Sons of Belial

1 Samuel 2

12Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.
13And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
14And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.
15Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
16And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
17Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.

In 1 Samuel 2:12 the son’s of Eli the High Priest were called sons of Belial… The word Belial in the Old Testament means, “Worthless, without value, a lawless person, wicked”, In the New Testament it is used as a name of Satan. These two men Hophni and Phinehas were officiating priests at the sanctuary in Shiloh. They served God in a religious way yet the scriptures say they knew not God. It’s amazing how people can just do religion, I mean preacher’s can preach, scholars can study, congregants can assemble, musicians can play, and singers can sing for God, but to truly know God, that is a different story. It seems now a day all you need to have is the correct lingo, a few hallelujah’s, some amen’s and some Christian clichés and the church embraces you as ‘saved’. Although those outward expressions may fool men, be sure of this… The Lord knows the heart and you will never fool Him.

Hophni and Phinehas were wicked in the sight of the Lord. They would take whatever they wanted from the offerings people brought to the Lord. (1 Samuel 2:13-16) God had commanded how He wanted the priests to be fed by the sacrifice (Deuteronomy 18:3) and these two Priests held no regard for the law of God, and if a anyone objected, if a righteous man wanting to follow the law dared to speak against them, they would use force to get their way. These men did not fear God. They would sleep with the woman who served at the sanctuary; they were disobedient, adulterous and rebellious men.

1 Samuel 2:17 says that they made men abhor the offering of the Lord. Their behavior turned people away from God!!! It says men abhorred the offering of the Lord. This verse makes me think about the condition of the church today. How many times when witnessing on the streets has someone told you, “Christians are hypocrites, that’s why I don’t go to church”? The church has made men abhor the offering of the Lord, by not living Christ like. We cannot be effective ministers of the Gospel, if we are not living up to what we preach.

These television evangelist that preach a watered down, God can make you rich, name it and claim it gospel turn a lot people off to God and they will have to give an account to the Lord one day for it, but what about you??? The Pastor of a small church in a big city, the mother of school aged children, the street minister, the Sunday school teacher?? Have you examined yourself lately? It’s very easy to get caught up in doing things for God, the religious acts, but what about the inside? Do you know the Lord? Does the Lord know you? The word of God says to examine yourself (2 Corinthians 13:5) Judgment came upon the house of Hophni and Phinehas … let’s learn from scripture…repent…and practice what you preach that you may be known as a son/daughter of God and not Belial.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!!

God has been faithful !!! I have been continuously amazed at how God has been moving and working in my life and around those all around me. It seems like no matter how amazing and awesome you know God is, He always shows you how limited you are in your understanding and that He is even more bigger, greater, and awesome than you can ever fathom.

Updates: God has been opening doors, we have been praying for the Lord to open doors into hospitals and nursing homes and soon we will hopefully see these doors totally opened. God has lead us to people who can help with this and we are so joyful at the prospect! On the streets we are steadfastly taking the word of truth to the lost and dying, seeing people gain hope, seeing captives set free, and seeing God get glory. Although the laborers are few, the harvest is indeed plentiful and we see God’s hand moving and touching lives. It is so great to be out there these cold days, people look at you like your crazy, ‘Why on earth are you out here in the freezing cold?’, they ask and we get to share Jesus! Yay! It’s been great. Leo, a young man we met in May has become a part of our team. He is in a struggle to overcome addiction, we are praying and seeking the Lord for this man who has a great call on his life. I have seen God working in his life and he comes out and shares Jesus with us. It is amazing seeing what God is doing in him. Please join me in praying for his complete victory and freedom from the bondage of addiction. There are many more awesome things the Lord is doing in NYC.

This year my constant prayer is to die to self, die to Diane and live to Christ! This year my comforts, my will, my plans all have to die. We need to be doulos servants! I am a bondservant of Jesus Christ, He is my master. I want to do the will of the Father in all things. Life is so much simpler when we allow God to take control!

Tomorrow will mark the start of 21 days of Prayer & Fasting!!! We are excited, knowing that God is going to reveal Himself in a mighty way through these 21 days!

God Bless!!