What is our strength?
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Posted:Dec 22, 2007 10:04 am
Last Updated:Dec 24, 2007 2:21 pm 1736 Views
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I am like anyone else. I get depressed from time to time. Sometimes pretty depressed. I think its more a normal part of who people are than it is abnormal.
God created us with an emotional cycle. Men and women differently, but we both have cycles. Men, after they have been intimate with their spouce seem to kinda pull away while women want the afterglow. A smart man will engage in the afterglow, but there is a resounding pulling away. We are made to be hunters and providers.
Thats why when we get home from work, we want to read a paper, have some quiet time or tv. Women, if they are also in the workforce come home and feel that they have more to do.
But our strength. We are Christians, born again in the blood of Jesus Christ. How can we be depressed? We have so much to be thankful for. Well, its the same thing I talked about before. It is a selfish thing and we have our cycle.
But there is more to this. Our salvation is a gift of God given to us in Grace buy our faith in he is who he says he is.
God showed me something once. Its the scripture that says, what does a person gain if they gain the whole world and lose their soul attaining it? Many people think the soul is the eternal part, but God says he created man in his own image.
In the Gospel of John it says that God is a spirit and in order to worship God, we must worship him in Spirit and truth. Our spirit man is our eternal being...so what is the soul?
The soul is our fleshly inner man. Our mind and our emotions and will. So what do we gain if we lose our mind, emotions and ability to choose? We thus are in bondage.
Paul said to strive to enter into the Peace that is found in the Gospel of Christ. Strive> is an action word. God's peace is a spirit, just as he says that Joy is a Spirit. They are part of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that God says resides in each believer.
Jesus said the Holy Spirit is given to comfort us and teach us all things. Thats pretty powerful....Indwelling....comforting and our individual teacher.
Thinking we can not match up to God's expectations is depressing. Only Christ ever could and he was God living in man.
We arent called to live up to something. We are called to be a branch that has its life flow from a Vine. That Vine is Jesus. If we are not being a vine that takes the life sap from the main of the vine, then we will shrivel up. We will eventually die because we have refused what we need.
So if we are greatly suffering its because we anre not allowing our lifescourse to empower us to overcome obstacles.
If we are living our lives for salvation we will always fail. But, if we are living our lives FROM our salvation, then there is life in that.
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Socialism and America
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Posted:Dec 22, 2007 7:42 am
Last Updated:Oct 7, 2024 4:25 pm 1818 Views
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OPORTO, Portugal (Reuters) - European Socialists promised on Thursday to work to rebuild Europe’s strategic alliance with the United States now that the Democrats control Congress after last month’s elections.
Socialist leaders attending a meeting of the European Socialist Party pledged that with the Democrats on the rise, strong ties could be renewed with the United States after years of cool relations with Republican President George W. Bush.
Howard Dean, chairman of the national committee of the U.S. Democratic Party, is attending the two-day conference together with the leaders of leftist governments of several countries and party leaders from across Europe.
“We are not anti-American, we want the real America, your America,” former Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of the European Socialist Party, said in remarks directed at Dean.
Whatever “our” America is according to the Socialists?
“Europe needs an America that is back on track,” said Portuguese Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates, whose country is hosting the meeting.
“We need, today more than ever, to reinforce and renew the strategic alliance between the United States and Europe,” Socrates said. “We know that a stronger Democratic Party is key for this to happen.”
Socialists, or centre-left governments, currently hold or share power in just over half of Europe.
Many European governments, not just Socialist ones, have above all been angered by Bush’s war in Iraq and what has been seen as the U.S. failure to work with allies in international affairs.
They expressed hopes after last month’s election for a new era of open dialogue on a more equal footing with Washington and the Bush administration during the final two years of his presidency.
Socrates said Dean’s Democrats “should know that they can count on European Socialists” for support.
Now we know why Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry et al. kiss up to all the socialist dictators around the world.
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Wise Up....Socialism is just a softer word for communism. What do communists have to say about Christianity?
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the box
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Posted:Dec 22, 2007 7:28 am
Last Updated:Oct 7, 2024 4:25 pm 1727 Views
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it has to fit so we stretch it
call in the box stretcher please
if its overwhelming then you have to bring in the
padding so that the small item will still fit
bring in the packer
but what if it can not stretch any fyrther
a bigger box, or no box at all?
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offense
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Posted:Dec 21, 2007 10:30 am
Last Updated:Dec 21, 2007 4:33 pm 1736 Views
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interesting word. Are we offended when Challenged, or offended when we are wrong like a liberal?
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replacement theology
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Posted:Dec 21, 2007 9:04 am
Last Updated:Dec 21, 2007 4:33 pm 1741 Views
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Replacement Theology
by Anonymous, 1989
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There is a lot of confusion going around these days about God's
promises, even among our own ranks here at (unnamed organization).
I'd like to take this opportunity to dispel a little of the confusion.
There is a powerful movement afoot called Replacement Theology
which states that the church is Israel and the promises given to
Israel were primarily for the church. This movement is
incurring the wrath of God, as it increasingly condemns the
nation of Israel as illegitimate, which is natural for folks who
believe the church has replaced Israel. Even among those who
still hold to Israel to one degree or another, there seems to be
a propensity for yanking Old Testament promises out of the Bible
-- and, I might add, out of context -- and indiscriminately
applying them to modern church situations. The tendency is to
select those promises which fit church theology (like healing,
prosperity, victory) and ignore those which do not (like
punishment for rebellion, keeping of feasts, sacrifices). To
set the record straight: the church did not yet exist when
those promises were given, and they were not given to Israel as
a "type" of the church until the church should inherit them.
The Old Testament promises were given to Israel, and they apply
to Israel. Many of them ALSO apply to the church in a general
way, and many of them apply to all nations in a general way, and
many of them apply only to Israel. We have got to quit assuming
that just because some teacher of the Word says the Bible says
something is ours, that it is. We must understand the situation
and context in which the promises were given -- promises of
blessing and/or cursing, of redemption, et-cetera -- before we
can understand the promises themselves.
Let's take as an example 2 Chronicles 7:14. Most people today
are familiar with that verse, but unfortunately the vast
majority of the church in America seems to have gotten the idea
somewhere -- not from God -- that the promise is to America. It
most assuredly is not. Let us read the passage in its context
(2 Chronicles 7:11-20):
Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the
king's palace, and successfully completed all that
he had planned on doing in the house of the Lord and
in his palace. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at
night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer,
and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of
sacrifice. If I shut up the heavens so that there
is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the
land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and
My people who are called by My Name [over whom My
Name is called] humble themselves and pray, and seek
My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will
hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and
will heal their land. Now My eyes shall be open and
My ears attentive the prayer of this place. For now
I have chosen and consecrated this house that My
Name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart
will be there perpetually."
The context here is the completion and dedication of the temple
in Israel. Note God's promise concerning "this house".
Speaking to Israel, the Lord promised to forgive the nation and
heal the land if the nation would repent. The entire nation is
called "My people". Israel is called by God's Name. This
promise was NOT given to Japan, Albania, or the United States,
none of which is a nation "called by My Name". Unfortunately,
we in western society have twisted the meaning for our own
supposed benefit to allegedly say, "If My people which are
called by My Name (the Christians within the country) ..." But
it does not say that. Now the promise CAN apply to a nation
other than Israel in a general way: certainly if any nation
(America included) will repent, God will restore the nation and
forgive the sin and heal the land. The key is the distinction
between who is Israel and who is not. If the church is Israel,
then one can truly say, "If the believers will repent and pray,
I'll restore their land." But believers have already repented,
or else they wouldn't be believers! The confusion comes from
erroneously assuming the church is modern "spiritual Israel",
having replaced national Israel. It does not say "If the
Christians will pray and intercede and repent". Repent of what?
The believers are already the righteousness of God in Jesus, and
it's not for the righteousness of the believing 1% that America
will be judged, but for the sin of the wicked 99% who refuse to
repent. The promise concerns a NATION repenting, not God's
people WITHIN A NATION repenting and praying. We are the temple
of the Holy Spirit, it is true, but our repentance does not
nullify the justice and righteousness of God. He cannot leave
America unjudged and remain a righteous judge!
Elsewhere in the Bible we find the answer to how God deals with
a wicked nation where a few people are righteous. This is one
of those passages the modern Word of Faith and Kingdom Now
people like to avoid, because it pretty well debunks their
misinterpretation of 2 Chronicles 7:14. This is found in
Ezekiel 14:13-20, and it is one of those places which speaks of
all nations in general (starting with verse 21 -- not quoted
here -- the Lord starts to apply it directly to Israel):
" of man, if a country sins against Me by
committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand
against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine
against it, and cut off from it both man and beast,
even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job
were in its midst, by their own righteousness they
could only deliver themselves," declares the Lord
God. "If I were to cause wild beasts to pass
through the land, and they bereave of , and
it became desolate so that no one would pass through
it because of the beasts, though these three men
were in its midst, as I live," declares the Lord
God, "they could not deliver either their sons or
their daughters. They alone would be delivered, but
the country would be desolate. Or if I should bring
a sword on that country and say, 'Let the sword pass
through the country and cut off man and beast from
it,' even though these three men were in its midst,
as I live," declares the Lord God, "they could not
deliver either their sons or their daughters, but
they alone would be delivered. Or if I should send
a plague against that country and pour out My wrath
in blood on it, to cut off man and beast from it,
even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst,
as I live," declares the Lord God, "they could not
deliver either their or their . They
would deliver only themselves by their
righteousness."
Can our righteousness deliver America? What does God say about
it? The only people who will be delivered are the righteous,
and we've got to quit praying out of God's will and asking Him
to deliver the wicked, because He is a righteous and just God
and He will judge sin. The smart thing is to get your sin
judged on the cross so you're free of it and you don't get
judged yourself. We need to pray for people to get saved, and
for wisdom for our leaders, and whatever else the Word tells us
to do. But know this: God is about to judge this nation. It
is His will to do so, indeed, He MUST do so. It is NOT His will
that any perish, but that all be saved. Nevertheless, Scripture
is clear that God hates sin, and He will destroy the nation that
continues to sin. He will also leave a righteous remnant.
The next time you hear someone quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14 over
America and admonishing you to pray for restoration of America,
just remember God isn't going to restore America. God is
restoring Israel now, and human government is coming to an end,
because the Messiah is about to return as King of kings and Lord
of lords; and soon the Word will be fulfilled which says, "The
kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and
He shall reign forever and ever." Why should God put off
Messiah's return so Americans could enjoy a few more years of
materialism and debauchery? We need to get in on what God is
doing, not try to make Him conform to American Christianity and
an American Jesus.
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you might be if.....
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Posted:Dec 20, 2007 8:54 am
Last Updated:Dec 21, 2007 8:07 am 1873 Views
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You might be a liberal if …
You think that if someone is getting richer, someone, somewhere, must be getting poorer.
You think that protestors outside nuclear power plants are dedicated activists, but protestors outside abortion clinics are dangerous zealots interfering with a legal activity.
You believe that more federal regulations will make your life better.
You believe that even though the top 20 percent of taxpayers pay 80 percent of income taxes, that the rich are not paying their “fair share.”
You think that Rush Limbaugh’s listeners are mindless “dittoheads,” but you have never doubted anything that you heard from Michael Moore.
You believe in global warming today just as firmly as you believed in global cooling back in the 1970s.
You believe that the network news is a better indicator of what “real” news is than talk radio, Internet news sites, and blogs.
You believe that there was never, ever a problem with biased news coverage until Fox News went on the air.
You believe that Mikhail Gorbachev deserves more credit for losing the Cold War than Ronald Reagan deserves for winning it.
Your parents gave you an acre of preserved rain forest for your first birthday.
You cannot name a single NASCAR driver.
You mentally subtract 100 points from someone’s IQ if the person speaks with a Southern accent.
You think that Dan Rather got a raw deal.
You panic if you discover that you’re out of chick peas.
You think that the phrase “separation of church and state” is in the Constitution.
You pride yourself on your global awareness, global sensitivity and global outlook, but can’t name your state legislator or school board representative.
You are dedicated to helping the poor, the downtrodden and the less fortunate, but you have never given blood.
You have not seen "The Passion of the Christ," and you don’t know anyone who has seen it.
You believe that a woman should make it on her own, without depending on her husband (except for Hillary Clinton).
You believe that professional, working women should never be judged on their appearance (except for Katherine Harris).
You believe that rich people should not be allowed to contribute so much money to candidates for office (except for George Soros).
You believe that government should make a special effort to hire members of traditionally oppressed groups, such as African-Americans (except for Clarence Thomas, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice).
You feel a deep sense of common cause with oppressed groups, such as Hispanic immigrants (except for Cuban Americans fleeing Castro).
You believe that a mother’s wishes for her , especially a mother’s last, dying wish for her , should outweigh the wishes of a father who had long before deserted his family (unless the is named Elian Gonzalez).
You think people in south Florida, who can’t figure out how to work a butterfly ballot, ought to have the final say in choosing the president of the United States.
You have no problem with Hollywood movie starts flying around in private jets to give speeches on the evils of SUVs.
You think that raising taxes will reduce the budget deficit.
You deplore prejudice and bigotry in all its forms, but think that everyone in the “red states” is an idiot.
You are more concerned, more often, with the rights of convicted felons than you are with the rights of small business owners.
You uphold a woman’s right to choose, unless a woman chooses adoption, chooses to be a stay-at-home mom, chooses to homeschool, or chooses to start a business.
You are more concerned with Vice President Cheney’s links to Halliburton than with Saddam Hussein’s links to international terrorism.
You have used the phrase, “in Europe, the government pays for health care and vacation,” without irony.
You are worried about how the French view Americans.
You believe that nativity scenes should be banned from public view, but that anyone objecting to pornography “only has to look the other way.”
And finally, you are almost certainly a liberal if you refuse to admit that you’re a liberal, and accuse anyone of calling you a liberal of McCarthyism.
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ed lynch... roanoke columnist
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Churchill had it right
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Posted:Dec 20, 2007 8:48 am
Last Updated:Dec 21, 2007 10:29 am 1856 Views
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He said that when you are young and are not liberal, then you have no heart. But if you are 30 and not conservative, you have no brain.
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What kind of Car are you?
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Posted:Dec 20, 2007 6:43 am
Last Updated:Dec 20, 2007 1:36 pm 1996 Views
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There are many kinds of vehichles and for the most part they do the same function. Point A to point B.
I made a post about women and their nails. I think this is a better analogy about us. All cars start out as a new product at one time. So I can say we are all a product...call us a car.
What happens if we do not wash and protect a car from dirt? It eventually loses its shine. It oxidized and eventually rusts and corrodes.
What happens if you wash that car and always take proper care of it? It always shines. The engine runs better and people find that attractive.
If you are one of those cars that get neglected over the years you eventually do not look good. So what do you do? Some people go out and get some new rims for the tires, perhaps some seat covers. But the car itself is still rusty, dirty and an eyesore.
Everyone likes shiny cars. They do not like beat up cars, and if they are stuck with one, they want it to patch itself up and be repainted. It doesnt have to be repainted, but there is something to be said for actually caring.
If you are a beat up car and your dream is a car to be with you that is shiny, one that has cared for itself, do you think one that actually cares for itself will be attracted to one that hasnt trieed to patch up, and repaint?
Evenly yoked...spiritually and physically unless one has a physical ailment that is not their fault
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