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As I did seven months later in this edited 2012 repost, I am following last week’s repost reflecting on Amy Winehouse’s death with that of Whitney Houston’s. For whatever all of the reasons, many moderns do not seem to take death seriously nor do they understand that unlike video games there is no reset button to delete its reality and start again. Physical death is typically irreversible except by God as demonstrated by Jesus Christ and even then is only a temporary delay to the inevitable permanent departure from this mortal life (John 11:38-44). Only Christ to this hour has suffered death, been buried and resurrected to immortality (John 19:28-20:18; 1 Timothy 6:13-16; Revelation 1:18).
While I do not declare the eternal end of Ms. Houston as a professed Christian, in this repost I am led by the Lord to soberly challenge all of us that make up His churches to consider yet another means Satan takes some of our number captive with destructive intent. We so easily forget he is called “Destroyer” because that is his perpetual mission and work done so well among mortal humanity (Revelation 9:11, NKJV). I also warn all of the naively idealistic engaged in any pursuits of this world that without a solid grounding in Christ, Satan lurks in the shadows seeking an opportunity to lure you away from your steadfastness in Him (Colossians 1:19-23, 2:4-10; 2 Peter 3:14-18).
Originally Posted February 19, 2012
Stunned and immediately grief filled was my reaction to the news Whitney Houston had died last Saturday. I had just returned from out of town conducting the funeral of an in-law where I used as my eulogy topic, The Reality Of Death. Many in the small gathering prayed to receive Christ thereafter and I am glad. But for the few who did not pray and anyone reading this without assurance of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, Whitney Houston’s sudden death ought to serve as a sobering reminder that death is possible for any of us at any time. My heart goes out to Ms. Houston’s daughter and entire family.1
I was led by the Lord to write last July 31st of the tragic death of another female singer, Amy Winehouse. While then I wrote of how deeply Ms. Winehouse’s death affected me without knowing much about her background and musical accomplishments, Whitney Houston is another story. Even without all of the details, her story is very grievously familiar to me. In fact, it is for men as a first priority, but also women like Whitney Houston that my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics is written;2 professed Christians in and coming out of the churches for whatever reasons whose lifestyles reflect not the image of Christ in strength, but continued human frailty and weakness in sin.
Though they are not the rule by any means among the churches, Black American churches have a long history of losing their congregants to the world as they go forth to parlay their God given talents into fame and fortune. Without making excuses, it is understandable why since the world stage offers a wider audience and greater financial rewards than the churches for the many that historically come from poverty and sometimes--as in the case of Whitney Houston--middle income homes. Nonetheless, I will never be convinced that the Lord’s Church was intended to be the devil’s bullpen where he can easily call in relief for those he tires of, disables and/or destroys.3
Christians belong to Christ who purchased us with His blood on Calvary. We live for and serve Him using our natural talents and spiritual gifts for His purposes, to His glory! It is about Him, not us. Therefore, whatever occupation Christians go into, we labor under His Lordship and to please Christ (Colossians 3:23-25). The entertainment and sports fields especially are rigged by Satan to trap and destroy those who with starry eyes and little if any Christ-like character pursue them. Whitney Houston--as so many before her--left her church and for a while soared to the highest heights of fame and fortune as an entertainer. She then got trapped by the devil’s sorcery embodied in drugs, alcohol and carnality.
As a disciplined minister, I will not automatically put Whitney Houston in Heaven as so many are doing. Indeed, this is what Satan wants because if he can convince us that sin has no eternal consequences, then his bullpen of churches will stay full with others eager to follow in the footsteps of Ms. Houston. And so, faithful to my calling (Ezekiel 33:1-9), I warn my reader to consider the words of Jesus concerning the life priorities of His disciples in Mark 8:34-38. Too, make no mistake: it is not enough to grow up in a church and perform any work including singing in the choir that saves (Matthew 7:21-23). Nor does God play favorites; we will reap what we sow (Romans 2:4-11; Galatians 6:7-8)! Finally, it is not enough to emotionally believe Jesus loves you that saves, it is faith in and love for Him displayed in obedient lives (1 John 2:3-6).
1 Unfortunately, since writing this post, Ms. Houston’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, followed her mother in a heartbreakingly similar death in August 2015. She was just
22 years old.
2 The book is available at all major internet book sellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
3 For the uninitiated, “bullpen” is a Baseball term that refers to the area and the relief pitchers themselves that warm-up and wait to be called up to replace a pitcher
already in the game. This is fine for Baseball, but not the Lord’s churches with Satan as a manager calling Christians up as naïve players to get in his game with the
intent to destroy them!
The recent suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain along with our nation’s high suicide rate which counts a few of my relatives too, are reminders of how precious hope is as a soul resource. For this reason, there should be no doubt why Satan works hard as a lion to capture and drag so many to his lair of darkness to deceitfully convince them there is no light; no hope such that death is appealingly the only false escape. Hopelessness, loneliness, emptiness and despair can be dark and dangerous places that not even money and fame can overcome--though popular culture continues to feverishly sell the lie that these accomplishments will solve everything.
While she did not commit sudden suicide, the 2011 tragic death of Amy Winehouse I briefly wrote about in this edited repost follows after and precedes too many others of the rich and famous who died from slow death lifestyle choices that included the abuse of alcohol and drugs. Among these were the stellar entertainers Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Prince all demonstrating again that not only money and fame, but superior talents and abilities are not sufficient to resist the destructive forces of this world system waging war against human souls (Ephesians 6:12). For the record, nominal Christianity or other religions which many have cannot deliver in the war for the soul ether!
Praise God for the light of “a living hope” those of us truly in and sold out to Jesus Christ by faith have and need to be more deliberate about witnessing to others that do not know Him regardless of their status in the world (1 Peter 1:3, NKJV). Not only does the Gospel--that Christ died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day--save our souls through faith, but we begin what is intended to be an eternal relationship with Him! This relationship with the risen Christ supplies all that a human soul needs to overcome everything that the world system uses against us in the unavoidable war of this mortal age (Genesis 3:1-15; John 16:33; 1 John 5:4-5).
Sudden or slow lifestyle suicides then, are very tragic since they are preventable by the simple, child-like decision to repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all one’s heart! While God has allowed for each soul to make a personal decision in this matter, the Lord Jesus is clear that those that reject Him will die in their sins to face the fate worse than any problem or issue one thought so bad in this life: His judgment seat (John 3:16-21, 36, 8:21-24; Revelation 20:11-15). For this reason, the Lord’s love in me motivates me (and I pray you too, O, Christian) to zealously preach the Gospel to the lost whatever their life station so that they can at least hear of the life giving hope available in Him alone! For truly, this life gets no easier going forward (Luke 21:25-26).
Originally Posted July 31, 2011
I with so many others all over the world was deeply affected by the death of Amy Winehouse this past week. Though I had never bought one of her CD’s or even heard a full song of hers on the radio, her death was tragic to me on so many levels. Most moving for me is the pathos that the talents of this musical giant as sizable as they were, were not enough to stave off the inner torments of her soul including despair. We have encountered this so many times throughout history among the great and those whose names will never be known except by grieving and bewildered family and friends.
Many commentators brought up the age 27 as notable for such talents of recent memory to abruptly exit from the world stage. Among them are Jimmie Hendrix and Janis Joplin of my youth. While I had only begun in those days to really pursue an interest in music and barely knew their names, I remember the sadness in pondering why they had died since they were such excellent musicians. This all came rushing back to me with the death of Ms. Winehouse. I still do not have any answers as to why now, so young with so much life potentially yet to live--nor does any other mortal.
However, as a Christian, I do now understand that our abilities, no matter how great, are not enough to give light or minister healing to our souls. The soul belongs to God and only He has the spiritual remedies we need to cope and effectively navigate through a sin darkened world. That is the first lesson for the aspiring strong man of God I write about in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics.1 Unlike those outside of Christ, we draw our strength and every other spiritual resource from Him! As such, while it is true we will all depart this world through one cause or another, despair--an affliction of the soul--is not to be one of them for the aspiring strong man or great woman of God in the image of Christ.2
1 The book is available at all major internet books sellers, by order at your favorite brick and mortar bookstore or in the Strong Man Store.
2 If you or someone you know are wrestling with thoughts of suicide or other self-destructive behaviors or want help with any number of the spiritual, mental or emotional
issues of our day, visit this resource for an important listing of hotlines some of which are Christian operated.
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