And ya'll have snow all over yas.

Although I've dealt with this for most of my life (since adolescence when I first developed sexual feelings), for some reason right now my same-sex attractions have been figuring prominently in my mind. I'm atttracted to both sexes (so "bisexual", except I don't know if it's right for a Christian to use such a label) and while I don't see my attractions to men (I'm a man) getting more prominent or my atttraction to women reducing in any way, it's still just lingering in my head.

It's not giving me any kind of sadness or inferiority, but there's this sense that nobody gets it. I talked to my pastor a while back about seeing if I could arrange a meetup with other people in my church with SSA (same sex attraction, this is the common abbreviation). Unfortunately, he told me that even though there were others like me in the church, none of them were willing to consider homosexuality a sin and so he didn't consider it a productive discussion. That was really saddening--that there wasn't a single person in my church that could relate to what I was feeling that was on the same "side" of the issue as me. It's made me feel very much alone and isolated, all at a time when I'm wondering if maybe I should have left my church to go find another one.

I find myself having sexual fantasies of women and wanting to see men naked. It makes me wonder how much I'd enjoy sex with a man as I know I would with a woman. I've never had any kind of sexual activity before and I don't plan to outside of wishful thoughts, but I find them hard to resist sometimes. In the past I've had sexual thoughts about some of my friends, both male and female, and it's given me tremendous guilt. I suppose most Christians would tell me to cut off all contact with the people I've had these thoughts about, but that would be a lot of good people that I used to have such wonderful friendships with before some thought popped into my head. Also, lately I'm finding myself writing a lot of stories (I'm an aspiring writer) where my main protagonist is a bisexual man like myself. It's like my characters are being tempted into identifying as that just like I am, even though for years this wasn't a stumbling block to my faith.

My church is full of friendly people and has a vibrant community. But I still feel like an outsider there. I don't have a spouse or children, and I am still not sure if I ever will (I doubt most Christian women are willing to marry a man with same-sex attractions who also has a past with inappropriate content and mental health problems). I don't feel like I come from the same culture that they do. I don't think I have all the same beliefs they do, either. I'm starting to wonder what the point of being a Christian is nowadays. The only thing I can remember God doing for me is telling me He loved me, back when I first became a Christian. He accepted me without any reservations then. But now I have to put in all the effort and grow in Christ all by myself? It just seems like a lot of work, reading the Bible when I often feel like most of it doesn't have any relevance to me. My pastor seems to think just reading whatever randomly-assigned Bible verse his "read the Bible in a year" plan will give me all the answers, but instead I'm just finding that I have to accept that I can't figure out a lot of answers. I feel like I'm on the verge of leaving the faith and I really don't want to. I just feel like I'm failing some test that every other Christian I see is passing with flying colors--namely, to just trust God and somehow see Him in everything. I have to wonder where God is when I just look at the world and all I see are either natural processes or miracles happening only to other people, and not me. I want God to help me in my unbelief.

I feel like I'm on the verge of leaving the faith sometimes and it's miserable, because it's not what I want. I know that there are plenty of arguments for God's existence, proof of the validity of the Resurrection, and I feel like my life needs some kind of meaning and purpose. I just want to be able to keep my Father involved in that. I hate that wanting to serve and honor Him makes me feel like I'm having to pull away at so much of myself, when my heterosexual Christian friends don't have to make any sacrifices at all and life is just easy for them. I know that's not true, but it feels that way sometimes.

Just to thank all of you who have worked on the upgrade. I understand that it is necessary in order to keep the site safe and secure - so thanks again for that. So far, I've looked at it on my phone, but tonight I'm on my computer and the pages look very clear. I know there are a few issues like the hats etc. Could these be options we add rather than being there by default please? All in all though it looks very good and your work is appreciated.

I met my ex best friend 10 years ago. Since about five years ago, I felt God asking me to end this friendship. I didn't listen to him, because I felt that I couldn't let go of this person because i'm a person who love friends and people. Anyway about two years ago, this person started disrespecting my boundaries. For example when we went out shopping, she would take pictures of what I bought and put it on her social media as if she was the one who bought it. She started fighting to eat at her favourite restaurants every time we hung out, even though I don't stay in the city like her and hardly get to eat at my favourite places. I compromise sometimes and eat where she wants but every time it is her turn to compromise, she gets angry and keeps saying things like 'you always want your way.' she also told me that she can't eat sugar because of an allergic reaction so she never wants to eat anything sweet when we are together, but when she is with other friends she drinks sweet coco, and eats all kinds of sugary treats. She also always sends me videos and reels, about 3-4 a day, even though I've told her at least five to six times that she must stop because I find it really annoying. she also likes sending me jokes such as "im waiting for you to be a millionaire so I can spend the money". she also thinks about me all the time, messaging me and saying things like oh I ate an egg today and thought of you because you taught me how to peel an egg" things like that. I don't even remember that I taught her how to peel an egg.

in my opinion, I think she has a love hate relationship with me. she either really hates me or loves me (in a lesbian way), because how she behaves kind of is in line with these kind of feelings. She really hates men and always rants to me about how men are rotten people, and she likes to put on fake moustaches and stuff, to be honest I was getting a bit creeped out and feeling kind of cringe, and I'm really glad I ended the friendship. Of course I was really blind to it, but I cannot turn a blind eye any longer. I finally sent her a text ending our friendship. I know I've done the right thing, but it still feels weird, like when I wake up I get this shock and short panic attack like, wow I ended this 10 year relationship I can't believe I did that!

Do you think I did the right thing and if I did, how should I learn to adjust to this?

I SO loved the toddler years which were SO much fun
now I have a teen who I rarely see
I miss doing fun things together & playing all day

taking teen to one of the writing groups I'm in as she's a terrific writer
however, it meets only once/mos
teen stays after school for several activities & is in bedroom doing homework most evenings
how do I get the "closeness" & fun of the toddler years back?

any suggestions?

Lord, directly reveal the work of God the Father to me, my people, and to all who read it and pray, and let them believe that the Father is in the Son Jesus and that Jesus is in the Father. The will of the true God, who knows all our needs, transcends our personal will. We seek the glory of the only true God. Let Jesus Christ directly reveal the name of God the Father to all of us and see His glory. Also, as promised, please set us completely free from all slavery, and we also seek to become perfect one with God, so please put this into practice.

Tesla Takes Customers to Court to Silence Its Critics in China​

The carmaker is resorting to lawsuits to contain months of bad press.

Tesla Takes Customers to Court to Silence Its Critics in China

In the past six months, Elon Musk’s electric vehicle giant has filed defamation claims against at least two Chinese citizens who raised concerns about the safety and quality of its vehicles. Tesla alleges the individuals groundlessly damaged its reputation and is asking for steep compensation. Meanwhile, the company’s in-house lawyers have taken to threatening social media personalities who publish similar views with legal action, demanding they retract the posts and apologize publicly.

While it’s “really rare” for companies to sue customers in China, “Tesla is using litigation to dampen the confidence of individual consumers in safeguarding their rights and, therefore, to forestall actions from other customers,” says Zhang Xiaoling, a partner at Haodong Law Firm in Beijing who specializes in consumer issues. With sophisticated data-analysis capabilities and deep pockets, carmakers make formidable courtroom opponents. “That brings more uncertainties and risks for consumers in the litigation,” Zhang says.

The current recorder, Republican Stephen Richer, defeated Fontes in the 2020 election, vowing to tighten up and depoliticize the chronic maladministration of elections in the county, but after taking office he emerged as an often acerbic critic of GOP efforts to audit the disputed 2020 election in the county and tighten election security. In 2021, Richer started a political action committee, funded by Democrats, that supports Republican candidates who "acknowledge the validity of the 2020 election and condemn the events of January 6, 2021 as a terrible result of the lies told about the November election," according to a press statement announcing the PAC's creation.

Following the 2020 presidential election, the Arizona state Senate conducted an audit of the presidential election, which flagged a large number of voters who potentially voted in Maricopa and at least one other county in the state. It said 5,295 voters cast ballots in Maricopa and at least one other county using "the same first, middle, last name and birth year."

I am a Christian Universalist. Everyone will go to Heaven. Everybody will be saved by believing in Jesus Christ through faith alone.

Luke 3:6 All flesh shall see the salvation of God.



I have talked to other people in my evangelism and helped them believe in Jesus Christ with faith alone. The Universal Salvation doctrine has really helped people understand the love Christ Jesus has for the whole world. So, I am thankful for those who run the Tentmaker Org site for originally teaching me Christian Universalism.

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will accomplish His purpose for me. Thy true love, 0 Lord, endures for ever, leave not thy work unfinished.



Of course, having more people saved through believing in Jesus Christ, goes against the Devil. So, I figured it would only be a matter of time before Satan sent one of his members to me.

1 John 3:8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.



Today, a person came to me and said “follow”. I went in the direction they pointed at, and then they showed me a crudely drawn picture of a woman with black long hair and a red dress to the knees. I think it was supposed to be a visual depiction of the “harlot of Babylon”. On the right side of this picture were various obscene words. I looked at it, and did not react. I think they were trying to offend me here. But, my mind was still, knowing that the Lord blesses those who are persecuted. I have had many people insult me for my beliefs, so I’ve become used to it.

Revelations 17:6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.



They then told me “follow” again, so I did. Then we walked. They told me that they were a satanist. Then, they later identified themselves as a “witch”. I think most witches are female, but I’m unsure of their gender, so I will continue to refer to them with “they”.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.



They said to me “There might be other satanists, so don’t write God! God! God!”. I told them “The good news of Jesus Christ is happiness for everyone”. They replied, saying “You can wish people good, just do it without God”. A classic contradiction, similar to how the serpent tricked Eve in the Garden of Eden. God is good. There can be no good without God. The only good comes from God.

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works



The satanist quoted what I said before “Lord blesses you” and then quoted another thing I said “A peaceful and happy afterlife for everyone”. They tried to persuade me into wishing everyone a peaceful and happy afterlife without the Lord’s blessings. Another contradiction. Jesus Christ, our Lord, is the only way to Heaven! He guarantees our happiness.

Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.



They told me they had to go, but instructed me to accept their friend request on a social media site. I went on there and accepted it. Their username was “SisterWitch” with @SparkleHorse79 below it.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I said “Hello”. Then they said “I don’t believe in God”. I replied saying “I thought you said you were a Satanist?”. Satan is part of God’s creation, so it’s yet another contradiction to not believe in God, yet somehow believe in Satan.

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.



I replied “Oh, so you’re an atheist then.” They said “I didn’t think I would be able to explain it to you”. While I was typing, they said “I have to unfriend you now”. They could see that I was typing still, so said “I will wait for you to finish typing that”. Knowing that they would end the conversation soon, I said “I at least want to wish you a good day.” They replied “I hope you will keep in mind what we talked about”. Then we said our goodbyes, them wishing me a “fantastic day”, then added a “” to which I replied with “”.

Psalm 14:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”



Afterwards, I then proceeded to go back to evangelizing people. I was able to end the conversation on a positive note. All I can hope is that, in my kindness towards them, that I somehow managed to convince even the smallest part of them, to become believers in Christ.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.



I felt a sense of calmness throughout the encounter. I rarely spoke any words, and carefully thought what to say. Perhaps that was the Holy Spirit guiding me. I also felt a sense of great love towards the person, fooled and trapped by Satan. I am directly opposed to Satanism, it is absolute evil, but the prisoner, kept locked up by the Devil, I felt empathy towards them.

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil



But this was certainly a strange experience. It makes me wonder “What was this satanist trying to accomplish here?”. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, I also think “What was Satan trying to accomplish there?”.

Luke 4:13 “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.”



Either way, the Devil’s efforts are for nothing. No matter what, I will keep spreading the Gospel truth, that everyone will go to Heaven through faith alone in Jesus Christ. That Christ Jesus is the saviour of the whole world and how we will all become believers in the Lord in a peaceful and happy afterlife.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.

Please pray for me and my family

I ask for the prayer that God fulfils these following bible verses to me and all of my family members

“Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”” ‭‭[John‬ ‭8:11‬ ‭‬‬]

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”‭‭[Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬ ]

“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”
‭‭[John‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬]

“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
‭‭[Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭28‬]

“I will manifest myself to him.”
[‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭21‬ ‭]

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”

‭‭[Matthew‬ ‭6:10]‬

“Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your righteousness. May Your lovingkindnesses also come to me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your word;”

‭‭[Psalms‬ ‭119:40-41‬ ‭‬]

‬‬ “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.”

[‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27:4‬] ‭

Also Please pray that me and all of my family members(father,mother,little sister, grandparents, maternal grandparents,dog) to know the Jesus and Gospel and the truth by Spirit of God and accept the Gospel and Jesus christ and believe in Jesus christ. and not to give up on Jesus christ and faith at any situation and repent of all our sins and be free from all our sins and be forgiven all our sins by Jesus. And that me and all of my family members(father,mother,little sister, grandparents, maternal grandparents,dog) to go to heaven surely.

Let the kingdom and righteousness of God be the sure possession of each of us. As you said, please make the result be true freedom, eternal life, everlasting peace, quietness and confidence. - “The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.”

‭‭[Isaiah‬ ‭32‬:‭17‬]

Take a plastic swimming pool and fill it half way with sand.

Then put down a layer of astroturf, some plastic trees, some plastic trilobites, dinosaurs, cows, horses, rabbits, birds, and finally, people.

Document what you did, and the order that you did it.

Now take a hose and fill it up with water.

Take the pool and shake it violently from side to side.

Mess it up good, until there's nothing left but mud and debris and bodies floating around and down inside the sand.

Siphon the surface water and some of the other stuff off into another part of the yard.

Take what's left and make layers, starting at the bottom, in this order: trilobites, sand, dinosaurs, sand, some people.

Everything else is in another part of the yard.

Now lay down some astroturf, trees, flowers, etc, until its a paradise on the surface again.

Note that unbelievers digging down would assume what they're looking at is evolution in progress; whereas what you documented, and the order that you documented it, says something quite differently.

Here's my challenge:

If those people claim that they're seeing evolution in the sand -- despite what you documented -- would they be wrong?

I don't think you have to be a Rhodes scholar to know the answer.

Please simplify by placing the show all button on the top of the drop down window instead of it on the bottom. I have 8 alerts and can only see 3.

The Supreme Court has already ordered Colorado’s civil rights commission to give faith-based artists who object to same-sex marriage a fair hearing when deciding whether to fine them for refusing to work on same-sex ceremonies.

But Colorado web designer Lorrie Smith says it’s time the justices go further and rule that artists have an absolute First Amendment right not to be forced to work on something they object to.

Ms. Smith says having to design products for same-sex marriages goes against her Christian faith. She takes her argument next week to the Supreme Court, and her lawyer says it’s a chance for the justices to affirm her free speech rights.

I have been confused as to why in America people like Barak Obama, Alicia Keys, Halle Berry, and Meghan Markle are considered black. It seems the racist one-drop rule is still in effect. I was raised by Cubans in a Cuban community and to Cubans, a person who is mixed with black and white do not just disregard their whiteness. Obama, Keys, and Berry were all raised by their single white mothers, yet they and the country consider them black. Just the other day, I was watching Django Unchained (Great Movie) and I noticed the Christoph Waltz character inform Leonardo Dicaprio that Alexandre Dumas (author of the Three Musketeers) was black. The fact is that Dumas had one grandmother that was black. He certainly was proud of his black ancestry, but he also considered himself French. But Quentin Tarantino seems to go by the racist one-drop rule and considers Dumas to have been black.

I just think it's ironic that the so-called "Anti-Racists" are continuing this Jim Crow tradition.

Again and again it is said that no one knows when Jesus will return. But the Bible says exactly when Jesus will return. The scripture says that Jesus will come at the end of the reign of the Antichrist. We know that the Antichrist will reign for 3.5 years. So, assuming the reign of the Antichrist begins today, we know that Jesus will return in exactly 3.5 years.

Furthermore, this also disproves the idea that Jesus could return at any time. First of all, the Antichrist must appear, and since he has not yet appeared, we can say with absolute certainty that Jesus will not appear in the next 3.5 years.

The Bible obviously talks about Predestination because It is literally spread all throughout the scriptures, was spoken by the Prophets and Apostles and even Jesus Christ himself. But I want to open an interesting thread. What is Predestination to you? I mean, if it isn't like the concept from the reformers what is it to you? What scriptures do you use to backup your theology? For the sake of argument in this thread (I don't mean to open this as a debate but more of a discussion) lets not use the typical Romans 8:29-30 or any of the other common predestination Scriptures Like 1 Peter 1 or Ephesians 1. We know the Bible teaches Predestination so we have to have it in our theology if we want to be Biblical otherwise we stray away from Scripture and that's just not good. Lets go back to the Prophets and the words of Christ.

*edit* Never mind I just realized that there's already a thread about this in general theology. It didn't show up on my similar threads.

I was going to post a link to the Fox News coverage of the Oath Keepers being found guilty of seditious conspiracy. Unfortunately, Fox News has not covered the verdict. The latest article is from November 22, 2022. You'd think that a "fair and balanced" news source would be interested when followers of Donald Trump are found guilty of such a serious charge. The best I can do is post the 11/22 article, in which the comments are filling up to cover the story that Fox News will not. Have we entered an era in which right-wing "news" sources are going to flat-out refuse to acknowledge certain events?

Jury deliberations begin in sedition trial for Oath Keepers leader, associates​

Jury deliberations begin in sedition trial for Oath Keepers leader, associates

Hi all. I've always wanted to know who my spouse is, and whether I've met him or not. I've prayed for a long time to God to show me a vision or a dream, but he was always silent concerning this matter. Anyway, a few days ago, after years of praying, I started having visions of someone. Whenever I thought of my future spouse, I would feel a pull in my soul, my chest, like a cord, and I could see the person this cord was connected to. I've always had a gift (or a hypersensitivity) for the spiritual realm. If someone placed an evil eye or a curse on me, once I am aware of the curse, I can see who placed it. if someone was thinking of me, or feeling certain things about me, if I wanted to, I can be aware of who it is. these things don't happen often, because I do not tune into the spiritual realm often, but this cord in my heart, connected to the other person, it is so clear. Does anyone have any similar experiences? And please don't call this the occult. I've never ever dabbled into anything occult as I do not believe they work. This is a spiritual gift I have, and I am sure it is from God. I've had it ever since I was very little, and the closer I get to the Lord the more it is strengthened, so if anyone wants to say what im doing is wrong/demonic please don't comment, I won't be taking heed to that kind of opinion.

Once Saved always saved is not calvinist doctrine, yet many falsely accuse OSAS believers of being calvinist. Calvinism teaches "Perseverance of the saints" which means that those who are truly saved will work until the end. Romans 4:5 debunks that false doctrine. OSAS believes that Whosever believeth in Jesus is saved, and can't be plucked from Jesus or the Father's hand no matter what they do because salvation is not works based but based on faith in Lord Jesus.

I can't tell you the amount of false prophets I have seen teaching that Once Saved Always Saved is some made up doctrine created by John Calvin in the 1600's, when that is a complete and total lie. Calvinists think that you must work until the end to earn or prove you are saved, the Calvinist/reformed camp claim to believe in faith alone yet they then will falsely will say "true faith is never alone" or "we are not saved by works but those who are truly saved will have the works" it is double talk works salvation nonsense, either it is by faith alone or it is not. you can't have both and you can't backload works into salvation. OSAS truly is faith alone, and truly is believing in Christ totally for our salvation, and nothing we do earns it.

OSAS = Biblical (read Gospel of John, Romans, Galatians, Titus 3, pretty much all of Pauls writings) it is everywhere in the NT, and even in the OT Abraham believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. whoever believes in Christ is saved, it's by faith, the Just live by faith, we are Abrahams seed by faith in Jesus, children of God by faith in the Jesus, not of works, Jesus paid it all and died, was buried, bodily rose again, and whosoever believeth in him is saved and has eternal life.

Some people also confuse the Calvinist teaching of "Perseverance of the Saints" as meaning that God preserves the saved until the end which is not what "Perseverance of the Saints" is, but many are confused. it is not Preservation of the Saints, it is perseverance. Big difference. Of Course God is the one who preserves us, that is not what the P in TUILP stands for however, but I talk to and see so many confused and think that is what the P in tulip stands for.

The Amount of people I see deceived on this topic by so many calvinist false teachers, and then false demon prophets who who lump OSAS into being a calvinist doctrine when it is not, look God is not the Author of confusion, this "Perseverance of the Saints" doctrine is demonic, and unbiblical. Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

the definition of Perseverance = difficult, hard work. now is salvation hard? or easy? well the Bible clearly teaches that it is easy to be saved, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 10:9-10, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Ephesians 2:8-9 Acts 16:30-31

Salvation is whosoever believeth in him, whosoever will let him take the water of life freely, we are justified freely by his grace. the will of the Father is to believe on the Son (John 6:40) not "whosoever perseveres until the end will be saved" There are countless examples in the Bible of saved believers in Christ falling into sin, even dying in a state of sin or committing suicide, yet they were saved because they believed in Christ. How one dies has no bearing on whether they were saved or not. And if you think about it, if OSAS were not true then that would mean that our works have something to do with salvation, or staying saved. which is false doctrine and contradicts clear Bible verses. Our works do not justify us before God. I'm going off on a rant here there is much more I can say about this.

The Pentecostal Churches here in Virginia were all caught up in the rapture teachings. Musicians like the Singing Cookes would sing such music to a lively congregation with folks running the aisles, shouting, speaking in tongues, and (as many liked to say) swinging from the chandeliers. I used to enjoy these type services and would leave with a happy and good spirited soul...


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Isaiah 12:1-3 ESV



When we are born into this world we are born with sin natures in the image (likeness) of Adam. He was the first man God created who sinned against the Lord, and thus God banished him from the Garden of Eden. All humans have sinned and have come up short of attaining God’s divine approval and his righteousness and holiness. Not one of us can be saved from our sins by our own human effort. No amount of good deeds will ever outweigh our sins. And this is why God the Father sent Jesus Christ to die on a cross.

[Rom 3:9-26; Rom 5:12-19; 1 Co 15:21-22,42-49; Eph 2:8-10]

Jesus Christ, although he was God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – he left his throne in heaven, humbled himself, came to the earth, and was born of the Holy Spirit to a human mother. So when he walked this earth he was fully God and fully man, although he was not born with a sin nature like we are since God was his Father, not Joseph. And Jesus never sinned like we have sinned. So he was able to be our perfect Lamb sacrifice on that cross to take away our sins.

[Isaiah 53:1-12; Matt 26:26-29; Lu 9:23-26; Lu 17:25; Jn 1:1-36; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 8:24,58; Jn 10:30-33; Jn 20:28-29; Rom 5:8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 9:5; 1 Co 6:19-20; 1 Co 11:23-32; 1 Co 15:1-8; 2 Co 5:15,21; Eph 4:17-24; Php 2:5-11; Col 2:9; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 1:8-9; Heb 2:14-15; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Pet 1:1]

Jesus Christ was about 30 years old when he called 12 men to be his disciples (followers) and to join him in the work of the ministry. And Jesus’ earthly ministry lasted about 3 years before he was put to death on that cross. And during his years of ministry he healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, delivered people from demons, fed the hungry, comforted the sorrowful, and he preached repentance (turning away from sin) and obedience to him for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God.

[Matt 4:17; Matt 7:21-23; Matt 11:20-21; Matt 12:41; Matt 21:28-31; Mk 1:14-15; Lu 5:32; Lu 9:23-26; Lu 13:1-5; Lu 15:2-7; Lu 24:45-47; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 8:31-32,51; Jn 10:27-30; Jn 14:15-24; Jn 15:1-11]

So, when we believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, not like our old lives, but created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Our old self is crucified with Christ in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin, but to God and to his righteousness. So we are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, we are to no longer let sin reign (be in control) in our mortal bodies, to make us obey its passions, for sin is to have no more dominion over our lives now that we are under God’s grace. For if sin is what we obey, it will end in death, not life everlasting. But if obedience to our Lord is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God. For the wages of sin (in practice in our lives) is death, but the gift of God, his salvation, is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 12:1-2; Heb 12:1-2; Lu 9:23-26; Matt 7:21-23]

Isaiah 12:4-6 ESV


Now when Jesus Christ delivers us from our slavery (addiction) to sin he also empowers us to live godly and holy lives to the praise and glory of God. For we are saved from our sins, not just so we can escape the punishment of sin in hell, and not just so we can be assured of heaven as our eternal home. So the essence of the gospel message is that Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so we would now obey him in practice.

[Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 12:1-2; Heb 12:1-2; Lu 9:23-26; Matt 7:21-23]

And not only must we be living that truth of the gospel in our daily lives, but we are to be those who are sharing the truth of the gospel with other people we meet or know wherever and whenever possible, including on the internet. For we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. And we are to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. And we are to be his witnesses in our communities and across the world, and we are to make followers of Christ of people of all nations, teaching them to obey all that our Lord commanded us.

And we are also supposed to be those who are encouraging (exhorting, urging, instructing, counseling) our brothers and sisters in Christ on a daily basis so that none of us will be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness, and so we will grow to maturity in our walks of faith in Christ Jesus, and so we won’t be led astray by people who are teaching false doctrines and false gospels in their deceitful scheming. And we are to be speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to encourage and to help strengthen one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord Jesus.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:42-47; Acts 26:18; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Rom. 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; Eph 1:22; Eph 2:19-22; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-30; Col 1:18; Col 2:19; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Pet. 2:4-9,21]

Dwelling In Beulah Land

By Miles C Austin (1911)

Far away the noise of strife upon my ear is falling;
Then I know the sins of earth beset on every hand;
Doubt and fear and things of earth in vain to me are calling;
None of these shall move me from Beulah Land.

Far below the storm of doubt upon the world is beating,
Sons of men in battle long the enemy withstand;
Safe am I within the castle of God’s word retreating,
Nothing there can reach me, ’tis Beulah Land.

Let the stormy breezes blow, their cry cannot alarm me;
I am safely sheltered here, protected by God's hand;
Here the sun is always shining, nothing there can harm me;
I am safe forever in Beulah Land.

Viewing here the works of God, I sink in contemplation;
Hearing now His blessed voice, I see the way He planned;
Dwelling in the Spirit, here I learn of full salvation,
Gladly I will tarry in Beulah Land.

I'm living on the mountain, underneath a cloudless sky,
I'm drinking at the fountain that never shall run dry;
Oh, yes! I'm feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply,
For I am dwelling in Beulah Land.

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I've heard this happens to people, but I've yet to meet any personally and it hasn't happened to me... the only part of scripture I completely understand and affected my heart are the 4 Gospels. The rest is still the same old book it was when I grew up in religion.

Did you have it come alive for you when you were born again, did it reveal something you hadn't seen in it previously?

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Thank our Father in heaven!