What Profit?

[thechild]

butero

quote

"You are right. Even if you stopped working because of health reasons originally, the fact you are schooling and teaching in whatever capacity you are, does not take away your God given responsibility to provide for your wife. Also, I went back and re-read your original post where you said you no longer have the stomach for work and would be content to be homeless. You also said that your wife chooses to work because she doesn't want to live that way. I don't blame her, she shouldn't have to."

thats right. i am not in the american work force. i am not paying for the lie of a war in iraq, the cia deathsqads, the naxi government that is overtaking us, or shoving money into that sinkhole social security scam, none of it.

my wife, on the other hand, is highly paid, professional, makes plenty of money, spends it however she pleases, and does so at the expense of the health of other people in the so-called health care industry. she keeps telling me to leave. i will not leave my three children. and she wont divorce me because she needs me to take care of the kids, fix things around the house, and dress me up for when she has some social thing to go to. most women in my position these days end up on prozac and valium and booze. she spends maybe a hundred bucks a month on me. that includes food. i am so kept.

your idea that the bible says you have to make money for your wife is a joke. i know what the scripture says, and it doesnt say that. you have been lied to once again, buddy. you better get back to work. youre gonna need the money for that quad bypass.

btw, it has been less than a year that i figure i could have entered back into the workforce full time, had i been inclined. thats almost six years of being disabled. and you know what i got from social security? not one dime. you should be pleased. thats 1300 plus bucks a month my family could have used. some security. some entitlement. some insurance. believe me, i learned my lesson. and who are you to say that my inclinations are not guided by god? who do you think you are? i know who i am. i am a nobody. what could i possibly have that you want???

[thechild]

Hello child,

I think there are some good things in what you have said, but I disagree with other things.

For example the love of material things is something to be condemned and was by Paul and by Christ, so the ability to live in whatever state you find yourself as Paul was able to do, is a great gift, the gift of contentment. However, I think that work itself is good and healthy and can lead you to being a better part of the Body of Christ. I certainly would not do things, which make you unhealthy or unhappy. But I am in my 40's and have had up and down times materially. In my 30's I was laid off from my job, which was a professional job, but found that I really enjoyed just getting out and working at pretty much anything and that is what I did. My favorite was working as a groundskeeper at a university, I really enjoyed it.

I have sense returned to my old career, but it is good to know that I can be content working different things, it is a form of freedom to know that and to trust Christ to provide for us through our work. Paul did say having food and clothing with these we shall be content.

But I do believe and I think scripture totally supports that anything done outside of faith is useless to God and to Christ. For without faith than nothing we do matters, the only reason we exist is God's patience. His waiting for us to believe in Him and to let the Holy Spirit into our body, thus any attempt to justify ourselves by doing something is a fake a fraud, God has done everything for us, what we must do is follow Him in faith, and ask that He forgive us our sins, otherwise we are all doomed. Faith is not a "belief system" nor is it intellectual, it is our total conversion to Christ accomplished by the Holy Spirit, the only power we have is to deny this force which produces belief, and anyone who does not have the Holy Spirit is not His, at least according to scripture.

thank you for being real. what i didnt say was the reason i wasnt working - i was too sick to work. this has been a long chapter in my journey, but it has been incredibly fruitful. besides, i said i didnt work for pay. i didnt say i didnt work. my job has been schooling and teaching. it is what the lord has led me to do. how can anyone argue with that? scratch that, im sure someone will find a way.

faith comes from practice.

You are right. Even if you stopped working because of health reasons originally, the fact you are schooling and teaching in whatever capacity you are, does not take away your God given responsibility to provide for your wife. Also, I went back and re-read your original post where you said you no longer have the stomach for work and would be content to be homeless. You also said that your wife chooses to work because she doesn't want to live that way. I don't blame her, she shouldn't have to.

i didnt stop working. there were no openings for a quivering mass of dying flesh. i looked.

Edited June 6, 2006 by thechild

[thechild]

I just don't understand how you can be in open disobedience to the Bible, and then trying to instruct others? And no, I wasn't lied to about the Bible positions about work. I read it for myself and posted two scriptures to back up my position. In addition, one needs only go back to Genesis to see that God said men are to earn a living by the sweat of their brow.

Concerning the issue of taxes, while I hate paying taxes for many of the government programs, Jesus taught us we are to render unto Caesar the things that belong to Caesar, meaning we are obligated to pay our taxes. Jesus went a step further and paid taxes as an example to us. It is not work that leads people to having by-pass surgery, it is a bad diet. You claim to be knowledgeable on issues of health so you should know that. We are encouraged to exercise daily as well, so the idea that work is harmful is a lie.

Anyway, I am glad your wife is capable of providing for herself. I don't believe it is her responsibility, but I am glad she is not having to suffer because you won't provide for her. You say I have been lied to about it being my responsibility to provide for my family. How about showing me through scripture where I made a mistake in my interpretation? Also explain to me how this nation would survive if everyone decided to leave the work force? Who would there be to keep up those that decide they just don't have the stomach to work anymore and just don't want to do it?

i am not in open disobedience to anyone but you. you can quote scriptures all you want to, that doesnt mean you understand them. and i dont think you are going to accept anything i have to say on the subject. you are not amenable to teaching. you have your mind made up. i only look foolish to the world, i am not an actual fool.

on the health issues, i love to sweat. it is indeed necessary for good health. it was not physical activity i was refering to in the quip about the bypass. it is stress that i was targeting. you seem a little worked up for such a young man. you are correct about diet. it is the number one killer in america. the cook does the killing. number two are doctors. medical mistakes are the number one cause of death in america in the published statistics. combine that with those who die in their care anyway and only diet can rule over it, because that is how they all got there. do you want me to add years to your life? no, not more than what the lord is giving you, the ones you are throwing away out of those. eat one meal a day and drink only distilled water. if you start now, that alone should be worth another decade and keep you active through most of it as well. those born in the sixties and 70s are scheduled for about 60 years. the 80s, about 50 years, and those born after 1992 have forty years. take a look in the mirror and see an old man. it would be interesting to know what your job is.

taxes. surely you jest.

our nation has been had. the economy is a house of cards, the leadership is drunk with power, and the people are poisoned with lies and chemicals and electronics. the sooner this nightmare stops, the better. i have no allegience to this government, this country, or any other world system. there is a lot of death coming. it is necessary because this situation is not sustainable. there is a huge die-off taking place right now in africa. where is the outcry? there are over two million men in prison in america - more than all other countries combined! almost %20 of all black males age 18-25 are in jail in this country. sound good to you? i could talk all night about what is wrong. i refuse to participate in it. i choose to be different, making the world be different by being different myself. by not buying the weed killer for my lawn. by not driving around whenever i want. by not using any of the things that are harming us. the country i grew up in doesnt exist and i dont like the one this has become. the best thing that could happen in this country would be for the population to take it back by boycott. aint gonna happen. its against the law to disrupt commerce. it is terrorism. its ridiculous is what it is. i cant hurt it and it cant hurt me. we are even. but i surely have no desire to support it in the least. so if someone asks me for the money in my pocket, its theirs. i dont have any as it is. and it doesnt buy anything i cant live without.

who is going to take care of me? i lived off the land in alaska for three years. and i have the lord to provide. i will be fine no matter what happens. and i will be able to show others as well. soon i will be ready physically. that, to me, will be like noah being finished with the ark. on the day he shut the door, the rain began to fall. this temple which is my body has been in preparation for 47 years now. my year of jubilee is coming soon. the next 50 years should be really interesting. in the words of my buddy bob, are you ready?

[thechild]

thechild, states

i think there is no compromise. you either give up your soul or you give up all the world.

You mean sell all you have and follow Christ as the Lord told the rich young ruler?

How would one do that today?

Thanks,

Robert

well, robert, i really dont know how a person would go about doing that. i havent held a paying job for the the past 6 years and i dont own anything. i am blessed, if you can call it that, with a wife who pays for what is here and that is her choice because i guess she doesnt want to live a meager existence. i would just as soon live off the land, but that is not available any more. i did that for a while in alaska, but that went the way of many better things i have known in my 47 years.

i no longer have the stomach for the work i once did and i have no desire to do work that i know will harm myself, my health, or other people and guess what? there isnt much out there. i am a natural healer and wont go near a doctor. in fact, i could be perfectly fine as homeless. i need no provisions that the lord does not provide. i dont need a shelter - it is much healthier not to be in one. i eat my food raw so i dont need fire. i drink distilled water so that is a burden, but i dont have to drink distilled water and i wont drink anything else but water, as a rule. i can make my own medicine, know the use of herbs, dont like alcohol or soap or perfume. i love to be in the sun and i like to be active. maybe i should just take a walk like forrest gump and see if anyone tags along?

these times are not conducive to the spiritual life. to abandon it all seems like insanity to most people. it makes perfect sense to me.

The only thing I have to go by is what you said. Things like "i no longer have the stomach for work i once did and i have no desire to do work that i know will harm myself, my health, or other people and guess what? there isnt much out there." You also said your wife pays for what is there because she doesn't want to live a meager existence. Then in another post you go on to say you don't want to pay into a system that finances things like the war in Iraq. I suppose that is what you mean by not harming others through work you are doing? This is not an issue of health, but of choice. It may have started as a health issue, but you have admitted that you could have returned to work nearly a year ago and choose not to.

that really gets your goat, doesnt it?

[thechild]

thechild, states

i think there is no compromise. you either give up your soul or you give up all the world.

You mean sell all you have and follow Christ as the Lord told the rich young ruler?

How would one do that today?

Thanks,

Robert

well, robert, i really dont know how a person would go about doing that. i havent held a paying job for the the past 6 years and i dont own anything. i am blessed, if you can call it that, with a wife who pays for what is here and that is her choice because i guess she doesnt want to live a meager existence. i would just as soon live off the land, but that is not available any more. i did that for a while in alaska, but that went the way of many better things i have known in my 47 years.

i no longer have the stomach for the work i once did and i have no desire to do work that i know will harm myself, my health, or other people and guess what? there isnt much out there. i am a natural healer and wont go near a doctor. in fact, i could be perfectly fine as homeless. i need no provisions that the lord does not provide. i dont need a shelter - it is much healthier not to be in one. i eat my food raw so i dont need fire. i drink distilled water so that is a burden, but i dont have to drink distilled water and i wont drink anything else but water, as a rule. i can make my own medicine, know the use of herbs, dont like alcohol or soap or perfume. i love to be in the sun and i like to be active. maybe i should just take a walk like forrest gump and see if anyone tags along?

these times are not conducive to the spiritual life. to abandon it all seems like insanity to most people. it makes perfect sense to me.

The only thing I have to go by is what you said. Things like "i no longer have the stomach for work i once did and i have no desire to do work that i know will harm myself, my health, or other people and guess what? there isnt much out there." You also said your wife pays for what is there because she doesn't want to live a meager existence. Then in another post you go on to say you don't want to pay into a system that finances things like the war in Iraq. I suppose that is what you mean by not harming others through work you are doing? This is not an issue of health, but of choice. It may have started as a health issue, but you have admitted that you could have returned to work nearly a year ago and choose not to.

that really gets your goat, doesnt it?

The only thing that bothers me about this is I feel bad for your wife. In addition, you have yet to show how I have misinterpreted the scriptures. Then here is the other problem I have. Since I believe you are the one that is unteachable and refusing to obey the Bible, it is hard to take you serious on other issues. You advise people to eat one meal a day, yet the Bible says that if a man doesn't work, neither should he eat. You refuse to provide for those of your own household, and the Bible says that makes you worse than a non-believer. There is a difference in being persecuted for righteousness sake and being persecuted for doing wrong. By the way, my occupation is truck driver. I have been doing that for the past 11 years. Before that I worked at a Wal-Mart store.

the road is so polluted. and if you are a long haul driver, you are away from your family a lot. if you love your family, you must have lots of justification for being away from them. it is said that the concentrated ozone on the roads is responsible for a hyper oxidative stress on the fat in the brain and this is what causes, among other things, road rage. this explains an awful lot.

your diet should be raw only. choose your food from as close to the source as possible. eating at restaurants is certain death. you need plenty of citrus for the vitamin C. this helps keep the elastic tissue healthy. your danger is not from a clogged artery so much as a stroke. the vibrations and the fumes will weaken the vascular system. your kidneys must also be looked after with good herbs to support them. do not neglect eating raw nuts. brazil nuts have the vit E and selenium to protect from the oxidative stress. soak all nuts in distilled water at least over night befor eating. this leaches the natural enzyme inhibitors in them out and stirs the life in them. you cant get life from dead food.

these are the herbs that will strengthen kidney function - parsley, hydrangea root, marshmallow root, ginger root, uva ursi, black cherry bark, goldenrod and wild oregano. you must stay away from fluorides and mercury, as these will attack your nerve function and metabolism. no metal in your mouth. all food certified organic or you will eat more fluoride than is in fluoridated water by ten times. no microwaves. no teflon cookware, no stainmaster or and such stain protectors/waterproofers. no insect repellent with deet in it. in fact, dont put anything on your skin that you wouldnt eat.

your liver needs attention too. i would suggest you eat plenty of plant fats. extra virgin olive oil just before bed will help move bile and stored toxic fat out of the liver. a liver flush is highly recommended. the sign of a clogged liver is a tightness between the shoulders. hot soaks in epsom salts followed by a cold sitz bath will get your lymph moving in the right direction. consider some colonics to get the elimination going regularly. a clean liver means a lot less stress. a lot less.

i tell you these things because they are going to be necessary for you to do, now or later. if not at all, then your doctor will be assured his greens fees in the future and you will eventually come to appreciate the effects of morphine.

as for me and my wife, you really dont understand.

as far as the verse in timothy, check the context. what exactly is supposed to be provided there?

just remember, you are opening this can of worms. as far as your job goes, i believe it to be an honorable and dangerous profession. i wish you well, indeed.

[thechild]

butero

quote

"There is not much sense in my going back over what the Bible says about the man's responsibility for providing for his household because you have your mind made up in the matter."

i was really hoping you would search the scriptures yourself. i applaud you in your zeal for obeying the scriptures. i had come to a conclusion on that passage long ago. my mind, like yours, is only as made up as it can be given our current understanding. i had a major problem with that passage long before i fell ill. the verse in question works good as a stand alone sentence and is obvious in its content and meaning when viewed in that manner. but put in context, it seems completely out of place. it is as if i was to insert a sentence from a stephen king novel right here without setup or explanation.

before and after in this part of pauls letter, the subject is widows. but in the midst of this there is such a strong admonition to guys? it doesnt make sense. the translation is flawed at best or the sentence is simply and insertion at worst. pauls writings are some of the most poorly translated by the king james gang. you must remember, they were not only working for a worldly ruler with power of life and death over them, they were also working under the delusion that the greek in which the new testament was written was a special godly greek that was only used to write the bible with. it obviously was not classical greek, so this was the common assumption and was the perception under which these guys were working. this makes for translating being some pretty heady stuff because if there is no way to translate a word then one is in the position of simply making it up and chalking it up to divine guidance. we now know that the greek used to write the new testament was the common or koine greek, of which we now have many examples of letters and shopping lists and the kinds of things the common man would write down. it was like the farmboy lingo compared to the kings english. the new testament was written in simple language.

and you also must remember peters admonition that the things paul writes of are hard to understand because he was such an intense person and extremely intelligent. paul is writing a letter to his protege and fellow worker. he is addressing things that he felt important enough to be addressed in such an elaborate means as writing was in those days. he is not likely to ramble or be the least bit incoherent in his style. all this leads me to believe that if the sentence does in fact belong there, it is poorly translated, especially in realation to the pronoun "his" used in the sentence. if you look at the word translated "his" both times in that sentence, it is the greek word "hautou", numbered 848 in the strongs and it is used for either gender according to context. so it could just as easily be translated "her" as "his".

but even so, the sentence, if taken as is at face value, is NOT congruent with the rest of real scripture. yes, i do see the writings of paul as being inspired, but they are not the scripture even HE refered to in his second letter to timothy and certainly not what jesus refered to. to me, they are subordinate to the old testament, not superceding of them. paul even says in one instance that it was not the lord saying what he was saying, but he qualified it as coming from him, in that one small instance. the gospels, of course, are the words of god himself and the book of revelation. peters writings are important because it was to him jesus gave the keys to the kingdom. in fact, the rest of the new testament is simple in its display of the truth. paul kind of complicated things in places. but he also knew things and wrote them down that no one else knew. so i pretty much agree with the textus receptus, again with hidden proofs from the old testament, but i take the translations with a grain of salt sometimes. just like jesus said he was the fulfillment of the law and prophets, i see the new testament as the explanatory notes of the old testament. the gospels and revelation are in a class all their own, however.

the old testament is quite gender biased, and paul was well versed as a pharisee in the scriptures. he knew how elijah had come upon a woman and told her to draw water for him and told her to give him the last bit of food in the house that she and her son were going to have their last meal and die. what would you think of me if i did such a thing? could you imagine how the community would view such a person today? but elijah was given the food and the woman never ran out of food after that. she gave the man of god food from her own babiy's mouth so that he might eat. before that, elijah was being fed by ravens.

but one of my favorite passages in scripture adresses this issue you raise better than any other. it is the last half of the last chapter of proverbs. see if this is congruent with the verse in timothy as jimmy had authorized it to be translated.

10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

12She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

13She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

14She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

15She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

16She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

17She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

18She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

19She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

20She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

21She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

22She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

23Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

25Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

26She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

27She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

29Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

31Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

what is that a picture of? it is the picture of a total provider, thats what it is.

[thechild]

butero

quote

"This whole subject does make me wonder about a few things. How long have you been married? Before your illness, what kind of job did you have? Also, how old are your three children? And totally off subject, what made you choose the user name "the child?""

i am tired, so i will be brief.

18 years

14, 15, 17

radio sales ad exec and ad producer, writer, singer of jingles, writer of slogans, builder of empires.

i was too sick to leave before and now my kids need me. i have to be here for them until the lord calls me away to another task. my wife can spend twelve hours a day away from the house. children need a parent around paying attention to them. my kids have that and they are not in drugs or sex or any of that because of it. how can i put a price on that?

[thechild]

To The Child,

I guess we look at the Bible different. I look at all of it including the writings of Paul as the innerant Word of God. I also believe the KJV to be the only fully reliable English translation and it is all I use.

I do see we have one thing in common, and that is that we both worked in radio. My first job was in radio, not as a sales executive though, but as an announcer. The job didn't pay very well, but I did enjoy it. Even today I run a gospel radio station on the internet, not for profit but because I like gospel music, and have the opportunity to share it with the world. I also run shows that promote my views on things like abortion and conservative politics like Pro-Life Perspective and the Phyllis Schlafly Report.

Since I have now gotten way off topic I will end this post. Have a great day. By the way, you never did say how you chose your user name?

we have an obligation to seperate the doctrines and traditions of men from the truth of god. there are some who believe the 1611 kj and the 1848 daniel webster is the only way to the truth. i have proved to myself that this is false and that the men who translated the king james bible produced a literary work, not the unadulterated word of god. but knowing this doesnt cause me to throw the baby out with the bathwater. the received text, the originals that king james was translated from(supposedly) is the text i use for all my translating and word studies.

additionally, i put a lot of qualifiers in what i wrote for a reason. i do not doubt the spirit of paul, it is the fact that his works can be so easily played with, misunderstood, and mistranslated that causes me such consternation because christians go quoting him like the word of god thundering out of the clouds and yet what they make of it is not the word of god but twisted doctrines of mans own device. the most surprising thing is not that it says things that it shouldnt, but that the warnings about such "antichrists" and "doctrines of devils" are still prominently displayed in the very same book. very clever, i must say. imagine a despot or a committee of government in charge of a system of religion for about two thousand years. do you really think the orthodoxy that is at the end of that will be anything near what the original started out to be? you do remember the childrens game where a sentence is whispered around the room and the last person says the sentence out loud. well, it is not so funny when matters of life and death are involved. and since this world system uses religion as a method of power and control, then it makes sense that their message would be easy to swallow and hard to wiggle out of mentally. it is a trap. and if anyone knows traps, it is me.

it is my hope that you will be able to see that the very way of thinking that you have regarding the bible would prevent you from discovering certain errors should they happen to be there. just believing they are not there is called wishful thinking. believe me, they are there, and not just a few. what i described to you was a simple non-gender weighted pronoun that could be translated male or female and was surrounded by female subject matter and yet was translated male. thats not a mistake - thats on purpose. deception. control. and look how powerful! it reaches throught the centuries and convinces millions today. mainly because they dont take the time to find out for themselves but instead trust man to tell them. and man inherently lies. here is the key to the kingdom that jesus gave peter:

Matthew 16:17

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

and again(second witness)

John 1:13

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

therefor

Galatians 1:15-17

15But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,

16To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

17Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

yet the common practice with new converts is to indoctrinate them by conferring with - you got it - men.

thats enough for now. you would be shocked at what i dont believe and do believe. let me put it this way - if most people believe it, i know it to be a lie. and it doesnt seem to matter what area of study you choose. religion is just one of many.

i am the child because of all the references in the bible to a child. thats me. and i am a child of god.

Isaiah 11:6

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

Matthew 18:3

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Edited June 7, 2006 by thechild

[RGR]

it is my hope that you will be able to see that the very way of thinking that you have regarding the bible would prevent you from discovering certain errors should they happen to be there. just believing they are not there is called wishful thinking. believe me, they are there, and not just a few.

II Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (NASB)

[thechild]

I understand what you are saying, The Child, but I just don't see things as you do. To me, one cannot pick and choose what part of the Bible is scripture and what is not. If you can, then how do you know what part of the gospels are right? How do you know for instance that God really does love the world and that because of that love he sent his son. Maybe it was mistranslated and it should have told us that God so love the pious and sent his son for them. The problem is with looking at scripture as literature and full of mistakes, we are then left to judge for ourselves what is correct, and we may make misjudgements on that. Even the idea that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God is based on belief the Bible is correctly translated. It could just as easily have been mistranslated and perhaps he is not the son of God but merely the prophet of God. Maybe it was incorrect in the original Greek and Hebrew. I find it easier to either believe it all or reject it all and I am convinced the Bible in it's entirety, all 66 books of the cannon, are the innerant Word of God.

thats a great question. but it is one that you should have an answer for as well. when was the last time that the path of least resistence turned out to be that profitable for you? you make the statement - "I am convinced the Bible in it's entirety, all 66 books of the cannon, are the innerant Word of God" - but that simply beggars the question. what has you so convinced?

i know why I think there are 66 books to the bible. i know why i think the ones in the textus receptus are the right ones. i can read apocryphal books and see why they are not included. i can read the book of morman and find the errors in it. in fact, i would venture to say that jesus himself could walk up to me out of the blue and i would recognise him, no matter what he looked like. how do i know all of these things and much much more? it is because i have checked out the bible to see if it was true. i have done the things jesus said to do and watched while he did what he said he would.

now my faith is not complete by any stretch of the imagination, but it is getting there. and with each passing day i am able to sense the leading of god and the discernment of truth becomes something i do automatically. but the key is definitely obedience. the things learned by following jesus puts it all in perspective. what i do only works for me, however. it does no good to tell anyone anything, really. jesus has already said it all, yet where are his disciples in this time? until people accept enough to begin to get their own experience with the lord, i might as well be speaking russian to a hillbilly. but as they gain experience walking with god, then we have common ground and they can understand what i am talking about.

its not something that can be faked. i went around with a lot of head knowledge for a long time and i failed tests miserably. but being as i am not that masochistic, i stopped fooling myself and have been getting as far away from the fence that i was riding ever since.

people are quite amazing creatures. they really are made in the image of god. what they believe comes into being, as sure as the letters appear on my screen as my fingers push these keys. this makes for a huge capacity for self delusion. this is one of the reasons god had to come and appear in a robe of flesh to show us how it is done, to tell us where we are going wrong, and to give us a means to get it right. with free will, the truth is whatever a person chooses it to be. the problem is, if it is not gods truth, it is nothing but a fantasy and the person believing in such will die in their lies and be left with nothing because what they believe isnt real.