freedfromsin

There is nothing wrong with giving gifts to your children or family at Christmas as well as decorating for the celebration as long as the decorating is not sending the message that the season is about someone other then Jesus.. And if your waistline isn't a problem, there is no harm in exchanging chocolates at Easter. In fact, it is nice to give and receive gifts. And let us not forget that God gave the world a more wonderful gift than we could ever give: salvation to all who confess (receive) Jesus Christ is Lord and who believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-9). However, it is inadvisable for Christians to tell children lies about Santa Claus. Do you really want them to put their trust in a buffoon on the street corner who doesn't even know their name, let alone being totally unable to fulfill any wishes they may secretly tell him? Do you want them to think it's OK for strange men to visit them in the middle of the night? Worst of all do you really want to plant the suggestion that lying is acceptable if it brings pleasure for the moment? Why set yourself up to be exposed as a liar later by saying that Christmas is celebrating a man in a red and white costume instead of Christ's birth? We don't call it Santamas, but Christmas. Truth more exciting than fiction The truth about Jesus Christ is exciting, wonderful, and true. Do you really want to downplay God's miracles by replacing them with a warped insistence that your children believe what you don't even believe yourself: that a fat cartoon figure actually comes to their house at night and brings them gifts? Show some courage and treat your children like human beings. Explain to the very young ones that Santa doesn't exist, even though they see Santa clones in stores every Christmas. You can point out that these

The following link discribes the error of the church today about being born again. This can be read, listened to, or watched. It also can be downloaed for free. You Must Be Born Again

In Job 1:6-7, we are told that Satan walks up and down on the Earth, as if it were a small garden plot completely under his domination. You can see by the table above that Satan, the Master Marionette, has been pulling the strings, manipulating, and scheming, leading children and adults love, attention, and admiration away from Jesus Christ and toward Santa Claus, who is the epitome' of the love of the world. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ......lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;" (2 Timothy 3:1, 2, 4). From an early age children are taught to love material possessions more than God, and with the love of trying to get as many presents as possible comes selfishness and love of oneself. They are taught to go to the wrong source for their wants and needs, and are encouraged to behave rightly throughout the year for the wrong reasons. All as a result of loving and believing this pagan myth of Santa Claus. Saint Nicholas, a fourth century Catholic Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, who gave treats to children; was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, as patron saint to sailors, pawnbrokers and children. Santa Claus or "Father Christmas" is a corruption of the Dutch "Sant Nikolaas." The red suit comes from the fact that Catholic bishops and cardinals in Italy wear red. Also, according to tradition, a poor widower of Myra, had three daughters, for whom he could not provide a dowry. On Christmas-Eve, "Saint Nicholas" threw three bags of gold down the chimney, thereby saving the daughters from having to enter into prostitution. One bag rolled into a shoe, and the others fell into some stockings that had been hung to dry by the fire. Hence, the beginning of the tradition of the "Christmas stocking" or "boot." But the Santa Claus concept originally came from ancient Egypt. The pagan Egyptian god, Bes, was a rounded, gnome-like personage who was the patron of little children. Bes was said to live at the North Pole, working all year-round to produce toys for children who had been good and obedient to their parents. In Dutch, he was called "Sinter Klaas." The custom was brought to America by Dutch settlers. In European countries, Santa Claus was originally a grim personage who traversed the countryside, determined to find out who had been "naughty or nice." Those who had been naughty were quickly switched. Santa Claus is usually associated with snow, reindeer, and the North Pole, which suggests Scandinavian or Norse traditions of the Yuletide season. In Babylonia, the stag (reindeer) was a symbol of Nimrod, the mighty one. Antlers worn on the head of a noble leader symbolized his prowess as a hunter, and thereby, influence people to follow him. Santa is often looked upon as a jolly old man giving gifts to children and keeping the

Does being lied to as children, about Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy the Easter bunny etc, condition children to grow up believing that Jesus Christ is just another nice story, or myth? - especially when Jesus Christ is worshipped as a helpless little babe in the stable at Christmas, and we sing cute carols about the "Little Lord Jesus". Does all this help to promote the belief that it is just a nice fairy tail for the gullible? Millions of parents go to great lengths to prove the lie about Santa and Christmas to their children. They try to keep the lie going as long as they can, usually for the initial 6 to 8 years of the child's life. Inevitably the child is crushed with the truth, but the hypocrisy continues, the parents will usually ask this child to help them continue the lie to pamper the younger children in the household, and when the. children grow up and have families of their own the pattern is repeated. So, we lie, teach our children to lie, and they teach their children to lie. How then can we expect honesty? (See Proverbs 19:5; Isaiah 44:24-25) We have all heard that by moving the "N" in "Santa" to the end, it spells "Satan", and "Claus" rearranged spells "Lucas", which is the root word for Lucifer, making Santa Claus = Satan Lucifer, and we have all probably laughed at it, but, look at the table below, which compares the myth of Santa Claus with the Biblical story of Jesus Christ, at first it will seem amusing, but then you will realize that someone has deliberately created a Secular counterfeit to Jesus Christ, which matches His many attributes. Just coincidence? "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." (Matthew 24:12) One of Jesus' End Times prophecies was that the hearts of the people would become extremely cold towards Him. Santa Claus has replaced Jesus Christ in the hearts and minds of many children and adults. COMPARISON BETWEEN JESUS CHRIST AND SANTA CLAUS JESUS CHRIST: OUR LORD AND SAVIOR ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD 1. Has white hair like wool (Revelation 1:14) 2. Has a beard (Isaiah 50:6 3. Comes in red apparel (Isaiah 63:2) Jesus will appear in red clothes. (Revelation 19:13) 4. Hour of His coming is a mystery (Luke 12:40; Mark 13:33) 5. Comes from the North where He lives (Ezekiel 1:4; Psalm 48:2), and where Satan wants to reside (read Isaiah 14:13) 6. Is a carpenter (Mark 6:3) 7. Comes as a thief in the night (Matthew 24:43-44) 8. Omnipotent (all powerful) (Matthew 28:18; Revelation 19:6) 9. Omniscient (knows all) (Psalm 139:1-4; Hebrews 4:13; 1 John 3:20) The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. (Proverbs 15:3) 10. Omnipresent (Everywhere at one time) (Psalm 139:7-10; Ephesians 4:6; Matthew 18:20; John 3:13) 11. Jesus can come in though the doors are shut. (John 20:19; John 20:26) 12. Ageless, eternal (Revelation 1:8; 21:6) 13. Lives in men (1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16-17) 14. Giver of Gifts (Ephesians 4: 15. Jesus ascends on high and gives gifts, especially the Gift of Eternal life. (Ephesians 4:7-8; Romans 6:23) 16. Jesus gives his gifts according to whether you are good or bad. (Revelation 2:23) 17. Absolute Truth (John 14:6) 18. Sits on a throne (Revelation 5:1; Hebrews1: 19. We are told to boldly go to the throne of Grace for our needs (Hebrews 4:16) 20. Commands children to obey parents (Ephesians 6:1) 21. Wants little children to come to Him

Christians and modesty: What ever happened to modesty in the Christian arena? Today most people who claim to be Christians seem to have little or no values on the issue. Why is it that Christians seem to think that the beach is open territory for revealing themselves to others. Modesty does not end as the shoreline or the pool. As Christians we need to hold the same ideals of modesty where ever we go. That may mean that we do not participate in some functions OR if we do we do not look like the world when we do. We are to be a peculiar people. Set apart, living our lives in a Holy manner. The standards that we should hold for modesty in everyday life should not and do not end because of entertainment at the beach or pool or any water activities Here is a link to modest swimwear; http://www.wholesomewear.com/ And here is a teaching on modest clothing; How does a woman discern the sometimes fine line between proper dress and dressing to be the center of attention? The answer starts in the intent of the heart. A woman should examine her motives and goals for the way she dresses. Is her intent to show the grace and beauty of womanhood? Is it to reveal a humble heart devoted to worshipping God? Or is it to call attention to herself and flaunt her beauty? Or worse, to attempt to lure men sexually? A woman who focuses on worshipping God will consider carefully how she is dressed, because her heart will dictate her wardrobe and appearance." John MacArthur A woman should ask herself what statement do my clothes make about my heart? In choosing what clothes to wear today, whose attention do I desire and whose approval do I crave? Am I seeking to please and honor God or impress others? Is what I wear consistent with biblical values of modesty, self-control and respectable apparel, or does my clothing reveal an inordinate identification and fascination with sinful cultural values? Who am I trying to identify with through my clothing? Is the Word of God my standard or is it the latest fashion or simply my personal desire or comfort? Have I solicited the evaluation of other godly individuals regarding my wardrobe? Does my clothing reveal an allegiance to the gospel or is there any contradiction between my profession of faith and my practice of godliness? So, I

Homosexual unions are never about love. They are about desires going astray. God makes it clear that humans of opposite sex are to enter into relations under marriage conditions. Anything outside of that is sin. Even our anatomy makes it clear that we are not to be engaged in same sex relations. Homosexual relations are always sin and according to the bible those who practice such will not inherit the kingdom of God. The reason is according to the bible a person cannnot be a Christian and be a practicing homosexual. We are even warned to not be deceived about this; 1Cr 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, There is no exceptions!

Gays challenge traditional marriage supporters: put up or shut up Homosexual group calls for boycott of Wal-Mart, shopping at Target instead Dear Gerald, If Wal-Mart sales go down, gays will claim victory in support of same-sex "marriage" benefits The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest homosexual organization, has issued a challenge to pro-traditional marriage supporters saying in essence: "Put up or shut up." They have called for a boycott of Wal-Mart while urging their supporters to buy from Target. The reason? Wal-Mart refuses to offer "domestic benefits" (benefits given to married couples) to homosexual partners. The homosexual organization also urged individuals to buy from Target, saying "consumers should make every effort to support" Target because Target offers "marriage" benefits to homosexual partners. (Target is the company which no longer allows the Salvation Army to solicit Christmas donations in front of their stores.) USA Today interviewed me November 20 concerning the Wal-Mart boycott, citing--among other things--the number of HRC's "buy and don't buy guide" downloaded from the Internet and the billions of dollars the gays claim in buying power. I told Andrea Stone, the reporter who called, that AFA would promote a "buycott" of Wal-Mart and suggested that she look at Wal-Mart's sales at the end of December to see who won. However, in her article the next day there was not a single word from her interview with me. Instead, the article was basically a "puff piece" about the homosexual boycott. Homosexuals have challenged traditional marriage supporters to do battle. We will now see if traditional marriage supporters accept the challenge. Make every effort to shop at Wal-Mart this Christmas season. The gays want Wal-Mart sales to go down so they can claim victory. Forward this to your friends and family and urge them to buy at Wal-Mart. Announce this in your Sunday School class, at church, etc. Ask your pastor to announce in church newsletters and bulletins that the homosexuals are challenging those who support traditional marriage. Tell them about the homosexual's efforts to force Wal-Mart to offer "marriage" benefits and Target's support for "marriage" benefits. Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman American Family Association

Here is a link to a site dedicated to stopping the most dangerous woman in the world today. http://www.stophernow.com/site/PageServer

The link is to a video message on this topic and one that the church needs to understand today. Please pass it on if you feel it of the Lord, God bless http://www.gerald285.com/view/?pageID=363283

You are VERY incorrect! Adulteryy does not cover Abuse, drunkeness, drug addiction as well as following false gods.

The following is a plea for the church to return to God in the area of divorce and marriage. I write this as one who understands the needs of the divorced person weather they are innocent in the divorce or the guilty party. However our desires are not above the scripture on the issue and the church must return to her Lord's commands. It is evident that today the church as a whole is no longer seeking God on the issue of divorce. God's commands on this issue are no longer relevant for most of the claimed believers. Instead most seek exclusions from what the bible teaches on this matter or simply totally ignore the commands as if God's word is secondary to personal desire. The problem is so prevalent that the church today in America has either equaled the world or surpassed it in the percentages of marriages that fail. In essence God simply does not matter in this issue. This is seen in our actions. Most who violate God's command on the re-marrying issue after divorce shrug off the command by claiming grace and that they are not under law. However let us be ever so careful since when anyone ignores God's commands with the expectation of forgiveness they enter into a deep pit of presumption and that sin is of a type that cannot be confessed biblically in most cases. David cries out to God to keep him from presumptuous sin. Psalm 19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous [sins]; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. We would do well to take a great warning from David's plea and not venture into the area of thinking that we can sin because God will forgive. While His mercy is great and His forgiveness beyond understanding He warns us that He will not be mocked. Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. This is a self evident verse in the area of divorce and un-biblical re-marriage. It is seen in the broken lives of the children that follow and the lifestyles of the parents that rush into this trap. The command is clear for those who divorce without biblical grounds. 1 Cor 7:11But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to [her] husband: and let not the husband put away [his] wife. There is only two reasons for a biblical divorce which allow re-marrying. One is if the spouse leaves because the other has come to Christ and the un-saved spouse no longer wants to continue in the marriage with this person who now practices the callings of God. The other reason is where there has been some sort of sexual relations outside the marriage. These two and only these two offer the innocent person in the marriage the right to re-marry. If the divorce came about for any other reason, then the divorced person even if innocent, is to remain single or seek to re-unite in marriage with their spouse. There are no exceptions given in scripture. However today the church for the most part has abandoned the word of God in this area and stands condemned for its practice. Let us keep in mind that sin leads to more sin and in the end judgment. Like Israel of old unless we return to the precepts of God in all humility we also will be cut off from the grace that He has so mercifully offered. God's commands are not suggestions that we can cast aside at will because we feel that our circumstances are outside their purview. God's commands are just that, commands. His mercy was never intended as a for-thought to allow the individual to sin and escape judgment. Forgiveness and mercy is always an after-thought for sin that has taken place, although willfully on our part, for those who come in true contrition and humility over what they have done. Presumptuous sin falls outside the realm of true biblical ability to be able to confess and leaves the person in a state of non forgiveness before God unless they can reverse their understanding and heart filled sorrow over what they have done. A very dangerous path to take. However even if we can come to a place of forgiveness that forgiveness does not justify the sin and any limitations that are imposed remain on the offending party. So may we take great care in who and why we marry the first time and if there should be a divorce that does not fall within the guidelines of biblical permitted divorce and re-marriage then let us remain un-married or return to the one who we divorced. God bless

We are told in scripture that IF we sin He (God) will forgive it. However the English word "Confess" and the Greek word (homologeo), carry different meanings. The Dictionary says that "Confess" means to "acknowledge or disclose one's misdeed, fault, or sin. This is exactly what most Christians do today and by doing only this we have not confessed our sin. God already knows what we have done, and He knows that we know what we have done. He is not interested in getting us to just admit it to Him. The Greek term (homologeo), goes much further. The term means to say the same thing. In other words to be in the same state of mind about the sin and why we did it as God is. Keep in mind that God hates sin and knows that the sin is a product of out own desire spawned by our own heart. Sin is a willful choice of every person in every case. No one ever has to sin even though we all do, but we do so because of personal choice. Thus the sinfulness of our sin! The outside promptings that we face only bring to surface what lies deep within, but they are not in any way the cause of sin. Our hearts are however. The sin is hiding within waiting to rear its ugly head. Many today will say well I did such and such, but I was under a great deal of pressure or offer some other excuse. Those things negates any confession. The fact that we do not literally say that to God does not matter. If we hold it in our heart that there was some reason that pushed us so that we sinned other then because our heart is sinful and needs cleansed then the confession is invalid. In other words we chose to sin the sin against a Holy God because we alone have a heart that is not in total surrender to God, and the reason that we sin the sin is we do not love Him as we ought while trying and make others, and even ourselves, think that we do. Listen to the words Of Jesus; Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders If you notice He does not say unless we are really tempted or we just slipped, or no one is perfect. All those would be excuses and keep us from true biblical confession. He says that the sins came form the heart. When we have anything at all that we feel that lends to our sin other then our own desires and lusts then we are not confessing as God calls for. It is not until we take full accountability for what we have done that we can come to the Lord with biblical confession. Many Christians today admit their sin, but few confess it. Until we have the same mind as God about what we have done there is no confession. God never confronts a person in the bible about their sin and says, and yes I know that you have been going through some tough times, even though some had. Or, Yes I am aware that satan has really been working on you. Or yes I know that you were weak today. Those things only contribute to the revealing of what already exists within our hearts and those things exist because of our own rebellion and personal choices from rebellion against God. True confession requires full accountability. Our sins are all done because of our hearts condition. We need true confession to get the heart changed. Here is an example of what most of us do with God. A husband is unfaithful. He has a one night stand with his secretary. He gets found out by the wife and she asks why. He says yes I was wrong, but I was tired or under a great deal of pressure or she really came onto me and by the way it meant nothing. I love only you, please for give me. If he did love her nothing could have gotten him to lay with his secretary. Also that is not a confession. That is admitting what he did with an excuse. She really is not interested in his excuses and neither is God when we sin. His confession has no real meaning to her and serves no purpose. It is exactly how most of us come to God. We may not state the excuses but we have them within our hearts and mind and God sees them and does not accept that type of confession. Some Christians try to get on God's good side through some means other than the confession which is prescribed by God. Sometimes a person thinks that a demonstration of sorrowfulness is called for, or that weeping will impress God with one's contrition. Others "compensate" for their sin by increasing their religious activities. Another might admit their sin before others thinking that public humiliation will solve the problem. Some will pray more often and longer and read their Bibles more. Some will try to bribe God with additional tithes and offerings, or with acts of self-denial, sacrifice, or service. Some will present themselves in re-dedication services and attend church functions more often. But these things cannot be substituted for biblical confession of sin. God is interested only in a person's mental attitude toward the sin and the sincere intent to turn from it. Listen to David and what he says about his sin; Psalm 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done [this] evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, [and] be clear when thou judgest. . God is not interested in forcing a confession. Unless it comes from a broken and contrite heart the confession is useless. That means that we agree that the sin was all ours willfully done against God and nothing outside of us caused us to sin. James 1:13-15 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. We are told in scripture that IF we sin He (God) will forgive it. However the English word "Confess" and the Greek word (homologeo), carry different meanings. The Dictionary says that "Confess" means to "acknowledge or disclose one's misdeed, fault, or sin. This is exactly what most Christians do today and by doing only this we have not confessed our sin. God already knows what we have done, and He knows that we know what we have done. He is not interested in getting us to just admit it to Him. The Greek term (homologeo), goes much further. The term means to say the same thing. In other words to be in the same state of mind about the sin and why we did it as God is. Keep in mind that God hates sin and knows that the sin is a product of out own desire spawned by our own heart. Sin is a willful choice of every person in every case. No one ever has to sin even though we all do, but we do so because of personal choice. Thus the sinfulness of our sin! The outside promptings that we face only bring to surface what lies deep within, but they are not in any way the cause of sin. Our hearts are however. The sin is hiding within waiting to rear its ugly head. Many today will say well I did such and such, but I was under a great deal of pressure or offer some other excuse. Those things negates any confession. The fact that we do not literally say that to God does not matter. If we hold it in our heart that there was some reason that pushed us so that we sinned other then because our heart is sinful and needs cleansed then the confession is invalid. In other words we chose to sin the sin against a Holy God because we alone have a heart that is not in total surrender to God, and the reason that we sin the sin is we do not love Him as we ought while trying and make others, and even ourselves, think that we do. Listen to the words Of Jesus; Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders If you notice He does not say unless we are really tempted or we just slipped, or no one is perfect. All those would be excuses and keep us from true biblical confession. He says that the sins came form the heart. When we have anything at all that we feel that lends to our sin other then our own desires and lusts then we are not confessing as God calls for. It is not until we take full accountability for what we have done that we can come to the Lord with biblical confession. Many Christians today admit their sin, but few confess it. Until we have the same mind as God about what we have done there is no confession. God never confronts a person in the bible about their sin and says, and yes I know that you have been going through some tough times, even though some had. Or, Yes I am aware that satan has really been working on you. Or yes I know that you were weak today. Those things only contribute to the revealing of what already exists within our hearts and those things exist because of our own rebellion and personal choices from rebellion against God. True confession requires full accountability. Our sins are all done because of our hearts condition. We need true confession to get the heart changed. Here is an example of what most of us do with God. A husband is unfaithful. He has a one night stand with his secretary. He gets found out by the wife and she asks why. He says yes I was wrong, but I was tired or under a great deal of pressure or she really came onto me and by the way it meant nothing. I love only you, please for give me. If he did love her nothing could have gotten him to lay with his secretary. Also that is not a confession. That is admitting what he did with an excuse. She really is not interested in his excuses and neither is God when we sin. His confession has no real meaning to her and serves no purpose. It is exactly how most of us come to God. We may not state the excuses but we have them within our hearts and mind and God sees them and does not accept that type of confession. Some Christians try to get on God's good side through some means other than the confession which is prescribed by God. Sometimes a person thinks that a demonstration of sorrowfulness is called for, or that weeping will impress God with one's contrition. Others "compensate" for their sin by increasing their religious activities. Another might admit their sin before others thinking that public humiliation will solve the problem. Some will pray more often and longer and read their Bibles more. Some will try to bribe God with additional tithes and offerings, or with acts of self-denial, sacrifice, or service. Some will present themselves in re-dedication services and attend church functions more often. But these things cannot be substituted for biblical confession of sin. God is interested only in a person's mental attitude toward the sin and the sincere intent to turn from it. Listen to David and what he says about his sin; Psalm 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done [this] evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, [and] be clear when thou judgest. . God is not interested in forcing a confession against our will. Unless it comes from a broken and contrite heart the confession is useless. That means that we agree that the sin was all ours willfully done against God and nothing outside of us caused us to sin. James 1:13-15 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Nor can we hold that the sin was simply too much for us to overcome; 1Corinthian 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. Confession does not provide us with a license to sin. The idea that "I can sin and confess repeatedly because God will always forgive" is sinful in itself because it indicates that the believer does not actually think the same about his sin that God does. With this type of belief there is no real repentance or confession. The bottom line is that many today who profess Christ think that they are confessing their sin when they are actually only stating it as a fact. All that they end up with is words stated and no forgiveness. They may at the moment walk away feeling justified, but later on they end up with emptiness and the feeling of abandonment by God with the constant feeling that they need to confess it again. Many times this becomes a life long pattern and nothing is accomplished. Until we can come to the heart filled acceptance that any sin we do is totally willful and avoidable on our part, that there is no excuses for us, and we are coming to God to have Him deal with us as He sees fit, though seeking His mercy, while holding the desire to be loosed from the sin, we have not confessed the sin. Our country is in great peril, but more significant is that our churches and homes are in greater peril because we have adopted beliefs that are not of God and then question why we do not see God working in our lives as we know that He can. We are left with un-confessed sin in the mist of our supposed confessions, blindly claiming something that we have not received. Our Lord has given us the answers to our problems IF we will hear and obey; If we will hear from heaven and see our sin God can and will heal both. 2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Let us seek God asking Him to reveal our hearts to us, being willing to accept that any sin we do comes from within and is of our own making and not some inherent nature that we have no control over. All our sins come from choices that we make and are without excuse. May God reveal to us how to really confess our sins so that we find peace and forgiveness and we become a witness to the world by our lives.. Nor can we hold that the sin was simply too much for us to overcome; 1Corinthian 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. Confession does not provide us with a license to sin. The idea that "I can sin and confess repeatedly because God will always forgive" is sinful in itself because it indicates that the believer does not actually think the same about his sin that God does. With this type of belief there is no real repentance or confession. The bottom line is that many today who profess Christ think that they are confessing their sin when they are actually only stating it as a fact. All that they end up with is words stated and no forgiveness. They may at the moment walk away feeling justified, but they end up with emptiness and the feeling of abandonment by God with the constant feeling that they need to confess it again. Many times this becomes a life long pattern and nothing is accomplished. Until we can come to the heart filled acceptance that any sin we do is totally willful and avoidable on our part, that there is no excuses for us, and we are coming to God to have Him deal with us as He sees fit, though seeking His mercy, while holding the desire to be loosed from the sin, we have not confessed the sin. Our country is in great peril, but more significant is that our churches and homes are in greater peril because we have adopted beliefs that are not of God and then question why we do not see God working in our lives as we know that He can. We are left with un-confessed sin in the mist of our supposed confessions, blindly claiming something that we have not received. Our Lord has given us the answers to our problems IF we will hear and obey; If we will hear from heaven and see our sin God can and will heal both. 2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Let us seek God asking Him to reveal our hearts to us, being willing to accept that any sin we do comes from within and is of our own making and not some inherent nature that we have no control over. All our sins come from choices that we make and are without excuse. May God reveal to us how to really confess our sins and find peace and forgiveness.

That is a bunch of bull! Such lack of concern for others shows the state of the heart of the person who clothes themself in a manner to draw lust. Though, it's inappropriate to dress in clothing that might cause other members to desire flesh. Swimwear or nonswimwear. Quite frankly, someone that wants to desire flesh is going to desire flesh whether a person is dressed in a swimwear or sackcloth and ashes. It is nothing more than where the state of that persons heart is to begin with!

Cities putting the crackdown on saggy pants NEW ORLEANS

I am afraid that this is somewhat prophetic for today. The church has become a place of entertainment instead of proclamation of the truth. Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats? Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it during the past few years. It has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses. My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). That is clear enough. So it would have been if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel." No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to him. Then again, "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers .., for the work of the ministry" (Eph. 4:11-12). Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll. Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all his apostles. What was the attitude of the church to the world? Ye are the salt" (Matt. 5:13), not the sugar candy---something the world will spit out not swallow. Short and sharp was the utterance, "Let the dead bury their dead" (Matt. 8:22) He was in awful earnestness. Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into his mission, he would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I do not hear him say, "Run after these people Peter and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick Peter, we must get the people somehow." Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them. In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of this gospel of amusement! Their message is, "Come out, keep out, keep clean out!" Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon. After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting but they did not pray, "Lord grant unto thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are." If they ceased not from preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). That is the only difference! Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods. Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to effect the end desired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God's link in the chain of the conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today's ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.

Legalism, what is it? There seems to be some confusion as to what it is. What constitutes legalism? I believe that because of the lack of understanding of what legalism is that most who claim to be fundamentalists are actually moderates or liberals and do not know it.

This is Spiritlas thinking. God's Spirit never uses such tactics to win the lost. Only satan uses this too make mockery of God. Fair enough - but that only works the way it was meant with someone there to point this out. Think of those who stumble across this without someone to guide their thinking towards the intent. If they had at the beginning: "Is this Jesus?" or "Is this your view of Jesus?" and then a follow-up comment at the end, I could live with it. The way it stands, however, it leaves the interpretation up to the viewer, and there is no guarantee the message as meant has gotten through.

What we are seeing is due to the fall.. Sin is the cause of all suffering. God does use suffering for His cause, but the cause is sin.

100%. If a person is not 100% Christian then they are not a Christian at all. Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

What you have come up with is totally without bible merit. There is no such attitude in the bible about making fun of God to show His love or mercy. Satan loves this type of false belief system.

The video is a mockery and blasphemous. Anyone who can come away from it and see any humor at all is seriously in need of a new understanding of who God is as well as His Son. This should make any real Christian angry! I strongly suggest that if anyone finds humor in this instead of total dismay and sorrow of what the video is doing that they watch this video http://www.gerald285.com/view/?pageID=348993 and perhaps they will see in a different light. Also we need to seriously pray for those who made this video as well as those who see it as funny.

approximately 6000 years old For all who have questions go here http://www.gerald285.com/view/?pageID=314204 and watch the videos. You can download them and watch them later if desired. Then you will be have a more clear understanding.

While david is called a man after God's own heart david is not called a righteous man, or holy or pefect in God's sight. Unlike Daniel who lived a life of godliness David's life is one of sin and failure with blaring failure. He was one of the worst fathers in the bible. To be honest David is not an example to follow after excet to be honest after our sin. Repent and turn from it. Daniel is a great example of a man who loves the Lord and how we are to live.

Moderator note.... This is NOT our Sierra21. This is a different couple altogether. Sierra and Jay gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Carter on June 7th, 2007. They had no idea their world was going to change drastically. In the hospital, Sierra had a high temperature and Carter's heart rate was over 200. The doctors had finally decided to do a c-section but didn't come back to Sierra until almost 2 1/2 hours later. At that point, they told her to start pushing. After 1 1/2 hours of pushing, Carter arrives into the world. He had lack of oxygen, causing brain damage and a collapsed lung. Sierra urges everyone to make sure their doctor can perform a c-section (her doctor could only assist) and that their hospital can care for an infant who may need to be immediately placed in the NICU. Carter now has episodes of Apnea almost daily. Apnea is when you just stop breathing. He is on a monitor that monitors his breathing and his heart rate 24 hours a day. He is also on an oximeter, which measures his oxygen level. One of his lungs has collapsed 2 times since birth and he is now on medicine for seizures. Carter also suffers from Hypotonia, which is low muscle tone. He is very floppy and the doctors are not sure if he will ever walk. He is being fed through a G tube (feeding tube). The G tube surgery was his first surgery and he did very well. Carter also cannot go to the bathroom on his own due to the brain damage and is on 3 different laxatives, 7 times a day. The family and doctors are also not sure Carter is hearing or seeing very well. Play Video

By JEFFREY WEISS / The Dallas Morning News An Arlington church volunteered to host a funeral Thursday, then reneged on the invitation when it became clear the dead man's homosexuality would be identified in the service. The full article is here; http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/kho...d.1e1068d9.html Everyone who stands for the Lord needs to email this pastor and commend him for standing for righteousness. Here is the church web site http://www.churchunusual.com/address.html