edify myself and to praise the LORD my God. I no more listen to those secular artistes singing and rapping about sex, money, drugs and girls. Instead I listen to Christian rap music, Contemporary gospel and gospel reggae. It is the same rhythm but with edifying and uplifting lyrics. Just take a look at the music video below and you will understand what I am talking about. The song is by Lecrae(a Christian rapper). If you like the song then click here to buy it from Amazon mp3. Watch and leave your comments. God bless you!

True Story: Did Katy Perry Sold Her Soul To The Devil?

In her book ‘He Came To Set The Captives Free’, Rebecca Brown talked about how some music stars, movie stars and other celebrities sell their soul to the devil (satan) for money and fame. In  the book Elaine, an ex-satan worshipper and top bride of satan who is now in Christ, told a sad story of how as a high priestess of satan, she would go to recording studios and add satanic blessings to CD albums of artists who have sold their soul to the devil. The book also brings to light the fact that demons sometimes participate in the composition of songs and in some cases actually sing portions of the songs of these artists.

Sadly, many people do not believe stories like these. This is however no surprise because the Bible had said:

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.

Born to evangelical ministers, Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (that’s her real name, but now known as Katy Perry) had a good Christian upbringing. Katy Perry’s parents, like all good parents, wanted the best for their child. They did their best to bring her up in the fear of the LORD. It is often said that you could force the horse to the river but you can’t force it to drink the water. As much as Katy Perry’s parents wanted the best for her, they also did their best not to seem like their forcing their belief and ideas on her.

Although Jesus loved the world and gave his life for it (John 3:16), He would not force people to believe in Him. We all have our will and conscience. Katy Perry’s parents desired the best for her but things turned out differently when she willingly walked away from the love of God. She turned her back on Jesus. 

Katy Perry told Cosmopolitan that she left Christianity when she felt sex shouldn’t wait until marriage. “I was like, I don’t know if I can hold that promise because this guy at camp is really cute,” she said. “Today, Katy Perry is married to former sex addict Russell Brand and dances around a Candyland gameboard dressed like Bettie Page shooting whipped cream out of her tits. Millions of little girls love her,” Joseph Allen of Taki Mag observed.

Update: Perry and Brand's marriage had hit the rocks. Russell Brand filed for divorce in December 2011 and final divorce papers were recently filed. Brand is believed to have refused spousal support from his soon to be ex-wife. "The British comedian refused to pursue 50 percent of Perry's estimated $40 million fortune to which he was legally entitled," The ChristianPost reported.

As mentioned earlier, Katy Perry had a good Christian upbringing. Her parents were ministers of the gospel, and she claimed she was not allowed to use the word ‘lucky’ because it’s like lucifer. What’s more? She even started her music career with a gospel album. Her first album was signed to Christian music label Red Hill and she sang and performed as Katy Hudson. But like all other stars and celebrities believed to have sold their soul to the devil, Katy Perry ended up walking away from the grace and love of Christ  in pursuit of fame.

What the Bible Says About Hip Hop and Secular Music

What does the Bible say about Hip-hop? Is there a scripture in the Bible that talks about  Hip-hop? Does God approve listening to Hip-hop music/songs? Are these questions your questions? If yes, then I have some good news for you. These questions flag the hearts of curious brothers and sisters who are torn between the desire to please God by always doing His will, and their avid love for Hip-hop, R&B and other secular music.

Well, the Bible does talk about Hip-hop, R&B and other worldly music genres which are collectively known as secular music. I wrote an earlier article in which I dealt with how Satanism is being portrayed in metal music and by metal bands. A chunk of my readers who happened to be avid metal lovers, popularly known as “metalheads” or “headbangers”, found that article very disturbing. One of my readers suggested that I do a work on Hip-hop music as well. He stressed that there’s a lot of Satanism and satanic symbolism in Hip-hop than metal music. This article is not purposed to prove which music genre contains more Satanism; rather it is to take a Christian stance and tell people what the Word of God has to say on Hip-hop, R&B and other worldly music.

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Decoded: The Deceptions in Jay-z's 'Forever Young' Song Lyrics

“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”” – Genesis 3:1 NLT. Compare the statement in bold above with the one below:

"Do you really want to live forever?" – Jay-z.

The serpent described in Genesis 3:1 above is satan himself. See Revelation 12:9 below:

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (KJV).

"Pastor Justin Cox - Passion4Christ Movement"

Oftentimes when people use the word really, they either have a second thought or doubt the existing fact of the matter. Satan was fully aware of the instruction God gave to Adam and Eve about not eating the forbidden fruit. Nevertheless he went to the woman (Eve) and asked, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Eve had no idea who she was contending with just as most Christians today have no idea who we contending with when we listen to the rebellious songs of the world’s artists.

[Related post: The Truth About Sasha Fierce; Why Sasha Is 'Fierce'?]

Like satan, Jay-z is fully aware of Jesus’ promise of eternal life for His followers (John 3:16, Col 1:27, Romans 8:1), but he still went ahead to ask, “Do you really want to live forever?” The same approach satan used to separate man from God. What followed satan’s question was deception. Here’s the full story from the New King James Version of the Bible:

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”

– Genesis 3:1-7.

The Truth About Beyonce Becoming Sasha Fierce

Have you ever wondered who Sasha Fierce really is? Or why is Sasha ‘fierce?’ In her own words Beyoncé said, “I have someone else that takes over when it’s time for me to work and when I’m on stage, this alter ego that I’ve created that kind of protects me and who I really am.” By this statement, Beyoncé was talking about her onstage personality – Sasha Fierce. I have a question here; who is Sasha Fierce? And why is Sasha ‘fierce?’ The answers to these two questions are what this post will attempt to reveal.

For clarity and ease of understanding I would like us to take it one after the other. Let’s begin with Sasha. The name Sasha is of Greek and Russian origin and means “Guardian of mankind” and it is mostly not used as a formal name but as a diminutive of Alexander and Alexandra. Sasha is used by both males and females and it is predominantly used for males in Germany where it is spelled ‘Sascha.’ Wikipedia stated that in the United States, Sasha is used exclusively for girls. It is therefore no surprise that Beyoncé has taken the name up and using it. President Barack Obama’s youngest daughter is also called Sasha and there is another female musician in the U.S.A. who goes by the name Sasha. I think Sasha is such a popular name in the United States perhaps because of its meaning.

The word ‘fierce’ on the other hand is defined by the Essential English Dictionary as something or somebody “marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid, ruthless, violently agitated and turbulent”

So if the name Sasha means “guardian of mankind” then why is Sasha ‘fierce?’ The image below offers some suggestions.

From the above photo, it is evident that Beyoncé in her simplicity looks very cheerful and not fierce, but Sasha is ‘fierce.’ What makes Sasha Fierce so fierce is the strong eye make-up and adornment of her hair. Someone might say, “Well that’s fashion!” I beg to say that such make-up and hair adornment is more than just fashion. Sasha Fierce’s shades-like heavy eye make-up represents the eye of Horus, and together with the hair adornment has been an age long ritual of witchcraft.