You Can't Always Get What You Want

By Rev. Johnny Lee Clary

Phil. 4:13 says God will supply all of your needs according to His riches and glory in Heaven. Notice it says "needs" and not "wants" As a follower of Christ, you can't always get what you want but you get what you need. It is a false teaching to teach that God wants everyone to have everything they want. The Bible does not say that.

I remember when I was a young Christian, I prayed for things and claimed things in Christ's name that I had no business praying for or claiming but I was caught up in that type of teaching because I was listening to the wrong people. For example I was told as long as you give a certain amount you can name what you want and claim it. The problem is when you name it and claim it, it could be violating someone else's will or God's will. Also if I would have gotten certain things I claimed from God back in those days, I would have screwed it up because I would not have known how to handle it.

It is sort of like someone with an addiction to gambling who becomes a new Christian. They then listen to a teaching that as long as you give a certain amount of money, God is going to give you what you want and a hundred-fold return on your money. The new Christian then puts a huge amount of money in the offering and gets back a hundred-fold return which is taught by some misguided teachers. The gambling addict would now be tempted to use that money to feed their addiction which they have not been delivered long enough from; meaning they still struggle with the desire to gamble. That would cause more harm to the person than good. Why would God do that? Well, I can answer that. He wouldn't. So the teaching that you will receive a hundred-fold return every time you give is false.

Yes the Bible does talk about a hundred fold return, but no where does it say you are going to get that each time you give money to a church or a preacher. Mark 10: 28-30: "Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."

Jesus taught that people who forsook home, family, and land meaning everything that they had, would receive a hundred-fold return. First rule is one must forsake ALL to follow Him. In order to receive a hundred-fold return. A hundred-fold means a hundred times as much. This is not to be understood literally, but that he will give what will be worth 100 times as much in the peace, and joy, and rewards of being His follower. It is also literally true that no man's temporal interest is injured by the love of God.Mark adds, "with persecutions." These are not promised as a part of the reward; but amid their trials and persecutions they should find reward and peace.

To teach that God favors those who give more money is wrong. As I grew over the years and got more mature in God, I discovered that God does not work that way. God never shows favoritism among His people. Acts 10:34 says exactly that. You may think that you will be a better Christian and it will increase your faith if God gave you everything you want. The truth is that often the things we want can distract us from from focusing on God. God is our Father. He knows what we need and according to His word He will supply those needs, but His word never says He will also supply your wants. God is your Father and your manufacturer. He knows what is best because He made you. He knows what you can handle and what you can not handle. He is looking out for you. It is time for Christians to start giving out of their love for Christ and not their desire for riches or to get what they want.

To those who teach that God is all about making you rich, I leave you with these scriptures:

1 Timothy 6:9-11

"But people who want to get rich keep falling into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires which drown them in destruction and ruin. Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich have wandered away from the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief. But you, man of God, must avoid these things."

Are You Fat And Disrespectful?

By Rev. Elder Johnny Lee Clary



Deuteronomy 32:15 says “Jeshurun got fat and disrespectful. (You got fat! You were stuffed! You were gorged!) They abandoned the God who made them and treated the rock of their salvation like a fool.”

Jeshurun was another name for Israel which meant ‘righteous nation.’

Here is the problem in a nutshell. Israel had everything it could possibly want as it was blessed of God, as well as protected by God. (Deuteronomy 32:9-12) It is almost like Israel being chosen by God to be the CEO of a billion dollar corporation. The possibilities and potential was limitless.

So what happened? Well, once the contract was signed and the agreement was made Israel was not hungry anymore. They felt like there was no longer a need to ask God for help or to pray for the crops because they now had everything. See that was the problem. When you have everything you can forget real easy the fact that you still need God which is what Israel did and they grew fat and lazy.

The very people God had blessed and prospered rebelled against Him.

Isn’t it interesting how we tend to forget about God when everything is going well? Before the big test at school, we pray. When we are sick, we pray. When we need money we pray. When we are looking for a mate, we pray. When we want that job we pray. When we want that promotion we pray.

Yes whenever someone is in trouble, all of a sudden God is first and foremost in their life and all they can do is pray. Then when the prayer gets answered and the blessings start rolling in, that prayer time seems to diminish and people end up spending less and less time talking to God.

When we first join the football team, we are ready and willing to do what the coach says to do no matter how hard it is or how much discipline it will require. Then give us a few victories and we become fat and sassy and busy reading our own headlines. We let the fans praise us and forget to give praise to the One who made it all possible which is God. This same thing happens to many Christians in their relationship with God. A few successes and we forget about God and His word. They fail to realize that it is through Him that we move and have our very being. (Acts 17:28)

I remember someone making fun of me one time for praying over my meal. They said “I won’t give thanks to God like you do, because I worked for my money and earned what I have!” What the guy didn’t realize is without his legs that God gave him and as a matter of fact a good healthy body, he would not be able to work. He was too stupid to realize that.

Let Israel’s rise and fall be an example to us. Being fat and filled up does not always lead to you being faithful. It can lead to you being faithless if you are not careful! Be sure and give thanks and honor and praise to God after every success and victory that cokes your way.

I remember a guy that had an ex-wife back years ago in the 80’s, that packed on 40 pounds within a few months after getting married. She hit the couch, stuffed her face with junk food, and let herself go. He asked her why she was gaining so much weight and why she was not taking care of herself anymore. She replied that she was married now and didn’t need to diet and do all that special stuff to look good anymore. That did not make him feel special at all which is probably why they are divorced today. What she did was take him for granted and show him that she had no respect for him whatsoever. Did you ever stop to think that is how God feels sometimes?

How about you? Have you taken God for granted in any area?

Pray this: God I repent of my pride and ego that has kept me from seeing that I need you all the time and in everything I do. Please remove conceit and arrogance from me. Help me not to get too fat and filled up that I forget that it is you that gave me the blessing. I need you in everything I do and I give you honor and glory. Always remind me of this prayer in case I forget. I pray I never again become fat and disrespectful! Amen.

©Johnny Lee Clary
All Rights Reserved
www.johnnyleeclary.com

Rev. Johnny Lee Clary 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 Radio 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, Sunrise Today,
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 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.

Getting God's Best

By Rev. Elder Johnny Lee Clary



Do you know that God wants His absolute best for you and that includes dating! God does not want you to settle for second best or anything below His best. God wants your dating relationships to be HOLY! That means only date people who honor God! Anything less is not only dishonoring yourself but God as well.

When I was a single man, I used to hear people in church say ridiculous things like, “Don’t date; just pray for your mate!” Hogwash! You just can’t sit around and wait for God to act like a Genii in a lamp and say “Poof! There’s your mate!” It is unrealistic not to date in order to find the right person, but when you date, treat your date the way Christ would treat that person. Wait until marriage to be sexually active and be completely honest with what you say and do. Be yourself and let the date see your true self. You’ll save yourself a lot of trouble and heartache that way. If you lie to the date and put on false pretences you will eventually be found out when you grow tired of putting on a façade and the other person will more than likely dump you faster than a supermodel would dump a fat man!

Deuteronomy 14:2 says “You are people who are holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the people who live on earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his own special possession.” Therefore you need to exemplify holiness. Now if you do that then you should expect to attract the same type of person. Sometimes you end up attracting the opposite. I remember going out on a date once with a girl I met in church. She was a foxy mama. I also thought she was holy, that is until she lit up a cigarette in my car and said the F-word! That was the end of that. A person should not just look at the outside either. For example there was a girl I was so attracted to that looked just like Madonna that I met in a Tulsa church. I thought she was holy because she praised God in church and sang in the choir; that is until she dropped by my house one day to go swimming in my pool and suggested we get naked and get in the shower together! Get thee behind me Jezebel! That was the end of that date!

So many think it is OK to date non-Christians in hope that they can convert them. You are playing with fire there. Christians almost always get drug down into the pigpen instead of pulling the pig up out of the mud. Then they end up either in the pastor’s office crying their heart out asking for prayer or in the confession booth talking to the priest, or backsliding all together.

Make sure you conduct yourself in a way that pleases God and don’t settle for anything less than someone who does the same. I used to know a girl from church that dated guys and she wore miniskirts, low cut tops that exposed the cleavage and flaunted that body like a hooker at a downtown club on a Saturday night. Then she complained about guys trying to take advantage of her. However girls that I knew that dressed appropriately didn’t seem to have that problem. It is also the way someone acts that can cause problems too. I remember working for a boss of a siding company back in the 1980’s that bore an amazing resemblance to the comedian Rodney Dangerfield, named Mr. “B”. There was this girl I knew named Brenda who worked there that was a backslidden daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher. Her father pastured a small church and worked for Mr. “B” selling siding on weekdays in Oklahoma City and got Brenda a job there. Brenda dressed nice but not provocative. However she didn’t need to dress that way because she was so pretty that she could have worn a potato sack and still been a stone fox. Brenda knew how to flirt and make the guys all jump to look at her. She went into Mr. B’s office and flirted with him one day and according to Brenda, the old codger who was old enough to be her grandpa chased her around the desk about 20 times before she was finally able to get out the door. She threw a fit but she had no one to blame but herself. Remember that what you throw out as an advertisement will attract that same thing.

The Bible says to be Holy because your Father in Heaven is Holy. (Leviticus 19:2) If you conduct yourself like a godly person, you will end up with God’s best.


©Johnny Lee Clary Ministries
www.johnnyleeclary.com
All Rights Reserved

Rev. Johnny Lee Clary 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 Radio 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, Sunrise Today,
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 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.

Are There Snakes In Your Church?

By Rev. Elder Johnny Lee Clary

Al Wilson once sang a song about a woman that found a snake all frozen in the cold. She felt sorry for the snake and also thought it looked beautiful. She took it into her home, laid it by the fire in blankets, then fed the snake honey and milk. She came home from work and found the snake had been revived. She held it, kissed it, and said how beautiful it looked when the snake gave her a vicious poisonous bite. She cried and asked the snake, “How could you do this to me? I helped you and saved you, and now you’ve bitten me and I am going to die!” The snake replied, “Oh shut up silly woman! You knew darn well I was a snake before you took me in!”

Today many Christians are playing with snakes and sadly many pastors are talking in snakes into their congregations, praise and worship teams, choir, bands, staffs and administrations. They attempt to rationalize it by saying they are reaching out to a lost world. Luke 11:11 tells us the hedges are full of snakes and Ecclesiastes 10:8 says that if you break a hedge you will get bitten! Christ told us to go out into the world and preach the gospel so you are going to encounter snakes. Psalm 58:3-5 says the wicked are like poisonous snakes full of venom and they will not heed the voice of the charmer no matter how skillful he is. In other words you can’t tame a venomous snake. Yes some people have boas and pythons as pets but show me someone who has a rattlesnake, cottonmouth, Black Mamba or Australian Brown snake as a pet! Not going to happen, in my lifetime or anyone else’s.

Pastor David Wilkerson said “ Just as surely as Christians drink of the Blood of Christ-------the river of life, of His divine love and beauty-------we unconsciously drink of the poison of this world when we go out to preach the gospel.

The bible does say in Mark 16:18 “They will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them.” This is talking about going out to spread the gospel and accidently encountering snakes along the way. It is not talking about showing how strong your faith is by picking up rattlesnakes in a church service and dancing around with them in your hand like some of those backwoods nutty cult churches do in those “snake handling-strychnine drinking churches.” That is why you hear about people getting bitten by poisonous snakes or dying from drinking strychnine poisoning in those services all the time, because those wacky morons are tempting God, and the bible specifically tells us not to tempt the Lord God. (Luke 4:12; Matthew 4:7)

Many churches that have allowed venomous snakes into their congregations, are allowing their other members to get bitten. Some youth from a church, started experimenting with sexual perversion at a church camp and now some of these kids are living sexually perverted lifestyles. It makes me wonder whether or not a strong message was preached and taught to them that such perversions are wrong. I am sure some would attempt to justify allowing sexual deviants to attend church camp as “God loves the sexually perverted too!” Yes God does love them but God does not love it when people who claim to be Christians take in deadly snakes all in the name of “sharing the gospel and building the church” especially when it results in His children getting bitten. That is exactly what will happen when you bring in the snakes. So you disagree with what I just said? OK, so suppose there was a convicted child molester, a drug dealer and a rapist that all started attending your church. Do you think that is a good environment to be around or to allow your children to be around? If you do then you are a sorry excuse for a parent. You should have your kids taken away from you if that is the case. If child protective services found out you were allowing deadly snakes to roam around your home, they would take your children away. So what is the difference if you are attending a church that allows deadly spiritual venomous snakes to roam around it’s halls? That is why St. Paul said to expel immoral people when they refuse to repent.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 St. Paul wrote “In my letter to you I told you not to associate with people who continue to commit sexual sins. I didn't tell you that you could not have any contact with unbelievers who commit sexual sins, are greedy, are dishonest, or worship false gods. If that were the case, you would have to leave this world. Now, what I meant was that you should not associate with people who call themselves brothers or sisters in the Christian faith but live in sexual sin, are greedy, worship false gods, use abusive language, get drunk, or are dishonest. Don't eat with such people. After all, do I have any business judging those who are outside [the Christian faith]? Isn't it your business to judge those who are inside? God will judge those who are outside. Remove that wicked man from among you.”

We are to go into the world to bring the gospel to the wicked but we are not to partake in the wickedness of the world. To do so is to play with deadly snakes. Many churches are playing with snakes when they bring the wickedness of the world into the church in order to please mankind. Many are adopting the platform philosophy that preaching repentance, the fear of God and the fires of Hell are the old way of thinking and in order to fill the seats and grow churches the gospel must be toned down to a less offensive, more modern all-grace-all-loving-anything goes message. Some churches are even hiring marketing firms in order to sell the church to the world in order to get butts in the chairs. I even saw where one pastor of a mega-church wrote, “As a pastor you are not entitled to your opinions. Opinions do not put butts in the chairs. Your job as a pastor is just to grow churches!” Wow. So this dude is preaching quantity over quality. How sad. That may be the world’s philosophy but I can promise you that it is not God’s.

Rest assured, if you play with a snake you are going to get bitten. Those snake handling cult members will tell you they play with rattlers all the time and never get bitten. That is a lie because although some do not get bitten, many do and die from it. This is documented. Maybe there is something about a rattlesnake where it is not as aggressive. I don’t know and I am NOT going to find out. What I do know though, is I have never seen one of those cults break out a sack of Taipans, Black Mambas and Australian Brown snakes and play with them. I don’t think you will ever see that either. Even those cult nuts seem to know at least some boundaries. As a matter of fact, the late Steve Irwin who was known as the Crocodile Hunter, said he didn’t even fool around with Brown snakes.

Some will argue and say that numbers in church growth is the focus and is what matters. Really? I am going to tell you what, I would rather have 5 men and women with me that I know have my back and will die in battle if necessary, than an army of 5,000 who will run and desert me when they hear the gunfire. God is interested in quality over quantity.

Therefore, don’t stop spreading the good news and don’t stop building churches. However in going out among the hedges, highways and byways, take your snake bite kit which is putting on the FULL armor of God, Ephesians 6:11-17 so you can protect yourself from the snakes and any other evil that comes against you. Don’t back down and NEVER compromise the Word Of God. Finally brethren, any church that preaches this toned down-less offensive-more modern- all grace-all loving-anything goes-no repentance needed message, is no different than those wacky backwoods snake handling churches. If you are attending one of those, my advice to you is to make like Joseph when he encountered that snake that Potiphar was married to and RUN BABY RUN! That does not make you a coward to remove yourself from where sin abounds. It makes you smart. If you run with dogs you get fleas. If you take in snakes you will be bitten. That my friends is the bottom line.

©Johnny Lee Clary International Ministries

www.johnnyleeclary.com

All Rights Reserved

“The problem with the church today is not people who preach repentance, hell, and the fear of God, but it is people who compromise and fear to speak God’s word powerfully with conviction. Our job as ministers is not to bring God down to the level to please people but bring people up to the level to please God!”...Rev. Elder Johnny Lee Clary

Rev. Johnny Lee Clary 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 Radio 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, Sunrise Today,
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 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.

Staying Faithful

STAYING FAITHFUL

By Rev. Johnny Lee Clary




You may never grace the centerfold of Playboy Magazine, star in a movie, record several hit songs, have a mansion in Beverley Hills next door to Mr. Drysdale, make several million dollars playing for the Atlanta Braves, jet around the world with Paris Hilton partying ever night, or win the Nobel Peace Prize for doing absolutely nothing but give good speeches with a teleprompter. Does that mean you aren’t great? No it does not. Just because you may never accomplish any of the above aforementioned, does not mean you are insignificant in any way!

I remember seeing a man who claimed to be rich, get up in the face of a young man that was trying to witness the love of Christ to him, and brag about all the things he had; money, cars, women, etc., and tell the young Christian he would never have all the things he had and therefore his telling him he needed God was bull****! The sad thing is that so-called ‘rich man’ will be reminded of that conversation when he stands before the Great White Throne Judgment, and sees just how successful that young Christian man turned out to be, while the ‘rich man’ will think about how all of those things he bragged about and chose over God will do him no good as he is thrown into the Lake Of Fire. (Revelation 20:15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.)

Maybe you have wondered if you will ever pull off anything great in your life. Many people have. The good news is you can! Each of us can do something even greater than any of things just mentioned. Each and every one of us can remain faithful to God.

That may not sound too exciting to you, but think about Jeremiah 29:11-13:”11 I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. 12 Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 When you look for me, you will find me, when you wholeheartedly seek me.”


God believes in you, is faithful to you, and has great plans for your future.

Have you ever had anyone cheat on you in a relationship? I have and it didn’t feel nice. The chicks had promised to be faithful but wasn’t, and it tears at the heart. When you have had someone you loved be unfaithful to you, it not only breaks your heart but you lose trust. You start thinking that no one is faithful anymore. However there is someone who always remains faithful to you and that is God! He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:8, Hebrews 13:5)

God believes in you and has great plans for you and all He wants in return is for you to remain faithful to Him. DON’T GIVE UP ON GOD! Stay faithful!

© 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.

WRESTLING WITH JESUS

by Rev. Johnny Lee Clary



1 Peter 5:7 Throw all your worry on him, because he cares for you.

Jesus tells us that if we take our worries and things that stress us out and give it to Him, He will take care of it. Jesus has your back. It sort of reminds me of my old professional wrestling days, when I was in a tag team match. I liked tag team matches because you had a partner if you were lucky who had your back. If you started getting tired, you just tagged your partner and he would take over for awhile. Of course I was a heel (villain) in the business so a tag team partner came in handy with double teaming to.

I want you to see life as a wrestling match with Jesus as your tag team partner. First you set out to do the job God has called you or placed you in to do. Then when things get tiring or a little rough, tag in Jesus by casting your cares on Him and He will relieve you of the burden.

Another thing about the wrestling days, was we created a gang in wrestling called “The Brat Pack,” which consisted of myself, Bill Ash, my brother Buddy Savage, and my wife Melissa, (Miss Becky Starr) and a few others that came and went over the years. We had a motto, “Mess with one of us and you mess with all of us.” We held to this both in and out of the ring. Whenever I had a problem with someone for instance, my brother Buddy Savage (Terry Clary) would step up and get in the guy’s faces and say, “If there’s a problem, I’ll take care of it!” Whenever it looked like I might be in danger of losing my title, the rest of the Brat Pack would interfere so I could keep my belt. As a result, I retired as champion!

You need to know that no matter how many are coming after you, like the Brat Pack, Jesus is right there in the faces of your adversaries and saying, “If there’s a problem, I’ll take care of it.” I am that way even today with my close friends. I remember my late friend Rosie from Tulsa, a couple of years before she died, called me because some lawyer at her job where she worked as a receptionist, was sexually harassing her and making her feel very uncomfortable. I remember going to visit her on the job and she introduced me to him as her brother ( which was true because I was her brother in Christ) and I got right up in his face and said, “If there’s a problem, I’ll take care of it!” He never bothered Rosie again.

You need to use that same faith and realize that when Satan is attacking you, just call upon Jesus and he will get up in the Devil’s face and say, “If there’s a problem, I’ll take care of it.”

Jesus said that we should come to Him. This is because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that no man can go the Father except through Him.(John 14:6) “The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10)



Rev. Johnny Lee Clary 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 Radio 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 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.

Why You Should Share The Gospel

By Pastor Johnny Lee Clary


How many times do people not share the gospel from someone they either just meet or have known awhile that is not saved, for fear of rejection? I speak to people all the time that tell me that they have been yelled at, told off and even threatened by people they have tried to share the gospel with. When this happens a lot of people fear ever doing so again. It is really sad that someone would take offense at someone trying to show them how to keep from going to Hell and attain eternal life instead.

One thing that can be said when someone takes offense is, “Excuse me sir or ma’m. If I saw you in a burning house I would do my best to try and save your life. Sorry I cared enough about you to try to get you a ticket to Heaven instead of seeing you spend eternity burning in Hell.”

I know that probably sounds offensive too but believe me it works. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

"How much does a so-called Christian have to hate you if they really believe in Jesus, Heaven, and Hell and never tell you about it?"

An atheist even said once that what irritated him even more than someone sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with him, was a person who claimed to be true believers in Jesus Christ, Heaven, and Hell, but thought so little about people that they never told them about it!

That atheist was right to say what he did. Jesus thought enough of us and loved us enough to leave His throne from heaven, come here to Earth, get rejected and ridiculed and then go to the cross to suffer the most horrible death ever known to mankind so that we could have eternal life! And then we are going to be so selfish as to not wanting anyone else to know Jesus?

Who are you telling about Jesus? Better yet - who are you not telling about Him that really needs to hear His story and yours? Are you sure you believe in Jesus and in Heaven? If so, why not tell everyone you know about this amazing news we call the Gospel?

Tomorrow is not a promise. It is only a chance that you or I will be here. Maybe we should think about taking every opportunity to rescue people that are on that Hellbound train and getting them a ticket to Heaven instead!

They might tell you to buzz off, and you might feel rejected, but remember that it is not you that are really rejecting, it is Jesus. Then again, maybe, just maybe they won’t tell you to buzz off and maybe you won’t feel rejected. You may be able to reach them just at the right time in their life, so why not give it a try? God needs you and why? Because God works through people. You may be the only person that can reach that person you are sharing the gospel with. Your pastor can’t be everywhere and neither can the guest evangelists that your pastor invites to your church. You have to opportunity to meet people through the week at your workplace, your neighborhood, the local bar, the ball game, or even in your family that your pastor does not. You may be the only Jesus that they ever get a chance to see if they do not go to church or watch preaching shows on TV. Why not take advantage of that opportunity? What are you going to say to Jesus if you don’t?

I do not care what these new age politically correct idiots say about how we are to keep our faith to ourselves and not infringe upon the rights of others by sharing it. I obey what God’s word says instead of man. Acts 5:29. It also says in Ezekiel 3:18 “Suppose I tell you that wicked people will surely die, but you don't warn them or speak out so that they can change their wicked ways in order to save their lives. Then these wicked people will die because of their sin, but I will hold you responsible for their deaths.” Jesus said we are to go into all the world and share the gospel. (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 1:8)
If you truly believe in WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) then you will work as hard as possible to get people off of that Hellbound train.

That’s why you should share the gospel!

How To Get Blessed In This Economy

How To Get Blessed In This Economy

By Rev. Johnny Lee Clary


Rev. Johnny Lee Clary 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 Radio 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 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.

You have heard it said, “These are times that try men’s souls.” Yes times are bad all over the world with the economic crisis however, I can’t help but think about how in the nearly twenty years I have been a preacher, I have sat under sermon after sermon of “Give and it shall be given to you,” or “Blessed are those that give.” And you know what? They were the truth. The problem is I see so many these days that taught that philosophy or followed it now getting all worried saying “We are gonna go broke,” or making confessions like “We are all going to end up in the poorhouse.” What does that say for what they taught for all those years? Where is that great faith? Charisma Magazine has even published articles discouraging people from giving and said that churches need to worry because it’s only going to get worse for them.

I guess there really are times that try men’s souls because we are learning where people’s faith really is when times are rough. I mean it is easy to praise God on a mountaintop but can you still praise Him when you seem to be down in the “valley of the shadow? “

It sort of reminds me of many years ago when I was a younger man and I was in a gang fight. We had all kinds of people with us that were saying, “Yeah let’s mess those punks up, we got your back,” but when the opposition showed up for the fight and the going got tough, the not-so-tough got going! In other words, it was just me and a few friends who had to fight the hordes while our so-called “back-up” ran away. I won’t tell you what happened to them once we healed up from our injuries and hunted them down but it wasn’t pretty!

It is easy to talk the talk but when circumstances arrives, can we walk the walk? We need to be reminded of what God’s word says.

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah:
Leave here,
turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine,
east of the Jordan.
You will drink from the brook,
and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.
(I Kings 17:2-4)

Our steps are ordered by the Lord when we are saved and dedicate our entire life to Him. The steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord. (Psalm 37:23) Righteousness means right standing with God. If you are living for God and obeying Him, he will order your steps. I don’t know what you think, but the God that I serve would never order the steps of His children into depression, disaster, and financial ruin, when they obey Him and love Him. My God has plans to prosper me. (Jeremiah 29:11) Now either you believe that or you don’t. God does not lie. (Numbers 23:19) He promises to supply all of our needs! ( Philippians 4:19) God ordered the steps of Elijah to his place where he received his blessing! God does not show favoritism. (Acts 10:34) What he did for Elijah he will do for you! Your blessing comes from God and NOT the government or some pork-barreled stimulus package. I realize that many people are expecting Obama to deliver the promises that he made of sunshine. lollipops, and rainbows everywhere, which has not happened yet ( well maybe the rainbows if you count “gay rights” ) and don’t hold your breath waiting on him! God is my source and He should be your source too when it comes to finances. After all, God owns the world’s wealth and not the Devil! (Haggai 2:8; Psalm 50:10)

You need to put your faith out there each day and believe that God is setting up the right opportunities and He is bringing the right people across your path to help you get ahead and stay ahead in life. The key though is to remember though that you have to obey His word and be obedient to Him if you want the blessings! (Deuteronomy 28)

You wouldn’t pay someone you hired to work for you if they didn’t do the job! My nephew and niece and their son were in a counseling session with a secular therapist the other day. His son complained that his dad was on him all the time about not cleaning up the kitchen which is the job he was assigned to do. His father told the therapist that he has to get on his son every day because he always leaves things undone, like the dishes not being put up or not wiping up the flour on the counter or cleaning the stove. The therapist told my nephew that she saw the fault in him! She said "What is wrong with you getting up off your rear end and going in there and cleaning up what your son does not do and applauding him and praising him for the 60% - 80% of the work he did do?" I know, I am just as shocked as you are! Of course I would never go to a secular therapist anyway! I told my nephew that is the trouble with the world is these idiotic secular people with their degrees in psychology that are tearing down the family unit! I told him that the next time he speaks to that therapist ask her if her boss applauds her and gives her praises if she only does 60-80% of the work her boss told her to do, and if her boss comes in and does the work she doesn’t? If people in the workforce do not do the job they are hired to do, then they are fired and rightfully so. Only a psycho would dole out advise like that therapist did! That is telling the kid that he only has to do whatever work he feels like doing, and anyone who listens to such hogwash will end up on the welfare rolls or the skid row flophouses, if not prison.

Therefore God’s blessings are dependent on not only your faith, but your obedience and expectancy! Let’s obey God, put our faith in Him and live expecting a blessing!