• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • 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.

A Few Quite Quotes

“I do not become devoted in the true sense until I have found my rest (certainty of Christ’s expiation for my sin—NC) in the Lord Jesus. I am, up to this, rather looking to receive from Him. I am more an object to myself; but when I find how fully I am an object to Him, then my heart is at liberty to make Him its Object, He having made me His.”—J B Stoney (1814-1897)

“It is a wonderful moment for the soul when by faith we occupy our position (our “position” is Christ; our “condition” is saved—NC) in the favor of our Father—when we know that we are received by Him in all the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 1:6). We do not then think of ourselves, of our worthiness or unworthiness, at all (believers are worthy through Christ - 1Co 11:27, 29; Eph 4:1; Rev 3:4). We think of the Lord Jesus—His perfections, His suitability to divine favor, His infinite acceptance with the Father—and by faith, we have access into the favor of which He is so worthy (Rev 4:11).”—C A Coates (1862 1945).

“May you retire into the secret of your heart and wait on the Father, and think that His heart is so relieved of everything about you, that He sees you according to the Son at His right hand. Amidst all the confusion and contrariety of this scene I know how my Father feels about me.”—J B S

“Our Lord Jesus Christ, ‘who died for us, that whether we wake of sleep, we should live together with Him’ (1Thes 5:10). Can anything affect your heart so much as the way the man in Christ is received in the new position (it’s been said that our condition cannot affect our position—but our position affects our condition—NC)? What I press now is the right that we have to be in the place, and that it is not only that I delight to be there, but the ineffable thought is that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ delights to have me in His place, sharing His joys.” –J B S

“When I look at this place, He is not here; and when I look at myself naturally I am not fit for Him. How happy then to know that I belong to the place where He is; and that in Him, through grace, I am made suited to Him in that new place Above.” –J B S

“Let my circumstances be what they may, if I can see them ordered for me unfailingly by the One in Whom is infinite wisdom, power (omnipotence) and goodness combined, and whose love toward me I am assured of, my restlessness is gone, my will subjected to that Other will in which I can but acquiesce and delight” (all that a saint encounters is either known and allowed to transpire or is directly ordered by God, and regardless of the outcome He is always in control of everything and uses it for our ‘good’ - Ro 8:28—NC).—F W Grant (1834-1902)

“In every trial, however gloomy, there are gleams of light and relief; but full deliverance is often delayed by our anxiety to obtain it. God Himself, and not the deliverance, is to be the satisfaction of His servant; consequently the deliverance is often postponed until we are without prospect or expectation of it; and then it may be accorded in a manner so transcendently beyond our conception, that we must see and understand the love and interest which surrounded us during the whole period of grief.”—J B S

“’In everything we are enriched by Him’ (1Co 1:5). The favor of our Father is given to us in Christ Jesus, and in everything we are enriched in Him. If we are not happy it is because we have temporarily lost sight of the favor given us in Him. In our foolishness we turn to the world or look into our own hearts, instead of keeping our eyes on the Lord Jesus, the risen and exalted Man in Whom the Father has given us His favor.”—C A Coates

“The nearer you are to the Father the happier you are. You come in now in all the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then you find that not only has all the offense been removed, but that the Father has been so fully glorified by the Son that the nearer you come to Him, the more you are assured of His love.”—J B S





MJS daily devotional excerpt for August 5

“Could it be possible that God would so love an individual as to give His only Son to die for him and still love him to the extent of following him with the pleadings and drawings of His grace until He has won that soul into His own family and created him anew by the impartation of His own divine nature, and then be careless as to what becomes of the one He has thus given His all to procure?” –Lewis Sperry Chafer (1871-1952).

The importance of the Holy Spirit in prayer and in the Christian life.

Saint Paul points out that we cannot address the Father without the help of the Holy Spirit, who cries out within us (Galatians 4:6). Prayer should begin with an invocation to the Spirit, as it is essential to our relationship with God.

The Holy Spirit is essential to give life to the soul, grant peace, wisdom and love. Without His presence, we cannot truly be children of God. Furthermore, the gift of the Spirit is a divine gift that fills us with love and allows us to participate in the holiness of God.

The mission of the Holy Spirit is our sanctification, transforming us and bringing us closer to God. Through prayer, we can open ourselves to His action and receive His gifts, which include wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, strength, piety, and fear of God. Each of these gifts helps us live in accordance with divine principles and maintain an intimate relationship with God, avoiding sin and valuing his presence in our lives.

What I'm Thankful For

I’m thankful for the cross of Christ
Where Jesus died for me
So I could die with Him to sin
And live eternally

I’m thankful that He cared for me
And called me to be His
So I could serve Him with my life
And do all that He says

I’m thankful that He’s chosen me
To serve Him in this way
So I can share His gospel truth
And other hearts to sway

I’m thankful for the Christian church
His body, who believe
In Jesus Christ their risen Lord
By faith they do receive

I’m thankful for the fellowship
I share with Christ today
And with his body, saints of God
Who follow in His ways

I’m thankful for my family,
My husband and my kids
And grandchildren, oh what a joy
God graciously He gives

So thankful I am to have life
With purpose, not a waste
To live my life my God to please
And not His will forsake

An Original Work / November 21, 2022

Today my husband Rick and I celebrate 52 years of marriage. I am thankful for my husband.
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Give Thanks in All Circumstances

“See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15-22 ESV)

In this life, if we are following Jesus Christ with our lives, we will be persecuted for righteousness’ sake and for the sake of Christ and his gospel message. We will be hated and persecuted because we are living holy lives in submission to Christ as Lord, and in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives. This does not make us perfect people, but lack of perfection is never to be used as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin. For if we are truly following Jesus with our lives, we are dying with Christ to sin daily, and we are walking by faith in obedience to his commands, in his power.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23]

But when we are persecuted, and when we are mistreated, and we are sinned against, and we are falsely accused of wrong we did not do, we are not to try to get even with those who do evil against us. Rather, we are to love our enemies, and pray for them, and do good to them, and say to them what is for their spiritual benefit, that they might be saved from their sins. And we are to forgive those who do evil against us. But forgiveness is not permission to keep on in sin, but it is encouragement to “go and sin no more.” It is giving the other person another chance to do what is right.

And this word “rejoice” literally means “to delight in God’s grace,” in what Jesus Christ did for us when he gave his life up for us on that cross. First of all we must experience God’s grace in our own lives, and then we are to be glad in that grace. And that grace sent Jesus Christ to the cross to put our sins to death with him, so that by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in him, we will die with him to sin and now live to him and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living. So we are to be glad in our dying with him to sin and in walking in obedience to his commands.

For the grace which comes from God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce (say ‘No!’ to) ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

And to pray without ceasing is not suggesting that we are to spend our entire days and nights in bowing our knees before God and in bringing our requests to him. Instead, I believe it means to be in continuous open communication with the Lord to where we have an open door for us to speak with him, and him with us, 24/7, during all our waking hours of every day. So, prayer to the Lord is not some official and religious thing that we do each day at a particular time of day and place, though that can be part of it, but it really has to do with open 24/7 communication between us and God.

Now, regardless of our circumstances, if they are good or evil (evil being done against us), we are to give the Lord thanks. We are not to be those who make it our practice to grumble and complain about anything and everything that comes across our paths which displeases us. Now this is not saying that we cannot address wrongdoing and bring it into the light and call for repentance and for walks of obedience to the Lord. For we are to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness and call sin what it is and call for people to repent of their sins and to follow Jesus with their lives.

And we are not to quench the Spirit. How do we quench the Spirit? We do that by resisting the Spirit and his convictions and the teachings of the Word of God in order to go our own way. We do that by ignoring God’s commands and choosing to sin against the Lord. And we do that by ignoring and skirting around whatever Scriptures we don’t like which tell us what we do not want to hear, and by only following the Scriptures which make us feel good, which are often taught out of context and made to say what they do not say if they are taught in their appropriate context.

And prophesying, in this context, according to the Greek Interlinear, is “the gift of communicating and enforcing revealed truth.” It is “what is clarified beforehand; prophecy which involves divinely-empowered forthtelling (asserting the mind of God) or foretelling (prediction).” And the Holy Spirit was given to us within us to teach, instruct, reveal, encourage, and warn, etc. So we must be able to hear his inner voice speaking to us, which then sometimes he gives us to share with the body of Christ. But then we must test these words “from the Lord” to see if they truly are from the Lord.

But we are not to despise them immediately without even testing them against the truth of the Scriptures, taught in context. Some of them will be obvious immediately if we are in tune to the Spirit’s voice, and if we know what the Scriptures teach, but if we just ignore everything that anyone says he heard from the Lord, without even being certain whether or not it is from God, then we risk quenching the Spirit. But not everything that is claimed to be of the Spirit is of God. There is so much abuse of the gifts of the Spirit, so we must be very wise and discerning, and seek the counsel of God.

But once we have tested everything, then we are to hold fast to what is good, and we are to abstain from every form of evil. And just know that there are many false teachers among us who are teaching lies to the people and who are altering the character of God/Christ, and of his gospel, to make them more acceptable to the ungodly and to human flesh. And the lies are what are most popular today and which are being received more often than the truth. And that is because the lies give permission to keep sinning without change, and the truth requires death to sin and obedience to God.

[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 2:3-6,24-25; 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]

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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Republicans for Harris’ With Over 25 GOP Endorsements.

Kamala Harris' campaign launches

‘Republicans for Harris’ With Over 25 GOP Endorsements

“Republicans for Harris” will kick off this week with
targeted ads and themed events in Arizona, North
Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

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Kamala Harris' campaign launched “Republicans for Harris” in a bid to attract GOP voters left distraught with Donald Trump. The vice president's team said on Sunday that the program will be a “campaign within a campaign.” Previously dubbed “Republicans for Biden,” the group was relaunched following the president's decision to drop out of the 2024 race.

‘Republicans for Harris’ gains over 25 GOP endorsements​

The revamped program has already gained more than 25 GOP endorsements, including former secretaries Chuck Hagel and Ray LaHood, Trump-era White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham and Olivia Troye, ex-national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence.
Harris' team explained that the rollout will include outreach from well-known Republicans to their networks, with an emphasis on voters who previously supported the former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, per the Associated Press.

“I encourage other Trump administration officials who saw the tyrant we worked for in office to speak out and stand with Kamala Harris this November to keep integrity in the White House and ensure democracy for our country,” Grisham said in a statement.
“Republicans for Harris” will kick off this week with targeted ads and themed events in Arizona, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Republicans who have supported Harris will also attend the campaign rallies alongside her soon-to-be-declared running mate.

In light of the program, Austin Weatherford, Harris’s national director of Republican outreach, said in a statement, “Donald Trump’s MAGA extremism is toxic to the millions of Republicans who no longer believe the party of Donald Trump represents their values and will vote against him again in November.”
“Donald Trump said he doesn’t want these voters, but Vice President Harris and our campaign are working 0vertime to earn the support of my fellow Republicans who care about defending democracy and restoring decency — all of which would be torn away in a second Trump presidency,” Weatherford added.

Why are You Afraid?

Many throughout the world are presently being severely persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ and for their testimonies for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Numerous saints of God are being martyred because they refuse to deny the name of Jesus Christ, and they refuse to bow to the world’s system, and because they will not stop sharing the true gospel of salvation.

Jesus said we would be hated as he was hated, and that as he was treated, so would we be treated, if we are his true followers. So, this should not take us by surprise when this happens. And, it is coming to America, too, because Scripture teaches us that in the last days this persecution will increase, and that the dragon will be enraged, as though he is not already, and he will pursue Christ’s true servants and witnesses with hateful vengeance.

Yet, we are not to be afraid of those who can kill the body but who cannot kill the soul. We must believe that God is sovereign over all things – all events and all people - and that nothing can enter into our lives, outside of ourselves, but what he allows it, and he has a purpose in it which will bring glory to his name, and many to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

So, trust Him. Rest in His love. Believe Him that He will work it all for our ultimate good. Divine discipline is painful, but necessary in order to mature us, to purify us, and to make us holy. We are not here on this earth for our own pleasure, but rather to honor and magnify our Lord God.

Why Are You Afraid?

An Original Work / December 5, 2013
Based off Various Scriptures


Do not be afraid.
Your Lord is always by your side.
Serve the Lord in righteousness
Before Him all your days.

Those who hate the light
Will not come to the Lord.
They fear their deeds
Might be noticed.
So, they hate the light,
And they embrace the night.

Do not be afraid,
Although your enemy attacks.
Dare to share your testimony
Of God’s saving grace.

Do not fear their threats,
But honor Christ, your Lord.
Be prepared to give an answer
For the hope you have,
With gentleness; respect.

Why are you afraid?
For all that’s hidden will be shown.
What I tell you, speak in daylight.
Let the truth be known.

Do not be afraid
Of those who’ll take your life.
Fear the Lord with understanding.
Trust Him with your life,
And give not up to strife.

Do not be afraid.
Take courage, it is I, your Lord.
Bow before Me; now adore Me.
Oh, why do you doubt?

Listen to the Lord.
Get up and bear His name!
Run and tell the world He loves them.
Jesus came to save.
Give Him your all today.

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Be at Peace Among Yourselves

“We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-14)

Respect, Esteem, Admiration

The context here is that of the church, the body of Christ, and of how we are all to minister one to the other as fellow servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first instruction for us here is that we respect those who labor among us and who are over us in the Lord and who admonish us. We are to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. But who are they? Are they everyone who calls themselves “pastor” or “elder”? No! They are not! Why? Because not all of them are “in the Lord” and working for the Lord.

So many people today who go by “pastor” or “elder” or “deacon” or “prophet” or “apostle” or “evangelist,” etc., are not working for the Lord under his direction, but they are following the marketing schemes and gimmicks of the world and of big business in order to grow their numbers. And so they have largely conformed to the world and to marketing the church to the world just like any other business in order to draw in large crowds of people from the world into their gatherings. And so they are also altering the character of God/Christ, his church, and his gospel, to be more acceptable to the world. So they are working for the flesh, and not for God.

And the Bible instructs us that we are to be those who are testing the spirits to see whether or not they are of God. And we cannot go by what they profess with their lips alone, especially since Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and his servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Many of them do not serve God, but their own flesh, and Satan, and the world. Many among us are truly “wolves in sheep’s clothing” who are out to deceive the sheep and to lead them astray and to false gospels of human origin which do not require death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands, nor holy living.

So, be very discerning and cautious with regard to whom you are giving your respect and admiration and esteem. These people need to be those who meet the biblical qualifications for elder, overseer, and deacon. So know what those qualifications are. And I am not saying that they, or any of us, need to be absolutely perfect in everything that we do. We are all still humans, and we might fail sometimes (1 John 2:1-2). But they should be people of God who are serving the Lord with their lives, who are walking in his ways, and who are obeying his commands, in practice. And they should not be those who are still living in deliberate sin against the Lord Jesus Christ.

Admonish, Encourage, and Help

The next instruction is that we are to be at peace among ourselves, i.e. within the body of Christ. And this word “peace” means, “gift of wholeness, integrity of being.” It means for us to live in the condition of God’s peace, which is peace with God and with his instructions to us and with his will and purpose for our lives. This involves unity with one another, but that unity must be of the Spirit of the Lord and in agreement with the teachings of the Scriptures, and based in integrity and honesty. So this is not unity or peace with what is not of God and that which is contrary to the teachings of the Scriptures, and that which is of the flesh of man and of marketing schemes.

Following that we are instructed to admonish the idle (unruly). We are to exhort, warn, urge, encourage, caution and counsel them in the word of the Lord and in the teachings of the Scriptures and against all that is not of God and that is contrary to the word of God. And those who are idle (disorderly) are those who are spiritually and physically lazy, slothful, and frivolous, who are not working for the Lord but to feed their own fleshly appetites. They are those who spend their free time just wasting time on entertainment and on the pleasures of the world and who are morally deficient, who have no (or little) regard for what God has called them to be doing with their lives.

And the word “encourage” has in its definition such words as admonish, exhort, warn, and urge with a holy urging, as well as it means to comfort, uplift, help, persuade, inspire, hearten, and cheer. But all encouragement should not be what is contrary to the Lord and to his teachings. We are not to lie to people to make them feel good so that they will like us, in return. And we are not to withhold from them the truth that will save their souls from hell just so that we will not get rejected by them. But we are to speak the truth in love, one to the other, and we are to exhort one another daily so that none of us are taken captive by the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13).

So if we have fellow professers of faith in Jesus Christ who we know are fainthearted, i.e. small of courage, cowardly, weary of heart, losing inner strength, and/or exhausted emotionally, physically, and/or spiritually, and/or who are weak, i.e. short on physical, moral, and/or spiritual strength and endurance, we are to try to help them. And depending upon what their situation is will depend upon the type of help that we should provide. But we should never encourage (support) moral or spiritual weakness. Yet, we are to be patient and longsuffering and loving and forgiving with them while not fostering any willful defiance of the commands of our Lord Jesus.

You are Loving and Forgiving

An Original Work / February 19, 2012
Based off Psalm 86


You are loving and forgiving,
Jesus, Savior, King of kings.
You provided our redemption.
By Your blood You set us free.
You are gracious; full of mercy.
No deeds can compare with Yours.
Great are You; there is none like You.
Glory be to Your name.

Teach me Your way, and I’ll walk in it.
O Lord, I will walk in Your truth.
May I not have a heart divided,
That Your name I give honor to.
I will praise You, O Lord, my Savior,
For great is Your love toward me.
You have delivered me from my sins.
Your grace has pardoned me.

You, O Lord, are full of compassion,
Slow to anger, bounteous in love;
Faithful to fulfill all You promise;
Glory be to Your name above.
Hear, O Lord, and answer Your servant.
You are my God. I trust in You.
Turn to me and grant Your strength to me.
You are my comforter.

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I think it's time

I recently got engaged which is a huge blessing. Today was the first day back at church since then and I feel like the people I thought would be most excited for me send to me as dismissive. I've been waiting and praying for this for 31 years and it's finally come and i don't feel the same rejoicing other young couples got when it was their turn. I'm so hurt I'm not going back to my church anymore. This is the last straw. If you've seen my previous posts I've been considering leaving for some time. Please pray for my hurt and that i don't give up on finding a new church all together

Prayer for my fathers health

My dad is older, works 7 days a week with little rest, he is pre diabetic and has one last medicine to try to solve problems with his prostate before it has to be removed.

His health is not as good as it used to be, although I would say he is average for his age (late 60s)

Please pray for his health, and to remove any obstacles that impede his wellbeing and for his longevity, that he may still live a long healthy and fulfilling life. I often pray to God that he lives to 100. I want him to be around when my little siblings are older.

Theology and Philosophy

At this time the Corinthian church showed compassion and mercy. The Corinthian church was in times of admiration of theologies and philosophies of the wealthy and glamorous.

Those who believed in Jesus Christ origin ( Christians) who had faith Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV and the church to both show the truth were the partakers of the consolation.

‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:3‭-‬7‬ ‭KJV‬
[3] Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; [4] who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. [5] For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. [6] And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. [7] And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. '

Allowing us Christians, the people and our hands to see God, work and accomplish for us and succeed. Correlation to todays poverty and depression, deep state of emergency

Mark 10:43-44 KJV
'and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: '



Nehemiah 2:18 KJV
'Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work


Genesis 39:3,6,22 KJV
'
3 'And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well ffavoured. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it

Pope Francis urges prayers for victims of crises in Venezuela, Myanmar, and Middle East

Pope Francis on Sunday urged prayers for those suffering in the world due to political conflict, violence, and natural disasters, highlighting humanitarian crises in Venezuela, the Middle East, and Myanmar.

Protests and violence have erupted in cities across Venezuela after citizens headed to the polls one week ago to vote in the country’s controversial presidential elections held on July 28.

The Venezuelan government declared on Monday that President Nicolás Maduro won the election, however many opposition leaders and citizens continue to contest the results, alleging fraud and corruption against the country’s leader and his party.

Continued below.

Pope Francis: Reading literature can enrich the Christian life, aid in priestly formation

In a new letter released Sunday, Pope Francis touts the benefits of reading literature for priests and all those seeking to enrich their lives as Christian believers.

Though he said his letter was originally intended for men receiving priestly formation, he said all Christians — not just those involved in ministry — would benefit from incorporating poetry and literature into their personal times of study or leisure.

“Time spent reading may well open up new interior spaces that help us to avoid becoming trapped by a few obsessive thoughts that can stand in the way of our personal growth,” he writes in his letter, which is dated July 17 and comes at the height of the summer when many people are taking time off to rest and recreate.

Continued below.
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2024 Olympic Games: That Pistolero from Turkey

The laid-back, unencumbered, older shooter from Turkey who scored silver in the Olympics has inspired hundreds of memes, particularly in the IT community, where he is the hero of "simpler is better." He was defeated only by someone with the latest high-tech resources...but he had defeated all the others who had high-tech devices.

Turkish shooter.jpg

Trump 2020 Case Sent Back to DC Court After Immunity Ruling

(Bloomberg) -- The US Supreme Court officially sent the federal criminal case against Donald Trump for election interference back to a judge in Washington after deciding last month that presidents have broad immunity from prosecution.

The ruling was issued July 1, but it takes about a month to be entered into the court record on Friday. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan must now figure out how to implement the 6-3 decision in the case against Trump, who was president at the time when prosecutors say he illegally conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Chutkan acted fast, entering an order Saturday morning that set a hearing for Aug. 16 to discuss next steps. Trump won’t be required to attend. The judge also directed the parties to file a report by Aug. 9 with proposals for a schedule.

Chutkan will resume the long-delayed case after Trump formally became the Republican Party’s presidential nominee and just three months before the Nov. 5 general election. The judge’s next steps likely will be to decide how she wants to proceed, which could include in-person hearings to consider arguments and evidence, and how quickly to move.

A Rising Consciousness of Republicans, Who Will Vote for Kamala Harris


Under the MAGA tea party Republicans under Trump, many moderate
Republicans are finding that they no longer have a party that holds to their
moderat middle values.

It would be a good strategic move for the Democratic Party to emphasize more
moderate middle values, and be willing to cooperate with many Republicans
who are interested in voting for a government that will cooperate in Congress,
to get business done.

Donald Trump does not seem to have any loyalty to his old advisors, and close
friends. Increasingly, this means that moderate Republicans, cannot expect
Trump to be loyal to them. Trump will change his opinions, whenever he thinks
that he can gain a few points in the polls. This is one reason why his changing
policies, are so unstable.

I want to feel Gods presence

Can you guys please pray that I feel Jesus tangible presence it's been years since I felt him and I don't understand why and can you also please pray that God heals my mind and My thoughts and that I never have a negative thought never again and that Mt thoughts and mind are coverd by the blood of Jesus Christ thankyou

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Ukraine Is Out Of Soldiers And Desperate, Outnumbered 10/1 By Russian Soldiers, Ukraine Is Grabbing Citizens Off The Streets Against Their Will?

Ukraine's desperate need for soldiers spurs exodus of young men

As Ukraine tries to recruit more men, some have gone abroad or into hiding.
August 1, 2024

In the attached ABC clip below you will see citizen's being dragged off the streets against their will?

The ABC NEWS Clip 6:41

Several Newbie Questions

Hello everyone. I have several questions I can not get answers to. The question get avoided or the person gets defensive, or makes excuses. I will use the topic of movies and music as examples. Here are my questions:

Why does christian music copy secular music? A secular artist or style is hot, so christians copy it, why?
What is the deal with the "Satanic Panic" in music? Why are christians so fearful of evil if God has already won the war?
Why are christian films so bad? Poor acting, poor writing, etc.
It seems to be a pattern. If the world comes up with a book series, then christians have to copy it and make a "safe" option.
I am not sure if I am allowed to post links. Here are examples in YouTube: Seth Andrews: Copycats, Seth Andrews: The Satanic Panic.
I am not trying to be mean, I am genuinely curious as it will help me learn and understand. Thank you.

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day...

Peace in Christ.

The stork knows her appointed times and the turtle/dove and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming. These things are internal for them. They are hard-wired into them by the Lord. They do not need exterior handwritings to let them know when to do these things.

Jer 8:7-9 KJV
(7) Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.

And the Lord writes His laws in our inner parts….in our minds and hearts. We know them inside us. We know His judgment. His government/kingdom is within us and does not come from the observation of external writings.

Yet, the pen of the church scribes have engraved their “images”…their church handwritings of ordinances…. for their congregations to follow after/worship rather than the internal writings of God.

The pen of the scribes is in “vain”…meaning “untrue”. The church scribes’ handwritings...their lying pens... are untruths. They appear to be “wise”…they have a show of wisdom. Colossians 2:22-23 . They can do nothing to save us though.

How can they say they are “wise” and that the law of the LORD is with them when their lying pens have changed it into a lie?

(8) How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.

What wisdom is in the church scribes’ ….the “wise”…handwritings? They reject His word in order to keep their handwritings of ordinances.

(9) The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?

Professing themselves as “wise”, they became fools and changed the glory of the unperishable God into an image (church handwritings of ordinances) which are made like perishable man’s….patterned like the outside world’s handwritings (such as constitutions, statutes, bylaws, etc) by which they self-govern and judge themselves by rather than having God rule them through their hearts and minds.

Rom 1:22-24 KJV
(22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
(23) And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

(24) Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

Professing themselves to be “wise,” they became fools.

The LORD has poured unto them the spirit of “deep sleep” as they cannot understand the gospel nor the Scriptures. The truth of the gospel is hid from our “prophets” and church rulers and the seers (all of the “learned”). The “eyes” of their understanding has been closed in the spirit of deep sleep poured out from the LORD.

Isa 29:10-12 KJV
(10) For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

One cannot understand the Bible as it has been sealed to our church rulers eyes so that they cannot truly understand it. The revelation of all is become unto us all as the words of a book that is sealed. They cannot understand the Scriptures of which they wrest to their own mortal destruction. 2 Peter 3:16

If they (the “learned” church rulers) can’t understand it, then how are those who they preach to (the “unlearned”) going to understand it?

(11) And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
(12) And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

The “wisdom” of fleshly-minded men is put down in their codified handwritings of ordinances/dogmas….and what wisdom is in them? There is no wisdom in them. The fear of the Lord is taught by the precept of men…contained in their handwritings.

Isa 29:13-14 KJV
(13) Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
(14) Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Man’s wisdom ….that he puts down in his handwritings comes to nothing. The wisdom of the "wise men" shall perish. The wisdom of God is hidden to them…to the princes of this age who come to nothing.

1Co 2:4-8
(4) And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
(5) That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
(6) Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world (age), that come to nought:

(7) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

None of the princes of this age (the church rulers, prophets, seers) know the wisdom of God…for if they had known it, they would not crucify (NOW) the Lord of glory….who has already been raised up to glory so that we may have His life now. Yet, they are cutting off the age-lasting life….the manifest life of Jesus…in those who they are “preaching” to without knowledge. Their congregations (the flock of the slaughter) are mortally perishing….while they feed themselves only. The Lord of glory is already raised from the dead so that we might have His life now in this mortal body.

(8) Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not crucify the Lord of glory.

If the gospel is hid, it is hid to them that are “lost”…that is, perishing. They are mortally perishing because of the lack of knowledge of the true gospel. No mortal flesh is being saved.

2Co 4:3-5 KJV
(3) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost (PERISHING) :

The “god of this world/age” blinds their minds as they only serve for their own belly…their “god”. They are earthly-minded and are only "preaching themselves" for their own earthly necessities.

(4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
(5) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

The “god of this age”…their belly…is what they are serving for. Their end is destruction….destruction of the mortal body.

Php 3:18-19 KJV
(18) (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

(19) Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

The false prophet comes up “out of the earth”…indicating that they are earthly-minded only. They may have the form of godliness but deny its power to mortally save us in their preaching (as they speak as a dragon).

Rev 13:11 KJV
(11) And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

The “princes of this age” hearts are “nourished”…fattened…as in a day of slaughter. Their hearts are “waxed gross”…fattened. Matthew 13:15.

They rejoice in their hearts as they live in pleasure on the earth as they are getting their earthly needs met in abundance. The drum beat of the rejoicing of their own hearts drown out the cries of their congregations that are experiencing troubles. But God hears their cries....and will help them out.

Jas 5:5-6 KJV
(5) Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

They condemn and kill the Just One….the Lord of glory…as they are not preaching the truth of the gospel which would manifest the life of Jesus in their congregations. Their congregations are not being mortally saved because of the lack of knowledge of the truth of the gospel. They are all perishing…perishing sheep. No mortal flesh is being saved in the "flock of the slaughter" that they are "pastoring".

(6) Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

“Hurt not the oil and wine”….their rejoicing has not ceased while there is a severe famine of hearing the words of God as there is no understanding (the black horse) among them. Their foolish heart is darkened as there is no understanding in them.

Rev 6:5-6 KJV
(5) And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

(6) And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Hurt not the oil and the wine….hurt not their rejoicing while there is a severe famine going on .

Psa 104:15 KJV
(15) And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.

They rejoice in their hearts as in a day of slaughter as the “sheep” that they are supposed to be feeding with the Word of Truth are being “killed” as no flesh is being saved in their “pastoring” of them…the pastoring of the flock of the slaughter.

“let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die”. They do not understand the truth of the gospel. They missed the point of the gospel completely so as to not share in the prize of an age-lasting life (aka "eternal life"). We don’t mortally die when we keep the “daily” sacrifice of our Lord. They who only feed themselves have no knowledge of God.

Isa 22:13-14 KJV
(13) And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

(14) And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

For the “rich man”…..the rich pastors that rule us….fare “sumptuously” (that is, REJOICE BRILLIANTLY) every day. They are getting their earthly daily needs met…they are living in pleasure on the earth. They delight in living luxuriously.

Luk 16:19-21 KJV
(19) There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

Yet, their congregations are as Lazarus which laid at his gate, full of sores. Their congregations are at the “gate” of their mouths desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fall from the rich man’s table (where he is only feeding himself). “Lazarus” is hungry for spiritual food and is only receiving “crumbs”.

They are being “fed” with very little knowledge in this current famine of hearing the true sayings of God. Their congregations are “full of sores” ….full of troubles. The dogs come and lick the sores….they dress the wounds of their congregations lightly by saying “peace, peace” when there is no peace among them. Jeremiah 6:14 .

(20) And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

(21) And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

But our Lord comes to deliver us from them. He comes to feed us with the Bread of Heaven. He feeds us who are starving (in this “famine” of hearing the words of God) by the preaching of the true sayings of God (in contrast with the preaching of earthly-minded men).

The “beggar” dies. Notice the wording. It was not “Lazarus” who died but his status of being a “beggar” that ceases.

“Lazarus” means “God helps”. In His mercy, He sends us His “angels”…that is, His messengers of His true sayings of life and spirit…which carry them into Abraham’s bosom. They are carried away from those who are oppressing them by the belief of what they hear Him saying.

They believe what they hear unto righteousness (as Abraham who believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness). They inherit the promises of Abraham. They inherit good things now while the rich ceases from the rich men. The rich died….as his rejoicing in riches ceases.

Luke 16:22
(22) And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich also died, and was buried;


The rich men….the rich pastors…who once had rejoiced in their earthly necessities being met, will now have miseries come upon them.

Jas 5:1-2 KJV
(1) Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

(2) Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

Woe unto them that are rich now….for they have already received their consolation. Woe unto them that are full now for they shall hunger. Woe unto them that laugh now for they shall mourn and weep.

Luk 6:24-26 KJV
(24) But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
(25) Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.

(26) Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

continued....

Allowing to see God

Allowing us Christians, the people and our hands to see God, work and accomplish for us and succeed. Correlation to todays poverty and depression, deep state of emergency

Mark 10:43-44 KJV
'and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: '



Nehemiah 2:18 KJV
'Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work


Genesis 39:3,6,22 KJV
'
3 'And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well ffavoured. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it . '

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