Just When You Thought it was Safe
Numerous people get the wrong idea of what it actually means to be safe. Enclosed behind the security of our gate, fence or home is not necessarily the optimal idea insofar as safety is concerned, though it does provide one with relative comfort and assurance.
My goal today is to speak to three issues, namely: home safety, COVID-19 safety, and a safe haven in Jesus Christ.
Home safety
Ultimately, no home safety is perfectly secure. Mansions with the latest technology have been burglarized and the wealthy occupants murdered.
I have had to break into my own home three times in my life because I lost or forgot the keys inside. I was always inside in under a minute. Think how much quicker and stealthy a professional burglar is, and you will have an idea of how long you have to react to an intrusion into your home.
There are obvious things you can do to ensure your home is reasonably safe. First, you should **lock all doors and windows**. Second, if you are able to afford home security, you should install or buy a **home alarm kit**. Third, and if your country permits, you should **have a weapon to defend** your family, self and your possessions.
In many conservative US states, what is known as the Castle Doctrine, allows a homeowner to shoot and/or kill an intruder when there is a reasonable belief that one may be harmed. This also pertains to one's personal vehicles.
COVID safety
**The following is opinion and should not be taken as medical advice. Consult professionals and think critically for yourself.**
Having said this, there are reasonable precautions insofar as safety is concerned with the explosion of variants emanating from the China coronavirus.
Washing ones hands is certainly appropriate, as is wearing an **effective mask**. A cloth mask is like wearing a banana peel to a royal ball - you will be exposed to viruses in the air.
I have not taken the vaccine and will not. However, I am not an antivaxxer. All of my kids have their required and proven vaccinations.
I also do not begrudge anyone who opts to take the jabs. You should always be free to choose. If any government mandates something "for your own safety," you should seriously consider the fact that it does exactly the opposite. **History backs up my claim**.
When all is said and done, it is our body and our choice - nothing more, nothing less.
Spiritual safety
There is absolute security in Jesus Christ. No other religion on earth compares to Christianity. None. I'll debate this fact with anyone until the cows come home. And win!
Once you have received Jesus by faith alone and not by works, you are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). What does the Bible say further on the matter? We read from the brother of Jesus:
"I give them **eternal life**, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; **no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand**" (John 10:28-29, NIV).
Now I encourage you not to get the wrong idea here. You can die prematurely in the world's eyes, but in God's eyes every death has been ordained before the creation of all that exists, seen and unseen.
So we may die in an accident or by the hands of an evil person or persons. But keep the following passage in mind stated by the Lord Jesus Himself.
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:27-28, NIV).
Conclusion
Do what you can to protect your home. Do what you believe you need to do in the age of COVID. Better than the two, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be eternally saved from the destruction that is yet to come by fire.
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If "if" was a Fifth
There's an old saying: "If *if* was a fifth, we'd all be drunk." Stop and think about this old adage. I'm rather confident you have heard it more often than not. There's a problem attached to this phrase and I want to expound on it.
Meaning
What the heck is the meaning of this oft-repeated phrase? Simply stated, it means that the world is full of “if’s”. If this, if that.
Where the rubber hits the proverbial road, what we have then is a situation where individuals waste their lives away wishing and dreaming and hoping things would or could be different. These people are drunk on one or more of the following three factors: 1) immovability; 2) living in the distant future; and/or 3) living in the past.
Are you immovable - stuck where you are and are you refusing to move forward and making wise decisions? Or are you dwelling on the past or are you indecisive about your future?
Assessment
It can certainly be humbling but nevertheless enlightening to assess which one or more of these above-mentioned factors keep us from making the right decisions. Wasting time mulling over what could have been or could be different is to wallow in regret or be indecisive about one's future direction.
It doesn't have to be this way, dear readers. What we need is a change of heart so we can move forward and begin to leave the what if's in the past and escape that horrific trap of regret. Worrying about past decisions we have made and what could have been is like rocking in a chair: it gets us absolutely nowhere.
When those thoughts pop into my head, I immediately dismiss them. **I have no regrets about dismissing regrets.** What has been done has been done, and all the worrying and wishing won't change what has been done.
But there is something we can change if we choose to do so and that is to change for the better.
Change is action
We will continue to remain stuck in the sand trap of regret and wishful thinking if we fail to have a change of heart. We have to "do" rather than "wish." Our future does not have to be dismal but rather it beckons to us so: Come! Come with me and dream, come and be inspired; come with courage and I the future will align with you and guide you!
Motivation
Let me encourage you to get motivated. Sleep is for the dead and listless, but you and I have an opportunity to be more alive. We must not be sluggards!
We all dream, but we need to **put our dreams into action**. There is something in this vast universe that inspires each and every one of us, and we have to determine what it is for each of us, because they are often very different from what inspires others. Don't be a follower, rather be a pathfinder.
Once we are inspired, **we have to have the courage to act on our dream(s) and inspiration**. If we do not, we are back to square one with the what if's. That's a veritable rut of life.
Finally, once we begin acting the future works with us. I like what one of my favorite authors has to say about this in his bestselling book, "The Alchemist."
"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” - Paulo Coelho.
There's our harmony and our motivation!
Escape tips
Let's get going today. Begin by making a list of what you value in your life and duly note which ones you are presently not honoring.
Take heart in knowing that whatever decision you and I make is not necessarily permanent, because you and I can always change our minds!
As mentioned above, take the necessary action on the things you do want and take note of what you have learned.
Move away from the what if's and move towards the what will be! Be encouraged today and going forward.
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Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness
Self-righteousness is not a good trait. Insofar as the Bible speaks, self-righteousness, which is inherently related to legalism, is the belief that we can somehow generate within our self a righteousness that will be wholly acceptable to God. This is simply the opposite of what Jesus expects of us and cautions us against.
The Apostle Paul wrote in his epistle to the Romans: "As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10, NIV). This simply means that there is nothing we can do in the way of works or actions that please God apart from faith in Christ Jesus. **Our righteousness is found in Jesus alone**.
Let Jesus speak
A half dozen times in the book of Matthew Jesus spoke to the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees and condemned their behaviors and beliefs.
The scribes and Pharisees were rigid adherents to their legalistic traditions which demonstrated their self-righteousness, and they held to these traditions for the purpose of making themselves appear to be better than others. Do we do the same thing? What traditions do you cling to in order to maintain your righteousness? Your answer should be none!
See, even we as Christians have to be careful, because our sin nature prods us into making attempts to do something to earn our salvation. This we must recognize that we simply cannot and must not do, because our **salvation is a free gift** to all who believe on Jesus and His finished work on the cross.
Hunger and thirst
On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke the Beatitudes, or as many scholars like to call them, the "be attitudes." Jesus said: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6, NIV).
What does this entail, you ask? Let's have a look.
Blaise Pascal said that all of us possess a “God-shaped void” in our lives. This is to say that all women and men are hungry and thirsty; but the problem is that we make foolish attempts to fill the emptiness and hence our hunger and thirst with things other than the righteousness of God.
We goof around and try to fill that void with sex, drugs, booze, play, food, money and our other ambitions in life that never satisfy nor fill that void. We are then like a person wandering aimlessly in the void of space and going absolutely nowhere, as if the spaceman has been freed from his or her lifeline to the craft.
This then leads us to try even more things that we believe will fill the void. and yet none of those will ever work, either. **Haven't you noticed this yet?**
Even going to church doesn't make us righteous! We may think it does, **but it certainly does not**. Do you sit on the front pew to be noticed?
Do you ensure others see the amount you tithe when the offering plate is passed around? Do we act holy at church each Sunday and then like a heathen during the week?
What, then, is my goal to shame you? Heaven forbid!
My goal is to allow you to recognize that actions like these are just like those of the scribes and Pharisees! They too wanted to be noticed by others. We should refrain from such actions and instead be humble. This doesn't mean we have to sit in the back of church, either. Instead, we need to put off our self-righteous, outward actions that serve to lift us up and rather lift up Jesus Christ, the source of our righteousness.
Notice in the above verse that Christ never said, "Blessed are those who seek food and water." He already knew we did this to stay alive. Even the beasts and fowl of the earth do this!
Therefore, in the same way that we satiate our desire to eat and drink, we must also pursue the spiritual in the same way, perhaps even more so.
Remember, when Satan was tempting Jesus in the wilderness, "Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God: (Matthew 4:4, NIV).
Unfortunately
The sin nature that we are all born with makes it impossible for all of humanity to meet the standards of God which are much too lofty to achieve on our own. Even when we are saved by God's grace by faith we retain our sin nature. What then shall we do?
The good news
The good news is that true righteousness is possible for all of us, but it is **only available to us by the purifying and cleansing of sin by Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.**
We do not possess the capability to achieve any form of righteousness on our own. However, Christians, that is, those who have placed their faith in Christ alone apart from works, do have the righteousness of Christ, simply because “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Gill's exposition of the Bible puts it this way: "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst,.... Not after the riches, honours, and pleasures of this world, but after righteousness; by which is meant not justice and equity, as persons oppressed and injured; nor a moral, legal righteousness, which the generality of the Jewish nation were eagerly pursuing; but the justifying righteousness of Christ."
Hallelujah!
Application
The more we desire to hunger and thirst after righteousness and be more like Jesus the more we will hunger and thirst because it fills the void we have sought all our lives.
As Gill says, we will be "so satisfied with it, that [we] shall never seek for any other righteousness, as a justifying one, in the sight of God; this being full, perfect, sufficient, and entirely complete."
What more then can we ask for to fill that empty void in our lives that keeps us searching for something in this world to satisfy our hunger and thirst? Continuing to chase after those things in the world that are the opposite of righteousness will make us more thirsty and hungry for something to fill our void.
Therefore, cling to Jesus!
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Spiritual Malnutrition
Aside from world hunger, there is an abundance of spiritual malnutrition in our world today, and it is not limited to the world of unbelievers but also includes Christ's body of believers, His church. This is unfortunate but true. We are called to be the salt and light of the world but many of us are failing this very mission.
The task
My task is not to belittle or shame anyone by saying what I did above or below. Instead, it is a call to repent and get busy feeding one's spirit with God's word. The Bible is our source of truth. We do not worship the book but rather the One God who authored it.
Our task is to be daily readers of the word. Many will claim they don't have 20-30 minutes each day to do so, and yet an extra episode on Netflix, an hour playing video games, and gossiping on Facebook and other social media platforms throughout the day doesn't seem to many people how much time has been wasted.
I spend perhaps 10 minutes a day on FB, mainly posting encouraging or humorous memes, and pasting one of my posts here on read.cash to my Christian teaching page. I don't use other social media platforms because they are time consuming and addictive.
My early influence
I was raised in a dysfunctional home. My father was abusive. At the age of 13 I had to chase him from our home with a shotgun after he knocked my mother unconscious in a drunken rage.
Once he was gone, our means of support was also gone. I went to work as a janitor at an elementary school at age 13. I also took on a paper route - two jobs in all. We needed the money to pay the mortgage on the house.
One day my boss, the head custodian, invited me to his church. I declined, stating, "Well, boss, I went to church almost every Sunday for three years so I'm good."
He looked me straight in the eye and asked the following question: "Do you think your last meal will last you three years or will you have to eat again?"
Of course, I replied that I needed to eat to stay healthy and alive.
He turned and walked away and then spun around: "Don't think three years of Sundays was enough to feed and maintain your spiritual health, either."
Spiritual health
Our spiritual health needs to be maintained. Jesus wants us to be more like Him and we cannot do this if we do not feed our spirit and develop Godly habits. Bad habits and sin are our natural, fallen nature, a disease that eventually kills us all.
Feeding and maintaining our spirit includes praying, reading the Bible, practicing righteousness by being obedient to His words, and loving others.
We have to get into the word to get the word into us. "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11, NIV).
Did you catch that? When we internalize God's word we can recite it as the Holy Spirit brings it to our remembrance and use it to refrain from sinning. Note that Jesus never argued with Satan during the 40 days in the wilderness when Satan tempted Him. What did He do? He quoted Scripture!
Application
You know, all these years later I recall what my first boss said. He had planted a seed within my heart. People who came into my life afterward watered that seed and one day God gave the increase when I acknowledged Him as the "way, the truth and the life."
Dear readers, let us not make the mistake of believing that an hour or two in church every Sunday is enough to feed our spirit.
We certainly wouldn't believe a burger and fries or some rice and viands would last you an entire day. Even if that was all we did eat, we would certainly be malnourished.
What better reminder to feed our spirit than what Jesus Himself said: "It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4, ESV). Let's take heed of this and feed our spirit and become more like our Savior Jesus Christ.
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WARNING: There is No Purgatory!
Brace yourselves. Hard truths ahead. I am coming out and saying in a spirit of love that there is no such thing as purgatory and that it is a lie straight from the pit of hell.
You, the person who blocked me, you will not have any adverse affect on the truth I will now teach those **who have ears to hear**.
First of all, your sponsorship is cancelled. I cannot and will not support a false teacher who leads people to hell. These false doctrines are crippling your walk with God and denying the sufficiency of Christ's death on the cross. Please stop the lies! You know who you are. **Better yet, the Lord knows.**
For those of you who wish to unsubscribe, that, too is fine; but the truth from God (not from me) must be spoken and falsehoods must be corrected.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for **teaching, rebuking, correcting and training** in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV).
False teachings
I have diligently tried my best to teach and preach from God's word, the Bible. I am fully aware that many will not hear my words. That's okay by me, it really is. Most people did not believe the words of Jesus or His disciples, so I can expect nothing less.
But I cannot and will not sit idly by and allow false teachings and a disrespect for God's truth to be left to fester in the minds of people. I cannot and I will not. It must not be allowed.
Purgatory
One of the doctrines of the Catholic Church is that of a resting place between heaven and hell called purgatory. **The Bible, God's truth, informs us of no such place.** When we die, our mortal bodies return to the dust of the earth and our souls go to heaven or hell to await the resurrection. **That is the absolute truth.**
Anyone who teaches and preaches the false doctrine of purgatory is a false teacher and will pay the price of destruction for their error. We need to adhere to God's truth, we must obey God rather than man's teachings and traditions.
The Question
The central question is this: When Jesus died on the cross, was his atonement for sin sufficient to pay for all sins? **The answer demands a yes or no answer.**
You see, the idea of some mythical resting place for the dead is absurd. The primary Scriptural passage Catholic priests point to for evidence of Purgatory is 1 Corinthians 3:15, so let's have a look at the verse in its proper context.
"If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved--even though only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Corinthians 3:15, NIV).
What is the context here? This is important. Why? Simply because **a text without context is a con**. The context of Paul's letter to the church in Corinth concerns **one's works done as a believer. It has absolutely nothing to do with purgatory.**
Purgatory, like many other Catholic dogmatic teachings, is founded on an erroneous misunderstanding of the nature of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross at Calvary.
Catholics observe that the Mass/Eucharist is a representation of Christ’s sacrifice, and this is because they fail to understand that the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus was absolutely and perfectly sufficient. The Mass crucifies Jesus again and again and again! See the verse below for your spiritual enlightenment.
Speaking about Jesus, the writer of Hebrews said: "Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices **day after day**, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins **once for all** when he offered himself" (Hebrews 9:27, NIV).
Purgatory is understood by Roman Catholics as a place of cleansing in preparation for heaven. However, they have been taught unscriptural myths, a damnable heresy at that. The clergy does not recognize this, and this is because with the sacrifice of Jesus we are **already cleansed, declared righteous, forgiven, redeemed, reconciled, and sanctified**.
Listen to the word of God: "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to **face judgment**" (Hebrews 9:27, NIV).
There is no stopover between heaven and hell. Your prayers for the dead are wasted breaths and nobody who is already dead can have their status changed.
The false teacher Johann Tetzel said, "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” In 1517, Tetzel was selling indulgences, commissioned by the pope near Wittenberg. He claimed that the papal cross, under which these indulgences were sold, **held as much power as the cross of Christ.** He was a con man and a liar. He was a blasphemer and his rightful place is not heaven.
For Believers
"We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8, NIV).
This happens immediately upon the death of a believer.
For unbelievers and false teachers
First, take note of the **FACT** that the Lord Jesus Christ referred to hell in the New Testament more than anyone else, and He spoke of Hell as a real literal place. **He never mentioned purgatory.**
False teachers should be worried: "Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘**I never knew you**. Away from me, you evildoers!’"(Matthew 7:22-23, NIV).
"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there **will be false teachers among you**. They will secretly introduce **destructive heresies**, even **denying the sovereign Lord** who bought them—**bringing swift destruction on themselves**. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. **Their condemnation** has long been hanging over them, and **their destruction has not been sleeping**" (2 Peter 2:1-3, NIV).
"But for the cowardly and **unbelieving** and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).
Warning
**Listen to God's word**. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross paid for all of the sins for those that would believe. There is no such thing as universalism, that is, that everybody is going to heaven. Even Jesus said the following:
"Enter through the narrow gate. **For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it**. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:13-14, NIV).
There is no such thing as purgatory, either. We all face judgment and our eternal life is dependent on what we believe now not later when we are dead. Refuse to fall for the false teachers whom Satan and his minions have bewitched.
You have been warned. Let your conscience hear God's truth.
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Faith and Law: A Spiritual Quiz for Christians
The title says it all. This is a spiritual quiz for each one that is willing to read and check their spiritual status. You must be honest during the short quiz in order to properly evaluate your relationship with God the Creator.
Caveat
Unlike fun quizzes we see from time to time on read.cash this particular one is not for our entertainment purposes. **Again, unless you are 100% honest with yourself, the quiz will not be valid**. If you are ready, let's begin. Oh, and just mentally check each question in your mind or write them down if you prefer.
Spiritual Health Quiz
This spiritual health quiz is specifically designed to check where you are in relationship to God, manifest in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:26).
I have to keep the Ten Commandments
I have to be baptized
I have to take Communion
I have to pray to Mary and confess my sins to a priest
I have to keep the Jewish festivals
I have to avoid eating pork or shellfish
I have to avoid the consumption of alcohol
I absolutely have to go to Church on Saturday
I have to pray for the dead
I have to say the rosary
I have to believe on the Lord Jesus by faith alone
I have to believe on Jesus by faith plus works
I have to attend Mass
I have to read the entire Bible
I have to go to Sunday school
Again, mentally check which ones a person must do to receive salvation from God. If you are ready and have these in your mind you are ready to see your results.
Scroll down after looking at the images
Quiz Results
Have you mentally checked the requirements? How many were there that you must do to receive salvation?
**You should only have checked number 11**. If you checked even one more or many more you are incorrect and have failed the spiritual health quiz. Huh? I kid you not. Let's see why.
Lesson
**The only requirement for salvation is faith alone in Christ alone**. Everything else is abiding by the Law or leaning on a tradition. We read:
"For it is by grace you have been saved, **through faith**—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— **not by works**, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV).
**Nobody can be saved by following the Ten Commandments.** Nobody. It is impossible to have obeyed them 100%. So what is the purpose of the Law - the Ten Commandments? Good question. They were a temporary requirement to get us to observe that we could not keep any of them and so we needed something more, something that was pointed out way before the commandments were given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
What is that, you ask? The Covenant God made with Abram in Genesis chapter 15. We read: "**Abram believed the Lord**, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6, NIV).
So **faith came before the law, and faith came before works**. It wasn't until Genesis 17 that Abraham underwent circumcision. This was an act of works.
When Jesus died for all those who would place their faith in Him, he paid for their sins one time for all sins: past, present and future. The Mass crucifies Jesus every time. This is unbiblical. Keeping festivals is unbiblical. We have freedom to honor festivals, eat whatever food we desire, and we may drink alcohol as long as we do not get drunk.
Furthermore, we do not have to say the rosary, and it is not mandatory to be baptized (although we should be baptized). What? Yes, look to the thief on the cross. He died and had no chance to be baptized and yet what did Jesus say to him?
"Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 28:42-43, NIV).
We do not pray to Mary or any other so called saint, and we certainly don't need intercession by a priest.
"And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven" (Matthew 23:9, NIV).
And then...
"For there is one God and **one mediator** between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5, NIV).
"But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. **You are royal priests**, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9, NLT).
Final thoughts
Let me know how you fared with the quiz. Feel free to refute anything said here and I'll point you to the truth with more Bible verses. Be blessed.
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The Anguish of Paul over the Galatians
If you have read all of the Apostle Paul's letters and epistles, you may have noticed one startling thing after his opening salutations. Read on to see Paul's righteous anger on display.
Contrary to popular belief, the Apostle Paul was no weakling. Not only was he a strong man and a staunch defender of the Christian faith, he was also strong-willed and far from fragile when it came to physical strength. Do not be mistaken: he was repeatedly beaten and once stoned and left for dead. But he preached right away despite this!
Letters and epistles
Paul is credited for authoring more letters and epistles than any other writer of the New Testament. He wrote 13 books including the following: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Galatians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Ephesians, and the book of Colossians.
Here is an interesting fact: in all of these letters and epistles (there is a big difference) after the salutation or greeting, Paul always commended or praised the church community. He did this with 12 of the 13. In Galatians he did not, but rather he came out immediately angry and did not commend the churches in Galatia.
Churches? Yes. Galatia was a province in Asia Minor, what is now Turkey. Galatia was the epicenter of Paul's missionary work where churches (plural) were established.
Cities of Galatia consisted of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. Paul was from Tarsus and was a Roman citizen. In fact, Galatia was a Roman province.
Book of Galatians
The book of Galatians was written around AD 50. Some scholars put it as late as AD 54. Pinpointing the exact date is difficult and not the issue. We cannot be dogmatic about it.
Paul wrote this book because there were severe problems in Galatia among all the churches. The circumcision party of the Jews were misleading the Galatian Christians. They were preaching that nobody could be saved unless the following conditions were met: 1. **believers had to undergo circumcision; 2. believers had to keep the law; and 3. believers had to keep the Jewish feasts.**
In short, and without going into detail for the sake of brevity, what these Jews were teaching and preaching **was a faith plus works salvation**. This is the opposite of the true gospel of Christ. Paul was highly ticked off over it all.
Ad hominem attacks
Ad hominem attacks are logical fallacies. A logical fallacy is an error in a person's reasoning that renders an argument invalid. An ad hominem is an attack on a person (or persons) making the argument rather than addressing the argument itself. You might want to read that again.
Here is an example. Let's say a person says to me, "Hey, Scotty, the earth is flat!"
Instead of arguing for a round earth I could instead say, "Yeah, well you smell like dog poop!"
You smell me, I mean, you get the point?
Anyway, the Jews had travelled up to Galatia, a Gentile (Greek) stronghold and had attacked Paul's credibility, stating he was not a true apostle (but he was). Paul has a lot of fire in his belly as we will see next.
Paul's retorts
Look what Paul says to the Galatians right off the bat!
"**I am astonished** that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live **in the grace of Christ** and are **turning** to a different gospel— **which is really no gospel at all**. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ" (Galatians 1:6-9, NIV).
The Galatian readers and hearers of this were certainly not expecting this. They were expecting to be praised. But Paul went on and said, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!" (Galatians 1:8, NIV).
Paul. Was. Angry.
Apparently, since the Galatians were a hardheaded bunch, Paul repeated himself and said, "As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!" (Galatians 1:9).
Now here is the interesting part. The Greek word curse or accursed in these passages is anathema. **Anathema means "go to hell."** Paul was saying, Yo, listen up, if anybody teaches you anything besides faith alone in Christ alone, they can go straight to hell. That is righteous and justified anger.
Paul summed up his letter to the Galatians thus: "From now on, let no one cause me trouble, **for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus**" (Galatians 6:17, NIV).
That's a wrap
There are many preachers and teachers among us today who are wolves in sheep's clothing. They, like the Jews of old, state that there are other requirements to be saved **other than faith alone in Christ alone**. This is a damnable lie straight from the pit of hell itself.
Do not be misled, salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone. Period.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, **it is the gift of God**— not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV).
We cannot earn a gift. Get it?
Dear readers, if anyone teaches differently, find another church straightaway and do not be led to hell by "another gospel."
All images (except one) are courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
Let's Spread the Word
It's another blessed day and a great one to be alive. I don't know about you, but before I get out of bed in the morning I give thanks to God for a new day. Let's get after it today and be productive not only for ourselves and our responsibilities, but for others, too.
A long journey
As I was finishing up the book of Acts early last night, it dawned on me how far Paul travelled on his second missionary journey. He travelled roughly 1,500 miles or 2,414 kilometers! That's a lot of walking, and trust me, not on good roads or paths. Paul was said to have been frail, but it doesn't sound like he was to me.
Everywhere Paul went he preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, first to the Jews in the synagogue, and then to the Greeks (Gentiles). It was customary back then that a guest on the Sabbath day would be invited to speak after the Jewish ceremonies were completed, and that is when Paul boldly proclaimed the gospel.
Many times the Jews ran him out of town, beat him or even tried to kill him. But some believed on Jesus by faith alone.
Paul also preached to the Gentiles which made the Jews angry. But many Greeks believed on the Lord Jesus and Paul discipled them (taught them). He taught them the essential and foundational truths of God's word.
On his third missionary journey, Paul stayed in Ephesus (modern western Turkey) for three years, teaching, preaching, and establishing churches. Ephesus was the home base for starting churches. It was a major city like Corinth back in those days around 50 AD and after. It still exists today, 6 miles inland from the port city but trade dried up long ago.
The gospel today
Today the good news of the gospel is still preached by the faithful of Christ. But the world system hates Christians. More Christians have been killed (martyred) over the last 100 years than the last 1,900 years previous.
But let's be mindful of one thing, Jesus told this would happen to us servants. We read:
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you" (John 15:18-19, NIV).
We Christians
We Christians, whether laymen or laywoman, teachers or preachers, have a responsibility to spread the good news of the gospel of Christ Jesus to others.
Think about it, we have better roads, cars, trikes, motorcycles, buses and trains we can and do ride. We also have various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, read.cash and many others at our fingertips. We can walk next door or go into town. We have a lot of advantages that people before us did not have.
And yet we are collectively failing our mission. **What is the mission?**
The Mission
Jesus gave us the mission, otherwise known as **The Great Commission**. It's the same one He gave His 11 disciples. We read:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV).
Application
How about we get up and get to work for Jesus? He has commanded all of us who believe on Him to preach and teach His word. We don't have to be professionals. Yes, it is important to show the gospel by how we live, **but the real power is in God's word**. The Holy Spirit will prompt those that hear the word of God to act: believe or reject it. That's not on us, as the Holy Spirit gives the increase.
Let's spread the word. Today.
All images are free courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
The Weaker Sister and Brother in Christ
There are a plethora of believers among us on read.cash who have not been discipled due to our slothfulness. They are mere babes stuck on the milk of God's word when they should be feeding on the meat of his divine revelation to us.
Freedom
We who have trusted on Jesus for our **salvation by faith alon**e are freed from the law of sin and death. We are not bound by the religious ordinances observed by the Jews. Nevertheless, we should be careful unless we wrongly believe we do not sin by using our freedoms that harm weaker brothers and sisters in the Christian faith, not to mention other faiths.
Not only should we pray, but we should ask God's forgiveness when we use our freedoms that harm the conscience of other people. Paul spoke about this very thing with respect to food and beverages.
"Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall" (1 Corinthians 8:13, NIV).
Peter's vision
Peter had been warned that everything was clean in God's eyes, having a dual meaning regarding both food and regarding the cleanliness of the Gentiles, the latter being the primary meaning (Acts 10:9-16, NIV).
Some Jews preached following the dietary laws after one was saved, but Paul reminded them that the Gentiles did not have the law. If a Jew wanted to follow the Old Testament laws, s/he was free to do so, but to harm a Gentile's faith by placing unnecessary burdens on them was unwarranted.
Weaker believers
Now keep in mind that we can offend weaker believers or new believers to the point that they depart from the faith. Some might argue that they never believed to begin with but that is an legitimate argument for another time.
Bible teacher Ray Stedman said that "the favorite indoor sport of Christians is trying to change each other." We should teach them rather than judge them for what they do or not eat, as in the context of Romans 14 to 15:13.
Furthermore, Paul said, "Accept the one whose faith is weak, **without quarreling over disputable matters**" (Romans 14:1, NIV). The entire chapters are well worth reading because they are about what is clean and not unclean.
Disputable matters
Let's have a look at some examples of disputable matters. In the context of food, **we are free to eat or drink anything we please**. However, we must be wise when choosing foods when we eat with other people.
For example, if we were eating with a Jewish or a Muslim person, we certainly would not eat shellfish or pork. Yes, **we could eat it** because of our freedom, but we would be sinning.
We certainly would not serve a Jew food that was not kosher, either.
Believing Jews may choose to eat kosher foods or not, however. And Christians will often differ over matters of conscience and of their freedoms in Christ, too. To each his own!
Now if you as a believer want to abstain from alcohol (a wise choice) you may; likewise, Christians can drink providing **they do not get drunk**. "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18, NIV). Now if I drank a beer in front of someone who abhors alcohol, would I not be sinning? Yes, of course! The same goes for any food.
An extension of the teaching
This teaching may be extended to most anything. For example, let's say we wanted to catch a new film at the cinema and were lined up to buy tickets to an "R" rated movie. Now suppose in this example that two new believers came by in the mall or wherever and saw us standing there in line. I'll let you figure it out.
The same goes for idle talk, television programming and video games. I'm confident you can think of other practices that we take for granted as well.
Now we should try to change a person's thinking by way of discipling them and helping them grow in the faith. This is the calling of all of us who are more mature in the faith.
We should also point out errors in essential doctrinal matters and false teachings. Only when a believer is growing in God's word and his or her faith is increasing will their faith grow along with ours.
So let's do this, let's not judge a person regarding what they eat or drink. And let's not offend other believers or those of another faith by sinning because of the foods or drinks we enjoy in our freedom.
All images are free here: https://pixabay.com/
Pranks - Revenge on My Wife
It was on like Donkey Kong in my house yesterday and the pranks will continue today as my wife seeks her revenge. Will this ever stop? In time I hope they do because they can get out of hand at times, but mine are all in fun, **at least I hope**.
The wife
Anyone following along knows about the pranks my wife has pulled on me even before Halloween arrived. The lost handbag with thousands of pesos and all her ID's got me rather good. The prank had me tearing the house apart looking for her handbag and money. Ooooooh, she got me there.
Ringing the gate door bell signaling a customer at our sari sari store when she was out and about, and while I was in the shower, got me as well. It was her, the rascal. I left a water trail on the tiled floor and answered the door wrapped in a towel. Grrrr.
The pranks considered
I thought of several pranks to pull on her like cutting up hot dogs to look like fingers and using a little slice of an onion for a fingernail, then using red dye and Karo syrup to make movie blood. That was too much work so I ditched that idea.
I thought of making a bat from construction paper and tying it to the inside of the ref but had no black paper. When she opened the ref it would have come flying out at her. Ditched that idea, too.
I also gave up on the idea of printing out a selfie and putting it inside a jar filled with green liquid (water and food coloring) next to her morning coffee cup.
The failed prank
Last night when she came home from visiting a friend we ate dinner. I told her the meal gave me heartburn. We had no #Tums so she said to drink some baking soda and water. I just went into the kitchen and faked that.
Later, as I sat at my computer writing and watching episode 8 of "Squid Game," I faked a heart attack during a scene and fell on the floor groaning and writhing in pain.
She immediately leaped to the rescue and then yelled, "Prank!" It worked for about 2 seconds, so I considered it unsuccessful. I didn't get her good enough. She said the reason it failed was because my booty was up in the air. lol
The successful prank
I knew she would use the comfort room before long so I placed some red food coloring in the toilet bowl. Aha!
It was quick to set up and inexpensive. If you use this, pour a little bit, like 5-7 drops or more) in the tank so when the person flushes it will pour into the toilet bowl.
Anyway, she freaked out! "Hey! What is this!!!"
"Prank! I yelled in her face. She laughed but I saw her eyes twinkle with a hint of revenge to come.
The pranks in progress
I know she's going to get me today at least once and likely a few times. Therefore, I have to be ready to strike back boldly.
I have a couple more ready to unleash on her.
First, **I'll put salt in her Mogu drink**.
Second, since our room stays dark when she and my son nap, I have a scary mask with eyes that light up and flash. I'll place that next to her face propped up on a spare pillow. I'm hoping that elicits a blood-curdling scream and hopefully not a rare curse word.
Third, when she showers after swimming, I'll write, "I was watching you shower, my sexy dear!" on the mirror with rubbing alcohol. When the mirror steams up from the hot water and she exits the shower, she'll be able to read the message plain as a newspaper. Hahahahahahahahahahaha.
Anyway, a lot more fun in store today. Be careful of your prankster's tricks today.
God bless and keep you safe, as always.
All images are free at https://pixabay.com/
Preach Jesus and the Demons Will Flee
Do not be misled, there is a lot of evil on this read.cash platform. There are people who practice sorcery, preach false doctrines and who are willingly or not pawns of Satan and the power of darkness.
Anyone familiar with my articles and comments knows what my content consists of: **preaching Christ and glorifying Him**. I am not afraid to stand up for Jesus against evil. He doesn't need me, but he uses me for His purposes to those whom I come in contact with.
Who am I?
I am a simple servant of Jesus Christ. I am a sinner like everybody else on this Earth. We are all guilty sinners deserving of death.
"There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, **for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God**, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:22b-24, NIV).
Anyone who reads my teaching or preaching should check it out against God's Word, the Bible. **I am not an apostle** (there are no more). I am not self-righteous, rather any of my righteousness comes from God and certainly **not from me.** My task is to preach Jesus crucified, and risen to life again for the remission of sins.
Do not rely on my seminary learning or many years of writing experience. God does not verbally speak to me or give me visions like the prophets, **but He speaks to all of us through His everlasting Word**. Simply be like the Bereans of the New Testament.
"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and **examined the Scriptures every day** to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11, NIV).
**You should do the same, faithful readers.**
Yesterday's evil assault
Yesterday, I asked a respectful question of an individual who was preaching and spreading sorcery on this platform. He did not reply, but one of his demonic discipled defenders did.
She (and I won't name names) lambasted me for asking the author why it was that sorcery was being preached. I merely replied that I was addressing my question to the author rather than her. She attacked me again and then blocked me. That's fine. I'm confident I have been blocked previously. No worries.
Truth versus lies
People would dare argue until the sun comes up if you say that there is such a notion as absolute truth. But God is truth indeed. Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life - no man comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6, NIV).
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ" (Colossians 2:8, NIV).
We must remain vigilant in these precarious times because Satan knows his time is short. He and his demons seek ways to enter our lives, possessing some and besetting even believers. We must also be discerning and be able to recognize the numerous deceptions thrown at us each and every day.
Indeed, Jesus said, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16, NIV).
If we believe in Jesus and are trusting His truths, we will serve Him accordingly, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21, NIV).
On this Sunday may I encourage you to worship Jesus and set your hearts on doing His will as He gives us in His word the Bible.
You may believe on Jesus with saving faith but Satan and his minions are the dark forces seeking to destroy your joy and your rewards in heaven.
Be encouraged and do not be afraid, for "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4, NIV).
Lift Him up and pray for those who beset you with evil, backbiting and all forms of bitterness and sorcery. May the Lord be with you all this new day as you live for Him or turn to Jesus for the remission of your sins.
All images are free and are courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
Beware the Weekend!
You heard me right, beware! Those things that go bump in the night aren't always when you suspect they are. So it's Halloween weekend and All Saint' Day follows on November 1. But there is more amiss that you may not be aware of so let's have a look.
Halloween
I'll not delve into the origins of the second most popular holiday in the world since others have done so already. We know it as a time for young people to wear costumes, attend parties, have spooky fun and go trick-or-treating.
Halloween is not a big celebratory event everywhere, however, as some observe **All Saint's Day** instead.
Whatever your preferences, we should approach either/or with extreme caution. Check all treats carefully before consuming them. if you're out at night, bring a flashlight, walk in groups (never alone!), maintain adult supervision at all times, and refrain from alcohol consumption for safety's sake.
Solar flare
Were you aware of the breaking news regarding a large solar flare reaching Earth on Halloween? It's true! **Strange timing, don't you think?**
Scientists believe we could lose electricity this weekend (not unusual for us in the #Philippines!). Parts of South America have already lost power. Solar flares "can endanger astronauts in space, interfere with satellite communications signals and affect power grids on Earth" (Malik, 2021).
"More chaos [is] reportedly on the way" (Paul, 2021). According to the author, "Space weather forecasters at Spaceweather.com said that the CME is racing towards Earth. at 1260 km/s (2.8 million mph). It is predicted that it may strike the Earth by Saturday or Sunday."
"Earlier this month, Express.co.uk spoke to space weather expert Professor Mathew Owen, from The University of Reading about the damage the geomagnetic storms might cause. And he warned that the worst case scenario is that **we could see a global power outage lasting days.**
This time with a G-3 level storm, stronger than the G-2 storm earlier this month, we could be in for a real shock" (Paul, 2021).
Follow the link (Paul citation) below for more information.
I'm not really concerned right now. But I am prepared with candle, charged phones, and a flashlight. Additionally, we have food and water.
Spirits
Well, should we also worry about ghosts? Absolutely not! There's no such thing as ghosts. How do we know this? God speaks about this very issue.
"For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, **and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun**" (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, ESV).
Note the underlined portion of the verse. This means that dead people on longer have **any involvement** in the things that happen on the earth. So don't sweat it, let it.
On the other hand, demons are free to roam the earth and do so as we live. Demons, as spirit beings, have the capacity to take full possession of a physical body, **but not a believer's body**.
This is why **nobody should involve themselves in any occult practices.** These consist of (but not limited to) such things as: Jewish mysticism , Gnosticism, Alchemy**,** Astrology and Horoscopes, Numerology, Tarot cards and reading, Quija boards, involvement with Satanism, Wicca, paganism, and Divination.
Jesus
Trust in the Creator Jesus (John 1:1). He is our Provider and Protector. It is true that faithful people die at the hands of evil people, but death was conquered by Jesus on the cross.
"And which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, **who abolished death** and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10, ESV).
Death is a temporary state for us who believe. "Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:6-8, NIV).
So do not fret, and do be anxious for nothing, as we who trust in Christ know full well that God is in control this weekend and forevermore.
**References**
Malik, T. (2021). Huge solar flare could supercharge northern lights on Halloween. *Space.com*. Retrieved from https://www.space.com/northern-lights-on-halloween-from-solar-flare-october-2021
Paul, J. (2021). Solar storm: NASA warns 'significant' flare set to batter Earth: 'Direct hit on Halloween'. *Express UK*. Retrieved from https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1513313/solar-storm-nasa-warning-significant-sun-flare-earth-direct-hit-halloween-aurora
All images are free courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
My Wife Got 2 Tattoos without My Permission!
Yesterday was certainly interesting. Despite a nagging toothache I finished a client's work, two seminary lectures towards another masters degree, and even had time to watch 2 episodes of "Squid Game" on Netflix.
Watching crypto
I was also doing some due diligence by reading up on the latest #crypto news and watching videos on #Odysee. The aforementioned is a great video channel to earn from and there is no censorship.
If you go there, check out @scottcbusiness as he has some really good videos on crypto. I don't believe you will be disappointed.
Seminary
In the early afternoon I sat in on and completed two seminary lectures. We're presently doing an overview of the book of Acts.
Just **8 more months** and another masters degree will be on the resume. But better yet, a more profound understanding of Bible difficulties and increased faith will have been obtained.
Meanwhile...
As I was about to watch "Squid Games" on Netflix, my wife began boiling meat for our supper and then headed to the beach with our son. He likes a daily afternoon swim when the weather and the tide cooperate. I'm waiting for him to sprout gills and fins.
Squid Game
Based on my wife's recommendation I reluctantly added it to my playlist to watch. Since I am typically very busy each day, I had been putting it off. I cranked it up skeptically and, as a person quite familiar with the inner workings of the film business, sought to pick it apart.
Much to my surprise, I rather enjoyed the first two episodes. I'll be writing a future article on its meaning in the near future. I'm already seeing a few important and **disturbing themes**.
Tattoos!
My wife has been discussing the idea of getting a tattoo with me. I gave her advice based on my experience of having 22 of them. As a woman, I advised her not to get one on her lower back or anywhere where it would show if she ever sought employment, like on her arms, hands, face, etc.
As I was finishing an episode of "Squid Game," I heard my wife and son return from the beach. "Babe, babe!" she hollered. I knew it was a joyful call so I didn't panic.
"Look - I got 2 tattoos!" She proceeded to show me one on her left bicep (oh, no!) and one on inner forearm (why?). I was utterly surprised. "What do you think - cool, right?"
"I thought we discussed this already? I asked you to let me know when you we about to get one, not two, and not because I necessarily disapprove but because I wanted to know the tattoo person and whether she or he was safe and reliable."
"Oh, it was safe. Ate (name) and ate (name) also got one each."
I looked again, shook my head, and returned to my office disappointed but not angry. She began cooking our meal.
About 20 minutes into the second episode of the nine episode series, she entered my office and showed off her tats again. "Next time ask me, okay?"
She laughed. "Prank! It's henna!"
I was relieved. But this was the third prank she had pulled on me for the week. The first one was losing her wallet, money and ID's at the market, and the second was spending 10k on a dress for a Halloween party on #Lazada.
**Payback is coming**. I'm thinking Halloween night would be appropriate for an ultimate prank revenge - all in good fun, of course. Ba, wah, ba wahahahahahahahaha.
All images are free courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
Seriously, Stop Making Excuses!
So you didn't write for a day or three or maybe a week? No worries. It happens to all of us so don't consider yourself a lone wolf. That is simply not the case.
Just remember, we don't need to make excuses. Nobody really knows who we really are behind our articles, and it's not like if we ever disappeared there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth in our absence. Am I right?
Daily
I see it on read.cash on a daily basis, that is, the excuse: "I didn't write for the last **X amount of days** because...(fill in the blank)." Nobody cares. You missed, you really missed, and there's no need to make any excuses. Simply move on and spare us all the unnecessary drama. There's no need to say, "I'm sorry." We all miss a day or more of writing here and here. There is no inherent guilt in not writing.
Yes, there are times when writer's do not write. Work, kids, other important plans, emergencies, writer's block, laziness - there's a host of things that can and do happen that cause us not to write. No big deal. Get over your insecurity and self and stop making excuses. We either do or we don't - there's no such thing as trying.
Quotes to ponder
"Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any” - Orson Scott
"If you really want to do it, you do it. There are no excuses" - Bruce Nauman.
"Write what should not be forgotten” - Isabel Allende
"Excuses destroy success every time" - Jon Taffer
“Ideas are cheap. It’s the execution that is all important” - George R.R. Martin
"Excuses change nothing, but make everyone feel better" - Mason Cooley
A joke
There's an old joke I'm fond of that I heard at least a decade ago. It might be something to keep in mind insofar as it ties into this topic.
******
A man knocks on his neighbor's door. When the door opens, he asks, "Hey, Steve, I need a favor."
Steve replies, "How may I be of help to you, Bob?
"I'd like to borrow your lawnmower to cut my grass. Mine's conked out."
"Well, Bob, I's like to help you but my wife is cooking spaghetti for dinner tonight."
"What's that have to do with me borrowing your lawnmower?"
Steve replies, "Well, one excuse is as good as another right?"
******
No matter our excuses, in the end they do not matter. Stop making an ass out of yourself with lame excuses and just write when you are able.
Excuses before God
Our biggest excuses are expressed when we transgress against our Creator. God already knows the reason why we sinned so there's no need to make up excuses or downplay our culpability. We own up to it. We confess, "Lord, I have sinned against You and I ask You for Your forgiveness." *That's* what He wants to hear!
He doesn't need our whiny reasons as to why we sinned. After all, we are all guilty. All fingers point to it in God's word. We know it **and He definitely knows it**. Is there anything He does not know?
We simply and sincerely need to repent of our sins and make every effort to be obedient to Him. Obedience leads to righteousness. Faith in Jesus leads to obedience.
"I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11, NIV).
"Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness” (2 Timothy 2:19, NIV).
We must get into the Word of God to get the Word of God into us. Come on, now, people, **stop making excuses**. It's really unbecoming of all of us. Seriously. Let's get results, not make excuses.
All images are free courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
The Stormtroopers Came Snooping Around Again
The force is strong with these people. Mighty strong. They came around the other day asking questions and taking pictures of the property. They can be relentless. I'll be putting up a **No Trespassing** sign later this morning to keep these Stormtroopers off my property. They are not wanted.
Privacy
One of my pet peeves consists of people who deliberately or otherwise interrupt my privacy and the privacy of my family. I'm a very busy person who works up to 16 hours a day. This pet peeve of mine is especially true of salesmen or salesladies, local and state government officials, and people beating on the door asking me to sign their petitions.
Sometimes I peer through my living room window to see who is at the door. Other times I am much too busy to bother and ignore the interruption (knocking and the doorbell on the gate). My friends and neighbors know I am usually in my office when I am home so they know to rap on the window if they need me for anything.
Rudeness
I'm not a fan of rude people and have no difficulty putting them in their place straightaway when they pry. Sweet, enticing greetings that are well rehearsed do not get by me. As a former call center supervisor and acting coach, I am quite aware of a scripted speech.
Don't get me wrong, I am kind but I am also good at discerning and am able to spot a fake quite a ways off.
The "Visit"
This past Saturday morning when I was watching educational videos with my young son, they came, those Stormtroopers. I saw a person moving by my window and looked out on my porch. There were two men - one in uniform and the other with a camera taking pictures of the porch, property, et cetera. I merely watched what they were doing. I have things on the porch that one might be interested in permanently "borrowing."
I did not care for their invasion whatsoever and I felt my ire rising to a level which warned me not to interact with them. Instead, my spouse, recognizing my rare bouts of anger, went outside to determine what was going on. Meanwhile, I looked on to hear.
"Has everyone in the home been vaccinated yet?" the uniformed man inquired.
She answered, "I haven't, because I am breastfeeding, and our young son does not need it."
Then I opened the window. Like I have told countless others, it is nobody's business whether we have or have not taken the jab. Anyone who wants one is certainly free to do so and those who do not are also free to refrain from mandates. **Mandates are not laws**.
Nosy
I have a few nosy neighbors as well. They love to gossip. My better half is known in the neighborhood as friendly but shy. When neighbors come to ask for food we give freely what we have, but questions about our life, the jab, and how much money we make are off limits. **We do not have to answer these questions to anybody.**
Some ask again and again, anyway. I inform them it is none of their business because it isn't. I don't ask people their business. It's rude.
Government
As a Christian I am well aware of Paul's teaching to obey the government authorities. In like manner, I am cognizant of the fact that we who believe must obey God over man.
When pressed as to why pictures were being taken, the man with the camera stated he was checking to see if we had a fire extinguisher. What? The reply was disingenuous, false, a lie. They were snooping. Why else would we be asked if we had the clot shot?
Parting shots
We are free. We all make choices. We do not have to live in bondage nor do we have to respond to prying questions that are cleverly disguised. This pandemic age is a warning of the coming judgment. As a world, our sins have reached a limit. God is warning us to repent and get our hearts right with Him.
I don't serve the government; rather, as for me and my house, we will continue to serve the Lord.
Privacy is important. Intrusions are rude. Be kind but firm. You and I do not have to answer gossipers nor sneaky individuals.
All images are free courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
Strongmen Games: Threats to Humanity - Aliens, etc.
It's a different world in which we live today. Recently I was tasked with writing a lengthy article on the status of Middle East peace, specifically between Israel and Iran. It's been tough going as I peek behind the curtain of once classified documents where truths are revealed and others are purposely hidden.
The curtain
Governments are reluctant to provide their people with the truth. Some of the information governments fail to disclose consists of sensitive data that would create widespread panic. This information is held close to the proverbial vest and few are in the know and refuse to disclose it.
Behind these government curtains are a plethora of theatrics. Some of the plots are devious and downright evil. For example, the Muslim dominated government of Iran is a mere 10 days away from being capable of making a nuclear bomb. Iran has vowed to destroy Israel and despises the United States. **Watch closely for events to unfold that may be shocking.**
On the other hand, there are things that should be 100% revealed. For example, former President Trump, like him or not, was set to release the JFK assassination files in 2021.
However, current President Biden has delayed these hundreds of thousands of pertinent documents until 2022. The reason? The pandemic, a lame excuse if ever there was one. What does the Biden administration have to hide? I suspect damning evidence that would quash their hyper-liberal (Marxist) chances in the 2022 midterm elections.
Games?
When games are not games governments of the world have a global conspiracy to hide the truth from their populations. It is all about control for them. If you have been paying attention, this is easily observable by the Orwellian doublespeak called "the new normal." There is absolutely nothing normal about restrictions and lockdowns and mandates and experimental jabs. Follow along if you want: it's always about personal choice.
**Then there is the issue of alien life.** Choose to believe it if you will, but again it is strictly your choice. As for me, I sincerely believe there are no aliens but rather what people are observing are demons. This is a distraction for the eventual resurrection of the faithful believers in Christ Jesus, who alone saves.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12, NIV).
This verse aptly sums up everything mentioned above. Spiritual forces, good and bad, are in a constant struggle. Humanity is also in a constant struggle between good and evil. What would make one think that our struggle is not survivable if good spiritual forces were not at work protecting us?
In the Old Testament, people believed that every individual had a guardian angel assigned to them. However, it cannot be unequivocally proven from Scripture whether or not each **believer** does have a guardian angel assigned to him or her.
What we do know is that God has angels who minister and reveal things to humanity.
"Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot" (John 20:11-12, NIV).
The curtain peeled back
Hebrews 9:1-9 relates to us that in the temple a veil (curtain) separated the Holy of Holies, that is, the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence, from the rest of the temple where men hung out.
God dwelt with man in the temple and only the High Priest was able to access the ark of the covenant. But when Jesus died on the cross, the veil (curtain) was torn, and God split from that place never again to dwell in a temple made by human hands. Nowadays, that is, since Jesus died, our bodies are God's temple.
We read: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own..." (1 Corinthians 6:19, NIV).
Threats to humanity
Unbelievers have no God. Yet. Many never will because they have rejected the gospel and Jesus. Satan and his demons are threats to humanity.
In a similar manner to the veil in the temple, when the end of time comes to its consummation and eternity is set to begin, everything hidden will be revealed - all of the evils and secrets that were hidden from sight. Nothing - absolutely nothing - has or will escape the all-seeing eyes of God.
Ready?
Are you ready for that Day? Are you ready for your secrets to be revealed? Is your body the temple of God? If not, get ready. If so, live for God by being obedient and persevering in the faith.
"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved" (Romans 10:9-10, NIV).
**Choose Him and live for Him today**. God is the Strongman who alone is good.
All images are free courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
Face it: We're All Slaves
Whether you are a leader or a follower, rich or poor, black, brown or white, we are all slaves to something or someone. That is a fact nobody in their right mind can deny.
Slaves
It's a cruel world. We are slaves to many things in it. Stop and think about what you are a slave to. It can be an enlightening experience and something that may need changing to free oneself.
Time
For example, we are slaves to time. We have appointments that demand us to be on time. Tardiness can cause us to be terminated from our jobs.
We have watches and calendars and appointment reminders to assist us in keeping track of our lives.
We have timers on our stoves. If we don't pay attention to proper timing we burn our food. Or we can miss our bus, train or flight.
We have schedules and routines to follow. If we are not careful, we dig a rut for our lives and each day finds us deeper in the bonds of slavery.
Money
We are also slaves to money. For many of us, it can be an uphill battle to save and provide for our loved ones. In today's world, the love of money creates considerable strife. People will do anything to obtain it: kill, lie, cheat, steal and accept bribes.
Without money, we are unable to survive and live in this present world. With too much of it we become arrogant and have no need for others, that is, unless we are using them to make more of it.
With too little money we may suffer hunger and the necessities that help us remain healthy. Also, we may resort to other methods of obtaining it that are illegal.
Society
We are also slaves to our respective society.
We are slaves to our phones, computers and governments. We pay taxes or we go to jail. We pay doctors to keep us healthy while corporations fill our food with toxins.
We are slaves to political parties even though deep in our hearts we know we cannot trust any of them. We are slaves to our jobs we hate.
We are slaves to tyranny and don't give much care to everything we do being monitored. We simply shrug our shoulders and return to pleasures which we are also slaves to - entertainment in all of its forms. Yes, we are slaves to TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime and social media and we are slaves because we allow these mediums to dictate our lives.
Sin
Worst of all, **we are slaves to sin**.
Not a day passes where we do not commit some type of transgression against God. Some of us do not even recognize it or some of us blow it off and treat it much too lightly.
But I have news for you - **our sins killed Jesus**. He had to die for us and He did so in obedience to the Father. Without paying the full cost of sin, we would all be punished and rightly so, because God hates sin and cannot look upon it - hence Jesus took our place and paid our price.
Jesus, who created the universe and all that is in it (John 1:1), knew the beginning from the end. **He is the Alpha and the Omega**. He knew that with free will we would become slaves to the world and all that is in it, and thus slaves to sin.
Sin is no laughing matter to God. We may believe it is but we couldn't be more wrong. In fact, with that type of attitude our eternity does not bode well for us.
Escaping slavery
We have an opportunity to cast off the chains that keep us in slavery. Many won't unshackle themselves, however. They will die in bondage and spend an awful eternity as their lesser but well-deserved reward.
"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son" (John 3:18, NIV).
To be condemned is to **spend eternity in suffering**. "But I already suffer," some will say. Yes, but the coming suffering is unimaginable - something we do not understand the depths of.
**Read Luke 16:19-3 and find out.**
Why not escape, why not shed the chains of sin and live? It's a decision each of us must make. It's a thoughtful decision, too. We don't simply raise our hand and say, "I believe!" without first counting the cost.
The cost is giving up the world, picking up our cross, serving Jesus as our master, and enduring and being obedient until our final breath. We must persevere - it is a foundational doctrine (teaching) in God's everlasting word.
Those who tell you that life will be grand, rosy, one of wealth and ease and freedom from sickness are liars. Following Christ is no easy task. Obedience is not easy. Suffering for Jesus's sake is not comfortable.
I'll leave you with these well known verses that are so lightly passed over:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NIV).
"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved" (Romans 10:9-10, NIV).
"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (Jesus 14:6, NIV).
**Come to Him today while there is still a today.**
All images are courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
Where Did Knowledge Go?
Knowledge is at our fingertips but most people don't have time for acquiring it. When I finally had some free time yesterday, I updated by film production page on Facebook. As I briefly scrolled through the social media platform, I saw a man asking people to sign a petition to put triceratops on the endangered species list. This video caught my attention straightaway.
He stood on the boardwalk on a beach in San Diego where I grew up.
Mark briefly explained to numerous people that trophy hunting celebrities were mercilessly killing triceratops for sport and hanging their mounted heads in their offices and living rooms. Oh, the shame! The cruelty! *The utter horror!*
Person after person vehemently decried the practice and signed the petition. From twenty-somethings to Baby Boomers, people of all races, creeds and ages willingly signed their names without delay. **Meanwhile, I was laughing**. Were you laughing or were you wishing you had a chance sign the petition?
I was laughing because triceratops and all the rest of the **dinosaurs have been extinct for 6,000 plus years.** They all died in the Great Flood as mentioned in the book of #Genesis. And no, I certainly do not believe for a minute that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, but that was addressed in a previous post, so I'll not reiterate the valid arguments again. However, if you missed it, you may find it here: https://read.cash/@Scotty17/did-dinosaurs-walk-among-humanity-fa6453d3
Did we not learn and retain the facts that dinosaurs went extinct in elementary school? I certainly remember it!
Information overload
With the dawn of the Internet, information spread widely around the world. Today, online information doubles every six months or thereabout. The total sum of human knowledge doubles approximately every 2–3 years, and get this, it is expected to double every year!
As a researcher, I have found information on the Internet in mere seconds, deeper knowledge in mere minutes. Before the Internet age this knowledge was only available in trips to a library, if there was any information available at all in books. Speaking of books, did you know that in excess of a million books are printed every year? No, not copies - **different books**. **So where did knowledge go?**
Lack of Knowledge
Despite all the knowledge available at our fingertips, people still believe dinosaurs exist, that the Earth is flat, that there is more than two genders, that animals have an innate ability to reason, that aliens built the pyramids and other ancient structures, and that God does not exist.
Quite frankly, while a veritable plethora of knowledge does exist, people are dismissing it in favor of trivial pursuits and the pursuit of self.
In fact, while some are gaining exceptional knowledge, most people are in the process of **dumbing down**. They can tell you what's popular on #Netflix, what celebrities just got hitched and how lavish the ceremony was, what characters one should strive to obtain for in various video games, and make pitiful attempts to define love based on their experiences, as opposed to facts.
These pursuits are worthless in the grand scheme of things. Bestselling author Ayn Rand summed this up succinctly when she said: "You can ignore reality. But you cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.”
Real knowledge
I'll admit I've won trivia contests in the past. Some of the knowledge was useful, but most were just useless facts to spit out during meaningless conversations.
But there is knowledge that leads to wisdom, and a lot of us lack both of these valuable traits. Wisdom is about knowing when and how to use one's knowledge.
The prophet Hosea spoke to the matter of a lack of knowledge.
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [of My law, where I reveal My will]. Because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being My priest" (Hosea 4:6, Amplified Bible).
King Solomon, the writer and collector of proverbs gives the reason for the collection, for giving: " knowledge and discretion to the young— let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—" (Proverbs 1:5, NIV).
Even kids are able to obtain knowledge from the Bible. Why not adults - are we so darn full of knowledge and wisdom already?
"For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6).
"To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God" (Ecclesiastes 2:26, NIV).
Let's gather real knowledge, knowledge that matters, that leads to the application of wisdom. All else is vanity.
All images are free and courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
How to Properly Write a University Essay: Examples
Late start to read.cash today, as I awakened at a little past 4 a.m. with two academic papers to write before noon. I won't show you what I wrote, but I will show you examples of what I previously wrote during my university career. Hopefully this post will encourage you and moreover provide you with the knowledge and the impetus to write more effectively and scholarly.
Format types
The most common format in academic writing is the American Psychological Association (APA) style. APA style is used in psychology, sociology, nursing, anthropology, some historical, business, communications, engineering, and other related fields.
The second most used style in use is the Modern Language Association (MLA). This style is typically used in the arts and humanities, such as, well, an art class, history class, literature class, etc.
Equal to the MLA style in popularity is that of the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), often referred to as Turabian. This requires superscripts and footnotes at the bottom of each page. Political and history papers fall under this style.
There is also the Harvard style and other oddballs that you won't likely encounter until you reach the doctorate level.
Word versus PDF
At any rate, unless you are writing an essay by hand, you will be asked to use Microsoft Word. Some professors then ask you to save and turn it in as a PDF version in case a vengeful student submits a virus-laden paper. Don't laugh - it happens.
Examples
APA
APA was the most common style I used in university as I completed my earlier degrees. I use it now for seminary classes when applicable.
Look at this essay on consumerism. Notice the font style. We always use Times New Roman 12 pt. font unless otherwise directed by the professor. Always use double space unless your professor states otherwise. You do this by going to **Insert** (top left corner), **page, top, #3**. This will place your page number on the top right of the paper all throughout the essay.
Note the in-text citation differences. When quoting or paraphrasing a(n) author(s), you must cite them or be guilty of **plagiarism**. Observe the differences in (Millennials, 2016) and Curtis (2012). It's a simple formality.
In this image (a discussion board post), observe a citation that has no date, marked as (n.d.). Also, since it is a personal reflection, the use of the first person is permissible. As a general rule, however, APA should not be used for personal pronouns. Also note the transition words: furthermore, inasmuch and even an author's name. Transition words are important for alerting your reader to the fact you're moving to another topic or paragraph.
Finally, note the citation in the text above. I had already mentioned the full names of the authors on a previous page, so thereafter I used (Williams et al, 2009). Nowadays one doesn't need to use the full names at the beginning of a new citation as in the **Wilton citation** (it's long). It sucks in a way because it can eat up some page count.
Math
Oftentimes, math essays will not have references unless asked for.
Notice it is written in the first person: "I needed to critically think...." Basically, this paper was just how I accomplished something. Total waste of time as far as I was concerned, but hey, that's life and university prof's.
MLA
Peep the MLA art paper. Most of the time you will just cite in text like in APA, though somewhat differently. For example: (Jones 12). That gives the reader the author and page number. Notice there is no comma. On your page of references you list at the top of the page: **Works Cited**. In APA it is **References**, in Chicago it is **Bibliography** (not underlined on the page, of course).
Notice the difference in this MLA paper. The professor was hard core on MLA, which at times uses footnotes. It's a pain in the neck just like Chicago style, but at least it eats up some page count. Woohoo!
Also, an added benefit with MLA is the ability to use Arial 12 pt. font. This eats up more space, but if you have to write a certain number of words as opposed to pages, it is no benefit.
Business plans
I still write business plans for U.S. clients and they pay very well. Banks insist on them, though rarely if ever get further than the executive summary and the financials.
Here you can see the different fonts for the headings and the content. Also notice the writing is single spaced rather than double spaced. This provides a lender with a terse summary of what your business name is and what it plans to do.
Now look. We have to have a table of contents (TOC) for the prospective lender.
Finally, the financials are the most difficult part to compute and write about, but these are typically what a lender wants to see. If you fudge them, they will know something isn't on the up and up.
The End?
Don't freak out when you are asked to write an academic paper With practice and quick thinking, I can knock out a 10-page paper in a day and make $170 minimum.
Use an outline to go by until you're able to formulate them in your head like I and others do.
Proper spelling and grammar is a must. When you graduate, do not think your writing days are over by any means. Business reports, memos, press releases, writing new resumes, manuals, and other things will eventually arise, so hone your craft while at your university. Good luck!
ALL images are mine except for the graduation picture.
Everything Under the Sun
Providing you have enough wealth, everything and anything in this world is available to you for merely paying the price to whomever it is that is selling. Of course, those who do not have the money to buy what they want merely covet these things. Then again, some people resort to stealing them. We see the latter in burglaries, shoplifting, and even looting during riots.
Love
The old adage, "Money can't buy one love," is true. Oh, sure, you can attract a lot of people with fancy cars, jewelry and money, and you might even get to shack up or marry one or more of these people with hardly any attempt on your part when you have power and fame and wealth.
**But is it really love?** Or perhaps a better question would be: what is the person's motives? Are they after the money, the fame, the status or the lust of their eyes? Are they seeking more and more material things to bring what they construe as happiness to their life?
Lust
The lust of our eyes can get us into considerable trouble. John the brother of Jesus tells us all about it.
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:15-17, NIV).
The lust of the eyes is the innate sinful desire to have what we see or to possess anything that appeals to our eyes. This is coveting, desiring things such as money, material possessions, women or men. or any physical thing imaginable. This lust of the eyes is not from God, but is from the world in which we live.
It seems to me that we can all relate to a time when we have lusted after something. This is but one sin we must **put away in our lives**, **because, in the end, this world passes away** (1 John 2:17).
Learning from King Solomon
The son of King David was Solomon. He became king of Israel and reigned from about 970 to 931 B.C. He both collected and wrote thousands of proverbs. His wisdom is said to have been greater than all the men who had ever lived. But his wealth caused him to lose sight of the blessings the Lord had bestowed on him.
King Solomon amassed an extraordinary amount of wealth in his palace. Tons of gold, silver and jewelry filled the kingdom's coffers. But it was his insatiable lust for women that got him into trouble. We read:
"He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray" (1 Kings 11:3, NIV).
God's covenant strictly forbid intermarriage. It was not a racial or ethnic thing at all. **It was a religious thing**. People from different areas of the known world were syncretistic and polytheists - they believed in every god imaginable. But the true God is a jealous One!
"You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..." (Exodus 20:5a, NIV).
God knew beforehand that these women would bring their idolatry into Israel and pollute the truth. That's exactly what happened, and in due time, God punished them.
Solomon had everything under the sun. This means that everything under the sun in a life separated from God is universal—and the point of view in Ecclesiastes is an earth-bound perspective rather than a heavenly one.
Lesson for the day
Our lesson above teaches us that life involves more than what happens “under the sun” - in this world. Wealth, power, fame and chasing after them is a futile grasp at the true meaning of life. It is like chasing after the wind. When we die we cannot take anything with us.
**King Solomon is a glaring warning sign to all of us**. No matter how many things we possess or try under the sun, they do not bring joy but rather fleeting happiness and a life further distant from a merciful and loving God.
Jesus reiterated the uselessness of having everything under the sun when He said: "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Mark 8:36, NIV).
I'll leave these things for you to ponder in your heart.
All images are free courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
Every Generation Must Make a Choice
Throughout each and every day we all make several choices: what to eat, what to do, where to go, what to watch, who to talk to, and what to avoid. Our choices are the paths we take as we traverse life. Some are good decisions, some are bad. Some evil, some righteous.
Generations
Sociologists and anthropologists categorize humanity by generations. The Greatest Generation lasted 23 years, from 1901 to 1924. The Silent Generation lasted 20 years, from 1925-1945. Baby Boomers lasted 18 years, from 1946 to 1964. Generation X lasted 14 years, from 1965 till 1979. Generation Y (millennials) lasted 15 years, from 1980 until 1995. Generation Z was even shorter - a mere 13 years, from 1996 till 2009. Lastly, we are in what sociologists refer to as Generation Alpha - people born in 2010 and which will last until 2025, a 14 year time period. Each generation since the beginning of the creation has been given a span of time to live on this earth.
People count generations differently, however. For example, from Adam to Jesus there are 62 generations. Some say 42. I don't know, quite frankly. It depends on how long people count a generation. Some say 20 years, others 30. So if we go with 30 generations and a 6,000 year old creation, we come up with about 200 generations. In the end, it doesn't rally matter how many there were/are - each one has made their respective choices on how to live.
The flow
I remember the time 20 years ago when the world was crazy, but certainly not as crazy as it is today. With today's political correctness and cancel culture, most people find it easier to simply go with the proverbial flow. This was pretty much what I did all of my life - until I made a decision to follow Jesus Christ the Shepard as one of the sheep of His remnant flock.
**Even then I was worldly**. I smoked, drank like a whale, and cursed like the infantry soldier and paratrooper that shaped my character. I believed, yes, but I was choosing the world and my freedom in Christ over Jesus and God's plan for my life. Thankfully, God intervened and showed me what He wanted by reading and studying the Bible more in depth.
Most people continue to live in this world and go with its humanistic flow. It's convenient. There's less conflict. There's less friction when we agree with everyone's political and religious beliefs. And yet if we pause for a moment, today's culture is one of constant struggles with one another or groups pitted against one another, and even countries.
Research
If you took the time to conduct research on the choices each generation made throughout the history of humanity, you'd find a consistent pattern. The pattern would reflect that most people did evil, much like their leaders, while a remnant lived in faith to God. It's really that simple. We may opt for bondage to sin and slavery or freedom and peace though God's forgiveness.
Each generation has made a choice an will continue to do so until Jesus returns - **and He will return**. Among each generation, most will choose self over God. This is the essence of free will. We may do as we please; we can choose to do good or evil. At the very core of good and evil, at least in God's eyes, is the choice we make to either serve God or serve the world.
Choose Jesus
Remnants of all generations in history have made the choice for Jesus. But most have and will choose the world and all the things in it. But we must keep in mind that there is a final judgment of God coming in the future.
Do not be mistaken: we should make no room for sin in our lives. Sin is both addictive and progressive. Believers and non-believers have lapsed into immorality, but God is using the present COVID-19 season as a period to call us back to Him. He is patient, but not forever, as history reveals.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9, NIV).
Let's make it a point to make the right choice for our lives in this generation in which we live. **Let's choose Jesus**. Let's turn our back on sin and pursue the righteousness of God and His desired plan for our lives.
All images are free and courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
Tough Competition for Our Time
A million things to accomplish and so little time. That's my situation on nearly a daily basis. Maybe it's yours as well. Technology has brought both comfort and stress to our lives.
Time management
Many of us don't always manage our time well. Something unexpected is always popping up in our lives. We are easily distracted. It can be and typically is frustrating. How we work through our frustrations will determine whether we are productive or not.
Kids, phone calls, text messages, emails, neighbors knocking, work, crying children, loud music from the neighbors karaoke machines wailing, dogs barking, cats fighting after hours, slow Internet services, and a large list of other things pull and drag us away from what we could be doing to properly manage our time.
I used to answer texts and emails as soon as I heard the alerts on my laptops or smartphones. Not anymore. If I'm busy, they have to wait until I have the time to get to them. Clients included. I don't need the stress and neither do you.
Managing our time
We only get 24 hours in a day if God so ordains. We can't squeeze a moment in longer. Well, let me rephrase that: if God wills **we can,** but it has only happened twice in recorded Biblical history (here come the scoffers). For one, God extended a battle led by Joshua by turning back the sun for nearly a day so Joshua and his army could defeat their enemies, the Amorites.
It is written: "On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:
'Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.' So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!" (Joshua 10:12-14, NIV).
Joshua knew that if he didn't conquer the enemy before the sun went down that they would regroup and counterattack Israel the next day. In verse 8 we see where Joshua trusted God's promise to fight for Israel. I'll let you be the judge regarding the meaning. Scholars have varying opinions, as always.
Also, we do know Joshua defeated his enemies. He never totally vanquished all of Israel's enemies, but God continued to work and King David was finally successful in defeating Israel's enemies.
While God can and does perform miracles today, let's not expect Him to give us an extra 20 minutes in a 24-hour day so we can get an extra few winks of sleep in.
Our time/God's time
These are completely different. **We live in time and God lives in eternity**. The latter is difficult to grasp because of our limited minds. One anonymous author put it this way: "Eternal life can function outside of and beyond time, as well as within time."
Interesting, yeah? Mull that over.
We would be wrong to think for a moment that eternal life is simply a never ending progression of year after year after year. A prevailing New Testament word for eternal is the Greek *aiónios*. This provides us with the concept of **quality as well as quantity***.* Eternity is thus independent of time as we know it. Better yet, it strongly suggests productivity.
Eternity - how and when
God's word the Bible informs us on several occasions that there is eternal life for all of us humans. But there is a huge difference between those who are Christians and those who are not.
"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11-12, NIV).
Simply and importantly put, eternal life is in Christ Jesus alone. By faith alone Let us be mindful of the truth of God's word when we read: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV).
When we have trusted in Jesus and repented of our sins, we are assured of eternity. Now keep this in mind, eternity does not begin when we die, but rather once you have honestly believed, it begins right then! Say what? How do you know this to be true. Easy - God's word tells us.
"Whoever believes in the Son **has** eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them" (John 3:36, NIV).
The word has is in the present tense. Now.
Parting words
For those of you who have not believed or who are unsure of their salvation, I want to encourage you to come to Jesus in faith and believe on Him who alone saves.
"The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17, NIV).
If you place your faith in Him, trusting His death on the cross to pay for your sins, you will be forgiven and receive the promise of eternal life in heaven. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NIV).
Decide today. Decide now. Make the best use of your time and eternity.
"I am the way, the truth and the life" John 14:6
68 Days Till Christmas: Some Musings
That magical time of the year is getting closer and closer. The malls and stores have been playing holiday music since September and setting the mood for the season. Are you getting ready? We are. Some people have already put up their decorations, but we don't until after Thanksgiving Day. To each his or her own.
Ancient roots
Nearly every part of the Christmas season and the observance of December 25th has its roots in Roman custom and religion. The 2nd century after the birth of Jesus was the first recorded Christmas we know about from history. The celebration centered around the Roman Saturnalia, an annual harvest festival that marked the winter solstice, that is, the return of the sun, which served to give honor to Saturn, the Roman god of sowing.
It was a season of debauchery that ticked off the more rigid of the Roman citizens. In 529 A.D., Emperor Justinian made Christmas a national holiday - replacing the worship of the sun with worship of the Son, Jesus. December hasn't been the same since.
**But some Christians say celebrating Christmas is a sin.**
Christmas celebration a sin?
Say it isn't so! (**I don't believe it**). The Roman Catholic Encyclopedia of 1911 penned by Origen stated it this way: "…In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is *only sinners* (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world."
Whoa. Pretty harsh! The Christians that do not celebrate Christmas quote Mark 7:7 as a verse (among others in Jeremiah and elsewhere) that supposedly proves that celebrating Christmas is a sin. The verse reads: "They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules."
Context
But let's hold up a minute. Well meaning believers take the verse **out of its proper context**. It was directed at the Pharisees who manipulated God's law so they could benefit from it. Therefore, **celebrating Christmas does not reject any commandment of God in order to keep a tradition**. Are we straight?
Now, if our conscience tells us that Christmas celebrations are a sin, then we should refrain from celebrating the holiday. On the other hand, there is nothing sinful about the celebration unless we are involved with any associated debauchery.
So let's lighten up and cease from being modern Pharisees!
At the same time, whatever belief you hold, let's not hold the position we take in pride or self-righteousness. If others do not desire to celebrate Christmas, that is perfectly fine. We should not flaunt our celebration in their faces nor should they condemn those of us who celebrate it.
Furthermore, God forbid that we would think of ourselves as wiser, smarter, more inclined to obedience, and even more holier than another individual who does not celebrate the annual holiday. Let's keep that in mind, shall we?
The key to celebrating Christmas
Personally, we have a long family tradition of honoring Christ at Christmas. In other words, **Jesus is the reason for the season**. Was He born on Christmas Day? Nope. But that's okay. I'll refrain from the argument that justifies this for now, but suffice it to say that Jesus was born sometime in the fall before the rains began to fall which kept the shepherds out of the fields as was customary.
We bake a cake for Jesus. Again, December 25th isn't His birthday. But it is what we do to honor His birth, whatever day it was. We also decorate the inside and outside of the house.
We give gifts and have already bought several and wrapped them early. We lead busy lives around here so last minute rushing is always avoided whenever possible. Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans.
The primary way we celebrate is by renewing our vows to one another and, of course, honoring Jesus for who He is: God manifested in the flesh, who bore the sins of all who would trust in Him by faith alone. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, an was raised to life after three days. He appeared to over 500 people in His glorified flesh.
Final musings
Whatever you choose to do insofar as Christmas is concerned is entirely your business. I'm of the opinion that we should refrain from drunkenness and all forms of pagan idolatry, however. If we are Christ-centered and mark the day as one that honor's Jesus, we're good to go. We don't worship Santa Claus. We don't worship the Christmas tree. Worship Jesus and give praise to God.
All images are free and courtesy of https://pixabay.com/
"They" Track Us Like a Bloodhound
I don't know about you, but I am careful about what apps I download, what devices I use, and what measures I may implement to diminish the tech trackers who capture our every keystroke. We do not live in a Barbie world, but rather a dystopian one - an Orwellian society replete with the latest technology to watch over us like sophisticated bloodhounds.
The evil eye
Call it what you will, but I refer to tech trackers and cookies and all the various government agencies who track us, as those with an evil eye. If you use Google as your browser (and others), and type in any topic, ads will begin to appear in your email.
For example, I regularly suggest that people who do not know or use proper grammar use the free software #Grammarly. The ad now appears everywhere I visit on the Internet. I don't like being tracked by those with the evil eye.
Watched words
The government spy agencies have a list of words that are monitored. I'm going to refrain from listing these, as they are many in number. They also continue to increase in number.
A friend of mine who worked with one of these US agencies provided me with numerous words and phrases that set off alarms at the agency. Based on these, the agency may or may not follow up on your Internet history and see what you're up to.
If you have any common sense, you already know what you should not type or search.
Blocking
We can use a #VPN to throw websites off track. **Free VPNs are not reliable**. Incognito mode on Google is a sham; it does not keep Google from monitoring your traffic.
Facebook and Twitter and all the rest track us, too. Use an alias if you feel the need to. Sure, we have nothing to hide, but why give them the pleasure of properly tracking you?
These evil eye people and platforms and websites can be dangerous to our freedoms, but I would suggest that there is Someone that you should fear even more: God.
God's eye
There is an eye greater than technology is ever able to possess or create - the **eyes of God**. Deny it if you will, but He sees and hears and tracks everything we do.
The omniscience of the living God is the concept that He alone is all-knowing; that He encompasses **all knowledge of the universe past, present, and future**. Nothing escapes His watchful eye.
"He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit" (Psalm 147:4-5, NIV).
"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30, NIV).
And let's not forget: "The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good" (Proverbs 15:3, NIV).
These verses should give us pause to consider what we do and say. We cannot use a VPN or any blocking method to keep Him from knowing our every thought, word and deed.
God's watched words
Have you not heard that every idle word we speak is recorded by God? His power is not comprehended by our feeble and limited minds.
"But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37, NIV).
We should therefore be careful. There are two sides to fearing God. The first is fear in the sense that we owe Him a great respect for who He is. But we would be wrong to discount the actual fear that He can and will bring about to those who are evil and those who do not know Him as their Savior.
We need to pray constantly. Here I don't mean repetitious or canned prayers that the heathens teach.
Instead, I mean we should and need to pray from our own heart. Yes, it is true that God already knows your needs and what your prayer is, but when we pray we acknowledge Him and He loves to hear and answer those who believe on Him.
Think of it this way, friends: the tech bloodhounds have a lot of power, but God has infinite bloodhound capability that we cannot even begin to fathom. Let's therefore be mindful of what we say and do.
The UFO in the Bible
I'll begin by stating that I called Civil War II beginning in the US, the pandemic overhype in February of 2020, and the replacement topic that serves to distract the world - an alien conspiracy. How's that for a lead in?
But some of my estimations of the past never came about as I believed (or not yet, anyway). One thing I know for sure, however, is that we are not being told the truth. Instead, we are fed lies that only the lazy and the gullible lap up like thirsty beasts.
Evasion
Governments around the world are doing their utmost best to distract you from **what's going on behind the curtain**. They are the Wizards of the new and improved Oz.
As a collective, they evade the truth that stares them in their faces and, whenever possible, they silence the truth with their suppression machines with censorship. Make no mistake about it: big time corporations are in on it for profit (filthy lucre).
They want everyone to take the jab, and now God knows how many booster shots will there be going forward into their overplayed hand. Age range? From age 5 and up. Preposterous! And I would add, child abuse. Two kids were given the clot shot and both now have heart problems.
The head Wizard of Doom Dr. Fraud is telling the world that we cannot celebrate Christmas. **Do it anyway**. He's a fraud who needs to be in prison.
Despite the FDA's mad and equally unprecedented rush to approve various vaccine makers profitable drug, they remain experimental no matter what their new science brainwashes you with on the nightly news. And they are not working as planned. Resistance is growing larger and larger.
Epidemics
There are many epidemics in the world: malaria, HIV/AIDS, starvation, and a handful more. However, the truth is that the primary epidemic in the world is the departure from the truth.
Social media platforms are the big culprits who are immune (for now) from their monopolization of the Internet, a place that once championed the freedom of speech for all. It has slowly but surely morphed into a tool for government propaganda and censorship.
Ezekiel's vision
Ezekiel was a prophet of God (and a priest) who ministered for about 22 years. Like Jeremiah, he faced stiffed opposition for telling the truth. He preached to those who were in exile to Babylon since he too was a captive.
But the vast majority did not listen to him, just like people do not listen to preachers and teachers of God's word today.
In Ezekiel chapter one of the book of his name we read about what many people believe was a good description of a UFO.
We read: "I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze" (Ezekiel 1:4-7, NIV).
Sounds as if it could be a UFO! Maybe the government and NASA are right! It's going to be a real "War of the Worlds!" instead of a 50's Hollyweird movie.
Hang on a second. Let's see what else the prophet saw.
"Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved" (Ezekiel 1:8-9, NIV).
**There it is - aliens!**
Read with me some more. This is getting fun.
"Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body. Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went" (Ezekiel 1:10-12, NIV).
So now we have a better description of aliens! You tripping like an acid head yet?
"The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning" (Ezekiel 1:13-14, NIV).
Whoa, daddy! This craft was as fast as lightning, and speedier than a Star Wars craft. The aliens are quick, too!
"As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around" 1:1-18, NIV).
There's that shiny gyroscope shaped UFO again. And it's got shiny rims like a low rider. Cool beans, bro!
I'll let you read the rest of the verses that stops at verse 28, but will include the last verse where the prophet explains what he has seen.
"Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around **him**. This was the appearance of the **likeness of the glory of the Lord**. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking" (Ezekiel 1:28, NIV).
Ah, man! Why did he have to spoil all the fun and tell us He had seen a vision of God?!
You see, friends, **there is nothing mysterious about what the prophet saw**. He was describing God's sovereignty. He was describing God's quickness to intervene in the affairs of humanity. Ezekiel was describing the omnipotence (all powerful nature) and omnipresence (everywhere and all **seeing**) power of the Most High God. It isn't a mystery after all. **It's not a UFO at all!**
Epilogue
Sorry not sorry to rain on your alien conspiracy parade. Among other things, Ezekiel preached themes of hope, faithfulness and a new Jerusalem and a new Temple. He preached about a forthcoming, yet future world where the faithful in Christ will dwell forever.
But governments want to distract you from their lies, so why not a juicy alien story or nine to get your eyes off of inflation, evil, the pandemic overhype, the fear and corruption? Works well for them!
Do you have hope or has it been dashed because of the pandemic lies? Because of fear. Because of corruption. Whatever has dashed your hope, **there is hope in Jesus**, the spitting image of God the Father. Seek Him today while He may be found.
Leaving the City of Man
I'm been moving for the last few years. I'm nearly moved out now but I still have some work to do. As I build new skillsets and create, I move closer to leaving the City of Man. You can do the same if you really have the desire to do so.
Packing
I'm writing a new feel good movie (screenplay), pursuing another degree (in seminary), I'm homeschooling my young son; I am cooking, helping with chores around the house, writing a lot more, reading considerably more, praying a lot more, and investing in #BCH and other cryptocurrencies.
When people ask me how I find the time to do all these things with a two-year-old son, my reply is rather simple: I haven’t watched TV in ages. I use Facebook rather sparingly (only for my teaching ministry). I stopped following all sports except an occasional car race or baseball game. And I don't give a hoot about keeping up with celebrity gossip. I also don’t watch very many Hollywood movies anymore because they are not wholesome nor do they promote good family values.
Instead, I spend as much time as I am able to living in the City of God and moving out of the City of Man.
Productivity
It’s amazing how much time we can have when we get rid of the things of the world from our lives. I spend hours each week outside going for walks on the beach, photographing or taking videos of my family and the beauty of God’s creation, and doing things around the house that are productive.
Something amazing occurs when we depart from the City of Man and begin living in the majestic City of God. The City of Man is our modern society that not only stubbornly rejects the true living God, but is wholly anti-God by its very humanistic design.
In the City of Man there is no objective truth, only feelings and emotions and rage, censorship and cancel culture. There is abundant chaos, widescale division, mountains of hate, fear being consistently bandied about, mounds and mounds of melancholy, and perennial rampant sin.
Many people, Christians and nonbelievers alike fall into the deep pit of the enemy’s hands by devoting all of their time, attention, and money to the City of Man, and little if any, to the City of God.
Plans of God
Yes, things appear rather dark and bleak these days, but from my perspective I am able to see the light of God working in a big way. He is transforming dormant Christian's lives, bringing new souls into the kingdom, and a revival is taking place. God has not abandoned us yet - we have been abandoning Him!
Our God is the everlasting, living God, and He is on the move. His people who He has called are coming out of the shadows of the City of Man and answering His call to construct, protect, and preserve what is good and Holy in a spirit of unity.
I encourage you to maintain the faith brothers and sisters, and do well to live in the City of God and move out from the worldly City of Man. I have work to do and you have to begin now if you haven't already done so.
Red Rain Alert and Long Brownouts
It’s too dark to see whether it is raining cats and dogs, but it is definitely raining hard as if 50 little drummer boys were steadily pounding their snares. Electrical power went out during supper last evening so it resulted in an unplanned quasi romantic candlelight dinner. Our boy broke the flashlight.
Red rain alert
I loaded some data to my smartphone to access the Internet so I could check the PAGASA website. Meanwhile, I kept receiving text messages of first orange and then red rain alerts. I had to silence the notifications because they came so darn often. Before the light faded from the sky yesterday the porches were flooded and the yard was beginning to flood. It’s still too dark to see the conditions outdoors as I write. I’m imagining we have a new lake right outside the door.
Brownouts
We all tend to get accustomed to brownouts in the Philippines, perhaps too used to them. They are frustrating when you have plans. Among other problems, they remind me that the #Philippines remains a third-world country.
It doesn’t matter how many new roads and bridges are built if the government is unable to upgrade an inefficient power grid. It’s inexcusable as far as I am concerned. The bigshots in power have their huge generators and carry on with life unaware of the fact we peasants have little recourse. We never matter to them until it is election time.
Temporary misery
When its 29 Celsius and the power goes out, especially when you have small children who are already becoming cranky from a long day indoors, everyone in the family becomes somewhat irritable. Thankfully as Christians we are reminded to control our emotions to a ceratin extent, but children know no better. We know that all things are temporary so we wait patiently and at times impatiently, like when the water supply is cut off as it was yesterday around 6 p.m. The water is still off this morning.
Temporary light
I was fortunate enough to have completed my seminary lecture yesterday before the power went out. But I always make it a point to follow up on the lecture by doing some Bible reading on the related topic of the day. We were studying the book of Lamentations. I turned on the little light my other half bought from #Lazada. Actually, she had bought two for situations like we were subjected to. That gal is always on #Lazada and #Shopee!
The reading
I read the first 5 chapters of Lamentations. The writer is not definitely known, but scholars believe it could have been the prophet Jeremiah. It was written shortly after the destruction of Judah. Whomever it was, he was an eyewitness to the destruction of Judah and the Temple in Jerusalem when the Babylonians beseiged it for two years, beginning in 588 B.C.
The walls around the great city were torn down, all the structures and homes were burned to the ground, the treasury was looted of its gold, silver and jewels, and thousands upon thousands were brutally put to the sword, while the rest were carried away into captivity in 586 B.C. Interestingly enough, the poor were left behind. The ruthless Babylonians had no use for them.
But God did! Later he would use those people who still lived and their offspring to rebuild the city and its walls after the 70 years of judgment.
God’s judgment
Where there is great sin, God’s judgment eventually comes. Both Israel in the north and Judah in the south had sinned greatly against the Lord by not keeping the covenant. The covenant was a contract with the people of God which essentially stated: You do this and I’ll do that. There were stipulations included in the event the two nations failed to keep their end of the bargain: God’s judgment.
The people of a then decimated Judah were in deep sorrow. Parents were forced to eat their children, there was no food. Famine was everywhere. They could not farm the land because their enemy the Edomites had moved into the land since they had sided with the Babylonians. The Edomites even sold the poor into slavery.
God’s judgment lasted for 70 years after the destruction of the Temple. Jeremiah’s prophecy (and that of other contemporary prophets) had come true. The people were is disarray with no leaders. They did not know what to do about their future.
Lessons learned
As you read in Lamentations there are applicable truths anybody can apply for today when suffering and sin abound. Sadly, most Christians couldn’t tell you what the book of Lamentations is all about. They could tell you what’s trending on Twitter and what’s popular on Netflix, however. That’s a sad but nevertheless true statement.
First of all, God never fails. His plan cannot be thwarted. He never fully abandons people unless they abandon Him. The solution, as the survivors learned was to remain loyal to God.
The survivors of Judah also learne that they needed to move on In times of distress, we too can apply this in our lives. It doesn’t man we cannot mourn our losses of loved ones, friends and property. But we have to move on.
We, like they, always have hope. As long as God continues to allow us to breathe there is hope. We have to recognize this fact rather than dismiss God as if He is done with us.
Instead, we must do certain things: pray for our deliverance; remain assured that God is still working in our lives and fulfilling His plan and take comfort knowing it; we must continue to praise and glorify God for His plan for us and accept His will in any given tragedy; and realize that God will never abandon His faithful.
Maintain your hope. Those of you who have drifted away from God, repent and come back to Hs accepting arms. Those of you who do not believe, I encourage you to come to Jesus. Our nations have, like Israel and Judah have sinned greatly. Judgment is occurring and more is coming. Do not be misled like Israel, Judah and the nations throughout history. Judgment will come unlike any in the history of time as we know it.
Addendum
When light came upon the province, I ventured out in the driving wind and rain to ascertain why we had no Internet. Following the line I observed it dangling – the antenna had been blown away. Using my data, I found that many are still without power and Internet all over La Union and north into Baguio City and beyond.
As I close, there is no telling when Globe will make repairs, but I will, as General MacArthur did, return. May you all take heart and realize that our suffering and misery is but for a short while.
Hope is on the way in His timing.
Don't Ever Befriend Evil
We live in an increasingly hostile world where lawlessness rules the day. Everywhere we look there is evil. No matter what you believe, **you should hate evil**. When good people do nothing to confront evil it spreads like cancer and destroys economies and governments and lives.
Evil
**Evil is the opposite of good**. Evil is typically thought of as anything which is morally wrong, sinful, or wicked; and yet at the same time, the word evil can also refer to anything that causes any kind of harm, with or without the moral dimension.
Christian philosopher J. P. Moreland rightly noted, “Evil is a lack of goodness. It is goodness spoiled. You can have good without evil, but you cannot have evil without good.” His comment makes perfect sense.
But what is good and what is evil? That depends on your worldview. But yet that is not even true, because evil is evil is evil. I merely speak for those who say we all have the freedom to do as we please in this world or in our community.
Think of it this way: if it is alright to look away from evil, what will you say when evil does harm to your loved ones? Would you not cry out from the rooftops? Yes, you would! So why then turn aside from it when it is adversely affecting others?
We all live in a real world where our good and evil actions have direct repercussions and indirect repercussions not only us but on those around us. Therefore, we need to consider our actions: are they good or evil - and what is out intention(s)?
Hate evil
We tend to turn a blind eye to evil when we see it. We don't want to become involved in the affairs of others unless they are close to us. Otherwise, we merely go on our way and mind our own business. Personally, I cannot do it. Where evil persists, I speak up or take action, as **it is my moral duty**. I am not God but I am his agent, His representative as a Christian in a fallen world.
Do you not know that “The one who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:20, NIV).
A couple of examples
One time I saw a man rob a person who was about to drop a large sum of money into an outdoor bank deposit machine (through a drop box). The audacity of this man was that it was only 75 meters from the police station! When he noticed that I had witnessed the theft, he quickly darted into a dark alleyway. I gave chase in my car and quickly caught up with him.
Not wanting to cause an accident, I alit from my car and continued the chase on foot. I chased him for 4 blocks in the dead of winter with no coat on. I never caught him because a police officer stopped me and pulled a gun on me. The thief got away. How's that for irony? Of course I was let go.
Another time a man was hitting a woman. Having grown up around an abusive father, I despised the behavior (I'd run my father out of the house with a loaded shotgun after he knocked my mother unconscious while drunk).
Anyway, the woman was physically handicapped. She was hurt. When the man refused to stop, I stopped him with several punches, blew a hole in his car with a shotgun, and chased him away.
Was I a hero? **Not at all, I simply did the right thing to stop evil.** Looking back, I shouldn't have blown a hole in his car, however.
Love good
Not only should we hate evil but we should love good. The root problem of why the world is continuously regressing rather than progressing is because of an overall spiritual decay.
We have kicked prayer and God out of our schools and courts. We have allowed abortion (murder) to proliferate; we have failed to uphold what is morally right. In a spirit of going along so as not to make enemies and "offend" others, we have given our consent to perversion in all its forms - underage sex, homosexuality, gay pride, radical feminism, political correctness, cancel culture, and more. We have said yes to drunkenness and recreational drugs. We have failed to rise up and say no to evil. Therefore, do good.
Government is not the answer
Governments can make laws but no country in the history of the world has even been successful insofar as legislating morality. Laws restrain evil but do not produce good and never will.
We have so many laws that do not address certain aspects of evil that thus allow the violators and perpetrators of evil to go free. But rest assured that God only permits evil for a time before He intervenes by bringing judgment.
Call it out
The reason our countries are in the dismal spiritual state that they are, and they are regressing rather than progressing, it is because we turn our heads to evil. Some say, "It's their choice; they may do as they please because it's a free world."
Is it really? What if the same evil you ignored falls on your family or loved ones? We'd all be quick to speak against it!
Paul writes about this very thing in his epistle (letter) to the church in Ephesus (now in modern Turkey): "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. **Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,** ****but rather expose them****" (Ephesians 5:8-11, NIV).
Application and solution
God’s is ever willing to give us the freedom to choose what we will which opens up the possibility of moral evil. Moral evil inevitably leads to physical evil.
God’s will is that for all of our sakes we would turn from evil and obey Him that it might go well with us. Obedience to God is *the solution* to evil. Not only do we refrain from evil, but we correct others and call it out as in the above example of Paul.
We must warn the evil people, the wicked.
"If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me" (Ezekiel 3:18-19, NLT).
Let us not turn a blind eye to evil but speak out. We who believe are the salt of the earth. We overcome evil with good. Choose good over evil "so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth” (Ephesians 6:3, NIV).
Beware False Prophets on Read.Cash!
It's a fantastic Sunday and another day of the gift of life. Hopefully the first words coming from your lips when you were awakened were words of thanksgiving to God who made it all possible.
Opposition
From time to time we see some false teaching and preaching of God's word on this wonderful platform. In fact, a lot of times.
This is because not all those who supposedly believe are meant to be teachers or preachers. And those who do believe simply are new in the faith and/or have not learned proper theology - the study of doctrines (critical teachings) in God's word.
As with any teacher or preacher, **we should always compare what they say from God's word**, like the Bereans did: "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and **examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true**" (Acts 17:11, NIV).
This includes anything I write or comment on. Check me out with what the Bible says. Check everyone out.
We read in James, the brother of Jesus: "Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly" (James 3:1, NLT).
Jeremiah
The prophet Jeremiah had a ministry that lasted 32 years, from 627 B.C until 598 B.C. He was called of God and commissioned by God by the touching of his lips: "Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to **uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant**" (Jeremiah 1:9-10, NIV).
Talk about a guy who faced a lot of opposition! Whoa, man! The government of Judah was always on his case. The priests of his day were opposed to him because he upset their comfortable lifestyle. King Jehoiakim was also displeased with him, and even the people of Judah were unhappy with his preaching of repentance. But Jeremiah kept preaching anyway.
But Jeremiah did not lose hope or his faith, because he was pleasing God. We observe something similar throughout the Bible, but here is one example: "But Peter and the apostles replied, We must obey God rather than any human authority'" (Acts 5:29, NLT).
Rebukes
Rebukes are not always popular. In God's everlasting word we believers are commanded to rebuke and correct a fellow sinning brother or sister when they divert from the truth. We read:
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:15-17, NIV).
The New Living Translation, which is a paraphrase, captures the verses more easier to understand: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NLT).
Unfortunately, people are stubborn and don't like to be wrong. As a young Christian 20 years ago I was wrong on a lot of things. Like a newborn baby I was feeding on the milk of God's word. When corrected by peers in the faith I listened, and then searched the Bible to find out if it was true or not. **We should all do this.**
The stubborn will always be among us. Get used to it. In like manner, false teachers will always be among us. We must learn to discern what they say and teach and correct them in a spirit of love ir avoid them entirely.
Types of false religions and prophets
It's important that we who follow the teachings of the true living God to be aware of the many false religions in the world today. It would take hours to list them all.
Some of the more well known cults and false religions consists of Universalism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Islam, Inglesia de Christo, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christian Science, Freemasonry, many Seventh Day Adventists. and many, many more.
One of several ways to spot a false religion is by noting any church or religion that denies Jesus is God and that the Bible is God's inerrant word.
Another way is to be on the lookout for **syncretism - the mixing of different beliefs**.
For example, we do not mix God's word with Eastern mysticism - the mind consciousness, the name it and claim it gospel, etc. We do not mix pagan beliefs of psychology with God's word. We do not mix Islamic beliefs with Christian doctrines.
Doctrines
There are a multitude of churches that espouse the name of the Savior, Jesus the Christ; however, many of them disagree about who He is. Is He God? He is! He claims to be numerous times throughout the Scriptures. If any church or religion denies Jesus is God, get away - they are false teachers.
Was he born of a virgin? He was! Isaiah predicted it in 7:14, some 700 years before Jesus was born. If anyone teaches otherwise - leave with a quickness!
Will Jesus really return a second time? Indeed, He will! If they say he won't or has already come again, do not believe it. Leave!
Various religions, even those who purport to be Christian, will answer the above-mentioned questions quite differently depending on a church's belief about the Bible.
**We believe there is absolute truth found in the Bible.** And Jesus said: "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and **you will know the truth**, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:31-32).
**Belief, that is, faith in Christ** is also improperly taught. Just because you raised your hand one Sunday and said, "I believe" does not make you a Christian. Being born into a Christian family doesn't make you a Christian, either. Believers are those who realize they are sinners, repent of their sins, believe on Jesus as God who was crucified and rose from the dead, are baptized as they confess their belief publicly, who obey God's commands, and who endure until their last breath.
The remedy
The remedy for every heretical or false teaching is the proper view of who Jesus is - the Man who alone is God, the Messiah preached from the beginning in Genesis until Revelation, the Savior of the world for all **who will believe**, and the Great High Priest who existed before the world was created and who lives forever. Again, we must regard His word and study it to disclose God's truths. My prayer is that you will heed these words and beware of false prophets and teachers. Do check out what I have written as it lines up with the Bible and have a blessed and fruitful Sunday.
Act Like You Were a King or Queen!
People have an inclination towards, and a fascination with, royalty - such as the Royal family in England. But I want to suggest that you dear readers are potential kings and queens! You have simply failed to put on your crowns.
I don't mean that anyone reading this should exalt themselves and lord it over others as stern rulers. Rather, I mean that **you should** be a good king and queen and **serve others**.
Good rulers are good servants. They want the best for other people. We already know that the vast majority of our leaders are corrupt to the core and look out primarily for themselves.
These politicians always pop their heads up when election time draws closer. They scatter a few coins here and there to us peasants to earn our favor and our vote. I pay no attention to these high-class criminals, these pretentious kings and queens who live in lofty towers, and who look down upon their people (us) with scorn and laughter.
Am I jealous? Heaven forbid. It's just that it isn't difficult for a discerning mind to see through their façade and deceitful actions for who they really are - corrupt kings and queens lording it over the masses. But I digress.
Crowns
There is a history of crowns that could fit in multiple dissertations till the end of time. Crowns have been a symbol of authority, power, and sovereignty since the days of hunter-gathers. Someone had to be in charge and lead the people. These crowns are typically made from some of the most illustrious and rare materials on Earth.
The Egyptian pharaohs also wore crowns to signify their glory and power. Additionally, these crowns were used for various religious purposes as well as to show the people their ultimate authority.
Roman Emperors wore crowns of splendor and believed they were gods. They even demanded worship of the people.
It seems everywhere we turn in history, **crowns are special and are** **worn by the most favorable of people**. But I want to say to you readers that you too are worthy of a crown! You are favorable in God's eyes.
God's crowns
Christians are awaiting their crowns (yes, that's plural) to be bestowed upon them by God Almighty at the Judgment. These crowns are our rewards for the good works we have done while in our mortal flesh. We are not judged for our sins - those perished on the cross 2,000 years ago.
Who we are
God, speaking through the Apostles, informs us that **we are priests.** Look what John the brother of Jesus writes:
"To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen" (Revelation 1:5b-6, NIV).
Application - How we can act like kings and queens
This is a difficult but necessary process if one is to aspire to a crown. First of all, we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ **by faith alone** and receive the crown of glory.
Second, we do His will, that is, **we obey His commands** - love God and love one another - the sum of the new covenant. In this we ensure till the end of our lives.
Third, we take decisive action like King Josiah did. When he ruled he was rebuilding the temple. The restorers found **the law** (either the book of Deuteronomy or the first 5 books of the Bible) buried in the foundations, much like we would bury a time capsule today.
Josiah took this seriously. *Really seriously*. After it was read in his presence, he ordered it read to the people. A good king brings people back to obedience to God. **Then he took decisive action.**
He destroyed all the idols in the Temple in Jerusalem and burned them in the Kidron Valley, and then in areas around the country (Bethel, etc.). He got rid of the homosexual male prostitutes; he eliminated the false pagan priests of false gods; he tore down all the altars, rooms and dining halls inside the Temple.
Can you imagine male prostitutes working inside God's Temple? Outrageous! But Josiah cleaned house. He also stopped the child sacrifices.
**We who believe** **are the Temple of the Holy Spirit - God within us.** We too need to be serious and take action. We need to rid ourselves of idols, sacrifices (abortions), false teachers and pagan priests, and anything contrary to God. We make Jesus the focus and emphasis of our life. My prayer for you readers is that you will begin to act like the kings and queens - the priests that God has called you to be.
@Scotty17
