Wednesday, November 30, 2022

All the Cookies?

 

There Are Wolves Among Us Everywhere


Watch Out for Ear-Ticklers

"We should consider what is said—not with what eloquence it is said. 

Nor should we look at how it tickles the ears. 

Instead, we should look at the benefits that it confers on its hearers."

-Arnobius (ca.305), 6:340. Cited in A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs, edited by David W. Bercot, Pg 550
*

2 Timothy 4

I solemnly charge you 

in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, 

who is to judge the living and the dead, 

and by His appearing and His kingdom:

preach the word; 

be ready in season and out of season; 

reprove, 

rebuke, 

exhort, 

with great patience and instruction.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; 

but wanting to have their ears tickled, 

they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

But you, 

be sober in all things, 

endure hardship, 

do the work of an evangelist, 

fulfill your ministry."...
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Tuesday, November 22, 2022

What it's like when you know legalistic people:


 Galatians 2:14-21

"...But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, 

“If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? 

May it never be!

For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.

For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”...
*
Precious sisters in Christ...avoid those people who live by their own rules, twisting God's Precious Word!, claiming their rules are from Jesus while deceiving and abusing people.  ***Avoid, Run! before their sins "stains" you with their lies and control!  
Enjoy Freedom in Christ!  Live your life for Him!  Read your Bible!
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Friday, November 18, 2022

So many years ago now...

Our recent snowfall has been full of sweet memories.


I remember that year so long ago.  My little one wondered when the baby would come.


I explained that the baby would come in its own time, but I thought the baby would not arrive until our first snow.


As it turned out one night as our little one slept we were off to deliver and it was just beginning to snow.


My mother brought our little one that next day, and our 3 year old happily explained to me, "Mommie, it snowed!"

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Thursday, November 17, 2022

"Sin is So Exceedingly Sinful"

 "Sin is so utterly sinful"


..."Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceedingly sinful."...


..."Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.

But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? 

May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.

I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.

For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.

But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.

So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.

For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.

For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin."
*

Sisters in Christ:  

The World is Evil.  Be so very careful to live your life righteously for the LORD, not legalistically for the LORD, for this is in itself sinful. 

Live faithfully, righteously in everything you do, because we know from His Word that sin is exceedingly, utterly sinful, and we can so easily be caught up in it.

If you find yourself enveloped in sin, get up, choose righteousness, and change your path to one in which you walk with the LORD.

*

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Our First Snow

 This Beautiful Snowman Quilt happened to arrive in my inbox this morning along with the snow outside!


Saturday, November 12, 2022

A Time Sadly Gone By

 Leviticus 19:32

...“‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord."...


1 Peter 5:5

..."You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."...


Exodus 20:12

...“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you"...


Ephesians 6:1-3

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth."...


Timothy 5:1-3

"Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need."...


Proverbs 13:1

"A wise son accepts his father’s discipline,

But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke."...


Proverbs 23:22

..."Listen to your father, who gave you life,

    and do not despise your mother when she is old."...


1 Timothy 5:8

..."But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."...

*


Thursday, November 10, 2022

Veteran's Day: Thankfulness; go out with Joy!

 ISAIAH 55

“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;

And you who have no money come, buy and eat.

Come, buy wine and milk

Without money and without cost.


“Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And delight yourself in abundance.


“Incline your ear and come to Me.

Listen, that you may live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

According to the faithful mercies shown to David.


“Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples,

A leader and commander for the peoples.


“Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,

And a nation which knows you not will run to you,

Because of the Lord your God, 
even the Holy One of Israel;

For He has glorified you.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found;

Call upon Him while He is near.


Let the wicked forsake his way

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And let him return to the Lord,

And He will have compassion on him,

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.


“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.


“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways

And My thoughts than your thoughts.


“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the earth

And making it bear and sprout

And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;


So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.


“For you will go out with joy

And be led forth with peace;

The mountains and the hills 
will break forth into shouts of joy before you,

And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
“Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up,

And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up,

And it will be a memorial to the Lord,

For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”
*



Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Veterans Day Remembered

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
    That mark our place; and in the sky
    The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
    The torch; be yours to hold it high.
    If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
        In Flanders fields.

-BY JOHN MCCRAE
*


The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the defense of my life;

Whom shall I dread?

When evildoers came upon me 
to devour my flesh,

My adversaries and my enemies, 
they stumbled and fell.

Though a host encamp against me,

My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,

In spite of this I shall be confident.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, 
that I shall seek:

That I may dwell 
in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the Lord

And to meditate in His temple.

For in the day of trouble 
He will conceal me in His tabernacle;

In the secret place of His tent 
He will hide me;

He will lift me up on a rock.

And now my head will be lifted up 
above my enemies around me,

And I will offer in His tent 
sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing, yes, 
I will sing praises to the Lord.
 
Hear, O Lord, 
when I cry with my voice

And be gracious to me and answer me.

When You said, 
“Seek My face,” 
my heart said to You,

“Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”

Do not hide Your face from me,

Do not turn Your servant 
away in anger;

You have been my help;

Do not abandon me nor forsake me,

O God of my salvation!

For my father and my mother 
have forsaken me,

But the Lord will take me up.
 
Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a level path

Because of my foes.
 
Do not deliver me 
over to the desire of my adversaries,

For false witnesses have risen against me,

And such as breathe out violence.

I would have despaired
unless I had believed
 that I would see 
the goodness of the Lord

In the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

Be strong 
and let your heart take courage;

Yes, wait for the Lord.
*

Monday, November 7, 2022

I must remind you again! Ravenous Wolves are among us!

 Yes! I must!


Christians, in general, believe they are safe in life and in their churches. After all, we belong to the LORD!

*But Christians can be deluded to believe almost anything, can be tricked into anything - especially when God's Precious Word is twisted by other people (the Ravenous Wolves), Christians can listen and be deceived.

Ravenous Wolves "hide" in the Christian church, among the people. The Ravenous Wolves find converts among unsuspecting Believers. Meanwhile, we all feel safe among the Believers, RIGHT?

But the Ravenous Wolves among us only seem godly, until you enter into their space, until you learn their way of thinking, and, perhaps, until you are seduced into their twisted scriptures and their evil lies.

Watch out for these Ravenous Wolves in sheep's clothing!  

Be careful with whom you become friends. 

Be careful with whose teachings you listen and learn.

*If ANYTHING seems 
unbiblical, 
odd, 
weird, 
different,
scary, 
strange, 
legalistic,  
controlling,
crazy, 
manipulative, 
peculiar,   
unusual, 
fake,
abusive,
eccentric, 
bizarre, 
wacky, 
nutty,
dividing,
alienting, 
opposite, 
dissimilar,
"Red Flags", 
or contrary 
to what the Bible, God's Word really says; 
from what your trusted Biblical pastor says; 
you need to leave, become untangle, get away from those wrong teachers, those Ravenous Wolves!!

*Perhaps others around you have already been deceived by this Ravenous Wolf. Then get away, get in your bible, find a church which preaches the Word rightly, and seek God's Truth among these Righteous believers.

*God's Word is our measuring device*

Matthew 7:12-27
 ...“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 

You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?

So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 

Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”..."

*Let us ACT,  be WISE, and BUILD our faith on the ROCK, Jesus Christ!*
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