Present Day Idols: Idolization and worship of God s Blessings

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1 Where is My Blessing?? Present Day Idols: Idolization and worship of God s Blessings Author: Pierre Dungee

2 In this short book, we are going to look God s Blessings and how people make the blessing an idol. Just so we have a working knowledge of idolatry, let s see what an idol is defined as: noun 1. a material object, esp a carved image, that is worshipped as a god 2. Christianity Judaism any being (other than the one God) to which divine honour is paid 3. a person who is revered, admired, or highly loved We also have the origin of this word, so let s take a look at it here: o o o o o mid-13c., "image of a deity as an object of (pagan) worship," from Old French idole "idol, graven image, pagan god," from Late Latin idolum "image (mental or physical), form," used in Church Latin for "false god," from Greek eidolon "appearance, reflection in water or a mirror," later "mental image, apparition, phantom,"also "material image, statue," from eidos "form" (see - oid). Figurative sense of "something idolized" is first recorded 1560s (in Middle English the figurative sense was "someone who is false or untrustworthy"). Meaning" a person so adored" is from 1590s. From the origins of the word, you see the words pagan, false god, statue, so we can correctly infer that and idol is NOT a good thing that a Christian should be looking at or dealing with. The Lord has given strict instructions about idols as you can see in scripture here: Leviticus 26:1 - Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 5:9 - Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, The devil knows this, so he sets up idols so the worship will go to HIM, as this is what he wanted from the time when iniquity was found in him. Worship means that much to the devil, and he will do anything he can to get those creations of the Lord to give HIM their worship. 2

3 So what is worship? Worship is a public show of deep respect and devotion towards someone or something that you are in awe of/have full admiration for that you show profound, intense love and honour to in recognition of the qualities of holiness, excellence and wisdom. As you already know, the Lord is not sharing his worship with anyone, and the sole purpose of an idol is to get people, who are built to worship the Lord, to worship a substitute. The devil puts idols around everyone because he knows that human beings will worship anything. With that being said, let s define what a blessing is. noun 1. the act or words of a person who blesses. 2. a special favor, mercy, or benefit: the blessings of liberty. 3. a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness. 4. the invoking of God's favor upon a person:the son was denied his father's blessing. 5. praise; devotion; worship, especially grace said before a meal:the children took turns r eciting the blessing. 6. approval or good wishes:the proposed law had the blessing of the governor. For our purposes here, let s define a blessing as: A blessing is the invoking of God's favor upon a person bestowing mercy, a benefit or a gift bringing happiness to the receiver of the blessing. Now that we have this properly defined, let s look at the situation that makes a blessing an idol. As we have said before, mankind will worship absolutely ANYTHING if he or she has the chance. So, you ask how can you worship a blessing? Let s agree that the blessings we are talking about are coming from the Lord of Hosts, the Lord Jesus Christ, or the Holy Ghost. As you already know, the Godhead will bestow blessings upon those whom they choose to bless. You cannot get a blessing unless you ask for one, and even then, that request is subject to the Lord s decision to grant you that blessing. So if we know all of this, why are people CONSTANTLY chasing blessings? 3

4 We see this all of the time in church, and this mindset is being exploited by unscrupulous people in the church to get money, clothes, jewels, favour and riches through scriptural threats. You have to understand, Christian, that chasing a blessing is a fool s errand. Many people think that the Lord is some sort of sugar daddy, and he will give out blessings when they are asked for. No. You CANNOT bilk a blessing out of the Lord, so forget that. Any church that is promising you blessings from God is a church that you do NOT want to attend. This shows the mindset of the people who are going to church today. Instead of following the Lord Jesus Christ, who is FAIR in His assessments, people are trying to game God into giving them blessings. You have blessing chasers, trying to be the one to get that blessing, even if they have to do something dishonestly. Those people will get NOTHING from the Lord, as He knows the intent of their hearts. You have blessing positioners, who are those that are trying to position themselves to get a blessing without having to do anything to earn that blessing. You then have the blessing grabbers, who are extremely selfish, as they are trying to get THEIRS and forget about everything and everyone else. In the next few paragraphs, I will show you what I see people doing to try and get a blessing from the Lord. 4

5 Pastor Creflo Dollar Scenario 1: This is the tithe scam where people are giving their tithes to a church or a pastor as the pastor is telling them that if they do not, they are robbing God. The pastor tells them that if they give 10% of their gross income, God will bless them for giving their tithe. 5

6 The trick: The trick is using God to con people out of money for a tithe, which is used to enrich the pastor(s) for their own gain. These Pastors use bible verses from Malachi, and this is the main scripture they use to steal from YOU, Christian: Malachi 3:8 - Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Then the pastors will stop there, and the people whom they are talking to do NOT want to offend God, so they pony up and pay what the pastor is asking them to pay. Then the pastors will play up the curse part if there is any resistance, telling the people that they will be cursed if they do NOT pay their tithes, as you can see here: Malachi 3:9 - Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 6

7 Many pastors have gotten filthy rich using this tactic, as they then soften the blow by telling the people that God is going to open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing that they will not be able to contain, using scripture to seal their larceny. They use this scripture: Malachi 3:10 - Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. What they don t tell you is what the Lord is talking about, which is in Malachi verse 11: Malachi 3:11 - And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. The pastors conveniently hold this verse back because they know you are ignorant of what the Bible says. As you can clearly see, the Lord is talking about FOOD and how He is going to keep the devil away from the food and not steal it or destroy the fruits of your ground. That is very important, Christian, because this scripture is NOT talking about money, but what has been grown in the ground. If you continue reading the scripture, you will see the Lord talks about fruit from a vine. Does your salary grow on a vine, Christian? 7

8 Anyone using this tactic on people is dishonest, and in effect, the Lord will curse those who take advantage of people in this manner. All of those prosperity pastors and the pastors who use this tactic are cursed, and all of the money and the riches they have obtained through their larceny is their reward, as they are ALL damned unless they ask for repentance and give back all that they have taken deceitfully. These pastors are also guilty of leading people astray, and they WILL pay for that. Now what does the Bible say about thieves and liars? 1 Corinthians 6: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. The next verse shows that you can be freed from that curse, as you can see here: 1 Corinthians 11 - And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 8

9 This is a tithe and this is NOT The pastors conveniently do NOT tell the people in the pews that tithing as the Bible defines it has been done away with because tithing was 10% of their crops, not money. The 10% of their crops was put aside for the Levitical Priests, as they had to stay in the temple 24/7 to take care of the prayer requests and offerings to the Lord of Hosts on behalf of the people. The priests were not able to grow crops because of their duties in the Temple. The 10% of the crops not only fed the priests, but it also fed the poor, strangers and travelers passing through that would be hungry. Tithes was NEVER about money, Christian, and it was the twisting of scripture by pastors and seminarians to get the money they wanted out of the giving units in their churches. The people who wanted the blessing are at fault here as well because they would do ANYTHING to get a blessing from the lord, so they thought that if they give a few dollars, they will hit the jackpot with God because He is God and God is not poor. Also, the people were ignorant of what a tithe is, so they just went along with what the pastor said. This is a prime example of why you need to study to show yourself approved, checking out EVERYTHING that the pastor says, making sure that it lines up with the word of God. This is what chasing a blessing is, Christian, and whenever someone chases a blessing, they are going to lose and get taken. 9

10 If you need a blessing, Christian, the best way to get a blessing is to ask the Lord Jesus Christ for one, and He will tell you what you need to do to get one from Him. He will also tell you what you need to do to be obedient to Him, as He does reward those who are obedient to Him when He deems it necessary. Obedience garners blessings, Christian, and the best way to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ is to listen to Him and obey His commandments. Any other way to get a blessing is illegal and the Lord is NOT going to grant you ANYTHING. Those pastors who perpetuate the tithe scam CAN be cleared of all of their larceny and lying if they would just get with the Lord Jesus Christ and repent of what they did and have Jesus restore to the people they lied to and robbed what is due them. Unfortunately, these pastors will not, and many of them will be damned because of their deceit. 10

11 Pastor John Hagee Christians United for Israel Scenario 2: This is the Israel First scam you have a well-known pastor that telling people to support Israel because they are the chosen people of God. Using scripture, this pastor tells people that by supporting Israel, the Lord is going to Bless those that Bless Israel, and Curse those that Curse Israel. Many people will go with what the pastor tells them because they do not want to miss out on the blessing of the Lord, knowing that they could be in good stead in society if they are blessed by the Lord. Others think that by supporting Israel, not only will they be blessed, but the United States will be blessed. These people will also go so far as to see Israel doing no wrong if they see Israel use force to illegally kick out people in the land so that Jewish settlements can be built. 11

12 The trick: The trick is to use God and His ability to give blessings to con people into giving money to support Israel using bible verses from Genesis to do this. Let s take a look at this scripture: Genesis 12:1-4 - Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. OK, so what does this say? Basically, what it said is that the Lord of Hosts was going to make Abraham a great nation, and his name will be great. The Lord told Abraham that He is going to bless Abraham, and those who bless Abraham will be blessed by the Lord, and those who curse Abraham will be cursed. That's ALL. Where does it say ANYTHING about Israel? 12

13 In the context of this scripture, which is why we see verses 1-4, the Lord told Abraham to go to a place that He (the Lord) would send Abraham, and He (the Lord) was going to watch out for and take care of Abraham and his family. THAT S ALL this passage says. So how did it get twisted to include all of Israel? There is a dispute over the seed of Abraham, and through misinterpretation of the Bible, that seed was said to include the Jewish people, as they boast about being the seed of Abraham. Well, didn t the scripture say that in Abraham all families of the earth will be blessed? NO. The people of Israel SAY they are God s chosen, but which god chose them? From our study of the Bible, the Lord of Hosts, who did choose the Hebrews in Egypt to be His people, divorced Himself from them and did not talk to the children of Israel for 400 years after He scattered them a SECOND TIME because they would NOT obey what the Lord told them to do. All promises that had been made to the Children of Israel have been CANCELLED, and NONE of the promises that people like John Hagee professes for Israel are valid. It is through the seed of Abraham - which is the Lord Jesus Christ - that those promises made to the Children of Israel in the Old testament are preserved and kept through Jesus to those who are Born Again through Jesus in the New Testament. 13

14 We can see this in scripture: Galatians 3:14 - That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. This scripture right here proves that there is NO Blessing on the Children of Israel, and that the people who use Genesis 12:3 to say that the current day Jews in Israel are being blessed because they are Abraham's seed are in ERROR. Here is another scripture that solidifies this point: Galatians 3:16 - Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Notice that the writer of Galatians made it a point to say that ONE seed - the Lord Jesus Christ - is the seed that the promises of Abraham were made to. This proves and negates any claims that the Jews of Israel have because the promises of Abraham are for those who are IN Christ. o o Can you now see how the scripture has been twisted? Can you now see the deception that Israel is promoting about itself? This is only one scripture, Christian, and herein lies the problem. How many scriptures are twisted to make people believe that support for a country run by Liars and thieves who SAY that God is with them (but He is NOT) so they can get the money and support from the people who are being duped? 14

15 The people who wanted the blessing of God and thought that they could get it by supporting Israel are at fault here as well because they would do ANYTHING to get a blessing from the Lord. They thought that if they give a few dollars to Israel, they will hit the jackpot with God. They also thought that they will NOT be cursed by God since they have NOT spoken against Israel. This is the biggest and best scam going, as people are being bullied into believing that God will punish them directly if they do not bow the knee to Israel. People have been brainwashed into thinking that Israel is of God when it is not, and what testifies that Israel is NOT of God is the flag which has a giant Hexagram in it. A hexagram is one of the strongest Satanic symbols there is on earth. 15

16 How is it that the people of God, who the Israelis claim to be, are following a satanic witchcraft symbol on their flag? What does the Lord have to say about witchcraft? 1 Samuel 15:23 - For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 2 Chronicles 33:6 - And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. Galatians 5: Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Get these scriptures deep down inside of you, Christian, as this warning will keep you from damning yourself. As you can see, those who are idolaters, which these people would be because they worship Israel, and those who practice witchcraft, as the Israelis do, as their flag is a testament against them, will NEVER see the Kingdom of God. Does this mean that all of the Jews and Israelites that do NOT accept Jesus Christ in Israel will be lost? 16

17 That is EXACTLY what it means. Most of the Jews you see with the funny hats and the weird curls are NOT going to make it into the Kingdom of God, and this is because these people follow the Talmud, a Babylonian book of rules that is THEIR Bible. These people are also liars, as they are NOT the people of God; only those who are followers of Christ who have been sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost will be allowed into the Kingdom of God. Period. This is a prime example of why you need to study to show yourself approved, checking out EVERYTHING that the pastor says, making sure that it lines up with the word of God. This is what chasing a blessing is, Christian, and whenever someone chases a blessing, they are going to lose and get taken. If you need a blessing, Christian, the best way to get a blessing is to ask the Lord Jesus Christ for one, and He will tell you what you need to do to get one from Him. He will also tell you what you need to do to be obedient to Him, as He does reward those who are obedient to Him when He deems it necessary. Obedience garners blessings, Christian, and the best way to be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ is to listen to Him and obey His commandments. Any other way to get a blessing is illegal and the Lord is NOT going to grant you ANYTHING. 17

18 What are the takeaways from this? You cannot make God do anything. If you desire a blessing from the Lord, you have to do it as He tells you. These is why it is important to know the Lord Jesus Christ personally so He can guide you and show you what He wants you to do. You cannot game God. God is infinitely smarter than you, and He really doesn t care about stuff. He cares about you, and He wants a relationship with you in Spirit and in truth. No games, no cons, no brainwashing. He wants you; He want to know you; He wants to walk with you as you work out your salvation with fear and trembling. You need to STOP trying to chasing blessings. This is a futile effort, and you are just going to frustrate yourself and possible piss off the Lord. STOP. Your heart is not right if you are chasing blessings. Your heart is NOT right because you are trying to get God to give you things, and that is NOT what God is all about. He is all about a relationship; He is all about saving you so you can serve Him. He wants you to serve Him because you want to, and not for a blessing. 18

19 Once your heart is right and you are obedient, you WILL get blessings. The Lord Jesus Christ is NOT going to bless you unless you are right with Him. I would strongly suggest that you spend some time getting to know Jesus for REAL and talk with Him about what you want or need. He will THEN bless you if you are right with Him with things that you may need. Blessings come to those who are servants. To follow the Lord Jesus Christ, you have to become a servant, and as a servant, you are exalted if he Lord Jesus Christ deems it appropriate. Many of you are used to the devil s kingdom, which is larceny and winner take all / the Lord Kingdom is different. If you want to go higher with God, become the BEST servant you can be. Jesus is NOT going to bless you unless He knows you and you are His. This is the key to getting blessings, Christian. You have to know Jesus PERONALLY and He has to know you PERSONALLY before He will do ANYTHING for you. How do you get to know Jesus? Call out to Him out loud and ask Him to show you what you have to do. It is really very simple. 19

20 As always, take NOTHING that you have seen here in this book as the truth. It is YOUR responsibility to study and check out everything that you see and hear, and you have an advocate in the Lord Jesus Christ who will help you if you would just ask Him. Take this upon yourself, Christian, as YOU need to get YOUR Bible, YOUR concordance, YOUR dictionary, YOUR pens/pencils, YOUR notepad and then YOU need to seek out the Lord Jesus Christ and ask Him to help YOU so YOU can make it into His Kingdom, since it will be YOU standing alone in front of Jesus when YOU are being judged. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure YOU are in the faith and that YOU have completed YOUR sanctification during the sanctification process and YOU have gotten YOUR forgiveness and YOU have repented of all of YOUR sins before YOU are judged by Jesus. Scripture tells us that hell will enlarge itself to accommodate all of the people who will be sent there because of idols like the pope, as you can see in scripture here: Isaiah 5:14 - Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. Take this as a warning, Christian, as the Lord Jesus Christ is NOT desperate for people, as there were only 8 people who got on the ark before the flood, and only 2 people from the Hebrews from Egypt made it into the Promised Land. Be wise, and stay IN Jesus so you are not lost. 20

21 Here is Our Challenge to you, Christian We challenge you to go to Jesus directly RIGHT NOW and ask Him if what is shown here is true. Use this as a means to start a conversation with The Lord Jesus Christ and sit with Him and ask Him questions. Start with (asking out loud): Jesus, is what I just read true? He will answer you and NOW you will be on the true road to salvation, knowing for SURE if you are going to make it or not, as Jesus would have told you. Keep talking with Him. Get to know Him and He will start to reveal Himself to you. You need to find out for yourself and work out YOUR salvation for YOU, as the scriptures tell us to. 21