Four Red Bulls A Day

When Will America Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:27:00 +0000

In 1979, the Eagles rock band released their most successful album, "Hotel California." When the title song became a huge success, evangelical Christians began wondering if the "Hotel California" referred to a San Francisco hotel purchased by Anton LaVey and converted into the Church of Satan. LaVey's hotel was located on California Street.

Over the years, the members of Eagles strongly denied any connection to satanism. However, many of their explanations conflicted with each other. The Eagles' manager, Larry Salter, spilled the beans in a February 28, 1982, Waco Tribune-Herald interview in which he admitted that the Eagles were involved with the church of Satan.

There are several clues in the lyrics of Hotel California that point to the dark side: "I was thinking to myself/this could be heaven or this could be hell," and "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device" are two that stand out. But the most chilling verses are the ones that end the song:

Relax, said the night man,
We are programmed to receive.
You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave!

A series of recent events has started me wondering if America has become the Hotel California. When I was a kid, Ronald Reagan called the U.S. the "last stand for liberty." Today, I see a government that has an endless desire to manage my life, and it has me questioning how long the label "land of the free" can remain valid.

What made America free is the understanding that anyone can come and go as he or she pleases. We're now seeing signs that the door of free movement is starting to close.

The State Department has just made it harder for anyone seeking to become a full citizen of another nation. Under new consular fees, the cost of renouncing U.S. citizenship skyrocketed from $0 to $450.

It’s getting more expensive to have the right to visit other nations. The application fee for a passport is jumping by 27 percent, from $55 to $70, with a 100-percent increase, from $20 to $40, in the passport security surcharge. The State Department has also tacked new fees to have additional pages added to a U.S. passport. Before, this service was free.

For decades, there was a friendly border-crossing agreement between Canada and the United States. U.S. citizens were not required to present a passport to enter Canada. In 2004, the friendly border began closing. As of 2009, everyone going in or coming from Canada is required to have documentation

You might be surprised to learn that the U.S. is the only nation on earth that taxes your entire worldwide income, regardless of where you live. The original intent of these laws was to get rich people with Swiss bank accounts. The IRS has now begun using these old laws to go after anyone who falls within their grasp. Anyone born with U.S. citizens for parents is a citizen and has to pay taxes, regardless of the fact that he or she has never lived here.

What is troubling about all these fees and requirements for documentation is that they can be used to restrict our movement. If the government raised the cost of renouncing your citizenship to $4,000 or demanded a six-month wait to get a passport, most people would be trapped by these hurdles.

The growing difficulty of leaving the U.S. is reminiscent of the methods used by the Nazis to block the movement of Jews in the days before WWII. At first, Jews were free to leave Germany, but it quickly became very expensive to emigrate. After 1934, Jews were only allowed to take ten marks with them. In the end, the government took away their passport, and required special exit permits for foreign travel. After August 1941, Jews were forbidden to leave Germany.

Most Christians find it very hard to imagine the day coming when they would wish to leave America. I've been involved in enough correspondence to know the general view that as the spirit of Antichrist will enslave nation after nation, America will be one of the last nations to fall to tyranny.

What puts America at greatest risk of losing our freedom is the fact that we have something the devil desperately wants--Jews. Before the mass exodus of Jews from Russia, there were more Jewish people living in the U.S. than in Israel. Our abundance of God's chosen people may doom us to replay the fate that befell Germany.

I would much rather be raptured from my home here in the U.S. than from a Christian enclave in some South American country. But I would hop on the next banana boat tomorrow if the government were to demand today that I choose between it and my God.

Freedom cannot be taken for granted. If we fail to maintain our liberty, we are doomed to lose it.

PEACE AND SAFETY

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:16:00 +0000

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1 Thes. 5:1-3)

The one time when people are sure to talk about peace and safety, is just after they've experienced the horrible effects of war. For example, I remember as a kid seeing movies of people dancing in the streets of New York when they learned that World War 2 had finally ended. Soon the military was all but dismantled and people everywhere expressed a joyous expectation of peace.

Of course this turned out to be only an illusion. A scant five years after the end of WW2 the US was at war again in Korea. But people have an amazing sense of optimism, even if it's only based on illusion, something I think we're about to have confirmed again in 2012. I think circumstances are ripe for a brief but intense war in the Middle East.

What Are You Talking About?

Let's look at the current situation to see if my opinion is justified. What follows is a summary of recent reports from the NY Times, Washington Post, CNN, International Tribune and Debkafile during the months of December 2011 and January 2012.

US secretary of Defense Panetta says he believes Israel could act against Iran as early as April. Various news agencies speculate that Iran could be at war with Europe, Israel, the US or some combination this spring. In addition to stationing multiple aircraft carrier groups in the Persian Gulf, the US is currently moving 100,000 ground troops to islands off Iran's coast.

Russia's outgoing ambassador to NATO has warned Israel and the West that an attack on Tehran would be considered an attack on Moscow.

Iran has said a great event is coming that will put an end to Israel and the Great Satan (America). Some connect this to Israeli reports that Iran is developing a missile capable of hitting the eastern coast of the US, and also has EMP capabilities they could quickly position off the US east coast to knock out the power grid.

There are currently 200,000 missiles and rockets aimed at Israel from just across its borders. No location in Israel is out of reach, and no other country has ever faced such a threat to its existence. Israeli leaders have said they cannot tolerate this and will have to take action. They've also promised that the next time they go up against Hizbollah they won't stop until the threat it poses no longer exists.

Having suspended work on their observer mission in Syria due to the danger involved, the Arab League monitoring committee has asked for a one month extension. So far they've failed to halt or even moderate the violence there. Opponents of an extension are demanding the committee refer Syria to the UN Security Council for action. Syrian Pres. Assad has repeatedly said if the UN demands that he step aside and allow the formation of a new government, he'll start a regional war that will put all of the Middle East in flames.

As promised, Russia and China have now vetoed the UN Security Council resolution that makes such a demand, but the US and some European and Arab states (Britain, France, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar) are reportedly planning to bypass the UN and go after Assad on their own. They're currently trying to find a general in the Syrian army who will lead a coup with their backing. For its part, Russia continues to send weapons to Syria and has moved a contingent of special forces into Black Sea bases to help defend the Syrian government as necessary. This is in addition to Russian naval forces already on patrol in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Some political analysts are saying the only thing that could take the American voters minds off the miserable state of our economy is if the US were to find itself at war in the lead up to the election. It wouldn't be the first time politicians have used war to influence public opinion.

The Perfect Storm

This is beginning to look like the geopolitical version of a perfect storm. It's hard to see how the world can avoid some kind of regional war. As one commentator put it, with all the military forces arrayed in such a confined space (the Persian Gulf) starting a war by accident becomes a real possibility. In 25 years of study I've never seen conditions quite so ideal for the fulfillment of prophecy as they are now.

The fact that the Mainstream media has begun to mention the possibility of war means that soon it could become a topic for the national dialog in the US as it is in other parts of the world. In Israel the discussion is about whether the leadership has already made the decision to attack Iran or not. In the Islamic world it's whether Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, is really al Mahdi's deputy on Earth as he claims to be and is therefore entitled to their obedience. In Europe it's whether Iran will unilaterally end the shipments of oil it has contracted to supply them now, or wait till the embargo takes effect in July. (The Iranian parliament met on Jan. 29 to discuss this possibility.) And in Asia it's how to evade the embargo altogether. India and China have already announced they won't go along and are looking for alternate ways to pay for their Iranian oil, such as with gold or through bartering.

Students of prophecy are well aware that if this is not God's timing, some way will be found to temporarily defuse the situation in a way that leaves things unresolved as has been the case several times in the past. But if it is God's timing the world will soon suffer through a brief but intense regional war in the Middle East.

And after it ends, while they're saying “Peace and Safety” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape (1 Thes. 5:3). (Remember, it takes a war to get people talking about peace.) The sudden destruction to which Paul referred will signal the beginning of the end of the world as we know it. I believe it will start with the Battle of Ezekiel 38-39followed by Daniel's 70^th Week which culminates in the Great Tribulation.

Where Does That Leave Us?

In 1 Thes. 5:4-11 Paul said this chain of events should not take the Church by surprise. When he called us children of the light, he meant we've been given the knowledge to understand what's coming. We should rely on our faith in the Lord's love for us like a soldier relies on his body armor. We should focus our minds on the hope of salvation we've been promised to protect us like a soldier's helmet protects his head, and remember that God did not appoint us to wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The symbolism here is remarkable. A soldier's body armor protects his heart, which we symbolically see as the seat of our faith and the repository of the Lord's love. His helmet protects his head, symbolizing the storehouse of knowledge in our mind. The Lord doesn't expect blind obedience or baseless faith. He's gone to great extremes to make us aware of His intentions. In Amos 3:7 He said,Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

His plan is to rescue the Church from His coming wrath (1 Thes. 1:10). The Greek word translated “from” in this verse means from the time, the place, and any relation to the event, which is the time of God's wrath.

When the Council of Jerusalem met to discuss whether Gentiles had to convert to Judaism before they could become Christians (Acts 15:13-18) 483 years of a 490 year plan for Israel had been fulfilled. In effect James told them that Israel was being set aside for a time because first the Lord was taking from the Gentiles a people for Himself. He was referring to the Church. The Greek phrase translated “taking from” means to carry away, out of the time and place of His subsequent action. In the context of the passage His subsequent action is the remaining 7 years of His plan for Israel which includes the time of God's Wrath.

Later Paul,who was there, wrote that Israel has been hardened in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25). He was talking about the Church being taken to its final destination, which is Heaven, before God turns His attention to Israel again for the final seven years of His plan.

This testimony, shared by a man who heard the prophecy of James with his own ears, prompted him to say we should encourage one another and build each other up when we see these things taking place (1 Thes. 5: 11). We can do this because they tell us our redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28).

This timely commentary was written by Jack Kelly, his work can be found at his website Grace Through Faith as well as Rapture Ready

AGENDA 21 - ENVIRONMENTALISM GONE WILD

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:08:00 +0000

AGENDA 21

(Environmentalism Gone Wild)

By Daymond Duck

I recently learned that a speaker would be discussing Agenda 21 at our local Tea Party meeting. Knowing that Agenda 21 was established by the United Nations to help bring in one-world government and that it has enjoyed the support of luminaries such as Pres. George H. W. Bush (1992 Earth Summit), Pres. Bill Clinton (Executive Order 12858) and Pres. Barack Obama (Executive Order 13575), I decided to attend.

This hideous idea has been around for more than a quarter of a century. For many of those years, it was in the discussion stage, but it has now moved to the implementation stage. In the United States, it has made its way into every state in the union. Those who want to know if it has come to their city, town or county can find out by going to www.iclei.org. At the top of the page, on the horizontal menu click on “Members.” In the left margin of the page that comes up, click on “Global Members.” When that page comes up, scroll down to “United States of America” and click. You will find more than five hundred places on a list that will soon be much larger.

Advocates of this fiendish idea target groups such as the National Governors Association, the National League of Cities, the U.S.Mayors Conference, the National Association of County Administrators, and others. They offer government grants and foundation money to entice elected officials (governors, mayors, county administrators, city administrators, council persons and others) to establish and empower non-elected committees or councils to accept wonderful sounding programs such as “Open Space,” “Smart Codes,” “Smart Growth,” “Growth Management, “Sustainable Development,” “Regional Planning,” “Green Building Projects” and the like. Establishing and empowering these committees is like making a deal with the devil because it authorizes non-elected government officials that are accountable to no one, except the UN and God, to take control of businesses, houses, land and roads to do whatever they want to do with them. Individuals are powerless to stop them because our elected officials have placed the law on the committee’s side.

Under the guise of smart planning or wise development these committees can rezone any piece of property or any area of town they want and do away with all roads, bridges, power lines, gas lines, water lines, sewer lines or whatever that go to that property.

Under the guise of protecting the environment they can do away with the highway, street or lane we drive to work on and replace it with a walking trail or a bicycle trail. Some say these committees will eventually seize all privately owned property; take away our gas-powered vehicles; tell us where to live, how many children we can have, what we can and cannot eat, what we can and cannot grow; and force us to move to a small apartment that is energy efficient and close to our job, so we can walk to work, ride a bicycle or take public transportation.

According to some, our current lifestyle is unsustainable, and society as a whole will be better off with a committee making most of our decisions for us. We will have no choice but to go along with it because our elected officials will have subordinated (sold out or signed over) our individual rights when they took the government grant and signed the documents to create these non-elected committees. This should not be viewed as something that will never get to us because it is already being implemented in many places and it will continue to grow until the UN controls every piece of property on earth. When they get that kind of control, people will do what they say or lose their head.

Good bye freedom. Good bye individual rights. Hello going green and one-world government.

Thank you Daymond Duck for this well-written commentary about an issue that has far too long been ignored. Christians, wake up.

KEEP AN EYE ON ISRAEL

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:36:00 +0000

Amazingly, the UN’s “Palmer Report,” detailing the investigation into last summer’s “flotilla” incident—in which Israeli commandos boarded a “humanitarian” ship bound forGaza, to check for weapons smuggling—is actually favorable to the Jewish state.

Sadly, though, but now routine, its release has been buried by the media (as outlined by Honest Reporting,www.honestreporting.com) as Turkey’s increasingly bellicose Prime Minister, Erdogan, continues to use harsh rhetoric against Israel.

And in one of the “small” incidents this past week, Israelis living in the town of Netiv Ha’asara had to deal with sniper fire from Gaza. I have friends in the Jerusalem suburb of Gilo who dealt with the same thing a few years ago, this time from Bethlehem.

It is obvious to all, even their supporters, that the Palestinians are not fit for a state. They do not embrace even basic humanitarian values, and do not value life. I am still waiting for American mainline churches to denounce the brutal murders of the Fogel family in March. They are silent about any violence directed at Israel, including the continued imprisonment of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

According to a story from the Meir Amit Intelligence andTerrorism Information Center:

“A spokesman for the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine nicknamed Abu Jamal claimed that operatives belonging to his organization had begun sniper fire attacks. He said the organization had previously carried out sniper attacks. He added that it had been carried out "thanks to a modern, advanced, precise weapon" the organization received, which could hit a long-range target and did not endanger the shooter. It was also, he said, thanks to the training the operatives had undergone in precision shooting, concealment and evasion.”

Another encounter nearby around the same time illustrates the wide gulf between Israel and her supporters, and the Palestinians and their supporters.
An IDF patrol was hit by mortar fire, and in the response, Khaled Ahmed Abu Sahmoud, a member of the Popular Resistance Committee (PRC) was killed. He was the commander of the east Khan Yunis unit.

The Arabs have been launching terror raids and campaigns against Jews in that land for 100 years, intensifying them in the lead-up to World War II, and making almost daily efforts since 1948. No other country in the world (the UN has about 195 members) has ever dealt with such threats, so consistently. Yet Israel’s critics continue to chatter about what the Jewish state does wrong.

Do the critics mention that the IDF made the decision in 2002 to send soldiers house-to-house in Jenin, looking for Hamas killers? Do you understand my point? Just like the Lebanon War of 1982, rather than flatten whole Palestinian villages from the air—and thus save their own troops—the IDF commanders made the decision to send troops into harm’s way, to prevent civilian casualties.

Silence from the Left.

As a Christian (and all my Jewish friends, here and in Israel, share the same sentiment), I am grieved, truly, at Abu Sahmoud’s death. One casualty in world history, he was still known to God, and it is a horrific tragedy that terrorism caused his death. Does the Left think of or remember his family?
The Iraqi soldiers who were put through the meat grinder by Saddam Hussein in the Gulf Wars, so he could use them as human shields…does the Left think about them? I know they don’t think about Jews murdered by terrorists, but do they think about the fact that policies they embrace (appeasement and negotiations with terrorists) embolden the terrorists and result in more killing?

As for Israel, they have too many enemies. Politicians. Armies. Diplomats. Media figures. Terrorist-murderers.

I think a lot about the casualties on both sides, even the terrorists. And I think almost continually about my Israeli friends, who have by far too many enemies.

Most people pay some attention to the big picture, to the negotiations and to the Palestinian threat to attain statehood from the UN.

jim@prophecymatters.com

CALLED BY HIS NAME

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 03:14:00 +0000

Called By His Name

9/15/2011

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. The meaning behind the Hebrew word “shem”, which translates into our English word “name” used in the above verse, references a people who are established in a definite and conspicuous position. Who are those people who are established in the vicarious conspicuous position of being called by His name? Well, certainly the Jewish people, but God speaks to another group here as well.

What hinders God from doing what He’d prefer to do is sin. Whose sin? He’s certainly not speaking of the enemies of God nor is He referring to a bunch of non-believing government bureaucrats steeped in their own personal sins as they steal from their constituency. No, those who His attention is focused on in the verse above, and who He desires to help if they would only humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, already belong to Him. It’s a shock to realize who God is speaking to. “My people who are called by my name”, the wicked people are both Jews and Gentiles. God speaks to both camps. His chosen people are the Jews, yet His Church is also in view here. Wow – a real eye opener, but sadly true. Don’t write and tell me that that verse is an Old Testament verse directed only at the Jewish people of that day. If you honestly believe the above verse doesn’t address Christians then you’ll need to scrap the Bible in its entirety. There is no doubt that God is speaking to His children, born again believers in Christ, as well as His chosen people, the Jews.

If my people, and that’s a big “if”, will do what we should have been doing all along, which is walking with the Lord daily, then God will act upon what we ask of Him. While His people remain outside of His fellowship in their self imposed exile He will remain silent, the healing process will be put on hold until His people come back and embrace that loving fellowship He offers. Does that mean we’re not saved? Absolutely not. Many of God’s children are not walking with Him, they are out of fellowship. Keep in mind that God is calling His people which includes the born again to repentance. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God…” John 1:12a. God has given us (the born again) the power to become sons of God. Once a son of God, always a son of God, but being out of fellowship with our Savoir and Lord brings only misery and heartache.

Is there any possibility that God will heal America, a land where the majority of its populous prides themselves on being Christian? Certainly God is fully able to heal our land and bring about the greatness that America once enjoyed, but will He? A nation where the vast majority of citizens claim to be Christian should not be in such trouble, especially as we see is the case today stretching from sea to shining sea. Where are all the prayer warriors?

Talk is cheap; I’ve stated it many times in past commentaries. Just because someone stakes a claim to being a Christian doesn’t really mean they are. There is a growing segment of Americans who are repulsed by those of us who claim to be “born again” and some of these folks actually profess to be Christians themselves. In the third chapter of the book of John, Jesus told Nicodemus that the only way to see the Kingdom of Heaven is to be born again. It’s fairly obvious that if a person is repulsed at the thought of being born again, that would be a real deterrent to ever seeing the Kingdom of Heaven.

Surely if the populous of the US were actually followers of Jesus Christ we could be fairly certain they’d be praying for God to heal their land and forgive their sins. This land, as far as I can see, is not being healed. Therefore either those who are called by His name are not turning from their wicked ways or the nation is made up of mostly in name only Christians. Today as never before in our history, America is in desperate need of healing, and the lost of this nation are going to be no help to the born again in asking God for His intervention. And if the born again don’t ask, well…

Prayer is extremely important in God’s economy. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16b. “Much of our prayer is not effective simply because it is not fervent. It is offered with a lukewarm attitude that virtually asks God to care about something that we care little about. Effective prayer must be fervent, not because we must emotionally persuade a reluctant God, but because we must gain God’s heart by being passionate for the things He is fervent for.” – David Guzik

A fervent prayer initiated by whom? A “righteous man”. His fervent prayer will avail much, and the humble prayers presented to God by those who are called by His name will result in the fulfillment of a spoken promise by the One who calls us by His name. That same promise will not come to fruition if those who are called by His name remain steadfast in their wicked ways and silent when it comes to sending up petitions to the Creator of the universe.

That verse of 2 Chronicles is presented in commentary after commentary, and has been for some time now. Many letters that come to me have that prayer inserted at the bottom, people are attempting to spread that verse around as a prayer for all to read and repeat. Always, as it is used in commentaries, it’s seen as a call to arms so to speak, but so far it doesn’t seem to have many adherents. How can I say that? Is there anyone out there that actually believes that God has healed, or is in the process of healing, our land? On the contrary, America is in dire straits. Only by calling on the One true God by those who place their faith and trust in Him, and Him alone for salvation, can the many plagues permeating this land be eradicated.

God has called all of His Children to prayer. Not just those who are actually active in prayer, but those who neglect prayer as well. In God’s directive of 2 Chronicles I don’t see where God is allowing for the possibility that if some will turn from their evil ways – pray – seek His face – then He’ll act. No! All of His people, all who are called by His name must turn from their evil ways and do as He has commanded.

Are the faithful asleep? There seems to be a vast majority of those who’ve placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ who haven’t a clue as to what’s coming next. Those who are in tune with God and His word know that there will be some bad times (persecutions – tribulations – trials) which the Church will be forced to endure while we await the Rapture. What those times will consist of no one knows for sure. But we will be hated more and more for Christ’s sake and we can all see that those days are somewhat upon us now. Petitioning God’s help is our only hope and will be, in the near future, our only recourse as we see avenue after avenue beginning to close to those who follow the true Creator of the universe, Jesus the Christ.

A year ago I wrote a commentary titled “Time Has Come – Let’s Pray” which garnered a positive reaction from folks all over the world. I was thrilled with such a response and I was fairly confident we would begin to see a difference very soon. My brethren were convicted and they told me so. They were going to begin to diligently pray and seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways. Surely there would be a full on trek back into fellowship with the One and only God of all creation. Did it happen? Did those who are called by His name begin their journey back to that place where they could continue in an awesome relationship with their Savior and Lord? I hope so. But I honestly believe that many professing Christians are so tied to this world, and the idea of instant gratification, that when they see no instant benefit in prayer they cease their communication with God. Then they do the unspeakable, they do an about face and instead of continually calling on God, they call on the governments of the world to attempt to clean up the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into on this planet, all the while continuing in their wicked ways.

Today it seems that instead of being concerned with the things of God, more and more believers in Christ are fully absorbed by the conditions of our times. Instead of relying on God and being in the center of His will, many have caved and bowed to the government and now are fully reliant on that very ungodly entity as their provider of basic needs. His people called by His name, in their quest for their perceived fair share, have neglected the One who loves them and freely gives with no strings attached. How do born again believers in Christ humble themselves before their God? By repenting of their evil ways and then turning away from sin.

The end is very near now and the healing of this land may be, for all intents and purposes, a moot point, but turning from our wicked ways, that’s something that should be paramount on our minds. From here on out nothing of this world should be attracting us. Think about it, what is the attraction of this planet now? Surely we’re repulsed by the cold heartedness permeating our society today. Do the lies coming out of our Federal Government seem attractive? Not hardly. Money? Love? Possessions? Nothing can compare to Heaven and that’s what we need to set as the priority of our thinking these days. The words “this world is not my home” needs to be believed now more than ever. This world is not our home; it is a place where we currently sojourn but only temporarily. If this world is so vastly important to you then I have some very disturbing and disappointing news, it will soon be completely destroyed by fire. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10. This biblical scenario is not too far off in mankind’s future.

The children of God have a new home being prepared for them which will never be destroyed, never be attacked, entropy will never enter therein. If you don’t want to leave earth with all its beauty then you must not believe your Heavenly home can transcend the earthly. Are we looking forward to Heaven, or are we simply giving lip service to something we perceive as only fantasy? If you are not looking forward to Heaven you will be of no earthly good to the Kingdom of God while here on earth. Only those who have disentangled themselves from the worldly know for certain that their future Heavenly home awaits them, new and perfect in its place.

If His people will turn from their evil ways and pray He will hear from Heaven, all of their prayers. But we must pray, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:23-24. What an awesome promise given to us by the one who died for us. Neglecting to call on the Lord in prayer simply ties His hands. He wants us involved in the fellowship. It isn’t to be one sided. Let Him hear from you, that’s what He tells us in 2 Chronicles 7:14. He needs to hear from His people. When those prayers are sent up to God in earnest, then will He hear and act. This nation of ours might just remain intact while His Church remains prayerful and in fellowship with their God.

When all is said and done, this moment of time that we occupy is nothing more than a vapor. Trusting God is our only hope in a world which has a majority of folks who have no use for God whatsoever. God, in His directive of 2 Chronicles, is only asking those who are called by His name – His children – to pray. If you’re still not sure, allow me make it perfectly clear just who His Children are. We are those who Jesus refers to as being able to see the Kingdom of Heaven. Yes we’re sinners, yes we stumble from time to time, and yes we sometimes become adversely entangled in the evils of this world. That’s why the 2 Chronicles directive is as important to God as it should be to each of us. Read it again, ““If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.” Now place it prominently in your memory banks – never to be forgotten – quote it often – then act upon it.

As born again believers in Christ, called by His name, we can see Heaven, our future home, and we know we will be there one day. It’s as though we see the future as we forget the past. Can you see it? No? Then you know what you must do.

Thank you to Ron Graham for this timely commentary. His work can also be found at Rapture Ready

Lea Sylvester's work may also be found at Rapture Ready

I AM YOURS

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:39:00 +0000

We need to remember who we are in Christ, and never forget that. Sometimes, we get too busy to see the forest for the trees and we must, in those times especially, stop. We must wait upon the Lord, we must listen and we must remember who our Father is.

"Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. "

"But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own we have given thee. For we are strangers before thee, sojourners, as were all our fathers; our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding (no expectation of others)." I Chronicles 29:11-15

"I know also, my God that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee." I Chronicles 29:17

Let us never forget for one minute who we serve. Never give up, give in or question our Father's love for us. We are His...

Lea Sylvester
Elul 14, 5771
September 13, 2011

View the video below:
(pause the music player on the page of the blog - so that you can hear this music without interference)

REVELATION: A STUDY FOR US TODAY PART I

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 05:28:00 +0000

How many people reading this are excited to read and study the Book of Revelation? Many Christians don't like this book, they say it is hard to understand. This writer finds it is the most fascinating book in our Bible. It is written FOR US. It is essential that we understand it.

To begin with, an in depth study of the Book of Revelation will give those who study it more knowledge and understanding of not only the Book of Revelation, but of things related to the supernatural entity we know as "God." God IS real. Most pastors today lack understanding of this book and it is not taught. The book is not "The Revelations" but "The Revelation."

Do not be overwhelmed by this wonderful book. "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must (soon) shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John." Rev 1:1 The word "servant" here is US. You and me. Those of us here. We are to understand these words.

The word, "revelation" means literally the Apocalypse. From word studies we find that the word also means (in its noun form): rev·e·la·tion [rev-uh-ley-shuhn] –noun
1.the act of revealing or disclosing; disclosure.
2.something revealed or disclosed, especially a striking disclosure, as of something not before realized.
3.Theology .
a. God’s disclosure of Himself and His will to His creatures.
ban instance of such communication or disclosure.
something thus communicated or disclosed.
something that contains such disclosure, as the Bible.

AND
— noun
1. the act or process of disclosing something previously secret or obscure, esp something true
2. a fact disclosed or revealed, esp in a dramatic or surprising way
3. Christianity
a. God's disclosure of his own nature and his purpose for mankind, esp through the words of human intermediaries
b. something in which such a divine disclosure is contained, such as the Bible

[from Latin revelatio from Latin revelare to reveal ]

So, we see Revelation means "the unveiling." This is the revelation of God's plan to mankind. This book is an extremely important book because it tells us the full story of man and how God is dealing with him.

The Revelation is a massive vision given to John as he was on the Island of Patmos. He is given a vision of the fulfillment of this present age. The vision he is given is beyond you and I. The fullness of it is beyond us, it hasn't happened yet.

Revelation was written in 96 A.D. We know Rome was ruling the world at that time. It is one of the last parts of the New Testament to be written. Tradition tells us that John was the only one of Jesus Christ's original Disciples that died a natural death. John was thrown in boiling oil in Ephesus to kill him and he walked out of the boiling oil. He was banished to the island of Patmos. Patmos is in the Aegean Sea. It is a rock quarry. John was there because Rome was paving their world. There was
a saying that said, "All roads lead to Rome". Rome was mining and paved the world. From Patmos they obtained granite and rocks and turpentine. They paved about 200,000 miles of roads.

Why is that so important? The Gospel has just happened. Jesus has died and Paul is bringing the Gospel to a pagan world. There is a universal language that is called Greek. Even the Romans understood Greek. It's one thing to tell a person to go preach the gospel to all the world but if there are no roads, how does one get there? So, we see that Rome is playing into the whole plan of God. Those roads the Romans thought that they would use to conquer the whole world were actually used to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the meantime, John is cutting the rocks on Patmos. Envision this: John is cutting the rock and the rock is used to build a road that Paul is going to use to bring the gospel to the world. This is extremely exciting and should be to those who aren't aware of this. Indeed, we as Christians, have a great deal to be excited about today.

In the meantime, God has one last vision to give the Gospel-writer, John. From Revelation 1:9, "I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." Interestingly, there would be a tremendous move across the world. As John is writing this vision, we know as The Revelation, Paul was bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ all over the world.

John is writing about things that must shortly come to pass. We read in Revelation 1:1, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly (soon) come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John."

Revelation Chapter 1:3 tells us, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." Revelation is the only book of scripture that one gets a blessing from God each and every time one reads it. Every time one reads this, there is a blessing from God. No other book of the Bible has that.

Unlike any other Book of the Bible, two-thirds of Revelation is prophecy. Two-thirds are direct quotes from other parts of scripture. Our entire Bible is two-thirds prophecy. To demonstrate the difference between the Bible and books from what are considered pagan cults, we can see that The Vedas of Hinduism and the Zenda Avesta from Buddhism have not one word of prophecy in them. The Koran, which we are hearing so much about today, has not a single prophetic verse in it. Never once does it attempt to talk about the future. Of the 30,442 verses in the Bible, nearly two-thirds (or approximately 20k verses) have to do with prophecy.

Prophecy is the prediction of future events. In fact, books considered sacred by all religions have not one word of prophecy or future events predicted. The Bible is full of such predictions. Some have already been fulfilled, others are in the process of being fulfilled in our day and still others are to be fulfilled in the future.

Fulfilled prophecy and attested miracles constitute the "twin pillars" which uphold the structure and inspiration of scripture. The reason why Christianity survives is because they have these twin pillars. Again, they are prophecy and miracles. We know that signs have accompanied those who believe. Those signs, for 2,000 years, have accompanied it and this is the reason Christianity has spread all over the known globe.

As we see it in Revelation, John is in the Spirit on The Lord's Day, and we see he heard a great voice behind him. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet." Revelation 1:10 Here we see that John hears a loud voice and he sees The Lord, not as he saw him during their time together, not as you and I might believe we envision Him. John saw Jesus Christ, not as a humble, lowly Galilean. We tend to have this idea of Him with blue eyes and blonde hair. Jesus did not have these features. His name wasn't even Jesus. It is Yeshuah or Joshua, which means "savior." Jesus is the Greek form of His name.

Perhaps this is one reason why some Jewish people have trouble with Christianity because they see us worshiping a Greek god using a Greek name. They think it is some Greek god we are worshiping.
Why? In the Middle Ages, great painters depicted Jesus to look just like Apollo. He had long hair, and blue eyes. Jesus, the man, did not.

John doesn't see this type of image. In fact, he doesn't even see the Jesus he was used to seeing. He sees Jesus as not weak, not someone who is a humble carpenter. He sees Him splendid and in His Glory. The next time we see Jesus he is not going to be a lowly Galilean. He is coming back as a conqueror. He will conquer the entire world.

In Isaiah 9:6 we are told "the government" will be on His shoulders." and we know the He is coming back to rule with a rod of iron. (Rev 2:27, Psalm 2:9), He is coming back to put down all rebellion and all sin. He must do that. If one sees anything about Revelation, it is the account of how once and for all, sin is going to be dealt with.

Revelation 1:11 "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last; and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamas, and unto Thatira and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodecia." There are those who don't understand about these churches. But, He is giving us a message here. It is very important.

Revelation 1:12 contains symbolism but also is the literal Word of God. "And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks."

Revelation 1:14-16 tells us, "His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp-two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."

John is seeing the Resplendent Christ. There is a great deal of symbolism in the passages. Obviously the sword mentioned is the Word of God. But do not forget that this is the literal Word of God here. He (John) is given some special instructions. As John sees Christ, he notices that He wears an ephod (as a Jewish Priest might wear), His white hair symbolizes wisdom; His eyes as fire symbolizes judgment, His feet are as burnished brass. John is seeing it and writing it. He sees Christ standing in the midst of seven candlesticks with seven stars in his right hand.
What do these mean or what message do they convey? We must know what these mean.

The instructions are given here, "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter" Revelation 1:19

Here he is giving us the Revelation "drama". Here is what The Revelation is about (based upon Revelation 1:19)
SCENE 1: Concerning the things which he has seen (Chapter 1). These are the things he has seen which are all about Jesus Christ.

SCENE 2: These concern the Church. This is the Age of Grace. Jesus is at the right hand of God, calling our name to Him. Interceding for us. (Chapters 2,3, and 4). After Revelation Chapter 4 the Church is not mentioned again.

A lot of people have their theories about the rapture. Some believe we will be raptured at any time; this is known as the pre-tribulaton rapture. Some people believe it will be in the middle of the tribulation (3-1/2 years). Others believe in post-tribulation rapture. I personally believe in pre-tribulation rapture and I believe this can be backed up by scripture. We (believers) are not to receive the wrath of God. This wrath of God is not upon us. Our sin was dealt with at Calvary. This is dealing with sin. It concerns the wrath upon the unrepentant sinners and nations.

SCENE 3: Chapters 4-22. This is pure prophecy. Some is being fulfilled at this time, others yet to be fulfilled. Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us. He is calling our name to God.

There is an imminent return of Jesus Christ.

Lea Sylvester's work may also be found at Rapture Ready

The Bible - God's Word

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:45:00 +0000

The Bible is at least 2000 years old, yet it continues to uphold the same truths throughout the centuries. It has been fought against by many foes yet continues to endure. It contains amazing descriptions of science; history; faith; theology; analysis of the heart, mind and conscience and godly living that continues to prove itself in our rapidly advancing information age.

Many people read the Bible looking for flaws, excuses or contradictions. They do what many have done over the years, "twist the Scriptures to their own destruction". It is foolish to try and twist God's word for your own advantage. Some read the Bible trying to justify sin in their life. Others read the bible and try to condone sodomy or any other wicked thing.

God never changes, Jesus doesn't change either (He remains our High priest forever to mediate for us at the right hand of God Almighty). In fact "the Word of the Lord will endure forever". "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do [give an account]. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 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."--(Hebrews 4:12-16 KJV)

May you fall on the firmly grounded rock of Jesus who is the Christ/Messiah and humble yourself before the only true Almighty God who sent His son to be the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the best master, the closest friend, our redeemer, our teacher and our guide.

An Open Letter to Brian McLaren

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:06:00 +0000

Mr. McLaren:

For a long time, I have noticed the disconnect between your seemingly serene, peace/love/justice/mercy persona, and the vitriol with which you discuss Christian Zionists, and what I’d call Bible-believers in general.

From your publicity photos, to your blogs and video links, you project an air of compassion and spiritual healing. Your eminently marketable brand fairly screams Frank Costanza’s famous mantra, “Serenity now!”

Your English degree has served you well as a bestselling author and popular conference speaker. Your provocative book titles, like The Secret Message of Jesus, and A New Kind of Christianity, seem inspired by your friend, Marcus Borg, and reveal your considerable marketing skills. You are skilled at presenting your liberal views to mainstream evangelical audiences.

So it is with dismay that I read a recent blog posting on your website that references a letter from Naim Ateek to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. Ateek makes the following statement, which you indicated that you felt was so important that it needs to be in bold print:

“With candor the last two groups of extremists, i.e. Jewish and Western Christian Zionists are a greater threat to us than the extremist Islamists. In fact, these extremists have more military power and clout to uproot all Palestinian presence both Christian and Muslim from our homeland.”

Extremists? Do you seriously believe that Bible-believing Christians (I think you’d call us fundamentalists) are extremists? And to infer that Christian Zionists are more violent than Muslim terrorists is not only an infinite stretch, but it is outright hate-speech—incendiary and violently provocative.

It is unacceptable.

Elsewhere in your writings, you have referred quite often to Christian Zionists, as in this call to understand:

“The need to confront the terrible, deadly, distorted, yet popular theologies associated with Christian Zionism and deterministic dispensationalism.”

Terrible? Deadly?

You don’t know us, yet you seem very comfortable in your slanders, which tells me a great deal about the state of modern evangelicalism—which you and your friends have successfully infiltrated.

To date, you seem to insulate yourself effectively from those of us you view with such disdain. Since you would (I am assuming here) frown on the word “debate,” I wonder if you’d care to have a public conversation about Christian Zionists, with a Christian Zionist? Please name a date and place convenient for you, or allow us to host you with real hospitality, which you do not, evidently, return in-kind.

Mr. McLaren, your tolerance has very visible limits, and I wonder if your followers understand this reality. Your public dislike of Dispensationalists and Christian Zionists is outrageous. It is simply wrong and quite unjust.

It’s time to practice the love and compassion you preach.

As of right now, sir, I view you as the most intolerant Christian leader active in America. Will you repent of your hate-language directed at Christian Zionists?

Sincerely and eagerly awaiting your reply,

Jim Fletcher

Lea Sylvester'a wrtings and this article, written by Jim Fletcher, can be found a tRapture Ready

ALL BAD CHURCH DOCTRINE IS INTENTIONAL

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:11:00 +0000

All Bad Church Doctrine is Intentional

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16. All scripture is profitable for doctrine because it’s all God breathed. We are to use the scriptures as a reproof against bad doctrine, then we correct those who are promoting such doctrine, and we continue to use those same scriptures as instructions in righteousness. How can we ever expect to be considered righteous before our perfect God when we allow bad doctrine to sway our Christian Church?

Do we get bad doctrine from the Bible? Is God inclined to provide us with erroneous doctrines to confuse us? Doctrine, simply put, means that which is taught, it’s the act of teaching – it’s instruction. Jesus taught us His doctrines “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matthew 7:28-29.

The only people who should be teaching in our Churches are those who have studied God’s word and who stand firm on the truth of His word. These folks would be under the authority of God Himself. But this just isn’t the case these days is it? Bad doctrine is abundant in our Christian Churches. All bad doctrine comes from the father of all lies, Satan, and of course it’s intentional.

Many of my brethren have written me complaining about their Church doctrine. So much so that I’ve begun to wonder just how many truly Christ centered, Bible believing Churches remain. For the reason stated above, many of these folks have told me they refuse to attend church services and have begun to hold services in their homes with family members and friends. What they no longer receive at their local Christian Church is afforded them in abundance at home – which is God’s truth from His inerrant Word.

Like I said, bad doctrine is intentional; it has been Satan’s plan since the inception of the Church to disrupt the flow of true information and subtly subvert that truth with his lies. Many pastors today have no clue they are propagating erroneous church doctrine. According to many of my readers their pastors don’t seem to have an inkling of what is correct and what is not, or they just don’t care. They’ve tried to confront the pastor but in most cases he, or worse yet she, simply states “I was taught by my professors in seminary, and they hold PhD’s in theology, what do you hold?”

We are all held accountable by God to know His word. If we are taught by someone who is off base concerning God’s word we too will promote the same fallacies when we begin to teach others. All Satan had to do was to get those professors to see things his way and voila the bad doctrine began. We’ve certainly been privy to a lot of bad doctrine over the past few years. With the invention of TV we’ve seen men and women manipulating the masses for nothing more than personal gain. The internet has become another foraging ground for those who, solely for personal gain, have devised ways to achieve their goals and it’s all done using bad doctrine.

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:7-9. The doctrines of men have become common place in our Christian Churches; can Jesus be happy about such behavior? You decide. But while you are making up your mind remember how many times in the scriptures we are told to “…be ye not deceived”. “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” Ephesians 4:14.

Why is it so easy to preach from the pulpit today and garner a huge following all the while teaching bad doctrine? Those of you who don’t know the answer to that question may well be part of the problem. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” 1 Timothy 4:1. Basically, giving heed means to regard as truth. These folks believe Satan and his minions of evil over God and His Word. Why? Because they are biblically illiterate and it seems they prefer their illiteracy over truth.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4. Because of the many letters I receive these days from folks complaining about their pastor and others in their church leadership’s hierarchy who are leading their congregations down a very destructive path, I’d say we are well on our way to fulfilling the above prophecy.

I’m not able to attend every church service around this country so the letters from my brethren must suffice. But here’s a little tidbit some of you living here in the US might not be aware of. I’m not only inundated by letters from American Christians who are very concerned about their churches, but many letters come from my brethren in various countries around the world who have virtually the same complaint. Here’s a sampling of the complaints. “Why does my pastor teach from Rick Warren’s A Purpose Driven Life”? “Why is Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis, or any of his books for that matter being taught to our congregation as the gospel?” And one of my favorites is “Why are we beginning to revert back to accepting and placing in our Christian Church many of the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church, doesn’t being a Protestant mean we stand completely apart from the RCC in all doctrine”?

I’ve had people write and tell me that their pastor reads the book “The Shack” from the pulpit and they want to know if this is doctrinal. Or why do pastors pass out books to their congregations entitled “Heaven is Real” not as a book of fiction but as a book that is actually supposed to represent Heaven to us?

A pastor must be able to discern the truth, and as he teaches and preaches from God’s inerrant Word it will be revealed to the congregation that God is the author of the pastor’s message. Because many pastors are not spiritually discerning, bad doctrine thrives. “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,” Colossians 2:18. God’s word is our doctrine. When men veer off the path that God has laid down for all humanity, it is intentional. Satan doesn’t want the Bible preached in our Christian Churches, nor does he want Christians reading the Bible. So, he has devised a way to replace the word of God with books that entice us away from the truth. It’s quite apparent by the biblical illiteracy permeating our Christian Churches that Satan has been very successful in his attempt to replace the Bible with other works. Not knowing sound doctrine themselves, many pastors have fallen for Satan’s enticements. Then they proceed to advance the doctrines of devils instead of the doctrines of the one and only true and living God. All this bad doctrine has been devised by the enemy of God to throw the Church for a loop. Intentional? You better believe it.

The last thing Satan wants the Church to do is to physically open their Bibles and become habitual at reading and studying God’s word. If Christ’s Church were actually literate, biblically that is, there would be many more Christians questioning bad doctrine as it enters their churches. Bad doctrine would be stopped at the front door, or in the case of a pastor who spouts bad doctrine, shown the front door. And that question from the pastor mentioned earlier “Do you have a PhD in Theology? No? Then where do you get off questioning me?” would have no effect on biblically literate Christian congregations.

Nowadays many people assume that if your name isn’t followed by alphabet soup you can’t be knowledgeable enough concerning the word of God to question those who have a PhD after their names. The question we must ask ourselves when it comes to studying and understanding God’s word is how many of Christ’s disciples had PhD’s after their names while they walked and talked and lived with Jesus for those three years? At the end they were given the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit guided them; some of them wrote down their experiences with Jesus and as they wrote they recorded Jesus’ own words. But all of them preached the truth of the Gospel and all but one were horribly martyred for their faith.

This may come as a shocker to many of you but I have no PhD after my name. I have no collage credits to boast of. I’ve never attended seminary or any Christian college, or secular college for that matter. I made it through high school only by the skin of my teeth and the help of a brother-in-law who wanted to see me graduate. But I’m convinced my teaching is in line with God’s precepts. Why am I so convinced? Only God Himself could be the force behind the commentaries I write. I couldn’t write a word without Him.

I’ve studied my Bible; I don’t mean I’ve just read it through a few times or something like that, but I’ve studied night and day for years. Yes, I studied the teachings of men who had been in the teaching ministry for many decades. My mentor was Chuck Missler of Koinonia House. I spent years studying his teaching materials. For years my eyes would pour over the many teaching materials Dr. Missler supplies. But ultimately the Bible became my greatest source for truth. Everything we read or study apart from the Bible – every Bible teacher’s lessons, all Christian authors and their books need to be filtered through God’s Word.

I went out into the wilderness – I moved my family to rural Missouri from the beautiful Oregon coast. Needless to say they were not very happy with my decision. But in my mind I knew I had to divest myself of all entanglements of this deceptive world to grow closer to God. I spoke to Jesus my Savior and Lord here in the wilderness and finally I came to the realization that my life was no longer my own. I had determined to relinquish all control over to Him. When I made His will mine and His direction my path, He took control. When this occurred God saw that my need to know Him was greater than any other need I had in my life, and through my determination and diligence to grow closer to God by studying His Word, He taught me sound doctrine -- His doctrine, not the doctrines of men.

God will do the same thing for you as He did for me when you completely turn your life over to Him. Hold nothing back that you feel you need to keep control of and you will be greatly surprised by God’s participation in your study times. God will give you spiritual discernment; yes you with or without a PhD after your name.

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:14-16. Isn’t it interesting how Paul speaks about the natural man? The word of God is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to the born again believers in Christ who have the mind of Christ, His word is spiritually discernable. He does the instructing, the teaching, and it’s His doctrine, not man’s, by which we are taught.

Let no man deceive you into believing that you, a normal human being, are unable to comprehend the word of God, thus you need a man or women with a doctorate in theology to teach you. That they alone have the answers concerning the correct interpretation of God’s word. Those who allege such an exalted position are not led by the Holy Spirit to make such a claim. God will give anyone who asks for wisdom and knowledge concerning His word exactly what their heart desires. If it is your desire to no longer be a follower of all the satanic chicanery in the Christian Churches today, then ask God to teach you His doctrine. Study your Bible. Be a Berean “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11. Seek the truth for yourself daily to see if what you are being taught lines up with the Word of God.

All Bad Church Doctrine is Intentional, with Satan in the midst. The Word of God is our only true stability in a very unstable world. Study it with all due diligence and Satan must flee.

This commentary is from an amazing and anointed man of God, Ron Graham. I have the utmost respect for his viewpoint and his work. His work also appears at Rapture Ready.

God bless you all

WHO NEEDS TIME?

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 18:41:00 +0000

It is amazing how no matter where we may be in our lives or what we know or think we know; even if we think we know ourselves, there is ALWAYS something else to learn.

I recently wrote a two-part piece published at Rapture Ready called "God's Plan for Our Lives." It has received wonderful response and I love that particular piece. The last six weeks have taught me a lot about myself, more about God and who He is to me; specifically to me and who I am, and who I am not. It speaks about divine detours that God uses to teach us to trust Him, to prepare us for what may lie ahead. It speaks to divine deadends where we must make choices. This is one way He helps us build our Faith in Him. That article can be applied directly to my circumstances right now.

When one lives a perfectly-ordered life, there is no or little opportunity for growth. I have lived a pretty balanced life for many years. I had a great home, great family and was married to the man I loved dearly. Then everything was turned upside down. It is still upside down.

When one loses everything, and I do mean everything, that is dear to them; what to do? I have faced that question almost every time I've fallen asleep and opened my eyes, hoping that it was all just a bad dream and I would have my little Gizmo and Charlie beside me and the birds that stay in the Hackberry trees beside my bedroom window would be chirping. I used to hate to hear that first thing in the morning, but no more.

Now, I feel so sad; even sorrowful as I pass the turn to my old neighborhood. I no longer belong there. I belong nowhere. I thought I was isolated before. I was wrong. I AM isolated now. Not a single person to talk with unless a friend somewhere happens to call to check on me. But, I have learned that God is with me.

When I have had no place to shower, He has provided that. When I had no food, He has given me that, when I couldn't sleep, He gave me the most restful sleep I could imagine. He has protected me. The HOPE of tomorrow is what keeps me going TODAY.

I love the Bible. For a while, I didn't have one. I have many in my home, the one I used to have. A wonderful Christian friend sent a Bible to me. I was so happy to get it. I love to study God's word but have never truly studied the Book of Ecclesiastes. No more. It is a wonderful book, as are all the other 65.

Time. Who knows how much we have? God our Father knows. We have only the promise of today for we don't know what tomorrow will bring. I wasted many of my "todays" and I know this for looking back at what has been, I know the sorrow and pain I feel is for what COULD have been. I cannot dwell on the past, I only have today.

Take some advice from me: let what you do today make a difference in the life of someone you love. Tell your husband that you love him. Tell him and then kiss him like you did when you first met him. Hug all of your children and treasure each and every moment you have with them. For you only have those moments. Those moments I had would've been sweeter and more wonderful had I done what I have just advised you to do.

The Preacher tells us, "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him." Ecc 7:1,2,3,4,5,8,9

I fully understand those words now. They speak to my spirit and to my heart very loudly. To do God's will, to make today the best day of your life, to love those in your life as you never have is the best you can do. None know what time they have nor does one know where they might be tonight, tomorrow or ever.

I look back in sorrow. I mourn for everything. I grieve for my loss. But, I have my Heavenly Father and He will never leave me.

Americans' Top "Immoral" Sins According to a New Poll

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 16:04:00 +0000

A national poll shows that while Americans are still holding on to some traditional moral values, they have validated immoral behaviors that are self-satisfying.

The poll, conducted by Gallup, revealed 91 percent of respondents considered extramarital affairs immoral. In addition to cheating spouses, polygamy, cloning humans, suicide and pornography all ranked as the top five immoral "sins" among Americans.

A majority of respondents also ranked abortion as an immoral behavior.

However, more respondents found cloning animals immoral (62 percent) than doctor assisted suicide (48 percent). A narrow 45 percent of Americans believe assisted suicide is morally acceptable. Cloning of animals also outweighed the moral importance of embryonic stem cell research (only 30 percent found it immoral), fornication (36 percent), gambling (31 percent) and divorce (23 percent).

The poll shows what Richard Land, president of Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, says is a deep-rooted problem with Americans' sense of priorities.

Land says Americans' moral values are skewed to focus less on their obligations and responsibilities and more on their "supposed rights and privileges."

Americans supposed right to be loved has led a majority of respondents to value divorce (69 percent), homosexual relations (56 percent), sex outside of marriage (60 percent) and even having children outside of marriage (54 percent) as morally acceptable behaviors, according to the poll.

Land disagrees with the popular sentiment. He states that morals begin at home with the family. Yet, "Adults continue to convince themselves that they have the right to walk out on their promises and obligations to their spouses and their children in search of their own self-fulfillment, he noted.

When adults shirk their responsibilities as a husband, wife, father and mother, the effects seep into society, Land said.

The federal government spends millions of dollars in social and economic programs to correct the effects of moral depravity such as institutionalized poverty, crime and corruption, he explained. But he believes there is no substitution for a family with a wedded father and mother.

Land described putting self-fulfilling behavior over the biblically moral responsibility to family as "narcissistic,selfish,destructive, and self-idolatry."

The new poll follows another Gallup poll released last week showing decreases in the number of Americans who believe America's moral values are poor and are getting worse.

While more Americans believe that the country's morality is poor and lacking, the Thursday poll shows that the percentage of those who believe the overall state of moral values in the U.S. is poor has dropped seven percentage points to 38 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of those who believe the country's morality is excellent or good has risen eight points to 23 percent.

Fewer Americans also believe the country's moral values are getting worse. Sixty-nine percent, down from 76 percent in 2010, say the state of moral values is worsening, while 22 percent, up from 14 percent, believe it's getting better.

Land told The Christian Post that those who believe that there is no problem with America's value system are part of the country's moral decline.

He believes that America's immoral culture is reaching a critical point.

"We're seriously broken and it's getting worse and we're reaching a crisis point where we're either going to have to restore traditional American values ... or we going to see our society denigrate," he summed.

source: Christian Post

WHAT WILL YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT YOUR LIFE?

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Mon, 23 May 2011 04:12:00 +0000

Our experiences in our lives, from birth to death, define us. How we react to circumstances, whether they are bad or good; the people we associate ourselves with, our chosen profession(s), our choice of the type of person we date and marry, how we dedicate ourselves to our marriage and family, how we raise our children; all of these things define and demonstrate our character or lack of it.

Our society has become one that not only accepts situational ethics, it embraces this concept. Our public school systems have indoctrinated a generation of our children in this as well. Serious issues will arise (and we are seeing them today) as a result of this. Is this some mistake? Of course it is not. Situational ethics is a theory of ethics according to which moral rules are not absolutely binding but may be modified in the light of specific situations.

Make no mistake about it: the actions that we today are being required to take,and the judgments
that those actions require on our part, are becoming increasingly complex and far reaching in both their outcomes and their implications. A whole host of problems now sits at our doorstep, each of which awaits rational, reasonable, sound solution regarding how we ought to act in a particular situation. Shall we countenance abortion? Shall we encourage surrogate motherhood? Shall we recommend euthanasia? Shall we embrace each and every level of genetic engineering (e.g., artificial insemination, etc.)? A great deal of in-depth study is needed in this area. We will not solve these problems, or even discuss them meaningfully, by relying merely on our own intuition or emotions. And in many instances the solutions offered by previous generations will provide no comfort. In may ways, the set of problems now facing us is entirely different than the set of problems facing generations long since gone.

Morals and ethics are important. Even those who disavow any belief in God, and consequently any absolute standard of morality/ethics, concede that morality and ethics are vital. The late George Gaylord Simpson, famous evolutionist of Harvard, stated for example that although “man is the result of a purposeless and materialistic process that did not have him in mind,” nonetheless “good and evil, right and wrong, concepts irrelevant in nature except from the human viewpoint, become real and pressing features of the whole cosmos as viewed by Man—the only possible way in which the cosmos can be viewed morally because morals arise only in man” (1967, p. 346, emp. added). As Wayne Jackson aptly pointed out: The existence of and need for morality are thus apparent. No sane person will argue that absolutely “anything goes.” The expressions “ought” and “ought not” are as much a part of the atheist’s vocabulary as anyone else’s. One may indeed become so insensitive that he abandons virtually all of his personal ethical obligations, but he will never ignore the lack of such in those who would abuse him! (1984, p. 320, emp. in orig.)
.
If: (a) every living person must act from day to day in one way or another—and he must; (b) during
the course of our actions choices must be made—and they must, (c) the range of those choices is broadening every single day—and it is; (d) the scope of both the choices in front of us and the implications of those choices is widening—and it is; and (e) morality and ethics are important—and they are (even to those who believe in no objective, unchanging standard), then by what rule, set of rules, decision-making process, or knowledge system shall human beings determine what they ought to do or how they ought to act? How shall we come to grips with, and evaluate, these “real and pressing features” of “good and evil,right and wrong”? Stated simply, by what ethical/moral/value system shall we live and thereby justify our actions and choices? (1)

By the standards of these new "ethical" decisions, the numerous adulterous affairs my husband has had over the course of our 30 year marriage, including his adulterous partners, are fine. What is good for him might not be good for me and so forth. No, they are both damned to hell for their mockery of God's ordainment of marriage. Going to a church on a Sunday and singing a song will never relieve them of that in. Only true repentance can change that and it could take a lifetime, as many sins do. But right is right and wrong is wrong and we see in society today the amorality that has infected all parts of our lives. Those of us who do try to live according to God's will are singled out as strange or weird or "freakish" or "fanatic" because we don't go along with the rest of the world. So what?

Our churches no longer serve God. They seek environmental justice, they no longer teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, instead they have yoga classes, 12-step programs (to overcome addictions), and have entertainment instead of worship and Bible study. Instead of looking for the imminent return of Jesus Christ,they are embarking on ambitious building programs. Tell me, if one were actually LOOKING for Jesus Christ to return, would one be committing to millions of dollars in building expenses?

There is a distinct separation between physical churches and the real church, The Body of Christ. This is an indication of the society in which we live. People justify their actions by their own standards, not by a higher standard. This, however; does not relieve them of God's expectation of obedience. In the end, it is not God who sends people to damnation, it is their own choices.

People look to government instead of God for day-to-day needs. Our governments, at all levels, have taken the place of God. Hmmm, I do recall Karl Marx mentioning that in his book.

It has been said by few but in many ways that we must put our priorities in order. This begins with our families and in our homes.

There are radio and television personalities talking of restoring America. For the most part, they sound nice. But, even if the word "god" is thrown in every now and then, this will be a futile effort for this does not involve God. God has been replaced in the USA. We get into trouble and now we are going to call for help? What are we to do, SOS God?

Read I Samuel, Chapter 8 if you think for one second that God is coming to our rescue. He will never interfere with the sovereign will of a nation and this teaches that. Our God today is the same as yesterday and He will be the same tomorrow. The world has left God. Seek Him while there is still time and while He may still be found.

Try looking in His word, the Bible. I encourage anyone NOT to use any other materials. One must accept Jesus Christ as his/her risen savior and dedicate himself/herself to serving Him and doing His will. Then, avoid the Rick Warrens, the Joel Osteens, the Rob Bells and Brian McClartys of this world. Find a Bible-believing, ordinary person to answer questions you certain should and will have. You should find a study group as well. May God have mercy on our nation.

(1) From THE EFFECT OF SITUATION ETHICS UPON MORAL VALUES
by Bert Thompson, Ph.D.

WE MUST FORGIVE OTHERS

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Sat, 21 May 2011 13:25:00 +0000

WE MUST FORGIVE OTHERS

Lea Sylvester

There is no question that the traditional family unit has been and is now under tremendous attack. This attack is a multi-pronged one, from all sides. Many causes are to blame but the one true cause is satan, himself.

There are drugs, alcohol, money and materialism that are sometimes the cause of the family breakdown; and then there's adultery. The casual way people walk into marriage these days is abhorring. Having been married 30 years to the same person, I have never once thought that would be a problem. How wrong was I? This writer doesn't write about life events, who wants to hear other people's problems? Yet, this very thing is so timely for today. If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.

Whenever someone betrays us, no matter what the cause of that betrayal might be, we feel sadness, loss and strive to “understand” why this might have happened. The Bible has a great deal to say about adultery and many times, when God uses this word, He refers to Israel (and believers all) following or worshiping false idols. But these verses are literal. Forgiveness is also addressed.

Exo_15:9 “The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them. “

As my son says, “Mom there sure are a lot of 'thou shalt nots' to which I always reply, remember these: Thou shalt have no other god before me, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Honor they father and mother. This is simple for him and he accepts it. As a very special child: a special-needs child, this is ample for him. But, God expects those of us who understand and who know His will to follow it.

I have found a new test of my Christian faith. Any Christian trying to live by God's word and walk in God's will DOES experience extreme challenges and tests. Satan uses any means possible to hurt us. Though my spouse is upset and says divorce is sure to come, I find myself wanting to forgive him and I DO forgive him. For a relationship to recover, it would be very hard but to begin anew would be a blessing. I pray he sees this as I do but because he is not a believer, it might not happen. How long have I prayed for him! How long have you prayed for someone? We must never quit. We are in a spiritual battle for each and every soul in these last days.

God tells us in Exodus 20:14, “ Thou shalt not commit adultery.” We are also told in numerous places in God's word about this topic. Proverbs 6:32 says “ But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.”

Forgiveness is a choice we make through a decision of our will, motivated by obedience to God and his command to forgive. The Bible instructs us to forgive as the Lord forgave us: Colossians 3:13 “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; een as Christ forgave you, so also do you.” We are clearly commanded to forgive.

God is very explicit in His commandments on this subject,.We forgive by faith out of obedience. Since forgiveness goes against our nature, we must forgive by faith, whether we feel like it or not. We must trust God to do the work in us that needs to be done so that the forgiveness will be complete.

I believe God honors our commitment to obey Him and our desire to please him when we choose to forgive. He completes the work in his time. We must continue to forgive (our job), by faith, until the work of forgiveness (the Lord's job), is done in our hearts. Philippians 1:6 “The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds.”

Corrie Ten Boom, a Nazi concentration camp survivor and missionary said, "Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you."

We will know the work of forgiveness is complete when we experience the freedom that comes as a result. We are the ones who suffer most when we choose not to forgive. When we do forgive, the Lord sets our hearts free from the anger, bitterness and resentment and hurt that previously imprisoned us.

Most times, however, forgiveness is a slow process. Jesus tells us, “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto hi, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22 This answer by Jesus makes it clear that forgiveness is not easy for us. It's not a one-time choice and then we automatically live in a state of forgiveness. Forgiveness may require a lifetime of forgiving, but it is important to the Lord. We must continue forgiving until the matter is settled in our heart.

The coming days will bring more challenges and tests for us. Let us keep our eyes upon heaven, upon our Lord Jesus. No matter what the circumstances, we are to follow God's teachings and His will for our lives. Acts of betrayal against us and other problems are mostly the acts of those who are intentionally trying to hurt us. Focus on God. We are in contention for the very souls of man. It is not our fight to fight for God will do that. But, we do our part by following the Word of God.

I forgive all who have ever hurt me, who have tried to hurt me and my Heavenly Father knows this. I have found prayer is one of the best ways to break down the wall of unforgiveness in my heart. When I begin to pray for the person who has wronged me, God gives me new eyes to see and a new heart to care for that person. As I pray, I start to see that person as God sees them, and I realize that he or she is precious to the Lord. I also see myself in a new light, just as guilty of sin and failure as the other person. I too am in need of forgiveness. If God did not withhold his forgiveness from me, why should I withhold my forgiveness from another?

How must we deal with the anger and hurt we feel as a result of these problems? This question presents another reason to pray for the person we need to forgive. We can pray for God to deal with the injustices, for God to judge the person's life, and then we can leave that prayer at the altar. We no longer have to carry the anger. Although it is normal for us to feel anger toward sin and injustice, it is not our job to judge the other person in their sin.

The best reason to forgive is because Jesus commanded us to forgive. We learn from Scripture, if we don't forgive, neither will we be forgiven. We never want this to be. “O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth” Psalm 54:2

While we can be sure that God does hear our prayers, there are times when He chooses not to heed or answer them. There are hindrances to prayer and several are briefly they are listed here. One hindrance to our prayer is our motives. We must ask in accordance with God’s will as revealed in the Bible. We must ask only for things that are consistent with the character and nature of God. We must ask for things that are for the spiritual benefit of ourselves or for the person on whose behalf we pray. God will not answer our self-centered, self-serving prayers.

If we are not spending time immersing ourselves in Scripture and are not obeying what we have learned, we should not expect God to answer our prayers.

Our defiance in ignoring the life-giving Words of the Bible may hinder us from having our prayers answered. Solomon goes so far as to suggest that prayers made from such a hardened heart are an abomination to God. “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination”Proverbs 28:9. Without submitting ourselves to Scripture, we may not even know what and how to pray. We pray best and most effectively when we are saturated in the Word of God.

The Christian has been forgiven for the greatest of offenses. He has been forgiven for knowingly, purposely and unrepentantly transgressing the Law of God. And yet we are often slow to forgive our fellow man for the smallest of transgressions. Even the biggest of the sins committed against us are as nothing compared to how we sinned against God. God does not honor this attitude. In Mark 11:25 Jesus says, “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

We forgive out of obedience to the Lord. It is a choice, a decision we make. However, as we do this "forgiving," we discover the command is in place for our own good, and we receive the reward of our forgiveness—freedom.

All scripture is from the King James Bible. Sylvester's commentary can also be found at Rapture Ready

THE DAYS ARE AT HAND

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Sun, 15 May 2011 23:38:00 +0000

THE DAYS ARE AT HAND

Lea Sylvester

Who are we and who can we be in the Lord? Our world is changing, very rapidly. People have moved away from denominational loyalty toward churches driven by programs and outside activities. We have moved away a society where people had porches and sat outside,

they talked to their neighbors. We are now a society where we build back decks and privacy fences. We've moved away from a society where where our family doctor would come to our house with a little black bag. Now we go to a "doc in a box" where the doctor doesn't even know us.

We've moved away from the time when people have an inter-relationship with one another to one where there's email instead of postal mail. We can shop without talking to anyone else. We are in an economy where people may be forced to work during church activities. We are a generation that can have a meal in under 60 sec. We have media and technological advances, yet

all of this made us think we would have more time for family. And more time for friends, faith and fun, yet this has given us less time. There are more gadgets for us to put our hands on and less people to talk to.

We are in such a media-generated age that it is unusual to go sit and listen to a man speak in person. Visions of a utopian society are all around us. We had a pre-election promise from our current president; he told us there was going to be change - real change. This promise has fallen flat on America today.

Unemployment is actually in double digits. One in three homes are foreclosed or walked away from today. The national debt is $14.3 Trillion. Can we actually wrap our minds around this? America is in big trouble, our world is in big trouble.

Our grandchildren have no chance of recovery at this pace. We are being lied to, day in and day out. We don't need more spending, we need someone to put the brakes on. The change we have been handed is convoluted and takes away hope, takes away chances of recovery. Your government will not give you good news.

A dictator is a country with one ruler. We have two: the Democratic or the Republican Party. Government is not going to save us. No one can give us a vision for our family or for our future. We have to find our vision from someone else. Only God can point us to a powerful exciting beneficial future only He can give us a vision of life. I wish we had some politicians who had the guts to stand up and say I've got the answer and it is Jesus! He is the ONLY one who can

give us vision, who can give us life. He can give us life and give it more abundantly. He promised us this.

We are living in the last days. You would have to be a mouse in church in a closet not to to know we are living in the last days. It doesn't take a genius to realize what Jesus said in Matthew 24. All one must to do is go back and read the records of the number of earthquakes in our lifetime and the increase in them. We see wars and rumors of wars, look at what is happening in in NE Africa, the Middle East. Nations are literally tumbling. We have a type of antichrist in Ahmadinejad who believes the 12th Imam is coming. He takes his budgets where he believes the Imam is (a well) and he actually throws his budget in the well.

You have to have vision and you must know that God has a purpose for us in life. Our careers will not give us our purpose in life. Having a big house is not going to give you a purpose in life, having a 100k car is not going to give you a purpose in life, if that was the truth then everybody with a big house would be satisfied and they are not. We are watching things crumble around us.

In Matthew Chapter 24, Jesus gives us the signs of the end. In verse 32 He tells us, "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh." You don't have to wait until 2012 when the planets are to align and the earth is supposed to go through some cosmic adjustment. Jesus Christ can come back at any time!

It is the imminent return of Christ, it is the last promise for the church. Paul said "wherefore comfort one another with these words." I Thess 4:18. Be comforted in this, there is a vision coming to you .Jesus said "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift your heads for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21:28

But what will you do today and tomorrow? This is the church's finest hour. Our hearts should be burning with anticipation. We as Christians today need a sustained vision: for our spouses, our children, loved ones, our families, our communities. We as a nation need a vision, a hope for our marriages and for our personal lives. We need to press forward as never before. We are living in a time when God is about to fulfill a vision of His people.

About 350 years ago, a ship load of people; after traveling 3,000 miles at sea, landed at the Northeastern coast of America. That first year they cut huge swaths of forest, built houses and a small town. The next year they elected a town government, the next year the government tried to build a road five miles into the wilderness, the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of their government funds to build a road five miles westward. Who needed to go there anyway? Here are the very same people who had the vision to see 3,000 miles across the ocean, and overcome great hardships; but in just a few years, but they were not even able to see five miles down the road.

We're living in a nation that was founded upon the backs of those that would cross the oceans, of men and women who wanted to live in freedom and faced great perils to get here and to survive. And whether you know it or not, whether you believe it or not, this country was founded upon Godly principles. We are a Judeo-Christian Nation. You never hear it anymore, but God has a manifest destiny for America. He has a manifest destiny for you and we must take our vision and extend it down the road. We have to believe that God has us here for a purpose.

Then there's the story of David Livingston. Livingston single-handedly explored almost all of Africa. A missionary society wrote and asked if he had found any good roads. They said, if he had, they wanted to send some missionaries. Livingston wrote back and said that if they “... had men who would come only if there's a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if they know there is no road at all.”

As Children of God, we are born to be people of vision. We have the vision to grasp beyond what we see, what may be problems, to reach the unreachable, to believe the unbelievable. As Children of God, we have the ability to think the unthinkable, chart the unchartable, to venture into the unknown, no matter what the current economic situation may be, with a vision we know what can be for our lives. We must carry this for our families and spiritually we can reach out and grab that vision. We know God is going to take care of us.

God knew who we were before we were ever formed. Did you know that? You are not your own. The Bible says you were bought with a price. God knows what is intended for you. He knows the plans and the purpose He has for you. In Jeremiah, He says "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

God knows where you are headed. You can't listen to your neighbors, the naysayers nor the news. You can't even believe yourself sometimes. You must hear the vision right from God's mouth.

We must believe God's vision can be a reality in our lives. Proverbs 29:18 tells us “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” If that is true, and it is, then this must also be true: where there is vision, my people live.

Jesus said, “ … I came to give life and give it more abundantly.” With this verse many incorrectly teach that Jesus came to give life, not just ordinary existence, but life in fullness, abundance, and prosperity in this world.

There is a great problem with this perspective. First, let's take a look at the word "life". In the Greek it is "Zoe" (S# 2222) referring to the principle of life in the spirit and soul. Distinguished from "bios" (S# 979), which refers to duration, means, and manner of life.
So we find that the life (Zoe) that Jesus referred to are the things of the spirit, the things which are not seen. Not the things of the flesh or of the world which are seen. Jesus here is talking about eternal life, not about having good things on this earth.

Here is what many in America are missing today:

Vision starts on the mountain: We see in Mark 9:1 “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.” 2. And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 9:3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 9:4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 9:5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 9:6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 9:7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 9:8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9:9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 9:10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. 9:11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 9:12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

Don't miss that phrase, “high mountains. It is significant. God cares how we are doing. We have to see far distances, we must ask the Lord what it is He wants to do with us, or for us to do for Him.

We can't dwell on the problems that will and surely do come our way. The Bible says death and life are in the power of the tongue. Get on that mountain and say God has a future for me! We can't dwell on the problems that will and surely do come our way. The Bible says death and life are in the power of the tongue. Get up on that mountain and say God has a future for me!

We can look at Joshua and see how a vision can influence our lives. “The the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed the Lord my God.” Joshua 14:6-8

Here, Caleb is some forty years after they had climbed a mountain and had seen Israel – they had seen the promised land! Caleb is 85 years old, yet he burned to return to that mountain. Talk about holding onto a dream! Here he is, 85 years old, he remembers a promise God gave to him. He saw Israel. Although Caleb is 85, he is just as strong as he was when he was 40. For forty years, he carried that vision.

Back 45 years earlier, Moses had sent men to spy on the land of Canaan. “Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.” Numbers 13:6-8 Caleb was from the tribe of Judah. “And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:” Numbers 13:17

Twelve went up into the mountains, ten gave a bad report to Moses. We don't know who they were, but we remember the ones who do things; the ones who told the truth. By the way, from Mt. Hebron (which is the mountain which they climbed), on a clear day one can see 250 miles.

Caleb, with eleven others, summitted that mountain, looking down at the spot that is the promised land. He is standing on the mountain. Others with him were afraid, Caleb realizes where he is, what his ancestors only dreamed of, he was seeing.

Caleb never asks for anything more than where he's standing. All he wants is to get back to Mt. Hebron. We know what Caleb said because it is recorded, “Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.” Joshua 14:12-13 For forty-five years, he dreamed of Hebron, of once again standing where he had been.

We know from Mark Chapter 9, verses 3 and 4 about the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. “And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.”

Why did Jesus show Peter, James and John Elisha and Moses. Because Moses represented the Law and Elisha represented the prophets. Jesus is saying here, I am the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.

Jesus took them to the mountain to show them the promises of God, that there was a day coming when the mountain would be theirs. There would be a new Canaan and a new heaven and that he was the Messiah. So He took them up.

Visions start upon the mountain, but they aren't meant to be a one-time, “let's camp-out here” sort of experience. “And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.” Mark 9:5-6.

Peter was an “A type” personality on steriods. Whenever there was a lull in the conversation, he has to say something and it makes him nervous. So, he made the statement referred to above.

They could see further than worldly things and problems. They did so that they would want to get back there.

Our vision needs to be overwhelming today. God has us here at this time for a reason. God has plans for us. Is the zeal burning in your heart as it once was? Put yourself in a position to let God use His plan for your life. Trust in the Lord in these last days.

The vision is on the mountain but the victory is in the valley. In the transfiguration, we see that the disciples wanted to stay. They, like us, fear losing what we have. Jesus wants us to see the whole picture. God has a 3-D image of our life. He has something for us. He has His vision for us.

We must understand that what we see for our future upon the mountain must first be possessed in the valley of our present. Vision isn't just a catchy Christian word. For 45 years, Caleb waited. He never got tired, he never gave up. We must not give up. This is our hour. Be strong, soon we will return to the mountain.

“I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Habakkuk 2:1-3

We are told in Mark 9 that Jesus discussed the resurrection with the disciples following the event on the mountain. What do your relationships need? It all evolves upon Jesus rising from the dead. Jesus opened eternity for us. He is the key. No weapon formed against us shall prosper. If God be for us, who can be against us?

Vision brings commitment. God is calling us to be a light wherever we are. Be committed wherever you are. Be committed to family. Have your priorities in order: 1. God 2. Family 3. Ministry 4. Your Job in the world.

Society wants us to be “ho-hum” normal but we aren't ho-hum normal. Advance and conquer for the cause of Jesus Christ before we return to our mountain.

Leaning On God

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Sat, 07 May 2011 23:42:00 +0000

"Be still and know that I am. God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

God wants us to trust Him in all things. We are experiencing dark days and as Christians, we must hold tight to our faith. We must be unyielding to the things the world may be promoting. But, we must be ever-yielding to the Lord.

"As for God, his way is perfect."Psalm 18:30

God's ways are perfect. We, as Christians are constantly striving to perfect our faith and our growth in our relationship with God. We should strive daily to know Him more and to walk in His will.

Things happen in life that we may not like, want or agree with. But God's way is perfect.

This world is growing ever more evil. Our faith is being tested The Lord promised to give us peace if our
If our minds are "stayed" on Him-if we trust Him.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusted in thee" Isaiah 26:3

The verse, "...What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.? Psalm 56:3 has become one particularly remembered every day. The storms in life; whether weather-related or otherwise are times to trust in God.

In these last days, many Christians are being tested and attacked.
Living in an immoral and corrupt world is difficult. We are told "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon Him in truth." Psalm 145:18

Often we hear the words "All I can do is pray" Our very first action should be a prayer in all circumstances.

"Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shall thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear (respect) the Lord and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones." Proverbs 3:3-8

Why would we have trouble or problems "learning to lean" on Jesus? Our problems stem from the fact we are willing to trust in everything else BUT GOD. Our own solutions are not God's.

When something goes wrong in our lives, our response is either "fight or flight." We don't pour our hearts out to God. It never occurs to us to "Be still and know that I am God."

To do as our Lord has instructed us means we have to crucify old self-we cannot give in to our "instincts" our first "inclinations."

God is our refuge and our strength. If you don't know Him you should meet Him. He is wonderful.

The Importance of Mothers

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:41:00 +0000

This weekend,many Americans visit, call and pay tribute to their mothers. It is a fact that the family unit is under attack. One important key to keeping our families intact falls upon mothers who recognize and understand.

Mothers are a treasured gift. God pays a wonderful tribute to motherhood in Isaiah as He refers to His love for His children as "a mother's love."

Jesus paid the same tribute to motherhood when He spoke of His love love for Jerusalem like "a hen gathering her chicks under her wing."

"Oh, how much I love you." He cried.
"If only I could be a mother hen and
And spread my wings to protect you."

Like a mother hen, Jesus calls His children. To come to Him so that He can shelter and protect them.

Happy Mother's Day to mothers everywhere. May God bless you with Godly children and the love of all your family.

Disaster in Alabama, Disaster in Our World

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 21:31:00 +0000

It has been many days since a blog has been posted here. The last one dealt with an extremely emotional and painful subject for this writer. I appreciate the positive responses.

Since that blog was posted, my life has turned into a nightmare. It seems to never end and I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel yet; hopefully when I do, it won't be a train! The massive super-cell tornadoes that hit Alabama and other parts of the United States on Wednesday have left most without electricity, many without homes or any treasures, and some with the devastating loss of loved ones. My prayers and thoughts are with these fellow Alabamians and Americans as we, once again, pull together to help one another in tough times.

In my county alone, 238 homes were totally destroyed and 98 are uninhabitable. We lost eight precious lives here. Across the state, so far, we have lost 250 people who had lives, families, and were part of their respective communities. The affects this storm has and will have in the coming days, weeks and months are far-reaching.

In my personal situation, after the electricity is restored; my life will not ever be the same anyway. Even though no damage has been done to my home, to my life is otherwise but it is not attributable to the storm. It is from a totally different type of storm; one that I wouldn't wish on anyone.

God bless you all. I leave you with this scripture:

2 Thessalonians

6. "Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. When he shall be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."

Come Lord Jesus come, quickly!

TIME TO GROW UP

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:16:00 +0000

Life is a series of choices. As sure as the sun rises each one of us will face the consequences of our choices. Our world is a complicated place. I sometimes wonder if this isn't intentional. If everyone is so distracted by the quick pace that world events are unfolding, by technology, by what some call “day-to-day living” then they don't have much time for reflecting on their choices, how those choices may be affecting their lives and indeed how they are affecting their eternity, and how the world is manipulating them.

Whether we like it or not, whether we believe it or not, we choose God or we choose the world. The choice between these affect every aspect of a person's life. If we choose God, then we must choose God in every situation presented in our lives. Once this choice is made, then we follow His instructions for our lives in all things. We strive to walk in holiness. We make sure that our lives and our decisions line up with God's word and with His will.

The moment we choose God we are cleansed from our sins. We separate ourselves from all things that don't line up with the Word of God or with His will. We do not compromise. We cannot allow ourselves to be tempted with things, people, situations that may lead us away from our Lord. All things must be judged by God's word. We, in fact, should judge ourselves by God's Word. It is impossible to achieve holiness, the holiness that God demands, without choosing God.

God tells us in II Corinthians 6:14-18 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

The passage used above is commonly thought of in the context of marrying one of another faith or of marrying an unbeliever. But, this is not the only meaning of this passage. It is wrong for believers to join with the wicked and profane. The word unbeliever applies to all destitute of true faith. The fatal effects of neglecting Scripture precepts clearly appear. When believers enter into such unions, ignoring the express warnings of God's word, they must expect much distress. Caution also extends to common conversation. We should not join in friendship and acquaintance with wicked men and unbelievers. Though we cannot wholly avoid seeing and hearing, and being with such, we should never choose them for friends. We must not defile ourselves by converse with those who defile themselves with sin. Come out from the workers of iniquity, and separate from their vain and sinful pleasures and pursuits; from all conformity to the corruptions of this present evil world. If it be an envied privilege to be the son or daughter of an earthly prince, who can express the dignity and happiness of being sons and daughters of the Almighty?

God's word is explicit here. Christians must live in righteousness, according to the will of God. We must consecrate ourselves. We are not to be OF this world but we must be IN it. It is impossible to achieve holiness without choosing God. The message is clear: “...be ye separate, saith the Lord...” The word separate means to withdraw, be isolated, to divide into parts, to oneself from, to oneself unto...Clearly, we are being told to withdraw, isolate ourselves, divide, and separate TO something. That something is God. We separate ourselves from the sinful, compromising and self-justifying ways of the unsaved and of the world.

But, after reading this, many may say this can't be true! God told us to love others as we love ourselves. Of course, we are to do that. We must pray for the lost, we must demonstrate the love of Jesus through our actions. But, we cannot compromise our relationship with our Heavenly Father by mixing with sinners. This leads to compromise and compromise leads to sin. This is allowing ourselves to be tempted and I believe we should avoid these situations.

There is no discrepancy in this. God is not a liar, nor is He the “author of confusion” but satan is. Satan has deluded many, even Christians who believe they can dabble in the things of the world and still please God.
The moment we chose God, we chose to cleanse ourselves by the blood of the Lamb of God,separate ourselves from things that don't line up with God's word, and also in order that we may know and do the will of God We do not compromise anything in our lives that conflicts with God's word.
Deuteronomy 6:25 “And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.” Negligence will ruin us. It is our interest,as well as our duty, to follow the will of God for our lives. He has a purpose for each of us. Why then, would we want to dabble in darkness? It will be our life. Godliness has the promise of the continuance and comfort of the life that now is for God's glory. It will be our righteousness.

It is only through Jesus Christ that we can be righteous before God. The knowledge of the spirituality and excellency of the holy law of God, is to show sinful man his need of a Savior and to prepare his heart to welcome a free salvation. The gospel honors the law, not only in the perfect obedience of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ; but in that it is a plan for bringing back apostate rebels and enemies, by repentance, faith, forgiveness, and renewing grace, to love God above all things, even in this world; and in the world above, to love him perfectly, even as angels love him.

In these end times, people are being seduced by wickedness and they call it righteousness. Unfortunately, the physical church has so mingled with the world that it cannot and will not understand that we serve a Holy God. Each child of God should strive to be holy. We are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, we strive daily to walk in holiness and keep the statutes of our Father. Defiance to God's Word brings immorality, financial corruption, and rebellion. Defiance is rebellion.

No building, no doctrine of man ever saved a soul. We must judge all things by the Word of God. Amos 8:11-13 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.” We see this happening today. People thirst for the Word of God but they do not hear it, they do not recognize it and they are too busy to find it. Those who seek it will certainly find it. Are we sharing the Word of God? Because people are searching and because they will not find the truth in many places one might think they would and because it is our duty, we must share the truth.

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” This scripture is part of what is referred to as “The Beatitudes.” Our Lord gives eight characters of blessed people, which represent to us the principal graces of a Christian.
The poor in spirit are happy. These bring their minds to their condition, when it is a low condition. They are humble and lowly in their own eyes. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer. The kingdom of grace is of such; the kingdom of glory is for them. Those that mourn are happy. That godly sorrow which worketh true repentance,watchfulness, a humble mind, and continual dependence for acceptance on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, with constant seeking the Holy Spirit, to cleanse away the remaining evil, seems here to be intended. Heaven is the joy of our Lord; a mountain of joy, to which our way is through a vale of tears. Such mourners shall be comforted by their God. The meek are happy. The meek are those who quietly submit to God; who can bear insult; are silent, or return a soft answer; who, in their patience, keep possession of their own souls, when they can scarcely keep possession of anything else. These meek ones are happy, even in this world. Meekness promotes wealth, comfort, and safety, even in this world. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are happy. Righteousness is here put for all spiritual blessings. These are purchased for us by the righteousness of Christ, confirmed by the faithfulness of God. Our desires of spiritual blessings must be earnest.

The merciful are happy. We must not only bear our own afflictions patiently, but we must do all we can to help those who are in misery. We must have compassion on the souls of others, and help them; pity those who are in sin, and seek to snatch them as brands out of the burning. The pure in heart are happy; for they shall see God. Here holiness and happiness are fully described and put together. The heart must be purified by faith, and kept for God. Create in me such a clean heart, O God. None but the pure are capable of seeing God, nor would heaven be happiness to the impure. As God cannot endure to look upon their iniquity, so they cannot look upon his purity. The peace-makers are happy. They love, and desire, and delight in peace; and study to be quiet. They keep the peace that it be not broken, and recover it when it is broken.

If the peace-makers are blessed, woe to the peace-breakers! Those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake are happy. This saying is peculiar to Christianity; and it is more largely insisted upon than any of the rest. Yet there is nothing in our sufferings that can merit of God; but God will provide that those who lose for him, though life itself, shall not lose by him in the end. Blessed Jesus! how different are thy maxims from those of men of this world! They call the proud happy, and admire the gay, the rich, the powerful, and the victorious. May we find mercy from the Lord; may we be owned as his children, and inherit his kingdom. With these enjoyments and hopes, we may cheerfully welcome low or painful circumstances.

We are the salt of the earth. If we cannot discipline ourselves to follow God's Word and will for our lives above all things, we must take a hard look at what we are doing and why. We must not be as the world, nor of those who are adopting worldly ways in their “religiousness.” Religion never saved a soul, a building never saved a soul and the teachings of man never did, either.

Matthew 5:14 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

We must stand before the world and demonstrate our love of Jesus Christ and through Him. We must be living witnesses to the unsaved world of the holiness of our God. The day is coming soon when the Body of Christ will be removed from this world. Live every day for the Lord, and live like someone's life depends upon it, because this may be true. Leave no friends, no family no one you know without a doubt of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In these days of great temptation and false doctrines, guard your faith. Depend upon God for guidance, ask for wisdom and He will give it to you. Continue to fight the good fight until we see Jesus.

HUSBANDS HAVE JESUS CHRIST AS A ROLE MODEL

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 01:59:00 +0000

Through the Apostle Paul, God gives men the true formula for loving their wives. It is the model for genuine love that lasts a lifetime. When we think of Christ’s sacrifice for the church we immediately think about the cross. He died for us. If that is our example, how do we apply that?

When you look at Christ’s sacrifice you understand that His death was not just an act of kindness. It was the pain of rejection when He entered our world to call us to Himself. Before we can begin to understand this concept we must recognize the motivation. We can never comprehend why God did what He did, but I think we can get a glimpse of the motivation which will help husbands see what our goal is supposed to be.

Men are to love their wives just like Christ loves the church. This is a tall order since Christ’s sacrificial love cost Him His life. Husbands are to present their wives to Christ sanctified, in all her glory, spotless, holy, and blameless. This lesson helps men understand how they are to love their wives sacrificially. It guides men in taking leadership in their marriages so that it grows and flourishes for a lifetime.

Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, 27 so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

1. What is the difference between “ministering” to your wife and “manipulating” her?

2. How might a man be manipulating his wife instead of ministering to her.

3. What are the three goals that Christ has for His church?

4. What must you risk in loving your wife sacrificially?

5. What goals do you have for your wife?

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her;

1. What are the many ways in which Christ loved His church?

2. How did He give Himself up for her?

3. Describe, in detail, Christ’s sacrifice for His bride, the church.

4. Men in loving your wives what is the worst pain you face?

5. Men what specific areas of your life must be scourged and crucified for your wife?

That He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

1. How does Christ sanctify and cleanse His church?

2. In Christ, His church is set apart by Him. Men, how do you set your wife apart?

3. Men, how do you “wash her” in the word?

4. Describe the ways in which you sanctify your wife?

5. What special attention does your wife need?

That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing;

1. Describe Christ’s church in all her glory, being spotless, with no wrinkles.

2. Men, what would your wives be like in all their glory?

3. What must you do, specifically, to present her to Christ in all her spotless glory?

4. Husbands, what do you do, or neglect to do, that brings disgrace, stains, and wrinkles to your wife?

5. Husbands, whose glory do you put first, hers or yours?

But that she should be holy and blameless.

1. How does Christ make His church holy and blameless?

2. What specifically do you do to assign blame to your wife?

3. What shame or blame is hidden in her heart?

4. What sacrifices must you make so that your wife may be holy?

5. What price must you pay to present her blameless?

I pray for all Christians today and especially those who are in marriages with unbelievers or those who don't think these holy scriptures pertain to them. I have great sympathy and compassion for these women, in particular, for such is my marriage. Please join with me in prayer for my ex- husband as well as many others who must see that these are not optional scriptures.

This is how my ex- husband loved me:

Is the above a photograph of a loving husband? This is my(then) husband with another woman. She is not his mother, his daughter, his sister or his grandmother. Hmmmm, IS this a man who appears to "remember" he is married?

The Greatest Generation, Ethics and What Did Our Grandmothers Really Do For Us?

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:07:00 +0000

Almost anyone who has been a regular reader of my articles over the years know that I rarely editorialize. Some might oppose that statement, especially when it comes to my Christian-related writing. I frequently write about Christian topics - from a Christian point of view.

I began to think about Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann (and probably there are many other nameless women who are victimized by the NOW) and how they have been treated by the press, by other women and by men. These women, whether we admire them or not, whether we like what they stand for or not, are brave. They are stepping into a traditionally men's world. I understand this because I have done the very same thing. It is a hostile work environment, to say the least.

What drives them? I can only believe it is passion for doing what they can do, for giving a voice to those who have none. To be vilified as they have and by other women is unacceptable.

The "sisterhood of the polyester pants" were rushing to Hillary Clinton's side every time she was mistreated. And, make no mistake, she was mistreated. But women all over the country, as well as the media fell all over themselves to point this out and to call foul.

I suppose my generation was the first one where the young women were told "you can be it all, you can have it all. Go to college, get that great job, marry, have children....you are superwoman."
This is true. I fell for it. I did it all. Did I love it? At times, I did. But someone to take care of my children while I worked 80 hours a week doesn't leave many personal memories of my children when they were young. I had money, but I just about lost my mind.

We were lied to. My grandmother, who is 90 years old, was a very smart businesswoman and she reluctantly retired at age 79. Since that time, she has puttered around her house, dusting things, sorting through files and every now and then, I find her sitting at her desk, looking back through her contracts. It is as if she is going back in time. She was a "career" woman before it was cool to be one. My grandmother and many other women like her took on tough roles, blazing trails and opening doors for women my mother's age and for myself so that we would have CHOICES.

Somewhere along the way, choices weren't choices and we were "assumed" to want these things. My daughters have asked me in the past "what would be the best job, Mom?" And, I told them, do what you love. It doesn't matter about the money, if you love what you do, you will be successful. Gosh, I wish someone had said that to me. I probably would have listened.

I belong to the "burn-out" generation of women. I quit the corporate grind at age 36 and realized my priorities were very skewed. I had always been a writer and serious Journalist (on top of my real job) and also a photographer. These were my passion. This is what has been one of the joys of my life.

I am a Christian woman. I know that as a woman, I have a treasured role on this earth. I am a caretaker, a caregiver, I bear chldren, I raise them. I love unceasingly and I set the example for those to come. What wonderful role models I have had. I feel I have let my daughters down because I didn't figure it out quickly enough.

I don't watch television that much but I have noticed that there are no good television programs on any longer. Everything is "reality" but the reality is all screwed up. For example, "Housewives of...." seems to be very popular. But I notice that maybe two are actually married. Isn't a housewife married? Has the definition changed? They drink, party, have plastic surgery, splurge with expensive things spoil their children, have affairs, boob jobs, and fight like animals among themselves. Is this entertainment? Not in my opinion. What is this teaching those who watch?

Our world is upside down. We cater to a religion that is intolerant and hates Christians, yet Christians are being attacked, hauled into court and charged with hate crimes (for practicing their faith) and many of those doing these things are other so-called Christians. The Christians who sit in churches today are getting a watered-down, feel-good, fluffy "safe" sermon along with some entertainment. They don't have church. People can't distinguish God's word from Longfellow. I cry it is so shameful.

I am fortunate, I have the ability to home school my son. I don't have to put up with the state-sponsored brain-washing that is called public school today. THANK GOD. I believe every parent should pull their children out of public school if they love them. But, then they wouldn't have that extra car or the big screen television or those things that are not worth their children's minds

I understand now that women have a very special role in society. We bring precious life into the world. We nurture and raise our children. We grow in the wisdom that is passed down from our grandmothers to our mothers and to us. We pass these attributes to our daughters.

I hope someone reads this and understands that our society is being degraded and the family torn apart because the family is not honored any longer. Homosexuality and all manner of perversion is being put on the same level as a sanctified marriage, a God-blessed union between a man and woman.

Jesus said we would have days like this. And we are. I have a feeling this isn't the worst of it, either. Lord Jesus come quickly! Abba Father! I commit myself to you and to your works. Not my will but yours be done. Until I hear that shout and trump!

Sylvester's work can also be found at Rapture Ready
And in print publications across the nation.

GOD'S ROAD MAP FOR OUR LIVES Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:58:00 +0000

GOD'S ROAD MAP FOR OUR LIVES

Part Two

Lea Sylveser

God knew the Children of Israel would have to fight. Nothing that is worthwhile doesn't have a fight involved in it. God wants to show Himself through us. If we have God, who can be against us? Christianity itself is a fight. The enemy hates our guts. Lucifer hates us with the passion of hell.

We know the end of the story of Joseph. But he wasn't ready, so a detour came. God took the Children of Israel through His “boot camp”. God shows us how to walk every moment, how to trust Him every moment. That is what we learn when we see and experience these detours.

The detours are necessary in order for us to be prepared to do what it is that God wants us to do. God is never in a hurry. He will bring us to the edge of ourselves to wait and see if we trust Him.

When we have a detour, even if we have a GPS, after we leavethe main road, we have to look for signs. If we miss them we will end up somewhere we aren't supposed to be. God keeps us vigilant so that we are desperate to get back onto the "main road." We must trust Him and not the world, not ourselves....it might not be what we want but we must continue.

God doesn't care when we receive His promises. We care, he doesn't. He cares HOW we receive His promises. Our job is to focus on Jesus. We are to follow Him where ever He takes us. All divine detours will always get us back to the main road.
When God led the Children of Israel, He lead them through detours. But, also he led them to a dead end. Exodus 14:8 “And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.”

“And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh...” these words are in this account for a reason. The Egyptian army marched after them. They cried unto the Lord... (Ex 14:10-11) “...why have you done this? Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians.” They said, “...for it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians,than that we should die in the wilderness.” Exodus 14:12

Moses had taken them to a place called Pihahiroth which is just outside of Cairo, beside the Red sea. Exodus 14:2, God instructed Moses where to go: “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea...”

This exact account of where the Children of Israel were at the time is very important. The word "Pi-Hahiroth" means "mouth of water". The present day geographic "mouth like looking" isthmus of "Pi-hahiroth” is at the intersection between the two Gulfs, just south of the Straits of Tiran. The second geographic marker about Pi-Hahiroth is that "Pi-Hahiroth faces Baal-Zephon". Pi-Hahiroth was the mouth of water which faces Mt. Tiran which is Baal-Zephon. So, there they were, between two mountains at the rocky edge of the Red sea. Behind them, a mighty army, commanded by the Pharoah of Egypt himself chasing after them. The word, Baal Zephron means “the hard spot.”

You know the place, I know the place; we have been there many times before. And so the Children of Israel were literally inbetween a “rock and a hard spot.” They had nowhere to turn. They were definitely at a dead-end. A decision had to be made; they had one of two choices to make, but remember God was still leading them. In our lives, dead-ends are much larger than detours. At a dead-end, a choice must be made. But remember, God is there. He led them to that place then and He leads us, as well.

Exodus 13:20-22 tells us “And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to givethem light; to go by day and by night.” He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”

So we see the complete picture here. They are in between a rock and a hard place, but there is the Shekinah Glory of God leading the way both day and night. The Red sea is directly in front of them. They have no help, no hope, a decision must be made. When we get to dead-ends, one of two things must happen: retreat and wait (until God opens up a highway) or retreat! We must wait on God.

We have to lean on Him. We have to trust in Him.There is not an option in Christianity. When we trust God, when we worship Him, when we believe He is the answer for everything; He will show us the way, just as He did the Children of Israel.

Exodus 14:13 “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will shew to you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.” Here Moses is telling them to take one last good look because God is guiding them to safety. They are being told to have no fear, wait upon the Lord.

When we find ourselves at a dead-end, all we have to do is to stand and wait upon God. We will see the salvation of the Lord. Take one last look because we will see the problems, the obstacles, the enemies no more if we trust Him and follow Him and Wait for Him to lead us....have faith.

God was teaching them something;Genesis 14:15 “And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.” Pretty strange, God said “go forward”. Some might say, but the Read sea opened....at this point, the Red sea had NOT opened!

This required obedience and a step of faith, literally. So what did they do? They stepped forward and once that step was taken, God told Moses to hold his rod over the sea and divide it so that they would have safe and dry passage to the other side.He wanted them to understand and to have faith in Him and trust Him. Once they took that step, God made a way where there had been none.

Daniel 3:12-17 tells us “certain Jews had been set over the affairs of Babylon.” These were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. It also happens that these three were asked to bow before a golden image, but they refused. They were warned of punishment if they continued to refuse but they did not do as was commanded. The king was enraged. He commanded that the furnace be heated 7 times hotter than required. Those who took these men to the furnace to die were themselves killed by the heat. But not the three faithful men.

Daniel 3:23 “And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, fell down into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.” V24 “ Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O King.” V25 “He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

Might I suggest that at the dead-ends, in the fiery furnaces we sometimes find ourselves in, that Jesus, our Savior will never leave us or forsake us. He is always right there with us.

We can stand and see the salvation of our God, it doesn't matter where we are, He is there...When we trust God, and when we have faith, He will always lead us to the place we are to be. We must go beyond "religion". None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Ask yourself what you've done for God.The places of desolation always become places of desperation, demonstration, declaration. Joseph, Moses, the Israelites all stood and waited. They had faith, and look at how God used each of them! If we find ourselves in these predicaments, we must have faith to say, watch God take me out of this!
God opened a highway for the Children of Israel. He knows a way that we can't see. His ways are beyond us. If we could work out our own problems we wouldn't need God. God specializes in Impossibilities. He wants glory. We should want to give Him the glory for all we see Him do. Not for our glory but for His.

Isaiah: 49:8 "Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time, I have heard thee and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;”

Isaiah 49:9-10 “That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.”

God specializes in the impossibilities. The places in our lives where we believe we have nowhere to turn, God knows the way. Exodus 15:22 teaches us "So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.” Exodus 15:23- “And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured [grumbled] against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” Here they are, thirsty. But look at what God has done for them in three days! But God is still leading them. They must have wondered, we have come all of this way, through all of these problems and here we face yet another one. They were bone weary and thirsty. But, God had a purpose. He wasn't mad and Moses wasn't a bad leader.

We can apply these teachings to our lives. If we follow God, we will see these in our lives: in the dead-ends and even in the detours. We will also see the power of God in our lives if we have faith and let him lead us.

Would God have brought them on a detour that took them out of harm's way, just to let them die of dehydration? Would He save us, lead us, to let us die from no water? If He does all that for us, why can't we trust Him for daily minor things? There are times when we lose hope, we feel useless. Did we get where we are and is it possible that God made some mistake? Be faithful. God never forsakes us, he prepares us. Every future move of God has a purpose.

Exodus 15:25 gives us a shadow and type of the cross, “And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet; there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them.”

God didn't have Moses just take them to another place for water, he made the bitter water sweet with a tree. That is salvation, the cross of Jesus Christ. The redemption that was made possible by the work at Calvary.

Paul understood these things. In II Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. “The word “sufficient” in Greek means to lift up, to remove barriers, to ward off. When we get discouraged, we must determine if it is a “dead-end” or is it God giving us another direction? Is He preparing us for something He needs us to do? We must have faith in Him. People are losing hope today. The economy is headed south. America depended on its economy before it depended upon God.

"I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt; open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.” Psalm 81:10

King Solomon had a practice or tradition that whenever a visiting dignitary came, he would have the King [or dignitary] blindfolded and would have them kneel down. If they would not kneel down, King Solomon would not give them audience. If they complied, he had them open their mouth wide and he would put in gems, diamonds, sweet meets; he would fill them with these things.

Sometimes we must bow down to Jesus and open our mouth wide and let God fill us.Open your mouth wide to the Lord today and let Him fill it. Things sometimes don't happen when we want them to happen. But if we face detours, Jesus will lead us, He is with us. Worship Him; give Him the glory.

GOD'S ROAD MAP FOR OUR LIVES Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:48:00 +0000

GOD'S ROAD MAP FOR OUR LIVES

Part 1

Lea Sylvester

It is safe to say that those of us who are Christians can look back on the time when we first accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and recall the enthusiasm we had for Him. We were eager, we wanted more information, we wanted to learn.

Sometimes, as we go through life – no, most times, as Christians, we face adversity in many ways. All people face adversity but the difference between being a Christian and not being a Christian is that we have God to lean upon. We know He will never lead us where we are not supposed to go. Or does He? There have been many times I can recall when I had to ask myself (and God), hey, aren't we supposed to be doing it a different way? Or, hey big guy, this isn't what you wanted, is it?

The Bible is written for our instruction. It is our “manual for life.” It is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago, if not more so. The Old Testament teaches us many things, as does the New Testament. But, so many Christians prefer the New Testament and some even believe the Old Testament is not for them. How untrue. Every word is there for a reason.

Exodus 13:17 tells us, “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not THROUGH the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.”

What does this passage mean? Many of us haven't thought about the “Exodus” except that the Hebrews were released from bondage and they wandered in the desert for 40 years. Many believe it was because of their sin. But this is simply not true. What sin did they commit that they would right away be led OUT of the way which they were to go and by God, as the scripture indicates?

God is teaching us some important lessons here in these passages. He is revealing Himself to us through the account of this event. We must learn. I don't know about those who might be reading this, but I believe one can tell a great deal about a person by the way they drive. Some people can't read a map and get lost and then won't ask for directions. Some take off on a journey with no plan, no map and no idea how they are to get wherever it is they believe they are going. Be assured, God does not do any of those things.

Would God intentionally lead us through detours and back roads on our journey to reach His perfect will for our lives? I say yes. How many times have we gotten spiritually sidetracked? How easy is it to find ourselves in a predicament where we are frustrated? We might be doing EVERYTHING God has asked us to do but we run out of gas, or we get lost or we simply run out of road. God actually leads us to dead ends at times. If it is so easy for Christians to lose their way, it's easy to see how the unsaved are lost.

We ask God why these things are happening. How are we, as Christians, to react? Let's look at the story of the Exodus, there we will find some answers. In Exodus 13:17, we read “...God led them...” Understand those three little words. Pay particular attention to those words. We are thankful that God leads us, aren't we? He leads us each and every day! What would we do without prayer, without being able to or not knowing how to trust Him?

Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he delighteth in his way.” This passage is just one of the many promises of God. He directs our steps. Prayer is so important, it gets us in step with God. It keeps us walking daily in His perfect will.

If we are truly following God, if we are truly trusting in Him, if we are truly walking with Him and we find ourselves at a standstill, then we must know HE LED US TO THAT PLACE. And, you can believe that He is delighted we are there. Sometimes, we might ask, “Father, what ARE you doing?” Many of us have faced detours and dead ends in our lives. Perhaps some reading this are going through these right now. When we read Exodus 13:18 we see more, “But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed (armed) out of the land of Egypt.”

As mentioned earlier, many of us think the Children of Israel wandered in the wilderness because of disobedience. And, yes, later that was true. But not when they had just left Egypt! This scripture tells us that they were “led about” - Moses, under the direction of God, led them around in circles.... They had done nothing wrong! They had celebrated Passover, had followed Moses, and were obedient. Yet, they were being led around! From the very beginning, we see that God was leading them around, and they had to have been asking themselves, “God WHAT are you doing?” They were being taken on a divine detour.

Why didn't God take them the shortest way? The quickest way isn't always the best way and the shortest way isn't always the quickest way. Most of the time spiritually the shortest way isn't the best way. We read in Genesis 39:1-3, “And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, and officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to proper in his hand.”

Joseph was following God. We see he was prospering because of his obedience to God. What a wonderful story. Joseph was doing God's will. Genesis 39:6 tells us, “And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand [his master]; and he knew not aught he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.”

But we see there is a problem. In verse 7 we read, “And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.” 8. But he refused and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; 9. There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

This woman didn't just “look” at Joseph, she had big plans for him and Joseph turned her down, despite her strong pursuit for days. I could see that Joseph was a good-looking young man, this was a temptation. But Joseph was firm and did the right thing. What happened to Joseph? He was thrown into prison! He did nothing wrong, yet there he was; not just in prison but in the lowest part of the prison! Genesis 39:12-14 gives us an account of what the wife did. The saying goes: there's nothing like a woman scorned. She claimed that Joseph had raped her. And so, he was thrown into prison.

How could God let that happen? Did He let that happen? Joseph's life had been full of detours but he was obedient, and how was he rewarded? Is this what he deserved? Joseph knew his brothers would be coming and that he must be ready, but he found himself in prison. This was certainly a detour from where Joseph knew he had to go. It was a divine detour. He was headed for the palace, but he first had to take that detour.

In Exodus 13:17, we see that God had taken the Children of Israel out of Egypt, but the passage is clear: “...God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.” God knew that these very people must fight, must war against the Philistines, who were known to be very fierce. If they didn't trust Him and follow His instructions, at the first hint of trouble, He says here that they would run back to captivity in Egypt!

These people were not warriors. They were stone-cutters, craftsmen, and artists. They would have run straight back to Egypt. This was a divine detour! We can see that we are given detours [divine detours] because we may not be ready for a task that God has for us to do. He knows what this will require, but we do not. It is not for us to determine when we are ready, that is for God to determine.

We are the workmanship of God. We keep doing the things we are called to do and God will bless them because our steps are ordered by Him. He knows the timing and He knows when we are ready. We must trust God all the way!

We see how God can lead us to places we weren't planning to go. He prepares us for His work, this is one way in which He
accomplishes this.

We saw what happened to 17 year-old Joseph. There he sat. Not
only was he in prison, but in the darkest, dampest, nastiest place –
the pit. Some say he was there for 17 years. What a detour he took!
And, for something he did right. God knows everything,
He understands all. We don't want to do a thing out of His time.

Continued....

The Growing Unrest in the Middle East and The Muslim Brotherhood

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 15:36:00 +0000

What could be better than silver or gold? How about Proverbs 8:10 “Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.” God obviously has an amazing ability to tell us what is important and what is not. Here He is saying that knowledge is better than silver or gold.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6. Let me be perfectly clear, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Critics say some Christians are emotional, that we are not intelligent. I take great umbrage at that. I am intelligent. A person can have all the intellect they want, but without emotion, a person is dead. God gave us a brain to understand what's happening in our world.

In both the preceding scriptures, the word knowledge is an Hebrew word להבחין which means awareness, alertness, an ability to discern times and seasons. There is a great deal going on around us. If you think the news media is telling us everything, you are wrong. Much of what we see happening in the world today is the fulfillment of prophetic scriptures in the Bible. Our worldly commentators are not telling the public everything and certainly are not addressing that fact.

I was thinking of our mainstream media the other day and realized they are perfectly described: CNN- certainly not newsworthy; NBC no better coverage; CBS- can't believe the stuff; ABC – another baloney communication. No one is telling us the truth. But God gives us instruction and knowledge so we can know what is going on in our world.

World events can be tied to biblical scenarios. If it is history that means it is his-story. He understands the outcome. Many are asking "could these be a sign of the end times?" "Is God causing these horrible things to happen?" These are warnings from God, this is not a false alarm. Zephaniah 1:3,tells us "I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from the land, saith the Lord." Not only have we seen the unrest in the Middle East, but the unexplainable (see Bible verse preceding) massive dying of birds, fish, mammals which began in late 2010 and continues to this day although it is not being reported.

Something is about to happen on planet earth Hosea 4:3 "Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yes, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away." That is God's word written 1500 years before Christ was born. These are acts of God. People who are studying prophecy are realizing that God is speaking. Truth is, He never stopped speaking. God wants to talk to man to alert them, it's not too late for anyone.

What about the big news? Tunisia, Egypt. This is a complex situation. Tunisia, Mobarak, Abdullah abdicates his parliament? God wants people to know where we are in prophecy. I am glad I am on God's side.

What is going on? And why is America not telling us the full news:

1. Tunisia engulfed in protests, Egypt in flames, the Arab world is in utter turmoil. Demonstrations are happening in Yemen, leader after leader in the Arab World has been or will be toppled. This was supposedly started
by the “Jasmine Revolution.”

Here is some of the history we don't get. There are 21 Arab nations hostile to Israel involved. Israel is in the middle. They outnumber Israel 600 to 1. They are 95-98% Muslim. A lot of them are illiterate. Some of them have a pseudo-democracy.

Among those in trouble: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya, Algeria, and Turkey,

All of these countries are mostly Monarachies.... but what are the similarities among the leaders of these nations? The presidents or leaders are ALL WESTERNIZED. Abdullah II (Jordan) was educated in the United States, as were several of them. They dress like westerners, they do not appear as “traditional Arabs”. They do not wear the headdress, they wear Edwardian suits. Most were educated in American and London schools. They are totally outside the realm of what Islamic Arabs want. They are favorable to the US – are or have been our allies. They have signed peace treaties with Israel. They owe something to America, so we have looked the other way.

The Arab people hate America, we put people in their countries in leadership positions. Mubarak put factions of Islam,(Muslim Brotherhood), in jail before elections, then would release them, afterward. These leaders are most favorable to Israel. There is a lot of money and greed and trouble involved in this “foreign policy” the United States has had in regards to these nations. The U.S. turns the other way. These leaders rule from a secular platform. Now the Islamic populations are asking for freedom, democracy....our president actually supports the overthrow and hints at something called Muslim Brotherhood (New York Times). Obama believes The Muslim Brotherhood should participate in the process. Do you understand what this means?

White House advisers said they did not rule out engaging The Muslim Brotherhood. What? The New York Times quotes, "Mr. Obama believes politics needed to encompass non-secular entities and The Muslim Brotherhood should be a part of these discussions. Article Here There is a reason for this.

It is critical that people understand what is truly happening, because the media is not giving the information to the public. These governments are going to be unstable. Jordan's Abdullah met with The Muslim Brotherhood. They [The Muslim Brotherhood] pressed for dissolution of Jordan's Parliament (which happened).Who is behind these protests? The Muslim Brotherhood.

They are behind everything Islamic in the world. They have educated Bin Laden. They are behind the building the mosque at Ground Zero. They are behind CAIR and now are behind the uprising up in 21 countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa. They are putting pressure on the leaders of all those nations.

They are very organized and going everywhere. Will they close the Suez Canal? Oil prices are skyrocketing. We live in a country where we don't see these things until we see it at the oil pumps. We are not told. It is time for us to know.

The news gets worse. A leading Muslim Brotherhood member said the Suez Canal should be shut down. They preparing to war against Israel.

Here it is. The "symbol" for The Muslim Brotherhood. The Sword and Qu'ran – and the word 'prepare” as in prepare for war. Their Statement of Faith: God is our objective, the Qu'ran is our constitution, The prophet is our leader, struggle is our way and death for sake of God is our highest aspiration. They want to take control of the world. Their tenant of faith is to control the entire world...a civilization change. It is not a religion. It is a change of civilization. They did it in the Middle East, they have begun in Europe and this is how they will do it:

They will bring a new caliphate. A caliphate is a political system which establishes Islam and its governmental law, appoints ministers to assist in ruling. It is their government. The qu'ran runs it. A caliphate is elected democratically. But it is not what we think. Recall they are 95 – 98% Islamic, they want this. The people want Sharia Law throughout their world.

The system of Islam is well-ordered. A spiritual leader uses the Qu'ran and Sharia Law to establish the judiciary. The last caliphate the world saw was the Ottoman Empire. WWI broke it up. In 1929, the Muslim Brotherhood was formed with the express goal to unite Islam in one caliphate (one body).

A book, now translated into English, explains all we must grasp. Jihad is the Qay by Mustafa Mashhur, Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, 1996-2002 Info Here Full Translation PDF file here

In his book, Jihad is the Way, Mashhur explains the fundamental concepts of the Muslim Brotherhood ideology. Mashhur's teachings encompass subjects such as the Muslim Brotherhood's goal of establishing an Islamic state, world domination under Islam, the public and personal religious duty of military Jihad, and the warning not to rush to Jihad until it is prepared and timed for maximum benefit.

To quote the book on the “goals of the Muslim Brotherhood”,

"...the Islamic Ummah [nation]... can regain its power and be liberated and assume its rightful position which was intended by Allah, as the most exalted nation among men , as the leaders of humanity..."

- "...know your status, and believe firmly that you are the masters of the world, even if your enemies desire your degradation..."

- "It should be known that Jihad and preparation towards Jihad are not only for the purpose of fending-off assaults and attacks of Allah's enemies from Muslims, but are also for the purpose of realizing the great task of establishing an Islamic state and strengthening the religion and spreading it around the world..."

- "...Jihad for Allah is not limited to the specific region of the Islamic countries, since the Muslim homeland is one and is not divided, and the banner of Jihad has already been raised in some of its parts, and it shall continue to be raised, with the help of Allah, until every inch of the land of Islam will be liberated, the State of Islam will be established,..."

Means: Jihad - a mandatory religious duty

-"Then comes the power of arms and weapons,... and this is the role of Jihad."

- "Jihad is a religious public duty... incumbent upon the Islamic nation, and is a personal duty to fend off the infidels' attack on the nation..."

- "And the youth should know that the problems of the Islamic world, such as Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, or the Philippines, are not issues of territories and nations, but of faith and religion. They are problems of Islam and all Muslims, and their resolution cannot be negotiated and bargained by recognizing the enemy's right to the Islamic land he stole, therefore, there is no other option but Jihad for Allah, and this is why Jihad is the way."

- "The symbol of the [Muslim] Brotherhood is the book of Allah [the Qu"ran] between two swords. The swords symbolize Jihad and the force that protects the truth represented in Allah's book."

- "...that is, go out to battle, oh believers, young and old, by foot or with animal, under all circumstances and conditions..."

Timing: Don't rush, prepare carefully for Jihad

- "... despite this, the [Muslim] Brotherhood is not rushed by youth's enthusiasm into immature and unplanned action which will not alter the bad reality and may even harm the Islamic activity, and will benefit the people of falsehood..."

- "... one should know that it is not necessary that the Muslims will repel every attack or damage caused by the enemies of Allah immediately, but [only] when ability and the circumstances are fit to it."

- "Prepare yourself and train in the art of warfare, and embrace the causes of power. You must learn the ways and manners and laws of war. You must learn them and embrace them and adhere to them, so that your Jihad will be the one accepted by Allah."

- "... there exists an unavoidable personal duty for every Muslim to equip himself and prepare and gear-up towards Jihad..."

Personal goal: Aspire to Shahada - Death for Allah

- "Allah is our goal, the Prophet is our leader, the Quran is our constitution, the Jihad is our way, and the Death for Allah is our most exalted wish."

- "The Jihad is our way and death for Allah is our most lofty wish", this is the call which we have always called,... Many of our beloved ones have already achieved this wish,... We ask Allah to accept all of them,... and may He join us with them, ..."

Pass this on to all you know. Americans must wake up.

Let It Begin With Me - Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Bamabelle) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 06:32:00 +0000

As Christians, we must get back to the basics of who we are. We are one in Jesus Christ. As Jesus prayed in John Chapter 17, we are to be one. I am not referring to heathenism or non-biblical teachings, I am talking about born-again Christians; blood-bought saints of God.

In Matthew 18:20 our Lord tells us, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” This tells us of the raw power, the power we possess through Jesus Christ. We must understand Christianity is not difficult. In short, we need to refocus and get fired up. We must get up and prepare for battle! Jesus has it covered from A to Z for us. He has EVERYTHING covered for us! Do you believe that? Let us review:

Our Lord is the Good News that will outshine and outstrip all of the bad we see today.

He is the Avenger of anarchy against the church
He is the Blessed Redeemer of the blood-bought Saints
He is the Conqueror over the crusades of evil
He is the Destroyer over demonic worldly objectives
He is the Foe that fights spiritual famine
He is the God over all who remain godless
He is the Hero who stands in harm’s way of those He loves
He is the Initiator of the covenant over embattled Israel
He is … Judah’s Lion ready to deliver justice to the world
He is the Kinsman Redeemer able to rescue His own
He is the Lover of Lost Souls leading us to victory
He is the Maker of Heaven and Earth able to make an end to Marxism
He is the Name Above All Names including all world leaders
He is the One True Messiah over one-worldism one-worldism
He is the PURE LAMB OF GOD who purchased our freedom
He is the Quick Two-Edged Sword who separates the wheat from the tares
He is the Revolutionary who put down all types of man’s ungodly revolutions
He is the Son of God who single-handedly saves man man
He is the Triumph Over Terror from the East
He is the Undying Savior over universal worldliness
He is the Victor over the vilifying rule of tyrants
He is the Watchman on the Wall warning of the last day
He is the Xtra Man in the fire able to quench the flames of hatred
He is . . . Yesterday’s Hope, Today’s Dream,and Tomorrow’s Promise
He is the Zeal of Zion and He is zealous for those who are seeking His appearance

He is our Lord and Savior, the Alpha and Omega, and He is COMING BACK! “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” I Thessalonians 4:16-17

Imagine when He comes back in the Eastern sky! He has the sweetest voice we will ever hear! Jesus Christ has a mission for us. Could we believe that we are “just here” without a purpose? If God were “done” with us, we would be dead in a cemetery somewhere. You can’t “retire” from the Kingdom of God! All you can do is RE-FIRE and that is what we must do!

God is talking to us today. Let us leave the milk and grow up. Let us go to the meat and prepare to be warriors in these days. Prayer. It is the mightiest of all weapons we have. It is a weapon of mass destruction! It was Daniel who prayed for 21 days against the demonic control of the prince of Persia. By the way, he is still over Persia; that is known as Iran today. That demonic influence is still there. But Daniel resisted him.

There are many demonic influences over the United States today. It is time to pray them down. Pray down religiosity and religious spirits, to pray down those who say they are Christians but who have no fruits.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, what is going to happen to you? Maybe you’ve been saved for a long time but you don’t have “that edge” anymore. Follow Jesus with everything you have! Serve Christ with fervor. Be a warrior! Be in this for the full fight. We are on the front lines of the good fight. We have a nation to save through the power of Jesus Christ. Don’t discount these as mere words.

The Apostle Paul took down the entire pagan empire of Europe with his words, his prayers. He was chained to guards in Caesar’s household. Paul described those guard’s very armor. We have it in our Bibles; the armor of the Christian was actually described by Paul from a Roman soldier’s armor. The Bible says, “All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.” Philippians 4:22. What does that mean?

It means that Paul helped some of Caesar’s relatives become followers of our Lord! This was a man who had tormented and tortured and killed Christians! Look how his obedience served our Lord.

Be a warrior for Jesus Christ. In these last days, we have a job to do. Let’s be about our Father’s work!