Psalms 11:1-3 ESV


Taking Refuge vs. Fleeing

Under the New Covenant, how do we take refuge in the Lord? What is our refuge? Jesus Christ is the one in whom we take refuge when we trust in him to be Lord and Savior of our lives, so he is our refuge (fortress, protection, stronghold), as well as he is our salvation from sin. So, when we are believing in Jesus Christ with God-given faith, and daily we are dying to sin and walking in obedience to the Lord, we are taking refuge in the Lord Jesus.

So, if someone is trying to tempt us to take matters into our own hands, or if he is trying to convince us to solve our own problems, apart from God, we must not listen. For what that person is attempting to do is to pull us away from putting our trust fully in the Lord and to get us to give way to fear, instead. For Satan loves to instill fear in our minds to try to convince us that God is not getting it done for us and so we have to do it ourselves.

Or someone might try to tempt us, not necessarily to resolve our own issues but rather to escape from them into a fantasy world. Rather than face issues and difficulties, many people will retreat into TV shows, movies, video games, secular music, social media, and/or porn, or they will escape into drugs, alcohol, daydreaming, and just wasting time, etc. – anything in order to avoid responsibility and having to do the right thing.

Fleeing to False Faith

And another thing that many people are tempting others to do today is to flee like a bird (escape, retreat) into a false gospel message. Rather than dying to sin daily and walking in obedience to our Lord, they are being led to a gospel which makes no such requirements. All one has to do is to pray a prayer or to confess Jesus as Lord or to just call on God (not explained), and then he is promised that his sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed.

Now, I am well aware that the Scriptures do say something along these lines, but we must read those Scriptures in the context in which they are written, for the Scriptures are not going to teach us opposing gospel messages. The gospel message has to agree with itself, so it is not going to tell you that all you have to do is just to call on God and now you are saved from your sins for eternity regardless of how you live your life on earth.

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die 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 the sake of Jesus we die with him to sin, that we might live to him and to his righteousness, then we have the hope of eternal life with God (Luke 9:23-26).

He said that not everyone saying to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter into the kingdom of heaven but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. He said, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

And then we are instructed to walk by the Spirit so that we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. And then we have a list of such sinful desires, which includes sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, fits of anger, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. Those who are doing such things in practice, deliberately and habitually, will not inherit the kingdom of God no matter what confessions of faith they have made in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:26-31; Eph 4:17-24; Tit 2:11-14]

So, obviously, taking refuge in the Lord Jesus is more than just lip service. All throughout the New Testament we are being taught the importance of dying with Christ to sin and living to God and to his righteousness; no longer living under the control (dominion) of sin and Satan, but now living to please God with our lives; now living in freedom from our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we can now live as slaves of God and of his righteousness.

For Jesus died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to his righteousness, that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him, and that we might honor God with our bodies since Jesus bought us back for God (redeemed us) by his blood (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15; 1 Co 6:19-20).

The Wicked Bend the Bow

If we are following Jesus Christ with our lives in submission to Christ as Lord (Owner-Master), in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), and in the sharing of the truth of the gospel, and especially in exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness, the wicked are going to be opposed to us. Not all of them will directly come against us, but some (or many) will. And please know that the wicked are all those who do evil (in practice), so they can be professing Christians, and some of them may be pastors, too.

Since this false gospel makes no requirements for death to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord in surrender of our lives to the will of God for our lives, those who are teaching it or who are following it are going to be opposed to us if we teach walks of holiness and righteousness as required for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God. Yet, we are not to flee their attacks against us by retreating or withdrawing. We must persevere in our walks of faith and in telling the truth and in exposing the lies.

For many people are being deceived by charlatans who are telling them what their itching ears want to hear. And many are following these “pied pipers” to destruction because they refuse to submit to Christ as Lord and to follow him in obedience and to forsake their sinful practices. But time is running out. If we pay attention to what is going on in the world we can see the signs of the last days in front of our eyes. So don’t be one of the ones who hears Jesus say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Forsake your sins and obey the Lord from now to eternity.

Tick Tock

An Original Work / May 1, 2011

Tick tock, tick tock, time is a passing.
The time on the clock keeps ticking
While the church is fast a-sleeping.
Satan’s on a rampage
‘Cause his time is running out.
Will you worship God the Father,
God the Son and Holy Spirit?
Will you obey all of His
Commands for you today?
Jesus died to pay your ransom,
So that you could be forgiven.
Won’t you come to Him in truth
And penitently pray to Him?

Tick tock, tick tock, time is a wasting.
The cross of our Lord awaits you.
Won’t you come and share His table,
Drink the cup and eat the bread
In memory of Him?
Take a heart examination,
And accept our God’s salvation.
Humbly bow in adoration
And proclaim His name.
He wants for you to believe in
Him who interceded for you
When He died for your sins
And He rose from death in victory.

Tick tock, tick tock, time’s end is nearing.
How He longs to take and keep you,
In His arms He wants to hold you,
If you will but come to Him
And call on Him today.
His desire is that you please Him
In all of your life’s ambitions;
Be a living sacrifice
And be transformed today.
Let Christ’s love and grace sustain you,
And His promises prepare you
For His soon return to earth
To gather all His saints to Him.

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I almost couldnt believe this but my wife said it had to be something that was medically transmitted or a blood transfusion, and she wasn't far off...

"First-ever study finds that Alzheimer's Disease can be transmitted between people.

In a major discovery, scientists have presented the first evidence of Alzheimer's disease transmission in living individuals. A recent paper published in Nature Medicine sheds light on a remarkable case where Alzheimer's appears to have been medically acquired through the transmission of the amyloid-beta protein.

Typically considered a sporadic condition of late adult life or an inherited condition resulting from faulty genes, Alzheimer's disease has long remained a complex puzzle for researchers. However, this new study brings to the forefront a unique scenario, where the disease was seemingly transmitted through medical treatment.

The individuals in question had all received a type of human growth hormone known as cadaver-derived human growth hormone (c-hGH) during their childhood. This hormone was derived from pituitary glands harvested from deceased individuals and was employed to treat various causes of short stature. Remarkably, c-hGH was administered to at least 1,848 people in the UK between 1959 and 1985.

Unfortunately, c-hGH was withdrawn from use in 1985 due to the realization that some batches were contaminated with prions, infectious proteins known to cause Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Consequently, synthetic growth hormone, devoid of the risk of transmitting CJD, replaced c-hGH in medical practice.

Previous research by these scientists had already established a link between c-hGH treatment and the premature development of amyloid-beta protein deposits in the brains of some patients diagnosed with iatrogenic CJD.

Furthermore, in a 2018 study, they demonstrated that archived samples of c-hGH were indeed contaminated with amyloid-beta protein and could transmit amyloid-beta pathology to laboratory mice when injected.

Building upon these findings, the researchers hypothesized that individuals exposed to contaminated c-hGH who did not succumb to CJD might eventually develop Alzheimer's disease.

This latest paper details the cases of eight individuals who had received c-hGH treatment during their childhood, often spanning several years. Five of these individuals exhibited symptoms of dementia, either with a confirmed Alzheimer's diagnosis or meeting the diagnostic criteria for the disease. The onset of neurological symptoms occurred surprisingly early, with the patients ranging in age from 38 to 55 when they first experienced symptoms.

Biomarker analyses further supported the diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease in two patients and hinted at Alzheimer's in another individual. An autopsy analysis confirmed Alzheimer's pathology in yet another patient. The unusually young age at which these patients developed symptoms strongly suggests that this was not the typical late-onset sporadic Alzheimer's.

Genetic testing ruled out inherited Alzheimer's disease in the five patients who provided samples. Since c-hGH treatment is no longer in use, there is no risk of new transmissions through this method. Moreover, there have been no reported cases of Alzheimer's disease acquired through any other medical or surgical procedures, nor any indication that amyloid-beta can be transmitted during routine medical or social care.

However, the researchers emphasize the importance of reviewing safety measures to prevent the accidental transmission of amyloid-beta through other medical or surgical procedures that have previously been linked to CJD transmission.

Professor John Collinge, the lead author of the research and Director of the UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, clarified, "There is no suggestion whatsoever that Alzheimer's disease can be transmitted between individuals during activities of daily life or routine medical care." He added that these cases were linked to a specific and discontinued medical treatment involving contaminated materials.

Professor Jonathan Schott, a co-author and Chief Medical Officer at Alzheimer's Research UK, echoed the sentiment that while these cases are highly unusual, they offer valuable insights into disease mechanisms that could be instrumental in understanding and treating Alzheimer's disease in the future.

Dr. Gargi Banerjee, the first author of the study, highlighted, "We have found that it is possible for amyloid-beta pathology to be transmitted and contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease." However, she emphasized that this transmission occurred only after repeated treatments with contaminated material, reiterating that Alzheimer's disease cannot be acquired through close contact or routine care provision.

The discovery of Alzheimer's transmission through c-hGH treatment underscores the intricate nature of this debilitating disease, paving the way for further research and a deeper understanding of its causes and potential treatment strategies.

Who has Alzheimer’s Disease? In 2020, as many as 5.8 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s disease. Younger people may get Alzheimer’s disease, but it is less common. The number of people living with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65. This number is projected to nearly triple to 14 million people by 2060. Symptoms of the disease can first appear after age 60, and the risk increases with age. What is known about Alzheimer’s Disease?

Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s disease. There likely is not a single cause but rather several factors that can affect each person differently...."..https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/first-ever-study-finds-that-alzheimer-s-disease-can-be-transmitted-between-people/ar-AA1qwI0G

zippy2006 said:

You seem to think that his thesis requires that there were no ethnic divides in Christianity prior to the Reformation, but that simply isn't true.

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Oh I see what you’re saying. Fair enough. I misread your post as stating that he has said that the ethnic division had originated in the Reformation, which is obviously not the case, and I was frankly surprised NT Wright would have asserted such an obvious error given his reputation, but nope, it was me failing to correctly parse your post, so my apologies for that tangent.

Looking at my OP, I do not know where evil fully ends.

David Lamb said:

They had only known one language. Now suddenly, they all spoke different languages. It wasn't a case of learning just one language, but thousands!

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China is incredibly diverse in terms of languages. There are 297 living languages spoken across the country. The most widely spoken language is Standard Chinese (Mandarin), which is the official language and is based on the Beijing dialect.

In addition to Mandarin, there are several major dialect groups, including:

• Wu (spoken in Shanghai and surrounding areas)
• Min (spoken in Fujian and Taiwan)
• Yue (Cantonese) (spoken in Guangdong and Hong Kong)
• Xiang (spoken in Hunan)
• Hakka (spoken in various regions, including Guangdong and Fujian)
• Jin (spoken in Shanxi and parts of Inner Mongolia)23.

These dialects have numerous sub-dialects, and there are also many minority languages spoken by China’s various ethnic groups3.

dogs4thewin said:

We have had a major school shooting in northeast GA with confirmed deceased. My sister works at another school in that particular county, as well.

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Praying now! Lord God I lift up all who have been affected by this school shooting in Georgia to You and I pray for Your intervention in their situation, I pray that You would bring peace to the situation and for complete physical healing for all who were injured, I also pray for healing for any emotional wounds! I pray for wisdom for the police investigating this situation and I pray that Your will would be done in the shooter's legal situation! I I also pray for conviction and salvation for the shooter and for all involved in this situation that do not know You! Thank You God!

Toxic.

Quasiblogo said:

And for the future, assuming that a significant number of the millions of hispanics who busted across the southern border are allowed to stay in the U.S. and vote: I believe the DNC underestimates what the voting motives of this potential voting bloc will be. Many have come primarily for economic opportunity. With the hispanics' tight-knit family mentality, burdensome taxes will be looked at as another burden to escape. So, I suspect a significant number would opt to vote conservative, in that regard.

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Fact is millions are going to be removed come Jan 20th 2025, stand in the legal line to enter the USA

Checking in:

So far, fluids only is working out just fine. There are a few calories in juices, and sodas like ginger ale....the idea was to do a medical fast for four days, and of course to utilize this for spiritual growth as well. Kinda like the proverbial "killing two birds with one stone" idea.

The books recommended are ideal, however I have found that for me, it has been the keeping it simple that has been keeping me going.

Simple things: Arrow prayers, rosary, morning offerings, daily consecrations to Mary and Jesus, Gregorian Chant, burning blessed candles, using blessed salt and blessed oil, and listening to the divine office.

Also in the mix was simple walking about to keep up strength and gain fresh air, plus simple acts of charity like donating bags of clothing, food and helping neighbors out, as well as being kind to others through words, and prayers, a helping hand

Also, keeping in touch with relatives, and encouraging others via cards, letters, phone calls and invites to mass.

Overall, just simple prayers and acts of charity, to increase faith, hope and love.

Definitely want to do this again!

And with others here to encourage each other and compare notes .....

PRAYER CENTRAL

CHINA

CITY OF LANZHOU

This week, pray for churches in Lanzhou and the work of the gospel. Pray that believers in Lanzhou will know the love of Christ in their lives and will increasingly fall more in love with him, being an example of the gospel to the city around them.
Ever since the new religious regulations in 2018, churches in Lanzhou have been banned, or forced to meet less publicly or exclusively online. Pray for grace and peace for churches feeling this strain, that the gospel might flourish in their midst.

A Lanzhou pastor shares that their church is made up of many sisters whose husbands are not believers. "So the foundation of these families in the church is actually unstable. It is not a case of families serving the Lord together, but rather individual sisters coming to Christ." Pray for good marriage ministry in churches like this, for the church to minister to these wives and for their husbands to come to know Christ.


One Lanzhou pastor asks for prayer "that the Gospel will truly restore trust in the church in Lanzhou. Because of the special circumstances of the past and the division caused by the 'Local Church' movement , the churches here are struggling to truly reunite. So we really pray that the Lord would unite the church in the Gospel so that we can work together to advance His Kingdom."

JAMES
CHAPTER 1

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass[c] he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also, will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

THE RICH AND THE POOR

Christianity is the only faith, that is counter cultural. You can be as poor as a church mouse so to speak and yet be rich as a billionaire in spiritual things, see Ephesians 1.

One of the things, it does, is that it puts money in its proper place. It puts riches in it's proper place, we need money to live, but we don't need riches.

It is often said, that you cant take your money with you, but why would you, all the money in the world, can't buy you into heaven, no amount of money, could buy you the things and the glory that are in heaven.

No amount of money can win you salvation.

When it talks about humiliation here, it talks about if you have money, you have to lay it down at the feet of Jesus. The rich young ruler and others in the gospels refused to lay it down and it cost them, their souls.

It is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, but when he is humiliated and lets everything go for the sake of the gospel, he is exalted, he is blessed. Because he will now have what money cannot buy.

Amen

God bless you

Keith

THE BOTTOM LINE


TBL China – The Bottom Line, Ministries

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THIS MINISTRY AND PRAY FOR CHINA

Prayer - China Partnership


SERMON CENTRAL

THE COMPROMSING CHURCH BY MIKE GENDRON

The Compromising Church



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Sound the Alarm
35:58Kevin Keenan• 07/1/21300+
WESTMINSTER BAPTIST CHURCH - Ezekiel 33

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Lady Bug said:

I'm going to Mass but my dad is in a very foul mood and moping. He's already not liking me going to church today. This is not going to be a pretty day.

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You have chosen the better portion. Your father could have chosen to go with you in an ideal world but in this world he didn’t. That’s his choice, his failure. And if you have a bad day that’s also his choice and his failure too. I know it’s hard on you but stay faithful. It may rub off on your father some day. I’m praying for peace for you and faith for your father.

timewerx said:

Thank you Dennis! I don't actually live in HK but in the much poorer places nearby.

I did took advanced calculus and differential equations in college but never Maxwell. Still I need to brush up on my calculus. I have forgotten it entirely for lack of practice. I never used it in any odd jobs I had.

There's still a factor of fluid or plasma dynamics (is it?) unaccounted for. Potentially structured movements of ionized air occurring between the electrodes because when I eliminated them, the thrust also went away. But when I put it in a sealed containment to restore the flows but otherwise, prevent any thrust from ionized air flows, the thrust is restored. I think this is the part that will get very complicated. Maybe I would need a computerized simulation for that one. There are many CFD (computerized fluid dynamics) software but I don't know if any can also simulate plasma or ionized gas in the presence of EM fields.

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If you start working your way through an EM fields textbook, it will guide you as to what math you need to know. The essential vector calculus (grad, div, and curl) are often summarized in the fields textbooks.

The basic equation for fluid flow is the Navier-Stokes equation. It is worse to work with than Maxwell's four equations and is usually solved numerically by computer. Start with the EM fields book. You will need to know fields theory as fluid mechanics is an add-on to it for what you are interested in.

KevinT said:

The question then arises if one is still supposed to obey them once one is an adult? For example, if one had a nuclear family living together, with multiple generations, and there is a conflict between a grandmother and a mother on how best to raise children, does the Bible indicate that the grandmother should ultimately have the final word?

KT

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Great question, one that hit me in the heart

When I was working in Iceland, my mother visited us. She didn't like the way I ordered my kids in some instances. She wasn't a Christian. After a few days, I got upset with her, raised my voice, and told her not to interfere with my teaching my kids. She was with us for a month.

After she left, I felt bad about raising my voice to my own mother. Some years later, she passed away. Now that I am an old man, I wish I had dealt with her differently. If I could have done it all over again, I would have just let her and followed her advice. They were minor, inconsequential behavior issues of my little kids anyway, and I only had to tolerate her for a month. My kids now do not remember anything that she said.

BTW, my blue-eyed wife got along beautifully with my mother who couldn't speak a word of English

bèlla said:

Do you mean best in respect to charisma? Popularity? Extroversion? Or something along those lines?



How were his friendships beforehand? Were they plentiful? There's businesses of many stripes as you're aware. Those that rely on connections usually require comparable skills for success. For example, I wouldn't consider myself a connector. I don't go out of my way to meet people. But I dated someone who is. He has weekly appointments with his friends and associates. Whether it's coffee or a meal. It's a practice he never set aside.

The likelihood of me doing the same depends on the reason. Is it a project, charitable event, a budding relationship, etc. I'm unlikely to do that every week just because. I've had a large group of friends and the demands were great. I don't want that anymore. A few close connections will suffice.

You'd probably assume he's an extrovert but he isn't. I'm an ambivert and the lone one with that disposition. He's on the other end. He makes himself socialize to combat his introversion. I'm a social butterfly when I choose to be. But it isn't my default.

If your father struggled to do the same why didn't he choose something different and play to his strengths?



What was the demographic for his products or services? Was he serving the poor, middle class, or persons more affluent? What was the norm for businesses of a similar stripe?

For instance, I'm in the luxury market space. That's my demographic. There are expectations that go along with that. Expectations in aesthetic, appearance, deportment and lifestyle. I have to speak their language or the message won't resonate.

Some do it through persona but I don't. I'm not playing a role. If I say I like something I do. If I say I'm interested in something I am. Being oneself is easiest. We have a lot of similarities. Talking to them is easy. We're not identical but there's enough common ground for engagement.

I don't have to become someone different to serve them and that's important (to me). Masks require a lot of work and usually slip at some point. If I'd chosen differently I'd have to modify a lot. The Lord fashioned me for the tasks He's assigned. I'm swimming with the current not against it.

There's a channel I used to watch that's experiencing similar challenges. She presented herself as inexperienced, eager and thrifty. But as the channel grew she began to change. She was able to leave her job and do it full-time. They bought a larger house and that's when things went south.

The purchase was leaked online and many responded negatively about the price. It's a million dollar home. It requires some work but it's their forever place. They purchased it in their early thirties and began making improvements. And they undertook a sizable garden project and things blew up.

For what it's worth I'd have done the same. They needed professionals. The scope was beyond them. Up until that period she was relatable to her demographic. But less so afterward. Her mistake wasn't the purchase or projects. She built a channel founded on frugality and it's hard to pivot once you do. Wherever you want to be is where you must begin. Even if you haven't arrived there yet.

If she'd acknowledged her thrift and admitted her desire for better things when they could afford them the backlash wouldn't have occurred. They would have applauded the gains. She's living a life they can't imagine or replicate. There's a place for content like that. It's aspirational and the viewers enjoy it.

You can alienate your audience when differences are great and they didn't sign on for that.

I made a similar mistake during the pandemic. I signed up for a homesteading membership but didn't consider the demographic. We shared photos of our tasks and projects. I posted some from my pantry. I was doing the Pinterest look with the requisite jars and bins. The cabinets were white. It was very pretty. When they posted the same I realized my mistake.

I built an aesthetically pleasing pantry. It was plentiful like the rest. But it didn't come cheap. Someone asked about the jars. They weren't labeled and they wondered how I remembered what I had. Nor were the bins. I knew why they weren't. It didn't match the look I preferred. Another asked about the jars and wanted to know where I got them. That's when it really hit home.

The differences were stark and I felt bad for posting them. I took them down later on. I didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. I left the group and joined another. I'm discriminating about the things I share and consider my audience before I do. Some things are better left unsaid.



I've never been a fan of MLM. There's a lot of hype and more work than they admit. And the programs are costly. If I was going to go that route I'd put it on sales or public speaking.

Wealth is popular because many desire the same. Things that promise riches or emulate the spoils are lauded. But the demographic isn't large. Most of the things you see are fake, borrowed, rented and so on. They're not living the life they present.

The poor shouldn't be maligned or exploited because of their circumstances. Poverty doesn't minimize their gifts.

~bella

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I think you're being really logical. I agree with you completely!

Here are some additional Scriptures & notes that go along with this message,



Ezekiel 7:8,
"Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations."

Note that the Lord GOD says SHORTLY He will pour out His fury. As the scripture Jeremiah 6:11 says that God is weary with holding in. What should keep us sober and on our toes, redeeming the time, is that God's longsuffering does have an end point in time, and while we don't know when that time is, we do see the signs all around us, and the iniquities that have brought judgment upon cities and nations over and over in history.

Now we move on to Ezekiel 8, the Word specifically addresses spiritual adultery; in God's house there were creeping things and abominations portrayed on the walls, there were women right at the gate weeping for Tamuz, a pagan practice to a pagan god, and perhaps worst of all, there were 25 men at the door to the temple, with their backs to the temple of the LORD while they worshipped the sun towards the east. (8:9-16) Turning their backs to the temple, and what they were doing was turning their backs on God

Here the LORD yet again pronounces fury upon the people, and this one is quite ominous, for the LORD says, "Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them." (Ezekiel 8:18)

There comes a time God will not hear. This is most frightening! A person, a city, a nation can resist God and reject God to a point God closes the door of mercy. Jeremiah 15:1 confirms this,
"Then said the LORD unto me, though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth."

Considering when Israel sinned in the wilderness, and God spoke of destroying them and raising up a nation by Moses, and Moses interceding turned the LORDs wrath, this is a very profound and weighty verse. God is saying the time is up, the sinning has gone on too long, and gone way too far, and I must judge it.

There is such thing as a cup of iniquity, as it's written of Mystery Babylon in Revelation 17 & 18, she has "a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication," and, "her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities," and it goes on to say "in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double." (17:4 & 18:5-6)
And Roman's 2:5 also speaks to this,
"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God..."
God's wrath builds up, it accumulates as one would accumulate treasures, and there is a point it reaches fulness, and overflows; the floodgates open wide, and the fury of the LORD gushes out upon them.

We also can find in Ezekiel 14, that even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land, only they would be delivered, but no one else would be delivered, and the land would be desolate.

You want something that might give you chills, cuz it gave me chills: Bring this same principle up to Jesus time, and in Matthew 23:38 Jesus proclaims to the multitude and his disciples (vs 1), "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Shortly after that He tells His disciples the temple would be destroyed in Matthew 24:2. Sure enough, the Roman's destroyed the temple in 70 AD, while at the same time the early Church was flourishing. The judgment still fell upon the sinners and those who rejected and persecuted Christ.

See the principle here? When God decides to act and pour out His fury, nothing will stop it - not even praying men & women who walk in obedience to the gospel.

They will be saved, they will be delivered , yet in the midst of Judgment. I for one want to be safe in Christ, dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty... AMEN

RDKirk said:

I forgot to mention the reason that the company has to wait for some time between increments so that the house can adjust. The wooden beams, floors, walls, windows, doors, and such have only so much flexibility and need time to "accept" the new alignment before the next increment. If you did it all at once, things would just break...it has to be gradual adjustment. The reason to check for plumbing and structural problems after each increment of raising the house is because each increment can cause those problems, particularly in an old house with old plumbing, electrical, et cetera. It might be weeks between the first increment and the final increment. I had zero problem with the fact that those services would need to be inspected after each increment. My point is that such logical and rational requirements should not be considered unnecessary overhead that was imposed arbitrarily.

Regarding that ordinance requiring a city worker to shut off the water, it likely depends on whether shutting off the water must be done via the city's meter. I know that was the case in Garland, because the meter is remotely monitored and shutting it off required coordination within the monitoring system. At my house in Plano, there is the city's meter at the curb that we're not supposed to touch (although I did whenever I needed to and never got a warning), but when we replumbed we had our own main shut-off valve installed inward of the city meter...I can play with that as much as I want.

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Ok, I get you better on the great reason to wait, but the ones lifting the house would still know the final has to pass so i would think they are not going to just be careless but maybe i am naive on that. Yes, the meter was a simple turn valve near the curb. In roofing, cities for example specify the screws (metal) or the nail pattern. 5 in some parts of Florida. The inspector just looks at it when its done. I cant imagine anyone failing it because an aspahlt roof would seal already if it is hot. They will first inspect the tar paper/water barrier if its a tearoff or new. If Texas has no impact fees though that makes a huge difference. Lots more hvac regs I think all over. God's best to you.

Michie said:

It is understandable that many social conservatives have concluded that, Trump’s faults notwithstanding, they must vote for him in order to prevent a Harris/Walz victory. The argument is a serious one. But the matter is not as straightforward as they suppose.

Let’s begin with the obvious. No social conservative could possibly justify voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. They are pro-abortion extremists, as Ryan Anderson shows in an article on Harris at First Things and Dan McLaughlin shows in an article on Walz at National Review. Their records on other matters of concern to social conservatives are no better. It goes without saying that they are absolutely beyond the pale.

Despite his recent betrayal of social conservatives, Donald Trump remains less bad on these issues. Indeed, his appointments to the Supreme Court made possible the overturning of Roe v. Wade. It is understandable that many social conservatives have concluded that, his faults notwithstanding, they must vote for him in order to prevent a Harris/Walz victory. The argument is a serious one. But the matter is not as straightforward as they suppose, because the problem is not merely that Trump will no longer do anything to advance the pro-life cause. It is that his victory would likely do positive harm, indeed grave and lasting damage, to the pro-life cause and to social conservatism in general.

For that reason, a case can also be made for voting for neither Harris nor Trump. Yes, a reasonable person could judge that the case for voting for him is stronger. But before drawing that conclusion, it is imperative for social conservatives carefully to weigh the costs, no less than the benefits, of supporting him. And it is imperative for those who do decide to vote for him not to simply close ranks and quietly acquiesce to his betrayal of social conservatives. They must loudly, vigorously, and persistently protest this betrayal and do everything in their power to mitigate it.

Continued below.

Donald Trump has put social conservatives in a dilemma

www.catholicworldreport.com

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Tim Walz wants kids without parental consent to be sterilized with gender reassignment.
So if the baby makes it out alive, gets help to live, now they will battle mental illness taught to them by guidance counselors and society to reassign.

It is no wonder we are not replacing with a needed birth rate.
Because contraception, abortion, gender reassignment is destroying our youth and our future.

Dave Darling said:

Something else that I just discovered on YouTube, it is a documentary on Operation Orchard, another secret Israeli Air Force mission to take out a Syrian nuclear reactor being used to produce plutonium to make a nuclear bomb. This took place several years after the raid on the Iraqi nuclear reactor and the intent was the same- the Syrians wanted to build a nuclear bomb to destroy Israel! This is an absolutely amazing story and you can see the hand of God in it, if you've got the time (25 mins) you might want to take a look at it! the link to the video is below, you can paste the link into your web browser.
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Thank you for the documentaries. Here is something interesting: Israel is one of the smallest nations, with an area of roughly 8000 mi² (21,000 km²) and a population of only just under 10M people as estimated for 2024. For comparison, the NYC proper has a similar population. For a global comparison, the city of Lagos, Nigeria has an estimated metro area population of roughly 2x that of Israel. Yet, Israel has one of the most potent military in the world for its size and is technologically advanced, with ~15% of the Israeli GDP from the technology sector.

Goes to show that Israel is gifted, probably by the hand of God. Now, if only we can convert the Israeli population to Christianity by the New Testament, as Isaiah 53 from the Hebrew Bible (OT) has a prophecy about Jesus Christ in it. Even still, God has a role in protecting Israel.

Sources:

In recent years, I have been surprised to find that progressive modernists, hyper-papalist conservatives, and sedevacantists support similar positions when it comes to interpreting the teachings of the Pastor Aeternusconstitution (1870) concerning the infallibility of the Pope. Of course, their reasons are different. And yet, they support the interpretation that, besides being infallible, the Pope is indefectible. In other words, a pope in office cannot be (or become) heretical. To understand their positions, we must simply and clearly summarize the dogma of infallibility.

When the Supreme Pontiff defines ex cathedra a teaching concerning faith or morals, he cannot err. A special charism given to the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ himself protects the Holy Father from any error. Explicitly defined as dogma in the constitution Pastor Aeternus, issued in the context of the First Vatican Council under Pope Pius IX in 1870, this teaching was defined as follows:

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Hello folks. Today's devotional covers God's unchanging nature, known as immutability. This is the reason why when God promised Abraham a son, Isaac, the promise was fulfilled over two decades later.

Michie said:

iStock/koya79

Politics is very important. Politics played a role in the abolition of slavery and segregation and in the overturning of Roev. Wade. Conversely, it was because of a political vote that Hitler came into power, resulting in the deaths of multiplied tens of millions of lives.

So, politics can be very important.
Politics affects the economy, which in turn affects everyday life.

Politics affects national security, which can be a matter of life and death.

Politics affects which judges are appointed to our courts, which in turn can determine what laws are passed for a nation.

Politics can affect our most fundamental freedoms and rights. Few things are more important than that.

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Politics is important, but politics is not the Gospel

We dare not downplay what politics can do But politics is not the Gospel Let s not confuse the two

www.christianpost.com

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Some Christians choose not to vote because neither candidate follow the principles of the Lord ... so they don't vote.

I disagree with this view as we are not voting for a god .... we are voting for who we believe will best lead our nation ... and yeah they all have faults of some kind.

All US citizens should vote ... it is important