My Ancestors Voted for the King to Die

My ancestors voted for the King to die.
My ancestors voted for Caesar to be their oppressor.
My ancestors voted for colonization and slavery from the Roman Empire.

Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” John 19:15b

We are still suffering from our vote until this very day. It’s time to REPENT and Keep the COMMANDMENTS of the FATHER and the THE SON!

Pagan Christianity vs New Covenant Christianity

At New City Assembly our goal has always been to preach the gospel and return our hearts to true Covenant Love – obedience to the Commandments of Jesus.

However over the past 2 years the Holy Spirit has been teaching us more and more about the eternal fruitfulness the comes from the ORDINANCES of King Yashua.

There are new methods, techniques, standards, and procedures (New Covenant Ordinances) that the Son of God introduced to replace the Old Covenant Ordinances from the Administration of Moses to the Israelites.

He introduced these so that the Kingdom of God could spread to all nations – much farther than what Hebrews, the physical seed of Abraham could do.

Unfortunately, modern day evangelicals tend to appreciate “Law & Order” when it comes to politics and police brutality- but they despise the Law & Order of the Father and the Son of God.

The Body will always be Divided๐Ÿ’” & Broken๐Ÿ’” until we stop trying to divide the Father from the Son.
“I and My Father are ONE”
๐Ÿ”Ÿ๐Ÿ‘‘๐Ÿ“–

We’ve developed a pagan christianity that focuses more on selling, stage performing, screen playing, and compromising the gospel than on actually PREACHING the gospel and TEACHING all nations to OBEY the Commandments of King Jesus.

I’m not going to go too deep into all that on this morning. You can search SoSpression dot com for more information on the Gospel, Commandments, and Ordinances of the Kingdom. Or you can search on our youtube channel and learn all day long.

But I do want to drop these two links on one of the most difficult New Covenant Ordinances to understand in our modern culture of feminist women and effeminate men – the Headcovering/Uncovering Ordinance.

The first link is a Scriptural explanation of the Headcovering/Uncovering Ordinance.

Headcovering/Uncovering Based on Creation Order and the Glory of God

The second is a testimonial of my wife’s experience as we learned more about it.

Why I Cover My Head when in the Assembly of Saints

Headcovering/Uncovering Based on Creation Order and the Glory of God

Why is there so much confusion about the Commandments and Ordinances of God?

  • Early church fathers often departed from the Commandments and Ordinances due to cultural pressure and the proliferation of false apostles.
    • This is why although I love studying Church history, qualified overseers can only teach doctrine from Scriptural Authority.
  • Since God is Creator, cultural practices cannot be used to interpret His Word. Qualified overseers must use His Word to interpret cultural practices.
    • Since all people come from God, everyone has a sense of right & wrong and some remembrance of Creation law and wisdom. Every nation has marriage covenants.
    • Cultural practices are evidence for Godโ€™s law, not vice versa.
    • The study of human cultures cannot be used to question the commandments of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 14:34-38).

AGREEMENT is one of the main Principles of Scriptural Interpretation.

When it comes to Sound Principles of Scriptural Interpretation we have to understand the concept that Paulโ€™s teachings were โ€œdifficult to be understoodโ€ because he was translating the kingdom to Gentile cultures and different languages.

  • However all of the Apostles developed agreement with each other. The Holy Spirit agrees with Jesus. Jesus agrees with the Father.
  • Scriptures do not contradict themselves. We simply have to use Scripture to Interpret Scriptures and get an understanding.

Gospel, Commandment, Ordinances: Different Levels of Obedience

When it comes to the doctrine of HeadCovering/Uncovering the first thing I teach is the difference between the Gospel of the Kingdom, the Commandments of the Kingdom, and the Ordinances of the Kingdom.

  1. The Gospel is how we enter in.
  2. The Commandments are how we show our love, obedience and grace.
  3. The Ordinances are how we bear good long lasting fruit.

Looking into the context (1 Corinthians 11) the headcovering/uncovering falls into the category of Ordinances. Itโ€™s not a salvation issue, its an issue of order and fruitfulness. It helps us to be more effective and fruitful as a Congregation of Believers.

THE BREAKDOWN: Headcovering and Uncovering based on Creation Order and the Glory of God

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and KEEP THE ORDINANCES, as I delivered them to you.

This Scripture proves that the sign of order (headcovering for women, head uncovering for men) is not based on culture, but the Order of the Ecclesia of Christ. Men wear headcoverings in religions all over the Middle East. Turbans, Yarmulkes, Fish hats, Religious or Political crowns, etc.

So we know that Apostle Paul was not taking his cues from the surrounding cultures, but from being a โ€œfollower of Christ.โ€ We are to follow Paul as He follows Christ, and remember to keep the ordinances as Paul delivered them to us.

Now when we look at the proofs he gives for the headcovering ordinance and the dishonor that comes from not displaying the Order of our headship, he talks about 2 different CONCEPTS that are both based on Nature (not Culture):

  • CREATION LAW OF ORDER IN COMMUNICATION (Vs 8-12)
    • Women came from men, and should follow men and help men, due to creation order and purpose.
    • Women should display this order on their head because of the angels (messengers)
      • In some Scriptures, angels could be the messengers that God sends to speak to the elders in the Congregations (The Angel of the church in Thyatira, etc)
    • Scripture Example: Angels have been seeing the results of disorder since Eve took the lead from Adam and Solomon married 1000 women, and Samson followed Delilah and etc etc. Disorder leads to ruin and destruction and fruitlessness.
    • Scripture Example: Satan spoke to Eve first for a reason.
    • Messenger Angels to the Congregations need to see that we are walking in the order of God as men and women.
    • Men and women need each other in the Lordโ€™s Congregation. We are constructed differently but bear fruit together (not just in marriage but in the Ecclessia)!
    • In order for Godโ€™s Messages to the Ecclesia to be fruitful, we need to be together as men and women, and in order as men and women.
  • NATURAL GLORY VS NATURAL SHAME (vs 7, vs 13-16)
    • Vs 7: Men are the glory of God and they shine for God. Women are the glory of men, and they shine for men.
      • Men are Godโ€™s most glorious creation because men are made in His image. We are more like God than mountains, trees, gorillas, and whales.
        • Men shine for God when they speak, work, lead, and create for God.
        • When men achieve glory in productive status on earth, some wear their status (glory) on their head (crowns, soldier caps, helmets).
      • Women are the most glorious version of Mankind because they are the prettiest and they are made to be protected and provided for by the man.
        • When these women are protected and provided for, they are able to focus on their beauty and grow their hair. Some become wives and produce children for their husbands.
        • When you want to see the beauty of a certain ethnicity or nation in the earth, you look at the woman (Miss Ethiopia, Miss Switzerland, Miss Japan). This is natural common sense.
    • Nature (not culture) teaches us that Men with long hair is a sad thing.
      • If you see a man who wants to be just as beautiful as a woman, we wonder what happened to him. Why does he think this way?
      • Itโ€™s not realistic for a man to be focused on agriculture/war/productivity and beauty at the same time. A man should be focused on productivity and protection not on his own beauty. Men are designed to glorify God in productivity, not in physical beauty.
      • Scripture Example: The Nazirite vow was specifically for men who were leaving normal manly productive activity to focus only on prayer and fasting.
      • Scripture Example: Absalomโ€™s father had multiple wives which led to violence in his family. Absalom suffered from this and became a self-promoter and rebellious. Absalom emphasized his beauty after his beautiful sister was raped and shamed. Absalom fought a war with his long hair, and then he died hanging by his hair because he tried to ride his horse under a tree and got caught up.
      • Scripture Example: Samson had long hair due to the Nazirite vow but He didnโ€™t focus on God or focus on protection of Israel like He was supposed to! Samson was lustful, and he used his beauty to get women. He did not focus on God or protection. Instead he focused on beautiful women and got caught up.
      • These are Scriptural lessons that Hebrews would have been very familiar with but people in Asia Minor may not have been.
    • Nature (not culture) teaches us that Women with long hair is a beautiful thing. Women with discipline learn how to cultivate their natural God given hair and it grows long and beautiful.
      • Women that arenโ€™t protected and provided for by the men of their nation usually do not grow long hair either.
      • Isaiah 3: 24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. 25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
    • Vs 16 The long hair/short hair is only used as a teaching example, its not the custom! Its just the example that is used to demonstrate the wisdom of the New Covenant ordinance.
      • Vs 5,6 She might as well shave her head if she wonโ€™t cover it.
      • If hair is glorious (and a shaved head isnโ€™t) then cover your head.
      • The point is, its completely natural for a woman to want glorious beautiful long hair.
      • The fact that he had to clarify that hair length is NOT the custom, is evidence that the uncovering/uncovering IS the Ordinance in all the Ecclessias of God.
    • The New Covenant ordinance is that men refuse to display their status/glory in the Congregation, by uncovering their head, and focusing on the glory of God.
      • Even the elders in heaven casted down their golden crowns at the Fathers feet when it was time to worship! (Revelation 4:9-10)
    • The New Covenant ordinance is that women refuse to display their status/glory in the Congregation of Believers, but instead choose to cover their glorious and beautiful hair, and focus on the glory of God.
      • 1 Corinthians 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

The headcovering/uncovering is not a salvation issue, its simply a New Covenant Ordinance that should be:

  • A Reflection of the order in our HEARTS and our desire to be productive as a Congregation.
  • A Reminder to our MIND of the order in our hearts and our desire to be productive as a Congregation.
  • A Sign to our EYES and other peopleโ€™s EYES of the order in our hearts and our desire to be productive as a Congregation.
  • A way to turn down our personal STATUS/GLORY, and instead use our time in Congregational meetings to focus on the glory of God together as a Congregation.

The examples Apostle Paul to prove the headcovering/uncovering ordinance are given based on Creation and Natural Law, not on surrounding cultural practices.

When we use Scripture to interpret Scripture, we can see that these examples were well understood by Hebrew culture. This could be why Paul had to explain them more uniquely in order to clarify them to that were raised in a Gentile culture.

Paul had a difficult job to do and his words were hard to be understood, but He was in complete agreement with the 12 apostles of the Lord Jesus (2 Peter 3:16).

Apostle Paul was a follower of Christ who preached the Gospel of the Kingdom to Gentiles all over Asia Minor. After he preached the gospel of Christ, he also gave them the same Apostolic Ordinances that He learned from Christ Himself.

These ordinances were designed to create structure and productivity in all the Congregations of the Lord Jesus no matter what culture they were in. All the Apostles had the same ordinances given to them by the Lord Jesus.

These ordinances not only create consistent kingdom productivity in all cultures, but they also eliminate the need for the division and denominational confusion that Paul was trying to prevent by writing 1 Corinthians.

Doers Learning vs Actors Faking

Being a Doer of the Word is not only about obedience, it also facilitates TRUE experiential LEARNING.

Doers will discover things that hypocrites (actors) will never know.

Doers do, learn, experiment, get corrected, discover more, grow, while hypocrites lie to themselves to maintain an image for others.

John 7:17 If any man will DO HIS WILL, he shall KNOW OF THE DOCTRINE, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

James 1:22 But BE YE DOERS of the word, and not hearers only, DECEIVING YOUR OWN SELVES.

Hebrews 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet LEARNED HE OBEDIENCE BY THE THINGS which HE SUFFERED;

2 Timothy 3:7 EVER LEARNING, and NEVER ABLE TO COME TO THE KNOWLEDGE of the truth.

Ecclesiastes 12:12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 Let us HEAR THE CONCLUSION of the whole matter: FEAR GOD, and KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS: for this is the whole duty of man.

If you have a heart to OBEY, you’ll figure it out!

Did you Know there are 3 types of Africans?

Bantus, Nilotes, Cushites

Bantus (Hebrews) were Scattered Beyond the River

1 Kings 14:15
For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger.

The Dispersed of Israel will be Regathered from Beyond the Rivers of Ethiopia

Zephaniah 3:10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.

Bantu Language is Hebrew Language

Yoruba = Jereboam

All of the Bantu speaking tribes across West, Central, and Southern Africa (beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, Zephaniah 3:10) are speaking a time-adjusted version of Hebrew.

This same African Israelite Diaspora was scattered to the 4 corners of the earth in slavery and colonization but will be restored and saved in the last days (see Deuteronomy 28, Luke 21:24, and Romans 11:11-27)

Bantus in Scripture

History of Bantu Migration and Languages

Recent Historical Bantu Documentation

Bantu DNA tracing to Jacob

My wife Shereena is so beautiful inside and out๐Ÿ˜

My wife Shereena is so beautiful inside and out๐Ÿ˜In the past 18 months we have suffered the loss of her own mother, two stillborn babies after she carried them for 6 months, and even two job losses for myself.We have gone thru sleepless crying nights, but weโ€™ve also received counseling, and experienced tons of love, compassion, and support from saints, family, and friends.YAH brought us out! Without a doubt!My wife could have used these consecutive heart-wrenching losses to get bitter but instead sheโ€™s chosen to get better! Sheโ€™s so beautiful ๐Ÿ˜Proverbs 31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.Recently the Spirit has moved her to start sharing her testimonies of growth in obedience and understanding of the Scriptures these past few years, and she has been obedient to it.She usually tries to focus on family ministry instead of public ministry. But through prophetic dreams Yah made it clear to her that she was to make time to write and minister even while feeding and caring for 5 children, homeschooling, and keeping our house and garden.It’s the PRESS that squeezes the OIL out of the anointed olive. We lMore obedience produces more love. Here are her recent writings. I hope they are a blessing to your spiritual eyes:Husbands Crying
https://sospression.com/2019/10/26/husbands-crying/Dream: Husband Wants Chilldren
https://sospression.com/2019/10/26/dream-husband-wants-children/Romans 1: RUN FROM the PROGRESSION of SIN!
https://sospression.com/2019/12/04/romans-1-run-from-the-progression-of-sin/The CHURCH OF JEZEBEL https://sospression.com/2020/02/09/the-church-of-jezebel/FIRE FROM HEAVEN
https://sospression.com/2020/06/16/fire-from-heaven/JEZEBEL WANTS TO DESTROY YOUR MARRIAGE
https://sospression.com/2020/06/21/jezebel-wants-to-destroy-your-marriage/How Does the Spirit of Jezebel Manifest?
https://sospression.com/2020/06/26/how-does-the-spirit-of-jezebel-manifest/WHY I BELIEVE Iโ€™M HEBREW
https://sospression.com/2020/06/27/why-i-believe-im-hebrew/Why I Cover My Head When In the Assembly of Saints
https://sospression.com/2020/06/28/why-i-cover-my-head-when-in-the-assembly-of-saints/3D GRAVEN IMAGES OF ANIMALS AND PEOPLE
https://sospression.com/2020/09/28/3d-graven-images-of-animals-and-people/ALL THINGS IN LOVE AND FOR HIS GLORY; A TESTIMONY OF INFANT LOSS AND THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD https://sospression.com/2021/01/26/all-things-in-love-and-for-his-glory-a-testimony-of-infant-loss-and-the-faithfulness-of-god/

Father to the Fatherless: Restoring All Things!

YAHUAH is a Father to the Fatherless!

Many of us have experienced different degrees of fatherlessness that has caused us to suffer loss in our souls… but God has sent the Spirit of Elijah to confront Idolatry, destroy Rebellion, rebuild True Worship, and make way for YAHSHUA aka JESUS to bring HEALING, DELIVERANCE, SALVATION, AND RESTORATION!

We as the Body of Christ must have COMPASSION on the Fatherless, but we must not FOLLOW after the fatherless or DWELL in our pain & rebellion.

We ALL must Forgive our earthly fathers, allow our hearts to Heal, and Learn how to follow our Father in Heaven, as dear children. Only YAH is the Father of Spirits, and the Giver of every good and perfect gift!

Get to KNOW your ABBA FATHER in Heaven!

He has a VISION, a TESTIMONY, a STANDARD, and a PLAN. He will RESTORE ALL THINGS!

Please take a look at the links below and inbox for Questions or Prayer!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR โค๏ธ HEART!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR โค HEART!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ’ช๐ŸพSEXUAL PURITY and PURPOSE!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ’ช๐ŸพSEXUAL PURITY and PURPOSE!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿพ HIS HOLY NAME!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿพ HIS HOLY NAME!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ“– LOGICAL INTEGRITY!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ“– LOGICAL INTEGRITY!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR ๐Ÿ’ช๐ŸพโœŠ๐Ÿพ DISCIPLINE AND PROTECTION!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR ๐Ÿ’ช๐ŸพโœŠ๐Ÿพ DISCIPLINE AND PROTECTION!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘งโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆโœŠ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆKINGDOM FAMILY!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘งโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆโœŠ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆKINGDOM FAMILY!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR ๐Ÿ˜ CONFIDENCE AND ๐ŸฅฐSELF-WORTH!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR ๐Ÿ˜ CONFIDENCE AND ๐ŸฅฐSELF-WORTH!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿพ LOVE/COVENANT FAITHFULNESS!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR โค๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿพ LOVE/COVENANT FAITHFULNESS!

Father to the Fatherless: RESTORE YOUR ๐Ÿ™…๐Ÿพโ€โ™‚๏ธ BOUNDARIES AND ๐Ÿ™‹๐Ÿฟโ€โ™‚๏ธ RESPONSIBILITIES! https://sospression.com/2020/12/30/father-to-the-fatherless-restore-your-boundaries-and-responsibilities/

Please Inbox for Questions or for Prayer!

GODLY WOMEN: When to Keep Silent, and When to Speak – Authoritative Doctrine vs Prayer & Prophesying

Yes, Jesus spoke with women.
But Jesus chose 12 male disciples to be apostolic elders.

Yes, Paul and Apollos ministered with female apostles and prophetesses, but they were not appointed as elders in congregations.

Yes, many Godly women served as deaconesses in congregations, but none were appointed as elders/overseers (2 John 1:1).

Everything that Paul said – Jesus DID First!

Because Paul got everything directly from Jesus Himself!

Paul had to spell things out because he was speaking to Gentiles that didn’t know Hebrew culture.

Jesus first demonstrated in real life the exact same things that Paul tried to explain in the Greek language.

There’s two types of speaking in ministry:
Authoritative Doctrine: setting kingdom boundaries and LOGOS guidelines.
Prophesying: praying, testifying, singing, praising, sharing RHEMA prophetic words.

When women are commanded to prophesy or teach:
1 Corinthians 11:5 – Prophesy under authority, while demonstrating the sign of authority in congregations (headcovering).
Acts 21:9 – Phillip’s daughters did prophesy under the order of their father.
Acts 18:26 – Acquila and Priscilla did help Apollos privately.
Titus 2:4 – Older women are commanded to teach younger women to enjoy husband and children.

When women are commanded to be silent:
1 Cor 14:34-35- Silence in congregations, not setting doctrine or questioning authoritative doctrines of overseers.
1 Timothy 2:12-14 – Women cannot set authoritative didactic doctrine, or be an elder. Women must follow overseers instead of usurping authority.

Authoritative Boundaries:

  • Scriptures
  • 10 Commandments
  • Kingdom Gospel: Repent, Believe, Be Baptized, Filled with Holy Ghost
  • New Covenant Ordinances Under Messiah’s Authority (better than Moses and Abraham Hebrews 8:13)

Out of Bounds Examples:

  • Hath God said? Questioning obedience. (Genesis 3).
  • Lawlessness – Violating the 10.
  • You must be circumcised, keep feasts (Acts 15:24).
  • Following apocrypha, cunningly devised, profane fables (1 Timothy 4:7, 2 Peter 1:16).
  • Disregarding Congregational Ordinances (1 Corinthians 11:1-2, 14:34-36)

This world is MESSED UP because Eve went out of bounds!

  • Eve was deceived by a serpent voice to question obedience to the Commandment.
  • Adam refused to protect the boundaries God set.
  • He wanted the woman to like him, he didn’t want to correct her.

1 Timothy 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Creation Harmony happens when Women know when to keep silent and when to speak!

Creation Protection happens when men know when NOT to be passive and silent but when to speak!

Defeating Satan’s Strategic Game Plan

Disorder has been satan’s most effective tool ever since Eve & Adam (see what I did there๐Ÿ™ƒ)From the Beginning, Satan’s Game Plan is Simple:1. Get Eve to Question the Word of God in her mind.
2. Hope that Adam doesn’t protect Eve from Satans lies.
3. Watch Eve’s sexual attractiveness influence Adam to obey Satan instead of obeying God’s Commandments.

  • This whole plan is destroyed if Adam refuses to let the Snake speak to his wife.
  • Satan’s whole strategy is destroyed if Adam washes his wife in the Word of God.
  • Satan’s whole plan is destroyed if Adam refuses to obey his wife over God.

IN ORDER TO DEFEAT SATAN IN OUR GENERATION WE NEED THE MEN OF GOD TO PROTECT, FEED, AND LEAD WITH COMPASSION AND BOLDNESS!IN THE FAMILY AND IN THE CONGREGATION!IN THE FAMILY:Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:IN THE CONGREGATION:1 Timothy 2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

3D Graven Images of Animals and People

When I was a young adult reading the word of God and trying to mature in my walk with Christ, I can remember reading the second commandment in Deuteronomy, which states: Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: (Deut. 5:8). I can remember pondering that and being astonished. I wondered why Christians had graven images of people and animals if the Bible clearly stated we are not supposed to? However, I casted off my concerns, trusting that if this were true, my pastor and the mature saints around me would have taught me about it.

Fast forward about 16 years, I got married and God blessed my husband and I with five beautiful children (so far). We love and serve God, abstain from ungodly music and entertainment, teach our children the word of God, worship and praise God in our home, yet there was spiritual darkness in our house. Like my mother, I have the gift of prophetic dreaming. And over the years I have had several dreams about demons in our house. Many times I prayed through the house, speaking the word, singing praising, casting things out. Dreams of demons in the house kept coming.

Over the past 10 years, my husband and I have been on the fast track of revelation. God is continually feeding us, and opening our eyes to things in HIS Word and what they really mean, instead of how we chose to interpret them. Our Father God, has us in a constant process of pruning, correcting, teaching and training. He is so faithful to complete the work He has begun in all of us (Philippians 1:6). The people we are now, is a far cry from who we were when we first got married.

Towards the end of 2017 God began to change and prune us again. We had begun to learn about the congregational ordinances outlined in 1 Corinthians 11. Learning that men should keep their heads uncovered and women should keep their heads covered when assembling with the saints for worship. You can read my testimony about that here (Why I Cover My Head in the Assembly of Saints).

For some reason, covering my head in worship when gathered with saints, was very difficult for me and I went through a long deliverance process to be able to obey, and cover my head in services, with a joyful heart. We were also exploring what the bible means about women keeping silent in the churches, and not usurping authority over a man (1 Timothy 2:12). To be honest, this was an extremely difficult time for me personally. The things we were exploring in scripture was vastly different than anything I was ever taught growing up. I knew there were many churches that believed some of these things, but I was never part of any church that did. I was reeling in my spirit man.

Then my husband came to me and told me he had learned something that would change our lives again. I braced myself, I knew it was something serious. After some time we finally sat down together so he could share the information with me. He shared with me that statues, carvings and toys in the shape of animals or humans, are considered by God to be graven images. Historically we are taught that bowing to the images is sin, but the bible clearly says not to make for ourselves, keep OR bow down to these images.

Exodus 20:Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

What could I say? There was no rebuttal, no argument. The scripture was clear. It clearly states not to make a graven image or any likeness…basically don’t make an idol or any likeness of living things. Although this seemed like it would be hard to do, I remembered that this is what I read and understood 16 years earlier, but had casted off. Here I was, back at the same conclusion God tried to show me back then.

There are times in a discipleโ€™s life when there is a fork in the road. A time when you are faced not with mere opinion, but the sheer word of God. Do you walk away, and ignore the very words of God who you serve? Or do you allow the word to cut you, convict you and change your life forever?

Option A would afford you the comfort of not changing, keeping everything the same, familiar. But, it could also bring spiritual demotion, fruitlessness, or at worst, damnation for eternity in the end. Disobedience is as the sin of witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23).

Option B would force you to change what you believe, do and think, and would undoubtedly set you apart from most everyone else, who does not believe or are not willing to believe.

Option B would bring total discomfort and social awkwardness, but obedience would mean a giant leap forward on the narrow road of righteousness that leads to life. What road do you choose?

Honesty, all I could think about was my children. I could throw away my nick-nacks in the image of animals and people, no problem. But asking a group of children all under 10 years old, to walk their toys to the trash, was a hard load to bear emotionally. My husband and I talked and wrestled with the issue on our couch as our children slept one night. I felt that an adult can reason and see the benefit in sacrificing and doing something difficult for a greater good. But I was not so sure my children would know how to see the benefits in this sacrifice at their ages.

At the end of the conversation between my husband and I, it was clear what we had to do. Teaching the children early that following Christ means laying your life down, seemed to be one of the most precious gifts we could give them. Teaching them that following and obeying God is in action, not sentiment, is a treasure that will carry them. The decision was made, the images had to go. Obedience to Christ is worth far more than images made with the hands of men.

One day we called the children to the family room and asked the readers to get their bibles and all to sit down. My husband led them in reading scripture. We read Exodus 20:4-6, Deuteronomy 4:15-18, Deuteronomy 7:25-26, Romans 1:23, and 1 Corinthians 12:1-2. We simply read them and explained what graven images were. Not mentioning toys, just explaining what a graven image was biblically.

After we read the scriptures my oldest immediately said, without prompting, โ€œSo, we have to throw our toys awayโ€? The scriptures were so clear to him, he immediately made the connection. That gave my heart such peace. To know that the Word on this topic was clear enough for a 7 year old to understand, and that the older ones could understand that it was the word of God, not just mommy and daddyโ€™s word, gave me such comfort.

We want to lead our children in the ways of God, not our ways. We answered him and said yes, we have to throw away the toys in the image of people or animals. We explained to him we initially thought that commandment was instructing us not to bow down to graven images, but God had shown us it actually commands us not to make, keep or bow down to anything in the likeness of any creeping thing in heaven, the earth or sea.

We could see deep emotions building up inside of the children. The reality of throwing away some of their most precious toys and possessions was sinking in, and the tears started to roll. Many of these toys come from their grandparents, aunts, and uncle. To be an example, Esosa and I went first. We went through the house and gathered all of our graven images, I had more than Esosa, he never really liked images to begin with.

In front of the children I talked about each of the images I was throwing away, and I mentioned to them how special each of them had been to me. I told them that following and obeying the word of God was much more precious to me than these images made by men. I threw each of them in the trash in front of the children. Then came their turn. Sobbing they went and gathered toys and brought them to the trash. By this time we were all crying. Who enjoys seeing their children in pain?

They gathered toys and threw them in the trash for a while, they had so many toys. Crying, weeping, sobbing. We cried with them and did our best to comfort them. We felt it was important for them to throw the toys away themselves, as opposed to us just doing it for them. It was important to us that they practice obeying the Word on their own. When it was all finished we cuddled with them on the couch, and answered many more questions. It was a hard day. But, obedience to Christ and leading them to set their eyes on things above, will give them a far greater reward than the temporary comfort from toys in childhood.

Living in the day and age that we live in – we understand that throwing away graven images is not a one time event. But it was the beginning of a journey of obedience for our children. When we did this, Esosa and I talked about how important it would be for us to give our children continued support, answers and encouragement as they walked this out. We knew they would continue to have lots of questions as they grow in understanding, watching other children play with toys and wondering why they cannot. Although they understood why, and agreed that following God is more important, they still have to work through their feelings. And that is ok. We are here for them, God is here for them to strengthen us all as we draw close to Him. ย 

With so many toys all over the house it literally took months to get rid of all the images. We did a big purge the first day, throwing away everything we found. Then over time, we would find images we had missed, and throw them away or the children would bring them to us and we would throw them away together.

My sons and I would also have dreams of where idols were hidden in the house. God gave a few dreams like that. We looked in the places in the house we saw in the dreams, sure enough there would be a left over toy or trinket in the likeness of a living creature in that spot and we would throw it away.

Also, after we threw away the images, the dreams I was having about our house being filled with demons stopped. So, this issue was confirmed biblically and prophetically.

Many will not agree with us, but that is fine – we do not seek your approval. Rather we seek the approval of the one Who is, Who was, and Who is to come, the Lord Jesus. He comes quickly and His reward is with Him to give to every man according to his works. Come Quickly Lord Jesus (Revelations 22).

P.S. The Spirit of God also gave two of my sons and I three separate dreams connecting graven images AND idolatry to a spirit of violence… but instead of giving the dreams I’ll just give you these Scriptures that confirmed them:

Ezekiel 7:20ย As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them.

21 And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.

22 My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.

23ย Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.

Ezekiel 8:9ย And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.

10ย So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about…

17ย Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.