seraph

12 hours ago, fantasymay said:

What are you saying seraph.

You said "a box for a cross." Jesus died on the cross, but didn't stay dead in a "box" (i.e. a tomb/grave); He rose again to life so that we may truly have life now and forever.

3 hours ago, fantasymay said:

A box for a cross.

The tomb is empty.

I can not find a book that is very important to me... and yes, I understand it's just an 'object.' If you would, please pray I am able to find it.

Personally, I'm not a fan of boxes; Jesus lived outside of them.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” -2 Corinthians 3:17

Welcome to Worthy, fantasymay  

The Christian guy who had been a bad witness to this nonbeliever seems to be getting his act together and is back in fellowship with the mature Christian. Thanks for the prayers.

2 hours ago, C_Beth said:

I love this! 

Thanks  I came up with it several years ago and really try to live by it.

That would be an amazing trip!!! You could do a small portion of it. I always wanted to do one of those trips where you horseback ride up the river and whitewater raft down it.

This is my personal motto in 4 words (and a slash  ):

Compassion without Compromise/Condoning

The full motto in 7 words:

Compassion without Compromise nor Condoning nor Condescension

At the elementary school I worked at, I often heard the teachers tell the kids, "Sorry means you don't do it again." Yes, we all slip up and can make a repeated mistake, but from a Christian it should not be a predictable cycle. There is a difference between what is a sinful mistake and what is a sinful character.

If, as you say, he is a Christian, then he should love you as Christ loves the church... that means humbling himself beyond the shame in order to seek help to treat you as you should be treated. Matthew 12:33 says we will know their character by their actions: "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit." A good tree will occasionally produce a piece of bad fruit as a bad tree can occasionally produce a piece of good fruit... that atypical fruit can cause us confusion, stealing our peace... look at the overall fruit and that will reveal his heart/spirit. I do believe anyone can change; however, not all choose to change. I will be praying for you both.

They may say the words they are "sorry," but if they are truly sorry, shouldn't their actions reflect that? Repentance doesn't mean to just apologize every time you repeatedly do something, it means quite literally 'to turn' from what you were doing and actively work to not continue with the wrong.

God tells us in Matthew 10:16 to be "as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." (Although the verse was specifically addressing persecution, it explains how our reaction should be when people come against us.) So, yes, we should be forgiving and kind. However, we need to also be shrewd - wise in our judgements/decisions to know when we forgive and can reconcile the relationship and when we forgive and sever the relationship.

You said you are praying for the person... that is wonderful. Are you just praying that the person doesn't do 'that' again or to see how much it hurts you? Is this person a Christian? Pray for their salvation if they are not, pray for them to work out their salvation if they are. Pray for healing - for yourself, for the person, for the relationship (whether that means it's restored or severed).

I have been hurt very deeply by others - abused and traumatized. I have experienced forgiving someone and nothing changed so the relationship had to be severed. It had been in my heart to forgive, but to completely forgive took a little bit of time.. so I prayed for God to help me forgive. Then one day, out of the blue while singing worship music, the burden was lifted... I truly and completely forgave. I have also experienced forgiving someone who then did change as evidenced by the change in their actions, and the relationship was restored. Pray for wisdom, discernment, and guidance. Pray for God to help you truly and completely forgive and let go of the bitterness.

You have already expressed how much it hurts you and that did not move the person to change. Do you know about the "Cycle of Abuse" (it's usually referenced to domestic violence situations, but also holds true for different forms of abuse in various relationships. You have the "explosion" where one person hurts the other in some way. Then there is the "honeymoon" phase with apologies, promises, and forgiveness and/or denial. Then, it starts all over again with the "tension building" phase when you sense things are leading up to another explosion so you try to diffuse it. Then you're back to the explosion.

"This goes out to the heaviest heart..."

1 hour ago, BK1110 said:

God, I pray that you would move powerfully in this man's heart. Please help him to focus on You, and not those around him. Please remind him of Your glory, display it to him as he earnestly seeks truth. Please help him to realize that only You are truth and authority, and let him not be swayed by the actions of mere humans. Please surround him with Your love and Your truth, and with strong believers who can lead him to You. Amen!

Thank you for your prayer.  I found out this morning that there is a very bad witness to him - a Christian who is trying to live a double life; claiming Christ yet wanting to do what he wants. The Christian was able to counsel this man and explain that Christians, although not perfect, should not glory in a sinful lifestyle. He says the guy is doing better and back to being open to listen... I pray he hears.  

Thank you for the prayers. It seems he is "holding up." Please continue to pray.

17 hours ago, angels4u said:

Love the song Seraph !

Me too! It's a husband and wife duo that sings it... I love the sound of it and the message. It really struck me because I've been discussing the topic of Christian liberty while reading "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis (again).

I cannot give any details, but a nonbeliever who has been searching and asking many questions of a mature Christian and a pastor has been hindered in his conversations and is slipping away. His situation - being "unjustly punished" for doing a good deed - is "heartwrenching" and is breaking him (not humbling him but rather giving up) according to the Christian. PLEASE keep this young man in prayer!!! Thank you.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” -2 Corinthians 3:17

3 hours ago, kwikphilly said:

Why is it that so many of these high profile sexual harassment cases get filed years after the event??         posted by Shiloh

3 hours ago, kwikphilly said:

What do they say? "Bad publicity is better than no publicity at all",,,,seems a bit past due,one must consider the source,the timing,the big picture?

Perhaps in some cases at the time of the event the person is traumatized, afraid, and embarrassed to say anything about it... maybe it comes out years later when they have had a chance to heal and gathered some strength... sometimes it just takes one person speaking out against someone that gives others hurt by the same person the courage to speak out with them and isn't necessarily just jumping on the bandwagon of publicity.

SoCalGas provided the Red Cross with professional air filtration units for those of us in the burn area... I am very grateful! And of course am very grateful for the firefighters, police, and pilots who protected us and saved our homes!

Hi... welcome to Worthy.

I would suggest not looking at his social media pages... also be careful 'trying to find someone else' cuz that can bring you into a rebound mistake, and it wouldn't be fair to someone else, yourself, or any potential relationship to get involved with a new boyfriend if you aren't over the old boyfriend. Learn why you fought a lot and had the bad times... don't bring those same issues into a new relationship, and be happy for the good times you did have. Keep yourself busy with things and friends to occupy your mind so you have less time to sit and dwell over him... in time, you will think of him less and less, it will hurt less, and you can move on... you were with him a year, so it will take time.

If you were a Christian, the best thing you can do is pray for God's will in your life and trust God. Since you are a seeker and don't have that faith... there's no substitute for that... so I would suggest working on your relationship with God as a first priority

I saw that on Facebook as well and shared it. Very moving. I agree... everyone should see it.

A few years ago I looked up the meaning of the lyrics for a sign language interpretation and was moved to tears. It was not until this video that I heard the flag was literally held up by patriots, both dead and alive.

It's unbelievable she's not, but I'm not surprised at all... I didn't figure she would be charged. It's shameful.

My church is in need of a worship leader. They guy who was leading it (he played guitar and piano) now will be working on Sundays. We have a guy that plays drums and another guy that can sing backup. I do the sign language interpretation. We really need a true worship leader... I really miss that... please pray God guides one to us.

I'm also praying specifically for my work hours to be increased to at least 6 hours, which would give me dental insurance as well as a little more pay.

Thanks!  God bless.

12 hours ago, post said:

i've read discussion a few times, whether that particular verse ((Leviticus 19:28)) is being read correctly in associating all tattoo marks or all marks on the body with that prohibition. it is in the same context with the prohibition against making cuts on the body for the dead ((a pagan practice, mentioned also when Elijah strove against the prophets of Ba'al)), and it could be that this is specifically prohibiting the Jews from also following pagan ritualistic, idolatrous customs of making tattoo marks ((which involve cutting the body)). 
it is not, for example, considered wrong by rabbinic tradition to lance a wound ((which is cutting the body)) - because the prohibition is against doing it for the sake of idolatry. and it is not wrong according to their tradition to put ashes in a wound, which also leaves a mark just as a tattoo would -- because the wound itself shows that it was not meant to be a tattoo, but a medicinal practice. tattoos were sometimes used religiously as a symbol of 'ownership' identifying a worshiper with the idol. if the mark was made in a non-permanent way, a vow could be broken, but if it was tattooed, the devotion to that idol was sealed. there is some thought that it is exactly this kind of religious use that is being prohibited -- not tattoos in general -- because it is directly associated with the prohibition against cutting, which is directly related to idolatry by the text itself. the context does not change in the text of the law, so the principle is that the following prohibition, against permanently marking the body, is with regard to the same context. 

i don't know what to think of all that. thank God i am not under law, but grace! it's a headache, and how dangerous to get it wrong, if there was no mercy in God! 


since a lot of this thread has to do with appeals to the Torah, and the Law, i thought someone might be interested in what Jewish rabbis have to say about it -- since if you were actually under the law, this should be your authority on interpreting it. they are very conservative on the issue: marking with a pen is OK, but no marking whatsoever that is permanent is OK, though with varying levels of 'not OK' ((as though breaking the law in some ways isn't as bad as others, lol)) and a Jew with a tattoo can still be buried in a Jewish cemetery, and it is not required that tattoos be removed. 

so here's a link to a rabbinic discussion -- http://www.rabbimanning.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Tattoos-and-Body-Piercing.pdf

I just happened to click on this and haven't read through aaallllll the pages, so sorry that I will likely repeat what's already been said. 

What post said is pretty much my take on it... it wasn't the tattoo specifically, but the expression of pagan worship that was the issue. If we take it to mean we should not mark or cut (i.e. pierce) our bodies, those who have their ears pierced really can't say much against tattoos. Personally, I like tattoos and piercings in general.

I know some argue that a tattoo would 'defile' our body/temple (I Corinthians 6:19), but that is an opinion. What one sees as unattractive, another sees as art. Many Christians choose to get a tattoo that declares their faith and expresses their relationship with the Lord. I have designed one expressing the freedom I have found in Christ and truth that I will have a tattoo artist do.

I've also heard some who are against tattoos say that people only get them out of pride - to draw attention to oneself. That is the motivation of some. For myself, I do not like being the center of attention, but I do see it as sharing a little bit about who I am and about my faith... people often ask why someone got a particular tattoo or what it means, which can open the door to witnessing to someone who might not otherwise ask. I also see it as sharing art, like I would a photo or a painting... it just happens to be on the skin... permanently.  

English is not his first language, so we can be patient trying to understand the actual question.

Do you want to know if God can cause demons or people under demonic influence/oppression/possession to have black eyes so that we can identify them and avoid them?

I have not seen a demon with my eyes, but I have seen people's eyes change revealing the evil intent inside.

The fires are 15% contained and they expect full containment on July 5th.

Though I'm not out of danger, there are no flames directly near me. I'm also not seeing the large plumes of smoke like there had been. The firefighters are doing an amazing job! It's amazing watching the skill of the pilots of the water dropping helicopters and planes and the planes dropping phos-check! Thank you for saving my home!!! I believe there have been no structures burned nor lives lost in the fire (The start of one fire was from a car igniting after plummeting over a cliff, so that driver died; they do not know the cause of the second fire that started an hour later a mile away).

Thanks for the prayers!