God's Truth In Love

Posts Tagged ‘Prophet’

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Walmart Prophet

In Church Growth, End-times, Prophecy, Prophet, Revival, Spiritual Gifts on March 4, 2023 at 5:12 pm

Originally posted January 23rd 2023

Walmart Prophet – January 22nd 2023 approximately 2:00 p.m.

Yesterday I had the most powerful encounter with another Believer that I have had in years, in of all places, Walmart.

The last couple of months Jesus has been impressing upon me over and over the need to give more care and attention to every single encounter I have every day. With every stranger, with every clerk in a store, with friends, other Believers, simply everyone. God is wanting me to make every encounter as meaningful as it can be. He has been stressing that this is extremely important in part because of the condition of our society and the disconnect between human beings. So I’ve been trying to be more mindful of that, not being in such a hurry and simply looking to see if God desires to do anything.

Well yesterday in Walmart I was in the mindset to do that when a white haired older gentleman approach me and began to talk. It only took about 30 to 45 seconds for him to ask me was I a Christian. I replied in the affirmative.

He began to remind me of the Scriptures that speak about how God would one day divide the real Christians from those who just claim to be Christians. He went on to say they are distinctions for determining what real Christians are. Then he pivoted the conversation and began to speak about what True God-honoring Congregations of Believers looked like versus what they did not, and additionally what they would have to be like during the end-times and prior to Christ return. Now he had my attention as this was something that God had actually shown me in the late 1990s. I listened with great spiritual discernment.

He began to talk about groups of Believers, those in the Outer Court, those in the Inner Court, and those in the Holy of Holies and their distinctions. As he spoke, he looked me directly in the eyes and began to move closer and closer. I looked him back just as intently and stood my ground as this seemingly stranger closed in on what we would call my personal space. He spoke about how you could tell the Real Believer from an unbeliever by the look in their eyes, and this was something I have always believed. The eyes, as he reminded me, are a window to the soul.

He was beginning to truly capture my attention fully. It seemed like an extremely unusual encounter because God has very rarely sent anyone to speak to me, I’m usually the one He has sent. I knew however in this moment I had to listen, and I was about to find out why.

I stood there and listen to this man, a man who had to be of God, if truly a man at all and not an angel, recount according to him the characteristics of a group of people or Believers (gatherings, as he called them) that would be considered part of the Outer Court (those congregations who house people who say they are Christians but may or may not be, more not than likely because True Christians likely would not stay in these congregations), the Inner Court (those congregations who house people who have actually obtained salvation but beyond that not much else and the congregation is not functioning as God desires), and the Holy of Holies (these are the congregations that are housing True Passionate Followers of Christ who are desiring to function as a group in the manners that God intends).

As the Man of God stood there describing those congregations or as he put it gatherings of God’s people who were a part of the Holy of Holies, I was spiritually astounded. I listened to this man recount every single characteristic of a congregation of Believers that God would bless and use, characteristics that God had given (spoken to) me back in the 1990s. God had described what He wanted His congregations to be before He could use them the way He desired and prior to His return, and He had described this way back then. Now this man was listing every characteristic one by one and why it was important. I was amazed, simply amazed! I had never forgotten what God had shown me He desired for His congregations to be, and I had never stopped spiritually advocating for the existence of those characteristics and functionality in congregations, but God wanted me to be reminded that today in 2023 He still wants the same thing he spoke in approximately 1998.

Then the Man of God moved on to me personally. He pointed out two specific things, and they were very specific. One was, God wanted me to know that a specific leader that ended up corrupt in the end, with a ministry that ended badly, was not always corrupt and that God was working there at one time, when they were following what He said. My view was imbalanced when it came to this particular ministry and leader because I always focused on the end, and gave little time or attention to what was real in the beginning, so I welcome that adjustment. The second was a spiritual principle that is at work in the Body of Christ that I need to give more attention to than I have been, so I received that exhortation as well.

As only God could do as soon as God’s points had been made the gentleman’s phone began to ring so loud it sounded like an alarm clock, like something saying wake up – wake up, and we both knew the encounter was over, although we did pause just staring in each other’s eyes making sure we understood each other. Then we both simply walked away.

We never know what our everyday encounters will bring and what exactly God would like to do through them, so it is in our best interest to take the time to pay close attention.

If this was not a case of me entertaining angels unaware, which it most likely was not, sir if you ever read this, which you might since we shop in the same location and there is a huge sign on my car with the blog address, if you do read it please use the comment section below to be in touch. I would be blessed by further communication with you.

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Throughout this study, if you need the wisdom of God on a matter, and you wish to receive the counsel of another Believer in Christ, please use the “comments” link to send your question 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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GOD Growth in COVID-19 / Couples Growth

In Adultery, Agape Love, Biblical Principles, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Contentment, Coronavirus, Coronavirus/COVID-19, Couples, COVID-19, Disunity, Divorce, Godliness, Learning, Lifestyle, Love, Marriage, Renewal, Repentance, Revival, Righteous Living, Righteousness, Uncategorized, Unity, Wisdom on April 2, 2021 at 8:33 am

Over the last few posts we have taken a look at the GOD growth in individuals and families during the pandemic. Today we take on the matter of growth in the couple relationship. I use the term GOD growth because God wants to bring about change in people that draws them closer to Him and that causes them to implement His Principles regardless of whether or not they have come to trust in Him for their salvation as of yet or not. God is about seeing His Will and His Principles come about in our society, in our homes, and in us personally before and after we enter that personal relationship with Him.

Questions to ponder. Why do people find it easier to bad mouth their significant other or spouse rather than express openly to other people what they like about the person? Why are their negative traits a more interesting topic of discussion than their positive traits? Society presents the idea that to complain about your spouse is funny and entertaining, but is it really? Why does society want to perpetuate the idea that loving relationships are rare and so hard to come by?

Locked down, locked up, with your spouse during COVID-19; now this will make or break a marriage. When there is only the two of you, no children, no other distractions, you find out really quick whether or not you are just two ships passing in the night or two hovercrafts rotating around each other but never really coming in contact, not true contact. I believe if you went through this last year together primarily in lockdown and you still actually want to be together you might actually have a pretty solid relationship.

When we are alone with someone day in and day out, with them and with no one else, we see everything about them that we perhaps did not notice or that at other times are they were better able to hide. Especially during a crisis like the pandemic, we see their fears emerge, we see their insecurities at large, we see their compassion or lack thereof on display, we see their generosity and love or their selfishness and hatefulness. We talk to them more; we find out more about what makes them tick. We explore with them their hopes and dreams because when you are in a situation like we are in during this pandemic, locked down at home primarily, you cannot endlessly ignore the only other person in your spear, in your world for that matter for the most part, and you cannot talk about nothing nonsense forever. So eventually you dig down to what really matters, and that is when you begin to draw close to one another.

In this time of couple reflection many were able to find out how loved and cared for they made their spouse feel and the ways in which they did that. Also, they might have found out the ways in which they do not make their spouse feel loved and cared for and what they could do about it to change the negative impact on the relationship. For many it was a time of realigning the relationship and finding once again common goals and dreams.

A marriage is a covenant relationship. When someone badmouths their spouse for fun and the entertainment of people, they are betraying that covenant. What you speak about your spouse affect how you feel about your spouse. Your spoken words have a powerful effect on you and other people. People should rarely if ever hear from you what you believe to be “wrong” with your spouse or so my parents who believed in absolute loyalty taught me, just as the Bible teaching not to speak negative or harsh words (curses) against people. I have never found it entertaining to hear people teardown their spouse, and from what I have heard from other people they too think it terrible to listen to someone else do so, thinking badly of the person who is badmouthing their spouse, even if they themselves have been guilty of likewise at times.

I believe the select few in society who are not willing to do the work needed for a loving caring relationship like to perpetuate the idea that loving caring relationships are so terribly difficult to come by, in order to make themselves feel better about their own lack. Let them live in their isolation and loneliness, do not get sucked in, value the relationship you have and act like you do.

I want to close each of this series of postings with a quote from the original post, “COVID-19 – God and Man at Work.”

“Blessings from God are not just material or financial, more often the greater ones (blessings) are intangible such as growth and change.”

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GOD Growth in COVID-19 / Family Growth

In Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Contentment, Coronavirus, Coronavirus/COVID-19, COVID-19, Disunity, Divorce, God's Voice, Godliness, Learning, Lifestyle, Love, Marriage, Parenting, Repentance, Revival, Righteous Living, Righteousness, Uncategorized, Unity, Wisdom on March 18, 2021 at 10:30 am

In the last post we took a look at the GOD growth in individuals during the pandemic. Family growth is the topic of this post. I use the term GOD growth because God wants to bring about change in people that draws them closer to Him and that causes them to implement His Principles regardless of whether or not they have come to trust in Him for their salvation as of yet or not. God is about seeing His Will and His Principles come about in our society, in our homes, and in us personally before and after we enter that personal relationship with Him.

Questions to ponder. Why do people find it easier to talk about the dysfunction of their and other people’s families than they are able to find the courage to talk about the positive loving things within their family? Has society’s distorted view of family made people where they feel almost ashamed of loving, caring, normalcy?

Boy has the family dynamic changed over the last year amidst the COVID-19 lockdowns. With children out of school. Some parents unfortunately unemployed, and most of the other parents working from home, family has taken center stage.

We have all seen the news reports, where the anchor is attempting to do a new story via Zoom from home and the child is in the background doing all they can to get that parents attention, making the parents task almost impossible. Sometimes it is so cute you just cannot help but laugh. Other times it seems that the child is driving the parent to distraction. And on any given day it might be a little of both. Nevertheless, during the pandemic families have been forced to be together.

Just as with the private individuals, of course there are incidents where families crammed together had a negative impact for the family members. However in those situations there were most likely deep deep problems prior to the family finding themselves in lockdown together.

For many people, the endless hours of family togetherness have resulted in finding new ways to spend that time together. Finding out more about each other. A realization that all of the busy activities that both the parents and the children were involved in were robbing them of what was precious time together. It no doubt unearthed cracks in the foundation of the family that needed some repair. It helped fathers to realize what they are made out of as a father. It helped mothers to come to terms with just how much nurturing of their children they were doing and willing to do. For the children, it just may have created a new found respect for their mothers and their fathers and a greater understanding of them as real people.

For many families it created a much-needed family reset, which in America we need greatly for the American families to function in a moral and godly manner. God wants us to lift up the wholesomeness of family, not the dysfunction. To find the courage to speak out about the loving manner in which families should function or do function. We cannot allow the distortions of a backwards society make us hide our light under a bushel, when it comes to lifting up the ideal of loving, caring, normalcy in the family unit.

I want to close each of this series of postings with a quote from the original post, “COVID-19 – God and Man at Work.”

“Blessings from God are not just material or financial, more often the greater ones (blessings) are intangible such as growth and change.”

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GOD Growth in COVID-19 / Individual Growth

In Attitude, Biblical Principles, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Coronavirus, Coronavirus/COVID-19, COVID-19, Godliness, Godly Counsel, New Year’s Resolutions, Renewal, Repentance, Resolutions, Revelation, Revival, Righteous Living, Righteousness, Spiritual Fruit, Spirituality, Uncategorized, Wisdom on March 7, 2021 at 4:10 pm

Though people have played up the loss and problems of COVID-19, which there have been many of course, much loss and much grief, nevertheless, I mentioned in my last post that we would tackle the other side of the coin and explore the growth that has occurred and the good things that have come out of going through this pandemic.

Over the next few post we will take a look at the GOD growth in individuals, families, and couples during the pandemic. I use the term GOD growth because God wants to bring about change in people that draws them closer to Him and that causes them to implement His Principles regardless of whether or not they have come to trust in Him for their salvation as of yet or not. God is about seeing His Will and His Principles come about in our society, in our homes, and in us personally before and after we enter that personal relationship with Him.

Individual growth will be the topic here. As stated in the last posting, “There has also been more time for individuals to take a good look at themselves, to explore their own inner spiritual person, come to terms with, and perhaps do something in response to, what they discovered during the isolation that God has allowed in their life.”

Crisis pushes crisis, meaning a societal crisis usually produces a personal crisis for people. When confronted with mass alterations in the societal landscape a person finds their personal life altered in many capacities, and underneath those alterations they find their inner life altered as well.

During this pandemic people’s movements have been greatly restricted causing them a loss in what many people use to escape seeing themselves clearly, “distraction[s]” of every type and usually in multiple degrees or quantities. People often search for anything that can help them avoid dealing with what is inside of them. During the isolation of this pandemic that just has not been possible thus resulting horribly for some people in despair and giving up, but for other people in self-reflection and growth.

It is extremely hard to be alone with one’s self, yet it is extremely healthy. Many very spiritual and godly people over the course of history have heralded the importance of a time of personal spiritual retreat with God to reflect, recharge, and seek growth in God. It is during the aloneness that God’s voice is heard most clearly by the majority of people, when most people’s insight and understanding is opened up the most. In the aloneness we find whether or not we like ourselves (or if we should like ourselves), and if not, we learn from God what to do about what we do not like.

From what I have understood from people living in relative isolation during the pandemic, that isolation has also brought with it a quietness of life, a slowing of their pace, a peeling back of the daily stresses of life and thus resulted for many individuals in an embracement of a quieter simpler less stressful life.

The isolation of the pandemic for individuals has not been all bad, it has produced personal growth, reordering of priorities, and recharging of one’s stress coping batteries.

I want to close each of this series of postings with a quote from the original post, “COVID-19 – God and Man at Work.”

“Blessings from God are not just material or financial more often the greater ones (blessings) are intangible such as growth and change.”

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COVID-19 – God and Man at Work

In Agape Love, Attitude, Bible Study, Biblical Principles, Christian Lifestyle, Christian Living, Christianity, Church Growth, Contentment, Coronavirus, Coronavirus/COVID-19, COVID-19, Disunity, God's Voice, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Love, Marriage, Repentance, Truth, Uncategorized, Wisdom on February 28, 2021 at 9:25 am

During the whole of the pandemic we have heard so much about the negative affects that the isolation and the restrictive movement have had on people’s lives, or so we hear in our local media. However, I challenge the notion that it has been all bad.

What has God been doing in the lives of people as He kept children at home, dads at home, moms at home, couples at home together? What has God been doing during the time when He stripped away religious practice and worship truly was up to the private individual, in their own way, in their own home?

Has there been mental and emotional, and perhaps even spiritual problems due to the isolation and the restricted movements of the pandemic? Yes, of course there have been. There has been horrible abuse, horrible loneliness, and sin has existed. However, there has also been great growth for individuals, for families, and for couples. Growth we will explore in more depth in another post. There has also been more time for individuals to take a good look at themselves, to explore their own inner spiritual person, come to terms with and perhaps do something in response to what they discovered during the isolation that God has allowed in their life.

The pandemic has caused financial loss, but I dare to say that in a spiritual and relational level it has done more good for people than harm, and certainly more good than what was financially lost. Blessings from God are not just material or financial more often the greater ones are intangible such as growth and change.

Sometimes God has to get people’s attention, sometimes God has to get a country’s attention, but God always leaves people who are repentant better off than they were when He started a particular work in their life.

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1 Year Mark Approaches – God speaks breaking His silence on Coronavirus/COVID-19

In Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Coronavirus/COVID-19, COVID-19, God, God's Voice, Godly Counsel, Repentance, Unity on February 28, 2021 at 9:06 am

As we approach the one year mark since COVID-19 started shutting the door of churches, changing our lives, and locking down America, what have we learned as a people, what have we learned as Christians?  What has God done and what is God doing through allowing COVID-19? 

Together let us start to explore that matter.

Saturday, April 11, 2020 (Holy Saturday) 4:45 am (eastern time United States of America)

The Word of the LORD to His people, thus says the Lord…

“Amid the suffering, amid the dying, you My people still cannot see to understand the twisted nature of your ways because you seek My Face, no, because you seek My Hand. You seek My Hand (My part in) this crisis, amid your trial, when you should be seeking My Face (My Message during) the scourge.

In days past I brought My Message to My people first, then to the rest of the world. I spoke first to My people. Again, I bring My Message to My people first, then the world.

I, Jesus, am the Church, the Church is My People not your temples of brick and mortar. Not your symbols of man’s ambition and greed. I never built a building I built a people. I called for unity among those people, called and called through my servants over the last many seasons (years), yet, most among you have refused to listen. You hid behind your walls of brick and mortar content in a man-made world, while ignoring your brothers and sisters everywhere you are not. Now pushed out of your walls of complacency will you listen!

I have called My people in recent seasons (years) to unity, not unity around sin, never, but unity in Me, in My Message, My Message not your message, and unity around the need to love and care for one another amid an ever growing sinful world. Without unity the world will tear at the very fabric of the Body I built. Without unity sin and decay will distort it’s purpose, My Purpose. Without unity a season of great despair will be coming, so unite now, while you have the time. I drove you out of your buildings to drive you back together. I want unity around My foundational principles and a love for Me. Give Me My Unity, and again I will give you My Power as in days past.

Hear Me, respond to Me, love Me.”

Use the “comment” link to send in your insights regarding what God has been doing in the Body of Christ, the United States, the world,  and in your life personally during this pandemic. 

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It’s Only Hamburger

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Devotional, Encouragement, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Love, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Renewal, Spiritual Fruit, Truth, Uncategorized on May 22, 2015 at 10:32 am

For the ladies…

 

Well worth the read.

 

http://brando.tickld.com/x/woman-realizes-that-shes-been-accidentally-abusing-her-husband-this-whole-time

 

 

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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Grief – Suffering All Will Endure – Conclusion

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Devotional, Encouragement, End Times, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Jesus, Loss, Love, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Renewal, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on May 8, 2015 at 7:23 am

A personal moment of grief…

One of the longest running sources of grief in my lifetime has been the deterioration of the corporate church I have watched over the last twenty years. There is no way I can describe for you the pain it has caused me to watch churches and spiritual leaders who I believe once loved Jesus and were fully devoted to Him become apostate churches and apostate leaders.

I have been accused many times of speaking out against the church and against the brethren, yet, it was never my desire to hurt either, it was my desire to honor God, speak what He told me to speak, and bring warning against the deterioration of the corporate body in an effort to turn the tide back to true unadulterated devotion to Christ. I never wanted us, The Body of Christ and the corporate church, to be where we are today – churches emptying and closing and with attendance of churches at a record low in America. I have cried many tears over this problem, still do, and the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual pain has been almost unbearable at times over the last twenty plus years.

I watched a special news cast regarding the continuation of the television series “The Bible” which is currently airing the second part, the New Testament, “A.D. The Bible Continues” on Sunday nights. This television program is the most watch show in television history. This means people are interested in the Bible and drawn to God, perhaps even seeking faith, yet it has been proven recently and made known in the media that church attendance in America is at an all time low. I write about why that is and have been warning about it for years – you can find the writings on this blog [GodsTruthInLove.org] in the achieves under “Spiritual Remnant” – Believer are leaving the corporate churches in droves.

During this news special I watched, they interviewed the pastor of the largest church in America, with some 33,000 plus people in attendance weekly – Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. They asked him why he believed church attendance in America was at an all time low despite the fact that people are obviously interested in the Bible and seeking faith. Sadly, this man’s answer was right on target and what I have been exhorting churches to stop for years, the pastor stated that the reason was because people had been hurt so badly by churches that they were leaving churches but not their faith.

We must learn to disagree without wounding or killing one another. Jesus never killed or wounded those He disagreed with; He merely gave them the truth and then walked away from them.

Spiritual leaders more than anything or anyone else have been the cause of the deterioration of the corporate church – may God forgive them, forgive us, and heal the grief caused while at the same time restoring His Church to what He always intended it to be.

 

 

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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Grief – Suffering All Will Endure – Pt. 12 Prayer for Healing

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Loss, Love, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Renewal, Rhema Words, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on May 1, 2015 at 5:57 am

If you have lived very long then grief and loss has touched your life in some manner and to some degree. I will not attempt to list the various types of loss that cause people grief in life, for there are far too many to ever do a list exhaustively or even with any true amount of justice. I will only state that grief caused by loss in all its forms is a mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual pain like no other and only the One True God, Jesus the Only LORD and Saviour, is able to ever completely and totally heal us from grief. That healing is exclusively in His timing and by His design but I do offer this prayer of healing for all those out there reading this that have suffered loss, no matter how extensive, like Job, or no matter how sight – grief is grief and I want to see you healed from that pain.

Father God I come to You in the name of Jesus and through the blood of Jesus to seek You for healing from the devastating pain of grief for all those individuals who read this prayer and stand in agreement with its content.

It is by the strips of Jesus that all those who know Him personally have been healed, made completely whole in You. I realize it is according to Your Will that You determine how You will manifest and distribute that healing balm. I submit myself to that Truth in accordance with Your Will and Your Word.

Lord Jesus please pour out Your healing from the pain of loss and grief over all who read this and have true need. Wrap them in the comfort of Your loving arms and let them cry. Dip them in the pool of Your grace and help them to accept, and where possible, understand Your Will and Your Ways. Wash them with the Water of The Spirit and rid them of the bitterness that often follows grief. Sit them on Your strong knees and hold them for a season while they regain their strength. Then lastly Lord Jesus please stand them down upon their new ground supported by the renewed strength You have placed in them and point them in the direction they should walk, having completed Your healing work which has set them free from their grief and granted them a new spiritual perspective, courage, and spiritual strength for life.

I thank You for Your Divine Healing and complete restoration of our, those individuals reading this, lives. I thank You for healing their grief. I thank You for healing my grief. I thank You for restoring their joy. I thank You for restoring my joy. I thank You for entrusting me, and us, with so much grief to endure – thank You for believing in me, in us, that we were made of the spiritual stuff to endure it, overcome it, and thrive.

Prepare us with the godly words, in season and out, to speak life and healing into the life of every individual we encounter who is enduring loss and grief.

I love You so much, we love You so much, and we offer this prayer in full trust of Your goodness and willingness to give Your children good things therefore, we thank You for granting our request.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen and Amen.

In the next part of this series, the conclusion, I will share a personal testimony regarding grief.

 

 

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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Grief – Suffering All Will Endure – Pt. 11 Stages of Grief / Stage 10

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Courage, Depression, Encouragement, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Loss, Love, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Renewal, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on April 18, 2015 at 6:46 pm

In the final stage of grief, the second healing stage, the person who has struggled through the dark days of grief begins to inwardly and outwardly avow their new reality.

At this point their new life, life without whatever or whomever they lost begins. The person must begin to move in their new reality which now includes perhaps one or more of the following – a life lived without a parent in it, a life that will not include a child that has been lost, the reality of single life after years of companionship from a loving spouse, life beyond the end of a dream or hope, or the unsteady steps of building new relationships after the loss of a dear friend, social community, or church group.

The new reality of the griever’s life, their new role in life, must be accepted and embraced, for their life must continue to propel itself forward if the grieving person is to find peace. This is a period of renewal of sorts, in that, by the winds of change the griever’s life has been made different and therefore new in many ways. Going back to the old self is no longer an option for the griever as there is a missing dynamic to what the old self use to be.

There are daily choices that must be made as part of the new life. Life is a series of choices in many ways and those choices make up the fabric of what our life entails. For those ready to stand on the other side of their grief they must choose daily to accept their new reality and live in that reality. In making that one grand choice they must make a series of smaller choices that support living in their new reality, all the “what to do’s” and the “what not to do’s” of life. I will go walking today. I will not sit on the couch and cry for hours. I will call a friend and go visit them instead of indulging in self-pity. I will not sit alone and sulk over my loss, eating or drinking to comfort myself. I will not focus on what might have been, that dream is over. I will focus on what God has brought into my life and give myself to that work/service.

There is a sense of strength found in the new reality and renewal of the person who has suffered from grief and loss. If a person has come through heavy grief and now finds himself or herself on the other side staring their new reality and new life in the face, then they cannot help but be a stronger person.

1 Peter 1:6–9 (NKJV)

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

James 1:2–4 (NKJV)

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

To survive loss takes strength and to survive loss and then thrive takes greater strength and profound courage therefore, godly Christians cannot help but cultivate an inner strength and greater dependence upon God that opens their eyes to the potential beauty to be found in their renewed life. The difference to be found between Survivors and Overcomers is found in the beautiful life lessons they can see and glean from their grief, trials, and hardships in life. One of the most beautiful treasures people find in grief is the great value of people and relationships that cannot be taught any other way.

In the next part of this series, part twelve, I will offer a prayer for healing from grief and loss.

 

 

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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Grief – Suffering All Will Endure – Pt. 10 Stages of Grief / Stage 9

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Depression, Encouragement, End Times, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Loss, Love, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on April 8, 2015 at 12:46 pm

In stage nine of grief the griever begins to see hope emerge from the ashes of loss.

Isaiah 61:3 (NKJV)

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

In stage nine the person grieving begins to realize that the painful memories they are experiencing are part of the healing process and therefore must be integrated into their life. There is an acceptance of the fact that life has changed and the person begins to embrace completely all that has happened. They begin to reach out to life once again with less fear and more confidence.

The speed of this return to life will vary for different individuals but nevertheless they begin once again to find their emotional equilibrium. They begin to realize and accept that life must change if it is to continue and continue it must.

For Christians this is a time of returning to, waiting for, and/or drawing closer to their Lord, the Author of their salvation.

Lamentations 3:22–26 (NKJV)

22 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,

“Therefore I hope in Him!”

25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

For the salvation of the LORD.

The mercy of God is great, nothing can compare to His mercy, and He reaches out to His children each day with new mercies. The word “new” in verse twenty-three also means “fresh” in the Hebrew. Each day there is a fresh supply of God’s loving-kindness also known as mercy. For those grieving that freshness becomes fresher and fresher with each passing day.

For a Christian the Lord is our portion. The words “my portion” in verse twenty-four in the Hebrew means “smoothness” and “inheritance” which is exactly what God is for us and to us. He smoothes the rough places and gives us a “part” or our “allotment” of Himself, our daily allotment. Both the words “part” and “allotment” are found in the definition of “my portion” according to the Hebrew language. The language also indicated that He will “deal” and “distribute” that portion of Himself that is needed by us, as we have need of Him. What a wonderful Truth to know that our God is there for us during our time of need, and for that matter, at all times.

In order to sense our Lord’s presence during the difficult times in life, we must not allow ourselves to become so overwhelmed that we do not seek Him during our hour of need.

To “seeketh” [KJV] found in verse twenty-five in the Hebrew language means “to tread or frequent; usually to follow for pursuit” and by implication it is to “ask” and more specifically “to worship” doing both “diligently” as we “inquire” of the Lord for our help. As one heals from loss and grief be mindful to worship God and to take your questions to Him in prayer.

One must not let their pain keep them from talking to God about their questions regarding all that has happened to them. To “hope” in verse twenty-four means to “say” and “be pained” but then in verse twenty-six a layer of meaning is added, it evolves to also means to be “expectant” of something. Therefore, what happens between verse twenty-four and twenty-six? … Waiting and seeking the LORD.

When we do not understand something we wait with faith and trust in our Lord that as His children He only has our best interest at heart, for He always wants our ultimate good. In verse twenty-six “and quietly wait” [KJV] in part means “to be dumb” in the Hebrew language. There are times in life when we cannot know what we desire to know, we cannot obtain the needed knowledge to understand why something happens; at times we remain “dumb” to the whys of life. It is during this time of not knowing, our season of denseness, that our trust, faith, and reliance upon our Lord grows – all of which is needed to obtain salvation from our grief and pain.

There is the Eternal Salvation, which Jesus provided through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead for those who would trust in Him, then there is the daily salvation He provides for us here on earth. In healing from grief or loss that daily salvation is applied to our lives as we seek Him and allow Him to apply that salvation.

In verse twenty-six “for the Salvation” [KJV] in the Hebrew means to “rescue literally or figuratively” and to rescue both in the natural and spiritual. It means to bring about our “deliverance, help, safety, salvation and victory” ultimately. It also means to make us “to be free” and that means “freedom from some trouble” we are facing.

To whom is this type of salvation given? To those who wait for the LORD. What does it mean to wait for the Lord? According to the Hebrew language “unto them that wait” [KJV] in verse twenty-five means “to bind together perhaps by twisting” and “figuratively to expect” something. Expect what? Expect the Lord to act on our behalf, expect the salvation of the LORD. The Hebrew meaning also indicates we are to “gather [ourselves] together” and “look patiently” while we “tarry” in expectation of the Lord’s actions.

Are you twisted up in your grief or are you intertwined, twisted, and bound to The Spirit of God that is healing you? Are you accepting and enduring your grief in expectation of God’s salvation from its pain? Are you making room for your salvation [the victory and deliverance from grief and sorrow] to come by patiently enduring what you do not understand, what you do not want, while staying bound to Christ in full trust of His love for you?

In the next part of this series, part eleven, we will examine the final stage of grief, the second healing stage.

 

 

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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Grief – Suffering All Will Endure – Pt. 9 Grief finds Job

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Depression, Encouragement, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Loss, Love, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on April 2, 2015 at 6:13 pm

In this part of the series, we will glean what we can learn about grief and how to handle grief from the verses below taken from the Book of Job.

As many people reading this might know, Job was a man in the Bible that God allowed Satan to attack. Through a series of attacks on Job’s life he lost everything he had except his life and I do mean everything tangible and temporary. He lost his home, his children, his marriage was broken down, his health was horrible, he lost his business and he lost all his possessions.

Job was left with three things in the end: his life, his faith, and his God, which was all Job needed to make a comeback and make a comeback he did. At the end of Job’s life he had more than he had ever lost, as God restored what he had lost tenfold and then some.

Nevertheless, during that middle season of Job’s life he grieved and he grieved intensely. Now let us look at that grief. We will examine how Job responded and how those around him responded.

Job 2:13 (NKJV)

So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job’s grief is described as “very great” which to me seems like an understatement. For a man suffering from such monumental losses I am sure words could not sufficiently express his pain. Very often we have no words to express our grief sufficiently when we are going through a loss. We really should not try to express our feelings beyond what we are able, as words cannot always express what is in the human heart.

Notice in this verse that Job’s acquaintances or friends who came to visit him during his grief done nothing more at this point other than sit down with him, on the ground right where he was sitting, for seven days and they said nothing. These individuals did not quote Scripture at, try to express sorrow, try to verbally empathize or express sympathy for at least seven days. Today we do the opposite and unfortunately we often overwhelm the person who is in the early stages of grief with phone calls, text, visits, etc. in an effort to express our care during a time when they are in all probability in shock.

I believe there is much to be learned from those individuals in this verse who sat around Job during his grief. We too should learn to simply sit silently with someone who is suffering in pain and grief. We too should not search for words but instead let our presence and our presence alone do the talking for us. We too need to allow people space to adjust to the shock of what has happened to them.

Job 6:2 (NKJV)

“Oh, that my grief were fully weighed,

And my calamity laid with it on the scales!

A person in the throes of grief longs to be understood but often feels that no one understands their loss. Quite honestly no one can understand their loss completely because grief is very personal and the pain very privately held within the deep recesses of our souls. The grief that people see exhibited in our actions is often only a small example of the grief we feel deep within ourselves.

In a society where things are quite generic in nature, where we prize equality even when equality is not always possible or best, we have a difficult time accepting that not all grief is alike. Not everyone’s grief is equal. The grief I have suffered in my lifetime does not equal the grief Job suffered during his lifetime. The various forms of grief I have suffered in life are not equal to one another; they vary in length and the amount of pain or hardship they caused. The sorrows and losses you will suffer might be worse than what someone else will suffer in sorrows and losses during their lifetime. The weight of our trials is as different as we are different.

If we measure out the intensity and quantity of the various issues of grief people will go through during a lifetime they will not be evenly distributed among people. Therefore, let us be cautious before easily allowing the words, ‘I am so sorry, I understand how you feel.’ to slip from our lips. We may feel sad and sorry for them but do we really understand how they feel? More times than not, no, we do not know how they feel.

Job 16:5 (NKJV)

But I would strengthen you with my mouth,

And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.

As time passes and the initial shock of someone grief begins to recess there comes a time to offer words of comfort, encouragement, and help. Job’s visitors did not do that but Job makes it clear that is what he would do and what should be done.

Likewise we should seek to do as Job describes as well, comfort with our words not harm. Therefore, our words should be selected very carefully during the time of a friend’s or acquaintance’s great grief or loss.

Job 16:6 (NKJV)

“Though I speak, my grief is not relieved;

And if I remain silent, how am I eased?

One of the most important lessons we can learn about grief can be derived from the words found in this verse. Whether we talk about our grief or we choose not to talk about our grief, it takes time to heal from loss. I am sure you have heard it said, ‘Some things just take time.’ and sometimes some things just take time to heal. Greif caused by substantial loss of a loved one, a dream, or a significant relationship is one of those “things” that just take time. Talking at times will help. Remaining silent at times will help. With our lips open or closed, we must still do the required time to see the manifestation of our healing.

There is a wonderful song by Dallas Holm I used in years past, over two decades or more now, to help me during some dark days of grief, a grief so intense I truly did not want to live any longer, a song that one day made me angry when I heard it and the next day could comfort me like a mother’s arms – the title of the song says it all – This Too Shall Pass.

In the next part of this series, part ten, we will examine stage nine of grief, one of the two healing stages.

 

 

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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Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Devotional, End Times, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Love, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Religious Freedom, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on April 1, 2015 at 1:40 pm

Do not allow people to walk all over you just because you are a godly person.  Understand when the time has come to stand up and in a godly way push back against the tide of society. 

DEPOSITORY – JUSTICE DEPT. LIBRARY

PUBLIC LAW 103-141—NOV. 16, 1993

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION ACT

OF 1993

DEPT. OF JUSTICE

MAR18,1994

MAIN LIBRARY

Pg. 2

107 STAT. 1488 PUBLIC LAW 103-141—NOV. 16, 1993

Public Law 103-141

103d Congress

An Act

Nov. 16, 1993 To protect the free exercise of religion.

[H.R. 1308]

Religious Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of

Freedom the United States of America in Congress assembled,

Restoration Act

of1993. SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

42 USC 2000bb

note. This Act may be cited as the "Religious Freedom Restoration

Act of 1993".

42 USC 2000bb. SEC.2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSES.

(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—

(1) the framers of the Constitution, recognizing free exercise

of religion as an unalienable right, secured its protection in

the First Amendment to the Constitution;

(2) laws "neutral" toward religion may burden religious

exercise as surely as laws intended to interfere with religious

exercise;

(3) governments should not substantially burden religious

exercise without compelling justification;

(4) in Employment Division v. Smith, 494 U.S. 872 (1990)

the Supreme Court virtually eliminated the requirement that

the government justify burdens on religious exercise imposed

by laws neutral toward religion; and

(5) the compelling interest test as set forth in prior Federal

court rulings is a workable test for striking sensible balances

between religious liberty and competing prior governmental

interests.

(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—

(1) to restore the compelling interest test as set forth in

Sherbert v. Verner, 374 U.S. 398 (1963) and Wisconsin v.

Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972) and to guarantee its application

in all cases where free exercise of religion is substantially

burdened; and

(2) to provide a claim or defense to persons whose religious

exercise is substantially burdened by government.

42 USC SEC. 3. FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGIONPROTECTED.

2000bb-l

(a) IN GENERAL.—Government shall not substantially burden

a person’s exercise of religion even if the burden results from

a rule of general applicability, except as provided in subsection

(b).

(b) EXCEPTION.—Government may substantially burden a person’s

exercise of religion only if it demonstrates that application

of the burden to the person—

Pg. 3

PUBLIC LAW 103-141—NOV. 16, 1993 107 STAT. 1489

(1) is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest;

and

(2) is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling

governmental interest.

(c) JUDICIAL RELIEF.—A person whose religious exercise has

been burdened in violation of this section may assert that violation

as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and obtain appropriate

relief against a government. Standing to assert a claim or defense

under this section shall be governed by the general rules of standing

under article III of the Constitution.

SEC. 4. ATTORNEYSFEES.

(a) JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS.—Section 722 of the Revised Statutes

(42 U.S.C. 1988) is amended by inserting "the Religious Freedom

Restoration Act of 1993," before "or title VI of the Civil Rights

Act of 1964".

(b) ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS.—Section 504(b)(1)(C) of title

5, United States Code, is amended—

(1) by striking "and" at the end of clause (ii);

(2) by striking the semicolon at the end of clause (iii)

and inserting ", and"; and

(3) by inserting "(iv) the Religious Freedom Restoration

Act of 1993;" after clause (iii).

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 42 USC

As used in this Act— 2000bb-2.

(1) the term "government" includes a branch, department,

agency, instrumentality, and official (or other person acting

under color of law) of the United States, a State, or a subdivision

of a State;

(2) the term "State" includes the District of Columbia,

the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each territory and

possession of the United States;

(3) the term "demonstrates" means meets the burdens of

going forward with the evidence and of persuasion; and

(4) the term "exercise of religion means the exercise of

religion under the First Amendment to the Constitution.

SEC. 6. APPLICABILITY. 42 USC

2000bb-3. (a) IN GENERAL.—This Act applies to all Federal and State

law, and the implementation of that law, whether statutory or

otherwise, and whether adopted before or after the enactment of

this Act.

(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Federal statutory law adopted

after the date of the enactment of this Act is subject to this Act

unless such law explicitly excludes such application by reference

to this Act.

(c) RELIGIOUS BELIEF UNAFFECTED.—Nothing in this Act shall

be construed to authorize any government to burden any religious

belief.

SEC. 7. ESTABLISHMENTCLAUSE UNAFFECTED. 42USC

Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect, interpret, 2000bb-4.

or in any way address that portion of the First Amendment prohibiting

laws respecting the establishment of religion (referred to in

this section as the "Establishment Clause"). Granting government

funding, benefits, or exemptions, to the extent permissible under

the Establishment Clause, shall not constitute a violation of this

Pg. 4

107 STAT. 1490 PUBLIC LAW 103-141—NOV. 16, 1993

Act. As used in this section, the term "granting", used with respect

to government funding, benefits, or exemptions, does not include

the denial of government funding, benefits, or exemptions.

Approved November 16, 1993.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 1308 (S. 578):

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 103-88 (Comm. on the Judiciary).

SENATE REPORTS: No. 103-111 accompanying S. 578 (Comm. on the Judiciary).

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 139 (1993):

May 11, considered and passed House.

Oct. 26, 27, S. 578 considered in Senate; H.R. 1308, amended, passed in lieu.

Nov. 3, House concurred in Senate amendment.

WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 29 (1993):

Nov. 16, Presidential remarks.

21 states have a version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act enacted by their legislature:

Alabama (state constitution amendment)

Arizona

Arkansas

Connecticut

Florida

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Mississippi

Missouri

New Mexico

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

States with RFRA-like provisions – provided by state court decisions—rather than via legislation:

Alaska

Hawaii

Ohio

Maine

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Montana

North Carolina

Washington

Wisconsin

 

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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Grief – Suffering All Will Endure – Pt. 8 Stages of Grief / Stage 8

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Depression, Devotional, Encouragement, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Loss, Love, Prayer, Prophet, Prophetess, Spiritual Fruit, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on March 26, 2015 at 5:33 pm

There comes a point within the grief process where the individual who is grieving finds themselves resisting returning to their normal routine, activates, and responsibilities. This resistance might be only slight or it might be significant but the general unwillingness to get on with life typically manifest.

This resistance might manifest as an unwillingness to get dressed, clean the house, run needed errands, attend social events, church, clubs, or exercise. If the resistance manifest in an enormous way a person might refuse to go back to work. All such actions of resistance can have negative consequences, which will only add to the emotional burden of the grieving person.

This unwillingness or hesitancy in returning to normal activities is really about fear, the fear of returning to living. This fear can be driven by concern over how people will respond to the grieving person. The grieving person will fear rejection should they have a desire to talk about their loss. There is also fear associated with encountering something that reminds the griever of the person, persons, relationship, or opportunity they have lost. Additionally, grievers have fear that people have forgotten what they are going through, since other people appear to be returning to their normal routines.

During this stage, it is my personal hope that people have taken the preventive measure mentioned in an earlier part of this series, trying to continue in a normal routine as much as is possible. It is much easier to continue with life than it is to return to life. Once a person’s sits down in their grief or pain for too long it becomes quite difficult to get up once again.

Nevertheless, a person must at some point return to life and business as usual, for life must go on. As Christian friends and family of the grieving person we must, in love, exhort and encourage the grieving individual to return to their normal activities. We must help them face their new reality. Attempting to shelter a person from their new reality and from returning to a normal routine will only hurt them long-term. If we truly love them then we will help them get up and go on with life.

Part of that agape love we need to show them might involve not doing for them, instead of doing for them. By discontinuing taking care of their personal needs, such as house cleaning, shopping, yard maintenance, and cooking we put the responsibility back on them and thus they are forced to get on with life. It is not insensitive to do this, it is necessary for the overall wellbeing of the individual who is grieving. Real love makes some tough choices sometimes.

In the next part of this series, part nine, we will take a break from the stages of grief to address the earlier mentioned verses in the Book of Job, gleaning their insights on the issue of grief, before we begin to cover the last two stages of grief, the healing stages.

 

 

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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Grief – Suffering All Will Endure – Pt.7 Stages of Grief / Stage 6 and 7

In Advice, Agape Love, Anger, Anxiety, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Depression, Devotional, Encouragement, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Grief, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Loss, Love, Prayer, Prophet, Prophetess, Rhema Words, Suffering, Truth, Uncategorized on March 20, 2015 at 1:52 pm

The next two stages of grief are often inverted as far as when they might manifest in someone life. The two stages feed off one another and are somewhat interdependent in order to survive and thrive. However, being interdependent means that once one is effectively dealt with the other will most likely die. These two stages are guilt and hostility or anger coupled with resentment.

At this point, the grieving person begins to feel guilt relating to the loss they have suffered. They might focus on their own past wrong actions relating to the loss, their mistreatment of the person they have lost, or their neglect in the situations where they have suffered a loss. It is quite common to spend a period of time only focused on the negative or less desirable aspects of the relationship[s] at the center of the loss, the wrongs done to one another, and the ugly things that were said.

In so doing, the griever might exaggerate wrongs that took place or even imagine wrongs that did not take place. Either way to some degree, the wrongs the griever struggles with are real to them and must be dealt with. The Scripture tells us, to ‘confess our sins one to another and to pray for one another, so our healing can come.’ That is exactly what the griever should do. They should find someone to talk with and unburden the real feelings of guilt they are carrying, thus putting the feelings into perspective so they can move on.

James 5:16 (KJV-AV)

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Most importantly, one must go to Christ Jesus and seek forgiveness for the wrongs they have done to the person they have lost. If the person has died who was wronged, then the griever cannot go to them for forgiveness. In still other cases, it might not be possible to reach out to the person involved in one’s loss therefore finding forgiveness without direct interaction with the wounded party is necessary. The griever must seek forgiveness from God, forgive himself or herself, and often they also have got to be willing to forgive the person they have lost for the wrongs done to them as well. Forgiveness is a major part of any form of healing.

In dealing with this process for some people the hostility, anger, and/or resentment begins to emerge. Then for other people the hostility, anger, and/or resentment is covering up or acts as an introduction to the guilt they are feeling. Whether the hostility, anger, and/or resentment precedes or follows the guilt, it must be effectively brought under control and then ultimately eliminated.

This hostility and resentment can be directed toward the person who has been lost, the people involved such as spiritual leaders, medical personnel, caregivers, family, perpetrators, or God. Here the griever is wrestling with “the cause” or “who caused” their loss. The griever might vacillate between searching for someone to blame and their own guilty feelings over having not done more. Again, the idea that they or anyone else could have done any more to prevent the loss may not be realistic but feelings during grief are not based on what is realistic. Questions emerge such as, “Why didn’t he or she fight harder to survive?” “Why didn’t the staff do more to save my loved one?” “Why didn’t my spiritual leader’s prayers work?” What is more, the biggest question of them all, “Why did God let this happen?”

Feelings of anger toward God are difficult for Christians to acknowledge and deal with. However, God is well aware of their inner feelings and talking them over with another godly mature Christian can be very helpful to the grieving person.

Hostility during grief is part of the healing process but it is not something that should be ignored or encouraged, it should instead be dealt with as quickly as possible. Anger has a tendency to grow when left unchecked and it can grieve The Spirit in a Christian if they do not lay it aside.

Ephesians 4:31 (NKJV)

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

In the next part of this series, part eight, we will examine stage eight of grief.

 

 

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.