Brief introduction:

I wrote this song some time ago. I had posted it here on CF at some point, but realized the mix was not great, so I redid it and am reposting now. I wrote and performed this, every track and instrument. It's probably not the best, but I gave it my best, so I'm happy to share now with the community.

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AlexB23 said:

My 3rd Party candidate has fears for the country as well. The American Dream was never really a thing, but it has become less attainable in 2024 compared to 50 years ago. The American Solidarity party is worried that Democrats could turn our country woke.

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So how does a vote for your 3rd party candidate prevent Kamala from turning our country woke?

Malaysia​

Please pray for the safety of house churches as they become increasingly important for persecuted believers. Pray for local established churches to see the importance of these places and to start supporting them in whatever way they can.
YES - I will Pray

Malaysia​

Pray for Malaysian believers, whether from Chinese, Tamal or Malay backgrounds, to remain strong in their faith and to resist increasing intimidation. Leaving Islam has severe consequences from society and government and in law.
YES - I will Pray

Malaysia​

Pray for tolerance to be shown by the public, some of whom have been urged on by radical groups, throwing petrol bombs at a number of large supermarket chains, creating tension and anxiety among the majority of the population and fear among the minority Christians.
YES - I will Pray

Malaysia​

Pray for wisdom and discernment among the population, particularly Christian voters, as some radical groups attempt to sow disunity within the country, calling for bans and prohibitions. They claim these are in line with Islamic teaching.
YES - I will Pray

Malaysia​

Pray for fairness and acceptance to be maintained within society, especially in light of the recent attempt by a halal chain of bakeries to ban the writing of ‘Merry Christmas’ on their products.
YES - I will Pray

Malaysia​

Pray for the believers, particularly from Malay backgrounds, who are experiencing an increase in intolerance towards them.
YES - I will Pray

Malaysia​

Pray for the Government of Malaysia as it attempts sensitively to handle the growing political pressure from local radical groups.
YES - I will Pray

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Children’s Prayer Sheet​

It’s not only adults who can pray for our persecuted family. Every month we produce a prayer sheet aimed specifically for children. Each sheet has specific activities and prayers which will help children learn more about how persecution affects children in other countries.
You can visit our Children’s Prayer Sheet page here.

I found something very interesting on Youtube, it is a documentary on the third crusade. King Richard the Lionheart of England squared off against the Muslim leader Saladin in holy war to control the holy city of Jerusalem. This is an awesome history lesson and is important to watch in order to understand current events in the middle east, the middle eastern arabs are still bitter about the crusades to this day! This video is 1hr and 30mins but is a good watch! The link to the video is below, you can paste the link into your web browser:
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Micah's prophesied in 3:

9 Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight

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12 Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.

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More than a century later, Jeremiah affirmed that in 26:

18 Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: "'Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.'

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It was fulfilled in 2K 25:

8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 10 The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.

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Micah prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, and Jeremiah affirmed it and elaborated on it for the temple. It was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem.

Since this is the propaganda thread I thought I'd throw this off topic response from another thread into this one:

variant said:

The Heritage Foundation has basically been a guiding force for Republican policy for decades.

Their newly released radical project 2025 was wildly unpopular on arrival, so Republican politicians are now distancing themselves from it.

The issue here is that the document was straight forward and honest about what intellectual conservative think tanks properly want to do.

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Well, when you delve into it though a lot of what we hear about 2025 is a lie they get away with telling because people don't read 900 page documents to find out what they actually say in context.

Social security is one. I get daily ads on how Trump is going to end Social Security, that's not even in project 2025... Same with abortion bans. Not even in project 2025. Yet the ads from Kamala all blame project 2025.


However, while conservatives mainly and generally agree on many general topics, each conservative has their own ideas as to how that main objective could be best achieved, or even if it needs to be achieved at all.

This is why we elect individuals after hearing what THEY want to do and how they, individually, want to do implement their agenda for their term in office.

We don't elect think tanks. It's the individual the people think have the best vision who wins, not any think tank.

Think tanks only give us stuff to think about .. at best.

Conservatives aren't a collective. We aren't Marxist's or communists. We are individuals operating as individuals do in a Republic.

That's why Trump's Agenda is called Agenda 47..

For many Christians in Vietnam, following Jesus can bring intense hostility and even violence. While historical Christian communities, like Roman Catholic churches, enjoy some freedom, both non-traditional Protestants and those who convert from indigenous religions face intense pressure and violence for their faith, especially in the remote areas of central and northern Vietnam.
Most believers belong to ethnic minority groups, like the Hmong, and face social exclusion, discrimination and attacks. Their homes are sometimes destroyed, and they’re forced to leave their villages. Church meetings face constant surveillance and frequent raids.
The past year has seen a slight drop in pressure on believers from their families and local communities. However, there has also been an increase in violent attacks on believers and church buildings, and in the number of church leaders arrested.

Meet Sang​

“My father was my biggest persecutor, but he was also my biggest miracle.”
Sang (name changed), who persevered in his faith despite intense pressure from his father – and eventually his father came to know Jesus!

What does Open Doors do to help?​

Open Doors works through local partners to strengthen persecuted believers in Vietnam by providing relief and practical aid, advocacy support, Christian resources, leadership and discipleship training, and socio-economic development projects.

Please pray​

• Pray for protection for Christians from ethnic minorities.
• Pray that the country’s Communist leaders would open their hearts to the Christian community.
• Pray that Open Doors partners will be strengthened and encouraged in their work.

Of all the things about which I preach, very few (if any) provoke as strong (and usually negative) a reaction as the call to forgive. I get more angry pushback after a Mass at which I preach on forgiveness than when I speak about chastity, greed, or any other challenging moral topic.

It would seem that the anger is rooted in two things: first, that the call to forgive implies some dishonoring or diminishing of the pain or injustice someone has experienced, and second, that it seems to imply that there is a requirement to stay in or resume relationships that are poisonous or dysfunctional. But forgiveness need not imply either of these.

Forgiveness is a concept that is often misunderstood. Many people interpret it to mean that they must stop having negative feelings about something that happened to them, or toward someone who hurt them. Many also think of forgiveness as a work they must do out of their own power, rather than as a gift to be received from God. No! Forgiveness is a work of God within us, whereby He acts to free us from the poisonous effects of bitterness and grief that often accompany the harm that was inflicted upon us.

Forgiveness is letting go of the need to change the past. Obviously, we cannot change the past; we cannot change what has happened. But we too easily think that ruminating over past hurts will somehow change what happened or even “get back at” the other person. It will not. Refusing to forgive is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Clinging to our hurt and anger, understandable though it may be, only harms us.

Thus forgiveness is first for us, more so than for the other. In calling us to forgive, God is offering us the gift to be free of a great deal of poison and of a costly emotional state that robs us of joy and strength. Carrying anger and hurt is like lugging around bowling balls all day long. What a relief it is to just be free of that weight! And this is what God offers when He gives us the grace to forgive, to let go of the need to change the past, to let go of the desire for others to suffer because of what they have done to us.


Continued below.

Pray that Jesus Christ somehow miraculously Stops the war and famine in Sudan:

COMMENTARY: We commemorate the Crucifixion on Good Friday, but on Sept. 14 the cross itself is praised.
St. Francis receives the stigmata, by El Greco, 1585-1590 (photo: Public domain)
Eight hundred years ago, around the feast of the Triumph of the Cross (Sept. 14), Francis of Assisi received the “stigmata,” the five wounds of Jesus in his own body. He bore the wounds until his death in 1226, two years later. The Franciscans mark the feast of the stigmata on Sept. 17.

St. Francis received the stigmata at La Verna, where the Franciscans maintain a shrine today, just nine months after he created the first Nativity scene at Greccio. The Franciscans celebrated the 800th anniversary of that last Christmas.

Continued below.

I stood at the podium looking into a sea of faces at a loss for words. I had just concluded my remarks addressing the question “Is the Culture Toxic?” and I was fielding questions for the Q&A portion of our diocesan pro-life conference.

The very first question caught me off guard. After hearing my summary of the challenging and disheartening developments in medical research today, one audience member asked not about the precise moment that new life begins or the ethical ins and outs of reproductive technologies, but a question far more pressing and practical: “How do you stay joyful?” The incredulity in her voice was palpable.

I was thrown off by the unanticipated question. As I regained composure, I relayed to her the most joyous part of my life: my children. Their bright optimism and enthusiasm for each new day were always a stark contrast to the medical and ethical complexities I had just laid bare.

Continued below.

Stay at the church you are at unless you have a very good reason to leave.

Pray that Jesus Christ sends forth Christians & Christian missionaries so that they are guided by The Holy Spirit to comfort & heal Syrian Refugees who are rejected by the world:

Please pray Jesus Christ guides Nigeria's politicians, bureaucrats and business men to allocate financial spending properly, effectively, efficiently and quickly so that it benefits Nigerians:

" I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands." - Psalm143:5

Muse means to commune, converse with ones self, study, ponder, speak; to say to one's self in a thoughtful manner, gaze thoughtfully, to think about something carefully and thoroughly.
We're not talking about the mythological goddesses called muses, nor some personal creative force. The Biblical meaning is clear: it's a deep contemplation and pondering the works of God's hands, of all things natural in creation, and of all things spiritual - for even the evil must be considered, and how it became that way, and how God's mighty power overcomes evil. We muse upon all things God has done, "I remember the days of old." And also, we must muse upon the Word of God in all it's aspects from the written scriptures to the living Word became flesh who dwelt among us, full of grace and truth: Jesus, Yeshua.

We're going to take a look at several passages on wisdom, for wisdom will consider a matter, musing over it, and this scripturally is the will of God as revealed in His Holy Word.

"All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them." (Proverbs 8:8)
This is spoken by wisdom, who is the wisdom of God with God and brought up by God in the beginning, who is Jesus Christ the wisdom of God. Search the scriptures that these things be so. (Prov 8:22 & 30, 1 Cor. 1:30)

James 1:5-8,
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

Daniel 2:20-23,
Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

Daniel 12:19,
"Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand."

Who is the wise? They who have Jesus Christ, Yeshua Messiah, and that means abiding in him so that you as a branch feed daily from the vine, as Yeshua said, I am the vine, and ye are the branches (John 15:5)

Psalm 111:2,9 & 10,
The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever."

Those who are wise will seek after God, and His righteousness. They will be filled with the Spirit, and completely forsake the lusts if the flesh. They will not only reverence God, but will fear God, as in trembling, being afraid of, as Job said, and as the Hebrew word yare and Greek word phobos mean to fear, dread, be terrified. This in a healthy way, not paranoia.

Again in Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."
And Proverbs 14:27,
"The fear of the LORD is a fountain if life, to depart from the snares of death."

Luke 21:15, "For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist."

In wisdom we can muse on the mighty works and ways of our great and majestic LORD, as here in Job 40:9-14,
"Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee."

Pride is the antithesis of wisdom. And if you become proud because you've been given wisdom, watch out, because of Satan it is said, "thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness." (Ezekiel 28:17)

Hosea 7:11 -13
Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.
When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard.
Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me.

This is talking to Israel, a people who knew God, but did not know God. Israel had the law of God and the Prophets, much like the church has the entire Bible and preachers, but yet how many truly walk with Christ and obey Him?
Egypt = idolatry & occult, Assyria = violence & bloodshed, murder, assault, abortion. All of this we are seeing people embrace today, and in my lifetime of 63 years, I have seen this wickedness explode upon society, making the revolution spirit of the 1960s and 70s look tame!

Psalm 9:7-8,
But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

So, let's take a look at pride, and it's associated sins, because this is one issue we must be on guard against at all times, for it is the sin our enemy, the devil, loves to beset us with. This is such a serious matter. It does well to muse upon these things. We can look at Daniel again, where King Nebuchadnezzar was humbled and after being chastised said,
"Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.:

Proverbs 6:12-19,
A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."

When God says He hates something, you do well to take notice. These are strong words, hate and abomination. Do you understand what abomination is? It's utterly reprehensible, vile, loathsome, something you can't stand, something horrific, something that makes you sick.

Not only these 7 things are abomination to the LORD, but also unclean things, Idolatry, magic, sorcery, witchcraft, the occult - and I'll say it again, that's rock music, and a whole lot of movies and TV shows: nothing but witchcraft. You call it entertainment? It's witchcraft. Might as well go to a pagan ceremony and watch thinking it's cool, cuz it's the same. Homosexuality, beastiality, these also are abomination. It's right in Leviticus 18. God didn't change it; God didn't say it was OK now.

"Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor." (Prov. 14:9)
They think it's funny and fun. They make myriad of wicked comedy shows mocking sin, and practicing sin, to promote their sin, and make it funny. Now we can have fun in life, we can laugh - as it is written, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." And, "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenancd: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." (Prov 17:22 & 15:13)

Jeremiah 17:9 - A "good heart" doesn't exist apart from God. None measure up to His holiness and purity, and that is why Jesus must save, for without Him we are wicked, and vile, and we are lost headed to hell!
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Desperately wicked! How terrible and frightening this should be. Put away that pride and realize in your soul you are a fallen sinner, depraved and corrupt, dead while you live, heir to the Adamic nature going back to Genesis 3; ye shall surely die, for the wages of sin is death.

Jesus said "out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulterous, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemous. These are the things which defile a man..." (Matt 15:19-20)

In Revelation 9:20-21 there are people who refuse to repent no matter what. You don't wanna go along with this croud.

"The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" You do not have to die. MUSE upon these things, seek the wisdom that comes from above, that is the gift of God, for there is even the gift of the word of wisdom in 1 Corinthians 9.

Let us consider in deep thought what has been said here, and seek the Lord while He may be found, while the day of grace is still day, for the night cometh when no man can work, and a time shall come when the door shall be shut.

Arf.

Douggg said:

Christians are not required to keep the sabbath.

Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

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Sabbath days not Sabbath Day. You are misunderstanding that text. The word therefore tells us we must consider what is written before. What is written before that is part of the context?

Ok, so months ago, I wrote this love poem, and I wanted to know your thoughts. While not the main focus, it does have some Christian themes, and the narrator is essentially a self-insert of me. I'd like to know what my fellow Christians think.

I have an unfinished poem that's essentially a longer version of this, and I might post at a later date. But for now, here's...


The Parisian Beauty

"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."

Some of us don't listen to the news anymore.

Thanks for posting this alert.

When Satan throws his angry whacks
Against our Lord, he does attack
Against His servants, His Word, too;
We trust our Lord and His will do.
We put on Armor, fight with Sword;
We trust His Word, obey our Lord.

When battle’s fierce and fraught with fright,
We don’t do wrong. We do what’s right.
We walk in victory over sin.
To temptation, we don’t give in.
We trust our Lord, confide in Him,
And let His love now rule within.

We pass through waters, deep they be,
But they shall not overtake me,
For now my Lord is at my side,
Because in Him I now abide.
The fires of hell will not burn me,
Because my Lord delivered me.

We have no reason or cause for fear
When our Lord Jesus we hold dear.
When He is precious in our sight,
We won’t give up, give in to fright.
But, we’ll keep watch throughout the night,
Patiently wait till we take flight.

For us, our Lord will make a way
When on our knees we bow and pray;
Submit to Him as Lord within,
And make him our sure next of kin;
Forsaking sin, walk in His ways,
From this day on, throughout our days.

An Original Work / December 31, 2019

Kokavkrystallos said:

I read this only after I posted "The Fury & Fierceness of Almighty God " in which it talks about Isaiah prophesying of end times, then I see you mentioning same in this message. The LORD is speaking most assuredly!

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I see that another reader/responder has responded to you here, but I assume that your comment here was addressed to me, the author of the OP. Thank you for your comment. I appreciate it. Yes, the Lord is speaking, but sadly not everyone is listening.

When we humans are born into this world we are born with sin natures, in the image of Adam, the first man God created and the first man to sin against God. Ever since Adam sinned all humans have been born with sin natures separate from God and not able in ourselves to attain to God’s approval and to his righteousness. And that is why God the Father sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth, ultimately to be the final and full blood sacrifice for the sins of the entire world so that by genuine faith in him we might be delivered from slavery to sin and obey God with our lives.

[Rom 3:9-26; Rom 5:12-19; 1 Co 15:21-22,42-49; Eph 2:8-10]

By God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ we are thus 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. Therefore we are not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to our Lord is what we obey, that leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (Romans 6:1-23).

So, if we are indeed those who are denying self and dying daily to sin, by the Spirit, and who are walking in obedience to the Lord, in practice, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, then Satan is going to be hot on our trail to try to get us to fail and to disobey God and/or to falsely accuse us of wrongdoing and/or to attack us and persecute us in some way in order to hurt us and/or to attempt to make us look bad, and/or to get other humans to hate and reject us and to mistreat us, hoping that we will give up.

And so when we are going through such times as this, if we are truly followers of Jesus Christ, we are going to call upon the Lord in prayer. And we will seek his counsel, his wisdom, and his direction in knowing what to do, and in what to say, and in how to respond (react) to what we are being called upon to endure for the sake of the name of Jesus and for the sake of his gospel message. And if we are patient, and if we don’t try to take matters into our own hands, the Lord will lead us in the way to go.

Now our salvation from sin is not free license to keep walking in deliberate and habitual sin, regularly returning to our vomit, committing the same evil acts over and over again. For our God is not a God who delights in wickedness. Evil cannot dwell with him. Evildoers, i.e. those who make evil their practice (their “go to” habitually) will not stand before God as those who are righteous in his eyes. For God hates lies. He hates all that is evil. And the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and the deceitful who speak lies.

So, if we want to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God, we must deny self, die to sin daily, and walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, by the Spirit, via God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ. And sin must no longer be what we practice. We must walk in the fear of the Lord in surrender to his will, in submission to his Lordship, and in honoring him as the holy God that he is via our walks of obedience to him in holy living. And we must be those who are being led to walk in righteousness.

For if we continue in deliberate and habitual and premeditated sin against the Lord, continually returning to the same willful sins over again without genuine repentance (turning away from sin) and without genuine submission to the will of God for our lives in walks of obedience to his commands, then we will face the judgment of God, regardless of what our lips profess. And we will not inherit eternal life with God. For true faith results in walks of obedience to our Lord and in death to sin, by the Spirit.

And all of us who have trusted Christ with our lives, who have died with him to sin, and who are dying daily to sin, and who are walking in obedience to his commands in holy living, are in genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. Our faith is genuine because it results in dying to sin and following our Lord in obedience, and so we can be assured of salvation from sin and eternal life with God provided we continue on that course and we do not turn away from the Lord and go the opposite direction and stay there.

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

Give Ear to Jesus

An Original Work / February 16, 2016
Based off Isaiah 55

Call on your Savior.
Seek the Lord while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way;
Turn to the Lord.
God will have mercy.
He’ll forgive you of your sin.
He will freely pardon you
And give peace within.
Turn from your sin, follow Jesus,
Be cleansed from sin.

Give ear to Jesus.
Come to Him. Your soul will live.
Listen to Him speaking to you:
“Eat what is good.”
If you are thirsty,
Come to Jesus, drink from Him.
Drink His Spirit given to you.
Be born again.
Listen to Him. Do what He says.
Rejoice in Him.

God’s Word, eternal,
Will achieve what He desires.
He is willing none should perish,
Saved by His blood.
Share now the gospel.
Jesus died so we’d go free.
Walk in vict’ry,
Free from your sin, eternally.
Die to sin, and live to Jesus.
In Him believe.

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If we are following Jesus Christ with our lives, in earnest submission to him as Lord, and in sincere surrender of our wills to the will of God, and if our desire truly is to do the will of the Lord, as is evidenced by our walks of faith and obedience to God, and by daily dying to sin and to self, we are going to be opposed by Satan and by other humans who are not following the Lord in full surrender to his will, but who are still walking in sin and living for themselves and for the sinful pleasures of the flesh. Some will reject us.

And in those times of difficulty we need to call upon the Lord to give us relief in our distress, as he has done so many times before. We need to go to him for our strength and for our support and for godly counsel in knowing the right things to do and to say, and in how to respond to others who are treating us with disdain. For we need the wisdom of God, especially in times like these so that we don’t go beyond where we should go, and so that we don’t do and say things he does not want us to say and to do.


So, if other humans turn our honor into shame, what would that look like? It might be that they mock us and they disparage us for our walks of faith and obedience to the Lord. They might accuse us falsely of what they call “works-based salvation” because we believe that true faith will result in genuine repentance and genuine walks of faith in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And they might treat us with scorn and reproach because we take God and his word to heart, and because we follow the Lord.

Or they might twist our honor in order to try to make it look as though it is dishonor because of some twisted concept that they have of how certain things should look. This often stems from them taking Scriptures out of context and misconstruing them toward their benefit, although they do not meet the necessary requirements for those Scriptures to apply to their lives. For they desire to have cause to accuse us of wrongdoing while they justify their own wrongs which they commit willfully and with full approval.

But we can find comfort in knowing that the Lord has set us, who are godly in his sight, apart for himself and for his service to do his will and what he desires. He has called us, and he has trained us, and he has equipped us for his service that we might walk with him in obedience to his commands and follow him in the ways in which he leads us. And so when we are in distress, and when we are being mistreated for righteousness’ sake, we can call upon the Lord and he will hear us and he will guide us in the way we should go.


Now it is somewhat difficult here for me to grasp the context of this in relation to what was just said previously, and to whom these words are spoken. Are they spoken to his enemies? Even though they were angry at David for some reason, to where they dishonored him, and to where they were believing the lies and not the truth, they were not to let that anger turn to sin? But weren’t they already sinning against David by their treatment of him? I find it difficult to understand the context here.

Nonetheless, can we learn something from this? Yes! And Paul repeated this instruction in Ephesians 4:26. And I have almost always understood this to mean that, although we may feel anger, at times, because anger is a natural human emotion which serves as an indicator to us that something is wrong, we are not to let that anger stew within us to the point to where it turns to sinful behaviors. For it is out of the heart that come evil behaviors, and if anger is stored up in our hearts, it will rise its ugly head through sin.

So, even if we are angry for just causes, like anger over abortion or adulteries or the senseless murdering of innocents or prejudice or whatever other just cause there may be, we are not to let that anger turn to bitterness and hatred and resentment and the mistreatment of others. We are not to let the sun go down while we are still angry, but we are to take our anger to the Lord in prayer and let him fill us with his love and peace. And we are to pray for good ways that we can make a difference in this world of ours.


When our trust is fully in the Lord and not in the flesh of other humans, and not in ourselves and in our own intellect and reasoning, we can be at peace even in the most difficult of circumstances. We know that God is completely sovereign over our lives and that nothing can touch us but what God allows it, and he allows it for a purpose. And he will give us all we need to endure the trial and to learn what we need to learn during the trial so that we continue to grow to maturity in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; John 16:33; John 17:14; Acts 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Eph 6:10-20; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

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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PLYMOUTH, Mich. (OSV News) — Local author Rebecca W. Martin has debuted her first novel, “Love in the Eternal City” (Chrism Press), a Catholic romance that not only tells the love story between a Swiss Guard and an American expat, but also serves as Martin’s own love letter to the city of Rome.

“Love in the Eternal City,” the first of Martin’s planned Swiss Guard romance trilogy, tells the story of Elena Gattino, an American from the Midwest who travels to Rome for a fresh start. There, she meets Benedikt Rechsteiner, a member of the Swiss Guard, and his sister Rianna. Throughout the novel, the reader can explore Rome through the eyes of Beni and Elena as their own friendship and romance blossom.

“Love in the Eternal City” takes readers to Rome​

Martin, 31, a parishioner at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth along with her husband, is a book editor at Our Sunday Visitor. “Love in the Eternal City” is her first novel and third book, having previously published “The Catholic Wedding Planner,” a guide for Catholic brides and grooms, and a children’s book, “Meet Sister Mary Margaret.”

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