SabbathBlessings said:

Happy Sabbath friend.

Yes, this is such an important teaching of Jesus- how do we know Him and why if we don't it separates us.

Scripture tells us plainly....

1 John 2:3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

And why Jesus says depart from Me, those who practice lawlessness Mat 7:23 because. . .
1 John 2:4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Why Jesus taught not to break the least of these commandments because breaking one James said only quoting and contrasting from the Ten Commandments we break them all James 2:10-12

And the law that is revealed that Jesus is referring to in Mat 7:23 before His Second Coming can only be found in the Ten Commandments

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside (Judgment- commandment breakers just as we were told James 2:10-12 Ecc 12:13-14 Mat 5:19-30) are dogs and sorcerers (breaking commandment #1 Exo 20:3) and sexually immoral (breaking commandment # 7 Exo 20:14) and murderers (breaking commandment #6 Exo 20:13) and idolaters (Breaking commandment #2 Exo 20:4), and whoever loves and practices a lie (breaking commandment #9 Exo 20:16 or any of them) . 1 John 2:4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

God's Word is always in harmony. God keeps His promises Psa 89:34

How do we know God- by our obedience to God because His holy law is a reflection of His holy character which we are to be transformed by. Psa 19:7

The one commandment that most people reject and say to forget it the one commandment God said to Remember and how we join ourselves to Christ (know Him) We need His sanctification Eze 20:12 man cannot sanctify themselves we need God.

No Greater Authority!
Isa 56:1 Thus says the Lord:

“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
For My salvation is about to come,
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
And the son of man who lays hold on it;
Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

6 “Also the sons of the foreigner
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant

Amen!

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To keep the sabbath rest is a spiritual reality not an outward sign or shadow today. It figured in the past ceasing from our own works and resting in God and his works in us. To keep the sabbath today is to not go back in the flesh after beginning in the Spirit or to go back under the law and try to work our righteousness by it to be justified.

To defile this spiritual sabbath reality is to break the rest we have in christ and go back to the works of the law and the flesh as our salvation.

All this is seen in scripture

Hebrews 4: 3. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world… 10. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

Galatians 3: 2. This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3. Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?… 5. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 6. Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 18. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”

It was by or "out of" faith that Abel offered a sacrifice. Abel's faith was evidenced by obedience to God's requirement for sacrifice by which he obtained witness that he was righteous. (Hebrews 11:4) Cain, who was of the evil one, demonstrated an evil heart by evil deeds, while Abel demonstrated a righteous heart by his righteous deeds (1 John 3:12), and that Abel offered his sacrifice by or "out of" faith and Cain did not. Cain's sacrifice was evidence of his lack of faith. Abel's offering was a demonstration of his faith in regard to sacrifice, which was not demonstrated by Cain's offering.

What is the difference between Catholics and Baptists? Catholics will actually acknowledge each other at the liquor store.

Caitlin Clark is an incredible basketball player and a class act. She has made WNBA history on multiple occasions early into her new career.
I wish her the best and I sincerely hope she makes the Olympic team in 2028.

By God’s grace we’ve been set free
So that we can bend the knee,
Humbly turning from our sin,
Letting His love come within.

Walking with him day by day,
Read His Words, and kneel and pray,
Listening to Him as He speaks,
Growing in Him by the weeks.

Comfort He brings to our hearts,
When our loved ones do depart,
When we are misunderstood,
And evil rages over good.

Joy to us, His love imparts,
When He rules within our hearts,
Making him Lord of our lives,
In our hearts His Word now thrives.

Peace to us He’ll truly bring,
When we make him Lord and King,
Giving up our all to Him,
By His grace, forsaking sin.

Daily with Him now we meet,
Sitting with Him at His feet,
Drinking in His every Word,
Doing the Words that we heard.

Love our Savior, He’s our friend,
He’ll be with us to the end,
Helping us throughout each day,
To be faithful in all ways.

He’s our Healer, Priest and King,
Who rules over everything.
He gives strength for every need,
As on His Word we daily feed.

An Original Work / March 21, 2019

Fear, anxiety, and worry must be universally troublesome to most people because God/Jesus Christ warned his people, and/or he encouraged his people all throughout Scripture (and history) to not fear, to not be afraid, to not fret, and to not be anxious, but “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,” (to) “present your requests to God. And, the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (see Philippians 4:6-7).

One of the antidotes for fear and worry, thus, is to pray with thanksgiving, believing that God is going to answer, and to put our trust in God, knowing he has all things under his control, for fear is the opposite of trust/faith. Yet another antidote for anxiety is to rejoice in the Lord always and to sing songs of praise unto God. So, when Satan throws his darts of fear or doubt our way, we need to pray. It is essential that we choose to put our trust in God, believing that he has our circumstances under his control. And, we must be thankful, we should rejoice, and it is necessary that we praise our God in life, in word, and in song.

Sometimes we worry because we have adopted the ways and patterns of this world, and because we daily take into our minds and hearts far too much of this world’s junk, philosophies, character traits, habits, and attitudes. Instead, we need to focus our minds, hearts, and attention on what has eternal value. We need to daily die to our old ways of living in sin and for self, and we need to clothe ourselves with our Lord Jesus Christ, and take on his character and values. What is important to him should be essential to us. And we should not only read or hear his word, in context, but we should put it into practice in our lives.

Rejoice in the Lord Always!

An Original Work / January 26, 2013
Based off Phil. 4 & Col. 3

Rejoice in our Lord God always.
I say again: “Rejoice always!”
Let your love and kindness show forth.
Our Lord Christ will soon appear.
Do not let yourself be troubled.
Do not fear your circumstances.
In all of life’s complications,
Pray to God with thankfulness.
God will give you peace and rest.

Set your minds on things of heaven:
What is true and right and lovely.
Do not focus your attention
On the things that pass away.
Therefore put to death your old self.
Clothe yourselves with God’s compassion.
Put the word of Christ in practice.
Let God’s peace rule in your hearts.
Sing songs of praise unto God.

In all of life’s circumstances
I’ll learn to trust; be contented.
Whether I have none or plenty,
I will give thanks unto God.
I can live my life to please Him,
Because Jesus gives me His strength.
My God will meet all of my needs,
From his treasure chest in Christ.
Glory, praise be unto God.

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BelieveItOarKnot said:

So Jesus, as an example, puts 12,000 to flight
but you don't get it?

Oh well

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I am not confident that you know what I get.

We who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are to be encouragers. Sometimes the encouragement is like it is here that feels good to our emotions, but sometimes it must be more of an exhortation which is a holy urging or a strong encouragement away from particular behaviors to walks of obedience to our Lord and to surrender to his will for us in holy living, and to no longer walk in sin. And we need both types of encouragements within the body of Christ toward one another.

We also need to be those who are praying for one another’s needs and prayer requests. But we should be praying according to the will of God and not necessarily always as the one we are praying for is hoping for. So, we need to pray for discernment in how and what to pray for other Christians so that our prayers are effective because they are according to the will of God. And then we should check in with those for whom we are praying occasionally to see how things are going with them, too.

Now all of us are probably not going to do all of this perfectly all the time, but we must make it our goal and our practice to be encouragers and to pay attention to people’s needs and to be praying for them and inquiring of them as to how things are going with them, for we all need encouragement, don’t we? We all need to know that someone out there cares about us and how we are doing and who wants to encourage us and to pray for us. And we should do for others as we would want to have done for us.

But not one of us can be all things to all people, and we are not going to be able to meet everyone’s needs for encouragement because we are not superhumans. So we just need to trust the Lord to lead and to guide us in who he wants us to encourage and in what ways and in what timing. And we should be praying to the Lord for his leading in this and for him to put people on our hearts and to show us the needs and to know when to say what and when to whomever he wants to be encouraged at that moment in time.

Especially we should be encouraging one another in our walks of faith and in obedience to our Lord. And when we see fellow believers in Jesus walking in the ways of the Lord and/or sharing their testimonies of faith, we should try to encourage them. For we should take joy in our fellow Christians walking in the truth of God’s word, especially in these times in which we live when so many are walking in the ways of the flesh, and in the ways of the world, and not in the ways of the Lord, and not in obedience to his commands.

And when we see fellow Christians showing one another the love of Jesus, we should bless them for that, and thank them for their expressions of love and kindness, especially if their acts of kindness are directed towards us personally, but not only to us. Now we should not speak lies to them just to make them feel good, for lies are never kind. So, in whatever way in which you choose to show your appreciation and to acknowledge someone’s expressions of love and kindness, always speak the truth in love.

And then sometimes the Lord has us add on an exhortation, as John did here when he said, “You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.” And when he said, “Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.” And like I said, we need both kinds of encouragements in the Lord so that our walks of faith in the Lord are according to his word, and so that we are living our lives pleasing to the Lord in all that we do, for the glory of God, in his power.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]

Love Must Be Genuine

An Original Work / October 22, 2013
Based off Romans 12:9-21

Love must be genuine.
Hate what’s evil; cling to good.
Love each other with affection.
Show respect for ev’ryone.
Never lack in your zeal.
Serve the Lord with diligence.

Rejoice in steadfast hope.
In affliction, patient be.
Keep on praying; share with others.
Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute.
Feel with others sympathy.

Be not filled with conceit.
Daily sit at Jesus’ feet.
Live in harmony with others.
Live at peace with ev’ryone.
Repay not to someone
With the evil he begot.

Do not take your revenge;
Leave it to the wrath of God.
If your enemy is thirsty,
Give to him something to drink.
Do what’s right for mankind.
Evil: overcome with good.

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Hi Him thank you for your reply yes the kingdom of God is in us via the Holy Spirit it is through the spirit that God continues to do his work of creation the end result mankind in the image of God which will be Christ the head all those chosen from the foundation of the world his bride and all Gods children who have received the Holy spirit his body.

Love and Peace
Dave

RoBo1988 said:

I've been through the NIV more than a dozen times

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I started having trouble after I read the Bible five times. There are so many things we are told to do that I just could not see how we can do them all at the same time.

is this rash in skin folds?

If so you can try the diaper rash ointment, Desitin™ it's zinc oxide and is very good.

After you shower make sure you dry very well, then have the rash exposed to a fan for a little bit to make sure things are good and dry, dab with a paper towel one last time to be certain then apply layer of the cream.

Give it a week or so to start really getting better doing this daily to a couple times a day.

It's generally a combination of too much moisture and warmth which causes rashes, sometimes also garments rubbing the area etc.

If Desitin doesn't help you'll need a prescription topical cream.

I get rashes underneath stuff up top in the summer time if I'm not really careful but the same thing happens to men in the groin area so I mention this possible solution.

If your underwear rubs you might also try a different style of underwear.

Also, if you don't feel like laying on the bed spread out in front of the fan while your intimate area dries well you can also use the hair dryer on a cool setting. I do this less because of the heat of the hair dryer, but it does also work for making sure the area is well dried

Zoom:84769255004, Code：2023
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Thank you for caring and praying for China and Nations.

This Zoom Room was started by Chinese Christian in U.S.. They speak Chinese but not English in this Room. So it is difficult to English Speakers.

Welcome.

Is there a question? Do I want to hear an answer? Should I ask the question .?
Is it just a thought or vision?

seeker2122 said:

Personally, the more I boil this down, I believe it comes down to not the "if" and "how" but the "why". Is God all powerful? Yes. I know He can cause or not cause anything out of nothing if that is His will. I realize it's not a struggle to believe if God can do this or that or how He can do it. The struggle is in the why and that is what is often never answered or isn't supposed to be because we are commanded to just have faith, trust, and be obedient (God's will and sovereignty). God can say to us, "who are we to question him and ask why about anything He does or doesn't do" and he'd be right. We really have no right question God even if we think He's wrong and we are right. The bottom line is He's God and we simply need to be humble before Him and believe He is all good. That's the struggle.... the 'why' and putting aside and saying to myself, 'don't even ask why' to God for it seems insulting and has this air of irreverence, but I always ask why and question God with the why still.

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Agreed, not until we see him as he is, will we have our answers. But there are a few very strong and comforting hints as to why God does things this way. Romans 9:23 for example goes so far as to show that even the ultimate demise of the ungodly is to show his own glory to the objects of his mercy (the redeemed). And I think included in that are the other things we can know; among them: 1. God wastes no motion 2. We are the Bride of Christ, and God's Dwelling Place. 3. We are his particular people, individual members of the Body, without fault, but full of character, full of wisdom and praise for our glorious God. Each with a name only that one and his God, knows. Each has his own story, his own praise, his own love for his God. 4. The suffering in this life is not to be compared with the joy that is to come, but (I believe) every detail of it is necessary in order to produce what is to come.

Does not what we complain about, and in our best moments wonder about —the fact of God "doing everything wrong", and continually "driving his plan along the very edge of disaster"— demonstrate his power and wisdom and compel his praise?

Diamond7 said:

Yes, that is what we need to do. People struggle with what does it mean to be saved but we can just trust it all to God to figure it out for us. It does take a lot of prayer but we can pray it through until God gives us peace and we know He has everything under control.

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Agreed! And God is more than happy to do that for us, without even deriding us for our self-centered fears, our small faith and failure to listen. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. He LOVES us! (Beats me, why he does... But I'm pretty sure it has something to do with being "in Christ".)

5. We also can know that he does this for his own sake. So of course he will not fail to accomplish what he set out to do!

John 21:5 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

I talk about this quite a bit, how every book in the world would not be enough to explain the Bible. So I did a study on just how many books that would be. Harvard University has 18 million books. The US Library of Congress has 32 million books. It is not unheard of for a library to have one million square feet. This is the size of 17 football fields. I remember I was at the trade center in Hong Kong and saws a room filled with buses about the size of a football field. I was amazed that so many buses took up a small part of that building. Even we are told in Heaven the library is MUCH bigger there than here. At least three times bigger. The angels have to get the book for us that we are looking for. We would not be able to find it ourselves.

Michie said:

The 77th Cannes Film Festival was marked by controversy when a female security guard clashed with Dominican actress Massiel Taveras when she tried to display the train of her dress depicting Jesus Christ wearing a crown of thorns. The incident was captured on video and posted to social media, which showed a visibly upset Taveras pushing ushers away whenever they rushed her up the stairs whenever she wanted to show off her dress, which had a hand-painted image of Jesus Christ. As reported by Deadline, the dress was designed by Giannina Azar and while the image of Christ was painted by Yan Páez.

The incident follows a similar altercation at the at the premiere of the French film “Marcello Mio,” between actress Kelly Rowland and the same female security guard who clashed with Taveras. The woman knows what happened, I know what happened,” Rowland told The Associated Press about the incident last Tuesday.

“I have a boundary and I stand by those boundaries, and that is it,” she added. “And there were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me, and they didn’t get that scolding, or pushed off, or told to get off. I stood my ground, and she felt like she had to stand hers. But I stood my ground.”

“We need respect,” wrote Taveras on Instagramas she reshared posts of Rowland’s experience.

Another incident at the Cannes Film Festival that drew controversy was when Karla Sofia Gascon, a 46-year-old Spanish, trans-identified male actor, jointly won the Best Actress award for the roles in Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez.”

Continued below.

Actress Massiel Taveras Clashes with Security over Jesus Crown of Thorns Dress at Cannes Film Festival - Milton Quintanilla

Actress Massiel Taveras Clashes with Security over Jesus Crown of Thorns Dress at Cannes Film Festival, Milton Quintanilla - Read breaking news headlies with a Christian perspective and commentary from Milton Quintanilla.

www.crosswalk.com

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Well, as a Christian, I do not want to drag Christ's face on the ground, I'd like to lift him up instead. Hollywood is worldly stuff my friend, it is best that we avoid Hollywood news, and not give anyone the attention or fame. And yes, Cannes is French, but is full of Hollywood types, including gender bending men.

Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV): "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

When we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, and so we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness, his word (Genesis to Revelation) becomes that lamp to our feet and that light to our path. The truth of the Scriptures, as applied to followers of Christ, leads us and guides us in the way that we should go.

Now, many people are teaching today that we do not have to obey the Lord and that we do not have to obey his commandments to us under the New Covenant. They are teaching that we do not have to do anything – no repentance, no submission to Christ as Lord, no surrender of our lives to do His will – no works at all, not even the works of God which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10; cf. Titus 2:11-14).

But if we read the New Testament Scriptures, in their context, we will realize that they teach the same things that this Psalm is teaching us. Now, we don’t have to give animal sacrifices like they did under the Old Covenant, but we are to be living sacrifices to God, holy and pleasing to him, which is our acceptable worship of him, no longer living as slaves to the desires of the flesh, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world (Romans 12:1-2).

The New Testament insists that we walk in obedience to our Lord and not in sin or else we will not inherit eternal life with God. So the gospel of our salvation is not a free ride into heaven regardless of how we live, as many people would have you believe. We should be people of God who love the word of the Lord, and who desire to do his will, because we love God, and because we are so thankful for Jesus Christ saving us from our sins.

But if we are teaching the truth of the gospel of our salvation, and if we are teaching obedience to the Lord and to his commands, and if we are insisting on the forsaking of our sins and walks of holiness and righteousness, in practice, in the power of God, we will face lots of opposition from others who also profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are believing that no obedience is required of them because they are saved by God’s grace.

But the grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, trains (teaches, instructs) us to renounce (say “No” to) ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (see Titus 2:11-14; cf. Ephesians 2:10).

So the wicked today who are laying snares for the righteous are those who are trying to convince us that we do not have to obey the commandments of our Lord under the New Covenant, and that no works are required of us at all, and that we do not have to cease from sin. And they are those who are attacking those servants of the Lord who are still teaching the righteousness of God and his requirements for all who believe in Jesus as the Christ.

But we must be those who continue steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, in doing what we know is right, according to the Scriptures. We must be those who love the Word of the Lord and whose desire it is to walk in the ways of the Lord and to do his will. We must not give way to fear of what other humans might do to us, but we must continue to share the truth of the gospel and to expose the lies of the enemy for what they are.

For far too many people today are believing and following after the lies and not the truth. Far too many professers of faith in Jesus Christ are living not much differently from those who make no profession of faith in Christ, for they are still living to please the flesh, and not God, and they are still deliberately and habitually sinning against the Lord while claiming God’s grace covers it all, and while claiming heaven as their eternal destiny.

So, please know that Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have the hope of eternal life with God. But if we deny Jesus in this life, he will disown us (see Luke 9:23-26).

To Be Like Him

An Original Work / March 16, 2014
Based off Scripture

Crucified you are with Jesus.
To be like Him, oh, you’ll be,
Because He died at Calv’ry,
So from sin you’d be free.
Oh, what joy He brings into your life,
Giving life with Him endlessly.

Oh, what plans He has for your life.
Share the gospel faithfully.
Show the people He loves them.
Now His witness you’ll be.
Tell the world of sin about Jesus,
How He died for them on a tree.

Purifying hearts, He saves them,
Who believe on Christ, God’s Son.
Turning now from their idols,
New lives they have begun.
Jesus saves from sin; we’re forgiven.
Over sin, the vict’ry He won!

When He comes again to take us
To be with Him evermore,
There will be no more crying.
Gladness will be in store.
Heavens joys will now overtake us:
We’ll be with our Lord evermore.

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Natasi said:

Does anyone struggle with emotional eating/bed? I just ask for prayers. Things are hectic and stressful. My husband is not currently working, so I am the sole provider. God has always been there for us, but the flesh fights so hard. Just want the noise to stop.

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My advice is to think of food/eating as not just the result of stress, but the cause of stress. That is, certain food - sugar in its various forms - cause more eating/failure to be sated/full. That, and you need to feed your colon/gut, that is, eat foods beneficial to your gut microbiome. There is a gut-brain connection. The various organs of the body, including the brain, can develop insulin resistance, with too much sugar being the cause. Insulin resistance affects each organ in its own way, but the result isn't healthy. That is the background.
So,...
1. Eliminate candies, pies, cakes, sodas - the obvious sugary stuff.
2. Eliminate products with Added sugar - these are listed on the nutrition label in the US. Buy substitute products without Added sugar.
3. You may eat fruits as they generally have fiber which slows down the adsorption of the sugar in them. And these don't have the very worse kind of sugars.
4. (Very recommended, not required). Take a probiotic to get some good bacteria in your gut. These vary but choose one with various types of bacteria.
5. Eat foods that benefit your colon. So, eat pickled, fermented, brined, and colored vegetables. That is, pickles, relish, kimchi, sauerkraut, bell peppers, kale, other greens, etc. (Avoid the 'whites': flour based products, potatoes) Eat pulses - peas, beans and lentils. Oatmeal from whole (Irish/steel cut) oats or rolled oats (Quaker) are good. These can be called prebiotics.
6. Let your stomach/colon rest, so try to limit eating to an 8 to 10 hour period a day.
7. Let your body rest and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep each day.

That is what I consider the base of a plan to eat/live better.

I also recommend eliminating gluten, or at least cutting back. So, choose a pizza with a nongluten/no gluten crust - they are not bad.
Add fiber to your recipes, such as golden flax meal and/or chia seeds (always prewet chia seeds as they adsorb much water). A little helps and doesn't detract from many dishes.
Can eat unsweetened yogurt and drink kefir (like a thin yogurt, it is bio-active milk), or use these in your no bake cooking. For example I make "overnight oatmeal" with kefir and yogurt, plus golden flax meal, and chia seeds (always prewet chia seeds as they adsorb much water), and spices like ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom - all nutritive. I serve it cold with fresh fruit - unsweetened cranberries are ideal for their tartness - and a unsweetened granola (like this). I eat this 5 days a week and make it as a batch on the weekend. 5 cups rolled oats and 5 cups of kefir/yogurt makes 10 portions, or 5 portions for 2 people.

The best vegetable oil is olive oil. Next best is avocado oil. I use canola oil as a "bulk oil' although that is rare. I use it as a binder for my meat/veggie rubs. The goal is low polyunsaturated oils. Butter is fine and is actually the model oil profile (saturated, monosaturated, polyunsaturated) that is emulated in the choices here.

The best nut is pecan, followed by almond, due to having low polyunsaturated oil. Walnuts have other benefits and are okay. (There may be more exotic nuts that are better.)

Tip: Serve a pulse - peas, beans, lentils - with rice or one of the "whites" as a means to add fiber and to reduce the amount of rice consumed.

Here is a list of sugar substitutes with relative healthiness. Exploring the Healthiest Sugar Alternatives: A Comprehensive Guide to Types of Sweeteners

Prayer to you and all like you.

HopeSings said:

This doesn't help me to be one with the Spirit of Jesus, or to love, or to grow in grace. If I'm a broken soul needing love then this would make me cry instead.

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There are some good loving caring churches out there. But even the best of them have a few prickles every now and then. We are being perfected but we are not all perfect yet.

jacks said:

I will probably be there sooner, I will save you a seat.

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Jesus will save us all a seat, as Christians. Thank you, brother. But, we must fulfill the mission God gave us on Earth first, and try to bring more people to Christ.

chevyontheriver said:

Do they even believe in God?

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Or they might be like Satan, they know God exists, but despise Him.

Harley. said:

Does anyone else have it where they get a thought "if you dont do X a certain number of times, Y (punishment, or something bad that I don't want to occur) will happen? Is it God?​

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I was engaged to a girl once and God told me if I married her then I would be on my own to resolve whatever problems I had. I had lived that way too long and did not want to ever go back to that again. So I did not marry her. She was a wonderful person but not the right person for me to marry. I do not see her much now but I look forward to spending some time with her in heaven.

Anonymous9090 said:

@HarleyER @Miles
@seeking.IAM @rockytopva @Brihaha @Yarddog

Another Christian forum responded with the
following in a post which I thought was a good argument:

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Matthew shares Jesus parable of the wheat and the tares: let them grow together until the harvest. Then the master will direct what happens after the harvest. I prefer to live like that while leaving the final decision to the master. In the meantime, I think it is a good idea to cultivate the whole field.

Matthew 13: 24-30