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41
on: January 13, 2019, 04:01:40 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com
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When The Lord Became Angry
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
“And He saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
“And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man. Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other” (Mark 3:4,5).
Why did our Lord become angry when the Jewish leaders refused to answer His questions? He was “grieved for the hardness of their hearts.” Their silence was not the silence of ignorance but of willfulness. They had “watched Him whether He would heal… on the sabbath day; that they might accuse Him,” but they could not tell Him what was wrong about it. Indeed, when He asked them what was wrong they refused to answer His questions.
How inconsistent! How unreasonable! How unjust! And, as we read the context, we are amazed to find that this sullen, stubborn opposition came not from the Sadducees but from the Pharisees, not the religious “liberals” but the “conservatives,” the Bible-believers of the day!
They were the orthodox group. Nevertheless, because of their pride and bigotry generations following have looked down upon them and have pronounced with contempt the name Pharisee.
Paul stood with them, doctrinally, against the Sadducees. He said: “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee” (Acts 23:6), nevertheless the Pharisees had joined the Sadducees in their opposition to him and to the glorious message he proclaimed. In this respect times have not changed, for those who stand boldly for God’s message and program for our day will find themselves still opposed by Sadducees and Pharisees alike. |
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42
on: January 13, 2019, 03:56:11 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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Who knows the power of God's anger?
(Ralph Venning, "The Plague of Plagues!" 1669)
God always acts like Himself--like a God. When He shows mercy--it is like the God of all grace who is rich in mercy and loves with a great love.
In the same way, when He executes wrath and vengeance--He makes bare His arm and strikes like a God!
"Who knows the power of God's anger?" Psalm 90:11
None but the damned!
"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left--but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God!" Hebrews 10:26-27.
It is a terrifying a thing to fall into the hands of the living God, when He acts like a God of vengeance! How dreadful a thing then would it be to be in Hell itself--under the tortures of His executed wrath forever?
A stone thrown from a weak arm will not hit very hard--but when the hand and arm of God shall throw down that wrath from Heaven which is now only threatened against ungodly men, and turn them into Hell--how will it sink them deep into Hell!
I cannot go any further without pleading with you. Do you need anything more to dissuade you from going on in sin, which is the way to damnation--than the thought of damnation, and such a damnation, which is the wages of sin? For your soul's sake, hear and fear!
What! Will you be damned?
Can you think calmly of going to Hell?
Have you no pity on your precious soul?
If you were to go from reading of Hell--into Hell--you would surely say, "I would not believe it--but now I feel it!"
"It is Mine to avenge--I will repay! It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" Hebrews 10:30-31 |
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43
on: January 13, 2019, 09:15:34 AM
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Started by Soldier4Christ - Last post by Soldier4Christ
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The Power of Patience
“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:4)
Patience (endurance) is part of the development that will produce the experience that brings hope and assurance to those who are the twice-born (Romans 5:3-5). Patience is a discipline—a work that is necessary for our growth. Although such discipline never seems pleasant at the time, it is administered by our loving heavenly Father, who focuses His work on our spiritual maturity (Hebrews 12:5-8).
There are several key aspects identified in our text that promise victory through the process of learning patience. Wisdom is granted liberally as we ask for it during the tests that produce the “perfect work” of patience. As we endure the tests that will come to those who love the Lord, the endurance practiced will produce a “crown of life” as an eternal testimony to our patience (James 1:12).
The principles for gaining patience during this life are outlined in Psalm 37. First, trust in the Lord (Psalm 37:3) and follow His leading in everything we do (Proverbs 3:5‑10). Second, delight in (get excited about) the Lord (Psalm 37:4)—amplified so often in Psalm 119 (vv. 16, 24, 35, 47, 70, 174). Then, commit your way to the Lord (Psalm 37:5), becoming such a part of Him that you are as a branch to the vine (John 15:4-7).
Finally, rest (be still) in the Lord (Psalm 37:7) and wait on the Lord (Psalm 37:34). These traits are not meant to be understood as “hanging around.” They describe the fully prepared servant, waiting for his Master’s orders to implement. The “profitable” servant (Luke 17:10) has learned what his Master wants and stands ready to respond to the needs of the Kingdom. Patience is never obtained through bored indifference. HMM III
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44
on: January 12, 2019, 05:22:18 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription
For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________
Significance of the Loaves and Fishes
by Pastor Ricky Kurth
"What's the significance of the five loaves and two fishes the Lord used to feed the multitudes (Matt. 14:15-21)?"
The significance lies not in the actual number, but in the fact that loaves of bread were smaller in Bible days, with three loaves being about the right amount for one man's meal (Luke 11:5,6). This means that the boy who shared the five loaves and two fishes (John 6:9) had packed just enough to feed himself, with a little left over to share with another. But it also means that he was willing to share his provisions even when it became evident that sharing them among so many would likely mean that he himself would go hungry.
This is a prophetic picture of the Tribulation saint who will be willing to help others who are hungry after the beast issues his mark and God's people cannot buy food without it (Rev. 13:16-18), but who may fear that in so doing there may not be enough for himself. Faithful Hebrews in that day will trust God when He said that "there is that scattereth, and yet increaseth" (Prov. 11:24,25), a proverb that perhaps motivated the boy in our text. When the lad gave all that he had to the Lord, and the apostles distributed the loaves and fishes (John 6:9-11) "unto every man according as he had need," it typified what Tribulation saints will have to do to help one another (Acts 4:32-37), and it proved that you are never too young to serve the Lord and His people! |
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45
on: January 12, 2019, 10:16:17 AM
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Started by Soldier4Christ - Last post by Soldier4Christ
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The Power of a Sound Mind
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
The gift spoken of in the previous verse is based on a transfer of authority from God, and we are exhorted to “stir up” that gift (2 Timothy 1:6) because God did not give us a “spirit of fear.” The word fear (deilia) stresses timidity or cowardice, not terror. The gift does not function well if we are too timid to use it.
The gift referred to is not power. That spiritual gift comes with dunamis—the innate ability to do the gift. Whatever the Holy Spirit has gifted us with upon our entrance into the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 12:11), that gift comes with the power necessary to implement and use that gift.
The gift also comes with love. Again, love is not the gift. It is only part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit that comes with the gift. Were it not for the reflection in us of the unilateral and sacrificial love of our Redeemer, these supernatural gifts could well be misused, distorted, and abused for personal glory. Diotrephes misused his gift, failing to use the spirit of love (3 John 1:9).
Sophronismos (sound mind) is a unique Greek word that is a combination of the verbs “to save” and “to control.” Its basic meaning would be “safe control” or “wholesome control”— perhaps even “control that saves”—the perfect combination of abilities that empower the gift, the love that keeps the gift focused on others, and the “safety controls” to keep it from doing damage unwittingly.
“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). HMM III
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46
on: January 11, 2019, 04:57:36 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription
For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________
Are You a Servant of God?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth
"Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle..." (Titus 1:1)
Did you ever wonder why Paul, an apostle, began his epistle to Titus by first referring to himself as a servant, the Bible word for a slave? Well, it helps to learn why the apostle opened two of his other epistles this way.
First, he identified himself as a servant to the Romans (Rom. 1:1) because Rome was the capital city of the Roman Empire, and the citizens of Rome were used to owning slaves, not being slaves. Paul himself had been born with all the rights and privileges of Roman citizenship (Acts 22:25-28), yet he was humbly willing to acknowledge that he was a servant of God. So in writing the saints in Rome, the apostle introduced himself as a servant to remind them that they too might be free citizens, but that "he that is called in the Lord...being free, is Christ's servant" (I Cor. 7:22).
Paul also introduced himself as a servant to the Philippians, where two of the ladies were feuding (Phil. 4:2), and everyone in the church was taking sides. When they received Paul's letter, they probably thought that he was going to take a side in their squabble and settle it in so doing. But rather than siding with either faction, he made it clear that he was writing to them "all" (1:1), praying for them "all" (1:4), thought highly of them "all" (1:7), longed after them "all" (1:8), rejoiced with them "all" (2:17), and wished them "all" well (4:23). His marked and repeated use of the word all in this epistle shows that he refused to take sides in their feud. Instead, he told them to get on the Lord's side, saying,
"...be likeminded...being...of one mind...let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God...took upon Him the form of a servant..." (Phil. 2:2-7).
When two believers are not of one mind, the only way they can become of one mind is to let the mind of Christ govern their lives--the Christ who "took upon Him the form of a servant." If you have a dispute with a brother in Christ, I can tell you whose side Paul would be on. He'd be on the side of whoever was willing to be the other one's servant. Lowliness like that will solve any and all disputes, but it is high spiritual ground. But then, isn't that what you have in mind when you sing "Lord plant my feet on higher ground?"
Finally, the reason Paul called himself a servant in addressing Titus was because Titus was an intimidating man (II Cor. 7:15). Spiritual leaders like that sometimes need to be reminded that the strongest leaders of men are nothing more than servants of God. Titus might have been a tough man, but that's not what made him fit to pastor a church. His fitness was found in his willingness to be a servant of God and lead His people in serving Him by example, and not by force (cf. I Peter 5:3). I've heard horror stories of pastors who act like little Napoleons--and some of you have lived such horror stories. Men like that would do well to remember the humility Paul displayed when he referred to himself as a servant, and stop dominating the faith of God's people (II Cor. 1:22), and "by love serve one another" instead (Gal. 5:13). |
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47
on: January 11, 2019, 04:54:20 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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He who trifles with it is a fool!
(J.A. James, "The Practical Believer Delineated")
"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life!" Psalm 39:4
If the man who trembles at death is a coward--then he who trifles with it is a fool!
There is a thousand times more rationality in the trembler--than in the trifler!
There is a phenomenon in the rational world well worthy of consideration, inquiry and solution--the strange and fatal insensibility of men to the grand fact that they are mortal! Since it is infallibly certain that they must and will die, and since death is so solemn an event--how does it happen that so few ever seriously think of it or really prepare for it?
One would think that so grand and solemn a fact as death, especially viewed in connection with the events which are to immediately follow it--Heaven, Hell and eternity--along with the uncertainty how soon it may be realized--might operate with an unlimited and altogether overpowering influence upon men's minds and hearts!
But men wish to forget death--and alas, too often succeed in accomplishing this fatal oblivion! Yet we can scarcely wonder at this, when we consider what their spiritual condition is--and what death is!
It is the commonness of death, which deprives it of its extreme dreadfulness. If death happened in our world only once in a century, it would be felt like the shock of an earthquake--and would hush the inhabitants of earth into a breathless silence, while the echoes of the knell of the departed soul were reverberating around the globe!
Death is . . .
the moment of destiny;
the seal of eternity;
the cessation of probation;
the commencement of retribution and judgment!
The accompaniments of death are solemn, and so are the consequences!
To every sense--death is revolting!
To every social affection--death is harrowing!
To reason--death is perplexing!
To everything but saving faith--death is overwhelming!
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom!" Psalm 90:12 |
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48
on: January 11, 2019, 04:49:40 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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The Patriot Post Digest 1-11-2019
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________
FEATURED ANALYSIS
The Ecofascist ‘Green New Deal’37
Brian Mark Weber
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has been called “the new face of the Democratic Party38.” Propped up by the Leftmedia, the Millennial socialist celebrity is pushing forward with the Left’s “Green New Deal39” in the hopes that Americans will fall for what’s nothing more than a dangerous scam to destroy the country as we know it.
But you can’t put a new face on socialism, not matter what you call it.
Like FDR’s New Deal, the Green New Deal expands government power while forcing taxpayers to foot the bill. Except this time around, the plan will cost trillions of dollars, gut our economy, leave millions without jobs, destroy our energy independence, and fund social justice programs. Other than that, what’s not to like?
A little climate change doesn’t seem so bad compared to this spending splurge. But make no mistake: This is a disastrous plan, and we’d better start taking it seriously. As with any Democrat scheme, the devil’s in the details.
The Green New Deal would have serious implications for American energy production. Advocates claim that the U.S. would be required to eliminate nuclear power and natural gas. How important is that? As National Review’s Jim Geraghty notes40, “Natural gas currently provides about 32 percent of America’s energy, and nuclear power produces another 10 percent.” Additionally, he says, “The ‘Green New Deal’ would also eliminate coal, which provides almost 18 percent of America’s energy, and liquid natural gas and oil, which generates another 28 percent.” Geraghty warns that all of this would require the U.S. to “replace about 88 percent of its current energy sources” in 11 years and would result in the loss of nearly six million energy jobs.
Still not convinced that the Green New Deal is bad for America?
Its proponents also want to reduce our military by half. This would affect our commitments around the world and would likely result in greater global conflict in a matter of a few years, not to mention putting more than a million military personnel out of work.
According to41 Reason’s Ronald Bailey, the deal also proposes, “All fossil fuel emissions should be ended by 2050. All new passenger automobiles for sale in 2030 should be zero emissions vehicles; all rail, vehicles, and aviation should be totally fossil-fuel free by 2050. Other parts of the Green New Deal include reforesting 40 million acres of public and private land by 2035, greatly expanding mass transit systems, upgrading local water supply and management infrastructure, expanding federal regulation of the waters of the U.S., and requiring that all materials be recyclable by 2040.”
Our nation is already more than $20 trillion in debt, and we’d easily double that number by implementing the Green New Deal. Asked how she’d pay for it, Ocasio-Cortez recently suggested — what else — raising the marginal income tax rate to 70% for the wealthy. But that in itself wouldn’t even make a dent in the costs.
Notice that there’s actually very little in the way of environmental conservation in this deal. It’s really all about realizing Barack Obama’s promise of “fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” But who’d want to live in an ecofascist nation where economic slavery empowers a totalitarian elite determined to enact socialism under the guise of environmental protection?
Investor’s Business Daily reminds us that33 the real problem isn’t climate change but “having enough people working and paying taxes to support all the retirees around the world and pay off hundreds of trillions of dollars of global debt. What is a problem is the nonstop fear-mongering, demands for more taxes, and dangerous socialist experiments in expanding government control of the economy, all in the name of warding off the threat of global warming.”
All the details of the Green New Deal speak for themselves. Ocasio-Cortez’s dream of using renewable energy “as the vehicle to truly deliver and establish economic, social, and racial justice in the United States of America” is a pipe dream we cannot afford to pursue.
https://patriotpost.us/articles/60491-the-ecofascist-green-new-deal
OPINION IN BRIEF
Rich Lowry: “Legalities aside, a declaration of a national emergency won’t achieve what Trump wants, unless his goal is simply getting out from under the shutdown. That’s easy. He can say he’s going it alone under his emergency powers and agree to open the shuttered parts of the government, then fight it out in the courts. But in terms of his substantive goal of building a fence, and his political goal of building enough of it to showcase in his 2020 re-election campaign, it would get him very little. A district court somewhere would immediately issue an injunction blocking the action. Once the administration gets to the Supreme Court, it might have a chance to prevail if the court concludes that it shouldn’t second-guess the chief executive on questions related to national security. But when would such a decision get handed down? Sometime in 2020? Assuming Trump wins at the high court, it would take time to get anything going on the ground. Progress on the fence probably wouldn’t be any more advanced by November 2020 than it would be otherwise, and perhaps less advanced than if the president simply got some inadequate compromise out of Congress. In a different world, Congress as a body would be more exercised about a potential emergency declaration, but Congress is not a self-respecting institution. It is still a mistake to try to take advantage of its laxity. Such a move would strain our system, and probably not even work.”
SHORT CUTS
Upright: “[Joy has] been my word all year, and I tried to be intentional with that. For me personally, joy comes from focusing on Jesus, others, and yourself. There’s so many great coaches that are so deserving of a moment like this that never get the chance to experience it, and to do it once and now to get to do it again — it’s a blessing, and it’s just simply the grace of the good Lord to let us experience something like this. All the credit, all the glory, goes to the good Lord!” —Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney
Good idea: “The time that you had cameras in the meeting — I think we need to bring them back, because what [Schumer] described the meeting to be was totally different than what took place.” —Rep. Kevin McCarthy rejecting Schumer’s characterization of Trump leaving the meeting42 as a “temper tantrum”
Re: The Left: “Ah yes, the tunnel myth. Because it’s so easy to build tunnels. No one would ever notice. Might as well just do nothing, now that the tunneling option has been exposed. Can we have a serious conversation now? That’d be great.” —Rep. Dan Crenshaw rebutting Nancy Pelosi’s pathetic assertion that we should not build a border barrier because migrants would simply tunnel under it
Friendly fire: “For too long in our country, politicians have weaponized religion for their own selfish gain, fomenting bigotry, fears and suspicions based on the faith, religion or spiritual practices of their political opponents.” —Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to her fellow Aloha State Democrat Mazie Hirono regarding anti-Catholic attacks on the Knights of Columbus43 as a religious test for confirmation (Hirono responded, “It is unfortunate that Congresswoman Gabbard based her misguided opinion on the far right-wing manipulation of these straightforward questions.”)
Non Compos Mentis44: “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive? Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?” —Rep. Steve King
And last… “In 2019, the federal government will spend a whopping $4.407 trillion. Yet Congress and the president are shutting down the government in a dispute between the $1.3 billion the Democrats have approved for border security and the $5.7 billion the president is demanding — precisely 0.0998 percent of the total federal budget. In Washington, that is considered a rounding error. … But now we are shutting down the government over a wall much like the one that Pelosi and Senate Democrats fully supported just five years ago?” —Marc A. Thiessen
https://patriotpost.us/articles/60494-friday-short-cuts
Join our editors and staff in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families. We also humbly ask prayer for your Patriot team, that our mission would seed and encourage the spirit of Liberty in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Nate Jackson, Managing Editor
Mark Alexander, Publisher |
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49
on: January 11, 2019, 04:48:24 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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The Patriot Post Digest 1-11-2019
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest
Jan. 11, 2019 · https://patriotpost.us/digests/60498-mid-day-digest
THE FOUNDATION
“It is the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf.” —Thomas Paine (1776)
https://patriotpost.us/fqd/60497-founders-quote-daily
IN TODAY’S EDITION
A look at what the media derides as a “manufactured crisis.”1
The threat of a “national emergency” puts pressure on Democrats.2
Daily Features: On the Web3, Columnists4, Headlines5, Memes6, Cartoons7, Opinion in Brief8, and Short Cuts9.
Featured Analysis: The ecofascist ‘Green New Deal’ is a terrible idea.10
IN BRIEF
Leftmedia Buzzword of the Week: ‘Manufactured Crisis’11
Nate Jackson
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gave their rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s Oval Office address Tuesday night, they accused Trump of “manufacturing a crisis.” The Democrats’ Leftmedia super PAC dutifully picked up the term and ran with it. Incessantly.
As Mark Alexander says12, “So let’s review what they consider a ‘manufactured crisis’: ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records, including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 violent killings. The need to secure the border and stop the criminal gangs, drug smugglers, and human traffickers is imperative. Thousands of Americans have been brutally killed by those who illegally entered our country, and thousands more lives will be lost. Last month, more than 20,000 migrant children were illegally brought into the United States, many being used as human pawns by vicious coyotes and ruthless gangs. One in three women are sexually assaulted on the dangerous trek up through Mexico. Women and children are the biggest victims of the lack of a secure border and broken immigration policies supported by Democrats. Illegal migration puts enormous strains on public resources and drives down jobs and wages, especially for black and Hispanic Americans. More Americans will die from drugs this year than were killed in the entire Vietnam War — many of those drugs are ‘imported’ from south of the border.”
Don’t believe us? How about an authority on the actual situation on the ground at the border? Despite being fired one day after Trump took office, Barack Obama’s Border Patrol chief, Mark Morgan, confirmed that Trump is correct: “I was briefed every single day about the men and women who are risking their lives every day and they’re apprehending murderers, rapists, pedophiles, other violent offenders and gang members. That’s not manufactured; that is real … and it’s still happening today.” Moreover, Morgan continued, “127 Border Patrol agents have died. They didn’t die playing Monopoly. They died … being the front-line defenders of our borders. … I wonder if you asked their families if this is a manufactured crisis?”
In another instance, Morgan argued, “The [wall] issue is political, so we have to be honest about that. The substantive issue is what is important. It doesn’t matter whether it’s called the Secure Fence, Secure Wall, or Secure Barrier Act. The reason it was approved on a bipartisan front is because it was needed. What changed is that at one point it was wanted and needed, and now, because we call it a wall, it’s ‘immoral.’ Really? That’s what we’re talking about now? The size and width of the barrier is the delineation of what is moral or not?”
Finally, Morgan said, “I’m outraged that we haven’t fixed this problem. I’m outraged. Who can say that this is a manufactured crisis? Anyone? … I don’t care who it is — anyone that says this is a manufactured crisis — they are absolutely lying to the American people.”
https://patriotpost.us/articles/60495-leftmedia-buzzword-of-the-week-manufactured-crisis
‘National Emergency’ Threat Puts Pressure on Dems13
As the partial government shutdown concludes its third week and shows no signs of ending, President Donald Trump has sought to turn up the pressure on Democrats by threatening to bypass Congress entirely to fund construction of a border wall. On Wednesday, Trump said of his repeated threats14, “I have the absolute right to [declare a] national emergency if I want. My threshold will be if I can’t make a deal with people that are unreasonable.”
On Thursday, Trump doubled down, saying, “If we don’t make a deal, I would say it would be very surprising to me that I would not declare a national emergency and just fund [the wall] through the various mechanisms.”
It has become clear that the possibility of the president invoking his power to declare a national emergency was not merely an off-the-cuff remark but is rather a calculated threat. In his Oval Office address12, Trump appealed to Democrats to work toward a bipartisan solution to the border crisis. But this message was really aimed at the American people, whom Trump wants asking: If we have a border crisis that the president is eager to address, why are Democrats standing in the way?
While many presume that Democrats have the upper hand when it comes to government shutdown showdowns, this time it may be Democrats feeling the heat. Most government shutdowns in the past have been blamed on Republicans, primarily because it was the GOP attempting to refuse funding for something Democrats insisted was essential. Here we are witnessing the reverse — it is Democrats who are on the defensive, trying to block funding for a needed government program. And $5 billion is such a small amount when compared to other budgeted items, such as the $10.6 billion being sent to Mexico for its own immigration enforcement, that the party of Big Government will have a difficult time defending their stinginess.
Trump’s power to bypass Congress is up for debate, and conservatives are divided as to whether he should even attempt it. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) believes Trump has the authority and should use it: “Speaker Pelosi’s refusal to negotiate on Wall/Barrier funding — even if the government were to be reopened — virtually ends congressional path to fund Wall/Barrier. Time for President [Trump] to use emergency powers to build Wall/Barrier.”
However, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) offered a very insightful warning15: “If today, the national emergency is border security … tomorrow the national emergency might be climate change.” In other words, Trump invoking the power to declare a national emergency here may be setting a dangerous precedent.
The longer this shutdown drags on, the more Democrats rather than Republicans will be feeling the pressure to compromise. That’s especially true as Trump continues to declare that this is an issue of national security for which he has the power to bypass Congress to address, all while insisting he would much rather have Congress on board.
https://patriotpost.us/articles/60496-national-emergency-threat-puts-pressure-on-dems
ON OUR WEBSITE TODAY
China Confab With NoKo’s Kim Is Tariff Gamesmanship16 — Beijing summoned its puppet to talks because Trump’s trade moves are hurting.
Statism Isn’t Working in South Korea, Either17 — Higher taxes and minimum wage in the name of economic growth aren’t working there either.
Faking Happiness at Facebook18 — Former employees say company maintains a “cult-like” culture that discourages dissenting opinions.
Video: Acosta’s Own Goal — He Proves Walls Work19 — He posted a video showing viewers how an already-walled section of the border is “crisis-free.”
Video: How Wokescolds Are Ruining Everything20 — The Daily Wire gang discuss how Hollywood is hurting itself by embracing political correctness.
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
60481 60480 60488 60479 60484
For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion21.
TOP HEADLINES
Payday without pay hits federal workers as shutdown drags on (Associated Press22)
Obama Border Patrol chief: Agents arrest “rapists, murderers, gang members every single day” (Washington Examiner23)
Texans fight to stop government from seizing land for border wall (National Review24)
Dems introduce gun-ban bill as GOP seeks to expand gun-carry protections (The Washington Free Beacon25)
Sen. Jones asks FEC to probe “deceptive tactics” in 2017 election win over Roy Moore (The Washington Times26)
Michael Cohen, ex-Trump lawyer, to testify publicly before Congress (Associated Press27)
Troop withdrawal from Syria has started (The Washington Times28)
Pompeo, at site of Obama’s address to Muslim world, rebukes his legacy: “Age of self-inflicted American shame is over” (Fox News29)
Venezuela’s tyrant gets six more years (The Washington Free Beacon30)
Humor: Church greeters stationed at southern border to deter immigrants (The Babylon Bee31)
Policy: Yes, there is a crisis at the border — the numbers show it (Investor’s Business Daily32)
Policy: Don’t join the media freak out over recent jump in CO2 emissions — it won’t last (Investor’s Business Daily33)
For more of today’s news, visit Patriot Headline Report34.
https://patriotpost.us/articles/60492-friday-top-headlines |
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on: January 11, 2019, 10:02:18 AM
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Started by Soldier4Christ - Last post by Soldier4Christ
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The Power of Grace
“. . . whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.” (Ephesians 3:7)
In the New Testament, the words for gift and grace are closely related. Charis is usually translated “grace,” and charisma is most often rendered “gift.” The twice-born are to use their gifts with one another as “good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
When God gifts us with faith so that we are saved by His grace (Ephesians 2:8), we are then “created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). This “new man” is granted the potential to understand the “exceeding greatness of his power” (Ephesians 1:19) and to participate in the divine nature so we can escape the corruption pervading this godless world (2 Peter 1:4).
When we preach the gospel, we use “the power of God” that will result in the salvation of those who respond (Romans 1:16). Right after the Day of Pentecost, the apostles gave testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus in a demonstration of that power so that “great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33). The message, the power, and the grace of God are inseparable.
When our lives radically change in response to the new man created in us by God, we do so by “the grace of our Lord,” which is “exceeding abundant with faith and love” (1 Timothy 1:14). When we access the strength to rise above infirmities or difficult circumstances, we experience the Lord’s grace that is sufficient to deal with or overcome whatever may be hindering us (2 Corinthians 12:9).
When we “work out” the salvation God graced us with, we can be sure that God is working in us “both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13). HMM III
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