FJK

You could always read Executive Order 14067, I mentioned WND because that is where I ran across it as a reference to their article. (FWIW, I read many news sources, both "Right wing" and "Left wing", and look for whatever truth may be presented in them, something both sides have some degree of no matter how much I may dislike one or the other. I don't ignore any source of information, but I do test it for truth before accepting any particular thing it says.)

I read over on WND that Biden has authorized the Fed to begin looking into establishing a digital currency. Another step toward the beast system where all buying and selling is under its control. Another step toward the final fulfillment of prophecy and the return. Maybe something we should look on with trepidation and fear, or maybes something we should look on with celebration because it brings the return nearer?

Sorry, I should have explained a bit. I really don't want to unintentionally influence the answers of others or the direction those answers take by giving my own answer first. I'm really interested in how others would answer for themselves without me injecting my thoughts into them first.

The Bible tells us that God is no respecter of men. To me this means he doesn't elevate some above others simply because of who or what they are in their worldly position, but considers all men equally without regard to their status.

That's both an interesting and practical way to look at it.

Deception rules the day when you let it. Satan is the master of deception, it is his power. Without going in to some long and verbose explanation and just giving a solution, call it applied Christianity if you wish, this is how you handle it: As Jesus demanded of his own apostles "Who do you say I am?" you, as a Christian, have the same authority and power in your life to address spirits and daemons in the same manner, in his name, and they have to obey or leave if you do not further welcome them. Simply sincerely address and command them directly with "Spirit confess, is Jesus the Christ come in the flesh?". They will ever confess such if they are from God or deny avoid the question to confuse you, or flee from you when you stand fast in it in the name of Christ. Jesus gave you a tremendous power and authority, put it to use. Today's Christians, for the most part, either do not understand the power they have, both individually and collectively, or they find a reason not to use it for whatever reason they have for doing so. But always remember, through Christ all things can be done, be accomplished, in your life.

A few years ago the question was posed to me, by whom or under what circumstances I do not remember, but it was amazingly one that I found myself answering (to myself) with ease. The question: If you were to have a Moses style personal meeting with God and allowed to ask him one, and only one, question, what would it be? I know my answer but don't wish to profess it, but wonder how others would answer. What would be your question to God be?

Yeah, that's sort of the way I find myself leaning when I think about it, at least if I understand what you are saying. But when I lean that way in my inner thoughts, I find myself developing more questions as a result. And I know only one thing for sure, if I want the right answers I have to ask the right questions (something I don't find as easy as it sounds).

Could anyone that believes in this, or disbelieves in it, explain it to me? I really don't know exactly what it is, all I know is from the few that I have met over the years that profess it and it seems to mean that only a certain select few who were chosen from the beginning will find themselves entering heaven and it is just plain foolish for anyone else to think they may to, or to preach the Gospel to those who haven't heard it since it won't make any difference in eternal outcomes for them at all whether they hear it or not. This (my understanding) of it seems like it may be in serious error, I need more knowledge of some kind to form a truer understanding of it.

Will the new religion, the one acceptable to all of the current religions, be written by an AI? Reading the output of the new chatwhatever things leads me to wonder if they could be used to do the humanly incomprehensibly large task of combining all the main principles of every religion, and secular thought as well, into a new "Bible" that would unite the people of the world into a single-minded religious system (undoing what God did in that little incident on the plains of Shinar) and unlocking the unreal power of united human minds. Not to mention AI guided advanced deepfake technology that can actually give a human appearance with a form of life to present to the world as its leader(s). A great deception that could deceive almost anyone, it would would seem. Anyone have Biblically based (or otherwise for that matter) thoughts on this?

I've been giving some back of the mind thought to this since it was posted. Finally: I think we LET him by ASKING him, repeatedly and on an ongoing basis, hour by hour and day by day. That's what it's ended up meaning to me anyway, maybe other things to others.

Without going into the events leading to this becoming my theme for the day, I'm wondering if others also try to practice this and the result, how do you do it when you do? (Hope this is a proper topic to post here)

Well, I think I need to mature my thinking , condense it, and simply ask: When preaching Christianity without Christ as the authority behind it to make it more acceptable to the non Christian secular population, do we end up Christianizing society, improving it, or secularizing the Church? Do we bring true doctrine to the non Christians, or do we bring false doctrine to the Church? FWIW, which may be nothing, I see all sorts of things going on in today's churches that is absolutely repulsive to me, almost every abomination to god being placed in high regard by the Church leaders. As a song once said "Do I hold on to the old, or grab on to the new?.

Does this mean -do you mean- that the Church or a Christian cannot be led astray? Cannot leave belief in Christ as absolute God, Lord and Savior, being and simply pursue its own fleshly interests while maintaining a cultural stance as a Christian?

Exactly so, that is why we need Christ, to present his perfect life in place of our own at Judgment and be judged fit to enter heaven (that's not exactly the right way to say this, but the drift is there).

This is actually a complicated subject, but it (for me) involves at looking at the movements at the turn of the last century )around the late 1890's into the early 1900's) moving away from Christ as a necessary authority toward developing a culture in both larger society and within the Church that was oriented toward obtaining the benefit of Christianity and it's teachings without needing to accept Christ and dedicate our lives to him. The professing of the basis of Christianity, faith and belief in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as being unnecessary to get the results of Christianity (a sort of Christianity without God and Christ involved). You might consider books such as As a Man Thinketh and It Works from that turn of the century period as an example of this move away from Christ while retaining the benefits of Christianity or look into the present books like The Secret that have stemmed from them to see what I am trying to talk about. It seems to be using Christ's principles and teaching as some sort of magical tool while leaving Christ out of it (and this actually does work for that end of pursuing and fulfilling fleshly desires, Satan knows this and exploits it). As far as weakening the Church, leading the members astray in their beliefs, as a sort of backlash of this trend, For some unknown own reason I found myself reading and meditating on 1 Timothy 4:1 just prior to logging in here, and I think that particular verse, even in context with its entire scripture, expresses what I see happening to the Church more than anything I can possibly say in my own way. There are probably a dozen major discussions and sermons that could stem simple discussion thread that could amount to a full book each, but I don't think it necessary to go into all of them in depth to understand its subject. But perhaps I'm wrong about this, maybe I'm just getting Jaded in my old age and spending too much time on the internet, I do thank you for your thinking to give me more things to consider. Forgive me for such a long post, I can't seem to condense it without failing to say what I want to say.

My take from my experience of quitting, both the failures and the final (40 year long now) success: Before you try you need to do some deep soul searching and honestly ask yourself "Do I want to quit smoking to avoid the negative effects of smoking (cost, health, social rejection, etc.) or do I want to quit smoking because I actually only want to be a non smoker instead of a smoker?" If the former I really can't give any useful advice other than running away from yourself never works because you always take yourself with you. If the Latter, I can share my experience in quitting a 3 1/2 pack a day habit (along with occasional pipe and cigar smoking as well). You have to make a definite decision to be a non smoker, God gives you free will and lets you do this, actually honestly decide one way or the other, then he will give you the additional amount of strength you need to carry through with it (if you ask for it, look for it, and put it to use). I wish you success in your endeavor. Keep in mind that it isn't going to be easy, no magic wands involved, just a lot of very difficult work ahead for you, but it does get easier by the day.

FWIW, Sinful nature by birth or not, my simplistic understanding is that no one who lives a perfect life will be condemned, that no one who presents a perfect life at the Judgment will be condemned.

Truly so, we should praise the Lord in all things, the good the bad and the not understood ones Something I learned at an online sermon Sunday morning, praising the Lord after the fact requires no faith, putting the praise in front of you instead of behind you does.

" The Lord delights in reasoning with us". I like that, it's something I had not considered before, thanks for the insight.

Do you see the Church being hurt in any way now, and how and why is it being hurt if you do? (Being curious about how you see it now, not critical of it.)

A sort of question out of personal curiosity here: Wouldn't becoming angry with God and others, especially God, be a sort of sin in itself? One for which we need to be praying forgiveness?

A Christian sci-fi movie I watched last year has left me pondering the question: Does teaching Christian principles without the authority of God and belief in Christ behind them improve society or does it destroy the Church by diluting the belief, faith, and values of its members? I know my own thinking on this but, having led myself down the wrong road many times in my life, I would appreciate the thinking of others to weigh against it. (If this is not a good line of thought, or a proper topic, to pursue, please let me know that too)

A secular way to examine it, examine it in yourself, could be expressed as "My ego gets me in a situation, and my pride keeps me there". A Trap I find myself falling into frequently, but one that is easy to get out of once it is recognized, not that recognizing it is at all easy in itself. Just a thought that comes to me while thinking on the subject of pride and arrogance.