We Must Be Ready

Matthew 24:44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Matthew 25:10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

Luke 12:35[ Watchfulness ] "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,

Luke 12:38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night.

Luke 12:40You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

Luke 12:47"That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows.

1 Thessalonians 5:2for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

1 Thessalonians 5:4But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.

Christianity, The World, Satan

The Lord showed me a new paradigm to look at life through. The world and satan present the things of this world to us as bait. This bait promises one thing but delivers another, just like fishing bait men throw in the water and drag past the fish. The bait promises fulfillment, fullness and peace, but delivers a hook in the jaw, death and emptyness. This is the same for both fish and men, the only difference is the kinds of bait used.

EU Wants a Middle East Free of Nukes

This may be the reason advertised for the coutries of the Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38 to invade Israel.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/15/AR2006121500005.html

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union called Thursday for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, responding to recent comments by the Israeli prime minister that have been interpreted as acknowledging his country has a nuclear arsenal.
In interview with a Germany television station broadcast Monday, Ehud Olmert appeared to list Israel among the world's nuclear powers. The next day, however, he denied having "outed" his country's nuclear program.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, center, meets with Israeli Paralympians in his office in Jerusalem, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006. Candid TV footage of Olmert and his Italian counterpart, Romano Prodi, showed Olmert coaching Prodi on what to say at their joint press conference in Rome. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) (Sebastian Scheiner - AP)
PHOTOS

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union called Thursday for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, responding to recent comments by the Israeli prime minister that have been interpreted as acknowledging his country has a nuclear arsenal.'
Although Israel is widely assumed to have nuclear weapons, it has maintained a policy of ambiguity since the 1960s, refusing to confirm or deny it.
"The position of the European Union is very clear," said EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. "In the long term, we don't want to have the Middle East with weapons of mass destruction."
Olmert's remarks came when the interviewer asked him about Iran's calls for the destruction of Israel.
"Iran openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map," Olmert said. "Can you say that this is the same level, when you are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as America, France, Israel, Russia?"
The next day, Olmert insisted that Israel "will not be the first country that introduces nuclear weapons to the Middle East."
Solana has been the U.N. Security Council's point man in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. The Islamic country says its program is meant only to generate power, but the U.S., its European allies and Israel fear Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The Security Council could vote next week on whether to impose sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment, a process that can generate power or create the fissile core of nuclear warheads.
At a summit Thursday, 25 EU foreign ministers urged Syria to play a constructive role in Middle East peace efforts and encouraged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to keep up efforts to form a coalition government between his Fatah party and the Islamic militant Hamas. Factional violence between Fatah and Hamas has pushed the rivals closer to civil war.


<< Ezekiel 38 >> New American Standard Bible ©

1 And the word of the LORD came to me saying,
2 "Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him
3 and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.
4 "I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords;
5 Persia, Ethiopia and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet;
6 Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops-- many peoples with you.
7 "Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them.
8 "After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them.
9 "You will go up, you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you."
10 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan,
11 and you will say, 'I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates,
12 to capture spoil and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places which are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the center of the world.'
13 "Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will say to you, 'Have you come to capture spoil? Have you assembled your company to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to capture great spoil?'"'
14 "Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it?
15 "You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army;
16 and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog."
17 Thus says the Lord GOD, "Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them?
18 "It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel," declares the Lord GOD, "that My fury will mount up in My anger.
19 "In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.
20 "The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground.
21 "I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains," declares the Lord GOD. "Every man's sword will be against his brother.
22 "With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone.
23 "I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the LORD."'

<< Ezekiel 39 >> New American Standard Bible ©

1 "And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal;
2 and I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel.
3 "I will strike your bow from your left hand and dash down your arrows from your right hand.
4 "You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field.
5 "You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have spoken," declares the Lord GOD.
6 "And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the LORD.
7 "My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 "Behold, it is coming and it shall be done," declares the Lord GOD. "That is the day of which I have spoken.
9 "Then those who inhabit the cities of Israel will go out and make fires with the weapons and burn them, both shields and bucklers, bows and arrows, war clubs and spears, and for seven years they will make fires of them.
10 "They will not take wood from the field or gather firewood from the forests, for they will make fires with the weapons; and they will take the spoil of those who despoiled them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them," declares the Lord GOD.
11 "On that day I will give Gog a burial ground there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea, and it will block off those who would pass by. So they will bury Gog there with all his horde, and they will call it the valley of Hamon-gog.
12 "For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.
13 "Even all the people of the land will bury them; and it will be to their renown on the day that I glorify Myself," declares the Lord GOD.
14 "They will set apart men who will constantly pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, even those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search.
15 "As those who pass through the land pass through and anyone sees a man's bone, then he will set up a marker by it until the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog.
16 "And even the name of the city will be Hamonah. So they will cleanse the land."'
17 "As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Speak to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field, "Assemble and come, gather from every side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood.
18 "You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
19 "So you will eat fat until you are glutted, and drink blood until you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
20 "You will be glutted at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all the men of war," declares the Lord GOD.
21 "And I will set My glory among the nations; and all the nations will see My judgment which I have executed and My hand which I have laid on them.
22 "And the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God from that day onward.
23 "The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity because they acted treacherously against Me, and I hid My face from them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and all of them fell by the sword.
24 "According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I dealt with them, and I hid My face from them."'"
25 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name.
26 "They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid.
27 "When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations.
28 "Then they will know that I am the LORD their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer.
29 "I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel," declares the Lord GOD.

Prayer For Today

Philippians 1
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

The Secret to Living is Giving

This morning the Lord showed me something that made me smile. As I was driving in the morning traffic, watching everyone drive into work, I believe the Lord showed me a sliver of how everyone serves his purposes whether they know it or not. In order to survive, almost everyone has to in some way give to others. The "work" that people do is in essence service to others that's paid for, but it's service one way or another. The lesson here is that we have been created to give. We have value on this earth as long as we have something to give to someone. This is one of many reasons why there's never a reason for a person to commit suicide. There's always something a person can do to benefit another person in some way, however insignificant it may seem to us. In today's "me" world, even the smallest acts of giving to another in some unselfish way are tremendously meaningful. Giving in a society that's all about conquering and devouring is a magnified act that really shines. Because of the deep darkness of the world we live in, the smallest of lights shines like the sun. The way of the Lord is light. The Lord instructs us that we must be fruitful or we will be cutoff. We must "bear fruit."

Life by the Spirit
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Ephesians 5
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Colossians 1:10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

We Are Like Musical Instruments

We are like musical instruments. I play the guitar and I could see myself as a guitar string and other believers as other strings on the same guitar. When we are obedient and faithful, the string is in tune and functions to make beautiful music. Along with other strings that are 'in tune' beautiful music can be made. Satan works to keep us out of tune as much as possible, keep us distorted and ugly sounding. We have to realize how beautiful the sounds of staying in tune really is.

The New World Order is Coming

Analysts: Dollar collapsewould result in 'amero'Think deep recession likelyregardless of Fed's actions
Posted: December 13, 20061:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jerome R. Corsi© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
Two analysts who have reconstructed money supply data after the Fed stopped publishing it argue a coming dollar collapse will set the stage for creating the amero as a North American currency to replace the dollar.
The reconstructed M3 data – the broadest measure of money – published on econometrician Gary Kuever's website, NowAndFutures.com, shows M3 increased at a rate of 11 percent in May, compared to 9 percent when the Federal Reserve quit publishing M3 data earlier this year.
Asked why the Fed decided to stop publishing M3 data, Kuever told WND, "The Fed probably wants to hide how much liquidity is being pumped into the market, and I expect the trend to keep pumping liquidity into the market will continue, especially since the economy is slowing down."

Why is this important?
"The trend line in my M3-plus-debt chart is staggering," Kuever said. "There has been a straight, long-term trend line of M3-plus-credit increasing since 2000. Long-term, we are creating inflation and the dollar has lost almost 98 percent of its value in the past 100 years."
Kuever, a retired investor, is concerned that with growing budget and trade deficits "the dollar could collapse."
"Especially if the Fed cannot increase rates, because we have already entered a recession," he said.
Analyst Gary Kuever's chart shows M3-plus-credit, short term, from May 2000 to September 2006
Bob Chapman, who issued a reconstructed M3 estimate to the 100,000 subscribers to his newsletter, "The International Forecaster", agrees.
"The world is awash in money and credit," Chapman told WND. "My numbers show M3 increasing at about a 10-percent rate right now."
Chapman believes the U.S. economy entered a recession in February. In his newsletter of Dec. 9 he predicted the Fed would hold interest rates at 5.25 percent.
"The Fed is in a very tough spot here," Chapman wrote, "If they raise rates, the real estate market will collapse, and if they lower rates, the dollar will collapse."
Meeting yesterday, the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee voted, as Chapman had predicted, to hold the overnight lending rates between banks steady at 5.25 percent. This was the fourth straight meeting the Fed had voted not to change rates. In its rate announcement, the Fed affirmed the economy had slowed.
Almost immediately after the announcement of the Fed's decision, the dollar weakened to a new 20-month low against the euro, with currency markets reportedly pricing in the expectation the Fed will be forced to lower rates next year to bolster the economy. Following the announcement by the Fed, the U.S. Dollar Index, or USDX, also dropped, with the dollar going below 83.
A dollar collapse is imminent, Chapman declared.
"Technicians studying the USDX think there is a support level for the dollar at 75, but I don't think so."
How low could the dollar go?
"If the dollar breaks through 78.33 on the USDX," Chapman answered, "my guess is the dollar will go through a 35-percent correction, which would put it at 55."
"The key in how low the dollar goes is the interest rates," Chapman told WND. "In January, the Fed is going to have to make a decision which way to go. If Fed rates go up, the dollar will hold in the 78.33 range, but the stock market and the economy will tank. If next year the Fed lowers rates to keep the economy from crashing, the bottom will fall out of the dollar, and I see it going as low as 55. Once the dollar hits bottom, it will take the stock market and the economy right with it anyway. The Fed is in a box they can't get out of."
As WND reported earlier this week, in an unusual move, the Bush administration is sending virtually the entire economic "A-team" to visit China for a "strategic economic dialogue" in Beijing Thursday and Friday. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are leading the delegation, along with five other cabinet-level officials, including Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez. Also in the delegation will be Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, Energy Secretary Sam Bodman, and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
But Chapman doubts the trip will help the Fed to engineer a slow dollar slide.
"The Chinese are going to do what the Chinese want to do, not what we want them to do," he said. "I believe the Chinese are going to send Treasury Secretary Paulson and Fed Chairman Bernanke home packing, with little or nothing to show for the trip."
How severe will the coming dollar collapse be?
"People in the U.S. are going to be hit hard," Chapman warned. "In the severe recession we are entering now, Bush will argue that we have to form a North American Union to compete with the Euro."
"Creating the amero," Chapman explained, "will be presented to the American public as the administration's solution for dollar recovery. In the process of creating the amero, the Bush administration just abandons the dollar."

The End is Near: Signs

Worst Drought On Record Hits Australia's HarvestGrain farmer Eddie Valks hosted his daughter's wedding on his 800-hectare spread northwest of Sydney, complete with bride and groom sailing off on a small lake. Four years later the lake is gone, dried out by Australia's worst drought on record. "If the wedding guests from the cities saw the place now, they'd be shocked," said the 61-year-old Mr. Valks.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20061206.RTICKERMAIN06/TPStory/Business

The End is Near: Signs

No Winter for EuropeCentral Europe is experiencing its warmest winter in 500 years and the Alps haven't been this warm in over a millenneum. Ski resorts are suffering, as are the bears.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,453041,00.html

Six injured as tornado hits London

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A tornado hit a residential area of London on Thursday, injuring at least six people, according to ambulance service staff.
Police were alerted to the tornado in north-west London at around 11 a.m., a Scotland Yard spokeswoman said.
One man was taken to hospital suffering from serious head injuries, and five people were treated at the scene for minor injuries and shock.
The storm, with winds of around 150 mph (240 kph), ripped roofs off some homes, tore down walls and trees, and left streets strewn with debris. One car was buried under fallen bricks, video footage from the scene showed.
"I could see a huge cloud rolling up the street, making this tremendous sound," resident Daniel Bidgood told the BBC. "I went to try to take a picture of it but a shower of debris smashed all the windows of my house."
Another eyewitness, Sally Johnson, said she thought she was going to die. "All the cars and the windows, everything (was) smashed in," she told Sky. "There's debris everywhere, you can hardly walk."
"It was like some sort of cyclone," said resident Tim Klotz.
"I looked up through a skylight and debris was falling through the air. I heard what seemed like large, clay dominoes falling, which I think were roof tiles," Klotz said.
Local authorities said several houses may have to be demolished due to damage caused by the tornado.
Several hundred people were expected to spend a night in emergency accommodation as workers tried to make buildings safe.
Experts say that while Britain experiences more than 30 tornadoes a year, it is rare for them to cause damage on the scale seen in London on Thursday.
Local weather reports said warmer than normal temperatures this fall contributed to formation of the tornado.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/07/uk.tornado/index.html

Gen Y: Ready For Antichrist

Those who have studied generations in the workplace, such as author David Stillman of Minneapolis, do have some insights. Stillman, who co-wrote the 2002 book When Generations Collide, say these young (generation Y) workers have very different ideas than earlier generations.
"This generation has the group-think mentality," he says.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-12-06-gen-next-entrepreneurs_x.htm

Your Body Is the Temple of the Holy Spirit

Why is Satan so interested these days in getting people to fornicate?

First of all it's disobedience, it's sin. Even more than that it's desecration of God's temple. If that was'nt enough, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit to be ready at all times for the rapture and or salvation at death, whichever comes first. No Holy Spirit within means no salvation, simple as that. It is also a snare to men's souls, getting them to turn to the world for fulfillment instead of to the Lord. It cripples prayer and understanding of the Word of God. It severely limits a person's capacity to interact with the Lord. There are just so many reasons why this one area of disobedience really SERIOUSLY destroys a man's life. It's also one of the fastest ways to destroy a man. Look at King Soloman in the Bible. Look at King David. It's the same recurring theme over and over again. Satan uses the same tricks over and over again.

John 2:18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?21 But he spake of the temple of his body.22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 Corinthians 6:13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [NKJV: Holy Spirit] which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Receive a Rich Welcome

2Peter1
And this same also -- all diligence having brought in besides, superadd in your faith the worthiness, and in the worthiness the knowledge,6 and in the knowledge the temperance, and in the temperance the endurance, and in the endurance the piety,7 and in the piety the brotherly kindness, and in the brotherly kindness the love;8 for these things being to you and abounding, do make 'you' neither inert nor unfruitful in regard to the acknowledging of our Lord Jesus Christ,9 for he with whom these things are not present is blind, dim-sighted, having become forgetful of the cleansing of his old sins;10 wherefore, the rather, brethren, be diligent to make stedfast your calling and choice, for these things doing, ye may never stumble,11 for so, richly shall be superadded to you the entrance into the age-during reign of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22,23).

1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud,5 doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;6 doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;10 but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with.11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.13 But now faith, hope, and love remain-these three. The greatest of these is love.

Prayer

At root we are selfish and self-willed. We nourish our own ambitions, and our own expectations for ourselves and others, and our own desires. Worse, we still claim the right to harbor certain grudges against others, and hurts from others, which we have cultivated through years of careful attendance and devotion. In short, we’re selfish.
If we are to act as disciples of Christ, we must become increasingly God-centered, desiring His will and seeking after His way of accomplishing that will. And we must become increasingly self-forgetful, rather than self-absorbed.
How is this to be done? Prayer is the means appointed by God. By it, we lose our self-will and become God-centered. Through prayer, the Kingdom of Self is broken down and the Kingdom of God lifted up. Learning how to pray in a Kingdom manner is critical the healthy life of all Christians. The following two steps outline important elements in prayer.
Step One: Pray as the Son or Daughter of the King.
It is critical to recognize, right at the beginning of prayer, that we are there to meet with our Father. We are His sons or daughters, coming to communicate with our Father, God – to enjoy Him, to greet Him, worship Him, and adore Him. "When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are not longer a slave, but a son; and since your are a son, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:4-7). We make a terrible mistake when we rush off into other areas of prayer before this foundational fact is realized in our prayers.
There will be times when this relationship registers itself to us in an experiential way. It’s safe to say that you might feel or sense God’s presence as you bow your heart to Him: praising Him, reviewing the way He called you to faith, giving thanks for the provisions He’s made, and especially as you consider the cross of Christ, and the access to God it has provided for you. "For in Him and through faith in Him we may approach the Father with freedom and confidence." (Ephesians 3:12).
On the other hand, there will be times when no sensation of God’s presence is experienced. Don’t fret over this or struggle to feel some presence. Count on the truth of Scripture: When you cry out in the name of Jesus, you are in God’s presence whether you feel it or not. Jesus says in John 14:23, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."
In either case, it is your privilege to come before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to enjoy communion with our Father in Heaven who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus, who has chosen us before the creation of the world, predestined us to be adopted as His sons, redeemed us and revealed great things to us. (Ephesians 1:3-8). Enjoy!
Step Two: Pray as a Partner with God.
"And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3).
On this passage, George Muller wrote:
The words fellowship and partnership mean the same thing. The believer in the Lord Jesus does not only obtain forgiveness of all his sins through the shed blood of Jesus, by faith in His name; he does not only become righteous before God, through the righteousness of the Lord Jesus; he is not only born of God, a partaker of the divine nature, and therefore a child of God and an heir of God; but he is also in fellowship or partnership with God.
All that we possess in God as His partners may be brought down into our daily life and be enjoyed, experienced, and used. We may make unlimited use of our partnership with the Father and with the Son and draw out, by prayer and faith, the inexhaustible fullness in God.
I need not despair because the living God is my partner. I do not have sufficient wisdom to meet these difficulties, but He is able to direct me. I can pour out my heart to God and ask Him to guide and direct me and to supply me with wisdom. Then I have to believe that He will do so. I can go with good courage about my business and expect help from Him in the next difficulty that may come before me. As I do, I find that I am truly in partnership with the Father and with the Son.
If I desire more power over temptations, more wisdom, grace, or anything else that I may need in my service for God, what else should I do but make use of my fellowship with the Father and with the Son? In all simplicity, we can pour out our heart before God, because your worries have become His worries too! That is the nature of partnership. And God will give to us according to our need.
Do not let the consciousness of your unworthiness keep you from believing what God has said concerning you. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus, then this precious privilege of being in partnership with the Father and the Son is yours.
And if God is in partnership with you, you are also in partnership with Him. Therefore, His concerns must also become your concerns. What are God's concerns?
The Kingdom of God was the passion of Jesus' earthly life. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Jesus proclaimed (Mark 1:15). "This then is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-10). Jesus said to the disciples, "I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me!"
As a partner with God, pray for the success of His Kingdom. Begin with the Kingdom of God in your own heart. Then pray for the extent of the rule of God over your family. Pray for the Kingdom of God over your church, then your work, then your neighborhood, the nation, foreign lands. Pray with God's concerns in mind. You a partner with God!
These two steps are the basics of prayer: Pray as a son. Pray as a partner.

Thoughts For Today

Communication in warfare is very important. As Christians, we are at war. We communicate with our commander to make all kinds of requests through................prayer.

Here are some reasons for prayer:
Because God, our Creator and King, commands us to pray. - Romans 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
Because Christianity is not about religion, but relationship. Relationship requires communication. Sons talk to their Father. - Exodus 33:11; Matthew 6:9; Hebrews 4:15-16.
Because we are weak and helpless and need much more than we have. - Psalm 54; Matthew 7:7-12; Philippians 4:6; James 5:13.
Because we are sinners and need a changed heart. - Psalm 51:10; Luke 18:9-14; James 5:16; Jude 20.
Because other people need God to do things in their life and we can pray for them. - Job 42:7-9; Luke 6:27-28; Colossians 1:9-12; 4:3.

If we are to act as disciples of Christ, we must become increasingly God-centered, desiring His will and seeking after His way of accomplishing that will. And we must become increasingly self-forgetful, rather than self-absorbed.
How is this to be done? Prayer is the means appointed by God. By it, we lose our self-will and become God-centered. Through prayer, the Kingdom of Self is broken down and the Kingdom of God lifted up. Learning how to pray in a Kingdom manner is critical the healthy life of all Christians. The following two steps outline important elements in prayer.

"I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you. I always remember you in my prayers, asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you will know him better. I pray also that you will have greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which he has called us and that you will know how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised his holy people. And you will know that God's power is very great for us who believe." — Ephesians 1:16-19.


"I ask the Father in his great glory to give you the power to be strong inwardly through his Spirit. I pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. And I pray that you and all God's holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ's love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. Christ's love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with the fullness of God." — Ephesians 3:16-19.
"Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God's people. Also pray for me that when I speak, God will give me words so that I can tell the secret of the Good News without fear. I have been sent to preach this Good News, and I am doing that now, here in prison. Pray that when I preach the Good News I will speak without fear, as I should." — Ephesians 6:18-20.
"This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ; that you will do many good things with the help of Christ to bring glory and praise to God." — Philippians 1:9-11.

Continue praying, keeping alert, and always thanking God. Also pray for us that God will give us an opportunity to tell people his message. Pray that we can preach the secret that God has made known about Christ. This is why I am in prison. Pray that I can speak in a way that will make it clear, as I should." — Colossians 4:2-4.
"Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured." — Colossians 4:12.
"We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers." — 1 Thessalonians 1:2.

First, I tell you to pray for all people, asking God for what they need and being thankful to him. Pray for rulers and for all who have authority so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to know the truth." — 1 Timothy 2:1-4.

The End of All Things is Near, Be Ready

Supertyphoon Leaves at Least 388 Dead in Philippines (Update6)
By Ian C. Sayson and Francisco Alcuaz Jr.
Dec. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Supertyphoon Durian, which slammed into the Philippines yesterday, packing winds of 249 kilometers (155 miles) an hour, left at least 388 people dead in Albay province in Luzon, said an official who called for outside help.
``A lot of people have been hit,'' said Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippines Red Cross. ``We don't know exactly how many people are still missing.''
The typhoon damaged at least 1 billion pesos ($20 million) worth of infrastructure, TV station GMA Network Inc. reported on its Web site, citing public works department Regional Director Oscar Cristobal.
The storm, the ninth to make landfall this year in the Philippines, started mudslides on Mayon volcano near Legazpi city, the capital of Albay, after rains softened the debris accumulated from eruptions this year, officials said. Since 1991, floods and landslides triggered by typhoons have displaced about 1 million families and killed at least 10,000 people, according to the Web site of the Haribon Foundation, a Philippine environmental group.
The death toll was for areas around Mayon, said Gordon, who is also a senator. ``The work is long and arduous. Additional hands and relief goods are always welcome. We may need the help of the international community for this.''
Albay province officials ordered 200 body bags for the Mayon mudslide, Glenn Rabonza, administrator at the National Disaster Coordinating Council, said in a press briefing today in Manila.
Worst Catastrophe
The storm prompted the evacuation of 13,928 people in 16 towns and three cities in seven provinces in southeast Luzon, Rabonza said. Mudflows struck five villages in the town of Daraga near Mayon, he said.
``This is the worst catastrophe in our province's history,'' Fernando Gonzalez, Albay province's governor, said in a phone interview. ``We don't have the capacity to handle the devastation it caused.''
About 60 percent of Albay's 1.1 million population were affected by the typhoon, he said. At least 112 people were killed, 138 injured and 159 persons missing because of the mudflows alone, Gonzalez said.
``There was rampaging flood all over the province and houses were buried. It's very grim,'' he said. ``Bridges that were over 100 years old, dating back to the Spanish colonization, were destroyed.''
Stranded Passengers
One person died after being hit by roof metal and 14 people were injured in Camarines Sur, a province neighboring Albay, Rabonza said. At least 3,920 passengers are stranded in various ports in provinces south of Manila, he said.
Transmission lines were damaged in the provinces of Albay, Sorsogon, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Quezon, Rabonza said. Around eight villages in Legazpi were flooded, he said.
Gonzalez said it was unclear how long it would take to restore power in Albay, which, along with other areas in the Bicol region and the Bondoc peninsula, doesn't have electricity.
``We don't know when electricity will be back,'' Gonzalez said. ``We just finished putting up the electricity poles three days ago from the previous typhoon and now they are down again.''
Durian, which is the name of a pungent-smelling tropical fruit, skirted to the south of the island of Catanduanes before hitting southeast Luzon island north of the city of Tabaco.
The storm crossed the southern Luzon peninsula before entering the Ragay Gulf, swept across the Bondoc peninsula into Tayabas Bay southeast of Manila from where it passed between the islands of Luzon and Mindoro and headed into the South China Sea.
Durian's center was 239 kilometers south-southwest of Manila at 2 a.m. today, according to the latest advisory on the Web site of the U.S. Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The storm's winds slowed 166 kilometers per hour.
The storm is expected to weaken into a tropical depression as it approaches the southern Vietnam coast line around Dec. 4.

The End is Near, Be Ready

"We've had some ice storms before. This one puts them to shame," said Ron Zdellar, vice president of energy for AmerenUE, who has worked for the company for 35 years. ( Watch cars and even a plane get stuck )

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WEATHER/12/04/wintry.weather.ap/index.html

Ready for The Rapture Means No Earthly Attachments

Matthew 25 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.

Luke 17 KJV
.31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.32 Remember Lot's wife.33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Remember Lot's wife.33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. This idea of going back to ones house or going to buy more oil for the lamps or leaving the fields to get one's stuff seems to be tied into the idea of seeking to save one's life here on earth. Some kind of earthly tie in that we should not have. We should apparently be ready at the time of His arrival to abandon this world in it's entirety, right then. As evidenced by the ten virgins, there will be no time to "get more oil" or make the changes necessary to meet the bridegroom. You have to be ready when He shows up.

1 Thessalonians 5
4But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

There's no way to instantly change the attitudes and condition of one's heart. It is where it is today and it takes time to change. When the Lord shows up our hearts must be ready to leave this place without a hint of attachment to it. That time is very very soon. If that day was today I would not be surprised. Many of our hearts confirm that He is standing at the door even now, ready to open it. Time is short.

Rapture Musings

I spent some time with the Lord this weekend and asked Him to shed more light on His word in a few areas.

Here's what stood out:

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them

When would people be saying "peace and safety?" During a time of perpetual war and fear sounds like a reasonable response. A time like today. It also occurred to me, that as with most other things in the bible we might literally start hearing the this slogan either in politics or in some other widely broadcasted means. This would be a spinning siren light and in our face warning that it's right on top of us.

It's also talking about sudden destruction coming on the people of this world. Depending on the time span over which the first seals are opened in the book of revelation, this could very well be the opening salvo of seals being opened on this world. If they are opened in rapid succession the outlook would be very grim indeed.

The days of the Son of Man-this was probably the most exciting thing that leapt out at me was this idea of the "days of the Son of Man."

22Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it."

Why would men long to see one of the days of the Son of Man? Well, we know that the days of the Son of Man are just like the days of Noe:

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32Remember Lot's wife! 33Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."[d]

The days of the Son of Man are normal days, days very unlike the days of the tribulation period which are days of distress unlike anything the world has ever seen. Today is one of the days of the Son of Man....... The days of the Son of Man are days in which the true Body of Christ still exists on the face of this earth as salt and light. It makes perfect sense that during the tribulation period men would want to see "the good old days" again, but the Lord said they will not. What will be happening on the earth during the days of the Son of Man?

Days of the Son of Man:
Eating,
Drinking,
Marrying and being given in marriage
buying and selling,
planting and building

Up to the day Noah entered the ark, Then the flood came and destroyed them all. Up to the day Lot left Sodom, when fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Up to the day that the true believers leave this earth and the events of the tribulation destroys them all.

How We Know the End is Near

Evangelical Dismissed Amid Sex Scandal
Email this StoryNov 4, 9:39 PM (ET)By KIM NGUYEN

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - The Rev. Ted Haggard was dismissed Saturday as leader of the megachurch he founded after a board determined the influential evangelist had committed "sexually immoral conduct," the church said Saturday.
Haggard had resigned two days earlier as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, where he held sway in Washington and condemned homosexuality, after a Denver man named Mike Jones claimed to have had drug-fueled trysts with him. He also had placed himself on administrative leave from the New Life Church, but its Overseer Board took the stronger action Saturday.
"Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct," the independent board said in a statement.
Haggard was "informed of this decision," the statement said, and he "agreed as well that he should be dismissed."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061105/D8L6KTV00.html

What bothers me the most is not that this leader of the apostate christian world was busted, it's that people still don't understand the lie that they've been fed and the lie they still believe. Today's apostate christianity has strayed so far from the way of truth because both the leaders and the followers have refused to believe the truth, instead they have willingly accepted the doctrines of devils because they have loved evil more that good. This is a wake up call, there won't be much longer to wake up. The 'evangelical' community knows how to smell the problem with Catholics and the priest sex abuse but when it happens in their own backyard, they don't know how to recognize the utter bankruptcy of their own 'religion.' People need to turn back to their maker and forget about the teachings of other men. There are still a handful of good people (as Jesus defines good) in this world. Problem is, the vast majority are corrupt. Only a few make it through the narrow gate that leads to life Jesus said. There's a lesson in there that many still need to learn.

How We Know the End is Near

Google 'will be able to keep tabs on us all'Alexi Mostrous and Rob EvansFriday November 3, 2006The Guardian
The internet will hold so much digital data in five years that it will be possible to find out what an individual was doing at a specific time and place, an expert said yesterday.
Nigel Gilbert, a professor heading a Royal Academy of Engineering study into surveillance, said people would be able to sit down and type into Google "what was a particular individual doing at 2.30 yesterday and would get an answer".
The answer would come from a range of data, for instance video recordings or databanks which store readings from electronic chips. Such chips embedded in people's clothes could track their movements. He told a privacy conference the internet would be capable of holding huge amounts of data very cheaply and patterns of information could be extracted very quickly. "Everything can be recorded for ever," he said.
He was speaking at a conference at which a report commissioned by Richard Thomas, the privacy watchdog, was launched. Mr Thomas has said Britain is "waking up to a surveillance society that is all around us" and that such "pervasive" surveillance is likely to spread.
Sir Stephen Lander, the head of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) and former head of MI5, defended surveillance by the government.
"Significant intrusion into the privacy of a small minority is justified to protect the safety and wellbeing of the majority," he said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/humanrights/story/0,,1938474,00.html

How to Ensure You Can "Escape All These Things"

In order to hope to be able to escape all the things that are about to come upon the world it would wise to obey the Lord's commands. One such command is found in Luke 21:36
"Therefore be watchful all the time, praying that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Of course it will be quite hard for prewrath and post tribulationists to obey the Lord's command, since for them it would be quite foolish to pray that they may be counted worthy to escape anything. They are too busy arguing that they will go through all the things the Lord tells us to pray we shall escape from. The Lord clearly tells us we should be "watching" right now, are the prewrath/posttribbers watching for the Lord's return right now? Why would they?

Once we have prayed as we have been instructed in Luke 21:36, it is also important to look at Matt 25. Here we have the 10 virgins and the servants entrusted to be profitable with what they have been given.


Matthew 25 WEB
1 "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.3 Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them,4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.5 Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept.6 But at midnight there was a cry,'Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!'7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.8 The foolish said to the wise,'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'9 But the wise answered, saying,'What if there isn't enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'10 While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.11 Afterward the other virgins also came, saying,'Lord, Lord, open to us.'12 But he answered,'Most certainly I tell you, I don't know you.'13 Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. 14 "For it is like a man, going into another country, who called his own servants, and entrusted his goods to them.15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.16 Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.17 In like manner he also who got the two gained another two.18 But he who received the one went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord's money.19 "Now after a long time the lord of those servants came, and reconciled accounts with them.20 He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying,'Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.'21 "His lord said to him,'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'22 "He also who got the two talents came and said,'Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents besides them.'23 "His lord said to him,'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'24 "He also who had received the one talent came and said,'Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter.25 I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.'26 "But his lord answered him,'You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn't sow, and gather where I didn't scatter.27 You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest.28 Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents.29 For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn't have, even that which he has will be taken away.30 Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

How can we be one of the wise virgins and one of the profitable servants?

'10 While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.

We have to be 1. watching, and 2. ready.....the virgins who were ready had oil in their lamps. Contrasted to the virgins who ran out of oil, the wise virgins came prepared to wait on the bridegroom whereas the foolish virgins made an appearance but gave no thought to what it might take to be ready for the bridegroom when He showed up. Bottom line: they made no preparations, put forth no/insufficient effort, and were found lacking when the Bridegroom showed up.

Likewise with the servants entrusted with the masters goods, the Master entrusted them with 'talents', some put them to use and gained more, others did not.

Luke 12:37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.

are the prewrath/post trib crowd watching right now? NO, why would they based on what they believe?

To firm up this picture further and put it in absolute terms that we can clearly understand look here:

Matthew 3:8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

Matthew 3:10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 7:19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 21:43"Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

John 15:5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Galatians 5:21-23
21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Ephesians 5:8-10
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord.

James 3:17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

1 Corinthians 13
If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don't have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don't have love, I am nothing.3 If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing.4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud,5 doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;6 doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8 Love never fails.

In order to escape all these things we need to love as it's described above.

2 Peter 1
3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And there we have it.

It's a worthwhile exercise to put your name in a statement like:

'your name' is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23gentle and self-controlled, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. If you can say that with increasing confidence each day you should be in good shape :-)This is what we're aiming for brothers and sisters.

For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

sounds like a winner to me, how about you :-)
~Brother D

The Reality of Hell and The Lord's Soon Return

Hell is a real place. Matt 25:46 tells us that there is an eternal hell as well as an eternal heaven. Time is so short, it's time for people to wake up. The master (Jesus) is going to return at a time like this. 2006 has been a relatively quiet year as compared with the other years we've seen since 9/11/2001. Matt 24:36 tells us that the time of the Lord's return will be like the days of Naoh, when people were going about their business, with nothing extraordinary going on except Noah's lone voice warning them that Judgement was coming. There are still a few voices crying out that Judgement is coming. The stakes could'nt be any higher, the souls of men weigh in the balance. I've never seen a flood of voices speaking the counsel of Satan as we are hearing today. We hear that there is no hell, there is a virtual avalanche of voices claiming that God does not even exist. These voices come from former so called ministers who served in the apostate christianity that exists in this world and they wonder why they are disillusioned? The God of this world has blinded the minds of most because they refuse to believe the truth and so be saved. People today have surrounded themselves with voices of men that their ears are itching to hear while their souls are nicked by the fires of hell.

If people understood just how bad hell is, some might change their minds. The bible says that even if men rose from the dead to proclaim how bad hell is, men still would'nt believe. Indeed men saw and heard Jesus in the flesh, they watched Him perform miracles before their very eyes and yet they STILL DID'NT BELIEVE. Truly incredible.

It does'nt take a very vivid imagination to know how bad hell is going to be. For example, there will be no rest, day or night for the people who are in torment there. In this life, regardless of how bad things get, sleep is always a sweet escape from the cares and worries we may or may not have. In hell they won't even have that. Then there's the whole issue of the spirit body versus this carbon based wet suit we wear now. This body has a certain tolerance for pain , then it shuts down, the spirit body has an infinite capacity for pain, and can never die. There are limits to what our suffering can be on this earth both from the design of our bodies and the limits the Lord has set on our suffering. In hell these limiting factors will not be there. There will be darkness unlike anything humans have experienced, there will be fear, constant, pervasive and oppresive, there will be pain unlike anything we can think of or imagine. Perhaps the worst part of all will be, no hope. All the lies that people comfort themselves with here on earth will be blown to smithereens and all that will be left is the certain knowledge of forever and ever and ever torment.

The Lord draws us to Him with heaven and pushes us towards Him with his warnings of hell. He offers grace and peace, eternal pleasures as well as things so great that we can't think of or imagine them right now. Today is the day of grace. Time has run out, there are no more chances, time is that short. There are no guarantees that anyone as an individual has another minute left on this planet. Turn your life over to Jesus today, there is still time to escape all that is about to happen on this planet and stand before the Son of Man. Do it now.

Your brother~Dave

Rich Man Poor Man

In Christ, we are rich beyond belief, although the kingdom in which our riches lie is not yet visible to men. In the flesh, we are poor beyond belief although our needs are met according to His riches and glory. Here lies the great divide between the wolves in sheeps clothing we hear preaching on television daily and those men who are filled with the Spirit of the true and living God. the fundamental divide between today's apostate christianity and the way of truth is this: our kingdom IS NOT OF THIS WORLD. Those looking to this world are of this world and speak from the viewpoint of the world. Those from the kingdom of the eternal God act, and speak as those who belong to another kingdom. This simple truth goes a long way in exposing the growing crowd of false prophets and their followers.

Rapture 2007

As of Rosh Hashanah which fell this year on Jewish Year 5767 at sunset September 22, 2006
I believe the Lord has put us on notice. I believe the Lord is saying to my spirit that the rapture will occur sometime during this new year, the Jewish year which is between this past Rosh Hashanah and next one which is Jewish Year 5768 : sunset September 12, 2007 - nightfall September 14, 2007. We all know the Lord's voice and how He speaks to us as individuals. The Lord has put me on alert for the year, not the day or the hour.

Matthew 24
36But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.37 "As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.38 For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship,39 and they didn't know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

I can tell you that the one word in my mind right now is IMMINENT. It's so close we can almost touch it.

The Lord has increased and changed His activity with the few He has on this earth (5-10%) of the population calling themselves Christians.
Matthew 7:21-23
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

The Lord is answering prayers almost instantly now, no more waiting for some things. Events in the world are accelerating towards WW3 and the soon appearance of the antichrist. One of the events scripted to happen to kick of WW3 is a "hair raising nuclear confrontation on the Korean peninsula" according to the Armaggedon Script-
http://www.amazon.com/Armageddon-Script-Prophecy-Action/dp/0906540372

Those of us with the Spirit of Jesus living inside know what the Lord is saying to us today and what He's not saying. What He's not saying is: how wealthy and prosperous we can be, how to have a better marriage, how to vote in the next election, blah blah blah blah. These wolves, these false prophets without the Spirit are keeping 90% of so called christianity entertained with such things. What the Spirit IS saying is, clean up your life, disengage from the world, lose your life so you can save it

Matthew 16
24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life[h] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

Now is the time to be looking and be ready. The Lord's kingdom is not of those world and the people who so love this world that they are neck deep in it, so being "involved" in everything that they completely miss the kingdom they should be focusing on will suffer great loss. The only thing the Lord is doing with the people that are truly His in this world is preparing them to leave it, not become more involved in it.

It's coming, be ready, D

Christian Freedom

2 Corinthians 3:17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Galatians 5:1[ Freedom in Christ ] It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

James 1:25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

2 Peter 2:19They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.

Mark 4:19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

Romans 1:24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

Romans 6:12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Romans 8:5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Romans 13:14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Galatians 5:16[ Life by the Spirit ] So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Galatians 5:17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

Galatians 5:24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

Ephesians 2:3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

Ephesians 4:22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

Colossians 3:5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

1 Timothy 6:9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.

2 Timothy 2:22Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 4:3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

James 4:1[ Submit Yourselves to God ] What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?

1 Peter 1:14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

1 Peter 2:11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

1 Peter 4
Living for God 1Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.

2 Peter 1
3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

2 Peter 3:3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.

1 John 2:17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Jude 1
17But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." 19These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
20But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22Be merciful to those who doubt; 23snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Romans 8:5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Romans 8:8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God

Romans 8:9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.[g] And by him we cry, "Abba,[h] Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.


Galatians 5
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The Armor of God

Ephesians 6
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Colossians 2:10-12
10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,[a] not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the
body, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal. 2:20

Crucify fleshly desires. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful
nature with its passions and desires. Gal. 5:24 It is a faith response to fleshly desires
that says, “I am dead to that. That’s not me anymore. It is Christ who lives in me. I will
make no room for that dead thing in my thoughts or choices. It’s dead and buried.

Conclusion: Picture the Spirit inviting you to follow as he leads you in the ways of Christ. Picture
the old you, the flesh, pulling you back and forth between the bondage of law and the slavery of
sin. Each step you take, you die to the influence of one and live under the power of the other.

Acts 5:32, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”