Posts Tagged ‘unoffendable’
The Anatomy of an Unoffendable Soldier: Why Your Bitterness is Aborting the Next Move of God
We are currently navigating an hour of extreme relational fragility within the Western ekklesia. Walk into almost any modern, seeker-sensitive sanctuary, and you will find a congregation completely dominated by a hyper-sensitive, consumer-driven culture. We have conditioned an entire generation of believers to treat the local church like a spiritual buffet line, where the absolute moment a leader challenges their lifestyle, or another member scratches their ego, they pack up their bags and hunt for a new building.
Let’s be aggressively, unapologetically direct: Easily offended Christians will never carry the weight of a regional reformation. Your bitterness is not a badge of discernment; it is a demonic trap designed to permanently freeze your Kingdom assignment.
We look at our chronic church-hopping and we cover it up with the therapeutic language of “church hurt” and “seeking a safer community.” It is a profound, eternal delusion. God does not place you in a local house to ensure your flesh remains comfortable and unbothered; He plants you there so the sparking friction of raw human relationships can burn the pride and independence right out of your soul. True, region-shifting revival will never fall upon a divided, fractured altar. It is time to drop the heavy stones of accusation, choose a lifestyle of absolute root-level submission, and become an unbreakable, unoffendable weapon in the hands of the King.
The Prison of the Grudge
To understand why the heavens over our regions remain entirely locked under brass—and why we continue to see zero out of the 19,000+ municipalities in America experiencing an enduring move of God—we must expose the spiritual architecture of offense. When you allow a grudge to take root in your heart against a pastor, an elder, or a brother, you are not exercising your right to be hurt. You are stepping directly into a supernatural prison cell.
Offense acts as a blinding agent. The moment you accept the bait of bitterness, your prophetic sight is instantly castrated. You can no longer see what God is doing in the house; you can only see the human imperfections of the people running it. This critical spirit morphs you from a frontline warrior into an armchair quarterback, evaluating the sermon, auditing the worship transitions, and judging the leadership's vision through the narrow lens of your own wounded ambition.
You cannot carry the clean, unquenchable fire of the Holy Spirit while simultaneously carrying a toxic file of relational accounts in your mind. In my ebook, Unoffendable, the raw boundary of this spiritual trap is unmasked with absolute clarity:
“The assault of accusation, betrayal, and division is actively attempting to dismantle the local church. The enemy knows that a unified, praying city church is an unstoppable force, so his primary tactic is to scatter the troops. When you permit an offense to fester, you build a dark altar of accusation in your heart. You become a spiritual nomad, wandering from system to system, blind to the fact that the very friction you are running from is the exact refining fire God intends to use to burn the immaturity out of you.”
If you leave a church because your feelings were hurt, you have allowed the accuser of the brethren to win the battle for your territory without him ever having to draw his sword.
The Foyer Coven and the Absalom Whisper
The primary reason this relational plague continues to thrive is that the modern church has institutionalized empathy at the expense of authority. When a believer gets corrected or feels overlooked, the spirit of Absalom sits waiting for them at the gates. It doesn't launch a loud, frontal assault on the leadership; it uses soft, soulish validation. It intercepts the wounded in the foyers, the small groups, and the private text threads.
An “Absalom” will stroke your ego, nod sympathetically at your complaints, and whisper, “I see how much anointing you have, and it breaks my heart that the pastor doesn't recognize your gift. If I were leading this department, things would be handled completely differently.”
This is not christian kindness. This is witchcraft.
In the realm of the spirit, any alignment of individuals that is birthed in a shared offense against God's established, anointed government is recognized as a coven. These private critique sessions release a dark, heavy, suffocating smoke that completely paralyzes the prayer room, quenches the prophetic flow, and blocks the glory of God from falling on Sunday morning. We must aggressively and violently shut down these whispered secrets. The next time someone approaches you to leak the venom of accusation into your ears under the guise of a “prayer request,” you must look them in the eye and say, “I refuse to carry your offense. I am a guard dog for the unity of this house.”
Redefining the Altar of Intercession
Regional reformation demands an army that possesses staying power. We must forcefully move away from the soft, consumerist models that pack up and church-hop the moment things get challenging. We must re-establish the engine rooms of unceasing, night-and-day, revelation-driven prayer.
We must enter the prayer room, drop the heavy stones of our personal bitterness, and wait in absolute silence until the noise of our own wounded egos is executed. When an unoffendable remnant locks shields across generational and denominational lines—refusing to break rank regardless of relational friction—the territorial principalities over our cities will violently fracture and collapse. Consecrate your eyes, your mind, and your home entirely to the King of Kings. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, because eternity is closing in rapidly, and an offended, fractured church will find itself utterly powerless in the coming storm.
Are you ready to drop the stones?
Go Deeper & Partner With Us:
Are you ready to break free from the trap of a critical spirit and learn how to fiercely protect the unity of your local church? Equip your spirit for the front lines by downloading the complete digital versions of these critical resources completely free right now:
- Unoffendable: Discover the glorious, shocking freedom of living a life completely immune to offense. Download free: www.burton.tv/books
- Staying Saved: Learn the absolute necessity of enduring to the end through radical submission and holiness. Download free: www.revivalx.tv/saved
If your heart burns for structural reformation and you want to lock shields with us on the front lines against cultural compromise, please consider partnering with Revival X. You can support the ongoing mission here: www.burton.tv/donate
Sources & Citations for this Article:
- Unoffendable (Ebook by John Burton): Sourced for the core theological framework on overcoming the spirit of offense, church hopping, and the central quote regarding the tactical danger of holding grudges.
- Defeating Absalom (Ebook by John Burton): Sourced for the prophetic analysis of how interpersonal wounds are weaponized by the spirit of Absalom to form illegitimate alignments and factions.
- Covens in the Church (Book by John Burton): Sourced for the structural definition of how private gossip and corporate rebellion operate functionally as a coven, releasing a spiritual fog that quenches the Holy Spirit.
Content Transparency: The material presented in this article is 100% sourced from the proprietary writings, books, and hundreds of online articles by John Burton. AI technology was employed exclusively to assist in the compilation and drafting of this text based on those original teachings.
The Scandal of the Silent Watchman: Why Your Refusal to Sound the Alarm is Inviting Structural Destruction
We are living in an hour of staggering strategic vulnerability within the gates of the Western church. Walk into almost any modern congregation, and you will find a leadership team that is deeply, hopelessly addicted to a culture of relentless positivity. We have convinced ourselves that the primary metric of a successful service is whether the attendees leave with a smile on their faces and a self-affirming motivational thought in their heads. We have cultivated an atmosphere where controversial truths are carefully sanitized, where the conviction of sin has been replaced by therapeutic comfort, and where the word “repentance” is viewed as bad for business.
Let’s be aggressively, unapologetically direct: Your hyper-positive, non-confrontational silence is not love; it is spiritual treason.
We have allowed a demonic “Love Deception” to paralyze our prophetic edge. We watch our families, our neighbors, and our entire cities slide systematically toward the absolute terror of Hell, and we refuse to cry out because we are terrified of being labeled intense, divisive, or culturally irrelevant. True, region-shifting reformation will never break out in an environment governed by a spirit of cowardice. It is time for a holy, unoffendable remnant to arise, smash the idols of seeker-sensitive containment, climb back onto the crumbling stone walls, and blow the shofar with uncompromising, earth-shaking clarity.
The Toxic Narcotic of Affirmation Christianity
To understand why the heavens over our regions remain locked under brass—and why we continue to see absolutely zero out of the 19,000+ municipalities in America transformed by a biblical move of God—we must expose the toxic narcotic being pumped through the modern pulpit. It is a compromised gospel that separates Savior from Lord. We have told an entire generation that an emotional prayer whispered at an altar twenty years ago serves as an unconditional guarantee of their eternal security, completely independent of whether they ever take up a cross, crucify their flesh, or live a life of ongoing holiness.
This hyper-grace distortion has completely murdered the engine room of the local church: the prayer room. When a people are thoroughly convinced that God is universally satisfied with their casual commitment and secret compromises, the agony of intercession dies. Why take the midnight watches? Why weep between the porch and the altar for a broken territory? Why fast and cry out for a regional awakening when everyone believes that a culturally infected church is perfectly fine?
We have reduced salvation to an intellectual contract rather than a daily, relentless execution of the self. In my book, Shock Christianity, the severe line between cultural accommodation and biblical reality is drawn with absolute clarity:
“The modern church has developed an advanced allergy to the raw, unedited voice of God. We want a prophetic word that acts as a personal supplement to our ambition, but we reject the word that comes as a structural wrecking ball to our compromise. We must return to a style of Christianity that isn't afraid to be stunned, shattered, and entirely redefined by the consuming fire of God's mouth.”
If your theology only comforts your flesh but never deeply offends your carnal logic or shatters your pride, you are worshipping a golden calf of your own creation.
Breaking the Pharaohs of Administrative Containment
The primary reason this prophetic silence continues to persist is that our modern leadership structures are built to act as spiritual Pharaohs. They have established highly managed, clinical Egyptian systems designed to prioritize budget, protect the attendance numbers, and preserve a predictable religious routine that keeps the tithe-paying crowd happy. When intercessors catch a revelation from Heaven and try to move the house into the wild, unpredictable wilderness of night-and-day prayer, the controlling systems instantly tighten their grip. They demand more bricks. They enforce a strict countdown timer on the move of the Holy Spirit.
We must forcefully break free from these soft, consumer-driven structures. An apostolic house does not exist to entertain passive spectators or act as a nursery for perpetual infants. It is a command center. It is a high-level military outpost designed to equip, line up, and deploy fire-breathing intercessors to enforce the judicial verdicts of the throne room against the prince of the power of the air.
This demands an immediate takeover of our current prayer structures. We must put a definitive end to our shallow, wishing-well prayers where we throw fifteen minutes of personal requests at a silent sky and walk away unchanged. We must tarry in the secret place until the noise of our own ambition is completely executed, allowing the Holy Spirit to release the actual, unedited blueprint for regional awakening.
The Stand of the Unoffendable Army
The enemy is absolutely terrified of a church that refuses to keep quiet. He knows that his illegal hold over your territory will violently fracture the moment a holy remnant locks shields and begins to enforce the decrees of the King. This is precisely why the spirit of Absalom is systematically deployed into our foyers and small groups. The enemy utilizes private text groups, whispered gossip, and empathetic manipulation to breed restlessness, validate hurts, and sow seeds of division against anointed leadership.
Let this truth drill deep into your spirit: easily offended Christians will never carry the weight of a regional reformation. When you harbor bitterness or participate in private cliques that analyze and critique the vision of the house, you are functioning as a spiritual coven. You are releasing a dark, suffocating smoke that paralyzes the prayer room and quenches the prophetic flow.
It is time to drop the stones of bitterness. It is time to become completely unoffendable, to refuse the bait of relational fracturing, and to stay fiercely planted through the refining friction of community. Stop looking for a comfortable, lukewarm church that will accommodate your flesh without ever challenging your compromise. Consecrate your eyes, your home, and your time entirely to the King of Kings. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, because eternity is closing in rapidly, and a silent, time-managed church will find its lampstand abruptly removed. Let the watchmen arise, blow the shofar, rebuild the altar of unceasing city intercession, and prepare the way for the real, untamed fire of the Holy Spirit to scorch our land.
Are you ready to break the silence?
Go Deeper & Partner With Us:
Are you ready to break free from a compromised, powerless gospel and discover the raw intensity of biblical salvation? As a free digital gift to you, download the complete versions of my books right now to equip your spirit for the front lines:
- Shock Christianity: Discover the raw, confrontational power of true holy love. Download free: www.burton.tv/books
- Staying Saved: Equip yourself to endure to the end through radical holiness. Download free: www.revivalx.tv/saved
If your heart burns for true, structural reformation and you want to lock shields with us on the front lines against cultural compromise, please consider partnering with Revival X. You can support the ongoing mission here: www.burton.tv/donate
Sources & Citations for this Article:
- Shock Christianity (Book by John Burton): Sourced for the core theological framework on the “consuming, holy fire” of God's love, the central quote, and the mandate for a confrontational Christianity that refuses to accommodate carnal comfort.
- The Great Love Deception (Ebook by John Burton): Sourced for the prophetic analysis regarding hyper-tolerance, the “Love Deception,” cultural inclusivity, and the dangerous grace message divorced from holiness.
- Pharaoh in the Church (Book by John Burton): Sourced for the systemic critique of controlling, hyper-pastoral structures acting as Pharaoh to contain the unpredictable movement of the Holy Spirit.
Content Transparency: The material presented in this article is 100% sourced from the proprietary writings, books, and hundreds of online articles by John Burton. AI technology was employed exclusively to assist in the compilation and drafting of this text based on those original teachings.
The Lethal Trap of Church Hurt: Why We Must Become the Unoffendable Remnant
There is a silent, highly contagious plague ravaging the ranks of the Western church, and it is dangerously cloaked in the deceptive language of victimhood. We call it “church hurt.” Walk into any city, and you will find hundreds of sidelined, deactivated believers sitting at home on Sunday mornings, refusing to engage in corporate intercession because they were offended by a leader, overlooked for a position, or bruised by the friction of community.
Let’s be aggressively, unapologetically direct: Your offense is a demonic trap designed to completely abort your Kingdom destiny.
We have built a culture that coddles bitterness and validates rebellion under the guise of empathy. We look at believers who harbor deep resentment against anointed leadership and we offer them a counseling session, when what they actually need is a severe, weeping encounter at the altar of repentance. True, region-shifting reformation will never be carried by a people whose emotional stability shatters at the slightest provocation. It is time for a holy remnant to arise, drop the heavy stones of offense, and embrace the violent, refining fire of the unoffendable life.
The Illusion of the Greener Pasture
To understand why our regions remain entirely locked under brass heavens—and why we continue to see zero out of the 19,000+ municipalities in America experiencing an enduring, city-wide move of God—we must confront the tragedy of the spiritual nomad.
We have conditioned an entire generation to treat the local church like a consumer product. The moment a pastor delivers a message that offends their carnal comfort, or the moment relational friction sparks in a small group, they immediately pack up their bags and hunt for a “greener pasture.” They wander from ministry to ministry, looking for a pristine, perfectly managed environment that will never challenge their flesh.
This is a profound theological delusion. God does not plant you in a local house because it is perfect; He plants you there to be refined. When you flee the friction, you actively run away from the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit. The very relational tension that you are trying to escape is the exact mechanism God intends to use to burn the pride, independence, and immaturity out of your soul. If you cannot survive the localized friction of a church pew, you will never survive the intense, demonic warfare required to take a city.
The Spirit of Absalom at the Gates
The enemy is absolutely terrified of a unified, praying city church. He knows that his territorial strongholds will instantly fracture the moment believers lock shields and refuse to break rank. Therefore, his chief strategy is to infect the camp with the spirit of Absalom.
Absalom did not attack King David with a frontal assault; he stood at the gates of the city, intercepted the wounded and frustrated, and used empathetic manipulation to steal their hearts. This exact demonic spirit is operating in the foyers and text threads of the modern church. It approaches you when you are bruised and whispers, “You are right to be angry. The leadership doesn't appreciate your gift. If I were in charge, things would be different.”
In my book, Defeating Absalom, the mandate to violently sever this demonic influence is laid out with uncompromising clarity:
“The spirit of offense is the breeding ground for the spirit of Absalom. When we allow hurt to fester, we build a dark altar of accusation in our hearts. The enemy uses our valid pain to recruit us into an illegitimate, rebellious coven of division. We must fiercely protect the unity of the body. You must become completely unoffendable, refusing to listen to the whispers of accusation against the bride of Christ.”
If you are participating in private factions that analyze, critique, or undermine the leadership's vision, you are not exercising “discernment.” You are operating in the spirit of witchcraft, releasing a dark, suffocating smoke that paralyzes the prayer room and quenches the prophetic flow.
Rebuilding the Altar of Unity
If we want to see our cities completely overthrown by the raw, untamed fire of the Holy Spirit, we must forcefully transition out of our hyper-sensitive, self-preserving mindsets. Fulfilling your calling requires staying power.
It is time to empty your hands. Drop the stones of bitterness. Forgive the pastor who failed you. Release the brother who betrayed you. The stakes are far too high, and eternity is closing in far too rapidly, for the army of God to be fighting itself in the trenches.
We must reopen the prayer rooms, shut down the gossip, and allow the fear of the Lord to completely consume our pride. Consecrate your heart entirely to the King of Kings. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, recognizing that a divided, offended church will be utterly powerless in the coming storm. Let the unoffendable remnant arise, rebuild the altar of unceasing city intercession, and prepare the way for the real, magnificent fire of the Holy Spirit to scorch our land.
Are you ready to drop your offense?
Go Deeper & Partner With Us:
Are you ready to break free from the paralyzing trap of church hurt and learn how to fiercely protect the unity of your local body? As a free digital gift to you, download the complete versions of my books right now to equip your spirit for the front lines:
- Defeating Absalom: Discover the warfare strategy against division, accusation, and the spirit of offense. www.burton.tv/books
- Staying Saved: Learn the absolute necessity of enduring to the end through radical submission and holiness. www.revivalx.tv/saved
If your heart burns for structural reformation and you want to stand with us on the front lines to awaken a sleeping church, please consider partnering with Revival X. You can support the ongoing mission here: www.burton.tv/donate
Content Transparency: The material presented in this article is 100% sourced from the proprietary writings, books, and hundreds of online articles by John Burton. AI technology was employed exclusively to assist in the compilation and drafting of this text based on those original teachings.
The Knowledge of Good and Evil is Killing America
Trump, right, wrong and a deeply divided nation
As Christians we have a sober responsibility to expose darkness, promote righteousness, preach truth and bring glory to God. Yes, when handled well, shining the light of truth on the darkness in our nation can bring positive results that will raise the water level of godliness. However, when handled wrongly it can bring death.
A bite from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil most certainly will empower one with data that can be used against their opponents. The prideful indignation feels pure and righteous as they are, after all, promoting what is good and true. What they fail to understand is that fruit can bring nothing but destruction. It kills.
If your emotional health is dependent on you being right and others acknowledging that you are right, you will not last. You will not endure. As our end-time mission intensifies, we will have every opportunity to be offended, or to advance with our beliefs and ideologies in such a way that offense of others is all that results. You may be right about whatever you are attempting to communicate, but your tainted heart infects the hearers with the same bitter fruit.
IT’S NOT A MATTER OF RIGHT VERSUS WRONG
As I said, as end-time Believers, we do have a mandate to expose wickedness, to sound alarms and to do all we can to rescue the perishing. Sadly, too often this noble pursuit becomes compromised when the heart of the matter (whatever our cause may be) becomes more important than the heart of people.
The news media, for example, provides an endless source of information that is fueled by the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The intent of most in the media is not to nurture, encourage and bless those who are watching, listening and reading. As we well know, fake news is alive and well as biased people attempt to manipulate the national narrative. The media isn’t in existence for our benefit, it seems, but for theirs.
This same spirit has infiltrated many in the church. Flip on over to Facebook and try to stomach a barrage of finger pointing and accusations against any and all who disagree with their views, especially when it comes to Donald Trump, masks and other recent hot topics.
As Christians, we have a choice, We can live off of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and be right about whatever battle we are fighting. Or, we can live from the tree of life where we still advocate for truth, but we do it from a heart of love and with a strong desire to bless others.
You see, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil masterfully pumps out the fruit of offense. It manifests often in blaming others for our ills.
I’m right, you are wrong!
You hurt me!
My pastor won’t affirm my ministry!
That politician is destroying America!
Those people are hateful!
This results in living as victims, professing that we are hindered because of the actions of another. The accusatory shout is, “You are ruining my life!” instead of blessing those who curse us and forgiving those who have offended us.
I’m dismayed by Christians who refuse to pray for President Biden, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nancy Pelosi, Kamal Harris or other Democrats. Instead, they seek to call them out, to ridicule them, to shame them and to blame them. The fruit they are eating results in them unable to see them as future children of God, brothers and sisters in the Lord, and people who God deeply loves. No, instead they want to snipe all who threaten their concept of righteous American political viewpoints.
Take a few moments and peruse various news outlets. Take note of how many articles, quotes and opinions include blaming others for whatever problems they are experiencing. You’ll be stunned. Or, maybe not. Then, take what you have discovered and ask yourself whether you employ the same tactics in your own life.
Wives do it to husbands, and husbands to wives. Employees do it to employers and vice versa. Conservatives do it to liberals. The left does it to the right. Students do it to teachers. Church members to it to pastors. Blame, it seems, has infected our entire society. The tree of knowledge of good and evil is our nation’s buffet.
In this world of blinded eyes, dull ears and hardened hearts, the life of God isn’t imparted according to formulas, facts and carefully researched data, but rather by dynamic, life-giving relationships. We can and should deal directly with problematic issues while dealing in a life-giving, honoring manner with people, especially brothers and sisters in Christ.
A person living in the tree of life loves and serves in the spirit of Truth (Jesus) while those living in the tree of knowledge of good and evil are fueled by facts. If we become enraged by situations in our lives and then seek to accuse and blame others for our troubles, we can know we have been poisoned by desirable fruit from a deadly tree.
I don’t question people’s desire to stand for truth by supporting Donald Trump. Their determination to expose darkness and any fraud and corruption is good. Unfortunately, few have discovered how to do so without blaming and accusing and with a heart of love. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the quickest route to gathering facts and winning debates while losing the heart of God in the process.
THE DESIRE FOR GODLINESS
Much of the venom from Christians today is a result of their strong opinions about the election. Sadly, too many have not figured out how to stand for truth while also being life-giving in the process. Their heads are raised and fangs out when they come across anyone who isn’t in perfect alignment with their perspective on the outcome of the election.
Interestingly, most every time their aggressive retort comes in the form of facts, videos, conspiracy theories, interviews, prophecies and other supposed evidences. The goal is to shame their opponent with facts instead of honoring them as children of God.
Genesis 3:4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
Interestingly, Satan appealed to Eve's desire for godliness, but, while it resulted in knowledge, it was devoid of life. A form of godliness but devoid of power. Eve was pursuing godly knowledge! This is such a powerful truth that can easily be missed. The problem was that God knew mankind would not know how to handle the information with humility, love and surrender.
Their recognition of their own nakedness was correct, but it was different than the revelation that God wanted for them. They were suddenly ashamed instead of free.
He wanted them to be childlike, but now they didn't have that capacity.
When they ate of the tree, which provided absolutely accurate knowledge, they became servants to it.
This same poison has infected much of the church, and certainly most all of secular society. A desire for “rightness” has resulted in division, hatred, anger, blame and shame.
THE BLAME GAME
Many Christians live in the tree of knowledge of good and evil their entire lives.
John 5:39 “You diligently study the scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
Remember, we should be seeking out truth, not facts. We should be blessing, not blaming. Adam was compromised immediately upon eating the fruit.
Genesis 3:11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
Blame! Can you see it?
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil always causes us to point at somebody and say “I can’t, because they didn’t,” but living from the fruit on the tree of life causes us to proclaim, “I can, no matter what they do.”
This is a prime reason why I personally don’t get spun out because Joe Biden is our President. We as the church can advance the Kingdom of God no matter what policies a secular politician advances.
I’m not naïve either. I know it’s important to engage the secular, political system as light bearers. We should not stay silent. But, we shouldn’t be dismayed either. We engage, we love, we prophesy, we proclaim, we expose and we advance, but from a life-giving perspective. I absolutely can see Joe Biden and the rest as on-fire worshipers of Jesus! He doesn’t threaten me, we as the church threaten him with prophetic decrees of salvation, love and abundant life!
Someone called me a liberal hiding behind a pulpit because of my positive view about the election. I had to laugh. If anything, I’m not a liberal, BUT if my love for our new administration results in accusations of being a liberal, so be it!
Do you see the difference between being driven by truth instead of facts? The truth sets people free while facts have the power to imprison.
Jesus told us the truth must be written on our hearts, not our brains!
John 8:30-32 (NKJV) 30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Proverbs 3:3-4 (NKJV) 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, 4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
Facts have the power to divide, but truth delivered in love, with mercy, as they are written on our own heart, will result in favor with man! It's a powerful contrast!
The tree of knowledge of good and evil just grows and grows as we attempt to figure out right versus wrong. Again, remember, we have a duty as Believers to expose the darkness, but being fueled by facts in order to defeat another with arguments and accusations only results in the darkness growing more impenetrable.
The blame game must come to an end. If it doesn’t, the consequences are dire.
Matthew 24:9-13 (KJV) 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Will you endure to the end? Will you be blameless? Will you refuse to complain and dispute?
Philippians 2:14-16 (NKJV) 2:14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
I feel impressed to invite many of you who are reading this to consider repenting for the way you have responded to Joe Biden’s election to President of the United States. Then, pray a heartfelt prayer for him, his family, his Vice President and the rest of the liberal left. Don’t pray a haughty prayer of rebuke. Don’t stop short by only praying for his salvation. Don’t pray manipulatively (God won’t hear you). But, pray something like this:
Father, I thank you for the next four years in our nation. I trust you to be the Lord and leader as we see your Kingdom advanced in unprecedented fashion. I ask that you would powerfully and mightily bless President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and the rest of his team. I ask that you would visit him, speak to him and draw him close to you. Give him great wisdom to lead our nation. Touch his heart with your fiery love and transform him more and more each day. I pray the more he sees you, the more his leadership is modeled after the life of Jesus. I’m believing we will see this manifest in the years to come. I thank you for his life and I honor him as your established leader for this time.
This teaching has become one of my most requested. I’d like to offer the eBook, audio teaching and sermon notes for free when subscribing at www.burton.tv/free.
Why Christians Must Support “The Right To Offend”
Free speech isn't the only liberty at risk—the Gospel message itself is being threatened.
‘Freedom only to speak inoffensively is not worth having.'
My approach in this article might be considered a bit strange since it's coming from someone who has a high value for holiness, love and honor of others. The right to offend opens up the floodgates for all sorts of cruel, immoral, hateful and ungodly behavior. In fact, we as Christians should never desire to cause others to fall into the prison of offense by our unrighteous words or actions.
I've written and taught on this critical topic for several years, and it's quite possibly the most feeing message I've ever delivered.
If you'd like a free copy of my eBook Becoming Unoffendable, you can dive deeper into the power of a life lived free from offense. Check it out HERE.
The Bible tells us that in the end, love will grow cold. Offense overtaking a culture is a key indicator of the arrival of the latter part of the end times:
“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” (Matthew 24:7–10, KJV 1900)
If we are going to survive and avoid falling away, we must live a life free from offense. We must be unoffendable. The moment offense takes root is the moment we have adopted the identity of a victim. We point fingers at others and blame and complain and allow their actions against us, beliefs about us and words said about us to define us. Instead of laying down our lives, loving, forgiving and blessing those who curse us, offense causes us to strike back. Imagine if Jesus did this as his haters were mocking him as he was dying naked on the cross.
This is why the vile sin of gossip is so destructive. Gossip erupts from the soul of an offended person. It's a form of hatred and revenge, and it is a powerful and wicked weapon against those who oppose us. Further, gossip breeds even stronger offense as it seeks to destroy, shame and manipulate.
With this in mind it's critical to understand that we have a dire responsibility to love with such passion that the unapologetic truth of Jesus will touch as many people as possible. We don't want people to be offended. Why?
“A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: And their contentions are like the bars of a castle.” (Proverbs 18:19, KJV 1900)
If we, through mean spirited, arrogant or unloving words or actions cause people to be unnecessarily offended, we imprison them. It's next to impossible to win them to Jesus.
So, I understand how it might seem a bit bizarre that I'm promoting “the right to offend.”
A CALL TO REPENTANCE IS POSSIBLY THE MOST OFFENSIVE MESSAGE MANY WILL EVER HEAR
The Daily Mail, a British publication, reports, “Judges have insisted that freedom of speech includes the ‘right to offend' in a landmark ruling which could help to turn the tide on ‘woke' intolerance…”
Presiding over a case in the Court of Appeal, Lord Justice Bean and Mr Justice Warby said: ‘Freedom only to speak inoffensively is not worth having.'
They added that ‘free speech encompasses the right to offend, and indeed to abuse another'. The judgment from two senior members of the judiciary will set a precedent for future cases involving freedom of speech.”
The reason Christians must support the right to offend is simple: the message we have been mandated to deliver to the world is by nature offensive to those who reject it.
According to the Bible, the cross of Christ is offensive. We can't avoid that. We can't soften it. Jesus offended to such a severe degree that people tortured and murdered him. Yet, he loved and forgave.
Our attitude when serving the message to our audience should never be offensive. We must preach with fire in our veins and tears in our eyes. Our hearts must be broken over the pain and hopelessness of the world. The moment we start shoving our favorite Bible revelations down the throats of the lost is the moment we started teetering on the verge of losing our own salvation. This is abhorrent behavior to say the least.
However, while the Gospel message is the greatest revelation of love the world will ever know, it is also threatening, corrective, invasive, unmoving and, yes, offensive.
“So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.” (1 Peter 2:7–8, ESV)
The Gospel message invades the private spaces of those who have rejected God. The Holy Spirit will confront the rebellion and the pain and the confusion in an attempt to reach the deepest places of their hearts. Many of you who are reading this know exactly what I'm talking about. It's quite possible, normal even, to be offended into the Kingdom of God!
The resulting collapse to their knees as they cry out to God for the first time in their lives is evidence of the power of sanctified, holy offense that the Holy Spirit is perfectly skilled at delivering. When the message offends, God can transform lives powerfully. However, when the messenger offends, ears are shut and hatred results.
THE RIGHT TO OFFEND GOES EVEN FURTHER
Let's bring this topic into the natural, secular realm.
The justices on the other side of the ocean are on to something. A nation becomes weak and liberties are threatened when its people become easily offended. The snowflake culture is more threatening to the strength of our nation than we know.
Does it make any sense that certain affinity groups would have a right to be protected from what others are saying while the rest of civilization does not? Why would those who have adopted a transgender lifestyle (which was the focus of the Daily Mail's article) have a specialized right to not hear what others have to say while the rest of the world has no choice but to have cruel, hateful vomit spewed all over them?
I was so saddened when I was watching a TikTok video the other day. A wonderful special needs adult who has a large following on the platform was attacked by a troll. This terrible person said it's “cute” when special needs children are on display on social media, but adults? They should be euthanized.
I was sickened. This was hateful speech. In comparison to an individual refusing to refer to a transgendered person by their preferred pronoun, well, there is no comparison.
Anyone who spends any amount of time online will see the most heinous people in our nation freely hating, attacking, trolling, bullying, mocking, canceling, shaming and attempting to wound anyone they disagree with. It's everywhere. So, again, the question is, why would certain affinity groups be protected from free speech while the rest of us are not?
My wife and I have a travel channel on YouTube. We are privileged to have a great community of people who are pleasures to interact with. However, there have been several who have been hurtful. Guess what? They have a right to say what they want. They can attack. They can hate. They have that right. I will defend their right to projectile verbal vomit all over me.
Comedian Dave Chappelle unleased absolutely disgusting, vile, unfunny and hateful language in the direction of conservative activist Candace Owens. I won't come close to sharing what he said here, but I will share the shocking and refreshing response from Candace. She tweeted:
To every Democrat tweeting me the clip of #DaveChappelle insulting me: I’m not a leftist. I have a sense of humor & I think comedians SHOULD make fun of people. Dave Chappelle is one of the greatest comedians of all time and I made it into one of his specials. That’s POWER!
Whatever the opposite of a snowflake is, that is Candace.
When Congressman-elect Luke Letlow recently died of COVID-19, many truly sick individuals started launching I-told-you-so attacks against him (regarding his more right-leaning beliefs concerning the virus that ironically took his life). The hatred that flooded Twitter and other social sites is protected free speech, but people become enraged when their affinity group isn't affirmed? This offensive, demented and loveless barrage of missel strikes on Luke Letlow has most certainly devastated even further his precious wife and children who are in mourning.
Of course we know Christians are often targets of hate. Where is the outrage?
The Daily News reports:
On New Year’s Eve, left-wing journalist and New York Times bestselling author Kurt Eichenwald wished “pain & misery” on Republicans and said that he wants to find an “antimasker” and “beat them to death.” During the volatile rant, Eichenwald also scolded alleged “anti-mask” “F***ING ‘Christians’ who preen about God saving [them] from COVID,” claiming they are who “Jesus condemns.” “I have so much hate in my heart tonight.”
With all sincerity, I pray God touches Kurt's heart and heals his pain.
Again, on TikTok, a creator was greeted with a comment that said, “I really hope this is a video of you having a stroke that will end your life.”
And, again, that hate speech is perfectly okay? Understand, comments like this are flooding the social-sphere night and day. Innumerable people being sniped by innumerable commenters with unfathomable hatred. Well, of course it isn't okay, but it's legal, and it should be. Voicing opinions, no matter how politically incorrect, evil or personal is protected in our nation. It's called free speech.
The saying goes, sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me. Of course, that's untrue. Words hurt. But, in our nation we are free to use hurtful words. We are free to use hateful words. Spend ten minutes outside of your Christian bubble and venture into the real world of public opinion. Every form of vile language and unrelenting hate-filled assaults are non-stop when it comes to politics, abortion rights, gay rights, masks, lockdowns, sports, parenting and pretty much every other hot topic in our culture.
Please tell me why this hate speech is protected but other hate speech is censored, rooted up and out. While you are considering that, let me know why some lies are affirmed while other lies are banished from social media.
THE RIGHT TO LIE
Okay, this is getting downright blasphemous. A Christian author supporting the right to lie?
It's not blasphemy. Honestly, it's common sense.
Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites have emerged as today's thought police, independently becoming arbiters of truth. They are either attaching disclaimers to “deceptive” tweets and posts or completely deleting them. Entire conservative accounts being deleted has become quite normal. In a nation that not only celebrates but was founded on free speech, alternate viewpoints (conspiracy theories) and even mainline, honest evaluations have become flagged as deceptive.
No longer can we question the election, share our beliefs regarding biology (science) when it comes to questions of gender or debate many of the liberal ideologies of the day.
Here's why we must support the right to lie. You will agree that it is common sense. The truth of the Word of God is already being rejected as a lie. If we don't support the right to lie or to hold positions that differ from secular society, our freedom to preach truth will be stripped.
Facebook, Twitter and the others: stop the moderation. You can't sanitize your platform of the truth you call a lie. If people want to promote belief in aliens, so be it. If we want to discuss election fraud, surely we should be allowed to. Our President surely should never be censored. (I'm talking to you, Jack Dorsey.)
But, friend, we have to know that as the end draws nearer, truth will be called a lie and lies will be called truth. This is why we must support the right to lie. We as Christians must be unmuzzled, free to spread “lies” that will set the captives free.
“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…” (Romans 1:24–25, ESV)
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20, ESV)
WE MUST BE UNOFFENDABLE
If we are unoffendable, we will remain full of life, joyful and victorious no matter what people say to us. Yes, words hurt, but they should not debilitate.
Both in the spiritual and the natural, we must discover this strength. Our churches and our nation will become stronger, healthier and enduring when we refuse to melt when the verbal (or written) attacks come.
The Daily Mail continued, “Mr Justice Warby explained that the relevant parts of the Communications Act ‘were not intended by Parliament to criminalise forms of expression, the content of which is no worse than annoying or inconvenient in nature'. Mr Justice Warby also suggested that the prosecution had been an ‘unjustified state interference with free speech'.”
Please hear me. I have already made the case that we should never desire to offend, but when we as Christians stand for truth, offense will come. There is a careful, Spirit-led balance that must be discovered. There is a time to avoid offending people, as Jesus made clear:
“When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”” (Matthew 17:24–27, ESV)
There's also a time to stand for what is right, defending the liberty of society, even though those who aren't willing to be graceful may strike back. It makes no sense that it's okay to call for a special needs adult to be killed but it's a crime for someone to call someone a he instead of a she. A spirit of offense truly is overtaking the world, and we cannot allow it to dictate laws and culture.
I'll conclude by requalifying and clarifying my position on personal holiness. We as blood-bought Believers must be spotless, rejecting a life of sin and driven by the love of Jesus. We should not lie, hate or intentionally offend. Our passion must be the transformation of those who God so deeply loves. The world needs to see us as an unoffendable army of lovers of our mighty God. We must stand for truth even when it's determined to be a lie. We must deliver the offensive truth of Scripture from a pure and unoffended heart. We must love so deeply that those who vehemently resist it lash out and call us haters.
Simply, get ready for persecution that living a consecrated life will bring.
Originally published by The Stream.
Bad Tipper? You Might be Driven by Three Demonic Spirits: Poverty, Entitlement and Offense
I’m SHOCKED at how many Christians aren’t generous tippers and givers—and many argue against the need to tip their servers at all!
7 But just as you excel in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us–see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 2 Corinthians 8:7-8 (NIV)
Are you the most extravagant giver among those you know? Do you tip passionately? Are you looking for opportunities to bless? Or, are you holding back, expecting others to serve you? Has a spirit of entitlement and poverty gripped your life?
Here’s a truth that will set you free: If you expect other people, systems, the church, the government or any other entity to meet your financial needs, you are destined for a life of frustration and lack. However, if you are focused on giving to others, no matter your current financial condition, your joy will abound and your faith surrounding your finances will skyrocket.
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
- A spirit of poverty will cause us to keep the dollars that are actually meant to be sowed and multiplied back to us.
- A spirit of entitlement will result in a lack of gratitude, causing us to keep our money in our pockets while waiting for others to give us more.
- A spirit of offense will cause us to reject the call to use our money to bless others who we have determined don’t deserve it.
These three spirits must be eradicated from our lives. I’m offering a powerful, free resource at the end of this article to help you find freedom. Keep reading.
HOW COULD ANY CHRISTIAN ARGUE AGAINST TIPPING?
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)
I’ve heard arguments against tipping by Christians who honestly admit that sometimes they simply can’t afford it. I understand the seasons of scarcity, and I know that these seasons can come for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s our fault and sometimes it’s not. However, to presume in seasons of scarcity that we can still live large is a sign of these spirits having a root in our lives.
Entitlement demands they experience life the same way those who prosper do. They argue they have a right to eat out just like everyone else, even if they can’t afford to tip. This is absolutely nonsensical. In fact, it’s selfish and rude to expect a server to wait on us and then to tip poorly or not at all. Everybody is in a different financial position, and some can afford to eat out, some can’t. Some can afford to buy a new car, some can’t. Some can afford to go to the Super Bowl, some cant. Some can afford a new computer, some can’t.
Nobody has a right to things they can’t afford, including eating out. Some actually presume the tip to be an optional but unnecessary bonus for servers if they do a good job. I wonder how many people actually think that the majority of waiters and waitresses are mostly supported by their paycheck every two weeks. They aren’t.
In fact, are you aware that most servers receive ZERO dollars in their paychecks? They live solely on the generous tips from those who are eating at their tables. Taxes on those tips wipe out the $2.13 per hour that most servers make today. This means, if I don’t tip $20 or $30 on my $100 check, my server may miss a student loan payment or they may not be able to buy their children new shoes or take them to the amusement park they were promised. I take this responsibility very seriously. I want every person who serves me to be more blessed than I was by the time the hour-long dinner is over.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)
Our resolve to bless those who live on tips (servers, valets, hairstylists, bellhops, your Uber driver, etc.) should be a core value—even when their service is poor. My wife and I never decrease the tip by even a penny if we receive poor service. Why? There are many reasons. They may have had a bad day. The kitchen may actually be at fault. They are dealing with depression. Their family situation is bad and declining. They dealt with rude customers at their last table. Or, possibly, they have yet to meet Jesus. I guarantee I am not going to try to “teach them a lesson” by decreasing my tip instead of blessing them in the love of Jesus.
If we can’t bless those who don’t refill our drinks quickly enough, how can we presume to bless those who use and curse us?
27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:27-31 (NIV)
When the Bible talks about curses, that includes verbal assaults, insults and all sorts of mistreatment. We don’t seek revenge. We don’t try to teach them a lesson. We don’t leave a nasty note on the check. We don’t decrease our tip. We don’t attack them back. We love them. We bless them. We give.
BREAKING FREE FROM POVERTY AND ENTITLEMENT
I know many who are reading this are rejoicing. Many Christians are tired of others being such a poor representation of Christ. Many servers are tired of dealing with selfish, entitled people. There is a black mark on Christianity because of many in the after-church crowd on Sundays who eat together. They can be demanding, loud, difficult to deal with, entitled and absolutely terrible tippers. It’s embarrassing and many Christians out there have had enough. I know servers who despise working on Sundays. Great job Christians. You’ve made quite a name for yourself. Here’s some advice: If you can’t love your server and financially bless them radically, just stay home.
Nobody has the right to eat out if they can’t afford it. I was engaged in a Facebook discussion on this topic, and some came out of their skin with indignation that I would say such a thing. They feel no obligation to tip their server, and they believe their financial condition should have no bearing on whether they can eat out or not. I wondered if they also might just pay whatever they want instead of the total on the check. Do they just pay what they can afford when checking out at Walmart? Of course not. But, they choose not to pay their server’s bill (their tip). This is a clear indicator of being driven by poverty and entitlement. If you can’t afford to tip at least 20%, you can’t afford to eat out. Most definitely stay home or eat somewhere where tipping isn’t expected.
In order to break free from from poverty and entitlement, we must crucify our flesh and become radical givers instead of expecting others to meet our needs. There are many mad people in the world. Mad at pastors, government, friends, their church family and others for not meeting their financial needs. This mindset will ensure they remain sad, angry, disillusioned and in lack. We break the demonic grip of poverty and entitlement by turning the tables and giving with passion instead of expecting others to give to us.
1 As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:1-4 (NIV)
The poor widow had every right to be bitter at the church and at the rich. The natural reaction when in lack is first to look to others to resolve our problem, and second to despise them when they don’t. The widow was applauded by Jesus because of her heart. She had the greatest need yet still gave everything she needed to live on. She wasn’t entitled, and, believe it or not, she didn’t have a poverty spirit. She certainly wasn’t offended.
Here’s a comment by my wife, Amy:
We have always tipped both in times of plenty and in times of lack. During our first year of marriage we were very poor, with (nearly) no money for Christmas presents and a sack of potatoes for Christmas dinner. We were barely scraping by. However, if we chose to eat out we calculated the tip amount into the cost when deciding whether we could afford to do so. I'm sure our server made a better living than we did at the time. It didn't matter. It's never appropriate to withhold what a server is due in an attempt to better our own financial situation.
I remember that season very well! In fact, I still vividly remember standing next to the sack of potatoes in the grocery store in Cleveland, Tennessee 23 years ago wondering if we should use our few remaining dollars on it along with a frozen chicken. That was to be our Christmas dinner. We did buy the potatoes and had just a little cash left over. On Christmas morning, my gift from my wife was a belt (that didn’t fit) and my gift to her was a Jenga game (that she was upset I bought because we needed that $10 for bills). That afternoon we had friends over to eat our chicken and potato feast—and then my wife burned the chicken. One of our friends ran home to get a frozen pizza. We enjoyed a wonderful mashed potato and frozen pizza Christmas dinner!
In that season finances were scarce, though we were working hard. Our car was bashed in on the passenger side and the doors didn’t open. We had to steer about 30 degrees to the right in order for the car to drive straight. We replaced the tires with $5 used tires once every couple of weeks due to the misalignment. We couldn’t afford a repair.
The bottom line is we had almost nothing and we very rarely ate out. Why? because we knew our $40 check would end up being $50 after tip. Instead we’d eat at home or grab something from McDonalds. It wasn’t our right to eat out if we couldn’t pay our bill—including what was owed to the server.
It wasn’t only our faithful giving to the church and to ministry that broke us out of lack. It was a “widow’s mite” attitude. We expected nobody to pay our way and we knew that we must be radical givers at restaurants and other places. If we couldn’t afford to tip, we stayed home.
The same is true with the church. I can’t imagine how anybody would attend a church, utilize their children’s ministry, receive teaching and be welcomed with open arms without giving extravagantly. We should give radically to the church, period. We should attend church with the same attitude as when we eat out. We are there to bless them instead of expecting them to bless us. We want to give with passion.
It’s true that the church is called to take care of widows. But, here’s the problem: when we stomp our foot and demand to be served because of this instruction in Scripture, we align ourselves with the spirit of entitlement and poverty, even though the church should in fact be helping. We should give and bless even when we aren’t taken care of in ways we should. Don’t blame, don’t point fingers.
Here’s a portion of my Charisma Magazine article The Spirit That’s Taking Over Our Nation—And It’s Not Jezebel:
It's time to repent for a spirit of entitlement that is destroying our testimony.
entitlement
noun en·ti·tle·ment:the condition of having a right to have, do or get something
the feeling or belief that you deserve to be given something (such as special privileges)In a self-centered, narcissistic world, one can only presume entitlement would be in the mix, as well. This attitude is doing great harm to our testimony as Christians in addition to creating a proud, lazy people who expect to be served instead of to serve.
I’ve heard about godly people who always tip double their check. I love this! While I wouldn’t suggest it’s mandatory to do this, I would suggest it’s mandatory to tip at least 20%. In fact, I’d encourage you to consider other opportunities to break off spirits of poverty and entitlement such as tipping double the check, paying for another patron’s check (including a huge tip), occasionally tipping five or six times the amount of the check or more and other opportunities to radically bless. When we give to others instead of demanding they give to us the spirits of entitlement and poverty lose their grip.
A SPIRIT OF OFFENSE WILL ENSURE YOU REMAIN ENSLAVED TO POVERTY AND ENTITLEMENT
Too many live offended lives. Offended that others aren’t taking care of them financially, offended that others are prospering and they aren’t, offended that they are continually overlooked. We should live free from offense. In fact, I’d like to offer my most popular teaching titled “Unoffendable” at no cost to you. Trust me, it’s revelation that will change your life dramatically!
You will receive the audio teaching, the eBook and teaching notes at no cost whatsoever. You can get this powerful resource here: www.burton.tv/free.
A spirit of offense is absolutely deadly. It will cause your love to grow cold and your heart to harden. It’s a death sentence. This spirit will cause you to rise up against others instead of serving them. Your unmet demands and expectations will result in a dark soul, a life of lack and deep resentment. This three-fold cord of poverty, entitlement and offense will imprison all who embrace these evil spirits.
When we break these three spirits off our lives, and discover the power of Kingdom finances, we can live free and full of joy, no matter how much money is in our account.
Faithfully giving and passionately tipping all who serve us out in the world will result in remarkable, prosperous, victorious lives!
$2.99 – Unoffendable: How to Break Free from the Prison of Offense
Read a BRAND NEW ebook for ONLY $2.99: UNOFFENDABLE: How to Break Free from the Prison of Offense
This powerful teaching is a part of my book Carry Like Mary. The moment you grasp the revelation that you are a carrier of God, everything changes. You will begin to move into uncharted territory and unquestionably will begin to touch some religious idols that others hold dear.
Additionally, you will become a threat to the darkness, and the ruler of that realm will unleash his most strategic military campaigns against you. One of his most effective attacks is offense. He will go to great lengths to shatter your soft heart of love through the attitudes and verbal violence of those you are called to lay your life down for.
The greater the mission, the greater the opportunity for offense. Can you imagine how Mary must have felt? She was called to steward the greatest mission in history by delivering Jesus, while, most certainly, being assaulted left and right by those who disapproved of her pregnancy.
People will disapprove of your supernatural pregnancy. As a carrier of God, you will draw criticism and will regularly be targeted because of what you carry-who you carry. The nuclear power within you is an extreme threat both to the kingdom of darkness and the status quo of the church. Be sure, you will draw attack from all sides. The spirit of abortion that's so vicious in our nation is killing more than precious babies. It's attempting to neutralize and eliminate any threat of God being delivered through you.
It's that attack that you must be aware of. You must guard your heart and be very sure that you are not offended when other people assault you.
(You can read this and ANY Kindle book on your PC, laptop, tablet or phone! You don’t need a Kindle device.)
Unoffendable + All three nights of fire in Manitou Springs now ready for you to experience
Audit theLab class “Unoffendable” this Thursday AND listen NOW to all three nights of fire from the conference in Manitou Springs!
First, you CAN’T miss my most requested teaching, Unoffendable, THIS THURSDAY at 7pm at theLab! You can audit the class for $25. Simply show up and pay at the door… and get ready for a night of prayer, impartation and deliverance!
theLab meets at CENTRAL CHURCH, 1529 E. 12 Mile Rd, Madison Heights, MI 48071.
CARRIERS OF FIRE: REVOLUTION EXPERIENCE IN MANITOU SPRINGS, COLORADO
The three nights were so overwhelming that we made a decision to return with a team from Detroit and IHOP six times in 2013.
If you are interested in joining these carriers of fire, contact me and I will discuss it with you. You MUST start planning now if you wish to join us. Email me at [email protected] right away.
You can listen to all three nights here:
- DAY ONE (The Coming Church): media.johnburton.net/6954614
- DAY TWO (Your Spiritual Gifts): media.johnburton.net/6954658
- DAY THREE (Carry Like Mary): media.johnburton.net/6954727
The audio does not simply contain teaching, but the entire experience of deliverance, declarations, confrontations with witchcraft and homosexuality, fire tunnels and freedom!
As you listen, pray and ask God if you are meant to join us in Manitou this year.
There will be an application process, but we are opening it up to those outside of Detroit. If you know of people who are ready, and who are maturing, faithful, humble and submitted to authority, this could be a trip that will change the course of their lives.
The next trip will be at the end of May, so, the time is NOW to save money and start consecrating yourself!
HOUSE OF PRAYER IN DETROIT
I am getting URGENT and reliable words about the IMMEDIATE need to get this new house of prayer established.
I’m BOLDLY pulling on you, asking you to ask God about giving financially. We are looking for another $44,000 RIGHT AWAY.
We are looking for a property and are aggressively inviting prophetic messengers, musicians and intercessors to get ready for a major shift in their lives.
Contact me at [email protected] if you have thoughts or questions.
You can donate today at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/donate.
Is there unbelief regarding revival? Listen to this unusual Revival Church event.
Are you part of the cross-bearing company of fire-breathing awakeners that God is raising up? Listen to this heavily anointed event and respond!
The past week in Manitou Springs, Colorado resulted in a shaking and weighty awakening for every person on our team. Listen as I share the encounters here: media.johnburton.net/6936545
Trust me, you WANT to listen to this…the last half of the audio includes an other-worldly prophetic session where the calling for revival was revealed AND clips from each of the three services, including our attack against witchcraft and the drunkenness I was rocked with. High entertainment value for sure!
We are gathering an army of carriers of fire who will travel with us to the cities of the Earth. The team that we took to Manitou flowed in such extreme authority and power that everybody was hit dramatically. We dealt with heavy witchcraft and strategic demonic attack at a high level, and watched as God then flooded that place. Humbled.
The three nights revealed a very clear strategy for all of us:
- Night One: Personal breakthrough. We battled and experienced fire and joy and breakthrough on a personal level.
- Night Two: Holy Spirit arrival. I was drunk most of the night as the Holy Spirit poured out. Many want to camp here, but we cannot.
- Night Three: Militant attack. Full of the Holy Spirit, we experience an extreme level of witchcraft in the room, and we went after it with authority and power.
This is a pattern of advance for all of us. I break it down and share sound clips: media.johnburton.net/6936545
CARRIERS OF FIRE
Are you ready to invite our team to your city for an event that will bring deliverance, shock and awe? We are broken and humble people, emboldened by the fire of God and ready to serve you.
Visit www.johnburton.net/booking for more info. I’d love to talk with you directly.
You will have the opportunity to listen to four of our team members in the audio from last night here: media.johnburton.net/6936545
HOUSE OF PRAYER
The house of prayer must be launched NOW! NOW! NOW!
Julia Palermo prophesied with trembling urgency regarding the house of prayer in the Detroit region. It must be launched now!
Are you ready to help build a night and day center of strategic, revelation driven prayer? Contact us!
We need to add fresh intercessors, musicians and others. We need to raise at least $44,000 more. You can donate here: www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/donate
YOUR IMPENDING ADVENTURE
I also want to invite you to listen to a message that will provoke you to fulfill your ministry. It’s titled Your Impending Adventure. It’s a NOW word and will help you take very clear steps toward a completed calling. I’ll include the notes below.
Listen here: media.johnburton.net/6936482
AUDIT THELAB CLASS “BECOMING UNOFFENDABLE” THIS THURSDAY
Offense will cause many to fall away and go to Hell. It’s a big deal.
This is my most requested teaching, and you can audit the class THIS THURSDAY at 7pm!
Simply show up at 7pm this Thursday and pay $25 at the door.
Revival Church meets at CENTRAL CHURCH, 1529 E. 12 Mile Rd, Madison Heights, MI 48071.
Here’s the notes for Your Impending Adventure
Your Impending Adventure
I. Adventure
a. Nobody was called into an average life.
i. Certainly not now! At the end of the age!
ii. Adventure
1. An undertaking or enterprise of a hazardous nature.
2. a risky undertaking of unknown outcome
3. An undertaking of a questionable nature, especially one involving intervention in another state's affairs.
4. “An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered” [G.K. Chesterton All Things Considered]
iii. British Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) placed this advertisement in London newspapers in 1900 in preparation for the National Antarctic Expedition (which subsequently failed to reach the South Pole).“Men Wanted For Hazardous Journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”Shackleton later said that “it seemed as though all the men in Great Britain were determined to accompany me, the response was so overwhelming.”
1. Yes! The adventure is there for you!
b. All you have to do is sign up and pay the fee!
i. It costs your dreams, plans, comfort and safety!
ii. Your adventure will impact many!
II. Isaiah
a. Step one: Isaiah sees God (These steps come from Ungers Handbook)
i. Isaiah 6:1-4 (ESV) 1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
1. Most people don’t get to this point!
2. Your adventure begins by laying down everything so you can see God!
3. Go after him! Burn! Pray! Devote your every breath to knowing him deeply!
ii. Step two: Isaiah sees himself
1. Isaiah 6:5 (ESV) 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
2. You cannot see God without having a revelation of your own wretched condition!
3. Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV) 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
4. Hebrews 3:12-13 (ESV) 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
5. 1 John 1:6-7 (ESV) 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
6. The closer the look on our own condition, the greater the revelation of our fruit.
a. Matthew 7:17-20 (ESV) 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
b. We must repent, confess, let God search our hearts continually.
i. It’s in the Lord’s Prayer
ii. Matthew 6:12 (ESV) 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
iii. Believes must live a life of confession and repentance.
iv. Matthew 3:6 (ESV) 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
c. Acts 19:18-20 (ESV) 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
d. Luke 17:3-4 (ESV) 3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
e. Let God search your heart continually in the place of fervent prayer.
i. 1 Chronicles 28:9 (ESV) 9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
ii. Jeremiah 17:10 (ESV) 10 “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
f. Torrey's Prescription For Revival “I can give a prescription that will bring a revival to any church or community or any city on earth. “First, let a few Christians (they need not be many) get thoroughly right with God themselves. This is the prime essential. If this is not done, the rest that I am to say will come to nothing. “Second, let them bind themselves together in a prayer group to pray for a revival until God opens the heavens and comes down. “Third, let them put themselves at the disposal of God for Him to use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ. That is all! “This is sure to bring a revival to any church or community. I have given this prescription around the world. It has been taken by many churches and many communities, and in no instance has it ever failed; and it cannot fail!”
i. This is huge!
ii. We must get thoroughly right with God! Let God search us! Is there any impure thought? Do we ever lie? Do we ever gossip? Do we ever disobey God?
iii. Torrey said: This is the prime essential. If this is not done, the rest that I am to say will come to nothing.
iv. You may have heard a theology out there that says Jesus forgave our sins past, present and future. That’s incomplete, and it leads people away from confession and repentance and dying daily.
1. Jesus did what he needed to do, but, unrepentant sin, ignored sin, cannot go unresolved! You can sin in the future and have it not be covered!
2. Spend hours in the prayer room and you will discover issue after issue… and it’s glorious!
3. If we cover unrepentant sin with sugar and honey, it’s still diseased on the inside. You can dip rotting meat that’s full of maggots into chocolate, and attempt to hide the corruption… but the realty remains, the inside is spoiled.
4. I shared the following on Facebook: The false belief that we are exempt from penalties of future sins with no confession or repentance is dangerous beyond measure.
5. Someone responded: Who believes that way?
6. I said: Millions of Christians. It's a huge false movement.
7. He said: Guess I'd have to go to a church that preaches a false word to know…praise God for the Baptists.
iii. Step three: Isaiah is cleansed
1. It’s good to let God reveal wickedness in us so we can be cleansed by fire!
2. Isaiah 6:6-7 (ESV) 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
3. 1 John 1:9 (ESV) 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
4. Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
5. Psalm 51:10-12 (ESV) 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
a. The reason it’s so good to let God search out the corruption in our hearts, is because we can be freed from it!
b. Amazing!
iv. Step four: Isaiah is commissioned
1. Prophetic messengers will have the boldness to proclaim the word of the Lord regardless of its tone!
2. Wiersbe Outlines: Now God can call Isaiah and use him to preach His Word. The prophet is no longer wrapped up in his own needs; he wants to do the will of God. He is no longer burdened by sin; he has been cleansed. He is no longer discouraged; he knows that God is on the throne. Now he is ready to go to work.
3. Isaiah 6:8-10 (ESV) 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
4. This is God’s cry! Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?
a. Matthew 9:35-38 (ESV) 35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
v. Step five: Isaiah is given the outcome of the commission
1. Isaiah 6:11-13 (ESV) 11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, 12 and the LORD removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 13 And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.
a. We see in Mt 13 that Jesus spoke in parables because of this very judgment!
b. Matthew 13:10-14 (ESV) 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
c. And also in John:
i. John 12:37-41 (ESV) 37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.
d. And in Acts:
i. Acts 28:23-26 (ESV) 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
e. This is why we need prophetic messengers with a bold spirit of awakening on them!!!!!
2. Ungers: How long would this spiritual deterioration go on? To the complete blotting out of Israel's testimony to the one true God? No, came the divine answer. Only until the complete devastation of the land and the removal of its inhabitants to Babylon were accomplished. Thence a remnant would return to Palestine. Even this tenth part would be further reduced, yet a holy posterity would survive in whom the ultimate hope of Israel would rest and in whom the covenants and promises would be realized.
b. You have an impending adventure if you simply sign up! Be available!
i. Sometimes God will draw you into adventure to cause you to become addicted to adventure!
ii. Wildman story
1. Fearful situation
c. God is looking for a people who are ready to give up the tired, old dreams of man for an adventure that will change societies!
d. Go after it! Don’t fear the risk! Don’t fear failure!
e. A study made a number of years ago said the more education a man has, the less likely he is to be an inventor. Now the reason for that is quite simple. From the time the boy, or girl, starts in school he is examined three or four times a year and, of course, it is a very disastrous thing if he fails. An inventor fails all the time and it is a triumph if he succeeds once. Consequently, if education is an inhibition to invention, it is due entirely to the form by which we rate things and not because of any intellectual differential. —Charles Kettering
First of three audit classes at theLab School of Fire Saturday at 10am
A Spirit of Insignificance is one of the most powerful messages of freedom you’ll ever hear!
Tomorrow (Saturday) at 10am at theLab School of Fire in Madison Heights you are invited to join our students and staff for a day of freedom!
We’ll be in the auditorium for four hours of deep prayer, ministry and teaching on breaking free from a spirit of insignificance.
The cost: $25
Day and time: Saturday 10am-2pm
The place: Revival Church (Central Church) 1529 E. 12 Mile Rd, Madison Heights, MI 48071
You can pay with credit card online at www.revivallab.com/payment or simply show up and pay with cash or check at the door!
THREE AUDIT CLASSES AVAILABLE
theLab School of Fire makes three of its classes available for people to audit.
Along with tomorrow’s A Spirit of Insignificance, you can prepare to join us for Becoming Unoffendable and Six Enemies of Fulfilled Destiny.
All other classes and sessions are closed to the public.
THE NEXT SCHOOL OF FIRE
Start to prepare for the next session: Apr 28-Jul 21
The tuition is $500 for everybody and all applications are due by March 28th. A late fee of $50 will be assessed for all applications submitted after this date.
You can apply TODAY at www.revivallab.com/apply!