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To see the truth of the statement; ~I can do nothing with myself.~ To be brought to the place, where as plain as the heart that beats in your chest, to know and see this truth inwardly; ~I can’t make any real and lasting changes in me. Sooner or later with the right circumstances and pressures, I will resort and return to my own sin, as much as I may not want to, I will, because that is that which I am in and of myself. To have tried and failed over and over again, but to no avail. As tight as you might tighten down the willpower screw, failure and falling into sin invariably happens.~ So to God one cry’s; “Lord I can’t stop sinning by myself” (This is a most blessed place) Than when the heart is truly ready to give up all of itself to death, rather than sin. God opens the truth of; Our being crucified with Christ, of our deaths in Christ. To see that only, by our death we will truly be freed from the us that would willingly choose to sin. Death to us is our only hope. Death to us, death to all that was born out of my mother’s womb. Death to the life that Adam fell into. Death to me. To see that all that would want and choose to sin, was taken with Christ on the cross, and put to death with Him. Than the faith of the heart turned to this truth; “it is no longer I that lives but Christ that lives in me” The faith of the heart that would grab onto this truth with all of its strength, will most certainly by experience learn to walk in newness of life. Blessings, Much love in Christ, Not me

I think biblical context is important in this one. 6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt 6:1-6 NIV) I think verse 6:1 speaks to the heart of the matter which is motivation. I think the key is the phrase "to be seen by them". If 6:1 read only "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others", this would point mainly to the act being seen and not the motivation. The phrase "to be seen by them" adds a motive. If we practice righteousness primarily for the purpose of impressing others, that's all we'll get out of it. I think the verses following are meant to be concrete examples illustrating 6:1. Note that the English word hypocrite is basically a transliteration of the Greek word whose original meaning referred to acting in plays and later took on derived meanings related to pretending and lying. Show up at a homeless shelter to do volunteer work so you can post selfies online and make your college application look better, you've got your reward in full. You'll get some upvotes and fawning compliments and an increased chance of admittance. Show up at a homeless shelter to do volunteer work because of compassion and a desire to minister and you'll get a spiritual blessing from it.

I believe God still talks to His children through visions and dreams. The most important thing to remember is that, it would not be to reveal something new (that what is revealed in His Word) or contradict Bible. I sleep so good and I hardly get dreams. My wife is a dreamer. We don't understand most of them. What we do know is, God uses them to bring certain prayer needs in front of her. So that she can pray about it. There are times when God warns her of upcoming trouble so that she is already praying about it or not surprised by it. In your case, it could very well be from Lord. Since forgiving others is not a secret in Bible!!

If the vision does not contradict the bible or lead you away from the Lord then it is possible it is from the Lord. There are some Christians who think that no one gets dreams or visions from the Lord now. And there are some who think every dream or vision is from the Lord. Dont listen to either extreme.

THE PSALMS CHALLENGE DAY 1 PSALM 1 [Book 1] Would y'all like to read the Psalms together? It would take the rest of the year and a little on into January. We could read one per day [some would have to be broken down into sections]. I love the Psalms and feel there is much to learn and much theology there. We could on our own memorize pieces, mediate on portions of it, and just read together. Comments would be highly welcome. We could learn from each other. If posted what someone else has said, please cite the source. That's just common courtesy. I really would like to do this together. I love the Psalms and feel they are very, very rich. Here is Psalm 1 Book 1, Psalm 1 The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked 1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. I had a guest pastor once a long time ago who said that "walks", "stands", and "sits" shows a progression of what sin will do to you. You first notice is as you walk by, but can pass it by. But keeping on passing it by, then you stand still next to it out of curiosity. The next thing you know, you are sitting down participating in it. As far as "meditating on God's word day and night", Charles Spurgeon [whom I can't read enough of] says that one should refer to Psalm 23:7 that says, "So as a man thinks in his heart - so he is". That the heart is like an index of a book - it shows what's in the book. Our thoughts show up in our life. I REALLY like what Bartholomew Ashwood said in 1688 about meditation, "Meditation* chews the cud, and gets the sweetness and nutritive virtue of the Word into the heart and life: this is the way the godly bring forth much fruit." *Meditation not being the emptying of one's mind like transcendental meditation, but the filling of one's mind over and over with God's word. Repeating phrases in your mind asking God to pour the entire meaning of it into your heart." - jayne The Bible speaks of meditation many times. I, personally, don't do this enough.

In the western world where I have been blessed to live for most of my 60 odd years I have noticed that church numbers over the last 50+ years has been falling despite large population growth. So 50 years ago many church's were filled every weekend yet now where there are huge numbers its mainly the prosperity & entertainment type gatherings. And that's good as wherever the Gospel is preached is awesome; Our commission is love to obey and serve, to discern and not to judge... So for those of us that weekly attend modest to small gatherings and don't see much growth, more like rehashed already believers that for this reason or that are now in fellowship with us I ASK , ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,DOES THE WORLD TRUST US ??? Most would agree CHRISTIANS are ,,, a people set apart, loving, helpful, understanding, good friends, generous, kind and yet we have been given a GIFT so precious that we our instructed not to conceal this PRECIOUS GIFT but to share it ... Looking over my lifespan in many homes of GOD where the truth was misled ..eg Catholic priest pedo controversy ,,, thru to liberal church views about Gay clergy , the pay for healing message over the airways and other ways to attract new members, rather than revealing the truth ,,, JESUS alive in us ... SO WHAT ARE WE TO THOSE THAT THOSE THAT ARE PERISHING CAN THEY TRUST US. Kevana. p.s. It starts right here with you has said the LORD to me...

James 3:1-18 The Tongue has power to do 3 things: I. The power to control - v. 3-8. Our tongue has the power to control us; Characteristics of good teacher: Good teachers control their tongue and is the one who has living faith. Who controls his tongue is a perfect men. Perfect means mature Proverbs fifteen four; control of tongue represents a controlled life. Faith Controls The Tongue 1-12, Faith Produces Wisdom 13-18 James 3 - KJV Bible - Bible Study Tools

After a lifetime of being a wishy washy lukewarm Christian mixed with New Ager, I had an experience in 2017. I always believed in Jesus but wasn't convinved on the Biblical Jesus. This experience happened when I still believed that Jesus was more like a tolerant big brother figure, rather than all glorious Son of God. At this time, I had a heartbreaking fall-out with someone, and my unforgiveness was making me ill. I prayed and prayed that I would be able to forgive the person. One morning I woke up at 5am, and it was the first thing I thought of. I prayed and turned over to go back to sleep. As soon as I closed my eyes, I was (in my mind's eye) in a tomb, sitting on a ledge carved out of the wall. Jesus was sitting on the ledge beside me, on my left. He held up his hands and I could see the holes. They were very circular in a kind of clean cut-out shape. He held up his hands and said, "I have holes in my hands...no more blaming". I immediately understood that He was telling me that He had been crucified and forgave even those who put Him to death, and if He could do that, I could forgive the person who had hurt me. His tone was very kind, incredibly patient, like how you tell off a child when you are in a good mood, if that makes sense...yet, he had total authority and as soon as He said that, I literally had no choice but to forgive the person. I was completely healed and my heart was restored in that second. I also detected that this Jesus was from the Bible and was not a hippy, anything-goes kind of Jesus that I had been believing in before. It wasn't wasn't an immediate process as not everything in my life was in place yet (I had not met the right people yet etc) but I am now a Born Again Christian, and that experience had a lot to do with it. I had always thought that I had had an encounter with Christ but heard someone saying that visions of Jesus are never from God. What do you all think? Are all signs or visions from the enemy? Or can they be from God as long as we match it to scripture? What do you think?

Amen. Diane, don't waste any more time with that guy. If he cheats on his wife, he will do the same to you. Why don't you try to meet some nice Christian guys? Perhaps that will lead into a real, godly relationship and marriage?

They tried that. Now look at us. What a disaster!!

Yes, as someone else has said - if the visions we have are scriptural in nature and exalt Christ - then one can only count it as genuine. God is sending visions to Muslims in Islamic countries today. I've heard pastors say that and I fact-checked it myself. I pray and have prayed that he send more visions of Christ to them. God can and does speak however he chooses. Primarily through the Bible as it is so readily available, but in other ways when it warrants it or when Bibles are few and far between.

I have, when I was near the equator in the caribbean. I have also when I lived on long island about half a mile from the shore. I prefer humid. I can breathe Keeping cool with dry heat is a myth. Dry heat sucks all the moisture out of you. And it only marginally works if you sweat, which I dont. Dry heat at 112 and a dew point of 49 (mondays weather) still felt very hot --- 109, according to the national weather service calculator. What wind there was felt like a hot blast out of the oven. But Im more used to the heat than you are. As a delicate desert flower, your winter temps terrify me lol.

A division of the MS-13 gang operating in Los Angeles has been arrested for some brutal murders. 19 of the 22 arrested were found to be illegal immigrants. https://onenewsnow.com/ap/united-states/most-ms-13-gang-members-indicted-in-california-are-illegals

Confessions of a former atheist When I was still an atheist, I would go into the forums of religious people (muslims) and "educate" them by attacking their – often but not always – bizarre interpretations what the theory of evolution is. This mostly gave easy victories because I have a B.S. in environmental sciences and evolution is part of that education. The problem is, that I thought when I beat them in this one area of their knowledge I DEFEATED THEIR BELIEVE. And that without even knowing what believe is (or better having forgotten what it is, because as a small child I could be very spiritual without being a member of any religion. This is why children can very propably be saved without babtisation, they already talk automatically to god and admire him, it's called a bit degoratively "the magic phase" by science). Believe is a feeling and if you do not know it or have forgotten what it really exactly is you are in no position to criticise it. (Forgetting it is easily possible because feelings are difficult to remember when you are not in the same state -try to imagine pain when you are not in a state of pain for example. Remember that problem of "incomplete memory of feelings" if atheistic doubts about the nature of your believe should ever rise in you. Y0u are than by definition already in a state where you can not remember spirituality correctly and should hence not judge the moments when your believe was strong). Without truly knowing and feeling believe you are like a colorblind attacking the concept of colour as form of madness. Spirituality can in my eyes be achieved through many religions, and this is where I deny absolutist interpretations of religions and propably anger many people here: Everything in this universe was created for diversity so it is unlikely that god wants to simplify that diversity and complexity now by boiling it down to a single set of rules contained in one religion. But if religions are languages that god can use to teach us spirituality and goodness there are edfinitively religious languages through which this is much harder to achieve that aim than through the words of Jesus. Whatever your point on syncretism is the idea to outright deny the existence of the feeling of believe and spirituality as forms of self deception, seff-poisoning or madness is as psychopathic as it can get!!!!! I cannot put enough exclamation marks behind that. Outside of religion previously only psychopaths felt the need to devalue feelings of other as faible, useless and something that weakens the mind. The problem is that people with a very low IQ can be highly spiritual and this might have to do with the fact that the mind specializes - and they have specialized in spirituality and mysticism and not in logic or in other words in saving their souls. A very worthy endeavour. I say it clearly: if seen through the lense of evolution people with mental disabilities are inferior errors of nature and useless because spirituality is claimed to be useless and they are not really very useful in other areas of life. Who instead is clearly the most useful in that mind frame is a person with a high logic IQ, good income but no spirituality at all - like Dawkins – what coincidence, that he is promoting the exact ideology that donates him such an importance over others so fanatically... The modern world often looks more compassionate to us than the christian middle ages because through scientific progress incredible wealth has been created and illness could be defeated. But we do distribute this wealth in the most disgusting and unequal and social darwinist way possible I can imagine - possible at least as long as the world is not fully ruled by psychopaths. If compared to the poverty of other people and other times and the limitations to real aid that poverty poses we are greedy, selfish, and brute - brute in our very modern way of white and hidden violence (letting people starve while watching them from our multi-million dollar cruise ship as holiday attraction for example – if I had the choice between a medieval beheading and starving I would choose beheading as a more honest, quick and human form of killing, so much for ethical progress in "the age of reason"). I believe that religion must modernize to stay alive so not every atheistic critique should be discarded as valueless. But in an atheist mind frame we have no value for people we cannot use and exploit in some form or another. Atheist would claim: oh but we have the golden rule... But which one? If you combine the positive and negative interpretation of the golden rule as any libertarian would tell you they create logical paradoxes, paradoxes that can only be solved by a non-logic form of thinking. This emotional appraoch to ethics (which is nevery enetirely devoid of logic because we use some form of logic in every thought) is the instinct for ethics that god gave us and that not everyone is listening too sadly. The devaluation of humans is the logical consequence of denying the truth that the soul of every human is holy. In the atheist mind frame it is an object of nature and objects are there for being used - or thrown away if broken. I do not care (!) what other people think atheism does to them ethically but at least me it made a misantroph and it numbed my empathy. I was not noticing how my hybris about being able to "know" the true motives and origins of the human soul was poisoing and destroying my mind - just like drugs would destroy your ability to see that they are harming you. Yes I know atheist think that religion is a poison, I think it vice versa. I was only able to gain the insight of the destructive effects of my ideology when god called me back. It is hybris to think to be able to reduce a human soul to a simple predictive set of logic rules dervived from the rules of evolution itself - this is propably the reason why the story about the tree of knowlegde was positioned right at the start of the bible as a warning - it is the warning that we can know and manipulate other beeings like humans and sadly god. Because why the heck do we feel the need and motivation to reduce the complex perceptions (like believe) and even entire souls to simple explanations of logic and science?! In science we want to use such reductive approaches to reduce the complexity of a situation, make it more understandable and than use this newly gained understanding to CONTROLL it for our needs and purposes. Similarly if we reduce the human mind to the simple purely logic rules of evolution, biologism and ultimatively social darwinism all we subonciously or consciously want is to gain controll over that said mind by said knowlegde (OMG! How could I not have seen this great danger bevorehand. Please forgive me Jesus, sometimes high IQ people like me are realy the most stupid folks around...). The true emotional driver here for such a shady undertaking could be either fear of the unknown in the best case or the need for true psychopathic manipulation in the worst case. Fear of the unknown - the optimistic interpretation - will be always with us. But it conflicts with the idea that atheists are supercool and lack of fear is the true reason why they do not need a god and we over-emotive believers need one ... Here you have your anwser to Dawkins and his film age of reasib: "Logic reductionism if applied to people and not to physical process is always motivated by the evil aims of wanting to have controll over such people. If you Dawkins, cannot understand that simple emotional and ethical truth there is a reason why your soul can propably not be saved - and it has nothing to do with not praying or not joining a church or whatever."

@Not me Yes, it is helpful. I oscillate between knowing God has to transform me and knowing that I have to choose the righteous path. Setting aside the old life is difficult, and I have tremendous guilt when I sin as I never did before. I hate the sin! I will keep pressing in, as you suggested.

A lot of people in church are really there just going through the motions. It's what they do and have done for a long time. And people tend to not like change. Getting to know a new member is change. The fact that there are less than 50 members in your church amplify this. I moved from Seattle to rural KY 8 years ago. I soon joined a southern gospel band that visited a lot of small churches. I saw what you are talking about in many churches. In fact, I had to leave the first two churches because of this phenomenon. That is, they really didn't want to discuss spiritual things unless we were in 100% agreement. The third church has several hundred members and is perfect for me. They listen to my "different" beliefs and we even discuss them and the underlying impacts. We have a strong children's church (that is, there is a vital youth present) and we have weekly "at home" groups where you get to know, intimately, a group of three or four couples, before we all switch groups, and you get to know a new small group of people. And those "at home" groups include enthusiastic bible study. You should keep looking until you find yourself in a church with this spirit of excitement and JOY in the Lord.

With a little effort. For example, I once applied for and got, a debit card for a student child. Since the money was prepaid, they where not worried about proving the I.D. of the child. So, I admit to a sort of deception I suppose, the name on the debit card, was Ann Onimus (a play on anonymous). That way I could use the card to donate to various charities, without revealing who I was. My church has bins where donations of food and or clothing can be made. I enter the building during service so I can bring in food and clothing unseen, and deposit my gifts. You can purchase money orders, and use them to make donations. Open a checking account, and they start you out with checks that do not have your name and address. You can scribbles something not legible, in the signature area, and they still cash just fine. Most churches have donation envelopes, and a place where you can deposit them without having to do so in the collection plate - but cash in those, and it is anonymous. It just takes a little thought, there are lots of ways, but the main thing is really about your motive, you can certainly give without saying look at me, or hoping that someone notices what you are doing, that is the point of that part of scripture, where is your heart, what is your motivation. The same thing goes for prayer, even here at Worthy. If you know of a prayer need, you can do that two ways. You can respond with "praying" or "just prayer", and be seen for how special and caring and holy you are, or you can say nothing, and pray without publicizing the fact. Sometimes, it might be good to 'announce' the fact, that you are praying for something, it can be an encouragement. However, announcing it does not make the prayer work better, God responds to prayer, according to his will. Again I think it is about the heart. If you heart is looking for recognition, then do not make your prayers public, keep them between you and God. When someone asks you to pray with them, or for them, in a public setting, how to you do that? Do you just say "no" and let them think you don't care or don't pray? There is probably no need for that. Just mind the motives for which you do things, and you are fine.

We give but should not boast or call attention to ourselves when we give to others. We are supposed to give anonymously.

Maybe it was not boasted or told about by these women, but God boasted about it in his word. Sort of like how the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive oil. Jesus said of her, "Truly, I say to you wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." I think the point is. Keep your giving to yourself. If you are to be praised for it, let God handle that.

What a powerful tool the tongue is, both for good and for bad. James vividly describes the power exercised by the tongue and the need for the Christian to exercise great care to use it properly. He points out that failure to bridle the tongue can be a factor in causing one’s worship to be futile. (Jas 1:26) He likens the tongue to a fire that can destroy a forest. The unbridled tongue can be influenced by destructive forces and can bring about such a great quantity or extent of unrighteousness that it can contaminate the individual’s entire life. It can be poisonous, spiritually, to oneself and to others. It cannot be tamed by man’s own efforts; nor can any imperfect human be completely exempt from ‘stumbling in word.’ (Jas 3:2-8) In harmony with James’ description of the tongue, the writer of Proverbs says that the calmness of the tongue can be “a tree of life.” On the other hand, a distortion in it can mean “a breaking down in the spirit”; death and life are in its power. (Pr 15:4; 18:21) “A mild tongue itself can break a bone,” in that a person hard as bone may be softened by a mild answer and break down in his hardness and opposition. (Pr 25:15) In fact, the tongue can heal in a spiritual way if it speaks the words of God. (Pr 12:18) “From God is the answer of the tongue,” for only he can provide spiritually correct words that result in healing. (Pr 16:1) What an awesome responsibility it is to use the tongue in a mature way!

Perhaps this is the emphasis on President Trump's plan for completing the wall.

Gee back in 1959 the fourteen members of the River Rats at Watertown Massachusetts that were arrested for killing a store clerk by beating him to death were all legal. What is this country coming to?

Yes, it's too bad. The case noted in the article is on our local news alot, it was such horrible murders. The article mentioned something about an affiliate of that gang being apprehended in Oklahoma, too. They are suspected of 200 crimes in 9 States.

It's truly a sad 'state' of affairs, and we're inundated with gang infestation.

Yeah i go to a church and there really nice i recently got baptized and jpined the church

I see a lot of potential in you @Nadjeschda, for apologetics and Bible studies. It seems we agree on the limitations, and temptations, of the the scientific method. By itself, it is simply a method of analysis, comprehension and taxonomy. But man has shaped the course of "science" with vendetta, seeking money, accolade and denying the existence of Elohim - to free their consciences, with a twisted logic. Indeed, the tree of the knowledge and tree of life in the Garden of Eden is still the same temptation lying before man today. Do we seek to build up our knowledge and be "like a god", or seek life under the authority of the true Elohim, Yahweh. One is a path of pride, the other is the path of humility. You seem very sober to this, which is great. Ultimately, science can only observe, test and codify. But it cannot grasp certain principles perfectly, such as love, hate, joy, spirit and God. Such principles can only be described with another discipline, such as philosophy, poetry and mysticism. Yes, those limited by the discipline of science ONLY will mock. But how foolish they are to do so. In this we agree as you write... ... how true. Yet it is venerated above Elohim Himself! The Tree of knowledge is just too tempting to man. Now, knowledge itself is not a bad thing. The knowledge of the Bible is a very worthy thing (even though some get prideful in that too). But I rather seek wisdom from Yahweh and His word, which is far beyond knowledge. Wisdom is alive, contextual, fluid, eternal and life giving. Knowledge is digital, fixed, absolute (depending on context), and deadly - in the hands of the evil. Wisdom we can take into our next lives. Knowledge (especially from this world) will be counted as worthless in the world to come. I spent many years studying psychology and learned a lot of fascinating things. But I count it all as worthless compared to beautiful wisdom of the Word. I'd rather be a very simple man in the Paradigm of Yahweh's world, than an intelligent, successful doctor in the Paradigm of man's world. The former brings life, love and peace. The latter brings emptiness, envy and pride. Different paradigms, different endings. Okay, I'll stop rambling! Love & Shalom

I've heard similar testimonies over the years. I'd also second @Jayne in that I've heard testimonies from missionaries at our old church about Muslims coming to Christ as a result of dreams and visions. These were first hand testimonies of it being a specific person that missionary had talked to. One common factor in these testimonies is that such dreams and visions are ultimately life-changing and lead people to Christ. I can tell you confidently that most Christians will simply rejoice at your testimony including the dream. I can also tell you confidently that there are some Christians who will never be convinced that it was from God and that it was either a normal dream based on stress in your life or some type of demonic deception from past new-age involvement or that you are lying for some self-seeking reason. I know one person who publicly shared a similar testimony and the next week a sermon from the pulpit specifically addressed how no one today could ever see Jesus. I was in that church and heard both the testimony and sermon. The pastor didn't specifically name them but repeatedly made a number of comments on the order of "I've never met anyone who has actually seen Jesus" basically repudiating the testimony as being false. I see from other threads that you've been a Christian for a short time. One of the things you'll learn is that there is a core set of essential beliefs that all Christians pretty much agree on. Those are such things as Jesus' death and resurrection as being the only way to God, the Bible as our authoritative source for belief and practice, and that part of being a Christian is that we are new creations in Christ which will lead to changes in our life. Then there are things that born-again Christians have been disagreeing about for centuries; sometimes to the extent of having nothing to do with other Christians who disagree on those things. The reality is that there are Bible-believing churches full of born-again Christians who will have nothing to do with a Bible-believing church full of born-again Christians across the street over some of these issues. As you grow spiritually and meet more and more solid mature Christians with a range of different views on various issues, you will start to learn which things are important to all Christians and which things are not. For a few groups of Christians, it is an essential belief that the *only* way God speaks to Christians today is through the Bible; hence your testimony will fly in the face of what they believe. Most groups of Christians have the view that God speaks and communicates today in various ways which will be consistent with scripture and will produce positive spiritual changes.

I'm so pathetic in social situations and really poor at trying to witness, I get all awkward and weird. So I would probably start frantically hitting every button in elevator and then back away into the corner slowly and sweat quietly. Oye.

Sorry, but there is only one God, and only one way to Him. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.

It isn't that difficult, really. Just don't broadcast it publicly.

Turn it around. You are all standing there in the glow of emergency lights and someone starts talking about double glazing! How do you react? That is how most peoplewould react if in that situation you start teling them they need Jesus as a saviour etc etc etc. What you do is talk to them, introduce yourself and chat. Find the emergency phone and either use it or encourage who ever has it to use it. You are looking for signs of panic and seeking to keep anyone looking nervous from panicing. If the conversation offers an opertunity to talk about your church or your faith then take it, but everyone is stuck in the lift unable to walk away. You would not appriciate 3 hours of double glazing sales talk, neither would those trapped be overjoyed to listen to a three hour monologue about their need of Jesus. We need to be sensitive.

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” ― Brennan Manning That could sound very condemning, if we fail to recognize that our brothers and sisters trapped in this behaviour are victimized by lies and misunderstandings of Him, of whom many TRULY desire to love and serve Him. Ministry has two faces.....one facing the Body, and the other facing the world He died for. We need to have His heart for rescuing both. And Body ministry is what produces disciples of Jesus Christ, and more harvesters.

I think this is the truth and the ticket. Unless people really and truly see Christ written in our hearts I can understand why they choose to have nothing to do with the Christianity of the day. So to righteousness in our doings is that thing that will attract the hearts that are willing to know right from wrong and love the truth. My thinks, Blessings, Much love in Christ, Not me .

I’ve seen 115 in Vegas..... Ive seen - 30 here in Ohio They BOTH suck.......

We're coming up on one year in the new location after about 20 years in our previous one. We moved here so my wife could be close to her mom (in assisted care). That's going very good and we have great neighbors. We're going to my MIL's church since we are her ride. It's a solid growing church with good people. I'm just not sure how well I fit in. I found a Spanish speaking service nearby that I started attending alone which I enjoy (even though I'm an outsider struggling to communicate). I'm unemployed and working on writing materials for ministry and consulting. To some degree I'm burned out with the writing and struggling to determine the next steps to take. God's clearly steered me in this direction so I'm trying to discern the next steps. We're also facing some major financial decisions soon regarding income. The big thing on this site for me is personal growth and learning. The interminable long posts I create have been a source of much growth for me. The research, meditation, and distilling of thoughts as well as attempted application of this to real situations are a honing and practice of gifts and skills. In the long run, writing is likely to be a big part of where God is steering me so this has been a good opportunity to work at it.

*sings* Only mad dogs and Englishmen (golfers) go out in the mid day sun.

Christ has freed us from sin. We are no longer slaves to sin. We can still sin and will fall at times. But we can yield to righteousness. It's a daily walk. We are being renewed in the knowledge of the image of christ. Put on the new man. The old man was crucified. Each day yield to Gods will. Day by day.

Yeah, but you guys got that “ dry” heat......let’s turn that humidity up to about 90% and watch them drop like flies....lol.....

I thank my Lord for Pinacle......anytime he gives me an “ oy veh”, I KNOW I am on the right track! Thank you, my unknowing “ friend” !

“YOUR WALKING PAPERS” And you don’t even need a Sheriff to deliver them to this dude.... You can do it, Sis.....I believe in you! Just Do It!

It was waaaaay too hot for my round of golf today . It really messed with my game and I did not score very well.In fact, I was four over par before I even got my golf ball out of the ball washer! Lol......

Welcome Diane, Thanks for sharing your story. Glad you reached out to us for fellowship, wisdom, and hugs. As for me, you asked if others ever walked away from God for a time.....well, here goes.... I became born again around age 27 and I am 66 now. I don’t recall ever walking away or backing sliding like you mentioned...praise God! I won’t go into it, but I was quite a sinner and when Jesus took all of my bad decisions, vices, and mess with Him to the cross, He lifted a great burden and an equally great amount of guilt. Im freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee now! For that, I am soooooooooooo grateful.......I don’t see how I will ever forget that moment I cried in my bedroom asking Him into my life and to save a wretched sinner like me. He did it instantly and very convincingly. Thank you, Lord. So, what is my point? When I do have a weak moment I think about what He endured to give me hope....ETERNAL HOPE! His blood reminds me of how blessed I am....that knowledge lifts me back up! Sorry for rambling....I’m Italian...it’s in my genes.... Love you, spock

Judge it by its fruit. If it glorifies Jesus and improves your Christian walk, it was probably the Lord. If it pulls you down a rabbit trail of fruitlessness, it wasn’t Him. I’d say this even for dreams/visions that sound Biblically plausible. If a vision of the future does not come true, no matter how much it sounds like the Bible, it wasn’t the Lord. No two visions from the Lord are ever identical, so it doesn’t have to be word-for-word like a story in the Bible, but it needs to be supported by Biblical principles, and it needs to actually edify. The Lord will NOT show us anything today that contradicts the Bible. He may have some creative ways to teach us, but He will always teach us Bible. There was a time when Ezekiel’s vision of wheels within wheels was unexpected. There was a time when nobody thought they’d see Moses and Elijah visiting Jesus on a mountain. The Lord can do whatever He wants, within the parameters of what Biblically makes sense.

I love maps in general, and I do still use paper maps-- bought a new one the other day. But I also use the computer map so I can zoom in on areas. I do not care for GPS because I have found it unreliable.

I dont need a map. Not even in unfamiliar places. I seem to have an unerring sense of direction and an ability to figure out the best route. My husband on the other hand .... we joke that faithful indian guide cant find his way out of a paper bag. He really is poor at directions.

I like a paper map. I bought a held GPS and I do not think it was very user friendly. I don't have a smart phone.

Beloved sister, may I pass on what my pastor taught us when difficult or stressful times came into our lives, ...sanctify it, ...I don't mean to sound harsh or unloving or uncaring, but dedicate these times to the Lord, ...rather than dwell on the stress in your mind, meditate, ruminate on what Father has already done for you in the past and thank Him for it, ...in other words, to take your mind off of the problem, ...turn it into a time of praise to the Lord. Also, one of my favorite verses in the Old Testament is, It-came-to-pass! Every situation, circumstance that comes into our lives will pass, ...may I suggest you study the Names of God used in the Word, ...now that I'm well advanced in years, Jehovah Rapha has become one of my favorites, ...the God who Heals me, when meditating, reflecting on that Truth I understand Father so loves me that He has been at work healing my body from the moment of my conception, giving my body the necessary strength to fight off infections before I became sick from them or healing me after they ravaged my body, ...this Truth has revealed to me how unlimited His love is for me, so that, ...we love God because He first loved us, ...yes I pray for Him to heal me now (and you will be in my prayers also), ...but, if the passing means I'm to go home to be with Him, I'm at peace with that... Father, I lift up my sister before your Throne of Grace where she can find Mercy and Grace in her time of trouble and need, ...Father I know you have heard her words and the cry from her heart, the anguish she is experiencing in her soul, I pray Father you would flood her with Your Peace, the Peace that goes far beyond our human understanding, I ask Father you would make Your Presence very real to her at this time, that she would know You are holding her in Your arms, may Your Peace calm her worried mind, may it soothe her anxious soul, may she understand in her heart that she is Yours and You are in control of her life, ...Father I ask you, if it be Your will, that she not become ill, please reveal to her she is not drowning, but is being held firmly in Your loving and caring arms, ...in the Name of Jesus and for Your Glory. Lord bless dear one

Blessedknitter, Please carefully read and ponder what JohnD has posted. Continue to pray to God to bring clarity and direction to your mind and heart. It's also important that you get yourself a "Christian" Bible and start reading it. You'll get amazing answers to your questions. I myself have only read through the bible twice but i learned that God is not the author of confusion. He tells us when we seek we will find and He will give us more. The Bible is the written Word of God, and Christ is the living, incarnate Word of God. The Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God, written by men under the control of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is a reflection of its Author. We cannot love God at all if we do not love His truth. The Bible testifies of its divine origin in its unity, fulfilled prophesies and power to change lives.

Dr3032, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4). I think Jesus means for us to give quietly in a spirit of humility. Do not dwell on the gift given or hav a spirit of self-congratulation. I think you already get that he doesn’t want us to make a big production in view of others or in our own hearts.

Yes. I still use a Rand McNally road map.