Tag: Christians

Voices

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A fellow blogger over at “The Healing Arena” has a post entitled, “What’s that voice in your head?”  A portion of it follows:

Why are you thinking the way you are thinking now?

Why are you acting like that now?

Why did you just take that strange decision which is very unlike yourself?

  • You think God’s attitude towards you has changed because of some short-coming in you or a mistake you made.

  • or you think you are unworthy of love and appreciation because you’re too far down the drain.

  • Some devil is whispering some nasty stuff into your ear and you’re beginning to believe it.

  • Some nay-sayer is speaking negativism into your mind and it’s taking its toll on you.

More of it can be found at: https://thehealingarena.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/whats-that-voice-in-your-head/

If you follow that link (hopefully it opens up in a new page so you don’t lose your place here) you will find that Elijah is mentioned.  Now she did not go into any detail regarding Elijah, that might have gotten too far off track, but I shall take that risk here.

Elijah was fresh off his world-famous victory and should have been super-empowered to keep fighting the battle and gaining incredible victories as he smashed all his foes left and right.  So why is he running away instead of pressing forward and taking advantage of the momentum?

God provides him some food to strengthen him for the journey he is taking but He does not tell Elijah to go back to where he should be.  Instead He allows Elijah to continue on in his journey and when Elijah is ready God assures / reminds him “You are not alone.”  He then gives Elijah a new assignment.

A few years ago I participated in an activity where I was the victim.  A blindfold was securely placed and the folk around me started saying things like: “You’re no good,”  You really messed up again,” “You’re such a loser,” and other things of that nature.  Have you ever told yourself things like that?

At first I almost laughed because I knew all those people and I knew that they all liked me, excepting for maybe one or two of them, also I was their assistant pastor at the time.  However the “voices” started taking a toll on me and memories of some of my own past shortcoming and failures suddenly started coming to mind, some of which I have beaten myself up for, and I remembered the voices of some others in my life who didn’t like me and some negative things they had said.  Suddenly I did not feel like laughing for I could feel a wave of dark depression enveloping me, ready to choke me.

The voice of one of those physically present, started to crack.  Since I’d had a counseling session or two with her I knew she was starting to hurt and I wanted to stop the experiment but the “key phrase” had not been uttered (I didn’t even know what the “key phrase” was, they all knew what it was but the moderator had purposely kept me uninformed) I was not the one in control and it was not yet time for the exercise to stop.  Nevertheless, at that moment, I wasn’t feeling like I could really have given any words of encouragement to anyone.

Then I heard another voice which I could not really quite comprehend, at least not initially.  It was saying, “You’re good,” “You are loved,” “You’re a child of The King,” etc.  It was like a tiny flicker of light somewhere in the suffocating darkness.  I began to focus on that solitary, still, small, voice and the depressing feeling began to recede but only as long as I could focus on that one voice.  Then, finally, the key phrase, “Well done,”  was uttered, everyone went quiet.  The blindfold was removed.  The experiment was over.

The person in charge, the moderator, offered a quick apology as she realized my eyes had “sweated a little bit” but I assured them all that it was okay.  In the discussion we all had following the experiment I learned that she had actually been speaking for awhile before I ever heard her.  It was when I heard the hurt behind the antagonistic voice and had empathy for its owner that I finally heard the positive voice.

Gretiana’s statement, “Just manage to go out there and be good to someone, even if you need it more, even if they don’t deserve it.” triggered my memory and inspired this blog posting.  It is not just in that little experiment where that bit of advice worked, I’ve seen it work on several occasions in real life situations.  I’ve heard the testimony of others.

Going through a rough time?  Cheer up. It’s not over yet.

  Breathe in deeply … c’mon humor me … now exhale.

  What is the point?  God is not finished with you here yet.  Your special task probably still lies out there and you’ve got more preparation to go through.  Now matter what happens always remember:

You are not alone, He, Jesus, is there.

He is not shouting.  His is a still, small, voice.  Funny how people flock to the motivational speakers but none of them comes even close to being as good as Jesus.  He knows all about you and He is there, nearby.  One day He will utter the key phrase “Well done….”  My eyes will probably get all sweaty on that day, too.

  • Pastor Ward Clinton

Facebook bias

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fbisis-640x480

Facebook has been demonstrating their bias.  I know this is not news to many folks unless you are a far left type person, in which case you would be wondering “What bias?”

Facebook has been allowing many Anti-Israel groups to run “Death to Israel” pages and other highly Anti-Semitic content with apparently no problem.  When they pulled down Britain First’s anti- ISIS post initial efforts to get content restored were met with refusals and deflection.  However, as Breitbart London and others “turned up the heat” facebook relented and has apologized.

We can win…we must no longer be silent.

The old phrases “actions speak louder than words” and “you can tell a tree by its fruit” are not without warrant. This biblical principle comes from Christ Himself:

For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. (Luke 6:43–44)

Narcissistic Personality Disorder with Delusions of Grandeur

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The way I see it Barak Hussein Obama is downright demonically delusional but due to the Democrat and associated liberal tendency towards despising God and His people and even often the convincing of themselves that God doesn’t exist then perhaps I should phrase the problem in such a manner as to be more pleasing and persuasive to their ear by explaining that it is obvious that Obama is suffering from a severe malady which may be identified as Narcissistic Personality disorder with Delusions of Grandeur.

Liberals, which may be more accurately termed “global progressives,” tend to consider all those who fail to march in lockstep with them not merely opponents in the arena of ideas but their moral and mortal enemies who are to be destroyed, not merely persuaded but destroyed.  Those who are supportive of the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution as well as Capitalists, Conservatives, and Christians are counted as foes because we stand in the way of this demonic wave of evil along with its vile underlings that push for enslavement to the god of this world which is creeping over the globe.

Mark 13:12-13; John 15:20-21

  • Pastor Ward Clinton

Those who are hostile to God will not be allowed into His Heaven

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Although God invites everyone to be part of His forever family, those who are hostile to God and His ways will not be allowed to enter in to His heaven.  Ladies and gentlemen that includes militant homosexuals and antagonistic atheists as well as many who call themselves Christian.

It is actually somewhat understandable why many people mistrust certain Christians; however, there are other Christians whom it is quite dangerous to despise.  Those Christians and their way of living may make you feel a bit uncomfortable regarding life-choices you may have made or may currently be making but if they are actually embarking upon the spirit-walk we are all called to travel in then it is wise to take note and, perhaps, move in the same direction and along the pathway and in the same manner they are.

There is a Christian doctrine which holds that the soul of the fully committed Christian may attain a high degree of virtue and holiness and become Entirely Sanctified with the help of the divine grace of Jesus.  That term is not to be confused with the late Dr. Charles Stanley’s erroneous accusations that those who believe Entire Sanctification is a present possibility in this life are actually claiming to have attained “Ultimate Sanctification.”  The Reverend Doctor may have merely misunderstood and not been guilty of maliciously maligning that grace of Jesus which he couldn’t quite comprehend.  In some of his sermons I heard him come so close to teaching and embracing Entire Sanctification, often while using slightly different terminology that meant the same thing, and then, just as it seemed like he was about to have his “eureka” moment, suddenly he was running back away from it.

I can remember at least a couple of times, sitting in front of the television saying, “C’mon Doc, you’re only a hair’s breadth away from your breakthrough.”  Unfortunately, every time I heard Charles Stanley speak of Entire Sanctification correctly and get really close to actually comprehending the command from God for us to be holy in this life I would hear him turn around and run back toward hyper-Calvinism much like Gollum seeking out his “Precious.”  Please understand, I do not lump together all those who hold John Calvin in high regard.  I tend to see it as something along the line of:  Hyper-Calvinist … Calvinist … Wesleyan-Calvinist.  An example of the latter might be Charles H. Spurgeon who said, “There is a point of grace as much above the ordinary Christian as the ordinary Christian is above the world.”  He also said of them, who are enjoying that grace, “They are rejoicing Christians, holy and devout men doing service for their Master all over the world, and everywhere conquerors through Him that loved them.”

Now the concept of Entire Sanctification may initially come from the Roman Catholic Church’s doctrine of theosis.  The critic may pounce at this point and loudly proclaim, “Aha!  It’s not a biblical thing!”  My response is, “Sorry, charlie; go back and reread the paragraph above which starts with ‘There is a Christian doctrine…Jesus.’ because the foundation of that doctrine is God’s command to be holy.”

Thomas Aquinas defined a perfect thing as one that “possesses that of which, by its nature, it is capable.”

“Perfection is that which it is better to have than not to have.” – Duns Scotus

Christian Perfection is another term used to speak of Entire Sanctification.  It is a doctrine that is chiefly associated with the followers and adherents of John Wesley’s theological understanding.  Sometimes the concept is referred to as “sinless perfection,” although a better and more accurate phrase would be “blamelessness before God.”

John Wesley, in his book, “A Plain Account of Christian Perfection,” wrote “…sinless perfection is a phrase I never use, lest I should seem to contradict myself.”  He also explained that he viewed it as “purity of intention, dedicating all the life to God” with “the mind which was in Christ, enabling us to walk as Christ walked.”  This assists in “loving God with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourselves.”

Wesley did not use the term “Christian perfection” to claim sinlessness nor did he advocate it as a state of being unable to sin but rather the being more readily capable of choosing not to sin through finding empowerment from the Spirit of God to abide in holiness of heart and life in accordance with our high calling.

Thereby we may experience a freedom from willful rebellion against God, as well as impure intentions and pride.  As we followers of Jesus function at that level of Christian living the world then sees the type of Christian that assures them that God still works in His followers in our day.

Entirely Sanctified Christians remain subject to temptations, and have a continued need to maintain a prayer life that keeps them connected to the One who empowers them to fulfill His command to “Be ye holy, for I am holy.”  Charles Stanley correctly understood we cannot attain Entire Sanctification in our own power, and as long as we try to do it that way we’ll never get it; when we understand that the Spirit of God empowers us to live that way then and only then we may be empowered to receive that point of grace.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. — Jesus

Regarding John Wesley

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There is no soul living who holds more firmly to the doctrines of grace than I do, and if any man asks me whether I am ashamed to be called a Calvinist, I answer—I wish to be called nothing but a Christian; but if you ask me, do I hold the doctrinal views which were held by John Calvin, I reply, I do in the main hold them, and rejoice to avow it. But far be it from me even to imagine that Zion contains none but Calvinistic Christians within her walls, or that there are none saved who do not hold our views.  Most atrocious things have been spoken about the character and spiritual condition of John Wesley, the modern prince of Arminians.  I can only say concerning him that, while I detest many of the doctrines which he preached, yet for the man himself I have a reverence second to no Wesleyan; and if there were wanted two apostles to be added to the number of the twelve, I do not believe that there could be found two men more fit to be so added than George Whitefield and John Wesley. The character of John Wesley stands beyond all imputation for self-sacrifice, zeal, holiness, and communion with God; he lived far above the ordinary level of common Christians, and was one ‘of whom the world was not worthy.’ I believe there are multitudes of men who cannot see these truths, or, at least, cannot see them in the way in which we put them, who nevertheless have received Christ as their Saviour, and are as dear to the heart of the God of grace as the soundest Calvinist in or out of Heaven. — Charles H Spurgeon

“There is a point of grace as much above the ordinary Christian as the ordinary Christian is above the world.”  Of such he says: “They are rejoicing Christians, holy and devout men doing service for the Master all over the world, and everywhere conquerors through Him that loved them.”  The experience to which Mr. Spurgeon refers has often been described as the higher life, entire sanctification, Christian perfection, perfect love, the rest of faith, and by numerous other names or terms.  Various modes of expression have been selected by various Christians which have best coincided with their cultural and theological views.  There may be shades of difference in their import, but, generally speaking, the terms mean one and the same thing.  We do not contend for names.  It is immaterial which expressions are employed; the main point is, do we possess the experience designated by these terms, and which is recognized and professed by Christians representing all our churches?

Emergent Church

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Bible3

Sounds pretty straightforward to me, how about you?

Stand Strong

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young uncle sam

A word of encouragement to our pastors, who, now more than ever, are on the front lines of the culture war given the assault on marriage and religious liberty.

John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, a lesser-known hero of the War for Independence, was a pastor and a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In 1775, he preached a sermon on Ecclesiastes 3:1 — “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.”

Pastor Muhlenberg closed his sermon with these words:

“In the language of Holy Writ, there is a time for all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight. And now is the time to fight.”
He then removed his clerical robes and revealed to the congregation that he was wearing the uniform of an officer in the Continental Army.

Pastor Muhlenberg’s example of a man of God fighting for our God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness should give increased fervor and devotion most especially to those who lead us in the fight for faith, family and freedom.

Like few times in our nation’s history, this is a time to fight for the values we cherish!   — Gary Bauer

If anyone wonders whether the founding fathers thought the federal government should define marriage and not the states, and whether it should interfere with our religious beliefs, here is what Thomas Jefferson thought:

Thomas Jefferson letter to Samuel Miller

Date: January 23, 1808

I consider the government of the United States as interdicted by the Constitution from inter-meddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises. This results not only from the provision that no law shall be made respecting the establishment or free exercise of religion, but from that also which reserves to the States the powers not delegated to the United States. Certainly, no power to prescribe any religious exercise or to assume authority in any religious discipline has been delegated to the General Government. It must then rest with the States.

It is times like this that we need to strengthen ourselves by reading the book most hated by liberals which was penned by their greatest enemy whom they can never defeat.

1 Peter 1: 19-21  And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Morals

We do have to change

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It’s by design. As I, and others, have repeatedly warned, the establishment of so-called “gay marriage” as a newfangled federal “right,” and the free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment simply cannot coexist in harmony. Things diametrically at odds cannot possibly occupy, with any coherence, the same time and space.

The secular left is tripping over itself right now to prove my point. In the wake of last month’s Obergefell v. Hodges opinion – an opinion that somehow divined a top secret “constitutional right” for Patrick Henry to “marry” Henry Patrick – liberals are now demanding, as both Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito predicted, that Christian university’s immediately abandon recognition of, and obedience to, God’s unequivocal natural sexual order, and adopt, instead, the new pagan orthodoxy. – by Matt Barber, 20 July 2015, eaglerising.com/21183

As the Obama administration cracks down on Christian institutions and principles while citing the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment as their supposed justification, the Obama administration conspicuously coddles the religion of Islam in order to display a sort of tolerance to Muslims strictly denied to Christians.  Will Christian universities, businesses, churches fold under pressure man or will they stand for God?  The blessings from God are for those that endure, not those that wilt like the spineless Lindsey Graham or, equally weak, John Boehner.

Hillary says we have to change our deeply held religious beliefs.  We know what she means by that and we should be very concerned by the fact that she said that.  On the other hand she is correct in that we need to become more aligned with Yahweh, the one true God.  Bill’s wife won’t like that, but that is her problem, not mine.  There are a whole lot of people who won’t like that fact but that is their problem, not mine.  As for me, I’m going to align myself closer and closer to God.

Psalm 127:1

We in this country (USA), in this generation are, by destiny rather than by choice, the watchmen on the walls of world freedom.  We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our powers and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve for our time and, as long as God permits, peace on earth, goodwill towards all others of goodwill.

    Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion…are undermining the solid foundation of morals-based security for the duration of free governments. — Charles Carrol

The Christian religion – its general principles – must ever be regarded among us as the foundation of civil society. — Daniel Webster

 Except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen waketh but in vain.

– Pastor Ward

Wake up, everyone

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Islamophobe is a word crafted by Moslem leaders and clerics to be used against non-Moslems in order to silence them. It has also been added to the arsenal of the PC police to silence dissent that could lead to the awakening of the American people who are going about their personal business not really aware of the looming disaster that is stealthily approaching.

One man awake awakens another,
The second awakens his next door neighbor,
And three awake can rouse the town,
and turn the whole place upside down.
And many awake can raise such a fuss,
That it finally awakens the rest of us.
One man up with dawn in his eyes – multiplies.

What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’  Mark 13:37

-Pastor Ward Clinton

PC is Thought Control

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Say that “Bestiality Is Wrong” or “Polygamy Is Wrong” and it’s not considered hate speech, at least not currently.  However if you have the opinion that “Gay Marriage Is Wrong,” watch out!  It is going to feel like the whole world is jumping up and down screaming “racist” “bigot” and “hater” at you as they call for someone to grab a rope so they can deal with you. [hashtag, love wins], of course.

This is becoming the politically-correct norm, but no matter what one argues, this is the suppressing of free speech by hate-filled fascists.  Yes, they are very fascistic in their so-called “tolerance” which is tolerant of only those who think exactly like they do, hence they are fascists pretending to be open-minded.

No one targeted pro-gay bakeries, but gay activists target Christian bakeries for extermination. “Support Gay Marriage” is what one Christian bakery was sued for because they dared to refuse to put that slogan on a cake for an event to support the gay agenda. Yes, Christian bakeries that refuse to make pro-homosexual marriage cakes because of their deeply held religious beliefs are getting sued for being “intolerant.”  They get fined, they get death threats, and they lose their businesses.

One person decided to ask thirteen different gay bakeries to bake him a Pro-traditional-Marriage cake and he was denied service by all of them.  This experiment proves beyond doubt that the militant gay agenda is not just about their freedom to practice a sexual orientation, but the suppression of free speech.

On the other hand it is even worse than that:

The folks at Shoebat.com decided to call some 13 prominent pro-gay bakers in a row. Each one of them denied them the right to have “Gay Marriage Is Wrong” on a cake and even used deviant insults and obscenities against them.

Several Christian bakeries were sued in the United States with several who lost their businesses and we said enough is enough.

One baker even said all sorts of profanities against Christians and ended the conversation by saying that she will make me a cookie with a large phallus on it.

It was all recorded. It will stun the American people as to how militant and intolerant the homosexual bakers were. Even after we completed our experiment we got a ton of hate messages saying that we were “hateful” for simply giving them a taste of their own medicine. They argued that the slogan “Gay Marriage Is Wrong” is not the same thing as “Support Gay Marriage” as [though] an opposite view of a view is hateful. This would mean that the majority of Americans who oppose gay marriage are “bigoted” and  “hate filled”. “Support Polygamy” or “Polygamy is Wrong” are views, yet the first which the Muslim supports and the second most Americans would never support, but both are opinions and are considered free speech.

The above quotations are from the shoebat.com website.  There are many examples of the hate-filled intolerance from the militant homosexual community which could be presented in this particular blog and the ultra-bigots seem to be totally blind to their hypocrisy.  George Takai, whom I used to follow on social media, was a little overboard at times but he seems to have gone full-bore psychotic post SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage.  “Hey, George, your side won; why are you so angry?” got me blocked.  No problem, it just shows how ridiculous that “#love wins” thing is.
Someone else had something to say about the insanity from the “tolerant” left:
 A gay baker and chef has come out in support of Christian bakers who have come under fire for refusing to make same-sex wedding cakes, labeling those individuals and activists who are trying to force them to do so as ”Nazis” who are using “bullying” tactics.

Jesse Bartholomew uploaded a two-minute video to his Facebook page earlier this month, expressing his frustration with some of his fellow gays and lesbians who have gone after bakers who decline to make cakes for gay ceremonies.

 The clip came just days after it was announced that Oregon bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of Sweetcakes by Melissa, would be fined $135,000 for refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple.

“Hi guys, my name is Jesse and I bake wedding cakes for a living, and I cannot tell you how disgusted I am with my fellow gay and lesbian community — that they would stoop so low as to force someone to bake a cake for them who simply doesn’t agree with them,” Bartholomew said. “And before you can go and blame me and say that they have to — no, they don’t have to. They don’t have to bake a cake for you.”

Bartholomew, who did not explicitly name the Kleins, went on to explain that wedding cakes cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, and questioned why gays and lesbians would want to pay that much money to make someone bake a cake against their will.

“Are you stupid? That is your personal piece of your wedding. Your guests eat that,” he said. “That cake is involved in your photos. That cake is taken in your mouth, and you eat it in your stomach.”

Bartholomew went on to accuse some of bullying — and worse.

“There’s no other bakers out there?” he rhetorically asked. “It’s plain and simple: you are bullying someone, you are forcing someone, you are being a Nazi and forcing someone to bake a damn wedding cake for you when there are hundreds of other gays and lesbians that would gladly have your business. Shame on you.”

— theblaze.com, “Are you stupid?”: Gay baker lashes out at his fellow gays and lesbians for “bullying” Christian bakers who declined to make same-sex wedding cake, Billy Hallowell, 20 July 2015

Be careful, Jessie, the PC fascists are going to come after you and try to make you get your mind right, but I do pray that God will protect you from them

The left can never tolerate resistance to it’s tyranny, that is why they resort to death camps, to gulags, and to ridicule and bullying.  If they tolerated dissent their agenda would receive proper scrutiny and therefore would never be implemented.

though control
 No one who came to Jesus in humility seeking His mercy was ever turned away, while those who came to him in their arrogant self-righteousness were immediately denounced.
 The self-righteous left may enjoy some successes in bullying Christians and intimidating them into silence in this day but they will never succeed against Jesus Himself.  In that day, when they have to stand in His presence, He will point to the Holy Bible and inform them that His Word has condemned them and they will be reminded of every opportunity which they had to repent and accept Him as their Savior and which they rejected.  Then they will be told “You’ve made your choices, depart from Me and make your abode with the demons.”
  Today is the day to make sure you are in full obedience to Jesus, The Christ.  Today is the day to let Him begin to equip you for Heaven.  Tomorrow may be too late.