Are you being abused? Are there people in your life who are taking advantage of you, and who are mistreating you in ways that are not visible and can’t be proven? This describes many people in this world. I believe women and children are primarily the most vulnerable, although I know that is not true in all cases. And who are the abusers? Often they are family members, like spouses or parents or even siblings or cousins, or they are pastors or priests or counselors or doctors – people who are supposed to love and protect you, and also those who claim to be Christians.

But the thing of it is, if you have no physical proof, and if the abuser does not own up to the abuse, but he tells lies, instead, if you are a woman or a child, especially, chances are you will not be believed, but the abuser will be believed, instead. I am not saying this is true in all cases, but it does happen, and probably way more often than is being reported and that we are aware is happening. And sometimes the person you go to for help will actually support the abuser and will come against you and attack you, instead. And this should not be! This should not be happening, but it is!

But the comfort for the abused who are followers of Jesus Christ is that we are not to fear, for God is with us. He is our God, so we are not to be dismayed. He will strengthen us, and he will help us, and he will uphold us with his righteous right hand even if no one else believes us, and even if no one else will love and support us and give us encouragement. We can cry it all out to the Lord. He hears our cries, and he will come to our aid. He may not always remove us from such difficulties, but he will help us to be strong through it all so we can comfort others when they are suffering, too.

For our God is absolutely sovereign over all that he has made. And those of us who are his followers are in his hands. And he is in control over everything that comes into our lives. And he will help us through whatever valleys of darkness he takes us through (Psalms 23). So we are not to be afraid, no matter what comes into our lives, for our Lord will guide us in what to do and in what to say. We just have to keep trusting him and following him wherever he leads us, and keep trusting that he is going to see us through it all, and all will be used for good if we do not give up the fight.

Are You Being Abused
Video Talk

October 23,2022 (this is from 2 years ago)

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His Tender Mercies

An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Fear not! I’m with you.
Be not dismayed!
God watches o’er you.
Trust Him today.
He’ll lead and guide you;
Give you His aid.
He’ll love and keep you
With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.
He’ll lead the way.
Trust in His love;
Believe that He cares.
He will not leave you.
Faithful He’ll be.
His tender mercies
Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him
Throughout the day.
Tell Him your heartaches.
He’ll heal always.
Rest in His comfort.
He is your friend.
Your faith He’ll strengthen,
True to the end.

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The local ACLU, however, cheered the ruling as a victory for the LGBT community.
“Today marks a significant victory for transgender individuals in Indiana’s prisons,” Legal Director Ken Falk said. “Denying evidence-based medical care to incarcerated people simply because they are transgender is unconstitutional. We are pleased that the Court agreed.”

Next expect him to petition to get sent to a women's prison where there will be more victims. This is wokeness. The government should be using the money to find the hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minors they have lost track of, a large number of whom are being trafficked.

I don't think so. Acts 1 described the criteria for selecting a replacement:

21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

Click to expand...

One characteristic of a disciple was a pupil who had spent time interacting with the teacher day in day out. Paul did not fit that description. He was not a follower of Jesus during His earthly ministry.

Paul himself never labeled himself as a disciple. He called himself an apostle. 1Co 15:

9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Click to expand...

Paul's role was different from that of the Twelve. He was primarily an apostle to the Gentiles, while the Twelve initially focused on ministry to the Jews.

Was Paul supposed to be the 12th disciple, replacing Judas?

No. From Peter et al. 's point of view, Paul was never a pupil/apprentice of Jesus. Paul wasn't a disciple in that sense. From Paul's perspective, his ministry targeted the Gentiles, while the Twelve focused on the Jews.

“We got higher gas, we got higher groceries, we got our economy in shambles, thanks to you,” Mr. Carter, Georgia Republican, said in Savannah. “Now, can you believe Kamala Harris is going around the country trying to convince people that she is going to fix what she just spent the last four years destroying?

“That is like O.J. going across the country looking for the real killer,” he said, sparking laughter from the crowd. “Hey, if the glove fits.”

I look at people like David Wood, he is a Christian Apologist, And I look at people who are Biblical scholars. If this can help me gain more understanding in what I believe I would like to pursue it. I don't care if I make little I know I can be happy with $45,000 a year, and I live a very simple life. Right now my career is in business, and although I make a good living, I don't find myself any happier once my income goes above $55,000 a year, I have everything I need already, and can get by just fine. But currently I do not like my job, find it very boring and very stressful.

I may even have plans to give it all back through charity if I don't have anyone to pass my wealth too. The Bible is the most interesting to me, I have been reading and studying it since I was 20, I'm 26 now, and my interest is growing more and more I am hungry to know. I have no more interest in making any more money, I find the deeper I connect with the Bible and prayer the more empowered I feel, not wealth increasing. I want to do everything I can and what God wants me to do before I pass away, I cannot take any material riches with me when I'm gone.

I really like the history side of Christianity, I can imagine myself being a professor at a university teaching religious studies. I remember my 2nd year at college, it was required we take some kind of social studies class, and I chose Religion 101, where the professor introduces you to all the world religions and we learn all about them. That was one of the most fun I had when it came to studying a subject at college. That and also history.

Most people believe that salvation is a reward you earn by living a good life, doing good works repenting of sins. But no, salvation is not a reward, salvation is a free gift. And just so we know that salvation is completely free by grace through faith in Jesus and our works have nothing to do with it, God will reward us based on following his commandments living a good life, Some will receive 5 cities, some 10, some peoples works will be completely burned up, yet they will still be saved. And we can earn rewards in this life as well for serving Jesus Christ. Jesus said there are those who will be least in the Kingdom but guess what they are still in the Kingdom, still saved. There are different levels of reward based on the works we do in the name of Jesus in this life. But it has to be in Jesus name to earn the rewards. And you don't have to do any works at all to be saved. salvation is Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, not about repenting of your sins cleaning up the life. those are good things to do but thats not salvation. it might give you physical salvation on this Earth, as God chasteneth every son whom he recieveth, God punishes us in this life for sinning, he could take you home early, but that has no impact on eternal life. Once you are born into God family you are always his, he doesn't kick you out of the family.

Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Pray The Heavenly Father grants Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Godly Wisdom as to whether he should resign from his office given the fact that
his party has lost some important seats in some major constituencies in Canada:

A by-election loss puts Justin Trudeau on the ropes

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We're content to pitch our tent
When the glory's evident
Seldom do we know
The glory came and went
Moving can seem dangerous
In this stranger's pilgrimage
Knowing that you can't stand still
You cross the bridge
There's a higher place to go
Beyond belief, beyond belief
Where we reach the next plateau
Beyond belief, beyond belief
And from faith to faith we grow
Towards the center of the flow
Where He beckons us to go
Beyond belief, beyond belief
Leap of faith without a net
Makes us want to hitch our bed
Waters never part
Until our feet get wet, whoa
There's a deeper place to go
Where the road seems hard to hoe
He who has begun this work
Won't let it go (let it go!)
There's a higher place to go
Beyond belief, beyond belief
Where we reach the next plateau
Beyond belief, beyond belief
And from faith to faith we grow
Towards the center of the flow
Where He beckons us to go
Beyond belief, beyond belief
And it takes so long to see the change
But we look around, and it seems so strange
We have come so far, but the journey's long
And we once were weak, but now we are strong
There's a higher place to go
Beyond belief, beyond belief
Where we reach the next plateau
Beyond belief, beyond belief
And from faith to faith we grow
Towards the center of the flow
Where He beckons us to go
Beyond belief, beyond belief.

@AlexB23 @Hazelelponi @mourningdove~

Check out this awesome video from a classic Christian rock band!!

A recent analysis warns that these pricing provisions will likely lead to higher costs for millions of seniors and disabled Americans who rely on Medicare Part D. This shouldn’t come as a surprise—price controls simply don’t work, and when they’re implemented, someone will eventually have to pick up the tab. Nor should it be surprising that government spending doesn’t reduce inflation. History shows quite the opposite.


The first group of impacted drugs includes ten medicines that have been selected to have a “maximum fair price” (MFP) set under the IRA. In 2024, Medicare beneficiaries typically pay fixed copays for most of these drugs. For millions of these beneficiaries, artificially fixed-drug costs will slow their progression toward their Part D out-of-pocket limit, making them pay more in out-of-pocket costs.

For low-income beneficiaries, the out-of-pocket cost increases are significant—averaging 27% more. Asian and black beneficiaries who rely on the medicines subject to an MFP could experience an average increase of 13% and 15%, respectively. As is too often the case, the most vulnerable among us will bear the brunt of bad policy.

As bad as this all is, it gets worse. The predictable impact of price controls on goods and services is a well-researched topic in economics. This makes the typical combination of good intentions and unintended consequences a tough excuse to swallow.

The question then becomes who knew what and when? Did HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure just fail to consider the impact of price controls on seniors’ prescription drugs? Government agencies rarely endorse legislation without conducting such forecasting, yet both Becerra and Brooks-LaSure were among the most vocal to endorse and boast about the IRA’s new price control mandate.

With American voters consistently rating economic conditions as their top concern as November’s election date approaches, it’s understandable that Americans maintain a default focus on domestic issues.

As the new report highlights, however, a potential disaster on the same scale as World War II looms while America remains complacent in the same way that it was in 1941:
The strategic environment in summer 2024 presents more, and vastly more serious, challenges to U.S. security interests than since the end of the Cold War, if not the height of World War II. Many of the threats are intertwined and compounding, making them more difficult to overcome. The NDS prioritizes challenges and threats posed by China, then Russia, and then from North Korea, Iran, and violent extremist organizations. It also highlights the threat to the U.S. homeland and lists transboundary challenges.

The Commission agrees with the prioritization of the threats in the NDS, but we believe that the magnitude of the threats the United States faces is understated and significantly worse than when the NDS was issued, especially when viewed globally and as compounding. Since the release of the NDS, we have witnessed but not fully accounted for the strategic impact of the “no limits” partnership between Russia and China and their partnership with Iran and North Korea, the outbreak of war in the Middle East, and the scope and duration of the war in Europe.

That’s a grim assessment, and responsibility for the progressively declining situation lies with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Beginning with Russia, Biden and Harris have empowered it since the administration's early missteps. First and foremost, their catastrophic and humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, including bungled attempts to target terrorists that ended up killing innocent civilians instead, signaled to Vladimir Putin that he could expect a weak, Jimmy Carter-like foreign policy. Biden and Harris also reversed former President Donald Trump’s sanctions against Russia’s NordStream petroleum pipeline to Europe. Their administration also dragged its feet in supplying Ukraine with weaponry after Russia’s invasion in 2022, and then placed handcuffs on Ukraine’s ability to use what American weaponry it did supply in a way that could hit Russia where it hurts along its deeper logistical supply lines.

And how does Kamala Harris share responsibility for that? She explicitly confirmed that she was the last person in the room with Biden as he made those decisions relating to Afghanistan, and that she supported them.

Trump threatens 200% tariff’ if John Deere moves production to Mexico​

• Former President Donald Trump threatened John Deere with a 200% tariff if the agricultural manufacturer moves some of its production to factories in Mexico.
• John Deere plans to shift production of some of its models to Mexico, a move that has resulted in layoffs at some facilities in Iowa.
• Shares of Deere dipped about 1.6% in after-hours trading. Trump made the threat shortly after the closing bell.

Note: This would double the price of their products.

“They’ve announced a few days ago that they’re going to move a lot of their manufacturing business to Mexico,” the Republican nominee said at a policy roundtable in Smithton, Pennsylvania, hosted by the Protecting America Initiative.

“I’m just notifying John Deere right now: If you do that, we’re putting a 200% tariff on everything that you want to sell into the United States,” said Trump, who has made tariffs a key focus of his campaign’s economic policy.

John Deere has announced that it plans to shift production of some of its models to Mexico, a move that has resulted in layoffs at facilities in Iowa.

“It’s hurting our farmers. It’s hurting our manufacturing,” Trump said Monday.

The former president made similar threats Monday to automakers that manufacture cars in Mexico.

“We’re going to put big tariffs on those cars that are coming in here at 100[%] to 200%, and they’re no longer going to be competitive,” he said, “so you better stay in Michigan.”

Note: This would increase the price by 50% to double the sticker tag.

For more information on tariffs see What is a Tariff.

Greg Rakozy/Unsplash

There is only one Creator, only one worthy of adoration and worship, and only one whose name will be proclaimed throughout eternity. The rest of us are created beings, here for His pleasure and purpose. He is eternal. We are here today and gone tomorrow. He is essential. We are dispensable and disposable. Only God is God.

John the Immerser (the Baptist) understood this, telling the crowds who flocked to his baptism, “‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” (He was speaking here about Jesus.) He continued, “I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel” (John 1:30–31).

That was the whole purpose of his ministry: that Jesus might be revealed to Israel. Once that was done, John’s mission was completed. As John explained to his followers, who seemed concerned that Jesus was gaining more followers than he was, “He must increase. I must decrease” (John 3:30).

But we are always lifting up people. We are like the followers of Whitefield who wanted him to perpetuate his memory by forming a denomination under his name. They were concerned that others would get credit for his work. But his reply was always the same: “No, let the name of Whitefield die, so that the cause of Jesus Christ may live ... Let the name of Whitefield perish, but Christ be glorified ... I have had enough popularity to be sick of it.”

Continued below.

Hi everyone, I am in the Uk, originally from South Africa. I have been a Christian for the last 20 years and before that was culturally raised in a Christian home but was generally agnostic. In my early 20's I became atheist but always had a nagging deep in my soul there was something more. Thankfully God had other plans with me and I dedicated my life to Jesus and got baptised at the age of 31. I was convicted to go back to university and complete two degrees in Theology part time, while working a stressful career and raising a family, as well as spending as much of my free time serving in the local church as possible. Now I find myself transitioning from a very successful corporate career (all through the blessing and equipping of the Holy Spirit) into being self employed in a new country while trying to find the direction God wants to take me in the UK.

Being a Christian and following God's plan for my life and my families lives has been a roller coaster, full of ups and downs, twists and turns. One I could never have planned out for myself but Jesus has always been there, protecting me, guiding me and leading me. If somebody had told me twenty years ago that I would be where I am today, I probably would have laughed and called them insane. Of all the things I have learnt about Jesus, the two most important aspects are His undying love for me but also following His commandments (not for salvation but for my own good).

I am looking forward to meeting everybody on this site.

May God bless you all!

Michael

Russell Brand's powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit t his baptism. Even the deepest thinkers and ponderers can be silenced in awe of Jesus' superior Words of Wisdom and Grace!

Sharon McCutcheon/Unsplash

Too often Christians make compromises with the world, despite John’s warning to “not love the world or the things in the world” (1 John 2:15).

Compromising has always been a temptation for Christians, but it has become especially easy in the face of today’s overwhelming assault by LGBT and gender ideologies. How many times have Christians given in and used someone’s “preferred pronouns” because someone insisted they have to? The justification is usually something along the lines of, “Well, I don’t want to lose my job over such a small thing” or “I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.”

In this context, the example of Enoch Burke should inspire all believers.

Continued below.

If you are familiar with conspiracy theories, you may have heard the expression "hidden in plain view/sight".
This refers to what is esoteric - what is not known by or suitable for the public, but intended for or understood by only a small group, especially one with specialized knowledge or interests.

This thread is not intended to start a conspiracy theory, but just to see how persons are thinking, and get your views.
By now, most, if not all of you, heard about the incident where nearly 3,000 people were injured, and about 12 killed, when pagers exploded simultaneously across Lebanon.

Hezbollah vows retaliation against Israel for deadly pager explosions
What we know about the Hezbollah device explosions

Immediately, my mind went to cell phones, and what many of us would have heard about, from the ability for "hackers" to turn on and off the camera and microphone of one's phone, to the microchip of one's phone being an invasion of one's privacy... or worst.
I then read that a likely cause of the pagers exploding, may have been malware.

The WSJ quoted regional security analyst Michael Horowitz as suggesting the attack was likely caused by either 1) malware triggering the batteries to overheat/explode or 2) an actual explosive charge inserted in the devices at some point in the supply chain and then detonated remotely.

A few days ago, I watched the movie Next Gen, which I thought the producers did a great job on... except for the cussing dog, which they thankfully beeped out, because I didn't see that coming. I think the dog itself is a bot, place in the family's home, and it learned to cuss from the girl's parents, who fought regularly, evidently.

However, that aside, it set me thinking about our era, and not only how far man has advanced in technology, but the insidious nature of man, combined with advancement.

Of course, there isn't much we can do about this, but no doubt many are concerned about the future.
How concerned are you about what you are purchasing and carrying around on your person, or in your home?

Harris can only run and win if she is not perceived as part of the Biden administration.

Here Are Five Global Restaurants Staffed By Robot Chefs​

ADAM, an interactive robot bartender, barista and chef

A forecast by restaurant consultancy Aaron Allen & Associates suggests that as much as 82% of restaurant roles could potentially be supplanted by robots, with up to 31% of those roles being devoted to food preparation. This shift towards automation could yield substantial savings for U.S. fast-food establishments, estimated to exceed $12 billion annually, as projected by the group.

OK, so I found a church that I'll be attending now. What's important to know is that this church is egalitarian, like me. Thankfully, it's theologically conservative; I wouldn't grow spiritually if it was one of these "Progressive Christian" churches. I do want to grow spiritually, and ideally, do some street preaching. I mentioned in my last post that I would attend a luncheon at my church (I did), however, I never made any friends there. I barely know anyone there, and I'm hoping to change that the next time I show up.


This isn't just about making a more Godly inner circle of friends; I mentioned in my previous post (So, I finally found a church. How it's going so far) that I was dealing with romantic loneliness. I go on Twitter, and follow a few Christians, and a lot of them are married young and having or want to have lots of kids. At least 3. Even two of my pastors have 4 kids. And a lot of these Christians I see on my Twitter feed are complementarian as well; Not that there's anything wrong with that.


And then there's me. 27 years old, single, no children. And a lot of those Christians on Twitter I mentioned? I've bought this up before, but they hold very feminine women as the golden standard. Then you have ME. Not only am I a sucker for both physical strength and height (meaning, women who are my height or taller than me; I'm 5'6), but I see total tomboys as wife material. Not the ones who have a feminine side, more like tomboys who can't be girly to save their life. Masculine women. I do want kids, but with a Godly wife who can at the same time, be my bro. A Godly wife who's also "one of the guys." I know I've gotten feedback saying that my tastes aren't necessarily wrong, but the differences between me and the Christians I see on Twitter are night and day.


Something to know is that I've been inspired to make romantic poetry due to the loneliness I've experienced, and I've thought of writing a song titled "Boku no ken" ("My Sword" in Japanese), about a woman who's willing to fight (and possibly hunt) if it means caring for those and others, and the narrator looks up to that and her strength. But the poem I've made below is from a few months ago, and the narrator is more or less a self-insert for me.



If this great city is the city of love,

Then you are by far its greatest attraction.

Not due to gaudy fashion or feminine grace,

But the greatness and allure of France's heroes.





You are the spitting image of Joan of Arc,

A woman of tomboyish charm and manly virtue.

It's this about you that makes me swoon.

Catch me now, my sweet knightess!





Modest bangs and a cutely boyish face.

They turn my cheeks more red than any rose.

Your hair, face, and heart are in Joan's likeness;

I'm sure she's smiling at you from the kingdom of Heaven.





Toned arms that have the virile strength of Roland,

And a body fit for a chivalrous hero.

Your tears, I'm sure, are every bit as noble as his.

I'd be there to wipe them away with only my best handkerchief.





While you don't have his cheating and thieving heart,

Your chest is as strong as Lancelot's and his men.

Unafraid to wrestle boys or defend the weak,

You stand tall among the women of Paris.





If a fool calls me unmanly or a sodomite for loving you,

Then I hope Astolfo brings their lost wits back from the moon.

You deserve a gift on par with his lance and horn;

Besides my heart, that you so gallantly won.





In between a bouquet of flowers, comes L'ongle de Dieu:

A now gilded knife with the name of "God's Fingernail."

Heavy and sharp enough to split the Tarasque's skull,

It bought many knights in my family victory in war.





Cutting through armored men as if they were boneless,

And castrating even the most violent boar,

L'ongle de Dieu was a blessing to my family,

One that I hope to see you join.





Be my bride, and I'll be the best husband in Paris.

I will love you as Christ loves the church.

We'll have a house full of cute little paladins,

And they'll never go a night without tales of their awesome mother.

Does this mean your never anxious or worrying?

Could someone put trusting in God in practical steps?

A constant theme in Revelation is the two-fold witness: 1) Keeping the testimony (name) of Jesus and 2) obeying God’s commands (works). The seven churches were judged along a scale of how well they kept that two-fold witness.

Similarly, the mark of the beast is described as the name of the beast or the number of his name. The mark is on the forehead (name) or on the right hand (works). Since 666 is the number of the beast’s name, it is associated with the deeds of a particular man.

People have been trying to use gematra to decipher it, but I think that might be an incorrect interpretive method (although it was common long before Revelation was written). Perhaps the number of his name is more closely associated with his deeds and not a numerical value of his name. Daniel 7:25 says the little horn will change the times and the laws. To my understanding, there were 613 commands that are not authorized to be altered. Could 666 be pointing to the lawless deeds of the lawless one, the false messiah that will be revealed as a result of apostasy in Israel?

I have yet to find solid evidence of this interpretation. Just getting the hampster wheel spinning. Thoughts?

Please pray for Josh's salvation.

[Edit] Mistake on my part.

Everyone has their "camp" their tradition. Everyone reads the Bible through the eyes of others.

No one reads the Bible for themselves. They are content to see what their "Betters" say about things.

Take Dispensationalism and all the mapping out of the Great Tribulation and the Lord's coming. You can point out verses like 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 and it does nothing to change their mind. Or take Catholicism and their view of Mary who is given very little primacy in the Bible and when you point this out, they appeal to their Fathers, their "betters" and their Popes who all contradict each other. Or take the Orthodox and their primacy on tradition for the sake of tradition never minding that their tradition changes over time. Or take Lutherans who adhere dogmatically to everything Luther said never faulting him for his radical anti-semitism. Or Calvin as he starts with the philosophy of determinism and works that into the Bible even though the Bible was never meant to be read that way. Or the flat earthers, or the holocaust deniers, or those predicting the Lord's return.

There are very few who seek after Truth in an unbiased way. Everyone has their tradition and they will not read the Bible for themselves. Everyone has their "Camp."

Study, by all means, but don't think you are necessarily on the side of Truth especially when you have a box for everything in the Bible and everything in the Bible fits into this box just so. It is arrogant.