emdie

You put that so beautifully Abby. Praise His glorious Name forever and ever!

It's funny I was just thinking about that, how we are told that we will be rewarded for doing good deeds in Heaven, and I agree with you completely BacKaran. I've always tried to 'do the right thing' for it's own sake and because God wishes me to do so, and I feel a bit uncomfortable with the idea of receiving any reward for doing as i'm told by the Father. The only reward I can think of that I would strive for is to see Him finally, in all His glory.

You're so right Shel, the Holy Spirit doesn't even get mentioned outside of this forum I've noticed, almost as if mentioning 'God' is discouraged, but mentioning the Holy Spirit is downright embarrassing for some people! Like we should be ashamed. The only thing I can say is that it's all biblical, how we would be 'persecuted' for our faith in one or another, as Christ was.

Thank you so much for sharing that, I just love to listen to stories where someone praises God for helping them through their dreadful situations, as people can turn the other way and actually blame Him for their troubles. Unfortunately my own father is just such a one, when my sisters died he blamed God and has done ever since, and that's 40 years plus now, but I still pray for him, that God will manifest in his life so he can realise what we (Christians) see. The other day I read that David Attenborough doesn't believe in God! It made me so sad, because I thought, 'how can a man who has seen God's intricate design in nature not recognise such beauty could only be the work of God'? I've said this on other threads, so forgive me if if you've seen this before, but I can't imagine how bad my life could have been if God hand't been there for me, working in the background, influencing things that had an impact on my life. I had a year getting over my amputation, I've also spent 4 or 5 months in plaster in one go with my other leg because I have a disease in the bones of my ankle where it breaks at the drop of a hat, so I've ended up isolated because I couldn't go out clubbing or to parties like most women in their thirties (glad to say I'll be turning 40 in a couple of months). If I didn't have God as my constant companion, my rock, my friend and Father, and my comfort, I don't know what I would have done. You're a strong woman BacKaran, and quite amazing as well. God Bless, Emily

I love Psalm 23, in fact I have it as my lock screen wallpaper on my phone

Hi Mea kakau, Plenty of people have given you some really good advice, but I'll just tell you what I tell my clients when they're having trouble dealing with conflict with a family member or friend. I often recommend writing the person a letter, and telling him how hurt and disappointed you feel, and that you thought you could trust him etc... but don't send it. If you decide to just let it go (which I do agree would be best for your health, as the court systems are rough and would do you damage, but of course it's your decision), you could have a kind of cleansing ceremony and burn the letter in your backyard, and even say a prayer over it. Then you can have your say without the confrontation which you really don't need in your life, and make sure you express exactly how you feel about the situation, and then write that you're forgiving the debt and won't put yourself into the position of having to beg for it any longer. The you could say that you'll be polite and courteous to him in the street, but your friendship is definitely over at this point and that you won't put yourself in the position of being beholden to him any more, as he has put you in the disadvantageous position and it's very off-center, and right now this man has all the power. Making a firm decision to let the debt go can be your way of getting your power back, and moving on with your life, and don't waste any more energy in worrying when or where he will string you along as he likes, and don't forget the burning ceremony, as that will signal the end of this little power play on his behalf. God Bless, Emily

The first statement you made here, I would never side with what man decides to be true, so I would tend to agree with the second part of your post. Man loves to take the word of God and twist it for their own purposes, like the Pharisees did so what man says is holy usually isn't.

Not a problem Omega, I'm sure you'll tell us how it went. On being silly, it happens to us all. I think it's because we're stuck in ill-lit rooms, like wizened moles with not much chance of seeing daylight for hours.... reading post after post and then answering them. It's a great way to get God's Word across but it doesn't do much for our lives outdoors. I say be silly and be proud, or at least that's always been my motto (or my excuse, one or the other). Love, Emily

I loved this, as it can sometimes be easy to forget why we are on this forum - to witness our faith to both believers and unbelievers. The people on this site have shown me more kindness in a couple of months than from some people in a couple of years, so I believe most people are following the spirit of Christ's teachings which these 'Commandments' have condensed into 10 handy laws. Great post!

What beautiful and amazing photos, I'm really glad you posted them so thanks! I'd love to see more pics if you would care to share them, you are really talented.

I know this comes under the umbrella of speculation, but when people ask me why God lets bad things happen, and in particular I've even been asked why if I'm a Christian who loves God, why did He let my leg be amputated? I answer, because our time on earth is the imperfect time where we are not in His presence, so the physical will affect us. Adam & Eve brought death, and sickness, to the earth by not listening to God, therefore they've paved the way for 'bad things to happen'. Humanity crossed the line when we ate from the Tree of Life, and we can't we weren't warned. So the speculation part, is that I think God wants to see which of us will love Him through faith alone, and even when 'bad things' happen if our love for Him endures then it is real. I think He does allow it to happen, because if all things are possible for Him then He could stop death and sickness, so there must be a reason for our suffering as a race. It hasn't come from God as a deliberate thing, as in it's not personal, but He has to have let it happen. I don't blame God for anything that's happened to me as He has been my comfort and salvation during the dark times. How could we know though in this world/life, what concepts such as happiness and love really are if we didn't have the contrast of hate and misery? We need something to compare against, surely? So that's my thought limit for one day, I hope your Bible studies go well.

It's interesting though how Peter, called by Jesus as 'My rock' was an easily swayed person, not the sort of guy you would think the Son of God would choose for his main disciple. So that makes me think why would Jesus choose him at all? God does nothing without a reason, and I think it's because if Jesus had a perfect disciple, what help would that be to the rest of us? A perfect follower wouldn't be relate-able in my mind, so Jesus instead chose a human being with all faults and flaws of humanity, as a sign that even a sinner who denied the Son of God could repent and be restored to His presence.

That's hilarious... I know a few people like that, myself included. My big mouth is always getting me into trouble.

I find evidence of the Holy Spirit's workings throughout my life all the time, so much so that I almost regard the signs with a degree of amusement since I know they're coming. These signs may be something revealed to me that I have wanted to know but never asked, or a song comes on the radio about God advising me of help with a problem, down to really strong instincts and urges. It's always accompanied by a feeling of love and well-being, so I don't think it could come from demons as they are incapable of engendering love and other similar emotions. For example: I was about to undergo life-saving surgery to remove my badly infected leg, and the theatre nurses came early so I was caught a bit unawares and hadn't said my prayers. We had already reached the lifts, when I suddenly remembered, and right then the lift just stopped. The lift couldn't be fixed straight away, so one of the nurses with me said' can anyone sing?' I said yes I can, as I had sung in choirs since I was 9, and thought I may as well sing about the main person in my life, and sang The Lord's Prayer and The Lord is My Shepherd. The minute I had finished, the lift was working again with the workmen saying that had no idea why it had stopped. It was only a while later that I thought about it, and I think the Holy Spirit was working through me. A while later my mother was in the same hospital, and met up with one of the cleaners from the ward I had been on, and so she asked after me. Mum told her how I was doing, and somehow got on to the topic of what had happened to me in the lift. The cleaning lady said 'was it Emily?', and then told her that everyone near the lifts, on every floor, had heard me sing my songs of praise for the Lord. I had done for myself and God, but other people heard and I'm very glad they did. It was one of the most important things I had ever experienced. Praise God and magnify His glorious Name! So I was curious, how does the Holy Spirit manifest to you? Do you have any particular incident which you were convinced He was working through you?

I sometimes wonder what the Apostles would think if they knew the extent of Christianity in the world today. I'm sure they would be astounded and delighted. If you think their lives had a happy ending, I suggest you don't read the following article for fear of disappointment... http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/whatever-happened-to-the-twelve-apostles-11629558.html

Hi Dennis, I think you got you point across quite well, I just came in from a different angle. This is a difficult area because there aren't many statistics or studies done on it. Can you imagine trying to do a paper on it and get approval? Me: I have a suggested paper on the amount of demonic possessions in males and females between the ages of 5 and 70.... Committee: Demonic possessions? Me: Yes, fallen angels who were corrupted by the Morning Star when there was a war in Heaven many many years ago.... Committee: We do wish you wouldn't bring 'fictional beings' into your studies Emily, it's hardly conducive to 'real science', now is it? Me: I know through faith... Committee (laughs uncomfortably): We hardly see how THAT comes into it. You're looking a bit pale there dear, why don't you just go on a nice holiday, a nice long holiday... The only way to do real research I suspect would be to report on the number of cases with similar symptoms, from the angle of wanting to know how many people believed they were possessed. Otherwise, you would have to go the Vatican, as they have the only real stats on the planet, and their priests have been trained to recognise the truly mentally ill. As for possession, the Vatican reports 400 new cases per year in the area of Italy alone, so it does seem to support what you've suggested. If I may remind you though that Jesus wasn't the only one to drive out demons, as He taught His disciples to do so in His Name, and Peter even raised a girl from the dead. Not to be too obvious, but I think that mental illness may be of our human condition, and possession is from the spirit. To paraphrase Jesus (although He was talking about being born again), what is of the spirit is of the spirit, and what is of the flesh is of the flesh. On a serious note, although this isn't my area of expertise, pedophilia is by far the hardest condition to treat, and doctors/psychologists have turned themselves inside out trying to do so. The success rate is minute. I can't really make an official comment on why, but in my own opinion it is evil so dreadful that has these people exactly where it wants them, so they don't want to break free. People generally don't want to change if they're getting behavioural rewards, and some times even if they aren't. We as human beings tend to keep to the familiar, even to our own detriment. So unless you had presented each person with the cross and watched how they reacted, how would you know who was ill and who was possessed? In the end it probably doesn't matter too much as we know God can heal both of these things. It would be our faith (the therapist's AND the patient's) that matters in whether or not the person recovered. In counselling psychology, you always know that your success rate is determined by the patients' willingness to change and listen to your advice. If they don't have faith, they won't get better. It's a bit like we know that it's pretty likely that a placebo will work on you with the same potency as the real drug, no matter what the illness is, so there's the power of suggestion for you. I guess there may well be a place in science for faith, just not openly I guess the only comfort we can take is that it's all biblical, and God is always near to love and comfort us when we need Him. Thanks for posting everyone, it certainly got my grey matter working for a change. God Bless, Emily

Er, umm, n-o, I couwldn't! (That was my really bad John Howard impersonation, although I actually liked the guy).

That's really disappointing His We have such a huge obligation to those people.

Hear hear His, I also supported John Howard's decision as I remember the horror of Port Arthur. After talking to the victims, he really had no choice. If you ask most of the victims today as to whether gun control should be relaxed, the answer is a strong no, as evidenced on the SBS show Insight from within the last 6 months. I don't pretend that the buyback has worked to the extent it was meant to, I think handguns are still too easy to procure and it's the rifles that they concentrated on, but I would think some amendments to the law would iron out the kinks. This current government should be working towards that, but then we have the usual objections in the Senate so nothing ever gets passed through. Hazard in that first article, it says that people who would otherwise be law abiding citizens are made unlawful by the scheme, well I'm afraid you've got that backwards. What law abiding citizen would ever have the need to own an illegal firearm? I certainly have no intention of buying a gun, unless of course I was living on a property as I used to, where rifles were a necessity. Again, the law could be altered to more adequately prepare for those circumstances, but to call the law a failure is a little like calling one of God's laws a failure, so if people still commit adultery even when told not to, does that make the 7th commandment invalid? No, it just means that humans are a perverse lot that want what they can't have, be it your friend's wife or an illegal weapon. I would hope that Australia is sufficiently out of colonial times so as to gain a degree of sophistication, and not have the need for weapons in urban areas, as our police carrying them should be enough. However I agree with HisFirst here, as it states int he Bible that there be more and more sin int he world, the closer we get to Judgement Day, and it's part of the human condition, so I'm not that surprised really. I also believe that Martin Bryant killed on that day, and I believe the law passed soon after has saved lives. The US has had nearly 90 mass shootings since that day, one not so long ago was of primary school children, so I would take our way over theirs any day. God bless Australia!

As a chronic study-er of psychology, I can tell you that demons are not generally discussed in psychology, or if they are mentioned, it's always with a degree of scorn and derision for those who believe in them. There's no room in science for the unexplained and unverified you know. I know different, and have absolutely no doubt that they exist and are in possession of more people today than they ever were. This is, I believe, because of our lifestyle today, our worship of all things man made and earthly. It just sets up the environment for them, but of course God has to permit it for reasons known only to him. I think it's because in the end it will shift the balance of evil and good in mankind. But enough idle musing. But I must stress that I do not think every person who has maladaptive behaviours/behaviour patterns is possessed or influenced by demons. There is such a thing as mental illness, but I think it comes from the human makeup in the mind and spirit, and also from biology. Therefore all care has to be taken to ensure the right diagnosis is made. That can be a long process of trial and error, and what doctors won't tell you is that it's done by a process of elimination. They work from the most common problems all the way through (if necessary) to the really rare stuff. Though of course, possession isn't on the list. I can't say if mental illness is on the rise, but if you read the statistics, it will tell you that it is and the profession of psychologist is enjoying one of the biggest growths as an industry. Perhaps it's just more acceptable to seek help these days, so the statistic gets reported. If I was ever in the situation where I suspected demonic possession, I would be presenting the person with the cross, and saying 'In the name of Jesus Christ' as demons can't stand this. Jesus gave each one of us the power to banish demons from the bodies of men, so I wouldn't hesitate to use this if I believed the situation warranted it. I know I'm in the minority there.

Hi Myrtle&Palm, I'm 39 and still single. I also have disabilities, and although it doesn't hinder my mind I think the first thing men see with me is an amputee in a wheelchair, and it's only when they get to know me that the image fades a bit into the background. I was engaged until February of this year, but I realised I was doing something I had promised myself never to do - I was settling out of loneliness, so I broke it off. You can't affect how other people think, so the only person you can work on is yourself, and that is through prayer. I think by now your self-esteem has taken a hit, but I think the most important thing for you is to love yourself, as God loves you. That film with Tom Cruise 'Jerry Maguire', where he says 'you complete me' to Renee Zellwegger is just such complete rubbish because you should be complete in yourself, otherwise you're put in the position of being reliant on someone else to make your life worthwhile. We as disabled people are reliant on other people enough to feel like burdens as it is! So I'm going to let you in on a secret.... You are a precious, worthwhile, loved, special and unique human being. There is no-one on this planet exactly like you, or ever has been in the history of mankind. You have a lot to offer any man, so if they're not looking that's their problem and nothing to do with you. Practically everyone alive has self issues, so even if people were available to be in a relationship with you, they might end up being too much of a burden on you. I can't promise that you will ever be married, I don't even know for myself. But you can't spend your life waiting for a guy to sweep you off your feet and take you away from everything, because life doesn't work that way and you'll end up disappointed. Love yourself as God loves you, and pray not to care if you ever get married. Surprisingly, it's often when that happens you end up meeting someone, right out of the blue. So stop looking so hard Myrtle m'dear, and take some time out to look after yourself. God bless you and keep, I really do understand how you feel, and have sympathy. I pray you find peace in God and His dear Son Jesus. Love, Emily

Funniest thing I've read in years I just read this to my mother, who is English, a Monarchist, and very hot on Spelling and Grammar, and she said 'what a pity it can't be instituted'.

Funniest thing I've read in years

Well you just said it, so I don't need to