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Thoughts on the prayer of Saint Francis I find the prayer of St. Francis to be a great piece to ponder and pray over. I was asked to give a retreat to a group of Franciscans who belong to the 3rd order, meaning they are secular s whose spirituality is based of the teaching and St. Francis. They are loving people, who love Christ and seek to work with the poor and underprivileged. Then tend to be down to earth and gentle in how they approach others. Below are notes on the first talk. As well as the prayer of St. Francis in full. Prayer of Saint Francis Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. ++++++++++ Thoughts on the prayer of Saint Francis Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: The human experience for everyone is a rough journey. We can often hide from others what is going on inside of us; we can smile when in reality there is a war going on within. We experience injustice, injury, doubt and yes despair. We can also go through periods where we are filled with darkness and sadness. In some instances these inner variations can be a mystery to us. So how can we be instruments of peace when there is often inner conflict and pain within? “Where there is hatred, let me sow love;” How do we learn to sow love when in circumstances that are far from loving? There are no easy answers to the many situations we find ourselves in. Emotions can be strong, words flung out that wound; in the midst of this how can we be a loving presence in the world? Everyone desires peace. Nations say they do, yet the world is a planet where war is common place. Where everyday people are killed, tortured, falsely imprisoned and abused in many ways. This only feeds into the ever deepening hunger of hatred and the seeking after revenge. Peace Indeed? It is all about relationships, which the Prayer of St. Francis brings out so poignantly with a deep undertow I believe of sorrow for the world. Perhaps it is about our relationship with our selves first. It is easy to forget that we are commanded to love ourselves. It is not an invitation that we can turn down without any consequences. How can we be instruments of peace if we are not at peace with ourselves? How can we be an instrument of Christ Jesus if we do not allow his love and Holy Spirit into our hearts? Self contempt and hatred towards self is not one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The greatest gift of the Spirit is expressed beautifully in St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians chapter 13. 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child; I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. So before we can be true instruments of peace, we have to pray for the greatest of spiritual gifts, which is the only way we can be used by the Lord in a world filled with strife and pain, hatred and the seeking after revenge that masquerades as justice. The anger of man does not express the justice of God. Where there is injury, pardon; To grow is self love takes a true death to self. To grow in the freedom of the Children of God is not as easy as many would take it to be. As our relationship with the Lord deepens, he knowing each of us will bring us to the gift of humility. The deeper we are called to intimacy with Christ Jesus, the more he will show us the depths of our souls and what needs mercy as well as healing. He allows us to see how we have hurt others, often in ignorance, yet the harm done. He brings also to our awareness the times when we were cruel and malicious in our actions towards others. The closer we come to the heart of Christ Jesus, and the experience of his love and tender mercy, the more profound will be our sorrow for the times when we were unloving, adding to the anger and pain in the world. It is in this, this humble understanding of our own sins, as well as the lack of freedom we often have in our responses, that leads us to learn to forgive others, for when we grow in self knowledge we begin to understand others more deeply. We can no longer say: “How could he or she do that!”? When we grow in self knowledge we learn how others like us can do horrible acts without knowing what they are doing. We learn compassion and empathy. We may still struggle with anger and hurt, yet we have a way to end the cycle of pain and recrimination. Where there is doubt, faith; In God’s mercilessly mercy, our doubts will also be brought to the surface. Not all people have doubts, but many do, perhaps the majority. These can come from more than one source. Pain and suffering is the most common I believe when dealing with doubt about God, his existence as well as his loving nature. Doubt can also come when the reality of God’s love is starting to take root. Is this possible (?) we may ask ourselves. So yes doubt can be a companion for many through life. It is when we do not fear this reality that we can be of help and support to those around us who are going through periods of doubt. How this is dealt with is of utmost importance. It can be a spur to deeper study and prayer as our understanding of God deepens and our idols fade, or it can lead to indifference and loss of faith. When we understand this, we can be of help to those who are struggling with this reality and have no one to talk to. As we learn that we do have the freedom of choice, so we can also lead others as well. Where there is despair, hope; The Lord will allows us experience our own powerlessness. We can experience this in our inability to pray, or if we do it seems like nothing but distractions with nothing going on. Or through our failures in our ability to live out what we have promised to the Lord when we began our walk with Him; when being filled with consolation and fervor. It is in our darkest moments when we are brought to the point of understanding the true meaning of trust. What we feel, how we fail, our inner conflicts do not in any way affect the Lords relationship with us. We are called at this time to give our totally trust in God’s merciful love and compassion. For as it says in the 1st letter of John that “God is greater than our hearts”. Or as Jesus said to Sr. Faustina: "[Let] the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice..." (Diary, 1146) So yes, the Lord in order for all of us to be present to others in their deep suffering will bring us through it as well so that we can grow in compassion, empathy and love for others. The more we understand our own need for God’s mercy, the less we will feel the need to judge…which s a terrible burden and harmful to our souls. Where there is sadness, joy. It is when we learn that even in the darkest moments of our lives that joy will return, in fact has always been there, for as our trust in the Lord deepens (a choice), so does the inner peace even in the mist of deep suffering. We find that as the years go by and as we age, when we look back on our lives we see that the Lord has always been there. Even when our path seemed to be simply not there, when in the desert, yet we see that there was movement that was led by God’s grace and often hidden presence. In that we can be comfortable with others who are in deep sadness and will be able to be with them, support them without pious platitudes that can only make things worse. We slowly learn not to fear the suffering that comes with being with others. We learn that the deeper we love, the more we will suffer as Christ Jesus suffered, because as he was fully human, so heart slowly becomes human likes his.

Its a good prayer Mark. There are true believers in the Catholic Church and in other christian churches. If we love Jesus from the heart and believe Gods testimony of his son. Then we have life through his name.

That was a nice post BacKaran . I get lonely sometimes. I think that is the way God made us. He made us social. Even God is a truine God. He was never alone but each person of the trinity loved each other. And he said if we follow his commandment to love one another as christ loved us he would make his home with us. Even through He makes his home in me i still need physical people.

Blessings Mark...,.,,.' Francis' story is pretty unique,he took that verse of Scripture literally & preached the Good News of Jesus to every CREATURE......l believe Jesus said "creature" for a reason instead of saying "people".....perhaps His Reason may have been because those "people" in darkness,maybe heavily oppressed or even possessed he considered "creatures"? I don't really know but it has never stopped me from Praising Jesus & talking about my Creator to all Gods creatures.....I cannot begin to tell you of the "beasts" I've encountered in my years training animals that I knew well had something evil in them,I lay my hand on them,Praising God & thanking Him for the beautiful "creature" that He made........I don't consider these as a brother or sister but as Gods creatures great & small........I don't know Francis heart,I believe he Loved & preached Jesus as Lord & Savior........I'm not a catholic sympathizer(as my dear Sister Davida knows) but a lover of individuals,I don't like categorizing people & I just cant do it......as far as the rcc,well ,that's another story as all denominations of organized religion are......... Anyway,I just thought I'd mention my special way of calming the savage beast........I've been known to "talk" to the animals & I can certainly respect ,admire & love all Gods creation....,.,.in my own way as I suppose Francis did???? He certainly was a wild child himself before he experienced what he said was his Calling from God to follow Jesus?He said God told him he had it all wrong.........like most of us do,lol With love-in Christ,Kwik

You believe in your interpretation of scripture, which not all agree with you who may have some real problems with the Catholic church. There is no subtle doctrine of evil spirits here, well yes in your own mind. I am fine with that my friend. Like I said, even if you don't believe I am a brother in Christ, you are mine, for we worship the same Lord, even if you don't agree ;-). We are called to love one another and to speak the truth....Jesus Christ is Lord, he was the Lord and savior of St. Francis as well, even if you don't agree. Peace mark

Amen sister, thank you. Peace Mark

Blessings Mark You know I was raised in an Italian catholic environment & went to "catholic school"many years......the rcc was quite a stumbling block for me personally for many years until I finally(Glory to God) began to Receive Wisdom & Understanding by Revelation.......Oh,Holy Spirit,my Helper...Praise Jesus Catholicism has been & will continue to be quite a controversial Topic amongst Christians,not just here on Worthy but everywhere non-denominational Christians gather......perhaps one day all people will see through the Eyes of our Heavenly Father & look at each individual heart,as I see yours.......Brother,God Bless you-I know your heart Loves Jesus! I do have some very fond memories that I will keep in my heart forever & one of those memories is that of Francis of Assisi......he had a very special gift to love & care for animals and he was a kind & gentle soul.......I too,love all Gods creation & when I was a little girl I wanted to be like Francis,surrounded by Gods Creatures great & small,I learned this prayer and it is indeed,a beautiful prayer......I hope one day I will meet brother Francis & enjoy the wonderful animals God must have for us at home with Him,as we know only a shadow of things to come!!!! With love-in Christ,Kwik

It's a beautiful prayer. And if read and taken properly it is something we believers should follow everyday. It's all about the message.

When Stones Fly The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. 2 Samuel 22:3 I Shelter In The Love Of Jesus

Jesus, please come back very soon ,we know the victory is Yours! Praise Your Holy name~~~~~

Actually, I am not posting a video here. The one I am referencing, has too many B words and F words. For those who can tolerate such language, you can view the video on YouTube, by searching for Liberals Attack Homeless Woman for Guarding Trump's Hollywood Star. If I were to comment on that video, I would say: Why is it, that the left claims to be peaceful and tolerant, yet violence seems to too often, be associated with their love of freedom of expression? Pathetic! Funny too how they are asking: "Where Trump is now, where is Donald at, where is Donald Trump to save you? What stupidity, why is the question not as easily: "Where is Hillary to stand up for the poor and down trodden?" What a bunch of morons. With so many idiots in our country, no wonder we are at risk of getting Hillary!

"They" were not forbidden to read the SCriptures Rusty,they were at one time not translated or distributed for personal interpretation or study,the "mass" was in Latin & much later they translated to English a catholic bible,which the rcc calls the "Holy Bible"........enough about that,as I know from experience the rcc does not encourage children to read their "Holy Bible " but instead they teach catechism & give them a "missile to read & learn from.....but the point is,your friend chooses not to read any version of Gods Word.......he has more excuses than Carter has liver pills!!!!The Bible does not have any words your friend wants to hear & everything that is contrary to the lifestyle he chooses,that is why he won't read it! Love you,Kwik(but keep trying ......give him a Bible to read)

Never thought about it that way.

Blessings Dennis...... I don't think it was that the donkey "saw" this other "realm" that you are talking about but that God used the donkey to speak to Baalam & Allowed the donkey to "see" JUst my thoughts but who knows? Perhaps the animals can see much more than we do? With love-in Christ,Kwik Anyway,just wanted to get the verse of Scripture for you because I knew what you were referencing....

I keep losing everything I write ,quite frequently,auto Save does not seem to be working ......every time I write a real long post,it disappears & then I am so frustrated I move on to another thread & post very "short,simple" replies??????? UHgggh Anyway,it is great to see you Enoch,missed you a bunch!! I think Rusty said"TOTALLY" confused...lol.....that probably means she has no idea what's going on......my dear friend & Sister is not very interested in "science".......nope,no physics,chemistry or quantum mechanics,not her bag I know you are good at simplifying scientific theories(&"Laws") with laymans terms & analogies......perhaps she will come back & you can give it a whirl? I can listen to you all day.......my Brother!!!! The difference between something "physical" & something "conceptional" (idea,non -physical) might be where she lost track of the discussion,I'm not sure? Hey Rusty,are you out there? c'mon & join us..... With love-in Christ,kwik

Yeah, it's no secret the military wants all the DNA splicing (chimeras), artificial intelligence (AI), nanotechnology and nanobots, robotics, enhancements and transhumanism they can lay their hands on for supersoldiers. To keep up with foreign powers, not to be left behind, already developing such technology for the battlefield. From just the little we know about how far scientists have taken this, we know science has crossed the firewall God has set between species, after their own kind. There's absolutely no debate on that point. I think it's going to get ugly and scary in the near future on what they have created, and are producing in labs around the world. More and more people involved in this are stepping forward and warning us of the dangers and direction we are heading.

So evidently you don't think space / time can't be bent, rolled like a scroll, burnt and don't think 'time' was a physical creation? Or there's a limit to how far you can divide time before it ceases to exist. I don't have the 'time' to learn you real gooder, so there's no sense for further debate. Yep. Kudos to you for recognizing it. May I ask, what led you to this conclusion...? sp other realms,obviously there are other realms that are invisible to us where He,His Spirit ,the Angels & Jesus in His Glorified Body are,another dimension that is invisible to us & yet it is right here with us......or are there also far far away places that we cannot see ,what some call deep outer space......apparently IF God so chooses He can be anywhere He wants to be or not,He does not want anything defiled by sin near Him.......Anyway,since the universe may be expanding & God is not bound by space or time can it be that these places are not yet here because we are bound by time & they are not yet made by God even though He has made them because He is outside of the confines of "time".....lol,Oh dear,see what I mean? Before I go on a "what if" journey I want to hear from the others.....so they can verify I flipped my lid Love you Sis,Kwik Nope, you haven't flipped your lid It is an interesting subject though. I too believe time was created for us and we may live in more than a four dimensional world we can not see into. Based on a Biblical example of a donkey, of which I forgot where it is at the moment, I took it as if that donkey (maybe other animals too) was seeing something in the spiritual world. Now I'm going to have to hunt that one up. I previously said 'four' because along with Einstein, it has pretty much been proven 'time' is a fabric and physical property and changes depending on the person, speed and gravity. It's pretty much been proven we live in a digital simulation, compared to an analog. Examples: With analog anything in theory you could keep dividing it forever. With both matter and time, once you divide it down to roughly 10 to the 33 power, it ceases to exist at all. Least wise, that's the stuff I've been studying anyway. It makes sense that if the supernatural acts with and upon us, they have to be here at the same place and same time. A dimension we can not see into would fit very nicely I think?

Hi Sailingsoul, Now we are all in the `school of the Holy Spirit.` He was not `caught off guard,` but is showing you your next `lesson,` if you know what I mean. (I was a teacher -) So..... the Holy Spirit is revealing certain things to you, I believe - - life questions come up in everyday conversations now. - & what do you need to take part in them. There are actually only about 5 basic life questions that people want to know, so that is very helpful & each world view has its own way of dealing with these. The world view at the moment is about `spiritual evolution.` I hope to write about this in my blog after I finish the book of revelation this year. A key to helping people is to ask questions (as you did) to get them to think, to question their world view. In the past it has been to present the 4 spiritual laws & try to `save` people, or ask them to a meeting. However our `job,` is to help people to think about what they believe. When they see difficulties with their view then, & only then, they may like to hear from you. Marilyn.

Hi!!!! Nice to see your round shiny self 

im here.

Precious where are you?

Hi Girbilgirl. No, God is not easily angered. There are many Scriptures which teach God is kind, merciful, generous, trustworthy, truthful, and honest. Here are all the Scriptures in the Bible for you to use if you like, which clearly state the words, "God is slow to anger." Nehemiah 9:17, And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God5 ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. Psalms 103:8, The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous1 in mercy. Psalms 145:8, The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great4 mercy. Proverbs 15:18, A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife. Proverbs 16:32, He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. Joel 2:13, And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Jonah 4:2, And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Nahum 1:3, The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

@Giller I won't quote your whole post for the sake of space, for I have only one point to make which beleve may change the perspectie of your post. You quoted Colossians 2:16... ¶ Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days...you correctly stated that we must refer scripture to other scripture...comparing one text with another to find understanding. You reference Levit 23, and ecause you see that the weekly Sabbath is there mentioned in verse 3, you infer that that weekly Sabbath is therefore a 'feast day' and ceremonial, along with the other 7. I would like to respectfully disagree with that, for the following reason. First, because in verse 4 Moses repeats what he said in verse 2, "These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations etc., " the way I see that is that the weekly Sabbath is set apart from the others...it is actually set in contrast to the other Sabbaths. The Lord, through Moses, is saying effectually that these are my feast days which you must observe, aside from the weekly Sabbath. In harmony with this is that those feasts are annual days, and are closely bound up with the Temple service in accordance with the annual Jewish calendar. This calendar, the temple services, the sacrifices, and the annual round of feast days and ceremonies, were established as a result of sin. It was the gospel for the Jewish nation...all pointed to the future ministry of the coming Messiah, who when He came in the person of Jesus, fulfilled all those feasts and ceremonies thus no longer were those who accepted Christ obliged to observe them. Following on from this is verse 17, of Colossians 2. Verse 16 and 17 saying "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come. Thus Paul has given to those things previously mentioned, a specific quality...they are shadows of things to come. Now as I mentioned, the Temple service and all its accompanying feasts and sacrifices, were given to Israel as a result of sin, forshadowing Christ. The weekly Sabbath by contrast was given to man (as per Mark 2:27) before sin entered the world, and therefore cannot be included among those Sabbaths which were shadows, or types of the coming ministry of the Messiah whose purpose was to destroy the power of sin. The handwriting of ordinances which were against Israel, which were nailed to the cross, cannot be inclusive of that portion of Torah which were written by the finger of God, even though the Ten Commandments were included in Deut.5. One can tear up that handwriting...burn them...utterly destroy them and yet those stone rock-hewn tables written by the finger of God remain as a constant reminder saying, "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy...."

I am extremely uncomfortable to define anything the dealing with God outside that of Biblical teachings. What here is on the Earth because he willed it and knows how everything fits together in every detail. I've seen too many people try to project human understand s of perfection to god and we really haven't got a clue to what perfection truly is.

Can I try and make myself a little clearer. When I said the disciples had profaned the Sabbath by their eating of the corn as they passed through the fields, which was perfectly lawful to do on any other day, I meant that it was profaned only in the sense of the misguided or warped view of man. If they had been doing so in order to sell the product for personal gain, thus partaking of their normal secular labor, then indeed, they would have been 'breaking' the law as regards Sabbath keeping. However, for several reasons this occasion did not profane or 'break' the commandment regards Sabbath keeping in God's eyes. First, as Jesus explained, they were working in the service of God, just as the priests would do so in their service in the temple on the Sabbath. This more than exonerates, or gives an excuse for God to "overlook" an offense. Their service to God on the Sabbath completely outweighed any law regarding Sabbath keeping. As Jesus said, it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. The other reason it was right that they could do this, was because love and mercy and judgment were weightier matters of the law. It is God's plan for His people to love mercy, do justly, and walk humbly with Him. To get back to the original question, which day is Sabbath? It is the day Jesus made holy at creation....it is the day He sanctified...it is the day He rested on...it is the first full day in which He spent time with His special new creation, man and woman...it is the day He reminded Israel of to remember that they may be blessed...it is the day Jesus observed throughout His life correcting the mistakes and undoing the heavy burdens that had been placed upon it since Israel's sojourn in Babylon...it is the day the apostles observed throughout their lifetime...it is the day Paul observed teaching both Jews and Gentiles...it is the 7th day ...it is the day that the Roman church decided to trample on by persecuting those who observed it and upholding Sunday, the first day which was first instituted by the Roman emperor but confirmed by the clergy to replace Sabbath with a spurious, false and counterfeit "Lord's Day".

It's plastered all over the TV by high ranking military officers (ret.) what DARPA is doing. They want 'super soldiers', so no telling where and when all that is going?

John 14:16 -- "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever..." The Holy Spirit, the Helper, is ready to give out gifts and is giving out gifts to those who are asking, knocking and seeking and believing that God will do what He says He will do. THROUGH FAITH THE HOLY SPIRIT BRINGS GOD'S PROMISES TO PASS Jeremiah 1:12 -- "The Lord said to me, 'You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that My word is fulfilled."' The Holy spirit is here to help bring these promises to pass. The greatest gift He gave us was Jesus. We must believe in the goodness of God, His desire to give specifically to us, and present ourselves in ready-mode to receive all that He wants to give. John 10:10 -- "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly." HE WILL DO A NEW THING IN US AND GIVE US A REVELATION OF OUR DESTINY Isaiah 43:19 -- "Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." The Holy Spirit is ready to give new anointings to His people. Those who welcome Him will receive new revelations of their DESTINY created out of His glory presence. The excellence of what He does will catch us off guard and put the "awe of God" back in our hearts. We will say, "How awesome! This is amazing!" Our hearts will well with thanksgiving and joy at the sight of His work. Isaiah 61:7 --" Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs." He will build something new that we were not expecting, but because we welcomed Him in our house it will just be part of the blessing of His presence. HE WILL GIVE US HIS SOUND Romans 10:18 -- "But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their SOUND went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." The Helper, the Holy Spirit, is also ready to give us the double portion of His sound or voice. For those who welcome the Holy Spirit, He will give a new clear sound. People will be drawn to the sound right and left. Divine increase will abound right and left. Curses will be broken and blessings of God will be released. Now, as always, is the time to make ready our hearts for the Holy Spirit. God is ready to pour out gifts and freshness of His Presence, and awaken our eyes to His goodness, giving us the double of His glory and the overflow and outpour of His blessings. ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

Replying to get a little bump, hoping to see more votes before I come to a decision on second version to include in studys, looking to see 50 votes hopefully (16 more), to get a better, statistical sampling. So far the KJV is ahead on single version count, and the NKJV and KJV combined (translations based on Textus Receptus) add up to about 58% of the votes. I think I will let this poll run until Nov. 8th, then where ever the poll leads, I will follow.

Gerbilgirl, no, God does not get angry easily, and He does not want you to spend eternity in hell. God became a man, Jesus, so He could die on a cross to pay the penalty for mans' sin. He wants to forgive all your sins and give you a new life in Him, change you into His born-again child, and He wants to give you everlasting life with Him. Psalm 145:8 (KJV) The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except by me. John 6:37 (NKJV) Jesus said, “All the Father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me I will in by no means cast out.” John 3:14-16, (AKJV) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish , but have eternal life. (The Son of man is Jesus Christ & He was lifted up on a cross where He was crucified.) John 8:24 (KJV) I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Girbilgirl, Everyone is a sinner. Jesus is God who became a man so He could die on a cross and pay the penalty for our sins; a penalty that we could not pay. If Jesus had not paid our sin penalty for us then we would have NO way to be forgiven & then we would certainly spend eternity in hell, but He, Jesus, did pay our sin penalty for us when He died on the cross & shed His blood there for remission of our sins. He was buried in a tomb and on the third day He arose from that tomb defeating death. That is the reason He said that anyone who believes in Him has everlasting life, therefore anyone who believes in Him is forgiven of all sin, becomes a new person in Christ, & has everlasting life with Him. John 8:24 Jesus said that you, or anyone, who does not “believe” in Him will die in his/her sins. Notice Jesus said you will die in your sin because of “unbelief.” IOW, Jesus paid the penalty for all of your sins except the sin of “unbelief.” The sin of unbelief is THE sin that will send you to hell. Caution: To “believe” in Jesus means more than just believing that He exists. The devil believes Jesus exists. Actually the devil knows Jesus, but the devil can never be saved. John

Blessings cheribum Wondering "where God is & if He is sane....." is not a typical statement from a Christian,I assumed because of that statement plus posting in the "Seekers Lounge" that you were "Seeking",an unbeliever ...now you told me you have been a Christian for 35 years.....that is good to hear but I don't see an Intimate,Personal Relationship & if we do not vigilantly & diligently seek God Face then how can we expect to hear His Voice?I know folks that say they are a Christian for 60 plus years,they know about Who their Lord & SAvior is & still,do not KNOW Him personally....They go to church every Sunday,pray like there is no tomorrow(vain repetitions & continual requests)) and truly "Believe".........Sis,please don't misunderstand what I'm saying or what anyone else is saying,it is not about anyone questioning your Faith or that you are not doing this or that (or not TRYING)......it is more about what do you Understand?I'll try to explain better & I tell you what I do BECAUSE I LOVE YOU......truly..... There is no judging here,no condemnation,not from any of us......we too were probably right where you are standing at one time in our Christian Walk & we only want to share with you what we HAVE.......Peace,Joy,Comfort,Guidance,Direction & Answered prayer(HIs Still Small Voice) It is not about anything we DO but Who we BELIEVE,we walk by Faith & not by sight........you must believe & trust the Word of God first before you will see the manifestation of the things you ALREADY have by Jesus Authority ,Holy Spirit POWER that is in your hands & available.....& whether or not the manifestation of these things come during our brief time in these bodies or not is irrelevant!!!!!!That may not even make sense to you at this moment but with all my HOPE in Christ Jesus,it will! When I say vigilant & diligent I mean your heart for God,your hunger & thirst to know Him......not in works but in DESIRE,desire to be near Him.....pray to see His Face,not ask for His Hand,the closer you get to Jesus the more the walk in Spirit & in Truth.......all your focus should be on Him & wanting to know Him better,having access to His Heart,His Mind.....when the attention is on Him & not about you things change,when you move from a carnal minded person to an Eternal Minded person the "flesh" is of little or no consequence.....honest!! We all have our trials,we all have to deal with physicalities but they are not who we are,we are Who we are in Christ.we are Victorious!! A few years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4,incurable,irreversible ,terminal cancer....HA!Talk about "pain"? Well,I will hear no evil report! In spite of medical facts,in spite of pet scans,in spite of doctors reports,in spite of what my body was screaming out in pain & agony......it didn't matter,God Word says that "I AM HEALED by HIS STRIPES".....He says we have the Power to heal ALL manner of sickness & disease.....He says,He bore my pain,my transgressions & iniquity.........But the pain is real? I was only getting worse & worse day by day.......but Sister,I kept my eyes on Jesus & preached the Gospel to anyone I could,I told others about His Promises & all through my journey I had Peace,Joy & Comfort regardless of what I "feel".........People said,"What if you die".......I said"I can't die spiritually & if I leave this body then surely I will be as He is in Heaven in a new glorified body & truly be HEALED!!!!" So what?" You see,I did have Gods Blessed Assurance through it all because I just wanted to be NEAR HIM & so we talked constantly,I wanted His Strength at my time of weakness & indeed He gave it to me......I asked,I waited & I trusted........simple,right? No,it is not quite that simple,,,,,,I did nothing more than you can do,I have not any more Faith than you do,I'm nobody special not any more special than you,,,,,but I KNOW my Father,I know Him because I am firmly established in His Word,Holy Spirit brings Remembrance *(of His Word)to me in every situation & in every circumstance because that is what I am Filled with,that is my food,my nourshment,it is what sustains me & gives me LIFE,a Life More Abundant If you wanted me to answer you & you & you continually send me messages & diligently write them out every day & you cerainly hit"send" you are expecting to hear from me,right? Well you cannot hear from me if you never open your mail!!!!! Start in the Book of John,read Gods Love Letter to you......"Dear chribum,I love you,From God".......read it as though that is how it is Written & begin to Understand how Precious you are to Him & that everything He came to do & did,He did it just for YOU and ask Jesus to Reveal Himself to you.....make this your #1 Priority......see what happens With love-in Christ,Kwik

Unsure what you mean, but I have sought God diligently. I need to implement regular bible study, which is difficult due to pain issues. I am dealing with multiple issues and sometimes see God act. Today I had a very bad day due to severe pain - I was damaged in a medical procedure. The country has politicized pain medications and I'm incidental damage - being left in high levels of pain. Not judged on what *I* do but on what a subset of people who abuse drugs ostensibly did. This is happening to people just like me all over the US. I take multiple healing supplements, pray, and do all I can, but sometimes it doesn't avail or cut it. It's not lack of faith or lack of trying. I'm still searching for many answers - this pain is one of them.

we don't know what the mark will be, nor do we know his name, but the number of his name is six hundred, sixty, and six. we still don't know much. is that one name that adds up to 666 or three names that is six hundred....... sixty...... and six. Still not definitive. but once we go cashless they/he can close all accounts that don't worship him and have his mark (whatever that might end up being). My vote would be a purple smiley face..... just for the irony of it.

Its already described. Revelation 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

I didn't blame or said he was responsible. I just said it happened when he was in office. They planned it before bush came in office.

people who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it...... knowing the past is important.

Greetings hary210 in the name of Jesus. We are happy you have come to Worthy. Yes everyone who seeks Jesus with their whole heart and accepts His Gift of salvation by faith will be saved. We were all "bad guys" and gals... before we accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives and invited Him into our hearts. We are saved by His grace and mercy and nothing we do on our own. His gift is free because He did it all on the cross for us. He took all our sin and guilt and covered it with His shed Blood. I hope you have come into the relationship with God through Jesus. Blessings, RustyAngeL

The only explanation is that he has sold his soul to the Devil, and therefore there is nothing rational about this. Just as Satan's goal is simply to kill and destroy, Soros has been taken over by an evil spirit, if not by Satan himself, to fulfil those objectives.

Oh there's powers behind the scene alright. Just in plain view there is three times the lobbyists as member of Congress. Add on the special interest groups and large campaign donors and that's outside influence peddling. They more than get their monies worth, and that's just what we can see and prove. That alone does not serve their constituents or America, and I would call that a conspiracy, wouldn't you?

I'm glad someone here is of the same opinion as myself. I could write a book on who's involved in the shadow government, but many others already have, and I'm too lazy. But to condense it and make a short statement on 'who's ultimately behind the shadow government', it's the evil prince's, rulers, demons and Satanic powers of this earth indwelling and influencing those in power. I can't understand George Soros, he made his billions from America, yet he hates this country with a passion. Have any ideas why?

Good question MM - fairly similar question came up at my dinner table recently. Mary's dna passed onto Jesus? Noahs dna passed on and surely he had original dna from Adam.

GMO foods is a kind of test piece for the answer to your question. Most people don't like or would rather not eat them, but they are on your plates now. Has the American population rebelled like europe on this front, no, but the corporations like monsanto is having their way. The microchip is being used in animals now as a normal step, and most want it as a security in case of lost or stolen pets. The population seeing and being accustomed to this will take the chip and see it as a convenience rather than a biblical no no. The speed at which technological advances are being made will see government implement them and you either are in or out. Given the choice now, you will have to go with the flow , so to speak. We are living in a digital world now and everything is heading that way. John 12:25King James Version (KJV) He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

I agree with you sister. The thought of it makes my blood run cold. I too feel if we die it will not be with the MOB and we will be with Jesus, How bad can that be...???

Nope, you haven't flipped your lid It is an interesting subject though. I too believe time was created for us and we may live in more than a four dimensional world we can not see into. Based on a Biblical example of a donkey, of which I forgot where it is at the moment, I took it as if that donkey (maybe other animals too) was seeing something in the spiritual world. Now I'm going to have to hunt that one up. I previously said 'four' because along with Einstein, it has pretty much been proven 'time' is a fabric and physical property and changes depending on the person, speed and gravity. Time is not the same for everyone. It's pretty much been proven we live in a digital simulation, compared to an analog. Examples: With analog anything in theory you could keep dividing it forever. With both matter and time, once you divide it down to roughly 10 to the 33 power, it ceases to exist at all. Least wise, that's the stuff I've been studying anyway. It makes sense that if the supernatural acts with and upon us, they have to be here at the same place and same time. A dimension we can not see into would fit very nicely I think?

Wow,that's a pretty cool perception,I liked it

Blessings Beloved We do need them,where are they when you want to hear their "theories" & all that "Greek"-lol Seriously,there are many Scripture verses than suggest the expansion of this universe is still going on,right(I don't want to go off Topic so I won't quote them) & then we get an idea that GOd is very very BIG,He measure the waters with His Hand,the dust of the earth in a hand basket,etc,,,etc,,,,plus His Word tells us He is EVERYWHERE(omnipresent) Are these just the places He told us about because our finite minds cannot grasp other realms,obviously there are other realms that are invisible to us where He,His Spirit ,the Angels & Jesus in His Glorified Body are,another dimension that is invisible to us & yet it is right here with us......or are there also far far away places that we cannot see ,what some call deep outer space......apparently IF God so chooses He can be anywhere He wants to be or not,He does not want anything defiled by sin near Him.......Anyway,since the universe may be expanding & God is not bound by space or time can it be that these places are not yet here because we are bound by time & they are not yet made by God even though He has made them because He is outside of the confines of "time".....lol,Oh dear,see what I mean? Before I go on a "what if" journey I want to hear from the others.....so they can verify I flipped my lid Love you Sis,Kwik

The technology may be here, but the mark of the beast (false prophet) is specific to him.

The whole New Age movement and Religion is deeply set in the occult.. this is no surprise to those of us who have been keeping up with the flow of things. Our own government has been occultic from the very beginning.

Joe,did you think this world would go this far? Crying out for the evil one to come? As Christians we have to stand up for our faith more and proclaim the gospel message, there's no more time to be complacent. This is getting worse then Sodom and Gomorrah~~~ Rev.6:15 14The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. 15Then the kings of the earth,the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.…

Garbage In, Garbage Out. Use discernment. If you cringe, or feel 'uncomfortable' with a show, honor the Holy Spirit and Shut it Off. It doesnt matter what other 'Christians' are doing, or think or feel are 'alright'. We each bear our own cross, and our own personal accountability to the Lord.