God's Truth In Love

Archive for the ‘Jesus’ Category

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A Warning

In Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, False Doctrine, False Gods, False Teaching, Fear, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Idolatry, Jesus, Loss, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on May 8, 2017 at 6:48 pm

Beware to the modern-day pastor who wishes to lower the Standard of God, the standard on being a Christian, so it will be tempting to those people who want heaven but they don’t want God’s government.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 26 – Mass Exodus

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Encouragement, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, Forgiveness, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Hate, Hatred, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on April 28, 2017 at 5:29 pm

In this piece, we will continue to review chapter ten of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works, along with addressing the mass exodus from the established church by sincere Christians. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so.

To pick up where we left off – the mass exodus from the established church by born-again, spirit-filled, Jesus loving Christians. I have written about this exodus, the cause and effect, a great deal in the past on this blog. If you go through the archives you will find various posting on the topic along with a series titled, The Spiritual Remnant. Please review those posting for greater understanding on my observations over the last twenty plus years.

The author notes that the home-church is becoming the preferred method of “church” for most of those Christians exiting denominationalized religion and institutional church. I agree it is becoming a preferred method for many reason. The author and I agree that relationship connection, accountability, and freedom from the unnecessary politics of the established church are the primary reason. Rev. Billy Graham in his last televised evangelistic program both acknowledged and encouraged this growing trend. People are returning to the blueprint Jesus laid out so many years ago when He and the apostles started out. I believe there is a prophetic reason for the fact that this is happening in history at this time but that is something I do not wish to go into at length at this time – perhaps, in another posting.

A survey was done by for an article in the Washing Post and Barna estimated that 20 million Americans or more have left the established church since 2000 and turned to alternative forms of worship, study, and receiving pastoring. These forms include home churches, online faith communities, and workplace ministries. Why is this happing? I will answer that question by asking another question.

Over 80 percent of Americans are Christians attending thousands of churches each week. They hear the music, listen to the sermons, do missions, pray, and have ceremonies yet America is, as the author states, “rapidly losing her very identity as a Christian nation.” So why is this true? The answer to that is why Devout Christians are leaving the established church in rapid numbers. The needed Truths are not being told or received in most established church congregations today.

Another question posed by the author is why so many “born-again Christians are getting divorced, taking antidepressants, hooked on online porn, or just plain confused, resentful, and dissatisfied with life?” Again, the answer is both simple and very complicated at the same time; the needed Truths are not being told or received in most established church congregations today.

I was part of the “seeker sensitive movement” in the 1990’s, and I along with many others I have known and served with have repented for allowing that movement to shift from what God was doing too far the other way; though I personally did fight against, warn, and resist that shift. Many of us have sought to find the balance God originally intended between established religion (religiosity) and sincere godly Christian spirituality. It has been difficult because people love to live in the extremes, and those two extremes, religiosity or grace-abuse, seem to be the primary camps of congregations littering the current church landscape in America.

Kupelian states, “too many of our churches have lost the essence of what it means to walk with God and have filled the vacuum with either excitement and entertainment or dry theology and ceremony.” Bingo! Religiosity. Christianity is mean to be a spiritual religion not a legalistic religion like Islam – performing rituals to please God or a god.

We will continue our exploration of the tenth chapter of this marvelous book in the next posting. Where happiness and peace are addressed.

 

 

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

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.

The Marketing of Evil

https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption Disguised/dp/1942475217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483474172&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Marketing+of+Evil

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt.25 – Does God Go Missing?

In Agape Love, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Encouragement, Exhortation, Fear, Forgiveness, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Impatience, Jesus, Loss, Love, Persecution, Prayer, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on April 20, 2017 at 5:24 pm

In this piece, we will begin to explore chapter ten of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so.

The questions that have been heard through the cracked raw voices. The question in the eyes flooded with burning tears that roll down a red-blotched strained-to-breaking face. Where was God when X happened? Why didn’t He do anything? How could He let this happen? Why was God missing from my life when I needed Him the most? Does God go missing?

Does any minister or any individual have an adequate answer to such questions? I do not believe they do with the key point being, “an adequate answer” for the heartbreak some people face. Do we live in a fallen world racked with sin? Yes. Do we suffer at the hands of another person’s freewill? Yes. Is Satan alive and well and attempting to create as much evil and destruction as possible. Yes. However, even knowing all of that is not a sufficient answer for why The Sovereign God did not intervene in some manner – a question made all the more painful when an individual prayed fervently that God would act on their behalf.

Let us examine for a moment what “sovereignty” is and is not in relationship to God.

“Sovereignty of God” per Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. 1995 (R. F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, R. K. Harrison & Thomas Nelson Publishers, Ed.). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

“SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD — a theological term that refers to the unlimited power of God, who has sovereign control over the affairs of nature and history (Is. 45:9–19; Rom. 8:18–39). The Bible declares that God is working out His sovereign plan of redemption for the world and that the conclusion is certain. Immediately after the Fall He talked about the curse of human sin and specified the cure for it. To the serpent He said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen. 3:15). The whole redemptive story of the Bible is the fulfillment of this prophecy by the sovereign God, as Paul clearly teaches in Romans 8–11.

The story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation is possible only because the sovereign God loves the created world and His creation, fallen though it is, and is able to do something about it. Without the sovereign love of the Father ministered to us through the Son and the Holy Spirit, there would be no real human freedom and no hope of everlasting life.”

Because God is sovereign over His plan of redemption for mankind does not mean He controls, plans, orchestrates, fates, or even desires every event in history, and in our lives, to take place. He most certainly does not in my theological view. The omnipotence (Jer. 32:17, 27) of God is without question but the fact that God can or could do anything does not mean He does or is going to orchestrate all events.

God is without a doubt (all-powerful) omnipotent. God is (ever-present) omnipresent, even before the creation of the world. Without question God is (all-knowing) omniscient. He certainly has all fore-knowledge, and is no doubt the wisest of the wise. Reference the following Scriptures: Ps. 139:7–12, 1 John 3:20, Acts 15:18, Is. 48:3, 5, Jerm. 32:17,27 and many others. God guides the individual who wishes to be guided by Him but that does not mean that no person or nothing can affect their life. Do not misunderstand me. Nothing happens to me that God does not “allow” but allowing something and causing it to happen are two very different things.

God may allow something to happen, and God may know it is going to happen but that does not mean that God wanted it to happen; yet, God is present, and God does have the wisdom to know what to do with the event after it has happened. However, if we are to benefit from that wisdom we must get past any anger or confusion we feel and seek His godly wisdom for how we are to respond to the event. What He desires to do through the event. What He wants us to learn from or get out of the event.

God is so far beyond even what He has revealed to us in His written Word that fully grasping Him while on earth will never be possible.

As the author pointed out in the beginning of this chapter, all we have is the Word to use to “explore the realities and realms far beyond words.” He also points out that “most of the religious or spiritual words “we have available to us today in our English language have been “sullied by overuse and misuse.” A fact that is very apparent if you being to dig into the words found within the Bible in their original Greek or Hebrew language for the depth of their meaning. We have a shallow understanding of what the words in That Amazing Book (The Bible) actual mean and entail.

When you seek God’s Will and not your own, then you purpose to live out that Will moment-by-moment day-after-day, you are walking with God. Of those who walk with God the author say, there is “an intimacy to their relationship with God, a moment-by-moment flow of understanding, guidance, and what the author describes as a “special energy called “grace.”” This type of relationship is available to anyone who desire to have it, yet, even some individuals who have accepted Christ’s free gift of salvation there are those who are not willing to take their relationship with Him to this level. However, for those who have drawn close to God in a relationship that can be defined as walking with God, the author reminds us that many people who have walked with God, good people, people God loves dearly, have gone through horrible persecution and difficulties in life, while they were passing on some “simple, life-giving truths, to the rest of us.” Many people are still being persecuted, hated, and maligned because of their walk with God. People hate them because it easier than facing the absence of God in their walk.

There are so many individuals within the church buildings every Sunday morning but it is only a few who truly find that walk, the walk on the narrow path. Kupelian, a journalist, notes that 4 out of 5 Americans call themselves Christians, yet, most “don’t seem to have a clue about what it means to “follow Christ.”” He goes on to state that 45% of those “teach their children there are no absolute values.” A very few find out what life, real life, is all about – that God Himself is our destiny. Walking with God is our purpose in life.

Matthew 7:13–14 (NKJV) Jesus speaking

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Sadly, the established church is not helping to shepherd these individuals in a fruitful manner. As the author states, and I have seen myself, “committed, born-again Christians are exiting the established church in massive numbers.” This is both true and heartbreaking to me. I personally have been crying out to church leadership all of the US and beyond for over 20 years to recognize and change what was wrong within the established church to stop this mass exodus.

We will explore that mass exodus of born-again Christians from the established church, along with continuing to review chapter 10 in the next posting.

Please know your questions and comments are welcome anytime.

 

 

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

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.

The Marketing of Evil

https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption Disguised/dp/1942475217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483474172&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Marketing+of+Evil

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Why Easter?

In Agape Love, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Easter, End Times, False Gods, Forgiveness, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Love, Passover, Remnant, Renewal, Resurrection, Revival, Rhema Words, Truth, Uncategorized on April 14, 2017 at 3:38 pm

Mark 15:22–39 (NKJV)

22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.

Jesus is Crucified

Matt. 27:35–56; Luke 23:33–49; John 19:18, 23–30

24 And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.

25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above:

THE KING OF THE JEWS

27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”

29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 save Yourself, and come down from the cross!”

31 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”

Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

33 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!” 36 Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.”

37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”

Mark 16 (NKJV)

The Resurrection of Jesus

Matt. 28:1–8; Luke 24:1–9

16 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

The Appearances of Jesus

Luke 24:13–48; John 20:1–10

9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The Ascension of Jesus

Luke 24:49–53; Acts 1:9

19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 24 Impatience, Anger, and Evil

In Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, False Gods, Fear, Forgiveness, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Hate, Hatred, Humanism, Impatience, Jesus, Loss, Love, Persecution, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on April 7, 2017 at 9:09 am

In this posting we will finish reviewing chapter nine of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. The latter part of this chapter connects impatience to anger and hate.

Kupelian explains that impatience is about “literally our making what we want (to go faster) more important than what is right (God’s commandment that we be patient with our neighbor’s shortcomings). In so doing we are making our will more important that God’s Will. We are playing God. We may try to justify being impatient but impatience is selfishness, immaturity, and a lack of love on display in our reactions to life. Anger also makes us feel strong because it feels like strength but it is not strength, it is actually a terrible weakness. Excessive impatience and anger show just how weak a person you truly are.

Anger is one of the greatest self-destructive emotions of all the human behaviors. Anger destroys social, business, and romantic relationships. No one should have to or should allow themselves to endure the abuse that comes from someone who cannot control their temper.

An important side note: There is a difference between displaying anger and being angry. There is a time to display anger. An impression of being really upset, even angry, might be called for in certain situations. However, being angry means you are out of control. Anger over true injustices within the world and society is not the type of anger we are dealing with here. Righteous indignation, like Jesus had in the temple courtyard (Matthew 21:12-17, Mark 11:15–17, Luke 19:45-46), does not harm or destroy it seeks to correct injustice and drive out sin through nondestructive means. True righteous indignation leads to a desire to change something not to resentment.

There is a time and there are people who are called to stand up against and courageously oppose evil oppressors. This is the mark of a true martyr. However, a true martyr does not kill for their cause. A true martyr does not kill people because they disagree with their religious beliefs. A true martyr does not kill people because they believe said people are less than human. A true martyr does not kill an abortion doctor because the doctor performs abortions. A true martyr would rather die for their cause and beliefs at the hands of another person rather than kill another human being. Courageously standing up against evil oppressors does not mean killing.

What causes anger? Impatience. What causes impatience? Arrogance. A person who cannot control their temper, who rains on those around him or her angry yells and insults is a very arrogant person. Anger is a clear sign of an inflated sense of self-importance. Someone who is truly humble is a person who is almost impossible to anger.

Real patience is agape love, real love. To release hostility can feel like a loss, like we are letting go of something that we need, that protect us, something important and necessary for our safety. This pride that has convinced us of such lies, and indulging in it, will only nourish everything that is wrong inside of us. That anger appears to our pride to be righteous when it almost never is, it might even seem noble in our minds. Anger problems in people are everywhere because “anger is the necessary food for pride, and pride is at the very core of most of our problems in this life.” May God grant us humble hearts and gave us the destruction of pride.

Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV)

Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit before a fall.

People are wronged. People are hurt. People are damaged by other people. The people who truly recover from traumas are those people who can find the path to forgiveness and forgive those who have hurt them. Psychology, religion, common sense, and experience agree that forgiveness is the way to find true healing. Those people who can forgive are able to move on with their life. Those individuals who cannot forgive stay bogged down in their mire of the trauma until they learn to let it go. Failure to forgive keeps the wound inside of us open and bleeding.

Resentment is our measuring stick to how patient, loving, and forgiving we are. Resentment is evidence of our failure to forgive, our failure to love, and our failure to be patient with the imperfections of other people. To forgive is to give up our resentment.

Un-forgiveness is a form of hate. Hate will eat us up inside. To justify our un-forgiveness or hate will not save us the ravishes of their sin. Hate is never okay.

In the next posting, we will begin to review chapter ten of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. In chapter ten we will examine the difficult question that so many people ask. Where is God while evil is running ramped in the world?

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

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.

The Marketing of Evil

https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption Disguised/dp/1942475217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483474172&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Marketing+of+Evil

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 23 – The Instrument or The Self

In Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Evil, Exhortation, Fear, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Hate, Hatred, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Loss, Persecution, Renewal, Revival, Suffering, UN Resolution, Uncategorized on March 30, 2017 at 2:42 pm

In this posting we will continue reviewing chapter nine of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. The second half of this chapter continues to deal with this issue of hate.

Guns are blamed for many killings but guns do not kill, the people with the guns kill. The instrument itself that is used to hurt another is not evil in and of itself, the individual using the instrument is what is driven by evil. As the author points out the evil is within us not in the guns. However, it makes us uncomfortable to fact that fact so we blame the guns.

Guns, knives, instruments of hate provoke in us horrible thoughts. The very sight of a weapon makes many people sense the presence of evil. The author contends that the presence of a gun in a person’s close proximity can cause that person’s “own buried, angry, violent tendencies to surface” at least for a moment. This reality, according to the author, can create a dislike or discomfort around guns for many people. However, he exerts that their uneasiness is because of their own fears about what they would do with such an object. People carry much buried and unrecognized rage inside. A concept too difficult for many people to face thus they blame, dislike, and cast their negative emotions or feeling on the guns.

Evil is continually watching each of us, looking for that open door, an opportunity to tempt or destroy us. Evil moves upon our mind to provide us with a mental shove in his direction – Satan’s direction, the father of evil. People can give into this evil if the shove is hard enough. People are especially susceptible if they have spent most of their life living in anger, doubt, and despair. We are all born in sin thus we are all somewhat subject to some measure of a dark force. Those of us who face what is wrong inside of us and call upon God for help, find help in Christ. While other people live in denial until evil brings about a tragedy and death.

What to do?

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Call upon Christ to save us from the evil within, to cleans us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Anger has great power. When we become angry and resentful we literally are stepping into an alternate dimension, according to the author. We begin to think and feel differently. Anger causes the mind to work in another way. Another form of logic begins to take over, an evil distorted logic. The anger cuts us off from God, the usual calm self with the sensible mind become overshadowed by the evil the anger brings into your spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical sphere. You become a conduit for something else, for the work of the Evil One. Most assuredly Satan does not have your best interest in mind. One moment of anger can leave you with a lifetime of regret and consequences once that anger is acted upon. Evil, anger, is just a question of degree for each person.

Even many “normal” people are filled with hostility. Hostility that is only shown to their family members perhaps but it is there, per the author’s beliefs. This emotional turmoil often leads to breakdowns within families and divorce. The husband blames the wife and the wife blames the husband. People smoke, drink, or take legal or illegal drugs to ease this ever-building anger inside. Illness is also often a result of unresolved anger. This has been affirmed by a major study noted in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

In the next posting, we will finish reviewing chapter ten of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. The latter part of this chapter connects impatience to anger and hate.

 

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

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.

The Marketing of Evil

https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption Disguised/dp/1942475217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483474172&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Marketing+of+Evil

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt.22 – The Breeding of Hate

In Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, False Gods, Fear, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Hate, Hatred, Idolatry, Jesus, Parenting, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on March 24, 2017 at 1:44 pm

In this piece we will begin to explore chapter nine of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so. Here are some of the highlights as found within this chapter regarding the evil power of hate.

In this chapter there is the belief that people do not start out evil but instead an innocent child is born and can “morph into an instrument of great evil.” I concur. In an interview I once did for a book on a serial killer I made the following statements. ‘Psychological damage can open the door to evil.’ “When people have been severely damaged by other people that damage leaves them susceptible and open to the influence of evil.” The author of the book mixed up the words “psychological” and “theological” in one of my statements. My statement should have read as follows, that I learned at an early age in life “the theological basis of evil, and the psychological basis for damaged children growing up to damage other people.” Kupelian points out that in his view hate fills a person and drives them to violate others only when someone else first violates them – a parent, sibling, teacher, cleric, or some other authority figure sexually abuses, bullies, humiliates, degrades frightens, intimidates, etc. the person first. Again, first a wound, then a wounded person, and finally someone who wounds others.

The author, Kupelian, believes that under hate one can find a fireball of suppressed rage. Once intense hatred has being given license in a person’s life it can morph into what the author calls “full-blown epic madness.” We see this in jihadist individuals who bring about terrorism. Authority figures have little problem directing that hate, rage, and madness toward a specific group – Christians, Jews, Americans, infidels, etc. – especially when a person is young.

How does hate programming take place? It is really not that difficult. Why? Because as the author says, “We effortlessly internalize the cruelty of others.” Many people are well aware of the obvious effects that being angry and upset have on a person such as making us emotional and clouding our judgment. What many people do not realize however is that being angry “throws us into “program mode”.” Getting upset allows our minds and hearts to be infected with hate. Hitler always kept his audiences super emotional. You simply cannot think clearly when you are too emotional. Brainwashing 101 keep the target you wish to brainwash upset as much as possible – then the brainwashers thoughts and feeling become the thoughts and feelings of the one being brainwashed. When you have someone upset you have “your hands on the control levers of their mind.”

The passing of hate from one generation to another is sadly common. You repeat what you learn, what you endure, unless some radical means of escape takes place. The person bullied will almost always bully other people. Prisons are full of molesters and abusers who were molested and abused, as the author points out. It is sadly true for many people that ‘expressing their hatred, feeling their hatred, and degrading others reinforce their sense of self-worth and their identity’ – as absurd and disturbing as it may sound. Hatred of any enemy, especially as a group in the case of a common enemy, brings about a perverse fulfillment to an individual or group, unifying a group of dysfunctional and hostile people, and in their twisted thinking enhancing their own self-image.

Anti-Semitic hates runs deep and has gone on for a long time. Israeli counterterrorism expert Itamar Marcus states in “The Genocide Mechanism” that in order to program hate toward a group the programmers must demonize the targets. This is done by making sure they individuals are perceived as a “clear and present threat” so the killers can believe they are acting in self-defense. Additionally, there is a need to “dehumanize” the targeted individuals so the killers would not view themselves as destroying real human beings.

There is little doubt that the Jewish people are among the most hated, tormented, and persecuted group of people who have every walked the earth. People hate favored people for no reason at all. God favored His people. Sadly, even some Christians have come to express hatred for God’s people, the Jewish people, and this should not be so. The Aryan Nations, white supremacist, condemn Jews as “the natural enemy of our Aryan Race.” The American Nazi Party desire an America that “is free of alien, Jewish influence.” The Al-Akhbar, the semiofficial Egyptian state-run daily newspaper, views ‘the Jews as accursed and always will be.’

Losers wish to be transformed into winners, even if it is in their own minds only, the author states. Therefore, their hate has a simply root. Instead of taking responsibility for their own problems, they blame others. Psychologist would call it scapegoating or projection. Who are those individuals that would engage in such behavior? People who do not wish to face reality, those who do not wish to admit their own failings, people who have no real desire to change in any meaningful way. Some people turn to drugs, alcohol, sex, music, entertainment, etc. to escape dealing with basic truths about themselves but as Kupelian points out “the most dangerous, certainly as addicting as any drug” that people use to hide from themselves is “scapegoating.” Turn it on someone else; make everything about them, their actions, never willing to truly take responsibility for your own.

As the author notes the dark side of human nature needs to project blame and guilt onto other people as a part of their core survival strategy. People who want to avoid taking responsibly for their own sins find a scapegoat. In our own lives don’t most of us to a greater or lesser degree tend to blame other for our problems?

Leviticus 16:8–10 (NKJV)

8 Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. 10 But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness.

“scapegoat” in the Hebrew language =

5799 עֲזָאזֵל [ʿazaʾzel /az·aw·zale/] n m. From 5795 and 235; TWOT 1593; GK 6439; Four occurrences; AV translates as “scapegoat” four times. 1 entire removal, scapegoat. 1A refers to the goat used for sacrifice for the sins of the people. 1B meaning dubious.

In the next posting we will finish reviewing chapter nine of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works of which the second half continues to deal with this issue of hate.

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

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.

The Marketing of Evil

https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption Disguised/dp/1942475217/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483474172&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Marketing+of+Evil

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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My Apology

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Devotional, Evil, Forgiveness, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Renewal, Uncategorized on March 17, 2017 at 12:31 pm

I want to offer my heartfelt apology to all my readers, those that both receive my blog entries via email by “following” the blog and those individuals who take the time to check the site regularly for updates. It has been a beyond acceptable time period since my last blog posting.

God has been doing many different things in life over the last six months, my head has been spinning at times, my heart soaring at other, and my hands full beyond my capacity to handle at times. For this reason, I have dropped the ball when it came to keeping up with the blog. However, all has now been resolved, put in order, and life is beginning to take the shape of normalcy once again.

Therefore, I am here to both beg your forgiveness, and make a fresh commitment to all my readers that apart from when I am out of town there will be a NEW weekly blog posting, every week, starting next week, March 20th – 25th 2017.

Additionally, we will be ending the series we have been doing on evil very soon. Therefore, please send me your thoughts for a series, ideas for areas of study to explore, questions that can be addressed, etc. for future blog postings. You may use the contact link provided on the blog, and remember you can submit your comments, questions, and ideas anonymously.

Again, I am sorry I have disappointed you.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Precious Baby–Jesus

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Christmas, Christmas Star, Devotional, Encouragement, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Renewal, Revival, Spiritual Fruit, Spirituality, Truth on December 18, 2016 at 1:53 pm

A bit of Christmas trivia for you. Many people do not think about it, or either do not know, but Jesus may not have been born on December 25th but it is the day we have chosen to honor His Miraculous birth. Many scholars have debated the facts over the years regarding dates, age, and time frame but here are a couple of widely accepted details.

There is a good chance Jesus was born in April or September, not December. He was also not born in 1AD but instead was born sometime between 7-2BC according to scholars. To me that is quite a gap in time and many people debate those five years but I tend to believe it was about 3-2BC when Christ came to this earth to redeem it from the power of darkness. Additionally, the wise men were not present at Jesus’ birth they came to Jesus, directed by the heavenly star, which marked the birthplace and their travels took them some time as they came from faraway lands. When they arrived, Jesus would have been about two years old, which is why Herod had all the babies two and under killed [Matt. 2:16-18] in an attempt to kill the Messiah. Nevertheless, the precious child was born and we praise God that He was willing to come to this earth and bring us the ability to have joy and peace in Christ at Christmas time.

The balance of this post will include details from a lecture done by Barry Setterfield regarding Jesus’ birth and the study of the Star of Bethlehem. Although none of us can truly pinpoint every detail of Jesus’ birth and the Wise Men’s journey, I find the following teaching to be quite creditable.

The Christmas Star Lecture

Barry Setterfield – Teaching 1993

Based on 28 years of research by historians, astrologers, and astronomers who studied of the Star of Bethlehem.

All of the following dynamics tie into pinpointing when Jesus was born and when the Wise Men would have arrived to worship Him.

Mary and Joseph both came from the line of David.

A woman giving birth would have been considered unclean because of the blood involved. If the woman was in a house during this time, the whole house would have been considered unclean and this was during a time of religious ceremonies. Hence, the use of a stable for birth.

Shepherds were in fields at night only twice a year, in spring and fall. Therefore, Jesus was born in the spring or fall of 3BC. [My note: This could be why some believe Jesus was born in April.]

Autumn 3BC Jesus was born. Between the 10th and the 25th of September.

Jesus is born September 12th then on His eight day He was circumcised, which would have been September 20th the Jewish Day of Atonement thus Jesus was shedding His first blood on the Day of Atonement. Then on September 25th, the Feast of the Tabernacle would have taken place.

If Jesus were in fact born around this time, September 10th – 25th, then His conception would have been close to the 25th of December, the previous year.

The Wise Men, the men who set out to find the New King of the Jews.

The star in the sky that announced Jesus’ birth remained in the sky for a couple, to several, years and moved guiding the Wise Men. When the Wise Men got to Jesus they went into the “house” to worship Him, house not stable [Matt. 2:11]. Above Bethlehem the star, the planet Jupiter, stopped moving and stood still for six days over the Christ Child, the day it stopped moving would have been December 25th 2BC – on that day the Wise Men arrived.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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A Candymaker’s Witness

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Candy Cane, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Christmas, Devotional, Encouragement, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Love, Renewal, Revival, Spiritual Fruit, Spirituality, Truth, Uncategorized on December 13, 2016 at 1:48 pm

Original source/author unknown

A candymaker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry and death of Jesus Christ.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and firmness of the promises of God.

The candymaker made the candy in the form of a “J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. It could also represent the staff of the “Good Shepherd” with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs, who like all sheep, have gone astray.

Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life.

Unfortunately, the candy became known as a Candy Cane – a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who “have eyes to see and ears to hear.” I pray that this symbol will again be used to witness TO THE WONDER OF JESUS and HIS GREAT LOVE that came down at Christmas and remains the ultimate and dominant force in the universe today.

This year try hanging your candy canes, on your tree, upside down so that they form the letter “j”. It will be a small way to remind all who see them the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

May God bless all who read this with the knowledge of Him, the wisdom of His mind, and a heart for His will.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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An Old Man’s Christmas

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Christmas, Devotional, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Godliness, Jesus, Uncategorized on December 5, 2016 at 7:14 am

Someone sent me this story anonymously several years back. It had no title so I gave the story its title. If you know who wrote this story or you believe the story to be copyrighted material please contact me and I will pull the posting immediately. Otherwise, enjoy this wonderful Christmas story, which embodies a principle Jesus taught.

 

The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn’t been anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day to him. He didn’t hate Christmas, just couldn’t find a reason to celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened and a homeless man stepped through.

Instead of throwing the man out, Old George as he was known by his customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up. "Thank you, but I don’t mean to intrude," said the stranger. "I see you’re busy, I’ll just go."

"Not without something hot in your belly." George said.

He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger. "It ain’t much, but it’s hot and tasty. Stew … Made it myself. When you’re done, there’s coffee and it’s fresh."

Just at that moment, he heard the "ding" of the driveway bell.. "Excuse me, be right back," George said. There in the driveway was an old ’53 Chevy. Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. "Mister can you help me!" said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. "My wife is with child and my car is broken." George opened the hood. It was bad. The block looked cracked from the cold the car was dead.

"You ain’t going in this thing," George said as he turned away.

"But Mister, please help …." The door of the office closed behind George as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was waiting. "Here, take my truck," he said. "She ain’t the best thing you ever looked at, but she runs real good."

George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into the night.. He turned and walked back inside the office. "Glad I gave ’em the truck, their tires were shot too. That ‘ol truck has brand new." George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. "Well, at least he got something in his belly," George thought.

George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas Eve meant no customers. He discovered the block hadn’t cracked; it was just the bottom hose on the radiator. "Well, shoot, I can fix this," he said to himself. So he put a new one on.

"Those tires ain’t gonna get ’em through the winter either." He took the snow treads off of his wife’s old Lincoln. They were like new and he wasn’t going to drive the car anyway.

As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a police car, an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left shoulder, the officer moaned, "Please help me."

George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had received in the Army as a medic.. He knew the wound needed attention. "Pressure to stop the bleeding," he thought. The uniform company had been there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct tape to bind the wound. "Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin’," he said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.

"Something for pain," George thought. All he had was the pills he used for his back. "These ought to work." He put some water in a cup and gave the policeman the pills.. "You hang in there; I’m going to get you an ambulance."

The phone was dead. "Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there talk box out in your car." He went out only to find that a bullet had gone into the dashboard destroying the two-way radio.

He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. "Thanks," said the officer. "You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in the area."

George sat down beside him, "I would never leave an injured man in the Army and I ain’t gonna leave you." George pulled back the bandage to check for bleeding. "Looks worse than what it is.. Bullet passed right through ‘ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time your gonna be right as rain."

George got up and poured a cup of coffee. "How do you take it?" he asked.

"None for me," said the officer.

"Oh, yer gonna drink this. Best in the city. Too bad I ain’t got no donuts." The officer laughed and winced at the same time.

The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun. "Give me all your cash! Do it now!" the young man yelled. His hand was shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this before.

"That’s the guy that shot me!" exclaimed the officer.

"Son, why are you doing this?" asked George, "You need to put the cannon away. Somebody else might get hurt."

The young man was confused. "Shut up old man, or I’ll shoot you, too. Now give me the cash!"

The cop was reaching for his gun. "Put that thing away," George said to the cop, "we got one too many in here now."

He turned his attention to the young man. "Son, its Christmas Eve. If you need money, well then, here. It ain’t much but it’s all I got. Now put that pea shooter away."

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man, reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. "I’m not very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and son," he went on. "I’ve lost my job, my rent is due, my car got repossessed last week."

George handed the gun to the cop. "Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we can."

He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from the cop. "Sometimes we do stupid things." George handed the young man a cup of coffee. "Bein’ stupid is one of the things that makes us human. Comin’ in here with a gun ain’t the answer. Now sit there and get warm and we’ll sort this thing out."

The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. "Sorry I shot you. It just went off. I’m sorry officer."

"Shut up and drink your coffee,” the cop said.

George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn. "Chuck! You ok?" one of the cops asked the wounded officer.

"Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?"

"GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread.. Who did this?" the other cop asked as he approached the young man.

Chuck answered him, "I don’t know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just dropped his gun and ran."

George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.

"That guy work here?" the wounded cop continued.

"Yep,” George said, "just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job."

The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, "Why?"

Chuck just said, "Merry Christmas boy … and you too, George, and thanks for everything."

"Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve some of your problems."

George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a ring box. "Here you go something for the little woman. I don’t think Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day."

The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw. "I can’t take this," said the young man. "It means something to you."

"And now it means something to you," replied George. "I got my memories. That’s all I need."

George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell.. "Here’s something for that little man of yours."

The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old man had handed him earlier.

"And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that too," George said. "Now git home to your family."

The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. "I’ll be here in the morning for work, if that job offer is still good."

"Nope. I’m closed Christmas day," George said. "See ya the day after."

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. "Where’d you come from? I thought you left?"

"I have been here. I have always been here," said the stranger. "You say you don’t celebrate Christmas. Why?"

"Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn’t see what all the bother was. Puttin’ up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin’ cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn’t the same by myself and besides I was gettin’ a little chubby."

The stranger put his hand on George’s shoulder. "But you do celebrate the holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a great doctor.

The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man and not take any for himself. "That is the spirit of the season and you keep it as good as any man."

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. "And how do you know all this?" asked the old man.

"Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when your days are done you will be with Martha again."

The stranger moved toward the door. "If you will excuse me, George, I have to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned."

George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to fill the room.

"You see, George … it’s My birthday. Merry Christmas."

George fell to his knees and replied, "Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus"

Merry Christmas!!

 

Matthew 25:34–40 (NKJV) Jesus speaking

34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 18 Men and Masculinity

In Advice, Agape Love, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, False Gods, Fear, Femininity, Feminism, Gender, Gender Idenity, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Idolatry, Jesus, Loss, Love, Masculinity, Mental Disorder, Mental Illness, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Psychiatric Drugs, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on November 14, 2016 at 5:51 pm

In this piece we will explore the first half of chapter eight of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so. Here are some of the highlights as found within this chapter regarding the cultural war on fathers, men, and manhood in America.

If you doubt that there has been a cultural battle raging against men and fatherhood in American in the last thirty years, I would say you might have had your cultural head buried in the sand. Men have been pulled down under the pretense of lifting others groups, especially women, up. Typically I would not reveal this information but for this posting I do believe it is important; I am a woman. In my view the rise in “women’s liberation” since the nineteen-seventies has stolen so much from women where men and relationships with men are concerned, not to mention what it has done to the masculinity of men in the United States of America. The author points out that this war on men, boys, and masculinity has not only be cultural but legal as well, for decades now.

Over activity is often found in boys, as it has been since I was a young girl. However, today a means by which educators deal with this hyperactive behavior is to label the young boy as having a disorder that has been given the name ADHD, and having the placement of the child on medication mandatory for school attendance. One of those medications is Ritalin, which is a trade name for methylphenidate a Schedule II substance with a high potential for abuse. If you have ever taken Ritalin you cannot join the Navy. Now what does that tell you about the believed long-term damage or effects?

As the author points out, now years later after medicating millions of children long-term scientific research into ADHD now tells us that fidgeting and moving around are better for boys in aiding their learning process – Mark D. Rapport, clinical psychologist, professor and longtime ADHD researcher at the University of Central Florida. However, what have we as a society allowed to be done to all those millions of children who were medicated unnecessarily.

According to Dr. Tim Kendall, joint director of the National Collaboration Centre for Mental Health, “Almost every possible human behavior can be classified as being in some way aberrant.” A statement he made in a BBC radio show The Medicalization of Normality. I would add, any behavior or belief system that has become undesirable by society has now become a mental illness or disorder. How sad!

In his research the author found that many sources believe that boys “are being targeted for radical reprogramming by academics offended by masculinity itself.” The author quotes Gloria Steinem, “We need to raise boys like we raise girls.” Without deeper context or understanding I would have to say that this is a ridiculous concept in general. Boys are not girls, they were not created to be girls or be feminine and there is no way they can be raised in the manner girls are raised. Girls are to be raised to be as God created them, girls, infused with femininity, and boys are to be raised as God created them, boys, endowed with masculinity. The author notes that even a maverick feminist such as Camille Paglia reminds her man-hating contemporaries that masculinity is “the most creative cultural force in history.”

Can you imagine why feminist inspired experts would want to destroy masculinity? Masculinity has ‘tamed the wilderness, structured civilizations, changed our lives and history through inventions, and sacrificed their very lives to protect women and children.’

What has all of this tearing down of men and masculinity done for our society? Where has it led? In part it has led to a gender revolution that defies and attempts to remove God as Creator, by altering ones born gender and identity. This however, it a topic we will take up in part 19, when we review the second half of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works.

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

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.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 17 God is Out

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, End Times, Evil, Exhortation, False Gods, Fear, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Idolatry, Jesus, Loss, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on October 6, 2016 at 11:28 am

In this piece we will explore chapter seven of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so. Here are some of the highlights as found within this chapter regarding people’s rejection of God.

In America a large majority of people have begun to reject God, both the reality of His existence and/or His right as their Creator to be their Lord. For many people God is out, no longer in vogue, and Christianity is certainly not fashionable any longer. As we have seen this type of attitude increase in America we have seen the decline of America.

Kupelian address this issue by addressing atheism. At the time of the printing of his book in 2010, in his view atheism was undergoing a remarkable change. The group has gone, in the author’s view, from a group on the fringes of our society to a group that is increasingly vocal and unapologetic when it comes to mocking religion, coalescing into a political force and crying of discrimination against them at every turn. Just as homosexuality was once considered shameful by the larger culture, atheism was considered shameful. However, now both are becoming “hip, sophisticated, even a badge of honor” as the author puts it.

Here are some noteworthy facts the author discovered in his research.

· According to the American Religious Identification Survey, people who claim “no religion” were the only demographic group to expand in all fifty states. Can you imagine how much more that number has increased since that survey in 2009?

· In the United Kingdom atheism is so popular that over one hundred thousand Britons officially renounced their Christian faith by download “certificates of de-baptism” off the internet.

· Many atheists have adopted a euphemistic label, and now they know by the name “Brights.”

· According to the National Journal atheist are less willing to partake in what they deem violent conflicts of a religious nature such as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars/conflicts.

· Atheists have no ethical problem with euthanasia.

· As a collective group atheists believe pharmacist should not be allowed to refuse to fulfill chemical abortion prescriptions as a matter of conscience or religious faith.

· The majority hold the view that only evolution should be taught in schools, no “intelligent design” allowed.

· Many atheists believe all federal funding should be pulled from the Boy Scouts should they choose to teach that a good Scout has a “duty to God.”

· Some very influential atheists reportedly want to clone humans. Atheists are “emerging as an enthusiastic voice on behalf of scientific efforts to clone human beings, a technology with the potential to ‘conquer mortality.’” – Starobin

· Atheists expounding the evolutionary belief system follow the party line of belittling and ridiculing anyone who dares to criticize or question the “utterly unproven theory of macroevolution” – one species morphing into an entirely new species.

The author points out that many atheist authors believe God is not needed because man has a strong innate moral sense. The author Sam Harris makes that point by forcefully stating that ‘human beings are born with an ethical sense of right and wrong – regardless of whether or not they believe in God.’ I would say to that, who do they think created them with this inner conscious and this ethical sense of right and wrong – God of course!

Kupelian makes the point that at birth most people’s inborn sense of right and wrong operates just as God intended it to work. I would like to make the point that just as an organ or limb can become damaged a person’s conscious can become damaged, as they harden their hearts toward the promptings of God within their own conscious.

People love to blame those they deem “hypocrites” for their lack of faith in God. God is God, God is not the individuals who make up any particular religion, nor is God any particular person one might view as a hypocrite. Most noble Christian religious groups are made of up of imperfect people. If the atheist’s problem is truly with God, then there may not be any solution for them but if their problem is with religion and the imperfect people therein, perhaps the atheist deserves a big of slack. Perhaps they have seen the “anesthetizing shallowness and superficiality of far too much of the modern Christian church” as the author notes, and I fully agree. To me this is the greater concern, that this is the true problem, the real issue behind the abandonment of Christianity, and by association God. Decent people have been turned away from God by religious leaders who are phonies. However, keep in mind there is a difference between a phony Christian spiritual leader and an imperfect Christian spiritual leader who is struggling to be all God wants them to be. As the author, Kupelian states, “These may be tough words, but if we’re ever going to understand why so many people are turning not only to atheism, but to pagan and New Age religions and myriad other strange spiritual philosophies and practices, then we need to face the sad state of the modern church.”

The rock of the atheism can be found in the question of, ‘If there is a loving and all-powerful God, why does He allow people to suffer so horribly?’ As C.S. Lewis stated in his famous journal through grief titled, A Greif Observed, “these things are sent to try us” – God wasn’t “trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t.” Lewis goes on with a profound personal truth, “He [meaning God] always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize that fact was to knock it down…” C.S. Lewis had a quality that understood that the good things that happen to us should be considered truly good, and the bad things that happen to us should be considered good as well because they have redemptive value – God uses them to perfect us.

The miracle of character growth can take years, and it cannot take root in the garden of resentment. We must endure with patience and dignity. The acorn dies and becomes a giant oak tree; we too must die to pride and come alive to the change God is trying to bring about in us as we endure patiently all we suffer. We can storm through life like a bull charging at a concrete wall and get nowhere but injured or we can ride through life above the crowd on God’s shoulders being carried.

Hebrews 5:8–9 (NKJV) – Scripture regarding, and speaking of, Jesus

8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

Pride can give us the delusion that we are the maters of our destiny. However, we are not our own god, and the true seekers of truth know this fact.

Some people love to deny God’s existence and His power or authority over their lives. However, let a crisis or disaster strike and many so called atheist and agnostics go searching for that God they have claimed does not exist.

In the next posting we will begin to review chapter eight of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. That chapter deals with the cultural war on fathers, men, and manhood in America.

 

 

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

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.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 14 – Healing Forgiveness

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, Evil, Exhortation, Fear, Forgiveness, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Loss, Love, Mental Disorder, Mental Illness, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Psychiatric Drugs, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on October 2, 2016 at 2:42 pm

In this piece we will explore one key point, forgiveness, from chapter five of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so. Here are some of the highlights regarding the power of forgiveness as found within this chapter.

Healing from many of life’s issues can be found through forgiveness, true and complete forgiveness. As the author notes in this chapter, the Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus gave us as a blueprint for approaching God just might provide insight for how to heal what we in our society have labeled “mental Illness.” That might sound crazy to you, but is it really?

Below I have provided the Lord’s Prayer from the Book of Matthew just as Jesus spoke it in bold font. In the (parentheses beside each section in regular italic font I have expounded with life application for each principle found within the prayer.)

Matthew 6:9–13 (NKJV) Jesus speaking

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name. (Revere and submit to God.)

10 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven. (Want God’s Will.)

11 Give us this day our daily bread. (Trust God.)

12 And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors. (Give and receive forgiveness.)

13 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one. (Seek to be away from, and protected from, sin.)

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Trust God for it all and seek to glorify Him.)

When it comes to dealing with God and man it is in forgiving others, requesting forgiveness for ourselves, and receiving forgiveness or the lack thereof that we live or die spiritually. In forgiveness, manifest in all three forms, or the lack thereof we either find true happiness and innocence or conflict and separation from God and man.

I have heard it said, though I do not know by whom, that forgiveness means giving up all hope that the past would have been different. This statement is so true because in order to forgive we first must stop clinging to, ‘I wish this had not happened.’ It has happened and there is nothing that can be changed about that truth, however, you can change how you continue to react to what has happen. By forgiving you let go of the idea of there being a different yesterday, and you free yourself to live your tomorrow fully.

The author rightly states, forgiveness is about finding the grace to give up anger and resentment over an injustice. Forgiveness, the willingness to give up this anger and resentment, can be very healing. It is additionally true, that un-forgiveness, clinging to hostility and rage, feeds our pride, because after all we certainly deserved better. Only in releasing pride and embracing humility can a person find the courage to truly forgive.

True healing, God healing from mental illness or mental disorders is possible. There are individuals who have been diagnosed with what we call “bipolar disorder,” “depression,” “anxiety disorders,” “schizophrenia,” and other serious conditions that have mysteriously gotten better as Kupelian states. They discovered how to listen to the godly part of themselves aka the right side and stop listening to the ungodly forces at work around and in them aka the wrong side. Godliness grows and evil diminishes. The Light of God comes in, shines on their conflicts, and untangles their inner messes – primarily through various aspects of forgiveness. Once they give up their resentments and rage, no longer getting upset all the time, they simply get better as the author puts it. Having your mood strings pulled chemically through the use of psychiatric drugs will not accomplish this feat.

Our society seems to have forgotten the concepts of personal choice and personal responsibility. A blindness dominates our age which conceals a truth that even children know and understand naturally. We all have a “good side” (conscience) and we all have a “bad side” (sin nature). It is imperative that we are careful which side we heed and which side we feed. Listening to our wrong side will result in terrible consequences.

There is a famous story of an old Cherokee chief talking to his grandson. The chief said:

“A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible battle – between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, pride, anger, envy, lust, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, lies, and cruelty. The other wolf stands for honesty, kindness, hope, sharing, sincerity, humility, friendship, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too,” he added. The grandson reflected on these words for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old chief simply relied, “The one you feed.”

Forgiveness feed the good wolf, forgiveness feeds the spirit, forgiveness feeds healing, forgiveness feeds wholeness, and forgiveness feeds godly character.

In the next posting we will examine chapter six of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. This chapter will confront our false gods.

 

Updated 10-2-2016

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

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.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Evil Transforms (If We Let It) – Pt. 13 – Spiritual Illness

In Advice, Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, Evil, Exhortation, Fear, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Humanism, Jesus, Loss, Mental Disorder, Mental Illness, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Psychiatric Drugs, Religious Freedom, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spirituality, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on April 20, 2016 at 2:21 pm

In this piece we will explore the spiritual aspects of mental problems as found in a very controversial chapter from David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works, chapter five. Please find a link below where you can purchase the book from Amazon, should you desire to do so. Here are some of the highlights found within this chapter.

A fair description of a mentally, emotionally, and spiritually tormented person is given by the author in this chapter. It is a person who has cultivated a secret inner life that is controlled by extremely dark thoughts and compulsions. Wild mood swings. Resentment that has so taken over an individual that they are on the edge of a violent frenzy. Paranoid delusions that are fueled by a person’s out of control and intense emotions. Perhaps even satanic visitations and inner voices that torment a person without mercy, for years at times, pushing them toward murder, suicide, or both.

Doctors actually believe they can solve the types of problems listed above with pills. However, as the author points out, ‘If they truly believe that they just might be as delusional as they people they are attempting to help.’

People are attempting to medicate their pain in life away, either through illegal drugs or by taking prescription drugs. Either way they are attempting to escape dealing with life’s problems and instead they are turning to a quick fix. As the author notes, many do this to get a “painless fix” as dealing with and overcoming life’s problems can often be painful hard work. Each time we fail to deal with issues in our life problems develop.

People are being filled with medication instead of receiving the help they truly need to deal with their emotional conflicts, depression, addictions, anger problems with their roots in trauma, flawed family relationships, and hidden resentments toward unresolved buried cruelty they have suffered. These people need help and understanding to heal their negative programming, overcome their destructive attitudes, surmount unhealthy relationships, and learn to develop and function in healthy ones – these people need genuine healing, not a chemical trick that tells their body and mind they “feel better” when they actually do not.

When they stop taking those drugs, the chemicals that trick their mind, they will be worse off than they were before they started taking the medication. There is a biblical principle that evil influences or vices that are not dealt with properly, when they return they will be much worse than they originally were (Matthew 12:43-45 and Luke 11:24-26).

As the author points out, until fifty years ago Western culture reflected Judeo-Christian conviction that God created the human race with the ability to chose between good and evil. Now the “cultural elite” no longer think of man in spiritual terms – morality, character, self-understanding, repentance and forgiveness. Instead man is viewed as a soulless animal, whose behavioral problems are genetic and can be dealt with by drugs. How is that working for us?

If you research the APA’s actual explanation for the cause of depression you will find that “the causes haven’t been pinpointed yet” is their explanation. Yet, if a person is depressed can there be any doubt that somewhere there is a real underlining and understandable reason. Reasons a person with common sense could comprehend and act upon, in order to bring about genuine healing. Find the root issue and deal with it based on biblical principles and find freedom, true freedom from emotional turmoil.

The great psychiatric lie; everything bad from temper tantrums, drunkenness, road rage, pathological lying, cheating, stealing, physical aggression, and drug abuse is now a disease. It is all physiological or genetic and a drug will fix it. Nothing is your fault, you are just a victim. Well, if nothing is your fault you can’t help yourself, therefore you can’t control yourself. If you can’t control yourself, you can’t trust yourself. If you can’t trust yourself, you can’t think for yourself, thus, you need someone else to think for you – doctors, government, etc. Do you see where this is going, where it could go, or where is has gone for some people?

Kupelian correctly notes that for some people the ego loves the idea that they are not at fault. They like not having any responsibly for their actions. They feel relieved to tell themselves that whatever is wrong with them is an organic disorder and not a sin, weakness, or deficit of character on their part. They are comforted by the lie that it is not their fault. When in reality and truth it would be better to stop blaming all psychological-spiritual problems on chemical imbalances, hormones, genes, and “newly minted mental illnesses” and instead look more deeply for the real causes and find the real cures.

The author describes an interaction with a very perceptive woman who summarized her experience with psychiatric drugs this way. “Do you know what the Valium did for me? It deactivated my conscience.” Another Christian lady was advised by her pastor to go on antidepressants because she was stressed–out and depressed. She did and she felt nothing. No conscious at all. She sinned many times and felt nothing. Then she went off the meds and she described how the first time she committed the same sin she had committed many times while on the meds without the meds, she felt conviction and sorrow. However, while she was on the meds, when she committee this same sin yet she felt justified because she was stressed. On the meds she described herself as feeling neither joy nor sadness. Another woman shares how the prescribed drug she became dependent on made her numb to the seriousness of her sins. She stated the drug was stunting her spiritual growth. That my friend is what is wrong with our society, a lack of conscience toward God and man.

Just as alcohol or illegal drug impair the conscience, so too can prescribed drugs. Feeling better often involves eliminating conflict; even when that conflict is internal within one’s own conscience. However, internal conflict tells us that something is wrong in our life, our thinking, or our heart. Anything that alters how God created the mind to work can have a negative result.

God’s inner revelation of Himself to all of mankind can be found within a person, within the human conscience. The conscience is, according to the author, “literally the presence of God in us, the friction between the way we are and the way we could be.” This correcting and illumination Presence is our greatest friend. However, sadly we as individuals experience Him as a psychic pain when we deviate from His urgings – urgings toward goodness, godliness, righteousness, and justice.

In the next posting we will examine one key point from chapter five of David Kupelian’s book, How Evil Works. This point is the answer to healing from many of life’s pains – forgiveness.

 

 

How Evil Works

http://www.amazon.com/How-Evil-Works-Understanding-Transforming/dp/1439168202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-1&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms our country entirely. Evil can be understood and overcome before it transforms someone you know or even you. Knowledge is power and without it we will perish. We need to be extremely knowledgeable when it comes to evil.

Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

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.

The Marketing of Evil

http://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Evil-Pseudo-Experts-Corruption-Disguised-ebook/dp/B006N75LFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1443464127&sr=8-2&keywords=How+evil+works

Evil is sold in our society just as anything else might be sold, through marketing. Satan has marketed his product through those willing and those ignorant to his schemes. Through his craftiness he has turned the minds of even Believers to think that tolerance of his evil is some form of love. In so doing he has transformed to a large degree the once Devout Church and transformed our society to an enormous degree. He has not accomplished this without his workers however, the willing, the sold out for their own gain, and the ignorant masses following blindly behind the majority.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers, and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.