Internet Predators on Christian Dating Sites

Sheep in Wolves Clothing:
We have a perception of Internet predators being creepy, ex-convicts and pedophiles that are posted on bulletin boards and watched by neighbors and police. However, many Internet predators are men and women of the cloth. Yes, that's right...Pastors, Ministers, and Christian men and women who engage in phone sex, fornication, adultery, and pornography behind the veil of the Internet. Some are experienced predators, and some get caught in the net. The fact is that Christian dating sites are no safer than non-Christian sites when it comes to being deceived. On Internet dating sites Christians must BEWARE OF SHEEP IN WOLVES CLOTHING.

The Seduction:
A man or woman of God with the spirit of the Lord upon them (the anointing) is very attractive. The word of God can be a very seductive tool for the experienced seducer. The bible says, that even satan appears as an angel of light. He knows the word too, and his most effective tool is US. He uses God's people to perform his work. He knows our weaknesses and appeals to them. So, we are first seduced by satan (because we don't resist), then we allow this lustful spirit to contaminate his people through us as we spread our sin in secret. I say US because what affects my brother and sister affects me, and my testimony is that I have experienced this seduction first hand.

Therefore I offer the following tips for Christian Internet Daters:
1) Pray the full armor to prepare you for the spiritual realm (cyberspace) that you are entering. Pray that the Lord give you discernment.
2) Pay attention to the screen name and avoid it if it is sexual in nature. If it is ambiguous, a great ice breaker is to ask how they came up with that screen name.
3) Avoid profiles that include profanity (even acronyms !@#&*)that translate to curse words.
4) Avoid "legally separated" They are still married. How can they be serious about starting something with you when they aren't out of their last relationship?
5) Avoid Christian men who confess their sexual lust as a weakness and ask for prayer. This is a deception to lure you into temptation with them under the pretense that you can help them while they struggle with a sin that they need to just resist. Dont' be seduced. Pray that they repent - from afar.
6) Be wary of men who have several children, but have never been married.
7) Be wary of women who's profile photos look like Playboy spread - lack of modesty.
8) Avoid men and women who sound bitter, mean, angry or abusive.
9) Pay attention to their choice of music, movies and entertainment.
10) Let your profile be an example of holiness. That will be boring to most predators, and it doesn't expose your emotional vulnerabilities.
11) Pray as the Lord leads you for the souls on these sites.
12) If God sent you there, don't neglect your assignment - to lead lost souls to Christ, cast out demons, and encourage believers.
13) If God did not send you there, you may be a predator or prey - ask God to reveal and expose your motives to you, and to help you work out your real issues - offline.

God bless you.
The Prophetic Scribe

Walking alone

I grew up being an advisor to kids my age, and even older people. Over the years there have been people who have sworn undying loyalty to me while I walked them through difficult times in their lives, but for no apparent reason they just stopped calling. My feelings almost got hurt, but the Lord ministered to me and told me that most relationships are for a season. He showed me the impact that I made on the lives of others and he said, "do it unto me. I see you." So, I've learned not to expect people to reciprocate. Many of them are not equipped to do so. I have learned that if I don't have expectations, I can't be disappointed. However, sometimes letting go still hurts a little

I'm excited about the new season that I am entering. However, today I feel the ache in my heart about all of the things and people that I have to let go. In this season, I'm not fighting to keep anything. It's all just "stuff" to me. Stuff that I've had before and stuff that I can get again. This attitude kind of appears like I don't place much value in anything or anyone, and it might even sound a little cold. Of course, I value friends and relationships, but let's face it. They come and they go too.

I'm nearly a half century old and, looking back, I can see a pattern. That's growth because I used to see a cycle. There is a difference. A cycle is a circle. A circle of events that reoccur over and over and over again in your life. A pattern is more like a blueprint or map of events that may take on a different cast of people or location or even circumstance, but the principle remains consistent. The pattern I see is a quilt made up of all the lovely things that I am, that I experience and that I treasure. The old pieces that mar the pattern are slowly being replaced by brighter pictures that complete the pattern. I thank God for the uniqueness of every piece and the replacement of the old. And I thank God that in the midst of this great pattern, I still stand out like a shining star.

The Prophetic Scribe

Entering the Promised Land

The question on the mind of those in ministry that know me is, "Are you sure that this is a move of God, and not you just trying to run again?" It's true. Those who know me know that I've wanted to run since I arrived in this desert, but I stayed, in spite of myself, for 12 years out of obedience to God. I moved here not knowing a soul. I had no job and not even a place to live, but I came here in faith and obedience to God, and I stayed until I was released......and I thank God for the release!

Shortly after my arrival, I was driving down the street one night and a minister on the radio was speaking about Abraham being called to the wilderness for God's purpose. That sermon spoke to my soul and brought me to tears as I received the truth about why I was sent here. However, I did not like the desert. I missed the trees, the ocean and the fresh air of California. This place was definitely not my choice. My hair was dry, my skin ashy, and I hated the gaming industry and all that it represented. I continually asked God, "When can I leave this God-forsaken desert?" He let me rant about it for quite a while.

Then one day he responded, "Do you remember how clear it was when I told you to come here?
"Yes, Lord".
"Well, it will be just as clear when it's time for you to leave."
I asked God, "Where will I go next? Will I go back to California?"
He replied, "You will not go back to where I have brought you from. The next place you will live is Atlanta Georgia." At that time, I knew no one in Atlanta.

Having received my answer, I never asked again, and I knew that I would not be released until God released me. So, to my prophetic friends, this is how I know that I have been released.

I have lived in the desert for 12 years. Twelve is a perfect number, signifying perfection of government, or of governmental perfection. I have done all that God sent me to do in the wilderness. I have embraced my identity as His scribe and have obediently shared and trained others.

Next year I will be 50 years old. Fifty is the number of jubilee or deliverance. God is preparing to launch me into the destiny that He planned for me before I was born, and I'm excited about it and prepared for it.

When I was fired from the job that I told the Lord I would not give up, "You will have to take it from me" is what I told God. I knew that this season was coming to an end. I was denied immediate benefits from both unemployment and social services, so there was no income. But, in spite of having only $40 to my name, I drove to California to visit Mom (sick) and Grandmom(dying). I took the trip to California specifically to see my loved ones and to seek God's divine direction for my life.

When I returned, a conversation with my pastor revealed further revelation about the significance of the events and timing of God since I lost my job. The number 40 (the amount of money I had when I embarked on my journey) symbolizes a probation period. For me, it was a sign that my wilderness experience in this desert was coming to an end, and I was about to enter the promised land. I actually forgot that the Lord had promised that I would be going to Atlanta, but He brought it back to my remembrance as he opened doors including providing a place for me to live (rent free), spiritual covering and a definite assignment, and a plan for financial independence with the resources to achieve my goals. Right before leaving for California, I began receiving increments of $100 from God's servants (a total of 5 within a one week period). 100 symbolizes the end of the flesh (in reference to my situation this meant the end of my reliance on the world) and the beginning of the spirit (being tested by God to walk in complete faith in Him). The number 5 symbolized God's Grace. He was faithful to provide an income for me when the world said, "no"...and He even threw in a brand new laptop computer as a gift to take along on the journey.

Of course, without the job, the loss of my car and home were not far behind, but the Lord had made my direction clear. He also showed me how He had assigned leadership to cover me in more than one location for a divine purpose. The Lord had even set up a divinely appointed time for my pastor to meet and fellowship with the Apostle and Prophetess that would ultimately be watchman, and hold me accountable to what the Lord has charged me to do in the next dimension. Also, I realized that it was no coincidence that the ministry had only purchased a one-way ticket for me to come teach at the national writer's conference in Georgia in September. When they asked me, months ago, if I would be willing to come on a one way flight and return by faith, I immediately said, "yes" even though I have never traveled anywhere one-way. Now, I understand that it was God's plan all along for me not to return.

As I rejoiced about my release, I was reminded by my ex-husband/friend that I had accomplished a lot in this decade, including:

Being delivered from a sinful lifestyle and transformed into a new creature in Christ Jesus.
Served as a leader in ministry.
Was appointed the West Coast Director of a National Literary Ministry.
Married and had stepchildren.
Began a new career in tourism as a concierge that spanned a 10 year period.
Worked in sales and proved that I could be successful.
Taught Creative Writing, Self-Publishing and Amateur Web Site Building for the City, the County, and Community College (without a teaching degree).
Danced for the Lord.
Wrote and published my first book of poetry.
Had writing published in local and national Christian publications.

I'm done here, but not finished. There is much more kingdom work to be done, and I thank God that I am an available and willing vessel to be used for His purpose.

I thank God for the people that he has put in my life, and especially those who have expressed their love and support in numerous ways over the years. Truly, you were God sent. I also thank God for MySpace, Facebook, Ning, Blogs, Web Sites, and all the social networks that keep us connected and able to proselytize the gospel to all nations. I pray to see you again along this journey and ultimately in eternity with God.

Blessings,
The Prophetic Scribe

Strategic Spiritual Warfare

In a prophetic dream, the Lord gave me specific instructions concerning spiritual warfare. He used a chess board as an example, and had me take notes in the dream. I have never had a dream like this before.

This is the strategy that he described:

The Pawns - He said, These are on the front lines. They are the easiest to eliminate when untrained. They are the carnal, compromising Christians. They are easily offended, misled and weak. However, their weakness MUST be developed into strengths. These are the sensitive, the humble, the meek, the last and the least. Their power is in their "passion". They can be trained to be a fortified wall (a hedge of protection around the kingdom). They are wailing women & lamenters.

Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation. Jeremiah 9:20

3.....And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; 4And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
5And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Ezekiel 9:3-5
GOD CALLS THEM: (Wailers, Lamenters, Praisers, Worshippers)

The Rook is the Watchman. This chess piece is shaped like a tower. Watchman watch from a tower. This piece moves horizontally and vertically on the chess board. Front to back and Side to side without limitation. Watching, Reporting, Warning, Blowing the trumpet, Announcing, and Foreseeing.
GOD CALLS THEM: (Discerners of Spirits, Ushers, Intercessors)

The Bishop is the Priest . They move diagonally without limitation. They Advise, Encourage, Direct, Instruct, Counsel, Teach and move throughout the kingdom keeping order, and enforcing the laws. (chess board)
GOD CALLS THEM: (Leaders, Ministers, Deacons, Armor Bearer, Scribes, Administrator)

The Knights are Warriors. They move in 3 steps. 2 to the front and one to the side or 2 to the side and one to the front (in either direction). The knight moves strategically. His moves are calculated and well thought out. If every avenue is not examined carefully, before making a move, the knight will be upon the enemy before they realize it.
GOD CALLS THEM: (Prayer Warriors, Teachers, Preachers, Evangelists, Prophets)

The Queen is the last line of defense against total infiltration. She has the most negotiating power. Her power is reserved to be used as a last result. In battle, her sole purpose is to protect the King. (The demonstration that Apostle Davis gave was prophetic). She can move all over the board (kingdom), and has full reign without restriction. Her life is very valuable. It is the responsiblity of the entire kingdom to protect her. Ideally, she should not have to fight.
GOD CALLS THEM: (First Lady, Co-Pastor)

The King. If the enemy makes it into the kingdom, the King is boxed in a corner. He can only move one step at a time in every direction except backward. His back is against the wall.
GOD CALLS HIM: (Apostle, Pastor)

The Lord said, Train the Troops. Identify their positions. As they offensively go in to possess the land, position the warriors (pawns, knights, rooks) in the field, and the ones gifted in wisdom (Bishops) in the inner courts. Teach them offensive and defensive maneuvers so that they are skilled in spiritual combat. Teach them to watch out for and protect one another. Command the troops, and test their obedience so that you will know who you can trust to do what. This structure will sustain and be the foundation for the the New Church. It will be impenetrable, says the Lord.

The Lord then began to minister to me about the prayer process.

He said, the reason my people's prayers are not answered is that they do not understand how to use the weapons of warfare that I have given them. They must prepare themselves to enter my presence. The Lord then gave me specific instructions about how to approach his throne through confession, purification, praise, worship, praying his word, intercession, petition, thanksgiving, meditation, and the result is testimony and prophetic revelation. He said, "Then nothing you ask, will I deny."

He explained to me that even though the original process for entering the Holy of Holies has been established under the new covenant in Jesus Christ, that in the spirit it is still in alignment with the physical process given to the priests as described in the old testament (Exodus). We need to confess, cleanse and be purified before we approach the throne of God so that he recognizes us through the blood of Jesus or we risk being unrecognizeable.

God Bless you, The Prophetic Scribe

Are you called by God to be a Diva?

I have been to a lot of Christian events where there there have been Christian workshops and classes referring to women of God as Diva's. I'm offended by this term so I don't attend these classes. I used to use the term myself, and have several friends who ascribe to being Diva's. But, being the literary nerd that I am, I looked up the meaning of the word, and was turned off by it because I didn't see Jesus anywhere in the description. I asked myself, "Did God call Christian women to be Divas?" This description is not in the Bible. It is a worldly term, so I looked up the attributes of a Diva to see if it glorified God and this is what I found:

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diva - The term is often used with a negative connotation deriving from the implication that a star who is a "diva" is arrogant, difficult to work with, high maintenance, manipulative, fussy, highly strung, privileged and demanding. Professional singers and actors often use this term to describe someone who desires the stage spotlight over others. At a college seminar, singer Bobby McFerrin said the term stands for "difficult individual vying for attention." The term "prima donna" has similarly entered common usage with the same negative interpretation. In Beyoncé Knowles' song, Diva (Beyoncé Knowles song), she claims that a diva is "a female version of a hustler".

Another definition from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/diva defines a diva as 1) Any female celebrity, usually a well known singer or actress. 2) person who considers herself (or by extension himself) much more important than others, has high expectations of others and becomes angry when their standards or demands are not met

Why would we want to emulate the most unattractive attributes of a woman (by God's standards) because the world (God's opposite/enemy) promotes her as beautiful and glamorous and has a voice like an angel. Let me remind you that Satan (the angel) had a beautiful voice too, but vanity and pride caused him to think more of himself, rebel and lose his place in the Kingdom of God. Now he lives in darkness, and tries to make as many of us into his likeness as possible. Are we falling for his trap? We should not be ignorant of his devices.

Let's Examine the scripture below.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.1 Corinthians 13 NKJV]

The Bible instructs us not to be arrogant, rude or demand our own way because it does not reflect the love of God.

According to verse 8, we can actually lose our annointing by behaving like a Diva. So, why would we speak this kind of personality and attitude over our lives?

Another definition was found at: http://www.yeahbaby.com/meaning-name-etymology.php?name=Diva the divine one, a goddess

Who is divine, but Jesus? We are to take on HIS divine nature. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. [ 2 Peter 1:4]

Women of God. It is time that we begin to look like, be defined by, and reflect the one to whom we belong. The description "Diva" does not reflect a Christ attitude. Therefore, I personally would not wear it. I would rather be clothed in God's righteousness, not that of the world or even myself.

As the time grows closer for the return of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, we need to examine what we are speaking over ourselves, our daughters and each other. I want to be recognized as a woman of virtue, not vanity.

Will our Lord see himself in us when he returns for his bride. Will he be looking for Diva's? I don't think so. Jesus is coming back for a people that look like himself. Those made in God's likeness and image.

Now, who do you say that you are??????

God bless you.
The Prophetic Scribe

Are you suppressing the Testimony of Christ?

To the people who are looking for signs and wonders. WE ARE THE SIGN. WE ARE THE WONDER. We are a sign to future generations that God is faithful, and it's a wonder we survived - BUT GOD! The testimony always went forth after Jesus or the Apostles performed a miracle. Guess what? WE ARE THE MIRACLE. How will people come to believe unless we become transparent enough to tell how ugly things appeared to be when we did not have a relationship with Christ?

Last night in prayer, I meditated on Christ's passion. I thought about how ugly he appeared to be while being dragged through the streets, beaten, ridiculed, humiliated, mangled and ultimately killed, but the power of the Testimony of Christ is that after three days he rose to fulfill every promise that He and the Father had made, and God poured out His Holy Spirit into believers that reconnected us with Him forever, and we received Grace. I thank God that Jesus didn't care what people thought about Him.....Then, I thought about how we suppress the Testimony over something as small as we are afraid of what people might say or think about us. Guess what? IT'S NOT ABOUT US.

Here's another thing. If the Lord says, "dance for me", and we don't. If he says, "sing for me", andwe don't. If he says, "pray out loud in front of everyone" and we don't, we are suppressing the Testimony. The testimony isn't always a story. Sometimes, it is the creative action of the Holy Spirit working through us that brings about deliverance, healing or leads an unbeliever to salvation. God often used the prophets of old to communicate a message through demonstation. Ezekiel had to do some things with his hair [Ezekiel 5]. Hosea had to marry a prostitute

We are instructed through the Word of God to not be afraid of the faces of men [Jeremiah 1:8; Deuteronomy 1:17]. Think about this. Why should you be afraid of what someone will say about your testimony? It is their salvation at stake if they deny the power of Christ. In Matthew 12, Jesus healed a man of demon possession. The Pharisees who witnessed this miracle said that Jesus was able to cast out the demon because He was the ruler of demons. Jesus'reply to them was that they blasphemed the Holy Spirit, for which they could never be forgiven [Matthew 12:31]. So, we should pray for those who mock us, but definitely not be intimidated by them.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word oftheir testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Rev.12:11

And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thoudo it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have thetestimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is thespirit of prophecy. Rev. 19:10

Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; Rev. 1:19

The Dance - Donated to the Las Vegas Center for the Arts

The Dance

Lights, Camera, Action!
I AM Center Stage
In front of a sea
of expectant faces…
that are waiting
for my next move.
Bright lights blinding;
Palms Sweating;
Knees Shaking.
Take a Deep Breath.
Greater is He who is in me
than He who is in the world.
Don’t be afraid of their faces.
I AM is with you.
Music begins.
Body kicks into autopilot.
Arms outstretched like wings
Taking flight.
Overcoming fright
I AM flying.
I AM masterful.
I AM poetry in motion.
I AM free.
It really doesn’t matter
What they think about me.
I’m pleasing the One
That they cannot see.
Twirling, Leaping, and Soaring like a bird…
Then, the music stops.
I AM in mid-flight.
The sounds of
Clapping, Whistles, and Shouts
From the audience
Bring me back down to earth
From heavenly places.
Taking a graceful bow
To my audience of One
I AM is pleased.

© Jan. 22, 2009 Arletia McInnis