Heleadethme

On 10/8/2023 at 5:26 AM, Logostician said:

Yes, the Antichrist could be alive right now.  But we may still never know who he is in this life, because we could be caught up to join Jesus at any time between right now, and the signing of the covenant between the Antichrist and Israel, which is the beginning of the tribulation.  And of course is broken by the Antichrist at the midpoint of the tribulation.  And yes, I do believe in a pretribulation rapture.  So I agree that we should prepare and pray earnestly every day, because Jesus could be calling us any day now.

If I'm wrong about a pretribulation rapture, there is still plenty of reason to pray.  Perhaps more.  Knowing who the Antichrist is and experiencing any of the tribulation that he ushers in will magnify the current perversity, sin, and suffering by many orders of magnitude.

Whatever the case, and only the Father  knows, the answer is always the same.  Jesus.  There is no other way.  He is the way.  In a very real sense, I don't care about the Antichrist, or when he is revealed.  I look for Jesus.  And his imminent return.  May it be soon.

God's peace.

2Th 2:2-3

That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

9 hours ago, Slibhin said:

When the lack of an answer is an answer.

It sounds like you would really benefit from getting to know the scriptures better.  For starters I would suggest doing a word search on the word sluggard in the book of proverbs.  As well as considering other scriptures that others have already been posted.

12 hours ago, Slibhin said:

I didn't ask what the Tanakh says about laziness. I asked what mechanism the bible gives for Sower to determine without error who is and isn't in need. he made a very flip comment "no workee no eatee" and then snarked about "bleeding hearts" "picking his pocket". I was just clarifying if your bible teaches the principle of "no workee no eatee" and "you bleeding hearts keep your hands off my money".

In the Torah we are required to feed the poor and to treat them well, whether we like it or not. Seems like quite a reversal of policy.

"no workee, no eatee" is a tongue in cheek paraphrase of what someone already quoted on page 1 of this thread of what the apostle Paul wrote in one of his letters to the early church.

And yes, stealing from someone else's pockets is certainly not encouraged in the word of God.

I think we need to distinguish between the duty of governments as opposed to the duty of believers as individuals.  Governments have a duty to the citizens who hire (elect) and pay them to administrate in the best interests of those citizens and their nation first and foremost.  But of course as individuals and indeed as the body of the Messiah/Saviour we have a duty to help the poor in general.  (But not those who are perfectly capable to work to feed themselves but are simply unwilling to make the effort.  And personally I believe that group makes up a small minority of the poor.)

On 6/20/2023 at 11:40 AM, AdHoc said:

To point 1. you remember that the nations only came at Babel. Not Eden. The Nations are a result of their plan to be united against God. So that confirms that the Nations are a result of the fall.

To point 2. you admit that Israel were not reliable. They are the only Nation to swap the true God for idols. They witnesses 330 prophecies fulfilled and still murdered the Man who went about helping and healing. If it weren't true it would blow the mind. So, Matthew 21:43 becomes their portion. Thy may not rule.

To point 3. In Matthew 24 and 25 three parables - (i) the unfaithful servant (Ch.24), (ii) the unwise Virgins, and (iii) the slothful - servant may not rule. Seems like even with the greatest salvation, the greatest revelation and the indwelling Spirit, man is incapable of fulfilling God's plan. How sobering for those of us who want to please Him.

I went through your list of verses:
2nd Sam 7:16. The rule is of Israel - not the world

Isaiah 45:4. God named Cyrus 100 years before he conquered Babylon. This was to make him amenable to let Israel go. Nothing about Israel's ruling.

Ezekiel 17:22 concerns Babylon taking Israel captive and the current Israelite king, who refused to obey God's instruction and who turned to Egypt for help instead of God. No Israelite dominion there.

Daniel.7:27  does speak of God's dominion over the whole earth. The "saints" must be defined. Are they Israel who have worshiped idols, caused their children to pass through fire, who ate their babies in the siege and been carried to Babylon for 70 years, or the Overcomers of the Church. Hint: Throughout Daniel Israel are not God's people. They are called "YOUR (Daniel's) people. Thus, the "saints" who rule for God must be the Church.

Joel 3:2 records God's intention to gather the armies of all nations for Armageddon. At this battle the Lord's army is made of the Overcomers of the Church (Rev.19) - the ones who had white robes, clean and bright.

Zechariah 14:16 has the surviving soldiers of Armageddon being obliged to go up and worship the General and King Who they thought to vanquish. It is true that Jerusalem will be Capital of the world and Christ's rule goes out from their. But the co-kings are Christians. Israel are the servants in this time. See Zachariah's prophecy in Luke 1. The sub-kings are David and the 12 Apostles - Christians.

I think I have earned the right to say that my original statement holds. The three peoples of earth are the result of evil and only a REMNANT of the Church will actually rule the earth.

 

Maybe you and Marilyn are both right about this.  Something I keep on a back burner is how Israel has always been a kind of example or living parable in the natural realm of spiritual realities to come.  There is a principle spoken of in the bible of "first the natural, then the spiritual."  What if Israel after the flesh will be the top dog kingdom in the world before the return of the true Messiah to wrap up this age?  Especially since we apparently are beginning to see the waning and implosion (judgment) of the current top dog kingdom (western society).  But the Israel of God (Jew&Gentile church) must be careful never to forget that we are in the world but not of it.  We are not to worship any messiah other than the One appointed and begotten of God.  And keep in mind that Israel after the flesh is loved for the sake of the patriarchs but will always be an enemy for the gospel's sake.

On 3/28/2023 at 11:27 AM, Slibhin said:

If it's any consolation, I don't think we worship the same G-d.

Different people do have different concepts about Him, that's for sure, and many are incorrect.  But we are told in the bible not just to know about Him, but to know Him.  ie, to know Him personally.  The Lord is revealed to us through the Messiah (Jeshua), His Spirit, who reconciles us to the Father and brings us into the Father's presence.  Man's relationship with the Father was broken/cut off through sin and going our own way.  And the Messiah came from Israel...Israel had a great purpose in God in birthing the Messiah into the world so that souls out of all mankind, Jew and Gentile (those who are willing and chosen) might be restored to the Father.  This is why there are so many references to Gentiles in the Jewish scriptures.

10 hours ago, Marilyn C said:

What do you think are God`s purposes for making the nations, for Israel and for the Body of Christ?

Please use scriptural references.

Hi sister, I believe we are being told something of God's purposes in these scriptures, though there may be more:

Rom 9:21-24

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

Eph 8-11

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

Show yourself mighty, Lord, for the glory of your name!

4 hours ago, farouk said:

My starting point is probably near to the fact that various things in the Old Testament which applied to a dispensation when Jews with bushy beards lived in the land under the law; were forbidden pork, were bound to the Levitical priesthood. All sorts of things happened in the OT which do not seem to apply today: Danite virgins dancing in the vineyard in order to obtain husbands and thereby preserve a name in Israel; the duty of an husband's brother, etc.

Then today as I see it the rule of the New Testament believer's life is the Gospel - with all its privileges and opportunities, rather than the law, as defined in the OT.

There is also the fact that some Christians do choose the inked Bible verse means by way of pursuing the prospect of many witness conversations or as a silent testimony. This is a fact, whatever I or anyone else may say about it. It is done widely by believers, especially young Christians.

I do think there is scope for this kind of discussion. We can disagree, of course, in the course of such discussion: one hopes we can disagree respectfully.

People do all sorts of things "for God" and in the name of God, that are against His will.  It is not a valid argument for anything.

Along with privileges and opportunities and liberties afforded by the gospel there are also responsibilities and parameters.  And of whom much is given, much is required.  Liberty doesn't mean a free-for-all.

You know why rebellious "bad boys" in many generations like to get tattoos....precisely for the reason that it is bad and rebellious.   See, even the unbelieving rebellious world can discern tattoos for what they are while it seems many believers can't these days.

13 minutes ago, farouk said:

@Heleadethme I guess my understanding of how the different parts of Scripture fit together is dispensational: I'm very fallible in my understanding, but I guess I am guided by the idea that instead of now being Old Testament Jews in the land under the law - with bushy beards, etc. - we are New Testament believers for whom the Gospel as opposed to the law is the rule; and some young ppl - exercising Romans 14 Christian liberty might choose certain means that some other Christians equally motivated by Gospel zeal might not.

I know the Reformed constituency - which I appreciate in various ways - would see the law as the rule of the believer's life; I myself, in all my fallibility, would tend to see better the dispensational view that it is the Gospel that is the rule.

It's hard to see you as being neutral about this with regards to "liberty" when you are ACTIVELY encouraging Christians to get tattooed.  That appears to be the actual PURPOSE of your threads on this topic.  WHY?

1Th 5:21-23

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 hour ago, farouk said:

@Heleadethme The election passages of chapters such as Romans 8 and Ephesians 1 & 2 remind me of the words of W H Monk:

"In deep, eternal counsel,
Before the world was made,
Before its deep foundations
On nothingness were laid,
God purposed us for blessing,
And chose us in His Son,
To Him to be conformed,
When here our course was run."
 

I'm seeing this like a coin with two sides,  and that God being outside the bounds of time might be seeing time as a full circle that is already complete from His perspective.  That might help to understand why or how He already knows the end from the beginning....and things that haven't happened yet in time have already happened from the perspective of heaven, they are a fait accomplis.  If so, and we  look at this as a complete circle, the past and present affects the future, but I believe to have glimpsed that the future also affects the past and present....which all has a bearing on election and being foreknown by God.  (And that would also  explain why we may have sometimes experienced echoes of our spiritual gifts even before we were saved, and why also the devil persecuted many of us before we were saved.) 

But these things are not easy to get our heads around and we only know in part.  Not something I would argue about, but just putting it out there.  If it isn't entirely out in left field it probably is only a partial understanding at best...it's just a glimpse and there might be more to it.

1 hour ago, farouk said:

@Heleadethme If I have misspoken in some way I am sorry. I just wonder what your own reaction might have been if you had sensed the joy that the young lady that my wife and I had talked with in proclaiming John 3.16 which she had received as a tattoo. (She is not the only young Christian with John 3.16 tattooed in full that I have spoken with.)

Just recently I think you said that with some things it's best not to be too dogmatic.

I'm not sure that my own reading of Romans 14 reveals the meaning: "I am determined to be offended by you, therefore you are evil".

Anyway, thanks for having taken the trouble to comment thoughtfully.

( cc @Rosie1jack2pauline3  @Tristen )

I'm not determined to be offended by you.  Wouldn't even have bothered with this  unedifying topic if you hadn't called me over here more than once.  And no of course that is not what Romans 14 is saying, though you were just speaking sarcastically. 

This thread is not just discussion, it is actively encouraging young people to do what is contrary to the word of God and holiness.....and that is evil! 

God doesn't need or want our worldly, fleshly, dubious gimmicks to try and win souls.  Our weapons are not carnal but spiritual.  Why don't you use your efforts to encourage people in things like that, things that are profitable and edifying to help people grow and mature in Christ?

I don't see anything in the word where it teaches followers of Jesus to be led by our feelings and what seemeth right to us.  It teaches otherwise.

12 hours ago, farouk said:

@Tristen Oh what an excellent, Godly, balanced and well thought out post!

Whatever one's views may be, when my wife and I actually talked to the young lady I mentioned, it provided a memory of her quiet joy in her favorite Bible verse (John 3.16): a joy which surely brought respect for her decision and witnessing determination as a young adult to go into the tattoo parlor.

( cc. @Rosie1jack2pauline3 )

What a sad state the church is in today.  No discernment at all.  Regardless of our liberty, Jesus is not the minister of sin and He doesn't want us to defile His temple....HIS temple, not ours, as we have been bought with a price.

I wish you would spend your time preaching the word, instead of spreading the gospel of tattoos, and going out of your way so far as to keep asking people specifically to come to your thread to post.  It's evil what you are doing, encouraging young believers to get tattooed or become tattoo artists, not just here but on at least one other forum that I've seen, instead of encouraging holiness. 

One really has to wonder why this is such an important issue for you.  I would encourage you at the very least to take to heart the whole chapter of Romans 14 and not just the parts you happen to like.  Lord, help us.

46 minutes ago, farouk said:

@Rosie1jack2pauline3

"I have 4 piercings on my ears, two on each, I’m not brave enough to have the cartridge pierced"

The numbing cream we were talking about for tattoos (see link mentioned earlier) is also sometimes used for ear piercings so if extra ones are going to be put in it's really easy.

Kind of horrifying and depressing to me that the finer points of how to be tattooed and pierced is being discussed on a Christian forum.  Doesn't seem appropriate at all. 

12 hours ago, farouk said:

I guess instead of the terms good or bad, the term 'effective' might fit; kind of for young ppl especially the first tattoo parlor visit at around 18 seems to have become an effective, practical way of expressing that they are comfortable as new adults.

Hmmm...interesting that is the same rite of passage as pagans.   If you don't like the term "good or bad", how about the term "God's will"?  Isn't that what we should seek and do according to?  I wonder how many would testify truthfully they were led by the Spirit to go get a tattoo.   

21 hours ago, Keturah 123 said:

This subject causes many disputes & divisions among brethren ....simply bc one man got it wrong & convinced  others his interpretation was right.

It is a privilege to feel the drawing & convicting of the Spirit to repent, for it is NOT his will that any should perish.

The gift of salvation is free to as many as will believe, it is not bc God sees some as "elite" & others as dung. Be careful not to harden your hearts; remember it is deceitful 

Those who will SERVE in humility, realizing their unworthiness to receive, act in obedience to his calling, it is to HIS PURPOSE, in his will.

There are those whom say that they had NO CHOICE, blarney...God does not force himself on anyone! None of us are  "special" but we ALL must SUBMIT and be willing to walk on the path he directs !

How do we make our  "election & calling" sure?

 This has been scripturally & spiritually explained.......if any lack understanding...then seek God.......He is the answer!

Great study for those willing to hear & grow!

Amen....we need to balance out where it says God hardens who He will, against where it says He is willing that none should perish. 

God's ways are not man's ways.  Where He speaks of election and being chosen is not necessarily quite the same way that man thinks of it.  We are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God".  Same way it says in Acts that those who were "ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48).....based on God's foreknowledge, not that He is excluding truly willing souls from being saved.   But I believe it's in His overall sovereignty that "He hardens" those who are already hardened permanently against Him.  (Kind of like when bad things happen such as natural disasters, we know it is the devil working havoc, but we who believe acknowledge the Lord, that it is He in His sovereignty who is chastising or judging or whatever His purposes are in allowing it.)

It seems from what I can glean from scripture, that everything that will happen in the future in terms of earth time, is already like a done deal from God's eternal perspective not bound by the realm of time.   Maybe I'm missing something, but that seems to solve the conundrum with this topic as far as I can tell so far.

On 2/21/2023 at 10:11 PM, Your closest friendnt said:

This is quite interesting...that makes a lot of sense...

Someone had to give him birth in Bethlehem...and we have the Shepherds and the witness of the Angels...

If you are looking for someone else who was before the world was Created before the earthly time began where we do not know that and we do not have a record of that. From the record we have we can tell that the one who created everything and man it was not Jesus.  

To have Jesus we must have Abraham first...because Jesus was born among the Children of Abraham among the people of God, among the Nation of God...he was one of them..the woman who have him birth can testify about that and she can tell when she celebrated his first and second and third birthday....and so on..

 

 

 

 

I'm not looking for anyone other than the Word made flesh, who existed "in the form of God" (Phl. 2:6) and then stepped into our earthly realm of time and space so to speak, when He was born in Bethlehem. 

Heaven, the realm of the spirit, exists outside the realm of time and space.  I think there are many implications of this but not easy to grasp, and we only know in part.....who can fathom the Lord, He is so great!   But this is why the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world, and why believers are foreknown by God....and I believe it's why Paul could write in the past tense truthfully when he wrote this:

Rom 8:30

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

My drive-by opinion is that this is one of those things that I believe we shouldn't be too dogmatic about, remembering that we at best only know in part this side of heaven.  Who can fathom the Lord?  To begin with He exists outside of time and that is a hard thing for anyone to get our heads around.....the bible says we're elect according to His foreknowledge and that He knew us from the foundation of the world.  He has mercy on who He wants to have mercy and He hardens who He will.....we'll probably never know why He decided to have mercy on us individually in this life.  For one thing His purposes have a lot to do with making His power known, and manifold wisdom known, to the powers and principalities, so it's not even all about us. 

Good to keep in mind He has chosen the weak things to shame the strong.   Maybe one factor is that we were just so hapless and helpless like deer caught in the headlights that He felt sorry for us, and might be the terms "chosen" and "elect" are really a manner of speaking in a way, since the Lord often likes to elevate the lowly and lower the elevated, so to speak.

19 minutes ago, walla299 said:

Let's try this again . . .

A sign that maybe you've had a little more coffee than you should:

 

 

You know that modern life is expecting far too much from people these days when so many need stimulants to be up to the task of just living.  We're not allowed to just be human and real any more...society demands people to be super-human and unreal.  The devil is a slave-driver, no doubt about it.  May the Lord have mercy.

16 hours ago, Jesus...my Lord and my God said:

He showed me that whenever i got anxiety and sweaty hands when drinking coffee it was not from coffee but from an evil spirit.

Just exposing the enemy.

Jesus bless you

Seems to me the devil is becoming more 'active' these days in general.  It's possible your brand of coffee beans are having pagan prayers and rituals being made over them in the country of origin.  I've heard of believers just visiting a country where witchcraft and idol worship is commonly practiced, and they arrive back home with various mysterious health issues.

If that's what the Lord said to you, then I'm sure you have stopped drinking that brand.  Might be ok to try a different brand, but of course you need to follow the Lord's leading and obey Him.

15 hours ago, TheBlade said:

Hey sis. Egyptians would take captives and were branded with the name of the god marking them as belonging to pharaoh. In Leviticus is cutting for the dead you will not mark your flesh and writing marks you will not make on you. They say the words writing refers to inscibed or engraved symbols words and is used only here. So when was this by the lord given to Israel? Did it come after He set them free from Egypt.

Heres a fun one "“One will say, ‘I am the LORD’S’; And another will name himself after Jacob; And another will write on his hand, ‘I am the LORD’S,’ And be called by the [honorable] name of Israel."

Now in Isa 44:5 here "will write" means to gave to write. For me as with so many others there is nothing in the word of God against tattoos unless they are doing it like God told Israel not to do. Then Jewish law? Oh man your not going to get a simple answer. Some forbid it others don't know because the word is renderd incision and sometimes translated "tattoo". Now if being Jewish and you have tattoos you can still be buried in a Jewish cemetery.

I always walk softly here and watch what I say. I still remember the very young girl with all these beautiful tattoos and I complement her on them. She then looked sad saying its best to think before you get them. She never looked ahead and how she would feel just a few years later. We can add burdens to those that have them or make them feel condemned. I pause and think wait and listen to the sweet spirit of God and do not believe they are wrong. Just really need to think before. Most can't get them off.. so I choose to say words of life.

No I just kinda touched this so.. 

Here we see Israelite false prophets cutting themselves for Baal as well:

1Ki 18:27-29

And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

The Lord told the Israelites not to do after the manner of the heathen in the land.  Pagans and witch doctors all over the globe tattoo themselves.  We should exercise discernment too. 

But brother, who is condemning anyone?  We all bear 'marks' of our past.  We all have things in our past that we regret.  I have a son born to me out of wedlock (there is no 'erasing' of that either, and I wouldn't want to! He is 43 and is finally as of just this past year, serving the Lord now....God can redeem the marks of our past!  \o/ )  He lives on the other side of the country and already has tattoos, and when he came to faith recently, unbeknownst to me he almost immediately went out and got the letters Yahweh or Jeshua (forget which) tattooed on his fingers.  I just said to him in that moment of our phone conversation, that God doesn't need us to do that for Him.  We had more important things to talk about at the time, and it takes time to learn the word and ways of the Lord... we aren't born again knowing everything of God's will.

But surely there are times when it's appropriate and kind to try to dissuade others from doing something they will regret down the road if we have the opportunity beforehand. 

21 hours ago, farouk said:

@Thanks, @Heleadethme. Do you think that generally speaking motivation may have a lot to do with it? for example, if a young believer, instead of say an extra ear piercing, prefers to get a Christian fish sign <>< on a wrist - or a Bible ref. - which will likely prove useful in conversations, one can maybe respect the motivation.

I think you might be assuming that people are judging/condemning those who have tattoos.   Me, I just ignore tattoos and focus on the person.  We may sometimes discern, but generally only God knows a person's motives and can judge their situation.

All I know is that God told the Israelites not to follow the ways of the pagans, not to imitate them and do as they do.....for the church I believe that translates into not following the ways of the world.  The bible is pretty specific in addressing the marking and cutting of the body.  Why do so many Christians want to follow the lead of a fallen world?  For two thousand years Christians the world over weren't getting tattoos, because of what the word of God says about it, and now suddenly tattoos have become mainstream in our society amongst unbelievers and sinners (and seems to me it began especially amongst troubled souls), and Christians want to imitate them in order to be "current".  We always will face temptations from the world in this life and we need to resist the world, rather than follow it.  Does that mean God will cast off and condemn every believer who gets tattooed for whatever reason?  I don't think so, but I believe any kind of departure from His ways is opening a door to trouble and we don't want to give the devil a foothold...the Lord may choose to be longsuffering in some cases, but it also can invite unwanted consequences. 

The false prophets of Baal were cutting themselves to try and get a response from their false god.  But our God, the true God, evidently doesn't want to be worshiped with tattoos, so why is it so hard to just give it a pass?  Jesus said His yoke is easy.  It takes more trouble and bother and expense to go out and get tattooed than it does to just not do it.

6 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

This is EXACTLY what a brother and I were discussing this morning after breakfast!  He asked me - "What is the main point of the new covenant?"  He prefaced this by saying, "It wasn't the coming of the Messiah." The answer: "The Spirit!" When he said that, I immediately thought, "Duh - of course!"

Christ coming was needed, but we have to ask why.  Was it for the forgiveness of sins? Was it to reconcile man to God? Of course this happened through the work of Christ, put the ultimate reason for Christ's work and the purpose of the new covenant is expressed in Jeremiah 31:33, “This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; . . . I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts." Then Jesus spoke of the fulfilment of this in John 14:17 when He said, "Even the Spirit of reality, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him; but you know Him, because He abides with you and shall be in you."

Without the indwelling Spirit of Christ, all we have is us trying to fulfill some outward requirements on our own.

Amen!  We sure did need Jesus to die for us so that our sins could be remitted and forgiven....the wages of sin is death and that is why without the shedding of blood (death) there is no remission of sins.  And also for sure it is by His spirit that we have been given a new heart and are a new creation in the inner man, by His spirit dwelling within us....Jesus had to die in order to become a "quickening spirit" that quickened us when we were spiritually dead in sins.

34 minutes ago, farouk said:

@Heleadethme Thanks for your good comments. Interestingly, my wife and I talked to a young lady with the wording of John 3.16 tattooed on her wrist area. I guess if it's done in a measured way with the motive of expressing witness sentiment, it's rather different from an uncontrolled obsession that goes over the top.....

People can be well-meaning I'm sure, but my hunch in general is that the desire to be tattooed is not from the Lord.

21 minutes ago, farouk said:

Hi @Heleadethme FYI.............any wisdom for this thread?

Well since you ask, regarding tattoos, really I believe we should honour God the way He wants to be worshiped or honoured.  If we're already marked and sealed with His spirit, that is far superior than ink IMO!

Addiction to things like drugs or bad habits is a state of bondage and defeat.  Strongholds need God's intervention to break them.  "Addiction" to the things of the Lord is actually freeing, because that is in God's jurisdiction of all that is right and good, and it's for that we were created.