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No matter the size of the trial it’s always the same issue—waiting it out, so we can continue to grow in our trust and faith in God! One of the most important growth truths is the fact that God always “works all things together for good to them that love God” (Ro 8:28). So, regardless the type of difficulty, and whether or not we understand why we’re going through what we’re going through at the time, He is without fail causing it to benefit us, and continue to increase our faith in Him. There’s no trial so small and none too big that God takes into account and “works” it out His way! Of all the spiritual exercises God puts us through, waiting patiently on Him in our trials exercises to endure the hardness of all trials. It is quite encouraging when we already know what to do in a trial—hold out, “be still” (Psa 46:10) and wait on God! His answer for us will result for the good of our faith; and our love for Him is commensurate with our faith in Him, because “faith operates by love” (Gal 5:6). There’s nothing more effective for God’s guidance to us other than knowing we must wait on Him. This is the best time to trust Him and know He is using every little thing for His plans for us! We can do nothing, even if we tried, to interfere with His loving plans for us! NC

agree conversion is necessary, however also repentance must come first.

An important part is repentance (Romans 2)............. often forgotten.

Hi all, This weekend is the celebration of Epiphany, locally it is the 118th year of the celebration by local Greek Orthodox youth as the young men dive for the cross tossed into the river and the young women release doves. All in remembrance of the Baptism of Jesus by John.

I am probably the least knowledgeable to answer this question, but I do have a thought. God spoke to Abram when he was living as a heathen in the land of UR so there had to be a reason for this calling and I believe it was to set apart certain people from the ways of the world. I believe Abram and his tribe were the first to be called Hebrew and the Hebrews were the first Jewish people. Because they were set apart and favored by God that put a huge target on them as far as the world view of them. The favorite child is always the child that is hated by those who live contrary to God's laws. The chosen people of God (the Jewish nation and the Christ Follower who has been grafted into the kingdom) will always be hated by the world and more so in the last days.

The word poor can have several different meanings. A person can be poor, as in poverty, meaning without finances or economic means. The word poor or poorly can be a physical or emotional description of a person's health. The word poor could be how a task is completed or handled and be an incompetence. I believe that being "poor in spirit" are those who admit there is nothing we can do without the love of the Father and his hand moving in us and through us. I am one of those who are poor in spirit even though I daily seek him, daily pray, and daily read the word of God. I admit that I was a sinner, I still sin (way less) and need the Lord in my life every single day to get me through the day. I am nothing without him. He is my everything. I know Holy Spirit lives in me and speaks to me. He guides me and comforts me so that worldly events and daily anxiety cannot take hold and cause me fear. Some days I soar on the wings of the eagle and some days I hide underneath those wings, safely away from the trials and tribulations of life.

Charlie, you go ahead and author it.

Charlie, please start a separate thread and I will discuss with you Daniel 9. If I might suggest a title - Daniel 9 using only the verses in the Tanach (old testament).

Go ahead Charlie, start a thread.

The Bible is clear on spiritual hierarchies, Cherubim, Seraphim, Archangels, Angels, Beasts, princes, principalities, powers, and thrones in high places. Likewise, the demonic realm is organized and ranked (generals to privates). I believe demons are the lowest rung in the demonic order for a variety of reasons. Before Noah’s flood, give one instance where unclean spirits, evil spirits, demons, necromancy, or possessions are mentioned. They all occur after Genesis 6:1-4 and Noah’s Flood. This should lead to an obvious conclusion: something happened and changed with the sudden appearance of unclean spirits—hybrids (Nephilim), not eligible for redemption, wondering spirits at death. Demons act like they once had bodies and crave the lust of the flesh to destroy again, pervert, and fulfill their cravings and desires. Heavenly and fallen angels can change their estate and habitation through free will and assignments (Jude 6). The spiritual can put on a form of flesh as scripture attests to; demons cannot. Satan knows scripture and prophecy better than any human. Several times, the evil spiritual realm tried genocide to prevent the coming of the Messiah and tried to kill Him when He arrived. Another preemptive attempt was to contaminate the entire Messianic bloodline, thus another primary reason for the flood. What do we make of Noah being perfect in his generation, sinless? I propose his DNA was not contaminated, and he was 100% as created and unaltered. What do demons do? • They work in numbers - Matt 12:45 • They work as a team; they know the power of unity - Eph 6:12 • Demons persecute – Rev. 12:13 • They prevent service - 1 Thess. 2:18 • Demons disturb the church - 2 Cor 2:10-11 • They cause trouble - Judges 9:23 • Cause selfishness and division in the church - James 3:13-16 • Cause mental disorders - Luke 8:27-29 • Cause irrational behavior - Luke 8:27-29 • Cause suicidal mania - Mark 9:22 • Inflict illness - Matt 9:33, Luke 13:11-16 • Inflict physical harm - Acts 19: • Possess animals - Mark 5:13 • Promote false doctrine - 1 Tim. 4:1 • Spirit behind False Prophets - 1 Kings 22:21-23 • Influence nations – Isa. 14; Dan 10:13; Eze 28; Rev 16:13-14 [geopolitical] • Possess unbelievers – Matt. 9:32; Mark 6:13 Demons do not have the power or attributes of a created angel.

Oh I can see the Lord's coming for His church being close............in the end we don't exactly know. Good by His grace to remain faithful and serve Him continually.

not sure how to take that care to be more clear.

No not in that way

"I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10.11)

"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10.9)

It is a 1942 with 56,000 original miles on it. Manufactured just before production turned from civilian vehicles to wartime vehicle production.

"I suggest there is no such thing as we think" I sorta agree, and disagree. I have to speak for myself when representing myself. A given. But I have also spoke for a like minded group I am part of when representing 'them' such as in discussion of say why we Christians believe we are part of the body of Christ because we believe salvation is by grace. We believe a lot of the same way because that is our faith in what God has said what we must believe to be saved. God has only one way, Jesus. Slibhin said "I didn't know we could be jealous of something we don't believe in" Those Jews beliefs of today still under the law. Easily understood for me, anyway... () PS, (Is that a 45 or 46 in your background picture?)

If I'm understanding you right, your objection is to a Christian thinking that when someone is saved they think they now "have their ticket punched" and can just cruise on into heaven . . . is that what you are referring to? If so, I too see that kind of thinking as an error, because once indwelt with His life, we are called to now walk in the works He has prepared for us, which requires obedience to His Spirit's leading in us.

Tithe was never given to gentiles and theres a death penalty for trespassers.

In addition, this scripture was written during their captivity in Babylon in 585 B.C., about 46 years before Cyrus issued a proclamation granting their freedom in 539 B.C.. I have not seen any prophecy about 1948 Israel directly, apart from the assumption that they are a state in the end times. "The generation that will not pass away", in Matthew 24:34 could easily be about the audience to which He was addressing. A generation that has been immortalized by the New Testament.

Seems like the only way to really understand prophecy is to have a broad historical overview of the world, both ancient and modern times. Coupled with information that is kept up to date from many different cultures. Otherwise it is hit and miss random speculation that is out of touch with the real world.

This verse stands out for me. As the Jewish religious leaders and Jewish people were condemning him for going against the law, they were accusing him of doing something evil and placing man's judgment on him without looking at their own evil ways.

Goes to show just how important that daily prayer and the Scriptures are for the believer...............

"For ever, O LORD, Thy word Is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119.89)

Flaco the owl escaped from the zoo last February. He couldn't be caught. He's living in Central Park NYC. He's become a peeping Tom!

Hi, Can you remember? I ask because if you do not have remembrance of being turned about by the Holy Spirit to seeing that Jesus is Lord, your Lord God and personal savior, then maybe you have not yet been saved at all. Perhaps though, now is the time. Could be a grand time for you is about to be, like never before, even for as long as you can remember back in time.

God is light and can not lie. His promises are true. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. No matter how you feel. I would wonder. Have you considered you may have left him? Talk to him like you have posted here. He will hear you.

Relatable post. TheBlade is right in that we're in a constant war against our feelings. It's nice when they align with our walk with God but a lot of the time they run counter to it. On the boredom front I recommend reading just what you can manage. Forget devotion plans that tell you to read X amount of pages/chapters/etc. a day and go at your own pace. You'll retain what you read better when you aren't stretching the limits of your attention span, and in a way it ends up comparing yourself with others. The comparing is usually a recipe for feeling lousy about yourself. I felt pretty lukewarm for a big chunk of my life, then I went through a long term trial by fire and some other unpleasant things that involved years of abuse and my own mental illnesses working against me. It helped a lot after God brought me out of the abuse and I got some recovery time. It did a lot for my walk with God but even still I relate to the part about not being okay with giving God some things but not others. We're works in progress so I think it's quite often just a matter of hanging in there and doing our best. If you look at Psalms the writers of some of them were definitely in dark places at times, just going "How much longer is this going to go on, God?". Something I realized in my own insecurities about my walk with God is that no amount of reasoning or encouragement from others or hearing about what God had done with others ever really helped. Sometimes it can even be counterproductive because it's another thing that invites comparison with others. The problem is also an emotional one, and emotions tend to not listen to sound logic for very long. I realize this potentially invites comparison, but I think that's why God had me go down a path that enticed me to take baby steps toward going out of my way to do stuff for Him and try to help others in His name. Just doing those little things gradually made me feel better about my relationship with God and my standing with Him. When I felt more secure in my relationship with God it took a lot of the bite out of the emotional issues that were holding me back and causing me a lot of anxiety and depression.

Hi what I noticed is 5 times you used the word "feel". Lol.. just going through this today. I've been found, saved, rescued, delivered, set free born from above over 50 years and I always have to fight feelings that are always up and down all over the place. We walk by faith which means no matter what I feel what GOD said is true its what I hold on to. What you GOD your Father has already promised in His word He will do no matter how we "feel". Is it not written we walk by faith? Is it not written we live by faith? We believe by faith. There always comes a time we need to grow and grow up. So we push through these moments we hold on to having His joy, His peace, His strength, His armor on and on and. Just like when fear pops up. I don't care how scared it might look of feel GOD has not given me the spirit of fear but of power love and a sound mind. So I push through.. I stand in faith on His word and then I stand. What I stand on my foundation is Christ who is in me and the sweet sweet holy Spirit that leads and guides me. All of this is not based right now on how I feel. I am not moved by feelings. In those moments I speak His word that brings every time faith. I praise Him when I feel unhappy. In the mist of pain I thank Him I praise Him for He did not do it He already delivered me from all sickness. I will not let anything exalt its self above Him. We all have been there. Your not alone.. now you have more praying for you and if just two or three agree here on earth "If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you". So as He said "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" See you will notice its all Him.. He takes it all. We cast all not some but all our cares on Him for He cares for us. Trust Him when you see nothing when you feel nothing you stand on His word. He is with you never against you always for you. In these moments He is so close to you. Thank and praise Him.. sing to Him when you don't feel like it. Don't let the flesh rule you. Then that joy will come that peace will come.. He never ever has failed.

"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name." (Malachi 3.16)

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46.1)

"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." (Jude 24-25)

Psalm 9 9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Yes. What a privilege to be "seed of Abraham according to the flesh". I particularly marvel at the goodness of God to this Nation. They are selected from among all Nations to have a relationship with Jehovah, the Eternal One who dwells in unapproachable light. And then, when they have squandered that, God has foreseen their failure and put PROMISES in place to have the judicial grounds to forgive them - though their blindness remains till the end of the age. What goodness and what mercy! But then I consider myself, and what do I see? Even more blessing! I was never chosen as a Nation. I never had a fiery mountain with God's Law given to me. I had to labor with a Catholic Catechism instead of the Oracles of God. I was headed for the Lake of Fire. I was barred from the Promises given to Abraham and had no hope of my serpentine nature being dealt with. AND THEN MY MAKER AND LORD WENT THROUGH INDESCRIBABLE HELL TO SAVE ME. The Jew is blessed. The believer even more!

Jesus is our rest. We rest from our works and trust in his finish work. The sabbath was a shadow of that. To keep the 7 day sabbath as a commandment is to not trust in him as our rest. You can rest on the 7 day as a custom to draw nearer to God if you want. It’s not a sin to not keep the sabbath. But if a person does not call Jesus lord then he is under the law.

Certainly we are Not under Jewish law, I fully agree on that point. No need to go to an temple and offer sacrifices, keep legalistic commands, and think that just because we have been in an house of worship that we have worshiped. It is true that we must worship God in spirit and in truth (there is a lot to say about that too), It is true that assemblies of Christians do not have to happen on Sunday, yet, it appears that was the custom in the NT. BUT I am talking about the 'assembly' with other believers (which appears to be the big elephant in the corner of the room) that many don't want to talk about. The assembly of believers is not limited to church buildings, nor, is it excluded from assemblies inside church buildings. We see this assembly was assumed and practiced by the early church in the NT epistles and recorded in Acts. This really isn't rocket science . . . How can you encourage others and be encouraged and exhorted if you remove yourself from the assembly of the believers corporately? Are some of us reading this the 'some' who have 'forsaken the assembly' talked about in Hebrews 10:25? Speaking of which . . . I must get ready for church where I assemble regularly with my church family . . . Merry Christmas! Grace and Peace . . . . Ray . . .

Try John 4:21 ‘Woman,’ Jesus replied, ‘believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.’ He has said true worship wi.l not take place in a temple.

I think that comment pretty much destroyed any hint of a good reputation for you in my personal view.

That's offensive to those of us who have honorably served our Country!

He did?

I've been saved for as long as I can remember. I have a few experiences with God but I feel I'm missing God's conviction in my life. I feel I'm one of those Christians that are asleep. I also feel I have too many responsibilities to pursue God and while listening to a podcast.. for women that were on fire for God and talking about discipleship.. I felt in my heart I wasn't ready.... like I'm okay with giving God some pieces of my life but not everything. I Also feel God is far off but I know he's not. I feel bored reading the Bible. Praying is easier for me.. The best way I can describe this is I'm a battery thats close to being dead that needs to be recharged but I also don't want to do this lol.. I'm just being honest. I definitely need a new heart. Advice please.

You stated it as fact for both yet you never gave a scripture. What is a trial? They say A trial is an examination by testing. Biblically, it is a test of faith in which you experience trouble or adversity. If this is what it means then God had no hand in it. Some use this in the case of Job that God allowed it. Another rabbit hole. Odd we need it here but not in heaven.

No matter the size of the trial it’s always the same issue—waiting it out, so we can continue to grow in our trust and faith in God! One of the most important growth truths is the fact that God always “works all things together for good to them that love God” (Ro 8:28). So, regardless the type of difficulty, and whether or not we understand why we’re going through what we’re going through at the time, He is without fail causing it to benefit us, and continue to increase our faith in Him. There’s no trial so small and none too big that God takes into account and “works” it out His way! Of all the spiritual exercises God puts us through, waiting patiently on Him in our trials exercises to endure the hardness of all trials. It is quite encouraging when we already know what to do in a trial—hold out, “be still” (Psa 46:10) and wait on God! His answer for us will result for the good of our faith; and our love for Him is commensurate with our faith in Him, because “faith operates by love” (Gal 5:6). There’s nothing more effective for God’s guidance to us other than knowing we must wait on Him. This is the best time to trust Him and know He is using every little thing for His plans for us! We can do nothing, even if we tried, to interfere with His loving plans for us! NC

Should Gentiles with Jewish ancestry make something of it? Hopefully they would proclaim the BASIC principle, namely that we are Brothers And Sisters In Christ.