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Click Here for the Free PDF manual from "Alliance Defending Freedom:" Excerpt from the manual, emphasis mine: "Protecting Your Ministry — from Sexual Orientation Gender Identity Lawsuits" A Legal Guide for Churches, Christian Schools, and Christian Ministries "Alliance Defending Freedom created this manual to help you prepare for the legal intrusions some of your fellow believers and Christian leaders around the country have already faced, and for other threats on the near horizon." "Even in – perhaps especially in – a changing moral climate, God’s people can continue to make a profound impact as faithful witnesses to His love and truth. Given the freedom to live out and exercise our faith, we can engage a hostile social and political culture in ways that offer clear light and enduring hope amid the gathering spiritual darkness. That’s what this guidebook is all about. Adopting the action steps recommended in the previous pages cannot insulate your church, Christian school, or Christian ministry from all attacks by marriage counterfeits and those advocating for complete sexual license. But acting upon these suggestions will place your organization in a more defensible legal position should it face a lawsuit for discrimination. And you have the assurance that Alliance Defending Freedom wants to talk to you in the event your group faces such a challenge. More than that, preparing yourselves legally will give your group or institution greater freedom to continue presenting the Gospel clearly and effectively to your community – and that freedom may well make an eternal difference for lost and hurting souls all around you."

Domestic violence survival story shared by a brave girl. http://www.godfruits.com/13235/her-boyfriend-was-beating-her-to-death-she-said-a-prayer-and-a-miracle-happened.php

(Quoted from Deut. 6:4) Is he really? Well, technically, yes, there is only one creator of the Universe. But, does this deny the trinity? Absolutely not (Also, if I'm wrong on anything, correct me!) If you look back to the Hebrew, the word used for one is Echad. That word can either mean "One", which denies the trinity, or it can mean things like "Unison", "altogether", or "united". Which one should we choose? I choose the second definition for a a few reasons. 1. The Septuagint. Simply put, it shows the Tanakh, or Old Testament, has been preserved. 2. The use of Echad over Yachid Now, since we know the Tanakh/Old Testament is preserved (The Septuagint is from 200-300 B.C.), the writer of Deut. decided to use Echad, which can mean either One or Unity, over Yachid, which can only mean "Only", "Only One", or Solitary.". If Moses wanted the people to understand that there was trinity, Yachid is clearly the better option.

If God were to test the faith of American Christians, what better way to do it than by flooding our southern border with a deluge of illegal immigrants? What better timing for the test than a time of economic woe and high unemployment? What clearer, more stark choice could he offer between the divine ways of God or the secular ways of men. Rest of the article is here: http://www.mynewshub.co/stories/test-of-faith:-america's-border-crisis

Fluffy clouds and harps aside, what is heaven really like and what is it's true location? Based on a Belinda Carlisle song dating back to 1987, heaven is a place on earth. It was a great song, it was very sweet, but not very convincing in a theological sense. It did serve to highlight the age old question though, where is this place we go to when we die and what is it like there? Two thousand years ago in Luke 17:21, Jesus Christ spoke of the Kingdom of God, which is a term considered interchangeable and synonymous with the Kingdom of Heaven. Christ told us in that verse that this Kingdom of God (or heaven) is within us, interpreted by some as amidst us. But regardless of which interpretation you use it means the same thing, the Kingdom of God, and heaven has already been with us, right here on earth for a long, long time. The experts of Christ's era were apparently missing that fact, just as we seem to be in our modern era. But with all out angst, poverty, war and injustice, how can heaven possibly be here on earth?

When ancient prophecy is ultimately fulfilled and the walls of Babylon come tumbling down, will the remnants of your church and mine be found amidst the rubble? None of us like to think so. On the other hand nearly all Christians believe there are other churches out there with false teachings based on the values of human civilization rather than the Bible. It's not bad to think that way if you keep it in perspective and remain civil. Churches don't all teach the same doctrine so disagreement is unavoidable in our fallen world. But it does beg the question, are there any Christian churches out there with doctrine and teachings that are totally without error? If not, then to one degree or another, Babylon has infected all Christian churches. What becomes of these churches when Babylon ultimately falls at the feet of God?

We all wonder what will happen to us after we die. When a loved one dies, we long to see him or her again after our turn comes. Will we have a glorious reunion with those we love or is death the end of all consciousness? Jesus taught that life does not end after our bodies die. He made this startling claim: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.” According to the eyewitnesses closest to him, Jesus then demonstrated his power over death by rising from the dead after being crucified and buried for three days. It is this belief that has given hope to Christians for nearly 2000 years. But some people have no hope of life after death. The atheistic philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote, “I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my own ego will survive.”1 Russell obviously didn’t believe Jesus’ words. Jesus’ followers wrote that he appeared alive to them after his crucifixion and burial. They claim not only to have seen him but also to have eaten with him, touched him, and spent 40 days with him. So could this have been simply a story that grew over time, or is it based upon solid evidence? The answer to this question is foundational to Christianity. For if Jesus did rise from the dead, it would validate everything he said about himself, about the meaning of life, and about our destiny after death. If Jesus did rise from the dead then he alone would have the answers to what life is about and what is facing us after we die. On the other hand, if the resurrection account of Jesus is not true, then Christianity would be founded upon a lie. Theologian R. C. Sproul puts it this way: Many skeptics have attempted to disprove the resurrection. Josh McDowell was one such skeptic who spent more than seven hundred hours researching the evidence for the resurrection. McDowell stated this regarding the importance of the resurrection: So, is Jesus’ resurrection a fantastic fact or a vicious myth? To find out, we need to look at the evidence of history and draw our own conclusions. Let’s see what skeptics who investigated the resurrection discovered for themselves. Cynics and Skeptics But not everyone is willing to fairly examine the evidence. Bertrand Russell admits his take on Jesus was “not concerned” with historical facts.4 Historian Joseph Campbell, without citing evidence, calmly told his PBS television audience that the resurrection of Jesus is not a factual event.5 Other scholars, such as John Dominic Crossan of the Jesus Seminar, agree with him.6 None of these skeptics present any evidence for their views. True skeptics, as opposed to cynics, are interested in evidence. In a Skeptic magazine editorial entitled “What Is a Skeptic?” the following definition is given: “Skepticism is … the application of reason to any and all ideas—no sacred cows allowed. In other words … skeptics do not go into an investigation closed to the possibility that a phenomenon might be real or that a claim might be true. When we say we are “skeptical,” we mean that we must see compelling evidence before we believe.”7 Unlike Russell and Crossan, many true skeptics have investigated the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection. In this article we will hear from some of them and see how they analyzed the evidence for what is perhaps the most important question in the history of the human race: Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Self-Prophecy In advance of his death, Jesus told his disciples that he would be betrayed, arrested, and crucified and that he would come back to life three days later. That’s a strange plan! What was behind it? Jesus was no entertainer willing to perform for others on demand; instead, he promised that his death and resurrection would prove to people (if their minds and hearts were open) that he was indeed the Messiah. Bible scholar Wilbur Smith remarked about Jesus: In other words, since Jesus had clearly told his disciples that he would rise again after his death, failure to keep that promise would expose him as a fraud. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. How did Jesus die before he (if he did) rose again? A Horrific Death and Then. . . ? You know what Jesus’ last hours of earthly life were like if you watched the movie by road warrior/brave heart Mel Gibson. If you missed parts of The Passion of the Christ because you were shielding your eyes (it would have been easier to simply shoot the movie with a red filter on the camera), just flip to the back pages of any Gospel in your New Testament to find out what you missed. As Jesus predicted, he was betrayed by one of his own disciples, Judas Iscariot, and was arrested. In a mock trial under the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, he was convicted of treason and condemned to die on a wooden cross. Prior to being nailed to the cross, Jesus was brutally beaten with a Roman cat-o’-nine-tails, a whip with bits of bone and metal that would rip flesh. He was punched repeatedly, kicked, and spit upon. Then, using mallets, the Roman executioners pounded the heavy wrought-iron nails into Jesus’ wrists and feet. Finally they dropped the cross in a hole in the ground between two other crosses bearing convicted thieves. Jesus hung there for approximately six hours. Then, at 3:00 in the afternoon—that is, at exactly the same time the Passover lamb was being sacrificed as a sin offering (a little symbolism there, you think?)—Jesus cried out, “It is finished” (in Aramaic), and died. Suddenly the sky went dark and an earthquake shook the land.9 Pilate wanted verification that Jesus was dead before allowing his crucified body to be buried. So a Roman guard thrust a spear into Jesus’ side. The mixture of blood and water that flowed out was a clear indication that Jesus was dead. Jesus’ body was then taken down from the cross and buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. Roman guards next sealed the tomb, and secured it with a 24-hour watch. Meanwhile, Jesus’ disciples were in shock. Dr. J. P. Moreland explains how devastated and confused they were after Jesus’ death on the cross. “They no longer had confidence that Jesus had been sent by God. They also had been taught that God would not let his Messiah suffer death. So they dispersed. The Jesus movement was all but stopped in its tracks.”10 All hope was vanquished. Rome and the Jewish leaders had prevailed—or so it seemed. Something Happened But it wasn’t the end. The Jesus movement did not disappear (obviously), and in fact Christianity exists today as the world’s largest religion. Therefore, we’ve got to know what happened after Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb. In a New York Times article, Peter Steinfels cites the startling events that occurred three days after Jesus’ death: “Shortly after Jesus was executed, his followers were suddenly galvanized from a baffled and cowering group into people whose message about a living Jesus and a coming kingdom, preached at the risk of their lives, eventually changed an empire. Something happened. … But exactly what?”11 That’s the question we have to answer with an investigation into the facts. There are only five plausible explanations for Jesus’ alleged resurrection, as portrayed in the New Testament: Jesus didn’t really die on the cross. The “resurrection” was a conspiracy. The disciples were hallucinating. The account is legendary. It really happened. Let’s work our way through these options and see which one best fits the facts. Was Jesus Dead? “Marley was deader than a doornail, of that there was no doubt.” So begins Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, the author not wanting anyone to be mistaken as to the supernatural character of what is soon to take place. In the same way, before we take on the role of CSI and piece together evidence for a resurrection, we must first establish that there was, in fact, a corpse. After all, occasionally the newspapers will report on some “corpse” in a morgue who was found stirring and recovered. Could something like that have happened with Jesus? Some have proposed that Jesus lived through the crucifixion and was revived by the cool, damp air in the tomb–“Whoa, how long was I out for?” But that theory doesn’t seem to square with the medical evidence. An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association explains why this so-called “swoon theory” is untenable: “Clearly, the weight of historical and medical evidence indicated that Jesus was dead. … The spear, thrust between His right ribs, probably perforated not only the right lung, but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured His death.”12 But skepticism of this verdict may be in order, as this case has been cold for 2,000 years. At the very least, we need a second opinion. One place to find that is in the reports of non-Christian historians from around the time when Jesus lived. Three of these historians mentioned the death of Jesus. Lucian (c.120–after 180 A.D. referred to Jesus as a crucified sophist (philosopher).13 Josephus (c.37–c.100 A.D.) wrote, “At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man, for he was a doer of amazing deeds. When Pilate condemned him to the cross, the leading men among us, having accused him, those who loved him did not cease to do so.”14 Tacitus (c. 56–c.120 A.D.) wrote, “Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty … at the hands of our procurator, Pontius Pilate.”15 This is a bit like going into the archives and finding that on one spring day in the first century, The Jerusalem Postran a front-page story saying that Jesus was crucified and dead. Not bad detective work, and fairly conclusive. In fact, there is no historical account from Christians, Romans, or Jews that disputes either Jesus’ death or his burial. Even Crossan, a skeptic of the resurrection, agrees that Jesus really lived and died. “That he was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be.”16 In light of such evidence, we seem to be on good grounds for dismissing the first of our five options. Jesus was clearly dead, “of that there was no doubt.” The Matter of An Empty Tomb No serious historian really doubts Jesus was dead when he was taken down from the cross. However, many have questioned how Jesus’ body disappeared from the tomb. English journalist, Dr. Frank Morison. initially thought the resurrection was either a myth or a hoax, and he began research to write a book refuting it.17 The book became famous but for reasons other than its original intent, as we’ll see. Morison began by attempting to solve the case of the empty tomb. The tomb belonged to a member of the Sanhedrin Council, Joseph of Arimathea. In Israel at that time, to be on the council was to be a rock star. Everyone knew who was on the council. Joseph must have been a real person. Otherwise, the Jewish leaders would have exposed the story as a fraud in their attempt to disprove the resurrection. Also, Joseph’s tomb would have been at a well-known location and easily identifiable, so any thoughts of Jesus being “lost in the graveyard” would need to be dismissed. Morison wondered why Jesus’ enemies would have allowed the “empty tomb myth” to persist if it wasn’t true. The discovery of Jesus’ body would have instantly killed the entire plot. And what is known historically of Jesus’ enemies is that they accused Jesus’ disciples of stealing the body, an accusation clearly predicated on a shared belief that the tomb was empty. Dr. Paul L. Maier, professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University, similarly stated, “If all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable … to conclude that the tomb in which Jesus was buried was actually empty on the morning of the first Easter. And no shred of evidence has yet been discovered … that would disprove this statement.”18 The Jewish leaders were stunned, and accused the disciples of stealing Jesus’ body. But the Romans had assigned a 24-hour watch at the tomb with a trained guard unit (from 4 to 12 soldiers). Morison asked, “How could these professionals have let Jesus’ body be vandalized?” It would have been impossible for anyone to have slipped by the Roman guards and to have moved a two-ton stone. Yet the stone was moved away and the body of Jesus was missing. If Jesus’ body was anywhere to be found, his enemies would have quickly exposed the resurrection as a fraud. Tom Anderson, former president of the California Trial Lawyers Association, summarizes the strength of this argument: So, with no body of evidence, and with a known tomb clearly empty, Morison accepted the evidence as solid that Jesus’ body had somehow disappeared from the tomb. Grave Robbing? As Morison continued his investigation, he began to examine the motives of Jesus’ followers. Maybe the supposed resurrection was actually a stolen body. But if so, how does one account for all the reported appearances of a resurrected Jesus? Historian Paul Johnson, in History of the Jews, wrote, “What mattered was not the circumstances of his death but the fact that he was widely and obstinately believed, by an expanding circle of people, to have risen again.”20 The tomb was indeed empty. But it wasn’t the mere absence of a body that could have galvanized Jesus’ followers (especially if they had been the ones who had stolen it). Something extraordinary must have happened, for the followers of Jesus ceased mourning, ceased hiding, and began fearlessly proclaiming that they had seen Jesus alive. Each eyewitness account reports that Jesus suddenly appeared bodily to his followers, the women first. Morison wondered why conspirators would make women central to its plot. In the first century, women had virtually no rights, personhood, or status. If the plot was to succeed, Morison reasoned, the conspirators would have portrayed men, not women, as the first to see Jesus alive. And yet we hear that women touched him, spoke with him, and were the first to find the empty tomb. Later, according to the eyewitness accounts, all the disciples saw Jesus on more than ten separate occasions. They wrote that he showed them his hands and feet and told them to touch him. And he reportedly ate with them and later appeared alive to more than 500 followers on one occasion. Legal scholar John Warwick Montgomery stated, “In 56 A.D. [the Apostle Paul wrote that over 500 people had seen the risen Jesus and that most of them were still alive (1 Corinthians 15:6ff.). It passes the bounds of credibility that the early Christians could have manufactured such a tale and then preached it among those who might easily have refuted it simply by producing the body of Jesus.”21 Bible scholars Geisler and Turek agree. “If the Resurrection had not occurred, why would the Apostle Paul give such a list of supposed eyewitnesses? He would immediately lose all credibility with his Corinthian readers by lying so blatantly.”22 Peter told a crowd in Caesarea why he and the other disciples were so convinced Jesus was alive. We apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Israel and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by crucifying him, but God raised him to life three days later….We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. (Acts 10:39-41) British Bible scholar Michael Green remarked, “The appearances of Jesus are as well authenticated as anything in antiquity. … There can be no rational doubt that they occurred.”23 Consistent to the End As if the eyewitness reports were not enough to challenge Morison’s skepticism, he was also baffled by the disciples’ behavior. A fact of history that has stumped historians, psychologists, and skeptics alike is that these 11 former cowards were suddenly willing to suffer humiliation, torture, and death. All but one of Jesus’ disciples were slain as martyrs. Would they have done so much for a lie, knowing they had taken the body? The Islamic martyrs on September 11 proved that some will die for a false cause they believe in. Yet to be a willing martyr for a known lie is insanity. As Paul Little wrote, “Men will die for what they believe to be true, though it may actually be false. They do not, however, die for what they know is a lie.”24 Jesus’ disciples behaved in a manner consistent with a genuine belief that their leader was alive. No one has adequately explained why the disciples would have been willing to die for a known lie. But even if they all conspired to lie about Jesus’ resurrection, how could they have kept the conspiracy going for decades without at least one of them selling out for money or position? Moreland wrote, “Those who lie for personal gain do not stick together very long, especially when hardship decreases the benefits.”25 Former “hatchet man” of the Nixon administration, Chuck Colson, implicated in the Watergate scandal, pointed out the difficulty of several people maintaining a lie for an extended period of time. Something happened that changed everything for these men and women. Morison acknowledged, “Whoever comes to this problem has sooner or later to confront a fact that cannot be explained away. … This fact is that … a profound conviction came to the little group of people—a change that attests to the fact that Jesus had risen from the grave.”27Were the Disciples Hallucinating? People still think they see a fat, gray-haired Elvis darting into Dunkin Donuts. And then there are those who believe they spent last night with aliens in the mother ship being subjected to unspeakable testing. Sometimes certain people can “see” things they want to, things that aren’t really there. And that’s why some have claimed that the disciples were so distraught over the crucifixion that their desire to see Jesus alive caused mass hallucination. Plausible? Psychologist Gary Collins, former president of the American Association of Christian Counselors, was asked about the possibility that hallucinations were behind the disciples’ radically changed behavior. Collins remarked, “Hallucinations are individual occurrences. By their very nature, only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. They certainly aren’t something which can be seen by a group of people.”28 Hallucination is not even a remote possibility, according to psychologist Thomas J. Thorburn. “It is absolutely inconceivable that … five hundred persons, of average soundness of mind … should experience all kinds of sensuous impressions—visual, auditory, tactual—and that all these … experiences should rest entirely upon … hallucination.”29 Furthermore, in the psychology of hallucinations, the person would need to be in a frame of mind where they so wished to see that person that their mind contrives it. Two major leaders of the early church, James and Paul, both encountered a resurrected Jesus, neither expecting, or hoping for the pleasure. The Apostle Paul, in fact led the earliest persecutions of Christians, and his conversion remains inexplicable except for his own testimony that Jesus appeared to him, resurrected. From Lie to Legend Some unconvinced skeptics attribute the resurrection story to a legend that began with one or more persons lying or thinking they saw the resurrected Jesus. Over time, the legend would have grown and been embellished as it was passed around. In this theory, Jesus’ resurrection is on a par with King Arthur’s round table, little Georgie Washington’s inability to tell a lie, and the promise that Social Security will be solvent when we need it. But there are three major problems with that theory. Legends rarely develop while multiple eyewitnesses are alive to refute them. One historian of ancient Rome and Greece, A. N. Sherwin-White, argued that the resurrection news spread too soon and too quickly for it to have been a legend. 30 Legends develop by oral tradition and don’t come with contemporary historical documents that can be verified. Yet the Gospels were written within three decades of the resurrection.31 The legend theory doesn’t adequately explain either the fact of the empty tomb or the historically verified conviction of the apostles that Jesus was alive.32 Why Did Christianity Win? Morison was bewildered by the fact that “a tiny insignificant movement was able to prevail over the cunning grip of the Jewish establishment, as well as the might of Rome.” Why did it win, in the face of all those odds against it? He wrote, “Within twenty years, the claim of these Galilean peasants had disrupted the Jewish church. … In less than fifty years it had begun to threaten the peace of the Roman Empire. When we have said everything that can be said … we stand confronted with the greatest mystery of all. Why did it win?”33 By all rights, Christianity should have died out at the cross when the disciples fled for their lives. But the apostles went on to establish a growing Christian movement. J. N. D. Anderson wrote, “Think of the psychological absurdity of picturing a little band of defeated cowards cowering in an upper room one day and a few days later transformed into a company that no persecution could silence—and then attempting to attribute this dramatic change to nothing more convincing than a miserable fabrication. … That simply wouldn’t make sense.”34 Many scholars believe (in the words of an ancient commentator) that “the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church.” Historian Will Durant observed, “Caesar and Christ had met in the arena and Christ had won.”35A Surprise Conclusion With myth, hallucination, and a flawed autopsy ruled out, with incontrovertible evidence for an empty tomb, with a substantial body of eyewitnesses to his reappearance, and with the inexplicable transformation and impact upon the world of those who claimed to have seen him, Morison became convinced that his preconceived bias against Jesus Christ’s resurrection had been wrong. He began writing a different book—entitled Who Moved the Stone?—to detail his new conclusions. Morison simply followed the trail of evidence, clue by clue, until the truth of the case seemed clear to him. His surprise was that the evidence led to a belief in the resurrection. In his first chapter, “The Book That Refused to Be Written,” this former skeptic explained how the evidence convinced him that Jesus’ resurrection was an actual historical event. “It was as though a man set out to cross a forest by a familiar and well-beaten track and came out suddenly where he did not expect to come out.”36 Morison is not alone. Countless other skeptics have examined the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, and accepted it as the most astounding fact in all of human history. But the resurrection of Jesus Christ raises the question: What does the fact that Jesus defeated death have to do with my life? The answer to that question is what New Testament Christianity is all about. Did Jesus Say What Happens After we Die? If Jesus really did rise from the dead, then he alone must know what is on the other side. What did Jesus say about the meaning of life and our future? Are there many ways to God or did Jesus claim to be the only way? Read the startling answers in “Why Jesus.” -from y-Jesus.com

Chapter 1 Book Excerpt: Understanding the Benefits of Mankind Understanding the Principles of Money You should not like money more than yourself and you must not LOVE yourself more than GOD. This also means you shall not love money more than God. The “love of money” is likened to a habit or addiction that hooks you and takes control over your thoughts, behaviors and actions. Most times there is a correlation between the “love of money” and greed or stinginess. Money can be seen as a tool for good or evil. That is, GOD designed money for man’s benefit, but the enemy has deceived man into the “love of money”. As it states in 1 Timothy 6:10 (KNJV) - For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Also, this is one reason why Paul prayed in the following Scripture: And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, (Philippians 1: 9-10, KNJV) What this means is we should pray for “moral discernment” in order to maintain our Christian morals and values. In this present era, many people go through the challenge called “security for tomorrow” or “uncertainty of tomorrow”…the author is referring to one’s financial standpoint. In this scenario, individuals try to hoard or multiply their money at any cost, whether it is legal or illegal because of the uncertainty of one’s financial standing in the future. This single act causes greed, embezzlement, stealing, stinginess, cheating, killing and so on. Let me shed some more light. Imagine you currently have a net worth of $400,000 and do not know what tomorrow holds for you. For example, you may lose your job, business, royalties, investments, properties and more. Each of these scenarios is robbing many people of their TRUE Blessings and Prosperity from GOD. For example, if you identify with one of the above scenarios and I ask you to loan me $10,000, you may have reservation honoring this request because you fear that your source of money can cease at anytime. However, when you make GOD your financial source by depending on Him rather than on your job, business, royalties, education, investments, position…He will terminate every fear and uncertainty of where the next dollar will come from. Moreover, it is written in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV) – “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Of further importance, you will see in the following scripture where Jesus says, “Why do you worry about tomorrow?” “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6: 25-34, NKJV) A person who is a hundred percent dependent on GOD would not be concerned about the next day because GOD alone holds the future. We can see in the following verses how Isaac depended on GOD during a terrible famine in the land. Follow me closely…Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundred fold. He became very prosperous even during a season of famine as seen in the scripture below: There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.” Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. (Genesis 26: 1-14, NKJV) One reason for GOD’s GRACE upon Isaac is because of the obedience of his father “Abraham” to GOD. As you can see “giving not taking” is the key to financial security…when you “give sparingly, you also receive sparingly”. There was a profound sermon once preached by my Pastor. In the message he likened “giving” to “restrooms and food”. That is, “food” is the money and its’ excretion is “giving”. Let me expound on this: When you eat “food” and get full, do you not need to excrete the food in order to empty your stomach, so you may have room to eat more food? In the same manner, you need to visit the “financial restroom” in order for more money to flow into your hands. That is, as you amass money, riches and wealth and do not give a part of it to GOD and the needy therefore allowing one’s “self” to be obstructing the flow of money you will have what the author calls “financial constipation”. This will continue until you offload by “giving”. Is it not logical to say that when you feel constipated…you are not only full of food, but also uncomfortable? Likewise, a person who keeps on amassing money without giving will at some point not only have no space for more, but will also experience an unfulfilled life. Yes, you can be the wealthiest person here on earth and still be empty. JOY brings genuine happiness, not money. Note: GOD says in His Word…there is JOY in “giving” not in hoarding. Let us look at some Scriptures on “Giving and Receiving”: There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself. (Proverbs 11: 24-25, NKJV) Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6: 38, NKJV) I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”(Acts 20: 35, NKJV) But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. (Hebrews 13: 16, NKJV) “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. (Matthew 6: 1-4, NKJV) Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? (James 4: 1-5, NKJV) Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight. Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion. The desire of the righteous ends only in good; the expectation of the wicked in wrath. One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it. (Proverbs 11: 20-26, NKJV) Let us look at a worldly scenario which validates the Biblical messages. I have heard of many celebrities and superstars amassing several hundreds of millions of dollars, only to lose it all in a matter of a few years and file bankruptcy. Perhaps, they hardly or never gave of one’s finances. You can see in the following Bible verse that money has wings and can fly away if not used appropriately: Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven. (Proverbs 23: 5, NKJV) The same way companies and organizations have their financial principles; GOD has His own principles for man’s money management. You can find some in the above verses. When you follow GOD’s principles concerning money, He gives you uncommon favor and wisdom. For example, He will teach you how and where to invest your money. And when God leads you… the sky is your limit. One last note: If you seek money before seeking GOD, you may experience riches followed by challenges; but if you seek GOD before seeking money, you will experience challenges followed by riches. Which scenario do you prefer? I hope the second! When you follow GOD’s principles of money; your latter shall be GREATER than your past!!! *** From the Term of Service - "No “spamming” allowed. Spamming is flooding the forums, mass PMs or emailing multiple members of this forum with unsolicited messages. It also includes links in posts or Sigs to sites that sell or solicits funds. No solicitation of any form will be allowed." ***

Love is the greatest commandment. The cure for jealousy is divine love. Does this make jealousy the greatest sin? Note: the results of jealousy are; theft, hatred, anger, malice, and ultimately murder. You can see how jealousy led Cain to kill his brother, Abel. Genesis 4: 4-8 *** Removed link to personal blog. Please place the link in your profile. ***

Dear Father, Im experiencing a time of my life where my relationship needs to improve. For the past 1 year and a half it has been terrible from my side of my family! My girlfriend and I truly want each other and we understand each other. We have passion, trust for each other and I adore her. To get to the details, religion has put us on hold from my parents. Six months into our relationship I wanted to bring her home, I didnt want my relationship secretive from my parents and I invited her over because she has what I want from a relationship stand point of view. Obviously it didnt workout with my parents because she is muslim. My parents are against bringing home a muslim girl or even non-arab. Why is it that religion tears us apart from each other or ethnicity? I wasnt raised like that nor does her family raise her like that. I explain to my parents that its not all about religion, she is open to my side of faith and culture. My parents refuse when I tell them that I want to invite my girlfriend to come pray with me at church. God's church welcomes anyone who is a believer? She has love and morals of a mother, if only my parents can get to know her of whom she is and what kind of woman truly she is. Currently she is in school studying medicine and she's done one bachelor of sciences. She is continuing her education further to complete for a PhD. We both want to continue our relationship with my parents love, not hate. I want to start fresh and have them understand. How do you make old fashion parents understand us? Im a believer of God and she is too! She has Christ-like contribution to society, helping and volunteering for cancer organization, her dream is to help suffering children, God willing be a doctor and cure the sick and ill. All of this is a foundation of giving as for what jesus did onto others. I'm asking for advice and help. Thank you for your time and reading through my life journey. Sincerely

might bit disturbing. . . http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/05/01/Breaking-Pentagon-Confirms-Will-Court-Martial-Soldiers-Who-Share-Christian-Faith

http://freedomoutpost.com/2012/10/publishing-house-defies-obamacares-assault-on-religious-liberty/ Tyndale House facing stiff fines