How To Tell Fake Friends From True Friends

How To Tell Fake Friends From True Friends

By Johnny Lee Clary












Have you ever found it hard to distinguish or discern who are your real friends and who are your fake friends? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. I remember a great song in the early 70’s called “Smiling Faces.” It was by “The Undisputed Truth.”

Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend
Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don't tell the truth uh
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof

The truth is in the eyes
Cause the eyes don't lie, amen
Remember a smile is just
A frown turned upside down
My friend let me tell you
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don't tell the truth, uh
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof
Beware, beware of the handshake
That hides the snake
I'm telling you beware
Beware of the pat on the back
It just might hold you back
Jealousy (jealousy)
Misery (misery)
Envy

I tell you, you can't see behind smiling faces
Smiling faces sometimes they don't tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof


Your enemy won't do you no harm
Cause you'll know where he's coming from
Don't let the handshake and the smile fool ya
Take my advice I'm only try' to school ya

I think we could all learn a lesson from that song. Memorize it. As the song says, you know where your enemy is coming from but the one you have to watch out for is the one who claims to be your friend when all the while they are fixing to stab you in the back. It is nothing new. It happens to all of us. It also happened to King David in the Bible. Psalm 41:9 “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” Remember it also happened to Jesus when his close friend Judas, who traveled with him for three years, ate at his table and took of his bread, betrayed Christ in the worst way, by selling Him out for money!

“Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning.” (Jeremiah 9:5)

I cannot count how many times in my life, both before Christ and many times after becoming a Christian, I have had people that I considered friends betray me. Christians are just as bad if not worse than the non-Christians when this happens, especially in ministry. People are jealous, they have envy and for some reason or another they set out to destroy your ministry and they use the name of the Lord to do it. It is disgusting. Anyone who tries to shut down someone else’s ministry is of the Devil and not of God. Satan is the accuser of the brethren and when someone who claims to know Jesus as their Savior goes after another Christian in an attempt to shut them down, destroy their reputation, or assails their character, they are doing the will of their father the devil. (John 8:44-47)

When you destroy someone else’s reputation, you have in effect, committed murder because you have stopped that person from carrying on the plans of God and kept souls from being saved. If there was something wrong with them, God is big enough to stop them and He does not need character assassins to do His job for Him. The bible says “Everyone who hates another believer is a murderer, and you know that a murderer doesn't have eternal life.” (1 John 3:15) Oh some will try to justify it by saying that they are just protecting the church and are doing this because they have judged the person they are going after evil, but the truth is they have set themselves up as judge, jury and executioner and they can call it love for the church all they want, but like Shakespeare said “a rose by any other name is still a rose” and hate by any other name is still hate. That is why Jesus said by their actions, the fruit or what they produce you will know them. (Matthew 7:16)

You don’t need fake friends in your life, you need true friends. My spiritual father of the faith Pastor Marvin Cain once told me “A true friend is someone who knows everything there is to know about you and still stands by you anyway.” He told me that if you go through life and you only have 5 true friends in your entire lifetime, then you are truly a blessed person because some people don’t even get one.

So how do we tell the true friends from the fake friends? Watch for signs.

Are they distancing themselves from you? Do they call as much or come around as much?
A good way to put it to the test is start saying “no.” Fake friends will lose their use for you if you stop paying their bills, watching their kids for free and running them around town, or loaning them money. If they stop coming around or calling, that tells you that they were only your friend to get what they can out of you. In other words, using you.
Who wants a friend that is going to be a leach all the time?

Fake friends enjoy putting others right smack dab in the middle of their dramas. Cut conversations short that deal with your fake friend's usual complaints and negative things that might be said especially if it comes to other friends of yours. You could try saying, “I really don’t care to hear the negative, so let’s just talk positive.” I promise you that fake friends will abandon you if they know they can’t talk negative and spread gossip and slander around you. True friends will agree with you. It's the lies, gossip, slander, and putting others down that make fake friends feel good about themselves because they have a low self esteem and they would rather take the focus off of themselves by assassinating someone else’s character. You don’t need people like that around you. Fake friends have a hard time hanging around people who have a good self esteem because people who actually feel good about themselves won’t put up with them. “Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer.”
Ed Cunningham

I had a friend that I thought was one of the most loyal friends I ever had. Then I noticed that this friend began to hang around and befriend one of my enemies that has caused great harm to me. I realize that is my friend’s prerogative to pick his friends, just like it is my prerogative to distance myself from this friend. How can you trust someone who pals around with someone who looks for every opportunity to cause you harm? I grew up in the roughest section of East L.A. where the gangs ruled the streets. You were known by your loyalty. If you either hung with or were a member of a certain gang, and then decided to be friends with or hung around someone from another gang, you could not be trusted. You could get your head kicked in if you were discovered hanging with the enemy. What if you were at war? Could you trust a fellow soldier if you saw him consorting with and hanging around Muslim terrorists? I hardly think so!

I also found out that a good friend betrayed me by sharing things about me with people who wish to do me harm. Trust is what holds a friendship together. If you can’t trust someone to keep things about you in confidence then you can’t trust them period and you don’t need friends like that. Proverbs 11:13 says a true trustworthy friend will keep confidence, so those who don’t are not your friend.

Trust me on this one, nothing hurts more than having people that you consider true friends betray you. Sometimes it feels like a knife was just stuck in your back. Yes it hurts, but what one must realize is that you are better off without people like that in your life. Is that person your friend when they are around you but then do they join with your enemies when you are not around? I remember when I found out that a friend named Kim that I had for 6 years had joined forces with one of my enemies and had worked with him in order to cause great harm to me, it hurt really bad. I did however talk to one of my best friends in the world named Emily and she pointed out that I should have seen the signs coming. Kim had been arguing with me and had been repeating some of the same things my enemy had been saying and questioning my integrity. However, for friendship sake, I had kept Kim as my friend until I figured out she was on the side of and had befriended my enemy. Emily then gave me the best advice in the world and said, “Cut her out of the loop.” Emily was right. It reminded me of something I have said for years and that is I would rather have 5 people that I know will fight by my side in a war instead of 5000 who say they will but at the first sound of gunfire they run away like cowards. They do you no good. What you need is true loyal friends even if the numbers are small.

Now something else to remember is as one so-called friend who betrays you is heart wrenching, the second friend who betrays you can cause you hurt much harder if you allow it to. The key is not to allow it to happen. DO NOT allow the situation to run through your mind over and over because it will dominate your thoughts and steal your joy. In the words of the late John Gotti, “Forgetaboutit!” Don’t give the person that betrayed you the satisfaction of domination your mind. Put them out of your mind and let the jerks be miserable with themselves.

It is important to remember not to listen to people who say “Don’t ever trust anyone ever again.” Trust is the key that holds a friendship together. That does not mean that we are supposed to stand out there on the railroad tracks and let the same train hit us again. Get some new friends.

Here are some steps you can take towards letting yourself become stronger the next time a fake friend betrays you.

• Let the realization of the betrayal sink in but don’t go over it in your mind anymore than three times.
• Think about the person who betrayed you. Have they done this to others? Is it a pattern with them? How many others have been damaged by this person?
• If someone betrays you twice it is highly likely there’ll be a third time so why place yourself in that position? Dump them and have nothing else to do with them.
• In this life you will meet a lot of people who you might attempt to bring closer to you as a friend whom you would like to include in your loop of close friends. You probably won’t have much luck asking someone to change their behavior even if you describe the ill effects it has on you because people take offense and may just avoid you altogether if you go that route. Only you can decide if you want that person in your loop of close friends or whether it would be best to keep that person at a safe distance.
• A good rule of thumb is to evaluate the person and decide if they encourage you or discourage you.
• When you are hanging around someone who claims to be your friend, do they build you up or criticize you?People need appreciation. They need to know that you appreciate them. Often we are quick to criticize but slow to commend. Let’s make it the opposite. Sincerely commend them when they do something right. Even better, commend them publicly.
• You have three choices in dealing with potential friends. You can change how YOU act toward that person, you can accept their behavior, or you can avoid all contact with that person.


It is very important to forgive but that does not mean you have to let them back in your life. Be willing to forgive despite your anger. Forgive them for not keeping your trust and not knowing how to treat friends. You may need to forgive them, even if they are not sorry for what they did. This is key to getting past your anger towards them and not harboring grudges. Forgiveness is letting go of the need for revenge and releasing negative thoughts of bitterness and resentment. Forgiveness does not mean it is OK what they did to you. Forgiveness is not reconciliation. We have to make a separate decision about whether to reconcile with the person we are forgiving or whether to maintain our distance. Sometimes one betrayal can be a total misunderstanding or accidental, but usually never twice. If that person was sincere about being sorry the first time then they would have proceeded with caution to make sure they didn’t do it again. You do not have to reconcile with them. You have every right to protect yourself from further victimization by cutting them out of your life completely. Forgiveness is not giving permission to continue hurtful behaviors; nor is it condoning the behavior in the past or in the future. Forgiveness is not forgetting or pretending it didn’t happen. It did happen, and we need to retain the lesson learned without holding onto the pain. Forgiveness is not excusing. We excuse a person who is not to blame. We forgive because a wrong was committed.

Forgiveness is releasing that person who betrayed you to God and allow Him to deal with them. He will deal with them and give back to them according to what they have done. (Luke 6:38 and Isaiah 59:18)

In summary, A true friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.

Henry Ford once said, “My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.”
A true friend wants to see the people around them live up to their maximum potential. You can do this by helping your friends recognize and develop their personal strengths.

©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, 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.

If I Can Help Somebody As I Pass Along

"Then I will teach transgressors your ways." Psalm 51:13 (NIV)

What did Jesus describe as the ways of God?

Mathew 25:35-36: “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”

How many times do we hesitate to share our faith with others? Maybe we are too busy, or maybe we are afraid of rejection. Sometimes we may look for excuses not to share our faith. That is not what Jesus commanded when He said we are to take the gospel even unto the ends of the earth. Jesus cared enough about mankind to leave His throne in Heaven to come down here in order to save us, and He sacrificed His life on the cross so that whoever would believe in Him would not die but live for ever.

The late Rev. Wade Watts once said, “I am obligated by God to tell you the truth (Ezekiel 3:17). These old people living in the slums are my mothers and fathers; those in poverty are my sisters and brothers; those trapped on drugs are my sons and daughters. I am obligated to help them; I am obligated to clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, feed the hungry and administer to the sick. If I can help somebody as I pass along…”

The next time you feel the urge not to share your faith in Christ with a stranger, remember your decision may effect their life one way or the other.

Roger Simms was hitchhiking home when he was picked up by Mr. Hanover. As they drove towards Chicago, Roger felt God urging him to share his faith. When he overcame his fear and asked the man if he would like to receive Christ, Mr. Hanover stopped, bowed his head on the steering wheel, began to cry, and accepted Christ. "This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me," he said.

Shortly afterwards he dropped Roger at his house and went on to Chicago, which was about an hour down the road. Years later, while preparing for a business trip to Chicago, Roger came across the gold-embossed business card Mr. Hanover had given him years earlier. When he arrived in Chicago he decided to look up Hanover Enterprises and found it located in a skyscraper downtown. When he asked the receptionist if he could see Mr. Hanover, she said, "No, but his wife is here."

"You knew my husband?" the woman in her 50's asked. Roger explained that her husband had given him a ride and how he'd led him to Christ. "When was that?" she asked. "May 7th, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army." She began to sob. After several minutes she regained control and said, "I prayed for my husband's salvation for years, believing God would save him. But right after he let you out of his car, on May 7th, he was killed in a head-on collision. I thought God had not answered my prayer, and I stopped living for Him five years ago." That day she recommitted her life to Christ.

Yes a life can be affected, one way or the other. Share your faith - somebody needs it! If I can help somebody as I pass along…….

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!

A Gift For You From Jesus And You Don't Deserve It!

A GIFT FOR YOU FROM JESUS AND YOU DON'T DESERVE IT!

(And Neither Do I!)

By Rev. Johnny Lee Clary





I was speaking in a school the other day in Canberra, Australia and a young lady kept asking questions about what have I done to make up to all the people I hurt while in the KKK twenty years ago. The questions along that nature kept coming. I knew she didn’t understand what the Blood of Jesus represents in the area of forgiveness so I tried to explain. It is not just this young lady that asks those types of questions but I always get emails from others asking the same thing or see comments posted on various websites pertaining to my forgiveness which secular people and even some Christians just do not seem to understand.

According to some, I need to go bury my head in the sand in shame for being a member of the KKK for all those years, or I need to spend the rest of my life going to each and every person who is a different race than White, beg their forgiveness, and see what I can do to make it all up to them. Perhaps I should make some nice fruit baskets, (White folks are good at making fruit baskets according to comedian Chris Rock) and go around the world giving them to every person of a different color than me, and then perhaps God will show mercy on me.

The Bible says in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You see I was given a free gift from God. I could not earn it, and I certainly did not deserve it, but God gave it to me anyway, because I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and asked His forgiveness for my many sins. He paid the price for my sins when He went to the cross for me. In the old days before Jesus came to the Earth to pay the price for sin, when people sinned they had to shed innocent blood of animals such as an unblemished sheep for the atonement of sin. That poor little lamb lost its life due to man’s sin as payment. The law stated without the shedding of blood there was no remission or absolving of sins. (Hebrews 9:22) When Jesus came He went to the cross and paid the ultimate price as He was the Lamb of God, unblemished and without sin. “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away sin from this world!” (John 1:29) Therefore Jesus was the only one who could pay such a price. He died ONE time for ALL. He said “It is finished,” while hanging on the cross which meant “Price is paid in full.” (Hebrews 7:26-27)

The Bible clearly states, “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Then in Romans 3:10 it states “There is none righteous no not even ONE!” The word righteous means “Right standing with God.” Now since Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death, then all of us deserve death, but thank God He does not give us what we deserve when we accept what His Son did for us on the cross. Instead He gives us a gift of eternal life and no one can take that away from you, ever! You can throw it away and tell God you don’t want it by rejecting Jesus and the finished work He did on the cross, but once you accept it, it is yours.

"By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

My wife Melissa and I visited some dear friends of ours Tom and Lisa Locker in Perth, Australia and were guests in their beautiful home last year. Melissa suggested that we go to the market and get them a gift. We did. We purchased something for their backyard gazebo because they like to spend a lot of time there. That became their gift the moment they accepted it from us. It is theirs and theirs alone. No one can lay claim to it and take it from them because it would be stealing if they did and the gift would still belong to Tom and Lisa. Therefore, when God gives you the gift of eternal life, the Word of God says in John 10:29 that once you have been given to Jesus that no one can snatch you out of His hand.

Now either you are going to believe the Word of God or you are not. There are no in-betweens. "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7).

You are calling the Word of God a lie if you say anything different. Jesus took each and every one of my sins and yours too, past, present and future to the cross with Him to be crucified. His blood made atonement for all of our sins. When Jesus hung on the cross, He didn’t say “Damn these people Father,” but He said “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” He didn’t deserve to die on that cross for you and me, but He did it so we could be reconciled to the Father and so we would not be roasted in the lake of fire for eternity in torment from the flames of Hell.

It is like if you were sentenced to die in the electric chair for something you did, and the Padre asks you if you have any last words and then they go to pull the lever when the phone rings and the warden yells, “Stop! Don’t pull that lever! Cut that person loose!” Then as they are un-strapping you from the electric chair, the warden tells you “You are free to leave. Someone else is taking your place.” Then you look and Jesus walks in and they strap Him in the chair and He looks at you with a tear in His eye, and pays the penalty for YOUR crime.

That is what Jesus did for both you and I. Your sins were just as great as mine in the KKK in God’s eyes. Why? Because Jesus paid the same exact penalty for you as He did for me. What happened to Jesus was injustice. He should not have had to die for our sins but He did so anyway so we could be reconciled to God.

And you know what? All you have to do to receive this gift is to repent of your sins and ask Him to forgive you and commit your life to Him and in return He will give you eternal life. That’s your gift.

Jesus paid for it. You and I didn’t, so enjoy it.

© Johnny Lee Clary Ministries

WHO AM I?

I was born in one country, raised in another. My father was born in
another
country. I was not his only child. He fathered several children
with numerous women.

I became very close to my mother, as my father showed no interest in
me. My
mother died at an early age from cancer.

Later in life, questions arose over my real name.

My birth records were sketchy and no one was able to produce a
legitimate,
reliable birth certificate.

I grew up practicing one faith but converted to Christianity, as it was
widely accepted in my country, but

I practiced non-traditional beliefs & didn't follow Christianity,
except in
the public eye under scrutiny.

I worked and lived among lower-class people as a young adult, disguising
myself as someone who really cared about them.

That was before I decided it was time to get serious about my life and I
embarked on a new career.

I wrote a book about my struggles growing up. It was clear to those who
read
my memoirs that I had difficulties accepting that my father
abandoned me as a child.

I became active in local politics in my 30's then with help behind the
scenes, I literally burst onto the scene as a candidate for national
office in my 40s. They said I had a golden tongue and could talk anyone
into
anything. That reinforced my conceit.


I had a virtually non-existent resume, little work history, and no
experience in leading a single organization. Yet I was a powerful
speaker
and citizens were drawn to me as though I were a magnet and they were
small
roofing tacks..

I drew incredibly large crowds during my public appearances. This
bolstered
my ego.

At first, my political campaign focused on my country's foreign policy.
I
was very critical of my country in the last war and seized every
opportunity to bash my country.

But what launched my rise to national prominence were my views on the
country's economy. I pretended to have a really good plan on
how we could do better and every poor person would be fed & housed for
free.

I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this mess. It
was the
free market, banks & corporations. I decided to start making
citizens hate them and if they were envious of others who did well, the
plan
was clinched tight.

I called mine "A People's Campaign" and that sounded good to all people.

I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside the
traditional
path of politics & was able to gain widespread popular
support.

I knew that, if I merely offered the people 'hope' , together we could
change our country and the world.

So, I started to make my speeches sound like they were on behalf of the
downtrodden, poor, ignorant to include "persecuted minorities"
like the Jews. My true views were not widely known & I needed to keep
them
unknown, until after I became my nation's leader..

I had to carefully guard reality, as anybody could have easily found out
what I really believed, if they had simply read my writings and
examined those people I associated with.

I'm glad they didn't. Then I became the most powerful man in the world.
And
the world learned the truth.

Who am I?


ADOLF HITLER.

OF WHOM WERE YOU THINKING ?

CHRISTIAN WITCHES And What To Do About Them!

CHRISTIAN WITCHES And What To Do About Them!

By Rev. Johnny Lee Clary


Occasionally, people at different churches I minister at, approach me after the service, or they email me asking me to pray and be in agreement with them for various things. I used to say, "Sure, OK," without thinking and now I have changed my policy. Suppose Mary Jane Morgan approaches me and asks me to be in agreement with her to get a promotion to supervisor at her job or to get a certain job. What if God's will was that promotion or job that Mary Jane Morgan asked me to be in agreement with her for, was intended for someone else altogether? By praying in agreement with Mary Jane Morgan, I am joining with her to violate God's will for someone else.

Case in point, it would be no different than if Mary Jane Morgan asked me to be in agreement with her that Billy Bob Baxter will fall in love with her and be her husband. If God's will was for Billy Bob Baxter to be the hubby of Tammy Jo Thompson, and if I go throwing spiritual prayers up into the clouds and being in agreement with Mary Jane Morgan for Billy Bob Baxter to marry her, then I am praying against God's will. What could follow next is spiritual manipulation.

You see if I pray in agreement with someone then as a man of God, I really must believe for what I am praying. Many of us will pray, 'Let God's will be done,' without really knowing God's will. Therefore we must believe that what we are praying in agreement with someone for is actually God's will. Then if I somehow convinced myself it was 'God's will' for Mary Jane and Billy Bob to be married, then I would be speaking it forth. The Holy Word of God says, in Proverbs 21:23, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity." I would be helping to bring calamity into people's lives which is terrible loss, lasting distress, or severe affliction; in other words a disaster!"

The reason you should never be in automatic agreement with someone in prayer when they ask you to be, is to not only avoid trying to interfere with God's will for someone else, but to also avoid spiritual manipulation. The wrong people in your life could be a curse for you. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says "Bad company corrupts good character." You should only want people close to you as your friends to be those God has really wants to be close to you. God's will is to never have people to be your close friends who will drain and discourage you; He wills you to be with people who will energize and encourage you. Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times but a brother is born of adversity." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore, encourage each other and strengthen one another as you are doing." (God's Word)

I knew a girl in Tulsa several years ago that was in the ministry and went to church where I attended back in the early 90's. Now for all practical appearances, she seemed stable and normal. She was pretty, and had a desire to serve God. She even started a bible study and preached on the radio. We went to a high profile church where high profile people used to attend. One of those high profile people was the famous singer and actor, Carman. That church was 80% single females because most of those women where either there to try and snag the pastor who was also single at the time, or Carman as a hubby. This girl I knew was convinced that Carman was going to be her husband. She told me several people had "confirmed" this to her through either a 'word of knowledge' or a dream interpretation. She kept trying to get "close" to Carman who basically ignored her. She had a group of girls that followed her around and attended her bible study group, and they all kept praying that Carman and she would get married. They were all convinced that Carman was her husband and when it finally became apparent that he was not interested in her, they all said Carman was deceived and didn't know the will of God.

Friends, there is a name for that and it's called spiritual manipulation, which is also called, "Christian Witchcraft!"

Is there such a thing as Christian witches? Sure there is. Just Google "Christian Witches" and many websites will pop up. In addition to this, there are so-called Christians who are practicing witchcraft in just about every church in the world. Whenever they start speaking words and offering prayers against someone else or trying to impose their will on someone, they are guilty of witchcraft. Christian witches are those who practice spiritual manipulation or witchcraft and they are a lot worse than regular witches who do not believe in the Bible. You see, like in the TV show "Bewitched," Samantha, Endora, Serena, Uncle Arthur and Tabitha, just did not know God's word and therefore did not know any better because they had been deceived into a false religion being ignorant of the word of God. However, in real life, Christian witches are worse because not only do they know the word of God, but they use it to manipulate others to get what they want instead of using it to see that God's will and His will alone is carried out here on earth. There is nothing worse than using the Lord to gain dishonest means. (Titus 1:11) I believe the eternal punishment that awaits them will be far worse than what awaits regular non-Christian witches.

Christian witches will try to manipulate you through emotional blackmail as well. They seek to dominate you or intimidate you into doing what they want. Perhaps they will tell you that the church you are attending is all wrong for you and that God showed them that you should be somewhere else, because God wants to "grow you" and "use you" to your fullest potential. They will tell you that they only want God's best for you. Nine out of ten times though, they have a hidden agenda that benefits them in one way or the other, which is their true motive and not your spiritual well being.

Christian witches are also time wasters. They will use up your time by trying to get you to give them all the attention and your free time and guess what? They will succeed only if you allow them to! A good example would be if someone says, "Nobody loves me and nobody cares and I am going to commit suicide and that way nobody has to worry about me anymore." What they are really looking for is for you to drop everything that you are doing, and be at their beck and call and give them all of your undivided attention and time.

Many years ago, a girl was following me around and kept telling him she loved me and knew it was God's will for us to be together. I told her I didn't feel the same way she did but she wouldn't take no for an answer. The final straw came when she drove several hours away from where she lived and showed up at the hotel I was staying at. She called the church and told them she was my sister and asked which hotel I was staying at, and thinking it was OK because she was 'family,' they told her where I was staying. She checked into the room right next to mine, and showed up at the church and sat on the front row. I took a witness with me to the hotel and told her off and said that God never told me that she was to be my mate and that she needed to go on and leave me alone and that I would never be with her. I furthermore told her I would get the cops involved if she kept it up. She left and apparently went home and took a bunch of pills and then called her pastor and told her pastor she had taken the pills and that she was committing suicide because no one cared about her or loved her. The pastor called an ambulance and they rushed her to the hospital and pumped her stomach.

Now the thing is, she never really intended to commit suicide at all or she wouldn't have called and told the pastor she had just taken the pills. She had used spiritual witchcraft to try to manipulate me and when that dog didn't hunt, she resorted to the old "I've decided to end it all," trick, and tried to manipulate the pastor. That spell didn't work either. She did succeed in getting attention though, but not from me. I think they locked her up for awhile in the funny farm. The last I heard she left church, and shacked up with a biker.

Those who practice witchcraft not only destroy what God wants to do in their lives but they destroy their own selves in the process.

They will never admit that they could be the problem. Oh no. It is always someone else's fault; it is never theirs. They will justify themselves by saying, "You don't know me! You don't know my relationship with God! You don't know how He speaks to me! You don't know what I have been through!" They will accuse you of trying to control them, which is exactly what they are attempting to do to others through their manipulation and use of witchcraft in the church.

As I look back on my life as Christian, I will be the first to admit that when I was younger in the Lord, I used Christian witchcraft myself in order to manipulate others and get what I wanted. I have long ago repented of that and I asked God to forgive me for any harm I caused myself, or anyone else in doing such evil. Using God's word to manipulate others is unacceptable in God's eyes.

One of the worst places Christian witchcraft is practiced is in the job or position game, both in the secular world and the church. Many Christians will tell someone that they have this in common or that in common with them, just to get that person to show them favor, when the truth is they probably have nothing in common with that person at all. It is kind of like the guy that wants the promotion at work so he finds out what the boss likes, and even if he hates what the boss likes, he goes to the boss and pretends and lies to him saying 'I like that too,' or 'I love that baseball team' when the truth is he hates that team and he knows it. Of course though if he winds up getting that promotion, then he has used manipulation to gain what he wanted. That my friend is dishonesty and wrong as can be. A job promotion should be gained on merit and skill instead of manipulation.

Many use it in the church. There once was a girl who wanted to be lead praise and worship singer. There was however, competition for that position. Instead of trying out and doing the best she could and then letting God speak to those in charge about who would be best, she found out something about her competition's past and began to spread the word. Oh she did it with subtleness and pretended to want to help this person get delivered from something that could come back to haunt her in the future and to keep the church from disgrace. The damage was done. She hurt someone dearly. She didn't care about the reputation of the church or that woman; all she cared about was getting the position. Oh yeah she got it, but it didn't last. I think she ran off with a married man in the church.

Manipulation is always evil, especially in the Christian world.

I have had people who hate my ministry and do not like me, get together and pray to stop my meetings. I have had them do all kinds of things to attempt to put an end to my ministry, including spreading untruths and twisting God's word around to get others to believe that it is not God's will that I minister in churches or anywhere else for that matter.
One guy would not stop even though he was warned that the word of God says in 1^st Chronicles 16:22 to touch not God's anointed one and do no harm to prophets. (Ministers) He ended up with serious health problems, his family fell away from God, he lost a child to an unexpected death, and he nearly died himself. I prayed for that man, as I certainly did not gloat or want to see that happen to him even though he had caused me much grief. I only bring it up because I want people to know that I have first hand knowledge of the dire consequences for those who insist on practicing witchcraft as a Christian. I remember that Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty once told me to be careful and not allow a bitter root of evil to grow in my heart. I have always tried to live by that even though it is hard at times.

Christian witchcraft consists of controlling spirits that have no place in the body of Christ. The Pharisees were guilty of this. You see they were the head honchos of their day. They were looked at as the spiritual leaders who everyone looked up to, so therefore they were allowed to control people's lives. That is until Jesus appeared on the scene. Their little kingdoms they had set up seemed to be in danger of falling down because people stopped listening to them and started following Jesus. Now if the Pharisees could have controlled Jesus, they would have never conspired to kill Him. They crucified Him, because they considered Him a threat to their power. They used manipulation to get rid of Him. They were guilty of using witchcraft. Like the Pharisees, many use their positions of power to manipulate others to build their own personal dynasties and kingdoms, which are based on witchcraft and not the power of the Holy Spirit. In John 9:16 the Pharisees judged Christ as being not of God, which was based on their own interpretation and not the Holy Scriptures. They used a genuine witch trial full of domination, manipulation and deceit, to convict Jesus of something He was never guilty of. Even Pilot judged Jesus not guilty and said "I find no fault in this man." However through manipulation and blackmail Pilot succumbed to their demands by putting an innocent Man to death on a cross because he was too much of a coward to fight back against the witches.

How many of us today, succumb to those who spread gossip, slander, and use manipulation to tear down a sister or brother in the Lord, because we are either too afraid to stand up to those who do such things or just too plan lazy and slothful to find out the truth for ourselves? Far too many of us are guilty of this when we allow Jezabelian witches led by the Babylonian whore to tear apart people in the body of Christ or stand back and let them manipulate ourselves as well as family, friends and others and we do nothing about it. It is time to call a Jezabelian witch for what they are and expose them. The word says have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them! Eph 5:11.

We have a responsibility to clean this crap up. It has no place in the church. If you have been letting people manipulate you, stop it now. If you are guilty of being a Christian witch practicing spiritual manipulation, stop and repent now! It is God's way or no way! Got that witch? Now repent!

What I now offer to pray when people approach me and ask me to be in agreement with them, is Colossians 1:9-14 9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

God's will is the only way to go and I pray you press in toward a relationship with God and press in toward knowing His true will. A genuine relationship with Him, combined with a genuine knowledge of His word, is what is required to know His will.

Rev. Johnny Lee Clary

Cheating Could Cost You Big Time!

Cheating Could Cost You Big Time!
By Johnny Lee Clary

I watched a country music video that was made in the 80's recently on youtube.com. It was one of my favorites by country singer Sylvia, and it was titled "Snapshot." Here is a little of the lyrics:

I found a cigarette, circled with lipstick
And the lingering of perfume in the room
The look on his face, was priceless
I don't think he expected me so soon
I'm sure he's got, an innocent excuse...

(Chorus)
Except for the snapshot
He doesn't know I've got (I've got! Uh-huh!)
He almost pulled off the perfect lover's crime!
Except for the snapshot
That puts me on top (On top! Uh-huh!)
He thinks he's got one on me,
But he hasn't seen, the snapshot

He says he bought the new car, strictly for business
And the new clothes match the new smile on his face
The extra key on his chain-- must be to the office
Poor baby, leaving early, staying late
He's got an alibi, for every move he makes

(Chorus)
Except for the snapshot
He doesn't know I've got (I've got! Uh-huh!)
He almost pulled off the perfect lover's crime!
Except for the snapshot
That puts me on top (On top! Uh-huh!)
He thinks he's got one on me,
But he hasn't seen, the snapshot

When he comes home tonight
It'll be his surprise
I had it blown up, life size! (Life size!)
I'm not quite as foolish, as you thought I'd be
I took everything....

Including the snapshot
He doesn't know I've got (I've got! Uh-huh!)
He almost pulled off the perfect lover's crime!
Except for the snapshot
That puts me on top (On top! Uh-huh!)
He thinks he's got one on me,
But he hasn't seen, the snapshot



Although this was made back in the 80's and went to number one on the country music charts for several weeks, I think Sylvia was giving us a glimpse into the future. You see in this day and age, with almost everyone carrying a cell phone with a video and snapshot camera on it, TV shows like "Cheaters," and online programs that let you spy on your other half, the chances are better than ever that you will be caught. If you get caught cheating on your spouse you can end up paying dearly. Before the age of video, it used to be one's word against the other and the person doing the cheating stood a good chance of lying their way out of it if their spouse confronted them with suspicions' of infidelity. Even if one didn't believe their cheating spouse, and it ended up in divorce court, without proof of infidelity, it was one person's word against the other and with a good lawyer the cheater could come out of the marriage with half of everything and even more in some cases. Not so anymore. With all the latest technology, it can be pretty easy to prove an affair and if that is the case, then the cheating spouse can say goodbye to almost everything they have worked all of their life for. If it's a man doing the cheating, he can more than likely say goodbye to Bass Pro Shop and hello to the pawn shop! If it's a woman doing the cheating, it can be "Goodbye Neiman Marcus; Hello Dollar Store!"


Here are some more lyrics to another song by Sara Evans that speak the truth:

How do you like that furnished room, the bed, the chair, the table
The TV picture comes and goes, too bad you don't have cable
How do you like that paper plate, and those pork-n-beans you're eatin'
Maybe you should've thought about that
When you were cheatin'

How do you like that beat up car, I think it's fair we traded
Your pick up truck is running fine, it's a cozy ride for datin'
Yes, I've been out a time or two, and found the comfort I've been needin
Maybe you should've thought about that
When you were cheatin'

You made your bed and your out of mine
You lie awake and I sleep just fine
You've done your sowing, now you can do the reaping
Maybe you should've thought about that
When you were cheatin'

Now, what became of what's her name, after she spent all your money
Did she leave you like you left me, well sometimes life is funny
Yes I'll be glad to take you back, just as soon as I stop breathin
Maybe you should've thought about that
When you were cheatin'

In most cases the person deserves it. Besides being against God's rulebook and the person taking a chance on eternal damnation if they don't repent and become born again, it is just plain morally wrong to betray the trust of someone who you took vows to love, honor and obey. It will stay on your conscience and that can sometimes be just as painful as losing everything in a nasty divorce.


Take it from someone who has been on both sides of the coin, I know what I am talking about. I've been cheated on so many times I can't count, and I have also done my fair share of being involved with married women or cheating on someone. Back in my party days when I hung out in the barrooms, when I would meet a girl and she would tell me she was married, I would reply "How married are you?" The girl would either answer that she was very married, (which meant off limits or get lost) or not all that married, and if it was the latter, then chances are she would become another notch on my belt before the night was over.


At least the ones that told me they were married, even if they went home with me were honest with me about being married; I'll give them that, even if they were not being honest with their spouse. The thing that was more horrible to me at the time was the ones I would meet that were not honest about being married. I can't count how many times I took a girl home with me at the end of the night only to have her leave right after the deed, with the excuse she had to be at work early or get home to her kids. A lot of them would leave a number on a matchbook and when I called it was either a wrong number or a man answered. That was never fun because somehow you feel dirty and used when that happens. Yes girls it may surprise you but men can feel that way too if they have an ounce of decency in them.


The world also has double standards when it comes to such carrying on. If it is a man doing the sleeping around, he is considered a "stud," but if it is a woman sleeping around she is considered a "slut," and that isn't right. Almost every married woman I was ever involved with had the same story. It almost always went like this: "He doesn't love me anymore; He cheats on me; He never pays attention to me; and he doesn't talk to me anymore." I used to say, "Show me a man who don't talk to his woman and I'll show you a man whose woman I can steal!" The fact of the matter is this is true almost 99% of the time.


A lot of people think most women in that situation are looking for an upgrade and will leave their husbands when something better seems to come along. That is not always the case anymore. If a woman does not feel needed and wanted, I don't care how much money and material things she has, there is a good chance she will leave her man for a guy that is not worth near as much as her husband is worth, as long as she feels that man pays attention to her and makes her feel special and wanted. I knew of a rich oil man once whose wife had an affair with a ranch hand because the cowboy made her feel special and needed. In other words he was able to satisfy her emotionally where her rich oil husband didn't. This was either because he was screwing around himself; was too preoccupied with business making money; just didn't care anymore; or all of the above.


I am ashamed to admit it, but back in the early 80's I was seeing a married woman named Connie that I would meet every Thursday night at Countryland Honky-Tonk in Springdale, Arkansas. I got the stories from Connie of how her marriage had been over for a long time and one of these days she was going to leave him for me. My affair with Connie went on for quite a while much to the disapproval of some of my friends. Then one Friday night, Connie's husband sat down on the barstool next to mine and introduced himself. The man was 6'6 and about 300 pounds. I knew who he was right off and was thinking that one blow from his big hairy hand could send me to the promise land if he hit me just right. I was thinking about grabbing a beer bottle and hitting him as hard as I could and then getting on out of Dodge City! However, the man was as nice as could be. We hung out drinking together most of the night and when he found out it was my birthday he refused to let me pay for anything telling me my money was no good around him. At the end of the night I felt like this man was an old friend. Then the guilt sank in. I wrestled with my conscience all week long and when Thursday arrived, I met Connie at the honky-tonk and broke it off with her. As the years passed I would wonder if he knew about me and Connie and decided to be my buddy in hopes that I would end up with a guilt trip and break it off with his wife. I wondered if he chose this method instead of killing me and ending up in jail for the rest of his life, or if he decided that if he injured me that Connie would react by leaving him and coming to be by my side. Well whatever the case, it worked, and the affair ended. He was a smart man if any of this was the case. I have never been able to convince myself that of all the people for him to sit down next to and befriend was the man who was having an affair with his wife. Not in that honky-tonk anyway because there was always a huge crowd there. I felt guilty about it even after I ended my affair with Connie.


I was the victim of being cheated on a lot. The bible says in Galatians 6:7 that whatsoever a man sows he will reap. When I got married a few years later, my ex-wife Sue Ellen cheated on me. Right after our divorce, I dedicated my life to Christ. However, I learned that the possibility of being cheated on does not stop just because one becomes a Christian. I learned that church girls can be just as, if not more ruthless and unfaithful as the barroom girls. I can't count how many times I was in dating relationships with girls who claimed to be born again, only to find they were just as unfaithful as my ex-wife Sue Ellen who was a witch, literally. I dated a girl named Robyn from Atlanta, Georgia who claimed to be a Christian but as it turned out her head had been on as many pillows as a chocolate mint in a hotel room.

Next there was Diane from Mountain Home, Arkansas. We had a romance, were officially 'going steady' and everything seemed great, until I found out she was cheating on me by sleeping with her rich ex-boyfriend who was in a wheelchair. We broke up and then her problem teenage son who was very happy that his mom had stopped dating the wheelchair guy and was with me, grew unhappy with his mother's choice to cheat on me and dump me for that other guy, so he committed suicide. He couldn't stand what his mother did and had become.


It never feels good when you find out you failed to discern that the person you were interested in is a cheater and a liar.


One has to make a choice when that is the case. They can choose the world's way in getting even, or they can choose God's way in moving on and trusting Him to bring them the right person who knows that God's will is staying true. The world wants to say that getting even is Ok, to justify adultery. I knew a girl once that told me she found out her husband was looking at pornography so therefore she had a right to a one night stand, in order to get even with him. Wrong! People will try to justify giving in to their own sinful desires. That is human nature. However, God's nature is to rebuke temptation. Jesus was tempted by the Satan himself, and Jesus rebuked that old devil. Therefore as Christians we are expected to follow in the Lord's example. James 4:7 says resist the Devil and he will flee from you.


The choice is yours. No man or woman wants to work hard all of their life attaining a house, cars, kids, property, boat, household luxuries, bank accounts, respectability, and even businesses, just to see it all taken away because they gave in to temptation for a little roll in the hay with someone that turned them on sexually. It is not worth loosing it all especially when you see it go bye-bye when you get up in front of Judge Judy, because that is exactly what will happen with this new modern day technology that can prove real fast that you cheated. Nine out of ten times that person you are caught cheating with will not end up with you anyway. Remember, if they cheated on the person they took vows to, then whatever they tell you can not be believed either. You are a dang fool if you think otherwise.

Even if they do leave their spouse for you or you leave your spouse for them, in the back of you all's minds will be the thought of 'is this person going to leave me when they get tired of me after a while?' Think about it. People seem to set patterns of repeating things in their lives unless they renew their minds in Christ Jesus like it says in Romans 12:2.


As for you men, you may think you are getting away with something when you are cheating but women are not as peaceful and wimpy about these things like they used to be. I saw an episode of "Cheaters" the other night where "Cheaters" caught a guy cheating on his girlfriend and when she confronted him she pulled a knife and went for his grapefruits between his legs before the cast of "Cheaters" were able to grab her and get the knife away from her. The fact is though; she had time to do some damage before the crew got her subdued. It only takes a second and that knife was up against the grapefruits for a few seconds before the film crew intervened. That man that was cheating on her should be thanking God right now that he is not singing soprano!


You can also end up cheating on someone that does what Carrie Underwood, who happens to be a church-going Christian sang about in a song she recorded about catching her husband cheating.

Right now, he's probably slow dancing with a
bleached-blonde tramp
And she's probably getting frisky
Right now he's probably buying her some Fruity little drink 'cause she can't shoot whiskey
Right now, he's probably up behind her with a pool-stick showing her how to shoot a combo
And he don't know...

That I dug my key into the side of his Pretty little souped up four wheel drive
Carved my name into his leather seat
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights
Slashed a hole in all four tires
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats

Right now, she's probably up singing some
white-trash version of Shania karaoke
Right now, she's probably saying "I'm drunk"
And he's thinking that he's gonna lucky
Right now, he's probably dabbing on three dollars worth of that bathroom polo
And he don't know... OH!

That I dug my key into the side of his Pretty little souped up four wheel drive
Carved my name into his leather seat
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights
Slashed a hole in all four tires
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats

I might've saved a little trouble for the next girl
A 'cause the next time that he cheats
Oh, you know it won't be on me
No, oh
Not on me...

I dug my key into the side of his Pretty little souped up four wheel drive
Carved my name into his leather seat
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights
Slashed a hole in all four tires
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats

Oh, maybe next time he'll think before he cheats...

Oh, oh
Before he cheats
ohhhh.

Like I said, it's up to you. It's your choice. If you do it God's way it's a happy day, but if you do it the world's way you're going to pay!
Yes cheating could cost you big time!

Johnny Lee Clary
© Johnny Lee Clary International Ministries