Bible

Idle Hands

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“The Devil finds work for idle hands to do”

A well-known phrase featured in Proverbs 16:27

It seems the enemy knows our weaknesses. Mine was consuming lustful video after video

After being freed from that addiction, I promptly sorted out Christian videos

I considered it an improvement for a while, but all too soon, I became just as addicted with the unwelcome help of Google Analytics

Along with Facebook Feed, video recommendations are selected, ranked and delivered to you by an AI system

Between the two powerful platforms, I now realise I have fallen for the enemy trap of false work, which has distracted me from writing posts and reading the Bible every day

I therefore ask for prayers, as I will ask for forgiveness

That I will regain control of the use of my time for the glory of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

The depth of darkness

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Inspired by a YouTube Praise video

I love to watch praise videos, mostly through YouTube. In recent years, Facebook has also allowed videos to be uploaded, even those that have been linked from YouTube

Having watched and been uplifted by many praise videos, I quite often scroll down to read the comments, while all Christians offer their own praise and thanks to the person who uploaded the video

There always seem to be other viewers (non-believers) who delight in criticising all too often

There are many forms of darkness, not just the darkness of the night. One of the deepest darkness is depression, which wraps itself around your life force and sucks all the joy out of your very being

Dragging you downwards into a spiral of self-criticism, self-doubt, along with self-pity, which uses our own weaknesses against us

Clouding our vision so we begin only seeing the lies of the darkness, exaggerating even our smallest faults and allowing them to grow into nightmarish monsters

 Much of the darkness inflicted upon us can be beyond our control, while some are self-inflicted because they offer false pleasure but become easily addictive

The enemy weaves such a web of deceit all around us; we can so easily become trapped as a fly stuck fast upon its sticky strands. We soon grow weaker through the struggle and succumb to its power over us until we accept the situation as a normal part of life

Since the fall, we seem to have bodies and minds that are far short of what they should be, and our children become affected by the sins of their parents

Many modern people view the commandments as outdated and even unfair, considering it unreasonable for God to expect us to adhere to all of His strict rules.

Uncontrollable anger rages – a sense of hopelessness, self-doubt, self-pity, and perhaps the worst of all, self-indulgence

This we shrug off with excuses, “I’m only human”, “You have to have some pleasure in life”

But deep in our hearts, we know that self-indulgence will lead us into more self-centred behaviour, blocking out our ability to see our desperate need for salvation before we can help others

Whatever darkness threatens to engulf us, let us pierce with praise, that we be freed from the enemy’s clutches, and help and pray for each other to become free through the grace of Jesus Christ

Anger the Contagious Fire

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AI Created "Anger the Contagious Fire"

I write this post not to boast, but to expose my weakness and to hopefully help others who may also struggle with the flame of Anger

I have noticed lately that although the amount of patience has increased due to the number of problems that require patience

Someone else’s frustration has led to anger, leapt across even the smallest spark that ignited to become anger the contagious fire, without realising how quickly and easily it spreads

At one time my own vanity sparked anger, in my arrogates I thought my gift would please who I had bought it for, but when it was rejected

My anger was swiftly ignited and I reacted with uncalled-for insults, and justly reprimanded

Which led me to humbly apologise for my outburst of self-righteous behaviour

Since then, several times I have struggled not to allow someone else anger to ignite the consuming fire of anger, instead allow love and patience to snuff out any spark

Lies and More Lies

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First the author of lies and how he deceived Eve

Satan’s first lie “Did God really say you could not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?

“You will not surely die,” the serpent told her.

“For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

More recent lies

Then there are lies told through the internet

“The Bible is a bunch of fairy stories”

Next: The all-time favourite with atheists “There is No God”

 “Jesus is Gay” This lie started circulating many years ago, even before Woke gained attention

“Jesus was gay” Because all of his followers were men” Recently a TikTok user added that phrase to his awful video, attempting to promote the Gay LBQ+ community

(That is Not true Jesus also had a large number of female disciples

Mary Magdalene a former prostitute became a follower

Mary the mother of Jesus travelled with Him throughout His short ministry

Yet more lies

Jesus is portrayed as Korean, a Black man with dreadlocks, as an Indigenous Māori with a full-faced tattoo The most bizarre lie is that Jesus was portrayed as a dark-skinned Woman!

Jesus was just a prophet and He did not die on the cross, it was a substituted man who died in place of Jesus 

Jesus was just another dying and risen God (The theme line of the atheist film

Where they listed other mythical gods from other religions

They claimed all these gods were born of a virgin

In short, this film claimed Jesus was a carbon copy of all these gods

(Whereas not one of the claims had any truth in them)

Woke based lies

“I am my own god I create my own reality”

“God made me this way” based on a excuse for homosexuals & lesbians

Bible Reading Update

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Having finished reading the lifetime of Moses a little while back

I felt sympathy towards Moses after a lifetime of service for God, he was denied entrance into the promised land.

Perhaps this was God’s way of demonstrating the need for the perfect saviour as the only way anyone would be allowed in Heaven.

Moving onwards into the book of Joshua, unlike Moses I knew very little about Joshua

Apart from the Sunday school song “Joshua and the Battle of Jericho” only to find out Joshua went on to conquer many other cities by the sword, unlike his Jericho victory.

Reading later on how Joshua went on to divide the conquered cities for all the tribes of the Lord

I must confess to skipping some of the numerous listed tribes and the lands they were given

I know I must persist in reading His Holy Word daily, even though family life is demanding

Shall I keep reporting my progress, or not?

Perhaps I need to write about other things too?  

Moved into Deuteronomy

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My Bible reading is admittedly a slow progress.

Nevertheless, it came as a surprise that I had finished Numbers.

Poor Moses had a really difficult time with the children of Israel

Having been unexpectedly chosen by God to lead the children of Israel out of slavery

From the land of Egypt to the promised land God instructed Moses about

After many times Moses requested the Pharaoh to let his people go, finally, the Pharaoh gave in and told Moses to take his people out of his sight

Even after they had all left and headed to the Red Sea, the Pharaoh pursued intent to capture them all to increase their slavery and punishment hardships

The people were full of fear and began to doubt God and distrust Moses as a leader.

This process continued even though Moses always spoke to God on behalf of the children of Israel

Despite their continually being dissatisfied and crumbling, God directed them to the promised land

With reluctance and stubbornness, they finally entered into the promised land

All except Moses who was denied entrance to the much-awaited paradise of milk and honey

While there will be another Moses, there is no shortage of people who have wandered far from God to the extent of denying His very presence

Being boastful and proud, wilfully exulting themselves as little gods, so blinded by their sinful nature they view themselves as good people

This leaves anyone who has been born again, being slowly transformed into a true Christian

Each one of us finds ourselves becoming a Moses-type seeker of the lost and attempting to show them they are sinners in desperate need of forgiveness.

All those lost ignore or ridicule and mock all Christians whenever they try to shine the light and gently guide them back to our loving Saviour

  

The Old Testament

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Fairly recently I began reading the Old Testament

Right back to Genesis “In the beginning”

I have to admit I have struggled with not just with names I find it hard to pronounce

But also, with God repeating things already said especially when He spoke to Moses’ instructions for the people he led out of Egypt

It seems more likely the reparations were for His stubborn people

As they often misunderstood or frequently ignored instructions

Humans in these modern days despite all our technical advances are no better at following instructions

I know that is true of me, I’m always too eager to use new things without reading the instruction manual.

Back to my Bible reading progress, I plodded on through Exodus onto Leviticus, and a little way into Numbers.

There are little footnotes at the bottom of the Evidence Bible, which I bought through Living Water Ray Comfort

This was a replacement for the King Charles III Bible, that used for many years, as it had a useful concordance, but the size of the print became a problem, as well as the antiquated language  

The Original Story Book Author

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God is the author and the Bible is the storybook, which full of true events

More than this the Bible is a Love story from God

In story form about many ordinary people who God choose to make extraordinary

While there are many who view the Bible as a bunch of fairy stories, especially atheists

But of course, they do so as this allows them to also discount there being a Heavenly Farther God

Whereas if they acknowledged they would also have to accept the Bible as His living word

Along with the Ten Comments which would expose them as sinners in need of a savior

Which would no doubt be too distasteful to their ego and self-worth

The have been many great writers throughout history including William Shakespeare

Who coined the phrase “The world is but a stage, and we are merely actors” as part of the monologue the pastoral comedy As You Like It

Perhaps there was some truth in that phrase, as each person featured in the Bible lived life through the
passages of the Holy Scriptures

Not knowing the direction their lives would take but they were willing to trust God even when events did not go the way they would have chosen

His word is a light in our darkness, hope in our hopelessness

A joy in our sorrow, and inspiration when we lank and allow ourselves to sink in the mire of despair

Praise God the author and creator of all things, the seen and unseen

What a Crazy World

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“What a Crazy World We’re Living In”

Back in the days when this song was a smash hit sung by Joe Brown, which was the theme tune of the film of the same name

Despite the words about the crazy world, compared to this modern-day. Life in the 60s was SANE

The year 2020 will go down in history or at least it should, not because it unfolded into the most amazing and stunning year full of wonderful opportunities to become great or famous or wealthy

Rather it was the year COVID-19 went worldwide along with many lockdowns restrictions including self-isolate and stay-at-home recommendations

 Then came the big advice push for everyone to get vaccinated as well as the constant updates of increasing deaths, causing widespread panic

Later on, causing unwelcomed division between those vaccinated and those unvaccinated

As if the continuation of the virus and all it entailed through the following years was enough to contend with, as a Christian I have noticed that Christianity and all those who believed were attacked from many directions.

Note: I realize this process has been a long and slow process, but attacks on the Christian faith seemed to have increased with every passing year

Atheists spread intentional lies with the use of video, causing doubts including divided opinions about faith doctrines and many churches became empty as many believers left.

The increasing pressure on Christianity from the rest of the world to embrace the LGBTIQ+ “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse, intersex and queer” communities

While all members of the LGBTIQ+ now enjoy a whole month of “Pride “which includes continuing freedom of speech for all their members, Christians are labelled bigots and homophobic for expressing their faith (exercising their freedom of speech)

As part of the LGBTIQ+ movement, same-sex marriages have not only been made legal but enforced churches to comply even though this goes against the Christian belief

As a former slave to sin freed and saved by Grace I make no apologies for sharing the teaching of the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I do so out of concern and love

Some countries have banned Christians from going to their country or enforced laws preventing Christian’s freedom of speech and banning the Bible from being taken into their country

The Taboo Subject of Masturbation

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Written as my personal warning to all Christian believers, as you can’t serve two masters

While my chosen subject to write about might seem strange to include the many Christian based posts, while masturbation is considered to be normal and as a way a healthy way to learn about your body

Although masturbation is not directly mentioned a sin in the Bible, it can become addictive and lead a person into sexual sins.

As it did with me, in my young and innocent school days still unaware of the pleasure or the addictiveness. Another boy who sat next to me.

Exposed and fondled my penis, whether it was pleasurable or not I’m unable to remember, although I used this unexpected experience as an excuse to indulge myself for far too many years.

When around 13 I became aware of sexual stimulation brought on by looking at black & white photographic images of scantily clothed ladies

Within a newspaper my father bought, and I began secretly collecting the pages with those images, later on adding other exposing images.

These were page 3 of the Sun newspaper, the ladies wore far less clothing, as my collection grew so did my lustful nature and an increase of masturbation.

Later on in life I was able to buy what was classed as soft porn magazines, then hard porn videos

All of this was way before the internet along with the birth of online porn, which lead to a far deeper lustful addiction

Only after far too many years I understood the need to die to myself, another subject I will write about next time

But for now I have included a praise worship video from India, to remind us all the need to pray and praise

So much for Richard Dawkins suggesting, that if you we born in a different country you would believe in a different god, and not the god of the Bible

Image courtesy of Lift up Your Eyes
https://markjerde.wordpress.com/2021/09/28/more-quoted-photos-95/