[blackeyedpeas]

^^ Amen blackeyedpeas ! 

Hello all, I hope Jesus has been wonderful in everyone life.  I haven't been online here in some time.   I have soo many scriptures that I could share that I live by day by day but let me keep it short here. 

I have many friends that are from faiths where traditions and culture are important to their salvation.  Thank Jesus that he gave us a faith where the quality of our spirits are what is important to the Kingdom of Heaven.  I talk to people of faiths where they think who their families are will make them more important to God than others.  I am American by nationality and here in the USA we don't have ancient traditions or an ancient language but does any of that matter to our LORD JESUS?  By no means does it matter!  I had a man from overseas lecture me about how his faith is more valid because his language dates back 1000s of years.  He followed ancient customs and his family knows their bloodline back for centuries.  I said to him; "Wow that fascinating".  "Now teach me what Jesus says about salvation as far as anything that you feel makes you close to God".   As you can imagine, he became as quite as a mouse.

Jesus has given us a faith that all can believe in whether American, European, Latin American, African Asian, rich, poor, etc...  The Holy Spirit has no nationality and is attached to no single culture or set of traditions.  Jesus teaches us of the principles which govern the Kingdom of Heaven.   He spoke in parables so that only those who are listening with their hearts and not just their ears will hear him.  He rose with all authority given to him.  Jesus is the life and the resurrection.  Those who believe in him shall not die but have everlasting life.

Amen!

A young man named Billy walks into a barber shop to get his hair cut.  He has just come from Saturday morning bible study and still has his bible in his hand.  A barber named Carl calls him to his chair to begin working on his haircut.  They begin chatting about day to day things.  Then Carl starts asking the young man about his going to church and what makes him so sure there really is a Jesus.  Carl says that if there really is such person as Jesus, then why are there so many people walking around that are full of hate?  The young man not wanting to debate just pays the barber, says goodbye and heads to the door.  He stops at the door and looks outside.  He looks up and down the street at the many people.  He turns and says to Carl; do you believe in barbers?  Carl says; of course I believe in barbers.  Billy says; if there are a such things as barbers, then why are there so many people walking around that need haircuts?  Carl answers by saying; look kid, there are many people out there that are in need of a good haircut.  Nonetheless if they aren’t willing to come to me, then how can I starting working on what they need?  Billy looked at the barber and says; thank you for answering your own question about Jesus!

Amen!

James 4:3 says, "Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss,that ye may consume it upon your lusts."
It is like asking God to bless us with a  new car and a new house instead of spiritual growth in Jesus Christ!  You may get the new house and new car, but you may not get spiritual growth in the Lord Jesus Christ which is what you need!

I was just watching a movie from 1985 last night called "The Last Dragon".  Someone made a quote in the movie saying "Those who are driven by desire can only see things that can be held in their hands".  I like when people hit you with those lines but don't quote who said it.  I can say the same things but confirm that our Lord Jesus teaches it to us.  I was in a borders bookstore and a lady I was with said she likes to check out the self-help books.  I gave her a Bible.  She said "No I'm talking about a book for mental growth".  I said "Yes I heard you and here is the best book for what your looking for".  I enjoy being with people who don't just listen to Jesus' ministry to feel good, but who listen, study, learn and want to spiritually grow in it.  Once you have spiritual growth in Jesus, all that other stuff will follow.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).

Amen!

Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you."

Here Paul prays for God to give him a prosperous journey if it is God's will for him to visit the Romans.  It is good to pray for a safe journey when we travel especially with a spiritual purpose!

I and a friend traveled to Delaware for a church service and once there, were asked to stand to introduce ourselves to the church.  I said to everyone that our first blessing was waking up for another day of blessings.  Our second blessing was being provided a safe trip from PA down to Delaware.  When I was younger and not so bible disciplined, I would not want to be seen praying for family and friends to have safe trip to places.  I would in fact pray for their trip alone when no one was around.  As I now am a witness of Jesus' ministry, I'm just too quick to pray for family and friends to have a safe journey.  I won't let them leave without everyone praying together.  A family that prays together stays together! 

One thing to note is that even in Jonestown they were not "normal Christians".  They were cult followers.  A normal Christian would not put ANY man above Christ.  And ANY Christian who does not hold up what a man says or what they say to what the Bible says is asking for problems.  And that is where these cults slide in, the leaders make it all sound so Bi Biblical...and even pull some verses to help the story...but what they preach goes against everything the Bible teaches.

They weren't normal Christians.  That clears things up a bit.  They were cultist right from the start! Thanks for letting me know that.  Thats what had me confused.  How normal Christians could have done the things they did. Even before their last day. 

Thank you all for your suppost here my friends.

john

I will keep your family in my prayers as well.  May our Lord Jesus be with you and your family through this.  Amen.

I watch the news online and on regular TV from time to time.  Bad news is everywhere. Nothing new!  I was still in the U. S. Air Force when 9 11 happened.  I was shocked and upset but life went on.  In the past, I have watched horror movies and laughed at them(I don't like horrors now).  Very little can get to me.  With Jesus in my life day by day, I am covered in his spirit. 

This as many of you who are 30 years or older may know, is the 30th year anniversary of the Jonestown tragedy.  I have known about the people taking their lives back when it happened.  I was in grade school.  Until now I have never looked and learned about the whole story.  With this being its 30 year anniversary, there are a lot of documentaries online about what happened.  After watching interview videos with survivors and seeing real video footage I now have the complete story.  I have never been so distraught in my life!  I couldn't sleep for about two nights after learning all about what happened.  They showed the photos of the real people who died in that tragedy and you can actually hear real audio of their last moments. Some drank the poison after being told they would go to the next level.  Others who refused to drink it were shot.    It was seeing the real photos of all those children that really got to me.  I was in church and still thinking about it.  I watched as our churches children were in front of the church saying their weekly learned prayers.  I can’t imagine those beautiful children having poison put into their months like those in Jonestown.   I had people say to me that after 9 11, they were very distraught and had trouble sleeping.  I have never had that kind of feeling from a horrific story.  I do have this numb feeling in me though about what happened. 

Maybe it's because of the reality of what happened.  These were normal Christian people who thought they were following a man of God.  They allowed their own children to be poisoned?  Entire families drank that punch and died with each other?  I pray to Jesus nothing like that happens again as we go on toward the future.  Learning the full story of what happened really gave me chills about these cults.   The Devil truely is never at rest but niether is OUR LORD JESUS - AMEN!  As I'm pray thoughout times of the day, I ask Jesus to keep me covered you his spirit so I can shake off this distraught feeling about what happened.  They were just people who were simple looking for a place to live and be with God loving people. 

I have prayed more, have done more ministry studying and attending more bible study meetings since learning Jonestowns full story.  I have really been jump started to the fact that we cannot take our lives for granted day by day.   Everyday Jesus gives us and our loved ones is a showing of his grace and mercy.   Amen!

Pray to the Father in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ and in accordance with His will!  He will answer your prayer according to His will for you, and what is best for you as His child!

Truly that which you ask in Jesus' name shall be given.  Greater is he who is within me! 

I feel that completely.  I heard an entire ministry on receiving our blessing in Jesus' name.  You put the perfect point in there.  "According to his will for you".  I cannot ask the lord to bless me with something someone else has recieved.  I must recognize my gifts from the Lord because he will be make me great with what he has blessed me with.   My blessings are for me and work towards that which Jesus has chosen for me to have! 

Amen

While there are some wonderful video's on Youtube there are also many linked there that are atrociously gross. Since Youtube advertises and supports such gross videos we don't allow links from here to there. I hope that you understand.

No problem, I understand.  I was unaware and do applogize. Here are the 10 things God won't ask you written out.  Praise the Lord;

Ten things God won't ask:

1...God won't ask what kind of car you drove; He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

2...God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

3...God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

4...God won't ask what your highest salary was, He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

5...God won't ask what your job title was, He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

6...God won't ask how many friends you had, He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

7...God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

8...God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.

9...God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation, He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.

10...God won't ask how many people you forwarded this to, He'll ask if you were ashamed to pass it on to your friends.

This was emailed around my job.  We all recieved the email in its PowerPoint presentation format.  I'm surprised I came across it on Youtube.com.   Turn down your speakers because the video volume is kind of loud.  Enjoy and Praise the Lord.

Thanks for all the feedback!

Hello FaithFilled,
Which Bible Verses are you trying to apply, or is this just a personal opinion?

Thanks for the feedback.  No this was not coming from the Bible.  It was more my views personal. This is a subject I and friends from church have discussed.  The sports I was referring to would be more like Boxing and Pro Wrestling.   Not Football, Baseball, Volleyball, etc...

The connection I was making with the domestic fight and Boxing is this; When people say it's wrong to watch a street fight but then watch a boxing match, is there any difference as far as the nature of what's happening?  A street fight is watching who will be the winner as is a boxing match, people beating each other until one cannot continue.  I recently watched a Pro wrestling match for the first time in years.  I couldn't believe how violent it was.  Not just guys pinning each other down, but chairs getting slammed over heads, faces being slammed into tables, etc...

I agree much of this may be my own personal prespective as a person growing in Jesus.  Years ago I didn't mind but now I am very careful of things I do that do or don't keep my heart in the spirit with Jesus.   Im learning through wonderful ministry that what you take in spiritually will have an effect on you outwardly (Music, Entertainment, Friends, ect..).

Is violence in sports just entertainment?
Is violence in sports just violence period?

I recently was at a Christian home visiting and there was a huge argument outside.  Huge to the point that two families were about to start fighting with the police on the way.  The famliy I was visiting all went out to watch the argument like it was entertainment or something.  I witnessed to them saying" When people are letting the spirit of Satan take over like that, you shouldn't be standing there watching it like it's a TV show".  I have had this conversation with two other people at my church and I would like to pose the question on this site as well.  As followers of Jesus, should we not be watching violence as entertainment?  I am specially talking about boxing.  I know so many Christians who love to watch boxing but the very nature of the sport is simple two people beating each other up.  Let there be a knock out and wow, the crowd goes wild.  I for one do not watch such sports.  It was put to me also that I have the full DVD collection of Star Wars and The Matrix.  I love Sci-fi movies.  I was asked "Aren't The Matrix and Star Wars not also violent movies?

Opinions please, thanks

JESUS

IN CHEMISTRY, HE TURNED WATER TO WINE.

IN BIOLOGY, HE WAS BORN WITHOUT THE NORMAL CONCEPTION.

IN PHYSICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF GRAVITY WHEN HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN.

IN ECONOMICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURN BY FEEDING 5,000 MEN WITH TWO FISHES & 5 LOAVES OF BREAD.

IN MEDICINE, HE CURED THE SICK AND THE BLIND, WITHOUT ADMINISTERING A SINGLE DOSE OF DRUGS.

IN HISTORY, HE IS THE BEGINNING AND THE END.

IN GOVERNMENT, HE SAID THAT HE SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR, PRINCE OF PEACE.

IN RELIGION, HE SAID NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM.

JESUS HAD NO SERVANTS, YET THEY CALLED HIM MASTER; HAD NO DEGREE, YET THEY CALLED HIM TEACHER; HAD NO MEDICINES, YET THEY CALLED HIM HEALER.

HE HAD NO ARMIES, YET RULERS FEARED HIM.

HE WON NO MILITARY BATTLES, YET HE CONQUERED THE WORLD.

HE COMMITTED NO CRIME, YET THEY CRUCIFIED HIM.

HE WAS BURIED IN A TOMB, YET HE LIVES TODAY.

I FEEL HONORED TO SERVE SUCH A LEADER WHO LOVES US!

JOIN US AND LET'S CELEBRATE HIM; HE IS WORTHY.

THE EYES BEHOLDING THIS MESSAGE SHALL NOT BEHOLD EVIL, THE HAND THAT WILL SEND THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYBODY, SHALL NOT LABOR IN VAIN, AND THE MOUTH SAYING AMEN TO THIS PRAYER, SHALL SMILE FOREVER.

REMAIN IN GOD AND SEEK HIS FACE ALWAYS.

AMEN