Is God Jealous?

By Rev. Johnny Lee Clary



Back when I was single I had a girlfriend once that I thought was hot, beautiful, and a stone fox. Problem is other guys thought so too. I found out she cheated on me and we broke up and then she had the nerve to show up at the bar with the guy she was cheating on me with and the fight was on baby! Tables,, beer bottles, chairs, all sailed across the honkytonk and as Roy D. Mercer would say, “Git yo’re fists a- flying” seemed to be the barroom motto that night. Why did all this happen? I was jealous that’s why.

How would you like it if you saw the person you were dating out on a date with someone else? The jealousy you might feel might just be similar to the jealousy God has for His people. You mean God is jealous? Yes He is because He says so in Exodus 20:4-6, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to 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; 6 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

God wants exclusive rights to your affection and He will not tolerate anybody or anything that try to take His place. When you marry someone you both take an oath to love, honor and be true to each other, forsaking all others. You would not tolerate your spouse breaking that vow and likewise God doesn’t tolerate people sharing him with false ‘gods’ either. Some twisted preachers teach that universalism is OK and there are different paths to heaven besides Jesus. HOGWASH! Other ‘gods’ will land you in Hell, plain and simple because Jesus said “No man comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

It is not just bowing down like to the false ‘god’ of Islam or some other cult, but placing anything like your job, boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, child, or hobbies above God, is idolatry. Read this in Hosea 13:1-6:

“When the tribe of Ephraim spoke, people trembled. The people of Ephraim were important in Israel. Then they became guilty of worshiping Baal, so they must die.2 They keep on sinning more and more. They make idols from silver for themselves. These idols are skillfully made. All of them are the work of craftsmen. People say this about the Israelites: "They offer human sacrifices and kiss calf-shaped idols." 3 That is why they will be like fog in the morning and like morning dew that disappears quickly. They will be like straw blown away from threshing floors. They will be like smoke rising from chimneys. 4"I am the LORD your God. I brought you out of Egypt. You have known no god besides me. There is no savior except me. 5 I took care of you in the desert, in a dry land. 6 When I fed you, you were full. When you were full, you became arrogant. That is why you forgot me.”

Take a look at your life and see if you are letting anyone or anything get in the way of your relationship with the one who gave you eternal life. If there is, then make some readjustments now before God does it for you!

© Johnny Lee Clary International Ministries

Rev. Johnny Lee Clary is an ordained elder minister in the Church Of God In Christ, the largest African American denomination in the USA. He is one of the leading advocates for racial unity in the United States and has appeared on countless television and radio shows such as The Billy Graham show, Fox News, Morris Cerullo, Oprah, Morton Downey Jr., Rolanda Watts, Geraldo, Sally Jesse Raphael, Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake, Queen Latifah, Montel Williams, Phil Donahue, A&E Investigative Reports, ABC World News Tonight, Bertrice Berry, The Today Show, A Current Affair, The 700 Club, and Kenneth Copeland's TV show. He has also been a regular guest on TBN's Praise The Lord show and has been featured in America's top newspapers and magazines, including a seven page feature story in Charisma magazine in Feb. 2010, April 1999, Moody Magazine, Guidepost Magazine (Sept. 1998), Kenneth Copeland's Believer's Voice of Victory magazine, as well as appearances on TV programs in Australia, England, Holland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales. He holds the record for the largest crowd ever at Hillsong Brisbane, Australia.

OBEY OR DISOBEY GOD: IT’S YOUR CHOICE!

By Rev. Johnny Lee Clary




Most parents if they are any kind of good parent at all will have rules and boundaries for their child. Sometimes a child gets upset that there are rules to follow, not realizing that the parents have set rules and boundaries for their own good. For instance, a good parent will check out what type of friends their child is hanging around and make a determination as to whether their child should continue to associate with that friend. There was a survey done not long ago where parents were asked 5 questions like,

• Name the model, actress, singer, who has a grandfather that owns one of the world’s largest hotel chains.
• Name the singer that shaved her head bald and was married to Kevin Federline.
• Name the former President of the United States who had an affair with Monica Lewinsky and lied to the public about it.
• Name the most famous PGA golfer in the world who is also part African American.
• Name the actor that starred in ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ ‘Urban Cowboy,’ and ‘Pulp Fiction.

Almost every parent scored 100% in naming Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Bill Clinton, Tiger Woods, and John Travolta. Then the survey had one more command: “Now name your child’s 5 best friends.” It was reported that 97% of the parents surveyed could not name all of their child’s 5 best friends and most could only name one. That is sad.

Your friends are your biggest influence in life when you are a teenager. The type of crowd you run with and the type of people you hang around are what you are known by. For instance, if you hang with the in-crowd of popular teens who “rule the school” then you are known as one of them, and are considered ‘cool.’ If you hang around troublemakers and hoodlums then you are considered as such. If you hang around nerds and geeks, you are considered one of them. Also if you are a teen girl and you hang around sexually promiscuous girls then the guys automatically think you put out even if you don’t. Yeah I know some people will say “Who cares? That’s judging!” Maybe it is judging but if you don’t care about your reputation then you will make one sorry excuse for a parent if you ever have kids. It is people who do care what others think that go places in their careers, ministries, friendships and personal gains. You see, it is a fact of life that you are known by the company you keep. If you run with dogs you get fleas and if you run with pigs you get slop.
The Bible says “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33 I have seen good people during my life that ended up making bad choices in the friends that they chose and those friends ended up taking the people down with them. I have seen innocent people ending up in trouble with the law or denied jobs because of who they chose to hang around.

If your parents love you and are decent parents then they will take steps to make sure your character is not corrupted. They will not only set rules about what friends you are allowed to hang around, but they will also set curfews, assign chores, make sure you are doing good in school and above all else, make sure you go to church. When parents go so far as to take these steps to insure the best for their child then they are the type of parents who know best.

God is the same way toward us. Father knows best! Sometimes when we are obeying God it can feel more like a hindrance than a help. Solomon was blessed of God as the world’s richest man and he was also blessed with wisdom, but he screwed up royally! He disobeyed God after God was so good to him. Solomon was sort of the Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) or Warren Beatty of his day, as he made love to women from all over the world. Nationality and religion did not matter to him. It was obvious with over 700 wives and 300 concubines. I still don’t know how he found time to make love to that many women, especially when they hadn’t even invented Viagra yet! God told the children of Israel not to intermarry with women from foreign nations, not because they were a different race but because they worshiped other gods and they would tempt them to follow their false gods. Throughout history women have been known to have power over men and can generally make a man do things he would not normally do. Look at the example’s of Eve and how she led Adam astray, and how Delilah also led Samson to his doom. God will not tolerate someone worshiping false gods. That is number one of the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:3, yet in spite of all the great wisdom Solomon had he still disobeyed God and suffered the consequences for his actions.

When God sets rules for us to obey He is not trying to keep us from enjoying our lives, but God’s rules are there to keep us safe from harm. The next time you feel like being disobedient to God remember that the consequences of what you do may not be what you expect or desire. As a matter of fact you could end up bringing all sorts of heat down on your head as well as those around you. Galatians 6:7 says “Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you'll harvest.” You don’t plant corn and harvest strawberries! You won’t plant disobedience and harvest blessings either. God loved Solomon and blessed him tremendously until he screwed up and then the boom was lowered on him! Do you think you are any different than Solomon? Think you will get off lightly and the consequences of your actions do not apply to you because of “grace?” Think again! Acts 10:34 God does not show favoritism! Yes God shows grace and mercy but He also shows justice! God is a God of balance! The Creator is fair and loving but He ain’t blind! He expects us to follow His rules and regulations, and contrary to what those who preach that God is “all grace” say, God does not wink at sin! There is a price to pay for failure to obey!

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20, “Don't ever think that I came to set aside Moses' Teachings or the Prophets. I didn't come to set them aside but to make them come true. I can guarantee this truth: Until the earth and the heavens disappear, neither a period nor a comma will disappear from Moses' Teachings before everything has come true. So whoever sets aside any command that seems unimportant and teaches others to do the same will be unimportant in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches what the commands say will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. I can guarantee that unless you live a life that has God's approval and do it more faithfully than the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The Bible says in Luke 6:38 “Give, and you will receive. A large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your pocket. The standards you use for others will be applied to you." If you give obedience to God then you will receive blessings and rewards. If you give disobedience then you bring down curses upon your own head and make trouble for yourself. (Deuteronomy 28) It is up to you: Obey or disobey. That is your choice to make. Hope you make the right one!

© Johnny Lee Clary International Ministries

Rev. Johnny Lee Clary is an ordained elder minister in the Church Of God In Christ, the largest African American denomination in the USA. He is one of the leading advocates for racial unity in the United States and has appeared on countless television and radio shows such as The Billy Graham show, Fox News, Morris Cerullo, Oprah, Morton Downey Jr., Rolanda Watts, Geraldo, Sally Jesse Raphael, Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake, Queen Latifah, Montel Williams, Phil Donahue, A&E Investigative Reports, ABC World News Tonight, Bertrice Berry, The Today Show, A Current Affair, The 700 Club, and Kenneth Copeland's TV show. He has also been a regular guest on TBN's Praise The Lord show and has been featured in America's top newspapers and magazines, including a seven page feature story in Charisma magazine in Feb. 2010, April 1999, Moody Magazine, Guidepost Magazine (Sept. 1998), Kenneth Copeland's Believer's Voice of Victory magazine, as well as appearances on TV programs in Australia, England, Holland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales. He holds the record for the largest crowd ever at Hillsong Brisbane, Australia.

COMPROMISING GOD'S WORD FOR MAN'S APPROVAL

By Rev. Johnny Lee Clary

I see so many Christians compromising the word of God today in order to gain acceptance from the world. Is this really what Jesus would do? Did Jesus really speak to people and tell them to stop preaching about repentance and sin because it offends people? Did Jesus change his mind about everything God calls sin in order to make the church seem more attractive, appealing, and modern day? Did Jesus tell us to start thinking ‘outside the box’ because we have to change with the times to appeal to the younger crowd? No way! Jesus said “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Matthew 24:35.

Now if what Jesus calls sin, has indeed passed away and it is not sin anymore then that means Jesus is a liar. Do you really want to serve and worship a liar? Neither do I. That’s why I serve and worship Jesus because He is not a liar. He is incapable of lying because He is without sin. As a matter of fact Jesus said “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life.” John 14:6. Therefore the definition of truth is Jesus. Some say what is called sin in the Bible is an “old fundamentalist way of thinking.” That shows they do not even know God and certainly have no relationship with Jesus when they make an asinine statement like that. Jesus said "Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.” Matthew 5:17

Now let’s look at what Apostle Paul said. Galatians 1:10 “Am I saying this now to win the approval of people or God? Am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant.” Paul made it clear in the following verses 11-12, that the gospel he preached is not something that came from man but God. “For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Paul was saying that he didn’t have to conform to the latest craze, read some book by a guy with a degree in psychology, or see what the latest polls are in order to get what he had. He was saying he got his anointing, his wisdom, and his ministry from being on his knees and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through him.

In Galatians 1:17, Paul says, “I didn’t get my revelation of Christ from the saints in Jerusalem. Instead, I went into Arabia, to the desert, to have Christ revealed to me. I spent precious time there, being emptied of self, hearing and being taught by the Holy Spirit.”

Paul was not some flaky self-ordained charlatan. He was a man with a heart that served people out of love. He was not prideful and arrogant with his eyes fixed upon what the world had to offer, but rather was humble with his eyes fixed on Jesus and the prize offered to him in eternity.

While it is nice to have a big church, when we compromise God’s word in order to build one, we are displeasing God and misleading a lot of people. As a matter of fact we will be held accountable if we don’t preach the truth because the truth is what sets people free. Ezekiel 33:8-9 “Suppose I say to a wicked person, 'You wicked person, you will certainly die,' and you say nothing to warn him to change his ways. That wicked person will die because of his sin, and I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his ways and he doesn't turn from them, then he will die because of his sin. However, you will save yourself.” Jesus said “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

So what if people get offended by the truth! I would rather kick them into heaven than pat them into hell!

When you are focused on being a God-pleaser, you will never be focused on trying to win men’s approval!

Either you will offend God and please the world or you will offend the world and please God!

So what’s more important to you?

©Johnny Lee Clary International Ministries


Rev. Johnny Lee Clary is an ordained elder minister in the Church Of God In Christ, the largest African American denomination in the USA. He is one of the leading advocates for racial unity in the United States and has appeared on countless television and radio shows such as The Billy Graham show, Fox News, Morris Cerullo, Oprah, Morton Downey Jr., Rolanda Watts, Geraldo, Sally Jesse Raphael, Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake, Queen Latifah, Montel Williams, Phil Donahue, A&E Investigative Reports, ABC World News Tonight, Bertrice Berry, The Today Show, A Current Affair, The 700 Club, and Kenneth Copeland's TV show. He has also been a regular guest on TBN's Praise The Lord show and has been featured in America's top newspapers and magazines, including a seven page feature story in Charisma magazine in Feb. 2010, April 1999, Moody Magazine, Guidepost Magazine (Sept. 1998), Kenneth Copeland's Believer's Voice of Victory magazine, as well as appearances on TV programs in Australia, England, Holland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales. He holds the record for the largest crowd ever at Hillsong Brisbane, Australia.

ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU HAVE DONE

After a week long conference in Sydney where I got no exercise as I sat all week listening to preaching, I knew I was way overdue for my walk I do every other day for fitness so I decided to spend the day walking through Darling Harbor and the parts of Sydney just around that area. I noticed a lot of young able-bodied men lying around on the sidewalk with signs that said things like, “Homeless, feed me please.” I was a bit offended especially when I had to step around a young guy that was sleeping on the sidewalk in front of a store. I knew it was either an addiction to alcohol or drugs that have placed him as well as the other young guys in those predicaments. I make it a policy never to hand out money to strangers when they approach me especially when they are young like that, because I know more than likely the money that God has given me will be used for dope or booze. Whenever I travel to Times Square in New York City, I can’t go two blocks without some young able-bodied girl or guy on dope asking for spare change or a few dollars. I felt like I was in New York City as I walked around Sydney with all the younger generation lying on the sidewalk with their signs.

However, this time something different happened. I was standing on the corner waiting for the crosswalk light when instead of some long-haired hippie-looking guy who looked like he never saw a bar of soap coming up to me; an old Chinese man approached me. He looked like he was at least 80 years old and he was trying to speak broken English as he said, “Excuse….me. Could you let me have…a dollar..so I can buy a sandwich?” I immediately shook my head no. I then heard him say “Thank you anyway sir,” as he sadly walked away. I watched him for a few seconds and then I immediately pulled some money out and walked up to him and said, “Here sir, take this.” The old man smiled with tears in his eyes and said “Oh thank you sir, thank you so much.” I immediately put up my hand and said “That’s Ok sir, that’s OK. God Bless.”

As I crossed the street and proceeded to walk down the sidewalk I was thinking, “That is not an able-bodied young man who is perfectly capable of working; that is somebody’s grandfather who probably doesn’t have much longer to live.” God only knows why he was poor and hungry, but it doesn’t matter; as I should have done more for him.

I walked for another hour or two and then I looked at my watch and saw it was getting to be later in the afternoon and I had been out walking for four hours. I hadn’t eaten all day so I stopped and got my lunch and went into Gloria Jeans and ordered an iced coffee and sat down to eat my meal. As I took the wrapper off my food, I thought of that old man again. Here I was setting down to feed my face with good healthy food I bought thinking I was doing the right thing, and that old man could barely buy maybe one small sandwich with what I gave him. I thought to myself, “Some preacher you are “Elder” “Rev.” Johnny Lee Clary! Here you are ordained as an Elder minister in one of the largest denominations in the USA with over six million members; you appear on FOX News, Charisma Magazine, Pat Robertson’s 700 Club, The Christian Post, speak in churches all over the world, and you reached in your pocket and gave that man $4.00! It would not have hurt you to give that old man more and even asked him to share a meal with you while you shared the gospel with him! That old man would have probably been so grateful.” I started crying right then and there. I don’t know what the people sitting in the Darling Harbor Gloria Jeans coffee shop thought of a grown man sitting there crying, but I really don’t care what they thought. I was wrong.

I thought about how millions of dollars are passed around in churches all over the world and I know a lot of churches do great things and help a lot of people, and I also know some don’t. I don’t have a church of my own as Bishop George D. McKinney who is my boss in my denomination wants me to travel a few more years promoting racial reconciliation and evangelism before I take over an African-American church. Bishop McKinney has the largest church in San Diego, California where he works with inner-city urban youth, and provides jobs for the jobless and homes for the homeless. He is all about helping the poor. As a minister under him, I have a responsibility to reflect the same spirit of giving as he does. Today I failed the test.

I could say, “I am only human,” or some other lame excuse like that, but that would not excuse my behavior with Jesus. You see, I asked God awhile back for the same anointing of a very special man who all Christians should know, and that man is the late Keith Green, who died in a plane crash in 1982. Keith Green was a real on fire for God Christian singing preacher, and a role model for the way Christians should act, sing, and preach. He never sugar-coated anything and was a NO COMPROMISE preacher. He preached the word like it should be preached and never compromised God’s Word in order to be politically correct. He was a God-pleaser and not a man-pleaser. He and his wife Melanie used to sell bundles of witnessing tracts so Christians could have something to hand out to people so others could know Jesus. They always put a suggested price on those tracts, but also added the words, “or whatever you can afford.” You see, to Keith Green, it was more important to him to get the gospel out to people than to get rich and ride in a limo. Keith was a giving man of God, and so is Bishop McKinney. I asked God for Keith’s anointing but I guess I forget sometimes that God’s word says “To he who much is given much is required.” (Luke 12:48)

I sat in that coffee shop in tears thinking to myself, “How I wish I didn’t have to live from love offering to love offering, and could have a bank account that had so much money in it that it would not hurt to write a check for $5,000.00 or $10,000.00 to that old Chinese grandfather, take him to get a home, stock his ice box with plenty of food, and get him planted in a church that would care for him, so he could spend his remaining years being happy.”

I once heard an arrogant preacher say, “It’s a sin to be poor.” My little grandmother loved Jesus with all of her heart, but was poor and in poverty for the last several years of her life. She was not in sin because she was poor. She had no choice and was in her 80’s. None of us kids had money where we could take care of her, but we tried to do the best we could. She was married to my step-grandfather who was a gambler who gambled away all of their savings and retirement and never told her. He left her penniless and she had to survive on old age pension and a measly social security checks which totaled around $500.00 a month. I wish that preacher who said it was a sin to be poor could try living on that amount for a while like my grandmother did and maybe he wouldn’t make such asinine statements.

I hear a lot of people preaching about getting rich and that is OK if they have the motives to feed the Lord’s sheep and help the poor and downtrodden with the money God gives them. However, if they are wanting to get rich for gold toilet seats, air conditioned dog houses and to ride around in limos and helicopters or leer jets to show how “blessed and important” they are, then forget it! God is not into that. I on the other hand have been ministering since the early 90’s on a full-time basis. I had a good job, but I kept taking off to go minister and the boss told me to make a choice to either quit ministering or quit my job. That was the best choice I ever made to quit my job and minister full time. Although I have never gotten rich, nothing could be more fulfilling that what I do. I have never made enough money to own an airplane; my wife and I rent our home; we drive used cars; and she has a part time job so she can have a little extra spending money. We consider ourselves very blessed. God provides enough for us to pay our bills and to pay for my mission’s trips to go win souls. Most churches only pay hotel rooms for the nights you are with them and most of the time I have to pay throughout the week. Many of our plane tickets we pay on our own. Many churches give what they can but some don’t give a lot and some have downright ripped us off and not given what came in. I am not complaining though. For every church that does not do right by us, there are some that do. I am glad to do this and to be used of God, but I have never gotten rich off the gospel.

The truth of the matter is I do want God to bless our ministry with unlimited amounts of money so we can impact the world in a much larger way than what we are already doing with the gospel; feed the poor; provide assistance and job programs; help the elderly; fight racism and gang activities; encourage children with educational and motivational programs so they can avoid gangs and drugs; continue to visit the prisons, jails, and schools which we don’t get paid for; and be the best we can be for the Lord Jesus Christ. We are getting older now and although we are no longer young, we are middle aged and not senior citizens so we have some years left. We intend on doing the best we can with what God gives us and we know it is in His hands.

I didn’t do the best I could today or even a little better with that old Chinese grandfather and I am so sorry I didn’t. However I pray that from now on I will be more sensitive to the needs of others that really need help like the elderly. I pray God forgives me for my wrong, and I resolve from now on to be a much better minister. After all, if you are going to be a minister, especially one that is a public figure and high profile speaker known the world over, then you better represent Jesus right because He is coming back soon to give to each and everyone one of us according to what we have done. (Rev. 22:12)

Do you really want Him to give back to you according to what YOU have done?


Rev. Johnny Lee Clary is an ordained elder minister in the Church Of God In Christ, the largest African American denomination in the USA. He is one of the leading advocates for racial unity in the United States and has appeared on countless television and radio shows such as The Billy Graham show, Fox News, Morris Cerullo, Oprah, Morton Downey Jr., Rolanda Watts, Geraldo, Sally Jesse Raphael, Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake, Queen Latifah, Montel Williams, Phil Donahue, A&E Investigative Reports, ABC World News Tonight, Bertrice Berry, The Today Show, A Current Affair, The 700 Club, and Kenneth Copeland's TV show. He has also been a regular guest on TBN's Praise The Lord show and has been featured in America's top newspapers and magazines, including a seven page feature story in Charisma magazine in Feb. 2010, April 1999, Moody Magazine, Guidepost Magazine (Sept. 1998), Kenneth Copeland's Believer's Voice of Victory magazine, as well as appearances on TV programs in Australia, England, Holland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales. He holds the record for the largest crowd ever at Hillsong Brisbane, Australia.

DO YOU HAVE FEAR? TURN IT AROUND!

By Rev. Johnny Lee Clary




I never will forget how I used to be bullied before I learned how to fight. When I was in the 9th grade, there was this one bunch of hooligans that threatened me all the time back when I was a kid in Bell Gardens High School in East LA. This one chick, I think her name was Alice was known as the school bicycle, which meant everybody got a ride. She had these punks that followed her around and did whatever she told them to do. One was named Barry and the other I can’t remember and there was some other guy whose name slips my mind also. They kept pushing me around and Alice told me every day I was going to get my a** kicked. She kept saying “It’s coming down soon,” and crap like that until one day as I was on my bike riding home her boys all jumped out in front of me and knocked me off my bike. Alice appeared from behind a bush and said “I told you it was coming! Today’s the day punk!” She then said to her boys, “Kick his a**!” All three of her guys moved towards me at her command. At that point I had to make a choice; I could keep my fear and be dead meat, or I could cast out the fear and fight! I had a split second to react and all of a sudden the fear left. I grabbed my chain that I used to lock my bike at school, and I didn’t wait for them to reach me, as I swung the chain hitting one of the guys right in the face. He screamed like a little girl and ran off crying! Then that Barry guy ran as fast as he could and all I saw was his white sneakers disappearing around the corner like greased lightning! The other guy was no where to be found either. They left their girlfriend Alice all by herself who was screaming and crying and begging me not to hit her! I would never hit a girl but I told her she best leave me alone or the next time she wouldn’t be so lucky. I told her to “Git, git, git, git, git,” and she ran away as fast as she could. Those punks never messed with me again and when they saw me at school they avoided me.

The point behind this story is fear is never good. Fear can keep you down, make you a coward, and destroy you. God’s word says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “God has not given us a spirit of fear but one of power, love and a sound mind.” Since God did not give us fear that means it could only come from one other source and that is Satan himself. We don’t need anything that comes from him! You see fear had me falsely believing that Alice’s boys where tough, bad, and invincible. When David was a little shepherd boy armed only with a sling and he saw Goliath the giant, he did not fear him. He looked at his size and was not thinking about how fast he could flee from the giant without him catching him, but instead he was thinking that because of his size the giant Goliath would make an easy target to take down!

We need to stop fear dead in its tracks and realize God gave us power! Matthew 28:18 says all power has been given to Jesus, and Philippians 4:13 says we can do ALL things through Jesus who gives us strength! Therefore if you believe God at His word then you have nothing to fear!

I could have kicked myself for all the times I allowed fear to rule over me when I was a kid, and it wasn’t until that day I took care of Alice’s boys, that I realized I didn’t have to be afraid anymore. You don’t either. Stand up to those who bully you! Take a stand against those who push you around. Stand your ground and say I will not be moved!

When African-American’s finally had enough of the Ku Klux Klan and white supremacists in the South who bullied them and kept them down, they all took a stand against hate and marched into towns in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi singing “We Shall Not Be Moved!” As a result and many sacrifices, today the civil rights African Americans didn’t have for years because of fear, they now have! Another song African Americans sang while marching against the injustice of the white supremacist system, was “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around!” They didn’t and they turned the entire system around. They all marched right into Birmingham Alabama and right up to one of the most notorious racists of all time, Police Commissioner Bull Connor singing that song. Connor turned the fire hoses on them, had them arrested and even turned the police dogs loose on them. In spite of this they just kept coming back singing, “Ain’t gonna let Bull Connor turn us around, turn us around turn us around, ain’t gonna let Bull Connor turn us around, I'm gonna keep on a-walkin', keep on a-talkin' Marchin' up to freedom's land!”

If you are living in fear, stop it now and turn it around! That is the only way you can have true freedom!

Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world! 1 John 4:4

Rev. Johnny Lee Clary is an ordained elder minister in the Church Of God In Christ, the largest African American denomination in the USA. He is one of the leading advocates for racial unity in the United States and has appeared on countless television and radio shows such as The Billy Graham show, Fox News, Morris Cerullo, Oprah, Morton Downey Jr., Rolanda Watts, Geraldo, Sally Jesse Raphael, Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake, Queen Latifah, Montel Williams, Phil Donahue, A&E Investigative Reports, ABC World News Tonight, Bertrice Berry, The Today Show, A Current Affair, The 700 Club, and Kenneth Copeland's TV show. He has also been a regular guest on TBN's Praise The Lord show and has been featured in America's top newspapers and magazines, including a seven page feature story in Charisma magazine in Feb. 2010, April 1999, Moody Magazine, Guidepost Magazine (Sept. 1998), Kenneth Copeland's Believer's Voice of Victory magazine, as well as appearances on TV programs in Australia, England, Holland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales. He holds the record for the largest crowd ever at Hillsong Brisbane, Australia.

Excuse me, "Are you Jesus?"

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional
sales convention in Chicago .. They had assured their
wives that they would be home in plenty of time for
Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and
briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked
over a table which held a display of apples.
Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking
back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for
their nearly-missed boarding.

ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in
touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of
compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been
overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved
good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they
arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a
later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the
apples were all over the terminal floor.
He was glad he did.

The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly
crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and
at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled
produce as the crowd swirled about her; no one stopping
and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up
the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize
her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them
had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in
another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said
to the girl, 'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we
did. Are you okay?' She nodded through her tears. He
continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too
badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered
blind girl called out to him, "Mister....." He paused and
turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued,
"Are you Jesus?"

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered.
Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that
question burning and bouncing about in his soul:
Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our
destiny, is it not? To be so much like Jesus that people
cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a
world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as
He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting
Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the
Word as life unfolds day to day.

You are the apple of His eye even though we, too,
have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was
doing and picked up you and me on a hill called
Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.
Sometimes we just take things for granted, when we really
need to be sharing what we know. God has blessed us!

"Success means having the heart, the valour, and the will to become the person God meant for you to be!" Johnny Lee Clary

“Ah yes, truth. Funny how everyone is always asking for it but when they get it they don’t believe it because it’s not the truth they want to hear.” ~Helena Cassadine