Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas raised a question Thursday that goes to the heart of Special Counsel Jack Smith's charges against former President Donald Trump.
The high court was considering Trump's argument that he is immune from prosecution for actions he took while president, but another issue is whether Smith and the Office of Special Counsel have the authority to bring charges at all.
"Did you, in this litigation, challenge the appointment of special counsel?" Thomas asked Trump attorney John Sauer on Thursday during a nearly three-hour session at the Supreme Court.

Sauer replied that Trump's attorneys had not raised that concern "directly" in the current Supreme Court case — in which justices are considering Trump's arguments that presidential immunity precludes the prosecution of charges that the former president illegally sought to overturn the 2020 election.
Sauer told Thomas that, "we totally agree with the analysis provided by Attorney General Meese [III] and Attorney General Mukasey."
In a 42-page amicus brief presented to the high court in March, Meese and Mukasey questioned whether "Jack Smith has lawful authority to undertake the 'criminal prosecution'" of Trump. Mukasey and Meese — both former U.S. attorneys general — said Smith and the Office of Special Counsel itself have no authority to prosecute, in part because he was never confirmed by the Senate to any position.

Federal prosecutions, "can be taken only by persons properly appointed as federal officers to properly created federal offices," Meese and Mukasey argued. "But neither Smith nor the position of special counsel under which he purportedly acts meets those criteria. He wields tremendous power, effectively answerable to no one, by design. And that is a serious problem for the rule of law — whatever one may think of former President Trump or the conduct on January 6, 2021, that Smith challenges in the underlying case."
The crux of the problem, according to Meese, is that Smith was never confirmed by the Senate as a U.S. attorney, and no other statute allows the U.S. attorney general to name merely anyone as special counsel. Smith was acting U.S. attorney for a federal district in Tennessee in 2017, but he was never nominated to the position. He resigned from the private sector after then-President Trump nominated a different prosecutor as U.S. attorney for the middle district of Tennessee.

It was basically the music part that made me cringe so bad. I can't believe how different this parish was than the other parishes I've attended (I went to this parish because I missed confession at the parish I wanted to go to, and this parish had confession at least after Mass). If you want to give a great example of whatever is wrong with the music in today's Catholic churches, this is a standout example. Clapping during the Gloria, oh my gosh. Trying to jazz the Gloria up to make it "soul" sounding - OK maybe that belongs in a different denomination, but I was taken aback. I'm not trying to be legalistic here, but this is just something that Catholic parishes are not known for. How can the Diocesan Cathedral be SO DARNED DIFFERENT THAN THIS?

Homily was great though - thank God, lol. Cantor, albeit CRINGE, was welcoming to me.
(Sorry, I hope I don't sound like a snob, lol)

Here is a transcript of the exchange:

BARR: So it’s not about me. I think that, that I’ve said this all along. If faced with a choice between two people, neither of which I think should be president, I feel it’s my duty to pick the person who I think would do the least damage to the country. And I think Trump would do less damage than Biden. And I think all this stuff about a threat to democracy, I think the real threat to democracy is the progressive movement. And in the Biden administration.

COLLINS: The Biden administration, or President Biden himself.

BARR: Biden’s, Biden’s support for the progressive agenda.

COLLINS: I think a lot of people hear that. And the case that we just talked about that went before the Supreme Court, essentially, and say, how can you see that and say that Biden is a greater threat to democracy?

BARR: Well, where are we losing our freedoms? We have our freedoms being constrained that they’re being constrained by, the progressive government and, you know, democracy especially, you know, from the Anglosphere democracies, the Five Eyes and so forth. The threats never been for autocratic government on the right.

COLLINS: But how specifically, is Biden threatening democracy?

BARR: The threat to freedom and democracy has always been on the left. It’s the collectivist, socialist, agenda. And that is where we’re losing our freedom. Parents are losing the freedom to control, their children’s education. And, you know, people can’t speak their mind without losing their jobs and things like that. This is worse than the McCarthy era. Where is that coming from? It’s not coming from the right.

COLLINS: Those two things that you just noted there, you believe are worse than a president of the United States trying to subvert the will of the people by overturning the results, no question.

BARR: No, I think I think a country well, all the things together, like we’re not enforcing our borders, we have open borders, we have lawlessness, in our cities, we have regulations coming fast and fierce. So telling people what kind of stoves they can use and what kinds of cars they have to drive and, you know, eliminating cars and and so forth. Yeah, those are those are the threats to democracy.

COLLINS: But but President Biden is not in control of what some school boards across the country.

BARR: He’s using the administrative–

COLLINS: You can make that argument, but.

BARR: He’s making.

COLLINS: How is that the same thing?

BARR: Major changes are being made in our country without without the democratic process. And they’re being made by bureaucrats in these agencies.

COLLINS: You, okay? Pause! You cannot argue that Republicans across the country are not doing that as well. My own hometown. There’s a huge fight at the library over which books kids can read. This is not something that is a single-party fight.

BARR: Do you think there are? Don’t you think there should be some limits on on what people are able to read? I agree, young people.

COLLINS: I just think people look at what you’re saying and they don’t. And maybe, maybe even Republicans who have concerns about what’s happening with school boards or, you know, the culture and don’t maybe abortion, even don’t equate that with with January 6th and Trump’s efforts. When you told him the the election was not stolen and he still went out there and said it was stolen and led a lot of people to believe that they don’t, those things aren’t equal. It feels like a false equivalency.

BARR: Well, I disagree, I think, and I think, the country is much more susceptible to losing freedoms by the excesses of the left, and they have been steadily and that’s clear. People lose their jobs. Kids can’t speak out in the classroom. They have to go along with what the professor says in order to get good grades and so forth. It’s become like Stepford Nation being directed by, the progressive elites.

…
COLLINS: It is what you said recently, which was that, you know, the conduct that was involved with Donald Trump, you said trying to subvert and prevent the progress, the execution of probably the most important process we have, which is the peaceful transfer of power after an election. Name one thing that Biden has done that’s worse than that.

BARR: I think this whole administration is a disaster for the.

COLLINS: Is worse than subverting the peaceful transfer of power.

BARR: Did he succeed?

COLLINS: Only because Vice President Mike pence stood in the way? And now the people who are lining up again say that they will not do what Mike pence did.

BARR: Look, I was very loud and saying, I thought it was a whole the whole episode was shameful. And I’m and I’m very troubled by it. And that’s why it’s not an easy decision. But I think when you have a Hobson’s choice, you have to pick the lesser of two evils.

Hello all. I'm wanting to start a company but am having trouble deciding what type - an investment company, or rather a multi-faceted company whose primary focus is security investments and things like that or a faith based publishing company. Problem is I have zero money (completely flat broke) so the only kind of websites I could do would be free ones like wix or wordpress. I'm currently having to rely on family to help me on certain things (even am living at home right now). So I'm hoping some of you all here might be willing to help out, at all in any way, shape, or form. It would be much appreciated. Thank you all for reading this, God bless you all, and stay safe.

1 Corinthians 5:
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.
10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous,
or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.
11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother,
who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—
not even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?
13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Here Paul makes a direct reference to Torah "put away from yourselves"; Deuteronomy 17:7,19:19, 22:21&24, 24:7
demonstrating that "all scripture is profitable".

How are we to judge those among us? Only by the Anointing upon the fellowship, the Light of the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us,
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you,
as is fitting for saints;
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting,
but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater,
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God
comes upon the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.
9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light,
for whatever makes manifest is light.
14 Therefore He says:
“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”

There is a tendency to avoid passing judgment on others because the Lord has commanded to
"judge not, lest we be judged". We cannot act on suspicions and rumors. But when the Holy
Spirit exposes wickedness among the fellowship as vividly described in these doctrines,
the brother must immediately repent, or be expelled from the congregation.

Hence, leadership must be above reproach
1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court.
In fact, I do not even judge myself.
4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden
things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

In these days especially, reading "until the Lord comes' leads many to think of the second coming.
For the apostolic doctrine to hold up under scrutiny, we must understand that "the Lord is the Spirit"
and the presence of the Spirit in the midst of our fellowship will expose all wickedness.

"This is people's nest egg. This is them saving, them investing — it's their American dream. And here is Biden coming out with the highest proposed capital gains tax in 100 years," Palicz said.

Look, the EVs, charging stations, etc. are not free. And someone has to pay for a $10,000 debit card, smartphone, healthcare, and a fancy hotel for the immigrants. Just take it out of your grocery bill that must be coming down--don't you listen to the White House? Welcome to Bidenomics.

T-45 minutes...

Login to view embedded media

OXFORD, England (OSV News) — Catholic bishops in England and Wales have rejected “gender identitytheory,” reminding Catholic schools and parishes to uphold traditional teachings on human identity and sexuality.

“Many conflicting, divergent and often contradictory views of the human person have found wide acceptance … they have led to holders of traditional theories being cancelled or even losing their jobs,” the bishops said.

“We should never seek to cause offence to another, including in situations where the other person advocates a view of reality that is different from or departs from the Church’s vision of the human person. Yet care should be taken to resist the temptation to adopt the language of gender ideology in our institutions,” they added.


The call was included in an 11-page “Intricately Woven by the Lord” pastoral reflection on gender, published April 24 by the Westminster-based bishops’ conference.

Responding to a ‘new language’​

Continued below.

What are your thoughts on what is seriously (most) wrong in our country

Login to view embedded media
What does the Bible teach about different types of demons like Marine Spirits? In this video, Pastor Nelson answers the question: What are marine spirits? 3 minutes and 17 seconds.

I’ve heard of spirits over certain areas and cities before but marine spirits? It seems to be a big topic among African pastors.

Has anyone heard of this before? Seems a bit off to me. Like a mixture of cultural aspects mixed with Christian belief. I’m just curious.

If the only thing they share in common is political views and Faith views can the relationship work good and well in the long run ?

I'm sure this has been covered many times, but I couldn't find a similar thread with a quick search, so will start another.

What is meant by the term "Law" in the Bible? I propose that like the word "love", it has many different meanings in the mouth of different people, and in different contexts.

Here are some of the meanings I can think of:

• The general, overall law of Moses. This involves everything given by Moses, which encompasses concepts of civil matters, religious/ceremonial matters, and also moral matters.
• The law as an upholding of a contract. I.e. God said that He would have the Jewish people as His special **IF** they obeyed His laws. So a Pharisee in the time of Jesus could point to their paying a tithe of the herbs in their garden, and assert that this (along with all their other points of obedience) was a complete fulfillment of their duty to uphold their part of the contract. All they had to do was meet the letter of the law and they felt they had done their duty.
• The law as a form of instruction. God imparts wisdom about how a successful society will operate, and it people will follow these instructions, they will naturally prosper. Before the Israelites crossed the Jordan, Moses told them how all the other nations would marvel at how wise their laws that God had given them were. Thus it would not be seen as arbitrary, but rather as something that makes sense and all could see the benefit of them.

So it seems to me that much of the conflict between those how emphasize the importance of the law (I suspect many of the posters to this section of the forums may be in this camp), and those how feel that the law is not longer in effect since Christ "nailed the law to the cross", have to do with different understandings of the word "law."

Examples of this:

• Paul was the apostle sent to the Gentiles. He was following God's direction to gather His sheep from other pastures. But many Jews felt that they needed to follow "the Law", and especially the part of the law regarding circumcision. I feel this was the "contract" interpretation of the law.
• At the counsel in Jerusalem, there was discussion of what rules the Gentiles should be recommended to follow. They set up a very limited set of recommended actions (avoid sexual immorality, the blood of strangled animals and food offered to idols), with an additional mention that all the other elements of the law Moses are continually taught. I interpret this to mean that they were considering the law in its "instruction" aspect. The limited set was a bare minimum of what they felt was needed to keep new converts out of trouble, with the idea that they could learn further concepts over time.
• Paul writes extensively against the law (I feel in its "contract" aspect), but then when a church member marries his father's wife, he rails against the man as acting in a manner that not even the heathen would do. This is a direct application of one command from the Mosaic law (Lev 20:11) against having sex with a father's wife. Most people today understand that it is also a bad practice due to societal issues even aside from religious considerations. Thus Paul is writing this in the "instruction" aspect of the law.
• Paul, after extensively dismissing the "law" and those that felt self-righteous by their rule-keeping, sets out many many rules about how a Christian should live. He essentially gives a new set of rules such that one might even consider all that the Law of Paul. He describes how husbands should treat wives, how wives should behave, how masters should treat slaves etc etc. I'm not exactly sure how to categorize this set of rules. It seems similar to my first bullet point above, as an "overall" rule. And Paul recommended that the man who fell outside it (the one having sex with his mother or step-mother) be "handed over to Satan." Sure sounds Mosaic to me.
• At the death of Jesus, the curtain that separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place was miraculously torn by invisible hands. I interpret this to mean that God was doing away with the sacrificial system involving the death of lambs etc, which had always pointed forward to Christ. But a change in the ceremonial aspect of the law wouldn't change the fact that we should, for example, still honor our parents.

So, in modern times, I commonly see the law discussed in these ways. I am not saying that I agree with all these, but rather that these are themes that I see:

• The law is a reflection of God's perfection. As imperfect humans, we can never match up with God's perfect mandates. Therefore Jesus stands in the gap, and the blood of His sacrifice "takes away" our sins in the same way that the sacrificial lamb was sufficient to remove the legal status of "sinfulness" from an errant Israelite. In this framework, sin is a legal debt and Jesus is able to pay off this debt with His blood.
• Or, that any attempt to go back to law keeping is backsliding away from the grace of Jesus. And example of this was when Paul chastised Peter for not eating with the gentiles for reasons related to Jewish law. And if anyone were to speak against eating unclean meat, for example, it would be seen as trying to keep the "contract" aspect of the law, rather than the "instruction" aspect of the law. Mark 7 explicitly states that Jesus declared all foods "clean". So if a piece of meat falls into a sewer, then when retrieved it would still be "clean" in the contractual sense Jesus states. But I think all will agree that it would not be clean in a sanitary or health-wise manner -- and anyone who eats it may still suffer the health consequences with throwing up and diarrhea etc.
• Others seem to make a distinction between written regulations vs Spirit-led actions. The idea here is that any regulation that is written down can be worked around in a manner that obeys the letter of the law but not the original intention. So the argument goes that a Christian will be lead by the Holy Spirit and they don't need regulations. If it seems OK, and they don't have any guidance otherwise from the Spirit, then it must be OK.

So what do I believe?

• Certain actions in life have bad outcomes. God wants to help us to avoid these pitfalls, and thus gives us instructions to avoid certain behaviors. Failure to follow wise instructions is erroneous (sinful), and consequences have to be dealt with.
• God's ways are infinitely better than our ways, and we will always have something more to learn from Him. Even after the 2nd coming of Christ and the establishment of God's new kingdom on earth, we will still be improving and learning through the life-giving instruction from the Father, the Son, and the Holy spirit.
• Something that is wrong for one person, who has been taught an advanced concept by God, may not yet be wrong for a person just starting out their journey in Christ. Just like a child is not held to the same standards as an adult, so God meets us sinful humans where we are and does His best to guide us in a good direction. And this is the problem with writing down regulations. They can be discouraging to those not yet reached a level of understanding to incorporate them into their life. And they can be restrictive to others. For example, imaging a regulation of "you must exercise 60 minutes every day." Those just starting can't tolerate this level of intensity, and others my wonder why they are limited to just 1 hr. Thus we should constantly seek God's guidance to help us, while still paying attention to what has been written. So I might try to "exercise 60 minutes", but only succeed to 5 minutes. I pray to God for mercy and keep trying, and with time He helps me succeed.
• There is a very fine line between legalism and "cheap grace" that has to be avoided.

So these are some thoughts that have been buzzing around in my head, and it helps me to try to get them down "on paper."

What do you all think? Have I missed something? Are some of my thoughts above off base?

Best wishes,

Kevin

NIV, 1 Timothy 1:

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst.

Click to expand...

Paul persecuted the church before his conversion. Three decades later, he still thought about that as if it were yesterday. He used the historical present tense.

English Standard Version:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

Click to expand...

ESV translated G4413 as "foremost". Paul humbled himself before the Christian brothers. NIV, Ephesians 3:

8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ.

Click to expand...

Pray The Holy Spirit comforts & heals an Israeli lady named Moran Yanai who suffered when she became a hostage kidnapped by Hamas on 7-Oct-2023:

So I have been employed at a non-profit for almost 8 years now. While we are not a Christian organization per say, we are Christ centered. What we do is offer pregnancy center resources (such as tests), parenting classes, counseling, and address immediate needs such as formula/diapers/car seats.

Our director of operations has recently decided to make it mandatory that we pray with each and every client that comes into our center, after the Lord placed on their heart to do so.

When we do client intakes we do ask about spiritual beliefs, church attendance, etc. Now, I have always felt comfortable listening for what the Holy Spirit is leading me to do in client interactions. I have absolutely no hesitation in praying for or with clients, if I feel I’m being led to or if it is appropriate. We are now to mark it as yes or no on our daily client tally if we prayed, so it can be shown as a center statistic.

We have clients who show up needing physical needs met immediately. Some are not religious or express that they are pagan or atheist. I have degrees in psychology, Christian counseling, and ministry. I say this to explain my thoughts that sometimes immediate needs must be addressed or a relationship needs to be established before addressing prayer with clients. This is what we were taught, to let the Holy Spirit guide us in our actions!

At first we were approached by the director if we marked no to prayer and had to explain why we did not. I have had to explain my thoughts about it several times. And I did so as I said above, letting the Holy Spirit guide me. When I said I felt that sometimes immediate physical needs needed to be met first in order to establish a relationship with nonbelievers, the director responded with “Pregnancy tests and diapers are just how we lure them here”.

Now the director has started taking clients away from us if we do not pray with them at their first appointment.

I feel so torn. On one hand my confidence has been shaken and I am afraid that I am just not hearing Him telling me to pray with everyone. On the other I’m not comfortable being forced to pray with those I do not feel led to at that moment.

(Just to be clear, I am referring to praying with, not for clients.)

Can anyone please offer some guidance on how to handle this?

Reader,


Lets say that a young mother ......is not born again, and they have 6 young children.
She is 25 yrs old, and her husband left her, after #6 was yet to be born.
Two of the Children are Twins., the boys...... and 4 are little girls.
'Mary" is dirt poor and on food stamps....and the children are dressed in rags, none of them are over 6, and often they are barefoot in the winter.

So, on one side of Mary, is a Christian family, who believes that if they are starving (and so are their 3 children), then that is a "Godly sign of Spirituality".
They teach and preach the "poverty gospel" as their faith, even tho the Bible teaches that "Poverty is the destruction of the poor".

On the other side of Mary, is a family of Believers, and they have been blessed abundantly beyond measure, and they give some of their money into the work of God, and He's keeps giving them more of His money, through them.
They have the favor of God on them, and Jesus said, I have come to "give you life, and that more abundantly".

So, Mary the young single mother, and her 6 children, need a new furnace., and its winter and they are very cold in their wood frame house that has no funace heat.

1.) So, she goes to the "poverty gospel Christians" and says...>"can you help us"?
And the Poverty Gospel Christians say...>"...oh...would that we could..... but we have nothing we can give you, and we too are freezing every winter, but God is well pleased.. and ... God bless.""""".

And Mary says......'"ummmm, ok, thanks".

2.) Then Mary goes to the other Christian neighbors, and says... "Can you help me and my children, we are so cold"'..
And the Christian man and wife invite her in for a moment, and they listen... and they say......" Mary, hon....you are coming here to stay with us, right now.....and your children also. And we'll put sleeping bags on the carpeted floors and find a way to keep us all warm, and tomorrow, we'll call the Furnace Specialist and have them come and repair... or put in a new furnace in for you, and we'll see about helping you pay off your mortgage also.. And we'll go shopping tomorrow for some socks and shoes for your kids"...Now Mary, we are here for you, we are your new family, because God loves you and so do we.".

We see repentance mentioned more than 20 times in the Gospels, and here in the book of Acts, it continues

Then again here:

Then here in Romans


Let’s talk about repentance - what does repentance look like in real life?
Maybe share some of your story of repentance.
How often do you find the need to repent?
If you have to repent from a specific sin more than once, is it really repentance?

This could be a very interesting discussion.

We, as humans, don’t see like God sees. For “The LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 ESV). Humans see what people are, or what they appear to them to be, but God looks at what he can create within us, and who he intends for us to be and to do, in his power and strength and wisdom. For “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised things of the world..” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28 ESV).

And he chose Zacchaeus, who was not well liked because he was a tax collector, and who was small in stature. So, where other humans despised Zacchaeus and had no use for him, Jesus saw what he intended to make of the man. Jesus saw what he could be. And he sees what we can be, too, if our lives are surrendered to him. But he knows what we will be, as well, because he is God. And he sees everything.

So, even if we are small in stature, and even if we are despised by other humans, whether or not we are deserving of such disdain, God can use us for his glory when our lives are given over to him to be used by him in whatever ways he intends to use us to fulfill his purposes. For he is a miracle working God who intends to turn us from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that we can receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ (Acts 26:18).

But Zacchaeus was seeking after Jesus Christ, and even though he could not see Jesus on account of the crowd, who he could not see over, he did not let that discourage him, but he persevered. He ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, and the Scriptures teach that “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 ESV). And Zacchaeus seemed quite in earnest to see who Jesus was. And he did find him. And he did not let the grumblings of the crowd discourage him, either, but he declared openly his faith and devotion to Jesus Christ.


This is a true picture of genuine faith and salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. For when we believe in Jesus with God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are no longer to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, that leads to righteousness, to sanctification, and its end is eternal life (Romans 6:1-23).

Now no one had to tell Zacchaeus to do the things that he did, other than Jesus did tell him to come down from the tree, for Jesus said he must stay at Zacchaeus’ house that day. But Jesus already knew what Zacchaeus’ response to him was going to be, too. And he sought Jesus because God the Father was obviously drawing him (persuading him) to faith in Jesus Christ. And he knew right from wrong, so instinctively, or because God was putting this in his heart, he knew that he must make the wrongs right, and he must change from being a thief (if he was one) to being a giver to the poor.

For if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine God-persuaded faith in the Lord, we are going to turn from (repent of) our sins, and we are now going to commit our lives to following Jesus with our lives. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience, then we have eternal life in him (see Luke 9:23-26). And that is what Zacchaeus did.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; 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; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

A Believer’s Prayer

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray
To be Yours, and Yours always.
Lead me in Your truth today.
May I love You, and obey.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
When I sin, may I confess;
Bow before You when I pray;
Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.
Life with You will never end.
You are with me through each day,
Giving love and peace always.
You will ne’er abandon me.
From my sin You set me free.
You died on that cruel tree,
So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;
From this world to set me free;
Live with You eternally.
Oh, what joy that brings to me.
I will walk with You in white;
A pure bride, I’ve been made right
By the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned by His sacrifice.

Login to view embedded media

We who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ should be people of prayer. And we should be sensitive to the Spirit’s voice prompting us to pray for certain people at particular times when God knows that those people need prayer. For prayer is really two-way open communication between us and our Lord to where we can hear from him at any time of day or night, and to where we can speak to him about whatever is on our hearts and minds at any time.

Prayer does not have to be formal or with a written list, and it doesn’t have to be at a specific time of day or a routine we follow. We can talk with the Lord while we are cleaning house or washing the dishes or driving a vehicle or cooking a meal or while we are exercising or taking a walk, etc. For we are to continually be in a state of prayer (pray without ceasing), not that we are always verbalizing prayers to the Lord, but to where we have that open communication to where it is just natural to talk with him at any time.

Now I hear people talking about how we should pray for pastors of churches, and for missionaries, and for evangelists, and that we should pray for those who are sick or who are in physical need of some kind. But we should pray for anyone who is a follower of Christ who asks for prayer, and in the same way we would pray for a pastor or for the sick. For we all need prayer. And all who are following Jesus with their lives are ministers of the gospel and they are missionaries, because they are sharing the gospel with others.

And we should pray for people’s emotional and spiritual needs, too, and not just for their physical needs. For there are a lot of hurting people out there who need prayer and encouragement and who are laboring for the Lord much like Paul did, but without credentials, and without a title, and without recognition that what they are doing is as important or more important than many who have credentials and titles. For a title of “missionary” does not make us a “missionary.” We are missionaries if we are spreading the gospel.

And we should be praying in general for the truth of the gospel of our salvation to get out to as many people as possible so that they will hear the truth and turn their hearts and lives over to Jesus Christ, die with him to sin, then live to him and to his righteousness in the power of God. And we should pray that more people professing faith in Jesus Christ will share the message of the gospel of our salvation with other people, like on social media or in person, or over the phone, or via a letter or whatever means possible.

And when I say “truth,” I mean the truth that Jesus Christ and his NT apostles taught, if read and understood in context, and not from Scriptures removed from their context and then twisted to say what they do not say. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, we have the hope of eternal life with God (Luke 9:23-26).

And then we are to walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. We should not be allowing ourselves to get trapped into worldly living and into doing what the ungodly do because we are following the wrong crowd or because we are wanting to “fit in” and be accepted. And we should also seek the Lord for opportunities to share his gospel message with the people of the world in person or on the internet or via letters, or via whatever means we have available to get the good news out to people.

And when this says to let our speech be gracious, this is not talking about us watering down the truth of the gospel so that we don’t offend people with the truth of what the Scriptures teach. For if we lessen the power of the gospel message, we have won no one for genuine faith in Jesus Christ. For grace is kindness, and God’s grace to us instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return (Titus 2:11-14).

And this word “grace” means “leaning towards to share benefit,” the kind of benefit that Jesus provided for us via his death on that cross. For us, we share that grace (favor) via the message of the gospel of our salvation. For in Jesus’ death on that cross he freely gave himself away on our behalf in order that we might have the benefit of deliverance from slavery to sin and the empowerment of God to now live holy lives, pleasing to God, in walks of obedience to his commands in daily living (Romans 6:1-23; 1 Peter 2:24).

And if our speech is seasoned with salt, metaphorically speaking, salt signifies purification. In a figurative sense, it can mean wisdom or prudence (good sense). So, if we preserve the word of God, we maintain, uphold, obey, continue in, protect (safeguard) and defend it. And so if our words are seasoned with salt, we speak with pure words and with godly wisdom and with good sense in safeguarding and protecting the truth of the gospel. And this is what we all should be doing who love and serve Jesus Christ.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]

A Believer’s Prayer

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray
To be Yours, and Yours always.
Lead me in Your truth today.
May I love You, and obey.
Lead me in Your righteousness.
When I sin, may I confess;
Bow before You when I pray;
Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.
Life with You will never end.
You are with me through each day,
Giving love and peace always.
You will ne’er abandon me.
From my sin You set me free.
You died on that cruel tree,
So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;
From this world to set me free;
Live with You eternally.
Oh, what joy that brings to me.
I will walk with You in white;
A pure bride, I’ve been made right
By the blood of Jesus Christ;
Pardoned by His sacrifice.

Login to view embedded media

The psychologist Robert Gifford summarized this denial.

"We are hindered by seven categories of psychological barriers, also known as dragons of inaction: limited cognition about the problem, ideological worldviews that tend to preclude pro-environmental attitudes and behavior, comparisons with other key people, sunk costs and behavioral momentum, discordance toward experts and authorities, perceived risk of change, and positive but inadequate behavior change"

Click to expand...

On this site I see the following dragons of inaction as being the most prevalent, limited cognition, ideological (including religious) worldviews, comparisons with other key people (e.g. Tucker Carlson) and discordance toward experts and authorities.

A more general description of the denial is found in this video.

Pray by declaring "O Heavenly Father, In Jesus Christ's Name & By The Power & Grace Of The Holy Spirit, we rebuke the Dengue fever epidemic, & declare that it Immediately Stops Spreading" Amen:

Dengue fever is surging in Latin America

Nephilim are mentioned twice in the Bible. The first time was in Genesis 6:

4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

Click to expand...

Presumably, they were extinguished in Genesis 7:

23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

Click to expand...

Nephilim reappeared in Numbers 13:

33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.

Click to expand...

Presumably, they reappeared the second time as they did the first when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them.

I'm in a very tight spot.

I need to work, and the best option is remote at home.

Thank you for prayers.
I return them to you.