Every Man a Warrior – Finding the One Thing found in Math 22:34-38 – Lesson Two

Every Man a Warrior – Finding the One Thing found in Math 22:34-38 – Lesson Two



Do you know the “One Thing“? There is one thing in life that is above all others and gives purpose and meaning even when life is horrible, as it sometimes is.

God designed you for this one purpose, and without it life is meaningless. How important is it to know that your life will count for something significant?

This lesson could radically change your life forever. The first building block of Discipleship is the “One Thing“, and is found in the story of Matthew 22;34

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Every Man a Warrior – Helping Men Succeed in Life -Lesson One



Men deal with issues every day that test their core values, integrity and spiritual manhood. Issues like financial management, suffering, sex, moral purity, work and making one’s life count is the stuff that shapes a man’s character.

Every Man a Warrior hits these gut issues head on with no sugar coating. Every Man a Warrior is a tool that gives men what they need to spiritually grow and become the husband, father and man that God intended them to be.

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India has more Women Pilots than any other Country in the World!



The total number of Indian women pilots for airlines is almost equal to 13% of the total female airline pilots in the world. India has 1092 women pilots, including 385 women captains for commercial airlines, as of the year 2018.

The biggest US airlines, including United Airlines with 7.5% female pilots and Delta Airlines with even lower 4.4% female pilots, lag behind the national carrier of India, of which women pilots form 12.4% of its total pilots.

What does it mean when the Bible says that You must be Born Again?


John 3:1-21 New Living Translation (NLT)

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.[b] Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.[c] So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

“How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. 12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man[e] has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.[f]

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[g] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.[h]

The Sun was actually the Son in the Book of Malachi 4:2



Malachi 4:2 (KJV)

2 But unto you that fear my name shall the SUN of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)

3 The SON is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Since Jesus as the SON is the RADIANCE of God’s glory, He can rightly be also called the SUN of Righteousness. So what Malachi was talking about was actually JESUS!!

Are there many ways to God? Or are Christians narrow minded to suggest that Jesus is the only way to God?


Are there many ways to God?

If someone came to you and said that there are many ways to God: the Muslims believe in God, the Hindus believe in God, Buddhists believe in God, and most all religions believe in God. They say as long as you are good you will all arrive in heaven some day. They claim God is merciful and He will not let those that are good go to hell, even if they do not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, what would your answer be, since they also say we are not to judge?

Bible Answer: One day I was using a map, attempting to find our hotel. I knew it was on a certain street, so I finally found the street on the map. Thinking I knew where it was, I proceeded to head to it, when I quickly realized I was lost. None of the streets seemed familiar with my map. I pulled out my map again and found the street, but the streets and landmarks on the map were so different than what was actually all around me. I was deeply puzzled. As I looked carefully at the map again, I realized I was looking at the wrong city. I was way off from my target.

You know the same has happened with religion. People think they know where they are going, when in reality they have a wrong map. A map is the way people view life. If the map is wrong, then the direction of their lives will be wrong. I’m sure, as sincere as people are, they are often sincerely wrong.

Many people claim that all roads lead to God. That is as foolish as saying that all roads lead to Dallas, Texas. Jesus taught just the opposite of the concept of all roads leading to God. Jesus made His comment about the road that leads to God:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matt 7:13-14).

Instead of many roads leading to eternal life, Jesus said there is only one road to God and even that road is narrow. People have an erroneous understand of God, much less, an understanding of the road to get to God. Sure, nearly every religion claims to believe in some sort of being called God. But do they have the right God? If they are headed to a wrong concept of God, then how will they ever arrive at finding Him?

If you had never seen me before and I told you to meet me at a certain location, you would want to know where I am and what I look like. The same is true for finding God. You need to know the road He set for us to find Him and what He is like. Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) Jesus claims to look like God. Not only does Jesus tell us what God is like, but He claims to be the road to reach God.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

This is a bold statement. You must understand what Jesus meant by this. He did not mean that His teaching would lead you to God. You see Mohammed claimed to be the greatest and last prophet, but he did not claim to be the person that you must go through to be saved. He claimed that his teaching, if you obeyed it, might save you. Jesus was not referring to his teaching but His person. Jesus as a person is the way, the truth and the life. There is something totally unique about Jesus, compared to prophets or philosophers like Buddha. Prophets and philosophers believe in their teaching. Yet Jesus believed in who He was! So who is Jesus?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18)

Jesus is God’s only begotten Son. Which means, that just as a son inherits the nature of the Father, so Jesus has the full nature of God, which would make him equal to God. In other words, Jesus is part of the Godhead. In theological terms, He is the second person of the Trinity. When Adam and Eve sinned, all of their offspring inherited the sin nature. That would include every human being. Since Jesus is not part of the offspring of the human race, Jesus did not inherit the sin nature. Instead, he came to suffer and take the sin nature on Himself so we could inherit His nature.

This is what the previous verses are saying. God wanted to save the world, because He loved it. To save the world God would have to provide a sacrifice for sins. This is what God was talking to Moses about when He commanded him to make sacrifices for the sins of the people. The entire book of Leviticus, written by Moses, is devoted to the sacrificial system. Through the blood of animals people’s sins would be covered. This system was a shadow of the reality of Christ’ sacrifice at the cross. It was the road map God had given us to find Him. Through His sacrifice and shedding of His blood, Jesus was able to pay for our sins, so that God could legally forgive us.

So when people say that all roads lead to God, they usually discount the need for Christ to pay for their sins. They think their deep repentance or sorrow for sins is enough for God to forgive them. They think they can become good people. Yet the Bible says, “There is no one righteous, not even one…There is no one who does good, not even one” (Rom 3: 10, 12).

For example, a Muslim tries to live devoted to God, but he does not accept the sacrifice of Christ. If he does not accept the payment for his sins, then no amount of personal sacrifice will be enough to atone for his sins. He cannot be consider righteous in God’s sight by his devoted life. This is also true for a Jew or Hindu. For anyone to reject the sacrifice for their sins is for them to reject God’s offer for forgiveness. And as the previous verse says, “Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

At this point, some people will say that I am judging. The truth is, I am simply pointing out what the true Judge has said: “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). Jesus is the judge that God has appointed who will judge the whole world. Everyone will stand for judgment in the end, and guess Who will be judging you? “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ”(2 Cor 5:10). The One who will be seated on the bench with the gavel is Christ. He will judge you regarding how you responded to Him. If you accept His payment for your sins and make Jesus your Lord, then you will have the Judge on your side.

As you can tell, I do not believe all roads lead to God!

If you have been convinced of your need to accept Christ then I want you to pray this prayer out loud:

“Dear God in heaven, in the name of Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and need a Savior. I know You have sent your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins. I accept the full payment for my sins. I repent from the life I have been living, and I now make Jesus the Lord of my life. Thank you, Dear God, for saving my soul. I now know I will make it to heaven.”

This prayer is only the beginning. You need to attend a good Spirit-filled, Bible-believing Church. Get baptized as soon as possible, and get filled with the Holy Spirit. I wish you the best in your walk with God.

Are there many Paths to God? (Awesome must read article!)

How does the Bible compare to Hindu Scriptures? A Christian Perspective!


The corpus of Hindu scripture is enormous. A person could spend a lifetime sorting through the millions of pages of sacred and semi-sacred texts. Even the most orthodox sections of scripture are many times larger than the Bible. Clarke, in an essay on Hindu scripture, defended his limited treatment of the Vedas with this description of his subject: “How large, how difficult to understand! So vast, so complicated, so full of contradictions, so various and changeable, that its very immensity is our refuge!” (1875, p. 81)

Recall that the four Veda Samhitās are about the size of the Old Testament, and the Upanishads number over 100. Among the smrti literature, the Epics are five times the length of the entire Bible, each of the 18 principle Puranās is about the size of the Old Testament, and over 5,000 texts of varying length belong to the dharmaśsāstra tradition. The Bible seems concise in comparison, containing only 23,314 verses in the Old Testament and 7,959 verses in the New.

An average Western library or bookstore stocks some abridged compilation of the Vedic Samhitāas, the 13 principle Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gīitāa, but only the most specialized libraries carry full versions of even the major scriptures. A Hindu equivalent of the Gideon missionary society would have to donate an entire library of books to hotels rather than a single volume to each room. Of course, Hindus have little interest in proselytizing, so it is not really a problem.

If the size were insufficient to deter an honest seeker of truth, the incomprehensibility of the scripture certainly would. The Bible was written originally in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Though Bible students rarely master the original languages, sufficient lexical aids exists so that the original meaning can be understood with relatively little difficulty. Hindu students are not so fortunate. Since the Vedas were delivered from an impersonal source (the “Absolute”) there can be no original meaning. “[T]he Veda has no author, no meaning beyond the words and the sacrificial actions themselves; one cannot appeal to a pre-verbal intention to get beyond the words” (Clooney, 1987, p. 660). Incidentally, as Clooney points out in his essay, postmodernists find this approach to understanding texts refreshingly in line with their own views.

English translations are available for the primary scriptures, yet even the most careful translations are difficult to understand. Most English translations of the Bible are on the reading level of a 6-12th grader, yet the same cannot be said of the Vedas. “Many [of the Vedas] are written in a style which even educated men find very difficult to understand; and, if they have to be studied in the original, only a very small part of them can possibly be mastered by one man” (Mitchell, 1897, p. 247). Archaic Sanskrit (also called Vedic), the language of the Rig Veda, is a dead language, and inaccessible to most Hindus. Other scriptures are written in classical Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tamil, and other regional dialects. The possibility of interpretation is further hampered by the belief that the Vedas consist of sacred sound, not written text.

Were the language difficulties to be sorted out, the problem of incomprehensibility would remain. Hindu scripture contradicts itself time and time again. One might expect works separated by thousands of years to disagree (and they do), but these contradictions are found even within individual texts. There are logical contradictions, conceptual contradictions, and even factual contradictions. This may be explained partially by the Hindu conception of scripture, as explained by Eliot:

“The Hindu approaches his sacred literature somewhat in the spirit in which we approach Milton and Dante. The beauty and value of such poems is clear. The question of whether they are accurate reports of facts seems irrelevant” (1968, 1:lxxi).

Apparently, contradiction is not regarded as evidence against the Vedas’ divine origin. Hindu scripture confirms this suspicion, and actually embraces the contradictions. The Laws of Manu recommends that both sides of a contradiction in the Veda be accepted as authoritative: “But where the revealed canon is divided, both (views) are traditionally regarded as law; for wise men say that both of them are valid laws” (Manusmrti 2.14).

Regarding the contradictions inherent in the Upanishads, the collection of texts considered by Olivelle to be the “vedic scripture par excellence of Hinduism” (1996, p. xxiii), Robson remarked: “It is hard to say what philosophical opinion might not be supported from the Upanishads, for the most contradictory statements find a place in them” (1905, p. 28). Likewise the Puranās, so holy as to be called “the fifth veda” (Chandogya Upanishad 7.1.4), are “for the most part intensely sectarian; one denounces beliefs and rites which another enjoins” (Mitchell, p. 260). Coburn stated that, when it comes to Hindu scripture, “sanctity often appears to be inversely related to comprehensibility” (p. 112).

Hindu scripture is for all practical purposes useless to the average Hindu for these and other reasons. This, of course, assumes that all Hindus have access to the scripture. Traditionally, Hindu society is divided into four castes, the Brahmin (priestly class), Kshatriya (ruling class), Vaiśsya (merchant class), and Śūdra (outcastes). The first three classes are known as the twice-born, and only the males of those classes are allowed to read the Vedas. All women and males of the Śūdra class are excluded because of their “impurity” (Manusmrti 2.164-172). These restricted groups do have access to the smrti writings and devotional literature, but the most sacred śruti texts are forbidden. The religion itself restricts to a select few the scripture that purportedly contains saving knowledge.

There is much morally reprehensible material within the Vedic literature. One 19th-century writer, speaking specifically of the Puranāas, underlined the true nature of the Hindu scripture: “The instructions which it professes to give are useless, where they are not scandalous and criminal. The only things clearly to be understood, are the profane songs, the obscene ceremonies, and the other indecencies connected with the prescribed festivals” (as quoted by Goodall, 1996, p. xxxviii). The immoralities endorsed by Hindu scripture range from racial prejudices and rigid social hierarchies to rape and murder.

For instance, the earliest Vedic texts, which are traced back to the Aryan invasion of the Indian subcontinent, reflect the racial biases of the invaders. It seems that the Aryans were a fairer-skinned people of Persian descent, whereas the indigenous peoples (Dāasas) whom they subjugated were of a darker skin color and Negro-Australoid features. One prayer directed to the warrior god Indra petitioned him to “give protection to the Aryan color” (Rig Veda 3.34.9). Another passage lauds Indra’s victory over the dark-skinned natives: “He, much invoked, has slain Dāasas and Simūs [dark-skinned natives], according to his will, and laid them low with arrows. The mighty Thunderer [Indra] with his fair-complexioned friends won the land, the sunlight, and the waters” (Rig Veda 1.100.18). According to Mitchell, the “language in which the Vedic poets speak of these enemies is uniformly that of unmingled, vehement hatred” (1897, p. 19). Critics might observe that the Old Testament is also guilty of ethnic cleansing; however, the Israelite battles were drawn over moral lines, not ethnic or racial (see Bass, 2003). Though the historical picture is unclear, it seems that the Dāasas were incorporated into the Aryan social hierarchy as the lowest class (Rig Veda 10.90.12). Evidence for this comes from the Sanskrit word for class, varna, which means “color” (cognate to the English varnish).

More disturbing than the Vedic treatment of race are the pervasive references to sex, and the its role in the religious ritual. The Kāma Sūutra of Vatsāyayana is one of the most infamous Hindu texts. Known as the “Aphorisms on Love,” or more popularly as the “Sex Manual,” the Kāma Sūtra celebrates sexual love (Kāama is the god of love, in many ways similar to Cupid). In addition to explicit information for use between husbands and wives, there are also sections entitled “Concerning the Wives of Other People” and “Concerning Prostitutes,” both providing advice on how to procure such forbidden fruit. The Kārma Sūtra is but one text among many. One entire category of smrti literature known as Tantras is dedicated to the worship of the goddess principle, Śakti. The esoteric teachings within that body of texts describe various sexual rites that represent the spiritual union of the worshipper’s soul with the goddess. Violence and sexual perversion penetrates even the most orthodox scripture. The Brhadāarankyaka Upanishad, for instance, condones rape:

Surely, a woman who has changed her clothes at the end of her menstrual period is the most auspicious of women. When she has changed her clothes at the end of her menstrual period, therefore, one should approach that splendid woman and invite her to have sex. Should she refuse to consent, he should bribe her. If she still refuses, he should beat her with a stick or with his fists and overpower her, saying: “I take away the splendor from you with my virility and splendor” (6.4.9,21).

Bestiality is likewise advocated. A particularly solemn rite for the early Vedic religion was the horse sacrifice. Though it probably was performed rarely, it is mentioned frequently in the Vedic commentaries. Note one section from the Śatapatha Brāhmana: “Then they draw out the penis of the horse and place it in the vagina of the chief queen, while she says, ‘May the vigorous virile male, the layer of seed, lay the seed’; this she says for sexual intercourse…” (13.5.2.1-10). Examples such as this could be multiplied. To the list of atrocities in the Vedic scripture may be added human sacrifice (Aitaraya Brahmana 7.13-18), as if pornography, bestiality, rape, racism, inequalities were not enough.

The Bible is the authentic, authoritative, and final revelation of the true God. Though written over a period of 1,400 years by forty very diverse men on two continents, The Book is completely unified and free from error. A single theme is expanded upon throughout—the redemption of man through the Messiah. The Bible was confirmed by predictive prophecies and the miracles of the inspired men who wrote it. The moral laws contained within are more reasonable and consistent than that of any other religious or naturalistic system.

See A Remarkable Book Called The Bible and Prophecy In The Bible

By contrast, the Hindu scriptures have no final, objective authority; according to one Hindu, “all scriptural knowledge is lower knowledge” (Jayrama, 2000). Subjective religious experiences are generally preferable to written texts. Hindu scripture contains little that is noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, or praiseworthy. Allegedly a progressive revelation, Hindu scripture contradicts itself both within particular texts and as a body of literature. The Bible, also a progressive revelation, never corrects itself, but only compliments and fulfils that which has been written. Different Hindu scriptures present completely different paths to salvation (liberation)—karma-yoga (the path of action), jāña-yoga (path of knowledge), and bhakti-yoga (path of devotion). The Vedas contain no predictive prophecy and offer no miracles to confirm the revelation supposedly sent from God. Thus the Hindus have no accessible ground of truth, no normative written word, and no objective moral or religious instruction

Use the link below for full details:
http://www.inplainsite.org/html/hinduism_christian_perspective.html

http://www.inplainsite.org/html/ancient_origins_hinduism.html

Tips and Tricks in Microsoft Word as part of Microsoft Office.



Microsoft Word is a Powerful Word Processing Program, which is a part of Microsoft Office.

This video will discuss some tricks and tips in Word 2013. In this video you will learn how to sort Data that is contained in a Word Table.

Next, I talk about how to use formulas in a Word Table, to do calculations. Last but not the least I show you how to use Functions in Word Tables.

To View this Video in Full Screen, do not forget to Press the Full Screen button on the Video.

Remember the Duck – God is at the Window!


There was a little boy visit-ing his grand-parents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target.

Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner… As he was walking back he saw Grandma’s pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved!

In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see his Sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, ‘Sally, let’s wash the dishes’ But Sally said, ‘Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.’ Then she whispered to him, “Remember the duck?’

So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, ‘I’m sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.’ Sally just smiled and said, ‘well that’s all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help?

She whispered again, ‘Remember the duck?’ So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.
After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s; he finally couldn’t stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.

Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, ‘Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.’

Thought for the day and every day thereafter:

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done…? And the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc…)…whatever it is..You need to know that: God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.

He has seen your whole life… He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He’s just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you..

The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness; He not only forgives you, but He forgets.

It is by God’s grace and mercy that we are saved.

Go ahead and make the difference in someone’s life today.

Share this with a friend and always remember:

God is at the window!

Micah the Old Testament Prophet was not popular because he spoke the truth


Micah had the same experience as the other prophets who came before him, and those who followed him. The people did not want to hear what he had to say.

People rarely want to be told of judgement, they seldom want to be warned of what is happening. They prefer not that someone interprets the events unfolding on an international scale and show that God is intervening in men’s affairs.

Note this as well: Often those who can predict prophecy and interpret, who would bring a message from the Lord, find that it is like pulling teeth to get people to listen to warnings. Accordingly Micah finds it necessary to use a dramatic means of conveying his message.

He goes around Jerusalem weeping and wailing, barefoot and partially clothed. He howls like a Jackal and moans like an owl. It must have been exciting to have Micah around!

I have a very good friend in a Third World country, a Rhodes Scholar, an absolutely brilliant man. He was the Pastor of the largest Church of his denomination. I remember he once debated a leading Political figure on National Television on the issue of legalized lotteries and gambling. He totally routed him. It was a national humiliation for that dignitary.

The young Pastor friend was particularly concerned that the people of his homeland were not listening to the Word of the Lord. As long as he told them what they wanted to hear, it was great. As long as he preached that all was good and bright, that they would be prosperous and peaceful, that was super.

But the young Pastor was convinced that things were bad in his country and something needed to be done about it. People needed to be brought to repentance and take God seriously.

He felt as if he had been hammering his head against a brick wall. So one day he came into church late for the Sunday morning service, to get the people’s attention. He came in the back door instead of the front. That also aroused their attention. Instead of wearing his pulpit gown, he dressed himself in sackcloth and ashes. Instead of carrying a Bible he carried a bell. He came in ringing his bell, dressed in sackcloth and ashes.

As a result they fired him as their pastor and put him in a home for the mentally unstable. One day I talked to him and asked, “Did you have a nervous breakdown?” “No” he said. “They decided that was what what I had, but in actual fact I was trying hard to get their attention. I got it,” he went on “and when they gave me their full attention, they locked me up. They didn’t want to know.”

Such has always been the lot of the prophet. The person who tells the people what is really happening in the world is not always welcome. When a prophet comes with a hard message, he is bound to be unpopular.

A prophet is one who warns of God’s impending wrath. If people refuse to heed the message, if they refuse to repent, if they remain complacent, then the judgement eventually will fall.

By Stuart Briscoe

Jesus was 100% Man and 100% God and preached 100% Grace and 100% Truth


John 1:16-17 NIV

16 From His full – ness we have all received grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Notice that it says GRACE and TRUTH came through Jesus Christ. While it is true that we have received a super abundance of GRACE (unmerited favor) through Jesus, we must never forget to preach the TRUTH of God’s word.

GRACE without TRUTH tends to lead us to LASCIVIOUSNESS, (unrestrained freedom) and TRUTH without GRACE tends to lead us to LEGALISM.

Jude 4 New International Version (NIV) (Warning Scripture)

4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about[a] long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality (LASCIVIOUSNESS) and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

In some Churches where an abundance of GRACE is preached, the preaching of HOLINESS is neglected. It is my opinion based on scriptures that BOTH must be preached.

Hebrews 12:14 New International Version (NIV)

Warning and Encouragement
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Titus 2:11-14 King James Version (KJV)

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

1Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

As Iron Sharpens Iron So One Person Sharpens Another!



Proverbs 27:5-17…As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

King Solomon knew that life in a community could be difficult, a theme he addressed in the book of Proverbs. In chapter 27, we see his wisdom applied to relationships. He likens the sharp words between friends as iron sharpening iron: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (V. 17), shaving off the rough edges in each other’s behavior.

Proverbs 27:6 King James Version (KJV)
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

The process may bring about wounds, (V. 6), but ultimately the Lord can use these wounds to help and encourage us to make needed changes in our attitude and behavior.

The Lord allows our rough edges to be smoothed over through the sandpaper of life. AMEN

What is the meaning of Iron Sharpens Iron?

The Holy Spirit – Nine Gifts of the Spirit and Nine Fruit of the Spirit


The HOLY SPIRIT!!

The HOLY SPIRIT is symbol-ized in the Bible by a DOVE. A DOVE is a very gentle bird and has 2 wings. There is a reason for that!

ONE Wing represents the 9 FRUIT of the Spirit
THE OTHER WING represents 9 GIFTS of the Spirit

YOU NEED BOTH TO BE A BALANCED CHRISTIAN!

If you only have gifts and no fruit, I guess you are flapping on ONE Wing, and it’s impossible to FLY!!

Galatians 5:22-23 New International Version (NIV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

1 Corinthians 12 New International Version (NIV)
Concerning Spiritual Gifts

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,

9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits,

to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

T.E.D. Talks – What on Earth am I here for ? Part 1 – by Rick Warren



Poem by Russell Kelfer

You are who you are for a reason.
You’re part of an intricate plan.
You’re a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God’s special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You’re just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God’s plan in mind,
And they bear the Master’s seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you’d grow.

Mental barriers to hearing God’s Voice – Part 2 Chuck Swindoll


As the Spirit of God attempts to comm-unicate His truth to us, He runs up against the “wall” of our overall mental attitude, our natural mind-set. Along with the wall-like fortresses, we have natural, humanistic reasonings that give the wall additional strength.

I’m thinking of those defense mechanisms, rationalization, and other thinking patterns that are habitual to us. In Romans 2:15 we read of two such “guards”—blaming and justifying.

As the Lord God pushes His truth to enter (and thus “renew”) our minds, our habitual reflex “guards” the entrance of such alien thoughts! This explains why there is often such a battle that rages when biblical truth is introduced into a mind that has been walled and guarded by years of secularized thinking. We defend the old rather than consider and accept the new.

This could have happened in your own mind when you read what the Scriptures teach on forgiveness. It also may occur when you read what the Bible teaches us to do when we have offended someone. More than likely, you found yourself resisting and defending. I certainly did when I first discovered those truths! We would much rather blame the other person than accept our responsibility. Our “speculations” work like that. They put up a guard against change, causing us to rationalize and justify our actions.

Accompanying the resistance of our internal wall and guards are “lofty things” that reinforce our defense system from within (2 Corinthians 10:5). It’s the idea of a thing lifted up or exalted.

What comes to your mind right now? How about pride? And those things pride prompts: argumentation, an unteachable spirit, stubbornness, and refusal to change. Is that striking a nerve yet?

As the principles of the Scriptures are declared, our natural, unrenewed minds not only resist them, they ask, “Who needs that?” or “I’ve gotten along pretty good up ’til now.” These are the lofty things that are “raised up against the knowledge of God,” as Paul put it (2 Corinthians 10:5).

We need to destroy those things . . . before they destroy us.

A battle can rage inside when truth is introduced into a mind that’s been walled by years of secular thinking.— Charles R. Swindoll

Mental Barriers to hear God’s Voice – Part 1 Chuck Swindoll

Why does life sometimes feel like a jumbled mess? Life is but a Weaving Poem


Life is like an Embroidery. If you look at the embroidery from the wrong side, it look like a jumbled mess. But when you look at it from the right side you see a beautiful Pattern.

So when you look at life from our side, it seems like a jumbled mess. But if you see it from God’s side it’s beautiful. For God is working all things together for our own good, for those who love the Lord and are called according to his own purpose.

Romans 8:28 New International Version (NIV)

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.


“Life is but a Weaving” (the Tapestry Poem) – Corrie Ten Boom

“My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.

Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned

He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.”

The Parable of the Ten Virgins – What is the meaning of the Parable?



Matthew 25:1-13 King James Version (KJV)

1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

What is the meaning of the Parable? Click the link below:

https://www.gotquestions.org/parable-ten-virgins.html

America’s got Talent – Indian Dance Troupe called V – Unbeatable



America’s Got Talent had an excellent Dance Troupe from Mumbai India called “V – Unbeatable” The Group consists of 28 Dancers, ages 12 – 27, the majority of whom come from the slums of Mumbai.

Life in the Slums is horrendous, as they are very dirty, and overcrowded with intermittent water and electricity, with little shanties jam packed with people. Every day in the slum is a struggle for survival.

Each day they pray for a better life, but in the slums there is very little opportunity to improve their lives. But when they dance together, it helps them to forget about their situation and dream about a better life.

They said that everyone wants to succeed so that they can give back to their families, for their sacrifice. They would watch America’s Got Talent on YouTube and dream of one day participating in this competition, that could change their entire life! After a long time, it seemed as if their dreams had at last come true!!

The Magi who visited Jesus Christ at his birth! (for my Zoroastrian friends)



The Statue of three Persian Magi raised in Brazil in honor of the 3 revered wise men who visited Jesus Christ when he was born and brought the first gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.. to the new born Jesus.

Some Bible Scholars say that the Magi (wise men) may have been Zoroastrian priests, and astrologers from Persia, during the reign of King Cyrus or Darius.The Bible says they came and worshiped the baby Jesus, and gave him the gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. (There were probably more than three!)


The Magi are mentioned in the book of Daniel. Daniel was a Jewish prophet captive in Babylon. Daniel had correctly interpreted dreams for the King, and therefore he and the God of Israel were greatly respected even in Babylon!! So the Magi had probably heard the prophecies about the Messiah, from Daniel, during the reign of the Medo-Persian empire.

They came following the star, and looking for the baby Jesus.
(Please do not forget to watch the Video regarding the Magi by John MacArthur in the link below)

Who were the Magi in the Bible – by John MacArthur