Let's Start Having A Healthy Obsession With Angels: A Little Angelology

I'm wanting to discuss the unhealthy obsession with the demonic side of the field that is taking over the movies, tv's and in some cases peoples lives. It's almost being shoved down our throat to a certain extent. Watching these types of movies and TV shows/documentaries for entertainment here is okay. And even for educational purposes is fine, but someone who are not mentally healthy or someone who happens to become a little too interested in it can really open themselves up. I'm sure many disagree and that is fine, it's my humble opinion that it can open one up inadvertently.

We need to put the focus on the Lord's Angels! Who are 100 times more powerful than any demon or devil, I can tell you that right now. Why not put the word out on these good angels and not just fallen angels? There is so much comfort and solace there, no fear.

Angels bring assistance in time of need

The LORD, the God of heaven, brought me from the home of my father and from the land of my relatives, and he solemnly promised me that he would give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel before you, so that you can get a wife there for my son. (Gen 24:7)

He answered, 'The LORD, whom I have always obeyed, will send his angel with you and give you success. You will get for my son a wife from my own people, from my father's family.
(Gen 24:40)

Behold, I send an Angel before you, to keep you in the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared.

Angels fight against God's enemies

That night an angel of the LORD went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead!

The LORD sent an angel that killed the soldiers and officers of the Assyrian army. So the emperor went back to Assyria disgraced. One day when he was in the temple of his god, some of his sons killed him with their swords. (2Ch 32:21)

An angel of the LORD went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead! (Isa 37:36)

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; (Rev 12:7)

For My Angel shall go before you and bring you in to the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
(Exo 23:23)

Angels provide Protection

His angel guards those who honor the LORD and rescues them from danger. (Psa 34:7 GNB)

God will put his angels in charge of you to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands to keep you from hurting your feet on the stones. You will trample down lions and snakes, fierce lions and poisonous snakes. God says, "I will save those who love me and will protect those who acknowledge me as LORD. (Psa 91:11-14 GNB)

Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently
give Me more than twelve legions of angels? (Mat 26:53 MKJV)

[Note: A legion is seven-thousand]

Angels bring Comfort and Strength

Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down in the shade of a tree and wished he would die. "It's too much, LORD," he prayed. "Take away my life; I might as well be dead!" He lay down under the tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, "Wake up and eat." He looked around and saw a loaf of bread and a jar of water near his head. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The LORD's angel returned and woke him up a second time, saying, "Get up and eat, or the trip will be too much for you." Elijah got up, ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to walk forty days to Sinai, the holy mountain. (1Ki 19:4-8 GNB)

Then the Devil left Jesus; and angels came and helped him. (Mat 4:11)

Then again one like a man in form came and touched me, and he made me stronger and said, O man greatly beloved, do not fear. Peace to you; be strong; yes, be strong. And when he had spoken to me, I was made stronger, and I said, Speak my lord, for you have made me stronger. (Dan 10:18-19)

We are not to worship angels

We are to honor them but not worship them. Only God is to be worshipped. I feel the same about the Virgin Mary. Too many claim to be guided by "spirit guides". Are they really sure? How do they know they are not being deceived by a demonic spirit? They are taking a big chance when they don't have much experience in this.

Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such people are all puffed up by their human way of thinking. (Col 2:18 )

"I, John, have heard and seen all these things. And when I finished hearing and seeing them, I fell down at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things, and I was about to worship him. But he said to me, "Don't do it! I am a servant together with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all those who obey the words in this book. Worship God!"

We must have a personal relationship with Christ and have The Holy Spirit within us at all times. In today's times so many are hurting. I hate to say it but many of you wouldn't know it if some of your closet friends and family were hurting as some hide it so very well. The fear of judgement and many other things keep many from reaching out. So it's easy to turn to the wrong place for help. Many are seeking someone who cares, seems genuine. It's easy to turn to the wrong people or cult. Let's show more love and NON JUDGEMENT and be examples of children of Christ.

Written By Jennifer L Auld


Sent from my iPad

Dalai Lama on Conference on ‘Resilience: Strength through Compassion and Connection’ in New Orleans

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

Are You WEAK Enough?

By Bridgette O'Hare

I can bench press 200 pounds.  I once punched out a guy with one shot.  I am a champion arm wrestler.  And my mind...my mind is sooo strong...I remember everything I see and hear

....as if!!! 

I’m sure you have already figured out...I am NONE of those things.  What I am...is a note taker.   I’d forget things if I weren’t.  The catch is...I often will stick my notes in places and then forget them.  Trust me; the irony isn’t lost on me.  Anyway, just this morning I was thumbing through the pages of my Bible when I found some notes stuck between them.  In the name of complete disclosure there are easily 30+ bulletins from church with as many notes as will fit scribbled on them stuck between the pages of my Bible.  So finding notes isn’t that difficult...but this page of notes was different.  It wasn’t a bulletin.  It was a small 4x6 sheet torn from a notebook.  There weren’t forty or more sentences penned to this piece of paper.  No, there were literally five sentences written below a Bible passage that I had to look up again. What really struck me though was the following sentence.

The heart of prayer is weakness; strong people don’t tend to pray.

Ouch...now that’s a bit of a slap in the face.  I have always thought of myself as a strong person. Not physically, like the things listed earlier, so much as mentally and emotionally.  In my life, I’ve been through a lot and mentally/emotionally I’d say I’m pretty strong.   But strength isn’t what God expects of us.  Because when we are strong...we try to do things ourselves.  We don’t rely on God for strength.   I’m fairly certain that’s what I must have been thinking when I wrote those words down.  Strong people don’t tend to pray.  

There have been many times in my life that turmoil raged and I tried to handle it myself.  Over and over I have learned that until I fall to my knees, broken before God, knowing that I can’t do it all myself...I won’t be able to do it at all.  I am weak.  My strength alone is not enough...ever.  God wants us to see that.  I Corinthians 1:27 tells us “...God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”  That includes us...thinking we are mighty.  Thinking we can do it alone.  Then along comes God’s strength and puts our puny “might” to shame. 

Personally, I have recently been dealing with some health issues.  Something I have been fortunate enough in my life to never have to deal with.  And I tried to handle it myself.  I went to the doctor.  I tried homeopathic remedies (which I prefer)...neither worked.  Until one day, only a few days ago, I lost it!!!  I was alone at home and I fell to my knees by my bed crying.  I didn’t have to say a word aloud...God heard my heart crying out to him.  Now, here I am, merely five days later and a remedy I had been trying previously suddenly is working.  I gave it to God.  I wasn’t strong enough on my own.  Why didn’t I read II Corinthians 12:9-10 earlier? 

“And He said to me (“me” being Paul), ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in my infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul was actually thankful for his persecution.  Even though he had prayed God would remove his “thorn in the flesh” but God did not.  He simple told Paul “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  

I thank God for my weakness.  Without it, I would still be suffering in my own “strength.”  It isn’t just about physical strength and weakness though.  We suffer in hundreds of ways every day, ways that could be unbearable without God. 

Hebrews 11:32-34   “And what more shall I say?  For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Sampson and Jepthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdues kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant on battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens”

So ask yourself...are you weak enough to let go and let God?  For in weakness...we become strong.  It isn’t until we recognize our own weakness that accompanies this flesh that we are able to find our strength in Christ.