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Your salvation is not based on 'what' you believe... , but on WHO you believe/trust more than yourself – namely: God!
As Daniel in the lions' den, and Jonah in the whale's belly: no threatening circumstance has the power to intimidate a believer! |
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| The Lord Jesus said to His followers "I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the Enemy, and nothing shall hurt you." |
Luke 10:19. |
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— So, the one who lives in personal fellowship with God, and accordingly reflects His attitude toward other believers, is NEVER a victim of circumstance! — |
But please note: the
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world does NOT love you — even if you are a 'celebrity'.
| So this is recorded of Jesus (John 2:23-25) for our practical instruction today – |
"Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast,
many believed in His name when they saw the signs that He was doing.
But Jesus on His part did not entrust Himself to them*, because He knew all people
and needed no one to bear witness about man[kind], for He Himself knew what was in man[kind]." |
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So human nature is
never to be trusted |
| Trust must be earned! |
| *cf. Luke 22:36. |
But respect is owed, always,
unconditionally, to all as
being the first step of love. |
| Why Are My Prayers Not Answered? |
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A brief answer to an often perplexing problem, suffered by many. |
| Why Does God Allow It? |
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The innocent suffer and injustice is perpetrated. WHY? |
| The Four Jerusalem Works of Jesus |
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The ETERNAL COVENANT implemented in its awesome four-fold richness – as given for all in Jesus Christ! |
Being Human as God Intended! |
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The original intention of your Creator concerning you as was demonstrated in Jesus. |
| When shame becomes GLORY! |
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Three examples which clearly demonstrate how God, your God, is! |
| Why Pride is Bad for the Proud |
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A brief look at the methodology of God's compassion toward the Proud. |
| The Security of a True Believer |
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The basis and sign of the eternal spiritual security of a born-again believer. |
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| Abraham's Three Days of Pain |
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Why would God instruct him to kill(?) his own son and burn him(?) as a worship-sacrifice? |
←A vital lesson for us! |
The two essential 'legs' for walking in this world, for a truly fulfilling walk in this oft difficult and confusing 'journey of life' are: 1. be aware; and 2. care! |
See: Common 'Christian' Fallacies |
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A Hundred-and-Fifty common 'Christian' fallacies/myths refuted from the Bible. Be blessed into thinking anew. |
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. . . Dialogue with an Agnostic |
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. . . Thinkers only . . . please. |
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. . . What Do You Worship? |
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Extract from the 2005 speech of eminent writer and professor David Foster Wallace before his suicide. |
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Understanding the Bible |
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How to understand this Book of Books as it was meant to be understood. |
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Don't Underestimate God |
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God communicates at the level of the recipient of His communication. |
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| Does your scale of values sync with God? He values people, and their relationships with each other, more, far more, than any accuracy of religious doctrine/dogma! |
:: So remember that, to approach God in prayer about a particular person, means first sharing God's own heart-attitude toward that same person ::
With God — No one, absolutely no-one, is simply a statistic! — Not even you, especially YOU! |
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The Purpose of God with Us |
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The perspective of Jesus in four specific steps – to the meaning of it all ... |
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The Essence of Marriage |
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When is a marriage a marriage? With a short history of its human law. |
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ON A PLANET SET AS
SEED-PLOT |
| OF THE UNIVERSE |
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| God's Mind on Marriage |
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As brilliantly defined in the first three chapters of Genesis. |
| Fake Christianity Today |
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A very brief description of a deceptive modern worldwide trend. |
| Why Am I Not Healed? |
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A realization through personal wrestling in the light of Scripture. |
| Elisha son of Shaphat |
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God's amazing faithfulness, illustrated by the dead Elisha's bones. |
| The Destruction of Death — A very short poem of the change Jesus accomplished for all His people forever. |
| The Lord Jesus Christ said, and it is written for our sake today – |
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Applicable to all,
without exception,
IF
you are a Christian! |
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"I am the true Vine [the source] – and My Father is the Vinedresser [in charge].
Every [true] branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away [premature death*],
and
every branch that does bear fruit He prunes [activities/interests that don't fit your future], that it may bear more fruit...
I am the Vine; you are the branches [i.e. remember the relationship].
Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." |
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*(1 John 5:16;
1 Corinthians 5:6; 11:30)
John 15:1-2, 5. |
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When Is 'Confession' A Sin? |
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A much misapplied practice, with sometimes extremely tragic results...! |
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| Expectation is not faith! |
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Faith goes far beyond expectation ... for faith goes beyond understanding! |
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| When Is Anger Holy? |
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Yes, ...when? |
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| The Phinehas Feeling |
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The primary motivation for truly Christian behaviour. |
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| The Danger of Grace |
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God's Grace can be dangerous! |
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| The Man Who Hears |
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Briefest 3-point description of the fulfilled life. |
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The Encouragement |
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The encouragement of Joseph and Mary at the point of their need!. |
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The Neglected Child |
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A perspective on David who set the stage for Israel's future, which demonstrates God's ways! |
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Equality before God |
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As unambiguously defined by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Christians in Rome. |
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It Seemed So Right |
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"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death" |
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| Some Good Words |
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Brief words in the Spirit on various issues. |
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The authority of the Bible – how do we know it is fully inspired by God? |
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Moses' Depression |
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Can depression and despair really be the beginning of new things? ...YES... ...! |
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A Basket of FAITH |
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A mother's vivid message to us today — that God more than honours feelingless-faith. |
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Self-Centredness |
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It's an instinct in all nature, so how could it be wrong and why? |
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Death Destroyed |
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A very very short poem on the nature of Christ's resurrection for us. |
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Snake-Wise |
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The essential four faces of wisdom for personal practical success in this life. |
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Why Fast? |
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The essencial reason why the Bible teaches fasting for believers. |
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Sexuality |
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Biological and psychological as it really is! |
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Terah |
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How the father of Abraham started so well – but failed to follow through – as a warning to us all today! |
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One of my heroes of history is the French singer Edith Piaf, born on a city sidewalk from a prostitute mother
handed by the police to the mother's mother, who did not know that she ran the local brothel,
She is the singer of "Non Je Ne Regrette Rien" who's life demonstrated overcoming the odds to triumph!
Later, taken by her father, when old enough to walk, who was a circus performer, with no home, she slept in his suitcase as he travelled.
I visited her grave in Paris and it was always covered with flowers from the people whose lives she had touched, regardless of her personal circumstance! |
| The Lord Jesus Christ |
said:"All things are possible for one who believes/trusts in [God]..." |
Mark 9:23 |
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"BUT seek first the reign of God and His justice, and all these things [ food, drink, clothing] will be added to you."
"ζητειτε δε πρωτον την βασιλειαν του θεου και την δικαιοσυνην αυτου και ταυτα παντα προστεθησεται υμιν" |
Matthew 6:33 |
Christians,
If you are an active Christian and live in a country whose authorities are hostile to Christianity, use discretion in your communications with the help of IPVanish
or of Windscribe |
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please note that in any supernatural communication received, its principle characteristic verifies its origin –
| IF PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTIC |
→ |
THEN ITS SOURCE |
| Relationship |
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Spirit of God |
| Authority |
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Angel of God |
| Logic |
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Demonic |
Remember: – to Eve it seemed so logical (Genesis 3:5); and – to Jesus Christ the Bible was even quoted to Him (Matthew 4:6). |
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Every human being was created in the beginning (in God's design of Adam and Eve) to be a representative 'image of God' (which is restored in Jesus Christ) |
and has been called (by God's Gift of His Spirit at Pentecost through Jesus) to represent God truly in all things just as Jesus did, as God's Spirit may choose for each believer. |
| If you are a Christian, remember: in the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus left His shoes behind for us to walk in them... |
Can your heart
sing this also?
Especially
concerning your
fellow Christians
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Of the congregation of Christ — |
Remember also
the martyrdom
of Серге́й
Леонидович
Магнитский
(Segei Magnitsky)
because
he refused to lie. |
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"I love this family of God |
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So closely knitted into one. |
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They've taken me into their heart |
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And I'm so glad to be a part |
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Of this great Family" |
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If you live
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in a region where you fear the possibility of a nuclear attack, no matter how unlikely —
| please note that a nuclear explosion has three quick stages: the flash; the shock wave; the radiation: |
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1. For the flash, which sets alight anything that burns, you should cover all windows with reflective aluminium foil;
2. For the shock wave, the lowest profile possible, and an underground cellar is good;
3. For the radiation a similar precaution applies. |
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In contrast, please avoid the bias and deliberate slanting in the United States' Fox News reporting and even the occasional false report, such as recently –
'no-go zones' in Paris where non-Muslims and even police are afraid to go – in its reaction to the tragic Charlie Hebdo attack. |
| And with regard to |
Fox* News' emotive Facebook poll at Christmas 2011 on "Who Killed Jesus?" by their Latin America division (National Geographic Cable TV Christmas special), which allowed only one of three possible answers, namely: |
*the media source which
betrayed Stephen Kim |
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(A) Pontius Pilate – (B) Jewish People – or (C) High Priests,
and for which Fox News and National Geographic has since apologised for the upset it caused to the 'Jewish lobby' (only).
It would have helped Fox News' employees and its owners to know that the answer to that question had already been given to us by Jesus the Christ of God Himself, and it was not one of these three, namely –
| "I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord." |
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John 10:17-18. |
| This is why |
He died before either of the two who were crucified with Him on either side; and |
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| this is why |
the professional execution squad were so surprised at His death that they even stuck a spear in His side to check if He was really dead. |
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— Jesus was no victim of anyone's behaviour! —
| Of the six hours in which the holy Christ of God hung naked and nailed to a cross beside a public highway, |
it was specifically during His last three hours on that cross,
[between the darkness of that noon – and – His "τελέω" cry (of 'It has been completed!')]
that the sinless Christ of God turned the horrific crime of His nation's leaders against Him into
| A HOLY AND SACRIFICIAL ATONEMENT FOR ALL BEFORE GOD ALMIGHTY. |
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The value of His atonement is infinite (i.e. not limited to an elect group) – because He, who is by His nature as creator of all (Colossians 1:16) intrinsically eternal and infinite,
voluntarily limited Himself in love to our finiteness to demonstrate human obedience and so therefore became an infinite substitute under God's judgement for all that ever displeases God. |
