Practical & Spirit-Filled Purity

from Voice of Revolution, online magazine from the ministry of Dr. Michael L. Brown

After being personally challenged and blessed by the recent article on a call to ‘Cleanse Our Eyes!’ by VOR writer Bryan Purtle, I felt led to write a short follow up with some practical principles and suggestions for dealing ruthlessly with sin, and the enemy’s enticements.

Jesus gives this instruction in Matthew 5: 27 – 30:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

What does it mean to ‘gouge’ out your eye, and ‘throw it away…’? Or what does Jesus teach in ‘cutting off…’ your hand and ‘throwing it away…’? Isn’t the Lord being a little too radical? Doesn’t this kind of Christianity sound a little weird or extreme? In response to this I would say, ‘Absolutely!’ He is teaching us how to view sin, and He is instructing us on how to radically deal with it! Only God ultimately knows the darkness, power and destruction sin brings, and thus has sent Jesus into the world to not only deal with its power and effects through the Cross, but also to instruct us in the Spirit filled life of holiness.

Another may say: ‘Surely, grace is available, and He understands our weaknesses, not to mention Christ is our advocate before the Father, and He forgives and cleanses confessed sin’ To which I say in accordance with the Scriptures, ‘absolutely’! (1 John 1: 5 – 2: 2) But also in accordance with the Scriptures I say, that not only has Jesus dealt with our filthy past if we have been truly Born Again, and has made more than adequate provision for our present and future failings as He deals in our lives through our life in the Spirit, but He has also given His glorious Spirit and Word to loose us from the bondage of sin and its dominion! (Romans 6: 14 – 23) As Paul says in Romans 6: 14: ‘For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.’

Grace is there to not only cover but to deliver, empower and bring victory because of His triumphant death and resurrection, through the outpoured Spirit!

Jesus has dealt with sin and the enemy, ‘once for all’, and now we partake in Kingdom life by the Spirit of God. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we then experience His Holy power dwelling within, and also we hear Him taking the Words of Christ and establishing them in our hearts. The affect is purging, refining and establishing. The Word then becomes a living burning Word by the Spirit, and it brings power and grace for a holy life.

So then, we come to the practical issues of Matthew 5. Jesus is using radical terms to cause us to flee from sin, and deal with it ruthlessly in our hearts. In this chapter it is the heart Jesus is primarily concerned about, not just the outward deed (though that too will bring disastrous consequences!) He knows that sin must be dealt with at the root, not just the fruit. This is why He talks of the murderous or adulterous heart. It is the heart of a man which determines his actions.

So below are just some key practical ways of dealing with sin:

· Seek the face of God radically with all your heart through prayer and reading the Word. If the Lord leads, do this with fastings also. Allow in that time the Spirit of God to come in fire and freedom and bring you into the freedom of Christ. Allow Jesus to come to deal thoroughly with the root of the issue in your heart. One man said: “Is sin hounding you; are your old habits re emerging? Do you feel the enemy pulling you back to your old ways? Then the remedy is this: Run to the Risen Christ!”

· Go and find a strong, Godly man or woman of God to be accountable to. Maybe you know of a minister or elder, or a leader of some kind. Ask God about whom, but don’t delay in looking and going to someone. Become accountable to them, and allow them to speak into your life and pray with you through into victory. Confess your failing to them in confidence. Let them ask you frequently how things are going. Trust them, and let God use them to instill discipline, Godliness and humility into you. All sin ultimately is rooted in pride. This is a great Kingdom principle (James 5: 16) and helps bring humility and light into our hearts. Don’t listen to the enemy telling you not to confess and be open. I have proved that there is tremendous liberty and victory in humbling myself to my brothers, under the sight of God!

· Married? Be open with your spouse. It’s amazing to me how often times when I confess my failings to my wife, how much thoroughness, grace and wisdom she has in helping me. This is a gift from God for both men and women. Use it!

· Cut off the offending part. Is the problem TV? Maybe go on a TV fast, or only watch it with someone else, or even get rid of it all together! Is the problem the internet? You can get rid of it or if you must have it for your work, then buy a children’s filter software, and let someone you trust and is Godly, monitor your use. You can never be too final or thorough in these practicalities!

· Don’t isolate yourself or become weary in well doing! One proverb says: He who isolates Himself, seeks His own desire. Remember King David’s falling because He did not go to war with the army of Israel. It is a key thing to plug in to a strong Jesus exalting, Biblical and Spirit filled NT Church, and serve there.

· Read and listen to messages of servants of God who are aflame for God! Holiness is infectious in the Holy Spirit’s presence! Many times I have sensed the flaming arrows of God through another’s ministry, and it sets me aflame even more!

So there are just some of the essential things to be done to gain victory. I’m sure there are many more things some of you may consider worth while, and by all means, please feel free to add some to the comments section below. However, please let’s remember the main thing. Christ has come in the power of the Spirit, and has defeated sin in His body on the Cross! His Blood, His Spirit and His words are the key factors. At the same time don’t let legalistic ‘extras’ come in. Remember, the key issue is always the heart of man. It is there God wants to ultimately work. From there our actions will be righteous, our eyes will be consecrated and our minds free!

May God give you freedom, victory and fullness through His Son, for His glory.

Stop Worshiping & Idolizing Celebrity Preachers - Paul Washer

T-Shirt Theology

The one on the LEFT is $19.99 (with applicable tax).
The one of the RIGHT is free.

For this and more biting, but eye-opening, satire visit The Sacred Sandwich

Give Thanks

Philippians 4:4-7, NJKV
⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Psalm 130
 ¹ I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up,
         And have not let my foes rejoice over me.
 ² O LORD my God, I cried out to You,
         And You healed me.
 ³ O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave;
         You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.^{[a]
        
 4} Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His,
         And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.^[b]
 5 For His anger is but for a moment,
         His favor is for life;
         Weeping may endure for a night,
         But joy comes in the morning.
        
 ⁶ Now in my prosperity I said,
         “I shall never be moved.”
 ⁷ LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong;
         You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
        
 ⁸ I cried out to You, O LORD;
         And to the LORD I made supplication:
 ⁹ “What profit is there in my blood,
         When I go down to the pit?
         Will the dust praise You?
         Will it declare Your truth?
 ¹⁰ Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me;
         LORD, be my helper!”
        
 ¹¹ You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
         You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
 ¹² To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
         O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

When I Became A Man (Put the Toys Away)

Wow - Spending too much on 'Christmas'?

Check this out!

Former Abortion Director Has Radical Change of Heart

I have been coming across lots of important messages that continue to highlight the atrocity that abortion is. I feel these are worth sharing. This is from CBN News, go here for the written report.

An ultrasound of an abortion being carried out - Horrific

Vee writes one of my favourite blogs, Living Journey. I saw this today at her blog and thought it important to share:

The Fire (a video by Nate Pfeil)

This is Ouch Truth. The kind we all need to hear. This is a must-see. Please view!

Busy as a Bee - Examining Myself Too

I have generally been deficient in the whole department of online correspondence and interaction. I leave for San Francisco in just over two weeks so I also have a list of things to do to get myself ready and packed. I am sooo ready for departure day to arrive already!

I have a lot on my mind lately. I have been spending time reading on false teachers and apostates from books of the bible such as Jude, 2 Peter and 1 Timothy - and making notes. It's 'scary' and eye-opening stuff that every serious Christian needs to be aware and educated about. There is so much deception out there right now and it's not our good intentions that will protect us from being deceived. Nothing but the word of God (knowing and doing it) will shield us from being deceived and deceiving ourselves.

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless you are disqualified.
2 Corinthians 13:5

"The Tragic Path of James Baldwin"

This is just an excellent article by John Piper that I felt it important to share:

James Baldwin, novelist, essayist, poet, was born August 2, 1924 and died November 30, 1987. From child evangelist in a store-front church in Harlem, to the front of TIME magazine as a dominant prophetic voice of the sixties, to a disillusioned anti-American living and dying in France, Baldwin’s life was another witness to the power of Christian roots and the tragedy that comes when the root is severed.

...Continue reading here

One Year of Blogging

I have now had this blog for ONE YEAR. I have enjoyed it. I had two other blogs some years ago but I was a student at school and didn't have the time and ability to keep at it though. Right now, I think I have discovered my place in the blog world as well as what I hope for out of it. At the very least, I have discovered what I am not.

I am not a pro-blogger. I am not seeking to earn any sort of income, ever, from blogging.
I am not a mommy blogger (yet) and so though I enjoy the stories and pictures, there's only so much I find I can comment on.
I am not a daily blogger. In fact, I can go happily for a long time without blogging as long as I continue to read/skim my favorite blogs at my own leisure. I do want to be somewhat regular for my readers though.
I am not a blogger driven by the number of readers or stats. It is nice, for sure, to have new readers - yet I would be very disappointed to know all these people weren't actually taking the time to read every now and then!
I am not the prettiest blogger. Aesthetics are nice and I wish I could do more design-wise, but I am not at the stage of pursuing change yet. I would be very happy were I to find someone who wanted to take on the challenge and teach me some stuff too. Even uploading photos for posting is something I have to discipline myself to do more of!
I am not an impersonal blogger. I really enjoy interacting on some level with the people who read my blog and vice versa. This is the 2nd biggest pay-off for me I think. I value authenticity in relationships greatly.

The WWW is not the best place to hope for relationships and friendships per se, but as long as I'm here and there are other people sitting behind their computers, I really want to make something more than an impersonal or superficial connection on some mutual level at some point along the way.

I read/subscribe to a wide variety of blogs: biblioblogs, mommy blogs, artsy blogs, food blogs, pastors' blogs and others. It's not possible to comment on everything but I do get a kick out of simple things like getting a reply to a comment or a whenever a little discussion evolves.

I am a blogger who wants to have something of value to say at the end of the day. I want something greater than my own thoughts, ramblings and experiences to be woven throughout the blog posts here. And this is my biggest pay off. To hope that God will use something I've said or shared, maybe even a Marvelous Musing, to reveal something more about Himself in some way to some one.

Finally saw Fireproof

I finally saw Fireproof the movie on DVD. I had heard a lot of great things about it. In fact, my friend's hubby who is strictly an 'action movie' type of guy, actually cried a little! I have to say, the acting was quite sub-standard. And this runs throughout the movie for the most part. However, the message of the movie is superb, necessary, and it comes through loud and clear. I was not as emotionally moved as I thought I would have been, based on the effect I've heard it had on some men who saw it, but I think this is because the movie targets men and husbands more than the opposite sex.

I would absolutely recommend this movie to anyone. It brings a message of what true love really is and how to make it work. The principles will work for anyone, regardless of whether they're a Christian or not. However, I daresay a non-Christian will not truly be able to love their partner consistently in actions, without the inner work of the Holy Spirit. This just happens to be another message in Fireproof. Enduring love starts with God and is perfected in God.

What's In MY Name?

Well, I have been absent from my blog for about two weeks now. A lot has happened in various areas of my life. On Wednesday 24th June, while in the course of a conversation, I stumbled upon some information in an article that shook me up pretty good regarding my ethnicity. As you know, I have been spending more time praying. Around this time, praying for Israel, Jerusalem and the Jews is something that became very exciting for me.

I was casually discussing an old Jewish shop sign I spotted along one of the main roads and checked online for more information about a prominent and Jewish family that had operated a successful exclusive store on the island until a few years ago. Hans Stecher came to the island at the age of 14 with his family, fleeing Vienna in 1938. In his reflections about the 'disappearance' of the Jewish community on the island, he mentioned that many Jewish family names were changed and listed some last names that actually point to Jewish families, as well as some that were slightly changed. My last name was one of them. I also found a website maintained by our national library that also contained this information.

I spoke to my mom (who has always been intensely passionate about anything Jewish, without knowing why) and was told that:

• she has always considered herself a 'Jew', I have many times heard her say that she is connected to 'those people' (but thought it was her Christianity making the connection)
• she long ago, secretly felt and wondered that perhaps there was some Jewish ancestry just based on the depth of her emotions
• not only is my last name from my father, well, they also share it in their genealogy. More precisely, my mom and dad are related: My mom's grandfather's (her mother's father) sister's son , was my father's father. That means my parents are distant cousins.
• these were white-skinned, long, straight-nosed, brown/red haired people who married into the other Caribbean ethnicities, namely, East Indian, perhaps indigenous Indian and African, so that now, we mostly look a nice blend of dark, 'local Caribbean'.
  

I face several difficulties in finding out more. Detailed birth and ancestry records were not kept in the islands; much of my family is split up in different countries now; the older generations are practically gone; my parents' and their families were actually from another island nearby (and most of them did leave that island) and my parents have never been back to their island of birth since leaving in the mid 1960's.

The more research I do on my last name, the more evidence turns up that this name does indeed point to some Jewish Sephardic families. I have always known it was 'Portuguese' and since I live on the brink of South America, that made even more sense, but the origins of its origin had never occured to me till now.

Part of me is very excited. Part of me was somehow 'shook up.' I want to know for certain. But I don't know how to know. There just seems to be nothing else to work with right now.

My Name is Pride

My name is Pride, I am a cheater.
I cheat you of your God-given destiny....because you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment......because you "deserve better than this."
I cheat you of knowledge......because you already know it all.
I cheat you of healing......because you're too full of me to forgive.
I cheat you of holiness.......because you refuse to admit when you're wrong.
I cheat you on vision......because you'd rather look in the mirror than out a window.
I cheat you of genuine friendship......because nobody is going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love....because real romance demands a sacrifice.
I cheat you of greatness in heaven....because you refuse to wash another's feet on earth.
I cheat you of God's glory.....because I convince you to seek your own.

MY NAME IS PRIDE. I AM A CHEATER.
You like me because you think I'm always looking out for you.
U-N-T-R-U-E.
I'm looking to make a fool of you. God has so much for you, I admit, but don't worry...
If you stick with me YOU WILL NEVER KNOW.

by Beth Moore

From LSD to Ph.D. (The Personal Testimony of Dr. Michael L. Brown)

Dr. Michael Brown recounts his Jewish youth of drugs and rock music, and how he came to follow Yeshua (Jesus).

Dr. Michael Brown's testimony - from LSD to PHD. from RealMessiah.com on Vimeo.

“I’m, burning in hell! I’m, burning in hell!”

It was 1:30 in the morning, the first week of September, 1971. I was only sixteen years old, but already I had earned the nicknames “Drug Bear” and “Iron Man.” I could do greater quantities of drugs than any of my friends -- and live to brag about it! Whether I was shooting heroin or using hallucenogenics like LSD and mescaline, taking megadoses of drugs had become my lifestyle. But this time I went too far. I took enough mescaline for thirty people, and my friends put me on a bus alone, sending me home to fend for myself. They thought it was a big joke! Actually it was a matter of life and death.
I became delirious on the bus and got off too soon, more than a mile from my family’s home on Long Island, New York. As I walked slowly towards the house, I thought the journey would never end. I became disoriented and got lost just two blocks from home. I sat down on the ground in mental torment, feeling like I had entered a maze from which I could never get out. I thought I had died and gone to hell.

Then, at that late hour of the night, a friend of my parents came by, walking his dog. He looked at me with shock as I screamed, “I’m burning in hell!” I was shocked too. “Why is he walking his dog in hell?” I wondered.

As soon as he walked away, I made a decision: “I’m going to jump in front of the next car that comes by. I can’t take it any longer.” I was losing my mind.

Within minutes, a car came racing around the corner. I jumped into the road directly in front of the car and threw my hands in the air. The car came to a screeching halt just inches from my body. It was my parents! The man with the dog had gone to my house and, deeply shaken, told them what he had seen. They came looking for me. They were ready to stop at that very corner. If it had been any other car I would have been killed.

But what was I doing there anyway, stoned out of my head? How did a nice Jewish boy like me get so messed up? And why was I thinking about hell? Let me tell you the story. I think you’ll be interested to hear what happened!

READ MORE or VISIT DR. BROWN'S SITE

Keeping The Heart Intact

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal... lock it up safe in the coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket... it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable... The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."

- C.S. Lewis

About Me & Him

This song is my song right now.

Catching Up With You!

It's been a lonnng time since one of my more uniquely personal posts. I felt really bad about it but then I stopped stressing knowing that I need to keep my priorities in order and mine just weren't allowing extended blog time recently. Another factor in my semi-delinquency has been that since blogger sent me that 'post from email' notice, I can easily send stuff right at the time of doing routine e-mail rounds and never actually get around to the Blogger or Google Reader site.

Well what have I been doing? Two weeks ago my contract at my job ended and I am looking forward to a new job (which I am confident God has for me - zero stress there). I want to spend about a month 'home' on a sabbatical of sorts (and yes I have some money in the bank, lol!). In the meanwhile I have been spending lots more time reading the word, praying, catching up on sermon series and making notes. Oh and intercessory prayer has been a BIG part of this lately. Actually, it was the catalyst to the whole thing. And nope, I'm not super-spiritual as I may sound (I want to be of course, in a balanced and genuine way!) - but I am a single, kid-less adult with very little responsibility so what a wonderful way I get to spend my time. I had to explain this to my best girl friend as she did start to feel kinda ignored. She thought it strange that our any-time-of-the-morning phone calls were not happening anymore...But then she is married and so life is a little different for her anyways.

It's much needed time growing my relationship with my God and Father. I can actually feel life pouring back into me and finding my heart and mind abuzz with heavenly thoughts in a more spontaneous way is so exciting. It's now so easy to recognize I have been sort of running on a minimum. But that minimum is not what the normal Christian life is supposed to be like!

Hmm, what else is there?

Well, I am still enjoying my 'new' church. I am still so thankful for the easy and effortless transition really. I am now about to start serving by handling the the projector for the sermon verses and song lyrics. And other help when requested. On Mother's Day I was asked to help in the kitchen and we had some lovely tea plates and roses (real ones) for the moms. Another neat thing is that over the last couple weeks, whatever I have been studying that week at home or felt God was talking to me about, is just what the Pastor spoke on in his Sunday services! It has been happening like this for a series of weeks. Very cool huh ;)

Still praying on my burning desire for a vacation. Ok, so I know some people may think that's excessive praying, but flying abroad is a big deal that involves many unknowns and I never intend to make a trip without God giving me an all-clear AND accompanying me (so to speak). I am the kind of girl who will just pack up and go, all on my own. It is adventurous but it also leaves me very much aware that I need to be watchful and Spirit-led. I am thinking of doing Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas for the first time...but we'll see ;)

Well, going to polish my nails now so enough typing! Blog to you soon (or -ish) ok ;)

Instant Messaging

For young women who need to be rescued...

...Or those who need an eye-opener to what else it out there...

You never really can tell what lies behind people's smiles, or seeming self-confidence. Not every 'gorgeous' girl really thinks or feels that she's beautiful. And not every white-picket-fence-family had it all behind closed doors. Oh, and not every 'bad' girl had a reason to become like that either. Sometimes it's just a matter of choices.

Ever wondered about all the stories of the women who strip, sell sex, or 'dance'? Not everyone enjoys what they're doing after the show is over. And for some women the exhilaration and sense of power and freedom doesn't last, or else it's an addiction to be maintained like any other.

I bet some of you know women like this, even if you don't know their story right now. Maybe you do. Maybe you have been there. These are, or will be, the similar stories of some of the girls in your high school class right now, your college class/campus, your workplace, and maybe even your church.

http://www.iamatreasure.com/index2.html - These ladies' stories are shocking and eye-opening.

But there is a common denominator in all of these stories. Jesus the Son of God stepped in.

Jesus was not meant to be the center of a popular 'religion.' He is a real Person we can know and communicate with personally, Who came to seek out and to save us.

The time spent perusing these brief life stories will be well worth it. Please also pass this link on: Blog, Twitter, post on Facebook or just Fwd a link via your email.

Life in the 1500s

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be Here are some facts about the1500s:


Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water.The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water.

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying. It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realised they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a ...dead ringer.

And that's the truth. Now, whoever said History was boring !

Educate someone. Share these facts with a friend.


Received via fwd email

Bestseller: Confusion

Working Dogs

Good Advice

Deceiving and Being Deceived

I believe this is a solid warning (given in 1965) that is as timely today as they get: Click HERE

Excerpt:

Many shall come with seducing spirits and hold out lustful enticements. You will find that after I have visited My people again, the way shall become more and more narrow, and fewer shall walk there in. But be not deceived, the ways of righteousness are My ways. For though Satan come as an angel of light hearken not to him; for those who perform miracles and speak not righteousness are not of Me. I warn you with great intensity that I am going to judge My house and have a church without spot or wrinkle when I come. I desire to open your eyes and give you spiritual understanding, that you may not be deceived but may walk with uprightness of heart before Me, loving righteousness and hating every evil way. Look unto Me and I will make you to perceive with the eyes of the Spirit the things that lurk in darkness, that are not visible to the human eye. Let me lead you in this way that you may perceive the powers of darkness and battle against them. It is not a battle against flesh and blood; for if you battle in that way you accomplish nothing. But if you let Me take over and battle against the powers of darkness then they are defeated, and then liberation is brought to My people.

I warn you to search the Scriptures diligently these last days. For the things that are written shall indeed be made manifest. There shall come deceivers among My people in increasing numbers, who shall speak forth the truth and shall gain the favor of the people. For the people shall examine the Scriptures and say, "What these men say is true." Then when they have gained the hearts of the people, then and THEN ONLY shall they bring out these wrong doctrines. Therefore, I say that you should not give your hearts to men, nor hold people's persons in admiration. For by these very persons shall Satan enter into My people. WATCH FOR SEDUCERS. Do you think a seducer will brandish a new heresy and flaunt it before the people? He will speak the words of righteousness and truth, and will appear as a minister of light, declaring the Word. The people's hearts shall be won. Then, when the hearts are won, they will bring out their doctrines, and the people shall be deceived. The people shall say, "Did he not speak thus and thus? And did we not examine it from the Word? Therefore he is a minister of righteousness.This that he has now spoken we do not see in the Word, but it must be right, for the other things he spoke were true."

Note: Not having familiarized myself with the other writings or materials provided by the original website, I do not necessarily endorse any other article or work on said website.

Learning About Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse varies in its manifestations and is more consistent than just a bad mood, an outburst or a hurtful comment or action. Many people like myself have had some idea about what it means just by putting the meaning of 'abuse' and 'emotion' together, but do not really know what it looks like and just how harmful it can be. It is more common for women to be emotionally abused. I believe this is because of the emotional vulnerability and sensitivity of women, alongside their greater need to maintain relationships and family which creates the perfect conditions for an abuser. Nevertheless, a number of victims are male as well.

At the end of this post you will find a few site links which will provide a starting point if you'd like to know more about this type of abuse. I hope that this will help you or someone you know to identify any relationship that is emotionally abusive and to take the steps to avoid being scarred by it. There is also healing for abusers who want to end the cycle that destroys their relationships or traps others with them in unhealthy patterns. For other interested readers, this may also be eye-opening.

There is no globally accepted definition for emotional abuse but there is a comprehensive list of traits which are components of this type of abuse. Emotional abuse is psychological and may or may not always require the use of words. It is habitual and cyclical. It can include degrading comments, insults, angry outburts, shame tactics and various forms of manipulation and control. But other manifestation of this abuse comes in the form of cool indifference, sarcasm, witholding affection, approval or companionship. It is just as damaging to the victim, especially over time. For example, the victim may be subjected to harsh comments/sarcasm, followed immediately and sharply by indifference and prolonged withdrawal. Meanwhile, the abuser never accepts responsibility and awaits the victim's 'apology'. The rare but closest half-admission would be framed by the emotional abuser as 'I apologize for...but.'

Emotional abuse breaks the victim down from the level of the soul and spirit, insidiously. Many victims of emotional abuse will tell you that they would prefer to be physically hit if they had to choose one over the other. However, emotional abuse tends to co-exist or progress into sexual and physical abuse. This is particularly a stronghold in marriages where it is less easy to delineate the normal sexual obligation of partners in the marriage covenant from sexually abusive demands and practices. Furthermore, in families where children are involved, childhood emotional abuse may develop by the abusive partner and will affect children who live in the unhealthy environment and view its effect on one parent.

The abuser may not appear to the outside world of family and friends as the other partner knows them to be. This can trap the victim in fear of being blamed or of bearing the embarrassment of this secret reality. I have read desperate stories and letters from women in different online forums and I am amazed at how it nearly seems they are all married to the same man. For the Christian wife it is particularly difficult as she is torn by the doctrine of submission, sexually belonging to her husband, protecting the children, decisions for separation or grounds for divorce. Read one example here. Many more exist if you browse.

The emotional abuser is in his/her own way, a victim as well. He/she is usually so emotionally/psychologically broken somewhere that they do not recognize their abusive behavior which is almost ingrained in their own psyche. They are enabled by responses from the other person which provide a sense of affirmation, power and even love to attempt to remedy their own brokenness. This may be the reason that they rarely accept blame or see their problem.

There have been emotional abusers who were able to admit their problem, find healing and follow through to become emotionally healthy in stable relationships such as Paul Hegstrom, a christian author and teacher on many such life issues. He wrote from experience in Angry Men and the Women Who Love Them: Breaking the Cycle of Physical and Emotional Abuse. And is also the author of Broken Children, Grown-up Pain: Understanding the Effects of Your Wounded Past.The reviews are good although I've not been able to get my hands on either. I suggest you look him up for more resources.

I studied psychology and still enjoy reading up on psychological research and theories. I find it does accurately identify and even predict many human thought processes and behaviors - some of it is absolute rubbish too - but I want to emphasize that psychological techniques cannot once and for all change a human being from the inside out and achieve wholeness. Behavioral modification comes with no lasting guarantee either. Without the word and power of God as the source and foundation of our healing process we would not even know what wholeness is or what a healthy soul and spirit looks and thinks like.

Because there is so much information available quite easily, I decided to pull out a few that were also from a Christian perspective. Other more general sites will also be useful too.

Links to Info with a Christian Perspective:-

http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/verbalabuse.html

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/search.aspx/search?q=emotional%20abuse

http://silverreflection.tripod.com/speakoutagainstverbalabusecopy/id5.html

http://www.abigails.org/a-studypage.htm

"O God Of Our Many Understandings" - READ AS - "O Man-Made God"

In case you haven't read it already, you can read this ludicrous and disturbing inaugural prayer below, from a purported representative of the christian church (it is also available on YouTube which the simplest search will turn up if you're interested).

While many of the components seem noble, this prayer is foolishness because it went wrong from its first line "O God of our many understandings." This 'god' just simply does not exist.

In addition, I shudder to think of what this type of prayer means in the spiritual realm, and how far America has fallen. Can you imagine King David's inaugural ceremony including a prayer by a high priest of baal? Ok, ok, so that did not and could not have happened, but please ponder that as the reason I call all of this ludicrous.

Gene Robinson may truly be part of 'a church', but he's definitely not a member of the Blood-bought Body of Jesus Christ. This prayer is not going any further than the ceiling, so-to-speak...unless, of course, it's captured by some demons and carried off as a keepsake for the kingdom of darkness.

By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

Opening Inaugural Event
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
January 18, 2009

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

AMEN.

P.S. Yes I do realize that Barack Obama is no King David either...

More on: deception at TWILIGHT

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
(Ephesians 5:8-11)

If you've just started reading, you can get the first installment on this topic here. I will share even more informative links with you in this post. But first, a little preamble.

In taking the scripture I started with seriously, it is my hope to expose what I can about this demonically-inspired saga that has baited and caught many Christian women and girls. I wonder how many of you already knew that the author had this saga start unfolding to her in the form of a dream she had one night. In that dream she just 'knew' that Edward was a vampire and she described how beautiful he was...and from there it continued to unfold as she put it to paper. No, this was no writer having a moment of artistic inspiration. In fact, she was no writer and this series made her into one. She was a prepared and open vessel for this satanic deception that would be unleashed to have just this effect on women and girls who just long for this supposed undying love and romance and cherish these types of sensual longings.

In the bible, a search for the keywords 'Twilight', 'New Moon', 'Eclipse', 'Breaking Dawn' and 'Midnight Sun' (her books in/hinged on the Twilight Series) or even for the word 'vampire' will not turn up anything. What the bible does tell us is clear and sufficient. God reveals Himself and the awesome holiness of His ways, so that the person in a growing relationship with Him (reading His word, loving Him, talking to Him, worshiping Him and obeying Him diligently) gets to know that this God does and does not approve of certain things - some of those are things that were never even spelled out in black and white on those pages. In those situations what we gain through a growing relationship with Him, really KNOWING Him, is what turns out to be the ability to apply the truths He has revealed (about Himself and what He requires of us), to the things that face us in our everyday life. It is for this reason that the bible is relevant for every age, for every generation, every society, every person. It contains the indestructible word of God upon which His own eternal, unchanging character is based.

Most people who read this blog and who will in the future, will do so because they consider themselves to be Christians and already have some type of relationship with the bible. It is for this reason, that a post like this should not be necessary for everyone, because discernment is sharpened by regularly exercising our senses to view and judge everything through the Word of God.

The first book I'll always refer you to is the bible. Not in the sense that you go look it up like a text you would use to support an argument in some essay. Not a cold, religious, Pharisaical study. That's not what I mean. But if you love the truth, if you seek the truth, go to the word of God. Read it. Feed on it. Pray for more understanding on what you find there. Think about it. What does this tell me about God? Knowing this, how can I best please Him? What does God require from me?

In addition, resources such as articles and teachings by other Christians who already have some insight into the ways and works of God through their own relationship with Him and His word - though not necessarily inerrant - will often do much to open our eyes to the truth and to point us in the right direction in how to start exercising discernment.

I am about to post a few more links on these Meyer books. I have been doing some research and I am not surprised that the sequels to the first book are increasingly dark and demonic though attempting to intertwine themes of 'love' and self-sacrifice' e.g. Bella's pregnancy being a risk to her that she is unwilling to end, although her baby (she is now married to the vampire by this time) is eating her (Breaking Dawn).

Living Dead Christian Blood Suckers Come Out For Twilight

The Twilight Saga – Stephenie Meyer

The Twilight Saga – Research Resources

Vampires and Young Female Desires

As a side note, I found out that Meyer has another book called The Host. As I was reading about it from her own website I couldn't help but think that this was just like a demon's take on demonic possession (or whatever you want to call it).

Here is an excerpt from her site on this other book:

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Dark, with a very dramatic plot that is designed to pique your curiosity and stoke your imagination.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
(Ephesians 6:12-13)

If you know the God of the Holy Bible. If you are walking with Him. If you are desiring Him above all else sincerely. If you have set your heart on Him. If you love Him. If you love His works and His ways. Then, you cannot read or continue to read these books without having to sit on your conscience and silence that still small voice inside that tells you that this is not like the "Holy One of Israel", the One who "clothes Himself with light as with a garment"...If after being warned, convicted, enlightened or presented with some clear standards to judge these books by, you find yourself able or willing to sit on your conscience or silence the conviction of the Spirit of God, it reveals something else, much worse, about what your heart is really set upon. And maybe, just maybe you may not be what you think you are either. But thank God, there is the Cross of Jesus.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

[On the top right side of this page I have posted the links included in this article, along will an additional link for more information about Vampirism. I will continually update this list.]

deception at TWILIGHT

"for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them."
(Ephesians 5:8-11)

I have received a number of hits to my page since a certain Anonymous poster at a well-loved blog I frequent, decided to try to set me straight after I posted a warning about this frighteningly popular book, and now a movie, Twilight.

I don't have the time to do and present the thorough research required to persuade some avid fans and others wondering about this, to look at it through biblical lens and what God's word reveals about His ways.

However, I believe there are some people who are interested in being led in the way of God's word even though right now they find themselves with questions and confused between all those who praise the author's work and those who attempt to expose it. Yes, I do want to be in the latter group, therefore I am posting a link that I hope will do a much better job than I can even attempt right now.

Please take a look and prayerfully review Berit Kjos's article on this. You can find it HERE and I encourage you to take the time to go to the links presented.

Finally, I am not exactly commenting outside my field of exposure as I was one of the most faithful viewers of the Buffy, The Vampire Slayer series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar which some of you may remember. In fact, what I thrived on the most was the somehow tragic romance between Buffy and her vampire lover, Angel. Sounds familiar?

On 'Falling Away' - What I've Found

First, let me tell you how this series got started.

Over the past few months I have been reading with renewed sense of alarm and diligence what the Bible says about false teachers (and false doctrines and false prophets and false religion). This, alongside an almost daily discovery of some new heresy or clear departure from scripture, in what is thought to be the Church of Jesus Christ, as I surf the web.

This has also been taking place in the same time period in which I was introduced to teachings by Paul Washer and Michael Brown. I don't have a church-celebrity problem and if I did these would not be the men I could consider celebrity. Furthermore, they are from vastly contrasting backgrounds and still are associated with vastly different denominations/churches (and I'm not sure how they would receive each other if those were the criteria they used to assess one another :-)). Yet, I have seen a thick thread of sound doctrine and uncommonly powerful preaching/teaching in their ministries which is further helping to kindle a desire for getting back to the basics of the faith (not milk per se, just critical truth that man has no right to try to alter or re-interpret according to the winds of changing culture.)

My decision to depart from the church I have attended for 3.5 years came on the heels of the main thrust of all this. I am sure the one influenced the other, but by no means did the one cause the other.

Finally, I came upon a saddening post by a blogger one day that I blogged about previously and it brought to mind an interesting, terrible (in the archaic use of the expression), and much ignored (in my opinion) passage of scripture in Hebrews chapter 6. This post was of interest to a few other readers/bloggers and a discussion has since then been evolving.

To begin, I have a view - that is still presently evolving - that though we cannot 'lose' our salvation, we can reject it, i.e. turn back from God and chose to walk out of His hands. I realize that many of my favourite and much respected bible teachers/preachers do not hold this view - just to name a couple, Chuck Missler, Paul Washer and John Piper (and you may notice I have links to resources by these men on this same webpage)who also quote other Calvinists such as Spurgeon, Whitfield, Mueller etc who were great men of the Christian faith. I know how the exposition of the Calvinist view goes. So many I respect would absolutely disagree with me and that is all okay with me.

I do not concern myself with using category terms such as 'calvinist' vs 'arminian' or anything else. I have been searching the Word and whether more understanding is added to me sooner or later, I conclusively choose to abide by whatever I find there, as rightly divided as I can divide it, with the Holy Spirit's help. These posts, therefore, will represent only scriptures I've found that seem to speak to this matter, and will give you my reasons for the view I presently hold. It would interest you to know that at one time I thought this was impossible as that was simply what I'd been told.

My present view also indicates to me a clear reason for, and strong exhortation towards, 'working out my salvation with fear and trembling' (not 'working for' salvation) as well as many other scriptures which admonish and exhort me towards diligence in the faith, taking heed to myself, paying attention to doctrines which I espouse etcetera. And yes, I am also aware of how a Calvinist would refute my use of these scriptures right at this point.

Finally, this is not meant to be an apologetic. For my part, is is simply the continuation of discussions and commentary that took place following the original blog post I referred to earlier. It presents my views along with scriptures that I've found which form the basis of my view. There are MANY scriptures that I've noted over the past year on this topic. I will not be able to go through each in writing as that may require a separate blog - just for these types of discussions - and this is not on my time-sensitive agenda right now. However, I will ultimately try to note all of these scripture references and I expect that those who are truly seeking to understand more from the Word on this matter, will take it upon themselves to find those places in the bible and prayerfully study. I cannot go into depth to discuss context in every case, but context of individual scriptures is of critical importance.

Last of all, I warn you that I am no scholar but, I suppose, I can reserve my right to write. I have not organized all these scriptures into the arrangement of an essay based on themes and nuances of thought, emphasis etc. However, I will try to post sensibly, one post at a time.

I look forward to comments and genuine discussion. Of course, I don't 'do' arguments, quarrels or picky, stressful debates. I think that's all of the introduction for now. The following is a nutshell presentation of my views:


YES, SOME TURN BACK :

2 Peter 2:1-22
(1) But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
(2) And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
(3) And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
...
(10) and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones,
...
(13) suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.
(14) They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!
(15) Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,
...
(18) For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.
(19) They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
(20) For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
(21) For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
(22) What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire."


WHY TURN BACK?

The main reason I have found can be summed up as idolatry in the sense of a love for the things of this world. Just notice from the passage above, how many times greed and lust for worldly and carnal things was mentioned. Now, look at the clear contrast on just about every one of those points in the verses below.

GREED - COVETOUSNESS (aka IDOLATRY):
[Col 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.]

1Ti 6:6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment,
1Ti 6:7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
1Ti 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
1Ti 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
1Ti 6:11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.



1 John 2:15-17
(15) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
(16) For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.
(17) And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.


Jud 1:11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion.

Balaam’s error :
In Num 24:25 Balaam and Balak went their separate ways after Balaam was not able to curse the children of Israel, despite the bountiful reward Balak promised him as payment. A reward he desperately wanted, thus his three attempts to curse them. God did not allow Him to curse them, however, this was not the end of it.
Num 31:8 records that the Israelites killed Balaam but a few verses later we learn why, which several other NT scriptures make mention of:

Numbers 31:16
Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD.

2 Peter 2:15
Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,

Jude 1:11
Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.

Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.


The story did not end there obviously. Balaam used another method to help Balak and get his reward of great wealth i.e. he taught Balak (Rev 2:14)/ advised Balak (Num 31:16) on how to cause the Israelites to sin against God so that God would withdraw his protection and, indeed, punish their sins.


2Ti 4:10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

Demas had once ministered with Paul and was mentioned in Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 1:24. It is most satisfactory for me to assume he had once had a true faith in Christ. Surely, Paul’s ministry was no easy ministry to be associated with, and far less to participate in. It is also likely that Paul would have been in a position to detect a ‘fake’ long before this time. Some commentary on the estimated year on which these letters were written by Paul allow for Demas to have been a co-labourer with Paul for several years before he defected according to Paul’s report to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:10) and up to 6 years before this was written. Notably, the reason, “in love with this present world” also speaks of greed/covetousness/idolatry.



2Ti 4:3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
2Ti 4:4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

2Pe 2:15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,



THE ULTIMATE REASON I GLEAN FROM ALL OF THIS:
Joh 3:19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Joh 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.



TO END THIS NUTSHELL COMMENTARY, CONTRAST:
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
(Hebrews 11:24-26)

Kids' Letters to God

What the lack in wisdom and understanding they sure make up in authenticity! Enjoy!

Influence in the Hands of Satan

As a teenager I was a fan of Oprah. Her shows were an interesting mixture of girl things and deeper subjects. I loved that she was so generous and was often moved to tears and noticeably affected by the stories of her guests or plights of others. As a pessimistic teen, Oprah's shows on the importance of gratitude and reaching your full potential etcetera had great allure. I often heard great motivational snippets and they moved me along my attempt at personal self-development/self-help. I remember being disturbed by her new age themes when she began to promote Gary Zukav and his books. I wouldn't watch those episodes but I continued to watch.

A few years later when my surrender to God became complete, I was no longer as attracted to this show. I remember being increasingly distrubed, even praying for her and one night I even had a dream which had a very clear message about the new age content the show disseminated. I stopped watching, stopped following the website, stopped participating in the online community. At times, I would view snippets of whatever was being discussed if I happened upon it on tv, but not for long as I was often disappointed.

What I'd like to point out is that, many times we think that a false teacher, a false prophet, a cult leader and the like is going to be overtly and evidently, 'weird', 'harsh', 'evil,' 'foul-mouthed' etc. And it is often why we fail to stay alert when faced with a new pleasant person who comes on the scene. We fall for certain emotions, presentation, image all wrapped up in a 'good person.' We become sympathetic to their views because they are a 'good person' and there we begin to plough the (heart) soil for seeds of deception to be planted. Yet often times we only think that we're smart enough to successfully extract only the 'good' from the 'questionable.'

The scriptures clearly teach that we are to have nothing to do with false doctrines, except to stand firm against them. Did you notice the audience member in the video who spoke out in the boldness of the Holy Spirit? Sure, many would say that she was 'narrow-minded' or that she should keep her views to herself, as long as she believes what she believes. How foolish! I am so glad that the Apostles Paul and the others would address the errors that were creeping into the church even in their day.

I will be posting more on the last days' spate of deception which keeps reminding me that the King of kings is coming! We who serve Him, serve the only living God, and will have no cause to be ashamed or afraid or shocked on that great Day...but just you wait and see what the look on some people's faces will be...

I first saw the above video on Latoya's blog. Please visit to check out her interesting posts!

For Freedom...

I got a new colleague to work directly with me at the office. It's only been 10 days so far but I took an instant liking to this girl. She is just out of school and only about 18 years old. She probably noticed that I listen to Christian music at the office, in addition to some of the things I've said and so she started to open up with regard to her own "religion" as she puts it. By the way, I really hate to refer to my faith in Jesus as a "religion" because I know religion is way different but for simplicity sake, this is the word she uses so I'll use it here.

In the variety of situations that came up and things that were spoken between us during the course of the past few days, I have already learned a list of things that she could NOT do, because of her religion. These included:
drink coffee
have ham
wear jewelry
wear makeup
wear pants at church
chew gum

Somewhere midweek she told me that she was a Seventh Day Adventist. In addition, she is very involved in her church and perhaps because she has learnt that I am a lay minister at my church, she has started to come to work and share her church updates with me.

One story she shared with me highlighted the shortcomings of her belief: She was telling me that she was the chosen 'superintendent' of a special Sabbath meeting this past weekend and because she was going to be up front, wanted to look extra special. She remarked that since she couldnt wear jewelry or makeup she was going to buy a new outfit and get her hair done in drop curls and wear it down. The irony, I thought to myself, is that her religion teaches that self-adornment is wrong, yet here she was working around the 'rules' to make herself look special for the public eye.

I went home last Thursday and almost in passing, prayed for both her and my (our) supervisor. That night God gave me a distinct dream. Without describing the dream for brevity sake, the message was pretty clear: Right now God wants me to pray for her because she has a desire to go deeper.

As I shared this with my friend, J, he simply remarked that God had given me the opportunity to demonstrate true holiness to her.

Interestingly, the next day at church, my pastor's wife taught briefly before the main service about Holiness and this issue of religious works and rules and regulations came up.

Oh one thing I forgot to mention. Before even meeting her, over the previous day or two I'd been reading Colossians and pondering over Chapter 2 which also dealt with the uselessness of religion and tradition as a means of drawing near to God. After meeting this girl a day after or so, I couldn't help but think that God was equipping me with His mind for this 'mission'.

It occured to me what freedom there is in Christ and how privileged we are to draw close to Him to take on His holy nature. And as someone who experienced the bondage of religion and was taught a list of DON'Ts as the way to relate to God, I know that it prevents us from knowing & loving God as He really is.

I could never go back to legalism which was the biggest weight to carry even before I really knew of the provision of wonderful grace of God. The liberty that I've found, where His Spirit is, is so wonderful that I want others to know of it too. Now, I can be holy, His way, by being transformed by time in His presence, with His word and His Spirit.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

Why Halloween is Not on My To-Do List

One of the gifts given by the Holy Spirit is the gift of discerning spirits. As someone given that gift for the protection of the Church (my bros and sisters in the faith), I have had more 'experiences' with spirits than many other Christians without this gift. I can perceive the operation and presence of certain spirits on various occasions when this gift in in operation, similar to using the natual senses - except it's not through natural sensory organs. On several occasions I've been able to, 'hear' and 'see' spirits (yes in their spirit-body form) operate and even have wrestled with them. At those moments, knowing the Word of God, calling on the name of Jesus and declaring the prevailing power of the Blood of Jesus were the only things that caused me to overcome these struggles successfully and be sustained during what are terribly frightful experiences, full of an indescribably ugly, blackest-black, weight of wickedness that is almost tangible.

Having this gift means that many things that seem harmless to others are more plainly dangerous to me. Many things that we do are open doors to the demonic realm and render us weaker and weaker and we hardly can tell if we are only relying on our intellectual judgment of a matter.

For years and years, my favourite type of movie was horror films, not just sci-fi but flat out, grotesque horror. When Jesus really laid hold of me and I give my whole life over to Him, my christianity went to another level. It was like the real christian life had begun and one of the things that happened was that the gifts of the Spirit started to operate in my life in a noticeable and amazing way. As for the gift of discerning spirits and cute topical things such as 'spiritual warfare', well...quite frankly, I learnt about spiritual warfare by doing it. And many nights while others were sleeping, I would awaken to see demons and hear them speaking and wrestle with them. This also has happened during the daytime on occasion. It became very difficult for me not to recognize the darkness in those movies, because I had experienced it. I learnt quickly that I needed to renounce and turn from my disturbing fascination with psychological thrillers and other grotesque movies. And it is increasingly revolting to someone who is growing in love for the Holy. It is no longer 'just a movie', nor 'good action', nor 'interesting', nor a 'must-see'. Before that time, I would think anyone who warned me about such things to be paranoid or religious and even plainly legalistic. I often tell persons that, as far as the spiritual world of demons go and weird happenings brought about by their wicked activity, I would probably have remained blind and unbelieving of any of it had I not had the experiences I could now recount.

So, no, I did not forget I was about to tell "Why Halloween is Not on My To-Do List" but I hope that this is a good indication. I found this link which seems to give a good synopsis of the ugliness of this day. If I could find it right now I would also include a video of an ex-satanist's testimony I've seen, including what he recounts of the use of this day for heinous blood sacrifices and rituals etc.

I hope that some of my well-meaning brothers and sisters out there are able to believe what they are being warned about and have their kids dress up and have candy in a different way and different day, for different reasons. It has nothing to do with whether the kid wears a pretty pink tutu or a grotesque goblin, the occasion is not a holy one and much wicked spiritual activity occurs specifically on that day. The intention to have clean fun in such a specific background of activity, reminds me of my latter days of going to the nightclub (near the end/ approaching my rescue from a sinful lifestyle by Jesus) when I would tell myself: my outfit wasn't bare, and I'd calculate that I wouldn't dance like 'that' anymore, and then, that I wouldn't have the alcoholic drinks anymore and that I would just have a good, clean, time despite what anyone else was doing at the nightclub. It didn't really work. In the end, I was just a part of it. Because of people like me, nightclubs remained in business to corrupt many other lives and set many people on a downward moral spiral of alcoholism, drug use, promiscuity, adultery...and many other manifestations of darkness.

Let me end with Third Day's wonderful song lyrics which can speak for me right now:

Saved

I was blinded by the devil,

born already ruined

Stone-cold as I stepped out of the womb

By His grace I have been touched

By His word I have been healed

By His hand I've been delivered

By His spirit I've been sealed

Now I've been saved by the blood of the Lamb

I'm saved by the blood of the Lamb

And I'm so glad

Yes, I'm so glad

Now I'm so glad (So glad)

I want to thank you, Lord

I just want to thank you, Lord

Thank You, Lord (Thank You, Lord)

By His truth I can be upright

By His strength I can endure

By His power I've been lifted

By His love I am secure

He bought me with a price

Freed me from the pit

Full of emptiness and wrath

And the fire that burns in it

Nobody to rescue me

Nobody would dare

I was going down for the last time

But by His mercy I've been spared

Not by works

But by faith in Him who called

For so long I've been hindered

For so long I've been stalled

Now I've been saved by the blood of the Lamb
I'm saved by the blood of the Lamb
And I'm so glad
Yes, I'm so glad
Now I'm so glad (So glad)
I want to thank you, Lord
I just want to thank you, Lord
Thank You, Lord (Thank You, Lord)