La Giesbrecht

Orientierungskurs Prüfung

2012-09-20T16:50:00.001+08:00

To God I give back the Glory!

I got a perfect score on my Orientierungskurs Exam!

25 out of 25! :)

Please support me in this photo contest in Facebook.

2012-09-14T18:44:00.001+08:00

Hello Everyone!

I've joined a contest in Facebook by Probild-Studio. For those of you who have a Facebook account, may I please ask for your support to vote my picture. Kindly click on the link, like the photo and share it to your friends too. The more Likes and Shares, the better.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151061235019702&set=o.144342525583107&type=1&theater

This is my entry to the photo contest. This was taken at Nyborg beach in Denmark during our summer vacation in July this year.

Thank you very much for all your support.
Have a nice day to all of you!

The time has come

2012-02-14T20:00:00.000+08:00

Despite the severe colds I have had during the exam, I did it and got an almost perfect score. I give all the glory to God! I sing praises to His Name! Oh Lord God Almighty!

I thank my family for the never-ending support and love they give me, my husband for his sweetness and care and love, my parents-in-law for always being very supportive, my friends for giving me courage and most especially God, our Father in heaven, for the surprises and miracles and everlasting love in my life. Without them, I am nothing and I cannot do anything.

Your Name oh Lord God is mighty and holy forever!

Skin progress

2012-02-09T16:33:00.001+08:00

Here are my latest facial skin photos taken last night after washing my face with the Lush soap. Notice again my dried lips recovering from the colds I had few days ago. They are drying now and it looks icky.

My facial regimen

2012-02-08T19:56:00.003+08:00

This is what my facial regimen consists of:

Lush products which includes Steamer tab, facial soap, vanishing cream, facial mask, and lip tint.

A new additional member which I have just started using two days ago is the Infrared Lamp. The lamp is mainly for the purpose of relieving my on-and-off severe colds, runny nose, and constant-4-to-8-sneezes in a row. But I have read on the Internet that it is also a proven aid for pain relief, skin care and anti-aging. That is why, I will be using the lamp everyday and see if there will be improvements not only in my health and resistance against the cold virus, but also on my skin.

The facial mask and steamer tab, I only apply it on my face twice a week. All other products mentioned here, I use them everyday.

On my previous post, I have uploaded a photo of my facial skin before using these products. I will be posting a photo so we could check if there are more improvements or if these are really effective.

We will see...

p.s. I never had such regimen before. I am not the vain type. We have just found Lush products during our shopping tour in Braunschweig and ended up buying this for a try.

Improvements

2012-02-03T21:01:00.000+08:00

I think there are improvements on my skin after 6 days of using the LUSH products. I started using it on Sunday last week, the 29th of January.

Before photo is without makeups. My lips, the skin on my upper lips and around my nose were irritated and swollen because of my constant rubbing of my nose due to severe colds.

The After photo is also without makeups except for the lipstick which is also from Lush.

As you can see, my skin became clearer and whiter, I think. I am not after of the whiteness because I don't want to be any level whiter. But I think it is how it works to level up the shade of my facial scars from the severe monthly acne to my normal skin color.

Hopefully, LUSH can do more miracles on my skin!

I will continue using their products.

Lush Products - Mostly organic!

2012-01-31T05:29:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday after my B1 exam, my husband and I drove to Braunschweig to pick up some baskets, which we bought in Ebaykleinanzeige. We paid 20 Euros for the set. It contains three different sizes of baskets to put in dirty clothes. We are in the process of moving to a new apartment 5 minutes from the center of the City. So we have been busy looking for furnitures in Ebaykleinanzeige. When we are done, I will be making photos of the furnitures we got for free in Ebaykleinanzeige and bought at a steal price.

After that, we went to the city of Braunschweig and made some shopping tours. We arrived at around 3pm there, ate in at an Italian restaurant, walked, made some pictures. And then finally as we were going back to the Parking house, we passed by this Handmade cosmetics shops, which I thought was a Confectionary store. The soaps at the window of this shop looked like sweets. And they smell so great, so fruity. I was tempted to lick it or taste it. Actually I did (at home)! But the taste was completely different to its scent. =)

So after looking around, we decided to buy some of the skin products for my Sweetie's very sensitive and dry skin. I think all the talking and questions lasted for more than an hour. We ended up buying the Fresh Farmacy - a soap for my face, Rose Jam - a pink ballsoap for bathtub, You've been mangoed - a soap oil for bathtub too (the scent of this soap was the one who tempted me to taste it.), a trial small cap of Vanishing Cream - a cream for my part oily- part dry skin on my face, A Million Kisses - a LipTint, which I find very nice too, Dream Wash - a skincare cream for dry and sensitive skin of my Sweetie, Ro's Argan Body conditioner- a body container which makes our skin feels like a baby's skin, a trial small cap of Dream Cream - a body lotion for my Sweetie's dry skin, Tea Tree - a steamer tab for my acne-prone skin, a sample cap of Love Lettuce - facial mask for me, and finally a trial small cap of Creme Anglais- a very expensive cream for ver dry or very sensitive skin. We have started using these yesterday to relax. And it was so much fun and we were very satisfied with how our skin feels afterwards. We are still in the testing phase and hopefully, the products can really do miracles!

I made a photo of the skin on my face before using the products, so I can compare it later on after a week or two. This is the BEFORE photo. As you can see, I have oily skin on the T area and dry skin on my cheeks. And on my chin and sides of my nose are scars from previous acnes/pimples which are in on and off status every month. My dry lips are due to the severe colds, runny nose I have had two days ago. The skin on my nose and my lips were burned or over-scratched from rubbing.

Here, I have the Love Lettuce mask on my face. My first try of this product.

The big day

2012-01-27T16:58:00.002+08:00

Lord God in heaven,

You have blessed me with good health so I could study and review. I have prepared myself for the exams - today and tomorrow. But suddenly I got sick the day before my exam. I know You are telling me that it is not me who is going to make it later but You. I am in Your arms now while You are carrying me.

You made me remember what You have done for me when I took the A1 exam in Manila on June 2010. I was not sure that I could pass the exam and I prayed to you to let me have even the lowest passing score.

I will never forget that feeling when I opened that light-weighted white envelope, which I thought was empty or was with a little note saying "We are sorry you did not make it.", with tears falling from my eyes....

And then You have surprised me with something else - a T-shirt from the Goethe Institute for having the highest score. You gave me more than I have imagined and expected.

And here we are again today. I surrender to You. For Your glory oh God, let Your Will be done.

Wearing my favorites

2012-01-19T19:06:00.000+08:00

La Giesi Photography

2011-12-12T22:47:00.003+08:00

We submitted the second photo to I AM NIKON in Facebook for their weekly Top 10 Photos, and our photo is in Top 8! =)

The following photos were also included in the Top 10 Weekly Photos (during different week dates.)

Our recent entry for this week is this photo.

Please join and like our page in Facebook.

Thank you very much! See you in Facebook.

Last of Autumn 2011

2011-10-31T18:58:00.000+08:00

We have been planning to make photos of the beautiful color of Autumn since last weekend. Fortunately, yesterday the sun came out and gave us the chance to do it. And luckily we were still able to find trees with the red orange leaves before they fall out. So we drove around and took photos of Autumn. It was so beautiful and it was my first time to enjoy Autumn. I love its color!

One day another day

2011-10-30T19:57:00.000+08:00

Different looks everyday. Experimented. Decided to have the first look. What do you think?

Glory to the King

2011-10-20T20:52:00.000+08:00

Lyrics | Australia Hillsongs - Glory To The King lyrics

Sample of Personal Letter

2011-05-28T13:02:00.001+08:00

Personal Letter 1
To a Close Friend or Relative

Cactus City, den 25. Nov. 2002¹

Liebe Maria,²
Über deinen³ letzten Brief haben wir uns sehr gefreut! Tut mir leid, dass ich schon lange nicht geantwortet habe, aber nun endlich bekommst du mal wieder ein Lebenszeichen von uns.
Wie du schon weißt, war Jim drei Wochen lang in Asien auf Geschäftsreise. Da musste ich hier zu Hause fast alles machen und kam nie dazu, dir zu schreiben. Aber mittlerweile läuft fast alles bei uns wieder "normal" and ich habe ein bisschen Zeit, um zur Feder zu greifen.
Am Mittwoch waren wir bei Barbara und Dan zum Abendessen. Sie lassen auch grüßen und hoffen dich wieder im Sommer in Berlin zu besuchen. Dan arbeitet immer noch bei...
Schöne Grüße, auch von Jim!
Deine Sarah [your signed first name]⁴

1 City from which you are writing and the date; the den is optional
2 Liebe... Dear... For a male, you would write Lieber...
3 deinen your Under the new spelling rules, the familiar "you" forms are not capitalized, but many Germans still do so anyway.
4 A male would use Dein

More Closing Phrases & Formulae
Alles Liebe - All my/our love, with love
Herzliche Grüße - Best wishes/Yours/Regards
Liebe Grüße und Küsse - Love and kisses
Viele liebe Grüße - Yours

Personal Letter 1
English Translation

Cactus City, the 25th of Nov. 2002

Dear Maria,
We were so glad to get your last letter! I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to reply, but now once again you're finally getting some indication that we're still alive.
As you already know, Jim was traveling in Asia on business for three weeks, so I had to do almost everything here at home, and never could find the time to write you. But in the meantime, almost everything here is running "normally" again, and I have a little time to set pen to paper.
On Wednesday we had dinner at Barbara and Dan's. They say hello and are hoping to visit you again in Berlin this summer. Dan is still working at...
Best wishes - from Jim, too!
Your Sarah

* from German.about.com

Personal Letter Phrases

2011-05-27T13:06:00.000+08:00

Personal Letter Phrases 2NOTE: These phrases are only appropriate for personal correspondence, not in formal or business situations!
English	Deutsch
General Phrases
Thank you for your letter	Vielen Dank für deinen Brief
It was good to hear from you again	Ich habe mich gefreut, wieder von dir zu hören
I'm sorry that I haven't written for so long	Tut mir Leid, dass ich so lange nicht geschrieben habe
Please don't be mad at me for...	Sei mir bitte nicht böse, dass ich...
Closing Remarks
Give my regards/love to Maria and Hans	Ganz liebe Grüße an Maria und Hans
Tell them how much I miss them	Sag ihnen, wie sehr sie mir fehlen
Tell her/him how much I miss her/him	Sag ihr/ihm, wie sehr sie/er mir fehlt
Please write again soon!	Schreib mal wieder!
Let us hear from you now and then	Lasst ab und zu wieder von dir hören

* from German.about.com

Parts of a Business Letter (German)

2011-05-26T19:48:00.002+08:00

English term = German term in Singular form / Plural term

Sender = der Absender / die Absender

Recipient = der Adressat / die Adressaten

Date and Place = der Ort und das Datum / die Orte / die Daten

Subject Heading = die Betreffzeile / die Betreffzeilen

Salutation or Form of Address = die Anrede / die Anreden

Word/Text = der Text / die Texte

Complimentary Close = die Grußformel / die Grußformeln

Signature = die Unterschrift / die Unterschriften

Enclosures = die Anlagen (already in plural, singular is die Anlage)

Happenings

2011-05-26T19:22:00.002+08:00

Hallo! It has been long since I have last posted something here. Been busy with my Sprachkurs and enjoying the nice sunny weather. Several things happened lately.

(1) An important lifelong plan has been made and we wish that it would push through.

(2) We have planted some Strawberries plants in our Balcony. And now we have atleast 20 pieces of future-fruits! :-) I am excited to harvest them.

(3) Cooking course for this year began yesterday. And we still have 3 more meetings to go! Slurrrppp...

(4) I am getting new eyeglasses. I have been suffering from headaches constantly these past weeks. Been to the Eyedoctor and had several intensive eyecheck-ups. Unfortunately, there has been a great delay. I should have gotten the glasses 3 weeks ago. Anyway, I am still waiting and hoping that it would help me get rid of these headaches.

(5) We will be having an International dinner night on the 25th of June with our Bible study friends. So I will be going to cook a Filipino dish- Adobo, chicken and pork meat. My Sweetie will be preparing a German specialty, one will be preparing a Sri-Lanka specialty, Spanish, Israeli, African, Irish food, and American specialty too. This will be really exciting!

(6) And lately, as I have interacted with my International (friends from different parts of the world who are currently living here in Germany too like me) friends and with German acquaintances, I have realized that the German language is much easier to learn than the other languages. ...Or perhaps it is because I already have the basic knowledge of it. I don't know. But I feel like I could already somehow understand them easily when they speak the language. YET there are still plenty of words which I should check out for the meanings. It could be that I have atleast already understood or grabbed hold of the grammatical aspect of the language. I really really hope someday, I could tell anybody that the German language is easy to learn. I do wish I will be articulated in the German language in a short period of time...Sooooo it requires more hardwork from me!

(7) I am fortunate I have 3 lovely and very helpful teachers in my Sprachkurs. Two teachers from my previous class and one in my current class. I think I enjoy more now with our speaking and listening seatworks. These were my weaknesses before. To listen to German conversations and to interact with other people by speaking to them and exchanging some opinions and ideas.

Classes will end on June 10. Summer vacation starts! We would be driving to Italy in Summer. What about you?

Bad Pyrmont Park, Europe's Best Park 2006

2011-05-05T19:26:00.001+08:00

This cute little bag which I bought at New Yorker using the Gift Card that I won in their contest

is currently my everyday-bag.

We have visited Bad Pyrmont last Weekend. And it was so great. The weather was a bit so lala. The sun was shining but it was very windy. My Husband made many photos of me in this bench with my new umbrella which he bought for me at one of the shops in Wandelhalle. I like the umbrella so much that I won't be using it when it is raining. The leopard design on the umbrella is one of my favorites.

New Yorker Contest Winner

2011-04-21T21:54:00.001+08:00

Hallo All!

New Yorkers Clothing had a contest last week. The title is "Show us why you are our Top Follower". And I joined the contest by making a video and submitting it to them. To my surprise, I was picked as one of the two winners for this contest. So I won 100 Euros gift card from New Yorker. And today, I went to shopping and bought these...

What do you think?

2011-04-07T19:26:00.000+08:00

God is good...really good.

Dancing in the sun

2011-03-24T22:03:00.000+08:00

Spring spring spring is here!

2011-03-22T20:26:00.000+08:00

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

2011-03-22T01:57:00.001+08:00

I have especially marked some very important sentences in these verses in Luke 21.

Blue means the signs that the end is coming.
Red indicates a significant word/words which we should not miss out.
Green means what we must do when the signs are happening.

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The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.

20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

29 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

32 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

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Summing up obvious signs which I see in news on TV. Do you think these are already definitely the signs?

1. Earthquakes and fearful events

recent earthquake in Japan

2. Wars

war in Libya

3. Signs in the sun, moon and stars

closest distance of moon to earth happened one or two days ago.

4. Persecution of believers and betrayal by own family or friends.

happening worldwide and is getting worse

Without You, I am nothing.

2011-03-07T23:53:00.000+08:00

Dear God,

You have presented me two great challenges last week. First, my teacher recommended me to attend the B1 Class and check to see if I can take it or not. If yes, then I am accelerated to B1 Class. If not, then I will remain in my current Class which is A1. I should have attended the B1 Class on Tuesday last week, however, You have given me another challenge. A 5-day job offer with CeBIT. I have happily accepted it. And being practical, since it is just a once-a-year event, I grabbed the offer. I was a bit scared during my first day to work here in Germany. It is my first time. And I prayed to You that hopefully, people will speak English to me instead of German and that all will go well. And they did! And all went well. Despite the painful legs and feet from standing from 9am to 6pm straight for 5 days, I believe it is worth experiencing. Stefan and my parents-in-law are very supportive too. My Sweetie stood up very early in the morning to prepare and cook our breakfast, brought me to the train station and came in to fetch me too (even though he had sore throat and colds). It made my job easier than I thought it would be. Up to now, we are still amazed on the ways You have worked for us. We have applied at CeBIT November last year. And 8 days ago (February 27), I heard Mama asking Stefan for an update regarding our job application at CeBIT. And Stefan told her that since we didn't receive any calls or emails from them, then that it means I did not get the job. It did not matter to me. Because I know that I have left everything in Your hands. And whatever comes, I believe that it is Your plan for me. No expectations no regrets. The following day (February 28), the Job Center called, offered me the CeBIT job and asked if I am interested. We were very much surprised. It was completely out of our thoughts since the CeBIT will be starting immediately on the day after (March 1). Many say that I am very lucky to have worked with CeBIT because so many people have sent their application and CeBIT is very well known to companies. So it is a very good credential. And a very good possibility for me to earn another CeBIT job next year. Lord God, I am still astonished even as of the moment I am writing this. You work in mysterious ways. Thank You so much Lord God for giving me this job experience. Thank You so much for all these blessings and support and love. I am very grateful to You Lord God. Tomorrow, I will be taking the second challenge. I will attend the B1 Class. I hope I can do it Lord. You know that I am just depending on You. I cannot do anything without You. Once again, I commit myself and my everything into Your hands. You are my God. My one and only true living God. The God of all gods. The King of all Kings. Lord of all lords. The only God who saves and listens to our Prayers. One who loves us unconditionally. I love You so much Lord God. Please continue in giving me strength, faith and the love for me to live everyday. Without You, I am nothing.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Confusion About Personal Responsibility

2011-02-09T01:16:00.000+08:00

Confusion About Personal Responsibility

(Presenter: Larry Kirkpatrick)

It is a symptom of this age: Confusion about personal responsibility. Clawing to escape the harvest we have sown is nothing new. All the history of our race shows the same. And, not only the evil try to escape. Sometimes we forget our moral commitments or lose sight of primary values partly but not completely in place—and we fail. Then the personal reality: Will I make excuse?

One excuse we may offer is that the actions of some other person have caused us to sin. Does the Bible support this idea? End-time Christians need to understand this question (as we shall see before we finish). But first, let’s look at the Bible “support” offered in favor of this idea.

“Causing” Others to Sin

Let’s take them in sequence.

And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord (Numbers 31:15, 16).

Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin (Nehemiah 13:26).

Therefore said I [Saul], The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering (1 Samuel 13:12).

In First Kings we have Jeroboam (14:16), Nadab (15:26), Baasha (15:33, 34), Elah (16:13), Ahab (21:21, 22), and Ahaziah (22:51, 52), all making Israel to sin. In 2 Kings, we would add Jehoram (3:3), Jehu (10:29, 31), Jehoahaz (13:2), Jeroboam (13:6), Jehoahash (13:11), Pekah (15:26), Manassah (21:11, 16). All these “made Israel to sin.”

With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him (Proverbs 7:21).

And they [the Hebrews] built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin (Jeremiah 32:35).

Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery (Matthew 5:32).

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous (Romans 5:19).

And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed (Revelation 13:12).

Superficially, it may appear that one person can cause, make, force, compel others to sin. And yet, we pause before accepting such an idea in an unqualified sense. Why? Because God has given to every individual a free will. This is so basic a point that we may not have given it much thought. And yet, all of Christianity interacts with it. If we have not free will, then we have not opportunity to choose to accept or deny Jesus. If we have not free will, then we have no moral responsibility.

Two elements are necessary: (1) a standard of morality, and (2) the ability to accept or decline this standard. Apart from these two elements, there would be no morality, no choosing of good or evil, no accepting or denying of Christ. Men would be robots at best.

Bible Clarity About Free Will

Is there clarity in the Bible about free will? In Genesis 4:6, 7 God tells Cain he should rule over himself—including his fallen nature. In Joshua 24:15 Joshua offers an either / or choice then states his own positive decision to follow God. In Ezekiel 18:31 the call is to “cast away from you all your transgressions,” a vain request if not possible. Ezekiel 33:11 makes a similar appeal.

In the New Testament, John 14:15 simply says: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Romans 6:16 insists that we are the servants of whomever we serve. Philippians 2:12, 13 insists that the will of God and the will of man interact in salvation. James 4:17, in saying that the man who knows to do good but chooses not to do good, sins, thereby insists that man can choose to do good. Indeed, in the train of final events men must choose between the seal of God, or, the mark of the beast (Revelation chs. 13, 14). The Bible is full of human choice from Genesis to Revelation.

Man’s free will is, of course, a qualified free will. He is not God; he is not master over the elements; he is constrained by native inability in many things. Making stones into bread is not a possibility. There are also parameters that surround us which we truly have no command over. We were born into a particular situation as male or female, with a particular genetic markers, with particular defects. Some are inclined to diabetes, others to cancer, through no choice of their own. Jacques Ellul has called these “determinations.” We are not free to change them. But there are a range of things that are placed—entirely—within our ability.

Ellen White on Free Will

Ellen White wrote much on free will. Consider her clarity of thought:

No man without his own consent can be overcome by Satan. The tempter has no power to control the will or to force the soul to sin. He may distress, but he cannot contaminate (The Great Controversy, p. 510).

So long as we do not consent to sin, there is no power, whether human or satanic, that can bring a stain upon the soul (Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 32).

It is not in the power of Satan to force anyone to sin. Sin is the sinner’s individual act. Before sin exists in the heart, the consent of the will must be given, and as soon as it is given, sin is triumphant, and hell rejoices. But there is no excuse for sin, either great or little. Christ has been provided as the tempted one’s refuge. ‘For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.

‘For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’

Temptation is not sin, and is no indication that God is displeased with us. The Lord suffers us to be tempted, but he measures every temptation, and apportions it according to our power to resist and overcome evil. It is in time of trial and temptation that we are enabled to measure the degree of our faith and trust in God, and to estimate the stability of our Christian character. If we are easily jostled and overcome, we should be alarmed; for our strength is small. Let us consider the words of comfort that have been left on record for our instruction: ‘There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.’ God has apportioned the temptation in proportion to the strength he can supply, and he never permits us to be tempted beyond our ability to resist or to endure (Signs of the Times, December 18, 1893).

It is through the mighty agency of the Holy Spirit that the government of Satan is to be subdued and subjected. It is the Holy Spirit that convinces of sin, and expels it from the soul by the consent of the human agent (Review and Herald, April 25, 1893).

The strongest temptation is no excuse for sin. However great the pressure brought to bear upon the soul, transgression is our own act. It is not in the power of earth or hell to compel any one to sin. The will must consent, the heart must yield, or passion cannot overbear reason, nor iniquity triumph over righteousness (Signs of the Times, October 4, 1883).

As soon as we consent to give sin up, to acknowledge our guilt, the barrier is removed between the soul and the Saviour (Signs of the Times, July 29, 1913).

What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise (Steps to Christ, p. 47).

We do not sin until we consent. Likewise, we do not do right until we consent. And, the morally accountable person is always in a situation of consenting to one or the other. We are always serving God or serving Satan; we are always exercising the power of the will, that “God has given to men.” We are never completely free because we are never completely powerful. Nevertheless, we are exactly so free that a capability has been divinely gifted to us, and we cannot be overcome unless we consent to do evil.

Reconciling the ideas

Then how do we reconcile the ideas that some are caused to sin by others, and yet that all men have true free will? This is not difficult, so along as we let the Bible speak in its plainness. Let us return to Proverbs 7:21:

With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.

Here is a woman who causes a man, doubtless one physically much stronger than herself, to yield. How? Simple: by seduction. She makes him a proposition and sells that proposition to him. She appeals to a desire that he should not entertain, but he remains and listens and entertains it. He wanted to be convinced and he was convinced. There is no force applied here in the sense of irresistible force. How do you think that would go, standing before God in the judgment and saying of the prostitute that one consented to, “But God, she forced me to sin.” She did have a role in the situation; she introduced the temptation, but he chose to be drawn away by his own desires and enticed (James 1:14).

We can apply these ideas at another New testament text, Romans 5:19:

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Yes, Adam disobeyed and a consequence of his disobedience was to introduce weaknesses and tendencies to evil in fallen man. But the power of choice “God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise.” Alas, all choose to sin and thus become sinners. At the same time, Jesus is ready to atone for all of that and to make many righteous. Again, for that to happen they must use the power of choice, that power which “God has given to men; it is their to exercise.” If they exercise it aright, helped by God’s Holy Spirit, Jesus will make them righteous.

The key to the matter is our consent. To whom will we consent?

Causing Others to Stumble

There is a danger that through our actions, we will provide the kind of increased risk that Adam, Balaam, Saul, Solomon, Nadab, Asa, Baasha, Elam, Ahab, Ahaziah, Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Jeroboam, Jehoahash, Pekah, Manassah, the harlot, the second beast of Revelation 13, and so many more besides, did in creating strong situations of temptation that in a secondary sense, would cause others to sin.

Paul pled that “no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way” (Romans 14:13). And two verses on, “if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.”

Perhaps the greatest stumblingblock we can put in front of someone is our own inconsistent behavior. How will others perceive our actions? Imagine even one voice, missing from heaven, because in some measure, one’s example led them astray. How grim and unspeakably sad that would be.

So, there is a risk because God has given to us free will. But there is the flip side. Not only that some will choose evil, but that some will choose good. You are at risk of following Satan. You are also at risk of following Jesus. If you become like Jesus, you become like He whose very name (character) means salvation. This makes demons tremble and angels sing. I am all for choosing that which makes the angels that are around me to sing.

The Same Question at the Climax of the End-Time

We pointed out that this was an end-time problem in particular. Revelation 13:12 puts the question thus:

And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

Yes, the second beast, the United State of America, in whatever form it takes in the end, under the control of a Protestantism which has long departed from its protest against the false doctrines of Babylon, will exercise its influence to cause the state to create laws to compel our participation in a false day of worship. But not even 310 million of our neighbors can force us to sin. They can contribute to it, creating a setting and a situation in which we will be especially at risk of worshipping Satan’s beast’s dragonic power. But they cannot compel. Jesus outlined this all 2,000 years ago:

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna (Matthew 10:28 ESV, margin).

Conclusion

Can one be caused to sin by forces outside of himself? Situations of strong temptation contribute by creating special difficulty, but, always, in the final analysis, the moral question is personal: Have I agreed to sin? As soon as we consent, we sin. Or, as soon as we consent, we do righteousness. No one can be caused, forced, compelled, made to sin. Pressure may be applied to us, but this is why we need another power to help us. We need Christ within in order to resist. An ability has been given to us by which we may resist, and a power is available through which we may resist.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:21).