Mind Altering Drugs

       The war on drugs is the longest lasting war in the history of our country.  Over a trillion dollars, not to count the man hours, destruction of property, injury of bodies and loss of life, has been spent in this war.  Drugs threaten the very fabric of our society. Families are hurt as well as the individual whose life is ruined by the use of the illicit drugs.  Legalization of drugs may be the expedient answer, however, without the reconstruction of the moral fiber of the general public, it could simply exacerbate the problem.  Without the will power and self control of a religious and moral people, a government based on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness cannot be obtained.

        After the civil war, our government introduced heroin (because it wasn't addicting) to get the soldiers off of being addicted to morphine.  Dr. Siegmund Freud thought that cocaine would be a cure for morphine addiction.  In1972 President Nixon declared the "War on Drugs".  Today, over 20 million Americans are estimated to use illegal hard drugs, in addition to the estimated 20 million marijuana users.  It is estimated that another 6 million use psychotherapeutic drugs.  This is the largest per capita use of drugs in the world.  Marijuana supplies about half of the revenue of the Mexican drug cartels.  Apparently the "war on drugs" has been ineffective.

         The immoderate use of alcohol is known to have destroyed innumerable lives.  Prohibition and the war on drugs both have proven to be failures.  A current battle in the drug wars is the conflict between the federal and state governments.  Some states have legalized medical dope, while recently others have legalized recreational use.

 

         According to Rep. Darrel Issa, there are three elements to the drug trade: drugs, guns and money.  Therefore we see that drugs, as well as guns and money represent power. "The only industry that is more profitable than the drug industry is the arms industry." (Jason Howerton)  Power, and the ability to control people, has always been the opiate of the well connected. 

 

Conspiracy theories

1. The CIA runs drugs.  Since the time of President Clinton's run for president, we have heard rumors of our government's involvement in the drug trade. There were also rumors during the Vietnam war.  The CIA may also be involved in the gun trade.  Both guns and drugs bring in large amounts of cash.

 2. The Fast and Furious gun scandal put thousands of automatic weapons in the hands of drug runners.  The congressional investigation into the scandal was stonewalled by the executive branch of our government. 

3. The borders are not secured in order to facilitate the flow of drugs.

4. HSBC, a global bank, is said to have laundered billions of dollars for Mexican cartels.

5. The prison "industry" doesn't want the drug war to end because the prison business is such a thriving industry.  

 

Facts

1. "Coca-Cola was launched in 1885 by John S. Pemberton, in Atlanta, Georgia. At first, it came as an alcoholic beverage, called French Wine Cola, inspired by Vin Mariani, the creation of French chemist Angelo Mariani. Vin Mariani was marketed in Europe since 1863 and contained cocaine (some 6 mg per ounce), with the purpose of enhancing its tonic properties. Vin Mariani was most successful in those years and highly appreciated by such celebrities as Jules Verne, Auguste Rodin, Alexandre Dumas, Thomas Edison, and H. G. Wells. Pope Leo XIII himself awarded Mariani the Gold Medal of the Vatican. However, the French Wine Cola hardly enjoyed any commercial success in the US. When Atlanta banned alcoholic beverages in 1886, Pemberton decided to give up the alcohol in the formula, and maintain the basic elements, extracted from the coca leaves and the kola nut, together with some caffeine, for a carbonated soft drink, who took the name of Coca-Cola.

The use of cocaine in those days was very popular, highly advocated by physicians and pharmacists as a remedy for many conditions. Cultivated for centuries in South America by locals who used to chew its leaves for their refreshing effect, coca was brought to Europe in the 16th century. Isolated and identified by the German chemist Koller in the 1850s, the main alkaloid of coca was called cocaine. Its virtues were recognized by psychiatrists, like Siegmund Freud, who endorsed it as a treatment for morphine addiction. Cocaine also proved to have anaesthetic properties, and it was introduced in the practice of eye surgery. It was also considered very effective against asthma, hay fever, sinusitis, toothaches, indigestion, fatigue, and impotence. William A. Hammond, a former Surgeon General of the United States, suggested it as a cure for stomach irritability, excessive mental exertion, hysteria, and masturbation. Manufactured in various forms, from powder to solutions, and from cigarettes to intravenous injections, cocaine was advertised with slogans like "a brain tonic for exhaustion", " a cure for all nervous affections", "a tonic for elderly people who are easily tired", and "it supplies the place of food, makes the coward brave, and the silent eloquent."

By the end of the 19th century, many American soft drinks contained cocaine (one of them was plainly called "Dope"), and they were served mainly from soda fountains. Coca-Cola only had some 0.75 mg per ounce, but this was still enough to induce obvious euphoric and tonic effects. In 1887, the pharmacist and businessman Asa G. Candler (later to become the mayor of Atlanta) bought the trademark of Coca Cola from John Pemberton for $2,300.

Overlooked for a few decades, the addictive capacity of cocaine became recognized however in the 1880s. Newspaper reports, the description of a "cocainist" delirium case by dr. Freud, and the book of Annie Meyer, "Eight Years in Cocaine Hell" contributed to public acknowledgement of cocaine's harmful effects. As early as 1887, US states begun enacting laws against cocaine abuse. By 1890, the Medical Record reported some 400 cases of addiction to the drug. An investigation by a committee of the Connecticut State Medical Society in 1896 concluded that cocaine was a major cause of drug dependency, and "the danger of addiction outweighs the little efficacy attributed to the remedy." In 1901, a Mississippi law prohibited the sale of cocaine without a prescription. The 1903 "Report of Committee on the Acquirement of Drug Habits" from the American Pharmaceutical Association stated that ninety percent of cocaine addicts "have fallen victim to its influence through use of prescriptions or patent medicines containing the drug", and declared that most users were "bohemians, gamblers, high- and low-class prostitutes, night porters, bell boys, burglars, racketeers, pimps, and casual laborers". President William Taft proclaimed cocaine as Public Enemy No. 1, and in 1914 the Congress passed the Harrison act, which tightly regulated the distribution and sale of cocaine.

It was in 1903 that Asa Candler decided to remove cocaine from Coca Cola. However, at that time Candler only owned the name of "Coca-Cola", but he had no patent on the syrup itself. Therefore, he believed that his product's name had to be descriptive, and that he must have had at least some by-product of the coca leaf in the syrup to protect his right to the name Coca-Cola; the name was the thing of real value, and the registered trademark was its only safeguard. So, the chemists of the Coca-Cola company did their best (with the available technology) to extract cocaine from the coca leaves. After 1904, the beverage only contained molecular traces of cocaine, until complete removal was achieved in 1929. Presently, Coca Cola uses a cocaine-free coca leaf extract prepared at a Stepan Company plant in Maywood, New Jersey.

So, for those who are still fearful of addiction, let them be reassured: there is absolutely no trace of cocaine in our cokes today!" ( by Stephen Janowsky, http://www.helium.com/items/1135114-coca-cola-cocaine-pemberton-candler)

2. "7Up used to contain lithium. In fact, the soda used to be named "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda"! This soon got shortened to "7Up Lithiated Lemon Soda," and then just "7Up" in 1936. But why is having lithium as an ingredient strange? Because lithium is used as one of the most common treatments for bipolar disorder!

Its creator, Charles Grigg, included the substance in the soda's formula because he thought it could be used as a selling point. He believed the naturally-occurring lithia found in underground springs that could be promoted as a mood regulator! If you're concerned about the content of the 7Up you're drinking these days, don't worry - lithium was removed from the soda over half a century ago." (http://www.omg-facts.com/Technology/7Up-Used-To-Contain-Lithium/28804)

Drug Addiction Facts

"Here are some facts that may surprise or sadden you about drug abuse and addiction. As with most issues about addiction, there is much that is unexpected; the costs are much higher than expected and much of what people believe to be true about drugs is wrong.

"Marijuana is not harmful or addictive" is often stated by those who use it regularly. Research, that's more than a decade old, shows that in fact marijuana is addictive and in fact is causing one of the highest incidence of addiction in the United States. This shows that we believe what we want to believe about drugs."  (http://www.drug-addiction-support.org/drug-addiction-facts.html)

          As we can see, our country has had a long history of drug and alcohol usage and abuse.  Two of the necessary items to maintain good health for the Pilgrims and Puritans were beer and lemon juice.  Satan has been extremely successful in supplying mankind with things that keep us from living the way our creator would like us to.

          Anything that separates us from the mind of Christ is detrimental.  Hypnosis is a form of sorcery and wizardry and therefore is easily discerned as being other than from the Lord, while drugs are more subtle in their temptation.  It is hard to recognize the voice of our Sheppard when our minds are wandering around in a maze of hypnosis or drugs.

          When God created the world, He gave us everything we need to live life abundantly.  Some things, however, although having advantageous properties do also have undesirable qualities.  Could it be that this is the reason the Bible says "everything in moderation"?  God did say not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: but we did anyway.

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My Conjecture About Some Biblical Miracles

          After watching a TV program, on History Channel called "Proving God", I came to the conclusion that the "scientists" explanations of how God accomplished things differed from mine (and the Bible's).  Scientists tend to   look for natural explanations for miracles in the Bible, while forgetting that since God created everything, everything is natural. 

A.      The first "miracle" discussed was the crossing of the Red Sea by the Hebrews.  Essentially the scientists said that a force of wind conditions could have separated the waters and a change in the winds could have let the water return.  One of the scientists said that Moses could have been a very good and lucky weather forecaster.  I find a couple of things to have been different than the scientific explanations. 

1.  God told Moses to hold up the stick in his hand and the sea did its thing.  God, not a wind did it; although God could have used His wind and His waves to control things like Jesus did in Luke 8:22-25: "Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.  But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commands even the winds and water, and they obey him."

2. The Hebrews crossed on dry ground.  Exodus 14:16 says: "  But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea."  That would have taken quite a while for the wind to have dried out the muddy sea bed.  Since the wind couldn't have dried out the sea bed, the Egyptians couldn't have followed the Hebrews across the sea bed as their chariots would have sunk in the mud. God dried out the sea bed, as He had His own plans for the Egyptian army.  The scientists called this a bohr wave caused by a wind set down.

As we can see, it was Moses and God who accomplished this miracle; not Charlton Heston and Cecil B. DeMille.

B.      Another example of Jumping off into the scientific deep end, would be the search for the "Ark of the Covenant".  Instead of starting off on a biblical adventure, one should glean all the information possible from he original source. It is my contention that the Bible tells us exactly where the "Ark" is.  Revelation 11:19 states : " And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament:"  Current scientific thinking is that the Ark is buried somewhere in Jerusalem or perhaps in Ethiopia (because the Jews there have blood sacrifices).    

C.      The scientists have discovered what they call the "God gene" in our DNA.  "The God gene hypothesis proposes that a specific gene (VMAT2) predisposes humans towards spiritual or mystic experiences. The idea has been postulated by geneticist Dean Hamer, the director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, and author of the 2005 book The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into our Genes." (Wikipedia)  The scientists conjecture that religion is the result of  environment while spirituality has very little environmental component.  The supposition is that the God gene determines the amount of your spirituality, whereas the Bible says it is your relationship with the Lord.  One of the scientists said the Moses experience with the burning bush could have been God talking with Moses or the result of Moses eating a bad mushroom.  I have to ask if Moses ate the same kind of mushrooms every time he went up on the mountain.

D.   Dr. Andrew Newberg, director o research of integrated medicine at Thomas Jefferson University, has found that the parietal lobe in the brain, in essence, quiets down  when someone prays.  Perhaps this phenomenon is what happens when we humble ourselves and turn ourselves completely over to God's will, and are enabled to speak or pray in tongues or prophesy.   Dr. Newberg calls this mentally loosing track of their surroundings or becoming one with the universe. 

          Some say that science and the Bible are not compatible. I present the following list of scientists as proof that science is completely compatible with God and the Bible.  All of the major disciplines of  science were invented by Christian men who believed in the Bible.  This list was compiled by the late G. James Kennedy.

Francis Bacon was the inventor of the scientific method. 

Joseph Lister – Antiseptic Surgery

Louis Pasteur = bacteriology

Sir Isaac Newton – Calculus

Johann Kepler – Celestial Mechanics

Robert Boyle – Chemistry

Georges Cuvier – Comparative Anatomy

Charles Babbahe – Computer Science

Lord Rayleigh – Dimensional Analysis

Sir Isaac Newton – Dynamics

James Clark Maxwell – Electrodynamics

Michael Faraday – Electromagnetics

Ambrose Fleming – Electronics

Lord Kelvin – Energetics

Henri Fabre – Entomology of Living Insects

Michael Faraday – Field Theory

George Stokes – Fluid Mechanics

William Herschel – Galactic Astronomy

Robert Boyle – Gas Dynamics

Gregor Mendel – Genetics

Louis Agassiz – Glacial Geology

James Simpson – Gynecology

Leonardo Da Vinci – Hydrolics

Matthew Maury – Hydrography

Blaise Pascal –Hydrostatics

Louis Adassiz – Ichthyologl

William Ramsay – Isotropic Chemistry

Lord Rayleigh – Model Analysis

John Ray – Natural History

Bernhard Riemann – Non-Euclidean Geometry

Matthew Maury – Oceanography

David Brewster – Optical Mineralogy

John Woodward – Paleontology

Rudolph Vichow – Pathology

Johann Kepler – Physical Astronomy

James Joule = Reversible Thermodynamics

James Clark Maxwell – Statistical Thermodynamics

Nicholas Steno – Stratigraphy

Carolus Linnaeus – Systematic Biology

Lord Kelvin – Thermodynamics

Humphrey Davy – Thermokinetics

Georges Cuvier – Vertebrate Paleontology

          Each of these men believed in the Creation as described in the Bible and the saving power of Jesus the Christ.  These are serious scientific disciplines with documented proof.  They are not unscientific guessing like evolution, that has no scientific proof to back it up.

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Count the Costs

          Well Lord, this is another one of those times when I write out my thoughts and feelings in hopes of coming closer to seeing things from your perspective, and in doing so, searching once again for that ‘peace that passes understanding.’  Being a follower of Christ doesn’t come without a cost, a price to be paid.  In my spirit, I know that whatever the cost, to gain Christ is far more precious than anything else that I may loose in this world.  Part of the cost can often be an alienation from the ones we hold dear and love here on earth.  Look at a lesson from history when the Nazi’s, controlling the youth, set family member against family member. In this increasingly anti Christian atmosphere of today, it is not far fetched to think the very same thing couldn’t happen once again here in America.   Even as I feel such sadness, I thank the Lord that He is well acquainted with our feelings. He understands exactly what we are going through, for there is nothing that has touched humanity that He Himself did not experience in a far greater depth than any of us could ever imagine.  There it is right there.  I could stop right here, for He has already given me the answer.  I am humbled and feel so sorry for indulging in my little pity parties for my momentary afflictions, when I consider the greater price that He paid to restore me, and all others who will choose to have faith in Him, that we might gain an eternal relationship with Him.  When I am reminded that He left the Father and all the glories of Heaven to be afflicted, despised, scorned and rejected here on earth to pay the ultimate price of sacrifice on the cross, then it brings to the forefront a realization that any sufferings or afflictions that I may incur are miniscule in comparison.  Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, of sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands with persecution; and in the world to come eternal life.” (Mark 10: 29, 30)  We can never out give the Lord.

          Years ago, I had to make a choice: whether or not to continue on the path with God, even if it meant that I might loose the husband that I love so much.  At the time, he was not a believer.  Satan had whispered in my ear: “Are you sure you want to do this?  Remember that He (God) said that in surrendering your life to Him, your life would be forever changed.  What if that could mean that in choosing God, you will loose your husband?”  Somehow, the Holy Spirit gave me the courage and power to make the right choice.  I knew in my spirit that I couldn’t wait and see what Rick’s choice would be; I had to go on in my own journey to be with the Lord no matter what!  I have thanked the Lord for that decision over and over again throughout my life.  As it turned out, only months later, Rick too made the decision to choose to believe in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.  In one month, we will have been married for forty eight years.  Praise the Lord, we were made one not only in the flesh but also in the spirit through Christ, and He has been with us all the way through many storms of life.

          We were blessed with three children whom we endeavored to bring up in the faith of the Lord in hopes they would not go astray.  It is our greatest desire that they and their children would receive Jesus that we may all be together in eternity one day.  Presently, sad to say, the deception of false gods and apostate teachings are on the increase in this secular, and increasingly lawless, world. People who choose to forget God will pay the highest price of eternal separation from God. Yes, Satan is like a roaring lion, roaming to and fro, seeking whom he can devour.     In these last days it is not popular to study the Word of God, and it’s even more unpopular to believe that it is truth and therefore should be the instruction book by which we are to live out our lives.  In my writings, and conversations about the Lord, I have always asserted that no one should take my word for anything, but rather always check out what I say, as well as any of our own opinions, with the truth in the Word of God.  That said, I have often been accused of speaking the “gospel according to Ginger,” even when I have presented the scriptures themselves to testify of its own truth.  Those who believe in the truth of the Word are more often than not called bigots, haters, and intolerant.  Tolerance has been redefined as not only having to make allowances for the differences in others, but now one must also accept, condone, and deem as equally good the very things that are not right nor good according to the Word of God.  We have truly become the peoples as depicted in the latter days: calling good evil and evil good; always seeking to learn, but never learning the truth; and having the semblance of religion but lacking the power thereof.  The world doesn’t mind if we pray, as long as we don’t pray in the name of Jesus or in the name of The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  The sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is said to be irrelevant and unnecessary for there are many paths to God, and the Cross is deemed a useless part of Christian mythology.  Mankind doesn’t need a Savior for he can be his own savior and god and do enough good to work his own way to heaven.  Furthermore, there are even those who teach that there is no Hell, Satan is only a symbolic figure, and everyone goes to Heaven no matter who or what one believes in.  Who needs to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah?  What could that possibly prove, except that He was the only one that was truly all good, all God while also being human and the only one ever capable of paying the price for the sins of man.  Oh wait a minute, that word ‘sin’, I forget that it doesn’t really exist anymore either for man has decided that there is no longer any good nor evil, for whatever pleases him is right and acceptable.   Unfortunately, these ungodly teachings are even being found within the church itself and the people are so biblically illiterate they don’t even know the difference between God’s truth and the lies of the devil. 

          Unfortunately many, even among those who profess to be Christians, are reducing the Gospel of Jesus Christ down to only part of His truth, and in doing so they water down and corrupt the full counsel of the Word of God.  They will proclaim that God is love and so as long as we just all ‘love one another’ nothing else matters.  Christians will love others, saved of not.  But that does mean that we are not to use discernment and recognize that sin does exist, and we do a greater harm to one another when we don’t reprove and rebuke ourselves and one another when we fall into the practice of sin. In the eyes of the world, it is unloving and bigoted to point out anything as wrong or sinful, even though the consequences of sin is always going to cause harm and even death.

          Recently, as a result of my colonoscopy, a large polyp was found and the doctor was unable to simply remove it.  Instead, I had to have surgery to remove it along with a good portion of my intestines.  Further lab work disclosed that it was in the very last stage before turning into cancer.  I was saved from the disastrous effects of a horrible thing that could have led to my death at the worst, or expensive and very uncomfortable remedies and treatments at the very least.  Now, my doctor could have told me not to worry about the polyp, just let it remain there, and I would be just fine.  Thankfully I had a doctor that would not lie to me, but was willing to tell me the truth and remove that which could only bring me harm.  Telling me the truth, and then taking the action to rid me of the harmful thing, was what I would call true love.  Was the surgery pleasant and without pain?  Was it costly financially and physically?  Did it require effort and work, discipline and a personal commitment to recover from it?  Did I need the skillful hands of the surgeon to remove the insidious thing that was attempting to grow and destroy me?  Did I need the hand of the Lord to be there with me and carry me through it every step of the way?  The obvious answer to all of those questions is a resounding yes.  Though this procedure was unpleasant, it was still necessary for my total well being and recovery. 

          O I can just hear it now –the questions and accusations that arise out of doubt and unbelief.  Where was your God when your baby girl died after living for only one hour because she was born with her organs all in the wrong place?  Where was your God when your husband lost his job?  Where was your God when other bad things happened to you and your family?  What if that polyp had already become cancer?  What if the cancer was terminal? Where was the healing hand of your God then?  My answer is, Praise the Lord, He has already restored me unto Himself.  He continues to teach me His ways and wipes my slate clean each time I repent because, in my humanity, I have strayed from His path and into sin.  He has already prepared a place for me that where He is I may be also.  Healing in its fullness will be totally received in every way when I see my Lord face to face.  This world is a corrupt and fallen world.  When the rain falls, it falls on both the believer and unbeliever.  He never promised me that there wouldn’t be any troubles in my life.  He did promise that He would be there to comfort me and help me through them.  I lost my baby girl and never even got to hold her.  Yet every time Satan and grief would try to come in like a flood,  He replaced that grief and the lies of the devil with the most wonderful visions of her made whole, well, and dancing with joy and glee in her heart in the presence of her most magnificent, glorious and loving  Heavenly Father.  How in the world could I stay sad with the knowledge of that forever in my heart?  How could I hold onto grief when He turned my morning into joy by the site of the two precious children he had already blessed me with? How could hopelessness have any part of me when He later blessed us with the birth of our second son, who was carried to full term and delivered in complete wholeness and good health, even after the doctors had warned me against getting pregnant again? This faith, this hope, this trust is all a part of God’s gift of salvation in the here and now.  He is not a mythical, symbolic, or allegorical kind of pie in the sky god created in the imagination of mankind.  He is The Real One and Only Living God who has made Him self known through His Word and His Living Son who sits at the right side of the Father forever interceding for you and I.  None of this is  earned or obtained through any efforts or works of my own.  All of it is the gift of God because of His mercy and grace and because He loved you and I first.  He is not a respecter of persons, but has offered His gift of salvation to anyone who will trust and believe in Him.  The only way one can be left out of the redemption of this plan of salvation is to make the personal choice to reject Him and refuse to accept the gift He so freely offers to all.         

          Yet we are led to believe by popular opinion of the day that godly love does not also carry the responsibility to receive Him by faith, or to speak God’s truth to ourselves or to other believers.  We are led to believe that real love is to deny the existence of the sin nature of mankind, that man is inherently good, and given enough time, man can lift them selves up into a perfected manmade utopia created by the unity of brotherhood. The particular path of enlightenment that one chooses to follow is to be limited only by his own imaginations. Since there are many paths to God in this New Age way of thinking, it does not matter what god you believe in for there is no longer One True and Living God.  Yes, the foundations for the godless one world religion of the latter days have been firmly planted.

          In the physical world, we are all gung-ho to remove the cancer that is about to consume us.  However, when it comes to recognizing the cancer of sin and the need for its removal, we are automatically cautioned by these words: “Judge not lest ye be judged.”  They are used in error to try to erase our need to recognize and repent of sin in our lives.  Using godly discernment, as the word cautions us to do, is not being judgmental.  It is the tool of godly discernment that enables us to distinguish between good and evil; to recognize sin in our lives that the Holy Spirit might convict us of that sinfulness and lead us to repentance.  Isn’t it ironic that we humans often seem to find it so easy to understand that love is expressed by encouraging one to get rid of the physical cancer, yet it is considered hateful and unloving to direct attention to the cancer of sin that is attacking us spiritually and destroying us just as surely as the physical cancer.  It is considered more loving to ignore it, lie about it, or deny its existence. We are encouraged by this new ‘normal’ morality which refuses to recognize sin any longer, to believe that love condones sinfulness, and even redefines it as good and acceptable.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go to a doctor who is going to feign love for me by lying to me and telling me I’m going to be just fine while he knows I’m not.  Neither do I want a friend to tell me I’m doing just fine when he knows I’m being eaten alive by doubt, unbelief, immorality, bitterness, and so on.  To my way of thinking, a friend that is not willing to impart truth about spiritual matters is even more dangerous than one who would lie about physical matters.  The physical lie could lead to my physical death, but the spiritual lie could lead to my eternal death.      

          In today’s world, it is considered to be bigoted, self righteous, judgmental hate speech to call homosexuality or any type of sexual immorality a sin, whether it is for the homosexual or heterosexual.  We are to call living together outside of the bonds of marriage simply an acceptable life style.  We are to proclaim the equality of same sex marriage as right and good, and God’s covenant of marriage between a man and a woman as outdated, old fashioned, and unnecessary.  We are to exalt a woman’s right of ‘choice’ as more valuable than the life of the unborn baby that God has ‘knitted together’ in the womb of the mother.  We teach members of society to be satisfied with being dependent upon the state rather than being dependent upon and trusting in the Lord.  We are forced to give more and more of our personal finances to the state rather than being able to give ‘cheerfully’ and voluntarily to help our fellow man.  We learn that a father is not needed and has no need to act responsibly, for the state will replace him as care taker of his family.  The mother who chooses to stay home to raise her children is considered to be unproductive and therefore unfulfilled.  Our elders are no longer held in a position of respect for the wisdom they have learned as a result of the many life lessons that they have already endured.  More parents no longer deem it a necessary part of life to study the word of God for themselves that they may grow closer to God, and in turn teach and bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Children are more often taught to consider their own self esteem more important than obeying and respecting their parents, or anyone else for that matter, turning them into self centered beings without consideration or the ability to demonstrate selfless love towards others.  Thus they are made loveless, undisciplined, arrogant and prideful beings through no fault of their own.  True wisdom and knowledge is gained through a reverential awe (fear) of the Lord. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”  The children of today are being robbed of the most precious gifts God has for them for they are not being taught of the Lord.  Instead, being an independent thinker, separate and apart from the word of God, is being exalted and valued more than being taught of the Lord. They are being subjected to the teachings of every ‘ism’ man can imagine. They are not being taught from the Bible, God’s instruction book, that they might be equipped properly for life to have the ‘mind of Christ’ and think like He does – to see things from God’s perspective instead of thinking too highly of one’s own opinions and ability to reason.  God warns us not to lean unto our own understanding apart from His commandments and statutes, for that will only lead us down the path of pridefulness, lawlessness and self destruction.  Isn’t it ironic! God gives man the gift of the ability to think and reason.  Man turns around and tells God He isn’t needed anymore because he (man) is able to “think for himself” with little or no input from His Creator. A picture of pure arrogance!!

          I reflect back upon my life with thanksgiving unto God for I do not speak from an attitude of look how great I am.  I know full well the truth of the statement, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”  Once again, I give all glory and honor unto Him, the giver and Creator of my life.  If there be a cost, or loss of anything in this world because of my choice to follow Him, my loss has been of no more than temporal things.  God always speaks precious words of truth that can never be surpassed: Jesus said, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed; when he cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8: 34 – 38)  “…Who is my mother? And who are my brethren?” And He stretched out His hand towards His disciples, and said, “Behold my mother and my brethren!  For whosoever will do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matthew 12: 48, 49, 50)            The Lord once spoke to me as I was entering my house: “If you were to loose this house and everything in it, God would still be God.”  I acknowledged that the word was from Him even though I did not understand the full meaning of it.  Over the years, He has reminded me of it and little by little, He continues to reveal more of what He wants me to understand. There is nothing on this earth that is more precious or valuable than He is.  Gold and silver are but dirt in comparison to Him.  If I lose anything in this world because of my choice to follow Him, He has already given precious blessings in granting me the privilege of just knowing Him and experiencing His wonderful presence even in the limited manner of my own finite human nature.  And He has let me know that there is so much more to come.  “But it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (I Corinthians 2: 9)  Count the cost of following Christ? In comparison, there is only gain.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

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The Knowledge of Good and Evil

The truth about good and evil can not be separated from God for, apart from God, true knowledge and understanding of the difference between the two can not be known. Without God, man's understanding of good or evil is forever changing and is always based on his own vain imaginations of what is acceptable in his own sight. Apart from God, there is no truth, but only a temporary thought or idea without any solid foundation. One just makes up his own truth as he goes along, changing it to whatever pleases himself at any given time and place. In contrast, God and His Word are unchanging for He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We can put our trust in Him and in His word for what He says He means. His Word is settled and will endure to the end, No Matter What mankind may make up to try to replace it or change it! God does NOT lie. God's Word is "sharper than a two edged sword," given to us that we might not be deceived by Satan, the world, or our own hearts. Through God's Word, He teaches us and has forewarned us against that which can only bring us harm, and also enlightens our understanding about that which He has meant for our good. God is not 'a religion.’ He is The Great "I Am!" Jesus did not say, "I am a religion." If He had, all religions would be equal to each other and there would be no more cause to have faith in Him as the Sun god would be just as powerful and good as the Son of God, and it really wouldn't matter who or what one believed in. Let The Word speak for itself. Jesus said, "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life". Psalm 119 is devoted to stressing the importance of the Word of God. Here are but a few verses that should encourage each of us to read the Written Word of The Lord that we might draw closer to God and love Him, not only because of what He does, but because of Who He Is. Read the following words and drink them in for they are the "bread of life" that can satisfy your soul.  "O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments." "With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee."  "Open thou my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."  "For ever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven." "Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.”  "I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.”  "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" "Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.”  “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  "Depart from me, ye evil doers: for I will keep the commandments of my God."  "Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way."  "The entrance of thy words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple.”  These are but a few of the verses from Psalm 119 which expounds upon the value and importance of The Word in our lives. Jesus is the living Word. He told us that He did not come to do away with the law, but that the law through Him would be fulfilled.

            God has warned us, "Be not deceived." It is better to be 'simple' in the eyes of mankind that you might be made 'wise' in and through the Son of God, who is Emanuel, meaning 'God with us.’  Choose to study the Word of God that you may know to repent of sin (evil). Be saved through faith in Jesus Christ that you may be redeemed by the Son of God, who loved you so much that He gave His life that you and I might be saved, not by our good works, but to do good works that we might glorify and magnify The Lord our God. He alone is all good and worthy of praise, and not we ourselves. Choose to do the will of God (good) that you might resist temptation to do evil (that which is against the will of God.) For the power to know and do the will of God you must repent, be born again through faith in The Lord Jesus Christ, and receive the gift of the Holy Sprit.  It is He who leads and guides us into all truth that you might be transformed into the image of God by the power of His Word. Today is the day of salvation. Ask His forgiveness. He is quick to forgive for His mercy and grace is great, and He always keeps His promises. Open your heart and invite Him to come in to be your Lord and Savior. Choose to love and serve The Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit. It will not be a journey without consequences for He has forewarned us that as the world hated and persecuted Him, we too would be hated and persecuted by the world.  From the worldly point of view, the cost is great; however, the rewards are far greater than anything this world can offer. Receive Jesus, receive salvation here and now, receive eternal life to live with Him in Heaven for ever and ever!!! How can anyone resist such an offer?  "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.( wrought in: done through) (John 3:16- 21)

 

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Today is the Day of Salvation

            None of us is guaranteed a tomorrow or even the next moment. Perhaps it is the reality of that truth that gives a deeper understanding to the concept of "Today is the day of salvation." Why does the word of God even say that? I never thought it through before, until this morning. Then it finally dawned on me the truth of what God was imparting. Or at least I think I finally understand it in part. The idea of the element of time exists only for mankind, not for God. God has known the ending of my time on earth even before my beginning had occurred. So from God's perspective, He is saying to me, "Ginger, this very moment in time is important. Value it and make the most of it. Yesterday is gone, and nothing I do can retrieve it or bring it back. Having regrets about yesterday and what might have been accomplished but wasn't, is a useless waste of time. In the same sense, putting off until tomorrow what could be done today is also a loss of an opportunity, for tomorrow may never come for you or I. Only God knows that moment in time when our life here on earth is finished, and it is our time to enter into eternity. God doesn't say this to instill in us a fear of death. Rather, His point is that 'today' is that I have been granted. It is my choice, my opportunity, to use this moment in time to serve Him and fulfill His purpose.

            So what is my conclusion about this one kernel of truth that "Today is the day of salvation"? It's my opportunity to make sure that I am resting securely in the Ark, not Noah's Ark, but the Ark of Salvation of faith in Jesus Christ that provides my passage into the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, today is "the day of salvation" to invite someone else into the Ark of Jesus that they too might choose to enter into the safety of His open arms also, before it’s too late and those doors are closed shut once again. We can get lost in a sea of regrets.  What can be accomplished by dwelling on past mistakes of how things were done or left undone? But I can learn from the past in order not to keep repeating the same past mistakes.

            As for tomorrow, who can know what lies ahead except for God?  Any plans made for tomorrow could be drastically altered at any moment.  My brother-in-law began a normal day heading out to work.  Yet, his plans were altered in one split second when a drunk driver crashed into his car, killing him right then.  Praise the Lord; he was prepared to meet His Lord face to face.  He had not put off his decision to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior.  He was prepared to spend eternity with the Lord.  Yes, it was a sad moment for his loved ones who were left behind.  Yet even their grief was turned into joy by the knowledge that he was already rejoicing in the presence of the Lord.    

            Today, you and I can make the choice to surrender our lives to the Lord, speak a word in time to tell another about the wondrous good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, or demonstrate His love through kind words or deeds. None of us is responsible for another's response to Jesus. However, each of us is held accountable for not presenting the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ when we had the opportunity to do.  What if someone you know and love was to die tomorrow and you knew they had died without receiving Jesus and you had never even tried to tell them about the Lord?  Some would try to tell us that, "now is not the time" or "this is not the place", but God says "This IS the day of SALVATION," either for your self or for another." IF we truly love one another, we can live out our lives on purpose making the most of every teachable moment to spread the good news of God's love and the power of His word.  God does not want anyone to perish ( die in sin). Rather, it is His desire that all would choose to enter into the Ark of Jesus Christ - His plan of redemption and eternal salvation for any and all who would choose to get on board by faith and enter into the family of God. Yes, TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION!!  Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow may never come.  Choose to live this day on purpose to the glory of God our Savior. “Today is the day that the Lord has made; rejoice and be glad in it.”

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What Christians Believe

         For those who don’t realize it, Jesus is not a Christian.  Now that I’ve gotten some of you bent all out of shape, let me explain: Jesus is the Messiah. There is only one Messiah, and it is the belief in Him that makes us Christians.  If we repent (change our minds) and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, believe in Him with all out heart soul and mind, give Him his rightful place as Lord of our life and testify of Him before others, we qualify as Christians.  This is summed up in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” and Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”  To the contrary, if you haven’t received Jesus into your heart, confessed it, and believe that God raised Him from the dead, you simply don’t qualify as a Christian.

          If you believe in Jesus, you must also believe in the Bible, because “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”.  Jesus is the Word – that means that the Living Word of God is Jesus.

         If you are born again, Jesus is the Lord of your life.  If Jesus is the Lord of your life, do you trust what He says?  How can some people say they are Christian, but don’t trust the word of God to be true?  How can it be that you trust Jesus but not His Word: since He is His Word?  It has well been established that the Bible is the Word of God.  With all the different translations of the Bible, how do we know which one to trust?  I prefer the King James Version, however, God can get the gist of what He wants to convey through many different versions.

          It is not our faith that saves us but the Grace of God, in whom and by whom our faith is founded.  By repentance (changing our mind) and accepting the Grace that God offers through acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are given the faith to live for Him.  There are rewards that we receive, once we make that first step: peace beyond understanding, eternal life with the Lord in Heaven, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the power to prevail against evil.  We are however, expected to grow in our Christianity.  Paul says we need to move on from the milk of the gospels to the meat of the gospels.  1 Corinthians 3:2 says: "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able."  Hebrews 5:12 says:  "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."  Paul also said: strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The basic, essential beliefs of a Christian are:

          1.  Jesus is Lord: part of the trinity of God the Father, Jesus the Son( the Word)  and the Holy Spirit of God.

          2.  The Bible is the Word of God and was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Biblical inerrancy is a fact.

          3.  Jesus was born of a virgin; conceived by the Holy Spirit.

          4.  Jesus died for all of the sins, for all of the people.  Although all of us sin,      those sins can't keep us from entering the kingdom of God.

          5.  Jesus rose again on the third day.

          6.  Jesus is coming back.

          7.  The resurrection of the Saints.

The Scriptural basis for those beliefs are:

          1. Jesus is Lord: part of the trinity of God the Father, Jesus the Son (the Word) and the Holy Spirit of God.   1 John 5:7-8 says: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."  Matthew 28:19 says: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"  John 15:26 says:  "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me:"  Galatians 4:6 says: "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."

          2.  Biblical inerrancy - 2 Peter 1:20-21 says: “ Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”2 Timothy 3:16 says: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" 

          3.  Virgin birth of Jesus - Isaiah 7:14 says: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."  Why does it matter if Jesus was conceived by a man or the Holy Spirit?  If Jack married Harriet and Bill got Harriet pregnant, the baby would be Bill’s and not Jack’s.  If Jesus was conceived by a man, through the seed which is corrupted by sin, He would not be God.  Mary had to be a virgin so that she would not have been defiled by man, when Jesus was conceived.  Matthew 1:23 says: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

          4.  Substitutionary atonement - 1 Peter 3:18 says: "For Christ also           suffered once for sins, the righteous ... ... For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in ..."  Hebrews 9:28 says: "so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins .. .. so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again ...".  Romans 5:8 says: "But God  commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"

          5. The literal resurrection of Christ - Jesus rose again on the third   day.  Romans 8:34 says: "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."  2 Corinthians 5:14 -          15 says: "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if  one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again."  Acts 4:33 says: "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the         Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all."

          6.  Jesus is coming back.   The Nicene Creed, in current use, includes the following beliefs about Jesus: "...he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. ... We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come."  John 14:3 says: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there   ye may be also."  Revelation 22:20 says: "He (Jesus) which testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord     Jesus."  Matthew 25:31-46 says:  “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne." Hebrews 9:28 says: "So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." 1 Thessalonians      4:16-17 says: "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God."

          7.  The resurrection of the Saints.  John 11:25 says: "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"  Romans 6:5 says: "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:"  John 12:3 says: "I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." 

          The fundamentals of Christianity above are not the end all of Christian knowledge.  They are in reality a starting point for the knowledge of God.  As Paul said, we need to move on from the milk of the gospel to the meat of the gospel.  Hebrews 5:13-14 says: "For every one that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."  There are many other things that Christians come to believe, because of their growth in the Word.  Knowledge of the gifts and the fruits of the Spirit as well as knowledge of the evil forces in the world.  The Christian, however, has the assurance that the Holy Spirit is always there to guide them.  Hebrews 13:5 says: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."  Just so you will know that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow: Psalm 37:28,says: For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;  Joshua 1:5 says: "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:8 says: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."  Deuteronomy 31:8, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

  

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