Love is Patience

Love is one of the most powerful motivators, and we are born with a lifelong 

thirst for love. Love is built on pillars of patience and kindness. All 

other characteristics of love are extensions of these two attributes. This 

is where our path begins, and that is with patience. When you choose to be 

patient, you respond in a positive way to a negative situation. You are slow 

to anger. Patience brings an internal calm during an external storm, unlike 

an inpatient person that reacts in angry, foolish, and regrettable ways. All 

of these emotions will never make things better, but usually generates 

additional problems. Patience is a choice to control your emotions rather 

than allowing your emotions to control you, and show discretion instead of 

returning evil for evil.

If your spouse offends you, do you quickly retaliate, or do you stay under 

control? Anger is usually caused when the strong desire for something is 

mixed with disappointment or grief. Patience, however, makes us wise. It 

doesn't rush to judgment but listens to what the other person is saying as 

well as waiting to see the whole picture before making a judgment decision. 

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but eh slow to anger calms a dispute" (

Proverbs 15:18). Statements like these from the Bible book of Proverbs are 

clear principles with timeless relevance. Patience is where love meets 

wisdom. And every marriage needs that combination to stay healthy. Patience 

understands that everyone fails. When a mistake is made, it chooses to give 

them more time than they deserve to correct it. It gives you the ability to 

hold on during the tough times in your relationship rather than bailing out 

under the pressure.

But can your spouse count on having a patient wife or husband to deal with? 

If she locks the keys in the car, will she be met with a demeanor of anger, 

or understanding? It turns out that few people are as hard to live with as 

an impatient person.

What would the tone and volume of your home be like if you tried this 

biblical approach: "See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but 

always seek after that which is good for one another" (I Thessalonians 5:15).

Few of us do patience very well, and none of us do it naturally. But wise 

men and women will pursue it as an essential ingredient to their marriage 

relationships. That's a good starting point to demonstrate true love. This 

love process is a journey, and the first thing you must resolve to possess is 

patience. Think of it as a marathon, not a sprint. It's a race worth 

running.

The first part of this Love process is fairly simple. Although love is 

communicated in a number of ways, our words often reflect the condition of 

our heart. For the next day, resolve to demonstrate patience and to say 

nothing negative to your spouse at all. If the temptation arises, choose not 

to say anything. It's Better to hold your tongue than to say something you'
ll regret.

On Becoming God's Enemy

I have devoted much of my lay ministry to the subject of adultery and what it does to all involved, the guilty and innocent alike. Of course, only the guilty will be held accountable for the sin, while the innocent, like a betrayed spouse and children, will not. The innocent will, however, reap a harvest in this world they did not plant, nor deserve. While I am most concerned with adultery’s victims, I have grave concern for the adulterer, as they have, according to the Word of God, chosen a path that will destroy their very soul. "Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; He [who] does so destroys his own soul." (Proverbs 6:32 NKJV) It might be asked, "Why should we care about the adulterer, when they obviously don’t care about others?" From a secular point-of-view, I understand the sentiment, as there are times that I find it extremely difficult to help those who will not see, those who will not hear, and those who are a black hole of selfishness. But I always try to rise above my earthly shortcomings by relying on the One who can do everything except fail - "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance." (Luke 15:7) These are the words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If Christ was willing to die a horrible agonizing death for a world lost in sin, then the least we can do is help the adulterer see how much God loves him, how much He cares. How He rejoices when one of His family returns home and is saved from the everlasting torment offered by Satan to those who have, by their works, rejected the completely unmerited gift of salvation. As a lay minister/counselor I will not help adulterers find peace in their sin. Doing so would be a completely amoral thing to do, as the punishment for adultery, as chosen by the adulterer, is almost too catastrophic to comprehend. Hell is exactly what you might imagine, except to the umpteenth power. It is not a choice that can be reversed. When we enter, we do not leave - ever. We must love the adulterer enough to help him see the error of his ways. We must explain that unless he repents he is doomed. "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:5) Christian love is to be given freely, but if the sinner will not listen, we are to leave them in the hope that in our rejection they might be reclaimed in Christ. "And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count [him] as an enemy, but admonish [him] as a brother." (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15) The world has, in large part, turned its back on God, which explains much of the turmoil we are now experiencing. America in particular is guilty of making every effort to remove God from our everyday lives. The courts have been a useful tool for the evil one and, for the most part uses even the most ridiculous cases to further its belief in secular humanism. And we are such fools to let the inmates run the asylum. But few are willing to speak out to right the wrong - and our nation is paying the price. Imagine then how God feels when we use and abuse him while trying to remove Him from the very fabric of our society, and then, when we have a national emergency, we turn to Him by calling for a national day of prayer. This generalized gestalt of hypocrisy is not only appropriate for our nation, but to the adulterer as well. There are millions of adulterers sitting in church every Sunday. If they have repented, this is where they should be. If they haven’t, they are wasting their time. God will not hear their prayers. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden [His] face from you, So that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2) The point that must be made to all adulterers is this - obedience to God’s Word is not optional. "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad." (Matthew 12:30) Being a Christian is an either/or decision. There is no such thing as a part-time Christian. We are either with Him, or against Him. We either commit adultery, or we don’t - and in that decision we choose our eternity. "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4) An enemy of God! Stop for a moment and let that sink in. An enemy of God! Is adultery, or any sin for that matter, worth becoming the enemy of the Almighty? An enemy of the One who created heaven and earth? An enemy of the One who breathed life into mankind? Has anyone ever told you that committing adultery makes you an enemy of God? They should have, but probably not, as many of the faithful have been so cowered by the secular they are afraid to speak His truth, the very truth that will set you free from the sin that has bound you. I beg you not to commit adultery. If you already have, or are, stop it - now! Repent, and God will lovingly welcome you back into His family.

Edward Mrkvicka is an award winning Christian author, lay minister/counselor, and lifelong Bible student. He is the author of The Prayer Promise of Christ, named Christian Book of the Year by Books & Authors.net. His newest book, No Innocent Affair: Making Right the Wrong of Adultery, can be ordered at Amazon.com and purchased at most bookstores. Ed’s web site is located at: www.EdwardFMrkvickaJr.com Source:

End Times And The Return Of Christ Vs. Rebuilding The Temple And The Antichrist

Paul says more than once that we think naturally, not spiritually: we think worldly not heavenly. John talks about being in love with this world " which blocks us knowing the love of God (I John 2:15). Jesus said that his Kingdom was not of this world, but we keep trying to change his mind and get him to make this world top priority so we can kick heathen butt and rule with him in the Millenium. This is exactly what the ancient Jews were looking for (Acts 1:6). We haven't changed in 2,000 years. USA: This Is God's Country " God and Country We also keep trying to see the U.S. in end time prophecy. I've seen some people stretch this so far as to see 'USA' in the middle of the word Jerusalem: JerUSAlem. We believe that God originally called this nation into being, just as he did ancient Israel, so we think we're a spiritual first-cousin to Israel. Rebuild the Temple and the Antichrist vs. Spirituality Of course, all eyes are on Jerusalem and what's happening between Israel and Iran, and other nations. All of this takes our thoughts off truly relating to God, and living his spiritual kingdom on earth. Israel Is In the Spotlight Today, all eyes are instead on Israel. We are not preoccupied with God, but with Israel. There was no Israel until 1948. There was no land to consider looking at. But for the past 64 years, all we can think and talk about is Israel and the End Times " possibly 2012 being the end of the world. Every generation since the days of Jesus has thought that their generation was the one that would see the end times " the end of the world " the return of Christ. Every generation has been wrong. Like everyone else, I hope this is true. I'd love to see the return of Jesus. But the faith Jesus wants to see in me is the faith of him and me as one being, and me living in faith generated by the Holy Spirit (John 14:9-11, 15-21, 17:21-23). The faith he wants in me is me showing forth his presence, and of me living life now, and in expectancy of heaven. As The Gospel Coach, I know this is the faith the gospel calls us to " not faith in a country in the Middle East called Israel (II Tim 1:10). The Gospel and the New Testament It's really hard to stay focused spiritually when we've got so much worldly and end time stuff going on. Most Christians think the Bible is in three parts: (1) the Old Testament, (2) the New Testament, (3) the future end times. Parts one and two are past, and now it's all about Revelation and the end times. I see this as thinking that can be very spiritually defeating. The Return of Christ As The Gospel Coach, my job is to keep us focused on spiritual reality now, and not so much speculation about the future. Of course the future is important. Jesus is coming back the same way he left (Acts 1:11). But let's not lose touch with reality, climb up and camp out on our roofs, and watch for it to happen. Jesus said no man knows the day or the hour. Yet we try to figure it out. Every generation does. I'll say it again: my favorite was '88 reasons Jesus is coming back in 1988.' Why Do We Always Seek Something Physical? We walk by sight, not by faith " the opposite of what God says to do. Doubting Thomas said, "Show me and I'll believe " let me touch your wounds and then I'll believe." We are like a bunch of unbelievers in the way we relate to God. Many Christians think we will be judged for our sin in heaven. But Jesus came to do away with sin, and to become sin for us (Heb 9:26, II Cor 5:21). We won't be judged for our sin, but for our unbelief in the gospel of the finished work of Jesus (John 12:47-48, Rom 2:16). Like Jesus, Does Satan Crucify Us Between Two Thieves? There are two main ways that Satan keeps us captive and in his snare today, and most of us don't see it. FIRST, he keeps us living by the Old Testament law, that Paul says in Galatians we are cursed for doing, because Jesus came to redeem us from it. SECOND, he keeps us living with our eyes totally focused on the future (and on what's happening in Israel). Both of these keep us from living in God's Kingdom, and gospel abundant life that Jesus came to bring us (John 10:10). Must Israel and America Be Free To Be Used of God? Israel is a free nation today, but does it have to be to accomplish God's purposes? Wasn't she in slavery to Rome when she brought the Messiah? Has God given Israel all the land he promised to give her? Does the Bible predict Israel becoming a free nation again in 1948, or was that simply the work of America and the United Nations? We often read the scripture with blinders on. My coming E-book, End Times, will show how we miss so much in our deductive thinking and logic. We see through a glass dimly. Does America have to remain a free nation for us to be used by God in the end times? Or is someone going to repossess this country because we are bankrupt? Don't forget our founding fathers predicted the demise of America if we didn't hold to their original plans. Only God has the answers, and the only way he reveals them is by seeking his SPIRITUAL kingdom, and his righteousness (Matt 6:33). We miss so many things because we are so future minded that we wouldn't see Jesus if he was standing next to us on our rooftop looking up. But then, he's not there. He's down on the street.

source

Biblical Prophecy: Is This The End Times? God And Israel: The History Of Israel And End Time Signs

We have a way of thinking that I think is not biblically accurate. It is about biblical prophecy and it involves God and Israel and end time signs. What this way of thinking says is that God still owes Israel a type of debt, and he must stand good on his covenant with Israel. He must protect her, and give her all the land that he promised to give her that she has never received. I covered this issue in an earlier article. God has given Israel all the land he promised her. He owes her nothing (Josh 21:43-45). Is This the End Times? " What Are the End Time Signs? This is the question on a lot of people's minds: "Is this the end times?" Most eyes turn toward Israel for signs of the answer. I'm not sure if it's the end times or not, but I know they come closer every year. The problem is that most people look at the newspaper headlines to decide if they think if this is the end times or not " believing whatever their favorite end-time guru says are 'the end time signs.' God says don't look to the newspaper, but to him and his word. The History of Israel: Israel and God Israel has been involved in signs in this world for many, many hundreds of years. And these signs had a lot to do with the land (the real estate on the Mediterranean) that Israel occupies. Much of the Old Testament was about this. God always deals with Israel through covenant. This was a two-way covenant (or what we lawyers call a 'bilateral covenant'). As long as Israel kept up her end of the covenant, God kept up his end. He told Israel they had to obey him and keep his law. Over countless times the Israelis refused, but God forgave them. He even instituted an animal sacrifice system to cover them when they didn't obey. But the fact is that Israel kept disobeying " over and over and over again. Finally God allowed them to be conquered and sent into exile to Assyria and Babylon " and later dominated by Greece and the Romans. In the end, Israel crucified God's only Son Jesus, and he washed his hands of them. We see several stories about this in the New Testament " the parable of the Vineyard owner in Matthew 21, and the barren fig tree in Luke 21, and the wicked Pharisees of Matthew 23 to name a few. The Old Covenant vs. the New Covenant Hebrews shows us how the cross of Jesus abolished the Old Covenant, and how the New Covenant established in its place. God was so thorough in destroy the ways of the Old Covenant that he even allowed the Romans to destroy Jerusalem, and the Jewish temple in 70 A.D. Nothing was left. The Jews had fulfilled their purpose. They had brought the Messiah, whom we call Jesus Christ, into the world. Their mission was complete. The fact that Israel rejected the Messiah is not an issue. Does This Mean Israel Is Rejected from the Covenant of God? No! Absolutely not! God never rejects anyone. He is always forgiving, loving and accepting. The fact that the Jews rejected him countless times over hundreds of years doesn't matter to God. He would receive them to himself in a heartbeat, just like the parable of the prodigal son says. But they must come to him on the basis of the NEW Covenant, and not their OLD Covenant. The Old has been abolished. Only the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus stands. God's arms are still open to the Jews. But they must come to him like anyone else in the world: through the finished work of Jesus. God and the Jews are still an 'item,' but only as is God and any other people in the world. Because most Jews disinherit God, he disinherits them. Paul said that his heart-cry to God was that his Jewish people might be saved (Rom 10:1). He said they had a zeal for God, but it wasn't according to knowledge of God, and what he was doing in Jesus Christ (Rom 10:2). Still clinging to the Old Covenant ways, they became subject of the curse Paul talks about (Gal 3:10). God and Israel: "Watch Israel for the End Times Signs" This is the cry of the Christian church, and many secular people in the world. I don't share this view. So many think that God made Israel to be an independent nation again in 1948, and he is again working through her. I think this work was all political " the work of the U.S and the U.N. I don't believe God owes Israel one thing today. And I don't believe God is using the history of Israel as an end time sign. God wanted to prosper the Jews and have them reveal him to the world more than anything (Deut 28:63-67). But they abandoned God countless times. God sought after them countless times, but they finally murdered his Son to get him off their back. The Jews were stewards of a relationship with God that they chose not to be stewards of. We have the same choice today. Our New Covenant is the same as the Old in one way: it is still a bilateral covenant with God. But we no longer have to obey the law to be righteous with God (Deut 6:25). We just must believe his New Covenant gospel (Mk 1:15, Rom 5:17, John 6:29, Heb 4:2, etc.) This applies to Jews too. Is This the End Times? Maybe, but it doesn't have anything to do with a piece of real estate on the Mediterranean called Israel. It has to do with us being in covenant with God on his terms. The Jews chose not to accept his terms. We have the same choice. The 12 spies voted to believe their eyes and senses more than they did God. The result was that they prevented ALL the people from entering the promised land. Unbelief was a tragic choice for the Jews. It is also a tragic choice for us. God wants us looking to him, and not looking to Israel for the answers to our questions.

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Should We Take End Of The World Predictions Seriously?

Considering the vast number of previous predictions
which have all failed to materialise, surely we
shouldnít be too worried?

Yet for some of us fears seem hard to shake everyday
we hear of new disasters, new threats with the world
seemingly more and more out of control especially in
relation to extreme weather events, global warming and
the growing credit crisis.

So what if anything can I do?

Do your bit, no one can save the world single handedly
but you can do your bit, here are a few suggestions.

- Cutting down your carbon footprint by using less
electricity, gas, car fuel and water not only helps
the environment but your pocket too by reducing bills.
This doesnít mean changing your lifestyle just simple
measures such as ensuring you turn off items instead
of leaving them on standby.

- Working to pay off debts, this benefits you, as you
arenít wasting money on interest payments. Being in
control of your finances reduces stress and makes the
banks more confident.

- Donate unwanted items or money to charity, simple
measures which benefit those in need.

- Being a conscientious shopper by knowing where and
how the items you buy are produced. Remember every
item you buy has a carbon footprint. Buy local
products where possible, make sure the product is
produced sustainably, ethically and in an
environmentally friendly way.

- Recycling, stops the world resources being
unnecessarily used up and isnít as difficult as it
seems look out recycling symbols on packaging and
familiarise yourself with your local areas recycling
system and facilities.

Following the Steps for Spiritual Awakening

People at times refer to it as a great realization. Sometimes it is known as a state of enlightenment. Whatever it might be called, the state of spiritual awakening is something that people realize. Some will offer guidelines and by following the steps for spiritual awakening will you only reach that state of enlightened spirit. And through these steps, people will soon realize or reach that level of awareness, enlightenment or spirituality. Some will argue, otherwise, saying that the awakening is a deep and often philosophical experience where man realizes his own true nature and finds ways how to maintain a balance life relative to his environment and thus only happens unplanned and often unexpectedly.

The Voice of Semar

Children of Semar:

Emerge out of the cocoon of closed-mindedness, Be receptive to truths, even if they hurt.

Reform your character before demanding the reformation of others, For the perfection of the world begins with thyself.

Beliefs and blind faith are a drawback to spiritual progress, They bind one to superstition, fear and ignorance.

Acquire the understanding that divine revelation is a continuous process, For humanity is ever-evolving and is ever in need of higher education.

Fanaticism is a devilish expression and has to be eradicated, For it begets separatism, inharmony, and violence among men.

Transcend racial, tribal, and sectarian attitudes, Nothing causes so much strife and suffering as separatism.

No Longer Do I

No longer do I ask what God is for the Spirit unfolds Itself to me everyday in my daily experience.

No longer do I seek sympathy from any being for I AM my own comfort.

No longer do I have to present what I AM not to others, for I know what I AM.

No longer do I have to seek the Kingdom of God for I AM the Kingdom of God.

No longer do I know or fear death, for in truth I AM forever alive and will never die.

No longer do I need to look for pleasure in perishable things, for I AM my own bliss.

No longer do I grow old, for I AM unaware of the rolling of time and living in a timeless state.

No longer do I experience sufering for I AM the Captain of my soul.

No longer do I live in ignorance because I know the Truth and the Laws of God.

No longer do I judge for I know all to be merely temporal appearances hiding perfection.

No longer do I think as a mortal would for I AM one with Divine Reason.

No longer do I live in bewilderment for I see the chain of Cause and Effect.

No longer do I have a troubled mind for I AM simplicity in itself.

No longer do I wander far and wide in search for Truth, for I know that it manifests within me.

No longer do I seek liberation for I realize that fetters are illusory.

No longer do I live in isolation for humanity calls out for my presence.

No longer do I fight "evil" for I realize its purpose in the scheme of things.

No longer do I crave for worldliness for I have found a greater prize.

No longer do I wish and hope, for I AM a creator like my Father.

No longer do I seek to be recognized by men, for I AM acknowledged by God as His own.

No longer do I carry a burden, for I have forgiven all and have requested forgiveness from all.

No longer do I have to prove myself to anyone, for my life is my proof.

No longer do I attack others for I know my Self as also being their true identity.

No longer do I look to the future or the past, for I AM ever-present in the now.

No longer do I believe that mere power or knowledge alone may take one to the goal, for I AM there by virtue of simply awakening to Truth.

No longer do I need to boast of knowing or channeling Ascended Masters for I AM an Ascended Master in manifestation even now.

No longer do I have to keep on blowing my trumpet, for souls who are ready have heard my call.

No longer do I see through any filter for my humor has taken them away.

No longer do I care for what is not, for I AM one with what is.

No longer do I see darkness for my soul blazes like a million suns.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore

A Complete Confession and Transformation

As we go about our day, most of us are not aware of an ultimate unity, a connectedness with God and other human beings. Instead, we’re preoccupied with our own plans and designs, our own hopes and fears. But if we are free of psychic clutter as a result of a deep confession, the ferreting out and release of unexamined or unconscious material in our psyche, and take a moment to get still, with nothing going on, we come to realize our connection with all humanity. We can see that there is no essential difference between us and our fellow human beings. We are all irrefutably a part of God, and love flows between us and other human beings as freely as blood flows in our veins. We then discover our “true”selves, the selves with neither body nor consciousness, the selves that exist as beginess, the selves we seldom stop to notice. Missing that experience in our daily lives is, however, merely a consequence of being human. 

Not only does becoming clutter-free through confession lead to personal transformation, it can also lead to transformation on a global level. We have all seen or know about major shifts in public awareness, such as the Civil Rights Movement in the United States or the formation of the United Nations, both with enormous ramifications. If you are familiar with the controversial principle of social change known as the Hundredth Monkey, in which it is purported that when one person knows something, that something is the property of that one individual, but when that something is passed forward to a critical mass of other individuals, then it becomes the property of the larger society. In his book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell documents how a seemingly innocuous and often counterintuitive action can cause a social behavior, trend or idea to tip and “spread like wildfire.” Nevertheless, new concepts do enter the common language in only a decade or two, and wholesale changes to society do take place, such as the lowering of the crime rate in New York by cleaning up graffiti in the suburbs and stopping fare-beaters in the subways.

As each one of us confesses, we make way for the next person, until we reach that point of critical mass. For Christians, that point might even bring about the Second Coming. God Calling, (Russell, Jove Books) the writings of two anonymous women who in 1932 came together looking for a closer connection to God, speaks to that possibility. Reportedly, one woman heard the voice of Jesus Christ, and the other recorded what the first one communicated hearing. She reported Jesus as saying
I do not delay my second coming. My followers delay it.
If each lived for Me, by Me, in Me, allowing Me to live in him, to use him to express the Divine through him, as I expressed it when on earth, then long ago the world would have been drawn to Me, and I should have come to claim them as My own (November 5).

Those of us who are Christians may be moved by the above to confess the error of leaning on our own understanding[s], [Pr. 3] followed by a re-commitment of ourselves to Christ, trusting what is widely called a “vertical relationship” that is, a “one on one relationship with him,” living in him and allowing the divine energy to flow through us to the outside world – just allowing his energy to flow, without having to force anything, or to compel anyone to receive it. For in the Gospel of John, we find: “Then true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” [John 4] Today, we might interpret “in spirit and in truth” as “in oneness with a confessing heart.”
– Excerpted from Confession is Good for More than the Soul
www.confessionisgood.com

Leslie Reynolds-Benns, PhD, author, most recently of Confession is Good for More than the Soul. "Confession is like a damp cloth for the chalkboard of our psyche." Speaker, trainer, workshop leader, community activist and wedding officiant. www.lesliereynoldsbenns.com.

Is The End Nigh?

Global warming and extreme weather events, the world
economy in crisis, seemingly unending wars and the
threat of nuclear weapons, it really does seem as if
we are living in the end days!

Yet I have great faith in the planets natural ability
to heal itself. The worst nuclear event in history
Chernobyl caused all life in the exclusion zone animal
and plant to die but since then and due to the areas
abandonment by humans wildlife has flourished.

In the past 20 or so year since the disaster animals
such as bear and lynx virtually extinct in much of
Europe and not present before the disaster were able
to move in and make themselves at home even thriving
in the most radioactive areas.

Many bird species nest successfully in the hastily
erected and now crumbling protective ësarcophagusí and
even fungi grows on the reactor walls.

Life has survived vast changes in the climate from the
vast desert of the ancient super continent Pangea to
the coldest ice age and will undoubtedly continue to
do so.

No matter how out of control the current situation
gets life will survive in some form or another. It
just remains to be seen whether we are clever enough
and can act fast enough to either stop the situation
escalating further or if not adaptable enough to
survive to the new conditions we find ourselves facing
in the near future.

Christianity and Revelations

Christianity and Revelations

The book of Revelations the last in the bible has long
caused controversy and debate as it deals with the
second coming of Christ and final end of the World,
though often cryptic and difficult to understand and
interpret.

Jesus specifically states you may not know the day or
hour (Matthew 25) and many denominations do not
emphasise the apocalypse and it is rarely preached on
in services.

However in Matthew 24 Jesus states specific things,
which will happen before the end.

These include War, Famine, Earthquake, Persecution,
Lawlessness and False Prophets and a hardening of
hearts.

Though he also says his great commission to spread the
Gospel to the whole world will be complete by the time
the end comes.

Revelation 13 says an antichrist will usher in the
last days. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Angels will gather
believers from all four corners of the world and will
join Christ above.

Who are you? A Spiritual Awakening

Who are you? A spiritual awakening now will help you answer that question. We have asked that same query repeatedly in the course of our lives, often having answers that dwell on the basic and the more obvious. Who are you? I am an employee, a clerk in the bank, a teacher, an engineer, a scientist or a businessman. But that question is a loaded one and requires an answer beyond what we do in our lives. It can be approached as a philosophical question where the answer would require looking more closely and deeply into oneís self. To achieve an awakening, one might have to go into deep meditation. Others might suggest a different approach though. It is still meditation but more of an involved observation.

Who is afraid of God?

Most of those who call themselves believers, profess that they are afraid of God. What does this mean? Let us talk more about this. Are they really afraid of God? Are they afraid of God as much as they are afraid of their friends and others while doing something wrong? For example, a colleague of yours has to rush out and has left the mail box open. You are very curious to take a look at it. If no one is around, will you be still afraid thinking that at least God is watching? Please think about this.

God is supreme, but we forget about his presence most of the times in our life. These screensavers describe God's supremecy beautifully. God Our Father Our Only Survivor The truth is that we are afraid of real people and not God. Except very few of us, most of us don't always remember the presence of God at all the places and during all the times. Take a marriage conducted alone in a temple by a couple. Who was the witness? God. But if one of the partner denies that marriage, or decides to keep the marriage a secret, can anything be done by the other partner? Nothing. Except praying to God, who was the witness, the other partner can do nothing. Because no human being was the witness. Was the partner who denied or chose to keep total secrecy and lied about the marriage to society afraid of God? No.

This is very unfortunate, but true. Liars and those who believe in deceiving others and themselves are not afraid of God, but only of society. For them God's powers count for nothing. May God bless such cheats, because only He can save them from their treachery. There is a small Indian story of a teacher. Once he gave all his pupils a slip of paper and asked them to return after reading it at a place where no one was present. One of the pupil did not return till late evening. The teacher went in search for the boy, and found him in a corner of the jungle. He asked him about the reason of not reading what was written on the paper, and not returning. The boy replied- Holy Sir, you instructed me to read this at a place where no one is present. But I find that God is present everywhere. So where do I read this? The teacher applauded the boy for his faith and learning the truth.

The right way of living is to remember the presence of God at all the place and during all the times. The right way to live is to be afraid of God, and no human being.

A Mixed Up Life

We have calculated the constituents of the human body in some detail. Imagine we could weigh out the chemicals present in the human body and mix them in the right proportions in a rather large bucket. We would then have the chemical constituents of a human being in all the right proportions but this chemical soup would not be identifiable as a living entity. On staring into this bucket, two mysteries would cross my mind for further contemplation; two mysteries that are central in the origin of life.

Fate - How It Changes Our Plans

All of us are working towards some goals. All of us have some plans for our life. We plan for our future, our children, our career and retirement. We are always planning and trying to implement our plans. While doing all this, we forget to count fate, and that can give us a shock if we are not ready for it. When one makes plans, one should always leave the results to fate. Otherwise the shocks can be disastrous for our equanimity. Let us see how.

Some people don't believe in fate. How do these people justify few occurrences? For example, why some kids get cancer at a very early age? Why, a person who takes care of his/her health in all the possible ways, is suddenly diagnosed with impossible sounding diseases? Why does one person survive in an accident while the other person traveling with him/her dies on the spot? Why some people instinctively leave some place, a night before a natural calamity? We hear of so many such miraculous survivals and cruel deaths, that the role of fate becomes impossible to deny. Isn't life a miracle in many ways? The journey of life is not predictable as much as we wish.

Death Changes The Perspective

We live and we die. But while living, most of us don't keep the thought of death in mind. A person suffering from an incurable disease may have the thought of death in his/her mind, but this is not true for every other normal person. For a very big population on the earth, life is perpetual. That is how they think and live.

Is this a right attitude? To a certain extent this is a right attitude and at times, wrong. Let us examine further. We not only live our life thinking that we will not die, but we also behave with others as if they will also not die. Let me give you an example. Let us talk about a friend. He/she does something or speaks something. We are deeply hurt. We feel bad, and we begin blaming the other person for many things. We don't think of forgiving. Suppose that friend of ours meets his/her death after a week. What will be our reaction? We will go in a remorseful mood and blame ourselves. The bad feelings that we had for that person loses all the meaning. That person is no more alive and no critical analysis or one-upmanship will help now. The situation has changed totally.

Look at some screensavers on spirituality here. Screensaver- God-1, Screensaver- God-2, Screensaver- God-3. Talking about accidents, they occur everyday. Anyone of us may die at any moment. No one knows about the time of his/her death. We all believe that we will live to a ripe old age and will die only after that. Sometimes, we don't even think of that.

How about changing our perspective? How about keeping the thought in our mind at all times that - the person I am hating so much now, or I am arguing with so much now, may even die after an hour by meeting with some freak accident. This may change our perspective about all our relationships. Is this not true? It will change our thoughts about ourselves also. We will all begin thinking more of today and worry less about tomorrow.

Life is precious. Every life is very precious. Every heart is precious. Why hurt anyone including your ownself? Forgive everyone. Begin with yourself. Let the thought that death can visit any of us at anytime unannounced change our perspective.

To Thine Own Self Be True

We have looked before on the concept of self-love and I would like to take the time into look into this in more depth.

If you remember, we said that AGAPE love was an unconditional love and that we needed to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Let us look more closely at why we have so much difficulty in the area of loving and accepting ourselves. We will start by looking at two very basic questions.

1) Why do we have so much difficulty loving ourselves without question?

2) Why do we feel we need the approval of others to validate our worthiness?

The Woman You've Always Wanted to Be

Being a woman in our current society is tough. TV shows, magazines, movies, and other media outlets attempt to convince women to measure themselves according to society's standards. However, doing so limits the beauty of a woman. According to the world, you have to be a certain size, height, skin tone and have a certain type of hairstyle or clothing style to be considered beautiful. What does a woman do to uphold her self-image in a world where advertisements are flooded with influences that promote worldly beauty? That's where she draws the line by refusing to conform to society's image of beauty and renews her mind with the Word of God. 

Reality Check: God Loves You

Have you ever witnessed a young child's behavior after he is scolded by his mother? Even after being chastened, he or she will still run to his or her mom and cling to her legs. How is it that someone so young realizes the unconditional love of a mother but Believers sometimes have a difficult time understanding that God's love for us is similar and greater? As children of God, we must stand strong in faith and believe that He loves us. Sure, there are times when your soul may try and convince you that God doesn't love you, but you must renew your mind with the Word of God where His love is concerned. 

Religion and Spiritual Awakening

Spiritual awakening is not tied down to a religion as some people might think. People read the word spiritual and they immediately conclude that this is something for the religious or for the highly spiritual people. The spirituality of the self through spiritual awakening refers not to the religion of a person but to the consciousness or awareness of being, the realization that one exists. Various religious beliefs do have their own versions of spiritual awakening. Most are rooted on their own sets of religious doctrines and principles. Some have come to a spiritual enlightenment through meditations and self actualizations. To them spiritual awakening is the removal of whatever layers or walls we have that cover or hide our true selves. It is having the experience of peace, the calmness, the fulfillment, and completeness. One person has so eloquently put it as waking up through a big bump to head. That of course is a too simplistic way to describe the experience.

Effect of Prayers on Our Life

What are prayers? To pray means to convey a request to God. Those who believe that their is no God, can still pray to the higher power in who they have belief. But to say that there is no god, makes us feel very lonely at times. At times of crisis, who will you approach. Your friends might have left you. Your family might have deserted you. Who is left? There is God.

What is the first effect of prayer? The first effect is that we at least begin believing that someone who can help us is listening to us. That gives a great support. Because you no longer feel very helpless or lonely. You have got a friend who is all powerful and who can help you. With prayer we call for that help. The deeper the prayer the earlier the help arrives. A prayer made in total faith can do wonders. But it all boils down to faith. And faith is a matter of individual belief. No science can comment about faith.

We send good wishes when some one falls sick or for someone who is facing tough times. How do prayers help in that situation? Here we are not making a selfish prayer, but asking for help for some one else. Collective prayers will surely reach God, and he will surely respond to them in his own way. His way may be different than our way, but respond he will. There is no doubt about that. This again is a matter of personal faith.

Imagine a man dying of cancer and family left with no hope. If every member of the family prays at that time, that member will also not feel very helpless and hope will always remain. Without prayers all hope is lost. Wishing Good Luck, wishing for earlier recovery and inspiring a friend are all ways to connect with the higher power. Such wishes and prayers never go waste. Call God, and request him to help, the help will arrive if your prayer is made with faith and is heart felt. To send wishes please view these sections on www.ecarduniverse.com ecards to say Good Luck, ecards to wish for speedy recovery, ecards to express sympathy. Life is tough for some of us. Praying for them and sending good wishes to them will give them unequalled moral support.

Without Delusions, Happiness Can Come To None

Delusions... what would we consider necessary delusions?



In almost all religions, the members/believers of that religion want to feel closer to their God. Some believe that to achieve this, it can be quite understandable to create necessary delusions to draw in this feeling of spiritual actualisation.



These delusions can involve things such as hearing voices from idol's such as God, Allah or even in some cases 'demon' voices. This being the case, much controversy surrounds the idea of voices being a divine sign or potentially dangerous as how can you decipher between what it real and what isn't?



This experience of hearing voices can date to as far back as the early Christian cultures where hearing these voices was seen as a blessed and divine sign rather than how we see it today; a potential mental health issue.



Either way the hearing of voices can be seen differently simply by your matter of opinion. With a born-again Christian mother, the reporting of hearing voices comes all too often but the important things is to respect each person's experiences and opinions whilst passively keeping an open mind.



Thank you for reading. I hope this has opened your mind too.

Demonic influence in the human mind

I was raised in a Christian household, and attended a South Baptist Church for most of my young adult life. Accountability for a persons' actions was a long standing sermon topic, for it was, and still is, considered the very foundation of our faith. We, as fleshly humans, struggle against many temptations in life that at their very core are demonic in nature. Without discernment, we leave ourselves open to unlimited temptation that can lead us down paths of loss, pain, and suffering. Eve, in the Garden, opened herself up to temptation merely by listening to a handful of twisted words that fell from the lips of pure evil. She was not forced to eat the apple, she was influenced by Satan to do so. She then convinced Adam to do likewise, who was more than willing to eat because he did not see the immediate consequences of her sin. The repercussions of her actions by ignoring God's commandment have been felt by the world ever since. We must remember that it is through our thoughts, and our actions, by which the demons can infect our minds and cloud our judgment.



But first, we need to acknowledge something often overlooked in the war of the flesh against spirit, and that is the power of suggestion. Sin, and the demons that help perpetuate it, can not force you do anything your not willing to consider. If you give in to the lusts of the flesh, no matter how powerful the influence or temptation was, you are still held accountable in the eyes of God, and man, for your actions. Consider how differently the story of salvation would have been had Jesus given in to Satan's offer during his 40 days and nights of temptation. Humanity for all eternity would suffer because of a moment of weakness and doubt. Keep in mind your actions can have consequences that affect more in life than you will ever know. Sin knows no bounds, has no conscience, and does not skip those who can not bear the weight of your transgressions.

So, how can we, as mere humans, fight the influence of demons and abstain from making the same sin ridden mistakes over and over? I would suggest that you reaffirm who you are in your faith, know your weaknesses and your strengths, and never try to walk this path alone. The most effective weapons you could ever posses to successfully combat temptation, is an educated mind and a heart full of love and conviction, focused on leading a righteous life. You will fall, and you will sin; we all make mistakes. Surround yourself with good people who will aid you in your struggle, and who are willing to help see you through your times of struggle and your times of triumph. Be ever vigilant, though, in caring for your soul and who you trust in your life with your most intimate struggles. Have no fear, only practice caution, sound judgement, and do all things in love.

Finding God on LSD– a Short Story on Schizophrenia

My first wife, June, was schizophrenic, or so I’ve since surmised. I don’t know that she’d ever been officially diagnosed as schizophrenic, but I knew that she’d been diagnosed as something and I’m guessing it was schizophrenia. Three nights after we met, she called me at my dorm in the middle of the night–woke me up–because she was seeing green men outside her window. I talked to her for a couple hours, until the green men had disappeared. Then I went back to bed but couldn’t sleep. This was in 1966, at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. We were both eighteen, though I was an incoming freshman and she was a returning sophomore.

I was immediately attracted to her. She had a unique style of dress–colorful, gypsy-like–with heavy bangs almost covering her eyes, eyes that were always done up in mascara and turquoise eye-shadow; she had long, straight, pitch black hair, wore lots of inexpensive but amusing jewelry, and was definitely not into blending with the conservative college crowd at WMU. Her style was similar to the early Cher–the slouchy beatnik Cher, not the bedazzling Cher. I sat down across from her one morning in the student union cafeteria, and I guess she’d seen me eying her for a couple of days, because she told me right off she was crazy and I shouldn’t get involved with her.

From that point on, we were inseparable.

She had little “x” scars on her wrists that she told me she’d made herself to mark her arteries, just in case she ever needed to commit suicide quickly. She also went into a long discussion of the proper way to slash your wrists to ensure that the suicide attempt would work–something she’d studied. She also had a number of scars on her forearms from cigarette burns that she’d said had been made by her former boyfriend. She told me she’d spent much of the previous summer in a “nut house” after attempting to commit suicide with prescription pills.

But the most disturbing thing June told me–on numerous occasions–was that she was God. She was always very gentle when she was in this state, so I didn’t fear she’d do anything rash. It wasn’t like when she was hallucinating, which often scared me, especially when the hallucinations she saw were scaring her.  But when she went into her God rap, I argued with her, insisting that she was insulting me by claiming to be my creator, making me nothing more than some idea she had. My arguments just made her laugh. If I asked her what was so funny, she’d say something about how it didn’t make sense for her to be fighting with her dreams.

A lot of guys would have gotten away from her long before they’d learned all this. June wasn’t the girl you wanted to bring home to Mom. But when she wasn’t telling me horror stories about her self-destructive tendencies, or claiming to be God, she was the funniest, most entertaining, most perceptive person I’d ever met. She often had me laughing out loud at her observations on other students, fraternities, sororities, professors on the make, politics, current films, books. We chain-smoked and drank coffee night and day, slept little, missed classes. I had no desire to be anywhere but with her. I was terrified for her and that surely played into my decision not to abandon her. I didn’t know how she could survive in the world.

Most frightening to her was the prospect of finding herself back in the nut house. Every person in a position of even the slightest authority unnerved her–not just a teacher or cop, but a grocery store clerk. She was constantly terrified that someone would figure out that she was mentally ill and have her put away again. Her descriptions of the facility where she’d spent that summer, where she’d felt the doctors and nurses were sadists, were so horrifying to me that I decided to take on the role of white knight and keep her protected.

Plus there was the sex. She was the first woman I’d ever fallen in love with, and the first woman I’d ever had sex with. I was a goner. She loved sex as much as I did, so I did what I had to do.

I convinced her to marry me.

We were both nineteen. Within six months, she was pregnant and the two of us were on a Greyhound bus from Detroit to San Francisco. The race riots had just torn up our downtown Detroit neighborhood and it was scary as hell, like being in a war zone–the constant smell of smoke, the sporadic gunfire, the never-ending sirens–while San Francisco was in the midst of the Summer of Love.

I worked a series of shitty jobs. Dish washer. Shipping clerk. Baggage handler. June absolutely hated that I had to go to work. She would beg me almost daily to stay home. And she’d sweeten the pot by reminding me that I still had a bunch of pink wedges, so I could take the day off, drop acid, and she’d do all the cooking. I could just hang around the house and take showers and listen to the stereo and let her take me back to bed all day.

I liked acid from the first time I tried it. I was fascinated by the complexity I saw in everything. I always took it alone. June didn’t want it. One of the reasons she liked it when I took it was that we connected so incredibly well when I was tripping.

On one of my trips, we were in our basement studio apartment and my mind started racing. I was just coming on, and what was running through my head was June’s argument that she was God. We were both standing, dancing more or less, just swaying, looking at each other, a Frank Zappa LP on the turntable. I was about to say something about her claim to being God, when it occurred to me that I was God. And I’d created her (and everything else in the Universe). And as soon as I had this thought–and it struck me as the absolute truth, something I should always have known since it seemed so obvious—my face must have been expressing it somehow (shock? horror? terror? amusement?) and June suddenly went from just looking at me to looking at me like she’d heard my thoughts, and she started laughing at me and pointing at me and saying, I knew you’d see it! I knew you’d see it!

We talked about it for hours in that way people have conversations when they’re tripping, where you say as much with your hands and your eyes as with words. And we made a pact that–although I knew for a fact that I was God, and she knew for a fact that she was God–we wouldn’t argue about it, because regardless of which of us was right, it’s futile to fight with your dreams.

After that trip, I never contradicted her again when she told me she was God. And though I never did find out if she’d been officially diagnosed as schizophrenic, or some other category of crazy, I felt I was meant to be with her, and she was meant to be with me.

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