Growing in Grace and Knowledge

Our Passions and Gifts

2012-01-05T16:49:00.002-06:00

Note: I'd originally hand-written the following post in a notebook on July 19, 2011. I never got around to typing it here, nor have I written much since this time, because of the crazy year I had. However, I'm hoping that all soon changes. :-)

Whenever life gets extra busy, certain things take a backseat or total absence in my life. My social life is cut back, and my loves—like writing—are often totally dropped for awhile. Or sometimes when I’ve written a lot, because I finished a big writing project, I feel like a break will help me. Maybe a short break is helpful, but I can say right now I feel like I’m in torment. I’ve been yearning to write badly lately.

As I’ve meditated a few days ago about how I missed writing and how I now have notes on a few different subjects (as I’ve never stopped taking notes as I’m inspired), I realized I might not be the only one hurting from my lack of writing. Others are served by my passion and gift of writing, just as I am served in other ways by others and their passions and gifts that I do not possess.

I thought about my friend Meg’s passion and gift of knitting and pattern-writing. Her work is incredible, and she loves to knit things for others. She also blogs about her creations. I thought of my friend Chel’s fun classroom organizational skills and her passions for organizing fun projects and her photography. Her homeschooling blog is loved and appreciated by many for the inspirational ideas and lovely pictures. I thought about my friend Ambra’s gift with people—highly social and quick to make friends—and how she loves to serve them with love, accepting them as they are; and sharing what she’s learned about God, friends, and family in her inspirational blog posts.

I also thought of my friend Laura and the mental anguish she’s experiencing, because she has not been getting many easy opportunities to serve others with her singing.

A person will be naturally inclined to want to use his or her gifts to serve others, and he or she will naturally enjoy doing so. It is meant to be that way.

We all can’t focus hard on doing or being it all. We were created as MANY to be ONE by serving each other with our beloved gifts and strengths—our passions.

If you are being hindered from using your gift(s), an effort should be made—and prayer lifted up—to unhinder yourself. It’s not only you missing out, but it’s also others who are served by your gift(s). On the other hand, if nothing is hindering you from using your God-given talents or your passionate skills but yourself, then make a vow today to stop doing nothing! Not only are you lacking inner fulfillment and joy, you are withholding that good from others.

Whether we are failing to use our spiritual gifts or physical gifts or both, we are expected to use our gifts to serve the family of God and the family of man (as well as the families of animals and plants...all that is around us needs to be served by those called to do so in various ways).

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant…For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ…For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body (1 Cor. 12:1, 12, 14-20).

Earth's Pregnancy and Impending Travail

2011-12-03T19:00:00.000-06:00

The earth is becoming sick of being pregnant and is nearing evermore to her time of travail. She's at the point where she is starting to groan and complain about the pregnancy, the last days. There's still some time left yet, but it's not too long. It won't be long before it's the very last days where each day drags out in which she begs for travail to bring forth, just to escape being pregnant any longer.

Her frame aches from all the heavy movement and weight, as her inside is also tapped largely for resources to keep her children living, developing, and growing. She is nearing the point where she is ready to be shaken with the violent force of contractions within that will open the surface to bring forth.

She will burn with heat as a result of such powerful labor. She'll eventually open and push forth the new creation.

Will she love the still-living children from her last birth after this one? Will she love these children? Will she become bloodthirsty and murder her children as Kali Ma in the pagan Hinduism? Will the world become dark and cold...and dead? Or will she be past the pregnancy hormonal outbursts and return to a peaceful, loving, and nourishing mother? Will the world vibrate with a new light and warmth...life?

Just as God is the Father of creation, the earth is depicted as the mother he chose to bring forth many living creatures, humankind included. But the scriptures speak of a different kind of birth in the future:

Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? says the ETERNAL ONE: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? says your God (Isaiah 66:8-9).

The Lord spoke about being "born again." We are first begotten/conceived with the Spirit/Sperm/Seed of God, and at the last trumpet at Christ's return, we will be born as new spirit beings, just as Salvation (Jesus/Yeshua) the Firstborn of God is, and help him reign during the new age--the Kingdom of God age, the next world.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (I Cor. 15:50-53).

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matt. 24:31).

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever (Rev. 11:15).

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is (I John 3:2).

The nation of Israel will live up to its name in that day. And God will open the earth to "bring forth" his new spirit-bodied children. People will come up from their graves and their physical bodies will be replaced in a flash with spiritual bodies when Christ returns with their spirit minds that were returned to God upon death (see Ecc. 12:7).

Under the reign of God's firstfruits--his Firstborn and those called in the Church age--the earth will eventually transform into paradise condition, as the original Paradise of Eden was. There will be no wilderness with evil beasts and poisonous plants and thorns and thistles. Evil acts will not be tolerated. The earth will be a peaceful, loving, and nourishing mother.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the ETERNAL ONE (Isaiah 65:25).

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. (Isa. 11:6).

The waters and trees in the holy land:

Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine (Ezekiel 47:7-12).

At the end of that time period, this earth will be destroyed, there will be a new heaven and earth, and God the Father will come down with the new Jerusalem. The truth of this can be read in Revelation chapters 21 and 22.

Before the JOY of the saints' receiving their new bodies and eternal life in God's family and the JOY they will bring to this earth and its inhabitants, there will be SORROW. This world is full of sorrows, and the greatest sorrows are yet to come. It can be likened to a woman's labor and birth. First comes the sorrow, but then comes the joy! The latter makes the former worth the trouble.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. (John 16:20-22).

And so may we the saints ENDURE the sorrow and hardships in this world and especially those suffered for the saints living during the last three and half years of this age, so that we can receive the overwhelming JOY of a new birth--our individual spiritual births and the birth of the perfect nation of Israel.

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:13).

Bearing Another's Burdens

2011-11-03T13:11:00.000-05:00

This year has been an especially difficult year for me. Currently I'm suffering from depression, which seems more like bipolar depression, as I will have days of strong faith and hope with great happiness and thankfulness, only to be followed up with days of great despair, grief, sorrow, weakness, and complaint.

I'm in late pregnancy, and I've battled out-of-whack pregnancy hormones for many months now. I'm dealing physically with a slower, unbalanced, uncomfortable body as I'm in my last few weeks. My children--boys almost 8.5 years, 4.5 years, and girl--2 years--whom I home educate, are all very active. It's difficult to keep up with the two-year-old. It makes me thankful for my 8 year old, when he's cooperating well with me.

My living conditions have been abnormal for a month now, as we found out we had a leak from our washing machine that went undetected for an unknown length of time, therefore we had extensive water and mold damage, which made our master bathroom, laundry room, kitchen, and master bedroom closet unusable. I just gained access to my laundry room and its facilities again and partial use of my kitchen and hope everything else is finished soon.

My diet hasn't been what it normally is, due to the living arrangements...lots of sandwiches and cold cereal, as well as fruit but not very many vegetables. My sleeping arrangements also had to change, because everything from our closet and some things from elsewhere were piled on and around our bed. The things are back in the closet, and today I'll be able to wash our bedding and be able to sleep in my own bed again. I had to do laundry at the laundromat twenty minutes away for the last few weeks.

My husband lost his biggest client which probably accounted for a third of his work load, if not more than that at certain times of the year. He's now even talking about doing something entirely different and even relocating, the latter which I do not want to do right now, especially where he is considering...North Dakota. He's well-loved among his clientele, though, and I think his work load will increase again. I even think he's better off without the client he basically lost, and I honestly think they'll soon be regretting it. I see it as a blessing that he's not covered up in work right now, because it frees him up to work on the house to get it done the way he wants and to go deer hunting, which is important to him for mental health and physical exercise, and it usually provides us with good meat.

I had extreme difficulties for the longest time with my middle child, which thankfully are now much better, but it was taking an extreme toll on me. He exhibited strong childhood bipolar symptoms that caused many serious problems. We discovered four food allergies that he has, found some supplements that helped him, and have found other ways to help him.

We were not planning any more children, so it was a shock to find that I was pregnant. I've long ago accepted it now and look forward to the baby, but it has not been easy. The baby, until recently, preferred a breech position, and I'm still not certain that it won't turn that way yet again. We've debated with each other and with ourselves whether to birth unassisted or with a midwife this time. Due to everything else, it's difficult to think of giving up so much of our money (we're living on mostly savings right now) for midwife services when it's likely unnecessary. Plus, it's nice to not have anyone else around. On the other hand, it would be nice to relax knowing there's help if something goes wrong, and if the baby ends up being breech for the birth, I am not comfortable being alone (obviously I would do my best if I ended up that way).

Then we have a custody/child support/adoption ordeal hanging over our heads. Long story short, my husband has a biological daughter nearly thirteen now. The last time we saw her was when she was eight. She was then living with her mother, stepfather, and four of her five half-siblings. The parents were methamphetamine users (suspected by us but not known for certain), the stepfather was lazy and seemingly content with unemployment and strike benefits for over half a year (before we lost contact with them), and the mother neglected good housekeeping and optimum hygiene care for her children. They kept moving and having their phone disconnected. My husband voluntarily bought his daughter's clothes and other things, and she came to stay with us and seemed very happy when she was with us, except she got upset and went home early the last time, saying she missed her mother. The mother refused to sign an acknowledgment of paternity form with my husband, though.

We lost contact with them and couldn't figure out a new address, much less a phone number of any sort. Then a year and half later my husband got a call from the State to be notified that his daughter had been taken into state custody and placed in foster care, because the parents were using meth and neglecting the care of house and children. My husband tried talking them into establishing paternity, and they refused...until a few months later when they turned around and demanded it of him (when he wants it, they don't care, but when they want it, it's a "Do this or else" mentality). They had refused him any visitation or custody. Paternity was then established, though, but then he was never notified of anything else. We were led to believe she was put back in custody with her mother (it was told that she could be returned if the mother turned her ways around). We still couldn't find her. Fast forward another two years from the time he was contacted by the State when she was taken into their custody--to the beginning of this year--and my husband received papers demanding child support from a woman we don't know. She had the same last name of his daughter's stepfather. It was clear on the papers that her mother had remarried, though. We eventually discovered that she is in the custody of the stepfather's parents, which are four of her siblings' biological grandparents. This was infuriating and frustrating, because my husband was never notified of any custody hearing, and he should have been given preference for custody.

We found the address, and we sent correspondence to both the woman and to my husband's daughter. We sent her gifts, too, to make up for lost time. She rejected many of the gifts, and they were sent back, and she said she was happy where she was and didn't want to have anything to do with him again. :-( She said she wanted their last name. The woman, however, kept a gift of lotion for herself and thanked us for it and said that she looked forward to getting more once the "extra cash came in." She's made it more than clear that she is just wanting some free money. Oh, yes, we also sent one check of $300 for use on his daughter, but then the woman told us the child support office told her not to accept any more money. We wanted immediate visitation, but it's clear she wants to be adopted, and since she's in a much better environment than before, my husband told his attorney that he'd agree to sign adoption papers (with the understanding that she's still welcome in our home any time in the future, if she changes her mind about having a relationship with us, including her other half siblings in our home) and would even pay the adoption fees if the case for retroactive support was dropped. The woman said they would be interested in adopting her, but of course she still wants the retroactive money! It's just amazing...we didn't get visitation, no chance for getting custody, nothing, and the woman wants to adopt her, yet somehow she still expects money, even though his daughter said she didn't want anything from him. It's all confusing and frustrating.

We have attorney fees and likely retroactive child support that would totally wipe out our savings on which we're living. We'd gladly take his daughter in and give her a good life and take care of her needs, without having to fork out nonsensical amounts of money concocted by the State (we home school and buy organic food and decent clothes for our children and take them on birthday trips and such and still do not spend on them what the State's stupid charts show what should go for a child based on a person's income).

I've suffered more illness in the past year than many years before combined. I've recently dealt with asthma symptoms, which I hope are temporary, probably because of the mold exposure (which is all gone now, and my coughing has improved).

I've struggled with my sin weaknesses more this year, because of all the stress.

I could go on and on about the hardships and stressful trials this year has provided, but I haven't even touched on the trials my beloved brethren in God's family have also experienced this year.

When you add the burdens my beloved family members of God are experiencing to my list, it becomes nearly unbearable!

Paul told the Galatians: Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2).

He told the Romans: We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves (Rom. 15:1).

I have struggled to even keep up a good prayer and bible study life over these last several months, though it's what I need most. I've struggled with pleading for help from my Holy Father for those brethren I love so much, when I've felt as if I'm being drowned in a bog with my own problems. Some days I don't even have words! I just cry to Father, and I feel like such a failure and wretch compared to his perfect Firstborn, my Lord Salvation.

A wave of realization knocked me down mentally when the Spirit replied, "He bore the whole world's burdens." Ohhhhh.....

I can't imagine how my Lord felt that night before his crucifixion. I can't imagine knowing I was about to die to bear the burdens of every single person who would repent of their worldy ways and walk in Spirit and Truth. And even today he bears our various burdens as High Priest. He makes intercession for us with Father. When we can't even come up with the words for our problems and those of the ones we love, the Spirit of Truth within us that is connected to all those holy on earth and Father and Salvation in heaven, speaks on our behalf:

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered (Rom. 8:26).

There is a peace in knowing that all sufferings are temporary, and there is the promise of the Kingdom of God and eternity in God's family--eternal rest from evil and the burdens it brings. All is asked of us is to keep God's commandments and keep the testimony of our Savior Salvation (Christ Jesus/Messiah Yeshua).

Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30).

I will get through it all, whatever trials and sufferings I experience in my life, for I look forward to the time of rest, the time of eternal peace and joy in God's Kingdom, in my Father's Royal Family. And I will continue to uplift my beloved brethren in prayer, as they continue to do the same for me. So one day we shall all be together with our Lord:

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words (I Thess. 4:16-18).

"Forever" in the Old Testament: Does it Always Mean Eternal?

2011-04-15T14:46:00.001-05:00

There is a growing number of people in Christendom coming to see the truth that the religion of Christianity started by Rome is a mixing of the truth with pagan/heathen doctrines. Many are coming to understand many truths, such as the true Sabbath being the seventh day of the week--not the first, and that God's seven annual feasts and seven holy days are the ones found in Leviticus 23 and do not include the pagan Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and other wicked days in disguise that are listed on the Roman calendar.

However, a large number of these people, rather than carefully PROVE ALL THINGS, put themselves under the old carnal covenant. Many of them are in effect rejecting, at least in part, the new better spiritual covenant. They are still blind, having a veil over their eyes. They do not understand the teachings of Salvation (Jesus/Yeshua) our Savior, the Firstborn of God, the Word. They do not understand the teachings of Paul. Some of them go on to reject Paul, which is dangerous, because truly to reject Paul, one must also reject Salvation, for Salvation's teachings and Paul's are one and the same. Yea, I recently found that one friend of mine no longer believes Salvation was the Messiah/Christ/Savior. But, as the scripture in both the old covenant times and new covenant times teach, you don't really know the Father if you do not know the Son. You can't have one without the other, because they are one, just as Salvation and Paul are one. And all that are Spirit-begotten and are walking in the Spirit, growing in grace and knowledge, recognizing Christ as their head and Father as Christ's head, should all be at one.

I'm about to explain one of the things that seem to so confuse those who have decided to throw away their love of the new covenant and what our Savior did, and so rather than keep the law (including the holy days) under new covenant law, they believe they are to keep the old covenant, which is INSANE, because it is IMPOSSIBLE to keep it perfectly. There are many things that are impossible to do. There is no temple, no Levitical priesthood, etc. These people MISS THE BOAT! They teach penile flesh circumcision is still a must. They teach wearing tassels is a must. Oddly enough, though, though they condemn themselves with their own WORDS that they must keep ALL OF THE LAW OF MOSES IN LETTER, I don't know any of them that wear scriptures on their hands and foreheads. Oh, there are Jews who still wear phylacteries on their foreheads. Looks absolutely ridiculous! Just do a Google image search. Does that honestly help them keep the law? Certainly not the way God expects one to. ONLY having the begettal of the God Spirit helps keep the law in spirit as God intends. The person always is WANTING to do what is right and is so properly led to do righteousness. My almost-eight-year-old son is just a child, and even he understands. He says, "Momma, it's hard to not do the wrong thing." And I did a video interview with him regarding penile circumcision, and he revealed how absolutely carnal and ridiculous the people with carnal covenant mindset are. He understands one must be changed IN THE HEART. Carnal people are concerned with OUTER SHOW.

FOREVER! The carnal covenant people are stuck on this word "forever" in the old covenant scriptures. Some of them seem to even think it means "eternal." Well, I'm sure we'd all agree that we should NEVER commit adultery. We should ALWAYS/FOREVER keep our marital vows. Right? But, what does NEVER, ALWAYS, and FOREVER mean? Man marries. God does not. When we are no longer in the family of man but are in the family of God, there will be no marriages. No need for such a law for eternity, is there? Even in the family of man, FOREVER does not literally mean FOREVER, does it? What if the covenant is broken by death? Is not the person freed from the covenant to his or her spouse?

If I told my young children to ALWAYS hold my hands or hold each other's hands before walking across the road or parking lot, to NEVER not hold my hand, what does that mean? Are they expected to be attached to me literally ALWAYS/FOREVER until I die? When they become adults, does that rule still apply, even though I said ALWAYS/FOREVER? Of course not! People who actually REASON in their heads know this is not the case.

I'm now to going to quote what I said in another recent blog post that discusses the "forever" issue:

2. Under the old covenant, per the law of Moses, a person is commanded to choose a physically unblemished lamb, a male yearling, on the tenth day of the first month of the year and keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month, take the blood and paint the doorposts of his home, roast the lamb whole (no boiling) and eat the flesh of the entire lamb along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Ex. 12:13). It was to be an ordinance throughout Israel's generations, forever, to remind them of God's saving power to deliver them from Egyptian bondage (vs. 14, 17). However, under the new covenant, Salvation the Anointed King is our spiritually unblemished (I Pet. 1:19) Passover lamb, and he commanded us to keep the NEW covenant Passover with unleavened bread and wine to symbolize his broken body and shed blood and that we are to keep it to remind us of his death, which is God's saving power to deliver us from bondage to sin (Luke 22:20; Matt. 26:28). Do you keep the old covenant Passover or the new covenant one?

Uh-oh! Those old-covenant teachers MUST reject Salvation's teaching, if they are going to reject Paul for adding or taking away from the law of Moses, because Salvation did it!!!!!!!!! THEIR MOUTHS NEED TO BE SHUT! They keep leading people astray. This goes back to the scriptures Paul wrote to the Corinthians that the Jews were so foolish that they could not see in the reading of the old covenant that the old ordinances were to come to an end. They were TEMPORARY! A daughter is to obey her father FOREVER! But, unless you are a complete fool, you know that the meaning of "forever" that I just used is not as long-lasting as some would like to make you believe that the "forevers" in the old covenant are. When a daughter is given in marriage, she then belongs to her husband and obeys him! IT NEEDS NOT TO BE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND!

AND

6. Under the old covenant, it was commanded that we hate certain enemies, for example the Ammonites and Moabites (modern-day Jordanians) were not to enter into God's congregation forever (Deut. 23:3). Oh, look! There are those words "for ever" again (even though it had just said ten generations, so we can use LOGIC and conclude that "for ever" in this verse meant that UNTIL the ten generations were up, the people were forever not to let those people in God's congregation). The Lord Salvation taught that we should love our enemies (Matt. 5:43-48) and be forgiving and merciful. We shouldn't judge anyone by what their ancestors did.

Do you now understand that "forever" doesn't mean "eternal" like some will have you believe? Yesterday, a friend of mine posted something on FB about Passover being a commemoration of the exodus of the [physical] Israelites from the Egypt. I commented and said that the old covenant Passover was a commemoration of that event, but the new covenant Passover is a commemoration of our Savior's death, and it has new symbols. HE is our Passover Lamb, and we now partake of unleavened bread and wine as the symbols to symbolize his body and blood. We don't eat his physical body. Those things SYMBOLIZE partaking of his divine nature. In the carnal covenant, people ate a carnal (fleshly) animal--a lamb without physical blemish, but the new covenant Passover is all about remembering the spiritually unblemished Lamb of God who rescued us from SIN. Being released from the bondage of Egypt was a TYPE of being released from the bondage of sin. Another person commented on the post and said that the Passover was commanded to be an "eternal ordinance." I simply replied and said the scriptures taught no such thing. And they don't. Once the plan of salvation, as pictured by the seven feasts and holy days, is complete, there will be no need for the Passover. There won't even be the sun and moon for our times and seasons. There will be no such thing as a solar year, so definitely no Passover in its season. No need for that. The former things will be passed away, our sadness forgotten. And as for THIS TIME, while the Passover DOES still stand, the old covenant one has been REPLACED by the new covenant one.

Of which Passover will you partake? Will you be having a meal of lamb, unleavened bread, and herbs and be spending your time thinking of the physical nation of Israel being led out of Egypt, or will you eat your meal of whatever before you partake of the new covenant Passover, which is not a meal but the partaking of unleavened bread and wine while meditating on Christ's death and how we need to partake of his Godly spiritual nature? Old covenant law or new covenant law? If you do the former, you break the latter. You decide. The old covenant is DEAD, just as a husband of a wife can die. I'm betrothed to Christ. Which covenant have you entered?

New Covenant Does Not Abolish Law But Does Abolish Old Covenant

2011-03-19T15:24:00.004-05:00

This is somewhat of a continuance of my last post. Friends, are we humble and wish to honestly grow in grace and knowledge?

Those who claim with their lips and the words of their mouth that they accept Salvation--Jesus Christ/Yeshua Messiah--but who then turn around and teach that all must still keep the entire old covenant law are in actions rejecting Salvation. Some openly reject Paul and all his writings, but since Paul was very much at one with Salvation, they also reject Salvation's teachings with their actions, though they don't dare do so with their words.

Friend, are YOU one being deceived by such teachers? Are YOU then turning around and teaching others they must do the same?

THE NEW COVENANT CERTAINLY DOES NOT DO AWAY WITH THE LAW OF GOD, BUT THE NEW COVENANT DOES DO AWAY WITH THE OLD COVENANT!

First, you must identify whether you truly are a Paul-rejector or not. Some openly reject Paul, but others know if they reject Paul's writings, the validity of all the scriptures then comes into question, so they accept Paul's teachings with their lips, but in their actions and their teachings to others, they in fact reject Paul. In rejecting Paul, people are truly rejecting Salvation, too, although they may not realize it. Now, read the following words of my sleeping brother Paul, and ask yourself whether you are allowing yourself to be blinded and whether you ACCEPT or REJECT Paul's words:

But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart (2 Cor. 3:14-15).

Before I write more, I want to share the commentary on verse 14 by Albert Barnes, the 19th century Protestant theologian, as his commentary on this is very applicable (my bold and underlining for emphasis):

But their minds were blinded - The word used here (πωρόω pōroō) means rather to harden; to make hard like stone; and then to make dull or stupid. It is applied to the heart, in Mark 6:52; Mark 8:17; to persons, in Romans 11:7; and to the eyes, in Job 17:7. Paul refers here to the fact that the understandings of the Jews were stupid, dull, and insensible, so that they did not see clearly the design and end of their own institutions. He states simply the fact; he does not refer to the cause of it. The fact that the Jews were thus stupid and dull is often affirmed in the New Testament.
For until this day ... - The sense of this is, that even to the time when Paul wrote, it was a characteristic of the great mass of the Jewish people, that they did not understand the true sense of their own Scriptures. They did not understand its doctrines in regard to the Messiah. A veil seems to be thrown over the Old Testament when they read it, as there was over the face of Moses, so that the glory of their own Scriptures is concealed from their view, as the glory of the face of Moses was hidden.
Of the Old Testament - Greek, "of the old covenant." See this word "testament," or covenant, explained in the notes on 1 Corinthians 11:25. This, I believe, is the only instance in which the Scriptures of the Jews are called the "Old Testament," or covenant, in the Bible. It was, of course, not a name which they used, or would use; but it is now with Christians the common appellation. No doubt can be entertained but that Paul uses the terms in the same manner in which we now do, and refers to all the inspired writings of the Jews.
Which vail is done away in Christ - In the manifestation, or appearance of Jesus the Messiah, the veil is removed. The obscurity which rested on the prophecies and types of the former dispensation is withdrawn; and as the face of Moses could have been distinctly seen if the veil on his face had been removed, so it is in regard to the true meaning of the Old Testament by the coming of the Messiah. What was obscure is now made clear; and the prophecies are so completely fulfilled in him, that his coming has removed the covering, and shed a clear light over them all. Many of the prophecies, for example, until the Messiah actually appeared, appeared obscure, and almost contradictory. Those which spoke of him, for illustration, as man and as God; as suffering, and yet reigning; as dying, and yet as ever-living; as a mighty Prince, a conqueror, and a king, and yet as a man of sorrows; as humble, and yet glorious: all seemed difficult to be reconciled until they were seen to harmonize in Jesus of Nazareth. Then they were plain, and the veil was taken away. Christ is seen to answer all the previous descriptions of him in the Old Testament; and his coming casts a clear light on all which was before obscure.

Adam Clarke's commentary may be even better, and it's shorter and more to the point:

But their minds were blinded - By resting in the letter, shutting their eyes against the light that was granted to them, they contracted a hardness or stupidity of heart. And the veil that was on the face of Moses, which prevented the glory of his face from shining out, may be considered as emblematical of the veil of darkness and ignorance that is on their hearts, and which hinders the glory of the Gospel from shining in.
Until this day remaineth the same veil - They are still ignorant of the spiritual meaning and intention of their own law, called here παλαια διαθηκη, the old covenant. See the word explained in the preface to St. Matthew.
In the reading of the Old Testament - Here is an evident allusion to the conduct of the Jews in their synagogues: when they read the law they cover their whole head with a veil, which they term the טלית tallith, veil, from טלל talal, to cover; and this voluntary usage of theirs, the apostle tells us, is an emblem of the darkness of their hearts while they are employed even in sacred duties.
Which veil is done away in Christ - It is only by acknowledging Christ that the darkness is removed, and the end and spiritual meaning of the law discerned.

Aha! The false teachers out there who are into this "Messianic Judaism" religion and others who teach the new covenant is not really the new covenant but rather a "renewed" old covenant are BLIND like the Jews, not understanding the meaning of the old covenant scriptures. They do not want to accept the new covenant so that they can have the veil removed, because they are too concerned about LOOKING OUTWARDLY RIGHTEOUS TO MEN! (Note: I blow to pieces the false teaching of the "renewed covenant" by going to the actual Hebrew. Click here for my study article. It's the first point after the introduction.)

If a person would just READ the gospels and Hebrews and Paul's writings, I would think the confusion would go away, mostly, anyway, but I'm not sure what people are doing. I think they are too busy listening to their false teachers and desiring to look outwardly righteous, instead of actually READING and STUDYING the scriptures.

Let's look at some of the laws that CONDEMN the false teachers out there who teach we must go by ALL the law as given to Moses, the written law that was given as what we now call the old covenant.   Remember first, the promise of the Savior was given to Abraham 430 years BEFORE the old covenant, so the old covenant could not annul the new covenant (see Gal. 3:15-29). Please get your bible, and CHECK the scripture references. PROVE what I'm saying, whether it's right or wrong:

1. Under the old covenant, the law states that gentiles must be circumcised (in the penis) in order to partake of the Passover (ref. Ex. 12:48). The new covenant Passover was instituted by Christ (ref. Luke 22:20; Mark 14:24; Matt. 26:28). Under the new covenant, gentiles who wanted to join God's covenant, circumcision is not required (ref. Acts 15:24; Rom. 2:28-29; I Cor. 7:19; Gal. 5:12-13, 15) and for those of Israel or Judah who enter the new covenant, at that time it would have been irrelevant to discuss circumcision, because such men were already circed in the penis from infancy. What our parents do to us during infancy has no bearing on what kind of person we end up being and whether we choose to serve God when we become adults. We are to examine ourselves before partaking of the new covenant Passover so that we do not partake of it unworthily. If the old covenant regulations still stand, then an uncircumcised male (regardless of blood heritage) would be partaking of it unworthily.

2. Under the old covenant, per the law of Moses, a person is commanded to choose a physically unblemished lamb, a male yearling, on the tenth day of the first month of the year and keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month, take the blood and paint the doorposts of his home, roast the lamb whole (no boiling) and eat the flesh of the entire lamb along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs (Ex. 12:13). It was to be an ordinance throughout Israel's generations, forever, to remind them of God's saving power to deliver them from Egyptian bondage (vs. 14, 17). However, under the new covenant, Salvation the Anointed King is our spiritually unblemished (I Pet. 1:19) Passover lamb, and he commanded us to keep the NEW covenant Passover with unleavened bread and wine to symbolize his broken body and shed blood and that we are to keep it to remind us of his death, which is God's saving power to deliver us from bondage to sin (Luke 22:20; Matt. 26:28). Do you keep the old covenant Passover or the new covenant one?

Uh-oh! Those old-covenant teachers MUST reject Salvation's teaching, if they are going to reject Paul for adding or taking away from the law of Moses, because Salvation did it!!!!!!!!! THEIR MOUTHS NEED TO BE SHUT! They keep leading people astray. This goes back to the scriptures Paul wrote to the Corinthians that the Jews were so foolish that they could not see in the reading of the old covenant that the old ordinances were to come to an end. They were TEMPORARY! A daughter is to obey her father FOREVER! But, unless you are a complete fool, you know that the meaning of "forever" that I just used is not as long-lasting as some would like to make you believe that the "forevers" in the old covenant are. When a daughter is given in marriage, she then belongs to her husband and obeys him! IT NEEDS NOT TO BE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND!

3. Under the old covenant law of Moses, a person was commanded to pay damages for physical hurt done to another human being (Ex. 21:24-25; Lev. 24:20), but the Anointed One pointed out that we should have mercy for those who deserve it (Matt. 5:38-40).

4. Under the old covenant law of Moses, it was permissible for a man to write a bill of divorce to his wife, if she did not find favor in his eyes and that she could then be another man's wife (Deut. 24:1-2; Matt. 19:7). But, Salvation said that unless she was put away for fornication, one should not divorce, and if one does and marries another, it is adultery and causes the woman to commit adultery if she marries another (Matt. 19:9; 5:31-32). He said, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts allowed you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so (Matt. 19:8). DID YOU CATCH THAT? READ IT FROM YOUR BIBLE. MEDITATE ON IT. FROM THE BEGINNING IT WAS NOT SO! JUST LIKE FROM THE BEGINNING, A LOT OF THINGS DONE UNDER THE OLD COVENANT WAS NOT SO. IT WAS A CARNAL COVENANT MEANT TO BE A TEMPORARY SCHOOLTEACHER, BUT SO MANY STILL DON'T GET IT.

5. Under the old covenant law of Moses, vows were to be sworn unto Jehovah by His name (ref. Deut. 23:23). Salvation, however, when he came to preach the Kingdom of God (Matt. 11:13; Luke 16:16), taught that we should not swear by the name of God nor anyone or anything else, but let our yes be yes and our no be no (Matt. 5:33-35).

6. Under the old covenant, it was commanded that we hate certain enemies, for example the Ammonites and Moabites (modern-day Jordanians) were not to enter into God's congregation forever (Deut. 23:3). Oh, look! There are those words "for ever" again (even though it had just said ten generations, so we can use LOGIC and conclude that "for ever" in this verse meant that UNTIL the ten generations were up, the people were forever not to let those people in God's congregation). The Lord Salvation taught that we should love our enemies (Matt. 5:43-48) and be forgiving and merciful. We shouldn't judge anyone by what their ancestors did.

7. Under the old covenant, in order to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, you were commanded to take the fruit of good trees, the branches of palm trees, fruits of thick trees, and willows of the brook. (Wonder how I'd obey, when there are no palm trees here. Lev. 23:40)    Under the new covenant, of course, a visit to Jerusalem is not required to keep the feasts of God, and the new covenant temple are the members of the Church, the Body of Christ. Jesus, our Lord Salvation, said that the Father sought those to worship him in SPIRIT and TRUTH, and so would not be worshiping in Jerusalem (John 4:21-24). This applies to everything else festival-related that was required under the old covenant to be done in Jerusalem. Are you reading the scriptures? Are you checking these things out for yourself? Are you either blindly agreeing with me or blowing off what I say so that you can continue on believing as you are setting your heart to do so, or are you putting away your laziness and checking these scriptures?

8. Under the old covenant, the priesthood was of the tribe of Levi (Deut. 18:1; 21:5; 31:9). Priests were to be chosen only from the Levites. In addition, such men were not to bear any physical blemishes, such as blindness, lameness, flat nose, hunch-backed, scarred or scabbed up, etc. (Lev. 21:18-23). Under the new covenant the priesthood is headed by Christ (who was of Judah), his being the high priest and all those during the Church age who are begotten with God's Spirit--the Holy Seed--make up the new covenant priesthood. Whereas the Levitical priests offered up physical sacrifices of grain, flesh, etc., we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices. Study the following scriptures: 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rom. 12:1; Eph. 5:27; Rev. 1:6; 5:10.   Salvation (Jesus/Yeshua) was prophesied by Isaiah not to be a good-looking man that any person would naturally desire him for his looks (Isa. 53:2). It says no where that he had any deformities, but he was not handsome. It was to be deliberate. God desires sons who look at things as He does, judging the spiritual things and not the physical. Believe it or not, this was revealed here and there throughout the old covenant writings! It was repeated that one should circumcise his heart and that one should not judge outer appearance and that God didn't desire sacrifice but obedience and on and on.

If you read and study carefully, you'll notice the very few people you read about in old covenant times who possessed God's Spirit were not carnal. David did not even visit the priests for sin sacrifice after his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah (Psa. 51:16-17). He spoke to Heavenly Father and said that he knew God did not desire burnt animal sacrifice, OTHERWISE HE'D GIVE IT, but he knew God wanted a broken spirit (over his sin) and a contrite heart. He and the priest also broke the law of Moses at another time when he was running away from Saul, by eating the shewbread (I Sam. 21:1-6; Matt. 12:1-7). Yet, David has been chosen to be the king heading the entire twelve tribes of Israel during the Kingdom of God age on this earth (Eze. 34:23-24). Of course, Salvation shall be the top King of all, and there will be ranks. Underneath David, but also over the twelve tribes of Israel, will be the original twelve apostles (not Judas Iscariot but Matthias, his replacement) over each tribe, and so on. David was truly a man after God's own heart, and he could see past the old covenant rituals. He understood that they were a schoolteacher for carnal men. He knew it was a man's covenant, a carnal covenant, to point out the fault of the way a man thinks and judges things, all based on OUTWARD SHOW in the FLESH. Then the new covenant shows God's heart, His view, the perfect way God thinks and judges things, all based on the INWARD HEART in the SPIRIT.

If you want to please God, you need to start thinking the way Salvation did, the way David did, the way Paul did, the way all God's true Spirit-begotten servants think. You need to stop thinking carnally, because you cannot please God that way, though you may be deceiving yourself and others that you can.

9. Under the old covenant, Israel was commanded not to eat an animal that died of itself. We who live with our modern advanced knowledge don't need an in-depth explanation of this. We know why it's not a good idea to do this. The animal may have died of a bad disease, which could then be passed on to you. Now, it was allowed, however, to be given to the gentiles who lived within Israel's borders (Deut. 14:21). Now, if you have a Godly heart, I would hope that you do not have BLINDERS on your eyes, that you cannot see a problem--a FAULT--with this. Now, as I explained in my recently published book God's Law of Love, The Perfect Law of Liberty: Jehovah's Ten Commandments Still Apply Today, for a very poor gentile neighbor, if he had nothing to eat and would otherwise be starving, eating the flesh from such an animal might be a better risk than not having anything to eat at all, but if you truly have the HEART OF A SON OF GOD, and you could afford to do so, then you would rather let the death of such an animal be a REMINDER to offer a GOOD and SAFE animal's flesh to your foreigner neighbor who is living in poverty. What true Christian person thinks with the mind of, "My cow just died, and who knows what caused it, but I'm going to give it to my black neighbor to eat. He's just a Blackie. He's not as clean as I am, all white and sanctified by God because of my white flesh. It may not be safe for me to eat, but ol' Blackie can eat it."

How SICK, if you actually think this way! Do you not READ through the law of Moses and see the GOOD principles, but do you not also see the FAULT, the SHORTCOMINGS of some of it??? Are you BLIND to it all, as Paul said of the Jews of his day? Are you so carnal? Some things were ALLOWED under the old covenant, because of the HARDNESS OF THEIR HEARTS, the CARNALITY of the people. But those who possessed Godly hearts lived more Godly than what the law of Moses allowed. They did not seek divorces over little things. They did not seek out multiple wives. They did not give animals that died of themselves to their foreigner neighbors. They did not feel the need to wear phylacteries on their foreheads (ironically enough, Jews still do this today, as seen here, but I've YET TO SEE those who insist on penile circumcision of their sons and wearing of tassels in their clothes wear phylacteries on their foreheads. INSANITY!!!!!! HYPOCRITES, HYPOCRITES, HYPOCRITES! CAN YOU SAY, "HYPOCRITES?!" Oh, yeah, of all those who hurl their condemnations at me because I live the new covenant and will not live their old covenant ways and teach others to do so (b/c they won't to make a boast in the flesh--Gal. 6:13), NOT ONE have I seen wear phylacteries on their foreheads and things attached to their hands!

Now, is it SIN to circumcise your sons or to wear tassels or any of these other things? NO, absolutely NOT! But, it is a sin to reject the new covenant by mandating that others keep the old covenant (the promise of Messiah was BEFORE the old covenant, do not forget). And they are certainly putting themselves under a CURSE, because CURSED is the person who enters the old covenant and who fails to do all the things commanded therein. Many of the things are IMPOSSIBLE to keep right now, for there is no temple in Jerusalem, and many could not visit three times a year, every year, even if there was. Just CRAZY, the things people believe and teach.

10. The last example I care to give time to give (ten is enough) is that under the old covenant women who gave birth to a child were to go through a cleansing period (Lev. 12:1-8). Now, it is true that a woman should rest and recover, and it is true that a woman should abstain from sex until she is finished bleeding and goes through her physical cleansing. Usually the bleeding lasts no longer than six weeks (or around the 40 days the law of Moses prescribed for cleansing for a male child). The law of Moses, though, prescribed EIGHTY days for a female child. In addition, during the entire time of this cleansing, a woman was not allowed to go to worship services or to touch ANY HALLOWED THING. Can you imagine that God, who wants to be worshiped in SPIRIT and in TRUTH, would mandate a woman under the new and better covenant not to touch her bible so that she can read the Word of God for six to twelve weeks? The HOLY Word of God. Do you believe a woman is to stay away from her congregation (if she has one) for six to twelve weeks? What about the sacrifice that she is to make at the temple afterward? You are not doing a good job of keeping the old covenant if you are not visiting the Jerusalem temple to make the commanded sacrifices! A bit of a dilemma, wouldn't you say?!

Of course, if you are reading this and have any sense at all, and especially if you have the heart of God, if you are truly a begotten son of God and know or are learning to know how to please God, you surely realize how UTTERLY RIDICULOUS some people can be, and they are DECEIVING many. False prophets abound!

The bottom line is this: The new covenant does not do away with doing good, keeping the law in the spirit, but it does do away with the old covenant! People loved God and their fellow man BEFORE the establishment of the old covenant. People kept the Ten Commandments BEFORE Moses delivered them at Sinai, BEFORE all those added old covenant things were enacted. People put God first, worshiped Him in Spirit and Truth without bowing to images, they did not worship him in vain or blaspheme His Holy Name, they kept the Sabbath holy, they honored their parents, they did not murder, they did not commit adultery, they did not steal, nor did they lie, nor did they covet. They kept the dietary and agricultural regulations that were given from the beginning. All that was done by righteous men BEFORE the old covenant, and it can surely be done now.

What "The Law Was Added Because of Transgression" Means

2011-02-21T20:51:00.000-06:00

There is a great deal of confusion surrounding the meaning of Paul's words to the Galatians when he said:

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 (Gal. 3:19).

It's really simple, though. Of course, I encourage each one to read the entire context. Here, though, I simply want to lay it out for those who still don't get it, even after reading the context and reading the entire bible.

In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve on the sixth work day. He didn't lay out an endless number of statutes for them. He didn't overwhelm them with a lot of rules. Anyone who honestly just reads the opening of Genesis can see that he put them in the garden, told them to take care of it and told them what they could eat for food. The tree of life was also in the garden, and then there was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and God told Adam and Eve that they were not to eat from that tree, or else they would die. We then know the next day was the seventh day that was sanctified and hallowed, so right from the beginning we see the Sabbath day, the signature mark of the Creator. So things started out in a very BASIC way.

Now, we must ask, WHAT is the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil?" WHAT is the knowledge of good and evil? What do we call something that lets us know what is good and what is evil? Would we not call that law? Of course! Adam and Eve were alive and well, and everything was going smoothly, until they allowed themselves to be deceived by the serpent. Notice what happened. Back in Genesis 2:25 Adam and Eve were naked but were not ashamed, just as young children that do not yet know good from evil are not ashamed. They thought nothing of it. No one TOLD them it was wrong. God did not say, "Oh, and make sure you stay dressed with clothes, because it is not good for you to be naked." But, after they had eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly realized they were naked and covered themselves. They later told the Lord (the one who is the Firstborn of the Father) they were hiding from him because they were naked. He replied, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree from which I told you not to eat?"

Does this not remind you of what Paul said several thousand years later? Read Romans chapter 7, where he talks about how the law gives knowledge of what is good or evil and that he was alive once without the law, but then the commandment came, sin revived, and he died.

EVERY person on this earth, since Adam and Eve ate from the fruit, if they live long enough, comes to a point where their eyes are opened, and they know good from evil. Infants start out innocent and UNKNOWING of good and evil. Small children do not know that being naked in front of others is bad. They do not know that putting their fingers into electric sockets is evil. Little kids do not realize that crawling off the high bed is evil. They don't know these things bring bad consequences! Not until they transgress! THEN once they transgress, they know there is good and evil! Was killing and stealing and lying and such wrong from the beginning, before Adam and Eve knew it was wrong, before they ate from that tree? Of course it was! Did they have such ideas? Was there any written law with judgments laying all this out? No, there was not! Would it have been good for them to have clothes on from the beginning? Yes! But, were they at fault for not having on clothes? No, they had never been given any idea that it was wrong!

If you read my study on the tree of life, you will learn that the tree of life represents Christ. How do we get eternal life? There is only ONE way to salvation, and that is through Salvation the Anointed One, Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah). It's his sacrifice in our place that gives us the gift of eternal life for those who repent of sin [transgression of the law], are baptized, and the receive the Holy Spirit (the seed of God so that we can be born as sons of God at the resurrection).

I try to keep it as simple as possible for my children. The Ten Commandments are summed up by love God with all your heart, mind, and life and love your neighbor as you love yourself. I tell them the Ten Commandments teach us how to do these things. I do not bombard them with a laundry list of things they should do, though, to protect themselves, to protect others, and to protect property. BUT, if they transgress in some way, it becomes needful at times that I ADD LAW.

Just last night my husband was saying to my parents, concerning buying a third game controller, "I've been needing to buy another one, anyway, in case the kids tear up one." This was said in front of our children. This is a no-no, of course, but who is not guilty of doing this at some point? Most parents realize that suggesting this sort of thing in front of our kids puts the idea into their head to do evil. Whereas before, doing such a thing probably would not have crossed their minds, now they are tempted to do just that. Now, does this also sound familiar? Remember what Paul said about the law killing him, because we tend to want to do the opposite of what it says? Any experienced parent knows this is the case with children.

Would I tell my young child, "I just put some matches up in this cabinet. Now don't get into these and start a fire?" NO! I would put the matches up there in hopes that my child will not be snoopy and get into such a thing. I am not going to put the idea into his head to get into the matches. Most children will have a strong temptation to do the exact opposite of what you commanded. Not all children would actually follow through with it, but there would be a strong temptation, whereas if you kept your mouth shut, it would likely not be an issue. Now, let's say nothing was said, but one day the child got into the cabinet for one reason or another, and he happened to see the matches then. It was an unlikely event, but it happened. He was then tempted to use them. Still, a child could make the choice not to do so. But, sometimes a child does. If the latter occurred, THEN law would have to be added. YES! That's right. Oral or written law added AFTER transgression. The law is holy, just, and good, meaning what is good is good, but what was good was good before the giving of the law in a written organized form, full with judgments and then the added rituals. There were faithful and obedient people serving God BEFORE the added law. There were already people following the spiritual law, as written on their hearts, not killing, fornicating, stealing, etc. Yet, some transgressed, so it was needful for an ADDED law in written form, complete with JUDGMENTS for transgression. The animal sacrifices, human priesthood, etc. was to REALLY POINT OUT TO CARNAL-NATURED PEOPLE HOW SERIOUS TRANSGRESSION WAS.

Is that not why so many statutes are ADDED to the U.S. law code (or ANY law code)? The invention of motor vehicles, for example, as a new thing here. AFTER transgression, namely wrecks that caused people's bodies to be flung through the windshields, law was ADDED to include use of seat belts. At some point, law was ADDED for babies and young children to be put in car seats. Is someone foolish enough to say that this law is bad? What fool is willing to say this is a bad law? Is it for the GOOD? Is it to save lives? YES! Now, would there be some fool out there who claims that this is wrongful adding to God's law? Probably so. Now, it is indeed BETTER, as it is under the new covenant, to be led by the Spirit, to have God's law written on our HEARTS, choosing good because we want to do what is right, NOT because there is some written law that has judgments if transgressed. In that case, all that would have to be done is seat belts and car seats would be invented, proven to save lives, and then what fool would not want to use them? A wise person uses them, because he is following God's law of love as written on his or her heart, NOT because the U.S. law mandates them, for we know that not all man made laws are good. SOME are, though, and if it's a life-giving law, then why wouldn't a person follow it?

With increase of KNOWLEDGE, there is more to be decided on what is good and evil. I've written explanation time and again of this. If Moses lived today and was told to give a written law to Israel, it would NOT simply say, concerning safety in housing, "You must build a rail around the top of your roof so that no one falls off." Why, that would likely not even be included, because it DOES NOT APPLY. We do not have flat roofs that we walk upon and use in our every day lives, like people did in ancient Israel. However, there would be statutes like, "Don't let bare wires be exposed in your homes," and "Do not leave electric sockets exposed so that young children do not stick their fingers in them." It would not be just, "Eat only animals that have split hooves and chew the cud," etc., but it would likely be, "Do not eat McDonald's french fries," etc. What fool is there out there who would actually say that the food regulations as given in the law of Moses is good enough and everything else is fine to eat without control? We do not live in that age!

Of course, those of us who are Spirit-led and have God's law written on our hearts, following the law in the spirit, understand this. Believe it or not, though, there are folks out there who believe ONLY what was written by Moses for that day is what applies and that there is no new covenant, only a renewed old covenant. Makes you wonder why those people even bother claiming they have faith in the Messiah, for what would the point of his coming and sacrifice be if the old covenant was simply going to be renewed. That could have been done by any prophet, and there would have been no need of Salvation's sacrifice. There would be no need of a new covenant Passover Lamb. If the old covenant was good enough, some prophet simply could have come on the scene to remind people to be circumcised in the penile flesh, go to the temple in Jerusalem for the feasts, have the priests offer animal sacrifices for the people's sins and their own, etc.

If people would READ the words of people like David, who lived in the time of the old covenant, but who had the Spirit of God, they would see that those few people who lived in that time who had God's Spirit had a new covenant mindset. I don't think people are reading the scriptures for what they say!

Yes, the fact is that most people are CARNAL. They are fleshly-minded. Many do not care to follow any law, certainly not to have it written on their hearts. But, there are others who like others to THINK they are righteous (think of the carnal Pharisees whom Jesus criticized over and over), and so they cling to the old covenant things like penile circumcision, wearing fringes in the garments, etc. so that they appear righteous to others and so they can say to those who don't do those things, "Look at us. We are pleasing to God." Really? What goes on in their hearts, we must wonder. What kind of daily fruit do they bear? In my experience, those who believe old covenant regulations are binding (like penile circumcision) are so much like the Pharisees that Jesus called hypocrites.

Those who believe the law was not ADDED because of transgression need to get studying the scriptures. They need to get a solid understanding of the first two chapters of Genesis, because they obviously do not already understand it. Christ is even recorded of giving examples of where the law of Moses fell short. He said certain things, like a man divorcing a wife if he was not pleased with her, was allowed for the HARDNESS OF THEIR HEARTS (yes, that's right, they may have had circumcised penises, but they had uncircumcised hearts), but FROM THE BEGINNING IT WAS NOT SO. YES!!!!!!!!!! Even the Lord said with his own mouth that the law of Moses was ADDED. Obviously is was, if something was not so from the beginning, but it was then allowed in the old covenant law of Moses to be more lax. Obviously penile circumcision was not from the beginning. Of course not. That would mean God would have made a mistake with the penis, since he could have just made the penis without the foreskin that extends beyond the head of the penis. It was ADDED. It was given to Abraham as a sign of the covenant. Then later some of his descendants (namely the children of Israel) became slaves to Egypt, and so God worked out a way for them to be freed from bondage, and then he had Moses give them the law and the Levitical priesthood, etc. That was the beginning of the old covenant. BEFORE the Levitical priesthood, there was a different priesthood. People offered to the high priest Melchisadek, which was really the Lord. NOW it is as before. The old covenant with its law, priesthood, sacrifices, etc. were TEMPORARY. They were to last UNTIL it was replaced with something better.

I hope that if you have not before grasped what "the law was added because of transgression" means, that you now understand it. God did NOT bombard Adam and Eve with a bunch of regulations. He kept it simple. They ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, sin entered this world, and much later the law of Moses was ADDED because of all the transgression. Yes, there was law that was being broken BEFORE the law being added in a written form (along with additional rituals and sacrifices), just as if a child does something he shouldn't, but just because the transgression occurred doesn't mean the law had been given. If there is transgression, law then becomes needful so that if continually transgressed, punishment can be given.

BUT, if people have God's Spirit to circumcise their hearts and so have the law written on their hearts, there is LIFE. There is no need for the old covenant set-up, because the promise was given--Christ. And the PROMISE OF THE MESSIAH WAS GIVEN TO ABRAHAM HUNDREDS OF YEARS BEFORE THE OLD COVENANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As the law states, and Paul repeated, one is CURSED to not do all the things in the law of Moses, if one chooses to enter that covenant. Many of those things are IMPOSSIBLE to do, seeing as we have no temple in Jerusalem, etc. Now, does this all make those things wrong? Is penile circumcision wrong? No, but it is wrong to say it must be done for salvation. That was the old covenant that said, "Cursed is the man who does not do all the things of the law." Of course, no one could ever do it perfectly, and the death of animals and penile circumcision (especially when done to a child who did not make a conscious choice of having it done) does not save a person. Only the Spirit of God and obeying Him in Spirit will save a person, under the new covenant that was instituted with Christ's blood being shed.

The law of Moses was indeed ADDED because of transgressions. People like Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham all served God in obedience in faith (looking forward to the promise) BEFORE the law of Moses was added. So it is now no different under the new covenant. Many obey God--putting Him first, not bowing down to images, not holding up His name in useless worship, keeping the seventh day holy, honoring their parents, not killing anyone, not committing sexual sin, not stealing, not lying, and not coveting what is not rightfully theirs--all in its spiritual intent. That means they are not even thinking of these evils. They don't need some judgment clause in a written law to keep them from committing acts. No, they do NOT WANT to even think about doing those things. They hate evil in their hearts. They do not feel the need to have outer symbols in the flesh that only serve to receive praise from men. Only God fully knows our hearts, and regardless of how good we act on the outside, if we're not clean on the inside, the outside stuff doesn't matter.

Even the other nations who do not have the knowledge of the fourth commandment passed down, if following the law as written on their hearts (knowing there must be a Creator and so being thankful to Him, taking care of the earth, honoring their parents, not killing, not fornicating, not stealing nor destroying property, not lying, nor wanting something not rightfully theirs). When they are raised up to life during the "Great White Throne Judgment," they will have their eyes opened to the truth of who God is and what his Sabbath was, etc. These people who did what was right in their hearts, because they wanted to do what was right, will put to shame those who had penile circumcision yet did not have the right heart.

Just as those BEFORE the law was added obeyed, we obey.

My closest co-worker in Christ, Keith Hunt, has written more about this, found within his expounding of Galatians. The part which deals with the law being added because of transgression is found here: http://www.keithhunt.com/Ntacts21.html. If you want to study further, I recommend the link.

Review of the Movie "Stone"

2011-02-10T17:19:00.000-06:00

Recently, I watched a newly-released-to-video movie called Stone. I want to first say, as I do in any movie review I do, if you do not want the details of the movie spoiled, if you plan to watch it, then do not read this until after you've watched the movie. Furthermore, I want to state that this movie is an adults-only movie. Not only is there a violent stabbing scene, numerous calling down of curses from God and many profane words, but there is sexual content and partial nudity that is better off not seen by anyone.

Wikipedia calls the movie a "box office bomb," stating that it brought in only a third of its production budget. I do feel that this is a disappointment, because it has a message that most in our nation really need to grasp. I have observed, though, that though I and a minute few others actually get something out of movies, most only seek to be entertained by the violence, sexual content, the looks of the actors and actresses themselves, etc. and do not really pay attention to the underlying MESSAGES that so many movies reveal.

The movie's four main characters are about-to-retire Jack Mabry, Jack's wife Madylyn, 20-or-30-something Gerald "Stone" Creeson, and his wife Lucetta. The movie starts out with a non-introduced young Jack and Madylyn Mabry and their young daughter. The woman carries her daughter to her bed upstairs and kisses her so that she can continue her nap. She sits on the bed for a minute staring at a fly buzzing around the screen of the open window. She then goes downstairs and tells her husband something to the effect of, "You're keeping my soul in a prison. I'm leaving," to which the non-introduced Jack responds by jumping out of his chair and storming upstairs.

Obviously worried, Jack's wife runs up the stairs after he's gone up, shouting after him. She finds him in their daughter's room, hanging his daughter out the window and threatening his wife that if she leaves him, he'll drop their daughter. She says she won't leave and pleads for him to bring their sleeping daughter back inside. After he lays the girl back on the bed, the wife hurries to the window and slams it shut on the fly, which kills the latter. I think the fly's death is something most won't even think much about, but I find it interesting that it was included. A creature with a nasty job, viewed as a nuisance was killed by the woman who saved her daughter from being killed. It was if it was a just substitute. The man had removed the screen, so the fly then had the opportunity it wanted to leave, but it must have swarmed around the room. Before it could finally be free, it was killed.

Then the movie moves to the present, showing scenes of an Episcopalian (Protestant Christian) Jack Mabry and his wife attending church services; scenes of Jack, a corrections officer, in his office talking to Gerald Creeson; scenes of Jack and Madylyn in their home, often with prayer and devotionals at meal times, it being clearly evident that Madylyn is serious about her faith, whereas Jack is not so much; scenes of Jack driving in his car, usually listening to radio with Christian broadcasting; scenes of Lucetta calling Jack or meeting Jack; and scenes of Lucetta visiting Gerald in prison.

Toward the beginning of the movie, Jack meets with Gerald in Jack's office. Gerald has served eight years of eleven sentenced for arson. He's available for possible parole, so Jack is reviewing his case. Gerald demands to be called "Stone," because that is what everyone who knows him calls him. He talks with an attitude, and his language is heavily laced with profanity. His hair is in rows of tight braids. He tells Jack that he's ready to get out, and Jack asks him whether it's because he's reformed, to which Jack says that he's paid time, and he's ready to get out. He has not really gone through any change for the better, though he does say something interesting to Jack. He inquired why he had to be in the prison and why Jack could be free, and Jack said that he hadn't "broken the law." Stone (Gerald) basically said, "You mean to tell me you haven't done anything wrong in your life?"

Stone calls his wife from prison and urges her to talk to Jack and do anything she could to get Jack to give Gerald a good report so that he could be released. Lucetta more or less stalks Jack, calling him at home and stopping him outside his workplace. He finally agrees to meet privately with her. She plays the sweet and seductive role very well. Long story short, she persuades him to go to her house, and she gets him drunk and has sex with him.

Meanwhile, Stone is having a difficult time being in prison. He desperately wants out. He goes to the prison library and starts sorting through religious literature. Poor guy. There are so many things from which to pick, he's not sure where to start. He finally chooses a pamphlet on a religion Zangkugor or something. I can't remember the name of it, nor do I know whether it's a real religion or made for the movie. It teaches a doctrine of karma and reincarnation and that humming a certain way will help you get in a certain zone where then you can hear a natural sound, like a bee buzzing and find harmony or God in it.

It is not within the scope of this review to deeply discuss such religions as Zangkugor or whatever it was called, and the true God does not call everyone to understand truth during this phase of his seven-step plan of salvation for mankind. But, the main point is that Gerald did go through a spiritual change. He finally felt guilty for burning his grandparents' house down. He started asking questions like, "What is forever?" He cleaned up his speech tremendously. It was no longer filled with profanity, and he spoke more intelligently. He got his hair out of braids.

At the same time, Jack feels convicted of his adultery with another man's wife and clearly feels very uncomfortable around both his own wife and around Gerald. The tables have turned, and Jack is the one whose language is filled with profanity and yelling, where Gerald sits calmly and asks Jack questions out of concern, which only enrages Jack more. Jack is obviously a tormented soul, and Gerald is at peace. He said it didn't matter now whether he was in prison or out. Gerald's spirit was free within him, where Jack's spirit was in tormenting bondage to his sin, because he really did believe there was a God but wanted to deny it in order to justify his sin to himself and so to avoid confessing his sin and apologizing to those he wronged and repent--change, get on the right track.

Jack's wife is visibly hurt but also disgusted with Jack's behavior. She has her womanly instincts and wise discernment and asks Jack whether there is anything he needed to tell her. He's very short and profane with everyone with whom he has contact now.

Jack decides he wants to change the good report on Gerald, even though now it should be clear to a wisely discerning judge that Gerald has true grounds to be released. He's truly gone through a spiritual change, serving in liberty under some law in which he believed.

Madylyn leaves Jack, after burning their home down and getting away with it (the same crime Gerald had done for other reasons), and goes to their daughter's home. The daughter says to her mother that she is so surprised that she waited so long and didn't leave a long time ago. She said, "I tried once..." as she stares into another time, not answering her daughter's inquiry, "What happened?" We're left to wonder whether Madylyn tells her daughter the story about her father hanging her out the window.

It also appears that Gerald left his whorish wife Lucetta. I find it interesting that the name Lucetta was chosen for her character. Her name means "light," but she's very deceptive and seductive, only appearing as a person of light. In one scene she showed to be at work at a daycare or school, out on the playground with young children, and she was very patient and gentle-spoken. She was sugary sweet when seducing Jack. In truth, she was full of darkness. She verbally expressed to Jack, upon being asked, that she did not believe in God. She made her own good and bad, delighting in what she saw right in her own eyes.

Jack is driving down a street one night and happens to see Gerald walking. He stops, takes a gun from his car, gets out of the car, and chases Gerald down. He has him in a place of darkness and starts cursing him and pushes him up against the wall of a building. He presses the barrel of the gun to Gerald's forehead and falsely accuses Gerald of ruining his life. Gerald is calm throughout the whole scenario, which pisses off Jack even more. He threatens, "You don't think I'll kill you?!" Gerald calmly replies, "No, I don't." He's right, as Jack eventually takes the gun away and leaves. Jack (meaning "man") has an exceedingly sinful heart, but he does not want to break the PHYSICAL law of the land and so be imprisoned physically. Nevertheless, he's in SPIRITUAL bonds, spiritually imprisoned, in bondage to his sin.

A person can be free in God's eyes while in physical bondage (in prison), and a person who is physically free can be in spiritual bondage. There are many who care about what man thinks and so will put on outward show of being righteous, but they are not fooling God who judges the heart and mind. Many do not want to humble themselves and repent of their sins. They have hearts of stone. Gerald started out as "Stone," and he was indeed hardened. But, he underwent a spiritual transformation, and his heart softened. In the end, it was Jack who had the stony heart and chose to remain in tormenting spiritual bondage, rather than humbly confess his sins and repent. There are many who sit in buildings made by man, imprisoned who are spiritually free, and there are many, many more who, although physically free, are imprisoned by their sin and their refusal to free themselves by humbly repenting.

At the age of 18 I was charged with credit card fraud across interstate lines. When I was 20, I was served papers by the Secret Service and a U.S. marshal and summoned to court a U.S. district court to enter a plea. I entered a plea of guilty. I had shown a complete turnaround. In the end, I was not convicted of the crime, though I was guilty and had pled guilty. I received GRACE upon my repentance. Many looked down on me with great judgment for one of the lesser sins of the Ten Commandments, one of the only sins that did not require the physical death penalty if physically transgressed. Those same people were guilty of greater sins and great sins of the heart, sins of which they do not repent. But, those physical sins and those greater sins of the heart are not punished by the law in place by man of this land. Though those same people claim to be Christians, they care more about the law of man and what man thinks than what God thinks.

Which are YOU? Were you a Stone that is now changed, or are you a Jack who is physically free and looked upon through the eyes of man as "a good person" but are in spiritual bondage to your sin and "wicked" through the eyes of God?

Books, Courses, and Documentaries of 2010 and a Look at 2011

2011-02-01T20:27:00.000-06:00

This post lists the books, documentaries, and courses I read and watched during the course of the last Roman year, and then I'm posting my planned books-to-read and courses-to-watch for this Roman year. This does not include the various scientific and historical studies and articles I've read, scientific magazines, things read to the children, nor any other educational reading, nor does it include my bible readings and studies. This kind of post each year is helpful to me and is not necessarily helpful to anyone else.

Books I Read in 2010:

Finished reading Nature Got There First: Inventions Inspired by Nature by Phil Gates

What a Difference a Daddy Makes by Dr. Kevin Leman

DMT: The Spirit Molecule by Dr. Rick Strassman

Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels

The Truth Shall Set You Free: Herbert Armstrong's Empire Exposed by John Tuit

Women in the Church: A Biblical Study on the Role of Women in the Church by Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi

The Story of V: A Natural History of Female Sexuality by Catherine Blackledge

The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Nancy Jenkins (does not include reading all the recipes included)

Almost finished with Married for Life by Bill Morelan (reading along with Nathan)

I wrote and published the book God's Law of Love: The Perfect Law of Liberty

Courses I Watched in 2010:

Linguistics: The Science of Language by Professor John McWhorter

The Story of Human Language by Professor John McWhorter

The History of the English Language by Professor Seth Lerer

and part of Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution by Professor Richard Wolfson

Documentaries I Watched in 2010:

11th Hour

Love, Hate, and Propaganda

Botany of Desire

Collapse

I.O.U.S.A.

Constantine's Sword

***************************

Books I Plan to Read in 2011:

To finish Married for Life by Bill Morelan (reading w/ Nathan)

In Search of Dad by Charles Newbold, Jr.

DNA and the Criminal Justice System: The Technology of Justice edited by David Lazer

Adam, Eve, and the Genome edited by Susan Thistlethwaite

Girls! by William Beausay & Kathryn Beausay

Faith Training: Raising Kids Who Love the Lord by Dr. Joe White

And re-reading the content of what is about to become the book The Biblical Prophets for Today by Keith Hunt

Courses I Plan to Watch in 2011:

To finish Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution by Professor Richard Wolfson

Biology and Human Behavior: The Neurological Origins of Individuality by Professor Robert Sapolsky

Understanding the Brain by Professor Jeanette Norden

Understanding Genetics by Professor David Sadava

and The Joy of Science by Professor Robert M. Hazen

Documentaries I Plan to Watch in 2011:

I AM (will be released in theaters Feb. 18)

and whatever else I decide through the coming months

Some Miss the Rebellious Years in the Prison School System

2011-01-17T23:59:00.000-06:00

Recently, I've been carefully meditating on the prison school system and the adolescent rebellion that is common in mainstream society, as well as the difference between those who are glad those years of sin and rebellion are behind them and those who miss them with a yearning to be able to go back.

These reflections are a result of a lot of comments over the years by various individuals about missing public school. Well, I am one who can't imagine what is wrong in the head of someone who would actually miss being locked away in an institution for eight plus hours a day, five days a week, where you are made to sit in desks and be force-fed information you may or may not care about or of which may or may not be true, where you are punished for talking or questioning and for needing to visit the toilet, where you are not allowed to keep water or chew gum or eat a snack or, or or...

I've noticed a common theme, though, among most people who miss those days. They miss things like the memories of cheating on school work, sneaking this or that, and getting away with numerous other things. In other words, they miss themselves and their fellow peers all acting in rebellion with each other and getting a kick out of it. Interesting, I thought. Then I thought of the many in prisons who actually enjoy being there, because they have criminal minds, and they enjoy fighting, stealing, doing drugs, engaging in fornication, etc. inside the prison walls. These are the same things that are increasing in public schools. Even when locked away, they get away with evil.

I chose to do a quick research on people who actually enjoy an adult prison, and a blog with an article on the child and adolescent prison school system caught my eye. I agree very much with his post.

I've for many years called the public school system a prison. There is no freedom and no joy in learning, and so the love of learning dies in most people by the time they finish their sentence. Thank God I survived. I always loved learning and exploring, and I feel as if I was VERY robbed of precious time during those years. I also was not spending my adult-training years learning beside my mother how to be an adult woman. Instead, I spent my time being force-fed repeated basics and then nonsense that I would never use in my life, and then getting in trouble with my peers, both in and out of school.

So then I was thrown into the world with a major handicap, plus I'd been morally defiled. By God's grace, I chose to live as a truth-seeker, ever-growing in knowledge, and I chose to keep my children at home where they can function normally, learning in a normal environment. They learn the basics of reading, writing, and math, and they learn everything else by asking and exploring and reading. They learn to follow the law of God, and they go with me to places so that they can learn how to do things in the real world. When they enter their teen/adolescent years, they should be ready to start their adult training, beside the parent of the same sex.

My adolescent years, just like the adolescent years of most people in this nation, are stained terribly by SIN and REBELLION. I remember in my elementary school years, my best friend and I were called "Goody Two Shoes" and were often persecuted for being studious and well-behaved. As we entered our adolescent years, things became much more difficult. We were under tremendous pressure to "be cool," and to be cool among your peers, you had to be bad. Adolescents dishonor their parents, fight and say hateful things to others (some even kill others), abuse food and drugs, engage in sexually immoral behavior, steal, lie and cheat, and are never satisfied with what they already have.

Oh, I feel just AWFUL about my adolescent years. It's a time I want to ERASE from my memory. I sure do NOT want to return to those days of imprisonment and sin.

The public school system really is much like the prison system, even down to the poor quality food. Just as criminals in our society are looked upon as "cool" if they've done time in prison, and the more they've done, the "cooler" they are, adult sinners of my generation and the one that followed crave the time of crime once again. They look on those days as "the good ol' days," but most of us who have turned to God look back on those imprisoned and sinful years and loathe them. We remember our sins, and we remember being locked up, and we are glad to have been set free.

By Grace We Are Saved, Not by Works: A Lesson to My Son

2011-01-01T01:43:00.000-06:00

This week when the children and I went to the market, my seven-year-old firstborn son exhibited behavior with which I was displeased. He is usually my superstar helper when we go to the market. I had to repeatedly remind him to do his responsibilities as he should and to not fool around.

I told him after we left that I was going to give a bad report on him to his daddy. It's close to an hour's drive back home, and when we were about twenty minutes away from home, Will said, "Momma, if a person does bad works, and then if he does more good works, does that [cancel out] the bad works?"

I knew why he asked. He had been sitting back there formulating a plan to get out of the probability of being punished by his father. He wondered whether he could get home and do all sorts of good works to get me on his good side, and then I would just cancel out his bad works with the good works of which he would have more, and so then he'd be saved from punishment.

I responded to his question, "No, sweetie, it doesn't work that way. That would be salvation by works. A person cannot be saved from punishment for bad works by doing more good works than he did bad. Salvation from punishment can only come from grace."

I continued, "However, a person who does not stop his bad works and start doing good works won't receive that grace, but the fact remains that he did bad works. Think of it this way. Say I go out and murder someone. I say to the judges that I am sorry, and I'll now do only good works. I'll do the good works of not killing anyone else and will do all manner of other good works. But, not killing other people doesn't and cannot make up for the person I did kill. Only if the people who were hurt by that person's death gave me pardon, gave me grace can I be saved from punishment. But people don't give grace to a murderer who feels no remorse and clearly has the mindset of murdering again."

Will said, "I need grace! Momma, will you please give me grace and not tell Daddy?"

I told him that I knew he was usually well-behaved and that he needed to make sure it didn't happen again; next week when we go to the market, he'd better act the right way. I added that he also needed to make sure he walked the path of righteousness for the remainder of the day, to the time his daddy would get home. I ended by telling him that I forgave him and that I wouldn't bring charges against him to his daddy.

Well, much to my disappointment, Will let his own will get out of control for the rest of the day. He can be so wonderful, but that day was not one of those days. I told him he'd be getting a bad report. I did give his daddy a bad report, and it included the market details. The promised grace was no longer valid, because he had fallen from grace.

Our relationship with our Holy Father and with our Lord Brother, Salvation, is no different. We are saved by grace, because we have all sinned, and the Perfect Firstborn, Salvation, sacrificed for us. Big Brother took the blame for our wrongdoings. He took the punishment from Father. The punishment did not belong to him. Salvation did no wrong in Father's eyes. He was Father's Perfect Firstborn, playing a life out in human flesh without sin. Salvation is Number 1 in Father's eyes, his most beloved Son. None of us will ever come close to comparing, and certainly no number of good works is going to cancel out any bad works. ONE bad work, ONE sin, and we come SHORT of God's glory, and Salvation, the Firstborn, is Father's glory. We should all bow the knee to Salvation, because he's EARNED his right to be Father's Top Son. None of us have EARNED anything...but death. We all have at least ONE sin. Salvation had NO sin. We had better all bow to Salvation and do our best to be like him, and he'll give a good word to Father. Father will see that we are trying to be like Salvation, though knowing we'll never be as good as Salvation, and honor Salvation before Father.

That is how we get GRACE. We have to have the heart of wanting to do everything right and trying to walk on the path of righteousness the way our Elder Brother Salvation did. If we are not even trying to obey Father's household law the way Salvation did and do not care or only care about some commandments but not others, then we shall not get grace from Father.

It's interesting to me that most of those who call themselves "Christian" shout to those who keep Father's commandments and do not play the whore in Father's household but keep themselves as a virgin in his Royal Household, "We're not saved by works! We're saved by grace." Well, those of us who keep Father's commandments are not seeking to be saved by works. We are seeking to be saved by grace. We truly were remorseful that we had broken Father's commandments--all ten of them--and we turned to good works. No matter how many times we don't steal, it won't make up for the time(s) we have stolen. No matter how much we do not murder, it won't make up for the times we did (even in heart). We're not saved by works. But, we know we're not going to get covered by that promised grace through Salvation before Father's throne if we do not change our ways.

If Will acts up at the market next week, he'll really be in trouble, because it is known that he can conduct himself properly and make me very proud, and so if he does not even try to do what is right and instead acts out of line--off the right path--he won't receive grace. It'll be even worse. It's pretty bad when someone gives a transgressor grace, and then he goes back to the evil deeds he had claimed to be remorseful for and turn away from.

So, those saved by grace won't be those who shout loudly to Father's righteous sons that they're "saved by grace, not by works," but those saved by grace will be the ones who sought grace and then stopped breaking the commandments. Most of those "saved by grace" shouters agree that one should not murder, steal, commit adultery, lie, etc. It's mostly the fourth commandment with which they hate. They prefer to fornicate--to play the harlot in Father's Royal House--by keeping pagan-originated holidays, like the weekly "Sunday" first day of the week and the annual holiday feasts of Easter and Christmas, etc. They do not want to walk as Salvation did, keeping the commanded holy days of Father that outline our plan of salvation. Father and Salvation are not pleased that those who claim to be in their Household do not keep Sabbath on the seventh day of the week, Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, and 8th Day. This reveals the true Salvation, the true Christ.

Oh, how I LOVE the TRUTH...how I love and meditate daily in Father's royal law. I aim to please him daily. I cry when I fail miserably to compare to my Brother Salvation. Oh, but I then THANK Father for his grace and Salvation for his name, because he is my Salvation. I have FAITH that I am under the loving GRACE of my Holy Father, because I invite him to search my heart so that he knows I love him and aim to please him and follow Salvation's footsteps and because I honor Salvation as the rightful TOP HEIR and am just thankful that I even am called worthy enough through grace to co-inherit my Father's possessions.

PRAISE you, Father, Most High, and my Beloved Lord Salvation. Blessed are you both by those in your Royal Household who LOVE and SERVE you in SPIRIT and in TRUTH!

Amen!

Does Christ's Name on Something Make it His?

2010-12-17T14:26:00.000-06:00

It's the Christmas time that a huge number of people in the world observe. I'm not an observer of this time myself, as God my Father condemns such an observance. There are a lot who call themselves Christians, though, who observe the time and day. They'll say the most senseless things when confronted with the truth.

For example, upon someone saying that Jesus is the reason for the season, I stated the truth of the matter, that he is NOT the reason for this season; he has absolutely NOTHING to do with it and hates it.

That person said that the scriptures talk about Jesus' birth, and she thought Satan trembles because people observe his birth at Christmas. Well, yes, I said, the scriptures do talk about Salvation's birth, but it has nothing to do with the winter celebration people observe, nor was his birth commanded to be observed.

Another person said that she'd "always been taught" that Christ was the reason for the season, hence the name of Christmas.

Yet another person said pointed it out to me in all caps, as if I was physically blind to the spelling: He's the reason for the season, because it's called CHRISTmas.

Wow, do people REALLY honestly think that just because people call the day Christmas that it is all about Christ and that he's okay with it? What if our government decided to rename the atomic bomb the "Christ Bomb?" What if the ammo used in military guns were renamed "Jesus bullets?" Would that somehow make the wars U.S. wages Christian? Would the bomb and bullets be okay to use against fellow human beings then? Would it automatically get Christ's approval, because someone put his name on it?

If we meditate on this, we see clearly that it is great folly to to believe something like this.

There are homosexual groups out there who put the name of Christ on them, like the Gay Christian Network, for example. There are those out there who have created "Christian porn" sites. There are "Christian" abortionists. The notorious partial-birth abortionist George Tiller "The Baby Killer" who was recently shot and killed was done so as he was walking out of his church on "Sunday" morning. I could go on and on, but surely the point is made.

Christmas, which comes from two words--Christ and mass--means "dismissal of Christ," which doesn't make sense, seeing as it's supposedly his birth being observed. The fact is that Christmas is the old Dies Natalis Sol Invictus (Birthday of the Invincible Sun), a day of worship to the false sun god. Rome gave it a new name. The church in Rome fornicated truth with pagan doctrines and observances.

The truth is that Christians should have nothing to do with "Christmas." It's a deception from Satan himself.

Further reading:

The History of Christmas by Keith Hunt

Naughty or Nice, Someone is Coming to Town? mine

The Truth About Santa Claus by Keith Hunt

Son of God or Sun of God: Which Christ Do You Worship? mine

Link between Christmas and abortion mine

The Tree of Life: Symbolic Representation or Object of Worship? mine

Real Love vs. Lip Service

2010-12-07T09:13:00.001-06:00

I like writing things under the topic of spiritual vs. earthly, and this is yet another entry dealing with this topic.

For awhile now, I've really been pushing hard for my two older children, young sons of 7.5 years and 3.5 years, to learn the difference between lip service and true love and faithful obedience. This is something on which all of us in God's Church should also meditate carefully.

I've always been a really loving person, very family-oriented. I value family time more than increasing in wealth. I would always want to talk and play games with my family when growing up, though I never got nearly enough. Ironically,I ended up choosing to spend more time by myself in my bedroom or outside in the woods, either reading or enjoying nature and meditating, rather than watch fruitless television shows. That was their idea of spending time together, day after day, hour after hour, and it never made sense to me, because although I don't mind watching interesting movies with my family now, it's because we watch things that we can talk about, and we do discuss them. We also spend only a small portion of our time doing such things. Watching hours of tv each evening together is not the same as interacting with each other.

My mother always told me that I told her, "I love you" too much and that the meaning lost its luster, because I wore it out. I certainly was not thinking in those terms. I really did just love her and wanted the same kind of love back.

Later, I married my husband, and the strangest thing happened. He told me one time that I say, "I love you" too often. He said something like, "You just told me a few minutes ago." This was TWICE I'd been told this by two different people. I was hurt. I have always been sincere in my love, and I didn't think anything of my frequent vocalizations of it.

Fast forward a few years later. My younger son, 3.5 years of age now, is a Jekyll and Hyde. He can be very sweet and loving, or he can be very raging and hateful. I'm working very hard to teach him to tame his spirit, to "have control" over it.

Well, he says, "I love you" a lot. Sadly, he also has many times screamed "I hate you," and that is something none of the rest of us ever say (and hopefully not think). In his case, he does a lot of lip servicing. He'll say that he loves, but he won't obey. Now, I did a lot of rebellious moves in my teen years, so my vocalized love toward my mother would have been in part lip service, but it didn't have to be that way. Neither of my parents made any moves to be close to me in my teen years. Neither of them had any interest in being my friend. I thought my mother was my enemy; she certainly acted like it. They had no problem sending me to a public school where I was surrounded by other rebellious teens who hated their parents, and some even told me that my mother was a bitch.

Looking back on it all now with a lot more knowledge and wisdom, my parents, whether knowingly or unknowingly, actively supported my dying love and disrespect for them in my adolescent years by approving of the system and setting me in it and never making time to have a deep meaningful relationship with me, because watching fruitless sitcoms was more important. They never even talked to me about the books I read, the music to which I listened, the friends I had at school, or what I was learning at school.

My son Trusten's constant vocalizing his love for me, when it stands with obedience, isn't botheresome to me. The number of times he says it does not aggravate me when he's being well-behaved. However, when he's in a streak of evil, and he tells me that over and over, I feel angry.

I meditated some on my own habit of frequently speaking words of love. I needed to be sure that there was no lip service going on. When I realized that I was clear of any guilt, I used the difference as a teaching tool for my children. When I ask them how they know that I love them, I say:

"Is it because I tell you many times in the day that I love you?"

At first, the answers were affirmative. So I asked something like:

"What if I said that I love you all throughout the day every day, but I called you awful names and beat you and hurt you, and I didn't feed you or I just let you as a child eat whatever you wanted even if it was junk, and I didn't care about you taking a bath and brushing your teeth, and I didn't care about you learning anything, and I let you play with knives, and I let you go wander off in the woods by yourself....

"Would you believe that I loved you, even though I said it?"

The answer, of course, was a NO!

So I asked how did they know I really love them. "Hugs, kisses, reading, toys, clothes, food, etc."

I explained that I also knew that I was loved back by hugs and kisses and trust and obedience. Whereas a parent shows love in providing basic needs, protection, and law, a child shows back that love by trusting and obeying. I remind my children of this over and over. It's a long process in making sure that when they reach adulthood, they will be fine neighbors, fine citizens in society.

Through all my meditation, I realized that vocalizing the words, "I love you" is another one of those things that fall under "physical reminders," this particular thing being a reminder to others, though if you show the love, it's not nearly as important to say it. A person can say it, just use lip service, but show that they do not by their deeds. Another person can show their love and never even say it, but others will know they're loved by that person. For more on outward show vs. the real deal and how it relates to the old carnal covenant vs. the new spiritual covenant, read my study Old Covenant Carnal Showings.

I don't see myself ever ceasing to remind others that I love them, because I know how the human heart and mind is, and I know others like to be TOLD--reminded in this way--that they are LOVED. The more important thing, though, is that I never stop showing it with my actions. Saying it has benefit ONLY when backed by truly showing it, much like Paul said that circumcision of the flesh only has benefit when the heart is truly circumcised.

Our Lord Salvation does not even have recorded words of, "I love you" to any of us, but it is recorded that he said, "No greater love hath a man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." He did that for us. He showed his love to us. He never said, "I love all of you who will follow me in the years to come." We KNOW, however, that he does love us by what he did.

God provides us with all our needs, and He provided our brother, His Firstborn, our Lord Salvation to give us grace through the shedding of his blood. Those of us who truly love God back do so by trusting and obeying Him. Those who do things the way they see right in their own eyes, including worshipping God the Father the way they see fit, may love God to a point, but they do not love Him more than they love doing what they want. That is what I always tell my boys when they do something they were told not to do. Sometimes the excuse is even made that it was done because they love me, because it was a good act. But, if it SEEMS like a good act done for the parent, but it clearly transgressed a command, then it's not a good act.

This is how many who claim to love God do when they keep their seemingly good traditions, like Christmas, Jan. 1, and Easter, etc. It transgresses the law of God, and most of them KNOW it, but they love those things MORE than they love God, so all they can do is just use the excuse, "But, we did it because we love you," just as I've heard from my own children, (in this case,more from my firstborn), even when he or they knew it would break a rule that we have. A quick example would be my son helping me in the kitchen by using a knife to cut up a fruit or vegetable. We have a rule of NO knives without permission and supervision, and yet he has taken it upon himself before to take the knife and start cutting, but then he said, "But, I was being good; I was helping you." If it's against a command, it doesn't matter how good it seems to be. It's WRONG. That is what the Lord Salvation will tell the children of disobedience. The Firstborn knows what makes the Father happy, and we should follow in our Lord's footsteps.

Is it said of you by the Lord, "He/she honors me with his/her lips, but his/her heart is far from me?" (Matt. 15:3, 7-9).

I do honor God with my lips, but my actions back up what I say, and I openly invite him, as David did, to SEARCH my heart.

What about you, dear reader?

Evolution in Lizard's Birth Method Proof for Macroevolution?

2010-12-05T18:14:00.001-06:00

I finished reading an article about the evolution in a lizard's birth method.

Fascinating knowledge I just learned. I never knew that the reptiles that give supposed "live birth" actually still have their embryos in eggs but within their bodies, unlike birds and fish. Those reptiles that lay eggs are laying them in the latter stages (in other words, ALL reptiles start with embryos developing inside eggs inside the mother's body) of development. The reptiles that give live birth kept the eggs within them the entire duration, and the eggs THIN over time so that the babies can breathe, and when they are born, what is left of the shells are thin membranes.

YES, another fantastic microevolution/ADAPTATION within one species in action. Yet MILLIONS are deceived by thinking this somehow proves that one species metamorphs into another.

REAL science, REAL knowledge is discovered when there is EVIDENCE. EVIDENCE, EVIDENCE, EVIDENCE. That's the key word. That's what makes LAW/KNOWLEDGE.

Some humans ADAPT to their environment by NATURAL SELECTING genes for darker skin color to protect from the hot blazing Africa sun. Those in less sunny places NATURALLY SELECT genes for less melanin, hence lighter skin, in order to be able to produce sufficient Vitamin D. People in Alaska ADAPT to the cold temperatures by being heavier, having more fat, without negative health consequences.

NATURAL SELECTION and EVOLUTION are SCIENTIFIC FACTS WITHIN A SPECIES. IT IS EVIDENT!!!!

CHANGING FROM ONE SPECIES TO ANOTHER IS NOT EVIDENT. There are SOME (very few) species that can breed naturally with other species, but the offspring are always, or almost always sterile. There is NO evidence of something up as high as a family, order, class, nation (phylum), and CERTAINLY NOT kingdom, CHANGING NATURALLY. There is NO evidence!!!!!!!!!

NO, human beings shall NOT evolve NATURALLY to a new completely different higher up being.

We have SEEN EVIDENCE that human beings can, with their intelligence, genetically engineer different kingdoms, mixing plant genes with animal genes, for example. BUT, we will not NATURALLY become anything else.
Human beings CAN evolve into a member of the God Kingdom (as opposed to man, which is like a mix of God and animal) ONLY through the genetic engineering of God Himself, and only the SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST will make it, and I do NOT mean the way animals survive--through killing, fighting, stealing, sexing with multiple partners, fathers leaving their young for the mothers to raise alone, etc. NONE of this will make a person fit for the God Kingdom. NOPE, no way. Those fit for the God Kingdom will survive by repenting of breaking his law, so then be covered by the grace through Jesus Christ, get the God Spirit begettal, remain faithful and obedient to God's law, and then be resurrected with a NEW body--evolution that is SELECT by God.

There you have it, folks. I put my faith in the things for which I see the overwhelming evidence, and I don't have very much faith in things that are terribly lacking in evidence. I'm an analytical scientist at heart.

My Own Christmas Hate Propaganda (Hate Me if You Will)

2010-12-04T17:13:00.003-06:00

Firstly,there are two main groups that are called Christians: followers of Christ and followers of Christianity. The former is the Savior of mankind, the Messiah, the Firstborn of the Most High God. The latter is a false religion that is patterned after the heathen religions that came to birth out of Babylon. The heathen/pagan religions have worshiped many gods, with gods and goddesses over each created thing, like the sun, the moon, the earth,and just about anything. The same things are found in each of the religions. The names are different in the different languages, though the meanings really are the same. A pagan emperor of the Roman empire--Constantine--had a vision of a cross and "Conquer by this sign," and so he used the name of Christ and the message of the cross to back his wars. Soon Christ's name was put on heathen feasts, and the feasts were used to worship the true God and the Lord Jesus Christ himself. This includes: the weekly sabbath being changed to the first day of the week, which the Romans call "Sunday," the day to worship the sun; Passover changed to Easter, the fertility feast of Ishtar/Ashtoreth/Easter, a pagan goddess and the celebration of the resurrection of Tammuz the sun god was ascribed to the true Son of God; Feast of Trumpets changed to Christmas, the birth of the sun, as it follows the winter solstice, the day with the shortest daylight hours,and this day is now labled as Christ's birth; Thanksgiving to replace the Feast of Tabernacles, and so on.

God made clear that we are NOT to worship him the way the heathens do (Deut. 12:29-32).

Satanists observe their own birthdays as the highest day,because it is the worship of oneself, a prideful, self-centered thing. This is not to say that observing a person's birthday is wrong, but it's others who love that person who observe that person's birthday. The Firstborn of God, Jesus/Yeshua would NEVER command for someone to make a big celebration on his birthday in honor of himself. In addition, evidence rules out the possibility that our Salvation was born in the Roman month of December.

It is not revealed to us what his birthday is, but it's likely around the Feast of Trumpets or Tabernacles. Regardless, we are not commanded to observe such a feast.

The truth is God hates the practice of offering sacrificial gifts under evergreen trees. He says it's the way of the heathen. He hates when people sing songs of adoration to evergreen trees (O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree, I think you are so lovely....). His Firstborn is the true way to eternal life. An evergreen tree is a physical symbol of eternal life. It is NOT true eternal life. We all know that those trees do eventually die. Santa is a fraudulent substitute of a reward giver. I recommend you read my short article on Santa Coming to Town for the TRUTH regarding the Feast of Trumpets and Jesus Christ vs. Christmas and Santa Claus.

God hates that people desecrate their bodies with swine's flesh, which is the most popular flesh served at Christmas feasts. Isn't it odd that most who call themselves Christians will admit that dogs, cats, horses, snakes, rats, rhinos, monkeys, turtles, etc. are unfit for food, but when it comes to hog flesh, they do not want to give up the fatty meat to serve God with a clean temple for His Spirit.

Christmas is a TIME, a season, that people observe, which culminates into a DAY. God warned about those who observed the wrong days and times. It's a LIE. True Christians do not observe this day nor time. It's a time of materialism, gluttony, drunkenness, and LIES.

As an innocent child, enjoyed Christmas and thought it was a holy day. Now I know the truth and HATE Christmas and the LIE it represents.

Do YOU love to live a lie, or do you rather love God and wish to worship him in Spirit and in Truth? (John 4:24).

Lying Justified to Innocents Not "Old Enough to Know Better?"

2010-11-29T23:04:00.001-06:00

Here's something to ponder: Is it okay to lie to young children simply because they are not "old enough to know better?" I'm sure the immediate answer for most is, "No." That's certainly my answer. We just got back yesterday from visiting family for several days. One day, while we were at my parents' house, I was eating at the table, and behind me a kitchen tv was going, and my boys were at the bar, and my mother was in the kitchen. I'm not sure exactly what was on the television, but it was some stupid commercial that mentioned or had Santa Claus. I heard my firstborn (7 years of age) son say, "Santa is a freak."

I corrected him by saying, "A fraud. He's a fraud." He asked, "What is a fraud?" I told him it meant he was a lie, an imposter. (I don't ignore the fact that there was a Catholic bishop named Nicholas, etc., which we are learning about as an educational aside.) My son W. then says to my mother, "You lied to my momma about Santa Claus." She first said, "No I didn't. She knew it was make-believe." He argued, "No, you lied." She retorted, "Well, yeah, only until she was old enough to know better."

I bit my tongue. But, wow.... So, I sat there thinking, "Yeah, and when I was old enough to know better that a good God does not torture people in a fire for eternity and that Christmas was a lie and that the true sabbath is the Roman 'Saturday' and other numerous things were lies, I spent MONTHS in deep shock and feeling greatly betrayed by all those I loved and trusted most."

And this is the truth. When I was "old enough to know better," I discovered that those whom I thought I could trust were just a bunch of liars who love lies, because many of the lies are lies so many ADMIT to being lies, and yet they take pleasure in the unrighteousness, anyway.

I have found that the big false religions of the world (at the top is Christianity and Islam) forbid children to learn about other religions. They're afraid they'll convert to something else! Well, if something is totally truthful, should it not stand up to scrutiny? I am different than most. I have told my firstborn several times already, "I teach you now as a child, but when you reach adulthood, it's your responsibility to PROVE whether what I taught you is right or not." And it is. Adults are supposed to be responsible. If your parents and pastors and teachers and friends and other trusted and loved adults told you lies like those of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Jesus/Yahushua was born on "Christmas," Sunday is the sabbath, and other such things, then what makes you think they weren't lying about a lot of other things, too?

True Christians do NOT lie. How could anyone with good sense believe in Jesus Christ if they do not know the TRUTH in the scriptures but are taught about all the other pagan religions having their sun god born on December 25 and being resurrected from the dead and being born of a virgin, etc.?

If we want our children to TRUST us, then we need to tell them the TRUTH from the very START, when they are innocent and not "old enough to know better," so then when they ARE old enough to know whether you are lying or not, they'll continue to trust you!

Well, all this OUGHT to be good common sense, I would think, but in a WORLD FULL of liars and those who love lies, I guess not.

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie (Revelation 22:12-15).

Babes to Maturity, Physical Love to Spiritual Love

2010-11-22T16:16:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I received a revelation as I once more meditated on a battle that goes on within me concerning my children growing older. I mostly love the maturing process of my children, because I can connect with them better on a mental level. I love having deep conversations with other human beings and learning things along with them. However, I am one to give a lot of kisses and hugs to my children. I could snuggle them all day, if I didn't have anything else to do.

It seems a person cannot have fully have both, and that is what fully dawned on me one day. As a child gets older, he or she cannot be cradled or carried around. He doesn't or cannot be held in the lap and snuggled. He doesn't want as many kisses or hugs. It's sad in a way, but the joy of having a fulfilling spiritual relationship with the child more than makes up for it, and if the bond is great enough, he'll never outgrow regular hugs and maybe kisses.

I got to thinking more about marital love, too. Marital physical love is quite enjoyable. Physical oneness is a good thing between a man and his wife. However, there is no question in my mind that spiritual oneness between a man and his wife is so much better.

We were made with bodies that enjoy physical closeness, various ways to love physically, with different ways toward our children, spouses, and others. But, spiritual love, a deep fulfilling relationship between the minds of people is so much greater!

Upon even further meditation, I realized that newly begotten sons of God still have a tendency to cling too much to physical/earthly things and not to spiritual things. It's a beautiful thing to see babes of God love our Father so strongly with the way they know best (being familiar so much with earthly things), but it's much more enjoyable to fellowship with mature saints, to have those deep conversations and learning together. It can actually get pretty draining if spiritual babies do not move on to maturity (Heb. 5:11-14; 6:1-2), and some do not move on too well. I've had much experience with this, and also knowing how human children take a lot of work, I can better appreciate their ever-growing maturity, because perpetual human babies would also be very draining.

The Changing Seasons and the Life and Death Cycle

2010-10-20T23:06:00.000-05:00

Today, as I was breathing the fresh air and admiring the brilliantly-colored leaves on the trees, I meditated on the reminder of the changing seasons. It seems like such nice weather, such a wonderful time of year, but I quickly remembered what it really means. We're soon approaching the death season, when all is cold and gloomy, when wild animals either die, hibernate, or try their best to survive the harsh conditions by huddling for warmth and eating what they can find. My spirit groaned within. I do not look forward to naked trees, dead grass, overcast skies, shorter daylight hours, and greatly decreased warmth from the day star. I cheer myself by focusing on the positive aspects, like winter clothes, clear night skies, hot chocolate, vegetable venison stew, the availability of vitamin D spray, possible beauty of snow, clearer views through the woods, cardinals and blue jays, and the fact that evergreen trees are still green.

The seasons symbolize the life and death cycle of TIME, things of TEMPORARY existence, things subject to DEATH. This earth requires DEATH to continue the cycle. If plants, animals, and man did not die, in a cycle, the earth would die all at once, for everything would become too populated, and the earth could not sustain it.

The spring is the season of birth, summer the season of mature life, fall the season of degeneration, and winter the season of death or sleep.

The day star, the Sun, is the focal point of life on this earth. Without it, all life on earth would die. So it is that the Sun--a created thing, just as the earth--is worshiped by the earth's inhabitants. Shortly after the day with the shortest duration of light from the day star, known as the winter solstice, the majority of the earth's inhabitants celebrate a great festival in honor of the "birth" of the sun. The apostate church in Rome adopted this celebration and gave it the name "Christmas" so that apostate followers of Jesus Christ could honor him on this day, along with many of the same traditions kept by sun worshipers. One of the traditions includes decorating an evergreen tree and offering gifts (sacrifices) underneath and even singing praises of adoration to the tree ("O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, I think you are so lovely!" And on it goes).

Since spring is the season of rebirth, the season of great fertility, the worship of the goddess Easter (or in other languages--Ashtoreth, Isis, Eostre, Ishtar, Diana, etc.) is celebrated in honor of the resurrection of life. The apostate church in Rome also adopted this celebration, though keeping the goddess' name, and many who call themselves Christians also honor this day as Jesus Christ's resurrection. Some of the traditions still kept are hiding eggs and honoring bunny rabbits (both of which are symbols of fertility), as well as having a sunrise service on Easter Sunday.

The God of Israel commanded us not to worship him with the days and traditions with which heathens worship their gods:

When the Jehovah God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto Jehovah thy God: for every abomination to Jehovah, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it (Deut. 12:29-32).

Things like Easter sunrise services and Christmas trees are condemned in the scriptures. Read Jer. 10:2-8; Eze. chapter 8, esp. vs. 16.

When Paul spoke to the Galatians, whom were gentiles who were accustomed to keeping these false feasts, and soon after turning to the truth, they turned back to their heathen festivals, he said to them:

Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain (Gal. 4:8-10).

I do not wish to worship the created things, nor make up my own gods over all the different things, nor do I want to worship the true God in the same manner the heathens worship their false gods. I do not like the life and death cycle on this earth. I do not want to worship the sun that I know will continue, year after year, to seemingly wane in life and then revive again. I look forward to the day when there will be no need of the sun nor the moon, and there will be no night. In that day, God the Father and Jesus Christ the Firstborn of God--will be the light (see Rev. 22:5). That light will never fail, never dim. Jesus is the Creator of the Sun, which he created in the name of God the Father. Jesus is the true Day Star, the everliving one (Rev. 22:16; 2 Pet. 1:19).

We should keep faith in eternal life and the eternal light of God and not take part in celebrating this temporary life and death cycle that the earth revolving around the sun gives us.

Deliberate Delusion to Test Acceptance of the Truth

2010-08-11T19:47:00.000-05:00

My husband Nathan told me a few nights ago that he purchased a movie on iTunes for us to watch after the children went to bed. When I found out what it was--a thriller--I was unsure of whether I would enjoy watching it. The movie was Shutter Island.   I want to say here, before I get into the details, that if, for some reason, you plan on watching this and hate knowing how a movie turns out before watching, then I'm warning you not to read the remainder of this blog post until after you've seen the movie. Most who are careful about what movies they watch have a good chance of not choosing to watch this movie.

We started watching it, and it wasn't long before I had the truth mostly figured out. I didn't have the main character's "partner" figured out until almost the very end. The main character, who identifies himself as Edward ("Teddy") Daniels is a U.S. marshal. The movie starts out, set off the coast from Boston in 1956, with he and his partner riding a ferry to Shutter Island to investigate a case of a missing woman, a psychiatric patient on the island who drowned her three children. The island houses three psychiatric wards--a woman's ward, a men's, and a third ward for extremely dangerous patients.   One of the doctors over the island says that he believes he can make psychiatric patients well and that they should not be put to death.

The story was a very well thought out one. Teddy takes the lead in the investigation of the missing Rachel Olandos. His partner, whom Teddy met on the ferry, is "Chuck." Their guns are taken from them on the island, in order to enter, and they are told that the officers on the island have final authority. Teddy is an excellent investigator, but he talks to his partner about having information on the facilities on Shutter Island. He claims that he wants to expose the truth, namely that patients on Shutter Island are being experimented on like the Nazis did to people. Teddy himself fought in WW2 and keeps having flashbacks of the horrible things that happened. He reveals that he had a wife who died in a fire at their apartment, where three others died. He said that an Andrew Laeddis, the apartment maintenance man, slipped a match to start the fire, and he got away with the crime. He then later burned down a school that killed some (I think the movie said two children). Andrew had claimed that voices made him do it. He was eventually transferred to Shutter Island. That was when Teddy started looking into the facilities there. He met a man--George--who had been there for a year in Ward C, and when he was released he went and shot some people a week or so later. He begged the judge for the electric chair and begged not to be transferred back to Shutter Island.

After revealing his knowledge to his partner about George, Chuck tells Teddy that they must have lured him onto the island, because the must have known he'd been asking questions. Chuck says they must have made up the story about Rachel Olandos, especially since everyone he questions acts as if they're being coached on what to say.   Among other things, everyone says Rachel thinks everyone around her are her neighbors and delivery people and that she still lives in her house.

There are far too many details to relate here, so I'll hit on the big points. The whole time the doctors on the island give him complimentary cigarettes, and they give him aspirin for the migraines he keeps experiencing while there. He also keeps having strange dreams and hallucinations. His wife speaks to him and tells him that Andrew Laeddis is on the island, and Rachel Olandos is still there as well. However, when Teddy confronts the leaders of the island, they tell him Rachel turned up well, near the light house. He goes to talk to her, and she looks the same as the pictures he was shown. She says she went for a long swim in the lake. Of course, they're by the ocean, but Rachel had drowned her children in the lake behind her home. Teddy acts strange every time the drowning incident, or anything that reminds him of it, gets brought up.

At one point, when he's trying to get to the light house, where he suspects they do brain surgery experiments on the patients, he tells Chuck to stay on the rocks. The tide is up too far, so Teddy cannot check out the light house. When he gets back to where he'd left Chuck, he sees a burning cigarette at the edge of the cliff, and he looks down to see Chuck's body on the rocks below. By the time he climbs down the treacherous rocks, Chuck is not there. Either his body washed away, or someone took him. Teddy sees fire light coming from a cave, so he climbs inside. A woman with a knife acts suspicious. Teddy assumes aloud that she's the real Rachel Olandos. She says that she is and that he'll have to leave, because they'd go looking for him, and she doesn't want to be found. She tells him that he will never leave the island and that he had no friends there. She tells him about all the awful things that they do on the island and how she had never even had children nor been married. She said she'd been a doctor on the island, but they thought she was going to expose the truth, so they had to deal with her.

In the end, Teddy does make it to the light house. He successfully stole a gun and then knocked unconscious the guard who was standing at the light house. He did not wish to kill anyone, as he made it clear more than once in the movie he was not there to kill anyone, even Andrew Laeddis, if he found him. The war had caused him not to want to kill anyone. He goes into the light house, reaches the top, and there is the main doctor. He says, "Why are you wet, Baby," which is a line that was spoken between he and his wife in one of his dreams. Teddy said, "What did you say?" The doctor told him that he knew what he'd said. He then told Teddy he had no ammo in the gun. He confronted Teddy calmly with the real truth. Edward Daniels was really Andrew Laeddis, and the letters of the names were rearranged. His wife's first and maiden name were Dolores Chanal, which is a rearrangement of Rachel Olandos. Teddy asked why he was shaking then and had migraines. He accused the doctor of drugging him in the food, alcohol, cigarettes, and aspirin. The doctor said he'd been off of his neuroleptic medications for two days. He was having withdrawals. He asked Teddy about the hallucinations.   Teddy then accused them of doing something to Chuck and inquired how they were going to cover that up. "Chuck" then walked out of a door. Teddy asked who he was. He was Teddy's doctor, the one who had supposedly been Rachel's doctor and who had left on the ferry the morning of her disappearance, to take his vacation.

The doctor continued to give Teddy evidence of the real truth. He told Teddy that he was a patient there, the most dangerous patient on the island, and he'd been in Ward C. He read the entrance form on him, reading how Teddy had been a U.S. marshal, very intelligent, etc. He told Teddy that he was their chance to show the world that what they were doing there was working. They had let him have free reign of the island for two days. He'd hurt people, and he had blown up the doctor's parked car (as a distraction so that he could get to the light house). Teddy did not want to believe the truth. The doctor then showed him pictures of his three children and asked whether he would deny that they ever existed. He then fell to the floor, and then it was replayed what had happened several years prior.

He had come home to his cabin, and he poured himself an alcoholic drink and stepped outside the back. His wife was sitting in a chair swing near the lake. She got up and started walking to him, and he asked why she was wet. She was acting strange. He asked where the kids were. She said they were in school, but he said it was Saturday and that school wasn't in that day. He glanced toward the lake, and he saw something floating. He ran to the lake and panicked, as any parent does when they realize something awful has happened to his or her children, saying things like, "Oh, no!" He dived in, and he went to his firstborn daughter. He rolled her over and picked her up. He cried, "Oh, God!" He tried performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but he quickly realized that was useless. He went to his other two children and had them all gathered in his arms. He laid them down on the land, and his wife talked about sitting them at the table and having dinner and going places with them. They'd be their perfect dolls. He said if she ever loved him, to not say anything else. He was crying. She started crying, and she said that she loved him. She said, "Set me free," and he shot her. It is assumed that he must have taken her and the children and burned them in their apartment. I believe they were at a lakeside cabin, not their regular residence.

When he came to, he was in a bed, and the main doctor and his doctor--Dr. Sheehan. He realized what they were doing was to help him. They asked him who he was. He confessed he was Andrew Laeddis and that he'd murdered his wife in the spring of 1952. When asked why he had created a make believe life, as if he was still a marshal, had a different name, and that another man had burned up his wife, Teddy answered that it was because he couldn't accept that Dolores had drowned their children. He said he'd loved her so much. He said that she'd been manic-depressive and had told him once that she felt as if an insect was crawling in her brain, pulling strings. He ultimately blamed himself, because he had not got her help. So, really he killed their children.

He was then told that they were concerned he would regress again, because he had come to the knowledge of the truth nine months prior. If he did not accept reality, they would have to do the brain surgery that would make him easier to handle, and he'd no longer have memories of his past.

Later, I am guessing the next day, he and his doctor were sitting outside, and Andrew said, "So, Chuck, what's next?" Dr. Sheehan said he didn't know, that Teddy should tell him. He deliberately played like he was in his fantasy world again, even though he really wasn't. He said, "One must ask, is it better to live as a monster or die as a good man?" In other words, he wanted the surgery, because he could not accept living, knowing what he'd done. He couldn't live with his guilt.

During the movie, he was deliberately fed lies by those who wanted to help him, because it was he who wanted to believe the lies. He had lived those lies. So, they set it all up so that the lies would be seemingly confirmed. Then, at the end, they showed him the truth, to see whether he still chose to believe the lies or whether he would accept the truth. In Teddy's case, he did admit the truth, but he didn't want to live the truth. He wanted the memories of his past to be erased, because he couldn't forgive himself.

God forgives. We must be willing to confess the truth of our sins, though, and be willing to move past them.

People are also sent delusion by God, because they have already chosen to live lies. Most who call themselves Christians live and believe lies (2 Thess. 2:10-12). A time is coming that those lies they believe will seemingly be confirmed. They then shall have to decide whether to continue living the lie or to accept the truth and repent. It will be a hard road for the latter, until their death or Christ's return. However, those who choose to continue believing the lies shall have their memories erased forever--the second death. Those who accept the truth will eventually be given the peace they desire, their sorrows and pain taken away forever. It is worth it to me to accept the truth and move on. I was disappointed that Andrew could not find forgiveness and chose to take the easy way out. What about you? Would you rather believe and live a lie for the sake of easiness?

True Love vs. Deceitful Love

2010-06-22T17:02:00.000-05:00

This has been a topic on my mind quite a bit lately. There's also a proverb that goes along with this. Proverbs 27:6 says, Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. This is to say, of course, that a friend will tell the truth, even if it hurts or he or she risks losing the friendship, but a false friend will put on a front so that the other person will like him or her, but that "friend" really does so just to be liked or to collect information to hurt that person or other persons.

This is something I've been talking to with my firstborn son Jaden William. Another thing upon which I've meditated for quite some time is whether I should call him by his first name. He went by William from his birth until about a year and a half ago, when he desired to be called the shortened "Will." I had not liked Will before, just because I didn't like the "sound" of it, but it ended up being okay. Then probably about ten months or so ago, he requested that he be called Jaden. I'd originally wanted to call him Jaden, but his father thought it sounded like a girl name. He was going to be named Jaden regardless of whether he was a boy or a girl, because the name means "thankful" or "God has heard," because God answered my prayer by allowing me to conceive and bring forth a healthy baby after suffering a miscarriage with my first pregnancy. William is the middle name of my husband, and I liked that name. My husband also likes the name, and he has continued to call him William.

It was during the pregnancy of my fourth-born child and first daughter, Olivia, now nearly eight months of age, that my son requested to be called by his first name. I told him I didn't want him changing back and forth and that I would call him by what he likes out of respect toward him, but I didn't want him to change his mind again a few months down the road. Though I'd always liked "Jaden" and had originally wanted to call him that, I then did not want to do so, because I realized an important message with the names of my three living children (including the baby I was carrying, which I knew via God's Spirit was a girl I was to name Olivia)--Will[iam], Trust[en], and [O]Liv[ia]. God's will is for us to trust in Jesus so we shall live. It would be a constant reminder to me.

I've been explaining to William that what often seems like love toward him by others is really just things they do for him or toward him so that they will gain his [ignorant and unknowing] child favor, even if those things are not truly loving, as defined by the Law of God. So, I started thinking perhaps even I, in calling him Jaden, have tried pleasing him too much. Now, I'd had that thought from the very start, when I agreed to call him that, because I thought, "It may be thought that I'm catering to him too highly," but I truly felt like I was doing the respectful thing. For months, though, I've been torn between continuing to call him Jaden and Will/William. I've called him Jaden mostly or simply "Jade." I now have decided to stop predominately calling him by Jaden. I don't think it's meant to be, as I continue to be tormented in spirit by it. He's supposed to be called Will. That's what I believe.

He's been upset that I've not called him Jade/Jaden, but I truly love my son, and that is the correct thing to call him.

So after all my instructing on true love vs. deceitful love, about which there has been much to say, I found myself in somewhat guilt, thinking the name issue has indeed fallen under this.

Some of the things I've recently taught my children concerning true love vs. deceitful love is when someone gives them food that is health-harming but tastes good, since some food that tastes good is really bad. It's deceitful food. I've also taught about deceitful smells and feels. Other things include letting children engage in dangerous activities or see inappropriate movies. They may think the adult is loving them, but it's a deceitful love. What about giving them too many toys? This is another deceitful thing, because it teaches them to love things more than people.

Of course, there are many other examples, and it doesn't apply only to adults toward children. There are many forms of deceitful love out there. Many people are deceived into thinking false love is real love and that true love is a deceitful love. Many think God's Law is a wretched thing, when truly it shows love that a Good Father has for his children.

The next time you feel loved, stop and ask yourself. Is it a true act of love or a deceitful one? Can you tell the difference?

Sole Entertainment or Lessons Learned?

2010-06-12T15:54:00.000-05:00

My firstborn son Jaden, nearly seven, said he wanted to watch a Care Bears movie that his three-year-old brother has, on the sabbath day, and perceiving that I'd likely reject their watching that movie on the sabbath day, he said, "It's teaching caring."

So I said, "Well, okay, that's wonderful. I love caring. Caring is good. If it teaches you, then, how to be loving and caring, then I can find no lawful reason against it. So, does that mean you are going to be more caring toward your little brother? He likes it much more when you're caring than when you're mean."

He said the movie would help him do that. I asked him how long it had been since he told his little brother he loved him, and he said about a month, though I don't think it's been that long. Nevertheless, I said, "A month? You tell me every day." (In reality, many times every day.)

I continued, "You should tell him right now that you love him. And hug him, too." When he did, Trusten hugged him bag, and I could tell by his face that he loved Jaden hugging him. I said so. I told Jaden that Trusten was loving back, when Jade loves him, but Trusten's mean in return, when Jaden is mean to him. Hugs, not pushes!

"Jaden," I said, "you should always get a lesson out of something you watch, because if you do not, then it's not worth watching. It shouldn't be there to solely entertain."

Then it hit me. I've wondered for some time how people are so blinded about everything, when even the stories people dream up (people record these dreams/fantasies as books and movies) and are broadcast to an audience of millions upon millions do nothing to change them. Those who are deep thinkers, who meditate upon things and are looking to grow in knowledge for good, learn lessons from what they watch, otherwise they stop watching it as not to waste their time or pollute themselves. There was a movie not too long ago that my husband and I watched, though I cannot remember the title, which we both thought was rather stupid from the beginning, and within mere minutes into it, I said, "There's just no way we can watch this entire thing. It's far too stupid and not even very funny." Nathan agreed, and we did something else. We'd just rented it online, so it was a bit of money spent, but better to waste only money than waste both money and time. Both are only temporary, and wisdom and knowledge are superior.

It's still difficult for me to understand, because I'm just not that way, but it's very apparent to me now that people are out for sole entertainment, and somehow they walk away from movies without learning anything to improve their lives or the lives of others. They learn no lessons. These people would likely even say there were no lessons to learn or of which to be reminded. They just do not exercise their brains by thinking. There is no real meditation in the minds of the millions of people residing within this nation, Israel-Manasseh-United States, those of both Israel and the aliens in our borders. That must be the reason why everything has to have excessive sex (including the dress code), violence, profane language, etc. I'm starting to catch on, to see how these people are missing the actual STORY, the actual DREAM that the writer had and that they're viewing. They're not getting anything from it, because they're thinking of how "hot" a certain actor or actress is or how hilarious the sex jokes are or how great the excessive shooting and car crashings are (not to mention far-fetched as to all the things these people go through without being killed). That's all they must be thinking the whole time!

Oh, it's no wonder! And see, the story's message, the actual lesson learned (regardless of whether the original writer even knew he had a lesson to teach), could get across without all that excessive broadcasting lusts of the flesh, except the movies would not sell that way, because there is such a small audience that is learning from these things. The greater percentage of the audience are those who want to see sin, the lusts of the flesh, and so those who are producing the movie make sure to give heavy doses of it. The downside is that those who actually learn lessons and grow in knowledge from these stories/dreams is that we have to be exposed more to the filthy nature of our sinful population. Many things that the majority of the population, including most who identify themselves as Christians, see as fine, those of us who are faithful believers who meditate on things see as abominable.

Israel, Israel. YOU, Manasseh--United States--those of you with an Anglo-Saxon (Israelite, "Brit-ish," Hebrew for "covenant man") blood line and also those of you who are aliens with our borders who fear the Most High God, do you love this world and the lusts of the flesh, or do you have your hopes and priority on the world to come, the true New World Order that Christ will establish at his return? Are you being solely entertained by SIN, by lusts of the flesh, or do you BEAR with the abominable sights of sin as you grow in grace and knowledge?

There's Always Been Both Grace and Punishment

2010-04-23T22:02:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading an article in which a Utah man whom murdered someone 25 years ago is now out of appeals and is set to receive the death penalty. He chose the firing squad. For those who want those details, read the article. There are just a few things on which I want to comment.

The followings is a quote from the article, quoting a representative who wanted the law to ban the death penalty by the firing squad and only allow lethal injection:

"I was just hoping to end that focus," said Allen, adding that she's displeased with the prospect of another firing squad execution. "I fear that the proper attention will not be paid to the victims of the crime and the atrocity of the crime."

It seems to me as if anyone was really concerned that proper attention was paid to the victims of the crime, he would have been put to death 25 years ago. That's a quarter of a century ago that the crime took place! Is the victim's family even still living? Unbelievable! As for the "atrocity of the crime," I think a rain of bullets serves him right for unrepentant murder. The family members and friends of the victim ought to be the ones who get to shoot, though, although it should have happened a quarter of a century ago.

Another quote from the article:

But despite Utah's strong religious roots — it's the home of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — most here support the use of the death penalty.

But despite strong religious roots, most support the death penalty? What do you mean "but despite?" It seems to me that a strongly religious person would support the death penalty the most. Are not "strong[ly] religious [people]" the most just? They ought to be, and justice for an unrepentant murder is DEATH.

Continuing on, the article stated:

"I think in Utah, when it suits their purposes, they go back to the Old Testament and the 'eye for an eye' kind of thing," Kalish said. "These people may be the worst of the worst, but if the best we can do is repeat the same thing, it's so obviously wrong."

Obviously wrong? Back to the old testament? What is wrong with this Lydia Kalish? She is the one who is wrong. So, what are you supposed to do with an unrepentant murderer, Lydia? Lock him up in a cage for the rest of his life and charge the law-abiding citizens, including the victims of his offense, for his upkeep? If that was my husband or son or father or friend whose life was unfairly taken, and the offender had absolutely no remorse, I'd want the man dead. A responsible person would not want such an evildoer alive, nor would not to send the message to the rest of the population that they can get away with evil and still live!

It appalls me that we have such foolish people in our high offices and running the nation and states. It's no wonder we have such an ever-worsening society. I see the main problem here. People have the erroneous idea that under the old covenant, people got punishment--the death penalty for most things--no matter what and that under the new covenant, people should get grace, no matter what. Absolutely not! That is not right. There has always been grace by God for those who deserve grace and punishment for those who deserve punishment. There were those who found grace who lived under the old covenant, because of their deep repentance. And under the new covenant, there are still those who deserve punishment, because they do not repent.

The old vs. new covenants has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with punishment vs. grace. If one thinks that, he is terribly illiterate of the scriptures. The old covenant focused on the carnal heart and the letter of the law. The new covenant focuses on the spiritual heart and the spirit of the law. The law was never "done away," and grace is not a new thing.

To learn more about God's truth, visit my website: www.endtimecog.net.

Family Planning

2010-02-06T14:29:00.000-06:00

As with everything, we need to look at the scriptures in their whole context and not just certain parts that agree with what we currently believe or want to believe. Family planning is no different.

First, let's consider God himself. He planned a family. In the very beginning He chose to only clone himself once. Just one son. He then created everything else through that son. He said it, and his son obeyed.

Fast forward, and God decides he would like many sons to help him rule his ever-expanding universe. He saw that not everybody agreed with his way. (I'm speaking of the rebels, the fallen ones who once served him as created angels.)   So, he and his son discuss this and realize that if God simply clones himself some more that it wouldn't really be fair, because being his clones they'd naturally have his mind (not to say they'd all have the same favorite color or the same exact ideas for things, but they'd be in agreement with him on what was right and wrong, they'd be "one" with him in this way). God is what he is, and to be that kind, you do as God believes is right. Since God and the Firstborn saw that not everyone agrees that God's way is the best way and wishes to be under his authority, they made a plan at the beginning (not the very beginning, but this beginning to which I'm referring here is the beginning of the world that now is) so that the candidates to be sons of God would have a choice to choose his way or reject it.

Now, of course some may say it's not ethical to have put us here like this and suffer, etc., but God decided that it's what He wanted to do, and that's his business. What are we going to do about it? We are the creation, he is the Creator. At least it's TEMPORARY. So, if we do not like his way, then we can die and not be bothered ever again. He will destroy the spirits of those who do not choose his way so that they can never be resurrected again. Between the two choices, God apparently liked this one better than having immortal Sons throughout eternity and having to wonder whether some of them, if given the choice, would have not willingly put themselves under his authority. I personally agree with his ethical decision. As bad as it sounds, it sounds worse to me to force clone myself so that I have sons to help me run the busy universe, knowing some of those sons might not have willingly submitted to my authority.

Now, God did set a time limit on his reproduction. Of course, the less time, the less sons. He'll have a lot of sons, though, but he has a mind-boggling size universe to run. A few thousand years is really a short plan for someone who has been around for who-knows-how-long…mind-boggling in itself. Have you noticed, though, that the older you get, the quicker time seems to fly by? Now, put that on God's scale. A few thousand years must seem like what days seem to us.

Anyway, he did PLAN a family. It was carefully and wisely planned, and the Firstborn, of course loving his Father so much, agreed to be a sacrifice (that's what firstborns are good for…sacrificial love for their younger siblings). He would be given all the power so that he could triumph over sin, but he still would have all the temptations the rest of us have. He would have a choice.

Now on to human family planning.

Let's look at the most-looked-at scriptures concerning both sides of the issue, and based on this is how I formed my own opinion, which is balanced and not to either extreme (that children are terrible wretches to be avoided or that we should try to have as many children as possible).

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. ~Gen. 1:28 (see also Gen. 9:1).

The earth obviously was not filled in these two cases and needed to be replenished. Today the earth has nearly seven billion people. In my opinion, it could hold many more, if a few things changed, but I won't get into that deeply right now. The way people are doing now, the earth is being overtaxed of its resources and being poisoned by its own children. So, in my opinion, it's not a good time to multiply. Maybe add. But multiplying is a bad idea, until people get their problems lined out (in my opinion, that means follow God's Law). This earth is a physical planet, and its children have physical bodies. Physical means there must be death and recycling, or otherwise you get overpopulated. If the earth truly did get full to the brim, the Creator would have to come destroy or to save…or both.

The earth is the mother that God used to produce children. A man's sperm is a type of God's Spirit. A woman's womb is a type of in the earth. Just as the earth can be overburdened by the children she both bears and nourishes, a woman's body can be overburdened by having too many children or by having even one or a few children if her body is in poor condition for some reason (the earth is currently in ever-worsening condition, so polluted and robbed of its bodily resources).

A man is a type of God. The man has ownership over his wife, his children, his livestock, his lands, his material assets. His name is put on all those things. He should have a wise plan. He should not take on more wives than he can support (financially, sexually, living space, etc. (Ex. 21:10). It should go without saying that he should use the same principle for children, livestock, lands, horses (cars, trucks, etc.), and other material assets. The question should be, "Can I afford to take on this debt?" Also, "Can I afford this much time for this many wives and children?"

If God so carefully and wisely made a plan (explained by the meaning of the seven annual feasts), then why should we not plan? God may not know exactly how many children he will have, but it's probably safe to say that he had a minimum and maximum in mind, and with his mathematical genius, he's sure to get within the range he desires with his plan. By the time he gets to the sixth step in his plan (which goes into action during the thousand-year-reign of the sons of God on earth), the possibilities start narrowing. The further candidates will be among whomever is born of humans during on thousand years, and then afterward in the seventh and last step of his plan (during the "Great White Throne Judgement" period) all those who had not been called to the truth in their first life time. We know that not all choose the truth after having their eyes opened to it. Some do not like to do it God's way, just as some children do not like to do their human parents' way.

We know that some throughout the ages have not even been able to bear children, and so of course the command to be fruitful is irrelevant to them. Some also choose not to marry, and of course that command is irrelevant to them. Nor is it wrong for a person not to marry. It is especially beneficial for some not to marry, if they have a special calling. It could be viewed by some that refusing to get married is evading having children, but we know that choosing not to marry is fine. Paul explains this more in his first letter to Corinth (found in chapter seven). Solomon said that a man who marries a wife has done a good thing. So, we see a balanced view. Some marry, some don't, and both choices are fine, as long as the reasons are right in heart. There are some reasons that would not be right. Of course one must be in keeping with the Law of Love.

So, what about married couples who can bear children? Lets' look at the Onan incident:

And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. ~Gen. 38:9

Onan married his dead brother's wife so that he could carry on his father's line in his brother's stead. Er had not yet had a firstborn son by his wife Tamar before he died. This is the reason why Onan was put to death by God. It wasn't simply that he did not want to reproduce. He knew the seed would not be his. He wanted all his seed to be his. Perhaps he would have given seed to Tamar for his brother later, but only after he had married another wife and had his own firstborn for himself. We don't know. Regardless, he was being selfish. He had the wrong heart, the wrong mindset.

There is an interesting tidbit, though, to this. According to the book of Jasher, Er was also struck dead by God because he spilled his seed. If this is accurate, then the question might be why did God strike him down, since he was Tamar's first husband. It's still a matter of refusing to bear a firstborn son to carry on the line of Judah. If a man never has a son, his name will not be carried on. The family name may be carried by a brother, if that man has a brother, but you can't count on that happening. Now it could be that in this case, it was more important to God that someone carried on Judah's line than perhaps just anybody who did this. God may have already decided at this point that Christ would be born through his line. Perhaps it was known way in advance, and perhaps the enemy knew as well. I have meditated on this in the past, and I find it interesting that of three brothers, none planted seed in Tamar. The first two died, and then Judah refused for his son Shelah to take Tamar. It's ironic that Judah himself planted seed in Tamar in order to continue the line. Of course, how it happened is even stranger. But, the reason I've meditated on it so much is because that was the line through whom Christ eventually came.

Most men who buy a piece of land will plant upon it (husbandry). So it is with wives. It is rather strange not to want to bear fruit from your piece of earth (wife).

However, there issues that must be considered. Does a man, after taking a property, have the finances to sow and bear fruit? You must take care of the plants (children).   Some men indeed just want to buy a piece of land just to enjoy being on it. He does not have any intention of planting a vineyard or field or orchard. Perhaps a man considers that he does not have what it takes to be a proper father, but his sexual desire is strong, and he wishes not to sin; or he does not want to be lonely, so he takes a wife.

Perhaps the man, his land, or both have certain problems. For example, the land is too rocky for planting, but it's a nice place for peace and quiet. Or maybe the man is lame and so cannot do any sowing. A man or woman may have infertility problems, or they may have serious genetic errors that they would pass on to their children (or perhaps already have, and they do not wish to continue to do so). Maybe they have bad family histories, and so there are curses that live on in the DNA. Or perhaps a woman has a medical problem that makes it dangerous to maintain a pregnancy or makes birth dangerous, and she and/or her husband does not want to take the risk.

Maybe the man doesn't have room to store very many fruits. So, maybe a man does not have much room for many children.

There are all sorts of issues to take into consideration.

My personal take is that we should have balance. I think it's wrong for humans to abort a child or enforce sterilization upon women. But, I also don't think it's wise to act like one is in a competition to see how many children he or she can have. Land needs rest, and it's commanded by the Law. A woman's body needs rest, too. God put special mechanisms into place for proper child spacing, but it doesn't work with an increasing number of women (at least in our part of the world). Lactation should keep the menstrual cycle away for a year or two (sometimes more), but if a woman has high estrogen levels or is overweight (probably also due to high estrogen, as excess is stored in fat), it may come back sooner. There are also other factors, I know, like nursing frequency and night nursing, and perhaps others of which I'm not aware. I don't have all the answers. But, it's common for women who have several children close together to have health problems, even fatalities due to pregnancy or childbirth complications, as well as premature births. It also carries a higher risk of postpartum depression, because of so many young children close in age.

I am personally against surgical contraception, except in extreme cases (health-related, for example). I also am very anti- birth control pills, because they cause too many abnormal changes in body chemistry, and because they are just that--birth control pills. The conception control is good for seventy-something percent, maybe eighty-percent. The other twenty-eight to twenty-nine or more percent is birth control, meaning that if the woman conceives, the newly conceived human being is aborted, because it cannot implant in the hormonally-changed uterus.   There are other forms of contraception that I'm against, and then there are some that I am pretty neutral on, partly because I lack knowledge about some of them.

I also believe that if a woman wants more children, but her husband does not want to sow there, she should respect that. He's the husbandman; she's the earth/land. She doesn't own him; he owns her.

I know there's the argument that one should trust God with the number of children, and on the surface of this, I agree. However, there is the issue of blind faith. More specifically, if one is knowledgeable of risks such as genetic issues, other health problems, financial trouble, disagreement by spouse on the childbearing viewpoint, etc., then heading full force into planning another child without careful consideration is an act of blind faith. Yes, God can tend to health problems, financial problems, and other issues, but that doesn't mean we should tempt Him, either. We are warned in the scriptures not to do so, and doing so could come back to bite us in a rather hurtful way.   This doesn't necessarily mean someone should be cut so that they almost surely will not have a child, but it means that I think a person should use wisdom and discretion in certain circumstances, just be a little cautious. If one is using a certain contraception method such as natural family planning or condoms, then that shows a cautious approach but still gives a chance for a child and for God to work.   He knows when a person yearns for another child but knows it may not be wise to have one at the time. I think true trust is being wise and knowing that God can work in one's favor if he so desires, without one trying hard to make something happen even when there's great risk involved.   There's Psalm 127:1-5. And indeed what it says is true. Of course, it must be taken within the context of the whole bible and as a general statement. Just because one cannot have a child does not mean God has cursed him or her. Also, a child is not always a blessing. A child, even when brought up in a Godly home, can become an evil wretch who hates God's way. Children, in general, are a blessing, but those with twenty children are not necessarily more favored by God than the couple who cannot have children. Sometimes God will help a previously infertile woman go on to have a child, as he did for Hannah, Samuel's mother. But, sometimes God will not open a woman's womb, and it's not always because she's not favored by him (though other times that is indeed the case).

Of course, everything has a certain amount of risk, and we do have free will. This takes me to my last point. Just as God decided to enact the plan of making man in his image for the purpose of reproducing more Sons, a father and mother decides their family plan (hopefully within God's will, which wouldn't include selective abortion), and the child cannot say to his or her parents, "You had no right to conceive me and bring me into this horrible world of suffering." We all know before we decide to have children that it's a horrible world, and indeed a time will come when it will not be wise at all to be planning children (Matt. 24:19), but we have the right to bring them into this world for our purpose, in hoping they will be wonderful additions to the family line (and in the bigger picture that they will choose to be Sons of God once they are called, whether in this lifetime or during the GWT Judgment).

Alien Invaders!

2010-02-02T18:03:00.001-06:00

Space invaders! Alien invaders! Alien shooters! It seems we're constantly bombarded with these messages. The more the message is conveyed, the more deluded people become, and then even more the message is repeated. This message is marketed to both adults and children in the form of movies, cartoons, video games, and even comparative phrases such as the one I saw in a recent Mercola wellness newsletter that stated, "Most doctors attack chronic illnesses as if they're an alien invader."

My sons watch Davey and Goliath cartoons that I bought on dvd. For the most part, I really like those cartoons, because they instill Godly values in my children's minds. There are a few things I've seen that I don't like. An anti-alien stance on one episode is one such thing. The main theme of the episode is great and teaches that helping others in need is the right thing to do. However, at the end Davey and another two boys are about to go watch a movie in the theater, called "Boy in Space." Goliath, Davey's loyal dog, had to stay outside the theater to wait. Davey told him that he could keep a watch out for spaceships. Upon asking what to do if he saw one, Davey replied, "Bite it!"

My son got my permission to play some demo games on my laptop that I use for writing, especially when traveling. The games he'd been playing on there were fine. Well, I got out of the shower to hear rock music and shooting. I looked to see what Jaden was playing, and it was "Alien Shooters" or something like that. He was supposed to shoot the aliens. Although the aliens looked like some sort of creepy crawly things, I hated the music and hated that it was geared toward anti-outer space aliens.

My mother bought a Scooby-Doo video for the boys. I don't approve of such things, but I let them watch it and then vowed to discuss what they saw afterward and why it was wrong. One of the episodes included voodoo. The other episode was something about "alien invaders." Of course with Scooby-Doo, all the stuff turns out at the end to be staged. But, there it is again: an anti-outer space alien theme.

There is no shortage of movies where other intelligent lifeforms from the heavens are coming to invade or attack the earth's inhabitants. One such movie is "War of the Worlds," based on H.G. Wells' science fiction novel by the same name. That movie seemed eerily similar to some things foretold in the scriptures.

The problem with all these things is that they all paint the earth's inhabitants as the good guys and the aliens (foreign-to-earth aka "not of this world") as the bad guys. There's no doubt in my mind that Satan is working hard behind the scenes to deceive everyone into thinking that if they see spaceships coming to invade the earth, that they are enemies. And of course, that's partly true. The aliens will be the enemies to the inhabitants of this earth who are against them.

NASA and probably other space organizations are already talking about how to get ready to an alien attack, as well as how to shield the earth from such things as meteors and other catastrophic things that could be hurled toward this planet. Of course, as a biblically literate person I just want to laugh at their folly. They will no outdo the Most High God and His Captain of the Hosts, the Lord Jesus. If God wants to send a meteor or asteroid or some other destructive object to this earth to punish the residents thereof, nothing man can do will stop the object from hitting its target. And certainly nothing man and his armies can do against the armies of God and their captain will amount to anything.

The wicked of the earth will see the angels with the vial judgments as enemies and certainly will not repent of their misdeeds and high pride. They will run around with profanity spewing from their mouths.

Despite trying to wipe each other out, the West and the East, all the rulers of the earth and their armies will then come together to try to fight off the great prophesied alien invasion. They will be wiped out.

The scriptures speak:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. ~Revelation 19:11-21

There's your alien invasion. Now, the question is, whose side are you on? The aliens, the ones not of this world, or the ones that do wickedly upon this earth? I personally plan to be with the "aliens" in body…my new spiritual body.

Why I Don't Keep Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T17:50:00.002-06:00

I no longer keep Thanksgiving. For nearly six years I have not kept Rome's heathen feasts that the Whore Catholic Church adopted and "Christianized." That would include January 1st, St. Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas (those were the only ones I ever kept).

It was before the first Thanksgiving came around that I discovered that it too had heathen origins but was not like the others in that it wasn't adopted by the RCC but rather by the U.S. government. At the time I didn't fully let the Spirit of God alone lead me, and I relied too much on the elder whom baptized me. I told him what I'd discovered and mentioned a heathen corn/grain god, and since he obviously did not want to stop keeping Thanksgiving, he said something like, "Well, I'm sure the pilgrims did give thanks to God for the corn, and they probably knew the Feast of Tabernacles was to be kept around that time but did not have the means of knowing the dates and so kept that feast." I was influenced quite a bit at that time by him, and so I kept keeping Thanksgiving for the next few years, but I never completely forgot about it, and it kept coming to mind. It was only a few months after discussing that with that elder that we dropped contact between each other, because I did do my own research concerning the mark of the beast and being born again, which are two subjects he is teaching wrongly. I proved those things from the bible myself.

It wasn't until nearly two years ago that I came back to the Thanksgiving topic and seriously considered it again. My conclusion was that I could no longer keep Thanksgiving, for it truly is an addition (Deut. 12:30-32) to God's commanded feasts (Lev. 23) and is also rooted in heathen traditions. Ironically enough, two years before I stopped keeping it the Thanksgivings didn't work out the way they normally do. One year we were in Kansas City when our son Asher was in Children's Mercy Hospital on life support. The next year Nathan had a job going, and I think I had a ruined tire on my vehicle. This will be the second year that I voluntarily do not keep the U.S. feast of Thanksgiving.

I did, however, keep God's annual feast of thanksgiving, the Feast of Tabernacles, which is a seven-day-long feast of thanksgiving consisting of a holy sabbath day on the first day. I LOVE the Feast of Tabernacles and look forward to it each year. It's such a joy to set aside that time to feast and make merry with friends and family (both spiritual and physical) and to have extra time to study God's word and do His work. It's nice to have that vacation and to reflect on all the things for which I have to be thankful. God's harvest festival of thanks is reckoned by His calendar, starting the fifteenth day of the seventh month. I had an awesome feast this year.

I have not written an article on Thanksgiving origins myself, and few have. A brother and fellow laborer in God's work, Keith Hunt, has an article posted on his site that is written by a Bradley Richardson that one can read, if YOU want the truth about Thanksgiving Day: The TRUTH About Thanksgiving Day.

Prove ALL things; hold fast that which is good (I Thessalonians 5:21).

The majority is often wrong, and we shouldn't do something just because the majority does it:
Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil (Exodus 23:2a).

True Christians are part of a "little flock" (Luke 12:32). They will be continually growing in grace and knowledge (II Peter 3:18) and hungrily seeking out truth in all things.

www.endtimecog.net

In God We Trust?

2009-10-23T20:01:00.002-05:00

I get emails and such every once in awhile that make a big deal about the removal of the national motto "In God We Trust" from various public places. I got such an email today.

Now, it's not that I don't think the removal of "In God We Trust" isn't a big deal; quite the contrary. But, rather the point I wish to make is that it's quite hypocritical. After all, seventy-something percent or more of our nation's population claim to be "Christian," and yet if that percentage was truly Christian, we wouldn't even have this issue.

The fact of the matter is that not even close to seventy percent of people in our Israelite nation of the United States of America trust in God. Whenever my husband or I tell one of our children to do something or not to do something, and he or they choose to disobey, we become upset and ask the child(ren) why he did not trust us. Why did he disobey our words? Trust and obedience goes hand in hand. If a person trusts another, why would the person disobey that person's words, unless the person just flat out delights in following that in which he or she knows is false? If I tell my son he's in extreme danger of getting hurt if he rides his bike without his hands on the handlebars as he's going across bumpy terrain, why would he, in his right mind, then ride his bike with his hands up in the air while speeding across bumps? Either he didn't believe--didn't trust--what I told him and rather believed that he was not in danger of getting hurt, or he didn't care whether he got hurt and was willing to take the risk of suffering bad consequences for temporary pleasure of delighting in folly.

Our nation's people, over all, do not trust God. They may trust certain things He has said, but for the most part they do not trust Him. They are liars.

This nation's people--stiff-necked Israelites and the strangers that live among us--have rejected God's words as false. They have rejected His perfect Law, defined by its ten commandments and their statutes.

These people draw close to God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him; they are hypocrites (Matt. 15:7-9).

This people daily breaks the first commandment by putting other people and things before the Most High God. They put other gods before the Most High. It's not wrong to honor others, but God comes first, and when men are wrong, we should rather obey God (Acts 5:29).

The people of this nation breaks the second commandment by making special a likeness of a heathen god with long hair and a beard. They call the likeness Jesus Christ and feel as if they are honoring him by hanging up pictures of this likeness. This people erects idolatrous images such as the Statue of Liberty and the phallic Washington Monument obelisk. They sport obelisks on top of their church buildings. They erect crosses and Christmas trees, and they even sing praises to the tree: "O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, I think you are so lovely!" They then offer gifts (sacrifices--they sacrificed time and money) under the evergreen, just like heathens throughout all time. A certain percentage of this people bow down to and kiss various images, including the heathen goddess known by various names and the title "Queen of Heaven" and whom they claim is the "Virgin Mary," the mother of our Christ.

This people daily breaks the third commandment by claiming that they follow God and yet break His commandments. They worship Him in vain. They commit blasphemy. They throw around His name and titles carelessly and also throw around blessings and curses by Him carelessly and profanely.

The people of this nation break the fourth commandment by profaning the seventh-day sabbath that was sanctified and made holy from the very beginning--from Genesis 2:2-3--and by instead honoring Rome's substitute Sunday, the first day of the week, and today even most professing Christians don't even rest on Sunday or set aside time to spend with God and fellowship with other Christians and do more bible study. They call God's true sabbath and other feasts [like Passover and the Feast of Trumpets] that outline the true plan of salvation a burden of all things, but they delight in Rome's feasts that are entrenched with heathenism--the abominable Christmas, Easter, January 1, Halloween, etc. They reject God's calendar and his new year and his new months (new moons). They engage in unfair labor practices. They reject the Creator's land sabbaths, and instead they rape the land year after year and spray toxic pesticides on the land and its crops. They use toxic synthetic fertilizers to return nutrients to the soil, due to their wicked transgression of the land sabbaths. More and more of this nation's people, even those who profess to be Christians, believe and teach that we evolved from apes, rejecting the creation account in the scriptures.

The people of the United States break the fifth commandment by dishonoring our Father God by disobeying all His commandments, and they dishonor their mother earth that our Father gave to us for our nourishment and nurturing. They dishonor their earthly father and mother by disobedience and curses. The parents dishonor their children with more various abuses and neglectful actions. They do not teach their children the Law of God each day and how to follow it with their thoughts and actions, "marking them on their hands and foreheads."(Deut. 6:7-8) Instead, parents teach their children lies like the Christmas Santa Claus and that Christ was born on December 25 and the Easter Bunny and egg hunting (rooted in heathen worship of sex and fertility) and that Christ rose on Easter Sunday. They encourage them to have Rome's mark on their hands and foreheads (Rev. 13:16), to follow the ways of Rome in their thoughts and actions. The parents sacrifice their children to Molech by aborting them or making daycares and unGodly public [government] schools rear them.

Our stiff-necked people breaks the sixth commandment by murdering a hefty percentage of every child conceived, especially children who would have been destined to be firstborn. They are sacrificed to the god of this world. They are sacrificed for convenience, for the pursuit of materialism, for selfishness. Infants and older children are injected with deadly vaccines. Babies are fed ill-health-causing formula even when the mothers can breastfeed. People feed themselves and their children abominable meats like pork, squirrels ("tree rats"), lobsters ("cockroaches of the sea," as my husband calls them) and would-be healthful meats like beef and chicken, if they weren't factory-farmed. They delight in gluttony and drunkeness and the abuse and misuse of other drugs--some of which are fine in moderation for recreational, medicinal, and religious use; and some dangerous manufactured ones that should never be used. They believe and trust the US FDA, rather than believe and trust God's FDA. Much of the food and drugs that this people consume are absolutely abominable. There are more and more whacked-out citizens of this nation who go on killing sprees and murderous rampages. More innocent children are brutally murdered. Children are even murdering other children. People are hateful and disrespectful to each other. Less and less people even smile or wave, anymore. People delight in fighting sports--both people fighting people and animals fighting animals. They engage in reckless driving and road rage. They let their dangerous pets roam loose, without regards to the protection of their neighbors. Men abuse their wives or their children. People partially or totally disregard their health, hygiene, and safety or that of others.

The hypocritical people of this nation that claims to be "under God" nearly totally disregards the seventh commandment. The marriage covenant is not taken seriously. Divorce is considered almost a certainty in every new marriage, and adultery thrives. It's actually statistically higher among those who profess to be Christians. Fornication and pornography runs rampant. Homosexuals engage in the most abominable acts. Children are prey for sexual perverts, at risk of pornographic exploitation, molestation, and rape. Musical lyrics are tainted with immoral sexual references. Books and movies are awash with cheap immoral sex. A large percentage of the populous is infected with at least one STD. People engage in sex during menstruation and delight in doing so. This hypocritical people lusts after movie "stars." They wear immodest clothing. The physical fornication and adultery of this nation reflects their spiritual fornication and adultery, their fornicating with a false christ, all the while claiming to follow the true Christ, who kept His Father's Ten Commandments.

This nation's people delight in breaking the eighth commandment. They steal from God in denying Him tithes (Mal. 3:8). They steal time and property from their employers. They shoplift. Some commit burglary. Some commit robbery. Some commit identify theft and/or credit card fraud. They violate copyrights, and they plagiarize. Some are guilty of kidnapping. Some mistreat their hired servants and cheat them of wages. Bankers and individuals are guilty of excessive usury or usury upon the poor. The hard-working poor are oppressed, and the lazy poor are rewarded for their laziness. Vandalism and other property damages are common. Animals' rights are unheeded.

Our people reject the ninth commandment. False witnesses are numerous. We're swamped with bribes. It's hard to find trustworthy friends and associates. Vows are broken. Gossip reigns.

Our people delight in breaking the tenth commandment. Contentedness is nearly non-existent in this nation. Desiring material things is okay, but not when it leads to idolatry, stealing, etc. When a person cannot desire something while being content with what he has so that if he does not obtain what he desires, he's still happy, then he has a problem. Our people just want and want and want more and more and are simply not content with what they already have. They are unthankful and materialistic.

So, "In God We Trust" is a blasphemous motto when it is uttered from the mouths of most of our people. It's a transgression of the third commandment when it comes from most people's mouths. If our people truly trusted God, they would not hesitate to deeply repent of their sins. They would stop coveting and fornicating. They would stop their idolatrous observance of Rome's festivals and would delight in observing God's, including his seventh-day sabbath. They would start teaching their children the ways of God as a way of life and stop watching the trash on television. They would break their idolatrous images. They would throw away their pornography and dust off their bibles. They would change their food and drug habits and their style of dress. They would stop their stealing and their fighting and their cold attitudes toward others.

This nation as a whole does NOT trust in God. They complain about the taking down of the displays of the Ten Commandments and the removing of the motto "In God We Trust," but in their living they reject the Law of God saying that it has been "done away." If the Law has been "done away," then there is no sin. Sin is the transgression of God's Law (I John 3:4), and where there is no Law, there is no sin (Rom. 5:13). If there's no sin, then there's no need of a death sacrifice, and so Christ died in vain. But, of course there is a Law, and only those who repent of transgressing it receive grace. The rest must die for their sins, because the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). The sacrifice of Christ does not cover the unrepentant. Many will say to him, "Lord, Lord, were we not good Christians who went to church every Sunday and gave to the poor and prayed to you daily for others?" And Christ will say to them, "I never knew you. You transgressed my Father's Law" (Matt. 7:21-23).

What about YOU? Do you trust in God?

Psalm 119:142, 163

God Doesn't Always Give Us for What We Ask

2009-10-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

A few days before we left for the annual Feast of Tabernacles my six year old son Jaden (formerly known by his middle name William) asked God to replace something immediately upon the spot. It happened to be one of my back windows to my Jeep. It was busted out by a rock thrown by the lawn mower well over a month ago, and we still haven't replaced it (but will soon). Jaden told me that what he'd asked.

I proceeded to tell Jaden not to expect a new glass window to appear before his eyes. He asked me why not, since God can do anything. I had to explain to him that God is not a magic genie that grants every wish upon our command. There are plenty of times where God doesn't even give us what we want, even though He's a loving Father to many.

I said, "Jade, it's much like all the times you ask your Daddy or me for things, and we tell you 'no.' It's our pleasure to give you thinks for which you ask, but we don't always give you those things, and many times it's not even in your best interest."

I explained that we'd likely have to buy a new window and pay someone to install it. Even though it was an accident, we still have to put the money and effort into replacing it ourselves. I told my son that most of the time we had to work for things to get done or to earn things. We are no different than God in this respect. My Father doesn't pass out goodies and blessings and easy fixes to me or any of His other children every time we ask. It simply doesn't work that way.

Jaden was satisfied with my explanation and learned a little more about what God is really like with that lesson.

Family Project Made Private

2009-07-02T14:06:00.002-05:00

I'll soon start blogging again on a regular basis. However, I have decided to make the Family Project a private project, at least at this time. If I know and trust you, and if you're interested in the ongoing Family Project, just let me know, and I will decide whether to share with you. Right now, I'm not even working on it. When time permits, and I am into it again, I will continue.

Blindness and Seeing

2009-02-08T16:16:00.002-06:00

This morning I got up earlier than usual, because I had been lying in bed awake for probably two hours and simply could not return to sleep. So, when my husband got up, I followed. I'd already been to the bathroom during that time I'd been awake, so I instead gathered some clothes to get dressed. I was having a very difficult time seeing what I was doing, and I suddenly realized that I'd forgotten to put in my contact lenses! No wonder I was having such a hard time seeing (it was early and overcast outside, so the light wasn't bright, either). I laughed and told Nathan what I'd done. I have high-degree myopia (nearsightedness), which means I'm at high risk of things such as retinal tears. My eyes haven't gotten worse in many years, but as a child, they would get worse and worse. Every time I went to get my eyes examined, they would up my prescription. I have the worst eyes in my family. I cannot see well enough to do normal every day activities, like cooking or bathing a child, etc. You sure wouldn't want me to try to drive. I have to be very close to a person to make out their facial features (everyone is just a white blur...or brown blur or whatever one's shade of skin is).

After we finished laughing, I walked over and gazed thoughtfully out of our sliding glass door at the blurry trees, and I said to Nathan, "You know, that was my most-prayed-for request as a child. I prayed every night that I would wake up in the morning and be able to see perfectly. I did that for a LONG time, and I would pray in faith. Even though I woke up every morning and still couldn't see, I would pray the next night and truly believed I would wake up the next day and be able to see."

He replied that I must have been pretty disappointed a lot.

But, in truth, I came out better than having my physical "blindness" healed. I said, "You know, He gave me something better. He gave me spiritual sight. I may be physically blind, but I can spiritually see. Some people don't have to wear any corrective lenses at all, and yet they are very spiritually blind." (Thankfully, I'm not totally blind, though with high degree myopia, there's always that risk.)

And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into the this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind (John 9:39).

I don't mind so much about having to wear corrective lenses now. They now will serve as a reminder to me that I have the greater blessing of spiritual sight.

"I Am Slow of Speech and Slow of Tongue"

2009-01-01T11:02:00.013-06:00

I will be continuing with the family project shortly. But, today, I'm doing something differently.

Then Moses said to Jehovah, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."~Exodus 4:10 (NASB)

I have been thinking back on this record of Moses talking to the Lord a lot lately. It was on my mind quite a bit yesterday and the day before. I was thinking how much I could understand and empathize with Moses. I was kind of feeling bad for him, as I was thinking about it. I also have a speech problem. My brain works slowly to get the words out that I need or want to use. I sometimes have a hard time pronouncing my words well, and I often stop in the middle of sentences, at a loss of words. Most people who have known me for some time and are close to me know that I don't really like my voice and the way I talk. It's frustrating to me.

It's not that Moses wasn't highly educated or didn't know what he was talking about. Acts 7:22 says, And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

The Greek word for "words" here is logos, meaning "word," but also can mean "doctrine."

A person can be great in achievements, highly educated and intelligent, and still have learning disabilities, speech problems, etc. I am highly educated myself and have excelled in academics throughout my life, but I had to take speech therapy when I was a child, and I still do not speak well. I have other learning disabilities, too.

However, I've also given good speeches to large audiences, but I do not like to do so. I am very self-conscious of my talking disabilities. So, I can totally understand what Moses may have been experiencing.

Well, it never fails. God always has something ready for me whenever I'm meditating about something in great depth.

So, today, what did I come across? I started flipping through some of yesterday's mail this morning, and I opened a Churchlight booklet--a publication of a Church of God group in Colorado--and flipped through it. Page 8 caught my eye, as it had an article called "Moses and the Burning Bush." So, I was skimming through the article, and I recognized that the author (Pieter Barkhuizen) is addressing each of Moses' confessions and excuses that he gave to God during the "burning bush" conversation.

The author stated, "But, Moses had a problem with this tall order, and he began to confess some of his apparent disqualifications for the task ahead. Have you ever felt disqualified for something you knew God wanted you to do? Every made any excuses?"

So, the author discussed first Moses' confession of inability. He then moved on to Moses' excuse of ignorance of who God was. Then the excuse Moses gave of Israel's unbelief, which Pieter said included Moses' unbelief, because God had already told him what He was going to do--lead Israel out of bondage. Then, he got none other than:

"In Exodus 4:10, we discover that Moses had a speech impediment, which created a feeling of inadequacy."

Since the author didn't share the scriptures, I grabbed my bible and read through a few verses. Verses 11 and 12 say, And Jehovah said unto him, "Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I Jehovah? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say."

Okay, so it would have been wise for Moses to just GO then and trust that God would be with him and help him with whatever his speech problems happened to be.

Back to Pieter's article: "So the speech problem was no problem for God. And right here Moses made the blunder of his life! In Exodus 4:13, he asked God to send someone else. Suddenly, God's anger was kindled..."

God then told Moses that Aaron his brother would be helping him, because God knew Aaron could speak well.

Pieter continued, "With all the other excuses, God was very patient, but now His anger was aroused. Why? Because Moses said the one thing that made God angry: 'I'm not available.' And God responded by saying that He would use his brother Aaron. Moses would still have the responsibility--but he would have to share the privilege of being God's sole agent in Israel's salvation history.

Is God calling you for something special today? Are you ready to fire your excuses at God? Please remember that the only requirement God has of you, is availability. 'Are you willing?' is the big question. Feeling inadequate?...Notice what happened to Moses, and how God used an imperfect person to bring honor and glory to His name."

Pieter later said, "Moses was a positive person--sure he had questions, but once his course was set, he couldn't be moved."

That was refreshing for me. It's just what I needed, just when I needed it. Thank you Father.

Pieter is right. The only requirement God has of His servants is availability. Are you willing? I personally AM willing to do what God wants of me, but He doesn't get it without my continuous questioning and asking for help. I can't do it without His help, but I do trust that He can use me.

What about you? Are you available? Are you willing? Are you being called by God now to do something? Are you feeling inadequate? Trust in God, and be willing, and He will help you.

Running Brave

2008-12-19T19:55:00.006-06:00

I watched an awesome movie this week, Running Brave. Actually, I watched it twice. A close brother in Christ and co-worker, Keith, gave it to me as a gift and told me to teach my son the lessons I found therein. (Thank you again.) Following is a report on the movie (if you plan to see it, you might not want to read this until afterward, but if not, read on):

Billy Mills won the 10,000 meter Olympic track race in 1964 at Tokyo, taking home the gold medal for the United States, and is the only American who has won a gold medal in that race. But, what is greater than that is that Billy Mills is half Sioux Indian (Native American).

Billy grew up in poverty on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. His mother (white) died when he was nine, and his dad died when Billy was twelve. When he had asked his dad whether he liked to fight (his dad boxed), he responded to Billy, "I like to win," and that a person needs to find something at which they can win, "You have to win at something."

Billy loved to run. He ran all the time and felt as if he was one with everything when he ran. He attended high school in Kansas in the 1950s and broke several track records. The track coach of Kansas University went to see him, but when he found out he was an Indian, he complained to the high school coach and said that Indian boys had a natural talent of running well but that they were quitters and drunks. He'd seen it all before. Billy walked up and defended himself, making it clear that he was no quitter and wanted to run for him at KU.

He ended up getting the scholarship to go to KU. He was only the second one from the reservation to ever get a scholarship to college, but the first guy quit after just three weeks. Billy was scared to go to the university, but at the same time he wanted to "prove I can make it in the white world." When he got to the university the coach emphasized to the guys from the very start that they were to do it his way and his way only. The coach pushed Billy, and Billy started out winning all the races. He also did the right thing by passing up offers of alcohol from his college pals. He probably realized that he had a predisposition to alcoholism, because he was Indian, and he didn't want to become a drunk. He met a girl, too--Pat--and started seeing her.

It wasn't all cherries and honeycomb, though. Billy constantly had people calling him "chief," "that Indian boy," and other racial slurs. He also was not allowed to become a member of a fraternity, because he was Indian. At one point he attacked a fellow teammate after a race, after the guy made a nasty remark. The coach pulled him back and sternly told him to ignore the comments and that he could run all over that guy. Billy would write letters to his sister, and they would start out sounding discouraging, because he everything was such a challenge. He had to study so hard and so late and he was the only Indian on campus, except for one girl, "but she's fat." He'd always say at the end of his letters, though, "Don't worry," because he was going to be okay and make everyone proud of him. He would list the problems, but each time he seemed intent on overcoming them.

During one race, Billy slowed down toward the end, even though he still won the race. There was another Indian on the other team. The coach confronted him later about it and rightly accused him of doing so as not to embarrass the other Indian so badly, who was next behind him. Paraphrasing, "You're never going to get to the Olympics, if you don't quit easing up at the end. Don't feel sorry for the other Indian. Next time, you don't see him as an Indian. You see him as another competitor." [Going to the Olympics was Billy's dream.]

His coach seemed to only want to rack up points, and he gave promises to people that he'd make it to the nationals. Billy had an enormous amount of pressure on him, and he felt as if the coach didn't seem to care about Billy but only about himself and his coaching career. He wrote to his sister that he'd lost his love for running and he felt like just a machine, but he said once again, "Don't worry," because he had support from his girlfriend and he was confident he'd "find that spirit again."

He was placed at number five in the NCAA, and a reporter asked him whether being number five had anything to do with being Indian (the gall). He cleverly answered, "I'm half-white, too. I'm not sure which half loses. Do you?"

His girlfriend Pat's parents were not happy when she told them that she was with Billy, because, as she put it, "Maybe they are a little bit prejudiced." He said, "What the hell do you know about prejudice?" So, she informed him that she (a middle class white girl) was what he wanted, so he had to deal with the problems that came with her, even prejudiced parents. So, he did. He wrote and told his sister that he and Pat were thinking of getting married and expressed disappointment that she was not going to be able to go visit him with his other family and friends, including Frank who'd gone to live with Billy and his dad after Frank's own parents had died, and who finished rearing Billy after his dad died; and Eddie his friend with a bad attitude. Billy was staying at Pat's house while her parents were gone, and when his visitors arrived, they were initially excited to see him, but things quickly turned around. Eddie acted very angry and made rude comments about the nice house and how he just wanted to go have some fun. He and the two women left after ten minutes and talked Frank into leaving, too. Billy tried talking Frank into staying, and he pushed Eddie and told him to leave. Frank stopped them from fighting, and Eddie said, "That's okay. It's not the first time I've been pushed around by a white man." Eddie and the two girls acted as if they didn't want Billy to improve his life, and they said they didn't belong there and left. Frank, too, finally said to Billy that they were probably right, that they didn't belong there. Following THIS is when Billy started messing up. He came in 3rd place in his next race and then went on to lose the following two races. His coach told him after the first race, "You quit." After one or two more, he said, "You're quitting. You already have." He told Pat that during the whole time he'd been at KU, that whenever bad things happened that made him question why he was there, he'd always been lifted up by knowing he was there because he "won races." He said, "But, now I'm not," so he wondered why he was there and started thinking about going back to the reservation. Then the guy with the insurance company that sponsored his scholarship got on to him and said that he'd better win the next race or he'd risk losing his scholarship.

He then asked Pat to run away with him, even if it meant they might live in a trailer park somewhere and scraping to get by. He was sick of being Billy the runner and Billy the Indian. He didn't really know who he was. He was looked down upon among the whites, because he was Indian, and he was rejected by his own family and friends for being like the whites. When Pat shook her head and told him she didn't understand, he drove off, and he ended up going back to the Indian reservation. He told the coach right before a track meet that he was doing what the coach had always said he'd do--quit. Coach Easton told Billy he'd never be a winner, and he knew it. He claimed that's why he always told him to stay running in front (Billy had liked "coming from behind"), because "only winners come from behind."

Back on the reservation some children recognized him as the famous Billy Mills. A little boy had his sports card with his picture. He asked Billy whether he was going to the Olympics and that, "You'd better." His friend Eddie acted glad to see him and welcomed him back home, now that he was away from white land. But, Eddie still had a bad attitude. He wasn't what I'd call the optimal friend. Frank was drunk when Billy saw him. Frank pretty much stayed drunk.

While the two were fishing, Frank told Billy that Frank's dad had always told Frank he'd never go anywhere. Frank had always wanted to go to Paris, because he was a really good artist, but he listened to the, "You'll never go anywhere or be anybody" talk, and he said it now was too late for him. He told Billy that it wasn't too late for him and that he needed to leave. I think being at the reservation again with drunk Frank and bad attitude Eddie got him to having second thoughts about his choice to go back there. Plus, he missed Pat. It did feel good, though, to be "home" and run again. He got his love of running back. His sister had saved back newspaper articles and other mementos in a scrapbook and showed Billy. She asked whether he was going to the Olympics and said that everyone on the reservation had always wanted someone to be something, to make something of him or herself. Following that he got a note and money from Pat telling him to come back. He then found Frank dead from a suicidal gunshot wound to the head, surrounded by demented drawings of a depressed soul on the walls.

So, Billy left the reservation again and went to the Marines. He already had his degree, and the Marines gave him a chance to focus on running so that he could go try out for the Olympics. He married Pat and then qualified in the Olympic trials. He and two other Americans were there to represent the US. He was not considered as a potential winner. One of the other Americans had a hurt foot or leg, and the American coach talked to that guy as if he was their chance to win and just told Billy to "hang in there." The commentators said also that Billy wasn't "seen as a threat" in the event. Ron Clarke from Australia was everyone's favorite. Clarke is noted for setting 17 world records (but never won an Olympic gold medal). He'd set records during the time Billy was in KU, and Coach Easton had posted a newspaper picture of Clarke and told the guys to aspire to Clarke's achievements. During the 10,000 meter race (over six miles), Billy kept near the front, along with Clarke and Mohammad Gammoudi of Tunisia. They all kept switching positions for first place. It was a very exciting race, since everyone was surprised that Billy was among the frontrunners. During the last lap:

"Mills and Clarke were running together with Gammoudi right behind as they entered the final lap. They were lapping other runners and, down the backstretch, Clarke was boxed in. He pushed Mills once, then again. Then Gammoudi pushed them both and surged into the lead as they rounded the final curve. Clarke recovered and began chasing Gammoudi while Mills appeared to be too far back to be in contention. Clarke failed to catch Gammoudi but Mills sprinted past them both. His winning time of 28:24.4 was almost 50 seconds faster than he had ever run before and set a new Olympic record for the event. No American had ever won the 10,000 m before Billy Mills did it (Wikipedia, s.v. "Billy Mills").

Coach Easton had seen the news in the paper that Billy was going to the Olympics that year, and he went to Tokyo to see him. He walked up to Billy after the race to congratulate him, and he said, "That's the greatest race I ever saw a man run. I'm honored to have worked with you."

***************************************

Running Brave detailed a fine based-on-a-true-story example of a man who overcame his hardships and poor circumstances and became a winner. It also demonstrated that even after a person is "in the race," heading for his or her goals and doing a fine job of dealing with trials that could knock a person "out of the race," it can take just one event that deals a hard enough blow to cause a person to want to give up. Very often, it involves a person or persons very close to us--family and/or close friends. In Billy's case, he kept overcoming his trials--the racial slurs, the exclusion in clubs, his coach's selfishness--until his family and friends rejected him. Perhaps without realizing it, they were trying to bring him back down to their level.

A Christian Race

God's election race for his called and chosen ones is the same way. We can't let anything stop us. The Apostle Paul said:

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (I Cor. 9:24-27).

Family and Friends

We must overcome whatever trials come our way and overcome the sins that we inherited from our families, tribes, and nations. We must run the race as if there's only one winner. If we fail, we will be a castaway. Some of us will sometimes take a really hard blow that will appear to keep us down for good, but if the goal is really that important to us, we will get back up and get back in the race. That is what Billy did. His family and friends made him feel bad. They were supposed to be those closest to him, and yet they were the ones responsible for discouraging him to the point where he nearly failed. He started to give up. He went back to his old life. BUT, the game wasn't over yet. He decided to get back up again and do what it took for him to reach his goal (going to the Olympics), and he didn't stop there. He won that 10000 meter race and won the Olympic gold medal for the US.

It's too often in the lives of those who "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 12:17) that family and friends are their biggest obstacle. It's what holds them back the most.

Jesus said, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple...whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26, 33).

Billy's coach told him that was the best race he'd ever seen a man run and that he was honored to work with him. How would each of us like to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord (Matt. 25:23)?"

Gentile vs. White

Being a Gentile among Israelites is also an obstacle for many people. Billy Mills was half Gentile living in a "white [Israelite] world." He overcame many of the gentile ways to better himself. We just had a half gentile, half white man elected to be the next president of the US. The majority of blacks and other minority gentile races in our nation do not really want to overcome their gentile ways. They expect to be treated equally without conforming to our ways. God's law records over and over that within an Israelite nation that claims to be under God, that there is ONE LAW for both Israelite and Gentile--the same law applies to both. He also said:

Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to Jehovah, to serve him, and to love the name of Jehovah, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. The Lord Jehovah which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him (Isaiah 56:6-8).

ALL people, whether Israelite or Gentile are offered salvation, and MANY Gentiles have been called in this lifetime to see the truth since Christ's death, whereas before his death few Gentiles took hold upon God's covenant. We live in a time where the Gentile minorities basically think the white people owe them something, all the while they as a whole are still living in their vile ways. It has become so bad that more whites are acting more like gentiles than whites. Our president-elect is another example of a gentile (half) conforming to the white's ways so that he could become something and live decently (howbeit not God's way, but the majority of the white population isn't living that way, either). The small percentage of people in minorities, such as Billy Mills and president-elect Barack Obama have had to fight a tough battle, because they are still looked down upon by whites (shame on those whites who do this), but their own peoples hate them for acting white. There are those who will even KILL a "rebel," because they aspire to live to white standards.

Those like Billy Mills, because what his father taught him, realize WHY the whites are so blessed, and he decided to overcome that. Then there are those like his friend Eddie who want to just talk badly about white people while continuing to make the wrong choices. Likewise, there are blacks (President-elect Obama is half black) who spew hatred toward white middle class America, expecting equality while they deal drugs, don't attempt to talk properly, spew forth profanity, walk like they broke one of their legs, rape women, rap immoral trash, and shoot people. They just don't seem to get it! But, in nearly every family, tribe, and nation, there are the FEW who do recognize the problems in their families, and they strive to overcome. And good for them!

On the other side of the coin, you have some whites who live more like gentiles, and so that's how they act and decide to live. Some people have no drive, no desire to do the best they can in their circumstances. God wants ALL people to be free and equal, but only if they live according to His way. (The Western World's high standard of living, or at least what we did once have--hygiene, generosity, good agriculture, good health, family values, etc.--is based on the laws in the bible, whether anyone realizes it or not. We are failing, though, as this once-Godly nation is falling away and doing away with his laws more and more every day.)

I give a two thumbs up for Billy Mills and also for the makers of Running Brave.

***********************************************

Billy Mills' given Lakota (Sioux) name is Makata Taka Hela which means "love your country" or more traditionally translated, "respects the earth" (RunningPast.com). I definitely think Billy Mills has lived up to his name. Do you?

Quote from Billy:

"My life is a gift to me from my Creator.
What I do with my life is my gift back to the Creator."

And so it is for all of us.

Billy is now a public speaker, and he also is the spokesman for the nonprofit Running Strong for American Indian Youth. The website is here: http://www.indianyouth.org/

Naughty or Nice? Someone is Coming to Town?

2008-12-17T17:29:00.004-06:00

I was telling my mother in an email this morning that I gave gifts to my children (and to my husband and sister) this year for the Feast of Trumpets, one of the great feasts of God. It was the first year I'd done this particular thing. Somewhere along in the lesson I taught that day, I asked my older son whether he liked getting gifts. Of course, the answer was yes. Who doesn't like to get gifts? I then explained to him that after the seventh trumpet sounds and the saints rise to meet Christ, that those saints who earned rewards (gifts) will then receive them at that time (some will have rewards and some not--I Cor. 3:4-15; Rev. 22:12).

I then went on to tell my mother that they're free to give gifts to our children for the Feast of Trumpets next year, since we do not do Christmas (she was not asking us to celebrate Christmas, and we've not celebrated it for years now, but rather I got on the subject a different way).

And then I said, "So, if the boys are well-behaved and deserving of rewards, they'll get gifts from us next year on Trumpets, too (I think "Santa" stole the idea of naughty and nice from the truth and added it to his holiday)."

Did you notice the last part? Does that bring to mind an old song commonly sung among children during this time of year? I'll copy and paste it from a lyrics site:

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
O! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town

Hmmmm....this "Santa" fellow, whom we all know really does not exist, supposedly rides in some sort of chariot (sleigh) pulled by reindeer and takes gifts to good children who deserve them. He does this on the night before Christmas (formed by two words: Christ and mass [meaning "death"]--so in other words Christmas means "Christ death." Odd how so many think they're celebrating a birth...).

There is no Santa Claus who sees children when they're sleeping and knows whether they've been "good" or "bad" and goes to give gifts to them out of his chariot's (sleigh and reindeer) cargo.

BUT, there is a real Christ, and the bible says that there are good children of God the Father who will receive rewards. He can see us and knows whether we've been "good" or "bad."

He's the one REALLY coming to town. He's coming in "chariots of fire" (much more advanced vehicle than what the mythological "Santa" has--Isaiah 66:15) and will have rewards stored inside.

The biblical holy day that foreshadows this great event is the Feast of Trumpets. "Christmas" is not found anywhere in the bible and is a name the Catholic church gave to the heathen holiday "Day of Sol Invictus" (day of the invincible sun). Before and when Christ returns, which will fulfill the Feast of Trumpets, this is what will happen to the Catholic church and its leader:

Therefore shall her (Catholic church) plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her (Revelation 18:8).

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone (Rev. 19:20).

So, the next time you hear that old song, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," remember that he's a fraud but that there is someone REAL soon coming to visit to punish the "naughty" and reward the "nice":

And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth (Revelation 11:18).

A Fun Post

2008-12-16T17:13:00.004-06:00

I'm posting two posts today. This is a fun post. My friend Meg "tagged" me. (Her blog: http://thewitknit.blogspot.com) So, this is how the game goes:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

My list of six random things about myself:

1. My name is written in the World's Largest Logbook (aviation/pilot logbook) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

2. I love pizza, spaghetti, and lasagna. I just can't decide which of the three is best.

3. I used to want very badly to travel to Greece.

4. I have a large scar on the back of my right hand--a burn--and another one on the wrist, which I think nothing about, but years ago people used to ask me about it all the time.

5. Of all the paid jobs I had (many and varied), I preferred most of all working for myself, which I enjoyed the most and made the most money for my time ($50+ an hour).

6. My favorite car is a red '69 Corvette Stingray.

Most of the people I know who have blogs right now have already been tagged, I think, so I'll just leave this as it is.

Thankfulness

2008-12-16T16:13:00.003-06:00

If I'm one thing, I'm very thankful. I wonder so much of the time, "Just how is it that I'm so blessed?"

I could be sitting over there in Africa, starving to death and diseased with HIV, malaria, or any number of other illnesses. Thank you Father that I am blessed by birthright to live in the United States of America.

I could be homeless somewhere in America and be shivering to death in this horrifically cold weather. Oh, thank you so much Father that I have a warm house and that my family is warm.

I could be destitute and not have enough food to eat, but I'm thankful that all our dietary needs are provided for us.

I could be friendless and lonely, but I'm blessed with family--both physical and spiritual families--and overwhelmingly blessed with the most wonderful friends. Thank you Father.

I could be suffering from an unloving or abusive husband, but instead I have an awesome husband who loves me very much and works hard to provide for me and who continually reminds me of my value to him. And even though he's not on the exact same page I'm on in spiritual (and other) matters, he's highly respectful of me and trusts me. Thank you Father.

I could have seriously ill or severely misbehaved children, but my children are relatively healthy and well-behaved and are sweet most of the time. Thank you Father for these precious sons.

I could be without transportation, but I have legs, a bike, and a Jeep, which is more than billions of people have. Thank you Father for these blessings.

I could be still blinded to the true Gospel and be living in the deception of the masses. Thank you Father for calling me to see your truth, which I love and desire to obey.

I could be stricken with cancer in this excessively cancerous society, but thank you Father that I am fine, as far as I know.

I could be sitting in jail or prison like thousands of others who don't belong, but for now I'm free. Thank you Father.

I could be blind (and probably AM considered legally blind--), but I have help to see. Thank you Father that I live in a time of scientific advancement, the modern age of miracles, so that I can see all the beautiful people whom I love and all the beautiful things that have been created.

I could be deaf, but I am blessed with excellent hearing. Thank you Father that I can hear the voices of those I love and the voices of those who sing and the sounds of nature.

I could be damned to die, to be dead forever and never raised to life again. THANK YOU, Father for the grace I am given through your Firstborn Son's blood sacrifice and his priesthood.

I don't deserve any of these blessings. Even if I was my own judge over my whole life's activities, I'd damn myself to die. I don't deserve all my blessings. I surely don't deserve God's grace. But, He gave these things to me, because He loves me. Thank you so much, Father for your goodness.

Forgive me for complaining when I open my cabinets or refrigerator and think, "None of this sounds good." And please pardon me when I gripe about the floor being cold. I'm sorry. I know I should be thanking You instead for the warmth in relation to outdoors. And I apologize for feeling sorry for myself whenever I wish I had friends in the Church who lived closer to me. At least I do have friends who are close enough to visit sometimes, and I am blessed with many friends in the U.S., Canada, and even other nations with whom I can email and talk to on the phone. Forgive me when I complain that my husband could try to act a little better, when I should just keep praying. It could be a lot worse, and he really does love me and is good to me. I'll try not to forget how blessed I am to have my children the next time one of them makes a mess, screams in anger, or disobeys. And the next time I complain about having to wear plastic on my eyes that has been soaked in who-knows-what, I'll remember once again that it's better than not being able to see beauty and not being able to take care of my duties.

Thank you Father for all the good things you have done for me.

A Perfect Father's Attitude Toward His Child

2008-12-15T21:09:00.002-06:00

I talked yesterday about the lack of proper fatherly instruction and presence in so many of our households now, which I believe is the BIGGEST contributor to the downfall of our Israelite nations (US, Britain, Canada, Israel [Judah], etc.).

But, even the BEST human fathers who have tried their hardest to overcome the sins of their families and to do the best for their sons and daughters still fall short. No one--father or mother--is perfect.

There is only One perfect Father to whom we have to look. It is THIS Father to whom we need to look for perfect love, instruction, and presence. And it is His relationship with his Firstborn Son from whence we should learn the proper way so that we can apply it to our households.

Our Heavenly Father has left instruction on how a son should be:

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee (Proverbs 3:1).

And in the actual law (Torah, first five books of the bible, sometimes called the Pentateuch):

That thou mightest fear Jehovah thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged...And thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words [the law God gave us], which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up [in other words, LIVE your lifestyle by God's law throughout the whole day] (Deut. 6:5-7).

If we are begotten children of God [if we have been begotten of the God Spirit], then we should love our Father and show that we love Him by our obedience, and if we have children, we are to teach them to live the same way.

Our Father gave us His law through His Son, because He loves us, and His law (rules) are good (don't you make rules for your child out of your love and welfare for him and for the safety and respect of others, too?):

And Jehovah commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Jehovah our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day (6:24).

Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law (Proverbs 4:1-2).

The apostle Paul, whom the many falsely accuse of teaching against God's law reiterated the two previous scriptures when he said: Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just and good (Romans 7:12).

How does our Father feel about children who love Him so much that they try their hardest to obey and please Him? Let's start with the perfect child, the Most High's Firstborn, who walked in a temporary fleshly tabernacle without sin, Jesus the Anointed:

During Jesus' baptism: And lo voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt. 3:17).

During Jesus' transfiguration: While he yet spake, behold, a bright "cloud" overshadowed them: and behold a voice came out of the "cloud", which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him (17:5).

God loves His children and hopes that none of them perish (decide to stop loving and obeying Him and so eventually lose His Spirit--spiritual abortion):

Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish (18:14).

Examples of other Spirit-begotten children with whom our Father was pleased (through the word of the Son, who was the one to actually speak with all servants of God):

Moses: And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of Jehovah shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? (Num. 12:6-8).

Abraham: And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws (Gen. 26:4-5).

David: But now thy kingdom shall not continue: Jehovah hath sought him a man after his own heart, and Jehovah hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which Jehovah commanded thee (I Sam. 13:14).

And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them (Ezek. 37:24).

And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God, as the heart of David his father (I Kings 15:3).

All children of God should love their Father the same way which all children of God in the past have loved their Father, which is the same way Jesus did:

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him (Jesus) ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked (I John 2:1-6)

Our Father loves us and gives us good law, just as we say we love our children and say that we give them good rules. We naturally want our children to love us back by following those rules so that all goes well. And what we really want is for our children to be as righteous as they can be so that we can reward them. Most parents ENJOY rewarding their children. Our Father has promised to send rewards with the Firstborn, so that when the Firstborn returns to establish our Father's Kingdom, those who deserve rewards will receive them.

And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be (Rev. 22:12).

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Rev. 21:1-8).

None of us have had perfect earthly fathers. Some of us have had better than others, but none have been perfect. And most of us wish we'd have obeyed our parents more so than we did. Those of us who are children of God have the opportunity now to love a Father who IS perfect, and we have the opportunity to obey His perfect law to the best of our ability and serve it with our HEARTS.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded (James 4:8).

Love God with all your heart, and he will reward you from his heart.

Changing a Father's Attitude Toward His Child

2008-12-14T14:54:00.005-06:00

Moving back to the subject of family for now...

I don't think a lot of people realize just how important a role a father plays in his children's lives. The truth of the matter is that he plays the utmost importance in the lives of each of his children, both sons and daughters.

If you have not done so yet, I highly recommend reading my biblical article A Father and His Firstborn (http://www.endtimecog.net/articles/fatherfirstborn.html).

We are living in the years leading up to the end of this age, moving closer to the tribulation and the following reign of Christ and the saints when Christ returns to establish our Father's Kingdom on this earth. One of the KEY problems in our troubled society which will lead to Israel and Judah's punishment (as well as punishment extending on all nations) is the LACK of proper fatherly duty. If you truly want to get a better grasp on this problem, please take the time to read the aforementioned article and this link: http://fathersforlife.org/divorce/chldrndiv.htm By all means, don't stop there, either. Further your research.

FATHERS! Listen! Do not run away from your duty. You are the MOST important person in your child's life after the toddler years, especially for sons. If you are discouraged and do not know how to be a good father, GET HELP. The single best resource is none other than the bible.

I empathize with all the fathers out there who really WANT to be good fathers and want to love their children and want their children to obey, but they don't know HOW to do it. I am not here to make anyone feel awful. I UNDERSTAND. I'm here to help.

The reason I understand is that we're currently undergoing a change in our own household. My husband is disadvantaged because of the way he was reared. His mother took him at the age of around 4.5 and his brother--10 years his senior--and left their father. He would go to visit his dad in the summers, but his dad usually on the other side of the country, working. (His brother didn't go visit his father.) He usually spent most of the summer each year with his paternal grandparents. His grandpa was very important to him and had the biggest impact on him of all his family members. The problem is that his grandpa was never very loving (as in giving hugs and saying "I love you, etc.), and neither was my husband's dad. When his dad was growing up, his dad's father (my husband's grandfather) worked away most of the time. I know that my father in law didn't like his father. I don't know all the reasons why, but there was obviously something wrong there. I don't think he evaluated himself, though, too closely, if at all, to ask himself what he could do differently with his two sons. My husband said that his dad didn't play much with him and that he knows his grandpa didn't play with his dad much, either. They didn't take the time to instruct their children in the ways of God, in the ways of righteousness. As a result, that whole family is awash with serious spiritual and physical problems. It just passed on from generation to generation.

My husband told me long ago (years before we married) that his family was cursed. I thought it was a strange thing to say back then, but now I know that he spoke truthfully.

The good news is that any one person in any family can BREAK the curse. They can say, "I don't want to continue to pass on this curse. I REJECT my family's ways." They can TURN from the sin and walk in the way of righteousness. This doesn't guarantee that the person's children will make the same choices, but the likelihood of them making the right choices are far higher.

My father in law is the unhappiest and most negative person I know personally. About the only person to whom he talks is my husband, because my husband chooses to love and help his father. He'll talk to me, too, and I do love and care for him, but I do not agree with his ways and choices. He doesn't socialize with anyone else and continually puts other people down. It's just a very sad thing. Spending too much time with a person like that can lead to ruin. My husband loves his father, but every time he goes around him and then I talk to him, his dad's negativity emanates from him. It rubs off, and it rubs off quickly. :-( I hope that my fil will change his outlook before his death so that he doesn't leave behind only a bad legacy. I truly love him and want the best for him.

My husband went to live with his father with summer visits to his mother, starting when he was 12. This is when I met him. His mother had been very strict, and his father was just as permissive as she was strict (and she changed later). So, my husband's life took a big turn in the wrong direction, as he started involving himself in troublesome activities.

My husband has overcome so much on his own. He has put physical distance between him and his family, and for the most part only talks to his parents.

Everything seemed fine between him and our firstborn son for the first two or three years, but then something happened. I think a large part of the problem was that our son reached the age where the father's role becomes the most important in his life...and my husband didn't know what to do.

I teach my son daily that he's to honor his father and his mother and he is to make his father glad. The very first scripture verse I ever had him to memorize was Proverbs 10:1, and I reworded it a bit from the KJV to say: A wise son makes his father glad, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

A child's heart should be set toward his father, to obey him. This is repeated over and over in different ways throughout the Proverbs, which I read daily to my firstborn son (a chapter a day, the whole book once every month).

But, what happens if the father doesn't know how to be a father, and so the child's heart and actions are not fully obeying his father?

This is the problem I've been faced with for awhile and so have prayed.

A few nights ago, my husband humbled himself and asked ME of all people to help him. He said (not necessarily verbatim), "Help me. What do I do? I've started to resent William [our firstborn], and I know he sees that I prefer Trusten. How can I mend my relationship with him?" He does give more attention to our younger son (18.5 months). The problem we've had for quite some time is that William is not setting the example a firstborn should set, even though he is far less troublesome than my younger son is. Instead of setting the lead, he often acts like a baby. We've both tried time and again to get him to understand that it's not the proper way to get attention from us and that we're not impressed at all with it....all to no avail.

I asked my husband whether he wanted the TRUTH. He said, "Give it to me." I told him that he was NOT doing his job properly and that he needed to treat William better than he's been doing, because he is not nearly patient enough, and he just discourages him. He also needs to pay attention to HIM more--NOT the baby. The baby is still under my close care. He's not weaned. He doesn't talk in sentences yet. He's still a baby! Nathan needs to set an example for William and to gain his trust back and be responsible so that William will honor and respect us both properly and will set a good example--as the firstborn--for Trusten. What we have is a ROLE REVERSAL, with Will copying Trusten's actions, rather than the other way around. And it's the father's fault. But, he admitted to his problem, and he asked for help. He wanted the truth, and I gave it to him. And he has taken the steps to correct it.

And wow, I'm already seeing results. I hope this continues. I'm very proud of my husband for admitting the problem and doing something about it. He told me he has no idea how he's supposed to rear sons. But, he's learning, and he's doing! The father and son relationship is MENDING, and it's changing everything.

Fathers, uphold your responsibility to your children. If you were not instructed properly by a father, then you probably don't know how to be a good father. But, don't continue the trend. BREAK the curse. Ask someone for help. DO something. If you find yourself not liking your child, ask yourself whether YOU are the problem. And then do something about it. Change your heart (attitude) toward your child, and THEN your child's heart (attitude) toward you will change.

Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged (Colossians 3:20-21).

Happy Sabbath

2008-12-13T15:29:00.002-06:00

Happy Sabbath to all who are reading. I won't be writing blog entries on the sabbath. As a servant of God and co-laborer with Him, I do usually write each sabbath, while resting from the week's regular work, but it will be a break each sabbath from the blog. :-)

Fear Jehovah All the Day Long

2008-12-12T09:55:00.004-06:00

My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. Yeah, my reins (inmost being) shall rejoice, when thy lips shall speak right things. Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be in the fear of Jehovah all the day long. For surely there is an end (a hereafter); and thine expectation (hope) shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way (Proverbs 23:15-19).

I was unsure what I was going to write today. It's not that I don't have plenty to write about, because I have more than enough. But, none of it seemed fitting for today. Then, I knew when I read this from the bible this morning. I read a chapter of Proverbs each morning to my son, and though I read the same thing month by month, different parts speak to me at different times.

I really do fear God (Yahweh or Jehovah) all the day long. I am constantly aware of my transgressions and am in continual prayer to ask for grace, forgiveness, and help. When I awake, the first thing I think of is God. Pleasing my Father is at the top of my list all day. I strive to be like my Lord Jesus and walk as he walked (I John 2:6).

I do strive to be wise and guide my heart in the right way. I do delight in doing God's commandments and love them (Psalm 119:47).

A little over a year after my baptism and conversion my life started taking a side road. I would have ups and downs where I'd be close to my Father and my Savior and times when I would not be very close. The enemy has tried so hard to hijack my relationship with God and the work my Father has called me to do, to be one of many fellow workers (co-laborers) with God (I Cor. 3:9).

For a while I had forgotten what it was to "fear Jehovah all the day long." Looking back on the treacherous path I walked for awhile and comparing it with the straight path on which I walk again today (and have for some time), I can definitely say I was not fearing my God all day. No, not at all.

For anyone who does not truly know the meaning of this, I want to explain. Fearing God all the day long means that the Spirit God has given to join with the spirit in man is constantly aware of God and His law that is imposed upon us on earth. That means EVERY moment of EVERY day, I am keenly aware of what I should NOT be doing. If I start losing my patience with anything, I am immediately convicted. If some foreign thoughts enter into my mind to tempt me to think about things I ought not (wrong thoughts of hate, sexual immorality, anything that breaks the spirit of one of the Ten Commandments), I immediately am aware that I should NOT listen and should not make them my own thoughts. I have learned the only way to do this is to immediately reject them. Do not entertain them for a second. Whenever evil thoughts, no matter how "minor" they seem, are introduced into my mind, I have to repudiate them and treat them as the abomination they really are. Once a person takes the bite from the evil tempting thoughts, it's often hard to escape. I fought one of the hardest thought battles during the year of 2005 and finally won sometime in 2006. I could have avoided it all together.

When thoughts and actions are each compared alone, thoughts will get us into more trouble with God than actions. Let's evaluate two scenarios:

1.) I murder someone in a spontaneous fit of rage.

2.) I think indefinitely of how much I'd love to murder a certain person but never physically do it.

Which is worse? Let's look at it first from man's point of view.

In man's system, the former example would be seen as a greater transgression. I might be punished in a court of law. Many would say of the second example that it doesn't matter, because as long as I keep those thoughts to myself and don't actually cause bodily harm to the person, it's no big deal. Of course, if I don't ever say anything, no man would even know my thoughts. But....

God knows my thoughts. In God's court I'd be forgiven of the first example a lot more easily than the second example. The second example shows premeditation of the act, and even though it is never acted out physically, it's the spiritual intent that matters most. The only thing stopping me from acting it out would be fear of man's punishment. There are many people in the world with wicked thoughts, and the only thing stopping them from physically acting out their evil is the judgments of the letter of the law. The punitive clause is enough of a deterrent to keep them from physically acting out their thoughts.

But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart (I Sam. 16:7)

That's why man would see the example number one as worse, but God sees example number two as worse. God looks on the heart. That's what matters to Him.

The spirit of man is the candle of Jehovah, searching all the inward parts of the belly (Prov. 20:27).

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12).

I wrote a study article earlier this year on the heart (http://www.endtimecog.net/articles/hearts.html). There is plenty of scripture there that shows that it's the HEART that matters. We must love and serve God with our HEARTS. If our heart is right, the actions will follow. But, a person can have seemingly good actions and still have a wicked heart.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but Jehovah pondereth the hearts (Prov. 21:2).

There are millions of people who think they're good people and they're destined to have eternal life. They think that God will surely accept them as they are, because THEY see themselves as good. This is a great deception from the adversary.

Every man has a spirit, and with that spirit man is often convicted of wrongful things (sins). This becomes even more true in some of mainstream Christendom, because they have a "form of godliness" (2 Tim. 3:5), and they think they are serving God. Some Catholic and Protestant Christians think they have God's Spirit, because they do undergo a change. This, of course, is not proof of having God's Spirit. Devout Hindus, Muslims, other religions, and even atheists have undergone significant changes to better morality. Before I received God's Spirit I had already made significant changes in my life and thought I was on God's side and thought I had the Spirit of God. I "felt" the difference. The truth of the matter is that anyone can change themselves for the better. They can stop acting out sin physically. People can even somewhat tame their thoughts. But, without actually having God's Spirit DWELLING within me, I certainly could not battle the things I've had to battle. I made changes on my own when I was being CALLED by God's Spirit. I repented, but I had to actually be BEGOTTEN (conceived) with His Spirit in order to help me keep His law. I know people who keep God's laws in a PHYSICAL sense, for the most part, anyway, but who do not have God's Spirit and so do not have the help they need to keep what MATTERS--the spirit of the law. My husband is a prime example. He was baptized when I was, but I have no idea why the brother who baptized us baptized my husband that day. It is obvious to me, now looking back on it, that he should not have baptized him. He was NOT ready for baptism. He was NOT being called at that time. He DID see some of the errors of Catholic and Protestant teachings, but he wasn't seeking with his whole heart. He didn't have an understanding of God's plan. He clearly acted unsure of whether he wanted to be baptized. That alone should have been enough to refuse him baptism. But, my husband does keep most of God's laws in a physical sense. There are many people who do this. Many of these people ARE being called (and I think my husband is being called now at this time), and they do have a heart of repentance and do start keeping God's law, but they are not going on to baptism and the laying on of hands to receive the HELP they need.

I know both ways, so I know the difference between my own spirit convicting me of wrongdoing or God's Spirit working outside of me to draw me to conviction and then God's Spirit actually being INSIDE of me.

When the Spirit of God inside of me is fed and it grows, I am acutely aware of my thoughts every moment of the day. This is to keep me in line. I don't HAVE to follow the Spirit's lead. I still have my own free will. But, it's there to guide me and to convict me. It's there to help me. That is how I fear Jehovah all the day long.

To keep evil thoughts away and to keep the heart pure in love toward God, one must MEDITATE on God's law ALL THE DAY.

O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day (Psalm 119:97).

The more a Spirit-begotten child of God studies the Word and tells his or her Father how much he or she wants to please Him and to be praised as He has praised his firstborn, our Lord Jesus, and the more we ask for help and to DESIRE to grow in grace and knowledge and DESIRE to do what pleases Him; the more we will be acutely aware of good and evil. We must be willing to correct anything in our lives that we discover is wrong. The life of a true servant of God is a life of SACRIFICE. It is a life of FAITH.

Jesus' words:

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me (Matt. 10:34-38)

Sacrifice. It demands sacrifice, even if the whole world hates me, I will serve my Father and strive to walk as my Lord walked. And I will continue to fear Jehovah all the day long.

An added note: My son sometimes rejects correction and so ends up getting struck with a switch. Neither my husband nor I like his having to be punished, just as God doesn't like to punish us but would rather us correct ourselves and obey. But, once the time of punishment arrives, it's too late, and you can't talk your way out of it. This is exactly what my son tries to do, though, just as that's what MANY self-professing Christians will try to do (Read Matt. 5:21-23), but it's just TOO LATE when it reaches that point. My son will then say, "I'm afraid, I'm afraid!" and will often cry. (I wonder whether many in that day will do the same thing before our Lord.) I tell my son, "If you really feared us, you would have obeyed. You would have corrected yourself the first time (or sometimes several times) we told you to correct your actions.

If someone fears man, he will follow man's law with his actions (and often with his thoughts, if he's deceived into believing man's law is good). If someone fears God, he will follow God's law, first and foremost with the HEART and MIND with the HAND (physical reactions) reflecting the heart and mind. If someone fears God and loves His law, he will even be willing to DIE at the hand of man when he disobeys man's law that contradicted God's law. Study Revelation 13:16-17; 14:1; Deut. 6:8; 11:18; Exodus 31:13-17; Ezekiel 20:12; Exodus 13:9

I fear Jehovah all the day. Now read Matt. 10:28.

Joy

2008-12-11T11:11:00.003-06:00

Joy (noun): a feeling of great pleasure and happiness

Synonyms: delight, rapture, happiness, gladness, exuberance, euphoria

How wonderful it is to have JOY in one's life! It is always my desire to wake up each morning with joy. When the sky is blue and the sun is shining brightly, it's never hard for me to be full of joy each morning, with the very first thoughts being praise and thanks to God for life on such a gorgeous day.

It's easy to be full of joy when my husband kisses me and asks, "How are you Sweet Lady?" It comes naturally to be full of joy when my firstborn son says, "I love you Momma," or when my toddler son hugs my legs or plants a kiss on my lips.

Joy immediately fills my being when my friends tell me how much I mean to them. I can't help but feel joyful whenever I see birds and butterflies visiting my yard or whenever I see squirrels leap from tree to tree in the woods. Joy abounds in my heart when singing a lovely song or reading a good story. I have indescribable joy each time I eat good food.

I love that I'm surrounding by joy-giving blessings from God: family, friends, creatures of the outdoors, good food, good music, good words, the sun and moon and stars, the grass and flowers and trees....too many joyful things to name them all.

I also get joy from being on the giving end. I love the joy I see in my children when I tell them I love them or hug or kiss them or when I give them a gift or teach them something new. I cherish the joy I hear in my husband's voice when he tells me the meal I made is good or that he's glad I'm his wife.

I delight in the joy I give to others by just smiling and talking to them when no one else cares about them. I take great pleasure in the joy I give someone when I help him or her solve a problem or give someone a helping hand. I relish the joy I give to people when they just need someone to listen.

What about the days I wake up, and there is no sun shining in the sky and no blue sky? The nights where I can't see the moon and stars? What about the days my children dishonor and disrespect me? The days when my husband is a grouch? How am I to feel on the days there are no birds or butterflies or flowers? On the days where I burn our food or leave out ingredients or overdose it on ingredients? How am I to react on the days when my friends are not available or they are angry? On the days I am paid back with evil for helping someone? How am I to feel on the days I lose someone dear? On the days we have no money?

My brethren, count it all JOY when ye fall into diverse temptations (various trials); knowing that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience (James 1:2-3).

How are we go count it joy on the days the sun is not shining, on the days when we may wish we were never born? How are we to be happy when our spouse, child, parent, or best friend dies? When we are in danger of losing our home or not having food to eat? How do we cope if one of we ourselves or one of our loved ones is sick and near unto death? When our own flesh and blood family and longest friends turn their backs on us, because we're seen as enemies of the state? Could we "count it all joy" if our spouses and children were murdered before our eyes? If our children were stolen from us by government authorities? What about if we were plastered all over the news as evil and threatening, and the vast majority wanted us dead?

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried (has been proved), he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him (James 1:12).

We must face temptations/trials in this life. God must prove us to see whether we truly love Him. When our faith is tested, patience follows.

Faith without works is dead (James 2:20). True faith is proved by works.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves....but whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, bu a doer of the work, this an shall be blessed in his deed (1:22, 25).

Yea, a man may say, Thou has faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works (2:18).

Faith and patience are required to get through trials. Let's read and meditate on the following:

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receiveth the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy (blesed) which endure. Ye have heard the patience (perseverance) of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord ; that the Lord is very pitiful (compassionate), and of tender mercy (5:7-11).

It truly comes down to FAITH. That is what the book of James is all about. THAT is how we can "count it all joy" when we fall into various trials, no matter how horrible. God is full of love and mercy toward those who love Him. He doesn't let us be afflicted with horrors because he doesn't care. In the beginning, Jesus willingly decided he would come live life enclothed in flesh. He decided ahead of time that he would go through trials and temptation. He decided ahead of time to die a most awful tormenting death. He never sinned, and he agreed to go through those things for us. If we really have faith in eternal life and that we will be a child of the Most High God (praises to you, Beloved Father), if we really believe that Jesus walked a perfect life without sin and shed his blood for wretches like us, then we CAN count it all joy when we have a bad day. We have to CHOOSE to endure. It does NOT come naturally the way joy comes naturally when things are going well. When we are afflicted, joy is NOT a natural feeling, much in the same way love can be a natural feeling or a choice. I don't naturally get joy when someone I love dies or when I'm sick or when I'm about to be put to death by my enemies. I have to CHOOSE the joy, KNOWING (faith) that I have endured and will be blessed. That I will receive a crown of life. That my troubles will soon be over. That everything in this life is temporary (time, temperature, etc., all from the same root word). The pain and suffering only last so long.

The way to count it all joy in times of deep trial and suffering is to choose to be joyful by keeping your mind on your faith that all will be well when it matters--in the age to come and in eternity.

Humility

2008-12-10T10:48:00.004-06:00

I will pick back up on family, genetics, and overcoming familial sins in a few days. Today, I want to talk about humility. This is not something that comes naturally to a person, and it's even more unnatural for it to come easily for someone such as myself.

There are many people who are never or seldom honored. Some of these people are deserving of honor but simply never receive it. I can honestly say I don't know how that feels. I've been honored throughout my whole life. Sure, I've had my share of dishonor (usually it's been deserved, though), and I've had a lot of rough spots in life. But, overall I think I've had things go well for me, and I've been honored by many.

I've been put on a pedestal (exalted) by others all my life. I'm certainly not complaining, but I've realized more and more as of late that this is a potential obstacle to deep humility. It's not an impossibility. It just makes it more difficult. When a person has been praised all his or her days for things in many facets of life, it's very easy to become proud and self-exalting. I've hated this in other people, but it's not been until recently that I've dropped my head in deep shame, because I've seen it in myself. To borrow the apostle Paul words, "O[h], wretched [woman] that I am!" (Rom. 7:24a)

The grief I feel over this is tremendous. I do not want to be this way.

God only deserves the exaltation and praise. He deserves ALL the thanks, because I am nothing alone. And without His Spirit, I would be destined to be ashes, forgotten forever. Everything that I am has been given by God's grace. And He's given me much. We've all heard the phrase "count your blessings," but I feel that I cannot count mine, because they are too numerous to be specified.

Two months ago, I said to a dear brother of mine, "I'm in a very humble position right now, b/c honestly, I could have done nearly anything I wanted, and it's very difficult, sometimes, not to get a big head about it. " (Speaking of being a mother in a society of career moms, and I gave that up, even though I had all my college paid with scholarships.)

He said, "Oh, I know the Lord has blessed you with many talents."

And right now, I am in shock, because I had to go hunt down that email to find the quotes, and I continued reading, and I do not remember reading before what came after that. I must have accidentally gone over it. Maybe I just didn't read it carefully. Whatever the case may be, it's no coincidence that I was led to write this and had to look that up again.

I have meditated on what I'd said for the last two months, and at some point after writing what I did, it dawned on me:

*I have been blessed to have the many opportunities I have been given in my life, because I have learned and experienced from them, and I can use these things to teach others and bring them to the truth.

*I can still do most everything I could have done professionally with a degree to further worldly affairs, except I won't be given money for my labors and will not get worldly praise. Instead, though, I can use my abilities and do what I like to do to educate others and to further God's Kingdom and to bless and help others. When I realized this, I was elated. I'd rather use my abilities for God's Kingdom and for fellow humankind in this way. This was almost a total cure. And after reading now what, for some unknown reason, I didn't read two months ago that my brother wrote, this is confirmed for me.

I don't deserve anything I've been given any more than the next fellow. God is the potter, and we are the clay. I don't have any reason to be proud or self-exalting. It sickens me that I've seen this in others and not in myself. For anyone reading this who has seen any sinful pride in me, please forgive me of the poison I gave off.

The more we are given and the more with which we are blessed, the more is expected of us, and the more humble we should be (Matt. 24:45-51; 14-30; Luke 12:42-48).

But he that knew not, and did commit thins worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more (Luke 12:48).

Of the numerous times I've read over those scriptures, it's not sunk in as deeply as it has over the past several weeks. It has spoken deeply to ME. And now I deeply repent and correct myself.

Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth...Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes (Job 41:4; 42:6).

My job today is to find someone to honor in some way who deserves to be but probably has not been. I want to bring joy to someone's life today in this way. My Father, please reveal to me whom I should honor today.

Edited to add: And yes, I know mothering is not a humbling job in the sense of the real dictionary definition. It's the most important job as a woman, and I have said so myself before, but from the world's view and the pressure felt by the world, it is humbling. Mothers who choose to rear their children themselves are made to feel low, even though it should be the opposite. I was corrected on this point in the aforementioned email, but I didn't mean that I myself think it is a low job to have. ;-) I know better, because I live it every day. So, all you fellow mothers know what I mean.

Who Am I?

2008-12-07T17:36:00.000-06:00

I think to really know oneself, one must know from whence he or she came. Each person is a unique individual, but we all inherit both spiritual and physical traits from our parents, and they inherited their traits from their parents, and so on.

I've been studying my families. In particular, I've been evaluating myself and recognizing the good traits I was given by each of my parents and the bad ones. My goal from here on out is to maximize the utilization of the good traits to the betterment of myself and others and to overcome the bad traits, to break the curses of my families.

I published a book in January this year (2008) called Genetic Heavy Metal Toxicity, on which I spent over 2.5 years researching and writing. Though it focused mainly on the health damage heavy metals have caused and the genetic link, it also discussed the damage other things have caused to people. It was during the two years of researching and writing that book that I started better understanding the problems in my families, as well as those problems in my husband's families. I briefly mentioned a spiritual aspect and mentioned that physical damage can lead to spiritual damage in my book, but since it's been published, I have come to realize even more concerning the spiritual aspects of our genetics.

At the same time I started realizing this more, a sister in Christ and one of my best friends talked about how she read a book that discussed the spiritual roots of sin. This, in part, caused me to meditate on this even more deeply. My eyes have been opened to things in God's Word that I didn't see fully before concerning the sinful nature that "runs in a family," especially in the books of Kings.

I realize now that my work on genetics is not done. And my work on overcoming the sins that run in my family is not done, either. God be with me as I grow in grace and knowledge.