Grace

 

I have been thinking about the term “grace” a lot lately.  According to Dictionary.com, the word has several different meanings.  When I went to that site today, the “word of the day” happened to be “hedonism.”  How ironic…

Word Origin and History for grace

n.

late 12c., “God’s favor or help,” from Old French grace “pardon, divine grace, mercy; favor, thanks; elegance, virtue” (12c.), from Latin gratia “favor, esteem, regard; pleasing quality, good will, gratitude” (source of Italian grazia, Spanish gracia), from gratus “pleasing, agreeable,” from PIE root *gwere- “to favor” (cf. Sanskrit grnati “sings, praises, announces,” Lithuanian giriu “to praise, celebrate,” Avestan gar- “to praise

According to Blue Letter Bible.com, the word “grace” appears in the NKJV 143 times in 137 verses.

My concern in this post is about the grace of God. Nave’s topical Bible shares general scriptures concerning the grace of God, including some that help in the growth in the grace of God. [Note: if you click on that link and hover your cursor over the Bible verse, a box pops up to reveal the entire verse.]

It is difficult to pick a favorite, but for today’s purposes I chose these verses:

Romans 5:15-21 (KJV) 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Those verses contain the term “grace” five times, and shares the gospel message!  That passage of Scripture explains why Jesus Christ is the only way unto salvation!

We are meant to continue to grow in grace! And, how do we do that? Through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

2Pe 3:18 KJV – 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 

Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton gives an update on the Obama Spying Scandal, Seth Rich murder investigation. [See Updates in Comments!]

Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton gives an update on the Obama Spying Scandal, Seth Rich murder, and the Adam Schiff ethics scandal. Judicial Watch’s Youtube page.

These are just a few of the current scandals that the media of mass deception [MOMD] would rather not report on.  And, in fact, the MOMD and their operatives in the DNC are actively attempting to keep these scandals out of their news reports!

Reuters and the Washington Post (inadvertently) published evidence of Obama spying on the Trump campaign (due to court ruling that proved that Obama broke the law doing this).  However, when you read the article that wasn’t their real intention!

Excerpt From The Last Refuge post:

What this Reuters and Washington Post story actually does is prove the Obama Administration was spying on the Trump campaign.  That’s the explosive angle to the story.

It’s not the nothingburger report that Jared or anyone else was trying to set up communication lines that matters – the real story is Reuters and the Washington Post proving that Obama was spying on conversations about setting up those lines of communication.

As always, it remains to be seen how many more news outlets will share this important story!

The Seth Rich murder case is another story that the DNC operatives are desperate to hide!  For more information (thanks to Gateway Pundit’s investigative journalism) read the links below.

~ Christine

*******

Posts on other blogs to read.

Obama Spying Scandal:

Court Ruling – President Obama Broke Law With FISA Warrant Spying on Americans…

Reuters/Washington Post Publish Evidence of Obama Spying on Trump Campaign and Unmasking Americans…

Seth Rich Murder Investigation:

BOOM!! Kim Dot.Com DROPS BOMBSHELL! — SETH RICH LEAKED DNC EMAILS TO WIKILEAKS

EXPLOSIVE REVELATION: HIGH-RANKING DNC REP ATTEMPTED TO STOP DETECTIVE INVESTIGATING SETH RICH MURDER

DNC, Media and John Podesta Block Discussion of Seth Rich’s Murder… Even Using ‘Bots’ to Trash Hannity on Rich Coverage

SHARYL ATTKISSON: Pressure from Sponsors to Drop News Stories Like Seth Rich Is “Dangerous New Development” (Video)

NOW: Spokesman in Seth Rich Case Brad Bauman Tied to Media Matters’ David Brock

My question:  If there is nothing to hide about the murder of Seth Rich, then why is the DNC and their ilk trying so desperately to halt any further investigation on the death of one of their own former Clinton campaign operatives?

Tom Fitton: “Why the double standard?” against Rep. Devin Nunes by Democrats Why hasn’t the ethics committee investigated the substantial concerns that Adam Schiff may have leaked classified information?

Hat tips to all links.

Update!

Sometimes it pays to read the comments at links posted and get bombshell information like the following!

Hidden Americans: BREAKING: Wikileaks Emails Ties The Podesta Brothers To The Doctor Who Oversaw Seth Rich Before He Died

Informative comments:

Krackabich ✓ ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ • 3 days ago

Investigators found more than 44,000 emails and almost 18,000 attachments between DNC leaders from January 2015 to May 2016 were sent by Rich to Gavin MacFayden, a reporter and WikiLeaks director who is now dead.

joe > Krackabich ✓ ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ • 3 days ago

Bingo! How correct you are. Unfortunately here is how the liberal indoctrinated MSM works. Tonight while busy cooking dinner after my 10 hour shift I was watching ( again unfortunately ) the NBC Nightly News. They did their part to bash Hannity and FOX News and talk about the so called “fake news” that’s right they used the term “fake news” and “conspiracy theory” to describe the claims that Seth was in contact with Wikileaks. Thing is, the MSM uses double speak in order to brainwash their viewers by telling lies while not technically telling any lies. The talking head on NBC said that the Washington D.C. Police department stated that after viewing the content of the hard drive of Seths laptop they have concluded that there was NO communications between Seth Rich and Wikileaks. Therein lies the double speak.

I recall reading an article covering an interview with Julian Assange explaining exactly HOW Wikileaks works and gains access to the information it receives. Julian made it clear that Wikileaks is only a “clearinghouse” for information gathered from sources by third party organizations that are NOT part of the Wikileaks organization. He made it CLEAR that Wikileaks usually does not GATHER any of the information themselves but rather relies on independent third party sources to submit findings and documents to them AFTER the third party themselves have already thoroughly vetted the information and find it acceptable to present to Wikileaks. Then Wikileaks people take that information and put it through their own vetting processes.

Therefore when the talking head at NBC says ( on national television ) that the DC Police said there was “no evidence of any contact BETWEEN SETH RICH AND WIKILEAKS” he is not actually lying now is he?

Seth turned what he had over to a third party who was working to gather information to forward on to Wikileaks so “no contact between Seth Rich and Wikileaks”.

This my friends is a perfect example of how the MSM operates.

Krackabich ✓ ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ > joe • 3 days ago

I believe you’ve got it correct. Now either the FBI or the local police are hiding the laptop.

joe > Krackabich ✓ ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ • 3 days ago

And if Hillary were commenting on this her response would be “At this point, what difference does it make?”

See how easy it is? Since according to the DC Police Department “there was no contact between Seth Rich and Wikileaks” ( using the MSM doublespeak angle here )

 

A commenter ending with a prayer:

jainphx • 3 days ago

So much evidence! So many smoking guns, and yet they, for now, still have the power to blunt any or all investigations by threats or actual deeds. Who was it that Podesta said needed to be made an example of? We had two very substantial deaths at the time. Oh LORD I pray you rid us of these people and give those of us that seek thy face an answer to our prayers.

How Can We Distinguish Between Deception and Truth?

The current onslaught of the “fake news” meme today can often be confusing.  How can one know whether or not an article or news report from the media is true or fake these days?

Well, Kingsjester’s Blog has a great post up today that shares the fact that almost 2/3rds of people polled believe that the media of mass deception is full of fake news.

My comment there:

Thanks for sharing this poll with your readers. I often wondered what percentage of people in our nation were falling for the made-up Trump/Russia meme. Glad to see that at least 2/3 recognize the lies of the media of mass deception!

Loved what you wrote here:

At the rate that these stories are being debunked, most Americans have accurately surmised that the MSM’s “anonymous sources” are the voices inside their own over-sized heads.

Sad…but true! And it made me laugh, too!

Did you see (or hear) President Trump’s commencement speech at Liberty University? It was wonderful! I loved how he included that the naysayers in life should be ignored and that the students should never, ever give up on their goals!

I actually feel sorry for the snowflakes in the liberal universities and colleges that are having their heads filled with progressive propaganda. I pray that someone will share the truth of the written Word of the Bible and the “peace that surpasses all understanding,” the Living Word, Jesus Christ with them.

*******

The following is a portion of a post that was shared back in 2013 at my former blog.  It holds true even more today, as the perpetuation of lies has increased even more since that post was written!  The question isn’t really “what” can help you distinguish between deception and truth.  The question (and ultimately the answer) is Who can help you do this!

 

~ Christine

Deception Can Cause Many to Suffer
The Bible has a lot to say about deception.  This post will not be totally comprehensive about the subject of deception and/or deceiving people.  However, it will give us some insight into the machinations of this type of evil and what it tragically often leads to in this fallen world.

Deceit (a.k.a. dishonesty, lying, tricking) is a tool used by people in order to accomplish certain outcomes in which they desire to reap power, monetary gain, fame, tyranny over others, and a whole host of other reasons.  The ability to “get away with it” in a world of disinformation runs rampant.  People don’t know what to believe anymore.  They are so conditioned to believe what they are told on the news.  But, what if the “news” being reported is not the truth?  What if many are being told to lie to us?  What if they are “programmed” to trick us into believing even the most bizarre event(s) ever seen by mankind; just because the ignorant and uninformed continue to trust them?

People who are propped up as being “dignified” and “above the fray” are often the very same individuals who deceive the most.  Getting away with dishonesty is easy when so many others are either mesmerized by a popular (but deceptive) individual and thus miss the fact that such a popular person is actually complicit in the lies being perpetrated.

The Bible informs us just who is called the deceiver.

Read Revelation 12:1-9.

However, the key Bible verse is:

This great dragon–the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world–was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.  (Revelation 12:9)

We can see that the Bible describes Satan as the deceiver.  The devil is not some cartoon character or made up entity.  He was originally an angel of God whose pride made him corrupt.  The name Satan means “adversary” or “accuser” (12:10).

As 1 Peter 5:8-9 informs us, Satan actively looks for people to attack.  He especially likes to seek out believers who may be young in the faith, vulnerable in some way, or not involved in fellowship with other believers.

Despite the fact that God allows (due to Adam and Eve’s choice to do evil in the Garden of Eden) the devil to do his work in the world, God is still in control.

Unbelievers often try to mock Christians for their beliefs.  They hate Christ and try to diminish the fact that Jesus has complete power over Satan.  This was demonstrated during Christ’s three-year ministry on the earth.  Scripture tells us that when Jesus was tempted by Satan, Christ used Scripture to send him away.  Only the Word of God was needed to make Satan flee!!   That is an important fact to remember!

You may or may not know (or believe) that when Jesus died for the sins of mankind and rose from the dead, it was at that moment that Satan’s future was doomed and Jesus has the keys to heaven where he goes to create mansions in eternity for believers.  Revelation 20:10 tells us that one day Satan will be bound forever, never again to do his evil work. (1)

Next, read John 8:42-47.

The key Bible verse:

You are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does.  He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth.  There is no truth in him.  When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.  (John 8:44)

[Notice that] Jesus called Satan the father of lies.  The attitudes and actions of these leaders clearly identified them as follower of Satan.  They may not have been conscious of this, but their hatred of truth, their lies, and their murderous intentions indicated how much control the devil had over them.  They were his tools in carrying out his plans; they spoke the very same language of lies.  Satan still uses people to obstruct God’s work (Genesis 4:8; Romans 5:12; 1 John 3:12). (2)

From the John 8:44 verse, we learn that lying “is consistent with his (the Devil’s) character.”  Satan was “a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth.”  There is “no truth in him.”  What’s even more disturbing is the realization that the “children of your father, the Devil, love to do the evil things he does.”

The Devil can have much control over the un-saved.  They can become “his tools in carrying out his plans.”  They speak “the very same language of lies.”  Also, see the Bible verses that describe how Satan uses people to obstruct God’s work.

No wonder Jesus told us that He is the truth! Christ informs us that God’s Word is Truth!   And the “truth will set you (us) free!”

People will lie, deceive, hurt and murder others because they hate the truth (Jesus Christ).  There is no truth in them, and they LOVE to do the evil things that Satan does.

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but when I see what is going on in this world of lies, deceit, sin, evil and death, I sometimes shake my head in disbelief that others don’t recognize that they are being lied to and so heavily deceived!!  However, when I delve back into God’s Word, I realize that we have been warned of this.  Deception is exponentially getting worse because we are heading closer and closer towards the end times.

So, we might ask what happens when we deceive others?

Bible reading:  Luke 8:16-18

Key Bible verse:

Everything that is hidden or secret will eventually be brought to light and made plain to all. (Luke 8:17)

We cannot hide our sins from God.  In God’s eyes, people’s hearts–their thoughts and motives–are as visible as a lamp mounted in the open.  No matter how hard we try to cover up bad attitudes, deeds, or words, we cannot deceive God.  Instead of hiding our faults, we should ask God to change our life so we no longer have to be ashamed.  If you are trying to hide anything from God, it won’t work.  Only when you confess your hidden sins and seek God’s forgiveness will you have the help you need to do right. (3)

The only way to avoid falling prey to deceit is to ask God to help you distinguish between deception and truth.

Keep on praying, America!

Keep on reading and studying the Bible on a daily basis!

Psa 119:160

The entirety of Your word [is] truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments [endures] forever.

 

Jhn 17:17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.  – Jesus Christ

References:

1 The Handbook of Bible Application, Second Edition, 2000, Neil S. Wilson Editor, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois. p. 135 (paraphrased).

2 Ibid. (quote)

3 Ibid. (quote)

The Last Refuge Blog: Harvard Media Study Finds Trump Derangement Syndrome is Very Real…

Most thinking and discerning Americans already knew that President Trump has been bombarded (unfairly…I might add!) with harsh, negative coverage by the media of mass deception!  However, when a Harvard Media study is released that shows proof of this propaganda-led deceptive coverage, the unnecessary hatred being spewed by these awful people, masquerading as news reporters,  becomes crystal clear!

Via The Last Refuge blog:

A deep and well researched study from Harvard University finds the media coverage of President Trump is jaw-droppingly negative.

[…]  Trump’s coverage during his first 100 days was negative even by the standards of today’s hyper-critical press. Studies of earlier presidents found nothing comparable to the level of unfavorable coverage afforded Trump. (link)

Hat tip: The Last Refuge blog

Compare that study to this study about negative coverage of President Trump vs. former presidents:

Looking For a Scholarly Voice of Reason?

My answer?  Yes!  I know that I have been looking for someone to rise above all the rancor currently being spewed via the media of mass deception!  I think I have found such a person!

Victor Davis Hanson

Excerpt:

The Republican Party establishment is caught in an existential paradox.

Without Donald Trump’s populist and nationalist 2016 campaign, the GOP likely would not have won the presidency. Nor would Republicans now enjoy such lopsided control of state legislatures and governorships, as well as majorities in the House and Senate, and likely control of the Supreme Court for a generation.

So are conservatives angry at or indebted to the apostate Trump for helping them politically in a way they previously could not help themselves?

For a similar sense of the paradox, imagine if a novice outsider such as billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban had captured the Democratic nomination and then won the presidency — but did not run on either Bernie Sanders’ progressive redistributionism, Barack Obama’s identity politics or Hillary Clinton’s high taxes and increased regulation. Would liberals be happy, conflicted or seething?

For now, most Republicans are overlooking Trump’s bothersome character excesses — without conceding that his impulsiveness and bluntness may well have contributed to his success after Republican sobriety and traditionalism failed.

 

I saw this man on Tucker Carlson Tonight, where he systematically and precisely dissected the ‘boogeyman of Russian collusion’ that Democrats and the media cling to in quest to get President Trump out of office.

It is such a shame that people are falling for the propaganda being spewed against President Trump and his administration. Personally, I have found that people who either voted for Hillary, or just hated Donald Trump from the start, absolutely REFUSE to engage in any decent type of dialogue over any and all controversies being whipped up by the deceptive leftists and all their cohorts. With people like that, it is best to just avoid the issue altogether. I rarely get into any discussions with any family members, friends, or acquaintances who are known Trump haters.  Why?  Because nothing I could say, send to them to read, or share via this blog would ever change their minds! 

Looney liberal progressivism is like a religion to the people entrenched in such ideology.  In fact, one of my former posts helps to explain that it’s a type of  “new age” cultism.  It is very difficult to break through such an ideology when you have a victim who doesn’t know (or refuses to see) that he or she has been duped.*

At least I have this blog to share my thoughts.  I am even more delighted to share some of the scholarly voices of reason who have risen above all the noise of deception nowadays, which is masquerading as “news.”

A commenter over at the Patriot Post (first link above to an article entitled “Can Trump Successfully Remodel the Republican Party?” by Hanson) summed it up quite well:

Lepantzeus • 7 days ago

Dear Prof. Hanson,

Excellent column, Sir, but as a point of digression I would say that the people you identify as ‘ Doctrinaire Republicans ‘ are, in fact, ‘ Doctrinaire Libertarians ‘. Trump represents the classic Republican Party platform. His policies are far more like those of Reagan, Eisenhower & Nixon than those of Pres(s). GH Bush and GW Bush.

Pres. Trump is correcting 27 years of policy failures by both Democrats and Republicans and reasserting the bi-partisan consensus that existed in the U.S. since Pres. Theodore Roosevelt.

It’s the far left Progressives in the Democrat Party and the far right Libertarians in the Republican Party that dislike this as it doesn’t allow for their ‘ transformational ‘ and ‘ internationalist ‘ world views and agendas. They’ve managed to drive policy making in the U.S. for the past 27 years by dominating the media. Thanks to the Patriot Post and other venues, that dominance is being challenged as is their policy preferences.

And, they’re not taking it very well. 😉 😉

Yep… what he wrote!

Hat tips to both links and commenter “Lepantzeus.”

* For those who might desire to learn the way to break free from any deceptive cult (political, religious, moral relativism or otherwise), please read this post.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Since my daughter, her husband, and their cute, precious 18-month-old daughter live 2 hours away from our home, I often ask my daughter to take short videos of Lucy so I can have my “granddaughter Lucy fix” each day.  During a brief text conversation with my daughter yesterday, she sent some hilarious videos of Lucy!  It makes me smile every time I see her on video, and especially when I see her in person!

After commenting about one of the videos I wrote, “Love you all so much!!!” my daughter wrote:

“We love you so much mama!!!  I’m so thankful for you.  I saw this and it made me think of me and you and then made me think of me and Lucy and I teared up!!”

“I realized when you look at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.”

Mitch Albom

I replied, “I’m crying now!!!  Now that you’re a mom too, you truly understand…

Just as I finished typing the above, my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter Face Timed with me!  Jenna and Lucy will be visiting for several days starting tomorrow, so I get to enjoy a much longer Mother’s Day celebration!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!  May God bless you and your families!

I am truly blessed that my 93 year old mom is still with us!  I do not know how many more years that I will get to spend with her.  Therefore, I treasure each time we speak on the phone and each visit I have with her.

May the Lord Jesus comfort you at this time if your mom is no longer here on this earth.

The promises in the Bible assure us that we will see our loved ones again in eternity, which is a much better place.

I have always found that John 14:1-3 is a very comforting promise from Jesus:

John 14:1-3 (NKJV)

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

~ Christine

The Supremacy of Christ and Your Map for Life

This post is the follow-up to my previous post entitled The Serpent’s Old Lie in an Updated Package. I suggest reading that link first.

In today’s world of “political correctness,” the title of this post would be frowned upon by those who hold to relativism – especially moral relativism. As was stated in my previous post, many people don’t like the thought of absolutes; especially when it comes to moral absolutes. They don’t like to be told what is sin and what is holy and the truth. This is one of the big reasons why Christianity, in general, and those who hold to biblical Christian faith are chastised, mocked, ridiculed, called bad names, targeted by those who don’t agree with them, and told to “just shut up and keep your religion to yourself.”

This is not new. The early churches (such as the church in Colossae) needed encouragement from the Apostle Paul, and to be assured of the preeminence of Christ. Why? Because almost immediately, those who hated and disagreed with believers in the resurrected Christ tried to squelch the spread of their faith. This is even more prevalent today! And, it’s currently a really sad state of affairs here in America.

The important thing to remember, however, is that we were told throughout Scripture that this would happen. The naysayers would attempt to belittle our faith and downplay its significance, not only here in America but around the world.  Their goal is to attack the Gospel message and those who share it.

Whenever the raging voices in the media of mass deception continue to spread lies and propaganda because they don’t like what is happening in our current government, I am reminded that administrations will come and go…but the Word of God stands forever!

In Colossians 1:9-14, Paul requests that the people “may be filled with the knowledge of His will.”

Dr. David Jeremiah’s Bible notes tell us:

The rest of the passage describes its result in the believer’s life (4:12). Knowledge alone is never enough. God’s Word must change one’s life and pattern of thinking (Romans 12:2); James 3:13), literally filling the believer’s life and motivating every area of his or her being (Phil. 1:27). Sometimes Christians fail to live by the will and Word of God because they fall prey to false teaching; others fail through neglect, neither reading the Word nor applying it.

That last paragraph describes why there are so many “Christians” who can support leftist causes (i.e. abortion, homosexual behavior and “marriage”, transgender issues, Islamism, radicalism on any and every issue, etc.) while ignoring God’s Will and His Word. The anti-Christian groups may celebrate them and their misplaced ideology, but the question remains, are they truly reconciled in Christ? To support such issues (and, often the violence that accompanies such “causes”) shows that their Christian walk is off, their work is misplaced, their wisdom  has not come from God, and probably their worship is misplaced as well.

Here’s one example.  When I see how committed and virulent abortion advocates are to their “cause” it’s unbelievable to me!  How can anyone justify killing a baby in a mother’s womb?  Yet, there are women and men who claim to be “Christians” who place the “woman’s right to choose” above the life of that innocent baby in the womb.  It’s unconscionable to me!  How could anyone be so hard-hearted?  What’s more, their attitude towards those who hold to the pro-life position is absolutely poisonous!  They are intensely bitter, violently hostile, and malicious in their verbal attacks against Christians who believe that life begins at the moment of conception.

Why are they like that?

I think that it has to do with fear.  The fear that this so-called “right” will one day be taken away.  It’s also a huge money-making deal for those in the industry, so the fear of losing millions of dollars must have a lot to do with it, too.  To them, it’s a “business” and they must not be in the least mindful of the killing of a human being in the womb.

Dr. Jeremiah writes in his Colossians 1:9,10 Bible notes:

The will of God and the wisdom of God are inseparably linked with saturation in the Word of God (Psalms 1:1, 2).  Godly wisdom is gained by studying His Word, spiritual understanding is how his children discern His will.  Both wisdom and understanding are gifts of the Spirit (spiritual); they do not come from a unspiritual or “fleshly” mind (2:18).  Such spiritual knowledge provides insight into God’s will.  However, no one can anticipate the will of a stranger.  Christians who long to discern the will of God discover it in their growing knowledge of who God is and what He wants (Ephesians 5:17; 2 Peter 3:18).

So, being unspiritual and fleshly in the mind can lead a person to think nothing of killing a baby in the womb; not to mention making money off of the horrible procedure.

The abortion issue is just one example of the unspiritual and fleshly minds of those who have not been truly born again in Jesus Christ.

Just for the record, the sin of abortion can be forgiven just like any other sin, at the foot of the Cross of Christ.

Norma McCorvey (the plaintiff in Roe vs. Wade trial that disastrously legalized abortion in all 50 states in 1973) had a tragic life as she got caught up in the culture wars.  But she died in Christ through conversion from her past sins into salvation in the Lord Jesus.  She was an example (extreme one, to say the least!)  of persevering in stress, despite so many haters clamoring around her because of her conversion to pro-life beliefs through her conversion to Jesus Christ.

Dr. Jeremiah writes:

When believers please the Lord constantly, that is their Christian walk (Ephesians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 4:1).  When they produce fruit consistently, that is their Christian work.  When they progress in knowledge continually, that is their Christian wisdom. 

When they persevere in stress cheerfully, that is their Christian welfare (2 Corinthians 8:2).  When they praise God correctly, that is their Christian worship.  The better a person knows God and His Word, the better he or she knows what is pleasing to Him – a knowledge that becomes second nature, producing confidence by discerning God’s will rather than fear.  This knowledge produces fruitful character, conduct, conversation, and contributions (giving of resources).  It also increases becoming a part of who they are.  They no longer rely solely on experience; they progress in their understanding of God as they progress in their understanding of His Word (2 Peter 3:18).  People who take God’s Word seriously don’t just read it to see what it says; they make it a map for life so they can learn what to do–then they do it.

I like that phrase!  They make it a “map for life.”

The book of Colossians is just one of many of the books of the Bible that answers the age-old questions of “why am I here?” and “what is the meaning of life?”  It also gives us direction regarding “what am I supposed to be doing in this life?”

Colossians 3:1-4 reiterates to “2 Set your (our) mind(s) on things above, not on things on the earth.  3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

Dr. Jeremiah’s notes:

Christ’s death enables Christians to die to their old life and makes their new life secure (John 10:28, 29; Galatians 2:20).  Through Jesus, God has placed a double lock on the security of their lives –nothing can harm them, for His followers are in Christ and Christ is in God.  A Christian’s true identity and purpose in life are hidden with Christ, so people outside of Christ will not understand the believer’s motivations and goals.

Paul has covered every phase of life:  God’s people have been raised with Christ in the past.  They are hidden with Him in the present, and they will appear with Him in the future.  They may be hidden now, but they will not be hidden forever.  Scripture points to the One who can supply everything their hope expects.  This is every Christian’s destiny with Christ.

The Serpent’s Old Lie in an Updated Package

Yesterday I was going through the headlines on my blog reading list when suddenly, boom! the electricity in our house shut off.  As I temporarily sat in the darkness that surrounded me at my computer, I thought, “oh no…not again!”

Power outages seems to happen on our block several times a year so my husband bought a gas generator to keep the refrigerator and freezer going until it comes back on.  He contacted the utilities company and was told that it was a “planned power outage” cable  replacement in our area.  We should have received a notice about this.  Well, the notice was sitting in my husband’s mail inbox!  It would have been nice to have known about the outage ahead of time, but we made the best of the situation.

I started reading my Bible by flashlight and was drawn to the book of Colossians.  It sparked some insight into my mind which will be discussed in my next post.  Today, I need to “set the stage” so to speak, in exactly why my study in Colossians had such a profound impact on me.

The contrast of what is in that particular book of the Bible compared to what is going on in our society (often for the purpose of countering biblical Christianity) these days will become quite obvious.

When I compare the truth of Scripture with the lies being spread in the news, through haters in Hollyweird, the Democratic party (which voted God out of their political platform years ago), and the minions of “splinter groups” that are raging today (often paid to do this!)…it is obvious to me that demonic influence abounds!   They are all derived by men and women who have been influenced by the lies of that serpent of old that we read about in Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible.  You will vividly see how the nefarious ideas, deeds, and plans of such individuals have been derived from what Jesus named as the enemy of our souls who comes to lie, steal, kill and destroy.

Jhn 10:10

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

See Romans 1

1Jo 1:6

If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

Previously, I had been reading a book entitled, “So What’s The Difference” by Fritz Ridenour.  In the past, I had the habit of skipping over the cults and false religions pages, but this time I wanted to read the details about Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, New Age, and many others that are briefly, but succinctly detailed in the book.  When I got to the New Age section, it can be hard to define because of its far-reaching claims, lack of formal structure and organization and it’s adherents being interested in “hoping to transform society by bringing about reawakening that will emphasize self-discovery, spiritual growth and enlightenment.”  The truth is, New Age thinking isn’t really new because it goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden where the serpent asked Eve if God really said that she couldn’t eat from that tree (see Genesis 3:1-5).

It was interesting to read about the “founder” of New Age, Alice Bailey.  New Agers have their own definition of God, find “salvation” in themselves, use “channeling” (the New Age version of contacting spirits), often believe in reincarnation, believe in syncretism (all religions lead to the same place), and many are into the plan for a worldwide government led by one great leader.

Shirley McLaine was a high-powered NAM (New Age Movement) adherent with great media exposure due to her “star” status in Hollyweird.  She lied in her book, claiming that the Fifth Ecumenical Council struck down the idea of reincarnation from the Bible.  Author Fritz Ridenour said it well when he wrote:

Contrary to New Age thinking, the Bible overwhelmingly teaches resurrection, not reincarnation (see Psalms 49:15, John 5:25; 6:40; 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:16).  New Agers like to think they have all kinds of time to “get it right” as they progress toward some kind of self-induced salvation.  The Bible clearly says you get one chance and after that comes the judgment (see Hebrews 9:27).

Much of today’s “progressive movement and thinking”  is derived from one or many of the errors of the NAM.  They may not call themselves New Agers, but their beliefs certainly line up with the NAM!

Ridenour writes:

Ever since Satan told Eve, “Eat the fruit; become like God Himself,” men and women have been trying to “do it on their own,” or at least with the help of spirits and demons–what Paul calls “the powers of this dark world and … the spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12).  It is no coincidence that the Bible firmly forbids contacting spirits or getting in touch with the dead (see Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10-13).  Other New Age concepts or practices condemned or countered in the Scriptures include:

•  many gods, goddesses, spirits and demons:  see Gen. 1:1; Exodus 15:11; 20:2-6; Deut. 6:4; Isaiah 45:5,6,21,22.

•  manipulating or bartering with the spirit world:  see Deut. 13:1-5, 18:9-14; 1 Kings 11:33.

•  continuing blood sacrifice rituals:  see Hebrews 7:27; 10:10-13; 1 Peter 3:18.

•  mythological, unhistorical legends:  see 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 12-19; 1 Timothy 1:4; 2 Peter 1:16.

•  secret knowledge only for elite “knowers”:  see John 1:12; 3:16; Colossians 2:8-10; 1 Timothy 2:4.

•  magic arts, spells, taboos, astrology:  see 2 Kings 17:16-18; Isaiah 47:12-15; Acts 8:9-24.

•  confusion of identity between the creator and the created:  see 1 Kings 8:27; Psalms 8:1-9; 24:1-10; 89:5-14; Isaiah 40:12-17; 1 Peter 1:24, 25.

•  ethics and morals derived from humans or the self; no absolutes, everything is relative:  see 1 Kings 8:46; Psalms 51:1-4; 143:2; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 2:14-16; 1 John 1:5-10.

•  reincarnation:  see Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:27.

•  salvation by human effort:  see Romans 4:3; Galatians 2:15,16.

•  picking and choosing among religions:  see Exodus 20:2-5; 23:13; John 1:7-9.

•  worshipping other gods, especially fertility religions:  see 2 Kings 17:9-12; Jeremiah 2:20; Ezekiel 6:13.

•  the idea that Christ is optional, only one of many spiritual masters:  see John 14:6-8; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5, 6.

I realize that’s a lot of reading to do, but if you, dear reader, happen to be caught up into any one of these errors, I urge you to find out the truth that is only contained in the Bible!

Ridenour’s book was originally written back in 1967, updated in 1979 and then updated again in 2001.  It is interesting to me that he wrote:

Because the New Age seems to be everywhere and in practically everything, it would seem logical to see all of the NAM as taboo and dangerous.  But there are some things New Agers talk about that Christians can agree with, to a point. (bold, italics mine)  Saving the environment is one.  Trying to end war, terrorism, bigotry and racial and gender discrimination are others.  The New Age solution to these problems, however, is found only in fallen mankind, and that is doomed to a dead end.

That paragraph is almost prophetic!  Now, in 2017 we see such things ratcheted up into such a frenzy that the so-called “solutions” are being used to demonize people who don’t agree with their “methods” to help “solve” such problems!  This is just another “updated package” being spewed through individuals who don’t know God and are (either knowingly or unknowingly) being influenced by the enemy of our souls!

In fact, many are using either the “ostrich mentality” regarding radical Islamic terrorism; while perpetuating bigotry towards people of faith in Christ and biblical Christianity; as well as exploding racial division and gender identity issues to an extreme!  Don’t even get me started on the “man-made global warming (or, is it now just called ‘climate change?’) hysteria” where celebrities and “scientists” often use pollution producing jets to go and lecture us all about carbon dioxide emissions!

Readers, can you now see why biblical Christianity is so extremely hated by the leftists?  They scheme against Christians on all levels and we are often targeted by them through lawsuits meant to impose huge financial fines with the goal of putting Christian business owners out of business.  Through purposely targeting Christians and utilizing phony “discrimination” claims; as well as perpetuating constant violent demonstrations towards speech suppression at universities and spewing hateful rhetoric through late night “comedians” and in the leftist led alphabet news networks, they demean and  trample upon the First Amendment rights of Christians that are guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

So, what is their ultimate goal?

Could it be to eradicate our beliefs from public, political, social, freedom of conscience/speech/association of thought…and ultimately from existence in our nation?

Notice, also, the FACT that the NAM proponents idea of “syncretism:  all religions lead to the same place” cannot, and does not,  include biblical Christian faith?

They don’t attack the lukewarm churches that agree with the NAM’s agenda, so what are biblically-based Christians supposed to do?

Ridenour writes:

In response to New Age thinking, Christians must have a thorough understanding of their own faith.  To know what God’s Word teaches is imperative.  Even more important is to know the Living Word –His Son–in a personal, vibrant way.  A favorite response of the New Ager to the Christian who tries to point out the absolute truth of the Bible is, “That’s your reality, but it’s not mine.”  Christians can only respond confidently but humbly that, in the end, only one reality will turn out to be real:  Jesus Christ –the only way, the only absolute truth and the only source of life.

Reference:  “So What’s the Difference?” by Fritz Ridenour, Bethany House, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2001 pp. 147-159

Next up:  The difference between man-made religion and man’s attempt to find God vs. biblical Christianity which affirms that true faith is the result of God’s successful efforts to reach out to man through the Person of Jesus Christ.

Rush: What Trump Must Do to Avoid More Disastrous Budget Deals

While driving to the dentist yesterday morning, I turned on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show.  After hearing the budget “deal” that was passed by the namby-pamby Republicans in Congress (which didn’t fund the border wall or any conservative measures that Trump promised), Rush was asking the obvious question:

Rush Limbaugh.com: Why Vote Republican?

Of course, Rush hit the nail directly on the head in his explanation of who writes the bills and how “the swamp in Washington D.C.” actually works.

Excerpt:

In the process, sanctuary cities are continually funded. Obamacare is not repealed nor is it replaced. The White House is saying that they’re very close to having enough votes in the House to actually move forward on Obamacare. But until we see the vote, we will know they don’t have the votes. They’re not gonna conduct a vote ’til they have them. So Obamacare gets funded. Sanctuary cities get funded. The EPA gets funded through September. Planned Parenthood gets funded. The wall does not. So if you’re asking yourself, “Why am I voting Republican?” you have a good question.

Why is anybody voting Republican, if this is what happens when we win?

We won the House, we won the Senate, we won the White House, and the Democrats thwarted everything we supposedly said we were going to do with our victory. Well, I don’t want to use the word “we,” ’cause I’ve got nothing to do with this. This is another reason why I do not get close to these people. I do not… I would not relish having to have you call here today and make me justify what all happened here, had I been out there promoting and ballyhooing. That’s why I keep my distance from these people, ’cause I don’t have any control over what they’re gonna do or say, what their policies are going to be.

But I think this illustrates a much larger problem that we are going to have to recognize, and it’s the real reason Donald Trump was elected. It’s the real thing that he has got to do, and he’s got to start doing it. And it is not going to happen if he continues to work with Republicans, because it is obvious, for whatever reasons — and we can get into them — the Republican Party has no intention of defunding Planned Parenthood, no intention of defunding sanctuary cities. They don’t want to pay for a wall. Who knows what they really want in Obamacare. But then again, is it really the Republicans? I think there’s something much larger going on.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: There’s no reason to keep electing Republicans if this is what we’re gonna get with this budget deal, which pays — continually pays — for sanctuary cities, funds Obamacare, funds the EPA, gives money to Planned Parenthood and no money for the wall. If you’re asking, “What am I voting for Republicans for?” you have a legitimate question. This is one of the reasons Donald Trump was elected. This is the swamp. This is what needs to be drained: The way the budget happens, the way legislation happens, who’s responsible for it. I’ll tell you where I’m going with this. I want to go back and play a sound bite from me on Friday’s program. This is the direction that I’m thinking this has to go…

RUSH ARCHIVE: Where’s Trump on this? For crying out loud, Trump’s elected president! Trump’s got a mandate. This was clearly part of it. Like building the wall, like any number of other things, repealing and place Obamacare was mentioned at every rally, so why doesn’t the president go in there and tell them what-for?

RUSH: Now, I don’t mean to be ragging on Trump there, but my point is this. The legislation making process in Washington, everybody I think is under some misunderstanding about it. Mr. Snerdley, how do you think legislation happens in Washington? I mean, take me from there’s nothing and then there’s a bill. What happens? Where does it start? (interruption) No, it does not… (interruption) No, I’m not asking spending. I’m talking any bill, any bill whatsoever. Where does it start? Who writes it? Who’s in charge? Say you… (interruption) There you go: The lobbyists, the donors.

This is the problem.

The Republican Party is not a party that writes legislation. The Democrats don’t write legislation anymore. You know where legislation is written? Legislation is written by the quote-unquote “special interests.” You know where they’re located? They’re located on K Street. They’re lobbyists; they are donors. They are the people, and 96% of Washington, D.C., — which is where these people live — voted against Donald Trump. He got 4% of the vote in D.C. among this group of people. Not the whole population, but among this group of people. Depending on the Republican Party for this is a loser’s game. Trump is going to have to take over the legislation-writing process himself.

So…we see that the special interests and lobbyists that never leave Washington D.C. and donate to members of the House and Senate ARE THE ONES WRITING THE BILLS, expecting those they have donated to… will pass the bill!

There are RINOS in the Republican party (some of whom actually wanted HilLIARy to win in order to keep their elitist status and pockets filled by big donors for the next election) who are fine with the status quo of money-filled swampland in D.C.  Of course, most of the donors have, and always will be “swamp-things,” because they get their agenda through despite who gets voted into office.  This is why things don’t change in the bill passing, legislative branch of our government!

Rush transcript:

RUSH: Let me try to explain this as best I can. When I saw this headline, it brought some things into focus for me, because this is gnawing at the edges here of irritation. The impression that I’ve had — you’ve had it, too — that something’s out of whack, something’s not

right. We won the election. I’ve described it, I don’t see the glow of victory on Republican faces. I don’t see optimism. I don’t see happiness. I don’t see confidence. I don’t see an attitude that says, “Man, what an opportunity we have.” And as I say it’s just been eating away at me.

And like everybody else, I’m trying to nail it down, explain it to myself so that then I can explain it to you. And then I see the headline at FrontPage Magazine: “Congress Deal Funds Sanctuary Cities, ObamaCare, EPA, Planned Parenthood, Doesn’t Fund Wall.” This doesn’t make any sense. It makes no common sense whatsoever when you juxtapose it against the election returns.

Donald Trump won the election and he ran and won on a series of issues, and all of them are embodied in this budget, and not a one of these things did Donald Trump seek the presidency by saying he was going to continue. The one thing that is not paid for in this budget is the one thing that Trump made one of his top two vote-getters, and that’s building the wall. And that of course is related to immigration.

So what explains this? Why hasn’t there been a flood of legislation emanating from the Republicans in the House and the Senate to begin the process of implementing the Trump agenda? I know, I’ve answered my question. I’m doing this in a rhetorical sense to set up a premise. As I’ve stated many times, the Washington establishment’s totally opposed to Trump. They don’t want anything that Trump campaigned on to happen. They don’t want an outsider coming in and succeeding and thereby demonstrating how it can be done.

Nobody on the outside is supposed to be able to come in and reform Washington and improve it. The establishment has set it up so they have an exclusive, exclusionary club that very few people are capable or qualified to be part of, and that’s that. So the last thing they can afford is for somebody like Trump, who’s not a politician by trade, to come in after winning an election and totally turn the town upside down. They will not do it.

I suggest reading the entire transcript. But the excerpts I have included here at my blog are the paragraphs that helped me understand how deep, far, and wide the swampland in Washington D.C. is and just who the main culprit creatures are!

Rush Transcript excerpt:

Normally I would be happy that no new laws are being made. Every new law is potentially an erosion of freedom. I’m not one of these people that defines Washington’s success by how many bills get passed and signed into law. But in this case, the legislation needed is that which will unravel and unwind things which are destroying the country or wreaking great harm and damage on our culture, the economy, and what have you.

But the dirty little secret is that there isn’t any evidence that anywhere in Washington is there any aspect of the Trump agenda on display. It doesn’t seem to be that in the House of Representatives that there is a desire to implement any of the Trump agenda. It doesn’t seem in the Senate that there is a desire to implement any of the Trump agenda. It does seem in the House that there is a lot of energy devoted to stopping a Trump agenda. Ditto in the Senate.

So the people who are running the show in Washington are impervious and unconcerned about public opinion and the results of an election and are now in the process of doing what they can to thwart the will of the people in a very clear issues-dominated and issues-oriented election. Trump wins, he has a specific agenda. Where are the members of his party writing legislation to get going on the implementation of his agenda?

When Obama was elected, do you know the stimulus bill was written even before Obama was inaugurated? Who wrote it? Who actually wrote the stimulus bill? It was written before Obama was inaugurated. The stimulus bill was off and running nine days after he was inaugurated. And then they were off and running on Obamacare. And then off and running on whatever else the Obama agenda was. The Republicans didn’t have the votes to stop anything, so they were irrelevant in the process the first two years.

Well, what I said in the previous segment, the fact of the matter is that corporate interests or special interests or lobbyists or what have you, is where legislation gets written, because that’s where the donors and their money are headquartered. And the donors, the big money more than likely determine what does and does not happen in Washington. And I can tell you this. On K Street, the lobbying firms, the Chamber of Commerce, big donors, there’s nobody in that group that is in favor of the Trump agenda.

Nine days after Obummer was elected the disastrous stimulus bill was passed?!  This shows that Congress no longer writes the bills – IT’S EXACTLY THE WAY RUSH DESCRIBES IT IN THIS TRANSCRIPT!

Rush transcript:

I’m telling you, folks, the will isn’t there. The establishment, whatever you want to call this bunch of people, the ruling class, the establishment, the donors, whatever you want to call ’em, they’re not just gonna roll over and let Trump implement those things that he campaigned on just because he won the office, just because he won the presidency. And he’s going to have to overcome this if he’s going to be successful. And the way he’s going to have overcome it, he’s going to have to have his own staff, legislative staff in the White House that writes this legislation and muscles its way through.

And it’s gonna be tough. You see the obstacles here with Obamacare, the repeal and replace. They’re making this so much harder than it should be, so much harder than it is. One thing that’s become abundantly clear in the Obamacare fiasco is that official Washington does not trust free markets. Official Washington is not interested in letting the free market determine the solution to any problem. Understandably so. They have less power if the free market runs.

These people have control and total say-so over money, how it’s spent, who gets the money, and this kind of thing. Why give that up? So it’s gonna be a knock-down, drag-out.

The swampland creatures will NEVER give up their power because it is quite lucrative for them (and members of Congress know that their continuation of their cushy jobs and $ also depend on these “deface the nation” [phrase borrowed from Trump!] bloodsuckers” to keep their “elected” positions) so what is the answer?

Rush transcript excerpt:

Free markets have been determined to be successful. They work every time they’re tried. That’s the problem. It’s almost the same analogy Trump coming to Washington as an outsider and those insiders cannot afford for Trump to succeed. What would that make them look like? They would be unmasked and illustrated to be close to fraudulent.

Well, they tell us only they are capable, they’re experts, you have to have certain number of years of experience. Your life has to be devoted to this, that, and the other, the way to make Washington work, governance, the policy, process, all of this stuff. And some outsider comes in and inside of a four-year term fixes it all? They can’t let that happen. So it’s gonna be a battle royal, a knockdown, drag out. The thing is, it hasn’t really begun yet, as evidenced by this particular budget.

President Trump knows what’s going on.  He has to!  He has already called out the media of mass deception as the “fake news” media.  Perhaps the swampland draining will happen sometime soon during the next 4 years in office.  I sincerely hope so!

Rush transcript excerpt:

Now, we’ll present the other side of this. Trump is on a roll in terms of his attitude and his agenda and his objectives. We have the audio sound bites of the rally over the weekend and some of his interviews over the weekend with the media. It was actually hilarious. He was on Face the Nation, said, “You know what I call your show? I call your show Deface the Nation.” Well, I don’t care if we’ve said it here before. You imagine any other president telling the anchor of the CBS show Face the Nation, “I call your show Deface the Nation, Slay the Nation,” whatever it is.

 

Hat tip: Rush Limbaugh.com

Also see:

The Last Refuge: Explaining Why Republicans in Congress Need To Undercut Trump’s Budget Objectives, Wilbur Ross and NAFTA…