PARASHAH: “Balak” NUMBERS 22:2-25:9


This is the famous story of Bilam, who was asked to “curse” Israel, and instead, “Blessed” Israel, yet before this, his donkey spoke to him. The name “Bilam” or Balaam” might be a shorter version of the name “Baal-haAm” (lord of the people). Some believe that he was a true prophet of G-d, others believe he was a false prophet or a corrupt prophet. Seems like he was the latter, yet YHVH used him to bless HaAm Israel

The princes of Balak, (whose name means, "one who lays waste"), King of Moab, offered money to Balaam to curse Israel, so Balaam consulted Adonai as to what he should do. Elohim answers;

“Thou shalt not go with them, thou shalt not curse them for they are blessed” (Num 22:12)

What the LORD has blessed, stays blessed, what the LORD has cursed, stays cursed UNLESS the LORD himself lifts the curse and changes the curse to a blessing. Balaam tells the princes, “I cannot go with you,” yet Balak is stubborn, and wants Israel cursed; he offers more money, and fame, re-sends his princes and asks them again to propose to Balaam; “Stay here tonight and I will see what the LORD will tell me,” says Balaam.

But hey, didn’t Adonai already say NO? What more is there to ask again? Or…is there a hidden reason? Maybe a money reason? We can see perhaps a greedy prophet trying to see if “God will change his mind”. Just a little curse for a lot of money? However, Adonai says, “Go with them, but only say what I tell you to say”. So, the word of God says that in the morning, Balaam saddled his ass and went with the princes of Moab, BUT…God was angry because he WENT! There is a problem here, didn’t Adonai already give his permission for Balaam to GO, yet he was angry because he WENT! What is the root of interpretation here?

Adonai gave his permission for Balaam to go PHYSICALLY with the princes of Moab, yet, Balaam in his heart was GOING ALONG WITH THE IDEA, to curse for money, and greed was in his heart. One thing is to GO, another is GO ALONG WITH THE IDEA, or be in unison to do evil. This is why the anger of the LORD was kindled, Balaam had in his heart the IDEA or the DESIRE to GO CURSE ISRAEL for riches. It was all about the “inner motive” of Bilaam, Adonai knows the heart above all things. We can all “go” places, but if our hearts carry evil intentions, then the “going” will bring a curse upon ourselves.

Here is another idea. God permitted Bilaam to go, only that he make known the plan to bless Israel, yet Bilaam did not tell the second group of emissaries that he would bless Israel. He allowed them to think that he would pronounce a curse upon Israel. In this type of deceit, Bilaam would “blaspheme” the name of God, knowing one thing, and hiding it on purpose. Perhaps Bilaam thought that if he told the group that he would only “bless” Israel, then he would not receive payment. It would then be a “financial setback”. (ill-gotten greed).

Now Adonai used Balaam’s donkey to “wake him up” as to what is happening. Then, “Malach-YHVH” (The Angel of the LORD) stands in the way, the ass avoids him three times, until Balaam strikes his donkey three times for going off the road. Finally, the LORD opens the mouth of the donkey, and the donkey is made to speak;

“Why have you smitten me these three times?” Wouldn’t you wonder that Balaam would have been impressed that an animal would speak? Hebrew at that? Even the Angel said, “Why have you smitten your donkey these three times?”

Some wonder about the number “3.” Does it have meaning? There are “3” entities in Elohim, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Yeshua was in the ground for 3 days, there are 3 parts of the Bible, the Torah, the Prophets and Hebrew poetry, and the Brit HaDASHAH (New Testament) Yeshua asked Kefa 3 times “Do you love me?” The Angel of Elohim gave “3” warnings to Balaam, yet he did not SEE, or perhaps, did not WANT to see or heed the warnings, until his donkey, “alerted him”

Another thing we can see is that God is concerned for the treatment of animals. Those who have pets should treat them with love and tender care, not mistreat them, for if the angel saw the donkey being struck and called Balaam’s attention on that, the LORD sees how YOU are treating your pet, (hopefully no one has a pet crocodile running around the house, yet there was a case of a family that DID have indeed a PET CROC in the house)

Balaam meets Balak, and again, they go to 3” separate places to view Israel, and Balaam orders 7” altars to be built. 7 bulls and 7 rams would be sacrificed. “7” is the perfect number, yet all three times, Balaam opens his mouth to BLESS Israel, whom YHVH has blessed, no man can curse. Even in the third blessing, Balaam echoes the blessing of Abraham: “Blessed be everyone that blesses thee and cursed be everyone that curses thee!”

What can we learn from all this? We must always support and bless Israel, bless our brothers and sisters in our congregations, do not let money be the main interest in our doing “good” if we wish to bless our neighbor, with our prayers, labor, favors, etc., let it not be guided by monetary gain, but our sincere desire to bless and be a witness to Yeshua our Messiah. Oh yes, and treat your cats, dogs, birds, tropical fish, etc. with TLC! Adonai is watching! But let’s look at the blessings that Bilaam said to Israel, and yes, Balak was fuming! This is to show that G-d even works among heathen prophets, to shower blessings to his people; (23:8-10) We see various things of interest here: Bilaam states,

“How can I curse whom Elohim has not cursed?” “It is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.” “Who hath counted the dust of Jacob or numbered the stock of Israel?.” “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let mine be like his.”

“A people that dwell alone.” One might think about the meaning of this. One way to look at this is that Israel is a “unique’ people, that is not given to worship idols like the other nations, but given and chosen to worship Adonai only, therefore, “Not reckoned among the nations.”

Adonai did not curse Israel, but later, Israel brought upon itself a curse because the Israelites hooked up with the prostitutes of Moab and entered into the pagan rites of the Moabites (persuaded by Bilaam). He must have said to the king that God cannot curse them, but they can bring a curse upon themselves.

Israel is unique; no nation like Israel. The word for “unique” is “Yachid” and is different from the rest of the nations, because Israel believes and worships only “One G-d” YHVH! The rest of the nations at that time were pagan, idolatrous nations.

Why is Jacob/Israel compared to dust? Can anyone count “dust?? Yet dust will last forever. The desire of all is to “die like a Tzadik!” a righteous person, but Bilaam did not die like a Tzadik, he died like a pagan prophet who was, unwillingly, used by YHVH. The next blessing is from 23:19-24.

“God (EL) is not a man that He should lie, Nor the Son of man that He should repent”

The word for God in this verse is “El” (the strong one who leads and instructs), and through the Torah, Adonai shows us the way to Mashiach! Yes, God is NOT a man, He is Spirit in the pure essence of His being, yet He became flesh, in Yeshua, to die for our sins, and Yeshua never needed to repent of anything since He was and IS sinless!

‘None hath beheld iniquity in Jacob nor seen perverseness in Israel”

Yet didn’t YHVH want to wipe Israel from the earth for past sins and rebellion? Yes, BUT, Moshe interceded for them like Yeshua intercedes before the Father on our behalf. YHVH was looking at Israel through Messiah Yeshua, He sees Israel as if Israel had never sinned, being righteous! Are we any different? Our flesh is black like sin (figuratively) because our flesh is dead and dying, yet inside us lives our soul-spirit, and it is white as snow, purified through the Blood of Yeshua. The third blessing is from 24:3-9.

“How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy dwellings, O Israel”

This is the beginning of one of our daily prayers. The tents and dwellings symbolize the whole people of Israel, the ones who dwell inside the tents. The word "Dwellings" is written in Hebrew: "Mishkanotecha." Here is the mention of the Tabernacle "Mishkan" "Your Mishkan" where the LORD dwells amongst His People!.

“Water shall flow from his branches, and his seed shall be in many waters”

Yeshua is the “Living Water” (Mayim Chayim). Many waters can symbolize the “multitudes” of people, since the Hebrew letter “Mem” symbolizes both “water” and the “masses” (of people). This is the “Seed of faith” that has been scattered among all the nations of the world. The blessing ends like the promise of Abraham, “blessed be every one that blesses thee, and cursed be everyone that curseth thee,” and in HIS SEED shall ALL the world be blessed, “HaZeman Yeshua” (the seed of Yeshua), the seed of “Faith.”

Shalom, have a blessed week.

The administration's campaign to increase deportations to third-party countries gained a major legal victory last month, when the Supreme Court suspended a ruling by a federal judge in Boston that had required the U.S. to give detainees a certain degree of notice and due process before any deportation to a place that was not their country of origin.
That now-suspended lower court order had required officials to give detainees and their lawyers notice of the third country the government wanted to remove them to, as well as a chance to contest their deportation, including by raising fears of being harmed or tortured in that nation.

Thank you Eswatini! One of the Christian nations I have not visited.

"Where these sleeper cells may be is in plain sight," former FBI special agent and terrorism task force member Jonathan Gilliam said. "And that's the real terrifying part of this is that putting people in place, as we've seen over the past four years, everyone's scrambling because certain amounts of people could come in here and get in here."

With the lax security during the Biden administration there may be hundreds of Iranian terrorists in the country.

Please more prayers for my son Jake. He is having a really bad night mentally. Please ask God to heal him mind and body and give him some kind of joy. He is suffering. Please please ask God to allow him to be happy if it is His will and that there is nothing seriously wrong with him mind or body. Your prayers mean so much. I ask in the name of Jesus. Thank you and God bless you. Carmen

South Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Maria Salazar introduced a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform package on Tuesday that would provide legal status for certain undocumented immigrants.

The measure would create a “Dignity Program” allowing undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. since 2021 to apply to live in the country for up to seven years with work authorization. They would have to pay $7,000 in restitution, stay in legal compliance, and check in with the Department of Homeland Security regularly. It would be renewable if individuals remain in good standing.

Notably, it would not grant immigrants permanent residency or citizenship.

Kara Sánchez thought she was honoring her mother in her final years: caring for her through debilitating illness, paying her bills and managing round-the-clock care.

But in a twist shared on a recent episode of Politely Rude with Abby Johnson, Sánchez revealed that after five years of sacrificial caregiving, she discovered her mother had secretly been sitting on nearly $500,000 in cash.

“I had found out that my mom had been living off of my husband and I for five years,” Sánchez said. “She told us she didn’t have any means to support herself. And then I find out she had almost $500,000 in the bank. I felt lied to. I felt like someone had betrayed my trust and my kindness under my roof.”

Continued below.

The simple point to be inferred from this whole issue of the Ten Lost Tribes is that the Jews are not all of Israel. God’s purpose is to let the 10 tribes which were separated in King Rehoboam’s time, to become lost to the world and the two tribes of Judah to remain visible. Deuteronomy 32:26; 2 Chronicles 10:19; Jeremiah 29:18
They both have specific tasks to fulfil, during this period of dispersion, the Church age.

Perhaps one way to identify the other Israelite tribes, besides those of Judah already known, is to look for those who fear, acknowledge and love the Creator God, live by His laws and produce the fruit of good works. James 2:24.
The Caucasian, Western nations (people groups) have been identified by the historical, linguistic, archaeological and genetic research, as having a majority of descendants of Israel/Jacob. They are also the Christian nations, so this is another proof.

According to some records, at least one tribe went eastwards and I think that South Korea, because of their amazing Christian awakening, has quite probably: Israelite origins.
Bible prophecy clearly says that all the Israel of God, who now comprise every faithful Christian, Jew and gentile, will be gathered into all of the holy Land, before Jesus Returns and Gods promises to the Patriarchs will be kept by their descendants by faith. Ezekiel 20:34-38 Genesis 17:6-8

Malachi 3:16-18 Then those who feared the Lord, talked together – the Lord listened. A record was written of those who feared Him and respected His Name.
They will be Mine, says the Lord of Hosts, My own possession for the Day that I appoint, I will spare them. Once more you will see the difference between those who serve God and the wicked apostate peoples.
Malachi 4:1-6 The Day comes; burning like a furnace, all the arrogant evildoers will be as stubble, they will be destroyed in a fiery blaze.
But you, who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings and you will break loose, like calves released from a stall.

On the Day that I take action, you will tread down the wicked, they will be as ashes under your feet.
Remember the Laws given to Moses, keep all My commandments given to Israel at Sinai. Look; I will send you Elijah before the Day of the Lord. He will reconcile families and preserve the Land from the wrath of the Lord.

Reference: Revised English Bible, some verses abridged.

Trump and some of the congressional republicans must be "disconnected" from their base if they think that the crowd spent months making "Epstein didn't kill himself" memes, are going to just let this one go.

When a party panders to a cohort that's convinced that the "establishment" is complicit in an "elite pedophile ring", they're asleep at the wheel if they think that same crowd is going to "let it go" on this one.

I recently finished reading My Confrontation with Hell: Real Demonic Encounters of an Exorcist, an interesting and informative new book by Monsignor Stephen J. Rossetti, D.Min., Ph.D. Rossetti is an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington, a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse and the president/founder of the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal. He’s also a licensed psychologist and has spent many years working in psychological treatment as well as the spiritual renewal of priests and religious.

Rossetti doesn’t perform exorcisms on everyone who believes they need them. There’s a process that those experiencing what they think are demonic attacks have to undergo. And an exorcist-priest must have permission from the local bishop to perform a formal exorcism. (Beware of anyone who claims to be an exorcist who isn’t approved by the local bishop.) “The Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal carries out its ministries with the approval of the Archbishop of Washington,” according to a statement by the Rev. George E. Stuart, J.C.D., episcopal vicar for canonical services for the Archdiocese of Washington. This is very important.

Rossetti’s latest book is easy to read and non-polemical. His writing is firmly grounded in traditional Catholic teaching without being pretentious. The demonic encounters he writes about are warnings for people not to get involved with the occult in any way, shape or form. In fact, the majority of people who have sought his assistance over the years either dabbled in the occult or were heavily involved in it for a long time.

A few brief excerpts from the book are as follows:

“I know a man who became possessed after an unholy interest and visits to haunted houses and ghost hunting. His unholy interest and personal sins made him vulnerable, and his frequenting these ‘haunted’ locations actually put him in regular contact with the demonic. The currently popular ‘ghost hunting’ craze is a spiritually dangerous idea.” (page 23)


Continued below.

House GOP blocks Dem maneuver to force release of Epstein files​

What happened: The House Rules Committee, which prepares legislation for votes on the House floor, voted 5 to 6 against attaching Khanna's amendment to a procedural measure related to the GENIUS Act and a defense funding bill.

• The measure would have forced Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish all documents related to Epstein on a "publicly accessible website" within 30 days of procedural measure being enacted.

...
In a rare move, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) crossed over and voted with the panel's four Democrats in favor of attaching the amendment.

• He told Axios earlier on Monday: "The public's been asking for it. I think there are files. All of a sudden not to have files is a little strange, We'll see how it plays out ... I think the president will do the right thing."

Please strong prayers for my doctor. His name is John. He is very ill and we are very worried about him. Please pray for healing and for his stress. Also please pray my husband comes home safe and my son has a good happy night. Thank you and God bless you. I ask in the name of Jesus and if it is God's will. Carmen

Spoke to my priest regarding baptism of my son after mass and unexpectedly got called out for my tattoos.. It was awesome. He said “You do understand there are certain spiritual ramifications for tattoos, right? Have you ever seen Fr Rippergers talks about them?” He continued: “They can be a source of visual scandal, so ensure you are dressed modestly so as to convey an outward sign of an inward change. I will also be looking into the prayers of decommissioning for them that I will perform on you.” This man was taught by Fr. Ripperger and I experienced that in real time today. Some people might have been offended by this, but this kind of ‘hard’ truth really spoke to my soul. In all of us as men is the desire to be called out by men we respect. That happened to me and it was intensely refreshing. And I’m very much looking forward to getting them decommissioned. Glory to Jesus Christ and thank God for loving priests that take their vocation seriously.

Tattoos & the Catholic Church

There are people living on this planet earth who give lip service to the Lord Jesus, but whose hearts are far from him. They fake their Christianity to make others think that they are good Christians, but while, behind closed doors, they are sinning in secret, and they are plotting evil against others, some of whom are those who are walking in obedience to the Lord in holy living. Just like Jesus’ opponents, they are jealous of the truly righteous, and so they hate them, and they want to destroy them any which way possible.

These are people who are, by nature, liars, manipulators, the addictive, the unfaithful, and abusers who put on a mask (pretense) to cover up who they really are and what it is they are really doing when no one else is watching. So they perform for an audience, and they may even be people who lie to get the sympathies of others, posing as though they are the victims, but they are the perpetrators. For these are people for whom lying, trickery, and deception are what they practice, to present a false image of themselves.

In character, many of these people are morally corrupt, malicious, liars, egocentric, opportunistic, cunning, crafty, and predatory, who catch people in their webs of deceit. And many of them are those who are teachers of the Scriptures and ministers of “the gospel” who are altering and diluting the truth of the gospel to make it more appealing and acceptable to human flesh and to the ungodly. And so they teach God’s grace as though it is a free ride to heaven with no requirements for death to sin and obedience to God.

Many of them are chameleons who blend in with their environment and who wear many “different hats,” i.e. characters. For they like to be approved of others, and they seek attention, and they want praise. And so they feed off the attention and the approval of others. And so if someone comes along who confronts them with their sinful practices, and who calls them to biblical repentance, and to walks of obedience to the Lord, and who can see through their façade, they may find a way to try to discredit those people.

Now the people being spoken of here are not generally those who make no professions of faith in Jesus Christ, but they are among those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, and some of them are pastors. Some of them know the Scriptures well, and were and/or are teachers of the Scriptures. But they are those who look at their own characters, as talked about in the word of God, and at what they should be like, instead, but then who just walk away and willfully choose to forget what they look like.

They know the right way. They know that they are not walking on the right path. But because they do not want to let go of their sins and their pride and their sinful rebellion against God, they willfully choose to play ignorant. But they are not ignorant. They just choose to block out what they do not want to accept, like the man who sees what he looks like but then who just walks away and willfully chooses to forget the truth about himself, so that he can keep on living in deliberate and habitual sin against God and other people.

So, what is this perfect law that we are to look into? It is the law of God’s grace and mercy which sent Jesus to the cross to die. But in his death he put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will die to sin and we will now obey him and his commandments. For this is not liberty to now live however we want, without punishment, but this is liberty from our slavery to sin so we will now serve God with our lives. We are now to be those who listen and who obey, who not just hear, but who do what God requires.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

My Sheep

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

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Hearers Who Delude Themselves
An Original Work / July 15, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

1 Pet 4:6 " Because it was for this that the good tidings were proclaimed to the dead, that though judged in flesh according to human beings they might live in spirit according to God"
This passage is talking about non believers who had died, but the good tidings, or gospel was proclaimed to them so that they might live in spirit according to God.
Why would God allow the preaching to the dead if they could not respond? Does God just tease them knowing that their fate is sealed?
Can the death of the mortal body not be the end of the story for those who never saw Jesus for who he really is?

Genesis 1:1
Gen. 1:1
Gen 1:1
Gn. 1:1
Gn 1:1

Revelation 1:1
Apocalypse 1:1
Apocalypse of John 1:1
Apoc. 1:1
Apoc 1:1

Psalm 50:1
Psalm 50:1 KJV1611
Psalm 50:1 LXX

Wisdom 1:1 NRSV
Sirach 1:1 RSV
Ecclesiasticus 1:1 NRSV
Tobit 1:1 VULG
Baruch 1:1 DRC
Psalm 151:1 NRSV
Psalm 151:1 LXX
Prayer of Azariah 1:1 NRSV
Prayer of Azariah 1:1 KJV
3 Kingdoms 1:1
4 Kingdoms 1:1 LXX
1 Maccabees 1:1 NRSV
2 Maccabees 1:1 NRSV
3 Maccabees 1:1 NRSV
4 Maccabees 1:1 LXX

1 John 5:7
1 John 5:7 YLT

Song of Solomon 1:1
Canticle of Canticles 1:1
Song of Songs 1:1

Ezra 1:1
Esdras 1:1
1 Esdras 1:1 NRSV
2 Esdras 1:1 NRSV

Michelle Obama was recently pontificating on her podcast about the alleged difficulty of being a woman in the modern world:

“We weren’t raised with the certainty of maleness… That kind of confidence that young men in their 30s have, which they haven’t earned. They just have it.”

Click to expand...

But men weren’t “raised with” confidence either. Rather, there is a certain amount of assertiveness that comes naturally to men. They have a hormonal framework that is different, as is the way that men think. It is a mistake to reduce nature to mere “social construct,” as if every difference between men and women is imposed by a meddling society that yearns to oppress women. We therefore err when we claim that men are more assertive because they have been raised to be such, and imply that women in the modern age were either deprived of such ‘training’ or were taught to display doubt, indecisiveness, and anxiety.

Michelle went on to claim that society “discourages” women from expressing confidence, even when their experience level would justify it. There’s a conflation happening here. It is widely agreed that exuded confidence is attractive to both sexes. What is actually “discouraged by society” is acting rudely or overbearingly, including when one thinks themselves better than others because of real or imagined accomplishments. Likewise, women over-compensating with misplaced aggression when in traditionally male roles is discouraged albeit common (that female police officer isn’t giving you a warning).

Continued below.

In context, both before this and following this, this is in reference to the Word of God (the Word of Truth). We should be quick to listen to what the Scriptures teach us, in the appropriate context, and we should be slow to forming our own opinions of the matter, especially in anger, for that does not achieve the righteousness of God. For not all of us were taught the truth when we were growing up, or else we were taught partial truths and partial lies, because what we were being taught was being taught out of context.

So, we have to be very careful to make certain that what we were taught, and what we came to believe, is the truth of what the Scriptures actually teach, if taught in their appropriate context. In other words, we should be students of the Scriptures who study them in the appropriate context, and who are seekers of truth and righteousness, who want to know the truth, and who refuse to believe the lies which were handed down to us from generation to generation. We should want to know and follow the truth.

Now, this applies in our conversations with other people, too, especially on personal blogs or Christian discussion sites where we are having interactive discussions with other people on biblical topics. We should be quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to anger. But that does not mean that we have to engage with profanity, hateful and spiteful remarks and false accusations, and that which is inflammatory against God or against the Scriptures, etc. We do not have to listen to such hateful, mean, and cruel rhetoric.

But just because we might disagree with what someone else is saying, it does not give us the right to be nasty and hateful and cruel in our responses. We can learn to disagree respectfully, and with kindness, and to speak the truth of God’s word, in love, one to the other, without lowering ourselves to name calling, or to false accusations against another. It is possible for us to have kind, thoughtful, and reasonable discussions with others without it turning into hate, spite, and to name calling.


We the people who profess faith in Jesus Christ are to be putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, and in humility we are to be those who are receptive to the word of God implanted in our hearts through biblical faith in Jesus Christ. And we are to be those who want to hear the truth of God’s word, and who obey his word, in practice, by the grace of God, in the power of God. We must be seekers of truth and righteousness who obey God’s word, in practice, which is for the salvation of our souls.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

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

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Slow to Anger
An Original Work / July 15, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When does the Biblical evening begin and end?

Human life is both a gift, filled with love and beauty, but also with suffering and difficult rites of passage. Most of these experiences are bittersweet, while others are very painful and challenging. I don’t know anyone who does not have them. Sometimes we may not recognize them as rites of passage, but they are, because how we react to them can lead to greater freedom or deeper slavery to our fears.

About a month before graduation from high school, I was trying to get to sleep, but that night my hidden anxiety about graduation came to full consciousness. For me, it was life-shaking because I had never really paid attention to it. I was both happy and deeply terrified about my unknown future because, at that time, in 1967, you either went to college. or you were drafted. Well, I certainly was not college material, and since I believed I had a monastic vocation, I just needed to grow up a bit, so the Navy was what I picked. For me, it was a good choice. I guess I was forced to choose, and I am glad for that. Looking back, it was not that big of a deal, but at the time, it was. It was also a rite of passage for my parents, who had their own way of dealing with another son going off into the world.

This inner split was important, painful, but also exciting. In my monastic life, these so-called rites of passage continue. Some seemed small but were important; others seemed large, but they were a tempest in a teapot. Yet each had to be dealt with. I still have many to go through, even if I only recognize them in hindsight. These events highlight the importance of choice and not just being pulled by rapids without thought.

In seeking to live out a prayer life, I find that it is not as easy as many think. Like any other worthwhile endeavor, there will be many hurdles to overcome. So yes, suffering is involved and cannot be escaped.

Prayer draws us deeper in, and what the Lord brings to our minds and hearts can be heartbreaking but must be faced. There is forgiveness that can be given, but the pain of the wounds remains, as well as the dark thoughts that accompany it. So, prayer allows us to stand back and observe in the Lord’s presence. If not, we can drown in the inner whirlwind that our inner wounds can cause, leading to forms of self-medication that are harmful to both body and soul.

The hardest rite of passage for many is to learn to love ourselves, which is why the Lord commands us to do so. Also, understanding that we have many hidden character flaws, but in prayer, we get a small glimpse of them. Until the time comes when we can face them with the Lord and work through them. This takes time for us to learn and allows us to grow in compassion for others. Lord, protect us from perfect people!

Prayer for a Christian is not a luxury but a necessity, for without it we are adrift. So, pray at all times of life, especially when we enter a painful rite of passage. The Lord walks with us, feels what we feel, but He can seem cruel at times. We are being pruned and must learn patient endurance. I still have a way to go with that. The Lord will never let go of us; it is we who ‘freely’ let go of Him. Trust is a choice, no matter how dark it is to trust. It is not based on emotion but a deep faith that is tested and grows in strength by each rite of passage.

There is always hope, always a path to be chosen, and as we mature and our faith deepens, these choices can be more difficult. Our choices lead to either healing or deeper enslavement to our past and the ways we self-medicate.MD

When it comes to his loyal base Trump is usually sure footed. His attempt to make his Epstein problem go away by using his usual bluster and bloviation is a mistake. Suspicion of the Deep State is an article of faith for MAGA. Trump said that everything about Epstein would be revealed and now his Attorney General and his FBI are saying“Never mind! Nothing to see here! Go about your business!

To quote Talleyrand, it is worse than a crime, it is a mistake. He had his enemies on the run and now he has disheartened his friends and handed a sword to his foes.

Who is “the world”? It isn’t just all people who never profess faith in Jesus Christ. It is all people who have not believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, who have not died with Christ to sin, who are not walking in obedience to the Lord and to his commands, and whose lives are not surrendered to God to doing his will, but who are still being led and controlled by the flesh. It is all people whose minds are focused on the world and on living worldly, and not on God and on living to please the Lord Jesus.

And who were Jesus’ greatest opponents and persecutors? They were not the people of the world who did not profess to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but they were those who professed to believe in God, and to follow his commands, and who performed religious ceremonies, and who taught the Scriptures in the temple of God. They were the religious rulers and people of authority and influence within the temple, and in the synagogues, who professed to know and to worship the one true God.

So, if you are following Jesus Christ with your life, with full sincerity and commitment to God and to his service, and so you have died to sin, and thus you are now walking (in conduct) in obedience to the Lord (although not necessarily in absolute perfection), and so you are following God’s leading and direction in your life, don’t be surprised if some of your greatest opposition is within the gatherings of “the church” and in “Christian” organizations, and even coming from some pastors of “churches.”

For we live in a day and age when the message of the Gospel has been so severely diluted by the majority that it is barely recognizable at all as the same gospel as taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles. And, well, that’s because it isn’t the same gospel. For what they promote is a faith in Jesus that requires no death to sin and no walks of obedience to the Lord as required by God as necessary components of faith which saves. For they have altered the truth to be non-offensive to the world and to the ungodly.

If you are teaching the truth of the gospel, as Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught it, then you may find yourself the object of much hate, rejection, false accusations, and personal attacks against your character, just like Jesus experienced. And you may have opponents, as he had, who are “pulling out all the stops” (making every possible effort or using all available resources) to find a way to accuse you and to silence you so that you stop confronting them with the Holy One of Israel (see Isaiah 30:8-11 NIV).

But no matter what opposition we face, or how much we are attacked or rejected because of our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord, we must not give up! We must stay the course and stand on the Word of God, and keep speaking the truth of the gospel to the people for their salvation from sin. We must obey God and his calling upon our lives, out of love for God and for our fellow humans, no matter how we are treated in return. Satan wants to destroy us. But we must not lose faith! We must keep speaking the truth!

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Songs in the Night

An Original Work / December 18, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.
You, my Savior, I now adore.
Hope in heaven awaiting me,
Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,
And I’m bound for heaven.
Jesus set me free from
All my sin, I say.
I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:
Overcame death, my vict’ry won!
Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!
I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!
My sin is but hist’ry!
I am free to please Him
With my life today.
I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me
A new life bought at Calvary.
Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.
Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;
Through my Lord, I’m able
To sit at His table;
Fellowship with Him.
I will thank Him always!

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Keep Speaking The Truth
An Original Work / July 14, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Never mind I'm not sure my thread was appropriate.

Essayli said Caravello was charged with “a violation of 18 USC 111,” for allegedly “assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees,” according to federal law. The US attorney also denied claims that the educator was “kidnapped” by federal agents.

Again I urge leaders on the left to tone down the rhetoric and protest peacefully. The government had a valid warrant, file a lawsuit if you think they did something wrong but please don't interfere and put people's lives in danger.