The Pushers

On March 1, 2014, I posted this on FB: #Relationship101 (Part 7): 

Now if a man really loves a woman who's been battered, beaten, and suffered much pain via marriages, relationships, rejection, he will pray for her that she be complete in Him so when she thinks of her "exes," it won't be painful (meaning, she can think about it or talk about it and it won't be painful). She can move on and recognize that these men were nothing more than a demonic spirit who was trying to seize the woman (like Shechem seizing Dinah, or the serpent pushing Eve). 

I indicated there that I would do a blog on The Pushers. So here we go with this lesson:

When most people hear the word "Pusher," they will usually think of a drug pusher or someone trying to sell illegal things to someone else. But The Lord showed me something in the middle of the Relationship 101 series (if you want to read that, here's the link: http://mayneman.blogspot.com/2014/03/relationship-101-unedited.html?m=1)

Satan is the ultimate pusher. He looks for willing participants who will push his agenda; he looks for those who are naive - those who can get blindsided and not know that his agenda is pushed if not forced on them; he looks for those who are a threat to the Kingdom of God - he pushes those willing participants on those who are his threat; he also looks for those homes where there is no spiritual covering - this is where the devil pushes through the house (granted, he can easily walk in the house) and wreak havoc on entire families (parents and children). 

This can be broken up into many sermons just from what I said above, but I only want to focus on two things in particular.

1. If you go back to the first paragraph, what we find is a man named Shechem (a willing participant) pushing (actually forcing) himself onto Dinah. Delilah was a willing vessel but the men surrounded her were pushing the devil's agenda to destroy a man of God so they could worship their god. Now let's take those scenarios and set the scene in the time we're now living in. There are men (and women) who will push themselves onto someone of the opposite sex for the sole purpose of destroying their target's self-worth but more importantly, their target's identity in Christ. Yes, those men and women can be impostors (saying they love God but serving their fleshly desires).   In lieu of the first paragraph, if you are doing their utmost to live holy, and you run upon someone who's trying to get with you, first determine if they are a pusher (or if they are truly sent from God). One question to consider is this: how do you feel about sex before marriage? If they say they're ok first, then he or she changes their demeanor and starts pushing you (or mocking the fact that you're waiting), that's not a red flag, it's a black flag! They are a pusher. If these willing participants don't repent, be assured they have an end. 

2. This one is sensitive to my heart because I've seen this a lot in my life. This is where the home has no covering and the devil pushes right through the door and everyone is hooked (to the point of destruction). Parents and children are caught in this web and for many of them, all that's left is anger, depression and suicide. My prayer is for all infected but especially the children, for many of them have so many questions and they're not given correct answers. Some of their questions are:

1. Why are my parents denying what I went through?

2. If what I went through puts me at a risk for heart disease, why did God choose me to get it?

3. What can I do now considering I didn't know this was wrong though I'm reaping the consequences? 

4. People tell me to forgive and let the abuser get off with clean hands!

They are legitimate questions. Now here are some legitimate answers. 

To #1: Remember the devil is behind this and he pushed his agenda on an uncovered house. You now have the power to get covered, clean and live a victorious life. 

To #2: Your sickness does not lead to death. Now you have the power to take cautions to turn your situation around. Don't give up.

To #3: Part of it is for your testimony. Turn all of it over to Him and He will reward you double for your trouble. 

To #4: The first part is true, and I'm going to end this blog by answering the second part of the statement.

The pusher has an end (especially if he does not repent). You have so much to live for, so live. These pushers (and those who know they are doing wrong), are living without a care (and are probably unaware they are going to the lake of fire - and could care less about that). If you have broken from the pusher's stronghold, live! Don't let their strongholds keep you from living the abundant life you're supposed to live (and get this, as you're living the redeemed life, there's an assurance you will receive crowns in glory)!

Blessings:

The Mayne Man

The Attack On Women

Now I’m not sure how people are going to react to this particular post, but as I hear about what’s on TV today, I can truly say there’s an attack on women. But I’d like to take it from this point: there has been an attack on women since the times of Adam & Eve and yes, the devil will be the focal point (now I’m not glorifying him, just making that clear) and why he is so mad at women (he’s mad at men too, but I believe not to the extent of him being mad at women).

When the devil used the serpent to talk to Eve, she ate and gave to Adam. Let me move to the place where God was questioning Adam & Eve. Eve stated that the serpent made me eat. The immediate judgment that came from God was on the serpent.

As I’m reading Matthew Henry’s commentary on Genesis 3, he said this and I think this is very important (here's the first excerpt): God immediately proceeds to pass sentence; and, in these verses, he begins (where the sin began) with the serpent. God did not examine the serpent, nor ask him what he had done nor why he did it; but immediately sentenced him, 1. Because he was already convicted of rebellion against God, and his malice and wickedness were notorious, not found by secret search, but openly avowed and declared as Sodom’s. 2. Because he was to be for ever excluded from all hope of pardon; and why should any thing be said to convince and humble him who was to find no place for repentance? His wound was not searched, because it was not to be cured.

Dropping down (for this is a lengthy commentary, but I want to focus on the part where God said that he will put enmity between the devil and the woman). Excerpt #2:

He is to be for ever looked upon as a venomous noxious creature, and a proper object of hatred and detestation: I will put enmity between thee and the woman. The inferior creatures being made for man, it was a curse upon any of them to be turned against man and man against them; and this is part of the serpent’s curse. The serpent is hurtful to man, and often bruises his heel, because it can reach no higher; nay, notice is taken of his biting the horses’ heels, ch. 49:17 . But man is victorious over the serpent, and bruises his head, that is, gives him a mortal wound, aiming to destroy the whole generation of vipers. It is the effect of this curse upon the serpent that, though that creature is subtle and very dangerous, yet it prevails not (as it would if God gave it commission) to the destruction of mankind.

Excerpt #3:

Here are three things concerning Christ:—(1.) His incarnation, that he should be the seed of the woman, the seed of that woman; therefore his genealogy (Lu. 3, ) goes so high as to show him to be the son of Adam, but God does the woman the honour to call him rather her seed, because she it was whom the devil had beguiled, and on whom Adam had laid the blame; herein God magnifies his grace, in that, though the woman was first in the transgression, yet she shall be saved by child-bearing (as some read it), that is, by the promised seed who shall descend from her, 1 Tim. 2:15 . He was likewise to be the seed of a woman only, of a virgin, that he might not be tainted with the corruption of our nature; he was sent forth, made of a woman (Gal. 4:4 ), that this promise might be fulfilled. It is a great encouragement to sinners that their Saviour is the seed of the woman, bone of our bone, Heb. 2:11, Heb. 2:14 . Man is therefore sinful and unclean, because he is born of a woman (Job. 25:4 ), and therefore his days are full of trouble, Job. 14:1 . But the seed of the woman was made sin and a curse for us, so saving us from both. (2.) His sufferings and death, pointed at in Satan’s bruising his heel, that is, his human nature. Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness, to draw him into sin; and some think it was Satan that terrified Christ in his agony, to drive him to despair. It was the devil that put it into the heart of Judas to betray Christ, of Peter to deny him, of the chief priests to prosecute him, of the false witnesses to accuse him, and of Pilate to condemn him, aiming in all this, by destroying the Saviour, to ruin the salvation; but, on the contrary, it was by death that Christ destroyed him that had the power of death, Heb. 2:14 . Christ’s heel was bruised when his feet were pierced and nailed to the cross, and Christ’s sufferings are continued in the sufferings of the saints for his name. The devil tempts them, casts them into prison, persecutes and slays them, and so bruises the heel of Christ, who is afflicted in their afflictions. But, while the heel is bruised on earth, it is well that the head is safe in heaven. (3.) His victory over Satan thereby. Satan had now trampled upon the woman, and insulted over her; but the seed of the woman should be raised up in the fulness of time to avenge her quarrel, and to trample upon him, to spoil him, to lead him captive, and to triumph over him, Col. 2:15 . He shall bruise his head, that is, he shall destroy all his politics and all his powers, and give a total overthrow to his kingdom and interest. Christ baffled Satan’s temptations, rescued souls out of his hands, cast him out of the bodies of people, dispossessed the strong man armed, and divided his spoil: by his death, he gave a fatal and incurable blow to the devil’s kingdom, a wound to the head of this beast, that can never be healed. As his gospel gets ground, Satan falls (Lu. 10:18 ) and is bound, Rev. 20:2 . By his grace, he treads Satan under his people’s feet (Rom. 16:20 ) and will shortly cast him into the lake of fire, Rev. 20:10 . And the devil’s perpetual overthrow will be the complete and everlasting joy and glory of the chosen remnant.

Anyway, back to the lesson, so what is the devil trying to do (to both men and women)? He’s trying to strip everything that God views as holy. As a result of the fall, blood had to be shed. When a man and woman enter to a marriage, a blood covenant is to be formed. Let me stay on this for a second. What’s the devil’s operation? To get blood to be unholy and to throw people outside of the will of God. As Matthew Henry stated earlier, God didn’t question Satan as to why he did what he did to Eve. But praise be to God for the cleansing blood of Christ! So, we as men of God, need to cover our women in prayer, and be able to intercede for our sisters in Christ. Satan’s plan to break down the marriage structure is increasing the more (marriage covenants are important to God). We can’t go on business as usual and calling what’s unholy as being holy.

Single parenthood was never the order of God (and I applaud every single mother out there). Satan is attacking women in this arena by breaking the backs of men to show that men aren’t stronger than women. As a result, they’re left with the burden of caring for the children. But praise be to God for the blood of Jesus.

So what’s the point of this post? Understand that we as humans are under attack by the devil. We need to cover each other in prayer and intercession, understand our roles as men & women and not give further access to the devil in our lives. For we can overcome these attacks if we are one accord.

Blessings:

The Mayne Man

Satan, The O.N. (The Original Narcissist)

I’ve been thinking about this for a few weeks and was privileged to share with a few people the concept behind this. Now why did I choose O.N.? Well, when I was in the world in the early 90s, we used to say O.G. when we were referring to an original gangster. So, I decided to change it up for this post.

So, for the benefit of those who don’t know what a narcissist is, I’ll be more than happy to define it: a narcissist is a person who indulges in excessive self-admiration and self-centeredness. In the medical profession, there’s such a thing as Narcissistic Personality Disorder – which is a disorder characterized by the patient’s overestimation of his or her own appearance and abilities with an excessive need for admiration.

What a narcissist expects from the world is for the world to bow down to the narcissist and applaud them for the world to the narcissist is a stage. Their part is to receive glory for self, everyone else is to bow down or else there are consequences.

Now, how does the devil fit the mode of a narcissist? It’s a great question. Here’s the answer: In Matthew 4 and Luke 4, you’ll find where Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness. One of Satan’s statements to Jesus was this: All these things (the world) I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me. Now this statement was made once the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Jesus didn’t go for that. And of course, the devil sought how to kill Jesus. If we were to fast forward to Luke 22:3, you’ll find that Satan entered Judas Iscariot. As soon as Satan entered Judas, Judas would then confer with the priests as to how he could betray Jesus. Now watch this, in verse 21, Jesus called Judas out by saying “the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table.” When Judas couldn’t get what he wanted from Jesus (which was a worldly kingdom), he would turn his back on Jesus. So he proved his disloyalty to Jesus which gave Satan free reign to place his narcissist personality onto Judas.

What needs to ring out loud and clear is this: Satan got kicked out of heaven because he wanted the glory for himself. He wanted people to bow down and worship him. So this is why Satan fits the profile of a narcissist. If he is not worshiped, he wreaks havoc on those who don’t bow the knee to him.

There’s one more note I need to make about Judas because many people will compare him to Peter. They are two different scenarios. Peter denied him but returned; Judas sold him out to have him killed and hung himself (I believe that Satan was done with Judas).

Sadly, many people who are not following Jesus (and yes, there are some who claim they know him) are acting out one of the devil’s traits (narcissism). A typical narcissist will say “it’s not about me,” when the truth is that it’s all about them. Most narcissists can’t get outside their box of “it’s all about me, this is how I see life and no one can talk me out of MY truth.” And they will get mad if you don’t bow the knee to them. Underlying message: don’t bow the knee to a narcissist. If you do, you’re truthfully bowing the knee to the devil, who is the original narcissist.