Rapture Forums - Christian Chat

Odds are you make half the salary of a pastor.

mattfivefour — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:22:11 GMT

The median salary for a pastor in the US is $86,325 with pastors of large "successful" churches making in excess of $100,000. This on top of free housing in the church parsonage—some of which (in the biggest churches) are mansions—and also, in some cases, receiving other perks such as new luxury cars.

The median income for the average American is $46,326; out of which the individual has to pay for their own accommodation and their own transportation.

As a preacher, I am certainly not against a pastor receiving a fair living. But when the average pastor makes more than double the national average salary and gets all of the other perks, we perhaps should not surprised that many of the pastors in today's pulpits are hirelings. It seems to be a pastor today is to enter a profession where, by careful preaching, one can achieve celebrity in the eyes of the church world and honor in the eyes of the world at large; and where, by careful preaching, one can achieve money, prestige, and power. These are all things that are very attractive to people with a slick tongue, a lot of pride and a desire for success.

I am in no way condemning pastors in general; merely commenting on why so many are leading the congregations of so many churches into apostasy. I do thank God that there are still pastors who preach the full gospel, preaching as the Holy Spirit gives them the messages, not pulling punches for any reason ... even to their own hurt and loss. Such men are walking in the footsteps of the prophets and apostles of old. They do not preach and pastor for money, but solely in answer to a calling from God.

I encourage all who are part of a local assembly to ensure that their own pastor is a true servant and not a hireling. If he is the latter, look elsewhere to be fed.

HOW TO SURVIVE IN A SEX CRAZED WORLD- Having the Integrity Of Joseph

Toothywoofy — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:26:26 GMT

I have just been pondering on this and the story of Joseph with Potiphar's wife. Joseph displayed integrity and was still wrongly accused and punished for a crime he didn't commit. Had he committed the sin, ironically he may not have ended up in a physical prison, but he would, as a result of sinning, have ended up in a mental, emotional and spiritual prison and many reading this will probably know what I mean.

Hebrews 3:13 says

Quote:

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Sin is deceiving and it hardens our hearts. We don't have to look far in the story of David to see how his gaze towards Bathsheba led to him sinning against God and man, having Bathsheba's husband killed. It took Nathan the prophet to come some time after the crime was committed to confront David and while David did not kill Uriah with his own sword, God actually speaks of the event as if David had personally killed Uriah because Uriah's death had been the 'intention' or 'motive' of David's heart. We see from scripture that David's sin has ongoing ramifications and impacts David on many different levels where we see the sins of the father brought calamity on his whole household.

Sin always starts with a thought. It is a thought that we can take captive in the moment and make obedient to Jesus, or we can choose to allow that thought to take root, develop and grow. Had David taken his eyes off Bathsheba immediately after catching sight of her from his palace, he would have saved himself a lot of heartache. He continued to look and let his thoughts take root which gave birth to 'motives' and 'intentions' and that is what he acted on. In that moment David's fellowship with the Lord was compromised. He was no longer walking in integrity and truth and his heart hardened, even to the point of hatching a plot to cover up his sin by getting Uriah back from the battlefield so that it would look as if he was the father of Bathsheba's child and when that didn't work, he went one step further and had him killed.

I learned early on in my Christian walk that certain movies were not good for me to watch as they caused me to stumble. So, difficult though it was and is at times, I choose to avoid the movies which I know contain adult scenes so as to avoid any triggers. (For the record, I also avoid very violent movies and horror movies as I believe that most are demonically inspired.) Occasionally I have made the mistake of reading a newspaper article, thinking it was benign, only to realise it contained something depraved and so the battle is still to be fought and I am still having to make wise choices on a daily basis. Admittedly, I don't always get it right, but my heart is set on trying as best as I can.

I believe what Jesus meant when he said if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out, is Him telling us to avoid or switch off from those things that cause us to sin. It is not literally gouging out your eye, but removing or avoiding those things which cause us to stumble via what we see with our eyes.

Matthew 5:29

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If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Integrity is not always the easiest quality to find these days, even in the church. Many are letting the world dictate their standards rather than letting God's word dictate.

If the highs a christian gets are from adult scenes in movies or fantasy, then their integrity and view of sex as God intended gets distorted. Adult scenes in movies or descriptions of love scenes in romantic novels are a form of porn if we are to say it for what it is and the reality is we would not consider going to our neighbours bedroom window and watch them make love, and yet some of us can somehow justify looking through the window of the television set, with people doing the same thing. Sin separates us from God no matter what way it is packaged up and it is amazing how convincing some of us can be, justifying it to ourselves and others! I have been there and got the tee-shirt along with 10 burnt fingers, so I am speaking first hand. David had convinced himself that taking Bathsheba for a few nights of pleasure was somehow justifiable, leaving his integrity firmly outside the doors to his inner chambers as he embraced sin. He was a man after God's own heart, and yet he compromised his walk with the Lord when he allowed his own heart to deceive him in that moment of seeing Bathsheba on the terrace roof.

While there are increasingly fewer movies without sexual content or sex scenes, there are still some produced which are wholesome enough to watch, like family movies. If a movie is not wholesome enough for the whole family to watch, should it really be something that we as adults watch anyway? If it isn't appropriate for our kids, is it, if we were honest, appropriate for us? And if we watch a movie with an adult scene, what is the fruit? What way will it effect our thinking? Our view of our spouse and of sex? And for those of us who are single, are we illegitimately opening a door that God wants to remain tightly shut until within the confines of marriage? Song of Songs tells us 'Not to arouse or awaken love until it pleases' and while I am using a little liberty with this verse, I believe we are not to arouse or awaken love until it pleases GOD, within the confines of a secure godly marriage. Masturbation for a single person can also arouse love, or more appropriately 'lust' and be a person's downfall into a seedy world of fantasy and sin, and can distort their view of God's precious gift and impact any future marriage relationship, unless it is confessed and dealt with. And for someone who is married and engaging in fantasies coupled with masturbation, a door can be opened leading them into a 'prison' and robbing them of enjoying true intimacy with their partner. Once in that marriage, we need to make sure that we do not allow anything in to defile the marital bed including wrongful fantasies.
Hebrews 13:4

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Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

What defiles the marital bed? There are the obvious sins of extra-marital relationships, but Jesus makes it clear that defiling happens even in our thought life. Whether the lustful thoughts are generated by porn, adult scenes in movies, billboards we lingeringly look at, double glances at ripped muscles on a man, or a curvaceous body of a woman, we are, in Jesus words, committing adultery. It may give momentary arousal and a 'feel good' hit, but it ensnares and is like the drug which needs more hits each time to get a high. Meantime our flesh goes about looking for a way of illegitimately meeting that need and at the same time the holy spirit whispers for us to take every lustful thought captive and make it obedient to Christ while lulling our sexual desire back to sleep only to be awoken within the confines of the marriage with our partner.

Matthew 5:28

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But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

This scripture applies equally to women as it does to men. Women tend to gravitate towards the romantic novels, but the images still get formed as they read seductive passages and imagine the person in the book and the scenes being depicted. The end result is the same whether it is looking with lust at a woman which leads to sexual fantasies, or reading about it in a racy novel. Before God, the impact is the same -sexual sin. As Christians, we can perhaps justify our thoughts in these cases because we haven't 'acted' on them, or 'physically' sinned but God's word is clear, thinking about it equates carrying out the sin -the 'intention' is the same. Our flesh is great at justifying compromise. We need to remember that we are in an ongoing battle whether we acknowledge our not. If we do not take the first thought captive and remove ourselves from the line of temptation, the flesh will take over. God's word tells us our flesh is hostile to God and at enmity with Him and the flesh will not nor cannot submit to God. No wonder hearts harden and people become deceived when sin is given a foothold and in this case, sexual sin.

Romans 8:7

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For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

We are kidding ourselves if we think that sexual sin will not be a potential downfall if we take our eyes off the goal and give room to lustful thoughts. Our flesh and our spirit are in a constant battle and satan is out to pervert this beautiful gift of sex from our heavenly Father at every turn. The flesh is susceptible to sexual sin not least because we are sexual beings, created to reflect intimacy of the Bride of Christ and the Bridegroom in our earthly relationships, particularly in a marriage setting and our flesh will not lead us into paths of righteousness in this regard! It is because of what the intimacy represents in a heavenly perspective that satan throws all he can to distort our view of sex. Satan also knows that sexual sin is one of the most ensnaring as it incorporates body, soul and spirit in the act. The flesh is in conflict with the spirit according to scripture.

Galatians 5:17

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For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other...

Galatians 5:16, the preceding verse tells us that if we walk in the spirit, we will not satisfy the lusts of the flesh. Crucifying the flesh is not always easy, but it is the only way for us to walk free of the ensnaring power of sin.

Quote:

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh

If we truly are His, we will want to crucify our flesh and in fact Galatians 5:24 speaks of it as being part of the package of belonging to Christ, that we will and have crucified the flesh with its passions/lusts and desires.

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Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires

Ephesians 5:25, 28

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Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her....28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself

Christ loved the church with a selfless love. Satan has so perverted sex these days, that the only person someone filled with lust is thinking of, isn't their partner, it is themselves and getting 'their' lustful needs met. It may, for some, take time to make the marriage relationship totally 'Christ-centred' even in the marriage bed, but it is possible. Sexual sin from the past does not need to dictate our future relationships. Through ministry, prayer and accountability plus making wise choices at every turn, a wholesome view of sex can be obtained and maintained.

Ephesians 5:22, 33b

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Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord....33b..and the wife must respect her husband

As a woman, I can say with certainty that we are generally more 'global' in our thinking than men and can't just switch off when our partners say something which upsets us. We 'stew' more when we get hurt and before we entertain romance, we want the air cleared and things talked about. In a marriage relationship, a man can get angry with a woman for not being responsive romantically and doesn't realise the woman is still annoyed about something said earlier that they still want to talk about and that she does not want to engage in romance without clearing the air first. Communication is key here. The man needs to ask the woman if there is something wrong and see if the woman wants to talk about what is bugging her, and the woman needs to be honest too to bring resolve as men cannot read our minds! As women we are called to submit to our husbands and not use the giving or refusal of sex as a control mechanism in the marriage. When this happens, some men can feel rebuffed or rejected and can find temptation harder to resist and if they haven't had intimacy for a while, the billboards with seductive poses can prove more enticing and the battle of the mind increases. Sometimes other circumstances can dictate low intimacy levels within a marriage like illness, pregnancy and child birth and even grief, but communication about struggles will be a protection in the marriage. Women, when they are upset and they haven't resolved the issue with their husbands and talked about what's going on, can find the temptation to escape into a romantic novel harder to resist. The dashing hunk in the book never misunderstands, is always understanding, always bringing the flowers on cue, always complimenting in all the right ways and before long, the wife starts comparing the character with her husband. Again, communication is a protection so that we don't end up looking for illegitimate forms of comfort and embrace escapism.

Back to Joseph. We are told quite a lot in Genesis 39.

Joseph was well-built and handsome

Potiphar's wife took notice of him and lusted after him, asking him to go to bed with her.

Joseph refused, stating clear boundaries -his respect for her husband, for his position, and not least God, clearly stating that it would be sinning against God!

She plagued him day in and day out but he refused her every time and kept his resolve.

We are told he even refused to be near her, and that would have taken some strength of character to make that boundary with his employer's wife!!

While he was attending his duties, it would appear she crept up on him and took him unawares and still he ran, losing his cloak in the process BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY not losing his integrity.

Genesis 39

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Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

Potiphar's wife makes me think of that saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned in love' although in her case, it was lust.

Looking at the fruit of Joseph's life, it is amazing to see the way God vindicated him and Potiphar's wife is never heard of again in scripture. She may well have been trembling in her sandals when Joseph was put in power, second only to Pharoah, knowing that Joseph could have had her imprisoned!! Joseph was clearly not revengeful though, having learned the power of forgiveness in prison and the purposes of God in his journey.

Walking in integrity costs us, but it is worth every single 'penny' and in due season, we will reap a harvest, if we faint not. Let's take a leaf out of Joseph's book.

Ephesians 5:3

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But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.

Ephesians 5:3 shows us that we must walk without even a hint of anything inappropriate in our lives and by His strength and the power of the holy spirit we can do it. Some of us need more support in this area than others, but it can be done.

The world will never agree with God's word on this matter, and neither will our flesh!!!! We know not to expect godly standards from ungodly sources. We are faced with choices every day just as Joseph was. He was a single young man who would have been very aware of his sexuality and desires, but he had already set his face like flint before the temptation arose, he took himself out of temptations way at every turn, he set his boundaries, and even when faced with a vulnerable situation he turned and fled. Let us encourage one another to keep our faces set like flint, to walk in humble obedience, seeing men as brothers and fathers and woman as sisters and mothers, and encouraging one another daily to walk with purity of heart and mind. Matthew 5:8 tells us that the 'pure in heart see God' and I long for each of us to see God and to keep running the race set out before us.

Galatians 6:9

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So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.

Bless you all and thankyou for reading.

Simple Man, Simple Faith

LeastOfAll — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:17:16 GMT

My dad is no rocket scientist (neither am I). He was born in the hill country in Cuba and the formal education he got was 4th or 5th grade at the most. He's not stupid though, he became a self-taught carpenter with tools he made himself, then eventually became a HVAC technician at Jet Propulsion Labs in Pasadena, CA. That in itself is quite an accomplishment. My dad has always had a simple, but tremendous faith in God. Because of that faith, God used him to get our immediate family out of Cuba during the revolution. Fifteen years later, God used him to get the rest of our relatives out and settled in America.

The most amazing thing he did however, I learned about only a few years ago. It was during our evacuation at the airport. He secured 4 seats for us on the last Super Connie scheduled to leave Havana that day. At the last minute, he gave up his seat so that a pregnant woman whom he did not know, could go to America to have her baby. He stayed behind and watched his family leave without him.

I don't know if I could do that. I don't know that my faith in God is that simple or tremendous. Dad, you are truly the most amazing man I know.

2 months later God got him out of Cuba and he joined us in New York.

Happy Father's Day

vmoon — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:25:29 GMT

To all you Fathers here... Happy Father's Day:wave

TV show "Save Me"

WhisperWisdom — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 21:24:03 GMT

I don't know if anyone has commented on this already, but what do you all think about the new series, "Save Me" on t.v.? It's supposed to be about this woman having gotten saved and now God is talking directly to her in order to get things done.

I don't know....there are some funny moments in the show, but otherwise, there are some things about it that sort of leaves me uneasy, as if they were almost making fun of God. Thoughts?

Mokele Mbembe -Last living dinosaur?

Toothywoofy — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:01:48 GMT

A 55,000 square mile area of unexplored forested border region in Africa could perhaps reveal some very interesting undiscovered and supposedly extinct species, in particular a possible sauropod which, if found, would prove evolution far wrong. What are the chances of the evolution experts trying to crush any evidence found? A French team are planning an expedition next month to try and obtain evidence of the 'Mokele Mbembe'.

The following is an interesting documentary regarding the same. What is interesting to note that unlearned tribal people who have rarely seen white people or had opportunity to read books or hear about dinosaurs in a classroom setting, describe a dinosaur like creature and depict what would resemble a dinosaur, supposedly extinct 65 million plus years ago! See for yourself!

I need an answer for a very bright 8 year old!

mikalikat — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:50:09 GMT

Alison is uber bright and a delight to homeschool. She's asked me how can God be God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I know HOW I want to say it but can anyone help me put this into words for her so that it's crystal clear to her?

Just a thought to share....

ElShaddai — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:19:57 GMT

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I would just like to share a thought with you today. And please forgive me if I don't put it into the exact wording, but I hope that you will be Blessed regardless.

In this fast pace, competitive world in which we live, we can as believers and unbelievers, find ourselves having to get the best, have the latest or be first in line. We can find ourselves if you will.....having to qualify all the time. You know, can't do this until you do that, can't have that until you do this.

The dictionary defines the word Qualify to "Be entitled to a particular benefit or privilege by fulfilling a necessary condition"

Then I started thinking, you know what? That sounds just like my walk sometimes. Always thinking of how or what I can do to please our Lord. Or maybe even someone might think, what can I do to go to heaven or how can I obtain favor.

My Brothers and Sisters....as the definition states, Jesus....and Him alone fulfilled the necessary condition. There is nothing we can do to be entitled to any benefit or privilege without the Lord in our lives.

Jesus said in John 7:37....On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, �If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.

All we have to do.....is just be thirsty!

God Bless.

Is the Rapture Imminent?

ElShaddai — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:49:37 GMT

Hello my Brothers and Sisters,

I know that we are so looking forward to that moment, but just how close do you think we really are?

Blessings!

who we are in Him

lightnings&thunderings — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 08:14:12 GMT

There is this neighbor gal that I talk to from time to time since moving into my new place last May. She had a real nice male Labrador retriever. I mean her Bruno, was built like an OX. only 1 year old but she had to give him up as it was too much for her being this gal needs a wheelchair to get around in. I have a Labrador and it's how we met and I too miss Bruno. Weeks ago her caregiver and friend all went to the park with Bruno and I followed them with my lab. it was a pretty cool day to see both labs playing. Bruno, had a deep bark but as sweet and loveable as most labs are. I've lived with labs all my life and he was a big one. No place for a lab where Bruno was and it was sad to see her give him up but the gal's friend has Bruno now and she'll always get to see him :)

Anyway, today we went for a quick ride to the park and I wanted to try to share in just a few words, how we need to be greatful for what the Lord has provided in our lives. Anyway, As I was walking along side a gal neighbor of mine sat. afternoon at a park, I thought for few seconds to put ( I, or ME ) aside and focus on being thankful to the Lord, for what I have. There are many who are far worse off and yet if they who are also in the Lord, are believers; are also admonished to do the same thing...Give God thanks, or at least appreciate in our hearts who God is and who we are in Him.

This gal I mentioned is a 47 yr old woman who uses an electric wheel chair and takes very small steps when walking with he cane. Pictures of this woman above her fireplace mantle shows what she looked like just before her 37th birthday and soon after a stroke she had that nearly took her life that left her to depend on other's pretty much for the rest of her life. A woman who by any standard, that if anyone took a look at her picture, could easily come away with the thought wow, was she ever beautiful. I asked her if she knew Jesus and she said yes. Her stroke also caused her muscles in her throat and mouth not to work and so she slur's her words and it's sometimes difficult to understand what she's saying.

We've all seen other's not as fortunate and i'm sure many them need to be greatful to the Lord in their own hearts or who He is in spite of their sufferings. That must be such a very hard thing to do. In fact, probably one of the hardest places for a person to be in.

This woman's name is Stormy, and if she is truly in the Lord, she is His child no matter what. In some ways after her stroke and through the years has an outward appearance that shows perhaps a resemblance of who she was just 11 yrs earlier. She still is Stormy, and her appearance has diminished because of that terrible misfortune. Taking a look at her huge picture above her fireplace mantle, and you would see a woman as beautiful as any gal could be. Just sayin.....

1 Cor 13:12 tells us "For now we see through a glass, darkly, (can only see the dim outline) ; but then, (after the Resurrection) face to face now I know in part but then shall I know even as also I am known. God, see's our pain, He knows our desires, wants & needs. He's there and cares for us even though we struggle to rest in Him. The footprints in the sand picture we see and after we've made it through something we don't know how we did but He probably was carrying us through it.

God tells us to look upon the eternal in another chapter in 2 Cor 3:18, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass (looking into a mirror) the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord" We know that when the day comes and we see Jesus face to face, we ourselves will even know our own selves the way Christ, see's us. I say Wow, we all can saw wow!, we will have the mind of Christ.

Can we have the mind of Christ now? No, impossible, but we can strive to walk in the spirit daily. Taking up our cross DAILY AS IT says in Luke. Only once in the harmony of the gospels does the Lord give us through Paul, the word DAILY. I think it to remind us how important it really is to die to self and as we give our lives completely to God, He will work through us.

When we are walking close to God, we know it. It's the perfect place to be. When we are out of kilter, we know it. It says we are to judge ourselves and if our hearts are right, we just need to call out to God, asking Him to please help us with our minds and hearts that no deception will turn us away from wanting to please you, Him the father. Are we on the mission field in Africa? Maybe not. But we can start as soon as we walk out our front door to face the day. Sometimes we are a bit weak and can bearly get through the day not swearing or answering someone back who we felt deserved it.

I remember working in a food distribution warehouse and there was a guy who just loved picking on me. I can say through my flesh that I didn't know any better (Joke) but I let it go and just followed the teachings of our lord. to pray for those who despitefully use you and persectute you. Oh man, how that is hard to do. But I did it, and I was harassed by this guy for months when I never even preached to anyone. He knew I was a Christian, because an old baseball buddie of mine from college worked in the same dept. we talked and stuff but guess it was my mistake of sharing the Lord with my friend!!!

It got real bad, and I mean real bad. HR had to step in and this guy's brother use to be a good Christian and he told me that what I was doing was good. He walked away and it was the first time he even told me about his experience after 6 months of working with him. Anyway, later down the road I told this guy who was harassing me, that if it wasn't for Jesus, that I would have clobbered him and that he wouldn't have gotten away with his rotten attitude toward God. And that one day He will answer to Him. Had I knew how to be more diplomatic about the situation I could have cracked a few jokes of my own but I just wanted to give it to the Lord.

There are other times we succeed and other times we might fail in walking in the Lord's spirit. As we feed our minds with his word, it becomes easier to allow Christ to work through us, and his word bringing to light our every move before we make our own moves in retaliation. Those are the checks within our spirit, that we are to heed. Sometimes we heed to God's ways and sometimes we don't. We're not to be a dormat, and there is boldness needed as long as we are angry but do not sin. I we sin, so be it, we need to repent and get back on track.

James 1: 22 God wants us "But be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves. vs.23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass For he beholds himself, and goes his way and straightway forgets what manner of man he was"

Sometimes it's hard to make ends meat, have enough money at the end of the month but God never changes. We still have the lighthouse with it's shining becon through the Harbor fog. He is our safe harbor. He is our refuge Amen.

As I was walking with this gal, I had to take very small steps and I realized that I need to be thankful for what I have been given with. just think about it for a moment.....if you had to take 1 ft steps and hold yourself up with a cane on the other. I sure wouldn't. But this girl has had to learn to live with it. As other people passed us by I though of how hard it must be for people who are stuck in that kind of situation. What came to my mind was that I need to just slow down and be still, and quiet. listen, and let God tell us in which way we should go or what we should do about a certain situation. Let's try to keep our hearts and minds on eternal, during the Storms of life.

Mark 3:35 For whosoever shall do the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother. Some of us are in a mess, some of us are pleasing to God. I want to be called a friend of God, but man, we need to step up and seek God face with all our hearts, minds and strength.

Here's a challenge! I know it is mine. Psalm 7 Hear O LORD, when I cry with My voice; have mercy also upon me and answer Me vs.8 When You said, Seek you My face, My Heart said unto You, Your Face, LORD, will I seek.

Ps 1:2 But His delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in His Law does He meditate day and night.
Psalm 149: 4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His People He will beautify the meek with Salvation" "He will uphold us with his right hand" Thank you Jesus.

Question about Alpha course and Nicky Gumble

Eva1974 — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:47:57 GMT

Hi.

A little while ago, I had a question about Rick Warren/Purpose driven life.

Now the question is about Nicky Gumble and the alpha course. I'm going to my cell group tonight, and we're supposed to start an Alpha course in our church.

I'm not so sure about this, and need advices from you guys...

YSIC, Eva

5 Ways Porn Will Hurt Your Marriage

Toothywoofy — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 11:05:11 GMT

Porn not only hurts a marriage, it damages one's perspective on sex before marriage. The Lord is the only one to give true freedom from the bondage that it brings. The following is a well written article on the effects on marriage.

Christian Marriage Advice: 5 ways porn will hurt your marriage

by Erin Baxter

�And they lived happily ever after�� Cut! End scene. Movie over. They�re married, what more is there? Happily ever after�

Is that so? I�m not sure how many married couples would explain their marriage as �happily ever after.� Not that all marriages are bad, by no means! But marriage comes with its challenges. It takes work. It takes dedication. It can be great, it can be happy, but it can also be hard.

One growing difficulty in many marriages is the issue of pornography. Everything can seem great until the Mrs. is greeted by a naked image of another woman as she turns on the computer screen or until the Mr. stops showing up to little Jimmy�s games as he sits and watches his computer screen for hours on end. Maybe the Mrs. has gotten into �harmless� romance novels and no longer has the desire for sex, or Mr. finds pornographic messages being sent between his wife and another man via a social network.

It may not be the exact situations above, but if porn is involved anywhere in your marriage (with you, your spouse, or even both of you), then there is no �happily ever after.� Pornography never blesses, it only takes. It never enriches, it only deceives. Porn will not develop anyone, but only put the user (and others) in harms way.

If porn is involved in your marriage, you are not alone. Covenant Eyes reported in their most recent statistics (via MSNBC and a Stanford/Duquesne study): �In 2000, 25 million Americans spent 1 to 10 hours per week viewing Internet pornography, and as many as 4.7 million spent over 11 hours per week viewing Internet pornography.� Of those millions, I cannot imagine how many are married.

I myself have experienced the problem of porn in my marriage. My husband revealed his struggle to me just a few months before we were married and it has been a part of our lives ever since. Not that my husband is actively involved in pornography any longer, but just as alcoholism is a struggle with no cure, so is the addiction to pornography. One sip, one look, and it can be a downhill journey once again.

Worth the Fight

So why try? Does it really hurt your marriage? Is it something worth fighting against if the urges and temptations will always be there and the �happily ever after� doesn�t completely exist?

Yes. One million times, yes! Though this struggle is hard, your marriage is worth it. Just as you would fight hard to prevent alcoholism or drug addiction, fight just as hard against the battle of pornography.

Still not convinced? Here are 5 ways that pornography can hurt your marriage. I pray you take them to heart and know that none of us are immune to the affects.

To read the 5 ways go to
Christian Marriage Advice: 5 ways porn will hurt your marriage | Covenant Eyes

Wondering if anyone knows of a solid God-fearing Church in Bloomington Indiana

mikhen7 — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 21:07:43 GMT

I was speaking with an individual who is looking to find a church that is conservative but not legalistic and loves Jesus. Bloomington, Indiana

Communion question,

daygo — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:15:59 GMT

Would like to ask the pastors on here about the act of communion ( taking the bread and wine ) we had a visiting preacher that talked on this subject and was ok with it till he mentioned about it can be used for healing and gave an example of a friend who tripped and injured themselves ( 80 yrs old ) and they prayed for them and said that the lord said to them to take communion have never heard of this before hence the question is there truth in this. Thanks for any replys. :scratch:

Image of the beast.

daygo — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:59:32 GMT

Saturday I saw a programme in uk and was entitled an audience with les dawson now he died some 20 years ago, the point is they had a hologram of him and it was brilliant, then it got me thinking about the image of the beast. Do people think it could be an advanced version of a hologram or 3d image. :scratch: