How Islam creates Shithole countries

Those who say, “Allah is one in a Trinity,” have certainly fallen into disbelief. There is only One God. If they do not stop saying this, those who disbelieve among them will be afflicted with a painful punishment. 5:73 The Prophet said, "If anyone testifies that None has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alone Who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His Slave and His Apostle, and that Jesus is Allah's Slave and His Apostle and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit created by Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, Allah will admit him into Paradise with the deeds which he had done even if those deeds were few." (Junada, the sub-narrator said, " 'Ubada added, 'Such a person can enter Paradise through any of its eight gates he likes.") Sahih al Bukhari 3435 Allah's Messenger said, "The most awful name in Allah's sight on the Day of Resurrection, will be (that of) a man calling himself Malik Al-Amlak (the king of kings). Sahih al Bukhari 6205 Whoever introduces an innovation or gives shelter to a man who introduces an innovation (in religion), he is cursed by Allah, by His angels, and by all the people Sunan Abi Dawud 4530 When one of you wakes up from sleep, let him wash his nose by sniffing water into it and blowing it out three times, for Satan spends the night in the upper part of the nose. Sahih Bukhari, Ablutions 329 When one of you wakes from sleep, he should rinse his nose three times, for Satan spends the night in the upper part of the nose Sahih Muslim Book of Purification 238

Israel's Return to Israel is a sign

Deuteronomy 28:64–65 “The LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other…” Deuteronomy 30:1–5 “If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee… and bring thee into the land…” Isaiah 11:11–12 “The Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people… from the four corners of the earth.” Isaiah 43:5–6 “I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west…” Isaiah 49:22 “I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles… and they shall bring thy sons in their arms…” Jeremiah 30:3 “I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.” Ezekiel 11:16–17 “Although I have scattered them among the countries… I will gather you from the peoples, and give you the land of Israel.” Ezekiel 36:24 “I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.” Zechariah 8:7–8 “I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.” Luke 21:24 “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” ISLAMIC SOURCES O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has written for you, and do not turn back, or you will become losers. Koran 5:21 And after him We said to the Children of Israel: Dwell in the land Koran 17:104 And We caused the people who had been oppressed to inherit the eastern and western parts of the land which We had blessed. Koran 7:137

All about Biblical Marriage

Matthew 19:4-6 He (Jesus) answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Genesis 2:18-25 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for[e] him.” -- But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

The definition of marriage: becoming one flesh

It is clear from the original establishement of marriage that it has nothing to do with religion, community or even romantic love. The act and reality of "becoming one flesh" is the foundational truth of marriage. This is later recognized in scriptures such as

Exodus 22:16: If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife.

In other words: although the man-made cultural concept of marriage can be useful, it too must be made to follow the deeper underlying reality of "being one flesh", which - when it has taken place - constitutes marriage before God, and we should respect it. This is worth repeating:

What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew 19:6

Multiple wives

1 Cor. 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

Abraham had Sarah, Hagar and Keturah (Genesis 11:29; 16:3; 25:1). Jacob had Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, Zilpah (Genesis 30) David had Ahinoam, Abigail, Haggith, Abital, Eglah, Michal, Maaca, Bathsheba and other women (1-2 Samuel)

There is no prohibition in the bible against a man having multiple wives. This is a simple fact. It seems the headship of the man over his wife/wives is a key factor: there is no conflict as there is only one head. Similarly, it is forbidden for a woman to leave her husband to be joined to another man. A woman, therefore, is simply forbidden from having multiple husbands.

But it's not just me. Let's listen to the great protestant reformer, Martin Luther: Letter to Chancellor Gregory Bruck, January 13, 1524 (De Wette II, 459, pp. 329, 330)

I confess that I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict the Scripture. If a man wishes to marry more than one wife he should be asked whether he is satisfied in his conscience that he may do so in accordance with the Word of God. In such a case the civil authority has nothing to do in the matter.

Now there are hints that this is not the ideal arrangement. Appart from the fact that God only created one woman for Adam our father, there are two places in scripture where the number of wives is restricted: for kings and for new testament church leaders. Apparently there are at least practical reasons to only have one wife (or in the case of a king, "not many wives", what ever that means).

Deuteronomy 17:17 And he (king) shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

1 Tim 3:2-3 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

Adultery

The basic definition of adultery is simple: having sex with another man's wife. Leviticus 20:10 If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

This extends to remarrying: But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Here there is an important distinction:

Music in the Bible

Psalms 150:1-5 1 Praise the LORD.Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Psalms 98:1-7 1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 5 make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the LORD, the King. 7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Instruments mentioned: trumpet, harp, lyre, timbrel, strings, pipe, cymbals, ram's horn

And verily We gave unto Moses the Scripture and We caused a train of messengers to follow after him, and We gave unto Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs [of Allah's sovereignty], and We supported him with the Holy spirit. Is it ever so, that, when there cometh unto you a messenger [from Allah] with that which ye yourselves desire not, ye grow arrogant, and some ye disbelieve and some ye slay? 2:87 Say [O Muslims]: We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered. 2:136 Of those messengers, some of whom We have caused to excel others, and of whom there are some unto whom Allah spake, while some of them He exalted [above others] in degree; and We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs [of Allah's Sovereignty] and We supported him with the holy Spirit. And if Allah had so wiled it, those who followed after them would not have fought one with another after the clear proofs had come unto them. But they differed, some of them believing and some disbelieving. And if Allah had so willed it, they would not have fought one with another; but Allah doeth what He will. 2:253 [And remember] when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near [unto Allah]. 3:45. O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three" - Cease! [it is] better for you! - Allah is only One Allah. Far is it removed from His Transcendent Majesty that He should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as Defender. The Messiah will never scorn to be a slave unto Allah, nor will the favoured angels. Whoso scorneth His service and is proud, all such will He assemble unto Him; 4:171-172 “And [He will make him] a messenger to the Children of Israel [who will say]: ‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I will create for you out of clay the form of a bird, then breathe into it and it will become a bird by the permission of Allah. And I heal the blind and the leper, and I give life to the dead by the permission of Allah. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Surely in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.’” 3:49 ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My favor upon you and upon your mother when I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit; you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity; and when I taught you the Book and wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel; and when you fashioned from clay [what was] like the form of a bird with My permission, then you breathed into it and it became a bird with My permission; and you healed the blind and the leper with My permission; and when you brought forth the dead with My permission; and when I restrained the Children of Israel from [killing] you…’” 5:110 [And remember] when the disciples said, “O Jesus, Son of Mary, can your Lord send down to us a table [spread with food] from the heaven? [Jesus] said,” Fear Allah, if you should be believers.” They said, “We wish to eat from it and let our hearts be reassured and know that you have been truthful to us and be among its witnesses.” Said Jesus, the son of Mary, “O Allah, our Lord, send down to us a table [spread with food] from the heaven to be for us a festival for the first of us and the last of us and a sign from You. And provide for us, and You are the best of providers.” Allah said, “Indeed, I will sent it down to you, but whoever disbelieves afterwards from among you – then indeed will I punish him with a punishment by which I have not punished anyone among the worlds.” 5:112-115 Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! Such was Jesus, son of Mary: [this is] a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt. 19:33-34 When Jesus came with clear proofs [of Allah's Sovereignty], he said: I have come unto you with wisdom, and to make plain some of that concerning which ye differ. So keep your duty to Allah, and obey me. 43:63 4:59. Lo! the likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then He said unto him: Be! and he is. 4:55. [And remember] when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will [all] return, and I shall judge between you 4:157. And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger - they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain.

“The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler; he will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the jizya tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts).” Sahih al‑Bukhari, Hadith 2476

“There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (peace be upon him). He will descend … he will break the cross, kill swine, and abolish jizya. Allah will perish all religions except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist …” Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 4324

irreconcilable differences and divorce

The bible is clear on how marriage:
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous. (Heb 13:4)
let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The bible doesn't say much about marriage, and there are very few stories of marriages in the bible that go into any detail. However, it is clear that God's commandment is to follow his design, and that design is love in a covenant relationship.
What this means is faithful "tolerance" of your spouse through the hard and good times and to love - or to take care of - the other as long as you live (Rom 7:2).

It has become common for even Christians to view marriage from the lens of the visible - the external issues. Things like "compatibility" of values, profession, socioeconomic status etc. For many women I've found even their spiritual calling becomes a rival to their covenant of marriage, which they at some point in their lives might be ready to leave behind - just because they see a future that is more alluring.
The simple truth is that we've been called to be patient in love. If you have challenges in marriage (we all do!), that is the time to simply continue in denying yourself and yielding to the love of God. Continue in prayer and see how love takes over and covers even the great differences.

Why there is no poison in the wine

Worship involves yielding to God on all levels and simply worhiping Him. When you are deeply entrenched in dogmatic battles of doctrine, you may have a hard time letting go and thus the worship does not flow purely. This is not to be taken as an indication that you are wrong, but that these "things" just matter too much to you: matters of sexual purity, matters of the role of women, matters of charity and doing good works, ... matters - in general - of our horizontal reach between people. As much as you believe in the importance of your doctrinal persuasion, please hang it out to dry when you worship God. Worship God with no bars held, giving everything to Him.

Bible Answers in the midst of the Deceptions of Our Time

Below are some true statements that go against the spirit of the present world

Adultery is not okay

I have to admit, I've thought about this rather critically myself. Why couldn't a man and a woman enjoy the pleasures of the flesh if they're not hurting anybody? Meaning outside marriage of course. Many do it and in fact even some married couples say they enjoy the idea of their spouse going off to enjoy a wild night with someone else (open relationship or swinging lifestyle), or even orgies with multiple partners.

The argument we could make is that the old reasons for protecting marriage are no longer valid. We have contraception so the problem of having both parents is not a problem anymore. Nor is there the problem of who is going to take care of the woman once she loses here "market value" and becomes pregnant etc. after all, marriage was basically an occupation for a woman, where the man would take care of here financial needs (food, clothing and marital rights, as the torah puts it).

I asked God about this one day and his answer was terse: the bond is unbreakable. In other words, adultery cannot be tolerated anymore than

You see, there is an invisible bond created between man and woman when they have sex (not when they stand on a red carpet by the way). Even more than this, there is a relationship on the earth between a man and a woman that reflects the eternal love between God and His creation.

I find that the best way to think of marriage is that it's an act of worship to God, where we give up time and effort to please God. This is not about you, your spouse or how good the sex life is. This is about faith! And faith means this: to be obedient to God when you don't

2. Men and Women are not equal

- gender is God's idea: Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (Genesis 5:2) - Women can marry men, men can't - Men can be leaders of churches, women can't (1 Tim 3 "a bishop must be above reproach, the husband of one wife")

3. Killing is not forbidden, murder is

- Exodus 20:13: Do not murder - Numbers 35:30 ""Every murderer of a human being is to be executed only according to testimony given by multiple witnesses. A single witness is not to result in a death sentence." - Deuteronomy 20:16 But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: - 1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. - The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing

4. Truth is more important than your feelings

2 Timothy 4:3- preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

How can I be the head of my wife and protector of my home when I'm not Bruce Willis?

This is one of those "I would if I could, but I'm just so weak" issues. Being the head of your wife is a matter of obeying God. And being the protector of your home is mostly a matter of not opening the door to the enemy.
The title is provocative and silly for a reason. Media such as movies has brainwashed us to think that in order to achieve anything you need to be the very best - and even then it's a struggle. This makes you lethargic and fatalistic. You don't even want to try. You seek constant validation and become a "mama's boy", thinking that is matter what you do.
The universe is different from the movies (shocker!) and you don't have to have all it takes to solve every problem. The world is different for every one of us. You only need to be faithful in the things that have been given into your care.
Stand tall and do your part. Stop opening the door to the enemy just because you think you can't resist him anyway. It's a trick!
The experience of being a man, trying to provide for his wife and kids, trying to be loving etc. is one that will lead to one of two directions: the arms of God or failure! Point being: you shouldn't try to do this alone. Lean on Jesus.
In order to be the man of her dreams and God's design, you need to become weak towards God and lean on Him to have the strenght to go on.

We are hopeless

"They crucified two criminals with Him, one on His right and one on His left." (Mark 15:27)

There are two kinds of people on this Earth: criminals and criminals; which one are you?
Lets be a bit more specific...

1. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Jesus (Luke 23:39)

2. The other admitted to wrongdoing and asked Jesus to remember him (Luke 23:40-41)


So now which one do you want to be?


I've been a believer for 20 years and I've observed the biggest deception for humanity to be the hope that they are perhaps not criminals after all and they can fix their problems and build a lasting future without God.

Make no mistake about it: we are hopeless criminals! Every last one of us! We have all broken the very foundations of life and the created order of God. In our sin we are not compatible with life and God's creation. We deserve to see the fruits of our ways, which we don't even realize are terrible beyond imagination. Every evil word produces death and destruction (do you want to enjoy that for eternity?). Every adulterous look breaks the creative holy bond between man and wife and produces rejection, loneliness and terror for the parents and children. And so on.

"All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:12)

"God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Psalm 53:3)

"I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth" (Genesis 8:21)

The only way to be close to God is to turn away from the works of flesh. The surest way to turn away from God is to trust man...
"Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD." (Jeremiah 17:5)

Let us not trust man, but God, for...

"And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." (Psalm 9:10)

"none who wait for you shall be put to shame" (Psalm 25:3)

Why is there Homosexuality in America?

The church has bought into the modern idea that men and women are equal and interchangeable. Homosexuality follows logically from this: if men and women can do the work of a man or woman, a man can do the work of a wife and marry a man! There is a strange blind spot here and we need to address it.

My Statement on Charlottesville

My statement regarding the recent political violence in Charlottesville. Just in case I end up in yet another pointless conversation on the topic, so that I can direct people to my statement. Part I: Finnish Perspectives I come from outside the American political discourse, from Finland - one of the most racially homogeneous countries in the world, where we take pride in judging people ONLY by their merits, not their skin color or bloodline. We are a nation of peasants with almost no trace of class society. However, I do realize that racism of a sorts is a part of my life as well. Let me explain. When I meet a Russian, I really have to apply Luke 6:28 and pray for the person I meet so as to be in the love of God towards a person that to me represents centuries of unprovoked attacks, enslavement and a superior attitude towards my people. In the 18th century, Russians took tens of thousands of Finns slave (from a nation of 400,000), and this was just one of the woes our people endured from them. War followed war, followed by sporadic raids in between. For centuries. Later there were more positive developments, which ended in our nation's independence, only to be followed by an unprovoked attack by Soviet Russia on our independent nation in 1939, for which the USSR was thrown out of the League of Nations. It is only 75 years since that war, and the scars are still there. On the other hand, our people never had slaves. Certainly no black slaves. As a child, I never saw a black person until when our family traveled abroad. And mostly these people were part of the same church and very pleasant to be with. fear of strangers is a natural response (and we all have it), but that always gave way to friendship and appreciation when you find how nice the other person is. It is nowadays easy to forget there was racism and classes among white people, even to pretend there was no such thing. The middle ages are over, along with the feudal system, slavery (of white people) and class society. In Finland, all men and women have had voting rights since 1906 but not before that! Similar stories can be told of many European countries: white men have not had voting right for all eternity and class has defined destinies of white people for a long time. I can say I understand racism on the side of the victim: the combination of fear and resentment towards people that represent the abuse of my people. And I've also found a solution to it: the love of God that covers many sins, and the realization that I will be judged one day for ONLY my own actions, not those of others. No amount of empty words in media will help. And ultimately my and my nation's destiny is in our own hands. A narrative and mentality of victimhood and bitterness will only rob us of the better future that is ahead of us. Part II: America Much of the racial and other political issues in America are incredibly divided. When talking about political issues, I often get (and have learned to dread) the question "where do you get your news from?" This is a question I've never heard outside the USA and to me it epitomizes what is wrong about the highly divided political discussion here: very few care about the facts, but decide their (highly emotional) response based on who is reporting. In other words,its a question of taking sides. I've made a point of cross-referencing the news sources of the two bickering sides. A piece of news that is harmful to the right, I take from Fox. A piece of news that is damning to the left, I take from the NY times. Confused faces and hilarity ensues :-) But the point is, facts don't have a political affiliation. Facts don't take sides. They are the same no matter where you read them from. And 99% of the time, that is how I find them to be represented in media, although I probably read news differently from the typical American. We are all responsible for making a real effort to understand the absolute facts outside of partisan considerations. Part III: Charlottesville Charlottesville represents to me a seed of discord sown into the nation, around which thousands upon thousands of harmful and divisive conversations build up like a giant snowball that didn't have to happen, is made up of harmless water, but which has built up momentum and crushes all in its path. Once that snowball melts, we can find a tiny tiny spec of dust inside that will make us all ashamed of how big we made this to be. I wish! I can almost hear the next snowball rumbling towards us as we speak. Another round of finger-pointing, renouncing, taking sides and unfriending on Facebook is just around the corner. Part IV: The Church So is there any shelter from this bombardment? Is there any solid ground we can stand on and still remain standing after the (yet another) storm has passed? Yes: the Word of God. "You shall not -- curse a ruler of your people." (Exodus 22:28) "-- Fear God. Honor the emperor." (1 Peter 2: 17) The point: there are some boundaries to how you should talk about the leader of your nation. Leave the president out if unsure, and do not judge him. And it doesn't matter if its a D or a R sitting in the White House. In particular, there is no need to accuse the president of racism, especially when he hasn't said anything racist. And he hasn't. Another principle enforces this: "He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it." (Prov 11:27). In other words: try to find the good in every person and situation, instead of all the evil (and suspected evil). If we keep blowing every evil thing out of proportion, that is what we'll end up with. "If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all." (Romans 12:18) "-- You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Romans 13:9) "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get." (Matthew 7:1-2) Meaning: do not judge people. Perhaps judge actions, words and policies if needed, but not people! If someone asks you to judge another person, remind them of this verse. A good perspective on this comes from seniour IHOPKC leader Stuart Greaves, who reminded us of a certain young nationalist, who made murderous threats in his religiosity and zeal, but later became known as Paul the apostle.We shouldn't condemn a person to forever be in a certain mold, but free them from such curses. In the bible, Joshua asked the angel whether he was on the enemy's side or his side. The answer was: "No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord." (Joshua 5:14). Perhaps this is a clue how God feels about our political bickering. Part V: In Conclusion My feeling is that everyone is left hurt and worse off after this whole ordeal. Old fears, resentment and bitterness has erupted among the black population. A sense of shame and (mostly wrongful) sense of guilt has washed over the white population. Everyone is eyeing everyone else with suspicion. Many whites have risen up to state various versions of "thank God I'm not like those sinners", which only reminds me of the pharisee's prayer in Luke 18:11. People crying, fearful, divided and angry left and right. So when someone asks you whose side of THIS you are... your answer should be the same as that angel's: no.

Charlottesville Events and how the Church Reacts

There has been a heated debate ever since David Duke and his group went marching, clashed with Antifa counter-protesters, and people were even killed. Background story: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/12/us/charlottesville-protest-white-nationalist.html Now, to be clear, when people that call themselves "Christian" go out in support of racism and perhaps even slavery, the Church needs to say this is not who we are. However, that has already been done many times and there is no reason to assume that that position has changed. This country currently in the grips of political division unlike at any other time, and part of the reason is this sentiment that you are either "for us or against us". In other words, you must _fully_ support our cause, and view the world from our point of view, or else you are part of the problem. I hear words like complicit, tacit approval, silence is to condone, etc. With this mentality, its easy to start going after people, for example Donald Trump. You may start with a request to denounce. If that denounciation is not in the "correct" format, or comes too slowly, you may demand additional acts of penitence. Finally, only established members of the "righteous" club can decide when a person has repented, denounced, condemned or rejected strongly enough and correctly whatever is the issue. This tactic will backfire. First of all its manipulative and subjective and has nothing to do with a person's real beliefs and actions, and everything to do with a person's desire to appear good in the public eye. History knows many evil people, who have vocally decried and judged the very things they secretly do. The solution from the church needs to start with the simple but hard realization that God is not left or right, but up. Even Joshua, the leader of the ancient people of Israel got this answer when asking if the angel was for him or against him: "No; but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come" (Joshua 5:14). Likewise, God's solutions to slavery, racism and now the traumas and divisions in society are not of this world. The church needs to take note. Our job is not to become the most vocal advocates of the civil rights movement, but rather to present a real solution to real individuals seeking elevation from bondage. To my black brothers I suggest the following: forgive, then turn to God for answers on how to go forward in life. Go to church and ask them. If they are racists, you can find another church. But in any case, God is your salvation, not man nor man-made movements.

Overcoming Anger

I'm ashamed to admit it. I've had have anger issues. On a brighter note, the Lord has started to deal with my anger issues. He told me that the root of anger is insecurity. Insecurity leads to the pursuit of security through control, which is the gateway to anger. God also told me that in His kingdom security is obtained not through control, but through power of influence. He simply makes the world safe. He doesn't threaten to sit on it if it doesn't change, He changes it in His own time and way. I need to start trusting God on this. He is my security and His way of security is influence. He will influence my circumstances. He will stand up for me. He will make the very areas of my life where I've experienced and expected evil to be made good again. All I need is to forgive and trust.

Forgiveness

If you want to experience God's grace, find someone you need to forgive. -me

Slow to Anger

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfastflove and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6)

I've often thought of why God is "slow to anger", and have actually felt it would be better if he were to get angry fast so that we can the faster know His displeasure and correct our ways. But I have recently had some revelation on this issue.

God gives us time to use the opportunities He gives us. He gives us an instruction, such as to end doing some sinful thing, and then He gives us _time_ to get acquainted with the thought and do it.

God wants us to succeed in life and in following Him, so He patiently waits for us to learn the lesson He has taught us, then gives us time to recuperate before giving another instruction.

How to have a good sex life

Openness, Acceptance and Love - how to have a good sex life

We need to feel loved. In marriage we also need to feel and know that we are not going to be rejected. This is at the very core of the marriage experience: to feel safe without the fear of being rejected. Rejection is the greatest fear that man has.

Imagine a man saying to her wife that he wants to try anal sex with her, and her responding with "don't you dare say that or I'll divorce you!". In this example she is really saying three things: her body does not belong to her (thus violating 1Cor 7:4 [1]), that she is rejecting him on a certain level and is prepared to reject him on an even deeper level (violating Mal 2:16) and finally that she is not under his leadership, but rather decides for her self (violating Ephesians 5:22 [2]).

The key to a happy marriage and happy marital sex is to allow ANYTHING to be openly discussed without the fear or ridicule or rejection. You should consider your spouse's thoughts to be your own: if she says she wants oral sex, imagine it was you having that thought. Or if he mentions oral sex or anal sex, imagine they are your thoughts. How would you react if you had an idea like that: you would probably research the topic and feed your curiosity, perhaps coming to a point where you want to try something like that.

Now the point is not "trying it out", but that you can freely express your thoughts and feelings with your partner. My experience has been that after years of learning to freely talk with my spouse about sexual fantasies and trying out many things with her, I can have regular vaginal sex with nothing kinky going on, knowing that if I DID ask for those things, it would not be  a problem: I have established that I will not experience rejection in this relationship.

A man will probably want to try scandalous things like anal sex, for the purpose of finding out if she is really his wife and that her body really belongs to him as in [1]. Once it has been tested and tried, he will be content and will most likely not want to constantly do it again. At least this was the case with me.

Over the years I have become fully confident that there is no thought in this area that I can't express to my wife without fear of rejection. That does not mean that everything needs to be tried, but it does mean that you two are on the same team, tackling life's questions together, not as competitors in holding everything back.

Married couples are not supposed to hold back from each other: you are supposed to share your previous sexual history (which unfortunately most of us have to one degree or another), share your passing sexual fantasies etc.

My experience has also been that the special protection of God causes everything that is disclosed within marriage to lose its wrong hold on you. For example: I was interested in porn and would sometimes watch it. I showed my wife the things in porn that I find exciting, and suddenly it stopped having the same power over me. That area of my sexuality became OUR common knowledge and thus another part of my sexuality was brought inside the marriage rather than staying outside it. And God does the rest, believe me.

There is a very special and powerful protection in marriage. Anything that you do within marriage that isn't good for you, will lose its power and will start to feel silly and unneeded. We actually tried to have sex with porn playing, but I lost my erection, which was totally unheard of! Usually when watching porn I would have super strong erections and orgasms, and with my wife too. I hopefully don't have to tell you that lustfully looking at another person is wrong, but this is the most extreme example of how I've seen God's protection working in my life.

Now don't take the above as a license for sin (don't continue watching porn), but please do tell your spouse all about your porn obsession, and the specifics of what in porn turns you on. It will bring you two closer to each other and will let her learn more about you. And same goes the other way around of course.

[1] 1Cor 7:3 ESV For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

[2] Eph 5:22 ESV Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

[3] Mal 2:16 KJV  For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.

Bible teachings on HEALING

1. Healing is bought by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. God cursed all sickness in Jesus on the cross, as its written "“Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”. This also explains why Moses hung a picture of a snake on the tree for Israelites to gaze upon, instead of some positive thing: we are to understand that God has CURSED sickness, infirmity, sin and the like.

2. Healing is an expression of the kingdom of God come near. "But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you". The kingdom is where the king's will is done, and God wants you to be healed. If your body is outside the kingdom of God, it is not healed.

3. We receive healing at the point of our faith. The woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9) had decided that for her healing would work if she touched the hem of Jesus' garment. For the centurion (Luke 7), he could believe Jesus' word would heal.

You need to figure out how you can receive healing, and that will probably be different from the person next to you. Options include: quietly in your own prayer closet, being prayed for by the elders/great visiting prophet/wife/husband/friend, reaching out by acting against the sickness, by proclaming healing with your words, or by some other means. The way to receive healing does not have to be the same for everyone.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

We rode bikes to the park today with my kids and it was a fine trip. However, there was a group of muslims at the park probably celebrating a birthday or something of that sort, and seeing their covered women and the thoughts in my head troubled me a bit.

I thought of how exclusive islam is: how they do have morals, but in a very bigoted way the rules are different for muslims and non-muslims. For example, stealing and adultery are stricktly forbidden, but for a non-muslim, there is no protection under those laws. Their women do not exercise the freedoms we take for granted and worst of all, muslims are a fast growing demographic in the west and around the world.

Suddenly I stopped my train of thought and realised that was I was considering was purely from a worldly point of view: how communities look, what freedoms I have, what freedoms my daughters have etc. And I realised my mistake: "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:2)
The fall of the western civilization is a) not a thing to be concerned about in itself and b) caused by the spark of God's blessing being snuffed out by minds set on worldly things, instead of drawing near to the love of Jesus Christ, the redeemer of all mankind.

God wants us to thrive, but our thriving will start to wane the moment we turn our sights away from Jahweh God to our worldly affairs as objects to pursue.

Should Children Play Computer/Tablet/Smartphone Games?

First off, "To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled." (Titus 1)

Secondly, its just a medium for carrying and displaying content. Just like a book. Whatever the device may be, its not evil in itself. The content - just like a book - may be inappropriate, but that is a separate question.

I believe parents should keep up to date on technological developments by paying attention to the kinds of games there are.

Many have said that games are just getting worse and worse. I would say they have stayed the same for the past 50 years: you have games that contain witchcraft, sexual immorality, murder etc. and then you have "kosher" games like flight simulators, many strategy games, puzzle games, adventure games that do not have anything sinful about them. So please look through the options, and preferably try the games yourself. Some of the safest titles are things like "Farming Simulator" on the PC/Mac and childrens' games from Toca Boca on the iPad (but there are tons of others).

The most important thing you can give your children is to live a holy life yourself. This will guard them in the spirit, and they will not end up trying the worst, but the best options.