1^st Timothy 5:24 and what does it means to all people?

          This is an essay that has a whole lot to do with 1^st Timothy 5:24: and what does it means to all people? 1^st Timothy 5:24 says: Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow later.  This means that for some men, their sins are clearly apparent, and in another case, there are men who sins will be revealed to them later.  To be honest, God watches all things from heaven.  I will admit that I still have a very long way to go in my Christian walk. 

          Next, I will also admit that I have been clean and sober for a total of 29 years right now.  It is God that is doing for me more than I am doing for myself.  I have not been in trouble in a total of 7 years now.  I remember being probated for a crime that I did not commit.  I was remanded to the Dayton, Ohio Montgomery County Common Pleas Court for committing two counts of communications of threats.  I did not commit these crimes whatsoever.  I was requesting for prayer from Turner Road Baptist Church in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio.  I was subsequently placed on probation for three years.  The dates are as follows from February 28, 2012 to March 28, 2015.  I had to report to court every year for three years.

          Proverbs 17:9 says: He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separates very friends.  I am willing to renounce all of my transgressions to the Lord.  The Lord will always forgive me as long as I am faithful and just in all of my causes.  We all have personal sins in our lives that only God can only forgive us.  For instance, I have made a lot of mistakes in my personal life.  I have not used vulgarity in over a month right now.  I asked God to forgive me for using vulgarity; when I get angry.

          Further, Galatians 6:1 says: Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.  This means if a member of the church helps me resolve my transgressions in a peaceful manner; lest he himself be tempted.  My brother and I had to resolve our problem, particularly when he called me out of my name without cause.  I have forgiven my brother for calling me out of my name.  We apologized to each other because God intervened between the two of us.  A member of my church had to mediate between a friend of mine and me; whenever there was a disagreement about the Bible.

          Psalms 32:1 Says: Blessed is he whose transgressions is forgiven, who sin is covered.  Only God forgives transgressions and sins.  I am capable of forgiving others; whenever they have wronged me personally.  I have forgiven my brother recently for calling me out of my name.  I also forgiven my own cousin for beating me with a bicycle pole back on May 5, 1981.  I am the type of person who do not like to harbor resentments and aggression towards other people.  During the past five years, my life has changed for the better.

          For Example, I do not curse people out anymore.  I do not use social media as a means to severely criticize others, as I did in the past.  I have changed behaviorally as well.  I have given my life over to the care of God.  I feel a lot better because I have the Holy Spirit inside of me right now.

          Psalms 32:5 Says: I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid.  I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. As long as I acknowledge all of my sins to God and His son Jesus Christ, He will forgive me of all of my sins.  1^st Timothy 5:24 means to me that all of our sins are obvious to God.  Even though man’s sins are hidden from other men, but with God.

Touching Liveswith James Merritt

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Above and Beyond

June 25, 2020

“But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’” (Luke 1:13-17)

Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth had been praying for a son for nearly seven decades. They had been waiting longer than most people would for an answer to a prayer, but their waiting proved to be worth it when God appeared to Zechariah and promised him that Elizabeth was going to have a son. But this wasn’t just any child. This child was going to grow up to be someone who would be forever remembered because of the influence he had on history.

God more than answered their prayer. He didn’t just give them what they asked for. He gave them something even better than what they had asked for. He said their son would be filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb. He would never know a day when he did not have the Spirit of God. He would lead many in Israel to turn back to the Lord.

God does not always do what we want Him to do, when we want Him to do it, but when He does what He wants to do, when He wants to do it, it is what we would have wanted all along. So whenever we’re praying for something, let’s not put God in a box. Instead, let’s pray that God would not just give us what we want, but that He would give us His best, which always seems to be above and beyond anything we could have asked for or imagined.

Dear God, how grateful I am that you hear my prayers and that you always answer. Even when the answer isn’t exactly what I want, I know that I can trust you to give me your best. Help me to want your will over my will, and give me the eyes to see the blessings you give me that are so far beyond what I could ever ask for. Amen.

Topics: Prayer

Bible Reference

Luke 1:13-17

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,

and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

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everything is revealed to Him to whom we will have to give an account of everything inside of the body to God.

Psalms 5:1-3 and what does it mean to all people?

        Good Day Everyone!! I want to start things off by asking everyone a very serious question.  What does Psalms 5:1-3 mean to all of you?  The answer is God wants us to have daily devotions and meditate on His word.  In verse 1, it says: Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my mediation.  This is David, the King pleading with the Lord to hear his mediation.  We are supposed to make our request known to God.  This is the reason why daily devotions are important to me.  I read a verse inside of the Book of Proverbs each day of the week.  I also read the Gospels such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  I read and listen to worship music all of the time.

        Next, I want to say that verse #2 states that God has heard my cry and pleas to Him.  This means that I confess all of my sins to God, and I also complete the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous every single day.  I complete the last 3 Steps; which are as follows: 10. Continue to take personal inventory and when we are wrong promptly admitted it.  Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

        Further, I want to say that I complete these last three steps in Alcoholics Anonymous because I feel that I have a lot of people to apologize to each day.  I also have apologize to God for all of my sins that I commit each day.  I pray and meditate every day because it causes me to get even closer to God. I am a whole lot happier with myself, more than I have ever been.  I am more respectful, humble, and gentle with myself and with everyone else.

        Moreover, I want to say to everyone that I am a brand new person.  I am pleasant to be around other people.  I do not use any vulgarity anymore.  I am very polite and friendly to other people.  I am a person who is intelligent.  I am a person who have a lot of common sense.  I am a person who enjoys studying the Word of God.  I am a person who is very patient and very understanding.  I have to be delivered from people if I am going to be helpful to people. 

        I believe that I am the righteousness of God.  I do not want Satan to steal my joy from me.  I have presented my body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is my reasonable service.  I preach the Gospel of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  I share the good news about the grace of God.  I do not want to be ignorant of His grace.  I have a revelation of Jesus Christ because my personal Savior Jesus Christ has been working inside of me.  I have the Holy Spirit.

        Finally, I realize that we all have the Holy Spirit inside of us.  According to 1^st Corinthians 6:19 says that Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  I do believe that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  I have been born again since February 15, 2015.  I have been born again for 4 years now.  I was baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.  My home church is called Fort McKinley United Methodist Church.  I have been a member of the church for the past 10 years now.

        In Conclusion, my name is Anthony Joseph Hopkins and I am from Dayton, Ohio.  I have been writing for the past 10 years now.  I love all of you very much. 

The Sinful Nature Vs the New Man

        This is an essay concerning the Sinful Nature vs the New Man.  Who do you think will win?  The sinful nature consists of the Old Man Nature. 

        The reason why I brought this up as a topic is simply because there are some things that I am struggling with as a Christian.  For Instance, I do not use any vulgarity.  I will admit that I am a lonely man right now.  I am not involved in a relationship right now because I was doing things that did not make sense. 

        Next, I want to say that it is not easy for me to deal with this problem.  I really need everyone to please keep me in your prayers.  The New man is a man that is holy.  The new man is very honest, truthful, considerate, respectful, and Christ-like.  When it comes to the Old Man, it thrives on things that are not of God.

I know that this information does not pertain to the Old and New Man, but it is helpful when it comes to dealing with issues that I am dealing with right now.  In Colossians 3:9-10 the apostle Paul mentions the “old self” and the “new self” as he writes “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.” He says that the old self has been put aside. Why would one want to put aside the old self, or old man? We are taught to put aside our old self because it is being corrupted.

 “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,” (Ephesians 4:21-22). We can see that once we have been taught about Jesus Christ that we should want to do away with our old self that is full of sin, corrupted with the lusts and deceit of this world. We can further see that we can put off this old self by having it crucified with Jesus Christ. As he was crucified on the cross so that we may have forgiveness of sins, in like manner, our old self is nailed to that cross so that we will not walk in an unrighteous manner afterward. Paul says “knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Rom 6:6). We also put off this old self by regeneration in accordance with Galatians 3:26 and Ephesians 4:23-24.

       We have learned that the old man is one that is full of sin and worldliness. But what is the new man? The new man is the one that is full of the righteousness and holiness of God! “And put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:24). Also if you go back to the beginning of this article and read the text you’ll notice that this new man is one that is renewed according to the image of God (Colossians 3:10). 

        Once one has decided to put on the new man (and this can only be done through baptism (Gal 3:27), and put off the old, then there are things that must follow after doing so. One cannot expect to go to heaven by accepting Jesus Christ and then quit trying to live the Christian life. There are several things that the new Christian must strive to do every day to live a life for Jesus. It starts by speaking the truth about Jesus. We should feel so good about Him, that we would WANT to tell others about the wonderful happiness that we have found in Jesus. We should want to tell our neighbors about Him. “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25).

In the past we might have gotten angry and sinned, but now the new man understands the righteousness of God and when one gets angry they will “sin not” as it states in Ephesians 4:26. We would be moved to do good works accompanied with good speech, while at the same time striving daily to resist the devil and all his temptations (Ephesians 4:27-29). This will be a struggle for the new babe in Christ but it can be done. Remember, God will not allow you to be tempted greater than you can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13). A new man will be moved to practice kindness to others. “And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Knowing that Christ died for us, forgiving us of all our sins, we should likewise be quick to forgive others in like-manner. When the old self has been put away, the new Christian will strive to have compassion on others (Colossians 3:12), and be long-suffering towards others (Colossians 3:13). The new man stands out because he has learned to put on love. “And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity”. (Colossians 3:14).

        There is a big difference between the old man of the world and the new man of God. Which are you? Have you put away that old man? If not, you need to get into Christ and enjoy the wonderful blessings of being a Christian!  To me personally, the old and new man still exist because it is not I am not afraid of letting it go; it is that I am weak in this area.  It is really hurting me; when it comes to my relationship with God.  I would like for all of you to please pray for me because I am a very weak person, especially when it comes to dealing with this issues.  This is my story of the Old Man vs The New Man.

What is obedience?

This is an essay that concerns obedience.  The definition of the word obedience is as follows: Obedience is compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another’s authority.  Obedience is absolutely essential to being a follower of Jesus Christ.  You thank Him for the heartaches and trials in our life.  Therefore, you are going to love Him.  What do you think?

Love God not half with God.  I am going to be careful to what I place in my mind.  Loving Jesus will affect how I feel about Him.  Share the Word.  Go into all of the world and preach the gospel.  We follow Jesus all of the time. 

The first thing that I do each day I wake up is thank the Lord for allowing me to wake up to see another day.  I also thank Him for the day before.  By the way, I hope Resurrection Sunday was good for you as it was for me.  I had a chance to pray for all of my family members.  I prayed for everyone worldwide; especially those who were died yesterday in Sri Lanka.  I also attended church yesterday as well as spend quality time praying for all of my neighbors where I live in Dayton, Ohio.

Serve Him

All of us have the capacity to serve the Lord.  I serve Him by helping others each day of the week.  I am responsible for helping others without asking for anything in return.  I know that God will always bless me with anything that I need.  I am a follower of my personal Savior Jesus Christ. 

One thing that I can say about me is that I am a doer of the Word and not a hearer.  I am responsible for doing everything that the Bible tells me to do.  For instance, I ask God to remove the desire for me to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana 28 years ago.  I have been clean and sober since May 2, 1990.

 I had given up the high cost to low living on that day.  I got sick and tired of being sick and tired.  I also ask God to be with me throughout my journey as well as my everyday life.  

Jesus accepted me in the same way that it is depicted in this picture.  I am very happy that I am a child of the Most High God.  I had to make changes in my personal life in order for Jesus Christ to accept me.  Some might say that I am still a sinner.  Some would say that I am a self- righteous man. Some would say that I have never changed.  I have changed for the better because the things that I have done in the past, I no longer have a desire for right now.

God transforms our life, and we change our way of thinking.

God’s way of thinking is not like humans.  His way of thinking is higher than ours.  God’s way of thinking is so strong that it will cause an average person to change for the better.  For me personally, I want to say that it is Him who is responsible for the things that I have in my life right now.  I know that I am not a perfect person.  I am a person who is sharing the gospel with others.  If I can change for the better, then the next person can change.  God gives us a choice.  We have a free will.  I have chosen to get my life right this time around.  God is doing for me what I cannot do for myself.  God is counting my steps.  He is risen!!

My name is Anthony Hopkins and I am from Dayton, Ohio.  I have been a Blogger for 9 years now.  I graduated from the University of Toledo on June 12, 1993 and June 17, 1995 respectively.  My hobbies consists of reading, writing, traveling, and writing my essays to anyone who would like to read them.  I am a very intelligent man, who has a lot of common sense.  I am a very nice person.

Psalms 96:13 And What It Means To All People?

          Good Evening and God Bless All of You!!  I would like to say that this Bible verse is one of my favorite verses.  This is pertaining to Jesus Christ, who will come to the earth a second time, and He will judge the earth.  Jesus Christ will judge the world with righteousness and the people with his truth.  I really believe it!!  It is time for all of us to get our lives in order right now. 

For me personally, I have to repent of all of my sins, and get serious!! This is very serious for everyone to repent and be baptized in the name of the father, son, and the Holy Spirit.  I want to say that this is a time for me to completely change for the better.  I have changed a whole lot.  For Instance, I want you to be my God!!  God, I want you into my life.  I want you Lord Jesus to dwell inside of me.  I want you to care for me in the same way my mother cared for me as a child.  I am only a Child of The Most High God!! 

          Further, I want to say that when it comes to this Bible verse, I also have to include Acts 2:38.  I have to say that it is time for me to do some spiritual house cleaning right now.  This means that I will have to stop watching the news at night.  I have to really stop voting for men and women in politics.  God is all that I need.  I am very sorry for voting for president of the United States, Mayor of my hometown of Dayton, Ohio, and selecting other people to govern the nations. 

          Moreover, I want to mention that I have to include Romans 10:9-10 as well.  I am literally ready to do my house cleaning, and I mean it this time around.  I know that I still have a long way to go in my Spiritual Walk.  I have to make sure that I am worthy in the eyes of Jesus Christ.  My life has been filled with ups and downs during the past 10 years.  I have to prepare in advance to humble myself, and change for the better.  The Lord has been good to me for a very long time.  I still have some growing up to do.  I am ready for the Lord to give me a strategy to change forever. 

          In Addition, I want to inform all of you that I am including these Bible verses because I am ready for the Lord to use me as an instrument for truth!!  I want the Lord Jesus Christ to please pay for my book to get published.  I am praying really hard for the Lord to publish my book called My Grace is Sufficient for Me.

 Dorrance Publishing Company out of Pittsburgh, PA has mailed me a contract that consists of 50 pages of information regarding my book. I have not signed the contract because I have to pay $5,600 dollars for them to publish my book.  I do not have the money to pay for my own book to get published.  Please pray for me because I am trying to publish my very first book.  Lord Jesus, please pay for my book to get published.  It is a Christian Book that talks about my life, and God’s Forgiveness. 

Finally, I want to say that I am very sorry for going on a tangent.  It is that, I have a book that everyone would love to read.  It is that I do not have the finances to pay for additional copyrights as well.  I need a whole lot of prayer for me, and for my book to get published with Dorrance Publishing Company.  The Book of Psalms consists of many Bible verses coming from David, Moses, and other Writers that the Bible hardly talk about.  Every verse inside of the Bible is very serious.  Jesus Christ is going to come back and judge the earth, and everything inside of it.  I am taking this seriously because I am praising the Lord all the time.  Thank You Jesus for saving me.  Thank You Lord Jesus for allowing me to write this essay.  Thank You Lord Jesus for talking to me right now.

In Conclusion, I want to say to everyone who is reading this essay that I really need all of your prayers, love, and support. 
I love all of you very much!! Take care of yourselves!!

Sincerely,

Anthony Joseph Hopkins

You cannot stop the rain!!

        Hello, Everyone!! How are you doing today?  Fine, I hope.  I want to inform all of you that I am writing about the subject called: You cannot stop the rain.  Colossians 3:25 says in the King James Version; but he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.  You cannot stop the rain is a metaphor.  A metaphor is an implied comparison.

        This has a whole lot to do with the judgment that we are about to receive in the near future.  First, I want to say that I am guilty of using foul language towards others.  I am guilty of committing crimes as well.  We are not saints.  The point is that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. 

        This means that I am relying on a power that is greater than myself, which can restore me to sanity.  The definition of the word sanity means to have a clear conscious, or to become suitable and proper in making judgment.

        Next, I want to inform everyone that our bodies as well as the air that we breathe does not belong to us.  Ecclesiastes 12:7 says then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the Spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

        You cannot stop the rain because we are responsible for our own behavior while we live.  Moreover, I am saying that all of us are held accountable for our personal behavior.  You cannot stop the rain literally because it waters the earth.  The rain that I am referring to is God’s wrath upon man.  Remember one thing, God has the last word.  The only thing that we can do, while God is talking to us is simply be quiet.  You cannot stop the rain when it comes because it has a purpose in life just like our human existence.

        In essence, this is a writing exercise because it gives me an opportunity to receive feedback.  I am not trying to preach to anyone.  I am sending a message that the Son of Man is coming back very soon.  We must prepare ourselves in advance.

        Matthew 12:36-37 says: But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment.  (37.) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.  You are not able to stop the rain because God is evaluating all living things.  Mankind will be held accountable for our speech, works, and is we are inside of the Lambs Book of Life.

        Acts 2:38 says: Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  You cannot stop the rain when it comes because it is time to repent of all of our sins.  It is time to get in right standings with God.  I want to inform all of you that God is watching all of us from His Throne in heaven.  You cannot stop the rain when it comes because we need to prepare ourselves in advance.

        I pray that all of us will be saved.  I am only flesh and clay out of the ground.  God even knows how long we shall live on earth.  God knows everything in advance about all of us.  In Addition, you cannot stop the rain in many ways because it will come when we least expect it.  For me personally, I have been clean and sober for the past 29 years now.  I asked God to remove the desire from me to drink and smoke and He did.

        The rain that I am also referring to is the latter rain.  It is a community of believers, who are sharing God’s message to all people.  This community of people are responsible for being an example to everyone else.  You cannot stop the rain because it is going to come; no matter if we are prepared or not.  I am doing my very best to save those who are lost, the spiritually blinded people, double minded people, and baptizing others in the name of the Father, Son, and The Holy Ghost.

        Romans 10:9-10: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart: that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10.) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  As soon as the rain comes, man cannot control it.  I am doing my best to govern my own behavior because I know better than to use vulgarity in any state, fashion or form.

        Ephesians 4:29 says: Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers.  When it comes to the Lord, I am no different than anyone else.  I will be judged according to my works, and what I have done for Kingdom of God.  This means that I have to become an imitator of Christ Jesus.  I cannot son whatsoever.  I cannot listen to secular music as well.

        You cannot stop the rain, nor control it when it comes.  There is two types of rain. First, the latter rain, and second, the physical rain that waters the earth.  There is a third kind of rain that will come and that is rain consisting of fire coming from the sky.  The end is coming very fast.  I would like for everyone including myself to get prepared to meet God.  I love all of you very much.  I am concerned about all of you.

        Philippians 2:9-11 says: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. (10.) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth. (11.) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.  You cannot stop the rain when Jesus Christ comes back to the earth for the second time.  Are you ready for Jesus to meet and dine with you?

        Isaiah 43:10 says: Ye are my witnesses saith the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.  This means that we are His witnesses and servants to whom God has chosen to his goodwill.  In contemporary times, we are God’s and His Temple.

Thank you for reading my essay!!

God Knows All Things About All Of Us!!
By: Anthony Joseph Hopkins

Praise The Lord Saints!! Praise The Lord Everyone!! How are all of you doing today? Fine, I hope. I want to inform all of you that God knows the things that we need of long before we ask Him. God knows all things about us. He knows our thoughts, opinions, and feelings. I realize that God knows exactly how long we are going to live on earth.

Next, God knew all of us when we were inside of our mother’s womb. I know that this is something that God knows about all of us. God even knows all of the things that we need in order to sustain all of us; while we are living on earth. I have come to the realization that I cannot do anything without God. He also has supplies all of my personal needs. I really love Him because he has never stopped loving me as a person.

Further, I have a very important question to ask all of you. Does God knows about all of us? The answer to this question is yes. I want to say to everyone that God has been really good to me as a person. Even though, I am not perfect. I am only a Work in Progress. I want to inform all of you that God has blessed me every single day; for the past 54 years of my life.

Moreover, I want to inform all of you that I cannot do anything without God. I cannot even take care of myself without God. It is the Holy Spirit that inside of me that is talking to me on a daily basis. I know that I desperately need the Lord in my life right now.

In Addition, the above Bible verse is true. It is God that is doing for us more than we are doing for ourselves. I really love all of you as members of the human race. I know that some of you do not know me as a person. However, I love you anyway. I know that my life has been filled with ups and downs during the past 10 years now. I want to inform all of you that I suffer from Schizoid Affective Disorder. I have been suffering from a mental illness for the past 22 years now.

Also, I am relying on God for all things. I cannot do anything without Him. There are some people, who actually think that: they have work so hard for the things that they need. There are some people, who actually think that they have done the things that they have done without God’s help. I know for me personally, I am dependent on the Lord for all things. I am dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ for everything. I love all of you very much. The Lord is sustaining me moment by moment. He has his way in my life.

Finally, I want you to know that I cannot do anything without the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to inform all of you that I have been physically sick as of late. I want to say that I am very excited to have Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.

In Conclusion, I am sealed by the Lord Jesus Christ right now. I am sealed by Him the Holy Spirit of Promise. God always keep His promises. I know that in Galatians 6:8 means what goes around comes around. I know that I used to live inside of the world. I also used to do the things of the world. Currently, I have learned the truth about God. My seal with Him is forever.

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Where is your heart?

This is an essay that is based on the above posted. First, I would like to ask a question. What does this really mean in our lives? I would like to inform everyone that it applies to all of our lives. My heart is at this time is with God. However, I will admit that I have gained too many idols in my life. For example, I have had excessive pictures of women on a certain website. It is not that I really wanted to acquire anything like this, it is that I only wanted to establish myself inside of a changing society.

Second, our hearts at this time should be on establishing an intimate relationship God. I understand that my relationship with God has changed tremendously. I feel that by gaining too much stuff means that I am gaining things that I do not need. This Bible verse and how it applies to my life right now meaning that I can live for the Lord and serve Him and others. I will admit that my behavior has changed in regards to this Bible verse.

Third, I know that my life for the Lord consists of stewardship and service. Currently, as it relates to this verse, I feel that I must do things for the Lord by emphasizing how well I deal with my personal possessions and finances for myself for the Lord God. I will admit that I had been placing too much emphasis on the world, and how live in it. I will also admit that there are too many that influence our behavior. I would like to receive your opinions on this Bible verse.

God’s Instruction to Man While We Sleep!!

          This is a special essay concerning God’s instruction to man while we are sleeping.  The instructions for all of us regarding this matter are inside of the Bible.  The instructions on top of this essay are very true.  We must follow them.  According to Job 33:14-16 says for God may speak in one way or in another, yet man does not perceive it. Verse (15) in a dream in a vision of the night when deep sleep falls upon man while slumbering on their beds. Verse (16) then He opens the ears of men and seals their instruction.  This means that God gives us divine instructions even while we are sleeping.  God gives us things to do for Him in our personal lives.  It is that we do not even know it.  For example, in my case, I have been having dreams about the military, as well as during the time that I was in high school.  I was in NJROTC at Roth High School in Dayton, Ohio.

          I had dreamed this last night.  However, I did not know that God was communicating with me.  Even though, I have never heard God’s Voice in my entire life, I feel that God is giving me a message.  I did not know at the time when I heard Rick Warren’s Sermon on How to hear God’s Voice.  He was talking about Job, and I grasp the message, while I was at the Dayton Metro Library.  It let me know that God has many ways that He communicates to mankind. I have been hearing a voices for the past 8 years from some unknown source.

          I will have to pay attention to where I am hearing these voices because if it is not from God, them it is a satanic forces.  I will have to say that I have been baffled for a while because I have been hearing voices and I have been trying to figure it out whether it is from God or Satan’s deceptive methods and strategies.  Another way that God speaks to man is through the Holy Spirit.

  In Romans 8:26 says; likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning’s which cannot be uttered.  I did not know that God has another way of speaking to us, and it is through His Holy Spirit. 

          Moreover, I want all of you to know that God has many ways of letting us know that He is still in charge of things.  I know when it comes to my personal life, I had been disobedient by looking at porn and psychic related materials.  I guess you might as well say that I wanted a quick fix to my problems.  I am also guilty of receiving special readings from numerologist.  I had confessed all of this to God and I feel relieved because I am doing His work for now on.  God also has other ways of punishing us for our iniquities and transgressions.  I am still a Work in Progress.  I still have a long way to go!! 

          

 

In addition, I am very happy because I can reveal all of this to everyone.  I am very happy to become a Child of God.  Psalms 103:8-14 says ⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,  slow to anger, abounding in love.9 He will not always accuse,  nor will he harbor his anger forever;10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.13 As a father has compassion on his children,  so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;14 for he knows how we are formed,  he remembers that we are dust.  God knows that we are dust and spirit.  Therefore, I am very happy that I can do His work for Him.  Thank You for reading my essay.

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Improving Your Discernment

by Mark Barnard

How to bring clarity out of confusion

Have you noticed how confusion can enter our lives and churches like a cloud on a blue sky day? It seems to appear out of nowhere. We don’t go looking for confusion. It finds us and usually has nefarious origins, especially when it snakes its way into the Body of Christ (1 Cor.14:33).

Discernment is God’s gift to the church to help us dispel confusion. In some cases discernment is a spiritual gift (1 Cor. 12:10) certain members of the “body” exercise. It’s also a skill that can be developed (Heb. 5:14). Whether you have the gift of discernment or want to become more discerning, I trust the following scenes will stretch your discernment muscles. They certainly did mine.

“She kept crying out, saying, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God . . .’” (Acts 16:16-18).

I was facilitating a retreat with 50-60 church folk, but one person was oversharing. She was a well-dressed, middle aged woman seated in the center of the room. I couldn’t help noticing how others squirmed in their chairs whenever she spoke, and she spoke a lot. During a break, another woman approached me and said, “That lady doing all the sharing has only been in our church for two weeks!”

The long-winded woman dominated discussion, spoke like an expert on the church, and everything she shared was true! However when I asked her to temper her sharing, she blew me off. In the next session, she said something that sent a chill through the room. I don’t remember her exact words, but the high-pitched cackle that punctuated her statement haunts me to this day.

How would you discern this woman’s behavior?

What would you have done in my shoes?

“Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment” (1 Cor. 14:29).

At another retreat I attended, the presenter wanted to demonstrate how one person could get a word from the Lord for another person. To do so, he led us in the following exercise. He scribbled the name of a random person in the room on a piece of paper (without telling anyone who it was). He then asked us to pray quietly and record whatever phrases, pictures or impressions we received from the Lord. After a few minutes of reflection, people shared what they thought they heard the Lord say.

The impressions they shared mostly reflected Christian advice you’ve heard all your life, “Trust the Lord,” “My grace is sufficient in weakness,” and various scriptures. Their “words from the Lord” were largely general in nature. The speaker focused on one individual who received the most detailed message. It turned out that the one with the most detailed message from the Lord was the person whose name was written on the piece of paper!

What, if anything, bothers you about this story?

Would you say the exercise was a worthy one?

“Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:19).

The third scene I witnessed focuses on a conference speaker who had written several Christian books. By all accounts many people had found his books helpful. I too had gleaned some helpful counsel from his latest work, but the book also contained teaching which did not sit well with me.

I went to hear the author in person and found myself trying to discern how such helpful content could be tainted by doctrinal error. It was as if heresy was couched in helpfulness. It didn’t help that he claimed to be an apostle and got his message directly from God. Was he using imprecise theological language that supported his experience oriented approach to the faith? Or, had he gone off the rails?

What else would you want to know to discern if this speaker was hearing from God?

How would you determine if a message is truly helpful or not?

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character . . .  and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).

The Bereans modeled discernment when they searched the scriptures to validate Paul’s gospel. (Even the Apostle Paul’s message had to be tested against Scripture!) We see the same scrutiny reflected in Jesus’ commendation of the church at Ephesus for exposing those who called themselves apostles and were not (Rev. 2:1-7).

The bible is always the place to start when it comes to discernment. It provides the basis for sound theology that protects us from error like the guard rails on a mountain road. Unfortunately, parties on both sides of an issue often use the bible to support their position. How do we know who’s right?

In addition to the scriptures themselves, here are some scriptural principles that can improve our discernment when things don’t seem so clear:

• How humble is the person presenting the message? Is he/she open to correction? Are they teachable? Or, do they set themselves up as an unassailable authority?
• Does the person sharing a message have a church home to whose leaders they submit? Or, do they claim to hear from God without being accountable to a local body of Christ?
• Does the individual balance his or her gifts with other gifts in the “body?” We know from 1 Cor. 12 that the gifts are designed to work together. Or, is their ministry largely reflective of a spiritual gift only he or she claims to possess?
• Do they exhibit the fellowship of the Spirit? Or, do they display a lack of love?
• If they are part of an organized ministry, has it gained 501C3 non-profit status? The IRS grants non-profit status and provides legal credibility to a ministry. Or, do they process their donations through some other means? (Follow the money.)

Discernment is one of the quieter gifts. Those who have it rarely speak up unless they discern it’s safe to do so. Be courageous to use the discernment God gives you. You may feel like you’re the only one who sees things as you do. But by sharing your insight, a fresh breeze of clarity can dispel the clouds of confusion and you’ll fulfill your role in the body of Christ.

Need to discern what’s really going on in your church? Consider our free ChurchScan Inventory to find out.

Mark Barnard serves with Blessing Point Ministries which facilitates healing in churches that have been wounded by painful crises. Mark is coauthor with Dr. Kenneth Quick of The Dance of the Gifts: How Ministry Leaders Can Discern God’s Will. Learn more at blessingpoint.org.

• Posted on August 21, 2019
• 14 comments
• in Blog
• Tags : #blessingpointministries, #discernment
• by Mark Barnard

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