Look Me In the Eye Part 1


Look Me in the Eye Part 1

A letter to the Organized Church and the Body of Christ
Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

My previous message made a clear distinction between the organized church (wheat and tares) and the body of Christ (wheat only) (Matthew 13:24-30).   I have always listened for God’s voice in my walk with Him.  I have had the privilege of hearing His voice in confirming my actions and also in chastising my actions.  I think every member of His body has heard Him condone and/or chastise their actions ().  He does not deal with His children as bastards but sons to be corrected and conformed to His image and likeness (Hebrews 12:8).

When Barack Hussein Obama was elected for his first term as president of the United States of America, God said to me that it was a judgement on America’s race problem.   Throughout his eight years as president, many in the land condemned him not only for his decisions, policies (right and wrong), and actions, but also for the color of his skin.  Needless to say, the country as a whole dug in to its racism (systemic or otherwise) for one reason or another under his presidency.  America failed the test God gave it to deal with the racism issue.  The organized church was silent.

Fast forward to today.  God has brought us to the election time for the president of the United States of America and what is the number one issue on the agenda? Racism!  As a nation we did not hear God’s heart for the church world to unite under love, but instead it split under embedded, ignored, and quietly whispered racism. 

The organized church chose two sins (abortion/homosexuality) and sought a man who would condemn and legislate against those sins while exemplifying and practicing other sins. Please understand that abortion and homosexuality take their place as sin with all other sins in God’s eyes (Exodus 20:13), (Leviticus 18:22).  The Bible is clear, however not everyone knows what it says.  God speaks to His Believers and we follow His words in the Bible.

There are those who do not know God’s word and/or do not choose to obey His word.  Those who do not choose God are still created in His image and His likeness (Genesis 1:26) with free will to choose their lifestyle.

 The organized church skipped right over the scripture that says “All unrighteousness is sin” (1st John 5:17) and excused lying, hatred, racism, put down/bullying, non-repentance, elitism, social classism, cursing African nations, cursing human beings, caging children, blasphemy, mistreatment of God’s creation, etc. (These actions are the documented ones with audio/video tapes to confirm). Only God knows what else has been perpetrated on the citizens of America. 

Christianity is based on repentance, confession, and change of life.    And yet the organized church praises and follows a leader who employs no Christian values.  This leader never admits to wrong doing and corrals all around him to become engaged in the same ungodly practices assuring damnation for their lives also. In fact, the organized church asserted that “you elect a saint/king and not a priest”.  Was this also applied when Obama was president or did this principle somehow surface with the subsequent president.

The organized church did not want to deal with, acknowledge, or dialogue with racism. It is Father God who has said it is on His agenda.   The current United States administration presents an overtly racist stance.  The organized church (wheat/tares) for the most part was complicit or remained silent.   God is now saying to America and the organized church that you are going to have to deal with racism as a nation.  The body of Christ (wheat) sees clearly.  Those of us who hear God’s heart understand what He is doing.  It is the organized church who has attempted to drown out the voices of Christ’s Body with politics, power, money, and arrogance.

 This earth is not the eternal home for the body of Christ (wheat). The organized church’s (wheat/tares) home is in the earth. The organized church will have no place (in Heaven) when the tares are stripped from it by the Lord of the Harvest. 

God has a documented proven plan (Bible) with prophetic words that have and are also yet to come to pass.   God’ word is the plumb line.  It is the final authority.  It is irrevocable, infallible, and irrefutable.  It does not belong to a man (regardless of the size of his/her ministry). God’s word is of no private interpretation (2nd Peter 1:20).  It is to be read and accepted by all His chosen ones who heed His call.  We must remember that the “Lord of the Harvest” (Jesus) does the separation.  If a man condones a tare, he endangers himself to become a tare.  You cannot serve God and someone else.

Our biblical example of this is found in (1st Kings 3:1).  Solomon made allegiance with kings by marrying and bringing into his household their daughters. This would in his mind elicit their loyalty to him.  He would get what he desired from foreign countries.  He found out to his dismay that these women brought their gods and practices into his godly kingdom and changed it totally.  The saddest part was that they changed Solomon’s heart toward the true and living God.  Solomon found that a deal with the devil is just that, a deal with the devil (Ecclesiastes Chapter 1).

Scripture says if you walk with wise men you will be wise, but a companion of fools will be destroyed (with the fools) (Proverbs 13:28).  Scripture further says, “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). Whenever we reduce ourselves to aligning with evil to accomplish God’s will, we have crossed a deadly line.  We are now using our fleshly tactics to bring about God’s will.  God does not allow the works of flesh to bring about His will.  In the end as Solomon said, “all will be vanity”.

I once heard someone say, “Hold your nose and support this administration”.   I have read the Bible many times over and I can’t find this or its sentiment in the word of God.  God says all unrighteousness is sin (1st John 5:17). This is never going to change.  Sin will not enter God’s Kingdom.  This won’t change no matter who commits the sin.  The wages of sin (in any form or fashion) is death (Romans 6:23).  

My view is biblical.  Find a sinner, make sure that they have an opportunity to see “real Christianity” in your life and allow the Holy Spirit and God’s word to minister life to the potential Believer (The Great Commission).  If you cannot reach a person for salvation with God’s love and the good news of the gospel then leave him to the power of prayer. You must always remember that you present Jesus to others and they have free will to accept or deny.  If he denies acceptance of Christ and His teachings no laws or judges will interfere with the choice of his lifestyle. He will sin regardless of your laws or your judges who will discriminate against him because of his lifestyle.  

I choose to stay on the line that Jesus drew.  He said “Whosoever will, let him come and drink of the Fountain of Life freely” (Revelation 22:17).  The God-life is produced when a heart is changed.  I’m sorry folks, laws and discrimination against people will not produce citizens of heaven. Only a heart change will.

I am a seventy (70+) year old Black Woman who has lived her life since the age of fourteen (14) following the teachings of Jesus Christ.  I am Spirit-filled and keep my ear close to the Father’s heart.  I have ministered to children and families in education as a school teacher, program consultant, and principal (30+ years).  After retirement God sent me to teach His word and rescue broken lives in drug rehab centers (I have volunteered there for 13+ years preaching His Gospel).  Not one of the lost souls (who were found and rehabilitated) regarded the color of my skin.  God’s Love and my love for them was the saving grace.   I have spiritual sons and daughters of other races.

 I take no personal woe from slavery, insult, slight, curse, or even put down as a Black person.  Once I found Jesus, I began to see men as men not as trees (Mark 8:24).  I forgive others before it becomes an issue in my own heart. I cancel out the works of the Devil regarding racism and any other lie that Satan brings by listening to God, reading and studying His word, practicing His word, and showing God’s love. God has frankly been marvelous to me.  I can hear His voice for my own life and also minister to others in love.  I live in peace. I love and am loved by God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, family, and many others.   

I say to the organized church look me in the eye and tell me:
That you believe that people should be discriminated against because of their skin color, nationality, religion, and lifestyle choice when God made and gave free will to all men.

That you did not know God’s heart (and the hearts of people of color) were bleeding from the racism in America.

That you did not know that the hurtful symbols of slavery and racism that surround people of color every day were offensive to them.

That you did not know that racism was an issue that the organized church in many instances refused to address and quietly swept it under the carpets of churches large and small in America.
Did you not know? Could you not hear or see? Did you not care? By the way, what was God saying to you about racism and what is He saying now?

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Why "Hepzibah in Training?"

More than twenty five years ago I stood in a powerful praise and worship service. As I entered into worship weeping in the presence of the King, I heard the voice of Jesus in my spirit. He called me two names. The first name was Hephzibah and the second was Beulah. I was stunned and immediately sat down on the bench to ponder these two names. Neither of these names appeared flattering to me.



I left church and called my sister, a mighty warrior of God, and told her that God had called me two names. Her reply was “If God called me names; I needed to find out what they meant.” I searched scripture and found that the name Hephzibah means, “The Lord delights in her” and that Beulah meant, “Thy land is married (committed, spoken for, etc). Needless to say, I was delighted in the significance of these two names that my Savior has bestowed upon me. My goal and treasure in life is to fulfill the plan for my life on this side of Eternity and to train for the other side of Eternity.



I offer you the revelations, thoughts, and meditations that God imparts to me in this blog “Hepzibah In Training”.



I thank you for your comments.

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