As soon as I read these words, I thought of my nation, the United States of America. I do believe that we, as a nation, are under the judgment of God. For we, as a nation, are touted to be a “Christian” nation. And according to statistics, 63% to 66% of the US population claims Christianity as their religion of choice. And we are also touted as “one nation under God,” which the presumption is that this is speaking of the one true and ONLY GOD, the creator of the universe and of all living creatures on the earth.

Edifices of human making, which are called “churches,” are all over the place in the USA. And in some places, like in the “Bible Belt” (midsouth to southeastern USA), they are probably much more predominant. Where I live in S. Carolina they are definitely all over the place. But just because such a high percentage of the population claims to be “Christian,” and just because we have an enormous amount of “houses of worship” across the USA, that is no measure at all of the number of people of genuine faith in Jesus Christ.

For one, the church is not a building called “church.” It is not an institution of human origin. It is not incorporated under the state as a “state church.” It is not a social club nor a civic center. It is not a family-oriented fun place to take your kids for fun and entertainment. And it is not affiliated with a particular church denomination. All that is of the flesh of man, and not of God. Yet, that is what so many “Christians” today have turned “the church” into, and so they are marketing the church to the world, appeasing the flesh.

But the true church is not all of that. The true church is the universal body of Christ, the people of God by genuine God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And the purpose of our gatherings is for the mutual encouragement and edification and exhortation of one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord in holy living.

And we are then to go out into the world with the message of the gospel of our salvation so that many people will hear the truth, so that they will believe the truth, so that the truth of the gospel will deliver them out of their lives of slavery to sin and now empower them to live holy lives, pleasing to God, in submission to God, and in obedience to his commands. And by faith in Jesus Christ, they then become one with Christ and with his body, the church (the only church), so they are now members of The Church.

[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; Gal 6:1; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Eph 6:10-20; Php 2:1-8; Col 1:9; Col 3:12-16; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6; Jude 1:22-23]

But that is not what is largely taking place. So many people are professing faith in Jesus Christ who have not died with Christ to sin, for they are still living in addictive and deliberate sin against the Lord. Thus, their lives are not surrendered to Jesus Christ, to do his will, but they are still living to please their own flesh. And that means that they are also not walking in obedience to his commands in holy living, because they want their sins more, and because they are largely being given permission to sin.

So, even though America is touted as a “Christian” nation, and as “one nation under God,” and even though such edifices called “churches” abound in the USA, and many people attend these gatherings in these “churches,” not many, it would seem, have really died with Christ to sin and are living to God and to his righteousness. And not many of these “churches” are teaching the true gospel of salvation, but many have altered the gospel message to make it less offensive to those they want in their “churches.”

So God has rejected these “churches” which are incorporated under the state and which are marketing their gatherings to the people of the world using worldly means and methods, following after marketing schemes and goals, objectives, and gimmicks, while they are also diluting and altering the gospel message and the character of God/Christ, in order to make them more acceptable to human flesh. And he has rejected all who give lip service to him but by their actions they deny him. They have not forsaken their sins.

And so this is a prayer for restoration, which is a prayer for revival. For the Lord will not restore those who do not want to be restored to him, but who want to continue in their sins and in their rebellion against his commands. He is not going to restore his church which has forsaken him if they are not willing to surrender their lives to him and to submit to his will and purposes for our lives. God cannot repair its “breaches,” if the church is still “tottering,” and is not willing to change and to obey the Lord, in truth.

I believe, according to what I understand of the Scriptures, that it is going to take the judgment of God on my nation to turn the hearts of those still walking in sin to a place of genuine repentance and genuine faith in Jesus Christ, which results in dying daily to sin, and self-denial, and walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And I believe we are already in the beginning stages of that judgment of God, which I believe is evidenced by all the chaos and upheaval and rebellion in our nation.

[Matthew 24:1-51; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13; Revelation 21:8,27; Revelation 22:14-15]


The Lord does not say that we will be free from trials and tribulations, or that we will not have to suffer for the sake of righteousness, and for the sake of his name, and for the sake of his complete gospel message (the whole counsel of God). [See verses above.] But for those of us whose lives are surrendered to him, who are NOT walking in deliberate and habitual sin, but who are walking in obedience to the Lord’s commands in holy living, he promises to keep us safe spiritually so that we have salvation and life eternal with God.

In Harmony

An Original Work / September 2, 2012
Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-17

Love each other truly.
Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil.
Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with fervor.
Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction;
Praying faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people
Who are found in need.
Do not be conceited.
Sympathetic be.
Love, and show compassion
In humility.
Keep your tongue from evil.
Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;
Listens to their prayers.
But He’s against evil –
Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they fear.
Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make Christ Lord.
Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

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Not I, but Christ

By Ada A. Whiddington / A. B. Simpson

… I no longer live, but Christ lives in me… (Galatians 2:20 NIV)

Not I, but Christ be honored, loved, exalted,
Not I, but Christ be seen, be known, be heard;
Not I, but Christ in every look and action,
Not I, but Christ in every thought and word.

Not I, but Christ to gently soothe in sorrow,
Not I, but Christ to wipe the falling tear;
Not I, but Christ to lift the weary burden,
Not I, but Christ to hush away all fear.

Christ, only Christ, no idle word e'er falling,
Christ, only Christ, no needless bustling sound;
Christ, only Christ, no self-important bearing,
Christ, only Christ, no trace of “I” be found.

Not I, but Christ my every need supplying,
Not I, but Christ my strength and health to be;
Christ, only Christ, for spirit, soul, and body,
Christ, only Christ, live then Thy life in me.

Christ, only Christ, ere long will fill my vision,
Glory excelling soon, full soon I'll see;
Christ, only Christ, my every wish fulfilling,
Christ, only Christ, my all in all to be.

Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord,
Oh, to be lost in Thee,
Oh, that it might be no more I,
But Christ that lives in me.

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Nice to see you David.
Kids are growing wow.
Where did the time fly?
Glad Covid wasn’t too bad.

CC you had me worried for the last year or so.

marycherry3 said:

My last job I was constantly given more work and because I did it without complaining it never stopped. When I moved to a new company I was much more vocal when they gave me work so I didn't get into that situation again.

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Lol... yup.
I worked in IT. One of my co-workers kept telling me I had to mess up once in a while and not have such a fast turnaround because everyone would be calling me. But I liked the work and wanted to satisfy. Being an old military Sgt, I knew it was my job to make my boss look good. I even told my supervisor that. Needless to say, my goldbricking friend did not last long. I retired after 17 years.

We are not wise just if we have a lot of book smarts. A scholastic education does not make anyone wise, necessarily. We can be some of the smartest people on the planet, with high IQs, and know all kinds of stuff other people don’t know, but that doesn’t mean we are wise. For wisdom has to do with applied knowledge, but applied rightly in a way that is wise (sensible, prudent, having good and correct judgment and discernment). For wisdom is the opposite of foolish (thoughtless, reckless, senseless, irresponsible).

So, wisdom is not shown by how intellectually smart we are and what all we know, or think we know. Wisdom is shown by what we do with what we know, i.e. when we respond with good judgment and right conduct. And good conduct is not defined by the flesh, nor by the world, nor by our culture, but by God and by his Word (the Scriptures). And the Scriptures teach that we are to be morally pure, upright, godly, righteous, faithful, honest, trustworthy, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands.

Therefore, if our conduct reveals that we are people whose hearts are filled with bitter jealousy (like Cain with regard to his brother Abel) and with selfish ambition, which stem from earthly, unspiritual, and demonic wisdom, we are to face this reality head on, and not be false to the truth, and not deny what is reality. For those who deny their own sinful conditions and what is stored up in their hearts, and who trivialize their own offenses, or who blame others, will never know the wisdom of God, but will continue in evil.

And pride is one of the hindrances to anyone having and putting into practice godly wisdom and right judgment and good conduct. For pride is selfish by nature, and does not like to be confronted with wrongdoing or to be corrected in any way. So pride stubbornly goes one’s own way, despite knowing the right way to go. It refuses good judgment and wise counsel in favor of having its own way and stubbornly holding on to its own self-will. So humility is necessary if we are to have and to exercise godly wisdom.

But where bitter jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. And that is because the people giving in to these, who are letting these character traits overcome them, are being led by their sinful flesh and not by God, and not by his teachings. And the Scriptures teach that “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” So the evil person, out of the evil treasure of his heart, produces evil (Matthew 15:17-20; Luke 6:45).

So, if you who are practicing evil want to live godly and morally pure lives, you have to get rid of the evil that is stored up in your hearts. You have to forgive all who you believe have offended you. You have to forgive God, who did no wrong, for not performing for you the way you thought he should. You have to let go of all bitterness, resentment, hate, anger, lust, and all that evil, which is stored up in your hearts, and let the Lord fill your hearts with his love and grace, and with uprightness, moral purity, and love for others.

And you do this only by genuine God-provided, and God-gifted, and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ as Lord (Owner-Master) of your life. And this faith requires death to sin and living to God and to his righteousness. We must die with Christ to sin so that we can be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For if sin is what we obey, what we practice, it leads to death. We will not inherit eternal life with God if we practice sin.

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

Near the Cross

Hymn lyrics by Fanny J. Crosby, 1869
Music by William H. Doane, 1869

Jesus, keep me near the cross;
There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary's mountain.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day
With its shadow o'er me.

Near the cross I'll watch and wait,
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand
Just beyond the river.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

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So would love it on video start to finish.

Bradskii said:

Taj Mahal. Stunning.

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Man, I want to go there. It was one of the larger buildings of the time (mid-17th century).

Vambram said:

The first time that I heard this song was about 8 years ago. I love this song so very much but sometimes I forget to listen to it when I might need it the most.
Matthew West has a few more great songs that I ought to keep on my playlists.

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Yeah, the song was released in 2015. Remember, if you ever feel down, listen to Matthew West, or other classic Christian songs from the 1980s-early 2010s.


Also, I remember this song from Matthew West - You Are Everything, as I looked up his discography. It was released when I turned 8 years old:
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Christsfreeservant said:

It is not me you must agree with. You must agree with what the Scriptures teach, and I am teaching what they teach. Read Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Galatians 5:16-21; 1st John 1:5-10; 1st John 2:3-6; 1st John 3:4-6, just for starters, and read Ephesians 2:8-10 and Titus 2:11-14, etc.

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I hear ya, but i have to listen to the Spirit of the Lord that breathes his life into those scriptures. I'm not saying I don't agree with you totally, just that works is the product of faith and sonetimes it doesn't sound like you are saying that, to me anyway.

Either way, you have wonderful things to share.

Facebook reels

Vambram said:

Hallelujah and Amen, my brother

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Amen, my brother. There has been a lot of dark stuff in the news lately, but I trust in God no matter what nowadays, and strive to be more Christ-like.

Vambram said:

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Without the grace, mercy, and love of my Savior, I would be one of the most wretched man in all the world.

@AlexB23 and @Hazelelponi please listen and tell me what y'all think about this song.

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This is a catchy one. The cowboy hat is a little overkill when singing worship, but the lyrics are truly Christian, and the song makes me wanna dance. The verse below is relevant to the song, as it discusses God's mercy.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV): "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

mourningdove~ said:

What a wonderful difference it can make in our lives, when somebody prays for us ...

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Amen and Hallelujah, sister

Xeno.of.athens said:

Do people breathe in heaven?

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Good question. We only have Jesus when he arose from the dead in his healed old body. He had back his old lungs, but that doesn't tell us anything about our future bodies, which will be different. In his new immortal body, he must have put on something different because he is in heaven, where there is no air.

Furthermore, the New Jerusalem's highest floor is higher than satellites in space--again, no air. If people want to see the view from the top floor of New Jerusalem, they will have to have air tanks or a different set of lungs.

I'd like to think that our future immortal bodies will be similar to what we have now. But Paul called such speculation "foolish." And I don't want to be a "fool!" But it's a good question!

Hazelelponi said:

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I was listening to a song earlier this afternoon that I like on YouTube and about a minute to a minute and a half my phone did like a refresh and then started playing this song for no rhyme or reason, nothing was near my phone or anything, not even me at the time.

So, I think God chose well today with this song. (This was my first time hearing this song):

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*head banging with the song*

This song is awesome. Who would have thought that heavy metal music would be perfect for those old lyrics?
Thank you for sharing this really cool song!!!

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The Lord has called us to be the light of the world to show people the love of God and the gospel of Christ. May we always be a candle in the rain burning the night away.

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Thank you, my Lord Jesus Christ. You have saved me from my sins and lifted me up from the pits of shame and despair.

Astrid said:

Did you hear about flood water wafting to neptune?

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Someone here believes that is plausible.

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I found this brand new Christian Country song. Praise the Lord God for His Blessings and Love. Hallelujah that He will still use a broken man or woman.
After all, ain't we all been broken by our own sins?

Thanks for your prayers guys! I really appreciate it!

durangodawood said:

Harris is doing a mini filibuster.

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That's one way of looking at it. She dodged the questions of "how are you different from Biden" and "can you think of a reason Trump has supporters?"

And I'm paraphrasing.

Let's be clear...that was the right move. She isn't really different from Biden....she won't be running things just like Biden currently isn't.

If she said "Trump's clearly more brave than me"....since I'm nervous about a one-on-one interview for 11 minutes and he's got people trying to shoot him. That's not going to fly.

durangodawood said:

And you can see the wheels turning as she tries to balance the interests and demands of a diverse voting coalition thats more than half of the country.

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????

Most of her current voters were the same voters she had when it was announced she was taking over the ticket. You're not entirely wrong, she does have a diverse coalition....

Big pharma
Multinational investment firms
Big business
Banking
And unsurprisingly, the institute of both public and higher education.
Establishment Media

The identity group voters just think they're on the same team. The feminists, gays, trans, are not on the same team. Jews and Muslims and black people aren't on the same team. In fact, black people and anyone...including the indigenous people they claim....aren't on the same team. The white pseudo-socialist liberal isn't an ally of anyone.

The reason these companies signal to the left that they're on your side is because....like you....they believe it's an actual team that supports each other and shares values. That's not the case though.

Whether or not she understands it....Harris is the uniparty trying to retain its grip. It was less obvious when each side could pretend to have different views and she wouldn't be bragging about having 200 Republicans on her side.

In reality though, the reason why Obama was every bit as disappointing as GW Bush is because every 4 years....they're told what to do and how to do it. All the donors are lined up on one side....and Trump's getting shot at. Harris spent most of this interview trying to convince people she's got middle class working roots. This doesn't take Columbo to figure out.

durangodawood said:

Want something different? Change the system so we dont penalize alt party voters with the spoiler effect.

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RFK tried to run....as an alt candidate under the Democratic Party. He was barred from debates. He was scrubbed off ballots. The only places he was allowed to be on the ballot were states he was more likely to take Trump votes. He knows the score...he opted out.

All Becomes New said:

Thank you SO MUCH for your reply. I had no idea this was such a hotly debated topic. I apologize. I did not mean to step in poo.

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Nah, it's all good, and I didn't mean it to come across that way. In fact I was waiting for the sparks to fly and for some reason it didn't happen, (lol). Nothing wrong with what you asked!

While Recreational Catholicism—the tangled knot of the therapeutic, political, theatrical, and ego-massaging trend besetting the Church—has had its day, we are now on the cusp of a resurrection.

Recreational Catholicism? Let me explain.

It is an attribution identifying the current stage of collapse in the Roman Church. Its coinage is meant to convey the tangled knot of the therapeutic, political, theatrical, and ego-massaging trend besetting the Church, all of which produces a kind a zombie Catholic, who is daily fed on what Huxley called in Brave New World the “feelies”: engineered pleasures that maintain their victims in a state of floating euphoria.

Its principal vehicle is the liturgy, where Sunday “celebrations” are carefully planned by Liturgy Committees for maximum effusions of non-threatening messages of “welcoming.” While normal men gag on its oozing sentimentality, certain kinds of Catholics crave it. Sunday after Sunday. It is like a narcotic, you see.

Continued below.