Willa

I have to agree that we express our love for our Father by loving one another. But I test my own heart by my willingness to obey the speed limit, or being in obedience to civil authorities. Do I try to obey exactly? Do I become prideful for my obedience while all those no good speeders whizz past me? Do I drive 5 over the limit or the amount I think I can get away with? My heart can be so deceitful and wicked!

One reason that I love the writings of Corry Ten Boom is that she spoke often using analogies and similes. She spoke as Jesus spoke. It wasn't the intellectual that feeds my spirit but the simple way she expressed truths. She once compared God to a piece os chocolate. It can be analyzed chemically. You can know the recipe for making it. But until you have tasted it..........Taste and see that the Lord is good! Psa 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Jhn 6:48 I am the bread of life. Jhn 6:49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. Jhn 6:50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. Jhn 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." Jhn 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Jhn 6:54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. Jhn 6:55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Jhn 6:56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. Jhn 6:57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. Jhn 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." Jhn 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. AMEN!

Love this album--Keaggy is my favorite guitarist.

I don"t believe in "soul sleeping" or being in the grave till the resurrection as the 7th Day Adventists believe. In several places Paul speaks of being immediately present with Jesus after he dies so he will always be with the Lord. The body is reunited with the soul upon the resurrection. I don't worry much about the fate of the wicked except to desire the repentance and salvation of the lost. However, the benefit of salvation to our present life, the joy and peace we now experience, are to me the greatest selling points of the Gospel. God's love was what won me, not threats of punishment. The Gospel is GOOD NEWS, after all.

We in Eastern Washington are experiences your temps. It has been 23 F at night last week but is back up to the low 40s this week with highs close to 60. A brief reprieve. Our highs went from the 80s one week, the 60s the next, and then the 40s! It just dipped down too fast and our bodies couldn't acclimatize. It always amazes me that in the spring we start shedding our jackets when it hits 50 if there is no breeze. In fall we grab our heavy jackets when it hits 50.

I used to walk through my neighborhood playing for residents house by house. But I have a friend with the gift of evangelism who regularly goes door to door and is quite effective. His wife goes with him and prays silently as he speaks. Paul's prayer: Eph 6:19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, Eph 6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Augustine probably started replacement theology when he wrote "the City Of God" interpreting the Revelation in an allegorical way and indicating that Rome was then the city of God, replacing Jerusalem. I don't believe in interpreting Scripture that way--it should be read as literally as possible.

Augustine even took one stand early on and later reversed his position. They weren't perfect. We must rely on Scripture.

Some of the church fathers were also rubbish and strayed far from Scripture. which they debated among themselves.

We can't walk on water if we look at the raging waves; we keep our eyes on Christ. His perfect love delivers us from all fear. The enemy would distract us with lies and try to frighten us. We are safe in Christ's arms.

To call upon the Name of the Lord is to call on His reputation as well as all that he claimed to be. He is the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end of all things, he is the I Am, He is God in human flesh, only begotten Son of the Father, Son of man, Messiah Christ, Creator of the universe. He is a God who cannot lie, all powerful, all knowing, exalted above every name. He arose from the grave and lives eternally interceding for us at the right hand of the Father. He is love, righteousness, holiness, pure and without sin, wisdom, full of mercy and compassion.

We noticed 50 years ago that UFOs were reported most often in areas of heavy occult activity.

Not this one. It was pornographic the way he described in detail the pleasure he got from preying on young guys in jail and all the other horrible stuff he had done. He was boasting about his sin. It was not done in a way that glorified God in any way. Moreover he later ended up back in prison for continuing in his evil practices and sadistic rapes. The guy had not repented and it was clearly evident in his attitudes and actions. He was a con man of the worst sort and faked his salvation. Some Christians are so gullible. We want people to have the same joy we have so much that we fail to have the discernment to see what is really happening. When we are saved our attitudes change within a very short time. We are not perfect, but we are ashamed of our sin.

Col 3:15 AMPc. And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ's] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].

Thank you for posting this, OO.

=I quit in 1967

didn't work. believe me I tried it. made me more awake, even jittery.

I rarely get to sleep before daybreak. My days and nights are reversed so it is hard to get out of bed before 1 or 2 pm. I have tried all the remedies and suggestions for sleep and sleep patterns without success. Doc took me off the only sleeping pills that actually worked. Yes I do use the time often to praise God and pray, but I need to sleep at night to redeem the time more effectively.

We need to thank SongsOfDeliverance who name reminded me of it. God used it in my life as well, revealing a paralyzing fear of being alone that the enemy was using. Songs of deliverance for sure! Praise God I am free!

Usually the Lord is trying to teach me the heights and depths of God's undeserved love and forgiveness --His grace-- when I find people irritate me like this. Eph 3:14 ESV. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, Eph 3:15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, Eph 3:16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, Eph 3:17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, Eph 3:18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, Eph 3:19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Eph 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, God loves us even with all our petty complaints and bickering with each other. We need His love for all His bickering kids. Patience is a fruit of the spirit and means patient endurance in trials. As a mom I can remember my older son complaining about his little brother and wishing he would see the good in his brother. God must want that of us as well. So we must see the good in the complainers as well and dwell on the good instead of their faults. It begins with us.

Perhaps we will be judged more by Who lives within us rather than what we have done. All rewards are due to Him and cast at His feet in the end.

Perhaps he is referring to brothers in Christ. I used to attend a church where several older women were called sisters.

Jesus came to glorify the Father, to reveal Him and point us to Him. His life and words reflect the nature of our Father in heaven. The Holy Spirit came to glorify Jesus, to reveal Him and point us to Him and His work on the cross. He convicts of sin, righteousness and judgement.