Hello Guys and Gals!
I got into a very fun debate the other day with one of my favorite friends in the whole world! I made this statement on FaceBook:
"If you are NOT an American Citizen, then the rights of U.S. Citizens, guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America, are NOT your rights! If you do want to become a Citizen of the U.S.A., then go through the proper legal means to attain that Citizenship, and then those very rights will be a right guaranteed to you as well!"
This friend of mine quickly pointed out a very good passage of scripture to me. Leviticus 19:33-34:
33 ‘When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.
34 ‘The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.
My friend convinced me through more debate that my statement was too general in the way I first stated it!
Over the next couple of days I could not get this debate out of my head. So I asked myself why. I started thinking about both sides of the issue.
I do fully agree with my friend that we should not do strangers who reside with us any wrong! And anyone who comes to the USA with the true intent of becoming as one who is native to the USA, abiding by our laws, our beliefs, and our constitution, then yes, they should be accorded all the rights with their good intent that a US Citizen would have!
But someone might say that everyone should have those rights no matter what. Well let us take a good look at exactly what that statement is saying.
First of all what constitutes a citizen?
A Natural Born Citizen can be defined as:
Currently, Title 8 of the U.S. Code fills in the gaps left by the Constitution. Section 1401 defines the following as people who are "citizens of the United States at birth:"
Anyone born inside the United States *
Any Indian or Eskimo born in the United States, provided being a citizen of the U.S. does not impair the person's status as a citizen of the tribe
Any one born outside the United States, both of whose parents are citizens of the U.S., as long as one parent has lived in the U.S.
Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year and the other parent is a U.S. national
Any one born in a U.S. possession, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year
Any one found in the U.S. under the age of five, whose parentage cannot be determined, as long as proof of non-citizenship is not provided by age 21
Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is an alien and as long as the other parent is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time)
A final, historical condition: a person born before 5/24/1934 of an alien father and a U.S. citizen mother who has lived in the U.S.
This information was found here: http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_citi.html
A Naturalized Citizen, on the other hand, has certain requirements that need to be met in order for that person to become a Naturalized Citizen. These requirements are:
Foreign nationals who wish to become citizens of the United States may do so through the naturalization process. Citizenship confers many advantages -- the right to vote, protection from the government, access to certain jobs and benefits, and the option to hold public office. All naturalization applicants must meet a number of filing requirements, described below.
Age
An applicant for naturalization must be at least eighteen years old.
Residency
An applicant must be a legal permanent resident in the U.S. The applicant must have an I-551 (Alien Registration Card) to proceed.
Residence and Physical Presence
Just before applying, a naturalization applicant must have been physically present in the U.S. for at least 30 months out of the previous five years. However, if the applicant was absent for more than six months but less than one year, the applicant may still be eligible if he or she can show that the absence was not an abandonment of resident status.
Good Moral Character
A naturalization applicant must show good moral character during the five-year period prior to application (three years if married to a U.S. citizen or one year for certain military exceptions). Murder convictions are a permanent obstacle to naturalization, as are aggravated felony convictions on or after November 29, 1990.
Certain criminal convictions in the five years prior to the application will bar naturalization, but even if the applicant fears that a conviction will ruin his or her application, all convictions must still be disclosed. It is far worse to have U.S. immigration authorities discover a falsehood than to disclose the issue.
Attachment to the Constitution
An application for naturalization must declare the applicant's willingness to support and defend the U.S. and the Constitution. An applicant declares his or her "attachment" to the U.S. and the Constitution at the time he or she takes the oath of allegiance.
Language
Applicants must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English words in ordinary use. Some applicants may be exempt because of age or mental condition.
U.S. Government and History Knowledge
An applicant for naturalization must demonstrate knowledge of the fundamentals of U.S. history and certain principles of U.S. government. Applicants are exempt if they have a medically recognizable physical or mental impairment that affects their ability to learn or understand these topics.
Oath of Allegiance
U.S. citizenship is conferred after the oath of allegiance is taken. A modified oath may be available in certain instances, such as religious opposition to oaths.
Legal Help with the Naturalization Process
Successfully naturalizing in the United States requires a thorough understanding of the steps involved, and careful preparation at each stage. If you or a loved one are considering becoming a U.S. citizen through naturalization, you should contact an experienced immigration attorney who can guide you through each step of the process and protect your legal rights
This information can be found here: http://immigration.findlaw.com/immigration/immigration-citizenship-naturalization/immigration-citizenship-naturalization-requirements.html?DCMP=KNC-Immigration-Law&HBX_PK=united+states+citizenship+requirements&HBX_OU=50
I want to focus specifically upon the Naturalized Citizenship because I believe that many things should be of particular note here!
1. The right of Protection from the Government only comes with Citizenship!
2. An applicant for Citizenship must be of Good Moral Character!
3. An applicant must declare their willingness to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America!
4. Applicants must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English words in ordinary use!
5. Citizenship is not granted until the applicant takes an Oath of Allegiance!
So the Right of Protection from the Government and the application of the Bill of Rights guaranteed to a Citizen of the United States of America under the Constitution of the United States of America is only given and guaranteed to actual Citizens of the United States of America! Therefore all rights such as a speedy trial, a court appointed attorney, humane treatment and everything else that the Constitution grants to their Citizens are only guaranteed to Citizens!
But we still extend and grant these rights to Non Citizens! Why? Because we are a Nation who believes in the Golden Rule where we treat others the same way we wish we would be treated!
So with all this, let's take another look at my statement above as well as my friend's passage of scripture.
My statement clearly states the case I have laid out for you as to who is considered a Citizen of the United States of America and that the Constitutional Guaranteed Rights of the USA are only guaranteed for Citizens of the USA as defined above!
But what about being strangers among us? This passage clearly indicates that we should treat those who live among us as a native citizen. Yet let us not confuse the fact that the US Constitution does not govern it's people by Holy Scripture but by the Constitution. So even if we are Christians and we believe the Holy Scripture, we should also follow the law of the land and that which defines the Law as is stated by Paul here in Romans 13:1-6:
1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
I believe that it all hinges upon the foreigner who lives among us part of the passage. Let's look at the intent of someone from a foreign land who would choose to live among another people. They would be living among another people because they see something in the way that those people live which they value and want part of! What could this be? I believe that it is the freedoms and rights that every Citizen of the USA has that you will find in no other country on the face of this planet!
I believe that there are those who come to the US in order to commit crimes and terrorism against it's citizens and do not have Good Moral Character or Intent to live among us and abide by our laws! I believe fully and completely that each and every one of these subversive persons who come to the US with evil intent should not be given any rights whatsoever as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America and that the authorities should use any and every means at their disposal to stop them from committing evil acts upon the Citizens of the USA!
But what about torture you may ask. I fully believe that those who use Enhanced Interrogation Techniques in our government do so with full knowledge that those they use them upon have evil intentions for the US Citizens and should have full clearance to do whatever it takes to protect it's people!
But just so we are clear, Enhanced Interrogation Techniques is NOT Torture! Anyone who wants to know the true difference between the two simply needs to talk to any person who was a Prisoner of War to a foreign country where they do use Torture to get information out of the PoW! Just talk to them and then compare what they say to Enhanced Interrogation Techniques as shown by any of a number of articles or news stories easily looked up on a web search!
The simple truth is that the US Government treats their prisoners better than any other government in the world! Not only that, but they also graciously grant rights, guaranteed only to Citizens of the US, to many who are not Citizens and have evil intent to do harm upon US Citizens!
So everyone out there who is says that we should be guaranteeing the Rights of a US Citizen to even non citizens, I say that you are wrong! The reason why is because if the roles were reversed, I can guarantee you that your rights would be the first thing to go under their authority!
In the end, it does not matter whether rights are given or rights are taken! What matters is that God will ultimately dispense true justice upon all evil doers and give forgiveness to all who accept His Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, as their Lord and Savior! All hail King Jesus, Lion of Judah and my best friend!
May God bless you all this day!
16 March 2011
12 March 2011
Conditional vs. Unconditional Calvinism!
Hello Guys and Gals!
I know many of you are not aware of what a 5 point Calvinist is! Here is a brief description: TULIP!
1. Total Depravity (also known as Total Inability and Original Sin)
2. Unconditional Election
3. Limited Atonement (also known as Particular Atonement)
4. Irresistible Grace
5. Perseverance of the Saints (also known as Once Saved Always Saved)
These points and their definitions can be found here:
http://calvinistcorner.com/tulip
But I want to focus on the 2nd point here! I used to believe in something called Conditional Calvinist! I used to believe that I was one!
A Conditional Calvinist is one who believes that God, Who exists outside of time, looked into a Believer's future and saw that point at which he would accept Jesus Christ into his life! God then supports and guides that Believer to be able to reach the point of decision where he will make his Free Will choice to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior!
That is what I used to believe I was! I no longer believe that! I now believe fully and completely in the second point of Calvinism that my 'Election' to become a Believer is totally Unconditional and that even my Free Will choice was something given to me by God so that I even had the power to accept the Grace of God to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ!
Take a look at Ephesians 1:3-6!
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
It states that we were chosen by God before the foundations of the Earth existed so that we would be able to receive His gracious gift of Salvation which he freely gave to us through His Son, Jesus Christ! And He did all this simply for the 'good pleasure of His will.
"But that's not fair!" you might say. What does fair have to do with any of it? Have you never made something and destroyed it or thrown it away simply because you can do what you want with your creations?
Let's take a look at Romans 9:20-24!
20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it?
21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
This passage is a clear view of God's rights as the omnipotent Creator! He does have the right to make vessels to fill with His mercy as well as vessels to fill with His wrath and vessels for every other thing which He decides to pour into them! It is His right and His right alone to do this!
"But that means that we do not have Free Will!" you might say. I would argue that we do still have Free Will.
Take a look at John 3:18-20!
18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20 "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
In this passage of scripture it is evident that all Unbelievers are judged because of their unbelief in Jesus Christ and that they loved darkness rather than the Light!
Now take a look at Acts 18:9-10!
9 And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent;
10 for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city."
This passage shows that God had people in that city who have not yet come to Him and He was sending Paul to preach in that city so that they would come to Him!
Look at Ezekiel 33:11!
11 "Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’
This is where God declares to all wicked His desire for them to turn away from their evil ways so that He does not have to put them to death as He takes no pleasure in it!
Look at Romans 9:16!
16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
Again, we see here that it is solely on God's judgment with each and every one of us, believers and unbelievers alike, that He may have mercy on those who He chooses and judgment on those who He chooses!
In conclusion, I now believe fully and completely in Unconditional Election! Simply that God chose us believers to be elected into His grace for the simple reason of He simply chose us and not someone else!
All the good that comes out of me can only come out of me because God has poured it into me in the first place!
May God bless each and every one of you this day!
I know many of you are not aware of what a 5 point Calvinist is! Here is a brief description: TULIP!
1. Total Depravity (also known as Total Inability and Original Sin)
2. Unconditional Election
3. Limited Atonement (also known as Particular Atonement)
4. Irresistible Grace
5. Perseverance of the Saints (also known as Once Saved Always Saved)
These points and their definitions can be found here:
http://calvinistcorner.com/tulip
But I want to focus on the 2nd point here! I used to believe in something called Conditional Calvinist! I used to believe that I was one!
A Conditional Calvinist is one who believes that God, Who exists outside of time, looked into a Believer's future and saw that point at which he would accept Jesus Christ into his life! God then supports and guides that Believer to be able to reach the point of decision where he will make his Free Will choice to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior!
That is what I used to believe I was! I no longer believe that! I now believe fully and completely in the second point of Calvinism that my 'Election' to become a Believer is totally Unconditional and that even my Free Will choice was something given to me by God so that I even had the power to accept the Grace of God to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ!
Take a look at Ephesians 1:3-6!
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
It states that we were chosen by God before the foundations of the Earth existed so that we would be able to receive His gracious gift of Salvation which he freely gave to us through His Son, Jesus Christ! And He did all this simply for the 'good pleasure of His will.
"But that's not fair!" you might say. What does fair have to do with any of it? Have you never made something and destroyed it or thrown it away simply because you can do what you want with your creations?
Let's take a look at Romans 9:20-24!
20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it?
21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.
This passage is a clear view of God's rights as the omnipotent Creator! He does have the right to make vessels to fill with His mercy as well as vessels to fill with His wrath and vessels for every other thing which He decides to pour into them! It is His right and His right alone to do this!
"But that means that we do not have Free Will!" you might say. I would argue that we do still have Free Will.
Take a look at John 3:18-20!
18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20 "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
In this passage of scripture it is evident that all Unbelievers are judged because of their unbelief in Jesus Christ and that they loved darkness rather than the Light!
Now take a look at Acts 18:9-10!
9 And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent;
10 for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city."
This passage shows that God had people in that city who have not yet come to Him and He was sending Paul to preach in that city so that they would come to Him!
Look at Ezekiel 33:11!
11 "Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’
This is where God declares to all wicked His desire for them to turn away from their evil ways so that He does not have to put them to death as He takes no pleasure in it!
Look at Romans 9:16!
16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
Again, we see here that it is solely on God's judgment with each and every one of us, believers and unbelievers alike, that He may have mercy on those who He chooses and judgment on those who He chooses!
In conclusion, I now believe fully and completely in Unconditional Election! Simply that God chose us believers to be elected into His grace for the simple reason of He simply chose us and not someone else!
All the good that comes out of me can only come out of me because God has poured it into me in the first place!
May God bless each and every one of you this day!
05 March 2011
Straight To The Source!
Hello Guys and Gals!
This is going to be a tough one for me to write. The reason it is tough is because of a friend of mine who believes so strongly in something that I do not fully believe in. I don't want to hurt my friend's feelings or minimize his beliefs in any way. I don't want to minimize what he has gone through in his life. But that is not the same as what I have gone through in my life and where God has led me. One thing God has instilled within me is the Truth! When He shows me His Truth, I am humbled with the knowledge that He chose me to talk about it!
The topic for tonight is addiction! I am a Methamphetamine Addict! I have been for a very long time, over twenty years now. I am not using and have been clean for quite some time now. If you want to know how long, then just ask me!
My friend believes in an organization that I do not believe is right for me. It was right for him! He found a focal point in his life with them so that he could be free from his addiction to Meth. That focal point is the organization he went to in order to get the help he needed. I am very proud of my friend and I'm glad that he found his focal point in them. But that organization is not for me!
And yet, I'm clean! I am clean from using Meth and have not had any cravings for it since I did one very important thing. I prayed! I prayed to God and told Him that I had not the power to say no to my cravings and I had not the power to become clean and I had not the power to free myself of this addiction! I told God that if He wanted me out of this life, then it would have to be by His power that gets me free from it! I told Him I had not strength or will to do it on my own! Then I earnestly asked Him to lead me out of that life of lies, deceit, abuse, and immorality! So He did exactly that!
From the very instant that I prayed that very prayer, I have not had one single craving to do Meth again! It left me instantly! It left me completely! And there is no doubt in my mind, heart, or soul that it was Jesus who took those cravings from me and freed me from that horrible life of addiction!
John 8:34-36 states:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."
I was a slave to Meth! Meth was my Master! But Jesus walked into my sin and broke the shackles that bound me, my own cravings! I am free from those cravings! I am free from that sin! I am free from my former addiction! Yes, I said former! I said former because since Jesus made me free, I am no longer a slave to it and no longer an addict of it!
My friend told me that the 'church route' never works! If he reads this, I do not want him to feel like I am speaking out against him but only from my heart! He is my friend and I value him very much! But I also want him to know that the organization he went to for his help in becoming clean also prays before and after each meeting to God! So if that organization has any power or strength to combat addiction, then it comes from God and has no other source than that!
I am not taking the church route! I am taking the relationship with Jesus route! I believe it is the only true route in life that matters! I could care less about any church out there when it comes to the truth! If they speak the truth, I will support them in every way that I am able! But if I find that they are promoting even the littlest of lies, then I know they are not a true church of God and I will not support them!
I want my friend to know that all that he has done is wonderful in my eyes! I want him to also know that there are many paths to freedom from addiction. I believe that all those paths that truly free one from addiction have but one source, that of God Himself! So instead of going through a middle man, I went to the source and it is with Him that I place my life!
I am very blessed by the people whom God has brought into my life since that prayer! I value each and every one of them! My friend is also one of them.
So, to my friend, I ask that you read this in the spirit it was written and not as an attack against what you believe!
May God bless each and every one of you this evening!
This is going to be a tough one for me to write. The reason it is tough is because of a friend of mine who believes so strongly in something that I do not fully believe in. I don't want to hurt my friend's feelings or minimize his beliefs in any way. I don't want to minimize what he has gone through in his life. But that is not the same as what I have gone through in my life and where God has led me. One thing God has instilled within me is the Truth! When He shows me His Truth, I am humbled with the knowledge that He chose me to talk about it!
The topic for tonight is addiction! I am a Methamphetamine Addict! I have been for a very long time, over twenty years now. I am not using and have been clean for quite some time now. If you want to know how long, then just ask me!
My friend believes in an organization that I do not believe is right for me. It was right for him! He found a focal point in his life with them so that he could be free from his addiction to Meth. That focal point is the organization he went to in order to get the help he needed. I am very proud of my friend and I'm glad that he found his focal point in them. But that organization is not for me!
And yet, I'm clean! I am clean from using Meth and have not had any cravings for it since I did one very important thing. I prayed! I prayed to God and told Him that I had not the power to say no to my cravings and I had not the power to become clean and I had not the power to free myself of this addiction! I told God that if He wanted me out of this life, then it would have to be by His power that gets me free from it! I told Him I had not strength or will to do it on my own! Then I earnestly asked Him to lead me out of that life of lies, deceit, abuse, and immorality! So He did exactly that!
From the very instant that I prayed that very prayer, I have not had one single craving to do Meth again! It left me instantly! It left me completely! And there is no doubt in my mind, heart, or soul that it was Jesus who took those cravings from me and freed me from that horrible life of addiction!
John 8:34-36 states:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."
I was a slave to Meth! Meth was my Master! But Jesus walked into my sin and broke the shackles that bound me, my own cravings! I am free from those cravings! I am free from that sin! I am free from my former addiction! Yes, I said former! I said former because since Jesus made me free, I am no longer a slave to it and no longer an addict of it!
My friend told me that the 'church route' never works! If he reads this, I do not want him to feel like I am speaking out against him but only from my heart! He is my friend and I value him very much! But I also want him to know that the organization he went to for his help in becoming clean also prays before and after each meeting to God! So if that organization has any power or strength to combat addiction, then it comes from God and has no other source than that!
I am not taking the church route! I am taking the relationship with Jesus route! I believe it is the only true route in life that matters! I could care less about any church out there when it comes to the truth! If they speak the truth, I will support them in every way that I am able! But if I find that they are promoting even the littlest of lies, then I know they are not a true church of God and I will not support them!
I want my friend to know that all that he has done is wonderful in my eyes! I want him to also know that there are many paths to freedom from addiction. I believe that all those paths that truly free one from addiction have but one source, that of God Himself! So instead of going through a middle man, I went to the source and it is with Him that I place my life!
I am very blessed by the people whom God has brought into my life since that prayer! I value each and every one of them! My friend is also one of them.
So, to my friend, I ask that you read this in the spirit it was written and not as an attack against what you believe!
May God bless each and every one of you this evening!
23 February 2011
A Word Of Encouragement!
Hello Guys and Gals!
As you all know, I am looking to have Bariatric Surgery! I have an appointment this morning with my Dietician who is going to be letting me know if it will be scheduled soon or not. I am very nervous about it. I have been sick with a head cold the last month or so and I know that it affects my blood sugars and therefore my weight. Have I lost? Have I gained? Have I stayed the same? I will find out today.
Then a friend encouraged me this morning. He told me that he liked the positive impact I was having on those around me! To my friend who I will keep anonymous, thank you very much! I needed to hear that!
I was reminded of a verse. Matthew 16:24 which says:
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?'
Also 1 Timothy 4:7-8:
'discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."
I am reminded by my friend's word of encouragement that it doesn't matter so much that I lose this weight or not; what does matter is me doing God's will in my life! So whether I have this surgery or not, I will continue to use my tongue which is sharper than any two edged sword, to speak the truth as God has revealed it to me! Please note that I will always back up what I say with references to the passages or documents or evidence that has led me to believe what it is I am saying.
So thank you my friend for your word of encouragement this morning!
May God bless each and every one of you this day!
As you all know, I am looking to have Bariatric Surgery! I have an appointment this morning with my Dietician who is going to be letting me know if it will be scheduled soon or not. I am very nervous about it. I have been sick with a head cold the last month or so and I know that it affects my blood sugars and therefore my weight. Have I lost? Have I gained? Have I stayed the same? I will find out today.
Then a friend encouraged me this morning. He told me that he liked the positive impact I was having on those around me! To my friend who I will keep anonymous, thank you very much! I needed to hear that!
I was reminded of a verse. Matthew 16:24 which says:
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?'
Also 1 Timothy 4:7-8:
'discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."
I am reminded by my friend's word of encouragement that it doesn't matter so much that I lose this weight or not; what does matter is me doing God's will in my life! So whether I have this surgery or not, I will continue to use my tongue which is sharper than any two edged sword, to speak the truth as God has revealed it to me! Please note that I will always back up what I say with references to the passages or documents or evidence that has led me to believe what it is I am saying.
So thank you my friend for your word of encouragement this morning!
May God bless each and every one of you this day!
22 February 2011
So I Lied The Other Day!
Hello Guys and Gals!
I did something that I am profoundly against in my life. I lied!
Let me clarify. I was in a really good mood one night and someone asked me if I was irritated with him. I told him no. This was a lie. But I didn't mean to lie. I really was in a good mood and, at that time, I wasn't irritated with him. I was irritated with some things about him but I didn't really think when I simply responded that I wasn't. But I still lied!
Well, I didn't see him for a few days and the Lord and my conscience nagged at me again and again until I saw him again. So when I saw him again, I waited until we could talk privately and then I told him that I lied to him and also that it wasn't intentionally done but it was done never the less! I then apologized to him for doing so!
I proceeded to talk to him about the irritations that I did have with him and told him that I hope not to hurt his feelings about anything but I still felt the need to tell him anyway.
He was great! He listened patiently as I talked with him and told him the problems I was having. I asked him if he would work on them and he agreed.
I believe that I did the right thing in approaching him and speaking to him and asking his forgiveness for my lying to him. Whether I intended to do so or not, I still sinned against him. This was why I apologized to him.
Then I started to think about what I would do if I never had the chance to correct my mistake. What if I didn't know the person and would never see them again? Or what if something happened to someone which prevented me from being able to apologize? These are all very difficult questions for me!
Has any of you ever done something you regret and not been able to apologize for it? You know the feelings I'm talking about then. The guilt! The shame! The frustration! How do you make up for something that you can't make up for?
Hebrews 4:13 says:
'Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need.'
So you have backslid on God. So you have sinned against your fellow man. So there is no way to right the wrong with that fellow man. But you can right yourself with God! When you find that you have sinned against God or your fellow man, go boldly to His throne of grace and thank Him that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we may be reunited with God in a loving relationship that is guilt free of the sins we have committed! It doesn't matter how far down the path of sin you have gone or even what sins you have committed! What does matter is that when you turn away from your sins, Jesus is standing right there, right behind you, ready to lead you back to the true path that leads to a loving relationship with God the Father through the Son, Jesus Christ!
I turned from my sin and when I did so, Jesus was right there giving to me His grace that I could work with Him to restore my relationship with my friend and also with God! I can now rest in the knowledge that the grace of God has allowed me be guilt free of all the sins which I have committed, even though I may never see the persons I have sinned against again!
See, forgiveness is not for those whom you have wronged! It is for you who did the wrong in the first place! For a life full of guilt and shame is no good life to live and it will drag you down every time. But being free of that guilt and shame in your life is the true freedom that Jesus came to free us from!
Romans Chapter 6 says this better than I ever could in verses 14-23:
'For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.'
Isn't that one of the most beautiful passages of scripture ever? I do love it! We have been freed from sin! Thank you Lord Jesus for your sacrifice so that we may be restored to a loving relationship with God the Father and Yourself!
May God bless you all this night!
I did something that I am profoundly against in my life. I lied!
Let me clarify. I was in a really good mood one night and someone asked me if I was irritated with him. I told him no. This was a lie. But I didn't mean to lie. I really was in a good mood and, at that time, I wasn't irritated with him. I was irritated with some things about him but I didn't really think when I simply responded that I wasn't. But I still lied!
Well, I didn't see him for a few days and the Lord and my conscience nagged at me again and again until I saw him again. So when I saw him again, I waited until we could talk privately and then I told him that I lied to him and also that it wasn't intentionally done but it was done never the less! I then apologized to him for doing so!
I proceeded to talk to him about the irritations that I did have with him and told him that I hope not to hurt his feelings about anything but I still felt the need to tell him anyway.
He was great! He listened patiently as I talked with him and told him the problems I was having. I asked him if he would work on them and he agreed.
I believe that I did the right thing in approaching him and speaking to him and asking his forgiveness for my lying to him. Whether I intended to do so or not, I still sinned against him. This was why I apologized to him.
Then I started to think about what I would do if I never had the chance to correct my mistake. What if I didn't know the person and would never see them again? Or what if something happened to someone which prevented me from being able to apologize? These are all very difficult questions for me!
Has any of you ever done something you regret and not been able to apologize for it? You know the feelings I'm talking about then. The guilt! The shame! The frustration! How do you make up for something that you can't make up for?
Hebrews 4:13 says:
'Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need.'
So you have backslid on God. So you have sinned against your fellow man. So there is no way to right the wrong with that fellow man. But you can right yourself with God! When you find that you have sinned against God or your fellow man, go boldly to His throne of grace and thank Him that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we may be reunited with God in a loving relationship that is guilt free of the sins we have committed! It doesn't matter how far down the path of sin you have gone or even what sins you have committed! What does matter is that when you turn away from your sins, Jesus is standing right there, right behind you, ready to lead you back to the true path that leads to a loving relationship with God the Father through the Son, Jesus Christ!
I turned from my sin and when I did so, Jesus was right there giving to me His grace that I could work with Him to restore my relationship with my friend and also with God! I can now rest in the knowledge that the grace of God has allowed me be guilt free of all the sins which I have committed, even though I may never see the persons I have sinned against again!
See, forgiveness is not for those whom you have wronged! It is for you who did the wrong in the first place! For a life full of guilt and shame is no good life to live and it will drag you down every time. But being free of that guilt and shame in your life is the true freedom that Jesus came to free us from!
Romans Chapter 6 says this better than I ever could in verses 14-23:
'For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.'
Isn't that one of the most beautiful passages of scripture ever? I do love it! We have been freed from sin! Thank you Lord Jesus for your sacrifice so that we may be restored to a loving relationship with God the Father and Yourself!
May God bless you all this night!
13 February 2011
Let Us Reason Together!
Hello Guys and Gals!
Let us reason together today! What do I mean by that? I mean let us use reason and logic to communicate with each other in an open and honest way so that we can explore the beliefs that we have!
I have often posted in my blog or in other places and my posts are always backed up with links or notes on how to reference the same material which I used to support the argument that I have made! Now there are many times when someone will tell me that I am wrong to say what I say. They go on to tell me that what I have written in my blog is way off target. Okay, how and why?
These same people are always willing to say I'm wrong or off target but never expound upon the reason why I am wrong or off target, let alone back up what they are saying with any supporting evidence of what they talk about. This is an argument that comes purely from emotion. This comes from a person who has not explored the reasons why they believe what they believe. This comes from a person without any foundations to their beliefs!
When I say I want to reason with you, you can be assured that I will be truthful in what I believe and that I will tell you why I believe it as well as giving you a resource so that you can see where I developed that belief within me! I will be more than happy to listen to you and try to grasp what you are trying to tell me even if you do not agree with me. But I will never tell you that you are wrong about a belief you have without telling you why I believe you are wrong and showing you where to get the supporting evidence of my belief!
I guess what I am getting at here is this; if you are going to confront someone on what they have said, have the integrity to also tell them why you believe they are wrong and also know from where you get that belief and show that person whom you are confronting your reasons and foundations for why you are confronting them. If you can't do that, then you are like sounding brass! This means that you are all noise without any music!
Speak your mind! Absolutely! 100%! But do it with logic and reason and not just emotion! Don't get me wrong, emotion is important because it is like an alarm clock within us saying this is important to us when we feel it. But without logic and reason, that emotion is like a brass symbol being banged about without any harmony within us! So listen to your emotion, but also explore why you have that emotion and figure out for yourself why you believe what you believe in order for you to feel that emotion!
May God, my Lord and Savior, give you a special blessing today!
Let us reason together today! What do I mean by that? I mean let us use reason and logic to communicate with each other in an open and honest way so that we can explore the beliefs that we have!
I have often posted in my blog or in other places and my posts are always backed up with links or notes on how to reference the same material which I used to support the argument that I have made! Now there are many times when someone will tell me that I am wrong to say what I say. They go on to tell me that what I have written in my blog is way off target. Okay, how and why?
These same people are always willing to say I'm wrong or off target but never expound upon the reason why I am wrong or off target, let alone back up what they are saying with any supporting evidence of what they talk about. This is an argument that comes purely from emotion. This comes from a person who has not explored the reasons why they believe what they believe. This comes from a person without any foundations to their beliefs!
When I say I want to reason with you, you can be assured that I will be truthful in what I believe and that I will tell you why I believe it as well as giving you a resource so that you can see where I developed that belief within me! I will be more than happy to listen to you and try to grasp what you are trying to tell me even if you do not agree with me. But I will never tell you that you are wrong about a belief you have without telling you why I believe you are wrong and showing you where to get the supporting evidence of my belief!
I guess what I am getting at here is this; if you are going to confront someone on what they have said, have the integrity to also tell them why you believe they are wrong and also know from where you get that belief and show that person whom you are confronting your reasons and foundations for why you are confronting them. If you can't do that, then you are like sounding brass! This means that you are all noise without any music!
Speak your mind! Absolutely! 100%! But do it with logic and reason and not just emotion! Don't get me wrong, emotion is important because it is like an alarm clock within us saying this is important to us when we feel it. But without logic and reason, that emotion is like a brass symbol being banged about without any harmony within us! So listen to your emotion, but also explore why you have that emotion and figure out for yourself why you believe what you believe in order for you to feel that emotion!
May God, my Lord and Savior, give you a special blessing today!
10 February 2011
Two Competing Worldviews!
Hello Guys and Gals!
I keep hearing this phrase or quote being bandied around today, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend!’ This is worrisome to me. I hear that Islam is embracing this thought along with Communists and Athiests and all those who are against America and the ideas and beliefs which the US was founded upon!
It is actually an Arabian Proverb that is often compared to a Chinese Proverb which states, ‘It is good to strike at the serpent’s head with your enemy’s hand!’ Both of which take on this idea that it is good to form an alliance or friendship with someone just because they are the enemy of your enemy!
I have seen this thought on various websites:
The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamal-dajani/the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is_b_185585.html
The New York Times: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/the-enemy-of-my-enemy/
Shoot, even the Conservative websites are talking about how the Left, Communism, and Islam are embracing this thought:
Talking Points Memo: http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2005/11/14/my_enemys_enemy_is_my_friend/
Integral World: http://www.integralworld.net/harris9.html
Front Page Mag: http://frontpagemag.com/2010/10/04/islam-the-communism-of-today/
ShadowSpear: http://www.shadowspear.com/vb/threads/communism-islam-working-together-for-a-better-tomorrow.8946/
I find this type of belief disturbing. The reason why is because there have been times when I have made friends with someone simply because they didn’t get along with someone I didn’t get along with. In almost every single instance, I have found that the person who was my enemy’s enemy is just as likely to strike at me as my enemy is!
But what does the bible lead us to believe in this type of thinking?
Matthew 12:30 states, ‘He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.’
Jesus is speaking about what is known as the Unpardonable Sin which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, or for more clarification, stating that the works of the Holy Spirit are of Satan! But back to the thought of what Jesus actually says. Jesus declares that if you are not with Him, then you are against Him! This means that the enemy of your enemy, he too is your enemy! If they are not your enemy, then they will have the same values, beliefs, and morals that you do and will stand with you against your enemy!
Forming an alliance with someone for the common purpose of defeating an enemy is an evil thought and wicked at its very core! I believe that it comes from trying to conceive a way to overcome a problem in a subversive way. This is taking matters into your own hands and not letting God show His might through his all powerful hand! The simple fact is, if you stick with truth and integrity and walk in the ways of God, having a good relationship with Jesus Christ, then you will not ever need to unite with those who do not believe the same as you!
Rely upon the power of God and His truth and righteousness and you will not have to lay down with the serpents in order to defeat the snakes! Yes, I used two synonyms for Satan because in both Communism and Islam, Satan is at the core of their belief systems which is why they are against Christianity and all it stands for!
Please be careful who you stand with so that you are not tempted to stray from Jesus!
May God bless you all this day!
I keep hearing this phrase or quote being bandied around today, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend!’ This is worrisome to me. I hear that Islam is embracing this thought along with Communists and Athiests and all those who are against America and the ideas and beliefs which the US was founded upon!
It is actually an Arabian Proverb that is often compared to a Chinese Proverb which states, ‘It is good to strike at the serpent’s head with your enemy’s hand!’ Both of which take on this idea that it is good to form an alliance or friendship with someone just because they are the enemy of your enemy!
I have seen this thought on various websites:
The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamal-dajani/the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is_b_185585.html
The New York Times: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/the-enemy-of-my-enemy/
Shoot, even the Conservative websites are talking about how the Left, Communism, and Islam are embracing this thought:
Talking Points Memo: http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2005/11/14/my_enemys_enemy_is_my_friend/
Integral World: http://www.integralworld.net/harris9.html
Front Page Mag: http://frontpagemag.com/2010/10/04/islam-the-communism-of-today/
ShadowSpear: http://www.shadowspear.com/vb/threads/communism-islam-working-together-for-a-better-tomorrow.8946/
I find this type of belief disturbing. The reason why is because there have been times when I have made friends with someone simply because they didn’t get along with someone I didn’t get along with. In almost every single instance, I have found that the person who was my enemy’s enemy is just as likely to strike at me as my enemy is!
But what does the bible lead us to believe in this type of thinking?
Matthew 12:30 states, ‘He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.’
Jesus is speaking about what is known as the Unpardonable Sin which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, or for more clarification, stating that the works of the Holy Spirit are of Satan! But back to the thought of what Jesus actually says. Jesus declares that if you are not with Him, then you are against Him! This means that the enemy of your enemy, he too is your enemy! If they are not your enemy, then they will have the same values, beliefs, and morals that you do and will stand with you against your enemy!
Forming an alliance with someone for the common purpose of defeating an enemy is an evil thought and wicked at its very core! I believe that it comes from trying to conceive a way to overcome a problem in a subversive way. This is taking matters into your own hands and not letting God show His might through his all powerful hand! The simple fact is, if you stick with truth and integrity and walk in the ways of God, having a good relationship with Jesus Christ, then you will not ever need to unite with those who do not believe the same as you!
Rely upon the power of God and His truth and righteousness and you will not have to lay down with the serpents in order to defeat the snakes! Yes, I used two synonyms for Satan because in both Communism and Islam, Satan is at the core of their belief systems which is why they are against Christianity and all it stands for!
Please be careful who you stand with so that you are not tempted to stray from Jesus!
May God bless you all this day!
09 February 2011
Words Can't Describe!
Hello Guys and Gals!
I would like to speak to you today about the feeling which I think is greater than all others. I'm not sure what to call it though. I believe that the bible refers to it as 'groanings'. Romans 8:26 states:
'26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;'
Have you ever felt something inside of you that is so great that words cannot describe it? Whether it is joyful, painful, or just confusing; I believe that these are our groanings. This is when you have an emotion so deep and profound that words cannot express what you are truly feeling at that moment. I am sure that all of you have felt this way at one time or another.
I have these groanings occasionally and I'm here to tell you that when I focus in on them, there is only One who can bring comfort to me at those times, Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit!
But whenever you enter a time like this, please know that God is there waiting to help you and that the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us by Jesus Christ, is there explaining and translating to God the Father our groanings, the desires and pains and loves and sorrows of our heart!
Romans 8:27-30 continues and states:
'27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.'
We now know that, even when we cannot utter what it is we are feeling to God in prayer, and even when all we can do is exist in that moment because nothing else exists for us at that time, that God knows what we are feeling and that the Holy Spirit is actively translating at that very moment, what it is we are feeling and bringing God the Father's attention to us!
Be comforted in this! Even when our emotion is the guilt we feel at sinning, yet again, against God; even that emotion and pain and guilt is understood by God through the translation of the Holy Spirit!
What does this mean for us? This means that even in our worst of times and best of times and any time in between those times, the Holy Spirit is making sure that God knows what we are going through and God's attention is focused upon those who love Him!
I sincerely pray that God blesses each and every one of you this day!
I would like to speak to you today about the feeling which I think is greater than all others. I'm not sure what to call it though. I believe that the bible refers to it as 'groanings'. Romans 8:26 states:
'26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;'
Have you ever felt something inside of you that is so great that words cannot describe it? Whether it is joyful, painful, or just confusing; I believe that these are our groanings. This is when you have an emotion so deep and profound that words cannot express what you are truly feeling at that moment. I am sure that all of you have felt this way at one time or another.
I have these groanings occasionally and I'm here to tell you that when I focus in on them, there is only One who can bring comfort to me at those times, Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit!
But whenever you enter a time like this, please know that God is there waiting to help you and that the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us by Jesus Christ, is there explaining and translating to God the Father our groanings, the desires and pains and loves and sorrows of our heart!
Romans 8:27-30 continues and states:
'27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.'
We now know that, even when we cannot utter what it is we are feeling to God in prayer, and even when all we can do is exist in that moment because nothing else exists for us at that time, that God knows what we are feeling and that the Holy Spirit is actively translating at that very moment, what it is we are feeling and bringing God the Father's attention to us!
Be comforted in this! Even when our emotion is the guilt we feel at sinning, yet again, against God; even that emotion and pain and guilt is understood by God through the translation of the Holy Spirit!
What does this mean for us? This means that even in our worst of times and best of times and any time in between those times, the Holy Spirit is making sure that God knows what we are going through and God's attention is focused upon those who love Him!
I sincerely pray that God blesses each and every one of you this day!
07 February 2011
A Further Clarification On Esau!
Hello Guys and Gals!
I have been thinking about this and I wanted to add something more.
The reason that God 'hates' those who have descended from Esau is very clear to me and I took for granted that it would be clear to you as well. I may have been wrong there. So now I will explain why God 'hates' Esau and his descendants.
This reason is simple and I believe it ties directly to Islam as a religion.
1. The religion of Islam is saying that Allah is the one true God! He is not! If you look at Allah's attributes and compare them to YHWH's attributes, you see a vastly different diety. And since YHWH is a jealous God, then clearly those who worship Allah are placing Allah in direct contention with YHWH!
2. Yet another reason is the tenants of Islam. Keep in mind that people of Islam are saying that Allah is the one true god here. Yet they claim that they have the freedom from Allah to do whatever is necessary to either convert or destroy the 'infidels', or those who are not of the Islamic Tradition. Followers of Islam believe that violence against infidels are not only okay, but will give them a sure place in their Heaven with something like 70 Virgin Brides. But more critical than that is the fact that they not only are approved to lie, but are encouraged to do so when speaking to an infidel! Please see my earlier post about how YHWH hates lying and how it is at the heart of all sin!
Now if you knew this already, I apologize for expounding upon it. For those who did not know this, I hope I have made this a little bit more clear as to why God 'hates' Esau and his descendants.
Please remember that all people, even the descendants of Esau, have the ability to come to know YHWH through Jesus Christ and get their sins forgiven just like any other follower of Jesus! But they have to repent and form that individual relationship with Jesus!
God bless you all this day!
I have been thinking about this and I wanted to add something more.
The reason that God 'hates' those who have descended from Esau is very clear to me and I took for granted that it would be clear to you as well. I may have been wrong there. So now I will explain why God 'hates' Esau and his descendants.
This reason is simple and I believe it ties directly to Islam as a religion.
1. The religion of Islam is saying that Allah is the one true God! He is not! If you look at Allah's attributes and compare them to YHWH's attributes, you see a vastly different diety. And since YHWH is a jealous God, then clearly those who worship Allah are placing Allah in direct contention with YHWH!
2. Yet another reason is the tenants of Islam. Keep in mind that people of Islam are saying that Allah is the one true god here. Yet they claim that they have the freedom from Allah to do whatever is necessary to either convert or destroy the 'infidels', or those who are not of the Islamic Tradition. Followers of Islam believe that violence against infidels are not only okay, but will give them a sure place in their Heaven with something like 70 Virgin Brides. But more critical than that is the fact that they not only are approved to lie, but are encouraged to do so when speaking to an infidel! Please see my earlier post about how YHWH hates lying and how it is at the heart of all sin!
Now if you knew this already, I apologize for expounding upon it. For those who did not know this, I hope I have made this a little bit more clear as to why God 'hates' Esau and his descendants.
Please remember that all people, even the descendants of Esau, have the ability to come to know YHWH through Jesus Christ and get their sins forgiven just like any other follower of Jesus! But they have to repent and form that individual relationship with Jesus!
God bless you all this day!
01 February 2011
Israel And Islam; The Truth Revealed!
Hello Guys and Gals!
Romans 9:13 states, ‘13 Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED .”’
This is a tough matter. But Islam has come to the world through Muhammad. And Muhammad is Muslim and a descendant of Esau! So then does God hate Esau and his descendents?
Malachi 1:1-4 states, ‘1 The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi. 2 “I have loved you,” says the LORD . But you say, “How have You loved us?” “ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD . “Yet I have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” 4 Though Edom says, “We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins”; thus says the LORD of hosts, “They may build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the LORD is indignant forever.”’
Islamic tradition states that “In Medina, he preached about Allah and monotheism and urged all people to return to the true faith of Abraham.” (http://carm.org/muhammad) So we now know that Muhammad was teaching that all should practice the true faith of Abraham! But look above again and we see that the promise passed through Jacob’s line and not Esau’s line. God loved Jacob and hated Esau.
Now I realize that there are some commentaries that say that this hate does not pass on to Esau’s descendents. But if we look closer at Malachi, we see again that the LORD declares, “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD . “Yet I have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.”
What I see here is that God has made the mountains in which Esau resides a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals. So I ask the question, If God does not pass on His hatred of Esau to his descendents, then why does this speak of desolation and appointing inheritance for the jackals? Is not the word, ‘inheritance’ refer to something passed down through descendents?
But what about Jesus? “Islam says that Jesus not only is not the Son of God, but that He did not even die on a cross in Jerusalem” (http://bibleprobe.com/muhammad.htm)
If then, that Islam preaches that Jesus is not the Son of God and He did not die on a cross in Jerusalem, then we know that this Allah is not the same as YHWH the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!
In 1 John 4:15 it states, ‘15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.’ Then we know that Jesus is the Son of God!
But what about denying that Jesus is the Son of God? Matthew 10:33 states, ‘33 “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.’ Luke 12:8-9 states, ‘8 “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.’ And if that is not clear enough, look at 1 John 2:22 which states, ‘22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.’ Now we have clear evidence that Muhammad not only is not of God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But that Muhammad is also to be considered the Anti-Christ! This does not mean that this is the Anti-Christ referred to in Revelation, but one of the many who deny Jesus Christ!
Paul states it best in Galatians 1:8-9 which states, ‘8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!’
Where did Muhammad get his teaching though? ‘The tradition of Islam claims that in the year 610, Muhammad, while on a retreat to Mount Hira for meditation during the month of Ramadan, received his first revelation from the Archangel Gabriel.’ (http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95dec/muhammad.html)
By this we see that Muhammad received his teachings from Gabriel, an Angel, according to Islamic Tradition. But didn’t Paul state that anyone, even an angel from heaven, which preached different than what he preached to them to be accursed? That’s what I understood it to mean as well!
As I understand the Word of God, YHWH, the God of the Christians, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; then any who does not declare that Jesus is the Son of God, then they will be denied by Jesus to His Father! Why is this important? Because in John 14:6 it clearly states, ‘6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’ Therefore we know that there is no other way to come to YHWH, the Father but through Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
Why have I written this? Because I think that you have a right to know not only what Scripture says, but also how Islam does not align to Christianity and that Allah of the Quran is not YHWH of the Torah or the Bible! The simple fact is, Islam is nothing more than an attempt by Satan to pervert the true teachings of Jesus Christ so that many will be led astray from the true path to God the Father!
In closing I would like to say that if any of Esau's descendents receive salvation through Jesus Christ, claiming Him as the Son of God, then they become heirs to the promise that passed through Jacob and not Esau!
Please research what I have researched and feel free to comment if you agree or disagree with what I have shown here!
May God, YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of Jesus Christ, bless you all this day!
Romans 9:13 states, ‘13 Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED .”’
This is a tough matter. But Islam has come to the world through Muhammad. And Muhammad is Muslim and a descendant of Esau! So then does God hate Esau and his descendents?
Malachi 1:1-4 states, ‘1 The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi. 2 “I have loved you,” says the LORD . But you say, “How have You loved us?” “ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD . “Yet I have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” 4 Though Edom says, “We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins”; thus says the LORD of hosts, “They may build, but I will tear down; and men will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the LORD is indignant forever.”’
Islamic tradition states that “In Medina, he preached about Allah and monotheism and urged all people to return to the true faith of Abraham.” (http://carm.org/muhammad) So we now know that Muhammad was teaching that all should practice the true faith of Abraham! But look above again and we see that the promise passed through Jacob’s line and not Esau’s line. God loved Jacob and hated Esau.
Now I realize that there are some commentaries that say that this hate does not pass on to Esau’s descendents. But if we look closer at Malachi, we see again that the LORD declares, “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD . “Yet I have loved Jacob; 3 but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.”
What I see here is that God has made the mountains in which Esau resides a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals. So I ask the question, If God does not pass on His hatred of Esau to his descendents, then why does this speak of desolation and appointing inheritance for the jackals? Is not the word, ‘inheritance’ refer to something passed down through descendents?
But what about Jesus? “Islam says that Jesus not only is not the Son of God, but that He did not even die on a cross in Jerusalem” (http://bibleprobe.com/muhammad.htm)
If then, that Islam preaches that Jesus is not the Son of God and He did not die on a cross in Jerusalem, then we know that this Allah is not the same as YHWH the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!
In 1 John 4:15 it states, ‘15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.’ Then we know that Jesus is the Son of God!
But what about denying that Jesus is the Son of God? Matthew 10:33 states, ‘33 “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.’ Luke 12:8-9 states, ‘8 “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.’ And if that is not clear enough, look at 1 John 2:22 which states, ‘22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.’ Now we have clear evidence that Muhammad not only is not of God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But that Muhammad is also to be considered the Anti-Christ! This does not mean that this is the Anti-Christ referred to in Revelation, but one of the many who deny Jesus Christ!
Paul states it best in Galatians 1:8-9 which states, ‘8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!’
Where did Muhammad get his teaching though? ‘The tradition of Islam claims that in the year 610, Muhammad, while on a retreat to Mount Hira for meditation during the month of Ramadan, received his first revelation from the Archangel Gabriel.’ (http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95dec/muhammad.html)
By this we see that Muhammad received his teachings from Gabriel, an Angel, according to Islamic Tradition. But didn’t Paul state that anyone, even an angel from heaven, which preached different than what he preached to them to be accursed? That’s what I understood it to mean as well!
As I understand the Word of God, YHWH, the God of the Christians, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; then any who does not declare that Jesus is the Son of God, then they will be denied by Jesus to His Father! Why is this important? Because in John 14:6 it clearly states, ‘6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’ Therefore we know that there is no other way to come to YHWH, the Father but through Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
Why have I written this? Because I think that you have a right to know not only what Scripture says, but also how Islam does not align to Christianity and that Allah of the Quran is not YHWH of the Torah or the Bible! The simple fact is, Islam is nothing more than an attempt by Satan to pervert the true teachings of Jesus Christ so that many will be led astray from the true path to God the Father!
In closing I would like to say that if any of Esau's descendents receive salvation through Jesus Christ, claiming Him as the Son of God, then they become heirs to the promise that passed through Jacob and not Esau!
Please research what I have researched and feel free to comment if you agree or disagree with what I have shown here!
May God, YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of Jesus Christ, bless you all this day!
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