DarkNebulaWelder

That is truly amazing!!!! How can anyone look objectively at creation and NOT believe in Divine Intelligence?

So, I was reading through the book of Jude, and came across this verse: Jude 14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophecied about these men also, saying ' "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgement on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way......" According to my commentary, this account is recorded in the Book of Enoch, which is not in the Canon. So, then, if the Book of Enoch was eliminated from the Canon due to lack of authority, why would Jude have quoted an account which was described in an uncanonical book? Wouldn't something like this attest to the book's authority?

I think this was the argument that won the day in "Footloose" (aka that fantabulous movie that convinced me of the heroic power of jazz-dancing Kevin Bacon). LOLOLOL...Oh, man, I'm sorry, but "Footloose" has to be one of the cheesiest movies of all time. I think it ranks in somewhere between "Krush Groove" and "The Thing With 2 Heads"

I'm with you, Vicki. I LOVE to dance!!! I dance around my house all the time. I don't usually dance in public, just because I really like to "get down." Plus, whenever I dance, I always like to incorporate ballet moves (took ballet for a while when I was a kid), and I find that it's hard to do a decent flutter kick to "Baby Got Back"

Hey, you guys; Thank you for reading this. I just wanted to post something that has been on my heart lately, and I feel that I should voice....not out of condemnation, but out of concern, because I'm not sure how many of you brothers realize the point which I'm about to address, but it needs to be said. When people are in the house of the Lord, they are expected to behave in a manner worthy of God. This is not to say that we are expected to be perfect....none of us is perfect, and I think we all realize this, BUT, when we are in church, we should show respect, not only to God, but to our brothers and sisters as well. This means we need to control our actions as much as possible. We need to watch our actions, not only so we don't offend God, but also so that we do not offend our brothers and sisters. Remember that some people offend more easily than others. With this in mind, I just want to stress that we behave in a respectful manner. If you see a woman in church whom you find attractive, try not to stare, or fix your eyes, in any manner which may be construed as inappropriate, or objectionable. The thing is, you guys, all of us have struggles. We don't know exactly what happened in a person's past, or what it is they may be dealing with. Many women carry heavy emotional scars from things that may have happened in the past....including sexual things. The truth is, we don't know everyone personally, and don't know what issues a person may be dealing with. A prolonged or desirous stare may not seem like it's hurting anyone, or perhaps you think that it may just be something that you have to ask forgiveness for later. But the truth is, if a woman is dealing with some heavy issues, and catches a brother in the Lord staring lustfully at her (or, what she may interpret as lust, where it may have just been admiration on your part), it could open up some serious wounds, and cause awkwardness between yourself and her. It becomes offensive, and the Bible commands that we not offend our brothers or sisters. What you may think as a momentary "giving into the flesh" may turn into an awkward rift between yourself and a fellow sister. I know that many times, we don't think about these things, but please know, my dear brothers, that what may seem harmless to you may impact another person in a painful or negative sense. With this in mind, please show some consideration for your sisters in Christ, and try to keep yourselves in check. Just as we women show consideration to you by not flaunting our bodies in front of you, please show us the same consideration by remembering that not all women take being stared at as lightly as others. Thank you so much. May God bless you all!! Love in Christ, April

Hey, there; I totally agree with the above sentiment....mainly because the area in which I live is pretty bad, and I am asked on a regular basis if I can "spare a few dollars." Just tonight, some guy asked me for $$$ for food, and I gave it to him. As he was leaving, I said: "Sir, you ARE going to use that money for food, aren't you? Please say yes." Well, he did say yes, although I can't be certain that he DIDN'T go buy a drink with it. I find that the best witness is a kind word, and a caring demeanor. If the person senses that you're concerned, he's more than likely to listen....more so than if you seem agitated or judgemental. The thing is, in those situations, I have found that many people will listen to the Gospel message if they think it's going to get them some $$$. You can usually tell within a few moments if that person is really taking heed, or just looking for a hand-out. I don't think it's right that a person should pretend to want the Gospel just to get some $$$, and I refuse to cheapen the Gospel by using it as a bargaining chip.

My good-for-nothing cigarrette habit

I have those days, too. Usually, I cry for Him to "return" and it doesn't take Him long to show Himself in some way. You, too?! If I feel that God's presence is removed from me in any measure, I do the same...but unlike you, it has taken days of begging and pleading with Him before He makes Himself known again. That is why I'm thinking that it may be me instead of Him: Heb. 13:5 .............For He Himself has said "I will never leave you nor forsake you." I understand that we are not to base our faith on emotion, but some days, I just yearn to have Him so close...I know that He is there, but I just want pure, intimate communion with Him. I just want Him to know that I love Him so much, but for some reason, I have been having thoughts that perhaps He doesn't know how much I love Him, or that He doesn't care....which is strange, because this is the first time in my life that I have EVER felt this way, and it's something that I am really struggling with right now. I have found that, as I meditate on the Lord throughout the day, thoughts come to my mind that I CONSTANTLY have to deny....thoughts that God is aloof, or that my prayers and love for Him don't mean that much to Him somehow, or that my relationship with Him is inferior. The worst is that God will eventually tire of my company, and drift away from me. Cerebrally, I understand that none of these thoughts are Biblical OR sound, but nevertheless, they are very powerful, and have brought me into a real depression. The thing of it is...I'm not sure if it's the enemy attacking my intellect, or if it's my flesh, so I really don't know how to handle these thoughts. I try not to entertain them, or dwell on them, but the thing of it is, I love God more than life itself, and if He were to ever get bored with me, well, I may as well just kill myself. I'd have absolutely nothing to live for without Him. I'm getting emotional just writing these things. I would hate to think that my beautiful Father in Heaven would take His fellowship away, and it does scare me sometimes.

I agree, and that is where the term "practicing" comes in. If we know something to be sin, and continue in it wilfully, what then? Does this define who believes what God says and fears Him in regard to it, or can one not be reverent of God and disregard what His Holy Spirit has clearly told us is sin? That then is to "practice" lawlessness isn't it? To know better and yet continue in it/practice it. In His Love, Suzanne Suzanne....define "willfully." Where does addiction come into play? Everytime a heroin addict shoots up, that person is breaking the law, thus sinning....BUT..... did he do it "willfully," or "unwillfully" due to the addiction? Is a person's will stifled when that person is addicted? If so, and the addict continues giving in, is that willful sin, or unwillful sin? This can apply to any substance...even cigarrettes and marijuana. I guess my question is...what if that addict truly loves the Lord, but is having trouble resisiting the addiction, and that person is truly repentant after he/she stumbles, but continues even when he/she desires to stop. Would that be willful sin or unwillful sin? I ask this because "unwillful sin" seems to be where grace is applied.

I'm sure that many of you can relate.... Are there some days when God seems distanced from you, as in, He seems farther away on some days than others? Why do you think this is? I'm pretty sure it's us and not Him, but still......do you ever have those days?

So, then, how does a person "bless" the Lord? Did David actually bless the Lord, or is this just something that he longed to do? In saying that David was a man "after God's own heart," is this merely stating the attitude of David, or did he actually manage to touch God's heart? Hey, you guys..... ....I really don't mean to be a bother, but I am just wondering if someone could please address the above questions, which I posed a couple of days ago. I need to know how a person blesses God. Are there any Scriptures that indicate how this can be done? Is it possible to make the Lord glad....besides obedience? I mean, to actually stir His emotions...move Him....make Him feel something. If so, how? It would be really great if someone could respond. Thank you for your time

Thank you for that. To tell you the truth, this is one of the main reasons why I don't post on here as much, or as regularly, as I used to. I used to love coming here. I found it engaging and interesting. But lately, it just seems that a lot of conversations start out well, but then become less than uplifting as they progress, so that the good points get forgotten in lieu of the incessant bickering. It seems that a lot of good threads turn into vociferous arguments, and a lot of really interesting and good comments become lost in the myrad of hostility.

No, this is not what it means. What it means is that, when the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we become more conscious of sin. Likewise, when we do stumble, the Holy Spirit gives us a conviction, so that we may repent and keep in our walk with God. Of course we all sin....we sin on a daily basis...whether that sin be an outward manifestation of our inward sin, or sins that do not manifest themselves, but take place in the heart, such as pride, greed, lust, envy, malice, anger, etc. Just because we do not openly sin does not mean that sin does not exist within us. We are all creatures, born of sin, but living in bodies of flesh...sinful bodies in which sin has been passed down in the Adamic gene pool. I guess it can be compared to the following scenario: If a person is given up for adoption, and raised in a certain family, that person will exhibit learned behaviors of that family, and will grow up with a certain self-image and worldview, based upon those of the adopted family. Even so, there will be certain genetic pre-dispositions within that person that still remain, even if that person has no contact with his/her natural birth parents. For instance, if a person is born of an alcoholic father, for example, that person may have a pre-disposition towards alcoholism. Now, if that person lives his life free from alcohol, and never takes a drink, that person's pre-disposition towards alcoholism will never surface, because that person had nothing to trigger the behavior....although the genetic tendency towards alcohol is still present. The same is true of the old man, and of internal sin. We are creatures of sin....we were born into it, and it is in our nature apart from God. This is what makes us sinners, and in need of God's grace. We are not sinners because we sin...We sin because we are sinners. It is a reflexive property of our heart condition, which is why we need the Holy Spirit to come, renew our minds, and live within us. Such an action does not guarantee one a sin-free life, as sin is still IN our nature (and by this, I mean that it is IN our nature, but does not DEFINE our nature), and is all around us....but we CAN be sure that when we do stumble, we will have the capacity to repent, and to be forgiven. Once the "old man" is crucified with Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, our inner man becomes reborn, Our modus operandi is no longer sin, but righteousness....and we long to be righteous because we love God. We can never be righteous on our own, and even after we become saved, we are never righteous on a human level....but we are righteous on a spiritual level, and that is the Holy Spirit working through us. It is His spirit that makes us righteous...not how often or the degree to which we sin.

I compltely agree (*bites into double bacon cheeseburger*) I'm with you sister!! (*chews on fist full of greasy curly fries*) Amen!! (*slurps on extra-large strawberry shake*) LOLOLOL..... ....TOO FUNNY!!!! Save some for me On a serious note, we have more than any one people has a right to. We (at least in the US) are a nation of gluttons while so many go hungry (ironically, many go hungry in the US while other US citizens waste precious food). We are not just food gluttons, but gluttons in just about every area of life. I absolutely agree....and I find it ironic that the sin of gluttony is never mentioned in Christian circles, Bible study, or the pulpit. Obviously, God thought that it was serious enough to address!!! The gluttony of Western Society reminds me some of the gluttony of ancient Rome....although we don't have vomit troffs (or whatever their name....wherein people would overeat and throw up into afterwards), we do have an epidemic of bulemia, and claorie-free junk food. Gluttony is a serious sin which many Christians just don't think is that bad, I guess.

You know, that is an excellent point. I've gone through periods where I had to forego food for 3 or 4 days...even up to a week....because I simply could not afford it. This lasted for months. I lost a ton of weight, although I wasn't too happy about it. Everytime I watch TV, and see somebody talking about the latest diet trend, or the latest Hollywood starlet to falling victim to anorexia, I think about how futile it all is. Starving oneself for vanity is the product of a vain and selfish society. Granted few of them will EVER realize just what it is to be hungry...to the point where you have absolutely no energy, and feel physically ill. The vapidity of it all makes Solomon's words ring true..."Everything under the sun is vanity."

So, then, how does a person "bless" the Lord? Did David actually bless the Lord, or is this just something that he longed to do? In saying that David was a man "after God's own heart," is this merely stating the attitude of David, or did he actually manage to touch God's heart? I do realize that David was imperfect, but is this to say that God is willing to look past our imperfections IF we come to Him with the right attitude? As far as Daniel is concerned....remember that Joseph was also righteous, as were Job and Noah, and none of them were labeled "after God's own heart." In this, I am to assume that it has more to do with attitude than with righteous behaviour.

She did not say that or imply that at all. Reread it and slow down. She said before we were saved that we were bound to do sin..but now we are saved we are bound to do righteouness. When you were a sinner did you ever do what was right? You mainly lived to serve self and and sin but every once in awhile you did something right. This is the same with being a slave of righteousness. Sometimes we sin but we strive with all our hearts for righteouness because we want to please God. Now if this is not in your heart then and you choice to live a sin filled life with out any regard to God then yes you are a servant of sin and not of righteousness. See the difference? One is servant of God and one is a servant of Self. I can remember before I got saved I was big into partying and sexual misconduct, I lived to please self....but now that I am saved I put away those things and strive for rightouseness. Do I still sin??? Yes but my heart is pointed in the right direction. When I sin I feel terriable and confess it to God and then I continue to strive for rightouseness. This is called being a slave to righteosness. We have to love righteousness more then sin. How true!!! When we allow the old man to be crucified, our old nature is crucified with him...It is our old nature which drives us to sin. Because we have put on a new nature, that old instinct towards sin is eradicated, and a new instinct towards righteousness is what drives our actions, and motivates our behaviors. That is not to say that we will never sin....because we live through these "bodies of sin," within a sinful world, we still have the flesh operating. It is this flesh that drives us to sin, and leads us into temptation, and sometimes, we will stumble. BUT, because of the Holy Spirit inside of us, we are "new creatures in Christ." Likewise, our new man no longer has an instinct towards sin, which is not to say that person will not stumble. What it DOES imply is that, after that person stumbles, he/she will automatically be convicted of it, so that God's forgiveness can be sought, and freely given. Because sin is not our motivating factor, we are not drawn towards it...and because it is not instinctive, it is not natural for us. Likewise, when we stumble, we have knowledge, whereas when we were living in sin, we could do so without a single thought. To sin was comfortable, because it was completely natural....not so when we are born of the Holy Spirit. Heb. 10:26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins Although it is true that we sin daily, if we willfully continue in sins that we know to be wrong, with no remorse, then it appears that Christ's sacrifice is null and void. If we have truly repented, we have changed our minds. When we are born of the Holy Spirit, He convicts us if we sin. Not so with the OT sacrifices, wherein people had to atone for "ignorant sin." That is why Christ's sacrifice is so superior to the OT sacrifice...It was the means by which the "new nature" was put on, and the Holy Spirit could convict us of sin. When we are "crucified in Christ," we become dead to the flesh, and live by the Spirit. Sin does not remain our motivating factor, but a lingering malady. I'm not sure why this thread created such an uproar....sounds like solid Biblical doctrine to me. ....and NO, we are NOT justified by works, but by Jesus Christ our precious Lord.

So true....this is why the book of Leviticus distinguished between willful and unwillful sin. It is human nature to sin, which is why we so desperately need the Holy Spirit within us.

Oh, thank you so much for posting this. You know, I was really moved in reading this, because lately, I have had an innate desire to "bless God," as David declared in so many of his Psalms, and have been wondering how. I have also wondered what it means to be a person "after God's own heart," and you have addressed the issue most beautifully. I long to be able to bless God...to move Him somehow, and to make Him feel glad. I know that David did so, and now I know just how. Thanks you for your post.....and I am glad to know that my tears are not in vain, as weren't David's.

You know, I feel that my relationship with God has become MUCH more intimate within the past few weeks. I have been reading my Bible much more, and meditate on Him pretty much constantly. I LOVE to pray....something I haven't loved to do in YEARS...and I really feel the presence of God. I also feel a strong sense of inner peace, which is KNOW is the Lord's peace, because before I was born-again, by nature I was a very pessimistic, agitated, and gloomy person. On the other hand, I my thinking has managed to go into very bizarre directions every now and then. It seems that, as I meditate on the Lord, unwarranted and unwanted thoughts start springing to my mind, casting questions and doubts re: my faith.....which is strange, because before I started getting serious, these thoughts never crossed my mind at all. Just recently, God has also brought me through a serious slew of attacks re: my forgiveness in Christ, which had me questioning my salvation CONSTANTLY!!! I was seriously to the point where I was about ready to give up, thinking that Christ was "wasting His grace" on me. So, then, I feel absolute peace and love in Christ, yet I feel as though my intellect is being attacked. Is this making sense?

As I'm reading your question, I am reminded of the account in Exodus 33:12-23., and especially verse 20, where God says: "You cannot see my face, for no man shall see Me, and live." The only way I can describe Him is pure glory in it's most intense form, with an enormous presence of indescribable love, and immense power. I would be hard-pressed to describe Him physically, as the Scriptures state that "no man shall see Him and live," so I couldn't even imagine what He would look like.

CD: The Killers - Sam's Town Radio Station: Classical

Ah finally, another Christian who thinks this! I love art and making art and often times just drawing the beauty of the human body is enough in itself for a wonderful peice. God has created us all beautiful - it is porn that tries to do the opposite of what God intended by making nudity a dirty thing. Luke; True, but our condition after the Fall pretty much twisted man's response towards God's beautiful Creation. The first thing Adam and Eve did after they sinned was to seek physical covering. This indicates to me that there is something innately wrong about viewing nudity, no matter how "innocent." There was no pornography going on in the Garden, and yet the 2 of them were still ashamed. There is something in the human psyche that deems it wrong. I think that God is trying to tell us to stay away from the naked body....PERIOD!! Do not defile it....not even with your eyes.

He makes intelligent and thought-provoking statements, such as: "We must all do our part to reduce the threat of...the threat of....the threat of.....the threat of....the threat of.....the threat of" (slaps Al Gore on back) ".......the threat of Global Warming" LOL....I'm sorry, but I couldn't resisist. Now, as I'm sure Al Gore himself would have laughed with me, I'm hoping all you Al Gore lovers won't hold this against me. I also heard that Gore almost nailed the role of HAL in "2001 A Space Odyssey," but his insistence that they use flourescent bulbs in the stage lighting kept him from getting the part.

Shalom April, I understand and have felt the same way. I loved reading your description and your out-pouring of exaltation to G-d, it's beautiful. You are an extremely articulate woman. And yet, as you have noticed, when it comes to fully expressing the enormity of G-d in our lives, our words, no matter how beautiful fall short. G-d knows our heart and He doesn't need words, just praise and worship Him in Spirit and in truth! Now, I wanted to mention that you said you have "lost" the gift of tongues. I would like to encourage you in that I believe we do not lose the spiritual gifts that G-d gives us. I would suggest that you pray and ask the L-rd to help you walk in what He has given you so that you can praise Him spirit to Spirit. Something that helps me is to pray the Psalms and to SING them! Also to sing songs of praise and worship to Him and allow myself an intimate time in His presence. Then, as I surrender myself and step out of the way, the tongues will come and allow a deeper, MORE intimate time of worship when words fail. Hi, Vickilynn.. Thank you for that encouraging response......and you're absolutely right. I need to "step ot of the way," so to speak, and let HIM lead my worship. It is hard to do, though, because human nature many times wants to take over....I guess I just need to mature in Christ. It's all a matter of letting His Spirit take full control of me. Love in Christ April P.S. Thank you for that nice compliment, as well.