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  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

God Is With Us by Disciple

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Their words can not stand against us
For God is with us, God is with us

This desert is a wicked place
I'm weary from this wretched chase
Oh where does my help come from
My enemies are strengthening every hour like a plague
Oh where does my help come from

Their words can not stand against us
For God is with us, God is with us
Their words can not stand against us
For God is with us, God is with us

Their armies charge and storm the gates but
when I call upon the Name
That's where my help comes from
Victory is in our hands
The strongest darkness can't contend
with where my help comes from

Their words can not stand against us
For God is with us, God is with us
Their words can not stand against us
For God is with us, God is with us

We won't be afraid through the flood and flames
we'll never give up for God is with us
We won't be afraid through the flood and flames
we'll never give up for God is with us
Our God is with us...

Their words can not stand against us
For God is with us, God is with us
Their words can not stand against us
For God is with us, God is with us

Their words can not stand against us
For God is with us, God is with us
  • Winner
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2 cents

For some anyone chosen other than a white man is affirmative action. She is an incredibly intelligent person who happens to be a woman of color. But some people can never get over judging others by appearances.
nope I do not care if someone is a man or woman if they are white, black or purple, but when someone says their pick will be a woman of color then I have an issue. If there are quotas at businesses I have an issue and frankly I am a woman and disabled though I am white, but if I were to get a job ( which my limitations male that hard which is why I am on my father's disability benefits, but supposed I did decide to risk working I would not WANT someone to hire me based on my disability or gender (or any other factor for that matter other than the fact that I was the most qualfied person for the job.

In fact, even as someone who has "benefited" from both the IDEA and ADA I would not mind if the latter disappeared because I am not sure who on Earth judges things to be ADA complianable or not, but I swear a LOT of places that meet those requirements ( whatever the heck they are) are not very acciessiable as such I would whether them drop the laws and do like Europe where it is on US not them to check that they are acciable before going to their business. I would whether a business ( and this applies to schools as well be legally permitted to tell me outright "look Miss P we do not offer services to people with your limitations" than be forced under the law to try come up short and I STILL am unable to benefit from their services.

I am MUCH more forgiving if I know ahead of time that x y and z are not accessiable than I am of wanting to do something and being unable to for lack of access
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How to win against terror . . .

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment." (1 John 4:18)

"And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" (1 Peter 3:13)

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21)

"'He who loves his life will lose it," (in John 12:25)

"nor give place to the devil." (in Ephesians 4:27)

"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14-15)

"fear of death" > this helps to maintain people in deep weakness so they keep worrying about terrorists, so that terrorists can have power over them.

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

"Be sober," not intoxicated by fear. Do not allow fear to devour you.

And if we are ready to first react with unforgiveness against terrorists . . . how can we become because of this? We are letting terrorists have power over us to keep us deeply weak, if we give in to unforgiveness, instead of first loving and praying for evil people.

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (in Luke 23:34)

"'But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,'" (Matthew 5:44)

In Genesis chapter one we see that God blessed creatures that He made. And we now see how so many of His creatures still are alive and even thriving . . . possibly because of how He blessed them, way back then. So, yes blessing does work ! ! ! Jesus who made all things and blessed, way back then, should know :)

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." (Ephesians 6:10)

By being strong in Jesus and how He is blessing, this keeps us safe so Satanic people can not have power to make us suffer in the "torment" (1 John 4:18) of fear. But there are ones who keep living for their own lives; and so they are deeply weak so they can be made to worry and suffer about troubles of this evil world. And so, ones are helping terrorism, by staying so deeply weak.

Satan is the one who "weakened the nations", we have in Isaiah 14:12. Just by keeping our attention away from God, Satan can keep us weak. Plus, there are ways to keep our attention busy with stupid nonsense so we are not staying alert against terrorist attacks.

For one example, before "9/11" Al Qaeda was operating on American soil for about ten years, getting ready . . . according to the televised testimony of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. And the intel community, she said, had pieces of information which could have been used to detect and stop Al Qaeda; however, the pieces of the puzzle were in different hands which were not sharing their information so they could put the pieces together and get the picture.

But were there not both Republican and Democratic politicians on committees in charge of monitoring the intel community and spotting problems like that?

And in the United States there is supposed to be free press, so investigative reporting could have put the spotlight on how the intel family possibly was dysfunctional. It seems Condoleezza was saying there was a cooperation problem between parts of the intel group. If that were the case, investigative reporting could have helped push intel to work better, so they then would have discovered the Al Qaeda operation in time to stop it.

But where was the news reporting taking the American people's attention???? Wasn't there that under-the-desk thing of Bill Clinton, for one example of what could have gotten so much attention - - of Democratic and Republican Congress members and reporters and the American public? Yes, right while Al Qaeda was preparing for 9/11, they were being enabled by how Bill's thing was getting such attention, so much more than how intel's dysfunction was a national security problem.

But who helped that? I would say the American public in general helped to make sure Bill would get more attention than a threat to American security. Because TV watchers do not want to spend years following how there are family troubles in intel. They would much rather prioritize a sexual scandal! And so, advertisers are not going to use their money to support real investigative reporting of real issues which can take time and attention . . . away from a sex scandal. So, advertisers and the general public helped give Al Qaeda cover instead of needed coverage.

And, of course, people likewise do not want to look at how their selfish ways of loving help to keep us weak so we are sure to keep on suffering, even for decades tormented by how evil has gotten the better of us. Only in God's love are we safe from the fear and the "torment" which are caused by terrorism >

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment." (in 1 John 4:18)

So, yes we need to have compassion for various victims of terrorists and abusers and others. However, if the victim stays weak in what is not God's love, that person can suffer endlessly.

"And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" (1 Peter 3:13)

God's love is able to keep us immune against howsoever Satanic people would spiritually and emotionally harm us, according to this scripture, I would offer. So, if we are compassionate for troubled people . . . isn't it wise to help people to become strong in Jesus Christ's way of loving?

"if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" Jesus says in Matthew 5:46.

In God's all-loving love we have His own immunity almighty so we can win against cruel people and not allow them to have power to decide if we love and forgive and if we keep on deeply suffering or not. But if we love only those who love us . . . and only those we can use for what we want . . . this is deeply weak so we are sure to get hurt and frustrated and unforgiving!!

Therefore, be all-loving with God in His love's praying > Paul says to do this "first of all" >

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Love in prayer for any and all people, then. Pray with hope for all that is possible with God for any person > love "hopes all things" (in 1 Corinthians 13:7). Blessing works. And God uses example >

"nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:3)
  • Agree
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Harris once boasted of 'behind the scenes' work to get 'every' trans inmate access to gender surgeries

An "alternative fact", perhaps in MAGA reality. Over here in regular real reality it's just called a medical procedure.

That's just patently false. Ask some good Southern, Christian men in Alabama about it. They'll tell you all about how "you can't even tell!" based on their adult entertainment internet habits.

Circumcision is as much "genital mutilation" as any other surgical procedure a qualified medical doctor\surgeon might perform, but it's an accepted practice for "reasons." What about breast augmentation on young, straight boys who have weird hormones that give them enlarged breast tissue? Is that "mutilation" as well? It's as much gender-affirming care as it is for a trans person, but you guys don't poo-poo that procedure even though it is the most common procedure performed on kids under 17.

So, the deciding factor in whether a medical procedure is deemed a-okay or "mutilation" just seems to be whether the person having it is trans or not.
This has nothing to do with MAGA or adult entertainment. Nice try though.

I believe this issue must be studied further.

I have nothing else to add.
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On hacking Planned Parenthood

I suppose the name of Planned Parenthood should be changed to Parenthood Denial since the bulk of the organization’s work consists not only of preventing pregnancy but of terminating pregnancy, that is, of preventing birth. The organization’s traffic in embryonic tissue has also been well-documented. There is, of course, a great deal of money involved in its operations, and even if many Planned Parenthood employees and promoters are sincere in their misguided convictions, the organization has to be one of the most cynical on the planet. However, the flight from parenthood in the West is nearly as strong a trend as the desire for “sexual experiences”, and so the organization continues to prosper.

For these reasons, I think most pro-life readers will take a certain pleasure in the recent announcement that Planned Parenthood has been hacked. RansomHub, a relatively new “Ransom-as-a-Service” (RaaS) organization that has recently emerged as a leader in the field, announced last week that it had stolen 93GB of data from Planned Parenthood through the Intermountain Planned Parenthood branch in Montana. RansomHub threatened to leak the stolen data this week if the ransom is not paid. Stolen records may include “health” records as well as donor information.

Hacking as a new job

Continued below.
Oh man I hope they release the data.
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anti-Catholic or not?

ADMIN HAT ON

I am shutting this thread down. Come on guys, be better than this. We are all Christians here, and we could all act like it a lot more, try to be kinder, less snarky, less judgmental about one another. We are all trying to do the best we can and grow in our walk with Jesus, we would do better to help one another on that walk rather than try and knock one another down.

ADMIN HAT OFF
Upvote 0

Conquest of America, Australia, NZ, Great Nations, right work?

The great lands of the Americas, named after Saint Emeric, Australia and NZ were conquested and colonized. Native people sometimes were able to accept the faith and civil ways, sometimes were not given a good opportunity... sometimes the tribes were genocided, or defeated and the women and children were forced into slavery.

Built on the land and from the immigration are great nations like the USA, with amazing medicine and quality of life, rights and freedoms, entertainment... But from millions of Native Americans there are now only about three hundred thousand, and the population is about three hundred and twenty million.

Australia when discovered by captain Cook, despite meeting such as Bennelong, was declared to be an uninhabited land.

The constitutions, civilizations, cities and rural works and great!
But does the end justify the means?

If you think yes, is that Christian?
If you think no, and were presented with another opportunity like the old colonists, would you take it?
Do you think God remembered the sins of the colonists, to the third and fourth generations, or were they right by God, acting in love for God?

Best regards.

I think that you're mixing up all sorts of different groups,
who came to the Americas for different reasons.

This involves multiple definitions of what "Christian" means.
All sorts of people, beginning with Spanish wealth-hunters,
came to the Americas.

For those outside the Christian faith, anyone who comes from Europe,
is often called a "Christian". This is like calling the expanding warfare by the
Roman Empire, as "Christian".

These multiple definitions of "Christian" include merely cultural Christians,
who care little about the teaching of the Bible, or Jesus.

IF you take the position of criticizing the expansion of European trading
interests into the Americas (this often involved aspects of conquering and
plundering people, that involved policies that had almost nothing to do
with orthodox Christianity), you should also critically examine the conquests
of every every big cultural power in the history of mankind. These can hardly
be accurately called "Christian" conquests, yet these economic conquests
happened pretty much uninterupted throughout the history of mankind.

To have an intelligent, and historical discussion of why economic
conquest happens through history, and how those who plunder try to
justify their plundering, you really must get into the formal definition of
Christianity, and distinguish Christianity from all sort of cultural forms of
"Christianity".

Unfortunately, it is common in discussions that are about "colonization",
to speak as if this is a uniquely a Northern European phenomenon, and
when it is, to identify it as a type of economic plundering that is compatible
with Christianity. Many more topics need to be discussed, when talking about
"colonization". This includes a good discussion of what "property" and
"ownership" are, and whether or not they are compatible with the teachings
of Christianity.
Upvote 0

Millennial Teaching

First of all, amillennialism is not the same as preterism.
Hi, and appreciate your reply! Yes, I see your point and you're correct, but Preterism isn't necessairly a Christ-advent time line like the other three concerning His return. It just involves the concept that some or all prophecy has been fulfilled.
Also, amillennialism is not an official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church as you falsely implied.
"The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches have long held amillennial positions, as has the Roman Catholic Church, which generally embraces an Augustinian eschatology and which has deemed that premillennialism "cannot safely be taught." Amillennialism is also common among Protestant denominations such as the Lutheran." (Wikipedia)
Discussing which churches believe in these docrines is fairly pointless and doesn't have anything to do with determining which view is correct.
Only one will will to be correct.
Also, you said "Liberals also hold to amillennialism". What does that mean?
I'm also not certain what the writer is meant by this.
And, why is this thread in the Soteriology DEBATE forum? This topic relates to eschatology, not soteriology.
I try to keep all my posts together in one place.
Upvote 0

Unbelievers rights

ADMIN HAT ON
This thread is now closed. The truth is that we do our best to manage people interacting, over time certain forums have had to be closed or restricted due to people's general inability to interact in kind and loving manners, be that between Christians and non-Christians or between different denominations. This forum is first a place where Christians of all denominations can interact, while it is secondly a place where non-Christians can interact in a understanding manner.

Further questions should be addressed in Support, please feel encouraged to open a Support Ticket to discuss it directly with Administration of the forum.
ADMIN HAT OFF
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Snared

But I did say what the bible says. You say that every single verse in the bible will be backed by another verse in the bible. I would say yes, of course. Especially by the context, which is what I showed. The previous words at the end of the previous chapter mention "first principles" and "milk". So when the very next words talk of principles to be laid aside, it is surely those same first principles, especially when you remember that the writer did not split Hebrews up onto verses and chapters.

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Attie Bogaards

Hi, this is the closest recent thread I've found for my question. Do you know of any books that have a greek transcription taken directly from a Septuagint source? I can't seem to find any other than buying an expensive facsimile. And anything I do find is using minuscule print instead of the uncial print it was written with. Do you know why that would be?
Hi Mike, just saw your post now. Welcome to CF ❤️

What do you mean by a Septuagint source?
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Harris told ACLU in 2019 she supports cuts to ICE funding and providing gender transition surgery to detained migrants

Thanks for finding a video
Oh you're quite welcome. It's my pleasure. Glad to clear up any misconceptions, lies, or propaganda that you might have been exposed to.

“it’s not her full responsibility or job…”.
Nope, but let's not get tunnel vision from the misconceptions, lies and propaganda that abound.

Let's not take one soundbite out of context; and run with propaganda induced bias. Let's look at the big picture in context. She had other responsibilities beside being the top authority for solving the border crisis.

"...there's about five other major things she's handling but I've asked her the VP today because she's the most qualified person to do it to lead our efforts..."

"...to stop what's happening..,"


"...but the vice presidents agree among the multiple other things that I have her leading..."

"...she's leading the effort because i think the best thing to do is to put someone who when he or she speaks they don't have to wonder about is that where the president is when she speaks she speaks for me doesn't have to check with me she knows what she's doing..."


I don't know what those other responsibilities were; but based on all of the other problems this administration has caused, I would say that she failed at all of them miserably.

Again, I'm grateful for having the opportunity to assist with clearing up any potential misconceptions. It's an honor.
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In the Night

In the middle of the night His love instructs me
He teaches me the way that I should go
He counsels me in every situation
And helps me understand what I don’t know

He whispers to me His truths, oh how gently
He lets me know what’s right and what is wrong
He gives to me a poem or devotion
And sometimes He gives to me a new song

I love the times I have with my Lord, Savior
I love to read His word and know His favor
I want to do the things He wants of me
I want to live with Him eternally

E’en though I’m old with many years advancing
He strengthens me so I can do His will
He gives me wisdom far beyond my stature
As I sit before Him quietly and still

An Original Work / November 17, 2022

And the Rulers Take Counsel Together

“Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
‘Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.’” (Psalms 2:1-3 ESV)

In what ways are the nations raging and the people plotting in vain in our world today? Well, one of the biggest ways in which the nations are raging today is via war with one another. But over the past 20 years that the Lord has been teaching me what is going on in the world and in our nations, one thing I have learned is that what is being reported may not match with what is actually taking place. We cannot trust our government heads nor our news media to tell us the truth of what is literally going on between nations.

But the murdering of innocents, the persecution of Christians, the moral and spiritual decline of “the church,” the altering of the character of God and of his gospel message, the conquering of nations, and the confiscation of properties and natural resources for political gain are definitely what are happening. For the rule of the beast (Revelation 13) is definitely in process. Thus, trickery, deception, manipulations, deliberate misimpressions, and lies and liars abound in the government, media, and in “the church.”

Anything can be faked and altered and manipulated to look one way while it is actually the opposite. So just because we see it in a picture or a video or in a live performance, it does not necessitate that what we think we are seeing is actually what is taking place. So we have to be very cautious so that we don’t end up believing lies and not the truth. We must pray through everything and seek the counsel of the Lord and his guidance so that we do not fall into the traps of the devil and end up believing the lies, instead.

For one of the biggest ways in which the nations are raging and the people are plotting in vain against the Lord, and against those who are following him with their lives, is via deception. And if we put on blinders, and we choose to believe everything at face value without inquiring of the Lord, and without testing the spirits, we are ripe for being deceived, too. And I believe that many who profess faith in Jesus Christ are now following “pied pipers” to their deaths because they are embracing the lies and not the truth.

“He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
‘As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.’
“I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.’
“Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalms 2:4-12 ESV)

So, what’s this saying? God is definitely not threatened by these liars and deceivers and manipulators of truth who think that they can outsmart God, and who think that they can overcome him and his gospel message and his plans and purposes and his sovereign will. And he isn’t laughing because he thinks that what they are doing is funny, but because they think that they can outsmart God. For God views with contempt and scorn man’s weak attempts at rebellion against him and his futile efforts to conquer God.

But it isn’t just God the Father whom they oppose, but they oppose God the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. And they oppose the true message of the gospel and all who follow Jesus Christ with wholehearted devotion to the Lord in seriousness of walks of faith and obedience to the Lord. And this opposition doesn’t have to be blatant and obvious. In fact, much of it is hidden and deceptive, which is the point. For Satan wants us to trust his messengers so that he can deceive us with his lies and false gospels.

But the warning here is first of all to all of these liars and deceivers who are conquering nations and peoples with their lies and with their trickery and with their wars and the murdering of innocents and the takeover of nations. And he is letting them know that he is God, and Jesus Christ is King, and God will have the final word in the matter, and he will judge them, and they will not escape his wrath. But he is also giving them a chance to change and to serve him with their lives if they would but submit to him as Lord.

But this warning also applies to all who profess the name of Jesus Christ, who are convinced that heaven is their eternal destiny, but who deny the Lord with their lifestyles. They honor him with their lips but not with their actions. For they have believed the liars and the lies which are telling them that a profession of faith in Jesus Christ “seals the deal” for them and that heaven is guaranteed them regardless of how they live. But Jesus said that to follow him we must deny self, die daily to sin, and obey his commands.

So, whether or not you are outwardly opposed to God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – and to his gospel message, this message is for you. Don’t take God lightly nor his warnings to all of us written down in the Scriptures. Don’t think that you can just live however you want and that nothing bad will happen to you or that God will still let you into his heaven. Jesus said that not everyone saying to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the ones DOING the will of God the Father.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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Rightly Dividing

Rightly dividing the word of truth,
Speak to me, Lord, what You want to say.
Help me stay focused oh, Lord, on You
Throughout each hour of every day.

Counsel me, guide me in what to do.
Minister Your grace to me through and through.
Lead me to truth and to holiness.
Strengthen me, help me, my faith renew.

Help me to listen, Lord, carefully
To every word of Yours joyfully.
Teach me to love Your word prayerfully
And to obey You, Lord, reverently.

An Original Work / December 10, 2021

Walk Not in Wicked Counsel

“Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
“He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalms 1:1-6 ESV)

Who are the wicked in God’s sight? They are all who walk in sin, in deliberate and habitual acts of sinful rebellion against the Lord, who choose evil over good, and unrighteousness over righteousness, and pleasing the flesh over pleasing God. And they are all who do not walk in obedience to his commands, in practice, but who go their own way, instead, choosing their own choices, and doing their own will, and not choosing God’s choices and not doing his will. For they are still being ruled by the flesh.

And they could be many who profess faith in Jesus Christ, but not in truth, and not in righteousness, and not in walks of surrender and obedience to the Lord. For by God-persuaded faith in Christ Jesus we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to righteousness, and its end is eternal life.

So we are not to seek the counsel of the ungodly, of those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and who are worldly minded and who are fleshly minded, and who do not have the mind of God. For they are those who are still dead in their sins, for whom sin is still their practice, and for whom righteousness, godliness, moral purity, and obedience to our Lord are not what they practice. So we are not to conduct our lives in the counsel of the wicked who would lead us away from our pure devotion to Jesus Christ.

Instead, we should trust in the counsel of the Lord and of His Word, especially the teachings of Jesus Christ and of his NT apostles, which are under the New Covenant relationship God’s people now have with him via genuine faith in the Lord Jesus. And our delight should be in the Lord and in his teachings, which we should meditate on day and night. And we should look to the Lord for wisdom and guidance in day to day living and in decision making so that we walk in the ways of the Lord and not in the flesh.

Our trust is to be in the Lord and in his Word and not in other humans who may or may not tell us the truth, and who may or may not give us godly counsel, and who may or may not be true to their word. And when our trust is in the Lord we can be steadfast in faith and in practice in doing the will of God and at peace in knowing that we are living lives which are pleasing to the Lord. And if we truly are being led by the Lord, we will be blessed in what we do and others will be blessed by our obedience, too.

But those who live wickedly, who walk in the ways of the flesh and of self-will, and not according to the will and purpose of God for our lives, they will suffer the judgment of God when he comes to judge the people of the world, and they will spend eternity in hell, and not in heaven, because they did not obey the Lord, in practice, but they still lived for the pleasures of the flesh. And it won’t matter if they profess faith in Jesus Christ, for they will be judged by their works (deeds), whether of God or of the flesh.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Seek the Lord

An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Based off Isaiah 55


“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”

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How did Jesus and his disciples earn money for their living?

There were contributions, also. (Acts 5). Even a fish was used to provide the temple tax for Jesus and Peter ( Matt 17:27)

Later, Paul was with Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, who were all tentmakers. Of course, as usual, there are disagreements as to whether Paul continued in his trade.

In Israel,, one of the archeological digs found the oldest Christian prayer house in the world with a memorial noting that it was to
"God Jesus Christ" with a piece of furniture funded by a female.
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Will Harris accept the challenge to debate Trump?

ROFL

Trump caved and accepted Democratic rules and sites. The arguing is over.

Of course, the rules are not equally fair to both sides. Why would a sitting president or VP offer that? They don't need the debates as much as a challenger.
The scenario is painting her into a corner. She keeps demanding and challenging. He finally accepts but on his terms. She then does a turnabout and refuses.
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