@V1

I am still marked as a spam. 😔

Non Christian Music Is it a sin to listen to non-christian music? Should Christians listen to non-christian music? Well, it's not just a straight forward answer and it depends on the music. We need first to understand that God gave us music to enjoy and you can see that right throught scripture. A great example to look at is David. He sang and he worshipped God with music. **2 Samuel 22:1-3** "David spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day res ued him from the grasp of all his enemies and from the grasp of Saul he said: The Lord is my rock,my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge." This goes on and on just to worship God with songs and look at how David and the singers of that time used music to praise and worship God when they carry the ark. **1 Chronicles 15:16** "Then David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers and to have them raise their voices with joy accompanied by musical instruments... harps, lyre, and cymbals." So they even used musical instruments to praise God. And today, in some churches they say no you can't do that, you can't play any musical instruments in church. But you can if it glorifies God. David even used a harp to play to soul to calm him down but the most amazing picture that we get form music is the angels in heaven who sing and praise God. **Job 38:7** "While the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy." **Luke 2:13-14** "Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising Gid and saying: glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!" So there is nothing wrong with music to sibg and praise God but what about secular songs that doesn't have God in it? Well, there are normal songs out there, secular songs that sings about nature, about love, about normal things, that is not against scripture and then you can listen to it if it agrees with -- **Philippians 4:8** "Finally brothers and sisters. Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is no any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy, dwell on these things." Now, there is a lot of music that does not fit in with this verse or the whole Bible for that matter. Most people just listen to music because it has a catchy tune right, but they don't listen to the words, to the lyrics. Music is very powerful and you should be careful of what you let into your mind, into your thoughts because it will influence you. Songs that have lyrics in them wuth just full of swearing and cursing ahould not be listened to. Most rap music today is full of it. It's focused on the sinful, fleshly nature that focus on our evil desires. A lot of secular music focus on immorality and violence, it moves away from everything that is pure and that is good and you should not listen to it. An easy test that you can just do when you want to listen to a particular song is just ask yourself thos question: would Jesus listen to this song? Now, you need to know that nowhere in the bible doesi t say that a particular instrument or style of music is sinful or ungodly. With that being said I will definitely listen to heavy metal music because Holy Spirit in me just does not agree with that. The best music out there will alwasy be a type of music that honor and glorifies God.

I am now tagged as a Spam by the System I am now marked as a spammer by the system like the others. I've seen my article got downvoted and I don't know the reason why? This is just a guess, but I think this is related to my articles that are consistently getting tipped by @TheRandomRewarder. It's either that someone hates God or he is just envious of me. Being envy to others is not good, always remember that. So what does the Bible say about envy? "A simple definition of envy is "to desire what belongs to someone else." A more comprehensive description of envy is "a resentful, frustrated longing for the possessions, place, fortune, accomplishments, or achievement of another." The Bible says envy is an act of the flesh, the result of human sin: "The acts of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hate, hate. I advise you, as I have done before, that the kingdom of God will not be inherited by those who live like this (Galatians 5:19–21; see also Romans 1:29; 1 Peter 2:1–2). In modern Bible translations, envy and jealousy are closely related and often used interchangeably, but they are not exactly interchangeable. Envy is an answer to the lack of anything possessed by another person. Jealousy is a response to the fear or danger we possess of losing something, or sometimes someone. Envy is the anguish or anger that we experience because others have something we don't have. Jealousy is the feeling of dread or suspicion that we experience when it could take away what we have. There is such a thing as godly jealousy (see 2 Corinthians 11:2), but in a positive way, the Bible never talks of envy. Another term linked closely with envy in the Bible is covetousness. Coveting is an unhealthy desire to possess what belongs to someone else. Covetousness, typically connected to tangible things such as land, is an extreme desire or selfish desire that violates others' fundamental rights (Exodus 20:17; Joshua 7:21). In Cain and Abel's story, the first bout of envy in the Bible emerges. Cain, the older brother, killed Abel out of jealousy, since God looked favorably at the sacrifice of the younger brother but did not consider the offering of Cain (Genesis 4:3-5). Later, because of the blessings his father Isaac had given him, Esau envied his brother, Jacob (Genesis 27:41). Rachel was envious of her sister because Leah gave birth to Jacob's sons when Rachel was childless (Genesis 30:1). For his success in battle and his popularity among the people, Saul envied David (1 Samuel 15:6–16). Jesus was imprisoned by the Jewish leaders because they were seized with jealousy (Mark 15:10). The Bible paints a vivid illustration of the destructive consequences of envy. The Bible says envy will lead to spiritual, mental, and physical death if left to grow in one's heart: "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones" (Proverbs 14:30). The Latest Living Translation here compares envy to "cancer in the bones." And we find this stern warning about the sin of envy in James 3:14-16: "But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not boast or deny the truth about it." Such 'wisdom' does not descend from heaven, but is demonic, earthly, unspiritual. There you find chaos and any evil practice where you have greed and greedy ambition. Envy is a concern with the heart. Jesus taught that purity and godliness come from within a person and not from outward acts (Mark 7:14–15). "Envy is one of the many inner vices or attitudes of the heart that defile an individual: "It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from inside, from the heart of a human, come evil thoughts . . Foolishness, lustful impulses, jealousy, slander, vanity, and ignorance. All these vile things come from within; what defiles you is what they are (Mark 7:20-23, NLT). First Corinthians 13:4 says, "Love does not envy." If our brothers and sisters in Christ are envious of us, then we do not love them. Christ's love is empty (Philippians 2:3-8) of selfish ambition and desire. "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of all kinds," Christians are called to dispense with envy (1 Peter 2:1). How do we do it? Believers in Christ died from sin and were made alive by the Spirit of God (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3; Romans 6:7-11). In a real sense, the battle between the existence of sin and the Spirit continues, but through the indwelling Holy Spirit, Christians have the power to help them in the war. Paul taught in Galatians 5:16-26 that our lives will bear the fruit of the Spirit if we walk by the Spirit, live by the Spirit, and remain in step with the Spirit: "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Let us not be conceited, provoked and envious of one another (verses 25-26). A discontent heart is the root of envy. When we can't get what our heart wants, we feel envy. The secret of contentment (Philippians 4:10–13), of delighting ourselves in the Lord, we have not yet known. Trusting in the Lord and delighting in Him is the most powerful way to stop envy: "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture." Take pride in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires. Trust in him and he will do this: he will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun (Psalm 37:3-6). Commit your way to the LORD.

What the Bible says about Virginity When the term virgin is used in the Bible, it refers to an unmarried person who has not had sexual relations (see Esther 2:2 and Revelation 14:4). "Many people use the word virginity in today's culture to express sexual purity; but many others use a technical definition to discover loopholes in moral standards, limiting the word to mean only "the state of never having gone all the way," so a couple can do anything and everything short of sexual intercourse and still technically call themselves "virgins. The heart, mind, and spirit, not just certain body parts, should be influenced by chastity. The focus of the Bible is not so much on a technical or medical definition of virginity as on the state of the heart of an individual. The ethics we endorse and the acts we choose offer proof of our heart's state. The norm of the Bible is clear: celibacy before marriage and post-marriage monogamy. Three serious explanations exist for saving sex for marriage. First of all, we, as believers, follow what God tells us to do. "It states in First Corinthians 6:18-20, "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins committed by a person are beyond the body, but whoever sexually sins sins against his or her own body. Don't you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, whom you have got from Heaven, who is in you? You are not your own; you have been purchased for a profit. Therefore, with your bodies, worship God." If we are in Christ, He has bought us with the sacrifice of His life." He is our Lord, and he is to be honoured. The second explanation is that we wear the breastplate of righteousness to fight our spiritual wars (Ephesians 6:14). We are in a conflict between our new identity in Christ and our desires in the flesh. "First Thessalonians 4:3-7 says, "It is the will of God that you should be sanctified: that sexual immorality should be avoided; that each of you should learn to regulate your own body in a manner that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God; and that no one should be wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister in this matter. As we told you and cautioned you before, the Lord would punish all those who commit such sins. For God did not call us to be unclean, but to live a holy life.' It is an act of rebellion towards God to allow the body (rather than the Spirit) to govern your actions. Godly, romantic sex is giving and unselfish between a husband and wife. It is self-centered and abusive to use others to satisfy a desire of the flesh. You are always helping him or her to sin and adversely altering the relationship of that person with God and others, even if the partner is willing. The ultimate explanation is the' mystery' of marriage (Ephesians 5:31-32). When God spoke of two people being joined as one, He was referring to something in a true, physiological way that we are only beginning to understand. The hypothalamus in the brain releases chemicals that cause feelings of attachment and confidence when two individuals are intimate. A individual forming an attachment and trusting someone with whom he or she does not have a committed relationship results in having sex outside of marriage. The definition of confidence deteriorates in the mind. It's dangerous to have that kind of interaction with someone without the protection of working together with God. Two people who are physiologically obsessed with each other, even slightly, but not committed to growing in God can be torn from God and His plans for them as a couple. Conversely, if two individuals make a deliberate, intentional decision to engage in marriage with each other and then encourage the intimacy that releases these chemicals, the body will reaffirm the relation that the mind has made. The physiological feelings of confidence and attachment are strengthened by the relationship's reality. Two persons become one physically in this way, and that represents what God has done spiritually. The relationship between the church and Christ is modelled on marriage. A married couple in a solid, united relationship must serve God. Sex was designed by God, along with procreation, to enhance the relationship. Instead of binding them together, sex outside of marriage establishes ties that break apart the hearts of people. Finally, there are a couple of things we need to remember about virginity, and the lack thereof, given the grace of Heaven. Those who come to Christ are not virgins after participating in premarital sexual relationships; but at the moment they are rescued, they are completely cleansed by Christ. Anyone can be saved by Heaven, and He can restore those who have given in to their fleshly lusts. There is grace in Christ for those who indulge in premarital sex after becoming a Christian. He will cleanse us and offer healing from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). And, in the horrible case of a person victimized by sexual abuse or rape who may feel that he or she is no longer able to measure up to the ideal standard of "virginity" through no fault of his or her own, Christ is able to restore her or his spirit, heal her or his brokenness, and grant wholeness to her or him.

Lust In our society and in the Church, pornography and other sexual sins are rampant. Many have argued that such actions, or at least the lust that drives them, is ultimately an unsolvable issue, a sin that in the lives of the children of God can not be defeated. But in the face of the grave and incalculable harm that lust inflicts on lives, families, and fellowships, this reaction is unacceptable. We need to understand what we are struggling with if we want to conquer lust. The "sexual buzz", the electric feeling of pleasure that makes sex so enjoyable, is a good place to start. Our thoughts, our bodies, and our cognitive functions are included in the psychobiological sexual buzz. These emotions were designed by God for good. As an early stage of intimacy within the marital union of marriage, the sexual buzz plays an important role. We wouldn't be aroused without it and sex probably wouldn't happen enough to keep reproduction going or binding marital relations. The sexual buzz inside the marriage partnership is only suitable. It is sinful lust when we abuse this capacity, giving ourselves an illicit sexual buzz. As a way to explain this, consider the following definition: Sexual lust, the illicit sexual buzz, intentionally makes pleasurable stimulation of sexual desire wrongfully guided deep inside. Let's just break it down: It's something we want to do that is willfully allowed. It is not put on us. It may be motivated by habit and carried out without deliberation to give in to it, but on our part, it is still an option. Pleasurable. We like it. In a way that we do not completely grasp, the illicit sexual buzz is profoundly enjoyable. God built us so that we can realize a pleasurable sexual buzz even when we are merely looking to enjoy legitimate sexual gratification, pursuing desire, or considering sexual activity. Gratification, when everything clicks into place, we remember as it occurs. We may argue that we "doing nothing" and may be able to fool others, but we should not attempt to fool ourselves. God can't be fooled. We focus our attention in a way that is not correct. Wrongly directed sexual desire. When it is grounded in a marital relationship, the sexual buzz is just acceptable. When we are in the slavery of desire, this is hard to accept. To persuade ourselves that it is safe to let them free, we are looking for a way to explain our waywardly pointed fulfillment of sexual desires. We can not fully grasp how the sexual buzz takes place deep inside. Our psychobiological reaction is profoundly personal and deep-seated. This happens rapidly and unmistakably, long before (and sometimes without any) externally observable evidence. Admittedly, this is a very complex concept. All these elements were distilled by Jesus, the Master Wordsmith, into a phrase that immediately rings true. He called "adultery in the heart" what takes place when we sin this way (Matthew 5:28). In doing so, with an elegant, penetrating simplicity that a Christian can not dismiss from his conscience, he included all of the above elements. **Distinguishing Lust from Sexual Desire** Those who hear this clarification for the first time have a few objections that immediately emerge, and it is best to incorporate them right from the start. The first objection is the claim that nothing other but normal sexual attraction is the sexual buzz that grows in a largely indiscriminate way. In reality, it is defined by most definitions of lust as a normal desire that has gone astray, without explaining explicitly why this happens. Unfortunately, when constructing a suitable, realistic concept of lust, there is a fundamental issue with using the words "desire" or "sexual desire" as the starting point. The concept of hope or desire for future fulfillment is expressed by the word "desire" Those who lust, on the other hand, are not only thirsty; they drink from the cup as well. We are continuously exposed to sexual stimuli, mostly visual stimuli. This is the world we're living in. Having a sexual reaction to such stimulation is normal. This is because of a part of who we are, sexual attraction. However, we are not allowed to take the next step in instances where this sexual desire is misdirected. Some may argue that illegal pleasure can not be prevented. But there is a simple way to prove this wrong: we frequently recoil from desire or sexual encounters with members of the family, such as daughters or sisters. It is deliberate and sinful to center our attention in order to achieve an illicit sexual buzz. When we have crossed into sinful desire, the fast gulp of sweet "stolen water" (Proverbs 9:17) is that. In our hearts, we may want to mitigate the adultery we allow, but God does not. As long as it is not followed up by lust, there is nothing wrong with sexual attraction. It's a finely tuned and strong talent granted by God, and we should not expect it to go away or find fault with it. The demon tutor wrote to his pupil, Wormwood, as Uncle Screwtape, in The Screwtape Letters (C. S. Lewis): He [God] made the pleasures: so far, all our studies have not helped us to create one. All we can do is allow people to take the pleasures that our adversary has made, often, or in ways or degrees that he has forbidden. If we would use our impulses to indulge in sin is the question. Ramped up sexual desires are only allowed within the marital partnership as we share and enjoy them. The sin of lust arises when, by misusing sexual desire, we give ourselves illicit sexual gratification. Do not believe the lie that, when tempted, you will not deny yourself illicit pleasure. Whenever we are tempted to sin, we should and must do so. **Sexual Ideas** Another opposition to identifying lust as an illicit sexual buzz is based on the assertion that sexual thoughts can not be excluded. But this is not the aim we are aiming for. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts (Isaiah 55:7). Getting sexual ideas, however, is not the same as committing desire. We have sinned only when we wrongly concentrate on such thoughts to create the identifiable experience of an illegitimate sexual buzz. The sin of lust, in this sense, is similar to the other sins we are vulnerable to. We all face circumstances at times that provoke us to anger, but if we linger on that anger poorly, we fall into sins such as rage, resentment, and unforgiveness. Often we all face difficulty or difficulties, yet if we dwell on those struggles and problems poorly, we fall into the sin of worrying. Often it seems that some do better than us, but if we linger on those thoughts poorly, we fall into the sins of jealousy or selfishness. Other instances such as this may be cited. Our urges and emotions no longer drive us to sin as we win supremacy over lust. **Concentration on the actual issue** Recognizing that sexual impulses and emotions are not inherently linked to lust by themselves offers the secret to overcoming it. Many want to eliminate their sexual impulses and feelings because in order to understand an illicit sexual buzz, they have habitually harnessed these. "thought suppression." is the name of this approach. Thought suppression has been extensively studied and is best illustrated by the experiment of trying to stop yourself from thinking about a pink elephant. Sadly, this method has never proven to be successful. Instead, we need to accept that we can still give rise to bad feelings, and in ways that we do not want, we will still continue to experience sexual desire. We need to "bring them into captivity" (2 Corinthians 10:5) by refusing them access to our souls, instead of suppressing our wayward thoughts and desires. It is important to avoid the impulse to' go with it.' About this, let's be straight. We may not, nor should we attempt to, shut down our desires and thoughts. They aren't the real issue. Whenever we misuse our impulses or thoughts to accommodate sin and to establish realistic strategies for winning victory, we must also understand and repent if we find ourselves being dominated by this sin. Many falsely believe that sexual impulses and sexual thoughts are aspects of us that have unique control, as I once did. When exposed to temptation, they believe they have no choice but to allow these impulses and thoughts to produce an illicit sexual buzz. It has become an automatic answer because, on a daily basis, they have crossed the line. Our impulses and emotions do not compel us to sin, however. We need to act with the knowledge and trust that God is trustworthy, instead of falling into sin, to provide "the way of escape" (1 Corinthians 10:13) if we are tempted. Entering the "way" inevitably implies that within our hearts we refuse to commit adultery. Our emphasis must be on denying real sin, developing as believers to maturity, and learning to please God. By committing adultery in our hearts, our impulses become bad when we act upon them. We are in a position to put on the new individual and abide successfully in Christ by first putting to death our evil passions and desires.

Christian's on Money The Oxford English Dictionary provides the word "rich" with six definitions. Interestingly, only one of those refers to money, where it is defined as "having a lot of money or assets; wealthy." Much of our world revolves around wealth of this nature. There is no circumstance, case, or moment that money and the pursuit of it are unaffected by. Money is not a bad thing and it can't be prevented either. Even the monks of medieval times, removed from society, used currency. A monastery won't develop itself after all. Hebrews 11 calls us "strangers and strangers" on earth who pine for a kingdom in heaven. Part of being a new creation involves changing our minds, denying the world's gospel for the Gospel of Heaven, regarding the things we had previously embraced. So if the agenda of people who don't follow Jesus is the pursuit of wealth, what does that mean for Christians? Will there be rich Christians? First let's explain the first obstacle: "Can you be rich and Christian?" "The short response is "yes." It is not enough to quote the tale of the wealthy young emperor, where Jesus says, "It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for someone who is rich to join God's kingdom." It is simpler for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for Someone to join God's kingdom. If we are rich or poor, it has cost the blood of the Son of God to carry you or me into the kingdom. Being a Christian and financially wealthy is theologically feasible. But that's not our problem. Our question is Is a Christian supposed to be rich?" The preachers of wealth will tell us that financial blessing is confirmation that we are Christians-that Jesus loves us and wants us wealthy and happy. Eyebrows are raised by the martyrs of Hebrews 11, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated. Timothy was urged by Paul to "command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant, nor to place their hope in riches, which are so uncertain, but to place their hope in God, who richly gives us all things for our enjoyment." Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be kind and ready to share (1 Timothy 6:17-18). Paul didn't tell the wealthy to avoid being rich (his belief was that there would be rich people in the church of Timothy), but he offers guidance about what it should look like to be a Christian with money. He orders (a powerful word of gentle encouragement and suggestion in our snowflake age) that they offer their wealth, share it, acknowledge its divine source, and refuse to allow it to be their "hope." Be a rich Christian, just don't be a stingy, rich Christian. And yet, written in bright red letters, Jesus looks at the crowd and speaks simply, "Do not store treasures on earth for yourselves... No one can serve two masters." You will either hate one and love the other, or you will dedicate yourself to one and dislike the other. Both God and money, you can not serve. The Do not..." is also pretty heavy. A great multitude of witnesses, monks and saints, nod to these terms in a frenzied manner. So should Christians be impoverished? Is it a rejection of wealth, a trapping of the world that the Christian has no business accumulating? In terms of poverty reduction, Christians have always led the way. It's fundamental to Christianity to support the needy. But when you are poor, it is difficult to support the poor. When we are able to keep two principles in stress, we start to reach maturity as humans. Do Christians have six figures in the accounts of their banks? Yes Yes. Will Christians sell everything they own and give everything to the poor? Yes Yes. Should Christians be the world's most charitable people? Yes Yes. Is it God's financial blessing? Yes Yes. Can Christians be totally happy that they have nothing? Yes... because in the end, we possess everything.

Christian's Faith The Christian religion is very clear. It seems too easy for many Christians to sum up our faith by saying, "It is all in Christ." Therefore we will always explore and aspire to make it more dynamic. We must stand guard as Christians against the tendency to erase, nullify, or overshadow our faith's simplicity. Paul warns the church of the Colossians along these lines. With what he terms "empty deceit," false teachers complicate the confidence (Col. 2:8). For a truer and higher spirituality in Christ, they promoted adherence to Old Testament ceremonial rules, circumcision, dietary laws, and more. Paul tells the Colossians, however, that they have communion with Christ, which means that in Christ they have already earned fullness. If there were a Christian salvation recipe, it would read, "No other ingredients are needed but Christ." We have the very substance of Christ. As Paul says in verse 8, these additions are, "not according to Christ." These other voices are just that, other voices. They have no influence in the life of a Christian. The words of Paul recall John 10, the beautiful chapter in which Jesus introduces himself as the Good Shepherd and us as his flock. He says that the sheep hear the voice of Him and obey Him. In fact, the sheep would not listen to any other voice that might want to take them off the voice of an outsider. There is no jurisdiction over us in other voices that do not serve Christ. With Christ is our communion, and He is our Shepherd who teaches and leads us. We don't dare wander from His reality, His Word. If we wander away from Christ's reality, we wander away from Christ. If we think that anything else apart from Christ, is important for our salvation, for our life of faith, then we reject Christ. Since communion with Christ implies that in Christ we have fullness. Here is the great mistake of trying to make our religion more difficult than Christ: if we are after anything more than Him then we accuse Christ of being deficient. In Colossians 2:9, Paul tells us In Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily." Fellowship with Christ implies that in Christ we have fullness. The absolute and final revelation of God is Christ. There's nothing missing. All of the sacred existence that is real belongs to Christ. All the fullness is in Him, He is completely God. Think about what it implies. It implies that there is no beginning for the Son of God; He is infinite and eternal. It means the glory of the One that even angels do not dare to look at and whom they are compelled to cover their faces before. It means the ability to shape and manufacture whole galaxies out of nothing and to protect the universe. It means information which surpasses all the books in human history. Everything that's true of God's divine nature is true of Christ's divine nature. And with reverence to His lord, all that was true of Christ, the Son of God, before time began, remains true of Him in His incarnation. In His incarnation, what was true of Him before the sun existed to shine rays of light, before the sea ever swelled with waves, even before a bird's sound was heard, remains true of Him. All the fullness of the God dwells in Him physically. And it's true of him right now. In the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the immortal, everlasting Son of God really became man. The Son of God joined Himself with a nature like ours without surrendering any of His deity, though without sin.

Repentance The subject of redemption is found in the Bible's pages. When Jesus spoke, he also said that repentance was important for his audience. He said that he came to call to repentance "sinners" (Luke 5:32). For us today, the message is just as much as it was for people living 2,000 years ago. All must learn how to repent of sin, because God commands repentance to all men everywhere" (Acts 17:30). For no one, without first repentance of sin, will obtain the gift of eternal life. Yet in the religious world, repentance is sometimes misunderstood. Many see it as an emotional response to guilt, feeling remorseful for our sins, or just seeking forgiveness from God. These aspects include genuine repentance, but the Bible reveals that there is more to it. True repentance is much more than a momentary emotional response; it's a lifelong process, actually! A lot of people feel a need to change something in their lives, but what needs to be changed, exactly? What does one have to do to maintain a repentant attitude? What does the Bible say about how to repent? Five basic stages of the repentance process will be discussed in this article. Those steps will be: **Step 1**: Accept that the thoughts of God are greater and stronger than ours. The first step in true repentance is to change the way we think. We must come to realize that the mind and thoughts of God are really higher and better) than ours. For your thoughts are not my thoughts, and your ways are not my ways. For as the heavens are greater than the earth, so are my ways greater than your ways, and my thoughts greater than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). We don't think like this, naturally. The Apostle Paul explained how people generally believe: "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh" (Romans 8:5). As God does the human mind does not think. The human mind thinks in the flesh. "Paul also wrote that the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to God's rule, nor can it be (Romans 8:7). Enmity implies that what God's law commands us to do, we instinctively resist and oppose. But what does flesh mean? In other words, thinking and doing what we want to do and what feels good, regardless of the law and direction of God, is guided by fleshly and worldly motives. The kind of carnal thoughts that come from our minds have been identified by Jesus Christ: "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man." For wicked thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, robberies, covetousness, wickedness, deception, lewdness, an evil eye, heresy, vanity, stupidity, follow from within, out of the hearts of men. All these bad things come from within and defile a person (Mark 7:20-23, emphasis added throughout). According to God, our fleshly, carnal mind creates thoughts and acts which are sinful. "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hate, contention, jealousy, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heretics, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelry, and the like are the natural "works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). These bad acts are all sin; they breach the law of Heaven (1 John 3:4). So we must first identify that our thinking and habits are out of line with the thoughts and laws of God in order to repent and please God. But we can't do that until we know that his views and ways are better than ours and that they are right. And we need to remember that this interpretation is driven by God Himself. The goodness of God leads you to repentance," as Paul wrote, " (Romans 2:4). **Step 2**: Consider our personal shame over sin. The second step to genuine repentance is to humbly accept our personal guilt against God, which means confessing our sins and recognizing how far in our lives we fall short of the thoughts and ways of God. The stirring sermon of the Apostle Peter on the Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem struck his audience's conscience. Thousands of people were 'cut to their cores,' and they said to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, 'Brethren, what are we to do? " (Acts 2:37). They recognised their shame internally and admitted it freely. Their remorse requested that they learn how to confess and start to change their lives. King David fell victim to his flesh's very heavy pulls. He did not justify himself when faced with his sins. He understood immediately how offensive his sins were to God and that he "sinned against the LORD" (2 Samuel 12:13; Psalm 51:4). We must always note that (Acts 20:21) we repent to God, not to a human being. "What Isaiah wrote later, David understood that "your iniquities have divided you from your God; and your sins have concealed His face from you, that He may not hear (Isaiah 59:2). David knew the seriousness of his sins and didn't want his relationship with God to be broken. He freely admitted those sins and bitterly repented to God (Psalm 51). We must all go directly to God, confess our sins and ask Him to intervene and forgive us in our lives. **Step 3**: Move away from our ways and immoral thoughts. Turning aside (or giving up) the sins of our lives is the third step to genuine repentance. The prophet Isaiah said, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him and unto our God, for he will forgive abundantly" (Isaiah 55:7). No one is immune to sin: "For everyone has sinned and falls short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). John tells Christians, even after baptism and conversion, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." When we say we have not sinned, we make a liar of Him and His word is not in us (1 John 1:8, 10). The final consequence of sin is death, eternal death. The Bible makes this very clear: "It is death for the wages of sin" (Romans 6:23). Jesus said Unless you repent, all of you will perish as well" (Luke 13:3, 5). Some assume that torture in hell is the result of sin, but these verses (and many others) make it clear that the only consequence and penalty for sin is death. God does not want this ultimate price to be paid by us. For each of us, his goal is to learn how to confess, be forgiven of our sins, and have the death penalty lifted. "As some count slackness, the Lord is not slack about His promise, but longsuffering towards us not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Repentance demands that we turn from our sins and turn to God-both actions and thoughts. We must confess to God our sins and cease to sin. This method demands a lifetime dedication for those who truly wish to please God. Via water baptism, we make that promise. **Step 4**: Through the word of God, strive to live. In order to bring ourselves into harmony with God, the fourth step to true repentance is changing our lives. The laws of God determine what we must modify. We must take seriously God's orders. This is what is called being converted by the Bible. Peter said that repentance is correlated with salvation (changing our lives): "Therefore repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19). It takes modesty to strive to improve our lives in order to reconcile them with the ways of God: "I will look upon this one: he who is poor and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at my word" (Isaiah 66:2). A repentant person will obey the Word of God and aspire to abide by what it says. "In Matthew 4:4, when we respect the Word of God, we will seek to fulfill the words of Jesus: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that follows from the mouth of God. By keeping His commandments, a person who is learning how to repent will begin to obey God. "For the love of God is this that we keep His commandments" (1 John 5:3). "The last Bible book focuses on those Christians of the end time "who keep God's commandments (Revelation 12:17; Revelation 14:12; Revelation 22:14). Without being discouraged, God promises to give us the resolve and power to face our sins and conquer them. More than human determination is needed for this spiritual war. God must be active, irrespective of how long it takes us to succeed in this phase. He gives us the additional power "both to will and to do for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). **Step 5**: Continue finding repentance and depending on the sacrifice of Christ. "Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" is the fifth step to genuine repentance (Acts 20:21). We confess to God our sins and He forgives us because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We ought to have faith that not only did Christ sacrifice himself for our sins, but also that our sins were eliminated by His sacrifice. Our Savior is Jesus Christ. The punishment for our sins was his death. "But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8). For the remainder of our lives, our trust in Christ, in what He did for us, continues. We must go to God the Father every time we sin and pray for forgiveness, which is made possible by our Savior's sacrifice. We must have total faith and trust that each time we repent, the sacrifice of Christ will be extended to us. We must have a repentant mind for the rest of our lives The carnal mind influences our human being, and in this life it will never go away. The rest of our lives will be spent fighting against the pulls of our existence. Some fights we will win; others we will lose. But as long as God sees that we truly want not to sin, that we despise sin and fight against it that we pray constantly, He is compassionate. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His grace unto them that fear Him: as far as the east is from the west, so far hath He taken away from us our transgressions. Like a father is gracious to his children, so the Lord is gracious to those who fear him (Psalm 103:11-13). He knows that we are flesh and when we confess, is fast to forgive us. The apostle John summed up both how to repent and the merciful response of God to our repentance: "His Son, the blood of Jesus Christ, cleanses us from all sin." He is faithful and just, if we confess our sins, to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9; see also Psalm 51:2, 7). The process of redemption and conversion outlined in the Bible is vitally necessary to recognize and act on.

Christianity The Founder:  Jesus of Nazareth Christianity has a historical creator whose existence is documented by external sources. The account of Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian born in Jerusalem who eventually became a Roman citizen, is the most accurate of these sources. He makes some brief references to Jesus in his work, The Antiquities of the Jews, both as a Messiah and as a wise teacher. Josephus also records that Jesus was crucified, and that he was returned to life by his disciples. However after that, history is silent. The four books of the Bible document much of the details about Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. However it is important to note here that these books were not written as biographies; their intent was rather to convince others that Jesus was God's son and the world's savior. They identify Jesus' life and ministry, therefore, as the one they believed to be God in the flesh. In other words, what we have in these four books of the Bible is an account of Jesus Christ, not a biography of Jesus the man from Nazareth, that is, "the anointed one or the chosen one." What do Christians Believe about Jesus? First and foremost, Christians believe that Jesus is both fully human and completely divine: "one person, two natures" is the technical formula. Christians believe that on the one hand, Jesus was neither just another enlightened teacher nor, on the other, a divine avatar-God in a human disguise. Instead, Jesus was both fully and absolutely divine in all his words and deeds and a true, embodied human being as well. "The language used by Christians to describe this is "incarnation." That is, Christians believe that in one human being, Jesus of Nazareth, son of a young woman named Mary, and her husband, Joseph, God became "incarnate," literally, "in-fleshed. Second, Christians believe in Jesus that they have the clearest expression of the core essence of God, and how God wishes to be in relation to mankind and the universe. That's why the life of Jesus, his ministry, his associates, his followers, are all vital to God's Christian understanding. Christians believe that love is God's fundamental inclination towards life, and that everything God does in the universe is intended to manifest that love. Jesus is thought to embody the love in his person and in each act of his human life. As it relates to the life and ministry of Jesus, another point needs to be discussed here and that is that Jesus was very transgressive, breaking social norms frequently and "queering" conventional conceptions of power and social status. He did not align himself with the Jewish rulers of the time, the Pharisees; indeed for their reliance on laws over citizens, they received frequent and repeated punishment from Jesus. Jesus, instead was surrounded by tax collectors, prostitutes, and other questionable members of society, hosting children on his lap, curing lepers, and talking to mysterious people. Jesus associated himself with strangers over and over again with the needy and the dirty, the underprivileged, and the unwanted. The Bible Christians have a holy text, the Bible, like the adherents of many religions, which is a collection of many smaller texts written by many writers, only some of whose names are recognized. Christians also describe the Bible as being "inspired," although that term has been interpreted in various ways. Although some Christians claim that the Bible should be read literally, even with respect to science and history, mainline Christians believe that the Bible was not written as a textbook, biography, or historical account of science, but rather as a witness to the one God who in history revealed himself in a covenant relationship first with the Jewish people, and then through Jesus Christ, to the one God who revealed himself in history. This opens up the potential for the Christian narrative to be harmonized with new findings in geology, anthropology, history, astronomy, etc. The Christian Bible is divided into two main parts, historically called the Old Testament and the New Testament. The number of books in the Bible varies between various sects of Christians, but between the Catholic Bible's seventy-three books and the Protestant Bible's sixty-six books, in both the two major divisions. The Christian Community The birth of the Christian community, or "the church," is usually associated with the event recounted in the Bible book known as The Acts of the Apostles, when 3,000 people were baptized in Jerusalem after the extraordinary witness of the disciples of Jesus, who, after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, spoke in a multitude of foreign languages. Conversation usually starts with Paul and the numerous letters he wrote to the emerging Christian communities across the Mediterranean while talking about the church (these letters now make up a considerable part of the New Testament). These societies were dealing with very real problems that the church is still struggling with today: Christian squabbles, sexual morality issues, segregation issues during worship, and the role of the law in a Christian's life. In many respects, the Christian church as it exists today was prefigured by these early communities: bound together in faith in Jesus Christ, but also differentiated by differing interpretations of doctrines and practices, and uniquely flavored by the particular geographical and cultural context in which they formed. Today, these numerous church bodies are usually called "denominations," and "ecumenical" is called dialogue/partnership between them. There are two aspects of the Christian religion which are present in almost every Christian denomination across the globe. "Word" and "sacrament" are these characteristics. In this context, "Word refers to the Bible: readings of the Bible, as well as preaching. Any group that calls itself "church" meets and reads and meditates on scripture around the Bible. The second characteristic of most churches is "sacrament." Perhaps Augustine is the most famous definition of a sacrament: "visible signs of an invisible grace." Sacraments, such as baptism and communion, are believed to be tangible experiences of the love and mercy of God that both an individual and the community receive in faith, in their physical bodies, in the greater physical body of the collected people. It took many centuries for the church to figure out what Christians have come to accept the orthodoxy of the "orthodox church; and while official church doctrines have been known for millennia, debates still occur today over the same issues. Christian Teachings The Trinity: The doctrine of the Trinity is first and foremost among Christian beliefs, both fundamental to an interpretation of the Christian faith and yet exceedingly difficult to describe. The Trinity doctrine refers to the Christian belief that there are actually three persons" of the Same God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Christianity does not profess faith in three gods, but rather the three individuals share the same essence and in various ways make God known to humanity. These "people" are not separate distinct individuals. Salvation: Salvation is another central Christian doctrine-the key Christian argument is that "Jesus Saves"-but what, precisely, that means remains to be addressed. How it applies to the way Christians interpret other religious practices is one of the most pressing aspects of a Christian conception of salvation. The conventional Christian perspective on redemption has been that there is no salvation beyond the Christian church. For millennia, this ideology drove the church's missionary activities, and still influences many different churches today: there was a strong impetus to convert people to Christianity so that after they died, they would go to heaven. This understanding of salvation, however has been increasingly questioned in the 21st century and the possibility of other options has been raised, particularly the possibility of universal salvation. Many people believe that this is a new concept brought on by a dedication to a more liberal secular culture, but in the Christian tradition, this doctrine actually has a long history. Lived Christian Identity In large part, Christian life is concerned with "sanctification," which means rising in holiness, and with "justification," which means being made righteous before God. They point in tandem to two essential elements of Christian life: first to be saved; and second, to be changed in the light of redemption. To explain these two ideas, various religions use different languages, and not all of them emphasize both equally.

Should Christians Celebrate Christmas? For decades, the controversy on whether Christians should celebrate Christmas or not has been raging. On both sides of the question, there are equally truthful and dedicated Christians, each with multiple explanations why Christmas should be celebrated in Christian homes or why not. So what's the Bible saying? Does the Bible offer explicit instructions as to whether Christmas is a holiday that Christians should celebrate? First, let’s look at the reasons why some Christians do not celebrate Christmas. One reason against Christmas is that paganism has its roots in the rituals surrounding the holiday. It is difficult to search for reliable data on this subject because the roots of many of our rituals are so mysterious that sources sometimes contradict one another. In the history of pagan worship, bells, candles, holly, and yuletide/yule decorations are mentioned, but the use of these in one's home definitely does not suggest a return to paganism. Although some traditions certainly have pagan origins, there are far more traditions connected with the real meaning of Christmas-the birth of the world's Savior in Bethlehem. Bells are played to sound the joyful news, candles are lit to remind us that Christ is the Light of the world (John 1:4-9), a star is placed on top of a Christmas tree to celebrate the Star of Bethlehem, and presents are exchanged to remind us of the Magi's gifts to Jesus, God's greatest gift to mankind. Another reason against Christmas is that the Bible forbids bringing trees into our homes and decorating them, especially getting a Christmas tree. Jeremiah 10:1-16 is the verse frequently quoted, but this passage refers to cutting down trees, chiseling the wood to make an altar, and then decorating the idol with silver and gold in order to bow before it to worship it (see also Isaiah 44:9-18). It is not possible to take the passage in Jeremiah from its sense and use it to make a valid case about Christmas trees. Christians who chose to disregard Christmas point to the fact that the Bible does not give us the birth date of Christ, which is undoubtedly valid. December 25 may not be near the time that Jesus was born, and claims on both sides are legion, some relating to Israel's climate, winter shepherds' activities, and Roman census dates. None of these arguments are without a certain degree of conjecture, which leads us back to the fact that when Jesus was born, the Bible doesn't tell us. Some see this as positive confirmation that God did not want us to celebrate birth, while others see the absence of the Bible on the subject as implicit approval. Some Christians say that Christians should stop it because the world celebrates Christmas, although it is becoming more and more politically correct to refer to it as the holidays". But it is the same claim made by false religions that completely reject Christ, as well as cults that deny His god, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses. Those Christians who celebrate Christmas also see the occasion as an excuse for nations and those stuck in false religions to declare Christ as the reason for the season". There is no valid scriptural excuse not to celebrate Christmas, as we have seen. There is no divine mandate to celebrate it at the same time, either. Ultimately, of course, whether to celebrate Christmas or not is a personal choice. Whatever Christians want to do with Christmas, their views should not be used as a club to beat down or denigrate those of contrary views, nor should their views be used as an honour badge to induce pride over celebrating or not celebrating. We seek wisdom from Him, as in all things, who freely offers it to all who ask (James 1:5), and embrace each other in Christian love and grace, regardless of our Christmas views.

Did Jesus Claimed to be God? Did Jesus claimed to be God? Yes! In many passages. But at the beginning of His life on earth, He didn't shout it out from the rooftops, because He was waiting for the right time. Timing was very important for all the prophecies of the Old Testament to be fulfilled. So, let's see what Jesus said about Himself. John 8:57 - Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" John 8:58 - Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was I AM." John 8:59 - Then they took up stones to throw at Him What a statement, right? "Before Abraham was, I AM." Is no greater statement than that, claiming deity. These are the same words that Yahweh spoke in Exodus 3:14 - "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I AM Has sent me to you." And you can only look at the Jews reaction here, by wanting to stone Jesus after what He said. Why did they want to stone Him? For blasphemy. For claiming to be God. And their law commanded them to stone someone who blasphemes against God. Leviticus 24:16 - And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him. And then Paul was also like one of these religious people who didn't believe, that Jesus Christ was just the Messiah. That He was indeed God, and that is why he persecuted Christians. Before he was Paul, his name was Saul. And then on the road to Damascus, Jesus just revealed Himself to Saul. And Saul, he became a Christian. He converted, because at that moment, he believed that Jesus Christ, is God John 10:23-24 - And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Now for those, who do not no, the Christ, means Messiah. So they were asking Jesus, to tell them if He was indeed, the Messiah. John 10:25- Jesus told them, "I told you, and you do not believe. So it's very clear here, that He already told them, that He is the Messiah. John 10:25 - The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of me. John 10:26-27 - But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice John 10:27-28 - and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; John 10:28-29 - Neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me, is greater them all; John 10:29-30 - and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one." John 10:31 - Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. I and My Father are one. He can't be any clearer than that. And then again, they wanted to stone Him, for what? Why did they want to stone Him? Because He claimed to be God. John 10:33 - For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a man, making Yourself God. And then, of course, we know that this is also the only reason why they crucified Jesus at the end. Why? Because He claimed to be God. Luke 22:70 - Then they all said, "Are You then the Son of God?" "You rightly say that I am." Luke 22:71 - And they said, "What further testimony do we need? For we have heard it oirselves from His own mouth." And then they took Him to Pilate, the Roman governor at that time. And he asked Jesus the following. Luke 23:3 - "Are you the King of the Jews?" He answered Him and siad, "It is as you say." Luke 23:24 - So Pilate said to the chief priest and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man." So Jesus never, not even once, denied it. When people asked Him, "Are you God?", "Are You the Son of God?", "Are you Messiah?", He always affirmed it in the positive. Not only Jesus, but also His followers. John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14 - And the Word becmae flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, all of grace and truth. Isn't that just amazing? John. Describing how Jesus, God, lived among them. How they beheld His glory. Imagine, you were alive at that time, and you could see Jesus as the disciples did. Thomas said in John 20:28 - "My Lord and my God!" 2 Peter 1:1 - To those who have obtained precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13 - looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing ot our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Simon Peter answered and said in Matthew 16:16-17 - "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." So it is very clear that Bible says that, Jesus Himself, and those who followed Him, clearly said that He is God. You know, Jesus knew exactly who He was. Even at 12 years old when Joseph and Maria, He was lost. They were looking for Him. They couldn't find Him for three days. And He was at the temple teaching. Luke 2:46 - after three days they found Him in the temple court, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Luke 2:47 - Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers. Luke 2:48 - When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You" And listem to what He answered to them Luke 2:48 - "Why were ypu searching for Me? Didn't you know I had to be in My Father's house?" So Jesus always knew, who He was. There was not even one moment that He was a little bit uncertain. He knew exactly. Compare that to any other religious leaders. Muhammad, for example, he wasvery uncertain. He had no self awareness. He claimed when he got the revelations, or the visions. He wasn't even sure what was really happening. Then he went to his wife. He told his wife about the whole story, and his wife convinced him that it is an angel. And you have to go and listen to him. But Jesus, He knew exactly, who He was! "Before Abraham was, I AM." And He also says in Johm 14:6 - I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. So the question that you should ask, is not, "Did Jesus claimed to be God?" Because He clearly did. But the question you should be asking are, "Why did Jesus come to earth, in the flesh? And what makes Him so different, than other religious founders?"

Jesus came down to earth because Why did Jesus come to earth 2000 years ago? We know that He didn’t just start to exist when Mary gave birth to Him, but He always existed. For example, we read in John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” There are also many other passages in Scripture that clearly shows us that Jesus Christ was always there with God the Father in the beginning. So why did Jesus come to earth and especially in flesh? You might say, it’s because He had to come as the Messiah, to die in our place so that we can be saved. Yes, that is right but there are also many other reasons and let us discuss those reasons. 1. **Representative obedience** The first human, Adam, sinned against God. He was disobedient and it brought sin into the world, and they also separated us from God. To repair this relationship between us and God, to restore it, God sent Jesus Christ to come down to earth as a human to live a life without sin and Paul talks about this in Romans 5:18-19 “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” So when celebrating Christmas, always remember, Christmas is not about Santa Claus or just getting presents but it’s about Jesus Christ that came down to earth to live a perfect pure life without sin, so that he can carry your sins on the cross and die in your place, so that you will be saved, so that you can have an eternal life if you accept this free gift to all men and women. This is why Paul calls Jesus Christ the second Adam in 1 Corinthians 15:45 “And so it written, “The first Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15:47 “The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.” So Jesus had to be a human to represent us and obey God perfectly without sin. 2. **To be a substitute sacrifice** If Jesus wasn’t human, he could not have come and died in our place on the cross. He couldn’t have paid the price for our sins. Hebrews 2:17 “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 2:18 “For in that He Himself has suffered being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” God is just. And to be able to save us, He had to make Jesus in every way that we are. So that He might become an acceptable sacrifice a substitute sacrifice. If Jesus Christ was not fully human, He couldn’t have died for our sins. 3. **The mediator between God and humans** When sin came into the world, we as humans were alienated from God, and we needed somebody to bring us back to a healthy relationship with God. And only Jesus Christ qualifies for that role. 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,” 1 Timothy 2:6 “Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” For able to fulfill this role as mediator between God and humans, we needed somebody to be both fully God and fully human, and only Jesus Christ fulfills that role. Because Jesus is 100% God and 100% human. Some people might find it hard to understand, but for humans, of course it is impossible but for God it is not. 4. **To be an example in our life** Jesus Christ came down to earth to be our example of how we should live our lives here on earth and our goals as a true Christians should always be to be like Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:6 “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” Do you really live your life according to the example Jesus Christ left us? Hebrews 12:1-2 “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher or our faith.” Galatians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and gave Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Are you a sweet-smelling aroma for other people? Does it feel great for other people around you? If you, sometimes struggle with this then just ask yourself what would Jesus Christ do in this situation right now? 5. **The pattern for our redeemed bodies** When Jesus Christ died and the after three days when He rose from the grave, He rose in a different body and Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 15:42-43 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;” This new body that Jesus had is the pattern for our bodies will look like one day when we are raised from the grave. Jesus is the first fruit according to 1 Corinthians 15:23 “But each one in his own order; Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” And in 1 Corinthians 15:49 “And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” Jesus had to be raised as a human being, to be the first born of the dead. Colossians 1:17-18 “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead that in all things He may gave the preeminence.’ 6. **To sympathize as high priest** Jesus went through a lot of pain and suffering while He was in earth, and if He was not fully human, He would not have experienced what we go through of our struggles. Hebrews 2:18 “For in that he Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” And in the end of the chapter, it goes say Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 7. **To fulfill God’s promises** God always keeps His promises. Everything around us always changed and that is uncertain, but God never changed. Proverbs 30:5 “every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” Jesus fulfilled around 300 prophecies from the Old Testament, and some of these are very specific prophecies. For example, there’s over 20 GS within the 24 hours of Jesus’s crucifixion. It was prophesized that Jesus would be deserted by His disciples, that He would be falsely accused, brutally beaten, that He would not retaliate, He would be executed with criminals, His hands and feet would be pierced, His bones would not be broken, they would gambol for His clothes, His mother would be a virgin, the exact place of His birth. There’s a lot more, but you can get the point. Jesus Christ is the only religious founder that could claim anything like this because God made these promises hundreds of years before Jesus came down to earth as a human and they all came true. Jesus Himself is the promise of the Messiah that would come from the line of David and come to save the world. Jesus Himself said John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Jesus loves you so much that He died in your place. He took all your sins on Him as punishment and He suffered so that you don’t have to and all He asks is that you love Him, that you accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life. It is His gift to you

Unforgivable Sin The Unforgivable Sin How it is possible? We knew that the Bible says that God forgives all our sin, Is it not contradicting itself? Jesus said in **Matthew 12:31** “Therefore I say to you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men. But the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks word against the son of man, it will be forgiven him: but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. Either in this age or in the age to come.” Some people read the verse on its own and then they don’t fully understand it. You need to read it in its context to fully understand it. **Who is Jesus talking to and why is He saying this to them?** **Matthew 12:22** Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” This means the Messiah that was prophesized. **Matthew 12:22-25** Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, but the ruler of demons.” But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided itself will not stand.” **Matthew 12:25-30** If Satan casts out Satan, he I divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. **Matthew 12:31** “Therefore I say to you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men. But the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks word against the son of man, it will be forgiven him: but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.” It’s clear that Jesus was not speaking to believers, but to the Pharisees who did not want to believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. We need to understand that the Pharisees saw with their own eyes the truth of Jesus. The miracles He did, that He was the Messiah, and they still rejected Him and even worse. They told Him that His power is not from God, but from the devil. So in the context, Jesus is talking about the **sin of unbelief******.**** Because if you don’t believe in Jesus Christ then you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. So you can’t be forgiven that. But that unforgivable sin is more than that. **The unforgivable Sin includes three things** 1. A clear knowledge of who Jesus is, and of the Holy Spirit’s power that works through Him 2. An intentional rejection of the true facts about Jesus Christ which the Pharisees knew 3. Falsely saying that the miracles and work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus is of the devil.

Unanswered Prayers Do you ever pray to God? You talk to Him, but He’s just silent. You feel like you’re talking to Him about everything, but He’s not really listening to you. He doesn’t hear you. Well, He does hear you. In fact, He know everything about you. **Psalm 139:1-4 “O Lord, You have searched me and know me! You know when I sit a down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it.”** So God hears your prayers. He knows everything. He’s God almighty. He even knows your thoughts. So He knows what you’re going to ask before you ask it. Now. You need to know, that He’s not always just going to jump the moment you ask Him something. He doesn’t always answer us immediately. Why not, you might ask? There are three main reasons why God does not sometimes answer our prayers. The first thing you need to understand about promises of God, and that includes prayer, is that there are certain condition for the promises. And second, some of the promises is meant for God’s people, for Israel in the Old Testament, and some for those who follow Jesus in the New Testament. So it’s important to know, that you cannot just pull a certain verse from Scripture and force it kind of to apply it to your life for your specific situation. Unless God gives you a rhema word, through the logos word that applies to the specific situation, that you prayed for. You need to know that even though God hears your prayers. There are several reasons why God would not answer you in certain situations. 1. Sin Sin creates a wall between you and God. **Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the Lord hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that cannot hear; but your inquities have made a separation between you and God. And your sins have hidden his face from you so that He does not hear.”** So if you continue willfully to live in sin and you pray to God, then He might not answer you. For example, if you own a business and you pray to God that He blessed the business. You ask Him certain question about the business, but you do things in the business that is wrong. You know a little bit money under the table, a bribe here, bribe there. Then God will not probably bless you. **Proverbs 28:9 “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.”** **Isaiah 1:15 “When you spread out your hand, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.”** So if God is not answering your prayers. If you feel like there’s this wall between you and God, then ask yourself, “Wait a minute. Is there any kind of sin? Is there anything that I’ve done, that’s wrong?” and if you’re not sure, go and pray and ask, “God, is there anything that I did that is wrong? Please lead me through the Holy Spirit and reveal the truth to me.” And then if there is something, then the Holy Spirit will bring it up. He’ll bring it up into your thoughts and then all you got to do is ask for God for forgiveness. Ask Him, “God. I’m sorry for this that I’ve done. I ask that you forgive me.” That is one prayer that God will always answer. **1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”** You have to repair your relationship with God. You have to be in a right standing before Him. Remember. He says, “Be holy, because I am holy.” If you are in the right standing before God. If you are righteous, then your prayers will have great power. **James 5:16 “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”** Alright, I think you understand now that it is important to live right. To live holy before God, so that He will answer your prayers. 2. Praying against God’s will Now, you need to know that God’s will is perfect, ours is not. If God always just gives us what we want it can be very, very dangerous, because we cannot see all the consequences of our decisions, but God can. **James 4:3 “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions.”** So we pray to God, you have to come to Him and pray not with a selfish mindset, but you should pray within God’s will for your life. Pray with the right motives and with the right attitude. There’s a lot of people who became Christians, because they heard if they become a Christian, God will bless them and give them what they want. If they ask anything then God will just give it to them like a genie, but they pray according to their own selfish desires. So they twist Scripture to fit in with what they want, **John 14:13-14 “Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”** So God does promise it, but they forget the part where He says, in my name, if you pray, if you ask in my name, they don’t understand what it means to pray in God’s name. Which means according to His will. And remember, you cannot just go one verse in the Bible and just read that, and then take that out. You have to read and understand the Bible in a balanced way. **1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have toward Him that if we ask anything according to his will He hears us.”** So the Bible says, that God will answer our prayers and He will give you what you want as long the condition, as long as it is in line with His will. For example, a man gets a phone call from another company, asking him to come and work for them for more money and then the man just decides to take the job. And he ask God to please bless him with this new job that he’s going to take. He never ask God if it is His will to leave his current job for the other one. And God knew that the other job would be terrible for him, that he should not go. And He wanted him to stay at the current job to testify to a certain person that’s working with him, a colleague. You see, the right prayer request should have been, “God, I’ve got this opportunity, it sounds amazing. Is it from You? If it is from You, please help me and talk to me, and guide me, because if it is from You then I will take it, but if it’s not from You, then I will stay where I am.” Jesus Himself always walked within the will of God, the Father. **Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done.”** 3. Not praying through faith You have to believe, that God will answer you on the proper time which He will offer you consistent with what He knows you would like , not consistent with what you think you need **Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours**.” **1 James 1:6 “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea – driven and tossed by the wind.”** I talked to a person a short time ago who was during a very deep depression. A Christian man and he said, “You know I’ve sinned against God. I asked Him to forgive me and He’s just quiet. I keep praying to Him. I keep on asking Him and He just, He’s just quiet. He’s silent. I don’t know what is going on? So I prayed over and over again and Asked Him, God forgive me. Forgive me for this. Forgive me for that. The same sins. Please forgive me, but heaven is quiet.” He felt dirty. Unworthy of God’s love. That was his feelings. That’s how he felt. And he felt that he’s not good enough, that God cannot forgive him. So he kept asking God for forgiveness all the time. But he didn’t realize that God already forgave him the primary time he asked God’s forgiveness. And now he’s believing this dwell his head that God didn't forgive him. He did not have faith In God’s promise. Rather he believed his own feelings. You can't do that. You have to believed and Trust God’s word. The promises In Scripture over your own feelings. So, I talked to him and I told him, “Look you are sinning right now. This is a replacement sin, because you're calling God a liar, because He says in Scripture, that i will be able to forgive you in 1 John 1:9. And God is not a liar. So you have to believe Him.” **Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord; though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as a snow.”** **1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”** And then this just went open to Him. The Holy Spirit helped him and he prayed and he said, “God, i'm pitying trusting my very own feelings and believing the lies in my head over your promises in Scripture.” And boom, he was freed from depression just like that. You have to trust God and His promises. If you pray about something and He answers you, then you'll stop praying and have faith, full confidence That He will keep his promise. Remember you faith is not something, something temporary, or just something or someone, it is in God almighty. **1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.**” You have to remember something. You will always pray according to God’s will and in faith if you abide in Jesus and His word. **John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”** Now, if you want a deeper relationship with God, you need to give him time. Your time. Go to your room, close the door where it’s just you and Him, and spend time with Him in prayer. **James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded.’** Some people, they expect God to answer them, especially when they pray about big things, but then they still have this hate or un-forgiveness in their hearts towards their wife or their husbands, or someone else. You have to go and make it right first. **Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”** I’ve talked to a person who wants to figure for God and his wife also . They just want to actually work for God, live for Him, but they need something against one another , against the past. And it seems like they can’t advance from what happened. So they want God to speak them about how to work for God, but He’s quiet, He was silent. Was God not already speaking to them through Scripture, which they should first forgive each other? And He’s still waiting for them to first forgive each other, before He can use them effectively for God’s glory. Sometimes, God is still waiting for us to do something that He already talked to us about, before He can speak to us about something else.

Baptism Baptism? Why is it so important? The main goal of this article is not to attack anyone. I knew, that a lot of Christians and different religions are fighting about all these. And it is sad so say that it made us separate even more. We forgot that we have one common enemy, the dark forces in the air. So the goal of this article is to look at the Scripture. What baptism is and why it is important Baptism Together with communion, it is an ordinance that Jesus gave to us, the church, before going to heaven, to the Father God. As the church, we should be preaching the gospel, the truth in love. We should make disciple and baptize also those we made disciple for Him. The day when we became a real Christian, we were baptized with the Holy Spirit that God sent us to live inside of us. When Jesus went to Father God in heaven, the disciples didn't know what to do so they started praying, and the Holy Spirit came. So when the day we becoma a real Christian,we received the Holy Spirit. We bacame a part of the body of Christ, a family of God, and we became brothers and sisters in Christ because we have the same Spirit, in all of us. Black, white, brown, culture, it doesn’t matter. With all the racist things going on in the world. We Christians, we’re different. I am not a brown Christian. I am a Christian first that happen to be brown. Do you get the idea? This is the amazing thing about being a Christian. Having God’s Spirit within us. And we are a body of Christ. A family in Christ. Baptism with water It is the reenactment, of the baptism by the Spirit. When you read Scripture and you see that Jesus died for you. When you accepted it. It’s not just Jesus who died for you, but you died with Christ. Your old nature. The person you used to be, who lived in sin. That person died with Christ on the cross. So first, when you are baptized, you are put under the water. This means, it symbolize that you died with Christ. So remember, when you are baptized, it symbolizes you die with Christ. And then when you come out of the water, it represents that you are spiritually reborn. Newness of life. A new creation. Before you are saved, you are spiritually dead, because of your sin. The word baptism means, to emerge. So you under the water, die with Christ. Rise from the water, rise with Christ. It shows how God changed you, as a person. You were dead, spiritually. And now He raised you and gave you spiritual life. When you are baptized, you openly say to the world, that you are now a real reborn Christian. That you’ve been born again. You turned away from your old sinful lifestyle, and you turned to God, in newness in life. A new spiritual relationship. A loving relationship between you and the living God. Baptism, illustrates your death, burial, and resurrection with Jesus Christ. And baptism with the Holy Spirit, happens inside of you. God changes you as a person inside. It’s a miracle that only god can do. And then baptism with the water, is the outside testimony of what happens to you inside. So it is associated with your salvation. And very importantly, baptism is an act of obedience. Because God said, that we have to be baptized, when we come to faith. First, we believe in God. We testify it with our mouth. We ask Him to forgive us and to come and change us. And to make us a new person. So He justifies us and he gives us the Holy Spirit.

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The Bible: End of times 3/3 The Bible: End of time 3/3 **Philipians 2:3** "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but humility count others more significant than yourselves." Did you hear that? **Philippians 2:4** "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." Do you do it? If not, you got some changes to make in your life. **Matthew 12:24** "And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." We have to endure all these hardships, all the pain, and suffering that we will endure in this life, we need to endure it. We need to continue to run the race until the end because the reward at the end os far greater than any suffering or hardships that you may experience in this temporary world. **Matthew 24:12** "And this Gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." As disciples of Christ, we need to share the gospel of Christ, we need to share the Gospel to everyone, to the whole world in love and truth. And if you are truly a disciple, a reborn Christian, then you will share the Gospel with other people, because remember you love God and you love other people. And if you truly love other people, then you don't want them to end up in hell, you want them to be saved. So, of course, you are going to share the gospel in truth and in love. There are too many passive Christians who don't do anything. Sometime we focus too much on this temporary world, and we don't focus on God and think about the things that are above the eternal things. **Matthew 6:19-20** "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and ehere thieves do not break in and steal." How do you lay up for yourself treasures in heaven? You do it by following God's will. God has a plan for your life, and you continually wlk with Him through the Spirit. Act in the Spirit. Everything that you do, you do for God in the Spirit. **Colossians 3:23** "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." The signs of the End times are False Christ Wars and rumors of wars Famines Earthquakes Tribulations False prophets The gospel proclaimed to the womhole world, and then there will be Great tribulation **Matthew 24:21-22** "For then there will be great tribulation, such as not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days has not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for sake of the elect, those days will be cut short." We humans, with our sinful nature, we arw already destroying the world. And we will destroy ourselves with it if God does not stop us, and after the tribulation, Jesus will come. **Matthew 24:29** "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, qnd the poweres of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the son of man, amd then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, amd they will see the son of man coming of the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heavem to the other. Imagine what that would be like. Still, we don't know when the exact time and date is. So don't believe in false prophets who say that they know. Don't believe them. **Matthew 24:36-39** "But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the son of man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away. So will be the cominh of the Son of Man." **Matthew 24:44** "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." So, are you ready? And don't just think about the end time, because you might die before then. The are lot s of people dying every single day. Evn you and I will die. Time is running out. It' one thing you cannot control, time. And if you're not ready to meet God, then get ready with Him. Do it today, don't wait until tomorrow. Because tomorrow might be too late.

End of times part 2 of 3 **Matthew 24:6 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various place.”** Famines, most of us today already know about this. The WFP already warned that 2020 would be a devastating year for many countries. Ravaged by war and poverty with 135 million people facing crisis levels of hunger or worse, and their updated projections doubled that number. And now with covid-19, the United Nations said the pandemic will cause global famines of Biblical proportions. Famines and earthquakes, you know about all the earthquakes, we hear it all the time over the news. Even back in 2014, NBc News said the annual number of great earthquakes nearly tripled over the last decade. Between 2004 and 2014, 18 earthquakes with magnitude of 8.0 or more rattled subduction zone around the globe. **Matthew 24:7-8 “And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.”** The beginning of the birth pains. Of the end time, is getting closer and closer, and you need to be ready. **Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.”** Prosperity preaching teaches, that we as Christians will live in luxury. We will have a lot of money, we’ll have a nice life here on earth, but that’s not what the Bible teaches. It says that things will get worse for the world as we get closer to the end of times, especially for Christians that are persecuted. Jesus say that we will be put to death and hated by the world for His name’s sake. There is a cost to follow Christ, but you know it’s better to have nothing in this temporary world, no possessions, but have Jesus than to have everything, but not Him, not Jesus. **Mark 8:34 “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospel’s will save it.”** “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” You don’t know when you will die. It can be tomorrow, can be next week, can be next month, can be in years, but you will die, and so will I. And you know, you won’t take anything with you. Everything that you’ve gained in this world, all the possessions, you won’t take anything with you to the next life, but the decisions you made in this life will determine where you will go when you die. **Mark 8:37 “For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with Holy Angels.”** You need to make sure that you are living your life for Jesus Christ and not your own selfish desires, because time is running out. **Matthew 24:10 “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophet will arise and lead many astray.”** We know that this is happening today. Many Christians are just fighting each other with certain doctrines and small things. Just fighting each other, and don’t realize that our fight is not against each other but against Satan and his demons. Many are led astray by false prophets, teachers. Why? Because people don’t know the Bible. They don’t know the truth, and if they don’t know the truth, how will they be able to discern a false prophet, a false teacher, if they don’t know Scripture? And then there are even some preacher who teach lies because they don’t know Scripture themselves. You should not believe every Christina or teacher, or prophet, or whatever they call themselves. Don’t believe just anyone, but test what they are saying with Scripture to see it is the truth so that you won’t be easily misled. **Matthew 24:12 “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”** We don’t even have to talk about this because you know it just as good as I do, you see it on the news every day, all the lawlessness, the corruption, all the government all over the world. It’s sick, we are sick, our sinful nature in us is sick, and the cure was, is. And will always be Jesus. People are growing more selfish and cold, and that is also why marriages these days don’t even work because it’s not about the other person, or trying to lift them up, or to see what they need and meet their need, to have empathy. It’s all about me, but as a Christian, we are different because we have God’s Spirit in us, and God is love.  To be continued 2/3

The Bible: the End of Times (1/3) End of the world, when is it going to happen? How is it going to happen, and what is going to happen? Let’s us first start at the beginning. We need to look at the Bible prophecies so that we will know ehat the signs of the end times are. The Bible does not give us an exact date of the end of times, and it says that no one will know except God, the Father. **Matthew 24:36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but the Father only.”** So never listen to false preacher who say, “I just go a prophecy of the exact date and time.” Don’t believe it. They are false prophets. No one will know, but what we will know is the signs. So we can discern when the end time are coming are coming close by looking at the signs. **Matthew 24:3 “As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am Christ”, and they will lead many astray.”** The first thing that Jesus says will happen is, that there will be many people who will claim to be Him. The christ, the Messiah and there’s been a lot of them already. 19th century 6 people who claimed to be Jesus 1. John Nichols 2. Arnold Potter Jones Very 4. Baha’u’llah 5. William W. Davies 6. Mirza Gulam Ahmad In 20th century, these people who claim to be Jesus, or the reincarnation of Jesus, grows around 30. And right now, we hear about it all over the world. Like the cult leader who was arrested in Russia, the one in Brazil, and even in South Africa, a man claimed to be the black Jesus. I know, it’s crazy. But what’s even crazier is that people actually, some of them believe them and follow them. **Matthew 24:6 “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.”** You will hear of war and rumors of war. We humans are, our sinful nature, pride, lust, greed, all of these things will always lead to war. And according to the New York Times, out of the past 3400 years, we have only been at peace for 268 of them. That’s just 8 percent of recorded history and at least 108 million people were killed in wars in the 20th century. And an estimated 150 million to one 1 billion died in wars throughout all human history. Think about the First World War, the second world war, and then there are many wars that we don’t even know about. At the beginning of 2003, there were not just one or two wars but 30 wars going on around the world. These included conflicts in Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, china, Colombia, the Congo, India, Indonesia, Israel, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda. And do you know we, Christians are the most persecuted religion in the world? More than 70 million Christians have been murdered because of their faith since the time of Jesus and when one to speak to some people, you will be shock, they don’t know what happen in the past. But it will actually more shocking that there are many Christians who are still being murdered today. 11 Christians are killed for their faith in the top 50 countries ranked on the world watch list, according to open doors. And apart from this, apart from all the wars, take a look at the crime rate all over the world. War is defined as an active conflict that has claimed more than a thousand lives, and in South Africa, over 21,000 people were murdered in 2020 and it is getting worse. It can be scary when you truly look at the world for what it is, but remember Jesus said “do not be alarmed.”  To be continued 1/3

What God tells you right now You have read on my previous article about why God allows **suffering and pain.** But you still feel like wanting to give up? That things are too hard? Well, don’t give up because **God says**, Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” You might say but I’m not strong enough and it’s too much to handle but God says, Isaiah 4:10 “Do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.” Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in Me with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding, but in all your ways, submit to me and I will make you paths straight.” Matthews 6:25- 33 “Therefore I tell you. Do not worry, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear…Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? ...can you by worrying add a single hour to your life? I am your Father and I know you need all these things, but first you need to seek my kingdom and my righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” Proverbs 30:5 “My words is pure and I am a shield to those who put trust in me.” Philippians 4:6-7 “So be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your request be made not known to me and my peace which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Hebrew 11:6 “Without faith you cannot please me because if you come to me, you must believe that I exist and I reward those who come seeking.” James 1:2-8 “consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance finish its work. So that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything. If you lack wisdom, you should ask me who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because if you doubt you will be like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Then you should not expect to receive anything from me, because you are double minded and unstable in all you do. Isaiah 40:31 “But if your hope is in Me, your strength will be renewed. You will mount up with wings like an eagle, you will run and not be weary and you will walk and not faint.” Philippians 4:13 “You can do all thing through Christ who strengthens you.” Now you know that God promises in His word that he will look after you. He will help you but there’s conditions. So the questions is, do you really 100% trust God? God doesn’t always want you to try harder with your own human power, He wants you to trust Him deeper. So stop trying and start trusting and fully surrender yourself to God. Give every single aspect of your life over to Him. Give Him control. This will change everything in you, because you’re going to submit to God and that is what He wants. So stop looking at your problems and start looking to God. **If you’re outside of Christ, you’re weak, but if you’re inside of Christ, you’re strong**, because then God can work through you and He can deal with all the problems in your life. He promises it… but you have to fully trust in Him.

God, Why? If God exist and is love, then why does God allow pain and suffering in the world? 1. **Free choice** God is love and He gives us love. 1 John 4:7-8 “Let us love one another for love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love.” We as human cannot fully love if it is not combined with the freedom of our will. So God gives all of us freedom to make our own choices. Think about it, if we are controlled by God to love without our own free choice in the matter then it’s not really true love. Galatians 5:13 “…You were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh, rather serve one another humbly in love.” You see God wants us to love Him with all of our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and also to love each other, but He will not violate our free will by controlling us to do. So He tells us what He wants us to do, because He knows what is good for us but He leave the choice with us and unfortunately, there’s a lot of people out there in the world that make a lot of wrong decisions and they decide to do evil things. But see, to ask God to stop all the evil acts is to ask God to take away our freedom of choice. Sometimes it’s easy to just try and blame God for everything, but you have to look at humans, because we are the ones that’s creating this mess that we are living in 2. **Suffering is a result of sin** Most of the suffering and pain that we go through is because of our own sin. We have free will to make our own decisions but there’s always consequences to the decisions that we make. Things like anger, lust, greed, arrogance, selfishness and some of these kinds of sins often results in broken relationship and in some kind of unhappiness. Suffering and pain is also a result of someone else’s sin, for example, war and political agendas. Let’s look at the starvation an example, most of the starvation on the world is caused by the unequal distributions of the world’s resources civil war or some other form of human sin and in the some way individual suffering is also often caused by someone else’s sin for example adultery, theft, sexual abuse, unloving parents, reckless or drunk people and murder. 3. **Pain and suffering also show us that something is wrong** God in His infinite wisdom sometimes allow pain and suffering in our lives to show us that something isn’t quite right. That something is wrong, for example, some people have congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis. This means that they can never feel any kind of pain and it might sound great but it’s actually very bad because if they step into a nail and gets infected, but they don’t even realize it’s very dangerous and it might cost them their life. Death and certain situations let you see sin and the destruction it causes in this life without God. So it shows you that something is wrong with this world that we live in, it’s a fallen world that turned his back on having God and towards the sin of people. And so, if we see the pain and the suffering in this world then it’s very clear to also see that it needs a healer and God is the only one that can heal this world. So even pain ultimately leads to God. 4. **God as the law Giver** If you ask the question, if God exist then why is there so much evil in the world? Well, if you believe in evil then you must also believe that there is good and then you must also believe that there’s a moral law where you can know the difference between good and evil. And if there’s a moral law, there has to be an ultimate lawgiver, which is God. So God has to exist for a question to be real, because if God is not real, there’s no ultimate lawgiver and that means that there’s no good and evil. Sometimes we focus so much on all the suffering and the pain in the world and we forget that there’s also a lot of good even more. It is impossible for one person to see all the good that there is in the world. So you can’t see all the good in the world but did you ask yourself this question: “Where does all the good come from? James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of the Heavenly Light.” 5. **Pain and suffering is the result of the fallen world. Adam and Eve’s sin** Genesis 3 “cursed is the ground because of you... I will produce thorns and thistle for you.” Romans 8:20-21 “For the creation was subjected to frustration.” If you look at this fallen world, natural disaster is also a result of this disorder in creation. Now, human freedom does not always answer this question of why does a particular individual suffer or why nations suffer, but it does explain the origin of suffering. Suffering and pain is the result of either your sin, someone else’s sin, or by just living in a fallen world and remember this even though there’s pain and suffering in this world, God still works through pain and suffering to restore people’s live and to heal them. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and future.” Romans 8:20 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him ho have been called according to His purpose.” No matter what problems that we face in this world, as His children, we can fully trust Him as our Father and remember this: When you focus so much on just in this world, you are forgetting that this world is temporary… we’re only here for a very short time… you might die tomorrow, you might die next week, you might die in a few years, but we never know and so if you live for God, you live in righteousness.

Is drinking alcohol a Sin? Can a Christian drink alcohol? Well, it doesn't really matter what I believe, it doesn't really matter what other people believe - it matters what the Bible says about it. The Bible is very clear about alcohol, drinking alcohol and getting drunk. There's a lot of verses about this and the Bible is very clear that it is wrong to get drunk. Ephesians 5:18 "And do not be drunk with wine which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit." Proverbs 20:1 "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." This verse explains one of my friend before. He was not wise, he was dumb.. Before he became a Christian, he used to drink a lot. But then, when he became a Christian he told me that God is gentle and He works within you, all those things that is not right, that is not in line with His will for your life. And so, he stopped drinking because: 1. It is a sin 2. It was part of his old sinful lifestyle 1 Peter 4:3 "For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lewdness." So he stopped drinking. But still he enjoy a wine here and there with his wife when eating dinner. It's not wrong to drink alcohol, but it is wrong to get drunk. Ecclesiastes 9:7 "Go eat your bread with joy, and drink your winr with a merry heart." Remember that they even used wine for medicine 1 Timothy 5:23 "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities." And do you remember the first miracle that Jesus did? He turned water into wine at the wedding in John 2 Psalm 104:14-15 "He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine that makes glad the heart of man." We need to know that even though you can enjoy wine, the Bible is very clear in the dangers that lies behind it. Proverbs 23:29 "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds wothout cause? Who has redness of eyes? Proverbs 23:30 "Those who linger long at wine, those who go in search of mixed wine." Proverbs 23:31 "Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly." Proverbs 23:32 "At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a Viper." Proverbs 23:33 "Your eyes will see strange things and your heart will utter perverse things." God knows the devastating effect that alcohol has on people. Especially if we look at the family - when a parent is addicted to alcohol. I personally witnessed how families are destroyed because of alcohol. This is one of the reasons why I will never drink in fornt of someone who I know lobes drinking. Because I don't wanna to cause them to stumble and to keep on sinning. Romans 14:13 "...not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way." A lot of people who are alcoholics, who drink, they go to the bottle for a reson; they go there to forget about all the problems in their lives. So they do that, instead of choosing God, who actually has the power to help them - they choose the bottle, they drink, they get drunk, and after a few hours, they wake up and their problems are still there. The cycle just continues, and it gets worse. If you're a Christian, if you say that you are a true Christian, but you make a decision to continually drink, so you make a decision to continually sin; you nerd to know, that you might not enter into the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19 "Now the works of the flesh are ebident which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and alike of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past that those who practice such things will of God. This is very clear, if you continue to drink and get drunk, and feel that it is okay, it's fine and you want to keep on doing it. Then you're probably not a real Christian; because a real Christian wouldn't want to do anything on this list, because the Holy Spirit will convict you of a sin. But if you are a Christian, remember, we are not perfect, and we will fall at times, but then we need to God, we need to ask forgiveness - we need to make it right. And then you need to stop because God says you cannot continue to live in sin.

Do Not Kill Yourself Why does it hurt so much? Why can’t I just be happy? Why do all these things happen to me? Maybe I should just kill myself. Because this life is not worth living. No one will even notice when I’m gone. Please stop. Stop all those thought in your head. Stop all the lies, stop all the emotions, and please just listen for a while. Don’t kill yourself because God loves you. He’s got a plan and a purpose for your life. 1 John 4:19 “You love, because I first loved you.” Jeremiah 31:3 “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” 1 Peter 5:7 “cast all your anxieties on Me, because I care for you.” Romans 8:38 “For I’m sure, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor death, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you from my Love.” Proverbs 8:17 “I love those who Love me, and those who seek Me diligently, fine Me.” Romans 8:28 “If you love Me, I will work all things together for good.” Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, and I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Matthew 6:31 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, saying, what shall I eat or what shall I drink, or what shall I wear.” Matthew 6:32 “For the unbelievers seek after all these things, and as your Father, I know that you need them all.” Mattherw 6:33 “But first, seek My kingdom and My righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 1 John 4:9 “In this My love was made manifest to you. I sent My only Son in the world, so that you might live through Him.” 1 John 4:10 “In this love, not that you have loved Me, but that I loved you and sent My Son, to be proportion for your sins.” John 3:16 “So that if you believe in Him, you will not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:17 “I did not send My Son to condemn you, I sent Him so that you could be saved through Him.” Ephesians 2:4 “I am rich in mercy, because of the great love with which I loved you.” Psalm 103:8 “I am merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Titus 3:4 “When my goodness and loving kindness appeared, I saved you.” Titus 3:5 “Not because you did anything in righteousness, but according to My own mercy. By the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Psalm 55:22 “So cast burden on Me and I will sustain you.” Psalm 34:18 “I am close to you who are broken hearted, and I save those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 23:4 “Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear o evil, for I am with you. My rod and my staff they comfort you.” Psalm 118:6 “I am on your side, you should not fear. What can man do to you.” 1 Timothy 2:1 “You then My child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Proverbs 3:6 “Trust in Me with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Me and I will make straight your paths.” John 3:17 “What I’m doing, you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Jeremiah 31:3 “Now remember, I love you with an everlasting love.” 1 John 4:8 “Because I am love.” Acts 17:28 “In Me you live and move and have your being.” John 1:22 “To all who did receive Me, who believe in My name, they are My children.” So don’t kill yourself. And if those thoughts come into your head, just push it out. Because God loves you. He’s got a plan and purpose for your life. He wants you to live for Him and in Him. Live for Christ and He will show you what life is really all about, because He is the way, the truth and the life

What God says about Profanity? Is it a sin to swear, to cuss, to use vulgar word, profanity? In this modern day, use of foul language are everywhere, especially on online games. It is way of people to criticize other, on how superior are them. But is it okay to use those vulgar words? Let us talk about what the Bible says about using obscene, foul, foul language. In our society we use more vulgar language, because we became more vulgar, but it’s sad isn’t it? When vulgar becomes the new normal. But how do we as imperfect human beings, know what is right and what is wrong? We have to look at God, who is perfect, says about what is right and what is wrong. What God says about profanity? Matthew 12:36 “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you’ll be justified and by your words you will be condemned.” So you will give account for every careless word that you speak. It’s not just talking here about swearing, but about every careless word that you speak. You need to know that if you act through the Holy Spirit, you will not speak carelessly. Now some people might say, “I can’t control myself”, “I just speak before I even think.” But listen, don’t make excuses or lie to yourself, because if you are a real Christian, you have God’s Spirit in you, and one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is self-control. Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” If you act through your own nature, you will struggle to have self-control, but when you choose to act through the Holy Spirit, then you will always have self-control. The decision is yours. Ephesians 5:4 “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” This verse speaks for itself. Most of us say, that we are Godly people, that we love God, but lot of us drink like crazy, we curse like crazy, but when the food is serve we pray to God. It doesn’t add up, isn’t it? That is only dead religion, and it means nothing. James 1:26 “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” If you are a true Christian, then you are the light of the world, and you should shone your light. Be an example in your deeds, but also in your words. So how is it possible you can say you’re a Christian, but at the same time, you use the same tongue, the same mouth to swear and curse, and use obscene and foul language, and then also worship God. James 3:10 “from the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” Yes, we are in this sinful, temporary, fallen world, but we are not part of the world. We are set apart. We have to live Holy because God is Holy. Roman 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” So we have to live Holy within God’s will, and know it’s not just when we look at swearing, or foul words, it’s not just that. It’s what we say to people, the situation, and how we say it to them. Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” It doesn’t say that you have to sugarcoat things, but speak the truth in love, and sometime you may need to say things that people’s sinful natures do not want to hear, but you have to do it because of God’s word. It’s not always easy, but you have to discern. You have to let the Holy Spirit lead you, guide you to know what, when, and how to talk to people. Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” There might be times where this will be very tough, and you might not know what to answer people. Our aim is always to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and to be like Him. 1 Peter 2:21 “For to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. Remember, Jesus would never say the things like obscene and foul language. 1 Peter 1:15 “But as He who called you is Holy, you also be Holy in all your conduct.” So next time, ask yourself when you say something, and ask yourself, would Jesus do that? It’s a good test and you know we as a society, we usually talk about physical abuse, that’s wrong, and it’s good because we should talk about it But what about verbal abuse? Words cut right into the heart, and it can cause more damage than physical abuse. Your tongue is very powerful and you need to be careful. Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” You need to remember that your tongue shows people your heart, because a tree is known by its fruit. If you are a Christian and you struggle with your tongue, ask God to help you.

What will happen when we die? What will happen us when we die? We need to know the answer to his question because we will all die someday. Statistics says that over 150,000 die every single day. You, I or they, one day, will be included on this list. Some says you will go to heaven and others say you will go to hell, some say you’ll go to purgatory when your life ends in this temporary world. So what is the truth? As believer, we don’t need to fear death because we need to look at it as joy. When we die, we know we will be with God in heaven and then there will be no more tears or suffering. Philippians 1:21 “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 ”Yes, we are of good courage and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” This temporary world is not our home. Our home is with the Lord and we can look forward to it with joy. **What happens the moment we die?** Some believers say that when we die we go to a deep sleep until the second coming of Jesus. This is what they called the Soul Sleep Doctrine. This doctrine teaches that when as a believer die at that moment you go into a state of unconscious existence until the second coming of Jesus. This doctrine is not really widespread and it was mostly taught by the Anabaptist at the reformation. Some Christians believe in purgatory. The Roman Catholic Church believe in purgatory and it is this place where your soul goes to be purified from your sins before you can go to heaven. Other believers say that when we die, our soul goes immediately to Christ and our body goes to the ground and it stays there until the second coming of Jesus. When that happens we will receive our body again and be resurrected eternally. **What about unbelievers?** Other says that when unbeliever dies they will either go to hell for eternity or will suffer for a long time because of their sins and then they will just cease to exist. This is what they called the doctrine of annihilationism, which means god will annihilate them. So is this the truth? **The Purgatory** When look at the Bible in a balanced way, there is nothing said about purgatory. The Roman Catholic Church created it and they found a little evidence of it in the apocrine book. **2 Maccabees 12:42 – 45** Judas Maccabees the leader of the Jewish forces also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this, he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was holy and pious thought. Therefore, he made atonement for the dead that they might be delivered from their sin. This is in contrast with the Bible and we should know that the Apocrypha book is not equal in authority with the bible. It is not part of the bible and it should not be taken as authority. **The Doctrine of Soul Sleep** When the bible talks about death as sleep, it does so as a metaphorical expression. It shows us that death is temporary for Christians just as sleep is temporary. **Psalm 115:17** The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence. **Psalm 115:18** But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore It doesn’t say that we will first go and die and be unconscious for a long time and then we will be with the Lord. It is metaphorical because our body will stay on earth while our soul goes to be with Jesus. The only thing that is written on the Bible is that our physical bodies will return to dust and our souls will go to Jesus Christ. **Genesis 3:19** By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

Does God love you? "Does God love me for who i am?" Have you ever asked this question for yourself? I am! This is one of the important question and we really need to know the answer. I know you've asked this for yourself because you're going a lot of pain and suffering or maybe, it's just you don't know who God really is. We are not perfect beings and we don't know the truth but we need to know that God does loves us for who we are. **1 John 4:8 ..**God is Love.**.** **1 John 4:7 ..**For Love comes from God.. Let's see how God loves us from His own words. **Jeremiah 1:5** Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.. **Genesis 1:27** I created you in my image.. **Psalm 139:1** I know everything about you.. **Psalm 139:2** I know when you sit down and when you rise up.. **Psalm 139:3** I know all your ways.. **Acts 17:28** In me you live and move and have your being, for you are my offspring.. **Jeremiah 31:3** I have loved you with my everlasting love.. **Matthew 10:30** Even the hairs on your head are numbered.. **Jeremiah 29:11** For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.. **Acts 17:16** I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live.. **Psalm 139:14** You are fearfully and wonderfully made.. **Romans 8:38-39** and nothing will ever separate my love for you.. **1 John 4:16** I am love and whoever lives in love lives in me.. **James 1:17** Every good gift that you receive comes from me.. **Exodus 19:5** You are my treasured possession.. **Jeremiah 29:13** If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me! **Ephesians 3:20** I am able to accomplish infinitely more than you might think or ask, through My mighty power that is at wirk within you.. **Psalm 34:18** When you feel crushed and broken hearted, I am close to you. **Matthew 11:28** And I want you to come to me when you are tired and carry heavy burdens, because I will give you rest! **Isaiah 59:2** But, because of your sin, you have made separation between us. **Isaiah 53:6** You chose to go your own way. **1 John 3:1** But I demonstrated my lobe for you in this that while you were still a sinner, Jesus died for you. **John 3:16** I love you so much that I gave you my only son, so that if you believe in Him, you will not perish but have eternal life. **2 Corinthians 5:18** Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. **1 Peter 2:24** Jesus took your sins upon Himself on the cross, so that you may die to your sin and live for righteousness. **1 John 2:23** If you receive the guft of My son Jesus, you receive me. **John 1:12** If you do, you will become my child. **1 John 3:1** and it is my desire to lavish my love on you as your father **Matthew 7:11** I offer you more than your earthly father ever could **Matthew 5:48** because I am a perfect father **Revelation 3:20** So here I am, I stand at the door and knock, if you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in **Hebrew 13:5** I will never leave you not forsake you **Romans 8:38-39** Neither death nor life, neither Angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height or death or anything else in all creation will be able to separte will be able to separate you from my love! You heard it from His own word. God loves us more then you would ever know and He's been there all along. **The real question is, "Do we love God?"**

Sacrament of Marriage ***Marriage, one of the most common institution across every time and culture. And across those time and cultures, it has had totally different meanings.*** **What do Catholics mean by marriage?** It is one of the seven Sacraments. The Sacrament of marriage means that the couple themselves are a sign of God's love. Sacraments is a visible sign instituted by Christ to give grace. Catholics believe marriage is a vocation, a call from God, to love, honor, and live in union with one person for life. Just as God calls some to the priesthood or religious life, He calls couples to follow Christ through marriage. This also means that since their marriage represents Christ's love for the Church, the ordinary day-to-day life of a couple points to a greater reality where Christ is present. He leads them to greater unity in love. Civil marriage are performed by government officials and recognized as a legally-binding union, but what marriage means varies from couple to couple. They can be part of a traditional religion or not. While all civil marriages are recognized as legal, and Catholocs believe that God can be present in all circumstances, for a marriage to be considered valid in the Catholic Church, it must have particular qualities. **Catholic marriage must have the followinf four elements.** 1. One man and one woman must enter into the marriage freely. The spouses must be free to marry. There can be no conditions that would get in the way of this freedom 2. They freely exchange their consent They must be not freely from other vow or ties, but also choose each other on their own without pressure from anyone else. 3. Consent to live out what the Church means by marriage. Covenant, which mean to marry for life, be faithful to one another, and be open to children. Marriage is a lifelong commitment. Couples pledge to go through hard times and good times together, to do the work of growing with and toward each other as they age. 4. The exchange of vows that takes place publicly before a Church minister, usually in a church Catholic marriage is not just for the couple, but is a continuing sign of God's love for the community and the world. Whike the Sacrament of marriage is witnessed by a priest, thecl ritual itself takes place between the man and the woman. Their vows are made publicly as a sign to one another and the whole Church community. Catholics know the bar is set high. It's no simple calling to live out ordinary daily life in such a way as to be a sign of Christ's love for each other and for the world. And unfortunately, it's not the kind of thing you could hack. The requirement are not there to be a burden. While not everyone lives them out perfectly, they're to ensure freedonm and happiness.

Prayer **What is prayer and what does prayer involve?** Prayer is a spiritual communication with God. It is when you talk to God and God responds to you. **So what we can learn about prayer?** When praying, God will never cast you out or reject anybody who comes to him in prayer We can talk to God anything that is in our heart because he already know what we are going to say even before we say it Your sins, flaws, and weaknesses can't prevent you from coming God in prayer. God does not rejoice in your suffering God answers prayer according to His timing, choosing and His will You can talk to God anytime. **5 Categories of Christian tradition on Prayers** ***Petition*** - this os telling God our desire and asling Him to meet our needs. ***Thanksgiving*** - simply thanking God for all the blessing He's given us ***Intercession*** - praying for other people that God will bless them and help them with whatever rhey're going through ***Worship*** - we can worship by getting quiet in God's presence and asking in His forgiveness. **Praise** - acknowledging God for who He is, apart from anything He can do for us. Not all prayers are answered, but never doubt God. He loves us and has good plans for us, even if we can't see what they are. We have to trust that God knows our needs better than we do, and He wants what's best for us. And sometime going through hardships that eventually draw us closer to God and help us to be a better person. Good morning everyone! Start your day with a prayer. God bless!

Forces of Evil Forces of evil... **A lot of people talk about evil in movies, television, social media, but what does that really means besides just bad?** In the Catholic worldview, **evil is actions and attitudes contrary to God's love.** Catholic teaching say that **evil is something we do, not something we are.** So even the worst criminals in history weren't inherently evil. They were people with fundamental human dignity like you and me, who chose to do bad things. From earliest human history, artists, writers and great thinkers wrestled with the complex human tendency toward destructive attotudes and actions. This destructive tendency is demonstarted by scientific research and recognized by most of the world's largest religions. The Church teaches that this isn't about psychological weakness or random mistakes. There is a supernatural force of evil working on human beings from our beginning. **So is that the Devil? Is the Devil really real?** Catholic experience identifies our tendency to do evil with the influence of something we call **Satan, or the Devil.** Pop culture thinks of the Devil as a big horned guy with red skin, wings and a pointy tail. But that's not always what evil looks like. **So what does the Church mean when it talks about the Evil One?** **Catholics believe that God created humans with soul and free will**. Sometimes people use that free will to reject God and do evil things. The Church also teaches that God created other kinds of beings. **Beings that don't have human bodies but have free will. These are called angels. But some of them rejected God and Christians referred to those as demons.** *Tradition identifies the leader of these demons as the Devil in English, which comes from the Greek word diabolos, meaning "divider"* The devil wants to divide people and make them work against each other. It's also known as Satan, from the Hebrew for deceiver or accuser. It tries to instill doubt about the goodness of Gid or other human beings. People also called the Devil, **Lucifer**, which in Latin means light bearer, and it refers to it being one of the most beautiful and powerful angels before rejecting God. The Book of Genesis tells us the story of how the Devil influenced the first people, Adam and Eve, in the form of a serpent. It convinced them that something God told them not to do would be good to do. Just like in the Garden of Eden, the main way that the force of evil works on people is throught temptation. Temptation is when you try to convince yourself that something harmful, or wicked, or hateful, is actually something good. Temptation in itseld doesn't make a person bad. Everyone suffers from temptation. **How will you respond to temptation?** Even the strongest people can't always recognize or resist temptation on their own, but Catholics believe God wants to help in those moments. They call this **grace**. For Catholics, the force of good and God's love in the world is always there to guide you and strengthen but when most people hear forces of evil, they think about possession. But long before there are three earlier stages of evil's power over us. **Three Evil's Powers** 1. Temptation 2. Obsession 3. Oppression Sometimes this powers over us indicate a biological or a psychological illness and nit demonic obsession or oppresion. It's important to seek professional medical help to discern this, because, in some cases, the symptoms do indicate a supernatural origin. It's also not a good idea to try figure that out yourself. Best is to talk to a priest or a spiritual mentor and let them knos what symptoms you experience. Don't suffer in silence, because ebil thrives in silence and secrecy. Sometime the most important step is to ask for help. And one of the best ways to ask for help is through prayer. Opening yourself to God's love and letting Him bring you peace of mind. There are Sacrament of Reconciliation and Communion, rituals that bring them closer to God and strengthen their habits of choosing good and rejecting evil.

Who is God? Who or what is God? Is He even a He? What is he really like? How has fatherhood changed Him sonce the beginning of time? When we say God, most people think of God, the Father, who Catholics believe is the first person of the Holy Trinity. The Trinity means that God is three persons in one in eternal communion. Catholics recognize that who God is goes far beyond what we can know or express in human language. In fact, some theologians say that God is so vast that as soon as we think we've defined God, we're already wrong. But that's never stopped us from trying. What pronouns do we use for God? The Cathechism of the Catholic Church is clear that God is neither male or female and transcends human terms. It says that Gid is pure spirit, in which there is no place for the difference between the sexes. However both Scripture and the Church have traditionally used He and Him to refer to Him. It has to do with the way language works. In English, the masculine pronouns is gender neutral, which is why you can say all men and include everyone, even grandmother, girls in first grade, and your neighbor who thinks he's descended from dragons. And among other gender options, it would be really weird. In Scripture, when asked who He is, God says, "I am who I am," which mean personhood and existence itself. Jesus also called God his Father. This carries on from the Old Testament. God has also been called Creator of Heaven and Earth, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Most high, and more confusingly, I am and YHWH. The last name YHWH is a tetragrammaton and has traditonally not used because it wasn't said out loud in Jewish tradition, as an expression of the infinite greatness and majesty of God, a practice that continued in Christianity. What is God like? Catholics believe God is the Creator of the Universe. Since nothing existed before Him, He transcends time and space, making Him eternal. And He's omnipotent, meaning He has the power to control everything, He holds all things in existence. Which is also why He is omnipresent, meaning He is everywhere all at once. God is eternal to His creations, present all at once and everything depends on Him. Catholics believe that God hd no reason for creating the universe or all of us other than love. God only knows why. Catholic believes that God never ceases to call us to seek Him. And since we're created by God, the desire for Him is an inherent part of us. Which mean only in God that we will attaim true happiness. If Good is good, why are there so many stories about Him that makes Him seem not? Stories where God seemed to commancd murder and genocide are definitely tough. The thing to remember, though, is that the Old Testaments is the story of the development of God's relationship woth Israel. And all of the civilization we're talking about we're living in bronze age. Even the concept of metal tools was revolutionary, let alone just having one God. Sacrificing children to gods wasn"t uncommon, and something evem the Israelites were tempted to do on a few occasions. That's not to say that two child sacrifices make a right. But more like, God had to reveal Himself to humanity gradually shaping and protecting the children of Israel. When it comes to command to commit genocide, we won't be getting any commands like that, because Christ revealed that God in a completely different way than what people had gotten used to. While adherence to the law was seen by many as the most important way to serve God. Jesus showed us a Gid that emphasized love, mercy and forgiveness, enought to gibe Himself for us. God didn't change but their ability to perceive God evolved. And Catholics see Jesus as having final word on God seeing as He is, you know, the Word of God.

Proofs of God Have you heard some people say that believing in God is just irrational as believing in unicorns, monster, or chocolates that isn't sweet to taste? You may have also heard some Christian claim that there is irrefutable proof that God does exist. Can we use fact, logic, and reason to talk about God's existence? Or is it all just a bunch of spiritual woo-hoo? Eversince the dawn oh history, human beings have wandered what is our place in the universe, and most have had a sense deep down that there is somr higher power. Even though there's been a lot of disagreement over what that higher power might be like. Aristotle, a philosopher, realized that using reason, human could gain greater insight in to the mystery. Reason is an essential tool for getting fuller insight into ourselves and the universe. To Catholic, Jesus shared the deepest truths about existence, as recorded in the Bible. But these revelations in Scripture aren't the only way of knowing. Key ways that reason can support belief in God 1. **Logic of causation** In the 13th century, Catholic thinker St. Thomas Aquinad created an intellectual revolution by applying the philosophical tools of ancient Greece to Christian spirituality. He proposed 5 ways of arguing for the exiatence of God. Everything in the universe has a cause likr a toddler asking, "Okay, but why?" The point is you can always go back one more step. You exist because of your parents. They exist because of their ancestors. Science traces this chain all the way back to evolution, the formation of the Earth, and the forging of chemical elements in the hearts of exploding start. Most physicist believes that all matter in our physical universe exploded outward from a single point during the Big Bang. But, what caused the Big Bang? Eventually there is something that wasn't caused by something else, that set everything else in motion. This, as Aquinad says, we understand as God. 2. **Law of physics** In order for us to exist at all, not only did evolution need to follow a very precise path, but the laws of physics themselves couldn't be much different from what they are. Current science says that there are 38 kinds of elementary particles which interact according to four fundamental forces. Even very slight changes to these would prevent our solar system from forminh in the first place. For example, one second after the Big Bang, if the gravitational pull hadn't been balanced to within one part in quadrillion, the known universe have quickly collapsed back on to itself. If the pull had been just a tiny bit weaker, matter would have never clumped together to form starts and planets. The same problems would have happened if the density one instant after the Big Bang hadn't been tuned within 60 decimal places. According to physicist, Roger Penrose, for the universe to produce orderly matter, it would have needed very low entropy or disorderliness, just after the Big Bang. Only 1 in 10 to the 10 to 123 possible universes would have had low enought initial entropy. That's 10 followed by vastly more zeros than there are atoms in the known universe. Any one of these factors would prevent life. None of this irrefutably proves the existence of God, but these discoveries through our scientific reason show that a life-supporting universe coming into being by pure chance would be a mind-boggling coincidence. Astronomer Hugh Ross compared it to the possibility of a Boeing 747 aircraft being completely assembled as a result of tornado striking a junkyard. Catholics see an inteliigence behind all this, and that, to quote Aquinas again, we understand as God. 3. **Human Experince** Reason also allows us to reflect on our own experiences of the world in search of truth.cwhen we experience beauty, feel love, or ponder our own existence, most people would say we're transcending a purely physical understanding of the world. Maybe, you believe that 100% of the experience of love is just an illusion explained by hormones and electricity in our brain. Neuroscientist can describe the electricity in our brains and analyze our hormones, but they can't explain why humans have the capacity and desire for the transcendent. And the non material part of ourselves that connects us to the transcendent is what Catholics would call soul which has it source form God. Ultimately, a certain leap of faith is still required. Reason can point our minds toward God but the heart must also seek Him. The Catholic view of God is a sort of tension between two understandings. On the one hand, we are humbled by the vast and transcendent mystery of it all, and that's okay, because on the other hand, we believe that God made us in ahis image, and knows us, and loves us more personally than we can imagine. God don't really need to create a universe; let alone us ridiculous humans. But the fact that God did create us and created universe reveals God's desire to share Himself with us. **So what it means to believe in God?** It means living with gratitude that eberything you are and have comes from God. And it means recognizing the inherent dignity of all human beings made in God's image. God bless everyone!