#What does Psalms 10 6 mean?

[jesuslivesinyou]

Psalm 10: God’s Response to the Wicked Now. Psalm 10 begins on a rather negative note, “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” This may seem negative, but it is also a very human reaction. At times, when we face trials and crisis, the Lord does seen to be far off and impersonal. This is especially true when we have to deal with those that reject the Lord. Verses 2 through 11 vividly describe a person who has no thought of the Lord, or his responsibilities to God. “His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, ‘Nothing will shake me I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.’ He says to himself, ‘God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.’” How many of us know people that reflect that attitude in their lives? When we look at unbelief and the evil actions that come from it, we may wonder why God allows this to happen. Why does He seem to stand off and watch?

Psalm 10: God’s Response to the Wicked Now

Today, it seems like the forces arrayed against the Lord’s people – the Church – are growing stronger. The doomsday prophets see the church in retreat. People challenge the fact that God is involved in the world of man today. “Look at the evil that exists. Look at how unfair things seem to be. Look at the people that seem to be doing just fine that never once thought about God or Jesus Christ.” These statements may be correct. There is a great deal of evil in the world. In fact, considering the nature of the world, it would be surprising if it was otherwise. However, the apparent strength of the opposition to Christ has nothing to do with the reality of God and His authority. What is David’s response to such thoughts? Verse 16 states, “The Lord is King for ever and ever….” Appearances are deceiving. Regardless how the world sees the present order, the Lord is King forever and ever. Simply because people may ignore that truth does not make it less real and true.

Psalm 10: God’s Response to the Wicked Now

One of the reasons why the Lord seems to stand back is His desire that all come to Him, and the Lord will give each person as many chances as possible to accept the offer of salvation. Peter wrote, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends. With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God is love, and He does love all people. That is why the offer of salvation is open to all. When we think that God does not seem to care, it may be that he is giving a person another chance to repent. As for us, we know that the Lord is King, and we know that we have an inheritance of eternal life. What can happen to us in this world that will change that? Can it be taken away or destroyed? No. There is nothing in this world that can affect our relationship with the Lord except ourselves. We can reject the offer that has been made; but other than that, our treasure is secure. Yes, as we have to face the day to day problems of life, we may echo the thoughts of David – “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?” But as we consider the entire picture, we know better.

Psalm 10: God’s Response to the Wicked Now

God doesn’t stand far off. He is right here with us. Yes, we will have to face problems and trials. Yes, we will see injustice and tragedy in the world. God never promised to place us in a vacuum. But as we place our lives in the hands of our Lord, He will strengthen us and guide us to a more Christ-like life. The first verse of Psalm 10 began very negatively, but the last is a message of hope. “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.” A final thought concerns verse 6 again. The wicked say, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.” We know better. Such people are fooling themselves. Sooner or later, the sharp bite of despair will be felt. The words said with such arrogance in verse 6 are the words of youth and health. Everything in this life will surely pass away. Only the Lord stands forever. Only those that are joined to Him in Jesus Christ can say, “I will never be shaken!” That is a blessing that we need to remember.

Psalm 10: God’s Response to the Wicked Now

[banana-with-a-bow-tie]

is being gay/trans REALLY a sin? Is being attracted to the same sex/wanting to dress as the gender you feel you should be really all that bad to christians? Why do christians care what people do with their own lives to the point that they tell them it’s “sin”

I'm seeing three questions here. 1. What is sin? 2. How do we know something is a sin? 3. Why do Christians care if people sin?

What is a sin?

In order to understand what sin is you need to understand who God is. God is good. He does not just possess good or desirable qualities. He is good. The word "good" comes directly from the word God because God is the very standard of what it means for something to be good. We can say things like flowers and sunsets and sharing are good because they are based on God who is the source of everything good (James 1:17).

God is also our Creator. He designed us according to His perfect goodness so that we could be like Him and walk in His good ways (Psalm 25:8; Hebrews 12:10). God would be unloving to create the world and not follow His goodness.

Sin, then, is our rebellion against God and His goodness. When Adam and Eve first sinned, they were tempted with the idea that they could be like God and decide what is good and evil for themselves. They wanted to be able to say, "God is not king, I am king. God's ways are not good, my desires are good."

This is a lie from the father of lies. Satan wants us to believe that if I just do whatever I think is best then I will find true goodness and satisfaction, but all it does is lead us further and further away from true goodness which comes from communion with God (Psalm 34:10).

2. How do we know something is a sin?

When Adam and Eve sinned, our communion with God died. We all like sheep went astray and turned aside to our own ways. (Isaiah 53:6). We stopped listening to God's loving care and instead started following our hearts, but our hearts are deceitful and wicked beyond understanding (Jeremiah 17:9).

We cannot listen to our attractions or our feelings because we are attracted to and find pleasure in things that God declares are evil, things that are contrary to His good design. If people did not find pleasure in things like cheating on your spouse or stealing, then they would never do it. They are drawn into wrongdoing by their own wicked desires (James 1:14).

But God is still good. He has not left us without a witness. He has given a conscience to people who are hostile to Him so that even they can recognize when their desires are not good. We all know inherently that lying is bad, that pride is bad, that fighting and anger are bad, because God has hidden His law in our hearts (Romans 2:15).

However, because we have deceitful rebellious hearts, we try to justify ourselves and explain it away and muffle the conscience so it can't bother us any more, like searing your hand with a hot iron so it can't feel anything (1 Timothy 4:2).

The only way we can know something is sinful is by God giving us new life and enabling us to trust in the goodness of His Word again. We can know with certainty that all sexual desire outside of marriage is sin because God told us it defies His character and people do it because they want to rebel against Him, so God gives them what they want (Romans 1:24-25).

3. Why do Christians care if people sin?

Ray Comfort tells a story about a man who hated homosexuals. There was a broken elevator in his building with a sign on it that said "DANGER! OUT OF ORDER!" The hateful man saw two lesbians approaching the elevator so he took the sign down so they would use it and fall to their deaths.

God has given us a clear warning in Scripture that following your heart is dangerous. It's like an addictive drug, numbing your mind with pleasure so you don't realize it's killing you. If someone you loved was overdosing in front of you, you wouldn't say "whatever man, live your truth." You would shake them awake so they could see what is happening to them and try to get them help. If I believe that God's warning is telling the truth, the most unloving and hateful thing I can do is not tell anyone about it. Woe to me if I see judgment coming and don't tell anyone how to be saved (Ezekiel 33:6)!

Christians aren't trying to control you or force you to follow their personal preferences. Some people who profess Christ do that, but mostly we have met a God who loves us, who saw us hurtling in a downward spiral of guilt and shame and earning eternal punishment for our crimes against Him, and choosing to show us forgiveness in an unfathomably kind way.

Every single one of us has disobeyed God and tried to take His place on the throne. We all stand guilty before God not just for things like murder or homosexuality, but for lying and envy and idolatry. We have broken God's laws and because He is good, He cannot leave evil unpunished. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Every single one of us dies because it is what we have earned for ourselves. We deserve for God to give us His wrath and anger for waging war against Him (Romans 1:18).

But God is rich in mercy and abounding in love even to those who hate Him. We owe God a righteous life, but none of us are righteous, so God decided to wipe away our debt by living the perfect life for us. God became a man, Jesus, lived a perfect life, then died on a cross, taking the wrath of God we deserved, then rose again on the third day, proving that the price had been paid, then He ascended to God's right hand to offer Himself as the reason people can stand before God as righteous.

God does not delight in the death of the wicked. He does not want you to keep trying to find your identity in yourself. He wants you to know Him and His love for you. He wants to wipe away your sin and make you white as snow. What you need to do is confess your sin to God, which means to agree that you are guilty of rebellion against Him and that He is truly Lord, and you must believe that He will forgive your sin and give you eternal life because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. God is faithful and just to forgive the sin of anyone who asks Him (1 John 1:9)

I care about what you do with your life because I love you and because God loves you, just like a Father loves His children and wants what is best for them. I don't want you to miss out on the amazing gift of grace God is offering to you. Don't let Satan keep deceiving you. He promises you peace but all he can give you is death. Every promise of God will always come true (Titus 1:2)

[tragedycoded]

the loop may be ended...

... but there was demand for a playlist, and the old one sucked.

While the 1872-73 timeline is mostly marked by power ballads (it's a love story) the rest of the songs are either straight-up d̷͍̼̒̍o̸̮͝ơ̵̻m̷͎̂ ̷̨̑̎m̵̦̮͝e̶̺͕̍̓ṱ̴̈̽a̸͖̎̍l̶̩̈́̂ or they're some flavor of experimental/noise/atmospheric black metal. Or they're strategically placed video game soundtracks that make me burst into tears bc I'm ridiculous, but prob sound out of place to an emotionally stable individual.

Anyway they match up with the chapter order until you get to "Litany of Desire," which covers chapters 10 + 11. After that it's [chapter number] -1.

Body Void and Xiu Xiu were thrown in for the somatic sound effect. I had to be careful which "meant to make you feel weird" songs I included; I may think it's funny to listen to ultra-low frequency tones high off my ass until I trigger my occipital neuralgia and puke, but that's a personal choice.

Rambling about the individual songs in Act 1 under the cut. Anyway. Tagging the DMLS folks, plus @astramachina and @sableglass and @words-after-midnight bc MUSIC.

@leahnardo-da-veggie @the-golden-comet @cowboybrunch @finickyfelix

@lychhiker-writes @wyked-ao3 @saturnine-saturneight

@gioiaalbanoart @davycoquette @zackprincebooks @jev-urisk

1) "The Bad Luck That Saved You From Something Worse": You hear that noise at the beginning? I hate it. It feels like feelers inside my skull. That's the feeling of restarting at the beginning of a time loop--something shitty happened and I have no clue what I was doing or what I'm supposed to do next. #hofercore

2) "The Parasite" - the first time I heard this song, Sullivan and Royston popped into my head.

Then Royston started bitching me out because it wasn't his fault they were here and Sullivan wasn't dead and they weren't supposed to be here and behbehbehbehbeh.

3) "No One Like You": Not just a '80s song because Jamie is a millennial. No no. There's a reason I put this as The Song for the beginning of the bar fight loop (there are loops within loops bc I love myself. Twine loves this too.)

Each time they go it gets harder bc Sullivan keeps forgetting everything lol.

4) "High Plains Eulogy": This is the first Royston POV chapter and he has eyeballs. He realizes he's fucked up. IDK if he realizes there was literally nothing he could do to get here any sooner. (I'm willing to give him this much: Sullivan being pissed off and avoiding returning his letters fucks the run every single time it happens.) This is the first of many "Royston is a visual learner" chapters.

5) "Psalm III - Olam Teshuvah": You hear the dripping and screaming in the beginning? I think I'm being clever and warning you what's going to happen with Martin, who is just standing there in a catatonic stupor.

6) "Ace of Spades": This was, at the time, the most ridiculous thing I'd ever written. It is 100% Royston's fault the shootout happened in the first place, let alone escalated to the degree that Sullivan couldn't reel it in. Sullivan would have compared it to bullriding, if he'd "ever partaken in such a foolish activity."

7) "Ashen Era": Johnson and White are explaining the tree to Sullivan. I'm warning you about the tree with this song.

8) "This One Has No Heart": I mean… [gestures at Martin; gestures at Royston] … they're both fucked.

9) "Hysteria":

Director's Commentary moment, are you ready?

In the prologue, Hofer's ears start ringing. This is because there was a previous run where he caught a bullet in the neck and fucking died. (Tinnitus is a warning you're about to do the same stupid shit that got you killed previously. Sullivan doesn't really get that bc he keeps finding new exciting ways to die.)

When Hofer got shot in the neck, that restarted the loop--Sullivan dies in that cabin if Hofer doesn't treat his leg. So as far as Royston was concerned, he was just in the train, shot full of the Delilah Special, and now he's opening his eyes and Sullivan is fine and he doesn't know if Sullivan remembers/hates him/etc. and he can't fly out of bed all dramatic like he wants to bc he literally has no control over his skeletal muscles (thanks, hemlock and whatever else Delilah hit him with.)

If anyone has any interest in seeing an entire post like this a) you're crazy and b) I would be more than happy to do one with more effort/spoilers.

[0owhatsamsays]

Good Omens - IT IS ALL IN THE NUMBERS

It's all in the numbers. We were so focused on Az and Crowley and other details, that something so ordinary as numbers slipped right under our noses. And when you start paying attention to them, it turns out THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. I won't point out all of them, because it will mean to write a post longer then Crowley's permit. But I will show you enough.

It starts with the note from Maggie. We were blinded by the spelling mistake and we didn't see that there is a number that is so visible, that I don't know how... but oh aren't they just geniuses.

See the red number. 229401

It goes on, but I won't post all the screenshots till the end. You can search for the psalm if you are interested.

Continues after the cut...

Then, and it's the reason I got suspicious... The price of the Shostakovich record. On the 20th rewatch I was like. WAIT. Why was it important for Aziraphale to state it actually costed "... AND 75". Why??? 8,75. And I was like okay... odd...875...what does it mean....

Yes, I know how you feel, but there is more, so moving on.

Aziraphale will listen to the record for how long? We all know. 21 minutes. Seriously, how didn't we notice? I can't....

This is all about the Second Coming.

And iit's not only that. Apparently behind the number 21 there are a lot of other biblical meanings, but I can't show you all of them...

Have in mind! I am even missing some that I found inbetween these, but they are really long and I don't have screenshots. Anyway, I am giving you one more reason to rewatch.

Moving on.

Shax is calling Crowley.

Sorry for the bad photo, but it's from my laptop. You see what I see?? 10:35

MOVING ON.... I told you that they are everywhere.

Skipping some that I found again... Like 261 (I remember this being 6 shots espresso 1 cup, but don't remember where the number 2 came from). Check the biblical meaning of 261.

And I will show you this.

Photo from my laptop again, sorry. This is in the bookshop and let me tell you that these numbers are on the photo that appears when episode finishes and amazon transfers you to the next episode. Here it is:

Notice that the "5" is missing.

Okay, my photo is right after the angels came to the bookshop to check about the plume and left. And the second photo with the missing 5 is the numbers BEFORE they came. It was first 10:1 and after the angels left, they added 5.

Read this:

Shepherd - Gabriel, sheep - angels. They didn't recognize him! Read again number 5. Got it??

People! There is a lot more. A LOT. But I will stop here. Maybe I will make another post with more, if people are interested, but this is it for now.

I still can't believe we didn't see it....

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Hear My Righteous Plea

Protect me as you would your very own eyes; hide me in the shadow of your wings. — Psalm 17:8 | Contemporary English Version Interconfessional Edition (CEVIE) The Contemporary English Version Interconfessional Edition Bible is © American Bible Society. All rights reserved. Cross References: Numbers 6:24; Deuteronomy 32:10; Ruth 2:12; Psalm 16:1; Psalm 27:5; Psalm 36:7; Psalm 57:1

Read full chapter

What does Psalm 17:8 mean?

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Distorted Truth

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

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VERSE OF THE DAY

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+ Galatians 1:7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM LISTENING TO THE TRUTH

I AM USING DISCERNMENT

I AM LISTENING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

I AM TRUTHFUL

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READ TIME: 6 Minutes & 56 Seconds

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THOUGHTS:

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    What does distort mean? It means twisting the truth: How many of us have had that happen? We meet someone, and they tell us a different story, or we buy something, and the person selling it isn’t sincere. They give us half the truth, and now we are stuck with something that isn’t worth the price. It has happened, and people do this with the truth of God; they twist it to fit their agenda, twist it to make their lives or twist it to get more people to follow them.

    I have listened to many people on YouTube and other sites, and they tell people half the truth. Still, the main problem is we, as people of God, don’t study our Bible. The bible says my people die from lack of knowledge; we won’t read it for ourselves. We take everything someone gives us, and we say this is what it is, and this is what the word says, but we should take what that person is saying and take it to God immediately.

    When we sit and allow people to tell us what the word says, we are trusting them with the essential part of our lives; we are trusting them to be the shepherd and to tell us things we don’t know and not to fill us with things that aren’t true, it's so simple to read the word, but all we must do before we start is ask the Holy Spirit to teach us. The Holy Spirit will teach you the absolute truth of your word. And sometimes I even say, Holy Spirit, show me something for me in your word, and he will.

   Psalm 56:5 All day long, they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin.

    Some people live to twist the truth of God to make others fall into this endless cycle of sin because some people don’t see it the way we do as believers. If you believe in God, you will try your best not to sin deliberately; the word even tells us not to do that because there is no sacrifice for sin.

   Hebrews 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,

  We can't do it, my friends. We no longer say I am picking up my cross when we do this. We allow the twisted words of this world and our lustfulness for sin to take over; we must pick up our cross every day, and sometimes reading the bible can be a bit much because maybe you are reading the wrong translation or maybe your mind is filled with all these questions, but as you read, and you have a question write it down.

   We want to read the word of God with the intent of learning more about God because if we read just to be reading, we will lose interest in it; God wants the word to be a light to our feet and a light to our path, without the word this world will be cold and dark and without the word we will always be lost.

   Acts 20:30 Even some men from your group will rise and distort the truth to draw a following.

   People will do everything they can to distort the truth of God to gain followers, and if we don’t ask God to give us discernment , we will be led away. Still, someone that says it’s okay to participate in a sin we are struggling with is leading us wrong , friends, it isn’t okay to continue to sin, it’s not okay to submit your body to sin; we must learn to submit or ways and body to God so he can free us from our sins, we must fast to keep away from the sin we are struggling with.

   2 Peter 3:16 speaks of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something entirely different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.

  The word tells us here that some people are ignorant and unstable and will twist the word to mean something completely different, and this will result in our destruction because once we allow people to whisper false doctrine in our ears, we will allow anything it might be hard to get away from these types of people theses wolves in sheep clothing. Still, we must ask God to show me who is in my life who isn’t speaking the truth in me and is tainting my spiritual ears with poison, and he will show you.

  ***Today, the Holy Spirit wants us to see what’s happening in our life; he wants us to study the word of God for ourselves; a lot of times, we refuse to study because we feel we need someone to teach us, but God has placed good shepherds here to teach us, he have place women and man of God to pour we just have to make sure we are drinking from the right place, and not strictly rely on them.

 We do this by asking the Holy Spirit to open our ears and eyes to see. A lot of times, we are blinded by being fed with things we want to hear. I have had many people stop reading or listening to me because I’m speaking the truth of God; if we want to have a relationship with God, we can’t allow what people say to distort the truth of God. We can’t allow just anyone to pour into us, and it happens, but when we see the error, we must correct it, and we must stay away; allow God to show us the error and the true truth of his word. ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

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Heavenly Father, thank you for everything you have given us, and thank you for always showing us the way; lord, if we allow someone to distort the truth, please show us and help us to stay away; lord, we ask you to give us a better discernment and ears to hear and eyes to see, lord if we are Lukewarm show us and help us to get back on fire for you in Jesus Name Amen

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REFERENCES

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+ Psalm 56:5 All day long, they twist my words; all their thoughts are on my demise.

 

 

+ 2 Peter 2:14 Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed

 

+ Jeremiah 23:26 But refer no more to the burden of the LORD, for each man's word becomes the burden so that you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of Hosts, our God.

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FURTHER READINGS

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Proverbs 4

Leviticus 4

Genesis 35

Numbers 19

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[awideplace]

The Gospel

What It Means to Be a Christian

Being a Christian is more than identifying yourself with a particular religion or affirming a certain value system. Being a Christian means you have embraced what the Bible says about God, mankind, and salvation. Consider the following truths found in the Bible.

God Is Sovereign Creator Contemporary thinking says man is the product of evolution. But the Bible says we were created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy endless fellowship with Him. The New Testament reveals it was Jesus Himself who created everything (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Therefore, He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). That means He has authority over our lives and we owe Him absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.

God Is Holy God is absolutely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3); therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13). God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, You shall be holy, for I am holy.

Mankind Is Sinful According to Scripture, everyone is guilty of sin: There is no man who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46). That doesn't mean we're incapable of performing acts of human kindness. But we're utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own (Romans 3:10-12).

Sin Demands a Penalty God's holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by eternal death (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). That's why simply changing our patterns of behavior can't solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences.

Jesus Is Lord and Savior Romans 10:9 says, If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Even though God's justice demands death for sin, His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Peter 3:18). Christ's death satisfied the demands of God's justice, and Christ's perfect life satisfied the demands of God's holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26).

The Character of Saving Faith True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin (Luke 13:3, 5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9), pursue Christ (Matthew 11: 28-30; John 17:3), and obey Him (1 John 2:3). It isn't enough to believe certain facts about Christ. Even Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don't love and obey Him. True saving faith always responds in obedience (Ephesians 2:10).

Source: https://www.gracechurch.org/about/gospel

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 6/4+5

What am I feeling today?

A bit relaxed and chilled out. But I feel very sick, I think it’s just from the flights bc I don’t have a fever but I’m worried because I work tmr and I pray this won’t hinder me.

Feeling rather at peace. I go to the hospital for orientation today and I’m pretty excited especially since one of my friends is also gonna start work with me🤗

Psalm 2 NIV

(v. 2-7) “The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.”

This makes me think of the current rulers of our world (esp with the elections coming up). I think about how none of them are truly disciples and therefore tend to lead us in an ungodly way. The scripture says they band against the Lord and He laughs and scoffs at them, rebuking them.

I need to change my mind about this because I have a rather pessimistic view of the world. I don’t see it getting better, I don’t see it ending well, I feel much worse things are yet to come. Yet, I need to believe in hope and change and repentance. That there’s a chance we can all come to Christ and therefore be united as one.

(v. 10-11) “Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.”

This is something that I feel no one in a position of power does at this current age which is concerning to me.

(v. 12) “Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

Some comfort in knowing that those of us that take refuge in Him are blessed

Psalm 3 NIV

(v. 3-5) “But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.”

God answers us and I can personally testify to this. He listens to us and He answers prayers and He’s so good and generous by allowing us to wake up to another day of life every day!

(v. 8) “From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.”

I’m pretty sure in this context he means deliverance from his enemies but I interpret it as deliverance from our sin, we’ve been set free!

[freebiblestudies]

The Three Angels Messages Lesson 02: No Sympathy for the Devil

Revelation 14:8 - And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

The second angel’s message seems very complicated at first.  It definitely deals with a lot of symbols.  In order to understand this Bible verse, let’s take a closer look at the following keywords:

Babylon

Fallen

Wine

Wrath

Fornication

Let’s read together Genesis 9:7-17; Genesis 10:10; Genesis 11:1-4; Isaiah 14:13-14; and Daniel 1:2.

If we are to talk about Babylon, we need to also discuss Babel. Both kingdoms were founded in the land of Shinar.  Babel can be considered the archetype for all the worldly kingdoms that followed it.

The story of the Tower of Babel is one of the most famous stories in the Bible.  Have you ever considered the builders’ motivations for building the tower in the first place?

 The builders did not trust God’s promise to never destroy the world again with a flood.  They wanted to survive another flood on their own power. 

The builders also did not want to follow God’s command to be fruitful and multiply across the earth.  Rather, they wanted to build a tower whose “top is in the heavens”  and make a name for themselves.  The builders seem to be motivated by pride and perhaps to even take the worship of God for themselves.

Let’s read together Exodus 20:2-6; 1 Chronicles 9:1; Jeremiah 16:18; Jeremiah 50:38; and Daniel 3:1-7.

The story of Daniel’s three friends and the fiery furnace is another well-known Bible story.  Have you considered what was Nebuchadnezzar’s motivation for setting up the golden image in the first place?  He wanted everyone in his empire to acknowledge Babylon as supreme, even over any god his subjects might be worshiping.  If anyone refused to bow before Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idol, they were to be killed by being tossed into a fiery furnace. 

Nebuchadnezzar had essentially set up a false religious system of worship enforced by civil authority.   This system forced people to choose between dying for their religious faith or to compromise that faith in order to live.

Let’s read together 2 Samuel 1:27; Isaiah 21:9; Jeremiah 51:8-9, 47; Daniel 5:25-30; and Revelation 18:2.

“Babylon is fallen, is fallen.”  God ultimately judged Babylon for its idolatry and persecution of God’s people.  Babylon was conquered by the Medo-Persians in 539 BC.

Let’s read together Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-35; 31:3-5; and Jeremiah 51:7.

Alcoholic wine in the Bible is always viewed in a negative light.  Alcoholic wine clouds and even perverts judgment.   Note that the Bible does talk about unfermented non-alcoholic wine more positively, but that is a Bible study for another time.

Let’s read Psalm 75:8; Jeremiah 23:15; and Hosea 4:11-12

Prophetically speaking, wine also represents God’s judgment against wickedness and  idolatry.  You definitely do not want to drink this wine!

Let’s read together Exodus 15:6-7; 32:9-12; Numbers 11:33; 16:46; Deuteronomy 9:7-8; 2 Kings 22:13-17; Ezra 5:12; Jeremiah 44:7-9; and Romans 1:18.

What is wrath?  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary offers two definitions that are relevant to our Bible study today.  Wrath can be defined as a “strong vengeful anger or indignation (anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean).”  Wrath can also be defined as “retributory punishment for an offense or a crime; divine punishment.”

God’s wrath is His response to sin.  In the Old Testament, God’s wrath consumed the Egyptian army chasing the children of Israel.  God’s wrath was also aroused when the children of Israel committed sins or fell into idolatry.  God’s wrath led to the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity.

Let’s read together Psalm 21:8-9; Zephaniah 1:1-18; Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:7; Romans 2:5; Ephesians 5:6; and Colossians 3:6.

God’s wrath is also associated with judgment.  God’s wrath will be poured in full on the unrighteous at Judgment Day.

Let’s read together Numbers 16:46; 2 Chronicles 12:6-9; 32:25-26; Psalms 78:32-39: 85:2-4; and 106:23.

Despite what many people believe, God does not want to pour His wrath on people.  In the Old Testament, Aaron and Moses both interceded on behalf of the children of Israel to avert God’s wrath.  God is willing to spare sinners from His wrath when they humble themselves before Him.  Whether it was the people of Israel or a king like Hezekiah, God was willing to grant mercy to all who came to Him earnestly and asked forgiveness of their sins.

Let’s read together Isaiah 53:4-6, 10; John 3:16, 36; Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; and 1 John 4:10.

God has done everything He could to shield us from His wrath.  God loves us so much that He gave His only son Jesus to die for our sins.  Jesus is our ultimate intercessor.  We only have to confess and repent of our sins and call upon Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Let’s read together Ezekiel 23:16-18; Hosea 4:11-12; Isaiah 23:17; and  John 8:41.

What is fornication?  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives the definition as “sexual intercourse between two persons who are not married to each other.” 

The Bible likened God’s people (the church) to a woman (Jeremiah 6:2).  Paul the Apostle described the church as the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33).  Therefore, spiritual fornication would be the church embracing someone or something other than Christ.  In the Old Testament times, the people of Israel strayed from God and worshiped various idols and other false gods.

Let’s read together Matthew 24:24; John 4:24; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-23; Revelation 17:1-6; and Revelation 18:3, 9.

The book of the Bible describes a harlot woman who represents a false worship of Christ. This church outwardly seems Christian, but in actuality, it does not follow Jesus in spirit and truth.  Many people will be deceived and fall into Babylon.

Let’s read together Deuteronomy 31:19 and Revelation 18:1-8.

What does the second angel’s message mean?

All false systems of worship will be judged.  Salvation by works, the idea you can make it to heaven on your own merits, cannot save you.  Salvation in sin, the idea that once you are saved, you are always saved, will lead you to be lost.  All these forms of worship will lead you to Babylon.

Even if you are worshiping at the “right” church the “right” way, you can have Babylon in your heart.  If you harbor pride in your heart or you esteem anything in the world more than God, then you are in spiritual Babylon.

If you find yourself in Babylon, what are you to do?  God wants you to leave Babylon right now!  Jesus is calling you to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  He does not want you to face God’s wrath.  Repent and turn to Christ your Savior!

Friend, will you share the second angel’s message with others?

[psalmonesermons]

Finding the will of God for your life Part 8/8

How can circumstances inform the will of God?

Circumstances

Circumstances and events will sometimes indicate God's direction for us. Paul wrote about such a circumstance in his life in 2 Corinthians 2:12, "Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord."

Sometimes God opens the opportunity for making something possible, but at other times the door is firmly closed to us. Finances, family, church, travel regulations, health, world events can all be factors that facilitate or hinder the choices that we make. God wants us to be aware of our surroundings and circumstances. The are not the primary means of God talking to us, but they are however, crucial factors as we weigh up all the information.

Phil. 4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

1 Thes. 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Common Sense

God has made us rational creatures (Gen 2:19-20). He has given us the ability to think, communicate, teach, and invent. We are intellectual beings with rational thought. This intellectual consciousness is what makes us unique. A number Christians believe that they have to stop thinking for themselves and let ‘God do their thinking for them’. God wants us to be down-to-earth common-sense people. Sadly common sense is not that common!

Prov. 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom,

and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Prov. 19:8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul.

he who cherishes understanding prospers.

Does the proposed course of action glorify God?

We are God’s ambassadors, and our lives should be a living representation of his nature and character. All too often people convince themselves that what they are doing is in the will of God. Most often than not in these situations God is not being glorified, they individuals are merely doing what makes them happy or brings attention to them.

1 Cor. 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Processing God’s Will

God often reveals his will to us in two or three stages. Initially we may get a ‘sense of direction’ in our spirits. The next thing that we should do is to be praying over that matter to see of we ‘sense anything different’ (Luke 11:9-10 Ask, Seek and Knock). Often his word will bring further confirmation; perhaps a verse will standout and really grab our attention (Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet). Our friends and Christian leaders can be praying with us and advising us in the way we should be going.

This kind of ‘searching’ is often much more beneficial to those who are really serious about ‘seeking God’s will’, it’s deliberate, well thought through and immersed in prayer and bible study. The alternative to this is a ‘quick flash in the pan’ idea that people rush into without thinking through the consequences of their actions.

When God Doesn’t Speak?

God does not always speak to us in a direct manner. Christians often feel that they must be doing something wrong, because God is speaking to everybody else apart from them.

God primarily wants us to live a life of faith. It is a quiet confidence that God is wholly and completely in charge – He is sovereign.

Hab. 3:17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,

18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

If we had all the answers and knew God’s will with pin-point accuracy then there would be no place for faith, because faith is being certain of what we do not see…

Heb. 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Seeking is as important as finding God! Through the process of seeking, we are learning to wait upon him, to depend entirely on him and to trust in him.

The most crucial factor in this process of waiting is that we learn to live a life that pleases God (Eph 5:10).

Heb. 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

It help to remember that is God is always speaking to us through his creation, his word, and his Son. This may not always mean a specific word, but his always trying to communicate his wonder and his love to us.

People often wonder what they should while they are waiting for a specific word of instruction from the lord.

- Be faithful.

- Be patient.

- Be holy.

- Be joyful.

- Be consistent.

- Be available.

Amen

Prayer

This series of teachings was originally delivered as part of a 'Digging deeper' course by Pastor Paul Meiklejohn assisted by Charles Green. Any modifications to the original text were performed by the latter.

[steveezekiel]

CONSISTENT PRAYERS

5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 BUT I TELL YOU THIS—THOUGH HE WON'T DO IT FOR FRIENDSHIP'S SAKE, IF YOU KEEP KNOCKING LONG ENOUGH, HE WILL GET UP AND GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU NEED BECAUSE OF YOUR SHAMELESS PERSISTENCE. 9 “And SO I TELL YOU, KEEP ON ASKING, AND YOU WILL RECEIVE WHAT YOU ASK FOR. KEEP ON SEEKING, AND YOU WILL FIND. KEEP ON KNOCKING, AND THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED TO YOU. 10 FOR everyone WHO ASKS, RECEIVES. Everyone WHO SEEKS, FINDS. And TO EVERYONE WHO KNOCKS, THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED." Luke 11:5-10 (NLT)

Keep on asking until your Joy is full. A believer is expected to be persistent, importunate, in his or her prayers.

Prayer is a journey which has to be completed. When you started it, you do not disembark or turn back from it.

When you stop praying about a particular thing which you have been praying on, the power behind the problem or predicament is usually reinforced by the devil, and that makes it difficult when you start to pray on it again. It would be as If you are starting all over again.

Jesus said keep on asking. Another passage of the Bible says, pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Thus, be consistent and relentless in Prayers (Luke 11:5-8; 18:1-5).

Keep on seeking or searching, and you will find. Endeavouring, or seeking, or searching , is done both spiritually and physically. a. You seek through inquiries. When you wanted to know what to do—steps to take. b. You seek by being sensitive. c. You seek by taking a step, which could also mean a searching.

Seeking is part of prayers. You do not seek carnally, that is, being led or moved by the flesh, but by God's leadings.

Keep on knocking and the door would be opened.

Persistence in knocking should be on what agrees with God's Word. If you are persistent in knocking for the door to be opened on a wrong thing, there might not be an answer.

If what you are seeking for is God's Will for you, then keep on knocking, the door would surely be opened for you.

The knocking is part of the prayer, and persistency is needed on it also. There is no cheap result or success in the Kingdom. You had to be resolute on whatever you want to receive in the Kingdom.

When God spoken or granted a request, the thing is already released, but left for you to appropriate it, bring it to realization, or make it happen in the physical.

A Believer who walks in the light of the Word of God, and prays without ceasing, had what it takes to receive whatever he or she requested: "FOR THE LORD GOD IS A SUN AND SHIELD; THE LORD WILL GIVE GRACE AND GLORY; NO GOOD THING WILL HE WITHHOLD FROM THOSE WHO WALK UPRIGHTLY" (Psalm 84:11 NKJV).

God is a good Father, He is willing and ready to give good things to His children who are loyal and faithful to Him. Those who walk in line with His Word.

Prayer is a means of communicating with God the Father. You receive from God through the means of praying.

The believers are required to ask, seek, and knock, before they could receive from God (Luke 11:9,10).

Someone said, since God knows the needs of an individual Believer; Does he or she necessarily needed to ask before God met the needs?

Asking is required by God, before He could do or give whatever is needed by anyone, because humans has the power of choosing (John 16:24).

If God, without the request of a particular thing, should give or do the thing for you; which might be a thing you did not like, and it resulted in stresses or burdens, your complaints would perhaps be, I have not asked or requested for it, It was God Who gave it to me. And that would become a blame on God (Genesis 3:13).

Whatever God would give or do for anyone, would be what the person requested or asked for by himself or herself, or someone on his or her behalf in prayer.

God would not force any Blessing of His on anyone. Even If God desires to do a particular thing which would be beneficial to you, and you are not aware of its importance, or have not heard or Seeing about it before; He would first of all give you a Desire or thirst for It, before it would be done for you (Philippians 2:13).

God will stir your heart to Will for what He intended to do; to want or desire the particular thing, and move you to ask for it in your prayers, before it would be granted or given. Without that, God will not arbitrarily grant you, or give to you, or do, what you had not desired or requested from Him, to you.

If a blessing is received without your request for it, you might despise it, or not appreciate it, or commonise it, and treat it with contempt.

So Prayer involves asking, seeking or looking and knocking. And the three Acts; asking, seeking or looking, and knocking, had to be with persistency.

The asking or any other Act should not be what you do once and quit (Luke 11:8; 18:5). READ: Luke 11:5-10; 18:1-8

P. U. S. H: Pray Until Something Happens. Do not give up in your prayers, your miracles, answers to your prayers, are around the corner.

Something is about to happen, believe it, I could sense and hear the sound of abundance of rain (1 Kings 18:41).

You will have a reason to laugh and rejoice in Jesus' name.

If there is any ailment in your body, draining your health, Joy, and resources, such is rebuked and uprooted completely now in Jesus' name.

Whatever challenge on your health which has been a source of sorrow in your life; such is cursed and brought to an end in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Peace!

STEPS TO SALVATION

Take notice of this: IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15). a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20). b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10). c. Ask that He will write your name in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

If you took the steps As highlighted above, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!

[hiswordsarekisses]

“Who made God?

I have had many secularists mock me as a Christian for believing in an eternal God. They’ve asked me the question, “So who made God?” They then claim it doesn’t make sense to believe in an eternal God.

I do give them an answer, but then I ask them about what they believe.

So, what is the answer to the question, “Who made God?” The Bible makes it clear that God exists in eternity. He has always existed. He didn’t have a beginning. There are many verses of Scripture that attest to the fact that God is everlasting, eternal:

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28).

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2).

“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17).

“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Once at a conference I had a young boy, about 10 years of age, come up and asked me, “Sir, if God created us, who created God?” How do you answer that question for a young child?

I then said to him, “If someone made God then you would have to have a bigger God.” The boy replied, “Yes sir.” I said, “But now you have a problem—who made the bigger God? You would then need a bigger, bigger God who made the bigger God who made God.” I then said, “Now you have a problem.” The boy said, “I know.” I then went on, “Who made the bigger, bigger God? Now you would need a bigger, bigger, bigger God who made the bigger, bigger God who made the bigger God who made God.”

The boy understood. We could keep going back with bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger forever and then have to keep going. The only thing that make sense is you would have to have the biggest God of all–the infinite, eternal God of the Bible. The only one true God who has always existed. He had no beginning.

Now that is difficult, really impossible, for us to understand because we are created, finite beings. The space, mass, time universe we live in was created. We think in terms of everything having a beginning because we are finite beings who had a beginning. This means there will always be a faith aspect to understanding who God is. We can’t scientifically prove God exists because we don’t have all information, only God does. That why God’s Word states, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

However, it’s important to understand this is not blind faith. It’s a faith that makes sense of what we observe in this world, and observational science in many ways (that’s for another post) confirms this faith over and over again. The history recorded in the Bible makes sense of the evidence we observe in the present in biology, geology, astronomy, and so on.

Note that when you begin reading the first book of the Bible, it states, “In the beginning God . . .” In other words, God’s Word starts with God. He exists. He was not created. God’s Word doesn’t set out to prove God exists, it states God exists! He is, as he states over and over again in Scripture, “I am.”

I explain all that, including the faith aspect, to secularists when they ask me that question about who made God, but then I ask them questions.

After my debate with Bill Nye “The Science Guy” in 2014, we took questions that were submitted by audience members. One of the questions came from a boy who asked, “Where did matter come from?” Bill Nye responded, “I don’t know; it’s a great mystery.” I answered, “There is a book [the Bible] that tells us where matter came from.”

Atheists may mock at Christians for believing in an eternal God, but what do they believe? Where did matter come from? Why does anything exist? Where did energy come from? Why does time exist? Why does space exist? Is matter eternal? Did matter suddenly come from nowhere for no reason? They have no answers! They can have all sorts of opinions and beliefs, but the bottom line is they have no definitive answer at all.

I remember atheist Richard Dawkins claiming the possibility that life was seeded on earth by aliens from outer space. Obviously, atheists can’t explain how life on earth could arise from matter by chance random processes, so one of their ways around this is to claim life came from outer space. All they did was shift the origin of life on earth to another planet.

But then we could ask where the aliens from another planet that seeded life on earth came from? Well, maybe other aliens seeded life on that planet to become aliens to seed life on earth. But then where did the aliens that seeded life on that other planet come from? Were there other aliens that seeded life on that planet so aliens could arise to seed life on another planet so aliens could arise and seed life on earth! I think atheists would be happy to believe in eternal aliens, but not an eternal God.

And how do atheists explain the laws of nature that are immaterial? And why do these laws stay the same and not evolve?

It’s the atheists who have a blind faith. They believe that space, mass, and time somehow eternally existed or came into existence for some reason and somehow matter gave rise to life against everything we observe and know about the laws of nature.

As I’ve said many times, atheism is a religion, a belief system. There is no non-religious position. Atheists have a faith, but it’s a blind faith that lacks credulity. Christians have faith, but it’s an objective faith that makes sense of life and the universe, and a faith that observational science confirms.

Where do you put your faith?

In eternal matter?

In eternal aliens?

Or in the eternal God who created all things and created the first man and woman? But the first man, the head of the human race, rebelled against God bringing sin and death into the world. But God loved man so much, he provided a way of salvation for man so his sin could be forgiven and be able to spend eternity with the eternal God.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

~ Ken Ham

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Tue May 21st, 2024 ... Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time, Year B

Reading 1

_________

Jas 4:1-10

Beloved:

Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?

Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?

You covet but do not possess.

You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;

you fight and wage war.

You do not possess because you do not ask.

You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly,

to spend it on your passions.

Adulterers!

Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?

Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world   

makes himself an enemy of God.

Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says,

The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy?

But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:

God resists the proud,

but gives grace to the humble.

So submit yourselves to God.

Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners,

and purify your hearts, you of two minds.

Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep.

Let your laughter be turned into mourning

and your joy into dejection.

Humble yourselves before the Lord

and he will exalt you.

Responsorial Psalm

______________

55:7-8, 9-10a, 10b-11a, 23

R.    (23a)  Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove,

I would fly away and be at rest.

Far away I would flee;

I would lodge in the wilderness.”

R.    Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

“I would wait for him who saves me

from the violent storm and the tempest.”

Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels.

R.    Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

In the city I see violence and strife,

day and night they prowl about upon its walls.

R.    Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

Cast your care upon the LORD,

and he will support you;

never will he permit the just man to be disturbed.

R.    Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.

Alleluia

_______

Gal 6:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

________

Mk 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,

but he did not wish anyone to know about it.

He was teaching his disciples and telling them,

“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men

and they will kill him,

and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”

But they did not understand the saying,

and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,

he began to ask them,

“What were you arguing about on the way?”

But they remained silent.

For they had been discussing among themselves on the way

who was the greatest.

Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,

“If anyone wishes to be first,   

he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”

Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,   

and putting his arms around it, he said to them,

“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;

and whoever receives me,

receives not me but the One who sent me.”

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

In the first reading, people are arguing, fighting, coveting, and unsatisfied with their position. They are focused on worldly things, which are unsatisfactory, instead of focusing on spiritual things. If they would ask God for what they truly need, they would be satisfied, but they go against God by coveting things of the world. They love the world and do not love God, and without God there is no satisfaction. If the Lord does not build a house, then in vain do the builders labor.  The fighting and the focus on the world actively turns them away from God, who could be their support. If they would, as the psalm suggests, throw their cares on the Lord, he would support them, but they choose instead to put their energies and focus elsewhere, and they get no support, and no satisfaction.

And the disciples themselves are no better. They fight amongst themselves over who is the greater. They are fighting with each other and coveting position and thinking of more worldly issues, even as Jesus is telling them one of the most important aspects of the religion. He is telling them that he will die and rise from the dead, but they did not understand what he was saying and what he meant, so they squabbled amongst themselves over who was most important in their group. Don’t people today still ignore the bigger issues of the faith and instead squabble over details and issues of politics and over who is most important. When Jesus finds out that his own people have been ignoring his teaching and instead fighting with each other over importance, he gives a lesson on what is important. He says that the greatest is not the richest or most powerful, the greatest is the most helpful: the opposite of the one at the top. He brings in a child – the least powerful, most vulnerable – someone who can give no benefit but requires the most help. And he says whoever helps a child, the least important of people, will be receiving Jesus and God himself.

Instead of hating each other, we should be loving God, and the best way to love God is to love his people. What better way to show God our appreciation than to appreciate and respect, even love, his creation. Loving each other, treating each other decently – even the poor, especially the poor – is the best way to have satisfaction in our lives. Those who love the lowest, least important people, those who give with no expectation of benefit, will receive the greatest benefit. The things of the world are not the most satisfying, but the love of God can satisfy all.

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

St Christobal Magallanes and Companions

(July 30, 1869-May 25, 1927; Companions d. between 1915 and 1937)

Saint Cristóbal Magallanes and Companions’ Story

Like Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, SJ, Cristóbal and his 24 companion martyrs lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, one determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people. Churches, schools, and seminaries were closed; foreign clergy were expelled. Cristóbal established a clandestine seminary at Totatiche, Jalisco. He and the other priests were forced to minister secretly to Catholics during the presidency of Plutarco Calles (1924-28).

All of these martyrs except three, were diocesan priests. David, Manuel and Salvador were laymen who died with their parish priest, Luis Batis. They all belonged to the Cristero movement, pledging their allegiance to Christ and to the Church that he established, to spread the Good News in society—even if Mexico’s leaders had made it a crime to receive baptism or celebrate the Mass.

These martyrs did not die as a single group but over 22 years time in eight Mexican states, with Jalisco and Zacatecas having the largest number. They were beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later. 

Reflection

_________

Every martyr realizes how to avoid execution, but refuses to pay the high price of doing so. A clear conscience was more valuable than a long life. We may be tempted to compromise our faith while telling ourselves that we are simply being realistic, dealing with situations as we find them. Is survival really the ultimate value? Do our concrete, daily choices reflect our deepest values, the ones that allow us to “tick” the way we do? Anyone can imagine situations in which being a follower of Jesus is easier than the present situation. Saints remind us that our daily choices, especially in adverse circumstances, form the pattern of our lives.

***

【Build your Faith in Christ Jesus on #dailyscripturereadingsgroup 📚: +256 751 540 524 .. Whatsapp】

[albertfinch]

STEPPING INTO DESTINY

 "For we are HIS workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10

Whether or not you feel you are fulfilling your destiny, you are being prepared by the King of kings for His good purposes. You were chosen by God and have been given a divine DESTINY in eternities past. Why? The Lord is CALLING you to partner with Him to shape the future of the Kingdom of God (see 2 Corinthians 6:1,2:  "And working together with Him......now is the acceptable time.")! This seems almost too marvelous to be true, but it is the Word of God.

What does it mean to be "HIS workmanship"? The Greek term translated workmanship is "poiema", from which we derive the English word poem. Indeed, we are God's poem, written in ages past to be a living testimony of His presence on earth (see Psalm 139:16-17). Without exception, every Believer has been created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has ordained for us.

REVELATION OF ANOINTING

The desperate cry of many Believers is: "Oh, Lord, let Your works appear unto Your people" (see Psalm 90:16-17). The good news is that God's anointing rests upon upright followers of Jesus, and we will fulfill His purposes on earth. God has not only ordained good works for us, but He has also provided the grace we need to perform these works (see Philippians 4:13). We all have "an unction to function." Each one of us is anointed to fulfill their calling in Christ. (see Acts 1:8).

As we move deeper into this season of sensitivity and revelatory enlightenment, we move forward in our CALLING and DESTINY -- fixing our eyes on Jesus and Him alone. Only in His light do we see light (see Psalm 36:9). Only in His presence do we obtain a joyful, holy heart (see Psalm 16:11).

LEADERS WITH PURE HEARTS

A grassroots movement amongst freshly discipled Believers is emerging who have a single heart's goal to establish the King in His Kingdom on earth. Christ Jesus will have for Himself a people prepared to do greater works (see John 14:12).

This is not a time for any Believer or leader in the Body of Christ to be humdrum, expecting only what we have seen and experienced before. We have never been where we are going now (see Joshua 3:4).

The hearts and lives of millions are going to be touched and transformed by the power of God during these days, as God's people embrace the love of Christ in their hearts and action regarding God's PURPOSE for their life supported by that love.

REVELATION AND STRATEGIES

The Spirit of Truth is releasing revelatory insights for all who are willing to hear Him with a heart set to obey what He is requesting (see James 1:22). Prepare to see an acceleration of the advancing of God's plans and purposes. God will have a people of purity and power, who live, move (initiating action instead of complacency), and have a revelation of God's PURPOSE for their life.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[joseph4inspiration]

(Ezekiel 38:16)

We all see what's going on in Israel, and many people are still confused as to why Israel didn't know Hamas was planning an attack of that size. But as Christians we must understand that Ezekiel 38 has to come to pass. This war between Israel and Hamas is going to turn many nations against Israel - we already see protests going on in many different nations. I don't believe this is that great battle described in Ezekiel 38, but what we see now is setting the stage for that battle. The Lord Himself is directing the battle described in Ezekiel 38. In verse 4 the Lord said "‭‭I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army..." The Lord said "I will lead thee out". Israel didn't see this attack coming because they were not meant to. When Bible prophecy is going forth, our understanding and abilities will always be limited. I do not fully understand how the battle described in Ezekiel 38 will unfold - no one does except the Lord Himself, but what I do know is that things will not go back to how they once were, and as Christians, we have to accept that. I see many people saying pray for the peace of Israel, but Psalm 122:6 says pray for the peace of Jerusalem, not Israel. I know that in God's eyes Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, but when it comes to Israel, Daniel 9:26 tells us war will continue until the end. I'm not saying we shouldn't pray for peace in that region, but we must understand what's in motion now. God has promised to destroy all the enemies of Israel, and He's not just talking about Israel's current enemies, He's also talking about her enemies that were back during Bible times. In Ezekiel 38:8, the Lord said, "after many days you will be visited". The meaning of the word "visited" here is punished or judged. This divine punishment cannot happen without conflict. I also don't believe that we, as Christians, should have a heart full of hatred for the Palestinian people. We should pray for the salvation of the people in Palestinian, Iran, Lebanon and Syria.

We see the evil actions of those who wish the total destruction of Israel, but what we can't see are the powerful demonic forces behind all this. In Daniel 10:13 we saw that the angel Gabriel was in a fight with the Prince of Persia for 21 days; ancient Persia is now modern-day Iran - the nation who provides financial support and training to Israel enemies.

We should also be praying that innocent people are not hurt or killed. Doing so, will be a blessing to others and ourselves - as we fight to resist the hate wagon so many people are riding on.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Joseph Interprets Two Dreams

1 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.

2 And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.

3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.

4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.

5 And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.

6 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.

7 And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?

8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.

9 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;

10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:

11 And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

12 And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:

13 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.

14 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:

15 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:

17 And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.

18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:

19 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.

20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.

21 And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand:

22 But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.

23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him. — Genesis 40 | King James Version (KJV) The King James Version Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Genesis 14:13; Genesis 37:36; Genesis 39:1; Genesis 39:22; Genesis 41:1; Genesis 41:10-11; Genesis 41:13; Genesis 41:15-16; Genesis 42:17; Numbers 17:8; Joshua 2:12; 2 Kings 25:27; Nehemiah 1:11; Nehemiah 2:2; Esther 7:10; Job 19:14; Psalm 31:12; Psalm 105:19; Proverbs 16:14; Ecclesiastes 9:15; Song of Solomon 6:11; Jeremiah 52:31; Daniel 2:36; Daniel 4:18-19; Matthew 14:6

What does Genesis chapter 40 mean?