The Most Offensive Company I've Seen as a Christian
Author
David Jhonson
Before I found the Lord in
2007, I was clearly unaware of the numerous subcultures that exist in
direct opposition and blatant offence of the faith I hold so dear. Being
out of the Christian community also seemed to shelter me from the other
extreme since I did not travel in these circles. However, I am
compelled by the Spirit to highlight the moral degradation of society in
hopes of compelling my brothers and sisters to moral and righteous
action for the preservation of the standards that can only lead to a
better society for all.
While we have all witnessed the immorality that runs rampant in the
entertainment community, there seems to be a shift within the rest of
the culture. Christianity is no longer attacked, shall I say, politely
or quietly. The promotion of evil seems to be no longer veiled within
music. The days of backward masking are over. Now it seems to be
socially acceptable to launch a direct and blatant attack upon the
values that made America strong in the first place.
Even the blasphemous expressions delivered by 'famous' figures such
as Marilyn Manson, Aleister Crowley, Frederick Niche, and numerous
others in times past would pale in comparison to those surfacing in
these last days.
I stumbled upon an offensive t-shirts company (Obscenitease.com) last
week that filled me with pity and sadness over the state of our
culture. However, it also gives me hope all the more as we see the day
of the Lord approaching.
It didn't take long to be utterly appalled at the blasphemy, heresy,
and sickening filth that is sold by this company that seems to have a
growing number of fans. The owner of the online store, Zeno Rossetti,
does not hesitate (and even seems boastful) to share the story of his
previous life as a 'Christian. While I am very doubtful that he ever
knew the Lord at all, he is obviously convincing many ignorant followers
of his Christian authenticity... and making money doing it.
The online apparel company offers their customers Personalized
stickers, buttons, hoodies, and stripper clothes in addition to t-shirts
and tank tops. While the satanic wears, inverted pentagrams, and
sayings that promote depraved sexual fetishes pointed to the sick nature
of their store... what really bothered me was their unabashed attack on
the Word of God and Christianity.
My hope in highlighting the following t-shirt sayings is certainly
not the glorification or promotion of debauchery, but rather to spur
those who love our Lord to take a stand against such immorality...
especially through the Power of Prayer. What kind of evil darkness lurks
within this culture of depravity?!
They carry a shirt that says... 'I tried Christianity, but was tired
of being a judgmental prick.' How can this be considered anything less
than a hate crime? Furthermore... how could anyone even buy this shirt?
It is obvious from this saying that the owner certainly never knew the
love of the Lord.
While the shirt that declares 'F*ck Christ' is certainly repulsive, I
couldn't believe that this company is allowed to be in business while
carrying a t-shirt design that has a picture of a church with the words
'Got Matches?' underneath. How is this not blatantly promoting violence,
destruction, and pure hate? This in not at all funny, humorous or a
laughing matter in the least as so many of their fans seem to think.
I pray sincerely that you will seek the Will of the Lord as to how we
may stand for Truth in these Last Days that seem to be growing so much
darker as we patiently await the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ!
"The
separation of church and state is rooted in the Scripture in the
declaration of Jesus: ""Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's
and to God the things that are God's"" (Mk. 12:17). It was defined by
Roger Williams in the seventeenth century when he referred to a ""hedge
or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the
wilderness of the world."" And it was codified in the First Amendment to
the constitution which says, ""Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.""
I believe in the separation of church and state. However, when we
gather to celebrate our nation's birthday, I want to take another
approach. I want to talk about the point at which church and state come
together.
The point at which church and state come together is not in our
belief in God, for we have many different understandings of God
prevailing in America today, and we always have. The point at which
church and state come together is not in our understanding of morality,
for there is a wide divergence in the ethical understanding of Americans
today, from those who think it is a sin for a woman to wear makeup to
those who think it is a sin for a woman not to wear makeup! Where church
and state come together is not in our theology and not in our morality
but in our love for and belief in and commitment to freedom.
At the heart of our nation is a commitment to freedom.
The force that compelled our forefathers to come to this land was not
only their love for God but their desire for freedom. The power that
prompted our forefathers to resist England and establish a new nation
was not simply a desire to be good but a desire to be free.
Freedom was one of the inalienable rights mentioned by Thomas
Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, the first right guaranteed
in the Bill of Rights, the name given to our nation in the closing
phrase of the Star Spangled Banner. America is the ""land of the free,""
a nation which guarantees the right of freedom to all its citizens:
freedom to choose, freedom to think, freedom to speak, freedom to be
different, freedom to live.
I read again Patrick Henry's famous speech, which was delivered in
1775 to the Second Revolutionary Convention of Virginia. He concluded
the speech with these striking words: ""Is life so dear and peace so
sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it,
almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me,
give me liberty or give me death!""
Patrick Henry epitomized the central commitment that has driven the
grand experiment called the United States -- our love for, belief in and
commitment to freedom.
Likewise, at the heart of biblical faith is a commitment to freedom.
In the Old Testament, from the time God sent Moses to deliver the
Hebrews from slavery to the time God brought back the Hebrews from
Babylonian captivity, He has revealed Himself to be a
""let-my-people-go"" kind of God.
The same is true of the New Testament. Jesus announced freedom as the
purpose of His life when He said, ""The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me
to proclaim release to the captives"" (Lk. 4:18). Jesus proclaimed
freedom to be the focus of His ministry when He said, For you shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free"" (John 8:32). Paul
declared freedom to be the consequence of Jesus' death when he said,
""It was for freedom that Christ set us free.""
The central element of the Christian faith and the predominant
purpose of the American politic is to provide freedom. It is at that
point, not in the support of a certain theology, not in the
establishment of a certain morality, but in support of freedom that
church and state come together.
This raises some probing questions about freedom that I want to consider.
Question Number One: Do we believe in freedom enough to do what is necessary to experience it?
A young lady said to a famous opera star, ""I'd give the world to be
able to sing like that."" The opera star responded, ""Would you give
five hours a day?""
Personal freedom is never free! Instead, it comes as the result of
discipline. An Olympian has the freedom to win the race because he has
spent years in disciplined preparation. A pianist has the freedom to sit
down at the piano and play because she has spent years in disciplined
practice. A Christian has the freedom to live a victorious Christian
life because he has spent years in disciplined obedience. Freedom is
never free! Freedom comes to a person who has paid the price of
discipline and commitment.
Do we believe in freedom enough to do what is necessary to experience
it? Then we must oppose complacency, the tendency toward an
undisciplined and unmotivated life, for complacency is the enemy of
freedom.
Question Number Two: Do we believe in freedom enough to allow others to have it?
There is an interesting exchange between Jesus and His disciples
recorded in Luke 9:49-50. The disciple John said to Jesus, ""Master, we
saw a man driving out demons in your name, and we told him to stop,
because he doesn't belong to our group."" Jesus responded, ""Do not try
to stop him because whoever is not against you is for you."" (Good News
Bible)
It is not enough just to demand personal freedom for ourselves. We
must also grant personal freedom to others even if they are not in our
group, even if they do not agree with us, even if they are not like us,
even if they do not do things the way we do.
I remember hearing years ago about a group of Christian women in
Germany who were discussing the habits of some Christian women in
America. When it was reported that some Christian women in America
smoked, one of the German Christian women was so shocked she dropped her
beer mug!
To demand that others be like us is to presume upon the prerogative
of God who made them the way they are and it is to presume upon the
prerogative of others to chose how they will live their lives.
Do we believe in freedom enough to allow others to have it? Then we
must oppose conformity, the desire by intimidation and accusation to
squeeze everyone into the same mold, for conformity is the enemy of
freedom.
Question Number Three: Do we believe in freedom enough to support the government when it upholds it?
Our greatest threat is not a government void of religion but a
government controlled by religion. History has taught us that. When
religion took control of the government under Charlemagne, emperor of
the Holy Roman Empire, it led to the death of every Saxon who chose to
remain unbaptized. When religion took control of the Spanish government
under General Torquemada in the Spanish Inquisition, 100,000 people were
put to death in his 18-year reign, and 10,000 were burned to death. The
same lessons were taught by Cromwell's Puritan England and Khomeni's
Islamic Iran.
Christian control of the American government would not usher in a
golden era but would instead usher in a new dark ages. For as Baptist
ancestor John Leland said, ""Experience, the best teacher, has taught us
that fondness of magistrates to foster Christianity has done it more
harm than all the persecutions ever did."" That's why our greatest need
and our only hope in America today is to have a government that believes
in freedom and provides freedom for all people.
Do we believe in freedom enough to support the government when it
upholds it? Then we must oppose control, the attempt by any religious
group to control the government and determine its policies, for control
is the enemy of freedom.
Question Number Four: Do we believe in freedom enough to affirm a faith that allows it?
When you take the element of freedom out of the expression of faith,
then you have moved away from Biblical faith, for biblical faith
involves a free choice.
This was the point at which Jesus consistently conflicted with the
religious leaders of His day. A good example is Mark 2:18-20. The
religious leaders, observing Jesus' life of joyfulness and spontaneity
which so contrasted to theirs, asked Him the question, ""Why do John's
disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do
not fast?"" (Mark 2:18). They were asking Jesus, ""Why are you so
different?"" There is something threatening about an innovator,
something frightening about change, something risky about freedom.
Consequently, the Pharisees were always trying to coerce people with
their rules and regulations. The kind of faith which is so often
expressed today, which demands that everyone believe just like they
believe, express their belief in the same terms, and live out their
belief in the same way, is much closer kin to the Pharisaim which Jesus
opposed than the faith which Jesus espoused.
Do we believe in freedom enough to affirm a faith that allows it?
Then we must oppose coercion, the demand that everyone believe like us
and express their faith in our terms, for coercion is the enemy of
freedom.
As we struggle with these questions, we understand what George
Washington meant in his first Inaugural Address when he said, ""It is a
strenuous thing, this living the life of a free people.""
Many people today find the burden of freedom too heavy, and the
demands of choice too great, so they support a political philosophy and a
Christian polity that replaces freedom with a tightly structured,
narrowly interpreted, and at times viciously applied system of control,
all in the name of God.
As American citizens and as Christians, we must oppose that trend
with all our energy. We must oppose coercion in matters of faith. We
must oppose control in the government. We must oppose conformity in
personal relationships. We must oppose complacency in our lives. We must
support freedom for all people, for as our text suggests: ""It was for
freedom that Christ set us free."""
Brian L. Harbour, PhD. has been a pastor since 1965,
having served in churches in many southern states. Brian received his
bachelor's degree from Baylor University in 1966 and his doctorate in
theology from Baylor University in 1973. He is a lifelong proponent of
christianity and regularly preaches independence day sermons focusing on the balance of church and state.
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Other
than physical appearance weight affects a person in many ways. This
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(......Continued.....)Here are fast tips that can change an over-weight's life:
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by learning a diet food plan that can easily be accustomed with.
Incorporate an exercise plan that allows even at least fifteen minutes a
day like brisk walking, running, swimming, and dancing.
Second: Set realistic approaches. The ability to focus and have
proper mindset enables someone on a diet to quickly lose those extra
pounds. With discipline and proper mind set, a dieter will never be
discouraged and lose focus.
Third: Listen as the body speaks. Each and everyone's body
metabolism reacts differently to different fast weight loss programs and
plans. Try substituting one program for another to compensate the
body's reaction. Exercise program must be suitable to one's body, as
others are not able to exercise as rigorously as others can. If walking
is all that can be done, then walk for this is proven the best
exercise. Muscles burn more calories than fats so it's also best to put
on a little muscle and looking good too.
Fourth: Eat more fibers for it makes a person full sooner and stays
in the tummy longer, slowing down the rate of digestion. A single
serving of whole grain bread moves fat through the digestive system
faster. Grains turn into blood sugar that spikes the body's insulin
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when it should stop burning fats or start storing.
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Do You Really Need a Flu Shot? New Research Suggests Otherwise
Author
Isaac Eliaz
The
government and pharmaceutical companies would have us believe that many
segments of the population must get vaccinated against the flu every
year to protect their health. These supposedly "high risk" groups
include pregnant women, children less than five years of age (and
especially children under the age of two) and everyone aged 50 and
older. Is this information truly accurate and based on sound science?
Maybe not. (Continued below.....)
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(.....Continued......)Safety and Efficacy
In recent years, medical experts around the world have been
questioning the conventional wisdom of flu vaccines. One researcher who
reviewed the studies on influenza vaccines concluded in an article
published in British Medical Journal that their effectiveness cannot be
confirmed. He also observed that there is inadequate research to
demonstrate their safety, stating, "The large gap between policy and
what the data tell us (when rigorously assembled and evaluated) is
surprising."
Childhood Flu Vaccine Inhibits Development of T-Cells
A newly published study in the Journal of Virology adds additional
weight to the case against routine influenza vaccinations. Researchers
have found that vaccinating children annually against the flu virus
interferes with the development of virus-specific killer T cells. This
means that the annual flu vaccine may protect children against the
actual viruses in the vaccine, but at the same time makes them more
vulnerable to any other virus that they are exposed to.
Support Your Immune System Naturally
As an integrative medical doctor, I believe that you can support your
immune system naturally with a combination of healthy nutritional
choices and targeted supplements for immune support. It is generally not
necessary to introduce viruses, chemicals and heavy metals into our
bodies in the form of a vaccination.
Common sense and scientific research tell us that one of the most
important strategies for staying well is to wash your hands frequently.
Washing with soap and running water for 20 seconds is the most effective
way to cleanse your hands of all kinds of germs.
It is also important to get enough sleep (greater than 7 hours per
night), get moderate exercise and not overwork (less then 10 hours per
day).
Nutritional approaches to a healthy immune system include eating
plenty of green vegetables, reducing or eliminating consumption of
refined sugars and processed foods, and supplementing with immune
boosting vitamins, minerals, herbs and botanicals.
Immune Support Supplements
You can support your body’s innate health mechanisms with certain
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under stress, while travelling and for daily protection. Here are some
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and year round.
One of my top recommendations is a blend of six medicinal mushrooms
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functioning of the immune system and support overall health. However,
this formula is unique because the mushrooms are cultivated in the US on
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mushrooms’ natural immune boosting properties. When combined in a
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are an excellent way to boost your body’s natural defenses and combat
infection, especially on a long term basis. Mushrooms are also of great
benefit during times of acute stress or infection, as they can be taken
in frequent doses with no known side effects.
Another recommendation is a Tibetan herbal formula made with a blend
of 19 rare and powerful botanicals that contain a multitude of
health-promoting tannins, polyphenols, flavonoids and essential oils.
This traditional formula has "cooling" properties that support balanced
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Integrative medicine treats the whole person, rather than the symptom
or illness. As a result, these and other natural health solutions offer
powerful immune support while simultaneously promoting overall health
and protecting against chronic illness over the long term. And that’s
an area where many conventional solutions fall short.
Dr. Isaac Eliaz, M.D., MS., L.Ac., has been a pioneer in
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variety of conditions.
During
the past few years, there have been drastic improvements in medication
and disease treatment, either on a genetic, neurosurgery or psychiatric
level. These improvements have resulted in curing numerous illnesses and
improving the lives of people in moral, social, economic and
environmental ways. (Continued below.....)
(....Continued....)It is said that every one out of four people in our world suffer from
some kind of mental problem today. Professionals are trying desperately
to cure these disorders using psychological or medical treatment.
Although, since all diseases are different, it can sometimes be
difficult to predict how, when or to what extent is the person going to
recover. Some treatment takes years and years of therapy and hand work.
One of these kinds of disorders is Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID),
previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder. (MPD)
DID is one of the rarest, most complicated diseases. Statistics show
that only as little as 1% of the world’s whole population is diagnosed
with DID. It is described as a "condition in which two or more distinct
identities or personality states, also known as alters are present
in-and alternately take control of an individual." It is a coping
mechanism for extreme, continuous traumatic events that happened at the
ages of 6-9. Dissociation or detachment from reality can be a way of
protecting the person from painful experiences. In this way, different
personalities experience the trauma, leaving the host with no memory of
the event.
To be diagnosed with DID, the person must meet all of the symptoms
and criteria common for this decease. The symptoms include a sense of
"losing time" while the other alter has control of the body, confusion,
feelings of dissociation, memory gaps and amnesia between the switches
to different alters and out of character behavior, which is caused by
distinctive personalities of alters. It is also important to take into
account that all people with DID also experience flashbacks and
persistent nightmares and therefore are sure to have post-traumatic
stress disorder.
The first person to discover DID was a French physician Jean-Martin
Charrot, in 18080s. At first, there wasn’t much known about this
disease, so it was thought to combine traits of hysteria and epilepsy
and so they called it Hystereo-Ehilepsy. Later on, the assumption was
proved wrong and the name was changed into Multiple Personality
Disorder, up until 1994. By this time, the condition was described as
proliferation of new, separate personalities, although this idea was was
also proved wrong by further investigations and better understanding
of the disease in the later years. It’s name finally changed to
Dissociative Identity Disorder, as it’s characterized by fragmentation
of a personality, rather than a growth of a new one.
One of the essential parts of treating DID is through long-term
psychotherapy, with a goal of integrating different personalities into
one. However, DID can also be treated in numerous other ways, including
psychiatry, some medication, desensitization and reprocessing method,
clinical hypnosis, creative therapies, dialectic-behavior therapy, eye
movement and cognitive-behavior therapy.
During the psychotherapy sessions, the therapist’s main goal is to to
"relieve the symptoms, ensure the safety of an individual and those
around him or her and "reconnect" the different personalities into one
integrated, well-functioning identity." It is important the the person
learns to safely express and process the traumatic memories, develop new
coping skills and improve relationships.
If during the treatment, some cognitive-behavioral therapy is
included, then the focus will also be in changing dysfunctional thinking
patterns and behaviors.
Another technique that’s called eye movement desensitization
reprocessing (EMDR), is meant to treat people who experience flashbacks,
nightmares and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Creative therapies, for example art therapy or music therapy allow
people to express their thoughts, feelings and experiences in a safe and
creative environment.
Meditation and relaxation techniques focus on helping people to
better tolerate, understand and communicate with their alters. They
include digraphic breathing, 2-minute relaxation, body scanning and much
more.
Clinical hypnosis-another way of treating DID can be similar to
meditation and relaxation techniques. This method uses intense
relaxation and concentration to "achieve an altered state of
consciousness" and allows people to explore their hidden thoughts,
feelings and memories that might have been lost from their conscious
minds.
Last but not least, medication too, can help on the way of treating
DID. Although there is no specific medication to cure the dissociative
disorders directly, people still highly benefit from taking some
antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications.
All this effort put into the treatment of different mental diseases
clearly have a very outstanding result. Different kinds of treatment
may effect different parts of person’s lifestyle. Proper treatment can
improve person’s moral values and social life. For example, researches
have shown that most people who receive psychotherapy show a huge
benefit from it. In most cases, they experience symptom relief. With
less mental problems to worry about, people focus on their goals and
become much more productive. Without any more worries and weights on
their shoulders from all the pain caused by the illnesses, they become
more high spirited, positive and start working on a more sustainable and
healthy lifestyle with improved states of mind. This improves their
moral values and a way of living. People also start to have better and
healthier relationships with people around them, which effects their
social life. (Continued below....)
(.....Continued.....)As a proof of this, we can discuss a small experiment, conducted in
Henry Phipps Psychiatric Clinic, where twelve patients were given four
tests before and after psychotherapy. Two of these tests were given to
the patients’ therapists. "People who improved tended to revise certain
of their moral values in the direction of their therapists’, while the
moral values of patients who were unimproved tended to become less like
their therapists’."
But of course, like everything else, treatment comes with it’s own
disadvantages. As mentioned before, while treating DID antidepressants
can be used in benefit of the patient, but antidepressants, along with
other medications can have side effects. They are mainly aimed to
correct chemical imbalances of neurotransmitters in the brain and
increase their numbers, but because antidepressants don’t only effect
one of our brain parts, in some cases they might cause jitteriness, dry
mouth and blurry eyes, which typically go away after a week or two. But
other symptoms caused by them may last much longer. Such is: nausea,
increased appetite and wight gain, loss of sexual desire, fatigue and
drowsiness, agitation, irritability and so on. This can be explained by
the fact that antidepressants work on every parts of our brain, like
frontal lobes, temporal lobes, hippocampus, amygdala, brain stem and so
on.
Along with incorrect use of antidepressants, psychotherapy may have
negative effects as well. Firstly, therapy is very expensive, so getting
a proper treatment may not be affordable to everyone and put huge debts
on person, which will highly effect their financial status and economic
well-being. But many other things can go wrong during psychotherapy
sessions. The person might not be a professional and instead of curing
the patient, unproved treatment and false diagnosis will result in far
worse results. This might cause the person’s condition to worsen and
destroy their social and moral status. In this case, therapist might
face malpractice because of legal responsibility towards the patient.
Many therapists today don’t really understand what the patient needs
and therefore, their interventions are ineffective. This is caused by
unprofessionalism and limited range of knowledge in some specific
diseases. An evidence of this can be a website on internet called "very
bad therapy" which uses podcasts to give voices to the stories of
people’s terrible experiences with their therapists. Just the fact that
there are so many people active on this website is a proof alone that
many therapists can’t be trusted.
Treatment surely comes with a lots of advantages, along with
disadvantages. Although, since the number of mentally ill people
nowadays is still relatively high, avoiding any kind of treatment
because of their disadvantages will be unreasonable. Antidepressants may
have their side effects and some therapists might not know how to
properly do their job, but most of the people who have gone through
psychotherapy have changed their therapists numerous times, until they
found the one they were comfortable with. So it’s only a matter of
finding the right psychotherapist and some financial support for
sessions and medications. Therefore, mental health treatment should be
available to everyone and must be achieved by those who need it, because
untreated people are most likely to contribute to higher medical
expenses, poorer performance at school and work, fewer employment
opportunities and increased risk of suicide.
In the end, we can state with confidence that treatment is an
important part of healthy life for mentally ill people and studying
these diseases is even more important. Without a proper understanding of
the illness, people can not find the cure and treat them. Just like
dissociative identity disorder, which was previously misunderstood and
mistaken for a completely different mental condition. The very first
patients with this disorder used to be treated in ways unimaginable for
modern society. The "treatment" included electric shock therapy, which
meant electric currents were passed through the person’s brain, which
would cause a seizure. This was thought to adjust self-view of the
patients, which would cause the symptoms to go away, but of course,
since they had no understanding of the disease itself, their treatment
methods were not effective and therefore worsened the conditions of the
patients. This is exactly why, in today’s society, it is very important
to have educated people working as psychotherapists, psychiatrists and
other professionals who are dedicated to improving the lives of ill
people.
Daily life gives us plenty of issues to struggle with that can get the best of us. Whether or not they defeat us depends on how we think. We may have learned negative ways of thinking that don’t do us any good, and wonder why we can’t succeed in life. To make any progress, we first need to change our attitudes and mental outlook to agree with God’s Word.
God loves us just as we are and He welcomes us with all our emotional baggage, but He wants to transform us for the better. He does this through the help of the Holy Spirit, who teaches us how to rightly divide the Word of truth. Real change begins on the inside and works its way out. We’re transformed by renewing our minds; this opens us up to discover the good and perfect will of God concerning us.
We don’t ever have to wonder what God’s will is for our lives; it’s overwhelmingly good. The thoughts He thinks toward us are thoughts of peace, not evil, to give us hope and a future. Agreeing with God lets Him start cleaning out all the unproductive thought processes we’ve learned from the world and replacing them with more successful ways of thinking.
We learn right-believing according to His Word by studying and meditating on it, and asking the Holy Spirit to help us properly apply it to whatever situation we’re facing. This is far better than trying to figure everything out ourselves. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of grace, and the helper Jesus promised to send us. He teaches us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and not to lean on our own understanding; acknowledging Him in all our ways allows Him to direct our paths in the process of our transformation.
There’s no need to struggle alone. We can’t possibly stay the same when we trust God to change us. Relying on Him always gives us amazing results.
Prayer:
Father God, You gave us the Holy Spirit as a guide to help us change for the better. Positive transformation is only possible with His assistance. We’re grateful for this. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures:
2 Timothy 2:15
Romans 12:2
Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV
John 15:26, NKJV
John 16:7, NKJV
Proverbs 3:5, 6
For more on how God changes us, click on the link to find the minibook, Grace for Transformation, in our eStore.
In John
10:10 Jesus is quoted as saying, "... I am come that they might have
life and that they might [live] it more abundantly." Many ministers and
lay members of the church are afraid to acknowledge this scripture
because they feel that it casts a less than favorable light upon
themselves and members of their church if they are not all living as
abundantly a Jesus professed they ought to live. (Continued below..........)
Pastor Mark Driscoll Discusses Covid, Fear and Faith | Ash Wednesday
What are your religious beliefs? And how do those views influence your take on politics or dealing with things like the COVID pandemic?
(.........Continued.........)The first approach to denigrating the belief in abundance is to
suggest that God was not referring to financial well-being, a fine
education, quality trade skills, good health, fine relationships and all
other things that normal humans would associate with an abundant,
quality life. But, in Matthew 7:9-11, God counters that line of thinking
with, "... what man is there of you, whom if his son asks [for] bread,
will he give him a stone? Or if he asks [for] a fish, will he give him a
serpent? If [Man], being evil, knows how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give good things to
them [who] ask Him?" This reminds us that even a lowly good man (or
woman), given the means, would do as well as s/he is able for loved
family, and God is infinitely more loving, able and willing. God was
already identified in Ephesian 3:20 as He who "is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power
that works in us". That power (dynamis, G1411, Strong's concordance)
referred to here is ability of the Redeemed to apply God's power (of His
Faith via His Word) to do mighty works, exhibit astonishing feats of
strength, perform miracles, display uncommon virtue, behave with uncanny
morality and demonstrate incomparable mental skill and emotional
sensitivity. We are also empowered to gain uncommon social influence,
power, wealth, and resources with or without armies.
To be even more emphatic about the fullness of the abundance of life
that the Redeemed should live, preceding post-resurrection ascension to
Heaven, Jesus spoke to a couple disciples as recorded in John 12: 12-14,
saying "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he
do; because I go unto my Father. And, whatsoever ye shall ask in My
Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye
shall ask any thing in My Name, I will do it."
The above-described messages are very clear to me. If any Believer
attempts to tell you otherwise, let them consider acquiring a much
stronger dose of belief. Christians are to live abundantly, in fact,
more abundantly.
We have both formal training and many years of experience engaging in writing on topics of Christian content.
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Head Boys' Lacrosse Coach at Lawrenceville School, N.J
Allen Fitzpatrick is the longtime head boys' lacrosse coach at the Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, N.J., where in 2008 his team won its seventh consecutive state Prep ‘A’ championship. Fitzpatrick holds the single season assist record at Middlebury College (50) and was second in Division II scoring his senior year (1978) with 84 points.
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