Willa

He can affect you by tempting you. But as long as you stand firm, just live the Christian life before him, quietly and respectfully. Endeavor to be at peace with all men. I lived with an unsaved husband for 11 years. It was very lonely. God is able and His love is stronger than any evil in this world. The verses He gave me were those I pass along to you. Ephesians 6, about the full armor of God, and the story of Jehosaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. Most of all God told me to be quiet and live the Christian life before him. At times I prayed intensely. At times I rested. I don't understand about your moving. It sounds like your were forced to move. Was this a decision by your government? Are you still able to attend church? When I have changed churches God has gifted me in different ways according to the needs and circumstances or customs of the church. So He may start to speak to you in a quieter way to protect you in your present living situation. Sometimes He speaks to me by circumstances--opening or closing doors of opportunity. Sometimes it has been His still small voice within me. Sometimes it has been through music and often it has been through Scripture. Usually the messsage is repeated in a different manner but it comes to me 2 or 3 times. Often it has been due to the presence or absence of His peace within me. So I would urge you to become aware of and sensitive to the many ways God can speak to you and lead you. Meanwhile, I do pray for your safety and that you be better paired with a believer.

A lot of people go to church looking to make trouble. The Baptist church I attended would have witches and satanists try to disrupt the service. Elders would take them to a separate room and talk to them. The church I attend now has a lot of mormons, alcoholics and street people drop in. Several people in our church have jail ministries, several have street ministries, and others bring people from Alanon meetings. So we end up with all sorts of visitors to our otherwise average american church. I normally make an effort to greet people that others might avoid, and the face of one still gives me the creeps. I saw a lot of deception and evil in the eyes of this man in the long dirty hair and grin that revealed mostly missing teeth, and I did not feel safe around him. But I did firmly reach my hand out to him, say Hi, i'm Willa, looked steadily into his eyes and smiled as he took my hand. He hasn't come back and I have to tell you that I am relieved. Not all street people affect me that way. Most try to manipulate or use me. They go elsewhere when they find I won't jump through their hoops. You have to understand that my family was really great. We were poor but I never knew it or wanted for supporting love. But our pastor came from a welfare family that was ungodly, and his mom was the woman at the well. Alcohol, drugs, and violence were the norm. God saved him when he went to church looking for girls when he was a teenager. So many of these people are able to identify with his past and will open up to him; he brings God's acceptance and healing to many. He can also quickly see through the hype. All I can do is obey the Lord to reach out in friendship to care about others so that hopefully they can receive Gods love and receive Christ.. If they can't see His love in me, they will never believe God can love them.

I so agree with Lek and Kwik. There are times that God is telling me to practice what I already know and to trust His word and His character. We should never trust our feelings. I have gone through this. My husband is going through it even now. We must perservere. God has told us He would never leave us or forsake us. Be thankful.. Make a list of prayers He has answered and thank Him for having done so. Thank Him for allowing you to open your eyes to another day and ask Him again to be your Lord and give the day to Him, asking Him to use you. Reach out to those who are in need. Pray for them and be a blessing to them.

The problem is that we are called a body of Christ. As such we need to fit in among others. 1 Corinthians 12:12-36 goes into detail about how we all need each other. Ephesians 2:19-22 compare us to a building that is fit together to be a temple of the Holy Spirit. See also 1 Peter 2: 5. Jesus said that we would be treated the same way as He was treated. He was rejected by men, especially the religious people. Learning to allow Christ's love and forgiveness to flow through us to these people is part of the growing process. It is how God helps us to identify with the sufferings of Christ so that we can be more like Him. We learn more of what He endured for our sakes and how deep His love is. But in doing so we also become a witness for Him. We learn to tell others what Christ has done to change us and how to receive Him into their lives. It is all a growing process, making Jesus Lord of our lives by obeying Him. A person who chooses to be alone does not have much protection. Jesus sent people out 2 by 2, as sheep among wolves. Having just one person with you helps. Jesus said that where 2 or 3 are gathered in His Name, He is in the midst of them. And there are promises made for the prayers of those who are in agreement. So I don't recommend people to be alone as Christians. I don't believe it is Jesus' intention. Even Jesus had 12 others, and 3 very close friends, Peter James and John.. Blessings, Willa

I canceled my reply for the same reason.

I so agree with AGTG that praising God aloud and telling of His wonderful works is a form of spiritual warfare. God has been faithful to me when I have done this. But there is no formula. A formula doesn't work. God simply inhabits the praises of His people and the enemy cannot withstand His Presence. You might even read the Psalms aloud, such as 110 to 118. 136, 145 We don't often see that God use trances today but I see both Peter and Paul mention having had them. They are most often mentioned in connection with the occult. But I can't say it is impossible or not of God. Perhaps people have them more often but are unaware that it is in fact a trance. Balaam had one in Numbers 24:4 and in this case it was the Spirit of God that came upon him "who falls down with eyes wide open" "Who hears the words of God, Who sees the vision of the Almighty." Perhaps that was what happened to John when he was "in the Spirit on the Lord's Day." Just a thought. I also believe that God is still with you and in you. Depend on the promises in His Word. "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Don't let fear take hold of you. You don't have to depend on dreams and visions to keep you safe. You can depend on the Person and character of God. He is faithful. And read Ephesians 6:10-20 again. But I have also been in "dark" places while traveling through our country. It was a sense of oppression over an area and I can't say that I understand it. One was San Francisco where there is much ungodliness and the other was Utah where the cult of Mormons is in control. Blessings, brother. I will remember to pray for you. Willa

Random thoughts: It might be that those who sing before the Lord are more vulnerable to pride, rebellion and overstepping their place as satan also did. King Saul also comes to mind but he was a ruler who wrongfully assumed the role of a priest. Many involved in Christian music today are susceptable to pride and fall. It is a good reminder to all who stand before the people. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We still have huge sink holes today and houses are being swallowed by them. Now all these things happened as examples, and they were written for our admonition, -- Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 1 Cor. 10:11-12 NKJV Christ had a servent's heart and took the lowliest of positions. So should we.

Under most circumstances I would agree with the majority. But I am so sensitive to smoke that it has caused me to lose 3 months of work. My neighbors to the north and west have put in wood stoves. The smoke settles in our yard during the winter and especially during inversions. I immediately lose my voice to the extent that no sound comes out at all, and it does permanent damage. After my 3 months leave from work I retired. Since then every winter during the last half of December through March I can barely talk and get severe asthma as well. I can only wish they would stop using wood stoves. It will probably never happen.

Perhaps if John used the terms "born according to the flesh" vs "born according to the Spirit" as Galatians 4: 29 uses it, his point may be clearer. But I am having trouble following the whole debate. However, I do envy Jews who have received Christ who are also grounded in the Jewish traditions and knowledge of the OT. I believe that they usually have a better grasp on the NT. They often see the references to the calander, feasts holidays and sometimes even the Jewish form of worship alluded to in the NT that goes right over my head. So I am thankful for any insights of this nature they can shed on Scripture. I am sorry if this offends any of you. Blessings, Willa

The Bible has 2 covenants, or testaments such as in a last will and testament. The old convenant was made with the Jews in Israel. The new covenant included all of us heathen from other countries as well. So I come under the new covenant, the covenant of grace. That is why it is called the good news, which is what Gospel means. It tells us that the only way to come to God is through Jesus Christ. He came to reveal God the Father to us. He also is God in human flesh, God the Father's son, who existed before there was time. They, with the Holy Spirit, created everything that is. (John 1) Before Jesus was made flesh He was called the Word. All covenants were ratified by the shedding of blood. So Jesus died on the cross, shedding His blood, so that our sins could be forgiven and we could be acceptable to His Father. His blood blots out our sins and ratifies the New Covenant. Jesus took the punishment that I deserve because the punishment for any imperfection (sin) is death. To become a Christian we must received the free gift of eternal life that God offers us. We just pray, ask God to forgive us, and recieve that the death of Jesus provides that forgiveness. We can't be good enough to merit eternal life. It is only offered as a free gift, purchased by Christ's blood. So we accept it by thanking Him. God gives us a new life altogether when we receive Christ. It is a life born of God in which His Spirit comes to live in us to change our desires. We want to live lives that pleases God and to become more like Jesus. But we can only do that by the power of His Spirit living in us and changing us. So we read the New Testament in particular at first. It tells us to love God above all things, and to love and forgive others as He has loved and forgiven us. The old testament said that we had to obey laws to gain God's approval. The new testament says that God loves us even though we don't deserve it, and that He receives all who receive Jesus and trust in Him. So if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NKJV

1 Cor. 5:3-4 Paul speaks of himself being present with them in spirit. We can separate body from spirit when we die, but we can only distinguish soul from spirit. God's Spirit can communicate with our spirits: Rom. 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. I also go with trichotomy. Fascinating study.

The gnostics have made this claim for centuries, as does Christian Science today, that matter is only an illusion. 1 John 4:2-3 states By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. I have lived long enough to have seen science disprove itself over and over. Things are declaired a certainty one day and 10 years later it is no longer a fact or in vogue. I can't trust science. I can trust God's word in the Bible. Willa

Most of the tares that I have seen not only sew discord, they also try to hijack the group. A woman came into our Womans Ministries and after a couple of months invited everyone to her house that was in our small group. She did not clear anything with leadership. Soon she said that she was being ostracised by 2 or 3 that she said were a clique. One lady was was close to her friend who did not even go to our church. They did not treat me that way and I was puzzled. Then she announced that she was starting her own small group table, again without authorization. Her group was quickly absorbed by the pastors wife who is in charge. It was taken care of. It was not long before she and a few other malcontents left the church and started urging people to attend their new church. Other churches I have attended ignored the problem people and the pastor would mention not wanting to pull the wheat up with the tares. But he ignored it till the man split the church. He actually started his own church, ordaining ministers to his own cult that stayed within the church. The pastor let it go on way too long and that church has not been healthy since then. Other people came from a known cult and went from church to church, causing division and problems. I believe that these people consider themselves to be Christians but they have not submitted to Christ as Lord of their lives. The are operating in the flesh rather than the Spirit. Selfish ambitions, violent dissentions (or seditions), herecies, jealousies, and contentions (or quarrels) are listed as works of the flesh in Gal. 5. All of these people were in some kind of power struggle, and wanted people to follow themselves instead of Christ. They were in no way in submission to the authority structure. I don't consider offering opinions contrary to that of the leadership or other widely held opinions to be not being under authority. Offering other insights are valuable offerings of parts of the body of Christ. That is different than openly challanging the authority of the leadership, or trying to get people to follow themselves, or sewing discontent.

He is also called the Ancient of Days, as I remember.

Psalms 34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Jesus once said, when the disciples could not cast out a demon, that this kind could not come out but by prayer and fasting. Perhaps you should pray and ask God to deliver the house from such demonic activity, and to show you what you must do. I so agree that our obedience to His voice is imperitive to doing such a thing. I have found that singing praises to God helped a lot, and telling of His marvelous works. God inhabits the praises of His people. 2 Chronicles 20:1-23 has sometimes been of help, as has Ephesians 6:10-18. My warfare was mostly praying for people held captive by sin, that God enable them to repent, so it was perhaps different. But that is where and how God led me. Perhaps He will lead you elsewhere in Scripture. are your sisters saved? Are they indwelt by the Holy Spirit?. Have they made Jesus their Lord? It is important for you and your family, or anyone dwelling in the house, to repent of any connection to the occult. This includes praying to or talking to dead relatives.. I have seen catholics who are blind to the fact that praying to the dead, even dead saints, is strictly forbidden in the old testament since it is communicating with the dead and with familiar spirits. I believe that it leaves people vulnerable to other forms of the occult such as ouiga boards. Any idols should also be destroyed--many people decorate their yards with them but we are told in 1 Cor. that demonic spirits are connected with idols. Yoga, and other forms of eastern thought such as martial arts should be repented of if they are connected to eastern thought or religion. This is not superstition. It is similar to the Jewish practice of cleansing the house of any leaven prior to Passover, since leaven represents sin. Our lives and homes should also be cleansed of sin and dedicated to God. I realized that your whole house does not belong to you alone. But your sisters should be encouraged to do this as well and to give their lives to God. My grandfather was heavily into occult practices and I grew up in his house. After I made Jesus my Lord, I had to repent of any connection to the occult. I don't even read fortune cookies. This is how God has led me personally; not everyone seems to have to do all this. But to the core of my being I want nothing to do with the practices of evil, so this is what God has led me to do. Many pastors and elders pray over every room in their churches prior to services, dedicating them to the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father God. They ask that God cleanse them and use them for His glory. I hope some of these ideas might help. Take what seems to apply and leave the rest. Blessings, Willa

Things no one told me when I received Christ: Christians are supposed to be different. We are to be light and salt to a dying world. If we are not different there is something wrong with our salvation or walk. John 15:19 Amp. If you belonged to the world that world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world---are no longer one with it---but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you. V21 But they will do all this to you---inflict all this suffering on you---because of [your bearing] My name, and on My account, because they do not know the One Who sent Me. 16:1 These things I have told you so that you will not be offended---taken unawares and falter, or be caused to stumble and fall away, and to keep you from being scandalized and repelled. So it is a good thing that you bear the mark of the Holy Spirit and are no longer of the world. It is a good thing that they ostracized you for being a Christian and you are not one of them. I just doesn't feel like it. So spend more time among believers. In the following passages the KJV calls us a peculiar people. I always liked that. In the 70s we were called Jesus Freaks. That is OK, too. It is like a purple heart, an honor to be made to feel we are different, even though it is hurtful at times. God has chosen you!!! He has had pity on you and is making something beautiful of you!. How can you not love yourself when God had made you His own child and co-heir with Christ? Look at yourself as God sees you, pure through the blood of Christ, and not as the world sees you. Titus 2:13b-14 Amp -- Our great God and Savior Christ Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed One, , Who gave himself on our behalf that he might redeem us (purchase our freedom) from all iniquity and purify for Himself a people---to be peculiarly His own---people who are eager and enthusiastic about living a life that is good and filled with beneficial deeds. Matt. 10:16 AMP Lo I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; be wary and wise as serpents, and be innocent---harmless, guileless, and without falsity---as doves. As to our neighbor--I think is anyone that is suffering, if you look at the good Samaritan. We take care of our wounds and nurse ourselves back to health, so should we help others who are suffering that we encounter. Most often we are told in Scripture to help our brothers in Christ that are in need. Many youth projects include the repair and maintenance of poor churches, where they also may help with a vacation Bible school and outreach. Blessings, Willa

And the father him silfe which hath sent me beareth witnes of me. Ye have not hearde his voyce at eny tyme nor ye have sene his shape: 38 therto his wordes have ye not abydinge in you. For whome he hath sent: him ye beleve not. 39 Searche the scriptures for in them ye thinke ye have eternall lyfe: and they are they which testify of me. Since tyndale is easier for me to understand than kjv and it is the ony other version I could find that omitted the you, I used it to put this verse into context. 1. God,s words don,t abide in them. If they had internalized and applied God,s Word to themselves, they would have recognized and believed Christ,s words as well. Perhaps this is just the work of the H.S. but it would seem that many of his followers did not have this problem. 2 When we search to find truth we are more apt to find it. When we search to uphold pre conceived notions or pet doctrines, we may miss the revelation of Christ in His Word. It would seem that pride and hardness of heart are part of the problem. Knowledge puffs up but love edifies. So it is the application of the Word guided by love that builds us up as well as the body of Christ. Perhaps this is how respected theologians can miss salvation. This is my thoughts and impression after reading the postings in total. Blessings Willa

Back to the OP which seemed to be hijacked, the Bible existed as a collection of scrolls long before it was placed into book form by the Roman church. Morever, we have fragments of many of these scrolls as well as of letters written by the early pastors arguing with the claims of heritics. These letters quoted extensively from the early scrolls. Only a few verses of the New Testament were not quoted. The early scrolls were written on papyrus (like newsprint) or on leather which lasted longer. But the early Roman emporers ordered all the bibles to be destroyed so many of the earliest ones did not survive. There were other collections of scrolls or manuscripts other than that used by Jerome in Rome, who first translated them into Latin and put them into book form for the Roman Church.. The Greek orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches had collections as well. Some early collections omitted Hebrews, the Revelation or 3rd John since not all the scrolls had been circulated to every church in the second century. A few were determined to be forgeries (usually written by gnostics) and were not verified by the disciples of the apostles to be authentic. They often included things which did not display the character of God or harmonized with the rest of scripture. An example in one book is that Jesus as a child had killed other children. Outrageous! I have a collection of them and they can be pretty weird in places. The Egyptian church also had a collection of scripture but it was heavily influenced by gnosticism so many early appologists did not used them. The biggest herecy of the early church was gnosticism which was refuted by John as well as by Paul since it claimed that Jesus had not come in the flesh [among many other false teachings]. It also gave rise to many of the debates of the early church fathers and helped to define bible doctrine. Unfortunately, the ones in Egypt survived better because it was drier climate, and many were hidden or put in the garbage dumps in jars rather than burned as ordered by the Roman emporeror. The one now claimed to be the earliest and best came from Alexandria Egypt, a hotbed of gnosticism. It was the briefest, which indicates to me that scriptures had been omitted, but many modern schollars claim that verses had been added to the other versions. However, no doctirine held today is unsupported by any accurate translation. It is the those that are paraphrased or are put in peoples own words that are most unreliable. The Greek churches' collection was called the majority text because the majority of the churches used it and considered it to be more reliable. Many texts seemed to contain a mixture of sources. Today the King James Version, NKJV, WEB, ALT3, and Young's are based mostly on the greek majority text; , the ASV was a very accurate translation based mostly on the texts used by the Roman church, and the newer versions such as the RSV have included translation from the early Egyptian alexandrian text. (The gnostics probably left stuff out or changed words that disagreed with their cult.) I believe that in time the church will again embrace the majority text of the Greek Orthodox church. But right now the Majority text fragments that exist are mostly of a later date and are hand copied by lay people, since the Greek church allowed all the people access to the Bible. Many mistakes were made, but none that I know of that deliberately tried to change the Bible to fit false doctrine as some believe the gnostics did to the Alexandrian text. In all the litteral versions are remarkably alike and when NKJV is being read aloud it is easy to follow in the NASV. Personally, I read mostly the New King James Version but often consult the New American Standard Version, the ALT3, the Expanded Translation be Wuest, and the Amplified Version.

The Holy Spirit in me cries out Abba, Daddy to Father God. Jesus has become my eldest Big Brother Who cares for me like my Daddy does. But I do not feel the connection to the LAND of Israel that Jews by blood feel--that it is my rightful inheritance. In Christ the land also belongs to me to eventually rule and reign over, but only by nature of my remaining in Him. So I bless Israel and pray for the peace of Jeruselem, because I know that she is dear to my Savior's heart. He wept over her. Enoch, I have not read the linc, but all born again people are my brother and sisters in Christ, no matter what strange ideas they may have, including you. It is best to let God be the judge of who is our brother or sister, lest one seems to be contentious as in Gal. 5:20, or even worse, devisive.. I do not consider myself a dispensationalist other than where the Bible mentions such as in Epesians 1and 3:2 & 6. And I will not add to Scripture or go beyond what it plainly states as many theologians do. But I don't understand your statement concerning covenant theology. We are in the covenant of grace by His blood, which is the Gospel. Please, tread softly and in His love, offering others grace as He has given you grace. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher Who will lead us into all truth. Blessings, Willa PS, I, too have been reading and studying the Bible for a long time--since 1958 when I first repented and bought my first New Testament. But without love I am nothing.

My impression was that the rest in Christ was ceasing from our own works and relying on the completed work of Christ on the Cross. It is to stop stiving to be "good enough" or to please God, but to rest in that God is pleased with the work of Christ, which was bestowed on us, so He is already pleased with all who are in Him. Does that make sense? We now rest from our striving and walk in the Spirit. His burden is light. He has written the law on our hearts. The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, so it is still necessary to bring others to Christ. Willa

My best friend adamently did not want children either. She has never changed her mind, even though she is married, and she has never told me why. I imagine in today's world it would be harder on men to pursue this course. I pray that God may comfort you and heal any fears or emotional scars that may have caused this or resulted from your decision. And may He give you strength, health and peace. Willa

1 Cor. 14:3 ALT3 But the one prophecying to people speaks edification, and exhortation [or, encouragement] and comfort. Note that nothing is said about fortelling the future. It does not rule out that but the primary purpose is to build up the church spiritually and strengthen her (edify). It may urge, warn or admonish her in exhortation, but most often it encourages her and comforts, according to the need. An inspired sermon often contains prophecy delivered incognito. When I taught middle school aged girls sundayschool, often the phrases the Lord had given me for them were repeated in the sunday morning sermon. I did not stand up and say "thus says the Lord" or present it in any way as from God. Nor did our pastor while preaching do this. But the peace in our hearts bore witness to the truth of what was being preached. Even stranger, often I would turn on The Lutheran Hour and later Dr. Charles Stanley and hear the same message repeated later in the week. It would remind me of the phrase "hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches." Blessings, Willa

Sunflower, sometimes we see what we want to see in a person. That is how it was when I married my husband. But I was being very stupid because light and darkness have nothing in common. It was 11 miserably painful, lonely years before he was saved and all I can do is to warn you that we need to take God's commands seriously in 2 Corinthians 6:14. I would urge you to keep him as a friend but not a close friend or even a boyfriend until he completely surrenders to the Lord and you have certain and close fellowship in Christ. Please don't be fooled by him or fool yourself as I did. Willa

I always thought that the perfect which is to come in 1 Cor. 13 was referring to Jesus, since only HE is perfect. David, it seems that others have had similar dreams. I have never had such a dream so I don't feel competant to judge it in any way. But the fact that it brought you peace and security in Jesus is a very good sign. I rarely remember my dreams and when I do they are usually either frustrating or really corny. Blessings, Willa

Sometimes I think that none of the disciples had that revelation. How come they don't describe Jesus better? All that you mentioned, if I'm knowing this is God, then hello! I would have him described to perfection. I would have painted him and give him life with words. But then I guess that, Jesus was so naturally human for them -who knows, maybe too vulgarly human- that they just couldn't realize it. Actually they offered up a pretty good description of Jesus through His words and His activities. Had God provided a physical portrait of Jesus it would enshrined and venerated. Jesus came to earth to show us the Father, not to be drawn and painted. His physical appearance isn't important. What He did is what we need to be focused on. AMEN!!!! God wants to look beyond the physical and to lay up treasures in heaven, focusing on the spiritual attributes and values.