• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Timing and understanding Lent

To everything, there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
  • A time to be born and a time to die.
  • A time to plant and pluck up that which is planted.
  • A time to kill and a time to heal.
  • There is a time to break down and a time to build up.
  • A time to weep and a time to laugh.
  • A time to mourn and a time to dance.
  • A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together.
  • There is a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.
  • A time to get and a time to lose.
  • A time to keep and a time to cast away.
  • A time to rend and a time to sew.
  • A time to keep silent and speak, a time to love and hate, a time of war and peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Many of us pray and fast at the beginning of the year, seeking God's divine direction for the days ahead. You may have missed this time in January; no worries, the next season is here! You can participate in the season of Lent.

What is lent? Lent is forty days from February 14 (Ash Wednesday) to March 28, 2024 (High Sabbath day). Lent is a time of self-reflection and repentance as we continue cultivating a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior through fasting, prayer, and reading the Word.

It's a time when we journey to the cross—preparing to celebrate the Passover feast, which serves twofold- remembering the exodus and the crucifixion of Jesus. These times remind us of God's faithfulness in delivering His people from physical bondage and eternal death. It's a time to thank God for giving us eternal life through His son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Take time to share the gift of Love with others.

Jesus said, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Father, teach us your ways as you change our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. We desire to do your will.

Make each day a great day when you study the living Word.

The people in my church are not singing!!!

I really appreciate all of your help, True Believers. Humbly, after asking God about this, please let me know your honest thoughts.

I. I am a Worship Leader of a certain church, for years.

Many pastors and people have told me I sing excellently, I am anointed, all glory and credit belong to our God because He empowers me. I alone am unworthy.
People constantly tell me they cry when I sing, or they are touched or blessed. In my heart, I do my best when singing heartfeltly in church. And my exhortations are brief but I try to make them deep and what the Bible really says (turn away from sin, etc.) and not just "Come on church, let's sing the Chorus!"

But the people are NOT SINGING. (only very few). Is it my responsibility to make them sing?

1. Aren't they so spoiled? They ARE RESPONSIBLE in worshipping God on their own, intimately. It's their relationship with God personally! There are I think many non-Christians allowed to enter the church, by the way. We are a big church.
2. Who knows, they could be worshipping God, just not through singing. I see some people raising their hands, closing their eyes in prayer. Why do I have to make them sing? They can just listen and soak in the lyrics, you know?

II.
So I am a Worship Leader of the above church and it does seem to be an Apostate church.

So days ago, I finally talked to my Pastor and told him everything. Why does the church seem to be so afraid of offending the carnal churchgoers? Is it because they might lose the income? Why are Repentance and turning away from sins not preached?

Why are the exhortations always "feel good", to tickle the itching ears?

I told him the Truth in the Bible against OSAS and that God will be angry at those who continue in the practice of sin...

I told him a person who lusts after a woman in his heart is already committing adultery.

I was shocked! My Pastor listened! He will tell this to the other Pastors as I have detailed their words. And awhile ago at the service, my Pastor repented in front of everyone!!! And his preaching involved holiness and turning away from sin!!!

Also, before him, God was able to use me to convince some people in this very church to turn away from sin and live holy for Christ.

What shall I do? Can I stay in this church? I am happy using my singing abilities and God can use me to lead them towards Righteousness??

Thank you so much Brethren. Be continually blessed. I appreciate you.

Our forerunner

Heb 6:13For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the [f]immutability of His counsel, [g]confirmed it by an oath, 18that by two [h]immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we Hebrews 6 NKJVmight have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

19This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

The Christian hope is sure and enters behind the veil where Christ, as our forerunner has gone. The place where Christ has entered is the place of our hope. That we too will enter where he has gone as our forerunner.
If this hope is to enter behind the veil where Christ as our forerunner has gone, how does this happen?
How can we enter into the most holy place where he has gone so that we may follow him?
How can we obtain eternal redemption as he has, and to die no more like him?

It becomes evident, that to pass through the veil as he has, is to gain the promise of eternal life through him. In other words, to be heirs with him of God’s promises, we must pass into the Most Holy Place where he has first gone, and that he, that is to say, his flesh, is the door though whom we must pass. Just as Jesus has inherited a life which “dies no more”, we too may inherit that same life when we too, like he, has passed trough the veil.
What does the veil of the Most Holy Place represent?
The writer says the veil is his flesh. In other words, when the curtain was placed to separate the Most Holy Place, from the holy place, it represented Christ’s flesh. So, just as he has overcome the flesh and received eternal redemption, we too can overcome the flesh/ veil as he has and enter into the Most Holy Place as he has and therefore follow him.

Heb 10:19Therefore, brethren, having boldness[f] to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

If we have faith enough to enter where Jesus has entered as our forerunner, we too will receive the reward of eternal life as he has and be heirs according to the promise and enter after him.

If the veil represents his flesh, then we must, as he has, overcome the flesh, so to pass through the veil as he has And obtain eternal redemption like him.

We pass through the flesh by believing in him and putting to death the deeds of the .flesh.



Rom 8:1There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6For to be https://biblehub.com/nkjv/romans/8.htm#footnotescarnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the [c]carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies [d]through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Heb9:6Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; 8the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience—

What stands between us and entering into the Most Holy Place where Christ has entered? It is the flesh!
It is because he has been accepted of God to enter into the Most Holy Place by overcoming the flesh that we to, through him, may also enter that place in heaven.
We need a mediator between God and us in order to enter into the Most Holy place where he has gone because God has only accepted his sacrifice as the means.

Frightened

Orthodox only please.

I read this today:

And am trying not to be scared.
  • Prayers
Reactions: Lukaris

More states are considering bills allowing medically assisted death this year


A push to let physicians prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients is getting major attention in statehouses this year, with lawmakers in 19 states considering bills to allow the practice.

These bills typically allow people with six months or less to live to request prescriptions from a doctor that they can take at home if and when they decide to end their lives. Doctors can only prescribe the drugs to patients they deem mentally competent.



Having watched both my father and aunt struggle and suffer through the final months of cancer... I, for one, see these moves as a good thing.

I think more and more, people have seen first hand how nasty "dying naturally" can be in certain circumstances, and while the common theory is "oh, well there's end of life drugs that can help keep people comfortable", I think until someone sees first-hand how that actually plays out in many cases, they don't realize that the claim of "hospice care will keep them comfortable" is exaggerated. (what I saw certainly didn't look like any resembling comfort)

On this particular topic, we're actually more humane to pets/animals than we are to family members. If a person's dog has cancer, can't eat, and is in tremendous pain, people don't hire a dog nurse to stop by the house every 3 hours to pump it full of morphine until it throws up while the family stands around and watches, it's viewed as the compassionate thing to do to have the dog put to sleep. Yet, the described scenario is how we send off many of our fellow humans.

Ocasio-Cortez says Trump win would result in ‘grave impacts’ on democracy

Multiple people shot during Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade

Multiple people were struck by gunfire in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday during a Super Bowl victory parade for the Kansas City Chiefs football team, police said.

The condition of the victims was not immediately clear. Two armed people were taken into custody, police said.

Suspect remains barricaded, continues to fire shots after shooting three DC police officers


Three police officers were injured Wednesday while responding to a shooting in southeast D.C., officials said, as the suspect remains barricaded in a home.

"All three suffered non-life threatening injuries," the D.C. Police Department said on X, formerly Twitter. "The scene remains active."

A fourth officer, who was not shot, was transported to a local hospital to be treated for "minor injuries," police also said.

The suspect is barricaded inside of a home and is continuing to open fire as of noon local time, according to NBC Washington.
  • Informative
Reactions: Hazelelponi

House Intel chair Turner (R-OH) warns of 'serious national security threat' ahead of planned White House briefing

WASHINGTON — House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, released an unusual statement Wednesday warning of a "serious national security threat" without providing additional details, pre-empting what the White House said was a planned briefing for congressional leaders.

"Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has made available to all Members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat," Turner wrote in the statement.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan addressed Turner's statement at a press briefing a short time later and suggested he was perplexed by the congressman's statement because they already had a briefing planned for Thursday. A U.S. official confirmed that the Thursday briefing is related to the threat highlighted by Turner.

A Democratic source familiar with the threat told NBC News: "This is a serious issue that could lead to a destabilizing situation and a national security threat."

The source described it as a “potential foreign threat” but would not identify where the threat is coming from.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said that there's no reason to panic.

For Literalists....a little help understanding

When God made man, he made only 1 sex: Man. As Adam was hanging out and having fun, filling his days but getting lonely, God saw it'd be good for him to have a mate and he made Eve as part of Adam.


My question:
Does that mean that God only created one gender for all the other animals as well and because of the fall half of all these animals spontaneously changed genders OR did God make both genders for all other animals but only one "man"?

I haven't come to a logical conclusion on this and it's vexing me.

coworker uncomfortable

I have a coworker (R.J) I am not comfortable working with and he is following me to the new job I got hired at. Can you pray that this coworker can find happiness somewhere else at another different job even at a higher pay or position as long as hes not working with me and not following me to the new job I recently got hired at Amen

Do Not Walk in the Way with Them

“My son, if sinners entice you,
do not consent.
If they say, ‘Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;
let us ambush the innocent without reason;
like Sheol let us swallow them alive,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
we shall find all precious goods,
we shall fill our houses with plunder;
throw in your lot among us;
we will all have one purse’—
my son, do not walk in the way with them;
hold back your foot from their paths,
for their feet run to evil,
and they make haste to shed blood.”
“Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;
it takes away the life of its possessors.” (Proverbs 1:10-16,19 ESV)

Who are these sinners? They are all who are falling short of what God approves. They are the depraved, the detestable, the unrighteous, and the ungodly. They are all who practice wickedness, immorality, evil, wrongdoing, lying, cheating, stealing, and committing adultery, and the list goes on. For they are the disobedient who do not obey the commands of God, in practice, but who make sin their practice, instead. And some (or many) of them also profess faith in Jesus Christ and claim heaven as their eternal destiny.

As those who are followers of Jesus Christ, we have died with Christ to sin, and we were raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness, by the grace of God. Now we are to live in self-denial, in daily dying to sin, and in following Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands (New Covenant). Sin is no longer to have mastery over our lives to where we obey its desires, for if sin is what we obey it leads to death, not to life eternal (Romans 6:1-23).

This is not saying that as followers of Christ that we will not ever sin again, for we might, but that sin should no longer be our “go to,” our habit, our practice. Now righteousness and holy living and moral purity, honesty, faithfulness and walks of obedience to our Lord should be what we practice day by day, in the power of God. So, did Jesus save us from our sins? Yes! He did! But many people are using the phrase “saved sinners” to describe Christians, but which then gives the impression that we are still “sinners.”

Are we still capable of sinning against the Lord Jesus? Yes! Because we still live in flesh bodies. Do we still have the propensity to sin? Yes! Are we still tempted to sin? Yes! But that doesn’t make us “saved sinners” who are merely saved from hell and from the punishment of sin. If we have died with Christ to sin and we are now living to his righteousness, in obedience it him, it makes us the righteous and the saints of God who are now living holy lives, pleasing to God, by the grace of God and in his power and strength.

So, please don’t buy into the lie that all Jesus did was to save you from hell so that you can now go to heaven when you die. For true “sinners” are enticing Christians to believe that lie so that the believers in Jesus Christ will believe that they can now continue in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord and that it will not be charged against them. For Jesus died to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now serve the Lord with our lives in obedience to his commands, in his power and strength.

So many of those who are addicted to (in slavery to) sin will attempt to entice the godly to sin against the Lord. But one of the ways in which they do this is via deception and manipulation of truth to convince Christians that their sins no longer matter to God, or that God doesn’t even see when they sin or that he just looks the other way. Or they will try to convince them that God has abandoned them or that they are deserving of some “recreation” (immorality) to comfort them in the difficulties of life.

So don’t get this idea that sinners are just going to come straight out and invite you to sin against the Lord. They may, but more likely they are going to engage in some type of deception and manipulation and trickery and twisting of truth to persuade you that God will not be upset with you if you do “such and such,” or that he will not judge you, or that your salvation is secure regardless of how you live. For Satan is behind all of this temptation, and his desire is for us to fail, to sin against God, and to not obey God.

And if you get caught in their net of deception, and you begin to take chances with your salvation, and with your relationship with God, and you begin to believe that you can engage in what is contrary to God’s will and purpose for our lives, and that you can now live more for yourself and for self-pleasure while you neglect the commands of the Lord, and while you neglect his calling upon your life, then you are in a dangerous place. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience, we do not have life in God.

Now, this is not teaching that in every act of sin against God that we immediately lose our salvation. But it is also not teaching that we can freely continue in deliberate and habitual sin against our Lord without consequence, and without risk of losing our salvation when it comes to Christ’s return for his faithful bride. For many who call Jesus “Lord” will hear him say, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” because sin is what they practiced and not obedience to our Lord.

So, don’t buy into the lies that you can live your life however you want and still have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. That is not what the Scriptures teach. They teach that if sin and disobedience to God are what we practice, that we will not inherit eternal life. Those who have eternal life with God promised to them are those who make their practice obedience to our Lord and to his commands and moral purity, honesty, and faithfulness.

So don’t give in to the liars who entice you to sin. Keep obeying the Lord, even if you get hated and rejected by others who profess faith in Jesus Christ because you don’t make compromises with the world.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Galatians 5:16-21; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 10:23-31; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

Hear My Cry

By G. M. Eldridge

When my soul is worn and weary
And my eyes are filled with grief,
When my hands in desperation
Reach to heaven for relief,

Would I find the words there waiting
If I had the strength to start?
Could a mortal tongue interpret
All the sorrow of a heart?

Spirit, search me in my weakness,
And discern this growing gray.
Intercede in understanding,
Hear the things I cannot say.

Hear my cry, heav’nly Father,
You have known my ev’ry pain.
You have seen all my sorrow,
Hear my cry once again.

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Are You One of His Disciples?

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV)

When we love with this (agape) love, we as disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ prefer to live through Christ, to embrace God’s will, to choose his choices, and to obey them through his power. For this word “love,” in this context, means to prefer what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, honest, faithful, and obedient to the Lord. So we will do for others what is for their good, and we will not do to them what is evil.

In what ways can we put this into practice in our daily lives? First of all it must be through us surrendering our lives to Christ to do his will, then we must submit to the Lordship of Christ over our lives. We must be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For we can’t love with this love if we don’t first love God.

Thus, when we love with this love, it is in action and not in words only. It is not just in lip service, but it is in walks of obedience to our Lord, and it is in walks of holiness, godliness, moral purity, honesty, and faithfulness to God and to his will and purpose for our lives; and faithfulness to our spouses. It is in acts of kindness and generosity, and in humility. And it is in doing for others what is for their good, and it is not willfully doing evil against them.

For this is not human love. It is not based in our emotions (feelings) and in the one we are loving. This love continues even when we are hated and mistreated in return. For we don’t love others based on how they treat us, but we love others based on God’s love for us and on his love working in and out through our lives in us loving others, even loving those who mistreat us and who do evil against us continually. For God is love!

And how did Jesus love us? He gave himself up for us sinners to free us from our slavery to sin so that we will now walk in obedience to him and to his commands in holy living. So we should dedicate our lives to loving others in this way by surrendering our own lives and reputations and time to God in order to share with others the truth of the gospel which will set them free from their bondage to sin so that they can also walk according to God’s will.

And Jesus did what he did despite how others treated him in return. He loved even when he was reviled in return, and when they called him “crazy” and “of Satan,” and when they accused him falsely of disobeying the commands of God. He was still loving the people when they hung him on that cross to die and when they beat him and spat on him and mocked him and when they treated him like he was the enemy. He still loved them!

And this is how we are to love. And even while we were still the Lord’s enemies he gave his life up for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him so that we can now be free from our slavery to sin and so we can now walk in holiness and in righteousness in obedient walks of faith in him. But not just that, but so that we can have eternal life with him in heaven, provided that we continue in these walks of faith to the very end.

So, we will not be known as the Lord’s disciples just for showing human love to one another, for human love is fickle, it is based in how we feel, and it is fluctuating depending on our circumstances, and it is not un-ending like agape love is. For feelings come and feelings go, and people can stop loving one another when they lose those “special feelings” that they once had. And this is why there are so many divorces in America. People fall out of love.

Therefore, other people should know that we are disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ when we love God and when love our fellow humans with this agape love which prefers what God prefers and which chooses his choices and obeys them in his power. They will know we are his followers when we love others even when they revile us and do evil against us and despitefully use us and treat us like dirt. For that is how Jesus loved and loves us.

You Loved Me

An Original Work / December 3, 2019
A song based off the poem by the same name


When I was lonely and afflicted,
You were there to pick me up.
You took me in Your arms,
And You held me tenderly.

Your love embraced me.
Your grace sustained me.

When my heart cried out to You
In my fear and my despair,
You never turned away,
But You let me know You loved me.

Your grace forgave me.
You did not shame me.

Then, when I answered the call,
“Here, Lord, send me.”
You sent me to where I must be.
Your mercy held me, did not fail me.
All this, You had planned, to use me.

And, when all trials and scorn
Came to test me.
You gave me all that I would need.
You strengthened me so I’d not fail You.
Your kindness blessed me, it touched me.

And, when I needed the church
To lift up me,
To hearten me so I’d not fail,
You blessed me with folks who would love me.
Their presence with me, Your praise hailed!

And, when I walked through the valley
Of the shadow of the death,
And tears flowed from my eyes,
Still Your kindness was there for me.

Your touch, it healed me.
For I believed You.

When now I think about the ways,
Of the many, many ways
That You in Your great love
Show me that You’ll always care for me,

My heart, it thanks You,
And gladness fills me, fills me.

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Suozzi wins Santos' former district--one Republican down, 2 or 3 to go...

Yippee. I am so excited.

The Queens/suburban district is seen as a bellwether for other swing districts that turned red in 2022.

Because I lived in NY-3 for 16 years, i had been so disheartened to see Santos representing them.

And hopefully a sign that Mike Johnson will go back into Congressional obscurity soon.

A PRAYER FOR DAILY NEGLECTS

I pray the following prayer every night before going to sleep. It is a good way for me to end my day. :)


"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with all its love, all its sufferings and all its merits.
First --- To expiate all the sins I have committed this day and during all my life. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Second --- To purify the good I have done poorly this day and during all my life. Glory Be, etc.
Third --- To supply for the good I ought to have done, and that I have neglected this day and all my life. Glory Be, etc."

"This Prayer for Daily Neglects, as it is best known, invites us to offer God the Father the Sacred Heart of his Divine Son, as we read below, in reparation for our sins. The third petition brings to mind the Penitential Rite at Mass."


Copied and pasted from: A Prayer For Daily Neglects: Offering The Sacred Heart Of Jesus

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