Prophecy Update Newsletter
October 24, 2016
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Diary of a Dead Man - Pete Garcia - http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8326
I died on March 14th, 1999. It was a Sunday and I was just two months' shy of my 49th birthday. I grew up in a small town, with normal people. Nothing 'fantastical' ever really happened to me. I was ordinary, unknown, and just part of the anonymous unwashed-masses residing in flyover-country USA. I thought I had lived a good life. I wasn't a "saint," but I wasn't "evil" either, doing what I thought evil people did; like killing, raping or robbing people. I went to church most weeks. I worked hard at a good job, took care of my family and paid my taxes on time. I never really thought much about death, or what came after. I was busy living my life. I certainly didn't think I would die at the age of 48. I thought I had a long life ahead of me. I thought I'd live to see my grandchildren grow up and get married. All I remember was driving home one night, and the truck coming towards me crossed over into my lane. I was messing with the radio at the time so I didn't see it until it was too late, and then everything went black. I remember seeing my body sitting there in the seat all slumped over and unnatural like. I looked like a crumpled up piece of paper. It didn't make any sense because I was seeing me, but I wasn't in me. I looked down and saw myself, but no one else could. The other driver's body was lying on the ground a bit away because he hadn't worn his seat belt. But I didn't see him outside of himself. I went over and touched myself to see if I could wake myself up, but the closer I got, the more I realized that I was dead. There wasn't any recovering from the damage my body was in, and even if I could recover, I didn't think I would like it. A moment later, everything was gone. I was on a plain of some kind, and everything was pitch black. I could tell that the place I was in was vast, but I couldn't tell how large. It seemed to stretch on forever, but I couldn't see beyond my hands. There was knowledge though. It seemed that I knew where I was, and why I was. It was like a hallway between life and where I was heading for all eternity, hell. There was a certain, absolute-fatalism in this knowledge that there was nothing I could do to change it at this point. That is where I was heading, and as if on some kind of cosmic conveyor belt, I was making my way there whether I wanted to or not. When I said I understood why I was there, it was because I knew wasn't saved. I knew being a 'good' person, isn't good enough. I knew being 'religious' wasn't good enough. I knew going to church wasn't good enough. I knew that knowing who Jesus was, wasn't good enough. I knew being a 'good' American wasn't good enough. I knew that I had died in my sins, and that I hadn't asked Jesus to forgive me, and redeem me. I knew. I knew. I knew that I hadn't made Jesus Christ Lord and Savior, and that was why I was there. I also knew I wasn't alone. Someone, or something put its hands on my shoulder, and pain shot through my body so absolutely that even the tips of my hair could feel it. I turned to see who or what it was, and immediately I was in revulsion at the sight of this monstrosity. The silence was broken by what sounded like someone freaking out, and then I realized it was my own thoughts being broadcasted aloud. Now we were moving fast, faster than I had ever imagined we could move, towards a light. But the light wasn't comforting like you see when coming out of a dark tunnel. This light seemed full of menace and foreboding. It was the light of fire, and the closer we got, the louder the sounds became. I could hear screaming. I could hear crying. I could hear cursing. The sounds, the speed at which we moved, the pain that shot throughout my body like bolts of electricity were attacking every sense of my being all at once, and I then the only thing I could hear were my own screams as I was cast into the fiery cavern. I couldn't breathe the air because of the heat and smoke. I couldn't think because I couldn't stop screaming. The heat and darkness was so thick that I could feel it pressing against me. The ground was full of sharp and jagged edges. People were screaming and running by, but I couldn't see because the fire didn't give off any light. I could hear growls and voices of things that sounded so unnatural, that my body shook with fear. I began moving because I didn't want whatever that was to get me, and I knew, that this was where I would spend the rest of eternity. Assessment Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Jude 1:21-23 Dear reader, the above death scene is purely out of my imagination. I have attached no significance to either the date, or the age; I just imagined myself as someone who had passed on before their time. The moments after the death account, however, is very much true according to what Scripture has to say on the subject. I have also based some of this on Shawn Weed's testimonial (here), as to what he experienced before being brought back by God's divine providence. I know some of you may not subscribe to the idea that a person can be brought back from death. I think most of the accounts of people traveling to hell and heaven are bogus, but I would be foolish to discount them all. For that point, I consider Shawn's testimony valid and I hope you take a moment to watch it if you haven't yet already. Although I didn't intend to write this kind of an article, this is what I was led to write on, and perhaps it is necessary to remind ourselves just what we were saved from. I imagined what the Rich Man would have said to his brothers, had he been granted the opportunity to travel back to the land of the living. At that time, the Jews had Christ walking there with them. They had the testimony of the Law and the Prophets, which pointed to Christ as the fulfillment of God's promise of redemption. Before time was created, and before the universe was spoken into place, God knew you. He saw your life and the moments of choice that would come to define you. We may look ahead with fear or anxiety at what lies ahead, but God has already foreseen it. We are only given so many days on this earth, and in that time, what we do, determines how we spend eternity. Even if we were to live for a 1,000 years, which, compared to eternity, is a drop in a bucket...if that bucket were the size of Jupiter. Time is so fleeting that we can barely grasp the present before it slides behind us into yesterday. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. Psalm 103:14-16 The truth is, that even the greatest of men, are but for a moment. Our deeds ring hollow in this life, but the ring resoundingly throughout the rest of eternity. What did we do with the time God afforded us? Most importantly, is what did we do with His Son, Jesus Christ? Who was He to us? A good man? A prophet? A historical figure? A myth? Or was He God come in the flesh? Was He your Redeemer? Was He your Savior? You might think that the punishment of hell is too much for simply rejecting Jesus Christ. Consider this: As vast, beautiful, and mysterious as the universe is, we are the crowning objects of God's creation. I'm not the first to point out that God devotes a single passage to the creation of the stars and planets, but many to the creation of the first man and woman. Man was created in the image of God. (Gen. 1:26) The heavenly bodies are perhaps the grandest of all of God's creations in terms of size, color, and sheer magnitude, but they pale in comparison to a newborn baby, or to the twinkle of an eye between two lovers. The stars pale in comparison to a child's laughter, or a mother rocking her child to sleep, or to a man on his knees praying for his family. God may have used the stars to declare His glory, but He uses man to declare His righteousness, goodness, love, perfectness, and His forgiveness. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:3-5 The stars may shine and declare that life is not accidental, but they can never declare how it is not accidental. They are only proof of order and creation, not an explanation. God did not wrap Himself in the flesh of a star, to die for the stars, or for planets, or for animals, or any other created thing. He came to live, die, and resurrect Himself so that man could be redeemed. God, being infinitely righteous and holy, set His holy laws in place and cannot violate them to make exceptions for man. But man, who is fallen and wholly unrighteous, and being an agent of free will, will almost always act out of his own self-interests. The only way that God could redeem fallen man to Himself, without violating His own laws, was to become a Man, live a holy and perfect life, then make Himself a sacrifice to pay for the penalties that you and I accrue over the course of our lives, in order to redeem us to Himself. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:13-15 Technically speaking, we are all dead men. If you have not received Christ as your Savior, you are dead in your sins. You have not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and are essentially waiting to die and then spend eternity separated from God forever in hell. If you are born-again, then your old nature has died, and you now are hidden in Christ. At this point, you are awaiting either death or the Rapture, and you will be changed into your glorified, immortal body in which you will spend eternity with God. Either way, our time here in this life is short. If you are a born-again Christian, death is merely a stepping off point into a glorious eternity. If you are not, death transitions into the second-death, and eternal destruction awaits you. You are not saved from hell by being good, going to church, being religious, or by being spiritual. You are born again (saved) by having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by trusting in His death, burial, and resurrection. You are saved by believing that Jesus Christ can save you from your sins. You are saved by placing that faith in what Christ has already done at the Cross of Calvary. That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation Romans 10:9-10 The world we live in is full of paradox and irony. The paradox is that we live as if we'll never die, and we die when we least expect it. Ironic, isn't it? That this world and life we put so much stock and effort into, is so easily taken from us. This life that we cling so tightly to is so effortlessly slipping through our fingers one second at a time. We are all dead men walking, but who we are dead too will make all the difference throughout eternity; are we dead to self, or are we dead to Christ? If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4 First time in 1,000 years: Yom Kippur service on Temple Mount - Hillel Fendel - http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/219289
Now it can be told: Shortly after the Six Day War, Moshe Dayan allowed Priests to perform sacred service on the Temple Mount. Only once in the last thousand years (since the second Muslim conquest of the Holy Land - the first was in the 7th century after the rise of Islam) has a Yom Kippur service been carried out on the Temple Mount. Kept secret for nearly 50 years, the prayer leader at the time recently told the story to correspondent Haggai Huberman. The service was complete with prostrations as in Temple times, though without sacrificial and incense offerings. The main participant was none other than Rabbi Menachem HaCohen (the name Cohen means priest and almost always denotes someone descended from Moses' brother Aaron, the first Priest), who served in the past as Labor Party Knesset Member, Rabbi of the national Histadrut Labor Organization, and top aide to IDF Chief Rabbi Maj.-Gen. Shlomo Goren. In the famous photo of Rabbi Goren blowing the shofar atop the Mount upon its 1967 liberation by Israeli forces, Rabbi HaCohen can be seen at his side. After the Six Day War, a sharp dispute arose between Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, who "returned the Temple Mount keys" to the Waqf, and Rabbi Goren, who felt that Jews must be allowed to pray at their most sacred site and wanted to build a synagogue there. After Rabbi Goren held a Tisha B'Av prayer service atop the Mount just six weeks after the Six Day War, Dayan forbade him by military order to pray there again. For Yom Kippur, just two months later, Rabbi Goren had an inspiration. On the morning of Yom Kippur eve, he appeared at Rabbi HaCohen's home in Ramat Gan with ten IDF Rabbinate soldiers, and told him, "Dayan has forbidden me to hold a prayer service on the Mount, but he said nothing about you. Here are ten soldiers, and a Torah scroll - I ask you to please take my place and make a minyan [prayer service] there." Huberman reports that Dayan knew of Rabbi Goren's plan, but did not stop it. He feared that a minyan run by the Chief Rabbi, with the rank of Maj.-Gen. [today, IDF Chief Rabbis are not ranked as high] would cause an international uproar. Rabbi HaCohen told Huberman that he was very excited to fulfill the request, and even took his two sons, aged 8 and 5, along with him. Rabbi HaCohen's father Mordechai authored scholarly books proving the existence of a synagogue on the Temple Mount during the Middle Ages, as well as Maimonides' visit to the holy site. Rabbi HaCohen led most of the prayer services, and the highlight was when he reached the phrase recited by the High Priest on Yom Kippur [in free translation]: "Please, G-d, I have sinned, as have the other Priests [and the Nation]. Please, atone for our sins, as is written in Your Torah: 'On this day G-d will atone for you and purify you of your sins.'" The High Priest would then recite the Ineffable Name of G-d, at which point the entire congregation would bow down and fall on their faces - which is precisely what the participants in the modern-era service of 1967 did, just meters away from where the service was held for hundreds of years in purity and holiness. The worshipers did not leave the Border Guard position near the Al Aqsa mosque the entire day, by order of Rabbi Goren. Only 8-year-old Meron managed to sneak out and actually stood at the entrance to the mosque. Following the final prayer service, as Yom Kippur ebbed away, the worshipers went out and stood in the middle of the plaza, where Rabbi HaCohen actually blew the shofar signaling the end of the holy day. "As I blew the shofar," he recalled, "I could hear the shofar being blown below us, at the Western Wall plaza." The return of the Yom Kippur service once again to the Temple Mount may appear far off at present, but the Jewish People continue to pray every day: "Restore the service to Your holy house... May our eyes see Your return to Zion." Israel's next Gaza war will be 'last': minister - https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Oct-24/377908-israels-next-gaza-war-will-be-last-minister.ashx
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in an interview with a Palestinian newspaper Monday that Israel's next war with Gaza militants would be their last "because we will completely destroy them." Lieberman however said he had no intention of starting a new war in Gaza, which would be the fourth since 2008. He urged Palestinians to pressure Hamas to "stop [its] crazy policies." "As minister of defense, I would like to clarify that we have no intention of starting a new war against our neighbors in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, Lebanon or Syria," he said in the interview with Jerusalem-based Al-Quds newspaper. "But in Gaza, like the Iranians, they intend to eliminate the state of Israel ... If they impose the next war on Israel, it will be their last. I would like to emphasize again: It will be their last confrontation because we will completely destroy them." Lieberman is part of what is seen as the most right-wing government in Israeli history, with several prominent members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition openly opposing a Palestinian state. But while known as a security-minded hard-liner, Lieberman believes in a two-state solution to the conflict based on land swaps. He reiterated that position in the interview, saying he sees the main settlement blocks in the occupied West Bank remaining part of Israel under a final peace deal. Lieberman, who took office in May, also criticized Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, accusing him of failing to make tough compromises that could lead to peace. He predicted Abbas would lose if elections were held, with polls showing most Palestinians would like the 81-year-old to resign. Such elections could lead to Hamas taking power in the West Bank, where Abbas's secular Fatah party currently dominates, but Lieberman said he believed a different outcome was possible. "There are enough sensible people in the (Palestinian Authority) who understand the situation and know if there is a choice to make between Hamas and Israel, they think partnering with Israel will be better for them," he said. Lieberman has recently spoken of trying to bypass Palestinian leaders and reach out directly to communities, and his interview appeared to be part of that effort. Al-Quds was heavily criticized on social media by Palestinians who say it should not have agreed to an interview with an Israeli official as it amounted to sanctioning "normalization" with an occupying power. Before taking over as defense minister, Lieberman made a series of controversial statements, including one directed at Ismail Haniya, Hamas's leader in the Gaza Strip. Lieberman said he would give Haniya 48 hours to hand over two detained Israeli civilians and the bodies of soldiers killed in a 2014 war "or you're dead." He has since backed off such statements and said he is committed to "responsible, reasonable policy." Tehran will fight Turkey's role in Mosul operation - http://www.debka.com/article/25735/Tehran-will-fight-Turkey's-role-in-Mosul-operation
The involvement of Turkish special operations, armored and artillery forces in support of the Kurdish Peshmerga battle to drive ISIS out of Bashiqa, 12 south of Mosul, marks a pivotal moment in the US-led coalition's anti-ISIS offensive to free Iraq's second city. The entire Mosul operation hangs in the balance since Turkey stepped into the fighting in Iraq, at the initiative of the US. Instead of fighting ISIS, the coalition's partners are squaring off to fight each other. debkafile's military sources report that Turkey was allowed to gatecrash the fighting around Mosul after US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter visited the KRG capital of Irbil Sunday, Oct. 23. He urged Kurdish leaders to bow to President Tayyip Erdogan's demands for a role in the battle. The Kurdish leaders succumbed to the pressure with the proviso that Turkey cease its air and artillery assaults on Syrian Kurdish militias in northern Syria. When Ankara accepted this condition, Ashton set out for the Bashiqa arena, becoming the first US defense secretary to come that close to a battlefront against ISIS in Iraq. He visited the Turkish military encampment outside Bashiqa and was given a briefing by their commanders. As soon as he departed, Turkish units entered the fray in support of the Peshmerga fighters According to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildrim, this involvement was limited to tank and artillery support for the Kurdish forces. Our military sources report, however, that it went much further and included Turkish special operations forces and tanks. By Monday, Oct. 24, Turkish troops were still backing up the Kurdish effort to purge Bashiqa of ISIS fighters. Tehran's reaction to this change on the game board was extreme. Our sources report that the pro-Iranian Iraqi Shiite militias assigned to subordinate tasks in the Mosul operation were immediately put on a state of readiness. Commanders of the Bader Brigades, the Population Mobilization Force and the Hashd eal-Shaabi reported that they were standing ready to attack the Turkish forces operating at Bashiqa, whom they termed "gangs of terrorists no less dangerous than ISIS." The Iranian government leaned hard on Iraq's Shiite Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi to make him redirect Iraqi government forces from the Mosul arena to join the Shiite forces preparing to strike the Turkish troops at Bashiqa. Al-Abadi had in the past week demanded the removal of Turkish troops from Iraqi soil, a demand Ankara just as steadily rebuffed. Building up at present is an imminent head-to-head fight between Turkish and Kurdish forces on the one hand and Iraqi Shiites on the other. In an effort to prevent the long-awaited Mosul operation degenerating into an all-out conflagration among US allies, with the Islamist State no doubt cheering on, the Obama administration Monday turned to Tehran, Baghdad, Ankara and Irbil and asked them back off lest they wreck their primary mission of evicting ISIS from Mosul. Tehran may decide to give ground on this but the price it exacts will be steep: an overhaul of the Iraqi Shiite militias' rear position and permission for their direct intervention in the battle for Mosul, including their entry into the city. This permission the US commanders have hitherto withheld. This would be a big prize. Mosul has been coveted by Iranian strategists as a major transit point on the land bridge they have designed to link the Islamic Republic to Syria and the Mediterranean. This prize would go by the board if the Turks and Kurds were first in the liberated city first and assumed control. Calling the Truth a Lie and Threatening The Catholic Church - By Daymond Duck - http://raptureready.com/featured/duck/dd250.html
When Hillary Clinton picked Tim Kaine to be her running mate in the upcoming presidential election several articles were posted on the Internet saying that Mr. Kaine is pro-Muslim and anti-Israel. Other articles refuted that and I casually glanced at them and moved on. But I recently read a five week old article that deserves more than a casual glance. It was written by Eli The and it is titled: "Tim Kaine: 'The Catholic Church Will Change Its Same-Sex Marriage Stance Or It Will Be Banned From The U.S.'" It can be found at: http://therightists.com/tim-kaine-the-catholic-church-will-change-its-same-sex-marriage-stance-or-it-will-be-banned-from-the-u-s/ According to the article, Mr. Kaine has changed his position on same-sex marriage and he believes that there is a good chance that the Catholic Church will follow suit. It would be hard to find a clearer example of exchanging the truth of God for a lie (calling an abomination good). And the Bible says God will give people up to uncleanness for practicing perversion. He said they worship the creature (Satan) more than they worship the Creator (Rom. 1:24-25). They prefer to follow the father of lies (Satan) than to follow the God of truth. Mr. Kaine seemed to say that he believes the Catholic Church will change its position on same-sex marriage because God surveyed the entire world in the first chapter of Genesis, including mankind, and said, 'It is very good.'" This is reprobate thinking because God's pronouncement that His creation was "very good" was before sin entered into the world. There was no same-sex marriage when God said, "It is very good." Mr. Kaine added that the Catholic Church should be accepting same-sex marriage instead of condemning it and that there are ways to make the Catholic Church listen to the voice of reason. He apparently believes the Bible and the Catholic Church are unreasonable. This would mean that the Holy Spirit that inspired the Scriptures and the Catholic Church that interprets them are unreasonable. And it means that he is calling evil, good, and good, evil (Isa. 5:20). He accused the Catholic Church of acting contrary to the Christian faith and said if the Catholic Church doesn't change it will be given an ultimatum: Change your stance on same-sex marriage or pack your bags and get out of America. What does it say about the heart of a man that thinks he can twist the Scriptures and kick the Catholic Church out of America, if it doesn't comply with his misinterpretation of the Bible? He probably wouldn't have any problems with kicking out the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Assemblies of God and others. But would he kick out the Muslims that don't agree with his position on same-sex marriage? And if he would try to force people to accept same-sex marriage, would he try to force people to submit to Sharia Law or to take a name, number or Mark? And why would he kick out Catholics and oppose the removal of illegal aliens that have been committing crimes in America? If he can so easily cast aside what the Bible says about homosexuality, would he easily cast aside what it says about Israel, world government, etc. Hillary may have health problems. Mr. Kaine could be just a heartbeat away from the presidency. Threatening to kick people out of America that disagree with him is not good. Think America! Think and vote before you are given an ultimatum to comply with evil or pack your bags and get out of America. Prophecy Plus Ministries Daymond & Rachel Duck [email protected] ![]()
My Review of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Over the last 35 years, I have literally read hundreds of books on Bible Prophecy and End Time signs. I especially enjoy books on the Rapture, and I have read almost every Rapture-related book published. In all those years, devouring thousands of pages, and millions of words, I have not read a better book on the Rapture than, Rapture Ready...Or Not? Terry James might be physically blind, but he is spiritually sharp and well discerning beyond most authors. In "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Terry has nailed the pre-trib Rapture, and removed any doubt what so ever about the Church going through the Tribulation. With great insight and Godly discernment, Terry explains with simple, yet profound words, why and how that he has come to believe the ways he does about the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the End Times scenario. I think after reading "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" you too will believe as Terry does, and be Ready for the Rapture like never before! - Randy Thomas - Publisher / Editor - Prophecy Update For more information and or to get your copy of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" use this link: http://www.raptureready.com/terry/book35.html Character: Built in the little things - Greg Laurie - http://www.wnd.com/2016/10/character-built-in-the-little-things/?cat_orig=faith
Pastor Greg Laurie explains significance of a solid spiritual foundation Everyone has character. It might be good. It might be bad. But you have it. And character, or personal integrity, is developed on a daily basis. With every thought you think, with every deed you do, you are either building it up or tearing it down. It comes down to this. If you cheat during practice, you will cheat in the game. If you cheat in your head, you will cheat on the test. You will cheat in business. You will cheat on your mate. Character is simply a long habit continued. It has been said, "Sow a thought, and you reap an act; sow an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit, and you reap a character; sow a character, and you reap a destiny." The Bible tells the story of four men who had character: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel the prophet. These four young men were Hebrew teenagers who had been carried away to captivity in Babylon and brought to the king's palace. Their world, as they knew it, changed overnight. They were taken away from family and friends and placed into an environment that was hostile to their faith. Their world turned upside down. Everything was immersed in idolatry and false beliefs. The king thought that if he could remove them from family and remove them from friends, he could conform them into his image. But the king had not considered this: You can't change what a person is on the inside. These four young men had character. They took a stand, even in the little things. For them, this meant they wouldn't eat the food at the king's table. We can only guess the reason, but I think it probably was because it was unclean under Mosaic Law to a large degree, and because it was dedicated to false gods. In their minds that was a compromise. The Bible tells us that "Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way" (Daniel 1:8 NIV). This wasn't just about food; this was about climbing the ladder of success. To even be in the palace meant that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in a position of potential power. If they played their cards right, they eventually would be serving the king himself. Therefore, to eat the king's food and to drink his wine was the way to climb the corporate ladder in Babylon. It was like being asked to lunch by the boss or the CEO, who has taken a special interest in you. These four teens made a stand in a small area. It seemed insignificant. It didn't seem like a big deal. But small things become big things. Character is built in the little things and then demonstrated and revealed in the bigger things. Understand, they faced the intimidating King Nebuchadnezzar. To incur his wrath could mean the loss of their lives. Nebuchadnezzar was a cruel and powerful man. After he had captured the Israelites and brought them into captivity, he had the king of Israel's sons brought before their father. Nebuchadnezzar killed them so the last thing the king saw were his own sons being killed before him. Then Nebuchadnezzar gouged out the king's eyes. He was a wicked man. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could have alienated King Nebuchadnezzar and gotten him angry. They could have had their own eyes gouged out. But they made their stand. Even though they were in the king's palace, away from family and friends, the Lord was still with them to help them through. The official in charge of them said, in effect, "If I don't give you this food, you guys are going to look emaciated and underfed. The king will take it out on me." They said to him, "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see" (Daniel 1:12-13 NIV). He went along with it, and sure enough, not only did God sustain them, but they looked healthier than the others who were eating at the king's table. They passed the test. This was really about their spiritual life, which to them was more important than anything else. The foundation for that kind of character and the strength to stand up for God, even at the risk of death, was a foundation that had been laid early in their lives. If you're building a house, the most important time is when you lay the foundation. It is a lot more fun to choose your flooring or carpeting and to decorate your home, but that stuff is secondary. If your foundation has not been laid properly, then you will have problems. The foundation matters. In the same way, we will spend a lot of time on peripheral issues that don't matter, and we won't spend enough time on the foundation on which we have built our lives. That foundation is primarily laid in the days of your youth. In your youth, decisions are made, like your career choice or the person you marry, that will affect you for the rest of your life. Daily Jot: Debate Takeaway 2-Abortion - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
The last debate between presidential candidates Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump drew a clear line in the sand regarding abortion. This is an issue that Christians have long held as the single issue qualifier for a candidate to receive their vote. To put it simply, Trump said he is pro-life. Clinton said she is pro-abortion. But it is the extent to which they hold their positions that voters of good conscious should study. This extends to the delicate balance of the Supreme Court to government (taxpayer) funding of Planned Parenthood to allowing late term abortions of babies who are able to survive outside the womb. Asked by moderator Chris Wallace if Roe v Wade should be overturned, Trump responded affirmatively, saying, "Well, if that would happen, because I am pro-life, and I will be appointing pro-life judges, I would think that that will go back to the individual states...if they overturned it, it will go back to the states...that will happen automatically, in my opinion because I am putting pro-life justices on the court." Clinton answered, "I strongly support Roe v Wade, and in this case, it's not only about Roe v Wade...So many states are putting very stringent regulations on women that block them from exercising that choice to the extent that they are defunding Planned Parenthood, which, of course provides all kinds of cancer screenings and other benefits for women in our country." Fact: Planned Parenthood does not provide cancer screenings at all. Wallace asked Clinton about her vote against banning late-term, partial birth abortions. She responded, "I do not think the United States government should be stepping in and making those most personal of decisions." Trump said, "I think it's terrible. If you go with what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby...And that is not acceptable." Fact: The Centers for Disease Control states that 1.3% of abortions are late-term, translating to some 15,000 babies executed just prior to leaving the birth canal. The Guttmacher Institute, which studied who gets late term abortions, reports, "most women seeking later terminations are not doing so for reasons of fetal anomaly or life endangerment." When pressed further, Clinton said that the government had no business interfering with the decision to have a partial birth abortion, "And I will stand up for that right." Trump said, "And, honestly, nobody has business doing what I just said, doing that, as late as one or two or three or four days prior to birth." This is egregious that a person running for President of the United States would advocate the grotesque killing of babies in the birth canal. How could any Christian support a leader who wants to do this? The Lord said in Jeremiah 2:34, "Also on your skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but plainly upon all these things." As Christians, we should never support such abomination. Daily Devotion: Fan the Flame - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. -2 Timothy 1:6 Have you ever watched a fire begin to burn down to the point that all you have left are coals? It looks as though there is no fire actually left, because the coals may be under a layer of ash. You can't really see much. But when you take a fresh log and toss it on top of those coals and stir it around a bit, suddenly it ignites, and you have a whole new fire going. Paul wrote to Timothy, "Stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands" (2 Timothy 1:6). That phrase stir up the gift means to fan it into full flame. There may be live coals in your life, but you have allowed the fire to go down. You haven't been using the gifts that God has given you, the talents He has given you. It's time to fan them into full flame again. It's time to be reignited. It's time to say, "Lord, how can I use what You have given me for Your glory until You return?" We need to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. There are those who want to have the big, visible ministries. They want the applause of men. Yet often they go nowhere, even though they may have great talent. But if we will humble ourselves and take what we have and offer it to God, if we are willing to do what He has set before us and be faithful in the little things, then He will give us more to do. Any time you take a chance, you can fail. But it's better to try than to never have anything happen in your life. I would rather try and fail than never try at all. FROM THE HEART
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