Leaderboard

I'd rather..... pray the same request 10,000 times to God - in brokenness and tears and earnestness..... than to be silent..... and have the devil bask in that silence.

As it looks more & more apparent that the middle-east situation is set turn into a major conflict, I've been having the realization that this is a big opportunity for the gospel among those we know! How simple is it to show people that God's main prophetic focus is all about Israel and the middle-east, and that this marks the ending of the age? Regardless what your particular theology or eschatology is, I think most would agree that the stage is being set and that this is according to what the Bible has laid out - the whole world will be drawn into conflict in this area. So I'm developing a few, simple talking points to tell others that this all is according to God's plan for the end of the age. It starts out by saying that the background of Israel becoming a nation again, after 2,000 years, is unprecedented in history. And soon, serious conflict will erupt there, of which we are already beginning to see. And then a very charismatic leader will arise to resolve the situation with a treaty, which will not last more than a few years. These events will start the countdown to the Lord returning - and now God is calling all people to repent and call on the name of the Lord Jesus to be saved! So that seems simple enough, right? And, of course, we need to be ready with a few verses/passages to back that up . . . but just keep it simple - His Spirit will do the rest!

Reminders – If you love me, keep my commandments. There is some confusion in the body of Christ concerning the keeping of the law of commandments. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15 As Christians, we certainly love the Lord, don’t we? And if so, He says we should obey Him. Don’t Jesus’ commandments include the Old Testament law? So, what should a Christian’s relationship to that law be? As we’ve heard so many times before, we must always interpret scripture in context and in its relationship with the rest of the Bible, never isolating verses to fit our doctrine. As we do that concerning the law, we learn from the New Testament that keeping the law for salvation is impossible. “For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Galatians 2:16; Romans 3:20a The law was not given to save anybody, it was given to reveal man’s sinfulness in not keeping it. “…for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:20b Paul explains what the relationship of the law to man is, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid…the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good…But sin, that it might appear sin, works death in me by that which is good; that sin, by the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.” Romans 7:7-13 To punctuate the impossibility of being righteous by the law, James tells us, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10 But there is hope. Jesus lived a perfect life according to the law and thus fulfilled the requirements of the law for mankind forever. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17 And Jesus’ fulfillment of the law, removed the requirements of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:4 When we believed the Gospel, He forgave all our failures to keep the law, “having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” Colossians 2:13-14 “For [God] hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 Final Thoughts: When asked what the New Testament commandments of Jesus are, most savvy Christians will quote Mark 12:29-31 which is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself. Even the holiest among us will have to confess that they fall woefully short of loving God with ALL. Though we may want to love that much or try to love that much, that little word ALL humbles us into admission of not living up to that standard. So, what are Jesus’ commandments? Whatever He says to you. John 10:27 He is the living Word of God and He tells us what He wants us to do. Not as a list of commands with punishments attached for disobeying, but rather the revealing of His will and what is best for our walk with Him in fellowship. Because we love Him, we want to keep and do those things He asks. The ‘I have to’ of the O.T. law, has now become ‘I want to’ as new creations in Christ. ph

Approaching God in prayer especially about a topic I would rather brush under the rug, namely, my shortcomings and sins are subjects that I make certain I do pray about, to clear my conscience and remain an open book before Him.

You are either going to focus on the great love of God or you are going keep your mind stayed on your problems. It's your choice. I understand - completely understand the struggle. I've had a BAD, BAD day and it's just 1:00. Keep a few scriptures written down to read when you are overwhelmed and remember what @Tristen said. "God knew exactly what he was getting with you and loved you anyway." Here's a good scripture. Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In "EVERY" situation. With "prayer" and "petition", WITH "thanksgiving".

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Paul is not wrong when he writes this. The Worthy Statement Of Faith concludes with this: We believe that the 66 books of the Canon, from Genesis to Revelation are the exhaustive, inerrant and inspired word of God. Problems arise when comparisons are made between Scriptures that do not comport to the same context, that is, they are not discussing the same subject. Rom 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. Paul is speaking of Adam when he refers to "one that sinned", and is not wrong to do so.

Hmmmm. Let me try my phone.😳🙄👋

Very nice! God knew Adam would sin and He designed a plan of that would restore man back with Him in the garden. Throughout the Scriptures He has constantly reminded us of the “do’s and don’ts,” but we continue to “play in the streets,” we continue to “play with matches.” Every prophecy in the Scriptures has been fulfilled exactly as it was given… His Word is true… we are so close to the end! He has revealed all that we need to be saved. He has withheld nothing in His plan of salvation to us.

It is relevant. In the beginning, the Lord created Adam and his race to rule over this Earth. This is our domain. God expected Adam to eat of the tree of life and live forever, but instead, Satan deceived Eve to eat of the wrong tree. The underlying purpose is so that Satan and his minions can control and inherit what was supposed to be mankind's domain - but that part is another topic. And thus we are all familiar with sin, death and so forth in which the entire Bible is about bringing back that which was lost in the garden and to restore everything. So the entire Bible is the Lord, thorough a people and purpose, working to this end and in the meantime mankind gets the lesson that we cannot do it all or rule ourselves (and that's obvious as things are getting worse by the year). It all ends with the end times and a new heaven and earth, but again, God is laying the foundation over time to achieve that end.

Atheists are not pharisees. They knew God existed. They were waiting for Jesus to do a miracle to attack Him. The guy with the sick son though: So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!” Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. John 4:46‭-‬53 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/jhn.4.46-53.NKJV John 10 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and [f]believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” Matthew 11:21‭-‬24 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.11.21-24.NKJV I got saved myself by asking God for miracles for a year, saying almost daily: If this does not happen I wont believe in God. It all happened and after a year it was too accidental. My brother saw Jesus while Zen meditating. I would mock kids in my christian school because I got taught that at home. My dad mocked God. He mocked my mom's faith. His dad was far worse. He really tried to pull people from their faith and would really mock. My dad protected us for him. We had no contact when we were young. But the whole bunch got saved, because my mother was christian and just prayed and forgave and blessed and she shared the Gospel with granddad. My dad just died. 2 years before he died he got sick. My mom said: You have to convert now and he did. When she just came back to God in the 80s God told her that he first had to believe in her before he could believe in Him.

I read this this morning and was reminded that it is only Christ in and through us Who has any profit, and of our own strength and energy we cannot build one thing concerning His church (that will stand through the testing fire)! How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? (Galatians 3:3 NLT) You know all that the Letter to the Galatians is about, and you know the two prominent words – Liberty – "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 4:1 – A.V.) – and sonship. Not servanthood, nor slavery, but sonship; the liberty of sons. They are the two great words of that Letter, but what are the grave bands there in Galatia? They are the grave bands of tradition, of legalism, and all such things. You know, dear friends, it is very easy to get tied up with these grave clothes! The persistent peril through the ages of Christianity is to crystallize itself into something set, something fixed. You have some light, some revelation, something of the immensity of truth, just a fragment of it, and it is not long before you begin to form that into a set system and make it the limit, saying that this is what people must believe, they must come within this horizon, and they must behave like this. It becomes a system again: 'You must... you must not!', and there is no difference between that and the Old Testament 'Thou shalt... thou shalt not!' Christianity has fallen into that peril, and is continually doing it, circumscribing the great revelation, making Christ smaller than He is, crystallizing truth into something fixed and set: 'This is how...' and the meaning of that is: 'This is the ultimate.' Now you notice that when the Spirit did come, as we have the record in the Book of the Acts, the one thing that these old Jewish disciples experienced was a marvelous emancipation from that bondage of Judaism; and how the Holy Spirit was working all along against any fixed barriers! By T. Austin-Sparks from: “Loose Him, and Let Him Go”

As a Vietnam conflict participant, I could write a book about my experiences and geopolitical opinions. Think about this: since WW II, with all the military conflicts we have engaged in, being the global police force, compare our expenditures and cost of lives, limbs, and American blood to what was gained. We have never won anything, and at best, an ongoing stalemate such as with N. Korea and the Persian Gulf. Americans have lost their will for anything protracted. We are no longer the United States of America and cannot be more divided. Since WW II, as a nation, our morals and values have gone down the proverbial toilet bowl, abandoning and shaking our national fist at God. We have only three legal documents: the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. All three have been and are being usurped as antiquated. The US Constitution spells out the use and authorization of military force. Congress solely has the responsibility and power to declare war; when has that happened lately? I predict America under current liberal leadership will fail and abandon Israel, just like everyone else. Perhaps when we turn tail and flee Israel, we will leave a parting gift like we did with Afganastan? And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:9) With the implied Israeli sanctions and a two-state solution, if God does not judge our nation sooner, we may be part of the above prophecy.

DOUBLE MINDED JOHN 12:48 he that rejecteth ME and receiveth not MY words hath one that judgeth him the word that I --have spoken-- the same shall judge him in the last day --12:49-- for I have not --spoken-- of myself but THE FATHER which sent ME HE gave ME a commandment what I should say and what I should speak --12:50-- and I know that HIS commandment is life everlasting whatsoever I speak therefore even as THE FATHER said unto ME so I speak JAMES 1:8 A DOUBLE MINDED MAN IS UNSTABLE IN ALL HIS WAYS PROVERBS 30:6 ADD THOU NOT UNTO HIS WORDS LEST HE REPROVE THEE AND THOU BE FOUND A LIAR HEBREWS 5:11 of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered ---seeing you are dull of hearing--- --5:12-- for when the time you ought to be teachers you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of GOD and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat --5:13-- for everyone that useth milk ---is unskillful in the word of righteousness for he is a babe--- 1 TIMOTHY 3:5 for if a man know not how to rule his own house how shall he take care of the church of GOD --3:6-- not a novice lest being lifted up --with pride-- he fall into the condemnation of the devil PROVERBS 8:8 all the words of --MY MOUTH-- are in righteousness there is nothing froward or perverse in them PSALM 119:144 the righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting give me understanding and I shall live *** SCRIPTURES INTERPRET *** PROVERBS 4:19 THE WAY OF THE WICKED IS AS DARKNESS --- THEY KNOW NOT AT WHAT THEY STUMBLE --- JAMES 4:8 draw nigh unto GOD and HE will draw nigh unto you --- cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double minded --- 1 CORINTHIANS 11:1 be you followers of me as I ALSO am of CHRIST PROVERBS 8:20 I lead in the way of righteousness in the midst of the paths of judgment ROMANS 6:16 know you not that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey his servants you are to whom you obey whether of sin unto death --- or of obedience unto righteousness --- LOVING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

Nope! What Jesus preached is the good news! [ Luke 4:18-21 ] Treat people the way you would want to be treated, for this is the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12 ...and if there be any other command it is summed up in this statement; love your neighbor as yourself. Romans 13:9 and they were astonished at His doctrine for He taught as one with authority Matthew 7:28 If anyone disobeys the Torah (1 John 3:4) and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ, he does not have God. He that abides in the doctrine of Christ, has both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:9-11 I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commands, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. ... I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify these things in the churches... Revelation 22:13-16

Hope you are not offended in any way… and you can be sure that millions upon millions have been exactly where you are right now and CERTAINLY EVEN MUCH WORSE!!!!!!!! You are quite able to articulate your situation and express the pain, the frustration, the unknowing, the lack of support, the true lack of peace, and of course, the anger that comes along with all of this. You are also an intelligent individual who is able to reach out and receive and even accept the true and wonderful comments, suggestions, and advice from those folks within this forum that have responded to your situation. However, you are now within a situation that almost all people will / have found themselves in … whether it is a financial crisis, a medical issue, legal concerns, drugs, abuse, poverty…. or any combination of these…. There is nothing new under the sun. You have responded in very kind ways to the comments and suggestions offered here, but there is a very noticeable (my opinion) reaction from you… and please believe me, EVERYONE has had to go through this to some degree (some will never leave this stage, some will have to continue falling down into the hole, some will respond as though they have just had a large bucket of very cold water on them and realized - ENOUGH, they are right, ENOUGH WITH THIS WAY OF LIFE AND I DO NOT WANT IT ANYMORE! It is NOT your circumstances that will take you down and down and even further down, it is your continuation to look for help from anyone other than the One that can and will help you. Today’s responses by the wonderful, caring folks will / may provide you with some relief or give you a pleasant feeling knowing others are sympathetic, but this is all short term to you. An hour from now, you will have moved back to your previous position of … all those things you are used to feeling. The bottom line is that you are NOT going to find a quick fix or the right set of actions or steps to take to stop your state of mind and your continued falling down that dark hole… The ONLY solution you have to experience what you are looking for … in every way, is to ask yourself just how long and how much YOU ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT THIS STATE YOU ARE IN. It will not be resolved with a check for XXX dollars, it will not be resolved with a brand new job, it will not be resolved by ANYTHING OTHER THAN DECIDING YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH AND LOOK UP TO YOUR GOD AND TELL HIM YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH AND YOU PLACE EVERYTHING (EVERYTHING - NO MORE OF YOUR “buts”) IN HIS CARE. This is NOT an easy thing to do!!! In fact, for most people, it is easy to say, easy to agree with, but almost impossible for most to actually do. But once you COMPLETELY / SINCERELY/ give Him the keys to the car and turn your heart and mind over to Him, you will know it was the right and only decision you could and should have made. Don’t continue to look and search the “how’s and ‘why’s” and the “when” each of your issues or problems will be resolved… they are not there and NO ONE can give them to you! Again, I can assure you, it will be an easy thing to hear from others, it will be received by you calmly, but it will be the most difficult decision to do… to truly let go and let God. Ask yourself just how long you think you want to continue doing and living this life as you have been doing… when you have had enough, God WILL BE THERE FOR YOU… you must want to abandon this life as you know it. Don’t look for solutions, look only to Him! I hope this does not sound too harsh or without substance! You DO HAVE THE ANSWER… you just don’t believe it can be so. God bless always, Charlie

The uniqueness of the New Covenant of Jesus Blood: Having no idea of what it will be like or even idea to start ... I, as a little child, am His and I now desire the things of Him more than all else I began in... there is no law in this place of s/Spirit it is just serving Him while moving through the worthless...

who me

The rest is found in s/Spirit ... which if you have opened your heart to Jesus then He, The Holy Spirit and your new s/Spirit life exist.... it is in the knowing of what will be and this all gone that is so delightful ... If we look in flesh for better here -'not going to happen' but if we look in s/Spirit then it has happened already...

All things work together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose. Btw, that psychiatrist would probably think we are all nuts....

Can't you rent something cheaper? I live with 3 teens in a 1 bedroom, 2 bunk beds. Lately saw an article of a single mom who had 70 euro a week to spend. She earns just as much as me, but she has a normal house with rooms for the kids. That's just not doable alone. Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you. Ask Him to give you a job and ask Him where to go. They wanted to fire me. I was forced to get a psychiatric test. That psychiater said: Aren't you worried? Single mom, they want to fire you. I said no, thinking: Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you. LOL She thought that was nuts and wrote down that I was nuts but too stupid to realize it myself and then they couldn't fire me. Google a bit if there are christian organizations that can help you.Your aunt is a pastor? Doesn't she know something, can't she help?

Two years ago, the Lord declared that I would work as a peer support counselor. I couldn't fathom it, but He said that when the time came, I would know. What happened? A colleague where I work left one day and never returned. He abandoned his job as our peer support counselor, and I remembered the words of the Lord regarding this. I submitted a resume for the vacant position and then immediately regretted doing it. "I hope they don't call upon me, Lord," I said to Him. "They won't select me. I'm needed right where I am." They did indeed call upon me, and I was offered the position. Whatever the Lord declares comes to pass.

Hi Koneckey, Nice to see you starting such a good thread. Now, I see from God`s word that His plan and purpose is for us to be like Christ. `We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.` (Rom. 8: 28 & 29) Then whatever area of life we find ourselves in then we are to serve - our family, our friends, others in the Body of Christ, our neighbors, our community etc. In every area God by His Holy Spirit will be making us like Christ.

My graphic depiction of characteristics associated with the flesh versus those of the Holy Spirit

And all the more as the day approaches. "And he that winneth souls is wise".... Pray. Open mouth. Acknowledge God. He will speak....... Good stuff, VA....

Death, Burial, Resurrection, Belief = Eternal Life For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Rom. 1:16

I already knew you were attending a Baptist church and I harbor no ill will towards them. Many have been saved in those churches. Baptists are up close and personal to me since I was raiseed in a Baptist church from birth and attended one even afterwards when I left home. Yet in later years I never agreed with some of their theology. I also realize that often finding a good church can be difficult. Even the baptist moniker has been corrupted on several fronts by apostacy, which I guess means, judge no book by it's cover. One could do far worse than a good methodist, baptist or presbyterian church. I believed most of what was taught. The people in those churches are often dedicated and good servants of Christ, sometimes caught in a less than stellar theological system. No two are the same. Even churches under the same denominational umbrella. Neither am I saying my denomination is by any means perfect or has arrived, but it aligns most closely with my beliefs. I would like to think that Christians do not just look at what the church they attend teaches and believe all of it, but sadly I think this is the case many times. The pastor said it, so it must be right. The gifts are either in effect or they are not irregardless of any church. The degree to which we quench/discourage them is the degree they are usually seen. Churches that encourage the gifts will need to take a risk in allowing them, but much of this can be mitigated by checks and balances.Churches that tend to discourage the gifts because maybe they don't think they ever happen will reap what they sow. Noone who has such gifts will be likely to attend said churches, or if they do, they will not feel free in them. I have Presbyterian and Baptist friends, but I attend a Vineyard church that is part of the Vineyard denomination. -They believe in tongues, healing and prophecy as relevant today, however they don't overly emphasize them like some of the more charismatic churches sometimes seem to do. There is a way tongues are allowed and they follow that way.Same with prophecy and the others. Healing is a real thing and I know people who have absolutely been healed. Tongues are not a prerequisite to recieving the spirit. There is often some confusion about the Holy Spirit. I basically believe the same as the Baptists on the Holy Spirit. We get the Spirit when we are saved, however we can have the Spirit come over us to be used for special purposes. Some will say that's a filling of the Spirit. So far as I know Baptists completely omit prophecy. In all the years I was in those churches I never seen anything to indicate it was encouraged.

Indeed, it will show true liberty for any citizen to protest their cause peacefully. There is the sphere in the manner which protest should be done and in accordance with the law of the land. The universities and colleges are place of learning and while students group and others have the right to protest, it should be done without interruption of the institution law and activities. I think protest of political and war events should be done on the streets and with letters to the leaders of the land. I really don't know how to phrase a reply like this to be socially correct, but I guess what I am saying , is places of learning are there just for that. If the schools and universities are found to have corruption, then it should be made public in the media and to the government officials and investigation be done. To be frank, the universities have for the most part gone woke and is part of the havoc that is being pushed to bring about the "New World Order".

God is not "mad" at you. Or do you really think you surprised God into an emotional reaction? God knew exactly what He was getting with you - and He loved you anyway - with a love beyond comprehension. If your feelings tell you otherwise, then your feelings are lying to you. It is your responsibility to make a decision to trust what God's Word tells us, and to reject the lies of your feelings. Forget about what other Christians appear to be doing. They either will go through, or already have gone through, an experience similar to yours. Your walk with God is your own. And forget about striving to be anyone other than yourself. Stop comparing yourself to others. Just get to know God. Talk to Him about what is on your mind - honestly. Let Him speak to you through His Word, through sermons, through circumstances etc.. No pressure. Constant striving puts out the flame in many Christians. Fellowship with God is not a chore, but relationship. You talk when you have something to say, and God talks when He has something to say. Otherwise, you can simply enjoy each other's company. If you think you are too angry or lax, talk to God about it. God's kingdom is "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit". If you don't have that, ask God how to get hold of it. It's not supposed to be rocket surgery 😊 .

1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

Do you realize that walking with the Lord is a life of peace and even joy throughout hard times? Sometimes we might not have overwhelming joy, but inside we still have peace. Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light. You talk about striving... although we do want to live godly in Christ, to me it isn't about striving. It's about resting in Jesus and walking with Him....a life of peace. A good life, away from the troubles that sin brings.

Could also be describing Antifa. Usually white, indoctrinated, come from wealth and privilege and a leftist household. (Purely my opinion).

"Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Zephaniah 2:2-3 Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you! Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger. Today, Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami warning after Ruang Mountain erupted, sending ash thousands of feet into the sky. They ordered more than 11,000 people to evacuate the area. This brings to mind a story from the late 1800s, when witnesses to a volcanic eruption were convinced that it signaled the end of the world. It was 1883, and Captain Sampson of the British Navy witnessed one of the greatest volcanic eruptions in history, which took place in Indonesia. The eruption was so powerful that its shock waves traveled around the world seven times. The volcano shot miles of debris into the atmosphere, which fell to earth as far away as Madagascar, over a 2000-mile distance. Captain Sampson wrote in the ship’s log: “I am writing this blind in pitch darkness. We are under continual rain of pumice stone and dust. So violent are the explosions that the eardrums of over half my crew have been shattered … I am convinced that the Day of Judgment has come.” These men witnessed something extraordinary, and it caused them to ponder the inevitable question — Is this the end? What was the crew thinking and feeling as they were deafened by the massive explosions and blinded by the clouds of smoke and ash? To them, it must have been as if the sun had become like sackcloth! Did this experience change their lives? Were they now powerfully aware of how fragile life is? Did they suddenly begin to examine what their lives had consisted of up to that moment? Imagine yourself in that boat as these events are taking place. Now picture yourself in the present moment … are you thinking about what your life has been about or what it is now? Are you thinking about what it could be?? Wake up. Recognize that eruptions are already taking place, and these are the Lord’s warnings to this sleeping world; warnings that His return is NEAR! We are privileged to be witnesses and participants in the most extraordinary times as the end of the age draws near. But God is looking for people who are awake, wise, who understand the signs of the times, and who know Him … so they can take action and shine like stars in a darkening world– will you be one of them? Never miss a devotion again! Sign up for our Worthy Briefs!We're being CENSORED ... HELP get the WORD OUT! SHARE!!! View the full article

@mel85 I agree wholeheartedly with the above. Mel, don't think so much about the evil one. Instead when something starts to assail you, remember some Scripture verses to combat the situation. Remember the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. And take the helmet of salvation for protection of your mind. Ephesians 6 is good to dwell upon...the armor of God.

Sister, you are ever in my prayers. As you said, you are trying! Do not discount that as being a glorifying testimony to your faith in God. Even in these incredible trials, you know His will, you desire His will, you are fighting tooth and nail to stick to His will, resisting the devil telling you to give up, resisting the evil one's temptation to end your life before God is ready for it to end. You are fighting hard. You are a warrior. The devil has not defeated you. You are standing for God's truth and His will. Do not think for a minute that God is not very pleased about your show of faith in this time of great darkness in your life. God is allowing the devil to test you, and so far, you have not given in. You have not let the devil convince you to distrust God, you have not let him to convince you to orphan your precious children. You are an inspiration to me (and I imagine everyone else here). When I think of the struggles in attitude I have had at times over the past few months and days with the stress of moving, despite it being nowhere near your level of stress, I can only stand in awe of your faith. I hope one day to grow to be able to fight as hard and as successfully as you have been. Do not hold in those tears. "JESUS WEPT" (John 11:35) Did you get that? Let me say it again. "JESUS WEPT" (John 11:35) Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, very God of very God, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Light of the world, Prince of peace...he wept! Your tears are not shameful. They are not weak. They are not displeasing to your loving Father in heaven. And guess what the very next verse says: "So the Jews said, 'See how he loved him!'" (John 11:36) Jesus wept openly, in front of others, in front of his disciples, in front of believers, in front of non-believers! Do not be ashamed of your tears. Do not hide them. Do not hide your pain. Do not think it makes you weak or a failure of a Christian. Do not hesitate to keep seeking help. God is not finished with you yet!

The summation of your difficulty. If one refuses to accept the Lord as Lord, but continues to demand to be their own lord, then that is what the Lord will allow one to do. But the results thereof will always bring sorrow in the end. Because only God is good, and therefore only God can bring good into our lives. But that comes at the cost of our submission to Him. Choose whom you will serve. Right now, it is you. And it ain't working.

Sad not mad is what I have no doubt God feels at the moment You say you dont want to give up control so lets be honest here ................. God says no sex before marriage so you took control and had a child with someone you didnt even stay with Did God get mad ? NO He made sure you had a roof over your head and food to eat and some help with your child BUT it was not the perfect paradise you wanted control of SOOOOO You did it again and had another child with another person you didnt marry or stay with so YOU are in control NOT God Am I judging you ? NO I have a granddaughter that has done the same thing and she too likes to be IN CONTROL of her life ...it is HER choice and between her and God just as it is your choice in in YOUR control YET you both feel that God should be doing more for you , should be making your lives easier because by making YOUR OWN CHOICES and being IN CONTROL OF YOUR POWN LIVES you have made your lives more difficult and harder so who do you blame for this ??? Yourself and your control issues ??? NOOOO you both think it is God being mean to you Instead of being on your knees and weeping for joy that GOD has given you two healthy children you blame HIM because YOUR choices have not brought you the control and happiness you think you are entitled to Perhaps you do have a problem but it is NOT because God doesnt care about you it is because YOU dont care about anyone BUT you . I understand you are depressed and it is an illness and I understand you feel overwhelmed at time and tired ( I had 4 very young children and escaped from a violent husband and was left to work and care for them and try to maker a better life for us all so YES I DO KNOW HOW HARD IT IS ) Yet never did I contemplate killing myself as the easy way out and leaving them to face what I couldn't .YOU HAVE THE CHOICES AND CONTROL NOT THEM they didnt ask to be born nor do they have ANY control Does you post offend me ?? NO I just feel sorry for you and will continue to pray for you but it is time to grow up and learn to live with the results of YOUR choices' and control of situations and maybe learn to make better choices or hand over that control to God who cant make things worse than YOU have done but will not just wave a magic wand and make your consequences disappear We ALL make bad choices at times and we all have to live with the consequences of those choices but with Gods grace if we humble ourselves before Him and ask for His help and guidance ( and I dont mean just make public gestures and think thats all we need ) He gives us the strength and the grace to get through the valleys in life and back to the hill tops were we can give praise and thanks to HIM

The Devil knows our sinful proclivities and he exploits these weaknesses. Personally, I have never had a weakness toward substance abuse (I have never been drunk, nor have done drugs, nor tobacco, etc.) and I "don't get it" why others have these weaknesses, but that is human nature: we "don't get it," until we ourselves have the same problem. My weakness (not surprisingly): being self-righteous, something I struggle with daily.

That is indeed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Anything else is a different gospel.

The first thing that the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil caused was to open the yes of Adam and Eve to their nakedness. They hurried to cover it. This provoked the second thing - an apron of Fig Leaves. If we interpret scripture with scripture, the Fig Tree stands for two things: 1. In Judges 9 it has fruit that is sweet, but unlike the Olive and the Vine, God is not connected to it. Mention of Him associated with the Fig Tree is glaringly missing. 2. Our Lord, in line with the prophets, calls Israel a Vine but the Northern Tribes were deported and the Vine hewn down. What was left was Judah and the small remnant who returned from Babylon are called a Fig Tree by our Lord Jesus. This time, Leaves are in view and fruit is absent. And far from being sweet, it is fruitless and thus cursed by our Lord. Now, the leaves of a Tree are its "Covering" or "Garment" and a Garment in Revelation 19:7-8 are ones WORKS. And Judah's special works were the Law. The only sign given the Church of the closeness of our Lord's Apocalypse is the Fig Tree sprouting Leaves. This in turn is found in Daniel 9 when the Beast "strengthens THE Covenant with Israel". The article is implied, so which Covenant is meant? The Covenant of Law - for it is the only Covenant that has the daily oblation. All this connecting of scriptures is to show one thing - fallen man LOVES LAWS! It is the boast for the Jew. "We keep the Law. So we are JUSTIFIED!" And the Church fared no better. Well has our brother Austin Sparks remarked that we are apt to make new laws, so that we may ask; "does your Church allow chewing gum ... ?". There are ∓613 laws from Moses. There are over 2,400 instructions in the New Testament. But this is not enough! "We want Laws! We want Laws! Pastor ... give us Laws!" "We love the knowledge of Good and Evil!" But the Voice of Jehovah thunders from heaven. "NOT MOSES ....", but My beloved Son ... HEAR HIM! Three great dangers face the Believer; (i) The flesh, (ii) the world system, and (iii) the LAW OF MOSES. Or shall we say, The Law of Moses AND SUPPLEMENTS! And those of you that know your Bible well know that the inspired language of Galatians is very hard. In it are damning statements like "I wish they were cut off!" "You are cursed!" "You have fallen from grace!" ... and so on. The Law is sweet. Righteousness in God's demands is good. Our Lord Jesus was the fulfillment of the Offerings. This God commanded. And their fulfillment was a"sweet savor". But the sweetness came from OBEDIENCE. The Offerings do not give God pleasure (Heb.10:6-8). They are a necessary event FOR SIN. They are there to equal out evil works. What God wants is not a modified version of Romans 7. He desires Romans 8 with Christ, His LIFE, His presence in our human spirits, born again in our spirits (Jn.3:6), being children by rebirth, sons by maturing and above all - to be LED by His Spirit in our spirits (Jn.4:24). It is seldom pointed out but the word for "children" in Romans 8 is a different word in the Greek to that for "sons". "Children" show ORIGIN; GENERATION and show who the FATHER is. The Greek for "sons" addresses THE MATURE WHO INHERIT. Children know WHAT their father does. Sons know WHY their father does what he does. The law is Hagar. Out with the bondwoman! 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Co 3:16–18).

I've been reading Romans lately. Romans 8:14-17 stood out to me. "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." It's always really nice seeing the Bible show such consistency with its message. And thinking about verses like this and the one you provided it's really incredible. Jesus is rightfully spoken of quite highly in the Bible, and despite our sin nature, past mistakes, and more we're adopted to the point of being considered co-heirs.

I second this. I think a lot of times people give Satan credit for things that are just assorted human evils and failings like the flesh and the circumstances we live in.

Hebrews 13: 5 For he had said, I will never leave you nor forsake you .

Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them

Should I pray to start? Yes, and fill your mind with the teachings of Jesus. Praise God in your thoughts, recite memorized verses in your mind and pray unceasingly. When your mind is filled with the things of God there is no room for the Adversary to harass you with rubbish. Praise of God will chase the enemy away because of their hatred of all things pertaining to God. God is love therefore practicing agape love will also cause evil to flee.

Hi Mel what happened ? You were attack by unbelievers ? You should pray much before going out to hand out bibles. Read the New Testament and pray much. The enemy cannot win.

Figure of eighty, sometimes the individual needs to just do as they please and believe that control is held in their own hands to live the life that seems fitting for the moment. Of course, this is just an illusion provided by the god of this world so as to have achieved control of the individual through all the shiny alluring trinkets and emotional attachments. I spent approximately ten years believing I had control of my own destiny, reveling in hedonism and nihilism. After ten years or there abouts, I was spent, tired and knew that my rebellious nature was of no value to myself or anyone else near me. Mercifully, Jesus with perfect timing sought me out and provided me a means of a deeper repentance. I gladly accepted His offer and have lived my best life imaginable in humble submission and agreement to His will. I will never be perfect as long as I drag this body around, but I know that someday His promise of perfection will be achieved on the other side of this earthly existence. I hope that you have the time to find truth while living in this world before your spirit is called to return to God Almighty. Not every rebel survives their rebellion.

I've never labored under the pretense myself which is probably why on those occasions when the Lord bid me to speak to others in a corporate manner, the words came without effort. Sermonizing is not nor never was my vocation, and I wasn't raised paying heed to someone ensconced in a pulpit. This explains why I have no time for sermons that are preached to the choir; it's fair to say that is the target audience of the church sermon. In any case, I was "brought up" in a setting where we put our hands and hearts to work for the kingdom, serving those without husbands, wives, or parents. That's how it was until the lofty vocation of clergy started seeping inexorably in, turning gatherings of the saints into dreadful affairs where the chief elder lulled me into a semi-conscious state of head-bobbing with his sermonizing. There the head goes, drooping down slowly when suddenly, the head snaps upright again. After a few repetitions of that teeter-totter, I would stand up and exit the building. There were holes to dig, fences to mend, brush to clear out, and refuse to transport to the dump. Oh, how perfectly scandalous my judicious exits proved to be. How dare I leave in the middle of his sermon. I ought to repent... Of what? Seeking something constructive to do with my time? I can think of better ways to serve the Lord than devoting ourselves to carefully maintaining appropriately religious appearances in order to curry the favor of busybodies in congregations. It's a charade and we know how the Lord feels about hypocrites, yes? Hypocrites are actors after all.

The “imagination” of their heart. What men imagine to be the best way is failure.

Psalm 26: 4-5 (ESV) I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.