Semper-Fi said:

Not sure where you get the earth is level.

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Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?… Job 38:4

Diamond72 said:

That is a lot of years that we would not have if the doctors had not given it to us. My problem is that it is still not easy to live right before God and that is still a struggle. They talk about Hezekiah and the 15 years he was given. Some people say he did not make the best use he could have with the years he was given.

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Often what we see as failures in ourselves, God does not see.

God gives us the desire to love as He loves. Whatever we
do, must be done out of love.

Sure, we get impatient and say things we shouldn't have.
But that's not as important as uniting yourself with Christ.

I've been trying to live according to St Theresa's "Little Way."
That is, I try to offer up every hardship or small difficulty to
God. I forget to do it most of the time, but I'm trying.

Basketball said:

To go to Heaven and be saved(eternal life), believe on the Lord Jesus Christ(who is God and our Savior) for eternal life. This means to be saved, believe, trust and have faith in Jesus alone that he saved you. In addition, you should believe, trust and have faith in the gospel that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again. The gospel is for the justification of our sins.

What would you change, add and omit?

You repent when you believe on Jesus Christ/believe that Jesus alone saved you.

I omitted the blood because I feel it is not needed when you already have Jesus died for our sins.

Regarding "To go to Heaven and be saved(eternal life), believe on the Lord Jesus Christ(who is God and our Savior) for eternal life. This means to be saved, believe, trust and have faith in Jesus alone that he saved you". I used past tense in "he saved you". Is this correct? Does it depend on the person's perspective on 'he saved you". I am already saved by "believe on Jesus Christ for eternal life", so "he saved you" works in the message.

I use the word "should" in "you should believe" because I am close to 100% sure that the gospel is not required when you believe on Jesus for eternal life/believe that Jesus alone saved you. You should believe and trust in the gospel as it is common knowledge for Christians.

Thank you.

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It depends on who you are speaking to and how much gospel they need.

A person who is trying to be justified by their good deeds needs to know everyone has sinned and needs Jesus to forgive them. A person who takes a license in their faith, sinning when they should not, needs to know "they should not sin". There are many facets to the gospel, and the person to whom it is presented will need a part of the word of God.

If you want a good gospel message you need to incorporate all of the parts in one. I am not saying the following is good, just a way I am rationalizing it.

To go to heaven is not a one-off experience, or confessing a single prayer. It is a persistent lifestyle (Romans 2:6-7) of honoring and following God and His word. Sure it starts with prayer, if we believe God's message, and believe Jesus paid for our sins, with His death on the cross became a sacrifice for us, that we might be forgiven. We need to act and receive Jesus (Romans 10:9) into our hearts and confess that truth (1 Peter 3:15, Mathew 10:32). He promises to forgive our past, present, and future sins (Hebrews 9:27-28), and to help us overcome our sins and weaknesses (1 John 3:9). As Christians we are not to use grace and God's forgiveness as a license to remain in our sins (Galatians 5:13, Romans 6: 1-2), we are to flee our sins (1 Corinthians 6:18), if we persist in sin and rebellion against God's law we can fall away (1 Corinthians 9:27, Hebrews 6:6, 2 Peter 2:21-22). If we stumble into sin, act unwisely, or even for a short time rebel, God will attempt to restore us (James 5:19-20, 1 John 5:16, 1 John 1:9), but we must in general through patient continuation in doing good see eternal life (Romans 2:7-9). This is not to say we are justified by our deeds (Romans 4:16), our justification comes from the cross, but faith without works is dead (James 2:19-20), even demons believe, belief alone (if it has no works) does not save, but faith working together with our obedience (John 14:23), our deeds showing our faith is perfect (James 2:22). We trust in God to forgive us, but we live the way God wants. We do not trust our works to save us, but we seek a higher life.

Fantine said:

I guess they are inspired by the new President. He removed General Mille's picture from a wall of honor for all the joint chiefs of staff. General Mille, a national hero, who tried to warn us and protect us against the new president, considering, in his expert and experienced position, a grave danger to national security.

He has removed other pictures and plaques of American heroes whose only offense is disagreeing with him.

So if Henry Hyde's picture is removed, don't complain to us. Tell the president you voted for to stop being a bad example in every conceivable way possible for all Americans.

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It’s OK to dishonor Henry Hyde because … Trump?

essentialsaltes said:

In the OP's defense, the story involves two Venezuelans. But it looks like Biden and Trump are in a 1-1 tie when it comes to arresting North Carolina alleged Tren de Aragua members.

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It's not a contest or a blame game for the past. These predators are here, and there is a major ongoing effort, which everyone should support, to arrest and deport the most violent of the individuals. And we need to find the children. Some have been found in raids in New York and Chicago meat packing facilities, working the midnight shift. So many were allowed by the Biden administration to go to unvetted sponsors. Tom Homan mentioned one guy sponsored I think it was 1600 individuals and that guy is dead.

Hi Carl,

I have to admit I did not watch your son's videos, at least not yet, I hour just seemed too long. But I will add my two cents to this.

I believe we are in the End Times, or close to it. Due to the following reasons:

1. Predictive Dreams I had around 6 -10 years ago
2. Prophecy given to the church through ministers of the gospel that is coming to pass

I will discuss the two here.

Predictive Dreams​

Some years ago ( around 5 years before the war) I had three predictive dreams about the Russian war with Ukraine, each dream when I awoke I felt came from God. In one of the dreams I saw Russian fighting vehicles, and when I saw them I heard God say "The End", and I felt like the Russians were causing my death, even bringing the very end of time itself.

Prophecy​

This is going to be a hard one for many to swallow. But people with a genuine prophetic gift have predicted that the West will be destroyed by Russian nukes, shortly before Jesus returns. If you scour the news out of Russia you will see they often threaten Nuclear conflict with the West over Ukraine.

Among the prophecies, are:

A 90-year-old woman, who gave the Valdres Prophecy <The Valdres Prophecy>. It was given in 1964 and she accurately predicted events in the church and society up to the Ukraine war, which she said would turn Nuclear at it end.

David R. Wilkerson 1993 - Set the Trumpet to Thy Mouth | Internet Archive, accessed 4 October 2024, <https://archive.org/details/settrumpettothym0000davi
/page/12/mode/2up>. Predicted that before Jesus returns the USA will be destroyed by Nukes.

William Branham <1933 7 Visions of William Branham | William Branham> accurately predicted the events of the Second World War. The rise of Communism. He told us to watch Russia. That when we see bubble-like self-driving cars, the end is soon. His vision ended with the total fiery destruction of the USA, after a woman was in the white house.

Conclusion​

From my dreams, and supporting prophecy, I believe we are in the End Days.

They are no longer relevant. Their hatred has been exposed and no one believes them anymore.

We should meditate on the good commands of Jesus and his apostles

There is an old idiom which says something like, “Don’t put the cart before the horse.” The meaning has to do with doing things in the wrong order, something done contrary to the natural or normally effective sequence of events (source: Wikipedia). And that is what I thought of when I read Peter’s response to the Lord Jesus, when he declared to Jesus that he would lay down his life for him. Why was that in the wrong order? Peter took it for granted that he would have the correct response ahead of the situation.

And we can easily fall into that same trap if we are not careful. We might look at other people’s situations and think how differently we would have responded if that would have been us, when we have not walked where they have walked. And this is not excusing away deliberate and habitual sin on the part of anyone who professes the name of Jesus. It is just saying that, until we have walked in their shoes, i.e. until we have gone through something similar, we don’t really know what our response will be.

So, whatever might come our way, we cannot be 100% positive of how we will act and react until we are there, going through it. We can certainly pray that our faith will not fail, and that we will be given the right words to say, by the Lord, and that he will give us the strength we need to endure whatever we face so as to stand strong, and to not yield to the enemy. But what comes to mind here is, “Take heed if you think you stand lest you fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12 paraphrased). We must not be too sure of ourselves.

And that is where Peter failed. But not only was he too sure of himself and of what he would do, but he didn’t believe Jesus when the Lord warned him that, not only would he not lay his life down for the Lord, but he would deny the Lord three times. And how do I know that Peter didn’t believe Jesus? Because he did not heed the warning, and he did exactly as Jesus said he would. When Jesus was arrested, Peter denied him three times out of fear of what might happen to him if he associated himself with the Lord Jesus.

So, what can we learn from Peter’s lesson? We can learn to be humble, to be realistic in our self-evaluations, and to see ourselves as human beings, mere clay in the hands of the Potter, still capable of doing wrong. If we assume that we are always going to do what is right, and that we will never have an incorrect response, then we are setting ourselves up for failure. We have to be on guard all the time against the wiles of the devil, for he is going to “pull out all the stops” to try to defeat us. So we have to be armored up (Ephesians 6:10-20).

But on the flip side of that, if we always assume that we are going to fail, and so we don’t really put forth the effort to make certain that we are wearing our spiritual armor, and that we are listening to the Lord, and that we are actively walking in obedience to his ways, in his power, then we also set ourselves up for failure. For if we are going to live holy lives pleasing to the Lord, and not make sin our practice, we must have daily disciplines we go by and we must be followers of Christ who deliberately are doing his will.

And when the voice of the Holy Spirit speaks gently to our hearts and says, “Don’t go there!,” we need to not go there. We should not tempt fate, as the saying goes. We cannot play with sin, not even one little bit, for it won’t take much and we can be back on the wrong path. For every little compromise can lead to another and to another until the compromise has grown and it is much larger, and it has now taken over, and the Lord is now seated in the back seat instead of the one driving the vehicle. So take God seriously!!

Believe his warnings in the Scriptures! So many people professing faith in Jesus Christ today are being taught to ignore God’s warnings, as though they are irrelevant for the one who professes his name. But most of the warnings in the New Testament are given to the church, not to the world, and the warnings are against falling back into sin and thinking that they can dabble in sin, deliberately and habitually, and still have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. It “ain’t so!” Live to sin? Die in your sins.

But might we fail sometimes to be all who God wants us to be? We may. That is true (1 John 2:1-2). We are still works in progress whom God is molding into his likeness, if our faith is genuine, and if our lives are surrendered to the Lord to do his will. But God “draws a line in the sand,” so to speak. If sin is what we practice, deliberately and habitually, and obedience to our Lord is not what we practice, by his grace, then we are not in fellowship with the Lord, and we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[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; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You

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Take Heed if You Think You Stand
An Original Work / February 14, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Books mentioning slavery, civil rights removed from shelves at Fort Campbell schools​

FORT CAMPBELL, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – At an elementary school at Fort Campbell, home of the 101st Airborne Division, librarians are hard at work scrubbing the shelves. But they aren’t scrubbing for dust. They’re scrubbing for books that contain references to slavery, the civil rights movement and anything else related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

On Feb. 6, DoDEA (the Department of Defense Education Activity) sent to administrators and school employees at 161 schools around the world a letter “to ensure compliance with executive orders and recent DoD guidance.”

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by Clarksville Now, lays out several new directives. Many of them were expected, including that programs designated for girls “may only be accessed by biological females,” and that signage for restrooms and locker rooms must use terms such as “women” and “men” or “girls” and “boys.”

But the document also bans celebration or promotion of “monthly cultural observances.” This includes the immediate cancellation of any celebrations under way. At Fort Campbell Schools, that meant teachers had to remove all bulletin boards that reference Black History Month and Black leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks, according to a source speaking to Clarksville Now on condition of anonymity. Fort Campbell Schools are also canceling plans for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. There’s no word yet on Women’s History Month, set for March.

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I think this is a combination of "malicious compliance" and fear instilled from the top. Like the previous situation with the Air Force hastily removing Tuskegee Airmen information from basic training instruction (which came back with "That's not what we meant" from Hegseth), I think this merely takes asking further questions. They need not respond in this extremity of immediate activity, given that there is plenty of time (90 days) to request more specific guidance.

More significantly, schools serving military facilities in the US may be on military property, but they are not federal government schools...they are state government schools. They are not DoD institutions. The EOs don't even apply to them...they're taking these actions to prove a point.

Here are the three Executive Orders that the Ft Campbell schools are responding to.




This isn't returning to 1950, it's more like returning to 2008...which is okay with me.

Reluctant Theologian said:

Reduced head count also means less office space, less overhead that comes with the work force .. etc.

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You're still talking less than 10%. The government isn't going to get rid of major government properties. Anything like substantial consolidation of facilities would take a decade.

Reluctant Theologian said:

And don't underestimate the improvement of agility in decision making. But like Musk says - eliminating the deficit is not optional, it's essential. (now I certainly don't agree with everything he says - but he's right about that).

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You're conflating a single-digit reduction of workforce into "eliminating the deficit," which it certainly won't. In fact, it will increase cost--as any major corporation could tell you--in the short run.

Reluctant Theologian said:

To eliminate the USA Federal deficit - cuts are necessary to the amount of USD 5 billion per day. I seem to recall DOGE is already at USD 1 billion per day now. So given this pace I might think it's achievable within a year. But I'm not naive, it will come with massive resistance and very big adjustments in society.

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They haven't cut anything yet--those are projections.

alaric said:

Matthew 20:1-16 (The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard)

In the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, every worker received the same payment. However if we compare the amount of work for the same payment, the workers who were employed at the last hour worked significantly less than those workers who were employed earlier.

The Gospel of Grace began when Jesus work finished.

In the beginning, Christians were killed for spreading the Gospel. (Satan trying to cut off the message before it starts to spread?)

After that, Christians were persecuted by non-believers. (Since Satan is unable to cut off the message, he tried to restrict it from spreading?)

Later on, Christians were rejected by other Christians for believing the amazing message of the Gospel which seems too good to be true. (Since Satan is unable to restrict the spreading, he tried to hide the full message?)

Throughout history, God is spreading and unveiling the Gospel of Grace while Satan is restricting and blinding.

We are living in the last days where the Gospel is spread and unveiled. God is not judging us based on what we deserved. Instead, God is blessing us just for trusting in him.

Doesn’t the Parable of the Worker in the Vineyard illustrate the history of Christianity? As the Gospel of Grace is unveiled, the church is blessed and become brighter.

I believe that there are different degree of rewards for all believers. But the best is reserved for the end time generation.

Isaiah 60:2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

At the same time, the generation reserved for the worst punishment. Those who reject Jesus will enter the time of the tribulation where they will receive the mark of the beast. They will be punished with full fury of God forever.

Revelation 14:9-11 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they too will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

I believe that there are different degree of punishment for all non-believers. But the worst is reserved for the end time generation.

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Good thoughts. Interesting notion about the use of "the last will be first and the first last". But be careful about taking parallelism too far; the story was told for the purpose of the conclusion. Anything Christ did not say about it is speculation. I'm glad you included the disclaimer, "I believe", instead of saying that "this is the truth of it". A useful tool for interpretation of Scripture is, "one meaning, many applications". The meaning is what Christ said. How that applies need constant and continual review.

I give thanks to GOD for the improvements in relationships at work. Praise GOD for the guidance and wisdom GOD has provided to navigate through challenges and for the blessing of harmony among colleagues. I ask for continued favor and blessing in this area. May the Holy Spirit fill the workplace with love, understanding, and acceptance

In Jesus' mighty name, I ask for prayers for growth in professional relationships and for an environment that is conducive to productivity and personal fulfillment. I ask for prayers that any remaining barriers to acceptance be broken down by the power.

Thank you for any and all prayers.

HarleyER said:

I've posted a number of articles primarily favorable to the Democrat's view (probably paid for with USAID funds). All of them support what I'm saying and if you cannot access any of them, then simply do a Google and you'll get many more liberal papers stating the same thing.

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I addressed the issues you raised. You claimed "Trump was not allowed to call any expert witnesses." By your own admission, that was incorrect. You also claimed that Judge Merchan's actions showed bias, but you've yet to support that assertion. The fact that he imposed a gag order but, despite repeated violations of that order, never imposed jail time showed deference to the defendant, rather than a negative bias. For that matter, the sentence he imposed alone showed that Judge Merchan was far more lenient toward Trump than another judge in any other circumstances would likely be.

HarleyER said:

Several times you state that this was "within the judge's authority. Judges are suppose to conduct hearings impartially. This was not done.

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In your opinion. As I said, if the court of appeals feels that Judge Merchan was not impartial in the way he conducted the case, they can so rule. As for us, speaking as two laymen (I'm assuming you are no more a legal expert than I am), we simply disagree.

HarleyER said:

Every judgement was against Trump and his lawyers.

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The verdict was decided by the jury, not the judge.

HarleyER said:

And the judge suppressed information and issued gag orders so the public couldn't see what was going on.

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The gag order was on Donald Trump specifically, not the court proceedings. Those are public record.

For your perusal:

HarleyER said:

And, no, it won't go to appeal because the judge just up and nullified the fine and the sentence. Sweet deal. So no appeal.

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Trump can still appeal, and he has, in fact, done so:

HarleyER said:

Trump is considered a felon and has no way to appeal the ruling.

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And yet, he has.

HarleyER said:

I'm always baffled by people who aren't outraged by this behavior no matter what their political leaning.

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I'm similarly baffled by people who continue to trust, let alone vote for, someone who has been proven guilty of fraud in court on multiple occasions. But diff'rent strokes and all that, right?

HarleyER said:

Imagine a judge controlling a trial to get a particular verdict, gaging the defendant and lawyers so they couldn't say anything to the public,

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Trump may not have been able to threaten court officials or witnesses in public, but that never prevented him or his legal team from presenting their case and their defense in court.

HarleyER said:

and surpressing trial documents so that the outside public couldn't see what was actually going on.

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Court proceedings are public record. What has been suppressed?

Again:

HarleyER said:

Some people just don't seem to mind if it happens to people they don't like-until it happens to them.

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I have no problem with people being prosecuted for crimes when there is ample evidence for those crimes, regardless of whether the defendant is someone I like or dislike. The evidence should always be the guiding force in any court case, and in this one, the jury viewed that evidence and unanimously decided that Trump was guilty on all counts. You are, of course, free to disagree with their verdict, but you did not see the evidence and testimony they saw, so your opinion may not be as informed as theirs was.

As to your vague accusations of impropriety on the Judge's part, so far, the NY Supreme Court disagrees with you on the matter of recusal, and if the appeals court sees any other legal or procedural improprieties or errors, they'll rule on that when they decide to. I don't see any myself, but I admit, I'm not a lawyer so maybe I missed something. And as for that purported juror's misconduct...well, I know nothing about that, beyond what I've found. So nothing further can be said.

I don't know if you are a lawyer, or what your legal experience is, so maybe you know stuff I don't. But if you don't show me that stuff, I can't know it, and I can't make any conclusions about it.

What we're left with, in the end, is you don't like that Trump was found guilty of fraud, based on the evidence.

Sorry.

-- A2SG, but reality is what it is, whether we like it or not....

AV1611VET said:

Since the flight crew are Wise Men they are really fools and God will show them they are fools by crashing the plane.

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They would accuse you of trying to crash an airplane. Of course, since you do not believe that the Wright Brothers had the right formula, you do not believe planes can even fly.

Oompa Loompa said:

The only thing we have to lose is the toxic chemicals in our food and high fructose corn syrup in sodas.

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If the food is the problem, then put him in charge of the Department of Agriculture. Don't put the radically pro-choice guy in charge of Health and Human Services, the department has the has the most influence on abortion.

I know he tried to back away from his previous stances on abortion, but surely someone else can be chosen for the position who you don't have to worry about that with.

Fantine said:

OK. I had that mixed up with the article you posted from unherd.com in another thread. I am staying away from this site till the hearts go away though. They're very distracting.

I like Valentines Day as much as everyone else, but not dancing around a page I'm seeing with my septugenarian eyes.

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I don't like the holiday theme embedded into the forums. Therefore, long ago, I checked a box in my account settings to disable that feature.

Pommer said:

Especially since we already have one (in the making).

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What do you mean?

Dysfunctional we are,
In a state of mass confusion,
If the truth we push aside,
And we bow to the illusion.

Deception now abounds
Mostly everywhere we look,
While deceivers working now
To get all onto their hook.

Masqueraders plenty
Playing, “Guess now who we are?”
But according to God’s Word,
They will not get very far.

Yes, the beast must rise and fool
All the masses in his net,
And the world will crash and fall,
But the end, it is not yet.

We must go through tribulation,
And be killed for what we know,
If we do not take his mark
On our lives, and that will show.

But the Lord, He will be with us,
If our love for Him is pure,
If we follow His example,
And our trials we endure.

If we follow in His footsteps,
Now go with Him where He leads,
Leave our lives of sin behind us,
On His Word we daily feed.

Do not fear now what awaits us,
With the passing of our days,
Listen to what our Lord teaches,
Follow Him in all His ways.

An Original Work / February 13, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Infancy stage: Today I invited Jesus into my car. He is in the back seat observing me. I must do my best to obey all the traffic rules so that he will be please with me. I think God help those who help themselves. Jesus will surely bless those who pleases him.

Toddler stage: No matter how much I tried, I am unable to maintain my patience for inconsiderate drivers on the road. There are rules that I should not break but sometimes I choose break those rules. I relocated Jesus onto the passenger seat next to me. Probably, I will be able to perform better with him as a partner rather than an observer. I think if I work together with God, nothing is impossible for me to achieve. I can do all things through Jesus who give me strength.

Adult stage: It did not work out even with Jesus sitting next to me. He did gave me instructions and directions. When I lose my patience and got angry, I disregarded him and did want I wanted to do. Strangely, I did not remember once Jesus got angry with me for disregarding him. Just found out that he is not even assessing my performance. What he wanted all along is to relief all my burdens of being a chauffeur. I vacated my driver seat and Jesus took over. Right now, I am sleeping soundly while Jesus is driving.

How does God define a sinner? Are everyone born perfect (non-sinner) but become a sinner after he committed a sin?

According to the bible in Romans 5:17-19, it is written that we are sinners because of Adam’s sin.

Romans 5:17-19

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

This means that everyone is born into this world as a sinner. We do not get to choose whether we want to be born as a sinner or non-sinner.

Why is this so? It is written in Genesis 5:3 that after Adam sinned, man is born in the likeness and image of Adam.

Genesis 5:3

And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.

Since Adam and Eve were the only couple on earth at the time, it is common sense to say that everyone are born in the likeness and image of them. I see Adam and Eve as if they are the mould and everyone is a product formed by the mould. When the mould is corrupted, everyone will end up corrupted.

Therefore as a sinner, we sinned in thought, action and desire. Even after being saved and born again Christian, we still sin. As written by Paul in the bible in Romans 7:15-20.

Romans 7:15-20

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Why does Christian still sinning even after born again?

When a person is born again as a Christian, God’s spirit in-dwell the believer. The believer’s soul is cleansed. But the body remains unchanged. There is still a part of us that wants to sin. If you are a true born again Christian, you will experience this struggle as descripted by Paul in Romans 7:22-24



Romans 7:22-24

For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

Therefore, I conclude that no one can stop sinning. If someone tells you that he is able to stop sinning, that person is a liar and has committed the sin of lying. A person who does not sin outwardly in action, does not mean that he will not sin in thought or desire.

In Jeremiah 17:9, God descript the human heart as desperately wicked and deceitful.

Jeremiah 17:9

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

If the core of our being is deceitful and wicked, then no wonder God does not accept our righteous works. For our righteous works may be tainted or motivated by selfish desires.

Isaiah 64:6

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Because of Adam’s disobedience, we are born sinners and no amount of good deeds or sacrifice on our part can redeem us from death. Thanks be to God who sent his son, Jesus who lived a sinless life and suffered our punishment to redeem us from death. By Jesus’ obedience, we are made righteous.

Romans 5:19

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Although every Christians still sins and are not perfect, but God has put us In-Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:30

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

Because when we are In-Christ, God see us as if we are Christ. We are righteous and holy because Christ is righteous and holy. God’s righteousness and holiness are gifts to us who believe in Jesus and his finished work.

1 John 4:17

This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

God will no longer judge us based on what we did. But God will judge us based on what Christ’s finished work. We are all accepted and perfected in-Christ.

After the death of Jesus, there are significant changes between the Old Testament and New Testament. If we understand the reason for the changes, then we will be able flow with God in the new things that he is doing in this dispensation.

Difference no.1

In the Old Testament, only selected few individuals have the Holy Spirit. Who are these individuals? Below are just a few examples of individual who have the Holy Spirit.

• Abraham, Isaac, Joseph and Bezalel
• Prophets: Moses, Samuel, Daniel
• Judges: Joshua, Samson, Gideon
• Kings: King Saul, King David

(Joshua) Deuteronomy 34:9 = Joshua is filled with the Holy Spirit to take on Moses' responsibilities.

(King Saul) 1 Samuel 19:18-24 = King Saul and his servants are filled with the Spirit and prophesy.

(Daniel) Daniel 5:11 = There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him.

(Bezalel) Exodus 31:1-3 = Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills

God chooses these few individual for a specific task. For Joshua, King Saul and King David, the anointing to lead. For Daniel, the anointing to prophesize, For Bezalel, the anointing to build.

In the New Testament, every true born again Christian have the Holy Spirit sealed within them. We can see this in the New Testament’s scriptures.

1 John 4:4 = You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one (Holy Spirit) who is in you is greater than the one (Satan) who is in the world.

Ephesians 1:13 = And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:19 = Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.

Colossians 3:11 = Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and IS IN ALL.

Romans 8:9 = You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
In the Old Testament, only a few selected individual have the Holy Spirit to empower them to complete specific task. But in the New Testament, every true born and Christian will have the Holy Spirit. If a person claim to be a Christian but does not have the Holy Spirit within he/she, that person is not a true Christian and does not belong to Christ.
Difference no. 2

In the Old Testament, there is a possibility that the Holy Spirit leaving the chosen individual if there is disobedience or sin. We can see from a few example in bible.

In the case of King Saul who is afraid of men and failed to obey God

1 Samuel 15:24 = Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.

1 Samuel 16:14 = Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.

In the case of Samson whose has supernatural strength from the Lord but become weak when the Holy Spirit departed from him

Judges 14:6 = The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.

Judges 16:20-21 = Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.

King David must have saw what happen to King Saul and know of this fact. We can see it in Psalm 51:11, his plead with God not to remove the Holy Spirit from him.

Psalm 51:11 = Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

In the New Testament, every true born again Christian will have the Holy Spirit. It is written in the bible that a Christian will never lose the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16-17 = And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you FOREVER the Spirit of truth.

Ephesians 1:13-14 = And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were MARKED in him with a SEAL, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit GUARANTEERING our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

2 Corinthians 1:22 = set his SEAL of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, GUARANTEERING what is to come.

Notice the use of words such as Sealed, Forever, Marked and Guaranteeing. These are words of assurance. A true born again Christian cannot lose the Holy Spirit. Remember John 3:16 and John 10:27–28

John 3:16 = For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have ETERNAL life.

John 10:27-28 = My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them ETERNAL life, and they shall NEVER PERISH; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; NO ONE CAN SNATCH them out of my Father’s hand.

In the Old Testament, prior to Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit had a “come and go” relationship with people. But in the New Testament, after Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, the Holy Spirit is sealed within a believer with guarantee of eternal life.
Conclusion

Below is the simple sum up

• In the Old Testament, God empowers few Jews with his Holy Spirit to fulfil specific tasks.
• Abraham and Joseph were Jews who were privilege to have God’s Holy Spirit. They do not know of the law of God but able to know him personally.
• King David who lived under the law knew that God is full of grace because he knew God personally through the Holy Spirit (2 Samuel 24:14 = David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.")
• However many Jews do not have the Holy Spirit, they do not know what pleases and displeases God.
• Hence, God gave the law to show them how they should live. Through the law, the Jews were able to know God’s character, standard and expectation on them.
• The giving of the law is God’s mercy on the Jews. Its purpose is to set a boundary to prevent sins that will provoke God’s anger and judgement which will end in the destruction on the Jews.
• However, God knew no one is able to obey the law. Hence, God commanded the sacrifice of bulls and goats as a temporary covering for their sins.

Christ’s death (payment for sins) and resurrection (vindication that we are cleansed of sins and have become righteous in-Christ) is the ultimate event in bible history that caused a major change between the Old and New Testament.

• Whoever believed in Jesus Christ and his finished work are cleansed of all sins.
• With the removal of sins, the Holy Spirit is able to seal himself permanently within a believer. Our body become the temple of God. (1 Corinthians 6:19 = Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.)

Since every true born again Christian have the Holy Spirit who is God and author of the law, we have a living teacher who will teaches and guides us. There is no longer any need for the law. Just as God personally guide and teaches Abraham and Joseph who knows nothing about the law because they lived before the law was given, God is able to do the same to us. As it is clearly written “No longer will they teach their neighbour”, meaning man will no longer teach man.

Hebrews 8:10-13 = This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbour, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” By calling this covenant “new”, he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Just as Abraham and Joseph lived before the law but are able to live a life pleasing to God, we have no more need to be mindful of the law but mindful of the Holy Spirit and his commandments for our daily living. The commandments given by the Holy Spirit are flexible and tailored to train build different individual.

To one person, he may command to be gentle and patient. To another person, he may command to be firm.

To one person, he may command to hold on. To another, he may command to let go.

To one person, he may command to pack up and move on. To another person, he may command to stay on and persevere.

Note: Even though an Old Testament saint has the Holy Spirit, they were still under severe curses and punishment which may sometimes lead to death. We are more blessed than the Old Testament saints. Our punishment and curses are behind us because Jesus’ bore our judgement and curses when he hang and die on the cross. In the New Testament if there is any punishment, it is God’s discipline and training on his child.

Hebrews 12:6 = For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.

Are you fighting FROM victory or are you fight FOR victory? Many Christians have the wrong basic Christian fundamental. They believe that they need to perform to please God and earn his favour. This is a wrong belief and teaching, a lie from hell. You can tell their belief is wrong when you hear them saying “God help those who help themselves.”

They do not understand that they are helpless and nothing they do can please God. Even their righteous acts are filthy in God’s sight. It is as written in Isaiah 64:6.

Isaiah 64:6 = But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

If you are doing Christian acts of righteousness based on your own willpower or effort with the intention to please God, you are self-supplying and not drawing from Jesus. You will not bear much fruit and will feel disheartened and give up.

John 15:5 = I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

So how can we please God?

Many Christians will say to obey God and do his will. As written in Matthew 7:21.

Matthew 7:21 = Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

So what is the will of the Father?

Many Christians will say “We must follow every commandments from God”. No, this is the wrong answer! If we can fully follow every commandments from God, then we are perfect like Jesus. And Jesus died in vain. As written in Galatians 2:21.

Galatians 2:21 = I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

To know the will of the Father, we must refer to what the bible says. As written in John 6:40

John 6:40 = And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

The will of the father is just to believe in Jesus and his finished work. It is so simple. The moment any person who accepted Jesus as their saviour, the Father is pleased with that person. The Father sees that person as if he or she is Jesus.

1 John 4:17 = This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

So does this mean that Christians do not need to bear fruits of good works?

First truth when you are in-Christ, is that you are complete. Your actions cannot add or subtract to the work of Christ. Therefore, you cannot displease God or do something to earn more favour. As written in Colossians 2:10

Colossians 2:10 = And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.

Second truth is that you are righteous the moment you are in-Christ. It is not by your own doing or obedience. But by the obedience of Christ. Righteousness is a free-gift from God. It cannot be earn by your own acts of good works. As written in Romans 5:19.

Romans 5:19 = For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Third truth is that you are permanently righteous in-Christ. Since your actions cannot earn God’s gift of righteousness, then your actions cannot cause you to lose it. The correct Christian’s respond when he failed is to remember that he is still righteous because of Christ’s obedience.

2 Corinthians 10:5 = Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

Fourth truth is to focus on Jesus and his goodness. Do not focus on your actions to do good or stop doing bad. If you focus on Jesus, you will do what he is doing. Even Jesus says it himself. As written in John 5:19

John 5:19 = Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

So are you a Mirror or Torchlight?

If you are depending on your willpower or self-effort to bear fruits, you are not focusing on Jesus who is the light of the world. You are focusing on your abilities and what you can do for God. Although you are the branches of the vine, you are not drawing supply from Jesus. You are a Torchlight that has a limited supply, constantly drained and discouraged.

If you are focusing on Jesus and his finished work, know that you are already complete, permanently righteous and forever in God’s favour. Then you will always feel connected with God. At the right time and right place, God will speak by his spirit to us to do something. And by obeying, we will bear much fruits. You are a Mirror that focuses on Jesus who is the light of the world, receiving his light and reflecting it to others. Your supply is limitless, you flow with the Holy Spirit and unknowingly bear much fruits.

essentialsaltes said:

Trump had appealed, but...

UPDATE: Elon Musk’s X to pay about $10 million to settle Trump lawsuit over account suspension​

• Social media company X agreed to pay about $10 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump.

Trump had sued X, then known as Twitter, and its then-CEO Jack Dorsey in San Francisco federal court for deplatforming his account following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol by his supporters. Twitter had cited the risk of Trump inciting further violence related to his effort to remain in the White House following his loss to former President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

Click to expand...

This is trump's latest grift. Large settlements for nothing "infractions".