Willa

Welcome again Ryan. Surrender every area of your life to God making Jesus the Lord and Master of your life, especially of problem areas. Read your Bible, especially the New Testament, first praying and asking God to enlighten you and speak to you through the Scriptures. Jesus portrayed the nature of God. Try to apply to your own life the things that especially impress you. Pray and ask God to give you the power to do this. Become involved in a local Bible believing church and especially any small group Bible studies they may hold. Pray continually. While driving thank Him for keeping you safe and ask Him to protect people from careless dangerous drivers that you see. Pray for those in and near accidents. At home pray for family, for wisdom in raising kids, for any problems they face. Be in a continual conversation with God. If you are married, pray aloud for your wife's emotional and spiritual needs to be met, bless her and ask God to help you to be a blessing to her.

While you are welcome here, I again mention that this is a place where we greet each other. It is not a place for long testimonies or teachings.

We used to have an excellent Bible teacher in our little old ladies sunday school class. I attended it in 1972 before my husband was saved, and several husbands asked permission to attend it with their wives and to be taught by a woman.

From our perspective we choose to follow Christ and receive Him as Lord and Master of our lives. After we are saved we learn that God chose us first. He opened our eyes and softened our hearts, called us, revealed Himself to us, humbled us, convicted us of sin righteousness and judgement; He led us to repent, hunger to read the Bible, attend a church, be baptized and to walk in the Spirit. In other word, we've been "set up". I came protesting all the way till He demonstrated to me how much He loved and cared for me personally and I fell at His feet confessing" My Lord and my God!". My husband was very hostile and tore up my bibles, forbid me to go to church. I prayed that wherever he ran to he would run into God. His clients witnessed to him, his boss's pastor visited with him at work, and one of his boss's friends in another town challenged him to read "The Late Great Planet Earth". He returned to his motel and started to read a Gideons Bible--all night and couldn't put it down. He started going to church. After 6 months he went out into a wheat field and asked God to help him. Again God set him up with a Christian boss, Christian clients, and Christians witnesses wherever he went. What's worse, he had a Christian wife praying for him day and night.

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Peter and Paul preached the same gospel. Peter agreed with Paul's teaching. However, Peter preached to the Jews alone in Jerusalem, except for the God fearing centurion. Paul went first to the Jews and preached in the synagogs in the towns, and then went to the gentiles. So he said when he spoke to the Jews he became a Jew, and when he spoke to the gentiles he became like them so that all could be saved. He spoke to each from the perspective of his own culture. He could debate with the philosophers and teach as well as any rabbi, yet speak the words given by the Holy Spirit as did Peter.

I have always loved spirituals and folk music. Most timely.

You have partly misquoted me. There are many cults and sects that are very unbiblical in the hidden section and these have done as much if not more harm to confuse ungrounded Christians than have atheist. I have met atheist who were very hardened and cultists who also were, with none of these confessing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Masters. Some of the apologists for these cults twisted Scripture and considered other writing and confessions to be superior to the Bible. They were very hard to deal with because genuine Christians use the Bible as their foundation and it is common ground, where cults do not. So I consider unbelievers to include the cults in that hidden area. I didn't bother to answer or try to correct you or explain since by that time you were becoming hostile and very defensive. What I said was pretty much what George and others had said. I am sorry you took offense. I am not one of the people who feels competent to deal with atheists. I can witness to them what God has done in my own life and tell them my testimony, but I cannot debate with them. This is the post you took offense to: "We have been there, tried that. We are a Christian forum. We found that many of the people in the hidden sections were trying to convert us to their unbelief or errors, and new Christians and even young teens who are not established in our faith were being confused if not led astray by some of those unbelievers. Many in that group are quite hardened. Nevertheless mature, solid believers here are trying to reach out to them and even disciple those who desire to be taught the truth. "

Paul is referring to women teaching in churches. I do not believe this applies to secular situations. Some of the best secular teachers I have had have been women in public schools and state college.

A good friend of mine and a nurse watched her dad sweat blood due to high blood pressure. It cause his capillaries to burst and blood to ooze out of his skin. It was horrifying for her to watch someone she loved experiencing this. Can you imagine what it would have been like for Mary and John to watch it? Just knowing that Jesus suffered and died for us makes it all very sterile. Sometimes we need to know exactly what that meant. His anguish was very messy, bloody, and beyond what we can imagine. Yes, He endure all that for me and you. Thank you Jesus for enduring all that you suffered and for the blood that you gave for us.

It tells me that I can always trust in the Living God. Even Job said "I know that my Redeemer lives and on earth shall stand" looking to the coming of the Messiah. Who are we to question our Creator, let alone accuse Him? Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Only he would bring an accusation against the Living God.

Jhn 1:29 ESV The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 1Co 5:7 LITV Then purge out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened. For also Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. 1Co 5:7 NKJV Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 1Co 5:7 AMP Purge (clean out) the old leaven that you may be fresh (new) dough, still uncontaminated [as you are], for Christ, our Passover [Lamb], has been sacrificed. Heb 9:11 ESV But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) Heb 9:12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Heb 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, Heb 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Heb 10:9 ESV then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. (testament) Heb 10:10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Heb 10:11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. Heb 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, Heb 10:13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. Heb 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Heb 10:15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, Heb 10:16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," Heb 10:17 then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Heb 10:18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Every few years our church celebrates a Messianic Seder. It was a great blessing to me and enlarged my understanding of the Lord's Supper. We were taught to speak the Hebrew responses, which for me was a tongue twister most challenging. I am not accustomed to creating such guttural sound. Otherwise it brought me closer to my Savior and understanding His culture. Easter is no longer Easter to me. It is Passover. the Feast of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits.

Read the book of Job again. Who are we to question our Creator and Redeemer? Since life is not worth living without Him, I must endure the testing and refining of my faith. It should be making me more like Jesus as I identify with His sufferings. Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Some ministries live off the profits from books and take nothing from their pastoral or evangelical ministries. Some of those ask for a free will offering for their books and don't charge per se, so that those who cannot pay may receive them. I think it is OK to charge for them to cover costs and a slight profit. My grandson pays $600.00 for a text book for college. They don't charge anything but a nominal fee for Christian books and Bibles.

Choosing to murder shouldn't be a "right" for anyone. It is always a "wrong". Killing the newborn and abortion was one of the sins that God gave the inhabitants of the promised land the death sentence for, instructing that they be annihilated.

A former pastor used to quote your think quite often. So often when I speak it is unnecessary. Luk 6:45 NKJV “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart[fn] brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

We give God a thank offering of praise just because of Who He IS. We thank Him for His creation and for the life He has given us as well as the new life He has given us. We especially thank Him for the gift of His Son, the Lamb of God whose blood takes away all our sin and enables us to be in fellowship with our Father God. Heb 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Heb 13:16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Verse 16 reminds us that another offering to God is to share with believers who are suffering great need. This kind of sacrifice is also very pleasing to God. Giving sacrificially is sometimes doing so when it is not easy, but because of our love for God and also our love for our brothers in Christ.

Abraham may have also had concubines; he took Sara's handmaiden to have children with and produced the Arab tribes perhaps through Ishmael. He may have had others after Sarah died.

My advice would be to take a position in an organization or plant that is entry level, like a chem tech. Once you are hired it is much easier to move up because they often hire from within before they post it publicly. Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Php 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; Php 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

I prefer a church where there is sound teaching of God's word. Preferably they go through a book of the Bible verse by verse. From the moment I turned to God for forgiveness I have been hungry for His word. Secondly I love to praise and worship God with hymns and songs of praise. Psa 111:1 Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with mywhole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He stalks you like a roaring lion because he seeks to scare you and unsettle your faith. Get ahold of your scriptures like you did and trust in them. Memorize them. God can't lie and satan is the father of lies. So just don't believe him. Jesus gave him a fatal wound at the cross by destroying his power over death. Jesus arose from the grave! He lives and sits at the right hand of God praying for you. 1Pe 5:6 NKJV Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 1Pe 5:7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1Pe 5:9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 1Pe 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 1Pe 5:11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Heb 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, Heb 2:15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1Pe 1:4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,1Pe 1:5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1Pe 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 1Pe 1:7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, Rom 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Rom 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Rom 8:33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It isGod who justifies. Rom 8:34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Rom 8:36 As it is written: "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE ACCOUNTED AS SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER." Rom 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, Rom 8:39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.