Day 13

THE CHURCHES

Nostradamus: A Worldly Prophet?

Who knows if Nostradamus was really a prophet? Who’s to say he wasn’t? Nostradamus was born over 400 years ago. What comes to mind for me is that it was a little over 400 years from the time when God told Abraham that his descendants would become a nation in the land of the Canaanites, to Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Keeping with that 400-year pattern is about the time between the minor prophets of the Old Testament and the New Testament. Mainstream Judaism had a different interpretation of the Word at the time of Christ and they still do. That’s why the Christian message is not part of their worship. Maybe that’s the way mainstream Christianity is today toward the prophecies of Nostradamus. After all, Nostradamus also predicts a millennium of peace after Armageddon.

Although Nostradamus fits the 400-year pattern in some ways, I see that the interpretations of his prophecies lean more in the eyes of the world than in the eyes of the Christian. Martin Luther of the Protestant Reformation probably better fits the 400-year pattern for the Christian. Perhaps an even better fit to this 400 year pattern is the 1611 King James version of the Bible. I say this because according to the Mayan calendar, this world comes to the end of it's cycle in the year 2012.

The man whom Nostradamus says is the third Anti-Christ, I don’t see as The Anti-Christ. The Anti-Christ of the end-times in the Bible is not pictured in the same way as Nostradamus predicts. And it was commanded them (the Anti-Christ and his locust-like helpers) that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. (Revelation 9:4) And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. (Daniel 8:25)

The true Anti-Christ will be on his best behavior in order to deceive as many people as he can. He will appear holy and righteous and will have supernatural abilities. The one whom Nostradamus calls the Anti-Christ will be the fore-runner to the real Anti-Christ. His Anti-Christ will wreak havoc on the earth and will be the main instigator in the third world war. The people of earth will think that this war is Armageddon and it will be the Biblical Anti-Christ who comes to save the earth from total anarchy. He will heal the deadly wound of government: And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his (government’s) deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. (Revelation 13:3)

Trends Of Worship

Some people might think the same of me as the Pastor Arnold Murray of the Shepherd’s Chapel says, "A little bit of knowledge is pretty dangerous. Some people grab on to a piece of scripture and run with it." I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. (Jeremiah 23:21) One example of this is the religious group that allows themselves to be bitten by snakes. They will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all. (Mark 16:18) Because of this verse, they feel that they’re supposed to test their faith by subjecting themselves to the snake’s poisonous venom and drinking poison. The mind is mysteriously powerful and if you believe something strong enough, there’s no limit to the possibilities. Fortunately, this kind of religious practice is not dangerous to anyone outside of this religion. So in this case, live and let live and let God be the Judge.

Speaking of Pastor Arnold Murray of the Shepherd’s Chapel, in my opinion, many mainstream denominations look at him like children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and you have not danced; we have mourned to you, and you have not wept. (Luke 7:32) Pastor Arnold Murray broadcasts his TV services 24 hours a day by satellite and reads from the Word of God; verse by verse, chapter by chapter. He pastors a small Church in the Midwest and God has truly and abundantly blessed him and his work. He can be heard on radio, TV and the Internet. Sometimes at the end of a study, he will do a documentary of various places and artifacts supporting much of the information I’m writing about. The knowledge I have of Biblical truths would be small next to Pastor Murray.

White supremacy groups are among those that talk big and have such little knowledge that they’re dangerous. Not only are these hate groups ignorant, but they have yet to realize that actions speak louder than words. They tell everyone that they’re not a hate group, yet by their actions, they make themselves out to be liars. For whosoever exalts himself will be abased; and he that humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 14:11) Maybe in the millennium, Martin Luther King Jr. will reign with Christ as the king over these misinformed and led astray ignoramuses. I’m just kidding but who knows?

The reason I brought this group up in the first place is because some of them seem to know where the tribes of Israel are today. I don’t know if they know it or not but the swastika’s original meaning is symbolic of that race compelled to migrate westward over the millennias. The lines on the outside of the cross of the swastika represents the sun going around the revolving earth. It's cross symbolized where they originated; the garden of Eden and the four rivers that flowed out from it. It was also an early pre-Christian symbol anticipating the coming of the Messiah. This was also true for the Egyptian anch which was supposed to represent the key to eternal life. The ancient Egyptians knew by their mythology and understanding of the constellations, that the cross would be the key to eternal life. Today a lot of these ancient symbols are believed to be signs of hatred and of Satanic worship.

Supremacy groups talk about how they have to keep their race pure. If they can’t do it without causing hurt and pain to others then they should cut that nonsense off, just as if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into (the second death) eternal fire. (Matthew 18:8)

Nostradamus was right in saying that Hitler was an anti-Christ. Hitler was in the pattern of the Anti-Christ. He and his closest men had some understanding in many of the ideas presented in this book. To some, if I’m being misunderstood, it may even seem like I’m trying to revive some of Hitler’s ideals. Many of the Germans by Hitler’s time were descendants from the pagans of the Roman empire. In other words, the conquering spirit from ancient Rome was among the Germans in Hitler’s days.

It’s not the people (individuals) at fault, it’s the institutions. It’s the rules, rituals and traditions maintained by the influenced leaders of these organizations that are at fault. The people who are persuaded into these homes for the blind are victims of this world. After all, one of Satan’s dominions over the earth is the educational system. It’s this dominion of control that keeps the people of the world blind to the truth. They’re blind in part because they’re taught to believe in the educational system which they might have invested several thousands of dollars. Few who have paid so much for their education are willing to accept the idea that much of what they have learned may be totally wrong. The one who is at fault for causing all this confusion is the one who is called the Destroyer (a.k.a. Satan, meaning the Accuser).

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give to you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." (Matthew 4:8-10)

Satan rules this world and it has always been where the ruler or the victor writes the history. Rome plays a major part in our understanding of history and it was in Rome where the god Saturn had made his throne. Lucifer is the god of this age and had it 2000 years ago to tempt our Lord during the forty days in the wilderness before beginning His ministry. Until Jesus returns to take His place on the throne as King of kings, Satan still rules this world. The four dominions of Satan’s rule are politics, economics, education and religion. Satan’s no dummy either. He uses just a little bit of truth as bait on his hook of lies. Some people think that the devil cringes away from a cross like a vampire. In that situation, it wouldn’t be the cross that would save you. It would be the action of your faith in the Lord that would save you.

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. (2Corinthians 11:14-15)

Have you ever heard of a game where one person tells a story to another person and that person tells the story to another person who tells it to another and so on? By the time the story gets to about the twentieth person, it hardly sounds like the original story. With the Bible, we have pretty much the same words that were used 2000 years ago but because of things like tradition, the meat of the story gets lost. For example, look at the way America celebrates Easter. What do eggs and bunnies have to do with Easter? The word Easter came from the word Isthar. Isthar was another name in the worship of Baal, which was also a pagan fertility festival of orgies and other perverse activities. Things like the Easter bunny and Santa Claus are manifestations of spiritual wickedness. It’s the work of the evil spirits disguised as harmless and innocent, attempting to take the focus off of Jesus Christ and the profound importance of His Sacrifice, essential to everyone’s eternal happiness.

There was a time when one had to keep their Christian worship a secret and as I’ve shown, many sought refuge in Britain during this time. It wasn’t until the fourth century when people outside of the British Isles could openly and publicly display their Christian practices. When it became popular to be Christian, these new public churches were allowing all kinds of heretics inside their groups. After some time, the rituals of the heretics became the traditions of the churches. God is not happy that we have replaced His Passover with the heathen’s Isthar (Does your Bible have the word Easter in Acts 12:4?). It’s a shame that like the politicians don’t really want change, neither do we want to change tradition; whether it’s right or wrong.

A Way To Be

God will never give us more than we can handle. Every experience is a learning experience. When one is faced with a crisis or some kind of inconvenience, this is just a lesson and a test of faith. Rather than becoming worrisome or excitedly anxious, ask God what the lesson is that He’s trying to teach. We’re all in the same world and we all go through pretty much the same types of experiences. Some people however are more able to deal with their situations. They don’t let it affect them to the point where everyone around them becomes miserable or uncomfortable. With every circumstance, especially the difficult ones, we should always be trusting in the Lord; knowing that He knows what’s best for His children.

Life has many hurdles and as long as we keep running and jumping we’ll continue to grow mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It’s when we get to that hurdle that seems impossible to jump; anxiety creeps in and our growth is halted. When this happens to me, I think of C-P-R: Confidence, Positive thinking and Responsibility. Be confident because the Lord will not give us more than we can handle. Be positive always because any negative thinking only makes overcoming the situation more difficult and brings down those around us. Most of all, be responsible because just being confident and positive doesn’t get anything done. Responsibility requires action. Do what’s right for everyone involved; not just self. At the same time you have to be responsible to yourself with regard to those who might depend on you. Basically, don’t worry about anything. The Lord is in control and the Lord provides. If you just meet Him half way (do what’s right), He will take care of your needs.

We are all like drops of water in a great ocean and God is that Great Ocean. When everything is perfect or without sin, the water is perfectly calm; like a smooth sheet of glass. When we sin, we make a ripple and the circle of that ripple of sin grows larger and larger as it spreads out on the water affecting in some way or another, everyone it touches. We have to learn to stop the ripples of negativity (sin) as they reach us and not to pass them on to others.

Another way to look at it is to imagine yourself stuck in an elevator packed full of people. Everyone is in the same situation but everyone has a different way of dealing with it. If you’re with a friend or an acquaintance it’s a little easier to handle than if you were with total strangers. When one person in the elevator becomes very vocal and very negative, little by little the others become irritated and begin to lose their patience and their tempers. Soon everyone is in a nightmare of an experience. There’s barely enough room to breathe let alone move and now there’s elbows jabbing, pushing and heads knocking. This is how one person’s sin can affect everyone around them. It’s like a snowball rolling down a hill getting bigger and bigger as it rolls faster and faster destroying everything in its path until finally it crashes and breaks. If there was one person in that elevator who had enough love of the Lord in their heart to calm that one person, then that whole scene would have turned out differently. Everyone in that elevator would have bonded like loving siblings.

There’s nothing we can do to get to heaven. Jesus did it all for us. All we can do is believe. Believe who Jesus is, have faith in His Word and accept God’s gift of grace. These are things we do with the Spirit within us. The evidence of our belief, faith and acceptance of God’s grace will show by how we conduct our lives; not because we have to force ourselves to do good, but that our desires have changed. If one claims to be a Christian and their desires and lifestyle contradict Christian living, that person is only fooling their self. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26) The reward for maintaining a good Christian lifestyle does not come from people but comes from the Lord; first when He establishes His millennial kingdom and then on Judgment Day before we enter again into the eternities. For those whom the Lord loves and in turn love the Lord, Judgment Day will be Awards Day. Live to impress God, not men. God knows your heart better than you or anybody else. He made you, so He knows what makes you tick. To impress God, take all the love He has for you and give it to everybody else.

Also, because God knows your heart, He knows what His Son really means to you personally. As long as one holds on to the promise of salvation, meaning to never stop trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, one will never lose their salvation. What you know in your heart nobody can take from you; no matter what your religion might tell you. I guess in some respects, one could say that there are different levels for individuals in heaven. The ones who barely make it will be naked in their shame, while the ones who lived for Christ will be clothed in royal garments of righteousness. The clothing we wear in heaven are the righteous deeds of our physical lives on earth. With this thought, I can imagine that there’s going be a lot of naked people in heaven. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (Revelation 19:8)

Sin is sin and yet there are different types of sin. The sin we commit in this world, we pay for in this world, unless that sin is toward the Holy Spirit. In that case, the soul would pay with its life. One kind of sin is sin to the body; your body. The sins you commit to your body, you pay to your body. For instance, if you fill your body full of alcohol and you get a hangover, the hangover is the punishment for the sin of filling your body with too much alcohol. If you’re standing in the rain and later you get sick, the sickness is your punishment for not taking care of yourself. Anything to the body in excess is a sin. If you eat too much and your weight causes you to have a heart-attack, that’s the punishment for your sin to your body. As far as the body of a Christian person goes, it’s not ‘your’ body; Christ paid for it.

There’s also the sin toward others or sinning against your brother. If you drink too much, get too wild, punch someone and get knocked out in return, that’s your punishment for sinning against him and your body. If you play mind games with people then become a victim of mind games, that’s your punishment. But the punishment doesn’t have to come back to you in the same kind of sin you commit. If you steal and go to jail, that’s your punishment for your sin. If you think you’ve gotten away with something, it’ll catch up to you when you least expect it. If you go your whole life thinking you’ve gotten away with something, maybe God is saving that sin to deal with you personally. Sin is motivated by pride, selfishness and greed.

He showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

It seems like a majority of people today hardly give it a second thought when it comes to the sins that satisfy the desires of the flesh. Yes, we are all guilty of giving in to the desires of the flesh at one time or another and it’s nothing anyone should be proud to admit. What makes it an abomination in the eyes of God is when we parade that sin on the streets and on TV. Yes, of course we can always change the channel, but what about the times when it’s in front of our homes? Are we suppose to stay inside that day? Should we tell our children that they’re not allowed to look out the windows for a day? Don’t be silly. We should teach our children to know the Lord God and what His Word has to say about the world we live in. Then when they’re old enough to know better, let them have the freedom to decide which path in life they want to take. This is the same kind of freedom the Lord has given each of us and who are we to assume more control than God? As I mentioned at the beginning of this section, one sin is no greater or less than another and that if someone is guilty of breaking one, they’re guilty of breaking them all.

All of us sin but not all of us think of it as sin. For instance, I don’t think too many people regard it as a sin to cross-dress. The woman shall not wear that which pertains unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. (Deuteronomy 22:5) This doesn’t mean that women aren’t supposed to wear pants and men aren’t supposed to wear skirts. What a person wears depends largely on that person’s culture. What the Lord means by this in His Word, is that women aren’t supposed to try and look like men and men aren’t supposed to try and look like women. In other words, cross-dressing is the term for which this verse can apply and states that in doing so is an abomination to God. On a deeper level, it has to do with homosexuality. A woman shouldn't pretend to be a man for another woman and likewise, a man musn't be a woman for another man.

Also, just because this is in the Old Testament doesn’t mean that it’s no longer considered an abomination. The New Testament is a continuation of the Old Testament and completes the whole Word of God. Those things that the priest did for the sins of Israel are basically the things that are done away with by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus. Jesus is our High Priest and Mediator between us and the Father. As Jesus gave His last breath on the cross, the curtain which shrouded the Holy of Holies in the temple was torn in two from the ceiling down to the floor. This was God telling the priests and us that He doesn’t need anymore sacrifices from the priests for our sins. Jesus has paid the price forever more. From then on God is saying that He’d rather us live as sacrifices than just give something for every sin we commit or think that we can do something to compensate for our sins.

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. (Leviticus 18:22) If a man also lie with mankind, as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. (Leviticus 20:13) Remember back in the 1960s watching television and the controversy over showing the belly-button in the series of I Dream of Jeanie? A lot of people might think that we’ve come a long way since then, but just look how far we’ve come since the days of ancient Israel. Back then, homosexuality was a reason for the death penalty. Do you think that God has changed His mind in this matter? God is not like some churches that change their standards to accommodate more members in their congregation in order to keep up their finances.

We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners. It’s our nature to sin. When we sin, we are only satisfying our natural desire to sin. There’s a wrong way to live and there’s a right way. There’s an evil way and there’s a righteous way. We have a choice of which path to take; bad or good, left or right. We can either take that path called flesh, which temporarily satisfies our physical existence and is easiest to walk (probably because it’s the shortest path to nowhere) or we can take the path called spirit and work to inherit a great reward beyond anyone’s comprehension. Most importantly, it will last forever in an eternal paradise. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16) For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:8)

What a person does in their private life is between that person and God. God knows the heart of everyone; whether they believe in Him or not. To anyone else, it’s none of their business. That is until it’s paraded about in the streets and in the media. I believe the Armed Forces of the United States of America is a Christian institution where many, including myself, find or have found God. The policy of the U.S. military pertaining to homosexuals has the right idea with the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell policy.’ This is the way it should to be for the whole country. Not only does nobody care who’s gay, nobody wants to know. In other words, homosexuals should keep their homosexual lifestyle in the closet. God says it’s an abomination, it’s detestable, it’s a perversion and it’s unnatural. It’s not the way He made us to be. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (Romans 1:26-27) In other words, they’ll get what they deserve from their perverse actions.

For what cause did God give them up unto vile affections? Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 1:22-25)

God’s wrath is coming whether we’re righteous or evil. The difference is that His wrath will passover the righteous and destroy the wicked. Sodom and Gomorrah were cities predominately inhabited by homosexuals and as it was in those days, so will it be when the Lord returns. What’s interesting is that some theologians say that these cities were built on land full of sulfur and to destroy it, God caused an earthquake which ignited the cities like the strike of a match. This type of pattern would be that the wicked build on volatile land so that they’re naturally destroyed. Today the gay capital in the U.S. is San Francisco, which practically sits on the famous San Andreas fault-line.

One of the many topics big in the news is same sex marriages. (With this idea, I have to keep reminding myself that God is in control. Everything that is done, is only done because God allows it to be done. If it’s not in His plan, it ain’t going to happen.) God does not like homosexuality. He abhors it. When people start coming into the churches in the name of God to be joined in same sex marriages, or preach that it’s alright to be open about their homosexuality, these people are only adding to the fire burning inside God against His rebellious children.

God’s Word goes on to say: And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:28-32)

To overcome sin, you have to deny self and put God and others first. It’s not what I want, it’s what does God want? God wants you to love your enemies. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward will be great, and you will be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. (Luke 6:35)

Jesus set the example. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1) In the flesh, Jesus/God was the Servant of mankind. In the Spirit and soon on earth, Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. Likewise for us, while in the flesh, there should be nothing we desire other than serving the Lord, which means to serve others before ourselves. In other words, humble yourselves now while you breathe in this temporary world and the Lord will exalt you in heaven’s eternity.

If we are deserving of anything, the Lord will provide. If you think you deserve it (what-ever it may be) and you don’t have it or don’t see it coming your way soon and desire to have it, then it has taken your focus away from God. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house (the Kenites): open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. (Ezekiel 2:8) Eat what you’re given without complaining. Be content with the blessings God has given you without wanting to be someone you’re not and having something you don’t or can’t have. If you deserve it or need it, the Lord will provide it for you. Trust Him, don’t worry about anything you have no control over and focus on what God wants and not what you want.

Anytime you’re not being compassionate, kind, considerate, sensitive, caring, honest and patient with one another, you’re most likely sinning against them. If you’re being self-righteous you’re not being considerate. Self-righteousness is when a person thinks that they know what’s best for another person. Parents know what’s best for their children but that doesn’t mean they know what’s best for the neighbor’s children. Live and let live and let God be the Judge. Accept one another where they are. Accept them the way the Lord accepts you.

God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) He didn’t wait for us to become holy people. When we accept Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, His blood covers our sins, making us holy people. The sin is still there but it’s covered by the blood of the Son so that the Father does not see it. This is the only way we can approach the Father in prayers of praise and worship. As long as we are in this material world, we are not without sin. All the more reason we should be trying to be imitators of Christ; which is the meaning of Christianity.

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (1Thessalonians 4:11)

Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin. (James 4:17 )

The above is an illustration of James 4:17.

The midway point in the bars is where we are when we’re acting responsibly.

Bar A - Someone who knows to do good and does not do it.

These people do not always act responsibly. For the amount that they are not responsible is the amount of pain, suffering, hardship and stress they may receive as a consequence. For these people, it’s like paddling a boat against the current.

Bar B - Someone who knows to do good and does it

These people act responsibly. They do what they should and not too many bad things come their way. When testings and trials do arise, they might worry sometimes but usually they handle them with what I call C-P-R (have Confidence, be Positive and act Responsible).

Bar C - Someone who knows to do good and does it and more.

These people are like those of Box B but they go the extra mile; put in the extra effort. The amount that they go over the half way line is the amount of blessings they may receive in this life.

Basically what I’m trying to say is that what comes around goes around; you reap what you sow. If bad things are happening all the time in your life, you’re not being honest with yourself. Maybe you’re too proud to accept the truth about yourself. In your eyes you may think of yourself as a good person but do you really think other people see you as a good person? Even if you think they do, that’s not the answer. Do you think God sees you as a good person? If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll find the answer to that one is No. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one. (Romans 3:10-12)

Are you a positive person? You’re not if you say all the bad things happen to you. Do you encourage others? Do you lend a hand when asked for help without grumbling or complaining? Do you hold your weight in this world or do you have to depend on others? Healthy adults should not be dependent on anyone. In your own eyes you may think you’re doing enough as far as your responsibilities are concerned but are you doing it to the best of your potential; with the right attitude? Are you taking pride in what you do and doing it with a positive attitude? These are questions to direct and reflect on ‘self;’ to gauge the progress of a lifestyle desiring to imitate Christ, not to judge others. God is in control and the trials in your life are going to come whether your positive or not, happy or depressed. He will take care of your needs if you meet Him half way.

If you read this and it reminds you of anyone other than yourself, you’re too proud. In pointing the finger, even in your mind, to another person, you will have judged that person. Judging is God’s job. Even if you do know someone who is very irresponsible and immature, don’t tell anyone. In silence there is wisdom and the wisdom you will find is that by being silent you will not show yourself to be a hypocrite. I am far from perfect myself. Anyone who examines my life for faults may find many. I know they’re there and God knows they’re there. We are all human and we all make the same mistakes only in different ways. This is just one reason why we shouldn’t judge one another. When a person points out someone’s faults, that person is really pointing to self. The way we judge others is the same way the Lord will judge us. Judge not and you will not be judged. If this doesn’t sound right to you, you have more than likely misunderstood. If this is you, my answer is use your common sense, trust in the Lord first, then the goodness in your heart.

Adam and Eve didn’t accept the responsibility for their actions. Adam pointed to Eve and Eve pointed to the serpent. Nobody is responsible for your actions or your happiness other than you. If you’re not happy, no one can really make you happy if you don’t want to be. Only you can make yourself happy. If you let someone take your happiness from you then you have given the control of your happiness to that person. Be honest; be responsible. C-P-R! Happy people have happy thoughts. If you want your life to change to the better, change your thoughts to the better. For as he thinks in his heart, so is he... (Proverbs 23:7)

Family & Money

Responsibility plays a major part in our spirituality. The reason why the world seems to be falling apart for many is because many are not being responsible. People are too proud to admit the errors of their ways and if they do admit their errors, are they willing to correct them? This is where we get the idea of practicing our faith. Some people are so brainwashed by the world they don’t even realize their total lack of responsibility. For example, government is messed up because families are messed up. Families are messed up because individual family members are not being responsible. The latter is true because the authority figure of the family has not accepted the responsibility of his accountable leadership. Maybe he’s abusing his authority. (If so, maintain the C-P-R, concentrate on your relationship with the Lord by continually walking in the Spirit of love. The Lord will guide you to a resolution.)

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (1Corinthians 11:3)

I’m trying to think of a way to sugar-coat this subject in my mind so that I don’t offend anyone but I see no way around it. (If you are offended, maybe it’s the Lord giving you the conviction in your heart to change. Taking offense may be a sign that you’re not presently willing to accept the truth about yourself. You see yourself as good enough.)

Ultimately, half the world will believe the lies of the Anti-Christ. Take that pattern of halves in smaller and smaller groups until finally, only two people are left. Half of this couple is male and naturally the other half is female. This is just a pattern and doesn’t mean that all the women of the world will fall prey to the Anti-Christ. What is does mean is that women are vulnerable to spiritual influences on the negative side.

This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, But every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. (1Corinthians 11:5-9) Women are supposed to keep the men as their cover. Women are covered when they allow the men (their husbands) to lead them, not dominate them.

Is God a sexist? Are men and women really created equally? Is this where you draw the line in what you want to believe in God’s Word? Aside from living a life without knowing Jesus personally, this is what I believe to be one of the largest problems of these last days. Many people will not accept their God-given roles in this world. For them, the grass is always greener on the other side.

The big motivator in the decline of family values is money, which is just a symptom of ‘wanting.’ More marriages are broken up because both are ‘wanting’ and one isn’t willing to give, or perhaps one is always ‘wanting’ and the other is too tired to give anymore. With possessions, it seems like everybody wants to have the best of the latest thing on the market. People want the nicest home in the best neighborhood. (There’s nothing wrong with this if their priorities are in order - God’s Way first.) They want the newest, most stylish car, the fastest and most versatile computer. Gimme, gimme, gimme, I want this, I want that, oooh I gotta have one of those. Honey why don’t we have what the Jones’ have? This life is not for the purpose of taking all that you can get. It’s just the opposite. Give as much as you can give, not necessarily money or possessions but of yourself. The more you give in this life, the more you’ll have in the next life. Of course it works the opposite way too; the more you take in this life, the less you’ll have in the next. The problem is people ‘want’ more than they deserve. They’d rather find ways to acquire more money to buy more meaningless things of vanity than having enough concern for their eternity to learn the will of God and in doing so, discover the infinite wealth awaiting those who serve the Lord.

They want more. Maybe they just want a bigger house. Mom feels as though she has got to get a job. Whether it’s because the family wants more and better or that they’re just trying to maintain what they have, Mom going to work is not the answer. If she were anyone other than Mom it would be alright if she wanted to go outside of the house to work. If money is the reason for Mom going to work, then the living standard needs to be examined. It’s probably about time to separate the wants and needs. Maybe if the cable TV service was dropped and the energy usage budgeted to a conservative level perhaps there would be enough to get by. Maybe their whole life-style needs to be reorganized, from the absolute necessities (food, shelter and clothing) to the spoils that make their lives comfortable. If everyone would stop trying to keep up with the Jones’ in the world and start focusing on keeping in the will of God, society would not have gotten to the point where it seems necessary for both parents to work. The mother’s place is with the children and leaving them in the care of others does not come without consequence. The mother needs to have the freedom to make herself available to the children whenever they call on her. This is her primary responsibility as a mother.

In the family, the father is the head of the house. His responsibility in life is to provide for the needs of his family, just as the heavens or God the Father provides for Mother earth. The father gets his strength, strategy and blessings from his obedience to the Lord. He should trust in the Lord and have the faith to know that the Lord will provide everything he needs to provide for his family. Although a proud man might say that it’s his sweat that pays the bills, it’s really the Lord who opens the doors of opportunity. I’ve already mentioned the responsibility of the mother. She has to trust in her husband the same way he has to trust in the Lord. Yet she too has to trust in the Lord and may speak (pray) to the Lord about her concerns with her husband.

To their children, the parents are the representatives of God. In the way parents treat their children is the way the children begin to understand God. It’s the parents responsibility for giving their children a healthy picture of God. When a child hears their parents refer to God as their heavenly Father and then sees the parent’s inconsistencies, this paints a poor and confusing picture of God to the child. The child may grow believing God is just like their parents.

The problems come when the parents become lacking in their responsibilities. The father does his own thing and neglects the mother. The mother does her own thing and neglects the children and the children, without discipline and guidance are free to do as they please. The father stops trusting in God and the mother stops trusting in her husband and the children grow up confused. In several instances the children are forced into traumatic situations and the parents, if they’re not the ones inflicting the trauma, demand some kind of justice. As a result, further control of our lives is given to the government as they establish more regulations in an effort to prevent these types of situations from happening again. The government then increases the taxes of the people to compensate for another public concern. Basically it’s whatever responsibilities the parents don’t want that they pass on to the government or to the school system. In turn, the government takes more of our God-given freedoms away from us as they create more bureaucracy and write themselves bigger paychecks with our money. This perpetuates the chaotic circle again more intensely. Government becomes more than Big Brother, it becomes the Anti-Daddy (anti means instead of, or in the place of, or sometimes it means against). This is all because the parents would rather leave the responsibility in the government’s hands while they go out to earn some extra money to buy some big fancy meaningless toys to play with.

The leaders of the people’s government is like the man of the house, in that they too are suppose to allow the Lord to guide them in making their decisions.

There’s two ways to live. One way is with your focus on the things of this world and the other is with your focus on the things that are eternal. I believe this is the deeper meaning of the Prodigal Son parable taught by Jesus. It’s like there’s basically three phases of our eternal spiritual growth: our pre-existence, our present earthly existence and our future perfect existence. In our prior existence, the vast majority of us struck out and sided with the wrong ideals. These ideals were corrupt and if left unattended would have destroyed the reality our spirits were created to reside in. God then intervened to teach us a valuable lesson about the eternities. God’s children on both sides of the conflict are born innocent again with a clean slate. Some of God’s children at some point during their earthly existence touch upon the potential of positive thinking. This is part of that inheritance given to the prodigal son.

With this inheritance of positive thinking, many things are possible, including the prosperity of wealth and worldly possessions. However, none of these things of the world can be taken home to our true reality. Therefore, we have to come to the realization that we are really poor and naked; just as the day we were born. From our material wealth to our social status; whether we work on an assembly line or preside as king of a nation, we all leave just as naked as the day we arrived. Upon leaving this world, just as the prodigal son realized how good he had it with his dad, we have to let go of the things of this world, humble ourselves before our Father, admit to the errors of our selfish, vain ambitions and dedicate our existence from then on toward doing the will of our Father. If we humble ourselves before leaving this world, we can be confident of the Lord’s mercy on us afterward.

The spirit controls the mind and the mind controls the body. To be controlled by the body would be to constantly give in to the desires of the flesh. To be controlled by the mind is believing one has more control than they actually have. It would be like living in denial. It’s motivated by pride in self with its vain knowledge and accomplishments in the things of this temporary world.

[ Top ][ Home ][Previous ][ Next ]