Hello my beauties. I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas/Holiday season and are ready for the upcoming new year 2015. Wow! Can you believe it? 2015. I swear the older we get the faster time goes. I really do. Grrrr
This isn't a subject that's easy to write or blog about and I will try my best to make it as understandable as possible. Again it is just my humble opinion and how I interpret the Bible to say. I want to make that clear now so we have an understanding that I am not claiming to know this to be gospel and fact.
Although Satan appears frequently in the Scriptures, there isn't a whole lot of information in the bible about the fall of Satan and his angels. The term "falling from heaven" is a Near Eastern way of saying that someone has suffered defeat, and it was also used in ancient non-biblical literature to describe the fall of gods from power. It is similar to our expression "falling from grace." Falling from heaven, then, means to lose one’s role or power. 1 Timothy 3:6 indicates that pride caused Satan’s downfall. For many Christians the verse is one of the few that speaks directly about the fall of Satan.
Because I'm coming from a biblical point of view any religion or doctrine that promotes that God and Satan are equal in power is not something I'm going to agree with. The Bible is clear in telling us that Satan was originally created by God as a angel called Lucifer who's was Gods most beautiful angel. After Satan rebelled and wanted to be all powerful like God, he was cast out of Heaven and a certain amount of angels followed him. Many refer to them as fallen angels. Satan thought he would one day rise up and be God, but since God holds all power Satan was unable to do so and was cast into hell. Isaiah 14:12-17and Ezekiel 28 will tell you about the fall of Lucifer.
Isaiah 14: This passage refers to the king of Babylon as “falling out of heaven.” We know that none of the Babylonian kings ever literally fell from Heaven, but Satan clearly did. This king of Babylon thought he could “ascend into heaven” and usurp God’s throne. These are the exact thoughts that Satan had.
Ezekiel 28: This passage makes reference to the ruler of Tyre and in doing so gives us several hints that it is talking about Satan. First, it says that the “king of Tyre” was ‘created’ and not born. We know for certain that Satan was created by God. The “king of Tyre” is also known as the “cherub” and the cherubim were the “inner circle” of angels who had the closest access to God and guarded his holiness. “
Satan is not omnipotent.
He has great power—more than any man and most angels—but he is not anywhere near the equal of our God. As mentioned, he must seek God's permission before he can even do certain things.
Satan is not omniscient.
He has a powerful intellect and knows many things from experience (far more than people), but only God is all-knowing.
He is not omnipresent.
Satan is an individual personality, so he can be in only one place at a time (as seen in Job 1:7). So when we say that the devil is personally tempting us, more than likely it is his power working through his network of demons.
God’s Word tells us in 1 John 4:4 that the God Whom we believe in and the God Who dwells in us is greater than Satan. This verse says: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” This verse shows us that between God and Satan there is no dualism. Evil is no match for good. God, who represents good, is the most powerful force in the universe. Satan was not and never will be able to win vs. God because evil is not all-powerful.
We should keep as much distance between us and the devil as possible. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). We do this by avoiding things that will drag us down spiritually. Disobedience and persistent waywardness provide the enemy grounds from which he can attack and influence the Christian. This is why Scripture reminds us to not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).
You will never win this spiritual battle in your own strength. You will only be successful when you draw your strength from the power base, God Himself. There you will find the strength and stamina to "stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11).
Satan's Nature- it is the nature of a man that causes him to act as he does. The same principle exists as we try to better understand Satan. John identified the devil as the originator and chief practitioner of sin (1 John 3:8). He further described Satan as “that wicked one” (1 John 5:18). Jesus called Satan a liar (John 8:44) and thief (John 10:10). The evil acts of Satan are a natural expression of his evil nature.
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10). The apostle Paul recognized the destructive nature of Satan when he wrote, “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Cor. 4:4).
Written By Jennifer L Auld
Looking inside the spiritual & literary worlds
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Special Christmas Essay ~ We're All Little Drummer Boys
By Kirby Robinson
Copyright 2011-2014
Are we starting to forget what the season is all about? Turn on the TV and can you really tell it's the Christmas season? Outside of commercials pushing the latest holiday trends. What about all the great Christmas specials like the old Andy Williams or Jim Nabors variety shows—where have they gone? Does your favorite sitcom or one hour drama even acknowledge that it's Christmas? How many times has Ben-Hur or The Greatest Story Ever Told played on your local channels? Sales clerks nowadays feel uncomfortable wishing you a Merry Christmas and simply blurt out, "Happy Holidays." Are we losing the lessons this day should be teaching us?
Take a moment out of your busy schedule and think about the gift the Lord is offering us. That night 2000+ years ago that saw the birth of a Child from a deity that is offering His one and only Son to be born not into a royal family but to a couple made up of an old carpenter who scraped by on a small income with a very young wife. The Child was born under the threat of being killed. They had to sneak the Child out of Bethlehem to Egypt so they could safely return to Israel. The Child grows knowing that at some time at the peak of adulthood He must die. Not just any ordinary peaceful dying in your sleep death, but a pain filled death. He had to suffer all the deaths of mankind past, present and future. Every sin, every illness, every wound had to descend on His being so that our debts could be fully paid.
My favorite Christmas song is "Little Drummer Boy." Every time I hear it, no matter who's the singer, this song always makes me stop and think that in some way we are all little drummer boys.
We're all little children in God's eyes. And the message has always been sent to one and all to come to Him. Not to the birthplace necessarily but that image of the Child born that night is always there. The beginning of the Greatest Story Ever Told here is truly a newborn King. He will always be the only true King. There are other men of power and other kings but they have no real power in life and are forgotten in death. And what are our finest gifts to bring before the newborn King? Our love, compassion, understanding, empathy, faith, wisdom, and forgiveness.
No matter the status of wealth, fame, and power who come to Him they honor Him. We don't have to travel to His house or to an image of Him. We just have to simply gaze into the eyes of a child, witness the blooming of a flower, and bask in the brightness of the sun. We see Him, we draw closer to Him, and we honor Him.
Quite often we feel cut off from Him because we view ourselves as poor in some way. This imagined poverty might be materialistic or spiritual. At times we feel as though we don't have anything of value to offer Him.
But if we search our souls we find something to give Him: a prayer, a word, an act. That shows Him how we feel towards Him. That shows Him and us that we're not truly poor.
Because whatever that act is it brings joy and happiness to the heavens. When you honor Jesus you honor all the martyrs, saints, all the angels, the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit, and God. We might find that fear might accompany us at first but keep offering the gift and fear will disappear.
Jesus Christ will smile upon you and your act and your courage and your faith. It might not be from the manger but from the heavens. It might be in the face of a stranger or a person that you go out of your way to help. Just as with the boy who had his drum who was called to view a newborn King he felt worthless and unworthy. And offered the only thing that he had which was his drum and a simple little song. So worry not what you have to offer Him. It's the offering that counts. And don't forget that we're all just like that little drummer boy.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Dalai Lama: "We Need One-ness of 7 Billion People"
http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/we-need-one-ness-of-7-billion-people-dalai-lama/346051
Here are the highlights:
We need to create the one-ness of 7 billion human beings.
I am nearly 80, I am still studying. Your whole life, remain a student.
Real transformation of India must take place in rural areas, not with more buildings and shops in Delhi and Bangalore.
The South Indian brain is something special, I think because they drink so much coconut water (laughs). So I also drink it.
I love President Bush as a human being, he was warm and informal not ceremonial.
Serving humanity is the best form of serving God, of worship.
Use education. It is best way of removing the differences that divide us. Teach secular ethics in schools.
In over 55 years of being a refugee, have never given up hope or determination.
It is our collective responsibility to create a compassionate humanity.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
What Is Dangerous About Ghost Hunting Tools Connected To Demons?
What is a Demon? A demon, daemon or fiend, is a supernatural, often malevolent being prevalent in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology and folklore. The original Greek word daimon does not carry the negative connotation initially understood by implementation of the Koine δαιμόνιον (daimonion),[1] and later ascribed to any cognate words sharing the root.
Again, let me say this is just my humble opinion on the subject of EVP's. I've witnessed serious consequences from someone having a unhealthy obsession and doing those a lot. I pray before each one I have to do for a case or investigation however, that is the only time I resort to EVP's. I'm aware this subject has been discussed and many feel they are harmless. Maybe these cases I speak of just had bad luck but it's no different than attempting communication via ouija board or automatic writing. Just because you left a location with nothing going wrong doesn't mean all is well. Demons are very patient and I can assure you they will make themselves known at the worst possible time in your life. This is pure evil, why would anyone risk this? I had a case where said person was constantly doing these. She lost her friends and some family as she only seemed to care about was doing EVP's. At that point she could not be helped. She refused to stop doing them at any cost.
A demon is believed to be a force that can be conjured and controlled. They are also believed to have the ability to possess or inhabit the body of humans and the only way to rid the person of them is to conduct deliverance and/or Exorcism. Demons are portrayed differently in different cultures. Some believe demons to be actual physical beings that can take the form of anything, including animals. Others consider the real demons as more of a spiritual force of evil battling for one's soul. They have been feared and written about in almost every culture in one form or another for as long as history has been recorded.
Demonic possession is a common belief involving demons. It involves the act of a demon inhabiting the body of a mortal, living thing. Because Demons are believed by many to be fallen angels and the opposite of all that is good, a priest is usually called upon to perform the ceremony. Skeptics have blamed pre existing mental conditions for reported cases of possession, as opposed to demonic influence. Some cases have baffled everyone. People who are said to be possessed have been reported speaking in foreign languages that they had never even been exposed to. They often become very ill while their faces and bodies will sometimes appear to change. Possessed individuals have been known to speak in reverse dialog and injure themselves and or others.
Ouija Boards and EVP's create the same danger in my humble opinion. I have witnessed awful consequences people have to bare from playing around with these. In my opinion they are nothing more than portals to the demonic. Christ warns us about this.."Beware Of The Familiar Spirit." Our friends and loved ones are mimicked by demonic entities in a effort to trick us into offering help or becoming highly involved in keeping the communication going. This eventually allows them legal ground into our life.
Demons are “angels that sinned,” spirit creatures who rebelled against God. (2 Peter 2:4) The first angel to make himself into a demon was Satan the Devil, whom the Bible calls “the ruler of the demons.” Matthew 12:24, 26.
I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful and blessed Christmas and a amazing New Year! Please be safe traveling and enjoy time surrounded by people who love you. So many don't have that and it's easy to take for granted. Pray for them as suicide rates skyrocket this time of year. God Bless!
Written Jennifer L Auld
Again, let me say this is just my humble opinion on the subject of EVP's. I've witnessed serious consequences from someone having a unhealthy obsession and doing those a lot. I pray before each one I have to do for a case or investigation however, that is the only time I resort to EVP's. I'm aware this subject has been discussed and many feel they are harmless. Maybe these cases I speak of just had bad luck but it's no different than attempting communication via ouija board or automatic writing. Just because you left a location with nothing going wrong doesn't mean all is well. Demons are very patient and I can assure you they will make themselves known at the worst possible time in your life. This is pure evil, why would anyone risk this? I had a case where said person was constantly doing these. She lost her friends and some family as she only seemed to care about was doing EVP's. At that point she could not be helped. She refused to stop doing them at any cost.
A demon is believed to be a force that can be conjured and controlled. They are also believed to have the ability to possess or inhabit the body of humans and the only way to rid the person of them is to conduct deliverance and/or Exorcism. Demons are portrayed differently in different cultures. Some believe demons to be actual physical beings that can take the form of anything, including animals. Others consider the real demons as more of a spiritual force of evil battling for one's soul. They have been feared and written about in almost every culture in one form or another for as long as history has been recorded.
Demonic possession is a common belief involving demons. It involves the act of a demon inhabiting the body of a mortal, living thing. Because Demons are believed by many to be fallen angels and the opposite of all that is good, a priest is usually called upon to perform the ceremony. Skeptics have blamed pre existing mental conditions for reported cases of possession, as opposed to demonic influence. Some cases have baffled everyone. People who are said to be possessed have been reported speaking in foreign languages that they had never even been exposed to. They often become very ill while their faces and bodies will sometimes appear to change. Possessed individuals have been known to speak in reverse dialog and injure themselves and or others.
Ouija Boards and EVP's create the same danger in my humble opinion. I have witnessed awful consequences people have to bare from playing around with these. In my opinion they are nothing more than portals to the demonic. Christ warns us about this.."Beware Of The Familiar Spirit." Our friends and loved ones are mimicked by demonic entities in a effort to trick us into offering help or becoming highly involved in keeping the communication going. This eventually allows them legal ground into our life.
Demons are “angels that sinned,” spirit creatures who rebelled against God. (2 Peter 2:4) The first angel to make himself into a demon was Satan the Devil, whom the Bible calls “the ruler of the demons.” Matthew 12:24, 26.
I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful and blessed Christmas and a amazing New Year! Please be safe traveling and enjoy time surrounded by people who love you. So many don't have that and it's easy to take for granted. Pray for them as suicide rates skyrocket this time of year. God Bless!
Written Jennifer L Auld
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Increasing your influence in Spreading God's Kingdom
By Reverend Mark Hunnemann
14 Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, z“My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow,” and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. 17 And he said, “Open the window eastward,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. And he said, “The Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them.” 18 And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”
20 So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
22 Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now.
24 When Hazael king of Syria died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place. 25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel. (2 Kings 13:14-25...ESV)
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)
Have you wondered if it were possible to increase your influence in spreading God's kingdom? Or, like me, have you ever lamented how little an impact you seem to be having in the sphere in which God has placed you?
First, it is abundantly clear in Scripture that the Lord expects every true Christian to be fruitful...to have a significant impact on those God has placed around us.He would not expect nor command something of us unless He had equipped us to accomplish it. Despite our weakness and sinfulness the Lord wants us to have a significant role in the spread of the Kingdom of His dearly beloved Son.
Yet, again and again, it seems that I fall woefully short. The text below has always gripped me with the simple but profound insights it gives in being more fruitful in mirroring to a dark and broken world the loveliness of Christ and His gospel. Stated differently, there is a very important principle in being a more than conqueror in spiritual warfare and growing the kingdom of heaven.
Nobody believes in the absolute sovereignty of our Tribune God more than myself, but that does not imply passivity on our part. If we are to be significantly more influential in kingdom expansion we have to enthusiastically desire it! Starting with our families, and moving out from there, adopting a passionate/enthusiastic attitude is vital.
In the text below, Elisha is about to die and is visited by the king of Israel. The prophet has the king open the window eastward. Why? Because that is the direction Joash's enemies will come from in their attack.After firing an arrow, Elisha asks the king to do something that may seem kind of odd--he commands the king to strike the remaining arrows on the ground. But note the preceding verse (V.17) in which Elisha passionately predicts that the Lord will smash the Syrians, but He will do it through Joash, the king of Israel.This is like Elish's dying plea for this king to significantly extend God's kingdom by destroying His enemies.It is not a laid back philosophical debate! One can hear Elisha almost shouting with God-intoxicated fervor for the king to strike the ground with his arrows.
But the text says Joash struck the ground three times and STOPPED (V.18 CAPS ADDED) and this displeased Elijah. Now remember Elijah was there, and along with prophetic insight into Joash's mindset, he could see the lack of enthusiastic obedience.In v.19 we hear the Lord through Elijah tell the king the sad consequences of his perfunctory obedience to smashing the arrows.Elijah was angry, saying he should have smashed the arrows more times on the ground..at least 5 or 6 times. Yes Joash would attain 3 victories over his enemies (see v.24), but had he been more enthusiastic, then an end would would have been made of the dreaded Syrians. This one simple act of slack-hearted obedience severely diminished Joash's influence in spreading God's kingdom. Joash obeyed the prophet--but given the context--he should have smashed the arrows into the ground repeatedly until his hand froze on the arrows or they snapped in half! The 5 or 6 times mentioned by Elisha, in my opinion, was the bare minimum that was appropriate given the occasion.
God has chosen to use us in the expansion of His kingdom. As is intimated above, when God's kingdom expands, Satan's kingdom diminishes.
Do you wish to have greater influence on your loved ones? Then picture yourself with a quiver of arrows and smashing them into the ground until your arm is immobilized. That is, plead with passion on a daily basis that the Lord would significantly increase the effectiveness of your witness--both with your life and words...that the Lord would adorn the gospel to your loved ones through you. Smash the arrows..SMASH them!
We don't fight against flesh and blood as Joash did...we don't have arrows, but the point is this--we can and should express to the Lord how passionate we are that He use us to touch those we love. We have but a short life and I want to impress upon you that how we "smash the arrows" makes a huge difference. Plead with the Lord to significantly increase your influence in spreading His Kingdom. Don't settle for a faithless attitude re: how He will work supernaturally through you. No matter how poorly we may have done in the past, please don't let the devil to deceive you into thinking you've blown it. The Lord delights in "making up for the years that the swarming locusts have eaten." Plead with Him to use you...to open up doors, and HE WILL!!
Lastly, the Lord Jesus passionately observed the law every second of His earthly life, "and zeal for His house consumes Him." His perfect life and righteousness has been imputed to us. IN CHRIST the Father sees us as perfect.
Maybe the arrow imagery did not connect with you as it did with me, but certainly we should have the mindset of more-than-conquerors!
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
14 Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, z“My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow,” and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. 17 And he said, “Open the window eastward,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. And he said, “The Lord's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them.” 18 And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”
20 So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
22 Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now.
24 When Hazael king of Syria died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place. 25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel. (2 Kings 13:14-25...ESV)
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)
Have you wondered if it were possible to increase your influence in spreading God's kingdom? Or, like me, have you ever lamented how little an impact you seem to be having in the sphere in which God has placed you?
First, it is abundantly clear in Scripture that the Lord expects every true Christian to be fruitful...to have a significant impact on those God has placed around us.He would not expect nor command something of us unless He had equipped us to accomplish it. Despite our weakness and sinfulness the Lord wants us to have a significant role in the spread of the Kingdom of His dearly beloved Son.
Yet, again and again, it seems that I fall woefully short. The text below has always gripped me with the simple but profound insights it gives in being more fruitful in mirroring to a dark and broken world the loveliness of Christ and His gospel. Stated differently, there is a very important principle in being a more than conqueror in spiritual warfare and growing the kingdom of heaven.
Nobody believes in the absolute sovereignty of our Tribune God more than myself, but that does not imply passivity on our part. If we are to be significantly more influential in kingdom expansion we have to enthusiastically desire it! Starting with our families, and moving out from there, adopting a passionate/enthusiastic attitude is vital.
In the text below, Elisha is about to die and is visited by the king of Israel. The prophet has the king open the window eastward. Why? Because that is the direction Joash's enemies will come from in their attack.After firing an arrow, Elisha asks the king to do something that may seem kind of odd--he commands the king to strike the remaining arrows on the ground. But note the preceding verse (V.17) in which Elisha passionately predicts that the Lord will smash the Syrians, but He will do it through Joash, the king of Israel.This is like Elish's dying plea for this king to significantly extend God's kingdom by destroying His enemies.It is not a laid back philosophical debate! One can hear Elisha almost shouting with God-intoxicated fervor for the king to strike the ground with his arrows.
But the text says Joash struck the ground three times and STOPPED (V.18 CAPS ADDED) and this displeased Elijah. Now remember Elijah was there, and along with prophetic insight into Joash's mindset, he could see the lack of enthusiastic obedience.In v.19 we hear the Lord through Elijah tell the king the sad consequences of his perfunctory obedience to smashing the arrows.Elijah was angry, saying he should have smashed the arrows more times on the ground..at least 5 or 6 times. Yes Joash would attain 3 victories over his enemies (see v.24), but had he been more enthusiastic, then an end would would have been made of the dreaded Syrians. This one simple act of slack-hearted obedience severely diminished Joash's influence in spreading God's kingdom. Joash obeyed the prophet--but given the context--he should have smashed the arrows into the ground repeatedly until his hand froze on the arrows or they snapped in half! The 5 or 6 times mentioned by Elisha, in my opinion, was the bare minimum that was appropriate given the occasion.
God has chosen to use us in the expansion of His kingdom. As is intimated above, when God's kingdom expands, Satan's kingdom diminishes.
Do you wish to have greater influence on your loved ones? Then picture yourself with a quiver of arrows and smashing them into the ground until your arm is immobilized. That is, plead with passion on a daily basis that the Lord would significantly increase the effectiveness of your witness--both with your life and words...that the Lord would adorn the gospel to your loved ones through you. Smash the arrows..SMASH them!
We don't fight against flesh and blood as Joash did...we don't have arrows, but the point is this--we can and should express to the Lord how passionate we are that He use us to touch those we love. We have but a short life and I want to impress upon you that how we "smash the arrows" makes a huge difference. Plead with the Lord to significantly increase your influence in spreading His Kingdom. Don't settle for a faithless attitude re: how He will work supernaturally through you. No matter how poorly we may have done in the past, please don't let the devil to deceive you into thinking you've blown it. The Lord delights in "making up for the years that the swarming locusts have eaten." Plead with Him to use you...to open up doors, and HE WILL!!
Lastly, the Lord Jesus passionately observed the law every second of His earthly life, "and zeal for His house consumes Him." His perfect life and righteousness has been imputed to us. IN CHRIST the Father sees us as perfect.
Maybe the arrow imagery did not connect with you as it did with me, but certainly we should have the mindset of more-than-conquerors!
Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Dalai Lama on Conference on ‘Resilience: Strength through Compassion and Connection’ in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 17 May 2013 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s first engagement on his first visit to New Orleans this morning was a meeting with the Press. In his opening remarks he said:
“I’m very happy to be here. I was very sad when you were struck by Hurricane Katrina and again after the shocking event last weekend. I would like to express my sympathy for all the victims and their families.
“Whenever I meet the media there are several points I like to share. The first is my commitment to promoting awareness that our ultimate source of happiness depends on our inner values, our sense of concern for others. The second is that as a Buddhist monk, I am committed to working to foster inter-religious harmony.”
Asked why he had come to New Orleans, he answered that he had received an invitation. He welcomes the opportunity of participating in discussions like that planned for this morning, because it presents a chance for him to learn. And, as Buddhist monk, he dedicates his body, speech and mind to the welfare of others, so meetings like this also allow him to share his thoughts with other people.
Another question suggested that there is just enough religion to make men hate each other, but not enough to make them love each other. His Holiness’s reply was forthright:
“I think that’s wrong. All the major religious traditions convey a message of love and compassion and in the face of difficult circumstances counsel tolerance and patience.”
At the start of the morning’s panel discussion, Dean of Tulane University’s School of Social Work, Ron Marks explained to His Holiness that on the previous day participants in the audience had taken a written pledge to work for compassion and offered him their signatures. Putting on a Tulane University visor to protect his eyes from the strong lights and to enable him to see faces in the audience, His Holiness offered a few words to open the discussion”
“Brothers and sisters, first of all I want to make clear that you shouldn’t think the person speaking here is anything special. We are all the same kind of human beings, mentally, physically and emotionally. It is important that we register that all 7 billion human beings alive today are the same in that we all want to live a happy life and we all have a right to do so. If we focus instead on secondary differences and neglect the oneness of humanity tragedy takes place.”
He drew attention to the bloodshed of the twentieth century in which, by some estimates, 200 million people died through violence. He said that when 7 billion human beings are faced with crisis they need resilience. This gives rise to a confidence that allows them to deal with whatever difficult situations they encounter. If instead they are beset by fear and nervousness they easily become demoralised. There is no guarantee that they will not face problems, they will, but they cannot be solved by money alone, what is needed is inner strength.
A member of the audience said she was excited about the pledge to compassion but wanted to know how to sustain it. His Holiness said:
“Learn about it by listening and reading and think about it to reinforce your conviction; then when you are faced with difficult situations, remember what you have understood and try to restrain your disturbing emotions. That’s the way we gain strength from our own experience.”
Another questioner wanted to know where there was space for the wisdom of compassion in the face of violence like that last weekend in the city. Margaret Wheatley replied:
“Our first reaction is often to want to strike back when we are challenged, but by not reacting immediately we can seize the moment for the practice of compassion.”
Richie Davidson added:
“You often speak of the importance of education, Your Holiness; early education can be so helpful. We are born with a sense of kindness and compassion, but like our facility for language, we have the capacity, but we need community support and encouragement to develop our compassion.”
Asked at what age children can be trained to meditate, His Holiness answered that he began when he was 14 or 15 years old, saying that he was not very interested before that. However, circumstances taught him that he needed some mental strength.
The panel were asked what they thought was the greatest moral crisis and the greatest moral victory of the early twenty-first century. Margaret Wheatley was unhesitating in calling climate change, the destruction of our home, the greatest crisis, but she said the way local women are stepping forward to implement positive change across the world is the greatest victory so far. Richie Davidson agreed that our failure to care for our planet is the crisis, but suggested that the greatest victory was the regular convening of gatherings like this one. He said he is impressed by how many people are touched by His Holiness’s message of peace and compassion and are trying to implement it in action in education, health care and business.
His Holiness asked if he might add that the problems we face are of two categories: those that arise because of natural disasters and those that are attributable to our own behaviour. When events take place as a result of human intervention, in which innocent people, women and children are harmed, we cannot simply lament, but have to see what action we can take. He said he remains hopeful.
“I’ve been a refugee for 54 years now. Early on no one talked about inner peace. Now, decade by decade, more and more people talk about it as we increasingly find there are limits to material development. What’s important to me is the scientific research which shows that warm-heartedness is of real benefit to our health and well-being.”
Another questioner asked about trauma, coping and resilience. His Holiness said:
“In the Tibetan tradition, in terms of coping with adversity, victims are encouraged to cultivate forbearance and the first stage of that is to develop a sense of equanimity. Forbearance builds up resilience and protects you from giving in to disturbing emotional impulses. A senior monk I know spent 17-18 years in Chinese prison after 1959. In the 1980s he was released and was able to join me in India. Once, when we were chatting about his experiences he told me that there had been dangerous moments during his imprisonment. I thought he meant threats to his life, but he said, ‘No, there were times when there was a danger of my losing compassion for my Chinese captors.’ This is an example of practice in action. He has since been examined by medical scientists who found he has no post-traumatic symptoms. He has physical pains, but no mental unease.”
His Holiness was invited to a celebratory luncheon in the company of New Orleans Mayor, Mitch Landrieu and US Representative John Lewis. Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh representatives offered prayers and His Holiness addressed the gathering.
Back in the Convention Center in the early afternoon, His Holiness was introduced to the 4000 strong audience by Mayor Mitch Landrieu who expressed New Orleans’ pleasure at his presence by offering him the key to the city. His Holiness opened his remarks on a thoughtful note:
“Dear brothers and sisters, in this place that not so long ago was struck by natural disaster and only a few days ago witnessed another tragedy, I would like to tell you I share your suffering and express my heartfelt sense of concern. Some people refer to me as a ‘living buddha’, others call me a ‘demon’, but actually I am just a simple Buddhist monk.
“When I was born, the Japanese had invaded China, Nazi power was on the rise in Europe and Stalin was exerting his power in the Soviet Union. Then the Second World War broke out, followed by the Korean War, the Vietnam War and in the meantime, there was an intense civil war in China. It’s not surprising that some say 200 million died as a result of violence in the twentieth century. If that violence had created a more peaceful world it might have been somehow justified, but that wasn’t the case.
“Nowadays, we are confronted by a huge gap between rich and poor. This is not only morally wrong, but practically a mistake. It leads to the rich living in anxiety and the poor living in frustration, which has the potential to lead to more violence. We have to work to reduce this gap. It’s truly unfair that some people should have so much while others go hungry.”
He said that in this century we should work to make a happier world. This should be a period of dialogue. We will always face problems and conflicts of one sort or another, but we have to avoid trying to deal with them through force and turn instead to dialogue. On the basis that humanity is one family, achieving your own interest involves cultivating concern for the interests of others. Only being concerned for ourselves and dwelling on a sense of ‘them’ and ‘us' is out of date.
In the context of the global economy, of global climate change, matters that affect us all, we have to work together. We need to approach solutions voluntarily. Self-interest has its place, but it needs to be wise and realistic self-interest not foolish, short sighted self-interest.
“Please don’t think that compassion, love and tolerance only belong to religion. They belong to human life. From compassion we develop self-confidence; that brings inner strength, allowing us to act with transparency and candour. We can make this a more peaceful century if we conduct ourselves in this way, if we cherish non-violence and concern for others’ well-being. It is possible. If the individual is happier, his or her family is happier; if families are happy, neighbourhoods and nations will be happy. By transforming ourselves we can change our human way of life and make this a century of compassion.”
Among questions from the audience was one about the situation in Tibet. His Holiness replied that situation has sometimes been better and sometimes worse; right at the moment it’s worse.
“In the early 80s we were hopeful of positive change and I have no doubt that if Hu Yaobang had remained in power we could have seen a solution to the Tibetan problem. But demonstrations erupted in China leading to the Tiananmen event and an eventual crackdown.”
Asked what makes him happy, His Holiness harked back to his childhood:
“When I was still very young, after I reached Lhasa under the name Dalai Lama, my mother would often come to see me with different kinds of bread that she’d baked. She was an expert baker. I remember how I happy I was to see her with her fresh bread. I appeal to those of you who have children of your own now to spend more time with them like my mother tried to do with me. She was uneducated, illiterate, and yet we her children never saw her angry. She was always kind and compassionate. Because I was then the youngest, I was showered with the most affection. If I have any sense of compassion today, the seed of it is due to my kind mother. Thank you.”
original link and photos http://dalailama.com/news/post/949-conference-on-resilience-strength-through-compassion-and-connection-in-new-orleans
Sunday, December 14, 2014
What Kind Of Things Can Open One Up For Demonic Oppression?
Hello my para-beauties. I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday. The weather here in Florida has been very cold. We're not use to 37 to 42 degrees. At least I'm not. Lol. I'm a pretty big wimp and admit freely. But I must admit I love to wear those cute trench coats that seem to be back in style. There are just so many cute jackets shorter ones that stop at the waist but that's a whole other blog. Lol. I'm a fashion junkie so I'll keep things focused on the proper subject at hand. As I've said many times my calling is sadly the most disturbing diabolical things in the world that I have to research and deal with... so being a little lighthearted having some humor helps me. Almost like therapy.
Let's see where do I start? This was a requested topic from Allison K. I understand that many are curious about this and I have "closet curious readers" for lack of better words who prefer not to make it known that they believe this topic. They would unfortunately endure a lot of harassment and possibly trouble in the work place and among circle of friends. There's just so many things that can open you up to oppression so I am guessing I'll start with the basic. You can always research this yourself on the Internet I'm sure there would be a plethora of information. Christian book stores and Barnes & Noble have many good books on subject in many subjects related to it. You can go to Amazon.com. Over the years since at least 2000 I have purchased many of good reads that assisted in my research. I prefer to stay away from the ones written by para-celebs. 98% claim all this experience in all these things they've done but yet they can't provide any references any certificates that were given to them for any courses that they took etc...it kills me to know there are about 8 people that are so knowledgeable in this particular area of the field. And I do mean extremely knowledgeable having 40 something years experience but you never ever hear of them invited to speak or to come on the radio to be interviewed. They would be a very big blessing and we could all learn a lot from them but because they're not well known or don't have well known friends in the field all these stupid ass people are just seeking fame and popularity and only have these wanna be celebrities on or speaking at conferences.
What Is Demonic Oppression?
Demonic oppression is the work of evil spiritual forces that try very hard to encourage us to sinus to sin. It mimics depression down to a T! Discernment which is a gift of the spirit to determine which one is actually present. There's a lot of mental illnesses that are not caused by the devil and his demons. We have to be very careful and not blame everything on demons. They have the ability to make us feel spiritually dead, and to be in bondage to sinful activities and thoughts. This oppressive work is performed by demons, which are fallen angels who resist God, and who sinned in their first estate. This information can be found in the book of Jude chapter 6). They wage war against God, against God's people, and against unbelievers as well. Their goal is to bring as many people as possible into rebellion against God and condemnation in hell. They want to drag as many souls to hell as possible.
A Few Examples Of The Type Of Attacks
Emotions. Exaggerated emotional states: fear, anxiety, anger, panic, shame, rejection, grief that is over-extended or out of proportion, hopelessness, helplessness.
The Mind. Tormenting thoughts of suicide, self-mutilation thoughts, confusion, forgetfulness, blocked memory, self hate, feelings of worthlessness and thoughts of being unloved and thoughts that God won't ever forgive you and he doesn't love you.
How Do People End Up A Target Of Demonic Oppression?
Sometimes people involved in occult activity will curse you or your family. It is not that you can actually be cursed as a Christian. Rather, those who are against Christ and his people can focus demonic activity on you. Anger, bitterness and strife. These things feed of that. When we are Boner a bowl already or depressed better or what have you that's when they zoom in like flies on honey. When were in the states of mind it's only by the flood the Jesus upon mind body soul and spirit and make sure that we say out loud in our prayer plus he has me over mind body soul or spirit in anyway shape or form in Jesus name. It is,so very important. Those are the exact words that I personally use. Rebuke the enemy and praise Jesus and his holy name.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
Let's see where do I start? This was a requested topic from Allison K. I understand that many are curious about this and I have "closet curious readers" for lack of better words who prefer not to make it known that they believe this topic. They would unfortunately endure a lot of harassment and possibly trouble in the work place and among circle of friends. There's just so many things that can open you up to oppression so I am guessing I'll start with the basic. You can always research this yourself on the Internet I'm sure there would be a plethora of information. Christian book stores and Barnes & Noble have many good books on subject in many subjects related to it. You can go to Amazon.com. Over the years since at least 2000 I have purchased many of good reads that assisted in my research. I prefer to stay away from the ones written by para-celebs. 98% claim all this experience in all these things they've done but yet they can't provide any references any certificates that were given to them for any courses that they took etc...it kills me to know there are about 8 people that are so knowledgeable in this particular area of the field. And I do mean extremely knowledgeable having 40 something years experience but you never ever hear of them invited to speak or to come on the radio to be interviewed. They would be a very big blessing and we could all learn a lot from them but because they're not well known or don't have well known friends in the field all these stupid ass people are just seeking fame and popularity and only have these wanna be celebrities on or speaking at conferences.
What Is Demonic Oppression?
Demonic oppression is the work of evil spiritual forces that try very hard to encourage us to sinus to sin. It mimics depression down to a T! Discernment which is a gift of the spirit to determine which one is actually present. There's a lot of mental illnesses that are not caused by the devil and his demons. We have to be very careful and not blame everything on demons. They have the ability to make us feel spiritually dead, and to be in bondage to sinful activities and thoughts. This oppressive work is performed by demons, which are fallen angels who resist God, and who sinned in their first estate. This information can be found in the book of Jude chapter 6). They wage war against God, against God's people, and against unbelievers as well. Their goal is to bring as many people as possible into rebellion against God and condemnation in hell. They want to drag as many souls to hell as possible.
A Few Examples Of The Type Of Attacks
Emotions. Exaggerated emotional states: fear, anxiety, anger, panic, shame, rejection, grief that is over-extended or out of proportion, hopelessness, helplessness.
The Mind. Tormenting thoughts of suicide, self-mutilation thoughts, confusion, forgetfulness, blocked memory, self hate, feelings of worthlessness and thoughts of being unloved and thoughts that God won't ever forgive you and he doesn't love you.
How Do People End Up A Target Of Demonic Oppression?
Sometimes people involved in occult activity will curse you or your family. It is not that you can actually be cursed as a Christian. Rather, those who are against Christ and his people can focus demonic activity on you. Anger, bitterness and strife. These things feed of that. When we are Boner a bowl already or depressed better or what have you that's when they zoom in like flies on honey. When were in the states of mind it's only by the flood the Jesus upon mind body soul and spirit and make sure that we say out loud in our prayer plus he has me over mind body soul or spirit in anyway shape or form in Jesus name. It is,so very important. Those are the exact words that I personally use. Rebuke the enemy and praise Jesus and his holy name.
Written By Jennifer L Auld
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