Babies behind bars: doing time with mom

I read and then watched the above video documented by CNN.com; I couldn't breathe. Infants to toddlers whose little fingers touched steel bars as they looked out into a world they've never known- with cars they've never seen. Little eyes that see uniforms, high-wired fences and cell blocks as "home." Even more, only having seen a world of women- as one inmate said, "they only know a nation of women." Fatherless generation? This is on a totally different level.

The issue at hand is obvious- raising babies in a prison is not healthy on so many different levels, yet separation isn't either. But as I continued to think about this article over the last few days and the spiritual Father I have, intercession became key. Naturally speaking, these babies are paying the price for what their mothers did. Spiritually, though we may not be physically incarcerated, many parents' spiritual captivity are heavily affecting their sons and daughters.

Ezekial 18 makes it clear that the one who sins will surely die. So if a son/daughter sees the evil of his father/mother and does what is right, they will not pay for their parents sins- they will not be found guilty. Though not found guilty, there are definitely emotional, spiritual and mental effects that will result. I'm reminded of an incident last week where it was reported that a father shot and killed his wife and twins in the car, dropped his three teenagers off at a family member's house and then shot himself. Although those three teenagers will not be guilty of their father's crime, do you honestly believe their lives will remain the same having witnessed their father shoot and kill their sibling and mother?

Parents, what sins... what generational curses... what strongholds remain in your life that have you bound and are being passed on to your child(ren)? What fears because of your decisions or unforgiveness or rage are preventing your child(ren) from seeing/reaching their spiritual potential in God? Like the South African babies, your child(ren) are and will not be guilty of your sins. However, are you the one preventing them from encountering their heavenly Father?

As for these babies and other children around the world, whether physically in bondage or spiritually, intercession is required. No humanitarian effort- not even the most sincerest- will ever replace the power of God. It's not just about doing good- writing letters to the government, adopting, mentoring- it's about doing God... moving in a spirit of intercession and truth that will set minds FREE from bondage while meeting their needs. I promise you- when prayer meets good works... GOD has to show up.

To Parents Who are Believers of Jesus Christ,

In the world, prom season has begun for some of your sons/daughters or is about to. I have to share with you that, more so in the last two weeks than before, I have become grieved with my spiritual family's mindset concerning this "event." Yes, I went to prom in 2002 as a senior, but I had not had a REAL encounter with God to say "no." I am a mother now of a son, and with me knowing who God has called him to be, my mindset is being renewed and transformed about the ways of this world but more so my greater God.

As believers, you must have the conviction that your child is not your own. Psalm 127:3 says that children are a gift and a reward from God. They are first and foremost God’s sons and daughters and that, according to Proverbs 22:6, you are admonished to point/train them to go in the right direction so they can be God-honoring citizens of His kingdom… righteous sons and daughters. The example God gave us was the way He trained His son- Jesus. Jesus walked on the narrow road and was known to do things radically different from the societal norm, beginning at the age of 12. As believers, if our example is to be Jesus and we are to train our kids to follow the same direction as him, what are we saying when we say, “Yes! Let’s get ready for prom!!!”???

The promenade dance/prom is a secular event of which the sexually immoral, drunkard and perverse spirits run ramped. Not only this, but materialism, greed and self-centeredness are put into play as girls look for the “best” dress, the “best” hairstyle, the “best” accessories, etc. (and vice versa for guys) so that they can receive attention for what they have on, not necessarily for how their personalities are (if that were a factor). These things are all sins and according to Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death. It doesn’t take a know-it-all to find out what events can and do occur on prom night, whether it’s drug use or sexual activity. When Christian parents succumb to the whining of their children and so-called pressure to help their kids “enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience," they are announcing to God their kids are their own and training them to operate in sin and prepare to die.

Note: Whether you fear your son/daughter's reaction to you saying "no" to prom or what other parents or co-workers think, the reality is... you fear man's opinion about you more than you fear God and His standards for His sons/daughters. Man-pleasing is a sin; look at what happened to Saul. I've just realized, for the past 26 years of my life, I've been pleasing man. What a wake-up call...

Yes, MANY schools have a prom or end of year dance, but MANY schools do not. Yes, MANY girls and boys go to prom, but MANY do not. As believers who are gifted with sons and daughters, we must understand what 1 Corinthians 10:23 is really saying, “You say, “I am allowed to do anything” —but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.” Prom may be permitted at schools, but it is NOT beneficial for your child as a son or daughter gifted from God. Do not allow your self-sufficiency or desire to please man (whether child or friend) plant seeds of sin and permit the shedding of your sons and daughters’ blood to be on your hands. YOU are the parent and God is holding YOU responsible to “come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you” 2 Corinthians 6:17.

Please be honest with your heart before God about this issue. After you get over your fears and list of rules you plan on giving them that night, really stop and ask yourself... WHY AM I letting her/him go to prom?

Crying Out for an Awakening,

Esther

“His Grace”, “Bishop” Bernard Jordan Selling Soap & Driving a Rolls Royce!
Lynn on September 20, 2007


I read this article last Saturday and honestly... I wasn't too surprised. I was angry then grieved more than anything. Prophetic soap for $7... prophecy for $365... one year of one-on-one prophetic "coaching" for your life for $3,000. Yes, it's all in the article. Propha-liars, fakes, frauds... unfortunately, we've become all too familiar with the nicknames of those Paul spoke of would come. Yet, as Christians, it seems we've forgotten how to read or listen to the men and women of God who were vessels to warn us through the Bible. I'm confused... how are we supposed to know how to prepare for the endtimes if we don't read or believe the manuscript that explains it to us???

It was prophecied people like "Bishop" Bernard Jordan, his son Mannaseh and so many others would enter our lives and attempt to sway us from the Gospel of Truth. Please read the article and answer these questions in the comments:

1) What do you think is the reason WHY people are so swayed away?
2) How do you as KINGDOM-LOVERS-OF-GOD-THROUGH-JESUS-CHRIST believers expose the light of truth to such people who are blinded?

Can't wait to hear from you!

... of parents (at least I hope so).

I had heard much commotion about Willow's "Whip My Hair" video, so I figured I'd watch it and blog about it. WOW is all I can say. I'm not only the mother of a son now, but I have been and still am the older sister of a 9-year-old and 16-year-old sisters... AND a 7th grade middle school teacher... teacher... teacher... which is why I'm particularly confused/bewildered/in a state of "really?!?" at the end of this video. A teacher/lady in red leads the class in a classic stripper, whip-my-hair routine that I honestly thought was soft porn. Red, leather-tight outfit, classic hooker shoes, hip-throwin, split-making moves kinda give it that appeal. What's even more interesting is hearing so-called believers of Jesus Christ enjoy and applaud the "talents" revealed in this video, sitting in the couch or with their child on the computer saying, "Oh wow! That's amazing; they better do it!" Then they wonder all the while why their daughters are beginning to take on the idea that, "hey, my mom/dad think her moves are tight and all the kids are hype when the girls dance like that. I wonder..." and the story finds its own end. Sneakiness, promiscuity... whether it be in radical dress or oral sex to please Bobby. You think I'm extreme when I say that, but my reality is factual... I'm a middle school teacher!!!!!!!!!

For my parents/uncles/aunts/etc who confess they believe in Jesus, remember

1 John 2:15-16 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world."

So let me ask you, based purely on the WORD OF GOD... what's in you and what are you putting in the gift God trusted you to raise?

Yes... Esther is back on blogger! It seems many updates have been made, and due to technical restrictions on tumblr, this is my permanent home. I will be moving my previous posts from tumblr back to blogger. In the meantime, you can check them out and leave your comments here.

...Hearing the Cries...

THANK YOU!

I just want to take this brief moment to thank you all for your prayers, words of encouragement and monetary support for myself and my BLAZEN teammates as we travelled to South Africa just this past two weeks. It was an AMAZING encounter with God and His people I can never forget. Stay tuned for pictures, journals, reflections and more from this trip that has physically and spiritually changed my eyesight/viewpoint in a way that will affect my family and my seeds for generations to come. I love you all!... but Abba Father Jesus loves you more. :):):)

Lot's Wife: Dying to this World

“Nothing so hardens the heart of man as a barren familiarity with sacred things." JC Ryle

Lot’s wife was in this state. She was married to a man who was related to and walked closely with the Father of faith, Abraham. Due to her husband's desire for the world, she and Lot with their children moved themselves to the perverse city of Sodom. Yes, Lot's wife had heard the word of the Lord, she knew ABOUT who God was, saw her husband walk by faith with Abraham out of their home country, but she basically became too familiar and relaxed with God, conforming to what she saw others (her husband) do. She never stands out in Genesis 12-19 as a woman who believed and stood for the righteousness and will of God out of her own desire. Lot’s wife is only seen as a tag-along- so insignificant as not to be greatly mentioned until her death. No true conviction or encounter of God ever settled in her heart. She had become so familiar with God as to fix and mold Him to HER routine as if He was just something else that was in her life. No, Lot didn’t make the best of decisions for his household by leaving the spiritual authority of Abraham, especially not in going to the city of homosexual perversion. Yet, Lot understood God’s authority and power when the angels warned him to flee Sodom. He even warns his son-in-laws saying, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” (Genesis 19:14). Yet, Lot’s wife did not know the power and wisdom of God for herself. Lot’s wife had access to God but had become so used to going to church, going to Bible Study, not committing adultery, not cussing, not getting drunk, not smoking, taking care of her daughters, being a “good” wife, living in the world- that she never really let herself come under the authority and wisdom of God. Her actions in Genesis 19:26 in looking back AFTER being told not to reveal her severe love of her previous lifestyle and the world/city she lived in, as well as her doubt of who God was and where he was taking them.

Lot’s wife lived in the world, lived of the world and she died loving the world.

Her life, seemingly insignificant and sometimes overlooked in the Old Testament, is so significant to Jesus in the New Testament that He says: “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” Luke 17:30-33

When Jesus returns, will he find a “Lot’s wife” spirit/mentality upon you? Or even this- when God comes to guide you in a way that’s been completely different from the life you’ve created for yourself, will you be found looking at your life, family, career, opinions, what people think of you, things you “know”... doubting God and dying in your will in this world instead of His will?

Yes, you may have grown up in the church, sang on the praise team, danced, been the son or daughter of a pastor, made good grades in school, prayed the false “sinner’s prayer”, acquired a diploma or degree, been a deacon, been a youth helper or leader, never smoked, never drank, don’t cuss, like helping people, do “right”…

...but have you, in the mean time, become too familiar with the “church” life and this well-known God to trust His wisdom and authority when He says “MOVE”? Do you love your life in this world more than you love God to trust the unknown He’s taking you into? Honestly, you don't take Him that seriously; yes, He's God... but His holiness and sacredness has been minimized and made common by you. It is THIS which will cause God to grieve and say, “… depart from me, I never knew you.”

Or even, will He say to you:

"Depart from me, I never knew you because I was never able to get you to leave the world to really know who I am. You treated me like anyone else in your life, with just a little more respect when you needed Me to get you out of a jam. I've always been worth more than the things I blessed you with. But you took more care of your job, family, opinions, clothes, bank accounts, lifestyle then you ever did of Me. You never recognized your filth and the need for My grace as the true and living God... the One who gave you those things and will also take them from you. I loved you more than the world I made for you. You loved me less than the world you live in."

Lot’s wife was a human being who had an all too familiar relationship to the Holy God of Israel that maximized her love of her lifestyle and the city/world she lived in, eventually leading to a hardened heart against God's instructions, resulting in her eternal death.

Are you Lot's wife?

Leaving the States!!!

That's right... "the kingdom of God is at hand!" and I need your help to proclaim that message overseas. In December of this year, I will be going to South Africa with our dance ministry team, BLAZEN. (No worries, baby J will be with my hubby; trust, he'll be overseas soon enough!). For a few months, our team has been raising funds for a 10 day mission trip to be a blessing to AND be blessed BY so many children and adults in Johannesburg, Soweto, KwaThema, Boksberg and other townships. How can you help? Well, for starters, you can cover the team in prayer through the blood of Yeshua (Jesus) and then most definitely make a donation of any kind. I am in need of about $3,000, and yes... I believe God that I will get it PLUS MORE(why not?). I have already paid my deposit and submitted both my passport and shot record.

Here's how you can make a secure donation:

1. Mail a check to: KAEC PO Box 822 Garner, NC 27529
2. Go to BLAZEN's blog and click on the "Donate" button at the bottom of the page.
3. Go to The Furnace website and click on the "Donate" tab.
4. Call the church office at 919-772-0299 and get instructions on how to hand deliver your donation.

**Please make checks payable to “KAEC” with memo “Esther Gaines/South Africa.”
**We are a non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.

Simple right? It is! So join me in my journey to South Africa and help me help others!

...and if you've never encountered BLAZEN, check out the video below. The testimonies you hear are those from actual youth at The Furnace: