And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers... - Ephesians 4:11

God has given each of us a job to do. We each have different gifts. We all play a different but similar part in the kingdom. We all know how important it is to stay in God's will, right?

When we stray from our gifts - when we stray from our calling, things get out of whack.

We all know people who have tried to do things they shouldn't have. An electrician isn't a plumber. An attorney isn't a mechanic. You get the point? I'm not saying that we shouldn't try new things or that we can't. What I am saying is that when God has called you to something, don't go trying to do or be something else.

So let's just clear the air, set expectations, and get on the same page. I know what my calling is. I'm a teacher. I ain't your pastor. I'm not called to coddle. I'm not here to pat you on the head and tell you, "There, there. Everything's going to be alright." I'm not here to listen to your life story or your excuses as to why you live the way you do. I'm not worried about losing your tithe or membership, so - in love - I'm going to tell you exactly like it is. My job is to understand Scripture, its relevance, its application, and then communicate that to you exactly the way God tells me to.

As a Karate-do instructor, my time with my students was limited - anywhere from one to three hours depending on the situation. I took teaching self-defense very seriously because it is serious. It's a matter of life or death. As a teacher of God's Word, I take it even more seriously. Why?

Your knowledge, understanding, and application of God's Word is a matter of life or death. What you know (or don't know) about God and His Word will bring life or death.

I'm not here to beat you up or judge you. You don't know what you don't know. With a limited time to engage students and deliver material, there's not a lot of time for "fluff." In today's society, most people can't pay attention for too long. They're easily distracted. The average camera shot for a commercial or TV show or movies is right about three seconds. Three. Producers keep changing the camera angle to keep viewers interested and engaged. The average length of time viewers watch any given YouTube video is about 50%. So if it's a 5 minute video, most people only watch 2.5 minutes of it.

My job is to disseminate information. It's your job to then take what was communicated and do the following:

Pray about it. Ask God to give you understanding.

Study it. Understand the context and meaning. Cross-reference it with other Scripture.

Ask questions about it. (But then make sure to pray about and study the answers you're given.)

Meditate on it. Think about it. Mull it over.

I can guarantee that at some point you are going to read, hear, or see something here that doesn't line up with what you've heard before or what you currently believe. You're going to come across teachings that run contrary to religion and popular opinion. Do not let that stop you from investigating it more. Do not let that stop you from trying to understand what's being said or why. Do not simply blow it off and reject what knowledge is being shared. Do not run the risk of being rejected by God. Right now, some of you are saying, "Wait... what?!?! What are you talking about? Where did you get that?"

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. - Hosea 4:6