Willa

It has been my experience that healthy churches are growing churches. They are able to reach the teen agers and keep them (unless they move away). Healthy church have a lot of men in attendance and participating as Sunday school teachers. There is a good number of college age and young married couples. The people are real and their lives are consistent--God pleasers not people pleasers. So several of the churches I have attended were planted and grew from 10 to 1500 members in 15-20 years. They outgrew the little country church in a very short time. Sometimes the people who point their fingers at others and yell hell fire and damnation are the ones who may be hiding the sin in their own lives. There is little joy of the Holy Spirit there; instead people are frowning, stern and unfriendly. So I always look for a church in which there was good verse by verse Bible teaching. In one the pastor had a good sense of humor and would get me laughing at myself till my guard was down and the Holy Spirit was able to do a lot of healing, convicting and changing in me to be more like Jesus. Other times God works directly through His word. Where the Holy Spirit is working I am never bored or falling asleep. No one has to shout or condemn to keep me awake. God says "come let us reason together". Jesus said He is gentle and lowly in heart. Mat 11:29 NKJV “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. So look for a little country church that is growing and not dead.

When Joseph met his brothers and revealed to them who he was, he said "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." Satan entered Judas to betray Jesus, and He was sent to the cross. But even that was God's plan from the foundation of the world. God can use evil for good. I certainly don't think it is wrong to pray for anyone's salvation, that their hearts be softened and their eyes opened. Even the archangel said "The Lord rebuke you". I am not sure how much power we have against satan himself, but God has all power. Jud 1:9 NKJV Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" Fasting and prayer is most useful in keeping us humble and helping us to realize our limitations.

WE must come to God on His terms, not our own. He is the One in control. He is our Creator God. We bow and submit to Him. So you can't realy bargain with God saying I will obey you if your give me this girl, which is sin. Instead you say I will stay with my wife--nevertheless not my will be done but thine. I choose to love her and repent of the sins of coveting and adultery. God hates divorce. Repenting is choosing to do things God's way and turning away from sin.

Her own faith was called into question by her attitude toward Dianna's marriage to her son, and to her son's lover. Some of our own presidents also have had disgraceful lives. A few have been men of prayer who honored God's word.

To worship, exalt and praise God together with like minded Christians. To learn by inspired expository teaching of the Word. To pray for the salvation of those the Holy Spirit is drawing.

Jhn 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Jhn 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. Jhn 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Mohammad hasn't lived for ever much less with us, nor is he the Spirit of Truth. Mohammad can't be in us. Your muslim friends are relying on us being gullible and not knowing God's word.

The first step is to surrender ourselves completely to God, and everything we have (which God provided in the first place). We are just stewards, caretakers, of God's possessions that He has entrusted to us. We do this in thanksgiving for all God has provided for us---His own Son, the forgiveness of sin, adoption into His family and deliverance from the tyranny of sin and satan. 2Co 8:3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 2Co 8:4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 2Co 8:5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. We are to give as we are able out of our increase or our profits. The poor are to be aided by our giving, not fleeced. And when we need a job or have a set back, they are to aid us so that it all balances out. This is speaking of the church, not of unbelieving poor. 2Co 8:12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 2Co 8:13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 2Co 8:14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As to the church, 1Ti 5:17 AMP Let the elders who perform the duties of their office well be considered doubly worthy of honor [and of adequate financial support], especially those who labor faithfully in preaching and teaching. 1Ti 5:18 For the Scripture says, You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain, and again, The laborer is worthy of his hire. [Deu 25:4; Luk 10:7] Some pastors prefer to work on the side and not take a wage from the congregation for as long as possible. This is also true of missionaries. But this is not the norm. Paul didn't take a wife either but states that most pastors have wives. Most churches provided a wages for their pastors who teach the Word. It also leaves room for other paid staff. We are to give to the Lord and to where He directs us to give. He has put on my heart the need to support my church as well as to some missions. But there have been times that I was unable to give much due to decreased wages. Paul said that the important thing is the heart that wants to give. Our desire is to obey God because HE is worthy.

I also fell into this deception and suffered with an ungodly husband for many years. So I concur with the above answer. Draw very close to God and pray continually. Attend church by yourself and find a fellowship with older and wiser women who will support your with prayer. My husband tore up my Bibles and would punch his fist through the wall. Try to avoid bringing children into this home until after he is saved. The more I prayed for my husband's salvation the more God changed me into a more Godly wife. Read 1 Peter 3. 1Pe 3:1 AMP IN LIKE manner, you married women, be submissive to your own husbands [subordinate yourselves as being secondary to and dependent on them, and adapt yourselves to them], so that even if any do not obey the Word [of God], they may be won over not by discussion but by the [godly] lives of their wives, 1Pe 3:2 When they observe the pure and modest way in which you conduct yourselves, together with your reverence [for your husband; you are to feel for him all that reverence includes: to respect, defer to, revere him—to honor, esteem, appreciate, prize, and, in the human sense, to adore him, that is, to admire, praise, be devoted to, deeply love, and enjoy your husband]. 1Pe 3:3 Let not yours be the [merely] external adorning with [elaborate] interweaving and knotting of the hair, the wearing of jewelry, or changes of clothes; 1Pe 3:4 But let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God. But never compromise your faith or your walk with God. Don't criticize him but love him as he is. Let God change him in His own time. Ask God to love him through you. God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. I always figured that he wouldn't be so angry if God weren't after him, so I would rejoice. He was saved in 1974 and God made him into the husband I had always dreamed of. He became my prayer partner for over 40 years.

A heart attack is often described as like having an elephant sit on your chest. Medical causes need to be ruled out by and medical doctor.

Some people are terrified of public speaking/praying. Some may have a list of things to mention during prayer such as people who need specific prayer. But I personally feel much the same way as you. Some churches have prayer books for how to pray on certain days or for certain situations. The only one that I would use is the Lord's Prayer. But there are some beautiful songs/prayers in the old liturgy, such as the Gloria. And some of our hymns are prayers. So I guess I should'd be so hard on them. We are told that the Holy Spirit helps us to pray, so it seems that is the better way to go.

TY. Learn something new here every day.

No, The God of our Lord Jesus Christ is not guiding her. The god of this world is guiding her. She is encouraging your sin. And her teaching is leading you away from Jesus Christ. She is leading you straight to hell! Gal 5:17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, Gal 5:21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

What you seem to be talking about is pantheism. That is a cult. God is not in everyone. God is only in those who have repented and received Christ as their Savior and Lord. Joh 3:16 ESV "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Joh 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Joh 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Some churches have done away with alter calls and degenerated into clubs--social organizations. The one I used to go to decided to lead people to the Lord in small groups instead, but it didn't happen. So people drifted from that church to the one I now attend and were truly saved, making a commitment, and then discipled; they become dynamic Christians.

A friend of my grandmothers was very bigoted toward Jews. When I reminded her that her Savior is Jewish, she went into a rage yelling "No He's not! He's a Moabite! Ruth was a Moabite!" There was nothing left for me to say. You can't reason with that.

The OT is great, but too many people get discouraged trying to pronounce names such as in genealogy or borders of the Promised Land. So I still direct people to a few NT books to start reading. Thankfully, my first Bible was simply a New Testament. My reading disabilities would have sunk me had I started in the OT.

It is claimed that people in comas can still hear, and people who have recovered from them can recount everything said in the room. So the best thing you can do when you are with your mom is to read Scripture to her and pray aloud for her peace and comfort. It is hard to be the strong one when you have relied upon her for so long. It is called role reversal and it is so hard when you are grieving for the mom you have always known. My dad had a devastating stroke when I was 15. It left him with spastic paralysis, which means he had very painful muscle cramps for the rest of his life. It totally changed his personality as well. I grieved because I lost the dad I had known and loved and had to adjust to a dad who was so much different. We didn't have enough money for food so we were affected on many levels. So I understand your shock and grief. The steps of grief include shock, denial, bargaining with God, anger, depression and acceptance. The latter is when you decide that life goes on but it will always be different. God has promised to never leave us or forsake us. It is OK to mourn. The disciples mourned deeply for Stephen when he was stoned. Praying for you.

I don't remember anything in prophecy that says Arabia will oppose Israel in the end times. Arabia has always come through for Israel on the political side but its clergy, which are more powerful in swaying the people, have been anti Israel.

They cannot be separated. If I am connected to the Vine He produces fruit. He changes our motives and values first, but this change produces a change in life style. As I am immersed in His word, God transforms my mind to see others as He sees them and to have compassion on others. Selfishness dies as life revolves around God and His love motivates and guides me. 2Co 13:5 ESV Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Being a Christians is Christ living in me, loving through me, forgiving through me, and ministering to the needs of others through me.

There was a time in our marriage that my husband pushed me away. He was very depressed after a very painful accident that threatened his job and left him with exposed nerves and several surgeries to correct. We were both Christian and had been married for 25 years. . Perhaps as a result of your friend's cancer he has had to have a colostomy and is embarrassed. It can threaten a man's feeling like a man. But it is wrong of him to take your money etc. and then dump you. Pray for him and forgive him. I do pray that you find a very fulfilling job that give you a good income. I also pray that you are able to move beyond this and find other genuine Christians for fellowship.

We will try to answer questions as best we can. But I agree with Yowm that right now it is most important to read the New Testament to get to know Jesus better and Father God as He is revealed through Jesus. Also, pray in the Name of Jesus Christ and just tell God what is on your heart. He is your best friend Who will never leave you or forsake you. He gives us strength. I pray that God give you wisdom and keep you safe. Baptism is not necessary but is a huge blessing as we obey God. Willa

The 10 commandments say to honor our parents. I agree that this can be very hard. Perhaps sending her a card or a small gift for holidays, or a photo of your son would be ways to honor her without exposing either of you to further abuse. Tell her that Jesus loves her. We are told to love our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us. We have to remember that it was while we were yet sinners that Jesus died for us. We don't deserve God's grace either. But I don't believe that means we have to be doormats and to be abused. We are told to avoid people who call themselves Christians but continue in sin, and not even to eat with them in regard to church discipline. This is one time that it is probably advisable to do so. Paul warned Christians about Alexander the Coppersmith who had done him much harm. We have to forgive for our own well being. That doesn't mean we need to place ourselves in harm's way or condone their sin. We need to have pity on them as God has also had pity on us. Pray for her deliverance.

The people I spoke of immigrated legally but had other Russians bring some of their kids in. And yes it is a problem that some illegal immigrants come here for medical help and other benefits for the poor. Many desperate people that get free help lose their dignity because they can't repay it and end up hating us instead of being grateful. Most of the illegal people are very hard working and loving parents who work several minimum paying jobs to provide. These should have some path for legal status. The criminals who come in give them a bad name, and are the ones we are most concerned about.

Rom 5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Rom 5:7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— Rom 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. Rom 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. We must forgive others for our own sakes, to keep from forming a root of bitterness. Heb 12:15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; We all were once children of satan and a slave to sin. Jesus redeemed us from satan's kingdom by dying on the cross for mankind. But we each must receive Him to receive that forgiveness. We must choose to forgive even when we don't want to. We die to our own feelings because we desire to obey God. If we choose to disobey God in this, we will lose all joy and blessings our salvation.